CHAPTER 90: Return

Seated in the well-lit basement of Kukaku's house, they sipped their steaming tea. Yoruichi, as Kazuya anticipated, revealed only the bare bones of his story – his name, and his aspiration to join the ranks of the Shinigami.

"Why?" Kukaku questioned, brows knitted in puzzlement. "Last I heard you're banished from the Seireitei. Why help him get into Gotei 13?"

"He is a friend, just like you," Yoruichi responded, smoothly sidestepping the question. "Let's talk about you, Kukaku. I hardly saw you leave this place. Facing some trouble?"

Kūkaku lowered her gaze, the Kidō's light casting a heavy shadow over her face. "It's a huge mess made by Shinigami. Many families are in shambles."

Families rarely reunited in the Soul Society due to its sheer size. Most people formed bonds over centuries that were nothing less than a true family.

"Nothing unusual then," Kazuya replied. "They do this all the time."

The Quincy massacre, the Central 46 getting hijacked by Aizen, then Mayuri Kurotsuchi's experiments — Shinigami's scandals alone could fill a book.

Kukaku's eyes narrowed into a glare. "Yet you want to join their ranks?"

"Fault them all you want but they do the job of maintaining the balance," he said with a sigh. "Let my worthless life serve as a fodder for the greater good."

Yoruichi blinked her eyes. "Stop being a dramatic kitty. Kukaku, he just wants to experience the life of a Shinigami."

He feigned surrender, palms up. "Oops, I got caught red-handed."

Kukaku rolled her eyes at their playful exchange, a puff of smoke escaping her lips as she took a drag from her pipe. "It's not a laughing matter this time. Many in Rukongai were taken by Shinigami a few days ago, without any apparent reason. I've reached out to Kaien for help."

Her older brother hadn't returned from a mission in the Living World and her uncle Isshin was tied up in an important mission, leaving her with no immediate support inside the walls of the Seireitei.

Yoruichi dropped her gaze, her heart heavy. As a former captain of Gotei 13, she had a profound understanding of the Shinigami's reasons for taking souls from the Rukongai.

'It's mostly for Balance. What caused it though…?'

Her eyes landed on Kazuya and a chilling realization washed over her. He had recently slain an ancient Vasto Lorde using his Quincy powers, known to eliminate Hollows entirely. A Vasto Lorde, being an amalgamation of hundreds of thousands of souls, could drastically upset the balance.

'I messed up.'

Kazuya was ignorant but she wasn't. She had to warn him about the outcome of killing a Vasto Lorde as a Quincy.

'What can I do to fix this?'

The chances of souls still being alive were next to zero. There wasn't any remedy for the situation. The only silver lining was that those souls escaped a mundane poverty-filled life for a chance at a better life in the Living World.

She sighed. "Kukaku, those people… they aren't coming back. They are most likely killed."

"Say what?" Kazuya retorted in surprise. "Why would Shinigami kill them? Wait, for the balance?"

Yoruich nodded solemnly. "Survival of the majority over the minority. Kukaku, how many are missing?"

"About a hundred. That's from this district only," Kukaku said with a sharp gaze. "I don't know about other districts."

Yoruichi looked into the distance. "Lower number districts are more protected than the unlawful districts... I'm sorry, Kukaku."

"What are you apologizing for?" Kukaku grabbed Yoruichi's head with her prosthetic arm and rubbed her ears. "You aren't a Shinigami anymore. It doesn't concern you."

Shrugging off Kukaku's hand, Yoruichi turned away. She couldn't reveal Kazuya's secret to Kukaku just yet. Lying to her friend didn't sit well with her conscience. She wasn't cut out for spy missions.

Kazuya gave her a comforting pat on her back. "What are the chances it's the repeat of that Hollowfication incident?"

He, of course, could discern that the imbalance was likely due to Baraggan's death. He was simply trying to lighten her guilt by blaming Aizen for yet another thing.

{You doing this was also a part of his—}

'Don't finish that.'

{Oki…}

Yoruichi shrugged his hand. "It's not zero. That's all I can say," she said, turning to Kukaki. "We'll be crashing here until the next Shinigami Academy entrance trial."

"Any idea when that is?"

Kūkaku frowned at his question. "It happens every six months. The next one should be right around the corner."

Every Shinigami entrance exam brought new energy to the district. Nobody wanted to miss the only chance to get rid of the shackles of poverty and live a better life.

"Great," he said. "As for the rent, I'll repay you with my body."

Kukaku's hands twitched, and she attempted to grab his head, but he nimbly dodged. "You little punk."

"I'm sorry for the misunderstanding. I was referring to my skills as a masseur."

"I don't need them."

"Alright then, Kukaku Ojou-sama."

"Say that again and you'll have a hell to pay."

Her gaze fell on Yoruichi who was gazing into the distance. Seeing the ever-so playful cat looking serious was a new sight even for Kūkaku.

"Yoruichi, what's wrong?"

"Ah, it's nothing."

***

A couple of days later, Kazuya was engrossed in a conversation with Nami when he felt a familiar presence.

'Well, he is here. There is someone else with him.'

With a cheerful spring in his step, he climbed the stairs, swinging the door open before Kaien could even knock. He was met with Kaien's bewildered gaze. Beside Kaien stood a young woman clad in standard Shinigami attire. She had long black hair which she kept tied up with a strand hanging down on each side. Her warm smile radiated a gentle, welcoming energy.

"Oh~, big brother came with his wife."

The woman was stunned momentarily before she composed herself and gave a small bow. "I'm Miyako Shiba, Kaien-sama's wife."

Kazuya returned a smile. "Nice to meet you, I'm Kazuya."

Kaien took a step back, his eyes scanning the house's structure, confirming whether he had perhaps arrived at the wrong place. Out of all the people, he hadn't expected to be greeted by a Quincy in his sister's house as though it were his own.

"Same structure, same design... Did Kūkaku sell her house?"

Miyako glanced at her husband, and her brow furrowed at Kaien's reaction. To her, the man standing before them seemed like any other soul in Rukongai. She wondered if she was missing some vital piece of information, or if Kaien was merely being overprotective of his sister.

"Kaien?"

Kaien shook his head, dismissing her worry. "Nothing, Miyako. Kazuya, did you die on the other side? And what are you doing in Kūkaku's house?"

Kazuya held up a hand. "Jeez, one question at a time. You know what, let's just talk inside. I'll tell you everything."