Double Trouble

38. The Trio of Captains

~ A Few Hours Before ~

As Jushiro watched Rukia he felt a heavy hand land upon his shoulder. Turning his head he looked over his shoulder to find his best friend standing there. The pink kimono clad captain of the eight, Shunsui Kyoraku had a worried look in his eyes. "Shun, what's wrong?" Jushiro inquired.

A flash step sounded nearby before the ever elegant Captain Unohana appeared. "Gentlemen." She greeted them with that frightening smile in place. "Did you tell him?"

Confused, Jushiro turned to his friend who shook his head. "Not yet." Shunsui took his hat off before sitting upon the wood porch that led to Jushiro's private room at the thirteenth.

"I see." Retsu walked towards her friend. Since the beginning the three of them had been friends. She kept watch over the two of them with her healing abilities, Jushiro more so than Shunsui. Before becoming the healer she was now she had been the demon known as Kenpachi, the first to exist. Once she gave that life up she had hoped to never have to return to it, however now she wasn't sure if that was going to be her only option. "We have a traitor amongst us." Her claim caused the usually calm captain to step back in shock.

"Who?" Jushiro inquired. They couldn't afford another incident like they had a hundred years ago.

Raising her hand to calm him down, she knew before she named him, shed needed to present her evidence. "A hundred years ago we lost some friends and comrades. After that incident, I began wondering if Urahara was wrongly accused. So I began to investigate each division and look for discrepancies and disappearances amongst the divisions." She looked at her friends seriously. "Do you know how many people both Shinigami and soul have vanished between then and now?" He shook his head with a negative. "Over ten thousand." Was her answer, causing his eyes to widen in shock at the number. "Each time it was with one person in the vicinity of because that person had ordered them to place they vanished."

Shunsui then leaned forward. "I looked into the Hall of Records a few days ago and confirmed this for her. This man was the one to write the incident reports stating these low leveled soldiers had died or had written that several souls in high risk villages had vanished without a trace." He looked at his friend seriously. "Sound familiar? The night we lost them."

Jushiro felt his chest tighten at the memory of losing his friends that night. Perhaps he should tell them. "We didn't lose them entirely that night." Both suddenly looked at him with surprise. "Kisuke saved them." He emphasized.

"What!?" Shunsui cried out standing suddenly. Was it possible? Did his Lisa survive? He looked hopefully at Jushiro.

"Lieutenant Kuchiki." Retsu said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Jushiro gave a nod. "She says she met a few of them, but the way she described them..." his voice trailed off. "...they're different."

"Of course they are." Shunsui stated with a sigh. "However, they're alive and that's what matters."

Jushiro turned his attention back to Retsu. "I want to know the name of the traitor. We must stop them before they hurt anybody else."

Retsu sighed before speaking the traitors name. "The traitor is..."

~~

~Present~

The three captains looked at Kenpachi as if he had grown another head. You would think they were used to this kind of talk from the captain of the eleventh; but no. It was at this time they noticed the Ryoka that they had been looking for all this time.

It was at this moment that Ganju spoke. "Well this just got awkward."

Shiro and Ichigo had to agree with their cousin. They had come here to help expose the traitor, but now they were the ones on display. "Well, I guess the fun is over." Ikkaku stated as he stretched his arms over his spear-like Zanpakuto.

At that moment Captain Hitsugaya groaned. Both boys gave each other a nod. "Orihime." Shiro spoke, causing the young girl to look up at him. All three captains noticed the young man's eyes and how his reiatsu reminded them of a higher class hollow. "Can you help these two?"

"Sure!" Orihime said happily. She was glad that she could be helpful in this situation. Holding her hands out she called out, "Shonou! Ayame! Santen Kesshon! I repel thee!" A shield surrounded both the younger captain and his lieutenant. Their injuries began to vanish and disappear. Once the wounds were gone and the bleeding stopped, both began waking up. They sat up just as the orange shield vanished from around them.

"Captain Hitsugaya." Unohana stepped towards the awakening captain. Kneeling she took note that all of his injuries were gone, not simply healed, but gone; as if they never even existed. "Are you alright?" she inquired.

"I think I got all of the injuries." Orihime stated worriedly as she leaned over the blonde woman to inspect her.

"No scars!" Matsumoto exclaimed excitedly as she inspected her body. She pulled her top open to look at her chest causing the teenage boys to cry out in indignation.

"For crying out loud!" Shiro yelled as his pale white cheeks turned pink as he looked away.

"Good grief!" Ichigo slapped a hand over his eyes as both Chad and Uryu did the same, however Uryu did peek; though he would never admit to such a thing.

"MATSUMOTO!" Hitsugaya yelled at his lieutenant. She wasn't even drinking, and she was being lewd!

"What?" she complained. She was happy that the ladies were okay.

Above them all, Isshin stood upon the roof adjacent from the group. Yoruichi looked up from her position on Shiro's shoulder. Upon seeing the twin's father, she knew this meant that Urahara had sent him to protect the boys. This also meant that Aizen was not done.