"But…why would they treat our injuries? We're intruders, and their enemies. There's no reason the Soul Reapers would patch us up."
That sounds like Ishida-san.
"There's been a new development."
I think that's Sado-san too.
"I heard the guards talking. One of the captains was murdered inside the Seireitei. They don't know who did it, but…as Ryoka…we're the prime suspects"
Yep. Definitely Sado-san.
Makoto opened his eyes a little, to be met by a blurry haze of grey.
That's right, I'm not wearing my glasses…I wonder were I am?
He rolled over and felt around blindly across the floor, wincing as his bandaged hand hit the floor a lot harder than he would've liked, his limbs aching in the process, until his hand finally met the cool metallic frame of his spectacles.
That's pretty decent of the people who brought me here…Ugh…I feel absolutely terrible…
He put them on, and watched the world come back into focus. He was in a cell adjacent to the one where his fellow intruders; the Quincy, Uryu Ishida; the other human, Yasutora Sado; and the pyrotechnic's brother, Ganju Shiba. Makoto was not alone in his cell, however. In the bunk on the opposite wall, his teammate lay covered in dark grey bandages from head to toe, and judging by the lack of sound and movement, he noted, she was still unconscious.
I see they took my advice of using those Sekki-Seki bandages I asked Urahara-san to make for me.
"So we're being kept alive for questioning?" said Uryu.
Still feeling sore, Makoto rolled back onto his back, taking care not to aggravate the wounds on his back and closed his eyes again. He was shattered. He lay there, only half-listening to the conversation of his fellow prisoners. His mind wandered over the events that occurred previously before he too had passed out.
"Yeah." sighed Ganju in reply "If my spirit energy wasn't sealed by these handcuffs…"
Makoto sprinted along the white-walled street, a large group of angry Soul Reapers hot on his tail. It was about twelve hours since the group had entered the Seireitei via the Flower Crane Cannon; Makoto himself, and his teammate Allia, Ichigo Kurosaki, the substitute Soul Reaper; Uryu Ishida, the Quincy, Yasutora Sado and Orihime Inoue, the two humans, the cat Yoruichi and Ganju Shiba, brother of the pyrotechnic who'd launched them. When the cannonball impacted however, everyone had been separated, and fired in all directions. Makoto had not been separated from his ally initially, but they had later decided, after several hours to split up to search for clues separately, and communicate telepathically instead.
"…In any case," continued Ganju, "We're alive, but we're locked up and so is our spirit energy…"
He was starting to wish he hadn't agreed to split up. How was he supposed to keep an eye on his teammate, as requested, if she was miles away?
Ordinarily, locating his partner would've been easy, but, as Makoto had soon learned, trying to use Wave Sight, which allowed him to 'see' Wave energy, was near impossible in the Soul Society, because even the air he breathed emitted the Wave. Using Wave Sight within the Seireitei in particular was like trying to navigate in heavy fog. He instead tried to pinpoint her location by sensing for any energy spikes in the surroundings that she might be responsible for.
"Still, one thing's for sure. If the enemy doesn't want us dead…then the others are probably still alive!" Ganju concluded.
Makoto didn't have to wait long. The labyrinthine streets of the outer Seireitei did little to aid him in his navigation. The walls all looked identical, and they didn't seem to offer any easy escape routes for him to evade his Zanpakutou-brandishing pursuers. He quickly found himself feeling very grateful to his harsh combat and endurance training that he had undertaken, as his clan tradition dictated, for the group of Soul Reapers behind him was gradually slowing down.
"If we're in here," said Chad in his slow and deep voice, "Then Orihime, with her lack of combat skills, has probably been captured too."
With only the hardiest of his pursuers still chasing him, Makoto began trying to detect energy spikes that he recognized. Within minutes, he felt a huge level of unfamiliar energy, followed shortly by a pulse belonging to the Quincy. He quickened his pace, then leapt up onto the roof of the wall directly ahead. Having been on the run for well over forty minutes, the Soul Reapers had long since given up trying to catch him. Makoto looked around to the direction he'd felt energy pulses coming from, and saw many electric blue shots being fired into the air.
Spirit Arrows.
"That leaves Yoruichi and Ichigo then, yes?" said Uryu, after a moment.
He knew where Uryu was. And judging by the smaller energy pulses he'd felt, Orihime was there too. Or at least, she had been, but she was now moving away, at quite a pace too. He sat down on the roof of a small nearby store building, and focused more. The Quincy seemed to be in battle with what felt to be a very powerful Soul Reaper, probably vice-captain level at the very least.
Still no sign of his teammate.
There was a long pause.
"I'm going to wait for Ichigo," said Chad finally. "He'll definitely come here. Until then, all we can do is recover from our injuries and prepare for the next fight"
An energy spike, the one he'd been searching for, told Makoto that his partner had joined the Quincy in the fight. 'I can kill two birds with one stone', he thought, 'Since they're both in the same place, I'll be able to help out, and make sure Allia doesn't get out of hand…'
He set off, his feet making little sound as he traversed the rooftops, heading in the direction of the clash. Then he felt something that made his blood run cold.
Silence fell again. Opening his eyes a little, Makoto ventured to break it.
"Any ideas how long we've been here for?"
"Ah, Makoto-san, you're awake?" replied Uryu, "I was wondering that myself, as a matter of fact."
"That friend of yours okay?" came the gruff voice of Ganju, "She looked like she'd had it when they brought her down"
"Still unconscious, I think." said Makoto, peering through the semi-gloom across the cell at his teammate. "She'll probably be in agony when she comes to-"
He was cut short by the sounds of footsteps coming down the wood-paneled steps. Two Soul Reapers, a woman with violet hair and a youthful-looking man, short enough that he barely reached the woman's elbow, bearing a sizeable box, entered the room. Not long afterwards, they were followed by a third Soul Reaper, her crisp black uniform covered by a long-sleeved white haori.
Is she a captain as well? Makoto wondered as he observed the third Soul Reaper enter the room, her long black hair braded into a plait that framed her face. Perhaps she's the medic my capturers said they'd bring…?
The authoritative looking Soul Reaper stepped forward and introduced herself.
"Good morning, Ryoka. I am the Captain of the Fourth Company, Retsu Unohana. This is my Vice-Captain, Isane Kotetsu" She indicated the woman on her right "And this is 14th Advanced Relief Team Leader, and 7th Seat of the Fourth Company, Hanatarou Yamada." She indicated the young man on her left.
"As I understand it," She turned to face Makoto "You handed yourself over to Soul Reapers of my Company without a struggle on the condition that we treat your teammate. I've come in person to uphold that bargain"
Makoto got up from his bed and stood for a moment, before bowing as deeply as his injuries would allow. "Arigatou Gozaimashita"