Ikkaku Madarame stepped forward, the gate of the Senkaimon closed behind him as he took a step forward and looked around. He hadn't made a trip to the human world in years, but even so, he was familiar enough with the city to recognize his current location-from the look of it he'd been let out close to downtown Karakura, which was a good thing. It meant he wouldn't have to waste any time.

The 11th division Lieutenant had thought about his options when it came to his mission- he needed someone who was human, and knew the ins and outs of human medical practices, someone who could also make calls for him, seeking information from this "Center for Disease Control." While Ikkaku knew that Ichigo had taken over the Kurosaki Clinic, he felt that was a bit too small scale to start his investigation, what Ikkaku needed was someone of a high caliber and lucky for him, he knew just the guy.

Ikkaku stepped forward taking in the scene of the city, he wasn't too far away from a park and it jogged his memory. The general direction to the city's main hospital was to his left, he remembered as he flash stepped. What would have taken him a good hour by simply walking was cut down to minutes as he appeared in front of the large gray building, and he found himself relieved that his memory seemed to be accurate. Ikkaku hoped he would be able to find his man inside without too much of a hassle as he trudged onward.

Being invisible to the common human eye did have its advantages, Ikkaku wouldn't have to explain himself to anyone looking to be nosey. He'd be able to sneak into any room he needed to, to seek out information, which was one reason he had denied Gigai placement for this mission. Ikkaku stepped through the sliding glass doors to the main lobby into the hospital waiting room and made his way over to the first service station he saw.

Two young women, looking to be in their early twenties, sat behind the main desk. Ikkaku wasn't so simpleminded that he didn't realize this station was for the admission of patients, but he hoped there would be a list of the doctors on call for today. He held back the urge to grab at the paperwork on the table-I don't think these woman will react to floating paper very calmly…

Instead of reaching out for the list of "on call" doctors being assigned patients, he leaned in between the two women and quickly scanned the names on the clip board that sat between them—Gotcha!

Ikkaku turned away from the women, careful not to brush against either one as he did- he may not be able to be seen by the two women, but his energy could be felt, and he wasn't in the mood for any hysterics.

Ikkaku paused at the front of the elevators and sighed. He could walk through the metal doors but there was no guarantee that the lift would be behind them. Ikkaku turned his gaze to the left and found a doorway that led to the buildings staircase and went for it. Once past the thick metal door he flash stepped up the staircase, and in two minutes flat, he'd made it to the fifth floor stepping out into the hallway.

Once Ikkaku found his bearings by reading the signs above him, he was guided to another service desk where a nurse sat on a small stool behind a large desk. Ikkaku repeated his actions from earlier, only this time he read the giant white board behind the woman that seemed to tell what doctors were seeing which patient and what room they'd be in- Room 685.

Ikkaku stepped back from the service desk and looked at the first door he came to, seeing that the numbers started in the four hundred range, Ikkaku turned and headed in the direction where the numbers raised. After about another five minutes of walking, he found the room he was after and slipped through the closed door.

"Well, Mr. Futari, when you have a surgical procedure performed, it does take time for the body to completely heal, this is why I had placed you on a medical leave in the first place, I'm afraid going back to work early and doing all of that heavy lifting is what made your sutures reopen."

Ikkaku stayed behind the curtain, not wanting to interrupt the conversation between patient and doctor.

"So I'm just supposed to lay around doing nothing?" The old man complained.

Ikkaku heard a heavy sigh and he smiled as he envisioned the doctor using his index finger to push back his glasses as he rolled his eyes at the old man.

"That is exactly what I am saying, Mr. Futari , unless you want to end up back on my operating table, taking it easy is going to be the best thing for you, I mean, you have a heart condition."

The old man didn't respond and Ikkaku didn't care to lean in farther to see his face, if the old goat was too proud to understand his limits that was his problem!

"I'll have one of the nurses come in to clean and re-suture the area that was re-opened, it shouldn't take any more than twenty minutes."

Ikkaku braced himself before walking backwards through the door as he heard footsteps coming closer. He watched as the door swung open and he was met with a pair of wide blue eyes.

"Ikkaku!? What are you doing here?"

"Hey, Uryu. It's been a while, you got a minute?" Ikkaku replied with a smile.

Mayuri Kurotsuchi continued to grin as he placed each slide under the microscope and watched as the active spores of the virus began to deteriorate before his eyes- The woman is beyond anything I could have ever imagined!

Ayumi slowly walked over to her lover's side still not feeling entirely sure about the situation.

"Does this mean that you can create a cure from me?" Ayumi asked him.

Mayuri pulled away from the microscope and turned to face her. He was caught in almost a gleeful euphoric state as he met her gaze, the woman excited him in many ways and with each new discovery she became even more intriguing, as well as, appealing.

"Not only will I be able to create a vaccine but you have also already prepared the perfect vessel for me. This idea that you and Akon concocted with the Reishi Serum was quite ingenious, I'm afraid you may have upstaged me." Mayuri smirked.

Ayumi didn't know how to respond to his statement, she didn't want her ideas or findings to end up making him resent her.

"What? What is it?" Mayuri continued seeming to catch onto her hesitation.

"I…I just hope that you won't grow to resent me for it." She admitted, adverting her gaze.

"Resent you? You are finally showing me what it is that beautiful mind of yours can accomplish, in fact, I am the one who has been trying to encourage you, why would I resent your progress?" Mayuri replied.

Ayumi shrugged her shoulders a little self-consciously.

"Ayumi, while I may have my pride, and it may sting a little in knowing that you were able to pick up on things that I seemed to have missed, I will not hold that against you, it would be asinine. Besides, what kind of partner would I be if I didn't find a sense of pride in you for your accomplishments?" Mayuri continued.

Ayumi allowed herself to smile softly but didn't meet his gaze.

"I really didn't do much, I mean, I can't really be given credit for something I just happened to be born with." She replied.

Mayuri chuckled.

"Whether you were born with the rarity or developed it later, is neither here nor there, it makes no difference, but it is an advantage that we will make good use of." Mayuri replied with a soft smile.

"Okay then." Ayumi replied as she met his gaze.

Mayuri stepped forward and lifted his hand to her face, gently cupping the side of her jaw in his palm.

"I don't even think you realize how much you have affected me in such a short time, woman, there is something else I wish to discuss with you, but, I'm afraid it will have to wait for now, but, don't bring up the topic of resentment again, it's nonsense!" Mayuri stated.

"Yes, Sir." Ayumi answered.

Mayuri laughed.

"Yes, I am after all still your captain." He teased, right before he leaned his body into hers, giving into the urge to steal a kiss from his woman, one more selfish moment spent between them.

Ayumi wrapped her arms around Mayuri's shoulders pressing her body against him as his lips overlapped hers, surprising her with his passion. She could feel the difference in his kiss but she couldn't pinpoint its meaning and even though her heart fluttered with another seed of hope, she didn't dare allow it to bloom-Just because I've gone and fallen in love with him, doesn't mean he'll ever love me back!

Uryu Ishida sat patiently as he listened to the 11th division Lieutenant explain the current predicament the soul society was facing. After getting over the initial shock of seeing the soul reaper standing in the hallway of the hospital, Uryu had made quick work of taking care of his patient and then escorted the soul reaper to a place he could speak to him without looking deranged to any onlookers.

Ikkaku sat in a chair in front of Uryu's personal desk, with his elbows leaning on his knees as he finished his explanation.

"So, this virus just popped up out of nowhere?" Uryu asked.

Ikkaku leaned back in the chair and shrugged his shoulders.

"I haven't been given much information on the how and why, all I know is Captain Kurotsuchi is working on it, at least he was until he was sent on a mission with my captain." Ikkaku answered.

Uryu's brow furrowed.

"What mission would be so important to take Captain Kurotsuchi off of his research?" Uryu countered.

"Well, the head captain gave both Captain Kurotsuchi and Captain Zaraki orders to investigate the possibility of this shit being in Hueco Mundo, that's why I'm here, I need to figure out if anyone is sick with the same thing in this world." Ikkaku answered.

"What would lead the head captain to believe it had spread to Hueco Mundo?" Uryu asked.

Ikkaku half-laughed.

"When an Espada came through a Garganta asking for help."

"You're kidding!" Uryu shook his head.

"Afraid not, bastard just waltzed right in like he owned the place." Ikkaku replied.

"I didn't think there were many Espada left after what happened." Uryu stated.

"Yeah, well, it looks like there are, and if we can't get this shit under control, we're talking about some major shifting in the balance of the world's here, I'm sure I don't have to explain it in detail for you." Ikkaku countered.

Uryu sighed as he shook his head.

"No, I understand. I haven't had anyone admitted into this hospital with the exact symptom pattern that you have described. It will take me some time to go over everything, but, there is also another hospital in town and many clinics, including Kurosaki Clinic. Have you stopped by to talk with Ichigo?" Uryu asked.

Ikkaku shook his head.

"I figured he would be small potatoes when it came to a situation like this."

Uryu nodded.

"It wouldn't hurt to drop by and ask, he takes on patients that can't afford the health care here at the hospital. He may have come across something that I have not. In the meantime, I'll place a call in with the CDC and try and get a line on anything that may fit the criteria." Uryu offered.

Ikkaku nodded before both men stood from the chairs they occupied.

"Appreciate it, Ishida." Ikkaku stated as he held out his hand across Uryu's desk.

Uryu accepted the soul reapers hand and they shook on it.

"Not a problem, Madarame." Uryu replied.

Akon stepped back inside his captain's personal lab space, hoping to find nothing amiss. The state his captain had been in when he'd reluctantly allowed Nemuri to pull him from the room still didn't sit well with the Lieutenant. He had figured he'd given the two enough time for whatever his captain had been so excited over, but to Akon's astonishment, it seemed that he had chosen the wrong time to interrupt them. His captain was kissing the woman right in the open as his hands shamelessly roamed over her curves.

Akon averted his gaze and turned around intending to leave before he witnessed even more.

"Akon! Come inside, we have work to do!" Mayuri demanded.

Akon paused mid-step and turned to face his captain, trying his best to keep a straight face when all he really wanted to do was grin like an idiot.

Ayumi turned and met the Lieutenant's dark amused gaze and he noticed the slight blush that rushed her cheeks.

"What's going on, Captain?" Akon replied as he stepped fully into the room.

"Where is Nemuri?" Mayuri asked him, ignoring his question.

"She's in the cafeteria, having dinner." Akon answered.

"Ah, well, I will need her to come and assist us as well, in fact…" Mayuri glanced up at the clock on the wall.

"I will also require Rin as well." He finished.

"Rin? What is it that we need to do, Captain?" Akon asked.

Mayuri smiled.

"We have a cure, and I am going to need all the help I can get in order to create enough of the vaccine." Mayuri stated.

Akon's brow furrowed, his confusion evident on his face.

"A cure? I don't understand, how did you come up with one in such a short time?" Akon replied.

"It would seem the answer has been right in front of us all along." Mayuri answered as his gaze moved to Ayumi.

The woman's blush intensified.

It took Akon a minute to follow what his captain was insinuating, but when the realization hit him, he couldn't help but let his smile show-Ayumi Otsuka was one very special woman!

Ikkaku Madarame came to a sudden stop in front of the Kurosaki Clinic. It hadn't taken him much time to exit the hospital and make his way to his comrade's home. Ikkaku wasn't sure of what time it was or if he would be intruding on the family's time together, but right now he didn't have much of a choice on the matter.

Ikkaku walked down the small concrete path in front of the main house and knocked loudly on the door. He paused when he heard the shuffle of feet and heard a soft feminine voice call out that she was on her way.

Ikkaku grinned at the sound of Orihime Kurosaki's sweet voice and when the door pulled open, he was greeted with a warm surprised smile.

"Ikkaku! Oh wow…It's so nice to see you!" Orihime greeted him as she leaned into him wrapping both her arms around him, giving him a hug that matched the warmth of the woman's smile.

Ikkaku lifted his right arm and wrapped it around the woman's waist, over the years he had gotten used to the woman's affectionate nature and her hugs no longer bothered him.

"Yeah…It's been a while. Sorry if I've interrupted anything." Ikkaku replied as Orihime pulled back from their quick embrace.

"Oh don't be silly, we just finished having dinner, so it's really not a problem." She insisted as she backed away from the doorway, giving him access into the house.

Ikkaku stepped forward, pulling the front door closed behind him and paused to slip his sandals off at the door before he followed Orihime down the hallway and into the main living area.

Ichigo looked up from the couch he was sitting on and smiled.

"Ikkaku!? This is a surprise, what brings you to the human world?" Ichigo asked as he stood from the couch.

Ikkaku laughed sarcastically.

"I've been sent on a mission by the head captain to gather information. Ichigo, there's something going on in the soul society…" Ikkaku began as he tried to find the right words to explain the situation to the substitute soul reaper.

Rin stretched his sore muscles as he followed Akon down the hallway that would lead back to the captain's personal lab space. Rin had just finished having his dinner out in the smoking area like he normally did, when Akon had informed him that the captain required his assistance.

Rin hadn't known what to think of the Lieutenants news and he still felt a bit nervous. While Rin was one of the heads of the main lab, he was more suited for the technical aspect of things, not so much the medical, but if his captain felt that he would be of use, he wasn't about to question the man.

Nemuri walked by Rin's side as the two of them followed the Lieutenant down the dim lit hallway, it would seem she too had been collected from the cafeteria.

Akon turned down the hallway and re-entered into Mayuri's personal lab, Rin and Nemuri both following closely behind.

"Ah, Very good, Akon." Mayuri stated as he noticed the three arrive.

Stepping forward Mayuri began to give out his instructions.

"Nemuri, I need you to go back to the task of measuring like you were before, and since we no longer have Linake's assistance, I will require you to teach Rin the process as well."

Nemuri smiled softly up at her father figure.

"Yes, Sir." She stated as she walked back over to Akon's personal station. Rin bowed to his captain before following Nemuri over to the station standing on the opposite side of the desk, he awaited the child's instruction, hoping that he wouldn't screw anything up.

Akon stepped into the back of the lab where Ayumi stood at the small station, seeming to be cleaning it up before she continued mixing more of the Reishi Serum.

"Is everything alright?" Akon asked her as he stood next to her.

Ayumi glanced up at him and nodded.

"I'm fine, Akon, why?" She replied.

"You seem to be walking as if you are in pain." He countered.

"Is that the case? Are you actually in pain, Ayumi?" Mayuri interrupted.

Akon turned noticing that his captain had followed him to the back.

Ayumi bit her lower lip as she contemplated on what to say.

"My hip is a little sore from the biopsy, that's all." She admitted.

Mayuri sighed.

"I swear, woman, if you don't learn to speak up! Come here, and I will give you something for the pain." Mayuri insisted.

Akon turned away from his captain not wanting him to see the smile that he couldn't hold back. While Akon would admit he had been worried about Ayumi earlier in the afternoon, he had realized that his captains excitement and his need to shield the exposure of Ayumi's partially exposed body from others view had been the reason for his terse dismissal, and he relaxed tremendously.

Not to mention the kiss he had witnessed when walking back into the lab, Akon never thought he would see the day when his captain would allow himself to let go. It seemed Ayumi Ostuka was not only what the captain wanted, she was what he needed. A woman who was smart, nurturing and learning how to be confident in her abilities—you've finally met your match, Captain!

Ayumi slowly followed Mayuri over to the medicine cabinet and waited patiently as he seemed to be looking over the options.

"On a scale from one to five how much pain do you feel?" He asked her, his gaze searching her face.

Ayumi shrugged before she answered.

"Maybe a three." She replied.

"That high? You must not have a very high tolerance for pain." Mayuri countered.

Ayumi shook her head.

"Very well, I can't give you anything too strong, or all you'll end up doing is passing out on us." Mayuri reached his hand into the cabinet and pulled a pill bottle from one of the top shelves.

"This should do. It is mild, and will help with any swelling." Mayuri explained as he handed her the whole bottle.

Ayumi met his gaze then, her eyes softening at the man's apparent concern for her comfort.

"Thank you." She replied.

Mayuri nodded, once again averting his gaze from her before replying.

"You're welcome. Take one for now, you may have another before you take a nap later, if you wish." He replied before closing the door to the cabinet.

"I'll need you and Akon to continue making more of the Reishi serum while I take on the task of synthesizing a vaccine to add to the mixture. I am afraid this process is not something to take lightly and it will require quite a bit of time." Mayuri stated.

"If anyone can do it, it's you." Ayumi smiled at him.

Mayuri cleared his throat, obviously taken aback by her compliment, he looked adorable to her as he met her gaze, his brow furrowing showing his apparent discomfort.

Ayumi continued to smile softly at the man's reaction to her praise. While his kiss may have been able to show her more about how he seemed to be feeling, Mayuri still wasn't used to having anyone thank him, let alone give him outright praise for his abilities. Even though he looked about as awkward as she normally felt, Ayumi was starting to wonder if maybe one day, he would look her in the eye and smile as he accepted her kindness.

Ikkaku had made himself comfortable, taking a seat in a large overstuffed chair next to the couch that the couple occupied. They'd patiently allowed him to explain the dire situation that the soul society and possibly all three worlds were facing.

Orihime sighed as she looked over at her husband.

"Do you think this is something I would be able to help with?" Orihime asked Ichigo.

Ikkaku's brow rose as he wondered why he hadn't thought of Orihime from the start.

Ichigo brought his hand up and rubbed the back of his neck as he thought about it.

"Your Shun Shun Rikka does have healing abilities, but, we've never tested it against something like a virus. I don't know how comfortable I would be letting you get near it." Ichigo answered honestly.

Orihime sighed as she took in her husband's hesitation.

"I really wouldn't feel very good about leaving people to suffer if I could help." She countered.

Ichigo met her gaze but didn't seem to know what else to say.

"Yeah, well, I can't say that I blame you, Ichigo. I get that you want to help, Orihime, but, we can't afford to let you into the soul society in order to try, you might just bring the virus back with you." Ikkaku agreed.

Orihime's shoulders slumped and the two men could see that she felt a bit defeated by being denied.

"I understand. I wouldn't want to make the situation worse by trying to help. I'm sure if Healing Kido is not working, then my ability might not either." She admitted.

Ichigo placed his hand over his wife's in an effort to comfort her before he switched to another topic.

"The only cases I've had here in the past couple days have all been pretty minor, a couple broken bones and a sinus infection. Are we your first stop or have you gone to ask Ishida?"

Ikkaku leaned forward in the chair, his elbows resting on his knees.

"I've been to see Ishida, he's going to make some calls to that "Center for Disease Control" that Amaya Aizen was talking about. I guess I'll give this a couple more days before I head back." Ikkaku replied.

"How is Amaya?" Orihime asked, a soft smile on her face.

Ikkaku lifted his gaze and his jaw fell in hesitation.

Orihime's smile faded.

Ichigo's brow furrowed.

"Is she sick?" Ichigo asked out right.

Ikkaku let out a rough sigh.

"I don't know for sure, Captain Kotetsu, and Hanataro have come down with it, so it's probably just a matter of time. Amaya kept saying she wasn't sick, but, I have a feeling she was just trying to humor Linake." Ikkaku answered honestly, thinking back to how pale the woman had looked.

"Damn! You think Captain Kurotsuchi's going to be able to figure this stuff out before it's too late?" Ichigo asked.

Ikkaku shrugged his shoulders not wanting to beat around the bush.

"Your guess is as good as mine, Ichigo. If anyone in the soul society could figure this out, he'd be the one."

The room fell silent for a few minutes as the couple took in all the information the 11th division Lieutenant had just revealed. Ikkaku stood from the chair intending to head back to the hospital and wait for any information Ishida might be able to give to him when Orihime asked another question.

"Do you have a place to stay, Ikkaku?"

"I hadn't thought that far ahead yet." He answered honestly.

"You're more than welcome to stay here while you wait for the information you need." Ichigo offered.

"Alright then." Ikkaku nodded.

"Have you eaten? I can fix you a plate of leftovers if you would like?" Orihime continued, a small smile returning to her soft features.

"Yeah, that'd be great, Orihime." Ikkaku replied, realizing he hadn't eaten anything since he'd had breakfast with his squad.

Orihime nodded as she pushed herself up from the couch and headed back into the kitchen.

"How's the squad doing?" Ichigo asked as he leaned back on the couch, wanting to change the feel in the room.

Ikkaku half-laughed.

"Crazy as always." He answered.

Ichigo smiled.

"Everything will be okay, Ikkaku. We've gotten through worse than this." Ichigo continued, sensing the soul reapers sadness.

Ikkaku shook his head as the side of his mouth lifted.

"Yeah, that we have, my friend."

Sosuke Aizen bent down grabbing the last bag of the serum that had been delivered to the Medical Unit and walked over to his wife. He'd listened to Amaya's demands earlier and administered the trial medication to the sickest of the patients first, and now that he had succeeded in starting fresh IV lines for the others, it was Amaya's turn.

Sosuke couldn't deny that his personal emotions were getting the better of him in the current situation. He'd wanted nothing more than to give Amaya the first dosage of the medication, but, his wife had fought him on it, telling him that his love for her was no reason for him to act selfishly, and it was not what she wished to hear from him. He had almost held her down in order to get his own way, but, after seeing the pleading in her soft brown eyes, he knew he had to do the right thing.

"Amaya?" Sosuke whispered softly as he walked up the medical bed she had passed out on after their argument.

She didn't respond, even though he desperately wanted her to. Sosuke could see that she wasn't in any major danger, her fever had been high before she passed out, and he knew her small body was trying to fight off whatever it was that had invaded her.

"I wish I could take your place." Sosuke whispered to her before going to work.

He pulled the tube from the IV he had inserted after she had passed out and switched the empty saline bag with the new one that contained the Reishi Serum. He carefully clicked the tube in place and then sat down next her on the small bed. Sosuke lifted his hand to her forehead and brushed his fingers over her pale, clammy skin.

"I'm sure I don't have to tell you this, but you better keep fighting for me, sweet Amaya." He demanded her as he bent forward pressing his lips over her forehead.

Sosuke turned his gaze to the window as he heard the soft knock coming from the other side. It was well into the evening now, almost seven to be exact, and the glare from the lights in the room shielded whoever was knocking. Sosuke squeezed Amaya's hand before he stood from the bed and walked over to the window.

Understanding filled him when he noticed the head captain standing outside.

"Have you noticed anything?" Shunsui asked him.

Sosuke shook his head.

"I've just administered the last bag to Amaya. I've yet to go check on the first three." He admitted.

"What took you so long?" Shunsui countered.

Sosuke sighed as he met the captain's gaze from the other side of the window.

"I had a bit of a setback with one of the women from the academy. She had stopped breathing, so, I did what I could to do to stabilize her." Sosuke admitted.

Shunsui sighed seeming to understand the toll the situation was putting on the immortal. Sosuke had done his fair share of adapting over the years, and the head captain knew half of the man's changes had come from the love of the petite woman he could barely make out laying on a medical bed a couple feet behind him.

"Is she okay now?" Shunsui asked.

"For now." Sosuke replied.

"Anyone else having problems like that?" Shunsui continued.

Sosuke shook his head.

"Not at the moment." He answered.

"Alright then. I'm about to head back to Squad 12 and see if Captain Kurotsuchi has made any progress, if anything changes, whether good or bad, yell out to one of the men out here, they'll come and get me." Shunsui stated.

"Alright." Sosuke replied before walking back over to the bed his wife was occupying.

"Don't fail us now, Mayuri Kurotsuchi!" Sosuke demanded.