BLEACH: The Dusk In Red

The Next Day

Kai got up as he felt 4 distinct Spiritual Pressures approach him. He couldn't tell who they were but they felt quite familiar. The biggest one among them being the most unique and complex while the others trickled just behind it.

"I couldn't feel Spiritual Pressure this well before?"

Once the door opened, Shido, Shinten and Hoshino flooded into the room. They quickly gathered around Kai's hospital bed.

Shinten was crying a stream of manly tears as he grabbed onto Kai's hands,

"KAI! Are you okay?? Did they look after you right??? How bad were you hurt?? We tried to visit you earlier but they said you weren't allowed visitors!"

"I'm fine... but more importantly, what is she doing here?"

He pointed at Hoshino who had beaten him up the day prior to his department. After that loss it was understandably confused at why she was here. The two weren't even friends, but rather strangers that happened to go to the same class.

"I came to see if the rumours were true?"

"What rumours?"

"Of course you wouldn't know, you were locked up in here ever since you got back."

Shido gently pushed her aside as it was his turn to ask Kai some questions.

"How many Zanpakutō's do you have?"

"Two? Why? Is there something wrong?"

Thinking about it now, Kai had not seen any other students in the school with two Zanpakutō's. Now why was that the case? Perhaps he was simply built different. Before he could receive an answer he noticed that the peculiar Spiritual Pressure which he had sensed earlier was still standing outside his door.

He pointed to it when he asked, "Who is that?"

They were a little taken a back from that question. Kai was notorious for having poor Spiritual Sense, so this was new.

Shido then called out to them,

"You don't have to keep hiding now, Hikone. Kai knows your there."

Peeping from around the door was Hikone who was a little nervous to see Kai after a while. Hikone was glad to see Kai feeling better, but on the other hand Kai felt disgust at himself after seeing him.

Hikone reminded Kai of Linny, as well as his failure to protect her. He could still remember it now, the headless body laying in the grass with blood still pouring out of it. The red staining the green, and the man standing over it.

It made him sick to the bone.

Hikone seeing how angry Kai got after seeing him, ran away.

Hoshino shouted at Kai before chasing after him,

"How could you make him upset like that? After he came all this way to visit you as well."

Kai rubbed his eyes which started to leak tears, while also exposing his baggy eyes showing a hint of exhaustion.

"I think we should leave.", Shido whispered to Shinten.

Recognising Kai's anguish, the two gave the regards before quietly leaving. Once Shinten closed the door behind them, he asked Shido,

"Why did you want to leave so early? I didn't get to ask everything I wanted to."

"I think it would be best to leave him by himself for a while. He has the eyes of someone whose witnessed hell. No one can comfort him now."

The Next Day

Kai woke up earnestly feeling refreshed. He quickly put on a fresh set of the schools Shihakushō as his old one was incredibly damaged. Just before he left Squad 4s barracks, he felt a strange vigour in him which he thought came from the effects of the healing Kido.

Just before leaving, he was handed both his Zanpakuto's which many of the surrounding Soul Reapers seemed to have a keen eye on.

"Is having two that big of a deal?"

After walking across the Seireitei for a short while, he eventually made it back to the Shinigami academy, where he was stopped by two of the gates guardians. He was asked for ID and so he patted his pocket for his Soul Pager.

"Where is your ID?"

"It's a crazy story, really."

During his fight with Akimitsu, his Soul Pager must've slipped out his pocket at some point, and was now lost in the world of the living. He desperately tried to reason with them to let him in, but they denied him entry.

And then he saw a familiar person approach the gate. It was the grandmasters assistant, Chikako.

Despite his pathetic looking appearance, he argued with the two gatekeepers until they let Kai in.

"Thank you for that. I don't know how long I would've been out here."

As he thanked him, he noticed his eyes kept drifting towards the two Zanpakutō that was sheath on Kai's waste. Taking this opportunity to ask a Soul Reaper directly he,

"Do you know why I have two?"

"I am unsure myself. There hasn't been enough research done into blades like yours. Anyway, I came here to take you to the grandmasters office."

Kai had been summoned again by the grandmaster because of the incident in the world of the living. She was aware of what happened, but she wanted to get an accurate account from Kai himself.

Once the two arrived at her office, grandmaster Fujinishin immediately bowed towards Kai.

Kai who was flustered asked, "What is this for??"

"I almost sent another pair of students to their deaths! I never learn! I intended to send a new pair of students to the world of the living this time, but even then you guys were still in danger. On my pride as the Grandmaster of this school, I apologise!"

He quickly tried to dismiss it as if nothing had happened, but she was very insistent. Eventually she would finish and return back to her seat behind the desk.

"So is that all?", Kai asked.

"No, one more thing."

She opened a cabinet which was under her desk, and pulled out a new fresh Soul Pager which she placed on the table. Kai walked over and took a look at it before swiping it instantly.

An angry vein popped out of her head as she thought, "What a brat. Did I apologise to the wrong person?"

Kai quickly browsed through the phone and discovered something very odd. His time table had been updated and now he was in 1-1 instead of 1-3.

"What's the meaning of this? I've been moved to class 1?"

"In all of Soul Societies recorded history, only two people have ever had two Zanpakutō. Both of them became immensely powerful captain class Shinigami, with one of them even becoming the current Head commander of the Gotei 13. Although you may be utter garbage right now, your potential is something we can't ignore."

Hearing that insult, Kai was a little flabbergasted. She kept speaking to him with a mixture of praise and insults, almost as if she were a tsundere?

"If you have nothing else to speak about, then leave."

Just before he left, he turned around quickly and asked about Yuki. The Grandmaster promptly threw a chair at him.