Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/5134802.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
  Category:
      F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi, Other
  Fandom:
      Bleach
  Relationship:
      Ichimaru_Gin/Matsumoto_Rangiku, Ise_Nanao/Kyouraku_Shunsui, Ichimaru_Gin/
      Original_Female_Character(s), Aizen_Sousuke/Original_Female_Character(s),
      Shihouin_Yoruichi/Urahara_Kisuke, Ulquiorra_Cifer/Inoue_Orihime,
      Ulquiorra_Cifer/Original_Female_Character(s), Inoue_Orihime/Kurosaki
      Ichigo
  Character:
      Ichimaru_Gin, Aizen_Sousuke, Urahara_Kisuke, Hitsugaya_Toushirou,
      Kurosaki_Ichigo, Kyouraku_Shunsui, Ukitake_Juushirou, Inoue_Orihime,
      Kurosaki_Karin, Grimmjow_Jaegerjaques, Nnoitra_Gilga, Ulquiorra_Cifer,
      Hirako_Shinji, Matsumoto_Rangiku, Komamura_Sajin, Espada_-_Character
  Additional Tags:
      Major_Original_Character(s), Original_Character(s), Epic_Battles,
      Alternate_Universe_-_Canon, Post-War, Torture, Psychological_Trauma,
      Threesome, Long, Work_In_Progress, Relationship(s), Double_Agents,
      Threesome_-_F/M/M, Post-Movie(s), Master/Pet
  Stats:
      Published: 2015-11-03 Updated: 2016-03-02 Chapters: 9/? Words: 22667
****** Masquerade Between Hell and Justice ******
by Karmira
Summary
     AU: Aizen escapes Soul Society and Urahara saved Ichimaru from death.
     The war begins anew with the return of old enemies thought dead,
     kidnappings, blackmailing, and promises. How far will Aizen go to
     conquer the Realms? Who will Kisuke sacrifice to defend the realms
     from his nemesis? And what is the truth of justice to the Soul
     Society?
     Includes many couples, OCs and older Kurosaki twins. Fanfiction based
     on ongoing RP.
Notes
     This is the start to a LONG fan fiction based off of a group Bleach
     RP I am a part of, Bleach Unrated. In this RP, we can write about
     anything without worrying about censoring ourselves and our schemes.
     That means anything can happen, from the dark side of writing:
     torture, rape, mutilation, abuse, to steamy sex scenes. We have an
     unwritten rule about child abuse. With little to no boundaries, this
     is an intense ride, filled to the brim with complexities in OC
     characters as well as delving deeper into the canon of the Bleach
     universe.
     Read at your own peril.
     HOWEVER
     We’ve had so much fun with it that it’s been over a year since we
     started and we have over 1000 posts for a few of our favorite
     characters. It is worth it~
     Dangerous posts are marked at the beginning of the chapter and when
     it starts for anyone who starts getting more than they can chew. Some
     of the dark scenes are that, VERY dark.
     This fan fiction version serves a few purposes. Sometimes, it’s
     easier reading than following all the links if you are curious. And
     we like hearing from our followers, looking for more ideas and maybe
     finding more devious players. Enjoy reading and if you have time, pop
     in and leave a comment. Or even an idea when you get further into the
     story. You never know. It may appear later.
     Finally, NovaAlexandria's fan fiction Prize of Victory played a role
     in the creation of our world. I found the story, shared it, and the
     idea of an Unrated Bleach RP caught fire! Thank you, NovaAlexandria!
***** Prologue *****
                                   Prologue
A year of peace settled in for the Soul Society (along with Karakura town)
after the Quincy war ended, the remaining Quincies faded from view, and Aizen
was incarcerated once more. Juushiro Ukitake didn’t die either, though he would
have to spend nearly six months on bed rest. Most of Visored returned to
Karakura after another war, leaving their leader Shinji Hirako as the only
Visored captain, leader of the Fifth Division. Captain Sajin Komamura vowed he
would regain his human form and vanished as well, leaving his division in the
hands of his officers. The Captain Commander Shunsui Kyoraku left his old post,
that of the captain of eighth division vacant, but he had his eye on a young
man rising through the ranks of the tenth division, Third Seat Tsukiro
Ashimitsu. Former protege of Shihoin household, set on revenge on the man who
killed his family, Sousuke Aizen, wielding a blade of shadows and mastering
Yoruichi’s ninja arts, he could be either an asset or a weakness in the Gotei.
Meanwhile, Kisuke Urahara revealed another hidden card, Gin Ichimaru, alive
after all. Kisuke and Yoruichi had saved him from death and Tessai had been
nursing him to health. After nearly a year of drifting between life and death,
the fox appeared before Central 46 for his crimes and was stripped of his rank,
his life spared due to his part in saving Karakura town and the testimonies of
Lieutenants Izuru Kira and Rangiku Matsumoto. Gin was sorted into the 13th
Division, still under the resilient, kind life force of Ukitake. Unnerved by
the words of those two, he chose not to stay long, taking mission upon mission
towards Karakura town, until the white-haired captain let him stay there
indefinitely. He disappeared into the shadows of Urahara’s shop. Or he would
have. If not for the insistent curiosity of another of the shopkeeper’s
friends. Kita Miyamoto. Human, she was all too persistent in acquainting
herself with him. The self-exiled fox didn’t have the heart to push her away.
But time never stood still long in Soul Society. Something always happened.
This time, it was something even worse. Aizen escaped his cell. The commander
didn’t know how and knew he couldn’t have done it alone. He filled more of the
ranks and prepared for the first move. Two new captains emerged to take over
for the Visored, a stern soul reaper of lightning and heir to a high noble
house, Suisenro Koriyama, and an adopted daughter of a lower noble house
wielding the power of wind and speed, Nori Mutsu. Koriyama took over the ninth
division and Nori Mutsu took over in third division.
They all waited……
***** Arc One: Setting of the Stage: The Choker *****
Chapter Summary
     This first chapter sets off the situation at Karakura town,
     reintroducing characters like Ichigo, Kisuke, Renji, and acquainting
     yourself with OCs, Tsukiro Ashimitsu and Kita Miyamoto.
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
                            Chapter_One:_The_Choker
While in the backroom Kisuke tinkered around in his little lab he had in the
back of Urahara Shop, his mind drifting in and out on the item he was working
on and past events. Almost 2 years ago, Aizen escaped from Soul Society. How
the man did it was beyond Kisuke, but he did and now he was out to wreak havoc
once more. This did not sit well with Kisuke. Not in the slightest bit.
Especially since there was a certain someone, Kita, that was now in his life.
For over 8 years, he has been able to keep her secret hidden away. Well--all
except for Yoruichi, but there was not much he could hide from that woman. Now
Aizen was free once more, and if he did not know about Kita — before being
captured — Kisuke was sure he knew by now. However, things had been very quiet
for all of them. Not a sign of Aizen or even more hollows than what was normal.
This was a good sign, but then again, it was not. Aizen's silence could only
mean one thing. His deceitful ways were working over time. And Kisuke was not
taking any chances with the Seraph’s life. If Aizen knew of her or not.  
He reached around Ichigo as he stood there watching him make the 'gift' for
Kita. A white silk ribbon about an inch in diameter, with silver bar clasps on
either end to connect the ends together, laid out on the counter and a silver
hollowed lace heart pendant lay next to it. Grabbing a small jar with tiny
blood red crystals and another with white crystals, Kisuke opened the jars,
placing five each of both crystals within the heart.  He snapped it closed.
With a weak Kido, he placed a small welding spot on the seam to keep it from
opening and the crystals from falling out. He then finished up with a small
silver jump ring attached to a thicker part of the ribbon in the center. Kisuke
picked up the ribbon and attached the two ends, holding it up to look at it.
Ichigo blinked a few times looking at it. A choker. The heart hung in the
middle as a short thin piece of silver chain hung down the back, another small
blood red crystal dangled from the end.
"You think she will like it?" Kisuke asked Ichigo.   
"Of course she will," Ichigo grinned, his hands in his pockets. "She's probably
the least picky person that I've met in my entire life. To her, any gift is
precious, no matter how horrible or expensive." Ichigo took the choker from
Kisuke and smoothed it between his fingers. "She'll love it."
Kisuke smiled from under his hat, handing Ichigo a small white box. "Good. Can
you wrap it for me?  I would like to have it together and ready for her when
she gets here later."
 Kisuke turned and picked up the jars, sealing them once more putting them
away. His thoughts roaming again. "As long as she wears it, she will be safe. I
just hope no one is the wiser to her yet." Kisuke said more to himself then
Ichigo.
Ichigo nodded and took the box. He rummaged around until he found what he was
looking for: violet wrapping paper and a white ribbon bow. He had sat down and
just began to pull a length of the paper out when a thought occurred to him.
He turned to Kisuke. "How do you know she's coming over?  And what did you mean
no one is the wiser to her? What does the choker do?"
Kisuke continued with what he was doing as he talked to Ichigo. "Hitsugaya
stopped by. She is like clockwork. It never fails." Kisuke smiled to himself.
"The choker will conceal her spiritual pressure. No matter how much you all
believe she is a future soul reaper, she is not. She can't be trained like
Karin and you to do it herself. Kita has no idea of who or what she is. And now
with Aizen free, we have to protect her at all costs.” 
He turned, looking at Ichigo as he wrapped the choker. "Even if Aizen is not
aware of her, it wouldn't be long before he will if we didn’t get her spiritual
pressure under control."    
Ichigo nodded and turned back to Kita's gift with a sigh. "I still don't
understand how he escaped. They had him locked up tight. They had him strapped
to a chair in the lowest level of the prison!" 
Once he finished wrapping the gift, he paused, looking down at it solemnly. 
"Another life for him to destroy..."
Kisuke smacked Ichigo in the back of the head as he walked past him. "Don't
think like that. Thoughts like that lead to problems. Stay on the positive side
of thought." 
Kisuke grabbed the wrapped gift, tucking it gently into his kimono as he walked
out the door into the living quarters. 
Ichigo scratched the back of his head as he stood up to follow Kisuke into the
next room. He shook his head to push the negative thoughts out of his mind and
focused on the smile he would see on Kita's face when she got the gift. 
"Whatever happens, we beat Aizen before, we'll do it again," he said to mostly
himself.
                                  __________
Kisuke walked from his lab and strolled over to the table in the main room,
sitting down. Pouring himself a cup of hot tea from the kettle that sat there
waiting for him, he looked around the room while sipping it.  Tessai walked out
of the hall, his arms full of bed sheets.
"Laundry?" Kisuke asked. 
"Every Friday I do laundry. You know that,” Tessai replied. scooting past him.
"Hm," Kisuke hummed taking another sip. 
Ichigo entered the living room and sat at the table across from Kisuke.
"Kisuke, what do we do when Aizen finally shows himself? I hate waiting like
this. It's like the winter war all over again. We're sitting around waiting for
something to happen." 
He clenched his fist, grinding his teeth. "I feel so useless! We're all sitting
ducks for him and we can't do a thing about it!"
"It's better we don't know where he is or what he's up to."  Tsukiro Ashimitsu
stood in the threshold of the doorway, leaning against the post. His ocean blue
eyes were cold yet burned intensely. His arms were crossed into his black haori
sleeves. "Mostly because if we did, I would be the first person to go after
him. And where would that get me? I'd be dead. He's bound to have new tricks up
his sleeves this time around. Including a new set of lackeys. Frankly, things
would be worse if we knew. Then we'd end up reacting harshly and recklessly.
Then we'd end up playing into his hands."
Tsukiro looked at the box that peeked out of Kisuke's kimono. Immediately, he
knew who it was for. However he said nothing.
Kisuke adjusted his hat looking up at the new voice that joined them. "Well,
what brings you here, Tsukiro? Any news on the escape by chance?" He smirked
and adjusted his hat back over his eyes, returning to his tea. He nonchalantly
tucked the gift back into his kimono.  
Tsukiro gave Kisuke a bland look. "If there was, I wouldn't be here. I'd be out
playing head hunter." He pushed up off the post and walked further into the
room. "I'm here to see Kita. You know she's the only reason I come here while
not on a mission or collecting information."
Kisuke chuckled. "You know, one day you might ask her on a date, ya think?" He
lifted his cup to take a sip when he paused and looked at the two boys.
"Speaking of our little angel. It seems she's here." He reached into his pocket
and lifted out a wild cherry sucker and sat it on the table.  
Kita strolled up to the front door and slid it open looking in the front of the
shop then stepped in. "Wow! It's really quiet here today." She slid the door
half-closed as she called. "Hello? Anyone here?" She finished closing the door
as she heard Kisuke call out to her. 
"Back here, Kita."
She smiled and started walking to the back of the shop, long black hair
swinging behind her.
"Hey, Kita," Ichigo smiled at her as she walked into the living room. "How's it
going?"
When she walked in the back room, Kita’s hands were folded in front of her. 
She lifted one, slightly waving at Ichigo. "Hi, Ichigo. And its going rather
well." She brushed past Tsukiro and smiled shyly at him, trying not to make eye
contact. "Hello, Tsukiro,” she murmured, her tone soft and seemly unsteady. 
She blushed slightly when he looked at her and smiled warmly. 
When she looked to Kisuke he was holding up her sucker for her. "Sweets for my
Sweety." Kisuke announced.
She giggled and walked over to him, taking it from his hand. "Don't you think I
am getting a little old for this?"
Tsukiro whipped out his hand towards Kisuke. As he did, a kunai sunk into the
table near Kisuke's hand, nailing his sleeve to the table. The look he gave
Kisuke was disgusted. "You're even more of a dirty old man than I thought,
Kisuke. Giving an eighteen year old girl a sucker. Pervert!"
Kisuke looked at Tsukiro and pulled the kunai from his sleeve and the table.
"Its tradition with me and Kita,” he stated in the same nonchalant tone as the
attitude with which he had freed himself.  “She has been coming by here for
years, and I see nothing wrong with it." He slipped kunai under the table. 
Quickly walking in the shop, Renji made his way to the living room hearing the
others talking. When he walked in the room, his eyes lit up and a huge smile
spread across his face. 
"Kita! I thought that was you I sensed." He stepped past Tsukiro and gave her a
big hug. "I am glad I stopped by today. I have missed seeing you." He slowly
released her. Taking her hand, he sat down at the table with her.  
Kisuke looked at Renji and Kita as they sat down with Ichigo and him. "So where
have you been hiding, Renji?"  he asked, watching his former student fume in
the doorway.  
As Renji brushed past him to Kita and Kisuke’s laid-back question filled the
room, Tsukiro clenched his fists and turned around to leave.
Kisuke then called out to him. "So soon? Why don't you join us, Tsukiro?
There’s no need to leave so quickly." Kisuke looked at him, smiling a crazy
grin as he waved his hand at him. "It could prove to be interesting indeed." 
The shopkeeper looked to Renji and Kita at the table as they sat there talking
in their own little world. He knew Tsukiro liked Kita — they all did —  but the
boy just lacked the motive to ask her out. A talent Tsukiro definitely did not
pick up from him. Renji, on the other hand, was on the ball and he was not
going to let anything or anyone get in his way. 
Tsukiro stopped and said without looking back, fists still clenched, “She's got
enough men to keep her company. With you three, one missing won't change
anything." He left without another word, his blood boiling. 
From anger or jealousy, he didn't know which.
Kisuke shrugged his shoulder at Tsukiro's comment as he stormed out. Kita's
attention quickly caught at Tsukiro exit. No sooner had Kisuke looked back to
the table, he watched Kita get up and go quickly after Tsukiro, Renji sitting
there with a shocked look on his face. 
As she exited the room, Kisuke looked to Ichigo. "So how is Karin doing? I have
not seen her for a few days."  
Ichigo blinked at the door as Tsukiro and Kita ran out. Then he turned to
Kisuke, shaking his head. "She's doing good. She's a wiz in school.” He
chuckled.  “Dad is all over her, but she's not having any of it."
The group at the table sat for a while, chatting back and forth, catching up on
recent events.
                                   _________
Kita quickly made her way out of the room after the dark figure. "Tsukiro?!"
She caught his hand as he stormed through the hall. He did not turn to look at
her as he jerked his hand from hers. Kita’s face blanched in shock and she
stepped back from him.  “What’s… wrong?" she asked, her tone soft spoken. 
Tsukiro sighed in irritation as he pushed his hands into his hair and pulled at
the roots. He took a moment to compose himself before he turned around to look
at Kita with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. It's just that it seems like
every time I get within two feet of you, some other dickhead like Renji comes
along and throws himself at you like you're Aphrodite or something!"
 Of course you pretty much are...
He turned away, glaring at the wall to the room next to them. "It's disgusting
how hard he tries to get under your skirt. And it's not just him. I see others
around town staring at you like you're their last meal. It's revolting."
It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either. Just another half truth
rolling off the tongue because he was afraid to tell her why Renji's actions
really pissed him off.
Kita wasn’t sure what to say, but she did not want to see him leave either. She
understood what he was saying, but she could not control what other people did.
Only stop them if they got to forward with her. She sighed and took the hand
that hung at his side in hers again.
"I... I am sorry. I don't know what to say here, but I do know one thing." 
Tsukiro looked at her.
With a warm smile, she told him. "I don't want you to leave. It has been a few
days since I have seen you, and I would like to visit with you before you go
running off." She tilted her head, still smiling. "So... would it be too much
to ask you to stay a little longer at least? For me." 
Tsukiro sighed again, only this time it was in relief. He smiled brightly and
squeezed her hand.  Pulling her into a hug, he squeezed her tightly. He
whispered into her ear, "Only if you sit next to me and pay more attention to
me than that sunburnt pineapple Renji Abarai." 
Kita returned his hug, giggling softly as she turned a soft shade of pink when
he whispered in her ear. "I can do that if you're willing to stay for my
sake." 
Tsukiro pulled away and winked at her, laughing softly.
As they parted, Kita would not look at him since she could still feel the
warmth in her cheeks from blushing. With her head still lowered, she called out
to him. “Should we go back and join them then?"
Tsukiro nodded and walked back towards the living room, hand in hand with Kita.
“I swear I'm going to kill him one of these days. But for your sake, I suppose
it can wait another day." 
                                    ______
When Kita and Tsukiro walked in the room Renji turned slightly looking at them
both. His eyes bore down on Tsukiro as he gritted his teeth seeing him hold
Kita's hand. 
"I see you're back all too soon." Renji grunted as he turned back to the table.
Tsukiro said nothing to the comment nor even look at him as he continued into
the room.  A conniving smile crossed Renji’s face as he patted the spot Kita
had sat minutes before. "Your spot’s still open, Kita."   
Looking at Renji and smiling warmly, Kita told him, "I think I will sit over
here." 
She still sat next to him but this time she had a little more room between
them, and Tsukiro sat on the other side of her. Once seated again, Kita looked
to Kisuke as he cleared his throat. 
Kisuke reached into him kimono and pulled out the 'gift'. "I want you to have
this, Kita." He slid the violet wrapped box with the white bow across the table
to her. "I finally finished this today after getting all the pieces together,
and Ichigo wrapped it for you.” He watched her eyes light up as she stretched
her hand out for the box. 
Kita looked to Ichigo and smiled, "Thank you, Ichigo. It's very pretty. I
almost don't want to open it." She giggled softly and picked up the box then
pulled at the tail of the ribbon as it came undone and fell to the table. 
Ichigo chuckled, waving it off. "Nah. My kid sisters could do better. Gift
wrapping isn't my area of expertise."
Finishing with unwrapping the box, Kita opened the lid.  Her eyes grew wider
and she gasped, "It's beautiful, Kisuke. Thank you." She lifted the choker from
the box and held it across her fingers looking at the charm. 
"What are these crystals in here?" She asked, looking closer inside the heart
charm. 
"You copying me, Kisuke?" Tsukiro grinned. "We match now.” He thumped his own
choker, violet blue ribbon with a leopard fang jewel around his his arm.  “Want
me to put it on for you?"
Kisuke winked. "Are you trying to hide something?" 
Ignoring Kisuke, Kita looked to Tsukiro, nodding quickly, “Mhmm." She handed
him the choker. She was smiling so wide she could feel the muscles in her
cheeks starting to cramp. "It's so beautiful. Thank you so much, Kisuke." She
grabbed her hair in one hand and pulled it around and out of the way as it
draped over her right shoulder.  
Kisuke smiled at Kita from under his hat as he watched Tsukiro latch the choker
around her neck. “You're welcome, Kita. But that choker serves a greater
propose here. Please promise me that you will never take it off." 
Kisuke adjusted his hat to look at her better, his eyes stern yet soft and
caring. "I need you. To promise me that, Kita."
Kita looked to Kisuke, confused and not sure what to say. When Tsukiro was done
clasping the choker, she turned slightly looking at him too, hoping he might
know something that she did not or that Kisuke was not telling. She also looked
to Renji and Ichigo.
"I … don't understand?"
Tsukiro looked sternly at Kisuke. "It's because of her spiritual pressure,
isn't it? She gets attacked by hollows every so often because of it. This
choker has a Kido spell that seals it, doesn't it?"
"Yes, it does that, among other things." Kisuke poured himself another cup of
tea, offering some to the others as well as he continued. "With Aizen free once
more, we can't take chances with Kita. She is very important — in more ways
than most know. Even she herself doesn't understand her importance."
He paused and placed the teapot back to the table.  He looked at each one of
the boys.
"She must be protected to the fullest extent. She can't be allowed to fall into
Aizen's hands."    
Tsukiro looked over to Kita to see her wearing a pale, stunned stare of fright.
He placed his hand on her shoulder. "Hey. Don't worry. We'll do everything we
can to keep you safe. I swear it."
"He's right," Ichigo nodded. "He won't come near you.” The substitute stood up
and stretched. "We'll, I have to get going. I promised my sisters I'd be back
in time for dinner. I'll be seeing you guys."
Ichigo waved good night as he stood up.
Tsukiro smiled sadly at Kita. "Unfortunately, I have to leave as well." He
patted her head and stood up. "I'll see you next week.”  Kita only nodded as he
went towards the doorway.  “Take care of her Kisuke," Tsukiro said, the last
line from the door, “and let me know if anything comes up."
”Ichigo's right."  Renji stood with the others.  "Don't worry that pretty
little head of yours. We will protect you from that bastard. He won't get close
enough to you to know your eye color."  
He stretched his arms over his head.  "I have to be getting back myself. Later,
Ichigo." The two high-fived one another as Ichigo walked past him, Ichigo
telling him later. 
Renji then walked over to Kita, leaned down over the top of her kissing the top
of her head.  "You're as safe as a child in its mother's arms with me around,
babe. Don't worry." He then faced Tsukiro in the doorway. "I will see you back
at Soul Society." He turned and followed Ichigo's footsteps. "Later, Hat and
Clogs." Renji waved as he left the room, brushing past Tsukiro.
Tsukiro ignored Renji with a glint in his eyes as he walked out of the room.
Kita then watched as he turned and left himself. Sighing softly as they all
left the shop, leaving her and Kisuke there alone, she looked over to him. 
"What am I?" Kita asked straight to the point.
Kisuke sighed, pulling his hat down over his eyes. "I don't know if it is
something you should know right now. In time, it will be made aware to you, but
right now, just enjoy your life and promise me to never take that choker off.
It will protect you and keep your Godly spiritual pressure under wraps.
Alright?"
He looked up at her from under his hat and gave a half smile. "Alright?" He
asked her again.  
. . . . . 
The door moved slightly as Karin peeked into the room.  Good, Kita has him
distracted, and Ichi-nii didn't say anything when we passed each other.  My
reiatsu is sealed.  She stepped backwards.  Now's my chance.She launched
herself through the open door, spinning into a high kick, eyes on that blasted
hat. 
"Take THIS!" The room blurred… 
"Take what?" Kisuke asked with a smirk across his lips, looking at Karin as he
kneeled down next to Kita on the other side of the table. Karin was on her head
in the corner from her flying attack on his hat. A fan then appeared from
nowhere as it popped open and Kisuke hid behind it. "You're just like your
brother. Will you ever learn?" 
Kita could not help but chuckle as she stood from the table and walked over to
Karin, offering her a hand to help her up. "He is a tricky one, ain't he?"
"He is," Karin mumbled, rubbing her head from her fall, again, "but someday, I
will get him."
Kisuke made no comment.  He looked to Kita and smiled as he adjusted his hat.
"Would you like some more tea, Kita?"  Kita nodded. He picked up the pot,
turned, and started walking from the room.
"Karin?" he paused.  "Shouldn't you be home right now? Ichigo did just leave to
have dinner with you all."
The shopkeeper then disappeared from the room to the kitchen.
Karin stood up and called out to Urahara.  "I know Ichi-nii is.  I came to pick
him up, but that doesn't mean I can't take an opportunity to attack you when
you're busy... or so I thought."  She folded her arms.  "Was I anycloser this
time?" she asked loudly. 
Kisuke walked back out, teapot in hand with a broad smile. "Maybe--"
He set the pot down and took back his seat at the table. He looked to Kita as
she stood next to Karin. "She is a persistent one. I will give her that." 
He looked to Karin with a bright smile and shook his head slightly. "Keep up
the hard work. One day you will success." 
"Of course I will.  That's why I'm persistent. When you fall, get back up and
try again. Your goal gets closer nearly every time." She grinned and spun
around. "I'll stay the night for training tomorrow, Hat and Clogs.  Time to get
to dinner."  She paused at the doorway and folded her arms again, debating on
jogging or trying shunpo in her mind. 
Kita giggled softly at the two of them as she looked to Kisuke. "I think I
should be on my way as well. I have not had dinner yet and I am sure my parents
are wondering where I am." he walked over to Kisuke and pinched the top of his
hat between her thumb and index finger and lifted it off his head. She then
leaned over and kissed the top of his head. "Thank you Kisuke. The gift was
beautiful, and I promise I will never remove it." 
She then looked to Karin as she still stood in the doorway of the room.
"Karin?" Kita called to her, extending her arm with the hat still in her hand.
"It this what you're trying to get at so badly?" 
Karin grinned deviously and swiped the hat.  "Thanks, Kita.  Bye, Hat and
Clogs." She took off in a shunpo in what she hoped was the direction of her
house, clutching her prize.  This will get a rise out of him,she snickered to
herself as she fled. 
Kisuke's eyes widened as he watched Karin snatch his hat andjet out of the
room. "KITA!? MY...MY HAT!" 
Kita giggled softly and patted Kisuke on top of the head. "I will get it back
from her." She kissed Kisuke on top of the head once more as he sat there
pouting over his abducted hat. "And thank you again for the gift." 
He gave her a sad nod as she walked from the room.
 
Chapter End Notes
     If anyone wants to sate their curiosity about the RP, look up Bleach
     Unrated on google. And if you want to read faster than I can update,
     follow the site outline to arcs page on the RP site managed by
     myself. The chapter names here will mostly correspond to RP titles.
     And finally, if you want to join in the crazy fun, contact one of us
     on that site
     Have fun reading.
     More introductions in the next chapter….
***** Chapter 2: Room of Sealing *****
Chapter Summary
     Another introduction, this time in Soul Society....
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
Vocabulary:  Hime- princesss
                        Chapter_Two:_The_Room_of_Sealing
The white walls of Seireitei are a place of secrets.  It has always been this
way, buried in the archives, locked away in codes within the research
facilities of 12th Division, stored away in the Captain Commander’s mind.  
Secrets whispered in shadows, details outlined in paper, even deals sealed in
blood and deceit, the line between justice and order is as thin as water. 
Weighed and controlled by the noble houses, the Onmitsudou or Stealth Force,
the Captain Commander, and the ominous voices of those selected to Central 46.
  Fear of secrets allowed Aizen to nearly destroy the Gotei before his ascent
into Hueco Mundo, and even now, they have yet to disappear…. 
Or the consequences that follow…
                                   ________
                                        
Yumiko Ryouma's room was hidden deep within first division. Tall walls echoed
with the sounds from outside. Light shone in from a window high above onto the
futon below and cast shade from the screen in one corner, where her silent
attendant tended to her daily needs as called on during her other rounds. The
room itself was sealed using a combination of clever architecture, a series of
sliding doors disguised as walls or windows, and layered Kido spells. 
The young noble traced the patterns on her obi, silver silk with embroidered
drifting sakura petals, to remind her of the spring, something she had long
been unable to see.  She tilted her head, listening to a snatch of birdsong far
above her head.  Yumiko didn't know where the window was, only that it allowed
her to feel the passage of time through the warmth of the moving sun and the
cool embrace of the longer moonlight. 
Born with a deep well of reiatsu at a young age, she had been sealed away for
waking a rare water zanpakuto which could reflect any zanpakuto power within a
certain radius around her, called Mizue no Kagami (Water Mirror).   Reflect but
not control… something she had found out one birthday night long, long ago. 
The young woman had stopped counting the days, the months, and then the years
after her family had bid her farewell and she realized her time away would be
much longer than she had at first believed.  
Shaking her head slightly, shifting the silken ebony blindfold over her eyes,
Yumiko pushed that train of thoughts away. She had awoken this morning to the
pungent scent of a jasmine blossoms in her room. It meant that she would be
having a visitor later on, and she didn't want to appear sad. And... 
She spread her arm outwards to retrieve her book from last night. Feeling for
her cloth bookmark, she turned to her last page in her newest Kido book. She
smiled to herself and traced the raised drawings, picturing the image in her
mind. Thanks to these books, she didn't need to see to keep at her studies.
Even if she could only memorize, it was enough. Enough for now. 
She would leave here. Someday. They had promised. 
Unconsciously Yumi rubbed at her right wrist. The cuffs were heavier this
morning and her eyes itched.
                                   _________
                                        
Two figures paused at the first trick wall hiding the sealed room. The leader
in a bright pink kimono covered in flowers stretched and then ran his finger
down a certain crack. The door slid open. They passed through and it slid back,
a wall to anyone else.   
On the inside, Shunsui yawned.  "Don't those old farts have anything better to
do than to lecture me on every article of our laws?  You'd think they had
nothing better to do than tell me how to do my job.”  He gave a sideways glance
to his lifelong friend, Juushiro on his right.  “Am I not qualified?"
"It can't be helped," the white-haired captain replied, reaching for the nearly
invisible rope that opened the next wall. It slid upwards. "With Sousuke on the
loose again, they're nervous." He paused. "What about the matter you wanted to
bring up?" 
The new Captain Commander sighed. "Sousuke's situation makes hers even more
precarious. It was hard enough getting her freedom when he was a prisoner, now
they are trying to use every loophole to keep her where she is.  All because of
that first time and reflecting the power of Ryujin Jakka.” 
Juushiro set a hand on his shoulder. "At least we haven't given up, which is
what they want." 
Shunsui chuckled.  "If I gave in, Yama-jii would find a way to tan my hide from
his grave," he muttered.  
He frowned deeply.  "This has gone on long enough.  She’s been a secret here
for decades, known only to a few nobles, the commander, and Central.  I’m tired
of it.  The next time we visit will be the time I break the seal placed on
her." He halted and turned into the disguised open hallway. 
"When say it like that," Juushiro commented as he reached into a 'mirror' for
the key," you remind me of Sensei." He handed the slender key to his friend. 
He took it, eying the near-transparent form, shared a look with his friend, and
let it fall it into the lock on the floor. As they waited for the lock to
dissolve the wall in front of them, Shunsui answered his friend. 
"If I can't do that, I have no right to persuade Tsukiro Ashimitsu to take on a
division. That boy is too clever to stay a third seat." He chuckled. "If I have
to work, I think he should too." The key melted away and the doorway was
clear.  
Layers of Kido wrapped this final hallway. Line upon line of silken strands,
the web of spells wrapped and warped the shady, sun-lit surroundings. "A prison
shouldn't be this beautiful," the captain commander murmured and continued
forward. The Kido webs faded into the background. 
"It wasn't always such," Juushiro responded quietly. "First, it kept her safe."
He ran his hand down the nearest wall.  “If it weren’t for her being gifted
with that much reiatsu, Ryujin Jakka’s reflection would have killed her. 
Therewasno telling what would have happened next.”  The Kido spells flashed at
him.  His eyes narrowed imperceptibly at the information given him.  He didn't
like altering the barriers to better entrap her growth. Another article on her
confinement by Central. 
Shunsui halted and turned around to face his friend, eyes dark with sadness.
 "I am going to quote Yama-jii here, Juushiro. Your kindness isn't letting you
see the whole picture....
 There are other ways we could accommodate this inequality of power and age,
but due to the current atmosphere, Central is only going to consider the
absolute. Neither her age, heritage, or latent talent will protect her.  That
is why...
".... she will be lonely no matter what," Juushiro continued repeating their
old master's words with his best friend, "and we do what we can to alleviate
the ache our actions create."  
A small smile formed on his face.  "We've never stopped doing that, at
least."  
Shunsui was silent for a few minutes, eventually reaching into his kimono
and pulling out a book with thick hand-sewn uneven pages.  He ran his fingers
over the cover and winked as his friend's smile brightened.  "I'm done being
the bearer of bad news," he declared, holding it aloft. "Let's focus on making
Yumi-chan smile again."   
Juushiro nodded and joined his friend at the double doors sealing the outside
world from the wonderful girl inside.  Together, they spoke the series of Kido
seals braided into the entrance, pushing the doors open after a faint blue
light surrounded the outlines….
Yumiko started at the nearly completely muffled creak of the doors.  "Ukitake-
san?" she called out, voice shaking despite her attempt to compose it.  Over
the years, even if she could not communicate with her zanpakuto her sealing had
been adjusted to allow her one shikai ability Sazanami or Ripple.  It allow her
to view her surroundings through the reiatsu picked up by the blade in a sort
of mental map.  But until they left the doorway, she could not 'see' clearly,
not past the wards in place, and she couldn't help the disquiet that mixed with
hope every time the doors opened.  
Juushiro and Shunsui exchanged glances at her voice.  Shunsui's eyes darkened
in anger for a moment and then he stepped away from the entrance, brandishing
his gift.  "Not just him this time, Hime," he called out in a loud jovial
voice. 
Yumiko blushed and smiled.  "Kyoraku-san, you know I'm not a princess." She
slid the cloth bookmark in its place and set her Kido book aside.  "Thank you
for taking the time to come here."  
Juushiro chuckled as his friend frowned.  "He's pouting now, Yumi.  He can't
stand not being able to use his pet name for you."  He moved past his friend
and pressed his lips to Yumiko's forehead affectionately.  "It's a beautiful
day outside," he greeted quietly.  "The sky is an endless blue and there are
more clouds drifting on the breeze today." 
Shunsui rubbed the back of his head.  "What Juushiro isn't telling you," he
paused dramatically, "is that you're prettier than the sky outside," he
finished and swirled into a large bow.  
Listening to both his words and his kimono rustling, Yumiko blushed again and
covered her face with her wide sleeve. "Kyoraku-san..." she protested weakly.
 She couldn't stop smiling though. 
Juushiro smiled as her pale cheeks filled with color at Shunsui's silly antics
and sat down on one side of her.  "The clown over there also has a gift for
you," he said gently. 
"Juushiro," Shunsui whined, sitting on her other side, "did you have to tell
her my secret?" 
"Was it a secret?" Juushiro asked in turn.
Yumiko frowned slightly, her hand automatically rubbing at the cuffs on her
wrists.  "But I haven't finished the latest book yet," she whispered, and
lowered her head.  "I'm not ready to progress to the next level," she admitted
in an even lower tone. 
The Captain Commander in pink frowned.  It was true that the rate at which she
was learning had slowed over the past decade or so. And there were many reasons
to that.  Among them the chaos that had nearly cut her off from most contact. 
Chaos she could only feel the repercussions to and wait to end.
Setting the new book aside, he took her hands in his large ones.  "There is no
reason to apologize or feel embarrassed, Yumiko," he murmured gently.  "Each
book is a new level in difficulty."  
"You have made great progress, Yumi," Juushiro continued, voice reassuring. He
reached out and laid her current reading on her lap.  "What number are you at
again?"  
She set her hand on the book cover.  "55, 56 in Hado, 50 in Bakudo," she stated
hesitantly. "There are some gaps," she confessed a moment later. 
Shunsui nodded and set the new book on top of the first. "You are already much
farther than most of your peers, Yumiko, and you're an excellent student," he
said firmly. He hesitated, reading the slight trembling in her hands, the way
emotion escaped through her attempt to remain calm, indifferent.  He closed his
eyes.  "You have no need to worry," he declared in a low confiding tone. 
 "That's something he would say..." Yumi lisped, hands shaking, eyes itching
without the tears.  Then, Yumiko Ryouma took a slow, deep breath and her hands
were still again.  "I miss Yama-jii," she said quietly, voice cleared of all
negative emotion. 
Juushiro closed his own eyes.  It was yet another great injustice that the
binding had robbed her of the ability to cry.  It made the shell around her
feelings even tighter.  She hated to show the fact that the cuffs bothered her,
and trembling from strong feelings was attached to that.  "We alldo," he said
slowly, voice low with his own grief. 
Shunsui made to reply when the door opened again, revealing her silent
attendant and a tray of refreshments.  After setting it down, she bowed and
offered him something he did notwant to see, the token to beckon him back to
his office.  He raised an eyebrow at his friend who had likewise seen the
unfortunate piece of wood.  Juushiro gave a slight shake of his head.  Shunsui
turned back to Yumiko, who had returned to maintaining a serene image.  "I must
depart, Yumi-hime," he called out. "Unfortunately, I don't have as much time on
my hands as I used to."  
Yumiko didn't react this time, though she felt her cheeks warm.  "Thank you for
coming, Kyoraku-san, and..." she paused, then folded her hands over the books
in her lap, "for the books you found.  I will use them well," she stated,
finishing her proper farewell.  
Shunsui nodded and set his hand on her forehead.  "I'm sure you will," he
replied.  It was his little secret that she didn't know that each book was
hand-crafted for her by him, an idea which had started with Yama-jii.  He
turned around, following the attendant out to the hall.  
Juushiro waited until the door had closed, knowing that Yumiko would be
following the sounds of their departure as long as she could.  Then, he poured
the tea and set a cup in her folded hands.  "Let's enjoy lunch," he said
lightly, smiling, "and then go over your Kido as long as you are able." 
Yumiko nodded.  "I will be fine," she responded, tone even.  With that last
phrase, she knew her teacher would be altering the bindings on her cuffs today,
but that did not mean she would let it tire her out.  He wouldn't let her
teacher waste his time. 
 . . . . . .
 
Juushiro finished his tea and set the tray aside, knowing the attendant would
get it, and looked down, Yumiko passed out on his lap. He stroked the dark
auburn hair from forehead then narrowed his eyes.  She had fallen asleep before
he had finished the final two seals on her now glowing cuffs.  Even if he wove
his Kido in with her lessons, it happened every time.  He sighed.  He'd stay
here a little longer.  
"I am sorry, Yumi."  
Chapter End Notes
     In the next chapter, we finally see Aizen and his plans start to take
     form…
***** Chapter 3: Setting the Stage *****
Chapter Summary
     Aizen's domain....
     The arc is named after this title for a reason.
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
                       Chapter_Three:_Setting_the_Stage
Footsteps were heard walking down the dimly lit and newly rebuilt corridor in
Las Noches. They were heading toward the Fifth Tower keeping a slow and steady
pace. Rounding a crook and stepping from the shadows, a tall figure appeared,
another following behind.
The taller figure wearing a long white haori flowing behind over the top of a
white Arrancar uniform resembling the soul reaper shihakushō, complete with a
blood red sash around the waist. A normal katana hanging at his side. The tsuba
its only decoration with a hilt of green. His menacing eyes peered through the
dim light. Hair swept back, with a strand hanging down in his face, his smirk
only made you wonder at the evil ploys that entered his mind.
The shorter figurer followed behind a few paces, keeping silent and ever
diligent of the figure in front. The hood of the figure's haori was pulled low
over their face. Long brown hair trailed slightly from the opening in the hood.
Judging from the figure’s curvy clothing, it was obviously a female. She wrote
a white bustier with a red cloth drape around her shoulders. She wore a white
skirt that fell to her calves with slits up both sides, showing off her legs.
White and red heels covered her feet. Her face, on the other hand, could not be
seen.
Aizen’s unknown daughter, Azayaka Datenshi.
It had been two, long, trying years of rebuilding. Not only of his palace, but
of his army as well. Finally, it was completed. Now only a few more fundamental
things to gather and things will be well on their way.
-----------
The two entered through the two large double doors of the throne room, seeing
only a few of the Espada he called forth for this meeting. Aizen’s eyes
narrowed turning to the figure behind him. 
"Were my orders too difficult to follow through on?"
Turning back to the small handful before him, he stepped toward the large
marble throne. 
"It seems we wait."His tone was annoyed and his steps quick but light as he
took his place on his throne. 
"Pathetic hollows. Seems none of you can do something as simple as follow an
order," the woman scoffed in a disgusted tone. "You should know that when your
lord gives you an order, you are to follow it exactly. No questions asked."
Chuckling softly, Aizen watched the Espada look on at this woman like she was
nothing to them. The doors then opened as the fourth, first and third Espada
entered the room. The three bowed to him and took their places among the
others. Nodding to them, he looked to his new right hand. 
“They're all yours, my dear.” 
The woman looked around the table at the espada seated around Aizen. Starrk,
Halibel, Ulquiorra, Nnoitora, Grimmjow, Szayel… and one--a new face that was
created while she witnessed. One Aizen dared to give the name--Loki.
None of them looked enthused. 
Oh well.
"This meeting of Espada has officially begun."
Ulquiorra glanced at the woman, another new face.  It didn't matter much to
him.  As before, they were all pawns for their Lord's scheme.  It erased the
nothingness of Hueco Mundo. His green eyes remained empty as he turned to the
figure on the throne.  "Aizen-sama," he asked in his quiet voice, "why did you
attempt to kill Hailbel in the last war?"  
Haibel's eyes slid towards him for all of a moment, Grimmjow and Nnoitra's
started more visibly.  Ulquiorra's expression stayed the same.  
A disgusted look grew on the handsome features of the new espada. Pale with
piercing yellow eyes and long dark green hair, the new Cero espada looked to
the fourth. "You have the nerve to ask our Master, our Lord such a question?
You should have your tongue removed, Cuatro. He needs no reason for his actions
and if he did he need not answer to you on them."
Loki balled his hand into a fist and tucked it under his jaw, propping his
elbow on the arm of his chair. "It seems in your disappearance you have
forgotten your place."   
Ulquiorra closed his eyes, his only reaction to the barb thrown by the new
espada.  "I asked a question.  It doesn't mean I care either way for the
answer."  
Loki huffed with a slight chuckle looking way from the unworthy espada. "Then
why waste your breathe if you're not looking for an answer?”   
A whisper of a smirk appeared and faded on the Cuatro's lips.  "Maybe to read
the reactions of others," he responded in that same tone. 
Loki looked his way and smiled. "Then you look in the wrong place."
Ulquiorra didn't bother answering to that implied superiority.  The fact that
he had reacted told the Cuatro espada what he needed to know.  He turned back
to the throne, dismissing the new face and their exchange of words. 
Aizen watched the two exchange words, both keeping their tone and composure
about them. "Two very well tempered espada. I must say I am impressed with you
both." Aizen looked around the table at the others seated with them. "Were
there any other questions?" His look then moved back to the Fourth.    
"None, Aizen-sama," Ulquiorra declared. 
Aizen nodded and looked to his right hand again. "Then let’s get this moving
forward. Shall we?"
As soon as Aizen laid eyes on her, she started talking again. "First order of
business, at the right time, Lord Aizen and myself will retrieve the Soul
Reaper in Soul Society known as Yumiko Ryouma. While we complete this mission,
Espadas Cuatro and Cero will go after the humans Orihime Inoue and Karin
Kurosaki. Ulquiorra, you are to go after Inoue. Loki, you are to retrieve the
Kurosaki girl. 
"There will be no mistakes. You will succeed or there will be consequences.
Questions?"
Loki looked to Azayaka with narrowed eyes, his tone smooth and flat. "I will go
after the girl, but I will not work with him."
Ulquiorra nodded curtly. "It will be no problem to retrieve Inoue," he
declared, firmly ignoring the Cero espada.  It was just like before.  The new
Cero was just like the first, trash, and beneath his notice. 
Szayel only sat in his place at the table, biding his time as he watched the
the new arrogant Cero espada belittle the Fourth. He found it rather comical
how such small minds quibble over such nonsense.  
Halibel looked to Ulquiorra as she sat back in her chair, her eyes then moving
to Loki. "It would seem you have no choice in the matter. Your orders have been
given."
Nnoitra grinned and watched the two, waiting for Ulquiorra to lurch forward
over the table at Loki and rip his head off. But it seemed Ulquiorra had grown
somber in the few years he has been hiding away. Or maybe it was the effects
from the Inoue woman, and now she was being brought to Las Noches. 
"Ulquiorra will definitely be a pussy by the time she leaves this place again."
Nnoitra thought to himself. 
No matter the reason, Nnoitra did not care. He was just waiting for his time to
be called on. 
"You will do as you are told, Cero espada,” Aizen’s daughter spat.  “You were
given orders, and you will carry them out accordingly, whether you approve of
the circumstances or not. This is the first and last I will hear of it from
you.”  Her brown eyes pierced the Tenth espada from underneath her hood. "I
hope I have made myself clear."
Loki stood slowly from the table and look to both Aizen and Azayaka. "Is this
meeting adjourned? I would like to get to work and get this over with."  
Looking at Loki, Aizen nodded. "Yes, you may leave. You have been given your
orders. Ulquiorra, you are dismissed as well." 
Loki nodded at his master and walked from the table. With a steady stride,
hands in his pockets, Loki exited the throne room to go look for the young girl
Karin Kurosaki.
Ulquiorra nodded.  "Yes, Lord Aizen." Turning slightly, he bowed to his lord's
new right hand and then left the table. 
Aizen stood as his Fourth and Cero walked from the throne room. "The rest of
you; disappear until you are needed, but remain close." He turned from the
table and stepped away. "I will summon you when you are needed." 
Aizen walked over to his throne and took back his proper ruling in Las Noches.
Starrk yawned  “I think I might have dozed off…” he muttered, stretching out. 
His dark eyes narrowed in concentration, going over the meeting.  “And it would
seem this new espada has a mouth.”  The Primera rose from his chair, yawning
again.  “Not that it’s a concern of mine…” 
Grimmjow growled, getting up from the table as he slid his hands into his
pockets hearing Starrk's comment. "He's an asshole. No better than that fucking
piece of trash Yammy."
Grimmjow then made his way from the throne room.
Chapter End Notes
     In the next chapter, we finally see Gin Ichimaru emerge from the
     shadows~
***** Chapter 4: Mischief from the Shop *****
Chapter Summary
     The elusive Gin appears and we see the Kurosaki family dynamic ...
Chapter Notes
     Expect sporadic updates with no set amount of chapters to be released
     at a time for a while, but by the end of November, I should start
     updating at a more normal schedule.
     Thank you for your patience. Please leave a review if you have the
     chance.
See the end of the chapter for more notes
                     Chapter Four: Mischief from the Shop
Karin halted at the doorstep to her house, grinning from ear to ear at her
success at not only securing the hat but also her steady shunpo.  She spun the
hat on her finger as she walked into the house.  "I'm back," she hollered,
stepping out of her shoes. 
"Well it's about time." Her father's voice rang out as he entered from another
room. Seeing the shopkeeper’s hat in her hand, he laughed. "I am shocked
Urahara did not beat you here." Her rubbed the top of Karin's head as he walked
past her. "How'd ya get it?" 
Karin let her dad ruffle her hair for a moment before pushing his arm away.  
"Stole it when he was foolish enough to let go of it," she explained with no
sign of remorse.  She sat at the table and twirled the hat again. "He keeps
telling me to seize any opportunity.  That's what I did."  She paused in the
spinning of her prize.  "Though I am surprised that he hasn't appeared yet.
Maybe I got a decoy." 
"Decoy or not, its still his hat, right?" Isshin laughed. "So does this mean he
is going to train you now? Your brother would be proud of you." He walked over
sitting at the table with her as a knock came to the front door. 
"Ah! There he is!" Isshin stood to answer the door.
. . . . . 
Kita waited, standing on the front step,  for someone to answer the door, and
when Isshin answered, she smiled brightly. "Hello Mister Kurosaki. I was
wondering if I could speak with Karin?" 
"Well, of course you can, Kita. Come on in." Isshin opened the door further for
her. "It's nice to see you again, and it has been awhile since you have stopped
by.”  He led her into the house.  “You and Ichi aren't fighting, are you?" 
Kita giggled softly as she followed Isshin into the main room. There sat Karin
with Kisuke's hat spinning on the end of her finger. She giggled again and then
looked to Isshin. 
"No, not at all. Me and Ichigo get along fine. I don't think he and I have ever
fought. Let alone had foul words with one another. You don’t need to worry.“
She looked back to Karin. "I actually came to get Kisuke's hat. It's my fault
Karin has it."
Listening, Karin frowned.  "He didn't come himself?!” she asked.  “Darn it!"
She tossed the top hat towards the family friend.  "I guess that wasn't enough
to get a real reaction from him."  Waving her hands, she sat at the table
again.  "it's my loss.” 
Kita giggled, catching the hat as it was tossed to her. "Sorry Karin, but it
doesn't count when I was the one that took the hat from his head." She put the
hat on and looked to Isshin. "I will be on my way so you can have dinner in
peace." She bowed to Isshin then the family. "Thank you and have a wonderful
evening."
"What's going on down here? Why's it so loud?" Ichigo said, coming down from
his room.
Kita looked Ichigo's way. "Hello, Ichigo. Long time no see. Sorry if we were a
little loud." She replied with a giggle as she adjusted the hat on her head.
"No, problem," Ichigo grinned. "What brings you here, Kita? I figured you would
be at Kisuke's."
"Well I was, but I had to come get Kisuke's hat." She told him, tipping the hat
to him. "I kinda let Karin get ahold of it when I had it.”
Ichigo chucked. "Really? You two managed to get a hold of that ugly hat?" He
raised his hands to each of them for high fives. "Nice~
Karin's high five was automatic but not as crazy as her brother.  "I was hoping
he would come get it himself, but since Kita is here, I'm gave it back. I guess
it takes more than just having the hat to make the shopkeeper rise to a
challenge."  She tilted her head up at her insanely tall brother.  "How did you
do it?" 
Kita high fived Ichigo as well and started snickering when Karin asked her
question.
Ichigo gave a slightly annoyed huff at the thought of Kisuke's training. "It's
not me, it's him. Then again, sometimes you just have to pester him until he
does what you want. He's totally nuts."
"Yep, I have even learned that in the last few years and I am not even being
trained by him." Kita said as she turned waving over her shoulder. "Well, I
need to get his hat back to him before he has a coronary." She laughed softly,
"I will see you all later." 
Ichigo and Karin told her bye as she walked from the room.
"Later, Kita. Say hi for me," Ichigo waved to her as she slipped on her shoes.
After saying her goodbye, Karin folded her arms and looked at the floor.  "So I
have to do something else beyond surprise attacking him..." she murmured. 
Ichigo laughed and patted his kids sister's head. "Give it u,p Karin. That guy
is nuts. He'll come around eventually, when he's ready.”
"Yeah, yeah," Karin mumbled, pushing the hand away from her hair and patting it
down.  “When have you ever seen me give up on something I'm interested in?"  
Ichigo smiled and shrugged, heading back up to his room. "Just be careful.
Don't get dragged into anything too dangerous. And give Kisuke a run for his
money once he does respond."
"I can manage that," Karin grinned.  As Ichigo started up the stairs, she
hollered, "Don't go skipping dinner.  It should be done soon."  She then sat at
the table, drumming her fingers as she contemplated new plans of attack. 
Stopping her brooding when her twin called out to her.  
                                   ---------
After stopping by Urahara’s Shop and dropping off Kisuke's hat, Kita decided to
take the long way home. She had things on her mind that she needed to clear off
before she got there and her parents started in with the 20 questions. Kisuke
protecting her and not giving a real reason being one of them. Sighing, she
walked over to a nearby bench and sat down.
"What did he mean?" Kita looked up into the clear night sky. "What did he mean
my godly ... What am I?" She sighed once and continued looking up at the stars,
her hand folded in her lap. 
"A penny for your thoughts?" a voice called out from ahead of her.  Silver hair
gleaming in the night light, Gin pulled away from the tree he'd been leaning
on.  He smirked.  "Was all the fuss over that man giving you a necklace?" he
teased. 
Kita lowered her eyes from the night sky and looked the way of the silver fox
that walked toward her. "Hello Gin, and I guess that’s part of it. Yes. Trying
to get a straight answer out of any of you is like pulling teeth. Why must
things be so hard?" She scooted over on the bench to make room for Gin to sit
next to her. "So how have you been? I have not seen you around for a while."
She tilted her head and looked at him. "You're staying out of trouble, right?
No contact with your former Boss, right?"
At the last question in the rush, Gin lifted his finger to her lips, and still
grinning, replied, "A fox never tells all of his secrets."  He propped said
hand under his chin.  "But I suppose with all the riddles around you, there is
no harm in my saying that I have not been fraternizing the enemy."  He looked
up at the starlet sky.  "I won't be telling ya where I've been though~" 
Kita giggled softly looking back up at the night sky as well. "And I would not
be asking for details. We all have secrets." She smiled warmly and looked over
at him. "Ones even we ourselves are not aware of, it seems." She gazed at him
for a few seconds as he watched the stars and then looked to her hands in her
lap. "What am I, Gin?"
Gin's smile didn't change.  His eyes were hidden by his long bangs.  "You're an
innocent soul whom people want to protect.  Do you really need to know more?" 
Looking from Gin once more she sighed looking to her hands again. "There's
more. I know there is. If it were that simple, Kisuke would have said that. And
this..." Kita paused and lifted the charm from her neck, “would not be around
my neck. And an undying promise to never take it off would have not been made."
 
Just then, Kita heard a ripping noise coming from across the park. She turned
her head, seeing nothing … and then a black opening started to appear. She had
no clue if Gin was seeing what she was seeing and she could not take her eyes
from it.  
Stepping into the night air of Karakura, Loki looked around the area. "A park.
Well, it seems I am not far off from what I was told of my target’s living
arrangements." Loki turned as his eyes caught a couple sitting at a bench not
far off.  
Walking forward, hands deep in his pockets, Ulquiorra glanced in the same
direction and paused.  He turned to face the couple a few feet away, keen eyes
still void of emotion.  He stepped towards them, eyes on the silver hair,
distinct, in the night light. 
As that faint ripping sound revealed the signatures of two espada, Gin
stiffened momentarily and then chuckled.  He looked out of the corner of his
eye.  Kita was watching transfixed as a tall handsome espada stepped out,
followed closely by ... Ulquiorra Cifer.  So he was still alive.  Gin's eyes
turned back to the sky.  
His eyes narrowed as he bonked Kita with the hand on the bench, a touch to the
back of her neck.  She passed out, as if from the unseen pressure most humans
couldn't face.  Gin stayed where he was, watching the Cuatro Espada approach
him. 
Curious as of what Ulquiorra was doing walking up to the couple. Loki watched.
"The girl--" before he could finish his thought he watched the girl fall over
into the man’s lap. He huffed and started his walk to find the girl Karin. His
interest in them now depleted.    
Trash.
Ulquiorra closed his eyes.  Gin Ichimaru wasn't his task at hand.  He
disappeared from the park, sonido’ing towards Inoue's territory, the better to
get this over with quickly. 
Gin leaned back in the bench, eyes hidden, as he waited for the new espada to
leave the area.   When he did, the silver fox vanished, Kita with him…
. . . . . . .
The silver fox appeared at the back room in a fury of shunpo, Kita over his
shoulder.  He set her down on the ground as Hat-n-Clogs watched closely from
under his hat.  
Gin waited till he had settled his burden to explain himself.   "She's just out
cold.  Aizen's sent some espada to town and they saw me."  Kisuke's eyes were
suddenly much sharper underneath that hat.  The fox shrugged.  "We know one of
them, the Cuatro, Ulquiorra Cifer.  I made her look normal and uninteresting,
waited for them to leave the area, and came back here."  He folded his arms and
looked towards the outdoors. 
Kisuke was not sure what to say to Gin with the news he was just told. "So
Ichigo did not kill Ulquiorra like he believed?" Kisuke questioning himself
more than Gin. He picked Kita up bridal style, “She will stay here tonight. I
don't like this."
As Kisuke walked to the rooms down the hall, he stopped and looked slightly
over his shoulder at him as Gin looked back out the door, probably to escape
his gaze. It didn’t matter.  ”If you go to him,” the Shopkeeper warned, “I will
be the one to kill you this time around." 
Kisuke started his descent once more leaving Gin there alone. Nothing more was
said on his part as Yoruichi slipped past him, dark eyes keen on interrogating
a certain fox.  Laying Kita to rest in Tsukiro’s room and covering her, he
considered the matter at hand as his mate’s voice echoed from the thin walls. 
"Well, he did try and kill Aizen, so I think that disqualifies him for another
place in Aizen's army," Yoruichi called out, picking up a cracker from the
plate on the table.  She took a bite. “And I'm sure Gin will be of great use to
us this time, won't you?” She gave a lazy smirk, much like her cat
counterpart.  “After all, why else would you have stopped those two from taking
interest in Kita?”
Gin didn't reply immediately. For a moment, all was silent, then that same
smile filled his face, his silver bangs hiding his eyes. "It was the nice thing
ta do," he whispered.  "And now, I've been warned."  He chuckled, head still
turned to the outside. A couple moments long, he stayed there.  Then, he turned
to move deeper into the house towards his own room.
"And what will you do when Aizen himself rears his ugly head?” the cat
prompted, raising her voice.  “Plot the end of his life again? After how well
it worked out for you the last time?” As Gin tilted his head to regard her,
Yoruichi crossed her arms underneath her chest. 
Returning from his first task, Kisuke chuckled as Yoruichi moved closer to Gin,
her stride serious and meaningful. "If you really want to end his life that
badly,” she hissed. “you'll need help. Especially this time around. But we need
to know that we can trust you. Locking Aizen again up won't accomplish
anything. He'll only get out again somehow. But to take his life and end this
for good, we ALL need to work together. So how about it?"
This time, Gin didn’t stay quiet long. 
“There are many different ways to work together, aren't there?" the fox
sneered, not liking the confrontation.  
He didn't understand them and they didn't understand him.  However, they kept
trying.  He didn't know how to take it.  
"Why don't ya wait and see?” He continued in a solicitous quip.  He swirled
around and left the room.
Yoruichi sighed and walked over to the table to sit down. "Well, I suppose I
was expecting that." She turned to Kisuke. "What do you think? Think he's on
our side, or working on his own agenda again?"
Kisuke sighed, adjusting his hat. "It’s Ichimaru. He will turn to his own
agenda like he always does." A crazy smirk then crossed his face. "But I think
we can trust him with Kita's life. Even if he wants to admit it or not, he has
taken a liking to her." Kisuke turned and started back down the hall. "I am
turning in. Today has been too long for this shopkeeper, and nothing now will
accomplish anything.”
Yoruichi nodded and stood up, stretching like a cat. "Yup. Time for bed." She
walked back to their room, saying, “Things are to get crazy from here on out.
I'll need my beauty rest. Let’s sleep.” 
                                     ————
Gin left the main room, paused outside Kita's room, then continued on to his
own, closing the door.  He moved to the window, perching on the windowsill,
head on his hand.  The cat had made some good points.  He had his own arguments
that he had been building for years.  Had he known that his old master would
escape Soul Society's prison?  He honestly didn't know what he believed in that
respect.  Had he been waiting for Aizen to appear again when he had?  Again, he
wasn't sure.  Spending time with this kind of people made his head and plans
spin.  There were two truths mixed in the confusion he lived in: he owed them,
and the answer he had come to at his trial.  He chuckled.  The path might just
be clearing up now. 
Chapter End Notes
     In the next chapter, we finally get a couple moment, an interlude of
     peace before the espada move in and chaos starts.....
***** Chapter 5: Unexpected Ray of Light *****
Chapter Summary
     This next chapter is a full scene between an emerging couple without
     any of the tension building up around Karakura.
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
                     Chapter_Five:_Unexpected_Ray_of_Light
Kita opened her eyes a few hours later as she rubbed the back of her neck.
"What happened?” 
Sensing she was not at home, she sat up quickly and looked around. "Urahara's
Shop? What am I doing here?" She turned to look behind her as the covers over
her fluffed, causing a soft gust of air to pass over her Tsukiro's scent
filling her scenes.
"Tsukiro's bedroom?" She blushed slightly then gathered his blanket into her
hands and pulled it closer to her face, taking a deep breath. She closed her
eyes and smiled. His scent was so strong on the covers she felt as if he was
right next to her.
Tsukiro knelt on the sill of the open window of his room, looking in at Kita
who was busying herself with sniffing his futon sheets. His ears turned bright
red. She was in HIS room. Not anywhere else. HIS. 
"Kita...?"
Quickly, Kita dropped the blanket from her face and sat straight up on the bed.
She did not turn to look at Tsukiro in the window as her face burned hot and —
she was sure — bright red.  
"Hm..." 
Was all she could manage to say.
Tsukiro laughed at her reaction and stepped all the way inside. He quietly
moved over to her and sat down next to her, smiling at her. "Enjoying the smell
of my futon?"
Kita turned her head from Tsukiro, her face still hot and now growing worse at
his question. "It... it smells like you." She shook her head and went to push
herself up from the bed, now even more embarrassed. "I am sorry. I will get out
of your room." 
Tsukiro caught her just as she rose and pulled her down onto the futon next to
him, the two of them laying side by side. He placed his arms behind his head
and grinned at her.
Kita's heart skipped a beat as he pulled her back down and laid next to her.
She still could not look at him, feeling the flush of her cheeks. 
"I want you to stay,” he murmured.  His smile grew.  “Stay here with me
tonight?” he asked.
"Spend the night with you? In your bed?" She felt the blush overcoming her
cheeks again. "Will... Is that alright? Won't Kisuke be mad if we are in here
together?"  She sat up in the bed quickly, her heart racing and blood running
hot through her body.
He chuckled ,pulling her back down and moved closer to her. "Please. What's he
gonna do about it? We're both adults and he's just an old man who owns a candy
shop. If we want to sleep in the same bed, who's he to say otherwise?" 
He rolled over and propped his head up on his arm, the other resting on his
side. He smiled down at her. 
"You looked cute with your face in my sheets like that. Like a cat curled up in
blankets. The ones on those calendars?" He laughed softly as he thought of it. 
Kita felt the heat starting to flow back into her cheeks as she turned her 
head from him with him gazing down at her as she lay next to him. "I guess I
just like..." She paused, her cheeks turning red once more. 
Tsukiro settled down further into his futon, laying his head on his arm. He
still gazed at he, waiting for her answer. Even she couldn't finish.  "You like
what? My smell?" he asked. 
Kita turned slightly to look into his eyes, adjusting herself better as she lay
next to him. She was still embarrassed at him catching her with her face buried
in his blankets and smelling them, but it was slowly passing as started to
picture herself in his eyes like a cat.  She muffled a giggle and smiled. 
His own grew. "What do I smell like?"
"You smell musky with a slight sweetness to it. And yes, I like your scent."   
Tsukiro continued to smile warmly at her as she began to relax and get used to
laying with him bbrushed her hair out of her face and traiing the backs of his
fingers over her cheek.  An idea came to mind.  “I heard there's going to be a
festival in the park tomorrow. Would you want to go with me? Just me and you?"
For the first time since she started developing feelings for Tsukiro, her
deepest thoughts and one wish was finally coming true. He had asked her out. 
He displayed so many mixed emotions over her that she had not been sure how he
really felt, often anxious to the point of giving up.   Thinking her feelings
might never been returned.   There was still a gap between them, one, it
seemed, neither of them were bold enough to fill yet, and that was admitting to
the other how they felt. 
Kita knew she was not ready to admit it. Being rejected, especially by a guy
she really liked, was not a heartache she wanted to face. So she would wait and
if it never happened, then they were never meant to be. 
And now, her body tingled as he touched her, caressing her cheeks, and a warm
smile appeared on her lips. "I would like that." 
In his elation, Tsukiro leaned in and pressed his lips to her cheek. He paused,
realizing what he had done, as his heart raced. As it calmed down, he pulled
back with a new smile.  
"Thank you."
 Tsukiro's heart was not the only heart racing when he pressed his lips to her
cheek. Kita felt as if hers were doing backflips in her chest and the longer he
lingered close to her like that, the more her mind raced. She held her breath. 
When he finally pulled back and thanked her, something she thought would be
kept silent slipped from between her lips.
"I think … I love you."
Tsukiro's eyes widened and he moved slightly back from her. Her heart all of a
sudden felt like a hot blade was pushed through it.  She quickly pushed up from
the futon covering her mouth with her fingertips as she told him. "I am sorry.
I shouldn’t have said that." 
She pushed the blankets back to get out. "I will leave you alone."
Once again, Tsukiro grabbed her before she got up, but this time he took a hold
of her face gently and pressed his lips to hers in a passionate kiss.  Pulling
her against him, he clutched her body to his, and when he ran out of breath, he
pulled back. 
"I love you too, Kita,” he whispered.  “I couldn't bear to see you with anyone
else.”  He paused and his tangled emotions all started pouring out. “I need you
in my arms everyday. You've helped me through so much. And I couldn't - can’t
stand to lose you to anyone."
Kita wrapped her arms around him as a tear trickled down her cheek. "I was so
afraid you did not feel the same."
When they pulled back slightly, Kita smiled brightly at him. "I feel like the
world was lifted from my shoulders with telling you that."
Tsukiro smoothed her hair back from her face and kissed her again. "I have
always felt that way about you,” he murmured.  “I was just afraid to tell
you.”  He kissed her yet again.  “But not anymore. I promise I will always love
you and take care of you."
Kita returned his kiss and hugged him tightly as he laid them both back down to
the futon. "Do you still want me to stay the night with you?" She brushed the
hair from his eyes. 
Tsukiro smiled at her, caressing her cheek. "Of course I do. I want nothing
more than to wake up next to you tomorrow morning. And every morning if
possible. I want to fall asleep next to you every night, with you in my arms."
Kita cuddled up next  to Tsukiro. She felt safe with his arms wrapped around
her, but then again, she always felt safe when he was close. "My White Knight
clad in black,” she whispered resting her head to his chest. "I wish we could
do that as well. I would wake in a much better mood if I woke up to you and not
an empty room."
He kissed the top of her head as he rubbed her back. "I know. But I still have
my responsibilities as a Soul Reaper." He pulled the blankets over them and
huddled closer to her. "But for the time being, let's enjoy the time we have."
She exhaled softly, closing her eyes as he held her. "Almost a full year and I
am finally in your arms where I have craved to be." She hugged him tightly. "I
am never going to let you go."
Tsukiro chuckled and kissed her again, smiling against her soft skin. "That's
my line." He placed his chin on her head and closed his eyes, relaxing and
inhaling Kita's sweet scent. "I love you, baby. I'll love you always."
Kita giggled softly. "I love you too, Tsukiro."
She closed her eyes again, still holding him close. "I hope we don't get a rude
awakening in the morning." She yawned.
He hummed in agreement. "If we do, I'll kill them," he said before dozing off
to sleep with the woman he loved finally in his arms.
Chapter End Notes
     In the next chapter, the espada move in on their targets. And return
     with some sinister intel for their Master.
***** Chapter 6: Called and Kidnapped *****
Chapter Summary
     Two different kinds of meetings....
Chapter Notes
     Vobabulary: Onna - woman
See the end of the chapter for more notes
                       Chapter_Six:_Called_and_Kidnapped
As night descended on Karakura Town, the looming figures of the espada moved in
on their separate targets, each in their own way…. 
The Cuatro Espada appeared on the street below Inoue's apartment.  His eyes
shifted to the lamplight glowing from the second story window.  She hadn't
moved.  Good.  His head turned to his surroundings.  He did not know why Gin
Ichimaru was here and not at his master's side, but anything beyond the plan
could ruin it; he also had questions. For the chestnut female inside. Her
alone. He lifted a hand from his jacket. 
"Inoue. Orihime Inoue." 
He knew she would hear him.  The next decision lay with her. 
Orihime stopped in the middle of her chores hearing the faint calling of her
name from a familiar voice. She looked around the room seeing nothing and went
back to what she was doing. However, she could not shake the feeling that arose
from hearing that voice. She shook her head, dismissing it, and walked over to
her bed. 
Sitting on the edge, she fidgeted with her hands becoming nervous. "He's dead.
Right? I watched him die. Kurosaki-kun defeated him."
However, the presence would not leave her.
Outside, Ulquiorra heard her low-voiced denial and spoke to her again. "I know
you can hear me, onna."He paused then swept his arm before him.  "Answer my
call," he commanded. 
Orihime's eyes widened as she quickly stood from the bed. Slowly, she walked
over to the window and looked down on the street. On the street across from her
building stood none other then Ulquiorra the Fourth Espada. She froze in place,
her heart pounding in her chest.
"He's alive." She thought to herself. "And he is here for me. But why?"
She wanted to run but could not move from the window as she looked down at him.
"Why?" She asked him.  
Even if she had grown into the beauty she'd been gifted with, it seemed that
she hadn't changed in her reactions to himself.  A silver of a smirk formed on
the Espada's face.  He answered her question with another in the same low tone.
 "Are you still unafraid of me?" 
"No. I am not afraid of you," she said in forceful tone that faded with her own
prompting.  "Now my question.  Why are you here?" She started shaking her head.
"I am not going back." 
She turned, walking away from the window, knowing she would still hear him even
though she was not looking at him. "I am not going back, Ulquiorra," she
repeated.
Ulquiorra wasn't fazed by her resistance.  "Aizen-sama usually gets what he
wants," he responded, using calm logic.  "Would you prefer that another comes
for you and doesn't care for the condition in which you arrive in?" He let his
words sink in.  When she remained stubbornly silent, he allowed some of the
mask to slip. 
"I wanted to come." 
She shook her head once more. "It would not matter who came for me. I am not
going back." She sat on the edge of her bed again. "Why? Why did you want to
come?" 
Silence greeted her then the Cuatro Espada returned his hand to his jacket.  "I
don't know," he replied.  "Why did you reach for me?" 
Orihime sighed and started fidgeting with her hands again. "Because... Because
I didn't want to see you die."  
"Why worry at all?  I was your enemy, your jailer. Why," he hesitated and
whispered the word echoing in his mind, "care?" 
"Because that is me. I care. And I don't like to see people hurt or suffer. No
matter who or what you are," Orihime murmured in the silence of her room. 
"Then I should be myself?" Ulquiorra questioned aloud, though half to himself. 
"How can you be anyone else but who you are? It would be a lie if you were
anyone else but yourself." Orihime said with the tilt of her head as she
thought.
"Sound enough reasoning." The Cuatro replied.  His hands slipped deeper into
his pockets and he vanished. 
"Wha-" Before Orihime could finish her question, the door to her house slammed
open and Ulquiorra appeared behind the woman, green eyes dark and intense.   
"Then I will be," he stated quietly, and pinched a point on her neck.  Orihime
slumped forward into his arms, unconscious. 
Ulquiorra stared down at her for a few moments then set her down on her bed,
turning to her drawers, eyes narrowing as he scanned the surroundings.
 Finally, he found it.  Sonido'ing to a collection of items in the living room,
he pulled open a drawer underneath the table.  He took something out and
reappeared by the unconscious woman, slipping his bracelet back on her wrist.
 He nodded once, satisfied, and carried her out of the house in his arms. 
--------
Finding the house was simple enough. Loki just pinpointed the strongest
spiritual pressure in the area and followed it to his target. His information
was not misleading. As he stood out on the street and looked up at the windows
on the second floor, a black-haired girl entered her room.  Her signature
complemented the large well that permeated the house from the Substitute.  Now
to decide. Did he move now with everyone awake in the home? Or wait until the
lights went out making his mission much simpler?
Loki laughed softly to himself and disappeared. 
Inside, Karin plopped face-first onto her bed after helping Yuzu clean the
dishes.  Head on her pillow, she glanced at her textbooks just stacked this way
and that on her desk.  She could do some studying now or she... She sat up and
reached underneath her bed, pulling out the book of Kido.  She made a face and
turned the pages to her stopping place.  Maybe if she did some extra work here,
she would get another session out of Hat-n-Clogs. 
Suddenly assaulted by goose bumps, Karin closed her book and looked around her
room.  Her eyes narrowed when she didn't see any ghosts, even by her mirror
where they would be more apparent.  Finally, she leapt from her bed, pushed her
curtains aside, and closed the window, locking it for good measure.  Sometimes,
she really didn't want to feel the ghosts.  Scowling, she halted again.  
Shaking the itchy feeling away, she closed the curtains and stripped.  "I'm
going to bed, Ichigo," she hollered, doing a cartwheel in her bike shorts and
sport bra, then flipping off the light.  She shook out her hair and collapsed
on her bed.  "Turn down the AC.  It's getting chilly in here."  She rolled to
wrap herself in the old bedspread. 
Hiding in the shadows of Karin's room, Loki took back his espada form at the
side of Karin's bed. He was leaning over the top of her as he whispered into
her ear. "And they said you were tough." 
He scooped her up in the blanket, trapping her in it. When she screamed out,
Loki hit her through the blanket hard enough to make her quiet down. "I don't
have time to play with the Substitute Soul Reaper. So be a good girl in there
and be quiet." 
He slid the window open and jumped to the ground below, Karin in the blanket
thrown over his shoulder like a peddler and his sake. 
Karin growled, shoulder pounding from the jerk ass's punch and took a breath. 
Gathering her reiatsu, she spat out the first Kido spell that came to her mind
as loudly as she could through her bedspread.  
"Shakkaho!" 
She winced as the spell blasted her and the blanket away from her supposed
captor and she landed on her side a few yards away.  Stumbling up, she gathered
her energy into her leg. 
Loki looked at his jacket on he right side, burn marks now covered the white
material. He turned completely around and smiled menacingly at Karin. “So you
do have a little fight in you? Very nice, but not good enough.” Loki
disappeared from in front of her then appeared behind her only a couple of
feet. 
When she turned quickly to counter his attack, she saw Ichigo standing there. 
“What the hell are you doing outside in your pajamas, Karin? I thought you were
going to bed?”
He was scratching the back of his head with an annoyed look on his face.
Karin halted for all of one moment and then charged.  
Filing away the pain from her landing, she launched herself at the imposter and
slammed her reiatsu-packed leg at his face.  "Wrong reaction, asshole!" she
hissed through clenched teeth as her leg impacted with his cheek.  "My real
brother blushes.  He's embarrassed that I haven't changed my habits even if I
am older."  
Loki took the hit not even wavering to the impact but changed back to his true
form. 
"You call that a kick?" Loki asked her as he lifted his leg and kicked her
back. Karin flew across the yard and the street, hitting the fence and taking
it down. The building stopped her travels. Loki walked over to her and picked
her up by the nape of her neck and lifted her to his eye level. "Are we done
now?" 
"Screw. You," she pronounced slowly.  "Byakurai."  An arch of lightning ignited
from her palm below, shooting him in the side.  Loki didn't move, just dropped
her.  
Loki was done playing. He could not kill the little bitch and her parlor tricks
were wearing on his nerves. He drew his sword. "Trickster." He whispered.
Karin hopped away with a small burst of shunpo, huffing and wiping off blood
and dirt from her face.  Come on, Ichigo. Where are you?!"  She looked behind
her and froze. 
And as Karin stood, not far down the street, her little sister appeared behind
her. She was rubbing her eyes and yawning wide. "Karin, isn't it a little late
to be training?"
Karin growled and stepped quickly toward her little sister. "Not this again."
At that moment, Loki appeared behind her little sister, placing his hand to the
top of her head, Yuzu looking up at him. "Cute kid sister you have. It would be
a shame to see something happen to her. Don't ya think?" He paused, enjoying he
spike of fear in his target's aura, and then continued in the same matter-of-
fact tone. "I can't kill you, but no one said I could not kill her." Loki told
his prey.  He waved his other hand. "Your call, big Sis."
Karin didn't have to think.  She knew the answer.  "Fine."  She lowered her
hands and stood at ease.  "Let her go," she spat. "I'm done fighting." 
Loki grinned, sonido'ing toward Karin and lifting his hand as he said, "Let's
make sure." 
He struck her hard across the face, knocking her out. Sheathing his sword, the
image of Yuzu disappeared. He picked up Karin, tossing her over his shoulder
and disappeared once more.
-------
Loki walked in the huge double doors of the throne room with Karin over his
shoulder. He walked up placing her on the floor before Aizen. 
Bowing slightly, "Karin Kurosaki as you requested, my lord."  
Ulquiorra entered shortly after Loki, Inoue in his arms.  He set her gently
down next to the first girl silently then chuckled at the state of the younger
Kurosaki.  
"Did you have trouble, Cero?" 
Loki grinned. "Let's just say my information about her was not misleading.
She's a fighter." 
He looked to the chestnut-haired girl Ulquiorra brought in. "It seems you had a
walk in the park with yours, Cuatro." He huffed. "Typical female, I see. No
wonder you were given her. You couldn't have handled this one." He chuckled
softly under his breath looking back to his lord. 
"What will you have us do with them, my lord?”
"If she was a typical female, Aizen-sama wouldn't have requested her for both
his wars," Ulquiorra retorted before turning to their master. 
Aizen looked at Loki and Ulquiorra as Loki scoffed at Ulquiorra's last comment
then mumbled something under his breath about Ulquiorra being oblivious to his
last comment. He smirked then answered Loki’s question. 
“There is a room set up for them here in the fifth tower. Lock them in there.
Make sure they are comfortable.” Aizen looked to the young Kurosaki girl who
was in a sports bra and shorts. “Give them new clothing as well.” 
Ulquiorra nodded and moved to pick up Orhime again.  
Loki looked on at Ulquiorra as he moved toward the female he brought in, his
eyes then adverted to his lord. "Are you really just going to dump them in the
room together without a keeper, my lord?" He waited for Ulquiorra to clear his
way so to retrieve the other female. 
"Hm, yes you're right, Loki. They will need a keeper." Aizen looked to
Ulquiorra as he stood with Orihime in his arms once more. "Ulquiorra. You will
be in charge of the two women. I trust you know what to do."
The Cuatro inclined his head.  "Yes, my lord."  He turned to exit the room and
paused.  "What of Kurosaki's injuries?" 
Loki scoffed as he picked up the young girl tossing her over his shoulder. "She
will heal. If she would have behaved, she would not have gotten hurt. The dumb
little bitch just wouldn't listen." 
Loki turned and walked toward the doors. 
Looking to Ulquiorra, Aizen nodded. "Orihime will tend to her when she sees
her. Do nothing more than what I have said."
"Understood," Ulquiorra replied.  He continued on his way but stopped at the
doors.  He turned around.  
"If you would permit me, there may be another matter worth mentioning, Aizen-
sama." 
Aizen raised his eyes, looking to Ulquiorra as he spoke once more. "What is it,
Ulquiorra?"   Behind him, Loki stopped at the door and turned to hear what
Ulquiorra had to say to their master. 
"I saw Lord Ichimaru in the park of Karakura Town." 
Aizen's full attention was caught with the name Ulquiorra spoke as he sat up
and looked pointedly at Ulquiorra. "Was he with anyone?" 
"A young girl, my lord." Loki thought back to the couple they saw in the park
and the odd reiatsu he felt just before the girl passed out. "The girl..." he
paused and thought, "her reiatsu was odd for a human girl."   
"Hm?" Aizen hummed as he sat back, propping his head against the palm of his
hand. An eerie yet evil smirk crossed his lips.  "Gin Ichimaru? I thought I
left you for dead. But you're alive, and with a young girl, nonetheless, that
possesses an odd reiatsu."  He tapped his fingers against his cheek.  "What are
you up to, old friend?" 
Aizen's soft spoken words lingered in the room like a dark shadow. 
"He seemed to be healthy," Ulquiorra continued.  "The girl fainted soon after
we appeared, but he ignored her.  That was all I could determine before I
returned to my task, my lord." 
Adjusting the girl on his shoulder, Loki turned to look at them both. "I don't
know this person you talk of, but I think it was a ploy on his part with the
girl. There was something about her." He looked pointedly at Ulquiorra. "Or are
you too dense to have realized it?" 
Ulquiorra's eyes slid towards the Cero.  "You are new to Karakura Town.  Many
humans have strange reiatsu there; however, less than a handful are worth
anything to our master." 
"Maybe so, but something tells me she is not one of those average humans. If
she were, why would this soul reaper you're talking about have anything to do
with her? He was sitting with her. It was a ploy on his part -- I know it was."
He turned back toward the doors. "It seems, with the reactions from both Master
and yourself that he was well known by you both. Am I right?"
He shrugged his shoulder.  "Just think about the man you're talking about.
Maybe you will finally see my point in all this." Loki commented, bringing
their attemtion to his point as he left the room.
"Ichimaru was all about deception...." Ulquiorra mused, half to himself,
following the Cero's path with his eyes, "but was the girl only there by
coincidence?  If I didn't recognize him, he blended in."  He turned back to his
master.  "I could find Ichimaru to learn more after I attend to the girls, if
you wish, my lord."
Aizen nodded. "See if you can persuade him to take audience with an old
friend." 
He then watched as the espada exited the room with a slight nod.
Chapter End Notes
     In the next chapter, Aizen makes another move in the game personally
     - a small visit to Soul Society.
***** Chapter 7: Family Planning in the Shadows *****
Chapter Summary
     Where Aizen and his daughter move in on their intended prey in Soul
     Society while all is quiet....
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
                   Chapter_7:_Family_Planning_in_the_Shadows
Standing out in the hall, Aizen waited for his right hand to join him. Soon
their next piece would be in play and then his plans would be moving along
nicely.  As he waited, Aizen stood thinking on the information he had received
today from the 4th and the 10th espadas when they'd returned with the women. 
A smirk crossed his lips.  "Gin Ichimaru. What have you been up to for the last
4 years, I wonder." He chuckled softly to himself. "I will know all too soon."
"Forgive me, my Lord," Azayaka said in a harsh tone that many had learned was
often normal for her. "But I do not understand why you allowed one such as Gin
Ichimaru to live. Even if he escaped unnoticed, should you not take his life
once you find him?"
She walked into the room with a slow, meaningful gait, her shoulders pulled
back, standing at her full height.
"Failed or not, he tried to kill you."
Aizen looked to his beautiful daughter. "Azayaka, my dear, Ichimaru will meet
his end soon enough, but right now we have bigger plans to tend to.  Do not
worry about such trivial things." He stepped towards her, holding out his hand.
"Did you bring what I asked for?”
"Yes, Father." Azayaka knelt down on one knee in front of her father and Lord,
pulling a small box from her haori. "Just as you requested." She held the box
up to him, bowing her head.
Aizen smirked and took the box from her, tucking it into the sleeve of
his haori. "Such a good daughter I have." He offered his hand to help her stand
once more, waiting for her to rise before asking, "Are you ready for one more
strike against the naive Soul Society?" 
"Always, My Lord," she said with a sneer that could only come from her father. 
She turned on her heel and pulled her sword from her side. Thrusting her sword
though the air, she twisted it like a key, and in the ether, two sliding doors
opened. Two hell butterflies floated out around their heads.
"After you, my Lord."
Aizen stepped before his daughter and entered the Senkaimon with a wide smirk.
"It has been a long time since I have traveled this gate." He kept walking as
his daughter fell in behind him and the gate closed behind them….
………..
The Senkaimon opened and the two stepped out into Division One, both reiatsu
concealed. "Lead the way, my dear," Aizen murmured, waving a hand.  "You know
where this room this better than I."
Just as always, Azayaka did as her father asked of her.  No questions asked,
she followed the path she had memorized months before. The halllways were a
maze of twists and turns as they wound deeper and deeper into the barracks. And
for a millisecond, she thought maybe she had taken a wrong turn. However before
she could dwell on it, she turned again and there was the door she'd been
looking for. 
"Here we are, Father," she stated. "The Room of Sealing. Where Yumiko Ryouma is
being held."
Aizen turned away from the door and studied the walls around them before he
made any moves.  One wrong move would set the barrier so that no one but those
who had placed the seal could enter.  Or so they believed. A smirk crossed his
lips as he ran his finger down the crack of the first trick wall and the door
slid open.
Turning to his daughter, he stepped into the corridor.
Azayaka slowly walked in, looking at her surroundings. And as she did, she just
spotted a nearly invisible rope, hanging down from the ceiling. She pulled on
it and the next section of wall lifted up with the sound of stone rubbing on
stone.
Walking a few more paces, Aizen turned into the disguised open hallway and
walked a little further. Seeing the next switch to release the next opening,
Aizen reached into a mirror, pulling a key from it. He chuckled softly, shaking
his head. 
"They must have thought this would be hard to figure out. Textbook seals is all
I see." 
He looked to the near-transparent form, and dropped the key, letting it fall
into the lock on the floor, waiting for the lock to dissolve the wall in front
of them as the key melted away.  The doorway was clear. 
Layers of Kido wrapped this final hallway. Line upon line of silken strands,
webs of spells wrapped and warped again in the surroundings. As they entered
and walked toward the next wall, he ran his hand down the nearest wall. The
Kido spells flashed at him and the double doors sealed them from of her world
of the sealed noble.
Aizen looked to his daughter and pulled the box from his haori.  He nodded as
she stepped up next to him. Together, they waited for the box to soak up the
kido webs and reveal the codes to break them.  In unioson, they spoke the
series of Kido seals woven into the entrance. A fant cerulean light filled the
outline of the doors.  
The final words destroyed the box and pushed the doors open. 
They were in--
 
Seeing the young girl sitting in her prison reading, fingers moving across he
page, Aizen moved ahead and stepped into the room.  Sealing cuffs embraced her
wrists. 
"Yumiko Ryouma," Aizen called out to her in a smooth silky voice.
Yumiko raised her head. "Who's there?" She reached for Mizue and peered through
the ripples that pierced the darkness of her surroundings. "I don't recognize
you. Is Ukitake-san still at the door?" A moment later, she shook her head.
"No, there were no flowers today. ...." 
Something was different.  She could sense it, but she didn't know what it was.
 There were two figures in her room, one male and one female.  Both were
strangers and powerful.  But without either of her mentors there, she worried
about their objective.  Were they from Central?  Were her seals no longer
enough? 
"May I ask why you are here?" she asked, placing her hands together and
composing herself. 
When the girl's head whipped around to look at them, Azayaka stared her down
with a sharp-eyed glare. "Do not resist. You will come with us whether you want
to or not. Fighting us will only end badly for you."
Aizen raised his hand to his daughter to quiet her. "I am here to free you from
your bonds, Yumiko. Your sight will return and you will be free to walk out of
this room into the world that you were so rudely stripped away from. Away from
the ones that have held you prisoner for so many years. Free of the sealing." 
He walked over to her and kneeled down before her on one knee, touching her
wrists with his hands. "Would you like that, my dear?"
After those words, Yumiko couldn't stop her hands from shaking and her heart
from pounding.  It wasn't plausible for a good few minutes.  Finally, taking a
breath, she steadied her hands. "It's all I've ever wanted," she admitted,
"but..."  She paused and lowered her head.  "Why isn't Ukitake-san or Kyoraku-
san here? They said there might be consequences to finally releasing me. After
all this time...." 
She recalled the other voice, the harsh one, and frowned.  She withdrew one of
her hands from the man in front of her. Though she couldn't completely withdraw
from him, drawn to the hope he offered in spite of it all.  She let her voice
give her courage. 
"Something really is wrong... They would be here, they promised, and in the
beginning, I had to be here. It was for my own safety. Who are you?"she
repeated a bit more firmly than before. 
Aizen sighed softly. "If you want me to go, I will. I am only here to grant you
what you have always wanted. Kyoraku and Ukitake know as well as you and I that
Central will never release you. They are scared of you, and when Central is
scared, they will do everything in their power to destroy or seal away what it
is that frightens them." 
He stood from the young woman, letting her other hand slide from his as looked
down at her. "But if here is where you wish to stay, untilthe Captain's empty
words finally become fulfilled… So be it. I won't stand in your way."
Aizen turned from her and started to walk away. "Tomorrow was to be a beautiful
day for you. I am sorry you will have to miss it." 
As Azayaka turned to follow her father, she said over her shoulder. "Such a
shame. You could be free to do as you please if you had followed my father. But
here you will only die without ever seeing the beauty of the world. You will
die alone without anyone knowing or caring about what they were missing. You
should have accepted his invitation."
"NO, WAIT!" the words echoed around the room. Yumiko covered her mouth in
surprise.  She hadn't spoken out like that since her parents had left her ....
had left her.... had left her.  
Hiding her shaking hands in her kimono sleeves, Yumiko lifted her head towards
her visitors again.  "I.." she clenched her hands over the heavy cuffs and
shook her head, "I want to be free.  Please do what Ukitake and Kyoraku-san
can't yet.  I'll.....I won't be a burden again, so please...." 
A smirk crossed Aizen's lips once more as he turned to the noble girl Yumiko.
"And you are sure this is what you wish?"
The woman nodded her head quickly as Aizen walked over to her once more.
Kneeling down on one knee again, he told her. "Give me your hands, Yumiko."
She pulled her trembling hands from her kimono sleeves and held them out for
him. Taking both her wrist in his hands, he let out a soft whisper of two
words, the final phrase revealed on the box. 
"Tataki Kowasu.” 
Her cuffs snapped free of her wrists and now lay in Aizen's hands. He tossed
them aside as they clattered against the floor. He then took her hands gently
in his. "You are free to do as you please now. What is it you wish to do? I
will make it happen for you." 
She didn't have to think.  "I want to see the sky," she said immediately. "It's
been my only constant.  It never ... left me." She clasped his hands. "And ...
I want to talk to Mizue." 
Aizen picked up her zanpakuto and handed it to her as he gently pulled her to
stand with him.
"Let us go see the sky for now.  It is filled with bright stars tonight and the
moon is full. I will finish your unsealing there. And then you can not only see
the sky with your own eyes you can share it with Mizue no Kagami." He brushed
the hair back from her face as she stood before him. "I am sure you would like
ever much, would you not?"
He went to step forward with her, gently holding on to her hand as she too
stepped forward with him.
"I understand and thank you," she replied, holding Mizue to her chest with one
hand and the kind man's with her other. "Thank you... I'm sorry, what do I call
you?" She nearly stumbled on her futon but the man caught her. 
Aizen swept her up in his arms bridal style.  "You may call me Aizen, my
dear." 
He picked up his pace, his daughter falling in behind him as they left the room
empty, only Yumiko's cuffs left behind.
Chapter End Notes
     In the next chapteer, Aizen's handiwork in Karakura is discovered…
     bit by bit…
     __________________________________________________
     I am finally returning to updating this HUGE epic of an RP for you
     guys. I have moved and my life is slowly becoming my own again.
     Expect at least weekly updates, maybe more. Depending on the size of
     the chapters. The next chapter has been broken up into two pieces and
     it is still long. Thank you for your patience.
     And if you get impatient, you can find the Arc links on the RP site:
     Bleach: Unrated. My chapter names come from the RP titles, but the
     order may be slightly different in the beginning. There's MUCH more
     where this is coming from.
***** Chapter 8: Consequences after First Strike (Part I) *****
Chapter Summary
     In this chapter, in the wake of Aizen’s destruction, Kisuke starts
     revealing some of his secrets with the usual chorus of excitement,
     confusion, and anger~
Chapter Notes
     I apologize for the delay in getting back to this fan fiction. The
     next RP I needed to break down and prepare was LONG. I have broken it
     up into two different chapters, but I couldn't find a break until 13
     pages.
See the end of the chapter for more notes
              Chapter 8: Consequences after First Strike (Part I)
Early daylight passed into warming morning, Yuzu slipping downstairs before the
rest of her siblings to start the Saturday breakfast they had voted for earlier
in the week.   Time passed in relative quiet.  As the aroma of pancake filled
the small house, Ichigo emerged from his bedroom, scratching at his hair.   
“Karin! Time to get up!”  He pounded on her door.  “Yuzu already has breakfast
ready!" Ichigo called out as he opened the door to his sister's room. "Karin?"
Ichigo just about had a heart attack when he laid eyes on Karin's empty, mussed
up room and no sign of her or their mother's bedspread in it. His hand shook on
the doorknob. Then, he turned and ran out.
"Yuzu, stay in the house!" he shouted as he went back into his room to throw on
his clothes.
If there was one person who knew what had happened to his sister, it definitely
would be Kisuke Urahara.
He halted for a moment, seeing the blanket swinging forlorn from a fencepost. 
He scrambled to get dressed faster. 
                                  ----------
Meanwhile, as the sun finally rose high enough to shed blinding light in his
room, Kisuke pulled himself from the bed.  Sliding into his clothes for the
day, he shuffled off for the bathroom passing Tsukiro's room where he had laid
Kita for the night before. However, it was not just Kita's reiatsu he felt
coming from the room. Slowly and quietly Kisuke slid the door. There, curled
under the covers, was Tsukiro, Kita held close to him in his arms.
Kisuke walked over, squatting down next to Tsukiro. Slowly he removed his hat…
and smacked Tsukiro with it on top of his head. Hard. 
Tsukiro jolted upright, grabbing his head. He looked up, seeing Kisuke holding
his hat. He glared at the scruffy blonde and grabbed his extra pillow, hitting
him over the head with it. HARD.
"You dumb ass!  I was sleeping!" he growled, glaring bloody murder at the nutty
shopkeeper. "What the HELL!?"
“Good morning.”  Kisuke smiled.  “I see you finally manned up.” He stood from
the bedside, still grinning, and tipped his hat.  “Good for you.  But now wake
our angel and come have some breakfast.  We need to talk about what something
that happened last night.”
The door slid closed behind him and Tsukiro and Kita were alone again.  
Tsukiro blinked as Kisuke left, grumbling and punching his pillow. Pretending
it to be Kisuke's head. Then he sighed and turned to Kita, shaking her shoulder
gently.
"Kita, baby, wake up. Kisuke is turning mother hen on us. He wants to give us
the birds and the bees apparently." He leaned down and kissed her cheek,
whispering her name into her ear.  “Kita~”
She opened her eyes slowly.  "Huh? What about the birds and bees?" Kita wrapped
her arms around Tsukiro and pulled him closer to her. "Just a few more minutes,
please~."  She yawned, burying her face into the nook of his neck and shoulder,
kissing his neck softly. 
Tsukiro groaned, mostly at himself, and laid back down, cuddling down with her.
“You’re so adorable,” he murmured, “I can’t say no.”  Curling into the covers
with her snugly pressed against him, he kissed her nose and cheek.  “But we
have to get up before Kisuke comes back and drags us out of bed."
Kita made a scrunched up face and took a handful of Tsukiro’s clothing in her
hand.  “Let him,” she muttered.  “I am a teenage girl and I need my beauty
rest.  He might even get greeted with more than he realizes.”  Giggling softly,
she ran her lips over his neck once more, moaning at the warmth of his body
wrapped around her.
Tsukiro quickly covered her mouth with a laugh. "Don't do that quite yet,
love.” I’d rather not have Kisuke kill me." 
Stretching, he gathered Kita up in his arms and picked her up bridal
style."Let's go have breakfast and see what Kisuke wants." He kissed her
forehead as he carried her out of his room.
Whining as he stopped her, Kita wrapped her arms around his neck as he walked
towards the kitchen and gently kicked her legs as headed down the hall towards
their destination.
Good morning," she called out to Kisuke with a bright smile. 
Kisuke adjusted his hat with a raised brow and a pointed look at Tsukiro.
"She's in an exceptionally good mood today. Why might that be, hmmm?” He hummed
and winked at the boy.   
Tsukiro glared at Kisuke and flung his shoe off at him, hitting him square in
the face. "Shut up, you old pervert! We didn't do anything. We confessed to
each other then we feel asleep. End of story.”  He set Kita down and then sat
down next to her.  “So what did you want to talk to us about?"
Kisuke rubbed the dirt off his face and sighed.  “Last night Gin and Kita had
the pleasure of seeing two Espada at the park, but we got lucky with them
overlooking Kita.  This time.”  He adjusted his hat and continued with his
story.  “Gin knocked her out, making them think Kita was nothing but a mere
human — making them think she passed out due to the reiatsu coming from the
gate and their presences.”  Kisuke looked to Kita.  “I don’t yet know what
exactly happened, and I doubt Kita does either.  Gin probably knocked her out
pretty early in the game.”
Kisuke watched Kita nod slowly.   
"I did and now something good came out of it all," Gin added from his side of
the room, watching sun stream in from the outside. 
Tsukiro turned around to see the silver haired fox. "Gin Ichimaru." He turned
back to Kisuke. "What exactly happened?” he asked quickly.  “Who came after
her? Did they sense her different spiritual pressure?” Tsukiro hurried on, not
about to let anyone take Kita away from him, not just after telling her how he
felt.  “I mean, is she in more danger now?"
Gin’s sing-song voice spoke up.
"You know," the Fox taunted, turning his head towards Tsukiro's, "you should be
asking me those questions," you know," he waved his hand, "since I was there at
the park with her," he emphasized in a sing-song tone. 
Tsukiro sighed and turned to face the fox. "Ok then, Ichimaru, tell me what
happened at the park. Tell me everything."
Kita sat next to Tsukiro listening intently to what they were saying.  Though
she had no real idea what they were talking about, she wanted to learn as much
as she could.  This whole soul reaper, hollow, and Espada thing was new to her
and no one had ever really explained it to her.  And like she told Gin in the
park last night…
 "Trying to get a straight answer out of any of you is like pulling teeth."
She looked to Gin when Tsukiro made his request.
Kisuke also looked to Gin, waiting to hear the whole story behind this.
The Fox grinned.  "That's better.  Guys should treat their girl's friends well
too."  He waked over to the table to join them.  Setting his arms on the table,
head on his folded hands, he waited dramatically for a couple moments, taking
in Kita's eager eyes.  She wanted answers.  His shrewd azure eyes moved to
Kisuke.  But heprobably wanted things as secret as possible.  Who to please? 
He leaned back.  "A gate opened in the park nearby.  Kita couldn't stop
staring, and her spiritual pressure was attracting the attention of the new
Espada. Though Ulquiorra seemed drawn towards the sight of me, the other must
have thought we were some kind of couple," he continued, tauntingly.  "Then I
knocked Kita out quickly.  She fell into my lap, and both left, I assume, to
finish their respective duties," he finished, looking around the table for
reactions. 
"Ulquiorra? But he's supposed to be dead!” Tsukiro burst out almost
immediately. “Ichigo defeated him in Hueco Mundo!  AND there’s a NEW Espada to
boot!”  Tsukiro growled and reached for Kita’s hand, gripping it underneath the
table.  At least in spite of their interest, Kita had not been the objective
last night.  He sighed.  “What worries me even more is who they could have been
going after?  And once they have them, what will they do with them?”
Kisuke rubbed his chin in thought for a few minutes then looked to the ones
around the table. "There is only one I can think of that Aizen would come for
again." 
Gin nodded sagely. "Ulquiorra was her keeper, too." He tilted his head. "Wonder
what trick they'll use to get her to come 'round to their side this time?"
Kisuke grumbled under his breath. "We need to get a hold of Ichigo and have him
go check on her." The shopkeeper paused and looked at Tsukiro. "Unless someone
else would like to go check on her,” he went on, his tone now hinting.
It didn’t quite get heard.
Kita sat up and looked at Kisuke then Gin. "I will go check on her.  After all,
she is a friend of mine as well as Ichigo's."
Tsukiro jolted and grabbed her before she had a chance to get up. "Kita, no! If
you go over there and he's still there, you'll be a sitting duck!  Aizen could
have you both, and I’m not having that!”  His hold tightened around her arm.
“Especially not when they’re already interested in you.”  He paused, his eyes
darkening.  “I can't lose you to Aizen, and I won't allow him to take another
person I hold dear."
He didn’t care if he was exposing his weakness or rambling.  All he could feel
was a vice-like fear around his chest and throat and the washed out images of
his dead mother and brother.  All because of Aizen.  When they had been all he
had left after Kisuke and Yoruichi Sensei were exiled.   
Tsukiro shook his head, giving her a wild, desperate look. "Please don't. Let
someone else check on Orihime."
"Kisuke!"
Ichigo burst into the sitting room, out of breath and sweating like he had run
to Tokyo and back. His eyes were wide and bloodshot, like he was scared to
death.  Leaning against the doorway, he made an attempt to catch his breath.”
“My sister.  They’ve got her!” he huffed.  “She’s gone.  Karin is gone,
Kisuke!  Her room was destroyed.  There’s evidence on my front porch.  It was
Aizen’s doing!  I know it was.  Karin wouldn’t go down for anyone else.  She
just wouldn’t.”
Kisuke looked to Ichigo, analyzing his state, and sighed heavily. "So it was
Karin they wanted this time and not Orihime."
In the choking silence, he adjusted his hat and peered from under it. "Still, I
think it's best we check on Orihime. After all, there were two of them." He
looked to Ichigo. “Can you go to Orihime's and make sure she is alright?" 
Kita's heart plummeted at Ichigo’s words, sinking back down next to Tsukiro.
"What's going on?" Kita asked at barely a whisper, fear now rising up in her
eyes. One friend was missing, maybe two and the thought of 'she may be next'
scared her more than anything else ever had.  She clung to Tsukiro's hand under
the table, flinching as Ichigo’s temper spiraled.
Ichigo clenched his jaw and fists when Kisuke mentioned Orihime. Dashing over
to the table, he grabbed the damned shopkeeper up by his kimono, jerking him
forward.  A crazed, insane, whirling look filled his eyes. 
"You bastard!” he growled.  “My sister is gone! She's GONE! And you're sitting
there calm as ever and speaking in riddles?!”  He shook him, knocking his hat
off.  “They took my sister, you quack, and you want me to go check on somebody
else?! TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON RIGHT NOW, KISUKE!!"
Kisuke looked into Ichigo's eyes and grabbed the hand clenched on his kimono.
”Sit down, Ichigo.”
Blinking tears away, he did.
Once Ichigo had sat at the table, Kisuke retrieved his hat and explained the
situation to him.  But when he was finished, Ichigo wasn’t in much better
shape, head bowed, shaking, and both hands pulling at the roots of his hair
"I understand your frustration, Ichigo,” Kisuke murmured.  “but we are just
going to have to play this out and see what Aizen's next move is. If we act too
soon--"
Kisuke was quickly cut off with another of Ichigo's outbursts.    
"Play this out?!! And leave my sister there to let Aizen do whatever the hell
he wants with her!?” he shouted, incredulous.  “You know DAMN well I'm not
going to do that!!! That's my baby sister he had his Espada kidnap! And you
want me to wait and see what he does next??!!!" he spat.
Ichigo slammed his fist on the table, causing cups of tea to jostle up and
splash dark splotches across the table. "You're a damned fool if you think I'm
going to wait! I'll go to Hueco Mundo and save her just like I did Orihime!"
Kita visibly jumped at the violence, her hand tightening on on Tsukiro’s hand. 
Her heart was racing and there was this terrible wish inside her to cry. 
She did not like what she was hearing they were scaring her more than even
yesterday when they talked about her crazy spiritual pressure. She did not
understand, but one thing she did know, another of her friends might be in
trouble and she had to make sure Orihime was alright. If all they wanted to do
was sit there and scream about this terrible thing, she was going to make sure
Orihime was fine. With or without them. 
She had to.
Pale, she quickly pushed Tsukiro’s hand away, standing and  darted toward the
doors of the room.
"And that worked out so well last time, Kurosaki," Gin emphasized from the
opposite side of the table.  He grinned as the boy growled at him and appeared
in front of Kita, snagging her hand just as Tsukiro stood up.  "You're not
going anywhere, Kita," his azure eyes locked on slow Tsukiro," at least not
alone."  He looked back at the scared redhead and continued in his nonchalant
way, "If Aizen wanted your sister dead, she'd be dead.  Don't you think you
should do something like think before you act this time round?  Or did you like
dancing to Aizen's tune for a long, long time before you turned the tables on
him?"  
He folded his arms.  “Because I guarantee that a strategy only works once on
Aizen.  And he really will win this round if you do as you're planning,
Kurosaki."  
Tsukiro walked over and took Kita from Gin, cradling her against him. She was
trembling sporadically and on the verge of tears.  Rubbing her back in circles,
he kissed her forehead and shushed her, rocking her in his arms. 
Focusing on her as the argument escalated behind them.
"It's alright Kita. We've been though this mess before,” he whispered in a soft
tone. “We will help them, but we need to think before we act.”  He stroked her 
hair.  “Believe me, love, I want to storm his place just as bad as Ichigo, but
then I know we'd all wind up dead."
As Kita’s quaking body started to respond to him, he then turned to the others
and shot daggers at them with his eyes. "As for you three,” he snapped, “stop
scaring her! She barely knows anything about Soul Reapers and Hollows. ANY of
THIS!  And now she's hearing that her friends are in danger. It’s scaring her
half to death!”  His arms hugged Kita closer to him as his eyes narrowed
further.  “So how about ALL of you shut up, sit down, and explain all this to
her. And I mean ALL OF IT!"
Kisuke sighed, adjusting his hat over his eyes. "The more she knows the more
danger it puts her in,” he stated quietly.
"Then tell it to me!” Ichigo slammed on the table again, glaring at Kisuke like
he was going to kill him if he didn't start talking. “Because I need to know!
And Tsukiro is right anyway. The more she knows, the better she can protect
herself. So just stop beating around the fucking bush and tell us! You're know
you’re not making this any easier!”
"Are ya sure about that, you two?" Gin called from where he was still at the
door, blocking Kita from running off.  He raised his hand.  "The last time
sensitive information got to Aizen, Kurosaki was his puppet and more
importantly, he found the Hougyoku and destroyed all obstacles to it, including
a friend or two." 
Kita only remained silent as they talk, but her mind seized in fear for Karin
and Orihime the more she heard. 
"You shut your mouth, Ichimaru! I still don't trust you!” Ichigo snarled,
glaring at the taller man.   “And the fact of the matter is none of us but you
two know what is going on around here! So one of you had better start
explaining instead of giving half-assed excuses!!!"
After hearing Ichigo cast stones at Gin, Kita turned slightly to Gin, taking
his hand into hers and squeezing it gently. She really felt like as if she was
all alone in her feelings for Gin. She knew what she had been told about Gin —
about his involvement with this Aizen character — and yet she still trusted
him. Why?
She smiled warmly at him when he glanced over to her. 
And she realized it was because he had never given her a reason to mistrust
him. He was always blunt, honest, and upfront with her. Even if it was
something mean more often than not. It was for that reason that Kita trusted
him — even more than she herself could understand.
Gin frowned momentarily at another sign of her strange trust then smirked.
 "Looks like the lady here disagrees with ya," he stated and joined his arms
around Kita, head leaning on her shoulder.   Until Tsukiro pulled her away.
 Both boys glared at the fox.  
Kisuke sighed still sitting at the table and looked over to Gin, and the
reactions from Ichigo, Tsukiro, and Kita.  Sighing again as Tessai walked in
with another tray of hot tea.
“It’s time,” Kisuke told Tessai.
Tessai nodded, sitting the tray down and walking to clear corner in the room. 
Sitting down with crosses legs and folded arms, he started to chant a sealing
spell.   With that, a powerful kido spell appeared around Urahara Shop, one
which no one could hear or even enter as they talked.
Kisuke looked to Gin and the others. “Sit down, all of you.”
He waited until they were back at the table and began.
Adjusting his hat, he looked to each one of them. “In the past, I lied to you
about Kita. She is not a future soul reaper that I refuse to train.” Chucking
quietly, he glanced down at his teacup with a slight tilt of head. “She would
be better off if she was, but she is not.”  Turning back to the angry and
shocked faces of the boys — Gin’s face remained fixed in his eerie smirk - the
shopkeeper  continued.
“Kita is… well Kita is… much greater than that.” Kisuke told them.
“Will you just tell us?! And stop beating around the damn bush!” Tsukiro
growled.
Kisuke sighed again. “Kita’s a Seraph.”
Eyes lit up around the table with Kisuke’s announcement and all eyes turned to
her.
“I’m a… a what?” Kita asked, fear misplaced by confusion and wide bewilderment.
"A Seraph, dearie~ better known as a watcher," Gin replied.  He tilted his head
at Kisuke. "That is a nice secret hiding under this roof."  As Kisuke sent him
a veiled warning with his eyes. Gin chuckled. 
“But if she is watcher…” Ichigo looked from Gin to Kisuke. “Doesn’t that mean
there is a Guardian somewhere around?” Ichigo questioned.
A goofy grin crossed Kisuke’s face. “Why yes, there is!” he announced in a
cheerful and bouncy tone.
“Knock off the shit, Kisuke, and tell us!” Tsukiro growled, squeezing Kita’s
hand.
Kisuke sighed and slumped over slightly. “He is not important right now,” he
pouted.
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE’S NOT IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW?!!” Tsukiro and Ichigo yelled.
“He is not aware of his powers. The Guardian will not be awakened until he is
needed. At that point, he will then decide what path to take.” He looked up at
the group. “The path of destruction or the path of balance and peace. If that
happens….”
There was a long pause as the room fell silent.
“A new reckoning will take place.” Gin replied after a good dramatic pause, a
wide grin across his face.
Tsukiro looked to Gin with narrowed eyes. “I am glad you find this amusing,
Ichimaru.”
"Of course it's amusing," Gin responded, grinning widely. "All this time,
Aizen-san's been on the loose, and Soul Society's been running around in a
panic, and here, in this little shop, is the answer to everything he wants, no
one the wiser.  Right under our noses." He waved his hand a wide sweep,
offering a mock bow towards Kisuke.  "Congratulations, shopkeeper, you're the
only one that knew all this," he gave a slight chuckle, "though I knew there
was something special about 'er." 
Tsukiro looked to Kisuke annoyed. “So what does this mean if Aizen gets his
hands on Kita?”
Gin answered for him.  “Only that he can finally fulfill his first and foremost
goal before he was captured.” He waved his hand nonchalantly and then slowly
slid his hand across his own neck. “No need for any key now. The Seraph can
open the gate for him. Game. Over." 
Kita’s eyes turned to Gin. “The gate? Like the gate we saw last night?
“Sorta~,” Gin started as Kisuke picked up.
“This gate will lead straight to the heavenly realm.” Kisuke paused and looked
solely to Kita. “See, Kita, this is were we come in.”
“We?” She looked around the table. “You mean you guys?”
“Yes,” Kisuke nodded. “There are three gates. The Garganta. The gate the
Hollows use. The Senkaimon which we the soul reapers use. These two gates can
be used by both soul reapers and the Hollows in the right circumstances. Then
there is the Tenkaimon for the Gods. The Tenkaimon is the gate no one but a
Gods has accesses to.” Kisuke looked to Kita. “A gate only you can open.” 
"And if you open it for Aizen-san, let's just say we all pay for it," Gin
explained further, still grinning. 
Kisuke looked to Gin as his left hand came up and smacked him in the back of
the head. "We're trying not to scare her worse. Remember, Gin?"
Kita jumped and looked quickly at Kisuke. "HE WON’T! And you don't need to be
so mean to him!” she exclaimed, trying to remain calm.  But on the inside, she
was shaking to her core with this dramatic news.
Still grinning, Gin rubbed his head, "If I wanted ter give them 'er, I woulda
done it before. There’s really no need to yell at the fox here." 
Kisuke sighed at them both. Kita didn't understand what they had already went
through with the fox. What hell he had placed them under and put them through.
And he did not have the heart to tell her.  He couldn’t reveal what Gin had
really done in his past. He just could not bring it upon himself to crush her
like that. Not with the trust and friendship she had built with Gin. He only
hoped Gin was not blind to this young girl's fate and the trust she held so
deep in her.
"We only want to keep you safe, Kita. That is all,’ he murmured. He then
narrowed his eyes at the Fox. “And ifAizen finds out about her, I am holding
you responsible." Sighing once more, his gaze turned to the group."Not a word
of this is to be spoken about out of this barrier. Understood?"    
Tsukiro took a deep breath and took Kita's hand again. Already the talk had his
temper and anxiety levels rising.  He feared for Kita.  He feared for the peace
he had found with her.  For the moment Aizen decided to use Kita's powers to
achieve his ultimate goal, he would send his army after her. And once that
happened...
Tsukiro pulled Kita into a tight embrace. "I won't let them take you. I refuse
to let that happen and I won't lose you,” he vowed quickly.  “We'll do
everything in our power to keep you safe. I swear on it."
Ichigo broke up the mounting tension.
"This still doesn't answer what we're going to do about my sister, Kisuke,” he
growled.  Even if he was worried for Kita, it only added to his crushing
anxiety for Karin.  “I already said that I’m not going to let her stay in that
hell house until we decide to do something about it!" Ichigo's shoulders
started to shake. “Kisuke, she's my baby sister; she's my responsibility and I
let her be taken away from us. I can't just let her sit there!"
Kisuke glared at Ichigo from under his hat. His eyes now dark and narrowed at
the young boy.
"Have you heard a single word we have said here? If you go charging in there
like some kind of fools, like the last time I allowed you to, you're only going
to make things worse. YES. You are stronger, but SO is Aizen. We don't know
what his army of Espada are like this time." Kisuke stood from the table. "This
time we get help."
He stepped away from the table as Tessai dropped the barrier.  "Go to
Orihime’s, ichigo, and check on her. I have a feeling they have her again as
well."
The Substitute gritted his teeth, and seeing that arguing further would do him
no good,  stood up. “Fine!  But if Aizen has gotten even stronger, then I'll
just have to work hard at getting stronger too.  I defeated him once and I will
defeat him again.  I won't let him win.  And this time,” he paused, “we'll stop
him for good."  Before Kisuke could respond, he took off with a burst of
shunpo, heading off to the Inoue residence.
The shopkeeper turned to Tsukiro. "Keep Kita close at all times. I don't want
her to be alone for a second." He turned back and started his descent from the
room. "I am going to talk to the Captain Commander." 
Tsukiro nodded to Kisuke. "You don't have to tell me that. If I could, I'd be
here 24/7 to look after her. But..." he sighed heavily, "I still have my duties
as Tenth Squad's Third Seat to perform. And there's still no sign of Hitsugaya-
taicho, so Rangiku and I are having to act as the senior officers."
He turned to look at Kita with a worried expression. "However, I will come and
check on you as often as my job allows me. When I can't be here, it would be
best for you to spend as much time here at Kisuke's as your parents will allow
you. Be careful, Kita. Stay on your guard at all times." He then pulled what
looked like a flip phone out of his kimono and placed it in Kita's hand. "Take
this. It's like a cell phone. We Soul Reapers use it for communications. It has
Ichigo's, mine, and Kiskue's numbers programmed into it. If you're in danger
when we're not around, use this and one of us will come to you."
Kita took the cell phone from Tsukiro and nodded. "I will go home and stay
there until I hear from you." She hugged Tsukiro tightly, her whole body giving
into the inner shaking. "I'm scared,” she whispered softly, tears stinging at
her eyes yet again.
Tsukiro held onto her tightly. "I know, Kita. I am, too. But we'll get through
this. You're not alone. You’ve shown me that.  Now it's my turn to show you."
He pulled back just enough to gingerly kiss her. He looked into her eyes and
said, "You'll be okay. I promise. None of us will let anything bad happen to
you. Remember that, okay?"
Gin patted her head. “And it's a good thing to be scared. Shows that you have
something to fight for." He stood also. "It makes you stronger. I'll walk you
home, Kita, if you'd like -- that is, unless you want ta be alone~" he teased
quietly and winked.
Kita nodded to Gin. "I would like to have company. Please. I really don't want
to be alone. Not right now."
”Then I don't mind keeping ya company," Gin reassured her.  
Tsukiro petted Kita's hair. "I would walk with you, but I have to get back to
Soul Society before my squad starts to wonder where I am. I'll come and check
on you later if I can." He kissed her forehead, eyes looking to the fox as he
pulled back.
Gin grinned, mischief twinkling in his eyes, and wrapped his arms around Kita
from behind.  “You know, I could even watch over you as you sleep, Kita,” he
whispered loudly, “if you want that is.”  He waited for her lover to react.
Right on cue, Tsukiro glared at Ichimaru. "I may have no qualms with you, but
that doesn't mean I completely trust you either. You will do nothing of the
sort. Just walk her home and leave it at that."
Gin chuckled and waved his hand.  "Alright, alright, I'll do as told," he
grinned, "like a good person."  He let Kita go and gave her a gentle push
towards Tsukiro.  "I'll wait outside while you say yer goodbyes," he said with
another wave. 
Kita giggled softly, wrapping her arms around Tsukiro and giving him a kiss. "I
will be alright. And Gin is only picking on you. You have to remember..." She
looked to Gin and smiled. "His heart belongs to another." 
At those words, Gin paused in the doorway before disappearing into the
sunlight. 
Chapter End Notes
     This is the end of Part I of the RP. In the next chapter, we get more
     interaction with Gin and Kita as she presses him for more answers to
     her overflowing questions and something - or someone - lurks in the
     shadows.
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