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This article, Leaving Doubt at the Door, follows on from Matters of Trust II and is part of Bleach: Cataclysm. It follows Kentaro Hiroshi as the POV character with Akiye as support.
Morning had broken over the Reikai but its coming did little to ease the problems Kentaro was having. The only good thing he could readily claim was the fact he'd managed to get some shut-eye in-thanks to Akiye, who once again watched things whilst he was gone catching forty winks. After he returned to relieve her she'd slept until the sun was up. He'd have to stop doing this to her. It was only this morning, seeing her so shattered, when he realized just how much he was pushing her.
The sun rose about an hour ago now so he didn't expect her to be much longer.
“It's so late!”
A feminine voice cut through the air like a blade! Following soon after was Akiye just as he had expected. This morning she was dressed in a pair of green trousers, a white shirt and a sleeveless green jacket open up the middle. Her twin braids swung as she moved but came to rest upon each shoulder when she stopped about two feet from Kentaro, who looked a mess in comparison. He'd went to sleep in the clothes he wore now and the only time he'd taken on himself when he woke was to style his hair into its usual.
“Why didn't you wake me!?” She exclaimed upon finding him.
“And have the chance of you dropping on me when I need some shut-eye? Yeah, that makes sense.” He remarked. “But damn do I miss the days when we could simply whittle away the hours behind some hedges. Don't you?”
“What's stopping us?”
“A potential war on three fronts with Ryan, Kaede and the Imawashi all looking to exert their dominance on the Reikai?”
“Oh, yeah. That. Any news?”
“Hawke and David have reported a sharp drop in Hollow activity in their sector.”
“That's good news!” Akiye exclaimed.
“I'm not sure it is.” Kentaro countered. “I can't be certain... but I think the decline has something to do with Averian. Before I met with him that sector was crawling with Hollow and now it isn't. Coincidence? I don't think so. Then there's my uncle.”
“What's he done now?” Her tone expressed annoyance.
“Vanished! He upped sticks. Moved the hell out! Haven't seen him all morning and the night patrols say he left in the dead of night, prior to our meeting. He also cleared out all his belongings. I should have watched him closer!” He thumped the nearest wall with enough strength to crack it. “I want to trust him. I really do! But every-time I'm with him I feel like I've got a target on my back and he's waiting to sink the knife in.”
“... We need to focus on Kensei and Shuhei.”
“I know, I know. Thanks. Sanada hasn't sent any word yet though.”
Kentaro turned away. How did his father do it for so many years? He had watched his father send people on assignments all the time. Had he felt this doubt too? This sense of foreboding? Or maybe he just hid it better. Kentaro hadn't asked to be placed in this position; he had been hurled into it. Events would either shape him into a great man... or destroy him completely. “I'll be on the winning side,” he thought. “Just have to keep it together; think things through. Look before I leap.” Easier said than done though.
“You're really worried about this, aren't you?” Akiye asked.
“I can't help it. I've known them a long time.” Kentaro answered, with a heavy sigh. “Even if that wasn't the case I've got to think about the survivors of Horiwari and their protection too. We can't afford to lose Kensei or Shuhei; we're too low on manpower.”
“Sir!”
A breathless young man with fiery-red hair and a lean build ran head-first into the room. Only when Kentaro told him to calm done three or four times and take a breathe did he stop and get out what it was he was trying to say.
“Commander Shirono has sent word. The Imawashi have mobilized; they've got Kensei and Shuhei in a difficult position. Commander Shirono last reported to be going to their aid, but he stressed reinforcements!”
“Kentaro?” Akiye asked. “What's the plan?”
“For once I know exactly what to do. The Imawashi crossed the line once before. I won't stop until they're dead at my feet.”
He finally spoke.
“I'm going to do what I should have done in the beginning. The Imawashi think they can strike at my people and my friends, without reprisal? I don't think so. It wasn't a scripted fate that put me in this position, nor is it fate that Kensei and Shuhei meet their end now. I'm going! Hold down the fort. I'll be back shortly... with my friends.”
Kentaro tightened his father's old white haori around his right shoulder whilst assuming his full height. His doubt vanished in that instance. It was like looking upon Kenji in the spring of his youth! He opened the door wide and leapt into the sky where, with an impressive flash-step, he was gone.
The Reikai whizzed past beneath him...