Chapter 30: A Soul Reaper from the Second Division (Part Two)

Chapter 30: The Soul Reaper from the Second Division (Part II)

"My, Vice-Captain Kuchiki, your vigilance is truly impressive!" Following a languid voice, a man emerged wearing the standard black shihakusho with a zanpakuto at his waist and a conical hat atop his head. He chuckled at the two of them and said, "My name is Keijiro Saito... I’m actually quite well-known within the Seireitei. Surely you recognize me?"

Faced with this somewhat clownish Soul Reaper, Rukia rolled her eyes and replied, "Never heard of you."

"Is that so... oh well..." Seeming suddenly dejected, Keijiro Saito crouched on the ground and let out a dramatic sigh.

"The Stealth Force, I presume?" Shuster spoke up from the side, identifying the newcomer’s affiliation.

Keijiro Saito looked up, tipping his hat to get a better look at Shuster. "Correct! I had some doubts earlier, but now I am certain."

Standing up, Keijiro Saito bowed to Shuster. "Former Vice-Captain of the Sixth Division of the Gotei 13, Lord Shuster Kuchiki... But tell me... who is this lady by your side?"

*Boom.*

As soon as Keijiro finished speaking, Rukia swallowed a Soul Candy, manifesting her physical spirit form. She drew her zanpakuto and pointed it at Keijiro, though her heart was filled with worry—her brother had been recognized!

...

On a nearby hillside, Ichigo exhaled and sheathed his sword. He suddenly sensed the spiritual pressure Rukia had been emitting—a sensation he had learned to perceive over the past few days. Stunned, he grew worried for their safety and sprinted toward them.

...

"Hahaha, hey, hey, isn't that a bit too extreme, Rukia-chan?"

In the forest, faced with Rukia’s sudden aggression, Keijiro Saito hopped back a few paces. Though his tone remained lazy, his body stayed poised in a combat stance ready for any sudden movement.

"You!"

"Rukia..." Shuster held her back and asked, "Do you know who I am?"

"Of course I do. But I am quite interested in meeting this lady who looks exactly like you." As Keijiro moved to approach Lolita, Rukia stepped in front of her, while Shuster watched him with a blank expression. Keijiro shrugged and said, "Alright, alright. The truth is, our Captain ordered us to keep an eye out for Vice-Captain Kuchiki while patrolling Hueco Mundo. If we ever found traces of him, we were to report it immediately..."

"Your Captain... Soi Fon, is it?" Hearing that Soi Fon had been ordering her subordinates to search for him in Hueco Mundo all these years, Shuster felt a flicker of emotion.

"Indeed. Our Captain is quite concerned about you, Vice-Captain. It’s just..." Keijiro lowered his hat, gesturing toward Shuster’s casual attire—or rather, his gigai—and said meaningfully, "If you are unharmed, Lord Kuchiki, why haven't you returned to Soul Society? And why are you dressed like this?"

Watching Lolita’s silence, Rukia frowned. Keijiro chuckled, "Never mind. Vice-Captain Kuchiki is a youthful, handsome man, and he makes a fine pair with this young lady beside him. Heh heh..."

"You bastard! Nothing good ever comes out of your mouth!" Unable to tolerate the lewd slander against her brother and sister, Rukia drew her blade and charged. Lolita, standing nearby, blushed slightly and stole a glance at Shuster, but seeing his expression remained unchanged, she felt a pang of disappointment.

"Whoa, that’s dangerous!" Leaping back to dodge Rukia’s strike, Keijiro said, "Vice-Captain Kuchiki—no, I should say *former* Vice-Captain Kuchiki—aren’t you going to rein in your sister?"

"Rukia!" Shuster stopped her attack, his eyes narrowing. "'Former Vice-Captain'... what do you mean by that?"

"Eh? You don't know?" Keijiro looked with feigned surprise at Rukia, who stood hesitating. He realized, "Years ago, your position as Vice-Captain and your noble status were revoked. Everyone assumed you were dead. Dead men don't need titles, right?"

"..." *Aizen again, is it?*

Seeing the continued calm on Shuster’s face, Keijiro shrugged boredly. "Of course, if you were to return now and announce that you are still alive, those things would be yours again... it's just that..."

*Clang!*

Before he could finish, a flash of steel cut through the air. Keijiro appeared directly in front of Shuster, his zanpakuto aimed at Shuster’s throat. Lolita nearly unleashed Pandora to blast him to ashes, but Shuster stopped her with a Soul Chain.

"Brother!" Faced with the sudden attack from a veteran of the Stealth Force, Rukia was too slow to react. The blade was already inches from Shuster’s throat.

"Just as I thought, your body..." With the tip of his blade hovering mere millimeters from Shuster’s neck, Keijiro began to say something, but suddenly sensed a gust of wind from the side. He hurriedly pulled his blade back to block.

*Clang!*

A crisp sound echoed as a massive zanpakuto and a figure with spiked orange hair appeared before Keijiro. He felt a jolt of surprise—this boy's spiritual pressure was extraordinary.

Swiping Keijiro away, Ichigo stood before Shuster, Lolita, and Rukia. "Shuster! Lolita! Rukia! Are you okay?"

"Ichigo..." Seeing him, Rukia sighed with relief, though she kept her blade aimed at Keijiro, her eyes filled with fury.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Facing the two, Keijiro showed no alarm. He looked at Shuster and said, "Who would have thought? A member of the noble Kuchiki clan committing such crimes... If you go back like this, and the Seireitei finds out, it’s not just about losing everything you once had—it’s questionable whether you’d even keep your life."

"..."

"..."

"..."

In response to their silence and Rukia's tension, Ichigo asked suspiciously, "Crimes? What is this guy talking about? Who exactly is he?"

"Oh? You didn't tell this boy the consequences of what you've done?" Keijiro glanced at Ichigo and smiled. "I see. You really are kind to him... heh heh."

Seeing Keijiro’s cryptic smile, Ichigo snapped, "What the hell are you babbling about?"

Keijiro chuckled, "Babbling? Tell me, kid... where did you get your Soul Reaper powers?"

"Ichigo! Don't answer!"

"Lolita gave them to me!"

"I gave them to him!"

"..."

Keijiro was completely confused by the conflicting answers, though he assumed Lolita was the girl who looked like Shuster. But why would Shuster claim he was the one who gave them?

"Lolita is my zanpakuto’s blade spirit..."

"...I see! Tell me, do you know?" Keijiro laughed again. "If a Soul Reaper gives their power to a human, the penalty is death..."

"Way of Destruction No. 4: White Lightning!"

*Whoosh!* A bolt of white lightning streaked past Keijiro’s ear, cutting his words short. He narrowed his eyes at Lolita, who still held her hand in the casting position. "It seems your spiritual pressure hasn't recovered yet, Vice-Captain Kuchiki... a kido of this level..." Since the blade spirit and the Soul Reaper shared the same spiritual pressure, Lolita’s strength was a direct reflection of Shuster’s.

Cutting him off, Lolita said coldly, "I will handle my own affairs; I don't need your input. Unless you have orders from Soul Society to apprehend us, disappear from our sight!"

"Hai, hai! Then I shall take my leave, Vice-Captain Kuchiki and his beautiful blade spirit... I suspect we shall meet again soon." Tipping his hat, Keijiro vanished using Shunpo.

"What the hell was going on with that guy..." Ichigo sheathed his sword, feeling an inexplicable sense of unease. He asked, "Lolita! What was he talking about regarding crimes, and losing your life if you return to Soul Society? What does that mean?"

"It has nothing to do with you..." Lolita replied coldly, turning away.

"Rukia, you and Ichigo head back. I’m going to walk with Lolita a bit longer," Shuster said, taking Lolita’s hand and walking away.

"What is going on?" Ichigo looked curiously at Rukia, who had put her gigai back on, and the departing siblings.

"...Do you really want to know?" Rukia asked, looking at Ichigo.

"Don't be stupid! We're friends! Friends who have been through life and death together! Tell me, why would they lose their lives if they return to Soul Society?" Ichigo demanded.

"Because... forget it. My sister doesn't want you to know. It’s better if you don't; it won't do you any good." Rukia had wanted to answer, but remembering Lolita’s warning gaze, she kept silent.

"Lolita..." Watching Rukia walk away, Ichigo’s sense of unease only grew.

...

"How much confidence do you have in dealing with Aizen?" Shuster asked Lolita.

"Once I reach my full transformation, it should be enough. As long as those people in Soul Society can contain the Espada, I’d say we have a ninety percent chance of success." Lolita replied after a moment of thought.

"The Espada... I took out the Tenth Espada. I suspect Nel will take that spot. If it’s her, the casualties in Soul Society will be significantly reduced." Shuster looked up at the sky.

"..."

"..."

Unable to bear the oppressive silence, Lolita asked, "Is it really okay not to tell Ichigo?"

"Rest assured, we can defeat Aizen without him this time. He doesn't need to know so much," Shuster answered.

"I hope you're right!"

*(Author's Note: The Hollow that killed Ichigo's mother is gone; let's just say it was absorbed by Shuster in Soul Society. I really want to wrap up the Bleach arc quickly—I’m dying to start writing the Fate arc...)*