Back to the Seireitei

"Gaoyu! You're alive after all, you little punk! Where have you been all this time?"

Toru Tanimoto hurried over to Gaoyu, excitement written all over his face.

Gaoyu glanced at Aizen, who shrugged, leaving him to make up whatever story he wanted.

"After we regrouped, we started heading back together. But before I knew it, you were all gone, and I was the only one left."

Gaoyu had no choice but to make something up. "After that, I wandered around Rukongai and was attacked by Hollows several times."

"Then just a little while ago, another badly wounded Hollow came at me. It took everything I had, but I finally managed to defeat it."

"That was... our Captain." A nearby Shinigami's expression darkened. "He... was caught off guard and became host to a Hollow. If he hadn't had such a strong will, we'd probably all have been killed back then."

"It's all over now," Aizen said softly. "The one responsible has been killed. Let's return to the Seireitei."

Return to the Seireitei...

Relief spread across everyone's faces. They'd been on edge the entire time they were out there.

They'd had to watch out not only for the giant Hollows outside, but also for Shinigami who'd been possessed from within.

In such circumstances, it was hard for anyone to trust another person. Living like that was a tremendous strain on the mind.

Could they finally go back?

Gaoyu felt relieved, too. He hadn't had to scheme like the others these past few days, but the pressure on him had been just as great.

He'd not only had to deal with Aizen, but also survive alone in a dangerous place like Hueco Mundo.

Fortunately, the Vasto Lorde-class Hollow he'd encountered had been Nelliel. If it had been any other giant Hollow, he'd have had to run for his life.

"You're pretty incredible, you know that?"

After they returned to the Seireitei, Toru Tanimoto nudged Gaoyu with his elbow. "Even if that Hollow hadn't completely taken over the Captain of the Third Division's body, he was still a Captain. Even badly wounded, he would've been a tough opponent."

"I heard the Third Division suffered heavy losses because of him. Even their Vice-Captain died."

"...I was lucky." Gaoyu fell silent for a moment, then said, "He'd already been badly wounded by Captain Aizen when he appeared in front of me. That's why I was able to kill him."

"Whatever the case, this is a great achievement." Toru Tanimoto patted Gaoyu on the shoulder.

Gaoyu managed a weak smile. The two of them had returned to the area under the Fifth Division's jurisdiction.

Aizen had gone to the First Division to report in, and the Third Division's members had returned to their own division.

"By the way, what about everyone else? Tanaka... and the people from the Ninth Division?"

"Tanaka's alive, but he was injured and has already been sent to the Fourth Division." Tanimoto replied, "The Ninth Division also lost about half its members, but Vice-Captain Gin Ichimaru was with them, so they didn't have any major problems."

"But..."

At that, Toru Tanimoto's voice grew sorrowful. "Fujita died."

Fujita...

Gaoyu thought of the Fourth Seat of the Fifth Division and sighed.

Fujita had been the first to leave the group. He was supposed to take word back to the Seireitei, but a Hollow killed him along the way.

Gaoyu returned home with a heavy heart.

Only after he was back home, in his Safe House, did he finally relax completely.

He slumped onto the bed and took several deep breaths.

Only now could he finally let his guard down.

He'd spent so long out there. Though he'd often seemed unaffected, his mind had been constantly on high alert.

The only time he'd relaxed was during the brief interval after he'd first arrived in Hueco Mundo and Aizen had left.

That was because his Game Master ability had stopped working, which meant the game was over.

So Aizen must have really left. But that had only allowed Gaoyu to relax for a little while.

He had no idea when Aizen might come back, so once that brief respite passed, he'd returned to a state of intense alertness.

Only now, in his Safe House, could he finally feel completely secure.

No one could possibly spy on him inside his Safe House.

He'd already created an image of himself going to sleep after returning home. Whether it was Aizen or anyone else monitoring him, all they could see was that scene.

That was why he could finally relax completely.

"Phew..."

It took quite a while before Gaoyu finally recovered.

He thought he might understand why his Zanpakuto was called 'Solitary Hell.'

Even though he was always making friends, he was still alone.

Because from the very beginning, he'd made friends with ulterior motives.

How could he not feel lonely when he'd always befriended others for his own benefit, with an agenda from the start?

"Heh..."

Gaoyu chuckled, then lay down on the bed.

This sort of thing...

It didn't matter.

Whether he was alone or surrounded by others...

The first thing was to stay alive.

Those who survived had a future, and those with a future...

Could have anything happen.

By the next morning, Gaoyu had shaken off all his late-night gloom and stepped out of his home, full of energy.

Whatever happened, the most intense part was already behind him. Now he could enjoy life.

Besides, he'd earned merit by killing the giant Hollow that had possessed the Captain of the Third Division.

The Gotei 13 would surely reward him.

Aizen had also promised to promote him to Vice-Captain.

Things were looking up.

Gaoyu hummed a tune as he strolled down the street.

He didn't have to "work" today. All the Fifth Division members who'd returned were given time off, and Gaoyu had been granted an entire month's leave.

He could spend the whole month enjoying himself.

He planned to visit Shūhei in the Ninth Division and see how he was doing.

He'd asked around the day before. The Ninth Division had suffered heavy losses, but Hizaki Shūhei hadn't died.

But when he arrived at the Ninth Division, he learned that Shūhei had been badly injured and sent to the Fourth Division for treatment.

He thought it over and decided to go to the Fourth Division instead.

There were plenty of people with Soul Abilities in the Fourth Division, and he wanted to see if he could make a few friends there.

With that in mind, he headed toward the Fourth Division.

Each division of the Gotei 13 had its own area of jurisdiction, but the Captains' offices were all in the Seireitei's central district.

So it wasn't much trouble to visit the other divisions, though people rarely did.

Of course, the Fourth Division was a definite exception.

Its members might not visit the other divisions, but plenty of Shinigami from other divisions came to the Fourth.

Who didn't get injured now and then?

If you got hurt, you were bound to end up at the Fourth Division!

So the Fourth Division was always packed. Seeing all those people with Soul Abilities coming and going made Gaoyu's mouth water!