Yuki healed everyone that she could find so she started to look around for Kensei, searching for his spiritual energy. When she found it, her eyes widened and she used her Utsusemi technique to reach him quicker.

Kensei had been defeated by Wonderweiss, and was laying among the rubble of a nearby building after having been slammed down into the lower levels of the building.

"Kensei!" Yuki called, searching for him and finding him slumped over against the large debris. "Oh, no, please no..." She flash stepped to him and checked his pulse, then immediately started healing him. "Kensei, please wake up..." He felt cold so she took off her haori and wrapped it around him, smiling at the ironic fact that he was wearing a Squad 9 Captain's haori once more. Her smile quickly faded and she returned to the task at hand.

After a while, Kensei began to stir and he opened his eyes, looking around. He saw a sleeping Yuki next to him and saw that her haori was around him. He smiled and pulled Yuki into his lap, holding her close against his chest. This stirred Yuki and she looked up at him.

"You're awake!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck.

"And so are you, it would seem. What are you doing here?"

"When I found you, you were unconscious and badly wounded, so I gave you my haori to keep you warm and I healed your wounds. It took a lot out of me though and I guess I passed out from the exhaustion."

Kensei touched her cheek and smiled. "Well, it's alright now."

Yuki returned his smile and hugged him, glad to see that he was OK. When she pulled back she planted a kiss on his forehead and tried to stand, but Kensei kept her firmly in his lap.

"Yuki..."

Yuki looked at him, settling back into his lap. "What's wrong?"

Kensei searched her eyes, trying to find the right words to say. "We've only had one date together, but I wanted to ask if you wanted to go out again when this is finished?"

Yuki smiled. "I'd like that. I think I can slip away for a bit to come see you once this battle is finished."

They both sensed the appearance of a remnant Hollow nearby and looked up as one loomed above them. Yuki scrambled to her feet, zanpakuto drawn, and blocked the attack as the Hollow lunged at them.

"Yuki!"

"Kensei, get out of here, I can handle this one!" Yuki said, grimacing as the Hollow took its claws and brought them down again, catching on her blade.

"I won't leave you, not again!" Kensei insisted.

Yuki glanced down at him. "It's alright." She threw back the Hollow's attack once more, then flash stepped to the level above them to get the creature away from Kensei.

Kensei watched as the Hollow followed Yuki up one level and disappeared. 'I have to help her.' He forced himself up, only feeling sore after Yuki healed him, and he headed after her. He followed her spiritual pressure until he found her backed into a wall, struggling to push back the Hollow. Before he could step in, though, Yuki activated her first stage bankai and retaliated.

Yuki threw back the Hollow, trying to get behind it, but the Hollow spun around and slashed her back- leaving deep gashes along her skin. Yuki felt the searing hot pain and it almost blinded her, but she had to ignore it, had to push through it and defeat the Hollow.

"Yuki!"

"I'm fine, Kensei!"

Kensei watched as the blood dripped down her back, pooling around her feet. 'She'll bleed out!' He rushed to aid her when she lost her footing and slipped, activating his own bankai and beating the Hollow to a pulp. He cracked the mask and watched as the Hollow vanished before he turned around to Yuki and saw her bankai disappearing.

"Shit..." Yuki could feel herself slipping. She glanced up at Kensei and tried to smile, but when she took a step forward to try and reach him, she felt her world go black- hearing Kensei and Hyoko calling out to her.

"Yuki!" Kensei flash stepped to her and caught her in his arms. Having no healing abilities of his own, Kensei scanned the area and found that Retsu Unohana was nearby and he rushed to get Yuki to her mother, holding her close to his chest.

Retsu was finishing the final patient she had when she heard Kensei calling to her and her daughter's spiritual energy fading. She looked up and her eyes widened in horror as Kensei came into view, holding Yuki to him and covered in her blood.

"Unohana, Yuki's hurt bad." Kensei said, laying her down on the open cot.

Retsu saw the blood begin to pool on the cot around her daughter. "What happened to my daughter?"

"There was one last Hollow that had been concealing its spiritual energy and it attacked us, but when she tried to finish it off, the damned thing spun around so quickly that I'm not even sure she realized how badly it cut her open."

Retsu rolled Yuki onto her side, then onto her stomach. "Hold her down. We have to get these wounds sealed immediately."

Kensei nodded and held down Yuki's shoulders while Lisa and Rojuro came over to hold each of her arms and Love came over to hold down her legs.

Retsu began to cut away at her daughter's haori and uniform, clearing away any foreign material, then began to heal the wounds closed.

Yuki was woken from the pain and cried out, thrashing against her friends restraining her. Retsu gave her something to bite down on and went back to healing her wounds. Yuki bit down on the cloth, trying to fight the urge to scream out in pain, trying to be strong for her friends and her family. But there was too much pain.

Retsu felt her chest constrict seeing and hearing her daughter in so much pain, but she quickly knitted the muscles and skin back together and sat back- weary.

"You can let go now." Kensei said, nodding to the others. He looked down at Yuki's back and saw there were scars, but everything else was fine. "Yuki, are you alright?"

Yuki forced herself to roll onto her side and she looked up at him. "I made a mess of things this time, didn't I?"

"We almost lost you, sweetheart." Kensei said, stroking her hair. "If you're mother wasn't here, then I don't know what we could have done to save you. I thought I was going lose you forever."

Yuki smiled and turned to look at her mother. "Thanks, Mom. I'm sorry if I worried you."

Retsu smiled wearily at her daughter. "I'm just glad that I could heal your wounds. Sleep now, though, sweetie. You need your strength."

Yuki nodded and curled up against Kensei, feeling the safety and comfort of his presence and quickly passing out.

"Kensei Muguruma, it is good to see you well." Retsu said.

"Good to see you again, Captain Unohana." Kensei replied.

"So, you are the one who has captured my daughter's heart?"

"I believe so, yes."

"Then I wish you the best of luck in building your relationship with Yuki in days to come." Retsu said, smiling. "But be warned, if you ever let my daughter get hurt or if you ever hurt her yourself, I will hunt you down and skin you alive before the night is finished."

Kensei shuddered at how dark things went, but she was the first Kenpachi and just as old as the Head Captain and Yuki's mother, so it was understandable. "Yes, ma'am. I wouldn't expect anything different from you."