Disclaimer: All characters appearing in Bleach belong to Kubo Tite. No infringement of copyright is intended and is not authorised by the respective copyright holders.
Author Notes: I've always thought that Shiba Ganju is a really wonderful brother and friend. He might be stubborn and crude, but he really loves his family. There's some conjecture on my part about Aizen's role in this piece, and I'm thinking of writing a companion piece that shows what's going on in one (or more) of the characters' minds. Any preference of characters?
Warnings: None.
Timeline: Soul Society Arc. No major spoilers unless you haven't read/watched that arc.
Comparisons
Ganju remembers the days when the Shiba Clan was exalted, back when Nii-san would fuss over him while Nee-san brandished yet another crazy invention "guaranteed to make Soul Society stand in awe of the Shibas' awesomeness". The last time that happened, Ganju' nearly turned bald. Even now, he has problems growing back that particular patch in the middle of his head and has to resort to using outlandish bandanas that could rival the Sixth division's lieutenant's collection. He'd blame Nee-san's partner-in-crime, Shihoin Yoruichi, for landing them into a never-ending string of troubles, but he wanted to keep his manhood and pride intact. He wasn't as brave as Nii-san, who would cheerfully go up to the Shihoin Demoness and tell her to stop dragging them into her pranks. Well, Nii-san had the bad habit of laughing too happily when saying that, so Ganju supposed that the Shihoin Demoness would never take him seriously.
Then Nii-san got married. Miyako-san was pretty and smart, qualities that any normal man would have liked in a woman. The wedding was a grand affair with Shinigami and nobles attending the reception. It was a pretty place, he thought, tastefully decorated with help from the Shihoin Demoness. There were lots of big-shots whom Ganju saw no point in befriending, yet went along with it anyway when Nii-san pulled him to introduce his "dearest little brother" ( "I'm your only brother!" ) to his superiors.
But what Ganju remembers was The Post-Wedding Party, otherwise known as Seireitei's Most Famous Open Bar Party. Everyone was drunk. Nee-san was drunk, ripping off the poor flower bouquets as she threw the petals all around, singing along with the Eighth Division Captain, Kyoraku Shunsui, who was shamelessly hanging on to her in one arm, and a redfaced, glass-wearing woman in the other. Ganju was pretty sure that there were a few men who were streaking around, eager to start fighting until Unohana-taichou stepped in with a smile that looked wider than usual. The rowdy men - Eleventh Division, probably - stopped immediately, going back to drowning themselves in sake instead. He didn't know if the kind healer was drunk. No way he was going to risk his life by asking. Then there were others, like the gentle bespectacled man who said his name was Aizen-fukutaicho. Ganju had nearly stumbled over the poor guy. It was funny how he could hold on to Ganju so easily, carefully placing him onto the nearest chair with a small pat on the back.
"Congratulations, Shiba Ganju," the man had said, "I wish you well." Those words hadn't made any sense then. They made little sense now, too. Ganju hated thinking about that, so he didn't.
Nii-san had been the funniest, sweetest drunkard that night. He jumped onto tables, serenading his "loveliest Miyako" and proclaiming how much he loved his family. It was embarrassing. Then Ganju was pulled onto the table, forced into the middle of his siblings as they started singing some funky song, off-tune. He laughed and joined in, meeting the smiling gaze of Aizen-fukutaicho as he did. The vice captain took his leave shortly after, saying that he wasn't a good drinker and needed to rest. Nii-san had clasped the older man's hands in his with a huge grin, "Thank you, Aizen-fukutaicho. Thank you!" It wasn't till a week later that Ganju learnt that Aizen had been the one who nudged the couple together. He hadn't even known that his brother was close to Aizen in any way.
Everything was a bore after that. Nii-san was busy with his Division as his Captain, Ukitake Jushirou, was plagued with an illness that confined him to the bed. Nee-san began hanging out with the Shihoin Demoness less and less but was busy with her explosive inventions. With nothing to do, Ganju started spending more time with his Rukongai friends. They scoured the dangerous areas and set up information networks, using his gruff exterior to his advantage. It made him feel a little more accomplished. After all, everyone in the family was good at something or another. He wasn't blessed with good looks or intelligence, so he had to rely on being streetsmart to get to where he was today. Ganju was secretly thankful that Bonnie accompanied him where ever he went. She had been a gift from Nii-san, who had rescued her when she was still a piglet. Bonnie was the Shiba Clan's unofficial family member.
If Ganju had known how things would change so drastically after years of peace, he would have been contented with a boring but idyllic life.
That night, the basement was flooded by heavy rainfall. Nee-san, who had been pacing up and down restlessly, had ordered him to clean up the place before the night was over. Tired after a long day of nosing around Rukongai, Ganju was tempted to fall onto his bed and sleep. The sight of Nee-san's evil glint made him bolt towards the basement - he swore Urahara had a hand in building that logic-defying place - without another word of complaint.
Halfway down the stairs, he felt the heavy pulse of Nee-san's reiatsu. It swirled turbulently, different from its steady ebb and flow. His own reiatsu reached out, then recoiled in surprise as it lashed out with a tortured scream. He ran up the stairs and headed to where his Nee-san was, frightened by the sheer intensity of pain in his sister's reiatsu.
"Nee-san!" Ganju cried out, fearing the worst when he saw the open doors, rain pelting furiously onto his sister's face as she knelt on the floor. "Nee-san...?" She did not respond.
That was when he saw them.
A slight, petite figure bowed over the door's threshold, her body shaking as white fingers held onto a sheathed Zanpakuto. She could have been saying something, but Ganju wasn't aware of it.
All he could see was the motionless figure in Nee-san's arms.
"...Nii-san...?" He said brokenly, suddenly afraid of taking a single step forward. If he did, things would be real and he didn't want that.
His sister hadn't spoken a word. The small Shinigami - Kuchiki Rukia, Nii-san had said once, introducing the girl to him with pride, as if she was his own sister instead of the Kuchiki Brat's - bowed again, then fled without a second glance. As if her motion triggered his, Ganju staggered towards his sister, falling onto the ground as his Nii-san's peaceful face finally came into view. Grabbing the blood-stained shihakusho, he wept.
They never spoke of Kaien after that.
Ganju knew that Nee-san had saw his wounds, and knew that she had came to the same conclusion as he did. Nii-san had been killed by a Zanpakuto. He had been betrayed by the very organisation that he loved and fought for. Miyako was dead too. The Shiba Clan dissolved after that, the clan nobles unable to accept that their prodigy, Shiba Kaien, was dead. They could not acknowledge Nee-san as the next heir and as for Ganju, he wasn't even considered to be worthy of the name. Yet Nee-san and him went on with their lives, absorbed in creating spectacular fireworks that would light up the whole of Soul Society.
"Fireworks sure are nice eh?" Nii-san had said before, during the summer festival when he had just become a vice captain. "They brighten up everyone's hearts. Look how everyone is smiling, Ganju. Remember how radiant a smile can be."
And that's how the Shiba Fireworks came about.
When Kurosaki Ichigo and his friends entered Soul Society, seeking their help to save a friend, Ganju couldn't help remembering his Nii-san. Sure, the hair colour was nothing alike, and Ichigo was brash, rude and totally incompetent. But Nii-san might ruffle the human boy's hair in surprise, laugh that cheerful chuckle of his, then start introducing him as his "long-lost little brother." It wouldn't be that much of a surprise if they were related, but Ganju doesn't see any point in digging up family histories.
He doesn't compare the two. His Nii-san would be proud of him now. He, the youngest in the Shiba Clan and known for being a "gangster-wannabe" was facing the Kuchiki Brat - he's a captain now, fancy that! - to save the Shinigami who had killed his brother so many years ago.
"I don't know how it is with you nobles. But a coward that could be scared away by something like that... does not exist in the Shiba family!"
Because a Shiba strides forward no matter what happens and uses his heart. And because he knew just how much Ichigo wanted to rescue Kuchiki Rukia. For that, he will not compare the two.