A Long Time Coming [Ine]

BANG BANG BANG………

The noise creating a rude awakening for Kenshou, his eyes still shut for a moment. He slowly opened them and wondered who would be disturbing him, he hardly knew those in his division yet and he was not entirely sure who was waking him up so early. He slowly sat up and as he did the unmistakable sound of several bottles of Saki falling around him. He was still trying to drown out the voices and the constant badgering him. Trying to have him explain what they had so recently learned, they wanted answers and he only wanted it to all go away. Kenshou wanted to ignore those problems and to just go back to being in the fifth under Hikari.

The knocking came again and louder this time, whoever it was seemed to think that his silence was not good enough. “Yeah yeah, hold on for a minute.” He forced himself up on his feet and grabbed the haori of not only the first but what marked him as the Captain Commander, sliding it over his shoulders and his arms through. He walked over to a second door that slid open to a balcony, looking out over all of the Gotei. It put things in perspective up here, he was no longer the captain of a single division in the normal sense. Yes the first was his and they looked to him to lead, but they were not the only ones. “Come in.” Kenshou did not have to turn to know who was coming through the door.

“Lovely weather today, reminds me of days long past. Everybody seems so far away from here, they all just want to be free.” He wondered why she had come, he could not think of anything specific that had happened recently. He heard quite a bit of what happened in the Gotei regardless of any actual reports, it seemed that even when people tried to keep secrets that was impossible here in the Gotei. More and more he appreciated what loyalty he had been able to command when he had lead the fifth. It seemed that there was a lack of that loyalty in other divisions, lead with fear or an iron fist. It never worked, eventually that kind of power failed, only by convincing those who you led to be willing to lay down their life for you would you ever get anyway.

Yet here they stood, the woman who had replaced a man who had ruled through fear in his division, probably pitting the members against one another. What was she like, had he judged her right back during the captains meeting? A snap judgement, then again when had he not done things like that. Make a decision off his gut and follow it, no matter what the evidence of logic said to do. Back then it had told him that this one was like Maki, someone he could trust. Regardless of whether she understood why he did the things he did, she would have to take over one day. Most likely it would just happen, he would be gone. Nothing would be left except a note letting her know her time to lead the Gotei had come. That would come, but there were still things Kenshou had to do.

552 Words - 11 GP

552 Total Words - 11 GP

A few minutes of waiting and a stout Shinigami approached her in the foyer and indicated that the Captain Commander was able to see her. The woman appeared somewhat cowed, though whether that was by the process of leading Kiriko around or something more to do with the First it was hard to tell. Watching the woman carefully, Kiriko noticed that she kept her eyes downward as they walked through a maze of hallways, pausing only briefly at a large wooden door. Bowing to excuse her absence, the woman gestured towards the door and explained that this was Ine's office, and with that she darted off back to the front room as if she didn't want to be there when the door was opened. Kiriko filed away that response in the back of her mind, trying not to read to much into it. A new Captain, coming from a division antithetical from the First, there was bound to be a few who were afraid. Or just unsure of their leader. It was odd though that the woman hadn't tried to announce Kiriko's presence, was Ine really expecting her or had the First just foisted her off without asking?

Shaking out her sleeves she tugged lightly on the hem of her shihakusho to straighten them before knocking commandingly against the door. There was an unappealing silence, stretching on for so long that Kiriko wrapped again, this time louder in case there was an annexed room connected to the office and he could not hear her in there. A voice rumbled back, distorted by the thick wood, but nonetheless sounding rather aggrieved. Had she woken the man up? Raising an eyebrow in disbelief, Kiriko glanced out a nearby window to reassure herself that it was indeed midday. The voice came back a few seconds later, granting entry, and she smoothed out her features once more as she pressed the door inward.

Stepping into the office the first thing that assailed her was the stench of alcohol. She never partook in that little vice, so the smallest traces of scent seemed all the more overwhelming. Spotting a few toppled over saucers and bottles of sake, she withheld comment, her eyes roving until they spotted Ine standing off a balcony. His comment seemed nonsensical, who would talk about weather at a time like this! Kiriko felt the slight sting as she inadvertently bit the inside of her cheek, holding back far more diatribe then one might think. It was so perilously easy for this man to send her into a rage, that was a weakness she needed to gain control over. And quickly.

Sidestepping the desk, she walked towards the balcony, the stream of sunlight piercing the otherwise darkened office. Pausing a few meters away from the powerful man, Kiriko bowed succinctly, following protocol even if she disliked commenting on her insubordination to such a man. Tsukimiya-taichou had seen something in him, had known a larger fact, and for that reason and that alone she would try her best to understand why Ine-taichou was the best for his position. The best that Soul Society had to offer. She trusted her Captain, explicitly. And there had to be things she was blinded from by nature of her ire with the man.

“Ine-taichou, please excuse my interruption,” she demurred politely, her harsh tone somewhat belying the mannered words. His back was turned to her, and it instilled a disconcerting urge. Smoothly she shifted sideways, her hands folding in front of her stomach so that there was no desire to reach for a blade. Those urges were from another lifetime, a different space. Aneue would be proud, and that was exactly why they needed to be ignored. Expunged.

She did not know what to say, when the man she had come to meet wanted to espouse some sort of nostalgic commentary instead of addressing her flat out. It put Kiriko in an awkward position, but the only real option was to be blunt – something she did well anyway. Pulling out her decisive and orderly persona, Kiriko spoke aloud into the sunlight, “I am here to discuss an issue with you. Specifically, your line of succession. You appointed me as your heir, and I would know why.” She knew, innately, that he felt some of her dislike for him. As much as Kiriko remained professional, there was an emotional undercurrent to all that she had done when trying to get Aizawa-taichou elected as Captain Commander. That was what made this choice so mysterious. After denying his sway in the case with Jasper, she had figured that she had made an eternal enemy. And yet, at her moment of weakness, Ine had chosen her to be his second. To lead all of Seireitei. All of Soul Society. It was a sobering and disturbing anomaly. She had to understand, because otherwise their relationship could never grow from here.

WC: 818 | GP: 16 | Total GP: 38

Kenshou almost smirked off the formalities that the young women used as she entered. He was not sure if this was how she had been with Kyousuke, but it seemed like it would have been. The man had always been one of the more formal types amongst his colleagues. Kenshou stood there at the balcony while Kiriko made it clear why she had come, she wanted to know why he had chosen her to be his replacement.

"To the point as always I see, you know one day you are going to look back and wish you had taken the time to do these things. Oh well I guess it can't be helped sometimes..." Kenshou trailed off with the sentence, wondering what answer he could give her. There was a multitude that would make sense and she would probably believe, from being the strongest true shinigami to being one of the few who would stand up for what she believed in regardless of what others might think. Even in the face of those she considered friends she would stand her ground.

"Does it really matter the reason? Do you think I made a mistake? Kyousuke seemed to trust my judgment enough to condemn me to this position." Such a choice of a word there, condemn, it would convey his distaste for his position. He hated it, he hated Kyousuke, he hated Ai, he hated Mitsutaka. Every one of them and their inability to take responsibility for this damn position. Even Hikari and Artix had failed him, neither had been there anymore to take control of the Gotei when it needed a leader. Now he was left with protecting everything, there was no one else to fall back on. In the event of another emergency, all eyes would be on him.

Now he had the one person who would eventually take his place coming to him with questions on why. Could she not understand that such a thing was so... so insignificant. What did it matter the reason, it was not as if the reason would change the outcome, what was done was done and she would simply have to accept it. She could not run from this fate, it was set in stone and she would take his place one day.

To think that Kyousuke had come up with and planned this out, had he known who Kenshou would pick or had he stacked the cards against him in favor of his own former lieutenant. Kenshou was not sure that Kyousuke had even planned for Kenshou to vote for him. Most people thought Kenshou wanted power, that was all he desired, that there was nothing more in the world to him. While he did enjoy the strength and speed he had achieved in training, he hated the responsibility that established power gave. It was not really power either, his orders had to make sense. Even back when he was captain of the fifth it had to make sense and now it was only worse. He had to see the big picture and prepare for whatever may be coming.

What did it matter why he chose her, why, why did she care? Kenshou knew why he had chosen her and the truth may not be something she would like. He could tell she did not like him terribly much, from their first encounter she had disagreed with him and then when he refused to pass judgment over Jasper in that little cell in her division. It was the fact she reminded him of himself, blazing her own path but paying tribute to the one who taught her along the way. A disciple who had come into her own right, dangerous enough without the teachings she had. He liked that about her and the fact that she would not stand by while there was something she disagreed with did not hurt, but it also helped him know when he would need to keep an eye on her.

665 Words - 13 GP

1,217 Total Words - 24 GP

She frowned, unable to hold back everything ad nauseum as the Captain Commander griped about Kiriko's apparent lack of, of what exactly? Ability to stop and smell the roses? She didn't need peace, or happiness, or contentment. All that she required was results. If Kiriko could devote her entire essence to created a happier ending for Soul Society, what would it matter if she herself was miserable? Didn't she indeed deserve such punishment after the folly of her youth? After the damage she had unleashed on this world by her own stupidity and lack of willpower? Even if one eliminated those things which hadn't technically been her own choice, Sakamoto-san's rise to power was a direct correlation to her own actions. She and she alone had harbored the secret of her friend's twisted nature, and she and she alone had empowered an already god-like Shinigami with further ability. Damn him for trivializing her presence, as if Kiriko was some recalcitrant child who needed a time out to realize the error of her ways.

She damn well knew the error of her ways, it was just that the world needed her to continue down this path no matter what effect it had on her. Ine should have known that. He should have been the same type of person. A leader of an entire realm had to be the one to sacrifice everything for his men. For the future. That was the staple of his job, the entire reason for his existence. Tsukimiya-taichou had understood that, and had taught Kiriko even though it had taken a while for her to learn the lesson. Her Captain's successor had to carry that with him, or else he really was a poor choice indeed. And was doomed to fail.

“Condemn?” she asked archly, her eyes narrowing to dark black slits as she strode forward. Ine was the lone person amongst all the Shinigami she had met who could so easily remove her iron control. One fell sentence and she was writhing in rage. “I suppose this is how you condemn the world then, hmm? After fighting so long and so hard for the position, after claiming there was no one else more capable then you. What was it you said? Oh, that's right, that we needed leadership not healing. That we needed to become a military force. Well look around you Captain! You've done nothing and you ask me why I want to know what your motives are? You were chosen to lead, sir. Not to wallow in some dark room reminiscing about brighter days. What are you trying to hide from? The fact that you'll never measure up to the type of leader Tsukimiya-taichou was? Or are you just too afraid to confront whatever demons lurk in your head to even get that far with your self-loathing?”

“Tsukimiya-taichou left his position to a man. To a Captain. To a leader. I don't see that here today, and until I do I have every right to demand to know why you chose me as your successor. Because a man like you doesn't deserve to pick and choose when he does the right thing.” She was breathing heavily, but her voice had never raised an octave. Clenching her fists tightly, Kiriko stepped back just enough so that there was no overt threat in her proximity to the man. That was the last thing she needed, to provoke a fight right now. He was a disappointment, cloaked in the hopes and dreams of millions. Not even that shiny cloth could conceal what they all really had for a Captain Commander. A coward. Too afraid of his own shadow to lead.

She fell silent, her piercing eyes glaring right though him before finally she shook her head and looked away. “Damn you Ine-taichou. I expected better out of the man who inherited my Captain's dreams,” softer words, cutting right to the heart of the matter. Was he a failed leader? By no means. But complacency and mediocrity were not what Ine had promised the world when campaigning for his title. What they needed was perfection, professionalism, enthusiasm. If he lacked those things, he had damn well better pretend to have them. Who cared what it hurt? What it cost him? The demons he had to climb over in order to lead? If Ine could not throw himself into the fire to save the rest of the world then he was a pitiful commander indeed. They would have been better off with Aizawa-taichou. 

WC: 754 | GP: 15 | Total GP: 53

She realized, in a flash, that her angry delude could be considered sedition. There was no going back however, the words had been spoken, and now she just had to wait and see how Ine would take them. The real goad, and she knew it after having said all of those things, was that he was doing the same exact thing she was. Only unlike Kiriko, he wasn't sacrificing enough. And that hurt, it stung and blinded her, because it wasn't fair. Why did she have to lose everything for the future she loved so much when the Captain Commander could just sit here drinking his sorrows away? He was supposed to be her role model, the man she emulated. Kiriko needed that. A figure to aspire towards. Tsukimiya-taichou had functioned as that for so long in her eyes, nearly a God at times but human at others. She had needed him to show and teach her the right way of doing things. Just as now she wanted Ine to be the type of leader that she could understand, that she could have faith in.

That was the problem, and as he went on calmly explaining why her claims were falsified, she felt her heart plummeting. This was not the same man. And Ine would never be like Tsukimiya. The golden days of her youth were behind her, and perhaps that meant letting go of idols. Wasn't she strong enough now on her own that she should be able to find her own path? Hadn't Tsukimiya taught her well? He had left her with one last gift, but she couldn't follow that one's wisdom. Hahaue was a burden and a blessing, but the misty future she spoke of was something unattainable. Just as Aneue's determination to show Kiriko the worst of the world was something she refused to allow come about. The two of them were too much, too extreme. She needed balance, she needed to come into her own.

Ine's explanation was all fine and good – interesting even – but it wasn't what she had been talking about. His hands off approach to leading the Gotei was something there was a lot of talk about, and she distinctly recalled a certain someone trying to tell her otherwise, but it wasn't the error she was warning him that he was making. There really was no other way to test the new Captains, but to let them flounder or swim. Unfortunately there was no amazing crop of Lieutenants waiting in the hangar to sweep in if these new Captains proved unreliable. That was the crux of the problem, and why many thought that Ine should just work with what he had and improve it. That was also why Kiriko had felt Aizawa would have been a good Captain Commander. She knew people, and interactions, and she could have seen where to teach and where to prod to engender a strong military.

She nodded, a sharp and still angry gesture, “I understand all of that, but I am not talking about your direct involvement in the leadership of the Gotei. Ine-taichou, you have to know that people are watching you. And we who watch have been seeing things that give us all concerns,” she pointed to the jumble of alcoholic bottles with one hand, “You are not the same person as before. I will not claim to have known you, but I know reports. And you have been acting erratically for a time now. That is what I was talking about. Whatever it is you are struggling with mentally, whatever demons you have to overcome, do it. We cannot have such obvious signs of disturbance when there are already murmurs of dissent in the ranks. You must be a strong leader, or appear to be one, if you do not want others to try and usurp your place.”

Kiriko might not have loved the man, but she wanted his reign to continue. Stability was essential, and another attempted coup would just throw Seireitei back into the dark ages. They needed clear leadership, effective action, and professionalism. What they didn't need was a Captain Commander who raged at one point and laughed at others without any real discerning reason for either. He threw out an ultimatum, and she merely stared at the man, eyes cool and distant. “You do not know me, just as I do not know you, so I will not take offense to those allegations. However, know this, I will do my duty. I always do my duty. And if I ever betray you it will be in doing my duty to Soul Society and the world,” she intoned sternly, displeased that he would even think she was the type of person to ignore orders. Hadn't her history proven her worth? Her perfect record?

She wasn't going to mince words though, or pretend. Kiriko had learned a great deal recently. And that was that following your commander when he chose to do something harmful for the future was a complacent act she would no longer indulge in. Kiriko knew that the bright future she dreamed of was not going to come about with corruption, and she wanted Ine to know quite clearly that if he stepped out of line and became anything like what Gilgamesh had been she would follow her allegiance to the balance over her oaths to him. It was so easy to break an oath. She had already shattered her friendship with Sakamoto, why not add more?

Kiriko couldn't help but widen her eyes slightly, before reclaiming the blank mask she wore at all times, as Ine explained why he had chosen her. Such a deceptively simple answer. Was he just saying that to buy her off? But no, she had watched his facial features, his body language, and he was telling the truth when he spoke. He really did think, somehow, that Kiriko carried his essence along. That she was somewhat akin to some part of himself. That both disturbed and intrigued her. But it also allayed some of her earlier fears. This was a wholesome reason for choosing her to be his successor, albeit a bit strange. There was no subterfuge like she had been expecting here, and the lack was stark enough that Kiriko decided she would trust him.  

WC: 1054 | GP: 21 | Total GP: 74

Kenshou finally turned around and stopped looking out over the balcony at the Gotei, he looked Kiriko in the eyes, he had mentioned why he had chosen her as his replacement and was surprised to see a reaction for the normally stoic woman. Odd that something like that would phase her and yet so much else never did.

Kenshou wondered if it mattered, why did he care what Kiriko thought of him? Even if she could understand what was wrong with him, would it matter? Mummers of dissent, the idea of anyone in the Gotei who could even try and take the position of Captain Commander from him, Kenshou simply started laughing. The fact that this woman thought he was even worried about such a thing, the fact that she believed that even a rebellion would be nothing more than quickly squashed. "If you think that there is even one in the Gotei who I think would be able to do anything to even contest me then you have much to learn." Kenshou wondered if it mattered, the captains he had were all failures. They were nothing like those he had once served with, they were pathetic. They were nothing more than disappointments, a hollow example of what the Gotei had once been.

"Think about what I have for captains, a man who was once a monster. The captain of the sixth only stands, because I have decided to see if he is useful. The minute he ceases to be of use to us I have no qualms of what will need to be done. The fourth hasn't had a real captain since before Mitsutaka, now she was a real captain. Sadly she was murdered by one of our own. Junko leads the third and sometimes I wonder if one could simply defeat her by starring too hard and this leads us to the final captain, yourself. Maybe the only one who might be able to prove themselves to not be a complete incompetent fool."

It seemed though that Kiriko knew more than she was letting on, he doubted that someone who was as crafty as her would simply know nothing more than people talking about rumors of dissention. No she had to know more, Kenshou wondered if there was more. Could he trust her, probably not. He would have to talk to her lieutenant and get him to report to him about her.

"If there are such rumors of dissention then I would believe it's your responsibility to root those problems out and deal with it. What I do with my time, it's none of your concern. The only thing you need concern yourself with is doing your job." Kenshou had noticed for a moment he had surprised her. She had not expected why he had chosen her to replace him when he retired the position. Then again she had only known of him since his return, after everything that had happened. After he had killed what was left of his brother and took the Fifth division under his blade again.

Kenshou cared not, he just wanted to ignore it all. If he could only ignore it a little longer it would at least let him block out everything. He still had not decided what it all meant, the fact that he had killed a whole squad of shinigami back in his days as a recruit. They had never run into a hollow attack they had simply all just been slaughtered. Kenshou was plagued by something that most Shinigami would never understand. That had not even been the last time he had been the reason several shinigami had been slaughtered. Later he had ordered the extermination of a noble house all for a simple cloak. All for a cloak he could have probably just asked for. They had no idea what it had been, they had stored it away. Maybe, maybe he needed to stop wallowing in his self pity but why should he care. What was there that would make it worth it. Maybe he would stop by and visit Junko, he missed their friendship. Maybe it was time he did something, or maybe it did not matter. 

700 Words - 14 GP
2,774 Total Words - 55 GP 

She tried not to let him get to her. That acerbic and altogether complacent attitude. The words filled with such arrogance! Speaking of rebellion as if it was some child's game, when even the greatest rulers of history had had enough sense to worry about public opinion. Damn him for treating her like a petty child, running to the nearest adult to tattletale. In that moment she hated him for his callous demeanor, enough so that Kiriko pulled herself upright and locked down her emotions. Setting aside everything else in the face of such disregard. Her expression smooth as glass, she bowed perfunctorily. Every inch the professional, though the stiffness and exacting nature of her formality was almost an insult in and of itself.

“Very well, I understand. Thank you for allowing me this time, Captain Commander Ine,” she spoke coldly, her tones tempered by polite metrics. Out of all that he had said, there was enough reality to move forward with. She could not trust him, as he apparently wanted to make no effort to instill that kind of relationship in her. But she could do her job. Like she always had, and like the man had asked her to do. If he fell to rebels and rousers, it would be his own damn fault. But she would do what she could to prevent it, to the extent that the Second functioned. The world needed stability, even if she couldn't put her faith in Ine he was unfortunately the best they had at that point in time. It was her duty to mold and shape whatever she could to support him. Personal feelings aside.

Kiriko just hoped the man didn't call on her for anything more then that. She wasn't sure she could offer him her leal service, not when he acted like such a pompous idiot. Captain Commander Ine was her leader so she would do her job as one of his Captains. But nothing more, and nothing less. She didn't owe him anything, certainly not her regards or her compassion. Not when the man was so eager to burn all the bridges he had around him with a cavalier flick of the tongue. Deciding to leave him to his bitter silence, Kiriko pivoted on one heel and marched for the door. There was nothing else that could be said today. She had learned of Ine's reason for placing her as his second, and beyond that her attempts at salvaging a working relationship were squashed – and not entirely by her own cutting opinions. Surprise, surprise.

She did not look back over her shoulder, but instead reached to push open the door to his office. Neither running nor mincing away Kiriko made her departure with all the pride of her status as a Gotei Captain.

---> Attempted Thread Exit

WC: 468 | GP: 9 | Total GP: 83