an eye for an eye

A shadow stood beneath the eaves of the wall behind Carmen. Zhi was just around the corner, his spiritual pressure reduced to the point that it might as well had never existed. 

“Do not move,” he commanded. “Do not turn, do not search. When you leave this meeting, you will never know who I am.” 

Zhi paused, to let her think. 

“Are you familiar with the crime of pursuing or studying hollowfication?” 

“If you know it is illegal, why did you ignore King’s research when he showed it to you?” Zhi asked. He ignored her question and pressed forward. “Why did you indulge him in his desires to look into the forbidden?” 

A second man, one from the same fold but hidden to a degree that surpassed even Zhi, pressed the cold steel of a naked blade into the back of Carmen’s neck. “Are you a threat to the Soul Society, or were you doing what you only felt would make us stronger?” 

The blade melted away, and Zhi stepped from the shadows.  

“Turn, Alvaro-Fukutaichou.” Zhi was wearing his standard shinigami attire, complete with eyepatch. There was no sword on his hip, and his hands held each other behind his back. His posture was immaculate and his look hard; the salt in his hair did little to ease his heavy appearance. 

“There have been many in the Goteijuusantai that have claimed that they were not a threat. They liked to think that pretending to do their duties removed the potential for disaster that they represented.” Zhi’s eye narrowed. “I brought you out here for two reasons, Alvaro-Fukutaichou. The first is to ask you a question.” 

If Alvaro was perceptive, she’d notice that there were many presences surrounding her. They hid in the shadows and on the walls, all out of sight and impossible to pick out. The executive militia of the Onmitsukido were nothing if not stealthy. “If you had bankai, what would you do with it?” 

Even with age clouding his sight over time, Zhi still was able to read a person’s body language. Alvaro’s answer was genuine, and that was both good and bad. 

“Next question. If you had bankai, would you attempt to become a captain?” After she answered, he’d ask another. “If you became a captain, would you use your resources to research the taboo?” And another. “If you became a captain, would you continue your pursuits with hollow research? Would you share your research? Would you defy any cease and desist demand if you knew you could get away with it?” 

Pause. Zhi’s eye narrowed. 

“If King came to you tonight and asked for your assistance, and you had bankai and the role of captain, would you help him?” 

“You are dangerous,” Zhi started, “because you listen to your emotions. You harken to your own sense of justice without regard to what Soul Society deems good or evil. Your moral code is worth more to you than two thousand years of tradition. I doubt there is much that could correct your views.” 

There was a wakizashi in Zhi’s hand. When it had got there was almost impossible to tell. The hilt was wrapped in black fabric and slightly grey from years of use. “If I stabbed this blade into the ground, it would mean your execution Alvaro-Fukutaichou. The two reasons I arranged this meeting was to see if you were captain material, and if you could assist me in a certain matter. 

“Now I am considering having you killed. I believe it is only a matter of time before you betray the Soul Society. You have yet to give me a reason to think you wise or responsible enough to be a free woman. Can you think of a reason why I should think differently?” 

Zhi flipped the blade in his hand so that it was in a reverse grip. His body language made it clear that at any moment, he could signal her death. 

“You contradict yourself, Alvaro-Fukutaichou.” Zhi took a step back and brandished the blade. “You say your loyalty cannot be broken, but you said you’ll disobey authority and break the law. You say you wouldn’t have been made fukutaichou if not for your loyalty, but you were made fukutaichou by a traitor. What am I to make of this? Of you?” 

Carmen’s next answer, in Zhi’s mind, would seal her fate. Just as he had hundreds of times before with new recruits, he had put her into a hole with two ways out. If she was the one he was hoping for, her exit would not involve death. 

Zhi listened. He pondered. And when Carmen Alvaro finished and asked him his question, the chief responded by lifting his arm, flashing the blade through the air and-- 

--Letting it fall back down into his sleeve. The presences that lingered at the end of Carmen’s perception faded so quickly it as as if they had never been there at all. Zhi lowered his arm then and crossed his arms behind his back. 

“Follow me, Alvaro-Fukutaichou.” 

Before Alvaro could respond, Zhi turned and began to walk away. She’d be a fool not to follow. 

The short journey past in silence. The night was dead, as most of the parties and other events that would normally be happening had been canceled due to the tension brought on by wartime. To Alvaro it might have made the situation uncomfortable. To Zhi, it was preferred. 

Eventually their journey took them to the center of the Seireitei: Soukyouku Hill. Zhi lead them half way up the winding stairs until they reached a small cove--cave pitch black. Upon taking a step in, a single candle flickered to life. Shadows danced along the cold, stone walls, and outside the mouth of the cave the wind was howling. 

At the center of it all was a wooden door. 

“There are threats you don’t know about, Alvaro-Fukutaichou,” Zhi began, “and the Onmitsukido needs allies. A lot of what you know is a lie. And to confirm what you’re thinking--King is no traitor. But we do not know if he will return.” 

Zhi’s foot came down and the trapdoor sprang open. 

“We need someone who will bring order to the coming storm. A captain who won’t break when confronted with espada. A captain who won’t betray their own over their own personal justice. You are a variable, Alvaro-Fukutaichou. But it is variables that will decide this coming war. 

“Go down this ladder. There you will find a doll. Stab it with your zanpakutou. It will tell you the rest.”