Bleach (c) Tite Kubo

Black and Blue

Consolation

The audio recording concludes with the hiss of heavy rainfall then a dry static crackle.

Deafening silence descends upon the assembled Shinigami in the Archive Chamber. Every single one of them shocked ridged in disbelief by the sheer impossibility of what they just heard.

Kaien Shiba is dead.

That is a cold hard fact.

They all witnessed his death that night sixty years ago in one fashion or another.

Captain Ukitake had battled the Hollow Metastacia when it possessed Kaien's body and witnessed his Lieutenant's final lucid moments, bleeding out all over Rukia's shihakusho as he rasped his last words through a mangled throat and blood-filled lungs.

Kiyone and Sentaro, along with the other sentries roused to battle stations, had witnessed Kaien Shiba's cold crumbling corpse being brought back to the barracks and prepared for a return to the Shiba family compound. Miyako Shiba's Zanpakuto sent home along side him - it was the only thing left of the former Third Seat to bury.

They all saw the wounds that killed him. The slash to the left side of his throat, cutting to the bone curtesy of Captain Ukitake; it would've been a clean decapitation had the Captain's own diseased body (and his damned hesitation) not betrayed him at the last second. They saw the bloody stab wound where Rukia's Zanpakuto had impaled his chest, destroying his heart as the final death blow. The punctures on the underside of his left wrist where the Hollow infested and defiled his body.

Despair rippled like a tidal wave through the Thirteenth at the sight.

None were willing to believe the truth, even those who gazed upon the irrefutable evidence with their own eyes.

They shouted and spat curses at the fates.

Some Shinigami cried and wailed their denial. Their Lieutenant was one of the strongest the Gotei 13 had to offer, they shouted, second only to Lieutenant Sasakibe of the First Division! They knew Lieutenant Shiba was destined to become one of the most powerful Shinigami of their time (had he not summarily lacked any ambitions to ascend in their ranks) - there was no way some measly Hollow scumbag could defeat him!

Others howled and raged and bayed for blood. In the throes of anger and desire to avenge Kaien Shiba by proxy, seated and unseated officers petitioned their Captain over and over again to commence a purge of the region, their Lieutenant's name a rallying cry on their lips.

If there was one Hollow with Metastacia's capabilities, there would be more. And those Hollows had to be destroyed before they claimed anyone else! That was their duty!

Needless to say, all were beset by inconsolable grief as they bade final farewell to their beloved Lieutenant and his wife.

United in that grief above all, the Thirteenth desired from the bottom of their hearts to somehow undo the events of that harrowing night; none more so than Captain Jushiro Ukitake and Rukia Kuchiki.

When the news of Kaien's demise had spread to the rest of the Gotei 13, many admirers and colleagues of the late Lieutenant expressed similar cries of disbelief and outrage, but in the face of the hard truth, they offered their sympathies as best as they were able.

The other Captains had visited the Thirteenth's barracks and offered words of compassion during the memorial service for the men and women who died that night. Among those Captains expressing their sorrow was one Sosuke Aizen.

Ukitake feels utterly justified to take his words as mockery and gloating in hindsight.

Thanks to one mutant hollow, a terrible wound was inflicted upon the division that's still felt to this day; signified by the vacant Lieutenant posting that no one's ever been quite able to fill, no matter how hard they tried or how many had applied.

Such was the hole one man left behind.

But now, against all measures of rationality, Kaien Shiba's reiatsu signature is in the World of the Living and he'd spoken with Ichigo Kurosaki.

This is either a cruel scheme devised by their enemies to strike at their morale, parading the honored dead around like some twisted puppet... or a miracle of unfathomable proportions.

Captain Ukitake leans against the control panel, his fingers clutching around its edges in a white knuckle grip, and let out a shaky disbelieving breath. He has nothing to say, what can he say?

"C-Captain-?" Kiyone ventures carefully, finally breaking the tense silence.

The Captain does not respond. He's reeling, trying to resolve the twin feelings of fragile hope and hard realism as his mind churns with any and all possible explanations, no matter how fantastical.

"Its... this is impossible." Takanashi's whispered words echo like thunder in the quiet chamber, trying to reconcile her own theories and counterpoints with the hard data before them, "This has to be some sort of imposter, but... the reiatsu signature's change from our database is within acceptable deviations. Which would mean whoever this is has the capability to authentically mimic another's reiatsu and vocal patterns while taking subtle age variations into account... but, to mimic a reiatsu signature to that degree without a sample from the original source? Such a feat is impossible. Even for Captain Kurotsuchi. So, either this imposter somehow got his hands on a reiatsu sample and managed to prevent its decay over these last six decades... or its... its actually-" Takanashi is unable to voice her final thoughts. Its inconceivable.

"Or its actually Lieutenant Shiba." Sentaro finishes for her deliberately.

"B-But it can't be - we all saw his body." Kiyone counters, though her words lacked conviction.

"This... " Captain Ukitake's voice is unnerving low and hoarse with a tempest of emotions, "... does not leave this room. And the three of you will remain silent."

"Captain?" Sentaro questions, taking a step forward in protest, "But if that's-"

"Need I remind you that this exact same scenario has only just recently played out in the Seireitei?" The words choke him as they cross his lips and he hates himself for giving them voice, but Captain Ukitake is a veteran of many hundreds of years. He would gladly fight the injustices of the world where he saw them, but he didn't maintain his captaincy over these long centuries by being held sway to every emotion. "That another once well-respected Shinigami was evidently murdered in our very walls, only to be revealed as the orchestrator behind every misery that befell us these recent months? Including the wrongful near-execution of one of our own?"

Ukitake's counter cuts hard, and it takes the wind out of their sails but the officers voice their objections nonetheless.

"Captain... are you - you can't possibly be suggesting that Kaien Shiba is a traitor, like Aizen! The man was the epitome of honour and duty!" Sentaro protests fiercely.

"Shiba would never betray us! Not now, not ever." Kiyone agrees vehemently.

"No, I wouldn't dare dream of accusing the man we all knew of treachery. But there is the caveat we must consider here; We do not know if this man is Kaien." Ukitake explains, he swallows down a lump in his throat and presses on, "But, if by divine act, this truly is Kaien Shiba - then in light of recent events, others can and will tar him with the same brush as Sosuke Aizen. Up to and including those within Central 46, the Omnitsukido and the Captain-Commander."

Ukitake explains, his tone is iron and brooks no argument. "And so, you will all remain silent."

Central 46 and the Omnitsukido in particular didn't exactly have a stellar track record with the Shiba clan either. Even after a new body was elected to replace the one murdered by Aizen, Central 46 was just as obtuse as ever.

Captain Ukitake remembers only days after receiving news of their Clan Head and Lady's deaths, and with barely any time to mourn the loss, Central 46 had summarily stripped the Shiba Clan of all status and privileges and cast them out of the Seireitei. No explanation was given to those within the clan, but rampant whisperings had twisted public perception into believing the former Fifth Great Noble House had plotted some kind of insidious conspiracy to overthrow the other ruling houses.

Their compound was evicted overnight. Proud serving clansmen in the regular forces, the Kido Corp and civilian tradesmen found themselves suddenly completely shunned and cast out by their peers for unknown reasons. Peers they had only days ago laughed with, fought with and bleed for.

The rumour of conspiracy had rapidly deteriorated from backalley whisperings to open speculation to 'assumed knowledge'. It was all the excuse Central 46 needed to deploy the Omnitsukido to... 'escort' the Shiba clan out of the Seireitei. Most Shiba clansmen managed to escape with their lives - most - and found refuge in Rukongai hiding under new names.

To this day, the only members of the Shiba clan who still wear the name are Kukaku Shiba and Ganju Shiba. And the Omnitsukido wouldn't dare touch them, for risk of incurring the wrath of the Royal Guard (and because, even without a Zanpakuto, Kukaku Shiba could outmatch nearly all officers in the Gotei 13 bar some of the older Captains.).

If, by some mystifying chance, this man is truly Kaien then Ukitake doesn't want his location broadcast to anyone who didn't already know.

Not only would the Omnitsukido attempt to capture him and drag him back to the Seireitei to answer for hearsay accusations that tore down the Shiba clan, they would undoubtedly execute him regardless for the 'crime' of being Hollowfied, much like Shinji Hirako and the seven other officers from a century ago.

Despite everything; despite Aizen's word being the source of their 'crimes' and the man's public ousting as a traitor - those inane execution orders still stood.

Kaien's fate was bound to the other Visoreds now, and if Kaien was brought back to the Seireitei right now? He would only see the executioner's blade.

Ukitake would not let that happen.

He failed to protect his Lieutenant once, he will not fail again.

If Ukitake wants to pave the way for his Lieutenant's potential homecoming, he needed to challenge the Captain-Commander's decision. And he knew better than to challenge the ruling executives without hard evidence to support his claims. Frustratingly enough, Aizen's public confession is not proof enough - so deep was his insidious infection and so broken was their archaic practices. Which means Ukitake would have to look into the incident from a hundred years ago on his own.

Ukitake laments with a bleak smile that he'd ordered his Lieutenant against doing the same. How much of this could've been avoided had he simply helped Kaien like the man had begged him all those years ago?

That's one more regret that will haunt him to his dying day.

The Captain straightens and turns his grim face towards his three officers, "One of you three will monitor this line at all times. Work in shifts, do not let anyone else hear of this. Do not even speak of this to anyone outside this circle. Not until we discover the truth of the matter. If news of this - if news of his... extended leave of absence reaches the wrong ears, then it will be used to paint any number of crimes upon him, no matter how esteemed his memory. And you will have as good as killed him yourselves."

Ukitake turns to his three officers. None of them were particularly happy with the order. He could tell each of them wanted to charge through the nearest Senkaimon, find their Lieutenant and bring him home - Ukitake was stopping himself from doing the exact same thing - but there's an understanding of the severity of the situation.

In that, they all reluctantly obeyed and snapped salutes. "Understood, sir."

And if-" Ukitake clamps down his emotions and presses on, "If Kaien reaches out to Ichigo Kurosaki again, I want to be informed immediately. In the mean time, I'll need you to produce a copy of the audio file and transcript."

"Yes sir." Takanashi nodded and set about the task,

"Captain," Kiyone ventures tentatively, and Ukitake levels his gaze at her, "... I know its not my place to suggest, but... don't you think we should at least tell Rukia? If its not too bold to say so, I think she of all people has the right to know."

Ukitake's eyes lower contemplatively, "She's still recovering from the ordeal from the Sokyoku." He answers distantly, "But you are right. Rukia does have a right to know about this... For the time being however, allow her to focus on her own health and recovery. Restoring her powers will be difficult enough with any additional emotional turmoil. I will tell her the truth myself in time..."

Captain Shunsui Kyoraku is no stranger in the Thirteenth's barracks, its practically his home away from home, but he honestly wishes he could say this was a social visit.

Ukitake had sent along an invitation his way, and while Kyoraku was delighted for an excuse to take a break from all the paperwork the reconstruction efforts produced, there was an urgency in his best friend's message that put Kyoraku on edge.

When Kyoraku arrives at Ukitake's office, he's stunned to see his best friend's distress and wondered what's so utterly divorced Ukitake from his usual upbeat demeanour.

"I have something I need you to hear." Ukitake said without ceremony, then cast so many layers of silencing barriers that Kyoraku would've teased him about mistaking privacy for paranoia had Ukitake's grave expression not warned him off such a thing.

There's a portable audio device on the Captain's desk, and after making sure his barriers are firmly in place Ukitake activates it without so much as a word.

Kyoraku takes a seat on the lounge, fiddling with his sakkat between both hands. He's not denying he's curious about what has his friend in such a way, but he's more concerned about the effect the stress is having on Ukitake's health. He's just about to voice this concern when the recorded conversation begins.

It doesn't take long for Kyoraku to figure out this was an audio transmission from the Combat Pass. Ukitake had given Ichigo one when he departed the Soul Society a couple months ago now, and expressed privately that he hopes Ichigo would understand his intentions and not hold any ill will towards him.

Kyoraku's first instinct (and fear) is to think that perhaps Kugo Ginjo has made an appearance and this is a recording of that conversation. An attempt to sway the newly minted Substitute against the Seireitei just as Ginjo betrayed them long ago, and perhaps Ukitake is seeking his advise on how to handle the matter. Kyoraku likes young Ichigo well enough, and it'd be a shame to face such a talented boy on the battlefield.

That assumption is summarily cast aside when Kyoraku hears the other person for the first time. There's something terribly familiar about this voice, like an old memory that's struggling to rise to the surface. His brows furrow as he tries to place it, and as the recording moves along, his grey eyes widen ever so slightly in recognition as pieces fall into place.

"Jushiro... that's not - it can't be." Kyoraku can't often be described as thunderstruck by something, but right now, he's pretty damn close. Especially when this mystery man declares his name.

Ukitake says nothing, taking up a seat across from Kyoraku with his fingers folded in his lap. The reason for his mood is thrown into sudden sharp relief, and Kyoraku can't help but share some of it himself.

With a joke at Kukaku Shiba's expense and a fading spirited laugh, the device on Ukitake's desk stops.

Kyoraku is speechless. How long has it been since he'd heard that laugh?

"I'd forgotten what his voice sounded like..." Ukitake confesses with a heavy heart, Kyoraku watches him draw in a steadying breath and continue, "Shameful thing to admit, but I did. Its... strange, but its comforting too. He doesn't seem to have changed much, which is something I can only be grateful for. That being said I can't shake that lingering doubt in the back of my mind. He died, Shunsui. I watched him die, yet but divine miracle... it seems he's in the World of the Living with the other exiles. With Lisa and Shinji."

"At least they're together," Kyoraku says as an attempt of consolation, "Kaien and Lisa will take care of each other. They always have."

Ukitake looks about ready to cry and Kyoraku suddenly wonders just how many times he's listened to this exchange, "Indeed, it seems I also owe Shinji Hirako an incalculable debt."

"Don't do that to yourself, Jushiro." Kyoraku shakes his head in dismay, Ukitake looks up at him and the expression is almost enough to make Kyotaku's heart break, "I can tell what you're thinking; you're thinking if Shinji and the other Visoreds were never exiled, they'd of been able to save Kaien all those years ago. Maybe they could have, maybe they couldn't, but you'll drive yourself mad with that kind of wishful thinking. All of those 'what-ifs' and 'could have's - all that does is waste energy, there's no point fretting over what could've been, the thing to do is focus on the now. On what this means."

Ukitake manages a fragile smile, "Yes. You're right, of course. There's no reason to tread down blind alleys, and no need to borrow troubles when we're contending with more than enough of those already."

"You're worried that this could be a ploy by Aizen," Kyoraku knows his friend well, and truthfully it made a kind of sense. Sosuke Aizen has made it perfectly clear that there no depths of depravity were too low for him when he allied himself with Hueco Mundo, "That's a fair assumption to make, but I think there are better people - or perhaps, more suitable people - to sway Ichigo Kurosaki against us, if that's indeed the end goal here. If anything, Kaien earnestly seems to want to help him. I would say that's a point in favour of him being the genuine thing."

Ukitake nods slowly, and Kyoraku could see and sense the emotions at war within him, the anxieties. Hopes and despairs clashing against one another as the pros and cons of the situation play out in his mind.

"But I do agree that the timing is suspicious." Kyoraku voices at last, his friend is spiralling and he wants to redirect his thoughts in a more constructive direction, "Only days after Aizen is ousted as a traitor, Kaien reveals himself? If he had the capacity to do so, why did he not reveal himself sooner?"

Ukitake hums quietly to himself as he ponders the question, "Maybe... maybe, the timing was the point." He muses, straightening up in the chair and his brow furrowed in thought. "He knew the pass was there, he'd even called attention to it. If he was a plant by Aizen, then he would've approached Ichigo in a way that wouldn't have tipped us off to his presence. The kido weave on the Combat Pass is intricate yet sturdy, but given Aizen's skills, I'm certain he would've developed a kido to counteract or temporarily block the Pass's transmissions to the Soul Society. Kaien knew about the pass and its functions, he would've known we would be listening in. He's suggested being in contact with Urahara and Yoruichi, and he mentioned the execution attempt, so he definitely knew what transpired here... which means Kaien sought the pass out deliberately."

Kyoraku allows himself a small smile as he watches that melancholic expression evaporate into one of comprehension, of determination, "He's not there to lure Ichigo Kurosaki into some clandestine scheme; this was Kaien's way of reporting in." There's a hopeful lint to Ukitake's voice, "Aizen's presence in the Seireitei meant he couldn't come back or even contact us without raising a massive commotion. One which would undoubtedly put many others in danger. But now Aizen is gone and a means to discretely reach out has become available through the Combat Pass..."

"Now doesn't that sound like the Kaien Shiba we know?" Kyoraku agrees then leans forward, "So now, the next question is; what are we going to do?"

Ukitake blinks in surprise, "We?"

Kyoraku cocks his head to one side, a sly smirk on his lips, "Oh come now, Jushiro. You rush me here to reveal our dear Lieutenants are not only alive and well, but are in the human world, and you expect me not to take an interest? You're slipping in your old age, my friend."

Ukitake stares at him then chuckles wryly, "True enough. Though we're not exactly in a position to charge into the human world and bring them home. Neither Kaien nor Lisa, nor any of the others. And that's assuming they even want to return after how swiftly Central 46 cast them out without a fair hearing. I've thought on that matter too, Shunsui. Without overturning the execution orders of Central 46 on all Visoreds, we'll have as good as murdered them ourselves."

Ukitake's brows knit together, fierce and determined, "Seeing my Lieutenant die once was enough. I will not allow him to suffer a second time."

"Then it seems we've got our work cut out for us. We'd best get started on finding a way to overturn Central 46 and the Old Man's decision," Kyoraku says cheerfully then smiles, its as sharp edged as his Zanpakuto, "But between you and I; I'll do anything to bring my Lisa back, even if it means getting scolded by the Old Man all over again."

Author's note:

Jushiro and Kyoraku now know their LTs are alive. Lets see how that plays out. :)

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

Regards,
Aurora313