Author's Note: Thank you to MarvelGeek13, DeadlyVampire-DayDream Corp, and MySweetChibiAngel24 for all of the love!
Chapter Six-And It Just Keeps Rolling Downhill-Part 1
"The disappearances are picking up in the outer districts of Rukongai." That statement caught Ren's attention. She had been cleaning up after her dinner with Yoruichi and Kisuke, something that they had been trying to do more often since he had become captain, and she had been lost in her own thoughts for a while, but as soon as Kisuke uttered the word 'disappearances', she quickly became alert and attentive.
"You mean, the ones that started picking up a few years ago?" Ren asked him.
"Yes, the very ones. Why do you ask?" Kisuke wondered.
"Do you think it has something to do with the Thief Clans?" Yoruichi asked her.
"Maybe. I mean, the frequency and time span matches up, so," Ren told her.
"What do you mean? What would the Thief Clans have to do with the disappearances?" Kisuke asked.
"Well, whenever they're low on members, they've been known to abduct individuals with some hints of reiatsu, adults or children, and they'll do it subtly over a span of time," Ren told him.
"There's something strange about these disappearances, though," Kisuke began, "There weren't even traces of reiatsu left from the victims. It's like they vanished."
"Well, based in what I saw when I left, it wouldn't surprise me if they had techniques to do something like that now," Ren commented.
"Those bastards would do something like that," Hito grumbled.
"They lost their most prized possession due to their own foolishness, and now all they can do is mimic it," Kiri agreed.
"You mean, they were developing techniques like that? Why?" Kisuke asked.
"I don't-" Ren started, but Yoruichi was quick to cut her off.
"They were trying to copy Ren's abilities. They figured she would be leaving soon by the way she had dropped her training after her brother was exiled, so they were trying to duplicate her abilities," Yoruichi explained. Ren wasn't exactly mad that Yoruichi had shared that little detail, but she wasn't exactly happy that she did, either. Her past with the Thief Clans was something personal to her, and she had only ever told two people about it: Yoruichi and Shinji. She liked Kisuke and all, and she thought of him as one of her closest friends, but she would rather have told him herself, under better circumstances.
"Oh. Do you think they could actually have done that?" Kisuke asked, being the researcher that he was and trying to get all the information that he could about the Thief Clans, since they were an area of mystery for him as they were for everyone else.
"The particular abilities that they want to mimic are the ones that I obtained through my zanpakutō. I've never heard of someone being able to copy somebody else's zanpakutō powers, but they are quite persistent, so if anyone could do it, it would be them," Ren answered.
"If you don't mind me asking, what exactly are your zanpakutōs abilities?"
"You'll see, Kisuke, eventually. It's bound to happen," Ren stated.
"Pfft, I doubt it. You still haven't shown me the secrets behind your 'thief abilities'," Yoruichi mocked.
"Are you still pouting about that? It just hasn't come up, Yoruichi. Besides, I like surprising people," Ren countered.
"Hmph, whatever you say, Lieutenant," Yoruichi pouted.
"You are such a child sometimes, I swear," Ren muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose and shaking her head.
"So, anyways, why did you bring up the disappearances again?" Ren continued, ignoring the childish glare Yoruichi was giving her.
"The Captain-Commander sent a team out this morning to investigate. It was from Ninth Division, I believe, and I sent Hiyori out some time after them," Kisuke told them.
"I bet Kensei and Mashiro went then, which I'm sure is proper procedure, but hell, even after a century I still don't know all of that crap," Ren mused.
"I'd be worried if you did," Yoruichi added.
"Maybe this will all be nothing, maybe it'll be something big, but hopefully, it won't have anything to do with the Thief Clans, because that is a chapter of my life that I want to be closed forever," Ren conceded.
"Ah, it was a tough time for you, wasn't it?" Yoruichi puffed.
"Trifling bastards," Hito huffed.
"Agreed," Kiri conceded.
"You two do love me!" Ren thought.
"Shut up!" the spirits shouted in unison.
"Aw, you show your love with anger," Ren mused, not out loud, thankfully, because Yoruichi and Kisuke would have thought she was absolutely insane, which probably wasn't too far from the truth.
"I hope it's nothing, but I can't imagine it will be. People just don't vanish into thin air for no reason," Kisuke remarked.
"Ay, that they don't," Ren agreed, standing up from her mat.
"Well, it's getting late. Keep me posted on the situation, will you?" Ren requested.
"Will do," Kisuke told her.
"You and Shinji have fun!" Yoruichi called as Ren stepped out the door.
"Don't we always?" Ren called back, and then quickly shut the door before Yoruichi could say another word.
"Yer late."
"Holy shit!" Ren shouted. Shinji had been standing right outside waiting for her, and of course, Ren hadn't been expecting him or even looking in front of her when she went out the door, so in the least to say, she was startled.
"Sorry," Shinji apologized, although the devious grin on his face said that he meant otherwise.
"I swear, you'll be the death of me," Ren breathed, trying to calm herself down.
"Somethin' wrong? That usually wouldn't have bothered you so bad," Shinji observed, as they started to walk away from Yoruichi's office.
"I guess all of the talk of disappearance got to me. Well, I guess it was the possibility of the Thief Clans being involved that really did it," Ren admitted.
"Ya still worried about them?" Shinji asked her.
"A little, I mean, they weren't so happy when I left them," Ren told him.
"So? You were a kid then. You're way stronger now, plus you have me and a shit-ton of other friends here that'll watch your back."
"I have you with me? That is just so encouraging…"
"Ren…"
"Don't get that warning tone with me, Mister. I was just playing with you. You know I always feel safer when you're with me."
"Better. Hell, I'd fight all of the Thief Clans by myself if I had to to make sure you were safe."
"I know, and I love you for it. And you know I'd do the same for you."
"I know. Hell, I guess we did promise each other that, didn't we? To never turn our backs on each other, no matter what?"
"Yeah, yeah, and you'll protect me and I'll take care of you once you get your ass kicked."
"Please, when was the last time I got my ass kicked?"
"This morning, actually, and just about every morning before. Hiyori is on quite a schedule."
"That doesn't count!"
"Like hell it doesn't, Shinji. But I still love you, even if you get the hell beat out of you by someone half your size."
"And I still love you, even if you're mean to me."
"It's part of my charm!"
"Don't say that. Yoruichi says that."
"Hm. Maybe, just maybe, I'm slowly turning into her."
"That…is a frightening image, Ren."
"It is. I wish I hadn't have said it now."
That image had sent quite a chill down Ren's spine, but that wasn't the only thing that was bothering her. She had a bad feeling: her gut was telling her to run like hell, go home, and hide under her table for the next month or so. Something wasn't sitting well in the air, and it wasn't just the humidity. The air smelled…foul, like death, and it was making the hairs on the back of Ren's neck stand on end.
"Shinji?" Ren called.
"Yeah?" he asked.
"Does something feel…wrong to you?"
"Not really. Why?" Shinji asked her, and while he was concerned for her, he wasn't sure where she was coming from.
"I just…I don't know. Something just feels odd, that's all," she told him.
"That's unnerving, because your feelings are usually right."
"Well that doesn't make me feel too much better. I guess we better stay on our toes then," Ren murmured.
"Damn right you better," Hito agreed.
"Something is wrong," Kiri warned. "Something is very wrong indeed."
"I guess we should," Shinji agreed.
"Ren! Shinji!" The pair quickly turned around right as Yoruichi reached them with her Shunpo.
"What's wrong, Yoruichi?" Ren asked her.
"They're calling an emergency captain meeting! It has something to do with the disappearances and the team that was sent out!" she told them. The black butterfly that was now flying towards Shinji only confirmed Yoruichi's message.
"I see. Well then, looks like I get to sneak around the First Division again, eh?" Ren commented.
"You love it," Yoruichi told her.
"Ren, I love you, but I hope that your instinct was wrong this time," Shinji stated.
"Me too, Shinji, me too," Ren agreed. "But, whatever it is, be careful."
Ren quickly stood on the tips of her toes and gave Shinji one last kiss before they had to part ways, but she didn't draw it out too long for Yoruichi's sake.
"I will, just as long as you are, too," Shinji promised her.
"Would it be out of character if I said that I hope that that wasn't your last kiss with him?" Kiri asked.
"You're not helping Kiri! And yes, it would be," Hito added.
"Alright, let's go," Yoruichi told Shinji. As he nodded, they both Shunpo'd off, leaving Ren by herself to sneak into First Division.
"I have a feeling that I will need you two now more than I ever have before," Ren thought.
"And we'll be right here with you, Ren," Hito assured her.
"Every step of the way," Kiri agreed.
"Thank you," Ren whispered, and with that, she Shunpo'd away into the dark abyss of the night.
"Lisa, why am I not surprised to see you here?" Ren asked her fellow lieutenant.
"I could say the same to you," Lisa remarked.
"True. Have they started yet?" Ren asked her.
"They're about to," Lisa told her. She may not have said anything, but Ren could tell that Lisa was just as concerned about this whole situation as she was, so right as the Captain-Commander was starting, Ren laid her hand on Lisa's shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. Ren could only assume that she was grateful for that since she didn't pull away from her hand.
They were both quiet as they stayed there and listened in on the meeting, but as the Captain-Commander was explaining how something had gone wrong with the team that was sent out, Ren's heart dropped. She couldn't help but think that Kisuke was kicking himself now for sending Hiyori out earlier, and her suspicion was confirmed once he vocalized his concern. But, being the tough ass that she was as a captain, Yoruichi quickly quieted him, and as it was announced that another team would be sent out, Ren knew that she had to go, whether it was against orders or not.
"Lisa-chan!" Shunsui called.
"REN!" Yoruichi practically screamed.
"We're being beckoned, it seems," Ren laughed.
"So it seems," Lisa agreed. "How lucky for us."
"Yes, Captain Shihōin?" Ren asked, as she and Lisa both jumped through the window they had been hiding under.
"Go with them," Yoruichi ordered her, glancing over a Kisuke to show Ren that her main objective was to get Hiyori.
"Yes, Captain," Ren agreed, nodding her heads more towards Kisuke as she did so. She looked him in the eyes and gave him a small smile, and she also laid her hand on her zanpakutō as she did, and her message to him was clear: she would go all out if she needed to to bring Hiyori back.
"Since the rescue team has been assembled, you should leave immediately. All other captains need to report to their positions as well," the Captain-Commander ordered. "Dismissed!"
"You drag your ass back here, you got it?" Yoruichi whispered as she and Ren clasped their fists together in front of them.
"Wouldn't dream of not doing it," Ren agreed, letting Yoruichi's fist go and Shunpo'ing out of the meeting hall with the others.
"Be careful, please, be careful, Ren," Yoruichi prayed. Her instincts were telling her the exact same thing that Ren's were telling her: run and hide. This would not end well at all.
