Bleach: The Forgotten Captain - The Memoirs of Akari Miyazaki

Chapter 18 One Hundred Years Without You - Part 9: Rule of Thumb #3

Roaming through Seireitei, on the other hand, could provoke him to take action again. At the moment, I could do nothing against him, and I wasn't particularly keen on a confrontation. On this day, I received no support from my friends, as a case in the world of the living kept them all occupied. Apparently, many Shinigami were on a mission in the other world, leaving few behind to handle the pending tasks in Seireitei.

After a lavish lunch, I barely noticed how I dozed off over my current book, the "Collection of Ancient Spells." My senses jerked me out of sleep. Faster than I could comprehend, I stood in my living room with my sword in hand. No one was in sight, but I sensed a Reiatsu, extremely powerful, not too far away.

I took a deep breath to overcome my initial shock and calm my mind. Returning my sword to its sheath, I slipped out of my house with the hood pulled low over my face. Erasing my Reiatsu, I crept through the city to the gates of Seireitei.

My breath caught. Not far from the city's border, a battle raged. A Hollow, the size of a small house, attacked the residents of Rukongai. Some Shinigami had already arrived and were battling the creature.

I approached cautiously and observed for a moment. "What is that thing?" shouted a young Shinigami I didn't recognize. His colleagues agreed, and together, they circled the creature, which seemed to pay little attention to them.

I froze. Memories of a day many years ago flashed before me. Rukongai. The Hollow. The Cero. Not only did it look similar to the creature that had attacked me so many years ago, but it also had a very similar Reiatsu. My hand gripped the handle of my sword. I continued to watch the young Shinigami's fight from the safety of a house corner. "What do we have here?"

I sighed in relief. Shin had joined the fray and was being briefed by the younger ones. His sword was already in hand as he joined his colleagues. Just as I was about to turn away, intending to leave Shin to handle the situation, I noticed something that made my blood run cold. The Hollow's mask had a peculiar shape, with strange protrusions on one side resembling those of a Kenseikan. Similar to the one Byakuya wore, but subtly different. I swallowed hard. Yamachi had acquired one just like it when he assumed the role of the family head.

My grip on the sword tightened. Heat surged through my entire body, rising to my head and seemingly scorching my senses. "It's just a trick," I told myself. My gaze fixed on the Kenseikan, I had often mocked as hairpins. A lump formed in my throat. The tattered clothing still clinging to the Hollow's body was dark, fine fabrics typical of high-born nobles. Yet what drew my attention was the deep violet, where the seams stood out and formed a gentle pattern on the edge of the fabric. Undoubtedly, it was Yamachi's attire.

I was consumed by ice-cold fury. I felt the vibration of my bracelets and pulled at the hilt of my sword. A cool hand gripped mine and pressed my Zanpakuto back into its sheath. "Don't, Akari! Dim your aura!" I was so shocked that I followed Sato's instructions. However, the anger immediately returned, and the roar of the monster behind me made me spin around.

"I have to stop them; they'll kill him!" I shouted, but Sato pulled me back, pressing me against the wall of the house. "No, that's exactly what he wants!" His gaze fixed so firmly on mine that I couldn't easily ignore him.

"But that's my brother they're fighting against!" I, on the other hand, battled with tears. The feeling of an endless fall seized me. Losing Yamachi, only to then have the hope that he was still alive, and now potentially losing him again— I couldn't bear it.

Sato's grip around my arms tightened. "He's not your brother, please trust me. You have to get out of here immediately, or he'll find out!"

"Sato, you don't know what he's capable of, what he's done! He's hollowfied people, and that Hollow is wearing Yamachi's clothes. I need to stop Shin, I need to-"