The Iced Moon Arc Bleach

by tending

Lieutenant Kuchiki has a secret. A variety of secrets that the Gotei 13 do not know until a figure of her past and present tips them off and then a story is told, a past. A past connected to the very creation of the Soul Society from the Soul King to zanpakutos. Soul reapers are not the utmost rulers after all.

39. Long Lost

Pre-Note

This has been a draft-in-works since 2022. Please show any sign of life if you're here.

There is one scene that SHOULD'VE been a part of this chapter but I had to remove them because I exceeded the character limit on here unfortunately.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. This is for creative purposes. I do own this plot.

There are Images for this Chapter.

---

Long Lost

Past

It was the middle of the night. The high clock in the noble courtyard indicated that it was around two in the morning.

Haru had gotten a distress call from a division member about Odette frothing again, apparently the nurses were unable to calm her down and higher authority was needed before intervention.

Haru had roped along Yoruichi to check in on her and the team which brought them back down to the Ida manor's dungeons once again.

When they turned into the hall to locate the new arched cell, they were met with the new and improved version of Odette they had only heard of.

The ongoing investigation into the clan's 'institution' meant they were unable to renovate the space she was being held in until they were sure they weren't removing any evidence.

She laid up on a comforter with a satin pink and sage blanket over her feet and loose cuffs made of sheatsu that a nurse was trying to tighten as she thrashed her hands.

No matter their efforts to wash and clean her, the woman's appearance reinforced what they already knew.

There was no going back to how she was.

For her to recover would take a miracle. Upon the sight of Haru and Yoruichi, Odette didn't waste a second to snarl at them while lifting her legs up.

"I-Is she going to give birth again?!" Kon shrieked.

Haru and Yoruichi took a cautious step back.

"We're locking this place down." Yoruichi sternly said, prepared to take on what they all knew was going to come out of her.

"Guess this is part two of the show." Shinji muttered.

Haru drew an intercom portal with his hand, it produced an eerie sound that sounded much like a muffled telephone ringing. In between the pause of the first and last ring, Odette's screams blasted through the intercom, filling the cell and the manor with her loud wails through the mic.

"The incubation period is too fast." Tōshirō noted.

"She pushed a whole generation's worth out two days ago." Rangiku added, appalled.

"If we're preparing for repression, we need to unseal some vents." Haru said to Yoruichi.

Yoruichi glanced back at him, "I'm on it." And disappeared.

"We're commencing a lockdown, I repeat, we are commencing a lockdown, prepare for repression, the vents will be opened shortly." Haru said authoritatively, a message to the division members stationed around the manor.

"EUH—-" She was struggling to push them out, which seemed to buy Haru time to do something else.

"Who's that?" A voice belonging to Izuru asked, now behind Shuhei.

Ikkaku appeared right after with his head now lined with stitches. He kept his sword over his shoulder and eyes shut in annoyance. Yumichika was behind him, equally dismayed.

"Their mother." Shuhei replied.

"Mother?" Isane repeated, coming through the wall slowly. "Who's mother?"

"Isane." Captain Unohana kindly greeted. "Welcome back."

"Guessing we missed quite a bit, huh?" Izuru asked.

"Nothing hard to explain." Tōshirō assured him. "You see—"

Rukia flew out of a portal. "—She's doing it again?"

Haru saw her expression and followed it to Odette. "Afraid so."

"How—"

Out from Odette came the rush of liquid, tearing into separate bodies. Alarmed by the situation, Rukia rushed to dismiss him.

"Go!" She ordered. "I'll take care of her!" She assured him in panic.

"Very well." He bowed quickly. "Be careful." And disappeared before the newborn creatures could strike him.

The silver wall behind them transitioned into a section of the dungeon space where the division members, Haru and Yoruichi were at work. Rukia's presence did not calm Odette down in any shape or form. If anything, she became more aggravated.

"Come on, I know you can do this!" Rukia bawled as Odette rapidly kicked up and down, breaking the floor with her heel. The faster she kicked, the more liquid came out.

The fight to the left of them grew more intense. Slime splashed on the walls, wiggled down and came back together again to form a body.

At first, there had been someone who swooped in and collected all the bodies on the ground to avoid any interference with the clash but there was no one available to do so now. The swishing of those creatures seemed to quadruple in speed, everyone looked like smeared paint now.

The newly installed lights had long been crushed. The underground dungeon was now lit by flickering lights which made him particularly nervous.

He knew they, specifically him, couldn't be touched but they were against the wall, practically overlapping with their bodies, it would only take something like what happened weeks ago to occur again for them to be cut.

Behind them, Rukia continued to talk to Odette louder, having to shout over her screams. Odette kicked away everything in the cell, the clanging of metal and iron ringed in their ears. Orihime bent down, overwhelmed by everything that was happening.

Isane bent over her. "Are you okay, Inoue-san?"

She nodded her head stifly but her hands over her ears said she was not. "I-It's just a lot."

Shinji looked back at Odette. "She's really giving her a hard time."

"Odette!" Rukia wailed as the woman went on, raising her head high up at the ceiling, shaking like she was being electrocuted.

"What the fuck…" Shinji grimaced as veins appeared on her face and blackened.

Odette flipped her arms up so that her hands, balled into a fist, were facing the ceiling, she placed her legs tight together and pulled her entire body close. Her mouth was wide open but it wasn't to scream, it was as though she was choking up something.

"What the…" Rukia didn't know what to do. The position she took confused her as it intimidated her. Odette became gray, her eyes were completely gone. She was trying to cough something up but it was difficult. All sorts of grating sounds came from her throat.

Slowly they caught a glimpse of something black creeping out which immediately discomforted them. It slithered out of her mouth and onto the ground.

"It's coming from her mouth now!" Kon realized.

Rukia grimaced and wiped the slob that had come onto her arms as she tried to get Odette to regain some control of herself.

"Odette-san!" She called. "Odette-san!" The black slime gushed out like a pipe.

Rukia in frustration used her sheatsu to hold her in place. Considering that she could no longer move, she took the opportunity to properly look into her eyes and talk to her but it wasn't working. She tried to spit on her but she dodged in time to avoid it.

"Maybe we should move." Kon suggested.

Ichigo surveyed the place but he couldn't see anything. "There isn't really anywhere we can go."

"It should be over soon." Captain Ukitake consoled her before remorsefully looking at Odette. "I don't think she can hold on any longer."

###

It was early morning. The dim golden-brown streaks seeped in and grew more vibrant as they approached afternoon.

The only way they could tell the time was because of the vent in the ceiling of Odette's cell, their only access to the outside world as it had been for her.

Odette's head lifelessly leaned back to the side as she jerked her body, gurgling up the slime. Her chest bumped up and down like she had a case of painful hiccups.

It had been hours.

Orihime sat against the wall with Isane and Rangiku who stayed close as it did. Rukia's shouts, wails and pleas with a stubborn Odette had quickly become frustrating to watch and hear. She had tried every approach possible in the hours that passed but the heir's hold was strong—too strong.

Odette was barely recognizable, even worse than before. She looked like a zombie. Her skin was completely gray now, the black and blue veins from earlier were completely chiseled outside of her face. There was absolutely no positive indication of a revival coming from her.

This slaughter wasn't ending any time soon. No matter how much they subdued, Odette had become a birthing machine. The manor was teeming with more and more every second because of her or rather, because of him.

"Let's try this again," Rukia began, "you were supposed to start working as a student-teacher for the history department in the Academy Houses, do you remember that?"

Odette snarled.

She raised her employee badge in front of her face.

"Remember? Here," she turned to pull up her journal she had brought along, "you wrote it, in your agenda," Odette kept jerking her head away to avoid looking at anything she brought to her face.

"You—listen," She moved with her, "Odette—"

"You were an employee, a student teacher—" Odette sent the badge flying, "—You were an employee! You were going to be–" she stopped in frustration.

Odette kept on shaking her head as froth came out of her mouth again.

Rukia let out a sharp breath, she was exhausted. Odette wasn't cooperating in the slightest anymore, if she ever really had been. She spent most of the time trying to keep her down but her exhaustion was failing her strength. There were many times when she had slip ups, Odette's overbearing screams and thrashing were starting to give them and by the looks of it, her a headache.

Ikkaku was set on saying there was no point in saving her after all this but if she could be redeemed, that would mean there would always be hope for a breakthrough, no matter how long he held onto them.

"Okay, okay," Rukia breathed as she tried to catch her gaze again, "maybe you don't want to remember that, maybe we should go back further! How about…when you entered the Academy Houses? As a student!"

Odette released a deep roar, unlike any one she had ever made before. Her head was back up at the ceiling again.

"Odette-san…Odette-san—" she called for, "listen to me, please. I need you to fight your way through to these memories."

Upon hearing that, Odette looked at her with an amused smile, shaking her head slowly.

Rukia hopped in her kneeled position, "well you have too!"

Odette spat in her direction.

"Gross…" Rukia muttered to herself before pulling off her gloves. She shoved them into her pocket and resumed her attention to Odette who was watching her.

"…what?" Odette remained silent. Rukia took it as a sign and inclined in a rush. "Good…this is good…so how about the aca—"

Odette flashed a condescending smile. Rukia could only lean back, disappointed, before her eyes fell on Odette's bright red agenda. She picked it up.

"How about some pictur—" Odette slapped the book out of her hands and sent it through the walls.

"Odet—" She then slapped her.

Rukia held her cheek as Odette gave her an ugly smile, jerking forward to mock her with it before she began to scream for fun. She hopped up and down in her seated position and made noise.

Rubbing off the pain, Rukia attempted to cup her cheeks but she wouldn't allow it.

"You need to—stop! I know you're in there, alright—you can do this, you just need to free yourself from his grasp with your mem—" Odette struggled more. "You gotta think big! Remember your future! Remember your past, your present!"

"Ugh!" Rukia stood up and towered over her, "your mother was the one who made you like this! Don't you get it? She robbed you of your future! Your life!"

Odette was transfixed, completely silent. Was this her breakthrough?

"That's why you need to fight it…" she kneeled down in front of her, "you need to make up for all those years lost, get back your freedom!"

This time, Odette didn't look like she was playing tricks on her again. Her eyes were wide open, innocent, taken aback by her concern even.

"You gotta remember, alright…your name is Ida Odette, your mother was Ida Odine, you helped run her sanctuary here and the Quarter Sanctuaries back in court. You were studying to become a registered Sensei for the history department in the Academy Houses."

Seeing that she was finally listening to her thoroughly, she relaxed. "Think…there's gotta be something you remember about this time that brings back your memory. Even if it's just a little, that's good."

She raised her hand and ice lines from her fingertips grew to retrieve the red agenda. She opened it and pulled open a photo of Odette and her friends which she had been trying to show her earlier.

"You friends…what were they into? What were they majoring in? What did you guys like to do? Tell me."

She watched Odette's eyes slowly traced the photo. Her face was blank.

"Did you guys hang out in a certain place?" She asked her. "Think back, where did you hang out at lunch? Who was your favourite Sensei? Did you have anybody that you liked?"

She scrunched her brows and ripped the photo with one strike.

"Dammit!" Rukia cursed as she stood up, trying to control her with her hands but Odette's rage skyrocketed. A simple question had incited this deep revolt in her which meant that the answer had been 'yes'.

Odette pounded the cracked floors harder and harder, frothing as she did. When she put her legs up, Rukia beat down her annoyance as she gave birth to more of the slime which slithered out into the hall and came to life.

This wasn't going to end any time soon. Not unless…

The thought was morbid to entertain but if they killed her, perhaps they could finally set her free. After hours of blood, sweat and never-ending combat, she'd have to make the decision sooner or later. Ichigo dismissed the thought the moment he caught sight of Odette again.

They couldn't do that.

She had to have a breakthrough.

Once she was done, Rukia bent down and started all over. A time lapse ensued, with the grunts of the fight and Rukia's pleas overlapping.

"Erm…" Orihime kept her head down, the mixture of the pent up frustration and endless fighting built up inside of her. The emotions felt raw and heavy.

But it wasn't only her who felt it so sharply. They all did. From the pants to grunts to the desperation and exhaustion, it heated up the space.

"She's not gonna make it." Shinji observed as time passed by quickly, observing the motions of Rukia pleading with an Odette who visually and physically became worse and worse.

She bounced up and down and stayed that way for the hours they skipped past. When he looked up at the vent, it was night again.

"A whole other day passed." Shinji passed. "Two."

Ichigo looked back at him. "So they've been here for three days?"

"Two and a half…?" Shinji replied, uncertain.

"Should've just killed her." Ikkaku said. "There's no point in savin' her."

"But if what that heir said was true," Kon lowered his head, "she's still fighting to stay alive inside."

"She isn't ready to leave yet." Ichigo reiterated. "We can't give up on her if she's trying."

Kensei disagreed. "She's gone. There isn't anything that can save her but the pure light who we know isn't here, she's too far in."

The location to their left switched to a different section of the underground dungeon where it was only Haru and Yoruichi fighting against them now. It was sharply lit in white, the creatures formed a ring around them but kept a far distance.

"Come on!" Rukia wailed in the background. "Don't you remember—"

"She's still going?" Shinji asked, jarred by her determination.

At that moment, another section opened with drawers pulled, folders stacked and papers scattered across the ground and a circular table. Inside the slot, Byakuya's father was at work in the Okasake manor. He seemed to be searching for something particular. Ichigo caught sight of the small black book he carried around on the table and remembered.

The creature Major Li saw.

This was his search through old archives to see if anyone in the past had drawn it before. Although, he wasn't sure how this could fit in with the situation they were in now unless it made an appearance.

If Shinji was right, Yoruichi, Haru and Rukia had been locked in the Ida Manor for about three days. Rummaging through archives, a task he likely completed days within finding out about it, would not be his concern at a time like this.

His search felt brief due to a time lapse but the state of the room was evidence of its thoroughness. He left the Okasake manor with a brown folder of his findings to what would likely be Major Li's place.

The scene switched to his entrance into a room at the far corner of the manor. When he stepped in, the ground beneath their feet turned into the floor of the room he entered. It was small, narrow and illuminated with a single candle light that Major Li's younger half-sister, Sheela, was using behind a desk to read.

She greeted Byakuya's father in surprise given the time, it was past midnight.

"These," he referred to the folder, "are the illustrations that resemble the animals Shira listed."

Her eyes fell on the folder, intrigued.

"Have her review them." He instructed her.

She took the folder quietly and placed it on the desk beside the open binder she had been reading. A closer look revealed the page of x-rays and messy writing; it was likely her sister's medical files.

She seemed curious but hesitant to open the folder.

She raised her head. "Can I open it?"

Before Byakuya's father could finish his nod of approval, Sheela opened it up, unable to repress her disdain at the sight of the images though she ventured through them nonetheless.

From shy and hesitant movements, she began to fervently spread them out in uneven lines across the desk. She inspected everything she could as though she was looking for something. The strangeness of her behavior did not go unquestioned by Byakuya's father who had, up till now, watched her make a mess of his work that had likely been perfectly ordered by year or victim or probability.

She moved to the binder and flipped through a few pages to an image of Major Li's lungs with the hole. She glanced back and forth from the scan to the image as though she was comparing something.

She seemed too engrossed in her inspection to notice that he was awaiting her attention. She went on to do it four more times before Byakuya's father interrupted her.

"Is there an issue?" He inquired.

Her movements slowed. She studied the scattered images slowly.

"I-It's nothing really I just…." her voice faded.

She looked at the drawings again but didn't speak.

It was as though she was contemplating on whether to tell Byakuya's father what was going on. At least that's what Ichigo assumed but at the same time, she also had no reason to lie.

From what he knew about Sheela, she was the least bit interested in the assassin organization and its politics therefore she was the furthest away from this case and its people.

But even if she was, she knew who her sister's enemies were and Byakuya's father was not one of them.

"It's just…something that's been on my mind." She explained softly while playing with a page, "something I can't seem to get out…"

Byakuya's father waited for her to explain. In due time, amid her page turnings, it came.

"Did Ane seem like herself when you spoke to her?"

"I cannot say."

Her head shot up, disappointed with his unhelpful response.

"The last time I saw her was with the others." He clarified.

"Hm." She studied the images in the binder.

"It's just—I've been looking at these reports for days—" She explained, "—trying to find something to explain what I feel but even my theories don't make sense to me. I just know that something's wrong."

"She's not herself." Sheela claimed. "She's off, different, strange."

"I was…starting to think that maybe that thing she saw had something to do with it. Maybe it did something to her, in the moment—or it put something inside her that—ah, here it is," she rushed to open the key ring of the binder to pull the image of her lung out, "you see this?"

The enhanced image of Major Li's lung showed residual black liquid oozing inward to the rest of her untouched lung.

"When I asked about it, Doctor Arima insisted that he sucked it out of her system but what if it already did something to her before it got out?"

"We do not know what it was." Byakuya's father replied. "Seeing what happened, it is likely the entity is the cause. The substance would've been removed upon her surgery which occurred shortly after contact. It is merely residue from the creature's arm, nothing more."

"Ane is not scared of things like this, she is not easily so—" her shoulders scrunched up as if she was struggling to find the right word, "—disturbed. If we assume that thing was able to change her this much then—"

"We are undermining her abilities." Byakuya's father finished for her.

Sheela nodded.

When Ichigo considered the level of prestige they held her upon, even considering the circumstances, this must have been difficult to accept. If he knew her better he probably would have felt the same.

"I know we know nothing…" she began softly, "I understand, I really do," she emphasized with the utmost honesty, "but…." she shook her head, "this is Ane, it's just not possible."

"At first, you know, it happened in the moment—I was shocked, confused," she continued, "I didn't know what was happening, it all became so real that I had to accept it in the moment. It was only when I got a chance to fully understand what was going on that I started to open this up and test her a bit. Major Haru, Captain Shihōin, everyone really, couldn't believe something like this would ever be the case. She doesn't speak enough for anyone to see what I see but they knew, they felt it but unlike them, I couldn't accept it."

"Had I not witnessed it myself, I would not have believed it either." Byakuya's father admitted. "Nevertheless, she is recovering now, it is over."

"Is it?" She asked while lifting a page on the binder.

Byakuya's father didn't respond.

"Onii-sama is still with his family…I've been trying to reach him for weeks but," she shook her head, "no luck. They must've blocked out incoming signals to avoid disruptions."

Ichigo didn't know who she was referring to since their brother had already passed. When he glanced at Byakuya's father, he noticed that he seemed just as confused.

"I was thinking of going up there myself but Ton," her husband, "thought I shouldn't disrupt what's going on up there. I'd feel better if he was around. He'd know if something went wrong with Ane by now, that damn barrier—"

"Shelby was here." Byakuya's father interjected. "With the others and on the night Shira spoke about the entity she saw."

"Ukitake," Ichigo called in annoyance. "You said that guy was her companion, not her husband."

"Well yes, I meant romantic companion, couldn't you tell?" Captain Ukitake replied with a smile.

"That can't be." Sheela dismissed. "Shelby onii-sama is with his family in the mountains. His father's been sick so they've been preparing for his lasts."

"Then who was that guy we saw before?" Shuhei asked.

"He was here." Byakuya's father insisted. "For the meeting and on the night Shira spoke about that creature."

Sheela's confused look morphed into one of absolute determination. "Shelby onii-sama has been up there for over a month now, he couldn't have been here."

Byakuya's father glanced at the wall behind her and turned to the door.

"Hm, and it's not like he didn't speak to say it could have been an illusion." Uryū said.

Sheela moved around the desk. "Why wouldn't he tell me? Why haven't I seen him?"

"I will go speak with her." He announced firmly.

The area transitioned to Byakuya's father's walk down the veranda to a room brightly lit with golden light. It was left open, allowing the breeze to flush and scatter dead leaves into the room bigger than the one she had been in previously.

Major Li laid on her back with her hands pressed onto her stomach in the center, wide awake.

"I brought the images." He said to her, lifting the folder up for her to see.

Her hand gestured to the cushion beside her head. "Leave it here, I'll look at them in the morning."

"There is not much."

He knelt on the side of her futon before he opened the file.

"Unfortunately, there were no hybrids of the animals you listed although there are variations of creatures that may be relevant." He explained, "the others I found were more abstract in nature. I kept a few in case they would be of interest although I am certain they will not help the picture."

The glance he gave her seemed to imply that he was awaiting a reaction. When she didn't say anything, he continued.

"I opened the safe." He added, "there are pieces you will have to view back at the manor. They are better left there than brought out."

He glanced at her again but she kept her eyes languidly glued to the ceiling.

Ichigo didn't know if she was ignoring him purposely, given that he was yet to know what their dynamic was truly like, or if there was something off about her character after all.

Seeing that she spoke during the meeting and on the night Yoruichi and him came to see her, the first reason he had in mind seemed likely.

Met with silence, Byakuya's father closed the folder.

"Sheela's concerned." He began, "she finds it strange that you have not reprimanded her for allowing the surgery."

"What does she want me to do?" She mumbled. "Disown her?"

He paused. "You should, at the very least, tell her something."

"So disown her." She concluded, a response he did not know how to respond to.

Byakuya's father's attention then shifted to the fading knee prints on the cushion beside her head.

"Where is Shelby?"

"Gladstone."

"Is that the mountains?" Ichigo asked.

"Sheela says that she was unaware he was here." He explained. "She claims he had a family matter to attend to and has not been back since."

"It's actually a museum they own in the Capital." Captain Kyōraku answered. "They're pretty passionate gem collectors."

"She must've missed him."

"Although I informed her that I and the others had seen him, she still found it strange." Byakuya's father persisted.

"She just missed him." She repeated sharply.

"Did he call the composite artist?"

"—I told him not to."

"Why?"

"Because I don't remember what it looks like." She snapped.

He didn't hesitate to stress his disappointment with his tone.

"Shira."

Her attention averted to the folder in his hands.

"I'll look at them in the morning, you can go."

Ichigo assumed he would put up a fight with silence but instead, he moved the folder to the cushion as she had asked and stood up.

Seeing his immediate impatience made it seem more likely that this was just how she was like, at least with him.

He glanced at the cushion beside her head once more as he turned.

"I'm just tired." She admitted slowly and he stopped.

When he looked back at her, she reciprocated his stare. Ichigo assumed this was his way of communicating his understanding as it was hers of demonstrating her sincerity.

She returned her attention to the ceiling shortly and Byakuya's father moved to turn but something kept him back.

He took a double take. His brows slowly crimped though his blank eyes did not give away what he saw.

"I don't see anything." Kon reported.

His eyes slowly moved to her face.

"Me neither…" Ichigo said.

Major Li, almost annoyed, asked "what?"

He relaxed his features.

"Nothing," he answered as he turned, "rest."

Ichigo looked at Major Li who shifted her focus back to the ceiling, unbothered by his lack of explanation. "I don't get it."

They got their answer moments later.

Byakuya's father curved right to exit her room and doe-eyed Sheela, who nearly ran into him, issued an apology she could not finish.

"O-Oh sorry—I—"

"That is not Shira."

She became white. The remorse was replaced by fright as Byakuya's father walked around her.

"What?" Ichigo asked as he looked back at her laying in solitude.

"Not Shira?" Captain Ukitake repeated.

Sheela quickly chased behind Byakuya's father down the veranda, frantically whispering questions as 'Shelby' mysteriously entered the room through another door.

He said nothing when he did. Almost robotically, he walked to Major Li's futon and sat with his legs criss-crossed on the cushion placed a few inches beside her head. He closed his eyes and Major Li continued staring as if nothing had changed.

"Hm," Tōshirō observed, "strange though, if they are not who they say they are…"

"Who are they?" Ichigo finished for him.

---

Present

"Fuck!" Raiden cursed as he dipped down further in the air, avoiding a bite from the colossal skeletal creatures of beige bones.

"Shit." Wildfire panted heavily. "There's too many."

The soul shadows had meshed closely in the darkness, forming an arch that swallowed most of the barracks except the ones that they were, with great difficulty, protecting.

Most of the Seireitei's inhabitants had either fled to the Rukongai District, where they could find protection underground, the noble houses, in hopes of any low-ranking clan being generous enough to let them in and buildings closest to the 1st Division.

Lumped in were second-class, third-class guards and a bunch of other law 'enforcers' or personnels who were now stuffed inside the four remaining barracks withthirteen soul reaper divisions, practically standing cheek to cheek.

The arch was high-rising and blocked the sky from an angle. The shadows came quickly from all directions, trying to force their way into one of the barracks which was too wide of a space to protect for just two people and one division.

Raiden leaped and fired hundreds of lightning charged arrows at once from an infinite pool at the tip of his reishi bow. As he spun around, he threw lightning charged blades from his pocket which took a few hundred out.

He wasn't going to accept defeat. It'd be humiliating having to go down into those barracks and tell them that. They were already being prissy, cheeky and resistant over the fact that they were here despite everything they've been through.

He wasn't going to give them the chance to laugh.

As he whipped around in an elegant twirl, he saw many of them packed and pressed against the grandiose windows trying to catch a glimpse of what was going on outside. The flashes of yellow lightning from his arrows reflecting on the iced glass as it did their eyes. Even if some didn't want to admit it, they were impressed. Being able to show-off really buffed his ego to turn this situation into a show.

When he stopped twirling, he was faced with more.

"Fuck," he muttered under his breath.

Wildfire came to his defense with several whips, following the motion of a ringlet curl.

Raiden raised his hand. "Oh you're getting it! Trap the spider."

"Raiden!"

His hand stretched out. White lightning flashed from the tips of his fingers and somewhere overhead the murk. A dome of hazy white captured the creatures in a flash.

"Idiot!" Wildfire yelled as the dome rushed towards her. She flash-stepped quickly as it overtook the fog in front of them like a large wave.

Red spider lightning flashed inside of it at tremendous speed. Howls were heard, cries, wails and so on from the animals.

She came beside him and watched the wide dome that lit up quickly. "I was tellin' you to wait until I got out."

Raiden grinned as he watched the flashes happen. He bent his left foot and raised his elbow comfortably on her shoulder.

"You got out in time, that's what matters."

"Don't touch me." She ordered in agitation, pushing off his arm. "We've got to do full level stuff."

"Well whadaya waiting for then?!"

Wildfire looked back at him, grinning for the first time in awhile. "For your dome to crack."

He perked up, "wha—"

A tumult of shouts, screams and roars of fascination from the soul reapers and Seireitei dwellers from the barracks ensued at once. Shards of the dome transformed into water as it shot out.

"Oh fuck you!" Raiden yelled at the herd of soul shadows in frustration.

"My tu—"

Raiden put his right arm up to block her. "Not your turn!"

He sped forward in the air and slid with his weight on his left and his toes sharply pointing forward. "Kill the spider!"

"Your static cage won't do nothing!" Wildfire shouted behind him as the technique unfolded.

He raised his left hand, tilting it backwards, commanding a large wave of clear water to curl around the fog arch which surrounded them. Then he pushed it forward, commanding large red spider lightning to rise from the ground and sharply cut and slice the soul shadows entrapped in it.

The electrocution of the shadows trapped in the water brought him pride.

"Hey-hey!" He shouted with a wide smile, coming to a stop. "See! With this, we should at least be able to push 'em a few kilos back, no biggie!"

He relaxed himself in the air, resting on his left elbow with his right leg perched up and his left leg stretching straight.

"Raiden."

"What?!" He insouciantly screamed over the clamor of roars, howls and cries. When she didn't respond, he looked back at her, "what?"

She moved her head with her when she said, "look."

His water had become ice. Moments later, it broke down and more soul shadows came shooting out of it. Raiden's eyes widened, he scrambled up and threw his arm forward flashing spider lightning at each one that came out to attack.

Wildfire joined him by using her wind to send them flying. She did circle kicks which sent miniature tornados twirling with blades through the masses which came forward. In the midst of kicking, she sent blades in different directions as soul shadows made their way over the barracks of the first, second, third and fourth.

Raiden heard the sound of glass smashing. His gaze fell on the window he had seen of soul reapers hovered over each other to catch a glimpse of the action.

It was smashed. The soul reapers were gone.

"Shit!" Wildfire cursed.

A 2nd Division member appeared at the front of the window with some of his members. "I got it!" At least they were useful.

Raiden whipped past her as he threw a blade. "Was that you?"

"Yeah!" She puffed out, breathing heavily.

"Well watch your shit next time!" He yelled.

She flashed him a look of irritation before he went off exterminating more.

"Aren't you gonna do your wind tricks?!" Raiden screamed as he flew. A bone fell in his way when he whipped out his blade and cut the stomach of the toad skeleton.

"—AH!" He flinched.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" He shook his arm rapidly in disgust. Unable to take a break, he had no choice but to move and slash some more. "By any chance, you got any soul shadow ointment on ya?! Ya know! Just in case!"

"No!" He heard her shout but it was faint because of the wind.

"—Ack, fuck—" he slashed one, "could you—", then three, "do", "—ah, fuck! Fuck! Fuck!", then ten, "your fucking—" bones poured down on him like rain, "—shit now?!"

"Give us some release!" He hollered. "Like I did!"

"You hear?!" He shouted. "Do it!"

"Wildy!" He screamed. "Wildfire! Do your fucking job right! There's too many over here!"

They were closing in quicker now, emboldened by his lack of defense and aid.

"Wildfire! Where the fuck are you?!"

"Wildfire!"

"Wildfire!"

"Fuck—trap the sp—" he spotted strands of amethyst hair, flowing inside the darkness just then.

He tensed, his chest tightened at the thought before it came true.

"Holy shit…"

---

Past

Not even a second passed before they were thrusted back into the chaos of the Ida family's dungeon.

Rukia was still forcing Odette to break free and the clash between Haru and Yoruichi's divisions and the prototypes continued without disruption.

It was at that moment, they were ridden with even more confusion as Major Li swooped in through a portal behind Rukia in her white night robe.

"What the hell?" Ichigo muttered to himself, "—so is it really her or not?"

"Shira?" Rukia acknowledged in surprise as she held down Odette. "You're still in—"

"There's a thing," she began sternly, speaking to Odette, "it looks like a sheep or goat, it's made of bones, like a soul shadow…do you know it?"

"Are we in a different time then?" Kon asked.

"You mean like before or after that scene?" Shinji asked.

"Either way, it doesn't make sense." Ichigo said.

"Why were we sent there if it has nothing to do with here?" Rangiku asked.

Odette became dead silent. Her expression hardened.

"Its eyes…gray or white," She continued. "There's horns on its head like a buffalo's or goat's."

Her black eyes became glass. She was looking over Major Li's shoulder, Rukia traced it to the hallway, the space just beneath the arch.

Was it there?

"Is it here?" Rukia quickly asked.

Odette pressed her trembling lips together, forcing the tears to stay inside her eyes as she relaxed her tendons.

"I don't see anything." Kon reported.

"It is…" Rukia confirmed as Major Li looked behind her.

"But she does…" Ichigo's voice trailed off as he watched the space beneath the arch.

Major Li crouched down. "What does it do?"

Odette shook her head, a tear slipped out as she did.

"That's the thing you saw." Rukia realized, addressing Major Li, though she said nothing to her.

Odette began to kick her feet again, evidently in panic. Was it getting closer? She winced and perched her legs up again but unlike all times she had given birth before, this was unusually different.

"W-What's happening to her?" Kon spluttered as her jaws stretched wide. Parts of her body began to unevenly swell, growing into big plump balls. There was a gurgling sound which came from them.

Shuhei's eyes widened. "She's gonna blow…"

"Holy fuck." Ikkaku cursed as the ball inside her neck grew bigger and bigger.

"W-What's going on?" Isane asked, scared to look into the slot.

"She might explode." Rangiku answered.

"W-What the…" Rukia leaned back.

The demonic face scrunched up in irritation, seemingly confused herself.

Amid it all, shrieks echoing in the hallway made its way to the cell. Major Li stood up and peeped behind her. When she looked back, her gaze drew upon the liquid seeping out of Odette.

Her posture was stiff, her mind lost in the black liquid which ran out from the space between Odette's legs again. Ichigo took note of how much she was restraining herself from showing fright.

"—God, what is he doing to you?" Rukia asked her, horrified at the sight. Odette could only wince. She shook her body, pleading with the heir to let her go. "Let go! You don't need her anymore! Let go!"

Odette continued to struggle which heightened her voice and frustration. "Let her go!"

The balloon sized lumps popped and at once, liquid came rushing out from each. Odette screamed and knocked Major Li out of her stupor. Her sobs were loud and painful.

Rukia stroked her hair like a child and comforted her with her eyes. The opacity of her black eyes decreased.

"She's undoing it!" Ichigo reported. He spotted a glint of brown in them and relief soon washed over. Rukia smiled, encouraged by the sight.

Finally…

Major Li drew her attention back to Odette, particularly focused on the side of her face that was restoring itself. That relief, however, was short-lived. Odette's jaws stretched wide and darkness swallowed her eyes again.

Rukia staggered back. "N-No!"

The liquid gushed out of her mouth, the creatures came out immediately and shot out into the hall.

Major Li rushed towards Rukia, addressing her for the first time. "Blades."

Rukia reprimanded her with her eyes, "Major Li…"

The tangled shouts and wails from the hall were nearby, Rukia caved in quickly upon hearing the shrieks so clearly and handed her two bands around her wrist.

"Be careful!" Rukia shouted as Major Li sped out before she resumed her attention to Odette.

A new slot was created for her.

Major Li whipped two chains out, one from the left band, one from the right, crossing them over each other in circles. Once she left the narrow corridor of the cells and ventured into a wider space where she could settle, she tapped her right foot.

In the midst of turning the two, she threw one back around her to form a circle. In pairs, more fan blades came out. She abruptly thrashed the two chains downwards four times, following a beat. The chains curved like suppressed wavelengths when she did as she let loose of one and twirled another in her right hand before all, if not most, of the chains sprang out at once and began to slice away the shadows.

She continued circling the two chains from before but faster, somehow using them as the main controls for the others which shot out and formed their own branch with a fan tip.

"They're not regenerating…" Shuhei noticed. "She cut 'em all up and they vanished."

"Hmm…" Tōshirō watched as she calmly walked out of the space and entered the areas that were lit by white LED lights. "She is using Kuchiki's blades…"

"But she isn't the pure light." Kensei argued.

"No, but she did somehow relieve Odette-san in three days in spite of her compulsion period being longer than a century." Uryū pointed out. "Maybe there is something to it after all. Major Li seems to have recognized it too."

She began to twirl and circle the chains two by two, switching positions in one hand and the other. Her feet moved too as though she was following a specific beat in her head.

Her arms swayed as a drummer would, the chains were practically her sticks. She made quick and effortless movements which seemed to follow a precise setup. She wasn't focused on the creature's themselves but idly executing her own thing.

"Guess everybody's a master of tessenjutsu." Izuru observed.

Odette's loud cry caught their attention. No amount of pleading was working anymore. Liquid was still running up her throat and through her mouth.

Ichigo's brows crept higher, "she isn't gonna make it."

The pain hit him sharply. She was so close.

Odette was shaking. The liquid busted through her left eye, the swelling intensified.

"Odette-san!" Rukia cried but it was over.

"It is quite unfortunate." Tōshirō said as Odette's jaws dropped all the way down to the center of her legs.

"God…" Ichigo said under his breath at the sight of her.

The deep howl she bellowed was one she gave all her might to. The sound rippled right through the walls and ground as her skin tore open and drained the liquid from inside her.

Ichigo shook his head, "no, no, no, no—"

He rushed towards her. "You can't go like that!"

"It's done, Ichigo." Shinji said behind him.

Ichigo saw a glimpse of those misty brown eyes momentarily and felt a part of him die at the thought of her defeat. Just like that she was gone.

She fought for her life and in the end, he wouldn't let her have it.

The body exploded and out came the final creature of them all. It grew tall, peeling off the body it was in as it formulated its long hands and sharp head.

Rukia stayed against the wall. Her knees were drawn up to her chest, gazing up at the thing in sadness. When it opened its mouth, they moved as it gushed out a wave of slime. The creatures filled each space of the dungeon space quickly.

Shuhei raised his zanpakutō up. "I'm not taking any chances."

Slots opened around them, depicting the invasion of black creatures, much to the frustration of overwhelmed division members and confusion of Haru and Yoruichi.

"She has to kill it." Tōshirō said. "It's the only way this can end."

Shinji observed her. "—doesn't look like she's in the mood to do that."

The floors shook.

Orihime and Isane moved out of the way as the slime of the creatures rushed towards them.

Ichigo drew his attention back to her.

The creatures gushed in from all of her exit points. She jerked the chains upwards and let them curve like a wavelength slowly upon noticing them. The action confused him.

The chains slowed too. Before they could fully dip down, she jerked them up four times at different curving points before drawing the two chains to the right side of her waist, quickly thrashing them downwards like she was hitting drumsticks.

The fan blade chains moved faster and faster as she did. Her left foot tapped, matching the tempo. She kept her head lowered and eyes closed as the intensity increased.

She was approaching a climax. The rush brought on a thrill. The pressure of the wind slowed the creatures down as she did. Her hands swished so fast, his chest fluttered with apprehension, waiting for it to end.

On the side, Odette cornered Rukia inside the cell who was yet to move. He gasped when her arm fired towards her right lung. She grappled it just in time as Major Li brought one of the chains back to her left side and thrashed it downwards, slowing it at particular curve points a few times as the creatures were momentarily freed from the wind. When they stormed towards her, a single fan-blade cut behind her and the chains leaped up.

"She got rid of them…" Tōshirō observed, staring at the black spotted white walls.

Admirably, not only had she eliminated the ones in her area but she cleansed the entire place of their presence, including the ones in the cell.

The chains quickly continued their dance in the air following the disappearance of the vast crowd which had surrounded her to deal with the next incoming batch.

"It's Shira!" Haru acknowledged as the second batch came in. The whole time Ichigo thought she had been prepping the chains for the first.

To their right, the creature Odette spat out a large blob of slime which Rukia dodged. The slime crushed the wall and every other wall ahead of it in one strike. As the ceiling rained down dust, Rukia ran out of the cell.

Odette crushed the rest of the space down with multiple arms as Major Li finally thrashed the fan chains down for the final time. In a flash, they drew back into the black band before she ran through one of the corridors.

The area she was in collapsed moments after. She must've sensed it.

Haru, Yoruichi and the others became overwhelmed as soon as Major Li disappeared, having to resort to quicker tactics. Considering they couldn't eliminate them, the creature quickly took the upper hand and closely surrounded them.

"We can't risk using full level techniques in here." Haru said with his back to Yoruichi. "This is still a site with evidence."

"Not gonna be much evidence left back in there." Shinji said, alluding to the slot where Odette's cell had been.

"Keep them down!" Ichigo realized he was talking to their divisions, using a small portal above him as a walkie-talkie device. "—And in their cells just like before!"

"T-There's too many!" Someone said over the portal intercom. "There isn't enough space!"

"We only have to hold them down until Shira comes back." Yoruichi responded.

"Where'd she go?!" Kon asked, running past the slots to peep. "Nee-san's not anywhere either!"

"Breathe." Haru ordered them calmly. "You've made it this far, maintain your distance and focus on keeping them busy."

"Where's Major Li?!"

Haru grunted as he sent one flying with a kick.

"We're not sure at the moment." Haru informed them. "Just push them back, don't take any chances."

"I sensed it ya know." Yoruichi told Haru as she did the same kick. "Sensei, it's her blades I think."

Odette's roar shook the ground.

"What's happening?!"

Haru scanned his surroundings. "Could be a bigger one…"

"Guess they know their mother." Shuhei said as the creatures raised their heads.

"They…"

"It's doing something to them." Tōshirō pointed out when they grinned up at the ceiling.

"It's like they're being charged…" Rangiku observed.

"I-I feel it!" Orihime exclaimed. "They feel…replenished."

"This isn't good." Shuhei muttered.

"It's getting stronger!" Orihime reported.

Moments later, it did. The grunts from Major Haru and Yoruichi were the only things they could hear between the wails of the creatures and the booming sound of crushed ceilings.

"WHEN THE FUCK IS THIS GONNA END?!" Shuhei shouted over the noise.

"It's too loud!" Isane cried.

Orihime winced as she tried to suppress the pressure impaling her.

"MAKE IT STOP!" Kon yelled. "WE GET IT! THE BAD GUYS TAKE OVER! CUT TO THE CHASE!"

Ichigo suddenly remembered his pin and scrambled to find it on his chest. Once he did, he held onto it and hoped that it would work to get them some light but the sound, much like a wave rushing to curl in the water caught his attention. It sliced past his ears so sharply all the noise from the battle became nothing more but sounds of the background.

He stretched his neck in confusion before the black murk surrounding them vanished. They could see the white lights of the ceiling again and the liquid of the creatures peppered all over the floors.

Kon drew his paws to his face. The creatures began to bolt through the entrances towards them. "THEY'LL STILL COMING!"

Ichigo immediately darted to Haru and Yoruichi who were glossed with sweat. Haru fought the creatures calmly while Yoruichi smirked, clearly enjoying the challenge.

"There's fewer of them now." Tōshirō observed when they clashed.

Odette's wail rippled through the walls. The smears of Haru and Yoruichi were concealed by the heightened speed of the creatures, their mother's cry emboldening them.

The spots of white light became larger, a sign of Haru and Yoruichi keeping up with them instantaneously.

The creatures flew back, providing a clear view of Haru who flipped forward and had the creatures sticking to the walls by the force of wind. In a swift motion, Haru curved right and Major Li sprung out behind him, throwing sai blades from her pocket one by one.

She followed after them, held their handles and flipped in the air, sending them downwards as she rolled back up. Ichigo slowly became fascinated by her. Whether in the air or ground, her efforts always seemed so minimal but effective.

Back when they had encountered the prototype creatures, he'd been too occupied with their own problem to notice but Sui-Feng's and Captain Ukitake's praise for her almost felt like an understatement now that he was paying attention.

Somewhere in between her movements, she had slashed the side of her night robe on the right and to the left, exposing a part of her thighs, to use her legs as she wished.

Odette bellowed like a beast from a distance. With her cry, wall after wall came crashing down. The ceiling fell in chunks.

"Abort!" Haru ordered into the intercom, addressing the divisions. "Seal the perimeter!"

"CAN WE GET THIS OVER WITH?!" Kon screamed while dodging blocks.

With the dust, the prototypes and Odette's ground-shaking movements, it was hard to keep track of anything let alone see it.

A ball of white light, from nowhere, suddenly grew at the center of the havoc, before he could comprehend what it was, a powerful gust of wind shot them to the ground.

"Fuck!"

A painful cry filled the room.

"She's mourning her children!" Rangiku realized as the dust cleared out. A loud boom followed her wail. It was to their right. The whole wall in the neighboring section had likely been crushed to bits.

He stood up and observed the area. The blast had flushed out the chunks of ceiling and band of prototypes that had been in the area although it did not destroy the surrounding walls as assumed. The ceiling was ruined, cracks of all sorts were everywhere; however, the cell bars and walls stayed intact.

Major Li was gone. "Where'd—"

He got his answer seconds later. Odette's cry of anger could not be mistaken. She was nearby.

"Perimeter sealed!" A division member reported through the intercom.

"Keep an eye out." Haru ordered. "From the inside, all seven sections of the dungeon have been destroyed. There are two remaining, the one we are in and the one leading to the Ida family's hall. Are there any damages outside the manor?"

"Affirmative, they are on the side above your location."

"Strengthen your team on that end, kill whatever comes out."

"Yes sir!"

The portal intercom switched to a different gradient.

"Are the barriers surrounding the Ida manor still intact?"

"Y-Yes but we have one with a hole in it, it's the one directly diagonal to your location."

"How's our team down below?"

"They've reported no sightings, sir."

Rukia came in from another opening. "How long will the barrier take?"

"T-Two minutes! We're on it."

"We have the mother." Haru reported back to them. "Her body will likely cover the inside of the manor with the substance upon her death. When that happens, I will report back to you and all areas beneath and above the Ida manor should be secured."

"Yes sir!"

The intercom vanished.

"How'd she kill them?" Rukia asked Yoruichi and Haru.

"I'm afraid we don't know ourselves, hime-sama." Haru answered.

"She was using yourblades." Yoruichi pointed out.

"Yeah but—"

"She wasn't using her blades when she came to us," Haru informed Yoruichi. "And yet they disappeared."

Rukia reflected on Haru's comment. "Hm…you don't think," she glanced up at him worriedly, "this has to do with what happened to her? That prototype's hand did go through her."

"Hm," Haru thought, "that certainly is something to consider though…" he looked at Yoruichi, "we would have to consult Cecil."

"What are the chances that making contact with that thing gave her some sort of, I don't know, ability to defeat them?" Ichigo asked, directing his question to Captain Kurotsuchi.

"You're asking me?" He asked. "Well the only way we'll know is if we test it out using the ones who got punctured by them." His gaze fell on the back of Tōshirō's head which immediately infuriated him.

"Me?" Tōshirō retorted.

"I didn't say any names." Mayuri snapped. "Although seeing you were one of them, you shall be our volunteer."

A loud cry rippled through the walls of the room, the last wail of Odette before the manor fell silent. Finally, the horrors of the manor were put to rest.

"She's gone." Uryū reported.

Major Li returned from the opening to the left with her eyes closed, drawing the attention of Haru, Yoruichi and Rukia immediately.

"It didn't leave any residue." Major Li informed them.

"I'll inform the others." Haru said though he didn't open the intercom again.

"Were you alright?" Yoruichi asked as she turned to them.

"Sure!"

Ichigo twitched. His dad was leaning against the frame of the opening with his arm up.

"Shiba Isshin?" Haru acknowledged in surprise.

"Wha…what are you doing here?" Rukia asked him.

"Oh you know," He shrugged his shoulders with a smirk. "Just hangin' around."

They waited for a better response.

"There's like a giant hole outside, who wouldn't be able to get in?" He asked them.

"I suppose I should have made that call sooner." Haru said to the others though he kept his eyes on his dad.

"So!" He stepped in and, to his surprise, looped his arm around Major Li's shoulders and yanked her to his chest, she glared at him. "What the hell were those things?"

"Should I ask who got rid of Odette?" Yoruichi smiled, humored by the display in front of her.

Major Li didn't hesitate to grimace in her direction.

"Oh hey," his dad called, "it wasn't me, by the time I got in there, believe me," he stressed, "she already got the job done."

"So why are you here?" Rukia asked

"Well I," he emphasized, "came in to see if she needed any help! You know, in case she wanted it, those suckers are fast!"

"Well…" Haru awkwardly began, "thank you for your generosity."

"Sure!" His dad exclaimed. "Any time! What kinda guy would I be if I let an—" he squeezed her shoulder and cooed in her face, "—injured colleague of mine fight alone?"

"What?"

"And," he gazed at her exposed thigh from the slit with a smirk, "an immodest one at that." Before he purred.

"Perv." Ichigo remarked in annoyance as she raised a brow.

Haru cleared his throat. "We should probably get you back to the manor, you overworked yourself today."

Major Li arched her brow as though she was annoyed. "What?"

"It's only been a few weeks." Haru continued. "Your lung won't be in full capacity for months."

Her eyes narrowed. "Lung? What are you talking about?"

"Major Li…" Rukia called, visibly concerned.

"Ahh," His dad sighed, delighted. "The sweet sound of denial. It's okay," he squeezed her shoulder, "the first one's always a bit hard to admit but hey, it happens to everybody."

Her head moved from his dad to the others on her right. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Shira," Yoruichi called haughtily.

Major Li met her stern stare, "what?"

"She is the real one." Tōshirō observed.

"But if that's true, where was she all this time?" Rangiku asked. "She remembers the creature she saw and she's wearing a night robe like the one at her manor."

"If she was coming from elsewhere, she would've been wearing her assassin uniform like she left with." Uryū pointed out.

"Unless the heir…" Tōshirō began.

The scene melted into the night outside, they were on grass now, watching the five of them walk towards the Li family's manor, just barely passing the beige and gold wall fenced around it.

Byakuya's father, coincidentally, appeared in the opposite direction along the wall.

"Shira is missing, the one at the manor is not—" he stopped, once he caught sight of her, the real one.

"Ha-ha," his irritating father poked his head behind Major Li's shoulder, "you got duped."

"We've had quite an interesting development." Haru informed him.

"Too interesting." Yoruichi added with crossed arms.

The setting transformed to her room where the other Shira laid without the Shelby who had been with her.

The real one had her arms crossed against a wall near the opened doors with Byakuya's father beside her, staring idly at the one lying down.

"These days have been wasted."

"A special number three come to mind?" Rukia asked, near the foot of the other Major Li.

"Yes, actually. The three days I spent searching for an imaginary creature." He replied dryly.

"Not the three weeks you spent imprisoned for moving a fake body off the ground?" Rukia asked, Captain Ukitake had to suppress his chuckle.

"If you saw the archive lair you would agree that these three days were by far more wasted."

"It's not fake." Shira argued. "I was there with it I just—" she looked at her fake body, "don't know how…"

Byakuya's father leaned forward. "At least that effort was not in vain."

Rukia hovered over the Shira lying down. She crouched and nudged her but got no response. Following her eyes, she glanced at the ceiling and froze.

Kon ran to her and followed. "Flowers…?"

Uryū looked up. "It's a hologram."

"Remember those wallflowers the heir sent?" Rukia asked Byakuya's father. He waited for her to continue. "They're here."

He approached the fake Major Li, looked above to see what they did—a deep blue sky, white-silver clouds and a swooning field of wallflowers.

###

Dawn had come. A dreary blue took the sky as the sun came up as Byakuya's father, Rukia, Haru and Yoruichi sat and listened to Major Li detail what happened to her while they assumed she was here.

According to her, she had seen the creature the copy of her told Byakuya's father about during the clash underground. She was unable to describe what it looked like as well, using the same animals to describe its face as she had with Odette and the copy of her had told Byakuya's father. Having assumed it was the leader of the prototypes, she chased after it.

By the looks of it, by the time the substitute body was shot outside with the prototype's hand, the real Major Li had already been in a different location, chasing after the entity she found.

Uryū assumed that perhaps when the entity had made eye contact with her, it made a duplicate of her in the process. That theory was supported by Mayuri who, surprisingly, thought it was plausible.

Though they fought, the entity relied on physical strength and its staff. At a point, it felt like the whole purpose was merely to exhaust her instead of challenging her. It was careful to not unveil its sheatsu level nor any abilities she could report back aside from the obvious.

The last thing she remembered was turning around and being drawn to its eyes. She likened them to a cat eye moonstone, which seemed oddly specific at the time until he remembered that her and her husband owned a museum and were jewelers.

After that, the image got blurry.

She described it like being in between the state of consciousness and unconsciousness whilst asleep which intrigued them. Tōshirō figured being caught in between the state of the dream world and the real world was how all the heir's victims understood their experience. Shuhei and Isane weighed in their thoughts after seeing Lieutenant Ise under temporary compulsion themselves and concluded the same.

Though Major Li's experience, in some ways, was exclusive to her.

She spoke about seeing parts of the holographic image that the copy of her was watching. In a way, the heir had made it so that she saw exactly what the copy of her was seeing and doing. Even she, to some degree, felt as though she was sleeping. The time she was gone for didn't matter. She felt no sense of time.

When asked how she ended up in the Ida manor, she claimed she was there when she woke up. Except, she was standing and in her night robe, tucked in the darkness of a dungeon cell. She heard Rukia shouting, figured she was trying to get through to someone and ran to recount what she remembered to whomever it was before she forgot. While she didn't understand the whole ordeal either, she impulsively felt that it was the root of the problem.

Yoruichi suggested that she get an x-ray to see if the hole was in her lung considering the connection between the copy of her and her physical self but she seemed adamant to let a doctor near her again. As a test, she pinched the one lying down but Major Li did not feel it.

Now confronted with the ambiguity surrounding the copy of her that remained still and what truly happened to her under the influence of the entity, it was difficult to make something out of it. She wasn't a temporary obsession but the heir had deliberately targeted her with a creature of his for a reason, a reason neither of them could guess.

Although silly, Ichigo wondered if this was the heir's tactic to delay their progress. He didn't entirely know how important Major Li's role was to the case to be targeted but it seemed plausible that it was an attempt to hinder their progression somehow although the heir hadn't expected her to wake up so soon however, when he thought of how she had gotten up by herself but then was deliberately placed where Rukia and Odette were, his theory about delaying the group's work didn't make sense.

She was there for a reason and although the answers would come soon enough, he couldn't help but wonder what the heir intended on doing with this scheme.

Was he really targeting her or someone else?

###

Given that she had spent three days locked in the Ida manor and most of the fourth day sleeping, the dinner with Kujou's grandfather was in less than a day away—an event she had completely forgotten about given the events with Odette, the lingering memory of her breakthrough and Major Li's peculiar disappearance.

Odette's breakthrough haunted her. She remembered her eyes, the glimmer of hope it had brought to her to see it and then, the demise that came with it. The guilt could kill her.

She remembered Kujou and thought of how this guilt in her chest would not leave her any time soon. His grandfather was a soul shadow and his family, though Lieutenant Kuchiki didn't believe it, were likely like him too.

Regardless of what he aimed to do tomorrow, Rukia knew they'd have to kill him. Even when she considered the possibility of a soul shadow being able to maintain their old self without feeding, Kujou's grandfather, particularly, did not seem like the type to withstand it.

She could already see how crushed Kujou would be upon his death. The worst part was that, even with no intent, she was a part of the reason and that was yet another reason the guilt within her would not subside.

She had blood on her hands now.

###

Major Li didn't attempt to sleep even after the others left. She came out of her room donning a long flowy black skirt and a cropped black cardigan with buttons that tightly defined her slim arms and stomach, her usual wear, Ichigo presumed.

Sheela retired to bed and her younger brother-in-law informed her of what she missed back in assassin court as the manor came alive to start the usual activities of the day.

From the exchange, he learned that Major Li had never suffered an injury in her entire career, hence her irritation with the court knowing about her so-called 'first'. When he thought back, his dad's 'words of comfort' to her made sense but with that out of the way, he began to understand why the reaction to her supposed injury had been as grand as it was.

Her brother-in-law, Ton, who was yet to grow out of his mischievous phase, planned on correcting it for her but even he didn't know what to say to explain the confusion.

She went on to speak with her noble council who had delayed all their business plans to focus on her recovery and the senior lady-in-waiting who oversaw the other ladies and maids to report on anything the copy of her had done or said in her absence.

After their report, she had one of them call up a composite artist like the copy of her husband had suggested. They asked her to eat and get some rest but she refused, citing that she wasn't feeling well. When one asked to call the family's physician, she refused again.

Ichigo felt that she was overwhelmed. After returning and discovering what she had, naturally the will to sleep or eat was nonexistent.

After spending most of the morning familiarizing herself with what she had missed, she returned outside to a rectangular crate of dead plants and bushes across a side of the veranda. Surprise took him when she began to pick up the twigs and leaves scattered across the top of the soil.

This was work the gardener would typically handle in noble households but when he thought about it, she likely needed something to distract her. Little did they know, an even greater distraction would appear shortly after.

Chief Jouchi, Kujou's paternal grandfather, brushed past them and approached her as she picked up twigs.

"What's his business here?" Ikkaku asked.

Kon looked up at Ichigo. "You think this has something to do with that dinner?"

"Could be…" Uryū answered for him. "But he wouldn't have to come all the way here to give an invitation."

Major Li languidly looked in his direction with a bunch of dead brown stems in her hands when he stopped at the edge of the veranda.

Chief Jouchi, sounding absolutely thrilled, greeted her with a smile. "Shira."

She resumed working. "What do you want, Kenjo?"

"Well—" appalled by her ignorance, "I came by to see if you were alright, you must be stunned."

"Guy sure likes to eavesdrop." Ichigo commented.

"That isn't…" he struggled to find the words, almost offended as if she had grossly undermined his character by asking, "wrong is it? I just came by to see if you were okay."

Major Li nodded her head idly, an obvious sign of her wanting to skip over his theatrics, as she continued picking up the leaves.

"That shouldn't come as a shock to you." He chastised out of offense.

Major Li met his eyes and assured him verbally, "I am fine."

Chief Jouchi brought out a large basket with red onions and slammed it onto the tip of the veranda.

She snapped her neck to the source of the sound.

"I heard you haven't been eating."

"So you brought her…onions?" Izuru asked.

Major Li took one glance at the basket and turned back to the crate, disgusted.

"What's wrong?"

"Look, I'm—just put it down—"

"Oh my," Chief Jouchi took quick steps towards her with his arms out.

"Don't." She warned him.

Chief Jouchi remained still. Shock took his face as though he was caught red-handed; although, it quickly wore off and he stepped back, uncertain of what to do with his hands as he gazed at the ground frantically.

"Oh, I see you've heard those rumors." He smiled with his head down. "How lovely."

Major Li pointed to the tip of the veranda. "Back."

Like a pet, he obeyed.

"Very well." He conceded, meeting her eyes. "But, I do carry disinfectant."

"So he is one." Shuhei confirmed.

"But why call it rumors just to admit it?" Rangiku asked.

She pointed at the basket.

"Of course." Chief Jouchi removed it. "I'd hate to see you sick, you know that."

Major Li said nothing as she continued working. Chief Jouchi pulled out a spray bottle and sprayed the edge of the veranda before sitting down.

She watched him as he did it, clearly finding it ridiculous but resumed her work without questioning it.

"I don't want you to think anything malicious of me," he began, sounding serious. This time he kept his gaze on the beige wall. "I was just concerned. You must be so confused."

Major Li glanced at him with the corner of her left eye but said nothing.

"You know, I was—" he shook his head, "stunned when I heard you had gotten injured, it was horrible, just horrible, to hear, I almost didn't believe it until Kujou told me. I knew I was right, I knew it didn't make any sense!" He asserted with the utmost confidence.

"—You know Shira," he stared at the ground, "you have always been the only, and I say this with complete honesty, the only assassin I have ever truly liked."

Shuhei scrunched his face. "…well this took…a turn."

"—you're not like them." He praised her. "I knew you were different the moment I laid eyes on you—"

"That's a bit weird." Shinji commented.

Ichigo agreed. "Yeah, Ukitake, do you know what's going on?"

"—That's why I have never, not once, grouped you with those others. You're different, Shira. I've always cared about you because you were different. That's why…" he looked up at her with pleading eyes. "I want what's best for you."

Major Li threw him an inane look.

"Now I know you can take care of yourself but I still…" He sighed, "think of you is all…"

"Wo-ho, okay, a love confession?!" Rangiku asked, completely immersed. "This just got juicy."

"Matsumoto, we can't think of any of this relating to something as simple as that. Jouchi is obviously here with a different intent, never mind his fatherly affection here." Tōshirō chastised.

"I agree with Captain Hitsugaya but don't you think the way he's talking is more than fatherly?" Izuru asked.

"It passed that mark a long time ago." Ichigo muttered. "But, like Tōshirō said, it's all a trick, innit?"

"Besides, he says creepy stuff to Nee-san all the time!" Kon reminded them. "It can't be anything like that!"

Major Li paid no mind to his words and just continued working.

"I just want you to know that I care about you…is all I…" he lowered his head. "…want you to be careful."

"And this can't be the soul shadow doing this?" Ikkaku asked.

Shinji agreed. "Manipulating the memories of the real one to do something like this doesn't sound far-fetched."

"—I know you don't like doctors but you should find an explanation for that nausea you're dealing with." Chief Jouchi advised her softly.

"Hm, he must've known she was feeling nauseous and brought the basket over intentionally." Uryū figured.

"Farewell." He said, now standing up. "Remember what I said and oh—" he pulled out a spray bottle and sanitized the spot he was sitting at. Major Li, once again, stared at him as he did.

He flashed her a grin with his teeth on full display. "For your safety. I wouldn't want you to get anymore sick."

###

Thursday

Minutes before seven, Rukia popped up on the same branch she stood on last week, as planned, to wait for the Lieutenant before going in.

To her surprise, the guests stood outside the manor as well, chatting amongst themselves or idly standing by. He hadn't let anyone in yet which was not only weird but went against noble courtesy.

From the branch, she observed the guests that would be joining them on the table. She didn't recognize a single one of them.

("They must somehow strengthen his case." Uryū said whilst scanning the crowd. "Prove his normalcy somehow if that's what he intends to do."

"Hmph," Captain Kyōraku spotted a friend. "Would you look at that? Our future Minister Martel is here as well."

"A future Minister is here?" Isane asked in disbelief. She searched the crowd, "where?"

Ikkaku nonchalantly glanced at the muscular, tanned man diagonal to them. "That one with the bruises?"

"That can't just be a coincidence." Kensei said. "He probably becomes a part of this too.")

Amid her observation of unfamiliar faces soon came one she recognized but it did not answer her primary question about the relationship between the guests and them. In fact, she was almost certain that he hadn't been invited.

("Ichigo—" Kon tugged his uniform.

"What?" His attention was elsewhere.

"Look!"

Ichigo followed Kon's gaze to the face of his young father cheerfully greeting the guests with handshakes and smiles.

"Again?")

Lieutenant Kuchiki appeared shortly beneath the branch, having walked the way.

He briefly observed the guests. "The selection appears random."

Rukia kept her eyes on them, "wonder what purpose they serve."

"Shiba Isshin is here too." She added while leaning against the tree. "God knows if he was actually invited or followed us here."

He spotted her face and gave her a big wave that she reciprocated with a tight smile.

("Guess we're about to find out." Shinji murmured, turning his attention to Chief Jouchi who was all smiles as he walked down the short pathway from his door to them.)

"Ah, what a turnout this is." Chief Jouchi remarked with his usual zest. "I am so happy that you could all come today for my special—" he leaned forward and playfully narrowed his head, "—dinner tonight." He cackled as soon as he said it, thrilled by his own introduction, which the guests responded to with polite smiles.

"It is a pleasure to have you," the smile he gave tightened the appearance of his wrinkles. "Really. I am honored to have you here as my guests, colleagues and acquaintances. Now I know many of you are not acquainted with each other but I can assure you, you will be well-acquainted tonight. It is also my pleasure to have not one but three members—" he lifted his hands in their direction, "—representing the Five Great Noble Clans here with us today."

So he was invited, Rukia thought to herself as the group, in awe, bowed in their direction.

"Now, please," he gestured for them to come in, "come and I will lead you to your seats."

The guests flocked into the one way entrance, exchanging pleasantries with him as they passed. Not wanting to be last, she gestured for the Lieutenant to come before the last few people made their way into the foyer.

The guests unevenly spread out to admire the walls of deep red velvet, the tiered chandelier of gold with tear shaped bulbs, the drapes pulled aside like stage curtains, the ornate frames enclosing photos and paintings of Jouchi family relatives and the twirling staircase that led to nowhere to the left of the room.

As Chief Jouchi made it to the center, the torches alongside the wall caught ablaze, the lights around the front door dimmed, thrusting them into a warm haze of candle light and chandelier glow.

"These are my relatives," he introduced, alluding to the photos plastered against the wall. The guests unintentionally formed an arch around him as they watched the wall. "Pioneers of the Seireitei's many passages and streets."

They whispered praise, reverencing the people in the pictures, that filled the room with soft chatter. Chief Jouchi smiled proudly, soaking up their compliments with his good ear.

"To the left of that frame—" he picked up a coupe glass filled with something berry-like off a platter being offered to him by a servant, "—with the roses is my ancestor, Jouchi Ichijou, the civil engineer who designed the passages beneath our very feet."

Another deep, "ha-ha-ha," followed before he took a sip of his drink that was being distributed to the other guests on a platter by servants.

"Please," he swallowed, "do help yourself. A little huckleberry recipe native to the Jouchi family line and a spectacular lime and gooseberry mix."

One of the guests elegantly took the glass and did a little flirtatious shimmy in his direction.

(Ichigo, Shinji, Kon, Shuhei and Izuru raised a brow. "What the—")

The older woman, ostentatiously dressed, smiled at him wickedly. Rukia couldn't see his reaction from where they were standing but he must've reciprocated her gesture given how florid her face was when she sipped her drink.

"This is lovely."

"Refreshing."

"Delightful."

The guests, once again, erupted with praise for him. If there's one thing she had observed early was that the guests were completely enamored by him.

"See, see," he asserted in various directions, feeling cocky about their reactions.

"Jouchi-sama was indeed a talent." A guest opined, admiring the photo nailed high above.

"Why, yes indeed." He maintained, "you see that photo over there?" His glass and pinky were lifted in the direction of a landscape photo with three sets of people. "My ancestors. The builders of the Seireitei."

"Thirteen sisters, twelve brothers, six aunts, five uncles, ten cousins and a dream." He introduced. "My greatest of great grandfathers, Jouchi Ichijou, led them all."

An elderly woman shook her head as she praised him. "Inspiring, Kenjo, truly inspiring."

("Any particular reason these people are head over heels for a damn architect?" Ichigo asked.

Kon furrowed his brows. "Yeah! What's the hype?!"

"Well nobles love history and the Jouchi clan are one of the many clans emblematic of that." Captain Kyōraku answered.

"But most of these people are not nobles." Tōshirō observed.

"All alike," Captain Kyōraku replied. "We honor our history with pride, don't we?"

"I guess…" Shuhei said. "But that's like fighters n'shit, not people who built fucking pathways."

"Those pathways were quite useful when the insurrections began." Captain Unohana explained. "Their arrangement was one of the reasons casualties could be avoided and the resistance could be quelled."

"But even so, Unohana," Ichigo began, "fawning over the architect's family? Half of ya didn't even know who the hell this guy was before this even happened.")

Chief Jouchi moaned in delight, staring up at the family portrait. "I wake up with pride, joy and bliss knowing our family's legacy is secured by these streets, our passages, our walls, our," his voice cracked, "history."

He paused. "We have built a name for ourselves from nothing." He turned to the guests. "I say we cheers to the ambition, the efforts, the grit that led their work and passion."

He raised his glass, "to," the guests simultaneously raised their own, "one," he began slowly, "of our founding fathers!"

Chief Jouchi, consumed with pride, shot his hand up with the glass with a wide smile and chugged the drink down. The guests followed, though with less passion and enthusiasm, and even clapped like it was a show.

"Now—" he placed his empty glass on the dresser nearby and went back to the center, "I suppose we should have a little introduction and get to know one another before we eat. With a show of hands," he surveyed the arch of people around him," how many of you are familiar, at an acquaintance level or more, with at least three people?"

A few people, with wandering eyes, raised their hands.

"Two?" He asked everyone. "You can now lower your hands." He told the ones from before.

A few more hands than before were raised.

"One?"

There was a greater show of hands.

"None?"

The most hands from the guests were raised.

"I see," Chief Jouchi remarked, "that is alright, you all have a connection with me and in due time, you will have a connection with each other."

("What could that mean?" Rangiku queried.

"Perhaps they all share something." Tōshirō answered. "A common theme.")

"My ancestors were always meticulous," his voice lowered, "with their selection of guests."

His aura dimmed.

"We have always been cautious, hyper-aware and untrusting." He continued. "To protect our people, to protect ourselves, to protect our legacy."

("From what?" Ikkaku jested. He wasn't taking any of this seriously.

"What if this is his confession?" Isane asked.)

"If you are amongst the group here today," He kept his eyes lowered. "I'd like you to know what an honor it is to host you but also how special your presence here is today."

("That'd make sense." Shuhei said. "He's buttering them up before he tells them he's a soul shadow."

"And will somehow prove to them that he's still like his former self." Uryū explained further. "To show his innocence.")

"In the eyes of my ancestors," he laid a hand out to the wall, "you are allies, friends, family even. This is a gathering," his hands motioned in the air as if he was molding something, "of people who have earned the honor of being presented to the many, many, people who have gifted you the present and future."

("He's really ridin' hard on those sewer ways." Shinji said.)

"Amongst them, my one and only son," he alluded to a portrait on the wall again, which she spotted by following the gaze of the guests who knew him. "Named after one of his greats, sits watching over me as I continue our dream, our legacy, our…exclusivity."

Kujou and his father shared the exact same smile. It was the first thing she noticed upon seeing it. He had straight hair that ended right before his shoulders and two shorter strands, as bangs, which began like rectangles but sharply shot down with a triangular tip inward. Almost like, she grew queasy, spider legs.

"Sojun here," he swayed his hand in their direction, "knew of my son."

The guests turned to him.

"Graduated, seated and worked together throughout their senior years." He declared proudly. "Both in advance placement and honor students."

Amid their 'wows' and subtle remarks he turned to her.

"And…" She felt a chill at the back of her neck when their eyes locked. "Sensei," he said slowly, "is cordially acquainted with his son, my grandson, Kotaru that you all know very well."

Rukia didn't know whether to smile or bow or stay still when she saw the guests' attention on her. Out of everyone, the older woman from earlier seemed to catch her eye.

She had a beauty mark to the right of her philtrum, the size of a microscopic ball and wore a massive necklace of, presumably, amethyst around her neck that brought out her sleeveless dress of purple neon and the fuzzy fur scarf she let dangle around her arms of blood red. Shimmery red and mauve shadow were dusted all over her lids along with eyeliner and mascara that gave her an edgy look complimented by her short burgundy hair twisted into loose curls around her face.

"How beautiful it is that they both share a connection with divinity." She ebulliently remarked. With an eye smile she looked to the guests beside her but they paid no attention to her.

"Yes, yes," Chief Jouchi went on, "spectacular, isn't it? I am proud to call them acquaintances, they have come here tonight to be amongst us regular fellows which I truly believe attests to their benevolent character."

He moved away, "I believe that tonight will be an equally thrilling experience for them as it will be to you. Under that candlelight tonight," he pointed up towards the chandelier, "we are one."

"One body," he put a finger out, "one mind," he slightly pushed his finger forward, "one soul." He turned around.

"Just like my ancestors," he went on, with his back to them, sauntering forward. "Who fought for greatness," a tear-shaped crystal holding light from the chandelier flickered and dimmed, "compassion," he said slowly as another crystal flickered, "sovereignty," her stomach dropped when another one went out, "honor," the guests, like her, looked frantically around the room as the lighting dimmed further.

("This is it." Ichigo stepped back.

Kon latched onto his arm. "W-What you think he's gonna do with them?"

"—Quite a show for a confession." Shinji remarked, observing the guarded exits.

"Guards!" Orihime shrieked.

"Well of course." Mayuri retorted, irritated with their concern. "How should one tell a secret without preparing for the inevitable distraught that comes with the scale of the confession?"

"You know the fact that he kinda looks like you isn't helping you right now." Shuhei pointed out.

"He's right," Rangiku stated flatly, "how do we know you're not one of them?"

Mayuri felt every single part of him come alive. Their distrust in him grew more and more irritating each time they opened their mouths. )

"—independence," he went on as more bulbs lowered in intensity, "domination." He growled before he turned to face them again.

The jovial elderly man who was all smiles and reminiscences had left the room. The one who turned around was the nightmare she hated, the one that forced her to stay in the Okasake manor for days because of his insatiable gaze, full mouth of teeth and wickedness she felt down to her core each time he spoke to her.

This was the version of Kujou's grandfather she knew.

"When the sun seeps down and the night prowls wild," he kept his hands up and blankly stared at something diagonal to him with wide eyes as though he was stunned, "the quest—"

("...to end the slayers comes alive." Captain Ukitake perfectly recited with Chief Jouchi, completely shocked.

"How—" Ichigo looked at Chief Jouchi and then to him, "how do you know that?")

She had no idea what that meant but she didn't have time to process if she had ever heard anything like that. The chandelier above them abruptly dipped down, alarming the guests who trampled backwards and made their clamorous noise over the shrilling clash of dangling crystals above them.

She glanced up at the Lieutenant who kept his eyes in the direction of Kujou's grandfather with the side of his face to her, giving no reaction whatsoever to his madness.

("Minister Asa's club," Uryū began, drawing the attention of the confused members, "is called Slay the Eye of the Soul Reaper."

"—So what?" Ichigo immediately asked.

"Slayers." Orihime emphasized.

"The assassins…." Rangiku realized.

"They are the slayers." Tōshirō explained.)

When the chandelier jolted down further, the guests were pressed against the walls in fear.

"It is my pleasure to welcome you all to the house which has helped run this organization for generations—" he declared as a shadow of a rotating circle appeared at the top of the ceiling the chandelier had once obscured.

"—As heads," a cut was made to the shadow circle, "as leaders," another was made, "as warriors." A final cut divided it into three pieces.

"I introduce to you all," Rukia froze, having recognized the symbol, "the A.A.A."

---

Present

Rukia didn't know what to make of this information. Her head was starting to spin from the infection, she couldn't bear to unwind what the soul shadow of Okasake Gureta meant by saying she wasn't who she was, let alone grasp how she could have earned immortality in her current state.

The only thing that came to mind was her becoming two-faced but she already knew that the second face wasn't really her, just a manifestation of her darkness. And if that's what she was referring to, then she had no reason to feel alarmed by it. It was her immortality she needed an answer to.

"Though it doesn't matter now, does it?" She asked kindly. "At least…for you."

Rukia tensed, she was preparing to strike. Feeling alarmed, she began to trudge faster, trying to pull herself away as if she could possibly evade what was forthcoming.

She tapped her hand against the ground, desperately searching for the veranda, not even bothering to consider if it was there anymore. She needed to get away. The mocking sound of elderly laughter behind her quickened her pace.

She embarrassingly scrambled and pushed with all her might to get to a place she didn't even know was standing. When she felt wood, the relief, though minor, hit her.

There had to be particles of purity she could absorb from decades and generations of Okasake feet, skin and hair on here that could retaliate against this shadow. When she lifelessly stood up, with the help of the veranda, she felt a tremendous gust of wind. She gasped.

The hideous voice of the creature screamed with passion as it charged at her.

She couldn't do anything but helplessly cower away, covering her face with her arms like a shield.

The hoarse voice of Okasake Gureta suddenly screamed sharply in her ears, deafening her. She could feel her rotten breath and the stench of her rotting bones. Her eyes shot open—though she couldn't see, she could feel it.

The pure light.

She straightened her back, feeling the body of Okasake Gureta being lifted and shot away, confirmed by her screams which vanished in a quick decrescendo. Beside her, she felt the reiatsu of Byakuya.

Rukia figured he must've stabbed the sai blade into Okasake Gureta hence why he was so close. She felt him move to touch her and swerved.

"Don't." She warned him. "I have soul shadow sickness, it's infectious."

"What do we do?" He, surprisingly, asked her.

"There's ointment here, just lead me back to the room." She instructed.

"Would a stick be useful?"

"Yes." She nodded her head.

After some rummaging, as she could hear, he gave her a piece of wood that came off the manor during the blast. She could tell from how sharp the edging was and the amount of splinters. It was, nonetheless, useful.

"Thanks…" she muttered.

"That infection has taken you deeply." He reported. "Will the antidote here be enough?"

"It should be." She trudged slowly with the stick. "There's—euh—different ones for—emph—each level."

"I see." He replied. "How long will it take for it to heal?"

"I don't—erm—know." She answered. She felt lightheaded. "It depends."

Her legs were starting to give in. The pain came alive all at once when she attempted to take larger and quicker steps, following Byakuya's lead, to get back into the room.

She would have tumbled to the floor if not for Byakuya, who annoyingly scooped her up in his arms before she could.

"Byakuya!" She yelped. With the scale of her infection, he was definitely going to get the infection on his arms. "You're gonna get—"

"Who are you?" An elderly woman sharply inquired.

Rukia gulped. She didn't even need to think twice to register who that elderly voice belonged to. The owner's austere and authoritative tone could not be mistaken.

She could smell her breath before she felt the daunting energy of her presence.

Minister Asa.

"And what are you doing with the princess?"

---

Past

She expected the crowd to scream, yell, run, do anything at the sight of the symbol and Chief Jouchi's horrifying reveal. Instead, they wordlessly watched the ceiling, slowly returning back into the center as if it was drawing them in.

The guests were enthralled. The symbol seemed to spark interest. A part of her wanted to think this was hypnosis but when she thought of who this was, hypnosis could not be the answer here. This wasn't a part of the case, this was something more.

("What the fuck's wrong with them?" Ikkaku asked.)

They stood now on the floor of the Jouchi manor, owned by the clan that created and leads the A.A.A, an organization dedicated towards abolishing assassin rule by murder and capturing them. The guests, who had been as distraught as her internally seconds ago, were now clapping and in awe of the figure who stood to their far left.

Chief Jouchi, Kujou's grandfather, Head of the A.A.A.

("This is the theme." Tōshirō realized.

"They're…" Ichigo was dazed, "A.A.A people…?"

"Followers." Uryū corrected.)

She couldn't process his soul shadow origins. Not when a dozen things came to mind about what this meant. The dots connected themselves, the last thing on her mind was what creature he had become after this.

Kujou's father married a woman from an assassin clan, the Kujous. How would the father of an organization that greatly detests assassins allow his only son, who had likely been heir to his role, marry into an assassin clan? How did he even accept his grandson? Did his father abandon his position? Did Kujou know about his father's past? His family's true history?

("That Kujou kid got a shit ton of explaining to do." Kensei said.

Ichigo turned around. "You think he knows?")

She wanted to believe he didn't. He was, after all, clumsy, naive and excessively optimistic. He never spoke ill of assassins and was a full fledged assassin by blood too. The weight on her mind grew lighter when she thought of how Kujou was and how he spoke about his family.

("Well it's not like we know him very well." Rose pointed out.

"Still would be hard to believe he's putting on an act." Uryū said.)

His father could have chosen to dissociate from his clan's work and marry into the clan of the woman he loved despite opposition. Yes, that made sense. She remembered how he spoke about the Kujou clan only accepting his father. He also didn't live with or see the paternal side of his family as often as he did his maternal family.

("He may act like an idiot but nobody keeps a true face 'round here." Shuhei argued.

Shinji agreed. "Besides, this makes the kid a whole lot more interesting then.")

Yes…he couldn't be involved.

("If he's the pure light then the outcome of that ownership dispute won't be nice." Captain Kyoraku noted.

"Fuck," Ichigo cursed. "The kid's the fucking pure light."

"That depends if they know about it." Rangiku reminded them.

"We have to assume they do." Uryū argued. "If Chief Jouchi is the head of the A.A.A, he made a pact with the heir to control those prototype creatures. Back in the field, the prototypes didn't attack his grandson because they knew they were not supposed to."

"And if the heir continues to hold him by a string like a fucking puppet then…when the pure light becomes a problem, he'll use this 'alliance' to his advantage." Shinji concluded.

"But wouldn't he eventually guess what happened to those A.A.A members that were slaughtered by those things?" Isane inquired.

"The rebel forces are huge." Captain Ukitake replied. "We deal with them ourselves. Our rebels are a part of them, they just resist Genryusai-sensei's rule because they believe he's incompetent to rule the revolution."

"In that case…" Tōshirō reflected on the many rebellious soul reapers they had dealt with in the past. "There are numerous subgroups, each with a different acting commander."

"Precisely." Sui-Feng said. "Even if this man is head of the organization, he will not know of the outcome immediately. They have to coordinate their communication in a way that evades our watch and the assassin force tasked with tracking them as well."

"But even if he finds out, the heir might just compel him to stay associated regardless." Orihime pointed out.

"Inoue's right, even if the guy does find out the heir's fucking with him, he doesn't have the willpower or any real technique to reject him." Ichigo said.)

Chief Jouchi grinned widely at the applause. The thrill in his eyes and theirs was chilling. Even the older woman who had called them 'divine' was completely engrossed. Given the way they revered the Jouchi clan relatives meant they knew exactly where they were and what they came for but the fact that they had not questioned the presence of them or the Shiba, who was also an assassin, was odd.

He approached the center again. "It is an honor to welcome you all to this orientation tonight. We have plenty of roles to offer, many spots to fill and many things to achieve."

"I'd like to start us off with a traditional Jouchi style dinner and a divine walkthrough of our history and organization's establishment under a chandelier of rhodonite and then have our dashing ambassadors walk you through the many roles you can fill and their rewards." He grinned.

"Come now," he gestured, "our time awaits us."

The doors behind him were opened by two servants wearing the A.A.A symbol as a brooch near their chest. The guests did not hesitate to rush towards it, she couldn't help but stare at them in disbelief.

As they passed, Chief Jouchi gave each and every single one a proud smile and an approving nod.

Rukia didn't know what to think. They were all leaving and she, the Lieutenant, Chief Jouchi and Shiba Isshin were not. Amid the bodies passing, she noticed how stiff and startled he was as he watched them go.

Her mouth fell open when she glanced up at the Lieutenant again. There was a figure in sleek black wearing an A.A.A symbol sewed into the uniform with headgear that obscured their face. Two knives, one just barely touching his throat and one pointing directly towards his back, were being held by the figure. Their hands didn't even tremble.

When the door shut, she looked in the direction of Shiba Isshin across from her. He too had a cutthroat behind him.

It was just them and Chief Jouchi now.

He turned his attention to Lieutenant Kuchiki beside her.

"I'd like to see what soul shadow," his tone was dark, his eyes amused when he planted two feet in front of him. "Can do this."

Even in the moment, she couldn't believe that of all people, he was the Head of the organization all along. To think he ordered that attack on the Kujou family, his grandson's family, to kill them was beyond evil. Kujou could not be in on this. Not when his grandfather planned on obliterating his entire family that he sincerely loved and admired. Their death would have given his grandfather complete custody over him. Which, the more Rukia thought about it, could have also been the plan.

"So," he began gruffly, "what animal am I?" His eyes fell on her, it took everything within her not to scrunch up in discomfort.

She didn't say anything though she had a few answers. The gleam in his eyes got bigger, her silence certainly satisfied him.

"A rat?" He asked her calmly. "A bat? Horse? Elephant?"

His giddiness was patronizing.

"Let me tell you," he haughtily peered down at her, "you could not guess it with a single try."

"Though, I'd like to give you an opportunity to try. That is," he looked back at Shiba Isshin and to them, "if you don't mind."

Seeing their position, of course she had no choice.

"I'd like to furtherdiscuss some of the things we have discussed in the past and then give you an opportunity to decide." Decide what?

The doors to her far left opened again and there came…this bad feeling.

No matter her strength, she still had a lot to learn about herself and this thing of hers. Being trapped in the manor managed by a deadly organization that has been around for centuries naturally diminished her confidence.

Shiba Isshin could manage himself but the Lieutenant was sick. He didn't carry his zanpakutō with him and he couldn't flash-step. If something went wrong, how would he defend himself?

Seeing how she hesitated, he must've connected the dots.

"You must understand my position." He remarked. "I must simply ensure that these officers," he looked in the direction of Shiba Isshin, "on or off duty will not contact outsiders. I have not lived the way I have to be ruined by some rat."

"Come." He roughly instructed.

Rukia slowly moved forward, anxiously watching the Lieutenant and Shiba Isshin across from them as she did.

"No need to profusely overwhelm them." He instructed the cutthroats loudly. She stopped. "This one," he didn't even try to hide his content with belittling him when he glanced at the Lieutenant, "can't flash-step."

She cringed inside. She kept staring at both of them, feeling like she was making a mistake by leaving them and even greater one by not doing anything but complying as she plodded behind.

Chief Jouchi had already made it to the door, waiting for her to reach so they could go in together. She paid them one last look and followed in, feeling the most nervous she had felt in a long time.

###

When the door shut, the ground beneath them fell apart in chunks.

"ICHIGO!" Kon leaped onto his arm.

"Shit!" Ichigo cursed, quickly trampling back.

"We're not falling, relax." Kensei informed them.

When they noticed how calm everyone was, the duo grew beet red. Remembering Byakuya's father and his dad, his stomach dropped.

He looked ahead. The entire ground had been crushed except two spots. The cutthroats were gone but Byakuya's father and his dad stood on a small, lopsided chunk of their own, only wide enough to fit their two feet.

A fire broke out and illuminated the space far below with hot embers, giving them an approximate idea of the distance between where they, his dad and Byakuya's father stood and the ground below.

The depth was huge but still, alarming, given that both his dad and Byakuya's father were standing on a square like tile of the ground that was being held up by a shape that could collapse any second.

"Well," his dad put his hands on his hips, "whadaya know? We're free!" He exclaimed to Byakuya's father.

He happily took a step into the air. Byakuya's father, in front of them, suddenly lost balance—the tall pillar he was on began to fall.

"Do not move." Byakuya's father sternly ordered, managing to maintain his balance as his dad quickly brought his foot back. "They are connected."

His dad peered down into the fire, trying to see the end of Byakuya's father's pillar.

"If either of them move, the pillar collapses." Tōshirō explained.

"Not a problem," his dad smugly replied. "Let's just both," he emphasized with raised brows, "move off together."

"There is nothing to move onto." Byakuya's father said. "We do not have grip in the air."

"Wha—" his dad scoffed, obviously passing off his comment as a joke. "'Course we do! We just gotta move onto it? Ya know? Like they teach ya at the academy?" He waited for Byakuya's father to give him a reaction but he definitely would not react to his stupidity. "It's the same thing we use to fly?" He emphasized the word as if Byakuya's father was just acting senseless.

"Some of the rebel grounds we have infiltrated in the past," Captain Ukitake explained to him, glancing over at Byakuya, "have neutralized their grounds to prevent air movement and flash-step."

"Look—" Ichigo looked back at his dad who raised his foot again, "I'll show ya—w-woah!" His dad flapped forward, scrambling to keep himself on the platform when his foot shot down.

"They restrict movement so the weak ones can do their shitty ground level stuff." Ikkaku rephrased behind him.

Byakuya's father's pillar shook again, moving vigorously as his dad's arms did circles to give himself balance.

When his dad stopped moving, everything stopped.

"The 6th Division and the 13th Division are in charge of our northern rebels. The 2nd Division and 11th Division are in charge of the south." Captain Unohana explained to him, providing better context to their knowledge about the force field.

"They don't wear the A.A.A symbol." Sui-Feng continued. "Upper class groups wear it for official attacks but the combatants we have faced do not."

His dad cleared his throat, brushing off his embarrassment.

"Alright, so let's just flash-step outta here on the count of three. No biggie."

"It fuels the image of general resistance." Tōshirō pieced together, using what he now knew about the A.A.A. "They don't want the organization's association. They want to fuel the uprising naturally."

"Wha—" his dad, absolutely flabbergasted, leaned back. "Why not?"

"There is a force field." Byakuya's father responded. "It has been enabled to prevent such movements."

"And now knowing what we know, they got one side that doesn't find the Head Captain fit at all and another that sees him a part of the revolution. Keeping it ambiguous works in their favor." Rangiku said.

"Oh," his dad stood straight. "Right—I-I knew that!"

"So uh…" he cleared his throat to deepen his voice, "if we can't flash-step or uh, move in the air or portal hop, uh what can we do?"

"Wait."

"Wait?!" He shrieked.

"Rukia will be out shortly." Byakuya's father replied.

"Wait a minute—" his dad panicked. "Y-You just wanna wait until Sensei comes out?! When we're like this?" His hands pointed to the small tile he was on.

"He does not intend to kill us."

"Y-Yeah but—"

"She will be back momentarily."

He could already see his dad's nerves burgeon at the thought of not being able to flash-step or walk on air if he fell down.

Knowing his dad, this was bound to make him more prone to fucking up. He had a hard time standing still.

To no surprise, he almost lost his balance again after bending too much to observe the bottom of his pillar.

When steady, he wheezed and flashed a relieved smile at Byakuya's father who stood straight and was, as per usual, indifferent to his theatrics.

"I can do this." His dad assured him, though it seemed like he was trying to convince himself. "Please." He scoffed. "Who does he think we are? Amateurs? Wa—ho—"

"Idiot." Ichigo grumbled.

"Where are we?"

When they turned, Momo, Captain Komamura, Iba and Chad were standing behind them.

"Hinamori." Tōshirō acknowledged.

Rangiku greeted her. "Hey, Momo."

"Where are those creatures?" Captain Komamura inquired as he approached them.

"Yeah, what's going on?" Iba asked them.

"You missed a deep ton of shit." Shuhei answered.

"Chad!" Ichigo called over.

"How long was I out for?" He asked.

"Uh…" Ichigo's eyes wandered to Kon, he had no idea himself.

"Hm," Orihime pondered, "about four weeks!"

"I think you're right, Inoue-san." Uryū praised.

Orihime smiled in return. "I made sure to keep note of your recovery." She told Chad who thanked her.

"So uh…." his dad awkwardly began, "you think the kid's a part of the A.A.A too?"

Ichigo didn't know why he was even trying to make conversation with Byakuya's father. He was definitely not going to answer his questions but he went on regardless.

"'Cause, you know…you knew his father and well, he was probably a part of it too so his son," he exaggerated his head tilt, "is probably in on it too. The most I've heard about the kid is him kicking ass on some exam—"

"Shut up." Ichigo muttered under his breath.

"—or whatever but still! He's a suspect and I," he pointed his hands at his chest, "could be really useful in that department, you know, I'm great with kids." He boasted. "I could get him talking in a week."

"And you know I'm a young guy," he dragged on, "a great fighter, smart, talented, you know, all the good stuff!"

"And—" he rushed to add. "Everybody thinks I'm the clueless one so I'd be a great undercover! What do you say?" He flashed an award-winning smile. "Huh-Huh?" He did air nudges from afar, raising his brows twice. "How about letting me in? I'd be great!"

When he still didn't get a reaction, he broke.

"Oh come on!" He whined.

"Former Captain Shiba is involved?" Captain Komamura asked.

"I wouldn't say 'involved', precisely." Shuhei replied. "More like—"

"Begging to be." Rangiku finished for him.

"Though that is the least bit surprising." Tōshirō continued. "What is surprising is that he happens to be Kurosaki's father."

Captain Komamura's eyes sparked at the reveal. "You are a Shiba."

He was still new to the whole thing but by blood, he was.

"Woah…" Momo remarked. "You're a noble."

"Which means you were just like us from the start." Iba pointed out.

"Isn't it nice to hear our ol'colleagues and friends are doing well?" Captain Kyōraku asked, sounding a bit too enthusiastic about the subject. "This one just happened to send us a postcard with his son."

"Well I mean, I didn't actually come here as—"

Captain Kyōraku turned to Captain Komamura. "Speaking of which, do you still speak to our ol'friend Shelby by any chance?"

Captain Komamura paused, needing a second to think. Ichigo realized then that Captain Kyōraku's sudden enthusiasm had come with meaning—it was his way of asking Captain Komamura about this.

"Colonel Keegan?"

"He's a colonel?" Ikkaku asked.

"Yes, Colonel of the Ancestral Region of Sudberg." He replied. "The noble Keegan clan's territory in the mountains."

"Oh, you mean one of those people former Captain Kuchiki talked about having to approve Sense—I mean, present Lieutenant Kuchiki's Sensei title or whatever." Shuhei said.

"You sure remember shit." Shinji dryly remarked.

"Yeah, even I didn't remember that." Ichigo said.

"I haven't spoken to him in years. The last time I saw him was at one of our local get-togethers." He answered. "Why?"

"He's kinda involved." Shuhei revealed.

Captain Komamura was taken aback. "What?"

Shuhei went on. "Though I don't really see why or how he couldn't be, I mean his wife's involved so really, that's not surprising."

"His wife?" Captain Komamura asked quickly. "She's involved too?"

Most of the group exchanged a look with each other following his surprise.

"Shira." Captain Kyōraku reminded him though judging by his reaction, it seemed as though he had no clue she even was his wife.

"The Head of the Li clan?" He stopped to think. "I…knew he married a high ranking noble but I did not expect…"

"Well he hit the jackpot of nobles." Shuhei interrupted him.

When they all looked at him, he had his arms up. "What? It's the truth. He married a noble from one of the four Great Noble Clans who's Head, a big shot andhot. That is the jackpot."

"He married an assassin." Captain Komamura corrected him with hostility. "Of all people he could have had."

His revolt was surprising seeing that he hadn't spoken to him in years.

"Amongst us wolves, the Keegan clan are amongst the greatest wolf clans to have guarded the mountains." He informed them. "To think, he married an assassin—" he scoffed, "is insulting."

That didn't rationalize his disappointment. Major Li was, as Shuhei had worded, a 'jackpot' amongst nobles. Captain Komamura clearly couldn't see past her assassin occupation to realize that was amazing in political terms.

All his time in nobleville had taught him a thing or two about how they worked.

Tōshirō, much like everyone else, didn't know what to say to comfort him seeing that he still withheld great disdain for the assassin organization. The only response he could give was about their own lack of clarity about his position.

"Though we are still unaware of his role." Tōshirō told him. "We have not met the real Keegan yet. It seems that he has a family matter at the moment to attend to. His father is ill."

"He is appointed Colonel after his father's death." Captain Komamura said.

"I see." Tōshirō replied. "Well—"

"Fuck!" His dad whispered.

There were prototype creatures leeching on the structure beneath him.

Captain Komamura tensed. "It's them!" He brought out his sword.

"We're back in protection mode, alright," Shinji said with his arm out to calm him down. "They can't see us."

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" His dad erupted in fright.

"Do not mind them."

His dad, obviously unable to calm himself down, looked at Byakuya's father as though he was crazy. Four of them were on the pillar he was on but only one was close enough to the top of it.

With every little sniff or shuffle below, he grew more and more unedge.

"Kurosaki's father's being targeted on purpose." Uryū said.

"They know he can't keep his shit together." Ichigo mumbled.

One of the creatures hissed and his dad jumped again. Each time, he poorly dissimulated his confidence with a shaky smile in Byakuya's father's direction.

"Hey," his dad called, anxiously. "How, uh, many are there now?"

Another screech came from the one closest to the tile. His dad squeamishly lifted his leg and shoulders. Byakuya's father's tile tipped again.

"Shit—s-sorry." His dad responded. "They're just—"

"Do not look." Byakuya's father ordered.

"Bu—" another one squeaked. The fright in his dad's eyes became even more apparent.

"Don't do it." Ichigo reprimanded out loud. "It's right there!"

He took a peek. The creature shot out and startled him.

"—SHIT!" He lost his balance.

"You idiot!" Ichigo shouted.

Byakuya's father jerked downwards. His dad scrambled to hold onto the tile. Items from Byakuya's father's pocket went flying down into the fire, including the little black book that he wrote notes in about the case. He sprung to the side of the flipped tile, watching the book as it went down.

The tile cracked.

His dad grunted as he kicked and shaked to push back the growling prototypes but the creatures weren't even attacking him.

"Get up!" Ichigo urged him. "Move!"

"You know he can't hear you Kurosaki." Uryū intervened.

"There's nothing touching you, go!"

Amid all his passion, his dad scurried up onto the tile and hunched over. Byakuya's father's eyes fell on the spot his book had fallen into and now burned. His head slowly moved to his dad who awkwardly smiled in return.

"We better hope Kuchiki-san gets out of there soon." Uryū said to the others. "If he falls, Kurosaki's gonna try to dive right after him."

"But he can't touch him." Orihime pointed out.

"And that's gonna drive him crazy." Shinji replied.

"Can't he activate that pin and hear what matter those two are discussing?" Mayuri grumbled.

"Oh yeah, you're right. Ichig—" Shuhei stopped as he located Ichigo, near his father, tapping his foot impatiently.

His dad's belly rested on the surface of the tile, his hands pressed against the pillar and his legs were tightly pulled and pointed towards the ceiling. Clearly uncomfortable, he tried to move without triggering another situation like before under the nerve-wracking gaze of Byakuya's father who watched him as he moved.

"Seems like he's already lost it." Izuru said.

"Kurosaki!" Tōshirō called.

His dad slid like a snail to get his knee onto it but there was no room for him to properly stand on his two feet without needing to balance.

Despite keeping his attempts slow, none of them succeeded. Each time he slipped, the more impatient Byakuya's father got.

"ICHIGO!" Kon shouted. "GET OVER HERE AND TURN ON THAT DAMN PIN!"

"Gimme a second, alright?!" Ichigo yelled back. "I can hear you."

"There's nothing you can do if he falls, just get back here." Kensei said.

"We might be missing out on important information." Captain Ukitake reasoned and he caved.

"Fine, I'm coming." Ichigo paid his dad one glance and walked over to them. "So who remembers how to work this thing?"

###

Chief Jouchi led her down a white hall of framed photographs that never seemed to end. They'd been walking for an unusually long time, longer than the manor actually was, in one direction.

At times, she wanted to ask where in the world he was leading them but she decided against it. Her concentration fell on the frames and frames of photographs of different Jouchi relatives in soul reaper uniforms posing with their wide smiles.

She couldn't find Kujou in any of them. But then again, she had only started paying attention three minutes into the walk.

When they finally made a right turn into a room, she felt relieved the walk was over until the door closed.

A desk of white was to their left. He went around it and gestured for her, with a big toothy smile, to stand on a particular rug in front of it. She warily moved.

"Welcome to my chamber." He announced.

Chamber? This was an office.

"I would hope you have questions that you'd like to be addressed before I get into what I want."

It was a random thought to have but the setup and question reminded her of the very first time she had met Sensei Okasake when those guards led her to him downstairs. In a room, with the desk on the side, he stood there waiting for questions, a reaction, to all that had occurred.

Though then she didn't have any, now she did.

"Why'd you confess?"

She kept her tone firm, heavy and authoritative to dispel any discomfort his eyes brought.

"You infected Lieutenant Kuchiki on purpose, you have an Adachi spray that keeps you clean and under the radar and yet you deliberately infected him, switched the ointment I gave him and invited us back to reveal your identity, a secret I'm sure you wouldn't want just anybody, let alone high ranking officers affiliated with your enemy, to know about so what do you want?"

"What I want is to be close with the princess. Is that wrong?"

Please. "The princess of the clan that created and rules the Soul Society?"

"No." He harshly denied. "The princess of the Soul Society."

"That's the same th—" she stopped.

"That doesn't change my question." Rukia argued. "Why would you want to be close with someone affiliated with an organization you despise?"

"I'm intrigued by you." Well duh. "I've been intrigued since you came into this court as an unofficial affiliate of that clan. Why? You ask. The answer is simple. You're not from here, you hate here, you despise the Okasake rule."

Jushirmai certainly filled him up with all her details pretty quickly.

"The clan of the superiors that let a good amount rot and an even smaller amount smile." He laughed. "Now that was intriguing, that was riveting."

"No matter your relationship, those thoughts of yours have never changed." He gave her a knowing look. "I wanted to meet you the moment you stepped foot here but of course with my lower social standing that was impossible to achieve. I could only listen and watch you move, hear you speak, amplify your defiance and beliefs."

"But then—" he walked alongside his desk with his eyes to the ground, "a miracle came along—an opportunity that I was beginning to think I would have to create myself."

Kujou, she thought to herself.

"You met my grandson. Like fate, you came right into the palms of my hands through Kotaru." He snorted to himself. "And with Sojun, I found all the pieces I needed to put the puzzle together."

"I invited you to dinner." He stated. "Though I didn't expect Sojun to insist on holding it together with our arrangement. That presented a flaw in our meet up although I did not deny him then since he was, like I expected him to be, someone who would vouch for me if you were ever doubtful of my character because he knew me. When he didn't tell you, I was thrilled to have the opportunity alone and then he went and double booked it but the chance to sit down with you excited me nonetheless. I reached out to you with Kujou to let you see who I was, that I liked you, that I could listen to you."

"Then—" I didn't come. "You chose to hide behind a tree," he spat in offense. "I hadn't expected you to guess my soul shadow origins as quickly as you did and though I was upset with your behavior I realized that I had undermined your intelligence by doing so. Sojun vouched for me but you didn't move. You persisted even till the very end and I…could not have you be dismissed as wrong when you were," he watched her, "absolutely right."

Rukia didn't know what to say.

"I infected Sojun on purpose and took the version of the medicine you gave him to bring you back. I wanted to intrigue you as much as you intrigued me but in doing so, I knew that you would not come alone and sought a reason I could involve him in what I aim to share with you without having to kill him."

Her mouth opened but nothing came out.

"And I did." He smiled. "And now," he raised his arms, "we are here."

She unknowingly glanced up at the ceiling and proceeded to observe the room.

"Satisfactory enough?" He asked her.

At the thought of Kujou she wanted to ask him if he knew of all this. If his father was involved or why his parents got married in the first place.

Instead she stuck with the most appropriate follow-up.

"And what do you want to tell me? What purpose do I serve? I can expose your identity, have the assassin unit assigned to the A.A.A and the soul reaper unit assigned to your lower rebels here within seconds, expose the Jouchi clan and you for what you are and have you and your family held captive and killed. Exposing yourself like this was a risk you were willing to take and I want to know why I, of all people, would be worth that risk when you've managed to keep you and your clan's involvement a secret for as long as the A.A.A have been up and running."

He shrugged. "I have nothing to lose."

"Even as Head of the A.A.A?"

"No matter your sources, you cannot infiltrate this organization nor destroy it." He humorously replied.

"Because of your alliance with liquid creatures?"

The mention of them didn't phase him. "They are infinite, ever-lasting, eternal but they are not the only reason my organization is secure."

"You're underestimating what you've done." Rukia criticized. "Prior to this, the closest any unit had gotten to you was through the fourth Head of Unit Six."

"So I've told on myself?" He asked her. "What is the harm in that?"

"You're not that protected. Those things will turn on you just like they turned on your squad members underground."

"I don't know what you mean." He blinked innocently. "No one turned on anyone."

"So who was responsible for the attack on those A.A.A members under the Kujou manor?"

At first she thought he was dazed because Jushirmai had altered his memory but when his grin grew wider, mischievous, confident, her stomach dropped.

"Certainly you're aware," his tone was cool, brittle and dark, "that we shadows need to feed."

Rukia's jaws fell. Her body processed the implication of his words before her mind did.

What she had suspected was the work of those creatures was actually…

"In my case, as you suspected, there is a whole family."

That liar! Whatever happened to 'cleaning up the sewer'? Her conversation with that brat ran through her memory. Had he explicitly claimed they were the culprit? No. But even he had insinuated that they had and would haveturned on them. That's why he had handed them off in the first place so what was this?

Meanwhile, the badge she had found belonging to the fallen A.A.A member had been a victim of Chief Jouchi and the Jouchi family all along.

"To maintain this organization, the disloyal, weak and inefficient must die. They are burdens and easily traceable. That is how those units you speak of poke holes and get in."

After they failed to complete the execution of the Kujous with the aid of those creatures, they fed on them. He would've known that—he should've known that. It was unusual for him to not know what Chief Jouchi was up to.

The only difference between now and then was that she hadn't known Chief Jouchi was a soul shadow then.

"So contrary to your opinion," he said slowly, "there is no distrust between those creatures and I. They are loyal friends."

Now she didn't know what to believe. She had, admittedly, trusted his words when she had asked but seeing that the outcome had been entirely different meant that she couldn't take what he said so literally and yet, she still believed that these creatures would turn on them when he wanted.

She couldn't see how he benefited from supporting a soul reaper resistance.

"Regardless, I'm not here to convince you that your new security guards are disloyal to you." Rukia said.

"That's right," he concurred. "You are here because we have a vision."

He walked around the desk and braced against the front of it.

"That is why this proposal should interest you."

"I'm not interested in joining a soul reaper rebellion." Rukia assured him.

"Not if the end goal is meaningless." He corrected her and took a wire ball from a bowl on his desk to fiddle with. "The works of this organization go beyond the premise of domination. It is about liberation, trust, equality. What do you think we were before we did something for the Soul Society? Where did our nobility come from?"

"Granted, our work in part aims to eliminate our oppressors but the ones we vouch for are our own enemies."

From what she knew about the A.A.A, given all the research she had done, there were 'conflicting beliefs' about what the organization should aim for given the circumstances. Though they were unified by their hatred of assassins, there was still the subject of the current regime of soul reapers. One side believed that the Head Captain's regime should be eliminated and others believed it should stand.

While she couldn't assume that all Jouchi family Heads felt the same, the current one speaking now did not seem like he approved of the Head Captain's regime targeting them.

"Whether you're for or against soul reapers it doesn't make a difference." Rukia said.

"But if I would like to abolish the current regime of soul reapers, that certainly does." He countered.

"I'm not interested in overthrowing soul reapers."

"There is a difference between soul reapers and the actual regime." He told her. "While I can respect Head Captain Yamamoto for fighting for us and creating us, I cannot respect what he's done with his power."

"Just like you," he began slowly, his eyes were complacent, "can respect that dog of a leader you have for his 'kindness' towards you but cannot respect his inability to withhold himself against his own 'son'."

Jushirmai.

She stiffened. The dots connected themselves.

What Chief Jouchi aimed to propose to her was a deal that would handle the 'incompetence' of both leaders.

"So you aim to get rid of assassins and overthrow the Head Captain's regime." Rukia clarified, not that it made his proposal any better. "And what about your members that want Head Captain regime's to stay?"

He dismissed the subject with his hand. "It does not matter what they think."

His hypocrisy bothered her. Aside from the vileness of his proposal, he really thought that he would be doing more good by greatly misleading and challenging members of his organization that had pledged their lives to him.

"Both of the regimes are corrupted, both leaders are weak."

He was looking at something diagonal to him. She followed his eyes to a painting on the wall of…Head Captain Yamamoto.

"To achieve a better future, blood must be shed, people must be deceived and war must be fought. It is inevitable in our case." He quietly said. "Though the extent in which all this occurs can be avoided if we form liaisons with those undeserving of this chaos."

Rukia shook her head. "It'll be messy no matter what you do. Put your own members, the KTI and the soul reaper regime aside, do you think you're equipped enough to challenge the assassin regime? None of this would be or could be accomplished in years, not even decades."

He hummed. "That is why internal work is necessary."

"You mean take the regime's trust right out from under their rulers?"

"Of course. In your case, that should be easy seeing that he is close to insanity already."

"And you want me to be one of those people?" She asked, emphasizing how absurd she found what he was asking of her.

"Not on your own of course."

Rukia narrowed her eyes. "Why would I do that?"

"Why not?"

"Uhm maybe because I don't support the A.A.A?"

"While I had hoped that you would want to go all the way, seeing that you have had beliefs that condemn both organizations, I suspected that you would not agree to turn against these people because of your relationship to them."

So…

"That is why this liaison would be temporary. If we work together, we can overturn their rule."

"I'm not—"

"Certainly you nor his brother nor his close executives want to see a man, so foolishly blinded, be the leader of the Soul Society. Not when he cannot control his thoughts or movements or decisions."

Despite it being true, she wouldn't stand here and agree with him when she knew she could fix him. With the help of the Lieutenant, if he ever stopped being so remiss, they could pull him out—they would pull him out of the heir's hold. But wait—

"If you think I'd risk the lives of innocent people just so you can benefit from his demise, you clearly know nothing about me."

"I am merely giving you an opportunity to start early with support." He idly picked up a feather from his desk and examined it. "His condition will worsen. How will you handle that on your own? What do you suspect his favor will be like when rumors of his behavior spread across the Soul Society? What happens when you can no longer keep it behind," he glanced at her, "closed doors?"

Rukia didn't know what to say.

"No matter how you view it, taking him out early benefits you and that regime just as much as it benefits the ones who despise it."

She felt defensive. The potential 'truth' of his words nipped at her, almost if she didn't reject the scenario now, in front of him, it would happen.

He was, after all, misinformed. Chief Jouchi was speaking as if he was already gone but she knew better, she managed to keep him steady for weeks without the Lieutenant's help.

This wasn't the end, no matter what his sources or that thing was telling him.

"You're misinformed." Rukia stated. "Even if there have been slip ups, he is far from being mentally or physically unstable to rule."

"Oh?" The way he tilted his head, the phony remark and elevated tone he used reminded her of him. Is that you in there? "Is that so?"

She let her silence confirm.

"Well I suppose—" he turned to his desk, "—he is so mentally and physically stable that he enjoys—" and flicked out a pale yellow folder onto the ground, photos spread out. "—Eating his beloved citizens for food."

It only took Rukia a quick glance to gasp and step back in horror. She could only see the few that spread out from the pile but they were…explicit. For some reason, she looked up at him for clarity or some sign of falsification, unable to digest what she was seeing with two eyes.

It was him, alright, bowed down eating fresh meat belonging to corpses on the floor. Each image was more horrifying than the last. The thing had gone as far to have him publicly feast on souls and now she had to face the consequences.

What Chief Jouchi had was powerful, he had evidence that looked as real as it was that would not only spread like wildfire but would jumpstart a new era of unsettlement and chaos in regards to Okasake rule.

In a matter of seconds, Chief Jouchi had successfully cornered her.

"Think again." He instructed her roughly. "That man will not last. In your case, you and your associates can save him and yourselves before it is too late. At least then, you stand somewhat of a chance."

She had nothing to say to that.

He swished the images back into his hand with a drift, "if it should encourage you, the allies you believe are against us have access to every single point I know."

"It only takes a second." She became small.

"I don't expect you to have an answer for me so soon. Certainly your little group will have a few choice of words to say about forming an alliance with me," he said so calmly, "though do know, the longer you wait, the sooner what I have," he glanced at the folder, "will start making its rounds in your court."

Rukia tightened her jaw.

"With such little time, I suggest you make good use of it."

###

"Those passages must be sealed, effective immediately." Sensei Okasake ordered the members that had gathered almost immediately after Byakuya's father and Rukia had returned.

In attendance, aside from the usual, was Minister Pembi, Cem and Cecil. All the other members of the group were missing.

"The longer they are left open, the greater the risk. You are authorized to use any force necessary to do so. It should be done by the end of the week."

Rukia unknowingly looked around as if she was waiting for someone to say what was on her mind though seeing that the room was silent, she spoke up on her own.

"But we can't just start covering holes. By doing that, we make a decision." Rukia said.

"How will he know of our decision?" Sensei Okasake asked her. "Forget the circumstances. What do we have that they don't?"

"A nonexistent diversion?" She wasn't trying to be funny but the line came out the way it did.

"Control." He corrected her. "It does not matter what they own, we have control." He repeated slowly. "Hiroshima is still here, Shira can kill them, most of you here can subdue them and that neurotic fellow made a deal with the devil. This 'threat', should it even count as one, will crumble before it bears any fruit."

Though that restored confidence in Ichigo who had felt they had been cornered, it did not convince Rukia.

"What about those pictures?" Rukia asked him.

"The technology is not as developed but artificially altering images is a thing."

"That's our defense?"

"It will do for now. I doubt he will have a chance to spread it. What matters is that the passages remain sealed and guarded."

"But the moment any member of his squad gets a whiff of us he'll know." Rukia argued.

"That is why it will be done in a manner that is discrete. He is expecting our gift to be used and is prepared to pull the trigger when he detects it. Rather than falling into the trap of doing so, we move around the trap, become it."

"And how do we become a trap that's already been made?" Rukia asked him, not following.

"Do exactly what the trap requires to be triggered but—" he raised a finger, "do not let it be completed as expected."

Ichigo was just as lost as Rukia. He had no idea how he expected them to do that. Thankfully, Haru chimed in.

"A brilliant plan indeed except, I am worried about what that might mean for Shira."

Rukia looked back at him. The mention of Major Li was probably clicking on a few light bulbs but Ichigo still didn't get it. Sure, it seemed like the old man liked her but he wasn't sure how that related to this.

"Yeah," Cecil apologetically clenched his teeth. "—I still don't know how she managed to kill those things. There isn't really a connection between her double and the thing's genetic makeup. It's all a bit up in the air now."

"Well you're a big help." Uryū sarcastically remarked.

"And seeing that is the case," Haru began, "we can't rely on Shira's ability to defeat these creatures when we're unaware of where that ability comes from. It might be a malicious feedback loop that endangers her."

"Ya can sprinkle her reiatsu all ya want but yeah," Cecil sighed, "it could end pretty badly if there's something we don't know about."

"How exactly did this guy become the lead scientist on this?" Shuhei asked.

"Beats me." Izuru said.

"Seems like he doesn't have a clue about anything." Rangiku commented.

Sensei Okasake was not concerned.

"Those passages, with or without Genryūsai's assistance, should be closed by the end of the week." He rose. "I leave the rest of this matter to you."

With that, he vanished, leaving the group to direct their attention to each other.

"I'm afraid that even with the maps, should Head Captain finally hand them over, this is still quite a difficult task." Haru admitted.

Rukia agreed. "There's probably passages only the Jouchi clan knows about."

"Will you authorize the A.A.A unit back in court to join us?" Cem asked Haru.

"I would like to see their maps but no, I don't think we should risk their involvement. It's probably best if it's just our divisions that handle this." Haru answered.

Cecil yawned. "I'll try to get what I can out of Shira's copy and the substance of those things but no promises."

"If you luck out with that perhaps you should try to find a way to control the rate of their creation. We have to find a way to eliminate their source." Haru suggested.

"We killed their mother, didn't we?" Minister Pembi asked in annoyance. "She's dead, it's over."

"There might be more than one." Byakuya's father said, speaking for the first time in a while.

"Hm," Roger thought. "He does father these creations so I mean a host could be a-anyone really."

"But he acknowledged Odette-san as their only mother." Rukia said. "There has to be something special there, no?"

They could tell she was desperate for reassurance that no one else would be subjected to the horror and gruesome fate of Odette but the answer was obvious. Even she knew it deep down and in defeat, looked away.

"We should pick up the pace." Yoruichi said. "As early as tonight. If we're going to corner the A.A.A, we have to start digging."

###

Saturday

Did she want to go? No. But did she have to? Yes.

Although they had no intention of utilizing his potential heir candidacy to their advantage, Kujou did have a role he was expected to fulfill to upload his family's legacy regardless of his assassin heritage.

Did he know about it? She was certain he did not but then again, did she really know? Of course the answer seemed obvious given how he was but at the end of the day, nobody could be trusted.

It was mind boggling how something, someone, who was just beginning to become a part of her life was roped into this case even without knowing it.

Or at least she hoped.

She hated to consider the thought of being duped. Each time she did, she remembered how she had judged him about his exam score the first time and had ended up being completely wrong about the whole thing.

Her goal tonight was to poke some holes, dissect some of his responses and discover where his father and him fell in the Jouchi family's organization.

Amid everything going on, he was still a very important part of this mess to her.

Given that his father married into an assassin clan, she had hope that they had no involvement in this madness.

The Lieutenant hadn't spoken too much about whether he believed his father, Jouchi Ichibei, had any relation to the organization when they got back. In fact, when she brought up the subject he looked somewhat dazed.

Naturally she didn't push though she had wanted to. She would, however, get her answers tonight during this celebration for his exam scores.

Major Haru had also asked her to inquire about the talisman he wore around his neck in case it would be of use.

She set out to the Kujou manor in her assassin uniform, much to the chagrin of Sensei who had prepared her a nice teal and green kimono for the event prior to Thursday night.

The banquet hall was filled with people of all ages, dressed according to a particular colour scheme of pale seafoam green, orchid purple and white. The theme of the night, it seemed. When she thought back to the kimono Sensei had prepared for her, she realized it must've said it on the invitation.

Whoops.

But at least she didn't stand out. Assassins and soul reapers alike had minimally complied with the theme with a stash or hair clip, guards wore a red sash around them atop their gear and random passerbyers wore colours of blue, red and purple.

She spotted Kujou beside his maternal grandfather, chatting with someone his age while his grandfather chatted with someone older. He was well suited up for his special night, his fit reminded her of the attire of jockeys with its white trousers, high brown boots and royal seafoam coat with chains that ended near his waist. He even wore a crown of gold with three circular gems of green, red and purple on his head.

Now that she was here, it did feel like a lot for one good mark.

Seeing that Kujou was engaged with a friend, she quietly admired the paintings in the hall until he noticed her. He was the only person she actually knew here and noble small talk was not her thing.

"Sensei!"

She looked back and saw him gesture for her to come to his spot. She awkwardly walked across the room as he smiled and waved in her direction that garnered the attention of some guests when he didn't put his arm down.

She greeted him and bowed in the direction of his grandfather who smiled and greeted her.

"Sensei," his grandfather bowed, "it is a pleasure to have you here. I hope everything is to your liking."

"Of course." She smiled. "I'm sorry I didn't follow the theme." She said while looking down at her uniform.

"That's okay!" Kujou assured her.

"Yes, indeed, your assassin wear is emblematic of Okasake dignity and pride. I would not dream of condemning you for wearing your uniform. "

"Still," Rukia glanced at the fancy wear of the guests. "I would have loved to participate. It seems like everyone got creative."

"Do not mind that," He flicked his hand down, "you look exactly as the princess should look." Kujou's grandfather said. "We Kujous always have themes," he pridefully explained to her, "if it weighs on your mind, you may always do it the next time."

"M-My birthday's in August and we always go all out—" Kujou told her passionately.

Endeared, his grandfather smiled. "Yes, that is true. And of course," he narrowed his head, "you will get an invite too. I shall excuse myself to have you both chat."

"R-Right." Kujou replied, "thanks grandfather!"

She slightly bowed as he moved onto another guest.

"So!" Kujou exclaimed.

"Congratulations." She told him.

He chuckled. "You're not going to accuse me of cheating now, are you?"

The memory of the first time she had visited him outside the manor came to mind.

Rukia smiled. "No, of course not, you earned this."

"Do you—"

"My sincerest apologies," a waiter intervened. He bowed down and held a silver tray with coupe glasses of a familiar berry and lime-like substance. "But would you like some refreshments?"

"O-Oh—" Kujou turned to her, "do you? They're really good! And f-fruity!"

"Uhm…no thank y—"

"They're actually a secret Jouchi family recipe!" He mindlessly continued. "I don't remember the ingredients exactly," he took his own glass while watching the ceiling, "I think one has gooseberries and the other has lime or no! One has gooseberries and the other has lime. The green one is delicious!"

"I–" the waiter cleared his throat, "will come back around if you change your mind." He said to her, noticing her disinterest before Kujou.

"O-Oh okay." Kujou said as the waiter went to the next group.

"Sorry," he blushed, "did I ramble?"

Well…. "No—yes—it's okay."

"Good." He sipped his drink. "Do you want cake?"

"Sure."

"Come," he put his arm out to guide her. "I asked for a small one but grandfather insisted on—" she stopped.

Chief Jouchi was handing out cake in front of a table covered in a lavender cloth.

"On second thought," she pulled back. "I'm not that hungry."

"Are you sure?" He asked her, confused. He glanced at the tiered cake of the party's theme colours. "It's vanilla and chocolate!"

"I'll get some before I leave." She assured him, sparing glances at the courteous Chief Jouchi from afar.

Kujou seemed to follow her quick glances to his grandfather.

Just go, she muttered to herself.

"That is unless…You want some too?"

Upon hearing that he smiled, "I'll have some with you! Let's go!"

Rukia's smile fell as he led the way. Though he was obviously going to be in attendance, she had no intention of actually speaking with him. At least, until now.

When they appeared together, Chief Jouchi's smile, of course, grew wider.

"Kotaru," he looked down at him excitedly, "what have you brought here?"

"Hello, Chief Jouchi."

"Hello." There was an ominous touch to his low incantation that nerved her.

"We came for some cake." Kujou told him.

"Oh—" he picked up a plate, "yes, yes, of course!" He laughed. "I got carried away with your guest again."

He shook the side of her right shoulder. His touch immediately drew goosebumps.

"Chocolate or vanilla?" Kujou asked her.

"Uh…" she was too distracted by Chief Jouchi's eyes, "any, doesn't matter."

"Here's chocolate." Chief Jouchi shoved the plate into her hands.

She didn't bother saying thank you as Kujou took his own plate and told her to follow him. He could be a God sent sometimes. She followed behind him, feeling Chief Jouchi's stare burn into her back as she left.

"So uh, any reason for the green, white, purple theme?" She asked him as they sat on a small table of white.

"Yes actually," he laughed, "grandfather wanted it to be based on the three Sensei sheatsus."

Oh.

"But this g-green," he referred to this top, "is actually my favourite colour! So we tweaked the shades to match it!"

"Oh! It's a pretty combo." She praised, eyes unknowingly falling on where his talisman would have been if he wore it out, it was beneath his coat.

"What about you?"

She had a fork in mouth, savoring the icing of the devil's cake. "What about me?"

"Your favourite colour."

"Oh it's actually purple and white."

"You're lucky, your sheatsu and reiatsu are your favourite colours."

"Yeah." She smiled.

"Unless." He stopped. "It's not the right shade."

"I'm not that picky." She dismissed. "I like all shades."

"I see." He ate some cake, her eyes fell on the chain of his talisman.

"Did you eat before coming here?"

"Oh no, actually I didn't."

"We have more than cake, we should hit the buffet table next."

"I'm not—"

"What do you like to eat?"

Seriously? "Just…stuff."

He laughed. "What stuff?"

"Basic stuff."

Kujou clearly thought she was teasing him with her generic answers but if he couldn't see how devoid and distracted she was by now, he was either faking or was really that clueless.

"Grandfather tells me you like eggs."

She stiffened. That nasty eavesdropping basta—

"That's not basic. Everybody I know loves eggs." He told her. "What else do you like?"

"Don't you already know?" Rukia asked. She shoved a fork load of cake in her mouth.

"Yeah, s-sorta—Grandfather says you like rice balls. Everybody loves rice balls! But considering you like them so much, you must eat them a lot."

Rukia idly nodded her head as she ate. She glanced at his talisman once again. How she wished he could take a hint. She was practically ogling it now, waiting for him to at least ask what she was looking at.

When he didn't, she got the ball rolling herself. "So, uh…that's your favourite shade of green, huh?" She referred to his top.

"Yes, it is!"

"Why?"

"Why?" He repeated, surprised.

She shrugged and gave him a slight smile. This was good. Senseless conversation that gave her the opportunity to mention the talisman and maybe his father was good.

"It's my mother's favourite colour."

Good! Family talk!

"Really?" She feigned her interest.

"Mm-hm, it reminds me of her so I like it."

"It looks good on you." She complimented him. "Though," she looked at the chain of the talisman, "it…doesn't match the little necklace you wear."

He looked down and pulled out the talisman. "Oh yeah, this. Grandfather told me that too but I just couldn't take it off so he said to wear it under. You can see it?"

"Not really, just the chain." She said honestly.

He tugged the chain down. "Is this better?"

"Sorta, come here." She gestured and he leaned over the table. She sat on her knees to properly tug it down, taking subtle peeks at what it was made up of in the process—a green stone, red stone and blue stone like his crown. From memory, it hadn't consisted of multiple stones.

She sat back down. "There."

"Thank you."

"What is that anyway?"

"What?"

"Your necklace, what is it for?"

"Oh." He fixed his collar. It didn't go unnoticed how his voice changed at the question. "It's uh, something my father gave me."

Jouchi relevancy. Not good.

"For good luck." He added. "I'm not supposed to take it off."

"If you're not supposed to take it off, why did your grandfather ask you to?"

"He doesn't know. It's just something between us and grandfather." He explained. "My other one."

So there was something special about that talisman.

"Oh…sorry."

"It's okay." He smiled. "I get asked about this a lot actually, 'cause it's so big."

"Hm, well it's definitely a shiner."

"And heavy too." He chuckled. "Are you done?" He referred to her empty plate.

"Yes."

"Should we…" he slid off the chair, "walk around?"

"Sure."

###

"That talisman's related to the A.A.A." Kensei didn't have a doubt in his mind that it was not.

Rangiku agreed. "He got off when she mentioned it and Chief Jouchi's behind it."

"I don't know." Ichigo replied honestly. "His dad was the one who gave it to him and he obviously meant a lot to him so I don't think it's that weird."

"Still, the necklace being just between his father, Chief Jouchi and him is suspicious." Uryū reasoned.

"His father passed away sixty years ago." Orihime reminded the group. "Because of a hollow."

"Which means it wasn't a going away present, it was something fixed from before." Kensei argued. "He must've got it when he was younger."

Ichigo thought they were being too hard on him. "He thinks it's a good luck charm."

"But what type of luck has he got since wearing it?" Ikkaku asked. "He's ill 'cause of an injury and has no chance of moving up 'cause he's weak."

"You gotta think like him." Ichigo explained. "He loves his grandfather, the guy, no matter what, raised him. If his dad and grandfather told him it's lucky, even if it isn't, he isn't gonna just take it off."

"And if it hasn't done anything, how does he know to check it out?" Momo asked, siding with Ichigo.

"You really think he doesn't know?" Shinji asked them.

"It's his family we're talking about here. Why should he doubt what they say? His grandfather might be playin' him and keeping him ignorant but that's not his fault." Ichigo argued. "The kid might not be a genius but it's easy to be played by someone you love."

"I hate to say this to you, Ichigo but you're too compassionate." Shuhei said.

He froze, immediately irked by the comment. "What the hell did you just say—"

Captain Ukitake slightly smiled. "That's something you and Kuchiki both share."

###

When Rukia returned to the manor, Sensei Okasake was still awake and working. He never seemed to sleep, she felt bad.

"What do you have to report?" He asked when she came in, still engrossed in his work clearly.

"The talisman is related to the Jouchi family—" his head shot up, "his father and Chief Jouchi gave it to him for 'good luck'. It's not something anybody knows about. He says it's just between them."

"Hm, that's interesting." He remarked. "What about the boy?"

Rukia sighed. "I don't know—" she wandered, "I don't think he knows. He's just easily manipulated because he loves his family."

("See." Ichigo brooded.

"That's just provin' my point." Shuhei replied.)

"Did he mention his father?"

She shook her head. "Aside from his relation to the necklace, not at all. I don't think he likes talking about him much but not 'cause of anything malicious, he just…misses him."

"That's expected." Sensei replied. "It's only been a short while and considering how he went, I also see nothing malicious in that."

She was glad he agreed. She wasn't keen on hearing the Lieutenant's opinion on this. She was sure he was going to be suspicious of him after hearing what he said about his talisman.

"Nonetheless," Sensei's voice drew her out of her thoughts. "It is wise to keep an eye on him. He is the grandson of an organization that has been active in the Soul Society since the divide. A violent one that has lived, thrived and prevailed thanks to its well loved and trusted organizers and successors, if his grandfather is not any indication of this. No matter the odds, do not let your guard down. That thing is involved as well and if there is anything you have learnt from your time here I would hope that if it is there, trouble is."

Somehow Sensei had managed to tell her exactly what she needed to hear amid her feelings about Kujou. He was right. Even if she believed he was innocent with her whole heart, she couldn't take his relation to the A.A.A lightly.

Besides, even if he didn't know, what would happen if he did? He was the only blood-related heir Chief Jouchi had and he was sick. He could make a name for himself in his family line before it was too late, potentially honoring his father too, depending on his role in the organization.

Even if he didn't hate assassins, Kujou could easily be blindsided by Chief Jouchi and his love for his father.

She had to be vigilant even if he was her friend.

She wouldn't return to the Okasake manor until Monday, taking Sunday off to tend to her duties in the Rukongai District and think of how to approach the 'Kujou' situation on her hands.

She didn't want to pry but at least, if he could reassure her indirectly that he knew nothing about his paternal family's lineage or speak about his father and mother's relationship, she could feel more at ease with the position she was in.

Given that they didn't have much time to accept or deny Chief Jouchi's proposal, ease was hard to find.

Major Li, Yoruichi and Haru were, of course, quick and formidable, impressively sealing and finding thousands of underground access points with their sheer intelligence alone but as they covered more ground, her nerves intensified.

After all, wouldn't he tell on them when convenient?

Using data from the specialized unit assigned to the A.A.A, they had channeled their efforts towards sealing areas where their many divisions, termed 'units', were known to occupy. Though given that there were about seventy of them and the highest group they knew of was Unit Six, it would take some time before they sealed spots closer to Chief Jouchi's range.

In the meanwhile, Renji and Raiden were digging into lower Unit locations in the Rukongai District and the Seireitei to investigate whether they had access to the creatures too or if it was exclusive to the higher level groups while Roger was tasked with finding the other Units' hideouts and Lieutenant Kuchiki weeded out potential mothers of the creatures to aid.

Their efforts would culminate later in the week at the start of December.

Rukia had gone into the manor in the morning, handed the key like she was supposed to and got updated as usual. Though there was one update she had definitely not been expecting.

"You're not going?" She asked, surprised.

Though he hadn't been successful in finding all the remaining Units' hideouts, Roger had used his knowledge regarding the others to observe and learn more about the ones they knew little about, leading him to the zone of Unit Three.

Members of Unit Twenty-Six had unknowingly disclosed that they were attending some draft lottery in Unit Three's zone which was to occur today.

Roger, being who he was, was able to copy the location details and report back to the group which aroused some interest given that they now knew Unit Three was the security and distribution team. This was corroborated by Major Haru who consulted the team responsible for handling the A.A.A back in court and Major Li, leading to the assumption that this unit would have a vault withholding valuable information that could be used to understand the creatures' distribution.

Hideouts typically consisted of various zones guarded by a force field that prevented individuals from using techniques such as flash-step and portal hopping where these vaults tended to be; however, that was not something everyone was unfamiliar with.

It was a massive opportunity to say the least.

Naturally, they couldn't involve the A.A.A team back in court or any Major's division to avoid their invasion being perceived as an organized and official attack. Two members, skilled enough to push back the A.A.A and those creatures and had enough familiarity with the A.A.A to maneuver codes and traps were needed to go.

Surprisingly, despite lacking the physical aspect of the criteria, Lieutenant Kuchiki had been nominated alongside Major Li to go. An opportunity she did not think he'd ever refuse, especially given how much he liked being at the frontlines of everything related to this case even with his condition.

It struck her as odd.

"After consideration," he began as he organized his desk, "I believe the past two incidents I have been a part of are a sign of my negligence. Each of the scenarios I have found myself in could have been hazardous and I," he took a deep breath, "should be more aware of how my physical health can endanger myself and be weaponized by others."

Chief Jouchi had thrown his inability to flash-step in his face and then trapped him in a scenario that easily could have ended badly, regardless if the person on the other end had been Shiba Isshin or not. That had likely been an eye-opener, especially since his flash-step inability wasn't his only physical trait that was poor.

From what she saw, he didn't even carry his zanpakutō anymore though he wore his soul reaper uniform. He even kept his reiatsu down as if it was too much to keep it out as it was.

When she thought back to when Odette had first transformed into the prototype creature, that also could have been hazardous considering that he had to leap out of the way of an attack that even she hadn't been prepared for and when she remembered how he discovered that the Major Li lying down wasn't the real one, that also could have been dangerous considering he was on his own and the copy of Major Li could have done anything. Last but not least, the harmless gesture of moving what they now knew was the fake Major Li's body from the scene that cost him three weeks set a reminder to all of them that his health was poor and though a necessary act, for the sake of his health, scenarios as such had to be avoided.

It made sense.

"I'm sorry."

She could've said 'I see' but what she really felt was remorse. It was obvious that he had hoped to work in spite of his declining health.

"Do not be." He replied while writing. "There is an archive room that needs organizing."

Rukia smiled. "So instead of going down to the A.A.A's little hideout downstairs with Major Li you're going to reorganize drawing files?"

"Contrary to your suspicion, I do not think of that as a mundane task."

She grimaced. "'Course you don't."

"I suppose we no longer have to worry about Mr Exciting." Sensei said from his desk. "Though I do think you are doing a great disservice to yourself by missing the last probable chance you have to do something exciting."

"Sensei." She reprimanded.

While she agreed, given that he was going with Major Li who was more than enough to shield him, they shouldn't be coercing him when he was trying to be strict. Besides, Captain would definitely disapprove of him going anywhere if anything were to happen under Major Li's watch.

They did not need a repeat of the infamous three weeks.

"I would have gone if I could flash-step." Lieutenant Kuchiki admitted after a moment of silence. His eyes hadn't left his work. "Though as that is not the case," he glanced in the direction of Sensei, "I will not go."

"Very well." Sensei conceded. "I am not opposed to the fact, I merely wanted to highlight that there was an opportunity." He emphasized with his hand as he moved some papers.

Out from the neighbouring room came the other Sensei, distracted by his own set of papers too. Every time she saw him in that white haori, she felt accomplished.

"Hirosuke," he called gruffly, "who are these people making claims to our land in the snow plains? That is untouched territory!"

He took a double take when he glanced up. "Hello, my dear. We will start training at three," he turned back to the Lieutenant, "if that's alright with you."

"I bet you it's those wolves." He examined the paper. "I kept that place for training our ice types."

He squinted, unable to read without his glasses. Sensei at his desk nor the Lieutenant said a word but she knew they were as relieved as her.

"Well," he sighed, closing the paper. "I shall go visit them and see if we can work something out."

He kept the paper under his arm when he looked back at the Lieutenant.

"Are the Kurosawa clan wolves?" He curiously inquired as if he was verifying whether a word was long enough to fit his word puzzle.

She was surprised the Lieutenant even answered given how standoffish he had been with him lately.

"I do not know."

"I suppose I will ask Shira if I see her. I trust Junnosuke," his closest and oldest advisor, "with my soul but he is too close to Sasukibe for my liking. The last thing I need is for his pest of a leader to know about our land disputes."

"Anyway—" he looked at her. "Three PM sharp. Do not miss it. If you come back earlier from your volunteer work, we can even have lunch."

"Where is she volunteering?" The Lieutenant suddenly inquired, Rukia didn't even know why he was asking.

"I set you up with Renji at the Inn for the day." She had to refrain herself from jumping in the air. She was free!

Relieved, she relayed her gratitude, bowed and went on her way out.

###

It was around lunch. The toddler had not returned since the events of this morning.

Through the wide open doors where the sun blared its golden light into the room, the last person he expected to see was Byakuya's grandfather. Even more unexpected was the presence of Roger who followed behind him and curved into the room.

Something must've happened.

Byakuya's father acknowledged him with a glance. "Hello, father."

He hit papers against the desk to line them up, oblivious to the ominous glare his father was giving him as he did.

He looked up and held his gaze.

"What is it?"

Byakuya's grandfather merely stared back at him. Of course, Ichigo couldn't tell what he was thinking since he gave him the same cold look he gave everybody but his silence towards his son was unusual.

He didn't usually take this long to reply.

Byakuya's father waited for him to speak. He shook his head slightly, confused as to why he was building all this ambiguity and anticipation.

"You may use Roger to flash-step for the time being."

It took a moment for his implication to hit. His eyes slowly moved to Roger behind him.

He was…letting him go?

"I admire your creativity." He idly replied, returning his attention to his work, as if the gesture had been enough.

"It was not my idea."

He raised his head. Byakuya's grandfather merely spared him a glance and walked out.

Roger slid forward. "I would be honored to assist you with transport."

Though slight, he thanked him with a smile. "I appreciate your generosity and for approaching father about my circumstances though—"

"Oh it was not my idea." Roger amusedly cut in. "Although I am a firm supporter of it and would be happy to do so."

Now, intrigued, he named the most obvious answer. "Rukia."

Roger shook his head. "Incorrect."

"Godfather."

He shook it again. "Wrong again."

"Gina." Though even that answer seemed far-fetched.

Byakuya's father, bemused, waited for the answer.

The ground beneath them became concrete. They were outside, facing the side of a single floor building of red brick. The rays of sun were sharp but could, more importantly, be felt.

"What the hell?" Ichigo muttered as he stared up into the sky, shielding his face from the light.

They could feel the air, the temperature, the concrete beneath their shoes.

"What happened back then, just happened again." Uryū acknowledged.

Orihime touched the brick wall. "I can feel it!"

"You think we finally got out in real time?" Shuhei asked, "ACK—Fuck!" He fell to the floor, hit by a passerby who couldn't see him.

"So…we can feel them but they can't feel or see us?" Rangiku clarified.

"Just like before." Tōshirō confirmed. "Which means this time we must be prepared for anything."

"You think our zanpakutōs work?" Ikkaku asked.

At the mention, Ichigo immediately whipped Zangetsu out to test.

Rangiku took out her own and observed it. "At least if we could get our shikai to work that would be a huge help."

"I do not think they will arbitrarily spring at us here though, we must be vigilant considering our circumstances." Captain Ukitake advised.

"We still don't know if this is Yama-jii or not, testing us." Captain Kyōraku reminded them which certainly brought up a good point.

"Eh, I don't mind the interactive experience." Shinji shrugged off.

"We are a bit rusty." Izuru agreed.

"Yeah but our zanpakutōs aren't even working." Ichigo pointed out.

"It's hardly fair." Yumichika added.

"That might just be the point." Captain Kyōraku said with a smile.

"Alright, so where are the dipshits we're supposed to deal with?" Ikkaku asked, observing the area.

There was a little pond behind them located below ground level that was fenced, picnic benches were plotted a few metres apart around the space and people passed by in lightwear.

"I think we're being led to them." Uryū said.

"By who?" Shuhei asked.

"Have you learnt nothing?" Mayuri snapped in his direction.

Ichigo, facing them, looked on both sides. "There's nobody here."

"Not if former Lieutenant Kuchiki and Major Li have something to say about it." Captain Kyōraku said with a smirk.

Ichigo whipped around.

Side by side, Major Li and Byakuya's father, with Roger sitting around his shoulders, walked alongside the brick wall in front of them.

"It is a miracle." Byakuya's father stated.

"It's not happening again." Major Li warned him, sharply looking in his direction.

"Ah—" Roger mischievously looped his tail around Major Li's shoulder, "I suppose there's a story here."

"Shira does not like father and father does not like Shira." Byakuya's father explained.

"Oh," he removed his tail, "I've heard this story. Well, at least they were able to put aside their differences to make this work."

"That is the astonishing part."

"Though, I will say it's hard to deny such a viable solution to your problem." Roger replied.

"While that is true, permitting me to attend such an event is unusual of him."

"Hm," Roger mused. "I suppose you're right. We are running a dangerous operation here. I just hope this event of theirs keeps them occupied for long."

"What's so dangerous about it?" Major Li asked him, which seemed to catch him off guard.

"Well, perhaps I…" he lowered his head, "—don't know too much of what this entails—"

"That's not what I meant." She cut in.

She turned for him to see her face.

He lifted himself up. "Oh, I see—you mean based on what I observed?"

She gently nodded her head and looked ahead. "I've never actually raided a draft lottery before. I doubt their level of security is somehow 'better' than usual."

"I suppose I was just referring to the chaos that would ensue if we were to get caught. That on top of those things does sound like a lot and—" Roger glanced at the wall, "—wait, we are here."

They stopped.

"I went through here."

"The wall?" Shuhei asked.

"We are at a community centre." Byakuya's father acknowledged the moment he looked at it.

"Yes, it seems to be a common thing of theirs." Roger replied. "I followed plenty of them through walls belonging to centres such as these. It is guardless until we get down to the midpoint." He explained. "We'll be on the fourth story when we get in, it's the best and easiest access point in my humble opinion."

"The force field." Byakuya's father began, "where does it begin?"

"There is an opening in the section we will enter to our right. That is the space where the room we're looking for is in."

"Do you have a sketch?" Major Li asked him.

"Ah, yes I do." Roger answered as he whipped it out from…somewhere. "It is not the entire area but the start of it."

"Where the hell does he keep it?" Ichigo asked.

"Beats me." Shinji remarked.

"There should be two exits here." She glanced at the sketch. "If the door's here, the right exit should be over here."

Roger studied it. "Hm, I see though, how will we determine the pathway if it is obscured in such a short time?"

"It won't be." Major Li answered. "That's their idea of a 'trick'." She mocked using air quotation marks.

"They're all the same." She brushed off. "The exits just take you to different places—one being out of the territory and the other being further down the force field."

His face crimped, "but how will we know the difference?"

She glanced at Byakuya's father. "Guess you're just a foot stool then."

He glanced back at her, displeased.

Seeing this was the second time she had subtly gotten under his skin, something nobody ever did with Byakuya's father, Ichigo was starting to get the feeling that this was what their dynamic was truly like.

It was at that moment, Roger pieced together what she was getting at.

"W-Wait what?" Roger exclaimed. "Oh my," he remarked wide-eyed, looking in all directions as though he was cornered. "I-I did not mean it like that! I-I would never undermine the power of your assistance—" he quickly assured Byakuya's father. " I just—a-am worried is all!"

"Unlike you two, I don't have adequate experience with these fiends to know how they work." He added. "Given that I have been bestowed—" he watched Byakuya's father from head to toe, "—such an enormous responsibility, I feel as though I should at least know the basics in case you're somehow unable to guide me."

"While that is true," Byakuya's father began, "there is no threat that exists that cannot be handled here."

"We're giving them too much credit by giving it that much thought." Major Li said.

"Yes but—"

"You'll be fine," she assured him. "Security team or not, these people are nothing worth wasting your breath over. It'll be over before you know it."

Ichigo hoped that was true and their comments were not foreshadowing a disaster they would regret not preparing Roger for after.

The scene transitioned to them moving past tight rocky corridors to enter the balcony as planned. Major Li eliminated the guards quietly and smoothly, allowing them to move onto the fourth veranda as planned.

There were sections that were blocked by red rocks in odd shapes though their distance from each other varied. Byakuya's father was braced against the left block in front of them while Major Li went to the one beside it.

They scanned the grounds.

There was a small space between the first and second, shaped like the body of a seashell, that they looked through at opposite angles.

Ichigo attempted to move past the rock blocks to get a clearer view of what was going on beneath them but Captain Ukitake stopped him.

"We should be careful now that we are here." He advised him.

"Looks like there's a bunch of them in a circle." Shuhei, on his tippy-toes, reported.

When Byakuya's father scanned the area, his eyes fell on something that seemed to intrigue him so much he didn't move. Though slight, his brows did raise for a moment.

"Ichibei." Byakuya's father identified in a low tone.

He glanced at Major Li across from him who met his gaze at the same time before returning to the spot.

"Oh shit, what'd I tell you?" Shuhei asked in his direction. "The kid's father is alive."

"He's the head of the closest group to the Head of the organization." Roger said quietly. "It makes sense as to why neither the soul reaper or assassin organization have him on file."

"The kid's definitely in on it." Ikkaku said.

"I'm not buying it." Ichigo defended. "If his dad's alive, he doesn't know—trust me." He moved over to the left to capture the angle Byakuya's father was looking at without going close to him.

It took a glance or two to see how the man speaking in the circle was Kujou's father. He looked different. His hair, black, was cut short and nicely combed over with a low fade. He had a tan, some stubble atop his upper lip and a sleeveless white haori like a Captain.

Around him, rings of A.A.A members clad in their uniform of black watched him speak. From his height, he couldn't hear a word about what he was saying but it was clear as day that he was the subgroup Head.

He still believed in Kujou, regardless.

Major Li looked away. Byakuya's father glanced at her as she shoved her sai blade back into her pocket and pulled out a new one that she unsheathed.

"Did you know?" He asked her as she cleaned the blade with the cloth of her cardigan, rubbing it slightly against her stomach.

It didn't sound accusing but Ichigo felt like it was.

Her eyes shot to him in offense. "No."

Following her reply, he returned his attention to the group beneath them.

"There are quite a lot of people down there." Roger observed. "I wonder what they plan on doing."

"There's flowers." Orihime acknowledged in a whisper.

"The more to kill, the better." Major Li muttered as she honed the blade from before.

"Do not kill Ichibei." Byakuya's father warned her.

Her eyes narrowed. "What?"

"Not until I have retrieved the files." He clarified.

"Duh." She remarked.

"Wait, you're—" Roger looked at both of them,"—going to kill him?"

When they merely looked at him, he grew more distraught.

"Well, I-I mean, shouldn't we at least preserve him for questioning?" He asked them.

"Ichibei is dead." Byakuya's father simply stated.

"But h-he's not a soul shadow." Roger reasoned. "Although," he paused, "I suppose we do not know that for certain." He said more to himself.

"We have his father, that is enough, he is still Head of the organization." Byakuya's father replied.

"What about his son? Kujou?" Roger asked them.

Neither of them knew what to say to that.

"I—" feeling almost sorry, "I suppose this is your ship, so you steer the wheel but I just feel for that boy seeing how he misses his father."

"He's dead to him." Major Li quietly answered.

"Well, yes but—"

"If he has had no contact with him since his apparent 'death' then it is clear that he has no interest in his son." Byakuya's father added.

"Hm," Roger lowered his head, clearly still discontent with their decision, "I suppose..."

"We should move." Major Li took the blade she had been honing and handed it to Byakuya's father who merely glanced at it and then her.

After a moment of contemplation, he took it.

"So," Roger began, the remorse which had dampened his spirit just moments ago was replaced with the spirit of any young prospect eager to learn his first trick, "where do we begin?"

His head moved left and right, awaiting a response as though the anticipation would kill him.

Major Li, taken off guard by his enthusiasm, loosened her expression.

Byakuya's father caught onto it too and looked at him.

Kon crossed his arms. "HA! Nee-san doesn't even take him out to battle with her 'cause he doesn't know how to do anything!"

"What?" Roger asked them, confused by their silence.

Major Li reached out behind her back and pulled out a sai blade. "Here."

He practically gawked at it with his tiny marble eyes. "How will I use this?" He asked while accepting it with his tail.

"It is custom for an assassin to keep their first sai blade." Byakuya's father informed him.

"Is it auspicious?" He inquired, studying it.

"It is meant to be an assassin's most prized possession." Byakuya's father replied.

"Oh, I see." He took the blade and put it somewhere. "Now from here?"

She glanced over at the group down below. "I'll clear the exits, take care of whatever's down there while you move through it."

"That…" he turned to Byakuya's father who had resumed observing the others at ground floor, "is quite simple."

Major Li shrugged, "it's not supposed to be complicated, we're here for some papers, maybe a book."

"I suppose you're right," Roger said, more to himself. "I just worry about the unforeseen circumstances."

"Such as…?"

"Well…" he poked his head in Byakuya's father's direction.

Major Li sharply exhaled. "He's doing nothing."

"Yes, I know but—"

"There are more." Byakuya's father alerted them.

They followed his gaze down to the group. Rows of A.A.A members hoisting torches came in from separate openings.

Kujou's dad's voice grew louder, supported by a lavalier microphone hooked at the collar of his soul reaper uniform. The crowd beneath were filled with emotion, responding in shouts and cheers at each pause Kujou's dad took. Their delight with each word he said struck the memory of his father and the guests who couldn't help but respond to him in awe.

Their cadence and aura were practically identical.

"You know, this morning I opened the paper and saw Daisuke of Central 46 talk about how much he wanted to advance some of the technology," he mocked, "in the Seireitei, likening our progress as 'snail-like' in comparison to our 'competitors' and I thought," he paused, "what kind of—" he shook his head with a confused smile, "what kind of man worthy of being a part of our governing body would have the audacity to raise such a trivial concern?"

The audience clapped. "It's ridiculous, really, certainly we're not suffering any losses by sticking with the tools of our predecessors, are we?"

"And—" he whipped around, "technology," he repeated in bewilderment, "what's the use? We'd be damned if the next generation of children only knew how to click buttons and receive service without a thought of their own, our alleged competitors continue to demean themselves by those 'luxuries'. They are bound to become more stupid as the years pass."

The crowd roared in agreement.

"I sat there, astounded to think that this was amongst the concerns of our governing body, this is what we have being reported in our newspapers, that we were behind. It was comical, actually. I was thinking that Congressman Daisuke needed a hit on the head but then," he looked up and smiled, "I figured a man like that wouldn't say such beliefs if he didn't truly mean it. Perhaps his enlightenment will come another way or maybe it won't at all. What matters is that we denounce this notion of 'snail-like' progression we've been given. We are not slow—"

"No!" The crowd shouted.

"—we are not behind—"

"No, sir!"

"—we are leading future generations to think with their minds!"

They cheered in agreement.

"Who would have thought that would somehow be deemed inferior to artificial creations? We have people like Daisuke who believe in such and others like Chancellor Qubin who add an extra mile to the thought by suggesting that our people will be wiped from existence if we cannot amount to the others. What a thought to have when he basks in the protection our very own provide for him on a daily basis."

He shook his head. "It's like these people lack sense, understanding, sight, most of all. Even—" he took a moment to laugh, shaking his head as if the mere thought was hilarious, "Gillian, the old seller of fabrics in Dupont thinks our security needs some advancement but till this day his mansion of fabrics has never taken a single hit despite how many battles have crossed its way."

"It's—" he began to walk in a circle, following the arch made up by his audience lined up, "—hilarious as it is frightening to see that there are people who think like this, who support this, all while reaping the perks of our officers, our courage and strength. It reminds me how much work there is to be done but also, how important it is to guide our children so that they can avoid these mistakes."

"Well at least he remembers he's got a kid." Shuhei remarked.

"Who definitely knows what's going on." Ikkaku added.

"—Children are extraordinary beings, we must be willing to navigate their developing, defiant and abrasive minds."

"Or rejects his dad's beliefs and wants nothing to do with him because of it." Ichigo corrected.

"I thought you said the kid doesn't know anything about this." Shinji reminded him.

"Yeah, I know but since we're all talking about him as if he knows it, I'm just saying it ahead—if he does know, he wants nothing to do with it."

"Can't have it both ways, Ichigo. You gotta make a choice." Shuhei said.

"Who said?"

"No one has to say anything, it's either you do or you don't." Yumichika hissed.

"Brag rights, you can only pick one." Ikkaku explained.

"It would be unfair for you to claim both scenarios even if your idea is different from the majority." Uryū said beside him.

Ichigo clenched his fist. "Why the hell does it even matter?! This isn't a game."

"Though it would be quite interesting if it was." Toshiro, surprisingly, said.

"Wha—" he looked down at him, "Toshir–"

"Maybe whoever gets the most right can win something once we're back." Rangiku excitedly suggested.

"Ooh, that sounds fun!" Momo remarked.

"I volunteer to keep score." Uryū announced.

"Sure, let the quincy do it, I'm sure our tallies will be right." Mayuri sarcastically remarked with an eye roll.

"Are you saying I would cheat?" Uryū asked, appalled by the allegation.

"We should have prizes for the top three." Isane suggested in the background. "That way it's fair to the closest contenders."

"Hm, I wonder if I can make the top three." Momo pondered.

"You thought Lieutenant Kuchiki was the pure light when it was actually Kujou." Shuhei reminded her.

"So?"

"It's not like you've had any right guesses either." Rangiku said, coming to Momo's defense.

"And we didn't know who Kujou was when I said it." Momo argued.

Shinji clenched his teeth. "Well maybe if you said somethin' about it also potentially being someone we hadn't met yet…."

"Captain!"

"—It's always fun to begin these ceremonies on an auspicious note." Kujou's father continued. There was a ball of orange and white in his hand. "Reminding each other why we do this, I find, is the best way to ensure that there are no poltroons," he shot the crowd a wary look, "amongst us when we draw."

"Now," he glanced at the balcony again, "in the interest of time—" he raised his arms and turned to each side of the circle. "Shall we get the ball rolling or what?!" He asked passionately.

The audience responded with chants, shouting, "let's do it! Let's do it!" In perfect unison.

Guards cleared the way for a large pot, shaped like a witch's cauldron, to be brought into the middle. Behind the guards carrying the pot was a clear blower, the device used for bingo balls which it also happened to be full of.

His eyes wandered and he spotted Kujou's father whispering something to a guard in the meanwhile.

Having remembered Major Li planned on taking out the guards around the balconies prior, he wondered if that had been something Kujou's father noticed.

When the guard he spoke to remained present amongst the group circle, Ichigo figured it was unrelated seeing that they didn't leave or communicated anything to anyone else, though Uryu pointed out that the guard could've used a device to contact others to avoid causing alarm which did make sense seeing that this event seemed too important to be delayed by an intruder.

There were more guards lined up behind the audience in curved lines, forming a path to a small oval-shaped opening they hadn't noticed before. The guards all had the same engraving of royal blue on the left side of their uniform which flickered on and off every now and then like a glow-in-dark stick.

"Alright," Kujou's father said with pleasure, the grin on his face was bright and mischievous like his father's. "Who wants to go first?"

The crowd didn't waste a second to get rowdy again.

Kujou's father couldn't help but chuckle, "easy, easy, we have enough time to do plenty of draws."

"Hey! Over here! Me! Let me go, first!" A boy jumping up and down amongst the crowd insisted. They could barely hear him from where they were but seeing that they could make out a bit, he must've been yelling pretty loudly.

He aggressively pushed through the crowd to the front. Upon seeing him, Kujou's father immediately gestured for him to come.

The teenage boy rushed to his side, smiling proudly with his hands behind his back.

"Alright, alright," Kujou's father put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Here we have…"

"Tsumi. Tsumi Senzo." The boy proudly declared.

Kujou's father chuckled as he shook his shoulder, "we love a proud soldier. Don't we?" The crowd cheered.

"What type of luck does our proud soldier have today, I wonder." He remarked before activating the blower to toss out a ball.

It got eerily silent when it was time for him to read it out.

The crowd grew anxious and so did he.

"The number seems to be twenty-six." He glanced up at a guard diagonal to him and asked, "do we have a number twenty-six?"

The guard merely shook his head. The crowd simply went 'awh' as the boy left Kujou's father's side, defeated.

"It's okay, young fellow." Kujou's father consoled him as he did. "There will be plenty of chances for you in the near future."

As he left, Kujou's father returned his attention to the audience. "Who wants to go next? One unlucky fellow doesn't mean the rest are!" He chuckled.

A shadow soon casted itself over the ground beneath the pot. The audience at the back looked up, those closer to Kujou's father were slow to notice until it came.

A body slammed onto the blower, busting the ball open. The tiny balls, now free, shot out and injured as many people encircling the pot as there were balls. Painful screams followed. The frightened crowd rushed back as the guards hastily directed each other to secure the area.

Kujou's father shot up and stared at, presumably, the balcony above them.

A pair of feet daintily landed on the rim of the balcony beside Shuhei.

Kujou's father looked as though he had been caught in a trance. The crowd, on the other hand, were quick to vocalize their reaction once the initial shock wore off. Some were speechless while others insulted her and cowered in fear.

There was definitely some familiarity with Major Li beyond the scope of the usual reasons they would have to be against her. While she was involved in the assassin-based team against them and was a well-known and feared assassin, addressing her as a 'witch' certainly felt personal.

The spell on Kujou's father wore off shortly and the dazed look he had been stuck with was replaced with a cunning smile as if he had expected this all along.

"Shira."

"Ichibei." She acknowledged flatly. "Long time no see."

Kujou's father responded with a hearty laugh. "I suppose it's destiny we meet like this. How have you been? I assume well…"

Major Li arched her brow, giving no verbal response.

"I've always wondered when it'd be our time." He carried on. "I'm sorry you—" he looked back at the body bleeding on the ground, "—misunderstood the rules of the assignment. Perhaps you'll need to try again. After all," he briefly glanced at the crowd, "we do need a winner."

"How about—" he bent down and picked up a random ball. "Number forty-seven?" He looked back at the same guard. "Do we have a number forty-seven?"

When the guard didn't respond, Kujou's father chuckled right after as though he had made an excellent joke.

It was, however, quick to cease when Major Li spoke.

"Do we?" She asked the guard. Her lips were curved into a small smile.

The guard glanced at Kujou's father, awaiting further instructions.

"Well—" Kujou's father looked away, flabbergasted. "Don't look at me. Tell the woman if she's won or not!"

The guard provided no response.

"He's hesitating." Ichigo observed.

"Go on." Kujou's father egged on.

The guard's lips remained sealed.

"Say it." Kujou's father urged.

The crowd beneath grew anxious, staring at their leader as if he had gone mad.

"And do not lie." He warned. "Shira's a dear old friend, she deserves some honesty. If the others accompanying her would like to give it a go, they are more than welcome to though," almost bitterly he added, "I can't guarantee the same courtesy."

"Who said I came with company?"

"Oh?" Kujou's father remarked. "You're alone."

His smile returned.

"That's interesting, I wonder why he didn't send you with company. Certainly finding me is the event of the season."

"Jouchi isn't referring to Kuchiki here….this is someone else. Someone he knows would've been thrilled to find him." Tōshirō said.

"Believe it or not, I didn't actually come here with the intention of finding you." Major Li explained tediously. "I didn't even know you were dead."

"I see." Kujou's father's response was surprisingly cheerful. "So what will you do with this information now that you know?"

Major Li looked at him as if he was being dense. "What do you think?"

"In that case, I'm glad you found us. I don't see why we should delay this further, it should be very fun."

More A.A.A members suddenly flash-stepped into the crowd.

"I know we can't kill you, Shira." Kujou's father admitted with a half-hearted smile. "But," he took his zanpakutō off the A.A.A member, "if you've crossed our territory you will not leave unwounded. Those are just the rul—"

Kujou's father was cut off by an unexpected cough. Ichigo snapped to his left where Byakuya's father and Roger were metres away, Kujou's father simultaneously followed.

"Shit!" Ichigo cursed.

The balconies above them crumbled down.

They moved quickly. Kon clinged onto his shoulder, screaming as the collision occurred. Amid all the smoke and bits, he hadn't realized they entered another space until it cleared.

Whether there was a significant time jump or not, they couldn't tell. One thing for sure though was that it was the same battle.

It took a moment to adjust to the quick lines moving around the air. A.A.A members were still attacking someone, presumably Major Li, in front of them though they were all obscured due to their speed and powdery-like wind.

"Fan blades." Uryū pointed out.

It was the weapon Major Li was using again. Thousands, maybe millions danced around the area. Of course, it looked like they were doing nothing to the naked eye but bodies fell in numbers so quickly, tall piles had already been formed. (AN: I've always imagined this scene with A.M.D.K.J by Scandal here because of its pace and groove which fits the overall concept of a wielder of this weapon.)

Fixated on her calm, drum-like movements, the tap of her foot and the artistic performance of it all, Ichigo soon remembered the pair they had left behind.

Byakuya's father and Roger were nowhere in sight.

"Where'd they go?" Ichigo cranked his neck left and right, hoping to decipher their silhouette from the thin veil of powder like wind.ً

"Up there!" Orihime pointed up towards a flight of steps made of silver metal plates, the anti-slip types found in construction projects. It led up to a bridge of metal in the air that Byakuya's father and Roger were on.

When the powder cleared, the full scope of the structure became clearer. It gave access to the upper level with a room. Having remembered what Roger said earlier, he realized that they were in the force field zone which meant flash-step nor portal hopping nor air mobility was enabled, therefore access was only available through this bridge.

Byakuya's father was speed walking down the path. A.A.A members scrambled behind and in front to grab him but each, instantaneously, were shot off the platform with a fan blade strike. Somehow, even with her focus elsewhere, she was quickly nabbing anyone who came metres within Byakuya's father's radius without fail.

As he approached the center of the slim platform, someone jumped onto it—rattling the structure so much that two broad boards of the bridge fell in front of them.

Byakuya's father's hand shot to the railing to secure himself as Kujou's father mischievously grinned. He was hunched over, his legs apart, eyes filled with delight.

"Sojun." He didn't waste a second to greet him.

"Ichibei."

The acknowledgement certainly brightened his spirit. "Long time no see, my friend, isn't it funny we meet like thi—"

A chain from Major Li's fan blades shot towards him, he leaped into the air in less than a second—unphased by the speed.

Haughtily, he grinned and glanced down at Major Li far below and away from them, focused elsewhere.

When he smiled with his eyes, Ichigo remembered Kujou and felt his heart sink. "Looks like you missed."

Byakuya's father shifted his attention to the far right. Ichigo followed to see what he was looking at.

"Perhaps you'll need to try a—AGH!"

The fan blade had circled back and cut through Kujou's father's left arm immediately, breaking the railing and pushing him off the structure to the ground.

Byakuya's father stoically watched him fall before leaping past the empty space and furthering his speed walk down the bridge.

"SHIRA!" Kujou's father growled from down below.

Unphased, as per usual, Major Li glanced at him with the corner of her right eye but paid no mind to his angered stance.

Kujou's father directed his attention to the bridge, watching Byakuya's father's feet move against its floor.

"Get him!" He screamed at the guards. "Secure the area!"

Though no matter their speed, size or amount, Major Li was effortlessly kicking them off the platform quicker than they could comprehend.

He felt at ease with the fact that Byakuya's father had solid protection from her at the moment. His anxiety surrounding the potential of something bad happening had disappeared.

When Byakuya's father entered the room, he curved left towards the wall. It was a small room. Small in the sense that it was no bigger than a kitchen attached to a living room. There were a few paintings hung up, some vases with brown plants, nothing special.

Byakuya's father removed a painting which obscured a digital silver lock box embedded into the wall and began to decode the password.

Roger, on his shoulder, observed the A.A.A members attempting attacks. "Strange that fellow didn't follow us."

"He is not interested in us." Byakuya's father replied as he decoded the final lock.

The rock doors slowly separated. When they did, the whole area shook, signaling that the doors had been opened. Blades were thrown at them upon its parting but were quickly scattered elsewhere by Major Li's fan blades.

It was pitch black. Byakuya's father, nonetheless, walked in without hesitation. A.A.A members came from the ceiling and the floors but they were disarmed and injured in less than a second, failing to even attempt an attack.

It wasn't long until they could no longer use the light from the previous room to guide their way. Still, Byakuya's father continued walking as if he knew the way by heart.

It became eerily silent. Even the noise and shouts from the A.A.A defenders Major Li's fan blades were occupying and barring from entering the room were no longer here.

There was a sudden spark of static above them. Byakuya's father moved before the person could drop. The lights flickered on, the woman's face was wrapped up in her own hair. She giggled as she rolled herself down from the ceiling, using her hair as a rope. When her hair was free, she whipped it backwards to unveil her face.

"Trespasser." She acknowledged wickedly. A long tongue slipped out of her mouth as she charged towards him.

"Let's go!" Roger urged Byakuya's father though he continued walking at the same pace as usual. "She's coming!"

The woman raised her hand to slash him but was barred by a single fan blade that appeared behind him. Byakuya's father calmly turned around and the fan blade threw the woman aside with its force.

She dug her heel on the floor to stop her from being tossed further and went straight back towards them. Rather than walking away, Byakuya's father seemed to accept her challenge though Ichigo had no idea how.

He got his answers a few seconds later. While Byakuya's father moved side to side to evade her attacks, the fan blade was also moving the same way a sword would. It was almost like he was controlling it himself when his moves became more elaborate.

That's when Ichigo's eyes landed on Major Li. Though she was moving her usual chains, there was something about her that seemed different though he couldn't identify what. It was brief but when he caught it, the realization sunk through.

Byakuya's father wasn't controlling the fan blade, she was and she was perfectly matching his movements as if she could see him too.

"Sick." Ichigo remarked.

He looked side by side at the two slots. Major Li was also using the two chains to do some moves that mimicked the fan blade in front of Byakuya's father which actually did damage to the people in front of her as well.

"How the hell is she doin' that?" Ichigo asked.

"Well there's not much to it. She's a wind type so she understands wind patterns and movements very well." Captain Kyōraku explained.

"You mean she's just moving according to the breeze they make when they move?" Uryū asked to clarify.

"She tracks the wind movements mentally, directs the blade to move precisely and then uses the direction of the wind to locate where she should strike next." Sui-Feng answered.

"That's pretty cool." Shuhei praised, clearly now a huge fan of hers.

"How many people can she defend at a distance with that?" Kensei asked.

"That'd be a bit too dangerous of a secret to share." Captain Kyōraku smirked.

"We don't share our zanpakutō's weaknesses, do we?" Captain Unohana asked.

Byakuya's father moved effortlessly as the fan blade did all the work though they matched each other as if they had formed a synergistic union. In a quick movement, the fan blade split open and cut the side of her face before circling around her.

Considering the width of the fan, it likely might've catched her eye because she screamed and leaned back holding the area in pain.

Byakuya's father stopped and turned to another A.A.A member that had made its way to defend her. Again, the fan blade acted as his sword and followed his movements before it brought him down too. After his fall, Byakuya's father sped walk out of the room and into a now, lavish corridor of gray and gold.

"Why did you scream?" Byakuya's father asked him.

Roger blushed. "Forgive me…I am without experience."

"There is no threat which exists here. We are shielded."

Truer words couldn't have been said if she could not only defend them, no matter where they were with fan blades, but fight with them like they were in the same body.

As Byakuya's father moved forward, A.A.A members around Major Li began to assemble in stacks, standing on top of each other to form their most interesting circle yet.

###

"Where the hell have you two been?!" Raiden shouted at Rukia and Renji who were returning from the Inn after serving their hours.

Renji put his hands on his hips. "Doing our hours, what else, dumbass?"

"They let us out early so we got nothing to do." Rukia informed him. "What's up?"

"Wildy and I were gonna check out the new auditorium up in Kusara. You in?"

"That sounds fun though…I'll have to be back soon." Rukia told him.

"You said you had nothin' going on!"

"Now I don't but Sensei asked me to be back by three for training."

"You can still swing by!" Raiden argued.

"I gotta be out soon too." Renji announced.

"Oh—so now that she's busy, you don't have time to check it out too?"

"What are you up to, Renji?" Rukia asked him, now curious too.

He haughtily closed his eyes. "Can't tell, just be ready."

Raiden scoffed. "He's got nothing."

"I do, I'm just not tellin' you dumbass."

"Oh really…" Raiden beamed and bent forward. "Why not?"

"Yeah, what's the big deal?" Rukia asked him.

"You'll know when I'm ready."

"Ready for what?" Raiden egged on.

"Not telling."

"Come on, Abarai—"

"—no—"

"You can't seriously be trying to hide shit from us."

"—I'm buildin' anticipation here—"

"You've got nothing.."

"—I do so!"

"—then say it!"

"—I'm not—"

"—why not?"

"Sensei!"

"Now fucking what?" Raiden groaned.

Kujou's maternal grandfather, who had emerged up the hill, jogged towards them.

"Oh…" she bowed as he came up to them. "Hi."

"Sensei," he repeated, trying to catch his breath, "I'm—" he cleared his throat, "—glad I ran into you, have you seen Kotaru?"

"No, sorry. I've been volunteering all day."

"Oh, I see." He replied, disappointed. "Have any of you seen him?" That question was directed towards Raiden and Renji.

"Nope."

"Sorry."

"Is everything alright?"

"No, actually…" he admitted. "He's not the type to run off without saying anything. I don't know where he could be."

"Maybe he's with a friend?" Renji suggested.

Kujou's grandfather shook his head. "No…no…"

Raiden elbowed him immediately.

"What the hell did you do that for?!"

"The kid doesn't have any friends. What do you mean 'friend'?" Raiden asked in a low voice.

"Raiden!" She scolded in a whisper.

"What?" He whispered back.

Fortunately, Kujou's grandfather was too caught up in his thoughts to hear.

"If you want, we can help look for you." Rukia offered.

"Not me." Raiden announced haughtily. "I got plans." He raised his hand. "Got no time for that, sorry."

"You can still look out for him on your way." Rukia argued.

"Fine." He turned away. "See ya."

"I'm sure he's around here, somewhere." Rukia assured Kujou's grandfather. "Maybe he's planning a big surprise for you or something!"

Though neither of them believed that was the case, Kujou's grandfather still responded with an obligatory 'yes, yes'.

"When's the last time you saw him?" Renji asked him.

"This morning actually but Loretta—ah, my apologies, our governess—last saw him around noon. He was meant to attend a family function at three but he…"

She may not have known Kujou for a lifetime but if there was one thing she was sure of was that he'd never disappear without telling anyone something and if it was a family event he was supposed to attend, he would never miss it without reason.

She didn't want to think negatively about the situation but her mind immediately conjured up the idea that he must've passed out, due to his illness, somewhere and they just didn't know.

"That is strange." Rukia replied.

"I don't wish to think of bad thoughts but I…" he shook his head, "don't know what could possibly justify this. There is nothing he does not share with us."

Rukia hummed in response. "We'll scope the area and let you know if we find anything." She assured him.

Kujou's grandfather bowed. "I appreciate your help. I won't forget your kindness."

She waved it off. "Please do. Kujou's my friend, I'm worried about him too. I just hope he's alright…"

"Me too."

Just when she was about to bid farewell so Renji and her could get started, she remembered a face who certainly would be concerned if his beloved grandson and potential heir was missing. Though the mere mention of him made her sick to her stomach, she did have to ask.

"Does…the Jouchi family know?"

"Hmph?" He took a moment to process. "Oh yes, of course. They've been searching for him all afternoon, I just spoke to Kenjo an hour ago."

Somehow that made her feel worse. It was the guilt nipping at her chest, reminding her that the man in front of her was getting horribly played by Chief Jouchi and that family as a whole.

"Oh…I guess everyone is pretty worried huh?"

Kujou's grandfather cracked a weak smile, "Kenjo's been losing his mind all afternoon. The only thing keeping him sane is me and Kotaru's eldest cousin, Kin."

Though the case was supposed to be at the back of her mind now, it still found its way of slithering in when she least wanted it too. She wondered what Kujou's potential absence, even though she hoped and wanted him to be safe and return, would mean for Chief Jouchi. Despite the authenticity of his love for his grandson, she could not see past the fact that the extent of his love also meant that there was likely some role he had in mind for Kujou to play in his organization.

"I see." She merely replied. "Well," she turned to Renji, "we're going to scope the area."

"Oh yes, go on." He urged.

"We'll let you know if anything turns up." She assured him. "I'm sure he's fine."

###

After half of an hour of aimlessly searching for Kujou, Rukia found herself back at the Okasake manor, feeling that it was important to share the news.

As she walked in, she glanced over at the Lieutenant's desk, assuming he was there though he wasn't. Sensei Okasake, however, was at his.

"Kujou's missing."

Sensei Okasake raised his head. "What?"

"Kujou's missing." She repeated again. "His grandfather's been looking for him all afternoon. I'm worried. It's not like him, at all, to disappear."

"And his grandfather?"

Rukia paused, trying to understand what he was asking. "Oh—no, Chief Jouchi? He's still here. He's been in contact with Kujou's grandfather since he disappeared."

"How?"

"He….didn't really tell me how but it sounds like via phone."

"But not in person?"

Rukia shrugged. "I don't know." She looked towards the veranda. "I should check…."

"Keep an eye on him." Sensei Okasake instructed.

"You think he took him?"

"His secret is out and surely he knows that you've been asking his grandson some questions."

True…

"I'll stay close to him."

She hoped he was with Chief Jouchi. Even though there was a possibility that he might be associated with his family's history, she needed him to be okay first.

While looking back, her eyes fell on the Lieutenant's desk. He was usually here until seven. Suddenly, a thought came to mind.

"You don't think…" her eyes wandered back to Sensei, "…he went…?"

"Rukia." He immediately chided. "Now I know we poke fun at him but I think this time he has done a thorough reflection on the risks associated with being exciting. We shouldn't doubt him."

When she casted a doubtful look at Sensei, he looked back at her with an admonishing one.

"I'm off." She announced.

After a few seconds of silent staring, he resumed his work.

"Remember to report any abnormalities to Sojuro."

Rukia gave a nod and walked off with a smile.

He was definitelywith Major Li.

###

Major Li slowed the movement of her chains, jerking them upwards and letting them fall.

A.A.A members, illuminated in ice blue reiatsu, stood on top of each other, creating a tall cylindrical structure around her while others passed through and attempted attacks. It seemed that only a particular type of A.A.A member could partake in it.

The A.A.A members comprising the grandiose cylindrical cage suddenly opened their mouths and said, "bankai."

Ichigo was immediately dumbfounded. The word alone stilled him.

"Bankai?!" Kon repeated in distraught.

"It…can't be." Captain Ukitake remarked as a ball of blue light shot up from the bottom of the cylinder to the top.

Major Li's next movements were familiar. She had done this too back in the dungeon, he remembered it distinctly. She pulled the two chains to one side and moved them like drumsticks and then to her other side. Again, she repeated the same thing.

"First, joint zanpakutōs, now group zanpakutōs….?" Shuhei sighed.

Major Li tapped her foot quicker. She was about to reach a climax.

"Honestly the joint one kinda makes sense when you think about it but a group one?" Izuru asked.

"Defies logic." Uryū answered.

The blast blinded them. The chaos grew quicker, if that was even possible. Fan-blades were still flying but they could hardly see or keep up with what the group bankai had resulted in.

Out here, the scale and intensity of the fan-blades around them had multiplied. At every angle and at every corner fan blades danced and flew in the air accompanied by wails and shouts.

There were a series of fan-blades, connected to chains they could see, that seemed to be thrown with more force than others. That's because they were being given extra pressure from Major Li who emphasized her hand movements, jerking the chains and then slowing her movements to repeat. Her foot was tapping faster.

This was it.

Suddenly, from the ice blue reiatsu encircling her, a silhouette emerged. The body behind it unveiled itself in seconds. Kujou's father appeared in front of her, raising his sword in the air to slash her, the cloth around his left arm bled red.

Without a care, she flicked a chain in his direction and sent him flying. The other chains in the air simultaneously fell for a brief second and then emerged again, even more powerful and hungry than before. The build-up had been absolutely pointless and embarrassing on his part. With his disappearance, came the answer to their questions about the group 'bankai'.

The members who had comprised the circular tower were able to fly now in the air despite flash-step, air movements and portal transport being disabled in this region. Their eyes were glowing yellow, their pupils, on the other hand, were completely black.

Instantly, he was reminded of his hollow self. They moved differently, attacked differently, sensed differently. They had claws, they growled, moved using their hands and feet like bears.

Though Major Li was handling it all with complete ease, Ichigo felt that whatever that 'bankai' had done awakened an entirely different creature within these people.

They easily emerged through the cuts and strikes they got. Amid the quickened pace of the clash came Kujou's father making his attempts to get to Major Li with a good ol'smile.

"Come on." He taunted her. "How about a real battle?"

He was not only able to move in the air but he was also outlined with blue reiatsu like the others. His zanpakutō was also no longer shaped like a katana but rather in a large curved hook.

"Is it his?" Uryū asked.

"What do you gain from this petty demonstration?" He continued. "There is nothing here."

He grunted as he tried to slash her. When he missed again, it seemed to embolden him.

"Draw your foot." He instructed. "How unsatisfying is it that you're here in front of me but I can't do so much as touch you?"

"They follow the way he moves…" Rangiku observed.

"This is not—" he raised his sword, "—the type of battle we need. It—" he tried again, "should be personal, don't you think?"

"I…" it looked as though he was trying to suppress a laugh, "would think there is a lot of rage between us that must be released. No?"

"Let's release it." He insisted. "I know it must sting."

He swung his zanpakutō forward, "claim the beast!"

The yellow-eyed A.A.A members swarmed around Major Li like a family of bees.

"It's his." Kensei confirmed.

"It forms an illusion of people to execute the call of 'bankai'." Mayuri explained. "Merely technical, nothing to do with a shared bankai."

"Yeah but how bad does your devotion to these people have to be for your soul to create an illusion of A.A.A warriors or whatever?" Shuhei asked.

"Guess that just attests to the Jouchi family's devotion to their work." Captain Kyōraku replied.

Ichigo glanced up at the balcony. Byakuya's father and Roger were out the door and moving towards the exit they had planned to exit through earlier.

"They're out!" Kon announced.

The urge to hit Byakuya's father had significantly enhanced. Knives of all shapes and bodies of all sizes were thrown at him out of desperation at this point but Major Li's assistance protected him as he went. They were approaching an opening that Ichigo assumed was the exit. Byakuya's father suddenly stopped which nearly jolted Roger's body off of him.

His eyes were focused on a particular thing amongst the bodies on ground level. Ichigo followed his eyes from the bridge down to where they were. A slot opened to magnify what he was looking at.

Ichigo's heart leaped.

Byakuya's father was staring at a boy and that boy was staring at Major Li behind a large rock.

"Kujou!" Orihime pointed out.

"Who are those children?" Isane asked, alluding to the group hiding behind the rock with Kujou. They were scared. The exhaustion and tears on their faces paired with their different attire delivered the message clearly.

They were not supposed to be here.

They were not a part of the A.A.A.

"Kujou." Roger acknowledged. "Wha…What's he doing here?"

Byakuya's father suddenly looked away, scanning the grounds to find an escape route for them. While his eyes wandered, Kujou, crouched down, looked like he was preparing himself to charge into the chaos.

When Byakuya's father's eyes set on him again, the mere position he took told him the exact same thing. Byakuya's father moved closer to the railing.

"He's going in?" Roger asked, mortified.

Byakuya's father raised his arm as a weak attempt of potentially catching Kujou's attention though, it of course failed.

Kujou sprinted into the chaos. They lost sight of him immediately.

Byakuya's father glanced at Major Li when he did. Ichigo understood his reasoning shortly, the fan blades. As of now, she was hitting anything and everything that wasn't Byakuya's father and Roger. Kujou could easily get injured or worse in mere seconds. Major Li was too sharp to miss anything.

Ichigo didn't understand Kujou's intent either. He ran towards Major Li's direction but what was he trying to do? Unless…he looked to Kujou's father still occupied with taunting Major Li.

This did not look good.

From above, Roger curved down into the mess, either attempting to reach Kujou or notify Major Li. Byakuya's father peered over the railing, trying to locate him as he did.

The fan blades were moving the fastest they ever had. Kujou had walked right into a lethal trap. Paired with the blackness associated with the swiftly moving bodies, Ichigo feared the worst seeing how the attacks escalated.

"What are you waiting for?" Kujou's father asked.

"Certainly this is not more fun than a one-on-one."

"Come on." He urged. "Come on."

With each word Kujou's father said, the fan blades reached another impossible level of quickness. The wind from the attacks were terrifyingly strong—equivalent to the windpower of a tornado. Using their strength, they fought against the wind pushing them back, soon blinding them with dust.

"I can't see!" Orihime shouted.

"Me neither!" Rangiku said.

"I-It's…pushing me." Momo warned.

"Major Li!" They heard a voice shout. It belonged to Kujou and it was deliberately amplified. A slot had once again opened, magnifying him in the crowd as he pushed through people shouting Major Li's name.

"Major Li!" Kujou shouted, forcing past the bodies that were being sliced up in front of him.

"Major Li! It's me, Kujou Kotaru of the 7th Division!" He persisted though he was nowhere near her yet. Ichigo didn't understand why he assumed she could hear him from that distance over all the noise.

"Major Li!" Kujou shouted.

Though Ichigo couldn't see him, he could feel it. He was getting closer.

Kujou winced. He was fighting desperately to reach her. "Major L—"

"Fuh-ck!" Ichigo barely managed to spit out.

He could make out the sound of his name being called but he didn't know from who or from where. It was hardly audible. He picked up bits of coughing, swearing and screaming but nothing in entirety.

The pressure suddenly ceased. Ichigo didn't waste a second to look up, eager to see what had happened. Though blurry at first, his vision picked up Major Li flinging something with her left hand as the millions of fan blades fell and quickly sucked themselves back into the bands around her wrists.

He followed the direction she had flinged her hand in and identified something round against the wall though his eyes pained to watch with all the dust. He squeezed them shut, rubbing his eyes profusely to clear it out.

"Holy shit." Ikkaku remarked.

"—What happened? I can't see." Ichigo replied.

"Kujou is alright." Captain Ukitake announced slowly, his voice deep with sorrow.

"They're all gone…." Rangiku noted.

"—Everyone?" Ichigo asked though he got no response.

Tōshirō suddenly grazed the floor with his sandal, taking note of its roughness and the fine gray dust scattered over it.

"They're here."

"—What? They're back?" Ichigo asked, cluelessly.

He heard footsteps beside him. "No way…" Shuhei said.

Shinji, with his hands in his pockets, just stared—mildly discomfited. "She minced them to dust."

"Can somebody fucking answer me?" Ichigo fluttered his eyes open, taking a moment to adjust. "I can't fucking see and nobody's tellin' me anything."

"Can't you wait to see it yourself?" Shinji replied.

"Finally," Ichigo mumbled as things became clear.

Kujou stood in the middle of the area. His back was turned but not by choice. Roger had some of his body around him, holding him in place as if he was trying to keep him away from something. The dead and injured bodies that had once covered every inch of the area were gone. The space had become cleared and interestingly smaller as Kensei observed the moment he thought it.

"The size changed."

"…you're right, it got smaller." Shuhei realized just then.

The area they had been standing in no longer existed. Everything had become clumped closer, even the stairs and bridge that Byakuya's father was now coming down from was much closer to them now.

Momo gasped. "Look!"

A severed head had been pinned to the wall with, presumably a sai blade. The remnants of his body's organs were partly splashed onto the edge of the rocky wall with the parts intact, being his shoulders down to the legs, laid beneath the dripping neck.

Ichigo couldn't even blink. His eyes were fixated on the dull looking eyes of the head pinned up against the wall.

He died with them open.

Ichigo slowly moved from the head of Kujou's father to Kujou standing in the middle, looking up at Roger.

No…

Byakuya's father came down and walked towards them, being where he and the Gotei 13 stood now.

Roger gently tugged Kujou to come along before slithering after him. Byakuya's father was moving closer to where they stood which was significantly closer to the severed body.

Though Kujou didn't hesitate to follow them, it was obvious he didn't want to look too much to his right given how he stopped himself before he could look further.

"Yeah…." Shinji clenched his teeth, "…he saw the whole thing."

Kujou kept his hands together as he approached Byakuya's father who had his back facing him. Byakuya's father glanced at the pinned head and then Major Li before turning around.

Neither of them said anything to each other.

Kujou seemed nervous. He stared up at Byakuya's father as if he was waiting to be scolded.

Major Li approached them shortly and did just that.

"Wha—" she raised her arms and let them fall, "—Why'd you run in?" She asked him in a concerned but reproaching manner.

"I—" he raised his head higher, "was just trying to reach you." He explained with pleading eyes.

"For what? You could've gotten hurt."

"I—" he jumped to defend himself but lowered his head, "…wasn't thinking…"

Major Li sighed. "Are you alright?"

He nodded his head.

"Not a scratch?"

He shook his head. "No."

"For what purpose did you run in?" Byakuya's father asked him.

Kujou took a moment to respond. "I wanted to tell her I was here."

Having mustered up the courage, he suddenly added, "I knew you wouldn't hurt me, I believed so!"

"That is quite a thing to believe in considering that—" Roger paused. "Well, I don't reckon that both of you are that—" he curved his head to see Major Li, "—well acquainted for her to automatically recognize you and protect you from harm. You are fortunate you did not get hurt."

Kujou lowered his head. "I'll…be careful next time." He assured them slowly.

Major Li sighed. "At least you're not hurt."

"—though next time," Major Li emphasized with her hands, "—and I mean, in any situation, don't run into things unless you're a hundred percent sure you're not going to get hurt."

Kujou nodded his head.

If there was one way Ichigo had expected this conversation to unfold, it was definitely not like this. Major Li being upset with him running into her blades was not random but it was unexpected. There was, of course, a more pressing matter at hand dripping a few metres behind them.

Amid the silence, Kujou finally brought it up.

"May…I see him?" He asked quietly.

He stared up at Major Li as if he was asking permission to do something he wasn't allowed to do.

She glanced over her shoulder and looked back. "Yes, but—"

Kujou attempted to peek behind her but Major Li and, surprisingly, Byakuya's father raised their hand to stop him along with a quick 'ah' which had him freeze in place.

Somehow his doe eyes grew wider.

"Sorry." He apologized with a weak smile.

Major Li parted her lips and shook her head, astounded by his eagerness to see his father like that.

"Wait." She told, or rather warned, him having Byakuya's father take her place in obscuring Kujou's father with his body as she went to 'fix' it.

Given the silence, the sounds the body made while she moved it were amplified, prompting Roger to look at Kujou who just awkwardly smiled up at them as if he couldn't hear a thing.

"Don't you think he looks too…happy? Considering his father just died right in front of him?" Rangiku asked.

Captain Kyōraku shrugged. "Some people grieve differently."

"Sure but he doesn't really look….affected." Shuhei reasoned. "Most people I know, no matter how unbothered they act, have something to say or at least act a bit different when someone dies."

"Why are you here?" Byakuya's father queried.

"Hmph?" His head shot up. "Oh…" his eyes wandered. "I…don't know." He answered. "I was taken."

"Looks like the same ol'kid to me." Ikkaku said.

"By who?"

"I'm…" he shook his head. "Not sure."

"There were other children with you. What about them?"

"They—" he immediately looked at the rock where they had been hiding.

"There were two members who took them before things ended." Byakuya's father assured them. "What did they say?"

"They were all taken too." Kujou informed him. "Most of them were recent ones, like me."

"And for what purpose were they selected?"

Kujou shrugged. "We weren't told much. They just said they didn't intend to hurt us, they just wanted to help us."

"How?"

"By…teaching us stuff…that would liberate us."

"Sounds like they were kidnapped for the purpose of integrating young soldiers into the organization." Roger said to Byakuya's father in a low tone.

"But if that's the case, why would he allow them to kidnap his own son?" Rangiku asked.

"That is all?" Byakuya's father asked Kujou.

He nodded his head.

"And if so, what is the benefit of kidnapping children who were not born into the organization?" Uryū wondered. "Certainly with the amount of members they have, young defenders are not scarce."

"Were you in contact with your father while you were here?"

"They have something special." Tōshirō answered.

Kujou shook his head. "No…"

"And Kujou?" Rangiku asked him.

"Did you…know your father was here?"

"He is an anomaly." Tōshirō replied.

Again, Kujou shook his head. "N-Not until he started fighting Major Li."

"He's lying." Kensei corrected. "His father's the leader of this unit, his grandfather runs the entire organization, his family created the organization. You're telling me these people didn't know who this kid was when they took him? The Jouchi family are royalty here. They know the whole damn line."

"He's not selling his story." Ikkaku said.

"But he looks…" Isane paused, watching him with kind eyes. "...so disheveled."

Ikkaku brushed it aside. "'Cause he got caught."

"Or 'cause his father's fucking dead and he's fucking sad about it." Ichigo snapped. "Give the kid a break."

"Assuming he didn't know, this must've been his first time seeing him. He probably expected to confront him about his actions had he not been killed." Uryū said in his defense.

"Lieutenant Kuchiki?" Kujou's eyes were on the ground. "May I…" he looked up, "ask you something?"

Kujou's gaze was intense. He was trying his best not to shake..

"It's about my father." He added, as if that hadn't already been obvious. A short pause followed after. It seemed like he was awaiting some kind of verbal indication to continue.

"There aren't any words that can explain what I feel right now. I can't see how this even makes sense to be true. That my father…could be someone like those people. That my father could—" his brows lowered, "lead these people."

"I want to say it's an imposter, that my father is somehow being framed though his zanpakutō…his speech…his delivery….they're all him…they're all real…" Kujou admitted slowly. "Despite what I want to believe, what I've seen with my two eyes scares me."

Kujou seemed to transition to a deeper speaking tone whenever he discussed serious things.

"…Now I feel like I have a responsibility even though I'm not sure what exactly I'm responsible for." He explained. "I'm not him, I-I would never do this, believe this, I'm not involved nor do I know what these people do and what they think yet… I'm sure everyone would accuse me or at least suspect that I knew. When father was alive…as in alive to me, he didn't hesitate to tell anyone and everyone about me. I know I'll be misunderstood, people will hold me accountable for his crimes and I….I….

Ichigo got flashbacks to the cheating accusation immediately. He valued having his name cleared even if it meant people might suspect he had been cheating if a formal investigation was launched. It was evident his reputation mattered to him.

His discomfort with being associated with his father gave Ichigo all the more reasons to believe him.

"It's just not fair. I haven't done anything I didn't even—" he lowered his eyes, "—know. But I have a responsibility now, I'm responsible by extension—I know. A-And so," he resumed staring at Byakuya's father, "I want to know—ask—what I can do to avoid this from someone who…obviously knows more about this than I do. Someone who might…" his gaze was intense, "—think I was involved too."

"How?" He asked again. "How do I make up for it? How do I prove I'm not him?"

That question was followed by a short pause. Kujou's resolute stare affirmed his honesty to Ichigo but it also seemed to be his method of guilt-tripping Byakuya's father into believing him.

"Unfortunately," Byakuya's father began, "it is not possible to separate yourself from this matter entirely. No matter what you do, should others know he is your father, his actions will trail behind you like a shadow."

Kujou's body stiffened.

"You are his son." He stated firmly. "The bond of the Jouchi clan is well known to your peers, colleagues and officials. It is not a relationship that can be removed from your identity no matter your position as an assassin or the Kujou clan's custody of you. It is only logical that you are assumed to be involved or to have at least known some secrets of the Jouchi clan's past and role in this organization."

"Ichibei may have been good to people and had a favorable reputation but underneath he led this organization to do the opposite of the values he swore to protect." Byakuya's father explained. "Though it might be unfair, the likelihood of you being the same is difficult to deny."

Kujou looked defeated.

"You may, however, prove the innocence of your character if you are able to prove you are not what he was. That his values and deceptive ways were not passed down to you nor interest you. With effort and time, this may be accomplished. It is only a matter of how you choose to do it."

Byakuya's father followed up with an example. "You enrolled in the academy to become a soul reaper to honor his wishes. If that is a route that still interests you, you might prove your innocence by becoming the kind of soul reaper he was not. One that actually understands its value and uses the position in ways he did not."

Kujou took a moment to think.

"So…become a good soul reaper. Someone that everybody knows is too good to do what he did to others…" Kujou summarized to confirm.

"That is an example though your innocence is not guaranteed if you are to pursue it. You risk strengthening your association with the organization by nature. The best route may be to remain where you are and isolate your relationship with your father and anyone else with ties to it. You can prove you do not align with his values without being anywhere near it."

"I see…" he replied and looked to the ground.

Amid the silence, Roger turned to Major Li who was doing her best to ensure Kujou's father's body looked 'natural'.

She was definitely a perfectionist because the whole time they had been talking, she had been making small adjustments to the body to ensure it looked whole though she was visibly starting to get on her own nerves.

At a point, she grew frustrated when the neck didn't perfectly connect despite everything she did.

With her mouth agape, she shook her head and flicked her arms up in irritation in Roger's direction before slapping them down against her thigh, signaling her defeat.

She made her way back to them.

"You can look."

Unlike before, he didn't instantly jump to peek. He mainly moved his eyes from Major Li to Byakuya's father to Roger, nervously.

His steps were hesitant and slow.

When he got close enough, he observed his body. Major Li's efforts had not been in vain. She had put him together in a way that made it seem like he was laying in a casket having closed his once opened eyes, positioned his hands over his stomach and even placed some scrubs, he had no idea how she even found in this barren place, in between them.

Kujou slowly lowered himself down onto his knees and studied his face. Tears welled up easily but they still didn't fall, at least not yet. Ichigo knew it was coming. The realization was slowly making its way through—the reality of the situation would hit.

It was only a matter of seconds.

"So…" Kujou began quietly, "…this is where…you've been, father."

His lips trembled right after. He tried forcing them to stay straight but a sob fought its way through.

"Have you been well…? Were you…" His jaw tightened.

He lowered his head and squeezed his eyes, prompting the tears to fall through.

Ichigo felt horrible for him.

"H-How…." He cried, "could you do this to me?"

"How…could you leave us? What about me? What about mother? How could you—" Kujou closed his eyes trying to fight against the rage he felt inside of him though it fell through.

"Tell me!" He slammed his hand against his stomach. "Why'd you do that? Why did you leave us? Was it worth it? Was it?!"

Kujou's weeps were loud and painful.

His face scrunched up as he released every single thought that came to mind. "Why are you with these people? Why did you leave us for them?! What did you have here that mother or I couldn't give you?! Why did you leave me?! Where were you?!"

"How—" he wailed, "—why did you do that, father? Why?" He hit him so hard, Major Li's work began to fall apart.

He threw his body over his and wailed, burying his reddened face into his father's stomach, begging him to answer why he left him, why he disappeared and if he ever showed up for his wife's funeral.

As Kujou released his tears and frustration, Ichigo's mind weighed on Kujou's father.

Had it been worth it?

Byakuya's father may have reasoned that he was dead to Kujou therefore there was no point in digging up past wounds and that they had Chief Jouchi to answer all their questions but Kujou's father could have easily been used to their advantage to control those creatures.

It seemed like a wasted opportunity when he thought of it. It got him wondering how they would disarm Chief Jouchi now.

They didn't even speak as Kujou cried. The minutes flew by and they just watched Kujou's back until Byakuya's father spotted something that triggered the Gotei 13's nerves altogether.

"They are here." He announced.

"AHHH! Not again!" Kon shouted.

Major Li scanned the area. They were dripping down like paint.

"Must be coming for their master."

"O-Oh my, we have to go!" Roger shrieked, eyes falling on something in the corner.

"Keep your zanpakutōs out." Kensei instructed. "If we can feel, they can touch us."

Major Li rushed towards Kujou.

"We have to go." She told him.

"What?" Kujou quickly observed the area. "W-What are they doing here?"

"Let's go." Major Li urged him.

He was about to stand up but stopped. "W-Wait, what about father?"

"They're not going to do anything to him." She assured him but obviously, Kujou, still unaware about the relationship between the creatures and the A.A.A, didn't understand what she meant.

"W-What do you mean? We can't leave him!" His eyes were wide with fear. "We have to take him!"

"They're not going to do anything to him." Major Li repeated firmly. "They're coming here to get him."

"I can't!" He shook his head. "I can't…"

"Yes you can." Major Li insisted. "His body will be preserved, they won't do anything to him."

"I…" Tears streamed down his face. "I can't!"

"Yes you can." Major Li repeated firmly.

"No!" He cried. "Please!" He gripped her arm. "Take him with us!"

"We have to go."

"No, no!" He begged her. "Please!" Kujou cried. "I-I can't leave him! Please, Major Li—I-I'll do anything!"

"You'll see him again."

"How?!" Kujou screamed.

"I promise you'll see him again." She assured him. "Please, let's get going."

Kujou sobbed. He glanced back at his father's face, crying more. "I can't…."

Major Li observed their surroundings, the entire place had become black.

She took a deep breath when she looked at Kujou again.

This time, without a single protest, he rose up. and walked towards her with his eyes on his father.

"Come on." She guided him.

"W-Wait!" He shrieked.

"What?"

"I—" he looked up at her, "—need something! Anything! Of him."

He attempted to run back to the body but a creature shot out of the blob and blocked him. Kujou screamed and fell back but Major Li caught him before he hit the ground and threw him forward.

As she turned, a hand emerged from the pond near her feet and grabbed her ankle. She moved to slash it but the hand removed its grip and sunk back into the pond.

"Major Li!" Kujou shouted from the staircase.

She ran through the pond and followed him up the staircase to join Byakuya's father and Roger who were already up and waiting near the exit that would take them out of the force field.

The moment they walked through it, a giant rock was slammed onto the entrance.

"They will not follow us." Byakuya's father realized.

"Hm, it seems they are more interested in their master's body at the moment." Roger said. "We are quite fortunate."

Major Li turned in Kujou's direction, likely to ask if he was okay but after one look at him, she returned her attention to Byakuya's father and Roger. It seemed that she figured it was best to let him be for a while.

"Let's go."

###

Evening had come. The sky was navy blue, the sun was almost completely set and Kujou was still nowhere to be found.

After her discussion with Sensei, she had sought out to observe Chief Jouchi and his whereabouts. He was everywhere—but not because he was busy, it was because he was searching for Kujou too.

On top of Kujou's incredibly large family on both ends were seven other search parties along with friends, neighbours and acquaintances. Even clans who didn't know him or his family were searching.

She was now with Kujou's grandfather to check one of the thousands of fields in the Noble Homes region. He had been dead silent since the sun set. Though he didn't speak, she knew he was thinking the same.

She was not, however, going to give up until they found him.

As they climbed up the fortieth grass hill of the day, Rukia took a deep breath, nothing.

Kujou's grandfather trekked further down the open field though Rukia didn't know what he expected to find. She joined him shortly seeing that he was not going to stop. They descended down a small slope and up again.

Rukia knew that it would be no different than the last when they arrived. The only notable difference was the old trees plotted out far ahead and soon, a white circle outlined in green which formed…a portal.

Her eyes immediately landed on Shira who came out first then Lieutenant Kuchiki with Roger sitting around his shoulder which was…new and uncharacteristic of him.

While it was no surprise seeing them, the short figure who emerged behind them was.

"Well that's uh—" weird.

"Kotaru!" Kujou's grandfather ran towards them.

"Grandfather!" Kujou shouted desperately.

Kujou's grandfather fell on one knee with his arms out when he was close. Kujou ran towards him to complete the hug. He didn't even pay her a glance even though she was behind his grandfather.

"Kotaru." He repeated in relief as Kujou came into his arms.

"Grandfather…" he sobbed.

"Kotaru," Kujou's grandfather repeated in relief. "Let me look at you." He attempted to pull him away from his shoulders but Kujou fought against his attempt. He was crying.

"What happened?" Kujou's grandfather asked them.

"We…should talk another time." Lieutenant Kuchiki suggested.

"Why?" Kujou's grandfather immediately asked.

He attempted to pull Kujou away again to ask. This time he was a lot more willing.

"F-F-Father…" he sobbed, struggling to catch his breath.

"What about him?"

He sniffed. "F-F-Father is…is…" he sobbed, "alive."

"What?"

Rukia turned to Shira and Lieutenant Kuchiki in shock.

"He's alive?"

"Was alive." Shira corrected flatly.

Rukia gasped and looked back at Kujou who was bawling his eyes out in his grandfather's arms.

"You mean…" Kujou's grandfather gazed down at Kujou who couldn't catch his breath.

"He l-lied…" Kujou spluttered out against his shoulder. "He…" he began to hiccup, "he's one of those…those.." poor Kujou couldn't even finish his sentence.

"I…suppose—" Kujou's grandfather stood up, "—we should talk tomorrow then."

"I will pay a visit in the morning." Lieutenant Kuchiki assured him.

"Good…good…" he worriedly watched Kujou who cried into his uniform.

"Come on…." he told him softly. "Let's go."

He put his hand behind Kujou's back to guide him forward though he, himself, did not move without meeting the Lieutenant's gaze and Shira's with fear—fear that this unexpected discovery and subsequent death was beyond something Kujou could handle, fear that his son-in-law was not who he claimed to be.

The Lieutenant's suggestion to speak tomorrow had unlocked a world of possibilities in his head and they did not look good.

Once they were at a considerable distance, she turned to face them.

"What happened?"

"Ichibei happened." Shira responded.

"What?"

"It seems that Ichibei chose to live underground to support the organization's security and distribution unit as Head full-time and thus abandoned his role and responsibilities here to maintain it." Lieutenant Kuchiki clarified.

"—and decided to bring his kid in for the draft lottery those people hold to assign non-member prospects to new units." Shira explained.

"—Though he was not there for the same reason." Lieutenant Kuchiki added. "They would have known not to select him but they did. Perhaps Ichibei was attempting to finally confront him and unveil his deceit."

"But he didn't?"

"No," Roger answered regretfully. "You see, Kujou and the children were hiding behind a rock when the fight broke out and well, he didn't properly see him until the last moment."

It took Rukia a few seconds to understand what he was implying but when she did, she felt mortified by the thought that Kujou had watched him die without ever getting to speak to him.

"Hah…how?" She inquired. "How'd you do it?"

"Head."

"Head?!" Rukia repeated. "As in…behead?"

Rukia's mouth parted. How horrifying for him. Someone so delicate and sensitive like Kujou should not have witnessed something like that.

Poor Kujou…

"You're right, I should've done something worse." She replied, her eyes to the view straight ahead.

"Shira." She scolded. "That's not what I meant."

"Why did you choose the most basic of methods?" The Lieutenant suddenly asked.

What the—

"He insulted my aim." Shira defended as if that rationalized anything. "I meant for it to come back."

Rukia had no idea what they were talking about but it did not deflect from the fact that Kujou had watched his father get beheaded by Shira when they could've preserved him for further questioning.

"What are you talking about?"

"Ichibei." Lieutenant Kuchiki answered as if she didn't already know.

Shira looked down at her. "Believe me, Rukia, he deserved it and worse."

"Bu—"

"I know." Shira cut in with a low voice. "He shouldn't have seen it."

Rukia shook her head in a disapproving manner.

"But," she raised her finger, "he deserved it. That much, I'm sure of."

Rather than asking why, she figured she could hear Shira's explanation later. She did like spending time with her and understanding her reasoning would be an easy excuse.

Rukia looked down. "What are we gonna do now? Did you find anything?"

"I have folders." Lieutenant Kuchiki said. "I will review them back at the manor."

"And Chief Jouchi?"

"I reckon he will be notified of his son's passing soon if he hasn't already." Roger said. "That might have implications for what you discussed with him. He could release those creatures as early as tonight."

Shira brushed it off. "Kenjo's a family man until it gets in the way of something he wants. He's not risking his only advantage that early when he knows we have a good enough reason to consent to his lil' plan."

"I sure hope you're right." Roger replied worriedly. "I just wouldn't want to provoke him to that extent."

"We still have time." Shira assured him. "He's not trying to convince us, he's trying to convince—" she turned to her, "—you."

The weight on her shoulders seemed to grow heavier each day. To think, she determined such a huge part in the outcome of this meant her movements and decisions mattered so much more than theirs. Feeling overwhelmed and overstimulated from the day, she needed to rest and escape to normalcy again.

"I suppose we should get some rest," Roger suggested, sensing her exhaustion immediately. "It has been quite a day."

"Ehm." Shira agreed. She glanced at the view ahead, ready to move as was Rukia.

Roger shook his head, "my, my, my, I never thought something so simple could exhaust me so much."

"You just need practice." Shira told him.

"Practice for what?" Rukia asked though she didn't get an answer.

"Yes," Roger mused. "I suppose that would do the trick. I just need to get used to the thrill of it all, that's it."

"Thrill of what?"

"You're looking at a new assassin in training." Shira answered.

Rukia emphasized her blink. "You?"

"Why not, Rukia-sama?" He slightly turned his neck, "answer now or I will take that reaction in offense."

"Relax," she giggled, "this is good. You already have most of the skills anyway."

"All you need to do is get used to the job and," she glanced at Byakuya's father, "—complete your community service hours."

Rukia didn't get the joke but Roger did.

"Ah, yes—" he turned to the Lieutenant, "—how many hours do I get today?"

"None." The Lieutenant replied.

Roger leaned back. "Wha—"

"There is still the Jouchi clan to handle." Lieutenant Kuchiki reminded them. "They are soul shadows."

Rukia immediately frowned.

"They must be eliminated. Tonight."

"We just took his father from him, now we're gonna kill off his father's side too?" Rukia asked him though he ignored her.

"Chief Jouchi is now distracted by Ichibei's death, we must eliminate them quickly and without suspicion."

She understood why they had to, she really did but this would be devastating for Kujou. She couldn't bear to think of how she was playing a role in it.

Shira sighed, visibly agitated by having to do extra work. She began to walk diagonally in the opposite direction of her home.

Deep down, Rukia wanted to stop her but she couldn't bring herself to do it. The Lieutenant was right. She was conflicted because Kujou was her friend and she was completely valid in wanting to protect him but….in relation to this case, she couldn't and that's what hurt her most.

She was complicit in all this.

Even if it wasn't her intention.

###

When they got back to the manor, surprise took her when she laid eyes on the back of a visitor knelt in front of Sensei Okasake's desk. It was Lieutenant Chōjirō of the 1st Division, the one who always sent them sweets.

She had never seen him in person before so his appearance, especially considering the time, had taken her off-guard.

He greeted her amicably with a bow. "I believe this is the first time we have met. Pleased to meet you."

Rukia smiled. "It's nice to meet you too."

"What brings you at this hour?" The Lieutenant asked from his desk.

"I am here to ask a great favor." He answered.

"Sasakibe would like to hold a ball." Sensei revealed.

"A ball?" Rukia asked.

"What are we celebrating?" Lieutenant Kuchiki idly asked with his attention on his desk.

"Nothing special." Lieutenant Chōjirō replied.

"His birthday." Sensei clarified.

The Lieutenant looked up. "Your birthday was in November."

"I know but I have not held anything in years and while I accept it is unnecessary to host something each year, I feel as though this is one of those years I must. I seek permission to hold it at South Center Hall, I think its walls are most fitting for the event."

South Center Hall was in the Okasakes' ownership, particularly this Sensei Okasake. She'd never been there but she had seen snippets of it in pictures. It was quite beautiful there, it was also huge. The other Sensei Okasake had his own separate hall called North Center Hall that he used much more often than this Sensei used his.

Sensei hummed in agreement. "I am open to having you host your gathering there; however, I would need complete and thorough details of the event's caterers, attendees and staff required. That is not—" he raised his hand, "because I do not trust you but…" he glanced at the open door near the Lieutenant's desk, "Hiroshima cannot know you are hosting anything in that hall. If he should ask, I must know what is happening."

Lieutenant Chōjirō didn't seem too happy with that requirement.

"Hm…I suppose I cannot ask him directly." Lieutenant Chōjirō mused. "I had hoped to host this openly and invite other guests though…"

"The issue is not people, Sasakibe, it is just ensuring Hiroshima doesn't know." Sensei Okasake said. "If you plan to host a big event, I will ensure Hiroshima stays back at court and does not return here. I simply need you to be upfront with me about your intentions and the event details."

"Well in that case I am happy to oblige. I will forward each detail as they come before it occurs." Lieutenant Chōjirō stood up and bowed. "I suppose I should get going, I hope to see you all there." He turned to her. "There will be those pastries you like if you need an incentive."

Rukia smiled. "I'd be happy to come even without the pastries."

"Very well. Have a good night." He addressed everyone before departing through the open shōji.

("Wonder why he doesn't hold anything now." Shuhei mumbled.

"It's probably got something to do with whatever happens at it here." Shinji said.)

"So," she heard Sensei say, she turned around. "Where have you been?"

His question was directed towards Lieutenant Kuchiki.

Rukia could not withhold her smile. "I should've betted."

"….You—" he turned to him.

The Lieutenant merely plopped a thick yellow folder out from the cross fold of his uniform onto his desk.

Sensei was at a loss for words.

"Sojun." He chastised. "You…I defended your word with sentiment—that you were not going to put yourself at risk having thoroughly reviewed and recognized your limitations. How…"

"I told you." Rukia haughtily teased.

Sour about his loss, Sensei looked down at his work with a frown. "Well I have certainly learnt my lesson."

"What do you mean?" The Lieutenant asked, now paying full attention.

"You know what I mean." Sensei argued.

Rukia innocently smiled at him.

The Lieutenant shook his head. "I meant what I said, I would not have gone if father had not permitted me to."

She immediately looked at Sensei who returned her stare. There was no way—

"Captain told you to go?" She inquired, disbelieving.

"Using Ginrei as an excuse is pitiful." Sensei remarked.

"Rukia, you speak with father often, why not ask him yourself?" The Lieutenant queried. "As for you," he addressed Sensei, "I am not using father as an excuse. I had said that if I could flash-step I would go. Roger assisted me with transport therefore I was able to go. That is all."

The community service comment Shira had made was starting to make sense. Still, with or without Roger's assistance, she was certain he would have gone regardless.

"So then, what did you find out?"

###

The moon was high and the garden of the Li manor was quiet. Sitting on the veranda of the Li manor was a face they had seen only once, awaiting Major Li who trudged towards it.

At first, Ichigo hadn't recognized him. His hair was different—short, layered, a bit shaggy, almost like Haru's but more neat. He must've cut it during his time away, Ichigo thought. Against his tan skin, the magnificence of the small crystal blue eyes he had first seen his double with tripled under the moonlight.

He was in the same uniform they had seen his double in—a black kimono and a sleeve white haori minus the beaded chains, sitting on the veranda.

Ichigo couldn't remember if the brooch he wore now had been on there or not but it caught his eye this time. It was a round silver brooch with an arrow across the middle where leaf vines twirled around a wolf head facing the right to reach the opposite ends of the circle. He also had thick silver rings with elaborate designs on two of his fingers on both hands.

Upon spotting him, she stopped momentarily to smile. Her steps were enlivened by his presence. As she came closer, he sat up properly.

"The moon is up," he remarked, "how long has it been?"

He extended his hand for her to take.

"Too long." She grumbled, taking his hand.

"I suppose it will set soon."

She turned to sit down beside him. "Were you out long?"

Shelby hummed. "Emm, not that long. I suspected you would be late though," he examined her face, "I was not expecting you to be this tired."

Her eyes were sunken and her face, overall, seemed paler. Ichigo had thought it was still the same night though she looked significantly worn out compared to earlier.

She looked down. It seemed she wanted to say something but was having trouble finding the energy to say it. The weight on her lids were pushing them down to the point where she'd close her eyes before reopening them again.

"What's wrong, my love?"

Major Li weakly shook her head. "Nothing, it's just….off. My body's off." She clarified.

"In what way?"

"Every way. I don't know what's wrong." She stood up on the veranda.

"Well, what did you do today?" He asked, following her. "You know the body—" Major Li shook her head as she turned around to face him, "—demands that we rest eight to ten hours per night—"

She feigned her repulsion. "No, no—"

"—and longer assuming your days have been filled with physically demanding activity."

"Are you done?" She brooded.

Shelby merely smiled.

"It's not just sleep, it's like…no matter what I do, I'm always tired. I feel overwhelmed without doing anything to feel that way and I don't know why."

Concerned, Shelby tilted his head. "Have you spoken to the physician?"

Major Li narrowed her eyes at that comment. "—No. Of course not."

He put his hands on her shoulders. "We must."

"I'm not—"

"There is no harm in it." He told her softly. "There must be something hindering your sheatsu from performing as usual and it is likely a physical trait within you. What if it's related to the copy you told me about?"

Major Li looked away, though dismayed, she was definitely contemplating the possibility.

She let out an aggravated sigh, "fine but—" she raised her finger, "we're leaving that for tomorrow."

His response wasn't immediate but he conceded with a nod.

Content, she lifted her hand for him to take.

"Do you want to see her?" She asked him, her spirits brighter now. "She's still here, she does nothing though—not even talk but she supposedly did it before."

"Hm." He took her hand. "Is my version here too?"

"I've never seen your version yet, the others have."

"Strange, I don't know how it could've replicated me when I have never encountered the creature you did unless it came to me in another form though, I hadn't conversed with anyone out of the ordinary while I was up there."

She yawned. "I don't know, I'm not even sure if it's real. Do you want to look?"

"Hm," he answered, prompting her to turn. "Then—" he released her hand and put his arm around her neck in a chokehold, "—you may finally rest."

Major Li laughed, raising her hand to touch his arm as she moved forward. Their bliss was soon interrupted by Major Li who bent over and touched her stomach.

"Ah…" Major Li winced.

"What is it?" Shelby immediately asked, removing his arm from her neck.

"Erm…"

Her hand reached out for support, she could barely stand. Shelby brought her hand up to his shoulder before he held her. She leaned into his embrace as he slowly brought them down.

"Easy…" He instructed her.

She shook her head against his shoulder, gripping the cloth tightly.

The shōji nearby opened. Out came a maid who dropped her basket upon seeing them.

"L-Li-sama?!"

"Call the physician." He instructed her with his hand on Major Li's back.

"Y-Yes!" She scurried off, frantically alerting the whole house.

As the sound of her shouts faded away, it became quiet again. It only took Shelby a second to realize her wincing had stopped.

Major Li had passed out.

###.

Major Li laid on the futon, unconscious—now surrounded by Haru, Yoruichi, Sheela, Cecil, Roger and Shelby who stood in the same spots they had during the meeting as the family physician examined her.

The physician claimed she had passed out due to a combination of things; lack of sleep, food and overexertion. They, however, were convinced these results had to do with something an ordinary physician would not find or at least, would not think to look for so Haru called Doctor Thatcher who would 'approach the matter a bit differently'.

Soon, the tiny man Ichigo thought they had seen the last of after he ran away from Odette, arrived and ran a few tests on Major Li who had woken up shortly after the family physician had left.

She admitted to having trouble sleeping on her own and had, in recent weeks, only slept once when she visited Shelby up in the mountains. She also explained how she felt nauseous whenever she smelt food, resulting in her eating less.

Uryū immediately remembered how nauseous she had felt when Chief Jouchi had brought her onions. He assumed that the creature she had encountered had done something to her after all in the time she had spent with it before returning.

When asked why she hadn't said anything about it, she brushed it off—assuming it would take some time for her body to adjust after spending three weeks with the creature. It made sense considering she remembered fighting it and nothing else though Roger rightfully told her she should've said something regardless.

Doctor Thatcher soon emerged from the room with results, standing near the entrance of the other room, closest to this room's shōji and to them with a curved paper in his hand.

He quickly scanned its contents through tiny round glasses which sat on the bridge of his nose, mumbling inaudible stuff to himself as he read.

"What is it?" Roger asked him.

Major Li leaned her head towards her left side to peek at him.

"Well…the answer is obvious!" He exclaimed before lowering the paper. "You're pregnant."

"Pregnant?!" Captain Ukitake repeated.

Shelby and Major Li immediately looked at each other.

"P-P-P-Pregnant?" Roger stuttered. He shook his head, "oh, my, my, my!"

She sat up, her eyes somewhat dazed.

"I'm not pregnant." She denied.

The room was silent.

"I'm not." She asserted to everyone around her amid their stares. "I can't be."

"My results do not lie." Doctor Thatcher declared proudly.

"My tubes are tied." She stated. "There's no way."

Doctor Thatcher chuckled. "Darling, even if you wrapped them in haywire you could not evade the possibility entirely."

"How long has it been?" Haru asked.

"About five weeks." He answered.

Major Li glanced back at Shelby, nervously.

In response, Shelby enclosed his hand over hers as a form of comfort. "It adds up."

"That incident also occurred around the same time." Uryū reminded them. "I wonder if there's a connection."

"Hold up," Cecil drew their attention, "what if it's not a kid?" He turned to Haru. "It could be…you know…the thing."

"What thing?" Doctor Thatcher asked.

"Right…" Orihime mused. "What if…" she turned to them, "...she's a mother?

Cecil walked towards Doctor Thatcher. "Lemme see your reports."

"That means she would've been incubated before she arrived at the dungeon…" Uryū realized.

"Though…" Isane, feeling a bit doubtful, glanced at Major Li. "I don't think she would have forgotten if something like that had happened…"

Uryū disagreed. "The incubation process is likely different from what we are suspecting."

Haru glanced down at her. "If it has been five weeks, it coincides with your disappearance and the arrival of your—" he paused.

"Cecil!" Haru shouted.

"I'm already on it!" Cecil shouted from the other room.

"Now, what ever are you talking about?" Doctor Thatcher inquired.

"You've seen them before." Haru replied. "You helped with Odette-san's delivery…"

Doctor Thatcher flickered his eyes trying to remember as if it had been years since it happened. When the memory hit, his face dropped. He glanced down at his report nervously.

"Well…." He remarked, uncertain of what to say. His tiny eyes bulged as he reviewed the paper meticulously.

Major Li laid down and slowly put her hand over her stomach.

"H-How could this happen?" Roger stuttered. "I mean—you were only fighting weren't you?!"

"Truth be told…" Haru began, "we, nor Shira, can say what happened truly happened considering the experience influenced her sense of time and had her fluctuate between two different states being hers and the double though, however, she got them would not have been through the normal way."

Shelby touched her stomach.

"W-Well everything looks normal from what I see!" Doctor Thatcher exclaimed. "Though, I suppose I can't really tell you what it is seeing that those disgusting things came out infant-shaped."

"It is dark." Shelby announced, his voice low and rough.

Their eyes fell on her stomach.

"It moves like a tide..." He reported.

Roger gulped.

"Oh dear…" Doctor Thatcher responded worriedly. "Can't you just suck it out? It's only liquid."

"No." Cecil dismissed earnestly behind him, emerging from the other room. "If we disrupt the process, they'll rip her from the inside out."

Defeated, Haru slowly watched her.

"I've been lookin' at how they grow inside the body these past couple weeks." Cecil explained as he walked past Haru. "They might not be ready to hatch yet but the moment they sense they're endangered, they break whatever they're confined in. At this stage, they can't see or smell or hear but if they feel something out of the ordinary, they'll break out."

"How about poison?" Roger asked quickly.

"They absorb liquids, they can't hurt them." Cecil answered. "Even if poison could do something, the effects would be read as an attack and they'd force themselves out as a reflex."

"Even if it's their mother?" Haru asked him, which drew everyone, momentarily, into an uneasy silence.

"In t-that case…" Sheela walked towards them. "Would….she have to give birth?"

"Not exactly the safest option if the last mother is any indication of anything but it's the only way to get them out of her system. The longer it stays, the more her body's gonna change to accommodate them." Cecil answered.

"In other words, they will change her like they did with Odette-san." Roger reiterated. "To become what they are so that she can repeatedly produce more for them."

"And these symptoms are just the start of the process." Isane added worriedly. "That's why she didn't start feeling them until now."

"I'm not giving birth." Major Li stated firmly.

Haru apologetically gazed over her.

"That's out of the question." She asserted. "I rather pull them out my throat myself."

Haru tried to persuade her. "Shira—"

"No." Her tone was firm and resolute—her glare even more menacing though behind her adamancy seemed to lay something more.

From the get-go she had been dazed and in denial before the mention of those creatures potentially being the culprit was a suggestion. Even if this was her only way to get them out, she looked determined not to do it.

"We must think of something." Roger desperately said. "If she births those fiends that would actually make her their mother!"

"I'm not doing it." Major Li reiterated.

Yoruichi, above her head, glanced to the left. "Check on the double. She's connected to this somehow."

"Yes." Haru remembered. "What if she's the one who is preg—" his eyes landed on Major Li who glared at him, prompting him to quickly rephrase his words, "—like that instead of Shira?"

"That was terrible." Cecil insulted which Haru could only respond to with an uneasy shrug.

"Either way we'd have to pull them out." Major Li said. "I'll revisit that place." Her eyes moved to Shelby. "And find a way."

Haru dismissed the simplicity of her solution. "It can't be that simple."

"I'm not going to take the chance of her or whatever she is doing it on my behalf." Major Li argued. "It happened there and I'm going to go there and bring it out."

"B-But you don't even know where you went!" Roger shrieked over her head. "That could be even more dangerous."

"What's dangerous?" Major Li asked him, mimicking the same tone she had used earlier.

Roger leaned back. "Well…."

"Shira, there is a lot to think about here." Haru persisted.

"And the longer we spend on thinking about it, the easier it is for her to get it done." Major Li replied.

"What was brought here must be taken from its source." Shelby announced which drew their attention. Major Li turned to him. "Go, it's the only option we have."

"Shelby…" Haru called. He turned to Cecil in defeat who simply shrugged.

"It's risky to try and kill it with your own hands." Cecil said.

"It intends for her to revisit a dark place in order to retrieve it. If this is the challenge, she must take it." Shelby said with his eyes on Major Li. His hand hadn't left her stomach.

"I'm going. Whatever comes out of it, benefits everyone regardless. At least we'll know." Major Li added but that did not dispel the concern from the group. If anything, their nerves were maximized by the thought that this could be the end.

"How long will you be gone?" Sheela asked worriedly.

"Not long." Major Li replied. "It should be quick."

"How will you even get there?" Roger asked.

"It is a fairly easy procedure—" Shelby answered, his eyes locked with Major Li's, "—to revisit a dark place that one does not wish to see, wish to know, wish to live as it meshes the future and the past as one, into a world that is eternally—" his hand hovered over his eyes as though he was closing her lids and they closed, "doomed to live through the life of its visitors."

The room was silent.

"W-Wait, what did you just do?" Roger inquired frantically.

"Shelby." Cecil whined. "A lil' warning would've been nice."

"I apologize though the clock is ticking. We were wasting time."

"How do you know you even sent her to the right place?" Roger asked.

"She knows where she's supposed to be." Shelby answered, meeting his eyes for the first time. "It is only a matter of time."

###

She had barely stepped foot into the Rukongai when she had received a distressing message from Roger about Shira. Sleep left her eyes completely when she heard what was going on.

Rushing straight through the portal, she hadn't prepared herself for what she was about to see and who she was to be surrounded by.

Shira laid unconscious on the futon, skin slowly graying and tree-like veins of black crawling up her face.

She immediately stopped. Her mouth fell agape as the images of Odette flashed through her mind.

No…

She shook her head furiously. Tears welled up in her eyes as she slipped into work mode, ready to pull her out of the state.

"Wait." A hand gripped her arm lightly, holding her back.

From the scent to the sheatsu, she couldn't identify who it was until she saw him. This was her first time seeing him in person.

"Do not touch her." He instructed her calmly.

"A…" Dumbfounded, she looked at the group surrounding her for some explanation but they were all quietly fixated on Shira's body.

Rukia slowly retracted her arm. "Um…Keegan-san I'm—"

"I know that you feel inclined to help her but she must do this alone." He told her with his eyes on Shira. He then moved to look at her. "Do not interfere."

The water in her eyes grew stronger. "But—" she turned to look at Shira's face that was slowly becoming exactly like Odette's.

She couldn't leave her like that!

"You don't understand—" she pleaded, "she—"

"—must do it alone." He finished for her though that was far from what she had been trying to say.

"But—" she looked up at the group, particularly Haru then Yoruichi and even Roger but they said nothing.

"Relinquish control…" he said softly, his voice barely above a whisper. "This has to be done right."

Rukia's jaw tightened as she watched her face. He was wrong, he was absolutely wrong for this. What did he know about what they had been through? Maybe she had told him but that still didn't justify leaving her to come out of this herself.

"She will come." He assured her quietly. "She is still here."

###

Major Li was starting to look much like Odette had back in the dungeon.

At this point, Rukia should've intervened but Shelby was strongly convinced that she would make it back on her own.

Ichigo didn't doubt it but he could see why she was unhappy with him. He hadn't seen what happened to Odette. It was hard to imagine that he knew what was best for her when he had largely been absent from the whole thing.

It reminded him of what it had been like when Rukia in the present time died.

It only took one sight of a popped bubble on her lips for Rukia to gasp and rush forward. "Shira—"

"Do not interfere." Shelby repeated behind her.

He wasn't being mean about it. The guy had a naturally low voice that sounded hoarse at times but it definitely wasn't intended to be rude. It was cool and calm sounding though, given the circumstances, she clearly wasn't receiving it that way.

"Look, no offense, but you weren't there!" Rukia cried out. "Odette-san fro—"

"I know all about Ida Odette." He said.

Rukia's brows furrowed. "Then why—"

"She has to do this on her own, that is the only way."

Rukia grew impatient. "—but why?"

"This is not a reflection of you, Sensei." Shelby said. "I mean no offense."

He made eye contact to emphasize his sincerity.

"Just…be patient." He told her. "She'll come to."

###

Rukia stole glances at Shelby who remained fixated on Shira's face. She had seen pictures of him with his hair like this and others where it was long.

According to the others, his double was the one with the long hair which, apparently, was a traditional style that all his family members wore and could transition to for ceremonies hence why neither of them had found it suspicious to see him with it.

With that thought in mind, she wondered if the double had a similar ability to. If it was meant to be a replica, it surely would have to have the same ability.

He met her eyes. Rukia realized she had been staring at him for a little too long. She wanted to ask…maybe pick on him a little bit to see if maybe…

If she knew him well enough, she'd probably be able to tell from his eyes.

She didn't know exactly how the Lieutenant had figured out the other Shira wasn't the real one but his familiarity with her was undoubtedly a factor.

He waited for her to say something but she realized she had nothing to ask.

She turned away and looked down at Shira's face.

That memory of Odette's last and final breakthrough would haunt her forever. If that were to happen again, this time on her watch where preventable measures could've been taken, she didn't think she'd ever be the same.

Shira suddenly gasped and sat up.

"Shira—" almost everyone exclaimed at once.

She turned her head to the left and vomited out black slim, lined with something red—presumably blood, which stretched onto the ground, quickly covering the other half of the small room.

Rukia, now up, waited for her to finish. Haru glanced down and moved as the goo grew bigger.

After some final coughs to remove all the bile, she was done.

The worst was over.

"Ane! Are you alright?" Sheela asked.

Cecil took a step forward to evaluate the spill.

"They're dead."

"Gee, we wouldn't have guessed that Cecil, thank you!" Rukia sarcastically remarked.

"Well the blood is a little abnormal, I mean they're not real—"

Roger ushered forward, "—never mind that, Shira…?"

Her response was slow and delivered through an indolent nod. There were lines beneath her eyes. She was clearly too drained to speak.

"Hm, well of course there's blood!" Doctor Thatcher exclaimed, now beside Cecil. "They were babies, they weren't even born yet."

"Yeah but these things aren't normal like that." Cecil argued. "The blood can't be from their guts or anything inside 'cause it doesn't exi—"

"—we should call it a night and resume this discussion tomorrow." Shelby interrupted. "It is late."

Rukia looked at Shira who was still recuperating. Whatever she has gone through has really taken a toll on her. Seeing that, she agreed.

Yoruichi appeared through a portal. "The other version is dead."

"Hm," Haru thought. "There was a connection after all. Though I can't say I understand what her purpose was."

"If I were to make a guess, I would say that the duplicate Shira was the one who was incubated which is why this Shira had no recollection of anything like that occurring." Roger said.

"Hey, that actually doesn't sound that off." Cecil praised with his hands on his hips. "Good work Roge'!"

Roger leaned back. "Roge? Now who are you calling Roge?" He questioned sassily.

"It's just a nickname, relax!"

"Sensei." Doctor Thatcher called over their banter. "I'm awfully tired, do you mind helping me clean up?"

"Sure." Rukia moved around Shelby and Shira's body to follow him into the neighbouring room.

She could hear the others say their closing remarks and farewells as she helped him pack his equipment.

Doctor Thatcher cleared his throat. "Sensei…"

"Hmph?" She raised her head, his back was to her.

"I don't know how long you've been acquainted with Shira and the others seeing that I live underground and don't come out until they tell me too." He broke out into a smile, humored by himself. "But—" he stopped smiling, "there is something I think you should know about."

"What?"

She watched him turn his knife back and forth against the silky pearl-toned cloth he was cleaning his knives with.

"Very few people know this about Shira so I expect you to keep it a secret now—" he put one knife down and brought out another, "—it's not that I think you'd ever say anything about it but I wouldn't want to be branded as someone who couldn't keep his mouth shut."

"I won't say anything." Rukia assured him.

It took him a moment to string his words together.

"A long time ago, back when Shira was much younger, she…had a miscarriage which left her clinically depressed." He admitted slowly. Her mouth fell open but she didn't say a word—wanting him to continue.

"I…" he shook his head, "misspoke back there, I shouldn't have said what I did. This ordeal affected her so much she swore off ever conceiving children of her own. She has never been quite the same since."

Rukia glanced over at the entrance to the other room where the others were. The weight on her chest was heavy.

She had been drawn to Major Li the very first time she met her even though she had initially seemed very cold and austere. Despite her initial fear of her, she wanted her to like her and so, rather than having a few short exchanges, she sought to actually spend time around her and that's when she knew, her initial assumption about her could not be further from the truth.

While she could be serious, she was also very sarcastic. There was a certain fuzzy warmth around her that Rukia couldn't quite explain but it was inviting even through her deadpan remarks.

She hadn't known she suffered from depression or that her brother had been a victim ofthe heir's until recently.

She still had lots to learn, clearly, but this specific fact had to be the most gut-wrenching of the three. It was where it all began.

Thinking back to what happened tonight, her insides churned in disgust and sadness at what that thing had her do.

It made her kill the developing creatures from within her own stomach. She had been their mother, nourishing them in her womb and it made it so that killing them was her only way out. Seeing her reaction after returning made a lot more sense.

Even Shelby's comments did.

He wanted her to fight through it alone to beat the hurdle that has weighed on her mind since.

Well she owed him an apology.

To think that the thing wanted to torture her so much made her realize that she was much more important to it than she had realized.

Amongst them all, Shira was its second biggest threat.

It might've tried to brush it off as it not wanting to kill her 'just yet' but when Rukia thought about the scenarios she had put in, she realized that they were very much cases designed to have her either killed, weakened or unable to participate in the case.

The prototypes couldn't be its best work but through them it had an advantage. It knew Shira's history and had tried to use her scars for her to do the deed herself.

That failed.

The unidentified creature she had fought with, on the other hand, was likely something better—one of its strongest creations and yet….

Given everything, she couldn't just walk up to her and ask about the details again but she was curious to know whether it was trying to kill her or test her durability. Either way, she gave it a challenge and if there was anything she had learned from these past few months is that it loved a challenge.

It was an excuse to claim it was better but it ironically never unveiled anything about itself and its own personal capabilities, it only lived through its creations.

With that in mind, she found her next mission.

---

End Note

Up Next: Tale As Old As Time

Images for this Chapter

Shira moodboard

Shelby wolf head pin inspo