Episode 47: Blitz Chess
The scent that lingered within the heart of the Twelfth Division’s laboratories was heavy with a stale, acrid quality that made Smart Cookie’s nose burn ever so slightly. The dim surroundings she found herself in were only lit by the ghostly, flickering glow of several terminal screens situated among the desks littering the lab. Two or three Twelfth Division researchers were bent over their monitors, clacking away at reams of data from any number of experiments, but they barely gave Smart Cookie a glance as she strode along the lab’s central walkway towards a raised portion at the back of the room, where the largest terminal of all took up a good portion of the wall.
From the hushed tone and general quiet of the room one might think there wasn’t a state of emergency currently overrunning the Seireitei. However Smart Cookie could feel the unspoken buzz of tension in the air. The usually mild researchers of the Twelfth Division might have been focusing on their work, but they knew the danger of the situation.
Seated in front of the large terminal at the back of the room was Captain Starswirl, his white Captain’s overcoat hanging off the back of his chair, almost like an afterthought, as his eyes focused on the screen in front of him. Smart Cookie was struck by the way the man’s sharp yellow eyes concentrated with burning intensity despite the wane, drawn look on the rest of his aged features. Dark circles under his eyes indicated that Starswirl hadn’t slept lately.
Smart Cookie approached, bowed respectfully, cleared her throat, and said, “Captain Starswirl, I’ve been sent by Captain Commander Scorpan to get an update on your investigation into the charges against Captains Celestia and Luna.”
Captain Starswirl didn’t respond immediately, muttering something unintelligible under his breath as he pressed a few keys on his terminal. Smart Cookie looked at the screen, noticing that there were multiple windows on display showing different data points. Reiatsu signatures, comparing them to other reiatsu signatures. Timetables of movements of various members of the Gotei 13. Maps of the Seireitei, Rukongai, and much of the surrounding territory of the Spirit Realm. There was also a list of profiles on various known Arrancar, including several that Smart Cookie recognized as Espada.
“Need more data...” Starswirl finally said, just loud enough for Smart Cookie to hear. He then turned his shining eyes towards her, face grim. “Countless pieces of information, yet all of it circumstantial. Suspicions without concrete proof is not evidence. Central 46 are a bunch of slack jawed, brain dead morons.”
Smart Cookie wince and coughed politely, “Sir, I’m not in a position to comment on the competence of the Central 46... or the lack thereof. Have you discovered anything that may lead to proving Captain Celestia and Luna’s innocence?”
A dusty sigh escaped Starswirl as he gestured at the screen with the buggered irritation of a man swatting at a swarm of annoying flies. “Something solid enough to clear the charges, no. All I have are half formed theories and suspicions based on a few seemingly disconnected pieces of information. The best I can give you is a loose overview and my best guesses, none of which will convince Central 46.”
“Still, I would appreciate any insight you have to give, Captain.” Smart Cookie said with another formal bow. Starswirl settled back into his chair, stroking his beard for a few moments before he began to speak in a swift but steady rhythm.
“Most of what I've been doing has been creating a list of potential individuals who may be responsible for the current crisis. My requirements for this list was that the individual needed to be in a sufficient position of authority to know Soul Society’s inner workings, the general disposition and deployment methods of our forces, and how we’d respond in a crisis situation. All of that would be needed to play a game of blitz chess like this.”
“Blitz chess?” Smart Cookie asked with a slight tilt of her head.
“Think chess, but on a swift time limit. You don’t have all the time in the world to consider your moves. Promotes faster thinking. However you really do need to know the game inside and out to play well, have a very clear notion of what each piece on the board can do and how it can move. Whoever set this game up must know the Gotei 13 with a similar familiarity to make us dance on the board. So logically that means either a Captain or a Lieutenant, but I’m betting on a Captain.”
“Why is that?”
“Though harder to hide their true colors, a Captain has all the knowledge and authority to set this up. There are only a few exceptions among the Lieutenants.” He glanced at her, “You, for example.”
“M-me!?” Smart Cookie gasped, aghast at the suggestion, but Starswirl waved his hand dismissively.
“Only an example. Your position at the Captain Commander’s side gives you knowledge and authority a step higher than a normal Lieutenant. Lieutenant Redheart is another example.”
“But she’s-”
“Girl, if you keep interrupting me we’re never going to get anywhere.” Starswirl said curtly, and Smart Cookie closed her mouth. After a second Starswirl nodded and continued.
“As the Lieutenant of the Fourth Division, Redheart would have access to medical records that would grant her more familiarity with all Soul Reapers in Seireitei. She’d also have access to more areas of Seireitei due to the Fourth Division’s many emergency medical tunnels to help the healers get around quickly. Again, I’m not accusing, merely pointing out there are Lieutenants who might have the means to manipulate us in the way we have. There is also at least one rare exception who isn’t part of the Gotei 13 anymore...” Starswirl’s eyes narrowed, “And honestly this setup has her fingerprints on it, at least in regards to how convoluted this plot is.”
“Who?”
“You do remember Discord’s protege from a ways back? Starlight Glimmer?”
Smart Cookie blinked. She did recall the unusual circumstance of their first ‘Substitute Soul Reaper’. “I thought she vanished years ago.”
“After causing a true mess here in the Twelfth Division. Or rather, in Hitsuyo Aku.” Starswirl said with a bitter lick of his lips. “You are aware of Hitsuyo Aku, yes?”
“Only the barest details. Given its highly classified nature even the Captain Commander kept access to information on it largely restricted.” Smart Cookie said, then she grimaced. “I never liked the idea behind the program. What’s the point of defeating our enemies if we end up employing methods that make us little better than Hollows?”
“A sentiment you are not alone in sharing.” Starswirl’s smile turned brittle, “That said, I still support the existence of the research.”
At Smart Cookies questioning look Starswirl chuckled dryly, “Is it that surprising? We’ve been making precious little progress in our war with the Quincy and Hollows. I’m not inclined to discontinue an entire branch of research, even after the Xcution disaster. We’ve only moved on to lower key projects, with more oversight from Central 46 itself.”
“Are you allowed to discuss what projects you’re currently working on?” Smart Cookie asked with genuine, if uneasy, curiosity.
“Probably not, but maybe sometime I’ll slip you a few details when the Central 46 isn’t looking.” Starswirl said with a wink. “Anyway, my point is that Starlight Glimmer, who was part of Hitsuyo Aku’s research back then, knows a lot more about the Gotei 13 than any normal Soul Reaper. She has the means and motivation to make this kind of move against us. Not without help, but this kind of scheme smells like hers.”
“I can accept that, but that still doesn’t tell us who is helping her.” Smart Cookie pointed out.
“My list on that count is a short one. Platinum, Zecora, Blueblood, Amore, and myself.”
“Yourself?” Smart Cookie looked at him incredulously.
“I can’t discount myself from this list for several reasons.” Starswirl held up his fingers, “One, it’d be simply poor investigative work to omit myself as a suspect. Two, I have access to more information than nearly anyone in Soul Society besides Scorpan himself, giving me ample means to manipulate everyone as I please. Three, given I’m the only one who could properly analyze the workings of Captain Zecora’s Zanpaktou to determine if it was tampered with, if she’s not the traitor then logically I’d be the next best candidate.”
He gave her an exhausted grin, winking, “So don’t trust me. Just in case.”
Smart Cookie gave him a level stare, “I’ll keep that in mind, Captain. So what is your reasoning for the others on that list?”
“Platinum was involved in capturing Celestia and Luna to begin with. We could look at that as mere coincidence, but given how the situation is panning out it's hard to believe anything is a simple coincidence.” Starswirl eyed the terminal screen, where Platinum’s profile was on display, and let out a soft grumble. “She’s always been a prickly woman. Loyal by all obvious accounts, but far more prone to acting on her emotions than she would ever admit. She’s loyal to Soul Society, but not necessarily to all of its institutions or members. In her youth, did you know she was a very open critic of the Central 46?”
“I did not.” Smart Cookie admitted, “She and I were part of the same graduating class, but while she was a high noble, I was a common girl from the Rukongai. We didn’t exactly mingle in the same circles.”
“Yes, I was an instructor back then. I remember you both. Platinum was far more hotheaded in those days. She was very vocally against the Central 46’s governing system. Claimed it was too bloated and bureaucratic, which it is, but she favored a simpler system that would give the Captain Commander more absolute authority...” Starswirl shook his head, “And she never understood why that would be a terrible idea that Scorpan would never support.”
“I can’t disagree with you there.” Smart Cookie said, “I trust Captain Commander Scorpan implicitly, but he’d be the first to admit that him possessing full authority over the Seireitei, without the balance of the Central 46, would doom Soul Society to rebellion and chaos.”
“Indeed. In any case, Platinum has, ahem, ‘cooled off’ significantly over the years, at least on a surface level. But I can’t forget that she’s prone to deciding things based on her emotions, and is stubborn about her grudges. There’s two levers that might motivate her to being a traitor, besides a dislike of the Central 46. One is her son.”
“Lord Pipsqueak? Do you think someone could kidnap him to use as a hostage?”
“More likely his terminal illness would be the leverage.” Starswirl said, and before Smart Cookie could respond, he held up a hand. “It's not common knowledge. Most know the boy is frail and has ill health, but only a few, including myself, know that the boy’s illness is a rare spiritual defect that will, within the next five or six years, waste away his spirit body. He’ll eventually dissolve into the background reishi of the Spirit Realm.”
“It... can’t be cured?”
Starswirl deflated slightly, shaking his head. “Zecora and myself have devoted no shortage of resources to seek a way to stop the degradation of the boy’s spirit body, but nothing we’ve tried thus far has worked. However...” his eyes narrowed, “That isn’t to say that Starlight Glimmer might not have found a way.”
“And she’d used that against Platinum to garner her support. But... to betray all of Soul Society?”
“Platinum loves her boy." Starswirl said with a shrug , "If she thinks there’s a way to save him, I doubt there’s much she wouldn’t do to see it done. Then there’s the other factor, that of her husband’s death and Celestia’s involvement in it.”
A frown lined Smart Cookie’s features, “I know the reports on that operation. Was his death not listed as a casualty against the Quincy?"
“That is what the report says, yes.” Starswirl said with a grave look shadowing his face, "There were... complications, involving Celestia and her Zanpaktou. You're aware she has sworn off using even its Shikai form as long as there are innocents or allies nearby?"
"Yes, I confess I never understood why." said Smart Cookie, chewing her lower lip, "Are you saying the death of Platinum's husband is related to that?"
"Its not my place to spout off the details," grumbled Starswirl, "But let's just say that things went poorly during a particular battle and number of people died, including Lieutenant Flash Magnus. Celestia blamed herself. Platinum certainly did too. A shame, given that prior to that Platinum held Celestia in such high regard."
After a long, heavy silence Smart Cookie said in a subdued, contemplative tone, “I can see why Platinum is on your list. And you as well. Knowing the details, you’d have every means to manipulate her to help set up Celestia and Luna.”
“Exactly. Now, as for Blueblood, he’s been Platinum’s confidant for a long time. He’d know all of this as well. His motivation is too shaky for me to consider him a likely candidate as a traitor, but I can’t discount him either. He was awfully quick to jump on the vote against Celestia and Luna.”
“Which could just mean he was following Platinum’s lead, and not necessarily plotting treason.” Smart Cookie said, then eyed the list again. “Now what about Captain Amore? I have difficulty seeing her as a possible traitor.”
“Nor I.” admitted Starswirl, “But the fact remains that the Fifth Division are the Gotei 13’s primary administration branch, and they handle all of our extensive paperwork and record keeping. Amore has more than enough information at her fingertips to know exactly where and how to manipulate us, if she wanted to. Granted she’s never demonstrated anything other than a borderline pathological desire for maintaining the peace, but the fact remains she has the means to effectively betray us, if not an obvious motive.”
After a slow nod Smart Cookie said, “Then that leaves Captain Zecora.”
A wave of frustration came over Starswirl, his body tensing as he slapped a hand on the terminal table. “She’s the most vexing part of this! By nearly every piece of circumstantial evidence that’s cropping up, she’s by far the most likely suspect, but she has no motivation to betray Soul Society. I’ve known that woman for centuries and she'd never willingly turn on us. However...” he sighed, “She’s literally the only one with the singular Zanpaktou power that was necessary for all of this to work. Without her testimony, nothing could have been pinned on Celestia or Luna. She has to be involved somehow, but I refuse to believe its as a willing party. She’s been manipulated somehow.”
“Leverage, like with Captain Platinum?”
“I have a hard time believing that. Zecora has a few skeletons in her closet, like anyone who gets as old as we are tends to accumulate, but nothing strong enough to use as lever of control on her.” He paused, and reluctantly added, "At least nothing I know about. I can't discount that even Zecora might have a secrets I'm not privy to."
“Hmm, what about some kind of mind control? There are such powers like that, among Zanpaktou and otherwise.” Smart Cookie mused.
“It seems the most obvious answer, doesn’t it? But its also hard to swallow. Zecora has a keen and powerful will. There’s really only a limited number of people who’d have the power needed to do anything to her mind.”
“Who would those people be?”
Starswirl glanced at Smart Cookie sourly. “Me, for one. Again, the evidence keeps stacking up against me. Hitsuyo Aku had more than one project for developing mind control to work on even those of immense mental will. All failures, but given Starlight Glimmer stole a fair amount of research when she went rogue, she could have finished any of them. Or, if I’m a traitor, I could have such devices myself to use. Now...”
He punched some keys and brought up two different profiles. One Smart Cookie recognized. The dark skin, wavy turquoise hair, the arrogant emerald eyes, and unmistakable fragments of Hollow mask in the shape of a crown across the woman’s brow made who was obvious.
“The Second Espada, Chrysalis.” she breathed.
“Yes. Our data on her abilities are extremely limited, given her penchant for avoiding direct battles. However we do know that she has some power that can affect the minds of her opponents. We don’t know to what extent that power reaches, but given her rank as the second most powerful Hollow there is... well I’m not inclined to underestimate her.”
“But she couldn’t infiltrate Soul Society. The wards around Seireitei would detect a Hollow’s reiatsu instantly! You even have early warning systems installed across the Rukongai to detect Hollows in case of invasion or attempts at infiltration.”
Starswirl shrugged, “True on all counts, yet as I said, we don’t know the true extent of her powers. Hollows also have a nasty habit of evolving new powers over time. She conceivably could have a means to infiltrate us. Especially if she’s had help from Starlight Glimmer. Remember, Starlight stole various things from our labs when she went rogue, and some of our research was also sunk into various attempts at stealth technology that'd allow exactly this kind of infiltration.”
“I’m... starting to understand your frustration, Captain.” Smart Cookie admitted.This earned a tired smile from the elderly Soul Reaper. "There's entirely too many variables here and not nearly as many ways to narrow them down."
“Indeed. Too many possibilities, not enough evidence.”
Smart Cookie glanced at the other profile. It showed a rather innocuous and plain looking Soul Reaper girl with mint colored skin and darker green hair, and a pair of plain blue eyes.
“And that is?”
“Oh, just Captain Medley, of the Zero Division.”
Smart Cookie nearly fell over. After recovering her wits she stammered. “The Zero Division!?”
“Yes. The Royal Guard. She’s just on this list for completeness. I doubt any of the Royal Guard would betray us for any reason, but Captain Medley does possess a Zanpaktou with remarkably powerful abilities in the arena of mind manipulation. She could have easily orchestrated a scheme like this in her sleep, if she had reason. Which she doesn’t. But I’m not leaving anything out of my list if I can think of it.”
Smart Cookie rubbed her forehead, feeling the beginning pressures of an oncoming headache. “So where does this leave our investigation.”
“Up the proverbial river with no paddle and a waterfall rapidly approaching.” Starswirl said bluntly. “I’ve spent a great deal of time going over the recent movements and reported actions of my suspect list over the past month or so, and out of all of it I’ve only found one thing that bothers me.”
“And that would be?”
Starswirl leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees, “I’m a very old man, even by Soul Reaper standards. My own health isn’t always the best. Captain Zecora cares deeply for her comrades and makes a habit of performing house calls in person. I know for a fact that she’s visited nearly every Captain at least once for regular checkups. And myself more than once, due to my at times stressed constitution.”
He stared at the ground, a profound look of worry seeming to age him even further as Smart Cookie watched. “Zecora is also extremely punctual. I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times she’s been late for any appointment. One of those instances was about a month ago.”
With a gesture he pressed another key and brought up a map of an area far outside of Soul Society’s normal borders. “Hitsuyo Aku’s research facility is here, over twenty five miles away from the edge of the Rukongai. It was placed at that distance to prevent any accidents in weapons research from having damaging effects on Soul Society. I’d been spending a number of long nights out there, working on various projects. Stress hit me hard one night and I nearly fainted. Zecora came out to check up on me. She was about twenty minutes later than she should have been.”
“What reason did she give for that?” Smart Cookie asked.
“She said that she’d had some last moment paperwork to finish at headquarters that couldn’t wait. I didn’t think anything of it at the time. Punctual or not, Zecora is also diligent in her duties and I could see her taking a little extra time to finish something before coming to see me. However, now... I’m not so sure.”
Looking at the map, Smart Cookie concluded what she suspected Starswirl had. “Someone could have intercepted her between here and the Hitsuyo Aku research facility.”
“Twenty minutes. Enough time to do something nefarious? Plant the seeds of betrayal in her mind, without her knowing it?”
“You’ve examined Zecora along with her Zanpaktou, so surely you’d have found something if that was the case, right?”
“I’d like to think so, but I have no way to be sure. Hence I keep spinning my damned wheels here while Seireitei explodes around us.” Starswirl growled with evident distaste at his own ineffectiveness as he slumped in his seat. “So there you have it, the state of my ‘investigation’. Was it helpful?”
“I suppose I’ll find out.” Smart Cookie said, “Celestia and Luna’s execution date has been moved up, and Captain Commander Scorpan has gone to the Central 46 to argue against the order. They were to be executed tomorrow, but the Captain Commander can delay that for two days.”
Starswirl perked up, eyes regaining that burning intensity. “That is extremely unusual. Why would Central 46 give such an order?”
“At a guess, they’re afraid of the Ryoka invasion succeeding in freeing the prisoners, and making the unrest in Seireitei even worse.” Smart Cookie said.
“That would make sense, but... something about that doesn’t feel right.” Starswirl’s eyes narrowed to yellow lines, his hand stroking his beard faster as he muttered under his breath. “Perhaps we should join Captain Commander Scorpan in Central 46.”
Smart Cookie raised an eyebrow at him, “Why?”
“I have a terrible hunch, is all. If this is a game of chess, then someone may have just put our ‘king’ in check.”
----------
Hokori’s flames bleed forth in a thrashing blossom of scarlet and orange, consuming the mannequin the blade had been thrust through. The heat of the flames increased, almost blistering and forcing Sunset to take several steps back as the fire flowed into a bright spectrum of flashing blue and darker cobalt colors. Ditzy Doo jumped back, landing light footed upon the top of one of the larger rock faces nearby, her arms crossing under her chest as she watched events unfold.
The flames finally absorbed the mannequin entirely, and Hokori’s sealed katana form vanished within the thrashing swirls of fire. Then with a burst of azure flame motes, both blade and mannequin disappeared, and in their place was the kneeling form of Hokori’s true spirit. Sunset watched as the crimson skinned demoness slowly rose from her kneeling position and stretched her arms above her head while letting out a wide yawn, her wings spreading out to either side of her.
“Aaaaah, feels good to get out of the old inner world every now and then. Let’s see, now where are we? Rock strewn training ground? How original.” Hokori’s voice was coated with sarcasm, but Sunset could tell that it was hiding more than that as her Zanapktou’s spirit turned darkly burning eyes towards her. “Sunset, you’re looking particularly... beaten. Is that why you’ve pulled me out here, to beg for more power?”
“Cut the crap Hokori.” Sunset said bluntly, cracking her knuckles. “Neither of us have time to screw around with posturing. I’ve only got a few days to get us to Bankai level, and we both know we’re not going to do that by trading insults.”
“No, no we’re not.” Hokori spat, rolling her wrists while slowly starting to stalk to Sunset’s left. Streams of fire flowed down Hokori’s arms, shaping themselves into the burning shape of her Shikai form’s broadsword and shield. “But I have to wonder if you really have what it takes to do that. You may have found your Pride again, but so far I’m not impressed with what you’ve done with me.”
Hokori gave no warning in her posture or motion, and all Sunset had to alert her to the danger was a simple gut instinct that she had to move. Even without Hokori in hand, she still had her own spirit energy and skills to rely on, and was able to throw herself backwards with a swift Flash Step, avoiding the edge of the broadsword that was inches from her throat as Hokori had launched into a straight thrust right at Sunset.
Hokori pursued, just as fast as Sunset was, and before Sunset could fully get her feet under her she found Hokori’s shield smashing towards her at full speed. Sunset crossed her arms in front of her and rolled with the blow, taking the painful impact as the shield slammed her across the ground, stealing the breath from her. She turned the momentum of the blow into a roll, managing to flip back to her feet just in time to leap out of the way of a scorching blast of flames that Hokori unleashed from her broadsword with a heavy swing.
“I mean look at you. What are you without me?” Hokori chided, slowly walking in pursuit of Sunset. Hokori adjusted her grip on her blade, letting go of the hilt and instead grasping the red cloth that extended from it. She then started to twirl the sword by the cloth, fast enough to buzz the air. “And even with me you still have the gall to lose to a punk like Hurricane and that shitty windbag, Tetsukaze!? C’mon, that was embarrassing!”
Face pinched in concentration, and her heart now starting to race, Sunset stood her ground against the advancing Hokori. Just as Clover had taught her she stilled her thoughts and calmly started to pull upon her inner reiryoku, her spirit energy pouring up from her core to pool into her hands.
“He’s a Captain for crying out loud, Hokori! Me and the girls knew going in that he was going to be a tough opponent. That’s why I’m doing this, so I can take guys like him and Platinum on equal ground!”
Her palms lit up with inner scarlet light, and Sunset quickly chanted, skipping the full incantation. She hadn’t tried this before, but she didn’t have time to do the full chant.
“Hado Number Thirty One: Shakkaho!”
Without the full incantation the energy inside her palm undulated and struggled against her control like an unruly dog on a leash. Sunset sharpened her focus as her arms shook, the crimson ball of spirit energy forming into a full orb, flickering with disruptive tremors as the unstable Kido spell fired off. The red sphere curved in on Hokori, who almost contemptuously swung her shield to block the spell. The sphere exploded on the shield, throwing up a cloud of rock dust. The blow charged Hokori’s blade, the broadsword igniting with fire as she continued to spin it upon its cloth, creating a blazing circle of fire in the air.
Hokori chuckled darkly, “Excuses, excuses. Is this your true nature, Sunset? Act like a big shot and then when things get tough you start blaming your failures on how strong your opposition was instead of how weak you are!? That’s so pathetic it makes me want to puke.”
Stepping through the cloud of dust kicked up by Sunset’s spell, Hokori looked about with her eyes boiling like an inferno, and gained an irritated scowl as she saw no sign of her quarry. That is, until Sunset burst out of the dust cloud right behind her. Hokori spun fast, swinging her shield, but Sunset ducked beneath the blow and then came rushing up with her fist leading the way in an uppercut that caught Hokori right under the chin.
Hokori was rocked back, but regained her senses quickly, just in time to take the flames around her spinning sword and launch them towards Sunset. The flames took the shape of a bright, intense disc of orange fire, the edges of which melted the ground as it buzzed towards Sunset like a giant flaming frisbee.
“Okay, that’s new.” Sunset deadpanned as she jumped aside, the horrific heat of the flame disc making her wince in pain as her skin felt scorched even from the near miss.
Hokori caught the hilt of her sword again, licking her lips like a hungry wolf. “I haven’t shown you all my powers Sunny. Aoihi Senko was just the easiest technique to teach you. I’m capable of so much more. Heh, not that you’ll ever manage to learn with weak sauce punches and relying on cheap tricks. Dammit girl, you’re supposed to be better than this! We’re supposed to be stronger than this! If you don’t shape up fast, I really am gonna kill you!”
Hokori’s wings spread wide and with a single powerful flap she sent herself hurtling upwards. Then like a swooping hawk she dove upon Sunset, gleaming blade cutting a deadly, whistling arc for Sunset’s head. With swift reflexes Sunset managed to twist away from the blow, Hokori’s edge snipping off a few colorful strands of hair. However Hokori had been a feint, taking advantage of Sunset’s predicted evasion to instead ram the edge of her shield hard into Sunset’s gut. The strike, made all the harder due to Hokori’s dive, knocked Sunset senseless as she found herself being picked up and carried into the air on Hokori’s shield, pain exploding through her body.
Before she could get her wits about her, Hokori flew right into one of the nearby rock outcroppings, smashing Sunset into the rock face with shattering force. Sunset felt her body indent into the stone, cracking it in a shower of rock shards. Hokori held Sunset there, pinned by her shield, and then raised her sword towards Sunset’s face. The blade was heated to the point that it glowed a devilish red and orange tint that nearly matched Hokori’s skin. The demon girl’s face was a bitter scowl of disappointment.
“Is this really going to be it? You tossed me off the throne only to crawl this piddling short distance before giving up?”
Sunset, teeth clenched, bile rising in her throat, raised one hand to grab the shield pressing her into the rock and locked her eyes on Hokori’s. “I haven’t given up. I will never give up. As long as anyone or anything threatens my friends, my home, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep them safe.”
Hokori’s eyes flashed and her voice was a deep and low growl of primordial threat. “Prove it.”
She thrust the sword towards Sunset’s face. Sunset tilted her head to the side, avoiding the lethal blow, but the hot blade and its intense flames seared across her cheek. The pain was agonizing, lancing through her screaming nerves, but Sunset kept her focus, and gestured with her other hand, the one that’d been hidden beneath Hokori’s shield.
“Bakudo Number One: Sai!”
Sunset hadn’t learned many Kido. Clover had only had time to teach her a small handful, and most of those only through basic demonstrations. Sai was by far the simplest and easiest of them, the most rudimentary of the Way of Binding Kido Spells. Yet simple or not, the Kido’s effectiveness was based on the reiatsu of its user and whether it could overwhelm its target, however briefly.
In the span of a mere second Hokori found her arms twisting around behind her, as if by some invisible force. She kept hold of her blade and shield, but her arms were now awkwardly bent behind her. This of course meant there was nothing to hold Sunset up, but rather than let herself fall she reached out and grabbed Hokori.
With a savage shout Sunset proceeded to headbutt Hokori, cracking her forehead hard into her Zanpaktou spirit’s nose.
She’d always heard nobody wins a headbutt. This was technically true. Then again, if nobody came out on top with a headbutt, it at least meant Hokori wasn’t coming out unscathed. She may have been dazed by the headbutt, but Hokori was even more stunned, losing her winged balance as she started to fall, Sunset on top of her. Even in free fall Sunset kept a tight grip on Hokori and started to punch her demonic counterpart, ramming her fist into Hokori’s face several times before they hit the ground with a jarring impact that left Sunset sprawled atop Hokori.
“Ugh, get off me!” Hokori snarled, working one leg underneath Sunset and then kicked her straight in the gut with stiff force, knocking her off. Sunset rolled with the kick, rising to her feet in a battered and hunched stance, but plenty of fight still flaring in her eyes. Blood seeped from the burned cut on her cheek, but Sunset ignored it and remained fixed upon Hokori.
“You want proof of my resolve? If I break every bone in your body will that be enough? If you break every bone in mine, will that be enough? Like I told you-” she rushed Hokori, voice a razor’s edge, “-we don’t have time for this crap!”
Hokori growled furiously and flipped to her feet. With brute force and a burst of burning spirit power wafting off her she broke the Sai binding Kido, and then ripped her sword upward in a rising slash that sent bursting sparks of flame exploding outwards towards Sunset in a blossoming fireball. The infernal blast forced Sunset to change her charge into a quick Flash Step to the side,which bought Hokori an extra moment to go airborne again, wings flapping.
In response Sunset used one of the few remaining Kido she knew, drawing her right hand back with her middle and index finger poised. Yellow light gathered between her fingers as she chanted.
“Bakudo Number Four: Haniwa!”
A rope of yellow spirit energy formed from her fingers, and Sunset cast the Kido spell up like a lasso, wrapping around Hokori’s legs and keeping her from gaining any more height. With a sneer Hokori looked at Sunset with eyes casting heavy judgment, voice scolding.
“And what good is that resolve if you waste it by retreating from the challenges in front of you!? As your Pride I will not stand for that kind of cowardice!”
Hokori’s wings proved stronger than Sunset expected as she found herself being lifted right off the ground, still lassoed to her Zanpaktou spirit. Grunting, Sunset held on for dear life as Hokori flew higher, dragging Sunset through the air. It didn’t take Sunset long to see that Hokori was leading her right towards another cliff face, looking to scrape her off like a piece of offal from the bottom of a boot.
“Cowardice!?” Sunset shouted, quickly pulling herself up the energy rope, trying to get high enough to avoid the oncoming cliff, “Did you not see what Hurricane’s Bankai could do!? It literally took one shot to break our shield Hokori! It’s not cowardly to retreat from that, it’s common sense!”
She had to swing her legs up and make a final, desperate pull on the Kido rope, and even then she felt the top of the cliff brush past her rear end. Growling in strain, she planted her feet down then, grinding them along the top of the small plateau she and Hokori cruised over. Strong or not, the sudden jarring motion forced Hokori to jerk in the air, losing a lot of momentum. Sunset, capitalizing on Hokori’s distraction, pulled hard on the rope and put her whole body weight behind it. This managed to tear Hokori out of the air, slamming the demon girl into the ground with a hefty smack.
Her breaths coming in quick gasps, Sunset started to charge Hokori, hoping to get to her while the Zanpaktou spirit was still stunned on the ground. Hokori recovered fast, however, and slashed the Kido rope around her legs with a feral hiss, springing to her feet to meet Sunset’s charge.
“Don’t lie to me, Sunset. That’s the same as lying to yourself. You ran because you were scared. Hurricane is just another obstacle in your path. But you got spooked by him because he hurt your friends, and it filled you with fear.”
That made Sunset hesitate in her charge, just long enough for Hokori to counter-charge, trailing flames from her sword that then got unleashed upon Sunset in a searing pillar of roaring heat. Sunset had no choice but to do as Clover had taught her and to harden her reiatsu around herself. A spirit body was much more durable than one of mortal flesh and blood, the expression of one’s spirit energy allowing one to take attacks that would outright kill a normal person. Unable to dodge, all Sunset could do was take the flames head on.
The blast knocked her back while also searing around her body in a overwhelming flash of pain. Sunset wasn’t even sure if she screamed or not, as the howl of the flames drowned out all other noise.
Nearby Ditzy Doo Flash Stepped atop a higher outcropping of rock, looking on with inscrutable eyes. Hokori, taking one eye off of the burning field of fire in front of her that her attack had created, glanced at Ditzy with a raised eyebrow.
“What? Not going to poke your overly endowed ass into this are you?”
Ditzy Doo let a tiny smirk touch the edges of her mouth. “And spoil this warm, fuzzy tete-a-tete? Wouldn’t dream of it. A fight between a Soul Reaper and her Zanpaktou is far too intimate to try and make this a threesome. Besides, I think Sunset is going to be more of a handful than you think. She doesn’t need my help.”
At nearly the moment Ditzy Doo spoke, there was a eruption of reaitsu from where Sunset had been standing among the flames. The pillar of fire burst outward and then dissipated around Sunset, who stood surrounded by a pulsing sheath of her own spirit energy, which burned with its own radiant red and orange hues of fire. Her body bore several burns across it, the black robes of her Soul Reaper uniform torn and burned away in a few spots, exposing one arm and shoulder and some of her leg. Yet she stood strongly, despite the burns.
“Hokori, you’re right.” Sunset said, voice steady. “Seeing Fluttershy get cut down like that scared me. It should scare me. Every battle we get into puts my friends in more danger and I can’t keep pretending our luck is going to hold out forever. If I don’t get stronger, one of us is going to die.”
Hokori’s voice rose to a fever pitch of anger, pointing her sword at Sunset. “Then why are you acting so weak!? Why are you letting doubt hold us back!? You haven’t been fighting seriously, Sunset. I know. I’ve seen the fear that’s holding you back, but you can’t seem to see it yourself. And until you do-”
Flames flared from Hokori’s blade like a waterfall, melting the ground to molten scarlet as they traced a blazing circle around Hokori and Sunset, forming a blazing arena that enclosed the two combatants. Sunset felt the heat scalding at her back, making the air heavy and dry, torching her throat with every breath. Hokori’s eyes glowed with a deep crimson flicker as she started to stride towards Sunset once more.
“-you’re never going to beat me.”
Sunset started to walk towards Hokori as well, her stride no less determined or resolved than her demonic counterpart’s. She knew that what Hokori was saying was right, on some basic level. Even after she’d reconnected with and embraced her sense of pride, there was an underlying fear inside her. She assumed it was because she feared for the lives of her friends... but was there something else to it? Something she hadn’t seen? Regardless, she couldn’t back down now. There was no throwing in the towel for her. Not here. Not ever.
“Maybe you’re right Hokori, but I’m still standing, and I’m not going down anytime soon.”
As the two rushed each other, Hokori’s flaming blade swinging in a deadly arc of melting flame, and Sunset’s fist plowing forward in a wreath of spiritual force, Ditzy Doo continued to watch the battle with a look of satisfaction painting her features with a smirking grin.
----------
The procession that trudged through the gates to the courtyard surrounding the Fourth Division hospital carried a heavy air of nervous tension about them that Sweet Cider could feel even from where she stood at the hospital’s front doors. The Soul Reapers entering the courtyard were mostly Fourth Division healers, many of them carrying wounded on stretchers. Sweet Cider guessed these must’ve been the casualties from the battle at the Thirteenth Division barracks, at least the ones badly injured enough to need the facilities at the hospital rather than just field first aid.
Of course none of the arriving Soul Reapers would know that the Fourth Division had suffered a sneak attack. With a deep sigh Sweet Cider walked out to meet the arrivals. As she did so she noticed several Soul Reapers among the arrivals she wasn’t expecting to see.
Captain Amore strode with tall and easy grace, her multi-hued hair of deep violets and pinks flowing down her back like a cape. The stately woman had a look of intense concern and alertness about her lightly peach colored features. Beside her was Amore’s Lieutenant, Radiant Hope, if anything looking even more worried and off balance than her Captain. Both were leading the procession alongside Lieutenant Redheart, the Fourth Division’s second in command directing her people to start taking the wounded to the emergency medical wing of the hospital before even noticing that Sweet Cider was there, or that the hospital itself was disturbingly quiet.
Towards the back of the entering group of Soul Reapers were two more Lieutenants; Fancy Pants and Posey. Posey herself looked frightfully agitated, while Fancy Pants bore himself with a quiet, cool demeanor, only betrayed by the way he kept his hand close to the hilt of his Zanpaktou.
Amore saw Sweet Cider first, and giving the taller woman a surprised by acknowledging bow, Amore approached quickly.
“Captain Sweet Cider, I confess I was not expecting to see you here.” said Amore with her usual refined, but soft spoken dignity. Her eyes cast over Sweet Cider, the golden hued orbs widening at the sight of Sweet Cider’s wounds. “You look frightful. I had heard you did battle with the Ryoka, but it is quite alarming to see you in a state of injury. Please, tell us, what has happened?”
“Captains, ma’ams,” spoke up Redheart, “If you don’t need me I have to get these wounded situated and report to Captain Zecora-”
“Captain Zecora ain’t here.” interrupted Sweet Cider, her voice grave as she pointed a thumb back at the hospital. “And there ain’t nobody in there no more.”
That got a lot of eyes staring at her, Lieutenant Redheart’s mouth opening in mute shock for a second before she managed to get ahold of herself and say, “What are you talking about? There should still be at least a few dozen of us still stationed here while the rest of the Division is deployed, and Captain Zecora told me she’d be coordinating things from here!”
“Please explain yourself, Captain.” Amore said, eyes unsettled despite wearing a mask of calm.
Sweet Cider didn’t waste much time in giving the rundown on the state of the hospital as she’d found it, minus any mention of her daughter and her friends having been there. “After one o’ them Ryoka girls got away from me I came here ta git patched up, only ta find the place like I just told ya. Everyone’s misisn’, includin’ Captain Zecora, an’ its pretty dang clear there was a fight.”
Amore’s disturbed look only deepened as she turned to her own Lieutenant, “Radiant Hope, please take Lieutenants Fancy Pants and Posey and secure the area. Lieutenant Redheart, we still must tend to our wounded, so let us move into the hospital. Captain Sweet Cider, would you be willing to accompany me so we may speak in private?”
Sweet Cider nodded, and soon enough Redheart was uneasily directing her people to start taking the wounded into the hospital while Radiant Hope hastily went to gather the other two Lieutenants. Both Fancy Pants and Posey reacted with an expected shock at the news of what had happened and soon they, along with Radiant Hope, were leaping off with Flash Steps to search the perimeter of the courtyard. Sweet Cider was briefly fearful that they might spot Applejack and the others as they sneaked out the back, but she reminded herself that they had one of Luna’s Stealth Corps with them. They’d be fine. Pushing that worry aside she focused on the issue at hand, leading Amore into the hospital alongside the wounded and taking the Fifth Divisions Captain to a side room so they could talk out of earshot of anyone else.
“Captain I have to confess my concern.” said Amore once the door was closed, her eyes searching. “I cannot believe that one human Ryoka has sufficient power to either injure you enough to warrant immediate treatment, or that she could have eluded you so easily.”
Sweet Cider had expected suspicion on her story, and didn’t let her own nervousness show as she cross her arms and said, “Fact is I got sloppy an’ underestimated mah opponent. She got a’ few lucky hits in, then used the opportunity ta make a’ break fer it. There was a’ member from the Second Division that helped her. You know them folk loyal ta Luna got all sorts o’ hidin’ spots all over Seireitei. Rather n’ waste time tearin’ up the place tryin’ ta find ‘em, figured I’d check in on Captain Zecora and get patched ‘fore rejoinin’ my own Division. Then I found the trouble here an’ did a search, not minutes ‘fore you lot showed up.”
Amore’s face was a placid peach pool that didn’t reveal her thoughts. After a tense moment Amore inclined her head in a short nod, “That’s unfortunate. If we could catch at least one of the invaders we might convince her allies to give up. This situation is spiraling out of control too quickly, and I fear for the stability of all Soul Society if this continues.” Real fear broke through her mask as she glanced away. “Could one of the Ryoka have attacked the Fourth Division?”
Sweet Cider snorted, “Them girls’re tough, but the one only got past me by luck. I can’t figure them talkin’ down Zecora, dozens o’ Fourth Division members, then hidin’ the bodies.”
“We... don’t know anyone is dead.” Amore said with a paling face.
“True ‘nough. Plenty o’ blood ‘round here, but nothin’ a Soul Reaper couldn’t survive losin’. The fact that there ain’t no bodies anywhere ta be seen suggests they might’ve been taken prisoner. But again, by who? Don’t figure its them Ryoka girls. They got nowhere ta hide no prisoners anyhows, even if they could’ve taken Zecora down. Far as we know they’re all scattered anyway.”
“So what are you saying? That we have another enemy here, inside the Seireitei?” Amore’s stance remained placid, but her eyes blinked with a disturbed waver. “The trial... Celestia and Luna... are you suggesting someone has used this to attack us?”
“Don’t it just figure? You voted against’ them goin’ ta trial, Amore. Ya must’ve suspected somethin’ weren’t smellin’ right.”
“It;s true that I found the situation most... distressing. I didn’t think Captain Platinum’s evidence was strong enough to warrant a trial. We needed to investigate the matter more thoroughly.” Amore wrung her hands, the most visible display of dismay yet. “I was maintaining the hope that the Captain Commander may yet halt the execution. Find some clue to cast proper doubt on the evidence.”
“Welp, whaddya think this here attack on Fourth Division is, huh? Some mysterious force stalkin' us amid the chaos made by the execution seems ta me like somethin’ mighty suspicious and worth investigatin', while putting that damnable execution on hold!” Sweet Cider barked, harsher than she’d meant to, but her own ire was rising swiftly. Amore looked at her with a disquieted hesitance, but she slowly nodded.
“You are right, Captain Sweet Cider. This attack changes matters. It casts doubt upon all that has happened thus far. I shall take this to the Captain Commander myself, and I’m certain he’ll authorize a full investigation.”
“What ‘bout the Ryoka, then?” Sweet Cider asked, “If someone’s been manipulatin’ all o’ us, then them girls ain’t our real enemies, right?”
“I suppose, but the problem remains that they are actively attacking Soul Reapers and seeking to break Celestia and Luna free from imprisonment, which for the moment is still a legal imprisonment.” replied Amore curtly, regaining some of her composure and calm. “We cannot release either one until we investigate this attack, bring new evidence to Central 46, and ensure this is all done through proper channels.”
“We ain’t got time ta do this the dang bureaucratic way, Amore!” Sweet Cider snapped, losing a bit of patience, “Who knows how long it’ll take fer Central 46 ta yank their gobs outta their stinkholes!? Captain Zecora is missin’, and ya wanna spend time waitn’ fer ‘proper channels’?”
Amore sighed, slowly, a sound like a soft breeze, and steeled her gaze in the face of Sweet Cider’s ire. “Captain, we are still bound by the laws of Soul Society. I agree that we must find Captain Zeora and the missing members of the Fourth Division, and halt the execution. I also believe the Ryoka must be captured and put into safe custody until this crisis is resolved. The only way to achieve this is to follow protocol, bring this new information to the Captain Commander, and then await Central 46 to come to the proper decisions.”
The old, familiar anger seethed inside Sweet Cider, reminding her of just how easy it might be to just cast off her Captain’s coat and go rogue right then and there. Amore wasn’t strong enough to stop her. Nor were the four present Lieutenants together enough to slow her down if she really wanted to just fight her way out of this.
Yet as much as her hand itched to take up her Zanpaktou, she kept herself under control. These people, even if more than a few of them were misguided by ancient, draconian laws, were still decent folk for the most part. She had memories of serving together with all of them, and as much as some of that was built upon a lie of sealed away memories of her human life... she had a sense of basic right and duty that refused to let her just start swinging her sword.
Even under ideal conditions she’d probably end up killing a few of the Soul Reapers that’d inevitably stand in her way, and Sweet Cider knew that’d just serve the real enemy’s plans.
“Fine. Then let’s not be wastin’ no more time. You git goin’ ta headquarters an’ report ta’ the Captain Commander. I’m goin’ ta go mobilize mah Division ta investigate here an’ search fer our missin’ folk. We gotta also send out work o’ what’s happened here ta all the other Divisions.”
Amore nodded swiftly, “I’ll get my own Division on that immediately. Thank you, Captain, for being understanding. I know you wish to take more hasty action, but we can’t afford to lose our discipline in this critical time.”
There was a knock at the door, causing both Captains to break off the conversation as Amore said, “Yes?”
The door slid open to reveal Radiant Hope standing there, shifting from one foot to the other with distinct tension as she offered a quick bow. “Sorry to disturb you, Captains, but I wish to report we have swept the perimeter and have discovered traces of lingering foreign reishi, and blood, heading due north from here.”
Dammnit all! The girls must’ve ended up leavin’ a trail! Sweet Cider controlled the explosion of anxiety inside her and kept her face neutral as she said, “Ya find anythin’ else?”
“No, Captain ma’am. Fancy Pants and Posey are on standby, waiting permission to pursue the trail.” Radiant Hope said, then after a hesitant moment added, “And, Captain Amore, if I may request, could you release me to investigate a separate matter?”
“What matter is that, Lieutenant?” Amore asked, coolly curious.
“I, well... you see ma’am, I and several fellow Lieutenants had already been looking into the matter of Celestia and Luna’s imprisonment before this crisis began.” Radiant Hope admitted, her voice shaky, “W-we didn’t mean to go over anyone’s head, but I was convinced something was wrong about two of our most upstanding Captains being charged with treason. So myself, Meadowrook, Moon Dancer, and Redheart started to seek answers of our own.”
“I see...” Amore pursed her lips, then said, “Has anything come of this search?”
“I don’t know, ma’am, which is why I request permission to go seek Moon Dancer and Meadowbrook. My last contact with them was just prior to Meadowbrook going to check in on Moon Dancer, who was following up a lead at the Daireishokairo. However Meadowbrook told me he’d contact me with an update some time ago, and I cannot reach him via Kido spells." The waver in her eyes and tight, quivering tension in her stance spoke of Radiant Hope's worry for her friends.
“What n’ tarnation were they lookin’ fer in that big fancy schmancy library?” asked Sweet Cider.
Radiant Hope gulped under Sweet Cider’s glare. “During our investigation Moon Dancer discovered a certain book was missing from the Daireishokairo. A tome detailing artifacts of importance to Soul Society, specifically something called the Queen’s Key.”
“The who’s what?” Sweet Cider asked, at the same moment Amore let out a short gasp.
“That could prove problematic.” Amore said, her face going still with thought, “Records of the Queen’s Key should have mostly been either destroyed or transferred to the Soul Palace itself. If one tome escaped notice, and it was stolen from the Daireishokairo, it would prove a dangerous item in the hands of any enemy of Soul Society.”
Sweet Cider shot the other Captain a sidelong look, “Ya feelin’ like a’ little haste is in order yet?”
Amore returned her look with a sour one of her own, “I shall hasten my way to the Captain Commander, but let’s not leap to the worst conclusions yet. In any case, Lieutenant Radiant Hope you have my permission to go seek your companions at the Daireishokairo. With luck they may have found something that will hasten Central 46’s decision making process. Also, inform Lieutenants Fancy Pants and Posey they are authorized to follow the trail they found, to whomever it may belong. From there they can exercise their own judgment on what to do.”
Radiant Hope bowed deeply, “Yes Captain, thank you Captain.”
They all went back outside, where Radiant Hope rushed away to both inform the other Lieutenants of their orders and then depart for the Daireishokairo. Sweet Cider didn’t spare much more than a glance as the Lieutenant left, worried only that they weren’t moving fast enough to keep up with their hidden, mysterious foes. At this point she was getting more and more convinced it wasn’t just one person behind the attack on Fourth Division and the crisis in Soul Society. There almost had to be multiple individuals involved, to cause this much trouble this fast.
“Once I git back ta mah Division I’m gonna send squads ta every other Division barracks as extra security.” Sweet Cider said, “I’m also thinkin’ we need ta send some o’ us Captains ta check out wherever this Queen’s Key is bein’ kept, just in case.”
“Yes, well that will be a problem.” said Captain Amore, “Only Captain Commander Scorpan knows where the Queen’s Key is located.”
“Ya serious?”
Amore frowned, though not in any seeming annoyance but rather contemplation, as if she was trying to decide how to explain something. “Well, allow me to rephrase that. All of Soul Society’s artifacts are generally kept in the same location, which is the vaults within Central 46. The Queen’s Key would be among those items kept there. However only the Captain Commander has the knowledge of how to recognize the Queen’s Key amid the myriad of other artifacts in the vaults. You see as a security measure most of the stronger artifacts are hidden behind exclusionary wards that disguise them as other objects. Scorpan alone has knowledge of the ward pass to bypass those illusions. Assuming a potential thief even had a means to enter Central 46 undetected and to get past the more substantial but blunt defensive wards they still wouldn’t be able to identify the item they’d want to steal. They’d be stuck wasting hours if not days trying to sort out which item was what.”
Something turned over in Sweet Cider’s mind, like the ripple of something underwater. It was a stirring of thought that sent a spike of worry into her gut that told her something in Amore’s statement came with a giant red flag, but she couldn’t grasp the thought fully. It nagged at her, telling her that she’d just stumbled across a piece of the puzzle, but it hadn’t fallen into place yet. Growling in frustration at her inability to get anything more substantial out of the thought, she said, “Whatever sparkly wards ya got protectin’ them vaults if we got any reason ta be thinkin’ someone’s goin’ fer ‘em, then why not post up a few Captains nearby as extra protection? I’ll go there myself if I gotta.”
“Let’s at least get the Captain Commander’s authorization first.” said Amore, “He’s the only one who can allow access to Central 46’s chambers besides Central 46 itself. It’s not like you could just walk in there yourself, after all.”
Dagnabbit that feelin’ is back again! Can’t just walk in... Central 46... why is this naggin’ at me!? Sweet Cider ran a hand through her deep blond head of hair, teeth grinding.
Before she could get any further with her frustrated thinking, there was a stiff breeze and the sound of a Flash Step, and before Captain Amore and herself suddenly stood Lieutenant Sugar Belle and Captain Cheese Sandwich. Sweet Cider’s eyes shot wide and she forgot what she’d been thinking about for the moment as she recognized the pink skinned girl sitting unconscious in Cheese Sandwich’s arms.
“Hello ladies.” Cheese Sandwich said, smiling pleasantly, “Did anyone order a Ryoka for delivery?”
----------
Smart Cookie thought things seemed entirely too still outside the building that housed the Central 46. The wide cylinder of stone sat in its placid pool of water as she and Starswirl crossed the long wooden bridge to its front doors and Smart Cookie looked about with suspicious eyes, unable to shake the feeling of being watched.
As they drew close to the doors that would lead inside the building there was a metallic series of schnk sounds as the doors were barred by dozens of interlocking blades from both the top and sides of the door-frame. Starswirl frowned at the blades, eyes narrowing.
“They’ve turned on the full security system? I suppose that’s normal enough for when the Seireitei is in a crisis situation, but one would think they might make an exception for the presence of a Captain.”
“My apologies, Captain Starswirl, but I’m not entirely familar with the Central 46 building’s defenses.” said Smart Cookie, “I’ve never seen them active before.”
“This building is probably the single most guarded one in all Seireitei, even moreso than our main headquarters. Mostly because Central 46 doesn’t trust any Divisions’ Soul Reapers to actually stand guard here, so all the defenses are of an automated nature.” Starswirl said while running a hand along one of the blades barring the door. There was a soft blue glow that emanated from his hand, and sparked off the blade in a shimmering barrier. “These wards will turn aside anything short of a determined Captain using high level Kido or Bankai. And they’re just the normal defenses. The emergency wards are even more powerful, capable of withstanding just about anything, even the Captain Commander if he was trying to break through. At least for a time.”
“I still don’t understand. Can we not just contact the Central 46 via Kido and request entry?” asked Smart Cookie.
“They should already know we’re here. There’s detection Kido built into the walls to alert the Central 46 to anyone’s approach. They know we’re here. They’re just not opening the doors. And these wards block normal communication Kido.” Starswirl’s frown deepened, “Its possible that they’re too involved with arguing with Scorpan to want to bother opening up. Or...”
“Or?”
“Or something is wrong inside there.” Starswirl grunted, hands slipping to his Zanpaktou. Smart Cookie looked at him askance.
“Are you actually going to try to break the wards?”
“I’m considering it. Problem is my Bankai isn’t suited for the kind of hard hitting I’d need to do so, and even if it was, such an attack would just trip the stronger emergency wards. The Central 46 could disable them, of course, but if they didn’t want me in there in the first place then all I’d accomplish is pissing them off.”
“Is there no other way inside?” Smart Cookie insisted, her own nervousness still hidden behind a professional calm, despite her rising fear that something was very off about all this.
“No. Central 46 likes their little hideaway nice an inaccessible. If I want to get inside I’m going to have to craft a ward pass to get through. Fortunately I know these wards well enough to do that, but they’re complex enough that it’s going to take me at least a day, maybe longer, to do it.”
Smart Cookie sighed, nervously brushing unseen dust off her robes. “At least we can be fairly sure that nothing has happened to the Captain Commander or Central 46. If something had gone wrong there’s no chance the Captain Commander couldn’t respond to it, and the emergency wards would already be active instead of the regular ones.”
“True, but this smells every kind of rotten.” said Starswirl, “As long as Scorpan is stuck in there arguing with those idiots and can’t be contacted, he’s essentially out of play. That makes us vulnerable out here. I think we need to get inside there, as soon as possible. I suggest you return to headquarters and gather the other Captains apprise them of the situation. I’ll return to my labs and start making the ward pass to get into here.”
That made sense. By now the other Captains would be scattered across Seireitei seeking the Ryoka, so it would take some time to get them all back to headquarters, but it was important to update them on everything that had happened, including Captain Commander Scorpan’s present forty eight hour hold on the execution order and his current debate with the Central 46.
“I’ll go at once. Please inform me the moment you finish the pass and we can reach the Captain Commander.” Smart Cookie said emphatically, giving Starswirl a quick bow.
“I will. Oh, and please be careful, Lieutenant. I feel as if our opponent is entirely too many steps ahead of us.”
“I shall. You too, Captain.” she said, and Flash Stepped away, making her way back towards headquarters at full speed.
The myriad buildings of Seireitei flew away beneath her as she jumped from rooftop to rooftop, rapidly crossing the long distance to the headquarters plateau and its many fortress walls and towers. Her mind was filled with reeling thoughts of what she’d learned so far, and was deeply distressed at being unable to reach Scorpan. The idea that he might be unreachable for even a single day was a potential disaster if the wrong enemies of Soul Society knew, although she couldn’t imagine Central 46 ignoring it if the Seireitei came under large scale attack. But it might go unnoticed if a smaller yet no less powerful foe made a move for some secret goal while Scorpan was distracted.
She had to gather the Captains, convince them to drop the search for the Ryoka, whom she was now fairly convinced were just innocent pawns in this terrible game, and ensure the Captains were instead made vigilant against this new threat.
Not to mention she had to pass on word that Celestia and Luna’s execution was to be postponed for at least forty eight hours. It occurred to her if one of the Captains found the orders to Scorpan about them being executed tomorrow-
There was barely any warning.
The Kido spell simply snapped down around her with crushing speed, six rods of light entrapping her torso and paralyzing the Lieutenant of the First Division in mid-leap between rooftops.
With a choked noise she fell, smashing into the ground about ten meters down. The impact knocked her near senseless for a moment. Enough time for a voice to chant out another Kido spell.
“Bakudo Number Seventy Five: Gochutekkan!” (Five-Pillared Iron Weights)
Five pillars of metal, each near fifteen feet tall and connected by thick iron chains, appeared from the air above Smart Cookie and slammed down around her hard, pinning her limbs. That, atop the other binding Kido which she recognized as a Rikujokoro, was enough to utterly immobilize her and leave her helpless.
“Whew, that was close. Almost didn’t catch up to you. That would’ve made things complicated, heh.”
The voice that spoke was female, an almost casually friendly tone despite the voice belonging to a figure in a black robe that appeared before Smart Cookie with a flickering Flash Step. The figure bore a drawn Zanpaktou, its hilt wrapped in white cloth.
“Seriously, I’ve been running all over the place trying to tie up all these loose ends. Its lucky I stole, er, ‘borrowed’ a certain someone’s Zanpaktou way back when or I’d have trouble keeping tabs on everything. You have no idea how much trouble a plan like this is to pull off, you know?”
“W-Who...?” Smart Cookie managed to grind out past the paralysis gripping her whole body.
“Pfft, me? Nobody important. Just a normal girl trying to save the whole dang world from itself. You’d think I could get some credit for being so nice about it too, but noooooo, everybody has to make things hard and force me to be rough. Will you do me a favor and try not to struggle as much as the last two did?”
Smart Cookie grit her teeth, sweat pouring off her brow in a cold trickle as she struggled with all her might to move her body. The cloaked figure made a condescending click with her tongue, shaking her head as she poised her Zanpaktou above Smart Cookie’s immobile body.
“Tch, no such luck, eh? Well, don’t say you didn’t bring this on yourself.”
Smart Cookie could only watch helplessly as the glinting blade descended.