Chapter 15: "So... what is Bankai?"

* Ichigo PoV *

Tak. Tak. 

Step by step, the officer slowly marched towards the petrified duo in front of him. Pressure oozed off of him in waves, an aura of dread crippling the vitality of the surroundings.

Tak. Tak. 

Dark silhouettes settled on the surroundings, the white walls of Seireitei turning a deathly gray. Shadows seemed to grow longer, making every corner a gaping mouth, every hole in the wall an unfriendly gaze.

Tak. Tak.

Ichigo's heartbeat began to slow down, began to beat in pace with the foot steps falling before him, began to burst out of his chest with every thump. The single drop of sweat he was so aware of before had turned into a trickling stream now. The scent of iron permeated his senses, an approaching sense of death enveloped him. Everything was beginning to turn a hue of blood red...

And all of a sudden he could breath again. Collapsing onto his knees, chest heaving, Ichigo looked up at the source of relief: a woman, standing steadfast before the rush of reiatsu like a dam, blocking the menace before her. Her black hair danced in the violent air, and although her stance was confident, the glisten of nervous sweat on her dark skin exposed her thoughts. A serious grim covered her face as she engaged in a stare off against the Gotei 13 officer.

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* Lei PoV *

While walking towards the immobile duo in front of him, Lei paused, a flash of color in his periphery giving him a foreshadowing of the sudden obstacle that inserted herself in between the two groups.

"...Yoruichi Shihoin. Former heiress apparent to Shihoin, one of the noble families, and previous captain of the 2nd division. What a surprise." 

"Well, I didn't realize I had a stalker in the Gotei 13. It's a little unfair that you know me, but I don't know you - mind introducing yourself?" A chuckle escaped from the woman. Although he could detect signs of wariness, Lei was impressed with the nonchalance she carried herself with. As expected of someone who could confront even Chrysalis Aizen later in the story line.

His anger largely subsiding at this point, not that he let up the pressure, he responded with an exaggerated bow. "Lieutenant of the 11th division, Lei Zhang at your service."

"A lieutenant? You're joking with me surely. No one with this type of reiatsu would be anything less than a captain."

"I do see myself as sort of an anomaly among the lieutenants, and there not being any vacancies in captain positions either doesn't help." Shrugging his sholuders and shaking his head in a helpless manner, Lei responded. "And besides, it's not like your group is to talk. The reiatsu leaking from the boy is clearly captain class..."

Trailing off, for the first time, past the excitement of seeing the protagonist for the first time, Lei really saw Ichigo. Like REALLY saw him. Despite the hype, Ichigo was exactly what Lei just mentioned: just a boy, not even 15 years old, way in over his head and just trying to save his friend. Looking at the still wide-eyed fright on the boy's face, the sweat-soaked garment that didn't hide his scrawny limbs, or the tension trembling in his fingers, a sense of guilt washed over him.

He really is just a kid.

Lei exhaled, slowly lowering his sword, and restraining his reiatsu. Audible sighs of relief were heard from somewhere.

"...Anyways, I'm not your enemy," he said calmly.

"I'm sure Mr. Stalker, but unfortunately, you see that kid behind me?" Jutting a thumb backwards towards Ichigo to emphasize the point, "he's under my protection."

"I know. I meant that I'm not either of your enemy."

Yoruichi didn't move, but her eyebrow certainly arched. "You mean to tell me that a certain lieutenant of the Gotei 13 would disregard the General Captain's orders and was certainly not waving that oppressive reiatsu around just now?"

"Okay. Fair point." Sheathing his blade very deliberately, he continued. "Look. I'm not here to fight. I'm here to help the ryoka. There's something fishy going on with the scheduled execution, and I have a... feeling we need to stop it." It was obviously unspoken that the feeling was backed up by knowing the future - that would have just freaked them out more and introduced more skepticism.

"You don't expect me to trust you just like that."

"No," Lei replied, "I don't. But it's a fact that we're not fighting right now right? If we did, do you really think you could protect the kid behind you at the same time?"

Finally finding his voice, Ichigo protested. "Hey! I can take care of myself."

"Ichigo. Stay quiet."

"Yeah shut up kid."

"Stop talking Ichigo!" 

Blindsided by the universal reaction to his outburst, Ichigo bristled for a moment, clearly thinking about not listening. After a quick glance at Lei though, he clearly thought better of it, and instead, crossed his arms and settled into a silent sulk.

The brief interlude did give Yoruichi pause. She hated to admit it, but Lei was right. The spiritual pressure that had exploded from him earlier dwarfed most captains. Whoever this man was, he wasn't normal, and a fight would definitely not be in her favor. Taking a more relaxed but still vigilant pose, she seemed partially convinced before continuing, "So you're suspicious about the Court 46's orders. Fine. That doesn't explain why you initially came out strong with your Reiatsu." 

"Well, to be sure, I may have slightly over-reacted against something the kid said, but regardless, if we're being honest, if he would get that frightened by just spiritual pressure, he's definitely not ready. And from my gauge of the various other reiatsus, this guy is even the strongest out of the intruders."

"We're not here to fight. The goal is only to sneak in and save Rukia." 

"I'm not sure I even believe that." Yoruichi eyes sharpened at that, but Lei continued, "and even then, the execution target is the adopted sister of the 6th division captain. You think there won't be at least a single captain-class guard around her? What is he going to do when he's scared by the weight of his opponent's spiritual pressure alone? Never mind what happens if a captain releases their bankai."

The heavy questions lay unanswered in the air, creating a blanket tension as Ganju and Yoruichi began to question the folly of this endeavor. Until that is, Ichigo blinking at the unfamiliar word, forgot that he supposed to stay silent. "...Bankai?"

Ganju facepalmed.

Yoruichi exhaled sharply and pinched the bridge of her nose. 

Lei raised an eyebrow; he had forgotten many details of the original story over 50 years, but surely logic would prevail in certain situations. "You mean to tell me," enunciating and emphasizing his words slowly, "that not only did you invade Gotei 13 with a bunch of teenagers, but you also haven't even briefed them on what Bankai is?"

Ichigo frowned. "Is that supposed to be important?"

Lei stared expressionlessly at Yoruichi.

Yoruichi stared back with what Lei reckoned was a hint of embarrassment.

Ganju facepalmed again.

After a long time in a silent staredown, with one person wondering why everyone ignored his last question, one person wondering why he joined a suicide mission, and the remaining two wondering how much the other party knew, Yoruichi finally, reluctantly, nodded. "...We'll handle it. You've said your piece."

Lei never worked with Yoruichi before, but having worked with several other Captains in the Gotei 13 before, he knew that was going to be the closest he'll get to an admission of guilt and a promise to do better. "Just... don't waste the kid's potential. That's all I'll say."

He turned to walk away, pausing briefly. "If you need anything, you can find me at the 11th division quarters. I trust that you'll practice discretion."

Yoruichi didn't answer. She silently watched Lei disappear into the horizon, his spiritual pressure withdrawn but still lingering like a ghost in the air. Under her breath, she analyzed the last words. "Potential? Was that just a coincidental wording?"

Meanwhile, the protagonist in question was still lost in thought, brows furrowed. "So... what is Bankai?"