A light flush of ivory trailed behind him. Kyuketsu, walking silently at a busy square within the Seireitei’s walls, did his best to remain inconspicuous. The feat went short, however, as soldiers acknowledged his presence with every step. It was hard enough blending with the masses while outside in the Rukongai, but to do so amidst other shinigami was next to impossible. Though he appeared distracted, his attention remained enduringly acute, passing glances from person to person within a matter of seconds. At last, as he reached a large fountain bordering a noble family’s estate, he caught sight of three individuals frolicking amongst themselves. The three girls, whom he had seen quite a few times before already, were his best chance of finding answers.
He approached the trio, features neutral yet calm. Immediately upon seeing the Eleventh’s commander, all of them stood up, looking at him with nervous, hesitant eyes.
“R...Reijuu-taichou.” The tallest of the three bowed, her bangs falling over her eyeglasses.
The other two followed with the gesture, though they remained silent.
For a moment, none of the girls said anything. In the end, it was the younger of the Mikazuki siblings, Naomi, who spoke up.
“Yes sir.” Her eyes could barely remain in contact with the Duelist’s gold, leonine gaze. “Is there... is there something you needed, captain?”
“Where is she?” His answer was like clockwork, bearing no sign of uncertainty whatsoever.
“Umm, may I ask who you’re talking about?” Keiko responded flatly.
He shifted his sights down to the other sister, his figure practically towering over all three of them. “Don’t do that. You know exactly who I’m talking about. You’re her best friends, and if she’s not with you, then you certainly know where she is.”
Mina couldn’t contain an infuriated huff as she stomped one foot to the ground, crossing her arms tightly. She glared at the captain, uncaring whether her actions were inappropriate against a superior officer. “If I may, Reijuu-taichou, could you at least have the decency to say her name?”
“Yes, that seems fair, doesn’t it?” the sisters followed, practically in unison.
Taking a step forward, partly to intimidate, Kyuketsu said nothing at first. Arms falling to the side, he slipped a hand into his pocket before saying, “Very well. If you ladies would be so kind as to point me to where Kusanagi Fuko is, I’ll be on my way and out of your faces.”
All three paced back apprehensively, with Mina turning her head to the side, gulping. When she finally regained the courage to speak, she bit back her lips, looking up at the man. “We know where she is captain. But with all due respect, I don’t think you’re in any position to speak with her. Unless you give me a work-oriented reason as to why you need her, a shinigami from outside your division, then I’m not entitled to answer your demands.”
Her bravado was obvious, but was rooted on fact nonetheless. She didn’t have to tell him anything, especially when it concerned personal affairs.
“You’re right.” His tone was lowered and even. “So then, I’m not demanding. I’m asking. Tell me where she is... please.”
“So you could do what?? Make her cry again!?! What kind of sick son of a b—” Keiko suddenly, angrily spat out. Right as she could continue any further, her sister held her back, covering her mouth with a hush.
With closed eyes, Mina shook her head as she told Naomi, “Mimi, can you bring her somewhere to chill out for a sec? I’ll... I’ll handle this.”
“You sure?” said the younger Mikazuki, looking concerned.
With but a nod coming from her friend, Naomi dragged Keiko away from Kyuketsu and off into the crowds. Leaving only Mina with the captain, the girl turned around to face to the fountain. She sighed, looking absentmindedly at her own image reflecting against the waters below. Placing both hands behind her back, she weaved her head to look at the Duelist halfway.
“Am I allowed to speak freely, Reijuu-taichou?” she inquired somberly.
Still facing the spot where Keiko once stood, the captain replied, “You better.”
“I can’t vouch for Mimi or Kei, but I myself never approved of you being with Fuko even from the beginning. She’s been through too much, and she deserves better. If you haven’t already noticed Kyuketsu, she does her very best to lighten up other people’s lives. To make them happy, even if that means acting goofy or ridiculous. She’s aware of what she’s doing, but at the same time, that’s inherently her. Fact is, Fuko doesn’t want others to ever feel the same way she did when she lost the only family she ever had.”
“...Her brother Kenshin.” Kyuketsu’s eyes fell to the ground.
“Exactly. And you’re the leader of a squad of killers. Battle-crazed maniacs who enjoy the thrill of nearly getting killed. I’m in the Ninth, mind you. I’ve seen recordings of your fights with Hollows. I know you more than you think, and you’re by no means a humble saint. You’re an arrogant, narcissistic, pompous ass. You relish making your enemies squirm and scream. You’re a...” She paused, stopping herself just in time before spouting anything else. “...But back to my point. Your relationship with her was bound to end in heartache sooner or later. And look where you two are now. You’re gonna hurt her one way or another, be it getting yourself killed, or falling too far down the rabbit hole of wanting to become some kind of power-hungry lunatic. God forbid, you actually hurt her physically.”
The captain cringed in aggravation, growling, “I would never lay a finger on her.”
“You broke a promise to her once before. What makes that one so special? If I had my way, I would never let Fuko be within a thousand yards of you. Captain or not, she’s far too kind, far too compassionate, and caring of a girl to have to deal with the crap you put her through.” Mina clenched her hands into fists. “Do you wanna know something else, Kyuketsu? Before meeting you, the last time she cried was during her brother’s funeral. For the first time in decades, you’re the reason why she shed a tear. That’s messed up, dude.”
“And that’s exactly why I need to speak with her!” Kyuketsu whipped back an arm as he leaned forward. “It’s only right that I apologized to her. She deserves as much.”
Mina shook her head again. “No, what she ‘deserves’ is to be left alone, and to never see or talk to you ever again. If you really care about her, then you’re better off following that saying: ‘let them go.’ Let her go, Kyuketsu.”
He contemplated over the girl’s argument, taking into account the coherent rationale presented before him. When it would seem as though Kyuketsu would give up, he brought his head back up, looking into Mina’s eyes with the utmost sincerity.
“And tell me, is that what she wants... or is that what you want?”
“It’s not about what she wants. It’s what she needs.”
“Then you’re no better than me, Suzaku.” His arms spread apart to both sides, accentuating his remark. “You and I both know that Fuko’s smart enough to know what’s good for her. There’s a difference between wanting to protect and wanting to control, so which is it? All I ask is closure. That’s it. Whether or not she chooses to shun me, I’m walking away regardless. Because you’re exactly right—she doesn’t need to suffer because of me.”
Disconcerted, Mina was left briefly speechless. The captain’s words, from her own experience, sounded extremely familiar. It was as if she had heard that tone before, far too many times to make any sort of logical sense. Jolted to her core, she fell to her rear, sitting on the stone block framing the fountain. Looking up to Kyuketsu, she stuttered for a second. “That’s... why are... why do you sound almost exactly like her? That same stubbornness, that same impulsiveness... are you messing with me??”
He bent his knees, coming down to level with her. “Please.”
She buried her face in her hands. Releasing a long, tired exhale, she said, “There was... one more thing I think you should know.”
“...?”
“Fuko... she... fought for you.” Mina lifted her head just enough so that Kyuketsu could see her eyes. “I told her the exact same thing I told you. Of your faults, your risk to her, of what you might end up doing to her. Everything I said was true, and this was on the day that you two last met... when she was broken the most. But she still insisted on staying with you. She wanted to keep protecting you... and to save you. I thought she was just deluding herself, but there was legitimate sincerity in her eyes... and something else.”
She reached out her right hand, seizing the captain by his collar. Continuing with a crumbling voice, the girl whimpered, “...She really does love you.”
His sights narrowed as his throat tightened. It felt like an eternity before he was able to process what he just heard. “I...”
Retreating from the captain, Mina slumped forward, holding back the tears. “I’m her best friend... but it’s her life. Her freedom and her choices. I hate you for doing this to her, Reijuu Kyuketsu. I hate you with every fibery being. But whatever road Fuko walks and with who... is out of my control.”
“Suzaku...”
“...The big purple bridge north of Squad Ten’s barracks. Just past the lake. That’s where she’ll be.” Sniffling, she turned away from the captain. “Go. But while you’re headed there, ask yourself: how can you sleep at night knowing the things you’ve done, and the type of person you’ve become?”
Kyuketsu stood up quietly, jaded but grateful. “Thank you.”
Noticing the teardrops roll down Mina’s cheeks, he opted to say nothing else before turning around and heading off.
As far as the eye could see, from the winding paths and argent structures, not another soul was present. The near-silence, though soothing to the ears, bore a sense of trepidation, of uncertainty. From underneath the orchid-colored overpass sang the ebb and flow of a stream, mirroring back to the world its own facile, modest reflection.
Simply standing there, his lips remained sealed, unable to enunciate what his eyes already expressed. Kyuketsu kept his hands by his sides, quickly becoming self-aware of his body’s every movement. His breathing became manual, so was every blink he made and every step he took. He was a child struck with stage fright, unable to operate naturally, incapable to not act clumsy. Pacing slowly and as calmly as he could, he approached the girl without the slightest sound.
Fuko was at the side of the bridge, sitting by the edge with her hands on the railing, feet dangling over the waters below.
“...Hey,” he said, barely finishing swallowing a gulp.
Slowly, the girl looked up, her soft, hazel gaze connecting with that of the captain’s. She gave a tiny smile, its deliverance neither forced nor feigned.
“Hi.”
Kyuketsu bit back his lips, fingers pressing against the base of his palms. “You uh... mind if I sit here?”
She merely nodded before turning her sights back on the scenery painted downstream from the creek. At first she seemed anxious, although such a feeling quickly passed once she regained her composure. Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said about the captain.
As he sat down, barely inches from where she was, a single line of cold sweat trickled down his temple. He took a passing glimpse of her, if ever so briefly. It seemed that, despite of all his intrepidness and valor, there were still some things in the world which daunted him. It brought him down a peg, scathing at his mind as if attempting to lay his path straight. Of Hollow, of monsters, and of men that he had faced before in the past, none had given him the same feeling of unease that he sensed now. And yet, even with such thoughts filling his mind, somehow... he still felt content. Satisfied. Happy.
Happy... to be there, with her.
Finally, as he mustered the strength to speak once more, he turned his head halfway to face her. Voice clenched with hesitation, he said, “Fuko... I... I just wanted to...”
“I wonder...” Fuko suddenly interrupted, shaking her head. “Do the other captains know that their supposedly ‘fearless’ brother is actually anxious for once? The next big meeting should be pretty awkward if that’s the case.”
“I guess what they don’t know can’t hurt them,” he replied with a smile.
“Mhm. But you can’t keep secrets forever, you know. Sooner or later,” she shrugged, “stuff happens.”
“...Stuff that even captains can’t handle on their own.” Kyuketsu rubbed the back of his neck.
“Exactly. I just wish this guy I know would understand that.”
After those words, there was a quick reticence which loomed between the two. No words were spoken, dawning back the quietness from before. Ultimately, it was the girl who broke the chain, continuing as she spoke, “I’ve got to hand it to you though, Kyu-kun. Mina’s usually pretty resilient. Nine times out of ten, you can’t make her do anything she doesn’t want. Or was it the other two that told you?”
He looked down, staring blankly at his hands. “It was Suzaku, alright. Well... Mina, rather. I... sort of made her cry too.”
“Judging by the fact that she told you where I was,” she placed an index finger over her lower lip, “eh. I don’t think it was you. Spoiler alert: girls just need to cry sometimes.”
“If you say so.” He raised both his eyebrows. “But... in your case, that was completely me.”
She let out a soft huff. “Yeah. It was totally all you.”
Bending by the hip, Kyuketsu went and faced Fuko completely. Glum, doleful eyes, he responded, “And I’m sorry for that. There’s really no other way to put it. With all my soul, with all my heart, I’m sorry for ever hurting you... and for dragging you into all this. There’s absolutely no reason for you to be hurt because of me. You’ve been through enough, and the way I am now, the road I’m walking... I just can’t bear to see you get tangled up in my mess. Mina was right; if you stay—”
“Stop.” Fuko dropped her hands on the pavement. “Just stop, Kyu-kun. I already heard what she said, and I already know what you’re going to say. Don’t. I had a feeling you’d find me eventually... so I already made my choice.”
“We both know the only right answer is for me to walk away. You know that, and I know that,” said the captain adamantly.
Fuko pulled up her legs from the bridge’s contour, swerving her entire body as to face Kyuketsu in full. “But what if I don’t want the right answer? What if... what if what I feel isn’t driven by logic or reason, or that it isn’t held back by right and wrong? When then? We’re by no means perfect, and we might not even be that smart, so even though I know I’m taking the supposedly ‘wrong’ course, I still go with it regardless. That’s what it means to be alive, that’s what it means to be... human.”
“You’ve already seen what I can become, the kind of forces that drive me.” The captain’s hands balled into fists. “It’s inevitable that I’m going to fall down the hole I’ve dug all these years.”
“The thing I said that night... I’m keeping my promises, even you don’t keep yours. Kyu-kun, whatever happens, no matter how deep this abyss of yours is, I’ll always be here to protect you... even if it’s from yourself.”
“Your brother died because of me!” He shot up to a stand, towering over her. “It’s happened once before, Fuko. Do you really want to see history repeat itself? To willingly, forcefully put your life for my sake, and to suffer for it? I can’t tell if you’re being selfless or selfish.”
Still sitting on her knees, a few strands of the girl’s hair fell over her face. “I’m a selfish person, Kyu-kun. You already knew that. I do something willingly even if others think it’s a foolish task... because I know in my heart that this is right, and that this is what I have to do. And as the selfish bitch that I am, what I want the most in this whole world is to stay right here with you.”
Something ticked in the back of the captain’s head. Gnashing his teeth, he argued, “So how exactly do you intend on ‘protecting’ me? I fended off hundreds if not thousands of Hollows in my lifetime, beaten odds that some wouldn’t even dare face!”
“Then tell me,” her voice broke down a bit, “of all the enemies you’ve faced, who’s hurt you the most? Some Hollow... or you yourself?”
“I...”
Fuko brought herself up to her feet, striding a single step forward to reach the captain. “This cold, dark hunger you have for power. Just like in my case, you know to a certain degree that it’s wrong, that there’s no reason for it. But you do it anyway for the same reason that I do what I do. You’re gonna end up not just losing everyone, but yourself most of all. So I’ll protect you. I’ll do whatever it takes, even if it means going against heaven itself, to keep you right here beside me.”
“Because you’re selfish.” His tone was flat, unable to bring along any other form of emphasis.
“...Because I’m selfish.”
Clenching the cloth over his chest, Kyuketsu whipped back his other hand. “But why? Why do all this, why be so selfish to the point of endangering your own life? For what purpose does that—”
“Kyu-kun. Really? Are you seriously asking me that right now??” the girl interjected, cutting him off a second time. “It’s because I love you, you idiot.”
She reached out, grabbing both the man’s hands and placing them over her chest. Fuko’s heartbeat was racing, pulsating rapidly from underneath her uniform. “In my entire life, living more than a century, these past four years have been the happiest I’ve ever been. All because of you. I love the way you act when you’re confused, when you’re arguing with Zantetsu-san or Arashi-san, when you’re naïve about some contraption from the Human World. I love how you enjoy just walking around the woods, taking in nature. I love the way you complain when I drag you around the market, when you’re teasing me for acting goofy, when we’re flirting back and forth like little kids. So please...”
For a moment, it looked as though a flush of red washed over Kyuketsu’s face. Brushing it off, he smiled, locking eyes with the girl.
“I almost always hate losing... even arguments. But for this one time, for you, I yield. You win.” Smiling, his words carried a bit more levity in them. “For the girl whose impulsiveness makes her lose an entire year’s paycheck, whose willingness to go everywhere keeps me up at night, whose voice brightens up even the gloomiest of days, and whose very presence lights up my life? Yeah, I don’t mind losing to her. I don’tmind losing to the girl who owns my heart.”
A bright blush bloomed over Fuko’s cheeks. Biting her lips in a smile, she wrapped her arms around the captain, squeezing him tightly in a warm embrace. Holding her, Kyuketsu kissed the top of her head, his mind finally put at ease.
As they stood there, once again it felt like time itself was put to a halt. Their perception of everything around them froze, focusing their attention solely and exclusively on one other. Seconds, minutes broke down to insubstantial, trivial details. As the two looked into each others’ eyes, the silence from before returned, leaving only the tranquil flow of the nearby stream to sing quietly to the ears.
