Benihime slunk around the tall wall of the Quincy guild compound, scenting at the air and the aer in an attempt to determine where the residents were. Almost everyone seemed to be asleep except for what she suspected were guards, but that wasn’t going to last much longer; false dawn was creeping in, covering the world in strange shadows and muted colors.

It was her best — and last — chance to get in. She’d have to go over the wall since the gate was shut tight, and if she could time it just right none of the exhausted guards would see her.

Benihime slipped back from the wall and crouched down, waiting for the nearest guard to turn away and resume his meandering patrol. It had always confused her, the sharp difference between Erich and the little she’d ever seen of the Quincy Guild, but…

Being an extended family first and a Guild second rather answered her conundrum, didn’t it. Erich was one of the trained, expected to lead a party and eventually the entire guild. But most Quincy weren’t like that, she suspected. Trained enough to fight back and survive, trained enough to follow orders or be useful to detect approaching monsters in the night, but not trained. Not the almost military that the Shinigami had long suspected the Quincy had.

(No. The Shinigami were the ones with the almost-military and they had no qualms against using their might wherever possible.)

The guard turned away. Wandered off. Left a stretch of wall unguarded and—

Benihime lunged at the wall and leapt, claws catching on the wooden palisade. She heaved herself up the last few inches, over the rough crenelations and onto the walkway, then darted over the other side and into the compound proper. If she was lucky no one would notice the marks her claws had left in the wood, but she couldn’t waste a single moment.

She needed to find Alexis.

A vaguely familiar thread of aer led her through the sprawling compound — almost an entire village unto itself — and to an isolated corner set up as an archery range. Targets were set at all distances and sizes, some pinned high to the wall and some barely an inch off the ground, mimicking the variety of monsters just beyond their walls.

She crept closer, ears pricked and nose lifted into the air; a single figure stood at the line, drawing and firing and drawing again in smooth, repetitive motions. Not one arrow missed and not once did the figure’s rhythm falter, even when it moved to a new location.

Even when it — she — spun and shot an arrow right at her.

Benihime jerked away from the arrow embedded in the ground right between her paws, back arched and tails bristled in offense. “That’s no way to treat a messenger!” she snarled at the woman — at Alexis — in protest. “I didn’t come all this way to be shot at!”

“Lead with that next time, instead of creeping up on me like I’m prey,” Alexis said as she lowered her bow and tapped it against her leg. She looked Benihime over and narrowed her eyes. “Why are you here?”

“Because I have a message for you,” Benihime repeated with a sniff, bringing a paw up to lick and scrub at her ears. “Why else would someone of my position be so far from my chosen?”

“To take advantage of the current chaos in order to cause more chaos.”

Benihime scoffed and looked away, even though Alexis was correct in a way. “My chosen and I don’t do that anymore.” Unless it was necessary. Cleaning out some of the more… stodgy Quincy might end up under the ‘necessary’ header if things got too out of hand. “Though we do have an interest in you that will certainly cause chaos.”

“And that interest would be?” Alexis asked, her gaze sharp and four arrows already held in her free hand.

She eyed the arrows, wondering when she’d slipped up and missed Alexis readying herself. That was… not good.

(She’d let herself go soft.)

(Damn.)

“Well?” Alexis prodded, bow tapping rhythmically against her leg and her stance inching towards ‘dangerous’.

No wonder Erich was so enamored of his fiance. Now that Benihime had a chance to see Alexis outside of stultifying gatherings, she was becoming enamored of the woman.

(Her partner was so lucky, the bastard.)

“If this plan doesn’t work out, I am entirely willing to marry you to get you out of being guild leader,” Benihime announced without a second thought, tail-tips twitching against the ground.

That made Alexis falter, confusion momentarily overriding her suspicion. “You… what?” She shook her head and let her gaze flicker briefly to the ever-lightening sky above them then back to Benihime. “No. Hold that thought. Let’s go somewhere else and then you can start from the beginning. Like you should have.”

“With pleasure,” Benihime purred as she stood and sauntered over to Alexis, dipping her shoulder a bit in offer and casting a heavy-lidded look at Alexis as she did. “Want a ride?”

Alexis’ expression went flat. “So you’re Urahara’s partner. I had begun to wonder.”

“Say the word and I can be yours as well.”

“Now I know why Erich’s always complaining about the two of you.” Alexis sighed and slid the arrows back into her quiver and unstrung her bow, visibly disarming herself though Benihime doubted she was actually disarmed. “Change into your human-like form and follow me. How you even got in here looking like a gigantic cat… Never mind. Just come on.”

Alexis turned, shouldered Benihime aside, and strode away from the archery range as if she wasn’t leaving her back open to attack.

Benihime staggered back more from the surprise than from the strength of it, though Alexis was certainly stronger than the average human. Still, the audacity of it, the confidence of it… she’d never once scented fear from Alexis, even when Alexis had first spotted her.

If negotiations between Kisuke, Alexis, and Erich fell through, she was absolutely going to push her suit. And if that fell through, well…

Kisuke had the right of it.

There was no way she was going to let two of her favorites die if there was another option. The Quincy compound was easy enough to break into, even with a person on her back, and the Quincy elders wouldn’t even have a chance to scream.

Humming happily at her plans, Benihime let her true form fade away and stretched her legs to catch up with Alexis.

She had a good feeling about the future.