Some new stuff in my DeviantArt account, which includes drawings from Sōjun Kuchiki, Chōjiro Sasakibe, Marenoshin Omaeda and Jin'emon Kotsubaki...


Chapter 028 - Secrets! Everyone is Hiding Something


Later that night

"How is she?" Suì-Fēng asked, as soon as Fujimaru closed the door behind him. Seeing the look on his face, she felt something she had never felt before. She felt sad for another person. Being trained as a professional assassin, she never let feelings get the better of her. Not even when her brothers died, all five of them. Now however, she wasn't able to do that. The sadness expressed by Fujimaru was touching her and spread through her heart as well.

"They put her to sleep. She'll be fine eventually." Fujimaru said with a defeated tone. Then, he stared up to the girl in front of him. "You were right. Unohana-taichō confirmed it."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have told you." She quickly bowed her head, asking for forgiveness. "You would learn about it eventually. I could've spared you the sadness you've been feeling until now."

"Don't be sorry. It was better this way." He disagreed and laid a hand on her head, causing her to instinctively raise it. He was smiling, but Suì-Fēng knew it was a fake one. "C'mon, let's get out of here."

"H-Hai." She nodded and quickly followed him in silence. They remained that way until they left the 4th Division's barracks. "What about Matsuri? Won't she come?"

"She'll stay the night here with Rangiku." He answered shortly, creating another moment of silence. They walked around the streets of Seireitei, with no definite goal to be reached. "Where do you live?"

"Huh?" Suì-Fēng was startled by the question and found herself blushing a bit, not understanding why. "I…I live in Yoruichi-sama's manor. She gave me a room there when I started working as her personal guard."

"I'll take you there then." Fujimaru offered, without taking his eyes from the street. He kept walking with his hands on his pockets, without noticing that Suì-Fēng had stopped.

"N-No, there's no need for that!" Her answer finally made Fujimaru stop and look over his shoulder. His expression was empty and Suì-Fēng didn't know how to interpret it. "I can go by myself. T-There's no need for you to go so far away from your…"

"Please."

"F-Fujimaru…" At first, Suì-Fēng had an urge to continue refusing Fujimaru's offer, but when he grabbed her hand, she was unable to do so. Even as she told herself to get free from his grip, her hand didn't obey her. "I…Thank you, I'll accept."

"Nope, I must be the one thanking you." Fujimaru told her, before releasing her hand. Without realizing why, Suì-Fēng found herself regretting that he had done so.

"What a shameful excuse of an assassin I am! What's wrong with me?" Suì-Fēng silently cursed herself, while she walked by Fujimaru's side. He had returned his hands to his pockets and stared to the sky while he walked.

"I know it's silly, but I really miss my sister when I'm not with her." Fujimaru admitted, causing Suì-Fēng to look at him by the corner of her eye. "I guess it's because we've always been together, so even the shortest separation makes me a bit different than I usually am."

"So I'm kind of a substitute for your sister, is it?" She questioned him.

"I'll admit that I've became a bit spoiled because of her, so I like to have someone with me at all the times. But still…" He smiled and looked back to her. "You are you. If I want to spend some time with you before I go home is because I like your company."

"My company?" Suì-Fēng prayed that the darkness of the night hid her blush when he said that. "Yeah, right…"

"You downgrade yourself a bit too much, you know?" Fujimaru told her, before he remembered to quote Seigen. "When someone goes to the trouble of complimenting you, I suggest you reply with a little more enthusiasm."

"You actually meant it?" Suì-Fēng asked, before fixing her eyes on him. She gasped as she did so. Fujimaru looked like a normal human who had just seen a ghost. "What's wrong, Fujimaru?"

"G-Gin!" He murmured, as he saw a silver-haired boy standing on the top of a roof, right in front of them. It wasn't only his presence that shocked Fujimaru, but also the blue variant of the Shinō Academy uniform that the male students used. The boy heard his name being called and turned his face to them, showing a devious snake-like grin.

"Oh? It has been a while, Fujimaru-san!" Gin greeted his friend, before turning slightly in Suì-Fēng's direction. "And also the Onmitsukidō-san that used to follow you when you went to visit us at the Rukongai!"

"Yoruichi-sama's orders. Security…I'll tell you later." She told to Fujimaru, as she felt his eyes falling on her for a moment.

"What…What are you doing here, Gin?" Fujimaru questioned the boy. His cold, mocking expression was making Fujimaru's blood boil inside of him.

"Shinigami…" He answered and pointed to his uniform at the same time. "I'm here to become a Shinigami."

"A Shinigami?" Fujimaru found himself shaking as he heard that. He clenched his fists as he prepared to roar towards the younger boy. "Is that why? You left Rangiku all alone because of that?"

"I did." Gin told him, not seeming even slightly affected by what Fujimaru was telling him. "It's not my fault, though…If there's anyone who's at fault for Rangiku being alone…" Gin then slowly raised his finger, pointing it towards the blond boy, causing his eyes to widen. "It's your fault."

"What?" Fujimaru asked in disbelief. "What the hell do you mean by that?"

"What's it like to live here?" Gin's question made Fujimaru understand what he meant immediately.

Flashback

"What's it like to live there?" Gin questioned in a wondering way, while they both stared towards Seireitei.

"Are you interested in living there?" The blond boy inquired.

"Rangiku seems to be." Gin answered, causing Fujimaru to realize what Rangiku's earlier wish was. "Who can blame her? Life...or should I say death...has been too rough with us."

"I could tell about you two to Seigen-sama, and he could find someone to adopt you both...Or even better!" Fujimaru shouted the last part, as a great idea came through his mind. "How about you two being my new siblings?"

"Yeah, maybe. It would be nice." Gin chuckled slightly, but then sighed once more. "But even if we somehow get there, who knows what will happen then?"

"Well, you could aim to become a Shinigami, just like us!" Fujimaru suggested with one of his large and characteristic grins. "You can't know for sure what the future holds, but there is one thing I can tell you. Your life will surely change in ways that you never dreamed were possible!"

End of Flashback

"Life changed, that's for sure." Gin stated, while he passed his right hand in front of his forehead. "You took too long, I couldn't wait any longer. My current interests live on Seireitei."

"Your interests? What do you mean by that, Gin?" Fujimaru demanded for a full answer. "What could be so important to make you leave Rangiku behind?"

"That's something for me to know." Gin actually hissed as he said those words, sending chills down Fujimaru's spine. For a moment, Gin had his eyes open. Cold, merciless blue eyes that released a strange and dangerous aura. As suddenly as he opened them, he closed them. "I guess we'll see each other around…Bye-bye!"

"Wait, Gin!" Fujimaru shouted for him, but he was already going away.

"You won't escape!" Suì-Fēng suddenly yelled and used Shunpo to go after Gin, surprising Fujimaru who was left behind. "Whatever that boy's intentions are, they can't be good ones. I'll have to get him for an interrogation."

"My, my! Onmitsukidō-san is actually coming to hunt me!" Gin stated as he looked over his shoulder. Then, to Suì-Fēng's great shock, the boy disappeared. "However…A snake is not easy to catch. It slithers away pretty easily."

"Damn kid!" Suì-Fēng's eyes widened as she heard him speak behind her. She quickly drew her sword and turned around to slash him, but he disappeared once again. "How can he use Shunpo already? The Academy's new year is only starting in a few days! What is he?"

"Above!" Gin's shout was what allowed Suì-Fēng to turn around in time to block his sword slash, by raising her sword horizontally above her head. The small wakizashi had some serious weight behind it, as even the more experienced Suì-Fēng was having a hard time keeping it away from her.

"You even have a Zanpakutō?" Suì-Fēng questioned, with Gin's answer coming in the form of a wider grin. The Executive Militia member smirked though. "To shout before an attack, that's a rookie's mistake!"

"No, not really! I did it on purpose!" Gin told her, before kicking her in the gut, sending her flying against the wall. "Killing an Onmitsukidō-san would sure give me a bad reputation."

"Cocky brat!" Suì-Fēng insulted him, while she got back to one knee. Gin though, decided to put his Zanpakutō back on its sheath. "Don't think this is over yet, kid!"

"Oh, but it is! Fujimaru-san would get really mad if I hurt his girl." Gin told her, with one hand extended to each side and while shaking his head.

"WHAT?" Suì-Fēng shouted furiously at the audacity of the younger boy.

"Eh, just forget it…I don't like to say the same things twice." Gin stated, before he raised one finger thoughtfully. "Although, I'll have to repeat this one…Bye-bye!"

"Tsk, he's gone!" Suì-Fēng frowned and punched the floor, so that she could get free of some of the anger that was filling her. Shortly after, Fujimaru reached her.

"Are you hurt, Suì-Fēng?" He asked as he knelt by her side.

"Just my pride…" She answered with a really upset look on her face. Then, she looked back to the male Shinigami. "Fujimaru, that boy…he is far from normal."


Minutes later…

"So this is the Shihōin manor?" Fujimaru stared in awe to the huge mansion in front of him, which was far bigger than the one he lived in. And that was saying something. "I knew it was near the 2nd Division's barracks, but I never came here before. This is huge!"

"It's only befitting of the great clan that is the Shihōin." Suì-Fēng told him, with great pride in her words.

"Ahah! If you say so if such conviction, who am I to deny it?" Fujimaru chuckled. Both stood there at the front door for a while, both in an uncomfortable silence. "Well…you're home. I guess I should be going."

"Yes, thank you." Suì-Fēng nodded and watched Fujimaru nodding back, before he turned around to leave. For some reason, she wasn't being able to go inside and kept on staring to him. Biting her lower lip, she actually took a step on his direction. "F-Fujimaru…"

"Hm? What is it?" The male Shinigami asked, while he looked over his shoulder. Suì-Fēng felt a sudden urge to start fidgeting, but was somehow able to remain quiet. She then decided to bow deeply, so she could let all out at once.

"If…If you need something, please ask me! I'm not much of a talker, but I can listen to you! Please, consider it!" She offered, causing Fujimaru's eyes to widen in surprise.

"Talk about an improvement! Just in one day! But…" He smiled and walked back towards the girl, landing a hand on her shoulder when he reached a sufficient enough distance. "You really have to stop doing that!"

"Oh, s-sorry…" She quickly straightened herself, causing Fujimaru to chuckle. "I promise I'll try."

"By any chance…will you be at the Academy's New Year Opening?" Fujimaru suddenly reminded himself to ask her. It was the closest big event that was supposed to happen in just a couple of days. "I'm not sure if Matsuri will go, considering what happened. Seigen-sama will be with the other Captains and I'm not sure about Kaien either, since I haven't seen him in a while, so…"

"Again as a substitute?" Suì-Fēng raised an eyebrow, causing an upset look to appear in Fujimaru's face. That made her chuckle, much to his surprise. "I'm kidding, there's no need to repeat that explanation again…"

"You got me there…" Fujimaru rubbed the back of his head. "Making jokes already? Make that a great improvement then…"

"I don't know." She sincerely answered, causing Fujimaru to raise an eyebrow. "It all depends on what Yoruichi-sama has for me to do…"

"But considering that she'll be there…"

"I'll likely be there as well." Suì-Fēng finished the words of someone else, before noticing Fujimaru's slitted eyes and silly grin. Only then did she notice the dark-skinned woman who was by their side. "Yoruichi-sama!"

"Well, well! What do we have here?" Yoruichi asked with a large grin on her face. "You two sure seem to be getting along well!"

"I…I'm sorry that I didn't return earlier." Suì-Fēng bowed her head for forgiveness. "You probably needed me for something and I wasn't here to answer your call."

"Nonsense! I went to visit Kuchiki-dono's grandson after the Captain meeting, so I only came back some minutes ago. You weren't needed at all!" Yoruichi then messed Suì-Fēng's hair, while she chuckled. "Besides, I was the one who pushed for you to spend the day with these two. Why would I call you back?" She then stopped and looked around, like if she was searching for something. "Say, where's Matsuri?"

"Matsuri is…she had to take care of some business." Fujimaru decided not to lie, choosing to only hide the truth instead. Suì-Fēng stared down as soon as he said that, something that didn't pass unnoticed to Yoruichi. "And I should be going as well…Konoka-sama must be worried about our absence."

"Yes, definitely." Yoruichi nodded in agreement. "Be sure to pass by more often. We'll be waiting for you two."

"Sure." Fujimaru grinned and then stared to Suì-Fēng, who looked away when their eyes met. Rubbing his cheek, he approached her and, much to her shock, kissed her cheek. "See ya!"

"My, my…You sure are a lucky one, Suì-Fēng!" Yoruichi thoughtfully rubbed her chin, while she watched Fujimaru going way. She stared to her personal guard, who had her mouth open and her face a crimson-red. With an evil glittering in her eyes, Yoruichi whispered in her ears. "And here I thought you liked Kisuke…"

"W-What?" Only then did Suì-Fēng react, jumping away from Yoruichi and facing her with a scandalized look on her face. "Yoruichi-sama! You know as well as I do that that is, I'm sorry to say, a blasphemy!"

"You're denying that you like Kisuke, but you're not denying the same about him." Yoruichi warned her, while she pointed towards the direction Fujimaru took when he left. That nearly made Suì-Fēng's jaw hit the floor. Yoruichi then let out an exaggerated sigh. "Who can blame you? I would love to have a little smooch from such a handsome guy myself…"

"Yoruichi-sama!" Suì-Fēng shouted, without realizing she continued to not deny what Yoruichi was saying.

"Ahahahah! Fine, I'll stop…Let's get inside, it's too cold here." Yoruichi told her and made sign for Suì-Fēng to follow her. As they crossed the front doors, two members of the Executive Militia closed and locked them. "While the main reason I wanted you to spend time with them was for you to have some friends to count on, there's another one I haven't told you about."

"There is?" The surprised Suì-Fēng questioned.

"I'm considering you to take Kisuke's old place as the 2nd Division's 3rd Seat." The Onmitsukidō leader revealed, causing Suì-Fēng to stop walking. Expecting the surprised reaction, Yoruichi chuckled. "That also means you'll be in charge of the Detention Unit and, by consequence, the Maggot's Nest as well. It's not an easy job, so you'll need those friends to support you."

"B-But…are you sure?" Suì-Fēng nervously asked. Yoruichi raised an eyebrow in response. "Are you sure I'm qualified for that position?"

"That's what we'll see. You'll be on charge of it for a couple of weeks to see if you're able to handle it. Then, I'll decide." Yoruichi explained, before stretching her arms. "I'm loaded with work since Kisuke became the Captain of the 12th Division. Taking care of the 1st, 3rd and 5th Divisions of the Onmitsukidō is proving to be too much for me, so I'll need someone I can trust to care of one of them for me. What do you say, Suì-Fēng? Do you accept what I'm proposing?"

"Well, I…of course, Yoruichi-sama." The girl answered while she bowed deeply. That made Yoruichi frown in suspicion. She expected Suì-Fēng to show more enthusiasm for her possible promotion.

"Are you afraid you won't have time to interact with your new friends?" Yoruichi asked, causing Suì-Fēng to gasp. The older woman had completely read through the younger one's reaction. "With this promotion, you'll have to drop your duty as my personal guard. You won't have the time to assume both positions. However, since you'll be the leader of your own Division, you'll be able to be more independent and actually have more time for your own things."

"B-But…I can't trust your security to no one else! I…"

"Don't be silly! I'm the Captain of the 2nd Division and the leader of the Onmitsukidō! I can take care of myself quite well!" Yoruichi told her, before stopping in front of the door of Suì-Fēng's room. "Well, we'll discuss this some other time. Now, it's time to go to sleep. Tomorrow will be a quite tiring day."

"H-Hai! Good night, Yoruichi-sama!" The girl bowed and went to her room. She closed the door behind her and let her back hit against it, before letting herself fall into her knees. She then brought her hand to her cheek. "That idiot…I thought he was so uncool when I first met him. So, why do I like him so much now?"

"Suì-Fēng and Fujimaru, sitting in a tree…" Someone chanted from the other side of the door.

"YORUICHI-SAMA!"


The next day…

"So sleepy…It really is difficult to wake up without Matsuri's beatings." Fujimaru admitted, but only because he was alone. For once, he was the only one taking breakfast. He took a bite of a toast and slowly swallowed it, while he lazily rubbed his eyes. "Seigen-sama arrived late last night, so perhaps he's still dressing. But I wonder about Konoka-sama…I haven't seen her yet."

"I must be going. Thank you." Fujimaru heard a familiar voice. As he looked to the courtyard, he saw the woman he was talking about along with a man that was similar to himself.

"Urahara-taichō?" He thought, while he watched Konoka nod, before she returned inside. Urahara remained on the courtyard though, thoughtfully staring to the sky. With curiosity filling him, Fujimaru quickly crossed the courtyard to meet him. "We rarely have the pleasure of your company here, specially so early in the morning, Urahara-taichō!"

"Well, well!" Urahara's mind returned to his body, considering that he finally blinked and spoke. "Hello, Fujimaru!"

"Suzunami-taichō isn't up yet. You'll have to wait a bit if you have business with him." Fujimaru told him.

"No, no! I didn't come to see him." Urahara answered, causing Fujimaru's eyebrows to rise.

"Hey, Urahara-taichō…" The boy whispered, as he came closer to the Captain. He only continued after looking over his shoulders, to make sure that it was safe to speak. "Don't tell me you came to see Konoka-sama! Matsuri isn't around, but she seems to be drawn into some specific situations like this one…"

"As a matter of fact, I did." Urahara admitted, while he stared in the direction Konoka took to leave. "I feel rejected and utterly dejected."

"You're kidding, right?" Fujimaru asked, with a nervous smile.

"Yes…" Urahara slowly answered, before looking back to the boy with his usual silly expression. "Kidding, I'm just kidding…"

"What really brought you here then?" Fujimaru questioned, while he rubbed the back of his head. Seeing that Urahara's expression didn't change, the younger Shinigami sighed to cut him off before he could even answer. "You know what? Never mind…"

"You're fond of Konoka-sama, aren't you?" Urahara asked with a smile, surprising Fujimaru.

"What's gotten into you?" Fujimaru questioned, as he didn't knew how to interpret what he was being asked. "Of course I'm fond of her! We all are!"

"Yes, I thought so as well…" The Captain nodded. He continued to smile, but Fujimaru knew by the tone of his voice that there was seriousness in his words. "Just forget that I was here and, please…don't tell anyone. Not even to your sister."

"What is going on, Urahara-taichō?" Fujimaru asked to the older Shinigami, but the latter immediately stared away.

"It's just a guess, so while I'm not sure…" Urahara stared into Fujimaru's eyes one last time, before turning his back on him. "I can't say."

"Wait, Urahara-taichō!" Fujimaru still called, but the Captain quickly used Shunpo to disappear, leaving Fujimaru all alone in the Suzunami estate's courtyard. "He bolted…What's going on?"

"Speaking to yourself, Fujimaru? That's for old people, you know?" Seigen told him, as he appeared by his son's side. "I thought I felt Urahara's spiritual power…"

"Yeah, he was here to…" Fujimaru started to answer, but Urahara's words crossed his mind. "He was passing by, so he decided to stop to say hi."

"Oh, so thoughtful of him…" Seigen rubbed his chin while he spoke, seemingly not convinced by Fujimaru's answer. "Shall we go, then?"

"Just a second, please!" Fujimaru asked, before disappearing with a quick Shunpo. After the said second, he reappeared with his Zanpakutō and two apples. "You should eat before going to work, Seigen-sama."

"Ah! Thank you, Fujimaru!" Seigen smiled and picked one of the apples. Both ate in silence, while they walked out of the Suzunami estate. "I heard from Konoka that you arrived late last night."

"O-Oh, yeah…I needed to clear my mind, before I could return home." Fujimaru told him, while he stared down sadly. "Have you heard about what happened?"

"I didn't even need to arrive at home. Unohana sent Yamada to tell me about it." Seigen revealed and Fujimaru nodded. "Is it…one of the kids you told me about? The ones you wanted me to adopt?"

Flashback

"I could tell about you two to Seigen-sama, and he could find someone to adopt you both...Or even better!" Fujimaru shouted the last part, as a great idea came through his mind. "How about you two being my new siblings?"

"Yeah, maybe. It would be nice." Gin chuckled slightly, but then sighed once more. "But even if we somehow get there, who knows what will happen then?"

"Well, you could aim to become a Shinigami, just like us!" Fujimaru suggested with one of his large and characteristic grins. "You can't know for sure what the future holds, but there is one thing I can tell you. Your life will surely change in ways that you never dreamed were possible!"

(…)

"Life changed, that's for sure." Gin stated, while he passed his right hand in front of his forehead. "You took too long, I couldn't wait any longer. My current interests live on Seireitei."

End of Flashback

"H-Hai…" Fujimaru stared down once again, as he answered. In accordance to the mood, Seigen sighed.

"I should've started moving when you told me about them…" Seigen held his chin thoughtfully. "I'm sorry about what happened, Fujimaru…Even if it's too late, I still intend to give a home to those children."

"It's not your fault, Seigen-sama…but thanks." Fujimaru smiled to his father, causing him to smile as well, even if it was for a short time.

"Fujimaru…" Seigen called, with a serious look on his face. "If anything ever happens to me, I want you to take care of Konoka."

"What?" The shocked Fujimaru actually stopped walking and shouted the word. "Um, was that some kind of joke or something? You knocked all the sleep that remained out of my head with that one!"

"Huh?" Seigen's eyes widened slightly, before he looked away from his son. "Yeah… It was just a joke. Forget it."

"I knew you had to be kidding!" Fujimaru sighed and wiped some sweat from his forehead. "I can't even imagine anything happening to you, Seigen-sama!"

"True, but…just remember…" Seigen continued, causing the younger Shinigami to frown in worry. "If anything like that ever does happen, you two are the only ones who can look out for her. For her and for the new kids who will come. You got that?"


A few moments later…

"You didn't have to come today, Matsuri." Aizen reminded her, while she signed the presence sheet. "Suzunami-taichō allowed you to be with that girl while she recovers."

"I know. Yamada-fukutaichō told me when he came back." Matsuri nodded. She seemed very tired, as she even had bags under her eyes, probably from not sleeping the entire night. "She woke up during the night and wasn't able to get back to sleep, so they gave her a stronger sedative. She'll be sleeping all morning. And since I couldn't stand to be there much longer…"

"I see…Suzunami-taichō and Fujimaru-kun shouldn't take long to arrive." Aizen told her and she nodded.

"Aizen-fukutaichō…" She called him, as soon as he turned to leave. That made him face her once again. "I've been trying to get my mind out of everything that happened with Rangiku, and there's only one thing that I can think of, so I wanted to ask you…What do you think of all that has been happening? About the behavior of the Hollows and this…war…"

"It's hard to understand something from which you don't have any prior knowledge. That's what this new behavior of the Hollows is all about. We can't properly comprehend what's happening, because it's unprecedented." Aizen answered in the logical way Matsuri expected. "I would not worry about it though. Our superiors are working on this as we speak. I hear that even Central 46 has started to move. They'll know what to do."

"Central 46, the highest authority in Soul Society…" Matsuri mumbled, while she held her chin in a thoughtful manner. Before the conversation could continue, Fujimaru and Seigen arrived in the station.

"Good morning, Aizen! I see that you're accompanied by someone who doesn't do what I ask her to do." Seigen greeted Aizen, before laying a hand on Matsuri's shoulder. "You're sure you don't want the day off?"

"I needed to get out of there. For the morning, at least." She answered with a weak smile, while Fujimaru greeted Aizen. "Do you have a mission for us?"

"I guess I can find you something." Seigen answered, while he stared to Aizen who nodded and left, turning around the nearest corridor. "I have some stuff to take care about. Just wait here for Aizen, he'll give you your mission."

"Hai." The twins answered in unison, causing a smile to appear in Seigen's face before he left to his office. Matsuri then dropped her smile and stared to her brother. "You were able to wake up without my help? Wow…"

"Wasn't easy, I'll admit…You look like shit, you know?" Fujimaru asked, causing her to chuckle against her will. "How is Rangiku?"

"In the same way as you last saw her…unconscious." She answered, causing her brother to frown deeply.

"There's something I need to tell you. It's about someone Suì-Fēng and I met last night…" Fujimaru started to reveal, causing a worried Matsuri to look at him. "We met Gin, Matsuri."

"You what?" The shocked girl nearly shouted. Fujimaru quickly went through everything that happened, causing Matsuri to become visibly perturbed. "I can't believe this…"

"I don't know what to make of it as well…" Fujimaru hid his face behind one of his hands, while he sighed. "Everything seems to be happening lately. This war with the Hollows, what happened to Rangiku, Gin's reappearance, both Urahara-taichō and Seigen-sama acting strangely…"

"What about them?" Matsuri hesitantly asked, fearing another complicated situation. Her fears became true, as Fujimaru revealed what happened earlier with both of them, even though Urahara had asked him to not share what happened with his sister. "Remember when we joked about us being part of a really bad plot? Now I wished it was true, that this was only some story and not our own lives."

"Man, oh man…" Someone groaned from behind them. "Here I come to pick up my partners for a mission and this is what I get? A pair of depressed babies?"

"You are…" Both twins turned around at the same time, their eyes meeting someone they hadn't seen in quite some time.


Minutes later…

"I was actually talking about not seeing you in a while, yesterday." Fujimaru revealed to his senpai. "Finally something good happening between all the madness that has been going on lately."

"That's true… It's been a while since I went out on patrol with you two! I've been missing it as well!" Kaien admitted, with a huge grin on his face. "I guess that means that Suzunami-taichō is starting to place more trust in you."

"Yeah, I guess so." Fujimaru pondered on that for a bit, but eventually sighed. "We've still got a long, long way to go though…"

"Have you been able to release your Zanpakutō yet?" Kaien questioned them, causing both twins to look in directions opposite to Kaien's.

"There has been so much stuff going on lately that we actually forgot about that." Matsuri was the one to answer.

"Can you tell us, Kaien?" Fujimaru asked with an embarrassed smile. "What do we have to do to release our Zanpakutō?"

"What do you have to do?" Kaien repeated the question, while he rubbed the back of his head. "Why, it's all about putting in the effort, of course! Have you heard your Zanpakutō's voice at least?"

"We did, but we didn't understand what it meant." Fujimaru told him, with a frown. "It said something like…discard that which you do not need and find that which is necessary."

"You both heard the same voice?" The confused Kaien asked, with both twins nodding to answer. "Strange…I never heard of something like that before!"

"And it told us to put our minds together and look forward…" Matsuri quickly added. "…but we have no idea how we're supposed to do that."

"Hey, are you sure you two aren't secretly relieved, somewhere in your hearts?" Kaien inquired, suddenly seeming upset. The twins' eyes widened at the same time as they pondered the hypothesis. "Like maybe you think, I don't know…I'm weak so somebody else, somebody strong, will fight for me? That kind of thing? Are you sure you don't have that kind of overdependence somewhere in your hearts?"

"Overdependence…" They both repeated in a whisper.

"Listen…A Zanpakutō is the mind, the strength of a Shinigami, so what do you think a Shinigami needs to release its full potential?" Kaien asked, but didn't even give them time to answer. "It's determination! Fierce, burning determination! That's what your Zanpakutō is waiting to see!"


At the same time…

"Hey, baldy!" Hiyori shouted as she entered in Urahara's office. The Captain of the 12th Division had both hands under his chin, while he pondered on something. "Baldy!"

"I sure hope they don't remember to use that." Urahara silently spoke to himself, before changing his position slightly. "It's not likely, since there's only one person who can possibly use it. It would be a lot of bad luck if they found out…"

"Baldy!" Hiyori shouted, as she came dangerously close to her Captain. Once again, he failed to hear her, causing a vein to furiously swell in her forehead.

"There are only a few people who know about it…me, Yoruichi-san, Suzunami-taichō, possibly Unohana-taichō…" Urahara's eyes suddenly widened, as he remembered someone else. "Oh, man…That guy knows about it too! But he wouldn't dare, would he?"

"I'M TALKING TO YOU, BALDY!" Hiyori shouted even louder, this time nailing Urahara with a jumping kick to the face. With that, she was finally able to awaken him from his thoughts.

"H-Hiyori-san?" The surprised Urahara held his nose, while he slowly stood. "What's going on?"

"I'm calling you for about an hour! There's someone here to see you and you're making him wait, you damn baldy!" Hiyori scolded her Captain, before looking over her shoulder. "Come on in! He's finally awake!"

"S-Sasakibe…fukutaichō?" Urahara mumbled, as he saw the grey-haired Vice-Captain of the 1st Division entering in his office. "For him to be here, something bad must've happened!"

"Urahara-taichō, you've been summoned by Yamamoto-sōtaichō for an urgent meeting." Sasakibe revealed the motive of his presence. "According to him, your presence is absolutely necessary."

"Something really bad then…" Urahara silently added.


And while that happened…

"Oh no! I overslept!" Suì-Fēng shouted even before she got out of her room. She slammed the door behind her and started to run across the corridors of the Shihōin manor. "I couldn't get myself to sleep! Yoruichi-sama will be so mad at me…"

"What? Are you sure?" Yoruichi's voice made Suì-Fēng stop on her tracks. The girl carefully looked around the corner, being able to see Yoruichi speaking with one of her messengers. "Are you absolutely sure of what you just told me?"

"Hai! The orders were sent by Yamamoto-sōtaichō himself. There is no mistake." The man nervously answered. Hearing that, Yoruichi let her arms hang to the side of her body, in a sign of defeat.

"I can't believe this is happening…" She mumbled, before she angrily punched the closest wall. "Someone spoke too much!"

"Yoruichi-sama…" Suì-Fēng continued to stare worriedly at her master.