Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Zanpaku-to? ❯ Delta MkII ( Chapter 38 )

Tite Kubo owns Bleach. I just borrowed the characters. I do own Atonomatsuri (the bird) and Piecrust (the jerk).

 

Warning: There may be a few spoilers in this chapter.

 

 

 

Delta MkII

 

“The orchids were meant to be on this table. I chose them specifically and placed them here, earlier. I put the other flowers out, just to be nice because this room is so dull. Someone moved them,” he heard the 10th Division second-in command tell her captain. She kept her voice low, but it was audible to those sitting near by and Zaraki could tell she was unhappy, and not just about the switch.

 

“They are flowers, Matsumoto. Mere decorations. It doesn't matter on which table they are placed. You can still admire them and block out the proceedings as you planned to do, but please refrain from talking to me unless it's relevant,” the short, sharp reprimand from Hitsugaya quelled his Assistant Captain, but a dissatisfied look crossed her face as she looked with longing at the orchids.

 

The placement of the flowers now made more sense, but all the same it was strange that a Shinigami would be bothered to change the flower arrangements. True, Zaraki hated chrysanthemums, but what were flowers? An (occasionally) scented, ornamental weed that might be eaten, if you were desperate and it wasn't poisonous. Some gardeners, obviously people with too much time on their hands, would breed out the scent of the flower trying to get a new colour. What was the point in that? The scent was more important than the sight because the scent could carry further and the combination of both could be pleasant.

 

What the hell was he thinking? Flowers? Now? Pleasant? This was absurd. He had more important things to concentrate on than considering floral arrangements; for example the outcome of this hearing or where he would go after the hearing. He had a distinct impression that he would probably wish to drink some sake or even some beer after the hearing finished today. Maybe both; but not in the same glass. There were limits to how low he was prepared to sink and while he'd seen Madarame drink the concoction as a bet, he'd also seen the consequence within a few hours. A few glasses of the stuff and Madarame's skin had gradually become a waxy colour and sweat beaded on his forehead. Then his eyes had become extremely bloodshot and he had complained of the fur that he felt growing on his tongue. He'd stuck his tongue out insisting that his Captain observe the growth of the fur. After a glance, Zaraki had told him that he should take a long drink of water and an even longer walk.

 

The bets! Zaraki suddenly remembered that they were still at the beginning of a set of complicated bets between Madarame and Abarai. So far he thought two of them had been completed but if there were five bets that meant three more could happen at any time. He hoped neither of the idiots decided that the hearing was an excuse to try for the next one.

 

While the 10th Division Assistant Captain had become quiet, but still looked dissatisfied, he noticed Abarai was talking very quietly to his Captain. His face was more animated than normal and he occasionally flashed a small smile. Kuchiki looked bored and raised an eyebrow in an inquisitive manner more than once.

 

“Kindly cease your attempts at humour, Assistant Captain Abarai,” he finally said. “They are neither amusing, nor enlightening and I believe we should direct our attention to the Captain General as he has now arrived,” was the cutting reproof.

 

Madarame seemed to hear this and Zaraki heard him grunt in approval. “He's trying too hard and in the wrong place,” he said aloud. He nodded in satisfaction, rubbed his arm carefully and glanced toward his captain only to notice he was being observed. Blinking in shock he shot a look at Abarai and then grinned sheepishly.

 

“A stupid place and time to try to fulfil a bet, eh, Madarame,” Zaraki couldn't prevent the observation.

 

“Ur, yeah. It's one he can't win.”

 

“Silence,” the 1st Division Assistant Captain Choujirou said loudly and raked the room with a chilling look. “This is a solemn hearing, not a place to tell jokes or have a discussion about irrelevant matters.”

 

Did the bet have something to do with making Kuchiki laugh? If Abarai had taken that bet there was little chance he would succeed. The only way to make that cold fish laugh would be to … as he tried to think of any method of forcing a laugh from Kuchiki he was thwarted by the lack of potential. Would it even be possible?

 

While Zaraki was distracted by the likelihood of making the noble Captain laugh, Choujirou turned to Kurotsuchi. “You may sit at the table with your defence team. If you speak out of turn you will be removed until you are required to provide your evidence.”

 

“I object,” Captain Kuchiki said before the prisoner could speak. “As his future rests on the results of this hearing, Captain Kurotsuchi should be present throughout.” His firm tone indicated that he was prepared to delay the hearing until this was agreed.

 

“You are taking too much onto yourself, Choujirou,” Yamamoto said. “I think you have read one too many English detective novels. This is a different system of law.”

 

“The accused became over-excited when he was told of the trial. I fear he will interfere and complicate matters. We could gag him,” Assistant Captain Choujirou's eyes flashed with satisfaction at the thought.

 

To Zaraki's surprise Captain Ukitake interrupted. “Keep to your role as bailiff, please, Assistant Captain. Can we commence as we have limited time and I am sure everyone would like this to conclude as quickly as possible.”

 

“Agreed,” the slightly hoarse voice of Hitsugaya concurred as he nodded his head.

 

Yamamoto banged his stick on the floor and glared at the 13th Division Captain. “I am the authority here, Captain Ukitake and I make the decisions. Do I need to remind you of your position?”

 

There was a terse silence and it seemed that many people were holding their breath as they awaited the fireworks that might erupt. Zaraki hoped they would. He knew that this was going to be boring and a screaming match might distract everyone for a while.

 

Ukitake bowed his head deferentially. “I apologise, Sir. My eagerness to proceed with this overcame my sensibilities.”

 

Permitting the silence to lengthen for a few minutes, Yamamoto finally nodded. “The hearing will now commence. Assistant Captain Choujirou, read the charges against the accused.”

 

The man stood at the front of the room, a sheaf of paper clutched in his hand. He swept the room with his eyes, placed his fingers against his mouth, cleared his throat subtly, then more loudly and commenced reading.

 

“Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi is hereby charged with the following:

 

The possession and use of treasonous objects;

Placing hearing and viewing devices in the quarters and offices of seated officers and captains without authorisation;

Inciting a fight to the death in a public place without due regard to the citizens and by laws of the Seireitei during a time of heightened security awareness;

Unlawful invasion of 4th Division on at least two occasions, causing acute discomfort to the Captain of that Division and then bringing frivolous charges against Shinigami who were acting in accordance to ordnances as set down in the by-laws of the Seireitei;

Continued accusations and incitement of a hate campaign against Kenpachi Zaraki, Captain of the 11th Division; and

Unlawful and criminal experimentation on subjects causing death.”

 

As the charges were read, Zaraki became increasingly confused. The first two charges were no surprise, but what ordnances were meant by number 4? He'd never heard of them, but then he'd never studied the law. That would mean reading some of those boring books that he'd avoided since the Academy. Sure, he'd read sometimes, but only the things he wanted to read, not stuff about laws or legalities. Leave that to the eggheads who actually cared.

 

There was hurried and urgent whispering in the court as people assimilated the breadth of the charges. Some were more important than others and could result on the Captain being returned to the prison from which Kisuke Urahara had liberated him. At least one charge could mean the death penalty and some of the others would mean he would be stripped of his powers and returned to Soul Society to survive as an ordinary soul. It would be hard work to prove his innocence of all the charges, especially the 4th charge as he had been the one to pursue it so avidly, resulting in the punishment of Hanatoro and Ayasegawa.

 

Shooting a glance at Retsu, it began to dawn on Zaraki why the Captain General had asked her to visit him the previous evening. She must have done her research and invoked the charge against him. Until now it had not crossed his mind that Retsu could hold a grudge or even appear slightly vindictive, but then he remembered how she had mentioned the man had been invading her personal space and requesting dinner invitations. There was obviously more there than he had guessed.

 

“I reject the last 4 charges,” Kurotsuchi said, his voice wavering.

 

“The man's not shrieking, at least not yet,” Atonomatsuri said. “You'd expect him to reject the charges, but maybe he made a mistake. He shouldn't be talking. The rest should be silence.”

 

“I apologise on behalf of the Captain,” Kuchiki said smoothly. “The last 4 charges have come as a shock to us all and I believe we need more time to prepare a case for the defence. He did not mean to speak out of turn.”

 

“Yeah, right,” Zaraki thought. “Kuchiki's going to have trouble making the man keep his mouth shut.

 

“The charges stand and you will be answer them on the evidence you currently have. We will examine the first two charges today. The accused will have to address each one, but I will allow you to select another Captain to investigate the charges, or your Assistant Captains may be excused now to begin their explorations,” Yamamoto's voice was stern.

 

“Where's Captain Tosen when you need him?” he heard Kuchiki mutter. Then addressing the Captain-General had asked with due deference, “May I have time to confer with my fellow Captain?”

 

Yamamoto nodded, reluctantly it seemed to Zaraki and he noticed both the offence and defence seemed to be unhappy. From the looks they cast at their Assistant Captains, it seemed they did not hold much hope that they provide the information that was required.

 

“Sir, may I request the support of Captain Kyoraku?” Ukitake asked suddenly as his eyes lit on his Assistant Captain. A look of relief flooded his face as the old man nodded.

 

“I request the aid of Captain Komamura” Kuchiki said with resignation.

 

“Not much choice for the poor man, is there Kenny?” Atonomatsuri said with a strange note of enjoyment in her voice. “There's small choice in rotten apples.”

 

At the same time Yachiru chimed in, speaking softly in his ear. “I thought he might choose you, Ken-chan. I'm so pleased he didn't. I hate reading those musty books. Their smell makes me sneeze.”

 

The two comments coming together made Zaraki's teeth snap shut. Damn it, Yachiru was right. He could have been chosen, but that wasn't likely as he was one of the witnesses and so was Retsu, or was she? Weren't they all, to some degree, as the actions of the Clown Captain had an impact on all of them. Was the vulture implying he was a rotten apple? It'd be exactly the sort of barb she would use, if she wanted to annoy him, but she'd asked him to trust her earlier.

 

After receiving some comments from Yamamoto, the 1st Division Assistant Captain announced, “There will be a short recess. You may leave the room, but be back within 15 minutes or you will be fined.”

 

Sighing, Zaraki got to his feet. Another damned delay and there was all this added stuff going on. “Let's get some tea,” he told his subordinates. “These are going to be dratted, dry proceedings and I need to wet my throat if I'm going to have to sit here.”

 

“We could have sake, or beer,” Madarame began and then stopped, quelled by the looks given by his superior officers. “Tea sounds good to me,” he hastily added.

 

“Yeah, tea. Rose tea for me. The taste is almost as attractive as my complexion,” Ayasegawa said leading the way to the nearest tea shop. Zaraki followed, hoping it wouldn't be too crowded. He felt like eating something, knowing he'd get hungry during the morning even though he'd had breakfast. Sitting still and being bored made him focus on eating and he would convince himself he was hungry, unless he'd eaten very recently. If he became hungry he might either fall asleep or become surly and he felt he was already on the way to being in a bad mood. The night in 4th Division, the problem with his foot and all the other matters were forcing him into unfamiliar positions.

 

“Is that before, after or during the time you wear a facial mask?” Yachiru asked with interest. “Because when you're covered with that goop, it looks like your face is melting.”

 

“Do you mind?” Ayasegawa sniffed angrily. “When you start getting pimples or skin blemishes from eating too many sweets, we know who you'll come running to for help.”

 

“I can ask Lolly. Her complexion is so pretty and she has so few wrinkles. That's because she smiles with her eyes, rather than wrinkling her forehead,” Yachiru was now focusing her teasing on the 5th seat. It might be because Madarame, her normal target was still recovering from his wounds, or her natural mercurial personality.

 

Madarame was laughing at Yachiru's comments and ducked from a slap aimed at him by his friend.

 

“Stop encouraging our Assistant Captain,” Ayasegawa demanded. “You can pay for the tea and I've rethought who I'm going to invite on my break in the human world,” he sniped heavily. “Ran looks in need of a holiday.”

 

They were now seated at a table and hurriedly gave their orders. The shop was busy with staff bustling around supplying the needs of many Shinigami who had only recently been seated at the hearing. Unfortunately the demand for rose tea had been high and Ayasegawa unhappily selected plum tea which he viewed as a very inferior substitute from the expression on his face. Yachiru also chose plum tea, Madarame asked for Green Tea and Zaraki requested the strong Chinese Iron Buddha tea. As it contained almost as much caffeine as coffee, he hoped it would stop him falling asleep. It would really annoy the Captain-General if he had to wake Zaraki up to provide information of if he started breathing loudly. He didn't want the old man even more annoyed than he already was. He might decide to dump some other useless Shinigami in his Division and he had enough trouble with Piecrust.

 

Before he answered, their order was delivered. Zaraki poured his tea and ate whatever was closest. It didn't matter; it was only fuel for his body.

 

“Lotus root and pineapple. That's pretty strange, Ken-chan, but it's sweet,” Yachiru said and quickly took the dish placing it in front of her, her large eyes warning the others not to touch. “I like it.”

 

“I don't think that it would be a good idea to invite the 10th Division Assistant Captain,” Zaraki said heavily. “Nor should you invite Nemu.” He thought of a way of continuing to tease his 5th seat that might cause him the most amount of concern and would distract him from his conceit. “Piecrust needs a friend. Maybe you should take him.”

 

Ayasegawa choked on the sip of plum tea he had taken. His eyes bugged out and he coughed, while covering his mouth daintily with one hand.

 

“Or you could take me,” Zaraki suggested slyly, “or Yachiru. And I only remember offering you two days leave. I didn't say anyone else could go.”

 

Nodding dejectedly and sipping his tea Ayasegawa agreed. “It was only an idea I had. I thought a visit to the human world might be good for Ikkaku after being injured and I was teasing him.” Moodily he picked up a bun filled with pork and prawns and bit it. “You know how it is. These things are better shared.”

 

Madarame's response was drowned out by the noise of the other Shinigami leaving. Madarame noticed, tossed some coins on the table as payment and they all left hurriedly. It was crowded at the doorway to the hearing, but people tried to enter and seat themselves swiftly. The captains were still conferring, speaking low and rapidly. Kyoraku looked perfectly at ease while Ukitake and Soi emphasized some point, but his Assistant Captain was taking rapid notes in an efficient manner. Komamura was asking heated questions of the prisoner and Kuchiki and making Iba write down the responses.

 

“Damn it, this is serious,” Zaraki thought reluctantly and for a change found he wanted to talk to Atonomatsuri. She'd seemed amused by the whole thing in the past; maybe she could show him the funny side of it. “This is serious, just as Piecrust's hearing will be serious. I'd hoped this might end up being a bit of a joke, but now everyone's acting like it's a matter of life or death.”

 

“It is. That man, poor excuse for a soul that he is, might die,” Atonomatsuri said. Her voice carried none of the usual overtones and it reinforced his acceptance that his action had set off a series of events that could injure the man. Worse than that, it could affect the spirit of the Seireitei badly.

 

“I don't effing care,” Zaraki thought with determination. “He was trying to get me kicked out and killed. He is a dangerous lunatic. I've killed countless others so I don't feel any guilt over this escapee from the asylum.”

 

A rapping on the floor made the room quieten and the newly instructed Captains left, accompanied by their subordinates. It could be anyone's guess how they would be able to conduct their investigations with most of the witnesses being cloistered within the hearing and thus not within easy reach for questioning, but that was the situation. As the Captain-General entered and the last people quickly located seats, Zaraki finally looked at Kurotsuchi.

 

The man was glaring at him. His makeup was in place, his hat slightly askew, but the malice that glittered in his eyes was unmistakeable. A look of glee crossed his face as he noticed Zaraki's gaze and he mouthed something at him. Not being experienced at lip reading, or keen to find out what the man was saying, Zaraki spread his lips in an insolent smile and winked at the man. The outrage, that was the response, forced Zaraki to turn his eyes elsewhere in case he snorted with laughter. Did he seriously think he could intimidate the Captain of the 11th Division by looking at him? Hell, even if the guy was standing over him with an axe, he'd still find him amusing. He decided to look at Yachiru and noticed that the girl was also staring at the Clown Captain the edge of her pink tongue showing between her lips. Quickly she poked it out at the man while making a face.

 

Covering his face with his palm, Zaraki coughed and rubbed his eyes. The urge to laugh was almost overwhelming but to do so would draw attention to Yachiru. He coughed hard again while nudging her sharply in the ribs. All the time he acknowledged that Yachiru was perhaps responding as the situation warranted. The man had reverted to childish behaviour with the hate glare and mouthed threats, for he was certain they were not words of friendship, and then the outraged reaction to a smile.

 

Having buried himself in 12th Division for so long, perhaps he had begun to believe in that he was evolving into a god like being. Too many people inhabited this place with overbearing opinions of thief own superiority. What did it matter anyway? They were never going to be king, no matter what feeble ideas and schemes Aizen had formulated. They were lucky to be Shinigami within the Seireitei and separated from the unremitting violence and despair that was part of Soul Society. But mindless violence did still hold its appeal. When this was over he'd freaking go to the human world, despite the old man's prohibitions and find a few of those evolved Hollows and fight them. What were they called? Aaron-car? Amazon.com? Whatever, it didn't matter. As long as they were more powerful and didn't die too quickly as he fought them.

 

There had been rumours of a mission going to the human world, but the hearing had become the focus of the gossip so he hadn't heard about any recent developments. If there was a party going, he'd like to join it, but given all the incidents in the last few days it would be unlikely that the Captain-General would send him. He'd probably send the one of the more favoured captains, Ukitake or the guy wearing the kimono, or even the child captain. Probably the kid, as a test to see how he handled the pressure of being out of his normal environment.

 

A sharp rapping recalled him to the events unfolding around him. “We will have order. Cease all whispered conversations or suffer the consequences,” Choujirou ordered loudly.

 

Give the man any form of authority and it went straight to his head. He really seemed to be enjoying directing the actions and it was the first time Zaraki had seen him so animated. A slight pink was visible in his cheekbones and though he tried to hide it, he stood with more assurance in his normal ramrod posture.

 

As the whispers ceased the Captain-General stood. “During the recess it was requested that certain charges be withdrawn. As a courtesy to a Captain of the Gotei 13, it has been agreed that the last charge will be deferred. This serious allegation requires further proof and there are a number of arguments that in the matters of research all normal restrictions should be lifted.”

 

There was a loud rumble within the room at this and a few shouted comments.

 

“Torture isn't research.”

 

`I thought science was about observation, not causing pain.”

 

“Let's use him for research. See how he reacts,” the last was uttered by a familiar voice, but Zaraki resisted the impulse to turn his head toward his subordinates.

 

“Silence. There will be silence,” the terse command from the Captain General made the room settle into an uneasy peace.

 

“Why is that charge being deferred? Wouldn't it be the easiest to prove? All the old man would have to do is get some of the 12th Division to report on what they'd seen,” he furrowed his brow and scowled heavily as he thought.

 

“Yamamoto really has it in for the guy, doesn't he, Kenny?”

 

“Huh? What do you mean?” The bird had confused him with her comment. It seemed to him that he was actually giving the man more opportunity than he should, but maybe there was something more there. In looking at Kurotsuchi he noticed that at first he smiled and then the smile dropped from his face and he brought his hand to his mouth, rubbing his lips in a distracted manner, smearing the make-up he wore. It had evidently dawned on him that this was not the good news it appeared to be.

 

A loud sigh was followed with: “In baiting a mousetrap with cheese, always leave room for the mouse.”

 

He wrestled with himself. Of course he wanted to know what the vexing vulture was talking about, but maybe he could work it out for himself. Baiting a mousetrap? What did mice and cheese have to do with Kurotsuchi? The man was more of a rat than a mouse; a black, plague carrying rat that would spread disease and dissent if left free. Despite his attempt at working it out, nothing became clearer and he couldn't resist asking, “What do you mean by that?”

 

“Kenny, Kenny, Kenny! I despair of you sometimes. I thought even you might capture the subtle nuances of the old man's reasoning. If the Clown Captain is found innocent of all the other charges brought against him, which is exceedingly unlikely, he will be under investigation for his methods of research in a separate hearing. He will be found guilty. I wonder what he did to Yamamoto to annoy him so much.” The speculation in the bird's voice indicated she had a few ideas which actions might have annoyed Yamamoto.

 

Zaraki's mouth dropped open as the full import of the situation was shown to him. If the man wasn't wearing any makeup he wondered what colour his face would be. He would know the extent that his research had crossed the line into something more than the search for knowledge. No matter how much loyalty his Division owed him they would not be able to stand against the questioning of the Commander in Chief. Every dirty, little, secret experiment would be exposed if Kurotsuchi managed to survive the first hearing.

 

“He's probably doing it to save time,” Zaraki suggested. “That would take too long. Too many witnesses and I suppose hearing the details might make some people vomit.” Having heard some of the rumours about some of the methods used had forced Zaraki to go and find a fight somewhere. That meant he went and got involved in a brawl with anyone stupid enough to look at him sideways. Fortunately Iba had been looking for a fight that day and had been only too pleased to spar, at first. He'd been released from 4th Division within the week after the fight and hadn't expressed any anger toward Zaraki, just a tendency to keep his hand on his zanpaku-to with a white knuckled grip when they passed in the street.

 

“Today we are only addressing the first two of the charges. Captain Ukitake, could you please explain these charges.” Seemingly disgruntled that he had to hand over the proceedings, Choujirou bowed almost insultingly shallowly to the 13th Division Captain who bowed politely in return once he had risen to his feet.

 

“The charges are as follows,” Ukitake said calmly. “The possession and use of treasonous objects; This amounts to finding within the accused possession and use a copy of the Captain -General's chair, coat of office with the number 0 on the back and certain papers which have since come to light. These papers fully explain the plan to reorganise the Seireitei once the author, who we will prove is Captain Kurotsuchi, had obtained power. A mitigating factor is no plan had yet been discovered on how he planned to gain this power. The second charge affects all of us here.” He paused, cleared his throat and looked very grave. “The accused is charged with placing hearing and viewing devices in the quarters and offices of seated officers and captains without authorisation. This means that none of us have had privacy for some years and it is highly possible that many secret conversations have been violated by these devices. These charges are indeed serious and we will, with the benefit of evidence and witnesses prove that the defendant is guilty of all charges.”

 

Rukia poured a glass of water and appeared to be insisting that her captain drink it. She was assisting him in preference to his two 3rd seats who had, so Zaraki had heard whispered, ended up in a shouting and pushing match over who would provide the most assistance to the captain whom they both revered. The incident had upset Captain Ukitake and he had asked Rukia if she could settle matters. Her stern reminder that the Captain needed peace and assistance shamed both Koutestu and Kotsubaki into silence and they had pleaded that she assist the captain with his investigations.

 

Both of the 3rd seats were sitting together occasionally jostling each other or making rapid whispered accusations. The both smiled at their Captain if he happened to glance in their direction and nodded at Rukia with a seeming tolerance.

 

Kuchiki rose while Ukitake was drinking his water. “We intend to prove that while the accused may not be completely innocent of all charges, there are extenuating circumstances which will make his actions easier to understand,” he paused as there was an excited hubbub.

 

“I thought he had to prove the Clown Captain was innocent, Ken-chan. Is there a verdict of not very guilty or nearly innocent? I thought it was guilty or not guilty,” Yachiru looked as confused as Zaraki felt. She twined her fingers in her hair, a sure sign she felt that something was very odd.

 

“I don't know,” he admitted.

 

“In Scotland there is the verdict of not proven,” Atonomatsuri told Zaraki.

 

That didn't help either. This hearing was definitely set up to prove at least a level of guilt, but he was certain that Kuchiki was being tricky. The man had a clever mind and might be planning to turn this around or even make them believe black was white or that Kurotsuchi was a nice person with only the good of the Seireitei as his main interest. He might have managed it if he had Aizen's zanpaku-to and had the ability to hypnotise everyone into believing the impossible, but he didn't. Aside from that, people had memories. They could recall events and weigh evidence for themselves and the possibility that everyone could be convinced of Kurotsuchi's innocence didn't seem possible.

 

Yet, there was one factor that Zaraki knew from experience. People might have memories, but memories could be short and important events might be forgotten or confused as other things happened. Hadn't he forgotten about being a….

 

“Still ill prepared to face the truth?” chided Atonomatsuri. “Truth fears no questions.”

 

“We're in the wrong place for that,” Zaraki sniped back. “I'm sure the Clown Captain doesn't want the truth to interfere with his defence.”

 

The noble stood there, his usual dignity evident as he quietly regarded the people assembled for the hearing. “In times when we face more peril than has been experienced for over a hundred years, we need to assess the facts and act on the facts. Supposition, half truths, invalid conclusions need to be stripped aside and only the truth will remain,” the Captain paused and again regarded the room with a clear, measured look. His next words almost made Zaraki forget all that had been said before. “To begin, Captain Kurotsuchi will remove his makeup and show the Seireitei his true face.”

 

 

 

Author's Note.

 

Going on holidays overseas always interferes with writing, as do any number of distractions. Hopefully the updates may happen more regularly. Now, if I can cure my addiction to Lost in Blue 3, I might spend more time writing.

 

The suggestions Choujirou makes about confining Kurotsuchi of course do not reflect English law, or any law I know of. It's a poor attempt at humour and possibly the last time I permit Atonomatsuri to include one of her `jokes'. I sometimes wonder if the bird has any sense of humour but she threatened to talk to me, at length, so I caved.

 

The title for this chapter is from a song by The Orb called Delta MkII. It samples some words from the McCarthy trials and commences with `The hearing continued as follows…'

 

Thank you to Afrieal I had a fun trip and spent too much money;

Chrosis: the shika is not really a shika but the blade gets really large and part of the too late power is released;

Spedclass: Hi;

Ancestor's Dragon: Zaraki and Atonomatsuri have a relationship? Um, please don't tell them. I hate to think of the consequences.

Swordbunny: I hope you find this interesting too

Cookbook24: At last, it's happening. I wonder what will happen next?

Woot: I want to know too, which worries me a little.

X-elemental: Aizen didn't give Mayuri any orders. Aizen set something in motion, but more of that later.

GinIchimaru321: I suppose this is uncool too because the trial still going on. XD. Sorry.

Lunatic Pandora 1: Neither can I.

Abhishek20: It's a scary thought, the bird and Zaraki working together, but it might prove interesting.

Shinkicker: Wow. Thank you so much. I hope you enjoy the update and here's some more story.

VLS: See, an update. I did listen to you.

ItachiJr08: I don't know. The idea for this story sort of came up behind me, beat me over the head a few times and then proceeded to change my life.

AmeKage: A bit later than I hoped for an update.

BleachedFighter: Eleven is a good number. So close to Elven.

Sirfatalpapercut: I hope the papercut gets better soon.

Gumbycan: I feel humble. A quick move to bankai would be wrong, and with the way these two get on, I think there'll be more trouble than Ichigo has with his Hollow.

 

Thank you for the reviews!!!!

 

Please review.

 

MS