To Steal From Thieves
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or the characters within.
A/N: Enjoy it and please review :D.
Chapter Four: An Exceptional Offer
"That brat better should thank me for that…" Keisuke made his way towards the location Azumi had written in her note. The moon was bright and full. Only an owl cooed through the air and disturbed the peaceful silence. Keisuke had left the noisy and loud parts of this district behind. His face was calm, despite the circumstances. An excessively large amount of money in an envelope was placed in the inside of his cloak. However, his face never gave away the fact that he was indeed a little bit nervous.
Nanami had silently followed him for the last two nights. Now, she was only five feet behind him and could hear his cursing. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips. She would never trust a man like him. He slowed down his pace and finally stopped at the designated area. It was the backyard of a small hut that laid very secluded from the outside world. From the main road you couldn't watch what was happening here. Nanami's senses reached out to check the area for any traces of reiatsu or persons. After some minutes she finally let go of her camouflage and took some steps towards Keisuke.
"It's always nice to see you, my dear Azumi-chan." He smirked. He had hoped that she would be here, too.
Nanami's blue cloak swayed in the wind. The weather was getting colder and colder with every passing day and in two or three months it would be winter. She extended a hand towards Keisuke as a demand that he should hand over the envelope with the money. His hand vanished into the inside of his cloak and a white item surfaced, but besides that he did nothing.
"Tsubasa told me a nice story during our meeting." He said carefully. His voice became dead serious, his look stern. With a nod Nanami told him to continue.
"He had an extraordinary interest in a set of rings." This kind of communication was unnerving for him. He couldn't see her face nor could he guess what she was thinking in that moment. Compared to him she was able to clearly study his face and reactions. It was second nature for him to judge people on the basis of their appearance, gestures, words, behaviours and quirks. To talk to that peculiar woman was like talking to a wall.
"The first ring is called Ring of Humbleness and the second one is called Ring of Pride. Tsubasa didn't know the location of them." Nanami shook her head to signalize Keisuke that she wasn't interested to search for a pair of rings if the location was unknown to the person who wanted them.
"You should wait until I am finished. There are some special circumstances regarding that ancient pair of rings." He lectured her, his voice stern.
"The price Tsubasa is willing to pay accounts 8,4 billion Yen." First Keisuke hadn't trusted his own ears when he had first heard the price Tsubasa had told him. However, that artifact seemed important to him.
"You have to collect some information about the artifacts but the reward is worth the time. So… are you going to do the job?" Nanami wasn't quite sure whether to take the offer or not. After all, there were no clues where to find the rings and there also was no guarantee that these artifacts were harmless.
Nanami lifted her hand, thumb and index finger signalling Keisuke that she would need two days to consider that offer.
"You know that this would be much easier if you talked to me." One could detect that he indeed was a little bit angry with her. He tossed the envelope in her direction and left the backyard.
By all means, Nanami was a cautious person with everything she was doing. So it took the rest of the night to distribute the money to various institutions. Among them were schools, physicians, an orphanage and a poorhouse. Nanami didn't kept one Yen for herself. She had everything she could buy for money in her small hut at the outskirts of the 62th district and was grateful for that. There were people who couldn't work or were too young to do so. What Nanami was doing was like a reallocation of money within Soul Society. She stole from those persons who simply had enough of the silvery coins and gave them to people who really needed them to sustain themselves.
The next day Nanami spent hours searching for information about this set of rings in the Grand City Library. It had never happened before that Keisuke wasn't able to provide the location of an atrifact which made the task at hand all the more difficulty. Despite the large amount of money Tsubasa was ready to pay for those rings, Nanami would check them out. It was part of her philosophy. Even as thief she couldn't bear the thought that something she had stolen would cause hurt. Keisuke had often suggested that it would be much simpler to steal drugs, weapons or anything like that but she refused. It was the same way with artifacts only that it was much more tiring to get information about them. During the first six month of her "new profession" Nanami had spent much time in the Grand City library just for the matter of learning - learning about noble families, important artifacts, laws, institutions and so on. She had memorised streets and offices and had watched the behaviour of the nobles.
The work in the library wasn't easy, especially since she had to be silent. At night, she could barely recognize the titles of the scrolls, records and books. The library extended over three floors with a stairway in the middle. In the first floor was a card index and the second and third floor included some separated rooms for studying. Nanami browsed the index in hope of finding some clues about the rings but there were none. The tedious part of the work started here. On previous visits she had discovered books that contained chapters about artifacts but more importantly, she had found records which described the dangerousness of some of them.
Hours later, Nanami found a short article about this special set of rings. It detailed the origin of the ring and also a list of the known owners. Nanami's eyes widened, when she read that last part. The artifact wasn't dangerous nor was it a weapon what shocked her the most was the fact that the "Ring of Pride" belonged to the House of Kuchiki in the midst of Seireitei.
I have one more day. That was the only thought Nanami had when she arrived at home this night. She was quite sure that Keisuke knew that the "Ring of Pride" belonged to one of the Four Great Noble Families. If Keisuke had told her about that fact the other day she would have declined this offer. Now she wasn't that sure anymore. It was a catchy task to get into Seireitei without someone noticing you. She would spend at least three whole months memorising the streets and setting up some hideouts. On the other hand, the payment was extraordinarily high. If she would continue stealing from the lesser noble families within the higher districts it might cost her half a year or more to acquire that amount of money and it was much more stressful work. But breaking in into Seireitei was a dangerous endeavour. The shinigamis there were no longer simple unseated members but captains and lieutenants. A heavy sigh escaped her lips. Making that decision made her head spin and she put her hands to her temples knowing a headache was on its way. It also worried her that she didn't know anything about the location of the second ring but if she decided to accept this offer then she also had access to the Seireitei Library that contained much more knowledge than the Grand City Library. As far as she knew, only shinigamis and members of the 46 chambers were permitted to enter that library. It was said that there were some undisclosed parts, too.
One day later Keisuke waited patiently for Azumi to make an appearance. He hadn't lied to her completely, but hadn't told the whole truth either. He knew the location of the "Ring of Pride", but at this time he expected her to know as well and when he was lucky, she would accept this offer. He ignited one of his cigarettes and stared at the wall across the street. The sun was already gone and the moon shone brightly, wrapping everything in a luminescent glint. His ears caught a soft tap and his eyes recognized the cloaked figure standing only five feet besides him.
"Do you accept the job?" Keisuke raised a brow and tilted his head in an asking manner and an inquiring expression on his face.
For some seconds nothing happened. She didn't move, knowing that her decision could be fatal. Even through the wide cloak Keisuke could feel her trepidation about that mission. Finally she nodded.
"Good girl… I don't think you will have any problems there just be careful around captains and lieutenants and everything will be alright." He gave her a toothy grin. Whatever would happen at this mission, he was in no danger. If she was successful, he would be a rich man and could afford everything he wanted. Maybe he was able to buy a house or a mansion in one of the upper districts. Azumi would carry all the risk and if she failed then death would be certain.
Nanami spent the next months gathering intelligence. She wanted to know everything about Seireitei, so she studied every night in the Grand City Library in the 4th district. She learned the routines of the shinigamis, their divisions, their squads, captains, lieutenants, laws, zanpakutou-types and everything else that would come in handy when she entered Seireitei. She also had to figure out a way to get into it in the first place. Some plans of the inner parts of Seireitei were available, too. Nanami looked them over as well. After that, she had some things in mind she could do in case of an emergency.
The days went on in that cycle. She would get up, go to work or visit the orphanage and after that she left for the 4th district in order to study the mechanics of Seireitei. She was also interested in the history of the protection squads - who knew if she would need that knowledge. Sometimes, it was a tedious and tiring work but she would learn as much as possible to feel a little safer. As safe as you could possible feel as a thief surrounded by thousands of shinigamis. It was kind of ironic. She tried to think of several occurrences and hindrances that could happen in Seireitei and she wanted to be prepared.
With two knocks of his cane Yamamoto-Soutaicho signalled that the captains meeting began. He looked at the captains in front of him. His eyelids hung heavy above his eyes and someone who didn't know him could think that he was resting. However, every single captain knew that his senses were fully alert and his eyes would catch every movement. Two month had passed since Soi Fon-Taicho had told him about the dramatically increasing crime rate and those strange occurrences in the upper parts of West-Rukongai.
"Soi Fon-Taicho, please tell your fellow captains about your investigations during the last two months." He inquired, his voice low but full of authority.
"Two months ago my 4th seat had discovered strange similarities between different robberies during the last 3 months. The items missing were artifacts that were worth a small fortune. The disconcerting fact was that the owners didn't recognize the break-ins at first. There were no signs of forceful intrusions. There is a total of 20 reported cases about during the last three months and the dark figure might be very high, too. We tried to find a context between the robberies and the personal staff but found none. I think that an unknown organisation is behind those robberies but at the moment we have no clues at all." Soi Fon paused for a moment to look at her superior.
"Maybe someone from the personal staff is forced to steal. Have you looked into the background of the staff as well?" Hitsugaya-Taicho asked, his voice as cold as the ice dragon himself.
"Of course, it's not the first time my division is investigating that kind of crime." Soi Fon-Taicho folded her arms across her chest and sent a menacing glare to the young prodigy.
"Do we have any clues what happened to the items?" This time, Ukitake-Taicho inquired politely, trying to solve the problem.
"Yes we have. One of my spies reported that in the lower parts of West-Rukongai some physicians and charities were supported with generous amounts of money shortly after the robberies. After further investigations, he also told me that there were actually no names or persons behind that money. It seemed to appear out of nowhere. Maybe there is a connection between the strange support and the robberies." Soi Fon actually had a list with some of those institutions.
"A modern Robin Hood to say so." Kyoraku interjected.
"Steal from the rich and give it the poor, isn't that nice?" Ichimaru's fox like grin showed that he was amused about that fact.
Ukitake cleared his throat to get the attention of his fellow captains. "Soi Fon-Taicho, you certainly have a list with the locations that gained money from that group. Maybe we should talk to those people. They possibly know something about those persons."
"What if it isn't a group but a single person?" Hitsugaya suggested.
"We haven't found any connections between the personal staff and there were no forceful intrusions. The shinigamis from the border guards haven't picked up any trespassers as well." Soi Fon tried to explain to the young shinigami captain. She was slightly pissed at the stubborn boy. A frown crossed Hitsugayas face.
"The institutions… Are they in the same districts?" Again Ukitake tried to fathom that matter further.
Soi Fon turned her head to look at the sickly captain from the 13th division. "They are all distributed, sharing only the fact that they were situated in the lower districts of West-Rukongai."
The conversation continued in that manner without any further clues. Zaraki Kenpachi looked bored. If it weren't for the old man he would have already left to slice up the throats of those bandits. Kuchiki Byakuya's face looked stern and impassive as ever whilst Aizen Sosuke and Unohana Retsu had a smile on their face but kept quiet during the whole discussion.
"Enough of that. Soi Fon-Taicho, please try to discover the location of the missing items or at least some of them. Hitsugaya-Taicho, you are in charge of the investigation squad. Please search for some clues in the institutions that were supported. With that, you are all dismissed." His cane knocked at the ground two times to underline his last statement. The captains slowly dissipated and walked back to their assigned divisions.
Time passed rapidly but there was still one thing Nanami couldn't solve. Usually, the doors that led into the Seireitei were closed and the large protection wall was an insuperable hindrance. The thick wall was made of sekki sekki rock and surrounded all of Seireitei. That meant, that the only way inside was through the Western Gate that connected Seireitei with West-Rukongai. Jidanbou Ikkanzaka was the Western Gate Keeper and without exception he only let shinigami or owners of travel passports pass the gate. He possibly was the only one who could open the gate at all. Nanami didn't like the fact that she had to rely on someone else or her luck but there was no other way this time. She had to wait until a shinigami or passport user would travel between Seireitei and Rukongai so that she could sneak in.
It was the third month when she finally decided to try it. She positioned herself close to the gate keeper Jidanbou hoping that someone would attempt to pass through. Luckily, two shinigamis made their way towards the gate and asked for permission to enter Seireitei. The uniforms and zanpakutos identified them as shinigamis but nevertheless Jidanbou wanted to see the passports. When the giant opened the door for the two shinigamis, Nanami carefully sneaked behind them and entered Seireitei as well. In the first moment she was terrified. She expected that some shinigamis would come for her or had already recognized her intrusion and she reached out with her senses to search for any kind of threat. There was nothing. Nanami assured herself that there was no one trying to arrest her and she also checked her camouflage. Seireitei basically looked like the upper districts of Soul Society. The only difference was that shinigamis crossed her way every now and then but didn't notice her.
Within the Central 46 two figures made their way towards the exit. The white haori flattering behind them told everybody that the both of them were respected captains.
"So you want to move on, Aizen-sama." Ichimaru's grin was still in place.
Aizen, who rearranged his glasses, responded "It's time. Finally, Urahara made his move." A smug smirk played across his features. Gone was the nice and handsome captain of the 5th division and replaced by a man who just moments ago murdered 46 men and woman heinously. He showed no signs of ruefulness or sorrow.
Nanami continued her first walk within the Seireitei. What confused her the most was the fact that shinigamis could remember the path to their own division. Without the aid of the plans from the library she wouldn't even know how to get back to the gate. Seireitei was a maze. Wherever she looked there were walls. Panic gripped her when two shinigamis passed by close to her. They were deep in conversation but she didn't dare to take in the much needed air to fill her lungs. Every single sound could uncover her and from this place she couldn't escape. She pushed herself against the wall and tried to stop her raging heartbeat. She was nervous as hell. In this condition she wouldn't be able to steal anything at all but luckily, she wasn't here to steal something yet. It would take between two and three more weeks to get accustomed to that maze. Nanami also wanted some hideouts within Seireitei were she could hide should something go wrong.
The night was refreshing. Her first destination was the Kuchiki mansion and she wanted to explore the area around the estate. Her senses on alert, she prayed that no seated shinigamis where close when she sneaked off in the designated direction. The only problem was that she was too small. She couldn't jump over nor could she see behind the thick walls that surrounded her. She knew the general direction but there were dead ends everywhere. A sigh escaped her lips and she leaned on a wall. Desperately trying to recall the maps she had studied Nanami got up and continued her attempt to find that stupid mansion.
It was two hours later and well past midnight when she reached the estate. Exhausted she sat down and took a deep breath. Her nervousness had calmed down during the last hours and she had adjusted to the fading light that made this maze that much more bothersome. Finally, she had been able to remember some parts of the map and followed her memory. She nearly had bumped into a patrolling shinigami while running but everything worked out fine.
Having arrived at her destination, she was hiding in the garden of that damned mansion and was able to rest a little bit. She closed her eyes for a moment. It was hard for her to be on guard all the time especially with that much shinigamis around and it was even harder to concentrate were she had to go in the fading light. She opened her eyes again to take a look around. There was a small pond next to her. In front of the building was a shoji door that led to the inside of the mansion. The building itself was awesome and nothing compared to the mansions in the upper district. Surely this Kuchiki person had nothing against a heirloom that was stolen over night. Maybe he didn't even notice that something was missing. Those people were so damn rich it was almost sickening. Nanami pondered about that matter a little bit longer when she saw him.
She didn't know what she expected from a noble from the Grand Four Noble Families but this man certainly was part of that family. Nanami hadn't heard him nor had she felt his reiatsu but now she noticed him. He was standing near the shoji door and attempted to go in. His black hair fell in gentle waves against his shoulders and in front of his face, concealing his grey eyes. His kimono was deep blue as well as his hakama. He was a shinigami she noticed. His sword was placed on his left side, his left hand rested firmly on his hilt. The shining moonlight accentuated his fair skin. Not that she could see much of his skin. His whole appearance was that of a god. The rays of the moonlight encased him, touched him and he seemed to be illuminated by them. It was fascinating and she found herself staring at the man in front of her. She would have denied it when someone asked her but he was otherworldly and handsome yet a dangerous shinigami that could conceal his reiatsu very well. Maybe it was that combination that drew her towards him.
Nanami remembered the purpose of her intrusion just in time to not move forward and make any noise that would give her away immediately. But the image from him standing near the door, illuminated by the moonlight, his features relaxed but nonetheless proud had carved itself into her memory and she was sure she would never forget that picture. She kept still completely and just watched him. His right hand was about to pull the door open when he stopped. His left hand tightened around the hilt of his sword. His head never turned but his eyes did. They searched for something. His relaxed features changed to a cold and impassive mask. He can sense me. That was the only thought that occurred to her and it made her panic. She didn't dare to breath nor did she dare to move at all but she was quite sure her hammering heartbeat would give her away.
"Show yourself." It was no question but a demand in a cold stern voice that didn't allow any denial. His features showed indifference.
She didn't move and stayed where she was situated. He walked towards her. A single noise from her and he would realize that she was sitting besides the small pond. She tried to gain control of herself while he took two more steps in her direction. They were separated by less than six feet. Only two more steps and he would stumble over her. She closed her eyes and prepared for the worst, silently praying for a miracle.
"Byakuya-sama" A voice echoed through the darkness of the night. Byakuya turned his head in the direction of a young servant.
"Byakuya-sama, your grandfather wants to discuss some family matters with Masahiro-sama and he requests your presence. They are waiting in the library." With a bow the servant retreated.
When Nanami opened her eyes again she saw him disappearing behind the closing shoji doors. A small sigh of relief escaped her. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to steal that damn rings especially when this man could sense her in some way.