Seimei Ukitake (浮竹 清明)
The meeting was coming to a close, and on the surface the negotiations were immensely cordial—so much so that the Shinigami and the Quincy could almost call each other as allies. However if one dug any deeper beneath the crust of this newborn partnership, there were many factors that asked more questions than this Adonai ever answered. There were a few things that Seimei personally concluded based on this meeting. Despite the apparent social awkwardness, politeness, respectfulness and diplomatic acumen, Adonai was far from harmless.
He was unpredictable. And dangerous for that sole reason.
Perhaps it was some sixth sense, intuition, something that’d come with his experience in Onmitsukidō but Seimei felt that Adonai showed only one side of the coin that he was. A man so polite and kind on one side was undeniably far more dangerous and wrathful on another. Whether Seimei’s intuition was correct would remain to be seen. But that was certainly a hive of wasps that one shouldn’t poke for reasons unnecessary.
And for that end, this meeting was one of the many instances when Seimei wondered how his captain had managed to survive thus far—still alive, somehow, which baffled him. Seimei wouldn’t visibly react to the remarks of both Adonai or Captain Izanagi, however every single fiber of muscle and nerve of his body wanted to roll his eyes and maybe give his captain a good smack on the head for stirring unnecessary conflict with the Quincy Emperor. And it certainly made him wonder how Jushiro would do without Seimei during his time in Lichtreich. Perhaps he would do as well as he’d done thus far, but he certainly hoped that he wouldn’t find himself in trouble with Verena Vogt. For if he did, that would mean that Seimei would become a target of retaliation in Lichtreich. He could only hope that his liege would be on his best behavior to avoid any further unnecessary provocation.
One of the things he’d concluded was that if they were truly dealing with the son of the Soul King, which he didn’t doubt, the best angle to lay out this truce to the Seireitei publicly was to promote kinship through a common nominator. The Soul King, whose designs they ultimately served, had a son—and that should perhaps be enough to create an atmosphere of trust. But there were things that Seimei couldn’t help but wonder. No one truly knew what the Soul King was, all he’d ever known was that he was something that was floating high up in the heavens and that only a select few had the agency to commune with the mythical being. However, would the Soul King react if he heard that the Shinigami and his long lost son were now allies? Seimei knew little about the Soul King, aside from the fact that he was a deified being that maintained the balance of the entire universe and that the Shinigami aided him in that task. However, with the news of the many parts of the Soul King being held by the Arrancar which were now being collected by the Quincy, Seimei only wondered how the Soul King truly appeared.
What he truly was, and what his state was.
Perhaps that was a question he’d never find an answer to.
The representative of the Central 46 almost lashed out at Captain Izanagi, perhaps for a good reason for once. But the fact that she would also call him to be apprehended was something he didn’t quite understand. However, he cared little and gave no reaction to the old hag, aside from a nearly invisible nod.
“...Yes, ma’am.”
“But why the hell do I have to go too?!”
He replied nonchalantly as his gaze then shifted upon Captain Izanagi, his eyes wordlessly telling him that they should bonk the hell out of this old hag. His emerald eyes then shifted back upon the Quincy Emperor as he departed with his sentinels. And once more he witnessed the black, shadowy substance consume the Quincy whole—as if devouring them. Their method of transportation still fascinated him, and that was something he wished to learn. And although Seimei wouldn’t venture to Lichtreich as a spy, nor he would agree if he was persuaded to do so for that matter, he did have certain objectives within that he sought to achieve. Objectives he wouldn’t tell anyone, not even his captain. Those thoughts would remain so deep within him that they wouldn’t surface even if forced. As Adonai and his subordinates had left without a single trace in the world, Seimei turned on his heels almost immediately as his posture seemed to loosen up instantly. His left hand lazily crawled back to rest upon the hilt of his Zanpakutō as if out of habit as his trademark smirk returned to escape his lips.
He shifted his eyes once more upon his captain, as if disregarding the representatives of Central Forty-Six.
”Well that was interesting! Taichō, once we’re done with all the reprehension, wanna spar? I might need a bit of a practice run before my departure.”
Seimei announced with a quirky, almost a musical tone beneath his breath. At the same time, somewhere deep within the recesses of his mind and soul he still stood in the dilapidated temple—speaking with the monk who was, in fact, his Zanpakutō.
Mugenrō.
”…I said what I meant, Seimei Ukitake. You never ask me what my riddles and questions mean. You think too much, your mind wanders when you could act directly.”
The monk announced with a dark, raspy tone that echoed in every corner of the temple—it felt like the temple itself spoke. Seimei stood before him, but he perhaps finally understood the matter at hand. It seemed that Mugenrō demanded Seimei the same as Captain Izanagi did—decisiveness.
”I see. Well, going forward, I’ll be calling upon you far more often. And I promise you—my mind won’t wander anymore.”
Seimei announced, no, commanded. His inner voice was self-assured and confident by every measure. The temple around him began to fade away after he spoke—by Seimei’s choice. He spent no unnecessary time within the wanders of his mind when it had to be present.
