Bleach: The Forgotten Captain - The Memoirs of Akari Miyazaki

Chapter 14: A Hundred Years Without You - Part 5: Sato

Avoiding Byakuya and Yoruichi's questions wasn't easy, but in the end, I convinced them that it was more important to visit the location and find out if Mana was truly there, instead of dwelling on the source of this information.

Yoruichi was suspicious, but I paid her no further attention. I knew that Gin's secret had to be preserved at all costs. If Aizen had any vulnerability alongside my immunity, Gin was the only one able to may uncover it.

The location was indeed in one of the outer districts of Rukongai, very close to the place Rangiku had intended to scout according to Shin's map.

It was a strange place, devoid of any human presence. The only thing disrupting the landscape was a massive red-brick factory building.

"Pretty conspicuously inconspicuous," Yoruichi grumbled, and I had to agree. It looked exactly like what one would envision as a criminal's hideout.

"It feels like a trap," she added, and I nodded. That's precisely what Gin had told me.

Aizen was likely trying to lure me into a trap by kidnapping and hiding Mana.

"I wonder what you did to anger him once again. Perhaps he just wants to teach you a lesson for meddling again," echoed Gin's words in my mind. Aizen didn't seem to have shared this plan with him. Whether Rangiku was also there, we were about to find out. I sincerely hoped Aizen hadn't taken her to test Gin. If he doubted Gin's loyalty, it would be harder for him to maintain his position.

"Shall we sneak in?" Yoruichi asked, and I shrugged.

"What choice do we have?"

"Well, we could also dance through the main gate, singing loudly."

"I'd love to see Aizen's face during that."

I couldn't help but smile, and Yoruichi's lips twitched upward too. Then we took a deep breath and hurried to reach one of the many windowsills.

We quickly broke into a window. Inside, it was dim, and the air was dusty. We found ourselves in a narrow corridor that ended in a dead-end on the right, so we went left.

It felt like an eternity before we finally reached a corner. We continued down the corridor to venture deeper into the building. After a while, we found ourselves in what seemed like a hall, with several staircases leading both up and down.

"The building feels completely empty," Yoruichi muttered, and I nodded in agreement. There was no Reiatsu to be felt.

"Probably an untraceable barrier."

We followed a staircase down and were not disappointed. After just a few minutes, we came to a large door. It looked somehow significant.

I furrowed my brow, observing Yoruichi, who picked the lock. It was almost too obvious a trap. It was as if Aizen wanted us to notice the trap we were walking into. There had to be more to it. Yoruichi cautiously opened the door, and we crept into the room. Immediately, I felt a familiar Reiatsu, and Yoruichi sharply inhaled.

Before us, hanging on a wall, was Rangiku, her arms and legs bound by chains, her head hanging limply to the side, with a small pool of blood beneath her feet. We looked around, but there was no one in sight.

"Is that her?" Yoruichi suddenly asked, briefly glancing at me. I was about to reply when I remembered Gin's warning: "Be careful. Aizen is planning something I'm not privy to. It might have something to do with Kyoka Suigetsu."

I continued to stare at Yoruichi, nodding ever so cautiously. She turned away from me and rushed towards Rangiku.

"Hello, Mana, I'm Yoruichi, a friend of Akari. Don't worry, we'll get you out of here."