Chapter 26: Gathering Information

Batsu'unsai's eyes opened to find the familiar ceiling. The grains of wood were exactly what she saw every morning. A wide smile flourished on her face. She put on her glasses and grabbed her Zanpakutou only to wince from pain. She rolled up the sleeves of her hanten. She was instantly shocked by the large purple welts lining her arms. It was as if she had painted perfect dots on her skin. Shaking off the discomfort, she left the bedroom.

Her first destination was the kitchen. Entering the room, she was greeted with a scent of fragrant lemongrass and frying chicken. Kenji stood over the stove, working away. He spoke before she could inform him of the news.

"Grab Fu-chan. Dinner'll be ready in a couple. She's still cleaning up the front house. Service ended a little while ago."

She swiftly left and headed further down the hall. Reaching the front counter, she found Furoufushi putting away serving trays. She called out to her.

"It's almost dinnertime."

"I'll be there in a sec."

Furoufushi locked the front door and headed to the kitchen along with Batsu. The table had been set with portions of rice, lemongrass chicken, and sauteed vegetables. All three sat down and gave their thanks. Picking up their chopsticks, Batsu couldn't stop herself.

"I spoke with my Zanpakutou spirit today."

""…""

"What?"

"You've been asleep for a little more than 24 hours."

*clatter* "WHAT?!"

Kenji and Furoufushi smirked at her distraught expression. Kenji lifted his cup with lackluster praise. In a deadpan voice, he upset the girl with flashing glasses.

"Ehhh~, three cheers for the youngest. Congratulations Batsu."

Furoufushi joined the cheerless celebration.

"Weeh~ Batsu, yeah~. Little sis, yeah~."

"Fu-chan if you will."

Furoufushi left the table and opened a sliding cabinet. She pulled out a sizable cake made of unknown ingredients. Batsu's eyes lit up. She couldn't hide her giddy voice.

"Tenchou! Tenchou! What's that?"

"That is called a chocolate cake. It's made with flour, eggs, butter, sugar, milk, and a processed bean or rather a seed. It's good but save it for after dinner."

Furoufushi sliced the cake up into pieces. Even she couldn't help drooling. The feast was appetizing beyond belief. The three made quick work of their meal. Of course, they savored the fine meal, but their sights were set on the delectable dessert.

Plates of sliced chocolate cake were handed out. With a single bite, all three squealed in happiness. The entire cake was quickly devoured, leaving the three with pouting faces and groans of sadness.

Furoufushi was curious to hear about Batsu's spirit.

"What riddles did you get?"

"Huh?"

Batsu was instantly confused. She repeated the question.

"Riddle? What riddle?"

"Huh? You know the riddle thing you gotta do."

Kenji cleared up the misunderstanding as he washed the dishes.

"Different Zanpakutou come with their own different challenges. Unlocking Shikai varies greatly between people. Some Zanpakutou are even lazy enough to just hand out the privilege of using their Shikai."

*SMASH* "Ugggh!"

Furoufushi smashed her forehead on the table finding out the truth. The Miko was sadistic and unforgiving. The disparity between Zanpakutou triggered her to reflect on life. Batsu'unsai swooped in to save her downtrodden senior. Furoufushi perked up.

"My Zanpakutou said she'd test me tomorrow. I don't know what the test is yet."

"That's good Batsu. You'll be in a better spot when we go to that gathering thingy in two weeks. Speaking of which, Tenchou, you gonna tell us now?"

Batsu'unsai faced Kenji alongside Furoufushi. He stopped his work and faced them. Crossing his arms, he gazed up at the ceiling. He spoke, recalling the memories.

"Gosh. It's been a while since I've been to a gathering in Seireitei. Sheesh, like two decades? Man, how time flies. Anyway…"

He lowered his head, meeting the gaze of the two young ladies.

"The gathering calls upon all the active captains, Yamamoto Shigekuni oversees it. But it's not just him that holds significance. Almost all the captains and clans come every season. Every faction. For Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter, some hundreds of people attend the four gatherings. These past few centuries, it's become a cesspool of ambitious criminals. Yamamoto's had to select from a pit of filth. Every kind of evil-doing you can imagine has been perpetrated by the Shinigami of Seireitei. It just depends on the individual, some are like you guys, forced into it, while the rest choose to commit atrocities. Not that Yamamoto has better options, He's been in a tough spot from what I hear. Humans can't live past 40 years right now, with all the rampant war and disease. Soul Society's not that much different if you add vices. It's up to the noble clans to secure some semblance of peace and prosperity."

Batsu'unsai offered a question that made Furoufushi frown.

"Is this why we're doing etiquette lessons?"

"Yep. There's some connections to be made there. I can give you two directions, whether you make friends or allies is up to you."

"Hah! With those silver-spoon brats, no thanks."

Furoufushi scornfully snorted and crossed her arms. Kenji shrugged in understanding.

"Well, some are like that, some are not. You'll figure that out. One piece of advice is to be on guard. Even though some people will look out for you two, I'd still be ready for anything. It's almost guaranteed that a fight will break out, been that way for a long time."

"Who's looking out for us?"

Batsu's follow-up caught Furoufushi's attention. The two waited as Kenji rubbed his chin in contemplation.

"Mmm~. I guess you could say they're friends of ours. The clans I regularly keep in touch with are the Shihouin, the Kuchiki, the Shiba, the Shutara, and the Kotetsu. These five have deep ties with me. Oh, mind you, the Shihouin, Kuchiki, Shiba, and Shutara are four of the five great noble houses. You'll wanna practice your manners around the Kuchiki and Shutara specifically. Kotetsu is a noble matrilineal clan just like the Shutara, love those sweet ladies. Always so pleasant. Super loyal too."

The two girls gulped hearing the casual name calls. Of course, the two had heard of the Five Noble Families, the five were the ones that helped found Soul Society. They suddenly realized how strange Kenji was.

He picked up after seeing their furrowing brows.

"There's a few more that I have ties with but they're kinda wacky."

"Wacky how?"

Furoufushi was puzzled by the word. Tilting his head, Kenji searched for the right way to spell it out.

"Err~. They're kinda over the top? I don't know how to explain it. Don't worry about them, they'll introduce themselves if they want to."

Batsu pushed her glasses up.

"Wacky?"

"Yeah… you'll know what I mean."

The two girls nodded their heads, noting down his opinion. Batsu raised another question.

"We're meeting nobles huh?"

"Yeah."

"What're they like?"

Furoufushi's interest skyrocketed, she leaned over the table as Kenji spoke.

"Mmm. I don't wanna give too much away about your opponents. But I'll give you guys an idea. Shihouin are blessed with speed and physical strength. Kuchiki and Shiba are clans with deep roots in weapon arts. Especially the Kuchiki, they can give you some nightmares. Shiba's got some decent endurance. They could outlast you two easily. Don't take them lightly. Mmm. The Shutara and Kotetsu are a bunch of wildcards. To be honest, the members of their clans can be extremely different from one another. Like the Kotetsu Heiress has vastly different skills from her grandmother, the clan head. That being said they're both sweet ladies and good people. Specialties vary between members of these houses; you never know what you're gonna get."

Furoufushi held up her hands and counted like a kindergartner. Holding up her fingers, she looked back at Kenji.

"That's like five clans. But there's gonna be more, right?"

"Yeah. Frankly speaking, those are the most notable ones."

Batsu was curious about something else. Her eyes narrowed as she led the conversation.

"Four of the Five Noble Families. We're not allies with the Shijima Clan?"

Furoufushi's lips curled down hearing Batsu's discovery. She furrowed her brows and looked at Kenji. He turned sheepish, which surprised the girls, they'd rarely seen him express such a face.

"They're… not exactly the friendly type. I'd be especially careful around them. They have some influence over the Central 46. Their branch clan, the Okajima, are just as bad. I wouldn't hang around them."

Although she didn't know the meaning of 'the Central 46', Batsu squinted her eyes in recognition. She repeated the name in doubt, a trace of significance bled through her voice.

"Did you say Okajima?"

Both Kenji and Furoufushi studied her scrunched face. Kenji pressed on.

"Yes. Okajima. Why?"

*rustle*

Batsu reached into her hanten and pulled out a tattered sheet of paper. She leaned over the table and handed it to Kenji. He read under the tense hush. After a minute, a frown formed on his face. He handed it to Furoufushi. Her violet eye shifted from side to side as she recited the letter.

[Batsu, My lovely granddaughter.]

[I'm so proud of you.]

[To take those scary first steps out of this house after all these years. I'm proud of you.]

[I'm happy knowing you've walked again.]

[While I'm sad to leave you early, I know you'll be just fine.]

[You'll be led around by your curiosity before you know it.]

[The outside's scary, but there's things worth going out there for. And unlike your mother and father, I think you'll be fine living out there.]

[You've grown into a splendid young woman.]

[Eat good food and clean up after yourself.]

[Breath clean air and bathe in the sun.]

[Don't sit inside all day like you did before.]

[Lastly, surround yourself with good people.]

[Whoever it is, however they fit into your life, let them in.]

[Live.]

[That is my one wish. One I'll threaten the stars with.]

[So, help me, I'll beat that Soul King with my walking stick.]

[I know you'll chase after me. Be careful. I hope you'll have made friends outside who can help you by the time you read this.]

[Don't trust the Okajima warden.]

[Be safe. Nothing too reckless.]

[I love you, child. Do make my wish come true. I'll say hi to your momma and papa.]

After reading through the lines, Furoufushi remained quiet. Kenji started his line of questioning.

"What exactly happened to your grandma?"

Batsu removed her glasses and recounted the past.

"About a year ago, my grandma and some elders disappeared from our district. We'd been living separately at the time. I found this letter and started searching for her. I didn't have any luck then. But at some point, I reread the letter one day, and I saw that line, 'Don't trust the Okajima warden'. I'd never heard her say anything like that ever. They were the Shinigami in charge of our district, West Rukongai's 73rd district. Looking at that warning from my grandma, I started looking into the Okajima. And I found something…"

Kenji and Furoufushi leaned forward. Pensive expressions on their faces as they listened.

"The day my grandma and the elders vanished, Okajima was out on leave. Something about a Seireitei meeting, actually, maybe it was a conference… but I can't be sure. That wasn't all. A week after they disappeared, Okajima transferred out. That's when the rumors started popping up, 'carts of prisoners are being sent to Seireitei'. I tried getting into Seireitei, but I couldn't get in. They even barred me from entering the Shinigami Academy, or the Spirit Arts Academy. Whatever it's called. That's when I…"

Furoufushi wrapped her arms around Batsu's trembling shoulders. She glared at Kenji; her violet eye boiled with wrath. Seeing the rising tension, he spoke with a soothing tone.

"That's when you started wandering. Then you ended up here, looking for strength to enter Seireitei. But they didn't let you into the academy huh? Someone stopped you from being admitted. Your potential should've caught their eyes. Seems we have something to look into when we go. Batsu, I'm going to be insensitive… your grandma-"

"I know Tenchou. I made my peace before I came here. If it comes down to revenge, I won't blame you for not being there. I plan to uncover what happened, it's the least I can do."

Batsu felt his concern and gave her own input. What she didn't expect was Kenji's icy words of assurance and solace.

"Who said I'm not gonna be there? You think we're not gonna be there? Think again. Don't assume we're out of the fight. Even if one of the five clans is involved… no... whoever is involved..."

Furoufushi sneered seeing his vicious smile. Batsu smirked, knowing the havoc they might wreak. Muhou vibrated in the vat of sake. The girls' Zanpakutou vibrated in kind. The air had turned positively murderous.

*SHK*

**Shk**

*Rumble* *Quake* *Quake*

The walls of the teahouse rattled and groaned from the tension. All around the room, an electric charge sparked the spirits of the House Tengoku. Three thrumming hearts rippled through the very foundations of Soul Society.

Far from the dark streets of Akachou, inside an empty chamber, a leathery, archaic book fitted with a spine of bone and scales opened in a flurry of rushing paper. A blood-stained prophecy had been carved into the pages of the Tome of Souls. Letters of viscous red painted a single sheet with accounts of a crime so heinous, it seeped into the subsequent pages. The mark of a chaotic era had arrived.

Under lashing candlelight, Tengoku Kenji's simple claim blossomed with boundless conviction and ominous cruelty.

"We'll destroy them."

There was nothing that could stop them. No one would stand in their way. But that was for another day.

"Now! It's time for etiquette lessons. I don't want your husbands complaining to me in the future."

"Uggghhh~!" *SMASH*

"Please Tenchou, don't. Be gentle with us…"

"Oi! Don't create misunderstandings! You little brats are blowing this-…that's not what I *sigh*… umm~, making a mountain out of a molehill! Now sit down and shut up. Let's go over the basics again, step one! Introductions!"

""NOOO! PLEASE!!!""

"Denied! Fu-chan's up first!"

"SHIT! I nominate my little sister!"

"Language! And no hand-offs!"

*flash* "Heh. Sorry Nee-san, the eldest is the heir after all."

"Oi! I'll smash those glasses!"