Harry watched as Squad 12's Shinigami officers placed restraints made of Sekkiseki stone to secure the Bount he had captured. Whether the Bount would cooperate with the interrogators remained to be seen. If not, he suspected Captain Kurotsuchi would likely employ some form of invasive techniques to extract valuable information regarding the rest of the Bounts.
"Good work, Harry-san." Captain Ukitake said, stepping behind him with Captain Kyoraku in tow.
"With this one captured, we might finally get some intel on what the enemy is planning." Captain Kyoraku said with a grin, tipping his straw hat in Harry's direction.
"True, but we can't slack off."
A familiar gruff voice came, making all three turn towards the Captain Commander.
"Head Captain."
Harry and the two captains dipped their heads respectfully.
"The Bounts have breached our protections and destroyed the Senzaikyu prison." The Head Captain said with a displeased frown. "This means they have ways to enter our city without triggering the safety measures. We must be on guard."
"Who could have done this? Entering Senzaikyu and placing a bomb to destroy it from the inside…?" Captain Ukitake said, saying aloud the question that was bothering them all.
"We must have a ryoka posing as one of our own." Captain Hitsugaya said with a cold look at the destroyed structure.
It was a sound theory considering the number of traitors who defected in the last month alone. Three captains defecting from the Gotei 13 made everyone sit on edge and suspicious.
"This is a declaration of war by the enemy. We must not allow this ryoka to run amok within our city." The Head Captain said firmly.
'Yeah, right. A bunch of children manage to stroll in and fuck up the entire Gotei 13. I wouldn't be so confident in the security measures taken by Squad 2.' Harry mused with some mirth.
"Yes, Head Captain." Ukitake nodded, his eyes reflecting the seriousness of the situation. "Captain So Fon has already spread out the Omnitsukido forces within the city."
"Sasakibe." The Head Captain set his sights on Squad 1's lieutenant.
"Yes, sir."
"Relay orders to the task force to increase their patrols within the city." The head Captain ordered gruffly before walking away.
Harry watched Captain Hitsugaya and Rangiku disappear from the area using shunpo. They were back in the hunt while Harry went straight to find what happened to Rukia.
He learned from his contacts in the Fourth Division that Rukia was not in their barracks. Instead, she was taken to the Kuchiki clan compound, where her treatment was administered. Though he learned his subordinate was doing fine, he still chose to visit the woman in person before he went back to tracking the Bounts in Rukongai.
When he arrived at the Kuchiki compound, he was granted access upon request and was led to the healing room. There, he met Captain Kuchiki, who was watching Rukia being healed by some of the Squad 4 Shinigami.
"Captain Kuchiki."
"Lieutenant Harry." Byakuya acknowledged without taking his eyes off his sister.
"How's she doing?"
"Stable." Byakuya answered succinctly.
"She was ordered to investigate and report only." Harry said.
Byakuya didn't say anything and merely walked away. Harry cast one look at Rukia and decided not to disturb her while getting healed.
"Will you be assigning her more duties?" Byakuya asked while they walked.
"As soon as she is healed, I intend to give her patrol duty within Seireitei." Harry answered.
"Good." Byakuya nodded sharply. "I request Rukia not be assigned to any missions in Rukongai until the Bounts are defeated."
"She will be stationed inside the walls of Seireitei, Captain Kuchiki." Harry promised.
He was starting to see the caring brother hiding inside the different layers of formality, duty and tradition. At least, Harry thought so, but he could be wrong.
As they walked in a comfortable silence through the Kuchiki clan compound, a familiar face came out of a room. The orange hair and perpetual frown on the boy's face remained the same in Harry's eyes.
"Ichigo Kurosaki." Harry muttered with a frown.
He had many choice things to say to the human boy turned substitute Shinigami. But he was beaten to the punch when Ichigo spoke.
"Hey, Byakuya! How is Rukia doing?" Ichigo brazenly asked without any notion of formality.
Captain Kuchiki didn't deign to respond to such an informal query.
A tick mark formed over Ichigo's eyebrow.
"Hey, I'm talking to you. How's Rukia doing?" Ichigo asked with visible frustration at being ignored.
"Her life is not in danger." Byakuya answered succinctly with a placid look. "She'll remain here until she has recovered."
Harry took note of a talking plush doll of all things. He remembered seeing one such oddity hanging around Rukia when she was fighting the Bount. He tuned in his senses and felt a strange spiritual energy coming from the talking doll.
'A mod soul?' Harry thought in surprise.
He had only read about such things in passing from some of the classified documents he was privy to.
'To think Kisuke Urahara managed to create mod souls even after his exile with limited resources. What a resourceful man.' Harry mused.
His eyes fell on the girl Inoue Orihime standing behind Ichigo. He observed that her spiritual pressure was not substantial, but for a human, it was impressive. He had also witnessed her unusual abilities in the aftermath of Aizen's betrayal, which enabled her to heal others.
'I really need to study what these powers are and how they developed in ordinary humans.' Harry made a mental note.
Harry was suddenly brought back out of his musings when he overheard Ichigo Kurosaki requesting the help of Captain Kuchiki to fight the Bounts.
Harry just stared at the teenager like the boy had just grown another head from his shoulders. The sheer audacity to imply that the Gotei 13 was not doing their job and this teen was supposedly the one to lead the attack against the Bounts was insulting. He was not the only one to think that, having heard the reply from Captain Kuchiki, and he was not surprised.
"I refuse." Byakuya said coldly.
"What? Why?" the mod soul asked.
"You're not bothered that the Bounts are stirring up trouble?" Ichigo asked with a glare.
"I'm bothered why you're getting involved in matters that have nothing to do with yourself, kid." Harry said, refusing to entertain this sort of higher-than-thou behaviour any longer.
"What?" Ichigo looked startled to see him.
"Why are you here in Soul Society?" Harry asked rather straightforwardly since no one else was taking these idiotic teenagers to task.
"What do you mean, why?" Ichigo thundered.
"You are the substitute Shinigami assigned to Karakura Town. You have abandoned your post, leaving the town vulnerable to hollow attacks, and most importantly, you're trespassing into Soul Society illegally." Harry stated coldly, not at all moved by the huffing teenager before him.
"The Bounts…" Ichigo started to say.
"…are not your problem the moment they crossed into Soul Society from the World of the Living." Captain Kuchiki said with a cold stare. "Leave. Return to the World of the Living."
"Oh, I see." Ichigo said with a knowing smirk. "Yesterday's enemy is still today's enemy."
Captain Kuchiki just stared in silence without even a microscopic shift in his composure. Harry, on the other hand, was staring comically at the idiotic kid before him, wondering whether there were some functioning brain cells within the kid's head.
"Orihime, let's go." Ichigo said before walking away.
"Please take good care of Rukia-san." Orihime said chirpily before running after her friend.
"But…" Harry started to say, but Captain Kuchiki raised a hand, giving him pause.
"Don't bother. You'll be wasting your time." said Captain Kuchiki.
Though Harry disagreed, he obeyed, considering it was a verbal command of the Squad 6 Captain.
His eyes fell on Ichigo Kurosaki one last time.
'Kid, you claim to use the power of a shinigami to protect others. In truth, you're just a battle-craving lunatic like Zaraki without the maddening personality. Stop conning yourself before it's too late.' Harry thought.
******
Harry looked down at the five teams composed of his subordinates from the balcony of the squad compound.
"Your mission is strictly reconnaissance in Rukongai." Harry said sternly, exerting a sliver of his spiritual pressure on his subordinates to make sure they understood the seriousness. "You'll not play hero and seek out battle. If you find any suspicious activity, you inform the Task Force and relay the information to Seireitei."
"Yes, sir."
They said in sync, shaking under his spiritual pressure.
"And one more thing." Harry said with a frown. "If you come across the humans who invaded us last time, do not make contact with them. Do not engage with them. Do not listen to them. Consider them for all purposes not in existence."
"But…"
"My orders are clear. Reconnaissance is your sole duty. Do not engage the enemy or the humans. Now, go!"
The teams hastily made their exit, moving towards the gates of the city.
A door slid open behind him, and Harry saw Captain Ukitake behind the door.
"Did something happen between you and the humans?" Captain Ukitake asked curiously.
His surprise must've been easily discernible on his face because Captain Ukitake smiled.
"I know you wouldn't have ordered your subordinates to keep their distance from the humans without cause." Captain Ukitake explained.
Harry sighed and thought about what he should say.
"I don't think these human children getting involved in our business is leading to anything good for themselves. I don't want my subordinates to suffer because those children prefer to play heroes in a time of war." Harry grumbled.
"Hmm." Captain Ukitake nodded. "That is not entirely the truth, is it?"
Harry squirmed under the stare of his captain.
"I think Ichigo Kurosaki is a battle maniac like Captain Zaraki." Harry blurted out.
"What?" Captain Ukitake was taken aback.
"I think the kid just loves battles and makes up excuses to get involved in one when the chance arises." Harry said more confidently. "And most importantly, he drags the other kids along into what is most likely their deaths."
"Truly?" Captain Ukitake asked, taken aback by his opinion.
Harry took a deep breath to calm himself as the situation reminded him eerily of his own in the past. Seeing the human kids brazenly throwing themselves into danger brought forth certain unpleasant memories he thought he had long buried to the forefront of his mind. It was not just the Boubts the kids were poking at. The Seireitei was also a dangerous beast, and these kids were utterly ignorant of it.
He suspected Uahara Kisuke and his band of exiles had never properly educated these kids about the dangers of crossing the Gotei 13. For now, he suspected the Head Captain's leniency came from the fact that Aizen's Zanpakuto had yet to affect Ichigo Kurosaki.
However, even that reason may not be enough for some to take action against the human kids. After all, the Gotei 13 was not solely run by the Head Captain. There were other interest groups that would take action even if the Head Captain turned a blind eye—namely, the noble clans or even the Central 46.
Though Aizen had massacred the Central 46, the institution would reform in time. And they were less hesitant to deal with humans who had too much power in their hands. The long history of Seireitei was drenched in the blood of groups with powers posing a challenge to the supremacy of soul reapers. A pair of teenage humans was not going to garner much sympathy from Seireitei, where the higher-ups were laser-focused on culling any threats to the balance of the spirit worlds.
"I'm sure you got a wrong read on Kurosaki-san's character." Captain Ukitake waved away his concerns with the ease of dismissing a kindergarten rumour. "I got the feeling that everything will work out splendidly."
With that optimistic air, Captain Ukitake retreated into his office, leaving Harry alone to stew in his thoughts.
"I hope you're right, Captain." Harry muttered under his breath before retiring into his office.
As the sun set and night fell on the Soul Society, Rukongai transformed into a battlefield. Reports of multiple battles and chasing Bounts started to filter in from the task force. There were reports of Captain Kuchiki's and Ichigo Kurosaki's spiritual pressure engaging in combat in the faraway districts of Rukongai. Since the spirit energy of the Bounts could not be detected, the task force could only track the Bounts using the fluctuations in Shinigami spiritual pressure while engaging in combat.
Harry was ordered to stay back in the city by his captain because a lot of captains and lieutenants were already hunting for the Bounts in Rukongai. It was a bad idea to leave the Seireitei undefended. So, Harry obliged despite the itch to hunt down the Bounts attacking his home.
He stayed awake the whole night as reports of more clashing spiritual pressures reached him. At the same time, Captain Ukitake's condition started acting up, forcing Harry to pick up the slack. By the time the sun rose, orders came from the Head Captain about an emergency Captain's meeting.
"Apologies, Lieutenant Sasakibe. Captain Ukitake has fallen ill and cannot attend the emergency meeting." Harry informed the hell butterfly before sending it on its way to the First Division.
He informed the captain about the summons but assured him he'd seek a detailed report from Lieutenant Sasakibe on any important matters discussed. After that, he went on to oversee the dispatch of new shifts in patrol duties within the city and Rukongai.
Just as he was receiving verbal reports from some of the patrol teams sent out yesterday, the entire Seireitei became immersed in intruder alarms.
"What! The ryoka managed to breach the gates!" Harry said in alarm.
Somehow, the Bounts managed to breach the Sekkiseki stone gates. There was only one way the Sekkiseki stone gates could be breached, and that was through sheer physical force without using spirit energy. This was why the gatekeepers were trained to rely on their physical strength rather than their spiritual energy.
So, for the Bounts to have breached the gates meant they had someone with enough physical force, or they were let inside by the gatekeeper.
'Considering what happened the last time, I'm not so confident of Jidanbo.' Harry thought with a scowl.
Though the human children were unable to cross through the wall, Jidanbo still raised the wall and tried to let them in. That alone made Harry doubt that the oversized gatekeeper was
Harry immediately gathered an emergency team and had them spread out close to the Sekkiseki wall protecting the city with orders never to engage the Bounts in battle. He sent them off with the instruction to use a kido on the sky if they encounter a Bount.
With the trap set, Harry waited patiently on the rooftop of his office with his focus on the spiritual pressure of his subordinates. As an hour ticked by, there was no change in the situation, and Harry grew somewhat bored.
However, Harry became alert when a familiar spiritual pressure entered his sensory field. He didn't have to wait long for Lieutenant Nanao to join him on the rooftop.
"Nanao-san." Harry acknowledged with a nod.
"Captain Kurotsuchi presented the reports after interrogating the captured Bount. Captain Kyoraku asked me to deliver a copy to Captain Ukitake." said Nanao, holding out a file.
"Thank you, Nanao-san." Harry said, immediately taking the file. "So, the Bount
"Not exactly. Captain Kurotsuchi said the prisoner was unaware of their leader's plan."
"That's a shame." Harry said with a frown.
"But Captain Kurotsuchi managed to cobble together valuable information on the enemy and their individual powers. They're explained in the file." said Nanao.
Harry immediately opened the file and sifted through several pages inside. Inside were detailed character assessments and powers listed under the names of nine Bounts. But four Bounts, Ho, Ben, Yoshino Soma and Ryo Utagawa, were listed as deceased, while Yoshi was listed as captured. In addition to the Bounts, there was a former Squad 11 shinigami listed in the file as an enemy combatant, Maki Ichinose.
"A rogue Shinigami working with the Bounts against Seireitei?" Harry breathed in sharply with some surprise.
"Yes. Captain Kurotsuchi believes Maki Ichinose was the one to plant the bomb in Senzaikyu prison."
"I see." Harry nodded in understanding.
It made sense that Ichinose, who was familiar with the inner workings of Gotei 13, could sneak in with his abilities. He also suspected the Bounts somehow helped Ichinose to cover his tracks with their special abilities.
"Thank you, Nanao-san. I'll study the report closely and make arrangements in the Captain's absence." Harry promised.
"Take care, Harry-san. Don't hesitate to ask for help." Nanao said with a polite smile before vanishing using a burst of flash step.
As he read through the abilities granted to the Bounts because of their Dolls, he found one that fit the profile to sneak in anywhere without detection. The Bount named Sawatari manifested a Doll named Baura with space-time abilities.
The more he read about the Bount, the more he was sure this was one of the most dangerous Bounts attacking Seireitei. There was also the fact that the leader of the Bounts, Jin Kariya, was listed with no further information about his Doll or powers. There was only the physical appearance available in the file under the Bount leader's name.
The other Bounts were no pushovers as well. But only four Bounts remained, and Harry was confident Gotei 13 could deal with them swiftly enough now that they knew the enemy's strengths and weaknesses.
'So, what do you think, Amaterasu? Shall we go after this one and see the space-time powers for ourselves?" Harry asked his companion.
"Undoubtedly, it's going to be a waste of our time. This Sawatari fellow and his powers sound boring and weak." Amaterasu said with a snort from his inner world.
'Maybe the intel is incomplete, and this old Bount might surprise us.' Harry said with a thoughtful frown.
"I doubt it." Amaterasu claimed haughtily. "But I'm all for teaching this moron the true power of a space-time Zanpakuto."
Harry chuckled, hearing his Zanpakuto's response. He knew Amaterasu's interest was piqued with the revelation of an enemy wielding space-time power. She disliked anyone challenging her domain and sought to meet the challenge head-on; otherwise, her pride as the strongest space-time Zanpakuto would be hurt.
"Hmm, it'll be fun to challenge another individual with space-time power." Harry said before his face morphed into a wicked smile. "Maybe it'll be a power worth devouring."
AN:
To read ahead of the update schedule; pat(r) eon. C (O) M/Dragonspectre.
For artwork related to the fic:
https://discord.gg/Nw2JH25fJf