A Nascent Kaleidoscope.

Chapter 373: Interlude 26

Shunsui Kyōraku POV

What a mess.

"Ara, am I the last one?" I looked around the room to see all the other Captains gathered. Though....I don't see Captain Kenpachi anywhere.

.....did he get lost again?

"You're late, Shunsui." Ukitake whispered as I stood next to him.

He was looking healthy today, that's good.

"Eh, the old man isn't angry, so it's fine." I waved him off.

I looked around the room to see everyone else. I knew why we were called, but why did it seem so....solemn?

Huh....Mayuri looked....strange.

Well, he always looked strange.

He looked stranger than normal and not because of the weird things he does to himself.

"Let us get started."

Guess we aren't waiting for the last of us then.

I stood up a little straighter unconsciously. The Old man's presence and words always did that. Not even a brat anymore, yet I can't help it.

All he had to do was tap his cane on the ground and I stood to attention.

Well, He's the Captain Commander for a reason.

"Captain Sui-Feng." The Old man looked at the little girl. "Report."

She stood at attention, and stepped forward.

Always so serious, trying so hard to fill the shoes that Yoruichi left.

"The Ryoka has not been seen and after scouring the entirety of the 13 Divisions, it appears that he is no longer here." She said firmly.

"How sure are you?" The Old Man asked.

"I deployed all of the Onmitsukido and swept every corner, sir."

"Hmm." He grunted with a nod. "Captain Kyōraku. Explain why you did not apprehend the Ryoka."

Aww....damn it.

"Er....I didn't really see a reason to?" I offered.

"You let him go!?" Sui-Feng exclaimed.

"Captain Kyoraku, you really let a dangerous Ryoka roam around?" Captain Hitsugaya asked.

Well, when even the youngest of us wants to chide me, maybe I did mess up a little? Kid is barely even a hundred or so, and he's already so hard working.

"He should be reprimanded to the fullest extent of our laws. He knowingly allowed a Ryoka to run rampant and stain our honor." Captain Kuchiki chimed in too.

....snobby.

He needs to get laid.

Well....not from any of the girls from my division But someone...somewhere. He always reminds me why I hated dealing with the Noble Politics and left it all to my brother back in the day.

"Now, now, I think Captain Kyōraku would have a good reason for doing so."

I gave a thankful nod to Aizen.

He's always great at calming everyone down.

"He wasn't really causing any problems when I ran into him." I scratched my cheek.

"Explain." The Old man demanded, and the Temperature rose slightly.

"He was just sneaking around. I didn't really think it was worth making a ruckus. I invited him over and we shared a drink, and talked about a few things. He said he was just looking around so I didn't mind it."

".....weren't there dozens of your Division sent to Division Four for healing?" Hitsugaya asked.

"Captain Unohana." I turned to probably the scariest Captain besides the old man. Despite how beautiful she was.....I had no confidence there.

"How can I help you, Captain Kyōraku?" She replied.

"How many people died due to this Ryoka?"

"Zero." She said simply.

"Thank you, Captain Unohana."

"It's not a matter of death, Captain Kyoraku." Captain Komamura replied.

It's always fun to hear his gentle tone even with how loud and intimidating he usually is in stature. I don't know why he hides his face behind that armor either. We all know that he's a bit on the hairy side, and none of us really care.

"If you don't have a good reason, you will be punished." The Old Man added.

"Well....I thought it'd be good practice." I ran a hand through my hair. "He said he wasn't going to be killing anyone. And if my guys couldn't handle a Ryoka that wasn't trying to hurt them, then they wouldn't really do much against a real invader, y'know? How long has it been since we've been attacked? I think we've gotten a little lazy."

"You wished to use this Ryoka as a whetstone?" The Old man looked at me and I felt a little scared there for a moment until he closed his eyes. "Very well, your words hold merit. However, you will still be punished for derelict of duty. Expect your budget to be cut and further reprimands to come."

"Damn, Nanao is going to kill me." I grumbled.

"What can you tell us about this Ryoka?" He asked again.

"Well, there wasn't much to say. His Reiatsu, while impressive for a human – I think he's human, it felt weird – shouldn't have really been much compared to one of us. He did have some tricks.....he said these words and my sword flung out of my hand and I couldn't stop it. Thought it might have been a good idea to leave a good impression for when he dies. A good chance he might be standing here with us in a couple centuries."

"That's it? Nothing about his overall strength? We barely have a description and a name." Sui-Feng snorted.

"I didn't really fight Kurosaki Ichigo, so I can't say." I shrugged.

I wonder why he gave that name, it obviously wasn't his. Oh well, none of my business.

"He did say he wanted to get an Asauchi though. I don't know if he managed to do that, but we talked about it over drinks."

".....This Ryoka desired an Asauchi?" Aizen asked. "Did he say for what reason?"

"No idea." I shrugged again.

"Captain Unohana" The Old Man spoke up again. "You also had dealings with this Ryoka."

"Captain Unohana, you too?" Sui-Fei looked at her with surprise. "I could understand Kyōraku, but how could you ignore the laws?"

"Captain Sui-Feng....are you suggesting that I should have ignored the welfare of my patients and engaged a Ryoka within my Medical Barracks?" She smiled gently at the little Captain but....it got frighteningly cold in here, despite the old man's fiery temperament.

"No one is faulting your decision." The Old Man quickly interrupted. "We are aware of the importance of the Medical Division. If the Ryoka posed no immediate threat, you made the correct choice."

Sui-Feng shuddered and closed her mouth.

"So this Ryoka snuck into the Fourth Division?" Captain Aizen asked. "For what purpose?"

"He revealed an interest in our Healing Arts. We had a conversation about it and I gave him a demonstration." Captain Unohana replied.

".....really, that's it?" Sui-Feng muttered. "Did he mention any plans? Or his overall purpose for coming here was? Anything else that would be useful?"

"No, besides speaking about healing...well...." She paused. "I do not believe it important."

"What? Any information may be valuable."

"...He spent the remainder of the time....attempting to flirt with me, If I am not mistaken."

....I think....I didn't hear that correctly.

I took a peek around the room, and even the old man had his eyes open, looking at her with a bit of shock.

Alright, Guess I heard that correctly.

Well, someone flirting with Captain Unohana that's not from around here? I could believe that, and wouldn't really give it a second thought beyond wishing the poor sucker the best of luck.

But....why did she sound receptive to it?

I....really need to buy that kid a drink the next time I see him because that is impressive.

"So, you were distracted by such nonsense." Mayuri snorted. "I expected better from you at least."

....Well, I'll pour you a drink at your funeral, Mayuri.

"Captain Kurotsuchi, give your report." The Old Man wisely changed the subject, because Captain Unohana did not seem pleased with his comment.

"Oh, you ran into him too, Mayuri?" I was surprised.

....wait, why was he being so quiet? Mayuri should have been chomping at the bit to get his hands on a Ryoka with anything strange about it.

....something is wrong here.

"Did you even read the report?" Sui-Feng huffed. "Do you really think us Captains would gather for a single Ryoka who hadn't even killed anyone if there wasn't a good reason?"

Oh...Mayuri, what happened to you, huh?

Oddly enough, he wasn't his usually arrogant self. He hadn't spoken a single word, even when I used his first name. I know he hates it when people call him with such familiarity.

"Captain Kurotsuchi, report." The Old Man Ordered.

"I engaged the Ryoka outside the perimeter of the Fourth Division." He said simply.

"....and?" I asked.

He twitched slightly. "And he proved to be troublesome."

"...nothing about the Dragon that appeared?" Captain Hitsugaya asked.

"Dragon?" I blinked.

"Hyorinmaru confirmed it." He stated.

His Zanpakuto was a Dragon, if I remember correctly.

But I still had an important question.

"....what?" I was still stuck on the whole Dragon thing.

"I saw it when I approached after feeling Captain Kurotsuchi release his Bankai. I can understand why Shunsui couldn't see it from his Division." Ukitake responded.

"Huh, so that's what that Reiatsu spike was." I rubbed my chin. "Did he really push you so much that you had to use your Bankai, Mayuri?" I chuckled.

It was fun watching him twitch in annoyance.

"He merely surprised me." The Pale-faced Captain grit out.

"Can you please elaborate on what you mean by a 'Dragon'?" Aizen asked. "I was unfortunately preoccupied and could not see the situation up close."

"Right, Dragon, yeah...." I nodded along.

Sounds weird to even say out loud.

"I do not know what it was." Mayuri grit his teeth. "However, it was able to contend against my Bankai and not lose. However, he fled before a winner could be determined."

"Yes, and how is your new arm, Captain Kurotsuchi?" Captain Unohana asked. "I hope there are not irregularities with it. I can't claim to know what you concocted, but limb regrowth isn't easy. You refused me to provide Medical Attention after the fight."

"Ara, Mayuri, I don't think you're being honest." I chuckled. "Sounds like a lot more than a tie. Did you lose an arm to a human?"

"Two Arms." Sui-Feng corrected. "I retrieved the first severed one and returned it to him afterwards."

"Thank you for your input, Captain Sui-Feng." He practically growled.

Huh, so the kid is able to tangle with a Captain. Can't say that's something I expected with his Reiatsu.

"Give your full report, Captain Kurotsuchi." The Old man commanded.

He twitched in annoyance again, but it's not like he could talk back to the Captain Commander.

"The Ryoka appears to possess weapons capable of harming us, however they did not appear to be Zanpakutō. He showed abilities similar to our Kidō, but I sensed no use of Reiryoku when cast. He possessed speed and strength far above what a Human should possess. He possessed some sort of Spiritual Shield that protected him from my Poison."

"...and the Dragon." I added.

"Yes, and the Dragon." Mayuri hissed. "I was unable to analyze this Dragon in detail, so I cannot speak about it one way or another. I will need some time to prepare counter measures."

Right, a sore loser wouldn't let this go.

I'll make sure the kid doesn't get near Mayuri if he pops up again. He isn't the strongest among our number, but give him time to prepare, and he's scary.

"Are you sure, Captain Kurotsuchi? A Human with the power to match a Captain shouldn't be unknown to us." Aizen commented.

"It does sound....concerning." Ukitake also shared his thoughts. "Though, the fact that this Ryoka didn't kill anyone does speak well about them....despite everything else."

"Doesn't matter. We should find him and kill him. He already invaded and attacked our own, this is a direct insult and declaration to us." Sui-Feng crossed her arms. "If he's human, he's in the human world. Give me the order and I'll track him down."

"Hmph, and you think you can handle him? I will deal with him myself." Mayuri scoffed. "I will bring him back and research him thoroughly."

"Yeah, how'd that go for you this time?" Sui-Feng shot back.

"You --"

"Enough." The Old man slammed his cane against the ground.

Everyone seemed to go silent after that.

"Anything else of note?" I asked, clearing my throat. I was probably just going to hand over the report to Nanao again, so if there was something important, better find out now.

"Did you analyze the weapon he used before he departed, Captain Kurotsuchi?" Captain Unoahan asked. "You were left in a poor state when I first arrived. I merely caught the last moments of the fight."

"...there is nothing to analyze."

"Did something happen?"

"Nothing happened."

"I am just concerned. I have never seen a brick able to inflict such damage on one of our number before. To see Captain Kurotsuchi reduced to such a state after having one thrown at his face. I am merely concerned." Captain Unohana's words sounded reasonable....but there was an odd bite to them.

And I recall him running around with a brick and beating up the people from my division....

"Mayuri, did you get beat up with a brick?"

"...."

"A bunch of my subordinates did too, so you don't need to feel bad."

"...."

"I was going to have Nanao give them extra training later. You can come join in if you want." I smiled.

"..."

"Perhaps we should move on." Aizen politely coughed. "However, I would like to request a detailed report on everything that happened. Merely just to check any information we could have missed."

Well, leave it to the nicest guy here to even defend Mayuri.

I could tell he was ready to burst. Maybe I should stop while I'm ahead, I could tell the Old man was starting to get annoyed at it too.

But still, the thought of Mayuri getting a brick thrown at his face.....I'll need to ask Captain Unohana for the details.

"It will be done." The Old Man grunted. "I expect a more detailed Written report, Captain Kurotsuchi."

I would settle for him scowling and being ashamed for now.

Never really liked him that much.

"Despite the.....uncertainties. It is clear that this Ryoka has the ability of a Captain in combat potential." The Old Man tapped his cane on the ground again, gaining our undivided attention. "Due to the battle that occurred, there is a significant amount of damage left in the aftermath. While no Shinigami were killed, I will be elevating this Ryoka to a higher danger rating. If he is to appear again, you will all be required to apprehend him, and I clear?"

He looked at me.

I nodded.

"You have been provided with the Ryoka's information. Be on the look out for this Kurosaki Ichigo. He has stolen a Shinigami Uniform, be aware that he may mix in with our own members."

Hmm, everyone else had been kinda quiet.

Gin usually has more to say, but he's just been snickering. Though....why did he look like he was holding back a laugh at the name? Was it some joke I wasn't aware of?

Well, I don't know why the Kid told me that, but I'd report it anyway.

It's not like he'd probably even come back at this point. He would have to know that things would be bad after his fight with Mayuri.

Nah, the kid didn't seem that stupid.

[***]

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