a thread in which two young girls plan the future of the got

As the last inch of the cut caused by the desperate outburst of the traitor closed beneath Kasumi’s Kaidō covered fingers she adjusted her uniform and flattened the sides of the foreign haori which ran along her body. The sleeves would have to be removed; Nagisa’s sleeveless one had suited her far better. There was simply too much fabric here, she almost felt threatened by the amount of white that formed such a stark contrast against her Shihakushō.

Inhaling deeply in order to remain calm, she returned to the papers scattered across the wooden desk. It felt so wrong to be going through Tokiyo’s stuff the way she was now. The man was barely gone and her fingers were already digging into the potential crooks which he had formed during his time as the Commander. Nothing about this was normal. Kasumi knew that much as she unfolded one of the lists she had dug up during the first few minutes after her entrance in his private quarters.

It’s as if I’m going through his testament while he’s barely buried..

She wasn’t even convinced that she had the right to be doing what she did. Of course, there really wasn’t anyone to stop her, not with the Firsts emblem on her back.

Hearing the opening of the door she looked up with a certain suspicion marking her face - a part of her felt busted while sneaking around someone else’s place, but she knew that the feeling had to be ignored, she wasn’t allowed to panic as quickly as she used to. To her visible relief the one who was making their way toward her was simply Hazuki.

“Captain.” White locks slid across her shoulder when she briefly nodded.

A couple of weeks ago Kasumi would have laughed if someone had merely implied that there would be a moment in her life where she would be somewhat happy to see Hazuki.

Never say never.., she thought slightly amused before turning her attention to the older Shinigami.

“Yes, that would be nice.” Kasumi replied dryly with the paper still clutched in her left hand. All of her relief about Hazuki being here was quickly flowing into the annoyance she felt about the whole situation. Everything was a mess.

“Perhaps you can tell me, Hazuki,” gesturing at the papers, Kasumi looked up with slightly widened eyes. “what the hell were you thinking?”

The disbelief had been clear, though she managed to recover much quicker than usually and soon the icy facade from before was back. Letting the cold seep into her skin she urged herself to keep her gaze on the other Captain while waiting for an explanation that went a little further than ‘Nagisa is a Vaizard and I didn’t want to carry the burden’.

“Don’t worry, now that I’m here I won’t be going anywhere. The Gotei needs..” A pause followed, Kasumi searched for the right words but her thoughts slipped away like water through your fingers.

Me? More structure? Change?

“governance.”


Words: 500

*facepalms*

‘Yes,’ intoned Hazuki, eyeing the stacks of documents. ‘It does need a firm hand to guide it.’ She pursed her lips slightly as she surveyed the chaos, such as it was.

‘That’s why I chose you. We chose you. Politically, having Nagisa take charge would have been a misstep—in the event of either Fujikagi or Minamoto’s return,’—or perhaps both—‘I felt it best to have her remain steadfast in her devotion to her division. Uprooting her from the Second was not the wise move to make. I don’t want to be captain, let alone commander, so I was out. Those who say the burden of authority is best carried by those who don’t want to bear it are fools; in a position like yours, vision is everything.’

She approached the desk, delicately leafing through a few of the sheafs of paper there, idly scanning them for anything interesting. Her efforts were not rewarded.

‘No, with Nagisa in the Second and myself out of the picture, we were left only with you. The newest addition to the ranks of senior command, in many ways still wet behind the ears.’ Her tone was matter-of-fact; these were undeniable truths, not personal judgments.

‘That, Kasumi, is why you were a perfect fit. Do you know what the First Division motto is? Lead by example. The very same thing I told you to do when you came to me before all this happened.’ It was a motto Hazuki had taken to heart once, and even after all she had been through, she liked to imagine it was one she had stuck to. Lead by example. The very first lesson her own mentor had so energetically hammered home, and one that had drawn her inexorably to the First Division. All history was cyclical.

‘You see, you have a desire not only to prove yourself, but to improve yourself. We need someone to lead the Gotei, and I can think of no one better than you. You will do your best, you will grow, and the Gotei will grow with you. Of that I am certain.’

Just as she was certain they had not seen the last of Shun Minamoto. This had happened before, after all—how could Hazuki forget the day she first released her Shikai? Captain Minamoto has gone missing, the Hell Butterfly had relayed to her, there one second and gone in the next. He would be back, now as then.

‘What’s most important now is that we give ourselves a strong foundation to build on in the coming days. The right people in the right places.’

Hazuki was no grand strategist—she had no master plan—but she had given the matter some thought on the way over and for all her late parents’ love and tenderness she was the daughter of a spy and an assassin. Certain opportunities, she had learned very early in her childhood, could not be ignored.

‘That’s why I’m resigning as captain of the Third, effective immediately.’


°501

The implication Hazuki was making was clear enough - as long as they weren’t certain about the Captains’ deaths, they would have to take into account the possibility of one, or both, of them returning. Still, that couldn’t prevent them from moving forward, shouldn’t prevent Kasumi from acting. Even if she was feeling rather lost when it came down to her position and the more detailed state of the Gotei affairs, she would still have to do things. And in order to be able to do that.. she had to learn. A lot. Real fast. But.. a Captain’s seat wasn’t the perfect spot to be learning how to do things, and a Commander’s haori was even worse, but perhaps.. no, not perhaps, Hazuki was right.

Folding the paper in her hand with a light sigh, Kasumi put it away in her pocket before briefly rubbing the bridge of her nose in something akin to mild frustration. Of course, she would do her best. It would be insane to drop everything now and lay back with your feet on the table with hopes of everything working out on its own.

“Excuse me?”

She didn’t hide the disbelief on her face or the surprise mingled with heavy annoyance in her voice. How did she even dare to think of resigning on such a critical moment like this one?

“Hazuki, are you insane?” Anger came lurking from behind all of Kasumi’s icy facade as her voice rose a bit in volume. She didn’t want to scream at her.. was this a Captain? .., but she wasn’t sure if she could keep herself calm for much longer. The responsibility weighed down heavier on her with every passing minute and now one of the two supporting forces she had was trying to quit?!

“If you think that I’ll let you walk off like half of the Captains have so far then you are mistaken.” Shaking her head from side to side she almost hissed when continuing to - secretly panic - rage. “Don’t tell me that this is all just a game to you. You’re one of the pillars this system leans on! There is no way that you can go ahead and fucking resign.”

What was she supposed to do? Appoint the Lieutenant? Send for some promising students from the Academy to fill in the gaps?

Kasumi’s head was spinning, she felt betrayed, but had to calm down and think rationally. Biting her lip the young woman inhaled deeply in order to refrain from violence.

“If you leave the Third behind, you’ll still be placed in a position of leadership. I’m not wasting your potential no matter what your reasons are.” Upset, angry.

She managed to swallow and keep her gaze on the woman who’s been giving out orders so naturally while Kasumi has always struggled with forcing people to do what she wanted them to, even when it was the professional type of solution.

“So, who do you suggest to follow you up? Your Lieutenant?”

Something about Hazuki’s face told Kasumi that she was about to suggest way more than that.


Words: 514/ 1014

She couldn’t help but smile. Not necessarily at the distress she had caused in her young Commander, but at what that distress meant: Hazuki had made herself too valuable to be without. She was—at least to Kasumi—indispensable. It was a good feeling.

‘Of course I can resign,’ she said, ‘and I will. I am, however, not going anywhere. In fact, I have an idea you may find yourself quite receptive to.’ She held up a hand with all five of her fingers splayed out. ‘This Gotei has five divisions: Administration, covert operations and law enforcement, medical support, research, and infantry.’ She ticked each one off with a finger, starting with her thumb. ‘Some divisions have a few extra responsibilities, but none that directly conflict with their main objective. None, that is, except for the Second.’

She walked over to the window, the view as breathtaking as ever. From here, she could see the treetops of the park that surrounded the Second Division highlands. Beyond them, she thought she could make out the tip of her very own apartment building. For a moment, she wondered what Rania was up to, then she turned back to Kasumi.

‘You see, the Second is comprised not only of elite Shinigami trained for stealth and subterfuge, but also of Shinigami who are tasked with upholding the law. Ever since the Sixth was disbanded—perhaps rightfully so—the Second has been forced into an uncomfortable situation by operating outside the confines of its original purpose.’

Blame, of course, could be laid squarely at Kiriko’s feet, but by all accounts she never had been much of a leader. Neither, really, had her immediate successor, but then Hazuki had been spoiled. Her mother had been very good at her job.

‘The Sixth was ineffective with its enforcement of the law’—or so she had read, anyway—‘and the Second wasn’t much better. Too large, to unwieldy, and in my mind, too limited by the scope of what a division of the Gotei should be. I think you’ll agree with me when I say that we need change on this front, now more than ever, and that is why I’m proposing the following: a new, smaller organization, separate from the Gotei but under the direct authority of the Captain-Commander. An organization dedicated to the pursuit of justice and the keeping of the peace. Call it...’

She paused. There were options here, certainly, but there was one that stuck out as being particularly innocuous, the perfect fit for what Hazuki had in mind.

‘Call it the Public Safety Office. And put me in charge.’


°436

If it wasn’t for the haori she wore the young Commander would have kicked Hazuki in the shin by now. It wasn’t the smile that bothered her the most, it was the way this woman had somehow managed to corner her so easily. Being new to this game left Kasumi in a vulnerable position, and while Hazuki certainly wasn’t toothless, it was better to make notes now and learn from the raven head than show her inner turmoil to someone who didn’t already know about it.

Reading the piece of paper hidden behind the list in her hand, she folded the both of them and put them away in her pocket for later. At the moment she seemed to have other things to deal with such as Hazuki’s riddles, which quickly turned out to be facts. The things the former Captain was talking about couldn’t really be argued against; as a former member of the Second, Kasumi had seen firsthand how the mingling of the Second with the Sixth turned out to be rather odd. There had been a certain tension in the air between the two groups, and while things had settled by now, it was still visible that the pride regarding one’s position and purpose in the Gotei was suffering at both sides.

Either she’s spoken to Nagisa about this or she has a damn good eye for these things.., the last part of the thought almost caused Kasumi to feel slightly jealous. Childish, really. Hazuki brought out a part of Kasumi to the surface which the girl had hoped to have buried entirely.

“Public Safety Office..”

She tasted the words and tried to weigh the meaning behind them. Putting Hazuki at the head of a new organization wasn’t a terribly huge step. The woman had been a Captain till.. till what? For all people knew she still was the head of the Third.

Frowning slightly she leaned back against whatever had been placed behind the desk by Tokiyo, and watched Hazuki closely. The first thing that came to mind was the worry she felt regarding Nagisa’s opinion in this matter, but soon realized that it would be better, the older Chinda would understand, and that, in the end, Kasumi was the Captain Commander.

“Let’s say..” she thought, tried to find out what was the best option to do and decided to simply being honest. “I agree with this, because I’ve seen how unnatural the situation was in the Second.”

The more she spoke, the less hesitant she sounded. By the time she hit the next stage, Kasumi felt rather comfortable talking about changing the Gotei, mostly because that was the very reason she had accepted this position, not to sit and wait, but to act and bring change.

“We take the most prominent members of the former 6th, or any suitable members from other divisions, give it structure and have you lead it.” The practical parts jumped in front of Kasumi’s eyes; the structure, the laws, the new organization’s location..

Potential danger has to be dealt with.. traitors, deserters..

She bit her lip.

Not a lot would change, Nagisa would simply have a lesser area to cover and both parties would become more efficient. That was a good thing, right?
Carefully watching Hazuki with a pensive expression, Kasumi frowned lightly.

“I assume that you’ll need access to a lot of ..information.”

Somehow, she wasn’t so certain about the Second wanting to open their archives, the Third their Library or the Fourth their research.. She didn’t even want to think about the complicated system of ordering files that Murat had in the First.


Words: 605/ 1619

‘Eventually, yes, but then it’s nothing I haven’t been cleared for already,’ she said, waving her hand dismissively. Lieutenant of the Fourth, Captain of the Third—there wasn’t much left in Seireitei Hazuki hadn’t been allowed to peruse at her own discretion at this point, so she failed to see the problem.

‘More importantly, we’ll require headquarters. I won’t be needing anything fancy, some old buildings in the middle of Seireitei will do nicely and I’ll take it from there. As long as I have the space and I can choose my own subordinates, we should be up and running in no time. I can even smooth out the finer points of the transition myself with Nagisa if needs be.’

Somehow, Hazuki doubted she’d mind much. Or at all. In fact, odds were Nagisa would actually thank her. It was difficult keeping the satisfied smile off her own face, really—cutting to the heart of the matter had always been Hazuki’s greatest strength but rarely was it received so... Well.

‘I don’t want something big and clumsy,’ she continued, looking out the window once more, ‘or I may as well have asked for a new division. What I want is a small group of dedicated Shinigami, focused on the serious crimes. Treason. Murder. Gross dereliction of duty. Desertion. Most breaches of discipline will still be handled by the captains, of course—as is their right—but we need something that can cut past all the bureaucratic nonsense and quibbling over jurisdiction.’

The unspoken statement there, of course, was that what she really wanted was people who were willing to bend the rules ever so slightly in order to better preserve order. There were fancy terms for that sort of thing, of course—the monopoly on violence, for example—but for Hazuki it boiled down to something far simpler. She was above the rules. Her duty was to make sure everyone else followed them.

From the window, she searched for a suitable location—given that this was the Captain-Commander’s office and fairly centrally situated, pretty much anything in view from here would suit her needs nicely, but without a plan of the city at hand the task was tedious, so she gave up. Better to sit down and give it her undivided attention at some point later that day. For now, there were other matters to discuss.

‘All that aside, how well-versed are you in Fujikagi’s affairs?’


°406

Somehow Kasumi didn't feel as if Hazuki was bluffing about the access she's had so far to various types of information; a Captain, especially one of the Third, had more than enough records piled up, and plenty of pull when it came down to gathering more of them whenever it became necessary. Besides, having been Shuns Lieutenant must have meant something, too. Hence, there literally was no reason not to try this idea out, especially not if the organization would actually function the way it was supposed to, and therefore help Kasumi structure the Gotei the way it had to be in order to keep the balance of the souls intact.

“We can see to the facilities and all of the paperwork in the following days, the rebuilding is moving forward with a steady pace, so I don't think that it will take too long before it's clear which barracks can be missed.” That, or she'll have to shift around with some of the offices.

“I'll talk to Nagisa, but yes, you guys should work out the details.” Hopefully the older Chinda wouldn't slap Kasumi with the words of the Public Safety Office being a retarded idea. For her first decision made as the new leader of the Gotei, she really hoped that she wouldn't regret it later.

The thought forced her to briefly busy herself with some of the papers on the desk in an attempt to see the potential mistakes in this new project. As far as she could see now, it would only be painful for those breaking the law, as it should be.

“Of course, but that would make you responsible for any misunderstandings which end badly while no laws have been broken. I don't want for this to become a means to 'discourage' anything different but well-meant, only to get rid of everything illegal.” Concluding her thoughts with a firm nod, she stared at the newly found paper and passed it down to Hazuki.

Words of dark ink on pristine white.. the traitor's name.

“The way it's written doesn't match most of what I've found here during my rather short investigation,” she almost laughed at the word 'investigation' because most of the things she had gone through didn't tell her much. However, there was something she found quite interesting.

“Like.. this,” she passed on a couple of sheets which had been dropped on the side of the desk, together with something akin to a diary. “He mentioned Minamoto Shun as the successor, not that little ..rat.” Shrugging it, she assumed that Hazuki would think the same of the different styles – even if she hadn't been a part of the Second where one was trained in various arts, she should probably decipher the thicker and thinner lines, together with the slightly harder brush strokes. Besides, why would Tokiyo choose another successor when he already had his in mind? Knowing Shun, the man wouldn't have given their previous Commander the time to go on and change his will.

“If he had any supporters, we should probably.. find them.” Giving her fellow Shinigami a meaningful look, she shrugged somewhat awkwardly when the next topic was touched.

It took a fair amount of effort from her side to squeeze her pride somewhat, and regard the matters from a practical point of view. Of course she knew that compared to pretty much everyone in the Seireitei, she was but a child. There were so many things which she had no knowledge of, but knowing that was a good start, too.

“Getting some information on the basics would be handy..” The grin she showed Hazuki was supposed to hide her embarrassment regarding the fact that the career jump she's made from the Sixth seat of the Second to the Captain-Commander of the Gotei in barely a month left her slightly lost in her new surroundings.

“For example, this, what the hell is this?” Taking out the second piece of paper she had previously put into her pocket, she handed Hazuki to names of which only the last one seemed to hold Tokiyo's handwriting. The other ones seemed oddly familiar, though she couldn't place the style right away.


Words: 696/ 2315

Hazuki peered at the note handed to her, then shrugged and tossed it onto the desk.

‘Honestly, Kasumi, who cares? Either he named Shun successor or he didn’t, but Shun wasn’t here to take up the mantle. That moron on Sōkyoku Hill had his chance and he blew it: his lackluster career in the Gotei came to an abrupt end the moment he proclaimed himself whatever it was he had envisioned he would be without the strength to back it up. A month from now, nobody will remember he even existed. I’ve already forgotten his name. All they will remember, Kasumi, is you.’

She shrugged and stepped away from the window with a small sigh. Hazuki’s childhood had been marked with a certain reverence for the chain of command; even as a child she had understood the importance of hierarchy and rank. To overstep one’s boundaries was to invite risk. The bold embraced that risk, allowed it to make them stronger. The weak were crushed beneath its weight. That was how new leaders were born. Hazuki had known her place and she had stuck to it, aiming ever higher but never beyond her reach. Kasumi had been forced out of her comfort zone, perhaps, but not forced into anything that was fully beyond her. Quite the opposite. It was difficult for Hazuki to not to feel a certain amount of pride in what had transpired.

‘Rest assured: any supporters your rat’—the way she said the word betrayed her amusement—‘may have had will doubtlessly be as dumb as he was. They will make themselves known, and then they will be dealt with. Take that girl, Bonnet, for example. Couldn’t keep her mouth shut, just had to chime in with her infantile opinion.’ Hazuki smiled, as if she had been privy to some joke. ‘It’s often those with the least to say who are most happy to open their mouths, and now she’s going to be wishing she hadn’t.’

She took the next sheet of paper Kasumi handed her wordlessly, her eyes flicking from name to name. She had seen this particular specimen once before and committed its contents to memory, but only now—after a good look at it—did she fully recognize the handwriting. Same impossibly neat script that she had found on the transcript she had found long ago when she had been in the First Division. Part of her wondered how, but there was something else, something that overpowered the multitude of questions—an answer she had been given that had been more apt than the full truth: It didn’t matter. What she had been chasing was long gone and would never return. She had learned her lesson and let it go.

‘This is a list of names,’ she answered, handing it back to the Commander before pulling out her own battered black notebook. Undoing the elastic, she pulled it open, just as she had done for Nagisa what seemed a century ago. ‘Dated the same day Fujikagi held his first captains’ meeting. It’s a list of all the half-breeds, in chronological order.’

More or less.

‘Nagisa presented it to Fujikagi as a token of good faith. It’s real, and I have no reason to suspect it isn’t accurate—I spent three days down in the Forbidden Library piecing as much of the timelines together as I could. It is also,’ she continued, ‘not quite complete, given recent developments. You’ll find this is a more comprehensive list, though I can’t say for sure if it’s exhaustive or not.’

She handed her notebook to Kasumi, her own neat and unmistakably feminine lettering in bold black on the subtly cream-colored pages.


°614

Uncomfortably shifting a little to the side when the sheet of paper was carelessly sent back toward the desk, she briefly expected for Hazuki to show some signs of real aggression. Fortunately, the only thing that the dark haired Shinigami actually did was jack up Kasumi's confidence, which quickly had the young Commander mentally digging her claws into the idea of leaving behind a legacy, just like Kiriko had.

“I'll probably deal with her tomorrow or the day after.” The words were accompanied with a small shrug; she wasn't yet certain of how she would deal with her exactly, but Kasumi figured that there was still plenty of time to figure that out. Her time with the Second must have left some sort of trace for her to be capable of running an interrogation of the mouthy member of the Third.

Watching Hazuki opening her notebook had Kasumi biting her tongue; I can see that, too, she had wanted to hiss at her, but managed to catch herself on time. It truly cost some effort to hold back the habits she's had developed so, but she did feel proud about her fairly calm demeanor up till now. With a nod, she took the notebook and started to read down the list of names. It was odd to know that Nagisa had so many secrets, so many deals of which Kasumi had never – and probably would have never – if it wasn't for their current mess – been aware of.

Some names she recognized from the Academy books, others from people having spoken about them. All of the Shinigami had been or still were a part of the upper echelon of their society. It looked like Nagisa had done quite some work if she had gathered so many names. Thoughtfully stopping at the Lieutenant of the Third, she picked up a pen from the desk before neatly pulling a glossy line over the next two words: Strong suspicion. Without looking at Hazuki she silently mimicked her system of providing information about the names and carefully added 'Confirmed' next to the lined through words.

If they were sharing this amount of information, then it was only fair for Kasumi to open up about her part. Fortunately, or not, Shinkiro's name was already on it. Ignoring that entirely, she moved on to the bottom of the page just to see someone she hadn't had a clue about.

“Nanami?” She blinked, slightly confused. “Are you..?” Hazuki was certain of it, she already knew that much from everything that's been said before.

We've had our differences but.. she.. she's never trusted me?

It hurt a little, but Kasumi managed to ignore the stinging feeling. Shinkiro had never mentioned it himself either, perhaps this was a misunderstanding. Unlike Walkren, the others might not be aware, the word 'Confirmed'.. it was.. it wasn't the end.

“Well, you can edit the last one yourself.” She said, before handing back the notebook and adding the pen to the package.

Her gaze was sucked toward the window for a brief moment while she thought about whether or not to ask a certain question. It was the perfect time, she decided after a moment of contemplating and returned her eyes to her mine of information and discoveries.

“How does the Forbidden Library work?” Obviously curious, and by now a lot less embarrassed about her lack of knowledge regarding the Gotei’s less open facilities, Kasumi waited to get to know something she had once been after out of pure curiosity. Now she simply wanted to know because having an idea of what it was like, and which secrets it held, was rather practical.


Words: 609/ 2924

Hazuki raised an eyebrow at Kasumi’s rather hands-on approach to her notes, but said nothing as she crossed out Nagisa’s suspicion and replaced it with her own certainty. That’s very interesting, she wanted to say, or that certainly makes my job a lot easier, but she remained silent until Kasumi looked up her in surprise.

‘According to Nagisa, yes. And I have no reason to doubt her information. She is Captain of the Second Division after all, and intelligence-gathering is their specialty.’

She took the notebook and pen, but only one made it back into the folds of her uniform: she already had a pen and it was a great deal nicer than whatever Kasumi had picked up from Fujikagi’s desk. Instead, she offered a knowing smile.

‘Oh, I will,’ she replied. ‘In fact, I’m rather looking forward to our little field trip to Hueco Mundo.’ Effortlessly, she bent the pen until it snapped with a sharp crack. She let the pieces fall to the floor, wiping her pristine hands against one another more out of force of habit than anything else, then she shrugged.

‘It works just like most other libraries, only it’s less inviting. I’ll take you there later, if you like. It’s not like anyone’s going to stop us. Before we do that, however, I’d like to discuss the matter of my successor, and Shun’s.’

She studied her nails thoughtfully for a moment, stretching her long and elegant fingers out in front of her. Her hands were as pretty as the rest of her, and that was somehow reassuring to Hazuki. Like all women, she fell prey to vanity every once in a while. It was difficult not to.

‘You’re right in your assumption that I’d like to recommend my lieutenant for the captaincy of the Third, but not because I think he’s the best man for the job.’ She pulled her attention away from her hands for a moment to give Kasumi a tired look made all the more weary by the dark circles under her eyes. ‘You saw the list, and rather than let him skulk around in the shadows, I want him in the public eye, under intense scrutiny in everything he does. You may trust these half-breeds, Commander, but I do not. As for Shun’s replacement, I’d like to introduce you to my roommate, Rania Odette’—best to let Rania explain her marital status herself, she thought—‘who I think you’ll find will be a good fit for the Fourth.’

How to best describe Rania’s relationship with Shun? Strained? Awkward?

‘Before she transferred to the First under Commander Fujikagi,’ she continued, with what could have been the faintest hint of a blush creeping up her cheeks, ‘she had a very productive working relationship with Captain Minamoto, and she has a gift for the kind of business the Fourth conducts. I think you’ll find her very suitable for the job.’


°486

“So you would like to join Nagisa, then?” Kasumi pensively watched the broken pen hit the ground. While the implication was clear, she had to admit that she hadn’t thought about letting both of her Captains go chasing the traitor. Then again, Hazuki’s haori would be passed down by then. It would be a Captain and the head of their new, cozy organization. Perhaps having them both go would be more efficient.

“Of course,” she didn’t add the ‘I would like that’, for now she simply listened.

Somehow Kasumi wasn’t surprised when the plan was unfolded in front of her. From the few interactions they’ve had so far, she was inclined to believe that Hazuki didn’t randomly do things. Instead of acting under the excuse of having the best intentions in mind, she seemed to be thinking everything through and act in the direction which would bring the best results long term.

“I do trust them, I don’t think that every Vaizard is automatically a traitor or filth, however, I do see that their condition forms a risk. In case of them being unable to retain control over their other half, they have to be executed.” Her gaze traced Hazuki’s hands, then went up to her face. “Just like anyone else completely losing control.”

She knew that Hazuki wouldn’t disagree.

“Regarding the Fourth, I’ll schedule a meeting with her for tomorrow, for now they have their Acting Captain.” She really doubted that the division would go up in flames in one day. Besides, should the woman mentioned by Hazuki turn out to be a bad option, that Third seat would remain Acting Captain until a solution would be found for Shuns empty spot.

Something about Hazuki’s brief pause caught her attention, and she thought to see a very light blush. The idea of that being reality confused Kasumi a little bit. She didn’t quite understand what was happening and opened her mouth to repeat the words.

“Productive working rela-?” Her eyes widened slightly, she felt the heat rush to her cheeks while her mouth formed a little ‘o’. “Ohh.” Was all she could muster before recollecting herself with the help of a gentle cough.

“Of course, eh.. Now then, your successor.” She desperately hurried to change the topic while her cheeks regained their paleness.

“I know that he’s really proficient at Kidō, and he seemed to be worried about the destiny of the Vaizard back when I spoke with him.” Back when I thought to be a Vaizard, too.

“He’ll do. I’ll announce your resignation tonight during the meeting, then, and let him take up the responsibility.” In the meantime, she would have to try to get her hands on Nanami – who appeared to be oddly absent during today’s events.

“The news of the Second turning all of its resources to its traditional duty shall be announced, too. I want you to make an appearance in order to explain the idea and basic workings of the Public Safety Office.” Kasumi didn’t want for there to be any confusion later on about the Law Enforcement organization.


Words: 515/ 3439

‘Like I said,’ she answered softly, ‘you may trust them, but I do not. And seeing as it’s now my job to err on the side of caution with these things, that’s exactly what I’ll do. There won’t be blood in the streets—not unless they give me reason to spill it—but I will be watching.’

She made no effort to further convince Kasumi of Rania’s suitability for the position—that was between the two of them now—but Kira had definitely made an impression on Hazuki on Sōkyoku Hill, albeit the entirely wrong kind one wanted to make on someone like Hazuki. She had very little confidence in the Fourth’s acting captain, and the only reason she could imagine Shun had appointed her Third Seat at all was for lack of a better candidate. The void Hazuki had left behind in the Fourth when she had replaced Miyuki Wakahisa appeared to be one that had been difficult to fill.

If she regretted it, however, she most definitely didn’t show it.

‘Sure, I’ll be there to introduce myself,’ she said, doubting she would need much of an introduction. Hazuki’s reputation—even it was as an ice-cold alpha bitch—preceded her. She would never have put it in quite those terms, of course, but she suffered no delusion as to her popularity. It is better to be feared than loved, she mused, if you cannot be both.

It appeared at last they had exhausted all avenues of conversation—Hazuki wasn’t one for small talk, after all—and the black-haired girl cast a critical eye around the office for what she assumed would be the last time she saw it as Fujikagi’s.

‘I never really understood your predecessor,’ she murmured, taking in everything from furniture to the selection of books lining the walls. ‘His nature didn’t strike me one as conducive to understanding at all. I suspect he wanted it that way, and no other way.’ At last, her gaze fell on Kasumi once more.

‘That was his style of leadership, I suppose. In time, you’ll develop a style of your own, too. Just make sure you don’t try to be someone you’re not.’ It was advice meant for Hazuki herself just as much as it was meant for Kasumi. She had learned her lesson, or so she hoped, but a reminder couldn’t hurt.

‘Now, should we get going? The Library isn’t far.’


°403

There was a certain curiosity in her eyes when she followed Hazuki’s gaze across the wall. A part of her didn’t understand what the furniture and neatly placed books had to do with Tokiyo’s way of leading the Gotei. Tilting her head to the side, she found the papers scattered across the once impeccably shiny desk. The sight brought a certain amount of embarrassment and Kasumi quickly pushed some of the papers into the open drawers on the side. At least now the chaos was somewhat hidden from others’ eyes, in case they would enter the missing man’s house. In all honesty, she doubted that anyone would. The place had an eerie feeling to it, a certain type of silence and cold which reminded the young Captain of a graveyard.

Happy to get out of here, she started to follow Hazuki outside while throwing one last look across the place. Something shiny caught her attention when she walked past the window, and as they were about to exit the room, Kasumi let her fingertips briefly brush against Hazuki’s elbow as if trying to catch it.

“Hazuki, what’s that?” Instead of pointing she nodded into the direction of the window. Her eyes were lit with curiosity – having mostly succeeded in drowning the bits of insecurity she felt in tons of enthusiasm about the future, she waited for the raven head to explain what the glittering tower was all about.

Of course, she shouldn’t be so surprised to hear about such a device, but the fact that she had missed its existence entirely weighted down heavily on Kasumi. If looking at it from the rational side, she knew it had to do with her previous position in the Second. Having been the head of the intelligence gathering of the world of the living hadn’t quite given her any reason to dig into the gathering of information around the Seireitei, or the Soul Society. It only made sense that she hadn’t crossed roads with the fascinating device. At the same time, the knowledge she gained forced her to wonder what else she had missed due to her specific task in the Second.

“Are there.. other devices like this one?” She found herself asking as they left the house to make their way towards the Library.

I feel like I’m in the Academy again.. , it was an odd thought, but really close to the truth. There appeared to be so many things she wasn’t familiar with, yet. Serving as a Shinigami for about a year now had both its advantages and disadvantages.


Words: 429/3868

‘That?’ she asked, glancing out the window at the glittering spire of glass and steel she had ordered built. ‘It was a solution.’ To a problem she no longer had.

‘Now, however, it serves as a reminder to the good people of Seireitei that someone is always watching. It’s something I had constructed when I was in the Fourth, a replacement for the old surveillance systems we used to maintain here in Soul Society. I’ll tell you about it on the way over to the Third.’

They exited the office together and before they knew it they were outside in the afternoon sun again, all of Seireitei at their feet—both literally and metaphorically. Such was the nature of the First’s headquarters, strategically located to better coordinate the efforts of all five divisions of the Gotei. Sōkyoku Hill wasn’t far off, and atop it Amaterasu stretched into the skies, rigid and unmoving.

The octagonal lattice of steel to which the the thick plates of dark, spiritually sensitive glass were affixed had a hollow core to enable the elevator access to its apex, and it gave the entire thing an air of ethereality—like it was only half there. It was, of course, simply a poor imitation of something she had grown up seeing every day from her bedroom window somewhere in North Seireitei, but it served its purpose well enough, she supposed. The pride and joy of Records and Reconnaissance, something which Hazuki felt the Gotei she found herself in (only she wasn’t, really, given what had just transpired in Kasumi’s new office) was sorely lacking. In a sense, she supposed they, like Hazuki herself, simply made do with what they had.

Oh well.

The fingers of her off-hand found their way to the pink hilt of the sword at her waist as they so often did as the two of them made their way through the streets of the fortress-city, the silk as soothing as always. She had given Fujikagi a fairly comprehensive rundown of the facility once not too long ago—but it felt like an eternity had passed—and she wondered how to best explain it to Kasumi.

‘I don’t think I need to tell you that given the current situation on Earth and in Hueco Mundo, the greatest threats we face as Shinigami today are the ones that come from within. Half-breeds, traitors—subversive elements all that threaten to destabilize and ultimately hinder our ability to carry out our duties effectively. I designed that—’ she pointed at the dark shard jutting up into the sky ‘—to aid us in combating those threats.’ Not the whole truth, of course: Shun had been quite accurate in his assessment of Hazuki’s deeper intentions just before she had given up on the lieutenancy, but there was no sense in bringing that up now. It hadn’t worked, after all—not for that, anyway.

‘The project was tentatively named Amaterasu during its initial stages and I guess the name stuck, or I suppose I never bothered giving it a proper one. It isn’t the kind of thing that really needs a name, it only needs to fill a function—which is precisely what it does.’ She pondered the examples she had given Fujikagi.

‘Imagine what the Fifth could do with accurate numbers of enemy forces in the event of an incursion. Imagine what the Third could do with the ability to process casualties remotely during triage.’ Imagine what the Second could do—what it could learn—with an eye in the sky at all times.

It was every spy’s dream. It had been a spy’s idea in the first place, after all.

‘The price of not knowing some things is too great to risk, and so we rely on eyes that see more and further than we could ever hope to on our own. That’s what Amaterasu is.’

They had arrived at the Third’s compound—still bustling with activity as a result of the sudden shift in power—and Hazuki’s former subordinates offered her and their new commander hurried salutes as they passed in the halls. It was only natural: for them it was nothing out of the ordinary to see their captain without a haori, so they couldn’t possibly have known she no longer had any affiliation with the Third.

They made their way to her office and Hazuki was struck by how little she cared for it: she had made no attempts to personalize this space of hers. The haori still hung on the wall by the door, and the only sign of it belonging to her was the space in the corner where she busied herself with her ikebana, as if to take her mind of the drudgery of the duties she had taken over.

Then again, she had only been captain for what amounted to a few days, she thought as she locked the door behind them.

Of all the routes into the Forbidden Library, this was—perhaps by design—the simplest, most straightforward, and also the only one that was fully impenetrable by those without access. There was old magic at work here, and Hazuki didn’t fully understand it. In all honesty, she didn’t care to.

‘See?’ she said, as she opened the way down. ‘Just like any other library, but less inviting.’


°886

To say that she wasn’t impressed by Hazuki’s ambitious types of projects would have been a lie. For someone so young she had certainly done quite some things. Then again – Kasumi’s eyes floated toward the smaller woman – she wasn’t completely certain of how old the other Shinigami was exactly. Judging by her looks she was fairly young, a couple of years older than Kasumi, probably, but looks weren’t anything to go by when it came down to a Shinigami’s age.

The only reason why she didn’t end up inquiring about the amount of time Hazuki’s spent in the Soul Society so far was because of the sudden crowd around them. People hurried left and right, Shinigami were swarming the place in waves before disappearing again to finish their business. The scene of most saluting the two women before rushing off came across as a bit silly to Kasumi, but she knew that this was the only right way. In the end, she could only applaud them for their discipline and loyalty.

As soon as they were inside of the office, Kasumi recognized pretty much everything to be the same as the last time she had been here. Of course, it probably hadn’t even been a week – or something – since her last visit to the Thirds headquarters, but Kasumi was capable of turning things messy in merely one day, hence her eyes were full of curious surprise when she scanned the area.

“Have you ever wanted to be in the Third, or was it a ..” she stopped, eyes on the haori hanging next to the door. “hunch. Did you take it on the spur of the moment?”

She hadn’t agreed with Shun on.. whatever they had been on about, and now, barely settled into the Third the woman was already planning the birth of the Public Safety Office; she had resigned with barely any shown feelings, in fact, Kasumi was pretty certain Hazuki didn’t have any toward the office they stood in now.

This wasn’t like leaving the Second, it appeared to be equivalent if not worth even less than leaving the Fifth.

“I get your ‘Miyuki couldn’t hold it’ and all that, but who says Walkren will do any better? Or are you so willing to let him try in hopes of him to publicly mess up?” A frown, she remembered the failed execution; the unnecessary theater before that. Hazuki didn’t seem like someone who would drop efficiency in favor of dramatics.

She moved closer to the door, curious about entering but still distracted by the train of thoughts she had going regarding the older Shinigami. Setting her left feet onto the steps, she tilted her head to get a better look at the one behind her.

“You could have held an eye on him while being his Captain, you know.” A grin appeared on the girl’s pale face, she almost chuckled when the next thought came to mind. Her growing courage brought a glimmer to her blue eyes which hadn’t been there so far. “But that’s simply not enough for you, is it?”

With that she turned around and slipped toward the darkness of the library; she was barely able to contain her eternal need for discoveries.


Words: 539/ 4407

‘When I was a child,’ she explained, ‘Junko Aizawa was in charge of the Third. She was very good to my family, and though I never aspired to join the division, I held it in very high esteem. Wakahisa was an affront to its principles and its past: the troubles of Rukongai do not concern us and to waste resources and manpower on the infantile pursuit of making them more comfortable was a gross mistake.’

Her eyes followed Kasumi’s to the haori she had taken from the former captain, but never seen fit to wear herself. ‘My family motto is Family First. It’s both literal and figurative: always put your family before others, yes, but the broader meaning of the phrase is first look unto your own. Always prioritize our interests. Wakahisa didn’t understand that. In many ways, she was a very selfish leader—she thought it was her right to wear that haori. When she was struck low she didn’t take it as a learning experience, only as an insult. That is why she isn’t a captain anymore. As for why I finally plucked the Third from her grasp...’

Her voice trailed off as she peered into the darkness below. A manhunt, she wanted to say. A relentless but misguided pursuit of revenge that deep down I knew would never be mine.

But she didn’t say that. ‘Well, there are a lot of ways of answering that question, but suffice to say I was after the Library. And you’re right, of course, I could just as easily have monitored Dekharr from this office, but the Third was just a means to an end. It deserves better than my leadership.’

Hazuki caught Kasumi’s eye, not matching the grin on her lips. ‘But it’s like I said. I never wanted to be a captain in the first place.’

It wasn’t that she aspired to more or to less—just that she aspired to something different. Stratified society had a place for everyone, Hazuki knew that. She was situated far above most, she knew that, too. But what Kasumi had said—that captaincy wasn’t enough—that wasn’t quite accurate. If she had wanted more, she would have made herself Captain-Commander on Sōkyoku Hill.

What she wanted was something else: order in the chaos. To stand on the same side her parents once had, but in a way that suited her—just as they would have wanted.

And with her foolishness behind her, she was well on her way.

Now—at last—she smiled, and followed Kasumi down the winding staircase into the oppressive darkness of the Forbidden Library. Well on her way.

‘Is there anything in particular you’re looking for down here,’ she asked, ‘or would you just like to browse?’


°459

Kasumi hadn’t truly wanted to be a Captain either, at least not until yesterday. Be careful what you wish for, wasn’t that what people told each other whenever one tried to get their hands onto something which could easily bring some unforeseen consequences with it? Well, her quest for a haori had quickly escalated into this, and whatever this was, she had yet to see whether the consequences it dragged along with itself would turn out to be rather unpleasant for her or not.

Shrugging off the insecurity, she followed the stairs further down while wondering who the hell Junko was. The name Aizawa did turn some wheels in the Captain’s skull, but still didn’t bring her much further than the man mentioned on Hazuki’s list whose successor had been Nagisa. The other Aizawa.. a woman with locks as ivory as Kasumi’s was a ghost from the past she could remember meeting too long ago in the sandy Rukongai streets. It made her think about the possibility of all of them having been family.

She must have been Captain before Tokiyo.., Kasumi figured and let the thought go when the lights came on causing her to violently blink. Not that the weak, artificial rays actually shed a lot of light onto the contents of the mysterious Library. Silhouettes of shelves, wooden and massive, caught her attention but led nowhere in particular. Books, dust, god-knows-what-else pressured down on her through the atmosphere which reigned in the space around them. She had hoped for the Forbidden Library to work enlightening, but in reality it only revealed how much more she didn’t know about the Shinigami realm. There was no need to pull the heavy tomes from their places for the young Shinigami to know that she had no idea where to start.

Not again, not so fast, she thought. Her jaw tightened in response.

Of course it bugged Kasumi that she had to look at her weaknesses again, but that’s why Hazuki was here, that’s why having her around was handy. Pretty necessary, even. For Kasumi, for the Gotei, for the future. Petty differences aside, the main lines they had in mind crossed. It was all for the better, and the only thing she needed was some time to adjust. Ten minutes wasn’t enough, an hour wouldn’t be enough, and neither would a week fix all of her worries. She would simply have to endure, like Shunkō.

“I think that I would like to take a look at the main things we have on the former Commanders, if there are any.”

With a slightly quirked eyebrow she wandered back to Hazuki, somehow expecting for the woman to have at least a couple of files on both Tokiyo and Kiriko.

’Even Kiriko?’

“Fujikagi Tokiyo and Chinda Kiriko, to be more precise.”


Words: 468/ 4875

Hazuki didn’t really know what she had been expecting Kasumi to be looking for, but she supposed former commanders made as much sense as anything else. She was in luck, of course: it hadn’t been very long ago at all that Hazuki had spent a great deal of time and effort coming through all manner of texts in the Forbidden Library, and a great deal of it had revolved around Kasumi’s predecessors—though Hazuki doubted she and Kasumi would be reading about their former leaders for the same reasons.

‘Did you know,’ she said, setting off into the gloom, ‘that out of the five Captain-Commanders that preceded you, four were half-breeds? I ended up collecting a great deal of information on all of them during the course of my investigation into the matter a few days ago, along with the rest of their ilk. Kiriko, Ine, the rest of them—if it exists, odds are it’s down here somewhere.’

She pulled a volume from one of the shelves as she passed, not even breaking her stride, and nestled it in her arms. A few more followed suit, the pile she was carrying growing larger and heavier, but Hazuki didn’t seem to notice. She topped it off with a few slimmer folders, then dumped the entire pile on a dusty table. She remembered where she had found most of her reading, so it wasn’t difficult locating more of the same, which she also deposited on the tabletop.

‘That’s Kiriko and Ine,’ she said, wiping her hands free of dust, ‘but Fujikagi...’ Her voice trailed off with a frown.

‘I never looked into Fujikagi.’ She hadn’t had much reason to.

In fact, she found herself wondering just what the Forbidden Library might reveal about Kasumi’s predecessor, a man who had—to Hazuki at least—always seemed to play his cards very close to his chest. She had asked him once if he disapproved of her methods, and he hadn’t really given her a proper answer. She expected cleaning Wakahisa’s blood off her sword with the girl’s haori would have elicited a stronger sort of reaction, but whatever it was he had been thinking that day, he had kept it to himself.

To tell the truth, she didn’t even really know where to begin—with the half-breeds she had looked through administrative actions from the Central 46 and the Fourth’s sealed records, cross-referencing it with other contemporary documents, but she had been in possession of a cheat sheet the entire time. With Fujikagi, she had no list of names to look for connections with. She didn’t even know how old he was, or if he had been in a division prior to his service in the Second.

Had Hazuki been alone, none of this would have been much of a problem: she didn’t sleep anyway, so she would have been able to dedicate hours to her search, but with Kasumi here, that option didn’t really seem feasible. This wasn’t exactly like the Grand Library, where everything was catalogued—she had put a stop to that nonsense herself, in fact. This place was organized (if such a word was even really applicable here) in a loose, chronological fashion—in many ways it was more a repository for dangerous information than an actual library. Hazuki herself considered it a bizarre kind of occult warehouse. There were relics and artifacts down here, too, not just books and papers.

She paused, chewing her lip.

‘This might take a little time.’


°583