Drowning

The stool that Shinji was sat on wobbled beneath him. Only three of the four legs touched the ground; the fourth was warped and shrunk, and missed the floor by mere millimetres. He leaned forward, his forearms resting on his legs, twirling his flat cap in his hands.

"So," he said, chewing his gum noisily, "has she said anything interesting?"

Lisa pushed her glasses back up the bridge of her nose before answering. "Some. Enough to make her seem useful at any rate."

Shinji sighed and put his cap back on. "Smart woman. She knows that as soon as we find out what we want then we'll have no use for her. She thinks that we'll kill her then."

"Will you?" The question was spat angrily at Shinji and also with a degree of certainty that suggested that the questioner believed that Shinji would happily kill Harribel.

Shinji turned his head and smiled at Hitsugaya. The boy was sat across the small office with his back to the wall. His arms were folded crossly across his chest and he glowered at Shinji with all the rage that a fourteen year old boy could muster. It was a surprising amount. Shinji's smiled widened that bit more. "Of course."

Hitsugaya turned his head and made a disgusted noise. So far Hitsugaya and his little friends had been equal parts useful and also completely in the way. He was smart, a quick thinker, and he had information that Shinji wanted, mostly pertaining to Boobs, which meant that they could ask Harribel some very precise questions and he could then decipher the lies from the truth. But he also had some issues with their methods. Apparently tying Harribel to a chair and leaving her alone in a dark room for a couple of days was inhumane. Or something like that. Shinji hadn't really been listening to the boy's rants and had only caught the condensed version from Hiyori which came complete with much more colourful language.

Shinji was tempted to ask Hitsugaya exactly how he had been planning on extracting information from Harribel. If a bit of mental torture was out of the question, and physical was so far out of the question it hadn't even been brought up, then what the hell had Hitsugaya been planning on doing? Asking nicely? Bribing her with candy? The boy was apparently going to rely on his winning personality to charm answers out of Harribel.

Shinji snorted a quick laugh. He'd didn't think that he had ever met a more disagreeable and grumpy child.

Shinji was also sorely tempted to ask Kensei to take Hitsugaya for a ride. And by ride he actually meant for a ride around the city. Take the kid to the arcade, or buy him an ice cream or something. What on earth was a kid doing caught up in all this anyways?

"I'm just kidding," Shinji said with a laugh and a wave of his hand. He stood up and placed his hands on his hips. His back felt funny, like it needed to crack. "I wouldn't kill her."

Hitsugaya didn't look like he believed him. "What will you do with her then?"

Shinji shrugged. "Give her back to Aizen I suppose."

"That's as good as killing her."

"Yeah, but I'm not the one pulling the trigger." Shinji pushed his hips forward and felt his spine pop in a very satisfying manner. He turned to Lisa. "What are the chances of you doing a coffee run?"

"Low," Lisa replied.

"Well that's disappointing." Shinji pouted. He looked to Hitsugaya. "You're too young to drink coffee."

"I am not!"

"Yeah, you are." Shinji moved to the window of his office and slid his fingers between the blinds, creaking them open an inch or two. He peered out into the near darkness. Harribel was still tied to a chair and sat in the middle of the large room. Hisagi, Kira and Love were watching over her for the moment. They all looked very bored.

Once they had bundled Harribel into the van, Kensei and the rest had brought her straight here, the abandoned warehouse that Shinji and his cohorts used as a base of operations. It was underground, dark and cold, the perfect place to unnerve a prisoner. The only meagre comforts here were what Shinji had brought in with him. His office was made from cheap plywood, with a crappy plastic window. There was another room that they had knocked up that they used as a kitchen, but that was really it as far as home comforts went. Shinji had been slightly pleased by the look of shock on Hitsugaya's face when he was first brought down here.

"I guess I'll do the coffee run," Shinji drawled, and then he sighed loudly. "Y'know, there's a lot to be said about having minions to do your bidding."

Lisa's stare was flat and distinctly unamused. "You wouldn't know what to do with minions."

"Sure I would!" Shinji smirked. "I just can't tell ya 'cause there are children present." He turned on his heel and opened the door to the office and stepped out. Closing the door caused the flimsy walls to shake. Shinji chuckled at that. One day he would have to actually find a decent joiner to fix that.

He moved quickly across the warehouse, giving Love a nod as he passed. He wondered where Rose was. It wasn't often that you found one without the other. The stairs that led up and out of the building were, like always, in complete darkness. Shinji trailed his hand against the wall and quickly made his way up them, his feet knowing exactly where to go even if his eyes were unsure.

He blinked against the sunlight. He'd been inside for too long and had lost track of the days. He had thought that it would be dark out, but from the looks of things it was more likely to be morning. Oh well, at least it was a nice day.

"Where ya going?"

Shinji jumped, spinning around in surprise. Hiyori was leaning against the building, her arms crossed and a glare fixed to her face.

"Nowhere," he said defensively.

She stared at him suspiciously. "You have to be going somewhere."

"No I don't." He turned from her and continued on his way, making sure that he walked slowly enough so that he wouldn't leave her behind. He knew that she'd follow after him.

"Shinji!" She bellowed. "Tell me where you're going!"

Shinji stopped and shrugged, he looked back over his shoulder. "To get some coffee. Why, do you want some?"

She caught up with him and stood there, her lip stuck out and her nose wrinkled. Some would have said that she looked petulant, but Shinji knew better. She looked adorable when she sneered like that, beautiful even. He doubted that he ever get used to that look, never mind bored of it. The only way for her expression to be better would be if she were to curl her lip in utter contempt.

"Depends where you're getting coffee from," she muttered.

"Dunno, I hadn't thought that far ahead." She followed after him, not saying anything, though Shinji thought he could hear her grumbling.

His car was parked across the street. Hit was easily the oldest car on the street and looked shabby next to the other, much newer, vehicles. He wrenched the door open, working against an old dent that often wedged it shut, and climbed in. Hiyori followed suit, clambering into the passenger side.

"Have you been sitting in on the interrogation?" Shinji asked.

"Yeah. It's pointless."

Shinji glanced over at her in surprise. He hadn't expected her to say that. "Huh," he breathed, turning back to face the road. He pulled on his seatbelt, and then jammed his keys into the ignition. "Why is it pointless?"

"Cause it's a waste of time," she said, sneering. "She's just leading them all round in circles, keeping us occupied while Aizen does his thing."

"You might have a point there," Shinji admitted. "But then what do you suggest we do? It's not as though we have any other leads."

"We don't need any leads!" She yelled. "We know where Aizen is. Why aren't we just going there and kicking his ass?"

Shinji scratched at his chin. "Well, it's a little bit more complicated than that."

Hiyori snorted in a distinctly unfeminine manner. "No, it's not."

"So your plan would be that we march up to Aizen's place, kick down the door, burst in there and then... what?" he raised his hands questioningly. "What would we do then? Shoot the place up? Stand and shout at 'im?"

"We could do something," she insisted.

"He's got plenty of his own goons in there," Shinji reasoned, "all the more reason to keep well away, if you ask me. Way I see it, we found out something from this Harribel and then we let that something slip to the Gotei 13. Let them be the ones to play at being heroes."

Hiyori pouted at that. "Except that's not the way this is going to play out," she muttered. "You won't be leavin' it to the Gotei 13 to take care of things. I know you, Shinji and that's not the way you do things."

Shinji shrugged. "Guess not. You are right that we're wasting our time with Harribel though." He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. "What'd you say that we go and find some real answers? We can get coffee on the way."

She looked at him, "What is it with you an' coffee these days?"

"It tastes good. Besides," he grinned at her, "coffee might be just what we need to get some answers outta the guy we're going to speak to."

Hiyori's smiled. "Real answers? You almost make it sound like you know what you're doin'."

Shinji grinned back at her. His fingers found their way back to the keys in the ignition and his car sputtered into life. He only hoped that Urahara was in a sharing mood. Hiyori was going to be pissed when she realised who exactly it was that they were going to speak to.

/\/\/\

Harribel's head was bowed, the steady moving of the cloth back being sucked in as she inhaled and then blown out as she exhaled was the only movement she made. Toshiro watched her from a distance. He took a sip from the bottle of water he had in his hand and the refastened the cap, and then returned to leaning against the flimsy wall of Hiroko Shinji's office. Things hadn't turned out at all how Toshiro had planned. He had been naive in assuming that he, Kira and Hisagi would be enough to take Harribel out. He hadn't thought through how she would react and he hadn't planned sufficiently for what he would do with her afterwards. It was lucky that Shinji's cohorts had shown up when they did.

His cool gaze went from Kira to Hisagi and then finally settled on Love. Toshiro wasn't sure what to make of him, but then he wasn't sure what to make of any of these people, these Vizards, as they called themselves. He still wasn't completely sure if he should trust Kira and Hisagi. At least they weren't all for torturing Harribel, and at least they actually did what he asked of them, usually without question. It was unnerving to have two men older than he follow his orders so readily. He tried not to think on it too much.

They hadn't got far with the questioning, and though Toshiro was loath to admit it, he didn't think that he could possibly have achieved better results than Shinji and Lisa had so far. Harribel had refused to react to any of the methods they had tried, and Toshiro had stopped them from attempting more extreme methods. He wondered now if that had been a mistake.

"She's a toughie."

Toshiro raised his head at the sound of Lisa approaching him. She made him feel uncomfortable, in a similar manner that Rangiku had – did – but with a slightly more sinister twist. He was thankful that Lisa hadn't tried to embarrass him, since the experience would no doubt be mortifying. He nodded at her. "Yeah. I can see that."

She stopped next to him and also leaned against the wall, making it bend beneath the added weight. "How are you keeping up?"

"I'm fine." He was as far removed from fine as he had ever been in his life. He felt as though he was walking on a knife edge. "What do you want?"

"You're a suspicious kid," she muttered under her breath, just loud enough for him to hear. "I just wanted to check on you and make sure that everything is okay. Shinji asked me to keep an eye on you, and that's what I'm doing."

That wasn't comforting. Toshiro figured that her job was to keep him out of the way and to take care of him if he got to be too troublesome.

"Y'know, there are other ways we can make her talk."

"No." Toshiro shook his head violently. "I won't allow it. I won't let you hurt her." It seemed very important to him that he at least held onto this principle. He would not let them harm her and he would not let them kill her. Even if she was the enemy, she was still a human being and he would protect her.

"Oh it won't hurt her." Lisa chuckled and it raised the hairs on Toshiro's arms. "Quite the opposite, actually I think she would find the experience quite pleasurable."

It was moments like this that Lisa reminded him of Rangiku. Only Rangiku had never scared him like Lisa did. When Lisa spoke like this she made him feel terrified, and something else which he couldn't quite put into words. He shifted his legs and bowed his head, feeling a deep blush creep up his neck to infuse his face with colour. "No," he said finally his voice strained. "I won't allow that either. It's still torture."

Lisa actually huffed at that. "If you say so. Only we're running out of ideas and if she won't talk then it either means that we can't make her talk or she doesn't know anything." Lisa was looking right at him as she spoke, he could see himself reflected in the lenses of her spectacles. He looked scared. "And if she doesn't know anything then there's no point in us holding her. She's too dangerous for us to let go."

"No! Shinji said that he wouldn't..."

Lisa gripped his arm tightly. "Shinji's soft," she hissed. "That woman knows too much. She knows our names and she might have an idea of where we are. She's far too dangerous for us to let he just go skipping back to Aizen." Toshiro tried to pull away from her, but her grip was too tight. "Shinji has a soft spot for woman, if it was a man tied up there then chances are he'd be dead by now. I'm not risking my life or the life of my friends by letting her walk out of here. Do you understand?"

Toshiro understood perfectly. Shinji wouldn't kill Harribel but Lisa would, and from the look in her eyes she would do it soon.

"So if you think that she has some answers," Lisa said her voice low and hard, "then think of a way to get her to spill her guts. Otherwise..." she left the suggestion open.

He wrenched his arm from her grip and backed away from her. Of all the people here he hadn't really expected her to be the one to threaten Harribel. Lisa had seemed like a talker and definitely not a fighter. She hadn't seemed so cold that she could just take a life without any motivation.

But then wasn't protecting her friends' motivation enough?

"I'll think of something," Toshiro said. He didn't really believe his words, but that didn't matter, so long as Lisa did. He needed to buy time. He walked form Lisa and across the large underground room. It made him think of a cavern, would it really have been that much effort to make the place seem more welcoming? He stopped next to Hisagi, trusting him to be more coherent and in control than Kira. "Anything?"

Hisagi shook his head. "Nothing. But then we haven't tried today, we've just been watching her." He spoke quietly so that Harribel wouldn't hear him. He looked to his left towards Love, standing nonchalantly against one of the many pillars that decorated the place. "I don't trust these guys."

"You seemed quite taken with Kensei."

Hisagi frowned. "Yeah, but that's before I knew what he was up to. He used to play basketball, really made a name for himself at it and could easily have played pro." He shrugged. "But he dropped out and disappeared off the map. I followed his early career."

"You didn't know about his connections to the Vizards?"

He shook his head. "No. I knew that he used to be connected to the Gotei 13, they were backing his career, but that's all."

Toshiro wondered if that was why Hisagi had become involved with the Gotei 13, trying to emulate his hero. "I have an idea. I'm going to talk to Harribel, would you stand at my back?"

"Of course." He moved to follow Toshiro and they both closed the distance on Harribel. Toshiro watched as Love straightened up, his eyes hidden by sunglasses. He could feel Lisa's eyes on him as well, even though she was all the way at the other side of the room. Toshiro risked a glance in Kira's direction, he looked even worse than usual. His hair was lank and clung to his sweaty, pale face, and he was trembling, his fingers constantly fiddling with whatever was close to hand. Toshiro didn't think he'd seen Kira eat since they'd got here, and he knew that had hadn't been sleeping. He was far closer to snapping than Harribel was.

Harribel must have heard them approach or perhaps she just sensed the shift of the mood in the room. It would be hard to miss; everything had gone still and was tense. "This is certainly interesting," she said, her voice muffled by the bag over her head. "Usually they approach from behind."

"I have no need to sneak up on you," Toshiro said calmly. "I just want to talk."

"A lot of people want to talk to me recently."

"Yeah, you're real popular," Hisagi sneered.

Harribel's head cocked to the side. "Interesting."

"What is?" Toshiro asked.

"His voice," she replied. "I feel as though I've heard it before."

"That's perfectly understandable, he's been here this whole time and he was one of the ones who caught you."

She looked forward, her head still raised. "That must be it," she said finally, settling back into the chair. "I don't feel like talking today."

"Tough. I do." Toshiro tried to make his voice sound hard, the way Lisa did, but even to his ears it sounded weak. He took a long, shuddering breath, preparing himself for what he was going to do. He placed his hand on Harribel's knee, she twitched at the contact but that was all, and he leaned in close to her, his mouth near her ear. "I need you to help me." It was a plea, and he didn't have to feign the desperation in his voice.

He thought he heard her swallow. "I can't help you." Her voice was quiet and it cracked, and he knew from it that she could and possibly would help him.

"Please. I don't want them to hurt you. I don't want them to..." he had to swallow, unable to finish that sentence. She had understood what he was saying though, he knew she had. They both knew that her life was at stake here. "I know that you can help me, and I can help you. I won't let them hurt you. Please."

"You're getting a bit close there, Hitsugaya-Kun!" Love called to him. His was voice was filled with mock cheer, as though he was straining to be pleasant.

"He's fine!" Hisagi barked.

"Please, Harribel," Toshiro said, his voice urgent. "All you have to do is talk." He felt frantic all of a sudden, as though he only had these few seconds to save her life.

"Love's right," Lisa said loudly. "You need to back away from her. You're putting yourself in needless danger."

"Sh-Shiro," Kira this time, he sounded shaky and unsure.

It felt as though they were all closing in on him, pressuring him to get results. He was still holding the bottle of water in one hand and he dropped it to the floor, flinching as it landed with far too loud a bang. He placed his now free hand on Harribel's shoulder, his face brushing against hers. He spoke quickly, his voice trembling with his urgency to keep this woman alive. "I won't let them harm you. I won't let any of them touch you; not the Vizards, not the Gotei 13 and not Aizen." He needed this woman alive and he would not let them kill her. Not when he needed her to save Rangiku. "I'll protect you. I swear it."

Beat. Her breathing stilled and Toshiro could hear his own heart pounding loudly in his ears, nearly deafening him.

"Untie me and I'll talk."

"Done." Toshiro's fingers pulled at the knot holding the bag over her head. He pulled it loose just as a strong arm circled round his waist and hauled him back and off the ground.

"What d'ya think you're doing?" Love yelled.

"Get off him!" Hisagi shouted.

Toshiro looked up as Harribel shook the bag from her head. She looked right at Toshiro, her green eyes locked on his. "He's the only one I'll talk you!" she said harshly, baring her teeth at them all. "So I suggest you let him go."

Everyone froze. Toshiro was still being held off of the ground by Love. Just before him Hisagi stood, his face grim and determined, his hand around his back, probably reaching for his knife. Toshiro couldn't see Kira from here, but he could hear his rapid intake of breath. Over this Toshiro heard the steady, rhythmic clicks of Lisa's heels on the concrete. She walked quite calmly into view and stood just behind Harribel.

"Well that certainly was interesting," she said with a secretive smile that Toshiro felt sure was meant just for him. "Put him down, Love."

"You sure?" He definitely sounded amused now. "Seems to me that he was trying to free the prisoner."

"Its fine, I'll take responsibility for this."

Slowly, Love lowered Toshiro down. Toshiro moved away from him, straightening out his clothes. He nodded to Hisagi once he felt settled, and Hisagi straightened up, no longer reaching for his knife.

"Now then, Hitsugaya-San," Lisa said still smiling. "Just what is your plan?"

It took a while to get sorted, to explain in hushed tones to Lisa what he wanted. He left the rest to her, she was much better at organising than he could ever hope to be. Besides, this was her turf and he didn't want to tread where he wasn't welcome. He stayed close to Harribel, who was still tied to the chair, while Lisa organised Love and roused a couple of the others to help her out. Hisagi still stood close to Toshiro, keeping an eye on him. Kira was slumped on the ground looking worn out.

"Everything's going to be fine," Toshiro whispered to himself. "I can do this."

"Right then!" Kensei emerged from Shinji's office, dusting his hands together. "It's all ready for you both. I'm going to be in the room with you both."

"I refuse," Harribel said quietly. "I'll only speak to this one."

"I have a name," Toshiro muttered. "Whatever she says. You can wait outside the room, it's not as though she can escape with you all waiting out here for her."

"She could kill you though," Love pointed out.

"What would be the point in that?" Toshiro knelt down behind Harribel and started cutting away at the tape and rope that bound her with Hisagi's knife. Once she was free, he handed the knife back to Hisagi and stood up.

Harribel stood; she was clearly shaky on her feet and spent a moment working out the kinks in her limbs. She didn't seem at all phased by the presence around her and was content to take her time.

"No deal," Lisa said. "Someone needs to be in there with you. I don't trust her."

"Would it be alright if Hisagi was with us?" Toshiro asked Harribel. "It'll still only be me talking. He'll just stand at the back and he won't say or do anything."

She nodded. "That is acceptable."

"That good enough?" Toshiro called over to Lisa.

Lisa nodded her assent. "It'll suffice. The only things left in the office are the desk and two chairs. We've left you both water to drink and also a little something to eat. I have no doubt that by this point Harribel must be hungry." She shooed Kensei away from the office and stood by the door, gesturing for Toshiro to head on in.

He waited until both Hisagi and Harribel entered before he went to enter. He paused and looked to Lisa. She still had that small smile to her lips as though she knew something he didn't. "You forced my hand," he said quietly. "You knew that she would talk to me, didn't you?"

"I most certainly did not." Her lips twitched, her smile threatening to widen into a grin.

Toshiro suddenly felt like he'd been played. He wondered if Lisa had been serious about her earlier threats or if she had just been pushing him into acting. He frowned and went into the office. Lisa closed the door behind him. She hadn't been kidding when she said that they'd cleared everything out. Shinji's desk was set in the centre of the small room, Harribel sitting at one side and a vacant chair on the other. There were two plastic cups filled with water and a couple of biscuits on the table. They had reduced the amount of things that could possibly be used as a weapon. Obviously they still viewed Harribel as a threat.

He sat down in the vacant chair and took a sip of water. Harribel just sat there, staring at him expectantly. "It's no good looking to me. I don't know how these things usually work."

"That isn't comforting."

"You're bound to be thirsty." He gestured to the water. "Have a drink."

She did, sipping the water gently. "It's funny. Matsumoto also offered me something to drink."

"So you are the one who took her."

"You went to all that effort to find me and you didn't even know if I was the one who kidnapped her?" Harribel seemed amused by this. "You are a strange one. Yes, I am the one who took her. Myself and my..." she searched for a word. "My subordinates shall we call them, broke into her apartment while she was out and waited for her to return."

Toshiro nodded. He could already feel anger welling within him, but he stomped down on it. It would neither him nor Rangiku any good if he was to lose it. "Did you hurt her?"

"You promised me immunity," she said coldly. "I'm not going to answer any questions until you explain exactly how you'll protect me from your little friends out there."

He nodded. That was fair and it should have been the first thing he brought up. "Okay. I'm with the Gotei 13, but most of those out there are a separate organisation."

"You are working outside of the Gotei 13?"

"Yes, but that doesn't alter my standing with them. I will cut a deal with them to keep you safe," he explained. "It'll mean that you'll have to speak to them as well, I'm sure that there is plenty of information that they will want to know. The Vizards, I have little sway with them, but I know that Shinji is reluctant to let any harm come to you. I think that as long as they aren't left out of the loop then they'll cooperate."

"And Aizen?"

"You'll be kept under protective custody by the Gotei 13." Or possibly the Vizards, Toshiro hadn't really thought this far ahead. "He won't be able to touch you then."

"You know so very little about him."

"I swear that I won't let him harm you." He meant it as well. He would not let Aizen hurt anyone else, even this woman who had caused him so much grief.

She sipped her water again. He watched the way it moistened her lips, the way her tongue slipped between them and licked up excess water, before slipping back into her mouth. He felt himself blushing. Once this was all taken care of, he was never going to speak to another woman again.

"Very well." She leaned back in her chair. "I don't suppose you have any cigarettes, do you?"

He shook his head. "I don't smoke. And even if I did I doubt that Lisa and the others would have allowed them into the room."

"A pity. To answer your question," she leaned forward, her arms resting on the table, "I did not harm Matsumoto. Last I saw her she was fine."

"When did you last see her?" He found to difficult to contain his excitement. She was alive. She was well. All he had to do was find her.

"Weeks ago. Maybe up to... I don't know, a month. My part in it was only to take her. I had no part in whatever was done next with her."

That deflated Toshiro's excitement. "Then how do you know that she's alive?"

"Because I doubt that Aizen would risk angering Ichimaru."

Toshiro connected the dots in his head. Yes, he could see that harming Rangiku would risk making Gin turn tail. The man's loyalties were always questionable. Could it possibly be that Aizen took Matsumoto as a means to keep Gin in line? It didn't seem all that unlikely a prospect. But then Gin had ended his relationship with Rangiku and left her broken hearted. Would he care about what happened to her?

"Who else was with you when you kidnapped Rangiku?"

Her head tilted to the side as though she had to think about it. "Starrk," she answered. "Coyote Starrk. He's a marksman, a very good one at that. If Matsumoto was to resist then it was his job to incapacitate her."

"No one else?" Was Starrk the subordinate she had mentioned earlier?

She shook her head.

"What about the blood we found at the apartment? From the police files I know that it's not Rangiku's. A month isn't long enough to heal from a bad wound and I don't see a mark on you." Apart from the bruise that Kensei had inflicted she was physically flawless.

"Starrk's."

"You're lying," Toshiro said, feeling his anger renew. "It wasn't Starrk's at all. I've read the police report and I know it came from a woman. If it wasn't yours then whose was it?"

"One of my subordinates," she answer reluctantly. "There was a scuffle and Matsumoto wounded one with a knife."

Toshiro nodded. He wondered why Harribel had wanted to leave that piece of information out. It didn't seem all that important. "Where is Rangiku now?"

"I told you, I don't know."

"Tell me where she is."

"I don't know."

"I think you're lying!"

She stared at him, her eyes hard and unflinching. "You let your emotions make decision for you. You need to have a clear head to successfully interrogate someone."

He glared back at her. It was difficult to keep his anger in check and he had to remind himself that he had to stay on her good side to get answers out of her. He exhaled, sitting back in his chair.

"Better?" She actually smiled and Toshiro felt as though she was laughing at him. "Good. I am not lying when I say that I don't know where Aizen is keeping Matsumoto. I think that if you want to find her then you should first find Ichimaru."

"Do you know where to find him?"

"He's a snake; therefore I would look under a rock."

Despite the situation, Toshiro found himself smiling. "Would you know which rock to look under?"

"He's rarely in Hueco Mundo," she admitted. "I'm not sure where he lives or even where he usually spends his time. I think though that I can suggest someone who might know where to find him."

"Who?" Toshiro perked up again.

"You're very easy to read," she said. "Has it crossed your mind that I might be telling you nothing but lies, that I might actually be trying to steer you away from Aizen?"

He frowned. "It has, yes. But I don't think that you are," he said honestly. "I think that you're looking for a way out. Perhaps you bit off more than you can chew or Aizen was asking too much, threatening you. I think that you want my help."

"Interesting." She ran her finger around the rim of the plastic cup. Behind her Hisagi coughed gently, clearing his throat, he didn't speak, but Harribel did look over her shoulder at him. She turned back To Toshiro. "Has it ever crossed your mind that not everyone in the Gotei 13 is who they say they are?"

Toshiro straightened up. It had crossed his mind, actually he was almost certain that someone among the Gotei 13 was a spy and was passing on information to Aizen. It was intriguing to hear his theory confirmed. "Yes, but I don't have good enough standing with them to even begin to figure out who. Is this traitor in contact with Gin?"

"Yes," she whispered and he thought that she smiled, her head bowed. "It would be foolish to have them in direct contact with Aizen so this spy is in contact with Ichimaru, or possibly they are in contact with a contact who works for Ichimaru. I'm not sure exactly how deep this all goes or how far it is spread. But you cannot trust everyone within the Gotei 13."

Hisagi grunted. Toshiro looked over to him, confused as to why he was making so much noise. Hisagi just shrugged at him in silent reply. Toshiro looked back to Harribel, but she didn't seem at all bothered by Hisagi. "Tell me who this traitor is."

"Not yet," she replied. "First we should talk of Aizen's plans."

Toshiro wasn't happy with the change of conversation, but if she wanted to divulge Aizen's plans then he wasn't going to stop her. He made a mental note to ask her again about the traitor, perhaps if he just slipped the question into a row of others she wouldn't notice and would answer him.

"The attack on the Thirteenth bar," she started, her finger still running laps around the cup, "did you ever wonder what it was all about?"

"A botched attempt to kidnap Shihouin Yoruichi," Toshiro answered, and then he thought about it, "or a successful attempt to murder Shiba Kaien cleverly hidden as an attempt to kidnap Shihouin." She smiled and he knew that he had it right. "Why would Aizen want Shiba dead?"

"Not just dead – ruined." She actually said it with some relish, like she had enjoyed what had happened to Kaien and his family. "The ones he sent in didn't even know that they were there to kill Shiba. Aizen had it all figured out so precisely that he could factor in all these different people and predict how they would react. They genuinely thought that they were there to take Shihouin."

"So he just hoped that Kaien would die in the crossfire?"

"He knew that Shiba would try to come to Shihouin's aid," she explained. "There was a secondary target that would guarantee that Shiba wouldn't be able to stay out of the fight."

Toshiro frowned, not knowing who she was talking about. "His sister?"

She shook her head once. "Kuchiki Rukia, another princess just waiting to be captured. Shiba would never let something happen to her."

Toshiro still didn't believe that Aizen could possibly have orchestrated something so complex; there were just too many variables. "Say I believe you," he said, "and Aizen did do all this just to kill Kaien. Why? It seems like a lot of effort when he could have just had him shoved under a bus."

"That wouldn't be much of a public spectacle into the failure of the Gotei 13 now would it?" She picked up the plastic cup and looked at the contents. All of her movements seemed to be precise and deliberate, even these seemingly random gestures felt as though they were planned. It was actually quite frightening. "He needed witnesses into the downfall of Shiba. He needed many, high profile witnesses. Nothing spreads a story quite as fast as word of mouth. And nothing generates a story quite as quickly as a scandal."

"You're talking about the leaked medical information now, aren't you?"

"That's what I meant about ruining him. His death wasn't enough; he had to be completely destroyed. It was just unfortunate for Shiba that he had such a horrific illness just waiting to be discovered."

"And of course this reflects badly on the Gotei 13," Toshiro muttered. "I know all this. This was all done to make clients lose faith in the Gotei 13. They let Kaien die and then failed to protect his secrets."

"Not just that. It also caused dissent among the Gotei 13. You know how they handled the fallout of Shiba's demise? They cut all ties with his family, pretended like they'd never had anything to do with him. Right when his remaining family could have used the most support." She sipped the water again; the cup was almost empty now. "Of course not everyone agreed with that. It was poorly handled. They owed Shiba's memory more than that. It seems so simple, but it put some serious cracks in an old foundation. If one such as Shiba, a golden boy who apparently never did anything wrong, could fall from grace then where does that leave the rest of them?"

Toshiro shook his head. "The Gotei 13 has stood too long to be ruined by something so petty."

"If you say so," she bowed her head as though in agreement of his statement.

"Then Aizen doesn't want Shihouin Yoruichi? She was just a distraction from his real motives?"

"Possibly. But she would be a powerful asset." That was an understatement. "Wealthy, influential, if Aizen had her on his side then you can bet that others would come flocking to him. I wouldn't put it past him to take her for his own."

"She's not an object and he can't force her to work for him."

"You really don't understand Aizen at all."

Toshiro thought it unlikely that Aizen could persuade Shihouin to work for him. She was in with the Gotei 13; she knew that he had murdered her friend. There wasn't a chance that she would ever go near Aizen unless it was to exact revenge. He still thought it likely that Aizen would attempt to take her though.

"Tell me about the men who attacked the Thirteenth bar."

"Yammy I believe was taken by the Gotei 13, or handed over by Aizen," she shrugged, "I'm not sure. Aaroniero Arruruerie I have not seen since the attack and have not heard anything from him. If the Gotei 13 does not have him then he is loose somewhere in the city."

"There was a third man," Toshiro said. He wondered if the Gotei 13 really did have these men and if so, why they were keeping it secret.

"Officially Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez has been fired and his whereabouts unknown," She paused, taking another sip of water. "This is not true. He still works for Aizen but is being kept from the public eye. I do not know why."

Toshiro nodded. Aizen would be able to use Grimmjow without raising suspicion among the Gotei 13, it made sense. "And the traitor?"

Her finger tapped against the desktop, causing the remaining water in the cup to ripple. Once more Hisagi grunted, shifting uncomfortably against the wall. Harribel took so long to answer that Toshiro started to suspect that she had made the whole thing up.

"Did you ever wonder how Aizen got hold of Shiba's medical information?"

"Of course I did, everyone did," Toshiro replied. "He must have paid off an orderly or something."

"Ichimaru was the one who delivered the information to Aizen, personally."

"So it was Ichimaru's contact?" Toshiro asked.

"You know who this man is," she said.

"I don't."

"You do," and now she smiled and it left Toshiro feeling cold, "you know exactly who it was. You know who your little traitor is; you're just unwilling to admit it to yourself."

Slowly he put it together in his head; the medical information, the link to Gin... "Oh..." He breathed as realisation hit him. He looked up to Harribel his eyes wide, and she spoke the name before he could.

"Kira Izuru."

"No..." Toshiro gripped the table, feeling the weight of the accusation upon him. The sound of the door being wrenched open startled him and he looked up, just in time to see Hisagi exiting the room. "Hisagi, no!" Toshiro leapt to his feet and ran after him.

Hisagi moved quickly across the room, too fast for Toshiro to catch him. He took in the startled looks of Lisa, Kensei and Love. He didn't see the look of shock on Kira's face as Hisagi planted his fist in his gut. Hisagi hit him again, in the face, knocking him to the ground.

"Why?" Hisagi yelled, his fist again connecting with Kira's face. "Why'd you do it?"

"Shuuhei, stop!" Toshiro barged into Hisagi, knocking him away from Kira.

"What the hell's going on?" Kensei demanded. "Why are we beating up the weedy kid?"

"It was him!" Hisagi shouted angrily, pushing Toshiro off of him. "He's the one that's been working with Aizen!"

"No... No..." Kira whimpered, shuffling back from the mixture of shock and anger that was being directed at him. "I never..."

"He's been working for them this whole time!"

Kira looked about him helplessly, trying to find an ally or even a sympathetic look. "I... I..." he looked so lost that Toshiro couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He had to remind himself that this man had betrayed them all and wasn't deserving of his sympathy. Kira's head dropped to his chest. "I took the medical file and gave it to ... I gave it to Gin." He looked up at them desperately. "But that's all, I swear."

"Oh shit..." Kensei looked away. "We brought the enemy into our home. That's just fuckin' great!"

"I didn't know..." Kira whispered. "I didn't know what it was going to be used for. You have to believe me."

"What about Rangiku!" Hisagi screamed his face twisted with rage. "You sold her out too! How could you do that Izuru? She was your friend!"

Kira shook his head. "I didn't. I didn't."

Hisagi made another lunge to go for Kira, but Toshiro fixed his arms about his waist and pulled him down. "Enough Hisagi!" He yelled. "It's not worth it. Just stop."

"This certainly is interesting," Lisa said calmly. "Kensei you deal with this one." She pointed at Kira. "He's got some information that we'll be wanting."

Kensei moved to Kira and reached out for him, and Kira flinched back. "Get up," Kensei said gruffly. He hauled Kira to his feet by his arm. "Nothing's going to happen to you yet." He dragged him off, Kira stumbling to keep up and muttering about how he didn't know.

Toshiro was still gripping Hisagi, scared that if he let him go he would do something they would all regret later. Lisa must have been thinking along the same lines.

"Love, make sure that Hisagi here doesn't do anything stupid."

"Gotcha," Love said. He moved quickly, helping up an unresisting Hisagi and walking him away, his arm around his shoulder. "You can't blame yourself about this. And beating the hell outta the kid won't do any good either..."

Toshiro pushed himself unsteadily to his feet and looked to Lisa. He was shaking. He didn't know what he was supposed to do next.

"You okay?" Lisa asked, looking and sounding genuinely concerned.

"I think so," he replied. He looked back to the open office door. Would Harribel still be in there, or had she used the commotion to escape? He started walking towards the office.

"Did she say anything else?" Lisa asked, walking beside him.

"Lots. We need to find Ichimaru Gin." He sighed. "Kira will know where he is."

"Okay," Lisa said calmly. How the hell could she sound so calm? Did nothing faze her?

Toshiro stepped into the office; Harribel was sitting where he had left her, holding the plastic cup in her hand. She looked at Toshiro and Lisa expectantly. "I hope everything's all right," she said with false sincerity.

"Fine," Toshiro answered, his voice cracking. "Thank you for the information. I'm sorry to say that you'll have to remain in here for the time being. We'll bring you some blankets and other bits to make it more comfortable."

"Of course," she said. She drank the remaining water and placed the empty cup back down on the desk. "It is unfortunate when your friends betray you."

"Yes, it is." Toshiro stepped back and let Lisa close the office door, locking it. His hands were still shaking. What would happen now? What would happen to Kira?

"Its fine," Lisa said quietly. "Go get some rest. You've done enough for one day."

"Right." Toshiro walked in a daze away from Lisa, not really sure where he was heading. It was only just starting to sink in. Kira had betrayed them. Someone that Toshiro trusted and had known for years had used him, had betrayed him. Toshiro felt sick. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know who he could trust.

/\/\/\

Kisuke tapped his bare foot against the wood decking, humming to himself. His fingers worked steadily, rolling a fresh cigarette. Once it was finished he placed it down and started on another. He enjoyed keeping his hands busy; he found it much easier to think when his hands were doing something that didn't involve any thought. It kept his brain free to tackle the big issues. Not to mention that if he left his hand to their own devices they would get him into all sorts of trouble.

It was a particularly nice afternoon, and Kisuke planned on enjoying every second of the good weather. He was sat out in the garden, feeling the sun on his exposed skin. Not that he had much skin exposed; he had a nasty habit of burning in the sun rather than tanning as he would like. He set down another rolled cigarette and then rifled in the tobacco pouch, he was nearly out and probably wouldn't have enough for another. He shrugged and tossed it to the side. He eyed the small piled of perfectly rolled cigarettes and wonder what he was going to do with them all. Smoke them obviously, but there were so many and he didn't actually smoke all that much. Kuukaku would probably take a fair few, but Yoruichi had given up smoking and wouldn't touch any.

"Ah well," he murmured, picking one up. "Guess I'll make a start on them."

"Oi! Kisuke!"

He looked back over his shoulder, cigarette hanging from his lip. Kuukaku was standing in the doorway. She had her arms folded and a slight sneer on her face, but that wasn't anything new. "Yeah?" he called back.

"You got some visitors." Kuukaku disappeared back into the house without another word.

Kisuke watched as two people emerged and he nearly spat out his cigarette in shock. He hadn't expected these two to visit him. Shinji sauntered up, one hand raised in greeting, while Hiyori brought up the rear a very sullen look to her face.

"Hey there, Urahara-San," Shinji greeted. "How are you?"

"I can't complain," Kisuke replied. "How are you both?"

"Oh we're fine," Shinji said with a smile. "Just taking a walk, y'know how it is."

Kisuke looked past Shinji to Hiyori. She couldn't possibly have looked less thrilled to see him. At least she wasn't trying to hit him, which was her usual reaction upon laying eyes on him. He stood up and held his arms wide, grinning like a fool. "Hiyoooooooooooo-riiiiiiii!" He sang happily. "Aren't you happy to see me?"

Her face twisted and she glared at him, nothing but contempt in her eyes. Her leg twitched and for a moment Kisuke thought that her sandal was about to come flying into his face, but nothing happened. She spat and turned from him, crossing her arms tightly across her chest and huffing audibly.

He turned to Shinji. "How about you?"

"I'm not huggin' you," Shinji replied. "I don't know where you've been." He stepped up onto the decking and looked about the garden. "This is a nice place."

"Yes it is," Kisuke said, dropping his arms. "It's Kuukaku's not mine. I own nothing here."

"That's not surprising," Shinji muttered.

Kisuke patted down his pockets, trying to find his lighter. "So then," he said, "what can I do for you both?"

From his pocket Shinji produced a lighter and handed it to Kisuke. "I was just wondering if you know a woman called Tia Harribel."

"Thank you, Shinji-Kun," Kisuke said taking the lighter. He flicked the lid off and lit his cigarette before inspecting the lighter. "A shark fin? That's certainly an interesting design. And to answer your question, I have no idea who Tia Harribel is. Should I? Is she some sort of idol I should be perving over?"

"No." Shinji took the lighter back off of him. "This is her lighter, in case you were wonderin'-"

"I wasn't."

"And I think you're lying."

"I know he's lying!" Hiyori snapped.

"You wound me," Kisuke said. "I have never heard of the woman before."

Shinji didn't look at all convinced, and with good reason too, of course Kisuke was lying, he knew exactly who Tia Harribel is. How could he not? He also knew that Shinji had her held captive. He didn't personally approve, but then it wasn't his business what Shinji did in his personal time.

Hiyori spun on her heel and marched over to him, stomping up onto the decking. "We know your lying!" She raged. She jabbed him in the chest with a finger as she berated him. "You know exactly who Harribel is. We know that you're keeping stuff from us, things we need to know!"

He staggered back, waving away her onslaught. "Okay..." He took the cigarette from his mouth and breathed out a stream of smoke. "Let's just say that I do know who Harribel is, what would that change? What exactly is it that you want?"

Hiyori opened her mouth to say something but Shinji pushed her roughly to the wide. "Honestly woman, don't you have any restraint," he muttered before turning to Kisuke. "You know she's working for Aizen?" Kisuke didn't react. "Right. Well, let's pretend that-"

"You've got her tied up in your underground lair?" Kisuke suggested with wide eyes innocence.

Shinji stared at him. "See this is exactly why no one likes you."

"I like me," Kisuke said not even having to feign his hurt. "But you do right? Have her tied up that is."

"Yeah, I do." Shinji didn't look at all impressed by Kisuke's knowledge. "I don't even want o know how you already knew this. Now that we've got the bullshit outta the way though I guess we can get down to business."

"I can't help you," Kisuke told him. "You already know this."

Shinji ignored him. "How much is she worth?"

Kisuke ran his hand through his hair, ruffling it and making a show of thinking. It was an interesting question and it almost suggested that Shinji thought that he could use Harribel to cut some sort of deal with Aizen. "Shark fin soup," Kisuke answered. "That's how much she's worth."

"I see," Shinji said slowly.

"What the hell?" Hiyori bellowed. "What does that have to do with anything? He's just spoutin' nonsense!"

"Shut up, idiot," Shinji said quietly. He straightened out his tie and look out across the garden. "Yeah, that's about as much as I thought. What would you suggest?"

Kisuke took another drag on his cigarette. "Shark fin soup," he repeated.

Shinji made an aggravated noise. "I don't want to do that."

Kisuke shrugged. "You don't have much choice. You should have let her be."

"I couldn't," He answered. "This one was out of my hands." He sighed dramatically. "This is messy and I can't be bothered to deal with it." He was pouting now. "When did it all get to be so complicated?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?" Kisuke asked with a smile. "Is there anything else you wanted to ask me?"

"Yeah, but I don't think I'd get a straight answer outta ya!" Shinji spun lazily on one foot, his hands in his pocket. His phone rang and he slowly took it from his pocket. "Yeah?"

Kisuke turned from him, still puffing away happily on his cigarette. Hiyori was glaring at him, clearly not happy about being left out of the conversation.

"Huh?" Shinji blurted. "Whaddya mean he got her to talk?"

Kisuke frowned. This was unexpected.

"Whoa... whoa..." Shinji had his hand up and was looking more than a little surprised. "Slow down, Lisa, start again, I'm not following you." His eyes locked on Kisuke's and the he grinned. "Is that right? No kidding..." He laughed. "Thanks Lisa, you're a doll!" he pulled a face suddenly. "No... That's not... I... Okay, I'm sorry... Yes, I am aware that that was a sexist remark and I am very sorry..."

"Interesting news?" Kisuke asked as Shinji flipped his phone shut and put it back in his pocket.

"Shark fin soup, eh?" Shinji grinned at him. "Seems like this is one of those times where you're very wrong."

"Is that so?" Kisuke smiled at him.

"What's going on, Shinji?" Hiyori demanded.

"Oh nothin' much." He jumped down from the decking his hands back in his pockets. He looked back over his shoulder at Kisuke and smiled. "Only that Harribel started talking and it seems that she had a lot of interesting things to say."

Kisuke didn't reply, he took another drag on his cigarette as he watched Shinji. He was an interesting man to observe, so full of bluster and false confidence, so eager to seek approval. That was why he was here after all, not to seek answers but to have Kisuke tell him he was on the right track. It was just a bonus that he apparently got one over on Kisuke. A nice little ego stroke for him. Kisuke smiled. "Was I wearing my hat I would tip it to you," he said with a small flourish. "It would appear that I was wrong. It happens to the best of us."

"Uh huh," Shinji was still grinning. "I think I got all I need to know from you, Urahara-San. C'mon Hiyori, let's get outta this place."

"I thought we were getting answer outta this guy!" Hiyori shouted, but she followed after Shinji, giving him a good kick in the shin when she caught up with him.

Kisuke rubbed at the back of his neck. That had certainly been... interesting. He brought his cigarette back to his mouth and took another drag, balancing it between his lips. Even if Shinji did crave approval it seemed an odd move for him to come all the way here to see him and then leave without asking the obvious questions. Something didn't quite seem right here and Kisuke made a note to look into it. It would have to wait until later; he had other things to occupy him.

"You set them up?"

"Aargh!" Kisuke jumped and spun round, his cigarette dropping from his mouth. Yoruichi was stood behind him, her head cocked to the side quizzically. "Geez, Yoruichi-San, don't sneak up on me like that." He put his hand to his chest and took several deep, calming breaths. His heart rate had increased form the shock and also just from her presence, she was standing far too close to him.

"You did though," she said dispassionately. Her eyes tracked the disappearing figures of Shinji and Hiyori and the she shrugged and turned to Kisuke. Her eyes were flat and hard, the light had gone out from them. "Was Shinji here to check up on me?"

Kisuke made a confused noise, not knowing where she had got that idea from. Until he remembered that he had told her that Shinji was being paid to watch her. It hadn't been a lie so he shrugged. "Yeah, pretty much."

Her lips twitched. "Liar. He wasn't here about me at all."

"Ah, Yoruichi-San, you're too clever for me."

She was giving him an odd look, like he was a puzzle she was trying to figure out. "Why was he here?"

"He was looking for answers," Kisuke answered honestly. "I gave him some. Or at least I confirmed something he already knows. Though I might have been too late."

"Hmm," she was still giving him that hard stare and he'd be lying if he said that he didn't enjoy it on some level. "What aren't you telling me?"

"A lot of things Yoruichi-San, but then we all have our secrets." He wondered how much of his conversation with Shinji se had overheard. And then even if she had heard it all, what would she make of it?

"I suppose so," she said softly. "What did you men by being too late?"

"I needed him to dispose of something for me."

"Something dangerous?"

"Potentially," he replied. "But it would seem that Shinji has found use for it. Now it's out of my hands and I've just got to wait and see what happens."

"All of your plans seem to hinge on waiting and seeing," she said. She looked down to his pile of rolled cigarettes and she frowned at them as though they offended her. Given that she had recently quit smoking they probably did. "If Shinji's walking into a trap, don't you think that warning him would be the right thing to do?"

Kisuke smiled nervously and laughed a little. "Ah, Yoruichi-San you put me in a difficult position." He rubbed the back of his neck again. "See now it's a question of what exactly is 'right'."

She looked at him a moment and then sighed. "You're a horrible man, Kisuke," she said, though there was no anger or accusation in her words, he actually thought that she might have been smiling. She shook her head and walked past him and stepped off of the decking. "I don't like that you're keeping things from me."

"I know," he said. "But it can't be helped."

"I'll find out what you're up to."

"I don't doubt that for a second." He straightened up, smiling and then followed after her. Part of him wanted to explain it all to her, to let her in on his plan, but he knew that it was in her best interest to keep her out of it all. The problem was that she would react to what was happening immediately with little thought to how it would affect the larger picture. If she knew what he did, then she would no doubt warn Shinji and that was something that he couldn't allow. Certain things, no matter how awful they seemed, had to be allowed to happen. This was unfortunately one of those things.

/\/\/\

She was once again in darkness. Harribel was still sitting at the desk to the small office. She was not tied to the chair and this time they had thankfully not blindfolded her, but she was locked in. She could only see the faint outline of her hands resting on the desk.

She thought back on what had transpired. She was unsure if she had acted in the correct way, whether she had done what Aizen wanted from her. She had given up some seemingly important information, though nothing so important that it risked Aizen's plans. Had this been what he wanted? She thought of her girls and wondered where they were, would they be safe? If she failed then what would Aizen do to them?

She shook her head, it didn't bare thinking about. She had been tempted to take Hitsugaya up on his offer, to actually trust that he could protect her and her girls and then divulge everything that she knew about Aizen. She was certain that she could have shared enough so that the Gotei 13 could take him down. Would she later regret holding out?

She must have drifted off, wrapped up warmly in the blanket that Hitsugaya had brought her. When she opened her eyes there was sliver of light cutting across the room. She frowned and stood up, quietly. Turning she found the door to be unlocked and open a fraction. She moved to it and froze, staying in the shadows. Was this some sort of trick?

"You've done well," said a familiar voice.

"I have?" She asked quietly.

"Aizen-Sama will be pleased." He was standing just outside the office and out of sight. She was tempted to open the door and to find out who he was, but she didn't. He would probably flee if she did. "There is just one more thing to take care of. A small problem."

"What is it?"

"You know what."

She sighed in annoyance. Why did he just keep presuming that she knew what was going on? "I don't," she said. "A little instruction would be helpful." There was no reply. "Hello?" Still nothing and she sighed again. She pushed the door open a fraction more, peering through the gap. There was no sign of her little helper, but there was also no sign of any guards. Hesitantly, she stepped out of the office, squinting at the light. Should she just make her escape? No, Aizen wanted her to do one more thing, but what could it be?

She walked slowly around the room, keeping to the walls and staying alert. She still hadn't ruled out that this was all a setup by her captors. She stopped and checked her surroundings. What the hell was she supposed to do?

And then it hit her and she sagged under the weight of the knowledge. She should have known that it would come to this. She didn't like it, but f it would secure her escape and the safety of her girls then there was no other option. She had passed on valuable information, some of it was meant to be known. Some of it was not.

She turned back and walked quickly towards the vacant office. She frowned at it. She had been alone in there and so that couldn't possibly be where they were keeping him. As far as she could tell it was the only room in this space. If he wasn't there, then where was he? She decided to walk around the edges of the room, it was quite large after all and from here she couldn't see the other side.

"Of course," she breathed once she was part way around. Across from her there was another poorly constructed room. Possibly another office, she didn't know, but it was the only other place that they could hold him. She was quick, darting across the room to it. The walls were also made out of cheap plywood and she thought that she could easily kick it in if she needed to. She didn't, it would make far too much noise. She tried the door and wasn't even surprised when it opened. It would seem that everything except the dark deed had been taken care of for her.

Inside was a small kitchen that had recently been gutted out. Everything that the prisoner could use to potentially harm himself had been taken away. He was sat on the floor with his back to her, his head bowed.

"That you again, Shuuhei?" Kira asked not even looking up. "I already told you... I didn't know..." his voice cracked as he spoke. "If I had known... I wouldn't have... I'm the worst..."

She moved silently towards him, ignoring the sympathy that was stirring inside of her. She had to tell them of his involvement, limited thought it had been. She had to sow the seeds of dissent. Divide and conquer. The problem was that he possibly knew too much. He might actually know where Ichimaru Gin was, and if he told them that then it could spell problems in the future. He was a liability, a loose end that she needed to take care of. And if this was what she needed to do to protect herself and he girls, then so be it.

"Shuuhei..?" He started to turn but it was already too late. She clasped her hand over his mouth and nose and pulled him back into her. He stiffened and fastened her other arm around him, pinning his arms down. He struggled, his screams muffled into her hand. His hands were scrabbling about, trying to get to her. He lurched, pulling her forward but she didn't let go.

"It's okay," she said softly, her lips near his ear. He wrenched from side to side, trying to shake her off. She could feel his desperation. "Shh... Shh..." He was weakening, his attempts of escape growing more feeble. Slowly, she lowered him to the ground. He had stopped screaming, had stopped making any noise. She waited, keeping her hand clamped over his mouth and nose. He had stopped moving. Still she waited, just to be sure. She thought that she could feel his heart still beating but it was only her own, beating erratically against her ribs.

She let out a long breath and moved away from him, leaving him lying on the floor. Her hand was moist and she wiped it against her trousers. He looked young, younger than she'd first thought. She knelt by him and laid her hand against his cheek. She sighed and bowed her head, and then she stood and hurried from the room. She didn't know why there were no guards, but she wasn't going to trust that it would remain like that. She had to escape. She didn't want to be here when they discovered his body.

She hurried across the large room and to what she hoped was the exit. It was a narrow staircase and encased in darkness. She stumbled up them her hand trailing against the wall. It was so dark that she nearly walked into the door. Her hand felt along it for the handle and she yanked it op, nearly falling out.

It was thankfully night, the car park was lit by a couple of streetlamps. She took a couple of breaths of fresh air and then hurried across the car park, not knowing where she was or where she should be going. At the edge of the car park she turned left and started up the street.

"You're a cold woman."

She froze. The voice had come from behind but she didn't need to turn to know who it belonged too. "And you're a very good actor," she replied. She turned and looked to her unlikely rescuer, to the man who had sneaked her orders of Aizen's will. He stood there looking more than a little pleased with himself, his black hair spiky and unkempt, and his small eyes narrowed. One side of his face was scarred and there was a tattoo upon his cheek. "Hisagi," she finished.

He smiled. "Did you guess it was me?"

"It did cross my mind," she admitted. "It would seem that Aizen has some unlikely people in his pocket."

His smile wavered. "It's not for Aizen that I'm doing this," he said. "My mentor, Tousen, I believe in what he has taught me. The Gotei 13 are corrupt and have lost their way. Something needs to be done about this." He looked away. "Kira was... unfortunate."

"Of course," she said. She could believe that he regretted what had happened, but believed it to be a necessary evil. "What now?"

"I have a car this way." He turned and gestured for her to follow him. "Aizen-Sama will be pleased with what you have done."

She bowed her head and followed him into the night.

A slightly different take on Hisagi. I was bored of Kira and Momo being the ones that were colossal fuck ups and Aizen supporters in disguise. This is much more fun!

And yeah, I guess I lied about getting Winning isn't Everything up next, I had a sudden burst of inspiration with this and churned it out pretty quickly.

Please leave a review on your way out and I hope you enjoyed your stay.

Oh, and you'll all be very pleased to know that next chapter we go back to YoruSoi.