Chapter Sixteen

Recovery

Hiroki used Hirenkyaku to quickly get off the tower and to the chaotic streets below.

Shinigami were running in every direction. A few stopped and looked at him followed by more and more. Hiorki wasn't sure why they were staring at him since his mind was solely focused on finding Squad Four Barracks. He approached the closest one who took a step backward. They all looked either terrified, angry or both. Finally he looked at himself and realized what was going on. Not only was he still in Bankai form, but also Duality form. He wasn't sure how to get rid of the Duality form, but as soon as he reverted his Bankai back to its sealed state, his wings disappeared as well. He appeared to be a normal Shinigami at this point.

Unfortunately the Soul Reapers in front of him were still wary, so when he tried approaching again, they drew their swords though they didn't make a move toward him. He held his hands up in the universal sign of peace.

"I'm looking for the Squad Four Barracks?" he asked calmly.

"Why?" One of the Shinigami replied. "So you can finish off the wounded when you get there?" Hiroki was a little irritated at the response since he was actually on their side, but he knew that they didn't know that.

"No," Hiroki spoke slowly. "I have friends that were injured and taken there. I helped stop the invasion. Please tell me where it is."

"No way. We won't-."

"Stand down!" A familiar feminine voice rang out from somewhere behind the crowd. The Shinigami moved to allow Rangiku to walk through. Hiroki let out a sigh of relief.

"Please Rangiku. I need to get to those barracks. Makoto's there."

"I know," the Lieutenant of Squad Ten replied, crossing her arms. "I was just there to check on the Captain. His wounds are relatively minor so he'll be fine. I'll take you there, and you can tell me what happened on the way." Hiroki nodded and followed her while the crowd slowly started going back to what they were doing before he had appeared in front of them.

"Alright," Rangiku continued after they had walked for nearly half a kilometer. "First off, am I correct to assume that this invasion is over?"

"Yes," Hiroki responded. "We don't…we don't have to worry anymore."

"So their leader is dead?"

"I didn't kill him, but he can't use his abilities anymore."

"After all of this, you still left him alive?"

"I'm not a killer. Also your Head Captain showed up and said he'd take care of it."

"Second question: how strong were these Splintered exactly? No offense, but the first time we came across you back in the forest a few days ago, you didn't seem that particularly strong. But now we have multiple Captains critically injured along with a Lieutenant."

"We underestimated them. They had multiple abilities that we didn't see coming. Sadao once told me that the only ones who could stand against Captains were himself, Takeo and Akane. I guess he lied to me."

"Weren't there nine of you?"

"Them," Hiroki corrected the Lieutenant. "Eight of them. I'm not…I don't consider myself one of them. Though…"

"What?"

"Nothing. It's not important right now. Three of them I can confirm are dead. I don't know about the rest."

"Well another three of them showed up to Squad Four including that Makoto girl you're so worried about. Although, after they showed up, two of them were taken away to be jailed."

"Those two must have been Chiyo and Maiko. Akane and Takeo are dead. I still don't know about Hitoshi."

"Who?"

"The youngest one."

"Well, I haven't heard anything about him, but he might have also been imprisoned. It doesn't matter right now because we're here."

The two of them stopped at the edge of an extremely busy courtyard. Many Shinigami were running in all directions to and from the courtyard. Several were also running in and out of the building that was on the other side of the courtyard. It appeared to be mainly one story with a green-tiled roof though it had a second roof further back which made Hiroki think that part of the building probably had a second story. It had several windows running the length of the front of the building which itself ran the length of the courtyard. It had a double-door entrance, and above it was the Kanji for the number four indicating that this was indeed a part of the Squad Four barracks. Hiroki also saw several Shinigami in pink nurse's uniforms which, while it confused him slightly, he got over it quickly as he refocused on the reason he was here.

He followed Rangiku across the courtyard and through the entrance of the building. They walked down a hallway, passing several rooms with beds full of bandaged Shinigami. Hiroki averted his eyes and looked at the ground. He silently cursed himself. Rangiku must have noticed his expression.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"It's just," Hiroki began but hesitated. "If I had…if I had gotten here sooner then maybe…"

"Are you stupid?" She turned toward Hiroki, and he looked back up in time to be flicked in the forehead by her finger.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?"

"Did you tell them to invade? Did you tell them to attack us?"

"Well…no," Hiroki replied, rubbing his forehead.

"Then none of this is your fault. In fact, didn't you try to make peace between the two of us before the invasion?"

"Yes, but I failed. If I hadn't-." He immediately shut up as he saw her finger centimeters away from his forehead again. She lowered her hand.

"This isn't on you. This is on the people who decided to invade us. They could have chosen not to attack, but they didn't. Now come on; Makoto's this way."

They continued down the hallway until they reached the end where there was a door leading to a large room with several beds. Six of the beds were occupied and so were several chairs around the room. Zaraki, Hitsugaya, Byakuya, and Kensei were in four of the beds. The fifth bed was occupied with the female Lieutenant who had carried Byakuya away. Hiroki spared little more than a glance toward them before rushing over to the sixth.

Makoto had her eyes closed and for a second, Hiroki was terrified, but then he noticed that she was breathing slowly. She was asleep. He sat down in a chair near the bed and felt himself start to breathe easier. He finally took a better look at the other people in the room with him.

Sitting in between the female Lieutenant and Byakuya was Renji who was also glaring at Hiroki. Ikkaku and Yumichika were standing near Zaraki, and the Lieutenant of Squad Five was standing near Hitsugaya who was awake but was lying on his back. Captain Kotetsu made her way between all five injured Shinigami, leaning over and checking on each of them. After making sure they were all still relatively okay, she turned to the other Shinigami in the room.

"I understand that you're worried about your colleagues," she stated. "But the Lieutenants in here need to go take care of their Squad. Make sure that they're still in shape and ordered. Also the injured need space, so please…" She made the 'get out' gesture with her hands. Some of them grumbled, but they all stood up and walked out of the room. The Captain of Squad Four then turned to Hiroki.

"Your friend needs rest as well. She'll be fine, but there will be a scar. Although, due to her…unique nature, I don't believe her Human body will bear a scar; only her Shinigami one. Now, I'd really like it if you left to allow them to sleep in peace. If you take a right when you leave the building and go straight, you'll find the jail where the two invaders are located."

Hiroki wanted to put up an argument to stay, but he knew he'd lose that debate. He figured he should probably listen to the person who knew what she was doing. He took another breath and stood up, looking at Makoto's sleeping face. He turned away and walked out of the room. He headed back down the hallway and out of the building.

He took a right and started walking down the road. The courtyard and road were still as chaotic as before. Shinigami passed him left and right though they didn't seem to notice him. It made sense due to the fact that he appeared as a normal Soul Reaper at that moment, but he was still worried that one would try to stop him. After all, no matter what Rangiku said, he still slightly blamed himself, and he wouldn't be surprised if the other Shinigami did as well. He never got a casualty count, and while part of him didn't want to know, he assumed it would be high due to Chiyo's clone army.

That thought process then took him to the realization that he didn't know what was going to happen to Chiyo or Maiko, or even Hitoshi if he was found. He didn't want anyone else killed. Images of Akane and Takeo's bodies flooded through his mind. The nineteen-year old found himself moving into a dead-end side alley where no else was. He walked to the end of it where he was far enough from the busy road he had been on that he figured no one would be able to see him.

As the images continued through his head, he leaned on the wall as he felt his stomach churn. Then he threw up. As he hadn't eaten anything in a while, there was only one wave followed by a few dry heaves. He slammed his fist against the wall, trying to get himself under control again. Luckily it all had hit the wall and ground, and none of it had gotten on his robes. He straightened back up and took a breath.

At that moment he decided that he was going to fight for Chiyo and Maiko's lives if it came to that as well as Hitoshi's. He wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do, but he had already had enough of death. He turned and continued back down the alley and onto the street again.

He made his way straight down the road, following Kotetsu's instructions and found himself looking at a familiar building. It was the same jail where he had been imprisoned the last time he had been in the Soul Society. He walked into the building and was surprised to not see a guard. He made his way past multiple empty cells before coming across the third to last. Sitting with her back against the wall was Maiko.

"Hi," Hiroki said as he stood on the other side of the bars. Maiko's demeanor was nothing like she had when he first met her. She barely looked up at Hiroki when he greeted her. Her expression was solemn which Hiroki found completely understandable.

"Leave her alone for now," a voice spoke from the cell next to Maiko. Hiroki walked over to see Chiyo standing and leaning against the wall that separated her cell from Maiko's.

"She just needs time to…adjust," Chiyo continued. "By the way, Hitoshi's in the cell on that side." She used her head to gesture to the final cell which was also the one Hiroki had been in when he had been a guest. He glanced over and saw that Hitoshi was indeed in the cell, laying on the floor asleep. He was glad to see there was at least one other living Splintered.

"I wonder why there's no guard here," Hiroki said aloud.

"Probably don't see us as threats anymore," Chiyo replied. "I mean two of our strongest members are dead."

"So you saw Takeo and Akane as well."

"Of course I did. I saw it happen with my own eyes. I probably should feel sad, but I…I don't know. Maybe I wasn't as close to them as I thought I was. I know Makoto's in their infirmary. That only leaves Sadao, but since you're here I take it that he's been defeated. Is he…?"

"I didn't kill him, if that's what you wanted to know. But I left him with their Head Captain and went to check on Makoto, so I don't know what happened after I stopped him."

"I still can't believe you stopped him. You figured out you were a Splintered less than a week ago and then managed to stop our leader. You must be pretty lucky. As you can see, we aren't. They'll probably let you and Makoto go since you helped them, but as for us? I don't know. Especially myself since I did the most damage."

"I'm going to get them to free you. I will do whatever it takes to get them to let you return to the World of the Living."

"While I appreciate the thought, I don't see that happening. But I also won't stop you from trying." She put on a smile and winked at him. "Good luck." While to almost anyone else it appeared that her normal demeanor was back, Hiroki sensed that it was just a facade. He decided not to say anything else and he walked back down the hallway. Maiko didn't look up as he passed her.

He continued out the entrance right as Shunsui, Nanao and another Shinigami that Hiroki didn't recognize appeared. The other Shinigami appeared to be an elderly man with wrinkles on his forehead and cheeks. He had a large white mustache that matched his combed-back hair save for the one black streak that went through his hair. He wore the normal uniforms and had a Lieutenant badge around his left arm with the same symbol as Nanao and the Kanji for the number one. Hiroki assumed that meant that he and Nanao were co-Lieutenants of Squad One.

"Oh, hello Hiroki," Shunsui greeted with a smile. "I take it that you had a conversation with the prisoners?"

"Yeah," Hiroki responded. He hesitated before asking, "Is Sadao…? Well, you know."

"Dead? Yes." Hiroki clenched his fists slightly, but then released them as Shunsui continued, "I'll be honest, I don't care much for killing. But Central Forty-Six would have sentenced him to death as it was. All I did was speed up the sentencing. I felt that it was merciful to execute him now instead of having him go through judgement by those he hated. As for hatred, you can direct yours towards me if you want. I wouldn't blame you."

"No, I…I don't hate you," Hiroki replied. "I just didn't want anymore death."

"A good goal to have. Luckily, while many were injured, some even seriously, it doesn't look like any of the Court Squad members have or will die. Well, except for the unfortunate few that were on top of the tower."

"Wait what?" Hiroki asked incredulously.

"It turns out that while that clone army was numerous, they weren't very strong. They only relied on sheer numbers which means that once we became more organized, they weren't too difficult to push back. Unfortunately, many were wounded in the initial surprise attack so it'll take time for them to be well again."

"So what about those that did die on top of the tower?"

"Well, if the reports are correct, those men were killed by Miyashita Sho who was then killed by Captain Suì-Fēng, so while the three that are currently imprisoned are guilty of being accomplices of the invasion, they are not guilty of actual murder. I guess you can call it luck."

"I'm not sure if we should call it luck. This means that they'll still be found guilty of crimes and will continue to be imprisoned or worse."

"Not if they made their escape in the aftermath. Also I've given orders not to tell Central Forty-Six about their imprisonment until I've had a chance to talk with them. Assuming my orders were followed, their current presence is still unknown."

"But why would you do this? You're the Head Captain."

"That's what I would like to know as well," Nanao agreed, appearing irritated. "They're criminals."

"I mean it's not like it's the first time we've let enemies go," Shunsui shrugged. "Besides I'd like to assume they were being used by their leader and were tricked into invading."

"You'd be correct to assume that," Hiroki said. "At least that's what I believe too."

"Great," Shunsui smiled. "Now after I've had a talk with them, they, you and Makoto can return to the World of the Living. But after that, only you are allowed to step foot here. The rest are not."

"Wait, not even Makoto?"

"While it is true that she helped us in the end, she also could have helped prevent this entire thing from the start by warning you about it. She is still somewhat complicit in the invasion, so she warrants a punishment the same as the others. Speaking of Makoto, you should go see her again. I just came from the Squad Four barracks and she was awake when I left."

"Seriously?! Thank you," Hiroki did a quick bow before running off back in the direction of the barracks.

He managed to get back to the barracks much quicker this time, partly because he was running, and partly because the road was much emptier than it had been before and things were starting to die down. When he entered the building, he had to slow down since the interior of the barracks was still pretty busy. He made his way down to the end of the hallway and entered the large room beyond.

The first thing he noticed was that it was emptier than before. In fact, all of the Lieutenants were still gone as well as Captains Hitsugaya and Kensei. Zaraki, Byakuya and the female Lieutenant were still asleep. Then Hiroki turned to see Makoto sitting up in her bed looking at him. He stared at her for a bit longer than he meant before turning his face to hide the red that was appearing on his cheeks. He cleared his throat and walked casually over to her.

"I see you're doing well," Hiroki said calmly as he approached.

"I see that you're also well," Makoto replied just as calmly, but with a slight smirk. "So what happened after…well…" she looked down at her stomach. While she was still wearing her robes, Hiroki assumed that she was bandaged underneath.

"I guess I should start off by saying that the invasion is over," Hiroki said, sitting down in the chair that he had been in less than an hour ago. "Though I guess you could've probably figured that out yourself."

She smiled slightly, "Yes, I gathered that. But what happened? Where is everybody?" Hiroki was silent for a moment, not exactly sure where to begin, but he decided to go with the good news first.

"Chiyo, Maiko and Hitoshi have been jailed," Hiroki replied then, seeing Makoto's worried expression, quickly added, "but I have been told that they will be released as long as they return to the World of the Living and never return. Unfortunately, that goes for you as well. It's your punishment for not making the invasion known before we could've stopped it."

"I understand. It's not like I really want to come back here anyway. But there were a few people you didn't mention."

"Uh, yeah," Hiroki rubbed his hands together nervously. He could feel his heart beating as if it wanted to rip itself out of his chest. "They…Akane, Takeo, Sadao, they didn't make it." Hiroki expected Makoto to say something, yell something, cry, any kind of reaction, but she just sat in silence, staring ahead. Hiroki figured she was trying to process what he had just told her.

She finally spoke, "How?"

"Captain Hitsugaya killed Akane and Captain Zaraki killed Takeo."

"And Sadao? Was that…? Did you…?"

"No. I defeated him, even stripped him of his powers, but I didn't kill him. The Head Captain was the one who did it. I left them alone to come check on you, and he must have done it when I left."

"I see. So I guess that's the end of the Splintered," Makoto smiled sadly.

"Not necessarily," Hiroki responded. Makoto turned to Hiroki and raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"There was something that Sadao said before I took his powers," Hiroki turned and rubbed his neck, a little embarrassed about what he was about to say. "He said that there had to be more Splintered out there, and he's probably right. Now he was most likely going to round them up and use them for his own revenge again, but I was thinking what if we found them. I mean I don't know how many are still out there, but whether it's one or one hundred, they might still need help. And while it's looking less and less likely that we can use the Soul Society as a new home, we might be able to figure something out. I mean we might as well try." He looked up at Makoto and was surprised to see her staring at him, tears streaming down her face.

"Oh crap, what did I say?" he asked quickly and anxiously. Makoto quickly wiped the tears from her face.

"No, you said nothing wrong," Makoto sniffed. "I'm just really happy you feel that way." She reached over and placed her hand on top of his. "Thank you."

The five Splintered stood in front of the Senkaimon. The Head Captain and Captain Hitsugaya stood behind them along with Rangiku and Nanao. The bodies that had been on the tower had been cleared off, and there were new Shinigami with the white head coverings standing near the gate.

"Don't worry, this isn't goodbye," Shunsui smiled. "Probably. But I just wanted to thank you for helping us. Oh, and you're always welcome back. Though I guess you would need a Soul Reaper to help you do it. Ah well, I'm sure you'll figure it out." He pulled out a gourd from behind his robes and offered it. "One for the road?"

"I'm still underage," Hiroki politely refuses.

"I'm not," Chiyo walked up and grabbed the gourd before taking a long swig. She gave it back after a refreshing sigh. She walked back to stand next to Maiko. Hiroki stared at her for a second before looking back at Shunsui.

"Anyway," Hiroki said. "I also wanted to thank you for everything as well. Especially involving them." He gestured at Maiko, Chiyo and Hitoshi.

"It's no problem. Well I guess it could be if word gets out, but I'll handle it."

"One last thing before you leave," Hitsugaya said. "Do you remember where I told you to go when you get your body back?"

"Yeah, but what's so special about this Karakura Town?"

"You'll see when you get there," the Captain replied with a serious tone.

"Okay," Hiroki responded, a little irritated at the lack of an answer. "Well, we should be going."

The Shinigami with the white head coverings did their hand motions and the gate opened. One of the black butterflies landed on Hiroki's shoulder. He knew they needed it to get safely to the World of the Living. The five Splintered stepped through the gate and, before they knew it, found themselves back in the World of the Living. The butterfly then flew back through the gate before it closed.

They had been gone for less than a day, but it felt completely different now. Maybe it was because they had lost four members or possibly because they had just finished a long, long fight. Either way, while it was daytime in the World of the Living, it seemed quiet.

"Let's get our bodies," Makoto said before leading the way.

They followed her back to the warehouse. When they stepped foot inside, Hiroki stopped and looked around. He could picture Sho up on the shelves, Takeo by the door, and Akane and Sadao in front of him. He sighed and continued to follow Makoto to the back of the warehouse.

He helped her move some boxes to reveal a trapdoor. Hiroki couldn't believe that his body had been in the warehouse this entire time. It was literally under his feet when he was asking about several hours earlier. They opened it to see some stairs descending down into darkness. They made their way down, and laying on the floor, in a straight line, were nine bodies.

After reentering his body, Hiroki found it a bit stiff. He hadn't been in it for a couple days after all. Everyone else did the same before they looked at the other four bodies. Akane, Takeo, Sadao and Sho lied there unmoving. Even after everything that had happened, Hiroki would have been slightly happy to see any of them open their eyes again.

"They deserve a funeral," Hiroki said. The rest silently agreed.

The following day, Hiroki heard a knock on his apartment door. He had been hoping to sleep in, but it appeared that wasn't going to happen. He groggily stood up. There was another knock.

"Yeah, yeah, hold on," Hiroki groaned as he slowly made his way to the door. He opened it to see Makoto standing on the other side. He suddenly got a weird sense of déjà vu.

"You look terrible," she said with a surprised expression. Hiroki was silent for a second before he began to close the door on her.

"I'm sorry," she quickly said, which caused Hiroki to stop the door. "May I come in?"

"Sure." Hiroki turned and headed down his short hallway to his kitchen. "Can I get you anything?"

"Oh, I'm fine," Makoto replied as she stepped inside, closing the door behind her. "Thank you though."

"So what brings you over here?" Hiroki asked after pouring himself a cup of water. He took a large gulp to help himself wake up.

"I just wanted to let you know that Chiyo, Maiko and Hitoshi have left town."

"Really? I take it that they left together?"

"Yeah. Apparently, they're going to look for Chiyo's mother. Turns out, there were some hints as to where she might be within Sadao's stuff."

"They couldn't even say good-bye?"

"Yeah well, I guess they wanted to get on it as quickly as possible. But that's not the main reason I'm here. I came to check on you. After all, you've been through a lot the last few days."

"Haven't we all?"

"Well, yes but still. You've probably had it the worst." Hiroki doubted that since the girl in front of him basically lost her own family for a second time. "I mean you just figured out about your heritage a few days ago."

"Oh, right. When you were stalking me."

"I was not…" Makoto took a breath. "It doesn't matter. How are you?"

"I'll be fine. I'm just tired. Thank you though." He yawned and ran his finger through his bedhead. "But now I have something to ask you?"

"Oh?"

"Will you come with me to this Karakura Town?"

"Of course. We'll have to swing by my place so I can pack some things."

"You mean the warehouse?"

Makoto chuckled, "I should probably find somewhere else to live. I guess I should get a job as well."

"Probably. Let me just get ready, and we can go."

After Hiroki took a shower and changed, he packed a bag with some clothes and travel essentials. Makoto waited patiently while watching him pack. Finally, he finished and gestured toward the door.

"Let's go," He said.

"Oh, we should stop by somewhere and get some breakfast," Makoto suggested. Hiroki's stomach rumbled.

"Yeah, you're probably right." He opened the door and let Makoto go outside first.

"Of course I am," she responded, walking outside.

"Oh, I guess I should let my job know I'll be gone for the next few days," Hiroki said, following her and closing the door behind him.