Author's note: Hmm. I'm not as happy with these last two chapters, and I don't know why, but this one ended up a lot longer than I originally anticipated. Hopefully this chapter's lengthiness will make up for another very slow update. This chapter will be focused on Kisuke and Kaien and chapter nine will put Ichigo back in the spotlight (I've already started to write it so fingers crossed for a quicker update). As always, thank you so much for reading my story and putting up with my slow updates and clumsy writing. It means a lot! And Happy Holidays to all! :)
Kaien was practically buzzing in anticipation. As requested, the scruffy stranger had agreed to guide them to the shinigami they were in search of. The man was currently walking in front with Kaien and Urahara following faithfully a few feet behind. Their trek thus far had been a silent one as both the lieutenant and captain receded into their own thoughts. An ominous frown had settled on Kaien's face that spoke of wrath rarely seen from the usually high-spirited lieutenant. Following the man through the destitute streets of the Rukon, the visions of his baby brother grew more vivid. They flooded his senses and took hold of his emotions until Kaien's clenched fists shook with ferocity and his eyes burned with the promise of retribution. Perhaps his "partner" caught sight of this because the silence was soon broken by his light-hearted teasing:
"Now, Shiba-kun, I'll have to ask that you refrain from murdering these men should we find them. It will make my job a lot more difficult." The captain spoke humorously of a subject devoid of humor. It was something Kaien couldn't quite get used to.
"I have no intention of murdering them," Kaien said, feeling tense. There was something about the man that put him on edge. Perhaps it was simply the fact that Kaien didn't know him well.
"I just had to make sure. You look rather angry. Understandably so-"
"Of course I'm angry!" he snapped before hastily shutting his mouth, taking a moment to humble himself. He really ought to be more polite to a superior officer, but he was struggling to reign in his wild emotions. Kaien took a deep breath. "I'm sorry for snapping at you, Captain. I'm just upset."
Fortunately, Urahara did not seem offended. "It's quite alright, Shiba-kun. I understand that you're angry."
They walked for a few moments in silence again which Kaien used to subtly study the captain out of the corner of his eye. Urahara's placid expression was as unreadable as before. Kaien found himself impulsively blurting out a question: "Would you be?"
The blond looked at him curiously. "Would I be what?" he asked.
"Angry. Like if someone you cared about was hurt by another person."
That seemed to catch the man off guard as he opened his mouth to answer before abruptly closing it again. Urahara looked up at the sky as he took a moment to contemplate his answer. For Kaien, who always held strong emotions when it came to his loved-ones, he found it bizarre that the captain couldn't answer straight away.
"I couldn't say," Urahara said eventually. "All the people I know are capable of handling themselves."
Kaien eyed him thoughtfully. "I guess you don't understand then."
"What's that?"
"What I'm feeling."
Before Urahara could respond, their guide stopped to give them an update. "We're almost there," the man said, his back still turned as they continued to walk purposefully toward their destination. "They can usually be found at this bar during this time of day."
"Is that so?" Urahara said in his usual jovial tone. "You said that these shinigami have been a problem for a few months, yes?"
"Um...yeah," the man replied, sounding uncomfortable.
"So why haven't we heard about this until now? Didn't anyone think of reporting this to the Seireitei?"
Kaien couldn't see his expression but he thought he could see the man's posture stiffen. Urahara was staring holes into the man's back. Kaien absently wondered if the man could feel it.
"It wouldn't have done any good," the man said quietly.
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing."
The man's curt response was an obvious sign he was in no mood for an interrogation. This didn't appear to faze Urahara however.
"Very well. On a less important note, what's with all these cloaks? I've noticed that a lot of people are wearing the same thing."
Kaien blinked a few times in surprise before studying their guide's attire more intently. That's when he saw that his cloak had a hood hanging on the back. Kaien then checked his surroundings to study the people skulking in and out of the shadows of the streets and alleyways. Most of them also had hooded cloaks on- some black, some brown. While Kaien had noticed this, he hadn't really given it any thought, his mind preoccupied with more pressing matters. Urahara, on the other hand, clearly had this enigmatic hooded character at the forefront of his mind. Kaien once again found himself wondering what the blond was thinking.
Their guide seemed to relax considerably. "Yeah, they're real cheap. I actually just bought my second one here…"
Urahara innocently tilted his head with curiosity. "Do people normally keep two?"
The man scratched his neck and laughed awkwardly. "Haha...no, I uhh...I lost my first one to a pretty lady…"
Before they could inquire what he meant they heard a distant crash followed by muffled laughter. Their guide finally came to a stop. "We're here."
Kaien and Urahara stood on either side of their guide to see what "here" he was referring to. Kaien followed the man's gaze to another run-down building- old wooden planks for walls, a few shabby windows, and a tiled roof. The only thing that set it apart from the neighboring buildings was the set of double doors for the entrance. The doors abruptly opened to reveal a man and a woman stumbling outside, clutching one another and laughing in a drunken stupor.
"The shinigami are in there?" Kaien asked in confirmation.
The man nodded. "Most likely."
"Well, let's check it out, Shiba-kun!" Urahara said with a friendly pat on Kaien's shoulder. The blond took a step forward to face the two of them, his eyes practically oozing excitement. Kaien was failing to see which part of their situation was worthy of such unbridled enthusiasm. "But before that- Mr. Guide, I don't believe we caught your name."
The man blinked a couple of times, appearing surprised by the sudden question. "It's Takeshi," he said after a moment's hesitation.
"Takeshi, I'll have to ask you to wait out here while we handle this."
With that, the captain swiftly turned around and began walking toward their destination. Kaien supposed he was meant to follow. Not that he had any intention of backing out on this mission. No, his duty as a brother and a Shiba would not allow it.
OOO
Urahara pushed open the doors of the tavern to reveal more or less what Kaien expected: A large, windowless room with several wooden tables scattered haphazardly around and a bar off to the side with few stools in front of its long counter. The soft light of the room created a warm ambiance that was a complete contrast to the harsh sunlight outside. Although a bit run down, the tavern was in better shape than Kaien would have expected of any establishment in an outer district. Perhaps that was why it was so crowded. There had to be at least thirty or forty people in the room, most of which were talking or laughing loudly with each other in a boisterous and drunken fashion.
As they entered the establishment, Kaien and Urahara's presence was noticed by the occupants. The volume of the room gradually diminished to a low whisper. The previous lively and boisterous atmosphere was replaced with a far more somber one.
Urahara walked past him to approach the bartender who, like every other occupant in the room, was watching the two of them warily. Urahara smiled at the man (although the same gesture was not reciprocated). "Hello, sorry to barge in, but there wouldn't happen to be any shinigami here, would there?"
The man pursed his lips as his eyes nervously darted to the side. Kaien followed the bartender's gaze to the very back of the room where he could spot a few shihakusho amongst the regular yukata and cloaked majority.
Having noticed them as well, Urahara led the way across the tavern to where three shinigami sat around a small table, appearing more uncomfortable the closer Urahara and Kaien got to them. One of them was skinny with unkempt, black hair. Coincidence?
Kaien stood overlooking the three men with his arms crossed. He cut straight to the chase. "Which squad are you three in?" If these were, in fact, the men who attacked his brother, then there was no reason for him to waste time on trivial formalities.
The three men grew noticeably more anxious, exchanging nervous glances with each other with a light sweat on a few of their faces. The dark-haired man cleared his throat before answering.
"Shouldn't you know?"
An elusive and evasive answer to a straight-forward question. What should they know? Could they have been wrong and these men were actually supposed to be here? But why? Were these not the men who attacked Ganju? He looked to Urahara for answers, but the captain did not seem perturbed in the slightest.
"Let's see," Urahara drawled whilst scratching his chin as if he were racking his brain for information, "Are you three apart of the task force sent out by the Thirteenth a few weeks ago?"
Kaien stiffened. What?
Why would Urahara ask if they were in Kaien's Squad when he clearly established that he'd never met these men before? Besides, no such task force was sent out. Even if there were squad members dispatched, as the lieutenant, Kaien would've known about it. Kaien stared down the captain. What is he up to?
"Yes, that's right," the man said quickly. Kaien couldn't believe it. To his knowledge, these men weren't in Squad Thirteen and this task force didn't exist, which meant this man was lying. So why would-
Oh. Unless-
"Ah, so Kyoraku-san sent you," Urahara surmised.
There was a brief moment of silence before the man replied. "...yes," the man said, though the slight lilt in his voice betrayed uncertainty. Now, Kaien understood what Urahara was doing. Apparently, Kyoraku sent them- the captain of Squad Eight. But these men said they were in Squad Thirteen. Why would a captain from an entirely different squad be giving them orders? And how could shinigami not know their own lieutenant and captain?
Kaien could only think of one explanation: These men weren't shinigami at all.
"Interesting. Did you know that my associate here happens to be the lieutenant of Squad Thirteen?"
The man froze. Kaien could practically see gears in his head turning as he came to a realization. But it was too late. He was already caught in the web of lies that Urahara had spun.
"So do you recognize him?" Urahara asked, his amiable smile never leaving his face. Kaien could tell that Urahara was aware that his victim wasn't going anywhere, so the captain wasn't in any rush. Unfortunately for him, Kaien wasn't going to waste any more time determining if these men were the ones that attacked his brother. He decided to step in.
"You clearly don't recognize me as your lieutenant, but maybe you'll recognize me as someone else." Kaien took a menacing step forward. "Perhaps as a member of the Shiba Clan?"
The three men didn't say anything, but they didn't have to. Their fearful expressions told him all he needed to know. He could feel his temper begin to rise.
"It was you, wasn't it? You and your goons you-" He felt his nails dig into his palms as he shook with uncontrollable rage- "You attacked someone I care about. Did you really think you would get away with it?"
The dark-haired man spoke up again. He was also trembling ever so slightly, but it was out of fear, not anger. "I-I don't know what you're talking about."
"Like hell you don't know what I'm talking about!"
"I'm telling you, I don't!"
"ADMIT TO YOUR CRIME!"
"I'M TELLING YOU, WE DIDN'T ATTACK HIM!"
By the time they had finished yelling at one another, they were both breathing heavily. Urahara had gone quiet along with the rest of the people in the room. Kaien licked his dry lips before speaking up again, this time at a low whisper.
"I never gave you a gender."
Those six words had a profound effect on the man. Once again, Kaien could see him slowly realize his mistake. He had said "him," but Kaien never specified that it was his brother that was attacked. Kaien saw red.
Before he could even blink, Kaien was in front of the dark-haired man. He violently ripped the man from his seat by the collar of his shihakusho to roughly slam his back onto the table with a harsh CLANG.
"You son of a bitch," he said in a low voice. His fists were still gripping the man's shihakusho, keeping him pinned to the table. It was confirmed: these were the men that tried to murder his younger brother. Well Kaien wasn't about to let them off the hook.
"Why did you do it?"
The man had no response. Kaien could feel his rage fester uncontrollably. He shook his captive violently.
"ANSWER ME, DAMMIT, WHY DID YOU DO IT?"
"LOOK AROUND, YOU BASTARD!" the man roared back. His eyes were ablaze with emotion: fear, anger, indignity.
Hesitantly, Kaien stopped glaring at the man to look at his surroundings. Naturally, every person in the room was watching the scene that Kaien had created. He was used to people looking at him with compassion like Ukitake, with adoration like Ganju and Kukaku, with respect like his subordinates. But these people...these people only looked at him with animosity, with anguish, with resentment.
The man spoke up again. "We have suffered! Goddamnit, we have suffered far more than we should have! We got sick people dying left and right, we got people getting killed by those monsters. Every day I hear about someone losing a friend, a husband, a wife, a child! What for? Why are we pushed to the side and ignored? I'll tell you why- you shinigami don't give a shit about us, and neither do your precious noble families! You shinigami have the strength to protect us, but you choose not to! You nobles have the wealth and influence to help us, but you choose not to!"
The man was breathing heavily. Despite his position, he refused to back down, meeting Kaien's gaze with equal vehemence and fury.
"So we decided that we would become shinigami to carry out justice for ourselves. No one would question us as shinigami. Running into your bratty brother was the perfect opportunity to teach you nobles a lesson."
Kaien was left speechless for a moment. The dark-haired man had said his people were suffering from shinigamis' indifference, but according to Takeshi, these men had been causing issues for Rukon citizens for a few months now. Doesn't he realize how hypocritical he's being?
"No," Kaien growled, his wrath barely being kept at bay, "This isn't justice. You got addicted to the power of being a shinigami and you manipulated that power to take advantage of people. You became so deluded that you harmed the very people you were trying to avenge. You may not have realized it, but your delusion turned you into the very people you despise. How can you claim harming the innocent is justice?"
"Your brat of a brother was the only one we harmed!" the man yelled back, "And though he may have been innocent, you and your noble clan are far from it! You're upset cause your little brother is dead? Tough shit," he spat. "Well, now you know how we feel."
They thought Ganju was dead? There was dead silence for a moment where all Kaien could hear was his own heartbeat. Beating louder, and louder, and louder-
Kaien tightened his hold on the man. "You little-"
"Alright, Kaien-kun. I think that's enough for now," Urahara interrupted in his usual sing-song voice as he placed a hand on his shoulder only for Kaien to shake it off irately.
"No way. He-"
"Shiba-kun," a cold voice said. Kaien was yanked backward by the back of his shihakusho and thrust violently back onto his feet where he stumbled a few times in an attempt to steady his footing. The grip on his shihakusho remained.
Kaien angrily turned to confront his captor. "Hey, what are you-"
But the words of indignation died on his lips at the sight of the captain staring down at him.
"I said," Urahara spoke in a dark, threatening voice, "That's enough." The man's icy expression froze Kaien in his place and sent an ominous shiver down his spine. He might as well have been a deer caught in the grasp of a wolf. All he could manage was a slight nod.
The captain released Kaien before approaching the man who had sat up from the table to watch their exchange while rubbing his assaulted neck gingerly.
"Now then," Urahara started, his casual attitude returning as if the exchange with Kaien hadn't even occurred. "I have a few questions for you."
The man scoffed bitterly. "Yeah? Well I don't have any answers. Go fuck yourself."
"Hmm," Urahara hummed while scratching his chin. "That's a shame. Seeing as answers can only help you at this point."
He narrowed his eyes at the captain. "What are you talking about?"
"It must have occurred to you that you're not getting out of this. I have a duty as a captain to uphold the laws of the Soul Society and seeing as you've broken quite a few of them, you will be facing certain punishment."
The man scoffed. "Then I have nothing to gain from telling you anything."
"That's where you're wrong. If you indulge me and kindly answer my questions then I can lessen the sentence for you and your friends."
That seemed to catch their attention. The dark-haired man studied Urahara intently. "You're lying," he determined, though there was a note of interest in the man's tone.
"I'm not. I can put in a request to higher-ups requesting leniency in punishment. It's one of the perks of being a captain of the Gotei. Of course, if you would prefer having the Punishment Force doing the questioning then that is perfectly fine. Though I should warn you, I spent many years in the Onmitsukido, and they're not called the "Punishment Force" for nothing. I can tell you with full confidence that they will not be nearly as generous as I am."
A light sweat appeared on the man's brow at Urahara's words. The man had every reason to be nervous. Kaien had heard rumors of the kind of "work" that the Punishment Force specialized in, and frankly, those rumors alone were enough to make the Shiba nauseous.
The man took a shaky breath. "If I tell you what you want to know...you'll lessen our sentence, and we won't be tortured?"
Urahara smiled and placed a hand over his heart. "You have my word."
Kaien simply watched the blond in disbelief. Now he knew why he felt so on edge around this man: he was truly cunning. Captains didn't have the authority to "request leniency," and these men would certainly be questioned by the Punishment Force regardless of if they answered Urahara's questions or not. He couldn't believe the ease with which the captain lied to the man.
"Fine," the man said, still glaring at Urahara. "What do you want to know?"
"Well, it's obvious that you gentlemen are not shinigami, so I assume you are just regular souls?"
They nodded solemnly.
"And we know that there are five of you, so where might the other two be?" Urahara asked despite already knowing the answer.
A knowing look passed between the three men. The dark-haired one spoke up again. "We don't know. They disappeared a little over a week ago."
"I see. And how exactly did you acquire all the shinigami equipment?"
"We ambushed and robbed some shinigami in the lower districts," one of the other men explained.
"Really?" Urahara asked in a surprised tone. "How exactly did you manage that?" He had good reason to be surprised. Regular souls getting the drop on shinigami was an impressive feat.
"Easily. We outnumbered them." Urahara raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything more. Kaien suspected that Urahara's last question was the one he was most eager to ask.
"Very well. One last question-" he lowered his voice so the other people in the bar wouldn't hear him- "have there been any reports of a hooded assailant around this area recently?"
The confusion on the men's faces was almost palpable. "Hooded assailant?" the dark-haired man repeated.
Urahara nodded. "Yes, a person with a katana and a black hood. Have you seen anyone who meets this description?"
"I mean there are plenty of people who wear hoods, and some people who own a sword…" then man drawled off, clearly puzzled by the seemingly random question. Kaien had the feeling that these men were as in the dark on this hooded person as they were. The Shiba doubted that the shinigami pretenders even knew what happened to their buddies who had "disappeared." Kaien still couldn't believe the hypocrisy of these men's logic; their reasoning for harming innocent people; their perception of "justice." Kaien couldn't help but wonder how many more people shared this perception. It frightened him to just think about it.
OOO
"You knew, didn't you?" Kaien asked Urahara as they continued their trek. After they left the bar with the three "shinigami," they quickly said their goodbyes to a grateful Takeshi and promptly headed back in the direction of the Seireitei. The three men they apprehended walked a few feet in front of them where the captain and lieutenant could keep an eye on them. The men walked in silent defeat, their hands tied behind their backs with low-level kido.
Urahara glanced at him curiously. "Knew what?"
"That they weren't actual shinigami."
Throughout their expedition, Kaien had the feeling that Urahara wasn't telling him everything, and after witnessing the captain question the three men, he had a feeling that this was the information that he had withheld.
"I had suspected that they weren't shinigami when I heard that they didn't use shunpo when chasing your brother," Urahara said. "I confirmed my suspicions when we initially questioned the men about their squad."
"And you couldn't have mentioned these "suspicions" earlier?" Kaien retorted, still a bit annoyed and the captain's secrecy.
Urahara let out an awkward laugh. "Well, I couldn't be sure if my suspicions were correct, so I waited until I had solid evidence."
Kaien snorted but didn't say anything more about it. He didn't have the energy to argue with this man, and he had other things on his mind, such as the dark-haired man's words which kept replaying in his head over and over again.
"You shinigami have the strength to protect us, but you choose not to! You nobles have the wealth and influence to help us, but you choose not to!"
Do they really choose not to help these people? Kaien knew the situation in the Rukon was bad, but from what the man had said about all those people dying...it seemed much worse than he could've imagined.
Then Kaien remembered what Takeshi had said earlier that day when Urahara had asked why no one reported the "shinigami" to the Seireitei.
"It wouldn't have done any good."
It was as though these people had lost all faith in them. Had they been negligent? Had they been ignorant? Or had they chosen to be negligent; chosen to be ignorant. Kaien couldn't help but feel it was the latter. Had the Seireitei been more prudent- more reliable then they would have discovered these shinigami imposters immediately. They had grown too lax, too indifferent, and they had suffered the consequences of this indifference, or more specifically: Ganju had suffered.
"What are you thinking about?"
Kaien snapped out of his reverie and turned to look at Urahara who was staring ahead. The sun had begun to set and it painted him and their surroundings in a vibrant orange hue. For a moment, he was reminded of Ichigo. He remembered how she told him that she had lost her family. Was her family also victims of their indifference?
"I was thinking about what that man said," he answered honestly. He glanced at the back of the dark-haired man's head. The three men were far enough ahead that they wouldn't hear their conversation.
"He said a lot of things," Urahara said. "What in particular is on your mind?"
Kaien sighed. Now that the adrenaline rush was gone, he felt the immense fatigue resulting from the day's expeditions. He wondered if he'd finally be able to sleep well tonight.
"What he said about not caring about regular souls. How we ignore them."
"You think his anger is justified," Urahara deduced. The blond was certainly perceptive.
"I think his anger is justified, but I don't think his actions are. There was no reason for him to direct that anger at an innocent child or the Rukon citizens. I could never forgive him for that."
But while Kaien could never forgive the crimes of these men, he couldn't help but think how this whole conflict could've been avoided. These men were so blinded by their anger that they attacked a child. They were so consumed by their resentment that they thought taking the life of an innocent boy was justified. In no way was Kaien trying to justify the actions of these men, but if the Seireitei had been more attentive, perhaps his brother's life never would have been threatened in the first place.
OOO
Ganju was in a forest with trees as far as one could see and a blazing sun watching over him. Fallen leaves crunched beneath his feet as he meandered through the woodland, taking caution as to not trip on any undergrowth. He walked mindlessly for what could have been minutes or very well hours. There was a familiar peacefulness about the forest, reminiscent of the comforts of home.
After an unascertained time, Ganju spotted something shiny through the trees. He emerged from the thicket to see a tiny pond directly in front of him, no bigger than a bathtub. The brilliant shine on its surface called him to its edge. He looked down at the deep blue water. The water was clear, but Ganju could see no discernable bottom to its depth.
"Ganju."
Ganju's head snapped up to see Ichigo standing there facing him on the opposite side of the small pond staring down at him with a familiar scowl on her face. She wore a long black dress that fluttered in the breeze like the waves of a dark ocean.
"I-Ichigo! W-What are you doing here?" he asked tentatively, trying not to cower under her intense stare.
"You shouldn't have come looking for me," she said. She continued to stare at him, never pausing to blink even once.
Ganju was growing increasingly anxious. "What do you mean? Kaien-nii is really worried about you."
She shook her head somberly and held out her hands for him to see. They were a deep scarlet.
Blood.
He squinted his eyes shut in fear. Now he was most certainly anxious.
"Ganju…"
When Ganju reopened his eyes, Ichigo was no longer there. In her place stood Kaien, who was staring down at the pond.
Ganju felt immense surprise and relief at the sight of his brother. "Nii-san!" he exclaimed.
However, his brother did not answer. In fact, it appeared as though he hadn't heard Ganju at all. Kaien's gaze was firmly fixed on the pond below. He noticed that his brother's eyes were glazed over as if he were in some sort of trance.
All of a sudden, Ganju spotted movement from behind his brother. A man was slowly making their way to where Kaien was standing. Ganju's stomach dropped into his feet.
He recognized that man. It was one of the shinigami that had besieged and attacked him in the Rukon- the scrawny, dark-haired man. The man now stood directly behind Kaien.
"Nii-san, behind you!" he yelled frantically. However, his screams did nothing to draw his brother from his trance-like state. Ganju tried to move his feet, but for some inexplicable reason, they refused to budge.
"Ganju, wake up."
Ganju watched in horror as the scrawny man mercilessly pushed his brother into the pond with a malevolent grin on his face. Kaien screamed and thrashed wildly in the water, finally seeming to reach consciousness of his situation. His flailing did nothing to stop the water's depths from swallowing him whole. He heard the very earth laugh in disdain as if the devil himself was responsible for taking his brother. Pulling him deeper and deeper and-
"Ganju! C'mon, you gotta wake up!"
Ganju's sat up with a start. His chest rose up and down in an erratic pattern as he attempted to get his bearings. What kind of dream was that? Ichigo was there, and then Kaien-nii…
He flinched violently when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see his brother at his side, his eyebrows furrowed in concern. Right. Kaien had come home after his outing with the weird blond man, and he had decided to stay with him tonight since he hadn't been sleeping well. "Hey, bud. Just take deep breaths, alright?"
Ganju met Kaien's eyes and began to sniffle. "Nii-san…" he whimpered. He felt pathetic, but the dream had seemed so real.
Kaien quickly brought Ganju into a tight embrace as he began running his hand through the younger boy's hair in a soothing manner. "It's okay, you're okay. It was just a bad dream."
They stayed like that for a long time. Ganju clinging to his brother as Kaien stroked his head while whispering words of comfort to him. Ganju knew this was the one place in the whole universe he felt safest. Nothing could hurt him here.
"You know those men who attacked you aren't going to bother you anymore. Urahara and I gave them over to the Gotei. They're locked up so you don't have to be afraid," Kaien reassured. However, this did little to ease his trepidation because-
"It's not me I'm worried about," he stated.
Kaien blinked a couple of times in confusion. "What do you mean?"
Ganju tightened his hold on Kaien's form. "I'm more worried about you…" he admitted softly.
Kaien chuckled as he rubbed circles on Ganju's back. "Why are you worried about me?"
Why was he worried? There was no reason to be. He trusted Kaien-nii's word that the men were locked up, so what was there to worry about?
"I don't know. I'm just being paranoid." He was probably just shaken by the incident. It had haunted his waking days as well as his sleepless nights. And what a weird incident it was. Nearly murdered by shinigami-pretenders and then rescued by a stranger in black.
"Oh! But I have some good news!" Kaien said in a lighter tone.
"What?" Ganju leaned back to see his brother's excited expression.
"You remember how I promised I would help the Rukongai citizens, right?"
Ganju nodded, curious to what he was getting at.
"Well, today I realized that it was about time that I made good on that promise. I know change won't be easy, but if we don't try… then things will always remain the same. And I don't want that- not for you, not for Kukaku, and not for all the people who need change the most."
Kaien let out a heavy sigh. "I have to try to help, even if it amounts to nothing."
Ganju didn't say anything. He could practically see Kaien's form tense as his brother graciously allowed the weight of yet another responsibility to fall upon his shoulders.
He absently wondered if his brother's need to help people was like the brilliance of the surface, unknowingly drawing him to the edge.
OOO
Kisuke was sitting on the walkway outside his captain's quarters with his legs dangling off the edge. From here, he got a perfect view of the night sky. He liked to sit here and enjoy the quiet after a long day. Especially now that he was a captain, rest was not often a luxury he could afford. If he wasn't tending to his captain duties, he was working on a new invention or conducting experiments in the SRDI. These activities were, of course, all very rewarding and enjoyable; however, he appreciated these brief moments of peace; just him and his thoughts. And after a day like today, his thoughts were consumed by theories and hypotheticals.
Kisuke had parted ways with Kaien to enter the Seireitei. After explaining the situation, he handed the three men over to the Second Division to be placed in custody. The three men would be questioned by the Punishment Force, tried, and given a suitable punishment for their crimes. Justice would be carried out-was being carried out right now, and yet-
"For someone who just successfully detained three criminals, you're not looking too happy about it."
Kisuke tilted his head back to see the upside-down form of Yoruichi standing directly behind him, her golden eyes holding a familiar playful glint as they stared down at him. Even after all these years, she could still sneak up on him when he least expected it. Kisuke greeted her with a good-natured smile. "Yoruichi," he said, "you're up awfully late."
"That's my line," she retorted as she plopped down beside him. She stretched out her long legs as she leaned back onto her hands. "I did what you asked and questioned those men about your hooded person again."
"And?"
"And they were quite adamant. They insisted they didn't have any information. I think they were telling the truth."
"I see…" In a place as immense and populous as the Rukon, finding the men who attacked Ganju had been an unlikely feat. To also locate the hooded person would have been even more unlikely; nevertheless, Kisuke had been hoping that they would at least uncover some clues. Instead, the mission only cemented the fact that the hooded person could be anyone. Kisuke had seen countless individuals in the Rukon today wearing a cloak similar to the one Hirako had described, and from what Takeshi had said, it seemed as though the cloaks were easily accessible to anyone.
Yoruichi sighed. "I know you're upset that you couldn't find anything about this hooded person, but don't forget about what you did find. Having regular Rukon citizens parade around as shinigami is a serious security issue. You brought this problem to our attention."
Kisuke knew that she was right, but still, he just couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss. There were several aspects of today's adventure that alluded him:
1. Finding the three men that attacked Ganju was quite easy- too easy. Did they simply get lucky?
2. Then there was the story they told about ambushing shinigami to rob them. Kisuke couldn't imagine regular souls being able to overpower a shinigami, even low-level shinigami. Perhaps with numbers and the element of surprise they could get the drop on an unsuspecting shinigami? Kisuke still found it unlikely. But even if they were, in fact, lying, why do so?
3. The men had claimed that Ganju was the only one they had harmed, but Takeshi had said that the three men had harmed the people of the Rukon for a few months. Who was lying?
4. Finally, there was the hooded figure. There just weren't enough clues for Kisuke to make any kind of conclusion or even a hypothesis about the identity or location of this killer. Unless, of course, there were clues, and Kisuke had simply overlooked them. Then again, with his limited knowledge, he may have witnessed many clues today without even realizing it. Regardless, they would probably have to wait until the hooded person made another move in order to learn anything new about this person. This was the last kind of situation that they wanted, but it appeared to be their only option. Unfortunately, this meant that if this elusive individual decided to kill again, it was unlikely that they would be able to stop him/her.
"I know that look," Yoruichi said in a teasing tone, successfully interrupting his train of thought. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"
Kisuke smiled, feeling an old sensation that he had almost forgotten. "How could I do that? Things are finally getting interesting."
Yoruichi laughed. "Alright, I can tell nothing I say will change your mind. Just don't become so impassioned by this that you lose sight of your duties. Remember, you're a captain now."
His old friend was watching him carefully, waiting for some sign from the blond that he had at least heard her reminder. Whether he listened to it or not… he supposed it would depend on how he felt, and while he was level-headed, Kisuke often allowed his personal feelings to take the wheel. Yoruichi knew this about him better than anyone, but he would humor her nevertheless.
"Don't worry, Yoruichi. I know my duties as a captain come first."
She continued to watch him as if she was deciding if she believed him or not. She must have come to a conclusion because she stood back up, indicating that their conversation had come to an end. "Just take care of yourself, Kisuke. And don't forget to get some rest. We'll have another captain's meeting soon." She flashed him a grin, before disappearing into the night, leaving him and his thoughts alone once more.
On the surface, it seemed like all their questions had been answered, but in reality, the answers they learned only created more questions.
Kisuke sighed and looked back up at the star-speckled sky.
He suspected that until he could find the answers he was searching for, there would be little rest for him.