When he woke up, Shane found himself staring at the sky. The sun was beginning to set and the sky was different hues of blue and purple. His head was pounding and he groaned softly. Shane then realized he was covered with a blanket. He picked up the blanket and saw he was covered in bandages. He sat up and was rewarded with sharp pains from all over.
"Hey, be careful," Olivia warned. Shane smiled when he saw her. Her sleeves were pulled back and long rubber gloves covered her arms. Her hair was a tangled mess and blood was spattered on her robe. She looked tired.
"I guess I should thank you," Shane said, looking at his bandaged hands.
"Yeah, that's the least you could do," Olivia said. "When I found you, I thought for sure you were dead." She shook her head. Shane stared into his lap, his mind lost in thought. "Before Akuma left, she said some disturbing things," he said.
"You mean this?" Olivia asked. Shane glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw she was holding a vial of pale green liquid. "I managed to get most of the poison out, but I was unable to retrieve a small amount."
"Don't worry, I won't die from this type of poison," Shane said. He looked to the sky and asked, "Do you know what's been going on?" Olivia shook her head. "I came straight here when I felt you and Akuma fighting. I imagine we'll find out the details later."
Shane lay back and closed his eyes. Soon, he was asleep again. Oliva watched him sleep. "Next time, we'll fight together," she promised.
When Shane woke up again, he found himself staring up at the ceiling of the Relief Station. "I might as well live here since I've been here so often," he smirked at the thought. He got up and winced. "I guess I'm still broken," he said. Shane got dressed and carefully wandered out the door.
As he walked around the inner yard, Shane thought about the last few weeks. Within that span, the complacency of Soul Society had been shattered and replaced with chaos. Shane marveled a the ability of nature to return to normal. Since the chaos had ended, things quickly began returning to the way they used to be. Shane's quiet reflection was shattered as he saw Rukia leaving one of the rooms. He smiled when he saw her, but did not call out. As she approached, he stopped and let her come to him. "I see you are doing well," Shane finally said.
Rukia was startled and smiled when she saw him. "I'm glad to see you," she said.
Shane sat down and invited Rukia to sit next to him, which she did. At first, neither said anything, they simply sat and enjoyed the quiet. "So, what happened?" Shane asked. Rukia thought for a moment and told Shane everything.
"That's quite the story," Shane remarked when she was finished. "I must say, Ichigo does have a flair for the dramatic sometimes."
"At the time, I was mad at him for doing something so foolish. But then I was happy he came." Rukia said.
"You really had that thing inside you?" Shane asked. "How did it get there?" Rukia shrugged. "That is a question for Urahara. That's not the only thing I want to do next time I see him," she said and smacked the palm of her hand with her fist.
"I don't blame you," Shane agreed. Their moment alone was interrupted by footsteps. Shane turned to see who it was.
"Hey guys," Ichigo said. Shane smiled and said, "I finally found you,"
"What are you talking about?" Ichigo asked, sitting next to Rukia.
"You certainly know how to cause trouble Ichigo," Shane said.
"It was something I had to do," Ichigo explained. Shane waved him off. "I don't care about your reasons. In fact, I never cared at all." They sat in silence. "So when are you going back?" Shane asked.
"Probably tomorrow. Summer break ends soon and we need to get back." Ichigo said. Shane stood up. "Well, I'll leave you two here. I feel like doing some walking and I'm sure you have things to tell each other."
That night, Shane was up on Soukyoku Hill admiring the view. High above, the Soukyoku Cross still showed sighs of the epic struggle that had erupted. Shane figured it would stay like that for a long time. The light breeze pulled at his robes and the sky was crystal clear. Shane felt two presences approach and he didn't have to turn around to know who it was.
"The night is still," Light Tsukuyomi said.
"Thanks Captain Obvious," Dark Tsukuyomi said. Shane listened to them bicker for a while. "That was some fight, eh?" he asked.
"Why did you hold back?" Dark Tsukuyomi asked. Shane shrugged. "Didn't you listen to anything I've told you?" Shane said nothing. Dark Tsukuyomi scowled.
"Oh, by the way, what was this 'something special' that was supposed to happen?" Shane asked.
"It didn't happen," Light Tsukuyomi said.
"Of course it didn't happen," Shane said. "I want to know what it was and why it didn't happen."
"You weren't ready," Light Tsukuyomi answered.
"Ready for what?" Shane asked.
"What is this, 20 Questions?" Dark Tsukuyomi asked. "You had all the pieces, you simply couldn't or didn't put them together for the picture."
"Could you at least tell me what it was supposed to be?" Shane asked. An enraged Dark Tsukuyomi hit Shane in the back of the head. "What is wrong with you?" Dark Tsukuyomi screamed. "Do you need to be told how to do every little thing? How have you survived this long on your own?"
Light Tsukuyomi watched the exchange in silence. When Dark Tsukuyomi was done ranting and raving, Light Tsukuyomi spoke. "There are some things that can only be discovered on your own."
Shane rubbed his head and considered their words. As he opened his mouth to speak, he realized they were gone. He shook his head and enjoyed the first quiet evening in several days.
The next day, Ichigo, Orihime, Uryuu and Chad went back to the Real World. When Shane arrived, everyone was saying their goodbyes. Before Ichigo walked through the gate, Shane said, "Say hello to Tatsuki for me," Ichigo grinned and walked through the gate. Captain Ukitake turned to Shane and said, "I have something to discuss with you. Meet me at the office." Shane was perplexed, but he agreed.
When Shane arrived, Captain Ukitake was waiting. "Please, come in and shut the door," he said and Shane did so.
"You have been doing very well," Captain Ukitake started out. "You've done everything I've asked of you to the best of your abilities. You are aware that I am the only Captain currently without a Lieutenant, yes?"
"Uh, yes?" Shane agreed, wondering where this was going.
"I have been thinking recently that I should fill that position," Captain Ukitake said, turning his back to Shane.
"I'm sure there will be much fighting between your 3rd seats over which one is promoted," Shane said.
"I'm not going to promote either of them," Ukitake said. Now Shane was really confused and interested.
"A Lieutenant is someone who has the complete trust of the Captain, one who doesn't follow orders blindly and asks questions. A Lieutenant is someone who can look out for others as well as himself. He is a role model for the young ones to look up to." Captain Ukitake turned to face Shane. "I would like to promote you to Lieutenant of Squad 13."
The news hit Shane like a ton of bricks. "Wha-what?" Shane asked. "Why do you want me? Surely there is someone better qualified."
"Who else is there?" Ukitake asked.
"I don't know, someone other than me," Shane said. "I haven't been here very long and I don't know anyone else besides Rukia."
"Who's fault is that?" Ukitake asked and Shane realized he had a point. "I understand that you don't exactly fit in here with Squad 13," Ukitake said. "Where else to put you but as my Lieutenant?"
"But I don't know anything about being a Lieutenant," Shane protested. "I don't know how to boss people around. I'm not the type of person that inspires confidence in people anyway."
"And that is why I want you as my Lieutenant," Ukitake said. "You have no political ambition and you recognize that you aren't perfect. You don't let your ego get in the way of rational thinking and you are very level headed." Shane said nothing and sulked. "Plus, a requirement for becoming a Lieutenant is knowing your Soul Slayer's name and Shikai." At that, Shane became very quiet.
"I know this is sudden, but I believe you are the best choice," Ukitake said.
After a moment's thought, Shane said, "Is the process really that simple or would I have to jump through more hoops."
Ukitake stroked his chin and looked thoughtful. "You know, I don't remember. It's been a while since I've had a Lieutenant or promoted one." Shane rolled his eyes and said, "Sir, I appreciate what you are trying to do, but," and he stopped. What was he afraid of? "Sir, I don't want the job. I can't willingly send people out to what may be certain death. I'm terrible at paperwork and I hate politics."
"What you're saying is, you don't want to be my Lieutenant because that would mean sacrificing your freedom, to do what you want when you want," Ukitake said. Shane said nothing and felt guilty. "Well, when you put it that way," he mumbled.
"I will give you some time to think it over. I would like to have an answer from you, but I will still make my decision regardless." Ukitake said.
Shane bowed and said, "Thank you sir," and took his leave.
Yes, these have been strange times, but things will continue, perhaps not as they always have, but they will continue. People are often hesitant to change, myself included. But who are we? Our time is short compared to the rest of time. I have heard that time is like an ocean in a storm, always moving, always changing. In these changing times, we too must change. Therefore, I have decided that I too will change, for better or worst.
There was a knock at the door, interrupting his thoughts. "Enter," Shane called out.
"Sir, everyone is waiting for you," the messenger said. Shane dismissed the messenger and left the room. He walked out into the center of Squad 13's meeting room. Before him stood a group of new shinigami.
"Welcome to Squad 13," Shane welcomed them. "I am the 13th Squad Lieutenant, Shane Akiyama."