The next chapter is up!
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What we are going to see here is a glimpse into their pasts so that you get more background on who they were and how relationships developed.
Previously:
The Present...
Risa wiped at her eyes quickly hoping no one noticed the stray tears falling from them. It was hard to live let alone watch again. She lowered her eyes from the screen and took a quick look around. Everyone's eyes were glued to the screen. Many of the girls occasionally wiped at their eyes, but never looked away.
Hiyori stared at the screen wide eyed. Risa forced herself to glance at Kisuke. His eyes were looking at the screen as well, but he turned to look at her when he noticed her staring at him. He gently squeezed her hand and she smiled weakly.
The Past...
Risa walked into Shinji's quarters tiredly.
"You need to get cleaned up," he said and she walked over and leaned against him.
He sighed and hugged her to him. Shinji brushed some of her hair back lovingly.
"I never want to see you turn Juuyaiba against yourself again, yer here? It's a selfish way out. I'd never forgive you. I don't care what happens, death finds us all soon enough; it doesn't need yer help," he scolded.
Risa gripped onto Shinji's haori tightly. His eyes softened.
"Come on, I'll help you get washed up," he murmured and got her into the bathroom.
He turned on the shower so that steam began to fill the room. Then he turned to her. He hesitantly reached out and grabbed the hem of her shirt.
"Don't hit me," he said and she forced a small smile.
The Present...
"Is this really necessary to see?" Shinji asked in all seriousness.
"It is imperative to the research!" Mayuri snapped still glued to the screen.
Risa could feel Kisuke's body tense as he watched Shinji help Risa out of her clothes. She squeezed his hand lightly and he ripped his gaze away from the screen to meet hers. Risa smiled weakly and shook her head. He looked back at the screen without saying a word, but she could feel his body relax slightly.
The Past...
Risa let the hot water hit her tender skin relentlessly. She made no movements, just watched the dirt and blood spin down the drain. Shinji stood outside the shower leaning against the wall. He sighed.
"Risa...I know this is difficult. And I know it will be for a while. But try to understand that you did what you had to do," he tried to offer her words of comfort.
Risa covered her face with her hands.
"It's not fair…" she whimpered and Shinji's eyes saddened.
"The loss of a comrade is especially painful. You grew up with them. They became yer family. When yer faced with the kind of decision that yer were...the pain won't go away, but it'll lessen and you will move on," he explained as best he could.
"He wasn't just my comrade, Shinji!" she snapped and he fell silent.
Risa reached out her hand and grabbed a towel. The shower shut off and she climbed out wrapped in it. She looked a little better, but her color was still gone. Shinji smiled at her.
"I don't have any clothes," she mumbled and Shinji grinned mischievously.
Risa couldn't help but smile slightly.
"Don't even think about it," she murmured and he chuckled.
"I may have something that'll do," he said and she followed him into the living room.
She wore a large shirt that could have passed as a nightgown for her. She walked over to Shinji, who was making his bed on the couch. She hugged her shoulders and frowned walking over. She stopped him and took his hand. He looked at her curiously.
What are you doing?" she asked and he frowned.
"Isn't it obvious?" he questioned back.
Risa shook her head.
"No, you idiot, come lie with me," she said and he raised an eyebrow.
She rolled her eyes at him.
"I swear your mind is the dirtiest thing," she tugged his hand and he followed her to the bed.
"Are yer trying to give me a heart attack and at such a young age?" he teased and she smiled weakly.
"I just want you close to me," she whispered and his eyes softened.
They lay down and she faced him. She touched his cheek lightly and took in a deep breath.
"I'm not going anywhere Risa," he said bluntly and Risa sighed.
"You can't promise me that. R-Ryo promised me that and he lied. Because he's not here." she mumbled and he brushed her hair back from her face.
"You're right I can't promise you that. But I don't plan on going anywhere for a very long time. I'm afraid you're stuck with me," he said and she leaned her forehead against his.
"Thank goodness," she said and he grinned.
She leaned up and placed a small kiss on his cheek before closing her eyes.
"Goodnight Shinji," she whispered.
Shinji smiled and threw his arm over her pulling her closer to him and kissing her forehead.
"Goodnight my first love," he whispered and she fell into a light sleep.
The Present...
Mayuri cleared his throat.
"I scanned through it. Nothing intriguing occurred until after Hikifune was promoted," he said and the Head Captain nodded.
He glanced at Risa briefly before turning back to Kurotsuchi.
"Show it," he said and Risa shut her eyes.
She didn't enjoy living through these memories again.
"Show me when Hikifune was promoted," he said and Mayuri pressed a button.
The Past...
"You've...what?!" Risa asked enraged.
Kirio flinched.
"I said…I've been promoted to the Royal Guard," she repeated, a ghost of a smile on her face.
Risa's eyes widened.
"To guard the Spirit King?" she whispered.
Kirio nodded slowly.
"I was hoping you'd be happy for me," she spoke softly.
Risa fidgeted uncomfortably.
"Of course I'm happy for you. It's a huge honor to be selected to guard the King. You should have requested Hiyori here as well. She's going to be pissed see didn't get to see you before you left us," Risa mumbled.
Kirio's eyes saddened.
"Hiyori will take it hard. But not as hard as you. I know Hiyori and I are close. But you and I…I know you think I'm abandoning you—" she stopped as Risa stood.
"—well isn't that what you're doing?" she snapped and Kirio jumped.
Risa tried to calm down, but she couldn't.
"We needed you here! I-I needed you here! You're the Captain of Squad Twelve! You're my friend! What happens to us now that you're leaving?!" she seethed.
Kirio closed her eyes.
"Someone will take my place as the new Captain of Squad Twelve," she spoke honestly.
"They will not be welcomed here!" she snapped and turned around.
Kirio stood up and walked up behind her.
"I know what you're thinking. That I'm leaving you behind. That I don't want you or think you're good enough to stand by my side. But that's just not true. I love you like family. And I made sure you and Hiyori looked after each other like family. I expect you to look after her now. When Ryo died so did a part of you. I watched it happen. It was devastating to me. Even now as you stand here, you have not found the happiness you once had and truly deserve. Your smiles are different. Even the way you laugh has changed…" she trailed off.
Risa stared at the floor wide eyed. Kirio touched her shoulder and she tensed.
"I want you to find that happiness again Risa. That is my one hope for you," she whispered.
Risa nodded slowly.
"Goodbye Risa-chan," she murmured.
"Goodbye Kirio…" Risa spoke not turning back around.
Kirio's eyes lowered and Risa forced herself not to burst into tears. She felt Kirio's spiritual pressure disappear and turned around.
She stood in the barracks alone. She covered her face and took in a few deep breaths. Her head snapped up when she heard a loud commotion outside. She walked outside to see her squad had returned with their new Captain. He seemed nervous. She was about to head over when Hiyori shoved through the crowd.
"Risa!" she yelled angrily.
Risa flinched at her tone. Kisuke looked up to see an attractive brunette with green eyes staring at him. He saw her Lieutenant's badge.
She's my lieutenant?
Hiyori growled.
"What did you do?!" Hiyori yelled angrily.
Risa steeled herself and began to walk over to the group.
"Hiyori, I had nothing to do with Captain Hikifune being promoted to the Royal Guard," she said firmly and turned to Kisuke.
"Hello, I'm Risa Inari, Lieutenant of the Twelfth—"
She just managed to dodge Hiyori's foot.
"—Division. It's a pleasure to meet you," she said forcing her smile and bowing politely.
Kisuke stared at her and then smiled and bowed.
"Kisuke Urahara. And the pleasure's all mine," he introduced himself scratching his head and smiling lazily.
Risa nodded.
"I'd be happy to show you around if you'd like," she offered and dodged another foot, this time grabbing Hiyori's ankle and tossing her away.
Kisuke watched with wide eyes.
"Why is she attacking you?" he asked and Risa rolled her eyes as she felt Hiyori's presence charging her again.
"She blames me for our former Captain being promoted," she said and stepped to the side as Hiyori went flying by.
Finally, Hiyori stopped and glared at her.
"I'll never forgive you for this Risa!" she shouted and Risa felt a pang in her chest, but kept her face serious.
Hiyori turned and ran off. Kisuke looked back at Risa.
"Are you alright?" he asked and Risa looked at him.
"Yes…Captain, I'm fine. She didn't hit me," she replied calmly.
Kisuke stared at her.
"Your spiritual pressure hitched," he said and Risa's eyes widened.
Kisuke grinned goofily and scratched his head. Risa chuckled lightly, startling herself.
"Wow, that's impressive skills of observance you have there, Captain," she complimented.
Kisuke blushed slightly.
"I didn't mean to be intrusive," he said and she smiled.
"I don't mind. I'll get over it and so will she," she shrugged.
The Present...
The group watched as a dial on the bottom left corner of the screen moved suddenly.
"What is that?" Risa asked frowning.
"It's a dial to detect any anomalies in any of the worlds besides the Soul Society. Figuring out which one is the hard part. I put it there to match up with the scenes. So when there is a scene that stirs up the dial, we can find the connection between them. This was the first scene where the dial moved this much," he explained.
"There were other scenes after this?" Yamamoto asked looking at Kurotsuchi.
The scientist nodded.
"Oh yes," he said and skipped a few chapters.
"After looking into it, I learned that every time Risa formed a relationship, the dial moved different degrees," Mayuri glanced at Risa.
"Also, while I was in Hueco Mundo I happened upon a USB drive that contained all of Sosuke Aizen's research," he lied and all eyes widened.
"Why did you say nothing?" Yamamoto asked annoyed.
Mayuri rolled his eyes.
"Because then I would have been harassed by multiple people about what was on it. Now I can just tell you because I've looked through it all. Aizen knew people. Powerful people. He wasn't alone in his want of destroying the Soul Society," Mayuri revealed.
Risa's eyes widened. Yamamoto opened his eyes.
"Are you saying he could have been working with Yamazaki and his company?!" he asked and Mayuri nodded.
"That's what it looks like. Seems like Sosuke Aizen is only a part in this large fascinating puzzle," Mayuri confirmed.
He turned to Urahara.
"I assumed you wanted a copy," he said tossing Kisuke a copy file.
Kisuke caught it and stared at it.
"I think there is a connection here and these tapes will reveal it," Mayuri said and pressed play.
The Past...
Risa had grown to enjoy the company of her new Captain rather quickly. They got along just fine, but Kisuke could sense she was still guarded when it came to certain things. He wondered briefly what happened to her to make her have such high walls.
"When do we leave to go assist Shinji and the others?" Risa asked quietly as they walked through their barracks.
Kisuke shrugged.
"I'm sure we'll receive some word about it when the time comes. We'll be heading out with Captain Shihoin's squad," he said calmly.
Risa nodded.
"I know. I guess I'm just restless," she smirked.
Kisuke nodded and laughed.
"I have realized this over our short time together; especially when it comes to Captain Hirako," he chuckled and Risa blushed.
"I've known Captain Hirako for a very long time. We're…close," she whispered.
Kisuke was about to speak when sirens went off. Kisuke turned to Risa.
"That's our cue. Are you ready?" he asked softly.
Risa nodded and patted Juuyaiba.
"Always."
They took off towards the Fugai Forest only stopping when they reached their destination.
The Fugai Forest…
Yoruichi split her squad up and they began scanning the perimeter. Risa frowned looking around.
Where is Shinji?
"Hirako should have been here by now. Think he went home?" Yoruichi asked raising an eyebrow.
Kisuke frowned studying some dark liquid on a rock.
"Shinji wouldn't do that," Risa spoke up, catching their attention.
She blushed quickly at her forwardness. Hiyori eyed her and then nodded.
"Yeah, the dumbass is a lot of things, but he wouldn't just go home without telling anyone," she saved her.
Risa sighed and nodded her appreciation, to which Hiyori just rolled her eyes and went back to work. Risa pushed a bush back and gasped lowly, covering her mouth. Kisuke was by her side in a second and looked down his eyes widening.
Blood. So much blood.
"Please tell me that's not from our side," she whispered weakly.
Kisuke shook his head.
"There's no way of telling that by just looking at it. I could take some samples, but that may take a while," he said firmly.
Then they heard screams. The two squads took off into the thicket and arrived at the other end, eyes wide.
"How many are there?!" one member shouted.
"They just keep coming!" another yelled.
Yoruichi shook her head.
"We have to retreat," she said shaking her head.
Sui-Feng nodded in agreement quickly.
"There are men still out there Yoruichi-san. We can't just leave them. They're still alive," Kisuke said frowning at his best friend.
Yoruichi frowned at him.
"Kisuke, how quickly you forgot your training. You know as well as I do that those men are as good as dead. They're just bait. You go after them, you're walking into a trap that will get you killed and then they will die anyway. We'll come back to kill the Hollows when we have more reinforcements. There's too many," she stated calmly.
Risa was livid. She turned to see what her Captain would say next. Kisuke nodded slowly and Risa's eyes widened.
"We'll retreat," he said.
"Captain, Shinji—I mean Captain Hirako is still out there! He'd never abandon his squad! We can't just leave them all! We should at least try!" she fought.
Hiyori watched with wide eyes hoping that Risa would be able to talk some sense into the Captain. She didn't want to leave Shinji behind either. Kisuke turned to Risa.
"Lieutenant Inari, that's an order," he said firmly and Risa became enraged.
NOW he wants to get firm with me?! After he just gave in to that cat?!
Risa shook her head.
"Reconsider," she said still staring at him and his eyes widened.
Yoruichi's eyes widened and she looked to Sui-Feng, who in response lightly placed her hand on her zanpakuto. Urahara saw Sui-Feng's action.
Would she really attack Risa?
He suddenly scooped Risa up over his shoulder.
"I said the order is to retreat! What are you all waiting for?" he said to his squad as Risa yelled and hit his back.
"Lashing out will get you nowhere Lieutenant," he said and she continued to hit his back.
"Put me down! Let me go! They need help! How can you just walk away from them?! They'll die if we leave!" she became frantic as the Hollows began to disappear behind the bushes as they walked away.
"Please Kisuke! He's my best friend! Please!" she pleaded gripping onto his haori tightly and Kisuke faltered slightly, but forced himself to keep moving.
Hiyori closed her eyes tightly, cursed silently, and pretended to trip suddenly...right into Kisuke. He stumbled briefly and that was all Risa needed to slip from his grasp. Kisuke gasped as she got away from him and didn't hesitate to take off.
"Risa!" she heard Kisuke yell.
She felt a sharp poke in her back and her eyes widened as Sui-Feng ran beside her, her Shikai activated.
She's really trying to poison me?!
She knew if she got hit again she'd be poisoned into submission. With a quick sharp swing she knocked Sui-Feng hard causing the woman to fall to the ground. Risa broke out of the thicket and raced towards the Hollows. She pulled Juuyaiba from his sheath.
"Engage Juuyaiba!" she yelled as he came alive in her hands.
She could make out Shinji's haori among those lying on the floor. Her heart stopped. Was she too late? She cut Hollow after Hollow down, allowing for some Squad Five members to escape. She jumped down when she saw an opening and grabbed Shinji tightly, jumping back as a Hollow almost slammed into her.
"Shinji, wake up!" she yelled as she dodged another attack.
Shinji, please wake up! Come on don't do this!" she begged.
"Machine Gun!" she roared and decimated another Hollow.
More and more Squad Five members were getting away safely while she kept the Hollows busy.
"Shinji!" she cried shaking him slightly as she rolled with him out of the way.
The man stirred slightly in her arms. A relieved smile broke out onto her face.
"Shinji!" she yelled happily and got knocked in the face by a Hollow.
She hit the ground roughly with Shinji falling on top of her. The Hollow didn't waste any time and Risa covered the dazed Captain with her body protectively.
"Scream Benihime!" Urahara called and the Hollow dropped and faded quickly.
He stood in front of Risa and turned to her sharply.
"Take Captain Hirako to the Squad Four barracks. We'll finish things here," he said sternly.
Risa shot him a glare, but held her tongue. She grabbed Shinji and took off.
The Present...
"What relevance does this serve?" Kisuke asked, not wishing to relive this particular memory.
Risa glanced at him knowingly. She too didn't like this particular memory, though the outcome wasn't that bad.
"This memory caused a particularly large turn in the dial," he said and eyes widened.
"Why this moment?" Ichigo asked.
And suddenly it became very clear to Risa.
The Past...
Risa left Shinji in Captain Unohana's capable hands before returning to her squad barracks. She ran into Hiyori on the way.
"He's not happy Risa," she warned and Risa nodded.
"Go and keep an eye on Shinji for me please," she said and Hiyori watched her walk up to Kisuke's door.
She knocked and he opened the door a second later. He stepped back so she could enter. Then he closed the door and turned to her. His face was stone cold.
Wow he really is mad...
"You disobeyed a direct order. You put the lives of everyone there in jeopardy. I could have you removed from your seat if I wanted too. I have every reason," he said calmly.
Risa stared at him. Kisuke waited. She didn't speak.
"Are you going to say something to defend your actions?" he asked, his calm façade slightly cracking.
Risa shrugged.
"What's there to say? You already bought into whatever Captain Shihoin spoon fed you so there's no point in defending myself when it'll just fall on deaf ears," she snapped shocking him.
"Ah…pardon?" he asked.
Risa glared at him.
"If you're going to remove me from my position then just do it already," she said and then chuckled in disbelief.
"Jeez, I made the biggest mistake letting my guard down with you. I thought you were exactly what this squad needed when in fact you're just a puppet for her. Why not just combine us with Squad Two since we're always with them?" she seethed.
Kisuke's eyes widened.
"You knew in your gut that her order was wrong Kisuke! And yet because she reprimanded you as if she was still your Captain, you bought into it. Shinji was alive and so were the others. And had we retreated they'd be dead and I blame you for that! You are a Captain now! Act like it! You do not take orders from her anymore!" she yelled at him.
Silence.
"She looked down on you and spoke down to you and that killed me because you're so much better than she is," she said quietly.
Kisuke stared at her as she spoke, eyes wide. Risa's face was burning and she didn't understand why.
"So if you're going to remove me, which I think is also her bright idea, just do it already. But don't ask me to regret or be sorry for what I did because that would be a lie. I take orders from you not her and that wasn't your order," she whispered and left abruptly.
Kisuke watched her go and then seemed to come out of his daze. Why did he feel so guilty? He headed over to the Squad Four barracks to visit Shinji.
The Squad Four Barracks…
"He's doing much better," Captain Unohana said kindly and Urahara smiled at her.
"Thank you Captain Unohana," he said as the woman exited.
Kisuke sat by the bed quietly. Shinji was sitting up rubbing his head tiredly.
"How are you feeling?" Kisuke asked softly.
"Better than dead," Shinji said quickly.
Kisuke's eyes lowered.
"Risa said you guys went back for me. Thanks for that," he said and Kisuke frowned.
"She went back for you," he said quietly and Shinji looked at him confused.
"She disobeyed a direct order to retreat," he confessed.
Shinji's eyes widened.
"Really now?" he said and there was a pause.
"You ordered the squads to retreat?" he asked after a moment.
"Yoruichi thought it best—" Kisuke tried to explain, but Shinji huffed.
"I'd expect nothing less from the head of the stealth force division. Cold as ice," he said chuckling.
"She wanted to get reinforcements," Kisuke defended.
Shinji rolled his eyes.
"She was sacrificing us to die. It's fine, but please don't lie to my face defending her," he said shaking his head.
Silence.
"You're going to have to choose yer loyalties Kisuke," he said suddenly and Kisuke frowned and looked at him.
Shinji sighed.
"Risa and Yoruichi are very similar women with one very big difference. And it's going to get to the point where you're going to have to decide who you stand with or work out a way to stand with both. Both are determined, intelligent, tactical, ridiculously strong, beautiful women and they're both stubborn as hell. The difference is Yoruichi only sees you for the man you were and are whereas Risa sees you for the man you could be," he said and Kisuke's eyes widened.
"Take from that what you will," Shinji said yawning and laying back down.
"Oh and Kisuke?"
"Hm?"
"I can tell she really likes and respects you. As hard as it is to believe…that doesn't come easily to her. She's been hurt before by those closest to her. Do me a favor…don't hurt her," he said and closed his eyes.
Kisuke sighed heavily, stood, and left the barracks with much to think about.
The Squad Twelve Barracks…
When he returned to the barracks some time later he called a meeting with his squad. He stood in front of them and cleared his throat. Risa and Hiyori stood in the front.
"I have made a decision today. A few moments ago in fact," he said clearly.
Risa's brow creased.
Great, he's going to remove me from my position in front of the whole squad?!
"I've decided that as of today I am no longer a part of Squad Two. That part of my life is over. I am the Captain of Squad Twelve now and I promise that I will do my best to make the decisions best suited for all of us," he said calmly.
Risa stared at him wide eyed. She was in complete and total shock.
"I haven't figured out what we're going to stand for so I think that'll be all for now," he said grinning, but it didn't reach his eyes.
Hiyori huffed.
"That's why he called an emergency meeting?! Jeez this guy…" she growled and stalked off.
Risa stayed behind as everyone cleared out. Kisuke stood in the front watching everyone leave. Soon it was just them in the large room. She walked up to him hesitantly. He smiled weakly.
"I hope this clears up where I stand now. And with who," he said softly.
Risa stared at him.
"That was…amazing," she said breathlessly.
Kisuke's eyes widened. He wasn't expecting that at all and he didn't have time to hide his shock. What was with him and not being able to control his emotions around her?! He could do it with everyone else, but not her. Risa smiled.
"What made you say that?" she asked staring at him in awe.
Kisuke tried to find his words, but he found himself nervous. He shot for honesty.
"Your words...they stung me," he tried to describe how he felt.
Risa's eyes widened.
"Stung you?" she repeated in a whisper.
Kisuke nodded.
"No one's ever spoken to me like that. And I've never gotten this affected by it," he said frowning.
"No one's ever yelled at you?" she asked confused.
Kisuke met her eyes.
"There was something in your voice. It wasn't just anger. It was...disappointment," he said quietly.
Risa swallowed the lump in her throat.
"I don't like that I disappointed you," he managed to get out.
Silence.
"I'm sorry," she whispered and Kisuke looked at her confused.
"For?" he asked.
"For disobeying you before. I'm not sorry I did it, I'm sorry that I had to do it," she mumbled and Kisuke smiled.
It reached his eyes this time, she noticed.
Risa blushed slightly.
"I like that smile the best," she said scratching her head.
Kisuke tilted his head in confusion.
"The best?" he asked curiously.
Risa nodded.
"Yeah, you have many different smiles. I like several, but the best are the rare ones that reach your eyes. They're real and by far my favorites," she said, saw his face, and then realized how she sounded.
She blushed furiously.
"You think I have false smiles?" he asked intrigued.
Risa tried to stifle her blush and nodded.
"You do, I see them when you speak with certain people or hide your sarcasm and insults behind them. They're completely false and I like those the least. I'm glad you never smile at me like that, even when I upset you," she murmured.
Kisuke stared down at her. She always left his mind blank.
What power does she have over me?
Suddenly, he felt himself blushing.
"I don't think I could smile at you like that if I tried. You seem to see right through me," he admitted and their eyes met.
The Present...
The screen froze. The dial was halfway to the other side. This scene apparently caused a great reaction in one of the realms.
"What were we supposed to take from all that?!" Ichigo asked annoyed.
"Man, I was a bitch back then," Yoruichi chuckled.
"Back then?" Byakuya muttered earning a glare from the feline and Sui-Feng.
"I understand now," Risa said quickly causing all eyes to fall on her.
She stared at the frozen picture of her and Kisuke looking at each other.
"You know why the dial turned so far in this particular scene?" Mayuri asked.
Risa nodded.
"I began to develop…feelings for him in that moment," she said pointing to the screen.
Everyone's eyes widened. Kisuke stared at her surprised. There was an uncomfortable silence in the room. Everyone was thinking some version of the same thing.
They were all at risk.
Risa turned to Kisuke slowly. She was about to speak when the screen flickered catching everyone's attention. The chapters skipped and then stopped at a particular part. Everyone looked at Mayuri.
"I'm not doing this," he said shocked.
"Be on guard," Yamamoto said holding his walking stick tightly.
The screen began to play. It was no longer the scene they were watching, but a new one.
Well?! How was that?! I would love to hear from you guys! Please review and let me know! More to come soon!