Chapter Five

Arrival

Hiroki laid in his bed, staring at the ceiling and contemplating what had happened only a few hours ago. He had come face to face with actual Shinigami, and the meeting hadn't been that pleasant. He had until noon the next day to reply to Sadao's offer about joining the Splintered. Sadao informed Hiroki before they had parted ways in the forest that he believed the Shinigami would send people within the next two days which is why he set the deadline to where it currently resided.

Hiroki tossed and turned. He knew he would get little sleep, if any, that night, and so he sat up. He just remembered something that Rangiku had let slip: the fact that Makoto was "not the one in charge of this town." That meant that there was currently a Shinigami watching over this town. And if that Shinigami hadn't approached them, maybe they were afraid, which, in turn, meant they probably believed they were weaker. Hiroki could try and get answers from them, but if he left his body now, he would be detected since he hadn't been marked yet. And while he'd be able to communicate with the Shinigami in his human form, there was no way he could keep up with them if they ran or fought. He had to be in his soul form to do it which meant that the first thing he had to do was go get marked.

He threw on his light hoodie and some sweats. While it was summer, he was in Hokkaido, so it was chilly. He wasn't originally from the northern island, but he moved here so he could go to University. He stopped as he headed for the door.

University, he thought. What am I supposed to do about that if I leave with the others?

He had just finished the first term of his second year. Not to mention, he had a job now, even if it was just part-time. And how would he explain any of this to his adoptive parents? He shook his head to clear his mind. He'd figure that out later. Right now, he had to go get the mark so that he could approach the other Shinigami without the Splintered realizing it. He figured they probably wouldn't look favorably on him approaching another Shinigami, especially after what had just happened. But he had to figure out what the Shinigami had planned, so that he could figure out whether he should stay or not.

He walked out of his apartment and closed the door behind him. He made his way to the street and began to head up it in the direction of where the Splintered hideout was. It wasn't too late into the night yet, so he did pass people sporadically. Some of them he had seen before, and some of them he hadn't. Some appeared to be tourists, and he gave them a wide berth. He headed down the street until he found himself near the alley where Makoto had thrown her net on him. He glanced at the spot and realized that that was only a few days ago. Only a few days was all it took to turn his life upside down.

He continued down the alley, going past other side streets and such until he came to the entrance to the warehouse which was closed. He didn't think it would be open considering the time. He knocked on the door to the warehouse, and after a moment, it raised up to show Takeo on the other side staring at Hiroki. The man motioned with his head for Hiroki to enter, which he quickly did. Takeo then closed the entrance while Hiroki took a look around.

He saw that Maiko and Sho were where he had first seen them, up on top of the shelves to his right. Sadao, holding his umbrella in his right hand, was in front of Hiroki discussing things with Makoto and Akane. There was no sign of Chiyo or Hitoshi. Sadao looked over to where Hiroki was patiently standing and hesitated with what he was saying. He recovered quickly though and finished his conversation. After their own glances toward Hiroki, Akane and Makoto walked toward the back and disappeared from sight while Sadao approached the nineteen-year old.

"I wasn't expecting your answer so quickly," Sadao said with a warm smile. "I'm glad you're not one to wait."

"I do have a few questions before I agree to anything," Hiroki replied, which was met with a groan from his right. He didn't even have to look to see who had made the noise.

"Either join or don't," Sho said before jumping off of the shelves and landing in front of Hiroki.

"I'm not going to just join without knowing some things," Hiroki replied.

"What more do you need to know?" He gestured around. "We've already told you everything and trained you. Hell, we helped you unlock Shikai. And what do we get in return? We have to move again. Do you know how sick and tired of moving I am? This will make seven times I've had to move, and three of those times were after my sister unlocked her Shikai. I only joined the group ten years ago. You do the math."

"Look, I'm sorry about the Shinigami-."

"You're sorry? You had one big rule to follow and you failed at that. One of you could have least killed the other to save us some trouble."

"You know our goal isn't to kill them," Sadao interrupted calmly.

"Why not?" Sho shouted.

Hiroki used the silence to interject, "One of my questions was why do you guys have so much animosity toward the Shinigami?" Sadao walked over to a chair while carrying his umbrella and sat down before motioning for Hiroki to do the same. While he was a little confused, Hiroki did as he was asked, walking past a glaring Sho. Hiroki also noticed that Sadao never let go of the umbrella, even while he was sitting down.

"Twenty years ago," Sadao began.

"Oh, great. A history lesson," Sho interrupted, throwing his hands in the air in exasperation. Maiko jumped down next to him.

"Come on," she said, leading him in the direction that Akane and Makoto had headed. Sho was still grumbling and fuming, but followed anyway. Sadao and Hiroki watched them until they were out of sight, leaving the two of them alone in the room save for Takeo who seemed to be standing guard silently at military rest near the entrance.

"Twenty years ago, I was part of a much larger Splintered group," Sadao began again. "I was fourteen, and there were fifty of us, if you can believe that. The only other people that were there that are here now were Takeo and Akane. Takeo was twenty-five and Akane was twelve. Our leader was a man named Kawata Masumi. He could be strict, but fair. And he was quite intelligent. Takeo was actually his right-hand man." Hiroki glanced over at the statue of a man who remained unmoved.

"At the time," Sadao continued. "We tried to approach any Quincy we could find for a place to call home. While they were rare, they were easier to approach than the Shinigami. You also have to remember that among our number weren't only Splintered, but also the parents, or the few that still remained. Most of the time, when a Quincy and a Shinigami have a child, one or both either choose to or are forced to leave the child behind. Our group would try and take in the children." Sadao grew silent for a moment, and Hiroki could tell it was hard for him to talk about whatever he was about to say.

"As the months passed, we were continuously shunned, and sometimes even attacked for what we were. Every other month, one of us would break off and disappear. We would never hear from them again. Whether they left of their own volition or not, I'll never know. After two years of this, we were down to less than thirty. That was when it happened." Sadao grew silent, and he stared at the ground. Hiroki realized that the man was currently reliving something.

"What happened?" Hiroki asked. Sadao's eyes moved to look at Hiroki's which was the only evidence of him breaking out of his recollection.

"Desperation," Sadao simply answered. "Masumi's intelligence began to work against him. He knew that at the rate we were going, we would lose everybody in the next few years which made him paranoid. We also weren't picking up any new members which didn't help. All he wanted was to give us a home. So he decided that he would try and force it. He threw out a plan that would involve us taking over somewhere, forcibly if necessary, and making that our home. Half of the group agreed that desperate times called for desperate measures, while the other half felt it would start an unnecessary war.

"Though we were young, Akane and I felt attacking someone was wrong, and we joined the half against it. Takeo did as well, and that was the final straw. We began to fight within the group. Some of us fled, but most of us were killed in the in-fighting. It finished when Takeo slew Masumi though he didn't walk away unscathed. There was no physical injury, but I'm sure you've noticed that he doesn't talk much. Nearly two decades, and he still hasn't recovered from the death of his friend. Though, I guess if he could, that would make some think him a monster."

"I'm sorry that happened to you all, but that didn't answer my question," Hiroki said after he let the story sink in. "And how did you become the group you are today?"

"After the fighting had died down, there were only ten of us," Sadao responded. "Then, over the course of the next year, seven more of us left and then it was only myself, Akane and Takeo. Four years later, Chiyo joined us. Three years after that, it was the twins. One year later brought us Hitoshi, and three years ago, we found Makoto."

"And the reason why you hate them?"

"Well, part of it is due to the fact that we could never really convince them to help us, and that some of us partially blamed them for what happened in our group. But also we have our own personal reasons, and not all of us hate the Shinigami or Quincy. As for those who do, while it is not my place to speak their secrets, all I will say is that they have personal grudges. If you want to know more, you'll have to ask them." Sadao stood up. "But now I need to go find Maiko so that she can mark you."

"Do…do I have to join to be marked?" Hiroki asked, quickly standing up. Sadao stared quizzically at Hiroki.

"Is there a reason you don't want to join?"

"I'm not sure how I'm supposed to just uproot myself. I have school and a job. Makoto even has school. She's in my class. I know that it was to watch over me and everything, but if what Sho said was true, how many times has she moved? Why can't you all just stay here? Make this place your home."

"While we would love to, the Shinigami-"

"Enough with the Shinigami excuse," Hiroki interrupted. "Look, there should be one in charge of this town, correct?" Sadao simply nodded, waiting for Hiroki to continue. "Then why don't I go talk to them?" Hiroki knew it was a longshot, trying to convince Sadao of his plan, but at least it was something to try. Sadao sighed, and Hiroki knew his plan was about to be rejected before he could even get the chance to fully explain it.

"I know what you're trying to do, and I do applaud the effort, but it's not that simple. What makes you think they'd even listen to you? Especially after what happened only a few hours ago.

"They attacked first," Hiroki rebutted.

"But who drew their weapons first?"

"I mean…technically Makoto already had her sword out when she came to help me."

"And would you not mark that as a sign of aggression? Weren't you simply talking to them before Makoto appeared?"

"Well, yes, but-"

"That's enough. I will go fetch Maiko so that you may be marked. If you decide that you don't want to be a part of our group then you should make up your mind before I return. Because once you're marked, I expect you to be loyal to the group as well as ready to depart by tomorrow night." And before Hiroki could say anything else, Sadao was already heading toward the back.

Hiroki stood there, thoughts swirling through his head. He wasn't sure what he should do at this point. His plan hinged on him being marked so that he could approach the Shinigami easier, but if he did that after being marked, he'd be betraying the group. He rubbed the bridge of his nose. There was also the problem of Takeo standing at the entrance. Will he stop me if I try to leave? Hiroki thought. If Takeo did try to stop him, Hiroki was fairly certain he wouldn't win that fight. But Sadao did say that Hiroki could still decline the offer.

He took a deep breath and made up his mind. He would have to abandon the first part of his plan, especially if he wanted to talk to the Shinigami as soon as he could. He turned toward the entrance of the warehouse and began walking toward it. Now was the part where he'd take the chance of Takeo not stopping him. He got closer and closer to the entrance, trying to look ahead, but he couldn't help himself from occasionally side-eyeing Takeo. He managed to get to the entrance, and just as he was about to release a sigh of relief, a deep, gruff voice spoke from his right. It was the first time Hiroki had heard Takeo speak, but the voice suited the body.

"If you betray this group, I will kill you," Takeo said. Hiroki was quiet for a moment, unsure of whether or not to respond.

Finally, without looking at Takeo, Hiroki replied, "I'm going to help this group." And he continued out of the warehouse and down the street.

He wandered down the road before cutting through an alley. He made it halfway down the alley before he realized something. He didn't know where to begin to look for the Shinigami. Obviously, Hiroki would know them if he saw them due to their outfit, but he wasn't sure where they'd be hiding. He was in a decently sized town. Hiroki suddenly had the worry that he'd never find the Shinigami. He shook his head to try and get rid of the negative thoughts. There was one thing he could do.

He made his way down street after street, and after about twenty minutes of walking, he found himself at his apartment building. He climbed the stairs until he was in front of his door. He unlocked it and walked inside. He glanced around. It was small, but he wasn't ready to just leave it behind to journey around place to place with a group he just met a few days ago. In fact, he still wasn't entirely sure why he wanted to help them, but he felt it was the right thing to do.

He headed into his living/bedroom and opened the door to the balcony. He then sat down on the bed and concentrated. He felt himself leave his body and the resulting release of pressure. He was now standing in front of his actual body, watching it slump onto the bed. He moved it so that when he returned to it, he wouldn't have to deal with cramps. If I return to it, he corrected himself.

Hiroki left out of his balcony door then used Hirenkyaku to move to the roof of the nearest building. He did this several times until he managed to get on top of the tallest building around the area. He kept an eye out for anything resembling a Shinigami, whether it was a member of the Splintered or the one in charge of the town. He knew that either option would have sensed him. He stood on the edge of the building and continued to look around when suddenly he felt something behind him. Since he had felt it, he knew it wasn't the Splintered.

"Hands where I can see them and turn around slowly," a woman's voice demanded from behind him.

Hiroki put his hands up slowly above his head and turned around. In front of him, about in the center of the building was a woman in Shinigami robes. She only seemed a few years older than him, and her raven-colored hair was up in a bun behind her head. She wore glasses over her green eyes which were narrowed in suspicion and had her hand on the hilt of her Zanpakutō.

"Who are you?" she asked. "I don't recognize you, and I wasn't given a message that anyone else was coming tonight. What squad are you a part of?"

"I'm not a part of a squad," Hiroki answered honestly. He figured honesty was the best policy if he wanted to get her to trust him. "I'm Human. Well…kind of."

"I'd say you're lying, but there have been…other Human Soul Reapers," she replied. "What's your name?"

"Shoda Hiroki. I…already ran into some of your compatriots."

"You mean Lieutenants Matsumoto and Madarame, and third-seat Ayasegawa."

"I guess. I didn't exactly get their last names at the time. Are they friends of yours?"

The Shinigami let out a sharp laugh, "Like I'd be friends with a couple of meatheads from Eleventh Squad."

"Assuming you're talking about Ikkaku and Yumichika, what about Rangiku?"

"Uh well," the Shinigami suddenly stammered, and Hiroki could see her blush a little. "She's too respectable to be friends with someone like me. And that's Lieutenant Matsumoto to you." From his first impression of her, Hiroki wasn't sure respectable was quite the word he'd have used, but it did appear that this woman was a fan of the Lieutenant. Although, Rangiku was the one who found him first while he was hiding, so maybe there was a bit more to her than he originally thought.

"May I ask what's your name?" Hiroki said, which snapped the Shinigami out of her thoughts.

"Very well," she replied, clearing her throat before answering. "You did give me your name after all. I'm Imai Haru from Squad Six."

"I keep hearing about these squads, but I don't know anything about them."

"You…you really aren't a part of the Court Guard Squads, are you?"

Hiroki just shook his head in response.

"Well then what are you doing here?" She asked. "You're not here to fight me, are you?"

"No, I just want to talk. I don't know what you may have heard already about the…incident earlier tonight."

"That was you?" Haru nearly yelled, pulling out her sword which caused Hiroki to put his hands a little higher in the air.

"Okay, I guess you have," he answered. "But you probably weren't told everything. You probably heard that there was a conflict with a couple of individuals with Shinigami abilities, correct?"

"I heard a bit more than that, including that they both had Shikai and didn't use Shunpō to move around. Also to be on the lookout for them because they are considered to be dangerous after attacking Squad members."

"Technically Ikkaku attacked us first."

"That's Lieutenant Madarame," Haru corrected Hiroki while tightening her grip on her blade. "He may be a member of Squad Eleven, but he's still a Lieutenant. He deserves respect."

Didn't you just call him a meathead? Hiroki thought, but shook his head. That's not important right now.

"Listen, what I'm trying to say is that we're…well, I'm not dangerous. I didn't instigate the fight, and I was only defending myself."

"And why should I believe you?"

"Because I could have attacked you at any point during our conversation, but I haven't."

"Maybe you're waiting for me to drop my guard. Besides why would you even seek me out if not to try something. Right now, there are more members of the Court Guard Squads on their way to investigate. Now that you're here, it's my duty to keep you here until they arrive."

"That's great," Hiroki replied, smiling. "Then I can talk to them as well and clear up this entire mess. My group doesn't want to fight. They just want to settle in a place and call it home."

"What group is this anyway? Are you all Humans with Shinigami abilities?"

"Kind of," Hiroki answered. He remembered what he was told about the animosity between Shinigami and Quincy, and if he admitted he was half-Quincy to the woman in front of him, he didn't know how she'd react. But he also wasn't in favor of lying to her.

"What do you mean by 'kind of'?" Haru asked, her eyes narrowing again. Hiroki sighed, and knew he'd have to answer, but maybe he didn't have to tell the entire truth.

"Well, it's more like I'm half-Shinigami," he replied. "One of my parents was a Soul Reaper." He prayed that that would be enough to satiate Haru's curiosity. He noticed her relax a tiny bit, and let out an inner sigh of relief.

"Oh," she simply said and then was silent for a few moments. "I guess that's…not out of the realm of possibility. Did you really not start the fight?"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you," Hiroki responded. Haru seemed to relax her face slightly, and Hiroki noticed her blade dropped a little.

"If it was anyone other than Squad Eleven, I probably wouldn't believe you. But they're not known for their…subtlety. It is possible they could have started the fight." She lowered her blade even more, but it wasn't fully down. Hiroki did the same with his hands.

"Great, now-." Hiroki began to say, but was interrupted as he saw a Shōji appear about ten meters above the building he was currently standing on. It looked very similar to the one that Yumichika had opened before. Haru turned around to look up at it as well. It slid open and out stepped four figures. Two of them Hiroki recognized as Ikkaku and Yumichika. The other two he didn't recognize.

The first was a man with brown eyes and long crimson hair set up in a high ponytail. His robes looked the same as a normal Shinigami. He also wore a maroon colored bandana over his forehead and long black straps on his wrists while his arms were covered in bandages though he didn't appear to be wounded in any form or fashion. His expression seemed like a scowl that conveyed annoyance.

But it was the second man that caught Hiroki's attention. He had slate gray eyes and long black hair which was adorned with white hairpieces on the back of his head. He wore the same robes as the others, however he also wore a white high-collared haori with golden trim along the edge of the collar and a small golden tassel attached to each corner. His calm expression seemed apathetic. And while he seemed emotionless, the stare he gave Hiroki caused Hiroki to sweat a little.

"Captain," Haru muttered, which made Hiroki swivel his head toward her and then back to the group that just appeared. The entire group seemed to take a step and fall toward the building's roof. They each landed lightly onto it.

"Iwai, why is your weapon not at the ready?" the man who Haru called Captain asked while continuing to stare at Hiroki.

"He…he didn't seem dangerous, sir," She stammered while answering and bringing her weapon back up.

"Is this the man that you fought, Lieutenant Madarame?"

"Yep," Ikkaku answered with a grin. "And I'd like to fight him again. We haven't settled anything yet."

"We were told that there were at least three individuals that possessed Shinigami abilities," the Captain continued. "We were also told that at least the man in front of us possessed the ability to move at quick speeds. And also that it wasn't Shunpo or akin to it, and it was not Sonído either. That only leaves one known ability that allows one to move at high speeds. This man can use Hirenkyaku, a Quincy ability." As the Captain spoke the last two words, Haru turned to look at Hiroki with rage in her eyes.

"You're a Quincy?" she asked.

"It would seem that I'm half of one," Hiroki replied.

"As we suspected," the Captain spoke again. "The Captains believe that this man, and his companions, are the offspring of Shinigami and Quincy. Head Captain Kyōraku has ordered us to bring in anyone fitting that description, and we are allowed to use force if deemed necessary. Now where are your companions?"