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| This article, Blank period: No Rest for the Weary, is part of Bleach: War for the King's Seal, which continues on from the opening segments of the site's former Fanon Canon project. Use of this page's contents is determined by the author of this page, unless otherwise specified. |
This article, Blank period: No Rest for the Weary, is the fourth chapter of the Investigation arc, which is itself the second arc of the Blank period. This chapter uses a split POV: Kenji and Van share the role, whilst Mikado, Hisagi, and Rin serve as supporting characters. Hotaru, Xiuying, and Shinzō serve as antagonists. Additionally, this chapter serves as the first proper introduction of Xiuying, whose only other appearance to date outside a hooded cameo in Sakae's Descent, has bee purely in reference materials.
There was much to be said for an honest-to-goodness day off. Time to reset, to recentre yourself, to recharge the old batteries. It seemed like an age since Kenji had time to just sit down. The same, unfortunately, couldn’t be said for Van or Kei. The former was interrogating Shinzo alongside Hisagi, whilst the latter was busy elsewhere. Kenji knew what Kei was about, for his expertise had been requested to analyse Shinzo’s Bakkoto, which of course meant he wasn’t here serving drinks. As such, it was a young woman, slight, with her long blond hair tied up in a neat ponytail, who manned the bar. Her name, if Kenji recalled, was Arisa.
His attention was soon lifted from his pile of notes as he saw Mikado enter, order a drink, and then approach his booth.
“Working on anything interesting? Oh, is that The Cataclysm!? I’d love to see a preview!”
“Heh, I bet you would. Sadly, writer’s block is proving herself a hateful mistress.” He managed a smile, though, and beckoned Mikado to sit down. “Pull up a pew. You look like you’ve got something on your mind.”
It wasn’t a question: Kenji was quite astute when it came to his students, especially with Mikado. No surprise, really; he spent more time with her than any of his proteges, past or present.
Mikado, like Kenji, was enjoying a day off. And, like him, she was in Kei’s bar. Unlike Kenji, however, she was drinking only flavoured water, whilst he was nursing a glass of pigeon ruby. Apparently, Kei imported that fancy water straight from the World of the Living. Must’ve cost a fortune! Whilst Mikado had already drained roughly a quarter of her water, Kenji’s glass had barely been touched, however. Kenji was due to meet Rin in about an hour, and his intention had been to give himself a quick livener and a shot of liquid courage ahead of their first “date”.
“Any plans for today?” He asked her.
“Yeah, I’m heading out to Hashima,” Mikado answered as she took the offered chair opposite her teacher. “I’m going to visit my mother and Kicho.”
“Yeah, Momoko told me she’d been stabilized and discharged. Great news.”
Hashima was the 3rd District of Eastern Rukongai and Mikado’s home district. The marketplace saw quite a few Shinigami customers on account of its proximity to the Blue Stream Gate. In addition, it was one of the few locations where Sekkiseki could be found and mined in small quantities, with many of the mines belonging to private companies or noble families, such as the Kasumioji clan. As such, it was quite populous, even by the standards of the vast Rukongai. The marketplace was also home to a public sparring area. It wasn’t a rare sight to see lower-ranked Shinigami turn up for impromptu tournaments, and it was a great way to sieve through potential recruits. In fact, Kenji knew that Ace was a frequent competitor. Momoko often complained about having to patch him up afterwards.
“Any plans yourself?” Mikado asked.
“Meeting Rin, actually,” Kenji replied, after a sip of his glass. “She’s gained special permission for us to go mountain climbing. We’re tackling Sokyoku Hill. Knowing my luck, I’ll fall and break my neck. When I do -- because I will, you mark my words -- I expect you to bring me grapes.”
“Sure, I’ll spit the pips at you.” She callously jibbed, whilst sticking her tongue out.
He couldn’t help but smile. Unfortunately, she wasn’t staying and soon pushed her seat in.
“Well, have fun, alright? Oh, and a word to the wise? She likes dolphins, and I know for a fact she lost a pair of earrings recently. What you do with that information, is up to you. But I didn’t tell you! She’d kill me for giving away inside info.”
“... You know something? I love you, Mika.”
His student’s expression suddenly turned very calculating, and Kenji knew he had walked right into a trap. Unfortunately, he had been expecting a friendly chat. He didn’t have a clue that Mikado had come to the table armed for war.
“I’ll accept payment for that nugget of info if you ask Hisagi to fast track the transfer of my friend.”
“... Scratch that, I hate you. Name?”
“Anna Rosenkrantz. Thank you, Kenny!”
“Only my ma calls me that, you ingrate!!”
He may as well have shouted alone into the night for all the good it did him. What she shouted back only made him angrier.
“She permitted me. Oh, and she misses you. Said something about her little pumpkin not eating his vegetables? She showed me your baby photos, too. So cute! Well, see you!”
“FUCK OFF!”
And his glass, still half full, shattered against the wall.
“The glass is 5 can, thank you very much.” The bartender added.
“You know, I’ve gone right off you, girl,” he replied, even as his hand slipped into his pocket.
In a setting very different to the one Kenji was enjoying, stood Van. He was in a darkened room in the barracks of the 9th Division, Seireitei, doing the kind of work few others enjoyed. Standing behind him, off near the entrance, was his commanding officer, whose expression Van could only describe as “serious”. Lieutenant Hisagi may have held the official post of “Lieutenant”, but as far as Van, Kenji, Kei and the rest of the 9th Division were concerned, the man was “Captain Hisagi”. The title “Acting-Captain” didn’t come into their thinking -- he was their superior, plain and simple.
And Hisagi was thankful for their support. It was times like this, he valued having someone like Van under his command.
For sitting before them was the bruised Shinzo, who happened to lead the Evening Primrose cult, who had been captured by Van. Van was currently engaged in sensitive negotiations; which, in reality, was an interrogation that involved coercion, the inflicting of pain, and no small amount of leverage. Hisagi had little experience in this field -- he was a journalist, true, but he had never served with the Onmitsukido. Van had, and Hisagi was happy to leave matters in his colleagues’ hands.
His trust was soon repaid, for Van led him from the room so Shinzo couldn’t overhear them.
“Well, what did you get?”
Van’s expressionless face broke into a smile.
Van had managed to drag sensitive information from Shinzo, the kind that the Gotei 13 could use to curb the Evening Primrose in the coming days, weeks, and months. Because, unfortunately, they weren’t removed as a threat just because their leader had been captured. In addition to the Rusty Nail pub, which Kenji had levelled, Shinzo had given up several locations that his colleagues frequented under questioning. These would need to be verified, of course, but things were looking up. With any luck, this particular cult was on the road to being dealt with.
All that remained was the matter of Shinzo’s Bakkoto.
“It will be in my report, of course. But I worry about the implications, specifically concerning the nobility. Do I need to specifically bring this to Kyoraku’s notice?” Hisagi asked.
Van considered for a moment. His left hand massaged the stubble growing on his chin before he answered.
“... No, ‘cause I’m fairly sure he got that Bakkoto on the black market. You could bring that to the Gotei 13, sure, and Kyoraku will listen, but the Kasumioiji will only deny it, and Kyoraku’s hands will be tied. At best, they’ll be censured a little; at worst, we’ll be blamed for bringing a noble house into disrepute, and any investigation we carry out afterwards will be all the more difficult.”
This was the kind of politicking that Hisagi, and Van, hated with a passion. The former was aware of it because of his journalism; Van because he was a trained Onmitsukido agent, who dealt with it almost every day. Right now, their hands were tied, and they could do nothing but declare publicly that a known threat had been dealt with.
“Leave this piece of meat to me,” Van said, as he looked at Shinzo, his cracking knuckles serving as a clear indication of his intent. “I’ll get more from him, and let you know later.”
“... Agreed,”
As for the Bakkoto in question, that was on its way to the 12th Division for study.
But it wasn’t going to reach the 12th Division barracks.
Hotaru Hiroshi was closely watching the envoy from the 9th Division who held the Bakkoto formerly possessed by one Shinzo of the Evening Primrose.
Courtesy of his illusion generating Zanpakuto, he was also patrolling the streets of Eastern Rukongai, alongside some non-Seated officers of the 9th Division. There were also several academy students with him, whose skills were deemed advanced and whose most significant failing now was a lack of actual work experience.
Sometimes, being a Seated Officer came in very handy.
Worn over the top of his sleeveless uniform was one of the poncho’s that his mother had been known to make. He wasn’t about to reveal the secrets of Ino Hiroshi, but through Kido, the wearer’s reiatsu was completely disguised when worn. A further Kido weave could be used to render the wearer invisible even to Mayuri’s security cameras. A necessary precaution, given Van’s annoyance.
He waited deliberately, out of sight, not making a sound, until the Bakkoto he sought was clear of the compound.
“The Shinzo I knew would never have given it up so easily,” whispered Hotaru. “Brother nearly had to wrest the prize from his cold fingers. Unfortunate. If it were the red Kyutai, I could stop now. Instead, it’s a mere Bakkoto.” The next he said much louder. “I trust you won’t fail me?”
“Hardly, oh illustrious leader,”
Beside him stood a woman, of athletic build, generous of bust, with black-coloured hair, green-coloured eyes, and it was she who spoke with such confidence. As she spoke, she casually played with the earring dangling from her left ear. She dressed in what could best be described as revealing clothing; a red bra most would wear to a beach, black pantihose, a long red skirt with a prominent slit, and an assortment of gold jewellery on the wrists, arms, and neck, not to mention the jewellery dangling from her ears. She was nothing if not flashy.
“Do as you will, Xuiying.”
“Oh, I will, Mr Chaos,”
As expected, Kenji had indeed fallen. Unexpectedly, though, he had not broken his neck. Considering that Rin had insisted that they climb the cliff face with specially designed reiatsu dampening gloves, it was a miracle he hadn’t broken his neck. Still, Rin hadn’t expected him to finish the climb, even after falling. Although, Kenji fervently hoped there weren’t too many more cliffs in his immediate future.
The two of them were dressed in sleeveless and form-fitting climbing equipment, no safety gear. Adds to the rush, Rin had said. By the time the sun was beginning to set, and they were making their way back to Kei’s for a much-needed drink, the two were thoroughly exhausted. They hadn’t climbed the cliff once; on, no, that would have been easy. Instead, they had climbed it several times!
“It’s amazing,” he said, his tone pained. “If I didn’t know any better, I could swear this whole date was just an attempt by you to kill me.”
“Oh, please stop whining!” Rin snapped. “You’re acting like a big baby. You only broke your ankle!”
“Yeah, and how many blokes can say that after a date!? Soul King, preserve me. I thought I’d at least get some brownie points for finishing the climb, but no. I did the whole thing with that ankle, too.”
“I treated your ankle, remember?”
“And I thanked you,”
Even though it was a day of leisure, old habits died hard: both Kenji and Rin were carrying their Zanpakuto with them. Good thing, too. There was too much commotion within the barracks of the 9th Division for a normal evening. She glanced in his direction; the silent question was clear. He shrugged his shoulders in reply.
Kenji cut through the crowd, people stepping aside when they saw it was him, Rin hot on his heels. They were greeted by Hisagi and Van. The former was uninjured; the latter was sporting a split lip, and if the swelling around his eye was any indication, he’d soon have a magnificent black eye.
“Day off is over,” Hisagi said as a way of greeting. “Shinzo’s Bakkoto has been stolen, and Shinzo himself has been assassinated.”
“... Well, shit,” Kenji answered. “I’ve got to go and get changed. I’ll be back shortly,”
“Wait, Kenji. You too, Rin. Since you’re already here, I may as well tell you now.” Hisagi continued. “Rin, your transfer has been approved. Welcome to the 9th Division. As for you, Kenji, you’ll be undergoing additional training and drills; over months, at least. You’ll be inheriting my position, once I have my training and drills squared away.”
Van, to his credit, didn’t look too surprised. Kenji, meanwhile, and Rin to boot, were left to lift their jaws off the floor. It was a dark day indeed when anyone trusted Kenji with a Lieutenant’s badge.
“... Well, shit,” Kenji managed, being almost speechless for the second time in a few minutes. It was then that he noticed that Hisagi didn’t look too thrilled either. “Congratulations?”
“Thanks. For now, nothing changes. Down the line, though, you’ll be busier. Now, how about we solve our current predicament, instead of worrying about the future? How did an assassin get in here? Didn’t we upgrade our internal security?”
This question was levelled solely at Van.
“... I’ll review our security, again,” Van murmured. “The squad won’t like it. I’ve also a few cameras to check, the ones only you and I know about, so I’ll say goodbye for now.”
“I’ll handle the squad,” Hisagi answered. “As for the rest of you, dismissed.”
“Wait!” Kenji exclaimed. “Before you go, Hisagi, I need a favour.”
“You can’t have an extension on The Cataclysm. You’ve had three already,”
“You’re a slave driver,” huffed Kenji. “But actually, that wasn’t what I was going to ask. There’s been a transfer request -- Anna Rosenkrantz?”
Hisagi looked contemplative for a moment. “What about her?”
“Could you fast-track that? Can’t go into the specifics right now, but it’d be a help.”
“... I’ll see what I can do,”
Van, meanwhile, stopped short of leaving himself.
“Anna who?”
“I’ll tell you later,”
“Whatever. See you both,”
Hisagi and Van were quick to vanish and be about their tasks, leaving a still stunned Kenji and Rin in the courtyard. Thankfully, the squad members present had maintained a respectful distance, and Hisagi had spoken quietly, so there wasn’t going to be an onrush of congratulations or anything like that for Kenji to deal with.
Kenji finally gathered himself and addressed Rin.
“Congratulations! Why didn’t you tell me you were transferring?”
“Wanted it to be a surprise,”
“Yeah, it is. A welcome one, though.”
“Well, shall we get to work?”
“I suppose. Couldn’t those assassins have had the damn decency to wait until tomorrow? I had this beautiful dinner planned and everything,”
“Isn’t dinner more of a second date kind of thing? What makes you think you deserve that?” Rin answered smartly.
“... Just make sure you’re up for morning delivery, alright? I trust you’ll be very happy.”