Bleach: Gazing Mirage

Upon reaching the room where Yoruichi awaited them, the maid opened the door and announced their arrival. "Lady Yoruichi, Young Master Yuichi and Young Miss Kira have arrived as requested."

 

Yoruichi, who was sat on a comfortable chair in a lavish room, surrounded by scrolls and books. She looked up as Yuichi and Kira entered, offering them a warm smile. "Welcome," she greeted them. "Please, have a seat."

 

Yuichi and Kira took their seats, their expressions serious as they waited for Yoruichi to address them. Yoruichi leaned back in her chair, her golden eyes fixed on them.

 

As she finished checking the scroll she was holding she looked up and said, "I've heard about the events in the forest," she began, her tone calm and composed. "During such a volatile time Kira you had enough free time to play such a prank. As for you Yuichi, I heard you performed quite poorly in that situation. "

 

She shifted her serious gaze back to Kira. "Kira, Yuichi is currently under my house's protection so if any harm comes to him due to your action then I’ll be upset."

 

Kira nodded in acknowledgment, her demeanor respectful. "Of course, Captain Yoruichi. I understand, and am I correct in assuming that you have someone following both Yuichi and me?"

 

Yoruichi then turned her attention to Yuichi. "Yes, you are I promised to keep you safe. Now for the real reason I called you here. Kira look at these papers and tell me about them."

 

Yuichi glanced at the paper at the same time as Kira did, and he didn’t understand what he was looking at. The two sheets of paper had names written on it. The paper to the left had forty names on it and the one to the write had thirty names.

 

Kira looked up at Yoruichi and asked, “Where did you get this?”

 

Yoruichi's calm gaze began to emit a cold pressure as she said, “Oh good, you do recognize it. Now, do as I asked and explain it.”

 

Yuichi noticed Kira show a face he had never seen before. It looked like whatever these names were they had cornered Kira quite a bit. She sighed and said, “The list on the right were the names that Father and Mother gave me to assassinate.”

 

“What about the one on the left then?” asked Yoruichi

 

“I assume there’s no need for me to answer that question since you already seem to know.” answered Kira

 

“So then are you confirming my suspicions?” asked Yoruichi

 

“I don’t understand what’s going on. Care to explain?” said Yuichi

 

Without saying anything Yoruichi ranga bell calling a maid. She then turned to look at Yuichi her gaze colder than before, “Yuichi go with her. Kira and I have something important to discuss.”

 

Yuichi sensed a growing pressure from Yoruichi so he got up and followed the maid out. When she was sure that they were far away enough to not overhear them she said, “So why did you assassinate these 10 individuals if your parent gave you no such order Kira? Depending on your answer, how I deal with you will change.”

 

Kira, now alone with Yoruichi, seemed to be struggling with the weight of the situation. Her normally composed demeanor was tinged with a hint of anxiety as she contemplated her response. Yoruichi's questions and the list of names had clearly struck a chord with her, and her silence spoke volumes.

 

After a tense moment of silence, Kira finally spoke, her voice low and conflicted. "I didn't have a choice, Captain Yoruichi. Those ten individuals were branch members of rival noble houses, and they were trying to form an alliance with my family. My parents... they made it quite clear that they intended to accept the alliance only if they would hand over certain information. Hearing the details I knew it was a trap and they were being baited so I acted in secret."

 

Yoruichi listened intently to Kira's explanation, her expression still frigid. The revelation that Kira had taken such drastic measures to protect her family's secrets, added another layer of complexity to the situation.

 

"So, it was a matter of safeguarding your family's interests," Yoruichi commented, her tone measured. "I can see why you felt compelled to act, Kira. However, now you’re working with us to undermine the family you tried so hard to safeguard. You can see how inconsistent that sounds correct?"

 

Kira nodded, her gaze fixed on Yoruichi. "I understand the seriousness of my actions, Captain Yoruichi. I was trained to protect my family's interests above all else, and I realize now that there may have been alternatives to what I did. I mainly acted to protect myself, since there wasn’t much I could do, and all those who approached me before did so with the intention of getting close to my family. I couldn’t trust anybody so I acted alone and used the most efficient method. However, my main reason for acting, while selfish at its root was to stop a war from erupting. If my family was implicated the remaining houses would demand the blood of everybody in our household even the servant so I wished to buy some time."

 

Yoruichi continued to scrutinize Kira, her golden eyes unyielding. "Buying time to prevent a war might sound like noble intentions, Kira, but please don’t underestimate my intelligence. The methods you employed were barbaric and morally questionable. You not only took the lives of those scum but you even framed innocent people in the Rukongai district. You might be an exceptional soul reaper candidate but please understand that there’s nothing in the whole of Seireitei that I won’t find out about if I want to know."

 

Kira's expression remained conflicted as she absorbed Yoruichi's words. She knew that there was no way to justify those acts to Yoruichi, and she had been prepared to face the consequences. Yoruichi's stern scrutiny only served to reinforce the gravity of the situation.

 

"I understand, Captain Yoruichi," Kira replied, her voice steady. "I do not seek to justify my actions or downplay their consequences. I am prepared to accept whatever punishment you deem necessary for my actions."