Seireitei's underground was an ancient stone labyrinth, full of narrow passages and water channels that cut across the floor like veins. These tunnels had been built centuries ago for maintenance and transport, but now they served as an escape route for the ryoka.
The torches fixed to the walls cast shadows that moved irregularly, following every step of Ichigo, Ganju, and Yamada. The water flowed calmly through the side channels, but the constant sound only made the tension worse.
Yamada spoke in a low voice as he walked along the damp walkway.
"I… I took care of Kuchiki-san when she was brought to the prison. It was my duty as a member of the Fourth Division. But… I realized she had a bond with you, Kurosaki-san. I just… did not want her to go through that alone."
Ichigo, even tired and with his body marked by the fight against Ikkaku, stopped for an instant. His eyes fixed on the healer.
"I came here precisely to get her out of this situation."
The heavy mood eased a little, but not for long.
When they turned another bend in the passage, Keiji's figure was already waiting for them there. He was leaning against the stone wall, completely relaxed. The shihakushō swayed slightly with the wind that ran through the underground channels, and his zanpakutō sat casually at his waist.
His presence filled the air with a dense pressure, even though he was not releasing his reiatsu.
"So it was you who was causing all this noise, Pumpkin Head-san."
Keiji tilted his head, his idle eyes moving from Ichigo to Ganju, and then stopping on Yamada.
"And it looks like you even found a tour guide… and it just so happens to be my division mate, Yamada-kun."
Yamada took an instinctive step back with his shoulders hunched, his gaze fixing on the floor.
"A-Ayano-san…! I-it is not what it looks like!"
Ichigo clenched his fist as he shot back at Keiji, feeling a relief in his chest when he realized it was him, but also getting irritated again by the nickname.
"I already told you! It is Ichigo! Kurosaki Ichigo!"
Ganju, still not really understanding the situation, looked at the two who seemed like brothers.
"You know him?"
Yamada answered without hesitating, even while stuttering.
"H-he is the Third Seat of my division… Ayano Keiji-san."
Ganju scrunched his face and clicked his tongue.
"If he is just from the healing division, then it should be easy to get past him."
He stepped forward, but Yamada, in a burst of pure fear, grabbed his arm with unexpected strength.
"No! You do not understand! Ayano-san is nothing like me! He… he is not someone you can face like that! Not me, not you, not any of us!"
Ganju froze when he saw the genuine terror in Yamada's eyes.
Keiji ignored one's desperation and the other's impulsiveness. His eyes stayed fixed on Ichigo, reaching a conclusion after a brief analysis.
"You got stronger since the last time, Kurosaki-san."
His reiatsu now flowed more steadily and with less instability than before. His control of his own reiryoku had improved, although it was still far from the refinement of an experienced Shinigami.
By the current intensity, Ichigo was approaching a Lieutenant in terms of reiatsu. For someone who had started so recently, it was an almost absurd growth.
'Urahara was not bluffing, after all.'
About Kurosaki Ichigo's unique potential.
"I can only do this; I still need to rescue Rukia."
Ichigo answered with conviction. His body was marked by cuts from the fight with Ikkaku, every breath hurt, but his eyes burned with determination.
Sora murmured inside Keiji's mind.
{He's still exhausted from the previous fight. His body won't hold up for long if he keeps this pace.}
Keiji let out a light sigh, signaling he'd noticed the same thing.
"Your determination to make it this far is impressive, Kurosaki-san. But your next opponents won't be that easy, you know?"
Ichigo lifted his face, eyes shining with conviction.
"I already know. But no matter who's in the way… I'm going to save Rukia."
Keiji looked at him for a few seconds without answering. This was the kind of willpower that separated those who moved forward from those who were left behind.
At this point, he had no intention at all of making a move against the ryoka, now that he'd confirmed Ichigo was among them and his goal was to save Kuchiki Rukia.
He could even already guess who some of the other ryoka were.
'My long-lost sister and my long-lost brother are on a crusade against the Soul Society. What kind of aniki would I be if I didn't lend a hand?'
Keiji took a step forward, and Ichigo instinctively raised his zanpakutō, but got confused when Keiji's open palm glowed with a soft green energy.
The flow of Kaidō spread through Ichigo's body like a warm current. The green reiryoku ran through the cuts, closing the torn flesh and easing the pain that burned with every breath.
In a matter of seconds, Ichigo's recovery became more and more visible.
Keiji's treatment was clearly superior to what Yamada had done before. The difference was not only in the control of the technique, but also in the raw force of the reiatsu fueling the spell.
In the case of Kaidō — as with any other Kidō — the higher the user's Spiritual Class, the more powerful the result.
And although both were Seated Officers, there was a vast gulf between Yamada and Keiji.
Ichigo felt his muscles relax and the fatigue pull back a little. The weight on his chest lightened, letting him breathe more freely.
"This is… incredible…"
Off to the side, Ganju watched everything with a suspicious look.
"Hey, what are you doing? Weren't you sent here to capture us too?!"
Keiji glanced over at him and answered unhurriedly.
"My task is to bring Yamada-kun back to the Fourth Division. But looking closely… you need him more than we do right now."
After all, Ichigo still had many battles ahead. Without a healer, he would barely make it to Kuchiki Rukia. And Keiji had no intention — and even less desire — of accompanying him personally.
In that case, Yamada could be useful to help Ichigo keep causing trouble.
"So I won't take him… as long as he takes care of himself. If Yamada-kun ends up getting hurt, Unohana-san will scold both of us."
The Captain's name made Yamada feel his legs go weak. Just imagining Unohana's calm voice turned into reprimand was enough to terrify any subordinate.
Ganju frowned, not satisfied.
"And it's really fine for a Shinigami to just ignore his Captain's orders?"
Before Keiji could answer, Yamada spoke up himself.
"Ayano-san always says that… people should do what they think is right."
Keiji arched an eyebrow, looking at Yamada.
"You know about that?"
"Of course I do!"
Yamada nodded hard.
"In the whole division… everyone knows that. That's why everyone respects Ayano-san."
"Is that so?"
Keiji let out a light laugh. Someone seemed to be spreading things about him around the division.
Was it Isane, trying to fix the frivolous image of her Third Seat?
As the flow of Kaidō faded, Ichigo's cuts were already almost completely closed. He could already move without stumbling at every step, which was a big improvement.
Keiji stepped back a few paces, opening the way in the damp corridor of the underground channels.
"You can go now. But be ready, Kurosaki-san. Your next fight is going to be much harder than the ones you've faced so far."
The reiatsu emanating near the Senzaikyū complex made that obvious.
Ichigo nodded, his hand firm on the zanpakutō.
"Count on it. I'll be ready."
As Ichigo headed down the corridor with Ganju and Yamada, Keiji used Warp Gate and wrapped himself in black mist. In the next instant, he reappeared on Seireitei's surface.
The damp smell of the channels was replaced by the cold air drifting down from the white rooftops.
Keiji walked calmly, hopping from tower to tower while focusing on the dozens of reiatsu scattered about.
'So… this is the group Urahara Kisuke decided to send on a crusade against the Soul Society, huh?'
Most of them were people Keiji had already met in the Human World.
{He didn't assemble any kind of elite force~}
Sora commented, amused.
'They're a weak bunch, but they have determination.'
That at least guaranteed something. As long as they could keep their determination burning, they would have a chance to rescue Kuchiki Rukia.
However, only Ichigo seemed to carry real potential to face a Captain.
Stopping atop one of the watchtowers, Keiji looked out at the horizon lit by alarms and trails of reiatsu.
"But now we're loose, Sora. We're free to act."
{Thinking of playing around a little?}
"Obviously~"
Unohana certainly would not approve, but a man had to know how to make the most of opportunities when they came up.
{Kekekeke~ correct answer.}
He let his reiatsu leak a bit, just enough to make a group of rank-and-file Shinigami tremble in the distance and immediately change route.
Keiji chuckled low.
"First, let's make sure my long-lost brother has room to fight."
[——]
– – –
[1/2]
『Group Chat』
[Members]: Grayfia Lucifuge; Boa Hancock; Aizawa Shota; Zen'in Maki; Ayano Keiji.
『New Messages』
[Zen'in Maki: Aren't you going to create a mission for that?]
[Ayano Keiji: I don't think it's necessary.]
[Boa Hancock: Isn't that just stopping us from getting rewards?]
[Grayfia Lucifuge: We should also understand that if Keiji-san calls us in, we'd only make more of a mess. Unless he's in danger, we'd be unnecessary.]
[Ayano Keiji: See? That's the opinion of someone who isn't stingy about rewards. As expected from Grayfia-san.]
[Zen'in Maki: Don't talk shit. You just want to leave us behind.]
[Aizawa Shota: Well, I'm convinced I wouldn't be much help either way.]
[Boa Hancock: I could be! Captains? Save a little girl? No matter who she is, I can do anything!]
[Ayano Keiji: Impressive~ Then I declare you as the strongest!]
[Grayfia Lucifuge: But I admit I'm curious about the rewards. Aizawa-san, you said you weren't charged anything to issue that emergency mission?]
[Aizawa Shota: Except the headache of having to explain who the "Shinigami" who helped us was… the system didn't charge me anything.]
[Grayfia Lucifuge: Maybe it was because of the extreme circumstances?]
[Aizawa Shota: That's possible.]
[Ayano Keiji: Grayfia-san thinking about issuing a mission? In that case, I already accept~]
[Boa Hancock: Don't be selfish! Let others try too! I want rewards befitting my beauty!]
[Zen'in Maki: Even if I don't want to admit it, I have to agree with her. Don't monopolize the missions!]
[Ayano Keiji: Yare yare~]
[Grayfia Lucifuge: Actually, I have been thinking of something. But unless you want to become a reincarnated devil, it would need a teenage boy.]
[Aizawa Shota: Ignoring completely the complicated part about "becoming a devil"… Ayano still looks like a teenager.]
[Zen'in Maki: Aizawa! Which side are you on, huh?!!]
[Boa Hancock: Enough stalling! Everyone must acknowledge me as number one here!]
[Zen'in Maki: That same old song… nobody cares about your beauty!]
[Boa Hancock: Insolent! It's natural that a rude girl like you doesn't understand the weight of my perfection! If I entered the Soul Society, all the Captains would fall to their knees when they saw me!]
[Ayano Keiji: … that actually sounds like something I'd really like to see. Zaraki Kenpachi on his knees just because someone winked prettily at him. I'd make my day.]
[Zen'in Maki: … encouraging that doesn't help, idiot!]
[Aizawa Shota: This group is getting noisier and noisier.]
[Boa Hancock: Noisier? Aizawa, you dare insult me too?]
[Aizawa Shota: I am not insulting.]
[Boa Hancock: Hmph! A blind man cannot recognize what's in front of him.]
[Grayfia Lucifuge: If everyone can calm down, there's something I'd like to explain. I didn't mention my idea by accident.]
[Zen'in Maki: … spill it already.]
[Boa Hancock: If it's something grand, then it's my right by nature!]
[Ayano Keiji: Hancock-san completely forgot the requirements, didn't she? Or does she intend to become a devil?]
[Grayfia Lucifuge: What I'm thinking involves Gremory Clan and Phenex Clan. There's an old contract between the families that forces the Gremory heir to marry the son of Phenex Clan.]
[Aizawa Shota: So a political marriage then?]
[Grayfia Lucifuge: Exactly. The problem is that, even if it looks advantageous on paper, Rias-ojousama clearly rejects this decision. Canceling the contract is not something I can do alone. That's why I thought of turning it into a mission.]
[Zen'in Maki: So you want someone from outside to interfere in this "arranged marriage"?]
[Grayfia Lucifuge: In a way. A "teenager" with enough power could shift the balance and force Phenex Clan to back down without starting a direct war.]
[Zen'in Maki: Wait a second. Don't tell me you're thinking…]
[Ayano Keiji: A mission to "steal the bride".]
[Grayfia Lucifuge: Don't treat it so flippantly, Keiji-san. That contract is a heavy chain for Rias-ojousama.]
[Ayano Keiji: And then? Maki-san and Hancock-san interested?]
[Zen'in Maki: ... I hate you.]
[Boa Hancock: I can crush any unwanted groom too!]
[Grayfia Lucifuge: Put the teasing aside. I'm only presenting the situation. If we decide to turn this into a mission, Keiji-san would still be the most suitable to take the role.]
[Ayano Keiji: What a coincidence, isn't it~?]