Bleach Hereafter RPG

While the Captainship Ceremony was not as grand as the festival the other night, the news on the successor naturally spread like wildfire. Rumours vouched for the 13th Division Vice Captain Okamoto Yoshinori to be the next captain, though, his position as Vice-Captain had just been assumed weeks before so it was quite unlikely. Others postulated that it would be someone in the Higher Seats in the 13th Division, while the re-assignment of one Vice-Captain from the First Division was also plausible.

To Hyakuji’s friends, it would not be a surprise if he was inducted as Captain. Many believed he had the potential considering what he had done for Soul Society, especially in the last few months.

Things had been pretty laid back these days, and the work in the 13th Division was not as much as in the First Division. Though, he still had his own business to take care of, naturally.

Revenge.

To whoever murdered the islanders in Hawaii.It was quite hard to believe it, and so he hoped it was just an illusion someone casted to protect themselves from outside threat.

Still, his mission remained: to collect the Hogyoku shards for his beloved. Whether or not she was still alive, he wanted to establish the peace he promised to her.

Contemplating on this, he was interrupted by a text message as he sat laidback on his new office chair in a pretty spacious room inside the 13th Division Barracks.

"Senpai, congrats once again for becoming Captain. Speaking of, wasn't your reason for climbing the ranks to find the shards and wish for peace? I think one of the shards is here in Soul Society, so let's look for it together!"

That bloke. He was certainly updated on his life, wasn’t he?

Well, it would be rude not to greet back the lad. Considering he had been waiting outside the headquarters.

“And what makes you think you can’t come inside, Hageshi-san?”

The Captain chuckled as he appeared before Rekka, ruffling his hair.

“Friends are always welcome in this barracks. Let’s go inside for a bit to make some plans.”

[356]

Evidently, there wasn't any rule saying one couldn't enter another squad's barracks, as Rekka and his friends were readily permitted by the new Captain.

"Don't mind if we do, Senpai," said Rekka, entering the 13th Division Captain office. It was clearly far more spacious than his own, as well as several magnitudes of order more luxurious. However, it smelt faintly of medicine, clearly a holdover from its previous occupant. That being so, each of the Hogyoku hunting team members were able to find a seat very quickly. Kaoru sat last, first placing a spell to soundproof the office.

"We may now speak freely," the caster said. "Let us bring this planning session to order."

Ran brought out a clipboard and pen, setting it on the low table between them. "Our goal as previously stated is to search for and obtain all four Hogyoku shards, bring them together, and wish for peace between the realms. Rekka-senpai, your report?"

"We currently know that Senpai obtained two of the shards, hiding them with his human lover for safekeeping. However, when I went to Hawaii to attempt to establish a connection with her, I discovered that the signature of the shards was no longer there. I ended up turning back after getting a bad feeling. I used my Diviner powers, and I couldn't see myself meeting up with her in any future."

"In other words, the Captain's bae has disappeared and her shards have scattered?" Yukina asked.

"That's what the signs point to, yes," answered Ran. "But we're here because we did a bit of digging and found out one of the shards should reappear here in Soul Society. All reports go through 9th after all, including the battle logs from the Demon invasion."

"Still, Senpai is now one of the Gatekeepers. It won't do for him to leave his post," said Rekka. "While my family and the rest of my friends agreed to help cover the gate, and I assume Yoshi-san is also out there guarding, it won't be enough. I'll have to send Senpai back with my portal if something comes up."

The information delivered by the Ninth Division Third Seat was no foreign to him. He went to Hawaii long before the otaku death god did. Thus his silence on the matter. It was still vague whether Yukari and her clan died in the scene. Sure there were casualties, but it was unclear if they were members of the Aihara or Somah. None of the bodies he recognised as people he knew, perhaps they were relatives, but those he knew in their clan were not among the dead.

Of course, he wanted to hope that they managed to escape. Or at least most of them. There was no news from Hideki either, which was a bit odd. If he knew what happened, he would’ve told him. If they were hiding, he should’ve informed him as well. But there was none.

All these things rung into his head like an annoying headache, wearing down most of the discussions by his kouhai.

“We need to collect the Hogyoku shards as soon as possible.”

The now-Captain blurted out, ignoring the comments earlier, except for one; confirming his suspicions with Irisa that the shards might’ve been collected by the mysterious demon. Or whoever that was who had a mix of shinigami and demon reiatsu.

“The world is in danger if it falls in the hands of the wrong person.”

His blue eyes glanced at the two younger death gods. It was the first time he’d been this frantic, albeit, not obviously. The concern and worry about something dreadful happening in the future was evident in his face.

However, the search would not be easy this time. The Demon Invasion was the reason why the hogyoku in this realm showed up. Or rather, was revealed. It was thanks to the labour of their enemies that he managed to secure it for his lover.

Looking for it throughout Soul Society would probably take months. Perhaps the only trump they have in this search would be his familiarity to its reiatsu.

“... but where to begin?”


[341]

“We need to collect the Hogyoku shards as soon as possible. The world is in danger if it falls in the hands of the wrong person.”

Hyakuji was right. By itself, a single shard could open up a near-permanent portal to Hell from which demonic forces emerged. Together, the Hogyoku could bring forth enough power to almost wipe out the Quincy, or even crack open the sky and collapse all the realms together into a singularity.

“... but where to begin?”

"Senpai, if you know what a shard's Reiatsu signature is supposed to feel like, how close do you need to be to sense it?" Rekka asked. "Soul Society is practically infinite, and it's not like I can freely use my Diviner powers like sonar without attracting beings that would be all too eager to claim the shards for themselves."

"Ahem, if I may," Kaoru cleared her throat, bringing up a list she'd clearly written down in a rush. "If it's about finding where the Hogyoku shard will turn up, I compiled the most reliable rumors about it, though that's not saying much..."

"First, each realm holds precisely one shard. One each for Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, Earth, and the hitherto inaccessible Quincy realm.

Second, each shard is naturally drawn to a guardian, a powerful entity who keeps it out of reach. But the only beings here who are powerful enough to qualify are--"

"The other Captains." Rekka finished the sentence. "Which means that if we're not careful, we could end up fighting the Kenpachi or even the Captain-Commander."

“I know that much…” the Captain now seated in his office chair replied as a matter of factly.

“... I also know that I am on Katsumoto-taichou’s radar despite my promotion. He is not dumb, nor anyone in the Goteijusantai. He knew I lied to him when I took the shard and gave it to Yukari,” the long haired death god stared blankly on the ceiling as he laid back further his chair, thinking deeply.

“... more than my position, I cannot risk you and Kaoru-san for this dangerous mission.” Hyakuji’s eyes met with the flaming irises of the 9th Division Third Seat.

“I’d rather go alone, than sacrifice both of you in the process.”

It didn’t matter if he got demoted should anyone find out what he did. Since the incident in the Paradise Islands, he had been thinking about his own resolve. Whether it was still valuable to strive for peace, or abandon it all together.

Yet, even with his reluctance to carry on, he found himself pursuing what remained of his promise to his lover. Either way, he already realised the truth to it all.

Everything is meaningless. An endless chase after lazy, gentle winds.

Only time would tell if he could finish this futile race.


If the shards indeed scattered, and there was no other way of knowing their potential whereabouts, then there would only be one option for him to try...

Go back to its point of origin.

With lighted eyes, he stood up rather abruptly from his chair, making his way out of his office in haste, “Hold the fort. I need to investigate Rukongai Square.”

Yes, it was the place where he, Yukari, and the rest of the shinigami heroes fought the Demon Prince who invaded Soul Society.

[297]

As expected of the Captain, he was simply going on equal, most likely greater information than the lower ranking Shinigami in the room. And yet, he also bore significantly more responsibility than them.

“... more than my position, I cannot risk you and Kaoru-san for this dangerous mission. I’d rather go alone, than sacrifice both of you in the process.”

Once again, Hyakuji's iridescent blue gaze pierced through Rekka, and the less mature Shinigami was almost persuaded to back down. But part of his defiant and hot-blooded nature, the side of his that had steadily been dying down ever since the man in front of him had defeated him soundly that day, refused to accept that his senior still didn't acknowledge his strength.

"No, Senpai." he replied. "All the strength I've gained until now was to be able to stand at your side--"

But Hyakuji didn't seem to be listening, and abruptly got up and left for Rukongai Square while telling the others to hold down the fort.

"The Captain is being selfish..." Kaoru noted once he was gone. "He is so fixated on the fear of losing others that he knows not the fear of others losing him."

"Eh?" Yukina asked. "I honestly thought the Captain was being overly heroic. By the way, Rekka, you have no plans to actually follow that order, right? Don't worry about us, we'll just take turns with the old Captain's Pai Sho set while waiting, and Ran here can deal with anyone who comes in."

"Well, the plot demands it," Rekka said, sneaking out the door to follow Hyakuji. "I'm counting on all of you."

At this time of day, the square was surprisingly not busy, and most people seemed to be wary or nervous around this area. It used to be a business hub, and while there were shops reopened and renovated after the Demon Invasion, somehow, the number of enterprises in this vicinity dwindled, if only for a bit. Perhaps, the people of rukongai were still traumatised about what happened in the past month.

Still, he could not risk being seen. As such, the 13th Division Captain immediately took out the perfume he bought from a mysterious shop in Tokyo. It was the same perfume he used to mask himself during the ball in Poland, and the same perfume Yukari used to infiltrate Soul Society in the attempt of saving it from the demons’ hands alongside Hyakuji and other shinigami.

There was no other way, he thought. He could definitely not attack his comrades nor make himself look suspicious just as he was trying to get used to the duties and responsibilities of captainship. If he were an evil antagonist perhaps, but he couldn’t risk being found out and getting his hands dirty.

A lowly random face of a shinigami would be hard to take note of. Some might even have trouble remembering their name, regardless if they were from the same division or not.

Before he could spray it to himself however, a random shinigami from his division suddenly approached, naturally, and paid his respects to his Captain.

“Captain!” the messy-haired shinigami bowed, “ I didn’t expect to see you here sir. Most Captains do not do such menial tasks, and I am already impressed by your dedication!”

Now, that was quite an odd remark.

Nevertheless, Hyakuji paid no heed to his weird statement and made a bit of small talk so as not to look suspicious, “I am still easing up on my new post. I’m sure it doesn’t hurt to walk around and actually observe at the current state of our realm. We need to make people feel secure. They have seen enough violence, especially here… on this side of Soul Society. It’s the least thing I could do.”

A light smile, but it somehow struck some inspiration in the other death god.

“Mhhm. Thank you for your assurance Captain. I’m sure you’ll lead us well!”

“Ganbarimasu.”

A silhouette flashed to his peripheral vision which only meant he was being followed. This soon? Who could’ve caught on his plan? There was indeed no time to lose, and so he had to bid farewell to his subordinate as soon.

Now, he had to lure this person to follow him, walking past the few crowds at the square, looking to his left and right as if actually looking for something…

By the time he got near the fountain, the reiatsu of the Hogyoku which was once there was no more. Hyakuji continued walking, past the few shops and then headed straight into a narrow alleyway to his left.

Now, all he had to do was wait…


[511]

One could not fly in Soul Society. More precisely, the air walks that the various spiritually aware races seemed to all be capable of wouldn't work due to the specially built walls of Seireitei. And yet, that didn't stop Rekka from sneaking from roof to roof, tracking Hyakuji as he made his way towards the former location of the Hogyoku shard.

And as usual, the Captain ran into a member of his division who struck up a conversation. Rekka leaned in to listen, but slipped from his position, jumping back up just in time. But it was too late, Hyakuji had noticed that someone was following him and broke off the conversation.

Left without a choice, Rekka continued to follow his senpai, noting that the shard was in fact not back at the fountain where it originally was. In fact, the thing seemed to have disappeared altogether, and the Captain was just trying to throw his pursuers off at this point by going down a back alley

"I'm not trapped in here with you, you're trapped in here with me, that's what you were going for, right?"

Rekka stepped into the entrance of the alleyway, silhouetted against rays of light as a gust of wind ruffled his hair and cape.

"No, Senpai. You're trapped with yourself, your grief, and your regrets." Mirroring his mentor's iridescent blue irises, the Third Seat's own eyes glowed scarlet with the unusual power that he had been struggling with for a time, now completely under his control. "The wind had changed since a long time ago. Can't you feel it?"

"Change is happening in this universe, and the past is fading bit by bit. Take your time to grieve, but don't forget to move forward too. And perhaps we weren't meant to find the shard today, rather some other treasure is awaiting us."

The Captain let out a sigh, “And who are you talking to in there, kusogaki?”

This time, Rekka would be surprised there was no one in front of him. Instead, he’d find his senpai leaning against the wall outside, by the entrance to the narrow path.

“Kidding aside, you’re right… I need to move… forward..” a brief pause, just as he recognised the need to accept the past, he felt this particular area was quite familiar.

There were no more rubbles this time, but this was definitely the alley where he hid with Yukari to…

… He must’ve walked to it by instinct.

Everything that time suddenly flashed before his eyes leaving his face flushed, not out of embarrassment but out of the not-so-decent thoughts that flooded his mind.

“Let’s go somewhere else…”

Hyakuji walked away as fast as he could. Now’s not the time to think about such things… Besides… Yukari just… Again, the memory of her started to paralyze him, his pace started slowing down again.

It was quite the struggle. He thought he was doing fine controlling his emotions, and yet a simple reminiscence of his time with his lover was enough to impale him.

Change… huh? He knew for a fact that everything changes over time. Yet he didn’t realise it was happening right before his eyes. He was trying to get hold of the things of the past, a haunting memory of that which was lost… just like before with Ayame… or his mentor, Yuna. He was trying to remain for something… or rather someone, who was no longer there.

“Maybe you are right, Rekka-kun. Perhaps, I am trapped with myself. In this cycle of regret…”

[286]