KagiSenkō
Member
Fear has always been a great motivator, at least for some. Not everyone is motivated by fear, and they cut and run. Their hearts race, and anxiety eats at them to the point it triggers an extreme fight-flight-or-freeze response. And in that very moment, their mind tells them to flee when they are too weak to face fear. At least, that is how Kagi looks at it from his perspective, but fleeing is a natural response driven by sheer instincts. Although Kagi may emanate fearlessness, it was because he was trained to face terror at a young age—forced to face the darkness with his strength and free will. He remembers his father, The Mad Titan, who physically, emotionally, and mentally trained him to face danger, fighting and training daily as if his life depended on it. Kagi remembers the day he stood in the darkness, fighting and killing hollows that preyed on him when left alone in the forest. He remembered how it felt, the sense of danger that caused him to sweat, his stomach churning, his mind going blank, and only thinking about death. But then a voice clicked into his mind, even to this day.
"In combat, you face the enemy without doubt, pity, or remorse. To survive, you must learn to fear nothing at all."
It was at that moment Kagi's instincts were to.....survive.
Everything seemed calmer when he was the only one left standing in the abyss of the forest. It almost seemed as if the danger he had anticipated had just dissipated. He had conquered the fear by ridding himself of doubt. The only catch he had found was that he had absorbed the blood lust by gazing directly at what caused all the terror in his heart. From that day, he seemed to only get any enjoyment out of his life when he was going on a killing spree. The only joy he could feel pumping through his veins was as the blood drained out of the veins of his enemies. The only warmth he could remember was in the draw of his breath as his hands drained the life force out of another victim. However, he didn't just stop at the stray hollows these days. The lust was no longer satiated by taking the lives of monsters and "nobodies." He knew as his days kept going and the empty abyss he harbored inside widened; he would have to make choices accordingly. Kagi suddenly had this drive to be robust; he knew he still had a lot of aging to do, and he did not want to waste what youthfulness was still within his hundreds-year-old body. He knew when he locked on to his target, the fate of his prize had been sealed. And yet, in that moment, he was god and creator. He was able to weave each final lingering second until the dying was dead at his fingertips. Death could be anything he wanted; he was the author of the story of their demise and could make each individual scenario as quick and painless as possible - or the opposite. He had mastered the very thing that weighed him down through exposure. The fear he had once had as a child of being powerless and out of control was as dead as the corpse that lay mangled on the ground at his feet.
"Captain. Apologies for the intrusion. She has a letter requesting her presence."
The Captain heard their words about a guest who had arrived at his request. He felt her presence; he knew that she had been observing his actions against a man he had killed with no remorse. Most would not be able to stomach the sight that Kagi displayed in front of them. He had no room for people who looked down on how he did things. This was the way. The Captain did not say a word until he shifted his body clockwise to turn and face the new guest at his barracks. He had kept an eye out for people who felt out of place, anticipating the arrival of a familiar face. When his eyes fixed on the young woman Kagi had crossed some time ago, the Captain held her gaze for an extended period. The Captain suddenly remembered the interaction he had several months prior with this woman who was young but talented in her skill. He had made it a point to burn her face into his memory because he knew she was haunted by the same fears he had had in his younger days. It made him feel powerful knowing that he had become lord and master over the same evil that was clearly causing her so much mental anguish. He remembered what it was like to be in her position, and in some ways, it made him feel even more god-like that he knew how to help her overcome them as well. There was a time he wanted to reach out to her sooner to guide her, but he waited and played the long game to show her the door, and all she had to do was walk through. And that letter she received was a choice; even when Ren felt like she had none, the young woman did, and she walked through the doors of Division 2. The Captain breathed in softly and exhaled.
"Ren Mikazuchi"
Kagi spoke by name only, and due to the height difference, both his eyes stared down at her. She could see that his eyes had this ominous feeling behind them. His expression was blank but spoke volumes; it held a commanding presence that showed he was the authoritative figure in the room.
"Do you fear death?" he asked Ren, but quickly continued,
"I can tell you want to run away, not because you have the strength to stay but out of fear. You are too scared to run. I can see you wanting to step out of that fear. Let me show you the way; only then will you not fear your gift. So I will ask you again, Ren Mikazuchi."
He paused, lowering his gaze. His eyes seemed much darker than they were even just moments before.
"Do you fear death?"
Kagi asked a second time, but the Captain's tone was much different from the first time he had asked. His voice was much more demanding of an answer this time, but remained calm. It was not much different than being caught in the eye of the storm. There had been so much danger just moments ago, but now the air between the two was bursting with possibilities. The only reason he had seen fit to call for her in the first place was because he was comfortable with what demons had her in their grasp. Now, whatever series of sounds that were caught in the back of her throat pushing their way out of her lips could hold the power of life and death. He stared at her, attempting to help pull the words from her vocal cords and into the space around them. He was braced for whatever was to come. He is aware who was in control here after all.
While the two were meeting face-to-face underground, someone else had entered the barracks but uninvited. They moved quickly and silently as the uninvited guest who raided the storage seemingly believed he had gone unnoticed, but they allowed him to get comfortable. As they dispatched quietly, as their Captain ordered, no one was to arrive within his say-so, this brave soul who was nothing but a gluttonous fool, unaware of his position and the new regime of Division 2. The shadows moved along the floorboard and the ceilings as they closed in on the target. Each shadow suddenly appeared as they emerged from multiple angles around this blue-haired shinigami; the sword was drawn and ready to strike. There was no sound to be made, just as they were trained to do. Unaware of the gluttonous Keniro Senko's relation to their Captain. Only doing what they were trained to do, each steel blade wouldn't aim to pierce the body itself but to bind the individual as each weapon would cross one another around the neck, torso, arm, and legs. To prevent Keniro from moving anywhere or attempting to draw his zanpakuto, any part of his body would be trapped, and one wrong move would prove to be a fatal mistake. The best thing he could do was only eye movement. Regardless of the outcome, a masked man, the Captain's guard, would enter the storage room. His stride was steady, though his steps were silent. Not a single sound could be heard, nor his presence felt.
"You are trespassing. State your reason for the intrusion; if it isn't a good reason, I'm afraid you won't be leaving alive."
The masked shinigami individual spoke, but Keniro could not see his appearance because the masked individual would not step into his line of sight, only allowing his voice to carry from behind.
