Present Day
Over the few days following her talk with Shinji, Kaede wandered aimlessly around Karakura Town, trying to get ahold of her thoughts. Every time she tried to make a decision, she felt herself come up against a block, as though her own mind was trying to protect her from the pain to come.
So, she distracted herself. Sometimes she simply watched the residents of the town from the warmth of a tea shop or the shade of a fiery maple tree; more often, she found herself drawn to the daily lives of the human teenagers Kisuke had taken such interest in.
Yasutora Sado, or "Chad" as he seemed to be called by his friends, was an interesting case. Kaede's senses told her he was definitely human, but there was something off about his reiatsu. It was strong for a human's, but the nature of that strength wasn't just the usual High-Spec type. Those sorts of people, she'd noticed over the years, tended to have heightened awareness, a connection to the spiritual world that let them see or understand it more than the average human.
Chad, however, had a feeling of otherness about him, a faint tinge of instability that had been agitated into power. She'd seen it before in rare cases around the world: people who were "touched by the divine" or "possessed by spirits," people who bore supernatural powers that didn't quite fall into the usual "High Spec" category. They were called witches, or shamans, or in some cases, priests and priestesses, depending on their culture. Even then, it was rare that she found people with tangible abilities, and in every case, those abilities were unique to the individual.
She'd taken an interest in such people over the last century because they reminded her of, well, herself - or rather, of what she might have been before the Catastrophe. If she'd been a human who died, perhaps she'd been like these special people. Maybe, by learning more about them, she'd learn more about herself.
It hadn't panned out yet. Pretty much all of the people she'd found that were like Chad and Orihime had abilities that were bound to a specific object or person, sometimes even a body part. Perhaps that was not unlike a Shinigami's Zanpakuto, but her raw power hadn't been linked to any particular object that she knew of. Even after she awakened her Zanpakuto, there was always something about her natural power that felt…different from her Shinigami abilities, separate almost.
It seemed like Chad was definitely one of those types, though - and he was set on fighting in the upcoming battle. Not two days after the fight she'd witnessed with the Arrancar, Chad went to Kisuke's shop and begged to be trained.
He wasn't the only one with curious powers among Ichigo's friends. Inoue Orihime was another, similar in how her powers manifested but vastly different in how they worked. Kaede had only caught a glimpse of her healing abilities before fleeing the battle scene days ago, but given how perfect Kuchiki Rukia's health seemed now, it was clear that Orihime was no ordinary healer.
Today, she was lurking outside the Visored's hideout. She'd found herself drawn here a few times in the past few days, though out of respect for the masked warriors' very clear wishes, she hadn't tried to get past their barriers.
It seemed she wasn't the only one drawn here. Around mid-afternoon, Orihime showed up as well. Kaede watched from the shadows as the auburn-haired teen surveyed the abandoned warehouse, paying attention to animals that circumvented the invisible barrier.
Then, as Kaede watched in astonishment, she reached out and touched the barrier.
Kaede sharpened her senses on the teen, analyzing what she was seeing: She was quite certain that Tessai's old assistant and fellow Kido master, Hachi, was behind this barrier. Orihime's reiatsu probed gently at it, seemingly by pure instinct - and then her fingers went straight through. She was actually dismantling it. No, that wasn't quite right - she was…negating it? To Kaede's senses it seemed like the barrier simply ceased to exist around the teen's hand.
A chill ran down Kaede's spine - because that feeling was familiar to her. Absolute negation, or perhaps "rejection" was a better word for it…Orihime had, seemingly by instinct, found the Kido barrier and cancelled it out entirely, if only in this one spot. If one applied this logic to a healing factor, then perhaps Orihime wasn't just fixing wounds; she was changing the very existence of those wounds, reverting or even creating a whole new reality where they never existed in the first place.
As Orihime disappeared into the Visored's barrier, something tingled at the edge of Kaede's nerves. She leaped to her feet and brought up her arms, crossing them defensively just in time to block a kick that would have broken a lesser creature's skull. On instinct, Kaede grabbed the attacker's ankle and twisted, trying to bring them to the ground - but they used the momentum to lash out with their other foot, forcing her back on the defensive.
The figure landed and swept their leg to knock Kaede over, but she jumped, flipping backward to gain some distance and avoid a followup attack.
"Not bad," the figure praised, their golden eyes glowing in the shadowy alleyway like a predator's. "Seems you haven't gotten too rusty."
"I haven't been completely idle," Kaede replied, relaxing only a little. "Why the sneak attack? You spend so much time as a cat that you forgot basic human manners?"
Shihoin Yoruichi grinned, her pearly white teeth stark against her rich brown skin. "Oh, c'mon - it's nostalgic! We used to do this all the time!"
"Yeah, and I hated it back then, too."
"Could've fooled me," Yoruichi retorted. "Was it really so bad?"
Kaede wasn't sure if she was referring to a specific part of her time in Soul Society, or to the entirety, but she didn't really want to think about any of it. Instead, she deflected. "You say that like I'm the only one who left Soul Society. Last I checked, you did, too."
"In a desperate situation where the entire system was being manipulated against people I care about," Yoruichi pointed out, her tone turning steely. "For the sake of both them and Soul Society itself, yes, I left. But I haven't turned my back on either."
Kaede sneered, her patience for being blamed and berated wearing thin. "How noble of you. The head of the great Shihoin Clan, born with every possible privilege, still bends over backwards to protect a corrupt system built on lies."
"Never said it was perfect," Yoruichi replied, unruffled by the acid in her words. "Not even back then. But there's more at stake than you, or me, or any of us who've had to deal with its corruption. You know that."
Kaede opened her mouth to protest, only to be rendered speechless by her own impulse. Even now, her first instinct was to defend his plans, to try and explain away the destruction he'd cause as "necessary" for much-needed change.
How easily she'd fallen back into old patterns.
"What do you want from me?" she demanded instead. "You want me to say, 'fine,' that I'll fight and kill for you again? That I'll just waltz right back into plain view when I gave everything to get away from all of this?!"
In the lengthy pause that followed, Yoruichi's eyes softened slightly, sympathy swimming in their golden depths. Kaede had to look away, unable to stand what she saw.
"We know what he did to you," Yoruichi said quietly. "Kisuke, Tessai, and I…we know. And none of us is asking you to go back or give up your independence; we will fight for you if it comes to that. We always have."
Kaede's breath went shallow, bile rising in her throat. They didn't know the whole truth, but that wasn't really the point.
"What I'm asking," Yoruichi continued, "is for you to be Sorano Kaede again."
"Yeah? And who is that, exactly?" she snapped, her lip curling into a snarl. She embraced the seething rage once more, using it as her shield. "No, really - please, tell me who and what I am, because that is what I've missed this past century!"
Yoruichi stepped up until she was mere inches from her, seeming to loom over Kaede despite her shorter stature. "Someone who gives a damn about more than just herself."
Kaede wanted to scream at her - what the hell did Yoruichi think she'd been doing for the last hundred years?! Did she think it was some big vacation?! She'd helped more souls over the past ten decades than she had in several centuries in Soul Society. It would never wash away the blood on her hands, but at least she'd saved a few lives for once!
She said none of that. Even after all this time, something in the corner of her mind whispered to her to be careful of what she said around people like Yoruichi, or anyone who was sympathetic to Soul Society. That they couldn't be trusted and would use anything she said or did against her. After all, a good deal of the blood that stained her hands had been spilled on Soul Society's orders…orders that had come through her former captain.
And there was another, even quieter voice which whispered that Yoruichi was right. That she was just being selfish. What was her pain compared with the fate of the three worlds? What was her fear and trauma compared to the despair and anguish countless people would go through for him to rise to the top?
"I do care," she said in a shaky whisper. "I always cared. Because of that, he could…" She swallowed. "You don't want Sorano Kaede. That person hated Soul Society, but didn't have the conviction to watch it burn. That person let themselves be defined and used by others, and adopted another person's will instead of developing her own."
"Aizen fooled a lot of people-"
Kaede shook her head. "You don't get it, do you? You all think I was duped or something. Thing is, I always knew what he was. I knew he saw people as tools to use and discard, I knew that his very ideas were treason in Soul Society's eyes. But you know what? I agreed with him, and in some ways, I still do. I was naive about a lot of things, but the only illusion I was under was thinking that he saw us as equals."
"If you agree with him so much, then why'd you turn on him?"
Kaede's heart thumped hard in her chest. She could just say that it was the right thing to do, but even a vague answer like that would dredge up everything she'd been carefully avoiding this whole trip.
Yoruichi sighed. "Look, Kisuke actually sent me to find you. Thought you should know that we have some new information from Soul Society about what Aizen's planning to do next. That's probably why Orihime came here - to clue Ichigo in."
"You sure you didn't just find what he wanted you to find?"
"You tell me," Yoruichi retorted. "Based on his research, it seems he's going to try and create a copy of the Ouken."
Her stomach sank with dread. There was only one reason for wanting to make a copy of the "king's key." "How?"
"By sacrificing a hundred-thousand living souls in a Jureichi with a radius of one spirit mile."
Kaede's head snapped around, her breath catching. She knew he wasn't above sacrificing Shinigami and Hollows, but these were regular humans! This conflict could ultimately affect their afterlives, but to bring it into their current lives…
You care so much…pathetic…
She clenched her teeth hard, biting the inside of her cheek to force herself to stay in the present. "Where's the current Jureichi?"
"As it so happens, right here - Karakura Town."
"Of course it is," Kaede muttered under her breath. This wasn't a diversionary tactic; either he'd gotten sloppy, leaving traces of research behind, or he was so confident in succeeding that he didn't care if Soul Society knew or not. "So he's going to use the Hogyoku to transform the energy of those souls into a copy of the Ouken…and I'm guessing the plan is to stop him when he comes to the Human World to do that."
"Pretty much. Kisuke's already working with Soul Society on a plan to keep the town safe."
That was good. Kaede had more faith in Kisuke coming up with a viable plan than anyone else. If nothing else, he wouldn't let himself be so utterly outmaneuvered again. And now that Soul Society presumably had all of his intel on both the enemy and the Hogyoku, they'd hardly be going in blind.
But were they really covering all possible bases? And how were they planning to deal with the Hogyoku itself?
"Does Kisuke know about Inoue's powers?" Kaede asked, thinking about what she'd seen the teen girl do moments before.
"Of course he does. We both do. I helped train her in the first place."
"Does he know?"
Yoruichi's eyes narrowed. "Would that be a problem?"
"Does he?"
"Probably," she admitted. "Orihime was pretty involved when the first two Arrancar showed up. One of them was dumb as bricks, but the other…it's safe to say he reported back to Aizen about what he saw."
"And what did he see?"
"Orihime restoring Chad's arm."
"Healing him?"
"No," Yoruichi clarified. "Restoring it. As in, Chad's arm was gone, and she reversed that."
So it was as Kaede had thought. "You need to keep an eye on her. There's no way he won't find her…interesting."
"Like he found you 'interesting?'"
A sour taste entered Kaede's mouth. "Maybe."
Yoruichi sighed. "Talk to Kisuke. If there's something we need to be on the lookout for regarding Aizen, he's the one you need to tell. I'm not going to keep playing messenger between you two."
Kaede wasn't looking forward to talking to Kisuke just yet. He would want to know where she stood, and she just…didn't know.
She left Yoruichi at the warehouse to try and figure out what to do next. Hiyori and the others…they were going to fight, risking their lives and freedom to get back at the person who took everything from them. Back in their Academy days, knowing Hiyori was going in would have been all Kaede needed.
But the second she started considering seeing him again…she froze up. Every muscle fiber in her body screamed at her to run and keep hiding, that anything would be better than facing him and everything he reminded her of.
So why couldn't she make herself leave?
She'd talk to Kisuke, Kaede decided. She might not have an answer for him, but she'd at least make sure he knew to keep an eye on Orihime, maybe get an idea of what his plan was for the upcoming conflict. Perhaps then she'd have the information she needed to make a goddamn decision.
She was at the door of Kisuke's shop just as the sky turned dark, hand poised to knock, when the door burst open from the other side. The person who'd opened it gasped, nearly barreling into Kaede.
"I-I'm sorry," the person stammered, her large gray eyes cast pointedly downward. "E-excuse me…"
Kaede stepped aside as the girl rushed past, but called out before she could stop herself. "Inoue Orihime?"
The girl stopped and turned around, her eyes widening in recognition. "Y-you…you're the one from that night…"
Orihime's voice was tremulous, her lower lip shaking a bit. Kaede took a tentative step toward her. "Are you okay?"
Orihime stared at her, seeming at a loss for words. Then her eyes filled with tears and she started sobbing.
Kaede was shocked. What the hell had just happened to make the poor girl cry? "Hey…it's okay…um…here…"
As soon as she was within reach of the teen, Orihime flung herself at Kaede, clinging to her jacket and shaking with sobs. After a few stunned seconds, Kaede hesitantly put her arms around her.
"I'm sorry," Orihime stammered when she'd gotten the worst of it out. She backed away and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "I-I didn't mean to do this…I don't even know you…"
"It's okay," Kaede said with a kind smile, her heart melting a bit. She took a handkerchief from her jacket pocket. "Here…"
"Thank you…" Orihime blotted her eyes some more and blew her nose. "Thank you, um…I don't even know your name…"
"Kaede," she supplied. "Sorano Kaede. I'm…I know Kisuke. Were you here to see him?"
Orihime nodded, her face scrunching up just before the floodworks opened back up. Kaede rubbed her shoulder. "What is it?"
In halting phrases, Orihime relayed what Kisuke had apparently just told her: that she was to stay out of the upcoming conflict. That without an offensive ability, she'd be a burden to everyone else, and that even her healing and defensive abilities wouldn't be of use.
Kaede sighed. "Yeah, sounds like Kisuke. He has the bedside manner of an irate skunk."
That at least drew a watery, though brief, smile from the teen. "I'm not mad at him…I know he's right. I just…I don't like feeling so helpless and useless while all my friends put their lives on the line…" She started to choke up again.
Kaede's heart clenched hard. She remembered what it was like to feel that way, though it had been centuries since she'd had reason to. But Orihime was a young, human girl - far less sturdy than a Shinigami or Hollow, even with powers of her own.
"He's right that you shouldn't be involved," Kaede said softly. "You're human. You have such a short time as it is…why do you want to be involved in a war like this?"
"Because my friends are involved," Orihime answered without hesitation, her voice steadying. "I want to do everything I can to help them. It doesn't matter to me if it's a war or whatever else, if it's important to them, it's important to me. And I don't want anyone else in Karakura Town hurt either, not when I can do something about it - except…"
"Except there isn't much for you to do," Kaede stated bluntly, more a summary of what the teen had already told her - and a memory of a time when the same was true for herself. She remembered waiting at the Academy gates for news of Hiyori's state after their first fight with a Hollow, that unbearable feeling of wanting to act and having no means to do so.
"I know the feeling," she told the teen. "Tell me…if there was something you could do to help, would you? Even if it scared you?"
"Of course!" Orihime perked up, resolve making her eyes shine. "It doesn't matter if it scares me! What matters is it's something I can do!"
Kaede closed her eyes, shame threatening to swallow her whole. This whole time, she'd been waffling over whether she'd actually be able to help, whether she was really strong enough to do this…it had never been a question of power. She knew her power would be helpful; it was her personal strength and resolve she doubted.
Yet here was a teenage, Human girl who had all the resolve in the world and only lacked the power to act on it.
Kaede had power. As for the resolve…if this human girl could find the courage to fight, knowing she might not be able to do much, then Kaede could manufacture the will to do what she could.
"Inoue-san," Kaede began. The girl sniffed and looked inquiringly at her. "You should keep training. Work on your defensive and healing abilities. Even if you're not in the battle itself, you'll be needed. Be ready for that."
Orihime nodded once, her eyes still dewy but her face set in determination. "I will. Thank you for listening, Sorano-san. Oh…" She folded the used handkerchief in her lap. "Um…I should wash this before giving it back to you! Will I see you at Urahara-san's shop again soon?"
"Yes," Kaede answered quietly. "You will."
After Orihime left for home, Kaede closed her eyes, once again fighting her instinct to flee. The last thing she wanted to do was to see him ever again - not so much from fear of what he might do to her, but of who she was around him…who she might still be.
One hundred-thousand lives, she told herself. Focus on that. That number made things simple: He wanted to extinguish a hundred-thousand lives. It didn't matter why he wanted to do so, it was wrong. The people in this town, people she'd been watching during the past week, a few of whom she'd even met now…they didn't deserve that. No one did.
Hiyori's face flashed in her mind, along with those of the other Visored. They were going to fight, risking their freedom as well as their lives to do so. Then there were those human kids: Kurosaki Ichigo, Inoue Orihime, Yasutora Sado, Ishida Uryu. They had their entire futures ahead of them, yet they were choosing to risk it all to fight a force they had little hope of overcoming.
She was out of excuses - and really, the ones she had in the first place had been meaningless. She was scared, but that was no reason to keep running - not when a group of actual children showed more courage than she felt capable of.
The door to the shop opened, casting a dim, warm glow on the pavement outside. Kaede didn't have to look up to know who stood at the entrance. "Were you listening?"
"Not really," Kisuke replied. "I'm told eavesdropping is rude."
"Like that ever stopped you."
"Or you, if we're being honest." Kisuke leaned on Benihime. "So…what's your plan?"
"I'll stay," Kaede said, though her voice cracked as she spoke. "I'll clean up my mess."
Was that relief she saw flicker across Kisuke's face? It was hard to tell with the shadow cast by his hat brim. "It's not just your mess. We'll figure this out together - you're not in this alone, Kaede."
He turned to leave. "Come by the shop tomorrow around, say, nine. We'll get started then."
The back room of the Urahara Shop was not meant to be this crowded. Six Shinigami, three ex-Shinigami, and two humans squeezed in around the low table. Kisuke stood back near the door, observing everyone from the shadow of his hat: Renji and Chad, who'd already been here, each started out with a coveted seat around the table, though Chad had given his up to Orihime when she arrived with Captain Hitsugaya and Matsumoto Rangiku. Rukia leaned back against a wall near Yoruichi. Ikkaku seemed to be trying to take up as much space as he could, sitting cross-legged, hands on his knees, elbows splayed. Ichigo, Kisuke knew, was deep into his training with the Visored across town; he wouldn't be joining them for this.
However, there was one other person noticeably absent - at least, noticeable to Kisuke. Would she actually show? He didn't want to doubt her word, but he knew better than most why she'd run away in the first place. Having to face what happened…he almost couldn't blame her if she did decide to stay out of all this.
Almost.
"So what's the big idea, callin' all of us here, anyway?" Ikkaku complained after a few minutes of awkward silence. "We were trainin'!"
"You were emptying our host's refrigerator," Yumichika corrected, kneeling primly at Ikkaku's side. "I don't think the Captain would consider that to be 'training.'"
"I was gettin' ready to train! A man needs fuel to fight!"
"I apologize for not preparing any snacks," Tessai said as he deftly navigated the packed room with a tea tray. "I believe we have some rice crackers, if that would suffice."
"This isn't a party," Hitsugaya said from the head of the table. His young brow twitched in agitation at his comrades' behavior. "I assume we're here to discuss important matters regarding Aizen."
Kisuke snapped his fan shut, the sharp click enough to interrupt the young captain's speech. His lips stretched into a smile. "Just a moment, Hitsugaya-kun. Tessai, would you mind getting one more cup? We have another guest."
For a second, Tessai's brow furrowed in confusion - but then he relaxed, having finally noticed what Kisuke had known from the start. Beneath his thick mustache, a small, grateful smile appeared. "I see…I'll fetch another cup."
Around the room, eyebrows rose and heads turned to find who he was talking about. Yoruichi, however, wore an amused smirk. "Honestly, I'm surprised no one in here noticed you sooner."
"I'm not that out of practice."
The feminine voice came from just behind Ikkaku and Yumichika, both of whom jumped in alarm. All eyes snapped to the dark-haired woman leaning casually against the wall.
"What the-" Ikkaku whirled around, one hand pointing accusingly at the woman while the other went straight for his Zanpakuto. "Where the hell did she come from?! Who are you?! How long've you been standing there?! Answer me now or I'll-"
"A Division 11 member who asks questions first?" she mused, unmoved by Ikkaku's glaring and spitting. "That's new."
Ikkaku wasn't the only one ready to strike at her; Renji had also half-risen, and Rangiku had her eyes narrowed on the stranger as her hand floated near her own sword's hilt. Even Chad, though he'd barely moved, was visibly tense. Kisuke couldn't help an amused grin as the woman surveyed the room, acting like she'd been there the whole time.
"I bet you're so proud right now," Yoruichi stage-whispered to him.
Proud? Maybe. Relieved that she showed up? Definitely.
"Calm down!" Hitsugaya barked. "If she were an enemy, Urahara-san and Yoruichi-san wouldn't be so relaxed." He narrowed his cold eyes at the woman. "You have a Zanpakuto…so either you're a Shinigami, or - less likely - an Arrancar. Which is it?"
Yes, Kaede, Kisuke silently urged. How will you answer?
Her face remained carefully impassive. "Neither."
Fair enough. Kisuke decided it was a good time to step in. The fact that Kaede was here at all in a room filled with Shinigami of her own volition was enough. "No need to fret, she's an old friend! Now, since that takes care of the 'who'-"
"It really doesn't," Hitsugaya grumbled.
"-the next question is…" He fixed his former charge with a piercing stare. "Why?"
To anyone else, her demeanor probably seemed unchanged from her initial mild disinterest. But Kisuke saw the subtle signs they wouldn't know to look for: how shallow her breathing was, the careful effort behind that static expression, the slight contraction of her pupils. Her hesitation in answering wasn't due to her thinking over how to answer; she already knew her answer. But he needed her to say it out loud.
"I'm here to help protect this town."
Kisuke briefly closed his eyes as a wave of relief washed over him. He hadn't doubted her commitment - well, maybe just a little - but it was still good to hear her say it. He swiftly covered his reaction by snapping open his fan and planting a wide, superficial grin on his face. "That's wonderful to hear! We could use all the help we can get, after all. Right, Hitsugaya-kun?"
"Hitsugaya-taicho," the white-haired captain corrected irritably. "And we are not discussing this in front of a complete stranger!"
"Well, she's not a complete stranger," Kisuke pointed out with an innocent look. "I just said she's an old friend, and Inoue-san here knows her, don't you, Inoue-san?"
"Eh, yes…sort of…"
"It's okay." Kaede herself spoke up this time. "It's perfectly understandable: You don't know me. Granted, I don't know you either, so I'd say we're both within our rights to be cagey." She glanced toward Kisuke with an arched brow. "Are they really promoting kids to be captains nowadays?"
A vein throbbed in Hitsugaya's temple. "I'm not a 'kid.' Since you seem at least somewhat familiar with how Soul Society works, you should know that appearances aren't everything."
"That's true," she replied. "Which I hear you've all recently discovered regarding a certain former captain."
The temperature in the room plummeted.
"And what," Hitsugaya began, his tone laced with ice, "would you know about Aizen Sousuke?"
"Enough that I'm here to help you stop him," she answered. "My reasons are my own."
"That's not good enough." Hitsugaya rose from the table. "Urahara-san, forgive me, but your word alone isn't enough to go on, nor is this person's claim that they are here to help. We have no guarantee that she'd even be of use in battle."
"Then perhaps a demonstration is in order," Kisuke suggested, tapping his lip with his open fan. "How about this: We'll go downstairs to my training room, where it's perfectly safe for everyone here to go all out. Well, perhaps not everyone needs to be involved. Yoruichi, Tessai, and I are already familiar with our guest's abilities, so let's say, the good captain and these fine Shinigami. Sado-san, Inoue-san, I ask that you simply observe and learn from your elders."
"A fight?" Ikkaku pumped his fist in the air. "Yeahhhh! I've been wantin' a good spar! I call first!"
"Oh, there would be no 'first' or 'second,'" Kisuke clarified. "What I propose is a battle royale, if you will: the six of you against my friend, here."
"Not sure that's actually a 'battle royale,'" Kaede muttered, though she offered no other protest.
"She's right," Yumichika spoke up. "A 'battle royale' would entail everyone fighting against each other. This is a simple six-on-one. Hardly attractive odds."
"Ya got that right!" Ikkaku snarled. "One-on-one is the only true test of strength!"
Kisuke snapped his fan shut. "Well, whatever you want to call it, let's head downstairs, shall we?"
As the Shinigami ambled off toward the training room, Kisuke sidled up next to Kaede. "So, I know I said you could go all-out, but…"
"Wasn't planning to," Kaede said. "Besides, you were the one who suggested I see what they're about. Can't really do that if it's over too quickly."
Coming up behind them, Yoruichi was grinning from ear to ear. "Oh, this is gonna be good."
So…A shorter chapter (by my standards anyway, lol), but necessary to set up what's coming up - and I think you'll enjoy what's coming :)
We got some more hints of what happened between Kaede and Aizen in the past, though as yet, no concrete answers. (Those are coming, though!) Also, Orihime is just a ball of sunshine.
Next Time: Test of Power. One more chapter in the present before we head back to see how everything came to this. Kaede shows off some of her skill to the Soul Society reps in Kisuke's shop, including abilities that we haven't had a chance to see yet…and her past affiliation comes to light.
Leave your predictions/reactions in the comments (or just say "hi" - I like it when people say "hi!"), and as always…
Stay tuned!