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That Dreaded Word	By : Platinumsabr Category: Bleach > Het - Male/Female Views: 11539 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, or the characters from it. I don't make any money from the writing of this story, but I do enjoy writing it. Any Original Characters are mine however, as is the story itself, and if you see it posted elsewhere pleas

Chapter List
- 15
- 16
- 17
Guess
Who�s Back?

Ai stood among the blood and
destruction, soon aware she was being paid no mind. Her sharp teeth clenched
ferociously as the easily discernable sounds started coming through the headset
she held, and with a vicious snarl she crushed the device.

�You are mine, Gwydion Torisuna.�

It was time to make it so.

~~~~~~

Generally he had no problem with
being alone, it was what he preferred for the better part of two centuries even,
but now his paranoia had even more reason than before. He had been training for
months, trying to cover every possible handicap he had left that he hadn�t
accounted for. Finally he had gotten somewhere, he had a life again. He had a
woman that loved him, a captain that respected him, friends that were willing
to defend him, and he knew every second that passed was a gift.

He could practically feel the axe
on his neck, knew that whenever they decided to come he would need to be ready.
Though arguably his first and only meeting with Ai had results mostly gained
from the element of surprise, he wasn�t doubting her
prowess. If she had taken on an entire team of Second Division spies alone, it
could be a fatal mistake.

It felt strange now, to wander
through town with no destination in mind, and no-one by his side. His music was
constant company, but not the same. Soi-Fong had had
something or other to do earlier in the day and he hadn�t seen her since, which
didn�t do anything for his mood. It had been a couple of days since their last
little meeting with the survivor named Ai, and that certainly didn�t make it
any better. Gwydion wasn�t used to boredom, he was a person that could
appreciate the idleness in life and always napped in the afternoon, but he was
never bored. Now he was restless, itching to do something; keep his mind off
the possible threat.

By the time he realized anything
he was in front of his captain�s house, and with a shrug he decided he might as
well see if they needed anything. For being a member of their squad they left
him to his own devices more often than not, and in the almost nine years he had
been posted there he could only remember receiving a handful of actual orders.

The first person he ran
into�literally�was Tatsuki, and she looked up at him in surprise before
grinning widely.

�Gwydion!
Just the person I wanted to see! I thought for sure I�d have to call you!�

An eyebrow rose. �Why? Did
something come up?�

She sighed in frustration and
shook her head. �Honestly, I don�t know. Ichigo and I got a call this morning
to be in Soul Society by the afternoon along with Jyushiro and Retsu, and I
think Soi already headed off. We don�t know what�s
going on right now, but something must have come up for us to be recalled even
for a little while. At least Kin and Kaien are still here so we can leave Senna, but damn, the timing couldn�t be worse!�

That was definitely true, he of all people knew that. There was something
implied in the last sentence other than that however, and he did pick up on
that. �Do you need something?�

Her face lit up excitedly. �Yes!
Oh thank you, I knew you�d help!�

He gave her one of his crooked
smiles. �It�s the least I can do after everything you�ve done for me. It�s
almost like you forget you have subordinates half the time.�

She laughed. �True, true, now
just wait here for a second!� Rushing off down one of the many hallways, she
soon came back with a folder cradled under her arm. �One of my old friends
asked for this, and I haven�t had the time to get it to her. Just go to the
hospital, show it to the secretary, and she should show you where you need to
go!�

�Seems simple
enough.�

�No, you�re doing me a huge
favor. We were just about to leave and here I bump into you! This takes a huge
load off my mind!� she praised as she smacked him on the shoulder thankfully.

Taking the folder from her
outstretched hand, he cradled it between his good arm and his ribs. �You make
it sound like it�s a matter of life and death,� he joked lightly, but was
surprised when her gaze darkened sadly.

�It could be.�

Her ominous words didn�t make him
feel any better, but he knew he should deliver it as soon as possible. Not like
he wouldn�t have, but it was given new importance knowing something that
important hung in the balance. �I�ll make sure it gets there as soon as I can.�

She offered him another of her
warm smiles. �I know you will, that�s why I�m trusting
you with it. But I really do need to get going now, last time we were late for
a captain�s meeting Byakuya stuck us with half his paperwork!� She began
muttering under her breath at that, something about �ungrateful son-in-laws.�

He chuckled lightly. �Don�t let
me keep you then. I was wondering where Soi-Fong
went, so thank you for clearing that up for me too.�

With a smile and wave she ran off
down a different hallway this time, likely to go find her husband.

Though he wondered what could have
called a captain�s meeting at such short notice, he had a job to do. As soon as
he was out the door, a quick burst of reiatsu and he had vanished from the eyes
of regular mortals.

~~~~~~

It wasn�t what he had expected,
but nonetheless it was certainly impressive. The main hospital of Karakura
Town was an imposing
structure, and he surmised the folder he was given was the medical records of
one of the patients the Kurosaki clinic had treated. For the person to be
transferred to the hospital meant something must have gone wrong somewhere.

That was strange though. He knew
for a fact that though he kept up his act as a regular doctor most of the time,
Ichigo Kurosaki had a tendency to �accidentally� heal some of his patients with
the Fourth Division techniques he had been taught. It didn�t make much sense
that someone who had been under his care had needed to be moved to the hospital
instead. There was no way the modern medicine it employed had anything on the
otherworldly methods of Soul Society.

Regardless, he made his way to
the receptionist, a kindly woman who seemed to be in her late fifties. The only
reason he was able to know that was he had had a lot of practice guessing
unassuming ages. She looked ten years younger than she was, but he could see
from her eyes that she had lived longer. Her vibrant orange hair was streaked
attractively with white and left dangling down her head, held in place only by
two hairpins.

The white of the hospital was
overpowering everywhere but her desk, where flowers and children�s drawings
were scattered everywhere on the walls like a proud mother�s refrigerator. She
certainly exuded the aura of one. Even as old as she was, she clearly radiated
the energy of a woman half her age. She looked up when he approached, and if he
didn�t know any better he would have sworn he saw recognition flash in her grey
eyes.

Shaking that unsettling thought
off, he quietly introduced himself. �Excuse me, I have
a file here from Tatsuki Kurosaki. I was told to show it to the secretary and
she would show me where to go from there.�

She took the offered folder from
him and opened it, smiling warmly when she read whatever was inside before
handing it back to him. Looking back up at his mismatched eyes, she smiled a
great, million-watt grin. �I can see that. If you�ll just
follow me.�

Confusion momentarily scrunched
his face before he followed the curvaceous woman down the white hallways, who
skipped along happily despite her age. Eventually she led him into an empty
examining room, and he looked around warily.

�I�m sorry, I was under the
impression I was delivering this to someone. Would you mind explaining this?�

She giggled knowingly. �I�d be
happy to, but first I have to ask you to close your eyes for a few seconds.�
His hand reached unconsciously for the gikongan pill he kept in his back
pocket, and she held up her hands yieldingly. �I�m not going to hurt you, I
promise. I just need you to close your eyes. I�m sure Kurosaki-san wouldn�t
have sent you here knowing you�d get hurt.�

He weighed that argument for a
moment, and looking into the eyes of the orange-haired woman, he had to admit
that if he didn�t trust eyes like those than he had no reason to trust anyone
anymore. With a sigh of resignation he slowly closed his eyes, waiting for
whatever revelation was about to be shown to him. He heard a soft whisper, and
then his closed eyes felt warmth cover them, a soft orange light that pulsed
even behind his shut eyelids.

�There, that should explain
enough.�

Despite being a very patient
person by nature, irritation flew through him. �Listen, I don�t know who you
are but�� His words trailed off in a strangled gasp when he opened his eyes to
glare at the woman, and realized instantly something was different. He had
opened his eyes�and saw�everything. Both the left side of the room that
he was used to seeing, and the right, were now totally in his vision;
his perception as clear as it had been when he was a certifiable assassin. �Oh
God�oh God�this isn�t happening�this isn�t real�� He looked in the mirror on one
of the side walls, and sure enough both his eyes were now the stunning violet
only one had had for the past two centuries. He looked back at the woman,
recognition of his own flashing in his mind. �You�re��

�Orihime Ishida; pleased to meet
you at last Gwydion-san, Tatsuki�s told me a lot about you,� she said with a
warm smile as she extended her left hand, and he shook it numbly. �And I can
guess by the way you carry yourself that there�s something else I could help
you with.�

Too shocked to answer, Gwydion
opened the file he had been given. It was full of blank pieces of paper, but on
the very first one were two words, written undeniably in Tatsuki�s handwriting.
�Help him.�

He fell back against the
examining table, clutching his head as he struggled to breathe. It had been a
set-up. She had sent him here not to help someone else, but to get help
himself. Trembling hysterically, he unbuttoned his shirt and pulled the limp
appendage that was his fake arm from the sleeve. With a twist of his wrist the
prosthetic had been removed, and he saw Orihime�s eyes fill with grief.
Reaching forward, she touched the stump gently, trailing her fingers over the
scars leading up to it like a hurt mother.

�How long have you lived like
this?� she asked tenderly, fixing her sorrowful grey eyes on him.

Looking at her he couldn�t help
but compare her expression to that of one that had seen many injuries like this
in the past. ��Almost two hundred years.�

She gasped, both at the severity
and the longevity of the wound, but somehow managed to fix a small smile on her
face. �I�ll have to change that. You�re older than you look you know.�

He couldn�t bring himself to laugh,
answer, not even nod. He could only swallow heavily
and hope beyond hope that what he was experiencing was real. The soft
incantation was muttered once more, and soon his side was encompassed in the
orange glow of the woman�s worlds-renowned power. For a few seconds that seemed
like nothing short of an eternity to him nothing happened, but then fragments
started appearing, gathering at the base of what had once been his arm and
slowly moving downwards. He stared in wonder as the appendage was rebuilt piece
by piece, until when it was done and he flexed it experimentally, he felt
nerves that hadn�t been ignited in centuries send signals to his brain. The
phantom pain was gone, now what he felt was actually coming from his arm!

He told it to move and it did,
with the same flexibility it had had before it had been removed. He knew, he
just knew, that it held all the same abilities as it had before it had been
torn off. His body had been restored.

There was nothing else he could
do. Even the normally calm and collected man shouted for joy before he grabbed
Orihime in a huge bear hug that lifted her clear off the ground easily. She
laughed merrily as she was twirled around by the half-naked man, so overwhelmed
tears were falling freely from his healed eyes. When he finally put her down he
was still trembling, looking at his two hands in front of him like they were
foreign objects, smiling like an absolute lunatic.

His mouth moved, trying
desperately to voice what was going through him, but nothing came out. He
looked at her again, gratitude so profound in his eyes she shuffled her feet
awkwardly. She had healed many wounds like his after the Winter War, but she
had never healed someone that had lived with the disability for as long as him.

When some sense of reason came
back to him he dropped to one knee, holding his newly reformed right hand over
his heart and bowing his head to her lowly. �As surely as this one lives, thou
has his undying gratitude ~de arimasu. Shouldst thou require assistance at any point henceforth,
this one shall do everything within his power to be thy aide ~de arimashou.�

Orihime flushed brightly with
embarrassment. �You really are older than I could even guess, aren�t you? It�s
like something out of a ninja or samurai manga!�

Gwydion coughed,
a blush of his own forming as he struggled to regain his vocabulary. �I�apologize;
it�s something I haven�t been able to shake from when I was younger. I mean it
though; I owe you the rest of my life, Ishida-dono.
If you ever need help, don�t hesitate to call me.�

The sincerity of his voice seemed
to finally make the woman understand, and she smiled warmly. �You�re very
welcome, but I would never hold something like this over someone�s head just to
get a favor. If I have the ability, why not make your life better?�

The look in his eyes changed, and
a soft smile of his own appeared. Returning to his full height he put his large
hands on her small shoulders, gently but authoritatively commanding her to look
at him. She gazed into his eyes fearlessly, far from
the little girl she had been decades earlier. Her cheeks were tinged red from
the eyeful of muscled torso she took in before she had looked up though. �I did
not request your help, but you offered it anyway. If I ever see an opportunity
where I can return your kindness, I won�t hesitate. On my word and my honor, I
swear it.�

At that she giggled. �Now you
sound like my husband.�

He chuckled as he let her go. �Ah
yes, the Quincy.
I�ve heard many stories about him; he�s a man after my own heart.�

Another laugh escaped her. �You
know in any other situation I�d probably say it was the other way around, but
since you are actually older I guess that doesn�t work, huh?�

�I predate you both by quite a
long time, Ishida-dono,� he said with a low chortle.

�Oh please, just call me Orihime!
All the patients do!�

He looked affronted. �I could nev��
He caught himself before he complete his sentence, and sighed deeply to calm
himself. �I apologize. Changing times are hard to come to grasps with for one
like myself, especially with Soul Society so stuck in the past as it is. �You have released me from a life I had long
reconciled myself to; at the very least I shall address you as Orihime-sama.�

She snickered cheerfully as her
face colored. �Aren�t you the smooth talker? No wonder Captain Soi-Fong fell for you!�

His warm, reminiscent smirk made
her smile. She knew that grin, even one as unique as his; it was that of one in
love. �It was the other way around actually, I just had to convince her of it.�

Picking up his shirt from the
table and looking down on the now pointless attachment he had never known he could
be freed from, the man smiled one last time before dropping it in the garbage
can. With a shrug of his shoulders the garment had been donned, and he couldn�t
help but flex his rejuvenated hand in wonder. Quickly rolling up the sleeves,
he didn�t even bother doing the shirt up, too happy he didn�t have to hide the
body it covered anymore.

Orihime appreciated the view
unassumingly. �Do you want me to heal those scars too?�

Once again the look on his face
changed, and he gingerly ran his new fingers over the scars between his
pectorals and abs with a gaze of solemn torment. ��No,� he answered eventually.
�You�ve done more than enough. I�ll keep these.�

�Those look awfully close to your
reiatsu pressure points��

The memory was as clear as the
rest of them, from the smell of the strange grey sand of Hueco
Mundo to the feel of steel slicing effortlessly
through muscle and marrow. He sighed softly as his fingers trembled. �That was
the point.�

Leaving that dark statement
hanging in the air, he stretched languidly and reveled in the tension of his
right arm. It was as strong as it had always been, and suddenly the newly
ambidextrous man�much more than he had been before anyway�had the undeniable
urge to see his girlfriend. Knowing she was gone to Soul Society left a sour
taste in the back of his mouth. He wanted to hold her, truly hold her.

She was gone on urgent business,
and with his captain and lieutenant gone he had been left to hold the fort with
Kaien and Kin, though one would always have to be with Senna.
Too eager to try out his revived arm, he hugged Orihime one last time before
moving to the door. Before he could fully exit however, he was stopped by one
last question.

�How old are you really?�

He smirked. �Do you know Captains
Jyushiro and Retsu Ukitake?�

An orange eyebrow rose
confusedly. �Well, yeah. Why?�

�Tell me when you find out.�

That done, he disappeared just
like the ninja he portrayed himself to be. Orihime stood in the room wondering
what he meant for a little while, until when it finally hit her her eyes opened wide.

�No way��

~~~~~~~~

Gigai
or no, Shunpo wasn�t hard to use, and Gwydion exploited that to the fullest as
he flew through Karakura town, swinging on anything
he could. He could hardly remember the last time he had been able to do that,
and with his memory that was saying something. Jumping and flipping while able
to redirect his body at will with his arms made his usual acrobatics that much
more incredible, and he quickly figured out that his body had remembered
everything it had ever done.

The last one hundred and fifty some
years were suddenly hazy, almost forgettable even. Moves that had long been
impossible came back with the fluidity only muscle memory could restore, and he
knew even Izanami was basking in the breeze of his
inner world, smiling like she never had before. They had been restored; the
partners could once more fight together to their full strength. It was the
second best feeling he had ever felt in his life. The first was currently busy.

He was itching to do something,
anything, anything but sit still. Springing from the latest rooftop he twisted
himself in a series of flips that would make an Olympic diver jealous, landing
lightly on the balls of his feet before rolling forward into yet another
complex combination of handsprings and somersaults. It was exhilarating to be
able to push himself like this again, move without any
hindrances or blind spots. Caution hit him unaware, and he rolled to a stop
while trying to catch his breath. He had been so caught up in everything he had
forgotten about his training. He couldn�t allow the gift of his restored
eyesight to take away from the hard work he had spent training himself to fight
in the blackest of nights.

Closing his eyes he took a deep
breath, filling his lungs to capacity and letting the atmosphere suffuse itself
into him. As he let his breath out he let his reiatsu go with it, instantly
coating the world around him in a film of reishi that lit up his extrasensory
vision. He hadn�t lost his touch, and now he had many more techniques than he
had had back when he was in the Second Division. He had trained himself to use Iaijutsu, even in tandem with a completely different
fighting style than what he had been used to. Added upon that was the sightless
fighting he had gained from Tatsuki and countless more years of experience.
Once he had been a threat, now he was a force to be reckoned with.

The urge to laugh was almost
overpowering. Bring it on Ai; I�m ready for anything you throw at me now.

He ran to his captain�s house
just because he couldn�t wait, dared to hope that she was already back.
Naturally, he was disappointed when he entered the vicinity and her reiatsu was
nowhere in range, neither was his captain�s or lieutenant�s. Gwydion sighed. It
was a nice dream anyways.

Being that there was nothing else
to do, he made his way over to where he felt a reiatsu similar to his original
captain�s, which meant it was Kin. Kaien always kept a tight grip on his
reiatsu which made himself completely untraceable, but the fledgling reiatsu of
his sister and the burning strength of his wife�s
pretty much guaranteed his presence among them.

When he walked into the room the
little girl with rusty-orange eyes instantly turned to him, smiling widely
before throwing herself forward in an outstretched tackle towards the person of
her affections. ��Dion!�

He laughed at her usual antics
while catching her easily, swinging her up into an airplane lift before diving
her back down and into his chest to tickle her sides. She giggled uproariously
as she flailed against him, a perfect picture of human happiness. When he
stopped and she was left panting in his large arms, her big orange eyes fixed
themselves on him, or more specifically, right into his own. She quieted as she
stared into the endless amethyst, bright pigments of blue scattered about like
stars in a night sky, then finally broke out in a huge grin as she clasped
herself to his neck. ��Dion all
better!�

At that it was he who went silent,
and gently hugged the little girl doing her best to crush his throat. She was
far more perceptive than he ever gave her credit for, and it felt so nice to
hold another human being in his arms again he could have cried. There was only
one thing that could have made the day any better, but he would have to wait
for her.

�All better,� he repeated softly
as he stroked her dark purple hair so near his chin.

�Yeesh,
you sure made quite an impact on her when you kept coming to train with Mom,
didn�t you? It was like she saw her favorite toy walk into the room or
something,� Kaien joked with a mock groan, and at that Gwydion almost sighed
again.

�You�re not far off.�

��Dion! Pretty!� she affirmed gleefully.

Then he groaned. �See?�

Kin laughed, but only after she
had torn her eyes away from the man who was indisputably whole, though she knew
without doubt he had been missing an arm. The two equally violet eyes that
honed in on her drilled it home. �That we do. Excuse me for asking, but�what
happened?�

Another smile broke out on his so
usually impassive face. �Your mother-in-law sent me to an old friend without me
realizing it.�

Comprehension dawned in the
intelligent woman�s golden eyes. �Orihime-san! Now why
didn�t I think of that?�

Kaien just stared between them in
bewilderment. �Something going on here?� He took a
closer look at the other man in the room and his heterochromatic eyes widened.
�Your eye��

�Not just that,� the raven-haired
ex-assassin replied warmly. �But you wouldn�t know about the other. I�m whole
again, and that�s all that matters.�

�Well that�s great news! Now
you�ll be able to fight at full strength eh? I heard how you took out one of
those things on your own, if you were fighting with a handicap too that�s pretty
damn impressive!�

He laughed against his will. �You
have no idea.� He reflexively tightened his right hand, almost like he was
unsure if it was still a dream or not.

��Dion
play?� the little Senna asked hopefully, reminding
them of her presence.

A gentle smile stretched his lips
ever so slightly. �Sure, I�ll play.�

�Yay!!!�

It was just then that an unknown
reiatsu signature came into their range, and to everyone�s caution it was
opening the door of the headquarters. Senna seemed to
sense the change in atmosphere, because she jumped from his hold so she didn�t
take up room in arms that might be needed soon. The footsteps echoed through
the otherwise empty mansion, until the door slid open one more time, revealing
someone they had never seen before. They were all taunt, ready for action at
the simplest gesture, but the man simply scratched the back of his head in
confusion.

�Um, excuse me, but where is
Captain Kurosaki?�

A new scan of the man revealed
his red spirit ribbon, and a simultaneous breath of relief was issued. Kaien
fixed his strange eyes on the man critically, and he stepped back
unconsciously. �I�m not good at remembering people that haven�t been here in a
while. Where were you posted? More importantly, why are you back?�

At that his look of confusion
took to new levels. �You mean you weren�t told?� Both Kin and Kaien shook their
heads. �Well, I was posted pretty close to here, over in southern Indonesia;
probably why I�m the first one here.�

Kin held her hand up there.
�Wait, what do you mean the �first one�?�

�A few days ago I received a Hell
Butterfly notifying me of a situation involving Soul Reapers being kidnapped
from their posts. I was told to come here until the problem had been dealt
with. I�d guess the others are on their way, I just chose to take this world�s
modes of transportation. Long-distance Shunpo has never been my forte.�

�So let me get this straight. You
were notified of a plot to kidnap Soul Reapers posted in this world, then received orders at least two days ago that told you to
regroup at headquarters until it was over.�

He scratched his head again.
�Yeah, that sounds about right.�

Gwydion�s face told of his
perplexity. �But then why would they recall all of the captain�s posted or
visiting here even for a little while if they knew�� His words died in his
throat, and Kin and Kaien looked questioningly at the man who had rapidly lost
all color.

�What�s wrong Gwydion?� Kin asked
worriedly.

He forced a reassuring smile at
the young woman. �Nothing, nothing at all.� Turning to
Senna, he crouched down and ruffled her hair lightly.
�Sorry Senna-chan, we�ll have to play another time.
I�ve got something I need to do.� Turning to leave, he was stopped by a
surprisingly strong grip tugging on his sleeve, and saw Senna
holding his shirt. She said nothing, but he could see the sadness in her
beautiful autumn eyes. �It�ll be okay, I�ll come back
and play with you. I will.�

�Don� go,�
she whispered tearfully. �Senna knows�somet�ing bad happ�n.�

His carefully arranged mask
nearly broke at the look on her face. �Nothing bad will happen. I just need to
go for today.�

She looked at him, hesitation in
her watery eyes. �Promise?�

His throat closed in on him, and
he swallowed heavily before smiling at the girl once more and clasping one of
her tiny hands between his two. �As surely as this one lives ~de arimasu.�

Slowly, hesitantly, she nodded,
and he released her hand before disappearing from the room, leaving the three
and the new arrival there. It was only seconds later that Senna
threw herself into her brother�s arms to cry, and he and his wife looked at
each other nervously

�It�s alright Senna,
he promised you he�d come back, didn�t he?�

She shook her head mournfully,
and they felt fear chill into the pits of their stomachs. �No,� the little girl sobbed sadly, adult definition carrying deeply in her weak voice. �He promised,
�if he lived.��

The silence after that was
palpable, and it would only be later that they would realize what she meant.

~~~~~~~~

Time was of the essence now. If
the order had gone out days ago already, then he had squandered what little
time he had left.

Gwydion launched into his home,
just barely keeping the door on its hinges. Quickly finding a piece of paper he
twirled a pen into his grip, the reassuring weight in his right hand all but
disregarded for the moment. His writing was as elegant as ever, and even the
fast scrawl he had left on the paper was more than most artists could imitate
in their lifetime. He folded the note and rushed through his small home, at
last finding a place where only one could find it with the right hint.

It pained him that he had to do
this, but he had to at least let her know. It was far less formal than the
regular piece of paper, but the notepad served its purpose, and with a few more
words scribbled on the page his message was sent. He had been awaiting this
fate for the past two hundred years, but there was no way he wasn�t going to
fight it. Something had happened, something that changed the priorities of Soul
Society.

Being a former Black-Ops
operative himself, and a high ranking one at that, he wasn�t stupid. He knew if
Soi-Fong had chosen to position herself in Karakura
Town, it served a double
purpose. By now he knew that one of them had been to keep an eye on him, but
the other�as shown by her earpiece the other day�was to monitor Stealth Ops
teams that had obviously been situated around the remaining Shinigami posted in
the Living World. If that was the case, then they hadn�t wanted to bring
everyone to Ichigo�s headquarters, where all of the targets would be in one
area and easily susceptible to a large-scale attack. Since he was the primary
target, as had been made more than clear, it was in an effort to keep such an
attack from coming in light of it just being one person instead of them all.

And now, they were all gathering.

Something had changed. He knew
the previous had been done in an effort to protect him, but now not only were
they all gathering, but all the captains had been momentarily recalled as well!
His stomach twisted. He knew why, or at least most likely why. He loved Soi-Fong, they were in a relationship together, and his
captain and lieutenant were known for their propensity to dispel the rules if
it went against their sense of right and wrong. Retsu and Jyushiro had been two
of the ones to help him originally, and he could only guess they had found some
reason to ask Yoruichi back as well.

They�were isolating him.

He had no idea how. A grand total
of six, maybe seven if Tatsuki had told Ichigo, knew about his former life, and
he trusted all of them with no less than his entire being. To think, to even imagine
that one of them had told Soul Society made no sense whatsoever. The only
logical conclusion then�the one that had his organs twisting�was that Ai and
whoever else was after him had somehow given him away. Even that was hard to
explain, because how could they have possibly found out a secret that had been
hidden away for nearly two centuries!?

Could�could they have been in
Soul Society the entire time? He was in the realm of the illogical, but
they had to have had at least someone on the inside. It was the only
thing that made the smallest granule of sense.

There was no time to worry about
that now. Whatever had happened had happened, and he knew he had been
discovered. More sources of reiatsu appeared in the city, and he groaned. One
was significantly stronger than the rest, but it was still a Shinigami�s. One of the others was without a doubt, Oomaeda�s.

So, it looks like they�re going
to kill me before I can be captured anyways. Might as well
kill off the target before it can be used against them after all.

Izanami�s
comforting presence soothed his aching heart and mind. �Do not fret, friend
of my soul. We are stronger than we were before. If we can conquer this
challenge, we can run. It will be significantly harder for our pursuers to
capture us with no inside information to go from. Kill two birds with one
stone, so to speak.�

He sighed again as he made his
way to his bedroom. There was no point packing, he could do that later; if he
survived. This time, he was looking for something, something more specific.
Back in the far reaches of his closet, he pulled out a small box, staring
silently at the simple object for a long time before at last opening it up.

I always knew this day would
come. Time to put on this persona one last time.

Izanami
nodded solemnly.

Jumping from his gigai, he removed his robe-sleeved shirt for a second, to
put on the tight undershirt he had pulled from the box. With his shirt back in
place he tugged at the neck until it came up over his nose easily, just as it
had centuries ago. Even with the gravity of the situation, he couldn�t help
taking his time pulling the second and last item from the container. It represented
his entire time in the Second Division, his infamous nickname and reputation. His mask.

The pure white covering was made
to fit his face, and though there were no nose or mouth holes to speak of, it
was still easy to breathe in. The only openings on the mask were the eyes,
obscuring all of his identity but the violet orbs. It was the farthest thing
from a Hollow�s mask, yet at the time it had imbued the same amount of terror
and respect.

It had been damaged a long time
ago, gashes that would have went down the right side of the mask had he not
repaired it. It was the reason his face had escaped as much injury as it had,
and only his eye had been injured. That wasn�t to say he wasn�t thankful for
Retsu repairing the cuts that had still managed to get on his face, but had it
not been for the item in his hand he would have likely died far earlier.

One part of him was delighted
that the day had finally come, and all of the anger of the past decades upon
decades roared up in excitement. The day had finally come.

They had come to end his life,
but he would go to make them pay.

�One last
time.�

One last
time.

~~~~~~~

Captains and Lieutenants alike
were shuffling uncomfortably in the large gathering area of their usual
meetings. It wasn�t often that lower ranking officers were allowed in to the
captain�s meetings, but this time the Captain Commander had all but ordered it.
Yoruichi�s presence was one that caused a few stirs, but the woman herself didn�t
know why she was there any more than they did.

The short notice of the meeting
had many of them on edge as it was, but the aura of dread radiating from the
room had them all tasting bile. Something was going on, and one captain was
evidently missing, along with one lieutenant. It wasn�t unusual, being that Soi-Fong had no love for the obese rich kid that had taken
up her lieutenant position, but that Captain Komamura
was absent as well was something else entirely.

The minute the doors slammed
closed a good many of them flinched, and the strong barrier put up moments
later had eyebrows rising in question.

�Oi, Yama-jii! That�s a
pretty strong barrier there; got something you�re trying to keep out?� Shunsui Kyouraku asked lightly,
likely in an effort to lighten the mood.

�No,� the old man replied
wearily. �Something we have to keep in.�

Shock crossed over many of the
faces present, and though Byakuya didn�t show it, his wife and lieutenant did.
�What are you talking about?? Are you saying you�re trying to keep us in
here!?� Masaki asked, stupefied.

�Not you specifically, but it was
decided that this be done because of all the high ranking officers involved.
There could be no interference the second time.�

Yoruichi stepped forward at that,
her dark skin unnaturally pale. �Second�time�?�

The elderly man with more power
than many of the captains combined nodded gravely. �It has come to the
attention of Center Forty-Six that there is a traitor in our midst.�

Outrage and disagreement rippled
through the occupants, and Soi-Fong made her presence
known, though many still had trouble recognizing her after the beatific growth
spurt. She had not returned to Soul Society since her change, and needless to
say there had been a good many turned heads as she walked to the meeting. �Then
why am I here!? Am I not the Captain of the Second Division!?�

The Captain Commander eyed her
sorrowfully. �You are the one we have to keep here most.�

There was silence. Then, in front
of everyone, they all watched the blood drain from her face. The woman no one
save one had ever seen as less than perfectly calm�if not angry�turned wide,
panicky eyes towards her superior officer. �No�no�it can�t be��

It happened all at once as
understanding dawned. Jyushiro, Retsu, Nemu, even
Ichigo and Tatsuki, quickly matched the pallidity of
Yoruichi and her former subordinate. The others present could only wonder what
was going on, but for it to get such a reaction from the steely Second Division
captain meant it was something beyond their imagination.

�You wouldn�t�� Ichigo hissed in
absolute fury.

�I didn�t,� the First Division Captain
replied. �It was a direct order from Center Forty-Six. An officer marked to die
for treason nearly two hundred years ago was discovered alive and well in your
division, under an alias he has held through many years in the Thirteenth
Division before that. Somehow he managed to avoid detection or recognition for
this long, and when they found out that it was the same officer being targeted
for capture by these unknown adversaries, the decision was obvious.�

�YOU CAN�T DO THIS TO HIM!!!�
There was almost no time to respond before the blur of motion had charged at
him, and Shunsui and Byakuya reacted on instinct,
catching the intruder before she made it so far as to strike the Captain
Commander. Needless to say shock was once more present when they found Soi-Fong in their grip, thick tears heavy in her eyelids.
�You can�t�you just can�t��

�This behavior is unbecoming of a
captain, Soi-Fong,� Byakuya intoned orderly, and she
cast her pleading gaze on him desperately.

�Can�t you understand!?
What would you do if they locked you up and told you they were going to
kill your wife!??!� His eyes widened just enough for it to be noticeable on his
face, and his grip faltered. �And you!� she cried, turning to Shunsui. �You�re the lover, not the fighter if you can help
it! What would you do if they slit your precious lieutenant�s throat
with you watching behind bars!?�

She went limp in their grip, her
soft sobs leaving no heart untouched. They had never seen her cry before, never
even knew it was possible, but now at least they had an understanding of what
was going on. Byakuya turned to Masaki and Shunsi
turned to Nanao before casting critical glares at the
Captain Commander.

�What is the meaning of this?�
the Kuchiki head asked coldly.

The elderly man sighed deeply.
�It was pointed out that the traitor, one Gwydion Torisuna,
had been�involved, with Captain Soi-Fong for
close to a year now. He was also on very close terms with the captains of the
Thirteenth and Fourth divisions, as well as his own captain and lieutenant and
Yoruichi Shihouin. In an effort to keep as much interference as possible from
mission, it was ordered that all captains save the one sent to carry it out be
retained here.�

�But they�re my men!!� Soi-Fong screamed.

�And you are under my
command!!!� the imposing man boomed authoritatively. �Captain Komamura has taken control of your forces and lieutenant
for the time being, after which they will be returned to you.�

It started out slowly; low, sick
chuckles that reverberated through the large room, until it grew into
malevolent cackling that had her falling to her back on the floor. Even the
ever stoic Nemu and Byakuya were unnerved by the
raucous laughter, and not one person was able to tear their eyes from the
assassin as she covered her eyes and put witches to shame. �You�you sent�Komamura�and Oomaeda!??!� she
fell back into laughter again, her unnatural smile stretched wide over her
face.

Finally she sat up, and sent the
darkest glare any of them had ever seen at her commanding officer. �He�ll kill
them. Each and every one of my men stand no chance
against him now. Almost two hundred years ago he was the Fourth Seat of
my division, what do you think has happened since then!? And Komamura!? He�s a slow, power-oriented fighter.
Gwydion will tear him apart even with one hand.�

Yoruichi smirked as she stepped
forward, her color regained after hearing the confidence in her best friend�s
voice. �His reputation will precede him. He�s been waiting for this day for a
long, long time.�

One of the aged eyes of the
Captain Commander opened curiously, and now even Soi-Fong�s
attention was on the bronze-skinned beauty. �Reputation?�

�Of course you didn�t recognize
him, hell, no one from our division would recognize
him until he put his mask on. I don�t think I ever saw his face until those
last few days, and I�d wager a good amount that only a few, if not just one,
member of his squad knew what his face actually looked like.�

Flashes of memory came back to
the current Stealth Ops commander, a time better left forgotten. Training with
hundreds of faceless men, black cloth covering the lower parts of their faces,
yet there was one, one to the side that was totally unrecognizable. A sleek
white mask covered his face, long black hair dangling wildly from the sides,
and trainers and trainees alike parted to let him and his officers through. He
had looked at her, at least once, and until that moment she had forgotten the
piercing violet gaze of the leader of the Assassination and Interrogation
squad.

She started laughing again,
quietly this time. �All this time�all this time and I never once
recognized him. He told me he had watched me rise all the way to your
bodyguard, and I had never remembered him��

The Goddess of Flash smirked
wider. �But you remember him now, don�t you?�

�How could I
forget!? �I can�t believe I forgot�now it all makes sense.�

�Care to enlighten the rest of
us?� Toshiro Hitsugaya queried sarcastically.

She wiped her eyes, fresh hope
finally taking hold. �No. None of you would even understand. The Second
Division works in the dark, behind the scenes, behind all of your backs. Let�s
just say that once upon a time there was a man so clouded in secrecy no one
even knew his name, all they knew was the mask.�

Tatsuki grinned, she herself
shivering from the ice in Soi-Fong�s voice. �And if
he delivered what I told him to, he�ll put up a far bigger fight than ever
before.�

Retsu Ukitake
was almost back to normal, before another thought struck her. �But�how was this
found out?�

The room froze.

Soi-Fong
turned white again. �Of course. Someone told them, but
then, who would have any reason to try and find ou�Oh
God.�

�What!?
What�s wrong now??� Ichigo quickly asked when he saw the look on her face.

She turned to him with wide eyes.
�Can�t you see!? Who else would even try
to know the past of an unseated officer who�s done nothing spectacular his
entire life!? They�re counting on Soul Society to send assassins after him, they want him alienated from us all!! They�re not
enough to kill him, but they�ll tire him out! And we�ll all be here!!! Who
would want him tired and alone!?!�

And suddenly, everything made
sense.

�Oh shit.�

Yoruichi whirled towards the
Captain Commander. �You have to let us go! They�re aiming for him, this whole thing was a trap!! They fed the information
to Center Forty-Six themselves!!�

For once, even the Captain
Commander seemed at a loss. �I�I cannot. Even I have been ordered to stay here
and keep you all under guard. The fate of a traitor is not one for debate.�

�Do you know what will happen to
him if they capture him!?!� Nemu Yamada cried
hoarsely, for the first time since the meeting began. Her normally calm eyes
were wide, and her entire body was trembling. �If they capture him, you can
forget killing him! Each one of my father�s survivors could make a Vastro-Lorde look like a child, and they�ve had over a
decade to plan and grow stronger!! If they truly plan to attack Soul Society,
your so-called traitor will tip the balance!�

None of them had ever heard her
speak out like that before, but from the look in her eyes no one was willing to
rebuke her. She�was afraid.

�We can only wait for the
outcome. The decision is out of our hands now. By now, it is probably already
over, hence why I sent for you this morning.�

Many could only grit their teeth,
but Soi-Fong stayed silent.

She had never doubted Soul
Society before, but now, it was all she could do.

She would let her tears fall, if
not in entreaty that he survive.

She would find him. If it was the
last thing she did, she would find him.

~~~~~~~~

Standing in the sky, in front of
the fox captain and his entire former division, Gwydion Torisuna
chuckled lightly.

�G.T. Takumi, a.k.a. Gwydion Torisuna, for the crime of treason you will die this day,� Sajin Komamura stated tonelessly.

He chuckled again, and pulled up
his shirt�s neck once more before shaking his hand out of his sleeve. There was
a combined gasp from many of the older members of the Second Division, and even
Marechiyo Oomaeda was
frozen in fear. He placed the white covering over his face, staring out through
the eyeholes he hadn�t in almost two full centuries.

�Not if this one hath objections
to that ~de arimasune.�

�Holy crap, it�s HIM!� Oomaeda
cried, and from the eyes of the others it was apparent they were thinking the
same thing.

It was time.

~~~~~~~~~

Author�s Notes: Wow, guess I took a while that time eh? Lack of
motivation and a desire to do other things for a while took precedence I guess,
but I can�t just abandon my stories. So, here�s the next chapter! I�d
appreciate reviews, because the next chapter will be a biggie.

Hope you enjoyed it!
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That Dreaded Word