Northwest Seireitei

[Estarossa]

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An open hand or a closed fist, which will Otokogi be in this confrontation?

As he listens to Densagi’s rage and anger the old man has nothing to say to any of it, nothing to add, nothing to retort with. This is not a result of any sort of verbal checkmate but rather a choice being made to not speak. His wisdom aids him in dealing with this matter as this is not something his words can fix nor solve alone, hearing the man's plight confirms this to him. The building Reiatsu the grip established upon his blade all signs point towards a confrontation where blood will be spilled, structures would be destroyed, lives of Shinigami caught in the crossfire would be snuffed out. Otokogi has felt this rage before, within himself, it is what gave him the strength and courage to kill the former Kenpachi. That same rage is now imbued within Densagi and with it he could possibly kill the old man with it.

The clash would not be the same as it was with Kenta as Otokogi knows Densagi’s Zanpakuto and skill set well and Densagi knows his as well. It would come down to who wants to win more, but what does that even mean in this situation, to win? Otokogi could cut down Densagi and that would be more blood on his blade, on his hands, on his conscience. Densagi could cut down Otokogi but it would not bring back the lives lost, it would only temporarily patch up his pain and anguish. There is no winning in this situation; the only true loser in this would be the Gotei Thirteen. The old man drops down from the building to put himself on the same footing as Densagi, he approaches him staying outside the range of his blade while also giving himself distance enough to react to a Getsuga Tenshou.

”What would you have me say? Hm? I’m sure my words mean very little to you right now, you’d rather have my head on a pike as opposed to hearing my side of things.”

Yes, the old man telling his side of the story wouldn’t matter. Telling how the Shiba fired upon him and his comrades with cannons before they even knew their intent, telling how the Shiba killed innocent people of the Rukongai. Yes, all on orders from the higher ups who were taking orders from the Four Great Clans. This situation is merely the culmination of eye for an eye. Should Densagi kill Oto, someone will surely seek revenge in the name of the slain teacher and should Oto slay Densagi, someone will rise up against the old man in the name of a fallen veteran. Again, no one wins in this situation, it is an endless cycle of blood shed and Densagi’s anger would be nothing more than a sea spray of blood in the ocean of killing. So what could Oto do at this moment? Should he attempt to beat the Shiba within an inch of his life and let him live? No, it would look like an act of superiority if he did that and would fuel the fire even more.

”You speak as if I took pride in taking their lives. I still mourn all the lives I took during the Civil War and will continue to do so. You throwing yourself at me in a fit of rage where one of both of us winds up dead will serve no purpose!”

The old man sighs for a moment.

”I will not attack you old friend, I will only defend myself. If there is another way we can resolve this then let us take that route instead.”

As much as he hopes for a peaceful resolution he knows within his heart that it will not come about. He is fully prepared to engage in a fight and maybe, through some shred of hope, all of that rage within Densagi will be vented out after crossing blades.​

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[Nobody]

"WHERE IS SHE THEN?! SINCE WHEN DO YALL EVEN LEAVE YOUR BASEMENT?"

The ruckus traveled down the halls of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute, the source of the commotion was Kokuren. Due to the Twelfth Division and Fourth Division having to work intimately close over the past several months, where other squads were unable to breach the walls of the S.R.D.I the surviving members of the Fourth still maintained some semblance of clearance. It was a privilege currently being abused by Itaku by way of his Nurse assistant.

The dutiful nurse that she is, she had gone to make contact with the division's Fifth Seat Harai, only to be told she wasn't even in the Institute, or anywhere on the Division's barrack grounds for that matter. Of the members of twelfth division, Itaku had perceived Harai to be both the most seasoned and the most competent. She bit her lip, gripping what appeared to be an oversized syringe, something that caused many to flashback to the late Hachiko.

"Please, just settle down. We've already sent word to her, I'm sure she's on her way."

The syringe rested against her shoulder like some manner of club or sword, and for a moment Kokuren and Hachiko's image overlapped before the man that stood before her. It was still unreal, hearing about her death. Even when she left twelfth to help lead fourth they had warned her that her blood lust would be her undoing.

How right they were.

He shook his head, dispersing his former colleague's phantom from before his eyes. Kokuren cocked her brow, staring at him with a confused expression.

"Urgh, the Doctor probably needs me, and here I am. Stuck with these egg heads, GAH!"

She hated being away from his side, not knowing what help he may need.

 

[Frea]

A lot has happened over the last ten months, from the betrayal of some captains to them being mostly wiped out. This included her captain, who was much younger than Nanami. The twelfth was one of the few divisions without a captain and a lieutenant. Only leaving Nanami to lead the whole division, of course, she didn't mind, though the only thing that genuinely did annoy her was her unseated members kept moaning and whining over how much work they had to do. If it were Nanami's decision, she'd boot a lot out for purely slacking on their research. Despite her division lacking a captain, some had gained some new ones, shinigami, whose name was familiar to her, much like Otokogi Aijo, who is now to be named Kenpachi Aijo as he is said to have defeated the previous tyrant who held that title. Good on him. He is a much better Kenpachi than the man who decided to kill her captain. The fourth had gained a new captain, Itaku Ohei, who was previously in the Tenth. That was a drastic change, though it was no surprise since the man was reportedly the best healer the seireitei had; yet she heard the thirteenth captain was named Kasu Shinka, whom she had listened to the name before a few times but had not met the woman nor spoke to her as of yet. Meanwhile, she had heard there were others she had not heard of, like the fifth, second, and eighth divisions, all of whom had new captains she had yet to hear the names of or rather meet.

The last few times in the ten months, Nanami and Shibuya had to care for a couple of injured victims. Both of them never had prior experience in healing, though Nanami did her best to make them feel better with the technology she kept developing. With the help of the fourth, they managed fine on helping. But in the current situation, Nanami was trying to find out the recent activity going on with the world of the living, as she discovered rifts looking like garganta, presumably from Hueco Mundo. This was a serious matter that needed to be taken seriously as this could mean multiple hollows. Arrancars could cause chaos and destruction, leading to the spirited getting involved if not solved as soon as possible. Nanami picked up her denreishi and instantly sent a message to the captain commander telling him the situation but also to the Thirteenth division captain Kasu Shinka And towards Sayuri Daichi telling them the situation.
.
"Nanami Teishi, the third seat of the Twelfth here, There is weird activity going on in the world of the living, specifically Naruki city and Karakura town. There are rifts that keep enlarging. We are not sure where they are coming from, but I suspect it could be from Hueco Mundo. Please keep an eye out."

There, she could only hope that her message got through all right; she had a question about where her fifth seat was, too, hopefully not too far. She stepped outside her lab for some fresh air, though that was presumably a bad idea as it seemed the air was now saturated with a powerful presence. She looked over in the direction where the spiritual pressure was coming from. Out of all the places, it had to be coming from a few blocks away from her. Naturally curious, she started to walk over towards the powerful presence to investigate what would cause that massive spike. However, that was soon to be interrupted by her division member.
"Third Seat Teishi! There's a lady from the fourth division causing a ruckus!"
A sigh was released from the purpled-haired woman's mouth. So much for wanting to investigate.

"Very well, then I'll see what she wants."

Nanami hoped it was important, not just someone bored and wanting to bother their busy quarters. Nanami stepped back inside her barracks and strolled toward where the woman was situated. It was easy for Nanami to find the nurse with a large syringe in her hands.

"Urgh, the Doctor probably needs me, and here I am. Stuck with these eggheads, GAH!"

Irritated at the loud woman's words, Nanami hiked her presence a little to let the fourth division know she was there and let them know she was slightly annoyed at the ruckus. She tried her best to sound as polite as she could, though her tone had a bit of annoyance to it. Nanami stood with her hands down to her front, elegantly resting them on her abdomen.

"Hello, I'm Third Seat Teishi. What business do you require from the Twelvfth? She is away now if you are looking for one of my subordinates. And please keep your voice down."​

 

[Kuu]

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"Was away," the 5th seat offers just in-time to catch Nanami addressing Kokuren.

"As you can see, I'm here now," she huffs, hands grasped behind her back, straightened out from her ever-present slouch now that she has actual business to attend to- Reluctant she may be to consider Itaku and his aide worth the effort of formality.

"Teishi," she starts, ready to chew the 3rd seat out for butting in despite the circumstances demanding her to, but it certainly wouldn't do to mouth off too much to a technical superior. She'd love to argue the point, truly; Instead she breathes in through her nose, "I can handle our uninvited guest,"

"Unless you'd rather stay and listen to whatever bureaucratic nonsense this pertains to," the redhead let a bitter laugh croak out of her throat, "It's of no consequence to me either way,"

One foot glides across the ground in a movement so unnecessary it'd almost be comical were it performed with any level of confidence below Shibuya's, dramatics only bolstered by her indomitable ego the way many only dreamed of, bringing her to face the woman harassing her underlings.

"What has Ōhei sent you for this time, girl?" name remembered, left to the wayside in spite, another petty release of her mounting frustration.

Nanami may not have been familiar with the aforementioned woman, but Shibuya was. She'd rather not be, would rather be able to dumbly introduce herself without the past months hanging above her.

Kokuren wasn't who she had a problem with. No, no, that role was happily placed upon one Ōhei Itaku, garnered justly in Shibuya's mind, every petty argument started between the two stoking the fire of distaste permeating her mouth at the mere thought of him.

Months ago, shortly after Itaku's rise to Captain and, well, everything else, Shibuya would be willing to admit she thought him charming as most, perhaps all, did. All it took to spark her tooth gnashing was a singular moment, one that then evolved into an argument– One-sided to anyone who would have heard it, thoroughly reciprocated as Shibuya would insist no matter how it could be misconstrued as her taking it too personally.

It wasn't originally Shibuya's duty to handle the logistics of 12th- It would have fallen to 3rd seat Teishi's shoulders as most jobs would, if only Shibuya hadn't taken the duty upon herself. Her time running the Harai-ke was more than enough to prepare her for the numbers game that was present in every miscellaneous document and formal 'request of goods' shoved under her nose. How to plan with and around each approved file to ensure the right hands and minds would be assigned to a project, as well as filtering the less intelligent half-baked requests almost too gleefully into a shredder.

Thus, through this job, she wound up working far more closely to Itaku for the sake of supplying Fourth whatever it would need going forward, rebuilding the less focused on aspects both during and after the actual rebuilding of Fourths facilities. Any Captain submitting for goods would get her undivided attention, Itaku was no different. What was needed was needed, so on and so forth.

To her surprise, though, was that Itaku was so… Selfish? Self-centered? Some descriptor involving his own self-interest, as himself was all he seemed to care about through her dealings with him. What made it worse was how he tried to hide it, tone warm and words just obscuring enough that anyone less scrutinizing wouldn't have noticed. It could just be that Shibuya isn't a particularly trusting woman, it could be she's truly all she boasts when it comes to reading others. No matter what way the observation veered, it ended in the same conclusion.

Images of what else his honeyed words had garnered him without any give to his take had flashed through her head- Of a playboy, fluffy and charming, but cunning in his deception of women-, conclusion jumped to, leaving her with a twisted and warped perception that, while one iota closer to the truth, was still far, far from the marrow within his bones.

Her feelings then extended to the rest of his squad. Sins of the father, as they say.

"I trust it is worth interrupting my break for," she adds, choosing to sidestep the larger, more problematic, interruption of the worker bees of 12th.​

---

 

[KagiSenkō]

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Moments Ago.......
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The transparent barrier, Bakudō #81. Dankū (斷空, Splitting Void; Viz "Airtight") that Senko activated held up against the powerful force that had been pulling everything in its wake. However, Kinko had finally risen to the first stage of bankai. Thanks to Aijo's efforts in pushing the young third seat to new heights, it was only the beginning; from here on, the young Kuchiki must journey the rest of the way to master the new power by building the bond between himself and his zanpakuto spirit if he wasn't careful that newfound power could go into his head and get killed. Kinko was nothing but a newborn, and now, on this new path, he is beginning to learn how to walk.

"You want to hunt, don't you.....Kagi? I can feel your urge, your need for blood. It is boiling," a woman's voice appeared, yet she could not be seen physically.

If there were people around, not even they could hear the sound of a woman whose words were spewing poison to the ear, a woman who carries herself as a venomous and manipulative snake yet seductive at the same time. And the only being that could hear such a voice was Kagi himself. The significant rectangular barrier faded away as quickly as it appeared as he stood on both feet. The moment Senko listened to this familiar voice, his blank face immediately adjusted, his eyebrows slanted in a downward angle, his mouth curled upwards, very sinister-like, head tilted forward.

"I wasn't planning to, but I can feel it. I can feel the overwhelming sensation. The violence draws near, and Old Man Aijo is already gone."

KKagi's voice was soft, yet it held a very menacing tone behind his words while he went to follow Kenpachi Aijo. It wasn't to stalk him or to watch his six. Oh no. Captain Senko only followed because he was interested in seeing if the Kenpachi would fall to whomever the individual that has hatred flowing through their spiritual energy or if he would prevail and slay another victim as he had done ten months ago. That would be something Kagi is personally seeking, but at the same time, Kagi wouldn't mind stepping in and enjoying what could unfold. Not for the betterment of stopping a fight, but the killer in him was aching and itching to cause bloodshed. And just like that, the Silent Flash disappeared from his position. Not a single sound was made, just like the moniker entails.

​

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Moments Later......

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Kagi arrived on the scene shortly after the Kenpachi did but was still hidden as he had been doing since the training between Oto and Kinko to aid in bankai training. The only difference here is that Kagi now dons his colorless haori that bears the nibantai symbol on the center of the back and the pasque flower emblem of Second Division on the pin attached to the haori's front. Not a single individual could feel his presence or sense even his spiritual signature due to the unique properties of his haori. The former assassin of the Stealth Force was being implemented, keeping his whereabouts very well hidden. Not even the flow of his haori made a single sound. He was but merely a phantom that could move about so quickly and quietly that even his steps could not be heard by an individual unless he wanted someone to listen to them. He mastered his movements since he could run, training in assassination and stealth. Silence was one of many skill sets to be a part of that specialized force.

This action is why Kagi continues to hide, not because he wants to avoid being seen out of fear but to avoid being caught to see if the two shinigami would engage in combat. In front, there was one out of the two he did not know anything about; this would allow the phantom menace to establish that person's level of skill, ferret out potential weaknesses, formulate a probing strategy and backup plan, and be prepared to reformulate everything on the fly.

And like Kagi's eyes were set on both while he could not only see them physically but could hear them exchange words. After studying the warrior's visage before Kenpachi Aijo and the searing hatred that this individual leaked out for pure revenge, this meeting is beginning to make sense now. That was none other than the member of the Shiba clan himself, what's left of them anyway.

"Densagi Shiba. Oh, very interesting." Kagi thought to himself.

Kagi's itch for a hunt slowly dissipated as this wasn't just any fight but a battle for the Shiba's clan honor. It is something Kagi could relate to, which he shall not interfere with, for this was Densagi and Oto's fight. He does not know Densagi personally, but his clothing and features speak of the Shiba Clan
​

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"SOME OF THEM, MANY OF THEM WERE JUST FOLLOWING THE ORDERS OF THOSE ABOVE THEM! YOU MARCHED INTO THE MANOR WHERE THEY WERE AT, FOUND AND INSTEAD OF SUBDUING THEM YOU KILLED THEM, YOU AND HACHI! BRUTALLY, HEARTLESSLY!"​

The full-blown rage of words resonated throughout the area, words Densagi held for ten months. Throughout those ten months, he could tell that those words and emotions festered over time. Densagi was alone but a lonely beast trapped in an emotional prison. Kagi could tell that he held on to as much as he could until the creature, the beast himself, could no longer keep their hatred caged. Yet, Aijo responded with his side of things and yet the final words he has spoken to Densagi to get through to him.
​

”I will not attack you old friend, I will only defend myself. If there is another way we can resolve this then let us take that route instead.”​

Aijo did not have the agenda to kill another Shiba, let alone fight one, Densagi Shiba. But could those words of peace alone be a solution to get through to someone who has been holding on to grief for months get diffused just like that? Kagi continues to watch and see, but something tells him it would not be so simple as to walk away, let alone have a better solution than a battle. Regardless of the reason, Kagi understands Densagi's point of view on vengeance: if a person killed someone else's people, the individual has been bound by a warrior's code of honor to take revenge for his people's death, but then all it does is continues the whole cycle. A cycle is not worth going through when one has been put into the position of killing them and giving no other option to do anything else. But he also feels for Oto's point of view not to fight unless he has to defend himself, which wasn't his fault. Simple as it sounds, Aijo did what must been done, no matter how difficult it had to be. When the time is called, Kagi will do what he must to prevent this cycle of pain.

---

---

 

[Nobody]

While waiting rather impatiently she is met not by the person she was sent to meet but another member of the Twelfth Division. Kokuren gives the woman a once over as she approaches and introduces herself despite the woman knowing exactly who she was given how closely the two squads worked alongside one another. The fact that Nanami was the Third seat and Itaku had sent Kokuren to speak with Shibuya and not her was very telling.

Fortunately it was irrelevant, the person she had been waiting for arriving during Nanami's introduction. Kokuren's face lit up as she watched the tiny woman approach. "Sooooo cute!" She practically squealed as Shibuya asured Nanami that she could and would take things from there. She beams as she watches the short elder maneuver over, her smile slowly diminishing from the tone in which she spoke regarding the Doctor, and of course her being referred to as girl instead of by her name.
"That side of you isn't cute at all." She complained with a frown. With one hand still on the massive syringe in her hand, her other arm makes a shrugging motion.

"The Doctor wants you to know that the Department of Psychology are still waiting on the Reiteashi (霊手足, 'Spirit Limbs'; 'Spiritual Prosthetics'). There are a number of shinigami still in recovery. While we've done what we could to treat their injuries and are dealing with the trauma from their respective events from that situation ten months ago we're being pushed to get them back ready for duty. Many of them are going to require the Reiteashi."

She clasps her hands together, leaning down to better face the tiny woman, her smile returning from the cuteness of the woman nearly five times her elder.

"Are they ready yet? Please say they are, I just know the Doctor would GREATLY appreciate it. We do truly appreciate all the help we've gotten from the twelfth."

She says this but it is clear this is at least a half truth given her attitude towards the other nameless egghead and her almost dismissal of Nanami mere moments ago. The spiritual prosthetics were something pretty recently developed, a direct response to the chaos that took over. Sadly there was no such thing as retirement for a shinigami. Your duty in the Thirteen Court Guards was to live and to die for the Seireitei. The fact these shinigami back in the relief station were not dead meant that their survival demanded they return to their duties.

This was cold, heartless but it is what was expected and what it meant to truly be called Shinigami.

 

[Lovely Lady]

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Eerie and still, two monsters bellowed at one another.
One, an ancient being of timeless power and regrets and the other, a paradoxical beast exuding a blistering animosity toward his elder.
The older monster did not want to fight but he had unwittingly delivered a tremendous reckoning in the form of an invaluable loss unto his younger adversary and they had come to collect on that debt.
Although their current impasse was gathering a growing audience, neither one seemed to see anyone but each other.

Of all of the souls finding their way to the commotion there was one that arrived before them. Her approach was void of intensity, threat or any semblance of remarkable power and this was evidenced by when she materialized between them. Her sudden presence was no cause for alarm as like a specter that had been there the entire time and chose that second to manifest itself, her arrival was subtle.
A familiar face to both of the men now looked back at them. First, Otokogi and then swiftly at Densagi. Worry and sorrow were etched into the details of her eyes, along with a sense of recognition. Once a quirky rookie, stark white coattails now rippled in the winds that had been kicked up by Densagi’s vicious expulsion of reiatsu and rising spiritual power. The ends of her haori then settled with its flow as she did with each side flared outward extending exactly like both of her arms and palms were. The speed of her Shunpo had been greatly augmented by her desire to get to Densagi before it was too late in order to prevent him from doing something he could never have hoped to take back.
The Reiryoku level that she was radiating was decidedly average and barely broadcasted a number at all. Even as she raced to them, she expected to be detected as she had done nothing to avoid it. On the contrary, she wanted them to know that she was on her way. She wanted them to know that someone cared for them enough to do something about what was happening.​

---

So, where did the three's roads cross that would forever tie them to one another?

Where else, but on the field of battle, where else but where so many souls collided? Eons ago, Shizukana Kurayami had belonged to the tenth division and then because she decided she wanted to make more of a difference preserving lives, she went on to join the fourth just at the start of the outbreak of war, namely the unhollowed war.
This legendary fight saw the unlikely trio uniting and supporting one another during the carnage and unholy bloodshed.

There they stood, a seasoned teacher, a thunderous beast and a sleepy medic simultaneously transformed before the legions of demons into three mountains that valiantly combated the arrancar scourge in the name of the Seireitei. Each compensated for the other’s weaknesses with the small in stature Shizukana protecting Otokogi and Densagi as well as their acts of annihilation until they were ready to confront the next wave of enemy forces. Together the trio managed efficient strategies which in turn led to the eventual victory of the Seireitei and this would always be their shared moment of triumph and why only death could hope to sever the bond that had been forged.
In spite of this, it was truly the recent civil war that took more from her when what could only be described as an act of fate ensured that she transferred out of the fourth division to the fifth division a single day before the fourth’s barracks were decimated by the dreadful Ittō Kasō assault.
Regrettably, that day the young sixth seat lost all of her friends who she had left behind to stay stationed there.

In and outside of her dreams she struggled with survivor's guilt but she barely had an opportunity to work through it before her actions and, along with the rest of the fifth division, came under scrutiny once the betrayal of their own came to light in the aftermath. It had been ten months, most of which she’d spent crying into her prayers for the lost and thus far she’d been avoiding everything and everyone and was burying herself in the sands of Hueco Mundo searching alongside carefully constructed teams for any trace of their despicable targets. Despite her persistence, she came up empty every time with her remarking that her plight was akin to hunting ghosts and she’d been at it with such little reprieve that every now and then she found herself questioning if the villains had ever existed in the first place and everything around her might have been a nightmare. It had been her sin that she had been so distracted by he fervor for justice that she had neglected to see that the wound on his heart had become infected and that he was suffering to the degree he was. Granted, she recalled his assurance before she had first departed but she cursed herself because convinced herself that she should have paid her Lieutenant more attention.
Not only his captain but his friend, this was on her as much as it was on Otokogi.​

---

It’d have been a lie to state that she wasn’t a tad peeved at Densagi considering that his impulsive display would ultimately serve to make her look bad as a budding new captain. At the end of the day many powerful eyes, most of which were expecting her to fail, were honed in on her and watching every microscopic move she was making for mistakes that could lead to said failure. His actions gave the impression that she had no control over her own Lieutenant when in reality they knew nothing of the bond that she and the scorned Shiba truly shared. Before her promotion he had always been her superior, brother in arms and friend more than he had ever been considered a subordinate so it’d been very difficult for Captain Kurayami to come to terms with imposing her newfound authority over him.
If that wasn’t bad enough, the recent war had all but crippled the Gotei Thirteen in terms of the number of remaining captains and captain-level officers that would be able to help rebuild what had been destroyed in its aftermath. Undeniably, a death match at this point between two of the most powerful soul reapers was the last thing that this desperate situation needed.

"I'm sorry I've been gone. You've been put through so much pain and I'm so sorry that I wasn't here for you, but I am now. So please..."

Captain Kurayami just knew that mere words would not be enough to deter Densagi’s justified outrage as long as he was wound so tightly in the storm of his volatile reiatsu and so, with a flutter of her lashes here and a bounce of her bulging bosom, she began to flood the atmosphere with her own. From her head to her toes, an ethereal pink bubbling aura surrounded her and exerted a potent calming sensation unto them all. This moment of clarity would have been like a light breaking out from the darkness, it was affording Densagi a valuable opportunity to cure him of his emotional blindness and urged that he come to his senses which were that if he went on to initiate this face off with the Kenpachi that he’d only further demolish the already strained rankings of the Gotei 13.

"It isn't too late."

Sure, he had just as much a chance of killing Aijo as the geezer did him and he may not have gotten into any trouble because it’d be easy enough to say he was challenging him for his title but he and the rest of the Seireitei could feel the truth.
Knew the truth.
There was that, and the fact that in his frenzy she knew he would probably be unable to see that none of this would make anything better. Neither he or the Kenpachi dying this day would truly correct the wrong.
As far as she knew, revenge felt deceptively good but only for that split second and usually those with good but agonized hearts come to the sobering realization of what they’ve actually done far too quickly for it to have been worth it. Kuryami could not help but consider it unfortunate that Densagi previously had a heart of gold because now it was besmirched and broken. Having said this, she also knew that it would heal one day and she was worried that when the time came to mend it, it would be impossible.

"Densagi, Please. Stand down.”

Shizukana's voice softened. This was not a command, not a demand but the cautious plea of a partner and companion instead.
Her words sounded as if she was addressing her Lieutenant but surely the Kenpachi would be able to tell she was requesting this of him too. As far as she was concerned, It would be a dismal world without either of them in it even if one of them harbored perpetual hatred for the other. The prospect of such a reality saddened Shizukana because she deeply cared about them both and would have liked to one day share a meal or drink with them together under less intense circumstances. Though, judging by the emotions wafting off of their spiritual power, it did seem that the old man was entertaining restraint and remorse considering all of what had happened had been the product of a horrific misunderstanding. At the same time, her reiatsu’s effect attempted to do the same for the Kenpachi but because the old man was not coming at the problem with anger or rage she doubted that it would influence him at all.

"Grandpa..."
He must have known this day was coming too, he had to have been anticipating it just as she had because the truth had to be that he didn’t want to lose Densagi either. Surely, he had to hold some memories of the man dear and close as she did and she swore as she had rushed toward them that he’d hesitate and attempt cordial conversation which would give her that one second she needed to get to them before it was too late. If things hadn’t been so serious and dire, she would have liked to have been able to enjoy that she was going to reunite with Otokogi who’s absence in her life beyond her days in the academy and the torture of warfare had nearly ensured he’d become a sentimental part of her past.
Always known to be a lazy student who slept through most of his classes, she wasn’t an academy-wide favorite. However, unlike most of the staff, she had always appreciated that he had been able to see this even though she may not have appeared to be paying attention to her instructors. The fact was that she’d retained information nonetheless and saw to it that she studied and trained with all of the teachings in mind. On her own time without excluding a single lesson, He proved to her that he wasn’t concerned about the things they were that set her apart from her fellow students.
Furthermore, Shizukana had always related to and admired the pacifist’s ideals from the very first day she had met him with the hope that he looked on her own with some semblance of pride.

Even now, the young girl he had taught who had grown so much now standing before him a revered Captain still desired for him to be proud of her.

"Not here, not now.”

Her words indicated that she likely knew what Aijo did and that was that an all out brawl between them was inevitable. Shizukana fully believed that Densagi had the ability to forgive the Kenpachi for his transgressions but that he wouldn't entertain that thought. He was out for blood, the blood that was stolen from him and neither of the two could disparage him for it.
There was another way to go about this and she was determined to help Densagi see it.​

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ARRIVING AT THE NORTHWEST FROM THE NORTHEAST​

 

[Nobody]

He stares at Otokogi, a Captain, the Kenpachi, a comrade. In this moment, all that stood before him, was a killer, the enemy.

"I’m sure my words mean very little to you right now-"

He was wrong...his words meant nothing to him right now. The more Otokogi spoke, the angrier he got. He stared on through gritted teeth, as every calm rational word spoken was like a dagger into him. He knew that killing the old man wouldn't change anything, that even his own death wouldn't alter the course of events either.

”I will not attack you old friend-"
"FRIEND?!"

Densagi bellows out emotionally, uncontrollably, his reiatsu responding in kind. It flared and exploded out violently, the streaks of electricity reaching even the area of the skulking Captain, unbeknownst to either party.

How dare he. To stand there in front of him, after doing what he did, knowing how he felt, and he had the gall to call him friend?! Yes, it didn't matter anymore. Why was he even hesitating when the enemy didn't hesitate that day. So...neither will he. Oto prepared himself, expecting the release of a Getsuga. However, instead his grip on his blade becomes tighter as Densagi's reiatsu seemed to be continuously rising higher, and higher.

"BAN-"
"Densagi, Please. Stand down.”

The increase in his reiatsu comes to a stop as his Captain arrives on the scene. He thought he had felt her spiritual pressure, but it had been momentarily lost to him in his anger.

"Captain"

The calling of her status comes out less than a greeting and more of a statement. He had hoped to handle things before she had found out and arrived. It was wishful thinking, and naïve of him to hope for such a thing. His heart trembled in her presence. Oh how he didn't want her to see him that way. That is until he felt something.

"How DARE YOU!!!"

The reiatsu that had momentarily settled down had spiked once more, skyrocketing into a pillar of crimson, painting the surrounding area in its red glow. Just as Shizukana was aware of his abilities, he was privy to many of hers as well. He knew of the effects of her reiatsu, had seen its prowess first hand against others. However, it seemed that in the light of her recent promotion she has forgotten. In a battle of reiatsu, the weaker one submitted to the other. Already agitated, his reiatsu already dense, volatile from his emotions made it impossible for her reiatsu to overtake his to affect him in the manner she had hoped.

By her even attempting to use such a tactic was an act of betrayal to him. She had come with soft eyes and a tender voice as if she truly understood, but instead all the while she was attempting to manipulate him through her spiritual pressure. Now before him stood two people he had respected, and two people who have hurt him, two people he

could

NOT

TRUST

"I'm done talking. No more words, no more understanding. Why don't you..."

His voice cracked and trembled in his rage.

"Why don't you just...just..."

His body shook, eyes aglow with both rage and spiritual power, electricity leaking from them.

"BLEED MEIGETSU!!!"

All this while, Densagi had in truth, been teetering the fence. While he had arrived with the intentions of attacking Oto, somewhere in his heart he hoped to be dissuaded. Instead, he found only more rage, more betrayal. That is why until this moment, until his Captain's actions, his zanpakuto had remained sheathed. The pillar of power dies down and in his hands, were the massive hammers of his shikai, tethered together by the crimson chord.

Red lightning ceaselessly danced around him, traveling along the surface of the hammers bouncing between them. Both Captains before him knew what this meant and the risk of being in proximity of his shikai. The Captain peeking from the shadows would soon find that being hidden now meant nothing, the lightning of Meigetsu certain to find and consume him should he remain spectating in such a manner.

Densagi lifts his arm, hammer in hand and brings it down in a thunderous crash. The vampiric lightning lashes out, expanding outwards towards all within the area, the hidden Kagi included by virtue of proximity. The bell had been rung, and Densagi as of now could only see red.

 

[Kasu Shinka]

The strokes of her Shikai cease, and upon the completion of her piece a blue light shines through the fabric of her Shihakusho…

Ping.

Ping.

Ping.

Another rhythmic tone alerts her, this time to a notification delivered to her Denreishinki (伝令神機, Divine Messenger Machine; “Soul Pager"). Beneath the clothing that conceals her chest, her free hand reaches for the device. Her eyes open briefly as her finger moves upward to unlock the pagers’ content and what she finds is a message from Nanami Teishi, Third Seat of Squad 12.

“ Nanami Teishi, the third seat of the Twelfth here. There is weird activity going on in the world of the living, specifically Naruki city and Karakura town. There are rifts that keep enlarging. We are not sure where they are coming from, but I suspect it could be from Hueco Mundo. Please keep an eye out.”

Scanned and understood swiftly, Nanami is given a response immediately.

“ I am well aware of the ongoing events in the Human World. Regardless, thank you for the information. I will be in touch.”

Locking her soul pager with a simple downward swipe of a finger, she returns the device to her Shihakusho, concealing it. Her eyes venture back to her drawing and while it had taken considerable time, all it took was the wave of a hand to completely destroy it. Why delve into a drawing and invest so much time just to destroy it in the end? The hand that was made the destroyer of this piece, clenched into a fist. Clearly, there was emotion in her actions... Clearly, there was a memory that had long since tortured her… Everyone had their pain, their turmoil that needed to be relieved in one way or another.

In Densagi’s case, rage becomes the instrument to his release, and currently as well as unfortunately, Oto-San is the reluctant receiver. However, there are bystanders, and Densagi’s volatile emotions bleed into his spiritual energy. There are bound to be casualties if his actions are not corrected, and If his rage is not quelled be it blade or words.

On time with the incoming hell butterfly, Kasu’s finger rises to meet its subtle approach. Another message coming to her, and it’s from a guest she had hoped to speak with as soon as possible.

“ Sure thing, but please forgive me because it seems I'll be a little late!”

She could only groan in response, having looked forward to a wonderful batch of fruit, as well as gaining some information before she had to make way towards the world of the living. The brush in her hand reverts to its sealed form, allowing Captain Shinka to sheath her Zanpakuto properly. In swift succession she heads towards the exit and leaves promptly. With no further delay she arrives at the barracks personal Senkaimon through Shunpo. A request made a few months due to the amount of traffic she had within the Division and its own convenience for the squad to move smoothly between worlds.

Her subordinates became aware of her arrival, before she became physically visible, and as they stood firmly at attention, they’d bow at the moment their eyes lay upon her.

“ At ease. Remain aware of the spiritual signature belonging to Captain Kurayami. Tell her I will be in Karakura Town tending to a pending situation.”

Her men and women nod and exclaim with a resounding,

“ YES MA’AM!”

As the glowing white light of the Senkaimon exposes itself in all its purity, the dangers that lurk behind her still, both known and unknown, causes her to look back beyond her shoulder. She could feel the spiritual signature of Densagi grow ever more violent, even with the soft and gentle spiritual energy of Captain Kurayami being present, it only seemed to make matters worse. From where she stands now, she can not only feel it, but see the color of the atmosphere turn red with lighting dancing from afar, evidence of Densagi’s fury that is now directed to not just Oto-San but even Shizukana. Kasu recalls Densagi to be her own Subordinate.

“ How careless, and irresponsible. No matter the reason.”

Kasu’s words were almost heartless and without any shred of remorse. Anyone could assume what she meant by these words, but even so, she would not waste her breath to give an explanation should the need ever arise. How will the soft and kind hearted Shizukana direct this blatant disrespect to both her title and to her fellow comrades? Will the Kenpachi be forced to kill yet another Shiba member? How will the Hidden Captain intervene? Will Densagi get his revenge and further dig his grave?

So many questions, too many results to come. Kasu turned her eyes back to the task at hand, having come to the understanding that whatever awaits in the horizon far exceeds the issues that go on here. If the Soul Society could not get their act together, then another Civil War will be the least of their concerns. The gates close behind her as she is accompanied by a group of hell butterflies…

TRAVELING TO WOTL…​

 

[Estarossa]

---

It seemed like the old man’s choice of words were poor. He spoke to him, hoping to find some shred of civility left in him so that they may converse or find another way for Otokogi to atone for what he had done without involving the Seireitei in another destructive battle. Sadly the Seireitei had no choice in the matter as Oto’s words infuriated Densagi, or rather one particular word is what sent him over the edge, that word being “friend”. After repeating the word back the Shiba flew into a rage which caused the old man to shift his demeanor all at once. Where his arm was once resting on the hilt of his blade had now shifted to him gripping said hilt, ready to draw his blade and release his Shikai. The increasing spiritual pressure had triggered his fight or flight and in this situation fight is the only option. He hears the starting phrase of a Zanpakuto’s final release and his eyes grow wide, skin runs cold with sweat and for that brief moment Oto freezes. Only the first part of the word was spoken aloud and yet it had a great impact on him nonetheless. He knew what Densagi’s Bankai was capable of but the thought of having to fight against it was not a pleasurable one.

Luckily Otokogi had a bit of luck on his side, something that stopped the Shiba dead in his tracks, the arrival of Captain Kurayami. The old man stood in silence as the Captain of Fifth Division arrived and, in all honesty, part of him felt relieved that she showed up. If anyone could calm down the raging brute it would be her. Even with her arrival Oto retained a firm grip on the hilt of his blade, Densagi created an opening that was induced by fear and had he finished the release of his Bankai he may have been able to land a hit on the old man, but not any more. He knows what lengths he would go to now, to use a Bankai that is forbidden to use within the Soul Society tells the old man all he needs to know. He would respond in kind if he needs to, although he has to wonder just how effective his Bankai would be versus Densagi’s. Rarely, if at all, has he thought about if his Zanpakuto could beat another, the thought of fighting against another Shinigami does not cross his mind. Even during the Civil War he wasn’t thinking about Zanpakuto compatibility, he just fought using what he had at his disposal, what he knew.

As the Fifth Division Captain was talking to Densagi, trying to quell his rage, the old man took this moment to create more distance between himself and the Shiba and then began mumbling to himself. He was taking no more chances and began weaving a spell using its incantation. As he was doing this he felt Captain Kurayami’s Reiatsu wash over him, he immediately glared at her as it had no effect given their difference in power. He scolds her with but a single look, a look that tells her to focus on the real threat in this situation. If she heard what he was about to do she would have approached the situation with a different mindset, she would have put all her attention towards Densagi rather than spending even a fraction of it on Otokogi. Sadly though, it seems the use of her Reiatsu only served to anger the brute further and when he made his declaration of no longer wanting to talk the old man locked into his decision. He carries a mountain of sin on his back as it is, and if this is the sin that crushes him then so be it, he will accept it without fuss.

The Clash

Densagi unleashes his Shikai, while not the outcome he wanted, it was still more desirable than the alternative. By this point the old man finished his incantation, his body teeming with Spiritual Energy as he readied himself for this inevitable clash. The pillar of red Spiritual Energy began to finally die down and there they were. How long has it been since Otokogi last saw the Shikai of Meigetsu? It was a wonderful Shikai, it was strong and it slew many Hollows during the Unhallowed War. However, being on the other side of it he can see how and why it managed to do so and being on this side of it did not feel good in the slightest. Densagi raised his arm up and the first thing Oto thought about was if everyone had safely evacuated the area because what was to come next is surely to cause great damage. The hammer begins its downward swing and Oto responds in kind.

”Hadō #73. Sōren Sōkatsui!”
(双蓮蒼火墜, Twin Lotus Blue Fire, Crash Down; Viz "url=https://bleach.fandom.com/wiki/Sōren_Sōkatsui]Twin Lotuses, Pale Fire Crash[/url]")

This is the strongest spell the old man was capable of casting at his current level of Kido. This spell is nothing to take lightly as even its lesser version is strong enough to topple an immature Bankai. This doubled variant, at full incantation, and backed by the Reiryoku of Kenpachi Aijo would make this spell all the more potent and devastating. The spell collided with the lightning resulting in a large explosion, once again luck had graced the old man because the spell, given its full incantation and bolstered by its user, not only detonated Densagi’s attack but maintained its form and energy as it rushed towards him. He was lucky because had his foe used an actual technique then his spell may have only broken even with it but in this instance it has allowed him to defend himself and strike back all at once. The spell races on and explodes at the Shiba’s location, the old man wasn’t sure what to hope for, incapacitation or death. The strength he put into this spell could possibly kill, but in this situation he is wholly unsure if it could even damage the vengeful man.

”If this lands, please… Please just stay down…”​

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