1.8

Key

Kuchiki=Captain Kuchiki

Kuchiki san= Rukia Kuchiki

Kuchiki pulled his zanpakuto back as he gathered his pink petals, ready to deliver the last strike to the fallen Ryoka protecting the prisoner.

"Whew," Jushiro said after grabbing the Captain's wrist, effectively stopping his attack. "Close one. Pretty dangerous." He nonchalantly comments. Despite being sick, Jushiro still had strength to hold a Captain off. "Why don't we leave it at that, Captain Kuchiki?" He subtly warned.

"... Captain Ukitake." Kuchiki san whispered, surprised at her Captain's arrival.

Behind Jushiro, Hajime and Shunsui arrived. Both of the men analyzed the situation, taking into account the health of Jushiro and the safety of Kuchiki san.

"Captain Saito and Captain Kyoraku." Kuchiki san acknowledged.

"Hey there, Rukia!" Jushiro smiled, "It's good to see you." He saluted, "Are you all right?"

Shunsui waved, and Hajime nodded at the young shinigami.

"What are you doing here, Captains?" Kuchiki coldly, but still polite, asked.

"Well, I could ask you the same thing." Jushiro countered, "After all, releasing a zanpakuto in a place like this is a first class offense, even if it's to repel a Ryoka. What were you thinking Kuchiki?" He scolded his younger colleague.

"The wartime exemption allows the unrestricted use of zanpakuto." Byakuya said monotonously.

"War exemption?" Jushiro turned to his friends, "And you didn't tell me this?"

"You never asked."

"Hehe, we forgot."

Hajime and Shunsui, respectively, replied at the same time.

"Has the Ryoka infiltration gotten that bad? Are they the ones who killed Aizen?" Jushiro worriedly asked. After finishing the question, the group felt a massive spiritual energy.

"I doubt it," Hajime answered the last question, catching the attention of Shunsui who noticed his answer and suspicions. "But there's your answer." He sarcastically replied to the first question.

Shunsui and Jushiro must have heard him because the man received a hit on the head and a glare from them.

"What spiritual pressure is this? Clearly, it's at the level of a Captain, but I don't recognize him at all." Jushiro commented, staring up at the sky with concerned and amazed eyes.

Hajime glanced in the direction of the spiritual pressure, not effected in the least by it. "I believe he is the leader of this whole mess." Hajime commented.

A black and orange blur shot up and lands on the walkway. The teen that appeared had striking orange hair and a medium sized build. He wore the normal shinigami garb and on his back was a massive sword.

The tense moment immediately turned it a sitcom as Kuchiki san and Strawberry verbally fought.

Hajime turned to Shunsui, "Want to stay over at Squad 9 for dinner?"

"Hmm?" Shunsui hummed, turning his attention to his younger friend. "we'll need to get Shiro chan too...."

Hajime and Shunsui continue to casually talk about dinner plans while the Ryoka argue, and Jushiro and Kuchiki are watching. The two men are pulled out of their conversation when they feel Kuchiki's noticeable spike in reiatsu.

The group wordlessly watched Kuchiki and Strawberry battle. However, what surprised them most was the sudden appearance of an old friend.

Kuchiki was about to use his shikai. He was in the middle of the activation when gauze wrapped around Kuchiki's zanpakuto, effectively halting his release.

The perpetrator was kneeling in front of Kuchiki, holding onto the end of the gauze. As she stood up she turned to Kuchiki, "Been a long time, hasn't it, Byakuya?"

"Shihoin Yoruichi." Kuchiki greeted. He swung his sword, easily tearing the bandages off his sword.

"The former Commander in charge of the Stealth Force and ex-General of the 1st division Punishment Force, Shihoin Yoruichi." Hajime stated his friend's old title.

"I haven't seen your face in a while. You've been in hiding for over a 100 years. I thought you were dead." Kuchiki stared coldly.

Strawberry boldly stated he was going to beat Kuchiki. Jushiro, Shunsui, and Hajime all turn to look at the Ryoka.

Yoruichi's eyebrows raise, "Beat him?" She turned to her student, "You think you can beat this guy? You are a fool." Yoruichi shunpo'd in front of Strawberry and thrust her hand into his side.

Hajime quirked his eyebrow. He knew what Yoruichi did. Having known Kisuke and Yoruichi for a long time, he understood their thought process.

"What— What are you doing, Yoruichi?" Strawberry stuttered.

Yoruichi removed her hand and caught Strawberry as he fell unconscious.

Jushiro stepped up and narrowed his eyes, "It's a drug isn't is? A powerful anesthetic, maybe goten or hoten, forced directly into his body to try to save him. What do you intend to do with him, Yoruichi?" Jushiro asked her.

"Ukitake." She mumbled.

"Hello, Yoruichi. How are you?" Hajime nonchalantly interrupted.

Yoruichi glances at Hajime, noticing him and Shunsui. "Hajime, it's nice to see you." She said, casually shouldering the large teen.

"We were just talking about dinner. Care to join?" Hajime offers.

"Another time," Yoruichi politely declined. "I have to take care of this idiot," she motioned to her shoulder. Yoruichi suddenly shunpo'd away, dodging Kuchiki's blade. She reappeared on the roof of a building, overlooking the group. "In three days," she declared, "I shall make this boy stronger than you, Byakuya. Until then, consider the fight between you two postponed." Yoruichi shunpo'd away.

Hajime waved as he watched Yoruichi escape.

"So you're letting them get away?" Jushiro asked Kuchiki.

Said Captain just walked off, not sparing a glance at the other Captains.

"Hey! Byakuya, where are you going? I thought you came to capture the Ryoka?" Jushiro called out to the retreating Captain.

"I've lost interest. Do whatever you want with them." Kuchiki said, before disappearing behind the corner of the wall.

Jushiro sighed and scratched his head, "Typical. He does whatever he feels like."

Kuchiki san decided now was a wonderful time to faint.

"Oh dear, is she dead?" Hajime said as he stared at the body of Kuchiki san.

Shunsui ambled up from behind and draped his arm over Jushiro's shoulders, surprising the Captain. "Mah, he's always been like that." He soothed.

Hajime joined them, staying on Jushiro's unoccupied side.

"Hey!" I heard Jushiro call for his third seats, "Kiyone, Sentaro, get down here, now!"

The two jumped down from the top of the building and kneeled before Captain Ukitake.

"At your service, Captain. What are your orders?" They spoke in unison.

Hajime flared his reiatsu, telling Shuhei to come down and join them.

Seconds later, another body jumped off the roof from where he was observing and arrived, kneeling in front of his Captain.

Hajime motioned for his lieutenant to stand as the group watched the interaction of Squad 13.

Jushiro gave his third seats reassuring smiles, "I had a feeling you two were following me. How long were you there?" he asked his officers.

'They're dedicated to their Captain to the point of stalking him.'

"We arrived just in time to witness you stop Captain Kuchiki from swinging his sword, and to here you tell him his behavior was dangerous, my Captain." Sentaro yelled, standing up straight.

"So you've been here right from the start. Didn't I tell you to stay away till this was resolved?" Jushiro asked them.

"Forgive me, sir. It's just that I respect you so much that I was compelled to follow in case something happened, and you needed my assistance, sir!" Sentaro saluted.

Kiyone then intervened into the conversation, resulting in a fight between the two third seats.

The group sweatdropped as they watched the two. Hajime glanced at Shuhei, idly wondering if he would behave like them.

"Enough. Kiyone, we need to get medical attention for this wounded man. I'm afraid he's in bad shape." Jushiro ordered.

"Yes, sir." Kiyone answered.

"Have Squad 4 send an advanced relief squad at once. Sentaro, I want you to take care of Rukia. Carry her back to her prison cell." Jushiro said.

"Right." Sentaro went over to the Squad 4 member who was sitting by Kuchiki san's side. "Move it."

"No! No, I can't. I can't let you put Rukia back in that cell." He objected.

Sentaro snactched the little Squad 4 member up and began to shake him before dropping him and picking up Kuchiki san, carrying her back to her cell.

Soon, the two third seats started to bicker again.

Hajime turned to Shiro chan, "You have a lot of patience with those two." He said as he glanced at the fighting third seats. "I couldn't handle it if Shuhei acted like that."

The group sweatdropped while Shuhei filed that comment away, remembering to be careful about his actions towards his captain.

The three Captains approached the Ryoka's body, he was littered with cuts from Kuchiki's sword and was knocked unconscious.

The small Squad 4 member asked the Captains why they were helping them.

"There's two reasons." Jushiro said, "Though your efforts may have been clumsy, the fact is, you and your friends were trying to save one of my officers. Honor would never let me stand idly and watch you die."

Shunsui spoke up, "The other reason is logical. We still don't know who killed Aizen, and you troublemakers are certainly prime suspects, and an important source of information. We wouldn't want to kill you until we investigate."

Hajime glanced at his two friends. Aizen's zanpakuto ability was annoying to deal with. Even when you know you're trapped, you still can't resist it. He'll have to talk to them about it later. Maybe dinner would be a good time. "Let's go." Hajime said before shunpoing away. Shunsui, Jushiro, and Shuhei following behind.