Bleach: Gazing Mirage

Yūshirō reported back to Yoruichi, his older sister about the recent string of soul reaper and soul deaths that he believed were committed by the Ankoku household. He explains how he infiltrated the household and fed them a piece of false information by altering a report on a rogue soul reaper who was working with one of their enemies. Yoruichi had already gathered evidence that this soul reaper had been committing the most heinous of crimes so he would have been either imprisoned or executed. He then waited and observed the events that occurred with Kira.

 

"Nee-sama, I have reason to believe that the Ankoku household is behind these deaths. I infiltrated their household and altered a report pointing them in the direction of a criminal soul reaper. I then observed the events that occurred and saw that young lady Kira killed him. As to why they are committing these deaths I will have to look into it more," Yūshirō explained.

 

Yoruichi listened intently, a look of concern on her face. "What do you have to report about Kira?" she asked.

 

"Kira has already awakened what is believed to be a powerful zanpakuto ability, but she had not reported it to the academy. I discovered that her parents have also placed a forbidden kido spell on her that forced her obedience. I believed it was a type of criminal seal but I didn’t recognize it. She seems unable to say anything about it or go against their will," Yūshirō revealed.

 

Yoruichi's expression turns to one of anger and disgust. "That is outrageous. The use of forbidden spells on the innocent soul is unacceptable. Spells like that are only authorized to be used on the most heinous of criminals. I can’t believe they did this to another soul much less their own daughter. We must do something to put a stop to this," she declares.

 

Yūshirō nods in agreement. "I agree, Nee-sama. But we must be careful. The Ankoku household is an old powerful and influential family. If we act another noble family might use this incident as a way to undermine our Shihōin Clan. We need evidence to bring them down," he warned.

 

Yoruichi nods thoughtfully. "You're right. We must gather evidence and be strategic in our approach. In the meantime, we must also ensure that the young lady named Kira is safe. We cannot let her fall victim to their cruel manipulation any longer. If we want to bring down the Ankoku then she’s our best bet," she said.

 

Yūshirō nodded, understanding his sister's plan. "I will work to gather evidence and keep an eye on the Ankoku main house. Mei can also keep an eye on Kira and try to keep her away from the household. If they try to approach her then Mei should send us a secret message," he suggested.

 

Yoruichi nodded in agreement. "Yes, that is a good plan. We must act swiftly and strategically, but most importantly, we must act with justice and compassion."

 

Yūshirō then gave a thumbs up. “I will not rest until I’ve done as you said, Nee-sama."

 

Yoruichi then said, "I know you won’t, Yūshirō. I’ll head over to see Kisuke and ask him if it's possible to identify and break the spell without the parents knowing."

 

Yūshirō nodded in agreement, "That is a wise move, Nee-sama. Urahara-san is one of the most skilled people I know in the art of kido. If anyone can break the spell, it's him."

 

Yoruichi stood up, ready to take action. "Then let's go. No time to waste here when there are so many things that need to be done."

 

Yoruichi quickly headed for Urahara’s lab, carefully scanning the area for any signs of danger or unwanted attention. She found him deep in thought, surrounded by various tools and instruments, working on something that looked to be a marble. But as soon as she entered, he pressed a switch, and the marble disappeared as a hole opened up on the table retracting the marble down, revealing that it was very important and well guarded.

 

"Kisuke, I need your help. I have reason to believe that a young soul reaper named Kira has been the victim of a forbidden spell placed on her by her parents. They are members of the Ankoku household, a somewhat influential family. Although they might be backed by someone more troublesome. We need to break the spell without them knowing," she explained, in a serious and urgent tone.

 

Urahara listened intently as Yoruichi explained the situation and the forbidden spell used on Kira. He scratched his chin thoughtfully before replying, "Forbidden spells are tricky to break, Yoruichi. I'll have to research this specific spell in depth. Even if I can't remove it entirely, I should still be able to come up with a countermeasure to halt its function."

 

Yoruichi sighed, understanding the difficulty of the task. "I understand, Kisuke. We need to act quickly since this is a time-sensitive issue."

 

Urahara looked pensive before nodding, "I'll begin my research immediately. In the meantime, if you could do me the favor of finding out the markings used to make the mark or seal it’d make my job easier. I'll get back to you as soon as I have any information."

 

Urahara then asked, "Should we inform the Head Captain Yamamoto of the situation? He may decide to take action against the Ankoku household."

 

Yoruichi shook her head, "No, we can't take the risk of informing him until we have solid proof of Kira's innocence. The only way to guarantee her safety is to have proof of her innocence before we inform him. We'll handle this ourselves. If he gets involved then the entire clan may be executed on charges of trying to overthrow the Soul Society."

 

Urahara scratched his head, "Okay I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can."

 

Yoruichi smiled, "Thanks, Kisuke. We'll do our part to gather evidence and get you the information you need to identify the mark. I'll be waiting for your update."

 

With that, Yoruichi thanked Urahara before leaving his lab, while Yūshirō continued to gather evidence and keep an eye on the Ankoku household. They would act swiftly and strategically, with the goal of digging up information on the Ankoku household.

 

Yoruichi quickly made her way to the Kuchiki noble house, led by Ginrei Kuchiki, the grandfather of Byakuya Kuchiki and the Captain of the 6th Division. She remembered Yūshirō mentioning that Byakuya said something weird about Kira, so she wanted to find out what and why. The Ankoku household has served the Kuchiki noble house for many generations, so maybe these moves might be them planning with another major household to overthrow the Kuchiki noble house. She planned on giving Ginrei a light warning without going too much into the details.

 

As she entered the Kuchiki estate, she was greeted by a member of the Kuchiki household who escorted her to Ginrei's study. She found him sitting at his desk, surrounded by various documents and scrolls.

 

Yoruichi bowed respectfully, "Ginrei, how have you been doing lately?”

 

Ginrei without looking up said, “You took the trouble of visiting me to ask me how have I been? It seems you have too much time on your hands.”

 

Yoruichi walked around the room, “ No, it’s just that I heard the Ankoku household, who serve under your noble house, have been making some strange moves as of late. I just wanted to urge you to keep an eye on their actions."

 

Ginrei looked at Yoruichi with a stern expression, "Is this true? What evidence do you have to support your claim?"

 

Yoruichi knew she couldn't reveal too much without solid evidence, "I cannot say for certain, but I have reason to believe that they may be involved in forbidden practices. I’m currently looking into them so there’s no need to act just be vigilant for now. I will continue to gather evidence and if I find anything concrete, I will bring it to your attention."

 

Ginrei sighed, "Fine I understand. I will take your warning seriously and keep a close eye on the Ankoku household. Thank you for bringing this to my attention."

 

Yoruichi nods, "Of course, as captain of the 2nd division it's my duty to protect the Soul Society. I will keep you informed if I find anything further. Now, where is little Byakuya I wanted to ask him something?"

 

Ginrei raised an eyebrow at the request, "Oh is my grandson involved in this mess because if so I demand to know now.”

 

Yoruichi shook her head and said, "Nothing of the sort. Last time I was here I promised to visit him and see how his training was going. I thought since I was her I might as well fulfill that promise. If he’s not here then it's fine."

 

Ginrei looked at Yoruichi for a few seconds but seeing nothing wrong he rang a bell calling a servant. He then ordered the servant to lead Yoruichi to where Byakuya was currently training.

 

Yoruichi followed the servant to a secluded area of the Kuchiki estate where she found Byakuya training with his sword. She watched as he moved with fluid grace, executing each strike and parry with precision. She couldn't help but be impressed by his skill.

 

As he finished his training, he noticed Yoruichi and bowed respectfully. "Yoruichi-sama, it is an honor to see you again. How may I assist you?"

 

Yoruichi smiled, "I came to see how your training was going. You’re growing into a skilled warrior, little Byakuya."

 

Byakuya nodded, "Thank you, Yoruichi-sama. I have been training tirelessly to live up to the Kuchiki name."

 

Yoruichi could sense a hint of worry in his eyes, and she remembered Yūshirō's words about Byakuya acting strange around Kira. She decided to tread carefully.

 

"Little Byakuya, I have heard a rumor that you may have some concerns about the young lady of Ankoku house. I understand that this may be a difficult situation for you, but could you please tell me about it."

 

Byakuya looked at Yoruichi with a polite smile, "I appreciate your concern, Yoruichi-sama. But I cannot speak about such private matters. I am bound by my duty to the Kuchiki noble. If there is something going on that I should be worried about then I trust that you will handle the situation in the best way possible."

 

Yoruichi nodded, "I understand. I will continue to keep an eye on the situation. In the meantime, I hope you will continue to focus on your training. If you want to replace Ginrei then you still need plenty of work. Remember how you lost our last contest? I’ll challenge you again in the future. I hope you do better next time little Byakuya."

 

Byakuya’s smile twitched as he tried to suppress his anger, "I will do my best, Yoruichi-sama. Thank you for your guidance but next time I’ll win. Might I add that, you won’t succeed in making me upset. Grandfather makes sure to drill into me that I must never allow another person to anger me. Doing so is akin to giving them control of me."

 

Yoruichi laughed, "I am proud of your growth, little Byakuya. Remember, true strength comes from being in control of your emotions and actions. I look forward to our next shunpo contest, I know you will do well." With that, Yoruichi bid farewell to Byakuya and returned to her mansion.