Oh! Uh, hello. What do you want me to do? Wait. What am I saying?
My name is Amato Ayane. 3rd seat of the 3rd company at your service. These days, with no captain around, things have been tough for Lieutenant Kira and me. He's had to do all of the paperwork that comes in. But lately he's been going out for drinks a lot so I've been doing all the paperwork. I'm pretty sure my wrist is permanently damaged.
It's a brisk morning today. The sun is just rising over the remains of the sogyoku that those ryoka destroyed. Only the guards are awake right now. I eat my breakfast while walking, and even though everybody from the 4th company gives me crap for digestive problems or whatever, digestive problems are the least of my worries. I kind of live off of cold chicken sandwiches right now. I eat them for breakfast, lunch, and more often than not, dinner. It's not like I have no friends or reputation, it's just that I'm really busy all the time with no captain. I'm walking to the 4th company to get some release papers signed by Captain Unohana for our 7th seat. Captain Unohana always gives me money to buy better food. Since I go to the 4th company so often, I wonder how she has that much money.
After I get the papers signed and my money, I walk back to the 3rd company barracks to see if I can at least conquer a foot of paperwork before lunchtime. I run into Lieutenant Kira on the way. He looks tired, and sort of depraved.
"Ayane," he says to me, "I'll be at 9th company barracks all day. I gotta help Hisagi with something. You'll be captain for a day again. Don't worry about me." He walks off without a second thought, leaving me promoted and annoyed.
When I enter the captain's office, where the mounds of work lie, I see a bit of brown hair and a bun obscured by the paperwork. I clear my throat, and Lieutenant Hinamori nearly falls out of her seat in surprise.
Uh, Captain Ayane! Uh, I mean, Amato!" She stutters. "I had the day off so I thought I'd help with the paperwork! Captain Hirako gave me his permission and cheater stamp!" She holds up the fabled item as if it were her newborn child. Captain Hirako's cheater stamp allows him to finish his paperwork in no time, leaving his desk more or less clean.
"Do you mind?" She asks. I nod and pull up a chair to begin working as well. I think Lieutenant Hinamori is a work machine. By lunchtime, the office is completely clean with neat stacks of paper organized.
"Would you like to join me and Shiro-chan for lunch?" She asks. I comply. Besides, if I didn't, I'd be sobbing into a cold chicken sandwich again. I follow her to the 10th company barracks, but before we enter, we're stopped by various members of the 4th company.
"We are permitting no entrants at this time," the guard says, "Captain Hitsugaya and Lieutenant Matsumoto are currently sick and cannot move or exert Reiatsu. Hinamori turns to me, with a worried look on her face.
"What do you think is the matter?" She asks. I shrug,
"I have no-" I'm stopped by the sudden arrival of another 4th company member.
"Lieutenant Hinamori!" He pants. "Captains Hirako, Kuchiki, Kyoraku, Unohana, Kurotsuchi, Zaraki, and Komamura are sick. And the Captain-Commander. They can't move or release any Reiatsu. If they do, they become violently ill and paralyzed!" Momo gasps and looks back at me again. "That's all of the captains except for Captain Sui-Feng and Captain Ukitake," she pauses, "What about Captain Ukitake?" The messenger shrugs and replies, "He's always sick. He doesn't count. And Captain Sui-Feng is on an Onmitsukido mission."
We leave the barracks and discuss the problem.
"Captain Unohana is sick, meaning we don't have any healers. Kurotsuchi is sick, meaning we have no researchers, and he didn't create the virus. The Soul Society is defenseless," she says, "We should get back to the barracks in case the virus is airborne." As soon as we get back, another messenger from the 4th company tells us that all of the lieutenants except for Momo and Lieutenant Omaeda are sick. The messenger leaves quickly, probably hoping not to get ill.
"Great," I mutter, "I'm the only one with the authority to do anything now." Momo looks at me,
"I wonder why I'm not sick." She thinks out loud. I shrug and head towards a watchtower. Momo runs up to me.
"What are you going up there for?" She asks.
"Somebody's gotta do it." I reply. She climbs up after me and crowds into the little area we have. We make small talk about how we're worried and stuff, but after fifteen minutes, Momo spots something.
"There!" She points. "That figure in black! He's shifting in and out of sight!" I look at where her finger is following. A figure wearing black blinks into sight and disappears just as quickly. He doesn't appear to be a member of the Onmitsukido.
"Intruder alert!" I tell at her, even though I'm standing a little too close to yell. "I ring the alarm and use shunpo to give chase. Momo follows quickly.
"Even though I sounded the alarm, most officers won't act without directive. We're on our own, Momo." I say as we run after the figure. Suddenly, he stops and turns around, and we stop too. Seemingly out of nowhere, he pulls out a zanpakuto. We follow suit.
"Climb," he yells, "Ten no shihai-sha(Heaven Surmounter)!" His voice is raspy and has a cold tone to it.
"Snap, Tobiume!" Momo commands,
"Tangle, Tetsubara!" I shout. Tetsubara is my shikai. It is a thin, needle-like sword that covers whatever it touches with thorny rose branches. The thorns are poisoned and damage the Reiatsu of the victim, often leaving them paralysed.
I leap forward with the first attack: a sharp lunge and an overhead cut to follow. The figure evades the lunge and deflects the cut with his blade, which is shaped like a broadsword and emits Reiatsu, as no thorns grew over it. I move out of the way to allow Momo to use a lightning fast Byakurai followed by a fireball from Tobiume. The figure catches the Byakurai on the tip of his sword and blocks the fireball with it. He lunges forward with a near-fatal move as I step in and parry to the right. Momo leaps over me, steps straight on the figure's blade, and smashes him with a fireball. I step back quickly and admire her work. The smoke clears and the figure is no longer visit me, just a scrap of cloth. Then Momo screams in pain. And then I see the sword sticking out of her chest.