Lament of Men

**Lament of Men** is the thirteenth episode of the Bleached Wolf's Rain series.

Traveling together, Kisuke and Quent take a road trip.

## Summary

Outside of Darcia's aerial city, Kisuke is attempting to purchase a car, but he doesn't have enough money on him to get a new one.

He asks Quent, who happened to spend all his on booze, to his disappointment. That changes when the young mechanic is willing to offer him an old klunker, which he can give to them for a set amount, as well as enough gas to get them to the next town. Feeling it's the only offer he can afford, Kisuke takes it.

Elsewhere, the group has gathered outside of the small town, Blue asking where they plan on going. Hige informs her that they're going to Paradise, which he says is where every wolf is trying to get to. She sems to understand, when he asks her if she plans on coming with them. Before Blue can answer, Kiba tells her that she should probably go back to Quent, which apparently gets to Hige.

To his surprise though, she states that she has no intention on going back to him, but Blue doesn't know what she should do. All Ichigo says to her is that she should do the only thing she can do: move forward. This has Hige agree with him, although some of the others don't know. Excited, he announces they're off to Paradise, but Kiba tells him they're going north, where Darcia's keep is. While Tsume isn't sure about this, Ichigo believes they have to save Cheza, since she's a part of their group. Now in agreement on what to do, they start to move out, when Hige stops to hold out his hand for Blue to take, who after a while finally decides to go with them as they head out.

On the road, Kisuke drives the old car, hoping to get to the next town. In the passenger's side, Quent decides to have some booze. Finally though, Kisuke stops the car, and tells him that since he's now sober, it's his turn to drive. Taking the driver's seat now, Quent starts driving as they start getting to know each other. He explains that he became the sheriff of his hometown Kyrios in order to provide protection, sort of as a "law keeper", supporting his wife and son. Afterwards, he then asks Kisuke why he became a police captain. It turns out that he wanted to do something with his life, which is also how he met Yoruichi, even though he claims they're only friends. Kisuke decides to take a nap, until after a while, it starts snowing, up to the point that Quent can't see through it, or hear anything. All of a sudden, he sees what looks to him like Blue running past the front of the car, making him abruptly stop the vehicle. Woken by this, Kisuke sees as Quent gets out and calls to Blue, when he wants to know what's wrong. He answers that it's nothing, so Kisuke thinks nothing of it, until he hears something, causing him to go out. After a while, he finds out a convoy with troops, watching it for some time, when he finally shouts out at it, confusing Quent, but Kisuke believes that the troops are running away; that it means something.

Either way, they head back out on the road, until the car's engine acts up, causing Kisuke to check it out and try to fix it. As he does though, he can't seem to stop reminiscing about Yoruichi from the past. It takes a few minutes for him to manage, then they continue on, when they finally reach the small town. Getting out, he suggests that Quent finds them a motel for them to stay at, but he plans on finding a bar instead. Starting his search, Kisuke finds it's going nowhere, until he comes to the conclusion that Yoruichi was never in the town. Reaching the town square, feeling he should give up, which changes when he sees her sitting on a bench. She sees Kisuke, and gets up to run over to him, the two embracing each other. That is, until she let's go, telling him not to get the wrong idea, to which he smiles.

Night comes, when Yoruichi asks him why he was looking for her, Kisuke bringing out the copy of the Book of the Moon that he found in her apartment. She's interested that he found it, and admits to him that she hadn't expected him to come and find her.

Yoruichi then tells him that she's learned that wolves do still exist, taking Kisuke by surprise as he wants to know if it's true. Revealing that they've been able to disguise themselves to look like humans, something that she found out from Darcia, who had taken her, but let her go. That he took Cheza, and she knows where. When Kisuke asks if Darcia's keep is where they plan on going, Yoriuchi confirms this, for she won't stop until she finds her. Taking this in, Kisuke finally states that he's coming with her. Getting to the car, Quent comes out of his drunken stupor, surprised to see Yoruichi there, smiling at him. Knowing where to go, Kisuke drives them away from town, and to where they're going: Darcia's keep.

## Appearances In Order

* Kisuke Urahara
* Mechanic
* Quent Yaiden
* Blue
* Hige
* Kiba
* Ichigo Kurosaki
* Tsume
* Toboe
* Renji Abarai
* Townsman #1
* Townsman #2
* Bartender
* Yoruichi Shihoin

## Notes & trivia

* This is the second episode that focuses outside the group of main characters.
* It isn't revealed or explained how Yoruichi escaped Darcia's confinement. A possibility is that she came to and managed to escape, making her way to the town.