Adult-FanFiction.org : Bleach

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
- 62
- 63
- 64
Author's Notes: *Hangs head in shame* I am beginning to think 100 chapters was too conservative. And I knew it was a pipe dream to hope I would be done by Yaoi Con but I am now shooting for Christmas.

Demonstration! Whee! My favorite guilty pleasure.

Nuska, this is not even the start of hell in a hand basket. Kinda makes you worried for what real trouble looks like, huh?

*shakes fist at Redbird* Darn you, you woke Gin up. He was patiently waiting his turn, but now he wants face time again. That's okay though, I do miss the little fox. And I'm glad you like the insanity of all the pairings. I get the feeling people either love it or hate it. (Just so you know, Byakuya and Ulquiorra are coming in maybe 3 chapters and there will be furthering of their relationship.)

* * *

Ichigo took one last look back at Kisuke's door, instincts screaming to return to the blonde. There had been something odd about that dream, something more real than he wanted to admit. And if Kisuke had shared it with him...he could understand the blonde getting spooked.

He sighed and shoved all thoughts of Kisuke away - or tried to. Not thinking of Kisuke was always a losing battle. Fortunately, he had something more immediate to focus on. Hitsugaya was strung tight and long experience had taught him that no good ever came from that. "What happened?" he demanded quietly, for one brief instant fearing that Tatsuki had taken a turn for the worse during the night. It was rare, but sometimes even the Fourth was wrong about a patient's prognoses.

"There's been a development during the night. The spy was apprehended and a full confession obtained," snarled Hitsugaya. That was good news which meant that something else about the situation had to be bothering the young captain. Tatsuki was probably in up to her pretty little neck, thought Ichigo glumly. It was the only thing he could think of that would have Toushirou spitting like an angry dragon.

"And?" he pressed gently, keeping his voice calm and his tone inquisitive without being demanding. A truly furious Hitsugaya was a rare thing, but it was dangerous and to be respected. Ichigo had once seen the smaller man incase a full kilometer in solid ice and had no desire to find himself so imprisoned. For one thing Rukia would never let him live it down.

"The damage was more extensive than we thought. The spy has been providing information for nearly two decades," whispered Hitsugaya as Ichigo breathed a soft profanity. He could hardly imagine anyone in their midst betraying them for so long. He could well imagine what the knowledge was doing to Hitsugaya though, since it was doing the same to him, worming around and leaving him both sick and furious. How could someone they trusted, one of their own, do this to them? And for so long? How could someone they know and trusted smile at them day in and day out and all the while be stabbing them in the back?

"Not Tatsuki. Please," he begged the white-haired man softly. He couldn't believe that his friend, a woman he had known his whole life could lie to them, to him, for so long.

"I don't know. She isn't the spy. But she was in the park where the other was meeting with Aizen. She was out of bounds and off her route. If she isn't guilty of betraying us she's still demonstrated a remarkable stupidity - enough to get her banished from the Gotei 13," explained Hitsugaya, his own voice growing soft and his reiatsu troubled.

"How are we handling it?" asked Ichigo, almost afraid to find out.

"Questioning and summary judgment by you and me. This is our problem and we're handling it. We are not sharing our mess with the entire Gotei 13."

"And the spy?"

"Already handled. Ishida shattered her power. She'll get her memory whipped and be banished," snapped Hitsugaya.

"Banishment? Are you..." began Ichigo before frosty turquoise eyes pinned him.

"I trust Abarai and Ishida to make our point to her," purred the captain of the Tenth in a malicious tone. Ichigo had to agree, no one quite matched Ishida for shear creative nastiness, but he still would have preferred to go with a more permanent solution.

"She's stable and awake, sirs," murmured Hanatarou, joining them for a moment as they entered the Fourth but quickly peeling off to make his rounds once they had nodded their understanding. The healers scrambled to get out of their way and the young man coming from Tatsuki's room actually yelped when he saw them - which would have been funny if the circumstances weren't so dire, thought Ichigo.

He followed Hitsugaya into his old friend's room, almost feeling the temperature drop. "Leave us," he snapped at the young woman who was just finishing redressing Tatsuki's wounds.

The woman left with a quick, "Yes, Taichou." Ichigo stared at Tatsuki, there were dark circles under her eyes and she looked pale and shaky. She also looked like she had been crying. "Taichou," she began softly, only to be cut off with a quick gesture from Hitsugaya.

"You were off your route. You failed to report suspicious activity by a known hostile. And by the time you did report it was too late to do anything! Give me one good reason not to strip you of your rank and cast you from our midst!" roared Hitsugaya.

Tatsuki shank before their eyes, her eyes closing and a fine trembling seizing her. "Forgive me, Taichou," she whispered almost too softly to be heard.

"Tell us what happened, Tatsuki," pressed Ichigo gently, filling in the roll of good cop to Hitsugaya's bad.

"I...I didn't mean to...I just wanted...I loved her, Taichou. I would just check up on her while I was patrolling. I didn't know about...I didn't know until last night - you have to believe me! I should have reported it, I know that...but...she was my friend. I thought I could make her see reason," whispered Tatsuki as a feeling of cold dread began to consume him. Ichigo could hear his blood rushing in his ears and darkness swam before his eyes. Shirosaki was muttering angrily and his fury was a palatable thing, ready to slip its leash at any second. He knew who had done this, who had caused it.

Orihime.

'Miserable, stupid, bitch!' snarled Shirosaki.

"Focus," snapped Hitsugaya, an icy lash falling across his back and drawing him away from the red-black vortex of his Hollow's rage.

"I want a full report, Arisawa. Everything that happened, everything you saw and everything you did," growled Hitsugaya.

"Yes, Taichou," whispered Tatsuki dejectly. "I left my route to check up on Inoue-san. I shouldn't have, but she was my friend once and...and I miss her, Taichou. I...I noticed something at the end of the street and realized it was Orihime; it was late, after one and I knew she wouldn't have normally been up, so I followed her. I should have called it in, I know that, Taichou.

"I saw her enter the Shouten and carry something away," explained Tatsuki softly, tears coming although she didn't raise her head. "I thought I could talk to her, make her see reason...I didn't know! I didn't know about Aizen, Taichou! I swear it!"

"What happened next, Tatsuki?" pressed Ichigo firmly, his voice calm but insistent.

"I confronted Orihime. I was going to make her return whatever it was she had taken...I thought I could handle it. I thought I could make her do the right thing...but there was this crawling sensation and then Aizen was standing there with Ichimaru and Tousen and several Arrancar. Then everything...I was alone in the park and my sword was gone and my communicator...and no matter which way I ran, I never got anywhere. Then there was pain and these sad golden eyes and I woke up here. I'm so sorry. I...I didn't mean for this...

"I'm so sorry," breathed Tatsuki, her eyes meeting theirs and filled with remorse. Ichigo sighed, and tugged Hitsugaya into the doorway, far enough away that they could speak privately if they whispered. Tatsuki had been stupid but he didn't want to see her career ruined because of it. She didn't deserve that. And she especially didn't deserve to have it happen over someone like Orihime.

"I'm not going to pursue the matter beyond this. She'll be punished; but she has the makings of a fine officer and she doesn't deserve to have her entire career destroyed over this," muttered Toushirou, casting a dark look back at Tatsuki.

Ichgio gave him a grateful nod before letting his own face harden as they turned back to Tatsuki. They might care, but in this case caring meant letting her know just how badly she had screwed up. "Arisawa Tatsuki, you were derelict in your duties as a Shinigami, you have brought shame on your division and endangered your comrades. Technically, what you have admitted is enough to have you stripped of your rank and banished from the Gotei 13. Neither Kurosaki or I feel that depriving Soul Society of the of your strength is the best course of action, however. You will retain your rank and remain a Shinigami, in the hopes that you can learn from this failure.

"You will be docked a month's pay. You are suspended from your duties until further notice and will be assigned to Matsumoto until I deem you fit to return to duty," growled Hitsugaya, looking like icy vengeance. There was even the tiniest layers of frost beginning to form on his haori and Ichigo was shocked at how far his control had slipped for that to be happening.

Tatsuki stared up at him, looking both miserable and grateful. "Yes, Taichou. Thank you, Taichou," she breathed, accepting a curt nod from Hitsugaya.

"Do not fail again, Arisawa. You will not be given another such chance," murmured the captain of the Tenth before turning to leave.

"Matsumoto?" asked Ichigo as the door slid closed behind them.

"Can you think of anything worse than being responsible for Matsumoto getting her work done?" asked Hitsugaya with a smirk.
- 62
- 63
- 64
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

A Shadow of What Was