Chapter 31

"Hello, Captain Hitsugaya. I'm Miyako Amamiya, lieutenant of the Thirteenth Division. Captain Ukitake couldn't attend the captains' meeting due to illness, so he sent me to observe in his place."

"Ukitake... I see."

"I permitted it," Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai said from the front of the room, his eyes closed. After all, it was a request from his own student, and he could grant such a small favor.

The other captains understood when they heard the explanation. They had long heard about Ukitake's illness, so it was hardly strange for him to send his lieutenant to observe in his place.

"Oh, Miyako, I didn't expect to see you here." Shunsui Kyōraku greeted Miyako Amamiya with easy familiarity and gestured for him to come over.

"Captain Kyōraku, it's been a while." Miyako Amamiya nodded to him and, seeing Shunsui Kyōraku's gesture, walked over to stand behind him.

After they waited a while longer, the last captain, Gin Ichimaru, finally arrived.

As soon as Gin Ichimaru arrived, he spotted Miyako Amamiya and said in a sinister tone, "Well, well, I thought this was a captains' meeting. Why was someone who isn't a captain allowed in? Could it be..."

"Amamiya-kun is here in place of Ukitake, who couldn't attend. The Captain-Commander permitted it, Captain Ichimaru, so please say no more," Aizen told him with a frown.

"Ukitake? Is his condition acting up again? He really ought to be careful."

"Hey, Ichimaru, let me ask you something. Did you go after the Ryoka earlier?" Kenpachi Zaraki asked Gin Ichimaru with interest. "And you didn't finish him off."

Gin Ichimaru laughed it off and said dismissively, "I thought he was as good as dead. It seems my instincts have gotten dull."

Mayuri Kurotsuchi sneered from the side. "Could it be that you weren't up to the task, so you claimed you'd been careless?"

"Oh, you make it sound as if I let him go on purpose."

"That's exactly what I mean."

Miyako Amamiya stood behind Shunsui Kyōraku without a word, listening quietly.

"Honestly... sorry you had to see this, Miyako. Even captains sometimes get into shouting matches when they disagree," Shunsui Kyōraku said to Miyako Amamiya in a low voice, turning his head.

Miyako Amamiya didn't answer. He shook his head, knowing the scene wouldn't last much longer.

Seeing the captains grow increasingly noisy, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto finally couldn't hold back and stopped them.

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto questioned Gin Ichimaru about his dereliction of duty, but Gin Ichimaru freely admitted to it.

Aizen wanted to ask for details, but an emergency alarm suddenly sounded.

Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai had to bring the meeting to an end and order the captains back to their posts to protect the Seireitei.

Meanwhile, those two award-winning actors, Gin Ichimaru and Sōsuke Aizen, were putting on a show, and Tōshirō Hitsugaya watched it all.

Miyako Amamiya also left quietly and returned to the Thirteenth Division.

When he returned, he found that his back was drenched in cold sweat from fright.

I wasn't discovered? Why? Miyako Amamiya wondered, uncertain and alarmed.

Miyako Amamiya went to the Thirteenth Division Captain's Office and saw Kiyone Kotetsu resting nearby.

"Kiyone, how is Captain Ukitake?" Miyako Amamiya asked.

"Lieutenant Miyako! You're back! Captain Ukitake's condition isn't serious for now, but he's fallen unconscious." Kiyone Kotetsu glanced at the Captain's Office and spoke worriedly.

"...I see. Kiyone, sorry for the trouble, but please keep watch here. If the captain wakes up, remember to let me know right away by Hell Butterfly." After giving his instructions, Miyako Amamiya turned to Sentarō Kotsubaki, who was nearby.

"Sentarō, I have something I need you to do," Miyako Amamiya said seriously.

"Yes, Lieutenant Miyako!"

"The intruder alarm just sounded in Soul Society. Something might happen in the coming days, so keep a close eye on things."

"As for me... I still have some things to do." Miyako Amamiya had no intention of chasing down Ichigo Kurosaki and the others one by one.

"Understood, Lieutenant Miyako. Leave it to me," Sentarō Kotsubaki answered loudly.

Miyako Amamiya hurried out of the Thirteenth Division. He too had to search for that important person and at least make preparations in advance, leaving Aizen no time to react.

But how am I supposed to find a cat...? Miyako Amamiya felt a headache coming on. The Seireitei was so large, while Yoruichi Shihōin was small and highly skilled at Shunpo. Finding her wouldn't be easy.

Then I'll just have to lie in wait...

If his guess was right, he should go wait outside the Shihōin residence first.

Elsewhere in the Seireitei, Kenpachi Zaraki had searched all night without seeing a single intruder. A little disappointed, he ordered his squad members to head back.

Just before dawn, a meteor streaked across the sky above the Seireitei. Its brilliant light, like a silver ribbon, lit up the dark sky in an instant, leaving a brief, beautiful trail.

Watching the meteor streak across the sky and the sun rise, Kenpachi Zaraki couldn't help growing excited.

"They're here! The intruders!" Kenpachi Zaraki shouted, but when the meteor struck the Shakonmaku, it split into four pieces.

"Damn it, it split into four," Kenpachi Zaraki grumbled. "Which one is it? The strongest one, the one who survived Ichimaru..."

"Let's go, Yachiru. I'm going to find 'him.'"

"Okay! Let's go, let's go, Kenny!"

Elsewhere, Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa were searching for the intruders out of sheer boredom when, the next moment, they saw a meteor land not far in front of them.

"What luck, Yumichika! Let's go!" Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa rushed to the landing site.

Ichigo Kurosaki and Ganju Shiba, the two fellow sufferers, were gripping each other by the throat in a sandpit until Ikkaku Madarame spoke up.

"How lucky! I was just going to look around at random, but the grand prize fell right out of the sky. Fortune's really smiling on me today!"

"And you..." Ikkaku Madarame pointed the hilt of his sword at Ichigo Kurosaki. "You're in for a whole lot of bad luck today."

After saying that, Ikkaku Madarame took his sword, rose onto his tiptoes, and began a strange dance.

"Hey, Ichigo, let's get out of here," Ganju Shiba said softly to Ichigo Kurosaki when he saw this.

"Why? This guy doesn't look like a lieutenant or a captain." Although Ichigo Kurosaki remembered Yoruichi Shihōin's warning not to get into conflicts with captains and lieutenants, that was all he remembered.

Seeing the two men before him, Ichigo Kurosaki didn't want to run. He wanted to beat them down before leaving.

"Are you an idiot?! Can't you feel their Reiatsu?!" Ganju Shiba said urgently.

"Hey! You two!" Seeing that they were ignoring him, Ikkaku Madarame shouted at them angrily, "I hardly ever do my tiptoe dance, and you're ignoring me to chat over there!"

"Is this guy an idiot?" Ichigo Kurosaki asked Ganju Shiba in confusion.

"You're one to talk!" Ganju Shiba shouted. "Anyway, I'm out of here. You can fight him yourself."

Ganju Shiba had firmly remembered Yoruichi Shihōin's words: they were here to rescue Rukia Kuchiki, not to get into conflicts with Soul Reapers.

"Tch, running away? Yumichika." Ikkaku Madarame looked unhappily at Ganju Shiba's retreating back.

"Got it," Yumichika Ayasegawa said helplessly, setting off after him.

Only then did Ichigo Kurosaki climb out of the sandpit and brush off his sand-covered clothes, not worried about Ganju Shiba at all.

"Hey, kid, aren't you going to run when you see me? That kid over there obviously ran because he felt my Reiatsu. I think he made the right choice." Ikkaku Madarame didn't attack immediately either. He hoisted his Zanpakuto onto his shoulder as he asked.

"Let me ask you something first. You're not a lieutenant, are you?" Ichigo Kurosaki asked.

"A lieutenant? No, I'm not. Why do you ask, kid?"

"That's good. As long as you're not a lieutenant like Amamiya." Ichigo Kurosaki smiled, full of confidence, but the next moment he covered his mouth. "Oh no, I don't think I was supposed to say that?"

"Amamiya? Miyako Amamiya?" Ikkaku Madarame asked curiously at the familiar name. "You've already fought Miyako?"

"Yeah. We didn't settle the fight, but you don't look as strong as him, so I don't need to run," Ichigo Kurosaki said arrogantly to Ikkaku.

Ikkaku Madarame had obviously misunderstood, thinking Miyako Amamiya and Ichigo Kurosaki had fought to a draw. He couldn't help getting excited.

"You fought Miyako to a draw? Interesting!" His expression grew fierce as he drew his sword and pointed it at Ichigo Kurosaki.

"Hey, kid, I'd better ask your name." Ikkaku Madarame considered him an opponent worth fighting and asked him seriously.

"Ichigo Kurosaki." Ichigo Kurosaki also took Zangetsu from his back and looked at him, holding the sword in one hand.

"Ichigo, huh... That's a good name."

"Really? That's the first time anyone's complimented my name."

"Men with 'ichi' in their names are usually talented... and I'm one of them." Ikkaku Madarame grinned fiercely. "Ikkaku Madarame, 11th Division Third Seat and lieutenant's assistant."

"Since we both have 'ichi' in our names, let's have ourselves a good fight, Ichigo!" With that, Ikkaku Madarame charged, sword in his left hand and scabbard in his right.

Ichigo Kurosaki blocked Ikkaku Madarame's charge with his sword and said, "I refuse!" Then he shoved Ikkaku Madarame back with all his strength.

The two slashed at each other again, the clash of their swords echoing through the alley...

Near the Shihōin residence, Miyako Amamiya wore the cloak that concealed Reiatsu, which he had obtained from Kisuke Urahara, and waited quietly.

It was almost the early hours of the morning, and Yoruichi Shihōin still hadn't appeared. Miyako Amamiya began to grow anxious.

Fortunately, Miyako Amamiya's guess hadn't been wrong. A black cat appeared near the Shihōin residence at that moment and seemed ready to climb over the wall.

"Miss Yoruichi, please wait," Miyako Amamiya said to her, pulling back his hood.

"Who are you? Miyako Amamiya? Did Kisuke give you that?" Yoruichi Shihōin hadn't noticed any fluctuations in Miyako Amamiya's Reiatsu. He had concealed it.

"How did you know I'd come here...?" Yoruichi Shihōin grew wary. After being separated from the others, she hadn't rushed to regroup. Instead, she had planned to pick up a few things from the Shihōin residence to prepare for what came next.

"The Shihōin Clan is a noble family known as the guardians of the Heavenly Gift Armaments. I merely guessed that you would return to your family, Miss Yoruichi. After all, Aizen's Zanpakuto isn't so easy to deal with, is it?"

"You know quite a lot, kid." The eyes of the black cat Yoruichi Shihōin had transformed into sharpened. She hadn't expected him to guess that she intended to use the Shihōin family's divine artifacts.

"What do you want with me? You went out of your way to lie in wait for me here, so you can't have come just to chat."

"I hope you'll lend me the Shihōin Clan's Heavenly Gift Armaments to destroy the Sōkyoku, Miss Shihōin."

"I see. Did Ukitake tell you?" Yoruichi Shihōin thought Ukitake had resolved to stop the execution and had sent Miyako Amamiya to find her.

Miyako Amamiya neither admitted nor denied it.

"Understood. Wait for me here. I'll be out shortly." Yoruichi Shihōin leaped over the wall.

Seeing this, Miyako Amamiya pulled his hood back up and continued hiding.

Yoruichi Shihōin moved stealthily through the Shihōin residence without being discovered by anyone.

Even after a hundred years, home is still the same. Yoruichi Shihōin felt both helpless and relieved. That was how nobles were: not only did they follow old conventions, they hadn't even changed the arrangement of their home.

The family head's room is this way, and the Heavenly Gift Armaments are beneath it. Yoruichi Shihōin looked at the room before her and thought to herself.

I hope the old man didn't go back to being family head after I left. Otherwise, I'm not confident I can get those Heavenly Gift Armaments from him.

Yoruichi Shihōin quietly opened the door. She didn't see her father, but instead saw a short boy with long black hair.

It was Yoruichi Shihōin's own younger brother, Yushiro Shihōin.

Whew, so this brat became the family head. I'm happy and ashamed at the same time. Yoruichi Shihōin couldn't help thinking that. Fortunately, it wasn't her father, or it would have been difficult to get those divine artifacts today. But seeing that her younger brother had become the family head, Yoruichi Shihōin felt ashamed of her willful flight a hundred years ago.

Yoruichi Shihōin went up beside Yushiro Shihōin, extended a claw, and raked it viciously across his face.

"Argh! Who dares sneak-attack the head of the Shihōin family?!" Yushiro Shihōin hurriedly jumped up and looked toward his attacker.

"Calm down, Yushiro, it's me," Yoruichi Shihōin said helplessly.

"That appearance, that voice..." Yushiro Shihōin examined the black cat before him, and his eyes began to redden.

"Sister! You've finally come back!" As soon as he said it, he picked up Yoruichi Shihōin and rubbed himself against her, crying.

Yoruichi Shihōin didn't let him hold her for long. Instead, she scratched wildly at Yushiro Shihōin with both paws.

Yushiro Shihōin was forced to put Yoruichi Shihōin down by her scratching. "Why, Sister?" he asked, looking ready to cry.

"Stop crying, Yushiro. You're the head of the Shihōin family now," Yoruichi Shihōin said helplessly. Her little brother was still such a crybaby.

"B-but you're the head of the Shihōin family, Sister. I-I'm just..." Yushiro Shihōin sobbed. He himself hadn't been very willing to become the head of the Shihōin family.

"All right, all right, I understand. I came this time because there's something I need your help with."

"Help you, Sister?" Yushiro Shihōin stopped crying, and his eyes began to shine. "Just say the word, Sister. No matter what it is, I'll do it for you!"

"Really? That's good." Yoruichi Shihōin went over to a hidden compartment in the room, a place that generally only the current family head knew about.

"I'd like to borrow the Shihoin Family's Heavenly Gift War Artifact..."

"Huh? Those divine artifacts?" Yushiro Shihōin said in surprise. "But... but Father said those divine artifacts mustn't be used carelessly."

"Yushiro, trust me. This situation requires them," Yoruichi Shihōin said gravely.

Seeing Yoruichi Shihōin's serious expression and hearing her grave tone, Yushiro Shihōin agreed in the end. After all, he too wanted to truly help his sister for once.