Chapter Text
‘Is this some stupid joke?’
Kyouraku’s voice was dangerously low as he gave a side stare to the Kotetsu sisters. Captain Kotetsu held eye contact and shook her head while her lieutenant and sister just stared down at the floor and clearly tried not to cry.
She was already in shambles when she fast stepped into his office without any announcement. Poor Nano-chan nearly hit her with a random book, but when she saw Kiyone’s teary eyes his niece's face got white too. Seeing a scared lieutenant is never a good sign. Especially when she is from the 4th. Kiyone asked the Captain Commander to go to the 4th headquarters with her immediately but she refused to give out any more information about the hurry.
Kyouraku lazily took his straw hat and zanpakuto from the side of the table and leaving Nanao-chan in charge he followed Lieutenant Kotetsu back to her squad. They shunpo stepped directly to the hospital wing where the small officer quickly led him to a very familiar corridor.
Kyouraku took a sharp breath through his teeth. They were heading to that room. It wasn’t an exclusive suite, actually it wasn’t reserved only for him . But when he needed some rest, he always stayed in that room. Kyouraku hasn't been there in a decade. He hasn’t been there since they showed him the body. His body.
They took one last turn to the left before the door showed up before them. Kyouraku unconsciously stopped as he saw the slide door. After all of the years. Why on Earth is this room now?
‘Sorry.’ Kiyone said quietly, breaking the moment.
The Captain Commander’s eye snapped at the girl and he forced himself to stay cool at least on the outside. He gave a small smile to the lieutenant as she reached for the door to open it.
‘We didn’t know what to do and this room was… logical.’ she mumbled as she opened the door for them.
And there he was.
A fairly tall, young man sat in the bed. His face was angular but soft at the same time, and he had an oddly friendly smile taking the fact that he was in a hospital bed. His hands rested in his lap, his whole posture was calm but still somewhat stressed. His stare was welcoming and warm just like his whole attitude. His short, snow white hair fell into his face but couldn’t hide his pitch black brows.
Breathing became difficult for Kyouraku Shunsui. He felt a tug at his belly as the world turned with him. Ukitake Juushiro sat on his usual hospital bed like nothing happened ten years ago. His hair was chopped but it was him.
Kyouraku scanned the too familiar face again in panic. No, his hair wasn’t chopped. His hair was short like in their academy years. And he was young like in the years they met. It was him, but it wasn’t him at all.
His Zanpakuto rested a good five meters away from the bed, leaning against the wall. It didn’t have the usual dark red tsuka ito but some old lamb skin wrapping.
‘Just like in the Academy Years.’
‘Is this a stupid joke?’ he asked again as his stare jumped between the officers of the 4th and the cheap impostor who was clearly puzzled by the little scenario.
‘He was found in the outer areas of Eastern Rukongai.’ Isane started to explain the situation quickly. ‘Lieutenant Abarai recognised him and shunpo stepped him directly to the 6th headquarters but they didn’t know what to do so they called us and we transported him here to avoid any curious eyes.’
While the 4th Captain spoke, the stranger in the hospital bed cautiously watched them. He clearly didn’t recognize any of them.
‘He must have some memory loss.’ Isane continued ‘Because he knows his name and he very stubbornly claims that he is the student of the academy and the pupil of Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto.’
Kyouraku flinched. Another name he didn’t like to hear. The Ukitake impostor’s eyes perked up when he finally heard a familiar name and nodded with a cheerful smile. Kyouraku’s hand clenched into a fist of rage. With a fast move he drew his katana and with a very precise but lightning fast move he lifted the blade to the face of the impostor. His smile disappeared immediately as the air froze in the room. ‘ Good ’
‘Captain Kotetsu, please send a hell butterly to Captain Kurotsuchi asking to pay a visit here immediately. We have a soul he can study.’ Kyouraku said in a low voice without looking away from his prey
‘Also please alert the 1st division, ask Liteuant Ise to organize a visit to Aizen. Just to be sure.’
Isane nodded and left the room with a fast step. Kiyone was still in her place, frozen in motion. She couldn’t take her eyes from the balde stayed dangerously close to the young man’s face. Kyouraku, with a very careful movement, pushed forward the blade a little bit, gently pressing it to the porcelain skin of the stranger. It didn’t bleed but could anytime.
‘Kiyone’ Kyouraku said, still staring at the man, ‘You stay here till everybody returns. I don’t want to do anything reckless while staying alone with him.’
The scared Lieutenant nodded but didn’t dare to move. Just like the fake Ukitake. He didn’t show it with his expression, but his eyes were scared. Just how Juushiro would do.
‘ Damn, he is a good fakie. ‘
The stranger's eyes darted around the room desperately trying to find some help. He didn’t dare to lean out of the reach of the balde. He knew better that in this situation a bad move can cost half of his face. Or his life.
After a few moments of silence his gaze stopped at the small Lieutenant.
‘Can I get some insight into what is happening right now, please?’ he asked Kiyone in the most formal way possible.
He probably trusted her the most. After all she was nice to her and didn’t hold a naked blade to his face. The young Lieutenant opened her mouth to answer but Kyouraku prevented her from answering.
‘We don’t share with you any information till we find out what you are.’
‘What am I?’ the young man asked back with a small gape.
His cheeks got pink from the frustration and his breathing started to pick up. He had more and more difficult time to hold back his stress.
‘Captain, is this necessary?’ Kiyone asked carefully.
‘It is till Nanao gives a report on Aizen.’ Kyouraku said and his eye flickered to the familiar Zanpakuto resting at the corner of the room.
As some strange joke, this was the exact moment when they heard someone shunpo step to the corridor outside of the door.
‘Captain Commander,’ Nanao stepped into the room with a bow, and started to give our her report without looking up:
‘Everything is fine at the Muken, nothing ordinary to report and Kyōka Suigetsu is…’
She froze in the middle of the sentence when she finally lifted her gaze up and took in the scene.
‘Sir, what is happening?’ she asked with a high-pitched voice. Her chuckles got white as she clinged to her book. She clearly realized who was the man who currently had a blade one centimeter from his cheeks.
‘Please, finish your report, Lieutenant.’ Kyouraku asked her, still holding his katana at the face of the stranger.
‘Aizen’s zanpakuto is sealed away properly, Sir. Everything is fine at the prison block.’ she said quickly but the Captain Commander still didn’t move.
‘This is not Aizen, Sir.’ she added quietly and stepped into the field of vision of her Captain just to make sure he understood her.
Kyouraku didn’t move for a moment but then with a slow exhale he finally retracted his katana. Everybody let out a big breath they all held back as the sword finally sealed back to its scabbard. The air got a bit looser in the room and the fake Ukitake uncomfortably touched his face just to make sure there was no blood. His breath was still ragged and his eyes were still scared. He was like a deer in front of a spot light.
‘Nanao-chan, take his zanpakuto.’ Kyouraku asked without looking away from the man.
The fake Ukitake’s eyes rounded even more and a panicked ‘Hey!’ left his mouth. His breath got even more ragged and his lips got just as white as his hair.
‘You can’t do that! That belongs to me!’ He shouted and tried to get out of the bed to prevent Nanao from taking his sword. He immediately found a blade against his skin again. This time at his throat.
At this moment several things happened at the same time and it would be difficult for Kyouraku to tell what happened after what.
The Impostor Ukitake and Kiyone started to shout, both protesting for different reasons.
Nanao took the lonely sword from the corner of the room.
The Fake Ukitake started to get out of his bed.
Kyouraku stepped closer and his blade touched the white neck.
The door opened behind them and Captain Kotetsu stepped into the room.
Seeing the chaos the Captain of the 4th division immediately hurried to help out her Lieutenant and tried to hold back Kyouraku.
This was the moment when the young man’s breath gave in.
He stooped forward and started coughing.
The blade of the katana caught skin.
Blood started to run.
The next few moments got blurry for Kyouraku. At least two people jumped at him and he had a vague guess that it was Kiyone who pushed away his blade and hugged the choking man in panic. There was more shouting and more healers ran into the room. Seeing the blood they immediately started to help out their Lieutenant. While several people stood around the coughing man, Kyouraku was pushed out of the room. He didn't even protest. He couldn’t. Everything stopped for him when he saw the blood. The amount of blood.
‘ There was too much blood. ‘
The next thing he could remember was sitting in an awfully uncomfortable chair on an empty corridor with Nanao-chan.
‘Captain! Captain Kyouraku! Are you all right?’
He probably didn’t answer her questions for a while. His niece was distressed and worried as she fussed around him still holding the foreign zanpakuto.
‘Uncle!’
Her eyes were teary as she touched his shoulder. Kyouraku finally looked at her and couped the small hand on his shoulder.
‘I am here Nanao-chan.’ He said quietly.
Nanao collapsed on the chair next to his. She looked as ragged as Kyourkau felt. A few minutes passed like this. They just sat next to each other quietly, hands still awkwardly on each other’s. Maybe they didn’t want to admit it, but both of them needed the comfort of the other one.
‘Captain, what’s going on?’ Nanao asked quietly.
‘I have no clue.’ Kyouraku admitted.
‘Is he…?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Can he be…’ Nanao started but Kyouraku didn’t let him finish the question.
‘No, he can’t be.’ ha said harshly.
Because he couldn’t be. He died. Ten years ago. He buried him. He mourned him. He can’t return just one day in a much younger form and act like nothing happened.
‘Actually he maybe can.’ a woman’s voice answered from their right.
Captain Kotetsu stood at the end of the corridor. Her robe was bloody, her face was tired but she looked confident as she stepped closer.
‘He is in a pretty rough shape. He lost a lot of blood. From the coughing not from the cut.’ she added as she saw Kyouraku’s face harden.
‘The cut on his throat is just a scratch, honestly, pretty good blade control Captain Commander.’ she nodded with respect.
‘It looks like ... well …. condition of his lungs is the same. He got a little panic attack and couldn’t control his breathing so that’s why the coughing fit. He will be fine, just needs some rest.’ She finished her report with a softened face as she realized that the Commander was just as stressed as his Lieutenant looked.
‘Captain Kurotsuchi arrived in the meantime, what do you want from him Sir?' she asked.
‘Examine the man. Find out who the hell he is.’ Kyouraku said tiredly as he finally stood up from his seat. Nanao-chan followed him quickly.
‘He has one day, and no, he can’t take him apart. We need to interrogate him.’ Kyouraku turned to his Lieutenant as he gave out the further orders:
‘I want full secrecy and guards at his room from the 1st squad. Also ask Lieutenant Abarai for an immediate report at my office. Captain Kuchiki is welcomed too. Not Rukia of course but the arrogant one.’ he finished as he started to walk out to the yard.
He stopped at the door and turned back one more time.
‘To be honest, the best would be not to tell Rukia about this for a while. I will order this to Abarai in person. Please arrange everything else Nanao-chan.’
His lieutenant nodded, fixed her glasses and disappeared with a shunpo step. Only the two captains stayed on the empty corridor. A cold breeze ran into the building and pushed Kyouraku’s pink kimono and Isane’s bloody robe. The Captain Commander watched the blood patches dance on the white fabric.
’Just like in the good old times.’
‘Thank you Captain for acting quickly.’ he said quietly and looked into Isane’s eyes. ‘Your job is important and welcomed.’
The tall woman's face blushed from the direct compliment and she awkwardly bowed. The Captain Commander nodded to her and stepped out to the yard.
The early spring breeze was cold on his face. It was only early March, the trees were still leaveless. Nature was still asleep. Only a few patches of snowdrops showed that life was ready to return.
Kyouraku’s gaze lingered on the little flowers for a while then took a left turn and slowly walked to the street. The 1st division headquarters was quite away from here and he knew Lieutenant Abarai will already be waiting for him till he gets back, but now he needed a walk. He had a lot to think about.