One is Too Many

Quick, quick and I'll let you get going. Just a short chapter today but I'll post another tomorrow. So bear with it and remember Tetsummi is Kira's third seat and best friend. Thank you to bahnona for breaking your pattern and I'm sorry you don't like Kira! I adore him, he's in my top five. And sweetsatincocoa for your very encouraging review!



~Tetsummi~


I shove the young men ahead of me, pushing them to the floor. “You have to give Lieutenant Kira the respect he deserves. He's doesn't need your laughter or mockery.” I kneel easily to look them over; it would be a shame to lose them, they are both good fighters and able reitsu users.

“Why? He's not a leader, he can't fight, he's just a pretty toy the former Captain pulled from nowhere.” The lower ranking men both nod, staring boldly up at me; I have no idea where they got this kind of attitude.

A sword calloused hand runs through thick shaggy hair and I sigh, eyes fixed on the wall. “I'm going to tell you a story and if you still feel that way, I'll put in a transfer for you tonight.” Both boys start and begin to protest, falling silent under a hard glare. “We survive by sticking together and supporting him. If you won't, you can go to another division.” I hope.

The former Captain would never sign the transfers but maybe this one will; he has a reputation for being a decent man, honest if rough around the edges. Of course, so did our silver-haired traitor Captain before he gained control and look where that got us. “How long do you think I've been in this division?” Young heads shake. “Two hundred years. I was here before Ichimaru came, before Kira was even born. One hundred and seventy five years ago, a young Lieutenant was promoted and took his place at our head. He was said to be an excellent fighter, diplomatic, pleasant, a born leader.

And he was. With a nail studded glove. There was a charming young shinigami, just out of the academy. He ranked at fifteenth seat in the first rounds and could have been Lieutenant in a matter of years. A natural fighter, strong, steady, he gave as much as he took and grinned the entire time. He could have gone so far. Just days after the new Captain arrived, Imarin was summoned and vanished into the Captain's room.

We heard him screaming an hour later. We should have helped him, stood against that bastard, but we were all young, inexperienced. How old are you boys, 20? 40? Well, we were about the same, some a bit older, some younger. And cowards, all of us. No matter how he screamed for help, pleaded with us to save him, we stood back and pretended to hear nothing. The other divisions did the same, leaving us to our Captain's mercy. Maybe they felt we should handle it ourselves, maybe they didn't care. Maybe they didn't know. Whatever the reasons, we all looked away.

Three days of continuous torture and the shrieks stopped. Dead silence. We were too terrified to even breath loudly. The Lieutenant then, Kanvis, he tried to get Imarin back. While we stood behind him, he knelt and begged for the boy back, pleaded for him to be returned. And he was. But not. His spirit was long gone, only a shell of flesh left. Even after healing physically, he couldn't call his sword again. It was as if he'd forgotten its name. He killed himself the day he was released from medical confinement.”

I pause and look at the boys kneeling before me. They both stare silently at the floor, horrified but still confused about what this has to do with our current Lieutenant. Laying my shame out is hard but they have to understand. “For nearly a century, no one caught his eye. Our numbers remained small, the Captain not bringing many in and not letting anyone leave. Then, a sweet blond arrived. He was shy but loved to laugh, smiling easily once you got past his initial barriers. Not a great fighter but his reitsu control was incredible, attacks always accurate, and a talent for healing; he really belonged in the Fourth Division but ended up here somehow.

You should have seen him, slender but strong, bright blue eyes, full of life and spirit, not bold but steady, aware of himself and others. A gentle touch and delicate control, he played the shamisen like no one I've ever heard, then or since; his voice was soft, the way it is now, but when it rose in song, you could hear it across the compound. His only fault was he was terrified of dying but he always fought if required, desperately.

We tried to keep him out of sight as much as possible, protect him, but he was called anyway. This time, it was worse because we weren't children any more and had no excuse. I was fifth then and banged on the door beside Kanvis but the screaming didn't even slow; no matter how hard we tried, we couldn't break through the barrier Ichimaru set. But, Kira wasn't crying for someone to save him. He screamed for us to leave, to go. I waited, knocking occasionally and sitting outside the door the whole time. Three days again and he fell into my lap, bloody, sobbing but alive.

Not once did he ask to be saved, he never begged us to risk ourselves for him. He almost died from blood loss and shock but he wouldn't let me go, the only thing he asked was I didn't let him die alone. By the time he was healed up, he had changed his mind. He went back, screamed, sobbed, and made a bargain.

The only thing he wanted from me was that I never let him stop. He begged me to help him, to swear to never let him refuse, not for a second. And...And I didn't. I carried him, kicking and screaming to the door day after day, night after night. I dragged him when he clung to things and took his sword when he would have used it against me. Shame is a dangerous thing, it creeps up and eats your soul, forces you down paths you would never acknowledge.” That I know all too well. Remembering keeps me up some nights, his sobs echoing in my dreams. My only salvation has always been his sweet soul and gentle touch, his forgiveness.

“But he loved me for it all, quieted when we arrived, straightened his clothes and smiled before disappearing. No matter how he screamed, cried, pleaded, he always smiled and closed the door behind him. And when he stumbled out, or was thrown, I picked him up and carried him back. Every time, no matter how badly he was hurt, he smiled and said thank you. Even when he was promoted to Lieutenant after Kanvis' death, I walked with him and waited unless he told me to leave.

I don't know the details of his deal with Ichimaru, and he would never talk about it, but I know a few things. He traded himself for everyone else, as long as he submitted no one else was ever called, and he wouldn't tell, just let everyone say what they would. At first, it hurt him, to hear the whispers and snickers but with time, it faded, replaced by admiration at his stamina, respect for his love of the team. He knelt between us and that bastard for ninety seven years, protecting us all. He withstood beatings that should have killed him, his body is scarred from whippings he asked be moved from the offender to him, he's lost all feeling from his left shoulder half way down his bicep from Ichimaru stabbing him when he refused to move away from a new recruit who stumbled.

You don't have to love him the way we do or even respect him, but remember he sold his soul so we could be safe and whole. And he's doing it again, so you don't have to. So if you don't feel you can be polite and respectful to him, tell me and I'll have you moved.” I brush my pants as I stand, staring down at both pale young men. “If you decide to stay, don't say anything, just bow and obey his commands. Those are the only things he asks of you, the only things any of us will ask of you.” There is nothing left to say and I just turn my back and step out of the room, closing the door quietly.







I hope you enjoyed it and please take a few seconds to let me know! Thank you!