Going through the motions of the day was something Itachi had gotten used to a long time ago. Being a Shinigami had become something so natural to him that trying to act otherwise became too unnatural for him to pull off. Like trying to manually take a breath. Too much effort for something so simple.
The same could be said for him being a Captain. He was used to being one, used to being in such a high position and dealing with the politics that such office came with. He was used to it.
Being tasked with taking out the trash of Soul Society? It was second nature to him. In fact that made up to seventy percent of all his dealings as a Shinigami Captain.
The same ease with which he carried himself as a Captain was the same ease with which he took to teaching and instructing. Sure it was a little hard and took more than a few years of getting used to and finally seeing the essence and fruit of teaching, but it was something he nevertheless got used to.
Now, as for things he couldn't figure out, even with his standing and prowess, as Soi Fon so elegantly put it, was getting a life.
It didn't help that he could feel Amaterasu nodding in agreement when that particular statement was made.
His first reaction had been to respond with a simple answer, "I already have a life", but Soi Fon beat him to it by giving his structured response in a mockery of his voice.
He couldn't even remember what conversation had brought on that particular comment but at this point it mattered little, as Amaterasu would agree.
His only saving grace had been that Yoruichi was nowhere in sight and that Soi Fon was not the type to gossip, especially to her former Lady, or whatever their current relationship was.
So here he was, in the backyard of his office building, sitting under a shade and wondering if, and a big 'if' at that, maybe, just maybe, Itachi Uchiha did not in fact have a life.
Normally it wouldn't be a topic that someone of his stature would bother with, but, well, Itachi wasn't like the others. As per the nature of their being, as souls, Shinigami were rarely in a rush, at least when related to the aspect of their lives.
Take the Captains for example; Captains like Shunsui, Jūshirō, Yoruichi, Rōjūrō, and Shinji who had been Captains for at least a century weren't so concerned about such trivial things and they could remain married to the job for the next five hundred years or even a thousand as in the case of the first two. But Itachi wasn't like that, or at least he didn't want to be.
Itachi would never admit it, not to anyone, not even to his own Zanpakutō, about the little fact that he had been envious, maybe even a tad bit jealous, of Byakuya Kuchiki.
In a way, the young man was what Itachi hoped to be. He did not want to be in a wedlock with his duty as a Shinigami for the next few centuries. He was not human, he didn't strive to be, but he still wanted to be complete.
Like Amaterasu told him all those years ago, he had to stop bottling his passions up and he was trying, he really was, but the main thing Itachi Uchiha wanted was still the only thing that remained out of his grasp.
A family of blood. One to call his own.
And unknowingly, Soi Fon's idle comment had brought it out to the forefront of his mind.
'Well, unfortunately for you, this is not one of those things you can force into submission. It would have been easier if you could.' He snorted as he heard Amaterasu spoke.
"A lot of things would have been easier that way." He said.
'What will be will be. Let it.' The crow on his shoulder, Tsukuyomi in a more physical form, spoke.
Itachi shook his head. That wasn't the problem. "I know better than to rush into looking for something genuine, but sometimes I can't help but wonder-"
'If you're ready for it?' Itachi nodded. 'When is one truly ready? A soldier prepares for a battle that is yet to come. The fact that you're questioning yourself shows that you're preparing yourself for the possibility. That is enough.'
Right then it was established, between a soup and two spirits, that Itachi Uchiha did not in fact have a life.
.
....
.
It was in the evening when Junpei delivered a message to Itachi who was still sitting under the shade that finally snapped him out of his reflective mood and put him in a more somber one.
"She's dying?"
"It appears to be so." Junpei replied while leaning against the tree behind Itachi. "As far as I'm aware, he has called in all the Clan's doctors but her condition keeps deteriorating. At this rate, I'm afraid she'll die in a year's time."
Itachi remained silent, his eyes trained on the shadows of the shades, seeing movements only he could see.
"And you say there was no foul play? The dissenters in the Clan weren't involved?"
Junpei took a second before he replied. "I can't risk getting too close but as far as I've kept my eyes open and my ears down, I haven't seen them make any moves against her. They are glad, yes, but there has been no mention of their participation in her current state."
"I see." Itachi said, his hand idly tracing lines along the shade on the ground. "Keep an eye on the healers for now. They may not have had a hand in her sickness but that doesn't mean they did not in her deterioration."
"And another thing," his fingers paused in the little scribbles he had been drawing. "Has he yet made a call for Unohana?"
"No sir, but I believe he's been considering it these past days."
Itachi nodded and Junpei took that as his dismissal and promptly left.
In his absence, Itachi leaned his back against the tree and looked up, passing his gaze through the gaps between the leaves and into the waning sky up above.
"At least he's not as proud as he is straight." In his experience, people with rigid views like Byakuya's were the ones that were most proud and headstrong. And they were also the ones who paid the heaviest cost for their pride.
He put it in his mind to refer Byakuya to Kisuke Urahara in case the man could help in any way. At the very least, the man was Seireitei's number one expert in anything soul related, no matter how much Mayuri would tattle otherwise.
As for the reason why he was this bit invested in Byakuya's matter...well the man was a noble and a Clan Head, that was enough to warrant his attention. Yes, that was a good reason.
'Take this from me, but you could do with being less dramatic.' He reasonably ignored Amaterasu's voice in his head.
'As much as I am loath to admit, she is right.' But he couldn't ignore Tsukuyomi that was perched on his shoulders.
He made to respond but his words were put on hold when another crow flew down and perched on his outstretched hand.
'Oh dear.' Tsukuyomi had barely finished his words when Itachi's form scattered into a plume of feathers as they disappeared from his courtyard and soon appeared inside the Academy grounds, specifically the training yards for the final year students.
"What happened?" His usual calmness was still in his voice but now it sounded cold and the only other student that was in the training yard with him shivered.
"We were sparring and then his Asauchi started reacting somewhat so I figured he was about to release his Shikai, but...."
Itachi looked around the training yard that was half frozen but that wasn't what caught his attention. What caught his attention was the fact that this particular Reiatsu was one he had only ever felt from one student and that student was currently shivering under his gaze, despite not being the one who caused this.
"Kusaka did this?"
"Y-yes sir." Tōshirō answered shakily.
He had known something was wrong the first time he felt Kusaka's Zanpakutō stir, especially when it only ever did in Tōshirō's presence when the younger boy was expressing his Zanpakutō.
The fact that Tōshirō's Zanpakutō also reacted in the vicinity of Kusaka's was also strange, but not as strange as the fact that neither of their Zanpakutō could be differentiated from each other when they were in their dormant state. And even now that Kusaka had awakened his Shikai, Reiatsu-wise, it still remained perfectly identical to Tōshirō's.
Initially he had thought that it was an act of sabotage but quickly discarded it when he saw how they had been practically strangers at the beginning, but still a bit of suspicion remained so he tasked Junpei to keep and eye on both Tōshirō and Kusaka and also kept a crow to keep watch in the event that Junpei couldn't.
"Captain Uchiha, what...how?"
"I don't know yet, but it is strange. For now take him to his room and have him rest up. Do not speak of this yet until I have an answer."
How could two different souls possess the same Zanpakutō? Because even looking at it with his Sharingan, he was certain that it was Hyōrinmaru strapped to Sōjirō Kusaka's waist.
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