"What the hell do you mean Renji?"
Renji Abarai, Lieutenant of Squad Six under Byakuya Kuchiki, stood silent under his fellow Lieutenant's anger. The killing intent that was thrown his way made even him shudder with fear. His other Lieutenants stood around him, some with disapproving gazes and Renji found himself hating his Captain's orders. To him, betraying a friend was one of the worst sins, and he had done so without moral question.
The Lieutenant yelling at him, Squad Two's infamous Humble Devil stood tall with his spiritual pressure leaking off him in an almost uncontrollable rate. It was common knowledge that this Lieutenant would do anything for his friends, and in one occasion, kill for his friends. So when he started letting his killer intent be known Renji felt afraid, not by the fact that he would kill him but by the blatant look of disappointment in his eyes.
Renji was used to that look. Every memory of him stealing food from the richer districts in Rukongai with his three friends involved the people around them looking on with pity and disappointment. And lately when he went to The World of the Living to capture Rukia for treason due to her transfer of powers. She had given him a look of disappointment then too, one that hurt way more than the one Squad Two's Lieutenant could ever give.
"I'll say it one more time. Rukia Kuchiki, unseated officer of Squad Thirteen has been charged with breaking sacred laws, the evidence being her lack of reiatsu and the soul reaper she had with her." Renji spoke, his voice flat and emotionless.
"She's your friend Renji! Aren't you going to do something?"
Squad Five's Lieutenant Momo Hinamori gathered her courage and spoke in a soft voice but her usual caring smile was gone, "Tadashi, maybe Renji has his reasons." Squad Two Lieutenant Tadashi Takeshi looked at her like a deer caught in headlights. "Besides, what could we do anyways? We're Lieutenants so we don't have nearly enough sway to save Rukia."
Tadashi swept his hand out, like he was cutting air, "I do not care! Rukia is my friend, my little sister! I would do-" "She came on her own free will."
Tadashi froze and every eye went to Renji who stood in the middle of the Lieutenant meeting hall, which to tell the truth was a 10 x 10 room with sliding doors on every wall.
"Say that again Renji." Shuhei Hisagi said. Hisagi was a tallish man, one of the oldest Lieutenants around these days except the Lieutenant of Squad One, Chojiro Sasakibe.
Renji looked to the floor at his feet, "When Captain Kuchiki and I arrived there was an orange haired teen with her, it was assumed that she transferred her reiatsu to him, the reason is unknown. When we ordered her to come with us that boy stepped in. He was strong for someone not trained all that well. He carried around a zanpakuto the size of his body in its sealed state. In fact we fought, he was losing but out of nowhere he got this burst of energy and he almost won. But after the Captain stepped in he was dying, after that Rukia came with us, probably trying to save him or something."
Tadashi supposed that sounded like the Rukia he knew but he didn't want to believe it. She was just supposed to check out Karakura town, not transferring her powers! So with nothing to say he turned and walked out the door. Momo and Hisagi following him.
Renji sighed and left as well, no one followed him. The other Lieutenants just stood in silence.
"Tadashi wait up!" Tadashi stopped in his tracks, his shoulder length dark red hair covering his eyes. Momo stopped behind him, putting her small hands on his broad shoulders. It looked funny really. She stood at 4'11 and had a small, thin frame that showed her young age, she was less than 200 years old after all. Tadashi on the other hand was 6'1 with a strong thin frame. He had muscle but not too much and not too little. So in fact Momo had to stand on her toes to reach his shoulders.
Tadashi turned his head slightly, indicating he was waiting for her to say something.
Momo took her hand away, composing herself as Hisagi stopped behind her then sending him a smile, "Look Tadashi I know Rukia means a lot, I mean you're practically a father figure to her! You were the one to find her and bring her to the Academy! In fact she-" "He gets it Momo."
Hisagi put her hand on Momo's head, ruffling her hair and making some fall out of her bun, she glared up at him and stuck her tongue out but he didn't notice, "What she means is that Rukia loves you like a father and she doesn't blame you."
Tadashi nodded and shrugged his shoulders, making his Nodachi Zanpakuto (A/N pretty much means long zanpakuto) that was strapped to his back move slightly. With nothing more to say Hisagi shunpoed away, most likely to go to the Squad Nine Barracks.
Tadashi started walking away, Momo walking next to him while she fixed her hair. She huffed in annoyance as she blew a lock of hair out of her eyes, "That man! He always messes up my beautiful hair!" She finally got it fixed and smiled in satisfaction. But a new hand bumped her head and sent the cap she had for her bun on the floor, sending her hair cascading down her back.
She screamed in annoyance and hit the person who caused it, sending him to the floor. She froze when she saw him, blood flowing from his seemingly broken nose.
Tadashi turned and sent the person a small wave, "Hey Toshiro."
"Its Captain Hitsugaya! AND WHAT THE HELL MOMO?" Momo shrieked and shunpoed away.
Hitsugaya growled at her retreating figure and turned to Tadashi. "Lieutenant Takeshi, Soifon is looking for you, said you'd know where to meet her." Tadashi nodded and Hitsugaya waved a goodbye before walking down the road towards his barracks.
Tadashi slumped and shunpoed away himself, heading towards his barracks.
Saburo hit himself in the head with the hilt of his zanpakuto, sending waves of pain and leaving a small rectangular red mark. His zanpakuto was 3.4 feet long; the guard was one silver lightning bolt with the blade sprouting from the middle where it started to jag, the hilt was silver with red diamonds on both sides. As he continued hitting himself with the hilt he received several weird looks from everyone around him.
Who do you think I am? I am Ginrairyu, one of the oldest dragons and you're treating me like some common object!
"Shuddup."
"Excuse me third seat Takeshi?" Said an overly sweet voice that sent a chill up his and everyone's spine.
Saburo looked up at his captain. Her eyes glued to his and not in a good way either.
Saburo jumped out of his seat and bowed hastily, "I am sorry Captain Unohana, I was not talking to you!"
Unohana smiled at him and patted his head, making Saburo smile, "Then who were you talking to, Saburo?"
Saburo glared at the zanpakuto on his desk, "My stupid zanpakuto! He would let me take a nap so I hit my head with his hilt; I bet that made you shut up!" He yelled the last part dramatically while pointing at his zanpakuto with an evil gleam in his hazel eyes. Unohana reframed from sweat dropping and patted his head one more time before walking away, muttering about weird kids these days.
Saburo watched her walk away before looking out the window next to his desk, the sunlight gleaming and forcing him to squint, "I wish it was that way Ginrairyu but…I hope I'm wrong with my suspicions."
Momo Hinamori landed on a balcony, inside an area closed off that said "Squad Five Barracks", and panted, trying to get her breath back.
"Running from Captain Hitsugaya again, Hinamori?" Momo looked up and beamed.
"Captain, Third Seat Ichirou!"
"Hello Lieutenant Hinamori." Her Captain Aizen said in his soft voice. Third Seat Ichirou smiled at her, his long brown hair reaching his mid back. He wore the standard shinigami uniform except he had no sleeves and showing off his scarred arms. He held his zanpakuto on his left hip; it was the same size as Tadashi's, 5.5 feet long. His zanpakuto was mere centimeters from dragging across the ground.
In Momo's eyes seeing both Captain Aizen and Ichirou smiling at her while she was panting and out of breath sent chills throughout her body. Out of all of seireitei there were several sought after men. There was Captain Aizen, Captain Ukitake, Captain Shunsui, Hisagi, Tadashi Takeshi, and Ichirou Takeshi. When she went on Girl's Night Out she was asked how it was being in the same squad as two of the hottest guys, her response was a smile.
Although if you asked her she would say that she rarely thought of them as such, saying that she barely even thought of Aizen that way let alone Ichirou. Besides, his younger brother Tadashi was hotter, in her opinions at least.
"Lieutenant Hinamori, you're getting red again." She let out an "eep" and ran down the hallway.
Aizen regarded her, pushing his glasses back in place before walking away with Ichirou.
"Hey Ichirou!" Both of them sighed under their breaths and put up fake smiles and turned to see Hinamori calling to them.
"Hey Ichirou, any word on your father?"
Ichirou smiled sadly, "Not yet but Squad Six is still working on it!" Hinamori nodded and sent him a sympathetic smile before walking to her room.
They both started walking again, neither one seemed wanting to talk. After they left the Squad Barracks Aizen turned to Ichirou, "Do they suspect anything?"
Ichirou continued walking, thinking to himself, "My youngest brother does, Saburo Takeshi Third Seat of Squad Four, so far my younger brother Tadashi Takeshi Lieutenant of Squad Two thinks I've been acting different. No one else does. Though I do believe that Captain Soifon has been keeping tabs on me if her Omnitsukido following me has been any indentation."
Aizen nodded before disappearing in a shunpo leaving Ichirou alone in his thoughts.
"Bastard child! How dare you attack me!"
"I should've killed you in your crib! To think that Aizen would betray me by using my own son! No matter I'll kill you both!"
Hazel eyes met black ones, blood dripping down his face as he held the brutal gash that adjourned his cheek, "To think your this strong…but your younger brother is stronger. Reaching Lieutenant before you."
Hazel eyes gazed into the storm clouds lifelessly as a zanpakuto was torn out of his agape mouth. His body adjourned several deep gashes and he was missing his right hand and the lower half of his left leg. His oldest son stood above him, a loud laugh filling the air.
Outwardly Ichirou laughed freely, scarring several other soul reapers.
Tadashi walked through his Squad Barracks, the floor under him heating his feet through his tabi socks. He left his waraji by the door like his Captain. Although there was that one time when the AC above the automatic door blew away his waraji…
In truth Captain Soifon and he hated the automatic door and the heated doors but the AC was awesome no matter what. There were rumors among Captains and Lieutenants that Soifon bought the adjustments because of her idol but the truth was that the Captain that stood in for Yourichi was a sloth of a man and had his third seat Omaeda but them…Kami how he hated those two.
He passed by several Squad Two shinigami, saying hello and nodding, and before he knew it he was in the forest area of Squad Two. Squad Two had the second biggest Barrack in all of the Gotei 13, behind Squad One. The Squad Two forest acted as an alarm system in a couple ways. You wouldn't know it but there were several Omnitsukido hidden in the shadows of the trees. But there was one area in the forest where there was no one there to watch. The area was a small clearing, the only one in the forest besides the dirt road, with snowdrop flowers. Although the flower insignia for Squad Two was the pasque flower was Soifon's favorite was the snowdrop flowers. Snowdrop flowers meant Hope, something Soifon had a lot of. Soifon herself planted the flowers there with her mentor Yourichi and since then it was her special spot. She only trusted two people with it, Yourichi and himself.
Tadashi had met Soifon 100 years ago, after her mentor ran away without telling her. She was found crying in the rain on a hill in West Rukongai, about to jump off. Tadashi had grabbed her before she fully fell and screamed at her, telling her she was a moronic girl. And after that they became friends, never keeping secrets. And it was due to her that Tadashi was as strong as he was today and vice versa. When Soifon wanted to learn Bankai she went to him…and after one year and eleven months she finally learned it.
He was broken from his thoughts when a small pebble hit his forehead. His eyes widened when he saw his Captain sitting on the grass, her legs to her side and sitting on her butt. Tadashi usually would have smiled but when he saw her face he didn't. Her eyes more watery that usual and she was nibbling on her lips. Tadashi laid down next to her, laying his head on his hands after he took off his zanpakuto.
Soifon picked a flower and stared at it then started, "The captains had a meeting today."
Tadashi nodded, "As did the Lieutenants. Lieutenant Abarai told us something troublesome."
"I figured as much…I'm sorry Tadashi."
"Don't be. You're not the one who kidnapped her."
Soifon laid down, the flower twirling in her hands, "Yeah I know. Apparently there has been some Ryoka trying to get in Seireitei. Captain Gin injured one, an orange haired shinigami with a gigantic zanpakuto as big as himself. We don't know what they want yet but with Rukia being captured their most likely more than a coincidence."
Tadashi nodded, "Yeah…what are we going to do now Soi?"
"I don't know…it has been decided that Rukia will be executed…using the Sokyoku."
Tadashi felt his stomach plummet. Sokyoku, the halberd that held the power of million zanpakuto, able to vaporize even a soul. That was going to be used on Rukia, his little sister and sometimes like a daughter.
"When?" The word was void and Soifon cringed inwardly from the sound.
"Fourteen days time, Captains and Lieutenants are required to attend."
Tadashi clenched his fists, pulling out some grass, "Bastard Old Man!"
Even Soifon, who was centered on loyalty, couldn't help but agree…she didn't want to kill her lil sister.
Soifon reached out towards him, his eyes were closed shut and his body tensed. She was inches away from his cheek, her eyes wide and a red hue on her cheeks, she could feel her fingernails brushing against him softly, like a ghost.
"Ta..." "Captain Soifon!"
Soifon drew back quickly and jumped to her feet, Tadashi's hazel eyes following her as she did so, "You okay, Captain?"
Soifon sent Tadashi a small glance before shunpoing away. Tadashi sighed and followed after a second of composing himself. When he found her she was receiving information from a messenger. He landed behind her with a soft thump, his zanpakuto back on his back.
"Lieutenant Takeshi, you have been called as well, there is a meeting in three days at noon in Squad One. Be on time." And with that he was gone.
Soifon sighed before walking down the clearing, Tadashi following her as always. They stopped walking once they got to her office and before she opened the door she turned to him.
"Rukia is currently being held in the Squad Six Prison Cells. Only Captains and Squad six Lieutenants are allowed. I trust that you'll be unseen."
He was gone before the sentence was over, showing the speed that the leader of the Patrol Corps and Detention Unit should have.
Soifon smiled lightly before she saw the paperwork littering her desk. Soifon refrained from screaming out in frustration.
'Is everything ready?"
"Yes Lord Aizen. The Ryoka helped us push things a long in fact. Now the only people who even have a chance to stop us are Captain Commander Yamamoto, Captains Shunsui and Ukitake, maybe even Tadashi Takeshi."
One of the men, a tall brown haired man with black eyes, spoke up from his seat next to Aizen, "How is Tadashi a problem?"
"He is very attached to the girl Rukia so at the time he is a variable. With all that's going on we can kill him and chalk it up to the Ryoka." A man with a Cheshire grin said as he tossed his zanpakuto around in the air.
Aizen nodded and Kaname Tosen stood up from his crouched position in front of the three chairs, "Lord Aizen, I could do so easily. Please, allow me to end his life."
Aizen shook his head, "No, I'll have Gin do so. Whenever you want to is fine just make sure he's alone. Ichirou, I want you to kill your youngest brother as well, you must cut down those who hold you back." And with that said Ichirou left, Gin gleefully following.
Aizen smiled and leaned back in his chair, "Everything is going perfect…just perfect."
