I'm back. And before we proceed with the next chapter, I'd like to extend my gratitude to the following reviewers for leaving me a review: les cerisiers de lisa, rollmodel. alero1990, Your Angel Rukia...Thanks.
Disclaimer: Don't own Bleach.
Byakuya raised his head as his secretary entered. Lisa held a folder with her. "Mugurama had sent this sir," she informed as she handed him what she has in her hand. Byakuya nodded and motioned for him to sit down.
They sat there in silence as Byakuya read the contents as well as studied the photos attached inside. "It's still not enough," he said after a while. After his sister's sudden death, Byakuya had always worked himself to death as he tried to find means and ways to answer his question: why did his sister committed suicide?
Back then, she never showed indication that she is having any troubles at all. She would come visit him from time to time and she looked so well. Or maybe not at all. He surmised she must have put that front for everyone else not to see that she is having some serious problems. Though he was against her marriage against Ichimaru, Byakuya had still gave the man a benefit of the doubt. He always watched over his sister to make sure she married the right man.
And after a year of marriage, he thought it was fine because Ichimaru and Rukia looked too happy together that his doubts over him started to clear away. Not until her death did he begin to suspect him once more when he had her life investigated and found out from one maid that Rukia's life inside the mansion was never happy as she showed outside. Wanting to know more, he decided to have Mugurama investigate it further but the maid suddenly vanished mysteriously.
That was when Mashiro Kuna, another servant to Ichimaru Gin had decided to help them in exchange for freedom from servitude. Byakuya had agreed and before Gin found out about it, they snuck Mashiro secretly and is now staying in a safe house guarded by Kensei himself. And that was where they learned of Rukia's life.
He wanted Gin to be eliminated then after finding that out but being raised as a noble, he decided to do things differently. Instead, he had secretly assigned many undercover to investigate him and his dealings. At first it proved to be futile since Gin had mostly done nothing yet until recently, it was reported that he had been receiving the senator as guest lately.
That aroused suspicion from the noble man. He had always felt that Aizen was a dangerous man despite the charming personality and that was why he could never bring himself to trust the politician. The higher echelons have been hearing some nasty rumors about the man but no proofs have been provided yet to actually prove his guilt.
He wanted to think that Aizen or Gin might have something to do with the threats he had been receiving but he ridded his mind of the thought. It would seem too…coincidental. Besides, if that were the case, what would Aizen want from him? He could name a dozen people who might have a grudge against him and Aizen is definitely not on the list.
"So this place…" he started and leaned on the swivel chair. "This was shut down already right? Ten years ago I think?" he asked.
Lisa nodded. "Yes sir. That was the first time that Aizen had been tied to some suspicious activities. When the place was raided, they found no evidence telling that he is indeed doing something illegal in that orphanage."
"But this thought had been nagging me…reports said that hundreds of kids were sent down there…mostly homeless children…"
"He had an alibi about that sir…they all ran away or something like that. It sounds fishy but the police bought the story."
"Which is why it sounded more suspicious," he said and closed his eyes for a moment. "And Gin had been receiving him as guest. I wonder how the two became suddenly so friendly with each other. If memory serves me right, they were just civil towards each other during the gatherings we all happened to attend."
"I believe I can provide an answer to that sir," Lisa volunteered as she fumbled through her things and brought out a white envelope which contained some photos inside. "I had asked Mashiro before to actually get something from Gin. At first I thought she was stupid to steal some personal belongings which proved irrelevant to the case…but as it is…it seemed she took the right thing."
Byakuya studied the old photos one by one before he placed them back at the envelope. "So they knew each other way back," he concluded. "They're something. Whatever they are plotting…it must be something dangerous."
Lisa let the silence passed for a second before she cleared her throat. "And sir?"
"Hmm?"
"I just found something so disturbing…my DA had found out that…Matsumoto Rangiku was a special person to Gin."
The name froze the noble for a moment before he rubbed the bridge of his nose. The person who bore that name would always be remembered by the Kuchiki. Matsumoto Rangiku had always been a loyal servant to the Kuchiki ever since she started working for them. She was good friends with Hisana before the latter passed away due to cancer.
When Rukia was sixteen, Matsumoto Rangiku passed away as well. The circumstances surrounding her death is still something that everyone held in secret.
"What are the latest on their activities?" he decided to divert the subject.
Lisa provided another set of photos from her bag. This time it showed the building owned by Aizen. It was actually one of his Home Office building but as far as they could remember…then he shook his head…there is no need to even think about it now. What an odd quirk…the person who happened to buy that business from Aizen happened to be Gin himself.
Then he let Kira Izuru manage it. "Aizen had visited the place three times in a row. And…Rose managed to get into the blueprint of the building and found out that the highest floor is actually unused by the employees. According to one, there are always a group of people entering the building and were given permission to do so. They always hang out there. They presented themselves as stockholders of the company but they looked highly suspicious in appearance."
"Have you taken any photos of them?"
Lisa shook her head. "Apparently, no sir. Rose and Love always tried to time it but they always missed them…"
"Or perhaps they don't enter as a group…have you ever thought of that?"
Lisa shrugged. "In any case, they have installed some hidden cameras outside the building to monitor the people coming in and out of the building."
Byakuya nodded and kept the files in a vault. He stood up. Lisa looked at him with a confused look. "Where are you going sir?"
"Somewhere…I just had a sudden urge to visit my brother-in-law," he said and Lisa knew that the noble is up to something. If anything, Byakuya never bothered visiting the man. But after learning this, he somehow thought of something.
"But sir…Kensei is not around to protect you."
Byakuya tilted his head to glance at her. "I can take care of myself. Besides, Mugurama had his hands full already. I might take the service of Zaraki."
Lisa rolled her eyes. "Sir, Zaraki had his hands full as well. You know pretty well that your friend," she emphasized on the term since she still could not comprehend how Kenpachi – the barbaric policeman – and Byakuya – the nobleman – had become best of friends. It was a mismatch friendship. But even so, she had seen how fiercely the policeman had been loyal to Byakuya. "…had his hands full as well considering the rampant cases on assassination which the government could no longer ignore."
"I heard he had some good men under him," Byakuya stated stubbornly. "Kurosaki Ichigo and Abarai Renji can very well take care of the case for the meantime. I have something I want Zaraki to do. We're going to explore that place."
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Rukia hummed as she cooked her breakfast. It was a good thing today is Sunday so she can take a break from Hiyori. She decided she wanted to have a look at her home. She'll do it secretly of course. She neglected mentioning it to Hiyori or Hachigen since the two would probably object to her idea. But Rukia had the sudden urge to go see her own home. Maybe with luck, she might stumble across her brother and she does not have to plan out for a month to appear in the open.
Reaching for the plate, she continued humming. She still had not received a word from Hiyori about that man and she would nag the smaller woman about it later after she came back from Osaka. After placing the omelet on her plate, she turned around only to shriek in surprise to find that man leaning on the doorway once again…
"What the – "
His face remained blank as he only stared at her. Recovering, Rukia realized that the omelet was already wasted on the floor all thanks to this man. "You – " she seethed. "What are you doing here?" She had forgotten that just a few days ago, she was interested about this man for some reason.
"…"
Rukia felt creep out when he did not even bother answering her with words. Instead, he continued studying her like a specimen under a microscope and she felt uncomfortable with it.
"Nothing," he finally spoke. "Just dropping by."
Dropping by? She thought. What are they? Friends? As far as she could remember, he was her patient for one night and he threatened to kill her the next time they saw each other. "You already had your gun, what business do you have here?" she asked pointedly, her hands ready to reach for the knife behind her if he made the false move.
"Nothing in particular."
"Then butt out."
"I'm afraid I can't do that until I get some answers from you," he said. It was a good thing Ulquiorra had come up with a simple excuse no matter how lame it sounded to him. He leaned away and walked inside the kitchen as his right hand pulled one chair and he sat there comfortably. "How did you know what I am?"
Rukia never moved from her spot as she remained standing there, her eyes watching him carefully. "I'm too smart to easily find out," she decided to answer.
He raised his brow. "And you might be smart to answer me correctly woman."
"Or what? Threaten me again?" she challenged.
He nodded, his dead eyes showed no emotion. Rukia hissed under her breath. Did she seriously consider asking this man some help when she asked Tatsuki about Ichigo? Somehow, she is starting to question her sanity. What person in her right mind would want a help from a criminal?
"News said that the investigator, Kurosaki, managed to graze the killer in his left shoulder. It so happened you were in the area that same night when that shootout happened, and you had the same wound he had just described. It's a simple math."
He scrutinized her under his green eyes and Rukia felt so uncomfortable under his cold gaze. She hoped he bought her story. She does not want to involve Tatsuki in this one. Then a cruel smile curved his lips. "Or you could simply tell me that you are friends with the wife of one Abarai Renji."
Wide-eyed, Rukia gave him a startled look as fear gripped her. How did he know? Sensing the unspoken question, he smirked. "Do you honestly believe I would not recognize this face from five years ago? You're quite famous then, Dr. Kuchiki Rukia."
Speechless, Rukia could only look at him in fear…he managed to identify her in just their two short encounters. Then she frowned. "What's the point asking me about it then when you knew from the start? You're playing mind games," she said heatedly. "Tatsuki had nothing to do with this so leave her out of it."
He waved her off. "Believe me, I'm not interested about it one bit. It just got me curious so I dug a little deeper," he said in monotone. "So we both know each other's secret so I merely came to warn you."
With that, he stood up, satisfied at the reaction he got from her. It was never his style to terrorize his target but for reasons that eluded him, he wanted to frighten her…or perhaps he was merely looking for a reason to talk to her. After all, he's still curious as to why she faked her death. He intended to find that out before he would hand her to Gin.
"Wait," she called when he was about to latch the door open. Rukia remembered locking it so she wondered how he managed to get in. then again, he is an expert so it's probably a piece of cake for him.
Ulquiorra turned to her with a raised brow. Rukia wondered how he managed to maintain such emotionless veneer. "Are you strong?"
For a moment, Ulquiorra does not know how to respond to that question. It sounded an honest question…not a challenging one… "Why would you want to know?"
This time, she finally moved and walked out from the kitchen to stand in front of him. Her fear was momentarily forgotten. "That's not an answer."
"If I am?" he ignored her.
"Then…"
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Stark raised his brow as they spotted a put-out man entering the building. Every weekend, the Espada are always called back here to listen to whatever Aizen has to say. And so the Espada are starting to gather. Harribel is already around as well as Yammy and Nnoitra. Barragan is yet to arrive. Grimmjaw would probably arrive the same time as Ulquiorra since he had been tailing him.
Suspicious, he turned the intercom. "Allon, I see we have an unexpected guest."
"Yes sir. They said something about having a transaction with the vice-president."
Kira? Since when did Kira start transacting with people of higher status? "I see," he only said and turned to Harribel and the rest. "It appears we have Byakuya as guest in this building. Though it had me curious as to what kind of business does he have with Kira. Might as well ask the latter later."
"Byakuya?" Nnoitra repeated the name and grinned. "Don't you think now is the right time to take him out? Did he come with anyone?"
Stark shrugged. "As usual…he walked with his friend if not his bodyguard. The man is highly cautious about his safety. We could take him out anytime here but the problem would be on the consequences that we will have to face."
"What seems to be a problem taking out Byakuya today?" he asked with a growl and Harribel sighed in exasperation.
"Do you want the police to hover this place if the killing took place in here?" she asked pointedly and Nnoitra was silent for a moment. "We just have to wait for the proper chance. You know the guy…luck is always on his side."
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Byakuya shook hands with Kira. "Then I shall be expecting to do business with you," he said and Kira nodded. He is pretty sure Gin would be glad that his brother-in-law had finally taken an interest in him. Byakuya studied him carefully and concluded that perhaps the man had no idea about the activities happening in here.
"Yes sir. Gin-sama would gladly like to finally make business with you," he said innocently.
"Hn," was all Byakuya could say before stepping out of the office. He caught sight of Zaraki yawning as he leaned on the wall. "Well?"
"This is not a good place to talk about it," Zaraki spoke softly. "There are lots of hidden cameras around. I could not make a move while knowing that."
"I see," he said and they both headed towards the elevator. As soon as it opened, the two entered and stood in silence. Stepping out from the lift, Zaraki subtly scanned the ground floor as lots of people moved around in hurry for their work. He only returned his attention back to his friend when he heard a small thud.
Raising his brow, he saw a small man dressed in casual wear as he bumped into the noble. Zaraki locked gazes with him for a matter of seconds before the man took his eyes from him. But Zaraki could swear there is something about him…something familiar about him…he just could not put it out…
"Sorry," the man spoke in flat voice and not really meaning what he said. Byakuya observed him carefully before deciding to let this pass.
"Wait boy," Zaraki called when the man with green eyes walked passed them.
He turned but the expressionless eyes never changed. "…"
"Are you an employee here?"
"No."
That was fast.
"Then what are you doing here if you are not?" he asked in suspicion. Damn but it is really hard to find the group of men who claimed to be stockholder's of the company. Even if they have managed to get the names from Kira, it was not enough. There were no photos to identify them.
"I'm a delivery man from Hirako Co.. You can check it out if you want to," he said in a voice that sounded mocking.
"For a delivery man, you don't carry any deliveries," Byakuya joined the conversation. Somehow, there is something strange about this man. That calm veneer that would match Byakuya's…the pair of jaded eyes…
This time, the man turned to face them fully. He smirked. "You don't expect me to carry them all the way inside, do you?" he asked. "That would be the job of the purchasing department to pick it up outside."
Zaraki listened as his eyes were busy scanning the area still. How the hell would they recognize the mysterious stockholders who owned the corporation? With this great number of people, it would be too troublesome. "If you have nothing more to say, then please excuse me. I have come to collect the accounts due."
And he was gone. Byakuya turned on his heel as well, not happy that he wasted his time investigating that man. Then a thought crossed his mind as he shared it to Zaraki who later on walked towards the receptionist. The woman looked up and smiled curtly. "What can I do for you this time sir?"
Zaraki scratched his head. "Ah you see…I'm curious about that man…" he started.
The woman raised one brow. "Which man?" she asked as she gave him a weird look. Zaraki turned to point at that particular man but found him gone. He scratched his head again. "Ah…the man with green-eyes and pale skin? He just stepped in earlier."
The woman's eyes flashed recognition at the description. She finally smiled. "Oh, you mean, Eiji?" she asked. Zaraki just nodded. "What about him?"
"Is he an employee here?"
Again, she gave him a weird look then laughed a little. "Does he look like he worked here? That man is the delivery man from Hirako who supplies most of this corporation's inventories."
That checked to his claims earlier.
"He looked so free moving around here…and you look like the company with tight security."
This time, she gave him a look. "He had been coming here for years now as delivery man. And the reason why he enters this place is because every delivery, he would have to collect the past due accounts from the purchasing department at the upper floor. Or sometimes, he would come here from invitation by the Vice-President. I heard he has a bright mind and sometimes helped with the other departments. He is quite handy."
Still too suspicious…normally, companies would simply mail their checks to their supplier. I guess I just have to check on the Hirako Co. talk about being suspicious, he's the definition of it.
"Why are you asking this sir?"
He shook his head. "Mah, just curious. Thanks," he said and turned to Byakuya who had been listening. It seemed their mind worked as one because the moment they stepped into his car, he spoke.
"Have him investigated just to make sure."
"Damn right…but I swear I thought I saw him before."
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Hirako wondered why there were two men always hovering outside his building as if surveying something. He was about to ignore it though when a bald man came and spoke to him. "Hirako Shinji?"
Puzzled, said guy nodded. "Yeah…whatcha want?"
"Do you mind answering a few questions for us?"
Shinji scratched his head. "Ya know, normally, people introduce themselves first. But fire away," he said in boredom, wanting to get this over with. Then he frowned. "Wait…if ya came ta investigate ma business…it's legal an' ya can check it out."
The bald grinned. "We have not come for that sir," he glanced at his note. "We just received orders from our superior a little while ago to come check this place. Do you have an employee who goes by the name of Eiji?"
Shinji managed to keep his surprise hidden. Had Eiji done something wrong that caught the attention of the law? He sure hoped not. Though he suspected the man to be doing some shady business, he had hoped it was not true though.
"Yea. Takano Eiji…what about 'im?" he asked casually, not wanting to give anything away. He will just have to talk to Eiji later.
"Would you describe him first?"
Shinji rolled his eyes. "Ya want me ta describe 'im? He's an albino with dead-cold green eyes. Does it fit the description?"
The bald nodded. "Yes sir. Can you describe to us his job in your company and why he is often seen at the Arrancar Manufacturing Company?"
Shinji shrugged. "'is ma delivery boy," he said which covered Ulquiorra's story already although Shinji was not aware of that. But at least that was true. Not wanting to be interrogated any longer, he volunteered to speak. "I can show ya the receipts of purchases if ya want ta. What'd ma boy do?"
The bald scratched his head and smiled reluctantly. "Nothing sir. We're merely checking on all people who worked for that company. Thank you for the time," he said and walked away while Shinji watched them go. At the back of his mind, he wondered what that company had done. It's not like he is interested with it. But that had been one of his clients so he could not help but be curious about it. He sighed. He really hoped the boy had not gone into trouble.
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Ulquiorra threw his jacket at the bed and went straight to the mini-bar. It was a good thing Aizen was caught up with a conference and Gin with something important so he was able to get away from the building earlier. Of all the things that could happen…he shook his head…
He ran into the noble whom he heard from Stark was Grimmjaw's target. He wondered why Grimmjaw did not appear a while ago. He could have taken a chance considering that Byakuya is left open. The moment the Chief of Police started asking, Ulquiorra knew he was under suspicion and the good part was that he had a very good alibi…he had no doubt Zaraki would investigate about him just to make sure…
He was keenly aware of the suspicion that flashed their eyes the moment he said he was a delivery boy. He knew they would not easily buy that. After all, how can a simple delivery boy wander around the place so freely? When he left them, he made sure to see what they would do next and his assumption that they would not just leave was correct.
They really had no idea that for the people who worked in the company, he was merely a delivery boy whom the company had started trusting some years back. To them, he is Takano Eiji. He never wanted to play the role of stockholder there and thus he thought of a good plan. It so happened that Shinji had been hiring new employees. He learned from Aizen that his company had been their supplier for a long time so it provided a good cover for him. So he applied.
The other Espadas were known as the stockholders of the company but they also assumed different names. Their real names were only known among the group.
He poured the small glass with some wine and drank it straight as he reflected on events that happened today and yesterday. Now yesterday…
A smirk crossed his face as he recalled yesterday…
The woman had no idea that she made things easier for him…
"Are you strong?" she had asked.
"Why would you want to know?" he asked with slight perplexity.
"That's not an answer."
"If I am?" he challenged.
She moved towards him. "Then…can I hire you to be my bodyguard?"
He shook his head at how naïve the woman was. First, she knew he is a killer. Second, she's so stupid to hire him as her bodyguard not knowing that he had intended to get closer to her so he could abduct her with ease when he deemed it the right time. She had just provided a perfect opportunity for him.
And being a calculating man, of course he took the offer. The woman had no idea though that the one she hired as her bodyguard to protect her when she's going to reveal herself in public would be the same man who would soon bring her own demise.
Somehow, he felt sorry for her fate. And felt disgusted with himself. He's a real harbinger of death. This time to an innocent woman who also happened to helped him once.