Bleach: Gazing Mirage

After returning to the dorm, Yuichi felt a sense of relief as the warm water of the bath washed away the dirt, dried blood, and exhaustion from his body. The soothing sensation of cleanliness was a welcome change from the grueling battles he had faced in the forest.

 

As he dried himself off and changed into his school shihakusho uniform, Yuichi's thoughts kept returning to the events that had transpired in the forest. He couldn't shake the feeling that someone had orchestrated the entire situation, but the motives behind it remained a mystery.

 

Sitting on the edge of his bed, Yuichi pondered the possibilities. It couldn't have been Aizen's group; their intentions were usually clear, and they would have no reason to save him if they wanted him dead. Someone else had planned this and interfered, but their identity and objectives remained elusive.

 

Yuichi knew he needed to report a version of the incident to the office and request a new spare shihakusho, but the exhaustion was beginning to overcome him. He rubbed his temples and tried to fight off the fatigue, reminding himself of his responsibilities.

 

"I need to go to the office," he muttered to himself, attempting to summon the energy to stand up. However, his body had other plans. The accumulated weariness from the day's events finally took its toll, and his vision blurred as he struggled to stay upright.

 

Despite his need to handle the current situation, Yuichi's strength gave out, and he collapsed onto the floor of his dorm room. Unconsciousness overcame him, and he surrendered to much-needed rest, leaving the mysteries of the forest to be unraveled another day.

 

Yuichi's eyes blinked open as he heard the persistent banging on his door. Groggily, he pushed himself up from the floor and stumbled toward the entrance of his dorm room. When he opened the door, he was met with the concerned expression of Kira, a fellow student.

 

Her words registered slowly in his still-foggy mind. "Are you okay?" she asked with a tone of worry. "Since you missed class I wanted to see if you were okay. I came here three times, and you didn't answer the door. I even asked someone else, and they said you came back two nights ago."

 

Yuichi frowned, his memory still muddled from his recent exhaustion and unconsciousness. "Missed class? What are you talking about?" He glanced around his room, trying to piece together the events that had led to his current state. "I was just in the forest, fighting with hollows. I must have fallen asleep when I got back. So I overslept a missed a day of class."

 

Kira shook her head and said, “No you missed two days. Mei was also missing today, so I went to look for you. Hanatarō told me that you also hadn’t been in class for two days.”

 

Yuichi's eyes widened as he processed Kira's words. Missing two days of class was certainly unusual, and the fact that Mei was also absent raised even more questions. His memory of the forest and the strange circumstances surrounding it came rushing back to him.

 

"I... I didn't realize it had been two days," he admitted, his voice filled with a mix of concern and confusion. "I was caught up in something in the forest, Kira. Hollows attacked me, and someone used kido to immobilize me. I barely made it out alive. Maybe a similar situation like that happened to Mei. I should head over to check on her."

 

Kira's expression shifted from concern to a mixture of relief and irritation. "A trap? That's concerning. Next time, you should have informed someone before you went off on your own. Hanatarō, Niko, and I were extremely worried something happened to you. You’re heading to Captain Yoruichi’s home right? I’ll go with you to check up on Mei."

 

Yuichi nodded in agreement with Kira's suggestion. "Yes, I'm planning to go to Lady Yoruichi's to check to see if Mei is there. Your help would be greatly appreciated, Kira. I need to prepare a few things so why don’t you head back to your dorm and I’ll come get you when I’m ready."

 

Kira’s calm attitude even during the seriousness of the situation intrigued Yuichi. "Sure, but don’t take too long I’m worried."

 

When she left Yuichi stared at the door for a while in deep thought. ‘Kira couldn’t have been involved in my attack right? It makes no sense after I showed her that I’m on her side. Even if she wanted a reason to visit Yoruichi, doing that doesn’t get her the result she would want. So her offering to help might be because she really is concerned about Mei’s situation, or that her own situation has changed. Maybe she needs new allies and information.’

 

As Yuichi pondered the situation and the possible motivations behind Kira's actions, he realized that there were many unanswered questions. The events in the forest had left him with doubts and suspicions about who might be behind the trap that had been set for him.

 

Taking a deep breath, Yuichi decided that he needed more information to assess the situation carefully. He knew that heading to Yoruichi's home was the first step, and he needed to find out if Mei was safe. He would also alert Yourichi to the events in the forest, so that she could see if there were any clues about what had transpired and who was behind it.

 

With that in mind, Yuichi began to prepare himself for the visit. He made sure his zanpakuto was secure around his waste. Although he was in a hurry, he was running on empty right now, so he went to the canteen to grab a quick bite to eat.

 

Yuichi's decision to grab a quick bite to eat before heading to Captain Yoruichi's home was a practical one. He knew that he needed to replenish his energy, especially after the physically and mentally exhausting events in the forest. The canteen provided a convenient and familiar place to do so.

 

As he entered the canteen, he exchanged nods with a few fellow students who were also grabbing meals. The atmosphere in the canteen was a mix of gossip and laughter. He quickly made his selections from the available dishes and sat down at an empty table, his thoughts still on the mysteries he needed to unravel. While he ate, he couldn't help but pay attention to the amount of food he ate.