Seireitei
West Gate
Hakudo Gate
hot summer
In the summer afternoon, the sun pours down from above the head without any obstruction, making the stone road white, and the air is filled with the smell of hot and dry dust.
The news spread faster than Expeditionary Army. I don't know who first saw the dust rising in the distance from the gatehouse, and I don't know who was the first to shout the three words "Back". In short, when Yanyuan Jinle When his figure appeared on the gray gravel road outside Hakudo Gate, many people in Seireitei had already put down their affairs and rushed towards West Gate.
The first to arrive were the left-behind personnel stationed nearby from each squadron. They were responsible for receiving the injured Expeditionary Army, counting the number of people returning to the team, and delivering the latest dispatch orders.
Immediately afterwards, several noble retainers who were close to West Gate also appeared on the edge of the crowd. They were sent by the family master to inquire about the news. Expeditionary Army came back much earlier than expected. Whether he was victorious or defeated, and what the casualties were, this information is more valuable to the nobles than any battle report.
Yanyuan Jinle was walking at the front of the team. His Captain's Haori was quite neat, but the eyes behind the gray glasses were obviously tired after a long journey, and his cheeks were a bit thinner than when he started.
But if you look closer, you will find that the corners of his clothes have been cut in several places by sharp objects, and the cuffs of his sleeves have been singed.
Behind him were Third Division and Squad Member. The originally neat queue had now become sparse and loose. Most people were wearing colorful clothes. Some people had blood-soaked and sun-dried cloth strips wrapped around their foreheads. Some people had their whole arms hung up. On the chest, some people were being helped by their companions, gritting their teeth every step they took, while others were supporting their companions' shoulders and limping while walking, but still whispering something to the people next to them, as if to confirm whether a more seriously injured colleague had been carried back properly.
Bakuzan Katori followed behind the team. Her Zanpakutō had been put into the sheath. There was a small crack on the lens of her glasses, which was cracked by the aftermath of some unknown attack.
The Squad Member people behind her walked together in twos and threes. The number of people was much smaller than when they started. Everyone left had wounds on their bodies. Some people had bandages on their heads, and there were faint blood stains on the edges of the bandages. Some people hung their broken arms with cloth strips in front of their chests. Some cloth strips were temporarily torn from the hem of clothes, and the edges were uneven.
The Squad Members of Eleventh Division were mixed in the queue of Eighth Division, walking together with the people of Eighth Division.
This is not surprising. During the entire expedition, Eleventh Division was always at the forefront, followed closely by Eighth Division, who was responsible for intelligence reconnaissance. The two squads had already developed a tacit understanding in countless battles. From a distance, their teams seemed to be no different from Third Division and Eighth Division. They were all dusty and scarred, but after getting closer, the onlookers discovered the difference.
There is no Yachiru Unohana in Eleventh Division's team
The black figure fell at the end of the team, like a silent shadow
A person from Yachiru Unohana is hanging at the back of the queue. Her white Captain's Haori has completely changed color.
The hem was repeatedly soaked and dried with blood, and was dyed dark brown in layers, hanging stiffly at the ankles. The sleeves were also the same dark brown from the elbows down, which were the marks left by inserting the arm into the enemy's body cavity when swinging the knife countless times. The blood poured in along the cuffs, dried, poured in, and dried again, until the fabric could no longer absorb any liquid.
As she walked through the crowd, the air became quiet
No one dared to stand in front of her, no one dared to say hello, even the aristocratic retainers who were best at observing her words couldn't help but take half a step back.
There was no expression on her face, only the brief emptiness left by the bloodthirsty desire after being released countless times. Her eyes looked calmly ahead, as if she was looking at something, or as if she was not looking at anything at all.
The air was filled with a strong smell of blood, and the smell emanated from her body. This smell was not disgusting, but made people instinctively want to avoid it. It was the smell of a predator.
The smell of blood on her body was strong and old, mixed with the dry wind and summer the Heat dust, like some kind of silent announcement.
Hakudo Gate The gatekeepers Squad Member stood up straight, no one dared to make a sound, no one dared to come forward to say hello, they just watched silently as the team passed under the gate, their footsteps echoing on the stone road, heavy and slow.
The news had already crossed the city gate and flowed into every corner of Seireitei. The nobles rushed to tell each other. Outside the usually sparse squad station, some wandering spirits and subordinates Squad Member who came to watch gradually gathered. Some people stood on tiptoe and looked in the direction of the gate tower. Looking at the incomplete team, they fell into silence.
Eighth Division Barracks
outside the door
Ukitake and Suzuko came trotting all the way.
When the news of the Expeditionary Army's return reached Thirteenth Division, Suzuko immediately put down the pen in his hand.
"Ukitake, Kyōraku are back."
She didn't say a second sentence. When Ukitake stood up, she had already pushed the documents on the table to the side.
When the two were walking through the corridor, Kashima Lieutenant happened to come out of the office, holding tea in his hand. When he saw two young people running out one after another, he just stepped aside half a step without asking anything.
There was a Squad Member who stayed behind at the door of Eighth Division Barracks. He stood leaning against the doorpost, holding a document in his hand and looking over it. His eyes followed the two people Shunpo coming from a distance, his brows slightly furrowed.
So anxious? They are probably looking for someone, and they are one of the people who just came back. It is probably not a good thing. He doesn't know who these two young Squad Member are related to.
"Kyōraku Where is Seated Officer? Is he in the team?" Suzuko and Ukitake Shunpo just came to the door and stopped, Suzuko said over and over again
Squad Member, who was left behind, glanced at them with a complicated expression. He scratched the back of his head, as if thinking about how to speak, and finally told the truth:
"Kyōraku Seated Officer... came back, but he said he would go back to rest first and left after not staying in the team for long."
Suzuko frowned. "Leaving?"
Squad Member nodded. Indeed, he just saw the captain coming back with the team, then turned around, Kyōraku Fifth Seat came out alone, and he didn't know where he went.
"Did he say where he went?"
Squad Member shook his head. "No, I just left."
Suzuko and Ukitake looked at each other
"We got it."
Ukitake nodded to that Squad Member: "Sorry to trouble you."
Squad Member glanced at them again, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just nodded and turned back.
Ukitake and Suzuko turned around and walked back. The pedestrians on the street had almost dispersed, and the brief commotion caused by the news of the Expeditionary Army's return had subsided.
Suzuko She turned her head, looked at a house in the distance, and said in a very soft voice, "Ukitake."
"Huh?"
"Kyōraku Will he... hide alone?"
Ukitake was silent for a moment and shook his head. "He may stay alone, but he won't hide. We will go find him tomorrow."
Suzuko nodded.