Bleach: Awakened — Chapter 30 - Each (Fool's) Their Own Mission

"I'm sorry." Hitsugaya said the words, but his resolve didn't waver. "I believe Gin Ichimaru is definitely suspicious. The encounter with the Ryoka was probably just a coincidence."

"Perhaps so." Retsu Unohana shook her head. "But I still hope Captain Hitsugaya won't treat personal speculation as fact before there's any evidence."

"I understand. I'll find the evidence."

The night deepened. The moon hung high overhead, and perhaps because there were so few technological constructs here, the moonlight in Soul Society burned far brighter than in the World of the Living. Even at this late hour, visibility was remarkably clear.

Squad after squad of Soul Reapers moved back and forth along the roads. The full lockdown order, combined with the news that the Captain of Squad 3 had been gravely wounded and left near death, sent a current of unease through the entire ranks.

According to intelligence, there were four intruders split into three groups. What could be confirmed was that the one who had gravely wounded the Captain was a Soul Reaper with orange hair wielding two blades, a distinctive profile. The whereabouts of the other two remained unknown.

"Ichigo, are we really okay doing this?"

Inside a certain warehouse, Orihime was dressed in a Shihakusho, making simple adjustments to the fit. The sizing was a little off and still needed tailoring. Not far away, a female Soul Reaper lay unconscious on the floor.

"Oh, no problem! We're both Soul Reapers now—at least on the outside!" Ichigo said without a care, then shifted gears. "Though, Orihime, you actually look pretty good in a Shihakusho."

"I-Is that so..."

"Yeah. Figured as much—a good-looking person looks good in anything."

"Ahaha..."

Orihime laughed and the face flushed bright red. The mind was filled with nothing but Ichigo said I look pretty, practically one step away from stars in those eyes.

"I need to change my look a bit too." Ichigo moved the short blade from his hip around to the small of his back. "Done!"

"That... that's it?"

"Of course!" Ichigo declared with total confidence. "I heard dual blades are extremely rare among Soul Reapers—that's gotta be my most distinctive feature, right?"

"Mm... that's true!"

As the only adult in the Ryoka group, Yoruichi's greatest mistake had been letting these two idiots pair up.

A few streets over.

"Hm? Which squad are you from? I've never seen you before."

A broad-faced, heavyset Soul Reaper looked over a slender, fine-limbed Soul Reaper in glasses, eyes full of suspicion. The several Soul Reapers nearby were all the heavyset one's subordinates.

"I'm from Squad 4." Uryu adjusted the glasses and said calmly, Shihakusho and all. "I only joined recently. I don't know my way around very well, I was actually about to ask for directions."

"Oh... a newcomer, huh..." The lead Soul Reaper nodded, then in the same instant yanked the Zanpakuto from his hip and swung it directly at Uryu. "You think I'm an idiot?!"

CLANG,

A blue longsword clashed against the Zanpakuto and sparks scattered in every direction. At that range, Uryu had no choice but to meet the blade head-on.

"Why did you see through it so quickly?" Uryu stepped back and the spirit-light blade dissolved. "I did my research, Squad 4 is supposed to be fairly well-liked, generally speaking."

"That's not wrong." The lead Soul Reaper twirled the Zanpakuto lazily. "But it's not graduation season from Shin'o Spiritual Arts Academy right now. How could there possibly be any newcomers?"

"...I see. So impersonating a Soul Reaper isn't going to work."

Uryu nodded. The plan had seemed solid enough at the start, but actually executing it was another matter. Everyone wore a Shihakusho, and members from different squads couldn't possibly all know each other, that was the logic. In practice, though, being a complete stranger in an unfamiliar place, Uryu had been exposed after just a handful of questions.

"Hmph! You're one of the Ryoka, aren't you?!"

The lead Soul Reaper shot a glance at a subordinate to pass the word along, then raised the blade and charged, swinging it straight down at Uryu.

"Don't underestimate me."

Fwoosh,

Several bolts of blue spirit-light fired out. While the Soul Reapers had been talking, the spirit bow had already been fully drawn. Uryu moved fast, before the Soul Reapers could close the distance, the bolts were already screaming through the air, catching each of them in the head. One by one they went rigid as if struck by lightning and dropped straight to the ground.

"Better find somewhere to rest first."

The spirit-particle-condensed bolts carried no arrowheads. They hit like blunt instruments, knocking the Soul Reapers out cold, nothing more serious than that.

Elsewhere in Seireitei.

"Hello." Yasutora Sado had one hand clamped around a Soul Reaper's throat and asked politely, "Is there anywhere nearby where someone could get some rest?"

"Ugh..."

"Ah... sorry." Sado released the grip, face full of apology. "Forgot you couldn't talk like that. Can you speak now?"

"A... a monster...!"

The Soul Reaper dropped straight to the ground, staring up at Sado in pure terror. All around lay fallen comrades, knocked down one by one like plucking chicks off the ground, every single one rendered unconscious by this strangely dressed figure.

"Unable to communicate..." Sado shook his head and sighed. "Then please, get some sleep as well."

A hand-chop came down on the Soul Reaper's neck. The Soul Reaper cried out in pain. Once again Sado wore an apologetic expression, explaining there was absolutely no intent to be violent, it was just something seen so often on TV that trying it had seemed worthwhile, and then, adding more force, knocked this one out too.

"What an oddball!" Yoruichi watched from the shadows and shook her cat head. "Sure enough, when someone's a bit slow, their friends tend to be at least a little strange."

The night had grown late, but the Soul Reapers' movements had only grown sharper and more urgent. Seireitei was vast, yet there were many means of relaying information, and from every direction came reports of Soul Reapers encountering the Ryoka and being brought down.

It was now confirmed: four Ryoka in total, three male and one female, operating in three separate groups. One group was a bespectacled member of the Quincy, a people said to have been exterminated long ago. One group was a powerfully built figure with brown skin. The third was the orange-haired Soul Reaper paired with a pretty girl.

Four people. And they had thrown Seireitei into chaos for an entire night. Several Captains had already taken to the field in person, and more than half of all Vice-Captains had joined the patrols.

Upper-seated officers had already been brought down. Preliminary assessment held that, aside from the orange-haired Soul Reaper, the other two also carried Vice-Captain-level strength, while the female member had no recorded knockouts to her name. Orders had been updated: upon encountering the Ryoka, call for backup at once, and retreat was permitted if direct confrontation was unviable.

There had been no reports of Soul Reaper fatalities so far, but no one knew how long that would hold. For all anyone knew, the enemy might go for the kill next time.

Some slept in warehouses. Some tucked into hidden corners. Some had pried open a manhole cover and crawled inside. The sources of an entire night's chaos, seeing that it was now deep in the night, quietly went off to find somewhere to sleep. They had come to rescue someone and cause a little havoc, not to clock in for a shift.

➤ Next: A Perfectly Fine Morning