First of all, let me apologize for disappearing for so long. The end of the year is always difficult with exams and the like. However, that means I've had plenty of time to mull over my stories in my head and now all I have to do is actually get them written... I'm going to be (hopefully) better about updating during this summer because I'll have more free time and hopefully, my own laptop, both of which should help. But anyway.
This story started out as a random idea and will continue as such. I have the general framework planned out, but I have no clue how the specifics will pan out. So if you're interested, stay tuned for updates.
A couple story notes. This has some brief cursing, but that's about all as for warnings. Oh, and to disclaim something which does not have to do with my lack of ownership of the Bleach franchise-I do not hate Byakuya. I actually adore him, but I have to write him this way for the plot. Feel free to speculate why, but next chapter should do some explaining. So don't hate me for hating on Byakuya, because I love him too.
That's about it. I hope you enjoy, and if you do, please review! Thanks!
"Officer Mugurama is here to deliver the report on his latest assignment, sir."
Captain Byakuya Kuchiki at once dismissed his secretary and gestured for Kensei to enter his office with one imperious nod of the head. Sparing words, he gracefully turned his head to the junior officer and fixed him with a deliberate gaze, silently instructing him to begin.
"Captain Kuchiki, sir. I inspected the group of people reportedly disturbing the peace and observed them for a reasonable amount of time. I have concluded that, while certainly different, these people are no danger to the peace or to public safety. However, I delivered the warning as instructed."
Byakuya chose not to respond, instead intensifying his gaze. Most men would have flinched, but Kensei held too many habits from his earlier life and he was not one to back down easily, even from a man as intimidating as Captain Kuchiki. After a few moments of intense scrutiny, Byakuya spoke.
"Mugurama, what was your assignment?"
Kensei looked perplexed for a moment. "To deliver a warning to cease and desist to a group of disturbers of the peace."
"Correct. Now, what part of your assignment involved giving me recommendations about whether they threaten the peace or the safety of our fine town?"
Kensei's pride was telling him to snap back, to defend his opinion, but his belligerent nature was another quality which he had learned was best to suppress, especially in the presence of superiors.
"No sir. However, I thought I would report my observations in order to be thorough and to give you the best possible understanding of the situation."
Kensei replied with the correct form and jargon. Diplomacy was one of the most important things he had learned in the force, and it was always very important to phrase things so that later, he could not be blamed for any offense. Byakuya knew this as well and his eyebrows furrowed as he replied, his voice even colder than before.
"While I appreciate the…initiative, Mugurama, I believe I have the situation under control. Please return this week and tell them that if they do not desist within one month, we will use force to evict them, if necessary."
"Why? They're not bothering anyone!"
Kensei's reaction came before he could control it, an occurrence more reminiscent of his pre-academy days than of the present. For some reason he had reacted strongly to Byakuya's emotionless edicts.
"Officer Mugurama, remember your place. You will carry out my orders. Or have you become personally involved with this case?"
If he had thought Byakuya was glaring before, he had been wrong. The police captain's eyes were boring holes into his, pinning him with his position of authority. Both men knew that Kensei was not going to win this encounter, and Byakuya seemed to be reveling in his power, in his own disquieting way.
Personal involvement was one of the only reasons an officer could request to get taken off a case. The idea was that if an officer had involvement which was strong enough to override his sense of justice when carrying out orders, it was best if another officer dealt with the matter. However, the personal involvement had to be very close, like a family member, close friend, or lover being involved. An officer could also be taken off a case if it was discovered that he was personally entangled with the case and did not reveal that fact. Either way, being removed because of personal entanglement had a stigma within the force and consequently happened very rarely. Typically if an officer was personally connected to the case in some way, he would either refuse it at the outset, avoiding a scandal, or do his job despite his emotional connection.
Kensei's posture was respectful, but his gaze was defiant. "No sir."
"Good. Then please deal with the issue. You are dismissed."
With that Byakuya turned away and Kensei ceased to exist within his office. The timid secretary came in to try to prod him out the door, but Kensei was already gone, happy to be away from his superior.
That Friday, Kensei reluctantly suited up in his uniform and headed for the park. This time, he felt the music first, rather than hearing or seeing the group. For a moment, he paused and closed his eyes, allowing himself to forget his job and listen. This feeling was familiar to him from the time before he entered the academy. The beat spoke to him of community and freedom, and he felt the old muted compulsion to cast off his duty and sink into the crowd. Old habits die hard, they say, and this type of music and gathering had been his refuge for a long time. But now, as a seasoned police officer, he approached it differently. Rather than feeling the urge to merge into the crowd and dance and mingle, he instead felt the desire to sink into the ground below their feet and reduce all his sensations to the heartbeat of the group tapped out by the feet of the dancers and the beat of the drums.
He was snapped out of his stupor by a yell that rang up alerting the group to the presence of a police officer. As he approached, he noted that the tattooed redhead and the bald man had been the ones to shout the message, but it was that kid Shuuhei who stood up to greet him.
"Officer Mugurama. To what do we owe this pleasure?" The boy spoke with a level of self-assurance rare in those who were as young as he looked. It was unsettling, and made the task much more difficult. Kensei had no problem dealing with criminals and hoodlums, but Shuuhei did not fit either of the categories, and the guilt of following orders he didn't agree with weighed upon his chest.
"Ah, Shuuhei. May I speak with you for a moment?"
Shuuhei nodded and stepped out of the circle, communicating to the group to keep going with a casual flip of his hand. The redhead gave the rest of the people a whoop, and the circle sprung to life in instants. A little bit away, Shuuhei spoke, annoyance less disguised than the first time.
"I expended to see you again, but hoped that I wouldn't. No offense personally, you understand, but I don't appreciate the police nosing around in our business."
The young man's slightly confrontational tone annoyed Kensei and he slipped into a gruffer manner more befitting his true personality than his position as an officer.
"Listen kid. I'm gonna be honest with you. I don't either. But orders are orders, ok? And this is my job. So if my boss says to come give you a time limit, then no matter how much of a stuck up ice princess he is, then I'm gonna do it. So here's the message. You have one month to shut down this operation, or the police is coming in with force."
Shuuhei calmly, but defiantly, level his gaze.
"No."
"No? What do you mean no?"
"Exactly what I said. No, we will not stop. Thank you for the warning, but like I told you before, it's irrelevant. If that's all, could you please leave us alone?"
Kensei felt like shaking the kid.
"Listen, I don't want to do this, ok? I like gatherings like yours-been to a fair few in my life and I think they're great. But because I know you're all probably mostly good people, I don't want to see the police come tear it down and lock you up. I like you, and I like what you stand for, but it's going to end, and it's better to pack up than to be shut down."
Kensei paused, surprised by the amount of truth he had shared with this stranger, who was looking at him with the arrogant idealism of youth which he had lost years ago.
"Apparently it's been too long since you've actually spent time around places like this. We don't go quietly. We don't hedge. And if the police comes, we protest and raise hell as they throw us in the cells. If you really understood our mindset, you wouldn't be on this case."
It was a challenge, and Kensei replied in kind.
"If I had a choice, I sure as hell wouldn't be. But the only way I could get out is personal involvement, and I don't have that. When I was your age, I wouldn't've even dealt with rules like that. I would've told them to go fuck themselves and dropped the case. But at some point you have to learn to work within certain bounds, and I have responsibility to carry, and promises to keep. Besides, my boss is-"
Shuuhei cut him off.
"Enough excuses. My answer remains the same, and I speak for all of us. And really, who the hell is this terrifying boss of yours?"
Kensei was so shocked at being cut off by the little punk that he answered automatically.
"Byakuya Kuchiki."
Shuuhei started chuckling. Kensei, who by now was rather peeved, took this as condescending and growled out a retort.
"What the fuck is so funny?"
Shuuhei didn't answer for a moment as he got his mirth under control, then turned and yelled to the circle.
"Renji! Rukia! Over here!" He waved over the redhead and the tiny dark-haired dancer before turning back to Kensei, smirking. "You said that people who are personally involved shouldn't be on the case, right? Well, Byakuya Kuchiki's about as personally involved with this group as you can get."