Chapter 16
It wasn't until half an hour later that Yumichika and Ikkaku had to wake Buffy up. One of the rank and file Shinigami had come to fetch her so that she could be questioned by the Captain-Commander, with the Squad Twelve captain and her lieutenant sitting in.
"I wish you didn't have to wake her up, but the Captain-Commander doesn't want to be kept waiting," the Shinigami said nervously, twitching slightly.
"We get that, it's just getting Buffy to understand that," Yumichika said. "She's a little cranky when someone wakes her up before she's ready."
Yumichika began prodding Buffy gently, trying to wake her without startling her. However, it wasn't working and Buffy just sighed and snuggled further into Ikkaku's shoulder. Realizing that the gentle approach wasn't going to do anything, Ikkaku reached behind her and yanked on Buffy's ponytail, hard.
"What the hell was that for, you jerk?" Buffy said, waking instantly from the pain in her scalp. She shoved him away from her, hard, causing him to fall of the bench.
"This nice young man wants to take you to talk with the Captain-Commander," Yumichika said gently, gesturing to the rather young looking Shinigami still standing before them, nervously. "The gentle approach wasn't working, so Ikkaku decided to use a more, ah, drastic method."
"You're so dead for messing with my hair," Buffy growled at the man still sitting in the dirt before turning to the Shinigami that had come to fetch her. "Let's get this over and done with, eh? After everything that's happened to me, I think I'll be able to sleep for a week."
"Follow me, please. We will be using one of the offices in Squad Twelve because it's the closest," the Shinigami said. "It probably won't take too long."
"Well, can I bring someone in with me or do I have to go it alone?" Buffy asked, her voice suddenly small. Gone was the small, blonde, popular Shinigami student who was terrifying in her own right but also had two of the scariest first year recruits for her best friends. In her place was a scared young woman who wanted to cling to someone comfortable and secure.
"I don't think the Captain-Commander would object to you bringing someone with you," the Shinigami replied. "He might be tough, but he's not completely heartless."
"Yumi, will you go in with me?" Buffy asked, looking up at the man/boy/person who had become her brother in everything but blood in the last few weeks.
"Of course I will, Buffy," Yumichika replied. Ikkaku looked like he was about to protest, but Yumichika silenced him with a look. This was hardly the time for childish insecurities to be brought to light.
"Follow me please, then," the Shinigami. Yumichika helped Buffy to her feet and they followed him back into the Squad Twelve barracks, one place Buffy hoped that she'd never have to enter again.
"Good luck," Ikkaku said, getting up from the ground as he was joined by Rangiku and Byakuya.
"Thanks, I'll need it," Buffy replied, turning to get one last look at her friends before Yumichika guided her into the barracks.
As they walked, Buffy wondered how this was going to go. Would they believe her, or the seated Shinigami that had been in the Thirteen Squads for a while now? It was between her, the lowly student that had come from the Rukongai slums and someone who was a trusted member of the Seiretei community.
Knowing her luck with authority figures, Buffy was certain she'd be packing her bags later that afternoon.
"Don't be so nervous," Yumichika whispered in her ear as they continued down a long corridor.
"Buffy and authority figures are non-mixy things," Buffy replied. "They never seem to believe me. What's going to make them start now? It's between me, an unknown person, and him, someone who is known to them. My word against his. I'll be packing my bags by this afternoon, just you wait and see."
"Well, if you get kicked out, I'm going with you," Yumichika said firmly. Buffy's eyes widened.
"No! You can't do that," Buffy said. "You have a future here, where you can do some real good in this world. I'm not going to let you throw that away because of me."
"You can't tell me what to do. You're the little sister, remember?" Yumichika retorted. Buffy resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at him. "We're family. Family sticks together. Where you go, I go. Within reason, of course."
"And leaving school because your sister gets kicked out is so on the reasonable side," Buffy muttered, rolling her eyes as their Shinigami guide stopped in front of a closed door near the end of the corridor.
"The Captain-Commander is in here, along with Captain Kirio Hikifune and Vice Captain Hiyori Sarugaki of Squad Twelve," he said, gesturing them inside. "Good luck."
Buffy and Yumichika entered the room and they were faced with two women and a man. The man Buffy recognized; he was the old bald man who had watched the takedown of the Vampire. She didn't recognize the women, but she could judge by the amount of power they were giving off they were the captain and vice captain they had been told about. One was taller and thin, with long brown hair streaked with grey held away from her face in a tight bun. She wore the standard Shinigami uniform with a white captain's haori over top. The other woman was tiny and delicate looking, with hair blonder than Buffy's pulled into pigtails. She, too, was dressed in the standard Shinigami uniform, although she did have an armband on her left arm. Her expression gave Buffy the impression that she wasn't very delicate at all.
"Have a seat, Ayasegawa," said the Captain-Commander. As she sat, the Captain-Commander's gaze fell on Yumichika, his eyes narrowing slightly as he did so. "Who is this?"
"This is my older brother, Yumichika," Buffy replied. "I hope it's all right that I brought him in with me. Moral support, you know?"
"You are not in trouble, Ayasegawa," the Captain-Commander said gravely. "We just wish to know what transpired in the laboratory so that we may mete out punishment accordingly."
"Please, tell us what happened to you, from the moment you were abducted to the moment you were rescued," said the older woman. "Leave no details out."
Buffy took a deep breath and began telling her story, her voice quiet. No emotion seeped into her voice; she was still in shock of it all. The entire time, Yumichika stood behind her, squeezing her shoulders reassuringly every once in a while. Once she was finished, the room was quiet for several long moments before anyone spoke.
"Thank you, Ayasegawa-san. I understand how hard this is for you, so soon after the ordeal happened," Captain Hikifune said quietly. "We will let you know what kind of punishment we will mete out when the time comes."
"You may go," the Captain-Commander said, gesturing for them to leave.
Yumichika helped his sister out of her seat and slipped an arm around her shoulder as he led her out of the room. The Shinigami that had led them to the room was in the corridor, waiting for them. Wordlessly, he led them down the corridor again until they reached the street. Waiting for them there was Ikkaku, Rangiku and Byakuya, all of them looking worried.
"How did it go?" Rangiku asked as Ikkaku rushed forward. Buffy was passed from her brother to her, well, her Ikkaku as Yumichika fielded any questions.
"It went all right, I suppose," Yumichika replied. "They said she wasn't in trouble, and they seemed to believe her. They just need to decide how severe the punishment is. She'll get to know what he gets when he gets it."
"Well good. Although any punishment they give out is too good for that bastard," Ikkaku grumbled, a protective and somewhat possessive arm around Buffy's waist.
"Can I just go home now, please?" Buffy asked, speaking directly to her friends for the first time in a little while.
"Sure, sure, anything," Rangiku replied, moving to take her from Ikkaku. The taller man pulled Buffy away from her. "Look, she said she wants to go home and since she lives with me I should be the one to take her there. Guys aren't supposed to be in the girls' dormitories anyway."
"I just want to take her up there," Ikkaku said. He was acting like a little boy with a shiny new toy and he didn't want to share. "Then I'll let her go, I swear."
"We all just want to make sure she's okay," Iba piped up, having been pretty quiet through the entire ordeal.
"Come on Buffy, let's take you home," said Ikkaku, leading the way to Buffy's dorm room with Rangiku, Iba and Yumichika on tow.
"Excellent work Ayasegawa, you've really improved!"
Yoruichi Shihoin looked on approvingly from her vantage point on the roof. She jumped down and landed in front of Buffy, an approving smile on her face.
Her ordeal with Kurotsuchi had spread like wildfire. Buffy was whispered about everywhere she went, and she heard what people were saying about what had happened. Only half of what was being said was true; the rest were outlandish lies, which would have made Buffy laugh if it all hadn't been so horrifying. The captains all knew what had gone on, and one particular captain had decided that Buffy needed to learn to defend herself better.
The Squad Two captain had approached Buffy a few days after her kidnapping and offered her services as a tutor, especially in the area of flash steps. Who better to learn flash steps from than from the Goddess of Flash herself? Her training sessions with Yoruichi had been integrated into her training sessions with Byakuya, both of them learning from the older captain.
Another thing that had changed was that her friends wouldn't let her be alone anywhere. She couldn't even go to the bathroom alone; one of the boys waited outside the washroom until she was done if Rangiku wasn't around to look after her. While the concern was touching, it was beginning to get a little annoying. Ikkaku had become a constant fixture in her training sessions with Byakuya, although he was conspicuously absent that day. In his place was Iba, mindfully watching them from behind his sunglasses.
Buffy had been training extremely hard, her Kido and flash steps especially. While she would never be top in her class in Kido, her flash steps and combat training were on par with the top students in the class, something that made her quite pleased.
"I have some good news for you," Yoruichi said, walking towards Buffy. "That bastard Kurotsuchi is being sentenced today."
Buffy, who hadn't been paying too close attention until then, dropped her wooden sword in shock.
"Do you know what he's getting?" Buffy asked, biting off the rest of what he had wanted to say.
"No one except the Captain-Commander and the Squad Twelve captain knows what is going to happen to him until the sentence is announced," Yoruichi replied. "Would you like to be there when it is announced?"
Buffy chewed her bottom lip, faced with a rather difficult decision. on the one hand, she wanted to hear what the punishment was first hand. On the other, she didn't want to face Kurotsuchi again if she could help it.
"You know we'll support you in anything you decide," Iba said, coming behind her. She leaned back a little, using him to support her weight a little.
"As long as I don't have to go alone, I'll be there," Buffy replied.
"I'm sure there will be no objections if you had Iba-san with you," Iba replied. "Or would pre prefer one of your other friends?"
"No, no, Iba's fine," Buffy replied before looking up at him. "That is, if he wants to come with me."
"Of course I'll come with you," Iba said. "What kind of friend would I be if I didn't?"
"Good, now that that's settled, we should get a move on because as a captain I'm supposed to be there," Yoruichi said. "Byakuya, are you coming with us?"
"Wouldn't miss it," Byakuya replied. "I wanna see that bastard go down."
"Don't let your grandfather hear you using that language," Yoruichi said. "We both know he's going to blame me for teaching it to you. I'm just going to let him know we're leaving."
Yoruichi flash stepped away and was back within a couple of minutes. She informed them that Ginrei had already left and would probably meet them down there. With that, the quartet left the Kuchiki manor and headed to the Squad One barracks.
When they got there, the room already had all of the captains in attendance. She recognized five of them, although the fifth one came as a bit of a shock. Huge and hulking, the Squad Eleven captain looked almost exactly the same as he had when he had beaten Ikkaku, save for his manner of dress. He glanced at her and arched an eyebrow before turning his attention to the Captain-Commander.
"Captains of the Thirteen Protection Squads, you have been called here to witness the sentencing of this Shinigami," the Captain-Commander began. "The facts of this case have been provided to you previously and do not need to be repeated here. "Captain Kirio Hikifune of Squad Twelve!"
"Yes, Captain-Commander," Captain Hikifune answered, stepping out from her place in line.
"Do you agree with the facts presented to you in this case and the punishment accorded to the Shinigami Mayuri Kurotsuchi?" the Captain-Commander asked.
"Yes, Captain-Commander," Captain Hikifune responded.
"Then I, Captain-Commander Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto of the Thirteen Protection Squads hereby sentence the Shinigami Mayuri Kurotsuchi to ten years in the Maggot's Nest," the Captain-Commander said. "Take him away. The rest of you are excused."
"Well, that wasn't what I expected," Buffy said as everyone started making their way out of the barracks.
"What, do you think they were too easy on him?" Iba asked as he wrapped an arm around Buffy's shoulders and led her out, behind all of the captains.
"No, I just didn't think it would go so quick," Buffy replied with a sigh. "Not complaining, though. He's locked up, I'm happy."
"And you should be," Byakuya piped up, coming up to Buffy's other side. "The Maggot's Nest is the place where the most hardened criminals who are a threat to themselves and Soul Society are locked up. I think he should be there longer, but by the time he's out of there it won't matter. You'll be a member of the Thirteen Squads and be under the protection of your Squad."
"You shouldn't be criticizing the justice system when there are so many captains around," Yoruichi said in his ear, causing him to jump. None of them had heard her coming; Buffy supposed that was one of the reasons why she was the head of the Omnitsukido.
"Dammit Yoruichi, how many time have I told you not to do that?" Byakuya said, glaring at his mentor. He really shouldn't be talking to her like that, with all of these captains around, Buffy thought, although she doubted they cared much.
"Come on, we'll leave them to it," Iba said, tugging Buffy away. "I'll walk you home."
"That sounds heavenly," Buffy said with a sigh, leaning on Iba as he walked her home.
The walk was quiet but far from uncomfortable. She'd gotten closer to everyone in the last couple of weeks, even Ikkaku and Yumichika. They still didn't know about her being the Slayer when she was alive; no one had really mentioned that day and she wasn't about to bring it up. If she had it her way, this entire ordeal would never be mentioned again and she'd get on with her life.
"Buffy," Iba said as they reached Buffy's dormitory door. They never dropped her off at the building entrance; they always dropped her off right off at her door. "There's something I want to ask you."
"You know you can ask me anything," Buffy replied, wondering what this was about.
"I've gotten to know you better over these last couple of weeks," Iba began, taking a deep breath. He rubbed a hand on the back of his neck nervously. "And, well, what I'm trying to say is that I really like the girl I've gotten to know and I'd really like it if we could go out sometime."
"Tetsuzaemon Iba, are you asking me out on a date?" Buffy asked with a teasing smile.
"Well, yeah, I guess I am," Iba replied with a grin, his cheeks a little on the pink side.
"I'd love to go out with you," Buffy replied, rising up on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on his cheek.
"I'll pick you up, day after tomorrow, say around eight?" Iba suggested.
"Sure, can't wait," Buffy replied with a grin, one that Iba returned. "See you in class tomorrow."
"Right, see you," Iba said before turning and leaving the building, his back straight and a small half smile on his face. Some of the other girls on Buffy's floor had heard a male voice and had stuck their heads out of their dormitories, checking out Iba as he left. Smiling to herself, she turned and went into her own room, sighing happily as she flopped onto her bed.
"You're happy today," Rangiku remarked, looking up from the textbook she was reading. "What's up, did they lock Kurotsuchi up and throw away the key?"
"He got ten years in the Maggot's Nest," Buffy replied. "And I hope I never see him again. But that's not why I'm happy. I got asked out on a date!"
"What, did Icky finally take his head out of his ass and see the amazing woman standing right in front of him?" Rangiku asked.
"Don't call him Icky," Buffy said, rolling her eyes at Rangiku's nickname for Ikkaku. "And no, it wasn't him. Iba asked me out."
"Really?" Rangiku asked. "I thought, you know, you didn't think anything was going to happen between you two."
"I thought so too, but I got to know him and he seems really nice," Buffy replied. "And besides, he isn't intimidated by Yumichika or Ikkaku, which is a huge bonus. I've heard what people have been saying."
"What have people been saying?" Rangiku asked, feigning ignorance.
"Oh please, don't tell me you haven't heard the stuff that's going around," Buffy said with a snort. "Don't even try asking the Ayasegawa girl out, because her brother and the scary bald dude are going to beat the crap out of you if you do."
"They wouldn't actually do that, would they?" Rangiku asked, worried.
"I don't know, the threat of violence alone seems to keep people away," Buffy replied with a shrug.
"And you're not mad about this?" Rangiku asked, curious.
"They haven't gotten up in my face about anybody, so I'm not too worried," Buffy replied with another shrug. "Besides, it's kept all of the creeps away."
"Well, if you're sure," Rangiku said, uncertainly.
"Yeah, I'm sure," Buffy replied, grabbing a book from her bedside table. She really needed to study if she wanted to keep her place in the first class.
"You're not going out with him."
"Pardon?" Buffy asked, arching an eyebrow. The combat class was about to start and Ikkaku had approached her as she had been getting prepared for the lesson.
"Iba. He told me that he had a date with you," Ikkaku clarified.
"So?" Buffy asked.
"You're not going out with him," Ikkaku repeated. "Cancel your date before I have to go and kick his ass."
"Since when are the people I do and do not date any of your damn business?" Buffy asked, a little peeved.
"He's not good enough for you," Ikkaku said, growl in his voice.
"And I suppose you are?" Buffy asked, arching an eyebrow. Ikkaku remained silent. "You have zero right to tell me who I can and cannot date. You are not the boss of me, never have been the boss of me, and never will be the boss of me. You have no claim on me; I'm a free agent."
"I just don't want you to get hurt," Ikkaku said.
"Bit rich coming from you, considering you nearly killed me," Buffy said with a scoff.
"I didn't think I'd have to remind you, but you challenged me," Ikkaku said. "And you know I play for keeps."
"Will you go away if I promise that, in the event I do get hurt, I'll pick up the pieces of me all by my lonesome and leave you out of it?" Buffy asked.
"No," Ikkaku said. "I'm not going away. I'm never going away. When all of these guys are gone, you know who's going to be left? Me and Yumichika. We're the only guys that are ever going to stay with you, forever."
"You're beginning to not make any sense," Buffy said, backing away a little. "I think your jealousy is beginning to make you a little crazy, so I'm just gonna go over here and talk to Byakuya and hope you realize how batshit crazy you're being."
Buffy backed away until she reached Byakuya, grabbing onto his arm and dragging him across the room. He was about to let out a protest, but one look at what Buffy was running away from was enough to make him do whatever the diminutive blonde asked him to.
I really hope Iba is actually alive by tomorrow night, Buffy thought, because Ikkaku looked about ready to kill.
K. So. Here's chapter 16. It's short and not as great as it could be, but I really need to move the story along. It's not going to be too much longer, I don't think… there aren't many major things I need to cover before we get to the big ending. And before any of you ask, NO, I'm not telling you what I'm covering beforehand. There'd be no point in me writing this story if I told you everything before it came up in the story. I do have to say one thing though; the sentencing thing is all me. I couldn't find anything, really, in the Bleach fandom that would fit with what I needed in that scene. If there's a Bleach purist out there who has some unknown source of Bleach knowledge and would be willing to share, that'd be cool. Be advised that I already know about the Bleach Wikia.
Anyway, enough with the notes. I hope you enjoyed this instalment and hope that you tell me so. Or, if you didn't, tell me it sucked and how you think I could improve it. Thanks!