Many thanks to Tango Dancer, Informant's first reviewer! Enjoy folks.
Informant
Chapter 2 – Cat and Mouse upon the Streets of Despair
He awoke with the first rays of light from the sun, sliding defiantly through slender cracks in the metal sheets that made up the back wall of the building Shinji and his group had claimed as their own. For several minutes he merely laid there, eyes closed and breathing relaxed, listening to the many bodies around him; he could hear the familiar soft snort of Hiyori's exhales from beside the massive form of Hachi, and some ways off the alert breaths of Shinji and Lisa.
It was the distant sound of claws, sharp and untamed, against the road outside that finally convinced him to move, carefully slipping through any gaps in the tangled mess of bodies that he could find, heading towards the front door; Shinji and Lisa turned slightly to throw him irritated glances as he came to a stop between the two, a place that could very easily be attacked. He saw the gold of the luminous eyes a fraction of a minute before the pale fur was caught by a ray of golden sunlight; a small smirk tilted his lips upwards as Shinji's eyes widened slightly and Lisa half stumbled back a step. The white furred wolf snorted softly as it trotted up to his side, long strands of coarse hair brushing gently against his lightly tanned skin. He ignored the stunned forms of his two friends as the white wolf dissolved into obsidian smoke that coiled up into his skin.
"…Ichigo?" Shinji questioned as a frown slipped into place over the younger boys features.
Gold-Brown eyes shifted from their contemplative gaze into the steadily lightening world outside, a soft hum passing through pale lips.
"What the Hells going on with ya, Ichigo?" The blond hissed quietly, an angry glare burning into the shorter street rat.
With a heavy sigh a hand tracked its way through the mess of slightly matted orange hair. "You do not want to know Shinji, believe me on that much at least." Ichigo murmured ignoring the furious glower the elder blond directed his way. "If you really want to know," he threw back over his shoulder casually as he tugged a fresh shirt over his head and marched confidently out into the street, "I'll be back in about a month. Ask again then."
The blond teen's furious spluttering drifted through the air for several moments before Shinji managed to get himself under control enough to yell after him. "I'll hold ya to that, Kurosaki!"
"Of that," Kurosaki Ichigo murmured to himself, voice stolen away by a sudden gusting of the gentle breeze as he turned into the mouth of an empty alley, "I have absolutely no doubt, Hirako Shinji."
The sun hung high in the sky as four darkly furred paws paused in the casual trot of a particularly large black dogs winding path along the crowded streets of Junrinan, the vast shopping district separating Seireitei, the political and governmental sector, and the Rukongai, the slums; just visible through the thick haze of fog to the northern edge of Junrinan lay the distant silhouettes of skyscrapers reaching proudly towards the sky. Panting lightly, the dog tilted its head to and fro, deep blue luminous irises committing each figure to memory as the hulking canine wound its way to the edge of the dirt road. With its hindquarters resting against the stone of a large store house, the dog lay itself down with its head resting upon its fore-paws.
Some hours later, the dog lifted its head as a figure caught its undivided attention; tall and casually dressed with long black hair pulled into a neat bun at the back of their head was a woman with her left arm tied up in a sling. Hauling itself to its massive paws the dog stretched languidly, blue eyes never losing sight of the woman; shifting into the shadows of a vendors stall, the strong scent of incense and perfume filling the air and drifting to the dog's dark nose, the canine waited. Not five minutes later the woman was stood before the stall, casually examining the various bottles and long sticks, occasionally asking a question of the vendor. Twenty minutes later the tall woman wound her way back into the pedestrian traffic with a paper bag in hand and the black dog tailing her from the shadows.
The woman's brisk pace led her and the dog onto a wide side street where a simple carriage stood waiting, a large man waiting on the driver's bench. Shuffling her purchases absently between her sling and chest to free her good arm long enough to open the carriage door, the woman turned to speak with her driver, neither so much as glancing at the large dog as it loped up and leapt easily into the open carriage; the woman climbing in a matter of moments later with her package held somewhat awkwardly, a tanned hand reaching passed her to close the door.
"I could have managed just fine on my own, Zangetsu-san." The woman murmured quietly as she took a seat opposite the one already claimed by the black haired figure.
A cocky smirk tilted the shadowed figures pale lips even as the soft sound of hoof beats against the hard packed dirt of Junrinan's roads filled the air. "I never insinuated otherwise, Shiba Kukaku-sama." A silken, male voice declared softly as deep blue irises peered out of the natural shadows of the carriage. "Tell me about Kukchiki's connection to Abarai Renji, I'm sure you of all people know about him."
A sigh left Shiba Kukaku as she set her acquisitions on the leather cushioned bench beside her. "There isn't much I can tell you about it," she started with an absent glance at her shadowed companion before turning her gaze to the small pane of glass set into the door, half obscured by a dark, swaying curtain. "Byakuya's been keeping his methods quiet for a good long while, and everything I do know is second hand information from Yoruichi; if it were anyone other than you asking me about this I'd be surprised." A barely visible eyebrow rose in irritation. "About four years ago, around the time of that explosion that wiped out over half of Fugai and melted most of the southern edge of Sabitsura, Byakuya and some of his men got caught in an underground laboratory."
"The one run by Masamune Keichiru? Just out of Hokutan?" Zangetsu's voice drifted from his corner, sounding slightly startled.
With a feint nod of confirmation Kukaku continued. "That's the one, the bastard killed a dozen good men and women before Abarai's gang barged in, looking to collect whatever debt the messed up bastard owed them; the way I hear it, Abarai's been passing information through an old friend of his, Haruhi I think her name was, ever since."
The carriage was silent for several seconds before the man breathed a soft curse.
"You know her?" Kukaku asked with a raised eyebrow, knowing full well that she wouldn't get an answer out of her companion. "Hey! What are you doing?" She hissed sharply as the man rose smoothly to his feet, effortlessly drawing the hood of his jacket over his dark hair as he did so.
"Thank you for your time, Shiba-sama; I will be taking my leave now. You will receive the usual message when next I wish to speak with you." His tall figure paused briefly at the door to give an infinitesimal bow to the woman before promptly opening the lacquered wood portal and stepping out. The door had closed again by the time Kukaku rose to her feet; she barely managed to catch a glimpse of black fur disappearing into the rising dust from the passing carriage wheels before it was gone.
With a heavy sigh, the young woman dropped back into her seat. "He could have at least let me know how little Michi-chan's doing, the reckless brat." She whispered softly to the empty air of her carriage. "Take us strait home, Koganehiko! Our passengers already left!" She yelled over the wind and rhythmic beating of hooves.
"Hai, Kukaku-sama!"
The sun had just started to dip below the distant horizon as Ichigo's heavily shadowed form stepped onto the dirt streets of Junrinan; his hands rested in the pockets of his new jeans, the hem of his graphic tee pushed back by the casual stance, his wrists covered by the light weight denim jacket he had left unfastened. His orange hair, having brightened slightly after a brief rest at an onsen, dulled to a pale brown by the brief shower he had walked through five miles back, when he was passing through the small strip of tamed Hueco Mundo between Junrinan and the mess of Rukongai. Over the past three weeks the teenager had been making himself as visible as possible, hoping to catch Kukchiki's attention via whoever he had stuck watching Rukongai security footage; and it was making him antsy, every instinct he had was honed with the Inuzuri slums, a place where drawing any form of attention to oneself was generally disastrous for one's health, firmly in mind.
The familiar dark furred form of Zangetsu sidled up to his side, his course black and brown fur brushing against his side with casual confidence in a familiar soothing gesture; if he was going for comfort, the fact that his form didn't immediately dissolve when he had been gone for almost the length of time it had taken for Ichigo to walk the distance between Inuzuri and Junrinan was doing the exact opposite. The gentle stream of information from earlier in the day at least gave him something to think about instead of how open to attack he was.
Twenty minutes later, as he was examining the stall of a whittler with a penchant for charms, he felt the eyes on him; idly running the fingers of his left hand through the thick fur across Zangetsu's shoulders dissuaded his canine companion from seeking out his watcher. "I'll take a wolf pendant." He informed the old man seated behind his stall.
"In honour of your friend?" The man queried in return, lifting the glass cover protecting his wares from thieves.
Flicking his gaze up to the man's hawk-like eyes, Ichigo reached a hand out to gently lift a dark wooden figure of a wolf in mid-lope. "…You could tell?"
The old carpenter chuckled lightly as he re-sealed his display with careless movements. "I have lived for a long time, my young friend; in those many years I have had the privilege of seeing all manner of beings."
Ichigo lifted his shoulders in a smooth motion that he hoped came off as casual. "I suppose I should thank you for not drawing attention to him; it's for a friend, to wish her well, and remind her she always has a safe place with me. Ja ne, Oyaji." He gave the old carpenter a shallow bow as he dropped a small pile of coins into the withered and calloused palm.
"Live well, child." He returned with a subtle incline of his head.
Tucking the small pendant into a hidden inside pocket, Ichigo slipped casually into the evening crowds, one hand knotted in Zangetsu's coarse fur and the other within reach of the dagger hidden by his three-sizes-to-large jacket. He would give his watcher credit, Ichigo decided with a slight tilt of his lips, it had taken his ever-observant gaze most of the main street he was walking down to find the man.
Lightly trailing the hand previously knotted in his companion's fur down the midnight stripe of fur over Zangetsu's spine, a light mental nudge had the wolf on his way to delay the tail Kuchiki had sent. Ichigo ducked out of the throngs on the opposite side of the street and several stalls further down, barely sparring a glance over his shoulder at the commotion his friend was causing as he leapt at the well-dressed officer, who, points for professionalism, was still attempting to track Ichigo's progress, with all the exuberance of a puppy; if the man hadn't been sent to track Ichigo's movements the teen might have pitied him, as it was he merely grinned to himself as he disappeared effortlessly into the shadows.
It would be interesting to see what the man would do after he managed to extricate himself from the bundle of protective energy that was Tensa Zangetsu.
Mori Ichinose cursed violently as he finally shoved the large, slender, darkly coloured dog from his person, a sharp glance about the area showed that his target hadn't reappeared back on the main street after ducking into one of the Junrinan back alleys that would lead to the outer wall of Seireitei if one didn't turn at any point along the three mile long gap between store houses. "Damnable mutt." He hissed angrily, turning his head to glower at the dog now sitting calmly beside him; luminous sapphire coloured eyes studying the officers form with sharp intensity that had absolutely no place in an animal's eyes. "I suppose the kids expecting you to follow me and telling you to go home won't do anything to help me?"
The large head tilted to the side and a rough pink tongue lolled from between jet black lips, as if in mocking agreement. Ichinose rumbled a myriad of curses and began the trek to where he had last seen the short teenager; he did his best to ignore the lithe black dog tailing him sedately. It took several minutes questioning/interrogating/pleading with the stall owner to get confirmation of which alley the boy had turned down, the old woman manning the sweets stall barely managed to stutter out that the boy hadn't seemed to have turned for some ways in.
Grumbling a brief word of thanks, Ichinose started down the alley at a light jog, his unwanted companion trotting along at his side. Twenty meters into the alley, at the first intersection created by the storehouses, he stilled; finely honed senses were screaming the presence of another at him, whispering warnings in his ear, and shaking his bones with their intensity.
Silence drifted over the area, completely drowning out the sounds of vendors hawking their wares on the main street behind him; the complete stillness was broken by the faint, echoing sound of applause. "You have a good memory, Keibu-san, and very sharp instincts."
At the voice, Ichinose drew his standard issue gun from its holster at his lower back; dark eyes darting through the thick shadows in search of the source of the apparently disembodied voice. The dog that had followed him huffed and strode off into the all-encompassing shadows.
"Relax, I don't intend to do anything to you; all I want you to do is take a message back to Kuchiki Byakuya-Taicho. Tell him if he wants to speak to me, he can find me himself; he should be able to find me on the edge of Hueco Mundo, just passed the wall to the east, tomorrow at this time. I wish you a good evening, Keibu-san."
And without so much as a whisper of fabric, Ichinose was alone. "Kuchiki-Taicho is not going to like this." He muttered to himself as he re-holstered his gun and drew his phone instead.
"So," Kuchiki Byakuya, head of Division Six, started menacingly; dark grey eyes pinning Mori Ichinose in place where the young agent stood before the police captain's desk. "You not only managed to lose your target, which, potentially, holds information imperative to an ongoing investigation, but you were foiled by a…dog?"
Mori swallowed harshly, brown eyes barely managing to remain focussed on his superior; Byakuya was silently impressed by his nerves. "That is correct, Kuchiki-Taicho."
"In that case," The Kuchiki heir sighed, leaning back in his seat with a resigned air about his regal form. "You are to remain on this case. Don't look so surprised, Mori-san; there are very few men capable of admitting to something as embarrassing as having an animal interrupt their investigation."
Mori hemmed for a moment, as Byakuya muttered under his breath, "And even fewer who could have gotten anywhere near that close to this one if it's who I think it is."
"Sir?" Mori asked several minutes later when his superior seemed to have forgotten his presence; grey eyes flicked over to the detective. "Your orders? Regarding his request to meet in Hueco Mundo?"
"Forget you ever heard it."
Mori blinked in obvious surprise. "…Sir?"
Byakuya sighed softly to himself, tilting his head to gaze out at the early morning sky. "What he told you was meant for no ears bar my own, if any of my division where to hear of it I would be unable to locate him, and, in turn, lose whatever information he may be willing to pass on to the authorities; it is imperative that I gain that information, whether it has any bearing on this case or not... Just keep this to yourself, Mori-san." He added gently.
Mori was dismissed after his agreeing salute, leaving Byakuya to his empty office.
"…What will you do if it does turn out to be him?" A gentle, lilting voice murmured from the dark corner.
"If it is him…" Byakuya whispered to his steepled fingers. "…I suppose there will be very little that I can do; he is far too important to risk revealing to Central, much like Abarai and Haruhi."
Silence descended on the office once more, the Kukchiki's hidden guest disappearing as silently as they had arrived. Byakuya heaved an exhausted sigh as he rose from his desk chair under sharp protest from muscles long gone stiff; he would have a long walk that evening and was still behind on sleep from last week's string of cases.
The sun had just begun to sink towards the city skyline as Byakuya stepped from his carriage, his driver giving him a short salute before steering the team of four black stallions back towards the city's residential area. The Kuchiki heir tugged the hood of his cloak over his dark hair as he began the long trek over the heated pavement, and further still over the constantly shifting dunes of the untameable dessert.
It was well and truly night by the time Byakuya found the figure that had summoned him; small and lithe, dressed in the torn-knee jeans and graphic tee covered by a grey cloak, hood drawn high over his head, as he had at the first sighting of him just south of the edge of Rukongai several weeks previous. "You're here." The boy said, not sounding at all pleased by the fact. "Good. For what reason did you have Abarai kill that man in Kusajishi? And why do you still want information on him?"
Byakuya would, reluctantly, give the boy credit for his professionalism; he was very careful to keep his contempt for Byakuya and the situation in general well hidden. "The man Abarai's man killed was actively working to bring descent to Seireitei; since his death, I have received intelligence to indicate that his wife shares his plans to bring a revolt directly to our gates."
Heavily shadowed, though no less piercing, golden-amber eyes stared at Byakuya for several long minutes; assessing, the noble identified absently.
"What are your plans for the wife, should you acquire proof of her intentions?" The boy voiced mistrustfully.
Byakuya recognised the question for what it really was almost at once; the boy was testing him, seeking to know what he was like as a man as well as an Officer of the Law. "I would be forced to bring her in to receive the trial she, as a citizen of this country, is entitled to; if she were to be found guilty of treason, she would be sentenced forthwith to the Maggots Nest. Rather unfortunately leaving her two children as good as orphaned."
The two cloaked figures were still for a time, a frigid wind blew across the pale sands below them, and the boy sighed heavily. "I do not wish to aid in the orphaning of children as young as little Kaoru, especially as the information I hold in regards to the parents pertains also to the elder child."
"I understand this is very difficult for you." Byakuya stated softly, idly adjusting his hood in the face of a sudden intense blast of night air across the desert plains. "I came fully prepared to leave again without gaining anything from you; I merely came to satiate my curiosity."
"About my identity," The boy huffed out a sound that could have been amused or deprecating. "Because you recognised something in me you haven't seen for a very long time; something that has only been found in two others to date. I can tell you now that at least half of your suspicions are accurate, if rather misguided." A sigh slipped into the cold air, trailing a soft cloud of tiny vapours as it swept passed pale lips, "To business, then, Kuchiki Byakuya?"
Byakuya nodded regally in response, "To business." He agreed.