Northeast Seireitei

[LucianRedgrave]

A drift of cold air rushed out the moment Kuwashi found herself prying Oyuki’s door open with such haste. Her baited breath apparent on the cool winter air that was his own humble dwelling, his eyes snapped open. One might wonder if the seasoned warrior was sleeping or perhaps he had frozen himself solid given the temperature of the room itself. Upon closer examination and soon the dance of her own words on the chilled air she could find that ghost of winter staring into the very depths of her being almost as if looking through her. What this young lady would find in her latent perception was that of more members of fifth division barreling through the barracks in hopes of detaining her to some degree only to be met with that very same icy chill that baptised her being. His functioning cerulean eye seemed to ward them off as if it were the tail of a rattlesnake. Oyuki didn’t mind the arrival of this young girl nor the bravado it took to stand before both her senior and even those of another division given the circumstances of the seireitei at present. They were preparing for war, something Oyuki cherished as if it was his own child. Ten days after first contact in Naruki Kuwashi stood before what was quite easily the tipping point of a potential war so grand it threatened more than a simple imbalance of the scales they tended to so cautiously. Those subordinates that came scurrying to detain the young Kuwashi instead found her under the cold embrace of Oyuki’s ambient reiatsu as their own forms just down the hall were met with fogged breath and the ever present chill that followed the old shinigami around.

His eyes flitted back to the physical form of the young woman as she began to speak. Her tone was clear and the courage it took to muster those words amidst the roiling flame within her was something to behold in and of itself.

”Lieutenant Gekka I wish to seek your counsel on something, an issue I’m having. I- How do I make people stop looking down on me?! How can I walk with my head held high like yours?! How can I strengthen my pride and not be treated like a child anymore?”

Despite his cold and collected demeanor, that same look of mourning from ten days prior rested on his face. He wasn’t in mourning due to a death within the division but because the reality of the world they cultivated was that war was inevitable and the assault on the world of the living was only the beginning. This young woman standing before him is nothing more than a byproduct of what they created. His lips parted and the air filled with his icy breath, cold, mournful, yet collected. He soon came to a stand before the young woman his zanpakuto laying on the floor between them.

“You’re already fighting half the battle, I don’t command respect because I'm a lieutenant. That much should be clear, look at your own, brought to his knees by a simple misdirection and the grace of his own ego. Your fervor for the situation didn’t go unnoticed either. However, that's what separates the strong from the weak right there… You understood enough to know you should be on guard but you were ready to bring your blade to bear just to show your fangs.” Oyuki takes a moment to savor his words before continuing. “You want people to stop looking down on you? Then show them just how much you have to offer, what you can really do, what you owe yourself.” Hyorin Gekka teemed with life despite being frozen solid within its sheath. It yearned for the reality that was on the horizon and yet the conversation they were having before Kuwashi’s arrival. His vision now filled with scorn and yet it wasn’t burning with hate or even distrust but he wanted her to understand what he meant. “They view you as a child because that's how you present yourself. If you’re some modicum of Oto’s progeny then perhaps it's time you challenge yourself and outgrow your smaller stature or perhaps you need to outgrow the bonds that are holding you back. Lieutenant Sazanami included. This is not a call to arms or betrayal but its clear to me his coddling is holding you back.” At this point the ambient air had only grown colder between them, the frost that often only decorated Oyuki’s door now creeping into the hallway and spidering along until reaching its precipice.

​

 

[Adonai]

The cold, she hates it, it reminds her of the days before she had a warm home, when she was just another Rukongai rat. Bitter memories churning to the surface by equally bitter cold. Out of reflex she fights back against the chill, her flames slowly enveloping her form as she listens to Oyuki speak.

“You’re already fighting half the battle, I don’t command respect because I'm a lieutenant. That much should be clear, look at your own, brought to his knees by a simple misdirection and the grace of his own ego. Your fervor for the situation didn’t go unnoticed either. However, that's what separates the strong from the weak right there… You understood enough to know you should be on guard but you were ready to bring your blade to bear just to show your fangs.”

She listens to his words, remembering that day, that day she has overanalyzed for ten days. But her actions didn’t go unnoticed? Oyuki took note of what she was doing? She was the smallest blip of Reiatsu that day and yet she didn’t go unnoticed, but why? There has to be some method to that way of thinking because if she were in his shoes she would have ignored the weaker ones and- She understands why after a bit of pondering. Misdirection and grace of ego, she would have fallen too that day if the roles were reversed. A lesson is learned here, don’t underestimate anyone, no matter their strength or rank. She is brought out of her thoughts after Oyuki allowed her to absorb his words properly.

“You want people to stop looking down on you? Then show them just how much you have to offer, what you can really do, what you owe yourself.”

”What I have to offer… What I can do… And what I owe myself…”

She looks at her palm, white flames fighting against the cold. The sheer difference in Reiryoku is apparent, if not for the elemental difference her flames would have been completely snuffed out. It could also be because Oyuki is not being outwardly hostile with his Reiatsu as well. But this is not why she is looking at her palm, she has to think about what she can offer, what she is capable of and what does she truly owe to herself? She looks back to Oyuki only to see a scornful gaze peering back at her. It took her off guard, wondering what she could have done wrong to upset him already.

“They view you as a child because that's how you present yourself.”

”What? No I don’t I-”

”If you’re some modicum of Oto’s progeny then perhaps it's time you challenge yourself and outgrow your smaller stature or perhaps you need to outgrow the bonds that are holding you back.

”Don’t bring Otokogi into this…”

”Lieutenant Sazanami included. This is not a call to arms or betrayal but it's clear to me his coddling is holding you back.”

She falls silent, unable to fully respond to what he is saying, not that she could to begin with. Coddling, is that what has been happening her entire life? She does feel like she has never truly left her adolescence stage of life. She gets along so well with the teenagers of the Human World, laughing and playing around as if she is one of them. She scratches her head, a nervous reaction because she doesn’t know what to do with herself or what to say. Oyuki has basically told her to grow up but in a more direct and thorough way. Outgrowing bonds, that would mean having to cut off her human friends, a horrible pain shreds its way through her heart. But if she wants to grow and become a Captain she won’t be able to see them anymore anyway, more than that the painful reality is that she will outlive them, even if she is there to help them pass over to the Soul Society they won't retain their memories once they arrive. They will then simply reincarnate with no memories of anything at all. It is all dreadfully painful to think about.

”I think I know what I need to do… I need to prove to myself I am indeed strong…Killing mindless Hollow’s is one thing but fighting an Arrancar is different, it’ll be like fighting a- A Shinigami...”

She speaks about fighting Arrancar due to the high alert the Seireitei is on currently, an impending invasion that will most likely have a flood of Arrancar following the Espada. She takes a deep breath, trying to still the emotional pain in her heart over the thought of leaving her human friends behind for good. Mental change and a change of thinking isn’t instant, but she has an idea on how to accelerate it.

”Thank you for your wisdom, Lieutenant Gekka. With your permission I would like to take my leave now. I have to go challenge the man who attacked my Lieutenant. Regrettably this is a selfish act on my part. If I am to change my way of thinking I need to be pushed to the absolute edge.”

If he allows it Kuwashii would bow and leave, making her way to Ninth Division to seek out Kisho Date, to challenge- No, to attack him without hesitation just as he attacked her Lieutenant with no hesitation. If told to stay she would remain where she is.

---

​

 

[Hyoroshi Iwamura]

A weary sigh parted Hyoroshi's lips of their own accord. The past ten days were a deluge; sitting there in his office, the mundane task of watching his printer whirr and spit out pages was the closest thing to a reprieve he's enjoyed. His hope was a chance to pull away for even an evening following this meeting with his Captain and Lieutenant, but he knew better than to overinflate his expectations. From what Iwamura had gathered in his research that he now watched printing itself out, the Human World incursion was merely the appetizer.

Iwamura's thoughts lingered as he leaned back with arms crossed. He had managed to link up with several Shinigami during the Karakura invasion--Tomi, Gyoja, Captain Shinka and Ren, along with the rest of the Thirteenth, he recalled. The rampaging Hollows had become trivial with their combined strength and strategy, and Jinnosuke and Omoni had held their own until the Espada Ximena's departure. But the damage had already been done. Swaths of the city were in ruins, hundreds if not thousands of lives snuffed out. Hyoroshi had stayed for the first two days to assist in cleanup and gather information, but he had uncovered too many corpses there. Too many children. Each was an indictment against Hyoroshi Iwamura. If only he could have kept the Division together...

"What is this effort earning you, pup?"

Yoake no Taii's sudden interjection gave way to a lurch in thought; Hyoroshi's eyes blinked wide. Through his mind's gaze Iwamura was staring at his father in a dark forest clearing again. He had been quite little, having to crane his head almost directly up. His father was staring back, the simmering disgust in his red eyes unhidden. The moment played out exactly as it had at the time.

"What do you think you gain by talking to the human-folk, boy?"

His father, his Clan leader, kneeled to Iwamura's height. The very pupils of his father's eyes were trembling with great scorn--and a flicker of something else, Iwamura noted, something monolithic and multi-generational, something resembling fear, that his father seemed to have inherited.

"Those children aren't to be spoken to. They're not to be touched. You may as well forget that they exist. That playtime you had...will never happen again. Weakness is what those creatures are made of. They haven't the ability to be shunned, or to escape the inescapable as we have done. We are beasts, Iwamura. It is something to have pride in, and something they always fail to consider."

Hyoroshi blinked and glanced at his printer, now sitting inert with all of his papers delivered. He swiped up the stack and deserted his office under a light haze, the air of the officers' hallway chilly against his clammy hide. Glancing to his left--the haze lifted with Ren Kuwashii, standing at Oyuki's open door, entering his view.

”Thank you for your wisdom, Lieutenant Gekka. With your permission I would like to take my leave now. I have to go challenge the man who attacked my Lieutenant. Regrettably this is a selfish act on my part. If I am to change my way of thinking I need to be pushed to the absolute edge.”

Iwamura meandered over to Ren's flank with papers in hand, incidentally blocking off most of the hallway with his humongous stature. Her words give him visible pause, bringing him to stare down at her for a second or two longer than appropriate.

"Hello, Kuwashii. Good to see you're doing okay."

Iwamura proffered a light bow of courtesy to the woman and shimmied past her, poking his head into Oyuki's Winter Wonderland. Concern creased his forehead and pulled down on his maw.

"Retribution in the name of self-interest is a good and easy way to needlessly risk her humanity, as well as her life, Lieutenant." Hyoroshi pulled back from the doorway and glanced at Ren. "I don't know exactly how this conversation spawned, but I'd like to give you something to consider: throwing yourself into Kisho's volcano isn't the only way to grow, whether it's as a person or as a Shinigami. It's here," Iwamura taps the side of his own head, a weariness in his eyes suggesting he was speaking from experience, "or it's nothing. We are humans before we are animals. Now..."

Iwamura glanced back to Oyuki. "I'm not sure if you heard the message, but the Captain wants to speak with us. No doubt about the Arrancar problem."

Hyoroshi strode past, giving Ren a second and final bow before heading to Shizukana's office in silence. Yoake no Taii merely chortled. Iwamura reached his Captain's room, his Reiatsu having announced his approach long before he opened the double-doors and lowered himself to one knee.

"Captain. I received your message. Oyuki should be coming shortly, as well."

​

 

[Deleted member 65]

​

---

"Hello Captain Kurayami... I come to exchange information. Sazanami Kazuki of sqaud 10, 5th seat. Here to bring reports... of Naruki city in exchange for information about the arrancars movements in Hueco Mundo. I hope... I am not interupting anything with your little friends."

“Is that?…Sazanami Kazuki!”

A spark of joy overcame Shizukana once the door to her office opened. Almost immediately, two of three stuffed animals hopped to attention and began to usher Sazanami further inside of the Captain’s office. They shoved him into a chair, a very comfortable chair, and began to fuss over him. One was beginning to massage his shoulders, another set about going to lift his feet and set a stool beneath them and the third placed a crystal bowl of candies directly beside him for his snacking pleasure.

“You’re not interrupting anything, please have a seat. Is there anything I can get you? Water, food? You just let me know. We do try to be as hospitable as we can here.”

Romeo and Fabio did not share the enthusiasm of their kin as they looked on but Shizukana’s had yet to falter as she rounded her desk in order to come closer to him although it was more like she was effortlessly gliding across the floor than she was walking. The nearer she became, the more she noticed how differently he looked in comparison to the first time that she’d interacted with him, albeit said meeting was more like a brief passing of words. Still, she made no comment on his appearance and instead opted to focus on the more important matters at hand.

“As luck would have it, you’re just in time.”

"Captain. I received your message. Oyuki should be coming shortly, as well."

Of course, it needn’t be said that Shizukana had been aware of both Kazuki and Iwamura’s coming as she always made a point to be able to locate her subordinates at the drop of a hat should she require them to be with her.
The same could be said for those not of her division that made their way into her territory for this reason or the next but she also made it a priority to know who was traversing through her division grounds as well so that she would be prepared to greet them with gusto and refreshments.
Turning to face Hyoroshi, she nodded gently and by doing so acknowledged his show of respect toward her upon his arrival. She expected this from him, but not of the stranger in their midst.

“Good, good. Welcome Iwamura, welcome. As you can see the tenth has brought us a guest and he claims to have information that he’d like to share with us. Isn’t that lovely?”

Upon spotting Iwamura, Fabio jumped off of the desk he’d been standing on and dashed beneath Shizukana’s wardrobe which was open but only slightly.

“Shall we wait for Lieutenant Gekka or shall we begin? Although I was also under the impression that your Captain would have paid me a visit, do we wait for him? Hmm..decisions decisions..”​

---

POSTING ORDER: Shizukana -> Kazuki -> Hyoroshi -> ???​

 

[Inkmasterru]

---

​

“Is that?…Sazanami Kazuki!”​

It slightly comforted Kazuki that there were captain's like lady Kurayami. Like thought before, she was a ray of sunshine that persisted even with the world drenched in ichor and death. A presence all the more welcoming and needed in these trying times.
​

“You’re not interrupting anything, please have a seat. Is there anything I can get you? Water, food? You just let me know. We do try to be as hospitable as we can here.”​

As the stuffed animals reached for him, he would push off the beam and sway with a single step forward. Almost looking as if he would collapse there and then from whatever was plaguing the wretched fool. As the stuffed animals attempted to grab him, they will find their stitched arms phasing through him. Before they would completely lost sight of him, searching in slight panic, before finding that he was already sitting in the chair. Eyes half-closed and the soft smile persisting as he relaxed into the chair.

No sound, no sign of movement, as the afterimage faded like a mirage in the wind. An action that was executed subconsciously and done without so much as an effort. Graceful and deliberate were his actions, despite the disheveled and shambling state he found himself. He reached for one of the candies and slowly savored the flavor. Buried under the taste of ash and blood, the flavor only barely broke through.

"Cherry... been a while since I tasted something this sweet. What... a gracious host you are... it is appreciated, lady Kurayami."

His voice barely a whisper whisping forth from his lips, sounding akin to an exhale. His eyes glancing to the stuffed figures that eventually caught up to him. They offered the stool with the massage and the gesture was truely appreciated. Yet he politely refused with a gaze and a shake of his head. Not even reacting as Shuzukana got close to his face. His attention trailing off to the familiar reiatsu of Chīsai-hi, feeling it only minutes after his arrival. Curious and concerned with her proximity to the familiar coldness of Oyuki. Even though Kuwashii most likely would destest the very thought, she was like a little sister to him, all his subordinates were like younger siblings.

Those he had to be a example for, those he helped to greater heights and those he would fight for without a second thought. And the most grim part of all... the one to carry on the legacy and will of those who passed on. Despite his eyes closing, he was still aware of those present before him and certainly aware of Iwamura arriving.
​

"Captain. I received your message. Oyuki should be coming shortly, as well."​

“Good, good. Welcome Iwamura, welcome. As you can see the tenth has brought us a guest and he claims to have information that he’d like to share with us. Isn’t that lovely?”​

Kazuki's eyes opened and a tired gaze settled upon the wolfman. One who he also remembered from the 10th despite it being brief. The only one besides him who also tried to maintain order and peace. So his presence was a welcomed one, in this present company of bleeding hearts.

"Iwamura-san, it... is good to see you. Thank you for your aid during the invasion... I would have gone... but things happened as we both know. I owe you... allow me to treat you to a meal when the time is appropriate."

Kazuki spoke as stood from the chair, no longer feeling comfortable sitting despite the captain's hospitality. The expected one to one report, now becoming a small meeting. So having a seat officer seat before a captain was no longer appropriate. Gliding out of position, as Kazuki bowed and stood at attention. His body once again swaying as if disturbed by a wind that didn't exist.​

“Shall we wait for Lieutenant Gekka or shall we begin? Although I was also under the impression that your Captain would have paid me a visit, do we wait for him? Hmm..decisions decisions..”​

"That decision... is completely to your discretion, lady Kurayami. Unfortunately... my captain is like a fox. One does not control him... fate tempts him and we only can wait to see where it would take him."

What once was raging flame, now seemed to be reduced to a smoulder. His voice no longer harsh, but soft with a hint of melancholy, while still remaining stern. Yet if they would gaze upon his eyes, they will see that the embers burned hotter than his flames ever did.

"Yet urgency would appreciated... I would like this information to be shared with the 13th as well."​

---

POSTING ORDER: Shizukana -> Kazuki -> Hyoroshi -> ???​

 

[Nobody]

Weakness. It was a cancer that rotted the very marrow of the Gotei 13. From the tests run on Captain Kurayami it was determined that she was not a carrier of some dangerous pathogen or disease, unless you counted the disease of weakness and incompetence.

News of the losses accrued in the world of the living even after two Captains had gone there spoke volumes to the Date. If this was the state they were in when defending foreign grounds, he dare not imagine how lacking their defenses here were.

"You there."

Kishō spoke to a passing Shinigami, with an expressionless glance. The Shinigami froze in his tracks, eyes remaining forward. There was no telling why Kishō had stopped him. Had he done something wrong specifically? His mind raced as f his life were flashing through his very eyes, desperately searching for something in his memory bank, some clue to divine what he had possibly done to earn the man's ire.

"I will be heading out to inspect each of the four gates as well as their respective guardians. Should the enemy show up in the Seireitei I do not want a showing mirroring that of the Tenth and Thirteenth Divisions."

His green eyes shifted away from the man. "You all can patrol, work and train to death so that you can at least become a hinderance to the enemy to come. Or, you can die at my hands for being a hinderance to the Division, the Seireitei...and me." He began to walk away, sandals padding softly against the ground.

"By the time I return, I'll know what choice you all have made." It was clear what he was telling them. He expected them to train to the brink of death to grow stronger, while also maintaining not only their regular patrols, but to increase them further. It didn't matter that they had already doubled their patrol in the past ten days, but were meant to increase it further. The shinigami ran off, rushing to spread the information to the others.

While none of them wanted to die, they wanted less to die at the hands of Kishō.

"I should perhaps stop by the Eleventh while I'm out. There is much for he and I to discuss more than ever."

He of course spoke of Captain Date. He could only imagine how he was feeling hearing the news about Naruki City and Karakura Town. They needed to convene to figure out the best direction going forward. Their placements in their respective divisions were by design, yet the changes they worked to make seemed to be far too slow.

"Should we just kill them all and start over?" He thought aloud, the thought for the moment as extreme as it was, seemed far easier than the task of reforming his broken military.

 

[GhoulBunny]

“I should perhaps stop by the Eleventh while I’m out. There is much for he and I to discuss more than ever.”​

Those were the words she caught—Kishō’s voice, clear and distinct above the hum of the Ninth Division barracks. That tone of his, cold as ever, reverberated through the hall like a blade dragging across stone. It made people flinch. Stop in their tracks. Scatter.


But not her.


Though everyone else seemed unnerved by the red-haired Date, some practically trembling just at the sound of his voice, she pressed on. The man’s reputation echoed loud across the Gotei 13—intimidating, ruthless, sharp-tongued. But to her? That wasn’t enough to inspire fear.


If anything, it made the Date’s of more interest to her.


She didn’t call out. Didn’t announce herself. She simply appeared in front of him.


One second there was nothing in front of him—then, in the blink of an eye, there was Yūgure, standing there in front of Kishō. Her arrival was so sudden, so fluid, that even the most attentive might’ve missed the movement entirely.


Her eyes locked on him, unwavering. Her hands relaxed, but there was tension in her shoulders—like a tightly drawn bowstring just before release. She stood tall, regal, composed. But anyone who knew her well could tell: she was simmering beneath the surface.


“Date,” she said, voice sharp enough to cut steel.


Her golden eyes narrowed

“What the hell happened ten days ago?”


No formalities. No hesitation. Just those words. Because she was getting right to the point. She was getting her answers right now.



Her posture didn’t scream aggression, but there was something in the way she planted her feet, in the tilt of her chin and the precise calm of her breathing, that made it clear—he wasn’t going anywhere. Not this time.



Not without answering her.


She had spent the last ten days biting her tongue. Balancing her duties, navigating high-tension patrols, and keeping her division sharp amidst the chaos boiling in the World of the Living. Her people needed her steady, composed, and present. But this? This moment had been building. That damn scene at the Tenth barracks had replayed in her head over and over again, a loop she couldn’t shake. The way Kishō blasted a hole into Kazuki’s Shoulder. and how calm he’d been afterward, like it hadn’t even mattered.


But it mattered to her.



Because no matter how little the Date might’ve cared about perception, actions like that reflected on the division. And if they reflected on the division, they reflected on her. And if they reflected on her, then they landed squarely on the shoulders of the Shihōin name. A name already frayed at the edges, barely holding weight after the wars and internal fractures. She couldn’t afford that. Not with everything she’d been working toward. Not when she was clawing to repair what had been left in ruin.



Kishō’s outburst may have been justified—hell, she knew there had to be a reason for it. But the silence that followed? The way he walked away like it didn’t concern her? That stung.



Because Yūgure didn’t like being in the dark.


She had built her career, her role in the Ninth, and her future ambitions on knowing things—on seeing everything. Secrets, intelligence. And now? It felt like Kishō knew something she didn’t. Something big. And he hadn’t trusted her with it. That alone was enough to ignite something sharp inside her chest.


Still—this wasn’t just anyone she was confronting. This was a Date.


And if there was one thing she understood—really understood—it was that you didn’t throw fire at a volcano and expect it not to erupt. Especially not this one.


She knew Kishō’s temper wasn’t mindless. He wasn’t some walking bloodlust like the rumors painted. No, his rage came with purpose, with intent. If he acted, it was deliberate. And still, she could feel the remnants of that intensity on him, coiled tight and quiet under the surface like a lit fuse.


She didn’t want to light it.


But she also wasn’t backing down.


“Date my man,” she repeated, softer this time, but with no less weight. “I’m not here to argue. But you’re not walking past me until I understand what happened back there.”


Her voice was respectful, steady—but threaded with resolve. Her golden gaze searched his face, not to challenge him, but to read him. She was firm, but careful, like someone defusing a bomb they knew could blow sky high with the wrong touch.


Yūgure wasn’t here to pick a fight.



But she wasn’t here to be ignored, either.

​

 

[Nobody]

Proceeding through the barracks, his path set to lead him out he finds himself delayed by an unexpected obstruction in his path. His apathetic gaze meets her steely resolute gaze. Despite being caught unawares, he does not show shock or surprise. No, he instead shows nothing. The woman calls out to him, questioning the events from ten days ago.

"You know just as I do, Yūgure of the Shihōin."

He speaks as though Yūgure's question is silly, believing her to be appraised of the situation. A thought crosses his mind, as he incorrectly connects the pieces.

"I see, you must have been slacking off to be unaware. Be forewarned Shihōin. That name will afford you no protection from me, nor will laziness do anything to benefit your houses fallen name. Conduct yourself like the mongrels, and you will be cut down like the mongrels."

He believes her to be ignorant of the events that took place in the World of the Living, so begins to both reprimand and warn her. It was a bit odd to him that she would be found lacking so. Unlike the other dregs, Yūgure at the very least always proved herself to be more an asset than liability. It is typically why he left her to her own devices, did not bear down on her as he had done others. Was that a mistake?

"Those disgusting hollowborn creatures wrought chaos in the World of the Living. Their movements went unnoticed by the mongrels of the Fifth Division, and their brazen actions went unpunished by those of the Tenth and Thirteenth. It is why we are on high alert. Do you now understand the situation?"

Unbeknownst to Kishō, he is breaking down information that Yūgure is already well aware of. He remains unaware that she is not asking about the events in Naruki City and Karakura Town, but rather events that he was personally involved in.
​

“Date my man. I’m not here to argue. But you’re not walking past me until I understand what happened back there.”​

He stares at the woman as she repeats her question, wording it another way. This causes him to question himself. Was it not the events of the Human World she was asking about? Ironically, like former Lieutenant Kazuki, Yūgure now stands in his way, impeding the man's path to fulfill his duties. Like Kazuki, Yūgure does not step out of his way and presses the matter, her matter. However, unlike Kazuki Yūgure is very well aware of who and how Kishō is. Conversely, Yūgure is no stranger to him.


Those in the Ninth Division considered the two partners, something Kishō has never and perhaps would never acknowledge. While he thinks little of the Shihōin and those of their ilk, Yūgure at least has proven herself to be a step above the rest of the rabid curs seeking only to satisfy their own agendas rather the good of the Seireitei. While he owes the woman nothing; no answers, no explanations, no warnings, he does, more often than not indulge her queries. Searching the recesses of his mind for anything else of significance that transpired Ten Days prior, another event surfaces to the forefront of his mind.

"Ah, my visit to the useless bunch over at the Tenth Division. You needn't trouble yourself with that matter. I had nothing to gain from the riff raff, and was merely there for the incompetent wench."

He speaks of course of Captain Shizukana of Squad Five. He steps around and beside Yūgure, resting his hand on her shoulder. While he understands a bit more what she is asking about, he is still somewhat off the mark.

"Your concern is understandable but you needn't worry. I escorted her to both the Fourth Division and the Twelfth Division. Tests were ran, and rerun and determined she does not house any dangerous elements from Hueco Mundo. It is believed the woman was in a coma because of her own Soul Cutter no less. Pathetic."

He removes his glove covered hand from her shoulder. Believing he had both sated her curiosity and quelled her concerns he proceeds on. He makes no mention of what transpired between him and Sazanami Kazuki. It was not an act of deception, but that the man genuinely did not recall such events. It was an inconsequential blip in comparison to his purpose there, and because it was deemed unimportant he does not and cannot recall it.

"I will be checking the gates and their respective guardians. You may assist me if you so desire, simply inform me which gates you intend to check so I do not waste my time."

With the matter settled in his mind he continues to make his rounds, expecting the woman to offer her aid as she is prone to do.

 

[GhoulBunny]

Yūgure didn’t budge when he spoke. If anything, her stance hardened. Chin lifted just slightly, golden eyes sharpened beneath long dark lashes. She didn’t flinch at the cold weight in his voice—she expected that. What dug in and burned was the assumption. The idea that she, of all people, had fallen behind.
​

“You know just as I do, Yūgure of the Shihōin.”​

Her eyes narrowed at the implication. As much as she wanted to cut him off..she let him speak.
​

“I see, you must have been slacking off to be unaware. Be forewarned, Shihōin. That name will afford you no protection from me, nor will laziness do anything to benefit your house’s fallen name. Conduct yourself like the mongrels, and you will be cut down like the mongrels.”
​

Her jaw ticked, barely perceptible.

“Tch… Oi.”

It cracked out like lightning. She spoke again, Her voice low but firm.

“I don’t need the warning, Date. I’ve been working around the clock just like you. Reading the reports. Tracking the Arrancar movements. Coordinating with the other divisions while helping hold ours together.”

She looked up at him.

“Don’t confuse me with the scum you keep threatening to cut down.”

Her words weren’t prideful, they were matter-of-fact. And if he looked hard enough, he’d see it—she wasn’t just irritated.

She was insulted.

“I’m talking about what happened ten days ago at the Tenth Division barracks. Where you blew a hole into someone’s shoulder.”

And finally, she got her answer.
​

“Ah, my visit to the useless bunch over at the Tenth Division. You needn’t trouble yourself with that matter. I had nothing to gain from the riff raff, and was merely there for the incompetent wench.”
​

Seriously?

After ten days—ten days of waiting to finally be able to get Kishō to explain his actions at the Tenth Division—this was what it had all come down to? Not some deeper conspiracy. Just… escorting Captain Shizukana Kurayami?

She could feel her jaw tighten as he continued on, his tone flat, unbothered, and as always—condescending. He didn’t even remember the altercation with Sazanami. Didn’t even mention it. Like that was the kind of thing he discarded without a second thought.

It wasn’t just irritating. It was humiliating.

All this time she’d spent wondering what he knew. All the thoughts, the suspicion, the energy she’d poured into unraveling a mystery that turned out to be nothing more than an oversight in her own assumptions. And worse? She hated wasting time. Hated it. Time was something she couldn’t afford to burn, not with everything happening across the Gotei and the world of the living.

Kishō had unknowingly made her chase shadows, and she disliked him a little more for it in this moment.

“Tch…”

She exhaled softly, barely audible, shifting her weight back as he moved past her. She didn’t look at him when she finally responded—she didn’t want to. The weight of her irritation pressed behind her eyes, and the only thing she wanted now was to return to her training… or drink a nice cup of sake.


“You really could’ve led with that, Date,” she muttered, her voice flat.

There was a pause, and then, as he invited her to assist with the gate inspections, she hesitated only for a heartbeat.

“South and East Gates,” she said plainly, brushing her hand through her dark hair as she turned on her heel. “I’ll take those. Let the others know.”

It wasn’t really about the gates. She just needed to be somewhere that wasn’t here.

Without waiting for acknowledgment, Yūgure strode off down the corridor, her steps sharp and quiet, her mind already shifting to the dull ache of irritation blooming in her chest. Distractions.

She stood still for a moment, letting the irritation settle deep in her chest like cooled ash. This whole thing had been a waste of Time. She was pissed. At herself More than anything

Footsteps clipped nearby.

She turned her head and casually flagged down a passing officer. “Oi—take the South and East patrols for me, yeah? Appreciate it.”

The officer blinked in surprise but gave a sharp nod, already turning to fulfill her request. She didn’t need to explain. They knew her well enough by now.

She didn’t say anything more—just turned and walked. her feet carried her deeper into the barracks, through familiar corridors. The training hall. She needed to get her shit together.
​

---

Pushing open the doors to the training hall, she stepped inside without ceremony. This is where she belonged—at least for now.

She exhaled, long and slow, fingers brushing the hilt behind her back. Sakegire was waiting.

And she was done being distracted.

Yūgure walked slowly to the center of the training hall, her steps measured and quiet, as if each one marked the shift back into purpose. The noise of the barracks faded behind her, drowned beneath the cool stillness of this room, the clawed up floor beneath her feet reflecting just the faintest shimmer of morning light from high windows.

Her hand reached behind her, fingers brushing the familiar curve of Sakegire’s hilt. She drew it slowly—not for combat, not to swing, but with the reverence of ritual. She ran her palm down the length of the sheath, absorbing the subtle warmth that had begun to hum there, the weight of the blade a familiar pressure against her skin. Her gaze was distant now, turned inward.

She lowered herself to the floor in one smooth motion, her dark purple hair falling in loose waves as she sat, legs crossed, back straight. Sakegire was placed gently across her lap, the lacquered scabbard gleaming faintly beneath the soft ambient light. With one final breath, she closed her eyes.

Silence settled around her like a second skin. No breath. No twitch. It was as though she had become a statue—an unblinking effigy of calm and control, resting in the center of the room with her Zanpakutō like a sacred offering.

And then—

She opened her eyes.

Gone was the stone and wood of the Ninth Division’s training hall. In its place: warm steam rose in spirals from an open-air spring, lined with smooth stones and shaded by dark trees. The air smelled faintly of smoke and citrus, and the golden light bent around the world like a lazy sun at dusk.

Across from her, lounging in the hot spring as if he had been waiting this entire time, was Sakegire.

His yukata hung loosely off one shoulder, the collar soaked with sake, and a half-empty gourd rested beside him on the stone edge. His sharp, golden eyes mirrored hers—narrowed, familiar, wry. There was always that haze around him, a permanent layer of drunken heat that made it difficult to tell just how aware he really was.

But tonight? He was present. Intoxicated, yes—but clear.

And he grinned.

“We’avee got work to do.”​

---

Back in the physical world, the training hall remained still.

Yūgure sat in the exact center, unmoving. Her breathing was imperceptible. The weight of her presence was heavy, but her body offered no motion, no sign of the exchange taking place within her inner world.

And then—something changed.

A box.

It now sat directly in front of her.

Small. Unmarked. Old.

Its lacquered surface was smooth, nearly featureless save for the faint wear of time on its corners. The kind of box that didn’t draw attention

There had been no sound. No ripple of reiatsu. Nothing to suggest how it arrived.

It was just there.

As if it had always been there.

And whoever had placed it… was already gone.​

 

[LucianRedgrave]

Oyuki shifted his weight as Iwamura intruded on his conversation with Kuwashi only to have his bubbly personality met with the the cold gaze of his own lieutenant. What separated Oyuki from the lieutenant of the 10th division was the fact that his respect was a two way street. It was never some demand he imposed upon his subordinates they simply afford him the luxury despite his ability. However it was just such a thing that afforded him the respect of those beneath him. Iwamura was no different however in this particular instance it was clear to Oyuki that he couldn’t read the room despite the orders given. He almost wanted to freeze the fur covered shinigami where he stood and yet that chilling bite of winter never came. The words Iwamura provided Kuwashi weren’t far from the truth but that wasn’t what the girl came to hear. She wasn’t standing in the presence of Oyuki in hopes of paving some road to peace. He could tell Kuwashi wanted to taste the power she knew she was hiding behind her timid nature. Those bonds that brought such a thought process to the forefront of her mind was likely to be a sight to behold.

In turn even as Iwamura delivered his more peace minded words upon Kuwashi’s ears he lent her his own words of advice. “Trust me when I say this, If you’re going to bear your teeth at Kisho, you’d better be prepared to put your own head on the line when the consequences come. If you’re going to be shaking in your boots then don’t bother, battle isn’t the place for fear or unsteady minds.” His words were cold and kurt and yet they were filled with a hint of pride. This young woman had come to him in hopes of getting a pat on the back and a few words of encouragement, yet Oyuki offered no such thing. He was providing Kuwashi with the reality of the world shinigami lived in, let alone humans. Life even for those gotei while plentiful can be cut short by a simple misstep; her lieutenant was a clear example of that fact.

Oyuki no sooner collected his zanpakuto, its icy form snapping from the ground into his cold grasp as he made his way past Kuwashi to begin on his way to his captain's quarters. Even as she stood there contemplating her next actions, however long that might take she could feel the lingering cold gnawing at her thoughts. Her roiling temper met with the chilling embrace of Oyuki’s calculated nature. Even as she stood before him seeking advice about her internal call to arms he seemed so distant in the fact that it would never matter which direction she swayed, whether that was following the advice of Iwamura or Oyuki himself. It was only a matter of time before her path would become clear. In time Oyuki’s image had become nothing but a blur, a single step and he soon found himself standing within his captain’s abode. Their meeting intruded upon by none other than Kazuki himself. The chilling air that followed Oyuki’s arrival was enough to set the tone on just how he felt about his lesser. He wasn’t like the date who’d caused the boy harm and as such he kept his more abrasive thoughts to himself as he stood before Shizukana.

“Captain.”


POSTING ORDER: Shizukana -> Kazuki -> Hyoroshi -> Oyuki
​