Chapter 27 (Kumiko)

"Kuna-sama! Ma'am, please be mindful of the patients!"

I stormed out of Squad Four in a cloud of fury. Spiritual pressure built up around me, and I was having a hard time containing it. Rage. It flowed through my veins.

Ikkaku and Yumichika were in there because some stupid runts decided they wanted Rukia Kuchiki. As much as I wanted to help my cousin, I wasn't going to let her little friends run rampant through my squad.

Zaraki had already left to look for them again, and Ikkaku had gone to sleep shortly after. Yumichika told me what he knew but it hadn't been much more than Ikkaku. All I had was a description of two of the Ryoka—one that sounded an awful lot like Kaien's little brother, and the orange-haired brat that Gin Ichimaru had let escape.

Still, it was enough. I had inspected Ikkaku's zanpakuto and identified the spiritual pressure it had recently clashed with. All I needed to do was find him now.

Shutting my eyes, I sent out my awareness out. The boy's presence came easily to me. Did he let his spiritual pressure unchecked because he was unskilled or just arrogant? From what Ikkaku had said, it was most likely the former.

As I ran towards his location, my conversation with Ikkaku echoed in head…

"You got your ass handed to you by a kid," I chuckled as I looked him over. He looked like shit, but the nurse said he was going to be okay. Apparently, the Ryoka had treated his wounds.

He looked up at the door, "Is the…Captain gone?"

I peered over my shoulder, "Yeah. You forget to tell him something important?"

"Kumiko…I left something out," The way he looked at me told me that this was serious. I leaned forward and he hesitated.

"Take your time, Ikkaku. It's not like I need to go find the shit that put you here."

His words were spoken so quietly that I thought I had misheard them, "He was trained by Kisuke Urahara."

I stared at him for the longest time, speechless. He was too serious to be joking. My heart began to race and all I could think was…was Kisuke here? I hated how excited I got with the prospect of it, and I clenched my jaw tightly.

"I see," I stood up and flexed my grip on the hilt of my sword, "Well then, I should go see how well."

The further I moved away from Squad Four and the closer I came to this mini-Kisuke, my excitement gave way to seething fury. After all these years, now Kisuke decided to come back? No one in this fucking world or the next would save him from my wrath if I found him.

I spotted the orange-haired runt and unsheathed my zanpakuto. He and his companion skidded to a halt as I landed in front of them, sword drawn.

"You," I pointed to the Shiba boy, "Get outta the way."

"Who the hell are you, lady?" His fists were clenched.

"Fourth-Seat of Squad Eleven, Kumiko Kuna," I was glad to see him stiffen as I spoke, "Though Kumiko Riku may ring more bells."

"Ichigo, we need to go," He looked at the mango, "She went to the academy with my brother and she's bad news."

Ichigo looked at me and then at my sword, "Squad Eleven, huh? I take it that you're pissed about your friends."

Pissed doesn't even begin to cover it.

I lunged at the Shiba boy and incapacitated him before turning on Ichigo. I was impressed by how quickly he could draw his sword, and how fast he blocked my parry. Still, I had caught him off guard and he was on the defensive.

Lifting my hand, I grabbed his face, "Hadō Number Four—Byakurai."

His eyes widened as blue spiritual pressure blinded him momentarily. He sacrificed a hand on the hilt of his sword and twisted my palm in time to miss the full extent of the blast. While he moved, I drove my sword through him. It slid through his shoulder with ease, and he jumped back quickly.

I did too, beginning my next incantation. He stared at me with wide eyes.

"You're different from your friends," He smirked and readied his stance, "Didn't even wait for me to draw my sword."

"Well, Ichigo, unlike my friends," I swept my hand across my sword, lighting it up in a green fire of reiatsu, "I don't dilly-daddle in small talk."

We lunged towards one another, swords clashing together with a loud screech. I gritted my teeth against his brute strength, blocking his attacks. He drove me back a couple steps but I used the momentum to side step and knock him off balance. He stumbled forward as I slipped behind him, swinging my sword and releasing the spiritual pressure that had built up in my blade.

He lifted his sword and cut through it, grunting as he braced himself against the burst of energy. I was impressed. Kisuke had taught this little nobody well.

Ichigo was charging at me, yelling as he came down on me with full force. As Ikkaku had said, the kid was all brawn and not much style. But, hell, he didn't need style or tactic if he got stronger. I struggled to force him away from me.

"What's wrong? Out of tricks?" He grinned as we both fell back to catch our breaths, "You're going to release your Shikai like Ikkaku or Renji."

I smirked, "You're adorable—no, I won't be releasing my Shikai. I don't need it."

Lifting my hand, I released another spell. Hado Number Sixty-Three, Sajō Sabaku. Ichigo lifted his hands but he was wrapped up and restrained in thick, yellow ropes of energy before he could block. I hit him with the back of my sword, knocking him to his knees.

I sheathed my zanpakuto and looked down at him, "You're pretty okay with that sword. Kisuke did a fine job with you. He even taught you how to block a compression of spiritual energy released from a zanpakuto."

My hands glowed green and I let it crawl up my arms, my body, until my entire being was consumed. Everything turned green as I focused my energy on creating one last spell. My palms felt heavy as the reiatsu stored in them grew denser, deadlier, violent.

"Ichigo," Ganjo was coming to. He took one look at me and Ichigo and yelled, "Ichigo!"

Ichigo's eyes widened and I smiled, "Kisuke taught me some things too."

I lifted my hands and was about to let go. But a flash of black and blond had me catch myself just in time. Ichigo had shut his eyes, but after realizing that his death had been delayed, he cracked them open. His eyes widened as he stared his savior—just as shocked as I was.

"Shizuko?" He sighed in relief as she stood defiantly between him and me.

"Shizuko," I gritted out. Beads of sweat rolled down my forehead. I couldn't concentrate this power for much longer. "Move."

"Mom—"

"I said get the fuck out of my way!" I screamed, "Do you know what the hell will happen to you if anyone finds out about this! That you're trying to save a Ryoka?"

She glanced down at how my hands were trembling from exertion, and then back at Ichigo, "I've done it once before. And I didn't save him from Byakuya just to have you kill him."

I let the spell charged up in me fade out. Shizuko turned around and swiped her hand through the spell I had cast to immobilize Ichigo. He stood up and went to Ganjo.

"You're not going anywhere," My voice made them turn their attention back on me.

I looked at Shizuko, who was tensed up. She was going to try stop me—I could see it in her eyes. I had raised her way fucking better than this. I hadn't raised a traitor, and to my horror, that's what stood before me. Just like her father.

"I'm going to deal with you too," I hissed at her, "But right now, you need to help me. I won't kill him, but I am arresting them—"

"No, you're going to let them go, Mom," She said calmly. It was like I was dealing Kisuke—so calm and impassive that you could fucking scream in their face and they wouldn't even blink.

Ichigo stammered, "Wait—she's your mother?" He looked back at me with a new kind of shock and then back at my daughter, "Well that explains how she knows Kisuke."

I waited for her to react. But I realized that she was expecting the same thing from me, and I pieced together that Ichigo wasn't talking about me knowing Kisuke. He meant Shizuko.

"Holy…" I felt the entire world give way. This…no. She had met Kisuke.

But it all made sense. Shizuko's distant, cold attitude ever since coming back from the World of the Living. She had met her father and she had found out the one half of the story.

Before anyone could say anything, I appeared in front of her. She gasped, knowing what was about to happen but she was out the moment I lifted my palm and floated it over her face. She collapsed into my arms, and I felt a cold shiver run through my body.

I heard Ganjo pull Ichigo to his feet. They scrambled away from me, but I couldn't care. All I could think was how much my daughter must hate me. She didn't understand why I had lied, just that I had lied.

"Oh my, I hope she's alright." I looked over my shoulder. Gin Ichimaru. He stepped towards us with a frown that was supposed to convey sympathy, "She seemed very out of it when I saw her the other day at Squad Six. Though it makes sense—losing her husband."

"This isn't Squad Three," I muttered, "Why are you here?"

He chuckled, kneeling down and brushing a stray hair from Shizuko's face, "We all felt your reiatsu, which was a surprise in itself. I decided to come over and see if I could lend a hand to fellow Shinigami. Those who grew up in the outer districts should look out for each other, Kumiko."

I stared at him for a second longer than I should have, shock filling the void Shizuko had made. Those who grew up in the outer districts should look out for each other

I hoisted my daughter up into my arms, "No need. I have it handled from here, Captain Ichimaru."

He grinned slowly, "Of course. And don't worry, your secret is safe with me. I let him slip through my fingers too—oh well."

I left before I could dig a bigger grave for my daughter and myself. The Seireitei was small below me as I jumped from building to building.

Kisuke wasn't here. I knew he wasn't, but he might as well be. I now knew that he was behind this whole mess, which didn't surprise me. It had the workings of Kisuke Urahara all over it.

After making the discovery that I had about his prized creation, I was beginning to figure out why he had made such an effort to break back into the Seireitei. Which was why I was going to Squad Six.

"Kumiko?" Renji's eyes were wide as I swept past him and towards the cells, "What—What are you doing here? Is Shizuko okay?"

"Where is your Captain?"

"He'll be back in a few minutes. Why are you…" He trailed off as I set Shizuko down in one of the cells. He only watched as I shackled her up with the Kido restraints and slammed the gate shut.

"I'll let him know about Shizuko. She's not under arrest—just needs to be watched," I brushed my hair back and out of my face. A hundred and one thoughts ran through my mind. What Gin had said bugged me, like it was something I had heard before.

I froze as I realized what it had been. One of my first missions for Central Forty-Six, where I had hunted down a member of Squad Twelve. I had realized that the Shinigami was dirty and had some hand in the plot that had Kisuke exiled, but the Seireitei didn't want any part in it.

She grinned as blood trickled from her nose, "My Captain really had a tight leash on you. And now that he's gone, it looks like the Seireitei is making good of the animal you are—"

"Tell me," I slammed her against the wall, "What role did you play in all this? Did you steal his research? Who else did you work with?"

"Well, you already killed two of them," She trilled, "Nari…the decoy. Hisoka…the executor. Me? Well, I was the researcher."

"And who else? Who was the leader?"

She tilted her head like a coy fucking rat, "Y'know, Kumiko, us from the outer districts have gotta look out for one another."

"Tell. Me."

She only laughed, looking down at my sword and adding, "Be sure to make it slow."

I clenched my fists as I stared down at Shizuko. She was passed out and would be for hours to come. She needed to stay here, for her own sake. Byakuya wouldn't let anything happen to her and he would never let Gin Ichimaru near her.

All these years, and I had never suspected that it was him. Gin Ichimaru was another one of the ones responsible for the deaths of our captains and lieutenants.

I turned to Renji one last time before I went looking for Byakuya, "Where's Rukia?"

"In the Repentance Cell."

"Head over there if you want Ichigo Kurosaki."


Yoruichi is smacking her head against a wall right now lol

Kumiko's making some leaps in her investigation xD

Next Update: Byakuya's POV. Kumiko finds Ichigo again...and a blast from the past.