A/N: Returning to our Regularly Scheduled Posting! Huge thanks to everyone who offered their well-wishes for my vacation; I did, finally, get down to Florida in the very wee hours of Monday morning, and we had a wonderful time. (I hardly need explain that I was *not* at Sea World; my sympathies to everyone affected by that.)
No warnings for this chapter other than a smidgin of angst.
Translation Notes: Sanseki - Third Seat
RED DUTY, BLACK HONOR
Chapter Eight: Reason to Believe
"I'll announce her."
"No, I'll announce her."
"I just said I'd announce her, you fat slob!"
"And I said I would, you little snot!"
Giving only the faintest of sighs - a habit she had picked up from her brother, had she but known it - Rukia slipped silently between the two bickering Third-seats and rapped on the doorframe herself.
"Come in!"
Kotsubaki and Kotetsu both stopped short and stared at her, expressions caught somewhere between bewildered surprise and dismayed betrayal. Rukia very carefully ignored them both, tugged the door open, and slipped inside.
"Ah, Kuchiki! Just the person I've been wanting to see. Come, sit down, I need to speak to you."
A bit warily, Rukia settled herself on a cushion before Ukitake's desk, the same one that Ichigo had taken not long ago. "How may I be of service, Taichou?"
He smiled at her, wordlessly pouring tea from the steaming pot that always seemed present behind his desk, then produced a plate of dango from seemingly nowhere, offering her both. She took them, mostly for the sake of politeness, and nibbled absently at the sweet dumpling.
"Kuchiki, you've been with the Thirteenth for nearly a half a century now," he began calmly. "During that time, I have watched your development very carefully. You are growing into a remarkably powerful Shinigami. When you graduated from the Academy, I was fully prepared to offer you a seated position; however your brother... rather disagreed with that plan of action," he said, laughing softly, and Rukia nodded, feeling bewildered. The fact that Byakuya had stepped in to prevent her obtaining a high rank, hoping to protect her, was something her brother had explained to her some time ago.
Guilt-ridden after her near execution, he'd broken down - at least, by Byakuya's standards, he'd broken down, which meant his eyes and voice had softened - and explained to her everything about her past that she had never known, from the first moment he'd seen Hisana to the day of Rukia's execution.
"I realize now that perhaps Byakuya's request was for the best," Ukitake continued, absently moving to pour himself another cup of tea, and frowning when the pot dripped empty, "as you were under quite enough stress at the time, trying to adapt to your new status in the Kuchiki house.
"However, I can't dispute that Kaien and I both took a liking to you when you joined our squad. He was eager for you to learn everything he could teach you, hoping your brother could be persuaded to a more reasonable state of mind when you began to display your prowess."
Neither of them needed to speak the next thoughts aloud. She'd been in the Thirteenth less than two years before that horrible night when Kaien had died, spitted on Sode no Shirayuki's blade. She hadn't had a chance to display a whole lot of prowess, and after that night... well, some things just don't come when your heart is heavy.
"However, since The Ichigo Incident, you've shown remarkable progress."
'The Ichigo Incident.' That was what everyone had taken to calling her empowering Ichigo - the trigger that set in motion Aizen's betrayal and the Winter War. It had been the beginning of the brutal domino effect that had come so terrifyingly near killing them all, though they had somehow managed to escape.
"Your skills in kidou have continued to improve, and with all the experience you've had, you're becoming an excellent field officer."
"Thank you, sir."
"The truth is," Ukitake continued, dropping out of sight momentarily as he fished for something in the lower drawers of his desk, "Ah! Here it is... The truth is, Kuchiki, you're being wasted as an unseated officer. And, incredibly enough," the polished wooden box Ukitake had lifted out was placed on the desktop with a thump, "your brother agrees with me on that."
At a loss for words, Rukia stared at the wooden box, rather than gawping at her Captain like a clubbed fish. Nii-sama? Was willing to let her take a seated position??
"We discussed it the other day, and he agrees you are ready to take on the responsibilities you deserve." Quietly, Ukitake slid the box across the desk to her.
The Thirteenth Division's flower symbol - the summer snowdrop - was carved into the glossy cherrywood with careful precision. Staring at it, Rukia felt a knot clench itself in her chest.
"Sir, is that..."
"Just open it, Kuchiki."
Her hands were shaking so badly she almost couldn't obey. Carefully, she turned the lid back, feeling tears begin to well in her eyes as she laid eyes on the box's contents for the first time in over forty years.
The Lieutenant's badge of the Thirteenth Squad.
Kaien's badge.
"You..." her voice cracked, and she had to stop, swallow, before she could speak again, still staring down at the dull gleam of brass. "You want to promote me to Lieutenant?"
"Yes," Ukitake answered frankly, watching her with a steady gaze. "Truth be told, since Kaien's death, the only person I have considered promoting to his place has been you, Rukia."
Shocked, watery eyes snapped up to meet his own, and Ukitake permitted himself a careful smile. "It's what he would have wanted for you, you know."
"Probably not how he would have hoped me to get it," Rukia countered with a rather damp chuckle, but she reached into the box and withdrew the badge with trembling hands. "You're certain of this, sir?"
"Quite. I wouldn't have made the offer otherwise."
The sounds of a rising argument outside cut off any reply Rukia might have made, and, seconds later, the door was knocked sideways on it's track by the two struggling forms that bounced through it, both shouting at the tops of their lungs.
"Me!"
"ME!"
"Like you have the slightest chance, you stinky rhinoceros!"
"More chance than you, you scrawny little weasel!"
Ukitake dropped his head into his hands with a groan. "Not to mention," he added, only just loud enough for Rukia to hear him over the Third Seat's squabbling, "I need someone younger and more spry than myself to help me keep those two in check."
"Fat goat!"
"Boney rodent!"
"That's ENOUGH!" Rukia shouted, causing everyone, Ukitake included, to jump. Rising to her feet, she glowered down at the two sprawled officers. "The pair of you are a disgrace! Not only do you dishonor the Squad with your incessant arguments, but you are driving Ukitake-taichou to distraction!"
Kiyone and Sentarou both paled dramatically. Evidently it had never occurred to them that they were causing their beloved captain any difficulties, although a blind monkey probably wouldn't have had a problem pointing the fact out to them.
"In the future, you will divide your duties equally and politely between you. This pointless arguing will cease from this point on, is that understood?"
"Sir!" both Thirds answered in unison, clearly more out of shock and habit than anything else, because a heartbeat went by before Sentarou abruptly demanded, "Hey, wait a minute, since when can you boss us around?!"
"Since she was promoted to lieutenant earlier this morning," Ukitake answered, gazing into his empty teapot so that the two Thirds couldn't see the smile twitching at the edges of his mouth.
Two jaws dropped.
Kiyone, predictably, was the first to recover. "Congratulations, Kuchiki-fukutaichou! I want to be the first to offer -"
"Hey, I want to be first!"
"I was already first, you stinky -"
"HEY!"
Both of them gave a decidedly undignified eeping sound before falling silent.
"Thank you. Now, Kotetsu-sanseki, please retrieve Ukitake-taichou a fresh pot of tea. Kotsubaki-sanseki, the lower seats' morning reports should be ready to pick up. Please go and get them."
"Sir!" they replied, and were promptly gone.
Rukia stared after them for a second, feeling a niggle of worry sneak into her. Had she been too strict? Turning back to her Captain, she had just begun to speak when she noticed Ukitake's shoulders were trembling. A heartbeat of panic passed before she realized it wasn't a muffled coughing fit he was shaking from; it was muffled laughter.
The expression on her face was evidently too much for him, because he lost all control at that moment and burst into a hearty wave of laughter that Rukia, after a moment, found herself joining.
"Ah, Kuchiki," he chuckled a long moment later, wiping his eyes on the edge of his sleeve, "I think that promoting you is going to prove to be one of my wisest decisions in quite some time."
Feeling a little nervous, Renji tugged at the white haori flowing from his shoulders for the third time in as many minutes.
"You're going to fray it," Shuuhei chastised him, swatting at Renji's hands and earning himself a punch in the shoulder in return.
"Che, how come you look so comfortable in yours?" Renji demanded irritably, waving a hand in Hisagi's direction. Indeed, his senpai moved as though the haori had been a part of his uniform for decades, rather than minutes. The underside of it, a rich, royal blue, was far more suited to Shuuhei's coloring than the tan Tousen had worn.
"Trust me, it doesn't weigh so much when it's already been on your shoulders for a while."
"Ya don't need to be cryptic about it. I know how to lead a squad, geez, Kuchiki-taichou leaves me in charge of the Sixth enough. I just... never figured it'd be like this," Renji muttered back, tugging at his own haori again. It didn't sit quite right through the shoulders - whether that was him or the haori needed tailoring, he couldn't be sure. The underside of his was emerald-green, which contrasted strikingly with his hair, and provided a marked difference from the milky pale-green that Aizen had sported.
"You deserve it, though," Kira said softly from behind them. "You've come a long way."
"Yeah, sure," Renji muttered, finally stuffing his hands into the sash of his hakama so that he'd stop fiddling. "I just... why now? Do they really think I'm ready?"
"If they didn't," Shuuhei pointed out, "they wouldn't have promoted you. The Gotei can't afford incompetent captains right now - morale is low and our numbers are down. They're promoting us because they believe we can lead the most damaged Divisions in the Seireitei effectively."
Hisagi had taken three more steps before he realized that neither Renji nor Kira were following him any longer; turning back, he found them both stopped dead in the hallway, staring at him with looks of astonishment on their faces.
"What?"
"Hisagi-senpai, what happened to you back in the World of the Living?" Renji finally asked, his eyes wide with amazement. "Because when you took off from Urahara's that night, I almost figured you'd disappeared for good. I sure as hell wasn't expecting you to come back and take on that three-day training of his. Even Ichigo almost died doing that; and you -"
"I had a good talk with an old friend, that's all."
"Hell of a friend," came the low mutter, and Shuuhei snorted in agreement.
"He is. Told me to stop whining, put my head on straight, and trust that others had a good measure of my strength and talent."
Renji blinked, rubbed the back of his neck, and finally nodded, a slow, thoughtful movement. It had stunned him, hearing the sharp, unshakeable confidence in the voice of his former senpai, when Hisagi had been on the verge of giving up only days before. Whoever that friend was - and he had a fair guess - he had done Shuuhei a world of good with his advice. "Guess he's right."
"Yeah," Shuuhei answered, "he is." Walking back to Renji and the still-silent Kira, he looped an arm over each of their shoulders, and the three made their way back to Hitsugaiya's office.
When they got there, they found Ichigo, Hitsugaiya, and Matsumoto present, the latter already washed and redressed, halfway through a bottle of Unohana's hangover remedy. They noticed, with no small relief, that there were three more bottles of the horrid stuff on Matsumoto's desk. It was a syrup-thick, tongue-curlingly bitter brew, but it was unquestionably effective, and they downed their doses without complaint.
"Feeling better?" Hitsugaiya asked when they'd finished, with only the most mild of sarcasm. He was already at his desk and elbow-deep in paperwork; how the paperwork had gotten there when the couriers weren't even running yet, none of them were sure.
"Thank you, Hitsugaiya-taichou, yes," Hisagi answered calmly. "What time is the joint meeting?"
"It begins in forty-five minutes. Don't be late."
"No, sir," he answered quickly, giving the younger captain a polite, if brief bow before making a beeline for the door.
"Oi!" Renji shouted after him. "Where are you going?"
"To deal with something you don't have to worry about!" Hisagi snapped back, and was gone before Renji could ask anything more.
When the redhead started for the door, intending to drag Shuuhei back by his new haori and demand a better answer than that, Hitsugaiya's sharp voice halted him in his tracks. "Abarai, Kuchiki said to tell you he will speak to you tonight, after hours. You are to meet him in his office."
"Ah, thank you, sir." Glancing around the office, Renji ignored his faint sense of disappointment. His captain - rather, his former captain - had disappeared after congratulating him, presumably back to the Sixth to attend the Division and his paperwork. Renji had rather hoped that Byakuya would have lingered long enough to give them a chance to speak together.
Another time, apparently.
Ichigo was still present, sipping tea while perched awkwardly on the corner of Matsumoto's desk, since the woman in question had already taken possession of the couch. Kira shot his new Captain - Ichigo, a Captain! This would take getting used to - a faintly sympathetic smile, and Ichigo flashed him one in response. That in itself was reassuring to Renji, a sign that his quiet friend wouldn't be overwhelmed by the Substitute's formidable personality.
Maybe Kira would finally lose that woebegone, haunted look he'd acquired under Ichimaru. One thing was for certain, Ichigo wouldn't let him get away with feeling sorry for himself, the way he'd been doing since Gin's betrayal.
'They trust us to lead the most damaged Divisions in the Seireitei.' Shuuhei's words echoed grimly in Renji's mind, and he stifled a grimace. He and Ichigo - the two with the least experience at actual captaining - were being handed the reigns of the two squads still suffering the most from Aizen's betrayal.
The Third, having spent so long under Ichimaru's thumb, were practically jumping at their own shadows. And the Fifth... the Fifth was probably the worst off of them all. It would take them years, if not decades, before they were willing to trust that what their senses told them was the truth and not an illusion.
"Why us?" Renji muttered softly, slumping against Matsumoto's desk, next to Ichigo. "Why the two least experienced of the candidates for the most damaged squads?"
"Because you're exactly what they need, Abarai."
Hitsugaiya still hadn't looked up from his paperwork, and his brush never slowed it's dance over the sheets as he spoke. "Kurosaki is taking over a division that is accustomed to a captain eternally smiling, eternally lying, always hiding in the shadows."
"...and Ichigo never smiles, won't lie, and can't hide his reiatsu if his life depends on it?" Renji realized after a moment, earning himself a smack upside the head from Ichigo.
"Exactly. And you take over the division of a man who eternally faded into the background, doing his best to be invisible and forgettable ."
"Because Renji's the farthest thing from invisible; nobody's gonna forget this hair," Ichigo remarked, tugging the end of Renji's ponytail to prove his point; Renji punched him lightly in the shoulder and Ichigo snorted a laugh.
"Yes. In choosing candidates, we attempted to select those who were not only qualified - and you are qualified, Abarai, make no mistake - but ones who are the direct opposite of the traitors they were once lead by. There is to be no basis for comparison to the old captains."
"Makes sense, I guess," Renji answered slowly. "I just... I guess I'm still having a hard time believing I was recommended, let alone promoted. I wouldn't have thought Kuchiki-taichou would have that much faith in me."
Hitsugaiya snorted. "He's the one who submitted your name, idiot."
Renji nearly fell off the desk in shock.
"And beyond that, the only captain who did not submit a vote in support of your promotions was Kurotsuchi, not that it mattered anyway."
By this point, Renji was doing a very credible imitation of a stunned fish. "All of them... wait, you...?!"
"Yes, me, Abarai. Don't think too highly of yourself, though. I submitted recommendations for Kurosaki and Hisagi as well."
"Still, I..." Shaking his head, Renji finally snapped his mouth shut, stood up, and gave a deep, respectful bow. "Thank you, Hitsugaiya-taichou."
"Oh, don't thank me yet, Abarai. See how you feel after a few weeks of leading the Fifth."
It was easier, Shuuhei realized, to seek among the mingled reiatsu drifting above the Seireitei for the wild, jagged energy of Ikkaku Madarame than it was to look for the quieter, far-more-restrained pressure of the one he was actually seeking. The pair were joined at the hip anyway; wherever Ikkaku was, his friend was bound to be not far behind.
Closing his eyes, he reached out with his own reiatsu, almost immediately finding the sharp-edged power. Even a casual brush against that energy told him without a doubt how strong Madarame was; really, how the man thought nobody knew about his Bankai was beyond Shuuhei. He might as well have had it written in neon on the back of his shining head.
Pushing off, he launched into a slow shunpo, heading in Ikkaku's direction. If people were surprised to see a flicker of white going by on the rushing wave of Hisagi's reiatsu, he didn't linger long enough to find out.
It took him less than three minutes of searching to find the duo strolling in no particular direction outside the walls of the Eleventh. Ikkaku had Hozukimaru slung over one shoulder and was whistling tunelessly, while the other good-naturedly berated him for 'disturbing such a beautiful morning with that ugly noise.'
Both of them paused, half-turning back to face him as he landed lightly on top of the walls. Saluting them briefly, he glanced beyond Ikkaku at the man he'd come seeking.
"Oi, Ayasegawa."
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