"This is entirely unexpected, why is the gate open?" Toshiro questioned confusingly, deliberating what was going on.
He had thought of all the hostilities and commotions happening around the Seireitei and had decided to make an appeal to his superiors. Kenpachi and Renji had turned against them and were currently helping the Ryokas. The two most respected and powerful of all the Captains, Shunsui and Jushiro were currently fighting against the Head Captain.
He and Rangiku had arrived at the gate to Central 46, only to find it open without any guards stationed around it, which was a highly surprising revelation in itself. The gate opened to reveal a large area surrounded by water from all sides, and a large structure situated in the middle, connected to the gate by a wooden path.
"How should I know?" His subordinate retorted snappishly.
"This is not the time Rangiku, mind your manners"
Rangiku just huffed and walked forward through the water surrounded wooden path, without giving him a second glance. Honestly, she could have been with her old man if he had just let her stay with him for a while instead of making an appeal to a bunch of old coots!
Toshiro shook his head and followed after his strangely moody subordinate "The place looks completely deserted"
Reaching the second gate, the silver haired Captain paced forward and placed his hand on the gate, instantly realizing something was wrong.
"Well, someone has been here since the gate is locked from the inside." He stated pointedly.
"Where are the guards?"
Toshiro glanced at his Lieutenant meaningfully and she stepped backward with a nod. "You must open the gate immediately; it's a matter of utmost importance. My name is Captain Hitsugaya of Squad 10."
As soon as the words left his mouth, a multitude of sword-like locks appeared in front of the gate and sealed it. The silver haired Captain looked rather shocked by the sudden turn of events.
He raised his hand to his chin in a thinking gesture and reached for his sword
"Captain, what are you doi…" The silver haired Captain ignored his Lieutenants warning and slashed the sealed door in half. The sword-like locks shattered and the wooden crumbled, making way for the two Shinigamis. "Captain, are you insane? You just broke the door to Central 46."
Toshiro ignored the blonde's insult. "The alarm hadn't gone off. Breaking down the door should have surely activated the alarm, yet it didn't. Something is wrong. There are no guards, meaning someone must have killed them and then dragged their corpses inside. Once they got inside, they must have shut off the alarm system. This was all done to keep things quiet. Let's go!"
Rangiku nodded in consent and ran down after her short Captain through an intricate staircase and came up to a large circular room. Entering the large decorated room, they came across a mind shattering scene.
"What!"
"No way!"
All around the large room, the bodies of the Central 46 members were littered around, some still seated upon their seats, and some slumped over their tables. The walls as well as the tables around the room were covered in blood and sword slashes, an obvious sign of attack from an outside source.
The two Shinigamis slowly walked down the stairs, clear shock and disbelief written upon their faces.
"I can't believe what I'm seeing!" The silver haired Captain exclaimed in shock while Rangiku just nodded.
Though inwardly, she was wondering if this was done by Haruto. From the short time she had spent with him during her childhood, she had learned that he detested arrogance and conflict with every fiber of his being and the Central 46 was all about arrogance. She wouldn't be surprised if he had done it.
"The blood is blackened and dried, meaning this didn't happen yesterday or the day before that. The last time Central 46 operated normally was just before Renji was defeated. After that Martial law was declared and the Central Underground Assembly Hall was locked down completely. All this leads to the only conclusion, all the actions and decisions ordered by the Central 46 were fake." Toshiro pondered.
"Captain Hitsugaya, I figured I would find you here."
A familiar voice sounded from above the stairs, prompting the two to look up in shock. Standing above the stairs was the Lieutenant of Squad 3, Kira Izuru.
"What? Izuru, are you the one responsible for this?" Toshiro asked in anger.
The blond Lieutenant said nothing and walked away, disappearing into the light "Wait, answer me."
"After him Rangiku, come on."
"Right."
The two Shinigamis chased after the speeding Izuru, completely overlooking the small shadow as it descended down the stairs right after their departure.
Izuru kept running around the stairs of the Central 46 and eventually stepped out into the light. The blond Lieutenant jumped up to the rooftops and dashed away without even bothering to slow down. "Izuru, wait. Answer me; are you the one responsible for the slaughter of Central 46?"
"No, I was allowed access from the inside before you arrived. My role was to unlock the doors from the inside so you can get into the Underground Assembly Hall."
"Who gave you those orders?" Toshiro growled and kept chasing the blond Lieutenant.
"The Central 46 of course."
"Then where is the official seal?"
"Instead of asking pointless questions about seals and official orders, shouldn't you be more concerned about Momo?" Izuru asked pointedly.
Toshiro's eyes widened in shock. "What do you mean by that? Momo is safely resting in the Squad 10 barracks"
"No, that's where you are wrong. You put a force field around the door of the room, the kind of field that repels any and all attacks from the outside, but what you didn't take into account was an attack from the inside," the silver haired Captains eyes widened in horror, knowing exactly what had happened. "I see you understand what I'm talking about. Momo is a master of Kido, breaking a field like that is child's play for her as well as making a force field around herself to hide her Spiritual Pressure. You didn't notice, but she had been following you from the beginning."
Toshiro gritted his teeth in anger and disbelief. He was a Captain for crying out loud, yet he had missed the presence of his childhood friend following him from the beginning. "Rangiku, can I leave this to you?"
"Of course."