Bleach (c) Tite Kubo

Black and Blue

Rumination

Heavy rain drums a rhythmic beat against the tin roof of the warehouse the Visoreds call their home.

The weather has been particularly foul the last couple days, but it would abate soon enough.

Kaien Shiba perched himself on one of the rafters by a window, peering out into the gloomy haze with his sea green eyes. His only companions are a paperback novel and an ashtray steadily filling up with spent cigarette butts.

He likes reading fantasy from the World of the Living.

Humans had truly fascinating imaginations to come up with so many different kido-like concepts in their stories. And among other things, Kaien likes comparing the things he's read in novels with what Love Aikawa read in his weekly Manga Jump magazines. They shot the breeze about which fictional spells probably could work as kido if tweaked effectively.

It's one of his favourite pastimes actually, having a jolly conversation with a fellow media enthusiast.

Like the nerds they were, they were ecstatic about whatever story they were reading at the time, sharing ideas and theories like any fans would. All of it is good fun and nothing to be taken too seriously.

Problem was Mashiro caught wind of one of their mock debates, decided it would be an absolute thrill to test out their 'theories' and actually tried some of their faux spells before either man could stop her.

Half a dozen colourful explosions later, one of which destroyed the kitchen (and incidentally dinner), some equally colourful language was hurled like throwing knives (along side actual knives). That fiasco ended in a particularly fun conversation with Hiyori and Kensei.

A conversation that was more Kaien and Love being screamed at like rookies fresh out of Shin'ou Academy until Hiyori and Kensei were both purple in the face. Then they were yelled at some more.

The blond former Lieutenant had a temper to match Kukaku's. And that temper was typical of her even before this exile to the World of the Living. She was always a spitfire and a half, and Kaien dreads the prospect of the two ladies ever meeting.

If ever there was a shouting match between Hiyori and Kukaku (good god, Kaien prays that'd never happen), Kaien would put good money on Kukaku winning it. That being said, whatever money he'd win from that hypothetical bet would immediately head towards the inevitable repair bill. (Wouldn't be the first time, either)

Shinji and Rose wisely stayed out of the line of fire (cowards), and would later confess finding the whole debacle hilarious. Poor Hachigen was too busy for the next week trying to repair the barriers and training grounds to make any comment on the matter, and Lisa has yet to let either of them live it down.

Kaien and Love became a lot more careful with their fantastical musings after that, making sure Mashiro was well out of earshot if they started up again.

This current trilogy Kaien's reading is an old one (by human standards). A fantasy epic that came out around about the same time he woke up in the Living World. Less emphasis on the kido-esque concepts in this one and more emphasis on the mystical creatures, races and all the politicking that goes on. It's a widely applauded epic tale from the west. Nine unlikely heroes set out to halt an Eldritch Lord's schemes from destroying life as they knew it, a defiant last stand of humans and their allies, and the return of a rightful monarch.

All the classic beats that made for a wholesome happy ending.

Normally Kaien's an absolute sucker for the triumph of friendship and camaraderie over hopeless adversity, but the book just couldn't grab him today.

So Kaien sits on his perch, looking out at a whole bunch of empty warehouses with an uncharacteristically glum expression.

He doesn't mind that he's voluntold he's on watch duty on rainy days. It only ever made sense given his natural talents. He wasn't lying when he told Ichigo the rain had its stories to tell for people who knew how to listen either.

With a faint infusion of reiatsu, a subtle weave of kido and Nejibana's focus, this downpour became a massive detection grid and an extension of Kaien's natural senses.

It's one of the first things he figured out how to do with his reiatsu as a young boy, infusing it into water, long before attending the Shin'ou Academy was even a thought in his head.

Between Aizen's persistent lackeys trying to smoke them out and Onmitsukidou assassins sent by the Seireitei to eliminate the so-called 'traitors', Kaien's had a lot of practice honing this skill over the last six decades.

Thing is, no assassination teams have been spotted in the past month.

Surely it was no coincidence that Aizen publicly ousted himself as a traitor around that time too.

With the treacherous ex-Captain and his cohorts declared Soul Society's greatest enemies and renegades, and absconding from the scene thanks Negación from Hueco Mundo, it left two possibilities:

The first; the Captain-Commander and Central 46 realized they monumentally screwed up, leading to every policy decision proposed, supported or accepted into record by Sosuke Aizen falling under intense scrutiny. Meaning the assassination orders were rescinded pending formal investigations on every single one, including the condemnation and exile of the Visoreds (As if!).

The second; The Onmitsukidou were reassigned new priority targets and the Visoreds were knocked several thousand rungs down the ladder. They were now tomorrow's problem in favoir of tracking Aizen's posse (probably).

While the boundless optimist in Kaien desperately wished to believe the former for dear life, his experience in Seireitei's cutthroat political environment as both a Lieutenant and Shiba Clan leader told him it was very much the latter.

Thankfully, Hachigen's barriers did a fantastic job of hiding them away from the world at large, especially in their training sessions where their reiatsu exploded like miniature suns. When Kaien joined their entourage, his talents were icing on the cake.

One massive advantage to his untimely gruesome demise was no one would ever think to look for a dead man's faint reiatsu signature in the clouds. And his control had become so deft, so surgical, that it could be dismissed entirely as background noise. Unless someone with a keen sense knew specifically where to look or could remember what his presence felt like, he's virtually undetectable.

However, given Aizen's deception in the Soul Society? Faking his own death to move about unhindered and nearly spark a civil war?

Well, for starters - Kaien has half a mind to sue the prick for stealing his gimmick. But he decides his priority should be a talk with the others about how often they use this particular skill. It'd be a bummer to loss the convenience, but Kaien's not willing to broadcast his ongoing survival to their enemies just yet.

With deft practiced motions, Kaien plucks out a pack of cigarettes from his jacket pocket, slips one between his lips and flicks open a navy blue lighter. He barely takes a puff before it's snatched from his mouth.

"Why, thank you."

"Lisa!" Kaien complains only half-heartedly while Lisa puffs on his stolen cigarette,

His fellow former lieutenant is as unrepentant as ever, casually dragging on the thing while keeping his gaze. Her expression is a silent dare for him to make a play for it. Instead of rising to the deliberate bait, Kaien simply withdraws a second cigarette and lights it for himself.

"If you wanted one you could've just asked me for it." He mutters, feeling the nicotine curl in his lungs.

"Why ask when I can just take it instead? What's yours is mind as they say." Lisa counters, a sly smirk pulls at her lips for a split second before it vanishes, replaced by her usual detachment.

Kaien laughs.

Lisa is his best friend. Even after the years between her exile and his waking up from the living nightmare of hollowfication, she has never been anything less than his best friend. And he owed her his life about a dozen times over.

Before all this ugliness started they spent a lot of time together by virtue of their Captains being close friends, so it was only natural for a bond to form. It makes her one of the few people Kaien actually let his guard down around and confess his private doubts and worries.

Lisa takes a seat down beside him, the ashtray set between them, "So what's your measure of the kid? Bit of a prick if Shinji's description's anything to go by."

Typical Lisa, always cutting to the quick of the matter.

"If you were jumped by a Zanpakuto, I wager you'd be a smidge pissed off too. But if you want my personal opinion on him? He's someone who needs a lot of help. And I don't just mean the kind we're offering. Ichi walks around like he's the mythical Atlas, like he's got the weight of the world on his shoulders. And that pisses me the hell off." Kaien confesses in one breath, "He's a child. He should be worried about next week's exams, or studying, or whatever hobbies he's got going on - not getting wrapped up in another world's political bullshit."

"That same child stormed the Seireitei with a cat, three of his friends and your baby brother, to save a girl he knew for barely two months." Lisa reminds him pointedly, idly toying with her cigarette.

Kaien scrubs his face before running his hand through his hair, "Yeah, don't get me wrong; That's foolhardy and brave and my kind of stupid. Exactly the sort of thing a Shiba would do. Hell, you know it's exactly what I would do - but, as impressive as all that is? It's less an endorsement of the kids' skills and more a glaring reminder of just how utterly gutted the Gotei 13 has become. Its a shadow of its former self, thanks to Aizen's manipulations. And precisely what was all the death, misery and misdirection for? A petty little bauble."

He doesn't bother trying to keep the bitterness out of his tone, nor the anger. "If it was the Gotei 13 we joined years ago? The kids would've never made it past the gate."

Aizen Sosuke had destroyed so much in his unchecked thirst for power that it's impossible not to harbor an undying hatred for the man. Kaien had been so proud to be a Shinigami, and to see that organization fall so low thanks to one man's insanity? It boils his blood.

"The same Gotei 13 who exiled us for the simple crime of being unwilling victims in Aizen's Hollowfication experiment." Lisa pointedly cuts in and Kaien winces,

Kaien always had faith in the Shinigami. He's always loved them as people, but his fellow Visored's faith in the government overseeing them has been well and truly shattered. One man managed to twist the virtues they supposedly stood for into the callous tools that completely destroyed their lives.

Even after their exile, Kaien tried to use those very same tools to at least demand a proper investigation until the very end, only to be shut out at every turn. The corrupt government defied its own laws to prevent his appeals from being heard, despite specific clauses and stipulations within the law permitting the Heads of the Five Noble Clans audience on demand.

It's hard not to lose faith in that rigid system. Especially when those same tools were used to utterly obliterate his own clan's standing after his death, as he heard from Yoruichi and Kisuke not long after his revival.

If Kaien survives this war, if Aizen is brought to justice and the Visoreds are finally granted the pardons they utterly deserve (as if they did something wrong in the first place!), he has a mind to throw what little weight he has left around to try and change it.

And if peaceful means meet resistance? Well, he's not above more 'persuasive' measures, especially these days when he has to satisfy the hollow screaming for blood in his soul.

"Right. Sorry, I didn't mean –"

Lisa waves him off with a dismissive hand, "Ah, cut the crap, Shiba. We both know what you meant. But what I mean by my question was in terms of power; how's the kid holding up? Do we need to stage an intervention or do you think you can convince him to work with us?"

Kaien hums and flicks some ash off the end of his cigarette into the tray, "Power wise, he's not as unstable as I thought he'd be, even with what Yoruichi reported to us. At a cursory glance, he's on the decline but not completely unsalvageable. I can definitely work with him, help him find some equilibrium again, but he's gotta be the one to reach out first. Can't help a guy who doesn't want it. That being said, if he doesn't ask for help soon? We're gonna have a pretty gnarly little mess on our hands now, aren't we? Not to mention, Uncle Isshin will probably - scratch that, definitely tear me a new asshole. And I'd be kicking my own ass for not keeping him safe."

He pauses to take a drag and exhales white-blue smoke, "I'm hoping Ichigo does reach out to me soon. If there's a time when you shouldn't be alone, it's when a psycho inner demon is trying to devour your sanity."

Kaien glances over his shoulder, as if Shinji Hirako would somehow materialized there and isn't off doing some errand run. "Speaking of psycho demons; why exactly didn't Shinji just up and tell Ichigo what we were and what we're trying to do? No vague words, no ominous warnings or any of that miscellaneous crap? Sometimes the direct approach is the best option."

"I thought you of all people would know the importance of choosing your words carefully, Former Shiba Clan Head." Lisa counters, she's still as detached as ever but the playful elbow to his ribs betrays her amusement, "You know how Shinji tends to operate. He likes to play his cards close to the chest. Always has, always will. Do you seriously expect anything less from him?"

"Still, Shinji could've just said Aizen fucked us all over, destroyed our lives and we want revenge. That's probably all it really would've taken to get Ichigo on board." Kaien rubs the tattoo running vertically down the left side of his neck, Miyako Shiba's name, and his eyes closing in frustration, "And who's idea was it to have Shinji - one of our oldest members, mind you - infiltrate a school full of teenagers? Exactly what purpose did his little act serve beyond making us out to be some creepy hollow-obsessed ex-shinigami cult?"

"Blackmail material. You should see the videos Love and Rose recorded of Shinji trying to act like a modern teenager. We're gonna hold that over his head for years to come." Lisa answers instantly,

Kaien gives her a look for five solid seconds, "The worst part is, coming from you I can legitimately believe that."

Lisa snorts, inhaling on her cigarette, "Teenagers spend most of their days at school, right? Best way to keep an eye on him was to put someone in the school. Make sure he didn't lose his shit mid-way through class and slaughter every poor bastard in the immediate vicinity. Made sense at the time."

"Okay. I get that. But aren't there better ways to go about it? Quieter ways? Maybe have someone watching the school with a bit of kido to keep their reiatsu undetected or something? Then use a bit of fancy gadgetry to snip any unwanted memories if push came to shove?" Kaien suggests, shrugging.

"Honestly, that sounds like an overly complicated hassle. I thought you Shibas preferred the direct approach?"

"Yeah, but there's a thing called subtlety?"

Lisa places a grave hand on his arm, looking at him with faux shock, "Wait, I need to process this... you mean that word 'subtlety' actually exists in your clan's vocabulary? Colour me amazed."

Kaien scoffs and rolls his eyes, utterly sarcastic, "Oh, har har. My sides are splitting. You're such a comedian."

Lisa affects disinterest, "Then how'd you go about it then? Used your detection technique to stalk him across the city? Pot calling the kettle black, much?"

Kaien can't help the awkward grin, "Uh… heh, no. Funny story, I was literally on a milk run because someone - and it totally wasn't Rose - forgot to add it to the shopping list this week, aaaaand found him by complete accident. Then I introduced myself and told him the truth; we wanted to help him tame his inner hollow, I personally wanted to repay him for saving Rukia, and that you guys saved my own life from far worse."

"You gave us a good character reference." Lisa summarises,

"Yeah, why would I not? You're my friends, even before this century-long fiasco, we've been through hell and back together. Plus, I dropped Kisuke and Yoruichi's names. If Ichigo's really that suspicious about us, he can always reach out to them too."

Lisa nods and a silence stretches between the two of them, filled with nothing but rain and the occasional exhale of cigarette smoke.

"Why do I get the feeling that you weren't just taking an opportunity to talk to the kid? And your little chat was more about you tipping a certain someone else off?" Lisa questions,

"Hmm?" Kaien prompts innocently, "What do you mean?"

"Oh, don't play dumb with me, you idiot," Lisa huffs, shoving him hard enough to nearly knock him off the rafter, utterly ignoring his indignant protest while she stubs out her spent cigarette. "You weren't just there to talk to him, you were after the combat pass too, weren't you? One of its little hidden functions in particular."

Kaien gives a wry smile and scratches the back of his head.

Caught.

"Maybe I was a little. Can you really blame me?"

Lisa considers him for a long moment and crosses her arms with a sigh, "Honestly, no I can't. But you know that Ukitake will probably have a heart attack, dance for joy, or come here in person to drag your ass home kicking and screaming, right? Probably all three in that order?"

"Probably all three in that order." Kaien agrees wryly, "Assuming its still the Thirteenth in charge of monitoring those passes and the duties haven't been passed onto the Second for some asinine reason. I imagine I'd be utterly and categorically screwed if that were the case." Kaien winces at the prospect of the Onmitsukidou having final say over a substitute Shinigami's continued benefit to the Soul Society.

Those shadowy bastards weren't anywhere near as forgiving or understanding as Captain Ukitake. And Yoruichi's replacement, Soi Fon? The girl spent her time as Yoruichi's shadow and she'd always struck a wrong note with Kaien during their brief encounters. Far too hotheaded, far too quick to hurl accusations and far too ready to carry out her kill orders without a second thought, even for an assassin. The Omnitsukidou required a special kind of ruthless personality to run by nature of their profession, but Soi fon was entirely the wrong kind of person to run the organisation in Kaien's opinion.

Then again, Kaien didn't really have an opinion on the 'right kind of person' to run the organisation either, but that was neither here nor there.

"If I were you, I'd be more worried about the scolding you've got incoming. And whether or not the good Captain would even let you out of his sight again after that bullshit with Metastacia." Lisa teases and Kaien snorts, shaking his head.

Another stretch of silence descends on them. The rain wasn't as heavy as before, the hard thudding against the warehouse roof was starting to ease.

"Feel better getting all that crap off your chest?" Lisa asks, idly swinging her legs off the edge of their perch,

"Yeah, I do. Thanks Lisa."

"Good. Cause as much as it pisses me off, how you walk around like sunshine and rainbows are comin' out of your ass," Kaien laughs wholeheartedly at the description but Lisa forges on regardless, "It unsettles me even more when you're the gloomier one between the two of us. Balance has been restored, I can now go about my business."

"And I sincerely appreciate your sacrifice," Kaien's grin splits his face as his own joke, "You know it's a sad day when you're the one giving me the pep talks, right?"

"Yep." With that, Lisa slips easily from the makeshift seat in the rafters and lands expertly a couple dozen feet below, she calls back up to him. "Kensei's nearly finished making lunch, I'll fix you a plate."

"Thanks." Kaien smiles fondly, watching her go. Lisa never was one for emotional moments and, as artlessly blunt as ever, he hopes she never changes.

Author's note:

So, to explain Kaien's neck if I was unclear (and I apologise if I was). The decapitation-like scar is from where Ukitake tried to cut his head off when Metastacia possessed him. Its horizontal and the tattoo is vertical.

Edit: 11/12/2022 - just cleaned up the chapter to make it flow better.

Regards,
Aurora313