As if moved by invisible strings, Shane gently laid Olivia's body on the ground slowly stood to his feet. His eyes were glazed and unfocused as he tucked her Soul Slayer in her medical relief bag and slung the bag over his shoulder. He picked up Olivia's body and stabbed the air with Tsukuyomi. With a twisting motion, the doors to Soul Society opened and two hell butterflies fluttered out. Shane walked through the doors and they shut behind him.
When he arrived back in Soul Society, many people gasped and gave him strange looks, but he didn't noticed and didn't care. Shane's mind had no control over his body, but his feet knew where to go. Before long, he reached the Relief Station and strode inside. He walked right past the startled girl at the counter and continued down the hall. At the end, he turned right and walked slowly up the stairs to the fourth floor. At the end of the hall were two large doors emblazoned with the number 4. Without hesitation, Shane pushed his way in.
Captain Unohana looked up from her desk with mild interest. Her lieutenant, Isane Kotetsu, showed a bit more emotion.
"What do you think you are doing?" Lieutenant Kotetsu hissed. "This is the Captain's private quarters. You can't just barge in here!"
With his face devoid of any emotion, Shane simply stared at Lieutenant Kotetsu. Isane was startled at Shane's behavior.
"Settle down Isane," Captain Unohana said gently. Isane sighed and held her thoughts to herself. Unohana turned her attention to Shane and said, "Please explain yoursef, Lieutenant Akiyama."
Shane said nothing and carefully laid Olivia on the floor. He stood up, turned around and walked out the door.
"W-Wait a minute!" Isane called after Shane. The door clicked shut, leaving the captain and lieutenant alone.
"Who does he think he is?" Isane muttered to herself. "The nerve of that guy!"
Captain Unohana stood up and knelt next to Olivia's body. Her eyes grew sad as she looked over Olivia's body. When she found the wound in Olivia's chest, she stopped. "Isane, come here please," she said. Isane knelt down and looked where Unohana was examining. "This is a Soul Slayer wound," she gasped.
"Yes," Unohana agreed. "But who's Soul Slayer made this wound?"
Isane looked long and hard at her captain. "You don't think..." she trailed off.
Captain Unohana shook her head. "I do not think this wound was made by Lieutenant Akiyama's hand. However, after recent events, I am not so sure any more."
"Lieutenant Akiyama was very distraught when he came in," Isane noted. "Something must have happened."
"That is for a different time," Captain Unohana said, turning her attention back to Olivia. "Right now, we have a funeral to prepare."
Isane bowed her head in acknowledgment. "Yes Captain."
Shane suddenly felt very tired and very old. He walked back to the Squad 13 barracks, ignoring the curious glances he was getting. As he was entering the building, Captain Ukitake was exiting. He was deep in thought and clearly worried about something, so he didn't see Shane and bumped into him. "Oh! Please excuse me," he said. He was taken aback when he realized who it was. "Shane! What are you doing here?" Captain Ukitake asked. Shane ignored him and quietly walked past. Ukitake frowned and watched him go.
Shane opened the door to his room and shut the door behind him. He closed the blinds and put Olivia's supply bag on the floor next to his desk. Shane took off his glasses and laid down on the bed. The events of the day and heavy emotions finally took their toll on Shane's body and he fell asleep.
Shane woke the next morning to the insistent knocking on his door. He rolled over on one side and tossed a pillow at the door. "Go away! I'm dead!" Shane called out, then collapsed back onto the bed.
The door burst open and 3rd Seat Kyone Kotetsu stomped into the room. "Do you have any idea how late it is?" she demanded.
"Late enough for you to come down here and wake me up?" Shane asked. Kyone's face twisted with fury and her teeth ground together. She grabbed him by the shirt, pulled him close and shouted in his face, "You are such a lazy, no good bum! Why did the captain ever make you his lieutenant?"
Shane shrugged. "Why don't you ask him yourself?" Kyone threw Shane to the floor and kicked him in the shin as hard as she could. "Get up and meet the captain in the Meeting Hall, you lazy bum!" She stormed out of the room, grumbling to herself and rubbing her foot. Shane sighed and got up. He put on his glasses and looked himself over in the mirror, making a half-hearted attempt to smooth out the wrinkles in his uniform.
As he was walking down the hall, Shane began to think. What is so important the Captain wants to see me right now? Did something happen? He probably wants details of what happened yesterday. Is it too late for breakfast? I'm hungry...
Shane opened the doors to the Meeting Hall and saw Captain Ukitake standing in front of a large monitor. It hissed with static, then the picture cleared, revealing Captain Hitsugaya and the rest of his makeshift squad. Shane stayed in the background, unseen by all and listened in.
"Ukitake? Where is the Commander General?" Captain Hitsugaya asked.
"I'm here instead," Ukitake explained. Hitsugaya's eyes narrowed. "Why?" Captain Ukitake dropped a bombshell. "Because I was the last one to see Orihime Inoue before she entered the gate."
Shane's eyes grew wide and he heard the others gasp. Oh. So that's what this is about, Shane thought. His mind began working in overdrive as he continued to listen to the conversation. Captain Ukitake went on to give his thoughts on Orihime's disappearance. "She was either kidnapped or murdered by an Arrancar." She was probably kidnapped, Shane thought. Aizen wants her alive for whatever he's planning. "According to our information, Orihime was attacked by an Arrancar while in transit between here in Soul Society and the Real World, then disappeared."
"Don't give me that crap!" Ichigo exploded. "How can you say she'd dead without any proof. Here, look!" He held up his right hand. "My hand was injured badly in the fight yesterday. No one could heal it! Today it's fine, not even a scar! And I can still feel Orihime's spiritual aura!"
A dense, overbearing presence snapped Shane out of his thoughts as Commander General Yamamoto entered the room. "If what you say is true, Orihime Inoue is still alive," he rasped. "But this means she's a traitor." With that, Shane felt like speaking up, but decided to hold his thoughts to see what the Commander General had to say.
"If she were kidnapped, she would have not been able to see you," Yamamoto said. "As it is, healing your injuries and disappearing means she joined the Arrancar of her own free will." I doubt it, Shane thought.
"Why you-" Ichigo shouted, but Renji held him back. Renji then asked for permission to go to Hueco Mundo to retrieve Orihime.
Captain Commander Yamamoto banged his walking stick on the floor. "Denied!" Everyone gasped, but Shane expected that reaction. "It is clear that the Arrancar are preparing for battle. All members of Captain Hitsugaya's Expeditionary Force are to return to Soul Society to fortify our defenses."
Shane could see the disbelief and dejection written on all of their faces. "Are you telling us to abandon Orihime?" Rukia spoke up.
"Exactly," Commander General Yamamoto said forcefully.
"Then I won't be able to follow those orders," Rukia said defiantly.
Unfazed, Yamamoto replied, "I expected such a response. That is why I have taken appropriate measures."
Behind everyone, a gate opened and Captains Kuchiki and Kenpachi Zaraki appeared. Their faces were grim. "You heard him. Time to go," Zaraki said.
Frustrated at the inability to do anything, Rukia and Renji gave up. Ichigo stared at the floor. "Fine. I get it. I won't get help from Soul Society." He looked up at the screen and stared the Commander General square in the eye. "Tell me how to get to Hueco Mundo so I can rescue Orihime myself."
"NO!" Yamamoto said forcefully. "We'll need your strength in the upcoming battle. I won't let you go off and die on your own." With that, the transmission was over. Captain Ukitake bowed as the Commander General left the room. Shane watched him leave. "So is that true?" Shane asked his captain.
Ukitake nodded. "I am afraid so."
Shane stepped forward and said, "I agree with your theory about Orihime being kidnapped, but I don't think she went willingly."
Captain Ukitake folded his arms and cocked his head to the side. "What do you think?"
"You've met Orihime and you know what kind of person she is. She is very kind and cares deeply about her friends," Shane explained. "So when the Arrancar showed up, she didn't go without a fight. She was never given the chance."
Ukitake frowned. "I'm not sure I follow you."
Shane took a deep breath. "Imagine this. You are traveling with two body guards when suddenly, you are attacked by a powerful enemy. Your body guards are knocked out and you enemy says 'Come with me.' You follow so far?" Ukitake nodded and Shane continued. "Your enemy sees your hesitation and says, 'Okay, if you don't come with me, I'll kill your friends.' You realize that he or his cohorts are easily capable of doing just that. What do you do?" Shane paused for dramatic effect. "You go with him. 'Okay, I'll go with you, just don't hurt my friends.' you say."
"But you have no guarantee that your enemy will keep his word," Ukitake argued.
"But if you are Orihime Inoue, this is a non issue," Shane argued. "She would do anything, even go with an Arrancar against her will if it meant keeping her friends safe."
"But how do you explain the healing of Kurosaki's injuries?" Ukitake asked. Shane threw his hands up and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Maybe the Arrancar told her she could visit one person before she left out of the goodness of his non-heart." Shane then grew serious. "Anyway, this is what I believe happened." Shane had a sudden thought and his brow furrowed.
"What's wrong?" Ukitake asked. The light came on in Shane's mind and he snapped his fingers, startling Ukitake. "That's it! It makes sense now!" Shane took a step forward and said, "Why else would the Arrancar attack this early? To provide a distraction for the kidnapping!"
"But Orihime was here in Soul Society," Ukitake said.
"Ah, but you forget who we are dealing with here," Shane said. "Aizen probably figured Urahara would try to keep Orihime out of sight to prevent this type of situation." Shane began counting on his fingers. "So Aizen has some of his Arrancar appear in the Real World, cause some trouble, and what happens? Orihime, in a hurry to help her friends, walks straight into Aizen's trap." Shane clapped his hands together to prove his point.
Ukitake was impressed. "I can see how that would make sense. Once again you have proven you worth to me." Shane shrugged. "Well, it makes sense to me." He became serious and said, "You know this won't keep Ichigo from going to Hueco Mundo, right?" Ukitake nodded sadly. "We will just have to hope everything works out in the end."
"If we live long enough to see the end," Shane added darkly. He turned and said, "I'm going to meet them at the gate."
"No." Ukitake said. His reply brought Shane up short. Curiously, he glanced back at his captain. Ukitake wore a stern expression. "Is something wrong?" Shane asked.
"I want you to tell me what happened yesterday," Ukitake said. "Captain Unohana said you paid her a quite unexpected visit." Shane's face fell and his body visibly sagged. "Do I have to?" he whined. Ukitake motioned for him to follow. Shane followed Captain Ukitake to his private quarters. Ukitake sat behind his little desk and Shane knelt on the floor.
"Begin," Ukitake said and motioned with his hand.
Shane sighed. "Yesterday, Olivia and I encountered Akuma Izu, two Arrancars and numerous hollows. We fought off most of the hollows and fought briefly with the two Arrancar." Shane swallowed and clenched his hands. Ukitake waited patiently for Shane to compose himself. "During the fight with the Arrancar, Akuma appeared and..." Shane cleared his throat and blinked rapidly. "And killed Olivia." Shane sniffed and hastily wiped away the tears.
"Captain Unohana said Olivia was pierced through the heart with a Soul Slayer," Ukitake said softly. "Since you failed to give any explanation, we were forced to consider the possibility that you might have been the one."
Shane wanted to scream in protest, but nodded his head in agreement. "One of Izanami's abilities is not only to steal an opponent's Spirit Power but life energy as well," he said.
Ukitake put down his writing utensil and folded his hands on the table. "Considering the current state of Soul Society, I am ordering you to take three days of rest. If I or anyone else see you doing what looks like work or your job, you will be confined to quarters for a week. Understand?"
Shane was taken aback. "But why? There isn't time for me to be lounging around doing nothing," he protested.
"You have just experienced the death of someone close to you. I understand that everyone handles grief in their own way," Ukitake said. "I need you to be focused and free from distraction. Taking a few days to recover and heal yourself won't hurt anything." Shane nodded. "If you'll excuse me, I have some things I want to do." Ukitake dismissed him and Shane left.