Chapter 15:

"You what?!"

After explaining what happened to Byakuya and the others, Ikkaku found himself defending his actions as they lectured him.

"She was going to tell everyone. She was so adamant about it. I had to do something!"

"But kill her?" Hisagi snapped in disbelief and anger.

"You could have come back to the office and removed the blood packs she left here as evidence," said Renji. "You knew that she left them here for that reason. If they're missing, there's nothing to corroborate her story. She'll look like an ass."

"Without proof, there's nothing to tie Byakuya to anything."

"You acted too rashly."

"If she announced to people that she was going to question Byakuya and was attacked, all attention will be focused on him," said Hisagi. "He'll be the primary suspect. Killing her might have stopped her from telling, but it didn't do any good. There's still going to be an investigation and now there'll be even more attention. What the hell were you thinking?"

"I'm sorry, ok?" Ikkaku snapped back, feeling guilty and angry over this whole situation. "I was just trying to help. She wouldn't see reason. I told her she was wrong but… the things she said… I thought I had no choice. I was too rash. You're right. But now what do we do?"

Byakuya, who had been silent this entire time, sat back in his seat and said. "It's fine."

"But sir…"

"Master…"

Byakuya held up his hand to quiet them. "It's fine," he repeated. "She wasn't killed in my office. I didn't give the order to do it. And it wasn't even my weapon. There's nothing linking me to the crime. The fact that she was coming to question me is purely coincidental. My understanding is she was interviewing other people as well. It could have been anyone."

"Yes…" Renji said hesitantly. "But they'll still look at you first. What happened is highly suspect."

"She was acting on her own accord, not on anyone's orders and announced her intentions. A number of Squad 4 members knew of this. This means other people could know as well. Including the one responsible. So you see, the evidence doesn't point to just one person."

"Yes, but they'll still question you."

"Let them question me. I have nothing to hide. Ikkaku was the one who did it. He drained the body of its blood and disposed of the remains."

"But Ikkaku's linked to you, sir."

"How?" asked Byakuya with a smirk. "I am not his Captain. Our Squads are very different. No one knows he serves me."

"That's… true." Renji and Hisagi exchanged looks. Both were concerned for their master but if Byakuya insisted things were alright, things were alright. They weren't going to argue with him or take action if he was against it.

Byakuya reclined in his chair, relaxing. It wasn't that he couldn't sense the danger in Ikkaku's actions, it was that he was confident in his ability to talk his way out of it. His vampire arrogance was revealing itself in the way he brushed off the issue and lounged.

It was just a lowly Squad member. No one should make a big deal of this. And she was tasty.

Hitsugaya was working with his Squad when he caught a strange scent. He had been leading them in combat strategy and as soon as the smell hit his nose, he stopped and craned his neck skyward to pinpoint its location.

His sudden halt caused the Soul Reapers following behind to slam into him, creating a massive pile on the ground. Apologies and concerned murmurs ensued as he was helped to his feet but Hitsugaya insisted he was fine.

"Why'd you stop like that all of a sudden?"

"I didn't mean to run into you like that, Captain."

"What's up?"

Hitsugaya brushed off the incident, telling them he just got distracted which wasn't a lie.

"It's not like you to get distracted like that, sir," said Rangiku, putting her hands on her hips. "Is everything ok?"

"It's fine." He said this but he knew it wasn't.

That smell. Strange but familiar. He wanted to follow it.

"Rangiku."

"Yes?"

"Take over for me. There's something I have to look into."

"What? Aw, but, Captain, I…" He took off before she could whine any further. She sighed and did as she was asked, taking things seriously for a change. "Ok, everybody. From the top."

Hitsugaya sniffed the air outside his Division and caught the scent again. It was blood. And something else. Something familiar. He didn't like it.

Sniffing the air, he followed the scent. Relaying on his sense of smell, Hitsugaya barely paid any attention to where he was going, letting his eyes slide out of focus. He was getting closer to the source of the smell. He lowered himself to the ground and started crawling on all fours, tracking.

His hand landed in something and he opened his eyes to see what it was. A sandal? It wasn't broken but it looked worn. He could see scuff marks on the sole and odd ones around the outer heel. Seemed strange to have scuff marks there on a shoe. It wasn't natural, unless a person was being dragged.

His nose twitched. Hitsugaya lowered the sandal to the ground, smelling something nearby. Very nearby. It made his hair stand on end. He stood up and peered over a bush lining the walkway. What he found made him rear back and yelp.

It was a girl. Her skin was almost grey and had a slit across her back and neck.

Now he understood why it smelled familiar to him. When he hunted down that rabbit, it carried a similar scent.

Too shocked to move, Hitsugaya didn't notice a small group of Soul Reapers coming his way until he heard one of them shriek. The shrillness caused him to flinch and his ears to twitch. Thankfully, his wolf parts remained hidden, not that anyone would notice. They were too busy consoling the crying girl as she called out the name of her fallen friend.

"Get Unohana here now," Hitsugaya said firmly, taking command of the situation.

A Captain's meeting had been called, which any of them could have predicted. Whether it was a Captain or a generic Squad member, if someone turned up dead within the Seireitei, there was going to be an investigation. That kind of thing didn't just happen.

Doubtful the murder was unprovoked, Hitsugaya's immediate suspicion fell on Byakuya and his servants. There were no holes in the girl's neck but it seemed the vampire bitemarks disappeared shortly after feeding was complete. This was why no one suspected a vampire was the cause of the anemia in certain Soul Reapers. Byakuya wasn't this sloppy so he couldn't have done this, which left his loyal servants.

The girl must have found out the truth of what was happening and one of Byakuya's men killed her in a desperate attempt to protect their master. Hitsugaya dreaded one of them would take things this far and now that they have, he understood just how dangerous they were.

During his walk to their usual meeting place, Hitsugaya stopped to take a good long look at Byakuya walking beneath a parasol carried dutifully by Hisagi. Catching Hitsugaya's gaze, Byakuya turned his way and Hitsugaya tried not to flinch as he approached.

"Captain Hitsugaya. Afternoon."

"Afternoon, Captain Kuchiki." Hitsugaya tried not to react or let on what he knew.

Hisagi merely glanced at him, the majority of his attention focused on making sure Byakuya was safely hidden in the shade of the peony decorated parasol.

"What's with the parasol?" he asked, gesturing to it.

Byakuya didn't react, answering simply, "It's a sunny day and wanted to stay in the shade."

"Alright." Hitsugaya didn't question him further. He also made sure to not look above Byakuya's mouth, avoiding eye-contact.

"I hope this meeting doesn't take too long," said Byakuya. "I have work to do."

"It sounds serious," said Hitsugaya, looking away. "As long as everyone's adult about it and doesn't argue needlessly, we can get it done quickly and return to our work."

"Quite right. Hisagi." Byakuya started walking again and Hisagi followed obediently.

Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes at Byakuya's back. He didn't seem fazed by what happened. Either he ordered one of them to do it or he wasn't against their actions knowing it was for his sake.

He never imagined becoming a vampire could make Byakuya so heartless, or maybe he was trying not to act suspiciously. If Byakuya were truly heartless, he wouldn't be limiting himself the way he was, which gave Hitsugaya hope that Byakuya still retained some of his humanity.

It was hard to tell on the surface and from the brief exchange they just had but Hitsugaya believed he understood a little better now.

Every Captain was in attendance and jumped straight into discussion about the girl. Every Captain was alarmed and horrified by what happened. At least, that's what every Captain displayed. Hitsugaya couldn't tell what Byakuya was actually feeling beneath his mask.

"To think someone is doing this on our ground. It's despicable. Who would do such a thing?"

"Why is also important. Why was this girl targeted? Why did it come to that?"

"The why doesn't matter! What matters is catching the heartless lowlife who did this."

"But if we learn the reason why she was targeted in the first place, we could find a link which will lead us to the person responsible."

"Ukitake's right. People always leave a trail behind. We just have to follow it."

"What was the girl doing? Who was she with? Those questions are important to finding the culprit."

Hitsugaya noticed that Byakuya wasn't contributing to the conversation. He was wise enough not to try steering things away from himself or those who followed him. Any attempt to throw them off his trail would only make them look harder at him and all his recent activities.

Hitsugaya didn't say anything either. Throwing Byakuya under the bus by saying the girl was investigating the Captain wouldn't bode well for anyone in the room. Byakuya might consider him a threat and go after him next. If the Captains turned on him or questioned him, he might feel threatened and attack them.

Unable to gage how strong Byakuya had become, Hitsugaya didn't want to take any unnecessary risks. He didn't know if Byakuya could wipe the minds of everyone in the room or instead try to kill or bite all of them. He was fast and he was strong, more so now that he was a vampire. Hitsugaya didn't know if a room full of Captains would be enough to hold him back if he tried anything. If they could, they might end up killing Byakuya. He might try to handle things quietly and not strike, but it was impossible to know if Byakuya would become irrational if he felt the slightest bit cornered.

Weighing the options, Hitsugaya knew it was best to stay quiet. It would keep Byakuya and everyone else a lot safer.

"It was strange," remarked Unohana. "I examined the body and found that the cut along the back was made first and the one on her neck second."

"Meaning she was attacked from behind," said Shinji. He folded his arms. "I'm guessing we're dealing with a coward here or possibly someone who didn't want her to get away."

"I'm betting coward," declared Kenpachi.

"No, I think Shinji has a point. If the girl was running away, it could explain the cut on her back being made first. I think she was trying to flee from her attacker."

"Her weapon was never drawn so we know she wasn't in a fight. Cut on her back. Yeah, all signs point to her running from someone."

"If that were the case, what about the cut on her neck?"

"It was to keep her from calling for help, obviously."

"In that case, the cut on her neck should have been made first," said Shinji. "Running away, there was nothing stopping her from screaming for help."

"But you just said a moment ago that she was running from someone," said Soi Fon impatiently. "Now you're recanting that statement? Which is it?"

"Now, now," said Shunsui. "We're all figuring this out, same as you. Theories can change with new evidence. Nothing wrong with that."

"What I'm saying is that her not drawing a weapon tells us that she not only wasn't in a fight but didn't sense danger," said Shinji. "Her running from her attacker still stands."

"She was from Squad 4," said Kenpachi. "She didn't have a weapon to raise, let alone use."

"Even members of Squad 4 carry Zanpakuto. Its effectiveness is irrelevant."

"The point is, if she felt she was in danger, she could have drawn it and she didn't."

"But she was running away."

"Meaning that she might have just gotten into an argument with someone or discovered something she wasn't supposed to and the attacker felt they needed to stop her."

A hush fell over the room for a moment as the information sunk in.

"Found something she wasn't supposed to?" Ukitake said slowly. "Like what?"

"There are no investigations going on, right?" asked Shunsui.

"She could have discovered something new none of us knew about."

"Well," said Unohana, "there was something going on in our Squad but it's very minor. I can't see anyone doing something like this over it."

"What's going on in your Division?" asked Kensei.

"Some transfusion bags have gone missing. We put a lock on the door in addition to what we already had in place but that wasn't enough to stop the thief. But that was a day or two ago. Nothing's gone missing since."

"What kind of idiot would steal transfusion bags?"

"I think it was the blood they were after."

"That makes even less sense. What's the point?"

"Perhaps someone was hurt?" suggested Ukitake.

"Then go to the sickbay and get treatment. So much less trouble."

"What if they shouldn't be here and were afraid of being discovered?"

"Nonsense. If some outsider had gotten in here, everyone would know it. Besides, we've seen that sort of thing happen before with outsiders being injured and at no point had anyone tried stealing transfusion bags."

"I doubt it would be an outsider anyway," said Shunsui. "Whoever it was knows the layout of the place and the exact location of the transfusion bags in the sickbay."

"So it was an inside job."

"But for someone to take transfusion bags and nothing else… Not even the additional tools necessary to do a transfusion," murmured Unohana.

Mayuri chuckled. "Sounds to me like someone is pining to do a little experimenting of their own. I can think of no other reason to steal transfusion bags. Unless… someone were wanting to eat them."

Byakuya kept the same stony expression but couldn't help glancing Mayuri's way.

"Who in the world would do something like that?" Kensei asked.

"Maybe a vampire?" joked Shinji.

"Be serious," growled Soi Fon.

Mayuri did not yet know about Byakuya being a vampire as Akon was the only one Hitsugaya had spoken to about it. Mayuri's remark made Hitsugaya thankful he hadn't because it might have caused the meeting to take an unpleasant turn. If Mayuri blamed Byakuya in any way, the noble would have seen fit to defend himself in some form.

Yamamoto called for everyone's attention and their gaze shifted. He ordered every Captain to be on high alert and report anything suspicious.

"We cannot allow panic to take place," he said. "The last thing we need is paranoia to take hold and cause everyone to grow suspicious of one another. That will only breed distrust and lead to us fighting one another. The Captains will handle this quietly. Understood?"

"Yes, Head Captain."

Hitsugaya did not agree with this ruling and was surprised by the Head Captain's lack of urgency. Normally a situation like this would result in an order of all hands on deck, not keeping their eyes peeled. He doubted Byakuya could have gotten to him which left him wondering what the Head Captain truly had planned. Perhaps he suspected one of the Captains but didn't want them to turn on each other without further proof.

The Captains were dismissed and left at their own pace. Kenpachi couldn't wait to leave and was the first one out the door followed by Mayuri and Komamura. Byakuya left as well. Hisagi waited faithfully outside for the meeting to end and immediately followed Byakuya with the parasol as he made his way towards the exit of the building before his own Captain could see him.

Shinji and Kensei were making jokes about the vampire theory brought up during the meeting, Shinji bringing his index fingers to his mouth to mimic fangs and sticking out his tongue to watch Kensei's reaction.

Joking aside, both men were concerned and wanted to know what was really going on. Rose caught up with his fellow Vizard friends to discuss the meeting in hushed tones. It seemed even they were doubtful of the Head Captain's intentions.

Hitsugaya could pick up some of what they were saying but chose not to intervene as they made no preparations to take matters into their own hands.

The only reason Hitsugaya knew what the girl was investigating was because he overheard what the girl's friends were saying when they found her. It wasn't brought up much during the meeting probably because no one else was aware. Otherwise, they might have suspected Byakuya.

While this gave Hitsugaya hope that no one would look further into the noble, the two Captains who stayed behind in the meeting room were made aware of exactly this.

Away from the other Captains, Soi Fon and Unohana spoke privately to the Head Captain about how he truly wanted to handle this.

Upon being asked what she knew, Unohana confessed that the girl was investigating the whereabouts of the missing blood and those responsible, though it wasn't under her orders. She also shared her theories about the situation.

"The girl's blood was drained from her body when she was brought to me. There was little blood where she was found."

"Which means she was probably killed somewhere else and dumped there," said Soi Fon, already preparing to do an investigation of her own.

"To drag the body that far with no one noticing?" Unohana shook her head. "Hardly. Based on the fact that transfusion bags have gone missing and her blood being drained, I believe her blood was harvested which is why there was little found at the scene."

"You said she was looking into the situation," said Yamamoto. "Who was she investigating?"

"She was starting with those who came to the sickbay suffering from blood-loss. I treated them for anemia."

"You think one of them did it?" Soi Fon asked.

Unohana shook her head. "If they were suffering from blood-loss, it makes more sense to me that they were the first victims."

"But they were left alive. Why is that?"

"Probably because they didn't see their attacker. I questioned them when they were brought to me. None of them knew what happened. And there's very little linking any of them to the crime other than losing a lot of blood. They were all differently ranked in terms of power and authority and were found in different locations on different days and at different times. Byakuya himself was discovered during the day and the other two in the evening."

"For them to get that close to a Captain unnoticed…" Soi Fon clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Either they're powerful or close to the victims. What were they doing at that time? Maybe there's a link there."

"That is for you to figure out, Soi Fon," said Yamamoto. "I am putting you in charge of the investigation. You and your Squad are to work on this without being detected, as is your specialty."

"Understood, sir, but… Why did we not discuss this during the meeting? Do you suspect them?"

"It is best that they do not know they are being watched so they will behave naturally. If the person is close, they may detect something if the person in question lets on that they know they are being monitored."

"Right." Soi Fon turned to Unohana and asked, "Who are the victims you treated for blood-loss?"

"Captain Kuchiki, Lieutenant Hisagi and Third Seat Ikkaku."

"Hm. All high ranking but different levels and from different Squads. I see what you mean by there not being a direct link." Soi Fon nodded. "Alright. I'll look into this and report what I find out."

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