Post by Hazuki Tsukimiya on May 3, 2017 16:06:50 GMT -5
Things had taken a convenient turn for Hazuki in the short time since she had been appointed head of the Public Safety Office. Nagisa had returned from her reconnaissance mission to Hueco Mundo and confirmed what everyone already knew, the half-breed she had deliberately placed in the center of attention had buckled under the pressure and fled, and there had been reports of other, similarly afflicted individuals deserting. It was almost too convenient, but Hazuki certainly wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth; if the half-breed scum wanted to paint a target on their backs and leave then she wasn’t going to stop them—if she could have her way they’d all be shipped to Hueco Mundo en masse anyway. Exile wasn’t execution but it was an acceptable compromise. Taboo was deplorable, but even she had a difficult time motivating anything harsher than sending them away from Seireitei forever. The death penalty was something best reserved for those who had truly forsaken everything that made them a Shinigami.
She looked up from Nagisa’s report, drinking in the sight of her domain: the Public Safety Office Headquarters. She had gotten precisely what she had asked for, a relatively small team of dedicated individuals and some repurposed buildings not far from the First’s compound, and though her endeavor was still in its earliest stages, Seireitei seemed to be benefiting from its new dedicated police force. It wasn’t perfect—not yet—but she was getting there.
She sighed, setting down the file and getting to her feet, hand automatically falling to the steel emblem at her waist as she turned to the window at her back and gazed out over Seireitei. The view wasn’t exactly what she would call breathtaking: she had specifically requested something humble for the PSO’s first lodgings and humble was precisely what she had received, but being this close to the center of Seireitei still imparted a sense of gravitas. This upstart little organization of hers was crammed between some of the oldest, most revered structures in Seireitei, and it was impossible for that not to factor in somehow.
She remained still for a few moments, her cold grey eyes following the bustle with muted interest, then turned back to her desk. She had the information, it was time to act on it. Kasumi had given her a carte blanche and Hazuki wasn’t going to let it go to waste. She swept past her desk, picking up Sakurazuki and slipping the sword into her obi, the familiar weight bringing a faint smile to Hazuki’s lips. It was the satisfaction of meeting and old friend, of embracing a family member, of looking in the mirror and seeing yourself grinning back—it felt like being whole, somehow, and ever since her odyssey had reached its conclusion she had been secure in the knowledge that no matter what she did or where she went, her Zanpakutō would be there for her.
She ordered one of her subordinates to inform Kasumi that she was heading to Hueco Mundo, then made her way toward the First’s Senkaimon, where she carefully filled out the gate request along with the desired coordinates. The surprise on the attending Shinigami’s face was obvious, but he didn’t say anything—whether it was out of fear or respect Hazuki couldn’t say, nor did she particularly care. The Senkaimon opened without incident, and she held out her finger for the Hell Butterfly which alighted moments later, then she set off.
This was the first time Hazuki had ever set foot in Hueco Mundo, and she wasn’t quite sure what to expect—her father had mentioned it once or twice but tended to stay on the quiet side whenever it was brought up—but soon enough she stepped out of the Senkaimon and onto the fine white sand of the desert realm of the Hollows. Solitude seemed to radiate from every direction, and she frowned at the expanse of dunes that stretched out in front of her. She had specifically requested—
Then she turned around, and the monstrosity that was Las Noches bore down menacingly on her. Wherever she looked, the massive castle occupied her field of vision, and it was difficult not be awestruck by its sheer grandiosity. Perspective itself seemed warped in its presence, such was its size, but when all was said and done it was difficult for her to feel anything but a wan loathing of it. This was the Hollow mindset in a nutshell: all bluster and no substance. It was a big castle, and that was all it was.
She began her trek towards the massive doors—further away than they looked—but in time she arrived without incident, wondering how someone of her size might open something this large, but the answer came to her as readily as any other.
She was not Nagisa Chinda; there was need for neither stealth nor subtlety here. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and reached for Sakurazuki slowly and deliberately, the soft silk of the sword’s hilt in sharp contrast to the harsh rasping of the blade being drawn.
Whatever it was, it was quick: a flash of light catching the edge of the blade and a powerful step forward, then the door exploded inwards as Hazuki’s spiritual pressure thundered across the dunes, echoing off the massive walls of the castle before her. If anyone had missed her arrival, then they were aware of her now.
Sword still in hand, she strode through the hole she had made and eventually came to what looked a great deal like a throne room. It was empty, but then Hazuki’s sixth sense wasn’t as finely tuned as some of her peers. She stopped only for a moment to drink it in, then made for the throne, whispering a command under her breath as she went.
The deafening roar of her reiatsu intensified further, her blade now leaving a trail of bright red behind her as she approached the dais, but she seemed to pay it no mind. She ascended to the throne, turned, and daintily sat herself on it, straight-backed and regal with one foot tucked behind the other and her sword point down in front of her. Princess, her father had used to call her. Since then, she had grown.
Empress suited her far better now.
°1,060
She looked up from Nagisa’s report, drinking in the sight of her domain: the Public Safety Office Headquarters. She had gotten precisely what she had asked for, a relatively small team of dedicated individuals and some repurposed buildings not far from the First’s compound, and though her endeavor was still in its earliest stages, Seireitei seemed to be benefiting from its new dedicated police force. It wasn’t perfect—not yet—but she was getting there.
She sighed, setting down the file and getting to her feet, hand automatically falling to the steel emblem at her waist as she turned to the window at her back and gazed out over Seireitei. The view wasn’t exactly what she would call breathtaking: she had specifically requested something humble for the PSO’s first lodgings and humble was precisely what she had received, but being this close to the center of Seireitei still imparted a sense of gravitas. This upstart little organization of hers was crammed between some of the oldest, most revered structures in Seireitei, and it was impossible for that not to factor in somehow.
She remained still for a few moments, her cold grey eyes following the bustle with muted interest, then turned back to her desk. She had the information, it was time to act on it. Kasumi had given her a carte blanche and Hazuki wasn’t going to let it go to waste. She swept past her desk, picking up Sakurazuki and slipping the sword into her obi, the familiar weight bringing a faint smile to Hazuki’s lips. It was the satisfaction of meeting and old friend, of embracing a family member, of looking in the mirror and seeing yourself grinning back—it felt like being whole, somehow, and ever since her odyssey had reached its conclusion she had been secure in the knowledge that no matter what she did or where she went, her Zanpakutō would be there for her.
She ordered one of her subordinates to inform Kasumi that she was heading to Hueco Mundo, then made her way toward the First’s Senkaimon, where she carefully filled out the gate request along with the desired coordinates. The surprise on the attending Shinigami’s face was obvious, but he didn’t say anything—whether it was out of fear or respect Hazuki couldn’t say, nor did she particularly care. The Senkaimon opened without incident, and she held out her finger for the Hell Butterfly which alighted moments later, then she set off.
This was the first time Hazuki had ever set foot in Hueco Mundo, and she wasn’t quite sure what to expect—her father had mentioned it once or twice but tended to stay on the quiet side whenever it was brought up—but soon enough she stepped out of the Senkaimon and onto the fine white sand of the desert realm of the Hollows. Solitude seemed to radiate from every direction, and she frowned at the expanse of dunes that stretched out in front of her. She had specifically requested—
Then she turned around, and the monstrosity that was Las Noches bore down menacingly on her. Wherever she looked, the massive castle occupied her field of vision, and it was difficult not be awestruck by its sheer grandiosity. Perspective itself seemed warped in its presence, such was its size, but when all was said and done it was difficult for her to feel anything but a wan loathing of it. This was the Hollow mindset in a nutshell: all bluster and no substance. It was a big castle, and that was all it was.
She began her trek towards the massive doors—further away than they looked—but in time she arrived without incident, wondering how someone of her size might open something this large, but the answer came to her as readily as any other.
She was not Nagisa Chinda; there was need for neither stealth nor subtlety here. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and reached for Sakurazuki slowly and deliberately, the soft silk of the sword’s hilt in sharp contrast to the harsh rasping of the blade being drawn.
Whatever it was, it was quick: a flash of light catching the edge of the blade and a powerful step forward, then the door exploded inwards as Hazuki’s spiritual pressure thundered across the dunes, echoing off the massive walls of the castle before her. If anyone had missed her arrival, then they were aware of her now.
Sword still in hand, she strode through the hole she had made and eventually came to what looked a great deal like a throne room. It was empty, but then Hazuki’s sixth sense wasn’t as finely tuned as some of her peers. She stopped only for a moment to drink it in, then made for the throne, whispering a command under her breath as she went.
The deafening roar of her reiatsu intensified further, her blade now leaving a trail of bright red behind her as she approached the dais, but she seemed to pay it no mind. She ascended to the throne, turned, and daintily sat herself on it, straight-backed and regal with one foot tucked behind the other and her sword point down in front of her. Princess, her father had used to call her. Since then, she had grown.
Empress suited her far better now.
°1,060