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Chapter 53: The Restless Voices I
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The streets of the first district bustled with midday life, the warm sun washing over the open marketplace and white-tiled alleys.
Akashi walked calmly through it all, his black Shihakushō pristine.
It had been six months since he took responsibility over several Rukongai districts.
Six months of death, research, and silence.
And yet now, he was heading to something mundane: a casual meeting spot with Rangiku and Shunsui, just outside the residential walls of the Seireitei.
A few children ran past him. Merchants argued in the background. He acknowledged a passing Shinigami with a nod, then turned into a quieter street. That was when he saw him.
Tokinada Tsunayashiro.
The nobleman walked at a casual pace, flanked by two subordinates who wore subtle, concealing cloaks.
He stood tall, an unreadable smile on his face, a picture of noble elegance masking something far more venomous.
The moment Akashi saw him, he narrowed his eyes.
He was taking the usual road to the winehouse, a route which they could easily find, so Tokinada being here could only mean one thing: he was waiting for him.
Akashi halted his step directly in Tokinada's path. The nobleman's eyes met his, and they lingered in the silence between them.
"How curious," Tokinada said, his voice smooth, "We seem to cross paths more often than coincidence allows."
He acted as if he hadn't sent six people after him just a while ago, and as if he hadn't been after Akashi for so long.
Akashi didn't blink, "It's definitely fate."
Tokinada gave a polite chuckle, brushing nonexistent dust from his shoulder, "Fate? Indeed, we are fated. We are so fated, in fact, that I have to wonder why we haven't had a drink together yet."
"Lovely, want to come along. I'm going to have a drink with Captain Shunsui and Lieutenant Rangiku right now," Akashi invited with a smile.
One might as well mistake them for long-time friends.
"I was thinking something more private... Tsunayashiro mansion is a very warm, welcoming place." Tokinada made an invitation of his own, his smile widening.
"Oh, I wouldn't want to intrude... I'm known for being somewhat insane. I see things, assassins, ghosts, wouldn't want to tarnish the pristine reputation of your noble family." Akashi shook his head.
If anyone heard their words, they would stare slack-jawed in disbelief. The Tsunayashiro family and Pristine have never had anything to do with each other.
The subtle sarcasm hadn't escaped Tokinada's ears, yet he remained amiable and continued, "No, I insist. You won't be a bother at all."
"I'm more interested in the why," Akashi replied, his tone mild, narrowing his eyes, "What's so interesting about the humble me that I would gain the honor to be personally invited by your noble family?"
Tokinada's smile didn't falter, but a gleam flickered in his eye, "It's the burden of duty. There are pieces that don't belong on the board. Sometimes, you remove them to preserve the whole game."
"Oh, that surprises me... I almost thought that you admired me, yet now you say you want to remove me... I must be misunderstanding things," Akashi raised a brow, as if astounded.
"You are not," Tokinada grinned, "We remove you from the game, then put you in another... In my noble family's game, and thus you'll be with the nobles you respect so much... Forever."
Akashi's lips curved faintly, not quite a smile, "That makes a lot of sense. It's only unfortunate that I am very loyal to the kindest of Captains, Aizen. I can not find it in my heart to leave him."
For a second, neither spoke. Tokinada's subordinates exchanged wary glances, but their master raised a hand.
"Captain Aizen, huh," He muttered, his expression subtle, "That's most unfortunate."
"Indeed," Akashi nodded, "I have to know though... Why do you want me so much?"
"Potential." Said Tokinada, unwilling to say more, "But are you sure you don't want to join me for a drink?"
'He must know the true face of Aizen, right?' Akashi mused, 'Yet he still dares to do this... befitting of the most evil man in this world.'
He raised his head, his expression returning to absolute stillness as he eyed Tokinada, "I will definitely make a visit... When I'm ready." Then he brushed by him.
And as he passed, Tokinada's gaze remained fixed on his back. What lingered behind Tokinada's cold eyes was not simple disdain; it was loathing.
Akashi's last words were most certainly a promise, a promise that he'll make a visit to harvest his life the moment he can.
'Does this worthless peasant think he can touch me? Does he think Aizen can protect him? Forgone was the deal I made with that man... Now, I just want to make you live in nightmares.'
Venemous thoughts surged within Tokinada's gloomy eyes.
Capture was no longer the aim. He would have to find a way to kill Akashi outright.
It didn't matter that he started it.
It didn't matter that he was breaking the terms of the deal he'd had with that unknown man.
Evil doesn't matter to someone like him. Rather, he thrives in it.
'And I get a fragment of the Soul King... You can only blame yourself for existing, young Akashi,' Tokinada licked his lips.
Indeed, Tokinada believes Akashi to have a fragment of the Soul King within him.
He believes him to have a Piece of the soul king, one of the many that were cast into the cycle of reincarnation, thus why some souls and humans are born with those fragments.
It isn't certain, but considering Akashi's perceived talent, he truly thinks so, especially after he heard some rumors about Akashi learning Bankai.
He was, however, unaware that suffering had already shadowed him.
From the moment Akashi walked away, two horrors clung to Tokinada's soul like invisible leeches; Bloody Mary and the Night Hag.
They couldn't be seen, couldn't be touched, and couldn't kill. But they could torment.
They could haunt. Mary would enter Tokinada's dreams, appearing in his mirrors, whispering his name.
The Night Hag would slip into his sleep like a specter, pinning him with a sense of suffocation, flooding him with imagined screams and choked dread.
Akashi had written them to be eternal stalkers; curses that did not end in death, but in slow madness.
'I wonder how someone so evil tastes... Just how much darkness is there within him?' Akashi had to wonder as he vanished into the next street.
Later that evening, Akashi sat by Rangiku, and across from them was Shunsui. The winehouse had a warm look to it, even a sense of nobility, Shunsui's recommendation.
Bottles of fine sake sat between them.
Shunsui sipped with the usual air of boredom, his hat tilted to shade his eyes, "You really don't know when to stop? You're here just for 'Wisdom', aren't you?" He said lazily.
"Not true," Akashi replied, glancing sideways at Rangiku, who was filling his glass with wine he was never gonna finish, "I come for the company. But the wisdom is an added bonus."
Rangiku scoffed, her cheeks flushed already, "Liar. You use me to get to him. Don't think I haven't noticed."
Akashi smiled as he took the first and last sip of the evening, "How can I refuse the company of a beautiful woman such as yourself? I'm definitely here for the company... Have some confidence in yourself."
Rangiku scoffed, her cheeks flushed, either by embarrassment or alcohol, "Hmph, don't believe you."
With no shame, she took the glass of wine from his hand and emptied it in one gulp.
Anyway, he only ever drinks one or two sips, so she got used to finishing his wine.
Shunsui chuckled. "I've told you everything I know about Zanjutsu and Kidō. You planning on replacing me soon?"
"I could never," Akashi said with a chuckle, "Not until I have truly learned everything from you."
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