Between Malice and Mercy (TBTP / Goro)

[Jin-hwan]

He had a hunch, he hated his hunches. Jin-hwan found himself making his way through the winding districts of the Rukongai following up on what he hoped, desperately, was a huge waste of his time. He'd forgive himself for the wasted effort if it turned out he was wrong.

Goro had ducked his patrol partner. There was something hanging in the air as to why. It didn't feel right, and he wasn't sure what he was walking into.

There weren't really many 'good' Shinigami. Goro certainly wasn't one of them, but, unlike the rest, Jin-hwan didn't mind his company. He was diligent, he did his job, he made patrols pass quickly. He was certainly energetic and edgy but not in a way Jin-hwan couldn't handle. Jin-hwan always expected more trouble than he wound up getting from Goro. There was something lurking in that man that worried Jin-hwan even if Goro never properly showed it in front of him. Beyond the tattoo's hint of a shared past, Goro was wounded in a way that Jin-hwan wasn't entirely sure was scar tissue. It was raw but hidden away.

Still. He did his job. And he didn't shovel the crap on to the people around him, and when it mattered it seemed like he gave a shit too. That made him better than most.

Jin-hwan was definitely the kind of guy who liked having hunches more than bothering to ask for answers and yet he found himself moving with an urgency that kept the residents of the district well out of his way as he moved.

Things began to fall into his place, his mind raced as he did, putting together the little parts. Goro wasn't exactly open, but Jin-hwan wasn't exactly slow either. There was enough there, as he moved in territory he recognized if only in aesthetic, that he could see a scene playing out in his head.

Old enemies. A sea of bodies and blood.

Most people became Shinigami for pettier things than even revenge.

Sweat-covered and short of breath he arrived at the scene, not to the carnage he expected but to the moment preceding it. He barked out without thinking,

"What happened here, state your name and rank!" It had the impact he had hoped of stopping him in his tracks.

And got his attention enough to meet the now unfamiliar gaze of his friend as he spoke:

"Nisekunshi."

It was enough to chill him to his bones. In a moment, he felt certain that he should draw his blade, be ready to protect himself, to keep the people safe around him.

He let go of the hilt of his blade and raised both palms flat, showing them to Goro. He took a gamble. "Hey, Goro." He approached, slow and easy. "This is trouble, but not the kind we can't undo yeah?"

He raised his hands up and paused a few feet away as people began to gather to observe.

"...Do you trust me?"

-------

He burned just about every bit of goodwill he had with his division to be the first one through that door. Why did he bother? He wasn't sure, but enough was starting to nag at him that he couldn't bring himself to leave it be. He also wanted answers...and he wanted to make sure someone he considered a friend was going to be alright.

Could he actually do anything to help?

He strode through the door, casual and unconcerned. He was dressed formally, impeccable. There were eyes not only on Goro but on him now. He knew what stepping in shit looked like and he knew what he had to do to get through it too.

"Well, hell of a show out there, huhn?" he asked somewhat flippant, making his way pointedly to the other end of the table. His gaze was fixed on Goro. His expression read casual but his eyes gave him away.

"...So what the hell happened Goro? What were you thinking?" He asked.

[Goro Tachibana]

Sat alone in a barren room, but for two chairs and table, Goro felt no remorse save for his regret that Jin-hwan had been dragged into the mess he'd made. He knew it was a possibility, of course, but that didn't make it any easier. With luck Jin wouldn't dig himself a hole, he'd made the arrest and hopefully that would be that. At least then he could soar where Goro had sunk. 

He was no worse for wear considering his night behind bars; hair still tied back sharply, clean and scented with a woody fragrance, not unlike bamboo, as if he'd washed it in the sink of his cell. His clothing was neatly pressed and his cheek was smoothly shaven, though the bloodstains remained: the black of his shihakusho had been confiscated so that his crimes could be lain bare, crimson blotches ruining the white of his shitagi. His zanpakuto too had been taken, though he could still feel the strange presence of the being within it, whispering advice and making comments. The humans called it insanity to have voices in your head, why was it considered normal in the afterlife?

For a long time he remained frozen, eyes closed as he dipped his head, certain that he was being watched for any hint of regret, mental degradation, further violence, anything that the prosecutors of the Sixth Division could use against him, or his defence could use to protect him. He couldn't resist their gaze, everyone had tells whether they knew the process or not, so trying to hide them was useless. The Second Division would be involved somehow, he knew that too. Wasn't every day that a Shinigami charged with the protection of Rukongai citizens turned around and started killing them, so they'd want to interrogate him for foreign involvement. He'd heard terrible things about their methods.

When the doorlatch clicked he stood to attention, the vague notion of his lowly status as a criminal making the rank of whoever stepped through the door unimportant, though it was out of character. He'd noticed that recently he was paying heed to the finer details of military etiquette more often, saluting even when not strictly neccessary, keeping his uniform exactly to code, with no more and no less but the precise placement and measurement of garments. Where had that habit come from?

Jin-hwan stepping into the room sunk him back into the seat, like a child shocked that his parents had made the journey all the way from work to scold him for his bad behaviour at school. The two men stood at odds in appearance, Jin was rough around the edges and let his hair grow wild, stubble clinging to his chin, but the two had found cameraderie and Jin was the closest thing Goro had to a friend.

Goro's dull blue eyes found light and widened in surprise as he pushed his palms down onto the table, as if he could push it and the entire circumstance of his weakness down into the ground, sink along with them, and spare Jin the sight.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, a fire in his voice that was almost accusatory. He ignored the questions entirely. "You made the arrest, your job is done. You don't have to be here, Jin. Do you have any idea the damage it could do to your career if they think that you had even the smallest part in this? All it takes is a hunch, Jin, and they'll swing the blade."

[EXP 5][Total EXP: 5]

[Jin-hwan]

Jin-hwan observed Goro closely, mouth drawn into a thin line, eyes bright and focused. Jin-hwan could tell that Goro was resigned to what came next. Whatever he had intended to do, he knew the consequences before it began. It might have been wild, out of control, it might not have been entirely planned but Goro was going to accept whatever was going to come.

That's where the doubt in his heart took root.

Jin-hwan knew what the Shinigami were. They weren't the heroes, they weren't the thin barrier between order and chaos. They simply were, and whether you worked for them, or against them odds are you were dancing to their tune in some way. Shinigami were the ultimate paradox. You could be mistaken for thinking them corrupt and barely in control, because the signs of that behaviour were everywhere. But if you really looked it was impossible not to see the steady hand behind it all. Every gang existed because they were allowed to. The Shinigami, those higher up, had the kind of power that was impossible for those without it to fathom. Anything that occurred happened by their intention or because it was meaningless as to not warrant their attention.

People didn't get away with anything that truly opposed them, they'd have no reason to allow it. Nothing escaped the plan, not for long anyway. Jin-hwan knew that well. That's why he worked so tirelessly to stay off the radar of anyone who might have noticed him. The less anyone thought of him at all, the more freedom he could imagine he had.

Yet, here he was.

So, he didn't really react to the wide-eyed gaze that Goro met him with. He didn't really misunderstand the surprise or the fire in his voice, but he didn't let it slide either.

"You know why I'm here, don't do that," he scolded him firmly. "Damage done. Ass on the line. So any protesting at this point is just gonna waste what I've already put up for you. You want that, huhn?" He posed the question just long enough to make it clear he was serious, his gaze firm, unyielding.

Then he grinned, just slightly.

"Sides, I'm the rising star ain't I? Lord knows I don't want any promotions, so, way I see it. Doing me a favour tanking my career for the next decade."

His eyes flitted towards the door. It wasn't impossible that they would be unobserved here, but he had his doubts at the moment. He returned his gaze to his friend and spoke quieter, not the bluster prior and not the joking tone either. "I asked a question Goro, this is an 'interrogation' after all. What were you doing there? What happened?"

[Goro Tachibana]

Ever the pragmatist, Jin shut Goro up with one breath. It was hard to argue with somebody who sought forgiveness rather than permission, though Goro felt the dichotomy of their situation unnatural somehow. With a hissing sigh he rolled his eyes and settled back into his seat, his wildchild personality still evident in his slouch and petulantly crossed arms. He felt the bottle dig into his chest. A tiny thing, sewn into the fabric of his clothing, small enough not to be picked up by a pat down, but potent enough after months of brewing to be deadly. But what good was it now that Jin was involved?

"Bastard." Was his only reply, fixing his gaze on a corner of the room that had suddenly become interesting enough to keep him from looking at Jins steely glare. He could tell by the shifted tone of his voice the scruffy man was smiling though. 

Silence fell between them then as Jin peered back at the door he'd come through. When he next spoke it wasn't performative, and Goro knew they were getting down to business. Jin had to leave the room with something to give the higher ups for their trouble, no doubt he knew Goro would see that. So what choice did he have? Shifting slightly in his seat, Goro leaned forward on the table, one forearm lain across it defensively, while the other hand propped up his head at the temple, eyes partially hidden between fingers; another submissive social cue.

It was clear the question caused Goro some manner of discomfort, somewhere inside of him there were two waves clashing against one another, fighting to be the dominant tide. His teeth began to show in a pained snarl as he struggled to reach a conclusion, before the turmoil became too much and all he could muster was an exhausted "I don't know."

"By all accounts, I should be thanking them. But when that report found its way into my hands." He held his fingers out, splayed his palms up to face the ceiling as if he could still feel the parchment. "It was like something inside me awoke. It was all I could think about for weeks. Every night I dreamt of it. Every swing of my sword during my exercises felt like practice for it. When I ate, it was only to sustain myself until it was done. It was maddening. I-" He buried his face in his palms and slid them down his cheeks, as if trying to wipe away the memories.

"I don't know." He repeated.

[EXP: 5][Total EXP: 10]

[Jin-hwan]

Jin-hwan's grin widened just so when Goro cursed at him. That was the trouble he had hoped for, just inconvenient enough to be helpful. That was the most he could really offer Goro now. On the book, he was here for the Seireitei's questions but he knew that was all so inconsequential regardless of what Goro answered. Still, he did his best to go through the motions.

The question hit harder than he expected but he supposed that was really at the heart of this whole thing. Goro did something unbelievably stupid with consequences nobody sane would face for reasons seemingly no real reason. What did he gain? Other than...well. Perhaps that was it at the heart of things. Zanpakuto was one hell of a tool, and a burden both.

So then, was this part of some path for Goro? Was it unresolved business he had to resolve? Even if it meant the absolute destruction of his career?

He knew that little happened in Soul Society that wasn't by some guiding hand of the Shinigami, but that didn't mean there couldn't be surprises. So, was Goro's little outing an unaccounted variable? He watched Goro bury his face in his palms and felt a little hot twinge in his chest.

"You've kept that close to your vest, tell me what it was about the report that got you so fired up?" That was the Seireitei's question. "And how did it wind up in your hands?" And that was his.

Was Goro following his own path that day? Was I?

That was the troubling part. Jin-hwan had his theories, he knew the shape of what he was chasing here, but even if he confirmed everything he thought he knew, what then?

What could he possibly do even if he had the truth?

The Seireitei didn't need a confession, they didn't really need any facts. His report on the interrogation would be added to a larger report, filed away and forgotten. The fate of Goro Tachibana was sealed. But maybe he wanted to know when that moment was. Was it the moment he stepped off his patrol and drew his sword? Or was it days prior in an office when a piece of paper happened to find his hands.

How much of their fate could anyone really control? And what could he do for his friend now?