Crows x Souls

A/N: Sorry for going MIA all of a sudden. I just finished my final paper last week and signed out, so congratulations for me I guess. Now the only thing remaining is my final project defense for me to finally kiss this school goodbye.

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Byakuya kept his walk going with the weird girl trailing silently behind him, so silently that if it weren’t for his senses he would have thought he was walking alone. And while that was a pleasing thought in his current mood, the fact that there was a soul behind him unnerved him after the first few hours.

She was a bearable company since she made sure to make herself as inconspicuous as possible but then Byakuya couldn’t easily waive her from his mind since he had to make sure to keep himself in check, not for any vapid reason, but simply because he had unknowingly become her chauffeur. He couldn’t just disappear and appear in another district of the Rukongai, neither could he use his Reiatsu freely because of the shaking leaf (not that he had any reason to, especially given his masterful control of it).

“What were you doing this far out from your District?” he asked after he couldn’t ignore her otherwise ignorable presence any longer. 

“I was…” she trailed off and Byakuya had to hold off the compelling urge to sigh. He could feel how she shrunk further into whatever shell she had around her and her wasn’t too invested to probe deeper. She probably had a story that wasn’t that much different from the rest of the Rukongai populace.  

They spent the night, and the next two nights together, even as they passed the only settlement they’ve come across since they started they snail’s walk. It was when they passed the second one that Byakuya was forced to asked her which, or where she was from in particular. He didn’t know what kind of answer he expected, but the one he got was surprising to say the least. Surprising, but not unexpected.

“So you don’t have any place to live in particular, just wandering.” He stated matter-of-factly.

She nodded, managing to look more shameful than Byakuya had ever seen her, which wasn’t much but was saying something.

“So where did you have in mind in going by following me? I doubt your aimless wandering kept you from thinking of such simple things.” His eyes bore into her with his back laid against a tree while the girl sat on the ground in a seiza with her head bowed to the ground. Oh, and how delightful that he couldn’t hold back the groan that seeped out before he even realized it was coming out.

“What is your name?” 

The silence that followed was palpable as they both stared speechlessly at each other, realizing that neither knew the other’s name.

Byakuya was at the very least thankful for the small mercies that nobody, either from the Clan or his Division, was here to witness the disparity from the him now and the one everybody else knew.  

“Well?” 

“H-Hisana.” She, Hisana, muttered.

“Hisana.” Byakuya nodded. “I can no longer accompany you any more than this. I’ll be returning to the Seiretei by nightfall.”

“I understand.” She said looking directly at him. Maybe for the first time even. She bowed in sincerity and thanked him. “Thank you, my lord.”

“Byakuya. Kuchiki Byakuya.” 

“Thank you, Lord Byakuya.” If she recognized his name, she either paid no mind to it or she did which was why her sincerity was apparent.

They fell into the silence that was now somewhat familiar - awkward still - between them, with Hisana looking at him every now and then, not with sneaking glances but direct stares.

“You don’t look like the other Shinigami I’ve seen.” She said but Byakuya remained silent. “…Are you like-”

“Why were you wandering?” Byakuya finally asked. “Don’t you know that aimlessly wandering the Rukongai can get weak souls like you killed? Even if not by Hollows, bandits and other less than honorable scum can just as easily end your life.”

He saw the light in her eyes grow dim and it didn’t take a genius to know that there was a story behind it and it wasn’t one that she was going to share now, if ever. Seeing he wasn’t going to get an answer to the only question he had an interest in asking, he pushed himself off the tree he was leaning against and gestured to the road ahead of them.

“You’ve rested enough. Let’s cover a much ground as possible before nightfall.”

“Yes, Lord Byakuya.”

…….

[POV: With Itachi] 

The issue with the rebelling regent of the Kuchiki Clan wasn’t much of an issue to Itachi as much as he made it seem to both the Head Captain and the new Kuchiki Head. Most of his regards towards it was just to probe the reaction of new Clan Head and the old Kuchiki Patriarch. Importance was subjective after all.

“So um, Mr. Itachi, what are we doing all the way out here?” Junpei asked while curiously looking around, unsure why Itachi had suddenly pulled him out of his duty and taken him out of the Seiretei.

“I mean, I’m not saying I’m disgruntled or anything. It’s just-” 

“Be quiet, Junpei.” Itachi warned. He stopped at the bank of a stream and turned to face his confused charge. “I want to see how long you can persist against enemies while outnumbered. In other words, how long you can endure before using your Shikai.”

Immediately he said that, the air around them changed and Itachi promptly disappeared with his parting words trailing behind.

“You weren’t being alert enough.”

The hair on Junpei’s body sprung up in a cold realization that Itachi had knowingly led him to a pack of hunting Hollows. A quick count revealed eight Hollows circling around him with bloodlusted hunger, all eager to get a piece of his soul.

This was the most he had been surrounded by Hollows with nobody being around him to either provide support or reassurance. ‘Trust Mr. Itachi not to be considerate even in a life-threatening lesson. These aren’t your average level Hollows.’  He thought bitterly. 

Like a ripple, his blade went to his hands and he had to stop himself from almost releasing his Shikai in reflex to the danger he was in. His eyes zeroed in on the Hollow he could identify as the weakest. He didn’t have his Captain’s eyes to allow him see through virtually any lies and deception so he could realistically only rely on his senses to judge his opponents.

‘Mr. Itachi is so unfair!’ He cried in his heart meanwhile his face was a mask of impassiveness.

Spectating Junpei’s trial was his very Captain, Itachi, perched on a mountaintop miles away with the barest hint of displeasure in his eyes. Not for whatever Junpei was doing down below but because of how lacking his awareness was. And no, it was not because of the Hollows. It was rather the illusion that he failed to perceive for the past hour.

“He is getting better.” He commented. It wasn’t just Junpei’s fighting technique, his Zankensoki and Kidō mastery were leagues above what it would have been had he been any other Shinigami and now Itachi was pushing even that to its limit. 

As for the Hollows, finding them in his vicinity was one of the easiest things he could do. 

Two down.

Due to their numbers, it was much harder for Junpei to take them down and being restricted to just Kidō and Zankensoki, his options really were limited. Also, the Hollows themselves went exactly your average Hollow. They might be the same as fodder in Itachi’s eyes but for Shinigami on Junpei’s level, with their numbers, they might as well be a collective Vasto Lorde.

Itachi watched as Junpei used a variation of the Double Suicide Decapitation Jutsu to take down the third Hollow, creating the much need breathing space he needed while also angering the remaining Hollows in the process.   

‘He’s making sure to take down the weaker Hollows first. Let’s see how that works out for you in the end.’ And just like he expected, Junpei started having more problems as the other Hollows started paying more attention to him now that the weaker ones were out of the way. 

He was struggling, Itachi knew, but he couldn’t bring himself to call it off just because of the fear that he might get hurt. He was improving vastly when he was under Soi Fon and being part ROOT meant he was more skilled than other people on his level and while he once begged Itachi to make him just strong enough, having come this far, Itachi couldn’t just leave him ‘just strong enough’ not when ‘just strong enough’ could get him killed and that would be on Itachi.

The fourth one fell.

Without his Shikai, Junpei was at his limit and Itachi could see it and after watching for a while and seeing that he was now getting pushed back and hurt every so often, Itachi decided that while he would let him use his Shikai he would also impose handicaps on them to see just how much Junpei could squeeze out – 

A wave of Reiatsu washed over where Junpei was and with its billowing tide, all the Hollows surrounding Junpei were killed, completely erased, and instantly Itachi’s eyes zeroed in on the new arrival – his displeasure all too clear in them.     

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