The final note reverberated in now empty air. As it faded a silence settled down around her. Eyes looking down to the koto slowly, she gazed at it for a few moments, a small frown coming to her face. Furrowing her brow she considered the last few months. Her time in second had been, and still was, extremely fresh. However the loyalty she felt toward them rivaled a lifetime within its ranks, making the events beforehand feel like a harsh blow to her personally. Rumors swirled around her, bits and pieces that didn't truly give a full story of what had happened. They were easy enough to dismiss, the words hollow and meaningless from those who had only seen one particular aspect of all of the fighting. To confuse matters more, immediately after the larger scale incident had occurred which had rocked every member in every squad.
Soon after the events and the funeral for the members they had lost, a meeting had been called. Before that point a vague picture had been painted of the events that had unfolded involving their Captain and the Head Captain. With Captain Mukuro's explanation to them that day, a veil had been lifted from all of their eyes. It seemed reactions were mixed, though for the most part it appeared none truly blamed the Captain. Many seemed relieved to have been left out of the situation, others wished they could have been of more use to him. Kazumi fell within this latter category as she listened silently at the meeting, every ounce of self restraint she had preventing her from shifting about uncomfortably as she felt the guilt wash over her from her inability to help in any way. Regardless of her personal feelings, however, Kazumi had never felt any doubt in her mind about the intentions of her Captain. Perhaps he had disclosed the full story and perhaps not, but regardless, even if he had remained silent about the entire ordeal, she still would not have questioned neither his nor Yūgure-san's judgement. She had chosen where her loyalties would lie, and although they did indeed encompass the entirety of the Soul Society, she felt her first duty was to her squad. She expected some amount of faith from her fellow members, and she gave it willingly to them as well.
As the meeting called to a close she waited patiently to file outside the door along the other members when she heard name called, instructing her as well as one other to stay behind. Worry overcame her as she thought over how she had acted during the emergency. She had run around, being nothing but underfoot and she counted herself lucky she had not caused more problems for the squad. However, she did not expect such behavior to go unnoticed nor unpunished.
Facing them with a smile she awaited to hear what they had to say, though she was confused as to why Sakiko had been called to stay behind as well. As the Captain spoke her usual smiling demeanor slowly dissipated, confusion covering her instead. She had not only received a raise in rank, moving not one but two seats up to now occupy the Fourth Seat, but she had been granted a new and particular job that both the Captain and the Lieutenant were extremely vague when discussing the details. Not one to push and knowing the Captain would place her where she was well suited, she gave a nod and found herself content with having an actual job to focus on.
On top of her new primary task she had also been given a strict training regiment which she had been sure to follow since the day it was given. She listened intently, though her brain had nearly come to a standstill. What had she done to receive any of this? She couldn't be sure, and perhaps she was simply taking over for someone who had died in the recent events. Regardless, she thanked both of the highest seats numerous times before she was excused for the night.
The next few days set her schedule for the foreseeable future. In the mornings she did her usual, practicing some instrument or another to get the blood flowing and to awaken her senses. When she finished, she would make her way to what could most simply be called a 'range'. Working twice a day here, morning and evening, she honed her skills and marksmanship, finding her various throwing weapons meeting their exact target more often than not after two months of this training. Afterward was her time to focus on gaining better perception, and through meditation as well as training she had found by masters within the squad she worked on her reiatsu control as well as her sensory abilities. Her senses were easy enough, though she had much more trouble with her control. This became her 'problem area', where she was instructed to return three times a day instead of once or even twice. Though she felt she had heightened her ability in these areas immensely, she was very aware of the fact she was still falling short of the goal the Captain had set before her.
This gave way to her 'mystery job', which gave her nothing but immense confusion when she first reached her 'work area'. She had been led to the room, but at the door she was left alone and facing a man tied to a chair. A folder sat in a small holder on the inside of the door, giving her the details of this man. Where he had come from, where Second had picked him up from, and most importantly, what information was required from him.
Kazumi chewed at her lip with her back to the man, unsure of how to deal with this situation. She had no urge at all to inflict suffering on another....why had this particular job been chosen for her?
Her first month was sloppy, to put it nicely. Her interrogations were called 'soft' and 'ineffective', many of the others who held the same position giving her constant critique on her methods. Entering a room, it was evident to all that she was more afraid than the actual prisoner. It had taken only that one month, however, for her to realize her potential in the field as well as find...her enjoyment for it. Driven by medical interest she first began using methods that essentially dissected the prisoner until they either succumbed to their wounds or gave the answers she was looking for. This quickly evolved into her personal 'testing' grounds, new poisons being concocted late into the night, many times until the sun was rising and it was time to begin again. Aside from perfecting her various poisons and being able to record their effects as well as create antidotes for each of her own creations as well as many other known substances, this helped as well with healing elixirs. She created mixtures that could make a man on his death bed have the strength and vitality to take down their opponent, as well as strengthening her healing potions as well. She found a strange enjoyment in the job, the knowledge she learned from each patient aiding her with her personal endeavors. There was also, hidden somewhere in the back of her mind, the eventual gratification of envisioning each prisoner as her former husband and exacting upon him the treatment he so rightfully deserved.
Worst of all, however, was her evenings. These were spent running about a track, working her hardest to attempt to up her speed as well as her shunpo abilities. She did previously have her own goals in this field, but pressed forward now by the Captain to better in this area she remembered why she hated it so much.
After all these months, she still was unable to find any pleasure in the act of running. In fact, she felt she hated it even more now, the stress of knowing it was something she absolutely needed to do over it being something she hoped to achieve making the task seem all the more daunting in her eyes. Regardless, she kept with it, and with three months of work she finally found herself able to practice hohō at at least a level above where she had been previously.
Miles completed for the day and all other training finished, Kazumi bent over as if in agony, breathing hard as she braced her hands to her knees and breathed deeply. Perhaps she was being punished after all, and it had simply been buried in the training regime she had been given. Giving a sigh she lowered her upper body down to her knees before falling to the ground completely. Legs splayed out before her and arms supporting her from behind, she watched as the sun slowly made its descent, darkness looming about her.
Mukuro Taichou is trying to kill me.
The thought crossed her nearly blank mind as her bright eyes looked at the slowly fading sunlight, breaths finally assuming a more normal speed. Staring off into the distance she leaned her head back, closing her eyes as she reveled in the ending of the worst part of her day. With a light sigh she let her head droop forward now, toes tapping together she began stretching slightly, doing what she could that didn't require her to move from where she sat. Looking about she had to enjoy the serenity of the moment, silent aside from the constant yet calming background noise of the nature that surrounded her. Closing her eyes she took a deep breath, holding it in as she envisioned the last few months. Perhaps not for others, but these had been the most eventful for her since she had graduated Academy and joined Second. Her mind wandered to the wounded from each squad, and how they fared now. She had been so busy lately she hadn't had the time nor energy to look to see what the casualties were outside of her own squad. With one more groan she let herself fall back against the hard ground, closing her eyes and letting the pink hues of the setting sun bask her eyelids, vivid colors creeping through the thin skin. Whether this was punishment or truly necessary training for what the Captain had planned for her, she would simply have to keep pushing forward, striving toward the goals she had been given and was so close within reach of.
