"You know, when my taichou told me I was being summoned to the first division I thought I was finally being recognized for my skills but seeing you three here makes me think it might have been that bar fight over the weekend." Rangiku huffed in annoyance when she caught sight of Renji, Ikkaku, and Yumichika waiting outside of the sotaichou's office. Ikkaku snorted.
"Please, don't act like you didn't start that fight." Yumichika said, brushing his hair back.
"Those punks were asking for it anyway." Ikkaku said, rolling his eyes. Rangiku gave him a grin.
"See, he gets it!" she said, patting Ikkaku's head. The eleventh officer snarled at her in annoyance, pulling back enough that she couldn't reach him anymore. Rangiku didn't seem to be too bothered by it, as she only smiled. Usually on the Friday Night of payday week, the officers would meet up at a bar and celebrate another month of getting through life. This particular week they had chosen a bar in the South Rukongai's First District and some local had decided to touch Rangiku without permission. She immediately made her displeasure at the action known, and of course the moment that it looked like a fight was going to break out, Ikkaku had to be in the middle of it. The random punk had called over a few of his friends and within moments a fight had broken out until the bartender had gotten a few stronger patrons of the bar to assist in shoving them all out into the street. That bar would sadly be off their list of places to go for a few months.
"I don't think it's about that." Renji pointed out, gaining everyone's attention. "If it was over the fight they would have called us in on Monday. This is something else." He continued. They could see the logic in his words. After all the four of them weren't the only one's present. Izuru, Shuhei, Momo, Marechiyo, and a handful of others had also been there. Not only that but Yumichika himself never got involved in the brawl, while Tetsuzaemon did.
"Well if it's not about that, what is it about?" Rangiku asked. Ikkaku and Renji shrugged.
"Only one way to find out." Yumichika mused. They all waited by the door a few more moments before it opened and Nanao, the co-fukutaichou of the first came out.
"Good, you're all here. Please come on in." she said. The four all nodded, heading into the sotaichou's office. Rangiku paused beside Nanao long enough to pat her on the shoulder. The two had been long time friends and Rangiku wished she could help her more. Nanao had already been strung out by being Shunsui's fukutaichou in the eighth, but the first had significantly more duties. Shunsui had argued with Central 46 to bring her, saying she knew how to handle him better than anyone else. Some thought it may be a joke, but according to Okikiba, Nanao was necessary to keep the division running. It wasn't a job anyone envied but had large amounts of respect for. Shunsui himself was not in the office, his desk sitting empty, but the four moved to stand in front of it just the same. Nanao went to a door toward the back, knocking.
"Coming!" Shunsui sang before entering the room, a stack of forms under his arm. The four officers went to attention, awaiting orders. Shunsui sat the documents in a pile before pulling out his chair and sitting down. "Thank you all for coming on such short notice." he said, leaning back and giving them a lazy smile. "Sorry for keeping you waiting, but I had to find a few important documents. Now, down to business." The taichou pulled down his straw hat, covering his eyes. "I am sending the four of you to investigate a rash of disappearances." Shunsui said. The four officers all exchanged confused looks. Typically, if something needed to be investigated the Gotie Thirteen would order either the Onmitsukido or the Second Division to look into it. The fact they wanted a fukutaichou level member to investigate indicated there was a higher level of concern. To have four though indicated there was a lot more going on than Shunsui was telling them.
"Four fukutaichou level officers to look into some disappearances?" Rangiku asked. Shunsui was one of the more approachable officers and before he became the suotaichou had regularly spent time with all the junior officers, especially young women who enjoyed alcohol. Rangiku had been around the Gotie Thirteen for just over ninety years and had one of the longest and most familiar relationships with Shunsui. Of the four of them, Rangiku had the easiest time confronting him. Shunsui chuckled, waving a hand in front of his face.
"Sorry, you caught me." he admitted. He pushed his hat up further and sighed. "I guess I'm going to have to explain it better." The easy going smile faded and Shunsui gave the group a much more serious look. "In the eightieth district of the west, a district called Fugai, a number of souls have been suddenly vanishing." Shunsui said.
"Souls go missing in the higher districts all the time. What makes this worth investigating?" Ikkaku asked. Shunsui sighed, as if he was hoping they wouldn't ask that.
"Well, the souls are vanishing at a particularly fast rate and it's enough to make the Twelfth Division concerned. After everything with the Quincy's, the world is already balanced on an incredibly thinned line. Any significant change can throw everything out of balance and lead to the destruction of the worlds." Shunsui said. The four grimaced at that and Ikkaku and Yumichika in particular gave concerned looks. The last time they invesitaged a group of missing Rukongai Citizens, they had discovered that the Twelfth Division had rounded up an entire village and executed them to put the souls back in the cycle of rebirth to regulate the balance between worlds. Neither of them trusted reports by the Twelfth completely.
"Isn't that the Ninth Division's district? Why aren't Hisagi-sempai or Kuna here?" Renji asked. After all it was almost unheard of to send a division into a district that was under the jurisdiction of another district. Shunsui leaned back in his chair, looking at the ceiling for a moment.
"You four really are making me explain myself today aren't you?" Despite the words, the tone was rather teasing, indicating that Shunsui wasn't upset about it. "A hundred years ago there was an incident in Fugai that is very similar to this. Muguruma-taichou and Kuna-fukutaichou suffered heavy casualties and I doubt either would allow me to send Shuhei without a fight. Not that we think they are connected." Shunsui added the last part quickly, almost like he was trying to assure himself more than them that there was no particular reasons to be concerned. "I'm sure Shuhei would be able to handle himself just fine like the rest of you, but there are some rather bad memories there for the Ninth. I picked the four of you because you're experience in the higher districts." Shunsui said.
"That makes sense." Yumichika mused. After all, as far as the four of them knew they were the best choices for this. Marechiyo and Izuru were lesser nobles and Tetsuzeamon's mom as well as Sentaro's father were Shinigami so the four of them grew up in the Seireitei. Nanao came from a prominent religious clan and Momo was from a first numbered district, making the two of them from just outside of the Setiretei gates. Kiyone and Isane were from a lower ranked district and no one knew where Akon was from, least of all himself. He had spent so much time in the Maggot's Nest he didn't remember his life before it. Shuhei was also a wild card, none of them knowing what district he came from, but the officer was so proper and polite that it was hard to imagine him from coming anywhere higher numbered than five.
"So you just want us to look around and see if we can figure out why souls are disappearing before reporting back? Sounds easy enough." Ikkaku said.
"Don't underestimate it!" Nanao snapped, her voice rising. The four officers looked at her in surprise. Nanao rarely got upset. Annoyed was a given when Shunsui was involved but Nanao hardly ever raised her voice at her peers. Rangiku could see her friend was actually pretty alarmed. She wondered if Nanao knew about the previous incident having been in the Gotie Thirteen long before she had. Shunsui stood, putting a hand on her shoulder. Nanao paused before turning a little red and giving them a rather apologetic look.
"She's right you know. You really shouldn't underestimate this. I had hoped not to have to tell you this, in case it raised you're concerns, but the last time this happened we lost eleven taichou and fukutaichou's as well as three seated officers and ten skilled Shinigami." Shunsui said. That definitely got the entire group's attention. What threat could have wiped out such a large group of powerful officers? It was no wonder Shunsui wanted to send out four fukutaichou level officers from the start.
"We understand." Rangiku said. Shunsui nodded.
"Just be careful and don't take any chances. If you see anything you aren't sure about report in immediately and wait for reinforcements." Shunsui ordered. The four all nodded, accepting the mission.
Xxx
Shuhei looked down at the papers in his hands before looking back at Kensei, worried. "Did I do something wrong?" he asked. Kensei growled in the back of his throat, rolling his eyes.
"You know you're the only subordinate I ever had who thinks time off is a punishment." Kensei said. He folded his arms across his chest and smirked. "I know for a fact you haven't taken any time off since the entire mess with Aizen began." Kensei added. It was a true statement. After all, when Tosen had initially defected Shuhei had done everything he could to hold his division together. Izuru and Momo had been in worse shape than he was, and the other divisions put a lot of their focus on keeping the two of them together. Sajin and a few of the other officers had checked in on Shuhei when they could, but he was primarily on his own. Then the war happened and Shuhei had been pretty torn up in it. He should have taken time off after that, especially after what happened to Tosen, but there still was no one to look over the division in his absence so Shuhei had just trudged himself back to the office against doctors orders to manage things. Not long after Kensei and Mashiro had come to the ninth and Shuhei was needed just as much due to the transition. He was starting to think about taking some time off, but then the Quincy's made an appearance. After that, Kensei was so badly wounded and Mashiro was at his bed side the whole time that Shuhei returned to work the moment he was conscious. Aoga was furious with him for it and checked on him practically every day. Now though, with Aizen back in jail and things stabilizing again there was no real reason to decline some time to himself. There was only one problem.
"With all due respect, where would I go for two weeks?" Shuhei asked. When Shuhei had first left home, he had been unable to enter the Shino Academy. Because of that he got temporary jobs in the lower districts and slept wherever he found the space. After passing his exams, Shuhei stayed in the school dorm, and upon graduation he lived in the ninth division barracks. Even now Shuhei was living in the fukutaichou quarters, Mashiro saying she wasn't going to contend him for the room as she prefers to stay in the same quarters as Kensei anyway. It wasn't a vacation if he was staying in the barracks and Shuhei didn't have the time to clear a leave request for the Living World since Kensei was so kind to suddenly spring this on him. Kensei hummed in thought.
"Do you have any family?" Kensei asked. Shuhei winced at that and Kensei scowled. "You do, don't you?" he accused. Shuhei gave a small nod. "You never mentioned them before." Kensei added.
"I have two older brothers." Shuhei admitted. Kensei blinked in surprise. Apparently, he never considered Shuhei to be a youngest child. Shuhei thought about reminding him that Mashiro had a little sister in the twelfth who was much more mature than the co-fukutaichou of the ninth, but decided against it.
"When was the last time you saw them?" Kensei asked. That was the big question wasn't it? Kensei himself didn't have any siblings but he could relate to the feeling with the other vizord. He wouldn't be happy to learn that Shuhei hadn't seen his brothers since he left for the Academy. "If you have to think about it, it's been too long. Go see your big brothers, take two weeks to get your head on right, then get your ass back here for work." Kensei ordered. Shuhei couldn't help but smile at his brash orders. With a nod the young officer took the leave forms and headed to his quarters. He didn't need to pack, after all if he did it would attract attention. There was still a few things he needed to get in order before taking off for two weeks though. It wouldn't take long, then he'd be on his way back to Fugai.