- Chapter VIII: The Trial -
'She's going to pass out.' All of the captains looked up at once, except for the Sou-taichou.
He revealed a strange item from beneath his haori. A small bunny made of peach colored fabric. It held a small flower in its hands and from its stem light emerged and projected a face familiar to all of them. 'What is he doing here?' A woman with strict eyes immediately objected to their sudden addition to the trial. Yamamoto did not change in his demeanor and calmly glanced at the small hologram in his hand, 'Why?'. Curious Mayuri closely listened to their guest's light-hearted voice.
'I'll explain the details once we've finished the preparations.', The smile vanished from the man's lips, 'As for now, I'd like to ask all of you to suppress your reiatsu as much as possible.'
'Our reiatsu?' Puzzled Unohana glanced at the trembling girl. 'Oh.', Mayuri let out an amused gasp. Urahara glanced at the captain, knowing his hat to be casting a shadow dark enough for his eyes to roam freely through their skeptical faces. His request had clearly not been too well received among the cautious captains. He kept his strict expression and waited for them to follow his instructions, whilst observing me. Ukitake glanced at the blonde Shinigami and with hesitance lowered his reiatsu. The Sou-taichou looked at the rest of his subordinates as if to give his approval and they did as the former captain had told them. The panting had quickly slowed down and my body was slowly stabilizing. Urahara was relieved that it had not done any greater damage to postpone the trial. The faster he got me out of there the more relieved he would feel. His eyes kept returning to the grinning captain.
Yamamoto looked down at the Shinigami's hologram, speaking in a rich voice of authority as one might suspect from a man of his age and qualities, 'Now explain.'.
'There's not much to explain, really.' Urahara returned to his carelessly joyous act, the smile on his lips mocking their suspicions about the small figure, 'She's not used to an accumulation of spiritual power of your level, at least not from such close distance. So, she was about to faint. Well, her being nervous surely did not do her any good either in that regard. I mean look at those stern looks you're giving her, I even got the shivers myself!' 'Stop.' The Sou-taichou interrupted Urahara's joking demeanor. He seemed to be in no mood to be patient with the shopkeeper.
I slowly brought my hands down to my side and rose my face to look into the older man's.
As much as he had seemed to be ridiculing the situation, he was right that I felt nervous and that I was afraid.
'Introduce yourself, child.' Even with his reiatsu suppressed, this man carried enough weight in his voice to rob you all of your strength. A lion would have been more appealing to stand across. At least I knew what a lion's heart would make of me. I did not know what a Shinigami would do with his prey.
'My name is Hanekyo.', I spoke carefully, not averting my eyes from his strict stare. I wished to look around myself to find the generous captain's gentle expression.
Urahara noticed that I had not reacted to his presence, not even sparing him as much as a glance. It did not sit well with him. He kept a close look at me and stood quiet as the trial seemed to slowly start.
'Hanekyo-san', Yamamoto did attempt to change in his tone to comfort the young accused.
'You have secretly lived in Seireitei with Urahara Kisuke.' From the lack of reaction of the other captains, Urahara assumed that they had already been informed about what little the captain of the 13th division knew. That was precisely why he had been careful himself while answering the feeble man's questions. He was relying on their ignorance. The less threatened they felt the better.
Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes at me, seemingly displeased and yet uncertain.
I gave the older Shinigami a small nod, my voice still lacking in comparison, 'I did.'
'You call him your master, but you are no Shinigami. So, in what respect do you consider this man to be your master?' His eyes loomed over her head. He stood taller than her, even though his posture was as straight as his voice was fragile. He was a tree among flowers. Who could tell how many mushrooms had withered trying to drink from this man's life.
'Goshujin-sama has cared for me.' I did not know what to say, but I knew to protect my master I had to be vague. I had already made that decision last night. I had made up my mind. I had the pleasure to briefly believe in the chance of my return to my master's side. I was content with that. How could I ask for more, after disobeying my master's last command and causing him the more trouble? This trial was for me to protect his innocence. I would accept the consequences of my mistakes, I had to. As much as I was afraid, I was also prepared to face the man even my master dared not to oppose.
Yamamoto regarded me with an untelling look, 'You are no Shinigami.' He muttered to himself and handed the strange transmitting device to Unohana as he took a step forward. Perplex I could only manage to watch in surprise as he had stopped right before me and reached out a hand.
Puzzled what the Sou-taichou was intending to do the blonde Shinigami watched with concern, forcing himself to not speak.
Yamamoto glanced at my collar as he placed a hand on my head. His features softened and his voice had lost its oppressive aura. It was just calm. Surprised the other captains watched the older man slowly pat my head and keep it in place as he continued to speak, 'You carry a lot of compassion for your master.' Insecure I stared up at the man and silently nodded.
He looked deep into my eyes, 'I respect your desire to protect your master, but to protect this world I have to punish those, who break the law. Do you understand that?'
I hesitated, narrowed my eyes then, lowering my gaze from the man's face and nodded once more.
Yamamoto took his hand back and turned to walk to his chair. He sat down and tilted his head towards Unohana. A little surprised the captain took a step forward and held her hand out, with the bunny resting on top of it. Urahara looked at the old man, no smile resting on his lips.
The captain stared right back at him, but his words were still directed at me, 'Did you know that you were committing a crime?'
I took a small breath and all emotions seemed to dissolve from my face. With a neutral expression I stared at the captain, my voice had shed its quiet nature, 'I did not know why, but I knew that there was a reason Goshujin-sama hid me and would get into trouble if someone had seen me.'
Urahara took a close look at the captain's face. Oh, he was good, the former captain thought disapprovingly, 'Using sympathy to make her speak.' He had to jump in now.
'Hanekyo can't answer your questions. I will answer them in her place.' He knew that he would be consciously kept quiet to trick me into confessing.
Surprised by my master's demand I lightly widened my eyes, narrowing them the next moment at the ground. Ukitake had now realized as well that he needed to speak up for the two. He took a small step forward, enough so that the Sou-taichou could see his face, 'I think we should let Urahara-san speak. From what I gathered Hanekyo-san has barely any recollections of her time in Seireitei. She has no knowledge of our laws, it would be unjust to ask her things she does not understand.'
Yamamoto took a long look at the white-haired captain and turned his gaze back to the hologram, his voice deeper again, 'Then answer.'
The intensity had not left his eyes, Urahara spoke in a calm tone, 'Clearly I knew that it was a crime to keep her in Seireitei with me, otherwise I wouldn't have hidden her.'
'Goshujin-sama?' I finally looked at the image of my master, shocked by his bluntness.
Yamamoto did not look at me, he was now fixed on the blonde Shinigami. I feared what he was planning to do. He would most certainly try to make me out to be clueless and innocent.
'Is she a Konpaku?', the older Shinigami asked, showing none of his earlier kind nature.
The question brought half a smile to the shopkeeper's lips. 'Of course.', he thought, 'That's why he's so much more cautious than usual.' He already suspected him to be keeping a vital information from them. With his usual light-hearted smile, he faced the old man, 'No. She's not. Well, at least not the kind you're implying.' 'What do you mean!?', A woman with dark blue hair suddenly shouted, obviously fed up with the careless Shinigami's jests.
Urahara smiled and raised one finger, as if he was a teacher about to lecture his students, 'You are as endearing as always, Suì-Fēng. Now, since you have demonstrated what a loud voice you have, would you mind using those impressive pipes of yours to explain to the class what a Konpaku is?'
'You-!' She clearly had not intended to answer him with words, but the presence of the Sou-taichou kept her back from sending something sharper to the former captain's direction than her glare.
Urahara made a buzzing sound and waved his finger from one side to the other, 'Wrong answer! Anyone else who'd like to try?' He kept smiling and took a look at the captain's faces, 'Then I'll explain.' His voice lowered again, signaling the Shinigamis that he had now returned to his more serious nature, if he had any, 'Souls who enter Soul Society or are brought here through a Shinigami's actions are called Konpaku. I hope that you knew that much yourselves, if not I sincerely worry about the future of Seireitei.' This time it was Hitsugaya who interrupted him, 'Could you come to the point?' Urahara had always been quite surprised about the young captain's joylessly strict personality. 'Also, interrupting, a very unpolite thing to do.', He spoke with that smile, glancing my way, 'That description would fit, in that I brought Hanekyo to Soul Society and if she's a soul, well, she's not, but if you're asking if she has a soul, I truly can't say for sure, but that's a subject I'd be very keen to take a closer look at.' He almost sounded enthusiastic as he spoke those last words. Clearly being the only one to wear a smile in that room. Ukitake looked at me in concern. He wasn't certain, if the former captain's careless nature was of any help for the girl. He saw how terrified I was to stand among all of these strangers. But he had to trust the man to know what he was doing. He just would have liked to stand closer to me, to give me a reassuring smile.
'If not a soul, what is this girl, Urahara?' Yamamoto's voice had completely returned to the frightful sound it had been at the very beginning of this trial. The depth of his voice echoed through her head, like he had been speaking right into her mind.
For a moment Urahara seemed wondered, perplex even. He noticed that I was looking his way. And the expression I wore, he knew it, it was the purest look I had ever shown him. 'Don't.', he thought and narrowed his eyes, before he looked back at the old man, 'Hanekyo is a pseudo-Zanpakuto that I've created a long time ago.'
The captains' eyes widened in shock and all of them were staring at me in disbelief, except for one. One captain had now taken on my master's smile, but with no hint of his light-heartedness.
I stared at my master with knitted brows, insecure, defenseless to the eyes around me.
Yamamoto had turned his face to look at me with as little kindness as his voice led on, 'Explain.'
Urahara looked at me, feeling free to let concern be shown in his eyes, as they were still covered in darkness. He talked in a calm tone, 'I intended to create a Zanpakuto that could adapt to whoever wielded it. Two Zanpakutos would have not only provided an increase in strength, but it would've opened up a variety of new possibilities in combat. After a long research and many experiments, I had created Hanekyo.' His voice became more serious, 'But I quickly realized that she is not suited to fight. Hanekyo is too kind-hearted and gentle to harm anything. That's why I kept her as my apprentice instead.'
Unohana gave me a sorrowful look. She pitied my existence, but I knew she did not mean it to be insulting. It just must have been difficult for the captains to process the revelations the blonde Shinigami had listed for them.
A man with a straw hat, right next to Unohana, gave me the same look. A taller man with spiked hair seemed rather indifferent with a glint of curiosity in his eye, yet I did not dare to think about what might have sparked such a gruesomely curious look. The boy with snow-white hair seemed rather puzzled, like he could not grasp what had caused the older people to pity this person. He simply found me confusing. The dark-haired woman, who had yelped at my master, now stood quiet and glared at me. She was wary of me. Another large figure, a strange helmet on his head had his expression covered, but I could feel caution brooding inside him as well. A man with fine features and long black hair wore the slightest of expressions. He seemed calm, yet his eyes were colder than of the Sou-taichou. The strange man I had encountered before the trial just grinned, like he was fascinated if not captivated by my sight, now that he knew what it was he saw. And then there was the feeble captain of the 13th division, who couldn't do more but share that pitying look. Fear hid behind all of those faces. Fear of something they did not understand, an unfamiliar danger. Urahara knew what to expect. He would have never told them, had he not to worry about my safety first. If he lied it might have just put me into greater trouble and if he dodged their question they would just start suspecting me to be dangerous anyways. His only hope was to stay calm and answer them in that manner, to show that there was nothing to worry about.
'How long have you lived with him?' The man with the long black hair asked in a strict voice.
I did not understand the captain's accusing tone, but I tilted my head back to look at him and tried my best to answer while my heart had started racing again, my own voice small and insecure, 'I… I don't know. I've never counted the days, but I've always lived with Goshujin-sama until he sent me away.' I had just repeated my master's words, but Urahara was surprised that I had not said something closer to the truth. Had I known that it would have made the whole situation look the more suspicious? Perhaps he had underestimated my perception of this situation.
'A number.' The captain demanded. I looked down as if to apologize, 'I'm sorry, I don't-'
'274 years.', Urahara answered for me to relieve the pressure the captain displayed.
The man gave me a stricter look, 'Enough to get accustomed to this world and learn about us.'
'Be careful of what you're implying, Kuchiki.' Urahara replied in a more serious tone, 'Hanekyo simply lived with me. She has nothing to do with Seireitei or the Shinigamis. She's as harmless as the souls before your gates.'. 'Why have you two parted?' Byakuya seemed to be unimpressed by the former captain's claims. As far as he was concerned both us were criminals. 'You.' He looked my way, 'You will answer.' Urahara furrowed his brows and looked over to me.
Uncertain what to say I looked at my master and the impatient captain. I did not know what to do.
Fear had gotten hold of me, more than I had expected. I wanted to hide, I wished to hide.
Yamamoto attentively watched my hands grasp the fabric over my chest as I shut my eyes.
Before Byakuya could speak up again, Mayuri stepped forward and I felt his shadow casting over me. He leaned his head forward with a wide grin, 'What does one do with a faulty weapon?' His face swayed right next to mine, 'You throw it out. You destroy it.' He snapped his teeth together like a reptile. The harsh sound sprung to my ear and left with what little strength I had managed to muster. Mayuri slowly pulled his face back, 'If you have lived with that man for as long as he claims, you should know that he's not sentimental enough to keep failures. He claims to be a scientist and a scientist would keep trying until he managed to succeed with his creation. So why would he stop if you truly were a failure?' Mayuri moved behind me and leaned his face next to mine, his hands grabbing both of my upper arms, that terrible grin still on his lips. I could not move. My body wouldn't respond. 'Perhaps he was successful? So, the question is, why would one throw away such a useful weapon? Why would an intelligent man throw away such a weapon?', he whispered into my ear and then let go of my arms. With swift steps he moved back and grinned at himself, his eyes wide and bursting with such ecstasy, a sharp laugh running against my back almost throwing me to the ground. He lifted his hands and kept staring at me, 'You couldn't control it!' His eyes quickly fixed on the blonde Shinigami and he lowered his hands again, 'You idiot lost control over your own creation, didn't you? It was too dangerous for you to keep, but you didn't have the senses to completely get rid of it and sent it away instead! Or maybe you were too proud of what you had created?' Urahara had stood quiet this whole time. He had patiently waited for the distasteful captain to finish his mesmerized monologue. Two words left his lips, only two, 'Stay away.'. His voice was even deeper than before and it was sharp. As sharp and clear as the shattering of glass. Some of the captains had known the complicated relationship between the two, enough so that they did not dare fate to see them live out those complications. Unohana turned to Mayuri with her usual gentle smile, 'Thank you for your observations Mayuri-san. However, I think this is not the time to provoke a fight.' Mayuri spared her a brief glance and moved back to his position. He had already enraged the former captain, he was content with that. At least for now.
Byakuya glanced at the trembling girl and turned towards the shopkeeper, his expression still cold, 'You didn't seem to deny his accusations.'. 'Hanekyo is harmless.' Urahara immediately replied.
'She wouldn't hurt anyone.' His voice did not lighten up this time. 'Are you willing to vogue for that with your life?' Byakuya countered. My eyes widened at the captain's words.
'I am.', Urahara looked over at the Sou-taichou, 'I sent her away because she wasn't always able to control her abilities and she was ought to be discovered by some of the other Shinigamis. I didn't send her away because she was dangerous, I just didn't want anyone to find her. And I understand your concerns, but Hanekyo is completely harmless. Sent her to the human world and she'll live under my custody. I can help her control her abilities and watch over her.' Mayuri couldn't help but grin once more, painfully aware of the former captain's intentions.
He took a small step forward, enough so to speak to the older Shinigami, 'If its abilities should be of any good use, it would be a shame to just execute it. Let me take it to the 12th division and give it a thorough examination.' Surprised I looked at the Sou-taichou. This couldn't be right. I stared at my master, hoping to find some sort of explanation in his eyes, but he still wouldn't reveal them. I was left in confusion and utter perplexity. Uncertain of the captain's words I looked around myself until my eyes met the sullen mien of Ukitake. And it spoke, it spoke of regret and guilt for betraying a lonely child with silence. I quickly turned back around to face the older man and brought a hand to my chest, clasping the thick fabric. I looked at him with knitted brows, 'You have decided to execute me.' Yamamoto was mildly surprised at my reaction. From what he had already seen, he had expected me to be shocked and tremble in fear, but that wasn't the case. Rather than fear, something more meaningful swirled inside those still waves of yellow. Something he could not understand the meaning of but knew to resemble disappointment. Not for her fate, but for the Shinigami's judgement, like she had expected something different of them. Something better. Eyes stared deep into the faded pupils of the old man. Feelings parted from my face and I looked into the lion's mouth. Its teeth as sharp as my own body would not be able to bear, but I had to. The captains watched in wary silence. 'So be it.', I spoke. Curiously Yamamoto quietly exclaimed an 'Oh?' and listened to the newly won strength in the girl's voice. 'What are you doing?' Urahara thought whilst glaring at the alarmingly calm expression on that pale face.
I did not avert my eyes from the Shinigami. 'I only worry what will become of my master. If my existence is a crime and a threat to the souls of this world, then I'll have no words of objection to speak.' I let go of my kimono to lower my hand and gracefully folded both of my hands on my stomach. Urahara's eyes widened in shock. He thought me to be reckless, but this was intolerable. Daring fate when he wasn't there, he would have none of that sympathetic sacrifice. 'Hanekyo, stop.' He quietly commanded. 'I'm not of your kind and yet I do not know myself well enough to promise you that I'm not a threat. I wish not to be, but that will be not enough.', I spoke in a more delicate and mature voice, unfitting of my small body, 'I understand your concern and I will obey, as long as you can guarantee me my master's safety. I will peacefully accept every punishment your honored self wishes to bestow upon my master and myself, so that he'll be excused for my mistakes.' 'Hanekyo, you don't know what you're saying.' Urahara rose his voice as he saw the sharp teeth gape wide open before their petite prey. I glanced at the hologram of the blonde Shinigami and narrowed my eyes with a sad smile, 'My existence will no longer be a burden to you, Goshujin-sama.' The shopkeeper instantly lifted his face and the rapid motion let his hat fall back from his head, finally leaving the man's face uncovered. Deep wrinkles had set between his brows and at the edges of his mouth. He glared with anger, he glared with concern for the fragile smile on that upsettingly calm face. 'Hanekyo, stop it! This instance!' As little as could be seen of the former captain's surroundings, they heard him jump up to his feet, the vision briefly shaking whilst staying on his face. He looked over to the Sou-taichou, 'She didn't mean those words, she's just speaking out of her own kindness, certainly a flaw that needed to be fixed, if not a minor flaw.' He glared at the older Shinigami, 'If you decide to execute her, I'll make promises on her behalf, but I assure you none of them will be of safety! She's a miraculous being and far from being fully analyzed. You can't destroy such a creature out of sheer fear. Send her to me and let me watch over her.' Mayuri crawled back out from the shadows and laughed a sinister laugh. He grinned at the older Shinigami, 'What are you going to do?' I turned my eyes back at the Sou-taichou as well, 'Do whatever need be to ignore my master's secrecy. It was his concern for me that made him keep me hidden, so it's my fault and my crime. Please, Sou-taichou, find the mercy in you to forgive him and only punish me!' I took a deep bow as I pleaded for my master's innocence. Ukitake stared at me with widened eyes. With a quick step towards me, he looked up into his former mentor's unmoved face. He now wore a more suited expression for a captain of his rank, 'I object!' 'On what grounds?' Yamamoto asked in a deep and rough tone. Shocked I turned around to the white-haired Shinigami. I stared into the captain's kind eyes and they stared back, perplex to find guilt in those bright colours. 'Ukitake-sama' I spoke in a gentle voice, my brows knitted in sorrow, 'I don't want to see anyone else being wronged for my sake.' My lips lightly trembled and what came was the cruelest tone a word could be uttered in. A pained 'Please' reached the captain's ears before the blonde Shinigami could make his presence known again. 'There will be no execution.', He spoke in a very matter-of-fact tone whilst looking at the Sou-taichou with strict eyes, 'I could have come and taken her back last night. You would have sent someone to take her back from me and so on and on we could have quarreled.'. He smiled and lifted his hand to his face, a fan sitting in its light grip, 'I would have gladly given you reason to exile me, but here we are, talking about someone's fate. Any guesses why I did not take her?' He glanced at them and swiftly closed his fan, no smile or laughter to be found in his demeanor, 'Because we would have fought until one killed the other. And do not mistake that for the words of a peaceful man. I simply can't risk to find out how many corpses her mind can bear.' He glanced at me and just for a brief moment there was a strange glint in his eye, too quick for me to catch. He tilted his head towards the Sou-taichou, a neutral mien on his face, his voice calm, 'I assumed that we would not find an agreement on Hanekyo's punishment. That's why I've prepared a compromise.' He slipped the fan back into his sleeve. Yamamoto gave the former captain a long and careful look. 'What kind of compromise would that be?' He certainly felt no sympathy for the girl's fate but being clueless about this thing he had created put him under the mercy of the Shinigami, at least in some aspects.
'To avoid any losses on either side, you will not execute her.', And so was Urahara under the mercy of that man's judgement, 'Hanekyo will be left alive and unharmed. However, to ensure that she won't harm anyone, she shall be sealed away inside her own sword and remain that way.'
I stared before myself in terror. A familiar coldness ran through my flesh and my hands had begun to lightly tremble. They slowly moved up to my chest and weakly grasped the thick fabric. My sight was shaking, lowering my gaze to the ground and pulling onto my knees but I fought to not fall as I kept listening to my master's cruelly calm voice.
'You will also need to lock her sword away, so that no one will be able to reach it. Hanekyo herself will not harm anyone, but if someone else were to get hold of her sword he could use her to cause greater damage than he's already capable of.' The room was silent. The air weighed on the Shinigamis shoulders, knowing who the former captain was referring to. Only one person seemed to be unaffected by the stiffened atmosphere. The blonde Shinigami turned back to look at me. He saw how frightened I was, but kept to his unmoved tone, 'Kyo-chan, this is for your own good.'.
'Goshujin-sama…' I wished to look up at my master as I suddenly felt a sharp sting and my vision started to grow blurry. Silently Urahara watched me fall, unconscious. A muffled thud of metal could be heard as my upper body hit the ground. Ukitake looked down at me with narrowed eyes and lowered his hand. 'I'm terribly sorry Hanekyo-san.' He thought, the image of that girl's frightened face stuck in his head while her body slowly dissolved into soft lights of pearl-white feathers. Surprised the other captains stared and the for a brief moment succumbed to the strong impact the realization of such an existence held.
The truth of what he had created, haunting your mind with questions even you could not answer, Goshujin-sama.
When will it be your turn to look away and feign ignorance?
Urahara looked at the sword, left where I had just been laying, 'She will be unconscious for a while, but you'll need to start with the preparations right away or she might try to materialize again.'. Yamamoto silently stared at the sword.
He knew I wouldn't. Once I woke up, I wouldn't try to find him. For once he knew it to be the truth. Urahara observed the older Shinigami's thoughtful expression.
Yamamoto finally lifted a hand towards Unohana and the captain handed her the little bunny sitting inside her palm. She then turned to Ukitake and gave him a comforting smile before she carefully picked the sword up and left the room. The trial was officially over. Yamamoto closed the blonde Shinigami's hologram and sent the Shinigami away. Ukitake lifted his face and exchanged a fleeting glance with one of the other captains before he left as well. His sight shifted and swirled.
'Ugh' He let out an exhausted sigh and pressed one hand against his forehead. His breathing was quickening. Was it not just appropriate that he would suffer a fever right after he had betrayed the trust of a child? Ukitake shut his eyes and took a deep breath before he kept walking.
The store lived in its usual noises while the owner had been stuck in his room for hours. Urahara let himself fall back against the wall and slid down to the ground with a deep sigh of relief. Just then Tessai burst through the door as if he had been overhearing the Shinigami this whole time, 'Urahara-dono! What happened to Hanekyo-sama!? Have they accepted your offer!?'
'Jeez' Urahara hissed as his body had made a small jump at the sudden intrusion of his mildly overly-enthusiastic friend. He looked up at the tall man with a curious expression, 'Shouldn't you know? After all you've been listening this whole time.'. Tessai rubbed the back of his neck in an embarrassed manner and cleared his throat, his voice much quieter, 'Please excuse my curiosity. I was just worried about the young woman.' He paused for a moment and spoke up in a gentler tone, 'I was surprised to hear you shout.'
Urahara lowered his gaze and stared before himself, a smile on his lips. He lightly ruffled through his hair before he reached out for his hat and put it right back on. 'So was I.' He let out a light-hearted chuckle, but Tessai knew the Shinigami's eyes to be filled with no joy beneath the veil of shadows. Urahara stared at the plain wall across of him, 'I didn't expect her to do something so unreasonable.'. Tessai watched the man's lips bend into his usual smile, risking to break when they parted to speak. 'There were plenty of reasons, I'm sure.', Tessai said in his deep voice, 'But perhaps none that you can understand.'. Urahara spared his friend a brief glance and took his eyes back to the wall, searching for impurities in that solid colour. 'I understand that those are the reasons of something less than what Kyo-chan is. Just like I'm not a man of great sympathy, she's not one to needlessly sacrifice herself for something as simple as friendship.' He closed his eyes and took a small breath, lowering his voice, 'Whatever made her say it, I'll hardly get the chance now to do more than speculate.' The smile faded and he slowly stood up, 'Well, now that that's over, we should get back to business.'. Tessai furrowed his brows and looked at his friend in concern, 'So you really wish to keep her sealed?'. Urahara did not reply. 'I understand that we have spoken about this before, but are you really content with sealing Hanekyo-sama away like that?' Tessai peered at his friend's face searching for a crack in that still façade. Urahara stared back at his friend, 'That has always been my plan, if things had gotten out of hand. I tried my best to avoid it, but I can't dismiss the facts because I care for her. At her very heart, Hanekyo is a weapon and she will eventually be used because of her naivety and kind-hearted nature. I thought about how to immobilize her in the least painful way and that's to seal her inside her own sword. She will be alone, but she will be safe and so will be everyone else.'
Tessai narrowed his eyes, 'I understand.'. He disagreed with his friend's opinion, but he knew he was in no place to involve himself into the shopkeeper's conflict.
Urahara moved pass his tall friend and walked downstairs. Tessai only listened to the Shinigami's light steps as they walked further and further away from his own conflicted mind.
He tilted his head towards the wall. A single small stain at its lower corner caught his eye. A faint remnant of what colour had once run through this room.
Tessai quietly turned around and stepped out of his friend's room. He took another look at the wall. 'On behalf of your master, I pray for your well-being, Hanekyo-sama.', He slowly closed the door and followed the blonde Shinigami downstairs.
Empty the room remained silent and the chaotic noises of the store continued.
-End Chapter VIII: The Trial-
