So, unless you are a very privileged individual who can see into the future, this experiment is underway. As most of you know, I like to post experimental writings for feedback- and here's the latest one. I should tell you, there are a few caveats with this experiment:

-Since I want to play with subtly, I'm not revealing what happened. Read on and you will understand, but fill in the blanks with your own subconscious ideas on the history. Also, I became very indecisive on what exactly I wanted to happen, but it boiled down to trauma.

-This can theoretically be read as yaoi, shonen ai, or just bromance. I ask nicely that should you comment, be respectful of your fellow readers and please don't insult anyone. The only thing I wish to gain out of this writing (outside a bit of confidence in my writing abilities) is feedback on how this reads.

Setting: Winter War AU- Aizen not defeated, but retreated and regrouped. Vizards replaced respective captains/ additional lieutenants. Sojiro Kusaka (DiamondDust Rebellion) has returned in the most unexpected way.

Interactions or pairings (depending on how you see this):

Toshiro Hitsugaya x Sojiro Kusaka

Shunsei Kyoraku x Jyuushiro Ukitake

Kensei Muguruma x Shuuhei Hisagi

Byakuya Kuchiki x Renji Abarai

Ikkaku Maderame x Yumichika Asayagawa

Shinji Hirako x Hiyori Sarugaki

Ichigo Kurosaki x Rukia Kuchiki

The rescue had been rather uneventful (well, at least for one of their rescues). Amazingly enough, no surprises outside of the new ally. No unexpected showdowns with kooky sidekicks or ridiculously strong enemies- nope. Not even a visible menacing evildoer to stop them with a monolog of his horrible scheme. Everything had gone down perfectly- and if Toshiro had any mind left to think about it, he would have probed the possibility that Aizen had wanted the Seireitei's forces to retrieve their members from Szayel's lab.

Then again, over forty eight hours of no sleep and sitting in this hard as hell chair had left his back in a mess and his mind in a tizzy. Beside him, Byakuya had apparently dozed off in his patient waiting, and to his other side, Zaraki, Yachiru, and a miserable Ikkaku slouched together against the corner of the Squad four waiting room. Kensei had been in and out from time to time, and Shunsui was soberly staring at the wall from his preferred position on the floor in front of Zaraki. Toshiro was still subconsciously waiting for ruffled pink haori to produce five bottles of sake with an offer for a relaxing drink.

To his amazement, Retsu hadn't shown herself since she'd disappeared into the private healing suites adjacent to their current position. The ever scary and kind Retsu wouldn't even allow the rescuers to see their compatriots after Yamamoto had spent fifteen hours punishing them for the rebellious act of defiance. Breaking into Hueco Mundo without prior approval from the Soutaicho, rescuing traitors (although, anyone with half a brain cell to their name would easily demolish that ruling in light of their friends being captured during a hollow invasion), bringing said traitors back to the Soul Society without prior notice and unrestrained, and worst of all- accidentally slicing off part of the Soutaicho's beard during a fight. In truth, Shunsui hadn't meant to do it- but he accepted his punishment with the same worn down smirk he'd sported for the last five weeks of Ukitake's absence. Despite years of womanizing, there had always been a betting pool favoring the two taichos inclinations. Whether or not it was true had yet to be seen, but Toshiro caught an occasional moment between the two before a meeting with Yamamoto from the corner of his eye. It wasn't hard to see that the peaceful happiness that resounded between the pair could make an entire meeting feel like a trip to paradise.

Toshiro's concentration was broken as the door opened carefully to reveal one of Retsu's squad members scooting out around the taichos to retrieve more supplies. Hitsugaya allowed himself to settle back down with a quick sideways glance to the others. Ikkaku, who'd given a royal beating to the minor hollows that did get in their way during the rescue, hadn't bathed since their return. To be fair, none of them had attended to their own personal needs since their return, but Retsu's squad had kept them well fed and hydrated. Ikkaku, Kensei and Zaraki had taken the majority of the fighting during the rescue. The resulting odor of sweat and rage made for an odd concoction that was certain to garner a scolding retort from Yumichika when he awoke.

Byakuya hadn't said much, if anything memorable, since they'd arrived. When they found the kidnapped captives in Hueco Mundo, he'd been the first to act- breaking the cold prison cells bearing their friends with one thrust of Senbonzakura. He hadn't even looked back at the others as he'd retrieved his unconscious fukutaicho from the freezing floor. Thankfully, as Hitsugaya was grabbing Yumichika, their new masked friend took Hisagi and Shunsui managed to grab Ukitake while nursing a slashed arm.

Hours seemed to elongate into days as they waited for that blasted door to open again. Kensei quietly returned and took a slumped seat next to Shunsui on the floor. Toshiro could tell he'd been taking his frustration out on the training grounds, and didn't blame the man. Kensei seemed uptight about his squad when he'd returned to the Seireitei, but he'd been particularly strict when it came to Hisagi. Perhaps it was because he recognized the young brat he'd saved from the Rukongai that odd day or perhaps because Hisagi seemed to still be utterly infatuated with the older man, but either way- he held Hisagi to a higher grade of perfection.

His train of thought was broken once again as the Squad Four taicho exited the room. She looked at each of the men, who were either waking up from their respective states of mediation or gazing at her with knowledge hungry and battle weary eyes. She hadn't expected all of them to wait so long, but knew better than to bother telling them to go home. Men could be so stubborn some days.

"I believe they will each make a full recovery," She began as they all started to rise from their positions and stretch out their stiff muscles. "But I must insist they stay here for a few more days. I will speak to each of you individually, but you may see them in their rooms." Retsu stepped aside as they filed in quietly. She held her hand to cease Hitsugaya's movements. He peeked around the corner to see his new masked friend, who'd been minimally injured during their fight, standing inside the door frame. As the other taichos quietly slid into the respective rooms in the private quarters usually reserved for fukutaichos and taichos, the three of them gathered in the opening of the door.

"Would you like to tell him now?" Retsu asked with a kind smile towards the young man, who was now holding his cloak in his arms. They'd stumbled across this young man in Hueco Mundo, but his shinigami attire stated his affiliation, and his filched hollow mask covered his face enough for protection. They had to trust him on the fly, and without an offered name, they'd rescued the captives with minimal chaos. For that, Hitsugaya cut him a deal to bring him back to the Seireitei under the assumption he'd been lost on an expedition, or exiled here for another one of Central 46's idiotic laws. His own emotional scars still burning from the loss of-

No.

He wasn't going to progress by bringing it up again. Matsumoto and his friends had been trying so hard to get him to move forward, but he was stagnating again and he knew it. He had to-

The man removed his mask to reveal a beautiful face, unscathed and youthful. Hitsugaya's mind froze in an instant as he retraced every curve of those dark eyes. Those eyes that had been the first friendly eyes to greet him at the academy. Those orbs- which had been filled with laughter during lunch breaks. Those long missed eyes of the first person he would ever call friend outside of his family. The person he'd fought for Hyorinmaru. The person he'd-

"Hello. I'm Kusaka Sojiro. It's nice to formally meet you, Hitsugaya taicho." He said with a prompt, polite bow. Hitsugaya, still partially frozen in shock and hearing nothing but muffled speech, returned a small head nod.

"It seems that the- 'issue' with his zanpakuto has been resolved, and I received word that he is going to be reintegrated into the Shino Academy at the beginning of next semester from Soutaicho." Retsu said as Hitsugaya still remained painfully still. Unease set through Sojiro like a viper's bite, and he began to retract his initial happiness.

"Hitsugaya taicho?" Sojiro asked gently.

"But- I don't understand. I thought- thought you were dead." Hitsugaya blurted out in a trance. Hurt bloomed through Sojiro, mixing with his confusion.

"Actually, Sojiro only appeared in Hueco Mundo a short while ago. It seems all has been forgiven by someone above us, and he has been granted a very generous second chance." Retsu gently pulled Hitsugaya's ear closer to her mouth "Which means he has no memories of his former life." Retsu reemphasized her point by giving Sojiro a reassuring look.

"Yes- of course." Hitsugaya finally regained his mind, snapping himself out of his trance. Sojiro looked a bit more relaxed as Retsu placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and pushed him towards Toshiro.

"Now, we can make arrangements for you to stay-"

"Stay with me." Toshiro demanded suddenly, catching both shinigamis off guard. Retsu, half expecting some kind of reaction from Hitsugaya, smiled gently yet again.

"What do you say, Sojiro?" She asked carefully.

"I'll stay with Hitsugaya taicho." Sojiro replied as he pulled his cloak and mask closer to his body with childish unease decorated with a weak smile. Hitsugaya allowed an internal chuckle to echo through his mind at the reversed positions. He'd forgotten how much he liked feeling odd at Sojiro's offhand statements.

"Kyoraku." Retsu acknowledged as she entered the darkened room. The tiny candle she'd left had dwindled to near nothing, and Shunsui was slumped between the bed and the chair, his hands barely reaching his long time friend. She'd expected the pink clad taicho to be a little out of sorts from his typical behavior, but this was not the Kyoraku she was expecting. This was a man sincerely worried about his friend. As long as she'd known them, Jyuushiro had always been sick but happy, and Kyoraku had been a womanizing drunk. Right now, she was disappointingly happy that he'd forgotten his sake bottles. Never in all of her days as a taicho had she seen two closer men. Was it love? That was a vague question at best. Love came in many forms, and there had always been a friendly, healthy level of trust between the two.

"Did it act up again?" Kyoraku asked on an almost robotic level. Retsu wasn't expecting that tone to ever inhabit Shunsui's voice.

"That's something I wish to speak to you about. It seems" She sighed as she took a seat next to the pair on the bed, slightly crowding it. "that not only did Aizen's forces experiment on Ukitake taicho, but the disease is gone." She announced carefully. Over 150 years of treatment, and what did she have to show for her efforts against Ukitake's lungs? Nada. Yet in a fortnight, Aizen's forces had not only cured the beloved taicho of his affliction, but had added something. What exactly, she was unsure- but it had diverted enough of a blood flow from his thoracic artery and had integrated itself into his body completely.

"It's gone?" Kyoraku asked, his weariness showing his shock despite his haggard eyelids drooping by the second.

"As far as I could tell, it has vanished from his lungs. As well as the scar tissue. But, I should tell you, Aizen-" Retsu started.

"What'd he do to Jyuu-chan?" Kyoraku blurted out awkwardly.

"He implanted something inside Ukitake's body. I will need to do some more tests when he is awake, and perhaps he can recount what happened during his captivity. But until he awakes, we will just have to wait." Retsu announced as she lifted herself from the bed and gently took the candle from its position while heading towards the door. "If you'd like, the bed can hold two. That chair won't be comfortable in the morning."

Retsu peaked into Yumichika's room, but seeing as the triple threat of waking a slumbering Zaraki, Yachiru, and Ikkaku was well presented, she quietly slipped the door shut. Although, the sight of Yachiru drooling on Ikkaku's head while the bald man half draped himself over Yumichika's bed was a priceless sight. Morning would tell a different tale from the beauty of Squad Eleven.

Kensei was in better shape than the rest of the heroes. He had taken his standing position next to the unconscious Hisagi. Retsu gently nudged him as his attention stopped taking inventory of potential injuries and how to improve Shuuhei's fighting style to prevent this next time. Well, who was he kidding- it could have been prevented if the hollow invasion hadn't happened at three in the morning, or if the four targeted shinigami's hadn't been targeted in the first place, or if the alarm hadn't gone off after they'd been captured, or if their zanpakuto hadn't been left behind while-

"Kensei." Retsu said gently, breaking his internal rant.

"Eh." He responded gruffly. At least he'd taken the time to bath to some degree before coming to see Hisagi. Retsu hadn't paid attention to the smell too much until she was away from the men, but now that she had a chance to breathe, she realized how bad it smelled.

"His injuries were minor, but he seems to have undergone the same experimentation the others endured." Retsu replied.

"What kind of experimentation?" Kensei asked, more out of stoic curiosity than visible concern. The last thing he wanted was for these four to end up like the Vizards. Sure, they were powerful, but the idea of something being forced on his favorite fanboy left a sour taste in the back of his mouth.

"I can't say for sure. I could say what it looks like, but confirmation is limited at best right now. I will see what information I can glean from them in the morning, but Shuuhei's injuries are minimal. You shouldn't expect any difference in his physical performance." Retsu returned, knowing that the fukutaicho's abilities in the field were just as precious as his abilities in the office. Kensei had always placed an exceptional emphasis on physical abilities from his squad, and Hisagi had worked ridiculously hard to remain in Kensei's good graces. He wouldn't tell the brat, but he wouldn't have booted the tattooed fukutaicho just for being a little behind since the whole betrayal.

"But… he's not going to become one of 'us', right?" Kensei growled out as his fist clenched.

"As far as I can tell, no. Though, I will have to wait until he's awake to truly see." Retsu replied.

"Well, since we aren't sure, I'll stay with him for the night." Kensei said as he took a heavy seat next to the slumbering fukutaicho. Retsu allowed herself a small chuckle as she admired the large man.

"If you get stiff, the bed can easily hold two."

Kuchiki was the last person to see. His quiet wake at Abarai's side told much of his typical, ramrod straight personality. Stiff postured and silently meditating, he sat next to his fukutaicho with his standard look of disdain.

"Kuchiki taicho." Retsu addressed formally.

"Unohana taicho." He replied.

"I expect a full recovery, but the experimentation in Hueco Mundo took its toll on his body. He will need to remain under my care for a few more days." Retsu explained calmly.

"Will it affect his ability to carry out his duties?" Byakuya asked briskly.

"No, but I need to understand exactly what they placed into all four of their bodies. It doesn't seem to hurt them, but it is redirecting a large flow of blood. Removal may not be an option." Retsu replied.

"I see." Byakuya returned.

"If you get tired, the bed can-" Retsu began he partially memorized speech.

"No thank you. I just wanted to see if I needed a replacement fukutaicho. I will take my leave." Byakuya said as he turned to leave. Retsu brushed this off this briskness of his statement, but caught the sight of Byakuya's scarf slipping off of the bedside table.

Ok, end of chapter 1. Please leave a review if you don't mind, but be polite. I've always found that the best advice is delivered with a polite tongue and a well thought out message.

I must confess, the whole Marius thing got me down about half way through this chapter, so it may be up for tiny rewrites in the future.