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Post by Fuu Ayumu on Oct 18, 2024 12:57:31 GMT -6
Bleach Unrated: REBOOTEDCurrent Arc: The ChaosEpisode 553 "Guarded Whispers": (continued) Fuu's expression sobered as Yorusuke led her away from prying eyes, into a quieter part of the barracks near the koi pond. Fuu glanced around once more to ensure they were out of earshot. When she was certain they were alone, she exhaled deeply, her storm gray eyes locking onto Yorusuke’s.
“I need to know,” she began, voice low and steady but edged with an urgency Yorusuke had rarely seen from her. “How’s the investigation into the Robin Hood group going?”
Yorusuke blinked, surprised. “You’re off duty, Fuu. You shouldn’t be worrying about—” “I know that,” she cut him off, her voice rising slightly before she forced it back down. “But I can’t stop worrying. You have to understand… this isn’t just about the robberies anymore.”Yorusuke studied her face, concern filling his gaze. He could see the weight she was carrying, the tension in her shoulders. “What’s going on?” Fuu took a quick breath, her hands gripping the fabric of her kimono tightly. “It’s not just the Robin Hood group I’m worried about,” she continued, lowering her voice even further. “It’s the Masanobu Assassins. I need to make sure you’re still keeping that information quiet. No one else can know.”Yorusuke’s eyes narrowed, and his heart sank. He had a feeling where this conversation was headed. “I—” he started to speak, but Fuu’s sharp gaze cut him off. “Please tell me you haven’t told anyone,” she pressed, the urgency in her tone now unmistakable. “Yoru, you can’t—this is life and death. Do you understand that?” |
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Post by Yorusuke Nagano on Oct 18, 2024 22:29:04 GMT -6
Yorusuke felt the weight of her words like a blow. He opened his mouth to respond but hesitated. His eyes flickered with a brief flash of guilt, and Fuu, sharp as ever, didn’t miss it.
“Yoru?” she urged, her tone a mix of panic and suspicion.
Yorusuke exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck as he glanced away. “I told Renji.”
Fuu’s expression immediately shifted to shock, her eyes wide with disbelief. “You what?” she hissed, stepping closer, as if proximity might somehow change what she’d heard. “Why would you tell him?!”
“I didn’t have a choice,” Yorusuke defended, his voice rising slightly. “Renji’s my lieutenant. He’s in charge of the investigation alongside me, and it was impossible to keep him in the dark without raising suspicion. If I didn’t tell him something, he would’ve known I was hiding something important.”
Fuu’s hands clenched at her sides, her breathing quickening. “You don’t get it, Yoru. You just don’t get it.” Her voice was strained, almost desperate. “This isn’t just some sensitive information. This is the Masanobus we’re talking about! Assassins that answer to one of the Six Great Noble Clans. People like us don’t talk about them and live to tell the tale. If this gets out—”
“I know,” Yorusuke interrupted, his face serious now. “I get it, Fuu. Believe me. But Renji’s not going to tell anyone else. He understands how delicate this is.”
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Post by Fuu Ayumu on Oct 18, 2024 22:32:53 GMT -6
Fuu shook her head, disbelief still clouding her features. “Renji doesn’t have a clue what we’re dealing with. If Byakuya—no, if the Koriyamas find out that we know this information, it’s not just you or me at risk. It’s him too. Everyone involved in this will be dead, and that includes us!”
Yorusuke stared at her for a long moment, the full weight of her fear settling onto his shoulders. He knew Fuu wasn’t exaggerating. The Masanobus were a well-guarded secret for a reason, and if this information spread beyond their small circle...
He took a step closer to her, lowering his voice. “Fuu, listen. I’m going to fix this. I’ll talk to Renji and make sure this stays buried. No one else will hear a word, I swear.”
Fuu stared at Yorusuke, her breath shaky as she tried to process his promise. She wanted to believe him—needed to believe him—but the knot in her stomach wouldn’t loosen.
“You say you’ll fix it,” she murmured, her voice still tight with anxiety. “But you don’t understand, Yoru. You’ve already let it slip to someone else. How can you be sure Renji won’t—” She stopped herself, pressing her lips together before she could finish. Her shoulders slumped slightly, and she turned her head away, eyes narrowing with frustration. “Renji’s smart, but he’s too straightforward. He might not even realize what kind of danger he’s in just by knowing about them.”
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Post by Yorusuke Nagano on Oct 18, 2024 22:35:19 GMT -6
Yorusuke moved closer, his expression softening. “Fuu, you know Renji. He’s not going to go running his mouth—”
“He doesn’t have to,” Fuu interrupted, eyes sharp as she looked back at him. “Do you realize how many people could pick up on something just by reading his face or his actions? He doesn’t even need to say anything, and Byakuya could figure it out. You know how sharp Captain Kuchiki is—one wrong move, one poorly-timed reaction, and he’ll know something’s off.”
Yorusuke clenched his jaw, realizing she was right. Renji’s loyalty to Byakuya could easily pull him into a situation he couldn’t control. “I’ll make sure Renji understands. He won’t give anything away.”
Fuu’s expression softened, but her worry remained. “You think I wanted to put you in this position? I didn’t want to bring you into this at all, but now…” She trailed off, shaking her head in frustration.
She crossed her arms, biting her lip as her eyes darted around, searching for answers that didn’t exist. “I shouldn’t have involved you,” she admitted, her voice almost a whisper. “I should’ve handled this myself.”
Yorusuke’s brow furrowed, his tone firm yet gentle. “No, Fuu. This isn’t something you can handle alone. We’re in this together now, and we’ll find a way out.”
Fuu’s gaze softened at his words, but her worry still lingered. “Just… make sure Renji knows what’s at stake. Please. If Byakuya ever finds out that the Masanobus are even being talked about, it’s over for all of us.”
Yorusuke gave a determined nod. “I’ll take care of it. You have my word.”
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Post by Fuu Ayumu on Oct 18, 2024 22:37:39 GMT -6
But Fuu wasn’t sure if a promise would be enough to protect them from the deadly secret now hovering over their heads.
Yorusuke’s sharp eyes narrowed as he watched Fuu, catching the subtle tension in her posture, the way her arms crossed defensively. She’d said plenty, but something about her seemed off—like she was holding something back. He knew Fuu too well to ignore it.
“Fuu,” he said quietly, his voice careful but firm. “You’re not telling me everything, are you?”
She stiffened at his words, her stormy gray eyes widening just slightly before she quickly looked away. “Yoru, I—” she began, but the words faltered, caught in her throat.
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Post by Yorusuke Nagano on Oct 18, 2024 22:39:06 GMT -6
Yorusuke took a step closer, his eyes not leaving her. “I can tell something happened. It’s not just me telling Renji that’s got you like this. I saw it the second you walked in here. What’s going on?”
Fuu remained silent for a moment, her lips pressed together as if debating whether to say more. Yorusuke’s patience thinned, and he decided to press the one point that had been gnawing at the back of his mind.
“What happened when you went to see the Koriyamas?”
Her eyes snapped back to his, and he saw the flicker of worry cross her face. That was it. That was what she was hiding. “Fuu,” he urged, softer this time, sensing the weight she was carrying. “You told me you were going to the Koriyamas. What happened?”
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Post by Fuu Ayumu on Oct 18, 2024 22:40:32 GMT -6
Fuu’s breath hitched as she swallowed, her voice barely above a whisper when she replied. “I told them what I had learned. I thought it would be simple... just tell them. Let them know their secret was safe with me, and leave. But it didn’t happen that way…” She trailed off, her hands trembling slightly as she hugged herself. “It wasn’t what I expected.”
Yorusuke frowned, stepping even closer, concern etched into his features. “What do you mean? What did they say?”
“They want me to help them find the Robin Hood group,” Fuu muttered, her voice edged with frustration. “Apparently, the Robin Hood group has been mocking the Masanobus.” She shook her head slightly, her irritation clear. “They asked me to use my skills to track down the group. That’s why I was relieved of my duties at the Ninth—to make sure my focus was entirely on their agenda, not my job--Captain Hirabayashi’s doing.”
Her gaze flickered around the training grounds as if she were searching for something—or someone. Lowering her voice, she added, “I shouldn’t even be telling you this. It’s only putting you in more danger. I’ve been ordered to report only to them, and nothing I uncover is to go public. Not a word of it can be put in print.”
She leaned in slightly, her voice dropping to a whisper. “And I think they’ve got someone tailing me.”
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Post by Yorusuke Nagano on Oct 18, 2024 22:41:44 GMT -6
Yorusuke’s heart dropped, and his chest tightened as her words sank in. “And you didn’t think to tell me this sooner?” Yorusuke asked, his voice filled with both concern and a hint of frustration.
“I didn’t want to drag you into it,” she whispered, her eyes filled with guilt. “But I guess I’ve already done that by giving you the information in the first place.”
Yorusuke looked at her with steely resolve. “Then we’ll be smarter, faster. You’re not facing this alone.” Yorusuke's jaw tightened. He was usually calm and collected under pressure. He understood the weight of what he had done, even if he hadn’t thought it through at the time.
“I’m sorry,” Yorusuke said, voice low. “I didn’t think it’d go this far. I only told Renji because—”
“Because you didn’t realize what you were dealing with,” Fuu interjected, stepping back and running a hand through her hair in frustration. “This isn’t some standard investigation, Yoru. The Masanobus… they’re on another level. They’re ghosts. No one knows who they are, how they operate, or even where to find them. The only reason we know anything is the information that the old man gave me. And even that...”
She shook her head, her heart pounding in her chest. “The more people know, the higher the chance of it all blowing up in our faces.”
Yorusuke stood silent, the weight of the situation sinking in fully now. “I’ll talk to Renji,” he said after a long pause. “I’ll make sure he understands the gravity of it. He won’t say anything.”
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Post by Fuu Ayumu on Oct 18, 2024 22:43:22 GMT -6
“He’d better not,” Fuu muttered, her tone softening slightly as she let out a breath. “Or we’re all screwed.”
The silence between them stretched as Fuu tried to gather her thoughts. The koi swam lazily in the pond beside them, oblivious to the tension between the two Soul Reapers.
“About the Robin Hood case…” she said, shifting the conversation to something else. “How’s it going? Have you found anything new?”Yorusuke’s expression shifted slightly, though the tension lingered. “We’ve made progress. Renji and I traced the latest heist to a guy who we think might be involved in distributing the stolen goods.” Fuu nodded, relieved to hear that at least one investigation wasn’t spiraling out of control. “Good. Just keep following the leads. But Yoru…” She met his eyes, her voice soft but firm. “Be careful. I didn’t tell the Koriyama head I shared the information I found with anyone else. If we poke the wrong hornet’s nest…”“I get it,” Yorusuke replied, his voice equally low. “I won’t let anything slip again. You have my word.” Fuu studied him for a moment longer before nodding. “I’ll hold you to that.”
With a final glance at the pond, Fuu turned to leave, her heart still heavy with the weight of the secrets they both now shared. She had done what she could to contain the situation, but the looming threat of the Masanobu’s information getting out lingered in the back of her mind like a dark shadow.~END RP~ "Working in the Evening"
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