Summary: The arrancars make their final move. Nemu learns the truth about her condition. Last Chapter.

"Most parents would be proud of their son getting a scholarship to Tokyo University." Ryuuken said as he placed his clothes in his luggage.

"I am proud of you." Souken replied. "I know you wanted this and you worked hard for it. I have no doubt you will be just as successful in your studies and I will be able to brag to all the neighbors about my son the doctor."

Ryuuken closed his suitcase. "So let me follow my own path already. Why won't you let me be what I want to be?"

Souken held up his hands in a placating gesture. "I'm not standing in your way. There's no reason you can't be a doctor too."

"There." Ryuuken snarled. "There it is. You said 'too'. Don't you get it? I don't want to be a Quincy anymore. I'm going to be a doctor! Nothing else!"

Souken protested. "Being a Quincy is as much a part of you as breathing. It's not something you can turn off."

Ryuuken grabbed his backpack and began emptying the remaining items from his dresser. It was the last thing he had to do.

"I may have powers, that doesn't mean I have to use them."

Souken's face became sorrowful at his son's angry words. "Turning your back on your powers would be irresponsible. You have an obligation to help people."

"I have an obligation to help LIVING people." Ryuuken shot back. "Let the shinigami handle the dead. That's their job anyway. The time for the Quincy is past. I'm going to focus on what's important. Maybe if you had done the same, mother…"

Ryuuken wished he could pull the words back into his mouth as soon as he had said them. He was being unfair. Looking at his father's face, he could see the hurt he had caused. No matter what he thought about his father or their poverty, he didn't have the right to say things like that. He should apologize.

Instead he picked up his bags.

"Goodbye Father." He said. He stepped past Souken and headed towards the door.

"Ryuken, wait."

He turned around to see Souken holding out a bronze cylinder. His eyebrows drew together in puzzlement.

"Why are you giving me this?" He asked.

"Whatever you may do, you are still my son." Souken answered. "This is your birthright. I won't try to tell you how to run your life. If you don't wish to live as a Quincy, I understand. All I ask is for you to pass this along. Let the spark of the Quincy burn just a little longer."

Ryuuken didn't understand. "Why are you giving this to me now?"

Souken's smile was sad and tired as he looked at his angry, suspicious child. "Call it hope. Everything looks clear and simple when you're young. I'm hoping later on this will remind you that there is more to our world than most people know. That you are always welcome back."

Ryuuken looked at the old bronze artifact. It had been handed down in the Ishida family to whoever displayed the talent for weapon smith, from father to son, for centuries. It was a powerful reminder of the dedication and sacrifice his family had made to protect both the living and the dead. He looked up into his father's eyes. He saw the hope and forgiveness in them. He knew his father was a good man and was sincere in his beliefs. If only to honor his father, he should take it.

The intercom on his desk buzzed.

"Yes, what is it? "Mayuri impatiently asked.

"This is the reception desk Mayuri-sama. You gave orders for us to notify you if Lieutenant Nemu returned to the lab. She just walked in."

Mayuri perked up immediately. "She did? Excellent!"

He sprang up from behind his desk and hurried to the main lab where he was sure to meet her. As he rushed over, he fished around in his sleeve pocket for the notes he had made for just his occasion. He had spent several hours in front of a chalkboard charting and plotting, thinking of ways to ask seemingly harmless questions or make innocuous statements that would act like psychological viruses, planting the seeds of doubt in Nemu's mind about the Quincy's loyalty and affection. If everything went according to plan, they would soon start fighting as her mind was filled with jealousy and uncertainty. Enough of that and the boy would leave her. Then she could get back to work without this senseless distraction. Then she would only listen to him once more. Just like she used to. He found the perfect spot to intercept her and skimmed over his notes, picking out a few really good ones to use. This was going to be fun!

Nemu entered the main lab walking fast.

"Hello my dear." Mayuri said holding his hands out in greeting. "How are you today?"

"Analysis lab!" She barked out. She rushed right past him without even making eye contact.

Mayuri stood flat footed in disbelief. Did she just IGNORE him! It took him a couple of seconds just to absorb the fact. The shock was soon washed away by anger. How dare she storm off without giving him an opportunity to execute his brilliant plan! He stomped over to the analysis lab door. She had locked it!

"Nemu!" he shouted as he pounded on the door. "Open this door immediately. Do you hear me? Nemu!"

Oh, she was so going to get it now. He was going to grab her by her scrawny neck and…no. He had to calm down. He had to stick to the plan. It was sure to work once he had a chance to use it. After all, he made it. How could it fail? He just needed a moment to calm down and get back on track. Maybe yelling at Hiyosu for a while would help.

Nemu had heard Mayuri-sama pounding on the door. Like everything else, it had seemed far away and insignificant. She had spent all night wracked with fear and indecision. Isane's diagnosis could not possibly be correct. On the other hand, what other explanation was there? Trying to figure out whether to go to the fourth division or to examine herself, she finally decided it would be best to use the lab to find out what was wrong with her. Once she knew it wasn't…that, she could either treat her sickness or have the fourth division prescribe a treatment. It was absurd for her to worry so much over something that couldn't happen. It had to be a metabolic imbalance of some sort. Still, she fidgeted impatiently as she waited for the computer to analyze her blood sample.

The computer beeped and a dialog box popped up on the screen. This was it. One click and she would know for sure was wrong. She took a deep breath and clicked the icon. A screen opened up with her results

"No." She whispered to herself. "This can't be right."

She pulled up the file containing her last bio-inventory. Her body was supposed to contain dozens of potions and chemicals. Her previous blood sample had them all listed and outlined, grouped by type. They were even visible in her blood, the file photo showing them highlighted by different color codes. This was in sharp contrast with her current blood sample. It had nothing in it. Nothing at all. To all intents and purposes, she was looking at a sample of baseline shinigami normal blood. She was perfectly clean.

"How?" she wondered aloud. "When did this happen?"

The fear she had been carrying all night grew and spread. With her body cleansed, it was no longer an impossibility. There was only one other thing left to check. She pulled up the appropriate reference file and compared it to her blood sample's charted hormone levels. Her jaw dropped. She placed her hand on her stomach as she looked down.

It was true. She was pregnant. Deep inside of her a new life was forming. She was with child.

For a moment, she felt completely numb. It was as if time had stopped. With this one fact, Nemu's entire existence had changed. True she was still the same person, still had the same thoughts, still looked the same in the mirror. Nonetheless, everything had completely and irrevocably changed. The universe seemed to have paused to give her a second to deal with it.

What she felt next was entirely unexpected. Like a river thawing out from the ice in the spring, it started small, then grew in strength, feeding into itself. She felt as though gravity had lost its pull on her and her body had filled with light as she experienced a feeling of transcendent joy. She couldn't remember why she had ever felt afraid. Something she had not realized she had always wanted, had even feared was impossible, was happening right now. It was wonderful. This child was nothing less to her than a miracle, the result of her and Uryuu's love. Accepting her new situation, she found that she already treasured it more than anything else in the world. Was she imagining things, or could she already feel the spark of the baby's life in her mind? She stroked her abdomen as she projected thoughts of welcome and love. Worries and fears could wait for another time as she pictured holding her child in her arms. She wanted this more than anything as she wrapped her arms around herself.

Uryuu.

She had to tell Uryuu immediately.

Mayuri composed himself as he waited outside of the analysis lab. He carefully schooled his features to radiate paternal concern instead of the furious rage he actually felt. To abandon his carefully planned psychological warfare was as good as admitting his plan wouldn't work. He was far too stubborn to give in that easily. He would limit himself to a few stern words of rebuke, then he would invite her to stay for tea. A few carefully worded statements here and there and her own mind would work to fill in the gaps, painting the Quincy as false and untrustworthy. The sweet, sweet rewards of revenge would more than make up for any momentary agitation he felt now. He heard the door unlock and prepared himself.

"Now see here young lady…" He began.

Nemu completely ignored him and took off at a run.

Mayuri was absolutely flabbergasted! Ignored again? That did it. This kindly father act was definitely a bad idea. And what was she so upset about anyway that she'd go running off like that? He entered the analysis lab to see what she had been working on. His eyes narrowed as he saw the monitor was blank. Pulling up the most recent activity log was no help either. Nemu had gone back and thoroughly erased the last hour. Now why would she do that?

"Mayuri-sama! Mayuri-sama!"

Rin came into the room at a stumbling run. From his red face and wide, staring eyes, he was obviously excited about something. He waved a handful of papers at his captain.

Mayuri did not like being distracted. Nemu's actions had raised his suspicion. He didn't want to deal with anything else at the moment.

"What is it you fool? Can't you see I'm busy?"

Rin fought to regain his breath. "I finished analyzing the anomalies on the subject you assigned me Mayuri-sama. You're not going to believe this!"

Mayuri snatched the papers from the young assistant's hands. He was most likely excited over a rounding error no doubt. As he looked over Rin's work, he saw this was not the case at all. In fact, it was very interesting data indeed. He strolled into the surveillance department still reading.

"Hiyosu!" He barked.

Having just endured an undeserved chewing out earlier, Hiyosu jumped when his name was called.

"Yes Mayuri-sama?"

Mayuri handed him the papers. "Get this subject on screen and keep her there. Go active is you have to. Akon!"

"Yes, Mayuri-sama!" The horned researched responded.

"Have all recording sensors in the area locked onto that target. Be ready to start recording at any time. Rin!"

"Yes Mayuri-sama." The youngster squeaked.

"Bring me my favorite chair and make me some tea. I have a feeling this is about to get very interesting."

Ishida Ryuuken ran a tight ship. He made his usual rounds at precisely 0900, making visits to all the main departments of the hospital. He believed face time with the staff was important in communicating his vision of leadership as well as maintaining a bond with his employees. The modern practice of doing everything through e-mail and PowerPoint saturated meetings left him cold. He did his best to keep his hand in all the functions of the hospital in addition to his patient caseload. He almost smiled as he came across Reiko busily making beds in the ward.

"I see you are fitting in." He said.

Reiko started a bit at his voice. She turned to him and bowed. "Yes. Thank you once again Ishida-san. I am very grateful you hired me. I will do my best to make you proud!"

"Just don't set my hospital on fire and I'm sure you'll do fine." He replied dryly. "So will this be the last time you have dinner with us?"

Reiko's mouth tightened into a line. "No offense Ishida-san, but I believe I will move straight to my new apartment after work. Thank you anyway."

"I noticed you seemed a bit tense at breakfast today. Is there anything you want to tell me about?" He asked.

"No sir." she replied. "It's a personal thing and I do not want to talk about it right now."

Ryuuken had his suspicions as to what happened. Uryuu had finished eating unusually fast and hadn't said a word to Reiko besides a stiff greeting. He was sure the truth would come out sooner or later.

"Well, let me know if you need from me." He said as he headed back to his office. Reiko gave another bow and got back to changing the bed linens.

His secretary rose to her feet as he approached.

"My apologies Dr. Ishida, I don't remember you scheduling a meeting today with anyone, but this man insisted."

"Man?" Ryuuken said. "Did he give his name?"

"No sir." She replied. "He just said you would be sure to want to talk to him. He's waiting in your office."

With a raised eyebrow, Ryuuken entered his office to see a rather large man in a stylish dark suit sitting in the guest chair waiting for him. He was clean shaven with dark, close cropped hair. His face was broad with a strong nose and firm jaw. He stood up, easily head and shoulders above Ryuuken as he offered his hand.

"Dr. Ishida." He exclaimed. "It's so good to see you."

"My apologies." Ryuuken said cautiously shaking his hand. "I don't recall ever meeting you before or requesting this meeting."

"I should be the one apologizing." The man said. "You may call me Sarumara."

Uninvited or not, Ryuuken had his secretary bring in tea for his guest. The two men exchanged the standard pleasantries common before getting down to business, formally exchanging business cards and asking the usual politely superficial questions. Sarumara took the initiative to bring the subject to the matter at hand.

"My thanks for your warm greeting, despite my rudely barging in." He said.

"Not at all." Ryuuken graciously allowed. "I imagine whatever you wished to see me about must be important indeed if you felt you had to take such extreme measures."

"It is." Sarumara said. "It involves who you are."

Ryuuken steepled his hands. "You have a medical condition of some kind? While I like to pride myself on my skill, there are many specialists better than I am. I'm mostly an administrator at his point in my career.

Sarumara chuckled. "No, Dr. Ishida. I did not come here to see you in your capacity as a doctor. I came to see you for your other specialty."

Ryuuken raised an eyebrow at the insinuation. "Other speciality?"

"There's no need to hide it." The man said as he put his teacup down. "My people have been studying you for some time. We know all about your skills, you abilities. Your heritage. There's something you have that we want."

"Assuming you are not badly mistaken Sarumara-san, what would that be?" Ryuuken asked.

"I understand you have abandoned your Quincy identity." Sarumara explained. "That should make our proposal easy for you. We are willing to pay handsomely for the artifacts and documents your father left you. Name your price or set any condition you wish."

If Ryuuken was shocked or alarmed that his man knew about his being a Quincy, he gave no sign, sitting calmly as always behind his desk.

"I may not act as a Quincy, that does not mean I wish to rid myself of my inheritance."

Sarumara spread his hands out in a conciliatory gesture. "I can understand you having some sentimental attachment. Perhaps you could see your way to parting with one item we are particularly interested in."

"And what would that be?" Ryuuken asked.

Sarumara's expression became very focused, almost predatory. "What we are looking for is bronze scroll cylinder."

Ryuuken's eye's narrowed. "You want the secret to making Quincy weapons."

"Precisely." Sarumara said.

"It wouldn't do you any good." Ryuuken pointed out. "Even with the knowledge of how the weapons are made, they are useless if the weaponsmith doesn't have the talent."

"Then you shouldn't have any worry about giving it to me." Sarumara rationalized. "It has been said that you believe the time for the Quincy has past. If you no longer wish to pass on your knowledge, why not give it to me? Surely there's something you wish in exchange. Name it, and I will strive to make your wish come true. All I ask is for an old scroll with knowledge you admit I cannot use and you no longer want."

Ryuuken's gaze had fallen to his desktop as Sarumara pleaded his case. As the big man fell silent, He looked up at his visitor.

"Sarumara-san, I find this a lot to absorb in such a short period of time. I cannot make such a decision after having just now met you and knowing nothing about you or the organization you represent."

"I understand completely." Sarumara said leaning back. "We can be patient and take the time to do things properly."

"I'm glad to see you understand." Ryuuken said while opening a drawer in his desk. "In the meantime, as a show of good faith, I would like you to have this."

He tossed a small gray metallic sphere at the large man. Surprised, Sarumara instinctively caught it. The item reacted immediately. Electric arcs radiated from his hand sweeping in waves across Sarumara's body. He howled in agony.

"I have to commend you on your excellent camouflage." Ryuuken calmly said as he rose to his feet. "I couldn't tell if you were anything other than a normal human. Of course, if you were, my little toy wouldn't be draining your reiatsu now. It's one of those artifacts you were so eager to purchase from me."

Sarumara's human exterior flickered as the device absorbed his power and his ability to maintain his human appearance along with it. As he finally managed to open his hand and fling the hollow trap away, Sargon stood revealed at last. He looked up to see Ryuuken had him covered with his bow.

"You must be very strong indeed to be able to let that go." He said. "It's not supposed to stop until the hollow is completely drained. You must have saturated it. Congratulations. Now before I send you into the void, would you like to tell me the real reason you are seeking the scroll?"

Sargon gritted his teeth in rage. There was nothing he could do. All the Quincy had to do was release his bowstring and it was all over. At this range, he couldn't miss. The slight smile on Ryuuken's face told him the Quincy knew it too.

Reiko burst into the room. "Ishida-san, is something wrong? I thought I...OH!"

She froze as she saw the arrancar standing in the middle of the room.

"Ijima! Get out of here!" Ryuuken shouted.

Uryuu sprinted up the steps from the train station. The words of Ochi-sensei still echoed in his ears.

"Ishida-san, your father has been hurt. There was some kind of accident, an explosion at his hospital and he's in emergency care."

He was sure he had asked to be excused from class. He couldn't remember. Trying to feel Ryuuken's reiatsu, he was alarmed by how weak and unsteady it was. The hospital entrance was swarming with police and fire fighters. He ignored them, running past the barricade they were trying to set up and entering the hospital. He ran right past the reception desk, ignoring the nurse's calls to stop. Ryuuken's office was on the way to the emergency room and he could see it was a blasted ruin as the firefighters continued to pour water into it. They were blocking his path. He had to detour around the other way to get to his father. Rushing around a corner, he bumped into a doctor he barely remembered and whose name he couldn't recall. The man caught Uryuu by the shoulders.

"Whoa, slow down there son. You could get hurt."

"My father." Uryuu gasped out. "He's in the emergency room."

"Yes, I know, Uryuu-kun." The doctor said. "Here. I'll take you to him."

They did not run, but the doctor spared no time taking Uryuu to Ryuuken's side. He was unconscious, tubes and IV lines running into his body and several ominous looking machines connected to his chest.

"What's wrong with him?" Uryuu asked.

"We're not sure." The doctor told him. "Some debris or shrapnel from the explosion went right through his chest. We're not sure what. It passed through very cleanly. He's suffered a lot of blood loss and shock. What's puzzling is the paralysis."

Uryuu's ears pricked up at that. "Paralysis?"

"Yes." The doctor continued. "He is currently hooked up to a ventilator and a pacemaker. For some reason, all of his muscles are seizing up. It's like he was poisoned somehow. We're waiting on results from the lab to be sure."

Uryuu already had a pretty good idea of what it was. Ryuuken had been attacked by the same arrancar that attacked Afro-san. He was exhibiting all the same symptoms. Judging by the havoc wreaked on his office, he could assume Ryuuken didn't go down easily. So why did the monster leave? Why didn't it finish the job? A possible answer formed in his mind.

"Doctor, was there anyone else found with my father?" He asked.

The doctor looked a little surprised. "No, your father was alone when we found him. Why do you ask?"

Uryuu ignored the question. "Did anyone see a young woman with glasses and dark hair nearby?"

"I remember seeing someone like that earlier." The doctor said as rubbed his chin. "I don't remember seeing her lately, but it's chaotic around here right now."

Uryuu reached out with his senses. There was no trace of Reiko anywhere. That wouldn't be unusual if she were hiding. That meant he had to look for some other way to find her. After a moment's concentration, he felt it. It was very brief and faint, but unmistakable. The reiatsu of an arrancar. He even knew who it was. It was the one he had faced in an alley days ago. His reiatsu signature flickered and moved quickly away from the hospital. No doubt he was too injured to properly mask his presence. Mentally tracing the route he was taking, a destination became clear.

"I have to go." He blurted out.

"Wait, where are you going?" The doctor asked. It was too late. Uryuu had already exited the building at a run.

Nemu stood before the senkaimon gate clutching her phone. She could just text the news to Uryuu, but that seemed so impersonal. On the other hand, the thought of telling him face to face made her nervous. She looked at her phone for what seemed like the thousandth time. Finally, she put it away. This had to be done right. She would do it in person. It would be a pain stopping to get a gigai. She wondered how he would take it. Would he be happy? She couldn't see him getting angry. It was a lot to deal with all of the sudden. She really had no idea how he would react. She took a deep breath, screwed her courage to the sticking point, and entered the gate.

Uryuu approached with caution, seele schneider in his left hand. It was odd that Reiko had run to his little private spot. He supposed it made some sense. It was away from people and property. She would be able to fight more effectively with no witnesses around. Still, he hadn't felt anything from her as he tracked the arrancar that was chasing her. Using the trees for cover, he made his way to the clearing by the waterfall. Just through the leaves and tall grass, he saw her. She was standing perfectly still with her back to him, arms at her side. In front of her, the form of what looked like a man would flicker like an old television screen, revealing the arrancars true form. His teeth were bared in anger as he said something to Reiko. They were too far away for him to hear. No doubt she was too terrified to move. On the other hand, with the arrancar focusing on Reiko, he should have a clear shot. He summoned his bow and set a seele schneider on its string.

"Ijima, duck!" he shouted.

She whirled around in surprise, but did as she was told. The arrancar looked completely stunned at his attack and stood there with his mouth open. Before he could recover, the seele schneider hit him right between the eyes. He didn't even have time to scream before he dissolved away.

Reiko ran to Uryuu and buried her face in his chest.

"Uryuu! Thank you! I was so scared."

He extinguished his bow and put his arms around her instinctively, stroking her hair to calm her down.

"Shhh, shhh, it's all right now." He reassured her.

She began to sob. "But your father got hurt. He was fighting the arrancar and I ran. I didn't help him."

"It's all right." Uryuu said. "You did the right thing. That was too much for you to handle, you would only have gotten hurt. Ryuuken's alright. He's injured pretty badly, but he'll get better."

"I still should have done more." She said.

"There's nothing more you could have done." He replied. "I'm just glad you survived."

She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "Really? I thought you didn't like me."

Uryuu gave her a rueful grin as he stepped away from her. "Our differences have nothing to do with it. Protecting the innocent is the Quincy way. Isn't it?"

She took off her glasses and wiped her eyes as she smiled back at him. "I suppose so. I still have a lot to learn I guess."

"Let me go retrieve my seele schneider. " He said. "Then I'll take you back to the hospital."

He turned away from her towards where the arrow was lying on the ground. The sudden change in reiatsu hit him a split second before the zampakuto erupted from his abdomen. He froze in shock and pain, watching as the blade slowly withdrew. Staggering around to look behind him, his hands over his wound, he saw an insect like arrancar holding its sword in a mocking salute, his blood dripping from the guard. The creature grabbed its mask in its free hand and lifted it like a visor to reveal the face of…Reiko.

"Surprise." She sneered.

"How it this possible?" He blurted out. "You're a Quincy!"

She curled her lip in contempt. "Wrong Ishida-sama. I WAS a Quincy. 200 years ago. Didn't you know what happens to Quincy's who are turned to hollows? Why do you think the Quincy started killing hollows? Think about it. Most humans when they are turned have no powers. They bring nothing with them when they change. Not us. I can do everything I could do in life. That makes me even more an abomination in the eyes of the oh-so-righteous Quincy. "

She laughed at the look of shock on Uryuu's face. "Ah, something the little prodigy didn't know? Did your precious grandfather hide that fact from you?"

Her laughter angered Uryuu. He raised his hands to strike her down… and found he couldn't. His hands moved slowly away from abdomen to his side before he lost the ability to move them. Numbness was creeping up his extremities.

"Bet you're feeling the effects of my Vespa's poison." She jeered at him as she waved her sword. "The stronger you are, the longer it takes to affect you. Your father was able to fight for a long time. He almost finished off poor Sargon before we escaped."

Uryuu's arms were now totally numb. He began to feel the paralysis creeping towards his chest. He tried to open his mouth to speak, finding it almost impossible.

"Why?" He forced out between clenched teeth.

"Why what?" She replied. "Why did I pose as a normal Quincy you mean? I'm guessing that's what you want to know. I may as well tell you. I have plenty of time, you're not going anywhere, ha, ha, ha. "

She strode over to Uryuu and seized his right wrist. With a savage jerk, she yanked the cross from his arm. She dangled it in front of his eyes.

"This is what I need. With the secret to making Quincy weapons modified to enhance hollow abilities, my army will be unstoppable. Now I know what you're thinking. You need to have the talent to use that knowledge. Just as I said before, I can do everything I did in life. My father was the clan chief and grandmaster weaponsmith 200 years ago. He trained my brother in the art, but the talent is in me as well. Once I get my hands on that knowledge, nothing will stand in my way. I and my followers will rule Hueco Mundo and hollows will feast on the souls of the living and dead like never before!"

She dropped his cross in the dust and stepped close to stroke his immobile face.

"Now that I know your father has the scroll, I don't need you anymore. I'm sure he'll give it to me in exchange for his only son. Of course, he won't know that you're already gone. I can tell you from experience, nothing is as delicious as a Quincy's soul."

She leaned in close and licked his face from chin to hairline, shuddering in anticipation. Uryuu was powerless to resist her obscene actions.

"Or maybe I could convert you too." She whispered in his ear. "It's not so bad you know. I still remember when it happened to me.

She leaned back to stare deeply into Uryuu's eyes. Her expression was at once euphoric and despairing.

"My team was hunting a pack of dangerous hollows. I got separated and they caught me. They thought it would be fun to turn me and watch me eat the rest of my team. You have no idea what it feels like when the hunger takes you. It's a pain and a desire like nothing a mortal can conceive. When the time came, I lured them out, one at a time. They saw their friend, Ijima Reiko. They had no reason to suspect me. I ate my best friend. I ate my brother. I even ate my once beloved husband."

She closed her eyes, her body quivering at the long ago memory.

"They tasted so good!" She moaned. "Nothing else comes close. Not humans, not shinigami, not even the hollows who converted me. Only Quincy souls can truly satisfy me. You should have seen my son when I came back to the village. He was so happy, so trusting, holding out his hands and shouting 'Mama! Mama!"

She laughed in a high pitched, almost hysterical manner. It went on for a disturbingly long time. She abruptly stopped. Stepping back, she slapped his face hard.

"No," she snarled, "you rejected me. I guess that means you'll break my long fast from Quincy souls. Rest assured I will take my time to savor every morsel. After you, there's only your father left."

By this time, black spots were dancing in Uryuu's vision as he fought for breath. He struggled to retain consciousness as the arrancar opened her mouth and prepared to feed.

"Uryuu!" Nemu's voice called out. "Uryuu, are you there? I have to talk to you. It's important."

"Looks like we have company." Reiko said. "I have an idea."

Uryuu watched as her form wavered and blurred until she looked like a normal person again. She turned his rigid body so his back was to the trail and wrapped her arms around him. She stood up on tiptoe and pressed her lips against his stiff mouth.

Nemu entered the clearing still calling for him. "Uryuu? Oh there you are, I…"

She stared at what she saw before her without comprehending. Uryuu and Reiko? What were they doing?

"What's going on here?" She quietly asked.

Reiko stopped pretending to kiss Uryuu and looked at her. "Oh it's you. Do you mind? You're invading our privacy."

"What are you talking about?" Nemu demanded. "Uryuu?"

"He's with me now, sister." Reiko smirked as she stepped around Uryuu's body. "He's finally realized he's better off with one of his own kind. He doesn't need you anymore."

"Is this true Uryuu?" She asked to his back. "Are you really choosing her over me?"

He couldn't answer of course. He could hear Nemu starting to cry.

"Uryuu, look at me!" she pleaded.

Reiko waved her hands in a dismissive gesture. "Face it girlfriend. You're yesterday's news. Go on home. You're not wanted here."

Uryuu listened as Nemu fought to hold back her tears. He heard her feet twist on the sand and gravel as she turned away and ran back up the path.

Reiko threw back her head and laughed. "You should have seen the look on her face!"

She stepped back around to Uryuu's front and stopped for a second to put her hands on her hips.

"Very clever, using ransotengai to keep breathing. Given time, you may even be able to fight back."

Her figure wavered again as she returned to her arrancar form. "Too bad you're not going to get it. Now where were we?"

Once again, she leaned forward with her mouth open, preparing to devour his soul.

"Byakurai #4!" Nemu shouted.

The blast of lightning caught Reiko and flung her aside. Nemu, now in shinigami form, leaped to attack. Caught off guard and off balance, Reiko absorbed several punishing kicks as Nemu whirled on her hands, her feet effortlessly finding gaps in the arrancars defenses. Finding her balance, Reiko managed to effectively block once more, and began to counter with her sword. Nemu seemed to dance between the thrusts and slashes, her style changing to incorporate punches and attempting to trap Reiko's sword arm.

As Uryuu struggled to extend his control to his limbs, the two combatants seemed evenly matched. Trying to move, he only succeeded in falling on his face.

Nemu made a mistake. Overextended on a strike, Reiko used sonido to get behind her. She stabbed Nemu through the right shoulder. Nemu screamed and clutched at the blade with her hands.

"Can you feel the poison working its way into your system, bitch?" Reiko snarled. "Soon you won't be able to move. Shinigami make a poor desert after dining on a Quincy, but you know what? I'm going to let you watch as I rip your boyfriend's soul to shreds before I eat you."

She began to laugh as she waited for Vespa's poison to do its work. Nemu took first one deep breath, then another. With a fearsome cry, she struck the blade with her left hand while bracing it with her right. As the blade snapped in half, she snatched the fragment before it could fall with her right hand and twisted her body to plunge it into Reiko's thigh! Now it was the arrancar's turn to scream as she limped backwards holding her leg. She dropped her zampakuto as she pulled at the broken blade buried deep in her flesh.

"How did you do that?" She howled.

Nemu did not feel obliged to inform her that only Mauri-sama's Ashisogi Jizo could paralyze her. She ignored her wounds as she once again went on the attack. Reiko pulled the blade from her leg and threw it at Nemu's head. Ducking to avoid it, she was left open. Reiko used the opportunity to seize Nemu's hair and pull her into her striking range. Forcing herself to stand on her injured leg, Reiko drove her knee into Nemu's stomach, over and over until she felt the shinigmi lose resistance. Smashing Nemu across the face with an elbow strike, she watched in satisfaction as the other woman fell to the ground, holding her stomach and trying to breathe.

Reiko limped over to where her blade had fallen. She put the two pieces back together.

"A valiant effort shinigami. Too bad it earned you nothing."

Holding her zampakuto, she called out its name to regain her true hollow form.

"Defile your prey, Vespa!"

Nemu struggled into a kneeling position as Reiko transformed. All of the arrancar's wounds were healed as she changed into an even more insect like creature. Instead of a sword, her right arm had changed into one long, ivory colored stinger. She looked down at Nemu's defiant eyes.

"Its over." She said. She drew her stinger back and thrust it straight at Nemu's head.

Nemu wasn't there when it arrived.

Reiko felt a vicious blow to her right side and barely caught a glimpse of Nemu as she swung at her. Off balance, she was hit on her left side. Trying to recover, it seemed to make no difference what she did. Nemu seemed to be everywhere, hitting with little style or finesse, substituting instead an unmistakable savagery. Every blow seemed to be calculated not just to hurt, but to punish. This was reinforced by Nemu's face. The few times Reiko managed to catch a glimpse as she desperately tired to fight back, the shinigami's face was a mask of grim determination. Lashing out, Reiko missed striking Nemu again, instead imbedding her stinger arm deep into a tree trunk. Appearing like magic, Nemu locked Reiko into an arm bar and wrenched upward. Reiko's arm snapped under the pressure. She wailed in agony and tried to counter attack with her left hand. Nemu contemptuously swatted it aside and seized her by the throat.

Like a piledriver, Nemu used her free hand to strike her opponent's face over and over. Reiko's weak attempts to defend herself were ignored. She tried to block Nemu's assault, but her left hand fell lower and lower until it hung limp at her side. Her mask shattered under Nemu's relentless pounding. It was then that Nemu realized Reiko was no longer fighting back. She stopped hitting her and let her go. Reiko slumped to her knees. Only her arm, still stuck in the tree's trunk, kept her from falling over.

"Mercy, shinigami." She croaked through bruised lips. "Mercy."

Nemu stood on legs shaky with a combination of fatigue and adrenaline. She looked down on the pitiable creature. The arrancar had tried to kill her. She had threatened to kill the love of her life. She ran a hand absently over her stomach, feeling the waves of pain inside. The hollow may even have taken away the most precious thing of all.

"Very well arrancar." She said as she took her jade seal out of her sleeve. "Here is your mercy."

She brought the seal down on the injured woman's forehead. Light poured out of Reiko's body as her soul was cleansed. Before she faded completely away and shrank down to a bubble of light, her relieved eyes met Nemu's for one last time.

"Thank you." She whispered. Then she was gone.

The rush of combat over, Nemu had to fight the sudden fatigue that inevitably came afterward. She struggled over to where Uryuu was actually managing to get up.

"Here." She said. "Let me help you."

She put his arm over her shoulder and helped him stand.

"You came back." He wheezed. "You weren't fooled?"

Nemu snorted. "Of course not. I just needed to put my gigai somewhere safe. Even if you didn't have that obvious wound in your back, I would never have doubted you."

She stopped to look him in the eye. "The Uryuu I know would never betray me. You are honest and true and love with a pure heart. That's why I love you." She gave him a light kiss. "Now save your breath. We both need medical attention. "

They leaned against each other for support as they staggered up the path.

"Nemu." Uryuuu forced out. "What was it you were trying to tell me earlier? You said it was important."

Nemu forced herself not to think about what may be happening inside. She knew if she thought about it too much, she might break down. If she lost the baby because of this fight, she didn't know what she would do. She had to go to the fourth division immediately. Until she knew the baby was safe, there was no point in telling Uryuu.

"It was nothing." She said. "Now be good and save your breath like I told you."

Ryuuken entered the library and turned on the light. He felt irritable and clumsy with his arm in a sling. Doctors are notorious for being lousy patients. Approaching the bookshelf, he reached for one volume in particular he hadn't touched in years. Setting it down on his desk, he opened the drawer on top and pulled out a small key. Turning it in the books lock, he opened the cover. The book was not actually a book at all. It was a small container made of reika gin, the same soul-synthesized silver he used to construct his underground training area. Inside was the bronze scroll.

So this was the cause of all that fuss, he thought as he picked the smooth metal cylinder up.

His mind went back to the day he took it from Souken. He remembered what his father had said to him. Well it hadn't worked. He still had no desire to be a Quincy. A doctor was all he had wanted to be and he was damned successful at it. He had seen nothing in his lifetime to convince him the world needed Quincy's anymore. Still, his father had been right about one thing. He couldn't just turn it off. His little struggle with the arrancar proved that. It didn't matter. As long as they left him alone, he would continue to focus on helping the living.

But what about Souken's request? Should he pass this knowledge on to Uryuu. He stared at the scroll for a long time as he thought about it. Finally, he put it away. He couldn't give it to Uryuu he decided. The boy simply had no talent. He locked the scroll back in its container and put it on the shelf. As he exited the library, he paused to turn out the light.

The End.