Chapter 8—Heart's Shadow
"Hurry up Kei-chan! This way this way!" Yachiru taunted.
Keichi glared as the pink haired sprite lured him further away from civilization. He began to have second thoughts about this. Wouldn't Rukia and Renji get upset if he suddenly ran off? Well, perhaps not Renji but Rukia seemed to be the type to give him an earful. How far did she plan to go anyway?
Just as Keichi was about to shout out to her, Yachiru came to an abrupt stop in an open field. Keichi slid to a halt. He looked around at the sparse vegetation. There was barely any grass to cover the hard packed earth and the shrubbery was gnarled and leafless. Perhaps it had once been a pleasant field of wild flowers, but now it was little more than blighted land. There would be no people nearby for miles.
Yachiru looked up, her round childlike face serious once more. Her hand rested easily on her sword. "Now no one can interrupt us."
Keichi felt his throat tighten as he looked into her pink eyes. The dim moonlight must have been playing tricks on him. For a second, her eyes looked red.
Her zanpakuto had both a pink hilt and scabbard and the guard had the delicate shape of a forget-me-not. Despite its girlish appearance, Keichi could feel a horrendous power flowing beneath that blade just as its user.
"There's no convincing you otherwise is there?" Keichi said taking a fighting stance. "Then let me ask you one thing. Why do you want to fight me so bad? You're a captain aren't you? There's no way I could beat you."
Her eyes narrowed to almost slits. "Silence fool. Hiss, Majyoneko."
Even as she pulled the habaki past the scabbard, her power overflowed. Whatever was left of the landscape blew away from her center. Keichi covered his eyes to protect them from the dust her reiatsu kicked up. He gripped his toes deep into the ground to prevent from being blown backward like a twig. Through his shielded vision, he saw her sword, which had been almost the full length of her body, glowed pink with her own energy. He could barely see the blade engulfed in the light. When she moved her arm to point the sword toward him, the blade cast after images of light.
"Draw your sword Kurosaki," Yachiru warned.
Keichi didn't need to be told twice. No sooner did he free it of its sheath did he feel the full force of her sword against his. The attack was strong and Keichi could feel a shocking level of malice behind her attack. However it didn't have the same amount of power behind it as Renji's Zabimaru. Even so, he had not been fully on guard and the force sent him sprawling backward several feet.
Keichi recovered his balance before he hit the ground. He could play the defensive if he kept it solid. Most of the power came from the speed of the blow.
Yachiru didn't give him the chance to defend properly. Before he realized, she was on him again, slashing furiously. Her slashes would switch between jabs faster than Keichi could change his stance to block appropriately. One attack pierced his arm, another slashed his leg. Keichi cried out at the sudden appearance of the deep wounds. He slashed at the girl, but she back flipped and easily avoided it, opening some distance.
Keichi was breathing hard already. Blood ran down his arm and gathered at a pool on his hilt. His wounded leg shook.
"Hmph…you're strong than this. Show me your real power or this is going to be boring," Yachiru stated still glaring.
Dammit…I don't know what I did to piss her off but…this isn't going to end unless I do something.
Keichi thought for a moment. If he released Akumegetsu, he'd likely pass out again like he did the last two times. There was no guarantee his power would even be enough to handle Yachiru, despite what the girl seemed to think.
How long are you going to stand there? Thinking about it isn't going to get us anywhere. You can only move forward.
Keichi paused. His sword was speaking to him again? But I don't really have a reason to fight her.
He felt a slight tingle through his body and it almost felt as if his sword was laughing. Reason? Didn't you say you wanted more power? Those who search for power search for battle. That's the only way to obtain power.
"Kurosaki. It seems you lost your nerve," Yachiru said with a look of disgust. "To think you have the same reiatsu as that guy and yet you're just a coward. I won't kill a weakling who can't grasp the power in front of him."
Keichi gripped his blade. Fine. I get it. You want to get stronger too huh?
"Tch. I don't know why you people keep relating me to that guy. But I'll show you. This is my power."
Keichi ignored the prickling pain in his arm as he moved his sword in front of him. "Rip through the darkness, Akumegetsu."
Yachiru grinned like she had just received a giant birthday cake. "Oh? Now you wanna get serious?"
She launched forward for another attack, faster than before. Though her sword did not change much in appearance when it was released, maintaining its general shape and size, her strength and speed more than tripled. Majyoneko also possessed the bonus ability of materializing her immense reiatsu around it, making it difficult to follow the sword's movements and extending the range of her attack. She had been using only a fraction of its power up until now, testing Keichi's swordsmanship to its limits, and slowly raising her skill accordingly.
As she attacked, Yachiru noticed something strange about Keichi's release. He suddenly seemed more skilled than before. Before, he was only able to block the more fatal blows. Now, he blocked every move she threw at him and kept pace with her seemingly effortlessly. As the fight prolonged and her skill rose, so did his until suddenly, without a change of stance he took the offensive.
Yachiru saw it a second to late. The eyeless sockets of the skull on his scythe lit with a primeval hunger. His lips wordlessly formed the attack, "Red eye of the demon king."
Yachiru tried to back away, but the light beneath her feet followed her. Despite her increased speed, she could not wholly avoid the attack. A maniac laugh echoed around her. Yachiru looked up and could barely see the maddened look on Keichi's face illuminated in the darkness by the afterglow of the eerie red reiatsu that emanated from him.
"No one can escape the demon's sight," a voice that was both his and not his laughed.
Yachiru struggled to her feet. "Don't get so cocky Kei-kun. We're just beginning to have so fun," Yachiru also had a half mad look in her eyes. She leisurely licked the blood on her hand away in one smooth motion.
"If you're really Ichi, Ken-chan will get mad if I kill you. So I suppose there's only one way to find out. Aren't you curious?"
Keichi said nothing but stared.
"If you can beat me, you're Ichi. If not, then you can't possibly be the same person made Ken-chan want to get stronger," Yachiru stated.
She flipped her bobbed pink hair over her ear. "But right now, you don't seem to be either Kei-kun or Ichi."
Yachiru dashed forward. She never practiced shunpo, but the sheer strength of her legs and lightness of her body enabled her to move faster than the eye could follow.
She gripped Majyoneko with both hands now, doubling her attack force. "Heavy fang."
As she slashed downward, she felt her sword connect…nothing? Yachiru glanced behind her, using the force of her attack to open some distance and avoid the scythe's blade. Too slow. Akumegetsu caught her by the leg. Keichi's eyes widened with glee. For a moment, it reminded her of Kenpachi's look when he was enjoying the battle. But it was only for a moment.
It was her turn to switch to the defensive. Something was definitely off about Keichi. He no longer seemed to be aware of himself. If anything…it was like the sword had taken control. If it were not for the fact that she was thoroughly enjoying the intensity of the battle, Yachiru would have been concerned. Even so, she wanted to fight Keichi. He said he would show her his power. But…
"A man who has no control over his power and relies on his sword's strength alone is no man at all," Yachiru cast a cool glare as she just managed to block a powerful blow. She side stepped the brutal weapon and caught it by its shaft.
With her free hand, she cut deep into Keichi's stomach. He staggered for a moment. His eyes looked surprised, and she thought that it was over. Yachiru pulled Majyoneko free and turned away.
"You're strong, whoever you are. But you still have a long way to go before you could ever beat Ken-chan. So, I guess I won't kill you after all."
As she turned away, Keichi struggled to his feet. Blood oozed from his open wound with each heavy breath. He lifted his weapon and made several strokes, "Claws of the demon lord," he muttered.
Crescent blades of reiatsu as dark as his blood shot forth from each swing. Yachiru did not turn around. She released all of her reiatsu in one explosive blast forming and angry pink cat.
The blades whipped around her, stronger than she had expected. She could only manage to blow away several. One caught her in the shoulder, the other in her side. Yachiru fell to the ground in shock, her wounds bleeding profusely. She dropped her zanpakuto and as it fell beside her it returned to a simple katana.
She could hear the ground crunch under Keichi's feet as he approached. She glanced over her shoulder to find the cold wetness of steel around her neck.
"Die," Keichi's strange voice said. She could no longer make out his face even though it was so close. Yachiru smiled.
No! Stop it! I told you to stop already! This is my battle! Keichi screamed within his inner world. This was the third, and longest, time this happened. Akumegetsu was out of control.
Keichi struggled against invisible binds. Murky shadows seemed to cling to him. He could hear faint cries in the distance like the souls of slain enemies.
"Stop!" he shouted. Everything around him was frozen. It took him a moment to realize he was standing back in the desolate field, made worse by their battle, with a sword against Yachiru's neck.
Akumegetsu had returned to his sealed form.
It took Keichi another moment to realize that his stomach was oozing gore. Keichi stared in horror at his wound before a wave of nausea swept over him. Yachiru looked at him curiously before he fell to the side, clutching his wound.
"Tch…baby," she rolled her eyes.
She poked her fallen opponent several times with her foot. No response. "Hmph…well I guess that's all for now."
Yachiru lifted him effortlessly. His blood still pooled out. He also had several older wounds that didn't seem to be fully healed. If she didn't get him patched up, he was probably going to die. That would be really sad. Ken-chan would have definitely liked to meet him.
"You know Kei-kun, when I first met you I was really angry," she said as she carried him back to civilization.
She knew the unconscious boy couldn't hear her, but somehow it felt good to get the feelings off her chest. "I told you if you won I'd tell you all about it right? You didn't quite win though…but I guess I'll be nice"
"You reminded me of Ichi. Ken-chan left to find him and then you show up. But where's Ken-chan? I thought. He said he wouldn't come back until he found Ichi. Ken-chan never breaks his promises you know. So I guess…you're not Ichi are you? When Ken-chan returns, he'll be captain again and I'll be his lieutenant. That's the way it's suppose to be Kei-chan."
Dammit Akumegetsu! What's wrong with you?
The spirit that dwelled within his zanpakuto had returned to the inner world, as well as Keichi. He could remember the wound in his belly. Perhaps he entered this place whenever he was near death. If so, he figured he'll be waking up in the 4th squad's barracks again. But before that, he was going to figure something out.
Akumegetsu stood silently before him, a formless image that shimmered in the darkness. Keichi would have stormed up to the man and grabbed him, or give him a solid punch, if there was anything to grab or punch. He wasn't sure, he had never tried.
Though you say you want power, you are afraid of facing that power. Because of this, you lack control of what you claim to be your power Keichi.
Grr…doesn't give you the right to take over and kill people! He shouted.
Naïve. What do you think a weapon is for? To protect? Whenever you raise your sword, for whatever the reason, it must come down with the intent to kill. Otherwise, you will never move forward.
You're supposed to be a part of me. I don't recall any part of me wanting to kill defenseless opponents.
Then if you think you have the strength to subjugate me…
Keichi's fist tightened. He was really beginning to wonder it light was tangible enough to punch.
Subjugate? Like fight you? Fine knock some sense into you, let's go.
Akumegetsu laughed. You are still too weak in body. Next time…
Keichi felt the fogginess that numbed his brain pull back. "Wait! No! Not yet, let's fight now!"
Keichi thrashed and grabbed out to the fading light. He felt strong arms restrain him. Something held him down and a sharp pain shot through his abdomen.
His eyes flew open.
The 12th division was home to many strange shinigami. This was primarily due to its position as the head of Research and Development. The latest and greatest inventions all began here and most of them through less than savory research. Mayuri Kurotsuchi was both captain and lead scientist of this motley crew. His assistant Nemu was also his lieutenant and a research project in and of herself.
Currently, they and a few lead investigators including the horned Akon, the green bulbous Hiyosu, and the disorderly Rin were researching the issue of the hollow attack during the Shinigami Academy's training. Another point of interest was how the Quincy, who Mayuri was well versed in, found a way through the barrier erected. It seemed they had made several new advancements in the past few decades.
"It was your job to monitor Quincy development Rin," Akon scolded. "I bet you were busy shopping for candy instead of tailing our target."
"I was not! I mean…not at the time," the young man contested. "It was like she knew I was there so I had to hide in that candy shop."
"She couldn't have possibly sensed your reiatsu," Hiyosu interjected. "I made that gigai special. While inside it, it's like you're completely human. You can't even sense hollow."
Rin rubbed his neck. Boy didn't he know. He hated being in that thing. Though it was fun going down to earth, he didn't like his spiritual energy suppressed to such a level. He felt…naked.
"Well she knew something was up so I had to hide," he insisted.
"Will you three idiots shut up!" Mayuri's voice echoed across the room. At the same time, Nemu appeared behind them ominously.
Rin had suffered one of her famous "shut up" chops before. He immediately fell silent.
"Aha…it seems that the hollow have indeed been altered. The samples we used were defective before they arrived."
"Defective? How? Hollow can't be defective can they?" Akon moved to peer over his captain's shoulder.
"What your breath! You're fogging my screen," Mayuri grumbled. "It's a point we never actually considered because it never came up. Hollow souls are not like mod souls. A defective one would be like a defective shinigami. Unheard of but not impossible."
"It seems that the samples we received came from a supplier in the Rukon District. Hollow have been appearing sporadically in the outreaches, but are swiftly dealt with by the residents. Nothing particularly strong, not like the ones that appeared. When we infuse them with our suppressants they become little more than dancing puppets," Mayuri had a habit of speaking out loud to himself whenever he was nearing a conclusion.
"Mhm…very interesting. Very suspicious too. Nemu I need an investigation of an East Rukongai district 75 resident. One Mr. Don Kanoji."
"Yes Mayuri-sama," Nemu simply said and bowed before she disappeared.
"In the mean time, Rin will return to his assigned duties of following that Quincy girl. Akon will examine all hollow samples to see if any other defects exist. Hiyosu will create several test gigai for both our good samples and defective ones."
Hiyosu's eyes bulged forward with excitement. "What kind of tests will you run on the gigai Mayuri-sama?"
Mayuri grinned. "Very thorough ones…You better create gigai that can withstand my chemicals. I don't want them breaking down like last time."
Hiyosu nodded. If Mayuri-sama wouldn't be so rough during experiments, perhaps the gigai would last longer. But Hiyosu didn't mind. Creating new gigai was his specialty. He prided himself on having not only perfected, but expanded Uruhara Kisuke's original design.
"This is bad Rukia," Renji paced back and forth outside Keichi's medical room. As often as he had been in there, Iemura thought it would be funny to put a more permanent tag on the door. The idea was quickly shot down by Unohana with a glance.
"He leaves my sight for one second and he gets into trouble," Renji clenched his jaw nervously.
Rukia sat calmly as she could outside the door. Her brow was furrowed as if in deep thought. Keichi's battle with Yachiru had not gone unnoticed. In fact, half of that district of Rukongai was in a state of emergency from the sudden bursts of reiatsu. Yachiru would not be without fault, but it was Keichi's that spiked first. In legal terms, her's would be seen as self defense no matter how much she denied it.
Central 46 would not let this go lightly.
"Dammit," Renji scratched his head furiously. "There's gotta be something we can do? How about we ask Kuchiki-taicho?"
"Eh? Nii-sama?"
Rukia almost fell out of her chair. She and her brother had been on awkward terms since she had become a captain. Rukia was mature enough to know that it was simply because he knew he wouldn't be able to protect her so easily anymore. Even so, she was not about to sit silently when she had the ability to do more. For that reason, her brother also admired her…a little. She had become more and more like a Kuchiki.
When she recovered she replied, "True…nii-sama might know of something…But why would he help?"
Renji's shoulders drooped. Byakuya was not the most generous of people when it came to law-breakers. They had all fully realized that hundreds of years ago when he supported Rukia's death sentence. He hasn't been so quick to judge after Aizen's betrayal, but he was still, in the nicest of terms, a hardass.
"Well…wasn't one of his squad members killed while on patrol in the human world?" Hanataro appeared at Renji's elbow.
"Ah? What? When did this happen?"
Hanataro thought for a moment. "Jun Omochi…11th seat. It was about 3 months ago. He never returned from his mission."
"Are you sure he didn't desert?" Rukia asked.
"Omochi-san was always strict," Renji shook his head. "I met him a couple of times and he admired Kuchiki-taicho immensely."
Hanataro nodded. "Yes and we did find a trace of his reiatsu in the woods near Karakura along with the presence of a high level hollow and two Qunicy. One being the same as the one reported to have been with Keichi the night Omochi found him."
Renji stared, flabbergasted. "Wait…you guys had all that information? Why didn't you say something?"
Hanataro looked confused. "We didn't think it was very important. I mean, it could be a coincidence. And even if not, none if it had anything to do with Keichi really. I mean, not until recently were the Quincy very aggressive toward shinigami in Karakura."
"He's right Renji," Rukia stepped in. "But I think Nii-sama might be interested in the connection. If Central 46 puts Keichi away, we'll miss our chance to solve this."
Just then they heard Keichi shouting in the next room. "Oh, gotta go," Hanataro disappeared into the room leaving the two captains exchanging another worried glance.
"I'll talk to Kuchiki-taicho," Renji said after a long moment.
Though being in the man's presence made him uneasy, he understood things were a little more tense for Rukia. It may have taken a few decades to realize, but having been Byakuya's lieutenant, Renji had actually seen more of the stoic noble than Rukia. Perhaps this sense of familiarity, as well as Renji's own determination to surpass the man, made him feel a little more relaxed about asking favors of the head of the Kuchiki clan.
Rukia sighed audibly. "Very well. Thanks, Renji," she cast a glance toward the significantly taller captain. "I'll stay here and look after Keichi."
The pale rays of the morning sun crept through Kami's blinds. She hadn't slept a wink last night. Her computer screen hummed silently while its screensaver, a cross that rotated with a 3-D effect, waited for someone to move the mouse.
Kami crawled out of her bed and pushed any key.
"Mail," the computer chimed.
Kami rubbed her eyes and looked at the sender. The name didn't make sense. She didn't know anyone by the name of Kamineko. Was it some kind of joke?
Kami was about to delete the mail, but the topic caught her eye. [You're being watched]. Suspicious. Her mind went through a number of people that could be spying on her. Not to mention she had been having that niggling feeling that someone was following her. Was it this Kamineko?
Ishida opened the mail:
We know what you've been researching. We can help. Meet me at the address below at sunset. Come alone. Tell no one.
Kami stared incredulously. Who had the audacity to send a message like this? And the way it was written, it sounded like a blackmail letter. She read it several times but could not find a way to identify the person. Kami tried to trace it back to the sender, but when she did so, her computer entered safe mode. Whoever this person was, they definitely knew Kami and wanted her to do everything on their terms.
She immediately thought of showing this to Takashi. Then the ominous title of the message popped into her mind. She was being watched.
No…I can't let him get caught up in this. He's got worries of his own anyway.
Kami scoured her room for spy devices but it was clean. If they were watching her, it wasn't from here…at least as far as she could tell. She quickly showered and changed before gathering up all the information she had printed and hiding it in a folder in her bag. Sunset was a long way off. Until then, she would have to gather as much information on the meeting point as possible. If this person was just an unsavory human, she'd be more than capable of handling the situation alone. If not, Kami installed a tracking transmitter on her computer. Any smart person would be able to find it and then find Kami if she was gone for too long.
Rin was half asleep in the park across from the Ishida residence, an apartment like mansion adjacent to the hospital. It was meant to house the multitude of staff and some high profile family members of patients near the hospital. In was an effective and efficient minor community.
It was far too early, or in Rin's case, late, to be doing a spy mission. Spying wasn't necessarily his specialty, but he blended into the human world better than his superiors. For that reason alone, he had been sent on several missions to gather data for his captain. No shops were open this early either so there wasn't much he could do.
Rin looked up just in time to see Kami leaving the apartment. He ducked out of sight. What was she doing up so early? Wasn't school out? Rin turned on his reiatsu detector and followed several block behind her, always keeping out of sight. She didn't seem to be going anywhere specific. First she entered a public library, then an internet café. By this time, shops had opened and she ate breakfast. Rin was tired, bored, and hungry. This gigai was more human than effective.
Rin was distracted by the aroma of burgers. His mouth began to water. Kami was still eating across the street.
"I guess I can take a break…" he said out loud.
It only took the few minutes to order and walk outside again for Rin to lose track of Kami. He stuffed his face and searched his signal frantically. The girl had already gotten so far! She was on her way to the outskirts of Karakura City, commonly called Old Town. There was nothing there from what Rin could recall but few warehouses and old buildings. Nothing was really in uses anymore. Not even the gangs bothered fighting over that territory. It was also apparently haunted. Why would she go there? He hurried to catch up.
Renji sat across from Byakuya in his office at the 6th Division Headquarters. Despite the fact that they both wore captain's garb, Renji could still sense the world of difference between them. Such a gap was not easily filled with clothing.
"To what do I owe this visit Captain Abarai?" Byakuya said, barely glancing at Renji.
Renji instinctively bowed his head. "Forgive me for coming on such short notice. I, um, well…it seems there has been some trouble lately with…you know," Renji couldn't find the words.
"Please speak frankly, Captain Abarai. I do not have a day set aside for you," Byakuya frowned.
He probably knew where Renji was going. It was no secret that Keichi had joined Renji's squad, nor had his battle with Kusajishi been kept quiet among the captains. Word had already spread about this huge protocol infraction, and Central 46 made it clear that they would not let it go. Although Byakuya had yet to meet Keichi, he could already tell the boy had troublemaker written on his face. It seemed appearance was not the only thing Keichi was rumored to have in common with the last nuisance.
"Yes sir," Renji said and lifted his head slightly. "It's about Keichi. I'm sure you may have heard…"
After Renji explained the situation he waited for Byakuya to say something. The noble continued to pen something on the papers before him silently. Finally he set his work aside and cast a long cold gaze at Renji.
"Why have you come to me then? I am not so rash as to assume there exists a relation between former 11th seat Omochi's supposed killer and your new recruit. Furthermore, even if there was, it is absolutely of no concern to my duties as a protector of the Seireitei," Byakuya's voice was dangerously low. If Renji didn't reveal a good reason for wasting his time, he'd be in trouble.
Renji set his jaw. He had already come this far, he may as well go all the way. "Captain, you know what Keichi's punishment might be. If they do that, what do you suppose will happen? I've seen a side of that kid that, if left untrained, will consume everything. Like you said, your duty is to protect Soul Society, and so is mine. I will do anything to protect one of my squad members."
Byakuya sighed and as he breathed out, the tense atmosphere around him dissipated slowly. "Then Captain Abarai, I suggest you do that. As long as you do not create trouble, I have no reason to refute your actions."
"Captain—"
"However, I do not wish a repeat of last time. Therefore, let me ask you one more thing. You admit that your subordinate's power is a danger to himself and soul society if left uncontrolled. How do you intend to protect him and soul society if you break the rules? Aren't you only making such grand efforts because of his similarities to that guy?"
It was Renji's turn for a long, silent pause. "We haven't confirmed why those two are alike in power and appearance. But if they are so similar, I can expect that Central 46's ruling won't be the end of it. If anything, it'll create more harm then good. There's got to be a better way. With practice, Keichi will learn to control his power."
"His power is not the issue. It is his reason for wielding it. Why do you raise your sword Abarai?" Byakuya countered.
Renji's eyes leveled with his former captain. It was a rhetorical question. A challenge. Why did any of them fight? Pride, honor, strength. These intangible forces drove them all to the brink of death and back. Keichi's purpose was still unclear to himself as long as his identity was in question. Even if he obtained power, he wouldn't be able to control it without a solid purpose. If anyone managed to develop a purpose that would lead to endangering Soul Society…it was the Gotei 13's duty as well as the power of Central 46, to stop that.
"Captain. You once said, if we continue to look back, we will never move forward," Renji said finally. "But I believe that if we don't look back, we'll forget why we're moving forward. Because the answer is always there, in the heart."
He stood, bowed, and thanked the noble before leaving without a glance back. He always had found it hard to look back at Byakuya, but the image of him sitting behind that desk would always stir Renji's blood. Surpassing him had been Renji's main goal. But why did Renji initially want to become a Shinigami? To escape the harsh streets of Rukongai? No it had all been Rukia's idea.
Rukia. She was the reason he was here. It had taken far too long for him to realize it. Renji had made many wrong turns down his path. But in the end, there was only one answer. He simply wanted to be close to her. Byakuya no longer stood in the way, despite his power as the head of the Kuchiki clan. Because Rukia had also made her own path, which inevitably brought them close once again. Renji smiled a little as he left the 6th squad's grounds. He definitely could help Keichi find his own path.
When Keichi's eyes opened, he did not feel the gut wrenching pain. According to Hanataro, he had almost been cut in two. He was lucky that Yachiru never intended to kill him. Otherwise he'd be the first shinigami to die less than a week after joining the Gotei 13.
Keichi touched his wound lightly. He barely felt any pain, but he knew it was the sedatives they had jammed into the wound. The cure was indeed sometimes worse than the illness.
"You're awake," Rukia's voice travelled across the room. "What is it, the third time you've been here?"
Keichi sat up slightly and half smiled, "Yeah…perhaps I'll become an honorary member of the 4th squad at this rate."
Rukia stifled a laugh. "Making jokes at a time like this…are you brainless? Besides, the 4th squad doesn't need someone who's always getting into trouble."
"Not that I mind, Rukia but, why are you here?"
Rukia quieted and looked down at her hands. "I'm suppose to tell you as soon as you wake up. It seems Central 46 wants to see you immediately," she said at length.
"Central 46?" Keichi searched the woman's downcast fast. "Why?"
Rukia didn't return his gaze. "It's about your battle with Captain Kusajishi. You broke quite a few rules and, considering the damage your power caused to the surrounding areas..."
"It wasn't me," Keichi said simply. "That fight…that wasn't me."
Rukia's eyes widened. Where had she heard this before? "Don't say that in front of the judges," she warned.
He looked at her curiously but she turned to leave. "Get dressed," Rukia said over her shoulder. "I'll guide you the gates of Central 46's headquarters."
On their way to the center of Seireitei, Keichi hazard to ask Rukia what she meant by warning him not to say he had not been in control of the fight. Wasn't inexperience with one's new power a valid excuse? He didn't expect to get off scott-free, but he didn't understand the gravity over her tone.
"What do you know about Central 46?" Rukia asked just before they arrived.
"I heard they pretty much the courthouse of the Seireitei, but that's about it."
"Let me just tell you right now then. They're not always looking out for the Gotei's best interest. Be careful of what you say in there if they ask you questions. Don't let them think you are a liability."
Keichi wondered at Rukia's cryptic message. They arrived at a long bridge that stretched across a circular body of water. Keichi could see a short circular structure in the middle of the water. "This doesn't look so grand," he mused.
"The rest of it is underground. This is as far as I can take you," Rukia explained when they reached the bridge.
Keichi glanced at her, then back of the structure. Despite its attempt to look tranquil, he had a sudden foreboding feel for the place. Keichi set his jaw and put his hand on his sword before walking down the long path.
As he neared, he could see two guards on either side of the large black door. Each held a bangle-staff in one hand. When Keichi got closer, the door slid open seemingly by itself. Keichi paused to look at the guards, but they made no expression. They did not even look at him.
"I guess I just uh…walk in huh?" he folded his arms behind his head, attempting to act nonchalant. In reality, this whole atmosphere was beginning to creep him out.
After he crossed the threshold, the door shut faster than it opened. Keichi jumped and looked behind him. The two guards, or two that looked just like the ones on the outside, closed in behind him like he was a prisoner.
"Hey give me some room will ya?" he growled and stormed down the only path he could see, a dark stairway.
The stairs opened to a spacious circular blue room with an octagon structure in the center. Keichi paused for a moment, stunned by the magnitude of the monolith. A nudge from the guards behind him prodded him onward.
The room within the Underground Assembly Chamber was dark, darker than the staircase. Keichi's eyes burned from the sudden changes in light. He moved foreword into what he assumed was the center of the octagon room. As soon as he stopped, a light flashed on above him.
He squinted and shielded his eyes against the glare. Looking around, he could only make out silhouettes of large rectangular panels. It seemed he was surrounded and the panels raised two levels.
"Keichi Kurosaki," a voice rang out from above. "Although we are aware of your inexperience as a shinigami, your crime is one of common knowledge. The attack and attempted murder of 11th Division Captain under unofficial ordinances is a crime worthy of capital punishment."
Keichi protested. "What? But it wasn't like that!" He didn't want to implicate his opponent, but how could a match that was suppose to be a test of skills turn into something like this?
"Furthermore, reports show you are unable to control your massive level of reiatsu once released. This sends you into a murderous rage. Would you deny it?"
Keichi stared, stunned. Reports? What reports. He barely had his zanpakuto for a week and there were reports on him? So far this didn't seem much like a trial. Keichi glared in the direction of the voice.
"Do you have any final words before we decided your sentence?" asked a second voice not far from the first.
"Decide? What the hell are you talking about," Keichi growled back, losing his patience. He had not fully healed and the pain killers were wearing thin. "You sound like you guys have already decided. What can I say? You want me to apologize or something? I'm the one that almost got killed and yet you're acting like I wiped out half a town."
Keichi just realized something. The people before him, how did he know they hadn't been waiting for a chance to put him on trial? It's just as Rukia warned, they saw him as a liability. But to what? Why? Was it because he learned quickly? Was it because he couldn't control his power? It had to be something deeper. Something about him worried even Central 46.
"Very well Keichi Kurosaki. You will be detained in a cell of Sekkiseki rock until we have reached our verdict," a third voice said.
Guards appeared once more at either side of him. They practically lifted him from the ground when they grabbed Keichi by the elbows and dragged him away. Keichi didn't try to resist. What could he do even if he did run? Surely the others would think of something. Either this was a misunderstanding or a set up. But Keichi found a sparkle of faith in Rukia and Renji. He didn't know where it came from, and the thought of relying on two people who were still practically strangers to him concerned him. What had gotten into him lately?
They had taken his sword and threw Keichi none too gently into a white cell that rose so high up from the ground that he could not see the roof. The window was very high up and too narrow to let light pass. Keichi immediately felt his reiryoku cut the moment he passed through the doors of this pristine prison. It felt as if he had been stripped of his life's breath. Keichi spun toward his captors, suddenly frantic. One kicked him in his wound, sending him back several feet. Keichi doubled over in pain, his vision blurred. He felt helpless as he watched the doors shut with a final click. Soon, darkness invaded his eyes once more.