"He appreciates you coming down here and talking business, Ichigo." Rukia said as the two of them were walking down a hall.

"Anything for an old friend. Byakuya might be a little tight, but he's a good man." Ichigo said. Rukia and Ichigo have been friends for a while, but the reason Ichigo is here is because he wants to talk to her older brother. Byakuya is a successful business man that Ichigo has done business with before. The two of them kept walking until they reached his office.

"Byakuya, we're here." Rukia said as the two of them came in and Ichigo was meeting with Byakuya.

"Hello, Ichigo Kurosaki." Byakuya said.

"No need to be so formal between old friends, Byakuya." Ichigo said, but Byakuya looked at him like he was saying that Ichigo should be. "Uh... You wanted to talk business?"

"That's right." Byakuya said. "I want to talk about your company's share hold with mine. I believe you will find this to be good news."

"Well, if there's nothing for me here, I need to get going. My boss is expecting to hear my latest pitch." Rukia said as she was showing herself out. She was about to leave the office, but stopped when she saw something going on through the glass doors. "Uh... Byakuya... It looks like there's a situation going on outside." Rukia pointed out. Byakuya and Ichigo had a look on what was going on. They saw a commotion as a couple guards trying to keep back a man with long black hair and wore suspenders with black pants and a white shirt.

"It's nothing." Byakuya said as he saw his men forcibly escorting the man out of there.

"Who was that?" Ichigo questioned.

"His name is Shukuro Tsukishima. He's a brilliant man, but I had to sadly let him go." Byakuya said. "It's nothing you all should really be worried about. Shall we get back to our meeting, Ichigo Kurosaki?" He said as he brushed the whole thing aside like it was nothing, but there's always more to it. This Tsukishima clearly did not look happy or accepting about his situation, and Ichigo took notice of that.

...

Rukia

As the day went by, it was soon becoming night. Rukia finished up with her own work and returned to hers and Renji's apartment.

"I just got home now, Renji." Rukia said as she chatted over the phone with her husband. "I'm just going to order takeout. I'm thinking maybe Italian or maybe just order some sushi. You can help yourself when you get home. What?! I am not that bad of a cook!" As they were talking over the phone, Rukia was rather distracted. That meant that it was the perfect time for someone. Someone was hiding in the closet and was now coming out. "Renji, I swear I am going to make you eat my meatloaf and you..." She was suddenly attacked as a rag went over her mouth and it was coated in something that made her blackout and drop her phone.

"Rukia?! Rukia, are you there?! What's going on?!" Renji called, but no one answered as Rukia was being dragged away.

...

Mugetsu

Once his day as Ichigo ended, Mugetsu was driving around in his Black Blade for trouble. He just did his usual routine and drove through the streets until he was getting a call on a device in his car. It was a system he and Jushiro set up to let Jushiro inform him of trouble.

"Go ahead, Jushiro." Mugetsu said once he answered.

"Mugetsu, we got a situation." Jushiro said. Giving a quick rundown of what was going on, Mugetsu put the peddle to the meddle. He tore through streets until he ended up in front of the apartment building that Rukia and Renji live in.

"Just get the hell out of my way! I'm going out there to find my wife!" Renji said as he was trying to get his way through so he could get searching, but Mugetsu got in his way before he could storm off. "Move it!"

"Bit of advice, head for your department so you can find a lead as to where your wife went. It will be better than searching blind." Mugetsu said. That was all he needed to say before he stepped aside and let Renji do what he needed to do.

"He's quite upset, but understandable. It is his wife." Jushiro said. "Rukia's a great lady, and what just happened is simply tragic."

"What happened?" Mugetsu questioned.

"Renji overheard it on his phone. It seems that Rukia was kidnapped." Jushiro said. "Someone must have found a way to sneak into their apartment and kept in wait to make his move. So far, we have no clues as to who took her or for what reason?" They might not, but Mugetsu already might. Rukia is kidnapped on the same day someone tries to cause a scene in the same building that is run by her brother? It might be a coincidence, but seems a bit to big to be just that, and Mugetsu isn't really one to believe in coincidences.

...

Byakuya

Mugetsu had a feeling this had something to do with this Tsukishima after he tried to make a scene at Byakuya's company. He kept himself outside Byakuya's building and watched through the windows on what Byakuya might do. As he was watching, he saw Byakuya got a phone call. After the phone call, Byakuya looked like he was in a hurry. It looks like Mugetsu was on the right track. Once he saw that, Mugetsu hurried down to his Black Blade. He waited in there until he saw Byakuya's car pull out.

"Where are you taking him, Tsukishima?" Mugetsu questioned as he followed after him and hopes he isn't being watched. Byakuya drove around the city for a while until he pulled into some sort of parking garage. Looks like whatever is going on is happening now. Byakuya stepped out of his car and had a look around. "Byakuya Kuchiki..." Surprisingly, Byakuya didn't flinch as he turned around and was faced with Mugetsu.

"You shouldn't be here." Byakuya said.

"I'm here about your sister. I take it you're here for the same reason." Mugetsu said.

"You should leave before you ruin things." Byakuya said.

"No, it's fine." All of them looked ahead and saw that Mugetsu was right. They both spotted Tsukishima and he had a katana with him. "I'm actually glad that you're here, Mugetsu. I'm quite a fan of your work."

"Where's Rukia Kuchiki?" Mugetsu questioned.

"She's safe for the moment." Tsukishima said. "I just thought that Byakuya would like to play a game. Keep in mind that refusing to play could be costly for his sister. Mugetsu, you can play as well. I knew that once I kidnapped Byakuya's sister, you wouldn't be far behind." Mugetsu was about to make his move until he noticed something underneath a couple cars and it was too late. A couple devies started spraying out some gas around Byakua and Mugetsu. It became a little difficult for them to breathe and they both passed out. Now they had to play Tsukishima's game.

...

Later

Byakuya and Mugetsu were starting to pull themselves together. They were able to wake themselves up, but they were no longer in a parking garage. They were just in some narrow hallway and had no idea where they were now.

"Byakuya, are you okay?" Mugetsu asked.

"I believe so. Where are we?" Byakuya questioned.

"A little something I was able to come up with myself." Both of them took a look and saw a screen on the wall with Tsukishima's face on it. "It's time to play my little game, Byakuya and Mugetsu."

"What game? What are you up to?" Mugetsu questioned.

"You wanted to know where Rukia is. Here she is." Tsukishima said as he showed a feed of her, but she was bound to a table and gagged. "There's just one problem." That was when they saw a giant blade swing around in the same room as her. "I say you have about one hour before the pendulum swings around and strikes at Rukia. Oh, and don't bother with your weapon, Mugetsu."

"My weapon?" Mugetsu questioned. He looked down and saw that his sword was gone.

"I left it with Rukia. You can get it back if you make it through my Riddle Maze." Tsukishima said.

"Riddle Maze?" Mugetsu questioned.

"I set up three fun little riddles along the way for you to get to Rukia. You'll have to solve them to advance." Tsukishima said. "However, they'll leave you baffled and confused like you're in a maze if you don't solve them. Better get moving because the clock has already started." He ended the transmission there.

"What's the deal with this psycho?" Mugetsu questioned.

"Forget him. We need to reach Rukia." Byakuya said as he already ran on ahead with Mugetsu following after him. The two of them just made their way down the hall. With less than our before Rukia gets sliced, the two of them had to move fast. It didn't take long before they reached a locked door way. "This must be the first riddle."

"Look here." Mugetsu said as he saw a plaque with the riddle right on it and was decorated in stars. "Providing justice and the ability to harvest, this animal is one of the second largest. Found only during the fall, this animal can be found with the lion and the dragon."

"It's some sort of animal riddle?" Byakuya said.

"Looks like we enter the answer on this keypad, but what animal matches any of these descriptions?" Mugetsu questioned as he tried to figure it out. "The eagle could represent justice, but it holds no part in the harvest. The second largest animal would have to be the North Pacific whale, but that's found out in the ocean and doesn't associate with lions. It must be an animal of mythology like the dragon."

"Wait. It's a trick." Byakuya said. "Look at how the plaque is decorated in stars. It's not a riddle on animals, but rather astrology. The answer is the constellation Virgo."

"Are you sure?" Mugetsu questioned.

"I am. Virgo represents the goddess of justice and harvest. It's also considered the second largest constellation. It's one of fall, and the lion and the dragon are Leo and Hydra." Byakuya said.

"And the Virgo constellation represents a woman, which is a human. Humans are a type of animal." Mugetsu said as he was starting to see it. He input the answer and Byakuya was right. The door opened up and they got through the first door.

"Nicely done." They saw Tsukishima was back on another screen. "You got through that faster than I thought, but the blade is still swinging, and you still have two other riddles to solve." He claimed before cutting out.

"We need to keep moving." Byakuya said as he kept going. Saving Rukia was the only thing he cared about.

""Byakuya, what's the deal with this guy? Why is he against you?" Mugetsu questioned as they kept moving.

"He worked for me, but I had to let him go." Byakuya said like it was as simple as that.

"There has to be more to it." Mugetsu said. "I need to know what I'm up against, what motivates him, so I know how to handle him." Byakuya understood that. Being a reasonable and logical man himself, he decided to tell everything.

"Do you know what I do at my company?" Byakuya questioned.

"You're financial company. A lot of people do business with you, one of the best there is." Mugetsu claimed. "Some say you're an unofficial branch of the IRS. Goes to show you how good you are."

"Tsukishima worked for my company. He was a brilliant man, but he started to get warped ideas." Byakuya said. "He saw that we can use money to expose others in illegal activity, but for our own benefit rather than a matter of civil act. He wanted to swipe money from others and use it for other means. He saw it as a way to expose others. I saw it as simple embezzlement. Tsukishima began thinking that since we can control money, we can control people's lives."

"Why would he want something like that?" Mugetsu questioned.

"I believe Tsukishima began to see that he had power, and that power came to corruption." Byakuya said. "I wasn't going to allow someone like that to work in my company."

"So you fired him and he wasn't handling it." Mugetsu said as he was starting to see where this was going. "This is about payback with him being a little egocentric.

"We've arrived at the next riddle." Byakuya said as they saw the hall blocked with the next riddle set for them. "I speak without a mouth and can hear without ears. I have no body, but I'm alive with the wind. What am I?" This one sounds a bit puzzling. How can something speak without a mouth? How can something hear without ears?

"Alive with the wind... I got it!" Mugetsu said. "It's an echo! You hear your own voice, it reverberates and sounds like it's repeating, and it sounds like a person in the wind." He explained as he input the answer and that was right as well. "We better get moving. No telling how much time is left."

"You're both doing better than I thought." Tsukishima said as he showed up once again. "There's still one riddle left, and you might not have much time left." He warned before disappearing again.

"He doesn't sound that too concerned." Mugetsu said.

"He isn't. I suggest we be ready for anything." Byakuya said and got moving.

"So what does this have to do with me? Why did Tsukishima seem interested in taking me on?" Mugetsu questioned. "What's the deal with the riddles in the first place?"

"Tsukishima enjoys a good mental challenge. He likes puzzles, riddles, and more." Byakuya said. "I heard him talk about you and he seemed quite interested with what you do. He wants to see if he can outsmart you. He knew by doing this, you would come out and it gave him a chance to challenge you."

"So he is an egomaniac." Mugetsu claimed.

"He's cunning and clever." Byakuya warned. "He went after my younger sister knowing I would do anything to save her. Rukia is really the only family I have for I lost my parents long ago. I do anything to help her, but if he thinks I'm just going to roll over like his dog, he has another thing coming." Byakuya has no intention of letting Tsukishima have his way, but saving Rukia comes first.

"I can see the last riddle just up ahead." Mugetsu said as they could see it. They arrived and took a look at it. "In the shadows, I am seen and unseen. I can be seen in white, but I can't be seen in light."

"It must be darkness. It can be seen in shadows because shadows are darkness, but it's unseen because you are blind. White would make it visible, but light would cause it to disappear." Byakuya explained. "I'm disappointed. I thought Tsukishima would put up more of a challenging riddle."

"Wait. There's more to the riddle." Mugetsu said and continued reading. "I am what divides others from when people were divded. I am the only one from light where I do not refract. I can be hard to see on some and easy to see on others."

"Now I am stumped. What could that be?" Byakuya said as he wasn't sure. Mugetsu tried to think it over himself. What could this be. As he tried to think it over until he looked at himself and saw he had the answer.

"It's the color the black!" Mugetsu said. He input the answer and it ended up being the right answer. The door opened up and they were in the room with Rukia as the blade kept swinging around and around like a pendulum. Rukia tried to call to them despite being gagged. Their last puzzle was trying to figure out how to stop that blade from swinging around.

"No controls. How do we stop that thing?" Byakuya questioned. Mugetsu looked around and spotted his blade.

"Sometimes simple is best." Mugetsu said as he raced for his sword. He grabbed it and threw it right near the top. It smashed right into the pendulum's line and jammed it to prevent it from swinging. It soon got stuck and got it to stop. Once that happened, Byakuya hurried over and managed to free Rukia.

"Rukia, are you hurt?" Byakuya asked as she removed her gag.

"I'm fine, but where's the creep that put me in here?" Rukia said as she was plenty angry.

"Where is Tsukishima hiding?" Mugetsu questioned.

"Nowhere." Tsukishima said as he came back on another screen and showed where he was: in a car and was driving away. "This whole thing bought me the time I needed. I'll be far out of Karakura...with this." He said as he showed a briefcase filled with cash. "Let's see how well your company does without this much money, Byakuya Kuchiki." He claimed as he drove away and was far out of Karakura by now. "I might come back one day to settle a score, but I'll just disappear one day."

"You really think you can hide? Here's a riddle for you." Byakuya said. "Just who is it you're running from that will catch you? Mugetsu or I?" That seemed to have made Tsukishima a little uneasy, but he really just ended the line and disappeard.

"What now? He said he stole that money he had from our family company?" Rukia said.

"Not to worry." Byakuya said as he certainly wasn't.

...

The Next Day

Ichigo read in his paper about all that happened. Tsukishima is still at large, stole from Byakuya's company, but there were some good news. Byakuya already had things under control.

"Amazing. Byakuya already set things in motion to keep his company going after what Tsukishima did." Ichigo said as he was most impressed with his friend. Despite everything, Byakuya kept his cool and didn't let Tsukishima get to him. Tsukishima was quite malevolent, but he didn't get to Byakuya. Even with Tsukishima still out there, he isn't the least bit concerned. In fact, Byakuya would like to do what he can to find the nutcase. "That Byakuya... How does he do what he does? There's a riddle for you."