2"WHAAAAT?!" Daiki cried in shock after what the healers informed her of. However, in her shock, the tanned soul reaper pulled at the still slightly tender wound on her back.
"Ah! Please, Fourth Seat Shiba, you'll make your injury worse!" Hanataro cried frantically, hands raised despite not knowing what to do with them.
"Yes, please do calm down," Captain Unohana spoke in her ever soft voice.
"How do ya expect me ta calm down when ya tell me news like that?!"
Daiki stopped abruptly when a pale hand was placed on her shoulder. She looked into her superior's gentle eyes, "I realize this is very distressing to hear, especially given the circumstances of having known her since you were a child." The Shiba teen looked down, knowing what Retsu spoke was true. "Nothing I say can bring comfort I know; however," sea green eyes looked up to grey once more, "considering how your wound was, to an extent, greatly healed, you're already fine to leave as long as you don't partake in anything too strenuous."
"What's that s'posed ta mean, exactly?" the youngest in the room inquired, a single black eyebrow arching.
The Yamada male shuffled his feet as his captain chuckled, "I do believe Captain Ukitake spoke of you visiting your relatives in the Rukon district."
Daiki perked up some at the mention of her family, "Capt'n said I could go?"
"That's something you should confirm with him, I would think."
"Is that a clearance for me to leave now?"
With a nod from the head healer, the two Squad Four members left so the fourth seat could get changed back into her uniform.
Once she was dressed, Daiki left her temporary room, walking with Hanataro down the hallways to exit the Fourth Squad. "So are you going to speak with your captain about visiting the Rukon?" the seventh seat asked.
"Hmm, not yet," Daiki replied. "I got somethin' I need'a do beforehand."
"Like what?"
"Gonna talk ta the main source o' all this mess."
"Huh?" Hanataro voiced, question marks floating all around his head. "Meaning?"
"Meanin', my lil flower," the clan daughter smirked, "I'm sneakin' inta Squad Six's holdin' cells."
It took Hanataro a minute to fully process what his younger friend was talking about.
"EEEEHHHHH?!"
After suppressing her reiatsu and following veeeeeery closely behind Renji's back, Daiki was able to enter the room in which Rukia resided in.
"Squad Six seriously needs ta buff up their security aroun' here," thought the ravenette, still sticking close to Renji and turning with him so as not to be caught when he left.
Squad Thirteen's fourth seat waited a few minutes to ensure no one would hear her then walked up to the bars Rukia had her back to.
"Yo, Rukia," Daiki greeted, surprising her fellow squadmate.
"What- Daiki?!" Rukia spoke, turning in her chair to look at her lieutenant's daughter. "Why are you here? How did you get in?"
"My skills in stealth rival that of a Squad Two member, am I right?" Daiki grinned cheekily before sobering up. "Straight ta point, I wanted ta hear from ya what happened in the World o' the Living."
"Why?" the adopted noble inquired.
"'Cause I know how uptight ya can be, along with the fact that yer brother is so strict with laws, ya wouldn' break one so easily." Sea green orbs locked with violet, "So I wanna know from yerself what drove ya ta givin' yer powers ta a human."
Rukia looked down, closing her eyes, "I had to in order to save myself and his family from a Hollow."
"That's why they're decidin' whether ta sentence ya ta death or not?" Confusion leaked into Daiki's voice.
"Yes."
The ravenette looked away, thinking deeply, "That's weird..."
"Hm?" the older female looked from the floor.
"It's weird that the Central 46 are actually havin' ta deliberate about ya dyin' fer doin' yer job..."
"Daiki," Rukia's stern voice rang out, "I broke the law, I should bear my punishment."
"But yer punishment won' fit yer crime if they decide ta execute ya," the tanned teen spoke, brows furrowed. "Yeah, ya broke a law, but ya broke it doin' yer job, right?" Daiki crossed her sleeved arms, getting more and more frustrated at the situation, "We're s'posed ta be protectors, but they may kill someone for doin' somethin' drastic ta get the job done? That's fishy."
"Daiki, leave it."
"Don' tell me ye're not the least bit curious," said female grabbed the bars in a tight hold. "Sure ya should get like jail time 'er somthin' but not ex'cution!" Daiki stopped seeing the look she was gaining from her senior. Releasing the bars, the youngest of the Shiba Clan sighed heavily, "Fine, I'll drop it."
Silence droned on.
"Did'ja see that ugly thing Renji was wearin'?"
Daiki can, at the very least, be satisfied that she was rewarded with a small but amused smile from the one of the people she considered family.
"Ohhhhh, Capt'n~" the fourth seat sang as she knocked on the door frame of her captain's office hours after visiting Rukia. She had gotten some sparring done along with eating lunch, so she was in better spirits.
"Daiki, it's good to see you," Ukitake greeted from his place at his desk, happy to see the girl doing better. "How are you feeling? Is your injury fairing well?"
"Yeah, it's doin' better," Daiki smiled. "Soooooo," the teenager drawled, "I heard from Unohana that ya spoke o' me visitin' Aunt Kuukaku and them, is it true?"
Juushiro smiled, seeing how excited she was at the prospect of seeing her remaining family, "It's true, I thought after what happened you'd be even more eager to go." He gestured to the seat in front of him for her to sit and continued, "You were also pretty set on seeing them before I set you up to go to the World of the Living."
"Cheeky bastard admits ta settin' me up ta going ta the human world."
"Well, you'd be right about that," Daiki agreed, leaning back in her seat. "So when do I get to go?"
"You actually get to have a few days off in accordance with your visit."
"Say what?"
Ukitake chuckled, "You've been very diligent these past few months, it's been quite awhile since I remember you last taking some time off." He brought his cup of tea to his lips for a sip, "So you get a few days off as well; more time to visit with Kuukaku and Ganju." Placing his cup back down, Juushiro continued, "You get to leave in a few days, just as a precaution ordered by Captain Unohana to ensure your healing wound gives no trouble."
Daiki, despite her internal excitement, stood and bowed to her captain, "Thank ya, Capt'n Ukitake! I greatly 'preciate it!" She walked out of the office and slid the door shut.
Juushiro sat at his desk, raising his pale hand and counted from three to one on his fingers.
"SWEET!" the white-haired male heard from right outside precisely the moment he hit one on his hand. He chuckled, hearing the thuds of her feet as Daiki ran away.
It was four days after waking up that Daiki was okay'ed by Unohana and allowed to leave the Seireitei to go visit her family.
"Ah~ I feel free as a bird right now," the young soul spoke, a relaxed expression on her visage alongside a wide grin.
However, her good mood didn't last very long.
"Attention!" announced a male disembodied voice. "Red alert, red alert, intruders detected in West Rukon!" This announcement caused Daiki to pause in her previously happy stride. "This is not a drill; red alert, I repeat, breech detected in West Rukon."
The ravenette sighed heavily, "Great, just my luck. Now they'll never lemme go see Aunt Kuukaku and them!" She emphasized her pointing by throwing her arms up in exasperation. Continuing her walk, Daiki attempted to look on things in a positive light, lest she begin a tirade of complaining.
No one should have to deal with her when she's whining.
Daiki tapped her chin in thought before she perked up, "Ah! I know!" The Shiba child crossed her arms in a slightly relived gesture, "The good side o' things is the fact that I'm nowhere near the West Gate!" She wiped her forehead of nonexistent sweat, "Whew! Dodged a bullet I did; anythin' that happens near the intruders can't be pinned on me!"
"Oh my, it seems the Fourth Seat of Squad Thirteen has gone mad during her leave of absence," Daiki heard a similarly accented voice to her own from behind her. "Whatever shall we do?" The teen looked behind to see a male with silver hair and a sly close-eyed smile behind her.
"Hey now, Gin, it ain't nice talkin' about someone like they ain't there," Daiki argued (whined) at her friend. She paused so Gin could catch up to walk beside the ravenette. The pale captain didn't reply but simply smiled his usual smile.
Now, if you're someone else in the Soul Society, the name Gin would automatically send shivers down your spine. Why you ask? Because the man himself Gin Ichimaru is someone that has always sent an uncomfortable feeling through people, be it a Rukon civilian or one of his fellow reapers. There are only two Soul Reapers who aren't bothered by the male's naturally unsettling vibe. The first being his childhood friend Rangiku Matsumoto.
The second would be Daiki Shiba.
No one really understood why Daiki didn't mind—heaven forbid even liked—hanging around the residential "snake-face", as some have dubbed Gin. However, Daiki is a generally friendly person who doesn't allow others judgement of someone to affect her own. Sure, she gets how a person can find her silver-haired friend creepy, but she thinks he's generally a decent person despite everything.
There's only one person Daiki gets unsettled by, and no, it's not the Head Captain of the Soul Reapers. It happens to be another captain, actually.
Sosuke Aizen.
Don't get her wrong, the Shiba teenager finds Aizen to be very pleasant and amiable. Most of the women of the Soul Society think him the perfect guy. That's the thing about him that makes Daiki uncomfortable, though. Sosuke Aizen does indeed seem like the epitome of perfection.
But he's simply too perfect.
His entire being feels like that of a perfectly constructed facade. Sadly Daiki could never tell anyone her thoughts on the captain simply because no one else has these same thoughts. If they have any thoughts similarly to her own, it's directed at her constantly-smiling friend. To be honest, it made the tanned Shiba sad that her friend was so ostracized simply for the vibe he gave off and his appearance.
Daiki was brought from her thoughts by a rumbling to her and Gin's left.
Oh, she was near the West Gate, apparently.
God damn it.
They both looked at the gate to see it being opened by the gate's keeper Jidanbo. "Why's he openin' the gate?" Daiki inquired before looking up to Gin, "Is he allowed ta even do that?"
"Why, no, he is not," the older of the two replied. Looking back to the gatekeeper, Daiki saw his eyes widen upon looking at her and Gin.
"Jidanbo, what is it?" A younger male voice asked before appearing from behind the wall. Daiki took in his standard Soul Reaper uniform, giant zanpakuto, and orange spiked hair. "Why are you frozen like that? Is something wrong?" Gin began walking torward to the trembling giant and teen. The carrot top glared, "Who is that?"
Jidanbo spoke, voice heavy, "That is none other than... the captain of Squad Three Gin Ichimaru!"
"Oh, not good," Gin spoke softly. Within the blink of an eye, Jibando was kneeling on the ground with the gate weighing heavily on his back, his left arm bloody and limp at his side.
"Jidanbo, no!" the young Soul Reaper cried.
"Gin, what're ya doin'?!" Daiki cried in shock. Okay, now she could understand why people are scared of her friend a little better now.
"Unacceptable," the man spoke, smiling with his eyes closed as if he didn't just most likely sever tendons and such in the giant's arm. "Being the guardian of the gate doesn't mean ye're supposed to open the gate."
"I defended the gate and lost," Jidanbo spoke, voice strained by both pain and having to hold the gate up. "Once I lost, I had to open the gate; there was nothing else I could do."
"What ye're saying makes no sense," the third squad captain argued. "The gatekeeper who loses isn't supposed to open the gate." Walking forward, Gin stopped just a good few paces before the wounded keeper, "When a gatekeeper loses it means death."
"Whoa, whoa, hold on, Gin," Daiki tried placating as she strided to her friend; that is, until Gin held an arm out to stop her and blocked the carrot top teen's zanpakuto. "Uwagh!" the ravenette cried comically at the sudden attack along with being carried away with Gin as he jumped back.
"Ah! Ichigo!" Daiki faintly heard another male voice cry out.
The orange-haired teen pointed his monster-sized weapon at the two, "You wanna tell me just what the hell you think you're doing?"
"Yes, Ichigo, what are you doing?!"
"What's the big idea showing up now and trying to but in?" the lad continued. "You stupid, friggin' ass clown."
"That's a new one," Daiki muttered to Gin as she and him stared the other Soul Reaper down. Gin's grin grew a tad more at the comment.
"Anyone who's pathetic enough to make an appearance just to attack an unarmed man, deserves to be killed."
The fourth seat gave a low whistle at the brazen comment while Gin spoke, "Ye're sure a funny kid, and ye're not scared of me?"
"Hell no."
"Careful, boy!" Daiki heard that same voice she's heard twice yell. Looking by Jidanbo's foot, she spotted a black cat with gold eyes, "You must stop, Ichigo! It is best we retreat for now!"
"Ooh, he's friends with a talking cat," Daiki commented in intrigue and slight awe. "That's cool."
"Huh? Why? I'm only just getting started here!"
"Hey, kid, listen ta the talkin' feline, a'right?" Daiki hollered over to Ichigo. "I get ye're new here, but ya really don't wanna mess with a capt'n."
"Shut up, did it look like I was talking to you?!" The carrot snapped as he jerked to glare at her in irritation. "I refuse to submit to jerks like you! Besides who're you calling kid, you look around my age!" Turning back to the cat, Ichigo continued, "Anyways, look, I'll be fine! Just let me wipe the floor with these two!"
"You must be Ichigo Kurosaki," Gin voiced after his moments of silence.
"You know about me?"
"Eh?" Daiki blinked in confusion. "You know this guy, Gin?"
"Just as I thought," the silver-haired male continued, ignoring his friend and Ichigo, "how very predictable." He turned and began walking in the opposite direction.
"Hey, where're you going?!" the fifteen year old called out.
"Wha— Gin?!" Daiki cried in astonishment. "What're ya doin', we gotta deal with the intruders, numbskull!"
"Hey, wait!"
"All the more reason why I can't let you pass," the captain spoke, furthering the confusion the others felt. He finally stopped and brought out his zanpakuto. Sea green eyes widen as Daiki finally understood what Gin was doing and hurried to move out the way.
"So then why are you standing so far back?" Ichigo retorted. "Unless you plan on throwing that dagger."
"It's not a dagger." Gin looked over his shoulder to the orange-haired teen, "In fact, this is my zanpakuto." He suddenly twisted back to face them in a crouch, "Impale him, Shinso!" The blade lengthened and shot straight towards the teen who hurriedly brought his blade to block, but was sent back along with Jidanbo past the gate.
"No! The gate!" the cat cried whilst Daiki and Gin approached the lowering gate.
The younger of the two watched as her friend crouched and waved at the intruders, "Bye bye, now~"
With that, the West Gate was closed once more.
"So," Daiki drawled after a few beats of silence, "how much trouble do ya think we'll get in for lettin' 'em go?"
All Gin did was chuckle.
"Are you serious?" Ichigo inquired with a scowl on his visage. "You really wanna give up getting past the gate?"
"No, I don't mean give up completely," the cat Yoruichi responded. "Once the gate has been opened, it's only logical that the security on the other side becomes tighter. Which means that continuing with the same strategy is not necessarily the best approach."
The rag-tag rescue team was seated within the elder of the West Rukon's home around a pot of tea.
"I must say I agree with you on this," Uryu spoke.
Chad, who Yoruichi was sitting next to, asked, "So what about the other gates?"
"There won't be much difference from what we faced with this one."
Ichigo crossed his arms in annoyance, "Well, in that case, what the hell are we supposed to do?"
"Isn't it obvious?" the feline questioned rhetorically. "If we cannot go through the gates then naturally we must enter another way." Looking to the owner of the residence, Yoruichi asked, "Elder, do you know the whereabouts of Kuukaku Shiba?"