A/N: Just to recap, because Bleach aging is weird: the twins stayed with their mother until they were about 8 years old, at which time they looked roughly 3. They fought in gladiator-type arenas up until age 20, at which point they looked about 6. Last chapter took place between the years of 20-23, so they still looked about 6. This chapter starts about 6 years after the last one, so I'd say they look roughly 7. However, their physical age is in no way a reflection of their actual abilities, because this is Bleach in which having the strength to topple buildings is a pretty normal thing apparently.
(Also when going through the reviews I found it really funny that most of you seem to refer to Sousuke as 'Aizen' because technically both twins are Aizen? But anyway, on to the story).
Shunsui's initial impression of Aizen Sousuke is something along the lines of 'kid's got balls.' Given that his first encounter with the boy happens right after the kid makes off with one of his officers' wallets, it's not an inaccurate assessment.
"Ow, you jerk! Lemme go!" Shunsui stops in his tracks at the sight of one of his newest seated officers holding a boy up by the front of his shirt and barely manages to hold back an exasperated sigh. He'd known that Hideaki-kun had a temper, but for him to blatantly threaten a child, and in such a public place too…
"Thought you could rob me and get away with it, huh? Thought you could outrun me? Hah!" Hideaki scoffs, shaking the boy roughly.
"Please, shinigami-sama, let my brother go. He didn't mean anything by it," a girl, about the same age as the boy, begs. Closer inspection reveals that she looks too similar to the boy for them not to be related, causing Shunsui to lift his eyebrows in faint surprise. Then again, while blood-related siblings in the Rukongai are uncommon, they're certainly not unheard of.
"Maa, maa, Hideaki-kun," Shunsui says mildly, sauntering up to the scene. At his appearance, Hideaki startles and immediately drops the boy in his grasp. Out of the corner of his eye, he notes that the girl automatically angles her body so that she's standing between Shunsui and the boy, which is…interesting. For a shinigami to categorize him as the biggest threat is one thing, but for a civilian girl to do so? At a time when he isn't carrying his zanpakuto, has his reiatsu suppressed, and is wearing a pink kimono to boot? It's unexpected, to say the least.
Shaking it off, he turns back to his officer. "I gave you some time off to relax, have fun before we have to head back home, and what do you do? Is resorting to such measures really necessary?"
"I—no, taicho," Hideaki mumbles, embarrassment and resentment plain in his features. Smiling cheerfully, Shunsui turns back to the pair of children and holds out one hand.
"It's not nice to steal," he chides, careful not make it sound like a threat. "Cute children like yourself shouldn't be doing something so dangerous. You could get hurt, you know?" The girl blinks at him, apparently not quite sure what to make of his warning.
"I apologize for my brother's misconduct. It won't happen again," she says finally, before nudging her brother in the side. "You heard the nice man, you shouldn't be stealing. What were you thinking?" She lectures, sounding more like an exasperated parent than a sister. "Come on now, give shinigami-sama his money back." The boy scowls, a distinctly mulish expression on his face. It's one Shunsui is more than familiar with, having helped Juushiro babysit his horde of siblings more than once.
"Why? I mean, when it comes to the areas where he needs the most help, money clearly isn't helping him any or else he'd have bought himself a better personality by now," the boy says sullenly, casting a glare at Hideaki. Shunsui coughs to hide an amused smile, and places a restraining hand on Hideaki's shoulder before the man can do something regrettable. The kid certainly isn't afraid to speak his mind, that's for sure.
"Otouto, don't be rude. The poor man can't help it," the girl scolds, causing Shunsui to choke slightly and Hideaki's face to go red with fury. Like brother, like sister, apparently.
"Now, hand it over." When her brother stubbornly refuses to move, she sighs and sticks her hand down the back of his shirt, ignoring his yelp, before coming up with a bag full of money.
"Here you go, shinigami-sama," she says, dumping the pouch into Shunsui's hand. "Thank you for your patience, and we appreciate you being so generous with us."
It's a slightly odd way of phrasing things but Shunsui dismisses it. Despite the girl's oddly adult way of saying things, she's still a kid; she's bound to make a few linguistic errors.
It's only about half an hour later that he realizes the full meaning behind her words. A bellow of rage comes from the other side of the inn and Shunsui looks over to see Hideaki shaking with rage, staring at something in his hands before storming out. Feeling more than a bit of curiosity, he walks over only to see a slip of paper and the aforementioned money bag on the table.
"What's he so upset about now?" He asks another one of his squad members, idly picking up the scrap of paper.
"Ah…he just found out that he was, um, robbed," the man says nervously. When Shunsui looks pointedly at the pouch of money still resting on the table, he adds, "The, uh, number of coins in his bag didn't change but the amount…well, originally he had roughly 5000 kan in there but, um, apparently someone replaced all his higher value coins with single-kan ones?" Shunsui blinks slowly before glancing down at the piece of paper in his hands. Scrawled across it in what appears to be charcoal, are the words Thank you for your generous donation to the Children of Rukongai Fund.
For a long moment, Shunsui just stares at the note in silence. Then he snorts, covering his mouth with one hand in an attempt to suppress his mirth, before giving it up as a bad job. Shoulders shaking with laughter, he can't help but wonder at the sheer audacity…and how much of that back there had been an act, exactly? The thief had obviously realized early on that he stood no chance of outrunning a shinigami, but was it coincidence that he'd gotten caught in a public place, where most people would be inclined to restrain themselves more? As for his belligerence and his sister's careful deference…how much of that had been a means to distract, to throw off suspicion? And how the hell had they found the time to replace the coins, let alone write a note?
"Taicho? Are you alright?" His subordinate asks nervously, looking terrified at the idea that his captain might be having a mental breakdown in front of him.
"Maa, maa, I'm fine. Don't worry about me," Shunsui chuckles, waving him off. He can't help but shake his head at how ridiculous the whole scenario is.
Over 800 years old and fooled by a pair of brats who can't be more than 35, he thinks to himself wryly. Despite their actions being at his subordinate's expense, however, he can't deny that he feels a bit impressed.
Well played. Well played, indeed.
The fact that Shunsui likes to frequent the Rukongai every few months is a little known secret. He keeps it that way because he's found that hiding in the nearby districts is the best way to keep Lisa off his back about his paperwork.
(Plus, once he gets past district three or so, hardly anyone recognizes him and it's…nice to be looked at without the usual accompanying awe or adoration. To be treated like a normal person.)
He's frequenting a local shogi club in the 4th District of West Rukongai when he comes across one of the regulars grumbling about "damn genius kids taking all of his money." A quick glance at the game shows that the man lost by an impressively large margin.
"Who was your opponent, if you don't mind me asking?" Shunsui asks, interested. It isn't often he comes across promising new players; it'd be nice to find someone who could offer him a challenge.
"Some random brat," the man grunts. "Looked 'bout nine, brown hair, brown eyes. He just left; if you want to catch up with him, you'd better hurry."
After murmuring a word of thanks, Shunsui heads out of the club and just manages to catch a glimpse of brown hair before it vanishes across a corner. A quick shunpo brings him to a nearby rooftop, where he finds that the kid looks…oddly familiar. It takes Shunsui a few minutes of following the boy around before he's able to place him as the bold little thief from a few years back, and when he does Shunsui can't help but feel faintly surprised. While souls aren't exactly confined to the district they're sent to after their death, between a lack of funds and the risk of running into hollows in the forests separating the districts, he's found that few are comfortable with traveling around. Given that the last time he saw the boy, they were in the 37th district of East Rukongai and they're currently in the 4th district of West Rukongai…well, it suggests a certain level of mobility that Shunsui hadn't expected.
"So are you just gonna hide there and stare at me all day, or…?" The boy calls out abruptly. Shunsui considers his options, shrugs, and proceeds to jump down from the rooftop, where he finds himself on the receiving end of a suspicious glare.
"Ah, so you noticed me. I was wondering if you would," he says, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. He isn't exactly surprised—he wasn't really trying to hide in the first place, and he's discovered that Rukongai kids tend to have better instincts than most.
"You've been following me. Why?" The boy cuts in, expression giving no indication as to whether or not he recognizes him. After a moment of consideration, Shunsui decides to go with the truth.
"Saw that game you just played and was pretty impressed," he says with an easy smile. "Don't suppose you'd indulge me in a match?"
"I'd love to, I really would, but nee-chan says I'm not allowed to go off with lonely old men," the boy answers without missing a beat. Shunsui chokes, feeling more than a little indignant at the implication, and proceeds to revise his opinion of the boy from 'brat' to 'impertinent little shit.'
"Hey now, watch yourself! I'm not lonely! I happen to have many friends, thank you very much. And I'm not old either!" He adds grumpily. "I'll have you know that I'm in the prime of my life."
"Mmm, if you say so," the boy says, tilting his head to the side with an innocent smile. "Is that why you were stalking a prepubescent boy? Nee-chan did say something about men in their mid-life crises having weird habits."
"And where is your sister, by the way? Seems a bit careless of her to just let you wander off by yourself, doesn't it?" Shunsui asks, deciding to change the subject to something a little less awkward. The boy's eyes flash in response but what surprises Shunsui is the briefest upsurge in reiatsu that accompanies it.
"Nee-chan knows that I can take care of myself," he says defensively, voice just a little too tight to be casual.
"I have no doubt that you can, but nonetheless I admit I find myself a little surprised that she'd leave you on your own," Shunsui murmurs, extending his reiatsu. He hadn't noticed it before, hadn't been looking for it, but now he can tell that there are small fluctuations in the boy's energy—telltale signs that it's being suppressed. "Unless, of course…"
As if on cue, a small figure slips out from the shadows behind him as the other half of the duo goes to stand beside her brother. Looking at them, Shunsui is once again taken aback by just how alike they look—the girl's features are a touch more delicate while the boy's eyes are a shade lighter, but aside from that they look eerily similar.
"Otouto," the girl greets her brother, although she doesn't take her eyes off him. It also doesn't escape his notice that neither of them have referred to each other by name so far. "I thought I told you not to speak to suspicious characters."
Oh, come on, Shunsui thinks in exasperation. First implied pedophile, and now 'suspicious character'? At this rate, these kids are going to give him a complex.
"Maa, maa, I mean no harm," Shunsui says, holding his hands up. He isn't surprised to note the same fluctuations in the girl's reiatsu, although hers are far more subtle. It does bring up the question though of exactly how much reiatsu these kids have, for them to feel the need to suppress it. Hiding his reiatsu is all but second nature to him as a captain—it has to be, since the slightest loss of control over it tends to send grown men sprawling to their knees—but for two kidsto do so? Who are these children, exactly? "Would it help if I introduced myself? Kyouraku Shunsui, Captain of the Gotei 13's Eighth Division, at your service."
This time, the surge in the boy's reiatsu is far more pronounced but interestingly enough, the girl's doesn't waver. A testament to her control, perhaps…?
"And what business does a captain have with two kids from the Rukongai?" The girl asks skeptically, not bothering to offer her own name.
"Well, as someone who visits these areas relatively frequently, I figured it was my duty to inform you of some of the local attractions. See, in two weeks, district three of North Rukongai will be holding its annual dango festival," he says, studying them closely. "It's also where a few members from the Gotei 13's First Division will be holding an information session for those who might be interested in becoming shinigami."
"Don't you need high spiritual energy levels in order to become shinigami, though?" The girl questions, expression unreadable.
"Of course, but I don't think that's something either of you need to worry about, am I right?" He asks with a smile. The boy stiffens and the girl's eyes narrow minutely, but to their credit, neither of them bother denying it. "You don't need to come; I'm not forcing you to. Just…consider it, okay?"
With that, he turns around and begins to head back in the direction of the Seireitei, whistling to himself as he goes. He gets about ten feet before the boy—and he really needs to learn their names, he can't just keep referring to them as 'the girl' and 'the boy'—calls out.
"Will you be there? At the information session, I mean," he asks. Shunsui pauses, but doesn't turn around.
"Originally, I wasn't planning on it," he admits, which is true. Recruiting events like these have a tendency of turning out dreadfully dull. Now, though… "But recent events have made me consider making an exception."
"So are you going to tell me what all this is about, now?" Juushiro asks, his voice a familiar mix of exasperation and indulgent amusement.
"In a minute. Just to make sure, you can't recognize me with this hat on, can you?" Shunsui asks, adjusting the massive straw hat he'd bought from a nearby vendor. It's surprisingly comfortable, actually—he might have to start wearing one full-time.
"I assure you, Shunsui, your face is very well-concealed. As is mine," Juushiro answers, adjusting his matching straw hat. "Although I doubt that anyone would recognize you anyway, seeing as you've decided to leave behind your pink kimono for once."
"Ah, yes. Unfortunately, sacrifices must sometimes be made in the name of the greater good…which, in this case, is concealing our identities so that we aren't expected to go up there and answer questions, or, gods forbid, make a speech," Shunsui says, making a face.
"And we all know how much you detest making speeches," Juushiro agrees dryly. "So that begs the question—why come at all?"
"Well, you know, with the upcoming Academy exams, it's always a good thing to see what kinds of people might be intending to apply," Shunsui says modestly.
"Mm. And might one of these people be the little girl over there who keeps glancing our way?" Juushiro asks knowingly, nodding towards the edge of the crowd.
"What? Where?" Shunsui asks, straightening up, and promptly finds himself on the receiving end of a flat brown stare. Upon meeting his gaze, the girl's eyes narrow and she abruptly turns away, disappearing into the crowd.
"She's awfully young, don't you think?" Juushiro says quietly.
"Perhaps," Shunsui says slowly. "Her brother's even younger, and I'm not advocating that they become shinigami right away. Nonetheless, I would feel more…comfortable for them to be in a place where I could keep an eye on them."
"I noticed that she was suppressing her reiatsu, and given that I'm fairly certain she noticed us from the moment we set foot here, I wouldn't be surprised if she was a sensor as well. I can see why she caught your interest," Juushiro hums thoughtfully. "You said she had a brother?"
Shunsui nods in affirmation. "They look about the same age, although from the way they behave, she's clearly the older one. By how much, I don't know." The sound of applause draws his attention and he looks towards the center of the crowd, where the First Division 12th Seat, a former Rukongai resident, is finishing up his speech.
"Being a shinigami has been an honor and a privilege," the officer says earnestly. "It's been my goal from the time I was a kid and now I'm finally realizing it. I can't tell you what it's like to be a shinigami—all I can say is that over these past few years, I've been doing my utmost best to uphold the laws of Soul Society, and it's given my life meaning. More than that, it's been a dream come true." Smiling down at the crowd, he adds, "I know it may seem like an impossible goal but trust me when I say that it's doable. I, too, thought it impossible at one time, but look at me now! And even if you're not sure if you can make it, what's the harm in trying? There's no limit to the number of times you can apply, and there's no age restriction—no one is too young nor too old," he laughs. "The process is open to everyone."
"Everyone?" A familiar voice speaks up. The officer blinks in surprise before smiling welcomingly.
"That's correct! Why? You thinking about applying?"
"I guess it does seem kinda cool," the boy admits bashfully. Shunsui leans forward to get a better look, fails, and decides to jump up onto a nearby rooftop to watch. A fraction of a second later, Juushiro joins him.
"Better wait a few years first, otouto," another familiar voice joins in. "Right now, all a hollow would have to do is breathe in your general direction, and you'd probably topple over."
"I see what you mean by her acting like the older one," Juushiro murmurs. "He defers to her. It's impressive, really—I don't think I managed to get any of my siblings to listen to me until I was at least a century old."
"Well, that's fine too! There's no rush after all—besides, this'll give you more time to prepare," the officer laughs, reaching forward to ruffle the boy's hair. "Work hard so that you can become strong, okay? Who knows, maybe one day you'll be able to become a hero as well."
There's a beat of awkward silence when the boy ducks around the officer's hand, and Shunsui sees the girl's face close off, her expression now eerily blank.
"Ah," Juushiro says, echoing his thoughts. "This can't end well."
"I suppose it would be an honor to someday become one of Soul Society's defenders," the girl speaks up first, lips curling into a placid smile. "I know that I, for one, owe much to the shinigami."
She doesn't quite manage to hide the venom in her tone as she continues, eyes like tempered steel, "I mean, where do we even start with a shinigami's heroic actions? Why, if it weren't for their assistance in maintaining order, the Rukongai might turn into a lawless, yakuza-run hellhole filled with gang-violence and petty crime, and what an awful world that would be, don't you agree, shinigami-san? If it weren't for their strength, hollow attacks might become a near-daily occurrence. And if it weren't for their kindness, who knows? You might even see kids like myself starving in the streets," she says, sarcasm dripping like poison from her voice. "Truly, I have much to be grateful for and I can't imagine the satisfaction you must feel every time you lift your sword, shinigami-san, knowing that you're doing your part in making the world a better place."
To his credit, the officer doesn't even flinch as the crowd starts murmuring unhappily.
"I take my satisfaction in knowing that we try our best. Unfortunately, we do not have the resources to do as much as we'd like, but rest assured, we are constantly looking for ways to improve and maximize our efficiency," he says with a forced smile.
"Shinigami-san is right," the girl's brother pipes up unexpectedly. He's holding onto his sister's hand tightly and even at this distance, Shunsui can hear the tremulous note in his voice. "Nee-chan…nee-chan, it's not fair to blame them when they're doing the best they can. I'm sure they're busy with other things, like…like setting up cool events like this one! With lots of pretty banners and stuff!"
His sister doesn't say anything in response but then again, at this point she doesn't need to. Even Shunsui can't help but wince when an old woman speaks up from the back, her voice thick with anger and pain.
"Those kids have got a point. Just last month, I lost my only son in a hollow attack and where were you shinigami then, huh? Protectors? Hah! The only people you protect are the ones in that city of yours!"
"If you shinigami spent half as much time on actually doing the stuff you're supposed to do, instead of hosting useless events like this one, maybe you wouldn't have to try so hard to convince people of your worth," Another woman chimes in.
"You say you're Rukongai? Bah! You've forgotten what Rukongai is, boy."
"Well," Shunsui says faintly as the crowd gets increasingly riled up. "That was a disaster."
"I was wondering how long it'd take you to find me," the girl says calmly. "Come to silence me for my impertinence, Kyouraku-taicho?"
"You really think so little of me, kid?" Shunsui asks mildly, ignoring the way Juushiro stiffens next to him. "I do have other skills."
"But that's what you're best at, isn't it?" She retorts and turns to face him, a faintly mocking smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "It's all in the name. Shinigami. Death god. Reaper of souls."
Shunsui smiles.
"You don't believe that I'm here to harm you. Or else, you would have tried far harder to hide," he points out. She stares at him for a moment longer before shrugging, relaxing a fraction.
"I suppose I don't. If only because if you had decided to kill me, you wouldn't have brought a friend along," she concedes, studying Juushiro closely. "Another captain? I'm honored."
"Ah, yes. This here is Ukitake Juushiro, Captain of the Thirteenth Division," Shunsui introduces, hoping that this time she'll do the polite thing and offer her own name. He's getting rather tired of referring to her as 'the girl.'
No such luck.
"Pleasure," she murmurs, tilting her head in acknowledgement. It's a gesture that'd be rude coming from anyone else, given the massive difference in their ages, but Shunsui gets the feeling that this is the most submission she's willing to show anyone. Juushiro seems to feel the same way because he smiles back, expression gentle.
"Likewise, ah…?" He trails off questioningly, waiting for her to fill in the blank. She casts an amused look at him, her expression simultaneously conveying that she knows exactly what he's up to and is just petty enough to say something infuriatingly vague.
"You may call me whatever you like, although I respond quite nicely to 'girl,'" she says mildly and Shunsui takes back every thought he's had about the girl's maturity.
Turning away from Juushiro, she glances at Shunsui and asks, "Well, if you didn't come here to finish me off, why did you seek me out? I presume it wasn't just to tell me that you regretted extending your invitation to me and my brother."
"I admit, had I known you harbored so much latent frustration towards the Gotei 13, I would have tried to recruit you another way," Shunsui confesses. The girl's lips quirk up.
"If it makes you feel any better, my brother and I had planned on playing nice today. Believe it or not, neither of us harbor any ill will towards the Gotei 13. As long as you leave us alone, I hardly care what you do with your time and resources," she says bluntly. "That being said, I do not appreciate the insinuation that we somehow owethe shinigami our gratitude when you have done nothing to help us. For that officer to go up there and claim to be our protector, our champion, our hero…I must admit, that kind of sheer self-righteousness irritates me."
"Fair enough," Shunsui murmurs. "No, you're used to taking care of yourself, aren't you?" The girl looks at him in incomprehension.
"Well, who else is going to?" She asks blankly, and there's something heartbreaking about the casual acceptance in her voice. Judging by the stricken look that flashes across Juushiro's face, he shares Shunsui's sentiment.
"If you claim not to be against the shinigami though, why not join? I understand if you want to wait a while now, given your age, but in a few years…" Juushiro asks, carefully keeping any trace of pity from his voice. He's probably right in thinking that the girl wouldn't respond well to that.
"Well, it all comes down to what I can get out of it, doesn't it?" She points out reasonably. "The benefits are obvious. Financial security, training, knowledge…but it comes at the cost of my freedom, I can't say that it's worth it."
"There is no true freedom in our world," Shunsui says with a hint of regret, ignoring the sharp look Juushiro sends his way. "You must know that."
"If that's the case, then I will fight for the illusion of it," she answers simply.
"Why did you let her go?" Juushiro asks later that night. "Not to say that I disagree, but sooner or later, if she and her brother are as powerful as I think they are, then…"
"You're right. Sooner or later, the Gotei 13 will catch up with them and I, for one, would rather it be later." He pauses for a moment. "Besides, if possible, I would like them to come to the decision of joining on their own." Ethics aside, he can't shake the feeling that forcing the siblings into this would be a mistake. At best, it would alienate them. At worst, well…he's seen enough over the years to learn that no good comes out of taking someone's choice away from them.
"They do make quite the pair, don't they?" Juushiro asks wryly. "I'm fairly certain they did more to damage the Gotei 13's reputation in five minutes than most people do in a lifetime."
"More guts than common sense, but just enough intelligence to get away with it," Shunsui agrees. For a minute, both he and Juushiro sit in companionable silence. Then—
"Hey, Juu-chan? Do I really come across as a 'suspicious character'?"
A/N: Lighter chapter but it's hard for it not to come out lighter when it's in Kyouraku's POV. Besides, can't have this story being doom and gloom all the time, right?
Also, way to go Sayuri. I headcanon that 1 kan is roughly equal to 1 yen, so basically she did the equivalent of stealing roughly 50 dollars and replacing it with a handful of pennies.
Also, this chapter is proof that apparently I cannot write non-sassy main characters. I am simply incapable of it. On the bright side though, both twins are getting better at acting normal, thanks to those 10 years of freedom—for example, Sayuri's gotten better at showing expressions so she doesn't look like a creepy doll all the time while Sousuke's acting skills have only improved, and he's gotten a lot better at analyzing someone's threat level (i.e. realizing that while Kyouraku is certainly dangerous, he's also not an immediate threat per se).
He's also learned how to suppress his reiatsu to that of a below-average Academy student because after last chapter, if you think Sayuri's gonna let her brother go around without being able to suppress his reiatsu, you are sadly mistaken (also I headcanon that once you get to captain level, sensing the reiatsu of mid-level Academy students and below is a freaking pain unless you're actually trying, which is why he didn't notice Sousuke's spiritual energy at first. Sayuri, meanwhile, can pass off as 'normal plus soul' level if you're not paying too much attention.)
Without his reiatsu suppressed, he's currently at the level of a lower to mid seated officer. Sayuri only has about 75-80% of the reiatsu he does (putting her at the level of a lower seated officer), but her sensing abilities and reiatsu control are way, way, way above normal.
Sorry for the long author's note and hope you enjoyed the chapter! ^_^
