Chapter Four: Reminiscence with a New Friend
Most people, when faced with issues of the mind and spirit, believe that a simple walk outside can be a good way to relieve stress and find solutions to ones problems. James Ralthion considered himself to be one of them, but with a twist. Now, a few days after his rescue of Rangiku in one of the city's parks, here he was again, trying to take a considerable load off his chest, if only temporarily, in the only manner he knew how.
Combat.
Well, not quite. While sparring with a partner was always preferred, James felt that sometimes the best way to quiet one's mind was with some solo exercise, in what he simply referred to as "Sword Dance". He had decided to adopt the term over a hundred years ago, when he was a lieutenant in Squad Three. His captain had often remarked that his blade techniques were graceful, bordering on a certain kind of fast paced yet elegant Spanish dancing. With that thought in mind, James had taken to practicing out on the training grounds by himself at times, with his personal Soul Communicator belting out tunes he had observed and recorded during a month-long Hollow hunt spanning from what is now modern day Madrid to Barcelona. He found the guitar tunes played by the natives to be an incredible mix of fever pitch speed and passion to a softer, yet beautiful mellow tone that could sooth even the most tormented soul.
Now, with Soul Society's latest incarnation of the cell phone sitting on the grass (in communications, the Research Department had been way ahead of the world of the living, as well as musical recording, thanks to Urahara) strumming a soft concerto into the cool evening air, James was moving through a warm up routine, the moonlight turning his blade into a flashing crescent that cut graceful arcs through the frequent breezes wafting through the park. The melancholy melody played by Spaniards long since passed on was a reflection of what he felt in his heart.
Since the events of a few nights ago, his mind had begun wondering back to the old times of a century ago more often than normal. He had tried not to let it show, but occasionally he had found himself starring out the window of Orihime's apartment, where he was staying along with Rangiku and Toshiro, lost for words, trying to figure out how everything had gone wrong so fast, and how he had been too blind to see what had been right in front of him all along. Rangiku, bless her heart, had picked up on his quiet musings when no one else had, and although he had told her that nothing was wrong, he knew that he had not convinced her. Such a kind woman, he thought. I do not wish to burden her with my past mistakes. She deserves far better. It is my fault that things are as they are now. Nevertheless, I will find a way to set things right, to erase the stain of my unforgivable past. Still, the thought of pouring himself out to her kept working its way through his mind. She would listen, she would understand, she would help you bear this weight, he thought, before once again striking that longing down. He did not want her to have to bear his sins. Nevertheless, the thoughts kept coming back. With a sigh, he threw himself back into his exercises with wild abandon, loosening up his stance as the music shifted to a much faster bolero.
He was unaware that he was being watched.
…
Rangiku Matsumoto had taken great pains to conceal her considerable spirit pressure when she went to follow James when he had volunteered for the evening's patrol. Since he was a member of the Royal Guard, she had to work harder at it than usual, but was fairly confident that she had gone undetected than usual.
For the fourth time that night she mentally asked herself, why am I doing this? It was obvious that he wanted to be alone, and even more blatant that he had a lot on his mind. By rights, she should at least respect the man's privacy.
However… She had a feeling that to leave him alone at a time like this would probably cause more harm than good. She realized that while, consciously, he wanted to be alone, what he probably desired more than anything else in his heart at that moment was someone to talk to, a friend. Although they had only known each other for a few days, she definitely considered him to be one, and not just because he had saved her life.
Most men that she had met in her life had, with few exceptions, looked at her and saw only her physical appearance, and not the woman on the inside. However, she could recall with brilliant clarity the look in James' eyes as he had first saved her, the genuine concern he had had for someone he had literally just met, and not under the most peaceful of circumstances.
And it hadn't stopped there. As he had moved into Orihime's place with her and her captain, he had treated her with the utmost respect, yet at the same time retained a light hearted and good humored personality that had only disappeared in the brief instances she had caught him starring out a window with an expression of pure melancholy on his face. Each time she had asked what was wrong, he had said nothing, but she knew that was a blatant, if reluctant, lie on his part. She was touched that he didn't want to worry her, but knew from personal experience that there are some things one shouldn't keep bottled up inside for long.
"Well, guess I have no choice," she whispered to herself. If he wouldn't open up on his own, she'd just have to nudge him a little. Taking a moment to compose herself, she stepped out from behind the tree she had chosen as her hiding place, just as he was finishing up a combination of slashes and thrusts timed perfectly to the quick pace of the music.
He stopped when he saw her, surprise written all over his face. After a moment he smiled and said, "Nicely done. I couldn't detect you at all. How long have you been following me?" "Since you left Orihime's," she replied. She paused for a moment, and then continued. "James, talk to me. What's bothering you?"
To his credit, his facial expression didn't change a bit. "Nothing, Rangiku. I just wanted to practice my swordsmanship a bit while I was out, that's all." She sighed. "I'd believe you if it weren't for your tendency to get this far off expression on your face whenever you think no one's looking. Which you had the entire time you were practicing, whether you noticed it or not." This time it was his turn to sigh. "Look," he said slowly, "I don't want to worry you. You've got enough going on as is. We all do…" He was obviously referring to the coming war with Aizen. While certainly important, it was more of a distant event, and she knew that it could be dealt with only when it came. "That's still quite a ways off. In the mean time, I'm more than willing to help out a friend in need, whether he realizes it or not."
He laughed for a moment, and then cleared his throat. "You know," he said, "you truly are an amazing woman." He sat down on a nearby bench, and motioned for her to join him. "Get comfortable, this will take a while." When she was seated and was looking him right in the eye, he temporarily forgot what he was going to say, mesmerized by her beauty. He then realized he was staring, blushed furiously, which elicited a faint smile from her, and then said, "Well, where to start?" She waited patiently, and then said, "Where ever you think is necessary."
He looked down for a moment, like he needed to gather his courage, and then began speaking. "Do you remember the incident with the captains and lieutenants a century ago?" She thought for a moment. "You mean where the captains of squads Three, Five, and Nine, along with several officers, were exiled?" He nodded, and then continued.
"At the time, there had been a rash of disappearances within the Soul Society, specifically the Gotei 13." Rangiku nodded. "I was only the ninth seat in Squad Ten at the time, but I remember it well," she said. James smiled, "Your squad was lucky that no one from it was caught up in that mess. I'm glad, otherwise I might not have met you." "Speaking of which," said Rangiku, "why haven't we met before now? You were once a member of the Court Guard Squads yourself." He blushed slightly. "Well, the truth is, back then I was pretty shy. I only had a few friends, and I found it difficult to open up to new people. My captain, Rojuro 'Rose' Otoribashi, saw that when I became his lieutenant. He was actually the first person to call me out on it, and introduced me to his friends. They were a nice group of people, and slowly I was able to come out of my shell. Unfortunately, I met them only a few weeks before… the incident." A look of comprehension dawned on Rangiku's face, and as she looked at James she could see the melancholy he had been trying to suppress all week come out in a sad smile. "Yes, I see you've realized it quite quickly. All of the friends I had made in that time were the same members of the Gotei 13 that were forced to leave the Soul Society… or face execution."
"After the disappearances had been going on for a while, Captain-General Yamamoto dispatched Squad Nine to launch a full scale investigation. The captain, Kensei Muguruma, his lieutenant, and several other of the officers of that squad took to the field during one disappearance in order to catch the perpetrator before the trail went cold. They were attacked by an unknown assailant, and defeated quickly. Then the captains of squads Three, Five, and Seven were mobilized, along with the lieutenant of the Kido Corps and Squad Eight's lieutenant. I would have gone myself, but the Captain forbade it, saying that I needed to run the squad in his absence, and that I could also act as a reserve if necessary. It wasn't well known at the time, but he knew that I had achieved bankai a few months ago, and had been honing my skills with it. Captain Urahara of Squad Twelve had already sent his lieutenant as well, in order to gather evidence from the site of the disappearances."
"When the group arrived, they found the Squad Twelve lieutenant and then themselves under attack by a Hollowfied Kensei and his lieutenant, Mashiro Kuna. As the others prepared for battle they were suddenly cut down by an unseen enemy. Then they themselves were Hollowfied." He paused for a moment, then said, "All I've told you so far is based not on post action reports, but from a letter from an old friend of mine. You've probably heard of him: Kisuke Urahara." Rangiku nodded, "He's letting Renji stay at his place. I was aware that he was exiled, and that it related to the Hollowfication incident, but the exact cause was kept top secret." James nodded, "Yes, and, in the eyes of the Central 46, for good reason. The real cause for the exile of Urahara was because he had succeeded in creating Gigai that absorbed reishi, and therefore left no trace of them to the Soul Society, effectively undetectable. His first use of them was, with the aid of Yoruichi Shihoin, was to give them to the afflicted Soul Reapers, whom he and Tessai had helped control their new Hollow powers, and help them escape from the Soul Society. Captain Shihoin was also forced to go into exile when she aided in their escape."
Rangiku then spoke up, "Hold on a minute, if Urahara helped them, then he must have figured out that it was Aizen, Gin, and Tosen that were conducting the Hollowfication experiments. Didn't he mention that in the letter you received?" James shook his head sadly, "No, and now that I look back on it, it was for a good reason. If I had known that they were responsible for what had happened to my friends, I would have thrown caution to the wind and tried to kill them outright. They would have taken me easily. Also, since the accusation would have come from an exiled captain and Soul Reapers that were supposed to be executed on sight, no one except me would have taken it as convincing evidence. As things stood, I kept the letter detailing the events a secret, and began conducting my own investigation into the incident. With my captain gone, I volunteered to take the Captain's Exam, much to the surprise of Yamamoto. Long story short, I passed, and promoted my third seat to lieutenant. The privileges of my new rank increased my access to the archives, and in my off hours I would pour over the records of what became known officially as the Hollowfication Incident. Over the years I came across several oddities and discrepancies. The most obvious ones were unauthorized use of the Senkaimon by unrecorded Soul Reapers both on that night and several others while the disappearances took place. Also, records of the incident itself stated that a standby alert had been issued for the rest of the squads, while in fact I specifically remember that no such alert had been issued. Also, records related that alert showed that Aizen, Gin, and Tosen had in fact mobilized under the standby alert, along with other lower ranking Soul Reapers."
"Wait a moment," said Rangiku, "putting themselves in a false record would only serve to draw suspicion towards them, wouldn't it?" James nodded, "Under other circumstances it might. However, both Central 46 and Captain-General Yamamoto wanted the incident buried and forgotten, and as a result few ever consulted records about it, or even talked about it. As a result memories of it faded rather quickly for most of the high ranking officers simply because it wasn't talked about, and the false records were eventually taken by most to be factual accounts. My own concerns were dismissed as simply denial, that I simply couldn't bring myself to believe that my captain had essentially committed treason against us all. My persistence in the matter was a source of much frustration to the Captain-General and the Central 46." He sighed as he looked up at the night sky, and then faced her again. Shame was evident in his expression. "Over time I devoted less and less effort to my investigation, and eventually moved on completely. Fifty years later, when the offer came of promotion to the Royal Guard, however, my resolve to settle the matter was rekindled. I accepted, mainly because Royal Guards keep their own separate archives facility, and I thought that perhaps within there, the records of that night were in fact unaltered, and that I could find the proof I needed to exonerate my captain and my old friends. Gin Ichimaru was serving as my lieutenant at the time, and though I had some suspicions about him, he had proven himself to be a capable second-in-command, and he was the only real choice to replace me as Captain. Before I took the promotion, I recommended Gin as my replacement. He took the Captain's Exam and passed smoothly, though I myself was actually on one last assignment in the world of the living at the time, and did not witness the test."
He paused once again, and then laughed slightly. "Perhaps I should have questioned the orders that gave me that assignment on that day. The hollows in the field weren't even Gillians, though I admit that they made up for the lack of power with numbers. Still, I didn't even have to use my shikai to defeat them. By the time I returned, though, Gin had already passed the exam, and I was packing up my belongings and moving on to the King's Realm." "And what about the archives in the Guard facilities?" said Rangiku. "There was some material there that helped me." replied James. "The documents regarding the use of the Senkaimon in particular were most useful, as they were completely unaltered. However, any evidence of foul play on the part of the now traitor captains was circumstantial at best. Still…" His voice trailed off, and Rangiku decided she needed to interfere before his thoughts went further down what was obviously the path of self-recrimination and misplaced guilt.
"James, look at me," she said. He did, and was once again mesmerized by her beautiful face. A faint, familiar blush went over his face, which she could feel herself reciprocating lightly. Focus girl, she thought to herself. She looked into his eyes and began speaking.
"I know this is hard to accept, but you are not at fault for what has happened over the past century. You did everything you possibly could to get to the bottom of what had happened to your master and Aizen's involvement. You did more to attempt to expose him and the truth about that incident than the rest of the Soul Society combined. His betrayal of all of us is his doing alone, his and his companions. There was no solid proof to be had against them until it was too late." He stared at her, stunned at her directness. "Rangiku… how can you say that… you've been caught up in this mess… how can you…" "Not blame you?" she finished for him. "Easy: because it is not your fault. Get that through your head." She then softened her expression. "It's the only way you'll be able to defeat them in the coming war. Your guilt will only way you down."
His shocked look turned into one of contemplation for a little bit, and then he did something that surprised her: he threw his arms around her in a fierce embrace. She stiffened a little in surprise, then relaxed and returned the embrace, a warm feeling growing inside her. After a few moments like that they parted, and he took her hands in his. "Rangiku," he said, "thank you." She smiled, "you're welcome. Now, what do you say we head back to Orihime's for the night." He was slightly puzzled. "Are you sure about that? My patrol's not done yet." "Oh don't worry about it. Besides, you have the highest rank out of any Soul Reaper in this city. What are you going to do, court martial yourself? Use those perks of rank a little bit." He laughed, and rose up from the bench. He offered her his hand and she took it, rising up as well. Together they walked off into the night, both of their moods much lighter than they had been awhile ago.
Author's note: Whew, that took awhile! Sorry this took so long, this chapter was the first serious romantic one in the story, and I'm still developing my skills in that area. I didn't want to have it overflowing with fluff. I got nothing against fluff, but it's just not my style. I took a few liberties with the canon of the Bleach storyline, which I'll be doing throughout the story, much more so in the later chapters. Hey, this is fanfic, and I want to have some fun with it! Seriously though, my overall storyline is going to part sharply from Kubo's soon enough. I'm hoping you guys (and girls) will be willing to stick around and see what happens! Little preview, the next chapter will also be romantic, pretty much a date chapter. Also, it will involve music by the incredible rock band "Journey" (I love those guys!). As always, feedback is appreciated, just no flames please!