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I was walking back to the squad seven barracks when I heard the sound of running feet behind me. I turned and saw Yamada booking it towards me. "What is it?" I asked.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"To the squad seven barracks," I explained.

He looked at me and then shook his head. "There is a party later tonight hosted by the Captain-commander. Everyone is going, even the captains; are you going to go? This is also a way for everyone to find out about each other; you know, seeing what squad you will join."

I thought about it a while. "I guess I will go, but I will have to raid my clothes for something to wear."

He laughed. "You and I both," he said, then stopped and sniffed the air, "but first we are both in strong need of a shower."

"Agreed; I will see you there!" I said, running off.

"It's at squad one barracks at nine!" Yamada yelled, going his own way back to the academy.

I waved to him, showing I heard him. I turned a corner and ran right into Komamura's furry chest.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" growled an amused voice.

"To the nearest shower," I said smiling up at him, "care to join?"

His chest rumbled a bit. "An interesting proposition, but I must decline."

"Why is that?" I said, not really minding.

"It's a surprise. Go get yourself cleaned up, and I should have everything ready when you are done."

"Okay, see you then." I was about to walk away when a heavily muscled arm wrapped itself around my waist. I smiled and turned around just in time for Komamura's kiss to find my lips. We stood there for a moment before Komamura gently placed me back down on the ground.

"Now you can go," he whispered in my ear.

I felt the blood rush to my cheeks as I started to continue on my way. Still something I'm not entirely used to, but I still like it. I made it back to Komamura's quarters without incident. I walked into the small apartment and found Iba already sitting at the desk doing paperwork.

When I came in he looked up and smiled. "That was an amazing match."

"You saw it?" I asked, feeling slightly self-conscious.

"Everybody saw it; and once again it was an amazing match, you fought spectacularly, like a real man!" Iba said excitedly.

"I still lost, and I need to work on my technique," I said, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

"If you stop trying to improve, you will never really amount to anything," Iba said sagely.

I sighed. "True enough. I don't mean to be rude, but I am in desperate need of a shower."

He laughed. "Say no more. The room connected to Captain Komamura's room is the bathroom."

"Thank you," I said and then rushed to the bathroom.

I looked around the giant room and was astounded by the sheer size of it. Idiot, Komamura has to be able to fit into it, so of course it's going to be a big room! I made my way to a gargantuan shower and turned on the hot water. Soon, the area was filled with steam. I stripped naked and immersed myself into the scalding water. I found some shampoo and lathered my dirty hair until I was sure all the dirt and sweat had been removed. I then shifted my focus to my body and was astounded at how much filth there was on me. I scrubbed myself for about ten minutes before I was satisfied, and then I just let myself soak in the water. Outside, I heard Komamura's voice as he greeted Iba. I was still just soaking in the water as I heard the door to the bathroom open and Komamura walked in.

"When you are done in there, there are some new clothes for you out here," he said.

"Actually, I've been done for a while. I just felt like soaking for a bit," I said.

"Well then, I will be waiting," Komamura said, gently shutting the door.

I waited a bit longer under the pouring water and then turned it off. I found a towel hanging next to a bag with my name scrawled on it. I toweled off and made sure that I was completely clean. I took a breath and opened the bag and found a beautifully tailored Hakama with a white top and black bottom. The top was laced with copper and crème vines that bloomed golden flowers. The Kimono was a soft gray pinstripe with a wolf's head on the collar.

I stared at my outfit a bit longer and then slipped it on. To my surprise it fit me perfectly; Komamura had taken great care in getting it made. At the bottom of the bag was a haori my size with the same wolf insignia. I slipped on the final pieces of my garb and found a place where I could strap my Zanpakutõ.

I walked out into the room and saw Komamura lying on his back on the bed. When I was standing by him, he sat up and looked me up and down. "It looks a lot better than I thought it would," he said, studying me.

"I like it; the designs are perfect, and it's comfortable. My favorite, though, is the wolf head," I told him as I fingered my collar.

"I'm glad to hear it," he said.

I flopped down next to him and let out a contended sigh. "It feels good to finally have that stuff behind me."

"It's not over yet; there are still the ceremony tomorrow and the party tonight," Komamura said, absently stroking my face.

"Speaking of which, aren't you going to dress up?" I asked him, eyeing his robes.

"No, the captains don't usually dress up for these events. Does the way I dress bother you?" he asked with a lazy smile touching his face.

"Not at all," I said immediately. We lay there for a bit, with him gently stroking my cheek with one of his fingers. "Do the candidates choose what squad they join, or is it just the captains who make the decisions?"

"The candidates get to choose from a selection of squads that will have them. I would say it comes down to both of them. This party is just a way to see how you would act outside of battle," Komamura said as he stopped caressing my face. "Do you have any preferences?" he asked, trying to make it look like he didn't care.

"Well," I said, sitting up and snuggling against his warm body, "I was thinking that Ukitake was a pretty cool person; then there is Hitsugaya, who seems like an interesting character."

"I see," Komamura said with a sour expression on his face.

I laughed, "I'm just kidding. I have one squad I would specifically want to join, and that is the honorable Squad seven; but I am not sure the captain will take to me, what do you think?"

He relaxed. "I think that could be arranged. I know for a fact the captain would be thrilled to have you as a part of his squad."

I pulled up my feet and leaned into Komamura's side. "I like it here. I'm happy." I close my eyes and let myself relax.

"It makes me glad to hear you say that," Komamura said, putting his arm around me. "I definitely enjoy having you around."

We were both content with sitting there when a light knock came through the door. "Captain Komamura, sir? If you are going to attend the party, you two should probably get going."

"I'd be good with staying here," I said, cuddling with Komamura.

"That doesn't sound too bad to me either, but both of us are expected to be there," Komamura sighed. He unwrapped his arm from around me and stood up, stretching. I followed his example and then stared at him.

I noticed the skin that was tight over muscle, the coat of fur covering him completely, the way he carried himself with strength and confidence, and the eyes that looked like a molten gold mixed with compassion, kindness, and sorrow. Noticing the sorrow, I wanted to find out what was wrong and hold him to me to make him feel better, but I respected him too much to do something like that.

"Shall we go then?" I asked, getting up and stretching my tight muscles.

"I suppose so," Komamura said, readjusting his haori.

"Thank you for the clothes," I said as I straightened my own haori out.

"I couldn't help but notice that you didn't have anything to wear, so I took the liberty of getting you something."

"I appreciate it," I said, grabbing my Zanpakutõ and sliding it into the band around my waist.

"You're bringing it with you?" Komamura asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course I am. If it weren't for her, I probably wouldn't have passed the fighting round." I made sure to put extra emphasis on the word her. "Besides, I never know when I might be attacked," I finished as I adjusted Kagami so it sat more comfortably on my hip.

"Well said. I wasn't complaining, just curious," Komamura said, placing his hand on his own Zanpakutõ.

We both got to the door and came out into the main room where Iba was sitting doing paperwork. "You aren't coming to the party?" I asked.

"Nope, that is for the contestants and the captains only," Iba said without really looking up from his work.

"We'll be back late, Tetsuzaemon. Don't stay up too late," Komamura said, reaching for the door.

"Don't worry about me sir. I won't overdo it," Iba said, finishing a document.

"See you later Lieutenant Iba," I called as Komamura and I headed out into the crisp night air. He just waved.

We made our way out of the compound and headed to the first squad's barracks. We didn't talk, and on the way we passed by Captain Unohona who said she was making a quick stop at someone's house and would be at the party later. We both nodded and then went on our way. I was in my own little world, thinking about the dream I had had earlier, when a pink-haired bullet tackled me from behind.

"HIRO!" the lieutenant from squad eleven yelled.

I picked myself up and caught the breath that had been driven from my lungs when she knocked me to the ground. "Hello, lieutenant," I said after I had finally gotten a breath. I looked down and saw some dust on the haori Komamura had just got me. I patted it and managed to get it off before it could stain. I looked up and saw her holding out her hand expectantly. I rolled my eyes and dropped a piece of butterscotch into her palm. She screamed with joy and ran back in the direction she came from. "She's a little odd," I muttered, despite myself.

Komamura was stiff and then turned around as a giant shadow separated itself from the wall behind us. I turned and watched as a tall muscular man made his way to us with the pink haired girl hanging from his shoulder.

He flashed us a manic smile and then focused on me. "You're the kid who hospitalized that noble brat aren't you?" he asked.

"Yes, that would be me," I said as I realized that this was the captain of squad eleven, the one the girl called Kenny.

His smile widened and his hand went to his sword. "I see you already have your sword with you. That means we can go ahead and have some fun right now."

I swear the guy looked like he was two seconds away from foaming out the mouth like a rabid dog. "I don't know what you mean," I lied.

The guy laughed. It was the laugh of a criminally insane person that should be put down immediately before he could hurt someone. "What I mean is that I want to fight you." He had his sword drawn as the last word fell from his lips. "What do you say?"

Komamura had his hand tight on his sword's hilt. This guy won't give up until he gets what he wants, That much is clear. I don't want to fight him, at least not without a medical technician standing by. Komamura looks like he is ready to kill the guy, but I don't want Komamura to get hurt. I snapped my fingers as I came up with my idea. Komamura shot me a look, but I waved it off.

"Sure, I'll fight you," I said. The maniac's eye lit up like a Christmas tree, "but not tonight, and when I do there better be someone from squad four nearby; and finally, I want an open space where people won't go flying through buildings." I listed the demands.

He seemed a little deflated when I mentioned squad four and the fact it would not happen tonight, but he seemed thrilled at the realization he would get what he wanted. "Deal!" Without another word, the couple went on their way to the party.

"What were you thinking?" Komamura growled angrily.

"I was thinking that guy is a lunatic that probably wouldn't be satisfied until someone was cut up into hunks of meat, and that I don't want to see you get hurt over something so stupid," I said as I continued walking.

Komamura was right beside me. "But now you will get hurt. I'm built stronger than you. It will take a lot more for me to get injured than you."

"Exactly, he knows I'm strong, but he doesn't know if I can take a punch or not; I'm counting on the fact that he will hold back until I prove to him that I am tough. My body responds to reiatsu and treatment a lot more effectively than yours does. I can be healed by kidõ more efficiently than you can." Komamura still didn't seem happy. "Not to mention the fact that I will have someone from squad four call the match off if it gets to serious. I am hoping Captain Unohona will be the one."

Komamura let out a sigh and said we should go before we are late. We made it to the gates of the barracks without further delay. The two of us arrived at the gates with a bunch of other people already waiting there. I smiled over at Yamada and waved at him. He looked at me and then gave me thumbs up as he saw my outfit. He was dressed up in a Hakama similar to mine, but his was solid black with a single silver rose over the chest. I returned the gesture.

"Go ahead and join him, and I will see you when the party ends," Komamura whispered so only I would hear what he was saying. Without another word, he walked off and waited by himself over in a corner.

Yamada made his way over to me and once again appraised my clothes. "That's an awesome outfit. It's pretty high quality; that must have cost a fortune to be made." He looked at my collar. "What is that?" I turned around and showed him the twin logo on the back of my haori. He let out a low whistle and then chuckled. "That's awesome; how's that for irony?"

"Your clothes look pretty cool too. They're very simple; I like it," I said truthfully.

"Thanks!" Yamada exclaimed.

"Hey dogface!" someone behind me yelled.

I cringed a little and looked over my shoulder. I saw that the person who spoke was one of the people who elected to leave early. He was hanging out with his friends, the other people who elected to leave early. They were all laughing quietly at his exclamation.

He took this as encouragement. "Nice jacket. I think it really captures what you're all about."

"Don't let him antagonize you," Yamada whispered in my ear.

"Is your boyfriend giving you advice?" the douche asked again.

A vein started to pulse in Yamada's forehead.

"Don't let him antagonize you," I said, laughing.

Yamada glared at me. "Shut up!"

Despite his anger, he still took my advice and calmed down.

"What's with the haori, Hiroshi? You look like some captain poser!"

"It's part of the outfit. Someone special bought it for me," I said, rubbing the fabric of the haori between two of my fingers. I looked at him closely and saw the flush in his cheeks and the glazed over haze in his eyes. "You're drunk." I said with a tinge of disgust in my voice. I looked at the rest of the people in his little band and saw the same flush and glazed look "You're all wasted. You don't have much respect do you? It is quite insulting to the host to show up intoxicated."

They all stared at me blankly. The girl who flirted with me earlier piped up. "Shut up you stupid fag! You are a serious buzz kill with a stick up your ass Learn to lighten up!"

I stared at her with enough venom to take down a bull; she just smirked. "What? Are you upset because now your little secret is out? I know you're gay." I started to panic slightly. "I mean, how else would you turn me down?"

When she finished, I laughed. I couldn't stop myself, and I started doubling over as my sides started to hurt. "That's the second best thing I've heard since I got here." I wiped a stray tear from my cheek and broke into another chuckling fit. "I turned you down because you are a stuck up pretentious bitch who needs to learn to keep her legs together around the guys she meets." Her mouth fell open in a shocked 'O'; I turned around and tried not to laugh as I saw the mixed expressions on everyone's faces. A rock whistled right by my ear. I turned back around with a playful smile on my face. Another rock flew and almost hit my face.

The girl was a violent shade of red as she bent down to pick up another rock. She flung the rock at my face, and I disappeared right before it made contact. I reappeared and took hold of her arm, and I was right in her face with murder in my eyes.

"You will not touch me ever again. If you so much as look at me the wrong way I will break you!" I hissed into her ear so no one would hear. "I've put up with your shit long enough and will not stand for it anymore!" The color drained from her face, and she started shaking in fear as my threat finally processed. "Spread the word." With that, I walked back to Yamada.

I stopped for a second and looked at my hand. What was that? I was put off; I had been angry before, but this was different. This was bloodlust. I shook my head and made my way back to Yamada. He looked as shocked as I felt.

A small smile spread across his face. "That was awesome!" he encouraged quietly.

"No it wasn't," I looked down at my hands again. "It was scary as hell."

He tilted his head sideways like a dog and gave me a questioning look. "What do you mean?"

I clenched my hand into a fist and dropped it back down to my side. "Nothing, I guess I'm still wired from the whole fight and chase thing."

Before Yamada could speak, the gate to the barracks opened and we all filed in. We were met and escorted by Captain Yamamoto. He led us into a hall that had tables pushed to the side and an open area for us to talk and cut up.

Yamamoto turned and addressed the twenty candidates as the captains walked to a table at the front of the room. "There are designated places for you each to sit; in your seat you will find a flower from each of the squads that have chosen to accept you. There will be a chart telling you which flower belongs to which squad. Tonight, you should take the opportunity to meet with the captain of the squad and discuss. Your choices are limited to the flowers you receive; therefore, if you do not receive a flower from a squad you will not be given the opportunity to join said squad. Decisions will not be made tonight. You will be given the rest of the night and part of tomorrow to choose which squad you would like to join. All decisions will be made at the ceremony at eight o'clock tomorrow morning. You are dismissed to find your place.

I looked around until I found my name plate and looked at the flowers in my seat. I saw a pasque flower, a bellflower, an Iris, a daffodil, a thistle, and a snowdrop. I looked at the chart and saw that the squads I got were: 2, 4, 7, 10, 12, and 13. Six potential squads. I looked at the directory that told me which captains lead which divisions; I saw Kurotsuchi's name and then very slowly put the flower into my neighbor's seat before they got there.

I decided to humor the people and talk to the captains, knowing full well that I would join squad seven tomorrow. I decided to work my way from lower numbers to higher ones. I made my way to Captain Ukitake who was already surrounded by a flock of people It seemed that he sent a flower to just about everyone. I made my way to him and he smiled.

"Hello Hiroshi, how are you doing?" he asked.

"Hello to you as well Captain Ukitake, I am doing well. Are you feeling better?" I asked, remembering the blood spewing from his mouth earlier.

His cheeks went red as he scratched the back of his head. "I'm feeling much better now; and don't worry, if I start feeling ill I will sit down," he laughed in embarrassment.

"Well, I hope it doesn't come to that," I laughed.

"That makes two of us," Ukitake laughed with me.

"It was nice to talk with you, but I think I will leave you alone now. It looks like your hands are full," I said, waving to him.

That's one down and seven to go. I made my way to Hitsugaya next and saw that Yamada was there as well.

"Hello, Captain Hitsugaya," I said as I got within earshot of the boy captain.

"Hello, Osamu," Hitsugaya said. "I'm glad to see you received our token."

"Why did you choose us?" Yamada said, being blunt. "I thought you didn't like us."

"In all honesty, I don't; but you two performed the task excellently and with skill. Even Matsumoto agreed that Osamu did an excellent job."

Yamada, who was slightly drunk as I just noticed, said, "So what did jugs say about me?"

Hitsugaya gave him a withering glance. "She said you were an 'annoying unprofessional pervert, who would lose an arm the next he touched her'. While you did get results, I would ask you not to harass my lieutenant."

Yamada snapped out of his little stupor. "Understood, Captain Hitsugaya."

Hitsugaya rolled his eyes. "Still, the squad would improve greatly if you two joined. I hope you consider," Hitsugaya said as he walked away.

"You made quite the impression," I whispered to Yamada.

"I would like to think so," Yamada joked.

"So who did you get?" I asked, noticing the small bouquet of flowers in his grasp.

"Squads 13, 12, 11, 10, 7, and 4. How about you?" he asked.

"Squads 13, 12, 10, 7, 4, and 2," I told him.

He let out a low whistle. "You are quite the popular man," he said.

A slight rose blush colored my cheeks. "I got rid of 12 immediately. The captain freaks me out."

"I don't blame you; I heard rumors that he turns people in his squad into living bombs." Yamada said shuddering.

"I met him at my hearing; he probably would," I said, remembering him offering to 'modify' me.

"I'm heading to Captain Komamura right now; you care to join me?" I asked.

"Nah, the captain seems kinda scary and intimidating," Yamada said.

I laughed a little. "Not at all, he is actually quite nice. The people in his squad are fond of him."

He gave me a look. "Fine I'll go, but if he tries to eat me, I'm throwing you in front of me," he joked and then laughed.

I didn't. "Don't make that kind of joke. You never know when he may hear you," I said, adding a creepy note into my voice.

He looked at me like I was a freak. "You're weird, but I see your point. I'll be good."

We made our way over to Captain Komamura. "Hey Captain Komamura!" I said as we got closer to him.

He looked in our direction. "Hello you two." He looked in our hands and saw the flowers in our hands. "I see you got our invitation." He seemed to take notice of Yamada's trembling hand and white knuckles. He seemed slightly deflated.

Idiot! I told you he won't hurt you. I let out a sigh. "So, Captain Komamura, why did you send us the tokens?" I asked, more for Yamada's sake than my own.

Komamura looked at me questioningly. I looked at Yamada really quick, and he seemed to understand. "I saw the way you two fought and handled yourselves; you didn't result to any underhanded tricks, and you did the best you could do. That is something that our squad admires."

Yamada picked up a little at this. "What did you think of the fights?"

Komamura lightened up a bit as Yamada stopped looking like he was going to pee himself. "The fights were spectacular. The two of you have great potential and could improve greatly. Your teamwork could use a bit of improvement, but you were by far one of the best couplings for the exercise."

"Thanks, that means a lot coming from a captain!" Yamada said, all previous traces of fear gone. "What does your squad focus on? I mean what purpose: like squad four does healing and squad 12 does R&D."

"There aren't any special duties, as far as that goes. Squad seven is full of sincere, unpretentious people who focus on strong morals," Komamura said, with pride at the last part.

Yamada looked at a wall clock and nudged me. We had been talking to Komamura for fifteen minutes, and the period for it was almost over.

"It was nice to talk with you Captain Komamura," Yamada said, bowing. "I am certainly going to consider squad seven."

I winked at Komamura. "Me as well."

"It was nice talking to you two. I hope you enjoy the rest of the night," Komamura said.

"We will!" Yamada said as we made our way to our next destination. All of Yamada's nervousness was completely gone. "I think I will go see what Squad eleven has to offer. See you later."

"Good luck with that," I said as he walked away.

I looked around and talked to the other captains to get a basic outline of what they are about. Squad four seemed okay, but not something I would want to do; the same could be said of squad 2.

I made my way over to my seat and let out an exasperated breath. This is completely unnecessary. I already know what squad I plan on joining, so why can't I just leave.