Leaves flutter about through the billowing winds as they slowly descend, gently landing on the surface of a trickling stream of crystalline water that runs beside a great tree where a lone woman sits silently. The lids of her eyes are closed, as she listens to the surrounding sounds. She sits in Seiza, a posture that may seem rigid and overly formal, but the woman is unencumbered by this position. Her legs tucked neatly underneath her, while her spine is kept perfectly straight. She is still; serene, as if though life had been kind to her throughout her days. The peaceful expression on her face betraying the hardship she suffered many months ago, the wrinkles of age, and the strokes of silver that paint her dark lustrous hair are the only tell-tale signs of the woman's struggles.
She exhales slowly, releasing the held breath within her body, relaxing her shoulders briefly, before once again inhaling. The glistening sunlight caresses the woman's olive skin, a warming sensation she is very familiar with as welcomes on her daily reprieve from the duties in her office. Her hands, which lay atop her lap, cover a metallic ornament which usually remains skewered through her hair as all times. Yet at this time, it is lightly grazed by her right thumb. For centuries the two worked together through everything, every single hurdle that came her way.
The woman reminisces quietly as the only sound she can hear is the gentle stream at her side, carrying away the fallen leaves of the tree behind her.
Content with the responsibility thrust upon her as an unseated member of Third Division, Honoka goes through the motions, instructing students in a combination of subjects, depending entirely on what the superior officers required of her at the time. Going from Hoho one day, to Kido another, and Hakuda the next. Her plethora of knowledge made her an indispensable asset to the ranks of Third and Shino Academy, enough so, that many teachers began to suggest she test for captaincy. A seed planted by a young relative of hers in a childish outburst, seemed to sprout and grown within the woman day by day. While it was a recommendation from many, and up to a certain point an option should she one day choose to do so, soon enough, that option was the final thing the woman would be robbed of.
Upon the convening of Central 46 to discuss certain affairs, it would come to light that Honoka Oki no longer had the choice to remain unseated, or else she would face incarceration. A power void needed to be filled, and it was determined she would be the one to do so. This was a path she never intended for herself, never considered it. Never desired it, and yet, this would become the first toppled domino in a sequence of events that will greatly change the fate of the woman and her entirely family.
Forced to face Omoni Hageshi in her battle for freedom, the woman fights no holds barred. The Kenpachi is no easy opponent, and she needed to showcase her capability in leading and protecting her would-be division should it ever come to that. The fight between the two women decimates the Valley of Screams, at odds against one another, it wasn't until Hageshi gained the upper hand, that the battle between them was finally decided.
Having survived an unrestrained assault from Omoni, Honoka's consciousness escapes her and she's later tended to in Fourth Division's medical ward. It isn't until she regains consciousness that's she's presented with the official results in an envelope. A sealed letter which she hesitates to open. It is a combination of anxiety, uncertainty, dear, and pessimism that prevent her from breaking the wax seal to read the results for herself.
A cyclone of emotions at the contents within the folded up sheet of paper, who's literal weight was inconsequential to the weight of the words written in ink, denoting the woman's performance in her captaincy exam. Her index's fingertip ran lightly over the pressed insignia, unable to delay or keep herself from these results, her index finger slips underneath the edge of the paper, breaking the seal.
"Honoka Oki, you are hereby promoted to the rank of Captain of Third Division."
The sheet of paper became a crumpled mess as she clutched it tightly against her bosom. She finally succeeded. Tears flowed freely from her eyes, while emotional, these were tears of overwhelming joy. Slowly but surely, she would reclaim everything she lost, one by one. Those around her could only stare in confusion as the woman said nothing, only cried in silence, making it impossible for them to decipher the written results.
Now she had a glimmer of hope, not only would the Oki reopen their doors to her and welcome her once more, but most importantly, she had the possibility of seeing Masahiro once again.
It didn't matter if he hated her, if he didn't even want to speak to her again, all she wanted— all she needed, was to see him, even if from afar. Now she had hope that Higen would allow her to visit her son, a rare interaction where she might be able to embrace him... apologize to him for her mistakes, and ask his forgiveness.
This flimsy piece of paper was the woman's first step towards redemption.
The reminiscing woman opens her eyes, staring blankly into space, then glances around, finding it unusually quiet and alone around her. While there is an intermission between classes, the very fact not a single officer has any business to bring up to her attention is unbelievably suspicious. She raises an eyebrow as she lifts her hairpin and carefully slides it through the bun on top of her head.
In a swift, fluid motion, Honoka stands, causing her robes to billow in the wind as she walks into the building where all the students are buzzing about, heading in a single direction, their gossip filling the air.
"Didyna hear?! Nagahiro-sensei is challenging Feng-sensei for her seat back!"
"Bullshit! I thought they only did that shit in Eleventh!"
As silent and agile as a feline, the woman slips through the gaps of the students. She's in no rush, despite sensing the exploding signatures of spiritual pressure in a large courtyard, an amalgamation of energies gathered about with at least 4 significantly different pools of reiryoku. A soft sigh escapes her lips, alerting the staff and students around her, causing them to quickly move out of her way out out respect, awe, fear, it matters not. The way was clear for the woman, the crowds parting for her ton continue unimpeded.
Whatever the woman is thinking eludes those around her as she finally reaches the outskirts of the courtyard, opting to hang back, watch and listen. To study and verify whether her initial assessment and the reorganization of the ranks of her subordinates is appropriate. Much like the Feng, who has proved himself reliable back since she first met him during the Kenpachi games when he waited at her side for her to awaken, it was unusual to see the man elsewhere.
So this is where you were, Fēng. Like a wallflower, the woman remains in the background, her energy suppressed to prevent sensory detection while the.. festivities begin. Green irises shift back and forth, scanning the crowd, spotting a large tuft of dark brown hair, the very same one which followed her from First Division all those months back, only to take over several elective classes the students could take. Not too far from Kasu, another recognizable figure sticks out like a sore thumb, a large wolfman, though fearsome in appearance, his demeaner was entirely opposite, mild and gentle. It was somewhat ironic that he would come to the very division which produced the shinigami that caused the untimely death of his father, perhaps in an attempt to positively influence the young souls that seek to help the balance of souls. A soft smile creeps on her face as she once again reminisces, this time on her own family, something she could relate to with the young Sanyu as she lost a great number of her own family members some time back.
Lost, but not forgotten, the Oki were able to retain their standing.
Some months after Captain Oki's promotion, she was received by the clan, even if she was without her son and without heiress, they could no longer deny the woman, as day by day, her status, power, and influence grew.
And as promised to the Oda Empress, once known as Ten'yuu Oki, Honoka invited her aunt to discuss the future of the two clans. Unlike most clans in the Seireitei, the Oki was matriarchal, following the lineage of the women, and in this case, as Honoka was unable to produce a female offspring, her onw branch ends with her, until she should decide to attempt to birth another child. But with new responsibilities thrust on her, she finds the task daunting. Especially with the short supply of... suitors. Instead, it is through Ten'yuu's lineage that the Oki blood continues to run, having birthed a son, and in turn he siring a daughter, the Oda were able to lay claim to the position of family head. Yet unlike the Oki, the Oda are a patriarchal warrior clan, which follows the lineage of the father, resulting in Princess Munashii having no interest in heading a clan she knew nothing about. Ten'yuu, upon becoming regent after the retirement of Honoka's grandmother, appointed the captain back on the pedestal she so unceremoniously fell from. With time, the two clans not only developed an amicable relationship, but go on to combine forces, as the Oki had become official vassals of the Oda, and in turn came to be under their protection, such as Ten'yuu once suggested. Now working on a unified front, the Oda and Oki's interests are one in the same, supporting one another through brute force, political power, wealth, etc.
Yet despite this unification, the two clan heads rarely interacted, often kept away on business, more often than not seeing each other in passing through Central, as opposed to the Rukongai, as each clan occupied a different first district in their respective region.
The words spoken escape the woman's attention, it isn't until the initial burst of energy when a bakudo is cast by the former third seat that Honoka's attention return to the world before her. Now she pays close attention.
A turn of events she did not foresee, from the emboldened Kururu as she challenged the former assassin to a formal duel. A fight she, nor any other individual could intercept or interrupt for any reason. A battle that would go until either one surrendered, became incapacitated, or died. Though in truth, she had no intention of allowing anyone to die, she lies in wait, should the need arise for her to save either one of their lives.
One of the few to be able to track the current third seat's movements, Honoka follows Zhou as he and his speed clones make their moves, rapidly punching the challenger without mercy. Her eyes go wide as Kururu's attempt to power through the Hakuda Master's barrage of strikes, rather than defend or dodge, fails, resulting in his swift victory, before anyone else has a chance to process or react to the brutality have just witnessed.
"Aiya Munetoshi, Yuuki Munetoshi, Shiori Ashina. Come pick up Instructor Nagahiro and deliver to Fourth’s medical barracks immediately. If she dies, her death is on your hands. Consider this training. Don’t think, do."
As the victorious third seat departs, leaving behind the injured soul, she approaches the gathered crowd, lightly placing her hands on the back or shoulder of each student that stood before her to gently guide them out of her path as she makes her way towards the epicenter. Zhou was curt with his words, and brutal with his tactics. While many would believe this to be excessive, having been a witness to the short battle herself, she made note that his methods were nothing short of phenomenal in execution. The man did exactly as he had been instructed in his past, even when faced up against a powerful entity within the division, he did not hesitate nor falter, entirely certain in his convictions to protect his own standing. Kururu on the other hand, lay on the floor coughing up blood. While Kururu was a sort of jack-of-all-trades, infinitely powerful, and Zhou played to his strengths, both speed and Hakuda, thusly determining the fate of this match by forever sealing her powers away.
Some might say that losing one's powers is a fate worse than death, especially when being a shinigami is all that you know. A saddened expression appears on her face at the loss of the woman's strength, an unavoidable casualty in the fight for rank and prestige. A green glow begins to shine among the parting crowd as Honoka glides through as a young student barks her orders to her fellow classmates.
"Shiori, Yuuki, Both of you will rush ahead to the fourth to alert them of the incoming injured Shinigami. Go."
With the two young ones speeding ahead, the captain closes the final stretch of distance in a single step, preventing the girl from departing with a light hand on her shoulder.
"Don't move. Her injuries are severe, running around with her like this will only make it worse."
The woman's reireyoku circulates within her, the attention of those who had not seen her initially is commanded as her spiritual energy resonates from both her hands as the bright green glow they emit grows stronger and brighter. The stern look on her face keeps the young academy student from moving anywhere as one hand hovers over the fallen instructor's back and the other over her cracked cranium, focusing to restore the gravest injuries first.
"Sanyu, Kasu, find a stretcher or anything to lie her on once I repair enough of her abdomen so she can be transported safely."
This serves as a learning experience to the students watching, not only the fight, but the rendering of first aid to a fallen comrade. A visual display of the initial reiatsu restoration to then go on to repair the damaged body. Kaido is an indispensable skill to know, especially for those desiring to specialize in kido. Now they watch the spellmaster work, while the woman's thoughts linger on the vanished Fēng, who left the wellbeing of an officer in the hands of academy students. The two will have a conversation soon, until then, Captain Oki's focus returns to her fallen officer's injuries in an effort to lessen the unconscious woman's damage to her tattered body.