Bleach: Reborn — Chapter 187 - Two Years of Change

Smack!

The sound rang out sharp and clear in Yui Mizusue's room in the 4th Division barracks. Wayne turned his head slightly with the impact and held still, letting her soft palm land against his face.

She stood before him, her long lake-blue waves framing her face, a faint sheen of moisture in her eyes, her body trembling. Her hand rose for a second strike, but it hung there in the air and never fell.

"That actually hurt, Lady Mizusue." Wayne rubbed his cheek.

"You idiot!" She punched him in the chest. "Why would you do something that dangerous alone?"

"If I hadn't, none of us would have made it out." Wayne rubbed his chest too, though she'd barely put any force into it. "The situation was too critical. It was the only call I could make."

"Then why didn't you come back after? You knew I'd go for reinforcements." She wasn't letting this go. "And back in Hueco Mundo — your condition was completely off. You've been hiding something from me. Haven't you."

"Yes." Wayne nodded without the slightest hesitation. "I have been hiding something."

"Tell me." Her face was dead serious.

"To grow stronger." He walked over to a nearby chair, sat down, and picked up a cup of water. "Lady Mizusue, you know I can devour the Reiatsu of Hollow Beasts, correct?"

"Mm." She steadied herself. She hadn't reported Wayne's abnormal state to anyone, partly out of personal loyalty, and partly because he had genuinely saved her life. On both counts, she felt bound to protect his secret. Besides, staying behind alone in Hueco Mundo carried an overwhelming chance of death. If Wayne had never returned, keeping the secret would have been meaningless anyway.

"The longer I stayed in Hueco Mundo, the faster my Reiatsu grew. That's why I was so fixated on remaining there." Wayne's face was perfectly calm as he wove his half-truth. "I can absorb Hollow Beast Reiatsu directly from the atmosphere there and continuously convert it into my own power. It's faster than drawing from the spirit plants back at our courtyard — not slower."

"Even so, you had no right to use those soldiers' lives as stakes for your own strength. They were comrades who entrusted their lives to you." Her brow furrowed deeply. She knew Wayne valued his bonds. She couldn't understand how he could treat squad members like disposable pieces. It didn't fit him.

"Well. About that." Wayne stretched lazily in his chair, then stood and walked toward her. "It's been a long time, Lady Mizusue. How about a reunion hug?" He spread his arms and pulled her into an embrace before she could react.

Panic flashed through her eyes. Instinct told her to pull away, then Wayne murmured something softly into her ear. Her pupils contracted. The words hit her like a physical blow.

"You're saying—"

"Shh." He cut her off. "It's only a suspicion. Nothing confirmed."

"...Hinamori, if your suspicion is true, Soul Society is in danger." Her voice dropped to a trembling whisper. "How did you find out?"

"I have no evidence yet. Just a suspicion — but a grounded one. So while the deaths of those squad members were an accident, the truth is I also had no intention of letting any of them return alive. If even one had made it back to report, the body count wouldn't have stopped at twenty." He released her and returned to his seat. "In any case, I'll be heading back to Hueco Mundo soon to verify my theory. This time I won't be bringing many people. I can already handle any Hollow below Vasto Lorde-class."

Yui Mizusue's beautiful eyes locked onto him, searching his expression for any crack. Because if what Wayne was saying was true, it was far more terrifying than Vasto Lorde-class Menos Grande mounting a counterattack on Soul Society. "Can I report this to the Captain?" She swallowed.

"You can. But not yet." Wayne lifted his teacup and blew gently at the rising steam. "When I judge the time is right, and when I have another chance to go to Hueco Mundo, I'll write a letter — one you'll need to deliver to the Captain. Of course, there's every chance someone will catch on to my suspicions and I'll end up cornered. If that happens, Lady Mizusue, please be very careful yourself."

"If what you're saying is true, this game is enormous." A chill ran through her.

"I'll find a way to uncover the truth. But I need Lady Mizusue to keep this secret for me." He set the empty cup aside.

"Fine." She relented. "You're already a Captain-class candidate. There's nothing I can do to stop you anymore, Third Seat Hinamori."

"I still prefer it when you call me Yue." Wayne shrugged off her pointed tone, planted a hand on his knee, and stood. "Let's leave it here for now. I should go home."

"Mm. Momo and Shiro-chan must miss you terribly. They've already been told you're back." She nodded. The news Wayne had given her today was staggering, but whatever else had changed, the Hinamori in front of her was still the same Hinamori. Even if the one she'd seen in Hueco Mundo had been deeply unsettling.

"Oh, right." At the doorway, Wayne turned back. "Lady Mizusue, just in case. Take this." He flicked a slip of paper into her hand, then left at a brisk pace.

She stared at it, astonished. After reading it through, she held it to the candle flame and let it burn. "Is it really necessary to go this far?" She murmured at the empty doorway. "I hope his suspicion is wrong."

On the other side of things, Wayne headed straight home.

What he'd told Mizusue was actually his suspicion about Hollowfication. He'd told her that Hollowfication might not be an ability originating from Hollows at all, but an experiment conducted by Soul Reapers. He hadn't named who. The moment he spoke that name, Mizusue could easily be dragged into the crossfire. As things stood, only the two of them knew. And Wayne had chosen to make her wait before telling anyone because he still needed to make a great many preparations.

This time, he was the one in the shadows. He needed to leverage the information gap and the time gap carefully, and play his hand right.

The slip of paper he'd given Mizusue was an agreement on three recognition signals: an action, a spoken phrase, and a piece of jewelry. Any two matching was enough. But if all three matched at once, something was definitely wrong with that person.

Arranging signals that elaborate was for her safety. After all, the opponent Wayne was about to face in this game had already reached the ceiling of Soul Society.

He made his way home. At the entrance, Momo was pacing back and forth, anxiety written all over her face. Beside her, Shiro-chan leaned against the doorframe with his Zanpakuto on his back and his Shihakushō on, eyes closed, waiting with her for the older brother neither of them had seen in two years.

Two years. Shiro-chan had obtained his Zanpakuto and joined Squad 10, all at Wayne's direction. Back when Shiro-chan first entered Shin'ō Academy, Wayne had told him: once you master your Zanpakuto, join Squad 10 and have Lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto take you under her wing. Shiro-chan had followed that advice to the letter. His exam performance was no worse than Wayne's, though in the Ranking Tournament he hadn't fought his way to second in the entire school like Wayne had. Still, he'd gone from first-year to challenging sixth-years and held his position at a solid eighth place.

After he joined Squad 10, Isshin Shiba personally invested serious effort into cultivating the kid Hinamori had sent his way. The Zanpakuto this child had awakened was Hyorinmaru, the strongest ice-type Zanpakuto to appear among Soul Reapers in years. A rare sight.

Under his guidance, Shiba believed, it wouldn't be long before the boy could hold his own. His calm judgment and composure nearly stood shoulder to shoulder with Tsukishiro Hinamori. He was just too young, some calls still lacked seasoning. He needed someone to lead him forward, step by step.

Tap. Tap.

At last, familiar footsteps. Both of them turned toward the corner at the same moment. A figure in a slightly battered Shihakushō came into view. Wayne. The older brother they'd been waiting for all this time.

"Big Brother!"

Momo's eyes flooded instantly. The moment she saw him, her anxiety shattered into tears of joy. She flew at him like a swallow darting home and buried her face in his chest. "Big Brother, I thought you were never coming back."

"Ha. It's been a long time, Momo." He held his little sister and ruffled her hair. "Hey, you've gotten taller in two years."

"Big Brother, where were you? Why didn't we hear anything? I asked Lady Mizusue and she wouldn't tell me. She just said you went to Hueco Mundo on a really dangerous mission."

"Ah. Some things happened." He understood Mizusue's thinking. She hadn't told his family he'd gone it alone, just that he was on a mission in Hueco Mundo. Partly to keep them from worrying too much. Partly because Shiro-chan was officially a Soul Reaper now. If she'd told them the truth back then, Shiro-chan would've grabbed Hyorinmaru and charged straight into Hueco Mundo. "But it's fine. I'm back, aren't I?" He ruffled Momo's hair again.

"Mm! Big Brother, welcome home!"

"Come on. Let's go in." He ushered Momo inside, and as he passed the doorway he pressed a hand on top of Shiro-chan's head. "Not bad, Shiro-chan. You've grown taller too."

"Tsukishiro, big brother." Shiro-chan fought to keep his voice steady, but the smile tugging at his mouth and the excitement in his chest still made it tremble. "I haven't just gotten taller. My Reiatsu is a lot stronger now."

"I can feel it." Wayne grinned. "Hyorinmaru should've given your Reiatsu a qualitative leap. But to fully control it, you still need time to bond with him."

"Huh? Big Brother, how do you know my Zanpakuto's name is Hyorinmaru?" Shiro-chan looked genuinely startled. He was sure he'd never mentioned it.

"Ah, well. I heard about it through my division. My network's pretty decent, you know. Naturally I picked up a few things around the time of your exam." Wayne awkwardly changed the subject, glossing over his near-slip. "I also know about you and Sōjirō Kusaka."

Shiro-chan's expression stiffened. That whole affair had hit him hard. Kindred spirits, perfectly matched comrades, torn apart by a conflict over their Zanpakuto, turned into rivals. In the end, because of that rigid rule, Shiro-chan had lost a close friend. It had sent him into a deep slump for a while. But Momo and Granny had been there for him, and the Captain and Lieutenant of Squad 10 had looked after him too. That was what pulled him out of it so quickly.

"Don't dwell on it, Shiro-chan. Some things never go smoothly. When you gain something, you might lose something else. You chose different paths, different outcomes follow. Cherish the Hyorinmaru in your hands. That's the best comfort you can give him."

"Mm. I understand, Big Brother." Shiro-chan looked at him with solemn eyes.

Gain something, and you may very well lose something else. No one's life goes without a hitch. There is always gain and loss. If you let that make you anxious, you'll fall into confusion and drift, and that does nothing for your growth.

But once you accept that uncertainty and find the right path through it, only then can you grow again. Move forward.

"Come on. Let's go inside. It's been forever since I've had Momo's sukiyaki." Wayne slung an arm around both of them and walked in, letting himself settle back into the lazy comfort of coming home.

"Hehe! I'll go get the ingredients ready right now!" Momo wiped the tears from her eyes and broke into a bright smile.

Big Brother was still the same Big Brother. Even after two years apart, he hadn't changed. Still the older brother she admired and looked up to, still occasionally as lazy as ever.

"Granny, I'm home."

"Oh my, it's little Tsukishiro." Words she hadn't heard in over two years reached Granny's ears. The moment she recognized the voice, she set down the clothes she'd been mending and rose to her feet, making her way toward him. "Let Granny look at you."

Her face was full of warmth and kindness. The one who'd been gone two years, like an eldest son to her, had finally come home. "Good. Good. As long as you're back."

"Hey. Sorry, Granny. For worrying you." Wayne rubbed the back of his nose, a little embarrassed. "The mission got complicated. Unexpected things happened. I didn't get a chance to let the family know."

"It doesn't matter. You're back, that's what matters. Come, sit. Granny will get you all something to eat." Her eyes were full of relief. Leaning on Momo's arm, she made her way toward the kitchen. Glancing back over her shoulder, she saw her once-lively home restored to the way it used to be. Without meaning to, a trace of tears glimmered in her clouded eyes.

A home, a home is only truly a home when the whole family is together.

➤ Next: Night Talk