"Enforcing your will while experiencing everlasting despair. That's what 'hatred' means. The desire for revenge made me strong." — Kokutō.
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Neither Byakuya and Itachi were interested in spending more time in Hell than necessary, nor were they in any way interested in whatever proposition Kokutō had for them. They were here for a mission and as soon as it was over, they would leave.
"I have a question: how did you know not to trust me?" Kokutō was genuinely curious as to why this was but unfortunately he was bound to be disappointed.
The way the two Captains were watching him unnerved him a lot but he put on a look of assurance as he weathered their stares.
"Why would we ever trust a resident of Hell?" Byakuya asked as he took a step forward, making the grin split across Kokutō's face.
"Isn't that a little judgmental?" He asked back.
"You're in Hell. You're already judged." He replied, his words wiping away the easy smile from Kokutō's face.
"That's what you say, huh? 'I'm already judged', as if this could compare to any sin I've ever done. But I guess it is easy for you to say, Shinigami. You feel yourself above the law, don't you? It's easier that way. To look down and see all the people you're better than. Isn't that right, Shinigami."
The scowl on his face had grown into something fierce and glaringly malicious but he still didn't make a move from where he stood beside Tōshirō.
Byakuya didn't bother with conversing anymore with Kokutō and took a step to place him right in front of Tōshirō which spun Kokutō into action, sword coming down to cut off Byakuya's outstretched hand, only to his surprise to find his blade easily parried to the side and the culprit sword trailing a path to his neck.
Steel scraped against steel as the blade found no purchase in his neck giving him ample time to jump away to a distance that felt safe, well as far as safe could feel in the presence of those two.
"I felt something was weird about you. I couldn't see it clearly before but just now I caught a glimpse of it. You're wrapped in chains." Itachi pointed out as he stared intently at Kokutō, or rather the numerous chains that were jutted out of his body.
"So you really can see it, can't you? I had some healthy doubts but I'm glad I was able to hide it well for this long." With a flourish of his hands, the mirage around the chains flickered before it disappeared. "Curious aren't you?"
He watched with genuine interest as Byakuya slapped a Kidō seal on Tōshirō's back and promptly ejected the boy from Hell, leaving him with the undivided focus of the Captains.
"Now that there's no longer any distractions, you can listen finally listen to what I have to sa—"
"Who told you about me?" Itachi's question cut off Kokutō from finishing his sentence. The man's twitching eye was all that was needed to show how he truly felt. "It couldn't be someone from Hell so it would have to be someone from the outside world. Who was it?"
The scowl on Kokutō's face receded and a creepy smile took its place. "Wouldn't you like to know. I imagine it is a security breach none of your superiors are happy with, right? Unfortunately, I can't tell you yet. Not this soon anyway."
He flash-stepped into Byakuya's range, thinking the other Captain as the weaker link, only to meet with nothing but air and a feel of great force crashing into his back and sending him looping over the ground.
He picked himself up from the ground and dusted off the dirt from his body. He had been pretty skeptical about his chances against the Captains but that one exchange with Byakuya killed every notion of it. He was pretty sure he could hold off Byakuya on his own, at least to some extent, but he wasn't thrilled with the idea of Itachi watching him do that.
The man was already a spook by every definition of the word and all the time Kokutō spent in close vicinity with him sent an unpleasant tingle up his spine, so no, he was not that arrogant to think that he could take on the two of them. He never intended to.
Shuren and his group weren't even a factor in the plans he made. They were just the messengers and unfortunately for them, they died on the job… What a tasteless joke.
No, the plans he made for the Captain and his tagalong was nothing so drab. It wasn't anything spectacular but it was simple and efficient in nature.
The ground rumbling was all it took to almost open his belly up in laughter. It was an easy enough plan to figure out but figuring it out would in no way help in the consequences of it. At least this way he didn't have to fight a futile battle.
Byakuya looked at Itachi with a disagreeable frown on his face. The ground rumbling like this could only signify one thing, and he hadn't quite forgotten the hole Itachi made in the floor above.
But then again the mission was to find out how the Togabito were able to get into the Soul Society, and even possessing information concerning a Captain of the Gotei 13. So whether he liked it or not, or felt like the risk wasn't worth it, the call ultimately wasn't his to make.
This was Itachi's mission, and with either seniority, sanction or prerogative, whatever happened next was Itachi's call to make. To Byakuya's silent relief, the man did not appear panicked or looked set upon. He would admit (albeit in his head) that Itachi's control of his emotions was better than his.
"Itachi…"
"I know, Byakuya. Don't worry, we won't waste much of our time here." Itachi's assurance didn't really assure him but he said nothing even as the first Kushanāda grew out of the ground.
"Take care of the Kushanāda for now, there's something I have to check." Itachi said and instantly the scowl returned to Kokutō's face, worn atop the underlying smile he tried to hide. His whole act was a beggar's wish in Itachi's eyes.
He could not hide the joyful reverberations of his soul from Itachi's prying eyes. He happily brought down his sword to meet Itachi's laughing as his own sword fell through Itachi's like a stone flying through fog.
Iron against iron creaked as sparks flew, his infernal chains once again saving his life as Itachi's blade shimmered near his ribs, yet finding no quarter.
A swift decision was all it took to ignite his blades with flames in a split second before Kokutō retreated yet that was all that was needed to give credence to the hypothesis he had formed.
The flames pattered out and a wry smile was the first response Kokutō gave at the display.
"So you figured it out eh? I had a feeling you would. Not this fast however. It still doesn't matter because sooner or later you'll have to use it if you ever hope to survive in this world."
The chains wrapped around every inch of his body rattled, causing Kokutō to scowl at the sound that all too clearly reminded him that despite his plans working out so far, he was still a prisoner. 'Not for long' he told himself.
"You're from a deeper level of Hell, aren't you." Itachi stated obliquely.
"And how do you figure?"
"Those chains make a pretty telling assumption. The souls I've observed on my way here had at most three chains on their bodies. You have over two dozen."
"Tch. Those pesky eyes of yours. Maybe I'll take them off your head before you die." Those casual words, although not intended, gave Kokutō his first wound from Itachi. The simple reminder of the literal Hell that he had to crawl through to get here gave him the phantom sensations of burning maggots eating through his body while his chains were stretched taut.
Hell be damned. The Shinigami be damned. Those uppity bastards who thought they could control him be thrice damned. He would free himself from this eternal torture with or without their help.
He wanted no part in their games or whatever animosity they had with each other… but for now he would be their willing pawn. After all, what they wanted from this and what he wanted were one and the very same.
All he had to do was get the man to use those cursed flames of Hell.
"So what will you do now? You have no way of reaching me without them. As for escaping, trust me, they won't let you off so easily. They aren't as mindless as you think. So what will it be now, Shinigami Captain?"
If he switched with Byakuya and let the latter fight Kokutō, nothing would change as he could simply just protect himself with those chains. As for Itachi fighting the Kushanāda, it will inevitably force them to evolve at a much faster pace. And as for the information he needed from Kokutō… Well, the choice easily made itself.
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