Eyes of the Soul

by operation meteor

Passing beyond the veil, Itachi finds himself in an afterlife that is far from the hellfire he'd steeled himself for. With a chance encounter involving a pervy sage, a Flash Goddess and a healer whose angelic appearance hides more than a hint of steel, the bane of the Uchiha Clan finds a chance at a second life... and perhaps redemption. Slow burn. M for language and violence.

30. Chapter 30

Author's Notes: Hello there! Before anything else, a big thanks to reader Spedyalarm for creating the cover that now graces this story. I have absolutely zero talent in any form of graphic art or design, so I really appreciate what was put together here. I owe you one, buddy!

So, this chapter's going to be another two-parter. I suspect a good deal more of those are going to show up as the story progresses from here on out given what I have planned.

Hope everyone's doing well. Life's at a very strange point for me at the moment. On thin ice at work right now, and while I very much want to keep my job since the pay and benefits are allowing me to live a comfortable life, a part of me is almost hoping to get fired just so I'll be forced to get off my lazy ass and put work into finding a new line of employment. Seriously, nearly 10 years of call center work takes its toll, no matter how well you're compensated for it. On the other hand, I've also started travelling more. Did a trip out to Ocean Shores back at the start of May, and I did one to Westport at the beginning of July. If you don't know the town names, don't worry; I live out in Washington State, and the only city anyone outside this region seems to know is Seattle. Trips out to our seaside towns are surprisingly therapeutic. There's something rejuvenating about the sight and sound of the open ocean, her waves constantly and rhythmically crashing onto the sandy shores. The road trips out there are fun by themselves; just a two-hour drive with me, my trusty old 2012 Honda Civic, and my relaxation playlist for company. I'm thinking of making a yearly thing of it, perhaps hitting up a different town and hotel each time. With the overtime I've been working, it's definitely easier to save up the cash for such trips.

Unrelated to anything above, but I'll be 34 by the end of the month. Birthday's July 25th. Damn, I hate getting old, although I suppose the accrued life experience and wisdom has its perks.

Well, I think that's enough out of me for now. I'll save everything else for the end of chapter author's notes.

Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Discontented Dragons

Part One: Snakes and Drakes

One year later…

Late spring, 130 years before Rukia Kuchiki's arrival in Karakura Town

Having already shed her Haori, Yoruichi finished up a series of arm and leg stretches before turning to face Itachi. "Alright, I'm feeling pretty good about this time. You ready?"

Itachi nodded, his onyx eyes becoming a pair of scarlet beacons as the Sharingan blazed to life. "I am. You?"

Yoruichi hesitated for a moment before smiling. "Almost."

She Flash Stepped over, planted a quick kiss on Itachi's lips, and gave him a playful wink. "For luck!"

Itachi chuckled as she zipped back over to where she had been before. "Is that what I am to you, now? Your good luck charm?"

"The handsomest good luck charm in the Soul Society!" she confirmed with a laugh.

Itachi couldn't resist a smile. "I'll take that. Now, let's get to it. We don't want you to be late for this afternoon's Captains meeting."

"I wouldn't mind missing this one entirely," Yoruichi groaned, "It's just going to be Captain Drakken complaining because the Central Forty-Six shot down his clan's latest initiative. He really should know better than to keep bringing stuff like this up in our meetings; once the Central Forty-Six makes their decision, the Head Captain upholds it without question. I'd much rather join you and Jiraiya for your snake hunting expedition this afternoon than put up with that bullshit. Sure you don't want me to tag along? I can always tell the Head Captain that I was responding to a sudden threat out in the Rukon District. It wouldn't be too much of a lie, and with all the good work Squad Two and the Stealth Force has put in these past several years he'd probably let me off with just a warning."

"As much as I'd personally appreciate you coming with us, I don't think it's a good idea," Itachi replied, "One, you really should try to stay in the Head Captain's good standing; his continued favor makes our lives much easier. Two, this particular snake has a really sharp sense of smell. If we bring too many people on this hunt, he might pick up on that and bolt. He's big, but he can move pretty fast when he wants to. Third, Jiraiya needs to earn his respect if this plan of ours is going to work. That means coming at him with no backup; I'm strictly along to make help Jiraiya track the big guy and make sure nothing interferes."

Yoruichi put her hands on her hips. "I can hunt and track with the best of them, you know. If you're going to do that and then sit back while Jiraiya goes to clobber this snake, what's the harm in having another set of eyes and ears out there with you?'

Itachi smirked. "There isn't. I don't doubt your skills, and you know that. That's not what this is about for you, anyway; you're just looking for an excuse to skip the meeting."

Yoruichi sighed before smiling sheepishly. "Yeah… guilty on that one. Can you blame me, though? It's going to be such a pain in the ass!"

"A pain in the ass that you signed up for the moment you accepted promotion to Captain," Itachi reminded her.

"You're feeling awfully cheeky today, aren't you?" Yoruichi quipped with a wicked smile, "I wonder if you'll still feel that way after I've unleashed Shunkō on you?"

"Let's see if you can properly harness it, first," Itachi replied with an amused smile, "After that, feel free to attack. I wouldn't mind a warmup before chasing after Manda with Jiraiya."

Yoruichi grinned, but the gesture was about as friendly as that of a tigress bearing her fangs at unsuspecting prey. "Keep talking a big game, Itachi, and I'll have to see if you can back it up."

"I'd expect nothing less from you," Itachi countered with a confident smile, "but let's save that for later. My hopes are as high as yours that today is the day you get this down, so let's not delay any longer."

"Couldn't have put it better myself," said Yoruichi as she flexed her arms before taking a deep breath, "Okay… here we go."

Her entire body began to glow with white light as her spiritual pressure surged, with sparks of energy soon flying from her fists, arms, and shoulders. Those sparks rapidly intensified into bolts nearly on par with those her Shikai could unleash, and Itachi knew that she was just getting warmed up. Beholding her power in all its fearsome glory with the Sharingan, Itachi could only marvel at how far she had come.

Walking the razor's edge between control and wild abandon, he thought, Yoruichi…

…you truly are an incredible woman.

The energy flowing from and around her became a storm, with the bolts arcing off her body and into the ground where they dug furrows into the stone floor of the secret training ground and sent bits of rock flying everywhere. A few pieces zipped by Itachi with scant centimeters to spare, but the former Shinobi had been able to perceive their paths with the Sharingan and knew no movement on his part was needed. More to the point, he knew that, despite Yoruichi's earlier threat, she wasn't about to direct the power of Shunkō at him quite just yet. The two of them understood each other well enough by now to know their partner's respective signals; if she really wanted to go at him here, she'd give him the appropriate cue before doing so. Right now, Itachi's job was just to monitor her energy and make sure she could maintain the control needed to pull off Shunkō, to stabilize that raging storm of power that came with applying her Kidō skills to her physical prowess.

She was doing just that. While the spirit energy pouring from her was incredibly potent, it was still contained, at least relatively so. It flew up from her in ivory bolts, similar to what happened whenever she unleashed her Bankai, but the difference here was that Yoruichi's power wasn't running wild and destroying everything around her. It was dangerous, yes, but not in the calamitous way that her Bankai was. Itachi knew that was a good part as to why she'd put such emphasis on mastering Shunkō; she wanted it available as an alternative to her Bankai. It was a technique that could amplify either her own power and skills or that of her Shikai, offering a major boost in capability while still being just below the level of wildcat destruction that her Bankai inevitably unleashed.

Yet she still needs to be sure that this power can be properly harnessed before she'll use it in the field, Itachi thought as he watched his lover, and today's session should finally give her an affirmative answer to that question.

He saw Yoruichi clench and unclench her fists, testing her fine control. Sparks of energy did fly out from her hands, but nothing that could be considered fatal to anyone standing close to her. The bolts of lightning that flew up from her arms and shoulders dissipated harmlessly in the air above her before it could reach the secret training ground's ceiling, which was an immense improvement over her Bankai; the bolts from that would have blasted chunks of stone out of the ceiling and resulted in a rain of rocks.

Setting herself into an opening stance with an open palm aimed at Itachi, Yoruichi flashed him a mischievous smile. "You ready?"

Itachi nodded, already bracing himself to evade. "Show me what you've got."

She vanished a split-second later, and only the Sharingan combined with years of sparring with her allowed Itachi to perceive the blur that was his Captain streaking towards him. He immediately leapt to the right, and not a moment too soon. The punch that Yoruichi had thrown brought a wave of white energy with it, and it ripped through the space that Itachi had occupied mere moments ago. The stone floor was torn up, with chunks of rock being thrown everywhere.

As Itachi was dodging those chunks, he was keenly aware of Yoruichi coming at him again. He jumped and twirled in mid-air to gracefully sail over Yoruichi's next attack, a left hook that once again unleashed a blast of white energy. That blast slammed into the stone cliff behind him, pummeling the edifice and sending rocky bits flying in all directions. Itachi was able to twist and weave through those tiny chips, and he noted that the level of destruction, while certainly impressive, definitely wasn't as widespread or devastating as that which her Bankai brought to the table. That was certainly a positive sign, but he knew that Yoruichi would not stop the test just yet.

And so, Itachi found himself hounded across the training ground, ducking, jumping, and rolling in an increasingly frantic acrobatic display. His speed had grown considerably thanks to training with Yoruichi, and that was the only reason why Itachi managed to evade her strikes. Even then, though, it was a very near thing. It wasn't just her punches that he had to dodge, after all; with each strike came blasts of powerful white energy that tore up the ground around him. A particularly near-miss resulted in the front of his robes getting torn by ivory bolts, and Itachi suspected that his luck would not hold. Yoruichi was picking up speed even now, and she soon began bombarding Itachi with a new form of attack; kicks.

Yes, it wasn't just Yoruichi's arms that Shunkō turned into conduits for her spirit energy. That power was surging through Yoruichi's legs as well, and now she was bringing them to bear on Itachi. It was a sign of the growing confidence she had in her control over the energy coursing through her, which did manage to elicit a small smile in Itachi even as he found himself on the receiving end of the very dangerous results. He didn't dare try to directly block any of her blows, instead relying on the Sharingan and his highly honed reflexes to keep himself from taking hits. Keeping up his evasion was growing more difficult with each passing second, and Itachi realized that the energy in Yoruichi's legs was good for more than just attacking; she was using it to amplify her already astounding speed.

Itachi smirked as he ducked a kick from his lover. "Now you're just showing off, Flash Goddess."

"Just for you," Yoruichi shot back with a teasing wink as she continued to assail him with lightning-fast blows from fists and feet alike, "You're the only one with a ticket to this performance!"

Itachi chuckled as he Flash Stepped to evade a punch and the wave of energy that came with it. "Lucky me."

Her already frenetic pace intensified further still, and Yoruichi became barely more than a streak of white energy assaulting Itachi with dogged tenacity. Try as he might to keep one step ahead of her, Itachi knew that the speed gap was becoming insurmountable. The Sharingan could only do so much to help him here; being able to anticipate her moves did Itachi little good if his body wasn't fast enough to react in time. He could always try to ensnare her in genjutsu to turn the tables, but that wasn't the purpose of today's training session. No, Itachi would keep playing on Yoruichi's terms so they could both be confident that her grip on Shunkō was strong enough for her to employ the technique in actual combat without hesitation. Based on what he was seeing from her now, Itachi felt safe in saying that Yoruichi was at that point.

That was when something strange happened. After Itachi had dodged a particularly vicious combination of kicks and punches, Yoruichi suddenly dropped to all fours. She darted around him with blinding speed, but her movements weren't quite those of a human now. In fact, from what Itachi could determine, they seemed almost cat-like. As Itachi tried to puzzle out just what this strange development meant, Yoruichi suddenly pounced after a series of quick fents, nailing Itachi square in the chest and tacking him to the ground. Yet, despite the direct impact, Itachi wasn't seriously hurt. Sure, his back would definitely ache from how he'd hit the ground, but his chest was uninjured, and he realized that Yoruichi had directed the energy away from her hands at the last moment so it vented harmlessly upward from her arms and shoulders. Still attempting to make sense of what he'd just seen, Itachi was completely caught off guard when Yoruichi leaned forward and licked his cheek.

He blinked in puzzlement as he watched Yoruichi tilt her head before licking him again, this time on the opposite cheek. Itachi was struck by the way she looked at him. Like her movements earlier, her demeanor had a distinctly feline feel to it, as if she were a female cat that had just pinned her mate. Given their relationship, perhaps that was not a bad way to look at it, though Itachi felt it was a bit more literal here now with how Yoruichi was behaving. Even stranger, the energy that surrounded Yoruichi had taken on an odd shape at the top of her head, forming two protrusions that reminded Itachi of cat ears.

Then he saw Yoruichi blink, and the white energy flowing from her body gradually dissipated, ethereal cat ears included. At the same time, her eyes widened slightly in what seemed like confusion, though Itachi was at least relieved to see that her demeanor had subtly shifted to something more recognizable as human.

"Itachi?" she said, appearing somewhat surprised at his current position beneath her.

"Yoruichi?" Itachi tentatively ventured, "You… you with me?"

Yoruichi slowly nodded. "Yeah… what happened? When did I get you?"

Itachi's brow furrowed slightly as he deactivated his Sharingan. "Yoruichi… what do you remember?"

Yoruichi scratched her chin in thought. "Hmm… you dodged my last punch, so I thought I'd go low for a tackle. Guess it worked, but… well, everything between that last punch and right now is kind of fuzzy."

She then saw that the front of his robes was torn, and her eyes widened further in worry as she reached in to check him for injuries. "Hey, are you okay? I didn't hurt you too badly, did I?"

Itachi gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "I'm alright. Probably a bit bruised on my back, but nothing I can't walk off."

Yoruichi sighed in relief before she leaned down to plant a soft kiss on his lips. "That's good."

She got off his chest and pulled him to his feet before folding her arms and staring intently at him. "Itachi… I need you to be completely honest with me. What happened back there? Please, don't hold anything back."

Itachi gestured at a nearby outcropping. "Maybe you should sit down first. What I have to tell you… well, it's rather strange, to put it mildly."

"Oh, boy," Yoruichi murmured as she plopped down on the stone ledge, "Well, if nothing else, sounds like it'll at least be interesting. Okay, then… let's have it."

Itachi wasted no time in explaining to Yoruichi what had happened. The silence following was actually longer than the explanation itself, and Itachi could only watch as Yoruichi's brow furrowed in thought. She seemed slightly apprehensive, and Itachi could hardly blame her for that.

I'd probably be concerned too, he mused, if I suddenly took on animalistic behavior in the middle of a fight.

The thought of you suddenly acting cat-like is rather amusing, Jigoku no Joō chimed in, although… given your affinity for crows, perhaps you'd take on their mannerisms instead.

Itachi was suddenly afflicted with the utterly absurd mental image of him pecking at breadcrumbs on the ground and eagerly banished the thought to the dark recesses of his mind. He heard the spirit of his Zanpakutō giggle a moment later, but she said nothing further.

He watched as Yoruichi tapped her fingers on her knee for several seconds. "I wonder… maybe it's a bleed-over."

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "A what?"

"It's something my grandmother mentioned when I was learning how to transform into a cat," Yoruichi explained, "I told you before how that spell has subtle effects on my behavior, right? Like me having a taste for fish, milk, playing with string and stuff like that?"

Itachi nodded. "I remember. What's that have to do with you taking on feline mannerisms while using Shunkō?"

"It's kind of hard to put into words," Yoruichi admitted, "When I learned that transformation and performed it for the first time, the cat became more than just an animal that I can turn into or a minor influence on my personality. The best way I can describe is that it's… well, me. As in, I'm both human and feline, and not simply because I can shift between one and the other. It comes with the full mental package."

Itachi's eyes narrowed as the implications hit him. "You mean… your identity… the persona that defines you… in your case, it's more than just who you are as human. There's the persona of a cat inside you as well. Does that sound about right?"

"Yeah," Yoruichi confirmed, "The vast majority of the time, the cat is dormant; you don't see me walking around on all fours out in the open, after all. Still, the cat is inside my head, as much a part of me as the rest of me is. Part of learning the transformation involved creating a sort of mental seal that keeps the human part of me and the cat separate. That seal's not perfect, though; the cat's always pawing at it, looking for openings."

"And when it finds those openings," Itachi surmised, "its persona 'bleeds over' into your human one."

Yoruichi nodded. "That's right. It's pretty rare for this to happen, though. Usually, I have to be under quite a bit of strain. Given how far I took Shunkō during our little tussle back there… I might've accidentally started drawing power from beyond the seal."

Itachi's eyes widened slightly at what that entailed. "From beyond the seal… you mean the cat has its own spirit energy?"

"Sort of," said Yoruichi, "That spirit energy is fundamentally mine, but it's set aside mainly for the purpose of the transformation. Basically a separate pool from the power that I normally draw on. My Zanpakutō, for example, is distinctly not a part of it, and neither is the spirit energy that I use for the rest of my techniques. That transformation is actually quite power-intensive. There's a reason why it's limited to myself and other select female members of my bloodline; the high amounts of spirit energy inherent in the Shihōin Clan are crucial for pulling it off."

Itachi scratched his chin in thought. "That energy… what would happen if you consciously drew upon it for something other than the transformation?"

Yoruichi leaned forward slightly. "You mean if I used it for my fighting techniques… like to further enhance Shunkō, for instance?"

"That would be a good example," said Itachi.

Yoruichi was quiet for several seconds as she mulled it over. "Well… in theory, it could result in a considerable power boost. Might be handy in a pinch. However, deliberately drawing on that energy from beyond the seal means letting the cat out… quite literally. I might not transform, but my persona might be replaced by the cat's. What you saw back there… it could just be a taste of what would happen if I went all out with it."

"How would you feel about trying it?" Itachi prodded, "It definitely has a drawback, but like you said, that kind of power might be useful in a tight spot. Your movements became even faster in that state, and more unpredictable. I'm used to fighting you as a fellow human soul, but when you took on the cat's persona, it threw me off because you started fighting like a cat instead of a human. You could really catch an opponent by surprise like that."

Yoruichi took a deep breath. "I could, but… I'm not sure that I like the tradeoff, Itachi. The increased speed and power are nice, but if it means giving up my human intellect… I don't know about this."

It was rare to see her so uncomfortable with something, so Itachi placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "If you're uneasy with it, then you don't have to pursue it. Shunkō alone, as you've perfected it, is already formidable. It's a potent tool in your arsenal, and I imagine the enhancing effect it'll have when combined with your Shikai or Bankai will be even more impressive. It may be best to simply work on maintaining your human awareness while using Shunkō. Better to have your intellect intact so you can think properly while fighting, after all."

Yoruichi tapped her chin for a moment before she turned to Itachi and smiled. "I'll focus on that for now, but eventually… I think I will try to draw from beyond the seal. I might not like it, but you're right; there are advantages to fighting in that state. It's not something I would want to do alone, though. I'd prefer having someone like you or Kisuke around to help rein me in. With the kind of power I could have in that state, there should be a safeguard in place."

"Maybe we should get him involved in this," Itachi suggested, "Kisuke, I mean. My Sharingan's been useful for studying your energy and helping you control it, but now that you've reached that level of mastery with Shunkō my eyes aren't as needed anymore. Kisuke's got far more knowledge than I do when it comes to spells and seals, so his expertise could come in handy here."

Yoruichi nodded. "At some point, I'll bring him onboard. For now, though, I want to keep training with you. Just because I showed that I could balance and control my energy while using Shunkō today doesn't mean I've got it completely down. There's plenty training that we need to do together."

"I'm always happy to train with you," Itachi remarked as he reached over and took her hand, "You know that."

Yoruichi's smile softened before she leaned over to kiss him tenderly. "Yeah, I definitely do."

The two of them sat together for a few minutes in contented silence before Yoruichi stretched her arms and stood up. "Well, I should probably start getting ready for the meeting. You sure I can't come with you and Jiraiya to help beat up Orochimaru's old pet snake? Just say the word, and I'll happily ditch the meeting. Easier to beg for the Head Captain's forgiveness than ask permission, after all."

Itachi chuckled as he rose to his feet while Yoruichi fetched her Haori. "I appreciate the offer, but Jiraiya and I can handle this. It really would be wise for Squad Two to remain in the Head Captain's good graces, and your punctual attendance will help with that."

Yoruichi sighed. "Yeah, I know. Doesn't change the fact that it's all going to be political bullshit today. What a pain…"

Itachi smirked. "Such is the price to pay for wearing the Captain's Haori. You wanted the top job, and you have it. You know what they say about being careful what you wish for."

Yoruichi playfully punched him on the shoulder. "You can only get way with saying that to me because you're cute. You know that, right?"

Itachi could not resist a laugh. "So I've been told!"

"Because it's true," Yoruichi replied with a wink before throwing her arms over his shoulders and pulling him into a warm embrace, "Be careful out there, okay? I know you and Jiraiya can take care of yourselves, but from what you've told me, it sounds like this Manda can be a real nasty piece of work. I wouldn't expect anything less from one of Orochimaru's old summons."

"Don't worry about me," said Itachi as he held her close, "Jiraiya's the one taking all the risk here. My job's just to help him hunt the old snake down, then I sit back and make sure no soul or Hollow interferes."

Yoruichi reached up to caress his cheek, a soft smile gracing her face. "If you say so. Won't stop me from worrying, though. After all… that's part of love, isn't it?"

Itachi leaned forward to press his forehead to hers, smiling as he gazed into her radiant golden eyes. "I suppose it is… and I'll be forever grateful for it."

….

Leaping through the trees with Itachi leading the way, Jiraiya couldn't help but be taken back to his younger days. How many times had he done exactly this as a Shinobi, jumping from branch to branch as he tracked down a dangerous foe? It felt like old times, as if he'd never died in the first place.

The only thing that would make it better, he mused with a smile, is if I had the old crew with me. Tsunade, old man Sarutobi, Orochimaru… I guess there's still a chance of getting the gang back together, but with all the people that were tortured and killed by his twisted experiments, I have a hard time seeing Orochimaru making it to the Soul Society when he finally bites the dust.

The forest they were travelling through was located in North Rukon 64. It wasn't quite as expansive a wooded area as the one which housed the afterlife's Leaf Village in North 67, but it was still nothing to take lightly. The foliage was thick enough to leave everything beneath the canopy in murky shadows even during broad daylight, so much so that it made looking for signs of Manda's passage a much trickier affair than Jiraiya had expected. He would've thought that such a massive beast would leave a trail so messy that it'd be impossible to miss, but Jiraiya's assumptions had proven to be mistaken. Then again, perhaps it was no surprise; Manda had always been a cagey bastard.

When Jiraiya had first gotten word from Itachi that scouts from Squad Two and the Stealth Force had come across giant swaths of shed snake skin out in the Rukon District, he had a hard time believing that it could be from Manda. Maybe one of Orochimaru's other snakes, but Manda? Jiraiya would've figured that if the cranky reptile was in the Soul Society, he'd be much more likely to call The Wild his home, if only to avoid people in general. For what it was worth, Itachi had shared his skepticism until those same scouts had delivered follow-up reports which included eye-witness testimony to a grand snake slithering through the outer Rukon Districts, gobbling up unlucky souls along with the occasional Hollow.

As strange as the notion of Manda slithering through the Rukon District was, the solution Itachi had proposed to Jiraiya had been even stranger. Even now, as the two of them stalked their prey, Jiraiya still found it hard to believe that he was actually playing along with this. Itachi's scheme today sounded just as crazy as the two of them training Kurama to suppress his spiritual pressure, yet it was also the best way to resolve the situation short of putting the old snake down.

Might still wind up doing that if I can't get him to submit, Jiraiya thought, Orochimaru could only barely control Manda sometimes, and Itachi thinks it's a good idea for me to become his master? I swear, the Uchiha Clan is full of crazies…

Making a summoning pact with Manda would not happen if the two Soul Reapers couldn't find the snake first, though, and they were already playing catch up. When Itachi had initially passed on the information from the scouts to Jiraiya, it had been two days ago. Both Soul Reapers had duties to attend to, and it was only today that they the free time necessary for the pursuit. Thankfully, Itachi had convinced Yoruichi to keep some scouts in the region to monitor Manda's progress and keep on the trail. Those scouts had pulled back once Itachi and Jiraiya had gotten to the scene; neither Soul Reaper wanted any interference, and the scouts were by no means strong enough to be much good in a fight against the grumpy snake. Jiraiya could only hope that he and Itachi would catch up before Manda claimed any further victims. In preparation, Jiraiya had gotten a hold of a large blank scroll which he now had slung across his back. Before setting off with Itachi, Jiraiya had filled the scroll with the necessary markings for a summoning pact, with only the centerpiece left empty, awaiting the necessary final input from both parties.

What was Manda after? If it was simply to feed, why not stay out in The Wild where he could avoid detection by Soul Reapers? Perhaps the snake now sought out prey with higher spirit energy than what could be found within the animals roaming the Soul Society's frontier. If that were the case, though, why continue to press deeper into the Rukon District? Patrols from Soul Reapers and the Stealth Force were incredibly light out in the periphery districts; the perpetual short-handedness brought on by the Central Forty-Six's refusal to provide more funding and resources for expanded recruitment saw to that, and that was despite lobbying by Captains such as Yoruichi who understood far better than most the need to have more eyes and ears out in the Rukon District. Manda could have feasted to his heart's content in the fringe districts for years on end before any Soul Reaper or Stealth Force scout might have picked up on it.

He probably just got greedy, Jiraiya mused, and it would be entirely in keeping with who he is. Orochimaru turned him into a summon for more than just his power, after all; those two really are two twisted peas in a pod.

Jiraiya was so caught up in his musings that he almost didn't notice that Itachi had come to a stop. He caught sight of his friend crouching on a tree branch just a split second before jumping over, and Jiraiya had to hastily correct his angle before leaping himself. As it was, he touched down to Itachi's left with just a few centimeters to spare.

"What is it?" Jiraiya asked.

Itachi pointed up ahead. "Listen carefully."

Jiraiya focused in that direction, and after a second, he heard a familiar hissing sound coming from up ahead. "That's him, alright. Think he's picked us up?"

Itachi shook his head. "With the direction that the wind's blowing, there's no way he's caught our scent."

Jiraiya slowly nodded as his brow furrowed. "Good point. Best guess based on the sound… probably a few kilometers ahead. We're definitely catching up."

"We are," Itachi concurred, "but we might have another problem."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"Focus again," Itachi whispered, "and this time, only search for spirit energy."

Jiraiya closed his eyes. He could pick up Manda's spirit energy now; a coiled ball of hunger and malice. Jiraiya initially thought that Manda's spirit energy was exactly what Itachi wanted him to find, but a second later he picked up on two additional sources. They were a bit further ahead than the snake, and Jiraiya quickly put it together.

"He's hunting, alright," said the Legendary Sannin, "Whoever he's after, they've got some potent spirit energy. Raw and untrained, though. Feels like he's awfully close to them."

Itachi nodded. "That's my impression. Our hunt just became a rescue mission. When we catch up, you focus on Manda. Draw his attention and hit him hard. I'll protect whoever he's after and mind the perimeter."

"You got it," Jiraiya answered as he drew his Zanpakutō, "Let's go!"

….

Panting heavily as she hid behind a tree, the young girl trembled in dread. This was not the first time that she'd been in danger; North Rukon 64 was a rough district in general, even without the occasional Hollow incursion. Hollows weren't as persistent as the creature that hunted the girl and her best friend now, though. They were usually distracted by easier prey, with most of them being too lazy for a long pursuit. Not this snake, though. He had hounded the two of them relentlessly ever since catching sight of them… or, to be more accurate, ever since the girl's friend had dragged her along to spy on this strange creature that he'd found the day before.

In a puddle near the tree trunk, the girl caught sight of her reflection. Her shoulder-length strawberry blonde hair was disheveled thanks to countless tree branches and bushed that she'd stumbled through in her frantic efforts to escape the snake, and her blue eyes were wide with terror. Her already-tattered and dirty dark grey robes had fresh rips in them thanks to getting caught on brush and thorns during her frantic flight, and her face had a few scratches on it as well. Nothing that wouldn't heal in a few days or so…

…assuming she and her companion lived that long.

She could also see her friend reflected in the puddle. While her companion's black robes were no less ragged than hers, that was where the similarities ended. Where Rangiku Matsumoto was terrified nearly out of her mind and had that terror perfectly reflected in her appearance and demeanor, Gin Ichimaru looked eerily calm, with only the shortness of his breathing and tension in his frame indicating that he, too, understood and fully appreciated the severity of their present situation. Sure, his pale silver hair was about as messy as Rangiku's thanks to the harrowing pursuit, and his face had a few fresh scratches as well, but his eyes remained perpetually narrowed in snake-like slits. They'd been so for nearly as long as Rangiku had known him, with her being able to count the times that she'd seen the pale blue orbs within on one hand. It was a shame, because Rangiku found them to be quite pretty…

…and she wanted both of them to survive so she could see them more often.

She really should have seen this coming. So many times, Gin had wandered off on his own, leaving Rangiku at the little shack that the two of them shared, without telling her where he was going or how long he'd be gone. Every time, he'd come back, occasionally answering her questions but usually just deflecting until she gave up. This time, though, he'd invited her to come with him when he said that he'd found something interesting to check out. So desperate was Rangiku to find out what sort of things Gin got up to during his strange outings that she hadn't once stopped to continue that they might be dangerous. Then again, maybe Gin hadn't thought that this one would be dangerous, which may have been why he'd brought her along. Of course, how Gin couldn't understand that going to spy on a giant snake was very dangerous was another thing entirely.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as Rangiku heard a menacing hiss and the slow crunching of brush being flattened by the giant serpent. She would've bolted right then and there if it weren't for Gin grabbing her hand and raising a finger to his lips. Then again, how much further could she go? Rangiku and Gin had been running and hiding for hours now, and she was nearly as exhausted as she was frightened. Gin seemed to be holding together better than her, but even he had to have his limits.

A shadow that wasn't from the trees began to edge its way closer to them. Bit by bit, the massive purple snake slid forward, the four horns on its head bending trees as it passed without the slightest bit of effort. The great serpent's green eyes blinked slowly as it scanned the environment, and its massive tongue flicked in and out of its mouth. Could it still smell them, taste them in the air? From what Rangiku could tell, the snake didn't seem to be entirely sure of where she and Gin were. If it knew their position, it surely would've lunged forward already to attack.

"Gin…" she whispered, "Let's make a break for it."

Her friend shook his head. "Not yet."

"It's going to find us!" she hissed.

"Maybe, maybe not," Gin murmured.

Rangiku's eyes widened as her companion peered carefully around the tree. Gin had always been a braver soul than her, but sometimes it was to absolutely crazy extents, and this was certainly one of those times. She wanted to admire his courage, but right now Rangiku could only fear that it would get them both devoured by the scaly hunter.

"Gin…" she murmured, her heart hammering against her ribs.

"It looks confused," Gin whispered, "We might've given it the slip."

For a split second, Rangiku got her hopes up, only for the large shadow to expand a moment later. She was momentarily puzzled until she realized what it meant; the snake was rearing itself up.

Gin quickly comprehended the danger, and he immediately grabbed Rangiku by the hand. "Run!"

The two youths bolted, and not a moment too soon. The massive purple serpent lunged forward with surprising speed given its sheer size, its head alone large and tough enough to snap the tree that they had been hiding behind in half through brute force. Its green eyes gleamed with hunger as it slithered after the two of them, and Rangiku could smell the snake's foul breath.

"Come on!" Gin called back to her, "Stay with me, we can lose it!"

Rangiku wanted to believe him, but she was barely staying on her feat already. Her limbs felt like lead, and her breathing was ragged. She just couldn't keep on running like this, even with adrenaline fueling her. Gin could clearly keep on going, and Rangiku knew that, if it weren't for her slowing him down, he would've already escaped by now.

"Gin…" she gasped as her legs shook beneath her, "I… I can't do this anymore. Go… leave me. Save yourself…"

"No!" the boy snapped, "We're both getting out of here. I'm not abandoning you!"

Despite the gravity of their situation, Rangiku could not keep from smiling. All the times that Gin had wandered off on his own without giving her so much as a hint to where he was going, and now he was saying that he would not abandon her. It was what she had always wanted to hear, although the circumstances under which he finally said it definitely could've been better.

Better late than never, though, and Rangiku was increasingly starting to believe that it would be all that she'd get. Her legs trembled with every step, threatening to give out with each passing second. She was already wobbly on her feet, and it was only getting worse. Rangiku had to face the truth; she wasn't getting out of here alive.

As if reading her mind, Gin pulled on her arm. "We're getting out of this together!"

She wanted to believe that. With how firm the resolve in Gin's voice is, a part of Rangiku did.

Right up until her foot caught on a tree root and she tumbled to the ground.

"Come on, get up!" Gin cried out in panic as he tried to pull her to her feet.

It was no good; Rangiku's legs had all the strength and rigidity of jelly now. Now matter how much she wanted to, no matter how much Gin wanted her to, she simply couldn't stand. All she could do was look up at her dear friend and give him a sad smile.

"Go, Gin," she said softly, "Live for both of us."

Gin shook his head, the narrow slits of his eyes opening just enough for Rangiku to see those pretty pale blue eyes of his. She focused on them; if she was to have a last sight before the snake devoured her, she could do worse than this.

The massive shadow cast by the great serpent loomed over them both, and Rangiku knew that the end was upon them. She braced herself for the end…

…only to suddenly find herself taking flight.

Her and Gin, as a matter of fact. Both of them had been scooped up in the arms of a black robed figure like sacks of potatoes, with the giant purple snake having lunged through the space that they'd occupied just a second ago. Looking up, Rangiku found herself staring at the face of a very handsome man. Pale skin, raven hair tied back in a ponytail, gleaming onyx eyes… midnight to Gin's moonlight, in a sense. So focused she was on her and her friend's savior that Rangiku was only dimly aware of the fact that the strange man had taken them high up into the trees. She normally would have fretted over being at such a height, but Rangiku was downright delirious at the idea of her and Gin simply being alive right now and didn't care about her present altitude one bit.

The mysterious man, who Rangiku only now realized was a Soul Reaper, came to a stop several trees away from where he had scooped her and Gin up. Perched on a thick and sturdy branch, he turned around, giving Rangiku and Gin a glimpse at the purple serpent that had nearly devoured them…

…right as another Soul Reaper clobbered it in the head with a spiked club.

Rangiku saw the giant snake drive a furrow into the ground courtesy of the hit it just took. The culprit was man who looked considerably older than her rescuer, with wild white hair tied back in a long tail. He had a confident grin on his face, which turned into a taunting smirk as he addressed the serpent.

"Chasing kids through the Rukon District? How far you've fallen, Manda!" the white-haired man cackled before shaking his head, "Oh, what would Orochimaru say if he could see you now?"

The snake reared its head up and glowered at the Soul Reaper, its green eyes widening in what looked like astonishment before becoming blazing emerald beacons of wrath. "You… of all people… you have a lot of nerve interfering in my hunt, Jiraiya!"

There was a great crash as the snake lunged at the Soul Reaper, only for the man to Flash Step out of the way and cause the serpent to plunge straight into a tree. It didn't take long for the massive reptile to recover, though, and it wasted no time in charging after the Soul Reaper. Much to Rangiku's relief, the Soul Reaper proceeded to lead the snake on a merry chase deeper into the forest and in the opposite direction from where she, Gin, and the raven-haired man were.

"Good," Rangiku heard the man holding her and Gin mutter, "That should keep Manda distracted for a bit."

"Could you put us down now, please?" asked Gin.

The Soul reaper didn't answer immediately. Rangiku saw him look for a moment in the direction that the white-haired man and the snake had gone before turning around and taking them both the opposite way. Coming down to the ground, he set Gin down first before gently laying Rangiku back against a tree. He then reached into his robe and pulled out a canteen, which he raised to Rangiku's lips.

Gin eyed him warily. "What is that?"

"It's just water," the man replied before holding the canteen out for Gin, "Check yourself if you don't believe me."

Gin seized the canteen before taking an experimental sip. The Soul Reaper must've been telling the truth, because Gin immediately handed the canteen back to him so he could help Rangiku. The man placed one hand behind Rangiku's head while holding the canteen with the other, tenderly pressing it to her lips and tilting it back so the soothing and refreshing liquid trickled down into her mouth. Rangiku weakly attempted to raise her hands so she could seize the canteen for herself, but the man was having none of it.

"Go slow," he admonished her in a low yet comforting voice, "You're exhausted and dehydrated. Rest and drink carefully, and you'll be back on your feet soon enough."

"What about that snake?" asked Gin as Rangiku took a few careful sips.

"No need to worry about him right now," the Soul Reaper replied, "My friend will take care of him. Let's keep our focus on you two right now. Are either of you injured?"

"I'm okay…" Rangiku hoarsely answered before looking up at her friend and smiling, "Gin…"

Gin nodded, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder before facing the Soul Reaper. "I'm fine. Just some scratches."

The man breathed a sigh of relief as he looked them both over. "That's good. You two…how did you find Manda?"

"Manda… funny name for a snake," Rangiku murmured, still somewhat lightheaded.

Gin looked down, looking almost ashamed, which was quite rare for him. "I heard some people talking about a monster that was lurking in the forest, and I wanted to check it out. When I found the snake, it was asleep. I wanted to show my friend, so I went to get her. When we both got back… it woke up."

The Soul Reaper shook his head. "You saw a giant predator, and your first thought was that you needed to show your friend? What were you thinking? You two are lucky to be alive right now. If my friend and I weren't hunting Manda and hadn't found you when we did, you'd be his lunch right now."

Gin's shoulders slumped, his gaze fixed on the ground. "I… I'm sorry."

"Apologize to your friend, not me," the Soul Reaper reprimanded, "You almost got her killed."

Gin looked at Rangiku, and the slits of his eyes cracked open just enough to reveal a hint of the blue gems inside, which just went to show the depths of his regret. "Rangiku… I'm… I'm sorry."

Rangiku smiled. "Gin… it's alright. I… wanted to come with you, so… this is my fault, too. I'm sorry."

Helping Rangiku take a few more sips from the canteen, the Soul Reaper then passed it to Gin so he could have a much-needed drink. "Do you two have any friends or family around here? Someone looking after you?"

Gin shook his head after taking a sip and passing the canteen back to the Soul Reaper. "No, it's just us."

"That figures," the Soul Reaper muttered, "Rukon urchins, then. Surviving out here by yourself, I would've thought that your self-preservation instincts were sharper than this. Manda might not be a Hollow, but he's still a creature that you should be staying far away from."

Gin nodded. "We won't mess with him anymore."

"Aren't you… going to help the other Soul Reaper fight him?" Rangiku asked, some of her voice returning now that her throat wasn't so dry.

The raven-haired man shook his head. "Those two are old foes and wouldn't welcome my interference in their feud. Besides, Manda won't submit to Jiraiya if he has help in beating him. My job was to watch the perimeter, and now I have to do that while protecting you two."

"Sorry…" Rangiku murmured.

The Soul Reaper looked down at her and gave her a smile that felt surprisingly warm for how small it was. "No need to apologize. You two just focus on resting for now. I'll keep watch over you and get you out of here if we need to move quickly. You'll be safe. I promise."

Gin nodded. "Thank you."

Rangiku smiled weakly as she gazed up at her savior. "Hey… what's your name? I'm Rangiku… Matsumoto. My friend… he's Gin… Ichimaru."

The Soul Reaper inclined his head politely. "I'm Itachi Uchiha, Eighth Seat of Squad Two. It's nice to meet you, Rangiku. You too, Gin. Now, save your breath and give yourself time to recover. We'll have plenty of time to talk more once Jiraiya's defeated Manda."

….

"You have a lot of nerve interrupting my hunt!" Manda snarled as he charged at Jiraiya, only to plow over a cluster of trees as the Soul Reaper Flash Stepped to the side.

"And you have a lot of nerve hunting kids on my turf!" Jiraiya snapped back as he Flash Stepped again, rushing at the right side of Manda's head and giving the snake a solid whack with his spiked club.

The power behind the whack was bolstered by the strength Jiraiya gained from Sage Mode, which he had entered before engaging the snake. Catching a quick glimpse of his reflection in a nearby puddle, he was pleasantly surprised to realize that the transformation was even less drastic now than in times past. He still had the toad-like eyes and red facial markings, but there was no goatee now.

Looking sharp…

Now is not the time to be indulging your vanity, Jinsei no Kenja reprimanded.

That much was certainly true; Manda might have been limited in capability without the fiendishly conniving mind of Orochimaru to direct him, but the giant snake was still plenty dangerous on his own. He was a coiled mass of muscle, and the venom in his fangs was lethal without prompt treatment. More importantly, he had substantial combat experience under his belt, and Jiraiya didn't doubt that the snake's time prowling the afterlife had only made him more dangerous. Jiraiya could sense the creature's spirit energy as a seething ball of power, one that had almost certainly drawn Hollows after the serpent when Manda had first arrived in the Soul Society. Those Hollows had likely learned quite quickly to leave this beast alone, assuming that Manda hadn't simply devoured them on the spot.

"Old fool," Manda growled as he surged forward, attempting to sink his fangs into Jiraiya and succeeding only in biting clean through a tree as the former Shinobi leapt clear, "This is my territory now, and you will pay for intruding upon it with your life!"

Jiraiya smirked as he jumped from tree to tree before coming down atop the purple snake's head and slamming his club into Manda's skull. "Orochimaru couldn't kill me, so what makes you think that you've got a shot at it?"

"He was soft when it came to you and Tsunade," Manda sneered as he violently shook his head up and down, forcing Jiraiya to jump off before the snake could catch him in its jaws.

"Not the way I remember it," Jiraiya quipped as he touched down and rapidly weaved a series of signs with his left hand before thrusting his palm into the ground, "Earth Style: Mud Wall!"

A solid block of dirt and stone suddenly rose from beneath Manda, catching the snake right in his lower jaw. Jiraiya hoped that the sudden blow might disorient the serpent, but Manda shook it off all too quickly. Pulverizing the block of earth with his massive body, he swung his huge tail at Jiraiya, and the Soul Reaper was only able to evade the swipe with a timely Flash Step.

"Where's that fat summon of yours?" Manda asked as he slithered after Jiraiya with alarming speed considering his large build, "You barely qualify as a snack compared to Gamabunta. I'm owed that toad as a feast for serving Orochimaru!"

Jiraiya laughed as he led the snake along on a merry chase through the woods. "Your guess is as good as mine there! Afraid you'll just have to make do with little old me, pal. Catch me if you can!"

We should be pretty far away from Itachi and those kids by now, Jiraiya thought as he glanced over his shoulder, which means it's time to really cut loose!

Filling his mouth with a rapidly-growing mass of oil and spirit energy, Jiraiya further intensified that energy with the power of Sage Mode. He then whirled around to face the vicious serpent that was bearing down on him.

Fire Style: Giant Flame Bombs!

Expelling and igniting the oil simultaneously, the result was a huge blast of flame that Manda, in his haste to consume Jiraiya, plowed headlong into. The snake let loose a furious and pained roar before suddenly disappearing in a spray of dirt and rocks. Leaping up in to a nearby tree, Jiraiya's eyes narrowed as he saw a massive hole in the ground, its edges charred by his earlier attack.

"Bastard's underground now," Jiraiya muttered under his breath, "Should've anticipated that…"

Taking a deep breath, Jiraiya closed his eyes and focused on searching for the snake's spirit energy. He found it soon enough, and Jiraiya smirked as he thought up his next move. He Flash Stepped over to a patch of ground that was above Manda, and he weaved a fresh series of signs with his left hand before once again thrusting it into the earth.

"Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld!" he barked.

The spirit energy flowing through his arm poured into the earth and spread out far and, more importantly, deep. Leaping away, Jiraiya watched as a broad swath of ground became a dark morass of muck, which in turn quickly began to rock violently with muddy waves. The Legendary Sannin smirked as he saw Manda breach the surface a moment later, writhing about wildly as he attempted to break free of Jiraiya's trap.

"Curse you, Jiraiya!" the violet serpent bellowed in incandescent rage while thrashing about impotently in the mud.

Jiraiya bared his teeth at the menacing snake in a hunter's grin. "You really should've seen that coming, Manda. After all, I've used that trick against you before. Looks like you've lost a step in your old age! If Orochimaru was with you, he wouldn't have fallen for that."

"Impudent welp!" Manda seethed, "When I get out of this, you're going to pay dearly!"

"Good luck with that," Jiraiya taunted as he strolled up to the edge of the mud pit, "The more you struggle, the more you'll sink into the muck. Orochimaru could get you out, but he's not here. Too bad for you that he's obsessed with immortality; awfully hard for him to help you in the afterlife when he stubbornly refuses to accept death and cross over."

"He'd better hope that he achieves true immortality," Manda grumbled, "because the second he crosses over and I find him, I'm going to make him suffer. If he thinks I'm going to forgive the fact that his precious pupil Sasuke got me killed, he's got another thing coming."

Jiraiya shrugged. "Death comes for us all sooner or later. You're really still holding onto a grudge with Sasuke? I got killed by my own student, and I've already let that go. Might find yourself being a bit happier with your afterlife if you did the same."

"I do not forgive slights," Manda hissed, "I am not so weak as to 'let go' of the fact that Orochimaru's would-be host body got me killed. Using me as a damn shield… when that little shit crosses over, he will know pain before I devour him!"

"His older brother might have a thing to say about that," Jiraiya remarked, "Then again, I doubt you've got what it takes to make good on that threat. From what I've heard, it sounds like Sasuke's well beyond your power now, Manda."

"We'll see about that!" Manda snapped as his head lunged towards Jiraiya.

The Soul Reaper was ready for him, and caught the snake's lower jaw in a powerful upward swing with his Shikai. Manda's head jerked upward from the force behind the blow before flopping back down into the mud, which only worsened the serpent's predicament.

"Maybe this plan was a mistake," Jiraiya mused aloud with a sly smile, "Itachi thought that you'd make a good summon for me, but just look at the sorry state you're in, Manda. Oh, how the mighty have fallen! It might be a better idea to just put you out of your misery."

Manda stared at Jiraiya in what could only be stunned disbelief, with the snake's eyes practically bulging out of his head. It was rare indeed to see the serpent caught so flat-footed, and Jiraiya wanted to savor every second of it.

"You… you cannot be serious…" Manda muttered, staring at Jiraiya as if the Legendary Sannin had just stated that day was in fact night.

Jiraiya grinned. "Oh, but I am, Manda! I'm here to gain your allegiance and make use of you. It's not like you've got anything better to do with your time, after all, and Orochimaru no longer has a monopoly on you. Might as well put your strength to real use, right?"

Manda broke out in a fit of cackling. "You think that I would ever submit to the likes of you? Oh, that is the best joke I've ever heard! Being a Shinobi was clearly never your true calling, Jiraiya; you should've got into theater. Your comedy would be better appreciated on the stage than the battlefield."

Jiraiya chuckled. "I work my comedy into writing, so the world still gets it either way. I'm certainly not joking here, though."

"And what makes you think that I would lower myself to serving you?" Manda snarled.

"Simple," Jiraiya answered as his grin took on a predatory air, "You're not strong enough to refuse, and I'm going to prove it. Power's the only thing that you really respect, Manda, and don't try to claim otherwise."

The Soul Reaper saw the snake's long body coil up in the mud, and he knew what was coming. Sure enough, the serpent lunged forward, this time with enough power to actually break free of the mud pit. Jiraiya was ready for it, though, casually dodging to the left before jumping on top of the snake's head and whacking him square on his brow with his spiked club. Manda crashed to the ground, but he was only stunned for a moment, and Jiraiya had to Flash Step backwards in order to avoid the snake's snapping jaws.

"If you're really going to make a play for me," said Manda as he slithered between the trees, hounding the Soul Reaper relentlessly, "then you should know better than to come at me alone. Bring out Gamabunta, or any other of your irksome toads. I can already taste their flesh!"

"That's not going to happen, pal," Jiraiya grunted as he narrowly dodged another charge from the snake, "Believe it or not, I don't have any summons to call on. When you get your ass kicked, it's going to be by me, and me alone!"

….

The sounds of combat had grown somewhat distant, but Rangiku could still make out the crash of trees being pulverized by the giant snake that had been chasing her and Gin just a few minutes ago. Those crashes were occasionally joined by mild tremors in the earth as something heavy, likely the snake itself, hit the ground. Birds flew about in a wild frenzy, their cries and caws a panicked chorus as they fled the surrounding area. A bit more difficult for Rangiku to make out due to her lack of training was the clashing spiritual pressure of the white-haired Soul Reaper and the massive purple snake, but the fact that she could sense them despite not having the education and practice typically needed to do so spoke volumes as to how powerful both combatants were.

Feeling a bit better now that she was rehydrated and had been given a chance to catch her breath, she looked at Itachi with concern. "Are you sure that your friend's going to be okay by himself?"

The raven-haired Soul Reaper, currently kneeling next to Rangiku and Gin as the two youths rested against a tree, gave her a small yet encouraging smile. "Jiraiya will be just fine. He's taken on far more powerful foes than Manda in his time. I doubt it will take him too much longer to wrap this up."

I hope so," Gin muttered as he looked around anxiously, "That fight might draw attention."

Rangiku saw Itachi study her and Gin closely. "It may, but I'm frankly less concerned about what it might draw versus what you two may."

She blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Manda wasn't hunting you two just to satisfy his stomach," Itachi elaborated, "or even to punish you for spying on him. Both of you possess spirit energy that's definitely above that of the average soul, and Manda almost certainly picked up on it. He has sharp senses…"

That was when a series of haunting roars rang out, ones that Rangiku would have recognized anywhere.

"…and he's not the only one," Itachi finished as he rose and drew his Zanpakutō.

"Hollows," Rangiku whispered, fresh terror creeping through her veins.

She saw Gin look around. "I can sense them. Three, I think."

"Four, actually," Itachi amended, though he still gave Gin an approving look, "Not a bad guess, though."

"What do we do?" asked Rangiku, "Make a break for it?"

She tried to get up, but Gin stopped her. "No, you still need more rest. If you try to run, you won't get very far."

Rangiku's shoulders sagged as she realized that her friend was right. She was definitely feeling better than earlier, but her strength was far from fully returned.

Itachi clearly recognized as much, too. "You two stay here. This won't take long."

He stepped out a bit, keeping Rangiku and Gin behind him as he scanned the canopy. Following his gaze, Rangiku tried to spot the Hollows. She didn't see anything at first, but soon caught a black silhouette amongst the tree branches. It was soon joined by three more, and a few seconds later a quartet of ape-like Hollows, each one with black and grey hides, dropped to the ground and surrounded the three souls.

"A real feast today," one of the Hollows proclaimed as its red eyes locked on Gin and Rangiku.

"And a Soul Reaper on top of it," another Hollow sneered, "Give up, and we promise to make it quick!"

"I think not," Itachi quipped…

…before vanishing in the blink of an eye.

Rangiku couldn't perceive Itachi as anything more than a black blur and brief streaks of silver. Just a couple seconds later, Itachi rematerialized in front of her and Gin…

…as all four Hollow cried out in agony before dissolving into clouds of black ash that then dissipated on the wind.

Rangiku's jaw dropped in astonishment. "How…?"

Gin actually chuckled. "Not bad, mister."

Itachi shook his head while sheathing his sword. "Could've been better. I'm still not quite on her level when it comes to Shunpo."

Rangiku tilted her head quizzically. "Her? Who are you talking about?"

"My Captain," Itachi replied with a slight smile, "She's the Soul Society's Flash Goddess for a reason, after all."

Rangiku waited to see if he would elaborate further, but Itachi did no such thing. Keeping his right hand over the handle of his sword, he stood watch over her and Gin, his eyes constantly darting back and forth as he searched for any additional Hollows.

There was another crash off in the distance, followed by a loud hissing noise. It could only be the snake, and the echoing sounds at least meant that Itachi's fellow Soul Reaper was still fighting the beast. Rangiku was still worried that the white-haired Soul Reaper might be in over his head, but Itachi seemed quite confident that the man had what it took to deal with Manda, so she would have to place her faith in him.

At least Gin and I have someone to protect us for now, she thought with a smile as she turned her gaze back to Itachi, I don't know how long that'll last, so we should enjoy it while we can.

….

I'm honestly amazed that Orochimaru could form a contract with this bastard in the first place, Jiraiya thought as he dodged a lunge from Manda, with the snake's fangs narrowly missing the Soul Reaper, I should've spied on him while he did that and took notes. Too late now, I guess.

He wanted to wrap things up quickly, but Manda was not making it easy for him. The giant snake was as tough in the afterlife as he had been in the Shinobi Realm of the Living, and his stubborn pride had not been diminished the slightest bit even in death. Jiraiya had already landed several solid hits on him, and the serpent's durable scales had cracked and bled under the fierce blows from the Soul Reaper's Shikai, but Manda was not about to throw in the towel just yet. His defeat needed to be utter before he would even consider bowing to Jiraiya and becoming his summon, and that would be no small task.

"Still running, you oaf?" Manda snarled as he charged Jiraiya again, with the Soul Reaper just barely evading the serpent's snapping jaws, "If you're looking to impress me, this isn't the way to do it!"

Jiraiya knew that, and he didn't plan on running forever. His mind raced as he tried to figure out the best way to take Manda down decisively. If he didn't demonstrate the sort of overwhelming power that a titan like Manda could respect, then his prospects of sealing a contract with the serpent were nil.

Not just power, he reminded himself, but cunning, too. He was Orochimaru's summon, and Orochimaru, for all his twistedness, wasn't a brute. That bastard was cagey. Messed up in the head, but definitely cagey.

What to hit him with? A Rasengan backed up with the power of Sage Mode? No, too obvious. Another mud trap combined with a barrage of Fire Style jutsus? Unlikely; Manda wouldn't fall for that snare twice in one fight. Jiraiya racked his mind for answers as he continued to evade the serpent's attacks, only for the light to flick on in his head as he remembered what should have been a very obvious fact; he wasn't just a Shinobi now. He was a Soul Reaper, which meant he had a whole new bag of tricks to throw at Manda now.

Tricks that the grouchy old snake would have no idea how to deal with.

Turning around, he weaved a series of red symbols in the air with his left hand as his body became engulfed in crimson energy. "Bakudō 9: Geki!"

The same crimson energy that was emanating from Jiraiya's body quickly engulfed Manda, and the giant snake briefly froze in place. It was only for a couple of seconds, though; such a weak binding spell could never hope to hold a powerful creature like Manda for very long. Still, the brief paralysis seemed to have caught the serpent by surprise, for when he regained his movement again Manda crashed into a nearby tree and shook his head in confusion.

"What was that?" he grumbled before scowling at Jiraiya, "What are you playing at now, old fool?"

Jiraiya flashed the snake a taunting grin. "Come and find out, you overgrown worm!"

The insult was childish, but Manda's ego was such that it didn't take much to set him off. He surged forward, whipping his body around so that his tail lashed out at Jiraiya. The Soul Reaper dodged the strike with a jump, and the snake's move had inadvertently given Jiraiya the perfect opportunity for his next strike.

Creating a sparking burst of yellow energy in his left hand, he then quickly weaved an inverted triangle in the air. "Bakudō 30: Shitotsu Sansen!"

From the points of the inverted triangle shot out three smaller yellow triangles. Zipping through the air, they caught Manda's tail and pinned it to the ground. The snake writhed about in fury, with wild sparks flying from the triangles as they struggled to keep the snake anchored. They would not last for long, but they were at least proof to Jiraiya that progressively more powerful spells would have an impact in this fight. Seizing the moment while he could, Jiraiya Flash Stepped and made a powerful downward swing with his Shikai, catching Manda in the back of the head and slamming the serpent into a nearby tree.

Sure enough, the anchors broke after Manda recovered from the latest strike, but Jiraiya was already ramping up his game. Leaping high, Jiraiya began gathering his spirit energy again, and that energy coalesced into a blue-white glowing rod in his left hand.

"Bakudō 62: Hyapporankan!" he barked.

Jiraiya threw the rod, and mid-flight it multiplied into a hundred. The rain of azure shafts hammered Manda across his body and once again pinned him to the ground. Before they'd even hit the snake, though, Jiraiya was already focusing energy into his left hand again. This time, what appeared was a familiar swirling blue and white ball, one that rapidly grew in size. Boosted with the power of Sage Mode, it swelled swiftly to become several times the size of Jiraiya, and Manda could only look up at it with eyes widening in dread as the Legendary Sannin descended upon him with it.

"Sage Art: Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan!" Jiraiya shouted.

Coming down on Manda, Jiraiya slammed the massive sphere of energy into the center of the snake. There was a mighty crash as the impact hammered not just Manda but the earth around him, with dirt and rocks flying out in all directions. Jiraiya had the satisfaction of hearing the great serpent groan in pain, and he knew that the snake's resolve was weakening. Even so, the fight hadn't gone completely out of Manda just yet. As the dust from the supersized Rasengan's impact settled, Jiraiya saw the massive snake fling itself towards him with wild abandon. Manda was operating on pure rage now, which was just what Jiraiya wanted.

Gotta line this up just right, he thought as he Flash Stepped to the right, just barely avoiding the snake's snapping fangs, and I can end it here.

Flash Stepping a few more times, Jiraiya set himself up so he was ahead of Manda and easy to see. The snake charged, plowing over everything in his path, driving straight at the Soul Reaper fueled by nothing more than wrath. The momentum he had was considerable, growing with every second…

…and it would suit Jiraiya's purpose quite nicely.

"Here we go," he muttered as he raised his left hand once more.

Closing that hand into a fist, Jiraiya focused his spirit energy overhead. That energy became a long yellow chain, the end of which he grasped in his fist. His eyes narrowed as he focused on the point just behind Manda's head; he would have to aim this perfectly to ensure success.

"Bakudō 63: Sajō Sabaku!" he roared.

As Manda bore down on him, Jiraiya cast the chain forward. It wrapped itself securely at the base of Manda's head, and Jiraiya pulled it forward. The strength provided by Sage Mode combined with Manda's current momentum drew the snake towards Jiraiya at breakneck speed…

…and straight into his Shikai.

Releasing the chain at the last moment, Jiraiya swung his spiked club at Manda with every ounce of might he possessed. The snake might have belatedly realized what Jiraiya's intentions were, but it was far too late for Manda to do anything now other than scream in impotent fury. Jiraiya grinned as his Shikai hit the snake square on the snout, resulting in a very satisfying crunching sound as the serpent's face contorted in agony. Manda then crumpled to the ground, his head rolling back and forth in a daze while blood seeped from his nasal slits.

Stepping up to the snake, Jiraiya leveled his Shikai at Manda's right eye. "Yield."

….

"It's been quiet for a while now, mister," said Gin as he looked around, "You think your friend's alright?"

Itachi nodded. "He's just fine. I can sense him clearly."

It was true; not once had Itachi lost track of Jiraiya's spiritual pressure. He could still feel it just fine, though the absence of noise in the distance indicated that the battle itself had likely come to an end. Was Jiraiya's victory decisive enough that Manda had submitted and formed a contract, or would the Legendary Sannin have to put the old snake down rather than risk him running free in the Rukon District? The answer to that question was what Itachi now waited on, and he suspected that he'd have it soon enough.

"Are you sure?" asked Rangiku as she stood up, "Maybe we should go look for him. I'm feeling a lot better now, so Gin and I can stay close to you while you search."

Itachi closed his eyes for a moment, and he could sense Jiraiya's spiritual pressure begin to draw closer to him and his companions. "No need."

Sure enough, his fellow Soul Reaper emerged from the brush a few minutes later, a smug grin on his face. "Well, that takes care of that!"

Itachi nodded at the scroll slung across Jiraiya's back. "He agreed, then?"

"Sure did," Jiraiya confirmed as he stretched his arms, "Made me work for it, but he knows who's boss now."

"How do you plan on keeping him from doing something like this in the future?" Itachi asked as he gestured at Gin and Rangiku, "Neither of us can monitor Manda all the time, and his appetite won't be any less ravenous just because he now serves you."

Jiraiya smiled deviously. "I planted a rather nasty seal mark on him. When I don't need him, he's free to roam The Wild and hunt anything he wants out there, but if he ever tries to enter the Rukon District… well, let's just say that he'll lose his appetite quite quickly, along with whatever happens to be in his stomach at the moment."

A rather comical mental image of Manda suddenly slithering behind a grove of trees to vomit flashed through Itachi's mind, eliciting a chuckle. "That's certainly one way to keep him in line. What if you have to summon him inside the Rukon District or Seireitei, though?"

"The seal goes dormant if he enters the designated region at my call," Jiraiya answered, "and it becomes active after I've dismissed him. Simple, but effective. Seals always were a special talent of mine, you know."

"A talent that's served you well," Itachi noted, "and saved the two of us a giant headache."

Jiraiya's expression then became somber. "Yeah, but… well, we might have something else to worry about."

"What is it?" asked Itachi.

Jiraiya glanced over at Gin and Rangiku. "Maybe we should discuss this in private. Is this area safe now?"

"A few Hollows came out here in search of a meal," said Itachi, "but I dispatched them quickly enough. I'm not sensing any others approaching. The power you displayed in defeating Manda would probably deter any who were watching from a distance."

Jiraiya nodded before turning to the kids. "Good. Hey, do you two mind giving us a bit of space? We won't take long, and we're going to help you afterwards. I just need to talk to Itachi about some Soul Reaper business first."

"Sure," said Rangiku before pointing off to the right, "We'll go sit on one of the fallen trees over there until you're done. Is that okay?"

Itachi glanced in that direction before nodding. "That should be just fine. Don't go any further, though."

"Don't worry, we won't," Rangiku assured them before looking at her friend, "Right, Gin?"

Gin looked around, and it seemed to Itachi like the boy was weighing the merits of making a break for it, but he soon decided against it. "Right. Just don't take all day. We need to get back to our place and check on it soon."

"We'll escort you there ourselves," Itachi vowed, "That's a promise."

Jiraiya smiled at the two of them. "We're going to make sure you two get home safe later. Just be good kids and don't run off on us."

"Okay," Rangiku chirped as she tugged on her companion's sleeve, "Come on, Gin."

The two youths headed off, while Itachi took Jiraiya a bit deeper into the woods. They stayed close enough to remain in sight of Gin and Rangiku in case the kids needed their help, and Itachi saw Gin look in their direction. The boy's spirit energy was noticeably more potent than that of his companion, and he seemed to have quite keen senses. He would bear further scrutiny... and perhaps a bit of wariness.

"Well, let's have it," Itachi whispered, "What's so important that we require privacy for it?"

"It's about Manda," Jiraiya replied in an equally hushed tone, "and why he came into the Rukon District. I interrogated him after the fight, and it turns out he didn't originally come down here just for hunting, though it's definitely why he decided to stick around. He was running, Itachi."

Itachi's brow furrowed. "Running from what?"

Jiraiya took a deep breath. "A Valkyrie."

Itachi's head snapped back in disbelief. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," said Jiraiya, "Apparently, Manda was on the hunt north of the Rukon District. Some Menos popped into the area, and he tangled with them. During the fighting, the Hollow got zapped by orange lightning. I've seen that before, Itachi; Geirdriful's attacks are in that color."

"Did Manda get a visual on the source?" Itachi asked, "With all the different spells that you and I have seen since coming here, the attacker might have been something other than a Valkyrie."

Jiraiya sighed. "That's what I had originally thought, but Manda did get a visual. Winged warrior in armor, and there's only one organization in the entire Soul Society with fighters who fit that description. Anyway, I guess Geirdriful initially mistook Manda for a mutated Hollow, because she attacked him after the Menos. He tried to fight, but quickly realized that he was out of his depth. So, he went underground as soon as he could and hightailed it south."

Itachi's eyes narrowed. "This doesn't make any sense. Since when do Valkyries patrol south of the Whitefell Mountains?"

"They don't," Jiraiya answered, "They almost never travel south of that range. Hell, it's rare that they even get close to the Whitefell Mountains. The only time that they come this far south is when they have business in the Seireitei, and that is not often."

Itachi nodded. "They don't even come in person unless summoned directly by the Starmont Clan, right? During that incident with Kurama, the Order sent apprentices to request our assistance rather than a full-fledged Valkyrie. The only time I can think of that a Valkyrie's recently been in the Seireitei was for Squad Eleven's exhibit during the recruitment exhibition back when you and I graduated… and my understanding is that Gunnr did not appreciate being used as a prop in such a manner. I imagine that the Starmont Clan would probably be reluctant to call upon her or any other Valkyrie for such a mundane function in the future, if only to avoid engendering further resentments from such powerful warriors."

"That's the impression I was under, too," Jiraiya concurred, "Gunnr made it sound like the Starmont Clan realized that they'd crossed a line, or at least got pretty close to it. She mentioned that the clan was occasionally summoning Valkyries down to the family's seat in Wolf's Haven to have on hand for when important visitors came by, but the Order was tolerating that, and it helped that they only had to fly down the mountain instead of all the way out to the Seireitei."

"You think the clan's trying to push the envelope again?" Itachi prodded, "It's been years since they last had a Valkyrie attend the recruitment exhibition, and we're actually just about at that time of year again. Maybe they asked the Order to send a Valkyrie down early so they could prepare their exhibition."

"Maybe that's it," said Jiraiya, "Honestly, your guess is as good as mine right now."

Itachi tapped his chin in thought. "Did Manda say how long ago his encounter with Geirdriful was?"

"About five days ago," Jiraiya replied.

"And the Stealth Force scouts spotted his shed skin a few days after that," Itachi murmured as he mulled over the timeline, "Geirdriful must be in the Seireitei by now. With how fast Valkyries can fly, I wouldn't be surprised if she arrived the same day as Manda's encounter with her, or maybe the day after at the latest."

"You think she's still there?" asked Jiraiya.

Itachi shrugged. "I don't see why not. She's travelled an awfully long way, so it'd be something of a waste for her to start heading back north after only a few days in the Seireitei. Then again, Valkyries seem to prefer sticking to the North, so she may not wish to linger any longer than necessary."

"Kind of strange that neither of us have sensed her if she's in the Seireitei," Jiraiya noted, "A Valkyrie's spiritual pressure is pretty damn hard to miss."

"When it comes to raw power, sure," Itachi replied, "but Valkyries are more than just mighty warriors, remember. Skill comes with that power, and they're more than capable of suppressing their spiritual pressure just like us should the occasion call for it. There's no reason to suspect that Geirdriful isn't doing the same here."

Jiraiya nodded. "Good point."

Itachi sighed. "That doesn't get us any closer to answering the question of why a Valkyrie's come down this far south, unfortunately. I highly doubt that the Starmont Clan will be forthcoming with answers, at least not if you or I are the ones seeking them. The Great Noble Houses keep their affairs to themselves unless they're looking to upstage their peers."

Jiraiya's brow furrowed. "Think it's got anything to do with the big Captains' meeting today? Word going around is that the Drakken Clan raised a big stink after the Central Forty-Six made some decisions against them, and that Captain Rhaegon Drakken's supposed to be bringing that up today. Captain Kyōraku was grumbling about it earlier; he didn't seem all that thrilled with having to put up with that."

"Yoruichi expressed a similar sentiment," Itachi remarked, "Still, this business is centered around the Drakken Clan, not the Starmont Clan. I can't see why they'd summon a Valkyrie in response to a dustup in the Central Forty-Six or among the Captains that doesn't directly concern their House."

"Maybe it does concern their House and we just don't know it," Jiraiya suggested, "Alliances are a big part of the aristocratic game, remember? When you and I were up in the North, Gunnr made it pretty clear that the Starmont Clan's seeking to make some moves in the political arena, and they've been courting envoys from what sounds like powerful players. She never gave me confirmation on who those players are, but…"

"We can't rule out the possibility that the Drakken Clan is among them," Itachi finished for him, "I'll run this by Yoruichi later. Depending on how things play out in the big meeting today, it might have some relevance. We'll find out one way or another soon enough."

"Hopefully," Jiraiya murmured before looking off towards where Gin and Rangiku were sitting, "In the meantime, what do we do about them?"

"Gin mentioned something about their place earlier," said Itachi, "We were going to escort them back there, right?"

Jiraiya shook his head. "That's not good enough. You can feel their spiritual pressure just as well as I can, Itachi. It's well above average, which means it's going to draw Hollows after them. Besides, you can see how ragged they are; they were damn lucky to survive Manda chasing them, and they look like they haven't had anything good to eat in a while. How much longer do you think that they can survive like this?"

"We can venture out towards the inhabited part of the district and buy them some food," Itachi suggested, "If they've survived this long, I imagine that their place is probably close to at least a somewhat reliable food source. Given the state of their clothes, they're probably forced to steal just to eat. With what we make as Soul Reapers, our pocket change alone can set them up with rations that'll last them for quite some time if they're careful."

"What if they don't have a secure place to store the food?" Jiraiya pointed out, "Wherever it is that they're staying, I doubt it's big, and it's probably not safe from thieves. With how thin those two are, they probably struggle just to find one meal in a day. Besides, safe place or not, whatever we buy them won't last forever no matter how carefully they ration it. What if someone finds out they're storing food and attacks them to get at it? All they could do was run from Manda, and I doubt that they would've been able to keep it up for much longer."

Itachi looked at Jiraiya for a long moment. Itachi had been the one standing watch over Gin and Rangiku while his friend had taken on Manda, yet Jiraiya seemed deeply invested in their well-being despite having barely even spoken to them. What exactly was Itachi missing here?

He analyzed the circumstances, and that was when Itachi came to a startling realization. Kids on their own, barely surviving, with Jiraiya now in a position to help…

…this wasn't the first time Jiraiya had been in such a situation.

Itachi took a deep breath. "Jiraiya… this isn't the Hidden Rain."

Jiraiya appeared taken aback by the remarks. "What did you just say?"

"I think I know where your mind's at on this," Itachi elaborated as he turned his gaze towards Gin and Rangiku, "You're back in the Second Shinobi World War right now, aren't you? Those two kids… you're seeing them as the three Rain orphans."

Jiraiya closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again, Itachi saw a bittersweet nostalgia in the Legendary Sannin's gaze. "Yeah… guess there's no use in denying it."

Itachi nodded. "I can understand what you're thinking given your history, but the circumstances aren't identical. North 64's a rough district, but it's hardly a warzone."

"Even so," Jiraiya pressed, "maybe other kids can tough it out, but these two have considerable spirit energy, which means that they need to eat and dodge Hollows, along with creatures like Manda that might want to take a bite out of them. They haven't had an easy time out here… they need help, Itachi."

Itachi took a deep breath. He had come out here for a specific purpose; help Jiraiya hunt Manda down and then watch his friend's back while the Legendary Sannin pummeled Orochimaru's old summon and made him his own. That had been accomplished, albeit with a quick rescue of Gin and Rangiku thrown in for good measure. Their objectives were complete, and they really should've already been on their way back to the Seireitei right now. Sure, it probably wouldn't take long to escort Gin and Rangiku back to where it was that they called home, and buying them food wasn't a big imposition either, but Jiraiya clearly felt like they needed to do more. His past experiences were obviously driving his feelings here…

…and why shouldn't they be?

You understand now, Jigoku no Joō chimed in, I was wondering what took you so long. After all, do you think that you're the only one who wants to make up for his past?

No, I suppose I'm not. Jiraiya may not have committed any crimes as grievous as my own, but he had a long life in the Shinobi World… one with more than its share of 'what ifs?' and what could have been.

Itachi gave his friend a small smile. "How about this? Let's first focus on getting them home and something good to eat. After that… we'll sit down and come up with a plan that helps them survive beyond just the short-term."

Jiraiya breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Thanks, Itachi. I owe you one."

Itachi shook his head. "No, I think it's the other way around here. I was focusing just on what we'd set out to accomplish today, but you're looking beyond it… and looking to help those who need it. I really should be trying to do the same. Your example's a far better one to follow than my own… especially if I'm serious about trying to move beyond the past."

Jiraiya smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "I think you're being a bit too hard on yourself, but I get where you're coming from. Come on, let's get back to those kids. Our work out here's not done yet."

True enough, thought Itachi as he briefly cast his gaze to the south, Yoruichi… sorry, but I may be a bit late in getting back today. Something of a complication's come up. I hope things are going a bit more smoothly on your end.

….

I really should've skipped this damn meeting, Yoruichi thought as she exerted a truly herculean effort to hide her growing exasperation, Itachi, why did I let you talk me into playing the good girl role today?

Because you just can't say 'no' to that handsome face, the spirit of her Zanpakutō chimed in with a giggle, I can't say that I blame you for that. Good looks combined with a keen mind? You really hit the jackpot with him!

Yeah, I know. Doesn't change the fact that this meeting's still nothing more than a waste of time and a pain in the ass. Soul King damn it, when is the Head Captain going to make Rhaegon shut the hell up?

Glancing at the old man, Yoruichi surreptitiously searched Yamamoto's face for any sign that he might be starting to tire of Rhaegon's arguments and complaints, but it was no good. As ever, the Head Captain's weathered visage was inscrutable. Yoruichi might have known him well enough to be confident that he would put his foot down eventually, but guessing when Yamamoto would actually do that and save her sanity was an exercise in futility. The meeting already felt like it had been dragging on for an eternity, and Yoruichi would have been almost grateful for a massive Hollow attack right now if it meant bringing this torture to an abrupt end.

Yoruichi felt confident that she wasn't the only Captain growing weary of Rhaegon's spectacle. Standing across from her, she saw Squad Three's Zameel el-Emani looking on in what seemed like equal parts exasperation and pity. Perhaps the latter should not have been surprising; Yoruichi knew that Squad Three's dark and bearded leader was normally on quite good terms with the Captain of Squad Ten, yet that friendship had limits. In the past, Zameel had demonstrated both a willingness to back Rhaegon up when he felt his fellow Captain had a valid point to make while also being more than capable of chastising him should Squad Ten's leader take a step too far. Perhaps Zameel was holding his tongue less out of respect for his friendship with Rhaegon than he was simply hoping that Head Captain Yamamoto could be the one to reprimand him instead… whenever the old man finally got around to it.

Further down the line of odd-numbered Captains, Yoruichi saw that the heads of Squads Five, Seven and Nine were perhaps more sympathetic to how she felt at the moment. Shinji was the least bit ruffled of the three, looking more bored than anything else, though he had to keep expressions of that boredom low-key in order to avoid drawing Yamamoto's ire. Love was scratching the back of his neck and shaking his head at the same time, appearing both embarrassed for and increasingly aggravated with the poor theater unfolding before him. Given how laid-back Love typically was, the fact that he was showing such open weariness with Rhaegon's performance said quite a lot, and none of it good. Then again, Yoruichi knew that Squad Seven's Captain tended to frown upon grand-standing and posturing, something that Rhaegon was more than indulging in at the moment. As for the leader of Squad Nine, Kensei's expression was an open and seething scowl. Given Captain Muguruma's typically no-nonsense attitude when it came to his fellow Soul Reapers, subordinates or otherwise, Yoruichi was honestly surprised that the silver-haired man had not openly berated Rhaegon by now. Of course, much like Squad Three's leader, Kensei most likely was holding himself back out of deference not to his fellow Captain, but to the Head Captain.

I wonder… if the old man weren't here, just how many of us would've jumped Rhaegon by now?

You would be first in line, and I imagine that you'd have plenty of backup!

No kidding. Come on, Rhaegon, read the damn room and wrap it up already. The rest of us have actual work to do!

And cute subordinates to concern ourselves with.

You're not helping.

I'm not trying to.

Figures. Itachi, you'd better be watching your back out there. After talking me into putting up with this crap today, you're going to owe me back in my quarters tonight…

Turning her gaze towards the man that was Rhaegon's only real ally in the room, Yoruichi studied the imposing Captain of Squad Eleven carefully. His muscular arms folded in front of him, Torrence Starmont's steely grey eyes peered past dark brown bangs and flicked around the room, as if mirroring Yoruichi in studying how the other Captains were reacting to their colleague's diatribes. Torrence had spoken up a few times so far during the meeting in support of Squad Ten's Captain, though his remarks had been quite curt compared to those of his far more verbose comrade. Given that Torrance had a reputation as being nearly as hotblooded as Rhaegon himself, Yoruichi found his currently stoic demeanor somewhat concerning.

The only times I've seen him this collected and focused is during fights with particularly powerful Menos, she mused, Torrence is usually chomping at the bit to get meetings like this over with so he can go back to training and fighting with the rest of the brutes in Squad Eleven. I never thought of him as much of a political animal, yet he seems awfully interested in what Rhaegon's been saying today. Is there a connection between them? I recall them occasionally supporting each other in the past when it comes to spats like this, but still… the Starmont Clan's usually pretty standoffish when it comes to the other Great Noble Houses. Very much the self-reliant types rather than those who actively play the game of shifting alliances that the aristocracy's so fond of. Has something changed with the family leadership recently, or am I just reading too much into things here?

Chewing on those thoughts for a bit, Yoruichi then allowed her eyes to drift over to the final man in line across the meeting hall from her. She could not help but feel a twinge of sympathy for Captain Ukitake. Squad Thirteen's leader already-pale leader was looking a bit whiter in the face than normal, and his eyelids would occasionally flutter in a telltale sign of weariness. Yoruichi didn't think that Jūshirō was in danger of immediately keeling over, but he certainly wasn't looking his best. If anyone should've skipped the meeting, it was definitely him.

Poor guy really should've taken a sick day. Putting up with Rhaegon's rantings isn't going to do Ukitake's health any favors. It sure as hell isn't doing mine any good. Maybe I should've faked illness. I haven't pulled that stunt since my Academy days, so I probably could've gotten away with it.

Right up until the Head Captain dispatched Unohana to check up on you.

He wouldn't do that just for me being out sick for one day.

Are you certain of that? Squad Two's become a real gem in his eyes over the past several years thanks to your mission record, and he has an interest in your continued success. That would extend to your health.

Hmm… you might have a point there. Guess it's a good thing I let Itachi talk me into showing up on time today… not that I'll admit that to him.

Since her Zanpakutō spirit had brought up the Squad Four Captain, Yoruichi took a discreet glance at the woman standing next to her. Unohana was renowned for her forbearance, so Yoruichi didn't expect to see her particularly irked by Rhaegon's antics. It was therefore something of a surprise for Yoruichi to see Unohana with her head bowed and eyes closed, while her hands were clasped together in front of her. To a casual observer, it might simply appear that Unohana had shut her eyes so she could simply focus more with her ears on what Rhaegon was saying, or perhaps that she was merely pretending to do so while in fact actually tuning the speaker out. Yoruichi knew her better than that, though. She had only seen Unohana take on a pose like this a few times, and it meant that her patience was starting to wear thin. Yoruichi wondered if Rhaegon had even noticed. It was one thing to risk the Head Captain's ire, but to make such an ass of oneself that Unohana was struggling to restrain herself…

…well, if this kept up for too much longer, then Squad Ten might soon find itself in the market for a new Captain, along with a fresh headstone for the old one.

You don't really that think she'd straight up murder him in a setting like this, do you? In front of the Head Captain himself?

I know it sounds insane, but… well, if even half of what grandmother told me about her is true, then I'm not about to rule it out.

Fair enough.

Looking past Unohana, Yoruichi was curious to see if Squad Six's leader might be struggling in a similar manner. Ginrei Kuchiki remained stoic as ever, though. Much like Head Captain Yamamoto, the current head of the Kuchiki Clan could be quite difficult to read; he took the whole 'noble bearing' schtick far more seriously than Yoruichi ever would, and making himself inscrutable came with the territory. Beyond the Squad Six Captain, Squad Eight's commanding officer was a bit more expressive. Shunsui's slumped shoulders and lazily tilted head were all the indicators Yoruichi needed to know that he was already mentally checked out from the meeting. He seemed much more preoccupied with scratching at his beard or adjusting his hat than he was with Rhaegon's words, and Yoruichi did not miss his eyes regularly darting back and forth between the Head Captain and the exit. Catching her gaze, Squad Eight's leader flashed Yoruichi a smirk and an eye-roll, along with a slight shrug. She had to resist the urge to chuckle. The message was loud and clear; this whole spectacle was a pointless farce, and they had much better things to do than keep sitting with it. Yoruichi was in full agreement with Shunsui on that count.

I'm sure we'll have a good laugh about it over drinks sometime soon, Yoruichi mused, I doubt that Rhaegon would appreciate it, but it's not like we'll be inviting him the next time we hit the bar. Not after him forcing us to listen to his ranting for hours on end today…

Turning her gaze towards the last person in the even-numbered units' line, Yoruichi saw Kirio Hikifune look on with what looked like genuine concern. She had one finger idly fiddling with strands of her long purple hair, a subconscious gesture that Yoruichi had long ago learned to associate with anxiety on Kirio's part. Whether it was Rhaegon's arguments directly that were resonating with Squad Twelve's Captain or simply worry for how everyone else in the room might react if he went too far, Yoruichi couldn't say, but it was cause for worry on her part. Kirio, at least in Yoruichi's experience, was like Kisuke in that she tended to wrap herself up in studies or research in one form or another; politics wasn't really something she sought to involve herself in beyond learning or teaching about them as part of historical inquiry. Did her trepidation stem from fear for the personal consequences Rhaegon might eventually face for his behavior, or was she seeing something deeper that Yoruichi could not?

The latter was actually more likely than one might first suspect. Although she had to work considerably at it, if she pushed Rhaegon's grating combination of condescension and wounded family pride off to the side and focused solely on the arguments he was making, Yoruichi would readily admit that he had some valid points. Hell, had he gone about attempting to make his case in a different manner rather than forcing his fellow Captains to endure such a diatribe, Yoruichi might even be inclined to support him.

The root of the issue was policy, and as ever when it came to policy, the devil was in the details. Although Yoruichi had not been monitoring the chain of events too closely, she knew that this latest commotion stemmed from a spat between the Drakken Clan and the Central Forty-Six on matters of collective security within the broader Soul Society. In a way, both the Head Captain and Squad Two indirectly bore some of the blame in this particular incident, because it could be seen as a continuation of the mission that had inadvertently brought Yoruichi and her comrades into contact with the wraith that had been hiding near the border of the Drakken Clan Principality. Back then, the original mission hadn't been to destroy the wraith at all, but to survey the ancient city of Menar Issilaya and assess the feasibility of returning it to habitable status with the intent of eventually establishing an outpost there. Menar Issilaya was to be the first of several such outposts established, with the broader goal of establishing a network of such bases throughout The Wild and begin the process of exerting control over the Soul Society's vast swaths of uninhabited lands by both the central authorities within the Seireitei and the Great Noble Houses from their ancestral homelands in the Principalities. Unfortunately, that entire program had gotten thrown out the window with the discovery of the wraith, and the focus of Squad Two and the Stealth Forces had necessarily shifted from mapping out similar prospective sites for outposts to hunting down and eliminating every last one of the ancient abominations.

To be honest, I figured everyone had forgotten about the original mission goals, Yoruichi thought as she watched Rhaegon continue his lecture before the Head Captain, I mean, even after I sent word back to the Seireitei that Itachi and I had dealt with the last wraith back in my family's Principality, I never got any indication from the old man Yamamoto that he or the Central Forty-Six wanted Squad Two and the Stealth Force to resume the survey expeditions. If Rhaegon wasn't grinding on my last nerves right now, I might've even thanked him and his family for raising this issue again. Now's as good a time as any to start tackling it.

Strictly speaking, the Drakken Clan had already gotten to work on it, but only in one location; Menar Issilaya. After Squad Two had eliminated the wights and wraith, they'd completed their survey mission in that city before returning to the Seireitei. While the other sites out in The Wild that they'd been slated to examine had gone uninspected thanks to the wraith hunt becoming a new priority, Squad Two's survey reports had still been provided to the Head Captain and the Central Forty-Six. As Menar Issilaya was relatively close to the Drakken Clan Principality, that Great Noble House had been given permission by the Central Forty-Six to garrison the ancient city and begin restoration efforts. Yoruichi hadn't followed their progress all that closely as her attention had been consumed by new missions, but what snippets had come her way over the past several years indicated that the Drakken Clan had made significant progress, turning what had once been abandoned ruins into a serviceable fortress and a new stopping point for trade caravans on the way to or from the Great Noble House's Principality. In fact, revenues collected in the form of transit fees and supply purchases or lodgings had increased considerably with each passing year. This was thanks to the city's strategic position; with the Shadow Pass now cleansed and restored as the Luminous Pass, the most direct trade route between the Drakken Clan Principality and the Soul Society's heart was open, and it saw practically constant through traffic.

Bolstered by their success in Menar Issilaya, the Drakken Clan had clearly decided that the time had come to revisit the survey program. Yoruichi was mildly miffed that the Drakken Clan seemed to have conveniently forgotten that it was only thanks to the efforts of Squad Two that Menar Issilaya had been made safe for garrisoning and restoration, but she had been willing to overlook that slight in the interest of the greater good. With all five wraiths now confirmed destroyed, restarting the survey program made sense. Squad Two and the Stealth Force could spare scouts for new expeditions, and it would not be out of the question for the Great Noble Houses to provide their own forces to supplement those efforts. Indeed, Rhaegon's proposal had included as much. Had it only gone to that point, Yoruichi would've given fifty-fifty odds on the Central Forty-Six granting their approval.

The problem was that the Drakken Clan had wanted to go significantly further. While the original survey scheme and subsequent garrison plans had called for relatively modest numbers of scouts and soldiers to be stationed at the newly created outposts, the Drakken Clan's proposal called for essentially the creation of several new fortress cities along the lines of the Menar Issilaya model. That alone would've been significantly more expensive than the initial scheme, and it would've made approval from the Central Forty-Six not quite as likely, though also not entirely out of the question. Where the Drakken Clan had truly gone too far, though, was a line item in the proposal that called for granting the Great Noble Houses carte blanche to station 'whatever force they deemed fit' at these new bases. On the surface, this didn't look like such a big deal, especially since it gave the Soul Society's most powerful aristocrats free reign over establishing their military presence out in regions of The Wild that would be defined as their spheres of influence. However, where it became unacceptable to both the Central Forty-Six and the Kuchiki, Shiba and Shihōin Clans was the open language of the proposal. That language would give the Drakken and Starmont Clans permission to permanently station dragons and Valkyries outside the borders of their Principalities, greatly expanding the military reach of those respective families thanks to the fact that they possessed unique units capable of long-range flight.

When the current governing structure that the Soul Society knew had originally been established after the downfall of the old kingdom, numerous treaties had been signed by leaders of the Great Noble Houses, the first iteration of the Central Forty-Six, Head Captain Yamamoto, and representatives from the Royal Realm. These were known to history as the 'Founding Treaties', and in large part they were responsible for organizing the Soul Society into the form that its contemporary inhabitants recognized. Chief among those treaties was one which regulated how the Great Noble Houses could deploy their armed forces, with unique articles and stipulations in place for each of the five powerful clans in order to maintain the new balance of power. Each Great Noble House possessed what the treaty designated as 'special units', these being specific formations, creatures, mages or other such individuals or groups that were unique to the clan in question. The most prominent example of these 'special units' were the dragons of the Drakken Clan and the Valkyries allied with the Starmont Clan, and these had always been subject to the strictest regulations. Both clans had long chafed under such treatment, and while Yoruichi could sympathize with them to a degree, she also understood the necessity of the arrangement.

Dragons and Valkyries are incredible force multipliers, she mused, especially since a single one of each has the potential to rival a Soul Reaper Captain in strength. The Central Forty-Six has always been wary of the power that us Captains possess, even with the knowledge that the Head Captain keeps us in line serving them. Special units, on the other hand, answer first and foremost to the Great Noble House that commands them. The Central Forty-Six officially has authority over the Great Noble Houses, but in reality, each of the powerful clans can act with a wide degree of independence, especially in their own Principalities or the regions near them. There's always been some tension stemming from that, but it's been kept in check… at least in the past. Enforcement of the Founding Treaties has always been a tricky business. Just because the clans signed onto them doesn't mean that they've ever truly happy with them.

Indeed, Yoruichi knew that it was something of a pastime for the Great Noble Houses to push the boundaries of the Founding Treaties. Each clan was always looking for loopholes to exploit, testing to see just how far they could bend the rules before provoking a backlash. Of course, there was a key difference between merely pushing the envelope and ripping said envelope apart entirely, and that was exactly what the Drakken Clan's new proposals entailed. The 'whatever force they deemed fit' line could only be interpreted one way; the Drakken Clan was seeking to abolish the treaty limitations on the deployment of a Great Noble House's 'special units', which meant completely unrestricted movement for the most dangerous creatures in all of the Soul Society. Rhaegon and his family were playing with fire here, and while that was entirely characteristic of the dragon-riding clan, this measure threatened to unleash an utter inferno. Indeed, from what Yoruichi understood, the political firestorm it had set off within both the Central Forty-Six and the wider aristocracy was blazing red-hot and unlikely to be put out anytime soon.

Yoruichi wanted to shake her head at the ridiculousness of it all. Rhaegon could be hot-headed, but he wasn't a fool; he had to have realized that the Central Forty-Six would panic at the prospect of unrestricted dragon and Valkyrie movement. Granted, the latter was a much lesser threat than the former since Valkyries rarely ever numbered higher than single digits and preferred to keep to the north anyway, regardless of any treaties stating how far beyond the Starmont Clan Principality they could roam. The former was the big issue. The Drakken Clan only kept a handful of their famous mounts within the Seireitei at any one time to keep in compliance with the Founding Treaties, but there were significantly more dragons out east in their Principality. Rhaegon's proposal to let them roam far afield in force, having individual or groups of the beasts assigned to distant outposts so that they could patrol The Wild from the sky, might've made military sense, but it was utterly terrifying to those who wished to keep the mighty creatures contained.

With the way that the selection process for members of the Central Forty-Six worked, it was an open secret amongst the Soul Society's aristocracy that the venerable governing council partially worked as a proxy arena for the five Great Noble Houses to duke it out. Since maintaining the balance of power within that arena was just as important as keeping the peace in the wider Soul Society itself, that combined with all the dirty tricks and sleaze involved in the selection process for new members of the Central Forty-Six meant the breakdown of the judges and wiseman roughly mirrored the composition of the Great Noble Houses themselves. As a result, an approximate and collective three-fifths of the Central Forty-Six representing the proxies of the Kuchiki, Shiba and Shihōin Clans had formed a united front to shoot down the proposal put forward by the Drakken Clan and their proxies, with only the Starmont Clan's proxies supporting those of their eastern allies. Paradoxically, it was both a predictable and surprising reaction.

Such a proposal would inevitably face overwhelming opposition and have no chance of making it through the Central Forty-Six, Yoruichi thought, but even then, for the entirety of the Starmont Clan's proxies on the council to line up in support of it… it seems that they and the Drakken Clan have forged stronger ties than was previously believed. To what end, though? The two of them making common cause would never be enough by itself to muscle a treaty article abolishment as radicle as this past the opposing proxies in the Central Forty-Six. Did they try to bring a third family onboard and fail? Or was this less an actionable proposal and more of a declaration of intent that they knew would get shot down? Maybe even were counting on that? Damn it, this is why I hate politics; trying to sort out substantive from performative actions can be such a pain in the ass. What's genuine versus what's for show, what messages one party's trying to send and who are the recipients, what reactions they might be trying to provoke… trying to puzzle it all out is one giant headache.

The immediate result, at least, was easy enough to understand. With three-fifths of the Central Forty-Six flat out rejecting the proposal put forth by the Drakken Clan and backed by the Starmont Clan, the motion had died on the debate floor. From the rumors going around, it sounded like the session had become quite heated, an occurrence that seemed to be becoming more common as of late. No matter how combative and vehement the arguments became, though, they did nothing to change the conclusion. The Drakken Clan was well aware of that, which perhaps was why they were desperate enough to employ Rhaegon in this forlorn bid to the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. If they genuinely believed that the Head Captain would do anything to countermand the decree of the Central Forty-Six, though… well, Yoruichi had to wonder what they were smoking or drinking, because it was clearly strong enough to completely warp their perceptions of what was reasonable or even possible. Head Captain Yamamoto had made it abundantly clear throughout his very long leadership tenure that he served not just as the Soul Society's principle military commander, but the chief enforcer of the Central Forty-Six's decrees. His dedication to seeing that their decrees were honored was ironclad, and anyone who believed otherwise was simply deluding themselves.

Which made it all the stranger in Yoruichi's eyes that the Head Captain had allowed this spectacle to drag on for as long as it had. The Thirteen Court Guard Squads surely had far more pressing business to attend to than continuing to humor Rhaegon's already-doomed petition, so why draw things out? Sure, it wouldn't look great to just slam the door right off the bat on a Captain who was also a member of a Great Noble House, but they were now well past the point where the Head Captain might have to worry about ruffling the Drakken Clan's feathers with a potential slight, and not just because Rhaegon's family was already clearly miffed. The old man wasn't trying to get Rhaegon's hopes up by letting him continue to rattle off and reemphasize points on his plan, was he? Yamamoto could be cruel and ruthless when his orders called for it, but as far as Yoruichi knew he wasn't in the habit of stringing subordinates along. When he had bad news to give, the Head Captain was typically blunt and up-front about it.

Perhaps he's acting on orders from the Central Forty-Six. They may have already shut down the Drakken Clan's proposal, but it's possible that they want a bit of a show within the Thirteen Court Guard Squads as well.

For what purpose?

It could be a piece of political theater meant for the aristocracy as a whole. A way for the Central Forty-Six to show that the Thirteen Court Guard Squads are willing to listen to the appeals of the nobility and at least pretend to consider their arguments before slamming the door on them.

That doesn't make any sense. Any noble with actual intelligence knows that the Head Captain doesn't defy the Central Forty-Six. Hearing out a request that's already been turned down by the council is just a waste of time, especially when the outcome's predetermined. The Head Captain's not about to budge now; the aristocracy really shouldn't need another lesson in just how dedicated he is to enforcing the Central Forty-Six's decrees.

Lessons can be forgotten and need reteaching from time to time. The Central Forty-Six may see this as such a time.

Now you sound like my grandmother.

Well, I'm as much descended from her as you are. What do you expect?

Okay, you got me there. You really think this is all just meant to remind the aristocracy of their place while pretending to be respectful about it?

Do you have a better theory?

As of right now? Not really.

Well, that one's the best I've got at the moment. If you come up with a more suitable one before this sorry spectacle is through, I'd love to hear it.

I'll try, but I wouldn't get your hopes up if I were you.

Returning her focus to the man at the center of today's mess, Yoruichi took a deep yet quiet breath in an effort to keep her composure as Rhaegon rattled on. "As you can clearly see, esteemed Head Captain, the Central Forty-Six's ruling against my family's proposal is a grave error. If the Great Noble Houses were allowed to take new outposts in The Wild, they could provide Soul Reapers with bases of operation for patrols and missions far from home. Through cooperation between the forces of the clans, Soul Reapers, Stealth Force operatives, and Kidō Corps members, we could make great inroads in securing The Wild and establishing new habitable regions for souls. New resources could be made available for exploitation with the taming of the outlands, and we could dramatically reduce the ability of Hollows to use The Wild as an area to congregate and mass before their raids on the Rukon District."

Just as before, the points being raised by Squad Ten's Captain were all quite valid in Yoruichi's eyes, even if she was reluctant to speak up in support of him. For all that she might sympathize with his goals, she wasn't about to attach her name to an already-doomed proposal. It wasn't just about keeping her own neck out of the mess, either; by speaking up in support, Yoruichi would be seen as attaching the Shihōin Clan to the Drakken Clan's efforts, regardless of whether or not that was her actual intent. Word of that would absolutely get out, no matter what orders Yamamoto might place on the Captains regarding speaking about the contents of today's meeting beyond this hall, and that would raise an uproar with her own family. Yoruichi had absolutely no intention of piling a new mess on top of an existing one.

Captain Starmont, however, appeared to have no such compunctions. "Sir, Captain Drakken does raise several worthwhile concerns. Long have Hollows exploited the incredible gaps in our surveillance of The Wild to infiltrate the Soul Society and build up their packs before attempting to attack either the Rukon District or the Principalities. Just the prospect of reducing that threat should be enough to justify this proposal."

Rhaegon nodded at Torrence in gratitude before returning his gaze to the Head Captain. "Yes, exactly! Why should we continue to allow our chief enemy a free reign in The Wild when they use it only to our detriment? How many times have Soul Reapers been called out to deal with incursions into the outer Rukon Districts? How many times have the Principalities been forced to marshal their armies at the borders to ward off Hollow packs? Even if those packs have always been met with force and exterminated, we should be doing more than playing merely a reactive role. Proactive measures are needed if we're to finally get the upper hand over these beasts!"

That was when Captain Kuchiki cleared his throat. "If enacting proactive measures against Hollow incursions out in The Wild is what you and your family truly desire, Captain Drakken, there are ways to go about that which do not involve radical changes to long-established treaties. Had your clan put more deliberation into drafting the proposals that were submitted to the Central Forty-Six, perhaps you would have found a more favorable reception."

Yoruichi raised an eyebrow as she turned her attention to Ginrei. His words were as close to shots across Rhaegon's bow as he could get, and Yoruichi was honestly a bit surprised at how Squad Six's Captain seemed to be assuming a confrontational stance. Then again, maybe his patience had been tested more by Rhaegon's diatribes than she'd guessed, and he was now seeking to put his fellow noble's show to rest.

Rhaegon, for his part, seemed taken aback by Ginrei's remarks. "Captain Kuchiki, I can assure you that the utmost deliberation went into the crafting of my family's proposals. The Drakken Clan is no less dedicated to the peace and stability of the Soul Society than your family, or any of the other Great Noble Houses for that matter. If what my clan is calling for is seen as radical, then it is only because the current state of affairs has deteriorated to the point that radical change is necessary."

"Radical change that you and your family knew the Central Forty-Six would never approve of," Ginrei shot back, his graceful bearing somewhat at odds with the harsh tone of his words, "I know that the Drakken Clan values boldness as a trait, and that attribute certainly has merits, but a more measured and thoughtful approach with a mind towards those you are appealing towards would've served your family in much better stead."

"And it probably wouldn't waste so much time," Shinji muttered.

Rhaegon rounded on Squad Five's leader with a fierce glare. "I wasn't aware that trying to improve the security of the Soul Society could ever be considered a 'waste of time' by one of my fellow Soul Reapers."

"It's not when you go about it properly," Shinji quipped with a dismissive shrug, "A shame that you and your family got greedy, Captain Drakken."

Rhaegon placed a hand on his chest in an aggrieved gesture. "Greedy? If I didn't know better, Captain Hirako, I'd say you were trying to insult my family! Surely you misspeak, yes?"

Shinji smirked. "Is it an insult if it's the truth?"

Rhaegon glowered. "You insolent…"

"Enough with this petty quibbling," Ginrei interjected, spiting both men with a withering scowl, "Are you not both Captains in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads? You should be above such childish spats."

Yoruichi heard Captain Kyōraku chuckle. "Could've fooled me…"

Stepping forward, Squad Three's Captain el-Emani spread his arms and opened his palms in a conciliatory manner. "My friends, please, there is no need for such acrimony among us. Shinji, you're hardly the only one who's less than pleased with this state of affairs, but our fellow Captain has the right to air his grievances. We would offer you the same courtesy should the situation be reversed. I would ask you to bear that in mind."

Shinji sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine, whatever you say."

Zameel then turned to Squad Ten's leader. "Nevertheless, I'm afraid Shinji does raise a valid point. Rhaegon, had your family gone over its list of proposals a bit more carefully and modified them so as not to pose such a dramatic challenge to the Founding Treaties, you may well have found a more receptive audience. I hate to say this, but Shinji's point regarding greed is correct, though perhaps it could've been worded better. The Drakken Clan's proposal regarding lifting the restrictions on the deployment of a Great Noble House's special units was far too ambitious, something your family really should have recognized. Knowing the Central Forty-Six, their doors will almost certainly be closed to any further proposals regarding security concerns in The Wild for the foreseeable future. A more moderate measure may win their support eventually, but I doubt the council will be receptive to it anytime soon. I'm sorry, my friend, but in aiming for the stars you have only wound up stabbing yourself in the foot."

Rhaegon turned to Zameel, and in Yoruichi's eyes he seemed genuinely taken aback. "Zameel… I would've thought that you, of all the esteemed Captains gathered here, could appreciate the necessity for such radical reform. How many times now have you and I convened after repelling Hollow attacks in the Rukon District, together lamenting losses suffered among both civilian souls and our own ranks? You must understand just as well as I do the need for bolstering our forces and taking control of The Wild."

"And I very much do," Zameel confirmed, "which is why I wish you had come to me before you and your family had made these proposals before the Central Forty-Six. Had you done so, I could've gone over them with you and helped you moderate them to the point where they might actually have won favor before the council."

"Respectfully, Captain el-Emani," Squad Twelve's Hikifune chimed in, "what our colleague and his House should have done was consult with a barrister before finalizing their drafts and presenting them to the Central Forty-Six. Any flaws or pitfall in the proposal could've then been easily identified and properly addressed, perhaps to the point that we could've avoided this entire spectacle. The Drakken Clan surely has access to such counsel, do they not?"

Rhaegon blinked a few times, perhaps caught flat-footed by Kirio entering the fray. "Well, of course we do. There are legal means to modify or abolish clauses in the Founding Treaties, and we made our proposals with the understanding that those means could be explored and utilized."

Kirio sighed and shook her head. "You are correct in the legal sense, Captain Drakken, but surely you and your family know the difference between legal theory and political reality. Your family's chosen barrister seems to have had an eye more towards the former than the latter. Then again, with how long ago the Founding Treaties were written, much of the language within them is so archaic and obtuse that even the finest legal professionals within the aristocracy can have difficulty parsing it. Perhaps you should come to me next time your family wishes to challenge the status quo? Squad Twelve does a great deal of historical study, and I am well-versed in many ancient documents, the Founding Treaties included. I would be open to providing the understanding and perspective that your clan's barrister seems to lack, along with counseling you regarding what is both legally and politically feasible. Realistically so, I might add, rather than the seemingly overly-optimistic expectations your family's legal counsel gave you."

Rhaegon looked like he had some snarky retort on the tip of his tongue before apparently thinking better of it. "Your offer of future assistance is appreciated, Captain Hikifune. I'll be sure to pass it on to my family."

Kirio respectfully inclined her head. "You and any of their representatives are welcome to come by the Squad Twelve barracks whenever you wish for consultation. If I am not available at the time, plenty of my subordinates just as well-versed in the Founding Treaties as I am and can provide necessary counsel in my absence."

"So, now that you know where to turn for advice next time, are we good to wrap things up here?" asked Squad Seven's Captain Aikawa, "Some of us still have work to get in before the day's out."

"Drills won't run themselves," Squad Nine's Muguruma grumbled.

Rhaegon turned on them in fresh indignation. "Is whatever busywork or exercises waiting back at your barracks really more important than this?"

"Seeing as your proposal's already dead in the water, yes," Kensei bluntly answered.

"No offense, but they are right, Captain Drakken," Ukitake interjected with a weak smile, "While the initiative and zeal you show in attempting to address the Soul Society's security concerns is admirable, I believe it's well-established now that you and your family went over the line with the Central Forty-Six. Their judgement's been rendered, and nothing that takes place here in this hall will change that. You now know what will be necessary for a more fruitful attempt in the future thanks to Captain Hikifune, so I see no reason why we must draw this out any further."

Rhaegon vehemently shook his head. "No, we cannot end this meeting here. Not when these valid concerns remain unaddressed!"

Yoruichi sighed wearily. "Give it a rest already, will you? You knew coming here today would change nothing. We heard you out as a courtesy, and we recognize that the matters you want to address have merit. You and your family just went too far in the proposed response, which is why the Central Forty-Six slammed the door on you. Learn from this mistake and move on, Rhaegon. There are only so many ways the rest of us can drive the point home for you. Things didn't work out for you this time, but you made a noble effort, so you can at least withdraw with your head held high and dignity intact."

If you ask me, I daresay he's already flushed it down the drain.

I agree, but I'm giving him a chance to save face here.

Admirable, though likely a futile gesture at this point.

I know. Still, at least he can't say that I never try to help him.

Knowing him, he'll probably say it anyway out of petulant spite.

Sure enough, as if he'd actually heard the words of Yoruichi's Zanpakutō and wanted to prove them right, Rhaegon rounded on Yoruichi with what he probably thought was a menacing glare but just struck Squad Two's leader as something akin to what a spoiled brat might throw at someone who had just told him 'no'. "I should've expected you to be enjoying this, Captain Shihōin. So pleased at seeing a rival brought low at the Soul Society's expense, yes?"

Yoruichi rolled her eyes dismissively. "Oh, get over yourself, you damn prima-donna. I don't give a rat's ass about the petty gamesmanship our houses play, and you know it. You screwed up, Rhaegon. I know it, you know it, and everyone else knows it. If you're not going to use the opportunity to reflect and recognize where you went wrong, then could you at least cut the whining short so the rest of us can get on with our day here?"

"That would very much be appreciated," Unohana chimed in, opening her eyes and regarding Rhaegon with a look that spoke volumes as to just how done she was with his posturing, "There is little that displeases me more than fools taking causes that I would normally advocate for and so utterly besmirching them with their arrogant grandstanding. Had you approached this matter in a more cautious and measured manner, you may well have found sufficient allies both here and the Central Forty-Six, and the Soul Society itself would be on course to benefit from thoughtful discourse and implementation of well-considered policy reform. Instead, you and your family have wrapped this cause up in your ego and thus completely doomed it. If you are not capable of grasping that, then I ask that you please do us all a favor by taking your diatribes and histrionics someplace that is anywhere other than here."

Yoruichi's eyes widened considerably, and a chill went down her spine. It wasn't just her, either; every Captain in the room was now watching Unohana with extreme wariness. Her tone had been calm and level throughout the bulk of remarks, and while the shift at the end had really only been perhaps a note or so lower at most, Unohana didn't need any more than that to get her sentiments across. Rhaegon's face had noticeably paled, and Yoruichi saw his right hand briefly twitch in the direction of his sword. His pride and self-righteous indignation were nowhere to be found now. He was all but petrified with dread.

And with damn good reason.

Bookkeepers' odds on her taking his head in the next ten seconds?

Her Zanpakutō's remarks were only half in jest, and Yoruichi had nothing to retort with. A frigid silence had fallen on the room, and Yoruichi's nerves were practically electrified. It had been a long time since she'd felt anything remotely like this during a Captains' meeting, and there was no small amount of concern on her part matters might actually come to blows. If that happened, it'd be crossing a line that could never be uncrossed.

Perhaps it was no coincidence that the Head Captain picked that moment to firmly thrust the staff that was his sealed Zanpakutō into the hardwood floor, though the harsh sound of the impact was far less intimidating than the low growl from the voice that followed. "That is quite enough, I think."

Yoruichi and her fellow Captains snapped to attention purely by reflex, and their venerable leader turned his gaze to Squad Four's commanding officer. No words were spoken, and for a long moment Unohana and Yamamoto simply stared at each other. Eventually, Unohana inclined her head ever so slightly, and the Head Captain did the same. Peace would hold…

…this time, at least.

Gulping nervously, Rhaegon faced Yamamoto. "Head Captain, surely you can see that I seek only to…"

"I said enough, Captain Drakken," Yamamoto interrupted, and a pulse of energy rippled through the room, "Do I need to say it a third time?"

The Head Captain's low tone combined with that simple gesture of power was more than enough to compel Rhaegon to bow deeply, though perhaps more out of fear than genuine contrition. "No, of course not, Head Captain. My deepest apologies!"

Yoruichi let out a very quiet breath that she didn't realize she'd been holding. She really should've known that the Head Captain would step in to restore order before things deteriorated to the point of no return, but it still would've been nice if he'd put his foot down sooner. Rhaegon was suitably cowed for the moment, and no other Captain was about to speak up and risk drawing Yamamoto's ire, yet the underlying tension in the room had only been reduced, not eliminated.

Things were looking dicey there for a moment.

They still are, in a way. I can't recall a meeting that's ever gotten this bad.

I hate to be a downer, but it can always get worse.

Hopefully the Head Captain adjourns us before then.

Yoruichi watched as Yamamoto regarded Captain Drakken, his expression so impassive that it might as well have been carved from stone. "Your fellow Captains, myself included, are grateful for you bringing such grave security concerns to the fore. None can deny that there has always been a need to address the issue of Hollows using The Wild as a staging ground for their forays into the Rukon District and the Principalities. Your diligence in studying this problem and formulating potential solutions is to be commended."

Rhaegon bowed deeper still. "Thank you, Head Captain. I had every confidence that your experience and wisdom would allow you to recognize the merits of my family's cause."

"I am not the only one to see it," Yamamoto replied before nodding at Yoruichi and the other Captains, "Your comrades in this room can also see the merits. That being said, a decision has already been rendered on the matter, and we are dutybound to abide by it."

Rhaegon's head snapped up, his eyes widening in incredulity. "Head Captain… you cannot be serious."

"I assure you that I am," said Yamamoto, "The Central Forty-Six had made its ruling, and we will not defy it. Should you come up with new solutions to these problems that are within the power of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads to enact, then I would encourage you to make them known at our next meeting. However, the proposals that you and your family put forth before the Central Forty-Six have already been rejected by them, and our authority is subordinate to theirs. I allowed you to address your peers in this manner so that your concerns could be noted for the record, and I had hoped that a thoughtful discussion surrounding them might ensue, but that is clearly not where this meeting has gone. Nothing productive will come of continuing this session under these circumstances. Even if it were otherwise, the Central Forty-Six's decision would still stand."

Rhaegon glared at the Head Captain. "So you would have us do nothing?"

"I would have us do our duty," Yamamoto answered, completely unphased by Rhaegon's scowl, "We will maintain our defenses and rapid response forces, augmenting and improving them as circumstances and manpower allow. This year's graduating class from the Academy is going to be quite a large one, so there will be more than enough new recruits to go around. If you wish to dedicate some of your new reserves to monitoring the Rukon District and enhancing our forward observation capacity, you are free to pursue such an initiative. That would be well within the bounds of both your authority and what the Thirteen Court Guard Squads are authorized to do by the Central Forty-Six."

"Squad Ten isn't the Stealth Force or Squad Two," Rhaegon shot back, all but spitting out the names of Yoruichi's units, "We're warriors, not scouts and spies."

"Then feel free to send your share of this year's recruits my way so I can take such measures," Yoruichi cut in as she spited Rhaegon with a sharp look, "If you're not going to take the Head Captain's advice because you find scouting the outer Rukon beneath Squad Ten, then I'll gladly put my own units to the task once we have sufficient personnel. Monitoring the Seireitei, Rukon District and the Web of Worlds stretches my forces rather thin, but we still do a damn good job of it if I do say so myself. With more manpower, we can go even further. If you really care so much about this issue, Rhaegon, then surely you'll have no issue with my units taking on the necessary work. Put your money where your mouth is by allowing us to take a portion of Squad Ten's annual recruit allotment, and I'll even give you credit for the plan."

Rhaegon glowered at her. "How generous of you, Captain Shihōin."

"You're not the only one here that wants to protect and serve the Soul Society," Yoruichi replied as she met his scowl with a disciplined and focused gaze, "The difference between us, Rhaegon, is that I don't feel the need to bring my family's ego into our duties. We're professionals, which means we're supposed to leave the pride of our clans at the door and concentrate on the job at hand. I have no trouble with that, and I'm not the only noble in this room who's capable of it."

She glanced at Ginrei, who held her gaze for a moment before shifting towards Rhaegon with the sort of stern expression that she'd seen him usually reserve for subordinates who had severely disappointed him. Squad Six's Captain said nothing, but then again, words were hardly needed from him when the firm and severe grimace he was aiming at Rhaegon spoke volumes.

Yamamoto tapped his Zanpakutō on the floor again, and all eyes in the room returned to him. "Captain Shihōin raises an excellent point. If you find field observation and reconnaissance beneath Squad Ten and yet still wish to firm up our defenses in the outer Rukon, Captain Drakken, perhaps Squad Two and the Stealth Force should be given the necessary increase in manpower to accomplish that task."

Rhaegon looked like the Head Captain had just punched him in the face. "At the expense of my unit? Squad Ten is just as in need of new recruits as all the others, Head Captain!"

"Then you would be wise to remember your place in the greater order of the Soul Society," Yamamoto calmly countered, "lest you wish me to reevaluate the needs of your unit and the future missions it will be assigned to undertake. Do I make myself clear?"

Rhaegon gritted his teeth before bowing. "Yes, Head Captain."

Yoruichi restrained her urge to whistle in surprise. The Head Captain didn't normally threaten a unit as a whole; disciplinary measures were typically reserved just for the offending individual Soul Reapers in question. For him to fire such a shot across not just Rhaegon's bow, but that of Squad Ten in its entirety, was as clear a sign as any regarding just how fed up he was with Captain Drakken's posturing.

Another low for today, Yoruichi thought, Rhaegon… what the hell's gotten into you?

He's raised a stink before. Remember the Nalatarin affair? He was quite pissed off that his clan didn't get to take possession of the artifact you brought back from Menar Issilaya.

That was years ago, and even then… it didn't get this bad. He whined about it, sure, but the Head Captain didn't have to go this far to pull him back into line.

That much was true, but Yoruichi still had her concerns. Looking back on the Nalatarin affair, Rhaegon's behavior at the time struck Yoruichi as a prologue for what she'd seen today. There was another parallel from back then, too; Captain Starmont had supported Rhaegon in trying to claim the artifact, just as he'd backed Squad Ten's leader in his appeal to the assembled Captains today. Was there something brewing between the dragons of the east and the wolves of the north, or was Yoruichi reading too much into things here?

Remember what grandmother taught you, she told herself, I'm seeing a pattern here, and it's been playing out over the course of years now. That's far too long for this to be mere coincidence. Maybe I should consult with my mother sometime soon. She's much more active in the political arena than I am, so she could be seeing something that I'm missing. I suppose I'm overdue for a visit to the family estate… perhaps I ought to bring Itachi along. Both mother and Yūshirō would probably enjoy seeing him again. It's been far too long since the two of us popped in at the mansion, and this is as good an excuse as any.

That was for the not-too-distant future, though. Yoruichi's more immediate concern, apart from the meeting which the Head Captain would hopefully bring to an imminent close, was with Itachi and Jiraiya's adventure out in the Rukon District. Given how long the meeting had gone, there was a chance that Itachi would actually be back in the Seireitei by the time Yoruichi returned to the Squad Two barracks. She very much hoped so. After all, there was much that she wanted to talk to him about…

…after she was certain that her beloved Uchiha was safe and unharmed.

….

As he approached the entry gate for Squad Two's barracks while the late afternoon sun slowly began its descent into the west, Itachi wondered if Yoruichi was even back yet. Given how long he had been out in the Rukon District, it was most likely that his Captain had indeed returned by now, yet there was always the outside chance that the big meeting she had been so reluctant to attend today was still ongoing. Given the subject matter and the fact that Squad Ten's overly-dramatic Captain was at the center of the recent dispute, it was quite possible that Yoruichi and her fellow officers were still a literal captive audience for Rhaegon to harp on.

Hopefully it's the former and not the latter, Itachi thought, I can't imagine Yoruichi would be in a good mood should the meeting keep her into the night. She was hardly looking forward to going in the first place, after all. Perhaps I should have indulged her and brought her out for our little hunt. Given all the hard work she and Squad Two have put in these past several years, surely the Head Captain could overlook one instance of her not showing up for a meeting…

Fate seemed to be on Itachi's side, though, for as he got closer to the entry gate, Itachi saw a very familiar woman approaching from the opposite direction. His onyx eyes met her golden ones for a brief moment, and Itachi saw them light up in equal parts excitement and mischief. Then she vanished, and Itachi braced himself. It was a good thing he knew Yoruichi so well by now, otherwise he would've been tackled to the ground by her lightning-fast charge. Instead, Itachi caught her in his arms and spun her around to bleed off the momentum from her Flash Step, the two of them twirling in the middle of the road before slowing down enough to come together for a fierce kiss. A few Soul Reapers from other units were passing by on separate business, and Itachi could sense them gawking at him and his lover, but he didn't give a damn, and he knew that neither did Yoruichi.

Eventually, their lips parted for breath, but they remained embraced, and Yoruichi smiled warmly as she gazed lovingly into his eyes. "Welcome back."

Itachi leaned forward to press his forehead against hers while returning her smile. "Good to be back. Sorry it took so long."

Yoruichi shook her head. "Don't worry about it. Meeting ran long anyway, so your timing's perfect."

As they released each other, Yoruichi looked him up and down. "You're not hurt, are you?"

"Not in the slightest," Itachi reassured her, "Remember, Jiraiya had the most dangerous part of the assignment, not me. I had to deal with a pack of Hollows that tried to but in, but they were easy enough to take down."

Yoruichi nodded. "Glad to hear it. Speaking of Jiraiya, how'd he do? Did he tame Manda?"

"He gave Manda a beating that the old snake won't be forgetting anytime soon," Itachi answered, "Their summoning contract's complete. If and when Orochimaru makes his way over to the afterlife, he'll be in for quite the shock when he sees Jiraiya using his former summon in battle."

"Assuming Orochimaru ends up here rather than the pits of Hell," Yoruichi pointed out, "Based on everything you've told me about the guy, my money's on him going down rather than up, if you catch my drift."

"I suppose that'd be a fairly safe bet," Itachi conceded, "though given that I wound up here rather than down there, I'm not about to rule anything out."

"You and him are completely different cases," Yoruichi argued as she firmly took hold of his shoulders so that she could make sure his eyes remained locked with hers, "and you know it, Itachi. I'm not about to let anyone else say otherwise, including you."

Itachi smiled again as he reached up to place one of his hands over hers, touched by her clear desire to keep him away from the shadows that always lurked in the back of his mind. "Thank you."

"Anytime," Yoruichi replied as she released him, "So, everything good with Jiraiya, then? I'm assuming he's back at the Squad Eight barracks now, right?"

Itachi shook his head. "Actually, he's still out in North 64. There's been something of a complication."

Yoruichi's eyes narrowed. "A complication? What's going on? Was Jiraiya wounded and can't move?"

"He's fine," Itachi assured her, "but the situation's evolved into something beyond what the two of us were anticipating when we set out this morning. I have an idea as to how we can resolve it, but I need some help. It'd be better if you and I discussed this in private."

Yoruichi looked at him curiously for a moment before nodding. "Alright, then. Let's head to my office. You don't mind if I prepare some tea before we talk, do you? After the meeting today, I could really use a good cup."

"I wouldn't mind one or two myself," Itachi remarked, "I could make it for you, if you you'd like."

Yoruichi smiled as she looped her arm through his. "That's sweet, but I'll handle it this time. You were the one out in the field today, after all. All I had to do was put up with Rhaegon's whining."

"Between the two of us, I think you might have had it worse," Itachi noted as they passed through the entry gate, "If you want a moment to sit back and catch your breath, I really don't mind making the tea for you."

Yoruichi leaned against him and intertwined her fingers with his, squeezing his hand. "Really want to play the gentleman today, eh? Well, if you insist, then who am I to say no? Thanks, Itachi."

The Squad Two barracks were relatively quiet, with most of the unit's members either on assignment or out enjoying a day off. A handful of Soul Reapers and Stealth Force personnel were going through Hakuda drills in the courtyard and acknowledged Itachi and Yoruichi as the couple passed through, barely so much as batting an eye at their open affection.

Our relationship was pretty much an open secret beforehand, Itachi mused, and going public hasn't really changed much between us and our comrades. Then again, Yoruichi's fostered a very understanding attitude in her subordinates when it comes to the affairs of their comrades, and we've both demonstrated repeatedly that we can still do our jobs competently without letting our feelings get in the way.

"How are you doing?" he asked his companion as they left the courtyard behind and went inside the main hall, "If you're only just now getting back from the meeting, then I imagine that means Captain Drakken really ran his mouth off today. That can't have been pleasant to sit through."

Yoruichi sighed, and a troubled look crossed her face. "That's putting it mildly. Things got rough today, Itachi. I… I've never seen anything like it before. Meetings have gone sour before, sure, but this one… things really got heated. I'm honestly worried."

Itachi's eyes widened slightly, and a quiet alarm went off in his head; if she was saying as much openly, then matters were almost certainly much worse than he'd imagined. "How bad was it? Is there anything I can do to help?"

She looked up at him and smiled, albeit wearily. "Stay with me for a while and let me get it all off my chest? I know you said that you and Jiraiya needed help of your own, and I promise that I'll do everything in my power to aid you with whatever this 'complication' of yours is. I just really need someone to talk to about what happened today, Itachi, and I want that someone to be you. Nothing against Soi-Fon; she's as sharp as they come, and I would appreciate her perspective on what I saw in the meeting. It's just that… well, with your unique experience, your insight is what I need right now."

Itachi inclined his head. "You'll have it. You always will, whenever you need it."

"I know," she said softly as she leaned up to gently peck him on the cheek, "and you have no idea how grateful I am for that."

Nearing her office, Itachi and Yoruichi found Soi-Fon waiting just outside with a stack of papers in her arms, and she bowed at their approach. "Lady Yoruichi, Eighth Seat Uchiha, welcome back."

Yoruichi smiled in greeting. "Good to be back, Soi-Fon. What do you have there for me?"

"The latest reports from Stealth Force field scouts out in the Web of Worlds," Soi-Fon answered, "I took the liberty of reviewing them for you. I didn't notice any major concerns, but they'll still require your signature before we send them over to Squad One."

Yoruichi nodded. "You can leave them on my desk; I'll get to them a bit later. Thank you, Soi-Fon. Knowing that you've already checked them for me is going to make my evening easier, and I really needed that."

Soi-Fon grimaced. "I take it the meeting went poorly, then?"

"That's definitely one way to put it," Yoruichi replied.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" asked Soi-Fon, "I could put on some tea for you, if you'd like."

Yoruichi smiled again before gesturing to her companion. "Itachi's already been gracious enough to volunteer for that. I appreciate the offer, though. Perhaps next time."

Itachi was relieved to see Soi-Fon simply nod in acceptance before turning to him. "Understood. Itachi, how was your and Jiraiya's trip out into the Rukon District?"

"Quite successful," Itachi answered, "though with a wrinkle that we still need to smooth out. Attending to it shouldn't be too difficult."

"I see," said Soi-Fon, "Well, in any case, it's good to have you back here unharmed. I'll go tell your mother that you've returned safely. I know she was worried about you. You should stop by and check in on her yourself before the day's done. Her daily patrol's already over, so she should be around the barracks."

Itachi gave Soi-Fon a small smile in gratitude. "Please tell her that I'll come find her before the day's out… and thank you, Soi-Fon. It means a lot to me that my mother has someone like you looking out for her. You're a good friend… to both me and her."

"I'd say the same for the two of you," Soi-Fon replied with a polite smile.

She opened the doors of the office for Yoruichi and Itachi, slipping inside just long enough to deposit the reports on the Captain's desk before swiftly leaving. Shutting the doors behind them, Itachi then gestured at the small table off to the side that Yoruichi kept for entertaining guests in a more informal capacity.

"Make yourself comfortable," he said, already moving towards the opposite side of the office where he knew Yoruichi kept the tea leaves, cups and pot, "I'll have our drinks prepared shortly."

"Don't mind if I do," Yoruichi murmured as she settled down a cushion and shed her haori.

Setting himself to work, Itachi saw Yoruichi lean back, propping herself up on her arms as she watched him make the tea. Despite the worries that the earlier meeting had instilled in her, Itachi could still see a fond smile on her face while she observed him. It was almost distracting for Itachi, and he had to force himself to focus on his task.

When the tea was eventually ready, Itachi first brought the cups over before heading back for the pot. Pouring them both their drinks, Itachi then sat down to Yoruichi's left. She proceeded to move her cushion closer to his, leaning against him as the two of them picked up their cups.

"You really are a treasure," she said as her gaze went from the tea to him, "Thanks, Itachi. I needed this."

Itachi gently tapped his cup against hers. "Anytime. That bad of a day, eh?"

Taking a sip of her tea, Yoruichi then planted a soft kiss on his cheek. "Yeah, but it's starting to look up now."

The two of them spent a few minutes enjoying their tea in contented silence. While Itachi was intensely curious as to what had transpired during the Captains' meeting, he wasn't about to force Yoruichi to divulge all before she was ready. She clearly needed some time to catch her breath and put her thoughts in order, though that only served to heighten Itachi's concern. Yoruichi wasn't a woman who got rattled easily, which could only mean that the situation was worse than whatever she'd anticipated before going into the meeting.

Eventually, after they'd both finished their first cups and Itachi had poured refills, Yoruichi began to fill him in on the details concerning Rhaegon's proposals and the response from both the Central Forty-Six and the assembled Captains. The rapidly escalating tensions between the leader of Squad Ten and his fellow Soul Reapers was a particular note of concern, and for good reason; Itachi could only imagine just how petty and petulant Rhaegon's behavior had been if the likes of Unohana had been tested in her patience. By the time Yoruichi wrapped up, she looked drained, as if simply reliving the meeting was nearly as trying as experiencing it the first time around.

"I've been to far more of these meetings than I would like," she eventually said as she rested her head against Itachi's shoulders, her weariness readily apparent and not helped in the least by her apprehension, "Not all of them go well, and sometimes they get particularly feisty, but still… today's was downright rotten. If the Head Captain hadn't been present, it might've ended in an actual fight."

Itachi sighed before putting his arm around her. "I'm sorry that you had to put up with all of that. I know that I said attending the meeting was the right thing to do, but… well, if I had any inkling that it could devolve into such bitter acrimony, I might've encouraged you to ditch it."

Yoruichi shook her head. "You've got nothing to apologize for, Itachi. It's as much my duty to show up to those meetings as it is to hunt Hollows and patrol the Soul Society, so going there was necessary no matter how I felt about it. As much as I hated it, it was still good to be there so I could see firsthand just how grave the situation's become."

"Where can it go from here, though?" Itachi asked, "Captain Drakken and his clan might not be happy with their proposals being shot down, but there's nothing that they can do about it. The Central Forty-Six has made their decision, and the Head Captain did not make any move to challenge it. This was the outcome that you and everyone else expected, right? Whether Captain Drakken and the rest of his family like it or not, the matter's settled. Their proposals will not be given official sanction, certainly not in the form that they were presented. Increasing our patrol presence in the outer Rukon might be possible if the Head Captain goes through with his threat to send a some of the new recruits that would've been slated for Squad Ten our way, but that's the only realistic measure I can see being taken. Even that's hardly guaranteed; the Head Captain may decide that the warning was enough if Captain Drakken shows appropriate contrition, performative or otherwise."

Yoruichi nodded, though she still looked troubled. "By rights, today should be the end of it. Normally, after suffering a setback like this, a Great Noble House would pull back and lick its wounded pride. They'd bide their time until the dust settled, then regroup and modify their plan to give it a more realistic chance of success. If the Drakken Clan follows the typical approach, then tensions should eventually ease up."

"You don't seem confident that they will follow the typical approach, though," Itachi prodded.

Yoruichi let out a heavy exhalation. "Maybe I'm overreacting to things here, but… this doesn't feel like any of the past squabbles between nobles and Captains that I've been involved with, Itachi. I want today's meeting to be the end of it. I just don't feel like it will be."

"What do you base that off of?" asked Itachi.

"Nothing solid," Yoruichi confessed, "It's just… I might not be Rhaegon's biggest fan or particularly close to him, but between Captains meetings and joint operations, I've gotten to know him pretty well over the years. He's not going to let this go, Itachi. Call it a hunch. I know that doesn't qualify as evidence, but it's what I've got."

Itachi nodded. "You know him better than I do, so if your feelings tell you that he's going to hold onto this perceived slight, then I'm inclined to believe you. Realistically, though, what can he do about it? Direct retaliation against any of his fellow Captains or the Central Forty-Six is out of the question; the Head Captain wouldn't stand for it, nor would any of your colleagues. Noble or not, he'd be signing his own death warrant."

"Which is why I don't think he'll go that route," Yoruichi replied, "Rhaegon can be brash, but he's not stupid. Same goes for the rest of his family. If they decide to strike back, it won't be something that can be easily traced to them. With the connections and resources that a Great Noble House has at its disposal, there are plenty of ways that the Drakken Clan could make a move while maintaining plausible deniability."

Itachi's brow furrowed as he considered the possibilities. "How far do you think they'd go in the name of avenging their defeat in the political arena?"

"I'm not sure," Yoruichi admitted, tapping her chin in thought, "They were shut down firmly before both the Central Forty-Six and us Captains, which would likely equate in their eyes to a major insult to their honor and standing in the aristocracy. The Drakken Clan rarely does things halfway; it's a good part of why they didn't feel the need to moderate their proposals, and it bit them in the ass hard. If I had to place a bet, my money would be on them acting in a way that would make a major statement. One of defiance, perhaps aimed at humiliating the other noble families or the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. The bigger the gesture, though, the easier it would be to connect them to it. They'd have to thread one hell of a needle if they wanted to make such a play while keeping their hand concealed enough to avoid official sanction or punishment by the Head Captain and Central Forty-Six."

Itachi took a sip of his tea while pondering her words. "If we assume that they will seek retribution for their defeat, then we'd be wise to think of possible attack vectors. What sort of trouble could they raise?"

"They could interfere with missions," Yoruichi suggested, "Not openly; that would guarantee bringing the Head Captain's wrath down in their heads. It would be more subtle, like withholding key information, maybe even falsifying reports. They could neglect to report sightings of powerful Hollows that they know other units will have to deal with, for example. Another possibility is obstructing operations through withholding funds. Maybe the Drakken Clan slow-walks on ponying up their share of taxes or finds some obscure legal loophole that they can use to lessen how much they pay to support the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. Soul Reapers don't work for free, after all, and cutting into pay could stir up discontent."

"Maybe, but those seem like rather small gestures in light of the perceived slight against them," Itachi remarked, "You said the Drakken Clan never does anything halfway."

Yoruichi nodded, taking a few sips from her cup before replying. "Yeah, I did… and you're right. Intel denial, tax cheating and budget sabotage don't exactly make a big splash, though the consequences of them are real enough. Gotta be something more noticeable, but not enough to really bring the heat down on them. Some act of symbolic sabotage, maybe?"

"Perhaps something against your family," Itachi ventured, "along with the Kuchiki and Shiba Clans since those are the three Great Noble Houses whose proxies in the Central Forty-Six swatted down the Drakken Clan's proposals. Acts of grand vandalism against the mansions in the Seireitei, maybe?"

"Possibly," said Yoruichi, "though even that seems like it'd be on the minor end of things. Besides, that'd draw retaliation from the Great Noble Houses, and they wouldn't be constrained like the Head Captain or Central Forty-Six. Mere suspicions are enough for aristocrats to start fighting fire with fire, whether the target is actually guilty or not. That could escalate quickly, and I'm not sure if the Drakken Clan is ready to pick that kind of fight. Something against the Central Forty-Six or the Thirteen Court Guard Squads is more likely, I think."

Itachi weighed new scenarios in his head. "A security breach in the Central Forty-Six, maybe? Not to a fatal extent, but possibly enough to rattle them?"

"It wouldn't be unfeasible," Yoruichi murmured, "Each Great Noble House contributes to the security of the Central Forty-Six, which in turn means that they all have inside sources regarding the protective measures surrounding the council. All sorts of ways that they could cause trouble in there…"

They spent the next several minutes swapping ideas, gaming out plots and responses as the tea grew cold. As they progressed, Itachi was relieved to see that the weight which had been on Yoruichi's shoulders since the conclusion of the meeting seemed to be lessening with each passing proposal and scheme. The events of the meeting itself might've shocked and unnerved her, but now that she had some distance from the event and could discuss it and the repercussions with him, Yoruichi's spirits were definitely improving.

She really did need this from you, Jigoku no Joō noted.

Having a friendly shoulder to lean on, a willing companion to unburden one's self with, can work wonders.

You would know better than most.

After a while, Yoruichi smiled as she reached up to brush her fingers along Itachi's cheek. "What would I do if I didn't have your brain to pick through at a time like this? How did I ever manage before you came along?"

"You've always been surrounded by good friends," Itachi reminded her, "Kisuke, Tessai and Soi-Fon for starters. Any of them would gladly offer you counsel and support. You know that."

"True," Yoruichi remarked as she gazed fondly at him, "Even so… I don't know if they'd have quite the same impact here as you. Nothing against them. It's just… well, you set a really high bar to clear, Itachi."

Itachi returned her smile with a small one of his own before leaning down to kiss her brow. "I could say the same for you."

A soft laugh slipped through her lips. "You could, eh? Oh, that silver tongue will win you the world, Itachi! It's already won you me."

Itachi chuckled before playfully ruffling her hair with his fingers. "If it that's so, then why would I want the world?"

She laughed again, though Itachi had the satisfaction of catching a hint of red in her face. "Oh, that was bad and you know it, Itachi!"

Itachi smirked as he rested his head against hers. "So it was."

The two of them stayed like that for a bit, enjoying the precious moment and simply savoring each other's company. For a beautiful few seconds, the day's worries just seemed to melt away. As much as Itachi might've wanted it to go on longer, though, he knew that there was still business yet for them both to take care of.

So did Yoruichi, who reluctantly pulled away before facing him. "Well, as much as I appreciate having you here for situations like this, Itachi, it's really not fair if I'm the only one getting help. Enough about my concerns for the moment. What's this 'complication' that you and Jiraiya ran into, and what do you need from me so you guys can work it out?"

As briefly as he could without withholding anything important, Itachi summarized the hunt for Manda and the two Rukon urchins that he had saved from the snake before Jiraiya had engaged the serpent in battle, along with the Legendary Sannin's decision to watch over them while Itachi went back to the Seireitei for help. Yoruichi listened attentively, her brow furrowing in thought as Itachi wrapped things up.

"Those kids really lucked out," she commented at the end, "If you and Jiraiya hadn't tracked Manda down so quickly, Gin and Rangiku would've been snake food… or Hollow chow. Then again, with the way things are for them now, the latter could still wind up being their fate. Two children out on their own with spirit energy potent enough to draw in a giant snake and a pack of Hollows… it's just going to be a matter of time before more of the beasts pick up the scent and decide to have a go."

Itachi nodded. "My thoughts exactly. Jiraiya and I escorted them back to their home, but… well, it's frankly not much more than a shack at the outskirts of one of North 64's settlements. Close enough for them to slip into town and steal whatever food they need to survive, but far enough out that no one will be coming in time to help if they're attacked. It's pretty much just walls, a roof, dirt floor and straw bedding. Nowhere to hide, or even to stash away emergency food."

"Which means that whatever you and Jiraiya bought them at the market may not last very long," Yoruichi mused aloud, "Who's to say that it won't be stolen out from under them in the middle of the night, or whenever they might be out and about? No to mention the fact that it's hardly a secure hideaway for them. Only one way in or out, isolated but still at the edge of a settlement… they're easy pickings."

"Dumplings in the pot for any Hollow that ventures over there," Itachi remarked, "I know that we've been trying to expand our patrol presence in the Rukon, but you know better than I just how much ground there is to cover out there. Hollow incursions are inevitable, and if one pops up in that region and catches a whiff of Gin and Rangiku's spiritual pressure, those kids will be dinner before any of us can get out there."

"And Jiraiya can't stay out there for a prolonged period of time like he did with those orphans you mentioned from his past life," Yoruichi added, "Soul Reapers don't get the kind of flexibility and freedom with our time that some of you Shinobi did. Here, Jiraiya's no Legendary Sannin; he's just another Soul Reaper officer, even if he's growing in both strength and renown. Even if Captain Kyōraku likes him, there's just no way that he can allow Jiraiya to remain out in the Rukon on private business indefinitely. Jiraiya's his Seventh Seat; he has duties to attend to, like it or not."

Itachi inclined his head. "Jiraiya's well aware of that. We spent some time brainstorming ideas, and there's one or two that might work, but we can't pull any of them off on our own. We need help and resources, and that's where you come in. You and Kisuke, to be specific."

Yoruichi smiled as she thought of her Third Seat. "Well, seeing as he's a man of many talents, I'm sure that Kisuke will definitely have a use here. Luckily for you, his shift at the Nest of Maggots should be wrapping pretty soon. He's always in the mood for a new project, so why don't you lay it out for me and I can tell you if it's something I think he can pull off, alright?"

Itachi did just that, outlining what he and Jiraiya would need to turn their scheme into reality. Yoruichi nodded along, and Itachi could sense the gears in her mind spinning away.

"I see," she said when Itachi finished a few minutes later, "Yeah, Kisuke could throw something together quickly for tonight, and then come back out later on to expand and improve on it. It'd be a piece of cake for him. Still, I have to ask; is this really how you guys want to handle things? Wouldn't it be better to just bring those two back to the Seireitei? They'd be a lot safer."

"That was our first thought," Itachi answered, "but we started hitting some snags. Where exactly would we house them here? I know that the barracks for both Squads Two and Eight are quite spacious, but the regulations regarding civilians being inside them are clear. There's only so many rules even you can bend, after all."

"True," Yoruichi conceded, "I know Captain Kyōraku has Nanao, but she's a special case. Already a Soul Reaper, and a Kidō prodigy to boot. I know you said that Gin and Rangiku have potential, and I'd definitely like to see them become Soul Reapers as well, but we probably couldn't get away with housing them in our barracks for more than a few days at most before my Lieutenant starts raising a fuss about it."

"I came to a similar conclusion," said Itachi, "Same with Jiraiya and Squad Eight. Lieutenant Yadōmaru isn't unreasonable, and given how similar in stature and potentially age that Gin and Rangiku are to Nanao, she might even be sympathetic to them. Still, there's only so much flexibility she can show, regardless of how lax her Captain might be. I had considered asking you about possibly having your family house them at their Seireitei estate, but I figured that would bring with it a different set of complications."

Yoruichi sighed. "You're not wrong. As much as I'd love to bring them by the mansion and set them up in one of the guest rooms, a prolonged stay by two random Rukon urchins would start inviting questions from the rest of the nobility. It could give the appearance of adopting them into the aristocracy, and that would bring a whole bunch of unwanted attention down on those kids' heads. They're just barely surviving by the sound of it; they don't need the Soul Society's elite questioning every little damn thing about them and making their lives miserable… though I'm sure that Gin and Rangiku would probably still consider it a step up from where they're at now."

"I'm not so sure," Itachi remarked, "They'd probably appreciate the accommodations, but from what little Jiraiya and I have learned about them so far, they're quite adventuresome. Being stuck in a mansion might keep them safe, but it could also make them go stir-crazy."

"Good point," Yoruichi acknowledged, "I was always pushing boundaries, and I grew up in that place. For two kids who are used to roaming the Rukon without restriction, confinement in my family's estate might not be their idea of a good time. The grounds are nice and all, but even those only stretch so far. Still… there's got to be a better way."

Itachi watched Yoruichi rap her fingers on the table as she pondered the matter for a minute or two before she spoke again. "You know… your idea for Kisuke's not bad as a short-term solution. Long-term, though, I might have a better one in mind."

"I'm all ears," said Itachi.

It only took her a few minutes to outline it, and by the time she was done, Itachi wanted to smack himself for not thinking of it sooner. "That really could work. Your family has the resources for it, and it wouldn't draw nearly as much attention as actually housing them at the mansion would. It would just take some time to make the proper arrangements. Kisuke's talents could still come in handy there, too; he'd be able to fashion them another shelter beneath as a precaution."

"Think Gin and Rangiku would go for it?" Yoruichi asked, "Inner Rukon's a lot safer than outer, and it would be much easier for you and Jiraiya to keep tabs on them there rather than way out in North 64, but it would definitely be a move away from what they've known so far. They might not be comfortable with it."

"Well, Jiraiya and I will run it by them and see how they react," Itachi replied, "If they go along with it, great. If not, then we'll simply have to employ Kisuke again to expand the shelter he'll be creating for them in North 64 tonight. I really do hope that they agree to your proposal, though. I know that having them in one of the inner districts where Jiraiya can easily reach them will do wonders for his peace of mind."

Yoruichi smiled as she gazed at him. "You really do care for him, don't you? Rather ironic, seeing how things started out between you two."

Itachi smiled as well as he thought of the Leaf Village's famed Pervy Sage. "It's definitely been an interesting journey between the two of us. I can hardly fault Jiraiya for being suspicious of me when we first encountered each other in the Soul Society. He was willing to give me a chance, though… one that he had every right to refuse me. He's been a good friend ever since. I'd like to be the same for him."

"I'd definitely say you are," Yoruichi remarked, "and I'm sure he would as well."

"I hope so," Itachi murmured.

"Well, if you're still unsure, helping him out with these kids should put those doubts to rest," Yoruichi replied as she rested her head on his shoulder, "It's still going to be a little while before Kisuke gets back and we can fill him in on what you need, though."

"True," said Itachi as he put his arm around her, "Anything pressing you need to take care of before then?"

Yoruichi shook her head before shutting her eyes. "No, but… can we just stay like this for a bit? I could use a catnap after the mess that today's been."

Itachi smiled. "Of course."

Holding her close, Itachi looked on as Yoruichi lightly dozed at his side. He would have to wake her eventually, of course, but for now he just wanted to savor the sight and sensation of the woman he loved relaxing with him. To Itachi, moments like these were truly precious things, and each one always seemed to pass all too quickly.

….

The sooner Itachi gets here with Kisuke, the better, Jiraiya thought as he kept a wary eye on the doorway, I really don't want to leave the kids alone until we've at least got them a better shelter put together than this.

Gin and Rangiku's home was in a rougher state than Jiraiya had initially imagined. A ramshackle abode, its wooden walls were beginning to rot, with multiple holes in the planks and panels. The straw roof was in a state of considerable disrepair, with bits of light seeping through gaps in more than a few places, and Jiraiya could easily picture just how much water would leak in during rainy days. Indeed, several rusty old buckets were spread out to catch that leaky rainwater, so at least the kids were smart enough to recognize one of their home's flaws and take advantage of it. A blackened firepit was dug into the dirt floor, with bits of charred wood scattered about.

Sitting atop a straw bed, Jiraiya had Rangiku curled up in his lap. The poor girl was worn out from all the excitement of the day, and she had dozed off some time ago with her head resting on his knee. Gin sat to Jiraiya's right with a bit of space between them, though his slitted and wary gaze was focused on the door and sole window rather than the Soul Reaper.

Looks like the kid's grown to trust me a little bit, Jiraiya mused, I guess that's progress.

The fact that both Jiraiya and Itachi had made sure to get the kids home safely and buy them food before the latter had set off for the Seireitei probably helped with that. Gin and Rangiku had ravenously devoured the rice balls that the Soul Reapers purchased for them, while foods that could last a longer time had been set inside a container and buried in a hole that Jiraiya had dug beneath the straw bedding. The generosity of the two Soul Reapers seemed to have won them a bit of goodwill with Gin, though he was still understandably cautious. It was a noted contrast to Rangiku, who was already demonstrating considerable faith in them.

"Itachi… come back," the little girl murmured in her sleep, "Come play… with me and Gin…"

Jiraiya chuckled as he lightly patted Rangiku's head. "The Uchiha really are irresistible to the ladies…"

"He's coming back soon, right?" asked Gin, "It's going to be night in a little bit."

Jiraiya smiled at the boy. "Don't worry, Gin. Itachi will be back. He's just got quite a bit of distance to cover, and he needs to make sure that the guy he wants to bring back to help you two is available; he works a very dangerous job, after all."

"What if he doesn't come?" Gin pressed.

Jiraiya shook his head. "He'll come, Gin. I promise. I'll stay here with both of you until he shows up."

Gin looked at Jiraiya for a long moment, tilting his head quizzically. "Why? You just met us today. What makes our safety so important to you?"

"Are you always so suspicious of people that try to help you?" Jiraiya prodded.

"No one has ever helped either of us before," Gin replied, "This is outer Rukon; no one cares about kids with no families. Everyone just tries to survive."

Jiraiya sighed. "I guess that's natural out here, but it's no way to live. I'm not the kind of guy that can just leave people who need help alone. A world where everyone only looks out for themselves, where they cant bring themselves to trust and care for the people around them… it's such a sad thing, really. Call me naïve or a fool, but I want to be the kind of person who shows others that someone does care about them and wants to look out for them. I want to open people's eyes and hearts so that they realize they don't have to live constantly looking over their shoulders in fear and suspicion."

Gin was quiet for a few thoughtful seconds. "I don't know if I'd buy that from just anyone. You, though… well, you and your friend saved us, so I guess that counts for something. You're a strange person, mister."

Jiraiya laughed. "You, the kid who wanted to spy on Manda, calling me strange? Oh, now I've heard it all!"

He thought that the youth might bristle at his words, but in fact, Gin seemed to take the remarks in stride. "I guess that's fair. If you're strange, then so am I."

"Gin…" Rangiku murmured, "Stop… don't go again…"

Jiraiya looked down, fearing for a moment that he'd woken the girl up. That concern soon dissipated, though, for Rangiku merely adjusted herself a bit while continuing to snooze with light and rhythmic snoring.

"She seems to worry about you quite a bit," the former Shinobi remarked as he glanced at her before turning back to Gin, "Do you run off on her often?"

The boy averted his gaze. "It's… not like that. Whenever I leave her, it's… it's because I have good reasons."

"Does she know those reasons?" asked Jiraiya.

"No," Gin admitted, "but that's because I don't want her to worry."

Jiraiya shook his head before gesturing at the girl. "And how do think that's working out for the two of you?"

Gin folded his arms. "It's none of your business."

"Don't you care about her?" Jiraiya pressed, "She clearly cares a great deal about you, Gin."

Gin looked at Rangiku for several quiet seconds. "I know…"

Perhaps more was on the tip of his tongue, but his gaze suddenly turned to the doorway as Jiraiya felt two familiar spiritual pressures approaching. The boy then crouched and began moving slowly along the wall towards the doorway as if preparing for an ambush.

"Someone's coming," Gin hissed.

Jiraiya reached over to place a firm hand on the youth's shoulder, halting him in his tracks. "Don't worry. It's just Itachi and a friend of ours. They're here to help, Gin. I promise. You and Rangiku aren't in any danger."

Gin looked back and forth between Jiraiya and the doorway for a moment before relaxing his posture somewhat, though he still seemed a bit wary. "Okay…"

The boy then knelt next to Rangiku and gently nudged her. "Rangiku, wake up. Itachi's back."

"Hmm… he is?" Rangiku murmured as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and raised her head to look around, "I… I don't see him. Where is he?"

"Right here," said Itachi as he stepped through the doorway a moment later, his eyes sweeping over the kids and meeting Jiraiya's gaze, "Glad to see you're all doing okay. No issues while I was gone?"

Jiraiya shook his head and smiled. "All good here, Itachi. Good to have you back."

"Good to be back," Itachi replied as he stepped inside, "You'll be pleased to know that I've brought the help we need."

"Itachi!" Rangiku cheered as she ran forward to meet him, "You came back!"

"Of course, I did," Itachi answered with a small smile as he knelt low so the girl could embrace him, "I promised that I would, didn't I?"

Rangiku eagerly nodded, grinning as Squad Two's Eighth Seat patted her shoulder. "You did!"

"Hello!" Kisuke cheerfully greeted as he stepped around Itachi while the former Shinobi released Rangiku before turning to smile at Jiraiya, "Hey, Jiraiya, it's been a while. I see you've gotten yourself into a fine little mess here."

Jiraiya chuckled as he stood up, briefly eyeing the large sack that Kisuke had slung over his shoulder and wondering just what Squad Two's eccentric Third Seat had brought along. "You could say that. Thanks for coming out here, Kisuke. I think you're the only one who can make what we need here."

Kisuke looked around the hut. "I can see why you requested me. This place really isn't much, is it?"

Rangiku indignantly planted her hands on her hips. "Hey, it's our home!"

Kisuke raised his hands apologetically. "Easy there, I didn't mean anything bad by it!"

Gin's slitted eyes somehow narrowed even further as he studied the newcomer. "Who are you supposed to be?"

Kisuke appraised the youth for a moment. "Kisuke Urahara, Squad Two's Third Seat. I'm here to make this place a bit safer for you, at least until we can set you two up with something in a more secure location."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"Yoruichi suggested a revision to our plan," Itachi chimed in, "We talked things over for a bit, and I think you'll like her idea."

Jiraiya folded his arms and leaned back against the wall, intrigued by what his friend could have to offer. "Well, let's hear it, then."

He listened intently as Itachi laid out the scheme that Yoruichi had come up with. Jiraiya liked everything that he heard, but he was concerned that the plan might be a tough sell for the kids. Watching Gin and Rangiku out of the corner of his eye, he saw that the boy was indeed rather wary, though the girl seemed much more open to what Itachi was proposing.

Wrapping up, Itachi then turned to Kisuke. "How quickly do you think that the emergency shelter can be set up?"

Kisuke knelt and picked up some of the dirt from the floor, studying it carefully before standing up. "Well, we're not dealing with nearly as tough material as I've had to work with back in the Seireitei, so setting up the underground shelter won't take too long; I could have a pretty basic one ready in a few hours. Expanding it into something more suitable for long-term habitation if our new friends decide to stay out here would take more time, though."

"Expansion would only be necessary if Gin and Rangiku turn down our proposal," Jiraiya remarked before turning to the two youths, "I know that this place is your home, but staying out here is very dangerous. I might have dealt with Manda, and Itachi killed those Hollows that came after you earlier, but more could come out at any time. The shelter that Kisuke will build for you tonight can help, but you'd still be at greater risk out here than in one of the districts that's closer to the Seireitei, and it'd be much easier for me to check in on you two there than here."

Rangiku turned to Gin and tugged on his sleeve. "Gin, we should take them up on it. It's our chance to get out of here."

Gin folded his arms as he took in the three Soul Reapers. "I don't know… do we really have a choice here?"

"Of course," Itachi answered, "If you do wish to stay out here, we'll respect that, and Kisuke can come back out at a later date to revise and expand the underground shelter that he'll be building for you tonight. Even with that shelter, though, the risks you'll face out here largely remain. You might have a safer place to sleep, but you'll still be vulnerable whenever you venture outside, not to mention your perpetual food insecurity."

Jiraiya knelt next to Gin and placed a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder. "No one's going to force you and Rangiku into this, Gin. Still, think carefully before you make your choice. I know that it wouldn't be easy for the two of you to leave behind the home you know. It'd be a big change, going to the inner Rukon. That kind of change in your life can be scary, but it also brings great opportunities. Not only would you two be safer, but your days of going hungry would be over; a very good friend of ours can see to that. Also, if you two are closer to the Seireitei, then it would be easier for me to come visit and teach you."

Gin studied Jiraiya intently. "Teach us what?"

Jiraiya smiled. "Well, for starters, how you and Rangiku can control and suppress your spiritual pressure so that you two won't be constantly attracting Hollows. Beyond that, I can teach you both how to defend yourselves and develop your powers. That way, I wouldn't worry so much about you two when I'm away. You could do more than just survive; you could really start to live, to make a real future for yourselves."

Rangiku looked at Itachi excitedly. "Would you be teaching us, too?"

"I could stop by every now and then to help Jiraiya with your lessons," Itachi offered, "Jiraiya would still be your main teacher."

Gin still seemed hesitant. "How long would you be teaching us for?"

"Until I'm confident that you two can truly take care of yourselves and thrive in the Soul Society," Jiraiya answered, "What you do with what I teach you will be your choice."

"Would you teach us to become Soul Reapers like you?" asked Rangiku.

"Is that what you want?" Itachi inquired.

Rangiku looked at Itachi and Jiraiya before turning to Gin, her gaze a pleading one. "Well, if we became Soul Reapers, we could keep seeing you guys… we could be real friends with you. It's just been me and Gin for so long now… it'd be nice to have more people we could trust around, wouldn't it?"

"Being a Soul Reaper is dangerous too, though," Gin pointed out.

Jiraiya nodded. "You're not wrong, Gin. What I teach you and Rangiku could help you two become Soul Reapers, but that would involve taking on new risks. You two really should think carefully before making that kind of decision."

"If we decide not to become Soul Reapers, will you still help us?" asked Gin.

Jiraiya nodded and spread his hands in a gesture of openness. "Of course, Gin. No matter what you and Rangiku decide to do with your lives, I want to help you."

Such generosity almost seemed like an alien concept to the boy. "Why?"

Jiraiya looked back and forth between Gin and Rangiku. "Because you two remind me of some kids I met a long time ago who were in a situation that was sort of like yours. I trained them to survive and take care of themselves, and they became extraordinary people. I want to help you two because you deserve the same kind of chance… and because I think it's what they would've wanted me to do if they could see me now."

Yahiko, Konan, Nagato, Jiraiya thought as the faces of the orphans he'd met on that fateful rainy day so long ago flashed through his mind, I wonder what you three would say if you could see me now. Maybe it's arrogant, believing that I can make up for how I failed you by trying again with Gin and Rangiku. Even so, I want to try anyway. Maybe through them, I can learn where I went wrong before, so I can try to go right this time. So that if I find you three again in this vast afterlife…

…I won't fail you again.

Jiraiya watched as Gin studied him for several seconds. It was very difficult to get a read on the youth, and not just because of how he kept his eyes in that near-perpetually slitted state. The boy's very demeanor was a very strange mix of casual yet guardedness, as if keeping on his toes was just a natural state for him. It was not the normal sort of suspicion or wariness that Jiraiya would expect from a street youth who had come up in a rough and tumble environment, either. It was… well, Jiraiya did not really know what it was. Frankly, he had never seen anything like it. Even Orochimaru, who could be slippery with the best of them, was more open and transparent than this.

Rangiku tugged at his sleeve again. "Gin, come on. These aren't bad people. We can trust them."

Gin turned to his friend. "Rangiku… you really do want to go with them, don't you?"

Rangiku nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I do… and I want you to come along, too. Please, Gin?"

Gin was quiet for several seconds before eventually acquiescing. "Alright… Rangiku."

"Yay!" Rangiku cheered as she embraced the boy, "Thank you so much, Gin!"

The youth looked taken aback by the girl's sudden display of affection, but after a moment of stiff awkwardness he hugged her back, and Jiraiya could've sworn that a very small and genuine smile appeared on his face for just a second. If nothing else, Jiraiya could at least be certain of this; Gin truly did care for Rangiku. It was probably the only aspect of the boy that Jiraiya could speak to with complete confidence, but it would at least give a starting point for unraveling the mystery that this youth presented.

When Gin eventually extricated himself from Rangiku's enthusiastic embrace, he then turned to face the three Soul Reapers. "So… what happens next?"

Kisuke jerked his thumb towards the doorway. "Next, I need you all to get out of here so I can do my thing. Don't worry, it shouldn't take me more than a couple of hours at the most."

Rangiku looked around the shack. "What are you going to do? Our house is going to stay, right?"

Kisuke smiled as he reached down to gently pat the girl's head. "Don't worry, Rangiku; I promise that it'll still be standing when I'm done. I'm just going to make a few additions so it'll be safer for you and Gin to stay here until Itachi and Jiraiya can finish making the arrangements for moving you two to the inner Rukon."

"You can trust him, Rangiku," Itachi reassured her, "Kisuke is an old friend of mine. I've helped him out with several of his projects; he's very bright and has some unique skills. When he's done, I think you and Gin will be very happy with his work."

"That being said, we really should get out of the way," Jiraiya remarked, "Kisuke's good at what he does, but things can get messy while he's doing it, right?"

Itachi chuckled as he glanced at Kisuke. "Yes, they very much can. I've learned that the hard way."

Kisuke waved a hand dismissively. "You're still standing and have all your appendages intact, right? You've got nothing to complain about."

"My Zanpakutō is currently voicing thoughts to the contrary," Itachi quipped, "She's not quite as forgiving of past accidents as I am, Kisuke."

Kisuke laughed. "She really know how to nurse a grudge, eh? Tell her to light up a bit! Life's too short to get hung up on stuff like that, especially when no one got hurt or died over it."

"When I finally materialize her and she has a chance to scorch you with her flames, she might then forgive you," Itachi replied, "Her words, not mine."

"I'll keep that in mind," said Kisuke before ushering everyone towards the door, "Now, would all of you please kindly step outside? I've got a job to do, and I really want to get started."

Jiraiya placed his hands behind Gin and Rangiku, gently nudging them towards the doorway. "Come on, you two. Let's give Kisuke the space he needs to work his magic."

As they left the shack, Jiraiya turned to Itachi. "Thanks for this. Bringing him out here, playing along with me… you didn't have to."

Itachi shook his head. "It might not be why we originally came out here, but Gin and Rangiku deserve our help just as much as Manda deserved our hunt. With all that you've done to help me over the years, this is the least I can do."

Jiraiya inclined his head. "I owe you one."

He saw Itachi smile. "No, you don't. We're well past favors or owing anyone anything, Jiraiya. If you ever need my help, you know where to find me."

….

"How much longer is this going to take?" asked Gin.

"He'll be done soon, right?" Rangiku added as she looked around nervously.

Itachi could not blame either of them for their apprehension. It had already been late in the day by the time he and Kisuke had made it out to North 64, and the sun had only dipped further down into the west in the hours since then. Dusk was upon them now, and already Itachi could see the moon and the night's first stars faintly in the darkening skies.

Jiraiya gave them both a reassuring smile before glancing at Itachi. "Don't worry; Kisuke's never let us down before."

Itachi nodded. "I'm sure he's almost finished."

Rangiku nodded, though she still seemed worried as she looked at the shack. "I hope so."

Though Itachi and Jiraiya were both keeping a watchful eye out for encroaching Hollows, Gin and Rangiku were far more concerned about their home than any potential threats. That was perfectly understandable given that the ground and shack itself had shaken several times over the past few hours as Kisuke had done… well, whatever he needed to do to set up his signature secret underground space. One tremor had been particularly forceful, to the point that the ground which the hut was placed on had violently trembled up and down, and Itachi had momentarily feared that the shack itself might be thrust into the air. Thankfully, such episodes seemed to be the exception rather than the rule, with most of Kisuke's work proceeding without incident.

"He knows that he doesn't need to go all out, right?" Jiraiya queried with a sidelong glance, "The kids just need a safe place to sleep and a couple emergency passageways out, not the huge training ground he built in the Seireitei."

"I made sure before setting out that he understood the requirements," Itachi replied, "although Kisuke always has the urge to tinker, so it's hard to say what all he's doing down there."

Jiraiya shrugged. "Well, I guess we'll find out soon enough."

'Soon enough' wound up being just a few minutes later as Kisuke finally poked his head out from the hut's doorway. "Alright, it's ready!"

Gin and Rangiku looked back and forth between Kisuke and the two former Shinobi, and Itachi realized that the kids wanted them to make the first move, likely worried about their home collapsing on top of them. Itachi seriously doubted that would happen, but if it put their minds at ease then he would play the role of test dummy.

"Let's see, then," said Itachi as he stepped forward, with Jiraiya ushering the youths at a modest distance behind him.

Stepping inside, Itachi looked around before glancing back at the others. "Well, the place hasn't collapsed on my head, so I think it's safe."

When everyone was inside, Gin was the first to voice what they were all thinking. "So, where's this shelter that you were building?"

"I don't see any doors or passageways," Rangiku added as she knelt to study the floor.

Kisuke grinned. "Well, if it was easy to find, it wouldn't be much of a secret hideaway now, would it?"

Jiraiya chuckled. "I know you're enjoying this, Kisuke, but kill the suspense. How do we get into this little hideout you've built?"

"Very carefully," Kisuke replied.

The others watched as the blond Soul Reaper knelt next to the straw bedding. Kisuke then lifted up one of the corners and pressed his hand against what looked like just another patch of the hut's dirt floor. That small square section then depressed a centimeter, and another section of dirt next to the firepit quickly and seamlessly slid open to reveal a finely-cut stone staircase leading into a black void that was swiftly illuminated by a series of white crystal-like stones which flared up rapidly.

"Come on," the Third Seat urged, already heading down the stairs, "The door's on a timer, so hurry up."

Itachi and Jiraiya glanced at each other, shrugged, and then ushered Gin and Rangiku down into the secret passageway. Sure enough, the door overhead slid shut just a few seconds later.

"Only a brief window," Itachi mused aloud, "Is the time delay between opening and shutting permanent, or can it be adjusted?"

"Permanent," Kisuke answered, "Since security's the main concern and this shelter's kind of a rush job, I couldn't really be too fancy with it."

Jiraiya rolled his eyes as he looked at the strange crystal lamps. "Not too fancy, says the guy who sets up secret underground rooms like they're nothing."

"This is amazing!" Rangiku gushed, her eyes aglow with wonder as she gazed at the luminous crystals.

Kisuke smirked. "You think so, eh? Trust me, it's about to get even better."

The stairway went down much deeper than Itachi had initially expected. When they eventually came to the end of it several seconds later, the group found themselves in a stone chamber that was significantly more spacious than the worn-down hut overhead. In fact, as Itachi looked around the room, he guessed that probably three or four of those huts could fit comfortably inside the shelter Kisuke had fashioned with room to spare. It was not nearly as big as the expansive training ground that the Third Seat had fashioned for himself and Yoruichi beneath Sōkyoku Hill, but it was still impressive nonetheless. Itachi counted three entrances to separate passageways dotting the walls; the kids would have multiple tunnels should things get particularly dicey, a redundancy that he appreciated. In addition to that, the chamber had two bedrolls laid out, along with a small spring of a similar sort to the one that Kisuke had set up in the great cavern under the Seireitei.

"Not bad," Itachi murmured as he took it all in, "Not bad at all, Kisuke."

Kisuke chuckled. "I'd say pretty good for a rush job!"

Jiraiya whistled. "No kidding. You really came through here, Kisuke. Thanks."

Kisuke smiled. "Anytime. I actually enjoy building stuff like this. It's always fun to try new variations on the base design."

"This is really for us?" Rangiku asked, as if she couldn't quite believe her good fortune.

Kisuke nodded. "That's right. No matter what you two decide to do going forward, this place will always be yours."

Even the usually inscrutable and wary Gin gave his approval. "This… this is good."

Rangiku tugged on his sleeves again, this time pulling him towards the bedrolls. "Let's sleep down here tonight, Gin. It looks so comfy!"

"You two should get some rest," Jiraiya concurred, "You've both had quite an eventful day, after all, and you'll be much safer sleeping down here than you would up there."

"Are you going to stay with us tonight?" asked Gin.

Jiraiya shook his head and gestured at Itachi and Kisuke. "Sorry, Gin, but I need to head back to the Seireitei with them. I've got duties as a Soul Reaper to attend to tomorrow during the day, but I'll come back out here in the evening to check on you two."

"Promise?" Rangiku pressed.

Jiraiya gave her a warm smile. "Promise."

"It should only take us a few days to make the necessary arrangements for moving you two over to the inner Rukon," said Itachi, "Once the preparations are complete, Jiraiya can escort you to your new home… if you accept it, of course."

"And I can start training you two," Jiraiya added, "There's a lot that you both need to learn, and it'll help me schedule your lessons if you two are closer to the Seireitei. Still, if you stay out here, I'll try to make time to teach you. I just won't be able to do it as often."

"Take some time to think about it," Kisuke suggested, "It's a big decision, after all."

"We will," Rangiku replied as she looked at her friend, "Right, Gin?"

Gin nodded but said nothing. Itachi regarded the boy for a thoughtful moment. The youth's guarded nature elicited an odd sense of déjà vu in the former Shinobi, and it took a moment for Itachi to recognize why; it reminded him of himself, particularly during his first life. Was Gin's distrustful and furtive demeanor just a result of having to fend for himself and Rangiku in the rough and tumble outer Rukon, or did its roots go deeper than that? Whatever the case, Itachi wouldn't be getting an answer to that question tonight. Not if Gin had anything to say about it.

Jiraiya and I will both have to keep an eye on him, he thought, and see what we can learn. Perhaps in time, he'll become more trusting of us, and we can begin unraveling this little mystery.

….

Dusk had turned to night by the time he got back to the Seireitei, and Jiraiya was well and truly ready to hit the hay. Passing down the streets and waving occasionally as a friendly face or two passed by, he wanted nothing more than to crawl onto his bedroll back at the barracks and crash. It wasn't that the day's events had been physically arduous; Manda had put up a good fight, but he was hardly the toughest foe that Jiraiya had ever clashed with. He supposed that it was more his concern for Gin and Rangiku that had him worn out, even if they were now much safer than they had been before.

You and Itachi made sure to buy them enough food to last them for several days if they ration it right, he reminded himself, and they're sleeping in that shelter Kisuke made for them now, so they aren't exposed like they would be in the shack. They'll be fine tonight, and they'll be ready when you return to take them to their new home. Stop worrying about them for now; you're not doing yourself any favors.

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he almost bumped right into Lisa, who was standing just outside the gate to the Squad Eight barracks. Jiraiya blinked in surprise; he'd been making the trip back almost purely by instinct and hadn't really kept track of his progress.

Lisa nodded in greeting. "Welcome back, Jiraiya. You were out quite a long time today. Did your errand out the Rukon District go alright?"

Jiraiya smiled as he patted the large scroll slung across his back. "Ran into a few hiccups, but everything's good now."

Lisa smiled in return. "Glad to hear that."

Jiraiya looked at her for a moment as a thought occurred to him. "Why are you out here, Lisa? The Captain doesn't usually put you on gate duty."

"I was waiting for you, believe it or not," Lisa answered, "A very interesting guest came by today and dropped a letter off for you, and I wanted to make sure you got it."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "Who was the guest?"

"One of your friends from up north," Lisa replied as she reached inside her robes and pulled out a scroll which was tied in a white strand and sealed with a dark blue stamp, "It's not every day that you see a Valkyrie acting as a courier, though she's probably down here on business for the Starmont Clan."

"Geirdriful…" Jiraiya murmured, recalling the description Manda had offered of the Valkyrie that had hunted him earlier.

Lisa tilted her head quizzically as Jiraiya accepted the scroll. "Yeah, that was how she introduced herself to us… how do you know she was the one who came down, though?"

"A few things I heard while I was out today helped narrow it down," said Jiraiya.

Lisa looked for a moment like she might press the issue, but ultimately dropped it. "I guess a Valkyrie flying over the Rukon District would cause rumors to start floating around."

"Did she say anything?" Jiraiya asked, "When she dropped the letter off, I mean."

Lisa smiled again, this time with a knowing look in her eyes. "She implied that whoever wrote the letter is someone that you have some close history with. Also, she mentioned that, if you want to send a reply, she'll be staying at the Starmont Clan's Seireitei estate for at least the next few weeks. All you'd have to do is tell the gate guards that you're asking for Geirdriful, drop your name, and they'll go fetch her without question."

"Good to know," Jiraiya muttered absently as his gaze focused on the letter, images of the woman that he was certain had sent it flashing through his mind.

"Take some time and really think through what you want to say," Lisa suggested, "If you're going to write a response, it shouldn't leave anything that's important between you two out. After all, who knows when you'll get another chance to correspond like this, right?"

Jiraiya slowly nodded. "Yeah, I will. Thanks, Lisa."

Tucking the scroll into his robes, Jiraiya quickly entered the barracks and made for the kitchens. Dishing himself up a simple meal of rice and meat, he decided to take dinner in his quarters. After putting a sizeable dent in his food, he set the bowl aside before pulling out the letter and opening it, his heartbeat picking up considerably as he started to read.

'Dearest Jiraiya,'

'I… goodness, I'm not actually sure where to begin. I'm not in the habit of written correspondences, especially those with such a… personal nature. If my words go astray, I ask your forgiveness. I don't think I could ever put into words how much I would infinitely prefer to be conveying my thoughts and feelings for you in person rather than through the humble quill and ink, but until fate blesses me with your presence again, I'm afraid we'll both have to make do with this.'

She almost comes across as a shy schoolgirl rather than a Valkyrie, Jinsei no Kenja noted with no small measure of amusement, I see that last night you two spent together left one hell of an impression on her!

Not just on her, Jiraiya mused with a smile as memories of that wildly passionate evening came pouring in while he continued reading.

'Are you well? For warriors like us, we never know what the next battle may bring, and a part of me always fears that one day word will reach me bearing news of the worst sort regarding your fate. Yet even as I write these words, I feel a strange sense of surety that you are still very much alive… well, as alive as a passed on soul can be considered, anyway. It's as if, even though so much of the Soul Society divides us, I can somehow sense you. Utterly ridiculous when considered logically; even a sense for spiritual pressure as sharp as mine only stretches so far, after all. Even so, I cannot help but think that if the worst should happen, I would feel your passing long before word of it reached me. I'd like to believe so, though I pray that such belief will not be tested for a very long time to come.'

She really does still care, thought Jiraiya as warmth spread out from his heart, I've always wanted to believe that she does, but to have it writing like this… a guy always likes confirmation, I guess.

'You must be active, at the very least, for your latest novel made its way up here not too long ago. As ever, your literary works continue to provide members of our Order with smiles and laughs, and I very much count myself amongst them. Know that you've developed quite an avid following up here, Jiraiya, and it will be a very sad day indeed when your present series reaches its ultimate conclusion.'

Jiraiya chuckled. "Is that so? I might have to start storyboarding a sequel series, then. What kind of author would I be if I left so many lovely ladies starved for the romance that they crave?"

How easy your ego is stroked.

Hey, every author likes appreciative female fans!

'Your readers up here are quite grateful for the diversion your stories provide us… and that diversion is needed more now than ever. Matters have become… complicated since you were last with us, Jiraiya. Our field work continues as it always has, but… well, I unfortunately cannot give an outsider the necessary details… even one that I regard as fondly as you. Suffice to say that those concerns I mentioned to you years ago only grow worse. I do wish that our noble overlords would have greater consideration for those who are impacted by their ambitions. Forgive me, but I can say no more than that on the issue. How I wish it were otherwise. How I wish that you and I could discuss these concerns of mine together, for your counsel would be invaluable.'

So, it sounds like those 'noble games' she referred to years ago are ramping up, Jiraiya thought, I bet that's behind Geirdriful's journey south. What the hell is the Starmont Clan playing at?

'I really shouldn't be despoiling this letter with such dour thoughts, though. It's not my wish to give you undue cause for worry. I simply desire someone to confide in beyond my sisters-in-arms, and you're the only soul I can come close to doing that with. You'll be happy to know that we've made great progress in our efforts against the Hollow packs that so boldly choose to prowl our lands. Their numbers have thinned out considerably over the past couple of years, and I do believe that our vigorous sorties against them are causing the beasts to think twice before entering our domain now.'

"Good for you," Jiraiya murmured with a smile, "thought that's probably going to result in more work for us if they shift their attentions south. Ah, well. It's our job to deal with them, after all."

'I'm sure that your duties keep you as busy as ever, and I don't wish to take up too much of your time. Just know that you are deeply missed in the north, and that I would give a great deal to see you again. Should happy chance prevail, please make your way up here once more someday. You will always find our gate open to you… along with the door to my chambers.'

'With boundless affection, Gunnr.'

Jiraiya sat silently for several minutes afterward, staring down at the letter with a smile on his face and great warmth in his heart. Eventually, he shuffled over to the small writing desk that occupied the left side of his quarters. Popping open an ink jar, he unfurled a blank scroll, picked up a quill, and began to write his reply.

….

And things were going so well before, Visaelya thought as she suppressed the urge to sigh heavily, I just wanted a nice dinner with my family and boyfriend. I was having just that…

…until you went and ruined it, Uncle.

Visaelya had taken great pains to schedule this evening get-together a month ago, and one of the conditions that she'd stipulated was that politics be left completely out. Her father and mother had agreed to that request without a fuss, as had her siblings. The rumblings between the Drakken Clan and the Seireitei had been brewing back then, but matters were still calm enough that Visaelya had been given no reason to think that they'd be intruding with what was supposed to be a pleasant meal and a chance for her family to get to know Shisui a little bit better.

Indeed, things had started quite pleasantly. Her parents had clearly ordered their servants to go all out with laying the groundwork, for the wide and ornately decorated main dining room gleamed in the light of torches, a fireplace and candles. The silver and gold dragon head reliefs set up high in the walls had been polished to a mirror sheen, while the plush crimson rugs and scarlet-cushioned seats had been scrubbed clean of even the tiniest blemishes. The family chefs had spared no expense, and what Visaelya and Shisui had found laid out when they'd arrived was a feast worthy of royalty. Rich platters of seafood, assorted meats, ripe fruits, and fresh vegetables were arrayed up and down the table, along with steaming hot bowls of noodles. The family had brought out their finest dinnerware for the occasion, along with wineglasses boasting intricate etchings of dragons and flames. With her father taking the head of the table and Visaelya's mother the place to his left, Visaelya had been granted the chair to his right while Shisui was situated next to her. Meanwhile, her siblings occupied the side of the table opposite to Visaelya, while her cousin Saenenya was situated to Shisui's right. An invitation had been extended to Saenenya's mother, but due to illness she had unfortunately been unable to attend. Visaelya's uncle and grandfather had both technically been invited, but both were so wrapped up in the latest spat between the Drakken Clan and the Central-Forty Six that their prospective attendance was in severe doubt.

Neither Visaelya's uncle or grandfather had shown up at all for the first half, which meant that a good chuck of the meal had been spent savoring delicacies from across the Soul Society and enjoying lovely conversation. Visaelya had listened keenly to her siblings and cousin regaling her with tales of their exploits in Squad Ten, with her brother Gaerion indulging in more than a little embellishment before her sister Vaemera supplied the appropriate corrections, all the while Saenenya occasional chimed in with interesting and sometimes embarrassing details that both of Visaelya's proud siblings had no doubt intended to keep swept under the rug. Visaelya had to fight to suppress her envy when both her siblings and cousin mentioned that they dragon eggs they'd been given the previous year had hatched and that the hatchlings were healthy and growing quickly, instead simply smiling and offering congratulations that were genuine despite her inner turmoil. Meanwhile, Lord Visenarr Drakken had eagerly plied Shisui for details on missions that the former Shinobi and Visaelya had undertaken together, with Squad Two's Seventh Seat engaging in a delicate tightrope walk as he sought to balance appropriate detail with what needed to be kept classified. Visaelya had been worried at first, but Shisui had proven himself to be a diplomatically deft conversationalist, keeping her father engaged and giving him just enough to satisfy his curiosity without compromising any of Squad Two's secrets. Nayla would then swoop in to grant Shisui a reprieve from her husband's questioning, though that was simply switched out for questions of her own, mostly having to do with his and her daughter's relationship. Visaelya had initially wanted to shrink down beneath the table in embarrassment, yet Shisui proved to be just as capable at handling her mother's sometimes salacious lines of inquiry and steering the conversation back to in a more comfortable direction.

She had looked on with a smile as both of her parents excitedly interrogated Shisui, knowing that their enthusiasm was a sign of acceptance. Granted, Visaelya had spent the past several years know gradually getting her parents used to Shisui's presence in her life, mostly bringing him by during parties or other such gatherings with large amounts of people and thus limiting just how intensely they could corner and question him for any one point of time. More intimate and private occasions like this were the exception rather than the norm, so it was with no small measure of relief that Visaelya observed the casual and relaxed interactions between Shisui and her parents. Neither of them cared in the slightest that Shisui was part of the unit that their rivals, the Shihōin Clan, commanded, and they did not seem bothered in the least that he was a significant part of the reason why Visaelya had ultimately joined Squad Two after graduation. They simply saw him as someone that Visaelya cared for deeply and treated him as such, and that was all she wanted.

Then her uncle had shown up. Perhaps under other circumstances, his presence would have been tolerable, maybe even enjoyable. When he was in a good mood, Rhaegon Drakken possessed a natural sense of charm and geniality. He could engage in passionate deep dives when it was a topic that he was well-versed in, have a lively and spirited debate while mostly keeping things in good nature, and in general be a charismatic and fun conversationalist. Sure, his pride meant that he often could not resist the urge to make himself the center of attention even under the best of circumstances, but in his defense that was a trait shared by many members of the Drakken Clan; Visaelya herself had fallen into it during her earlier days before adjusting course thanks to meeting the likes of Itachi, Shisui and Jiraiya.

It was not the charming and gregarious Rhaegon Drakken that Visaelya and the rest of her dining companions got tonight, though. No, it was a Rhaegon who had stormed into the room with all the good cheer and grace of a humiliated dragon, which was to say none whatsoever. He had only curtly greeted his brother and sister-in-law, briefly acknowledged his own daughter, spared nothing more than nods for his nieces and nephew, and did not even seem to register Shisui's presence at all. What pleasant conversation the family had been enjoying sputtered and died, leaving only awkward silence as the Drakken Clan's most prominent Soul Reaper proceeded to rant and rave about the ignominy and opprobrium he and by extension his kin had suffered at the hands of both the Central Forty-Six and the assembled Captains.

After enduring what felt like an eternity but was probably about five- or ten-minutes' worth of the Squad Ten Captain's self-important fuming, Visaelya's father cautiously tried to shift the mood back towards something more bearable. "Well, I can hardly blame you for being so distraught, brother. Obviously, this state of affairs must be rectified at some point, but for now it's clear that the mood of the council and Head Captain is firmly against us. It will take time for our clan to regroup and course correct, and that can only happen when we approach the matter with a clear head. So, please, lay your worries aside for at least tonight. A little bit of rest and relaxation with us will do you some good. This isn't a problem that our clan can bluster its way out of. Calm deliberation is needed, so ease your mind with us tonight."

Rhaegon glowered at his brother. "Does our family honor and prestige mean so little to you?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Visenarr pushed back firmly, "As our father's heir, I'm responsible for upholding the Drakken Clan's good name and standing within the Soul Society; of course, I'm incensed at the disgraceful treatment that we've been given by the Central Forty-Six and the Captains. However, fuming and raging about the situation will do nothing to resolve it. More to the point, it's not for you or I to take out our frustrations with the Soul Society's leadership upon our family and honored guest. As members of a Great Noble House, our conduct should be above such pettiness. Wouldn't you agree?"

Rhaegon looked around the table, and Visaelya saw his eyes narrow as he finally seemed to recognize Shisui and recall what unit he belonged to. She feared for a moment that her uncle might take out his frustrations on dear companion, but his gaze moved on as he seemed to think better of it.

"You're right, brother," Rhaegon wearily conceded with a heavy exhalation, "Please, forgive my rudeness. The day has been a long one, and I suspect that many more like it lie ahead for our family."

"On that much, we can certainly agree," said Visenarr.

"Uhm… have you gone to see mother yet?" Saenenya asked nervously.

Rhaegon shook his head, and Visaelya was struck by what seemed like genuine contrition from her uncle. "No… though I should've checked in on her as soon as I came back here. I will do so the moment dinner is over, assuming she's well enough for visitors."

Saenenya smiled and nodded. "The doctor said that it's nothing contagious. It was one of her light-headed episodes. I've been looking in on her today, and I think she'll be on the mend come tomorrow. Seeing you will help her, I'm sure of it."

"Should I bring her something to eat?" Rhaegon asked.

"I brought her some soup before dinner, so I think she'll be okay there," Saenenya answered, "Although I bet she'd appreciate it if you took her something. Maybe a small plate of fruit and some tea?"

Rhaegon inclined his head, actually smiling at his daughter. "I shall bring her just that. You're always so mindful of her wants and needs, Saenenya. She couldn't ask for a more loving daughter… nor could I."

Saenenya shrunk down in her seat as her face flushed, yet she still kept her smile. "Thank you… Father."

"I understand this is something of an unfortunately regular occurrence for Lady Ellaria," Shisui cautiously chimed in, "Is there really no long-term cure for what ails her?"

Rhaegon eyed the former Shinobi guardedly for a moment sighing. "No, there is not. We've even taken her for consultations with Captain Unohana. My wife has always suffered from something of a frail constitution, though she's hardly let it dampen her spirit. Alas, her body cannot match the fire of her soul."

"It got worse after she gave birth to me," Saenenya glumly murmured, "It's all my fault."

Visaelya shook her head and gave her cousin what she hoped was an encouraging smile. "Don't say that, Saenenya. No one here blames you for your mother's condition."

"She's right, my dear," Rhaegon affirmed, "Your mother and I have never once held you responsible for what's befallen her. She has never regretted bearing and raising you, I can promise you that."

"Even so," Saenenya muttered with a downcast gaze, "if it weren't for me, she'd be healthier."

"If it weren't for you, her life would be far less fulfilling than it is now," Rhaegon replied with what struck Visaelya as a very rare genuinely paternal smile, "and those are not my words; they're hers. Ask her yourself after dinner tonight if you wish. You are the sun of her life, Saenenya. You have meant everything to her since the moment you were born, and that will never change."

Saenenya seemed reassured by her father's kind words. "Well, then… if she feels that way, then I'll have to live up to those feelings. I don't want to let her down."

Rhaegon shook his head. "You never could let her down."

"When you see her, do try not to bring up what happened earlier today," Visenarr suggested, "As much as she loves you, I doubt she'll be in shape for the sort of... impassioned discourse that comes so easily to you."

Rhaegon rolled his eyes. "You needn't worry, brother. My wife's made her views on the political arena abundantly clear… and I have no desire to impede her recovery."

Visaelya fought to suppress a wince. She knew that her father meant well, but bringing up the day's earlier events, even if it was in an effort to keep her uncle from bombarding his recuperating wife with an unwanted diatribe, didn't strike Visaelya as a good idea. She feared that her uncle might launch into another rant…

…and not entirely without justification.

"That being said, she will have to be made aware of how our clan's situation has deteriorated further at some point," Rhaegon began, a fresh blaze alighting in his violet eyes, "This state of affairs cannot go unchallenged."

Visaelya's mother let out an exasperated sigh. "So you've said, Rhaegon. As my husband has already pointed out, though, complaining about it at dinner tonight will bring you no closer to rectifying it."

Rhaegon completely blew off Nayla's attempt to steer the conversation back in a safer direction. "Is it a 'complaint' when we have justifiable grievances? Our family brought forth valid and worthwhile proposals that would benefit the entire Soul Society, and we were laughed at by the Central Forty-Six and the Captains for it!"

"It was hardly so dramatic a response," Visenarr countered with a groan, "Yes, the proposals were firmly shot down, but it wasn't in quite such an undignified manner as what you suggest. As ever, your tendency towards hyperbole is most unhelpful."

Rhaegon scowled at his brother. "The other Great Noble Houses are watching us like hawks. How we respond to this insult will impact our standing with them. If we do not reclaim our footing in a strong and decisive manner, they will sense weakness. We must act to secure our position!"

"Pardon me for interjecting, sirs," Shisui cautiously chimed in, drawing all eyes towards him, "but I have a hard time seeing exactly how your family's position is threatened."

Rhaegon shot Shisui a withering glare. "Are you mocking me, boy?"

"Uncle!" Visaelya snapped, "Shisui's a seated officer and our honored guest; he deserves to be treated as such!"

Shisui held out a hand to gesture for calm from Visaelya while cooly staring Rhaegon down, meeting his glower without so much as flinching. "Not in the slightest, Captain. I'm simply making my own observation. Yes, your family suffered a setback with advancing its proposals, perhaps even embarrassment in how the matter was handled, but I've heard nothing about the Drakken Clan's prestigious position as one of the Soul Society's Great Noble Houses being threatened. To my knowledge, the outcome of this affair will not result in the Drakken Clan being kicked off the lofty perch it enjoys. Your family's simply hit a bump in the road. It happens to all of us, noble or commoner. Us average folks can deal with such hiccups easily enough. Shouldn't a Great Noble House be able to do the same in the face of adversity? You still possess wealth beyond measure, leadership of Squad Ten, and command over some of the mightiest creatures in all of creation. I would suggest taking a step back and considering your fortune compared to so many others before taking any rash action."

Visenarr eagerly nodded in approval. "Yes, that's exactly the point I've been trying to make! Brother, we suffered a loss today. In the great game of the aristocracy, every family notches such defeats. Do you really think that we're supposed to be some grand exception to the rule? We'll lick our wounds and come back from this disappointing round stronger than ever in time. We always have, brother."

Rhaegon was still seething, and Visaelya feared that he'd only double down, but the stare down between him and Shisui was interrupted by a servant suddenly entering the room and rushing up to Squad Ten's Captain. The woman, clad in the simple red and black robes of the household attendants, leaned close to Rhaegon and whispered something in his ear. Visaelya couldn't make any of it out, but it must've been of great importance, because her uncle suddenly rose from the table, his face-off with Shisui apparently forgotten.

"I'm sorry, but I must take my leave," said Rhaegon with a curt bow, "I'll be in my study."

"But Father, what about Mother?" Saenenya interrupted, her tone a pleading one.

"I will see her before retiring for the night," Rhaegon answered, "but you will have to take the fruit and tea to her in my stead. My apologies, Saenenya."

"Father, wait!" Saenenya protested.

It was to no avail; Squad Ten's Captain was already off on a brisk pace, and the dining room doors shut behind him a moment later. Saenenya looked for a moment like she might follow him, but she instead fell back into her seat and looked down at the table.

"I'm… I'm sorry, everyone," she said.

Nayla gave her niece a comforting smile. "You have nothing to apologize for, Saenenya. Your father's behavior is on him alone, not you."

"You'll stay with us, won't you?" asked Visaelya, "We'd all love it if you would."

Vaemera echoed her sister's sentiments. "Please don't go yet, Saenenya. There's still dessert to come, and it wouldn't be as sweet without you to share it with."

"I hear the servants are making that cake your mother likes," Gaerion chimed in, "You could take a small slice of that to her later along with the fruit and tea. I bet that would really lift her spirits."

"Do not feel as though you need to leave on account of my brother," said Visenarr, "I assure you, Saenenya, that your company is still valued, and your father's behavior does not reflect on you."

Saenenya hesitated for a second before gracing them with a very small smile. "Well… I suppose I can stay through dessert. Thank you, everyone."

"Think nothing of it," Visaelya replied with a smile, "We should treasure every chance we have to gather like this, after all."

Saenenya nodded before turning to Shisui. "We should. Oh, Shisui, I'm sorry about what my father said earlier… Shisui?"

Turning towards her comrade, Visaelya saw that Shisui's gaze was still on the door that Rhaegon had departed through, and he only belatedly realized that he was being addressed. "Oh, don't worry about it. His bad mood's not your fault."

Visaelya eyed him for a few seconds. "Shisui… everything alright?"

"Yeah," he answered with a ready smile as he gestured at the food, "Now, why don't we dig back in? It'd be a shame for this all to go cold, after all."

Visenarr grinned and tapped his fork against a wineglass. "You're quite right, young man! Let's pick up where we left off, shall we?"

"Yes, let's!" Nayla eagerly concurred.

The atmosphere surrounding the table relaxed considerably, steadily regaining the friendly air that it had possessed before Rhaegon's entrance. Visaelya watched Shisui for a few seconds, still not entirely convinced that everything was as fine as he had said earlier. She had been with him long enough by now to know when he was preoccupied, but whatever was concerning him, it did not seem like he would tell her while in present company.

I'll ply him later, she resolved, after I apologize to him for my uncle's atrocious behavior, and after we've salvaged this dinner party. I'd prefer to leave my home tonight with at least some happy memories to wash out the ill-taste that my uncle left.

….

"Are the desserts at your place always so extravagant?" asked Shisui as he and Visaelya headed through the mansion's long and lavishly appointed central entrance hall towards the exit, "I swear, that was some of the richest cake I've ever eaten, and they really went all out with the frosting patterns."

"Well, my family never does things halfway," Visaelya replied, her subdued voice mirroring her troubled gaze, "I guess you could say that about any Great Noble House, though."

Shisui inwardly sighed. He had tried throughout the remainder of dinner to brighten the mood, and it had mostly worked, but Visaelya was clearly still dwelling on her uncle's behavior.

I guess I can't blame her, he mused, I'd probably be pretty embarrassed if one of my kin acted that way when I had a friend over for dinner. Still, she's letting this get to her much more than it should, and she really shouldn't be hanging onto it.

As if on cue, Visaelya turned to him and bowed deeply. "Shisui, I am so sorry about what happened back there. My uncle's conduct, especially towards you, was utterly atrocious and completely unfitting for a member of the Drakken Clan. If there's anything I can do to make it up to you, please tell me now."

Shisui held up his hands. "Whoa, ease up, Visaelya. You have nothing to apologize for. What happened back there is all on your uncle, not you. Besides, his daughter already apologized for him, so you're not obligated to do that too."

"Even so, you came here at my invitation," she pressed, "and what did you get for it? Enduring my uncle's tirade and petty rage wasn't supposed to be on the menu tonight. This was meant to be something fun and relaxing for you and the rest of us, and my uncle decided he had to spoil it."

"He only spoiled it if we let his actions dominate our memory of tonight," Shisui countered with a smile, "I don't know about you, but I'd much rather focus on the enjoyment we all experienced together than the anger from your uncle. Just look at that as an interruption; it doesn't have to define the evening."

Visaelya took a deep breath before eventually smiling. "You're right. I wish I could take the broader view of these sorts of situations like you do, Shisui."

Shisui patted her on the shoulder. "It takes experience, time and patience. You've got plenty of each, and you'll only get more. For what it's worth, I do appreciate you calling out your uncle back there. I might talk a big game about taking the long view and brushing his behavior off, but it was still very satisfying when you snapped at him."

Visaelya smiled, and Shisui caught a hint of red in her face. "Well, for talking to you that way… he had it coming."

Shisui chuckled. "Can't argue with that."

Visaelya's eyes then narrowed somewhat. "Speaking of behavior, there's something I want to ask you. When my uncle was leaving the room, you seemed to be focusing on him rather intently, even after for a bit after he was gone. Why was that?"

Shisui shrugged. "I was curious as to why he left in the first place. Guess I was overthinking things a bit."

Visaelya didn't seem convinced. "That's really it?"

It wasn't, actually, but Shisui didn't feel comfortable discussing the truth of it here. "Well, why don't we get back to barracks first, then I'll fill you in on the rest."

The reason why Shisui wanted to wait was simple; they were being watched. He'd sensed as much throughout dinner earlier, which was why he'd been surreptitiously scanning his surroundings with both his eyes and sense of spirit energy. Even now, as the two of them headed through the hall towards the entrance, Shisui was covertly glancing at the walls and ceilings. He could sense people behind them, and not just the mansion's staff going about their business. Some of the incredibly faint spiritual pressures he was picking up were familiar…

…though the last time he had sensed them, it had been as chakra.

This mansion has an infestation, he thought, but it's not rats crawling behind the walls or under the floorboards.

It's Uchihas.

….

"Unforgivable…" Rhaegon fumed as he paced back and forth in his office, "It's absolutely unforgivable!"

"Without a doubt," his cloaked advisor concurred, candlelight gleaming in the glasses beneath his cowl, "The Central Forty-Six has taken a step too far. As for the Head Captain and the others, I must say that I'm disappointed. I would have thought for sure that they'd see the merits of your proposals."

"Those merits should've been obvious for all to see!" Rhaegon seethed, his chest burning with indignant fury, "Even those old fools on the council, blind as they are, should have recognized that the entire Soul Society would benefit from our initiatives!"

"Which just reinforces a point that you and I have discussed time and time again," the cloaked man said, "The Central Forty-Six has long ceased to concern itself with the actual well-being of the Soul Society and its inhabitants. Instead, it has degraded into nothing more than an arena through which the other Great Noble Houses act to keep the best and brightest among them down. This is hardly the first time it's acted in such a manner, after all."

Rhaegon clenched his fists, memories of past dismissals from the council flashing rapidly through his mind. "The construction of secondary academies and outposts in the Rukon District, increased funding for recruitment and establishing permanent bases within the most populated Realms of the Living, creating an expeditionary force that could fight and survive in Hueco Mundo itself… each and every time my clan has come forth with innovations and strategies to solve the myriad of problems facing the Soul Society, we've been flat-out rejected and scorned. It's completely absurd!"

The cloaked advisor inclined his head. "To be sure. At this point, we're safe in assuming that presenting any additional initiatives to the Central Forty-Six would be a waste of time. The judges and so-called 'wisemen' care only for preserving the current status quo; they're paranoid to the point that any innovation, no matter how beneficial to the greater whole, is seen as a potential threat to their power."

Rhaegon folded his arms. "Yet you were quite keen on my family presenting this latest proposal to the council, and even seemed optimistic that they'd take it seriously despite our past failures."

The cloaked man sighed. "I must confess to being a little naïve. I had held out a shred of hope that perhaps pragmatism could win out. As you yourself noted, the benefits inherent in your latest proposals were quite obvious. Clearly, I was wrong to believe that practicality and reason would carry the day. Cowardice and delusion have a vice-grip on the Central Forty-Six; the old men of the council jump at the slightest of shadows and see threats to their power everywhere. Alas, matters seem to be little better with your fellow Captains. Even those who can see the clear benefits of your family's initiatives cannot hope to sway the Head Captain. His dogmatic obedience of the Central Forty-Six's decrees remains as strong as ever, to the detriment of the entire Soul Society."

Rhaegon clenched his jaw in frustration. "Yamamoto has held his position for far too long now. For all his power, he's an obstinate dotard, clinging to the past and fearful of the future. As the Central Forty-Six holds back the Soul Society, the Head Captain holds back the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. The Soul Society cannot be set on the proper course until the corrupt council and its pawns are brought down!"

"Then your resolve is set, now?" asked the cloaked man, with perhaps more than a hint of anticipation.

Rhaegon nodded, his violet eyes blazing with more than just candlelight. "It is. The Central Forty-Six has made their position clear; all legal avenues to meaningful evolution and reform are firmly shut. We have no other choice than to proceed with those avenues that we've long discussed in the shadows of this estate. Law and justice have failed, so let us cast them aside."

"As you wish," the cloaked man replied, the slightest trace of a smile appearing beneath his cowl, "Is the patriarch ready to commit?"

"He was hedging his bets before," Rhaegon answered, "but today's outrage will be too much for him. I will approach him tonight, but there is no need to ponder as to his response; I guarantee you that he'll be onboard. The rest of the Drakken Clan will follow."

"Including your older brother?" his advisor broached, "From what I gather, it seems as though he still holds out hope in a future resolution that favors your clan down the line, or at least a more equitable compromise. Patience, it appears, is his watchword."

"It always has been," Rhaegon remarked, "While my brother's prudence has served our family well in the past, it now threatens to drag us down into mediocrity. With the patriarch behind us, he will have no choice but to fall into line. Perhaps our father can rekindle brother's youthful fire, and he will embrace our cause with new zeal. I can only hope."

"Indeed, we can," his companion concurred, "Shall we send another envoy to the Starmont Clan, then? We are quite fortunate that a Valkyrie is presently at their Seireitei estate; she would serve as the perfect courier for our message to the Old Wolf of the North."

"I'll need to consult with Torrence first," said Rhaegon, "although I believe such talks between us will be brief. He's already made his leanings quite clear."

"He's in, then?" the cloaked man inquired.

Rhaegon inclined his head. "I'm certain of it. As for his father, we've been working tirelessly to sway him over these past several years, and I believe our efforts have borne fruit. Torrence will need to seal the deal, but he's always had the Old Wolf's ear. Besides, the Starmont Clan's suffered their own slights at the hands of the Central Forty-Six, and that family has a long memory."

His advisor smirked. "All the better for us."

Rhaegon's brow furrowed. "Yes, though the Starmont Clan will want a gesture of our full commitment to the endeavor. That gesture would come best in the form of retribution for the grievous insult that we've suffered today. How to go about that, though, is something of a dilemma."

"If I may be so bold," his advisor began, "I've actually been giving the matter thought for some time now, and I have a prospective target in mind. I believe it will send the appropriate message, and seizing it will have some practical benefits for your side going forward."

Rhaegon clasped his hands together, an eager smile on his face. "I'm all ears."

"Today's humiliation is just most recent and unacceptable in a long line of insults and slights handed to both your family and the Starmont Clan over several years now," the cloaked man continued, "Why not seize the precious bauble that started this conflict? After all, the Soul Society took it from right under the Drakken Clan's noses. They had the temerity to seize what was right on the border of your family's Principality. By rights, all that they found in what was then called the Shadow Pass and now once more known as the Luminous Pass belongs to the Drakken Clan."

Rhaegon's smile became an open grin. "Oh, you mean that… yes, I think that would be perfect."

His sly elation was quickly infected by doubt, though, as a potential flaw in the proposal became readily apparent. "Taking it will not be easy, though. It's secure within Squad Twelve's high-priority artifact vault. Captain Hikifune's unit may not be comprised of top-notch warriors, but the protective measures they have in place are not to be taken lightly."

"Quite true," his advisor admitted, "but they're not an insurmountable obstacle. In fact, I'd like to volunteer for the task myself. After all, my abilities and talents are uniquely suited for penetrating defenses such as these."

Rhaegon tapped his foot, torn between thrilled anticipation and uncharacteristic wariness. "You would have better odds of success than most. Still… the risks for you are not inconsiderable. If your identity is in even the slightest danger of being compromised…"

"You need not remind me of the dangers," his advisor interjected, "Trust me, I am well aware that my head would roll should I be discovered, as would quite a few more. I've served you discreetly for years now; do you not trust me to maintain my impeccable record?"

Rhaegon sighed. "No, I do. Tread damned carefully, though. One slip up, and it could all be over before it's even begun."

"A tragedy greater than my own death would be," his advisor quipped with a chuckle, "I suppose knowing the grand opera that my actions will help set in motion can serve as further motivation for a successful infiltration."

"That opera will require your continued involvement in order to succeed," Rhaegon pointed out, "This is simply the first step."

"Yes, and a momentous one at that," his advisor concurred, "I shall begin preparations shortly. It would be best if we waited at least a few weeks, perhaps longer, before making this move. Acting too quickly would only serve to make the connection between this retaliation and what happened between your family and the Seireitei's governing elite all the more obvious. Clear evidence at this early point in the game would prompt backlash that you could not recover from."

Rhaegon nodded. "True. We want the message to be sent, but the thread tying it back to us can't be one substantial enough to justify concrete action against us. Since you clearly grasp the delicate nature of this situation, I will leave the timing and other such details in your capable hands."

"I was going to ask as much," his advisor remarked, "It's better this way. We need to preserve your deniability, after all."

Rhaegon smiled. "Indeed. As much as I'd love to be in the thick of it, I can accept stepping back for now. After all, the moment of your success will be impossible to miss."

His advisor smiled as well. "The Head Captain and the old fools on the council will not recognize it as such, but for you and I, the true significance of the act will be unmistakable."

Rhaegon's grin contained more than a hint of malice as the unspoken answer echoed in his mind.

Our opening shot…

…in an undeclared war.

….

Leaning back against the wall of his room, Itachi's brow furrowed as he considered all that he had just heard from Shisui and Visaelya. "Sounds like your evening was a bit more eventful than you'd counted on. Sorry that Captain Drakken caused such a scene for you guys."

Shisui shrugged. "Can't be helped. What's done is done."

Visaelya sighed. "I really think my father should've laid into him harder, but that probably wouldn't have helped matters much. At least Uncle's eventual departure gave us some breathing room."

"Even with his departure, though, it seems you still had some unwelcome company," Itachi remarked as he met Shisui's gaze, "They just didn't have the manners to show themselves and say hello."

Shisui chuckled. "Well, what do you expect from the likes of Yashiro and his ilk? They were never polite company back when they were alive, so why should that change in the afterlife?"

"You're certain he was one of the hidden watchers?" Itachi asked.

Shisui nodded. "Oh, yeah. The guy's always been a ball of ambition and spite, and it always seemed to seep into his chakra whenever I met him in my past life. You surely noticed it, too."

"It was hard to miss," Itachi conceded.

"Exactly, and it's doing the same thing in his afterlife," Shisui continued, "He was trying to suppress his spiritual pressure, but you need to be calm and collected in order to do it properly. Yashiro's a firebrand, though; keeping his cool was never something he could do for long. His spiritual pressure wasn't blatantly obvious; no one else picked up on it to my knowledge. I did, though."

Visaelya slumped down on Itachi's bedroll, burying her head in her hands. "I should've picked up on it. With all the training I've done with you guys, I thought my senses were sharp enough. Clearly, they're not."

Shisui knelt next to her and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Hey, ease up on yourself. Your senses have gotten a lot sharper compared to how they were before. You just don't have the familiarity with other members of our clan like Itachi and I do. That's the only reason why I was able to pick up on Yashiro and the others spying on us; I knew what to look for."

That seemed to cheer Visaelya up a bit. "If you say so. Still, I'm going to work a lot harder in honing my senses going forward."

Shisui smiled before leaning forward to kiss her on the cheek. "I wouldn't expect anything less from you."

Visaelya's face flushed beat red, but she still managed to meet Shisui's gaze and smile. "Well, I wouldn't want to disappoint you."

"Trust me, you never could," Shisui replied with a grin.

While Itachi was always happy to see Shisui and Visaelya growing more comfortable with being publicly affectionate around him, his mind was on other matters. "Shisui, could you make out any other distinct presences apart from Yashiro?"

Shisui stood up and looked down at the floor for a moment, folding his arms in thought. "Hmm… pretty sure Tekka was among them. As for the others, I only caught vague traces. Not enough for positive identification. Sorry."

Itachi shook his head. "No worries. It's enough for now to know that that two Uchiha as prominent as Yashiro and Tekka were observing you."

"Were they really just spying on you, Shisui?" Visaelya asked with a shudder, "For all we know, they were up there to watch my family; they might not have known that you were coming over tonight. Maybe they're always in those crawlspaces spying on my family…"

"It's possible," Shisui conceded, "but if that was the case, why would they be constantly spying on their benefactor? I doubt any noble family would be pleased to learn that their guests are always eavesdropping on them. This is just a hunch, but I don't think that your family's aware of what their resident Uchihas are up to."

"I wonder if they even realize just who they're playing host to," Itachi pondered aloud, "Yashiro and his ilk might have been allowed to stay under false pretenses."

"Maybe," said Shisui, "We don't have enough information to say for sure, though."

"Do… do you think that they might have something to do with the way my uncle and his supporters have been acting lately?" Visaelya nervously broached, "Could they be pushing him towards making all these recent rash proposals to the Central Forty-Six?"

Itachi considered it. "I can see them wanting to make the family hosting them more influential and powerful, so perhaps they're trying to guide your clan's political decisions in a direction that lets them piggy-back off any successes."

"If that's their play, then they messed up big-time today," Shisui pushed back, "Captain Drakken seemed completely floored by how his proposals were shut down by both the Central Forty-Six and the Head Captain, but anyone who's studied the council and the old man's tendencies should've seen this sort of result coming. We know that Yashiro and the others have been in the Soul Society for years now, and they've been residing in the heart of the Seireitei, meaning that they're in a perfect position to learn about the inner political workings. Just studying the past behavior by the Central Forty-Six and the Head Captain with regards to past proposals should've clued them into the high likelihood that these new initiatives would be shot down. Yet Captain Drakken's reaction strikes me as that of someone who was genuinely expecting success; the rejection gut-punched him."

Itachi spent a moment gaming out a potential scenario in his head before sharing it. "What if they did do their homework, recognized the likelihood of failure, and pushed Captain Drakken and his supporters onward anyway? Perhaps even with the hope of the sort of outcome that they got today."

Visaelya blinked. "You mean my uncle was egged on with the full expectation of failure? Why?"

"Perhaps in the hope of triggering an overreaction," Shisui mused aloud.

"To what end, though?" Itachi murmured, "An oppositional response could heighten tensions, drawing renewed scrutiny towards the very clan that's sheltering them."

"Maybe that's a risk they're willing to take," Shisui pointed out, "Depending on their ultimate objective, the chance of exposure might be worth it in their eyes."

"What could your former kinsmen possibly have to gain by inflaming tensions between my family and the Soul Society?" Visaelya asked.

"If it's the particular Uchiha that we're thinking of," Itachi answered as he met Shisui's gaze, "then I can imagine a few possible goals. Perhaps a clash between the Drakken Clan and the Soul Society that ends with the former in a greater position of influence and power… which the Uchiha in question could then exploit."

Shisui's eyes narrowed. "I could see the likes of Yashiro, Inabi or Tekka trying something along those lines. Still, we shouldn't bind ourselves to a single theory, or even a single culprit here. For all that we know, Rhaegon and his supporters within the Drakken Clan are acting entirely of their own accord; the Uchiha residing within the family's Seireitei estate may be completely uninvolved in this dustup. Their spying on tonight's dinner could be unrelated to the ongoing political spat. They might just be trying to keep abreast of current events so they don't get caught with their pants down if things go against their hosts."

Itachi nodded. "A valid point. For all the mischief that Yashiro and his cohort have gotten up to in the past, there's a very real chance that their eavesdropping on us and your family isn't tied into the current tensions, at least not directly. Rhaegon Drakken is both a Soul Reaper Captain and a powerful noble in his own right; he's more than capable of stirring up trouble without the urging of a third party."

"Even so," said Shisui, "I don't like the idea of Yashiro or Tekka being where they are. By simple dint of where they now reside, they're potentially at the center of an aristocratic spat that could blow up into something worse. I can't say that I'm happy with them being anywhere near this mess."

"That makes two of us," Itachi concurred.

Visaelya sighed. "What can we do about it, though? It's not like I can just bring this up with my uncle, or even my father. That would involve revealing the fact that I've been spying on my own family. Even if I didn't name you two as being involved, the moment I identify the people spying on my family tonight as Uchihas, you'd get dragged in regardless."

"And the last thing we want to do is burn the bridge that you and your family have worked so hard to rebuild," Shisui remarked.

"Any direct action from us would be counterproductive," Itachi argued, "What do we have to base our case around, after all? Knowledge of the past lives of the Drakken Clan's secretive guests? That hardly constitutes evidence of a crime in the Soul Society. The family, or at least a faction within its leadership, is clearly harboring Yashiro and his compatriots of their own accord. If we reveal the fact that we know who they're hiding, then the Uchiha residing at the estate are likely to go to ground."

Shisui nodded. "And if that happens, it might take a miracle for us to pick up their scent again."

Itachi concurred. "Exactly. At least we know where they're at now, and we haven't given them cause to take flight. Since they've been residing at the mansion for years now, it seems unlikely that they'll pack up and leave anytime soon. That gives us time."

"Time for what, though?" Visaelya chimed in, her growing frustration evident in her clenched fists, "We've been trying to gather information on them for years now, and with precious little to show for it. I want them away from my family. I don't care if they're at our mansion by my uncle or grandfather's invitation; what you two have told me about them and their involvement in your clan's history is all the reason I need to want them gone. They're going to be nothing but trouble for the Drakken Clan."

"No argument there," Shisui muttered.

"What would you have us do?" Itachi asked rhetorically, "Barge in and turn the mansion inside out? Search room by room, rip up the floors and ceilings alike as we hunt down Yashiro and his compatriots? I think you know just as well as the rest of us how that would play with the aristocracy, let alone the Head Captain and Central Forty-Six."

Visaelya's shoulders slumped. "Right… damn it all."

"It's a bad hand no matter which way you look at it," said Shisui, "We know enough to be worried, but not enough to prove to those in power that our concerns are justified and warrant action. Even if we did have any sort of persuasive evidence and could present it, that would open up a whole new can of worms. With the way things stand now between the Drakken Clan and the rest of the Soul Society… it could be downright explosive."

"But we can't just stand idly by and do nothing!" Visaelya protested.

"Rash action will solve nothing," Itachi countered, "but there is a balance we can strike. I'll inform Yoruichi of what happened at the family dinner tonight, and of the eavesdropping by the Drakken Clan's resident Uchiha. I'll also request that she reach out to her mother; Lady Yoriko's much more involved in Seireitei politics than our Captain, so it's possible that she knows something about the Drakken Clan's state of affairs and intentions that the rest of us are missing."

Shisui nodded. "The Shihōin Clan's well-regarded for its intelligence-gathering abilities, and not just because their heir commands both Squad Two and the Stealth Force. I have no doubt that they run a very formidable game when it comes to political espionage and skullduggery."

"You wouldn't be wrong in assuming that," Visaelya confirmed, "To tell you the truth, I think that's part of the reason why my family's so wary of the Shihōin Clan. It's not just that we consider them rivals in the political or economic arena; they have strengths that we lack, and one of the biggest is their spying capabilities. Lady Yoriko's known to maintain an extensive network of contacts throughout the Soul Society, and when combined with the legendary prowess of her mother… well, it tends to make everyone else look over their shoulders."

"Lady Yoko can certainly have that effect on people," Itachi remarked, his mind drifting back to the cunning and enigmatic matriarch that resided in the continental Soul Society's southwest, "I'm willing to be that a good chunk of Lady Yoriko's network was inherited from her. According to Yoruichi, Lady Yoko maintains a private web of informants that reports directly to her. I wonder if they have picked up anything interesting regarding the Drakken Clan or their guests."

"Best way to find out is to ask," said Shisui, "It should be no problem for Yoruichi to set up an audience with her mother. Getting a message out to her grandmother would be easy enough, too, though it would take some time to reach the Principality. They could have information that we're missing."

"There's a danger in that, though," Visaelya argued, "Just how much do we want to reveal? We don't exactly want word of our off-the-books investigation into my family and the Uchiha residing with them to spread, after all."

Itachi slowly nodded. "We'll have to tread carefully. I'll bring up the matter with Yoruichi and see how she wants to proceed. From what I've learned of Lady Yoriko over the past few years, we can most likely trust her discretion, though we should still be cautious with how much information we provide. As for Lady Yoko… she could be a wild card. While I was down in the Shihōin Clan Principality with Yoruichi, I did let her in on some of my concerns regarding other Uchiha Clan members in the Soul Society, and she knows that some are residing with the Draken Clan. She promised to have her spies keep an eye out for signs of others roaming about, though so far, I've heard nothing on that front from her. Some of our knowledge, in other words, is already hers, but not all of it. Certainly not this latest development. Given her feelings on the Soul Society aristocracy and the Central Forty-Six, it's difficult to say how she'd react to what we know now."

"She's pretty much written off the Seireitei, right?" Shisui pointed out, "Left a long time ago and has never come anywhere close since, from what you've told me. Given that she's maintained her self-imposed exile all these years, the chances of her breaking it over this seem slim."

Itachi considered it for a moment. "Her distaste for the Seireitei and its politics is considerable, so it's hard to guess just how much Lady Yoko will want to involve herself or her network in this affair. A personal visit from her is unlikely in the extreme, but her dispatching agents or couriers isn't out of the question. As much as we might want to keep our cards close to the chest, the fact of the matter remains that we just don't have enough information. Our efforts over the past few years haven't yielded much, though what circumstantial evidence we've found at least reinforces our suspicions that something foul is afoot. Getting a new perspective on things could be just what we need."

"Worth the risk, then?" Shisui prodded.

"I don't know," Visaelya murmured, "I feel like we've been taking enough chances as it is."

"And what do we have to show for it?" Shisui pushed back, "Not nearly enough, and you know it."

Visaelya sighed heavily. "I do."

"We've done what we can with limited resources," Itachi declared, "It's time to widen the net we cast."

And hope that we can handle whatever it pulls up from the depths.

….

As Rhaegon Drakken's cloaked advisor strolled through the mansion's torch-lit corridor, with light from the flames flickering in both his glasses and the ornate shining frames of the portraits that lined the wall, he sensed a faint presence up ahead. He paused, his gaze eventually falling on an antique ceremonial suit of armor with a dragon's head helmet and mini-draconic wings flaring out from the shoulders.

"You and your cohort do love the shadows," the advisor said by way of greeting, "I'd almost believe you fear the light."

"Shadow has long suited our needs," came a deep male voice as another cloaked figure stepped out from behind the armor set, "and the light is not yet ready for us."

The man smirked as his bespectacled gaze beheld the fascinating rippling-purple eyes peering out from the darkness beneath his rival's cowl. "Yet you step out into it now. So easily goaded."

"Hardly," the purple-eyed man replied, "I was planning on meeting you here like this."

The other cloaked figure arched an eyebrow under his cowl. "That's news to me. It takes two to plan a meeting. Planning by one against an unsuspecting other could be construed as an ambush."

"Do you fear that?" the purple-eyed man purred, with perhaps a hint of anticipation in his voice.

"The notion intrigues me," the bespectacled man casually countered, his right hand drifting down into his cloak and coming to rest upon the end of a green-wrapped sword handle, "I must confess, I have been wondering as of late just what you might be capable of in combat. Am I going to finally get a taste of that tonight?"

The purple-eyed man was silent for a long moment. "As tempting as I find the idea of removing you from the playing field through force, I would upset our patron if I made such a move now. Know this, though; the option's never off the table. Should your fortunes dip and mine rise again, you would do well to remember that."

The bespectacled man chuckled. "I shall, then. Know this, though; I keep all my options on the table as well."

The purple-eyed man's cloak rippled as he inclined his head. "I'd be disappointed if it were otherwise."

Though the chance of violence now seemed low, the bespectacled man kept his hand near the hilt of his sword. "If we understand each other on that front, then let get to the heart of the matter. Why are you here?"

"To warn you," the purple-eyed man answered, "I know the path that you're nudging our patron down. Today's incident no doubt gave you plenty of fuel to further incite him."

"Justifiably so," the bespectacled man countered, "The family of our benefactor does not deserve such disgraceful treatment at the hands of their peers."

"Save such talk for the rubes," the purple-eyed man growled, "You couldn't care less about 'disgraceful treatment' of any sort."

The bespectacled man put his left hand to his chest. "That hurts. Do you truly think that I'm utterly incapable of empathizing with our gracious host? I wonder… is your accusation genuine, or merely projection?"

"I have no time to waste with word games," the purple-eyed man spat, "I have spoken to our benefactor; what you're urging him to do is only going to backfire, to the ruin of us all."

"I'm the one who will be taking all the risks," the bespectacled man pointed out, "Should something go wrong, the blade falls upon my neck alone. Not just by the hands of the Soul Society, either; I fully expect our patron to have me silenced should I be apprehended. It's a perfectly natural precaution, after all."

"You won't allow such a fate to befall yourself," the purple-eyed man shot back, "You're far too slippery for that. Succeed or fail, the result will be the same; suspicious eyes will inevitably turn towards this family. The scrutiny will only build, and the walls shall inevitably begin to close in. The retaliation you have planned is not an antidote to what ails the clan; it is the merely the first step down the road to its destruction."

"Such a gloomy outlook," the bespectacled man chided his rival, "It's hardly a wonder that you've lost favor with our patron. How do you expect to regain any influence with him when you can only paint bleak pictures? I, at least, can offer his family the glorious future that they've long desired."

"You're offering them the illusion of it," the purple-eyed man argued, "An appealing path that will inevitably fall short when it slams headlong into reality. My path is longer and more arduous, but it offers a realistic chance at success."

The bespectacled man chuckled. "A pity that you have done such a poor job of selling it. Perhaps you should find someone else to take the role of frontman. At this point, it could not hurt your chances any more than you already have."

The purple-eyed man advanced, and for a moment the bespectacled man thought he would attack. He did no such thing, though, instead merely walking forward until he was standing to the bespectacled man's left and facing past him.

"I'll admit," the purple-eyed man eventually said, "I fall short when it comes to charisma. I always have. What I have never lacked, though, is vision."

"And your vision is of such importance that you cannot entrust it to anyone else?" the bespectacled man surmised, "It must be grand indeed."

"It is," the purple-eyed man confirmed, "and, unlike the folly you're convincing our benefactor to undertake, it can work. It requires endurance and patience to succeed, though… and you have undermined that."

"Endurance and patience are all well and good," the bespectacled man remarked, "but they're thin gruel next to ambition and determination."

The purple-eyed man chuckled. "I wonder if that's really your outlook. How much of what I get from you is a mask, and how much is real? I'd very much like to know."

"And you think I'll just tell you?" the bespectacled man asked rhetorically, "Do you genuinely believe I'd make it so easy?"

"Of course not," the purple-eyed man replied before wearily exhaling, "Our mutual patron may be hot-headed, but at least he's honest with himself and others. His earnest belief in what he stands for and wants to achieve is endearing. Such a shame that he's placing his faith in an illusion."

"Then stop him," the bespectacled man taunted, "if you can, that is."

"I will do my utmost to try," the purple-eyed man growled, "The future of this clan depends on me pulling him away from your influence."

"And if you fail?" the bespectacled man asked.

The purple-eyed man was quiet for a few seconds before walking away. "Then I will adapt, ride out the inevitable storm, and start over. If I must retreat, then I shall. I've done so in the past…"

"…and I have always returned."

Author's Notes: I know I said in the last chapter that the combat would be taking a back seat in this one, but I decided to throw you all a bone. I've actually been toying with the idea of bringing Manda into the story for quite some time now, and I decided somewhat on a whim to do it here. I'm a fan of irony, so the notion of having Jiraiya forcing the iconic summon of Orochimaru to submit to him tickled me in all the right places. It'll be even funnier when he gets toad summons later on and has to keep Manda from eating them. Fun times ahead for Squad Eight's resident sage!

Gin and Rangiku are another two characters that I've been looking froward to bringing into the fic, so it felt good to finally get them on page. I'm playing around a bit with their story, mostly in that the incident with Aizen stealing energy from Rangiku for the Hōgyoku hasn't happened yet. It's going to happen, I promise you that, but the circumstances and repercussions will have slight alterations. Jiraiya taking the two under his wing (with on-and-off assistance from Itachi) is going to result in Gin and Rangiku learning some tricks that will come in handy when they become Soul Reapers, so keep an eye out for them.

By some miracle, I've actually managed to release this chapter somewhat close to the five-year anniversary of when I first started posting chapters for this story! Yeah, it's not on the exact date to the year, but it's close enough, right? It's funny, really; this started out as just a side project, yet it's actually gained the greatest following of any of my stories, completed or ongoing. Big thanks to everyone who's decided to stick around for the ride. So, to celebrate, how about a little Q&A? If you want to participate, post questions in the reviews. I'll most likely answer in PM, though depending on the questions and how many people partake I might also post both questions and answers in the start of chapter author's notes when Part Two of this chapter goes up. We'll see how things shake out. Feel free to ask anything, just know that if it involves major story spoilers, I reserve the right to not answer.

More intrigue and scheming lie ahead, and not just in the next chapter. Don't worry, the action will return with a vengeance in time. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Feel free to review, stay safe, and I'll see you all next time!