The meeting went on forever. I was starting to see a trend. This was the fourth meeting we've had since Renji's death, and they were all kinda like this. Same grouping, but people switched back and fourth.
I seriously think Yamamoto only calls these meetings so we can get everyone over onto one side. Okay, one, sub, sub category. And I knew which one he wanted, even if he wasn't giving his opinion. We had a strange understanding like that.
So I listened to these people argue for some thirty minutes, then I got bored, and spoke up.
"Hey!" everybody shut up. I rarely spoke at these things. They all took it that I was still recovering. It was more that I had nothing to say.
"Look. He's still alive." The 'Dead' group looked like they were all going to jump me, so I continued quickly.
"And I know you guys don't believe that, but I actually have proof." This was my psychoanalysis on Dad.
"Somebody brought up an increased number of Hollow in Karakura as a reason we have to act, and act now. Okay. So that is a cold, hard, indesputable fact, correct?" everyone grumbled agreements.
"I know my dad. I know him almost as well as I know that I have small hands, or that I have blonde hair. Can you disagree that I don't know I have blonde hair?" silence, as they waited for me to continue.
"So, you agree I know him?" agreements.
"I know Dad, as I said. He's in control of many, if not most, of the Hollow right now. There are two reasons, perhaps three, that the amount of Hollow have increased in Karakura. One, he's trying to lure us out there. Two, he's trying to catch any and everyone in the vicinity. Spiritual beings, I mean. Or three, there is just so much Spiritual Pressure there, they can't resist." I paused.
"Now raise a hand if you honestly think it's number three?" no ones hands went up.
"Good. Then we actually can agree on something for once. Now, what's the reasoning behind luring us out there? Because then he can kill them, which brings more, and more people, whom he kills, which brings more, and eventually captains. He kills a captain, we know it's him, we act immediately to slow our rate of loss." no one said a word.
"The reasoning behind capturing anyone and everyone there? He knows we're not stupid enough to let him kill some people. Our numbers are already low. We can't afford many more losses, and he knows this. He was a captain for Christ's sake. So, we send in a small team to get them back. But suddenly, they get captured. Then it's an, OH SHIT moment. We send in another extraction team. They get captured. We're missing too many people, we attack to get them back." I paused, to catch my breath and allow anyone to argue. No one said a word, but Yamamoto had a slight smirk on his lips.
"Do you see the similarity between the two reasonings?" this was actually something to answer, and Ukitake took the chance.
"He want's to force our hand."
"Exactly. Which means, he has some grand plan to destroy us where we stand when we attack. He's probably got some weapon, like Chillon." Captain and Kyoraku flinched, as well as a few other people, remembering his heinous screams before we'd finally spared him, and our sanity. Kyoraku whistled.
"For the quiet one, you've surely figured out a lot more than us." he looked at everyone else.
"This is what happens when you stop fighting and actually piece together knowledge." Mayuri commented. A lot of people shot him death glares, but I just watched Yamamoto. We were locked in a mini staring contest. I was daring him to announce the plan, and he was trying to force me to suggest it so he could agree. He was all about helping us learn, which meant if he pointed out the plan, no one learned. But if I did, they all didn't want to be bested by a newbie, so they stepped up their game. After a minute, I sighed.
"Alright." everyone looked at me, "Stupid old man." I grumbled.
"Look. You all agree with me, right?"
"Yes." someone finally said a word! Gasp!
"Then, we need a plan now that we're all on the same side. We should send out a team to fall into his trap."
"How would that benefit us?" Kuchiki questioned. While other's may have taken it as he was saying it was a stupid idea, he was actually asking for more details.
"Well, we get someone inside. We hook them up with a camera of some sort, if Mayuri could be so generous so we make sure he stays alive," very aware I'm threatening him, "I got Goka to trust me, inevitably. I could probably get Dad to trust me again. I can get inside. The camera allows you to hear and see everything I do. All his plans." whispers turned into heated discussions quickly, and Yamamoto nodded at me. I swear to God, we have a telepathic connection. Or maybe I just think like him. Whatever.
Ö
We were in there for two more hours before the fighting finally ceased.
By Yamamoto actually stopping the learning lesson.
"Enough." the room fell silent within seconds.
"You're wasting time." there was an unspoken threat there, and I smirked. He couldn't actually do that to me. Oh, sorry readers. He was threatening to exclude them from the mission, which they all wanted to go on. And he couldn't exclude me, because he kinda needed me.
"I will decide the group of four," silent groans, "that will be going. Dismissed." I turned to leave, but a hand clamped onto my shoulder.
"You're a regular genius kid." Kyoraku commented, laughing. I rolled my eyes.
"Not a genius. I'm just observant. Now, if you don't mind, I have a class to get to."
Ö
Shuhei was a lot more open after the kissing incident. I didn't think he would be more confident, and that actually scared me. For example;
"Hey." he questioned as soon as I got back from class.
"Wassup?" I responded.
"What went on in the meeting? Anything get decided?" I zipped my lips up with my imaginary zipper, and he almost scowled.
"That's stupid. Why can't you say?"
"Because it's on a need to know basis. And you're not need to know yet."
"And you are? You're not even a captain."
"Do you know the man trying to kill us all as good as I do? Because until you do, you have no right to say who can and can't know this stuff."
Eh, he'd pissed me off. Sue me. I'm still a bitch.
After that, I'd shunpoed off.
That was four days ago. Yamamoto still hadn't decided. Or so it appeared to everyone who didn't have a telepathic connection with him. I knew that he was waiting for something. And it kind of made him mad that I could tell.
"That day you fool me," I started, ending one of our scoldings, "is the day Dad wins." and he realized how true that statement was, as he never yelled at me for bringing ideas up that he had ever again. I was essentially his learning tool for the Captains.
Anyway, now, four days later, almost everyone in Seireitei knew something had been decided. The captains were irritable because of the waiting. So was I. And Shuhei and Rangiku were seriously becoming pests, so I decided to distract them.
What was the distracting, you ask?
I planned a party.
With a little help.
"Rangiku~" I sang, sauntering into her room. She glanced up from french manicuring her nails.
"You're in a good mood." she commented lightly, going back to painting her nails.
"Well I have a lucky acorn." that got her attention.
"Lucky... acorn...?"
"Don't ask. Anywho, I planned a party without you knowing!" she finished, and looked at me, clearly surprised.
"How?"
"Well, I used Rukia." I grinned sheepishly.
"Anyway, let's go!"
"Right now?!"
"Right now." I confirmed, grabbing her wrist. She was on her feet, stumbling after me out into town. I dragged her into a small bar I'd found on my own. Rukia said that she'd never heard of it, so I took it that Rangiku hadn't either. She looked at the sign warily.
"I've never heard of this place."
"Oh suck it up. Everyone else is already here, and the bottle's been opened." and now she was mad.
"They started without me? How mean!" and she was inside. I snickered outside for a minute, then headed inside. It had seriously only taken her minutes to get half drunk. I took a small drink, and the buzz lit up my senses. It also made me hyper aware that Shuhei was very, very drunk already. He'd been here for an hour, though, so that was understandable. I was also hyper aware that he was moving ever closer to me. And that would not do. The party was in full swing within another hour, and I was on the edge of barely tispy. Everything was somewhat tilting and stuff, but I was working past it. Tipsy was nothing new for me. So when I heard Shuhei on the guitar, my memory zipped back to a song I'd only heard once. The rifts sounded eerily similar...
"Ten years ago, I got a call that nearly killed me. Repeat yourself my hands are shaking. When I was told my friend was gone, I felt so guilty. A thousand questions left answered. I bleed if you want me to. I'll serenade before I do. I'll bleed if you want me to." I whispered the lyrics to the song. Suddenly, warm arms wrapped around my waist, and my vision and thoughts became unmuddled as my defenses went on high alert.
"Having a good time?" Shuhei questioned in my ear. I sighed, realizing it was only him, but he'd scared me into soberness.
"Yeah. What about you, Mr. Drunkard?"
"Pretty good. But I know what would make it better."
"Oh?" I had a bad feeling the pit of my stomach toward where this was going. He didn't respond with words, instead pressing his lips against mine. After a second, I felt my stomach drop, and pushed him back slightly. The dropping stomach was always the prelude to me crying. I needed to get out of this party, now.
"Sorry. I can't really... do that stuff." I made my lame excuse, and shunpoed out of there as quickly as I could. Stumbling into my room, I barely managed to get the door shut before I started crying. I wiped a sleeve across my eyes, and dropped down in my bed, wishing and praying that this could end. This cycle of depression.
Ö
Knock. Knock. Knockknockknockknockknockkno ck knockknockknockknockknock knockknockknockknockknockkno ck knockknockknock. I groaned and covered my ears with my pillow, praying that Rangiku would go the hell away. I didn't want to do anything. This was day four of my personal exile, day eight of waiting on Yamamoto. Rangiku respected my privacy enough to not force my door open, but she was getting irritated. Obviously. She came by three times a day.
"Open the door, please, Katsu."
"Nah, I'm good, strangely enough." a low growl.
"What the hell is your problem?"
"Do you even remember the party?" I questioned. Silence for a few moments.
"Not really..."
"Then you don't remember, or didn't see. So it's not your problem. Shoo." I rolled onto my back and grabbed my black Sharpie, and wrote "HELLO" on my left hand, then went over it in silver sharpie. It looked pretty fucking awesome.
"Well when you're ready to share, please do. Because Shuhei won't speak to me either." I felt the heat rise to my cheeks. He didn't understand just how delicate my stability was. He felt utterly rejected by me leaving. I groaned.
"I will talk to him, because this is a misunderstanding, but I will not return back to normal. End of story." I got up, and started my shower, taking as long as I could, then got out and got dressed then pulled my hair back and shunpoed to Shuhei's room, and knocked on the door. A grunt. I laughed.
"Very manly, Shuhei. Very manly." a short silence.
"Why are you here?" his voice was by the door. No doubt we were both leaning on the same part of the wall.
"Look, I'm sorry about the party, okay? I wasn't... Okay. Sorry if this first part makes you feel worse, but I was rejecting you. But not like you think I was, okay? My sanity is barely stable. And that stability is very, very, very fragile. It doesn't take much to throw me off kilter now, and it usually ends up somewhat like what you're doing. I isolate myself for days at a time. That's what I've been doing. So I'm sorry if I seemed unnecessarily harsh or anything, but I can't handle that right now." and suddenly the door was open, his arms around my shoulders. My laughed was muffled by his uniform, and he just held me tightly.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. You didn't nothing wrong, except for maybe hang around me." he chuckled.
"But I should've known you weren't up for anything, drunk or not." he'd efficiently stopped me from using my 'You were drunk.' defense. I used that a lot, clearly.
"You don't have to be that perceptive. That's my job." then I caught sight of the Hell Butterfly and groaned. He pulled away.
"What?" I pointed, and it landed on my finger. I brought it to my ear, then rolled my eyes as it delivered it's message.
"'bout time. Although I did want to hermit a little while longer, but that'll have to wait." it flew away, and I looked at Shuhei.
"Meeting?" he questioned. I grinned, and he let go of me.
"See you later."
"Maybe. Unless I go back to hermitting like planned." he chuckled, and I shunpoed off, sliding into my spot in the meeting room, as they'd already started without me. I wondered vaguely if this was becoming something usual. And they were all staring at Yamamoto expectantly while he talked.
"-erous mission. Not just anyone could go." he paused, and looked right at me, "I know you've all been anxious to find out who's going, and I can say it is none of you." gasps from many people, "Except Kitano. The people going are Madarame Ikkaku, Ayasegawa Yumichika, Kitano, and possibly one other if he proves ready."
"Why are you not sending all Captains?"
"It would draw too much attention." I answered, "Dad would know we knew his plan. And he'd just kill us off." Ukitake looked at me.
"But is it safe?"
"Is our job safe?" I shot back. This shut up all protests about safety. Then they went back to arguing about why captains should be going.
"What if Madarame and Ayasegawa turn out not to be strong enough? What if they get tortured and give up our plans?" This time, I answered again for Yamamoto. A normal thing.
"They're Squad Eleven. Pardon, but they're brutes. They live for the thrill of the fight. Firstly, I don't think they're going down easy, period. Secondly, both of them have been on the brink of death, and survived, without giving up. Since this is technically my team, I place all my trust in them. There isn't anyone else I would rather be with." Lie. I reminded myself. There was someone else, but that was impossible.
"But what if they get carried away with the thrill of the fight, as you so aptly named their lust?" Kyoraku questioned, "What if they get carried away, and accidentally divulge information?"
"They won't. You just have to trust in them. And what the hell does it say about us, if we can't trust people to get the job done?" they all shut up their bickering again.
"Seriously. Stop doubting eachother. It's showing people that we are weak. We're not. But that is a fault, our lack of trust. If you can't trust people, how the hell are you supposed to work together?"
"Yamamoto." a person from Squad Four interrupted my lecture. The captains almost looked grateful. I don't think they liked having their faults pointed out.
Eh, no one does.
"He thinks he's ready." Who the hell is he? The person stepped out of the way, and I looked at the doorway, curiosity piqued. And in stepped a man I knew well.
