For the Soul Society, with its long and ancient history, the return of two Shinigami who had never even made it to vice-captain—Kisaragi Shūsuke and Matsumoto Rangiku—was nothing.
Even when Higashino Shuuichi had once come back in domineering fashion, it hadn't caused much of a stir or drawn much attention.
Most information of that level stopped at the upper echelons of the Shinigami, and with a handful of those "in the know."
Because of that, the magazine founded by the current Ninth Division captain, Tōsen Kaname—Seireitei Bulletin—had become the best, and in many cases the only, way for most Shinigami to expand their access to information.
This was just as true for Ukitake Zama, a branch-family member of the Ukitake house, a minor noble family within Seireitei.
"Give me the latest Seireitei Bulletin, thanks!"
Having finished his day's work in the Tenth Division, Ukitake Zama had just returned to South Rukongai District 1. He tossed the appropriate amount of money to the officially appointed vendor there.
Soon enough, a freshly printed copy of Seireitei Bulletin ended up in his hands.
For Ukitake Zama, buying Seireitei Bulletin wasn't really about checking what major events had happened in the Soul Society recently.
What he wanted was to follow the serialized novel Twin Fish, written by the famous Thirteenth Division captain from his main family, Ukitake Jūshirō.
Ukitake Zama especially felt a deep ache for the male protagonist of Twin Fish—that tragic backstory, that insistence on facing a world that only ever answered him with malice, all with a bright, positive attitude… it made the story irresistible to him.
Unfortunately, today Ukitake Zama was destined for disappointment.
Because the new installment of Twin Fish he'd been waiting for had been postponed—again.
Seireitei Bulletin was already only a monthly publication, and Twin Fish had now gone on hiatus for two consecutive issues. That meant Zama had gone a full two months without seeing a single update.
He was mad, truly and honestly mad.
But even though he knew exactly who the author was, he didn't dare send razor blades to the man.
After all, Ukitake Jūshirō was a captain. The fact that he was willing to squeeze out time from his busy schedule to serialize a novel at all was already something to be grateful for. What right did a lowly Shinigami like him have to complain?
With no other choice, Ukitake Zama could only start reading the other content in Seireitei Bulletin to pass the time.
He'd originally reserved this slot—waiting for a friend to come drink with him—specifically as prime time to catch up on Twin Fish.
Well, he wouldn't have noticed if he hadn't started reading. Once he did, though, he realized that this issue had dedicated an enormous amount of space to two Shinigami he barely recognized.
Who was this "Kisaragi Shūsuke"?
Who was "Matsumoto Rangiku"?
Ukitake Zama felt like he had a tiny bit of impression of those names, but not much.
It wasn't until he read further that he remembered why they seemed familiar at all—he'd seen them before on the Soul Society's wanted lists.
So these two Shinigami had both been labeled as rebel Shinigami once upon a time.
And now they were brazenly back?
Did laws still mean anything? Did rules still exist?
Ukitake Zama felt the righteous hot-blooded spirit of a proud Tenth Division member catch fire in his veins.
Punish evil, correct mistakes—today would be the day!
And then… he deflated.
Because when he turned the page, he saw which unit was listed as having taken them in: Katana-gari-shū (Blade-Hunting Corps).
All right then. If it was that special squad, he could kind of understand.
Their boss, the Grand Blade-Hunting Chief, Higashino Shuuichi, was himself a former rebel Shinigami—and even more outrageous, a Hollowfied Shinigami.
As the saying went: "Those who aren't from the same family don't enter the same door." Viewed that way, Kisaragi Shūsuke and Matsumoto Rangiku joining the Katana-gari-shū was only natural.
Still… after being established for so long, the Katana-gari-shū had only three official members?
And one of those three had originally been just a normal human, with zero prior Shinigami experience?
All right. Ukitake Zama felt justified in suspecting that the Katana-gari-shū existed purely as a vanity project set up by the higher-ups to placate Higashino Shuuichi. Judging from the results, it had worked quite well.
At the very least, Higashino Shuuichi had shed blood for Seireitei and shown loyalty in the past.
Just one feat—taking down the former ruler of Hueco Mundo, Baraggan—was more than enough to etch Higashino Shuuichi's name into the long history of the Soul Society.
Reading to the end, Zama saw that the article closed with a written appeal from the head of the Tsunayashiro clan—one of the Five Great Noble Clans—Tsunayashiro Kamihara.
He called upon the nobles to seek out the Katana-gari-shū when faced with serious, unexpected situations. Unlike the Gotei 13, which had to take on every incident under the sun, the Katana-gari-shū would handle only matters related to the nobles.
"Is the Tsunayashiro clan trying to slowly pull the authority over noble-related cases away from the Gotei 13 and into their own hands?"
Ukitake Zama muttered in surprise.
As a noble himself, he really couldn't say whether the Tsunayashiro clan's move was good or bad for the greater system. But from a purely personal perspective, he felt… this might be a good thing?
Because the Katana-gari-shū existed outside the current Gotei 13 framework.
That meant their enforcement, to a certain extent, could sidestep the existing laws of the Soul Society—as long as they weren't caught red-handed by Gotei 13 personnel.
So didn't that mean that, going forward, nobles would be able to enjoy true privilege?
Ukitake Zama felt that there was a lot of hidden meaning in this piece of news. It was almost too much to digest all at once. And what he really wanted to know was—how did that big figure in their family, Ukitake Jūshirō, see it?
Zama understood that his elder's stance would greatly influence the attitude of the Ukitake upper echelon toward this matter.
Even as a marginal nobody in the Ukitake family, Zama still knew their house usually aligned with the Shihōin and Kuchiki clans—the moderate faction's core—and that they were definitely not of one mind with radicals like the Tsunayashiro clan.
So it wasn't at all certain that the Ukitake family would support such a move by the Tsunayashiro clan—publicly tearing at the existing structure of the Soul Society like this.
"But… the Tsunayashiro clan's idea is really, really tempting…"
Zama reread that section of the Seireitei Bulletin, whispering his longing under his breath.
His thoughts actually represented the feelings of a very large portion of the noble class.
And that was precisely why Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni had no choice but to agree to the plan Tsunayashiro Kamihara had proposed, piggybacking on Kisaragi Shūsuke and Matsumoto Rangiku's return.
On the surface, Kamihara's request wasn't excessive at all—one could even call it humble.
He was merely urging the noble community that "if something happens in the future, you can go to the Katana-gari-shū."
If Yamamoto refused even that, he would only invite doubt and stir up the dissatisfaction of the entire noble circle.
But Yamamoto could also see very clearly how serious the consequences would be once this opening was created.
If even a small fry like Ukitake Zama could read the implications between the lines, how could Yamamoto not understand?
But this was an open scheme—one of those plots you laid out in the sun for everyone to see. Even knowing that, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni had no effective way to counter it.
From the moment he relented and agreed to let Tsunayashiro Kamihara establish the Katana-gari-shū, the seeds of this bitter fruit had already been sown.
Now, Higashino Shuuichi was merely using Tsunayashiro Kamihara's hand to let that seed break through the soil.
Yes—this call from Tsunayashiro Kamihara had been made at Higashino Shuuichi's friendly suggestion.
After all, he'd played this sort of game more times than he could count. There were few Shinigami in the Soul Society who could claim more experience in that regard than him.
Three rounds of drinks later, with the moon bright and the stars sparse.
Ukitake Zama and a couple of friends, having finished a carefree night in Rukongai, staggered along on their way back to Seireitei, humming little tunes as they went, steps light with drink.
Ever since they'd graduated from Shin'ō Spiritual Arts Academy and joined their respective squads, nights like this had become a regular occurrence.
For them, this kind of night was neither the first nor the last.
But that was only true for them.
"Matsuzaka Bridge~, Ranryū Sakura~, Matsutori Akira~, Autumn's Homecoming~…"
Ukitake Zama held a small sake flask in his hand, humming the half-slurred lyrics, eyes unfocused, steps unsteady.
Two more streets—that was all. After two more streets, they'd be able to see the South Gate of Seireitei.
Thinking about how, once they passed through the gate, he'd have to part ways with his friends, Zama felt oddly unsatisfied.
He didn't feel like he'd drunk enough yet.
He was really happy today.
Just thinking of how one of the Five Great Noble Clans, the Tsunayashiro clan, was working so hard for a brighter future for the nobles—and how it already seemed to be on the right track—made his chest swell.
A nobody like him, on the fringes of the Ukitake clan, might actually become a true member of the privileged class in the near future, able to call the wind and summon the rain within the Soul Society.
Zama lifted his little flask high.
"Come on, before we split up, let's drink another—no, let's—"
He turned, intending to clink his flask against those of his friends—only to realize that the companions who had been beside him just a moment ago, humming tunes along with him, had vanished without him noticing.
"Heh-heh-heh… I must've had too much to drink~"
Forcing a smile onto his face, Ukitake Zama rubbed his eyes hard.
But when he opened them again, the alcohol in his brain was instantly burned away by a surge of terror.
The street he'd walked down countless times before seemed extraordinarily dark and silent tonight.
"Kojirō? Ryōichi? Saji?"
Zama called out his friends' nicknames, his voice growing weaker with each one.
By the time the last name left his lips, there was still no answer.
Panic settled in.
Two streets. Only two streets.
He remembered that the South Gate of Seireitei lay just two streets ahead. As long as he could reach it, he'd be safe.
The four great gates of Seireitei were guarded by Shinigami, round the clock, without interruption.
Unless you had the sheer gall of the former king of Hueco Mundo, Baraggan, no one dared flagrantly provoke the Shinigami posted at the four gates of Seireitei.
Reiryoku surged in his body as Ukitake Zama tried to use shunpo (Flash Step) to flee toward the South Gate.
But then, from the shadows beside him, he heard a low, heavy sigh—and the sound of something cutting through the air.
A sword strike.
Sharp and lethal.
Ukitake Zama caught sight of a flash of silver and wanted to dodge, but his body simply couldn't keep up with his thoughts.
"Ahhhh!!"
His scream echoed in the lonely night sky.
Zama tumbled across the ground, leaving a long smear of blood in his wake.
That blow had completely ruined his legs. Now, never mind condensing reiryoku—even the idea of simply standing back up felt like a daytime fantasy.
Two streets that would have taken only a few steps under normal circumstances were now the furthest distance in the world.
Staring at the black silhouette in the shadows, Ukitake Zama shouted,
"Who are you? What do you want?!"
He knew perfectly well that he probably wouldn't get a reply.
But he still hoped that speaking might buy him a little more time.
As for what that time was good for… truth be told, he had no idea.
But a little more time was always better than none.
Unfortunately, the figure in the shadows seemed just like that hateful Grand Blade-Hunting Chief, Higashino Shuuichi—didn't like to talk, only liked efficiency.
After a low, muttered chant, three beak-shaped blasts of spiritual energy shot out from the darkness.
Ukitake Zama recognized the Kidō at a glance:
"Bakudō #30: Shitotsu Sansen (Beak Thrust Triple Flash)."
He knew that, in his current physical state, there was absolutely no way he could dodge it.
As for neutralizing or shattering the binding spell—forget it.
There was a reason Ukitake Zama was just a fringe member of his family.
He'd graduated from Shin'ō Spiritual Arts Academy nearly twenty years ago and still hadn't managed to bring his Zanpakutō to Shikai. He was just an ordinary Shinigami.
For him, even casting a single Kidō in the forties was a clumsy, awkward mess. Trying to stop a #30 Bakudō from taking effect was impossible.
But Zama wasn't completely resigned to his fate.
At the very least, his mind was still working.
"Hadō #4: Byakurai (White Lightning)!"
This time, to make sure his body could keep up with his brain's reaction, Ukitake Zama deliberately chose the Kidō he was most familiar and comfortable with—the one that required the least preparation: Byakurai.
Only, his Byakurai wasn't aimed at any of the three beak-shaped blasts, nor at the shadowy figure.
It was aimed straight up into the sky.
Ping!
As expected, the moment the white lightning left his fingers, the three bolts of Shitotsu Sansen pinned Ukitake Zama to the ground, rendering him completely immobile.
But a smile crept onto Zama's face.
"There are only two streets between here and the South Gate. The Byakurai I just fired—they're bound to see it. I don't know what you're after, but I'd advise you to leave now. Otherwise, when the Shinigami at the South Gate get here, you'll find it a lot harder to escape."
Was this Zama's confidence speaking?
No.
It was simply his will to live.
Two streets' distance, plus the reaction time of the Shinigami at the South Gate—that was plenty of time for the shadowed man to do whatever he wanted to him.
Zama was gambling that he could bluff the attacker.
To be fair, there was nothing wrong with his thinking.
But not everyone fell for such tricks.
Originally, Ukitake Zama was supposed to share the same fate as his three friends—silently captured and taken who-knew-where.
But now…
His pupils constricted. A streak of lightning danced, dragging a long trail of radiance through the air before plunging into his chest.
"This is… Hadō #63: Raikōhō (Thunder Roar Cannon)?"
No one needed to confirm it for him. The result alone was answer enough.
Just as the Shinigami guards at the South Gate noticed something amiss on this particular street and were about to send someone to investigate, a deafening explosion tore through the night, instantly escalating the nature of the incident.
By the time the South Gate Shinigami found Ukitake Zama, he was already sprawled in a pool of blood—flesh mangled beyond recognition.
"Ka… tana… ga… ri… shū…"
Those fractured syllables—"Katana… -gari… -shū…"—were the last words Ukitake Zama left to the Shinigami of the South Gate.
The final cry he could manage before his consciousness completely vanished.
He only hoped that he could make some small contribution to the bright future of the nobles—
Even if that "bright future" was something he might never live to see.
//Check out my P@tre0n for 20 extra chapters on all my fanfics //[email protected]/Razeil0810.