1753, early Spring

End of Academy Year 3

Kaede stared straight ahead at her reflection in the mirrored glass and tried to calm her nerves. The check-up had gone normally so far - Unohana conducted the medical portion, and while there was at least one Central 46 judge in attendance behind the glass, there hadn't been any incidents for them to inquire about. She'd been careful, so, so careful these past few months to keep her head down in public, knowing what was coming at the end of term.

Sousuke was graduating this spring.

She tried to be happy for him: he was, of course, top of his class, and he'd be participating in the upcoming Captains' Visit, a three-day event where the elite of the graduating class would have a chance to show off their skills. If all went well, he stood to gain a ranked seat in a Division before he even took the Gotei 13's entrance exam.

She'd known it was coming, but that didn't make it any easier. It felt like she was about to lose one of her few allies.

Not only that, but Sousuke leaving meant that she'd need official permission to join field trips. She'd have needed that eventually anyway - it didn't matter how many konso rituals she did under his supervision, none of it could go on her official record. If she was going to become a Shinigami herself, she needed Central 46 to lift her travel restrictions.

Today, she had to convince them of that.

"Honored Judges," she began. "I have now been at the Academy for nearly three full years. There have been no further incidents since the first involving the Failsafe, which you yourselves ruled was an inappropriate use. My academic grades are equal to, if not above, those of the advanced classes of my year, and as you know, my Hakuda skills are well above average."

This was a speech she'd practiced in her head countless times over the past months, but never before had she been able to speak to the judges without tripping over her words. Well, as Sousuke and even Hiyori sometimes insisted, it was past time she advocated for herself. She imagined the veiled contempt in Sousuke's voice whenever he spoke of Central 46, and her own confidence solidified.

"However," she continued, "my Kido and Zanjutsu have suffered because of these seals, and I am far behind on konso and fieldwork requirements. Therefore, I ask…again…that the Neutralize and Suppress seals be loosened, and that I be allowed outside of the Academy grounds for necessary field trips." Swallowing, she waited for an admonishment, a further refusal, anything - but no sound came over the speaker.

People like that need their egos stroked, she heard Sousuke's voice telling her. They like to see others prostrated before them. Show them what they want to see, tell them what they want to hear, and that is all they'll notice.

She knelt down and lowered her head to the floor. "All I want to do is be of use to Soul Society and make up for even a little of the harm I caused, so please consider my request."

The ensuing silence made her twitchy. She tried not to hope that it meant they were deliberating, maybe actually considering granting the request at last; if she didn't hope, she couldn't be crushed again. The prospect of facing her next three years without Sousuke was hard enough to fathom. He'd assured her that he'd continue to help her however he could, but Kaede wondered about that. Once he was in the Gotei 13, he'd be too busy to worry about her.

A part of her worried that he wouldn't even care anymore…but she couldn't think about that now.

"Denied."

It didn't matter that she now expected that answer; hearing it come from Urahara's voice through the speaker still made her want to throw something. She was glad to be facing the ground, her expression hidden by her prostration.

Don't argue. You'll just make them stand firmer.

"However," Urahara's voice crackled over the speaker. Kaede's gaze shot up, every nerve alert. "Central 46 does acknowledge that you have made considerable progress these past three years. Should this continue, they will consider the request again in a year's time."

Under her forehead, Kaede's hands twitched with the urge to form frustrated fists. She should just keep her head down and thank them - that was what they wanted from her. Take what they gave her, no matter how meager, and be grateful.

But she couldn't. Not this time.

"Honored Judges." Kaede ignored the looks of shock and admonishment from Tessai and Unohana as she lifted herself into a higher kneeling position. "In one year, it will be impossible to gain all of the hours and experience necessary to graduate in the usual amount of time. If you do the math-"

"Kaede," Urahara's voice interrupted. "Their decision is final."

She couldn't stop her breathing from going shallow. It was one thing to discuss the theory with Sousuke in private - and they'd talked about her situation on and off for the past year - but to be confronted with the judges' blatant disregard like this was still shocking.

Sousuke was right. She wasn't supposed to advance like a normal person. Hell, she might not even be supposed to graduate. How many times had her admittance to the Academy been postponed, denied, postponed again? How many times had they changed the terms on her without warning?

They don't want you to know your true potential.

"No full work-up today," Urahara announced. Next to her, Kaede felt Tessai let out a breath of relief. "However, they request a thorough examination of the seals - just no active testing is required today."

Kaede gritted her teeth. At least she wouldn't need as much recovery time. Hiyori wouldn't need to make excuses for her; people might not even start speculating yet again about what put her in a bedridden state every six months.

No, she commanded herself. Stop taking scraps. This was necessary for now, but she had to stop trying to convince herself that there was anything fair about it.

"Sorano-san," came Unohana's gentle, trilling voice from behind her. "Please be aware of your reiatsu."

Kaede's attention snapped inward. She'd been getting riled up just now; that dreaded, familiar pressure had begun to build in her core again.

"Sorry," she muttered. Focusing on her breath, she forced it back down, tried to rein in her stormy emotions at least for now.

She just had to get through this test, she reminded herself. Then the next, and the next, and the next…

"They don't want me to graduate," Kaede said to Urahara as he escorted her back to her barracks. She was walking well enough on her own, though her head ached and her muscles were just on the solid side of jelly.

"They're being overly cautious," Urahara replied. "You're doing better than anyone expected - even me, to be honest."

Rather than bask in that small amount of praise, Kaede's jaw tightened. She stopped walking. "Did you expect me to become a Shinigami at all? Or were you just giving me something to live for?"

Stopping a few steps ahead, Urahara turned to her with a furrowed brow. "Where's this coming from?"

"Would you just answer me, for once?" Kaede snapped. "Honestly? Was I ever going to be allowed to do more than learn a bunch of theory?"

"What gave you that idea?"

"Answer me!"

She didn't care that it was well past midnight and they might draw attention. She'd spent the last year with this festering inside of her, and with Sousuke's departure imminent, she was losing the one person who saw her as a person. Well, there was Hiyori, but the petite spitfire only knew a fraction of what Kaede was dealing with. Sousuke understood her as well as her situation. With him, she felt like she could start to see a real future for herself.

With Urahara, she only saw the bars of her cage.

Urahara met her wide eyes with his steady gray gaze. "I don't know the minds of Central 46; I can only look at the patterns in their responses. From what I can tell…they don't know what to do with you. They're old, Kaede, not just in age but in practice. They're stuck in their ways, and as frustrating as that can be, it is the system we live in. We can work within it, but it takes time. Trying to force them ahead will only make them push you back even farther."

Sousuke had said something similar to her, though more in terms of advice for how to present her case. He knew how people worked, and had been helping her prepare for this evening.

Not that it mattered now.

Kaede started to shake her head, but stopped when it throbbed deeply. She pressed against her temple with a hiss.

"What is it?" Urahara stepped toward her. "Did you hit your head during…?"

"I'm fine." She slapped his hand away and turned around. "I can get back on my own. There are enough stories about me already - I don't need to be seen sneaking back to the barracks with a grown man again."

She hoped the full implication hit him hard. She hoped that some part of him would feel even a little guilty over what she'd been made to endure over the years. Maybe it wasn't fair to place this much blame on Urahara, especially for the rumors and harassment in the Academy…but right now, she just didn't care.

Kisuke watched Kaede storm off with a worried frown. This wasn't like her. She'd never talked back so much before - not to the judges, not even to him. Where was she getting these ideas?

A face came to his mind - male, young, with glasses and a mop of wavy brown hair. She'd been spending a lot of time with that young man, Aizen Sousuke…

After first meeting the older student, Kisuke had tailed them a couple of times. They talked about books and scientific theory, occasionally sparred with each other - Kisuke was rather proud to see her wipe the floor with the older student in Hakuda, though he was still the superior swordsman. Kisuke had been concerned at first by how relatively at ease Kaede seemed with the boy; she wasn't one to open up quickly.

Maybe he was just being paranoid. All he saw from Aizen in their interactions was a kind, sympathetic young man who let her vent her frustrations and offered a few words of support. Kisuke had never gotten close enough to listen in, but his lip-reading skills were par none; there was nothing in the conversations he'd witnessed that alarmed him.

She had a friend now - he supposed he should be happy for her.

She wasn't wrong in her frustrations though, and that concerned him more. Central 46 was reluctant to allow her full access to her own power - they always had been. Kisuke thought he'd been able to offset any doubts in Kaede's mind over the years, but he supposed it was only a matter of time before her frustrations started boiling over. Back in the Nest, the Academy had still been a dream, a hope for the eventual future. Over the years, it had been built up in her mind as a promised paradise of sorts, a place where she could finally belong. Now, faced with the reality of it and of her restrictions…

"It really was just a matter of time," he mused aloud. "Wasn't it, Tessai?"

The tall, muscular captain of the Kido Corps uncloaked himself. He often tailed Kisuke after these check-ups, waiting until they were somewhere they could talk openly.

"She's still young," Tessai reminded him - an oft-spoken refrain of his. "Everyone has a rebellious phase."

Kisuke sighed. "She doesn't have that luxury. Better she take it out on me, though. My ego's not so easily bruised." He tore his eyes away from the empty yard and looked up at his mustachioed companion. "So? I'm guessing you have something to report?"

Tessai grunted in assent and lowered his voice. "The seals are weakening right on schedule. You're sure the judges haven't noticed anything yet?"

"Nope," he said as they started walking away from the Academy grounds. "Blind as bats, as erroneous as that simile is."

Tessai shook his head. "And to think, she's already figuring out how to work within the constraints…" A fond smile formed behind the mustache. "I saw the reports from her Kido instructor. The control it takes to do even the teen-level spells in her condition is immense!"

Kisuke's eyes lowered. "Always was a quick learner."

For a moment, he saw not the dark path at his feet, but a young girl with bright yet haunted eyes, a rare smile playing across her face as she took hold of a balloon animal without accidentally destroying it. She'd needed no seals to control herself back then, only time, patience, and a calm, guiding hand.

The seals had been Central 46's condition for staying her execution, not his; he'd just been lucky to have the connections and skills that ensured his inclusion in their creation and maintenance. If he hadn't just been made the head of the Detention Unit, if he hadn't had friends like Yoruichi and Tessai…his involvement in Kaede's life would have ended long ago.

Tessai's voice brought him back to the present. "You should tell her what you're up to. Give her some hope - she needs it right now."

Urahara's lips set into a thin line. He wanted to tell her, if only to ease her frustrations and make her more patient. But he'd made so many promises to her over the years, only to continually have to put them off or alter the terms…and if this didn't work out as he hoped, she'd have to withstand more than mere disappointment.

"No," he said after a moment. "Not until it's something worth hoping for. We need Central to see that she's not a danger, even with the seals weakened. Stick to the plan for now."

He knew without even looking at him that Tessai didn't like this. But the Kido Corps captain had known him since their childhood, and knew when Kisuke couldn't be swayed.

"You're playing with fire, Kisuke," Tessai warned. "Just remember: you're not the one in danger of being burned."

He didn't need reminding.

"Oy…oyyyy…."

Kaede groaned as she felt a foot nudging at her shoulder.

"You alive in there?" Hiyori demanded, rolling her over on the bedroll. "C'mon, you're the one who told me to get you up early today, no matter what state you were in."

With a moan, Kaede covered her eyes with the crook of her arm, wincing when she brushed a particularly tender part of her temple. "'S not time yet…"

"Yeah, it is," Hiyori insisted. "If you don't get up now, I'm gonna leave you there, and don't you dare come cryin' to me about missing the captains' stupid visit!"

She groaned again, pouting into her pillow. Maybe she just wouldn't go. Her head still hurt, and the events were pretty crowded. Even after three years, she didn't like being around so many people at once, especially outside the relative order of a classroom. Besides, she thought, recalling the events of the night before, it wasn't like she would ever get to participate.

But Sousuke was participating this year, and she wanted to be there to see it.

"Okay, okay, I'm getting up." To back up her claim, she pushed herself into a seated position. Her mouth felt like sandpaper. She gratefully took the cup of water that Hiyori shoved in front of her face and forced herself to drink it all in one go. "Okay, I'm up. You don't have to babysit me."

"Hmph!" Hiyori looked away, her arms crossed over her chest. "That's the thanks I get for haulin' your ass outta bed!"

Kaede cracked her stiff neck and tried to rub some feeling back into her arms. It would be a few hours before the captains started arriving, so they'd planned to have some breakfast and then go off somewhere to train for a bit.

"I hope they've got better food going already," Hiyori grumbled as they hurried across the grounds a few minutes later. "Don't they always pull out all the stops for the captains?"

"The captains don't eat with us peasants," Kaede reminded her, dismayed at how easily she was getting out of breath just from this light jog. The tests from the previous night had taken more out of her than she thought. "Come on, we'll take the short cut."

Hiyori glanced up at her, brows knitted. "You sure?"

"Yeah. It's fine."

The shortcut was around the back of the barracks, down a narrow path that was little more than an alleyway between buildings. Kaede had been avoiding it for months, for what were once blank walls now were covered with names.

The paper slips had continued for a while, popping up anywhere she was known to frequent. It was easy enough to discard them, even though Kaede had half a mind to keep them so she could check the names against an official list of known victims. But if she started doing that, she'd never stop.

Then the names stopped appearing as slips of paper, and started appearing as graffiti in the rarely-traveled alley between the barracks. It used to be a path Kaede took often, being secluded and away from crowds. Now she avoided it when she could, not wanting to run into anyone in the process of adding yet another name.

She gritted her teeth as they started down the alleyway, keeping her eyes straight ahead. The names themselves weren't the problem for her; it was that their presence, and the fact that they grew in number every time she passed, was a reminder that this was all people thought of her. She wasn't a person to them.

It was the fastest route though, so she'd put up with it.

A black-clad shinigami appeared at the other end of the alley, blocking their exit with crossed arms. He looked like he'd been expecting them. Kaede and Hiyori slid to a halt as more figures showed up behind him. Many were students, but black shihakusho were dotted throughout the quickly growing crowd. A quick glance behind them revealed more arrivals.

They were trapped - and going by the glares, this was no coincidental meeting.

Kaede silently cursed. How had she not noticed them until now? Even though she hadn't been paying attention, surely she should've picked up on some of their reiatsu! A light ache in her temple gave her the answer - she was still recovering from the previous night.

"Oy, what the hell's this about?" Hiyori demanded of the dozen or so glaring people.

"Back off, little girl," chided the shinigami in front. "This isn't about you."

"What did you just call me?!" Hiyori took an aggressive step toward the shinigami. "I ain't 'little' you-"

Kaede grabbed the back of her collar, holding her back from charging straight at the guy. He wasn't much older than the rest, probably a recent graduate - and his glare was focused entirely on her. "What do you want?"

The shinigami sneered at her. "What do I want? I want to know why a murderer was allowed into the Academy, instead of being strung up at Sokyoku Hill!"

"My uncle lost his leg 'cause he got trapped under a building you took down!"

"My friend's kid was crushed-"

Kaede grew pale as the voices grew in number, forming a cacophony of accusations. She wanted to shut them out, to remind herself that the accusations could be false, like the paper slips with the possibly fake names. Mostly, she wanted to get herself and Hiyori away from here. She'd seen enough riots in the Nest to know where this was heading, and they were grossly outnumbered.

Something hit her in the arm - just balled-up paper, probably another name, but it made her all too aware of how vulnerable they were as targets. Then another wad followed, and another. They had to get out of there before people found harder, sharper things to throw.

Kaede's pulse quickened as the crowd started closing in on them. They were packed too tightly; the only way out would be to make a path through them.

"Hey!" Hiyori batted away a crumpled paper aimed at her head. "Cut it out! She didn't mean to do any of it, so back the fuck off!"

"If you don't want to get caught up in this," taunted the shinigami as he stalked toward them, paper crunching under his sandals, "then you better get the fuck out of here, little girl."

"Let us through," Kaede commanded. Her voice was surprisingly even; already, she felt the calm, centered focus of combat washing over her. No. Don't escalate. "We don't want a fight."

"Speak for yourself," Hiyori grumbled under her breath. She reached for her sword's hilt - but Kaede was quick to stop her hand.

"It's time you answered for the three districts you destroyed and all the people in them," snarled the lead shinigami. "So don't think you're just walking away. We know you're neutered - no one here is afraid of you!"

"Oh, you are so dead," Hiyori hissed as the crowd jeered in assent.

"No," Kaede snapped at her. She addressed the crowd: "Fine. I said we don't want a fight, but if you have to have one with me…fine. Just no weapons."

Hiyori looked at her in surprise before a sly grin spread across her face. "Yeah," she called out. "Or are you cowards so scared o' fightin' a coupla girls that you need big sticks and swords?"

"No." Kaede stepped in front of Hiyori. "Not today. They're here for me, so I'll handle this."

"Aw, come on!" Hiyori huffed and crossed her arms. "Fine! But I ain't about to get kicked around either!"

Kaede took a step toward the shinigami; he and the crowd took a step back. "Well?" she asked, holding out her hands. "You said it - I'm 'neutered.'" Her lip curled at the word. "Not that I need reishi or weapons to deal with you."

The shinigami lunged forward with a growl, making to grab her collar. They always started from the front…She pivoted at the last second, using his momentum to throw him into the crowd. A few people caught him and pushed him back at her. He took on a fighting stance, but Kaede just stood and watched him with growing disgust.

A year or two ago, she'd have thought fighting wasn't the solution. But these people…they just didn't want to listen. They never had. It seemed that the only way to make them leave her the hell alone was to show them why they should.

Maybe things out here weren't so different from the Nest after all. Considering that after this, she might be going back there…she might as well get back in shape.

The shinigami was openly sweating now. The longer Kaede stood there - not moving, just staring at him - the more nervous he got. It was a simple psychological tactic, and it ensured that he'd make the next move.

He struck; she redirected. He jabbed with his other hand, trying to exploit an opening - she'd expected it, knocking the hand away and kicking him in his exposed center.

Another person came at her from behind while the shinigami got back up; now it was two on one. Kaede ducked and pivoted around their strikes, delivering blows of her own to each.

She was done - done with the taunts, done with the constant reminders of how she was a freak, a murderer, a fraud, a whore - whatever the insult of the week happened to be. She didn't care that fighting with people who outranked her would get her into trouble, or that this might get back to Central 46 and hurt any chance she had at a future.

She just didn't care. Why should she? She had no real future.

Others in the crowd came at her. In this narrow alley, there wasn't room for a proper ambush; their mistake. She took them out one and two at a time until the only ones left were tripping over their comrades.

Her movements grew more ferocious as the ambush continued. It wasn't enough to deflect and redirect anymore; she twisted limbs out of place, crushed joints, splintered bones. She wasn't supposed to graduate. She wasn't supposed to become a Shinigami at all. So why should she care about any of these people anymore? Why let them stomp on her, belittle her, degrade her?

She was running out of breath, but no end was in sight. Arms encircled her neck, trying to put her in a lock; she went for the person's face, clawing at eyes before throwing them over her shoulder into another would-be attacker. She was too slow for the next strike - pain bloomed in her side. Peripherally, she noticed Hiyori kick another pair of attackers away from her; she mentally thanked her before catching a punch aimed for her face, then connecting the other person's face with her knee.

Then her body stiffened.

Kaede had just enough time to think, No, please - before the searing, white-hot pain of the Failsafe enveloped her. Her body fell to the ground and seized. She was vaguely aware that she was being kicked and stomped on, but all that was secondary as the Failsafe reached into every crevice of her body, igniting every nerve ending and making her want to tear out her own organs if it meant a little relief. She couldn't move, couldn't defend herself, couldn't think except to beg for it to stop -

"BUTCHER THEM, KUBIKIRI OROCHI!"

The pain stopped. Kaede heard the ring of metal above her and was just able to crack her eyes open.

A long, thick, serrated blade hovered over her prone body, protecting her. But who…?

Her eyes followed the blade to its hilt, to the small, pale hand that gripped it. Hiyori's hand.

"Hey," yelled one of the ambushers, "you said no weapons!"

Hiyori sneered at the crowd, her crooked canine making her expression feral. "You fuckers broke the rules first! It was supposed to be hand to hand only! That-" She pointed to Kaede's prone form - "wasn't any kinda fucking Hakuda I've ever seen! So who was it?! Who set that off?!"

She swept the blade across, forcing the attackers to jump back. Her sword was easily bigger than she was, yet she handled it with ease.

The shinigami who'd started it all stared back with widened eyes, his face twisting in rage and frustration. "You…!"

His hand flew to his Zanpakuto. Kaede's eyes went wide when she felt his reiatsu stirring. She tried to find her voice to warn Hiyori that he was going to release his sword -

"Yeah, you might wanna rethink that plan."

A slim hand landed on the shinigami's shoulder. All around them, the rest of the crowd gasped and backed away - for they'd seen the white haori of the captain who'd just appeared in their midst.

"H-Hirako-taichou!" sputtered the shinigami. "S-sir, these two - they started it, we were just-"

"Oh?" The captain tilted his head, causing his pin-straight blond hair to fall limply around his shoulders. "These two…third-years, I take it? That you bunch o' uppers and actual Shinigami have outnumbered?"

"It's not like that, sir!" the shinigami protested. He pointed at Kaede. "That one, she's-"

"Hey, hey," Hirako-taichou interrupted him with a bored click of his tongue. "It ain't polite to point at someone like that."

"She's dangerous! We were just-"

"Just what?" The captain slid his hands into his pockets and slouched toward the two girls. "Ganging up on her? Turning a hand-to-hand fight into a Kido brawl? From what I saw, you all stopped playin' fair because you were gettin' your butts beat by a coupla third-year girls."

He gave the crowd a sly, toothy grin. "Is that how you want the other captains to see it? I'll admit, this is my first of these shindigs, but as I understand it, you're all supposed to be tryin' to impress us. The only impressive thing I see here is some amazing Hakuda skills that forced a whole crowd to escalate to Kido. Oh-" He glanced at Hiyori, who was positively seething at him. "And a third-year with Shikai, apparently."

Hiyori burst like an overripe tomato. Planting her giant zanpakuto in the ground, she used it like a vaulting pole to send a whirling kick straight at the captain's face. "What the FUCK are you doin' here, Shinji?! Why the fuck are you wearin' that captain's robe?!"

"Hey, hey! Stop, you're makin' me look bad in front o'-"

"Like I give a shit how you look! Why are you here?!"

Hirako Shinji took advantage of the brief pause in her attacks to straighten his haori. "Isn't it obvious? I'm a captain now, idiot. I'm supposed to be here."

Hiyori's eyes turned to saucers. "What?! How the fuck did a dumbass like YOU become Captain?!"

Around them, the crowd of attackers either looked on in utter confusion or took the opportunity to escape. Kaede shakily pushed herself off the ground.

Shinji's slim hand came under her arm to help her up. "You okay there?"

"Yeah," she rasped, brushing off her uniform. "Um…thanks."

Shinji took one of her hands in his own, making her stiffen. He peered at her with a bland expression, lips parted to reveal his prominent upper teeth.

"Are you sure?" he asked her, taking a step closer. "That you aren't hurt?"

"Yeah, no, I'm fine…"

"Because I can't help but imagine the pain…" He lifted her hand toward his lips. "…of falling from heaven."

Hiyori's sandaled foot landed squarely on his cheek and sent him flying into a wall. The stone cracked around him, leaving a Shinji-shaped indentation when he limply slid to the ground.

"Stop bein' such a creep, Shinji!" Hiyori yelled, pointing her cleaver at him. "She ain't interested!"

Shinji groaned and brought his hand to his thoroughly bruised face. "Owww…why don't you let her speak for herself, idiot?!"

"I'm not interested," Kaede said simply, eyes darting between the two blonds.

Shinji slumped back against the wall, his gaze toward the sky. "And there goes my first love…"

Kaede nudged Hiyori. "Um…who is this guy?"

"His name's Shinji," Hiyori said, lip curling as she glared down at him. "We're from the same district, but how that dumbass got his hands on a captain's haori is beyond me!"

"I got it," Shinji said, standing up and brushing off the garment, "by being promoted to captain, dumbass."

"No way. They'd never let you be a captain, Baldy!"

"Well, they did, so now who's the idiot?"

"What're you even doing here?!"

"I'm a captain," he shrugged. "There's a captain thing goin' on."

"I know that!" She jabbed a finger at the ground. "What are you doing here, right now?!"

"I was looking for you, dummy." Shinji scratched his cheek. "It's been a while. Thought I'd come see how my dear friend Hiyori was doing."

"Bullshit," Hiyori spat. "You wanted to show off that stupid haori!"

"Think what you will," Shinji said breezily. "Anyway, I couldn't find you at first, but this one student told me where you might be. Seems to know you two pretty well."

Kaede perked up. A student who knew them well… "Sousuke - I mean, Aizen Sousuke?"

"Didn't get his name. Polite, though." A gong sounded across the Academy grounds, making Shinji groan. "Ugh…time to go be professional. You two have fun. Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

"More like don't do anything he would do," Hiyori grumbled as the lanky blond man slouched away.

Kaede's shoulders slumped as she realized that now that a captain had been involved, this whole incident was definitely getting back to Central 46. Even if she wasn't "supposed" to become a real Shinigami, she didn't want to leave the Academy. Not yet. Not when the only alternative was probably returning to the Nest.

"Hey, you in there?" Hiyori was jumping in front of her, waving a hand in her face. "Oy! Soul Society to Kaede! Come in!"

"Sorry," Kaede murmured. "Hey…when'd you get Shikai? You never told me about that!"

"What, a girl can't have her secrets?" Despite her words, Hiyori grinned like a well-fed cat, swinging the blade up to rest on her shoulder. "Pretty cool though, huh? 'Course, now that everyone's probably gonna know, I'm gonna be stuck in a different class…ugh, I don't wanna do more work!"

Kaede shook her head with a small smile. Typical Hiyori - she would keep quiet about something if it meant avoiding extra responsibility.

"I can't believe someone actually used that stupid seal on you, though," Hiyori continued, her face twisting in disgust. "Fuckin' cowards! Though that's obvious, I mean, a whole crowd against two innocent young ladies? That's utter bullshit already! They just couldn't handle that they were getting their asses beat!"

She stopped when she realized Kaede wasn't sharing in her post-combat glee. On the contrary: Kaede had gone pale, frozen in place as a dreadful suspicion formed in her mind.

"Hiyori…did you see who triggered the Failsafe?"

"No, I was too busy kickin' ass," Hiyori replied. "What does it matter? Whoever it was was just a yellow-bellied asshole-"

"There weren't any teachers in the crowd," Kaede interrupted, her mind frantically trying to recall the faces of the ambushers. "Were there?"

Hiyori blinked and thought for a moment. "No…I don't think so…I mean, they'd be pretty big hypocrites if they were, beatin' on a coupla students…"

Kaede felt dizzy. Back in the Nest, the only people who knew the Failsafe's trigger were a select few guards, vetted personally by Urahara to ensure that they wouldn't use it for anything less than a true emergency. He'd wanted to prevent something like this from happening. She wasn't thrilled with the man, but she at least trusted him on that.

But every instructor at the Academy knew the trigger, regardless of how they felt about Kaede - and she knew all too well that many of them still resented her very presence. It was in their poorly veiled expressions, in the blind eyes they turned to open harassment in the halls and classrooms.

They weren't supposed to share the trigger with anyone - but she had the sinking feeling that the instructors didn't always do as they were told.

Kaede had to lean back against the name-covered wall. She tried not to panic, tried to breathe normally and not spiral into hysteria. "Hiyori…I think someone leaked the Failsafe trigger. I don't even know it, but every teacher here does. If there weren't any teachers around…"

Hiyori's nut-brown eyes widened in realization. "Son of a bitch…you think an instructor has it out for you?"

"Most people do." She tried to sound light-hearted, but it came out as tremulous.

"Who the hell would do that?!" Hiyori scowled. "Whaddya wanna bet it was Honda-sensei? He's the only one who's used it on you, right? An' he got in trouble for it!"

"It doesn't matter who leaked it," Kaede said shakily. "It matters who they told…how many people they told…"

She slid to the ground, curling into herself as she imagined the white-hot spikes and currents coursing through her body. The most she'd ever had to endure was a few minutes at a time during some check-ups, and that was enough to leave her a delirious, twitching mess. The idea that someone, anyone could now trigger it and just leave her like that for however long they wanted…That could happen anytime now, anywhere, for no reason at all other than she was the "freak" and she didn't know who it would be but so many people hated her-

"Hey," Hiyori said softly as Kaede started hyperventilating. "Hey, it's okay…we'll find the bastard and-"

"You don't get it," Kaede gasped out. "That seal…I-I can't…"

"Hey!" Hiyori shook her shoulders hard. "Look at me. No one's gettin' away with that again, you hear? The second anyone tries that with you, I'm gonna chop 'em into mince meat. We're a package deal, so if they wanna mess with you, they're gonna have to mess with me!"

Kaede looked into Hiyori's freckled face in awe. It didn't matter that they'd known each other almost two years now, nor that this wasn't the first time Hiyori had stood up for her in one way or other. It still took her breath away that someone was on her side.

She wasn't alone in this - not anymore.

Kaede latched onto Hiyori's steady, reliable stream of rage, letting it override her own panic and give her strength. She wasn't alone. She didn't have to be alone.

Seeing her breathing normally again, Hiyori gave her a sly grin. "Now c'mon, don't give those assholes the satisfaction o' thinking they scared you off. We still gotta go root for you boyfriend, right?"

Kaede's eyes widened. "He's not my - that's not-"

Hiyori snickered and started walking backwards out of the alleyway. "Riiiiight. Well, I guess I'll just go an' cheer him on for ya, then. Let's see…how's this? 'Kaede-chan loves Sousuke-kun!'"

Kaede chased after her. "Don't you dare!"

"'Sousuke-kun, do you best and I'll give you a big ol' smooch-'"

"Shut up!"

Hiyori just laughed and darted out of her reach. "Well, better catch up quick, or I'm gonna let a whole bunch o' these loose!"

Kaede chased her from the alleyway into the more populated central courtyard, barely noticing the people around them. Besides, Hiyori was right: she wasn't going to give those assholes the satisfaction of scaring her off. Not now, not ever - not when she had someone on her side.

Not just one person, either; there was Sousuke, too. The whole Academy, hell, all of the Seireitei could want her dead or worse, but as long as she had Hiyori and Sousuke on her side…she'd get by.

Present Day

Hiyori's cero blast came straight at her. For a split second, Kaede contemplated letting it hit - just closing her eyes and accepting oblivion. Instinct had her raising her scabbard, focusing the power sealed within it to diffuse the blast, letting the energy rush around her rather than through her.

When it was over, she lowered her sheathed sword, her heart aching as she held Hiyori's malicious gaze. She hadn't expected a cero, but…maybe she deserved it. "I told you…I'm not going to fight you."

"So why'd you come here?" Shinji called down from the rafters. "You snuck in and everything. You have something to say after a hundred years?"

Her head dipped down. "No."

Nothing she could say now would make a difference. They didn't want to hear from her, and she couldn't blame them. Why…why had she come here?

"You might got nothin' to say," Hiyori's mask-distorted voice growled. "But I just got one thing."

Bright red spirit energy radiated off of her petite form, the pure, unadulterated hatred rolling off in waves.

"Butcher her, Kubi-"

In a blink, Shinji was at the girl's side with a hand on the hilt of her sword. Hiyori cried out in rage and ripped away her mask.

"What the fuck, Shinji?! You want me to kill you, too?!"

Despite her words, the virulent energy around her dispersed; her Zanpakuto remained unreleased. Kaede wasn't sure if she was relieved or disappointed.

Shinji turned his dead-eyed stare on Kaede. "If you got nothin' to say, you better go. Don't try to infiltrate this place again."

For a moment, Kaede stayed where she was, her eyes locked on Hiyori - though the petite blond had stubbornly turned away from her, her Zanpakuto still clutched tightly in her hand. Part of her wanted to beg Hiyori to look at her, talk to her, hear her out…but it wouldn't matter.

Nothing she could say or do now would change what had happened.

Her head dipped down as her eyes began to sting. Her lips formed the words, though her voice refused to carry them any further than her mind.

I'm so sorry…

So….

Oh hi Shinji! Fancy seeing you in this story. He and Hiyori in the same scene are SOOOO much fun to write. Perfect way to break the spiraling tension in this chapter. Oh, and Urahara is up to something, as per usual…

Next time: Draw Back the Veil. Back in the past, Kaede and Hiyori face unexpected consequences for the brawl…and Kaede discovers something about Sousuke that he hadn't intended to be known. And yes, MORE canon characters make appearances…including two more captains and a vice-captain…and another guy…just read it next week, 'kay?

Stay Tuned! Comments always appreciated :)