Part 2

Hundreds of years ago - Seireitei - Governmental District.

"Why, why wasn't that man sentenced to death!?"

It was an outcry that risked his life.

"I'd like an audience with the Central 46! Please!"

A young man continues to raise his voice whilst being blocked by the steel staff weapons being held up by the brawny guards.

There were no pupils in the eyes of the young man and it could be surmised from his meticulous movements that he was blind.

This blind young man seems able to perceive the state of affairs around him through sound alone, and it appears that he can also sense the ferocious aura of the guards that were standing in front of him.

Perhaps these gatekeepers were related to nobility, after all, the way in which they eyed the young man who appears to have come from Rukongai, revealed a look of clear disdain.

Nevertheless, the young man extends his hand beyond the gates without hesitation.

What came spilling out from the young man's mouth, is an outcry that demands condemnation of the crime. A genuine plea seeking enforcement of justice.

But never lending an ear to it, the guards raise their staves over the blind man.

The sound of chafed fabric. A rustling in the air, a stream of footwork.

The blind youth, perceiving all of it, understood that a guard was about to deal a merciless blow against him.

However, he does not try to avoid it.

Is it despair, or perhaps sorrow which hangs in that facial expression of his?

Either way, not even the slightest sign indicating that he may have shrunk back in fear could be found on that face.

That young man had already resolved to stake his own life the instant he arrived in this place.

Unaware of this fact, the guards thought nothing of it having assumed that he probably isn't attempting to dodge due to his blindness; without wavering on their nonresistant opponent, they swing down their weapons.

But then —— the sound of a violent collision reverberated as the guards' strike repelled back.

" ! "

What met the guards' eyes, was a Zanpakutō still sheathed in its scabbard.

And the moment they saw the person who was holding it, the looks on the guards' faces stiffened.

"Please don't do anything that may cause a commotion. We are still in mourning for Kakyō san."

"Y-You're…"

"Leave it to me, I'll reason with him. You guys can return to your guard duties."

"Y-Yes sir!"

The blind young man was unable to comprehend what had happened at first.

His consciousness was captured by the name that was disclosed by the man who appears to have just rescued him.

Kakyō.

The very reason he had come to this place at the risk of his own life.

It is the name of an irreplaceable friend with whom he had spent his days in the Rukongai since childhood.

The man who had uttered that name then addressed the blind youth with a gentle voice.

"I recognise you. If I'm not mistaken, I believe you came to Kakyou san's funeral."

"…You…know her?"

"She was a comrade. I'm also a Shinigami.… Although, perhaps I am incapable as a Shinigami when I couldn't protect her back then."

The man who spoke with a grief-stricken expression held out a hand to the blind youth.

"Let's move to some other place. You have nothing more to discuss with those stubborn guards, don't you think?"

"That's right, you're Tōsen Kaname kun aren't you? Even at the squad barracks, she would mention your name from time to time. So I guess you were invited specially for the funeral service huh."

The blind young man —— Tōsen Kaname, is a resident of Rukongai, under normal circumstances he would be unable to freely travel in and out of Seireitei unless he was a Shinigami.

It was a special exception that one such as himself was admitted entry within Seireitei. 

"When she enlisted as a Shinigami, Kakyō san left behind a will ahead of time. We can't predict when we'll die in the battle against Hollows after all. If anything it's recommended by the Shinō academy."

According to the Shinigami who was an acquaintance of Kakyō, she had indicated within her will that "If I should die, I wish for my remains to be buried in Rukongai."

"It seems she wished to be buried at the foot of a hill where the stars could be seen. That place is known by her close friend, Tōsen Kaname."

"…Yes, I happen to know that hill."

What is revived in Tōsen's mind, is memories of a time when he would look up at the night sky together with his dear friend, at the side of a village located on top of a hill.

—— "I love the night sky. Kaname."

—— "Because, the night sky is like this world."

—— "Everything is wrapped in darkness, and there are many little lights."

—— "But, there are clouds that try to conceal them from sight."

—— "As for me, Kaname. I want to become the person who will sweep away those clouds."

—— "So that not even a single light will be allowed to go out. I will sweep away those clouds, Kaname."

Saying so as she raised her eyes to the stars, she eventually made her dream come true.

She gained the power and position in order to protect the light of the world.

Shinigami.

Constituting the foundation of the entirety of Soul Society, they are charged with the responsibility of world's circulation, guiding those who have made a life in the Human World to this one.

Driving out Hollows who were evil spirits and becoming the hope of the people.

Indeed she was given the right to protect the stars.

However, having realised her dream, she was unable to take the next step forward.

"…I heard that her husband was the one that killed her."

"Yes, that's right. Her husband slayed a comrade of the same division over a trivial dispute, and then when she tried to admonish him for it, he even killed his own wife. That's the truth."

"…Why, why did she… have to die?" 

At a Tōsen who had clenched his fist tightly in frustration, the man who was a Shinigami then replies.

"This is just my guess, but I think it's because she was a more honest person than any other… someone who continued to foster justice and peace."

That was something Tōsen could also understand.

His good friend Kakyō loved peace more than anyone. Valued justice more than anyone.

It is for this reason that she was prepared to stain her own hands with the blood of a Hollow.

"I also wondered if something like this would happen one day and I was always worried for her. She loved peace too much to persevere with Justice. If she had negated both love and peace, if she had only lived by nothing but a strict sense of justice, then quit conversely, she may have been the one to kill her husband. But, she was not able to do so."

"Do you mean to say that her hopes were wrong then!? I heard that the man who killed her won't even be charged with this great crime!"

"That's why you sought an audience with the Central 46 huh?"

The Shinigami released a small sigh and continued to speak as if he was hesitant to do so.

"…Do you know about the Five Great Noble Clans?"

"I do not know the specific house names, but surely… they are the most prominent families among the nobles of the Seireitei…."

"The man who killed Kakyō san, is from the bloodline of one of those Five Great Houses."

" ! "

He knew that she was married to a Shinigami, but he's never heard that it was into a family so distinguished that they were one of the Five Great Houses.

At the bewilderment of Tōsen, the Shinigami continued further.

"He does not belong to the lineage of the main house, rather, he is the descendant of a branch family. Although that man has no significant political power, a noble is able to have the crime of murder abated, even when it's a man in that sort of position. If he was a member of the head house, it would have been treated as if the murder itself was nonexistent, then I suppose things would be settled under the guise that Kakyō san was accused of treason and thus executed."

"How can that be! Such a thing is… absurd…!"

Tōsen reflexively raises his voice.

From the moment he heard that the man who had murdered his good friend would not be condemned for his heinous crime, in his heart, he had even considered that such a possibility existed.

However, he did not want to believe that such things would happen within an organisation that she herself had positively described as "a force for the sake of justice."

For this reason —— and particularly because he wanted to disprove it, he had come as far as this place to appeal directly to the Central 46 at the risk of his own life.

"The Shinigami, the Gotei 13, are they not a group that defends the peace and harmony of the Soul Society and the Human World!? Were Central 46 not the people who personify the principles of the world!?"

"The peace was defended. After all, nobility are also part of this world. Their peace was defended. And thus, surely the current Central 46 are a symbol of such an irrational world."

"...tch!"

Tōsen stood dumbfounded at the Shinigami's assertion.

In response to this, the Shinigami grimaced in vexation as he opened his mouth to speak.

"I'm painfully aware of your feelings. I also think it's peculiar no matter how one looks at it, that the likes of the man who killed her had his crimes overlooked. But that's the Soul Society for you. The Central 46 are under the thumb of the Five Great Noble Clans… particularly the Tsunayashiro clan who possess power."

Speaking with a sorrowful expression, the man balled up his fist tightly similar to Tōsen.——

After confirming that no one was in the vicinity, he began to ask a question in a quiet voice.

"Still, based entirely on that, I daringly want to ask you, her close friend."

"...?"

Although Tōsen's heart was being eroded by a resentment that knows no bounds, as if losing his mental battle at the man's serious tone of voice, he closed his mouth which was almost agape and listened attentively to the words of his companion.

"If, say, you or I had enough power to take revenge, do you suppose we should take it?"

"That's…"

"This is also a question of how we confront her wishes and dignity. Could it be… that she actually wants you, Tōsen kun, to avenge her?"

Tōsen couldn't see his companion's face nor the expression on it, but he could sense something akin to a slight bloodlust in every word this Shinigami uttered.

In contrast to that and as a result of regaining his composure, Tōsen manages to suppress his anger with some effort, at the same time he recalls the words of his dear friend as he began to craft his sentences.

For her comrade to be pushed to exude such a thirst for blood, that is far removed from the world she wanted.

As he frantically tried to reach an understanding within himself, Tōsen made an attempt to answer the Shinigami's query.

"…I think she would not wish for us to avenge her. If that is her wish… then I also…"

However, his words stop there.

—— "I also have no desire for vengeance."

He found it impossible to disgorge that statement from his mouth.

He knew that she would likely never want another person to take up revenge on her account.

However, the emotions that were incessantly pulsing in the pit of his gut did not deem it acceptable to acknowledge that.

—— Her wishes have nothing to do with it.

—— Take revenge for yourself.

A mass of dark sentiment welling up from within makes an appeal to him, but Tōsen could not obey this voice.

Because he understands. If he allowed himself or some other person to yield to that hatred —— in that very moment, it would be as if she had greeted death a second time.

All proof that she was alive would become trampled underfoot, her hopes, butchered by his own hands.

Thinking that this was the last thing he would do, Tōsen formed his next words to replace his suppressed sentiments.

"I also… think I want to honour… her wishes, as well as the justice and peace she hoped for."

"I see…. You're right. She certainly loved peace. That's why she lost her life… although, I do not think it was her weakness."

The Shinigami allowed his bloodlust to fade and continued to address Tōsen matter-of-factly.

"If it can be demonstrated that what she had prayed for was not a weakness, but a strength, then that is how people like yourself will live from now on, don't you agree?"

"..."

"Please, live by inheriting her wishes. So that pointless bloodshed will not sweep through this world anymore.

"..."

It's not like he was able to accept the situation from the bottom of his heart at the Shinigami's say-so.

However, Tōsen realised that the man standing before him is someone who understood his good friend in the same way he did, he decided to thank the man for containing his hate ridden heart. 

"…Thank you​ very much."

"No, it is I who must thank you. In this way, a person like you will carry on her dying wish."

"Well, I don't really have that kind of right to…"

Even now he was so desperately restraining the indignation and loathing that was coming to the boil, and he felt quite unqualified to protect her will. In response to Tōsen who was thinking as such, the Shinigami begins to address him with a gentle smile.

"You don't need rights and whatnot to inherit a person's wishes, don't you think? She once said it herself. My own wishes are nothing extraordinary, like the stars in the sky, I simply want to protect something that just keeps on shining up there, it's that kind of modest hope."

"..."

The fact that she had spoken those words was perhaps proof that she truly had hope for her Shinigami comrades, including the man before his eyes.

Guessing as much, Tōsen was relieved that there was also a person among the Shinigami who respects her worth.

"Say… if you don't mind, could you tell me your name?"

For this reason, he asked the man his name.

Because there is indeed another beside himself who had seen her inner self, because he would etch into his heart that the world is cruel but not without mercy.

And so, in a calm demeanour, the man spoke his name without hesitation.

"Certainly, my name is Tokinada. Tsunayashiro Tokinada."

"I'm sorry, did you say… Tsunayashiro sama…? .... ...?"

At that point, Tōsen's thought process came to an instant halt.

A potent feeling of discomfort.

After all, a familiar name had just been uttered from the mouth of the man that stood before him.

—— No, but. Surely not.

—— I must be mistaken.

Observing the look on the face of Tōsen who had considered this and was about to question him a second time, the man shakes his head slightly.

"It's no misunderstanding, nor did you mishear me, Tōsen Kaname kun."

"wha…?"

"You wouldn't recognise my face of course, or even my voice for that matter. Phew, perhaps I could call it a fluke that I wasn't asked my name in the beginning. I don't much like the idea of adopting an alias."

"Huh, what are you saying…?"

Tōsen was bewildered, but his guts cried out, his instincts lined up two contradictory words.

'Kill.'

'Escape.'

With that, intermingled feelings of hatred and fear began to course through the veins throughout his body.

However, his vital reasoning power could not keep up with it and Tōsen found himself unable to perform either action, confronted with this, the man informs his addressee of his own standpoint in a nonchalant manner.

"Let me say it once more. I, Tsunayashiro Tokinada… am the man who was your dear friend's husband. Rather, now that things have come to this pass, perhaps I should say that I am the cause of your dear friend's suffering."

"..."

"Well, I'm glad you won't be seeking revenge. It is a much more frightening prospect when, for instance, an ever-present grudge is borne against you by a destitute Rukongai dweller with nothing to lose, compared to noblemen who would consider their own self-preservation and think twice before bearing a grudge."  

The man who spoke shamelessly, placed a hand on Tōsen's cheek with an unwavering smile that remained on his face.

At the same time, Tōsen is struck by a chill that he's never experienced before now.

His whole body was pierced with a heavy Reiatsu that was wholly grim unlike that which he had sensed from his dear friend, violent impulses emanating from within pinned him down with brute force.

The feeling of overwhelming fear even drowned out his instinctive screams of "escape".

"It was my intention to kill you if you had answered my earlier question with 'I want to avenge Kakyō'. It's unpleasant to talk with fools who don't understand her at all you know. It may be a different story with fellow Shinigami, but it won't become an issue regardless of however many Rukongai dwellers I kill."

He realised that the murderous intent that he sensed in the man's words earlier was now directed at himself, though it no longer made a difference either way.

He couldn't even begin to comprehend the meaning behind the words his companion was uttering. He didn't want to.

However, it was enough to cause Tōsen's emotions to erupt and release his body from the fear that weighed so heavily on him.

Right in front of him, there is a man who claims to be the cause of his dear friend's suffering.

Whether it was a lie or the truth, it no longer mattered.

Still, he could not allow a man who would point one to such ominous signs to talk of his dear friend.

Negative sentiment which had been locked away in the depths of his body until now, burst free and launched an attack towards Tsunayashiro Tokinada, the Shinigami before his eyes.

"————————————————————tsk."

A mute voice.

With a roar that was practically beast-like, Tōsen grabbed the man before him.

But then ——

"My wife's good friend, why are you so angry?"

Tōsen's world is sent spinning around him.

He was slammed against the ground from behind, rendering him immobile.

As far as he could tell, the taste of blood was spreading through his mouth and his limbs were paralysed with sharp pain.

A calm voice continues to resound above Tōsen who still tries to get up one way or another.

"Even my wife… even Kakyō would forgive me wouldn't she?"

"Y…. you…. You bastard…!"

Tōsen tries to shout towards the source of the voice, but the blood overflowing from his throat does not allow him to form his words properly.

"Didn't you just answer my earlier question? 'honour her wishes' you said. If you care about my wife, then you would forgive me and forget about your hatred, you should live out your days within the peace that is preserved by us Shinigami, don't you think?"

"...Tch!"

"My wife would have also wanted you to do so. Please understand, for her sake too."

Pushing his sheathed Zanpakutō against the throat of Tōsen who was trying to get up, Tokinada forces Tōsen back to the ground whilst crushing his throat.

"Of course, you probably have no power to take revenge from the very onset, for you cannot even use a single one of the Zankensoki*." (*Four basic Shinigami combat techniques)

Then, he called out to the guards who had gathered after hearing Tōsen's shouts.

"Hey, you guys. Isn't it about time you got down to business? This Rukongai citizen tried to raise a hand to me. Won't you quickly kick him out of here for me?"

"Y-Yes sir!"

The guards follow his instructions despite also feeling something inexplicably terrifying in the presence of this relative of the Five Great Noble Clans, who spoke this way with a smile still on his face. 

As he left Tōsen's side in the form of changing places with them, Tokinada opens his mouth to speak appearing as if he had remembered something.

"Oh, and let me tell you just so there's no misunderstanding. I have not lied to you at all. That a man like me was not adequately punished, it is truly a ridiculous world. Moreover, I think it's regrettable that I couldn't even protect Kakyou from the irrationalities of this world, I also understand that her wishes are a precious thing."

"————"

Though his throat was crushed, Tōsen still tries to yell something whilst scowling at Tokinada.

Because even he who was supposed to be blind could see it clearly.

Affixed to the face of the retreating Shinigami, a villainous smile filled with malice and pleasure.

"Nevertheless, I simply detest those wishes to the point where it it nauseates me."

And, even deeper than his anger towards such a man, Tōsen harboured a profound sense of despair towards a world that trampled on the hopes that his dear friend had embraced.

That day, the stars she looked up at —— never shined down on her.

It is she herself who is truly the light that illuminates the world, and even that is now lost for an eternity. 

The guards raise their staves overhead once more, above a Tōsen who was enveloped in deep despair and anger ——

This time, there was no one there to stop it.

Present time - A certain place in the Seireitei.

"Mu..."

There, a man wakes up.

"Oh my, that was a very nostalgic dream."

The man who was outstretched atop an extravagant throne-like easy chair, turned his attention to the scene of his dim surroundings.

The small figure, who first met his eyes, raises their voice as their eyes sparkled brightly in excitement.

"You're awake?! Tokinada sama!"

"Ah yes, I had a nice dream. That's a promising start huh."

"A dream? What kind of dream!? Tokinada sama!"

The man —— Tsunayashiro Tokinada, who was asked this question by the voice of a child still young, recalls what he had dreamed of just now with a "hrmm", he then contorted his lips into a wicked smile as he answered back.

"It's a dream that is both nostalgic and pleasant. I can still remember it clearly. The moment a person's heart fills with despair, it is truly a satisfying thing. No matter how many times I have savoured it, I will never get tired of the moment that boundless hatred directed towards me is defeated crushingly. Even if it's inside a dream."

"Is that so? I do not quite understand, Tokinada sama!"

"Ah, that's alright. You don't have to understand anything. You are still very young after all."

Before Tokinada's line of sight, was a child clad in black garments similar in style to a Shihakushō.

The child did not bear a squad emblem or the like that would indicate their affiliation, this child is wrapped in an air that was somehow different to the ordinary inhabitants of Soul Society.

If one was to apply an approximate age by the standards of a human from the Human World, then the child would probably be around 15 years of age. It may safely be said that the child's features were plenty beautiful, but those features were androgynous and it could not be determined from appearances whether the child's gender was male or female. Such was the outward appearance of the child.

"What was Hikone doing? It's not like you were standing there upright until I got up, right?"

Then, the child named Hikone replies with an equally childlike smile playing on its lips.

"It's true I was! I did exactly what Tokinada sama instructed me to do! Some people who were trying to kill Tokinada sama showed up, so I made sure to immobilise them!"

Accordingly, Tokinada shifts his attention to the scene around him once again.

A number of people clad in black clothing were collapsed and strewn about Hikone, some individuals were convulsing after having the bones in their limbs completely fractured.

Having judged from their attire that they were likely assassins recruited by the Four Great Noble Clans from the Onmitsukidō* (*stealth force), Tokinada slowly rises from his chair and lightly pats Hikone's head.

"I see. Well done. I appreciate your efforts."

"Yes! Thank you very much! Tokinada sama!"

Hikone's eyes were made to sparkle like a puppy's while Tokinada slowly approached the assassins.

Standing in front of a person who still appears to be conscious, Tokinada then poses a question in a dispassionate tone.

"Come now, do you not believe that your clients are all dead? Why are you trying to carry out this task so dutifully?"

As Tokinada says so, he turns his eyes to glance at what was at his back.

A long table was positioned there with several people aristocratic in appearance, seated in chairs.

Given that they each had the same family crest as Tokinada sewn onto their clothes, it can be surmised that they are members of the Tsunayashiro clan.

However, they did not stir in the slightest.

Everyone had their throat or abdomen slit, it was a state of affairs in which one could clearly understand with a single glance, that they were all dead.

"Assassinate Tsunayashiro Tokinada huh. If one considers the general rule of thumb, the client, like me, is a prominent figure among the Tsunayashiro clan. However, evidently they are all dead. If you had simply run away without doing anything, it would have been a good opportunity to take the advance payment free of charge, would it not?"

"..."

The assassin held his tongue. It's possible that he was making an effort of not leaking even a shred of information pertaining to himself or his associates, but judging from the fact that he did not commit suicide, it could be inferred that the assassin was still watching for an opportunity to kill Tokinada.

Having analysed that, Tokinada curls his lips up in seeming delight before slowly clapping both hands together from above and below in order to commend the assassin.

"Wonderful. As soon as the request is received, you intend to carry through with it till the bitter end, even if the client is dead, I must pay my heartfelt respects to that sort of disposition… because I could never do such a thing."

"..."

In response to the assassin who was still glaring at him, Tokinada continued.

"Oh, as your reward, I'll tell you something good. Your client is still alive. What I mean is, your actions were no fool's errand."

"...?"

The assassin who remained collapsed, knit his eyebrows together in unease.

Although there was a middleman, it's likely they would have speculated that the request for the assassination of Tokinada had come from members of the same clan who had shunned him. 

Be that as it may, a short while ago Tokinada said "do you not believe that your clients are all dead?", but now he was saying an entirely contradictory thing, feeling a strange sense of discomfort at that, the assassin anticipated his opponent's next words whilst waiting for an opening to kill him.

Then, Tokinada smiled as if soothing a child when he opened his mouth to speak.

"It's me."

"...?"

"It's​ me that put in the request to you guys, to have me killed."

"...!?"

At the puzzlement of the assassin, Tokinada continued.

"I turned the tables on the assassins that brought their daggers​ to the throats of the Tsunayashiro clan, and I found that everyone was already dead. A story that will no doubt invoke sympathy, don't you agree?"

"…That's… absurd."

The assassin made a wry face in response to Tokinada who announces that he had them dancing right into the palm of his hands.

The person responsible for being the go-between, is bound to be the man who was the same Tsunayashiro clan protege as usual.

He wouldn't obey Tokinada who is a cancerous growth as far as the family is concerned.

But, as if mocking that speculation, Tokinada spoke.

"It's confusing huh? Well, it makes no difference to me whether you choose to believe it or not. Because assassins like you often carry feelings of despair from the very beginning. It's more amusing to make people feel confusion than despair."

"What are you… trying to…"

Tokinada sneers at the assassin who was straining his voice.

"Why do you think I'm talking​ so indiscreetly about such a thing? Even if it has already been established that none of the 12th division's Rokureichū* (*spirit recording bugs) and such has been brought into this residence, don't you think it's foolish to speak of my own scheme? I think it is foolish."

Tokinada places a foot on his opponent's fingers before trampling on them.

"Gah…!"

Whilst listening to the sound of several bones breaking, Tokinada laughs gleefully, in ridicule, and in delight. 

"However, I can't help it. This bad habit. Even though I run the risk of being heard by someone, I wanted​ to see it! The bewildered face of a proud assassin like yourself! That facial expression!"

Thoroughly, slowly, Tokinada tramples down on every bone in the man's body again and again whilst continuing to laugh.

Suddenly, that smile disappeared from his face and as soon as it did, he calmly shook his head while muttering to himself.

"Come to think of it, if you truly were proud, you wouldn't even be the likes of an underling assassin of a nobleman now would you?"

Releasing a small sigh, Tokinada drew out his Zanpakutō from his waist.

Looking at that scene, Hikone called out to Tokinada while his eyes were made to sparkle as unchanged as before.

"That looks like fun! Tokinada sama!"

Tokinada slowly stabs his Zanpakutō​ into his opponent's spinal cord, at the same time he returned a smile to Hikone.

"Indeed, it is certainly fun. Trampling down on something is fun. I easily get weary, but my heart will desire it once again in an hour or so."

After spending several hours finishing off each assassin, Tokinada wiped the blood off of his Zanpakutō as he called out to Hikone.

"Now then, let's go Hikone. I must inform the Seireitei that from today, I have become the head of the Tsunayashiro clan, replacing the grand elders who were killed by some ruffians."

"Yes! Tokinada sama! Uh, is it better for me to call you by the title of 'clan head' from now on?"

"Don't worry about it. You and I are friends right? Just Tokinada is fine by me."

"That's really okay!? Tokinada sama!"

Among the dozen or so corpses that lay scattered around them, Hikone's face is made to light up with an innocent smile.

Whilst gently brushing the androgynous child's head, Tokinada flashed a particularly wicked smile before making an assertion.

"Really, it's no problem."

.

.

.

"After all, Hikone will eventually become the Soul King. Let's go with an equal relationship."