"Soi Fon, there's an important matter I need you for."
In the Stealth Force training grounds, Soi Fon was practicing Ikotsu by throwing punches at a massive boulder when Yoruichi's voice suddenly sounded by her ear. She froze briefly in surprise, and before she could react, she was whisked away.
"Lady Yoruichi?!"
Carried under Yoruichi's arm, Soi Fon cried out in astonishment. Seeing the serious expression on Yoruichi's face made her tense up as well.
Something that made Lady Yoruichi act so solemnly... could it be an invasion from Hueco Mundo? Or had a noble family launched a rebellion?
Her mind racing with wild thoughts, Soi Fon was carried by Yoruichi into a room. Before she could even ask what was happening, she saw Kensei Kenzuru lying on a stretcher, his entire body wrapped in bandages.
"Lord Kensei?!" Soi Fon rushed to Kensei's side, kneeling down to carefully examine his injuries. "What happened? Did you fight another captain-level enemy?"
Kensei and Yoruichi looked at the nearly tearful Soi Fon, feeling a bit guilty.
Ahem. "Soi Fon, don't worry. Kensei isn't actually hurt."
Hearing Yoruichi's words, Soi Fon—who had been trying to use Kaidō to heal Kensei only to realize she didn't know how—looked at the two of them in confusion.
If he wasn't hurt, why waste so many bandages? For fun?
"Just do as we say. This is a major issue concerning the safety of me and Yoruichi!"
"Yes!"
Though she didn't know exactly what Kensei and Yoruichi were planning, since her two most respected superiors had spoken, Soi Fon immediately stood up and saluted, indicating her full cooperation.
If it would satisfy her two superiors, she'd be happy to soak in the hot springs with them every day!
After listening to Yoruichi and Kensei's plan, Soi Fon's previously confident demeanor wilted. Why did she get the feeling her two superiors were... not entirely reliable?
In the First Division Captain's office, Yamamoto held his brush poised over the paper, its tip tracing elegant characters.
Yamamoto had been in a good mood lately—the Rukongai rebels were almost completely suppressed, the ever-scheming Tsunayashiro Clan had quieted down, and even that mouthily-filial-yet-daily-"Old-Man-Yama"-shouting disciple of his hadn't disturbed him.
A rare period of peace...
The brush in Yamamoto's hand flowed, the final stroke of the character for "Tranquility" nearly complete...
"Waaah! Old Man Yama, you have to see justice done for me!"
The familiar, raucous shouting echoed through the First Division barracks once more. Startled, Yamamoto's hand jerked. The final upward flick of the "Tranquility" character flew off wildly, leaving a savage diagonal slash across the paper.
Yoruichi and Soi Fon carried in the heart-wrenchingly wailing Kensei. They had pre-applied fake blood to the bandages, and Kensei, with eye drops squeezed into his eyes, shed two streams of hot tears—a truly pitiful sight.
"You brat! What is all this racket?!"
Finally enjoying a few quiet days, only to have them ruined again by this wretched disciple. Yamamoto dearly wished to smack Kensei's mouth shut with his staff, granting himself eternal peace.
"Speak. What happened?"
"Captain-Commander," Yoruichi began, reciting the lines Kensei had written with dramatic flair, "recently, I noticed Meizen acting suspiciously. Yesterday, Kensei and I went to investigate and discovered that Meizen was secretly kidnapping Soul Reapers, using his Zanpakutō's ability to absorb their spiritual pressure and take their lives!"
"Seeing Meizen's crimes filled us with righteous fury! Under your wise leadership, Captain-Commander, the Soul Society has always upheld strict laws and impartial justice. How could we tolerate the appearance of such scum?!"
Soi Fon clenched her fists beside her—mainly to hold in her laughter.
"We battled Meizen for three hundred rounds! Unfortunately, Meizen had a hidden trump card. In a moment of carelessness, Kensei was seriously wounded, and Meizen escaped to parts unknown."
"Ahem—" Kensei coughed weakly, putting on a righteous and heroic front. "Teacher, I don't fear injury! I only fear that beast Meizen will continue to wreak havoc in the Soul Society! By striking me, he struck at your venerable face!"
Yamamoto silently observed the righteous-looking Kensei, his gaze sweeping over the bandages and the overly vibrant "blood," then shifting to the indignant Yoruichi.
"You brat! Do you take me for a fool?!"
Yamamoto roared, swinging his wooden staff directly at Kensei. He was determined to teach this disgraceful disciple a lesson today. To think he'd dare deceive an old man now. And if he was going to lie, to do it with something so transparently fake—did he really think he was senile?
Kensei had hoped his pitiful state and convincing performance would melt Old Man Yama's stony heart. He never imagined the old man could be so vicious as to attack an injured man.
"Holy shit! Old Man Yama, you're serious?! The Captain-Commander is murdering someone!"
Scrambling off the stretcher to dodge Yamamoto's attack, Kensei wished he had two extra legs to outrun the old man.
Unfortunately, lacking extra legs, Kensei was eventually caught by Old Man Yama.
"Confess honestly, or I'll get serious for real!"
Rubbing the sore spot on his head where Yamamoto had smacked him, Kensei and the other two knelt properly on the floor and confessed everything truthfully. However, they omitted any mention of Aizen, only saying that Meizen's Bankai seemed to have gone out of control from absorbing too much spiritual pressure, and that he had been unable to stop him from escaping elsewhere.
"You know, Old Man Yama, you're not doing a great job as Captain-Commander. Three captains have gone rogue in just a few days."
Seeing Yamamoto frown in thought, Kensei couldn't resist adding the jab.
Yoruichi nodded in agreement. Excluding the First and Fourth Divisions, plus the two noble family-led divisions, a full third of the captains had turned traitor. How could the Gotei 13 be properly run alongside such vermin?
This was the first time Soi Fon had seen someone speak to the Captain-Commander like this. She was deeply impressed. Lord Kensei was so brave!
"It seems you want another lesson."
Yamamoto glanced at Kensei, his wooden staff whistling past the top of Kensei's head to pierce the door panel behind him, making Kensei suck in a sharp breath.
Retracting his staff, Yamamoto narrowed his eyes in thought. Though Kensei's words were unpleasant, they did touch on a doubt in his own heart. Captain evaluations were no simple matter. For three captains to have issues one after another under such circumstances was indeed abnormal. They seemed perfectly normal before...
Yamamoto's gaze slowly settled on Kensei, a trace of peculiarity flashing in his eyes.
Come to think of it, it was only after this kid became my disciple that these captains started causing trouble one after another. Could this brat really be my jinx?
"Kensei Kenzuru, you stay." Yamamoto sighed, his voice regaining the Captain-Commander's authority. "You two girls may return and rest. Captain Yoruichi, you acted admirably in discovering Meizen's anomaly this time."
Yoruichi and Soi Fon exchanged a glance, bowed in tacit understanding, and retreated. Before leaving, Yoruichi threw Kensei a look that said "you're on your own."
With the soft click of the wooden door closing, the old man and the youth in the room were plunged into temporary silence.
Kensei knelt obediently, putting on the appearance of a well-behaved student before Yamamoto, though his eyes kept darting toward the door.
"Now it's just the two of us. Speak your mind completely." Yamamoto slowly paced to his wooden desk, his back to Kensei. "Otherwise, don't blame me for disregarding our teacher-student bond."
Sensing the seriousness in Yamamoto's tone, Kensei swallowed hard, thinking about how to begin.
***
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