Bleach: I Can't Get an Amen
Episode 2 - Nakseongjae Hall
While someone clutched the shards of a broken mirror,
Someone hid within a silence that swallowed their screams,
And someone supported the roots of pain with calloused hands,
The mist beneath our feet silently embraced our cold ankles.
We realized that where we fell was not the end,
But a distance where we could still reach for each other's warmth.
Only now do we lift our heads to look at one another.
When the broken pieces gather to become a single name,
We realize we do not stand up simply because we can,
But that we can finally stand because we are together.
It was a day when the rain cleared and the sun rose.
A week had passed since the Hollow was defeated.
Since then, Azuma had not heard a single word regarding those documents.
He had no way of knowing if that was a good sign or a bad one.
The way those around him treated him hadn't changed, after all.
Still, it wasn't as if there were no changes at all.
The attitude of the Lieutenant who had saved him had softened slightly.
Occasionally, gifts containing new music box melodies were pressed into Azuma’s hands, and they had even shared lunch together yesterday.
"998... 999... 1000..."
Under the clear sky, Azuma was swinging his sword alone.
On days without scheduled training or duties, it was his routine to swing his sword in a corner of the 2nd Division barracks.
When others swung a hundred times, he forced himself to do ten times that amount.
As the repetitions piled up, raw red wounds formed on his palms, sending jolts of stinging pain through him each time.
But to him, that pain was proof that he was alive.
Since he had no particular morning duties today, he had been out here since the early hours.
His choice of this location wasn't just for training.
While it was a quiet, secluded corner that few people frequented, more importantly, it was a spot where he could watch the 2nd Division Captain, Soi Fon, during her morning training.
Of course, he couldn't see her every day.
There were days when she didn't appear for a day or two at a time.
Even so, if he came out at the same time and place, he could eventually see her wielding her blade.
Azuma had no way of knowing if she was aware of him or if she knew he was watching.
He simply kept her training figure in the periphery of his vision, wishing that one day he might be able to hold a sword by her side in that very spot.
That single wish was what allowed him to lift his wrist once more.
"...Whew..."
Several hours passed.
He was walking down the corridor of the 2nd Division barracks after finishing his personal training.
"Azuma!"
A familiar voice called out from behind him.
Azuma jumped, nearly losing his balance, but managed to stay upright.
Looking up, he saw Lieutenant Marechiyo Omaeda looking down at him.
"L-Lieutenant... G-good morning?"
"Working hard since morning again, I see."
At those words, Soi Fon's face suddenly flashed through Azuma's mind. His cheeks flushed slightly.
Omaeda seemed to interpret it as a sign of physical exhaustion.
"Ah, y-yes..."
"I have something to tell you today."
"Yes?"
"Follow me."
No sooner had he spoken than Omaeda snatched Azuma's arm and began walking toward the Lieutenant's office.
Azuma was dragged along before he even had a chance to resist.
"Ugh, aaaaah..."
"You're making me look like a bad guy..."
The only advantage of this forced abduction was that they arrived at the Lieutenant's office quickly.
Azuma took a moment to steady his dizzy mind and focused on Omaeda in front of him.
"Listen well, Azuma."
"Yes?"
"You know there were some promotions recently, right?"
"Ah, yes..."
News that three ordinary members had been promoted to seated officers had reached Azuma's ears as well.
"They're talented kids. But you know how it is. The missions high-ranking seated officers handle aren't things that can be solved with talent alone."
"...I suppose? But usually, the Lieutenant..."
"Right, I'll be doing it this time too. And I'll need you to come along for the job."
"W-what? Me?"
Azuma was momentarily flustered.
He had never expected to get this close to the action.
"Don't feel pressured. Just think of it as being an aide."
"Ah, yes..."
While nodding as if he had no choice, Azuma recalled the sight of Omaeda's spiked chain mace smashing the Hollow last time.
The thought that he wouldn't survive if that thing were swung at him was written clearly in his eyes.
"...Good. Let's go then. The three of them should be waiting. Read this document on the way."
Half-pulled by Omaeda, Azuma set off toward a new location.
Opening the document he was handed, he saw the names of the three individuals and their respective Zanpakuto abilities.
The two of them headed toward a fairly secluded spot within the 2nd Division barracks.
The building that appeared before them had a weathered, old exterior that bore the weight of many years.
It was a building Azuma had no memory of using, either before or after becoming a seated officer. It didn't look like a space meant for ordinary members, either.
Azuma cautiously opened the door.
Inside were three people.
A woman with neatly braided hair, a figure wearing a mysterious mask, and a person with long, flowing hair. Based on appearance alone, the last person could easily be mistaken for a woman, but he was a man.
"So, have you all been waiting long?"
Omaeda spoke to them as he opened the door.
"No, not particularly..."
The woman with the braided hair replied with a light shake of her head.
"Right... First, let me introduce this guy next to me. His name is Azuma Shohei. He might not look strong, but he's the 15th seat. He'll be acting as an assistant instructor to help me teach you all."
Omaeda turned his head toward Azuma.
The woman with the braids scanned Azuma with eyes full of doubt, the masked Soul Reaper watched him with an unreadable gaze, and the long-haired man simply fixed his eyes on him with an expressionless face.
"Azuma, let me introduce them. That girl who just shook her head is Shinozaki Mia; she joined as the 18th seat. The masked brat next to her is Kazuma Ren, the 19th seat. And that long-haired one is Utsumi Sora, who barely scraped in as the 20th seat this time."
"A-ah, hello? Nice to meet you...?"
Azuma stammered, unsure of how to greet them.
"You idiot... getting intimidated by your subordinates... Now then, first..."
Just as Omaeda was about to take something out, his Denreishinki vibrated.
It was a summons from Captain Soi Fon.
Omaeda's expression stiffened instantly.
"Aw, man... Azuma, can you look after the kids for a bit?"
"W-w-what? Me...?"
"Yeah. It won't take long. It's important. I'm counting on you."
"Wait, what?"
Azuma tried to call him back, but Omaeda was already hurrying away from the spot.
"..."
Azuma looked at the three of them cautiously.
"H-hi, everyone? So, I'm... uh... as he said, I'm the 15th seat, Azuma Shohei..."
"Sigh... So it was you."
Mia cut him off dismissively.
Azuma faltered and looked at her.
"Huh?"
"I'm speechless... Did they bring us to a first-year classroom at the Academy instead of the Stealth Force? Are you really the 15th seat? Did you buy the rank? Or maybe..."
"Ah, well, it's not like that... I... I, uh, I'm sorry. I know I look a bit weak, but I still train..."
"I think she's right, don't you?"
The masked Soul Reaper, Ren, stood beside Mia and glared at Azuma.
"15th Seat Azuma. We know we're lacking compared to the high-ranking seated officers, but from the rumors we've heard about you, it sounds like you're even worse. I wonder if you can even hold a Zanpakuto properly with those hands..."
Ren leaned his face right into Azuma's, asking threateningly.
Azuma, his mind in a whirl, widened his eyes and stepped back.
Ren clicked his tongue and looked away.
Sora simply watched it all with an expressionless gaze.
"G-guys, let's just calm down and talk..."
"Ha, we don't have time for this... If my family found out I was being trained by someone like this..."
Mia muttered under her breath.
The words reached Azuma's ears.
It seemed she had her own circumstances, but a sense of discomfort began to rise in his chest.
"Uh... what did you say?"
He asked, pretending not to have heard, but Mia shot him a glare as if to say, 'What are you looking at?'
"Then prove it."
Ren cut in again.
"Prove that the rumors aren't true. Prove that the rank you're wearing isn't more than you deserve."
"H-hey, guys, just wait a second and calm down..."
Azuma couldn't understand why they were doing this.
Or perhaps he could.
The Gotei 13 was a world where social status changed as one was promoted.
It was a structure where they had to pull down someone like Azuma to climb higher themselves.
In the 2nd Division, which was full of nobles, the fact that Azuma, a commoner, was looked down upon was nothing new.
And the proof that they were serious came immediately.
Mia and Ren both placed their hands on the hilts of their Zanpakuto at the same time.
In that moment, Azuma caught a glimpse of why Omaeda had called the three of them talented.
It wasn't a matter of swordsmanship or physical build.
The very aura flowing from their Zanpakuto was different.
Of course, now wasn't the time to analyze that.
In this atmosphere, there was no other way but to face them head-on.
Azuma slowly placed his hand on his scabbard.
It was then.
BOOM!!
An explosive roar erupted from the forest behind the building.
The accumulated tension shattered in an instant.
Azuma, Mia, Ren, and even Sora all turned their heads toward the source of the sound simultaneously.
Amidst the forest where the aftershocks of the explosion were settling, a mysterious Hollow revealed itself.
The massive form shook the ground as it pushed through the trees.
"It finally showed up!"
The corners of Mia's mouth curled up.
As if she had found a target to vent her fresh frustration on, she gripped her Zanpakuto without hesitation and dashed toward the Hollow.
Her determination to wash away the shame of failing to make Azuma submit radiated from her entire body.
Azuma could easily read that intent.
But the Hollow was faster.
The moment Mia tried to draw her Zanpakuto, the Hollow's shadow stretched out across the ground like a snake and lunged at her feet.
A cold, sticky darkness began to coil up her ankles.
"Let go! You filthy monster... this shadow... it won't come off...!"
Mia tried to pull her legs away with all her might, but the shadow instead dragged her down as if to swallow her whole.
"Mia!!"
Ren drew his sword and rushed in.
But the result was the same.
The shadow spread up to Ren's wrists and began to suck him in as well.
Fear flashed in their eyes for the first time as they faced the darkness that only dug deeper the more they struggled.
It felt somewhat absurd that they had tried to point their blades at him with such weak mental strength, but that wasn't what was important right now.
While pulling the two of them in, the Hollow leisurely lifted its head and stretched out a massive shadow hand toward Azuma and Sora.
The hand of darkness swept toward them like a wave.
Azuma reflexively snatched Sora's arm and rolled to the side.
The shadow swept through the spot where they had been standing, leaving black cracks in the ground.
"Sora, are you okay...?"
"Ah, yes..."
Sora nodded calmly and narrowed his eyes at the Hollow.
"I'll give it a try."
"...Right. I'm counting on you."
Sora slowly drew his Zanpakuto.
"Sink, Quietude."
Azuma once again realized why Omaeda had called these three talented.
The fact that he had already mastered Shikai release.
What that meant required no explanation.
The form of Sora's Zanpakuto began to change.
The blade wavered like a ripple, shimmering with light as it took on the form of transparent liquid metal.
And in the next moment, the noises filling the area around Azuma and Sora vanished all at once.
The sound of the wind, the sound of Mia and Ren struggling, the Hollow's growl... in the silence where only the necessary sounds remained, Sora slowly shifted his gaze as if reading the Hollow's form.
"I found it. The third rafter on the left, that point where the haze is twisting."
"...Right, that part..."
But Azuma hesitated.
If they attacked that point directly now, the shock would also be transmitted to Mia and Ren, who were caught in the shadows.
He couldn't allow that.
Pointing a sword at him was one thing, but sacrificing those people was an entirely different story.
Azuma stepped out of Sora's range of silence.
Then he moved quickly to a distance where his voice could reach Mia and Ren.
"Mia!"
His voice burst out before he knew it.
He didn't even know where he had found the courage.
Mia turned her head toward him in an instant.
Anger and fear were tangled together in her eyes.
"Draw your Zanpakuto with one hand and fire a Shakkaho at ten o'clock! And Ren!"
Ren also reflexively looked toward Azuma.
"You use your Zanpakuto to pour your spiritual pressure into the ground! Cut off the flow of the shadows!"
The two of them hesitated for a moment.
It probably wasn't easy to turn their heads at the voice of someone they had been ignoring until just a moment ago.
But they had no choice. Ren and Mia met each other's eyes and soon nodded.
"Pierce, Piercing Mirror!"
"Endure, Bitter Root!"
Mia's Zanpakuto transformed into a needle-like long blade imbued with light.
Ren's changed into a heavy greatsword with black chains coiling around it in a spiral.
Light began to condense on the blade of Piercing Mirror.
The light, which had started as a small point, expanded intensely in an instant and reflected like a flash.
Even though it wasn't a direct hit, the Hollow's shadows shrank back as if reacting to the light.
It was instinct for darkness to shun light.
"Now, Ren!!"
In the moment the shadow faltered, Ren was already able to use both arms.
He hoisted the greatsword high and brought it down toward the ground with all the spiritual pressure he possessed.
A massive shockwave spread out the moment the chains struck the earth.
The shadows were shaken to their roots by the vibration.
Taking advantage of the Hollow's distraction, Mia and Ren managed to pull themselves out of the darkness's grasp.
The moment the two of them stepped back onto the ground, the Hollow emerged from its confusion and turned its gaze toward Azuma's group.
However...
The moment its eyes tried to catch sight of them, a thick fog spread out silently, completely erasing their forms.
The Hollow looked around in panic.
It didn't know where to turn.
No trace of spiritual pressure, no sound—nothing could be detected. Along with the sensation of its existence dissolving within the fog, the Hollow sensed that it was slowly disappearing.
Soon, the Hollow vanished into thin air.
The last thing it captured was the faint silhouette of Azuma's back standing amidst the mist.
As soon as the fog cleared, Azuma walked toward Ren and Mia.
"Ren, Mia!"
"...1... 15th Seat..."
The two of them looked up at Azuma, then quickly bowed their heads.
Azuma let out a light sigh.
"...I'm glad you both aren't badly hurt."
"We... we clearly looked down on you, 15th Seat..."
"Yeah... I know."
Azuma looked at them for a moment, then slowly nodded.
"But you have to stand up when you can. That doesn't just apply to me. That's... the justice of a Soul Reaper."
Ren and Mia's eyes widened slightly. Azuma himself didn't know why those words had come out.
He was certainly a timid person. It was also true that he still wondered if it was okay to treat them this way.
"A... Master Azuma..."
"Hey!! Azuma!!"
Just then, a voice accompanied by heavy footsteps echoed from down the corridor.
It was Omaeda.
"Lieutenant..."
"I rushed over because a Hollow detection went off. Where are the others?"
As Azuma stepped aside, the sight of the three safe recruits came into view.
"...I'm glad you don't look hurt."
"...Yes..."
"We'll clean up here. You four go ahead and rest."
No sooner had Omaeda finished speaking than ordinary members of the 2nd Division began arriving one after another behind him.
The four of them, including Azuma, greeted Omaeda and set off toward the corridor.
They walked in silence for a while.
Ren was the first to speak.
"Master Azuma... I'm sorry for shouting earlier. And for being arrogant..."
"I'm sorry too."
Mia and Ren bowed their heads in turn.
Azuma shook his head vigorously.
The sharp voice from a moment ago had vanished, and the familiar Azuma had returned.
"...W-well... I mean, I..."
After agonizing over how to respond for a long time, he finally plucked up his courage.
"...Let's go home. Let's go and rest."
At those words, Ren and Mia gave awkward smiles and nodded.
Perhaps... Azuma thought.
Perhaps he might be able to find something he had lost long ago within these three. That thought began to slowly bloom somewhere in his heart.
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