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Dawn broke over Seireitei, pale and quiet, as Su Li strolled the winding stone path, shoulders relaxed, breath steady. His steps carried a faint ease, a contrast to the hidden storm rising through the divisions. Turning the corner into the Second Division barracks, his sudden reappearance triggered ripples of surprise among the scattered members still wiping sleep from their faces. After vanishing since the day he first took office, Su Li had become a ghost in name only—a captain who did nothing, a legend collecting dust. Yet here he was, walking through the squad's main corridor with a quiet smile.
Though startled, the squad did not forget formality. "Good morning, Captain Su Li…" they chorused, polite tones masking the churn of uncertainty beneath.
The gesture of respect was practiced, yet eyes betrayed hesitation. Why had he returned today of all days? What pulled him from his hibernation?
Su Li gave no answers. With a calm nod, he stepped through the hushed barracks, passed the confused murmurs, and entered his personal office. Inside, everything remained spotless, gleaming as if untouched by time. Omaeda, it seemed, had never stopped cleaning.
Su Li sank into his chair with effortless familiarity, draping one leg lazily over the desk. The air inside the office was clean, but heavy with expectancy.
Moments passed before a shadow fell across the door.
Omaeda leaned into the frame, eyes twitching between confusion and hope. "Captain… you're actually here?"
"Mm," Su Li hummed with eyes half-shut. "Qian Qian has class today."
The words hit like lightning. Omaeda's pulse surged—Su Li was finally returning to duty. After weeks of inertia, the sleeping beast stirred.
Without hesitation, Omaeda darted in, nearly tripping over himself in excitement. "If there's anything you need—any order, any task—I'll move mountains, sir!"
Su Li chuckled under his breath, waving him off. "Nothing urgent. We're just waiting."
"For what, Captain?" Omaeda blinked, puzzled by the cryptic calm.
"The news," Su Li replied, voice low but certain. "It'll arrive shortly."
Though unsure what news could warrant such confidence, Omaeda remained silent, assuming his station by the desk. Within minutes, the door burst open, and Shimizu Ken charged in, breath shallow.
"Latest report from the Technology Development Bureau!"
Omaeda spun, voice thunderous. "You blundering fool, are you blind? The Captain is seated—show some respect!"
Shimizu stiffened, then turned toward the desk, finally registering the man who lounged there like a cat beneath the sun. The realization struck him dumb. "Captain! Forgive me—"
"Speak," Su Li cut in, silencing further groveling.
Shimizu collected himself instantly. "Rukia Kuchiki of the Thirteenth Division has been located. She survived and remains in the human world. The Bureau confirms she transferred her spiritual power to a human and currently resides within a Gigai, which masked her presence until now."
The air in the room shifted.
Omaeda's eyes widened, face contorting in disbelief. Transferring power to a human was a crime, a direct violation of the Soul Society's prime directive. No matter the circumstances, the law was absolute. A Shinigami must not expose themselves to the living. Even if mortally wounded, even if fading, they must never breach that line.
But Su Li simply nodded, expression unchanged, as if he had known it all along. Omaeda stared, stunned. Had Captain Su Li predicted this? Had he known Rukia's fate from the beginning? Was this why he waited in silence for over a month?
A chill passed down his spine. Was this what it meant to follow a prophet?
"Reports have been sent to all divisions," Shimizu added solemnly. "Central 46 is expected to respond shortly."
Su Li gave a soft nod. "Good. You may go."
Shimizu bowed low, then exited in reverse, cautious not to disrupt the atmosphere further.
As the door closed, Omaeda turned back, voice quiet. "Captain… you've been waiting for this, haven't you?"
Su Li scratched his head with a sheepish grin. "Not at all. Just good timing, I suppose."
Omaeda didn't believe it for a second.
—
Elsewhere, in the hallowed halls of the Sixth Division, Captain Byakuya Kuchiki sat poised in silence, holding a porcelain teacup between fingers steady as steel. The moment the report reached him, his hand trembled slightly, sending droplets spilling across his pristine white haori. The stain spread slowly, yet he didn't move to wipe it. Instead, he exhaled a breath as smooth as the wind brushing through sakura leaves.
"I understand," he said after a pause. "You are dismissed."
The squad member bowed, turned, and walked toward the exit—only to crash into a blur of red and white rushing into the room.
Bright crimson hair spiked by a white bandana, eyes burning with worry, Renji Abarai stood before his captain, fists clenched. "Captain Kuchiki—Rukia, she's—"
"Renji," Byakuya's voice cracked like thunder across the room. The temperature dropped several degrees.
Renji froze, chest heaving.
Byakuya turned, robes rustling as he pivoted slowly. His expression was cold, carved from the same stone that bore the Kuchiki crest.
"What is it you believe must be done?"
Renji's throat tightened, but he forced himself to speak. "Captain… she's in danger. We can't just stand by. We need—"
"Need what?" The question hung sharp and rhetorical.
Renji raised his eyes. "We need to act. We need to help her. She's one of us!"
Byakuya didn't blink. "This decision rests with Central 46."
"Captain—!"
"You will leave now."
The silence that followed was suffocating. Renji opened his mouth to protest again, but the words dissolved into defeat. His shoulders sagged as he bowed low.
"Yes… Captain."
When he left, the room fell into stillness.
Byakuya returned to his seat, lifting the stained teacup once more. The tremble in his hand had not vanished.
From the shadows, a figure emerged—cloaked in white, face obscured save for a pair of expressionless eyes. Byakuya's gaze hardened. He recognized the attire instantly.
The emissary from Central 46 had arrived.
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