Yoruichi and Urahara were off to the side of the training field making plans when Tessai came back into the room. Kon jumped of his shoulders and ran to Orihime who despite being startled clutched him back just as desperately as he clutched her.
"Well?" Urahara said quietly.
"The boys father and sister Karin are dead. The other is presumed to be a zombie" the big man reported sadly.
"Poor Ichigo," Yoruichi sighed, she felt for the boy she really did.
"Where's Ichigo-kun?" it was Chad who finally had the courage to ask.
"It's not good news, I'm afraid" she told them the news and watched as Orihime fell to her knee hugging the distressed Kon. It wasn't long before she to succumbed to tears herself. Tatsuki hovered behind her unsure if her comfort was welcomed and Chad and Ishida both stared of to the side lost in their own thoughts. As far as she knew none of the children had any family to lose.
That in it's self was very sad.
"Then we get better," Ishida turned and went back to shooting his dummy which was a rock with a circle drawn at average head height "for Ichigo."
"For Ichigo" Chad to turned back to his practice.
She left the children to their own mourning rituals and turning she said to Urahara "I'll go through the gate, find the silver sword and see if Soi Fong is really behind this."
"You won't mind if I don't see you of, I want to check on the boy," he gazed at the door of the training room only allowing his face to show a little concern.
"No go ahead, I might be sometime, I'll try and come back with help" she turned and walked in the direction of the gate that would take her to the Soul Society.
He stared out at the yard, there where still some zombies milling about aimlessly a few of the more observant ones sensed him watching them and were mindlessly walking into the barrier despite being repeatedly repelled.
He wanted to kill every last one of them.
He didn't turn from his watch as he felt Urahara come up behind him. He didn't resist as he was gently guided into a sitting position the old man sat across from him with a bowl of water and a rag. He preferred to look at the steam from the bowl which gently curled in the air rather than at the eyes he knew would try and compelled him to talk. He didn't want to talk he wanted to go out there and slay every last one of those creatures!
His hands were taken and his grip on his zanpakuto was loosened. He looked at the blood on the blade and couldn't help but feel betrayed at the sight of it. The feeling was totally irrational as it wasn't as if the sword had murdered his sister by its own free will, he was the one who wielded it. He knew that but he couldn't stop feeling that way. It was better than the aching pain he felt.
He was broken.
His left hand was cradled gently in Urahara's slightly bigger one as the wash cloth wiped the sweat and grime of the day away. The soft repetitive motion was starting to sooth his troubled thoughts so he let it continue as Urahara reached for his right.
There was blood on his right. Not his but hers. On his right hand he had Karin's blood and on his face he had his fathers. He gritted his teeth, he would not cry in front of bucket-hat!
Urahara continued to wipe Ichigo's face and made no mention of the tears that were running unbidden down his cheeks. They silently sat together the sounds of the zombies wailing drowned out by the even louder sound of loss.
If only he could wipe away the day as well as the blood.
She made it into the Soul Society without any trouble. She doubted there was a place built that could keep her out in she wanted in. Her plan was to go straight to the old man tell him what was going on, get the sword maybe some help and then back before she could be missed.
That was all throw out the window as she caught sight of Soi Fong. She was walking in the gardens alone. Her girl always seemed to be alone now. She crept up behind the captain just to have a look. She knew by her presence here that Soi Fong wasn't the caster which was good, but at that moment she really couldn't care less if she tried. She watched as Soi sat own on the grass as if to meditate.
"I swear if I have to get up, you will be in a lot of pain" the captains head turned slightly towards her hiding place and she grinned despite getting caught. She must be getting old if she was noticed so quickly. She held her hands up and walked out from behind the tree she had been using to conceal herself.
"Please don't get up on my account" she smiled at the sitting woman, who glared at her. It was one thing to put aside her animosity to help save the Soul Society but she didn't think Soi would do it again in a hurry.
"You might still be in a lot of pain yet, Yoruichi-sama" Soi gracefully got to her feet all thoughts of mediation blown from her mind at the presence of the stray.
"Do you hate me that much Soi?" she was back on topic now no more being distracted by the other woman's presence.
"What are you prattling about now?" she said was honestly tired of her mentor. She couldn't take her coming and going so easily not taking the time to think of the people she hurt along the way.
"The Judgement spell, who did you teach it to?" it wasn't her and she doubted it would be the old man so it must have been Soi. Still she was ready to forgive her even that. Soi may have plunge the world into hell but still she would forgive her. She was defiantly going soft in her old age.
"Baka! why would I teach it to anyone?! It is forbidden to even speak of it," she glanced around to make sure they were alone "do you take me for that big of a fool?"
"Its been cast in the human world, zombies are everywhere" for a moment terror shone in Soi's face and she made as if to reach out towards Yoruichi as she remember how she was affected the last time this happened. She remembered herself at the last moment and stopped.
"The human world isn't the only one with problems, Yoruichi" she turned away.
"What do you mean?" crap if the Soul Society had problems it may not be able to help.
"My vice captain has disappeared," he was last seen in the district 50 which was renown as a neutral zone as it was the divider between the rich and poor parts of the Soul Society. She started to walk away but she was grabbed and halted at the last second.
"how long ago?" an idea had come to her and she wanted to see if it could be true.
"A week."
The time fit "is it possible that he knew the Judgment technique?" she pulled Soi around to face her tired of looking at her back.
"No I told you I didn't teach it to anyone. I haven't even did it myself sin-" her irritated voice trailed of. Her vice captain was an idiot but more than that he was a pervy idiot. She had gotten numerous complaints from the Shinigami woman's circle about him but it didn't matter how many times she beat the oaf he still slid off to lurk in bushes. "When I was trying to create a new form I tried to incorporate the Judgement technique it is possible that he may have seen me." When she was trying to find a weapon in which to kill her former master. She had been humiliated to find out that not only did Yoruichi know the technique but also that she herself had mastered it.
"Soi..." her voice was soft and all she wanted was to take the smaller woman in her arms. I'm sorry she wanted to say but knew if Soi heard her they would end up fighting again. I'm so sorry that I left you, that I made you hate me enough that you felt you needed to use the judgment spell to get back at me. Despite her not saying anything Soi could read it all in her eyes. She turned away from her former mentor because she knew if Yoruichi kept looking at her like that she would forgive the other woman and she wasn't ready to lose the hate and anger that had accompanied her and kept her going the last hundred years when she was left behind.
"Come on if we're right Yamamoto needs to hear about this" she swept away towards the old mans office her captains robes flaring behind her. Yoruichi smiled at her back, she had never told Soi that seeing her drowned in her captains robes made her look like a little girl playing dress up, and if she wanted to keep living she never would. She followed behind her protégée.
I'd like to thank all those that reviewed it actually got me to post this chapter up as the story had fallen to the side due to my sudden love of Mai HiME and need to write about Haruka/Yukino, seeing the reviews reminded me that I needed to post a new chapter. Thanks again!
I'd also like to apologise for the many different spelling of zanpakuto first I wasn't sure of the spelling because there were so many and then I didn't realise that I spelt it differently almost all the times I used it ::sweat drop::: but I've settled on a spelling now!