The darkness of the underground archive was heavy, almost like a living thing. The cold of the stone steps crept up from the soles of his feet. Akagi kept his left hand pressed against the records in his breast pocket, his right resting on the hilt of his Zanpakutou. His fingertips were cold. The wound on his shoulder throbbed dully, but the pain, if anything, helped clear his head. A single white plum blossom petal blew in from somewhere and settled on the stone steps. The lamplight flickered. "[cold]Let's end this, Akagi Ren." Hakuran looked down at him from the top of the stone steps. Her long white hair with its pale blue streaks floated eerily in the light she held. Her silver, vertically-slitted pupils pierced coldly through Akagi. "[cold]The messenger from the Forty-Six Chambers has already passed through the Seireitei gate. Your time runs out here." Akagi didn't answer. Instead, he took one step forward. Hakuran's left hand rose. Pale blue reiatsu gathered at her fingertips, and the formula for a binding spell began to trace itself in the air. No incantation. Incantation abandonment. "[cold]'Tear apart—'" Akagi's Zanpakutou pulsed with a pale blue light. In that instant, the spell formula at Hakuran's fingertips scattered like mist. "[surprised]...What did you—" Hakuran's eyebrows moved, just barely. Her expressionless face, which had never once cracked until now, wavered for the first time. Her own reiatsu—it was as if someone had seized it. The very spiritual circuits she used to construct her spells were being compressed, crushed from the outside, tighter and tighter. (So this is awakened reiatsu domination—) Akagi took another step forward. Hakuran retreated. One step down the stone stairs, then another. Her silver eyes showed the color of caution for the first time. "[cold]Do you understand? Even if my Kidou cannot reach you, time is—" "[cold]Then I'll settle it with time." Akagi's voice was quiet. "[cold]I just have to beat you down before your messenger gets here." Hakuran didn't answer. She retreated further. Her back hit the iron door of the underground archive. She quickly pushed it open and escaped into the great hall above ground. Akagi pursued. Behind him— "[excited]Senpai, they're here, they're here, they're here! In the great hall—whoa!" Rengen, who had poked his face out from the upper corridor, slammed his head into a pillar from sheer momentum. A dull *thunk* echoed. "[surprised]Ow... ow ow..." His purple, unruly hair swayed, and his odd-colored eyes flickered rapidly. As if stars were dancing around his head, he staggered two steps in place—then fell silent. Akagi stopped for just a moment and let out a small breath. (That guy, seriously...) But that single moment of slackening eased the tension in the air, just a little. In the great hall, five of Hakuran's subordinates had already assembled. Late night at the White Plum Pavilion. A time when no one should have been there. But— "[scared]Wh-what was that sound?!" "[surprised]It's coming from the great hall! Is someone fighting?!" Ordinary members of Squad Six, drawn by the noise, began gathering in the corridor one after another. Some had only thrown a haori over their nightclothes, some clutched their Zanpakutou, some were still half-asleep—the murmuring of over a dozen people began to fill the great hall. At that moment, another set of footsteps echoed from a different entrance to the great hall. "[serious]Ren!" It was Rukia. Her body was still trembling from the drain of the Kidou seal. Her pure white short bob was disheveled, and her silver eyes were heavy with exhaustion. But her back was straight. With the face of a vice-captain, she descended into the great hall. Rengen was beside her. A bandage on his forehead, but still leading Rukia with his usual brightness. "[cold]Vice-Captain, please withdraw. This is a matter between myself and Third Seat Akagi." Hakuran spoke coldly. Her five subordinates raised their weapons in unison. Akagi moved to stand beside Rukia. Their eyes met for an instant. He said nothing. But his amber eyes conveyed everything. —It's all right. Rukia gave a small nod. Then Akagi pulled the records from his breast pocket. "[cold]Everyone, listen." His voice rang through the great hall. The squad members in the corridor held their breath. "[cold]I have records here. Two years ago, a former seated officer of Squad Three fell from power due to the unauthorized use of reiatsu—this is a letter from the person who threatened him and pinned the crime on him." Hakuran's expression froze. "[cold]Dated the fourteenth of Shimotsuki, two years ago. The contents: 'I will submit evidence that your reiatsu harmed a fellow squad member during official duties. Hand over the designated confidential documents of Squad Six, and I will remain silent.'" Akagi continued in a businesslike tone, devoid of emotion. "[cold]The handwriting is identical. The structure of the threat is identical. And this latest incident—the only difference is that the victim became the Vice-Captain of Squad Six. The exact same method." The corridor buzzed. "[surprised]Twelfth Seat Hakuran...?" "[whispers]Back when that former seated officer fell, it was her too..." Of the five who had been on Hakuran's side, three exchanged glances. One quietly lowered his weapon. Then another. Then the third. The remaining two, though shaken, still stayed by Hakuran's side. Hakuran had returned to her expressionless mask. But for several seconds, she had no reply. That silence was proof, more than anything else. Rukia stepped forward. Her body was still trembling. Her reiatsu, ravaged by the Kidou seal, was still unstable. But she looked straight at Hakuran. "[cold]...You've lost." Hakuran's silver eyes fixed on Rukia. The next instant. "[angry]Shut up!!" Hakuran drew her Zanpakutou. The two remaining subordinates moved as a diversion. But Hakuran's target, from the very beginning—was Rukia. She closed the distance in a flash. Her Zanpakutou swung upward. "[cold]—Too slow." Akagi's reiatsu domination released to its maximum range. *Bwoom—* The entire White Plum Pavilion gave a faint tremor. The flames in the great hall's lanterns swayed in unison, and the squad members in the corridor instinctively put their hands against the walls. The air grew heavy. Breathing became difficult—that much reiatsu filled the great hall. Hakuran's movement stopped. No—it was *stopped*. "[surprised]...I can't... move..." Hakuran's eyes widened. Every spiritual circuit in her body had been seized simultaneously. The motion of swinging her Zanpakutou halted completely, as if bound by invisible chains. She couldn't move a single millimeter. Akagi stood before Hakuran. "[cold]You will never lay a hand on her." His voice was quiet. But at those words, the blood drained from Hakuran's face. Akagi's fist drove into Hakuran's solar plexus. "[pain]Guh...!" An impact that shattered her spiritual circuits. Hakuran's knees buckled. Her Zanpakutou fell to the floor with a dry clatter. Akagi drove his fist in again, and again. His breathing was ragged. The wound on his shoulder had opened, blood seeping through. But he didn't stop. "[angry]...What you did to Rukia—" Hakuran, collapsed on the floor, let out a small laugh. "[cold]...The messenger from the Forty-Six Chambers... is already at the gate..." Her voice was mixed with blood. The moment those words were heard—black beast ears stood up on the top of Rukia's head. From anger. Above her pure white short bob, fox-like ears stiffened tautly. Akagi turned around. Rukia's silver eyes were burning. Trembling with rage, yet she refused to back down a single step. Akagi reached out his hand. He touched the base of Rukia's ears, gently. The beast ears slowly lowered. As if surrendering themselves to his palm—they flattened down. The surrounding squad members witnessed the scene. In the atmosphere just after Hakuran's conspiracy had been exposed, no one raised their voice. Only wordless trust filled the great hall. Leaving the chaos of the great hall behind, Akagi took Rukia's hand and led her out into the white plum garden. The pre-dawn air was cold. The white plums bloomed quietly under the moonlight. Petals had piled up on the same stone paving where—that time—the two of them had been defeated. "[sad]...My body... won't stop trembling." Rukia's voice was hoarse. "[crying]I want to scream... but my voice won't come out... nothing will..." Without a word, Akagi pulled Rukia against his chest. On top of Rukia's head, the black beast ears stood fully upright. Her tail wrapped around Akagi's arm—she wasn't trying to control it. It was the first time her will to open up completely, only in front of him, had manifested as action. Akagi slowly traced his fingers from the base of Rukia's ears to their tips. "[gentle]...Hya... nn." Rukia gave a small shiver and pressed her nape against Akagi's chest. The short sound that escaped her was so sweet she couldn't believe it was her own—and Rukia's face flushed red. "[gentle]I will never forgive her." The murmured voice, even so, carried a sweetness. The corner of Akagi's mouth lifted. The same smile he'd worn when he'd cornered Rukia against the wall in the training grounds. But this time—she didn't push back against it. White plum petals drifted down, piling up over the two of them. Akagi brought his mouth close to Rukia's ear. "[gentle]I'll protect your secret." A whisper. "[gentle]No matter what happens, I promise." Rukia closed her eyes. Her beast ears twitched. Her tail squeezed Akagi's arm tightly. That was her answer. Silence— "[excited]Senpai! This is bad!" Rengen burst into the garden from the entrance. Bandages on his forehead, with three adhesive bandages plastered over them. Apparently, he'd gone overboard treating the head he'd slammed into the pillar, and the result looked strangely ridiculous. Rukia nearly burst out laughing despite herself. "[serious]This is no laughing matter! At the main gate of the White Plum Pavilion—two messengers from the Forty-Six Chambers have arrived, with guards!" The air changed. "[serious]What they've brought is an official investigation warrant from the Central Chambers, based on eyewitness reports of the beast-soul phenomenon. The contents: temporarily transfer the person of Squad Six Vice-Captain Kuchiki Rukia to the Reiatsu Measurement Chamber of the Shin'ou Academy for examination." Rengen's voice was utterly serious. "[serious]The warrant already bears the Captain-Commander's countersignature. There's no right of refusal." Rukia's beast ears twitched in response. This time, they showed no sign of pulling back—her resolve not to hide them in front of Akagi was evident in the way her ears stood. Akagi took Rukia's hand. "[cold]It's not over yet." His voice was quiet. Rukia squeezed his hand back. "[serious]This time, we fight together." A short answer. The two of them walked side by side toward the main gate. Rengen watched their retreating figures with tearful eyes. "[crying]Senpai... Vice-Captain..." Just as he was about to bask in the afterglow of emotion—the bandages on his head slipped down, and his vision went completely white. "[scared]Whoa! I can't see!" Rengen's voice, flailing alone, echoed through the white plum garden. The pre-dawn sky was just beginning to pale. But a new, colossal wall—the Soul Society's Central Chambers—was about to stand before Squad Six.