DISCLAIMER: Bleach. . . . Oh how do I not own thee ;(
Five. Seized
Yamamoto Akane had proven herself a lost shinigami.
Really. A really, really lost shinigami. She truly was lost, mentally and literally lost.
She stopped on her tracks, her mind suddenly becoming blank upon realizing that Ukitake Jushiro had just discovered her returning to Soul Society. She frowned at herself, wanting so sulk like a child because now her plans had been ruined. She just wanted to leave Soul Society peacefully without anyone seeing her, as if she hadn't even returned. But now that Jushiro saw her, she knew that he wouldn't let her go that easily.
She needed to get out of here right now, out of this damn Seireitei before she's caught. She searched her mind for any options for an easy escape, but nothing came about. It was impossible to use kido teleportation spells to open a portal, because the whole Seireitei was surrounded by the barrier, therefore leaving the Senkai Gate as the only path to get out of there.
Then Senkai Gate it is. She thought, having no other options at all. She was about to race towards the gate like a cheetah when all of the sudden she came to a halt, discovering that she had no idea where she was or where she was going.
She truly was the lost shinigami. A really, really lost one.
The Thirteenth Division Captain couldn't process what had just happened in his mind. He really couldn't believe it and thought that maybe he was just daydreaming but the red scarf in his hand assured him that it was all real. All he wanted to do right now is to catch her before she disappears again.
However, before he even moved, a hell butterfly flew upon him, informing him of the emergency meeting that the Captain-commander ordered. He was trapped between chasing after her and attending the meeting, but his gut told him to do his duty first before anything else. And, as he proceeded to the assembly hall, he only hoped that Akane was still there, inside the walls of Seireitei.
With the captains assembled, all of them knew that they had the same thing in mind. The captains speculated what could be the reason for the Captain-commander to call an emergency meeting. The war just recently ended, and just thinking of the possibility of another problem arriving only brought nothing but stress to them. And as soon as Yamamoto Genryuusai appeared in front, all of them composed themselves, silently wishing for things not to come to its worst.
The Captain-commander took his position as his grave voice surrounded the hall. "The war has been ended, but that is not a reason for the Gotei Thirteen to relax and release themselves from their duty and obligation. Apparently, I have just received a report from the Division Twelve that an intruder has been sighted appearing at the Senkai Gate. It seems that the infiltrator is also a shinigami therefore I command all squads to report anyone who seems suspicious. Furthermore, I shall designate the task of seizing the intruder to the Second Division Stealth Force. Any objections?"
Silence intervened throughout the room but suddenly one of the captains spoke.
"Yamamoto-soutaichou, I can assure you with all my might that that individual is not an intruder. Squad twelve might have mistaken because of the shinigami's suspicious appearance. I can attest to that because I personally encountered that person a while ago. Other than that I have nothing more to say except to request for the closure of this matter and I am willing to take responsibility for anything involving this issue." Ukitake said in such assurance, with a serious expression that only asked for the Captain-commander's trust.
The other captains stared at him, not understanding a word of it at all. Even his bestfriend, Kyoraku Shunsui, was confused at his sudden action. The only thing that they could do was to anticipate Yamamoto-soutaichou's reaction.
Even if the captain-commander did treated Ukitake like his very own son, he would have smacked the boy's head for saying such a preposterous thing. It was an absurd thing to do but he had known Jushiro for a long time and thought that there must be something behind it for him to do such a thing. He opened one of his eyes to gaze at the squad thirteen's captain, seeing a grave expression on his face. All of the sudden, both of his eyes fully opened upon seeing the red scarf he was holding.
That scarf made everything clear, and he finally understood all of it.
"Very well then." The captain commander said, marking the end of the meeting.
Before the other captains could even ask Ukitake of what that was all about, he hurriedly grabbed Kyoraku with him and rushed out of the room. With a single flash step, Kyoraku found himself in front of the Senkai Gate, and he had no idea why.
"Oi Jushiro, would you please explain to me why were here right now? I'm starting to feel really stupid not knowing anything." He asked with a tinge of humor in his voice while Ukitake looked around his surroundings, as if he was searching for something.
"She's still here. I can sense her reiatsu somewhere within Seireitei. We have to find her Shun." Jushiro was sure that she was still within these gates. After encountering her a while ago, he familiarized himself to her reiatsu. He focused intently as he tried to locate her but he failed to do so because she was suppressing her spirit power at the lowest possible state. He could barely even feel it right now.
Kyoraku watched his friend's serious face. Who is he talking about? Did Jushiro had a girlfriend without me knowing? Kyoraku tried to snap away from his thoughts, thinking that now's not the right time for jokes especially when his friend is in such a grave state.
"Who's 'she'? More details please Jushiro, feed me more details." He asked again, already tired of being puzzled.
"It's Akane." Ukitake said as he met his eyes. Kyoraku paused, stunned upon hearing the name he last heard a century ago. He only managed to give him a flabbergasted look.
"Akane? Yamamoto Akane? Old Man Yama's granddaughter? Impossible. It's just completely impossible." He asked incredulously, clearly not believing him.
"Shunsui, I'm serious. The squad twelve had even mistaken her for an intruder. I just saw her a while ago but she escaped away from me. She even left her scarf." Ukitake raised his hand, showing Kyoraku the cloth he was holding. "It seems like she didn't want anyone to know that she returned and I have a feeling that she's planning on disappearing again."
Shunsui had no choice but to believe him as he scratched his chin. "Seriously, that troublesome little girl. She's really taking this game of hide and seek too seriously. Can you detect where she is right now?"
"Sadly, no. She's hiding her reiatsu. I can hardly sense it." Ukitake sighed disappointingly.
Somehow, Shunsui managed to smirk at his friend's displeasure. He was starting to feel excited to see the little girl he last saw a long time ago and he knew that it was going to be fun. "Well, if we can't find her, we might just as well find the perfect time to ambush her."
What the hell is up with Seireitei's walls? They all look the same wherever I go! What the heck is this, a stupid maze? Akane exasperated in her mind, having the urge to shout throughout Seireitei.
She has been running and running and running for hours and she kept on seeing the very same gray, orange-roofed walls over and over again and it's honestly making her sick. She felt humiliated at herself for her lack of sense of direction which resulted to her being lost despite being a former resident of Seireitei. Unfortunately, she memorized only one place here in Seireitei and that was the First Division barracks which she could never forget whether she wanted to or not.
"Senkai Gate, I beg of you, just show yourself you stupid portal!" She grieved out loud, not being able to handle it anymore. She desperately needed to get out of here. Then all of the sudden her wish had been granted, and just like a sunset mirage, the Senkai Gate appeared in front of her making her burst into tears of joy.
Just one last flash step, one final step, and I'm out of this world. She thought as she dramatically wiped her tears. Goodbye, damn walls of Seireitei. Goodbye, Jushiro. And goodbye, Grandfather.
Before taking her step, Akane unconsciously felt nostalgic. Here she was again, doing the same thing she did a hundred years ago. Here she was again, saying goodbye to everyone for the second time. Doesn't she ever get tired of it? She asked herself in dismay but then stopped herself immediately, before her heart wavers once again.
She forced her mind to forget that thought and told herself that she will have all the time to think about that later when she escapes from here. Finally, with one deep breath, she took her one last flash step on the grounds of Soul Society.
Well, that was she thought she did before a red light engulfed her, freezing her body in paralysis.
"Way of Binding Number Nine, Strike."
She heard a spell cast out of nowhere, making her lose all of her senses, except for her sense of hearing. Well even if she could still hear, it really wasn't any help at all because what she heard made her want to kill someone.
"Got'cha Akane-chaa~n!" Akane felt her world stop when she heard the voice she dreaded the most pass through her ears. "Aww, what a waste, she has her eyes closed! Hey Jushiro, Akane-chan can't move anymore, you can bind her now before she gets away!"
"I'm sorry Akane, we had to do this. Desperate times call for desperate measures." She recognized Jushiro's voice and she wanted to cry because now she was in absolute trouble. "Way of Binding Number Sixty-Three, Locking Bondage Stripes."
Even without seeing anything, she knew what that spell did to her. It was a high level binding spell that surrounds an energy rope locking her whole arms, causing her to almost be unable to move. After a second, she felt the previous paralysis spell shatter thus returning her to her senses.
She had her eyes closed, but somehow she didn't want to open it because she didn't want to see the two people who caught her. But having no other choice, she slowly opened her eyes and saw an utterly daunting sight.
"Akane-chaa~n! Did you miss me? You changed so much! I almost didn't recognize that it was Akane-chan who was running!" Shunsui exclaimed in front of her in an awfully annoying tone. Oh how much she wanted to punch that disturbing face right now.
"Shut up you perverted old man! Release me this instant!" Akane shrieked at the man in front of her and Shunsui feigned being hurt by her words.
"Ouch, Akane-chan, why are you calling me like that? Didn't you used to sweetly call me Shun-niisan when you were little?" He pouted at her like a sulking child.
Akane felt her eye twitch. It was true, she did call Shunsui and Jushiro like that before, but that was when she was still young! She was a freaking adult now for menos' sake! And obviously the two of them don't look like niisans to her anymore. She tried to imagining herself calling them niisan and truly it was absolutely awkward and not to mention disturbing.
"Very well then, Shun-OJII~san" She stressed as she gritted her teeth and Shunsui only managed to laugh at her. Before her eyes twitched again, she turned to the other man beside him, giving him the sad little puppy look. Ever since she was young, she knew that Ukitake can't resist whatever crazy demand she has when she's like this.
"Jushiro, please let me go." With her eyebrows scrunched, eyes glistening with unshed tears and her lower lip slightly pouted, she said with the most pitiful tone. She intensified it even more when she saw him slightly hesitate, but her face broke when Shunsui suddenly captured her in a crushing hug.
"You're so cute Akane-cha~n! You may fool Jushiro but that look doesn't work on me so give it up." Shunsui gave her a teasing look and suddenly she felt her feet go off the ground when he placed her over his shoulder, carrying her like a sack of flour.
"What the heck! Kyoraku bring me down!" Akane screeched, not being able to do anything but bang her head against Shunsui's back. "Jushiro, I beg you, please let me pass the Senkai Gate!" She tried to look at him, hoping that he would understand.
Ukitake was troubled, seeing her begging to be released. He didn't understand why she hated being in here in Seireitei so much and he didn't really want to make her feel this way. But he had no choice.
"I'm afraid I cannot do that Akane. We can't let you disappear again." Jushiro said in a firm voice. "I won't let you out of my sight."
Akane felt hopelessly crestfallen, realizing that they really have no intention whatsoever of letting her go. She sighed in despair as she closed her eyes.
"You should at least carry me like a princess you old pervert." She bitterly said behind Shunsui. She was just too tired of struggling between these two.
"I prefer not to hime-sama. You're kind of heavy." Kyoraku laughed while Akane responded by banging her head hard on his back. "Ouch! I was just kidding Akane-chan!"
And with that, she hopelessly let herself be taken to Squad Thirteen's barracks.
A/N: Sorry sorry sorry for the late update guys, I actually promised myself to write one chapter a day but I had an appointment yesterday ;((( and I also want to apologize if this chap is kind of plain but I'll compensate next chap so stay tuned! Again, I thank you if you reached up to here. I also thank those who reviewed and favorited this fanfic and I love you for that! Please review and hope I'll see you next chap :D
~lost_feather: all I can say is I'M SO SORRY! Sorry for having a late update and sorry if the chap's kind of "eeekk!" and plain. I'm also sorry because still no Byakuya here! But this time I promise that next chap will be the meeting of Akane and Byakuya at LAST! Again, I really love you for following this fanfiction and I'll try to update soon for you :D A million thanks again lost_feather! :D