Determining Eligibility [Umi|Kohara?]

"Taichou? New words every day it seems, not enough to learn a dozen languages I have to be good at them now..."

The doors opened themselves, Umi didn't move or stir form his position looking intently at a map of what could only be assumed was some sort of battlefield but which lacked any marking that could be read as text, rather the illegible penmanship of a man whose familiarity with the written word afforded him a great deal of insight into how that might be misunderstood or abused. He preferred to keep his notes to himself and while he wrote in perfect letters when it came to formal papers he made it downright impossible to glean so much as a sentence from anything he wrote as a personal note. After a few confusing scenarios he also determined that it was best for him to consider his Lieutenant business if he wanted to have any hope of notes being delivered...course he very rarely let anyone else handle his business anyways. The manipulation of his lessers was more of a grand scale activity and he distanced himself from the people he was currently fingering like chess pieces, something he couldn't easily do with those within his division so it was simply easier to just keep them out of his plans. Not that they were complicated plans...

Find the girl and then introduce her to what pain could truly be, not the romanticized ideals these soldiers walked around with...they'd never felt it. A soldier was a child when it came to injury, they were tools and they acted like tools so the true relevance of their pains was lost on them. One couldn't expect a sword to understand why its scuffs and bruises were bad, much less to feel them. No, pain was intrinsically linked to a sense of self and solidarity; something which Sakamoto Miki seemed to have trouble with at the moment. She had a weak sense of self, or at least the reports buried under his map informed him, and a frail sense of solidarity that was acting as a front for the previously mentioned weakness. A common trait of the Shinigami: a lack of backbone. They needed to be supported, they needed to be given orders, they needed purpose or they just fell apart like a blanket of flesh tossed over a loose ideal of how much they'd like to be in charge someday.

The sole motivation of anyone in this entire culture was to strive for more power and while this was an ideal Umi had pursued in his younger days...or more accurately about a month ago...he had dropped the pursuit entirely because it was a fools errand. Jomyaku Umi was very tired of killing people, he'd rather they just fall in line then consistently require him to pull their organs out. Not that his contempt for most Hollows had abated, he merely thought it would be best for everyone (mostly himself) if they just ceased being a race and were nothing but a footnote in history. The saner aspects of his mind, currently buried and locked away for fear that any attempt at progression from his current mental state would cause him the wonderful sensation of his mental stitching coming done, had nothing to say on this subject. The man whose chair was composed of the finest Hollow ivory he had the time to yank out of the first Adjuchas to look at him funny was kind of hoping there wouldn't be anymore chair material in the future.

His desk was plain wood but only because he had yet to find a Hollow in the proper shape...

The black wisps that had pulled open the door faded as quickly as they had appeared, the door hadn't actually opened itself (research and development continued to delay that project because they couldn't come up with a way to make a door sound like the wailing screams of orphaned children consistently and Umi didn't have the heart to tell them he was joking...) but the impression of laziness remained. His lieutenant was somewhere nearby, the Captain had told him to run off and grab a pen for him. He didn't like this one, it was rubbish, and he wasn't going to be taking notes with a rubbish pen. Normally this task wasn't the sort of thing you sent a Lieutenant after but the pen he wanted was in his home in Bristol, England and every time he went down there some unsavory Hollows had made it their base of operations because of the overbearing stench of residual reishi that an Espada leaves in his living space. They always seemed to think that this would somehow empower them like reiatsu followed the transitive property...not the brightest fellows.

Needless to say he couldn't send anybody down there to bring him his quills, had to be somebody who wouldn't get butchered trying to do so...of course he probably should've relayed that information to his subordinate prior to sending her down to Earth for a writing utensil but this was really just a pretense to waste his time...although yes, this particular pen was quite terrible. The man called Jomyaku Umi believed that contempt for one's superiors was the most important part of development and thus continued to push and prod Kohara with the hardly veiled assumption that one of these days it would be too much and he would stage some sort of coup. He liked coups. They gave him a pretense to cull the stupider members of the Soul Society.

These and many other thoughts were filling his head and not a single thought was given to what he had actually said. He flipped the pen against his palm and gestured to one of two chairs he'd set out. They were made of what appeared to be bone similar to his own setting arrangement but the faint twitching of each implied that both of them (perhaps all three) were still faintly living. He had a very...strong distaste for Hollows and made no effort to hide it though the impression that he might be doing it just for appearances was oddly enough not a common idea. The Captain of the 6th had such a genuine contempt that it was hard to mistake it for image maintenance. 

A brisk sweep of his hand put the pen behind his ear and brushed his hair in a similar direction, keeping stray locks of dark cells from blocking his vision. His eyes looked straight into his guest's, connected briefly, and then passed to the chairs he'd arranged. He wasted no time in sizing in her up, that gave her power by implying he cared. He truly didn't. He didn't like her. The protege' of the man who was currently avoiding him and making him a very unhappy soul. He'd have inquired about his whereabouts but this would lead nowhere, she didn't know anymore than he did. That was just how men like him were... "Please, have a seat."

A stray black vapor snared around the leg of a chair and turned it around to face her before vanishing. No matter what form he took he had a very distinguishable control over his environment, the only difference was now that if he really wanted he could do a lot more with a lot less effort. He thought Kiriko was quite the little thing, growing so much so quickly, but he kept those cards close to his chest. "I've sent my Lieutenant out to fetch a better pen for me so that I can properly capture the words you don't use to express your distaste for me in-between the ones you do use to give the impression of the opposite."

He took a drink from a cup of the mentioned fluid resting on a coaster on his desk. A thermos was also present though it appeared to be very light on contents. He smiled a very stupid grin.

"You'll have to forgive me but I'm very attuned to the fire you're keeping, its very hard to operate on this level sometimes..."

There was no brag or lie in the statement, in fact the word seemed to come out with a great deal more heft than it was intended to...with each passing day it seemed he grew more and more disconnected from everyone and everything around him. He saw hatred and the potential for it to grow, kindling and ashes, seeds and sprouts, and very little of humanity. It was becoming more and more difficult to discern whether or not he was doing something to sew animosity or if it was for some actual purpose. Umi hoped that he was still piecing together his plans but he wasn't certain anymore just as he wasn't certain if he'd sent his subordinate to fetch him a pen because it made him less likely to lose his cool and accidentally start melting a Captain or if he genuinely wanted to get a rise out of him...maybe both.

He paused, stared at the words he'd written down and frowned.

"I may have forgotten to write in legible scribe when I told Hi-To which pens I wanted..."

[Word Count | 1516]

[Growth Points | +30]

[Total GP | 30]

Stepping into the room only made the earlier discomfort outside the door blaze into a dull fire that flayed at her nerves with somewhat respectable fervor. Twitching faintly Kiriko tried to ignore the strange sensation. It was unpleasant but not directly harmful. She just couldn't understand where it was coming from. Did he have some strange vestige of his old miasma lurking around him or something? She had forgotten to probe Kohara when it came to the man's state of being, but one would of thought Kohara would have brought up something like this. Internally shaking off the bizarre feeling, she shut away sensation. It wasn't an easy mental trick,but after enough training and major injuries someone like Kiriko eventually mastered the whole mind over matter issue. Pain was something you agreed to pay attention to. Shutting it off didn't quiet the body's response, it just silenced your thoughts on the matter. She had more important things to think about, and to focus on. And the pins and needles feeling was a distraction that could not be allowed to continue.
 
Although this likely would not escalate into a physical battle Kiriko noted her tension the moment she passed through the threshold into Jomyaku's office. Her focus was honed to a razor's edge, her eyes darting and assessing all angles of the room. No other exit but a window. And the door at her back. If she was sensing correctly there were approximately twenty Shinigami within range of intercepting the two Captains if anything occurred. None of them were strong enough to be a bother, unless they came en-mass and simply took up space. Then extraction might be difficult. It was semi-public knowledge that she was here today, and if people gossiped as much as she imagined they might in normal divisions it was likely now a thoroughly chewed over fact among the Sixth. That didn't mean she couldn't leave unseen, but it would tie her hands to a certain extent if there was a battle.
 
Kiriko wasn't sure why she was so ready for a fight, but something about Jomyaku simply rubbed her raw. He was seated, hunched over his desk, nothing overtly threatening at all in his posture. And yet the threat was there, tangible in the air between them. Somehow she knew he was stronger then she was. That he was different, beyond just being an Espada turned Shinigami. The first ever. Somehow Kiriko knew if she were to attack it had better be the first punch, because after that she might not have enough time to deal a crippling amount of damage. And without that assurance their fight would be one-sided. And not in her favor.
 
She wasn't used to that feeling anymore. It had been months since Kiriko had faced an opponent she was afraid of, or that she did not think she could outwit. Sakamoto was one thing, Kiriko knew her abilities and her fighting style. Even if the woman was stronger then her she was the better fighter. The end, and her promise, were already predetermined. It could be no other way. Certainty followed Kiriko like the cloak of her haori. After a while every Nibantai member learned how to know in one glance what their chances were against an opponent. It was either that or overstretch and die. The ones who weren't good enough at perceiving their enemies died early so she did not have to count them among her ranks for long. That probably skewed the ratio...
 
She refused to take her eyes off of him, and in doing so was forced to step further into the room so that she could visually take everything in without shifting her gaze. The proffered seat caught her attention just long enough that a slight pause ensued, but eventually Kiriko stood behind the chair and placed her hands atop the back. Clean open body language. The universal no weapons gesture. “I would prefer to stand, thank you,” her voice was clipped, formal, otherwise lacking in intonation and timbre. Some people liked to say the Second was full of zombies, people who followed orders without emotions. That was fine with Kiriko, so long as her men followed orders she didn't care if they had emotions or otherwise. But for herself it had always been best to lock those away, especially when doing business. Her heart was too soft to survive otherwise. The blood on her hands wouldn't have been there if she had been any different. Was that what Hahaue kept trying to tell her?
 
To what end? Perhaps Kiriko was supposed to feel regret whenever her Inner Hollow lectured her. It certainly sounded like a pretty picture. Setting aside necessity for feeling. It would be a glorious day when Kiriko didn't have to make the hard decisions, or do the damning acts. She never expected that day to come. No matter what Hahaue said about it being her own choice, that was just the voice of weakness. She had come too far on this path to go back, to regret. Maybe, if she worked hard enough, the next generation wouldn't have a need for people like herself. That was a sweet enough reprise, it would sooth her days while she roiled in Hell.
 
She wasn't surprised that Kohara was gone, she hadn't been able to sense his familiar signature on her trip in. However his reason for being away was somewhat unusual. Kiriko was happy to judge other Captains and how they led, most of the time that was, but somehow this scenario had never crossed her mind when she was thinking up ways that Jomyaku would be a horrible leader. She wanted to laugh, or maybe even question his words, but that was impossible and so instead she stared leadenly at the man until he stopped speaking. His honesty was somewhat refreshing, she was glad that this wouldn't be one of those word games. Tsukimiya-taichou was too good at those, Kiriko still lacked the necessary will to fully master such ploys. She did not care to mince words, or to play around and disguise intent. That was probably something she needed to work on, as the leader of her division, and yet as for now she would leave such machinations to others. Kachekiwa would be proud.
 
“I am glad that you understand the nature of my visit Jomyaku-taichou, it would have been tedious to explain it to you. I do not like you. I do not like where you came from, nor that you gained such power in so short a time. I do not like that you are Captain of the Sixth, and I particularly do not like that you seem to have the support of Ine-soutaichou. Perhaps the feeling is mutual, I understand that Tsukimiya-taichou was no friend of yours and I am patently his creation,” Kiriko stirred, her words dull and bland. If this was a profession of hate it was particularly without feeling. But Kiriko wasn't the type of person to hate someone so simply. Dislike was a more appropriate word. Mistrust.
 
“I have been informed that you are not wayward in your duties. It is for that sole reason that I have come to speak with you. Traditionally the Sixth and the Second worked in close command, with our particular jobs being somewhat entwined. Your new direction for the Sixth would benefit from the information that the Second has on hand, and I will not lie and say I would not enjoy the privilege of working with the criminals you find and prosecute.” The information that many a criminal carried with them was tantamount to the jackpot when one was trying to keep their finger on the pulse of all three worlds. She would survive without access, primarily because her agents would be finding these people first and going through the time consuming process of extracting information subtly – but that whole case would be much improved if there was teamwork involved. Her agreements with Kohara when he had been Acting Captain were no longer in place, and the Sixth was indeed a different animal today then it had been before. It remained to be seen what could be achieved now.
 
If it weren't for her new goal of strengthening not just the Nibantai but Soul Society as a whole Kiriko would not have forced herself to say these things. Instead she would have played the stupid game and assessed the danger Jomyaku offered before scurrying off to plot his demise. That, while enjoyable and probably somewhat fruitful, would not be the thing to help Soul Society survive another attack. It pained her to realize that her days of petty slights were far behind her, almost without the chance to savor her last few opportunities. This leadership thing was more of a hassle then Kiriko had thought, or maybe it was that Tsukimiya-taichou simply handled things better.
 
“I do not propose that we enjoy each other's company. But it is prudent to discuss how we might assist the other in protected and fixing Seireitei.” She hated being so open when the other recipient might just laugh her off, or spit at her reasons for coming. It was a fear from before, to be rejected as an idiot. The precedent wasn't really here today though, even if Jomyaku thought her opinion was stupid there was no way she was going to back down. If this couldn't go through the Captain she would have to speak with Kohara. In some small way their two divisions would have to interact. Either in secret or out in the open.

WC: 1606 | GP: 32 | Total GP: 46

The Captain stopped writing but kept his eyes locked on his map.

"Captain, I should tell you I have a habit of being rather long winded but I believe you don't understand who I am. I feel your mistrust stems entirely from ignorance, frankly this whole society has its head so far up its own ass that when I entered as an Espada I was treated more kindly than when I entered as a Shinigami, but allow me to point out some choice information. I was born to a Hollow, I have fought urges and handled my powers for a very long time. I have eaten men and reapers alike but the reapers came after me, excluding the ones who killed my family but thats a freebie really...I even returned Shinigami alive only missing enough parts for me to get through my day. In fact if I had been left well enough alone I would've subsisted entirely on criminals and other Hollows. I secluded myself when I underwent the Gillian stage and thus had no mindless feedings then either. When my former king and effective father went mad and attacked your people, I came to the Soul Society and coerced Cho Amai to make a weapon to slay the Golden King, something apparently none of you had ever considered and I threw Tova a few mortals as bait to keep him from culling your numbers. Then when shit hit the fan and he tore out everything that I had been and left me broken? I came here. All I asked was that my kindness be returned and I was locked in a cell. I emerged, I worked, and I took this position because out of every one of you up here I'm the only one who actually cares about the state of this world..."

He paused, black wisps bringing his coffee cup to his lips as he drank heavily.

"I have given you and your people more trust and mercy then you deserve and in return I have received nothing that I did not claw out of your hands. I've broken no laws since I have been a Soul Reaper and that makes me pretty much the only one in existence. If it bothers you that I'm here then let me make myself abundantly clear: I don't care. I've earned my right to be and I owe you nothing. In fact, you rather owe me for your gross failures...if it bothered you all so greatly that I was an Espada and then came to you of my will then it should've been your responsibility to make me come outside of my will. That is to say you failed to kill me so where I am, who I am, and what I am is your fault. You had a golden opportunity to slay me and you passed it up. Now you can't. The second I decide I don't like you is the second your heart will start melting out of your own chest."

Umi's tone was flat and left it quite obvious that he was neither bragging nor lying when he spoke about his powers. "I'll be in an awkward position if that happens so yes, it is in our mutual interest to be as buddy buddy as possible. While I'm breaking the ice though answer me one question? You see, Sakamoto Miki as far as records seem to indicate and public opinion can confer wasn't absolutely insane prior to Tova's visiting hours and yet afterwards it seems that a fair bit of homocide worked its way into her balanced breakfast. Now if I were a betting man I would say stress from the political and societal drama that has been going on in the Soul Society as of late and maybe its completely unrelated to the arrival of the King of Las Noches. If I weren't an idiot, however, I would say that past experience points to a different conclusion."

The man stood up straight, looked his guest in the eyes, folded his hands together and paused for a moment. He tried to look serious but after a few seconds it faltered and he sighed.

"Captain, I don't like giving the "when a Daddy Tova loves a Mommy Anything That Breathes" talk, do you or do you not know what a Vaizard is? I'm not your father, if Kyousuke didn't tell you then it shouldn't be my job...or option B: play dumb if you'd like to spend the next ten minutes listening to me explain the science behind soul alterations and drawing crude diagrams on whatever paper I can find once Kohara gets back with my proper pen...please note this will include depictions of Arrancar so if I talk to the drawing? I'm not conspiring. Its a drawing."

His warning did little to prepare her for the deluge of words that poured from the man's mouth. It was much like being lectured in a classroom, no pause or gap to indicate normal conversation. Instead, bare sentences. Facts. Laid out in a somewhat curving line that nonetheless indicated a few simple truths. Not that she wanted to agree with Jomyaku, or really even contemplate what he was telling her – but Captains didn't get to do what they wanted. And she certainly never had the luxury before, why start becoming selfish now when the choice was finally in her own two hands? It was true, the effects of Tova on her brain had caused a domino effect leading to complete chaos. Some of that was naturally in her bearing, the rest... Kiriko could only hope it was Aneue's influence and not her direct soul that took such joy in innocent bloodshed. Now that she was free from those constrictions though Kiriko had the real opportunity to do things right. And that entailed such painstaking efforts as admitting when you were incorrect. Or when another was right.
 
She did not agree with everything Jomyaku said, not even half of it. But there lingered a sole truth amidst the bunch of garbled words and phrases. Jomyaku-taichou had a clean record. So far. Was it really just of her to judge on “so far's” though? Her own past was riddled with things she would rather not admit to, and yet others trusted her to do her job. Was it so impossible to imagine Jomyaku might be similar? He, at least, was more straightforward when it came to the litany of his crimes. Kiriko couldn't quite believe him all that virtuous as he professed himself to be as a Hollow, but some of what the man said stuck.
 
His idea that the actions taken during the Massacre, actions she had not been previously aware of, somehow absolved him of the very fact that he had conspired against the rightful leader of Soul Society and sent good Shinigami to their deaths was somewhat laughable. It showed the type of mind this man had. To Jomyaku, such flaws were probably necessary for the greater good. It was the kind of thinking she herself employed, the kind of abstract plotting that Hahaue despaired of whenever Kiriko engaged in it. It was, quite simply, essential. Too many people were unable to take that step. Too many Shinigami were too duty-bound to their comrades to see the truth of the matter. Kiriko admired them for that, with such intense desperation that it made her uncomfortable. But admiring and emulating are different things, and she was never so fortunate as to be a good person. A pure person.
 
To any other Captain, Jomyaku's admission might have spurred further distrust. It should have, if she had been thinking in the proscribed manner of a trained Shinigami. But to Kiriko it was a telling light into something different. Like seeing your reflection in a mirror for the first time, haunting and fleeting. She still didn't like him. He was callous, abrupt, demonstrative. The indifferent way he ordered Kohara around was enough to make her blood boil. But those were minor inconveniences in the big picture. And it was the big picture that was most vital today. Because of those revelations Kiriko bit her tongue, holding back scalding words that might have torn a rift between the delicate thing that was developing today.
 
“The only one? I would not agree with that statement. Soul Society is lacking in true leaders, to be sure. And some of us are not suited for the task. But that is changing swiftly. Look around you, the other Captains are shedding their disillusions and coming to realize the necessity of war. Maybe you feel so strongly because of your past but we all know that the world is shifting and won't ever return to such carefree days as before. It is not a matter of perspective, or history, or emotional peaks. It is simple truth, simple understanding. These wars have gone on long enough, the balance of souls cannot be threatened again and our enemies must be eradicated. If you honestly think the rest of us don't know that, you are a fool too jaded to find allies where they stand in front of you.” Was the man blind or just proud? Most Shinigami were weak vessels. That was why she favored her own men, burned and tested as they were until she was certain of each individual breaking point. Soul Society needed precision, control, professionalism. This free thinking, do your best and that's enough sentiment had disappeared. When the leadership was proven to be false and idiotic many a Shinigami had realized blindly following wasn't so smart. The mistakes of the past couldn't be said to have never happened, but the people who had allowed the Massacre and the Invasion to occur were no longer living. All had moved on, become something more. The sharpening and honing was not limited to Captains.
 
“You have no reason to care except in so far as my emotions will hinder our working relationship. I told you, I am not expecting friendship out of you. Or even respect and understanding. I don't trust you, that is all. If you know that, then that makes everything easier. It bore no justification to hide that information, not that you likely couldn't tell to begin with. However the best teamwork can only arise out of people who are open with each other, those who understand the person who stands beside them. Chemistry and enjoyment don't particularly matter outside of bar rooms and social activities. There are better aspects to focus on when making a team then the nature of camaraderie.” Kiriko should know, her own division was full of people who's worst weakness was arrogance. Pride. Those types of personalities clashed when it came to socializing, and it took a strong regiment and harsh discipline to create the unit she had today out of the shambles of men the Second had inherited from the Captain before Tsukimiya-taichou. You certainly did not have to be chummy to work as a well oiled machine. It just helped morale. That was why her men were picked under such duress, if you were the type of person to need recognition and hand holding to complete your job you had better find some other home.
 
She quirked an eyebrow, eyes contemplative. “Our 'gross failures'... You would have preferred to be killed by a Shinigami then? Rather then having Tova help you along the cycle directly into a Shinigami? I will keep that blame in mind, but such a simplistic view only means no one is likely to agree with you. That doesn't matter for you though, does it Jomyaku-taichou?” She pondered that for a moment, but it was a strange idea. Was the collective race responsible for a single opponent's fate? Even if it made sense in a black and white manner there were too many who would shirk such responsibility. Place it solely on the feet of those who had fought to Wall of Las Noches. They had been given the chance, right? So it was their fault, logically. The shifting myriad of blame was an interesting phenomenon with societies. To understand that was the key to fully grasping Shinigami as a collective. She was relieved to know that while Jomyaku took their form he still lacked the consciousness of a Shinigami. Somehow that made her feel better about their power gap.
 
“Are you asking if Tova implanted an Inner Hollow into Sakamoto-san's mind during the Massacre?” she queried, displeased with his roundabout speaking pattern. If that was what he wanted to know he should just say it straight out. Not imply like that. Then came the crux of the matter. Her loyalty to Sakamoto was the strength of a promise, of words and handshakes. Of shared knowledge. Hahaue would have her throw her entire force into maintaining those things. That was the good option, right? Too bad she wasn't capable of such a thing. Militarily they needed to deal with Sakamoto, it didn't matter if the threat was neutralized by herself or another. As much as Kiriko needed to be the one to see this to the end she also knew that Soul Society required speed rather then closure for the Captain of the Nibantai. The decision wasn't brutal at all, it simply caused something to slip inside of her. Was that her heart fading just one more inch? Or was that Hahaue retreating in disgust? Either way, the loss of morality was necessary. She could cry over her friend later.
 
“The answer to that question is yes. My men have done their research as requested and we have found evidence that Sakamoto-san was indeed turned into a Vaizard by Tova. There were notes left behind in her office, parts of a diary and other coded pieces of information. All signs imply that this subversive part of her mind has somehow tainted her thinking. Sakamoto the Shinigami was loyal to Soul Society. Sakamoto as a Vaizard? I think we all know how that story ended. She appeared unable to control the new resident in her soul, several interviews with victims and friends corroborate the intelligence we have found. I am still investigating if there was a specific trigger because the incubation period between Tova's Massacre and Sakamoto-san's betrayal was a lengthy period of time, however as of now there are no leads on that subject.”
 
Some of that was falsified. Kiriko was an adept liar, part of her intense study into body language and micro-expressions. It wasn't much of a lie though, considering what she herself personally knew and what the Nibantai had dug up. They hadn't actually found direct evidence to back up her claims, but there was enough hearsay floating around and tainted reports that it certainly looked like the transcripts from their interviews and the write ups on information gained would blend neatly with what she had just said. In the end, her claims were true. If the details came from personal interactions rather then the myriad of reports she had stacked up on her desk right now, did it really matter to Jomyaku? Or to anyone?
 
Kiriko knew there were no witnesses to her talk with Sakamoto. She had scoured the area with her senses and even later gone over everything physically. Besides that none of her agents had come up with even the slightest whisper from any corner of the world about Kiriko speaking with Sakamoto during the Invasion. If even her men hadn't heard a peep it was extremely unlikely anyone else had, what with the years and energy she had invested in her intelligence network beyond and above the subordinates in her division.
 
Even if there had been someone who knew about it though, it didn't matter. The words spoken were clear, simple. The fact that Kiriko let Sakamoto walk away was also something she could easily defend herself against in a trial. The potential damage to the millions of humans nearby if they had battled it out right there on the spot was undeniable, and a Shinigami's first priority was protecting humanity and thereby the balance of souls. It was not her division that had the primary task of defeating and bringing in Sakamoto. Despite all of that Kiriko did not want to mention that last conversation. The emotions that day were still roiling in her stomach, biting at her heart. It felt too fresh, her choice. Even though it was the right one, she still wished she could have been strong enough to convince Sakamoto to repent. Her report to Jomyaku was true though, Kiriko didn't understand why but there was something tainted about her friend now. Something twisted. Her words had fallen on deaf ears because the friend she knew before was no longer the same person she had been speaking to. 
 
WC: 2007 | GP: 40 | Total GP: 86

"I think I would've adapted rather nicely if someone had managed to slay me, of course I did mean the plural form of you. I consider it a failure of the Shinigami as a whole if one Hollow is allowed to live past confrontation and detection. I'm not interested in ending this war on conditions Captain. I don't want their genocide without or their genocide except or their genocide at some specified cost; I want genocide. No exceptions. No limitations. No cost too great. If every single soul here dies to make that happen then I would consider that a victory but the victory is best appreciated with lives to enjoy it and to that end I have already begun my plan to ensure that we minimize our own casualties...but that is related to Sakamoto, the real reason I'm entertaining company..."

The Captain lifted the pen he'd been granted and ran his eyes along the thing. This wasn't the pen he'd wanted, in truth, but that had been broken a long time ago...a facsimile, a false replication of an object that was the sole remaining evidence that there had ever been a man with kindness sharing this name, this shape, and this form. Ken Ithiw was a dead man, a memory, but a memory that he clung as an idol of sorts. A man who had given up everything to become the instrument of destruction in this world...Jomyaku Umi could only hope to half the man he had once been. Those restrictions, those limitations, those rules were what defined a man and separated him from a beast but Umi continued to blur that line with such a definite intensity that it became difficult to determine what he truly was at times. A monster in a man's flesh was the most comforting answer but sometimes...sometimes...

The flicker of light in his dead eyes, the silent crunch of teeth and the pounding agony of his skull revealed that he was very much mortal. When heaven had opened up to him he tore the wings from his back and shouted back that they had nothing to offer him...everything he wanted to hate was here. Everyone he wanted to kill was here. Everyone who would someday learn to hate him as truly and deeply as he did them was locked onto this one little universe....this one insignificant little world meant more than him than words could ever describe and yet here he was, playing politics. Surely the tools of a monster were claws but the tool of a proper man was other people. It brought him a great degree of pleasure to know that when he slew his former family they would've suffered long before his hand reached their throats.

Jomyaku Umi was the living opposite of kindness.

Yet something like fluttered in front of his eyes and then was plunged back into darkness as he dropped the utensil. He smiled at the Lieutenant. "We were discussing our most recent trouble child. It really does seem like the Soul Society has quite a problem with half-breed monstrosities so it does my heart good to know that one of them would be dead in time. Most of them escape me and they're a difficult bunch to root out though I would've been happy to stay quiet if the former Captain would've been a military asset and left her ultimate demise for a much later date. She has proven not to be an asset."

The man reached into his desk and retrieved a small stack of stapled papers detailing the new arrangement of the Sixth Division as well as the positions that had been constructed, a highlight already being drawn around the Pursuit Hounds which would be the aspect of his division most inline with the Second Division and overlapping into their territory. Of course his control over the law afforded them different privileges and he intended for the victims they pursued to come back alive in most cases... "Unfortunately there are numerous vacancies in the division during my restructuring but I've created a more specialized division, you'll want to look over the current information and listing of Hound recruits as I fully intend for them to work closely with you and your division. You will note that being a member of the Sixth Division affords different legal immunities than you receive, when the job can't be handled discreetly and property damage is a vital part of the mission?"

He pushed the papers to the edge of his desk. "You'll want to know who to ask me to dispense to you. I've already arranged to have my keeper send all information I believe to be relevant to your quarters the moment you arrived here. I could've done it sooner or waited but I wanted to be certain you were serious before I dispensed anything and coming into my territory is enough proof for me. I expect that your own record keepers will be as generous when it concerns criminal matters. I expect you're used to little accountability and no paper trails but if we're going to be working together I'm going to ask that if someone dies I know who, why, and whose name I need to look for if things have gone awry in some way. The more secrets you keep from me the less I can do for you."

Umi allowed his train of thought to pull into station and halt. "As of this moment I have no person assigned to handling Sakamoto Miki as I have a bit of a plan regarding this war..."

A puff of black fire on the speaker's shoulder wafted away to reveal a small white butterfly-like creature depicting the markings of a common Jigokucho. "I believe that Las Noches will fall due to butterflies and until then we should not pursue her, knowing that she is as I suspected means that I am unwilling to throw lives at this problem directly when we have better options."

All of the tension of her words, her carefully calculated sallies, were defused as Kohara slipped into the room bearing three odd trinkets. A cup of steaming tea, matcha by the smell. A white Hollow mask. And an ancient fountain pen. The pen he placed on Jomyaku's desk, along with the handed over bone mask, all the while juggling the cup of tea with the kind of precision he was known for. Kiriko watched with veiled eyes, unsure of her exact response to the intrusion. On the one hand... she trusted Kohara to be on her side, and to aid her in her endeavors. On the other, Jomyaku was off putting enough that she didn't want anyone else around if she were to snap. Or worse, if he made a fool out of her like he seemed to enjoy making out of others.

There was no accompanying titter from Aneue, and the stark silence seemed marked in its absence. Ever since she had been realized Aneue had taken every opportunity to poke and prod and exert dominance. This game of hide and seek, of dreams and neglect, was growing irksome. Kiriko had never appreciated Aneue's part of her soul, especially not the dark moods and the ugly comments, but that didn't mean she wanted whatever was currently happening between them to go on like this. If Aneue really was sending her these nightmares she had been having recently, then things might just plummet before they ever got any better. And to think, for a few days she had felt perfect with the birth of Hahaue and her new found understanding of Aneue's needs and wants.

Jomyaku went on as if Kohara had been there the whole time, or as if the Lieutenant hadn't even stepped between them. A remarkable ability, as his eyes barely even lifted from Kiriko except for a few seconds when he seemed to stare at the pen for too long. She watched where his pupils went, calculating. He was recalling something else. A memory. A painful memory. Or, was it? Kiriko was getting mixed messages as Jomyaku's expression switched to something more akin to pleasure. And anger, folded in. Hatred, that seemed the best word to describe him in its entirety.

“That would be a victory no doubt, but short lived. Unless you address the issue of Hollows being created you can never eradicate them all. Souls will take that path no matter our intervention – there simply aren't enough Shinigami to handle every dead Plus. It is another step on an inevitable cycle, and we have never learned how to prevent it. Though I admire your fervor, you need to be realistic. Genocide is impossible unless we increase the number of active duty Shinigami and the numbers of souls spiritually powerful enough to become Shinigami has never wavered in Rukongai.”

He was passionate, darkly so, and she watched as his muscles contracted with the ire inside of him. Genocide, it was a harsh word. Kiriko had learned to appreciate some parts of the Hollow race. They were fierce. They only yielded to the strongest. They were instinctive. That didn't mean though that she couldn't see how the elimination of all of them would fix the balance of souls and maintain it forever barring any unforeseen Shinigami ineptitude. It was entirely creepy though, to watch such a charismatic man prattle on about the death of the people who had been his own comrades so recently. Did your personality change when your soul shifted? Was he even the same person as The Wall of Las Noches? Or had he lost that all in the transformation? Stranger still, was the idea that maybe none of that applied. Maybe it was a simpler answer. Had the Hollow-breed done something to Umi to make him hate them so? To wish for their entire race to be destroyed?

She didn't flinch when he started talking about Vaizards. It was a curiosity that he knew the term, something that was bandied about only at the highest echelons of the Captaincies and between Vaizards themselves. Kiriko felt herself strangely relieved though, upon hearing the man's appreciation for “half-breeds.” If they were useful, they were acceptable. That was the only tactic she could approve of herself, ignoring Kiriko's personal connection to this particular issue. Efficiency was of more importance then anything else. If only the rest of Soul Society could care less about politics and history and more about facing the dangers of their lifetime.

Leaning forward Kiriko plucked the folder off the desk's edge, skimming it swiftly. She had heard about a restructuring but these notes were far more extensive then even her rumor-mill had managed to dig up. An entire new department under the Sixth... It was interesting, and gave her a better indication of how Jomyaku was going to take advantage of his nascent leadership. She realized with a bit of regret that he likely was a better candidate for the job compared to Kohara. At any other time in their history Kohara would have been a good Captain. Right now they needed more then just good though, they needed revolutionaries. And Jomyaku was willing to do all that it took, even if that meant creating things like the Pursuit Hounds.

“I can work with this, thank you. I will send over the information I believe the Sixth could use and keep the channel open. However, Jomyaku-taichou, the Nibantai undertakes missions under direct control of the Captain Commander at times, and if he wishes something to remain secret then it will. Death or capturing a criminal or anything else of that sort,” she left out that prosecuting criminal cases were never handled by the Second. Not officially anyway. All they did on paper was gather information and get in and deal with a mess when the other Divisions were too blunt an instrument to handle things. If that meant killing, it had to be done. If that meant cover ups, it never went awry. And if it meant taking custody of a rogue Shinigami, unless they were given up to the Sixth their fate never crossed the light of day. Even amongst the Second there were secrets upon secrets. Kiriko could no more divulge everything then she could change the campaign of the Nibantai. But the more they shared that was safe to share the better off they would be as partners, she could grasp that sentiment easily enough.

Jomyaku paused in his speech, a burst of that black energy from before appearing over his shoulder and rendering itself into physical shape as a Hell Butterfly. But not as one she had ever seen before. This Hell Butterfly was pure white, with black markings like an inverted mirror image. Controlling her expression had never been harder. “Butterflies? What are you talking about?” her tone was biting, not enjoying the implication that Jomyaku was trying to make fun of her like this.  

WC: 1159 | GP: 23 | Total GP: 109

Captain Jomyaku waited with a patience that was unnatural for his sort of man, allowing the commentary to continue and reach whatever destination it was bounding towards before making any response other than a slight smile at being reminded of the rules of any particular plane of existence. His comprehension of the rules was that all rules, in this plane most especially, were more enforced by beings rather than some fundamental laws intrinsically bound to the fabric of the place...not to mention that the very fabric was habitually torn, bent, and split for convenience of travel. Having any degree of respect for such a fragile thing was akin to insisting that he worship ants as his new lord and master; for though they were numerous and appeared to be in a very crude position holding the structure of the world upwards...it simply wasn't true. Explaining the intricacies of dimensional law and what was actually a hard set rule in the realms was a bit of a rough subject (if one would like to call that belt sander to the face 'rough') for the average human mind to handle whether it was bound in flesh or spirit. They were, after all, human remnants. So while the pair of them were telling him what was and what was not possible he was silently, patiently, counting the number of impossible things he had done since waking up this morning.
 
The number was easily in the dozens. Things which might've been labeled impossible by his peers were standard fare for him, even now he was doing something very impossible and nobody even seemed to notice or care. No other person in this whole society from its conception had ever been capable of manipulating their reiatsu as he was and since he didn't consider it to be much it seemed nobody else did either; how exceptionally peculiar a thought it was that if Umi had considered some other things normal they might've gone through with far less trouble. Shinigami were such strange and cumbersome things. Even Kiriko seemed to just dismiss this feature of his abilities despite most likely being aware that he was in no state of release and thus had no 'powers' to speak of from his blade.
 
Not to mention the added complication of creating full and actual life without any powers and entirely based on his whim to do so. He would've expected his Lieutenant to have adjusted to this by now and simply accepted that whatever it was he happened to set his eyes on would certainly be within his grasp but both her tone and expression hinted towards the fact that she did not believe him fully. Her words were in full conflict but he tended to distrust these over more certain cues of the voice and flesh. Umi repeated himself plainly, slowly, but with an understanding that he was in the company of people who weren't monsters out of time and space. "The only rules in this place are enforced by people who haven't come down for a visit in an exceptionally long time...in the absence of their interference I will just go ahead and wipe them out. If nature were interested in stopping me then a hundred opportunities were lost and I will not be impeded by the threat of a looming chance which she is statistically unlikely to take."
 
He forgot and then promptly recalled after speaking that his statement might not make sense to people who weren't aware of the whole realm of god-things lurking around them...Umi decided this was a subject for another time and handwaved away any questions on the subject by physically waving himself with his wrist cutting through the air of any obligation to respond to questions posed or unposed. Too complex, too much work, and not enough of it was beneficial to him since their understanding of the situation would only make them feel less in control. They needed to feel like they were in control.
 
It made them fools. 
 
"As far as that goes I'll give the abridged version of things: I've modified Jigokucho such that they are innately capable of Konso as well as being generally, and in all aspects, superior to their inferior older models. This comes with the stipulation that they consume the older model but that's really just clean up work...additionally they are no longer loaned for messages and the like, instead each soldier who inquires will receive one and it is their own until death or force parts them. The butterfly can even go so far as to empower their bonded partners. I've already distributed an initial batch among the human spiritualists as a way to keep Hollow numbers down, you may have noticed the drop in Hollows and the spike in souls we receive here of a noteworthy caliber. Powerful Hollows become purified rather than destroyed and powerful humans using these butterflies become targets of Hollows due to their gifts damaging their dietary habits and no matter who dies? We win. I've set into motion a machine that will, with no effort from our part, create the finest crop of soldiers in centuries."
 
The small creature being spoken of seemed to take note and did its best to make itself look presentable. The small insect spread its wings, moved its delicate limbs, and adjusted its segmented eyes to get the best view of the place. Shortly after its creator had finished speaking it took to he air and moved itself to perch on the other Captain's shoulder like a small bird. It couldn't force Kiriko to love it but it could make an attempt to be as cute and appealing as possible to help its odds; if she didn't accept it would perish. That fact seemed to weigh on its mind as its movements and jitterings seemed rather forced...or maybe it was just Umi who saw it.. He was too attached to the things to fail to notice, he could feel where they all were even now but just relegated that information to the back of his mind where it wouldn't bother him. It was just not a matter of concern for him.
 
"Humanity is weak right now, they need someone to turn to and something to make them feel that they have control over the situation. That is quite evidently untrue but I gave them a very rousing speech. At least a dozen spiritualists of note are currently doing draft work for us and many more who are of frailer condition are just being generally useful. Not to mention we no longer have to waste resources on patrols if some of the areas can now be properly policed by humans themselves as they have far more zeal for the work to begin with...everyone wins."
 
He smiled. The omitted part of that statement was that he won. The Soul Society bolstering its forces was of particular interest to him and it was not a feeling he hid. It was simply something that he didn't feel he needed to highlight as both parties listening were, as he knew them, bright enough to put that together from his strategy. Concerns about the balance of the world would no doubt be forthcoming but he assumed his waving would last this far and that if they felt particularly bothered by it they would come to the conclusion that it was temporary either way since wars brought with them casualties of an immense proportion. If they wouldn't or couldn't then he just couldn't be concerned with their opinions anyways...
 
With that business settled, though he did pass a glance not at but into the Second Division's Captain for a moment, he was prepared to move onto other subjects. The reason for his passing gaze into the woman's structure was that he felt that she might be the paranoid sort and was thus watching her muscles very tensely for the time it lasted. In the same way he looked at typefaces and fonts he looked at the woman's build and posture; he knew what he was looking for and his eyes did not stray or dawdle in finding it. Feeling sufficiently assured that she wouldn't find a butterfly resting on her to be a cause for alarm he'd moved his eyes to a more suitable place or, at the very least, looking at her rather than through and into her. For a brief moment he got the distinct impression that something had already caused her muscles some degree of tension but couldn't place his finger on it so he allowed it to pass through his mind without too much consideration.  Umi had that effect on people, no use worrying about it. Her tone was a far clearer sign than her posture anyways it seemed.

He gave his Lieutenant's request as much attention as he felt it deserved and looked at him singularly and squarely. "You're free to do whatever it is you feel is best for the division and cannot be handled by subordinates. I only offer the advice that it may not be wise, if you wish to someday usurp me, to spend too much time fraternizing with another division as this has a negative effect on the soldier's opinions. They won't trust you and considering you currently lack the force of presence to cause them to fear you...trust is something I would be concerned with in all cases. I expect you've considered this already but offer the reminder in any case."

The way in which he handled his position and how he had acquired it was unique to him and him alone. Whereas most persons in the Soul Society were of one opinion or the other regarding his assumption of the role, he himself was not concerned one way or the other once he had established the ground work for it. He had said and had meant that Kohara was not a particularly poor leader. This was just simply not the proper place or time for that type of leadership, the Soul Society was not in that sort of mood and needed a far more commanding person to forcibly change things. The Lieutenant would learn and adapt until he was sufficiently developed for the position at which point he wondered which of his nature's would be employed: would he be getting a sword in the back or an invitation to combat? He was uncertain but he cultivated an atmosphere that would be quite taxing and quite stressful to him so he suspected that the former would be more likely.

Despite the way he handled things it was clear from how he spoke that he had no particular ill will towards his Lieutenant anymore than he did for all Shinigami and since none of them had ever seen him interact with anything else...they were each as ignorant as one another on the subject. On the other subject Captain Jomyaku continued with a very definite sign of the sort of man he was. "If the law has no use in your special case then I will just choose another weapon with which to remove any problem individuals. I suspect you mean to imply that either the individual is a member of the First Division or that they are a Captain of another division. I suppose it is also possible that someone is just beyond my reach and my pardon has left a rebel or rogue on Earth who I am now in a gray area retrieving."

Surely it couldn't be a combination of those things, that would make matters...frustratingly difficult.

It was strange. The power that Jomyaku Umi held. It wasn't merely his reiatsu. Which, while arguably higher then her own from feeling alone was not so far beyond her that she shouldn't have a chance at winning a fight. And it wasn't the way that he conducted himself either, that nonchalant attitude should have assuaged her feelings of inadequacy quicker then anything else. Perhaps it was whatever lingering effects of being a Hollow that he still exerted. That strange black energy that she likened to his former state. His indomitable ability to act as if he was a God preaching on down to children. There was just... something, something about him that made her feel as if maybe it was true. As if the gap between them was far greater then one would first think. As if, even though they were both Captains, both Shinigami at their peak, Jomyaku was something more as well. Something better.

She didn't like that feeling. She had never liked that feeling.

It left her antsy, and ill at ease. Knowing that she had to work with him anyway was just a bitter pill to swallow. But the longer Kiriko was in the man's presence the more she realized there was something wrong with him. Or just terribly right. She couldn't fault him – not for anything really. His logic, his drive, his methods. All of them were disturbingly directed. As if he saw the bigger picture in a way no one else could. She had never been around Gilgamesh, but she had had the same feeling from Tova. Kiriko had thought that by now, she would have gotten strong enough not to react like this around people anymore. She had thought that maybe, just maybe, she was one of the powerful ones now. But evidently it was more then strength, there was something there about insight. About, was it perhaps, awareness? Did Jomyaku know something the rest of the mere “mortals” didn't? And if so, how could she learn what it was that she didn't know?

It wasn't like Kiriko to set aside a problem because it was too tricky. But for now, there was no answer forthcoming about Jomyaku and a pile of work to complete. With no small amount of ill grace, she shelved that line of thinking and instead directed her eyes down towards the butterfly lingering on her shoulder. Its antenna fluttered as the thing crawled closer to her face, and Kiriko watched blankly for a second or two. The idea alone was... genius might be too frail a word for it. She was not the type of person to engender, to invent, to modify. Unlike Tsukimiya-taichou she would never have found a home in the Fourth Division. These kinds of creations were so far out of her realm of expertise that Kiriko didn't even understand just how absurd it was, for someone to do what Jomyaku was explaining he had done. Instead she accepted it as a wonder, with a tablespoon of worry.

“Can they survive without being bonded to a person? If we really could flood the human world with these creatures... To be at every death, or at least enough to statistically reduce the number of active Shinigami needed to perform Konso...” Kiriko trailed off, her mind racing towards a myriad of future strategies. “Even if they did die after a while, if you can create them easily enough there might still be a valid concept in there,” she murmured to herself, her fingers running across the edge of the seat she was standing behind. It wasn't so much that Kiriko hated Hollow-breeds. They were a natural occurrence in life. She even respected a few, on some rare terms. But to envision a future where they no longer existed. It would be a much better world then the one they had today. Hollow-breeds had no arguable benefit to the cycle, indeed they were actually a drain that clogged up the flow of souls by gathering them into such dense clumps and preventing a natural and cohesive transformation from a Plus into a soul in Rukongai.

Eying the butterfly with a new light, Kiriko watched the thing wiggle its wings as if trying to catch her attention. Such a delicate creature, with such potent power. Could that tiny little being really enhance her own capabilities? She did not trust Jomyaku, but it was a terrible and great power if it was real. And the advantage to the Shinigami in this was was undeniable. Reaching out, Kiriko delicately held her hand in front of the butterfly, allowing it to bunt against her fingertips. She had never seen a Hell Butterfly with any sense of feeling or personality, but this one was acting almost as if it had sentience. Raising her eyebrows, she wondered.

Before Kiriko could address the rest of Jomyaku's ploy with the butterflies, Kohara had spoken up. Bringing to a head an issue she had known was inevitable but had hoped would not come to pass. Then again, the fact that they were discussing it in front of her was a boon she would have to take advantage of. When Tsukimiya-taichou had given her Hahaue, she had seen a flash of his whole entire life. Most of those memories had faded entirely, but there was enough to name quite a few Vaizards in their society. Some who were extremely high up the chain of command.

She knew that there was a game afoot, and that to further ingrain herself into this side of the fight that she had to give something where she had previously taken something. It was how these things worked. Luckily, as long as Jomyaku had stared at her with those piercing eyes of his she knew for certain that he had gotten no indication of her true thoughts. Kiriko's specialty was body language. She maintained a blank face to be overt about it. But in reality if she had wanted to portray anything else, any other emotion, it would have been child's play. No one had ever managed to read past her facade, not after Tova, and she had made sure of her preeminence in the field. You could never completely relax, because no one expected her to be able to. It was all a mind game, and even if Jomyaku really did know so much more then she did. Even if he really was as far away from her as a god was to a human. She could still do this much. She could still exert her control this far.

“Tsukimiya-taichou suspected Ine-soutaichou of being a Vaizard. He brought his concerns to me at one point and I continued to look into it. However, I have been unable to corroborate or find evidence of the veracity of this claim. Tsukimiya-taichou, as you all know, unfortunately departed Soul Society before he could finish his investigation. If that is the person you are about to name, Lieutenant Kohara, then I do agree that we are on tenuous grounds with that knowledge.”

She spoke blandly, as if the statements were so mundane they held no importance to her. It was obvious however, from the words alone, that this was not the case. To have a Captain Commander be potentially one of the very same breed that had betrayed Soul Society was disturbing. Even Kiriko, with her own inside understanding of Vaizards, could not ignore the dangers. She had thought Sakamoto was in control of herself, and look where that had left them. Her judgment on the matter was clearly not as impartial as one might imagine.

That didn't make it any stranger, to be discussing policies involving Vaizards when she was one herself. Somehow she had expected Hahaue to speak up at this subject matter, but the Inner Hollow was oddly subdued in Jomyaku's presence and maintained a dull silence. Kiriko had not known what her Captian was going to do when he had given her Hahaue, but despite sitting here now she could not fault him for his actions. It was all so ironic. If only she had been a real Vaizard. Instead of this reversed-monster that her true soul turned out to be. A disturbed and evil Zanpakutou Spirit and a good and pure Inner Hollow. That certainly made her more of a demon then the other Vaizards, but it also meant she was less of a risk. Perhaps that was what allowed her to sit here so casually and talk about a future that very well should not include herself. 

WC: 1430 | GP: 28 | Total GP: 137

It didn’t take Hi-to long under Umi’s command to learn that the man wasn’t very good at understanding the word ‘no’, regardless of what language it was conveyed in. It was lucky for him that Hi-to had never been one to go out without a fight, and regardless of the hollow’s potential extinction mass genocide of their kind would grant them nothing but benefits. With their numbers dwindling so heavily since the massacre, any potential time and soldier savers would be nothing short of a great gain to their cause. But it was not a subject to be breached today, not when so many other subjects ranked higher on their list of vital operations and discussions. A hand was waved in dismissal and the subject was dropped, as if it had been an insignificant insect under Umi’s thumb.

Hi-to was aware of the intricacies that were Umi’s pets, but never had he heard the man talk of them with such saturation. He seemed to be a fan of talking whenever he was granted an audience who wished to listen, and Kiriko’s attention seemed to rouse the words from his throat that Hi-to hadn’t heard before in their more lazy hours in the office. It was only natural that Kiriko was infatuated with the concept as much as a woman like her could be at the first impression, and with good reason. They were a living, breathing entity unlike which the Gotei had ever seen, their evolution sped up by Umi’s careful hands. When they weren’t taking life away they were breeding it into something else, a give and take process Hi-to had yet to come to fully understand.

The way he spoke so simply of farming human spiritualists was almost enchanting, like a dream officers would laugh about under the barracks roof when they’d had a little too much poison. Yet what Umi spoke of was no dream, no bizarre idea thrown into the wind for pure laughing value, but a concept. A solid conceivable concept that could change their world if it’s objective came to fruition. Hi-to so very wanted to get his hands on one and study it inside and out, a subject that he would be breaching a little farther down the path. Umi had other things he wanted to say, and Hi-to would forever be the dutiful lieutenant and listen.

And he had to smile, however small and professionally. There was no amusement or mirth, but rather a faint fondness of his Captain’s straight forwardness. He took no insult in his Captain’s words, because Umi was a man of contingencies and thorough foresight. It was simply just the kind of man he was, much like himself in that regard. Hi-to inclined his head ever so slightly; taking his words for what they were. Not a warning, not a threat, but a fact. He had no intention of betraying the man, and as such his words did little to fray his nerves on the matter. He was a soldier for the Gotei, for the Sixth Division, for Umi’s whims. He was simple and elementary in his nature, and would forever remain so.

“It matters not to me what the soldiers of the Second think in regards to our working relationship. I don’t need their trust nor their love; they trust Captain Chinda. The rest will follow without interruption.” His voice was dispassionate, cold. It was unlikely that Umi knew just how familiar his face was around the second, despite his lack of presence there currently. He’d been there enough times over the years for several purposes, the latest being his public fight with Kiriko in their grand dojo. He would do the job as it was required and do it well in tandem with his own work; if he couldn’t he would never have requested such a liaison position.

But his suspicions were right about one thing; and Kiriko’s even more so.

Tsukimiya Kyousuke was, as Hisui would so eloquently put it, ‘a sly motherfucker’, and hearing Kiriko’s tale didn’t surprise him as much as it previously would have. Hi-to had given up being surprised by Kyousuke’s movements a long time ago, or what little he knew of them. Yet in this instance his antics weren’t to be put to waste, allowing the bomb to drop a lot more slowly than it otherwise would have.

“The Captain Commander, yes.” Despite the seriousness of their conversation Hi-to chose to approach it with the same tone and body language he would whilst talking about the weather, turning his attention back to cup of tea as it cooled to a more tolerable temperature. ”The information came from the Primera Espada during Tova’s incursion, previously known as our own Artrix Von Creg prior to losing to his inner hollow. Granted, being a Vaizard is not against the current law, I have other intentions for bringing this to his attention at our appointment next week.”

Research, understanding, calculating. As grey as the area was, Hi-to didn’t hold any hate for the Vaizard as potent as Umi did. He didn’t trust them, their movements nor their intentions. But Kenshou was their strongest, their commander, and how long he’d been hiding such a secret was unknown, but it was for quite some time if it was before in the occupation. It was unlikely at this stage that Ine would go the same way Artrix did, and until he did so, he still had Hi-to’s loyalty and servitude as their Commander.

Kenshou, Kiriko, Umi. He seemed to have a habit of getting stuck between the Gotei’s strongest Captains. It was times like these that he almost missed being the humble head of interrogation, buried under paperwork and mental evaluations.

Almost.

******

954 words: 19 GP
Total GP: 66 GP

"Flooding the human world with these things would consume most, if not all, of my time and energy so short of the 4th Division inventing a machine to take my place I haven't considered it. Besides, casualties and inefficiency are part of the way it functions. Were it to be too efficient then the Hollows would merely become jaded and despair so that the human deaths would lessen and thus we would be trading one enemy for another. Humanity is not fond of spiritual involvement in their world as they feel entitled to their clump of ash and blood...it would be unwise for me to exterminate the Hollows until humanity has suffered in near equal measure. Two crippled men are easy to kill, one able-bodied soldier is more..." A stray thought regarding the man on which he based much of his human speculation came to him with the sudden and yet sultry motions of a serpent slipping into a garden. Adimus. He had a proper name but Umi had long since lost any interest in obtaining it, not that he thought it would be difficult considering both his connections and resources dwarfed most others, as it meant nothing to him now. Neither party knew the other parties mortal name and it was for the best. The Captain snapped his fingers and curious streams of flame no larger than an inch but infinitely more complex for their size wound and knitted themselves into the effigy of the man in question. The texture and form of a doll appeared more clear and real as it solidified into a more cloth-like thing as he set it down on the table. "Difficult."

"Still..."

He conjured up a doll of the Captain Commander in an identical fashion and set it on the table as well. "I believe that humanity is feeling very emboldened at this time and may even go so far as to come and take their consistent need for protection and aid to our doorstep. Just a whisper here and a rumor there but I believe that Adimus may even come to be involved and so we should consider that a possibility. It would bring me pleasure without the slightest stain of guilt to tear the man's skeleton inside out and draft him to the Soul Society's army but I feel we have a better option available to us. I ask that should the mortals arrive, through whatever duct tape and fiber glass telephone booth they manage to hammer together for the trip, we allow it in light of this new information regarding the Captain Commander. Let him handle the guests..."

Pinpricks of fire like the light on the surface of the ocean viewed from its darkest depths swirled around the two dolls. Slowly it built up, revealing its nature as true fire and crawling up to a point which formed into a handle. A gilded bird cage was lifted now by Captain Jomyaku with both dolls inside of it. He spoke with a jarringly plain tone now, losing any air of hidden or back alley thoughts. Umi was sharing the entirety of his thoughts and making this quite clear with the use of questions rather than statements directed at Kiriko. "I think I'd like to see a little cage match, wouldn't you? So many rumors and nothing of value regarding the Captain Commander's abilities...surely we cannot allow a chance to observe to pass us by when a target for such an exercise will be forthcoming. Or am I alone in my curiosity as to what ability enables him to take hold of the proverbial throne? Is he fit for the job or am I not picking his bones clean out of formality? I am increasingly curious about the subject..."

"Not since Artix have I had the chance to taste the flesh of a Vaizard and I was far too distracted with the idea that anyone, Captain or otherwise, was capable of puncturing my flesh. I should've eaten him...he wouldn't have grown into a problem for me now known as the Primera Espada..." Umi growled audibly and instinctively touched a finger to his left kidney. His hand rested over the spot momentarily before he reconciled his memories with his present and removed it slowly. He was no longer an Arrancar, no longer the Numeros who had fought with Artix under Salzabor's supervision...but he still retained the habits of such a beast. He still hungered. It never stopped. He kept that under wraps and avoided the subject with his...peers...they were incapable of understanding. "To think that it took a Captain to cause a Numeros to bleed...Adimus was capable of quite grievous wounds to my person despite being in my true state, I would not underestimate the man despite his infant age. So why should we risk our men with him when we have a perfectly good superior for that purpose?"

He shrugged and continued. "No matter who loses the Soul Society wins, we either lose a variable in our wartime calculations or we lose an unfit Commander and a half-breed. You'll have to forgive my dietary comments it is simply impossible for me to explain to company which has never felt the hunger of a Hollow what a brilliant taste a soul can contain. Of course, considering how many of you Shinigami here prior to my arrival are half-breeds I wouldn't be surprised if the pair of you were also Vaizards and are just feeling exceptionally uncomfortable knowing what a delicacy I consider the species."

Umi laughed. A very hollow, unfunny, unkind, laugh...

She leaned forward, putting her weight against the chair in front of her. The pale bone fragments flickering between her clenched fingertips. She had come here today for one reason, and yet found a million more without the need for prodding. Despite Kiriko's misgivings about whatever it was that made Jomyaku what he was, alien and disparate, she again and again had to reconcile her innate desire to recoil with her intellectual elation. He spoke so easily, as if words just fell from his lips into whole sentences. Destroying ideas without even realizing what kind of foundations he was ripping apart. It was really a very novel experience. She wondered if this was the kind of talk that happened in the Fourth, when Shinigami contemplated what amazing feats they could achieve with technology. Except, they weren't discussing some far off possibility. They were talking about the here and now, a future Jomyaku was already capable of creating. Had, in fact.

She slid her eyes to the left, staring at Kohara with a cutting and exacting expression – as if evaluating him for the weight of his soul and nothing else. “Lieutenant Kohara is correct. He will suffice for a liaison. My men will respect his involvement. They also have pride, pride and doctrine, and those two things will ensure that they treat him with a mix of contempt and subterfuge. Enough, I would imagine, to save face amongst the Sixth,” she smiled, her expression full of sharp angles and razored edges. Her subordinates were well versed in their mockery of the other divisions. As used as they were to seeing and working with Kohara, they kept their distance. They too benefited from the rumors and the shadows of their reputation, and everyone was aware of that privilege of the greater group. Enough so that quite a few of her men took great joy out of acting the dark assassin in public, and the rest were happy just to keep their mouths shut on any information they felt any desire to withhold. It tended to take all the wind out of a nosy friend's sails when you told them they were digging into classified information.

Her eyes flicked back to the table as Jomyaku displayed another strange use of reiatsu. She couldn't recall from his file if his Hollow form had ever had such an ability, but there was no other explanation for the tar like energy that he used to create shapes and flickering flames with a mere snap of the finger. Kiriko reminded herself to look into that later, but was distracted by the form of one particular nuisance human. After Fujikagi had brought to her the information involving the monitoring of spiritualists in Karakura she had been paying rapt attention to a few in particular. Adimus was one such soul. He topped all of her lists when it came to power and political influence. She was not surprised to hear that he was expected to find his way to Soul Society, not after the latest reports of him gathering together what appeared to be an army and his attempts at gaining an audience with Shinigami.

Watching the cage flutter and shake, the two dolls rolling against each other like limp marionettes, Kiriko nodded. “I, too, am curious to see the man fight. To see what kind of person Captain Commander Ine is on the battlefield, the place he claims has given him his right to rule,” she trailed off, her voice speculative. Kiriko wasn't sure where this was going, or what Jomyaku would do if they indeed found information that Ine was a Vaizard. She would not support a governmental coup. But it was not unnecessary to have some blackmail on the man who was doing such a poor job of being the leader she wanted and demanded. Kiriko had told Ine she would do her duty as Captain of the Second, and she would. There was no talk of rebellion in this office today. It was the opposite, talk of a very bright future for Soul Society. A future without Hollow-breeds. If that future had Ine as Captain Commander or not, that wasn't something she was too concerned about. He had made no friend out of her, and thus Kiriko owed him no more then her job. “In the mean time, I will go over the reports of Ine's battle against Tova. There were many vocal witnesses to that tiff on record, if there was any sign of what we are speaking of I will suss it out.”

She was disappointed to hear that the Hell Butterflies could not simply be sent en masse to the human world, but that was a momentary setback and nothing more. Reaching for the butterfly on her shoulder, Kiriko carefully allowed the dainty creature to climb atop her forefinger as she held it in front of her face. As amazing as this discovery was she had no issue with the minor limitations Jomyaku was espousing. The Shinigami existed to protect humans. But only so far as that was in line with protecting the proper and free flow of souls along the cycle. She would regret the loss of life if it indeed was required for more of humanity to suffer before the butterflies could be fully effective – but sometimes life necessitated ugly things. She was just the type of person to see them out, damned as she already was for her past actions.  

WC: 911 | GP: 18 | Total GP: 155