Hello lovelies!

I hope you all had a lovely Memorial Day last week. Congrats to all those graduating this June!

We're starting to enter a little more mystery and get a little more answers! Everything is slowly coming full circle.

Enjoy Reading~

Chapter 25

Yoruichi looked up as I came tearing through the doors. Soi-Fon opened her mouth and blocked my path but I simply pushed her out of my way. Urgency surged through me and all I could of was Kumiko and the men I had left her with. She was tough and could handle fine on her own but this was so much more.

If my suspicions were correct, these were the men who were ruthless killers. The moment they found out that she was the child of a noble clan like the Kuchiki's, they would kill her.

And if they weren't the ones hunting down the nobles…what did they want? What purpose did they have for Kumiko? Were they going to use her as a spy? Would she side with them?

It made me queasy that I couldn't answer that question. Where did Kumiko's loyalty lie at the end of the day? It was a question I was always asking myself. She was always teetering on the edge of being a Shinigami, a noblewoman, and a girl who grew up in the Rukongai.

"Kisuke, what is it?" Yoruichi leaned forward, a deep frown already settling on her face. She knew that what I was about to say wasn't anything she wanted to hear.

"Kumiko and I were approached by a group of men," I sat down with her, taking a deep breath to collect my thoughts. I couldn't help Kumiko if I couldn't think past my agitation, "Their leader claim to be the of Takahashi Riku."

Her eyes widened a fraction, "Oh?"

"Kumiko is still with them," I said, "They would only talk to her if I left. But I suspect they're the ones targeting the nobles. And if not—"

"You left her alone?" Soi-Fon asked loudly, "Lady Yoruichi, how do we not know that Kumiko Riku isn't in on the plot too? She has an obvious dislike for the noble families and was trained by the man that—"

"I'm aware, Soi-Fon," Yoruichi sighed, running a hand over her face. She looked at me thoughtfully, "What do you think? You think she's in on it?"

I shook my head, "She was too shocked to be in on it…I don't think she would have believed them if they hadn't looked so much like Takahashi." Yoruichi didn't say anything and I continued, "They also knew about my parents."

She stiffened when I said this, "And?"

"I don't know, I was hoping you could tell me," I gave her a hard look, "I think it's time you and I have a little one-to-one, Yoruichi."

"…Okay, Kisuke. What do you want to know?"

I woke up in the dark. My hands were bound tightly behind my back, connected by a chain that tied my ankles together. Everything felt slow, sloshy like I was on a boat.

"Ren, she's up," A child's voice. Jun.

I groaned, my whole body numb from the Kido they used on me. I rolled over and kept trying to fight my sluggish limbs. Fear crept through my gut and I realized that I had made a terrible mistake. These fuckers were just trying to separate me from Kisuke.

A door opened and I looked up to see Ren and a woman standing before me. Both looked grim. Ren took a step before me and I bared my teeth to him, struggling against my bindings.

"Let me go, you fucker," I hissed, standing on my knees to gain some height. I'd be fucked if I talked to him lying down like a dog.

"I can't. We need to talk," He said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Kneeling down in front of me, he spoke to the woman that still stood at the doorway, "Mei, get her some water."

"We could have talked in the fields," I seethed, "Why take me here—"

"I'm not as young or naïve as I look, Sister. If we had stayed there then I wouldn't have been able to tell you everything," He studied me for a moment, "I'm sorry for the excessive use of force—the Kido wasn't supposed to weaken you as much as it had. You must be weak from traveling."

The woman reappeared moments later with a bottle of water. She tried feeding it to me but I let it spill on the ground.

Ren grabbed my chin, "That shit isn't easy to find around here. So fucking drink." He took the bottle from Mei and forced its contents down my throat. I choked on the cold water but managed to store enough in my mouth to spit back at him.

"Fuck you," My voice came out gruffly, animalistic. His temper flared just like his father's. I rattled against my chains again, "I'm going to slit your fucking throat the next chance I get."

"Fine," He sat back on his haunches, taking a sip from the bottle, "But first you need to learn the truth."

"I don't give a shit about your truth!" I screamed, glaring at all three of them, "You have me fucking chained up!"

"It's for your own good, Sister," Jun said quietly. I stared at him in confusion and apprehension. What did that mean?

"You need to know the truth about our father," Ren said, "And Kisuke Urahara."

"Takahashi was the captain of the Second Division, holding the squad together until I reached the age to do so myself," Yoruichi leaned against her hands, "He had always been a little rough around the edges but he was a good captain. He had the right temperament to train people, to take them under his wing. He apparently had an apprentice that was particularly talented."

"Who was it?" I asked, glancing briefly at Soi-Fon. She seemed to be taking mental notes of all of what Yoruichi said.

Yoruichi shrugged, "I'm not sure. It was never made clear. All that we know was that this apprentice was a little too good at killing people. They had great potential and it all was channeled in the wrong direction."

"What does that mean?" Soi-Fon asked.

"It means that whoever this apprentice was," I said grimly, "Had become a rogue Shinigami."

I shook my head, not understanding at all, "Is that why Takahashi left his post? He had been accused of what this apprentice had done?"

"In the cover-up story, yes," Ren said, "But Takahashi had been innocent of the killings he was accused of. Central Forty-Six couldn't identify and prosecute the apprentice—so they put the blame on Takahashi and created a task force to locate the apprentice in the meantime."

"I'm confused—Squad Two would have been placed in charge of the task force, so why do you hate them so much?"

"They killed my father," Ren's voice was quiet, "And never caught the man responsible! My father and Kisuke's parents had tried to stop this Shinigami. The Urahara family had been wiped out in the process and our father had been framed and exiled. The last of the good, clean Shinigami of Squad Two. The rest helped in the cover-up!"

"What happened to the apprentice?" Dread prickled at my skin, sending shivers of fear down my spine. Ren said nothing and I gaped, "They're still in the Seireitei?"

Jun nodded, "Grandpa never told us who it was. He wanted to protect us. But we know that it was a Shinigami from Squad Two. And he's still in the Gotei."

"How? How do you know this?" I exclaimed.

"Because he's still killing."

I was beyond furious. My parents had died in the line of duty but that was all I had ever known. I had had no idea how scandalous their deaths had been. Yoruichi had covered this all up from me to protect me…but I felt conflicted.

My parents had worked with Takahashi, a man I had grown up hating. He had been the symbol of betrayal and cowardice for Squad Two. And now I knew that my parents had worked alongside him, that he hadn't been as terrible as we were all made to believe.

"How could you let him take the blame for this? You killed him—"

"I killed him because he knew too much," She replied, "You know how sensitive the information we have in this squad is, Kisuke. If he had any connection to the apprentice still, I couldn't risk our secrets being leaked out. As it is, he told his son—who knows who else he told."

"Kumiko didn't know," I growled quietly.

"I didn't say she did," She murmured.

On the surface I felt as calm as a frozen lake but I was seething inside, "And you didn't even bother to find out the name of the apprentice?"

"You can't talk to Lady Yoruichi like that!" Soi-Fon looked ready to pounce on me.

"Kisuke," Yoruichi said quietly, "We know who she is. We just can't prove it yet."

"Who is it?"

"She's in Squad Eleven…"

I sat in silence, staring at my hands. My heart pounded loudly in my chest, so infuriated with the injustice that had followed Takahashi even after his death. Looking up at Ren, I met his glare evenly. He was barely composed, like a wolf waiting for the right moment to pounce.

"You didn't tell me this for my sake," I frowned, "You want something from me."

He nodded, "We need you to find out who the apprentice is, Kumiko. We don't know who they are. We don't even know if they're a boy or girl. All we know that they were from Squad Two."

"Why are you hunting the noble families?" I asked the question that had been left unanswered, "What connection do they have to this?"

Ren sighed, "We haven't killed any nobles."

"Bullshit!" I exclaimed, "There's a group of assassins killing nobles! Who else would that be but a former Squad Two Captain's son?"

His men may not be well-trained but I had never seen a child as young as Jun use Kido that strong. Between Ren and Jun, they could easily dispatch a group of nobles with the help of a large number of foot soldiers.

"Perhaps a group of rogue Shinigami trained in Squad Two? Who are trained to cover up their tracks?" He raised an eyebrow at me. His reply shocked me silent and he continued, "We're not the bad guys, Kumiko. We're just trying to avenge our father's death. Right the wrongs of his death."

"This would be a lot more convincing if I wasn't in chains."

He pulled out a key and went behind me. The shackles fell to the ground behind me with a loud clank. He kicked them away and sat in front of me again. I rubbed my wrists and sighed.

What could I make of this? What he said made sense, no matter how mind-boggling it was. I never believed Takahashi to be an evil man, not the kind of criminal that the Gotei had painted him as. He had taken care of me and he was my father—the man who had taught me everything I knew about being a human being and not some bride chattle. These two boys were just the same as me, seeking vengeance for the death of the man who raised them.

And regardless whether they were telling the whole truth, investigating this would perhaps help us come closer to finding those killing the nobles if it was indeed the apprentice they spoke of.

"Okay," I murmured, "I'll do my best."

Ren nodded, "Good. My wife can show you where our bathroom is. You can shower and eat before you return to the Seireitei—"

A loud thud cut him off. We all stiffened as we heard the sounds of yelling and fighting outside the room. Mei took ahold of Jun and looked at Ren, her eyes wide with fright. He looked at me with a scowl.

"Your boyfriend works faster than I expected," His glare was scathing.

"I need my sword," He made no move and the fight outside only grew louder, "Kisuke would have gone to Squad Two for help. You need to let me go now so I can get you out of here. If what you say is true about Squad Two then whoever is turned might be out there."

Jun blurted out, "You're going to get us killed!"

I looked at him and frowned, "You brought me here. You told me all this. If you didn't trust me then you wouldn't have gone through the trouble of taking me."

Ren seemed satisfied with my response because he was retrieving my sword from beside me. She seemed displeased that I had let myself be disarmed but remained obedient. Peering out the door, I waved the group out.

"They'll have breached all the entrances," I looked at Ren, who had his own sword drawn. Mei and Jun's hands were glowing with the dim light of Kido.

Ren nodded his head down the hallway, "My men were concentrated by the stables—it's where they stay."

"Lead the way to the entrance opposite that then."

He led us through. I stopped at one point and yanked him back, throwing him and Mei and their son behind me. They quickly hid themselves as a pair of Shinigami came around the corner.

"Get to the stables—the battle's rounding up," One of them said as he passed me.

"Yes sir," I nodded, waiting a couple moments before I called for Ren. He patted my back and continued to lead the way.

We made it outside and through some odd stroke of luck, didn't encounter anyone else. Mei and Jun made a beeline to the forest line, while Ren stayed behind.

"I need to go," I took a step back, "Go to my shelter in Kusajishi. I will find you there when I learn more."

"Mei and Jun will—I'll be waiting by the Northern Gate of the Seireitei every night of the full moon. The next one is in four nights." He grabbed me by the shoulder and met my gaze unwaveringly, "Don't betray me, Sister."

There was a bang on the back door, nearly knocking it off of its hinges. Ren hurried towards the tree line to his family. I watched as they disappeared into the darkness before I headed towards the fighting.

Bodies lay on the ground. All of Ren's men. Only Shinigami stood in the clearing, covered in blood. A combination of Squad Two, and Squad Eleven. I recognized Maki and Nari among the assassins. Nari's zanpakuto was dripping in blood and I was surprised that the quiet girl could be so vicious with a sword.

"Kumiko," She said quietly, "Masago and Rika were worried about you."

"Are you okay?" Maki looked over me.

I nodded, "Yeah. Fucker caught me by surprise."

He smiled and clapped me on the shoulder, "As long as you're alright. Your boyfriend's going to maul you when we get you back."

I laughed but didn't feel the humor of the joke. All I felt was anticipation. Everything was about to get a lot worse. Ren had been so serious about what he told me and I found it hard to not believe him. Takahashi had been the captain of Squad Two a long time ago and it was likely that this turned Shinigami was in another squad now.

"Are you alright?" I turned around and shocked to see the Squad Five Lieutenant. He smiled softly at me, "That must have been quite a scare."

"Lieutenant Aizen," I bowed, glancing at Maki with confusion, "I'm sorry if my stupidity was an inconvenience to Squad Five—"

"Sosuke volunteered to come with me when we heard that you had been taken," Maki interrupted me, "We were in the middle of a meeting with him and Captain Hirako over hospital bills…"

"I'm surprised you retrieved your zanpakuto," The brunette glanced at my sword. My hand tightened around it and he looked back up at me, "How did you escape?"

"Luck was on my side. Cowardice on theirs," Our gazes burnt into each other's. He didn't believe me—that much I could tell from the thick silence.

Finally, he smiled again and glanced at Nari, "Well, I'm glad you're alright. You're very lucky to have so many people willing to come save you."

I bowed again, sparing Nari a glance myself. She had a dust of pink across her cheeks as she sheathed her zanpakuto. Catching my eyes, she gave me a soft smile and came to my side.

Who could I trust with this kind of information? As much as I wanted to tell Kisuke, I didn't know if I could. He was from Squad Two and had known Takahashi…he could be the rogue for all I knew.

I shook my head of my traitorous thoughts. Kisuke wouldn't have killed his own parents. I had seen the lonely, distraught look in his eyes when he talked about them. There was no faking that kind of loss.

That being said, it wouldn't be a good idea if I told him. Kisuke had told Yoruichi a lot of things I would have preferred he wouldn't have. When shit hit the fan, the first person he went to was Yoruichi. This would be no different, especially if Squad Two was in the middle of it. Maybe his loyalty wasn't to Squad Two anymore but it definitely was to Yoruichi still. It would be best if I kept this on the down-low like I had been about investigating Kisuke.

I stopped in my tracks as my heart stopped. Investigating Kisuke…I remembered the secret report I had read in his office back at Squad Two. Had that had some connection? There was no connection other than the victims were traitor Shinigami...but still, my gut told me that there was something there.

I needed to look at the report again and I needed to see the noble reports. I needed to know how they had died.

Shit starting to ramp up!

Up Next: Kumiko follows a lead and a hunch.