Chapter 11.

"Asagi?"

She opened her eyes. With her head still in the pillow, she emerged with difficulty. Megumi had just shaken her shoulder, which had woken her up.

"Asagi? I'll let you sleep a little more, but we're going to be late," Megumi said softly.

"Did I sleep for a long time?" she asked.

"There is an hour till the ceremony."

"I'm coming," Asagi replied.

She sat up on her bed as Megumi left the room. She took the time to emerge completely and stood up. She started by going to the kitchen where Megumi was waiting for her with a cup of coffee, then she went to the bathroom. Once washed and her uniform put on, she went out.

Megumi was waiting for her sitting at the kitchen table. Without a word they grabbed their zanpakuto and left the apartment.

They made the journey to the Academy in silence. Neither of them had much to say and above all, Asagi was afraid of bursting into tears at the slightest opportunity to speak...

The ceremony took place in the inner courtyard of the Academy, where a week earlier Asagi was celebrating the success of the students of the previous class.

Upon their arrival, Asagi and Megumi were quickly surrounded by their colleagues. They were all keen to support each other, which made Asagi's heart a little lighter. She contented herself, however, with speaking as less as she could. Looking around, she saw that on one side of the courtyard had been placed displays each holding the photo of the 13 dead students. A desk was placed in the center of this row, it would be used by the director for his speech. The rest of the yard was filled with chairs where some people were already seated. She recognized the families of the students, some of them wearing civilian clothes, but there were mostly shinigamis and Academy students in the crowd, recognizable by their uniform. Asagi also spotted some captain's coats.

Kensei felt Asagi arrive before he saw her. He had come along with other captains to attend the ceremony.

The Soutaicho had not forced anyone but only the captains of the 11th and 12th Divisions were absent, apparently too busy doing anything else. Kensei had noticed that most of the lieutenants had followed their captain, especially those who were part of the Soul Society nobility. He was also astonished by the number of civilians present, the vast majority of them belonging to the nobility. And over the course of the discussions Kensei understood that it was all the noble families who had come. There was also the family of the Captains Fon, Kuchiki, Kyoraku and Ukitake.

So Kensei was standing with the other captains and lieutenants near the displays when Asagi arrived. He hesitated to go see her but when he saw her surrounded by all his colleagues he changed his mind. He decided to wait until after the ceremony.

From where he was, he could feel her sadness. Now he blamed himself for not returning to see her in the 4th Division. And seeing her in this state he remembered his conversation with Shinji the day after the attack.

After leaving the 4th Division, Kensei went to see the 5th Division captain. The meeting with this Tetsuya and especially Asagi's reaction to him had worried Kensei. So he was going to ask his nosy best friend to investigate.

In front of the office, he knocked and entered immediately behind.

"Oï Shinji are you there?"

Seated at his desk, Shinji just raised his head.

"Yes Kensei, please come in," he said ironically.

"Oh it's okay, it's not like I'm interrupting something."

Shinji shrugged and mumbled before asking "What do you want ?"

"I want you to do some research for me…"

Shinji who was doing some paperwork, looked up.

"Research? On who?" he asked intrigued.

"Tetsuya Nishio."

Shinji tried to remain unmoved. While doing a little research on Asagi previously, he had come across this name which had aroused his suspicion. But he was amazed that Kensei already knew about this guy's existence. He pretended not to know.

"Who is it?"

A pain in the ass, Kensei refrained from saying.

"A section chief," he replied.

"Yes and?"

Shinji wanted to see what Kensei already knew.

"Apparently he's a former colleague of Asagi. And considering the reaction she had on seeing him, I doubt they stayed on good terms."

Indeed, Shinji thought.

"But what do you want to know exactly?"

Kensei was silent for a moment.

"I don't know Shinji, the usual stuff! Who he is, where he comes from, his habits. I want to understand what happened between them to understand why she is also afraid of him. And above all I want to know if he is dangerous enough for me to intervene."

"You know maybe she doesn't want you to know this part of her life," Shinji suggested.

Kensei stared at him and got angry:

"If you don't want to help me, say it now…"

Shinji rolled his eyes.

"I'm just saying if she wants to talk to you about it, she'll do it when the time comes, don't you think?"

And that will give me time to sort this out…

"Shinji, even yesterday in front of the hollow she wasn't so terrified. This guy did something to her and I wanna know what."

Tsk, you're really stubborn when you get down to it Kensei… Shinji sighed.

"So if you want to, I'll do some research."

More extensive than the ones I've already done, he added inwardly. "But if I had any advice for you, it's to wait for her to tell you about it first. You don't need to throw up a topic she doesn't want to talk about and which might be painful for her."

"Good…" Kensei said reluctantly.

A rather heavy silence followed, as always when contradicting Kensei.

"By the way, did you tell her about her students?" Shinji asked, far from intimidated.

"No. Not for lack of trying, but it was not the right time," he finished, passing a hand on the back of his neck.

"Because of this guy?"

"Yes indeed," he said with a scowl.

"I imagine it will be one of his colleagues who will tell her the news this afternoon. I'd better leave her alone…" he finished with a sigh.

"I should have gone see her…" Kensei muttered.

"Did you say something?" Shinji asked him.

"No nothing." Then he picked up the thread of the conversation that was taking place next to him.

Across the courtyard, Asagi was looking at Kensei.

I don't understand why he didn't tell me. He knew about it though… She sighed.

"Are you okay Asagi?" Itachi Nobu asked her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

She looked at him sadly. "Yes it's just that…"

Her eyes rested on Kensei. Itachi followed her gaze and worried.

"Did something happen?"

Asagi blocked. "Uh no…" she replied a little defensively.

Itachi stared at her for a moment to check if she was lying. Seeing the look she had cast on Kensei he doubted it.

"Itachi I assure you nothing happened," she continued. "It's just that…"

She paused. Yes, what? He owes me nothing after all. But I had hoped that…

Itachi's hand tightened on her shoulder in comfort.

"You don't have to talk to me, but if there's a problem I'll be there for you," he encouraged her with a smile.

"Thank you Itachi," Asagi huffed.

At the same time, the head of the Academy approached the desk, and they walked towards him along with the other professors.

Yumeki Kairyuu's solemn entry into the Academy courtyard marked the start of the ceremony. Everyone present then walked to their place, the students remaining standing at the back of the courtyard. Once everyone was seated, the director spoke and made a moving speech. He praised the involvement of the thirteen students in their training and the courage they had shown. He then made a special allusion to each of them and pointed out that none had died without having a comrade by his side. A futile attempt to console the families about their deaths that had been brutal.

Asagi had a thought for Sentomaru at this point. She knew he was attending the ceremony but she had failed to see him among the mass of students. She hoped the whole class was more united than ever at this moment. They had all lost more than anyone that day.

Then came a statement from the Soutaicho who offered Gotei 13's condolences to the families. He recalled what was involved when you decide to be a shinigami and was sorry to have lost so many young people so promising in the defense of Soul Society. Several people followed one another at the desk including a teacher, a parent of one of the students and finally two students of Asagi. Their speech was probably the most moving since it was the last time they addressed their dead comrades.
After that, the director dismissed everyone so that each family could proceed with the funeral of their child. But before their departure, many came to present their condolences. Asagi, as well as her colleagues, went to greet each of the families. She wanted to have a word with the relatives of the students she had worked with for two years. In turn, she offered her condolences to the families. Sadly, she found the task getting less difficult each time. Her voice was more calm, her words clearer, her emotions more controlled.

How can anyone get used to this so easily? she wondered. She was thinking about this when she was violently interrupted by a woman's voice.

"You! This is all your fault!"

Across the courtyard, Kensei was also offering his condolences to the families when loud voices caught his attention. Around him, people also turned their heads in the direction of the stage. He walked slowly along with Hisagi and Mashiro who had stayed with him. As he got closer, the voices became more distinct.

"It's your fault they died! You were responsible for their security! Where were you when this hollow attacked them?"

He stopped when he saw that it was Asagi who was the center of attention. She was cornered by a noble woman who was furious. A man struggled to hold her arm back as the rest of the crowd just stared at them. He noticed that Asagi was frozen and that she had clearly turned pale. Seeing her distress he stepped forward to intervene.
"Katsuo-dono!" a voice echoed behind him.

Kensei stopped dead. Turning around he saw Captain Kuchiki come forward and then walk past him towards the woman. The latter had frozen like the rest of the audience.

Kuchiki? Kensei raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected the captain of the 6th to intervene. But he had to admit that his arrival had been effective, he had even silenced everyone around. And like everyone else, Kensei was waiting for the young captain's next action.

But he did not put on a show. He had approached the noblewoman who was now leaning towards him, head bowed in a sign of respect. Kuchiki Byakuya approached her and once at her height, Kensei saw that he was saying something to her. But the captain of the 6th Division spoke in a low voice and Kensei could not hear what he was saying. He just saw the woman bow further and Kuchiki Byakuya walked away. Then the woman straightened up, gave Asagi one last look and left, guided by her husband.

Kensei then turned his attention to Asagi who hadn't moved. He recognized Itachi Nobu who had come to support her and saw that another young woman shinigami was standing near her. But against all odds, she freed herself from them and rushed inside the buildings at a quick pace.

The scene being over, the crowd dispersed. Kensei was still looking in the direction Asagi had gone. He was dying to go join her but he wondered inside if it was really his role to go and console her and if she would welcome him. He was so taken with his inner dilemma that he didn't realize that a shinigami had approached him.

"She must have been to her classroom if you are looking for her," she told him, looking in the direction Asagi had gone.

Kensei stared at the young woman. It was the same one who had supported Asagi during the altercation. When she turned to him, she had a request that surprised Kensei.

"If you don't mind, will you take her home? I think she's had enough for today. I'll drop by to see her later."

She then gave him an encouraging smile and walked away. He didn't understand exactly why she had addressed him but it made him join Asagi.

Once in the corridors, he took the direction of the amphitheater where he had gone to wait for him last week. The door was ajar. He knew he was in the right place when the sound of sobs reached his ears. He opened the door.

It was dark in the room but he could make out the large desk and the first rows of seats. He immediately spotted Asagi by her uniform sticking out from behind the desk. She was sitting leaning against it, her back to the door. He approached slowly but she did not raise the head she had rested on her knees. Kensei walked around and sat down next to her, still in silence.

The fact that they found themselves shoulder to shoulder made Asagi realize that someone had come to join her. Turning her head she saw Kensei and was surprised. But she didn't say anything. She just looked at him with her teary eyes.

Kensei not knowing what to say either just put an arm around her shoulders, and pulled her against him in comfort. And it didn't take Asagi any longer to cry again, not alone this time.

After a few minutes she pulled away from him a bit and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. He removed his arm.

"Thanks," she managed to say.

"Better?" he asked.

"Yes," she breathed, nodding her head a little.

Kensei looked at her for a moment. It was clear to him that she was not at her best. Not surprising given the circumstances, but he was afraid that the altercation with the nobleman earlier had affected her even more. He was getting to know her a bit now. The fact that she took such a reproach in the face had certainly hurt her a lot. He knew how much she already blamed herself for the deaths of her students.

Not seeing what more he could do for the moment, he decided to take her home as her colleague had asked him to.

"Come on, I'll bring you back," he said, getting up.

She just nodded and stood up. She followed him to the door but as she walked through it she stopped. Kensei turned around.

"Are there still people outside?" she asked softly.

Kensei frowned. He didn't understand the question.

"I don't really want people to see me in this state," she added, lowering her head.

He sighed silently at her reaction. You don't have to hide your feelings, he thought. But he could understand her modesty and the fact that she did not want to appear in public.

It didn't take long for him to find a solution to avoid going in front of everyone. And without asking her permission, he approached her, put his arms around her, lifted her up and in a few shunpo steps he took her outside the Academy.

Once outside, he placed her gently on the ground. She whispered a "thank you" to him, then she looked around to find her bearings and set off. Kensei followed her silently.

After a while they arrived in front of the apartment where Asagi lived. She put the key in the lock but kept her hand on the handle.

"Asagi?"

Seeing her confusion, Kensei had approached.

"I'm not sure I want to be left alone," she said quietly. She lowered her head as if she was too ashamed to admit it.

He didn't answer right away but he could see her distress, which made him decide to enter the apartment with her.

N/A :

So much chapters in a short time. I can't believe it myself...