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A Shadow of What Was	By : katami Category: Bleach > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 49594 -:- Recommendations : 3 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Author's Notes: The Orihime beatdown, as promised. This is taking place at the same time Kisuke had his little blowup. And don't worry, the fallout from that will be addressed.

As for Kisuke, he will be fine. It is going to be a bit crowded in his soul for awhile, and he has some more confusion and emotional turmoil in his future, but rest assured there is a plan.

Once again, I would like to thank all the people reading this story for bearing with me during the unpleasantness that was July.

* * *

Dawn came far too early in Toushirou's opinion. Especially when it dragged him from a warm bed and Karin's soft embrace. He had grumbled menacingly at the alarm but risen quickly, so that Karin could continue to sleep. She had done enough and needed to rest. She of course would argue that he had done enough and want him to rest, he thought with a fond smile as she curled into the warm spot he had left in the bed.

He made quick work of his morning routine and laid a quick kiss to Karin's brow before he left, savoring that last glimpse of her. Most mornings he would have lingered to have breakfast and coffee with her, both of them postponing the moment of their separation until the last possible instant.

Their time together was precious and stolen. It had to be with the two of them coming from such different worlds. Sometimes, late at night, laying in her arms, he wondered what it would be like if he just followed Kurosaki's example. Walked away from his duties and his life and became human. For Karin, he just might have, he thought. There was a war however, and Soul Society needed him and he wouldn't have been the man Karin loved if he had abandoned those who counted on him. It pained him though, to consider his beautiful tigress of a love growing old. And watching her die...he wasn't sure he could do that. It was one thing to live with someone and grow old with them, it was another to watch your lover age and die while you remained unchanged. He pushed the unpleasant thoughts away, they had time yet and he had duties to see to.

Abarai and Ishida's appearance at the first intersection was a clear sign that his work for the day would begin earlier than planned. They joined him silently, and Toushirou reflected that there really ought to be some rule about not having to deal with the both of them together before lunch. The both of them never meant good news. "What do you want?" he growled, hoping that getting rid of them quickly would be possible. It had only been four hours, even they couldn't get into too much trouble in four hours - he hoped anyway. He had learned never to underestimate their ability to create havoc.

"There are some things you need to know before your meeting with Arisawa. Certain facts have come to light," murmured Ishida in that cool professional tone of his and Toushirou stole a measuring glance at the Quincy.

"What have you two done?" he demanded, knowing that if Uryuu had done something Renji would be in it right up to his stubborn neck. The two were a matched set when it came to trouble.

"The person responsible for the break-in is in holding. Thought ya might want to see her is all," announced Renji, an infinitely smug look on his face.

Hitsugaya paused considering them both before turning and marching toward the holding area. "I assume you have proof," he demanded as the other two fell in behind him again.

"She admitted it to me last night and Renji was able to obtain a sighed statement of her involvement. Also, there are only two people capable of breaking wards like the ones on the shop and only one of them lives in Karakura and has a known prejudice against the Shinigami," Uryuu pointed out. Younger Shinigami leapt to get out of their way and Hitsugaya could understand why, two captains and a Quincy all glowering and marching down a hallway really was something best avoided - especially when news that someone had betrayed them had to be circulating. Nothing stayed secret on the base for long .

There was a seated officer there to meet them at the holding cells. A young woman from the Fifth who held the fifth seat, if Toushirou remembered her correctly. She demanded their swords and took names and reiatsu scans, all according to procedure. Ichigo might have been unconventional but he trained damn fine people.

"The prisoner has been quiet, sirs," reported the woman before admitting them. All three of them gave her a curt nod and continued down the hall without her. She kept a weathered eye on them however, ready to step in if it seemed anything dubious might be going on.

Stationed in a cell at the end, hunched over on a poorly padded bunk sat Inoue Orihime - he could never remember her married name and didn't much care. Her left eye was blackened and swollen shut and a nasty bruise marred her jaw on the right side. Ugly purple marks that resembled nothing so much as hands were visible on her upper arms and on one wrist. And Toushirou was willing to bet there were other less visible marks.

"The prisoner attempted to escape?" he asked blandly.

"The prisoner refused to cooperate," replied Abarai with a small blasé smile. The sort of smile a wolf gave a rabbit, thought Toushirou, dismissing the bruises as a small taste of what the woman probably deserved. Crossing the Shinigami was risky, crossing a Quincy was dangerous, and crossing Renji and Uryuu was just plain suicidal. Inoue was lucky to have escaped with nothing more than a few bruises. The last person to incur Abarai and Ishida's wrath had been in the Fourth's care for nearly a month.

"On your feet," he snapped at Inoue, pleased when she flinched and got shakily to her feet. "By rights you should be put to death for consorting with the traitor Aizen Sousuke- civilian or not," he growled at her, watching her blanch. "Morally you should be drawn and quartered for what you allowed to happen to Tatsuki." Inoue swayed unsteadily on her feet and Hitsugaya made a note to thank Zaraki. He had stolen that one from him; the captain of the Eleventh knew all the best threats. "By law I could convene a tribunal at this very moment with myself, Ishida, and Abarai to pass judgment and have you executed where you stand." Sometimes wartime efficiency really was quite useful - especially when it allowed him to off threats like death as a stick.

"The only reason I am not doing so is that you may yet prove useful, may yet redeem the trust others have wrongly put in you. You have one chance to save yourself Inoue Orihime, and that is to tell us everything you know." And there was the carrot - a chance to get her pitiful little life back.

Inoue crumpled to the floor, tears coming, and Toushirou snorted in annoyance. He had things to do this morning and watching Inoue blubber was not one of them. "There is a time limit on this offer," he growled, hand slipping to the hilt of Hyourinmaru. Inoue stared at his hand wrapped around the hilt of his zanpakutou and words began tumbling out. The more he heard, the more Toushirou wanted to drive Hyourinmaru right through her chest and he could feel the same barely leashed desire in the two men behind him.

Eighteen years.

For eighteen years she had been betraying them! Most of it was small and unnoticeable, patrol routes, impressions of how much activity the base had. Tiny pieces of data that hadn't actually harmed anyone, but painted a clearer picture of their presence in Karakura for Aizen. Only twice had Aizen demanded actual action from her, making him suspect that Aizen knew exactly the sort of person his spy was. The first time had been over fifteen years ago, and though he would never be able to prove it, he suspected that the data Orihime had stolen from them had been used to help plan the massive attack in '09. An attack that had nearly cost them their hold on the town and had cost twenty-six good officers their lives. No less damning was the most recent theft of Urahara's notes.

Hitsugaya would be the first to admit that the former Shinigami captain had been a genius, but he had also been far too clever for the anyone's good. And his early work hadn't always been as well thought out as his later projects. His early work had been fueled by ambition, and un-tempered ambition had a way of blinding men, even men as smart as Urahara, to the danger of their creations.

Inoue finished her tale and sat blubbering on the cell floor. "Seal her powers and get her out of my sight," he growled. Inoue's head shot up and pleas fell from her lips but it meant nothing. An instant later a blue arrow slammed into her chest, knocking her back and making her scream. Toushirou smiled as spirit energy poured into the cell and was just as quickly siphoned off.

The Quincy were damned scary at times and Ishida Uryuu was probably the scariest.

The technique he was using was something done only by Quincy masters and it was fiendishly clever. The Quincy absorbed spirit particles, drew them in and used them to fuel their attacks. Hollows, Shinigami and other spirit beings held a reservoir of spirit particles, all nicely collected and neatly bundled inside them. Crack that reservoir open and the energy rushed out, free for the Quincy to draw in and use. Quincy masters could quite literally consume their opponents - pierce their soul reservoir with an arrow and then drink in their power. The shot was tricky as hell according to Uryuu, and the rush of incoming energy could be dangerous for a novice; but when employed by a master the effect was devastating.

For a spirit being such a blow, as well as the massive energy lose, was fatal. For a human like Inoue it would merely shatter her powers. Although, Toushirou was pretty sure it wasn't pleasant.

A blue glow suffused the archer and Renji was looking at the brunette like he wanted to devour him - that or shove him up against the closest flat surface. Definitely time to leave, thought Hitsugaya.

"Take the rest of the day off," he grumbled, knowing both men would be useless until the high had worn off - well, Ishida would be useless and Renji would be too focused on his lover to notice anything else. "And for the sake of my sanity, stay the hell out of the public areas!"

He marched past the guard, who was staring at the thee of them like they were the most terrifying thing she had ever seen, and headed off to collect Ichigo for their early morning interrogation of Arisawa.
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A Shadow of What Was