Rivalry (Urahara x Reader)

Mornings

The morning light streamed into my office, casting warm hues across the paperwork that spread out in front of me. I leaned back in my chair, eyes narrowing as I sifted through the reports from the past few days. The signs were clear: an unsettling tension gripped Squad 3, an undercurrent of aggression that no one seemed willing to discuss openly. My thoughts drifted back to the sparring match from yesterday—Kaito's unsettling demeanor and the unexpected clarity of his movements.

I glanced up as the door opened, Gin stepping inside with his signature, carefree stride. His expression was unreadable, but I could feel the weight of his scrutiny as he scanned the room.

"You called for me,  Y/N?" His voice was as smooth as ever, but today it seemed to carry an edge that made my pulse quicken.

"Gin," I said, my tone sharper than intended. I had to remain composed, but the questions burned inside me. "I need an update on Kaito's patrol from that morning. The morning of the sparring match."

A brief flash of something crossed Gin's face—was it concern?—but it was gone before I could be sure. He leaned casually against the doorframe, eyes glinting as he spoke. "Ah, that patrol," he said. "It went smoothly. Kaito and the others encountered a group of hollows. Routine, really. No signs of aggression or agitation."

I tilted my head, curiosity piqued. "No signs? But Kaito, he—"

"I know," Gin interrupted, cutting me off with an unexpected seriousness. "He showed signs of something more the day before, but that morning, he was calm. Focused. Almost... back to normal."

I sat up straighter, the weight of his words pressing against my chest. "But that can't be right. I saw how he fought yesterday. He seemed... different. Unstable, even."

A shadow passed over Gin's features, his eyes narrowing for a brief second before his characteristic smirk returned. "Things change, Captain. Sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. Maybe Kaito just needed that time to regain his composure."

I stared at him, searching his face for any sign that he was withholding something, but he was as unreadable as ever. I knew better than to push him—Gin was never one to reveal more than he had to, but I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to the story.

"Perhaps," I murmured, steepling my fingers together. "But I'm not convinced that whatever is happening is over."

Gin's eyes met mine, an unspoken challenge there as he stood up, shifting his weight. "Be careful, Y/N. The deeper you dig, the more dangerous it becomes."

I couldn't help the slight smirk that tugged at the corner of my lips. "I'm always careful, Gin. But sometimes the danger is worth it."

He turned on his heel and made for the door, that infuriating smile never leaving his face. "Then I hope you know what you're doing."

The door clicked shut behind him, and I leaned back, letting out a slow breath. There was something hidden, something I had yet to uncover. Kaito's sudden stability, the hollow encounter that left him unphased, and Gin's cryptic warnings all pointed to a larger, more insidious force at play.

And I was determined to find out what it was—before it was too late.

Sitting alone in my office, I let my mind run through the details of Kaito's behavior, a puzzle that I could now almost piece together. The more I thought about it, the clearer it became: there had been a shift in him that morning, something I hadn't fully grasped until now.

Kaito had been fine during the patrol—his movements sharp, his reiatsu steady, no sign of the agitation that I'd noticed during the sparring match. He'd even fought well against the hollows, a level-headed, capable soldier. It wasn't until he returned from his brief break before the match that things had taken a strange turn. His eyes, which had been focused and clear, were now bloodshot, as if irritated by something unseen. It had been subtle at first, just a flicker of unease that I caught in the way he rubbed them when he thought no one was watching.

But then, the fight. His reiatsu had spiked, an erratic, frantic pulse that was out of character. It surged with a sharpness that seemed forced, as if he was struggling to keep it in check. It had peaked multiple times during the sparring match, each burst more unrestrained than the last. And even with my skill at reading the flow of reiatsu, it was difficult to pinpoint exactly why he had been so unstable. Something had triggered it, something that had happened in those few minutes when he was alone.

My eyes narrowed as I leaned forward, fingers tapping rhythmically on the desk as I let the possibilities play out. He'd been gone for about five minutes, and only a few things could have happened during that time. 

There was 2 possibilities , he could have ingested something, or he could have met someone.

The second possibility seemed highly unlikely. When he had returned, every member of Squad 3 had been accounted for; they had been gathered to formally greet me and participate in the sparring match. No one had reported seeing anyone leave the courtyard or act out of place. If Kaito had met someone, it would have been a shadowy, clandestine interaction, one that would have raised questions and drawn attention.

That left the first option—ingestion. But what could he have ingested that would affect his behavior so drastically? The sudden redness of his eyes, the erratic fluctuations in his reiatsu—it wasn't a symptom of exhaustion or a common illness. No, it had to be something more insidious, something that could be consumed or absorbed in a short span of time. A drug, perhaps, or a sedative with hallucinatory properties, or something more experimental.

But who would have given him such a thing, and why?Or why would he have taken such a thing. He looked like a genuine person who had his life looking up for him. He was an extremely promising soul reaper.  My brows furrowed as I remembered the odd exchange he'd had with Gin the day before. The captain had been around when Kaito had prepared for the match, but the interaction had seemed innocuous enough at the time. Yet, the thought of Gin and his ambiguous motives made my skin prickle. Could he have known something about Kaito that I didn't? Could he have played a part in this?

I pushed that thought aside. No, if Gin had been involved, he wouldn't have let it slip so easily. There was someone else, someone who knew more than they let on. I needed to search through the records, interview the squad members again, and dig into any past incidents that might have been connected. But first, I needed to return to the infirmary and speak to Kaito again. This time, I would be more direct, less inclined to leave without finding the answers I needed.

The puzzle pieces were starting to fit together, but there were still too many questions. The why, the who, and the how all loomed before me, waiting to be untangled. But one thing was certain—I wouldn't stop until I found out the truth, not just for the sake of Squad 3 but for Kaito himself. He deserved more than this shadowed mystery that threatened to consume him.

4o mini