Tiger Got to Hunt, Bird Got to Fly (ch. 10)
X. JANUS
It's not that Gin doesn't do his work - he merely enjoys giving the appearance of never working. This is to his benefit. Those who wish him well are more awed at his seemingly boundless natural talents if he remains mysterious. Does he copy Haru's answers? No, his grades are better than hers. Could he have copied someone else? No, his essays are always unique. It stumps them, how he always manages to turn his assignments in on time, papers neat and answers perfect, when no one ever sees him working.
When they ask Gin about it, he smiles knowingly until they go away more fearful of his prowess than when they came. If they ask Haru, she'll just shrug. They won't ask her because her bullied status and awkward demeanor makes them uncomfortable, but even if they do, she'll be of little help. Sure, Gin is aware that Haru has her theories about it. She probably suspects that he's actually studying when he randomly flips through his books; that he's only pretending to pretend to study. It's in the layers. And she just might be right, but Gin will never tell.
For those who wish to drag him down, Gin's perpetual relaxed attitude makes them think they can surpass him if only they try harder or discover some trick to make themselves stronger. And this... Oh, this! It's the absolute best, seeing the devastated looks on their faces as they realize they'll never be good enough if it's Gin they're comparing themselves to. Hatefully, gleefully, Gin covets and relishes that feeling, especially if his opponents are those nobles' children born with silver spoons rammed up their asses.
"Hey, hey! It's Okiku and the shrimp! Whattsamatta, ghost girl? Are you so ugly that your only hope of getting a boyfriend is with this prepubescent kid?"
It's the worst of them, Sawada, who throws the insults. He's a petty young man - haughty, spoiled, and yet insecure of himself (because truly, he is a talentless hack). Gin had long ago noticed that most bullies were cut from the same cloth. They had not the talent to reach the goals they aspired to, nor the humility to accept such limitations. The marriage of these ugly traits produced people like Sawada, who, when he could reach no higher, turned his attentions to keeping others down.
Haru hunches further down into herself as she skirts past the boys who taunt her. She's the one who has a grudge match coming up with Sawada, and if she's not about to put that plan into action, then they'll wait. Gin, too, pays the boys no mind. It's a common enough occurrence for them to be treated with such nastiness as soon as their teachers are no longer watching. And even though the rest of the academy has nothing against them, it's rare for anyone to approach them, let alone defend them.
They make an odd pair, Gin muses. Two sixth year students, nearly inseparable during class: one is a young woman, an early bloomer, tall and full-figured, and the other is but a thin slip of a boy who looks barely old enough for the academy. Shy, gloomy Haru always hiding behind her hair, and Gin, the fearless jester. That's the face they show to the world, and the way she tries to shrink behind him only makes her appear that much larger in comparison. It's comical.
But he supposes they work well enough together, and Gin has started feeling attached to his classmate - as much as he can, at any rate. His heart is rather small, so there isn't much room left for Haru since Rangiku holds most of it. It's like how he had been with his mother, who had monopolized his love when she had been alive - nothing could have overtaken her place, but there were times when Gin had felt a twinge of something as he fed the strays in the alley next to their crumbling residence. Haru is nice to him, and she needs him, and he likes being a protector.
That, and she also let him see her notes. With those, he has blackmail material on all the most important figures among the students and faculty. She uses him, and he uses her in return - a fine example of mutual parasitism. Gin doesn't doubt that she has more notes hidden away with the darkest secrets of those who have already graduated. He reminds himself to ask to see those later when the opportunity comes along.
Gin is a long-term thinker, and he always keeps his final goal in mind while working through the intermediate steps. Perhaps he doesn't need her notes in the strictest sense, but they've saved him a lot of muckraking on his own. He hasn't even joined the Gotei 13 yet, and already there is, at his fingertips, a whole network of people ready to be bought and sold. Such usefulness is Haru's most endearing quality. He'll miss plotting with her when they eventually part ways.
As soon as they are out of earshot, Gin turns to her and says, "They wouldn't call ya that if they saw ya without the hair-curtain. Why let 'em think you're ugly? Don't most girls like bein' seen as pretty?"
"I don't like them looking at me," she says. Haru pushes her hair aside and peeks out at him with dark eyes. "I don't want them to know how much I know. You hide for the same reason, don't you? Or should I say, 'Don't most people like getting compliments about their eyes'."
"Maybe."
"Your evasiveness is annoying, Gin."
"And if ya could lie to save your life, there wouldn't be a need for that ghost persona of yours."
Haru changes the subject with a shrug. "Are we going to partner up for the practical portion of the final?"
"Of course. Don't we always? Unless, that is, you're gonna chicken out on me?"
"Would it kill you to be direct for once?"
"Would it kill ya to have some subtlety for once?"
"I'm subtle enough when it matters."
"Ya just clam up and go ghost-mode, which is about as subtle as a brick to the head."
"Whatever. Keep me in the dark, then - see if I care." After a pause she says, "I don't mind getting my hands dirty as long as you keep up your end of the bargain."
Good. He's glad they have an understanding. Manipulation is so much better when the other party is a willing participant. Speaking of which...
"Hey, ya free tonight?"
Haru looks at him with a suspicious frown, but then she sighs in defeat. "Yeah, sure."
The night is too warm for winter. Then again, Soul Society doesn't exactly obey the seasons. It's not a sphere like the Earth is, orbiting around a sun at variable distances. It's a realm where every object is made of spirit particles; where their shapes are nothing more than the collective hallucinations of millions of deceased beings.
With Haru in tow, he slips past the outer gates into Kuchiki territory. Someday, with logic and philosophy and things like that, Gin thinks he'll be able to lay the gods to rest, tear away the veil, and reveal Soul Society for the mass delusion it really is. But for now, skulking through the darkened paths, Gin can't help but marvel at the spirit-manipulating powers of the human mind, to be able to create the towering walls of Kuchiki manor just a few gardens away.
Haru tugs at his sleeve and hisses a warning, pointing to the guards coming up the path. "We're going to get caught."
"No, you'll get caught, ya big lunk."
Gin pushes her out into the path of the patrolling sentries, who immediately shout for her to halt. They rush forth, and as she stumbles and stammers for an excuse, Gin makes his way deeper through the foliage and through a gap in the fence.
"Well, well. Looks like our tresspasser is just an Academy kid out after curfew."
"Weren't there two? I heard two voices."
"It's just me... and my finger puppets."
"Finger puppets?"
"I talk to them. Bad habit."
Gin snickers at her sorry cover-up. The voices fade into the distance as he slips into the manor proper.
His hatred for the high nobles' children is a matter of principle. Kuchiki Byakuya is different, though. Not that it doesn't feel good when he beats that little inbred ponce into the ground, but as Gin crouches in the shadows of the Kuchiki gardens, he can't help but think that Byakuya ain't as bad as the others. He's actually quite pitiful, with the way he's always being scolded by his clan elders for this or that - for having scuffed knees or failing to address someone with their full title and proper honorifics, even if that someone is his childhood playmate who ain't so keen on "proper" names herself. Byakuya's endless parade of shameful transgressions seems inherently silly to Gin, but they're supposedly of the utmost importance to Kuchiki family pride.
Gin feels sorry for the Kuchiki boy who doesn't want to be anyone's rival at all. (Except maybe that cat-girl's. He'd probably like to smack her down real good someday.) Not that Byakuya wasn't also born with a silver spoon up the ass like the others, but the poor guy keeps trying to remove it and they won't let him. He seems like he'd much rather run around and explore the world like other kids their age. But no, the Kuchiki family can't stand to have their most esteemed heir fall behind some trashy commoner spawn from outer Rukongai.
Byakuya is currently being scolded by his grandfather. This lecture, Gin is sure, is much like the ones he's overheard before.
He entered the academy two years after you, blah blah. How could you let him get three years ahead, blah-dee-dah. You have no composure, blah-I'm-an-asshat-blah. You shame our clan, blah-I-live-off-my-own-flatulent-fumes. Blah blah blah.
When the old man is finished, Byakuya looks like he's about to burst into tears.
"Kuchiki-sama," Gin calls out.
Byakuya whips his head around so fast that his hair dances in the wind. He narrows his eyes at the intruder. "You. What do you want? Have you come to gloat?"
There's a distinctive wet sheen along the pretty boy's long eyelashes. Tears, Gin is pleased to note. He really was about to cry!
"Maybe I'm here to offer some encouragement. I'll be graduating next week, and it'll be sad t'leave ya behind. After all, a proper Shinigami can't have a student for a rival."
---
Shiba Kaien's death came as an absolute shock. The Thirteenth Division was devastated over the loss of both their third seat and lieutenant in such quick succession. Something like this... had never happened before. Something strange was going on. The Hollows were getting stronger.
Kira hadn't been close to Lieutenant Shiba. He hadn't spoken with the man personally outside of a few short greetings. In fact, despite how well-liked Lieutenant Shiba had been throughout the Gotei 13, Kira used to feel a sharp jolt of vicious pride whenever he was mentioned. Because to Kira, any praise directed at Lieutenant Shiba, famed child prodigy that he had been, was an indirect admission that Ichimaru was that much better.
It wasn't fair to Lieutenant Shiba, who was an admirable man in his own right, but that was just how Kira's loyalty worked. It was an ugly trait that he possessed, and one that he had wished to be rid of, this perversion of loyalty that led him to think terrible things of people whom he otherwise admired. What a monster he was inside, that something as beautiful as loyalty could be turned into a meanness of spirit when it touched him... Aida's jeers be damned, but Kira knew his own capacity for cruelty far outstripped most of the other members of their squad. With enough thought, he always came to the conclusion that this was what made him a perfect fit for the Third. This was why he could never be a healer no matter how skilled he became in the technical aspects of healing kido.
This was what Captain Ichimaru saw in him. The twisted loyalty, the stubbornness, the spitefulness, the ruthlessness. All this ugliness inside of him that he sought to hide; that he sought to keep buried so it wouldn't frighten off his friends. Captain Ichimaru brought this side of him out - cherished it, even - and Kira didn't know what to think of himself for that. Corrupted, perhaps, to have so easily fallen into the hands of a man with more secrets than he had hairs on his head. Relieved, perhaps, to have found someone who wanted all of him, the good and the bad.
Kira bit his lip nervously. He knew he was mumbling to himself, but he couldn't seem to help it. There was so much going on right now, from the mystery of the Hollows to his own personal situation. Captain Ichimaru had made it very clear - in full view of the girls, no less! - that he was staking a claim over Kira. In the romantic sense. But shortly thereafter, he had disappeared. And then he had become strangely cold, as if he regretted his earlier actions and wished to put distance between them.
"Kira-san?" Itou called from the side. "I know you're not scheduled to attend, but I'd like to invite you to observe today's training session."
"Oh, thank you."
"And afterwards, I've scheduled a patrol for you and Tsuchida."
"I thought Tsuchida was Kano's partner?"
"Screw Kano. He can have Inose."
"I hope you're not showing favoritism just because of my unorthodox relationship with our captain."
"That's not it," she was quick to correct. "It's a 'two birds' scenario. If Kano pairs with Inose, I get to stick Aida with anyone I want. The pervert said he would prefer a female partner. So. Aida-bastard gets to suffer Arisu's crazed lovesickness. Arisu gets to suffer the knowledge that the man she's been crushing on is a shallow bastard who makes fun of her flat chest."
"That's horrible," Kira said. He tried to feel appalled, but was unable to help the small quirk of amusement that lay on his lips.
"I know, isn't it? Ah, the things I do to strike fear in my subordinates by giving them exactly what they want... Their loss is your gain. I'd pair you with Togakushi if we were going by strength, but you get along well with Tsuchida, right?"
Kira shook his head. He wasn't sure he liked this turn of events. Because there was no telling what could be in store for him next if Itou turned out to be as mischievous as Gin, or if Gin was behind all this. Or what if this had something to do with Gin's recent detachment? He hoped not, but...
"It's nothing you should be concerned with," she said. "Some members of the division have been stepping out of line recently with rumors of the true ranking evaluations coming up soon. I'm just letting them know that they don't have what it takes to challenge me. And if they can't get past me, there's no way they'll get the captain's respect."
"If this is about rank, the opponent you should be most wary of is me," Kira said with a cocky grin.
Her revelation took his mind off his earlier musings. He was looking forward to the test as a chance to show off, and maybe knock Itou down a spot. Third seat didn't sound bad at all, and it was a position that Kira would love to hold - if only he did so by proving himself more worthy than any other competitor. He felt invigorated, like it was his Academy days all over again and he was clawing his way to the top of the class.
Itou gave him one of her small smiles and nodded appreciatively. "I know. I look forward to it."
---
They lie in wait for Hollows in the Living World. This is not a drill. This is not practice. It's the real thing that they're facing now during the final exam.
Shinigami, in groups of two or three, are given bait pellets and sent to dispatch one low-level Hollow each. Since they are still students, the group system provides a safety net in case someone picks a fight with the wrong Hollow.
The exam takes place in the dead of night to minimize possible obstructions from humans wandering the streets. Gin and Haru have set up camp in an inner-city park. They have trackers and radar. The other teams aren't too far away.
"Hurry up, Haru. I'm freezin' here!"
"Shut up," she hisses. Her eyes never leave the edge of the clearing where earlier they spotted the Hollow tracks. "Not everyone can finish their test within ten minutes of arrival."
"Yer so slooooow."
Haru's hands are wrapped around the hilt of her zanpakutou, rattling the steel with the force of their shaking. "I'm doing just fine, okay? We have all night for this, and it's not like anyone else has finished except for you- ah."
'Ah' is right. The Hollow they've been waiting for makes its appearance, sliming in through the bushes.
It's a giant snail.
"Hey, look. It's slow just like you."
Haru shoots him a glare which is ruined by the hair flopping all over her face. Flaring her reiatsu to attract its attention, she leaps into the clearing to engage the enemy.
The snail roars at the scent of fresh meat - something much stronger than the Pluses it had been feeding on. It stretches its neck out, reaching out for a bite. The grotesque masked head, jaw stretched wide, snaps at Haru just as she dodges to the side and brings her blade down. The first slash clangs against the shell as it turns to block. The second lands on its rubbery skin. The shallow cut spurts a mixture of blood and pus, sending the Hollow into a renewed frenzy.
"Keep dealin' with Snail-kun, 'kay?" Gin calls to her with his hands cupped around his mouth "I'll go ahead and start Plan B!"
"Hey, wait up!"
She turns around to shout for him to come back, but the Hollow slaps her down with a glob of slime. She rolls to avoid a smack-down by the heavy tail. By the time Haru is up on her feet again, Gin is already out of sight. And there's nothing left for her to do but grit her teeth, ignore the smell, and cut this Hollow down to size.
Gin flash steps in the direction of Sawada's team. Hidden under his sleeves, he fingers the two unused pellets - his own and Haru's. It's low-grade bait for low-grade Hollows, but... For someone like Sawada, it's more than enough.
Gin lands on the shop awning above them just as one of Sawada's two teammates pushes his sword through the back of a Hollow's mask. The creature disappears in a spray of dust as it's forcefully laid to rest.
"Just you watch," Sawada boasts, "I'll bag one twice as big!"
"Ha ha. Get real."
Sawada chucks his bait down the street. Gin surreptitiously follows it up with two more.
The three boys on the street below proceed to whine that it's taking too long. They don't notice when the ground first starts rumbling. They don't notice until it's too late that this one is way out of their league.
"I got this," Sawada says. He saunters down toward the direction of the Hollow's presence. Sawada's zanpakutou is resting against his shoulder, not battle-ready in the least.
The Hollow stumbles out of an alleyway, sniffing at the air. As soon as it spots the group of Shinigami, it screeches. A high-pitched shriek like scratching glass, the sound tears across the space between them, sending a dust cloud lashing across their faces.
"Aaah!" Sawada drops his zanpakutou as he brings his arm up to block his eyes. In the next instant, the Hollow has leapt between him and the others. He falls on his ass, palms planting on concrete.
"Oh god, it's huge!"
"S-Sawada! Are you okay?"
The Hollow bellows again, whipping his masked head back and forth between the two sides as if contemplating which Shinigami to eat first. Then it pounds the ground with its spiked fists, sending another cloud of dust spiralling upward, concealing the view.
Gin hops down lightly, landing in a crouch next to Sawada. He extends his left hand out from under the oversized sleeve. Along with it comes a length of white cloth that swirls around the two of them.
"Sentan Hakuja."
The cloth coalesces at the center. With a 'pop', they teleport away from the chaos, and then they're dropped off at the park where this all started.
Sawada, teeth chattering, huddles in on himself as he curls up on the grass. "Is that you, Ichimaru? Is it gone? W-Where are we?"
Gin ignores his babbling in favor of searching out his partner. "Haru," he calls out in a sing-song voice, "I brought a present for ya~."
She's leaning for support against a nearby tree. Sword clutched in a death grip at her side. Panting somewhat heavily. Covered in blood and slime and nasty oozy bits. But she's alive, which is good. It would have been a waste to get Sawada otherwise.
Haru pushes the slime-coated hair out of her face. She laughs, a series of disturbing staccato chuckles, as she approaches the fearful Sawada.
"Nice catch."
"I broke his tracker on the way, and th'idiot dropped his own sword. I dunno why ya'd want such a pathetic weakling, though."
"It's personal," she says. There's an unholy gleam in her eyes now that they're visible. Gin has seen it before, but it's new for Sawada, who cringes.
"What the hell's going on! Y-you two are freaks!"
Haru appears perfectly calm as she staggers up to confront him. "The freaks are going to kill you."
"That's not funny, you crazy bitch! And you, midget - stop smiling!"
"Hold him, Gin."
Sawada squeals like a little piggy as Gin wrenches his arms behind his back. He could have used kido, but this is one of those times where he's feeling a bit old fashioned.
"I'm sorry for whatever I did, I'm sorry! L-L-Lemme go, okay?"
Haru unsheathes her blade again and brings the cutting edge up to Sawada's throat.
"It's a joke, right? I know you guys are practical jokers. Well, you got me good this time a-and just what the hell did I do to deserve this!"
"You know what you did."
Slash!
Sawada falls face-down, blood burbling up from the gash that cuts halfway through his neck. His face is set in an expression of shock.
Plortch!
With one more vicious strike for good measure, Haru impales him from the back, right through the heart. She slams through the downward strike with such violence that the blood spews and spatters with dull squishing sounds. The flecks splash against her cheek, mingling with the Hollow's remains.
And then it's over.
Sawada is dead. The spirit particles that made up his body float away, leaving nothing in the wake of the brutal murder.
Gin smiles through the whole ordeal. He scoffs as he recalls the look he'd seen on Sawada's face, and then he gets up and turns to Haru. "Welcome to the killers' club."
But the bloodlust has left her, and she is subdued once more.
"He knew what he did."
---
"What will you be having them do, Itou-san?" Kira glanced across the yard at the Shinigami doing their stretching and warm-ups. To his side was Itou, who was waiting for the stragglers to arrive before beginning today's training.
"Today is... Jinzen meditation."
Miyama Chieko immediately leapt to her feet, bright curls bouncing about her face. "Because you're a slacker! This way you won't have to do anything!"
"I'll be around to help you guys focus, check your posture and stuff."
"Oh, like that's so hard! Face it - you just didn't want to break a sweat!"
Kira had to admit that Miyama had a point. Itou, however, took it in stride.
"It's brain training. Improves mental control for kido spells. My sources tell me that Captain Ichimaru is planning to throw a Surprise Super-Fun Kido Day next week. He's looking forward to some big explosions since you've all gotten too used to having weeks upon weeks of swordsmanship lessons. You should thank me for the early warning."
Miyama rolled her eyes, but returned to her spot in formation.
Once everyone was seated and meditating, Itou shifted to a more secluded vantage point and motioned for her observer to follow.
"Kira."
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry for having you come out here under false pretenses, but I wanted to speak with you." Her lips were set in a firm line, and her eyes narrowed as if deep in concentration. "Captain Ichimaru... has been strange."
"So you've noticed as well." He sighed in relief. "I thought it was just me that he was avoiding. Do you know why he's been this way? Could it have something to do with the recent tragedies that have struck the Thirteenth Division?"
"I don't know, I just know that this one's a fake."
"What, like a gigai with an artificial soul inside? I'll admit I've entertained the idea, but even Captain Ichimaru is allowed a few off days."
"I've known Gin for a long time, and there are things that only he knows about me, but this one doesn't know them. Try dropping hints to him regarding something only he knows about you and you'll see what I mean."
"How long... have you known him?"
"Since the academy. We graduated together, though I don't think he would consider me a friend."
Kira mulled it over and thought that this made sense. He had suspected that they held a deeper relationship than what appeared on the surface. There were shadows in their past, and secrets of the kind that Gin so rarely shared with others. It almost made him jealous, in a way, but he pushed those feelings back.
"I think he would," Kira said with a smile. "As would I."
She returned the smile, though Kira could see in her eyes that she didn't believe him.
---
Haru falls onto the grass, exhausted. Hysterical laughter still bursts out of her lips sporadically. Gin flops onto the grass as well, and relaxes with his hands behind his head, gazing at the stars. They sprawl there in companionable silence until Gin's curiosity gets the better of him.
"Why'dja wanna kill 'im so bad?"
"For Nakamura Shin," she mumbles, speaking the name with sadness and reverence, "my childhood friend. I'm sure you've heard the rumors. He moved up into the advanced class before me, and he did everything he could to make friends with them. Especially Sawada. Shin-chan always had a bad habit of being attracted to the wrong people, and when that bastard found out about, you know, his preferences... They drove him to suicide."
"Ya loved him enough to kill for him."
"I... Yeah. I wouldn't have ever tried to get into the advanced class if it hadn't been to avenge him."
"And I know whatcha gonna say 'bout it bein' like the kind of love I should understand, but it ain't like that. Ya loved him in that way."
There's a pause as she tenses her shoulders.
"Maybe so," she finally says. "But he was gayer than a fruitcake. I guess if you're right... Does that mean I share his bad habit of liking the wrong people?" It's a shitty attempt to try to lighten the mood. Haru notices this and grimaces. She decides to speak simply and from the heart.
"Anyway, thanks for listening, Gin. You're a good friend."
Gin's menacing giggle ruins the comforting moment. "Ya sure know how to pick 'em," he says, propping himself up on an elbow.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It's funny you should think of me as a friend. I only ever thought of you as a great big tool."
"C'mon, be serious. I'm confessing my mushy feelings of epic friendship here."
"Oh, I'm very serious. But ya were quite th'entertainment. I guess I'll reward you with your life, hmm?"
He reaches out to stroke her arm in a sinister manner, sliding it up... up...
Crunch!
"Gah!" His spidery fingers have wrapped around her throat. "G-Gin... why..."
Her voice is raspy, but his grip isn't tight enough if she can still talk. He squeezes tighter, taking pleasure in the way the attempted words turn into whimpers.
Let go, she tries to tell him.
"Ah ah ah~" He wags his finger tauntingly. "On one condition."
Yes, anything! her eyes plead.
"Tomorrow we'll be full Shinigami. I'm joinin' up with the Fifth Division, and I want ya to promise me this one li'l thing."
Her whimpers grow weaker. The scent of despair grows stronger. He continues, intent on finishing what he started.
"I don't want you there. I'm tired of ya followin' me 'round. Never, ever step foot in the Fifth Division, ya hear me? Yer not allowed to talk to me as long as I'm there. I catch ya so much as lookin' my way and I'll kill ya." Gin punctuates his tersely spoken words with a shake, pushing her head further into the ground.
Haru is barely conscious at this point, but she nods.
"Pinky swear? Cross your heart and hope to die?"
She nods once more.
"Good."
And air enters her lungs.
He leaves her there, with her windpipe half-crushed, gasping and sobbing with tears soaking into the ground. It's a mournful sound that even Gin finds painful to listen to, the sound of his first betrayal.