[BitP:R] Soul Society 2

[InyutheBeatIs]

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[9th Division Barracks] (front porch)

Hirokatsu would nod as he heard the expected professional response from Sigint, he smiled almost wryly as he did so and tapped his shoulder more with his umbrella. he would raise his left hand to shake off Sigint a bit, to hopefully make sure he realized that he understood completely.

He then spoke his eyes closing just a bit as his wry smile held through his words. "...I appreciate your candor at the response Corps Commander, and I would have been utterly disappointed had you actually went into any more detail..." He would nod in respect and forgiveness to Sigint before continuing "...I hope you do not think i was being out of line though...only doing what i was trained to do is all..."

He nodded again, his smile slackening into his normal demure state with his eyes closing. He thought briefly of bringing up Sigint's relationship to his Captain. It was something he was always curious about, however while he thought of this, he felt a familiar spiritual pressure closing in on the barracks. It was his 10th Seat, Akiyama Shou, obviously having returned from his mission to Earth.

Hirokatsu turned away from Sigint at an angle and opened his eyes to watch the entryway into the courtyard of the Barracks with one eye and Sigint with another, looking for the 10th Seat to come into view. It would have been obvious to Sigint that he was not turning out of disrespect to him, but out of Hirokatsu having known someone or something was about to come near. It was probably something similar to the way Sigint 'saw' things, though the demeanor of his turn and eyes opening made it seem a little less specific than his abilities. Hirokatsu had turned in such a way that he could see both the entry way and Sigint, trying to see if Sigint knew who or what was coming. Could Sigint see everything? As it was hinted by Sigint, this ability utilized not just his powers but also 'resources' of the Onmitsukido or 2nd Division.

Hirokatsu did not believe the man to be deceptive with him, he was only curious about his abilities, and since asking as he had done netting him no more information, he thought this might help he evaluate a little bit more the reach of Sigint's awareness. If not, he had lost nothing and disrespected no one, if so, he learned a bit more about a potential asset or avenue for information gathering. Even a banal situation like this was an opportunity for furthering his knowledge, in fact it was not something he even thought about doing any more.

He watched and waited for the 10th Seat to enter, and kept a non-emotional eye on the Onmitsukido member, hoping it would not be so long that he would have to fill the void of silence out of respect to Sigint. He tapped his umbrella lightly on his right shoulder as was Hirokatsu's custom.

Sigint simply shook his head. "Not at all. I understand your position and duties, so no hard feelings at all."

Then, he caught a figure in his sight. Not the sight he has, but the sight he got from Taganjuu. However, it was too quick of a blip to actually determine anything, and the screen changed to another camera. Then, he felt the figure's spiritual pressure. Sigint turned his head to look at the source, both because of the spiritual pressure and the fact that Hirokatsu was facing that way. Naturally, Sigint assumes that the figure is a member of the 9th.

[MageSparrowhawk]

[4th Division Recovery Ward]

The door to Hachirou's recovery room slowly sliders open, and a black-haired head pokes in.

"Um...Hachirou-san? Could I speak with you for a moment?"

Yeah, he wants to know what the hell he's supposed to do now...

[Wahrheit]

[9th Division]

Shou moved into view, paw raised in greeting. "I'm back from the mortal world, Goto-fukutaichou! There was no sign of Karite-fukutaichou's Zanpakutou, though I did run across a roaming Hollow. It was dealt with." Shou, having given the start of his report, bowed to Sigint. "Hello to you as well."

[riccaru]

[Akio's Mind]

Akio can feel the shadow's grip slipping on his throat as his Sho pushes it back. At first, it digs its claws deep to the ground in attempt to halt its motion, but then the gust of power throws it away, deep scratches being left around Akio's neck as its hold breaks.

The shadow tumbles backwards and does a cart wheel, landing on its feet. It stands straight, blank stare meeting Akio's eyes again. "How can you do that?", it says. "How can you take time to find the correct answer, but remain unfeeling of your own words? How can you walk unchanging your ways, when it has been proven you can't advance if you keep following them?"

"How can you claim you have no fear, when you refuse to acknowledge a needless fight? What is that, if not fear of failure? Fear of being called a coward?" It lifts its right hand and beckons at the iron fence surrounding them. "You claim you gain strenght from your sins, but why do you think this fence is in place? What do you think would happen if you were to really let them in?"

Akio might suddenly feel cold of feet - if spends a moment thinking about it, he'll realize it's because the whole ground of the cemetery is flooding. "You say your foes are nothing but stepping stones to you, but why is there a headstone for each one here? What kind of a creature hates and does violence to others just for his own good?"

The darkness behind the shadow stretches out and forms into two great wings. It crouches down, placing one clawed hand upon the ground in preparation to charge. "How can you hear, but not listen? Can you really deny my words any weight, just because what I am? If so, then you are hopeless. You are unworthy of the tittle of Shinigami!"

"What would happen if I let in my sins without holding back, you ask?" As he says this, another of the beasts disappears and forms into a bracer on his left arm. "Your world would burn. Ferocity is what I hold back. This isn't something I would admit outside, but I am burdened with these sins. I am evil with these sins. This is why I hold them out, for the sake of Soul Society, for the sake of the Yama name. I would dishonor my families if I were to embrace the evil within myself, so I yearn to keep it at bay." More of the beasts disappear, forming armor over Akio's body, along with forming the hourglass of his shikai, though twisted as his sword.

[Frozen_Feet]

[4th Division Recovery Ward]

The door to Hachirou's recovery room slowly sliders open, and a black-haired head pokes in.

"Um...Hachirou-san? Could I speak with you for a moment?"

Yeah, he wants to know what the hell he's supposed to do now...

[4th Division Recovery ward, week from Joint-op missions]

Hachirou's recovery had gone along well. They'd removed last bandages yesterday, and now the fully recovered 13th seat is lying on his bunk, reading what seems to be a mortal newspaper, wearing... black trousers, a black vest, a white shirt with black stripes (or is the other way around?), a beret, and white makeup. The poor 4th divisioner who had to fetch said outfit probably felt awfully confused.

"Ah, Shiaki-san!", Hachirou exclaims, putting his newspaper down, and turning to look at Koujin. "How was your week? Did everything go allright?"

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((OOC: Since you're like confused, MSH: to keep the timeline straight, I'm skipping ahead by a week. This means that Koujin has, for all intents and purposes, been doing Hachirou's job for a week. Just roll along with it; I hope this is okay with you. ^_^;;;))

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"What would happen if I let in my sins without holding back, you ask?" As he says this, another of the beasts disappears and forms into a bracer on his left arm. "Your world would burn. Ferocity is what I hold back. This isn't something I would admit outside, but I am burdened with these sins. I am evil with these sins. This is why I hold them out, for the sake of Soul Society, for the sake of the Yama name. I would dishonor my families if I were to embrace the evil within myself, so I yearn to keep it at bay." More of the beasts disappear, forming armor over Akio's body, along with forming the hourglass of his shikai, though twisted as his sword.

[Akio's Mindscape]

"Then why are you letting them in now? Cast them out!", the winged form screeches, desperate... but not for its own sake. Akio can feel the cold creep up his legs, the cemetery now knee-deep with water. "Can't you see what you are becoming? Will I need to hang a mirror before your face so you can?"

The shadow leaps forward with a splash of water, soaring to its wings and gliding above the water. Its clawed hands reachs for Akio, seeking for his heart. "Has your hatred deafened you as well? Can't you recognize my voice anymore? You are a better man than this, Akio-Kun!"

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Seiko winces as his blade sinks through the door. That would leave a nasty mark that would definitely come directly out of his salary. Damn. He resheathed his sword and opened the door, looking a little sheepish.

"Not this time either, Michiko-taichou?" The fact that he'd started using her first name showed that he'd calmed down some. He'd seemed nervous earlier, though it was because he had several awkward question to ask her, but now they had been asked, and he had gotten his duel-of-the-day out of the way, he seemed much better.

"I'm never going to catch you off-guard, am I?" Seiko said, seeming resigned to his fate to never defeat his captain. In reality, he was considering his options. Michiko didn't look particularly impressed with his behavior, and Michiko getting impatient usually resulted in Seiko getting hurt. While he was sure that he could get behind her, he wasn't sure that he could be there long enough to get an attack out.

[11th Division]

"You know I could take you to court martial for assaulting a superior officer? Didn't I tell you official duels need witnesses to be valid?", Michiko remarks, a playful glint in her eyes. Then, the glint fades and she turns solemn and old again. "Maybe one day you will, Seiko-san. And then you will hurt me. That isn't what you want, is it?"

Deep down, Michiko knows she really shouldn't have gone along with the antics of her Lieutenant. Vigilance is a good thing, sure, but realistically, each warrior should have a time and place where they could let their guard down. Constant wariness only lead to needless stress and jumpiness. Comrades-in-arms aren't supposed to attack each other at random.

But the practice had reminded her of the times when she had been young, after all, she had held similar feelings towards her superiors. She feels a tint of regret at the thought. A place to let her guard down... she had never really secured such a place for herself, and maybe now it is too late...

"Would you like to walk with me, Seiko-san?"

[Kayne650]

[11th Division]

"You know I could take you to court martial for assaulting a superior officer? Didn't I tell you official duels need witnesses to be valid?", Michiko remarks, a playful glint in her eyes. Then, the glint fades and she turns solemn and old again. "Maybe one day you will, Seiko-san. And then you will hurt me. That isn't what you want, is it?"

Deep down, Michiko knows she really shouldn't have gone along with the antics of her Lieutenant. Vigilance is a good thing, sure, but realistically, each warrior should have a time and place where they could let their guard down. Constant wariness only lead to needless stress and jumpiness. Comrades-in-arms aren't supposed to attack each other at random.

But the practice had reminded her of the times when she had been young, after all, she had held similar feelings towards her superiors. She feels a tint of regret at the thought. A place to let her guard down... she had never really secured such a place for herself, and maybe now it is too late...

"Would you like to walk with me, Seiko-san?"

"If you wanted to get me in trouble, I'd be in the Maggot's Nest now with all the times I've tried to get you, Michiko-taichou." Seiko half-joked. It was probably true, if you counted each attempted ambush as an act of insubordination. Seiko quickly rifled through the memories of each time, which was easy since they all followed the same pattern: his attack, followed by her retaliation, followed by his being beat down. At least this time she hadn't decided that he needed a painful reminder of why she was the captain.

Seiko thought about her question. To hurt her; that was the point of his constant assaults, wasn't it? To try to hurt her, just once, to prove that he could do it? So why then did the idea cause him so much discomfort? "Actually, I don't think that I want to hurt you," Seiko responded finally. "Hurting you isn't my aim; I just want to prove that I'm..." Seiko paused, collecting his thoughts.

"I want to prove that I'm good as you are, Michiko-taichou. And you're a much better dancer than I am, so the only fields left to me are Zanjutsu and gardening. And I'm still working on gardening." He finished with a sardonic grin.

He looked at her when he finished. She seemed...sad? Had he offended her? Perhaps his earlier mention of Hannibal had been a bad idea after all. He hadn't meant to make her think of when times weren't good for the 11th, he'd only meant to get information. But then, perhaps it wasn't that. She had never been happy with his attempts at dueling her, though she'd never said why.

But then he heard her last question. He looked up from his reverie, somewhat surprised by her question. He'd just attacked her, and she was offering an invitation to walk with her? Of course, it probably wouldn't have come if he didn't do this all the time. "Of course, Michiko-taichou. To where are we walking?"

[Hadrian_Emrys]

[Kido Corps gate]


Sayuri does her best to keep her attention off of the chaos that was once the labyrinthine-yet-beautiful main body of the Kido Corps structure. What buildings that are left remind her of hacked-off limbs strewn across a bloodied battlefield.

"Hello again, Vice Commander Yama-sama", she greets cheerfully, giving the large man a deep bow. "I'm very glad you agreed to this little meeting. I understand the renovations leave you little to no free time. I apologize beforehand for any inconvenience this might have caused you."

She stands up and looks Yuuta in the eyes, smiling, and offers the decorated Sake bottle to him. "I've come to apologize for my intrusive behaviour three days back. In hindsight, I was not... very fair to your superior. As a way of making amends, I decided to bring him this little gift. I'm sure he will appreciate it."

Her face becomes solemn when she says the next part. "I do have to ask you to keep his hand off of it during his working time, however. He's a man of many good ideas, but I fear those might be lost in a fit of drunken fancy. I apologize for being this straight-forward and rude, but I hope you keep him in good tracks."

Upon, slowly, accepting the bottle with a respectful nod of appreciation, a hint of bafflement can be detected in his face. "I'm sorry. I am uncertain whether it is because of my lack of rest, or a genuine inability to rationalize the situation, but I am afraid that you have me at quite a loss, Vice Captain. Why the sudden change of heart?"

[Viera Champion]

"There are two kinds of waste I can't stand - waste of food and waste of time. By the way, would you like some candy, Kyasarin-san?"

Kyasarin facepalms right then and there. It looks like it hurts.
No thank you.

[Kuroimaken]

Kazuma doesn't take it personally, merely awaiting for the instructions of his newfound teacher.

[HirokatsuGoto]

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[9th Division]

Shou moved into view, paw raised in greeting. "I'm back from the mortal world, Goto-fukutaichou! There was no sign of Karite-fukutaichou's Zanpakutou, though I did run across a roaming Hollow. It was dealt with." Shou, having given the start of his report, bowed to Sigint. "Hello to you as well."

[9th Division Barracks] (front porch)

Hirokatsu nodded as Sigint spoke and watched his demeanor as Shou moved closer. Hirokatsu was not sure he gained much from the reaction of Sigint to his 10th Seat approaching, and would have to think on it more later. Right now though, he turned his full attention to the approaching 10th Seat and his words.

He raised his left hand slightly as Shou raised his to him, and he nodded as he heard his 10th Seat give a brief synopsis of the events of his mission. As Shou finished and bowed to Sigint in respect, he was pleased to see the respect given across division lines, though was slightly displeased that Shou had not been as respectful to Hirokatsu himself. It was a small thing, but something Hirokatsu was very vigilant about, and while he raised his hand to greet Shou as Shou did him, he did so without a scolding so as respect to their guest. There was no need to get into such things in front of a guest Hirokatsu thought.

Hirokatsu tapped his closed umbrella lightly on his right shoulder as he looked over Shou and his appearance, seeing a few crumbs the Shinigami had missed in cleaning up before greeting him. 'This was a good Shinigami', Hirokatsu thought, very respectful if still lacking some refinement. Hirokatsu nodded once more and spoke to Shou softly as Shou finished his greeting to Sigint.

"It is good to have you back 10th Seat, before you continue with your report, we have a guest with us today" turned his body and presented Sigint with his left hand followed by a respectful nod before turning back to Shou "...10th Seat of the 9th Division, Akiyama Shou...this is 5th Seat of the 2nd Division and 3rd Corps Commander of the Onmitsukido, Sigint Kageen."

Normally Hirokatsu would not be so formal about introductions, but he felt to be as respectful and kind to his guest, it was called for at this moment, also it gave a small opportunity for Hirokatsu to reinforce with Shou, the level of professional courtesy a Shinigami should employ...no matter rank or division.

After a few moments (and any other comments between them) he would speak to Shou "...10th Seat, if you would stay for a moment..." under his breath quickly and softly saying 'before you do your written report' "....and describe in more detail your mission and search for the missing Zanpaktou and this Hollow encounter...and please do not mind our guest here, any information will be safe with him." looking over to Sigint and nodding politely before returning to look at Shou.

Hirokatsu was curious if Sigint would reinforce or further any information Shou was about to give. Hirokatsu thought to himself of some wise words and ones he continued in his teaching at the Shinigami Academy, 'if given the opportunity, one should never pass up the chance to gain validation or furthering of information gained during any mission or encounter.'

[InyutheBeatIs]

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[9th Division]

Shou moved into view, paw raised in greeting. "I'm back from the mortal world, Goto-fukutaichou! There was no sign of Karite-fukutaichou's Zanpakutou, though I did run across a roaming Hollow. It was dealt with." Shou, having given the start of his report, bowed to Sigint. "Hello to you as well."

Ah, Akiyama Shou. One of the more interesting Shinigami in that he actually takes the form of an anthropomorphic coyote. Sigint gives a small bow to him as he walks in. "How do you do."

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[9th Division Barracks] (front porch)

Hirokatsu nodded as Sigint spoke and watched his demeanor as Shou moved closer. Hirokatsu was not sure he gained much from the reaction of Sigint to his 10th Seat approaching, and would have to think on it more later. Right now though, he turned his full attention to the approaching 10th Seat and his words.

He raised his left hand slightly as Shou raised his to him, and he nodded as he heard his 10th Seat give a brief synopsis of the events of his mission. As Shou finished and bowed to Sigint in respect, he was pleased to see the respect given across division lines, though was slightly displeased that Shou had not been as respectful to Hirokatsu himself. It was a small thing, but something Hirokatsu was very vigilant about, and while he raised his hand to greet Shou as Shou did him, he did so without a scolding so as respect to their guest. There was no need to get into such things in front of a guest Hirokatsu thought.

Hirokatsu tapped his closed umbrella lightly on his right shoulder as he looked over Shou and his appearance, seeing a few crumbs the Shinigami had missed in cleaning up before greeting him. 'This was a good Shinigami', Hirokatsu thought, very respectful if still lacking some refinement. Hirokatsu nodded once more and spoke to Shou softly as Shou finished his greeting to Sigint.

"It is good to have you back 10th Seat, before you continue with your report, we have a guest with us today" turned his body and presented Sigint with his left hand followed by a respectful nod before turning back to Shou "...10th Seat of the 9th Division, Akiyama Shou...this is 5th Seat of the 2nd Division and 3rd Corps Commander of the Onmitsukido, Sigint Kageen."

Normally Hirokatsu would not be so formal about introductions, but he felt to be as respectful and kind to his guest, it was called for at this moment, also it gave a small opportunity for Hirokatsu to reinforce with Shou, the level of professional courtesy a Shinigami should employ...no matter rank or division.

After a few moments (and any other comments between them) he would speak to Shou "...10th Seat, if you would stay for a moment..." under his breath quickly and softly saying 'before you do your written report' "....and describe in more detail your mission and search for the missing Zanpaktou and this Hollow encounter...and please do not mind our guest here, any information will be safe with him." looking over to Sigint and nodding politely before returning to look at Shou.

Hirokatsu was curious if Sigint would reinforce or further any information Shou was about to give. Hirokatsu thought to himself of some wise words and ones he continued in his teaching at the Shinigami Academy, 'if given the opportunity, one should never pass up the chance to gain validation or furthering of information gained during any mission or encounter.'

Sigint glanced over at Hirokatsu as he gives out titles, hardening his glance as he mentions his position in the Onmitsukido. He gives a chuckle and holds up his hand. "Please, Goto-fukutaichou, it really isn't neccessary to give out my full title like that." He puts particular emphasis on "full title" and gives a subtly hard look through his mask, as though to say "don't ever mention it to another person again". He turns his head to Shou afterwards, and manages to convey a smile and bow to him again. "But I am honored to meet you, Akiyama Shou."

He then looks around. "...Perhaps I should leave now? I don't want to interefere in any duties that need to be fulfilled."

[Frozen_Feet]

[Kido Corps, Evening after the joint ops]

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Upon, slowly, accepting the bottle with a respectful nod of appreciation, a hint of bafflement can be detected in his face. "I'm sorry. I am uncertain whether it is because of my lack of rest, or a genuine inability to rationalize the situation, but I am afraid that you have me at quite a loss, Vice Captain. Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Ah... I just wanted to make sure there's no hard feelings between us", Sayuri hurries to reply. No, her visit has nothing to do with her and Kiku spicing up the sake with a spell to make Takeshi unable to consume more alcohol. Nothing at all.

"I see you still have lots to do for today", she says, somewhat reluctantly peering past the large man to observe the chaos. "What if I come to visit you again later... my schedule should have a free spot a week from now. Would that be good, Yama-sama?"

[11th Division, day of Kazuma's recovery]

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"If you wanted to get me in trouble, I'd be in the Maggot's Nest now with all the times I've tried to get you, Michiko-taichou." Seiko half-joked. It was probably true, if you counted each attempted ambush as an act of insubordination. Seiko quickly rifled through the memories of each time, which was easy since they all followed the same pattern: his attack, followed by her retaliation, followed by his being beat down. At least this time she hadn't decided that he needed a painful reminder of why she was the captain.

Seiko thought about her question. To hurt her; that was the point of his constant assaults, wasn't it? To try to hurt her, just once, to prove that he could do it? So why then did the idea cause him so much discomfort? "Actually, I don't think that I want to hurt you," Seiko responded finally. "Hurting you isn't my aim; I just want to prove that I'm..." Seiko paused, collecting his thoughts.

"I want to prove that I'm good as you are, Michiko-taichou. And you're a much better dancer than I am, so the only fields left to me are Zanjutsu and gardening. And I'm still working on gardening." He finished with a sardonic grin.

He looked at her when he finished. She seemed...sad? Had he offended her? Perhaps his earlier mention of Hannibal had been a bad idea after all. He hadn't meant to make her think of when times weren't good for the 11th, he'd only meant to get information. But then, perhaps it wasn't that. She had never been happy with his attempts at dueling her, though she'd never said why.

But then he heard her last question. He looked up from his reverie, somewhat surprised by her question. He'd just attacked her, and she was offering an invitation to walk with her? Of course, it probably wouldn't have come if he didn't do this all the time. "Of course, Michiko-taichou. To where are we walking?"

"Nowehere in particular", Michiko replies as she leads him outside. "I just wanted to make sure you can bear listening to an old woman ramble for a while longer, Seiko-san." If he pays attention, he might realize she's subconsciously leading them towards the mausoleum where Zanpakutos of dead soldiers are held.

"Say, have you ever heard of the Kenpachis?"

[Draken]

Yoshi nods slowly.

"I'd be more than willing to help you, sir. Shall we go?"

After they begin their walk, Yoshi brings up another subject.

"Sir, I was wondering. Now that I've achieved my Shikai, I'd like to look into...well, into achieving a higher rank in our Division. How would you like me to go about this?"

"You know it is not just about power my good Yoshi, it is about seniority, contribution, achievment. We are thinkers, scientists - pyromaniacs - "submit a report of your breakthroughts since your last promotion" - aka: all of them, since he is bottom rank - "and I will see to it that you get a fitting new seated position."

[Wahrheit]

"The site of the Joint Ops battle was completely deserted; there was no sign of either Karite-fukutaichou's Zanpakutou or any Hollow or Arrancar. I spread my search from that centerpoint and found nothing until receiving the Hell Butterfly informing me the Zanpakutou was found back in the Seireitei.

Shou always gave the impression of being somewhat high-strung; his ears continually flicked back and forth in response to each new sound, and his eyes rarely stopped searching his surroundings for any new information to file away. Onmitsukido, huh? I would've guessed it.

He continued. "During the search, I detected Hollow reiatsu and diverted to engage it. It was a short fight."

[KnightDisciple]

"You know it is not just about power my good Yoshi, it is about seniority, contribution, achievment. We are thinkers, scientists - pyromaniacs - "submit a report of your breakthroughts since your last promotion" - aka: all of them, since he is bottom rank - "and I will see to it that you get a fitting new seated position."

Yoshi nodded at Kazuo's words.

"I understand, sir. I will get that list over to you later today. Ah, it appears we are at the desired storage room."

Read: The room with BFGs.

[Draken]

"So it seens, my good Yoshi."

Kazuo presses his hand against a scanner, which causes three layers of blast doors to open, into the military storage of 12th division, and then he takes a deep breath.

"Ah, I love the smell of... I think we have a methane leak. Masks."

[Terry576]

Karite's constant comatose state is suddenly, arbitrarily, shattered.

And he wakes up, gasping for air. Remembering those eerily vivid dreams. He eventually stops shuddering, and fully wakes up.

[tgva8889]

...And Taiki is standing beside his bed when he awakens. "Hello, Karite. How was your nap?" He is stone-faced, but the sarcasm in his voice still rings out. "I have heard some very strange things recently. Perhaps you can enlighten me."

[Terry576]

Karite shrugged, grinning.

"What kind of strange things? I've been comatose for sometime now Takeshi-sama."

He glances out the window, as if looking for something.

[tgva8889]

Taiki hmphs. "Don't relate me to that man." He turns and walks in the opposite direction. "First off..."

In a second he has crossed the room and stuck a fist in Karite's chest. Not enough to cause pain, but enough to knock the wind out of him. "You don't do stupid things that put you in danger when your Captain is delivering soon." Taiki turns away and pulls the shoulders of his haori back into place. "Now. I have heard you have a request from me? Something about an old friend of mine."

[Terry576]

Taiki hmphs. "Don't relate me to that man." He turns and walks in the opposite direction. "First off..."

In a second he has crossed the room and stuck a fist in Karite's chest. Not enough to cause pain, but enough to knock the wind out of him. "You don't do stupid things that put you in danger when your Captain is delivering soon." Taiki turns away and pulls the shoulders of his haori back into place. "Now. I have heard you have a request from me? Something about an old friend of mine."

Karite winced.

"I know, I know. It was stupid. I don't even know why I was acting like that."

He grins at Taiki whimsically.

"Well, I haven't seen him for a while. And I've got a few questions for him..."

[tgva8889]

"Well, unfortunately, he is a bit busy at the moment. You'll have to go through all the same procedures as everyone else." Taiki turns back to Karite. "What is it you want to ask him?"

[Steilos]

Noboru Hideyaki. Architect, inspector, maintenance worker. Today he was walking through the Sereitei, his first real trip in days having been mired in his work. He'd recieved news of the Kido Corps' rebuilding but had paid little mind to it, as he had assumed that rational, sane people would be performing the task in an orderly manner, with no need for outside interference.

On this particular day, he is pacing his way past the Kido Corps. as he walks, he peers in through the gate to inspect the Corps grounds. Let's see, pavements are in good nick, the practice grounds are OK, the smoking wreckag-

Stop.

Three paces backwards.

What.

He just stands there, staring at the Kido Corps for some time. Quite a bit of time, in fact.

[Terry576]

"Well, unfortunately, he is a bit busy at the moment. You'll have to go through all the same procedures as everyone else." Taiki turns back to Karite. "What is it you want to ask him?"

Karite shrugs, and says vaguely,

"You know, catch up on old times. See what he's been up to. Find out what the hell happened to him, because for some strange reason, I was never told."

[Hadrian_Emrys]

[Kido Corps, Evening after the joint ops]

"Ah... I just wanted to make sure there's no hard feelings between us", Sayuri hurries to reply. No, her visit has nothing to do with her and Kiku spicing up the sake with a spell to make Takeshi unable to consume more alcohol. Nothing at all.

"I see you still have lots to do for today", she says, somewhat reluctantly peering past the large man to observe the chaos. "What if I come to visit you again later... my schedule should have a free spot a week from now. Would that be good, Yama-sama?"

Still quietly bewildered, Yuuta nods in agreement. "Of course, Vice Captain. I'll hold onto this bottle until then. In the meantime, have you heard anything about assistance from the Gotei? I'm afraid that my own people are beginning to show the signs of fatigue."

[Kayne650]

[11th Division, day of Kazuma's recovery]

"Nowehere in particular", Michiko replies as she leads him outside. "I just wanted to make sure you can bear listening to an old woman ramble for a while longer, Seiko-san." If he pays attention, he might realize she's subconsciously leading them towards the mausoleum where Zanpakutos of dead soldiers are held.

"Say, have you ever heard of the Kenpachis?"

Seiko grinned as Michiko answered. Nowhere in particular; that was just like her. "If I was going to get tired of your rambling, I wouldn't be your Lieutenant, now would I?" Seiko fell in line next to Michiko, matching her steps exactly. He could always find her rhythm.

He glanced over at her when she asked him about the Kenpachis. "I believe so. That was the name given to each of the Captains of the 11th division, right? Actually, it was technically the name given to the strongest Shinigami of a generation, but that was usually the 11th Captain." Seiko mused.

He noticed where they were going, and it was where Michiko usually went to think. He understood why she didn't want to forget any of the sacrifices that had been made; he too made occasional trips to the memorial, but to go there so often seemed almost unhealthy.

[tgva8889]

Karite shrugs, and says vaguely,

"You know, catch up on old times. See what he's been up to. Find out what the hell happened to him, because for some strange reason, I was never told."

Taiki looks grimly at him. "Unfortunately, that information is highly classified. Special circumstances, I'm afraid. And 'catching up on old times' never was an accepted reason to visit Hannibal Magalhães. You may need to provide a more legitimate reason in your request forms." He turns around once more and paces a bit before returning to the bedside.

"As for what happened to him...I will let you know, since he was your teacher. He was imprisoned. At first for a relatively small sentence. But when he committed murder, that put him in quite a bit longer."

[KnightDisciple]

"So it seens, my good Yoshi."

Kazuo presses his hand against a scanner, which causes three layers of blast doors to open, into the military storage of 12th division, and then he takes a deep breath.

"Ah, I love the smell of... I think we have a methane leak. Masks."

Almost immediately, Yoshi had a gas mask over his face, and was securing it even as he spoke.

"Are there one or more items in here that store methane in one manner or another?"

[Draken]

"It's probably flame weaponry predating extensive kidotech. I will have a few artificials come by to move things around later."

Kazuo then clasps his hands behind his back.

"We won't be capable of testing anything in this room with this gas, however, so it is best to check what will be reactivated on the database. A real shame."

[HirokatsuGoto]

Spoiler

Show

"The site of the Joint Ops battle was completely deserted; there was no sign of either Karite-fukutaichou's Zanpakutou or any Hollow or Arrancar. I spread my search from that centerpoint and found nothing until receiving the Hell Butterfly informing me the Zanpakutou was found back in the Seireitei.

Shou always gave the impression of being somewhat high-strung; his ears continually flicked back and forth in response to each new sound, and his eyes rarely stopped searching his surroundings for any new information to file away. Onmitsukido, huh? I would've guessed it.

He continued. "During the search, I detected Hollow reiatsu and diverted to engage it. It was a short fight."

[9th Division Baracks] (front porch)

Hirokatsu nodded politely...understandingly, to Sigint as he then turned his focus to Shou. Hirokatsu had wondered how the 5th Seat would react to his full title being given as he is a member of the Onmitsukido, it would surprise Hirokatsu some to think Sigint did not know the 9th extensively taught their division members on the membership of the rest of the Gotei and associate organizations. While the membership is always changing within the Soul Society organizations it is hard to stay always up to date, so some surprise may have been warranted on Shou's side. Regardless, Hirokatsu respected Sigint enough to not tread in those matters anymore as was indicated by his polite nod to him.

As Hirokatsu nodded to Shou as he spoke and gave a slightly more in depth report, though he wondered why Shou still only reported bluntly on the Hollow attack experience. He looked with his emotionless face to Shou and said softly.. "...10th Seat, i appreciate your further reporting i expect a much more detailed report however to be filed as soon as possible.... he then paused for a moment then his eyes slackened just a bit to be more warm as he looked to his promising 10th Seat...tapping his closed umbrella on his right shoulder "....Good work Akiyama-san, I am impressed at your efficiency....however, do not pass an opportunity to give an old man a nice story from time to time,...especially when he asks to hear it ok?... and also do not forget to mention your 'diversion for food' either..." Hirokatsu would grin slightly to the young Shinigami and raise one eyebrow before returning to his normal emotionless face...hoping the young Shinigami realized that while crumbs may be brushed away, smell on the tongue is much harder to eradicate.

Hirokatsu was not a man who enjoyed fighting or talk of it for 'bragging', but he did enjoy hearing the exploits of his Division members, as they would always help him get to know his fellow Shinigami better. As he was far from being a very "social" Shinigami, Hirokatsu tended to come to trust more how those around him acted on their own and reported as such, as opposed to how they handled themselves in non formal settings and how they presented themselves when given the opportunity to prepare.

Hirokatsu turned back to Sigint as he spoke about leaving, shaking his head slightly, and speaking still with an upturned warm tone. "You are not interfering at all, but if you only say so to be polite about your own need to exit...i will understand entirely." smiles and nods to the masked man...hoping he would not leave.

Hirokatsu was actually considering asking whether Sigint would be so inclined to have a friendly spar with Shou here. Hirokatsu had been considering Shou for a recommendation to the 9th Cpt. for promotion, but had not seen his battle prowess in some time. Hirokatsu had considered sparring him, himself, but such was not his preferred means of observing a subordinates capabilities all the time, and in general Hirokatsu tended to shy away from sparring at all anyways. Sigint's fortunate appearance and his unique skills may provide for a wonderful chance to see the 10th Seat in action against a much more trained opponent.