Broken and Alone, Will She Be Remembered?{Closed}

Tilting her head, the short Captain of the Second division glanced to her left. There had been an almost imperturbable tingling along her senses, a sort of delicate prickle as if the placid surface of her thoughts had suddenly parted and begun to ripple outward. Pausing in mid-step Kiriko turned fully to face the direction she had sensed the disturbance in, letting her perception range far and wide. It was the outskirts of Seireitei, but just far enough away that she could not entirely place the feeling. A new reiatsu signature had appeared, too fraught with the telltale signs of damage and injury to be clearly discernible. And yet it felt oddly familiar, like a distant relative. Someone had arrived, and not in the conventional manner.

It was not often that Kiriko's senses failed her in such a spectacular manner. She considered sending a subordinate to investigate, but knew that her window of opportunity was closing swiftly. Whoever it was that she had sensed, they were strong. Powerful enough to be a nuisance to all but perhaps her Lieutenant, and he was already busy locked in the Human world on her own command. No – if she wanted to gather information she would have to do it herself.

The urge to know and understand was intense, and Kiriko pivoted smoothly as if she had always intended to walk in this new direction. Mind racing, she nearly lost sight of the twisting roads and paths that led her to the Aizawa estate. Or what remained of the property with most of the noble family's assets given over to the Academy under Ine's decree. She had not been by this area since her attempt to capture Aizawa when he was still a rogue agent. In a fitting way the manor was in no state of disrepair, instead fully equipped as the seat of a long and illustrious lineage. How painful was it, to be known now as Shiro? She knew that Jasper at least still retained his surname, if only in his own mind.
 
The door was unmanned, or at least she assumed it was as she circumnavigated the walls with a silent drop, landing with a neat crouch in the inner gardens. No one had to know she had come, if this was not what she thought it was. Stirring the grass with her gaze, Kiriko scanned the lavish enclosure. It was far more stately then her own garden and she almost balked at the pretentious nature of the plants and flowering shrubs.
 
Her eyes were drawn inexorably to the koi pond, and the faint smudging of the edge of the waters that revealed itself to be a human body. The pond lapped at the shoulder and back of her target as Kiriko stepped closer, soothing water tainted with ribbons of crimson. The injuries were vast, clear enough to her critical stare, but not entirely frightful. It appeared more exhaustion then fatality that was pressing down on the bruised and battered woman. Her face turned away from Kiriko, she made an overt step forward, bringing her body into the light with an audible snap of twigs beneath her feet.

"Name yourself," she demanded, her tone cold and soft at the same time, like a whisper at midnight. This was no Aizawa that she knew of on their lists, and the only other signs pointed to forced intrusion. Her sword slipped from its sheath with a dull ring as Kiriko leveled the blade at the woman's neck. It would not do to underestimate someone who could reach this sanctum, injuries or no injuries.

WC: 600 | GP: 12 | Total GP: 12

While the medical staff worked, the sounds of several pairs of footsteps echoed from the nearby hallway. 

As the people turned the corner, and came into view, it was revealed that the group consisted of six of the household guards. They were all armed with swords, and wore the Aizawa symbol on their back and shoulders, along with a dark-blue sash around the waist. They were walking calmly, but their eyes were focused, indicating that they weren´t letting their guard down. Once the men and women came close to the room, they stepped into two lines, allowing for the lady of the household to pass them. 

With a stern look in her usually gentle face, she approached the man in the doorway. "Identify yourself now, and tell me why you have broken into my home". Even though she was short and was more slender than she was muscular, the noble´s gaze was enough to get her meaning across: He was either gonna exsplain, or be arrested on the spot. Or at least that was the case, until one of the servants emerged from the room, and relayed what had happened. 

"I see...very well then". Making an understand nod, Junko looked the taller man in the doorway, who had ordered the woman inside (according to the servant). Her expression was still stern, but her voice now carried obvious worry with it. "I will have a look at her myself - Any clue as to who she is?", the first lady asked the man in the doorway, as she walked into the room. He could protest, but it would hold no weight: Even if she haden´t been a captain, he was still intruding upon her and her family´s home. 

The woman was still surronded by the medical staff, so Junko was unable to see her face. She would wait for the man in the doorway to respond, before proceeding. 

A woman asked for him to identify himself, she seemed flustered at his entrance into her home. Her home? That could mean only one thing; that she was the head of the house. Kizen taking heed at the tone in her words immediately drops to one knee; averting his eyes from daring to look at the head of the house without her permission.

"Forgive me, Lady Aizawa; I was invited here by your son. I have been staying in one of the lower guest rooms for a few days now. I am to remain here under his watch until I have been debriefed. I just returned from a patrol with him, he had to handle an intruder problem with the Captain Commander. He instructed me to return back to the residence after informing my command liaison. I felt a pulse of energy and found this woman standing over the injured. I have no knowledge of either of them, but went with a gut decision to pick this injured woman up and bring her inside. If anyone can help her, it has to be your staff. I apologize for taking liberties that are not my own to take. It was an impulse decision. I will accept any punishment you deem necessary."

His eyes remain fixated on the ground, never moving from a tile 6 inches in front of where he knelt. It was not normal for Kizen to adhere to such niceties, let alone bow and avert his eyes to a fellow noble. These kinds of acts made him feel like less of a person. He had no choice in the matter, we all have our parts to play; sometimes we just have to serve the roles that we are assigned. He knew in time his position might change in that world; for now he just had to keep his eyes down and explain himself to the best of his abilities.

"She seems to have endured considerable trauma, it appeared from her fingers that she may be frostbitten and she may be bleeding internally. Wherever she came from must have been a rough place, I know it isn't my place to bring her into your home Milady; she needs assistance more than I need to speak. I have never laid eyes on here before, as I told this woman I've never seen either of them on the staff. I also have never been informed of them by your son, so their identities elude me. I shall remain silent while you tend to her, then this woman can explain herself to you personally and inform you of her intrusion on your property"

Once he'd taken his final words, he placed both hands in front of himself. Keeping his head fixated downward; he dropped to one knee and continued to remain in this position until called upon by the lady of the house. He was curious to hear the explanation of who this other woman is. Perhaps, she was just a passerby who considered this womans reiatsu pulse a viable threat? Only time would tell him.

[WC 513/50]
[GP 10/19]

Kiriko frowned darkly, her glare sharp and cutting as another Shinigami interrupted her questioning. Young, short, and babbling like the child he was. His mere mention of Lieutenant Aizawa triggered a cascade of information on his identity. Haetora Kizen. Former rogue traitor. Currently beholden to Aizawa and under his control. Apparently that leash was not short enough as the boy had the gall to bustle the intruder up in his arms and rush her inside without a look in her direction. As if the mysterious woman was at any risk of bleeding out within the next few minutes! Kiriko turned stiffly, her posture forced and irritated like a cat doused in water. This was not optimal. She had no desire to be mired with the soliloquies of the Aizawa family. It was technically within her rights as Captain of the Second to take the intruder away, but Kiriko was not about to push things on Aizawa Junko's own doorstep when she had little in the way of information. She sheathed her sword impatiently.

The Aizawa might not be nobles anymore, but they still held power enough. Kiriko doubted Junko would remember Kiriko's support for the Lady as Captain Commander if Kiriko was seen manipulating Aizawa-taichou's servants. Stalking after Haetora, Kiriko stepped into the manor without hesitation, eyes perfectly ahead as if she had been here many times before. In reality it was the stash of blueprints in her office that gave her any sense of where they were going, and she frowned even more as the boy led her to a medical station. Was he so unaware of the lethality of injuries that he thought this woman to be on death's doorstep?

Bustling bodies soon removed the woman from sight but not from Kiriko's attention. The intruder had spoken earlier, soft and muted from her weakness, and Kiriko spent the next few minutes contemplating those words and the tone they had been spoken in. Almost ironic. Was Kiriko supposed to have recognized this creature? Even with her face revealed and her lithe body clear the Captain could not say she recalled such a form before. And yet that reiatsu... it was familiar. As if she was used to sensing it, or had been at some point in the past. It was a conundrum, and Kiriko did not like these types of puzzles. 

She stood to the side, biding her time. She would step in when they were done coddling the woman, or at least that was what she told herself before Aizawa-taichou came through the door with a full set of guards at her back. The day could not get any worse apparently. Eyeing her peer Kiriko inclined her head in as much of a bow as she was willing to give with her pride still stinging after that brat had absconded with her prisoner. “Aizawa-taichou,” she murmured, greeting the older Shinigami but providing no explanation for her presence. It was obvious enough from the prattling Haetora without any more breath being wasted herself.

Eyes darting towards the body in the center Kiriko's hands tightened as she heard that almost laconic greeting from the injured woman. Madre. She did not have to be a master of the romance tongues to understand what was being implied. A quick mental calculation and suddenly Kiriko felt like stabbing someone, viciously. Aizawa Allessandra. Presumed missing. Most Shinigami considered her dead and long gone by now. The adoptive daughter of Junko and Mokuba Aizawa and sister to Jasper and Mana. How delightful, just when she was starting to think that the noble families were dying out...

If her words were not the delirium talking then the adoptive Aizawa would have a long story to tell. There had to be a formal explanation for being gone this long, and one that would excuse the obvious assumption of desertion. Or worse. As a military force, you could not simply walk away from the Gotei and expect to waltz back in many months later. There were contracts, oaths, and obligations. And Aizawa had broken all of them with her disappearance.

Somehow the idea of having both the incriminating information and the power to make it stick was not as soothing as she would have wished. Kiriko had decided to set aside the power trips after Aneue but she hadn't realized she had also emotionally moved on. Stepping away from the wall and into the center of the room her suffocating reiatsu was enough to force the servants and healers to scurry out of her way, creating a clear platform of space from which to address the gathered gawkers. Facing the invalid Kiriko took a new assessment. Lacking all of the dirty clothes that had concealed the woman's form before Kiriko had to say she was slightly impressed Aizawa was fully conscious right now. And even joking. Then again, the spiritual body was a powerful thing. Kiriko would not underestimate her target, not when Allessandra was over two thousand years old and certainly more wily then one might expect.

“I apologize Aizawa-taichou for the intrusion but as you know there are laws regarding the reintegration of Shinigami who have been categorized as MIA,” she intoned, before turning slightly to stare down at the newest Aizawa. “Aizawa Allessandra-san my name is Chinda Kiriko. I am the Captain of the Nibantai. With your sudden appearance I am sure you would not object to answering my questions after your injuries are tended to,” she didn't phrase it as a choice so the demand lingered in the air. Unspoken threats curling like smoke around their faces despite her careful wording. She had no intention of instigating a fight with an angry mother. Aizawa-taichou was not very intimidating on her best days, but that did not mean there were not stories of her legendary protective nature.

WC: 972 | GP: 19 | Total GP: 31

Going down on his knee like that was an unnecessary action - she didn´t know if Jasper demanded such a show a respect, but she certainly didn´t. A simple "yes mam" or a nod of the head would have been sufficient. It didn´t bother her though, so she allowed the man, who haden´t told him her name yet, to do as he pleased. The focus here was, after all, the woman who literally had dropped out from the sky, and into one of the pools in the garden. Junko´s thoughts briefly wandered to the koi fish: They must have been so startled. Perhaps some had survived the impact and the shock that followed?

She would have to check later, cause there was a patient to check up on.

Stepping into the room fully, she approached the table, taking notice of Kiriko´s presence as well. Though she haden´t interacted much with the other woman, Junko trusted her fellow captain. Kiriko´s support to vote her as the next captain commander, haden´t been forgotten. If anything, she knew that her and the other female captain shared some views. And that was reason enough to trust her, for now at least. No time was given to question the woman though, as the patient spoke - in a voice that Junko recognized.

Ignoring the light pains in her lower body, she made her way towards the bed, nudging the medical staff away with both hands. Her heart jumped, and she started in disbelief at the woman. She didn´t speak, but as Kiriko approached, Junko instinctively put herself between the other captain, and her adopted child in the bed. 

"Yes there will be time for questioning after she has recovered, Kiriko-san". As she walked up to the bed, Junko slid her haori off. The white material left her body with little resistance, and she draped it over Allessandra. Smiling softly, and with tears forming at the corner of her eyes, she reached out and tugged one of the woman´s hands between both of her own. She tugged it lightly, being careful so that it would´t cause her pain. 

Her bottom lip quivered, and the tears started flowing down the marble cheeks. She cared little if others saw this - it was well known that she held her family close, so any rational thinkers would find the crying understandable. "..I have this horrible feeling that i´ll wake up, and this will simply be a dream. Or am I really holding your hand?". Her fingers started shaking lightly, so she tugged her hand a bit tighter. 

The injured Roman's eyes followed the parting crowd of the servants before allowing them to fall upon the woman she'd known as mother for several hundred years. She looked worse for ware, though not nearly as much so as Alless did, as she almost appeared to be limping. Her protective and caring nature was nearly as legendary as her mothers. Unfortunately the Captain of the Third diverted her course and came to stand between the Ninbantai Captain and herself. " Mother... " She muttered softly, though the words didn't make it much further than the scope of her own ears.

After standing in defense, she approached the bed before sliding off the haori that symbolized her position as Captain. The material was soft against her skin and offered a form of concealment from the prying eyes that might fall upon her slightly revealed figure. As renown as her protectiveness was Junko's smile, warm and inviting, able to soothe most anyone that gazed upon it. Her own hand came to be grasped, lightly but reassuringly held in the warm embrace of the motherly figures own. " It's no dream, Mother. " She ignored the pain in her frost bitten hand, pulling the small framed Captain into the bed beside her. " You shouldn't be here taking care of me. Not when you, too, are hurt. " The Aizawa Lady would find herself pulled closer into the embrace as Allessandra's lips came to press against her tear soaked porcelain cheek. " Let the staff do their job. You can stay, but you need to remain off your feet. Doctor's orders. " A joke. Sometimes the role of mother and daughter seemed to reverse.

Adjusting beneath the weight of her mother, Allessandra grunted. Moving was a chore, a painful one at that. If it weren't for her mother and the overwhelming presence of the Second Captain she probably would have passed out by now. Fortunately the will to speak with the woman she'd not seen in over a year allowed her to defy the odds. The bed creaked quietly beneath the shifting, which made it impossible to hear the others disappearance. However sight and sound weren't the only sense's she'd trained over her few millenia of living. " Thank you, boy. " She spoke out over the clattering of equipment. It wasn't much, but she hoped that she had heard him.

Beneath the haori a pair of hands could be felt as they carefully tended to the opened wound upon her shoulder. Freshly torn open and riddled with infection, the medical staff would have their work cut out for them once she refused the use of Kaido healing. To keep her mind off the pain that washed over her body in waves, the ivory haired Roman gazed upon at the coldest person in the room. " You needn't wait for your explanation, Chindra-Taicho. I'm more than well enough to explain my disappearance, and considering I'd rather not wake up in any sort of secret prison I'd prefer to get this over with now. "

Lids fell short over the eyes of Jupiter and a deep breath was gathered. Mentally she sorted the information in order of importance before slightly adjusting the truth. " I was at the battle of Hueco Mundo, charged with the protection and care of the other Captains. I am solely responsible for Tsukimiya-taichou living beyond his battle with an Espada. " Her perceptive blue eyes watched for any sort of reaction to her words. " After I tended to his wounds, and prepared him for his next battle I encountered an Arrancar. Through a series of unfortunate events he managed to both severely wound my right shoulder and force me through a Garganta. " Her hand rose, brushing strands of ivory behind blackened ears. " After drifted for however long I was spat out onto a mountain top in the middle of winter. " She'd have to alter her tale if she was to prevent the Captain from learning of her care by an Arrancar. " There I was found by a pair of Hollow's, nearing their evolution into Arrancar. Day in and day out they fed on my spiritual energy but never took enough to kill me. I was a replenish-able food source. At least twelve moons past before someone found me. A human to the best of my knowledge. After killing the fiends, he professed that he had no care for a Shinigami in his heart but refused to just let one day so miserably. He opened some sort of portal, and through it, sent me here. "

Two thousand years of living had its benefits. While she had to endure countless events of pain and suffering, she'd also had the time to perfect various traits that were often necessary to living. Lying being one of the many. Throughout the explanation she kept her tone as flat as possible, allowing only flecks of trauma to shine through during her tale of the depraved Hollow that fed upon her and a reasonable amount of gratitude when she explained the human that saved her. Yes, for Allessandra lying was as easy as telling the truth. While she didn't regret telling the lie to keep herself out of prison, she did feel some amount of remorse lying to the woman she'd only just met.

874/17(43)