Chapter 84 - The Next Move

"That's just the way it is. Change is inevitable. Instead of resisting it, you're better served simply going with the flow." — Shunsui Kyōraku.

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[Soul Society]

Soi Fon walked across the practice field of the Second with her face set in a cold cast, only deigning some of the greetings sent her way with a small nod, and went straight into her office.

With the two main subdivisions of the Division practically run by her and Itachi, she had a satisfying range of free time most of the time, something that was wholly attributed to how she and Itachi were similar in how they could be little perfectionists in everything they did.

"He's not here." She said to herself upon seeing his black cloak hanging on the back of a chair.

"He's still at it." Searching through his drawers, she found stacks of paper, most of them Hollow reports.

While she'd agree that they were much closer now that they used to be years ago, they were both people of little words which made interpersonal relationships not so much different than their semi-formal relationship.

The door creaked open and Itachi walked in with a wrapped lunchbox in one hand and a sword in another.

He saw the files Soi Fon was clearly holding up for him to see, sighed under his breath and kept the sword at the corner of the room. He walked up to Soi Fon and held out the lunchbox to her and took the files off her hands when she instinctively reached out to grab the box.

"Why are you still looking at that?" She asked grumpily, seeing how he easily took it off her hands.

"I'm curious."

She scoffed. "More like suspicious. I've seen what you look like when you are curious, Itachi, or have you forgotten?"

He hummed noncommittally as he kept the files back in the drawer. "Not quite."

He turned around and got locked into a staring contest with Soi Fon, one she readily gave up to ask him a question.

"It's her, isn't it? You're still looking for her." She stated outright rather than questioning. She wasn't dumb by any stretch of the word, and knowing Itachi like she did, she knew there were very few things he cared about as a Shinigami. "No lies, remember?"

"Aren't you looking for her too?" Itachi asked back instead of answering and was a bit surprised when she shook her head.

"I wanted to, so badly." She stated, a little too soon as her calm visage turned into a scathing snarl. "But I didn't. I know for a fact that we'll come across each other somewhere down the line, so why waste my energy and effort aimlessly chasing her dust when I know that I'm still far off from being her opponent… much less bringing her in."

"It's a little complica—"

"—Complicated, right? Everything's so complicated nowadays." Her words were burning with heavy sarcasm because even though they made a 'No lies' rule, keeping secrets was perfectly fine.

He was about to say something but stopped when he saw her held up finger.

"Should I worry about you? Since you still refuse to tell me what you're looking into then I can either assume it's not important to me or it'll do me no good knowing at this point, and honestly I don't want to know which of them is it." She retreated back and sat on the furniture in the lounging area of the office. "Just make sure not to get dragged in over your head."

Her words were spoken softly as she unwrapped the lunchbox in a disciplined manner.

Itachi looked at Soi Fon as she slowly dug into her food and gently shook his head. "I'm not leaving, Soi Fon."

She only gave a dismissing hum, refusing to comment whatever her thoughts were on that statement. She didn't like the current topic they were discussing so she changed it by pointing at the sword at the corner of the room.

"And whose is that?"

"Junpei's."

"Your little protégé." She smirked at that. She found it amusing that while he'd readily accept any label that defined his relationship with this particular academy student, he never once accepted it when she called Junpei his protégé for some reason.

"I'm leaving." Itachi said only those words and took the sword before leaving.

Looking at the closed door, Soi Fon sighed dejectedly and gripped the chopsticks hard until they snapped.

"Liar." She whispered.

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[POV: With Itachi]

Itachi's face was a solemn mask as he left Soi Fon back in the office. They had gotten a lot closer in the past year but yet he still continued lying to her.

He couldn't tell her the truth as it'll shatter whatever focus and conviction she has built up on her own and send her back into locking her old wounds – pining for Yoruichi to come back to her.

He also couldn't tell her about what he was going to do in the very near future for two reasons. One being she's been under Aizen's influence at one time in the past, and the second being she was more likely to alert Aizen with the hateful glares she'll be sending him every chance she gets.

She now had a focus of bettering herself(rather than blindly seeking Yoruichi's praise) and he'll damn himself if he were to throw a wrench into that.

'Have you talked to her lately?'

'Well, if you could call it a conversation, then yes. She still ignores me most of the time though.'

'If she's talking to you at all and even willing to listen, then I reckon you've gotten better in utilizing those wild flames of hers. You've progressed splendidly.' Tsukuyomi praised, and Itachi could clearly picture his beady red eyes staring down at him approvingly. 'Now the only thing that remains is to wield Truth-seeker to the same length you wield each of us separately.'

Itachi was relieved when he heard Tsukuyomi say that. Training religiously with Amaterasu to the point where he could control a small part of the flames with the rhythm of his breath finally clicked into place the puzzle he's been faced with since the beginning.

Embracing Amaterasu as intimately as he did Tsukuyomi made him realize how much freer he was, in a special sense of the word, and how fluid he could switch between Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi. He realized what it was soon enough; his body was now strong enough to house both his twin spirits comfortably.

"Huff huff, Mr… Mr. Itachi, please! I'm about to die."

Junpei gasped rapturously as Itachi's clone never once ceased in its attacking streak, leaving his only way to survive being Shunpo and Kidō as Itachi took away his sword.

'No matter how many times I see it, I'm still surprised at how bad he is at everything. His only saving grace is that he is hardworking.'

'Hadō and Bakudō in their 20s. His speed, not anything remarkable. Conclusion: he is as average as every other Shinigami can be.'

'And yet you continue to train him, why?'

Itachi was taken aback by the surprise question from none other than Amaterasu, who rarely spoke a word nowadays. That and also how he noticed that she wasn't disapproving of his actions, merely curious.

'It's simple. He came to me with no grand goal; he just wanted to be a Shinigami. He is not naïve enough to aim too unrealistically high. He's determined and focused, so it's up to me to make sure he makes it to an acceptable level amongst Shinigami according to my discretion.'

'Carry on then.' And with that she was gone.

"That's enough." He said and watched as Junpei fell to his knees in utter exhaustion, wanting nothing more than to sleep on the cool ground, except that Itachi threw his sword back at him.

"Draw your blade. Your next lesson starts now."

"W… w…. Wha…" A breathless Junpei stared in horror when he saw Itachi draw out his own blade, forcing him to grab his and unsheathe it.

"I'll let you rest after we're done." On the surface, Itachi had fallen into a routine with his Division and training Junpei, along with the random missions in-between, but that was only on the surface as his mind was running through decisions and plans made, being made, and those yet to be made.

…..

[Aizen Sōsuke POV]

He watched as the Shinigami slowly fell back into a rhythm, quickly forgetting what had happened barely two years ago.

"Time has turned the once feared Shinigami complacent, weak and lacking drive." His eyes and words bore contempt that he did not bother hiding. Well, all this does is make it easier for his plans to move forward.

"Now for the new Captains," A few names and pictures came alive on his monitor. It'll take a few years before these prospective Captains will assume their seat as most of them are yet to achieve their Bankai.

"How underwhelming."

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