After getting used to it, I didn't really mind this Kimono. The uniforms of the Shinigami had a certain appeal, I had to admit.
It would be better if it wasn't tainted by the thoughts of those thugs.
At the moment, I really did not have a good opinion of Soul Society. Was feeling pretty shitty about the whole situation in sending that little girl here. I was hanging onto some shred of hope that maybe this was just an extreme case and it gets better.
Fingers crossed.
I've walked through what appears to be several of these 'districts'. This place is absolutely massive, easily millions upon millions living here but they didn't have high-rise buildings or apartments like they did in the living world. So, everyone was spread out with houses nearly back to back, making it look even bigger from a certain perspective.
Yet, the vast majority I've seen were at best barely above the perceivable poverty line. Granted, my views may be skewed from living in the modern era, but when a significant portion of the people don't even have simple sandals to wear, there's a big fucking problem.
Not to mention that every single look I got was one of trepidation if not outright fear due to the uniform I was wearing.
Granted, the closer I got to this Seireitei, the less it became obvious. Sure, there was still caution with my approach, but as the area got further in, and poverty got notably lessened with each passing minute, it seems like the sight of a Shinigami wasn't one of immediate caution.
I'm not even surprised that the more well off and wealthy don't fear the Shinigami.
I could basically scope out the layout so far. This place was like a giant circle, with Seireitei sitting in the middle. And obviously the better off places sat closer to the homes of the Shinigami and supposed Nobles.
It took forever to finally make it, but I could see a sort of…..disconnect from where the Rukongai ends and the Seireitei begins. I took a quick look around, and steadied myself.
I highly doubt anyone would notice I'm a living being. I mean, how difficult would it be for a living being to sneak into Soul Society in the first place?
Not to mention I look exactly like a normal Shinigami and there was no one around to question me.
Just project confidence and no one will question you.
I puffed up my chest, and carried myself as if I belonged here.
[You think this will work?] Ddraig asked, a bit sarcastically.
Oh yee of little faith.
"I have absolute confiden—"
Boooooooom!
The wind howled, my hair was blown back and dirt immediately flew up all around me. Thunderous and explosive sounds rang out as if something heavy and big hit the ground. Not to mention the shockwave that was sent through the earth in all directions.
I blinked.
And I blinked again.
There was a massive gate a few inches in front of my face.
…..did it fall from the sky?
[Absolute confidence, huh?]
I ignored the dragon, tilting my head up. The Gate was atleast a few dozen feet tall. And not only that, there was now an equally large wall that shot off in both directions, completely encompassing the Seireitei for as much as I could see.
…..I understand why there was a bunch of empty space between these two regions now….
There was only one thing to do in a situation like this.
I did an about face and quickly skedaddled.
[***]
Well, it was a good thing I took a moment to hide myself, because people started poking their heads out. And not just the residents of the Rukongai. Shinigami came flooding out looking very annoyed. Shouting commands and such, they started spreading out and searching through the area.
I don't know why that massive wall and accompanying gate suddenly appeared, but I'm guessing there was some way to detect an intruder?
"Well…..shit."
[Just have confidence. I'm sure it'll work a second time.]
Fuck off Ddraig.
Seriously, I didn't wanna cause a massive commotion, but….here we are. Now….how to sneak in.
[Have you tried having more confidence?]
"I hate you sometimes."
[Do your best, Watermelon! I'll cheer you on.]
I let out a long sigh at Ddraig's snickering.
Shaking my head, I started walking in the opposite direction of the gate, keeping the massive wall at the corner of my eye.
It would probably take me a couple days of casual walking to reach the opposite side if I had a straight path, so after a few minutes, I found a rather isolated spot behind some house that I could take a moment to step out and inspect the wall properly.
With another quick look around, I didn't see anyone nearby so I walked forward and touched the massive wall.
"Oh, that's interesting." I muttered, feeling my Aura scatter upon touching the wall. "Complete rejection it looks like." I pulled on my Reiatsu a miniscule amount and pushed it against the stone wall. Like my Aura, it was repulsed without any chance to resist. "Conceptualized Anti-Spirit properties?" I hazard a guess.
Maybe I was going too far in one direction. It could just be significantly resistant to Spiritual energy of any kind to the point where I would have to bring significant force to overcome it.
Just to test, I gathered my Aura and slammed my Palm against the wall. I felt a faint reverberation, but my Aura splashed harmlessly before dissipating.
I clicked my tongue in annoyance and thought of an idea. I knelt down and started digging a hole to see if I could tunnel below. It'd be easy to displace some dirt with a few spells even in this environment.
However, once I got about a foot down and tried to go under, I met a barrier that seemed to contain the same properties as the stone.
I had a feeling that this 'barrier' extended in every direction and the Stone structure in front of me was more a solidified conceptualization rather than the whole of the barrier itself. Maybe it anchored the effects around itself, but the stone walls themselves were not the entirety of the barrier.
[Just fly over.] Ddraig grunted.
"Fly over?" I responded. "I'm pretty sure they wouldn't overlook such a glaring issue if there's even something stopping me from underneath."
[No you idiot. You said this thing probably rejects are spiritual stuff. You're a living person, why would it stop you?]
"…..I would have had this thought after going through my own tests."
[Whatever you say.]
Gods, he's going to be so smug about this if it works.
Despite what he said, I wasn't going to fly over. That would require my Wings making an appearance, and I don't want that kind of attention if I was seen.
No, I just Reinforced my Leg and jumped upwards, landing at the very edge of the wall's top. Literally an inch forward and that shimmering field of energy made an appearance.
Looking around, this was definitely a good angle to view what was going on down there. This place looked like an old Japanese style castle in its architecture. Walls that went every which way forming almost like a maze, and an uncountable number of buildings set up everywhere.
I had no idea what I was doing or where I was going for now, so here was as good a place as any.
I pulled my Aura in as tightly as I could. My Reiatsu was also reeled in as best as I could manage even if I was still not too familiar with this type of energy I could somewhat manage this much.
Without a second thought, I took a step forward and harmlessly passed through the barrier.
I chuckled at how simply I overcame it.
There wasn't really much blame that could be placed on these people. How likely was it for a living person to even come here? I had to jump through several, almost, paradoxical loops to do so. I'm sure they're only defending against the likes of Hollows or some rogue Shinigami.
I just shook my head, taking another step forward and dropping off the wall onto the other side.
Landing on my feet was no arduous task, even from this height. I simply dusted myself off and was about to set off, but I paused, looking up to see another pair of eyes not far away from me. A Shinigami was literally stepping out of the nearby building right as I landed on the ground.
"Carry on." I nodded to him, turning and walking away.
[Nailed it.]
"Hold it!" I mentally groaned as he shouted towards me. "I saw you jump down from the Seireiheki!" I turned to see him pointing at me sternly. "State your name and Division!"
"Uh…Division….Eight?" I offered. I mean, there's the number eight sowed into the inside of this Kimono, same with the other one so….I'm assuming. "And the name's Kurosaki Ichigo." I made sure to add on.
He looked at me for a moment before abruptly drawing his sword. "Surrender yourself, Ryoka!" He shouted. "I am the Ninth Seat of Division Eight. I order you to stand down!"
Just my fucking luck. Of course, the random Shinigami I run into is from the Division I just blurted out.
"I think there might be a misunderstanding here." I held my hands up, taking a few steps towards him. I'd rather he don't keep shouting and potentially drawing more attention.
He held his blade up in a stance, looking noticeably timid. "If you won't surrender, I'll be forced to take action!" He declared, raising his sword up as if he were going to attack me.
Well, this is going nowhere. "I'll surrender peacefully. But can you answer one question of mine?"
"What are you –"
"Have you ever been hit in the face with a brick before?"
"What—"
My trusty Brick covered the distance in the blink of an eye, slamming into his face, knocking him down for the count.
He didn't really seem that experienced or powerful, really. Honestly, from what I've seen so far, it seems like the lower end Shinigami are something like canon fodder. Or maybe I'm just overestimating Shinigami in general?
But then again, I met Tessai who gave off a much different feeling. He was actually powerful, I could tell that much. And Yoruichi was able to slip through my perception multiple times, that's not something a mook could do unless I was being very careless.
I needed to find my bearings, just wandering around was going to do me no good with such a massive place.
Let's see if I can't get some information from the next person I run into.
[***]
"There he is!"
I ground my teeth, leaping up to the nearby building and getting out of sight.
These Shinigami, like fucking ants that don't stop crawling out of the woodworks.
They could at least treat a guest more politely.
How many did I have to beat up with my brick so far?
Funnily enough, they're calling me Ichigo at this point.
Heh.
"He's over here –"
I threw my Brick again, smacking another in the face who spotted me before he could alert the others.
Why was I still using this Brick? I honestly couldn't give a valid reason. I think that maybe I was just annoyed enough at this place that I was taking my frustrations out this way.
Why is there poverty in fucking heaven!?
It was a sentence that should never have been even conceived.
My Brick demands answers.
Watching a dozen or so run past and turn the corner, I breathed out a sigh of relief. It's not that I was being pressured, but I didn't want to instigate things any further by causing actual damage. At this point, there's probably only a couple dozen or so Shinigami suffering some headaches that some quick healing will fix.
And asking any of them anything is like pulling damn teeth. They're all so damn stubborn and won't give me any information. Not that I'm going to torture them or anything, but it's like asking them what color the sky is and they'd refuse to answer.
And every Zanpakutō I've run across so far was already 'claimed' and was useless to me.
I was starting to get kind of frustrated.
Was like searching for a needle in a haystack. I suppose I could just cast an illusion over myself, pretend to be one of the Shinigami that I knocked out. Maybe find the nearest headquarters and go from there.
It was a good thought, but it got pushed to the side as I felt a weight descend on me.
A foreign Reiatsu enveloped me, pushing down violently.
It took me by surprise more so than actually made me stutter in my steps. It was definitely a significant weight that descended, enough to make me cautious, but I didn't feel like I was pinned against my will. Someone was watching me, and it felt like they were giving me a warning…?
No, I felt the sensation drag away as if to lead me somewhere…
Well, I can't say I don't enjoy a polite invitation.
Whoever was doing this, it was obvious the path they were telling me to take, I could practically taste the Reiatsu they were throwing out as I came upon a large building with a sign in front that read 'Division Eight Barracks.'
I didn't realize how close I was to something like this, I guess it makes sense considering all the Shinigami I've had on my tail.
I pushed open the large doors at the beckoning of the Reiatsu that was continuously pushing down on me. And as soon as I stepped forward, it dissipated nearly instantaneously.
I was greeted with a strange scene. A man was sitting at a small table on the ground, a bottle of Sake and two cups placed on it.
The man looked up with a hazy expression, clearly having been drinking for a bit now. He wore the standard Shinigami attire, but there was also a white haori, but it was covered by a second haori decorated in pink and with flowers. And there was a sugegasa straw hat atop his head.
"I've had a couple reports about my subordinates being sent to Fourth Division for treatment. Something about head injuries?" He looked at me. "You wouldn't happen to know something about that, would you?"
I looked at him, then down at my brick that still had some blood on it, then back at him. "Nah, It must have been someone else."
[***]
If you want to read 7 chapters ahead or support me, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m. / astoryforone
I looked at this strange man as his face twitched into an amused gin. "Stranger from far away, why don't you come and enjoy a drink with me? I can offer a cup of sake to a guest."
[Looks like someone was found out.]
"I guess trying to convince you that I'm a Shinigami won't work?" I walked over.
"It might, you never know." He shrugged.
"In that case, I'm definitely a Shinigami." I said without a hint of shame.
"Oh, and what division are you from?" He asked, still amused by the conversation.
I pulled open Kimono slightly and looked inside. "It says Eight on it, so I'm assuming the Eighth Division."
He snorted, looking like he wanted to laugh, but kept a straight face. "As the Captain of the Eighth Division, I think I would know who is under me."
"Do you?" I took a shot in the dark.
"He doesn't." A woman stepped out from the side, slamming a door behind her. She wore a wooden badge on her arm that read 'Lieutenant'. She could easily be called a beauty with a very cold and neat appearance. She was rather cute, pushing up her glasses with a stern look.
"Nanao…." He whined in front of her. "Of course I know my subordinates. I memorized all their names."
"Name Five." She said evenly. He opened his mouth but she interjected again. "That Aren't women."
"...." He coughed awkwardly. "Welcome to the Eighth Division, friend." He turned back towards me."
Well, he seemed easy going. I took a seat opposite of him at the little table. "Jokes aside, what gave it away? Was it my dashing good looks?"
"Yes." He replied without a second thought. "The Old Man won't let me only recruit women, so I made sure that all the men under me won't be competition." He nodded sagely.
"…..I respect your wisdom."
"Ohoh, I appreciate the praise." He grinned.
"Be serious!" The woman next to him smacked him on the back of the head. "You both are completely shameless."
"She's cute when she gets mad." I pointed out.
"Haha, she's the jewel of our Eighth Division." He chuckled, not disgruntled at her antics.
"Why did I let you convince me to not report him?" She facepalmed.
"Don't be like that Nanao~" He took a sip of his Sake. "Technically, we haven't been ordered to capture any nefarious Ryoka."
"And I'm a Shinigami." I pointed out.
"Right, he's a Shinigami." The Captain in front of me nodded.
"….do you think that excuse will work with the Captain Commander?"
"….I'll worry about that later." He shivered slightly.
"There were a bunch of Shinigami moving with a purpose earlier. Were they not trying to capture this supposed handsome and charming intruder?" I asked, a little curious as to what was actually going on.
"This always happens when the walls come down." He hummed, taking another sip. "It doesn't happen that often, but we have to treat it as an invasion regardless. Most of the time, it's one or two naughty kids from the Rukongai that get too close to the Seireitei and cause the commotion."
That sounds like a headache…..
Though, it would probably make for good impromptu drills when it does happen.
"However, if we discover an intruder, we're supposed to report it immediately." The woman next to him huffed.
"Well, it's a good thing I'm an official Shinigami, and certainly not someone who snuck in." I helped myself to a cup of Sake he poured.
"Haha, it's a good thing, you're right. Otherwise, I'd have to arrest you." He chuckled. "Thankfully, none of my subordinates were killed or hurt too bad. I don't think I could share a cup of Sake with someone who really harmed them."
Ah, he was being kind because I was soft with them, huh. Despite smacking them around, there wasn't really any overt harm. Especially since they are spiritual beings, a few hits on the noggin aren't going to cause any major damage.
"It seems like this invader isn't the type to just wantonly slaughter, so you won't have to worry about your subordinates around here turning up dead. He won't kill anyone." I casually took a sip.
"Good, good." He smiled gently before turning a little dark. "I would hate to have to hunt down the one responsible."
I raised an eyebrow at his Reiatsu leaking out slightly. "Scary."
"Haha, well, I don't prefer fighting. Why not sit down and discuss our differences over a nice cup of sake?" He laughed happily.
"I can't say I disagree." It was a refreshing mindset to have.
"However, I am a little curious. An idle thought, I hope you don't mind helping me."
"I'll do what I can to help my captain." I responded rather cheekily.
"The thing is, I'm wondering where someone would be able to get ahold of one of my Subordinates' uniforms. And possibly – one of their Zanpakutō."
"Hypothetical speaking, someone might have ran into a couple of thugs shaking down some poor people in the Rukongai."
"I certainly hope they aren't dead. Even if my subordinates need to be justifiably punished, I can't allow someone who murdered them to walk around." His smile disappeared.
"I wouldn't worry about that." I waved off his concern even if I already said I didn't kill anyone. "They should probably be coming back soon, having to explain why they lost their uniforms and swords."
He pulled down his hat a little, his cheery expression shifted again. "I see. In that case, I'm sure I'll seek out a very detailed explanation about what they've been up to."
Hmm, maybe all Shinigami aren't bad after all? I can't say I've interacted with them enough to form an opinion exclusively on one way or another.
"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself! Where are my manners." His cheerful expression returned quickly. "Captain of the eighth Division, Shunsui Kyōraku. And this is my Lieutenant – Nanao Ise." He gestured to the woman standing at his side.
Though, she stayed silent, glaring at him the entire time. I had a feeling she didn't quite approve of how he was apparently handling my 'presence'.
"A pleasure." I would be polite as well. "You can call me Kurosaki Ichigo. I sometimes like to dye my hair orange and I prefer that people know my name means – Strawberry."
[You're a special kind of petty.]
Oh, what's the worst that can happen? I'm just having a little bit of fun. In the worst case, someone gets confused.
[Whatever you say, Watermelon.]
The corners of his lips twitched. "I have a feeling you aren't being truthful."
"I swear on my honor as a Shinigami." I said with complete seriousness.
He threw his head back, letting out a laugh. "You're an interesting kid." He calmed down again, pouring himself another cup. "If you don't mind me asking, how'd a human end up here?"
"What?!" His Lieutenant blurted out, her expression shifted. "How can he be a human?"
"Ara, Nanao, you're good at sensing Reiatsu, don't tell me you didn't notice it either." He said calmly.
"But..."
"Oh, you're pretty good. What gave it away?" Was there a point in keeping this game going?
"It wasn't hard to tell, your Reiatsu isn't concealed very well. I'm sure if any other Captain got close, they'd notice too. Though…..your Reiatsu is really strange, I wasn't sure you were human at first."
"….It shouldn't be possible for a human to come here. Not unless they had outside help." She looked at me strangely.
"There aren't many places I can't go." I smiled towards her. "Don't worry, no one helped me. There isn't some kind of conspiracy going on that you have to worry about."
"Are we just supposed to believe that!?"
"I believe you." The Captain said casually.
Nanao sighed in exasperation.
"Honestly, I just came to take a look around." I revealed.
"Oh, and what do you think?" He asked.
"You want my honest opinion?"
"Honesty is better than false flattery." He nodded.
"This place is a shithole."
"Pfft." He nearly choked on his drink. "Guess I asked for that. You did say you were in the lower districts of the Rukongai."
"The Seiretei is nice, I can admire that it's elegant and refined. There is definitely a regal air to this place. But you literally have to take a step outside to see the huge contrast. I heard this was supposed to be heaven. In which case, I'm severely disappointed, because in Heaven, a good amount of people can't even have shoes."
He scratched his cheek awkwardly.
I don't think he expected me to be so blatant with my grievances about this place.
"Your Sake isn't bad though." I decided to change the subject. From the look he had, he seemed to genuinely feel bad about what I said. I have no idea what kind of responsibilities he has, so I don't know if I can hold that kind of thing over his head. "Not the best I've had, but it has a unique flavor."
"Hah, I don't have any of the good stuff right now. I'll need to wait until we get our annual budget before I can sneak some more." He chuckled.
"What was that?" His lieutenant glared.
"You misheard me." He coughed awkwardly.
"Well, you've been courteous and treated me like a guest despite how I….arrived. I don't mind sharing some of my own with you."
"Oh?" His eyes brightened up.
"Though….can you digest stuff from the living world?" The question popped into my head. A Servant can, they convert everything they digest into Magical Energy. "As a Spiritual being I'm assuming all sustenance is converted into your internal Reiryoku? Does that also apply to stuff from the living world?"
"Don't worry, we can handle living stuff fine."
I shrugged, looking through my ring and deciding on a couple things. "I have a thirty year old Brandy here, how about it?"
His eyes sparkled as I took it out. He didn't even question from where, his eyes focused solely on the bottle in my hand. "A rare surprise." He clapped his hands. "It's hard to get that kind of thing even when I go out to the living world."
"Consider it a token of thanks." I handed it over. Politeness should be returned with politeness. He shared his Sake with me, so it's only right. "And an apology."
"An apology?" He stopped looking at the bottle in his arms.
"I may have lied a little." I gestured, holding two fingers a little apart. "I said I only came here to look around. I may have had another agenda."
He put the bottle down to the side like it was a priceless treasure. "As long as it's not against the law….I don't mind lending a hand to a friend."
"How difficult would it be to get my hands on an Asauchi?" I questioned, cutting straight to the point.
"An Asauchi?" He repeated. "Do you want your own Zanpakutō? Humans can't develop one, you'll just be wasting your time."
"Eh, I just want one to have it." I may have fibbed a little bit more.
He scratched his cheek again. "I actually don't know if it's against the law or not to give one to a human. None have ever come here asking." He paused, looking up to Nanao. "What do you think?"
"I think the Central 46 will get angry if you let it happen." She said evenly.
"Ooh." He smiled meekly. "That wouldn't be good."
"Well, then on a completely unrelated note. Would there happen to be a place where one could acquire an Asuachi?" I shifted my question slightly.
"Do you really think –"
"The Academy." Captain Shunsui immediately replied, cutting off his subordinate. "Did you know that every Shinigami gets their own Asauchi at the Academy? They keep about a Hundred spare ones there between each new shipment from what I know."
His lieutenant face palmed again.
"Uh,huh." I nodded, somewhat knowledgeable about this, if vaguely. "And if someone wanted to find this Academy, say, from the Eighth Division barracks?"
"Then one just needs to head south, it's hard to miss."
"Wonderful." I smiled, sitting up from my spot. I was about to say something, but I caught something out of the corner of my eye.
A strangely colored butterfly flew over, the others noticed it too.
The Lieutenant held her finger out and it landed on her. She looked at it intently, as if she was listening to something.
"Captain." She breathed out, the butterfly flying away. "New orders."
"Oh?"
"We're to capture any Ryoka we find." She looked at me. "It's an order straight from the Central 46."
I blinked at the new development. "What was that?"
"A Hell Butterfly." The Captain responded, pushing himself up to his feet. "It's how we Shinigami send and receive orders from different places. It's hard to send runners when the Seireitei is so big."
"Oh, I suppose you're going to try and apprehend me then?" I crossed my arms.
He smiled awkwardly. "I really don't want to. I prefer to not fight if possible, but a direct order is a direct order, even if I feel like my honor is a little muddled after sharing a drink."
"Can I ask you something?"
"It would be rude of me not to answer at this point." He chuckled sadly.
"Why didn't you just do this from the beginning? I'm all for the peaceful method, but I did beat up some of your division."
"Allegedly." He pointed out.
"Allegedly." I chuckled.
I couldn't help but like this guy, his personality is very easy to get along with.
He let out a sigh. "They've been getting fat and lazy recently. I'd rather they learn a lesson now when their lives aren't threatened than step in every time." He replied. "As for moving myself, I considered it. But I don't think a bad person would willingly come share a drink with me, so I was fine leaving things as they were. I'll try to put in a good word for you. I think worst case, you'll just get kicked out of Soul Society if I can convince the Old Man."
"That's kind of you, but I don't think I'll be getting caught just yet." I glanced at his Lieutenant.
"Nanao, would you please stand back."
I gave him a thankful nod as she retreated a fair distance away.
I held my hand out, letting Mirage appear between my fingers.
"Is that your sword?" His eyes narrowed.
"Mirage." I said rather proudly. I always did like showing off my treasures. I gave it a little swing for him to see, the shimmering and colorful air that pulsed around it.
"Hoh." He tilted his hat down. "I'll reply then." He grabbed the two swords at his waist. "These are my Zanpakutō."
"I didn't know that you could have two." I looked at him with interest.
"It's rare." He grinned. "I'm only one of two."
I gripped Mirage but… "My heart really isn't in this fight." I admitted feeling a little twinge of heistance. I'm all for a good fight, sparring and such. But this was him being forced under order from above and it felt bad. "How about we play a little game instead. A wager?"
"A wager?" He perked up.
"If I lose, I'll surrender quietly. If you lose, you let me go?"
He took a moment to mull it over. "I can give you a head start."
"That works too."
"What do you have in mind, I can't guarantee I'll agree."
"I bet I can make you drop your swords with three words."
He looked at me with amusement again. "Sounds fun. Alright, I'll give you a shot."
[You're a sly bastard.]
I couldn't help but grin. "You ready?"
"I'm curious what you're going to say that'll make me drop my swords." He chuckled.
"Zun Haal Viik!" As soon as the words left my mouth, the world shifted. Even in this realm, the Divine Words echoed out, reverberating through the air.
His eyes widened as the weapons in his hands were already flinging through the air. His swords were no longer grasped, because the laws of the world decided so.
"….well played." He acknowledged, letting out a breath. "Go ahead, I'll pretend that I didn't see you yet."
"Weird, you sound sort of happy when you said that." I looked at him.
He chuckled again. "I'm not a stickler for the rules like some of the others." He walked over, picking up his swords. "Be careful, most other Captains won't play around like I did. And one or two…well, you'll find out that there are in fact fates worse than Death."
"Already figured that you after seening the Rukongai." I deadpanned.
He let out a snort of laughter even if it was sort of self deprecating.
I gave him a nod of thanks before heading out.
He was already being very kind to ignore a supposed order and let me walk away. I didn't want to hang around and push my luck any further.
But now, I have a direction to go for my goal.
I can practically taste my new Zanpakutō.
[***]
Shunsui Kyōraku POV
"Was that a wise decision?" Nanao looked at me.
"I'll probably get an earful from the Old Man later." I walked over, picking up the bottle of brandy.
Haven't had some of this stuff from the living world in years, what a good opportunity this turned out to be. I pulled off the cork to give it a whiff. "Oh, that's high quality."
"Is this really the time to worry about drinking again!?"
"Eh? It's never a bad time for a drink." I shot her a grin.
"Why'd you let him go? You could have easily subdued him." She growled.
"Do you think so?" I asked her.
"What do you mean by that?"
"I won't deny that I wasn't ready to give it my all. But….don't you think there was anything strange about him?"
"….there was something oddly familiar I felt, but….."
"Did you sense his Reiatsu shift when he did whatever he did at the end?" I asked her again, pouring out some of the brandy into one of my cups.
"….no."
"Right, it didn't involve Reiatsu at all. And before you ask, I didn't let him win. You know how competitive I am when it comes to games like that." I took a sip, savoring the flavor as it went down my throat. "That kid has some tricks and was confident enough to walk right into our home. Could have just been arrogance, could have not been. He didn't have any bad intentions, so I didn't wanna make an enemy if I didn't need to."
"How many of our people were sent to the fourth division for treatment?" She countered.
"If they can't handle a kid swinging around a brick then how are they supposed to handle a Hollow?" I looked up at her. "I wasn't kidding y'know. I'd rather they learn a lesson now rather than later." That, and he didn't beat up any of our precious flowers, otherwise I'd have taught him a lesson.
"….how do you know he doesn't have any bad intentions? There were a lot of red flags around him."
"I think I'm pretty good at reading people." I poured myself another cup. "….and I felt kind of bad about what he said. Maybe I was just trying to change his opinion of us."
A human visitor from the living world calling 'heaven', as he put it, a shithole. It was hard not to take that personally and feel some kind of responsibility.
"I'll look into anyone who's causing problems in the Rukongai." She pushed up her glasses, face darkening.
"Scary Nanao is scary." I chuckled. "Feel free to go after them as hard as you want, you have my support."
"How long are you going to let him run wild?"
"Run wild?" I rubbed my chin. "It might be fun to watch everyone scramble after him. I don't think any of the other Captains will make a move until he really lights a fire under us. Though….I may step in if Mayuri gets…..interested."
He seemed like a good kid, and I wouldn't wish the treatment of the R&D division on anyone.
"I'll tell Ukitake to watch out for him too."
"You can be surprisingly soft hearted some times." She shook her head. "You're right…there was something strange about him."
"Eh, let someone else handle him. We can watch from the side lines and step in when he gets caught. I don't think the higher-ups will be too hard on him, he's just a kid – a living one at that. With the amount of Reiatsu he has, he'll end up as one of us eventually, we can just keep an eye on him and wait until then. I don't think they'd wanna lose out on a potential Captain for the future."
"Potential Captain?"
"He didn't release his Reiatsu, but he wasn't very good at hiding it. That much for a human? Even if there were some strange things about it, that's going to only get stronger when he dies. That should be enough to convince the Old Man to be lenient. And it doesn't hurt to have some outside contact for different things."
"….you thought this through, that's even more surprising."
"Sure, I completely thought it through and didn't just make that all up on the spot."
"….I take back what I said, you're shameless. No wonder you got along so well with him, he's just as shameless as you are."
"Thanks for the compliment." I chuckled.
"I'll be watching our budget when we get our annual funds." She huffed. "Don't think you can sneak some away this time."
"Whatever you say, Nanao-chan~"
Heh, she doesn't know that I already got the annual budget and took some funds out.
Though, I'm curious what that kid wants an Asauchi for? I wonder if those old guys will have a heart attack if he somehow manages to turn it into a Zanpakutō.
I can only hope.
[***]
If you want to read 7 chapters ahead or support me, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m / astoryforone
Paragraph comment
Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.
Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.
GOT IT