Diverting the Trouble
A familiar voice drifted in the wind.
The flames flickered.
Shiba Kūkaku looked up and saw a man emerging from the dim jungle. He stepped into the light cast by the fire, his long silver hair shimmering like mercury.
"Yo." Shiraishi raised his hand in greeting.
"Hadō no. 4: Byakurai!"
Blue-white lightning flashed at Kūkaku's fingertips, erupting into a piercing bolt.
Shiraishi twisted his head aside, a few strands of silver hair falling away, and exclaimed in astonishment:
"Hey! I'm Shiraishi! I haven't seen you in a few days, and you're already trying to kill me?"
"I'm hitting Shiraishi!"
Kūkaku shouted back. She leapt from the stone pier, her reiatsu flaring, and drove a brutal left straight punch toward his face without hesitation.
Shiraishi ducked. He didn't counterattack—just confusion filled his eyes. Why was she attacking him out of nowhere?
Was this Aizen's doing again?
Before he could react further, Kūkaku followed with a vicious right hook, then pivoted her hips and snapped a powerful kick toward his chest.
He managed to evade her fist, but the kick slammed into his guard, the force sending shockwaves through his arms. Barefoot, her heel left a dusty imprint on his palm.
Like a cannonball, Shiraishi was hurled backward, smashing through tree after tree.
Clawing at the air, he released streams of white reiryoku to slow his momentum, finally grinding to a halt just before the shattered trunks hit the ground.
But Kūkaku wasn't done. She shot after him, spinning through the air with a full turn, skirt and cape fluttering wildly. Her right leg gleamed in the moonlight like a guillotine blade as she came crashing down.
Shiraishi caught her ankle with his right hand, slamming both of them into the earth. The impact crushed stumps into splinters and sent a typhoon-force wind surging through the mountains, tearing leaves into a storm.
The moonlit forest fell into stunned silence.
Shiraishi rose slowly, still gripping her leg and forcing it above his shoulder like a standing split. "Now—maybe you should explain why you're attacking me?"
Kūkaku's chest heaved with fury. "Because you're too damn arrogant! You went off investigating alone without telling me. Do you think I'm some fragile girl who needs protecting?"
Shiraishi blinked. "Investigating what?"
"You dare say you're not after Tsunayashiro Takehiko?"
"Who?" Shiraishi's face all but sprouted a question mark. "I know Tsunayashiro Tokinada's a corrupt bastard, but… Takehiko?"
Kūkaku faltered, seeing his bafflement. "…Then why are you here?"
"I came with two friends to find Ryūdenji," Shiraishi said, looking dejected. "I saw your fire and wanted to say hello—maybe share dinner. But instead, you nearly kill me and call everyone to arms."
Her anger melted into awkward laughter. "Ahahaha… sorry. I misunderstood. Thought you were sneaking into the Tsunayashiro branch's compound. Turns out you just wanted barbecue."
Shiraishi frowned. "Explain clearly."
Kūkaku crossed her arms. "You're perverted, making me talk while my leg's still in the air."
"Oh. Right." He dropped her ankle, letting her feet touch ground. "Now. Talk."
"You're hungry too, aren't you? Let's eat while we discuss."
She returned to the fire, rescuing skewers sizzling over the coals. Passing one to him, she grinned. "Don't sulk. I admitted I was wrong. You're magnanimous, right?"
Shiraishi bit into the skewer but stayed stern. "Your explanation."
Kūkaku's face hardened. "I'm planning to infiltrate the Tsunayashiro branch under the pretense of delivering medicine. I want to investigate Tsunayashiro Takehiko. I suspect that bastard killed my eldest brother—and stole his body for Hollow experiments."
Shiraishi froze. "…I thought your brother was killed by a Hollow."
Kūkaku's eyes narrowed. "That Hollow wasn't natural. It had two abilities. My uncle Isshin—Captain of the 10th Division—suspects it was man-made. And when someone tampered with the funeral rites, he realized they weren't after me. They wanted the body."
Her voice trembled, but her gaze burned. "Isshin's investigation pointed toward Takehiko. I let my anger get the better of me and misjudged you. For that… I'm sorry."
Shiraishi exhaled slowly. He understood now. His earlier actions—digging where he shouldn't—had stirred suspicions. Aizen had no doubt twisted events, throwing suspicion onto Takehiko to cover his tracks.
He couldn't let it end there. "Alright. Help me find the Ryūdenji, and I'll help you infiltrate the Tsunayashiro branch. Deal?"
Kūkaku frowned. "Takehiko isn't just some noble brat. He graduated from Shin'ō Academy's Fourth Class, served as the Fifth Division's Third Seat. He's skilled, and the branch is layered with reiryoku traps."
Shiraishi smirked. "And no one conceals spiritual pressure better than me."
"…You're reckless," she muttered, shaking her head. "But fine. Just be careful."