In the darkness of the underground confinement chamber, Akagi leaned his back against the wall. The wound on his shoulder throbbed, dull and persistent. The blood-soaked bandages, heavy with the cold they'd absorbed from the stone, weighed on him. That was when it happened. *Clang, clang, clang—* From beyond the iron door, a sharp metallic sound rang out three times. "[whispers]Whoa, crap! I dropped it!" The sound of keys bouncing across the stone floor of the corridor echoed unnaturally loud. "[angry]...Rengen." "[scared]S-sorry! My hands are shaking! I mean, sneaking into your senpai's prison cell is seriously nerve-wracking!" Flapping his kitchen apron, Rengen finally managed to insert the duplicate key into the lock on his fourth attempt. *Click.* That instant. *Bwoom—* Akagi's Zanpakutou, propped against the wall, emitted a pale blue light, sheath and all. The binding Kidou that had sealed his reiatsu shattered with a sound like breaking glass. "[serious]...I see." Akagi slowly rose to his feet. Every bruise on his body screamed. The taste of blood spread from the corner of his mouth. But more than that—the pulse of reiatsu flowing from his Zanpakutou was completely different from before. Deep, heavy, and precise. As if it sought to grasp the opponent's reiatsu at its very root—that was its texture. "[surprised]No way... the sealing technique is completely destroyed." Rengen's odd-colored eyes widened. "[serious]...More importantly, I have a report. Hakuran's whistleblowing documents were sent to the Forty-Six Chambers by the morning post." Silence. The two exchanged a wordless glance. "[cold]I'm moving. Now." He thrust his Zanpakutou into his sash. The back entrance of the White Cherry Pavilion lay submerged in the darkness before dawn. White plum petals drifted soundlessly onto the stone paving. Placing a hand on the wall, steadying his breath one step at a time, Akagi advanced through the familiar corridors of the squad barracks. He turned a corner. Two of them. Hakuran's subordinates. "[angry]Who goes—" The moment the man moved to draw his sword, his motion froze. Akagi's Zanpakutou expanded its pale blue reiatsu from the blade into the space itself. The ability to directly seize the flow of an opponent's reiatsu—the sensation of his own spiritual pressure reversing its course made the man's legs buckle, and he crumpled against the wall. "[scared]Wh... what the...!" The other man put distance between them, preparing a Kidou. "[cold]'Tear apart—'" The moment he spoke the name of his Shikai, the incantation disintegrated in midair. The sensation of his own reiatsu thrown into chaos brought the man to his knees without a sound. "[excited]Senpai, that's incredible... you've seriously awakened!" Watching from behind, Rengen couldn't help but raise his voice. But Akagi's expression didn't change. He simply continued forward. Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, but the pulse of his reiatsu made the entire corridor tremble faintly. Before the door of the VIP room, Akagi stopped. He released one more level of his reiatsu. "[crying]...Ren." From beyond the door, a faint voice reached him. Beyond the door Akagi kicked open—Rukia, who had been hugging her knees against the wall, watched in that instant as the Kidou seals covering her entire body scattered light and peeled away. His reiatsu filled the room. Atop her head, black beast ears stood fully upright from the base. The tail at her waist swayed, slowly, unmistakably. Her instincts, driven to the brink of rampage by Hakuran's reiatsu stimulation, were drawn to a single texture—Akagi's reiatsu—and calmed, then opened. Rukia reached up to press her ears down herself. But this time, she didn't stop them. "[gentle]...I kept you waiting." Akagi knelt and pulled Rukia's entire body against his chest. Rukia's black beast ears brushed against the nape of his neck, twitching. Her fingers clutched the chest of Akagi's uniform tightly, as if grasping something fragile. "[crying]I won't forgive you... I'll never forgive you..." "[gentle]I know." "[angry]But don't let go... if you let go, I'll..." Her words broke off midway. She buried her face against his chest, pressing her beast ears against him. Holding contradictory emotions—and yet, his reiatsu alone calmed everything within her. Akagi slowly traced the base of Rukia's beast ears with his thumb. Silence. A few seconds, just for the two of them. "[whispers]S-senpai... um, this is really hard to say, but... time's an issue." From outside the door, Rengen's hesitant voice rang out. Rukia raised her head. Through the gap in the door, Rengen in his apron was peeking in with one eye. The moment he saw Rukia's black beast ears, he froze, his mouth flapping wordlessly. Akagi silenced Rengen with a look alone. "[serious]Ahem... situation report. The whistleblowing documents were sent by the morning post. The Forty-Six Chambers' reception opens at the hour of the horse, so if we don't submit evidence before then, an investigation warrant will be issued to Squad Six." Rukia straightened up. Her expression shifted. Emotions set aside, moving now—the face of the lieutenant had returned. "[cold]The evidence?" "[serious]In the deepest part of the underground archive, on a stone shelf. At that time—no, that night, where we were, further back, in the seam of the stone." "[cold]I'm going with you." The moment Rukia tried to stand, her beast ears perked up. "[cold]Your body can't handle it." "[angry]Then is your body fine? What's that blood at the corner of your mouth?" Rukia pointed at Akagi's mouth. Their back-and-forth continued at a half-beat off tempo— "[desperate]Um! Seriously, time is! Running out!" Rengen forced an end to it. Akagi descended the stone steps to the underground archive alone. White plum petals, blown in from somewhere, had piled white in the corners of the steps. That night—the place where Rukia had first fully transformed into a beast. The irony of returning now to retrieve evidence. (*This is where it began.*) Akagi quietly acknowledged it as he stepped on the white plum petals. The deepest part. He hooked his fingers into a specific seam in the stone. A copied notebook hidden on the reverse side, and an envelope addressed to a former seated officer of Squad Three—records of Hakuran's blackmail. They were there, without a doubt. The moment Akagi tucked the records into his breast pocket. The ceiling lanterns went out, all at once. From behind, footsteps descending the stone steps. "[cold]Even if you have the evidence, time is up." Holding a light, Hakuran stood at the entrance to the underground archive. Her silver, vertically-slitted pupils gleamed coldly in the darkness. "[cold]The envoy from the Forty-Six Chambers is already on the road to the Seireitei." With the records still in his breast pocket, Akagi placed his hand on his Zanpakutou. He faced Hakuran head-on. Her expression wasn't smiling, but her voice was perfectly calm. Yet, a faint pleasure seemed to flicker across her face. "[cold]Do you understand now, Akagi Ren? Your time ends here."