An Eerie Discovery

‘Feeling things’ was never a strong suit for him.

Tokiyo stepped lightly across the courtyard as the late morning sun danced over the bustling scene.  Old men with bags of flour and sacks of rice.  Old women with buckets of water and carts of fruits.  Kids with sticks and dirties feet and knees from playing in the unrefined terrain.  

Yep.  Vintage Rukongai.

A Red Delicious apple dangled loosely between his fingers as he strolled about the district, lost amidst his memories, as distant from the Seireitei as he was from the reality around him.  And just started to stretch across his face was the faintest traces of a smile.  Memories were always sweeter when you looked back at them.  Or more bitter.  There was as many or more bad times for him out here as there were good but he was stable enough a person to be able to pick.

He raised the apple to his mouth and looked it over once more ; there was no change from the last time he had considered taking a bite, not that he expected there to be.  A quick bite, crisply taken from the upper bulk of the apple sent the ‘crunch’ ringing off the walls around him.  No one noticed, and if they did, they didn’t seem to care.

It was normal for Shinigami to be seen out here, sure, but it was ‘normal’ for them to be chasing bandits and mercenaries or cleaning up bodies or setting something or other on fire.  Tokiyo, on the other hand, was something of a fixture for entirely different reasons.

South-West District number seventy-two.  The name the locals had given it was ‘the Niwatori district’, and for lack of anything more flowing, it had caught on.  Some centuries before an old man had fled one of the inner districts in disgrace with no possessions to his name except the clothes on his back and a chicken.  He loved that bird so damn much that the locals kept him happy by getting him more.  And more.  And before long, District #72 was known for egg and poultry.

This was his home for nearly four hundred years.  An L-shaped tavern and inn on the back end of the district, low to the ground with a solid roof and a shoddy stable.  He knew this place like the back of his hands and he still to this day, nearly one hundred and thirty years after leaving to join the Academy, could walk these roads in his sleep.

But something today was off.  There were no words he could assign to it and no ‘instincts’ that told him what he was perceiving.  It was just a subtle, curious thing that he didn’t think was quite right that drew him deeper and deeper into the district.

There were no citizens of any mentionable spiritual pressure out this far.  Maybe a few who could have made it into the Academy if they had gotten fortunate enough to be noticed.  Maybe a few kids who might one day demonstrate their potential at the right time.  But the mercenaries spent most of their time further out, there were no nobles anywhere near here, and Shinigami patrols were likely to come through here once every other day at best.  Even then, it’d be two pieces of raw meat with no reasonable idea of how things were out here.  No, today Tokiyo didn’t really have a choice.  His gut had to be investigated.

As the afternoon wore on, his perception slowly sharpened and honed in.  An energy signature he’d never seen and had never felt before lingered just in front of him.  No one was screaming or running away from it, so it might be a fresh arrival to the Soul Society ; perhaps one of the fruits of Captain Umi’s new Jigokuchou!

As the distance closed and the sense turned from a dull pointing to a resonating beacon on the horizon, he knew he had to be close.  He had finally weaved far enough away from merchant’s carts and housing to a rural spot in a clearing.  And as Tokiyo rounded the corner of shed, the most surprising site caught his eye and drew his attention to the space right in front of his nose ; he could see his breath.

Word count // 715 = 14 || 14

To her great annoyance there wasn’t much she could get from this little pond. How long had she been here already, a few hours? Once in trace, the girl easily lost any perception on time and everything else around her. It was as if she was dreaming, far away, and unaware of anything or anyone that might have approached her. Though now that her blue eyes were wide open, she could feel a presence nearby, it was obviously someone she hadn’t encountered before. Of course not, chances were small that one of the two people she actually knew in this realm would stumble upon her already. The presence drew closer, and without losing any time, Kasumi tore her hands from the water around her, or actually, the ice. During her attempt to find out something about the place that she was in now, Kasumi had managed to freeze everything around her. With a few punches, she broke the ice, freeing herself more or less from the trap, before making her way to the bank. This was hopeless. She couldn’t find Alex like this; she would need to ask for help. Besides, there was another purpose for her being here, so she would need to find a Shinigami sooner or later.

Wringing some water out of her jeans, Kasumi got a better idea. Quickly, she froze the fabric, before breaking off the ice. That seemed to be working a bit better. Above that, she partly got rid of the mud that was hanging on her bare feet. A good thing that her sweater didn’t get soaked, that would have formed some issues. About to check out if the insides of her sweater were alright, the girl’s had to look up to her left, feeling the presence being a bit too close to her liking. She didn’t know who it was, and once her gaze met the sight of a bald man, the girl’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t seem to be aggressive; nothing about his way of walking indicated any hostility. That was a good thing. Though, who was he?

Unlike the others that Kasumi had encountered on the streets during her short stay here, his reiatsu was clear. Why wasn’t he hiding it? Was he as bad at it as she was? Or was there something else? Studying him for a few moments, Kasumi figured that he had to be a Shinigami. They all had weapons, right? It wouldn’t hurt to simply ask him a few questions.

“Hello, I’m Shinoda Kasumi, are you a Shinigami?”

Perhaps he was just another citizen of this place called the Rukongai? Blinking a few times, the girl tried to assess the situation. If she would need to run, she would need to be quick about it. There were no alleys around them, just the little forest behind her, that wouldn’t offer much shelter. Screaming wouldn’t really help either. Fighting, perhaps? He seemed strong.

“Can you help me with something? I’m looking for someone.”

For a second, her eyes went to the grass beneath her feet. Some of it was still covered with a thin layer of ice. It was really thin, but still there! Woah, she had to concentrate. Looking up again, the girl wondered how to put it. Either she could try to explain to him why she was here, or.. try to get to someone else. But who? Koudai? Or Kiriko?

“I was wondering if you know-

Now was that time that she would have to choose. Who would help her? She had seen Koudai not too long ago, though that was back on earth. Perhaps he was still there, working on his project? Unsure about it, Kasumi took a second to think. It would probably look weird to the man; hopefully he wouldn’t think that she was retarded. It was just.. that she didn’t want any of the Shinigami to get in trouble because of her, unless, there wasn’t any problem to begin with? Realizing how little she knew about the realm she was in now, the girl decided on the female Shinigami. Inclined to trust the woman, even after only one meeting, Kasumi continued.

a Shinigami by the name of Chinda Kiriko?”

Nervously, the girl waited for a reply. Her already messy hair, danced in the wind when a brief gust passed them both. Kasumi didn’t shiver, she was barely ever cold, and whenever she was, it certainly didn’t have to do with her own abilities.

“I just need to ask, and tell her something.. it’s important.”

The girl wasn’t even lying, it was important. For her.

|Words: 766 – GP 15 – TGP 45|

“Well denim is a new one.”  

“I’m guessing she didn’t get those from ‘round these parts.”

The little thing’s voice had surprised him, sure as anything.  Ultimately unsure of what he expected to find after he had noticed his chilled breath, Tokiyo knew this woman was the source the moment he laid his eyes upon her.

So out of place.  From the jeans that contrasted starkly with the worn, muted fabrics of the district’s citizens to the chilly aura that crept out from her that stole the warmth right out of the air on this otherwise summery afternoon.

There was no tightening in his jaw, no clenching of fists, no sweat on his brow, and no tingle in the back of his throat ; he felt no threat from this woman.  Tokiyo relaxed his shoulders a bit, releasing some of the tension he had cocked back in anticipation of his fight or flight response.  As a Lieutenant, it wasn’t a good idea for him to parade around in either the Seireitei or out in the Rukongai with his unrestrained might - his natural Reiatsu could be enough as it is - and so he found himself just on the safe side of paranoia.  Paranoia in the face of this tiny girl with snowflakes and wet clothes?  Absolutely.

If there’s one thing this life had taught him well, it was that terrifying things can come packed in the guise of a small, doe-eyed woman.

She spoke to him with confidence ; she didn’t seem worried about being cut down and she had no qualms about probing for information - a stance he could respect.  After all, what was the worst he could say?  No?  And she must have at least some familiarity with the ways of the world to know that posing no threat was far more likely to receive none in return rather than screaming and demanding whatever it was she wanted.

There was hesitation in her eyes and in her voice, just peeking its head out from behind the confident choice of words ; she knew she was not supposed to be here.  Her body language confirmed what the veteran was deducing...the nervous shifting of weight, dropping her eyes to her feet, scanning for escape routes, the strange aura around her.  This was a living, breathing, human that had somehow found its way in here.

“Shinoda Kasumi,” he bowed his head and acknowledged her greeting.  Tokiyo has carefully waiting for her to blurt out as much as it seemed she was going to before finally answering her.  Silence has a way of unnerving people with things they long to get off their chest, a technique that life on the streets had taught him well and that his Captain had dutifully reinforced.  And speaking of his Captain, what statistically insignificant odds that he, of all people, should run into this mortal.

“Welcome to the Seventy-Second, South-West district of the Rukongai.  I am indeed a Shinigami and I dare say a boon for you.  You are fortunate that someone with the luxury of experience found you first ; you and your...unique talents are an oddity out here.  I’m glad no one more rash reached you first.”  He took a few steps closer to her, with plenty of distance remaining between them.

“Or perhaps they did meet you first?  In which case, I’d appreciate you letting me know where you left them so I can fetch the proper number of body bags.”  A flailing stab at humor, punctuated with a weak grin laid overtop the end of the sentence.  But like any ‘good joke’, the content was at least half true.  What if she *had* already met with patrol forces and quietly subdued them.  To have found her way here she must be capable of...something.  And to have drawn no obvious attention from anyone who would alert a guard was no small feet.

“But to the point, I definitely know a Shinigami by that name and its a fantastic turn of fortune that you should be asking me that question.  There might not be anyone else in the whole of the Soul Society more equipped to bring you to the answer.”  His smile had risen from a weak, cursory grin to one of genuine pleasantness.

He allowed a pause for her to come to terms with this development, but wanted to waste no time in leading her along both literally and metaphorically.  “I will have to escort you, as you will find her nowhere near here.  And I need you to understand how...unusual this is.”

Tokiyo turned his body slightly to the side, no longer blocking the alley he walked down with his square shoulders.  His body language was as clear as he could make it ; the way laid behind him and he was ready to make this trip as pleasant as he could.  Provided she remained a pleasant guest.

Word count // 818 = 16 || 30

The man remained calm; there was no sign of him being angry, or displeased. He bowed, though didn’t give her his name. Kasumi might have thought it to be weird, but being unsure about the Shinigami’s habits, the girl bit back any possible remark. This wasn’t the time, and certainly not the place to be impolite. It was obvious that the man was able to help her, and to her great relief, he seemed to be willing to do it too. Giving him a little smile, she shook her head. While knowing that it was a mere joke, she still felt like giving him some sort of answer; even if it was a simple gesture that consisted of her jerking her head from side to side. Luckily enough she hadn’t encounter anyone of any significance. Not that she had been around the area for too long. There were a few people, who had seen her, and the man from the market, but none of that mattered.

His answers made her a little bit cautious. What if the man was lying? Though, why would he? Nodding, she forced herself to keep up the little smile, pushing back the odd feeling that was bordering fear. Why was it, that she felt so worried now? He hadn’t done anything wrong. Besides, Koudai had been friendly the first time she had met him as well, and Kasumi hadn’t been scared. Kiriko had been ..something that could be seen as friendly. Maybe it was more compassionate than friendly, then again, being concerned, or concerned enough to give someone your attention, even if it wasn’t for long, could be seen as kindness. Which made Kiriko kind.. but still stern and scary.

“Why are you the one that’s best equipped to bring me to her?”

Blinking a few times, the girl tried to hide her suspicion. It was a hard thing to do. Mostly, the girl didn’t get paranoid about others, certainly not this quickly. But now.. What if the man only told her what she wanted to hear? Perhaps he had some other plan, like taking her into custody? Or lead her back home, to earth? Some kind of trap.. who knew?

“And, where is she?”

She wasn’t being disrespectful. Her voice was simply curious, and slightly worried. Moving her feet over the grass, she soon walked over the paths that led them through the Rukongai. Escorting.. unusual? Her eyes studied the messy state of the streets they were walking through. Unlike most of them, her escort didn’t look dirty. Kasumi did, though her clothes were different from theirs.  Wondering why the man was wearing neat things, while they weren’t Kasumi bit her lip. Perhaps she could question someone else later. Maybe, after being done with the important things, she could find Koudai. The crazy scientist was always willing to answer her questions. Even when some of them.. seemed to annoy him in more than one way.

“You’ve said that this is unusual. Do you mean, that- is it because I’m a human?”

Secretly, deep down, Kasumi already thought to know the answer. And still. She still wanted to hear him say it. Was it that much of a deal then, for a human to come here? Watching her bare feet hit the dirt, Kasumi’s face turned into a grimace for a mere moment, a mask of annoyance when she stepped on a stone.

Time to do something about that!

Concentrating, she covered her soles with a thin layer of ice. One might think that she would easily slip, but she didn’t. Every time her feet hit the ground, a little bit of energy went through the ice, forming another layer on the ground, keeping her balanced for the short period of time that it took for her to move her foot again. The only bad thing about this was the fact that she left tracks, little footprints that consisted out of melting ice. Nothing big, nothing that would be a nuisance to anyone, but still noticeable, which was bad, in case that she had to run.

|Words: 681 – GP 13 – TGP 58|

“My my, you’re an inquisitive little thing.”  The smile stayed on his face, but on the inside it was fading.  If this girl was conning him, it was working.  She was playing at the role of the lost, lonely traveler exceptionally well.

“I am the best one to solve this problem for you because she is my Captain.  And I am her Lieutenant.  And she will speak with you, on her own time, where Captains spend their time ; in the Seireitei.”  Tokiyo was still just as pleasant as he had been but his tone has become more factual and impersonal.  Less warm.  He was a far cry from being short with the girl but his weary, old bones simply knew truths about the way things were, and the way things would, that this neophyte human’s short life could never get the chance to show her.

Kasumi was perceptive, he certainly had to give her that much credit.

Tokiyo motioned with his hand towards the alley he had walked out from, ushering his guest towards the Seireitei.  There wasn’t really any more delicate a way to put it.  He spoke to her firmly, “I would love to ask you how you arrived here...how it is I came to run into you...but I am certain you will be asked again when we arrive.  I will understand if you just want to walk.”

The veteran lined himself up to walk on her side and slightly behind her, guiding her in front of him as they would begin to wander the streets.  If the little thing decided to bolt, the least he could do to protect himself was to make sure she did it in plain view.

Something didn’t add up in all of this.  There was too little mischief being had and she was curiously pliant at the idea of visiting his Captain.  He’d keep his good eye on her.

Word count // 319 = 6 || 36

‘she is my captain’

Captain.

Kiriko was a captain?!

Digging through her memories, Kasumi was trying to fish up all the things she knew about them. Sadly, she didn’t really know much except from them being somewhat the leaders. How many squads were there again? Koudai had said that each of them was led by a captain, hadn’t he? Weren’t they supposed to be the strongest Shinigami? The old scientist had made the comparison of the Gotei being a military, with a fitting hierarchy. The captains had nothing to do with boats, their squad was their boat. Koudai himself was a part of the 4^th division; his captain had another name, besides, she was missing or something like that. This made it impossible for Kiriko to be the captain of the 4^th division, right? So.. which one was hers?

Sunken in deep thoughts, the girl didn’t pay attention to where she was walking anymore. She simply placed one foot after the other, making her way to the ‘Seireitei’. During this time, an odd feeling was spreading through her body, and she caught herself wondering if she should have asked for Koudai instead. With the woman already being so intimidating, the thought of her being one of this realm’s leaders only made Kasumi apprehensive about the meeting. What if the fact that Kasumi was here would infuriate her? Swallowing hard, she found her hand starting to shake. Cautiously hiding it in her dirty sleeve, the human’s face formed a pained look. Her blue eyes were staring at the path in front of her, and there was no trace of her usual cheery and bubbly behavior. Aside from the mental blow she had received just a bit ago, there was another challenge now. Would the Shinigami take it seriously? Would she even believe Kasumi that there was someone dangerous out there. Someone really strong, someone that brew dark and murderous plans, ones that could possible form a threat, even for Soul Society.. .

There was no way back now. There wasn’t even anything to go back to.

Apart from Tenko’s request, Kasumi had another mission. There was a soul she had to find, someone dear to her that she had to bring back home. For now though, she could at least use the time walking to get some more information on the situation she had gotten herself into. Titling her head to the side, Kasumi eyed the man escorting her.

“Which squad, there are six of them, right?”

Deciding that she wouldn’t tell him where she knew it from, the girl averted her eyes.

“How far is the Seireitei?”

Perhaps it would be better to draw his attention with something else. Make him forget about what he was about to say or ask by adding another question. Then again, it might be that he wasn’t as paranoid as she was. Though the man did seem distant.. Were all the Shinigami like that, stern and distant, with the exception of Koudai? The possibility was there that she would get an answer to that question soon enough.

|Words: 513  – GP 10  – TGP 68|

This girl was just full of questions and adorable curiosity, a combination normally reserved for children learning of the world around them.  And in many ways that wasn’t an incorrect assessment of their situation.  

Shinoda Kasumi, for all that she appeared to be, was in a land she didn’t understand among people she knew nothing about, asking about nouns she’d only heard used before.  While it wasn’t fair to call this woman a ‘child’ by any stretch, she was comparatively an infant to Tokiyo in his many centuries of experience and wide eyed wonder.  Humans did not suffer (or benefit) from the same problem that Shinigami did ; souls aged based on their power and capacity for strength.

Tokiyo appeared older than most in the Seireitei.  He had hit his lot later in life, aging steadily for over half of a millenium until he turned into weathered veteran he appeared to be today.  Decades in the sun, working and living in the Rukongai, biding his time until an invite to the Academy finally found him, gave him a unique appreciation for the concept of earning your wrinkles.

Many of the students that he went through Academy with appeared to be barely teennagers.  The Soul Society preferred to recruit students at their youngest, as soon as potential was shown, in order to maximize not only their direction later in life but to minimize the bad habits that come with age.  Unfortunately, powerful souls that grew and excellent in Academy...stayed looking young.  Fifty, one hundred, even two hundred years could pass before someone who might barely pass for sixteen years old, could convincingly appear to be twenty.  No one would be making that mistake with Tokiyo.

Meanwhile, Humans wore their age all over them even if spiritually aware ones often aged ‘slower’ than others.  Tokiyo had met hundreds, if not thousands, of humans in his long career.  They came, aged, then retired, and finally died in a number of years that barely made a dent in  the bigger picture.  Born, lived, old, dead.  Poof, just like that.

He had forged lasting relationships with Humans before, especially in his career in the Gotei, but they only lasted as long as Humans would allow them to last.  Fickle creatures, born of fleeting need to change the world around them before their pitiable life span reclaims their bodies to the dust from whence they came and sends their soul on to the Rukongai to live out their Second Life.

Kasumi looked young.  Too young to know so much about the Soul Society.  Too young to have so many questions.  Yet he couldn’t be made at her for being what she was ; all he could do was wonder what in the three realms could have aligned to have this Child of Earth asking for Chinda Kiriko.

“If you direct your eyes up over the rooftops you will see tall, gleaming walls of an off-white stone just barely coming into view.  Those are the outer boundaries of the Seireitei and can most reliably be marked as our ‘destination’, although they are not our endpoint.  Inside are housed six of our Court Guard Squads, the Gotei, where I will be taking you to the Nibantai.  Under the purview of the previously mentioned Captain Chinda Kiriko.”

He furrowed his brow passively, head still adrift in idle speculation at why she was here, and why she was looking to find a Captain (even though unintentionally).  “I’m infinitely curious why you need her, the Captain, specifically.  And before you continue with the indirect, deflected answers I would thank you to skip and assumption that they will spare you from having to answer the obvious, or that they will dissuade anyone from asking.”  He lowered his tone to a more serious pitch than it had been.  “Especially me.”

Word count // 636 = 12 || 48

Kasumi’s eyes travelled over the roof tops as she was trying to see whatever was hidden behind them. Though in order to succeed, she had to wait for a small gap between the houses to appear before she could actually get a look at what the man had been on about. That.. seemed to be so far away. No, they were so far away from their final destination. That was the reality. Rubbing her left eye, Kasumi continued to listen while they walked. So it was the second that Kiriko appeared to be the leader of. Not that it actually gave Kasumi a better idea about anything. She only knew that the 4^th had something to do with technology and experiments. The girl didn’t have a clue what the Nibantai was about.

“Because-

She couldn’t really be honest about it; she wasn’t even sure why she had picked Kiriko above Koudai. While the fact that he might be away had played a part, it hadn’t been the crucial one. Being a child, Kasumi was inclined to believe that Kiriko- who was a woman, would be more understanding and tender about the matter. Like Alex.

It stung.

she’s the only one around that I know.”

This wasn’t a complete lie. Perhaps she was the only on around. Kasumi didn’t know, hence this wasn’t really lying. Happy about having been able to find a way out, she took a deep breath. Sadness had started to drown her again; the thought of Alexandra being gone caused the hole inside of her stomach to grow. Slowly, Kasumi was starting to feel sick again. But she couldn’t possibly break down here and now. She had to push through and keep herself together.

His next comments made her feel cornered. Was that a threat? Her eyes looked alarmed when she turned her head to the side. She didn’t like him anymore. While she didn’t know him, she didn’t see him as friendly any longer. Different from the strangers she had met before, he sounded dangerous. Gritting her teeth, the girl wondered if she was overreacting. Was the sadness turning into anger again? Her heart pumped quickly, and she could feel the adrenaline rushing through her veins. Feeling challenged, Kasumi stubbornly decided that she wouldn’t tell him anything. And if Kiriko wouldn’t listen to her, she would simply find Koudai instead.

“Let’s play a game of tag to the wall.”

She said while the ice melted and reishi coated her feet.

“It’ll be fun.”

Was all she said before dashing off through the streets. Jumping higher, Kasumi landed on one of the wooden roofs, before accelerating into the direction of the wall. A faint green track could be seen as she moved, landing on a roof or some random wall from time to time, barely ever hitting the ground. It was fun to use the ability during day time for once. Figuring that people around here were used to others running ‘through the air’ once in a while, she didn’t pay attention to those who might see her. The wind caressed her face and the child enjoyed the speed before a thought shot through her mind. He had said they, who were they? Suddenly, her suspicion grew. What if he wasn’t planning to take her to Kiriko? What if they were heading elsewhere?

Tenko!

Then, she wouldn’t have another choice. She’d have to try to reach Tenko. Remembering what the older girl had said, Kasumi stopped dead in her tracks, staring at the immense wall in a few hundreds of yards in front of her. The white stone seemed to be stretching toward endlessly toward the sky. Some sweat was running down Kasumi’s temple and she wiped it off with her sleeve. Tenko had said that some might doubt her words, but they should believe Kasumi. If not, if things got worse, if everything would go wrong, she would get her out of this place.

But thing weren’t allowed to go wrong.

Accelerating a few times, she jumped onto the sand that led toward the wall. There was nothing in front of her but the sandy open area and the impressive construction. Behind this wall was the Seireitei. And that’s where she needed to be. She knew it; hence she followed the bald Shinigami. He was her way inside, another reason why she hadn’t tried to ditch him the moment she disliked his speech.

There was a gate, a guardian. Then, followed the herds of Shinigami, they were all over the place. She had never imagined there being so many of them. The closer they got to their destination, the more men acknowledged the Lieutenant next to her. Some straightened their backs, most nodded a few turned nervous. Slowly putting the puzzle together, Kasumi started to figure that Kiriko must be more than what Kasumi had thought that she was.  

|Words: 813 – GP 16 – TGP 84|

Why do they always want to run?

The girl leapt off into action leaving only her faint, entirely out of place smell and small, wet footprints on the dusty Rukongai road that they traveled.  Tokiyo adjusted his obi and quickened his walk only slightly; he knew he would have difficulty keeping up with her youthful energy even hustling between the crowds in the slums.  But, with his knowledge of the terrain and street layout and a little self-aid from using his Shunpo between roofs, there wasn’t anything exceedingly challenging about keeping her in his sight.

But what would drive someone who was effectively a prisoner to race *towards* their prison?

He caught up with her in good time even after the long sprint towards the gleaming, white walls and structures that defined the Seireitei.  Kasumi’s efforts to run were not a genuine escape but rather a genuine pursuit of amusement and to call that perplexing for a man so old as Tokiyo would be an amusing understatement.

How could she, here in a world so alien to her as to evoke countless questions only a few short minutes prior, disregard it all in favor of a footrace?  What within her was so indomitable that her mood seemed to only brighten as she approached the literal heart of the wolves den?

It’s entirely possible that it is nothing more than ignorance.  She may very easily be a mind wrapped so completely in something she doesn’t understand that she doesn’t have the slightest chance at breaking through it.  And if that’s the case, why *not* approach it with, uh, childlike wonder?

The time to ponder was at an end and they were on the gates in no time.  A quick flash of Shunpo and Tokiyo had caught back up to her, eager to precede her entry unless she were ready to be converted into a pincushion.

Their speed had slowed back down to a brisk walk, as his ‘guests’ wide eyed wonderment took over.  A sight so uniform and alien as this must be breathtaking or at least highly jarring for a mere Human, let alone one so young and naive.  It was easy enough to lead her through courtyards and between gardens and barracks.  And soon, the pristine outside shell of the Seireitei gave way to the more stark and efficient construction of the military wards.  Towering command buildings, uniform guard posts, and relentlessly used training grounds took over.

Tokiyo pushed a large wooden door open, leading the pair inside a one-story building with very few windows.  A few hushed whispers, exchanged glances, knowing nods, and in minutes flat Kasumi was led into a small room covered in tatami mat and with two, opposite facing, sitting pillows being its only discerning features.

He waited in the doorway; his Captain should have already received word.

Something didn’t add up, and Kiriko would quickly see to the truth of it.

Word count // 487 = 9 || 57

Kiriko covered her mounting shock with motion. It was an extreme method she hadn't had to employ for some time, but hearing that a human girl by the name of Kasumi had been found wandering Rukongai was enough of a disturbance that she hadn't felt comfortable with her ability to mask the knowledge in her eyes. It wasn't hugely important because the man who had given her the report had already turned to leave, but the act was so ingrained in her psyche that she was standing before even realizing why.

Kasumi. She knew of one human by that name. Shinoda-san. That damned inquisitive little kid who had somehow convinced Kiriko to teach her Shunko. For an intense second she almost felt sulky, a bizarre emotion in one so controlled and adult as Kiriko. “See, Hahaue? See where your kindness has led us?” she muttered to an empty room, her fingers already clasping the sheath of her Zanpkautou as Kiriko strode towards the door to her office.

Then the feeling was gone, the stiff floor beneath her tabi socks enough to rock her back into precision and professionalism. Sliding the katana into her obi, Kiriko straightened the blade so that it hung neatly at her side and left the Command Annex. Turning she headed inward towards one of the many buildings that dotted the middle of the Second Division's land.

Any confusion or doubt was washed away the moment she caught a whiff of the girl's tell-tale reiatsu signature. It was hard to miss here in a city of dead souls. This was going to be a tedious report, she could already tell. Something pressed Kiriko to hurry though, and she entered the winding halls of an undisclosed building and paused before just one more nondescript door.

Allowing her tension to flow away, down her legs and into the floor, Kiriko slid open the shoji with a palpable bang and strode into the room. She ignored Fujikagi entirely, certain that he would be watching and would catch any signs that she herself missed. Eyes boring into the young girl, Kiriko was inordinately pleased to see that she looked none the worse for wear. She had no ties to this child. No obligations. And yet...

“Damn you, Hahaue,” this time her words were spoken mentally, at the same time as she snapped out loud, “Shinoda-san, what are you doing here?” Kiriko didn't quite catch on fast enough, but some small part of herself flinched at using such a tone on the tiny child. On a strange level Kasumi's purity was appealing, even as all the angry and broken pieces inside of her cried out to destroy it before the girl got hurt worse by this world. 

WC: 455 | GP: 9 | Total GP: 9

He had to question if he should even still be there.  The girl had not taken well to him and while she was not being openly rebellious because of it, she was being decidedly opposed.  This could work to their advantage.  As cold as Kiriko could be, a little ‘good Shinigami, bad Shinigami’ might server their interrogation.

Yes, that would make Kiriko the good cop.

The absurdity that the most calculating and overtly cold woman in the entirety of the Seireitei was going to be ‘the nice one’ in the room was actually...working?

‘Please don’t be mad’

‘I didn’t know who else to turn to’...

This little Mortal actually…trusted Kiriko from some prior engagement.  It wasn’t an After-Action Report that Tokiyo remembered reading?  Perhaps an unfiled encounter.  Or an older one.  But she couldn’t be more than twenty by the looks of her; she wouldn’t be able to stay off the books for very long.

Inclining his head slightly, Tokiyo crossed his arms and continued to observe the two of them.  He remained silent.  But he remained present.  All Kiriko had to do was accept the trust and these floodgates were about to come wide open.

Word count // 200 = 4 || 61

She froze, going utterly and preternaturally still as those fragile arms closed in around her. She could have dodged. She knew that she could have. Had seen the forward motion a mile away, but hadn't actually known what... what it was that Kasumi was doing until those little hands had begun to clutch at her hakama and that tear-bright face had been pressed into her abdomen. Claws of panic rose up to tear and rend at her heart, and Kiriko felt her breath hitch in a complete abandonment of protocol. Of control. Of herself.

Slowly, carefully, with such precision that she was afraid anything else might cause her body to break, Kiriko lifted her own arms and gently patted the girl on the head. She tried to remember the pushed away and hazy memories of her Oneesama, of the one person who had ever showed her affection and treated her like a child. It was hard to recall, but this seemed appropriate, if slightly stiff and modulated.

The side of her that moved past shock first immediately saw the upside to these turns of events. The gains that could be made from such outward signs of trust. The opportunity. It shouldn't had hurt that that was her first thought, it shouldn't have. But somewhere inside Kiriko winced at her own callous nature. Using an eleven year old's terror and grief for her own political gains. That was worse then not knowing what to do. The warmth of the child's arms was almost enough to make her really regret her quick decision, but she steeled her heart into silence and moved forward irregardless. This was bigger then herself. If a human was in Soul Society, it might even be bigger then Kasumi and the Second.

“I see,” she intoned, her voice quiet and almost toneless. Bad start. Well, better start then before but how was she supposed to deal with a recalcitrant child? Normally Kiriko was working with people who had to be beat over the head with their own incompetence, but here was Shinoda giving her apologies with those teary eyes. The girl was already full of regret, and Kiriko wasn't going to benefit from punishing her further.

Working to soften her tone, or at least make it a bit more welcoming, Kiriko watched as Shinoda released her and darted towards a pillow. The sudden loss of contact coming as an oddly physical blow to her soul. Stepping forward, she knelt before the seated girl, her expression smooth so as not to appear angry. Truthfully her earlier anger was nowhere to be seen, this was far too interesting for it to linger any longer.

“I am glad that you trusted me enough to come find me. You did well, Shinoda-san. I apologize for my previous lapse, I was worried about you and it made me angry. It is not safe for you here and I do not want you to be in danger. Please tell me why you've come, and how you got here,” she spoke with an unusual gentleness, letting her personal feelings leak through just enough to make it more authentic. Kiriko didn't want to care about Shinoda. She wanted to hate her. Or at least to not even consider her worthy of thought. But those mirror-bright eyes and that tentative smile was so hard to ignore for some reason. It pained her that she was unable to cull such thoughts from her own mind, and yet some small part of her was glad as well. She wasn't that far gone... There was still room for an appreciation of innocence.  

WC: 602 | GP: 12 | Total GP: 21

Hanging on Kiriko's every word, Kasumi felt her heart swell. The tight knot in her throat, the sickening feeling in her stomach and the unnerving feeling of dread, caused by the idea of having picked wrong, disappeared all at once. There was still plenty of sadness, but at least she was safe now. And even with Kiriko saying the opposite, Kasumi just felt safe. Her eyes were still glued to the woman's face, brightening the moment that Kasumi noticed the absence of anger. The girl could feel how a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips, and she couldn't stop it from forming because she simply felt so relieved about being accepted. Easily agreeing to someone being angry when worried, she nodded slowly. The question of why Kiriko would even care about her safety in the first place, didn't even come to mind.

Grief...is all too powerful a motivator.  And for such a young girl to be so motivated to find her mother to cross worlds and brave such an incalculable unknown?  Admirable.  But maybe this young human, this Kasumi, merely didn’t understand what she was doing.  She didn’t know what rules she was playing under.

There was a little thing that folks referred to as “Beginner’s Luck” that seemed to settle into the mould of Kasumi Shinoda more with each move of her trembling, tear soaked lips.  In war, and in game, and in all things, experienced people come to appreciate tried and true tactics.  Understand strategy and expectation.  Their minds unintentionally become burdened by a set of rules and skills that they have learned succeed.  And what happens when they must cope with a new mind not bound by such strictures?

This.  This is what happens.  A little girl runs roughshod on the Rukongai and entangles herself into the mind of the most powerful Captain in the Soul Society.

Kiriko’s mind was impossible to read; her body language a perfect and practised facade of undecipherable intent.  Tokiyo...’knew’ her only in so well as he could expect what she was up to based on the world she chose.  The familiarity was obvious, but almost dangerously strong.  This girl was so young, how could Kiriko have come to be so comfortable?

Perhaps it were merely the allure of a wide-eyed, lost girl who was truly, in the most appreciable sense, innocent.  Perhaps Kiriko clung so close to Kasumi because, well, she had nothing inside of her to make due.

Tokiyo resigned that he would probably never know.  However the emotional display was making him awkward.  Too genuine.  Too real.  Any excuse to leave the room.

“Captain, can I get either of you anything, or is there someone you might like me to summon?”

Word count // 312 = 6 || 67

Stilling her senses, her dizzying desire to reach out and do something unseemly, Kiriko focused on the trail of words dribbling from Kasumi's mouth. Fixcating on the names, the details, the emotions. Kasumi wasn't lying, but she was confused. And confusion made her story blurry, hazy enough that Kiriko was certain there were things being left out and important parts obscured. Still, the gist was quite clear. And quite incomprehensible.

Tenko. Kirishi. A human who could threaten the safety of Soul Society? A human that held some sway over their world? It was not very realistic. And yet... Those names seemed oddly familiar. Had they been in the report from Fujikagi? On those lists and lists of names that had arisen from the Second's close watch over the human world? Closing her eyes, she recalled the pages with perfect mimicry. Scanning up and down as quickly as possible. But... She could not be sure. Where had she heard of those names before?

Kiriko turned a half-quarter, her focus still on Shinoda, as she pierced Fujikagi with a quick glance. There were so many things she wanted to tell him, to bark at him, orders and questions and demands. But with the girl here, they had to play this game. A game that she wasn't so sure she enjoyed. Not when the toy they were batting around was... Kasumi, a sweet hearted girl who had come to the land of the dead to find her own Mother. That story was painful enough to hear, more because Kiriko couldn't understand the emotion behind it. Her own mother had died with nary a tear from her daughter. What would it be like to love that deeply?

“Fujikagi-san... If you would, please ask someone to bring in tea. Chamomile would be best. Then I would like you to look into our files. Those names are familiar in some way. Report back to me on what information we have on Tenko and Kirishi.”

The very notion that Tenko could create a portal into Soul Society was insane. No one could do that unless they were working with the same technology as the Shinigami, and that would have been noticable. And yet... Shinoda had gotten here somehow, the proof was right in front of them. Kiriko leaned forward, gently brushing the ice from the girl's cheeks with delicate pressure, “And check with the Fourth, make sure that no one has opened a Senkaimon gate in the same vicinity as you found Shinoda-san.”

Kiriko turned her back on her Lieutenant then and there, unwilling to address the questions in his eyes. Let him think about this, let him imagine his own answers. She would deal with them later. She was a professional, and she would not let go of the goal just to assuage her image. Her hands dropped carefully from Kasumi's cheek to her shoulder, contact gentle and solid. Human psychology could be rendered to simple tenets and she knew just what to do to engender the feelings that she needed out of this little girl.

“Don't worry, Shinoda-san. I believe you. But I need to figure out what to do with this information. Do you have anything else to tell me? Any more warnings? Does this... Tenko know what her sister is planning? Could we perhaps go to meet her and discuss her fears?”

WC: 559 | GP: 11 | Total GP: 32

If it hadn’t been for the obvious fear and worry in her eyes, Kasumi would have turned her head to face the man who had brought her here. She was vaguely aware of the fact that she might have seemed rude to him. He did help her, and she had never thanked him for bringing her to the Captain. However, her brain didn’t register that as something that was important enough to give it too many thoughts, at least not now.

Tea?-

Tea and orders. And yet, unlike at the start, Kiriko looked so calm, or was it, so in control? Whatever it was, Kasumi couldn’t help but to absorb it, or more accurately put the comfort it provided. The woman’s behavior, perhaps even her mere presence, caused Kasumi to relax more and more. Especially now, when her voice held no anger, the girl suddenly felt tired. Ever since she had gotten to this realm, Kasumi had been acting enthusiastically, recklessly and loudly. It was a mechanism made to keep her going, to hide the fear and doubt which she actually felt. Now that she had shown a big part of her true emotions, Kasumi felt drained. There was no rush, no adrenaline that forced her to run or answer in some cheeky manner. Nothing but a strange weight that threatened to squeeze her in a non-too gentle way. Unsure about what it actually was, Kasumi blinked when the woman reached out, though didn’t move. For one, she was exhausted. And secondly, she fully trusted Kiriko not to hurt her.

As the pieces of ice were wiped off, Kasumi felt the last bits of panic being crushed by the feather light touch. This little gesture held so much kindness in Kasumi’s eyes that she really had to put some effort into staying where she was. Her hands moved up a little, before dropping back onto the pillow. There was a strange need for another hug, more protection – safety. But this wasn’t Alexandra. This wasn’t her mother. This was someone else. She had to keep that in mind, otherwise it might be unfair. Not that she could replace Alexandra so easily, if she had been capable of that, she wouldn’t have come. Therefore, it wouldn’t be fair, it wouldn’t be right to use Kiriko that way. But.. wasn’t she already doing just that? A sudden wave of guilt caused the girl to flinch lightly. The warmth in the form of the woman’s hands didn’t make resisting more possible comfort any easier.

“I –I don’t know.”

More guilt.

Averting her eyes toward the ground, she dug her fingers deeper into the pillow she sat on. She didn’t know, and it made her feel as if she was failing the one who was trying to help her.

Stop with the self-pity!

Man up, and don’t cry, crying won’t help.

“She might still be at the mall.. It’s where I met her. Mom used to.. work there, on projects. It’s not a real mall, it used to be, but she changed the interior. When I came home and didn’t feel her presence, I assumed that she was working, but.. there was no presence at all. So I went to look for her and.. and –.”

Now she was here.

“I don’t know how she got there, I –oh. She said to pay attention at the .. the gates?”

Yes, the gates. How did she forget to mention that?

“And those that might.. betray. I don’t know who, she only said that there might be people that work for Kirishi, and help her, with whatever she is planning. I’m sorry.”

While her eyes had been directed on the Captain’s face while speaking, Kasumi turned them toward the door when apologizing. She wasn’t even sure what she was sorry for. For bringing this “trouble” here? For not being able to tell her more? – Something else entirely?  Clasping her hands together, she considered the last questions.

Meeting.

Kasumi only had one way how to contact Tenko. At least, that’s what the older girl had told her. And Kasumi wasn’t really sure that she was ready for that, now. Unable to lie, she simply didn’t answer, hoping that Kiriko would go on about the other things that had been mentioned. The pills were hidden in her clothes, but would they work? Were they dangerous? Tenko hadn’t done anything wrong. What if Kiriko would be mean to her? Or the way around? Even the idea of one of them getting hurt because of Kasumi’s actions was unbearable.  

"And there was something about Japan as well! Shinigami there might be in danger."

It was better to try than not to.

|Words: 780 – GP 15 – TGP 133|

What exactly does this Tenko think there is to accomplish here?  Could she just be some hopped up boogeyman made to seem a threat far more than needed to because of the delusions of this...infantile thing in the interrogation room?  It was clearly a rhetorical question but as he asked it only to himself, Tokiyo needed but a split second for the answer to rise up from the depths and glare back at him - Absolutely possible.

Regardless of his personal investment in bringing Kasumi here, this was clearly a matter Kiriko had both influence of and understanding of.  And it was something he was happy to wash his hands of; he was far more concerned about deciphering just how this human woman got here in the first place and it was an event he preferred to investigate himself rather than take her word on.  The Captain mercifully relieved him to go about that duty, both of them apparently sharing the skepticism regarding a manifested portal.

Kiriko’s trust was important, and he was glad to have it.  Likewise, he trusted her to melt away all the childish impurities and extract the information they needed from her ‘guest’.  She was, afterall, the Captain of the Nibantai.

[Thread Exit, sorry for holding this up]

Word count // 208 = 4 || 71