A week later after a long day at the office on paperwork day, and one last order to clean the closets, Tina returned to her room. Ginger and Pip were not there. They must be at dinner, I guess. She sat at her desk, pulled out a mirror and a wide tooth comb from her drawer.

She glanced over at her bed and grimaced. She knelt down next to her bed and pulled out a small lockbox hidden underneath. I shops probably just find somewhere to dispose of this. Burn it our something. She opened it up and found the small notebook I the box again. She picked it up and placed it in an inside picket of her shihakushou.

Tina nestled back into her chair and pulled down her hair from the right bun she usually wore and began to pull the comb through the ends first . Her hair was a pile of kinky medium brown curls. It took only a few moments to neat up her hair, she wiped her face with a simple cleanser. She followed up with applying a scentless moisturizer to her deep brown skin. It was smooth and soft and she was very proud of how even it was and of her clear complexion.

"Hi!" said Pip from the doorway.

Tina gave her a quick glance before she applied a fresh coast of lip gloss. "Oh, hi Pip, I figured you and Ginge went to dinner without me." She turned to face her roommate. "You're getting really good at hiding your reiatsu. I didn't even notice you approach- What's wrong?"

Tina noticed Pip was not herself somehow, but decided to wait to find out more. Maybe she will share if there is a problem. Otherwise, I will figure it out.

"Where is Pip? Should we grab her and go to dinner?" asked as she stood and picked up her zanpaktuou out of habit and slid it in her belt sash.

"Pip needs help" said Ginger dispassionately. "We should go to her."

That's why she is off. Shine kind of trauma. Tina flashed to her friend's side "Oh no, let's go! What's wrong? Snap out of it Ginger!" Tina grabbed Ginger's shoulder and knew something was very very wrong. She looked at her hand on Ginger's shoulder and said, quietly, but afraid, "Are you alright? Maybe we should go to the 4th squad first?" she's cold, maybe it's from shock.

"No" said Pip very controlled. "We should go to Pip." In a voice that implied her thoughts were far away she said "Pip needs us. They aren't right. Pip just needs time."

That sent a chill down Tina's spine. She looked over her friend whose lifeless eyes gazed back at her. "IPips in trouble? Do we need others? Should…" Maybe it's best to check this out on my own first and call for back up if it really is serious."

"No, just come with me." With an eerie trying to her voice Ginger said "It's okay. Pip needs assistance. We will all be happier if Pip has help."

Tina did not feel good about this situation but felt it best to wait and see before she knew what action to take.

The two girls walked for a long while. Tina watched Ginger as they walked, but said nothing. They finally came to a clearing where a large rockface jutted out of the ground. There was a door Ginger led Tina through that opened into a large white some. "Jeez, Ginger, what is this place?"

"It's Pip's lab" she said walking straight on through, taking no now of the sheer size of the structure. "She is doing work here. She found the equipment and is working."

Tina was completely flabbergasted. "What? What koi n of work? What are you even talking about? We do administrative work! We don't use labs! That's the 12th squad's realm!"

"Pip is making them" she said as she disappeared to a small door on the other end. "She is making them for us" came her voice as an echo.

Tina wanted to ruin away, but knew there was something here that she had to see. She could sense Pip's reiatsu close by. "Yeah, sure" she swallowed. "wait up!"

Tina was startled by the sound of her own sandals slapping on the stone floor. She caught up and ran through the door. She found Ginger holding a torch and walking down a rough stone staircase. The deeper the staircase wound down the rougher the settings became.

The terror was boiling in Tina's stomach. What is happening? What had happened to my friends? What are they doing here? What have they DONE?

At the end of the staircase was a large cavern full of stalagmites and stalactites. They were backlit by artificial lights to allow one to walk through. Tina could feel they were deep Underground, away from anyone who could see or hear them. They were in danger. The damp walk easy came to an end and there was one last entrance.

Tina had never been more afraid on her life. A pink light beamed out of the large rectangular entrance and she heard a strange bubbling sound asking with a constant hum.

Tina watched Pip walk slowly in and followed.

The scene that greeted her was an unnatural horror. Tina's mouth gaped at her friends as they stupid proudly in front of a series of large tubes, filled with bubbling pink liquid… and bodies.

"Pip… what… what is this?" Tina staggered into the room.

Pip stepped forward, madness chilled her eyes "For us! I think they were left over from some old experiment. I figured out how to turn it all on again…" she tapped the glowing n computer displays. "Look, Tina, we can make them OURS! There were some others who don't matter" She gestured to the other bodies that did not have hair yet.

Tina took a few deep breaths to stop her hands from shaking. She walked up, around the computers, and closer to a tank at the black haired body therein. It floated upright, and drifted unconscious to face her. "Kuchiki Byakuya!" she gasped.

Pip came up behind her and grabbed her shoulders. Tina could feel the menace in her friends hands. "I'm growing him for you. But…"She sighed, and became choked up "But he isn't how you want him. I can't get him quite right. Kyokyo turned out bad, so back in the tube for him!"

Tina's eyes flickered to the other tubes. They were empty. "K-K-kyokyo is out there?" she stuttered in disbelief her friends could do such things.

She felt the hands drop and Pip's bubblegum scented breath breath brushed her ear "Yes, but he isn't causing trouble anymore. He won't hurt anyone again. He promised."

Tina looked at Pip and was uncertain of what made the junior Shinigami snap. There had been no signs of illness during the days leading up to this moment. She felt light headed. "Pip, we need to go. Away from here."

"No…NO!" yelled Pip. "You youyouyou-" she gripped her head and shook it "No! You sound like GINGER did!" Pip pointed at Ginger and Tina felt a stone in her belly. Pip breathed heavily through gritted teeth for a moment, and then found control again "Until I fixed her. She's much better now, right? No mean words from Ginger. She's the perfect friend."

"Oh my gods, Pip… you didn't…" whispered Tina, und me to find e nigh air to form words.

"I did a good job on Ginger, right Tina? I'll do the same for Kuchiki."

Tina needed time. Time to confirm what was happened, to catch her breath, and to find a way out. Ginger, or whatever that is, needs to move away from the entrance. Tina turned back to the naked Kuchiki in the tube. "Mod souls?"

"No, no, these are made from our captain's. I don't know how, but their spirit essences were stored here." Pip tapped the computers.

"That's amazing" said Tina,her mind daring around, hoping she sounded genuine. I remember accidentally seeing some confidential documents that mentioned something called regai. They tried to cover up that incident, but the rumors persisted. Copies of the captain's would've been too disruptive a story. The rank and file Shinigami may not have fallen in line as easily if they didn't trust their captain's to be real. If that was true, then this must've been where the regai captains were made…

Pdonup continued to ramble "I don't know what I did wrong, they came out wrong, but I can keep trying! We can have them! If I joy is a good one now."

"I…that's not…" Tina was really afraid. "Wow." She looked at the regai body of Kuchiki bobbing in the pink fluid and said "Wow…" again. "So? Does Kurotsuchi know about this?"

Ginger stepped towards her two friends and away from the entrance.

Pip laughed madly "What? Of course not!"

Tina was trying to find a way out. Her friend was clearly unstable. "It's an impressive feat. How did you manage all of this on your own?"

"She didn't really!" Tina turned around slowly . Ginger stood behind her looking ghoulish in the pink light.

Tina sensed the danger from Ginger. This Ginger did not like Tina. She saw an opportunity to escape She did not hesitate. She hopped easily over the table between her and the exit and ran. She sped through the rocky hallway, up the winding stairs and back into the white dome and saw the exit slowly closing. Tina drew all her limited strength and flash step right up to the door just in time to roll out into the fresh night air. She scrambled to her feet then ran across the dirt and back into the white marble streets she knew so well.

Tina turned a corner and Ginger was there waiting for her. Tina did not slow down and drew her a sword and slashed her friend down without hesitation. Instead of red blood on her blade she saw Ginger had turned into brown dust. Tina screeched as she ran through the cloud of the clone of her own friend. Was Pip going to make me into one of those things? What happened to the real Ginger?

She ran down the empty street at night and she returned to the 13th squad barracks looking for her Captain. I may be transferring, but he's still my captain. She flung decorum to the wind and headed straight for his personal rooms "TAICHO!" she screamed before she got there "TAICHO!"

He popped out from a random door and she slid to her knees and stopped at his feet. Some lights came on and a few annoyed and groggy squad members stuck their heads out to check, but Ukitake, still dressed in his uniform waved them back in their rooms. She held in tears and quickly summarized what she witnessed.

"That's very serious, indeed" said Ukitake.

"Hoo-hoo, why do you always get in such trouble, Tina-chan?" said Kyoraku through the rice paper doors. He slid open the door and laughed.

Tina had heard Kyoraku had been taken into custody and was frozen in fear of what she knew was a Kyoraku-regai.

Ukitake crouched down then stroked her cheek and Tina knew they were both regai and she was in trouble. Knowing it wasn't her captain, she leapt back off the engawa and landed neatly in the grass.

Ukitake-regai teased her "Were you not just calling for me, Tina-san? You know I'm always here for you." His voice was a bit dreamy and his eyes held no familiar warmth.

She saw Kyoraku's eyes light up and flash in the dark and her hand went straight for the hilt of her sword.

"I bet you wish you had that in the closet with you." Said a familiar voice from behind her.

"Oh no" she gasped and began to shake. She didn't want to see, but Kuchiki regai stepped form the bushes. "I still don't like that story."

She slowly turned to meet his crazed gaze. His eyes were not the cool secretive gaze of her young crush but the narrow pupils and jittery manner of a regai gone terribly wrong.

The other two spot on. Mine? Kuchiki regai twitched. Completely defective. Thanks a lot Pip.

"Pip-san told me I had been naughty. Very naughty" Kuchiki-regai became enraged and his features contorted while he yelled "and she put me in the tube again!"

Tina knew she was no match for a captain no less three of them, but she drew her sword anyway.

Ukitake-regai laughed heartily and Kyoraku-regai took a sip from his jug of sake. "Oh, Tina-san" said Ukitae-regai "It's probably best of you put that way. If you put that away and take your punishment, now, I won't have to tell Yamamoto how disruptive you've been." A strange light crackled in his eyes again hinting at the power that lay beneath. She took her fear and channeled it in deeper. She gripped her sword and leapt further back putting distance between her and the three false captains. In an instant Ukitake regai was on her, but she had not forgotten about the others. Ukitake regai clashed swords with her and slid his hilt up to block her sword. She tried to back away, but found she bumped backward into a drunk Kyoraku-regai. "Oh gods" she breathed.

Kyoraku-regai lifted his sword overhead and said "We can't have you running around telling on us. We're the real captains now. You have to go."

She couldn't lift her sword as Ukitake-regai had her sword locked with his at the hilt. He grabbed her wrist. Then a blade came from behind and nearly went through her face as it came out from Kyorako-regai's chest. It slid back out again and Ukitake regai yelled to his false friend. "Kyoraku!"

As he fell to the floor the genuine Kyoraku appeared behind him. Ukitake-regai watched in horror as his companion turned to dust and the pill left behind fell in the grass.

"There's a Kuchiki too!" blurted Tina wanting to explain everything, but not having the time.

The real Koyraku-taicho nodded and locked swords with the Ukitake regai and Tina turned to Kuchiki-regai. He shook his head and yelled in frustration or pain. He took hold of his sword but dropped to his knees in torment gripping his skull. Tina approached swiftly from behind and raised her sword. In an instant she heard "Scatter…" and thought her life was over.

A sea of blades streamed towards her, but instead of pink they were blue. She crossed her blade with the sea and found he used it only to push her away before he brought it back to himself. He stood up and not in full control, but more coherently said "Tina-san is that how you treat your love?"

She swiped at him in response and he laughed, wildly, with menace. He said "I am the fastest. You can't run away from me." He sounded out of breath, as though he had already been through a battle. Tina decided to calm herself and watch. He brought his blue senbonzakura around them in a swirling globe cutting her off from Kyoraku-taicho. Kuchiki-regai immediately bound her with a kido seal. "Bakudou 62! Hyappo Rankan!"

The spell bound her hands to the ground so using kidou was out of the question. She had to drop her sword to prevent from falling on it. She tried to wriggle away from him, but the spell had her pinned to the floor, panting, sweating, and dirty, Tina searched wildly for a solution.

Byakuya-regai laughed at her efforts a with a crooked smile as he approached. The kidou spell took something out of him and appeared winded. "Don't go" he said with a sick teasing tone. "I need to give you all my love" he laughed again, but this time so hard he barely had any air left for voicing the laugh. He stepped closer and closer and Tina drew up her knees away from him. "Hush hush" he said bladeless hilt still in hand. His eyes crackled and he got down on his knees and crawled closer.

Tina drew her feet up, then when he was close kicked him hard in the face. He dropped the hilt and the eerie blue senbonzakura faltered for a moment falling like glitter out of place. Tina wanted to cover her face but could not raise her hands. They were pinned to the ground over her head. She watched in abject horror as a thousand blue blades fell from the sky towards her. One nicked her cheek before Kuchiki-regai gripped the hilt and halted the blades midair. He looked towards her on his hands and knees again, enraged. "You little piece of filth! You are beneath me, but I must be with you. You dare reject me? I should-AH!" he gripped his head, disheveling his hair and sat back on his heels, throwing his head back as he screamed in pain.

The blades faltered for a moment again until he came back to his senses. Tina realized Every time he has an angry thought about me he has one of those attacks. Hurting me causes him pain. Actual physical pain. She watched the swirling blue glinting shards around them in the moonlight. I can't distract him or it's instant death. The blades fall out of place too easily.

Kuchiki-regai gained his composure and crawled up to her like a muscular spider. "You understand now." He said calmer than before. He put his hands on her knees. "I'm only trying to love you. If you hurt me" he smiled knowing she understood their situation. She again tried to wriggle away, but to no avail. She tried to kick him away, but he grabbed her legs and he easily overpowered her. He used the bakudo again to pin her ankles to the damp grass. "Uh-uh-uh" he chided with a finger. "You don't want to hurt me." He then pointed to the swirling cloud of blades around them. The blue began to take on a purple hue and they were both a bit confused. The cloud exploded outward and it was replaced by the awe inspiring pink hue which could only be the real Senbonzakura. A single blade sliced through Kuchiki-regai's chest and he simply turned to dust. Tina's kidou bonds shattered and she immediately tried to stand.

She found that her legs were wobbly as an after effect of the kidou spell and she fell forward towards Captain Kuchiki. She experienced the next few moments in slow motion. She was falling directly towards her love, the man she admired and longed for above all others. As she fell her cheeks blushed as a strange mixture of embarrassment and pleasure coursed through her veins. The anticipation of being in his arms after he so gallantly and skillfully slayed her enemy and rescued her from certain death thrilled her like no other moment she could remember. Then he stepped to the side and she face-planted in the cold, hard, wet ground. As she pushed herself up and plucked blades of grass from her hair, and wiped mulch from her cheek, she saw him bend over and pick up the candy type pill from the ground that had been his disheveled doppelganger.

"Pip-san" said Tina, panting, and sitting on the ground. "She found this lab, and notes, I had no idea until tonight. I can take you to the lab."

He eyed the pill and then raised his hilt to the sky and brought Senbonzakura back home to its blade form. He looked over to Kyorako-taicho turning Ukitake-regai to dust with a swipe of his sword.

Tina found the strength to stand and she followed Kuchiki over to Kyorako-taicho who was also examining the candy coated pill. "Tina-san. You seem to know what's happening."

She said "Sort of. Ginger-san took me to a lab she found. Pip is my roommate. I think it's where she found the, um, the regai…" Tina was at a loss for words at how to describe the work "…recipe for all this." She's talented, but not creating regai talented.

Kuchiki cut in "They are low quality."

Tin added "I noticed. A lot of glitches."

"Good news for us though" said Kyoraku. "It made them easy to defeat."

Tina looked down, ashamed she couldn't hold her own.

"Oh, Tina-san" cooed Kyoraku spotting her insecurity. "Don't be so hard on yourself. Even if they weren't great copies, they weren't weak. They have a captain's level of spirit power."

"But not the nuance nor skill or experience of the real thing" interrupted Kuchiki. He spared her a glance and said "But still, very brave on your part to draw your sword."

"Thank you, captains." She bowed, unsure of what else to do.

"Now" said Kyoraku "Let's head off to this lab."

Ukitake appeared, panting, then dropped to a knee coughing. Kyhoraku came to his friend's side to comfort him "Good thing thou bailed me out when you did old friend" he smiled. "But with all those signatures you needed to give I had to fight without you. "

Ukitake chuckled as his coughing slowed. "Ah, I see. I'm sorry I was caught up dealing with the Vice Captain regai."

"Vice captain regai? Taicho?" asked Tina in disbelief.

Ukitake nodded in confirmation. "How many of these things are there?" she wondered out loud.

Ukitake coughed as Kyoraku-taicho and Kuchiki-taicho exchanged knowing glances. "We'll go ahead to this lab." Said Kyoraku to Kuchiki and Tina. "You" he patted Ukitake gently on the shoulder "Should stay behind and take a rest." Ukitake stood and some other squad members appeared and took him to his room.

Tina and the captains were off. Kuchiki and Kyoraku flash stepped with the speed and accuracy of accomplished officers they were and Tina could not keep up. She simply followed as fast as she could and they had to wait for her to catch up. She knew where the lab was, not them. She arrived, panting and pointed "That way…" and drew from a fading reserve of energy to push ahead. She noticed the stern faced Kuchiki and the sly smile on Kyoraku's face.

"Hm?" Tina knew they had discussed something beforehand they waited for her to arrive. Before she knew it she was smiling broadly and flying through the forest, over the tree tops at top speed in the arms of Kuchiki -taicho. She pointed and directed the captains to quickly arrive at the entrance of the complex. Kuchiki dropped her on arrival without warning, but she managed to get her feet underneath her before hitting the ground.

Kyoraku frowned at his colleagues and checked on Tina who was dusting herself off. She had leaves and pine needles stuck in her clothing since she didn't have the special fabric of a captain's cloak to shield her. Kyoraku caught her eye, looked over at Kuchiki who was already examining the entrance then back at her. His eyebrows jumped and he winked at her intimating he knew she enjoyed the ride. She blushed then tried to suppress a smile, but failed.

"This way" she said and they entered, unhindered. It wasn't long before they were in the lab and the pink light was casting frightening shadows across their faces. "I don't know what most of this stuff is, but there was only one body over in those tubes" she gestured to the glass columns of bubbling pink liquid. "And the Kuchiki one was in this one".

"They must've been the Vice Captains Ukitake fought" said Kuchiki examining the tubes more closely.

Tina and Kyoraku heard a sniffle and their eyes met. Tina nodded and walked slowly around to the back of the tubes where there was a narrow space. She kept a hand on the hilt of her sword, uncertain of who or what she would find. Pip was sitting on the floor, nestled between the curve of two empty tubes. When she saw Tina she cried out "It wasn't supposed to be this way!" She cried, but Tina, cool as always, did not let down her guard. She said "Come on, Pip, time to go. Let's get out of here."

"I-I-I can't leave. I-I-just can't!" she blurted.

Tina leaned on the wall and watched Kuchiki walk to the opposite end, but not around behind the tubes. Pip was cornered. "I don't think you have a choice" said Tina trying to get her friend to come out of her own volition.

"No"!" she screamed with a highpitched screech. It made Tina flinch and with less patience she said "If you don't come out, it's going to get rough. Disciplineplpp wise it will be better if you simply turn yourself over."

Pip stood and Tina sighed with relief. Very suddenly Pip threw a dagger and it hit Tina square in the chest.

Tina staggered back confused looking down at the hilt sticking out of her chest, uncertain if she should touch it. Kuchiki simply flash stepped up behind Pip, and restrained her. She was a very average Shinigami, and with one flare of his reiatsu she passed out.

Kyoraku ran to Tina's side as she stumbled down to the ground. "Tina-chan!" he said concern spilling across his face.

"It's funny" she said "I…I don't feel it-"

After Kuchiki assessed the situation, he picked up Pip and saw Kyoraku take hold of Tina. "I'll send help!"

"Wait!" shouted Tina "No need." She sat up and started to pull on the blade.

The captains both protested loudly "No!" "Fool!"

She yoinked it out and the men gawked at the lack of blood. "I have…a thing in my clothing here that I've been carrying." Tina patted her chest where the knife had hit her.

"A thing?" questioned Kyoraku.

Tina smiled widely "Yes, a thing. A…" It was the notebook, but she did not want to tell them she had it. "A…note pad." Never gonna catch me. She smiled inwardly.

Kuchiki rolled his eyes. "I am taking the prisoner in. Please report in to your captain, Tina-san, when you are recovered. Kyoraku, I will write up a report and expect your input end of day tomorrow."

Kyoraku looked over his shoulder at the diligent young captain "Yeah, okay" he said, getting to his feet, and helping Tina stand as well. Kuchiki disappeared with the wind.

Tina and Kyoraku walked out, slowly, and the sun was starting to rise. "Just because you're not bleeding, Tina-san, doesn't mean you don't need to rest. Why don't you take a seat. This was a hard night for you."

"We should really get back, sir."

"You sound like Nanao-chan."

"Where is she?" asked Tina. "She's usually your shadow."

"She and the women's association are on a trip. They went to a resort outside the Seireitei."

The captain and his new subordinate enjoyed their walk back to the barracks.

FIN