Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.

Tales of the Ninth Division

Tousen's friend

Genre: Tragedy

Rating: T

Characters: Tousen, Tousen's friend, OCs

Yakumaru had always considered himself a lucky man. His name meant benefit or gain and his life was marked with success. He had been born into a good family, not one of the best, but noble, wealthz and influential enough, he had graduated the Academy in the top ten of his class, entered the Gotei 13 and earned an seated officer's position, he wasn't really high-ranked, but he wasn't a low grunt either. And then he met the most wonderful girl, Fujie-chan, and fell in love. And she loved him too. They married and they were happy together. Everything was perfect and Yakumaru couldn't be happier. And then suddenly everything began falling apart. It was then that Yakumaru began to wonder whether he should change the kanji in his name to mean the more appropriate 'bad luck.'

The whole mess had started innocently enough. There was a man in Yakumaru's division, called Sakei, who disliked Yakumaru and Yakumaru disliked him. He didn't even remember how did their mutual antipathy start, they had first argued the first time they met without a reason Yakumaru could recall. Just seeing each other was enough to make them angry. Their relationship continued on the same vein. Whenever they met tempers rose and harsh words were exchanged, in an attempt to retaliate for their previous argument.

The day when everything began falling apart it was the same, only this time Sakei was really, really drunk. He spoke the first insult the moment he had spotted Yakumaru. Yakumaru had been in a bad mood and immediately snapped back, saying something harsher than usual. Sakei couldn't ignore it and retaliated with an even worse insult. And so the shouting started. Then Sakei drew his sword. Yakumaru reacted on instinct. His zanpakutou appeared in his hand in an instant. He lifted it to stop Sakei's mad charge.

Yakumaru was usually good at anticipating his opponents' moves, but Sakei was drunk and therefore unpredictable. He tripped. His katana missed Yakumaru widely, but he fell on Yakumaru's blade. The edge cut through his throat. Sakei collapsed to the ground.

Yakumaru stared in disbelief. What did just happen? Sakei lay on the ground, bleeding fast. Was he dead? Did he just kill him? Oh no, he couldn't have just killed somebody. He felt dread rising inside him. He fled the scene, not even thinking about checking whether Sakei was truly dead or whether he could still be saved. In his panic he didn't think of where he was going. He didn't even know how long he had been running; it could have been hours before his feet had carried him into his home. He still moved in a daze when his wife's voice reached him.

"...all bloody. I didn't want to believe it, but you really did it, didn't you?' Fujie's words finally registered. "What have you done?" she accused. "I know you didn't like Sakei, but you didn't have to kill him!"

"I didn't want to!" he shouted. "He started it!"

"It doesn't matter who started it!" Fujie argued. Why was she shouting so much? She wasn't like this usually. He just wanted her to be quiet. Unfortunately his wife didn't see it. She walked in front of him and stood on her toes to face him directly. "You killed a man!" Oh, why couldn't she be quiet. His conscience was accusing him enough. He didn't need to hear it stereo. "I can't believe I married a murderer!"

"Shut up!" He just couldn't listen to her anymore, he just couldn't. He pushed her away. In her precarious position she lost balance easily and tumbled down. She remained lying on the floor, completely still. It took Yakumaru a long time to realize that she was too still.

"Fujie?" he called her. Nothing. "Dear?" Still no answer. Not even a twitch. "Honey?" Still nothing. Now he was getting worried. He knelt next to her and touched her experimentally. Her eerie stillness became even more apparent. "Fujie?" he asked again, lifting her head. His hand came back slick with blood. Dread settled into his heart once again. He didn't want to see, but he couldn't stop himself from turning her head. There under matted black hair a crack was clearly visible from where her head had hit the corner of the table as she fell. There was no way she could have survived this wound.

"Fujie," Yakumaru whispered before he began sobbing. And that was how the Onmitsukidou found him, still cradling his wife's dead body.

The following days were like a feverish dream to Yakumaru. The investigation. The trial. He confessed everything. He was guilty. Yet the Central 46 didn't sentence him. They didn't want to lose a good officer over an accident. His family's intervention might have helped as well. But he didn't want their help. He wanted to suffer. He didn't want to live without his beloved Fujie.

Once he was released, he walked as if in a dream. He didn't even notice how he got outside Seireitei. He walked until his feet refused to carry him. Then he stopped on a grassy hill and stared into the distance. Yakumaru sat there until he came. A man with dark skin and blank white eyes. Yakumaru realized that he had heard about him. Fujie's friend he had never met.

"You murdered her," Tousen stated. Yakumaru just nodded imperceptibly. It was true. The Central 46 might have found him innocent, but he felt guilty. "I came to carry out Justice," Tousen continued, raising a hand holding a sword. Fujie's sword, Yakumaru realized. Maybe it was right this way. He didn't even flinch as Suzumushi fell down.

Tousen cleaned his slain friend's blade on the grass. He spared no look to the body of the man he had just killed. He had only executed a criminal. Such was Justice. But it was only one man. Forty six more guilty men still walked free. Now what can he do to bring Justice to them?

End note: This is something that always bugged me. Tousen said that letting the murderer of his friend go was a travesty of justice. But that's just Tousen's version of the story and Tousen isn't know for letting such small matters as facts interfere with his sense of Justice. But what if the truth was different and the Central 46 decided correctly? Wouldn't it be ironic?