Ch 108: Making a mess of things.

Morning came, and Noah woke up to the feeling of his penis being pleasantly warm and wet. he took the cover off, not surprised to find Yoruichi at work.

"Good morning, Yoruichi. That's a nice way to wake me up. Thanks."

She nodded and kept at it, only stopping when he came in her mouth. She greedily swallowed his cum and cleaned him off before releasing him.

"Morning, lover boy." she said as she cuddled against his chest.

"I would have thought I left you satisfied after last night."

"I certainly was. You're better than I expected, and I was expecting much." smiled Yoruichi.

"I'm glad to meet your standard. And I am the champion of a goddess that made Conquest, Lust and Domination her domain. That comes with a few advantages, like endurance, and an improved tool. And I wasn't always that good looking, you know?"

"You won't find me complaining."

They stayed like that for a few more minutes, before Yoruichi sighed and stood.

"We have work to do."

"Yeah."

They both left the house and moved into the hot springs at the back. The water's temperature was quite comfortable.

"How do you plan to go about it? Do we search for your girl first, or what? Do we ask Kukaku's help to get inside?"

"Yoruichi, why not try to just get over the wall? It's not that high, maybe thirty meters?"

"It's not that easy. The wall is made of a special stone that nullifies Reiatsu, and if you attempt to jump over it, increasing gravity near the top will push you back down."

"Does it nullify Light or Demonic magic?"

Yoruichi frowned as she considered it. "I don't think so… We never faced any kind of threat from the other supernatural factions. They know we Shinigamis do most of the work of keeping Hollows in check and dealing with errand souls, and they leave us alone."

"I'll try to get us over the wall that way. If that doesn't work, we go to one of the doors and force it open. I can create a big lever or crowbar or something. If that still doesn't work, we can always ask Kukaku. Or even knock at the door and politely ask to be let in. I'll try diplomacy first, and search for Asuna once I convince them that we're not enemies. Or after they try to kill or capture me, and I escape."

"Fine by me. Once we're over the wall, I'll go my own way to search for her."

"Yes, thank you." smiled Noah.

"Can you describe me to her? That would be helpful." Noah smiled and did something better, sharing one of his many memories of her.

"She's a pretty one." nodded Yoruichi. "If she's here, she will be popular and easier to find."

"Since she bound her soul to mine, she will have gained Shunpo when I did, and she has a lot of innate talent. Unless she's deliberately keeping a low profile, I think her name will have spread around." nodded Noah.

"I see. This should be an easy task, then, assuming she is there at all. Easier than yours. Be careful not to anger the Old Man. He is quite stern with discipline, and you do not want him to fight you."

"I'm aware. His Bankai is scary, and I have no counters for it. Aside maybe from exiling him into another dimension, but that would be all kinds of Bad."

"It would be, yes." said Yoruichi, exiting the small pond. Noah took it as his cue to get to work, too.

…

Quickly traveling using Shunpo, Noah, with Yoruichi in her cat form sitting on his right shoulder, reached the great wall separating Rukongai from the Seireitei. No one was in sight, as the residents of Rukongai living near the circular plaza were spending their days interacting with other Rukongai residents deeper in the slums.

"Time to test that theory." said Noah, using Hard Light Arsenal to create footholds in the air, like a makeshift stair along the walls.

"That's interesting. The stone doesn't seem to disturb your Light Magic." said Yoruichi as they climbed.

"Yes. But I'm already feeling the gravity becoming more intense. Tell me if it becomes difficult for you."

The gravity seemed to increase by one to two G for each five meters they climbed, and Noah could understand why normal Shinigamis couldn't jump or fly over. It was almost enough that their combined weight was starting to threaten the structural integrity of his footholds. Fortunately, they had reached the top before the weight became too much, and simply hoped down the other side.

"I'm going. Good luck!" said Yoruichi as she hoped off his shoulders and used Shunpo to reappear on top of a distant roof, then disappear again.

Noah smiled, looking at the direction of the giant white complex at the center of Seireitei, where he would without a doubt find the Captain Commander Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto near the very top, and wondered how far he would go if he removed his mask and pretended to be just another random Shinigami.

Likely not very far, as he lacked the armband of a division member, but even if he could make one, trying to pass as an actual Shinigami might make it harder to convince the powers that be that he was a friend.

Teleporting directly to the Captain Commander without warning, would likely end up with Noah suffering from an acute case of death.

So, he decided to keep his mask on, avoid patrols, and just walk to his destination until someone noticed him.

The outer area of the Seireitei was a maze-like series of roads surrounded by three-meters tall walls, leading to small open areas or buildings. It seemed like areas for training, storage, or barracks. And they were mostly empty, as the whole place seemed designed for accommodating a number of Shinigamis in the tens or even hundreds of thousands. Yet, each of the thirteen main divisions only had two hundred members, and some of them would be deployed in the real world or patrolling Rukongai.

Noah only had to avoid a small handful of patrols for almost an hour and reached the base of the slope leading to the giant complex.

He was halfway toward crossing a tennis court-sized open area when he stopped. A few meters in front of him, red rose petals were falling to the ground.

More accurately, someone above was taking handfuls of rose petals and throwing them.

Noah fought the temptation of bursting into laughter as a man jumped from that window and landed gracefully amidst the petals, his face hidden under the rim of a conical straw hat, and his body covered by a large pink cape with flowery motives.

That was a cool entrance, though, he had to admit. Noah clapped his hands silently to show his approval.

The man straightened his posture, revealing a captain's white haori under the pink cape, and the black kimono under it. The man had droopy black eyes and a stubble, his long hairs tied into a ponytail at the base of his neck with a string, aside from a wavy bang near his right eye.

He smiled and declared as he put one hand inside each of the opposite sleeves,

"I am Shunsui Kyoraku, captain of the eight's division. Pleased to meet you."

The rain of rose petals was quickly intensifying.

"Likewise. Please forgive me for not offering you my real name, as it would defeat the purpose of the mask, but please call me Kuro. And that was a nice entrance." smiled Noah, bowing politely.

"Oh my, you are unexpectedly courteous." nodded Shunsui, stopping as he noticed the increasing number of petals falling. He craned his neck upward.

"Hey! Nanao-chan! You can stop throwing the petals now…"

Even more petals were thrown.

Noah saw the girl named Nanao, looking at Shunsui with cold eyes as she kept throwing petals at him.

"Can you hear me, Nanao-chan?"

"Nanao-chan? My cute, cute Nanao-chan?"

The girl seized the whole basked and emptied its content into Shunsui, half burying in petals. It was a large basket.

"Lovely Nana?"

She threw the empty basket at him.

"That an interesting relationship you got there, Captain." grinned Noah.

"Isn't that right?" smiled Shunsui.

"Although, I understand why she would be irritated, if you also want her to clean up."

"I'm not going to. Those petals are made of Reiatsu and will dissolve before long. I believe that you are one of the people who intruded on Seireitei, young man."

"That is correct." nodded Noah.

"And are you the one who freed Rukia Kuchiki last night, Kuro-kun?"

"It's me. And I apologize for the disturbance it must has caused. I imagine many people are angry for having been woken up in the middle of the night. But Rukia is already out of Soul Society, so if there is any ongoing search, they can stop."

"You seem to be particularly cooperative… How about we share a drink?" Shunsui grinned as he sat down and took from somewhere inside his cape a pot, likely full with some kind of sake. He already had two small sake cups in his other hand.

"I have a low tolerance to alcohol, but if it's only one cup, I'll gladly accept." smiled Noah, walking closer and sitting down. That wasn't exactly true, between his immunity to negative effects and his Greater Cure, he could drink liters of pure alcohol and not get drunk.

He accepted the cup Shunsui gave him, filled with a clear liquid.

"To friendship!" toasted Shunsui, lifting his cup slightly.

"To friendship." nodded Noah in response. He took a sip, then lowered the cup.

"So, tell me, my new friend. What are you doing here? If it was simply to save Rukia Kuchiki, why did you not leave with her?"

Noah was aware that despite his overly friendly behavior, the captain was keenly examining him, ready to react at the first sign of violence from Noah's part. Any wrong answer or sudden movement might lead to bloodshed.

"Rescuing Rukia Kuchiki was only part of my reasons for coming to Soul Society. I have another that is purely personal, but will not negatively impact Soul Society, so there is no need to mention it. More importantly, is that I wish to form a cooperative relationship with the Gotei 13. Just like I already have a cooperative relationship with Kisuke Urahara."

"…That's a name I haven't heard for a while. How is he?"

"Goofy as usual. He has a great sense of humor, if sometimes a little morbid. Fun to be around, as long as it is not constantly. That would be exhausting."

"Yes, that is Kisuke Urahara in a nutshell." smiled the captain, likely reminiscing on some of his past antics.

"And since I mentioned Urahara-san, I might as well inform you that all eight of the Captains and Lieutenants he took care off after that, incident, are living well. Urahara-san helped them stabilize their new condition, and they turned it onto a source of strength. They are training themselves and getting ready for the confrontation with the true culprit of that incident. That is coming, very soon."

Nanao used Shunpo to appear near her Captain, her face cold. One of the four Lieutenants that had been partially turned into Hollows that day was her older sister, Lisa Yadomaru, and had been Shunsui's previous lieutenant.

"True culprit?" she asked with a voice that would freeze helium.

"I'm glad to hear that Lisa is doing well. Do you know how to contact her?" asked Shunsui.

"I do not know her exact location, and I have yet to meet her in person. She and her group are taking care of seven humans who were kidnapped by the culprit and got experimented on. They managed to escape, I met them, and entrusted them to Urahara-san before they could be recaptured. He then placed them under Shinji Hirako's wing. If you wish to send her a letter or organize a meeting, I can send a request to Urahara-san."

"Thank you. I may take you up on that offer later. Do you know who the person responsible for this is?" asked Shunsui.

Noah nodded and finished his sake before replying.

"Of course. But if I were to give you his name right now, you wouldn't believe it for a second. He does hide himself well, I'll give him that. And even you, Captain, aren't strong enough to face him directly. I tell you this as someone who knows how your Bankai works, and what you can do with it. To believe me, you would need some evidence. Which is why I wanted to meet with Captain-Commander Yamamoto. I also have a few important things to tell him, about some of the enemies Soul Society will soon have to face."

Shunsui nodded and looked at his lieutenant.

"Nanao-chan, please go ahead and ask for the Old Man to gather the captains. I'll be escorting this young man to meet him."

Nanao looked like she was about to protest for a second, likely wanting to force Noah to reveal the alleged traitor's identity right away, but took one look at Shunsui's eyes and disappeared.

Shunsui Kyoraku gathered the sake cups and his pot, making them disappear in the folds of his cape. he gestured to Noah, and the two of them walked together. But Shunsui's hand was never far from the handle of one of the two swords at his waist.

"It will take a bit of time before the Captains gather, so let's walk leisurely. And I'd like to hear more about you, Kuro-kun. You mentioned a personal reason."

"…I want to reunite with someone who I suspect to be inside the Seireitei. I am trying to find her, but I do not want her to be harmed for being related to me, either, so I will not give anyone her name until my status is cleared."

"Hum, that's fair enough. Is she pretty?" grinned Shunsui.

"Very. And it's not just her physical appearance that is appealing. She is quite a capable and determined young lady. Assuming she chooses to remain in Soul Society long enough, she'll make it to Captain one day."

"Ohoh, that's pretty high praise. Or maybe you are underestimating a little what it takes to be a Captain?"

"You must master a Bankai, then obtain the approval of at least three captains, or defeat an existing captain in front of his entire division. Or something like that. Zaraki Kenpachi, that violent muscle-head, became a captain using the later, even though he can't use his Bankai."

"A few details are off, but that's the gist of it, yes... Are you perhaps an exiled member of an existing division? Is that why you hide your identity?"

Noah shook his head.

"No. I never set foot into Soul Society, until yesterday. My mask is to protect my relatives. I already gave the culprit and his accomplices a few reasons to want me dead, like when I helped the victim of their experiments stay out of their reach. And then, there is that other guy and his cronies, who will want to launch a preemptive strike against not only the strongest of the Shinigami, but those who would be 'War Assets' to the Shinigami as well. I do not want them nuking my home in the middle of the night."

"What is the source of your information?"

"My boss. Someone who stands above the Soul King, but doesn't want to involve herself directly in interfering with this world. So, she sent me to do the interfering. The Goddess I work for made sure I was well informed about the difficulties I'd have to deal with. it's a pretty long story, though, and I'd prefer not to repeat it twice, if I have to explain everything in front of the gathered captains."

"I'll keep my curiosity in check, then. For a little while."

Noah, with the captain following close behind, kept walking toward. After a while, he asked.

"I was reflecting on it before, but the Seireitei is really huge, and rather empty."

"It is. A few thousand years ago, there were a lot more Shinigamis. And a lot more hollows needing to be purified. But with other organizations appearing like the Valkyries in northern Europe, the Legion in Southern Europe, or the Anti-Demon Corps in Japan, Soul Society has felt less pressure to recruit a lot of new Shinigamis. Downsizing has allowed us to be more selective during recruitment, as well as give the recruits more time to train."

"I see. And as a result, the overall quality of Shinigami increases, and you take less losses, allowing Shinigami to accrue more battle experience and become stronger as they grow older."

"Exactly."

Noah kept walking. But when they were about halfway to their destination and entered a large plaza, two people came to block their way.

One was a giant, almost three meters tall, with a slightly bulky body, and his head was entirely covered by a bucket-like helmet that extended to part of his shoulders and sternum, completely hiding his head and neck. Only thin slots allowed him to see through.

The other was average in height and build, with a dark skin and dark brown braids. A gray visor covered his blind eyes, and he had an orange scarf around his neck.

They were Captain Sajin Komamura, and Captain Kaname Tosen, of the Seventh and Ninth divisions.

"Uh oh." said Noah, stopping.

"It seems the Old Man decided I alone was not enough to escort you." frowned Shunsui, seeing the two captains approaching.

"No, it's likely not the case. Looks like I'm going to have to fight a Captain or two after all."

"If you keep being compliant, there's no reason for us to be violent. I'd prefer for things to stay that way." frowned Shunsui, moving his hand closer to his sword.

"So do I. But remember when I mentioned the culprit had accomplices? Captain Komamura is fine, but Mister Blind Justice here is likely here to silence me, before I expose them."

Noah hadn't bothered lowering his voice, and the two captains walking on them heard his word.

"Who are you, to dare accuse a Captain of treason?" demanded Captain Komamura with a rumbling voice.

"You can call me Kuro. It's nice to meet you, too." nodded Noah, not keeping his eyes off the blind captain.

"Captain Kyoraku, why have you not confiscated this intruder's weapon? Why is he even still alive?" asked Tosen.

"He's not a prisoner, at the current time. More like a guest. his precise status will be decided by the Old Man."

"From what your own Lieutenant told us, he admitted to helping Rukia Kuchiki escape. That is enough to declare his guilt and sentence him to death. And there is no reason to wait and take the chance that he might escape using whatever he did to escape the cell with Kuchiki."

"Hum, he actually has a point here, about me being able to escape." conceded Noah.

The blind captain seemed determined not to give him any chance, as he used Shunpo to appear near Noah, his sword flashing in a horizontal arc at neck level. But Noah was already prepared for something like this. The instant the blind captain used Shunpo, Noah drew his own sword and parried the blow. As Tosen fell back, surprised, Noah activated Augment. he already could face a relatively weak captain like Tosen using only passive body strengthening and sword mastery. At least so long as no Shikai or Bankai started to be involved.

"Why are you even surprised?" snorted Noah. "You should already know that I can keep up with Ulquiorra and Grimmjow. You'll need to step up your game if you want to kill me."

"Sheathe your weapon, Captain Tosen." ordered Shunsui as he narrowed his eyes, his hands on his swords, ready to draw them. "I want to let the Old Man question him. When you try to kill him, you do look like you're afraid of what he might have to say."

"Aren't you ashamed of your actions, Shunsui?" bellowed Komamura, a hand on his own sword as well. "You are accusing a fellow captain based on the words of an intruder."

"…It seems like tempers are getting out of hand, and something stupid and messy is about to happen. So, I'll be going ahead." sighed Noah.

At this point, he was willing to risk taking a hit from the Captain-Commander, rather that start a chaotic fight that would attract more and more captains and lieutenants. He took an instant to focus on his image of the old man, and teleported.

Noah saw the shaft of the staff coming, and blocked as he jumped backward to blunt the impact. He crashed against a wall, caused a few cracks to it, but didn't suffer serious damage.

"You are quite the bold assassin, to attack me in this very room." stated the Captain-Commander of the first squad, as Noah got to his feet.

Captain Yamamoto was a very, very old man, as could be seen from his long white hairs, eyebrows and beard, but there was nothing frail about him, and he had the body of a bodybuilder, full of scars from countless combat injuries. And the power of his gaze was unnerving.

"Not an assassin, actually. I didn't intend to harm you, Captain-Commander, despite what my abrupt appearance may have suggested. And I will apologize for the confusion. But just an instant ago, Captain Tosen was trying to kill me, so I chose to come here directly." said Noah as he sheathed his sword and straightened his kimono, looking around cautiously.

He was in a large room, where most of the captains were present along with their lieutenants. The number of powerful people gathered was a tad on the overwhelming side, but Noah was starting to grow used to it.

"Who are you, then?"

"Please call me Kuro. I am hiding my real identity because I do not want to paint a target on my back for Yhwach to shoot at."

Noah carefully observed the faces of every person present, and only the Captain-Commander seemed to recognize the name. But he certainly did recognize it, as the spiritual pressure he was giving off doubled.

"What is your relationship with Yhwach?"

"Definitely hostile. He wants to invade Soul Society and kill the Soul King, then merge Soul Society, The Human World and Hueco Mundo back into one. I like the human world just as it is, so I want to stop him."

"Who is this Yhwach?" asked Toshiro Hitsugaya, the youngest of the captains. His body was one of a fifteen year old kid, but he was a little older. He had a pale skin, short white hairs and ice blue eyes.

The Captain-Commander didn't seem in the mood to answer right now, so Noah explained.

"The son of the Soul King, and the progenitor of the Quincy. A monster of a man who can grant himself literally any power of his choosing, which is why is his surnamed The Almighty. His only weakness, as far as I'm aware, is that he can only use one power at a time. There is no telling what he might learn when giving himself the ability to look into the future or the past, hence the mask and fake name."

"In the near future, three years at most, he will launch his attack, coming in person with twenty to thirty subordinates, each powerful enough to face Captains like you. Worse, they will all be equipped with a Quincy device that will allow them to steal your Bankais, should you attempt to use them. You guys all need to train harder, if you want to survive them."

"Those are quite interesting allegations." said Mayuri Kurotsuchi, the mad researcher of the group, as he rubbed his chin. He had modified his body so much with strange prosthetics that he looked like a little like a barely humanoid robot made of flesh.  "But do you have anything to support them?"

"About Yhwach and his plans? I do not, actually." shrugged Noah. "I work for a Goddess that wants to stop him, and she can, to some extent, see among the possible futures the one that is most likely to happen. She has shown me some of the things she has seen. And she sent me to prevent those things from happening. That is how I got my information, but not exactly something I can present as evidence, either."

"However, there is something else that I can actually prove, because it already happened. And it is related not to Yhwach and his Quincies, but to the attempt to execute Rukia Kuchiki, and to several traitors within Soul Society. Some being in this very room."

If Noah words had caused doubt and disdain when he spoke about the Quincy attack to come, his words now made them downright angry.

"Silence!" demanded the Captain-Commander, his deep voice cutting through the others like a knife.

At that time, the three missing captains, Shunsui, Komamura and Tozen, hurriedly entered the room.

"Did we miss something?" asked Shunsui, noticing the volatile atmosphere.

"Those are very serious accusations you are uttering, 'Kuro'. Choose your next words carefully, or they will be your last." warned captain Yamamoto, his voice heavy with threat.

Noah nodded. "Captain-Commander, to prove my allegations, I would like for you to send several people to Central Room 46 and force their way in. What they will find is that the place has been turned into an abattoir. It is not Central Room 46 who ordered the capture and execution of Rukia Kuchiki, but the one who slaughtered them. And since that place was sealed long before I entered Soul Society, it should be proof this is the work of a traitor, right? But, you cannot let Captain Aizen leave this room."

All the gazes turned to the captain Noah had pointed out, and Aizen's serene expression didn't change.

Aizen looked somewhat like a bookworm, with his short unkept brown hairs, and thick glasses. His stature was average, and he didn't emit any kind of pressure. Both his looks and presence seemed to exude kindness and a distaste for violence and injustice.

"W-What are you saying? There's no way he can be a traitor! Don't joke like this!" shouted Momo Hinamori, Aizen's lieutenant.

Noah stared at Aizen's eyes for long seconds, ready to fight at any moment.

"Captain Aizen, why do you not describe to your fellow Captains the nature of your Shikai? Its real nature, not what you told them."

"I am willing to humor you, 'Kuro-kun'. What do you claim is the effect of my Shikai?" said Aizen with a mellow voice.

"Kanzen Saimin. Complete Hypnotism. That's the name of your Shikai's ability. When you activate it, you can control the five senses of anyone who was looking at it at the moment of activation. Even if the target is aware that they are under its influence, they cannot escape its effect. And its influence doesn't expire, no matter how much time pass. You could still control the sight or hearing of people you hypnotized a century ago, making them fight each other while believing they are fighting you. In the visions my Goddess showed me, you did that several times. You also used that to shift the blame to Urahara Kisuke back then, when you turned four lieutenants and four captains into partial Hollows for your sick experiments."

Almost all of the captains present, as well as many of the lieutenants, were alive when this happened, and the victims were their friends. They did not take that accusation well.

"Lies!" Cried out Hinamori, Aizen's Lieutenant, her hand tightly gripping the hilt of her sword. She looked about to draw it and attack, despite the circumstances.

"Quiet down!" Ordered the Captain Commander, striking the ground with his staff once.

"We will send two captains and two lieutenants to Central Room 46." he announced.

"Captain Aizen would never do such things!" shouted Hinamori.

Noah sighed, and spoke softly, looking at her with compassion.

"Lieutenant Hinamori, you are a good, kind person. But you are missing the forest for the tree. My Goddess showed me a vision of your face, full of confusion, disbelief, and pain, as he drove his sword to the hilt through your stomach. And another one of Captain Hitsugaya confronting him, furiously asking him why he would do that to you, who admires him so much. Aizen's answer? That he was doing you a mercy, allowing you to die while believing in your sweet delusions, and that, and it's a direct quote, 'Admiration is the furthest thing from Comprehension'."

Hinamori trembled in rage, clearly refusing to believe a word of it. Most of the captains and lieutenants were silent, waiting for captain Aizen's to ridicule those allegations.

Aizen was silent for long seconds, staring at Noah. Then he slowly lifted his hand to his glasses and removed them, letting them drop on the floor. With both hands, he shuffled his hairs back, changing his hairstyle into a swept back one that immediately made him look both handsome, and prideful as heck.

"It does sound like something I would say." stated Aizen, an edge of annoyance in his voice.

Hinamori gasped and trembled, taking a few steps back, her eyes widening as her world was crumbling.

"Since you chose to reveal your true self, I guess sending people to Central Room 46 has become unnecessary." said Noah.

"You have been a thorn in my side for a while now, 'Kuro-kun'. I will have to make dealing with you a priority now."

Noah simply shrugged.

"Aizen!" started the Captain-Commander, fury mounting in his voice. He started walking toward the captain, his staff changing appearance to reveal his sheathed Zanpakuto. The temperature in the room was quickly increasing to uncomfortable levels.

Noah was glad this pressure wasn't directed at him. Then something peculiar happened. Aizen, Gin Ichimaru and Tozen used Shunpo to appear near the room's exit, but the rest of the captains and lieutenants were still staring at the place where Aizen had been, horrified and furious. Weapons were being drawn. Hinamori had fainted.

Aizen was using his hypnosis ability to make them believe he and his accomplices were just standing there.

Noah didn't try to stop them, as he wasn't confident in fighting directly against Aizen at this time, much less Aizen and his accomplices together.

The traitors used Shunpo to leave, and seconds later, the people who had been present realized what had happened.

"They left that way, five seconds ago. Aizen, Kaname Tosen, Gin Ichimaru." said Noah as he pointed to the open door.

"You saw them leave?" asked the Captain-Commander, an unspoken accusation in his voice.

"Yes. I am not under the influence of his hypnosis. But since Aizen is likely stronger than me and could easily have manipulated you into attacking me or others, I chose not to impede them, as long as they didn't try to harm someone on their way out..."

The Captain-Commander huffed, clearly unhappy that the traitor had escaped him after making a fool of him for so long. But he also was realist enough not to demand the impossible.

"Everyone, after them! Spread out in pairs and find them!" ordered the old man, and the people present obeyed.

They all seemed so angry, the Captain-Commander and Hitsugaya in particular, that they all flew out, paying 'Kuro' no more consideration and abandoning him.

Noah prayed that none of them would manage to find their prey, because Aizen would have no trouble killing any of them save from the Captain-Commander.

All had left, except for Isane Kotetsu, the fourth division lieutenant, who specialized in healing. She was taking care of Hinamori.

"Is she going to be okay?" asked Noah as he slowly walked over.

"She will. After a lot of rest. Her heart has been shattered." sighed Isane, keeping a wary eye on him.

"That's regrettable." he sighed in turn. "I feel bad for her. But better by my words, than by his blade."

Isane nodded.

"I do not know where Aizen and his accomplices are right now, but they have a large fortress in Hueco Mundo, where they have experimented on a number of Adjuchas and Vasto Lordes to give them Shinigami-like abilities, including their own Zanpakutos of sorts. Maybe you could inform the captains? I do not think they will succeed in catching them."

"You are… quite terrifying, you know that? Maybe not you personally, although what you may or may not know about each of us isn't a comforting idea, but the things you told us."

"I can imagine, putting myself in your shoes. I had time to go to terms with it, and I deliberately choose to get involved. But you guys? Those big crises are coming at you, and you can't just step aside and ignore them. You have to fight. But, you do no need to fight alone. There are a number of outsiders, me included, who will help you survive them."

"…I hope you're right."

"I am going to go away for a little while, since there is no use with me hanging around here. I'll return in a few hours, and I will tell everyone what I know of the enhanced Hollows and Quincies that you will have to fight in the future, and answer their questions. It's going to take a while."

"…Yes. And, thank you, for unmasking those people. We had no idea." said Isane.

Noah nodded and walked away.

…

"If you'll excuse me…" politely said Asuna, separating herself from the circle of acquaintances, mostly males who wanted to flirt with her. Being popular had its drawbacks.

The lunch break had barely started. Making sure no one was following her, she left the academy grounds and entered the small forest that bordered it. Not too deep inside, there was a pond formed by a small river, and she sometimes took a swim. She wouldn't have time right now, however, before class resumed. But she was meeting someone.

"Asuna-sama!" exclaimed Chiyo, a bright smile on her face as she saw her coming.

Chiyo had bright red hair, most of it ending at neck level in angled bob hairstyle, with a ponytail of waist-length hair at the base of her neck. Her light purple eyes, inviting lips, and long legs would make any man drool. The only flaw of her appearance was her chest area that was definitely on the modest side, but Asuna knew someone who could do something about that, and she firmly intended to deliver Chiyo to her Master.

Asuna smiled back, hugging her and devouring her lips in a hungry kiss, and Chiyo melted into her arms.

As the Shinigami academy wasn't a place where privacy was a great concern, Asuna had not dared go overboard with her desire to select and collect slave girls for Master's harem. She had only done so with Chiyo. But she had done a good job, if she did say so herself.

"M-Mistress…" moaned Chiyo, blushing.

"My cute pet, we do not have much time right now, unfortunately. This will have to do until tonight."

"Yes, Mistress." beamed Chiyo, eager to feel Asuna's hands plundering her body once again.

"Do you know what happened last night?" asked Asuna. "I was training deep in the forest, but when I returned, half the dormitory was up in arms. They were talking about some intruders."

"Oh, that. Do you remember that person who was scheduled for execution?"

"Yes. Although the reason for it is strange. Execution for transferring her Shinigami powers to a civilian, so he could help her kill some Hollow? Something like that."

"Yes. But she escaped. That was what the ruckus was about, Mistress."

"Oh? Good for her, I guess." nodded Asuna, unpacking her bento box. She had prepared food for both herself and Chiyo, and the redhead stared hungrily at the mouth-watering sight.

"To be more precise, someone broke her out, according to the rumors flying around, one of the intruders, they think. A man with short black hair, dressed like a Shinigami and wearing a black kitsune mask with a moon drawing on the forehead. The strangest thing is the way they escaped!"

"How did they escape?"

"An alarm was triggered, the guards rushed in, and they saw the prisoner inside the cell, with the unknown man standing beside her. Then the man calmly touched the prisoner's shoulder, and they both disappeared instantly! The cell was locked, and there was no trace of anything broken. No trace of Hado magic either."

Asuna froze and looked up at Chiyo.

"You know, this sound like something our Master might be able to pull off. He can enter a room and leave at will, take people with him as long as he touches them, and saving a damsel in distress is just his style."

"Our Master…" muttered Chiyo with mixed feelings. She knew that her Mistress also belonged to a Master, and that he was, by extension, her Master as well. She had agreed to it, as the price to pay to remain Asuna's slave, but she was both looking forward to and unwilling to meet the man Asuna praised so much.

"I look forward to the day I'll complete the training and be able to search for him in the human world. And when I find him, I'll take you with me. Don't worry, my cute pet. I'm never going to abandon you. And even in the very unlikely case that you really dislike being with him, he will simply leave you to me." smiled Asuna, guessing what troubled Chiyo.

"Yes, Mistress." smiled Chiyo.

"And now, say ahhhhh." ordered Asuna, taking a piece of squid-shaped sausage with her chopsticks and bringing it to Chiyo's mouth.

Chiyo happily accepted and ate it.

"Delicious, Mistress. Thank you."

"Eheh." Asuna was already taking another piece, when they both heard a soft noise. Lifting their head, they saw a black cat sitting on a branch, observing them with what looked like… amusement? Thinking that the cat was interested in food, Asuna smiled warmly.

"Hello, cute kitty. Are you hungry?"

"…Mistress, eh? The apple hasn't fallen far from the tree." said the cat, with very definite amusement in its voice.

Asuna and Chiyo both jumped to their feet, pointing a shaking index finger.

"THE CAT TALKED!" they yelled in sync.

Yoruichi snorted, committing their reaction to memory. She just couldn't get enough of this.

"The name's Yoruichi. I followed you when you left the academy. I was searching for you, Asuna Yuuki."

"M-Me?"

"Yes. Your Master is in Soul Society right now, and he is the one who rescued that girl Kuchiki, too. He's asked me to search for you while he is trying to make peace with the Gotei 13."

"Yes! Yes yes yes yes yes!" yelled Asuna, executing an impromptu tap dance. "Where is he? When can we meet him?"

"Calm down a little, please. He is…" abruptly, Yoruichi turned her head toward the direction of the Seireitei center."

"Hide behind that rock and minimize your Reiatsu, now!"

Asuna didn't hesitate as her long-honed reflexes took control, and she seized Chiyo, dragged her down with her behind the rock as she stilled her body and focused on breathing steadily. She felt two strong presences fly over her head. One didn't stop, while the other visibly noticed them and flew closer.

Asuna blinked as she saw one of the Gotei 13's captains watching them for a second. Asuna has heard of him. Captain Hitsugaya, the youngest of them.

"You two, quickly return to the academy." he ordered, not paying them anymore attention as he flew away.

"Yes, Captain!" shouted the girls, leaving their spot and gathering their bento. Yoruichi came out from behind the tree trunk where she had hid herself.

"What do you think is happening, Asuna-sama?" asked Chiyo.

"They were searching for someone. Maybe your Master… Asuna, I can escort you back to the academy with your friend, or I can bring you to a hideout, with or without her. Once that is done, I will search for him. Which option would you prefer?"

"Yoruichi-san, do you think the captains are aware of my relationship with him?"

"Maybe if he told them. I do not think they would find out otherwise."

"Maybe we should return to the acade…" Asuna's words were interrupted when someone suddenly appeared near Yoruichi.

Even with his face hidden by the mask, Asuna knew immediately, as if something had clicked in her mind. Before she knew it, she was hugging him fiercely.

"Wow. I'm glad to see you, too, Asuna."

"Master! I missed you so much!"