[BSD-RP] Soul Society: Northeast Seireitei

[BSD]

Listen Here!

The fact that her subordinates were so calm despite her demand intrigued her. The Captain was a touchy subject for many within the Division. Despite this, she has led her Division in his stead and how she envisioned he would desire for things to be while he was away. There was, of course, quite a bit of her own flare embedded within the way she executed things. From new training drills to special forces that excluded her, Atsuko had kept herself quite busy since Captain Asakura's sudden disappearance. She likened it to such a phenomenon given that the only contact that she had with him was through letters. All too often did she find herself touching the words on the page as she read. Something about making contact with his writing made her feel his presence far more than reading the letters aloud. From time to time, she would imitate his unique accent as she read, but she only did so in private. The truth was that she missed him so much that it hurt from time to time. He had molded her into someone who was proud to refer to themselves as Lieutenant of the 7th Division. The Ise would never forget how much he had given her. Yet, she couldn't help but feel as if their relationship was one-sided. Now more than ever, she wanted to show the man that she could provide him with the same support he gave her. Entrenched in his work, the man would likely not see the Division for numerous years unless she acted. Now was the time for her to find him, grab him by the wrist, and force him back to their barracks. Regardless of how he felt, she would make him come back. It was unlike her to be so bold with him, but ten years without someone will change those that care about them.
"Lieutenant, I've been up…"
Sanyu's gentle tone rings on her ears as she peers at him. As always, he is well-mannered when she wants nothing more than for him to be more familiar with her. Formality makes the Lieutenant uncomfortable when she's around those she cares for. While waiting for Shori, Atsuko's ears and Reiryoku sensory pick up on Sanyu's activity. She turns her body to him fully as he releases his Shikai. Curiosity begins to fill her mind as she cannot quite place why the young seated member would release his weapon so suddenly. Surely, he must have a good reason.

"Lt. Atsuko… if you like I can send these out into the Rukon and locate the captain for you, let him know we are on our way."
His reasoning makes enough sense, but Atsuko figures that it is best to talk with him briefly before addressing Shori who has made her way to the two finally.
"Listen here, Sanyu. It's not wise to release your Shikai for something so trivial." She breathes in and continues to speak gently so as to not upset the Komamura "You have good intentions and even better reasoning behind them, but you must also understand that we want to remain as covert as possible, ok?"
With that, it's revealed that Atsuko has been mere inches away from Sanyu since he finishing invoking the release of his weapon. Shori would notice her afterimage as it hadn't dissipated until she finished speaking to Sanyu. Her left and right hand come up and find their way to Sanyu's cheeks. Moving them back and forth gently, she rubs his cheeks in an endearing way as she opens her mouth again.
"So that means you need to keep your Zanpakuto deactivated until we reach the Rukongai!" Her voice is raised, but there is no ill intent nor real scolding, as she enjoys petting her Komamura peer. Like a younger brother, she intends to treat him gently and with extreme care.
"Now, be sure to say good morning to Shori, she made it a point to say it back, after all!" Dropping her hands, they find their way into her sleeves where she quickly grabs an item while facing Shori. A distinct Click! can be heard, but no actions are seen other than the Lieutenant's hands being in her sleeves still, not moving. Without a doubt, she is up to her usual antics and Shori is not spared. Her face melts into a sleazy grin as the clicking noise happens another ten times before Atsuko speaks up once more.
"Alright! That's all I have to say before our departure. We will have five more Division members accompany us to the Rukongi. Hopefully, we won't have a hard time getting in... Or maybe we will, I've always wanted to test my might against one of those big-ass Gate guards. I'm sure I could win—" She stops abruptly, gathering herself and shutting down her cocky smile before she goes too far.
"Anywho, if you need to, grab onto me and I'll get us into the Rukongai rather quickly. After all, I'm pretty confident in my speed, y'know." Her hand extends for anyone to grab before she fades from the scene, this time not leaving an afterimage. Their destination is the Rukongai and they will find their Captain.

Northeast Seireitei ------> Rukongai

 

[BSD]

Sanyu twisted his head, to where one ear was pointed toward the sky. He was listening to Atsuko, how she was annoyed he activated his Shikai before her. His other ear flicked hearing Shori next, temporarily looking to her. She waved.
"Good Morning, Sanyu."
A slow, gentle rise then a steady wag came from behind with his tail, as he deactivated his Shikai and put his sword back to wave back.
"Good day, Shori-san."
He returned his attention to Atsuko, who was now focused on Shori for some reason. The strange clicking noises she makes don't go unheard from Sanyu's big ears and he gives her a strange look before she returns to normal. Her strange behavior makes his tail go down and stop wagging.
"ohhhhh-kay…?"
He shakes his head and snaps out of his overthinking before listening to the last of what Atsuko says well. The gate guards, fighting them, and then bragging about her speed. Sanyu sighed. She never changes. None of that mattered, let's just go, he thought. Honestly the gate guards should be tired of seeing the faces of Division seven by now. Still, Atsuko was chosen as the lieutenant for a reason, and Sanyu respects it fully… after all, who else is gonna find that special spot behind his ears besides her and Shori?
"Right, let's get going. No rogue shinigami is gonna kill a kid's pop on my watch!"
He said, clenching his fist. It sort of became a dream of his now, to make the Soul Society a better place, just like his old man. He wasn't as fast as Atsuko but he did run fairly well, considering the curse placed upon his family long ago. He was larger then the two girls so he figured it'd be more manly to run on his own to the Rukongai gates Atsuko was headed towards. He figured Shori wouldn't be too far behind them, unless she hitched a ride on Atsuko like she was a magic carpet. Sanyu smiled at that thought thinking it was funny.

7th Division Barracks >>>> Rukongai

 

[BSD]

Like a light switch Katsuo was pretty calm now considering just minutes ago he was on the verge of crying for what he's done to Himari. He was sorry, but there is nothing he can do about it now. You dwell too much on what happened, the enemy plans further ahead… or at least that's what the Oda would say. Which was true. He took the change of clothes quietly before going behind a curtain to change. The small 4th division member started talking to him as he was changing.
"I'll give you a moment to change. I know this was an accident but I'm unsure if Sixth will want these items so we'll need to hang on to them for now,"
Katsuo sighed, mid-change. When did this kid get out of the office?
" What's your name again? Er Don't matter, rather, you do know 6th Division doesn't cover every combat scene in the seireitei, including mere training exercises right? We get hurt all the time it's really not a big deal. If that were true they'd be around here an awful lot taking notes from every man or woman in bed."
He pulled up the new clothes and folded his shirt into itself, then took the 13th badge and washed it in a sink. It'll dry. He rung it out as the 4th division person continued.
"If I were injured so badly...I wouldn't want to be alone. Even when you know you'll be okay...healing is harder when you're sad and lonely. Surrounded by a sea of faces you don't recognize. We've done what we can. What she needs now is a friend. Even if they hurt her by accident. Avoiding her won't make her feel any better. I know I'd...I'd feel worse. Like I let you down so much you can't even face me. Or so...that's what I believe, Lieutenant,"
He shook his head, and looked away. It wasn't that he didn't want to stay with her, he just had some work to do, and needed to get that done. Plus…
"You weren't really paying much attention to her body language were you? She pushed off of me. Away from me. It's painfully obvious she is afraid of me now too. It's obvious she is ashamed of herself because of the training going so wrong. It's disheartening, for me, considering how much I care…. love her even…"
He tossed the bloody clothes and puts his Zanpakuto on his waist sides, left then right.
"What I did… what I'm doing for her… it is good… but not if she doesn't see it that way. She needs to have time alone, reflect on what happened, and learn… nobody's gonna hold your hand in this world… nobody. You or your friends could be here one day then gone the next. Shinigami don't have time to… make each other feel good."
He sighed. He removed from his pocket an old, slightly rusted Tanto. It was a gift from a friend Katsuo had in the Rukongai, in the south where he used to live, obliterated by the Kototsu attack over 100 years ago. He'd toss it to the little 4th Division guy.
"Give this to her for me… tell her it's special. A friend gave it to me when i was afraid, it made me not so scared. Maybe it'll make her feel the same way."
In a lot of ways, Katsuo used to be like Himari, though he grew past it all over time, it seemed as though Himari kept the secrets deep and clung onto them like a lost child. Maybe she'll find her own strength one day. Katsuo would be happy to see it…
"Thanks for the extra clothes, and don't forget to inform Captain Oda and Lieutenant Suta of Himari's whereabouts if they ask about her."
He pushed the doors to 4th division open and headed to 13th division barracks.

4th Division barracks > > > 13th Division Barracks

 

[BSD]

Listening to the words spoken by his comrade Hiroka he gave a big grin to see his friend just as eager to reach new heights. In Shoumetsu's mind, everything he overcomes and faced was nothing more than stepping stones and obstacles for them to get stronger. His view of seeing things remained the same since he joined the ranks of Soul Society with their being those considered friends than those who were nothing but prey to hunted down. With the 9th division now approaching them along with the alluring scent of the muffins, he carried in tow for the number one glutton of Soul Society they eventually found themselves reaching the front of the division. Taking the time to stop taking in a deep breath he searched for all the reiatsu signatures inside of 9th division barracks picking up none of them outside of non-seated members so decided to go knocking on the front door to get some answers. He calmly walked up to the door gently knocking on it to get somebody's attention but instead, they were greeted by the sound of wood shattering as the barracks door burst into pieces from his knocking. He paused looking back at Hiroka with a small nervous chuckle while rubbing the back of his head.
"I forgot everybody outside of the 11th division use cheap paper wood for everything."
The two of them soon heard the sounds of a bunch of clamoring of footsteps coming their way from the 9th division members sent into a small panic about the sudden commotion caused. By the time they arrived to find the two of them, Shoumetsu just forcefully shoved the box of muffins into one of their hands accidentally knocking him down on the ground. Seeing how Yasu unseated members were like walking pop sickles with flimsy arms and legs he let out a small sigh of disappointment in them.
"Where is your pipsqueak of a Captain at?! I brought her these treats and she is not even here to take them. If you ask me that is pretty damn disrespectful don't you think?! Also you better put those pastries in the proper storage or if I heard they went stale on your watch then I am coming back here!"
He immediately grabbed on the scruff of his collar while speaking to them and lifted him off the ground demanding answers before tossing him back on the ground slightly annoyed she wasn't here. Part of this passive aggression came from the fact he planned to surprise attack Yasu the moment he handed her the muffins to see how much stronger she was compared to them. Hiroka was probably not aware of this little plan but he planned to drag him into the middle of it along with him either way. However, after aggressively questioning them about the whereabouts of Captain Yasu with just vague answers he rustled the top of his head more in thought before getting another idea.
"Oi can you at least be useful and tell me where her Lt is currently at right now? I bet he will know where to find his brat of a Captain."
He waited impatiently hearing how some of them murmured between one another with a few unsure if its wise for them to tell. After a minute of going back and forth, one of them finally caved in from the death stare they were receiving from Shoumetsu whose patience grew as thin as their flimsy doors. Getting word of the whereabouts that he was last heard heading to his former 6th division barracks, he turned to face Hiroka in a much calmer mood.
"What do you say we go crash their little reunion at 6th division and interrogate Lt. Shusuke for the location of his Captain or do you have any ideas of where you want to go?"

 

[BSD]

As the minutes turned into hours, Himari stayed silent as she allowed the 4th division women to reattach her arms. She wasn’t feeling any pain anymore, at least in her arms. Her head was filled with the constant pain of her head hurting from the headache that came whenever she made herself sad and held the tears she would have shed down.
She shouldn’t cry in the face of failure, but it was so hard to keep the tears down.
So, she sat there. Silence. Her eyes not even looking at the women as she finished her work, bandaging up her arms and laying them down her sides. She couldn’t move them, but she could feel them. They were there. She should be happy with how easy it was to get her arms back. But happiness was the last thing she felt.
She felt like the biggest failure she has ever been. As she looked back at the fight with Katsuo, the more she wasn’t angry at the Lieutenant for cutting her arms off. The more she looked over at the fight between her and Lieutenant, the more angry she had become of herself
She shouldn’t have placed faith in the Lieutenant that he would go easy on her because he was her friend. That was the main mistake she had made. Yes, she wasn’t the best when it came to any form of fighting that required her to lift up her sword. And of course he knew this from their many talks about this. But, as a soul reaper, as a warrior, you aren’t supposed to trust anyone in the face of a battle.
Even if they were considered one of your only friends
And the worst part? She knew what messed up her chances of winning the battle in the first place. She relied on Kido and Hakuda in a battle where she should have focused on using her Shikai. Yes, she probably couldn’t stop the full effects of his shikai with hers alone, but that didn’t mean she should have used Hakuda in a battle that involved swords.
Not to mention she still didn’t truly trust her Zanpakuto like she should. Which is why she never relied on it in battle.
It was a childish move. And it made her embarrassed.
There was no doubt about it that her captain was going to hear of this. But who else would hear of this? Other divisions? It was going to be known she was a failure.
Was she even supposed to be a ranked officer in the Gotei 13? As she sat here, she didn’t think so.
She was thinking this as a male with red hair entered her room, she knew this by casting him a short glance before staring forward again. She felt as he made his way to her bed, looking at her chart.
’Now beautiful girl, can you show me how strong you are? I'll need your help here,"
She slowly looked up at him, her eyes dead. No emotion in them as he would grin at her. The grin made her feel worse. But she listened as he instructed her to lift her arm, from lifting it to lowering it. To push against him with as much strength as she could. There was no pain. She should feel happy about this too, but nothing.
”I declare you fully functional! If you feel ready you should be able to be discharged by tomorrow morning. Just so we can run more tests. Just as a precaution, standard for such a severe wound. How does that sound?”
All she did was nod, before laying back on her pillows again. Her head was throbbing even more, and suddenly a ringing was taking over her mind. She couldn’t think. She didn’t want to open her eyes, afraid of what would happen if she did.
Suddenly, the ringing stopped. Her breathing calmed, and she was knocked out. As if she were sleeping.
But she was far from sleeping at all.
Suddenly Himari gasped, her eyes opening up again. This time though, she wasn’t in the recovery room of the fourth barracks. She was far away from that place.
This place. A place Himari has been only a select few times. But, every time she came it felt like she was just there. She knew this place all too well, and the feeling of calmness filled her body at once.
The ground she lay on was light blue, as if covered in ice. The more she looked around, it felt like she was thrown here in the middle of winter. Snow was everywhere,frozen mid fall. There was no wind. There was no sound. The whole land was. completely still, as if frozen in time.
She slowly rose to her feet, quickly noticing she had no bandages on her arms here. They weren’t cut. There were no scars. It was as if the spar with Katsuo never happened. This made her feel better. More at peace with herself.
As she looked up, she saw the blue cliff. The very blue cliff she had walked up many years ago. There, she knew, someone was waiting for her.

She didn’t want to face him. She didn’t feel like she was allowed to face him. But, her feet moved on their own, and suddenly they were making their ways to the start of the cliff.
The climb wasn’t long, but it felt very long to Himari. The higher she climbed on, the more nervous she got. But she didn’t stop, she kept going. And as she made it to the top, she took a deep breath.
As she took in the top of the cliff, her eyes automatically locked onto the giant. She grew more nervous as she took in the blue skinned gaunt, looking him over. Her eyes went from his dark blue spiked hair, then to his closed eyes. This was her Zanpakuto Spirit. This was Fudō Myōō.
Fudō Myōō was still, as if made of stone. His eyes were closed. He was sitting indian style at the very center of the cliff, arms crossed. This was how he had been the last time she had seen him. It was so long ago. She slowly moved closer to him, her eyes not leaving him. And before she could stop herself, she was whispering his name.
”Fudō Myōō…
Her voice was soft, a whisper. But Fudō Myōō heard her. Suddenly his eyes were open, a glowing blue. And he stood, towering over the girl as she looked up at him. Not saying a word. She knew what was coming.
”Ah, finally you come. Himari Shimizu
She didn’t speak. She didn’t move. She just stared at Fudō Myōō as if he were a ghost.
”You disappoint me, Himari. You only ever doubt yourself, you doubt your power in me. Your doubt deafens you from my voice”
She glared up at him. He was saying what she had been thinking all this time, but hearing him say it hurt even more.
”100 years have gone by, and I have seen no growth. We still don't have unity. You still haven’t used me to my full potential. Why is that, Himari?
She knew what it was. It has been the very thing that always brought her to failure, and she knew she wasn’t going to move ahead of this until she spoke about it. Out loud.
”Fear…I feel like I am weak, that I don’t deserve to be where I am…
She was greeted with silence for a moment before Fudō Myōō spoke again.
”You little pathetic girl. All you do is dwell on the negative. In the dark. What have you done to grow? Nothing. It's exhausting to watch. If you don't want to grow, die. I don't need a weak, pathetic, and cowardly master like you.
She held her breath as he spoke. It hurt. It hurt like hell but this was what she needed to hear. If she was going to dwell on nothing but the negative and not do anything to have positive results, she should just die. There was no place in the Gotei 13 for a weak coward like that.
But
Deep down, Himari always wanted to be better than that. She wanted to prove the people who thought of her as a nobody, as a weakling, that she could grow. That she could destroy them all.
”You are right, I am a coward. I have been this whole time. I have done nothing but speak of the negative and done nothing to grow. Today it's about to change.
Fudō Myōō didn’t say anything, he just looked at her. She felt more confident than she ever felt for a very long time, no it wasn’t confidence….it was anger. Rage. She hated the weakness in her, her cowardly self. From this moment forward, there was only one way to go. And that was up.
”You've spoken well , Himari Shimizu. You have said what I wanted to hear. You have the potential to do well. Grow stronger, trust in me and our bond.use me to my full potential. Hopefully the next time we speak, you will be a master worth wielding me.”
And just like that, Fudō Myōō closed his eyes, sitting back down into his previous position. Back frozen in time.