[BSD-RP] Soul Society: Southeast Seireitei

[DioNaraka]

Fading Reflections

Ochitsuki is riddled with highly condensed Kunai, his body falling to the ground lifeless. The Kuchiki girl standing tall over his corpse, as the ground parts, his form sinking into the floor. The girl gives him a final farewell, one that she believes is unfit for the deranged man and she is correct. Ochitsuki deserves no farewell’s, if not guided by his family or the Gotei Thirteen he would have surely been nothing more than a Rukongai murderer. There is no light to be seen in his intentions…

”Rest now, Ochitsuki Oda. May you find peace when you return to us.”

Reflected in her eyes is the ground closing up around Ochitsuki’s body followed by a slow solemn blink that covers her world in darkness. Upon opening them she feels tears running down her face, these are not for Ochitsuki, no, these are for herself. The reality she sought fades around her as the neurons in her brain begin to slow, reflected in her eyes is not the gravesite of the deranged man but the man himself, standing over her. Her head severed from her lifeless body staring back at her killer. This haunting image could wound the soul of another, make them think and wonder how or why they could hurt a soul like this, one that seemed to be kind. But for this man he cares little for these sentiments, there is nothing that can wound his soul on an emotional level. He is but a vessel for the spirit of violence more so than anyone else in his clan.

He turns away from the body and takes a few paces before a member of his division appears before him, kneeling. It is clear they cannot leave the body here and with her being of Kuchiki blood it means they cannot merely bury her here. Ochitsuki knows this much.

”Clean up the body and return it to the family.”

Ochi refers to the body as an it, from his perspective once someone dies they become nothing more than rotting meat. There is no sense in referring to it as a person when it can no longer produce thought. This will be the second time the Oda have laid hands upon the Kuchiki family and claimed a life from them. Disgraced as they may be there may come a time where this comes back to bite them. But in their current state and their dwindled numbers what sort of threat can these nobles, who keep their noses upturned to the sky, pose to the warrior clan? Only time will tell, but as for right now Ochitsuki sets out to find his captain and properly report the results of his mission to him.

---

Ochitsuki tracks the pair of Kyomu and Himari, taking the same path as them via following trace amounts of their Reiatsu. Like a strand of spider silk dancing in the sunlight their trail can easily be missed by most who don’t know what they are searching for. Following this strand he begins to spot towering trees in the distance. He stops just outside of them, peering into the darkness they cast with their size. This darkness does not welcome him. He was not invited and he knows well the crime for intruding onto grounds he was not welcomed upon and so he removes his zanpakuto from his back, holding it in his hand and rests against a tree. He stares back out in the direction he came from as the assumptions finally became fact in that meeting. Kyomu seeks to raise that girl to be a powerful warrior. She will block his path, his goal…

Focusing so deeply on this thought he slips into Jinzen (刃禅, Sword Meditation; Viz "Sword Zen") meeting with someone, someone whose name he has not called in quite some time… Saryū (砂粒, Grain of sand)

Winding Maze…

Ochitsuki finds himself resting against one of the pale walls of the Seireitei, the sky above is dark and fog enshrouded the area. Despite being in a forest mere moments ago he does not seem alarmed by this new change of scenery. The fog around him parts, clearing up and it is then that he senses something is odd and amiss. Saryū typically forces him to find her amidst this maze and fog but to clear the view for him so easily strikes him as odd. Before he can think of a reason why he is suddenly grabbed from behind, or rather hugged. He is clearly taken off guard by this act as Saryū even shouts his name, welcoming him. She lets go and hops back, standing on the wall Ochi was once resting on.

A Reunion!

”Ochi! Long time no see kid! And here I thought I was never going to hear from you! Let alone see you!”

”I… Yeah… It’s been a while.”

Saryū sits down on the wall, resting her chin on her fist, she can tell that Ochi came here by accident and that honestly hurt her deeply. She was so happy and ecstatic to see him and yet it seems and feels like he’d rather just leave. She hides the pain and carries on as if nothing is wrong.

”So, what brings ya here, kid? Figured you showed up to ask me somethin’”

At no point does she remove the pipe from her mouth to dump ashes, whatever is in that pipe is emitting black smoke or is that dust?

”No, I- Actually… I have to know, when will you allow me to use Bankai? If I don’t acquire it soon I’ll miss my chance of killing the Captain directly and-”
”NO DEAL!”

She cuts him off, out right denying his question.

”I haven’t seen or heard from you in ages and the first thing you ask about is Bankai!? To kill your Captain because you think that girl is going to get in your way and stop you!?”

Ochi says nothing, Saryū calls him out directly on what he was trying to accomplish.

”Hypothetical time kid! You get Bankai, you get strong and you kill your captain! Congrats, you killed the one man you aimed to kill, now what?”

”What do you mean, ‘now what’?”

She sighs and hops off of the wall, walking up to the young man and punching him on top of his head. He crouches down holding his head as blood trickles down his face slowly.

”What do you do after you kill him!? Going to live life? Maybe taking up farming? Or are you going to take his place and become a Captain because you and I both know you don’t care about being captain!”

A Plea For Companionship

She goes silent, the attitude in her voice fading away completely as she speaks her next words.

”And if you do kill him will you be done with me too? I mean, you won't have a need for my power anymore, you accomplished your goal. If you kill him will that mean I will never see or hear from you again, Ochi?”

Ochitsuki looks up at her, not saying a word but starts to deduce that the reason she never granted him Bankai is so that he can keep coming back here. A bond between Shinigami and Zanpakuto is a special thing, when the two are in perfect harmony they become a powerful force to be reckoned with. However, if there is no harmony both Shinigami and Zanpakuto stunt their own power. Ochitsuki, unlike his cousin, does not understand this. To him Saryū is a weapon, gaining access to Shikai and Bankai is just gaining access to a new weapon for him. He finds this whole sword spirit thing to be complicated and annoying, if she didn’t block his path to his weapon’s potential then he could be so much stronger. He fails to realize and understand that Saryū is his weapon.

”I will call upon the power of my weapon when I need it and only when I need it. There is no reason to do any more than that, if I’m not fighting, what reason would I have to talk to you?”

”What reason? Ochi! I’m more than just a sword! Even I get lonely in this empty world!”

”Then pick up a hobby and stop barring me from Bankai.”

And just like that Ochitsuki is gone from his inner world without letting Saryū speak another word to him. The fog starts to close in on this maze of a world with Saryū vanishing into the fog, speaking to no one but the emptiness of this world.

”And you wonder why I hide from you…”

Back in reality Ochitsuki opens his eyes, blood trickling from his head. He frowns as it feels like his goal is even further away than it originally was. Despite all the “whining”, as he views it, Saryū put up one thing that she said stuck out to him. If he kills Kyomu what will he do then? Will his drive and ambition shut down then and there? Will he waste away and allow his death to come without a fight all because he lacks motivation to do anything else? His eyes shift over to his Zanpakuto that is in his hand, holding it by the sheath. What was she trying to say exactly and why didn’t she just spit it out? Was she trying to tell Ochitsuki to find a new goal in life, a new form of motivation? He’ll never know because as of right now he refuses to ask her.

---

 

[ShayGhoulz]

Silence.



That was all there was. The duos footsteps were not heard, almost as if they were shadows walking down the corridor out of the meeting hall. But there were people walking, Captain Mukuro walking swiftly out of the hall first while Himari followed after him, taking his lead. She wouldn’t ask questions, even though she was curious as to where the man was taking her and what was to come. But she knew she wouldn’t get an answer even if she were to ask until they got there, so she stayed silent.



As the distance between them and the meeting hall grew, Himari suddenly felt the disappearance of Utsuro’s spiritual pressure. It surprised her, almost making her want to turn around and inspect the situation. The deed was done. It hadn’t even been longer than a few moments since they exited the meeting hall, and Himari knew what the disappearance of the girl’s spiritual pressure meant. She was dead. Ochitsuki had followed the Captain's orders and slain the girl. This made a chill slowly run through Himari’s body. Even with being in the Second for the short while she has been there, this still was able to shock her.



“Himari-“



The voice of the Captain shocked Himari out of her thoughts, making her actually focus on the back of the Captains head. He hasn’t spoken since they started walking, and him speaking now almost worried her. Did she do something wrong? Did he know how the fact that Ochisuki killed the girl so swiftly made her feel? She wouldn’t know until he spoke again.



“If you see your comrade being defeated, do not help. Instead, take it as an opportunity and cut the enemy down from behind. If the enemy is so strong that even that is not feasible, then leave your comrade to die...even if its me."



This…Was completely different from who Himari was. Himari, even though sometimes it was hard to tell, was a team player. She helped those she truly cared about. That was one of the reasons why she had become a soul reaper in the first place. But, the Captain now was asking her to change all of that around. And the very thought of leaving a comrade behind to die…sickened her. It was what a monster would do. Was she able to turn into a monster herself? Forget her morals and just…let a comrade die. Let the man before her die, if the time comes.



She couldn’t truly stomach that. At least for now.



But she stayed silent. Biting the skin of her cheek, drawing blood. As he turned to face her, she made sure her emotions wouldn’t be seen. She just stayed emotionless, not wanting him to know what she truly felt at that moment.



“That is the way of the Stealth Force..what it means to be Onmitsukidō."



And then he would turn away from her, not allowing her to speak even if she wanted to. Such cruel laws were laid before Himari and she had a lot to learn. This only made her worry even more. Could she do it? Would she fail?



No…No time for that.



Soon enough, they were outside. Trees welcomed them as they walked into their path. As they walked, Himari’s brow would raise as a structure would show up before them, growing closer and closer as they walked. What was this? She knew every division had their secret rooms, secret bunkers. Was this one of them? The path was dark, only lit by the candles that were on the walls.

And suddenly, Himari felt completely…light headed.



It almost made her stop walking instantly, to grab at her head. Her eyes would move around, knowing for sure it was because of the building they were in now. She had read about this but never felt it. The building had to have been made of Sekkiseki (殺気石, Spirit Reducing Stone; Viz "Lethal Presence Rock"). The very building was slowly dampening her spiritual sense, along with any of her spiritual power, causing her to feel sick.



BUT



She had faced worse than this. From being inflicted with poison on top of poison. To have her own intestines ripped out of her body. The feeling the building was making her feel was agonizing, sure, but she was still able to move. Her footsteps slower than usual, following a little behind the Captain. But she wouldn’t complain. She would just move forward until finally, they entered a lit up room.

She stared around in awe once her eyes finally adjusted. Every corner of the room was filled with all different types of weapons. From daggers, to knives, spears. Anything you could name was here in this room. Even though she moved slowly, feeling heavy and sick, she couldn’t help but feel a little excitement fill her body.



“Breathe, you’ll get used to the environment.”



She would turn to glance at the Captain for a few seconds, before turning back to the weapons of the room.



“Take a look around. You're going to familiarize yourself with all the weapons in here. You will keep several of them on you at all times, just as you would your zanpakuto. For now, grab what you need."



Himari wasn’t one to truly rely on weapons. She relied on her Kido skills to get her by. She never was one to pick a weapon over Kido, which is what led her to the fifth division back in her early days. But. That also made her weak. She didn’t grow closer to her Zanpakuto, not using him once. Too scared to even use him.



This is what made her quickly shake her head, getting over her worried feeling of holding weapons as she walked over to the daggers on the wall. Picking one up, turning it over, and placing it within her robes.



She didn’t speak for a while, just walked around the room. Taking whatever she was drawn to take, before she slowly turned to look at the Captain. She would look at him for a few beats before speaking.



“Is this where we will be training from now on?”



Her voice was soft, but there was a hint of nervousness. She didn’t know how to speak to the man without others around. It was a little strange. And she just didn’t know what to ask or to even say. So, she went with that.​

 

[GhostSnake]

The look of wonder and splendor filled the woman's eyes. The girl's excitement was evident, good. She'd need that excitement, something to drive her forward, help keep the flames and embers of motivation lit. Himari began to wander around the room, eyes shifting around, finger tips brushing against every weapon, every tool of death. As she took her time to study inspect the weaponry, Kyomu's head lifts up slightly as if staring off at something.

Planted in the forest of darkness, propped up against a tree was Ochitsuki, zanpakuto in hand. The Oda has just finished conversing with his spirit, though it could hardly be called a conversation. Words were exchanged however, words that linger on the mind of the warrior turned killer. He is met with a wall, pondering things he's never taken the time to think about, to consider.

'Are you that curious?'

During the course of his thinking, in the midst of his streaming thoughts Ochi is able to feel his Captain beside him, seemingly able to hear his voice directly in his ear. Should the Oda shift his eyes, or turn to look beside and around him he would perceive, nothing. The forest was just as empty, just as dark, just as silent as it had been since he had come to a rest against this specific tree. Yet he had clearly heard his Captain's voice, detected him one moment, then unable to feel or hear him the next. Perhaps the Captain was toying with the Oda, using his shunpo to dance around the ambitious young killer.

'Come join us then'

Again, the Captain's reiatsu, his presence can be felt by the Oda, and again it comes from his blind spot while his voice is heard in his ear. Just like before, there is no trace of the Captain afterwards, no reiatsu to trace back, no physical sign that the man had been there, the Oda was alone in the forest. ​

---

“Is this where we will be training from now on?”

Back in the room, a soft, subtle voice causes Kyomu's eyes to shift towards the woman. As Himari had been venturing and collecting, Kyomu had not once stepped foot outside the room. Despite the sturdy and dense walls of Sekkiseki surrounding them, Kyomu has seemingly been able to maneuver not only his reikaku beyond the walls to perceive the resting Ochitsuki, but maneuver his reiatsu, projecting it in such a way that it would be perceived as though the Phantom was standing in proximity to the Oda and speaking to him, despite the distance and physical obstructions separating the two. This meant that, the Captain's senses, body, and spiritual abilities were conditioned to such an environment, able to maneuver, react and behave as though the restrictive properties of the strange stone didn't exist to him.

Instead of answering his student, rescuing her from the clutches of ignorance and uncertainty, Kyomu moves past her. His silent steps casually carry him from one shell to another. He grabs an item lifting it up to stare at it, then lowers it back to its place before moving on. He repeats this process, never speaking a word to the woman. His actions do nothing to reassure the already nervous girl, its as if he was leaving her to wallow in the dark, lost and alone. Had she done something wrong? Made some sort of mistake? Maybe she shouldn't have asked that question, shouldn't have said anything. The whole thing was rather nerve wrecking.

"Yes...and no."

He speaks. Finally, she is rescued from the deafening silence, freed from the torment of being left wondering. Kyomu's arms fold behind him, eyes cast upon the girl. He looks at her like a blacksmith would stare at a piece of raw material. Studying it, sculpting it in their mind before they ever bring it to the furnace, or the hammer down onto its surface, beating it into its new shape and form. Yes, Himari was rare material, waiting to be shaped, bent, molded, unmade and then forged anew.

"For now until I say otherwise, you're forbidden from using kido. There is another room in this structure we will go to. There, you will familiarize yourself with these weapons. You will memorize the weight of each one, their shape, their sharpness. You will learn to throw them in such a way that they will go where you will them to go, regardless of if you're looking at the target or not. Like your zanpakuto, they shall become extensions of you. Never will you go without them on you."

Perhaps she would be taken aback, being told so unexpectedly that she wouldn't be allowed to use the one thing she was confident in, the one thing she was comfortable with. Yes, Kyomu would force her out of her comfort zone, snatching the safety net from underneath her, and her safety blanket from off of her. Though it would feel like torture, training in such an environment would help build her strength, honing her spiritual senses and control in an environment meant to suppress them. Kyomu also ponders something else, weighing two options in his head: Bringing her to the Mukuro Clan compound to go before their Master Weaver (達人織工, “Tatsujin Okō”) or sending for him to have him come and meet them here. She would need to have her wardrobe adjusted or rather, the material composing her ensemble. Hidden compartments to better hide a number of these tools upon her person comfortably, along with some other helpful little....amenities.


While he has been maneuvering around the room, conversing and studying Himari, he has also been tracking and clocking Ochi's movements, timing the man's arrival — something beyond the current weakened Himari's abilities. Ochitsuki had his habits, had his warped ambitions but...he was useful. He'd made use of the man already, perhaps he may do so again. Though Himari will undoubtedly be the one to benefit the most, there's no denying that Ochi may also profit from the experience. So far one member of Second has fallen, another is being moved, another scurries away in fear and shame, while the remaining two step onto a path of growth. In the span of an hour, the Second Division has once again undergone change, and like before its rebirth is merely on the horizon.

What will the division be like once it has reached and stepped beyond that horizon?

 

[DioNaraka]

'Are you that curious?'

He suddenly hears the captain beside him and it causes him to flinch and take a battle ready stance. He sees nothing but darkness and towering trees and this concerns him greatly. His heart rate begins to elevate, body surging with adrenaline as he knows what he heard, what he sensed and it was unmistakably his Captain. He begins to get frustrated as he can’t track the man, can’t even see him. If he can’t do these two simple things then how can he fight him? Did Kyomu start toying with him because he went too close to the forest?

'Come join us then'

An invitation is given to him along with the presence of the Captain yet again revealing himself to him for but an instant. The young man was ready for a fight, however, he ultimately would have lost. With a sigh he begins treading deeper into the forest, his mind trying to focus on what he experienced here when suddenly…

”What do you do after you kill him!? Going to live life? Maybe taking up farming? Or are you going to take his place and become a Captain because you and I both know you don’t care about being captain!”

The memory of her words ring out in his head, he stops for a moment and vanishes, the leaves at his feet kicking up in a smally flury.

He reappears, arriving at the entrance to a hidden bunker from just outside he can feel the pull on his Spiritual Power, it was as if it wanted to sink into the very stone itself. Ochitsuki pays it no mind and presses onward into the bunker, the use of Sekkiseki is commonplace in Second Division and so it came as no surprise to feel the structure was composed of it. His eyes do narrow, showing signs of straining against having his energy sapped to such a degree.

After many twists and turns Ochitsuki finally begins to hear talking up ahead of him, it was Kyomu’s voice. As he reaches the light at the end of this tunnel he is welcomed by the sight of multiple weapons scattered along the wall. He had never had a need to use such tools since his Shikai could reshape itself into whatever it was that he needed. Given recent events with his Zanpakuto he isn’t sure if he can trust it to operate for him. He arrives to catch the tail end of what Kyomu was saying.

”Like your zanpakuto, they shall become extensions of you. Never will you go without them on you.”

It is a universal irony that he would hear those exact words from his Captain. An extension of himself? Is that what his Zanpakuto really is? Does it harbor all the feelings and emotions Ochi doesn’t, or rather can’t, express? This complicates his already complicated thoughts… The process of thinking deeply like this is not suited for him as he only thinks about killing, maiming, and torturing those who cross his path. It seems as if Ochitsuki is truly lost on a path he thought he knew well.

”Captain, Utsuro is dead… Awaiting new orders- No, wait…”

He sighs as if trying to let down his perpetual guard.

”Captain, I need guidance. I think I am lost. A new goal or direction is fine, so long as it is in service of the Second Division.”

He holds his head down, not from respect to Kyomu but because he cannot bring himself to lift his head realizing he may have been on the wrong path. To realize you’ve spent such a large part of your life on something only to find out it was all pointless has a way of crushing a soul. Even if it is a black and tainted soul like Ochi’s that crushing weight does not discriminate, it is humbling and at times it can even be enlightening.

 

[ShayGhoulz]

After the girl had asked her question, she moved to turn her gaze from the Captain for a moment, looking back at the razor sharp weapons around her. Even though she wasn’t one to care about weapons, she had to say the sight before her was one to see. She allowed her eyes to take in the room again before turning towards the Captain again who hadn’t spoken still. It sent a chill down her spine. What was he thinking? Did he think of her as foolish? Wasn’t she not supposed to ask anything? Say anything? She didn’t know.

She almost flinched as the man walked towards her, Afraid he was going to attack her. But…he didn't. He just walked past her, still silent. She followed him with her eyes, trying to keep up with what he was going to do next.

“Yes…and no.”

He finally spoke, his voice calm. No hint of attack in them. So she allowed herself to relax. She didn’t lower her gaze as the man turned to look at her, not wanting to show how much he did indeed scare her. She wanted to try to be confident around him..That probably wouldn’t come until later. Now she would just pretend.

“For now until I say otherwise, you're forbidden from using kido. There is another room in this structure we will go to. There, you will familiarize yourself with these weapons. You will memorize the weight of each one, their shape, their sharpness. You will learn to throw them in such a way that they will go where you will them to go, regardless of if you're looking at the target or not. Like your zanpakuto, they shall become extensions of you. Never will you go without them on you."

It felt like ice went down her entire body. Forbidden to use kido? The very sentence sent a rush of terror through her. Kido was the very thing she was confident in. She spent years studying the arts. Perfecting her craft. It was the one thing she could use in battle without second thinking about herself and he just took that away from her.

She gripped the cloth of her clothes, trying to calm herself down.

She was going to have to start over with something new. She was going to have to learn how to wield a weapon like it was a part of her body, just as she used Kido. It could be done but Himari didn’t like the unknown. But…as she looked back at her time here in the Second Divison. Having beaten Oyama in a battle, going through her torture over and over again…she could do it. She will just have to work hard.

She could do it.

“I understand,” She finally spoke, her voice calm as she wouldn’t allow her dilemma to show in her voice even though she knew the man before could probably sense the unease he just put her through.

Then suddenly, they weren’t alone.

“”Captain, Utsuro is dead… Awaiting new orders- No, wait…”

They were accompanied by Ochitsuki, who had just finished his task of killing Utsuro. Himari surprisingly didn’t feel much of the girl he had just killed, while earlier she felt sick to her stomach. Was it because she felt weak because of the building they were in? She didn’t know.

“Captain, I need guidance. I think I am lost. A new goal or direction is fine, so long as it is in service of the Second Division.”

This made Himari raise an eyebrow. So even this sick bastard needed guidance. And a new goal? She wondered what the old one was. At the same time she didn’t.

She glanced at the man, his head bowed. She then turned towards the Captain, wondering what he was going to say next.