Family Matters [Closed.R/Kyousuke]

The less time Kyousuke spent at the Sixth's compound, the better. The constant haughtiness that most of the Sixth's members displayed, their insistence that they were somehow the most noble, most righteous, most important division set Kyousuke's teeth on edge. He was not an easy man to irritate, but there was something about them that he simply could not bear. He had dropped off his package and made the necessary arrangements, and now he was vacating himself from the premises, posthaste. Having finished his business meant that every second spent there was a second wasted, and right now, other things were on his mind. Matters of grave importance.

He needed to get to the Fourth. Something the prisoner had said had made Kyousuke feel uneasy about staying in Seireitei. If Jasper Aizawa was aware of the existence of the masked hybrids, then no doubt his former division would know. If they knew, that meant trouble—potentially. If what Kyousuke had been told could be believed, the Commander was a wildcard. He needed to take a risk and confirm it for himself. If it was true—and in all honesty, Kyousuke had very little reason to doubt his source—Kyousuke would soon find himself face to face another of his kind. And there were more still at large.

Tova, it seemed, had been busy.

Kyousuke could take solace in the fact that their numbers remained small, but it was little comfort. He himself held the power to make more of the abominations, and though he had promised to never use it, Kyousuke had never been one to keep promises—least of all to himself. Now there were four of them—or would had been, if Kasumi had still been alive—and two were in Seireitei right now, wolves masquerading as sheep. They were playing a dangerous game, and as time passed, the stakes kept rising higher and higher. The slightest misstep, and Kyousuke would instantly go from leader to hunted man once again.

Idly, he wondered if Gilgamesh knew, or even suspected. Part of Kyousuke thought not. The other part hoped not. Would he have elevated Kyousuke if he had known? Thinking back, he had mentioned the voices in Kyousuke's head when he had come to take him from the Nest, but had he been referring to Hazuki, or just the effects of prolonged solitude?

There was no way to tell. Not at this point at time, and not then. Kyousuke needed someone to speak to about all this, and the only person who fit the description was one who would no doubt require extreme caution. A quick stop back at his office, and then Kyousuke would test his luck with the only other Vaizard in Seireitei.

He had decided to walk back from the Sixth, giving him time to clear his head and think about how to approach the problem that faced him. As he strode through the streets, anonymous without his haori, he noticed by chance that he was being followed.

Kannaduki was the first to comment. She's been behind you ever since you left the Sixth, Kyousuke, she muttered, sounding every bit as melodramatic as a girl could sound. Why's she following you?

If I knew that, we wouldn't be having this conversation, now would we?

It looked like Kyousuke was going to have to take a detour. He knew just the place. If his pursuer—a young girl, it looked like—was that eager to follow him, he'd have to find out why.

He turned onto a less trafficked street, taking him in the direction of one of the hidden gardens he had visited often back before he had defected, and was pleased to find that the route there was still as crooked as ever. He kept walking at a leisurely pace, always making sure in an inconspicuous sort of way that his pursuer was certain to have caught a brief glimpse of him right before he turned a corner. Right before he reached his destination, he turned the corner as usual, suppressed his spiritual pressure, then placed himself solidly in the middle of the path, waiting for his stalker to catch up. When she did, she would no doubt turn the corner unwittingly and careen right into him.

Then she would have some explaining to do.


°720

Right, so then. The first thing that she had to decide on was how in the world should she follow this Kyousuke fellow? He was right there, leaving the sixth division, and heading back to his own division. At least, that was what she assumed, he didn't seem to have anyone with him, so he had to have already dropped off his prisoner. Lessa frowned as she stared at his back, wondering how best to approach this. You've never been one for being indecisive, Lessa a voice spoke up inside her mind. But it wasn't her voice, nor was it the voice of her Inner Hollow, though it was intricately linked to this voice.

This was Kaminari.

Is that really you? Where the hell have you been!? she exclaimed angrily in her mind, in response to which she merely got chuckling. Which soon evolved into laughter, on his part, though she was clearly not amused. Not in the slightest. Though she had to admit, she had been worried about him, about where he might have been, and she was extremely glad he was back. So much so that she didn't even expect an immediate answer of some sort from him. He was just simply Kaminari, and she was glad that she had him again, her ever faithful zanpakutou spirit. How she had ever survived without him before...well, that was beyond her.

No, actually, it wasn't. Lessa didn't need people in order to be strong, but people were what allowed her to stand tall and proud. And Kaminari was, of course, included in the long list of such people. How could he not be? He had been with her ever since she had became a Shinigami, though at the time she had not known that. Doesn't matter right now. Shouldn't you be chasing after him? Maybe in less conspicuous clothes. I don't think he's going to be willing to just talk to you since he doesn't know what you are that powerful strong voice spoke again. He was right, with her speed, she would be able to get to her room in the barracks and get back fast enough to catch Kyousuke, all she'd have to do would be to ask around a little.

So the child took off, quick as a flash, and within just a matter of minutes had gotten dressed in completely different clothes. Clothes she didn't like, that she had been practically forced to get due to the Shinigami Women's Association. Or something like that. Stupid dress. Though she did have to say she admired three things about it. One was its dark blue color. The other was its long sleeves. And the last thing she liked was the thickness of it. The major downside was that she couldn't fight in it at all. Or rather, she could, but it would certainly NOT be proper. Chortling, probably at the sight of Lessa in a dress, Kaminari mentally urged her to go after Kyousuke, and that was exactly what she did. Darting through the streets, and asking some people, it wasn't long until she caught sight of him again, and began to follow him. He seemed just a tad distracted, and she had to wonder what the cause of that was.

Well, he WAS a Vaizard. So he could be conversing with his lovely Inner Hollow. That, or he was conversing with his zanpakutou spirit, like she was. Either way, he still seemed to be vanishing around the corner, just as she rounded the previous corner. It was infuriating, and she moved her legs faster to keep up with him. Of course, she was limiting herself. If she went at her full speed, it was possible she might just overshoot the corner, or make herself known. And Shunpo would certainly do the same. So when she rounded the corner and ran straight into him, causing her to get launched to the ground, she was just a little surprised. Lessa stood there dazed on the ground. "Ow, you doofus! What'd you stop for!? People don't just stop when they're being stalked!"

Words: 719
GP: 14/24

His pursuer did exactly what he had expected her to do; she rounded the corner at speed and bounced off his chest, completely unprepared. As she sat there, dazed and no doubt confused, Kyousuke lowered himself to sit on his haunches, and affixed the girl with gaze that was not amused. "Typically, the stalker is a little more imposing than a teenage girl," he said, eyeing her. She was wearing a dark blue, long-sleeved dress, and if she hadn't been conspicuous enough already, the dress had hardly helped. He cocked his head to one side thoughtfully. Was this her idea of a disguise? What exactly was she trying to blend in with?

Well, more importantly, why had she been following him? If she had been following him ever since he had left the Sixth, then it stood to reason that she was part of that division. It wasn't official business—if it had been, this girl would've made herself known. This was either the Sixth's idea of having him followed in secret (a laughable attempt, he thought to himself), or this girl had other business with him. Kyousuke wasn't quite sure which of the two he preferred. People taking an interest in him never ended well, but on the other hand, being followed by the Sixth wasn't his idea of fun, either.

Luckily, his merry little chase had led them to a fairly secluded side street that opened up into the hidden garden Kyousuke had been shooting for. His sense of direction, it seemed, was still as reliable as ever. Relieved to see it was still there at all, Kyousuke straightened up and offered his hand to the girl, who was still sitting, bewildered, on the ground.

"So," he said, hand outstretched, "who are you, and what do you want with me?" His tone was mild, an attempt at being as unthreatening as possible, but still firm and authoritative. He wanted answers, but he also didn't want to scare her away. Given the perseverance she had displayed when following him, it was unlikely a setback such as this would result in her fleeing, but Kyousuke didn't want to risk it. If a member of the Sixth was willing to disguise herself and follow the captain of the Second, then maybe what she had to say was worth listening to.

And if not—well, they were in a very secluded spot, after all.

Who would miss a recruit if she were to suddenly go missing?


°415

Well this was quite embarrassing, now wasn't it? There she was on her bum, staring up at Kyousuke with a look of surprise on her face. Though of course she was still angry that he had just suddenly stopped like that. If he had noticed her, there were better ways of stopping her than doing what he had just done, which was just to stop moving. Like, for instance, he could have hidden and then stepped out behind her and went boo. Okay perhaps not, that was just as bad and embarrassing as what had happened just then. Especially considering she had chosen to sneak up on him in a DRESS, of all things. Lessa didn't like dresses, she just figured it would have been a good cover. But apparently he had spotted her even since they had come from the sixth, considering the attitude that he seemed to have.

That, or he was just naturally hostile to everyone, that was a possibility as well, and not one she was able to discount at all. If so, it was a bit disappointing that one of her fellow Vaizards was such a grade A asshole, but she'd keep her opinions to herself for then. Appearances were hardly what they seemed, she had learned that much. In fact, more than anyone she probably understood that, considering everything she had gone through with her Inner Hollow. "Lessa Kachekiwa. Sixth division," she answered him, unable to tell him more on that front because she wasn't exactly sure just where in the division Jemukatashi had placed her. Such a complicated name that was...perhaps she'd take to just calling him Gem.

It was much easier than the long-winded name he had, though considering he was the Captain of the sixth, he probably wouldn't like "cute" nicknames like that. She turned her thoughts back to Kyousuke and what he had asked. Ah yes, right. He wanted to know just what it was she wanted, not just who she was. Lessa frowned and glanced around. Sure, this street was secluded, but anyone could come across them if they took a wrong turn, so she soon looked back to him. "I can't tell you what I want, not here. Suffice it to say that we've both had interactions with a certain Espada known as Tova. Now, is there anywhere nearby where no one will stumble across us?" she asked of him, looking up at his face.

My she forgot just how short she truly was.

Words: 426
GP: 8/32

The girl seemed content to remain on the ground for the time being, making no move to accept Kyousuke's help up. At least I tried, he thought to himself, as he retracted his hand. The introduction Kyousuke was given was brief, and the name seemed to ring a bell, but Kyousuke couldn't quite place where he had heard it before. Neither Kannaduki nor Hazuki said anything, and he thought nothing of it.

Until she mentioned Tova.

And Kyousuke remembered.

Kyousuke had been the first, Kasumi the second, and Mitsutaka the third. Tova had mentioned a fourth. A girl, a refugee from Seireitei, staying in the world of the living. Her name, it had been—

Lessa Kachekiwa, said Kannaduki, sounding as shocked as Kyousuke felt. But she wasn't supposed to be in Soul Society! What's she doing here?

Hazuki interrupted. Kyousuke, you need to—

But Kyousuke was already in motion. He grabbed the sitting girl by the collar and lifted her to her feet roughly, then marched her off toward the garden without a word, his grip on her collar a clear indication that this turn of events was not up for negotiation.

The garden was abandoned, as expected, and Kyousuke sat Lessa down on a bench, and took a deep breath, the flowery scent soothing him slightly. He looked down at her, as if seeing her for the first time, and he was struck with how utterly unlike Kasumi she looked. Kasumi was the only other person he had met like him, and this girl was almost a polar opposite. Blonde hair, blue eyes. The fact that she looked so young was unsettling; despite being almost certain that she was older than he was, seeing someone like this and knowing that they were cursed with the same affliction was made him uneasy. Inner Hollows were no laughing matter, they weren't something to be taken lightly. The only reason Hazuki wasn't openly hostile anymore was because Kyousuke had beat her down furiously time and time again in the Nest, and she had learned that if she was going to get her way, a straight confrontation was not the answer.

Kyousuke wondered if Lessa's inner Hollow had come to terms with Lessa being in control yet, or if it—like Hazuki had done at the beginning—constantly tried taking over.

What had Tova been thinking?

"Well," he said, trying to collect his thoughts. "Because of how this works, you know more about me than I know about you. All I know is you're the fourth one of Tova's grave errors, and that you were supposed to be hidden in the human realm." He thought back to that night in the warehouse district long ago, of what he had told the former captain of the Second Division. You will be hunted by your peers, he had said. That girl had taken his advice, and she had left the Gotei 6. This girl... This girl had done the opposite. She had done exactly what Kyousuke had done. She had come in from the cold, and she had been hiding in plain sight. Just like the other one was doing over in the Fourth's headquarters.

Kyousuke's shoulders slumped, and he shook his head slowly. "You shouldn't have come back to Soul Society. You've put yourself in danger by coming here, our very existence is taboo. They'll execute you if they ever find out." He sat down on the bench next to her as he realized the futility of telling her all this. There was no changing the fact that she was here. The best he could hope for now was that she could remain undetected for as long as possible.

"With that said, what did you want to speak to me about?"


°627

Lessa was suddenly reminded that she had never bothered to even stand back up. Perhaps that was because she had just been too distracted? Or...no, that was not it at all, she realized that much. The reason that she hadn't gotten up was because she was more than just distracted, she was barely paying attention. It was the whole Vaizard thing, that was the thing that was taking up half of her concentration. It was just a lot to get used to, the fact that she was not split into three parts, or at the least, her soul was, but it was essentially the same thing, since she was a spiritual being. The first part was herself. The second part was her zanpakutou spirit. And the third part was her Inner Hollow.

That all aside though, why was she suddenly reminded that she was still sitting on the ground? Why, that was because Kyousuke had seen fit to pick her up and lead her to some sort of garden. Sure, he hadn't just carried her there, he had dragged her there by the collar, but her feet had been barely touching the ground along the way, and she struggled in his grip, though that was for naught. Despite their differences in strength, for she could tell by his grip that he was not as physically strong as she, he still had an advantage in that he had managed to grab her first. And he was taller too, curse him for that. "Lemme down ya oaf!" she exclaimed, in addition to other such various proclamations, but he didn't, and so she huffed and crossed her arms as she was practically carried into the garden.

At least this place was...peaceful, though. It smelled good, which surprised her. The fact that she was even thinking anything like that though, it was kind of girly to think like that, and she was anything but girly. At least, she thought so, others might disagree. Kyousuke was speaking then, and so she sat there politely as he spoke, and continued to sit there as he spoke some more. He really was an interesting person, especially saying things like that. Lessa couldn't keep the inquisitive look off her face as she looked at him, before turning her attention away from him and to this garden itself. It certainly seemed private, so she had to wonder just WHY it was private. What was stopping others from wandering in.

"Kyousuke, I must apologize, but...are you dense? Gilgamesh knows about Vaizards, and he knows I'm one. If we truly were taboo, do you not think I would have been killed already? No, instead he forces me to join him and tells me to pick out a division to join," Lessa spoke honestly. There was no reason to hide her words, not now that it was obvious that what she thought was correct. There was no reason at all to hide anything now that she knew with 100% certainty that this man was a Vaizard. Wasn't that how it had been with him, too? Had Gilgamesh not appeared before him and forced him to join? That had to be how it went down though, Kyousuke didn't seem the type to just follow anyone on a whim.

Especially given what he had just said. And besides that, Lessa wasn't even aware of anything special about this guy other than his Vaizard nature. That was it. So why else would Gilgamesh have made him the Captain of the Second Division? "As for what I wanted to speak about...well, I had nothing in mind, truly. I just thought it would be good for us to meet each other is all. Get the "family" bonding and that sorta junk out of the way. That's it." she explained to him with a shrug of her shoulders, looking away from the garden and back to him as she gave her reply.

Words: 667
GP: 13/45

Kyousuke's blood ran cold. Gilgamesh knew? Surely he would've said something to Kyousuke if that was the case. From his—granted, limited—interactions with the Golden King, Kyousuke didn't take him as a man for intrigues, he was the type of person to straight out say whatever was on his mind. He was that kind of leader, that kind of king. He made his demands known in no uncertain terms. His mind raced back to the day he had been released, when Gilgamesh had mentioned the voices. Surely he had been referring to simple madness, the effects on a mind strained by solitude.

If Gilgamesh knew, why had he not acted on it? Why had he placed Kyousuke in charge of an entire division and simply dumped Lessa into whatever place she chose? No, Kyousuke was almost certain Gilgamesh had no idea about Kyousuke's condition, and the fact that it remained a secret had done nothing so far but benefit him. What they don't know can't kill me, he thought to himself.

Still, it was just one more thing to confirm with Mitsutaka when he finally got to the Fourth. This was an unscheduled stop, and although Kyousuke wasn't in a hurry, the sooner he knew what the situation was, the better. His count had risen from two to three in the space of as many minutes, and Kyousuke found himself pondering how many more surprises he'd have to live through before the day was out. Part of him wanted desperately to tell Lessa to keep quiet and simply leave, but something she said made him stop. Family. He had tried that once, and it had left him in a sorry state when the girl he considered his sister had died. She had been the closest thing to a sibling he'd ever had. It had been an unexpected development; he never expected to run into more of his kind. Tova had promised never to repeat it, after all.

Despite that, Kasumi had suddenly become a part of his life, and now Lessa was doing the same. To try again was inviting disappointment, he knew, but something deep within him stirred, some forgotten instinct woke up, and he felt the tiniest amount of... What was this feeling even called? Compassion? That didn't quite sound right. He couldn't place it, it felt so alien. He glanced at the girl sitting next to him, trying the word on in his mind. Sister. He had never straight out called Kasumi his sister, nor had they ever used the word family to describe their relationship, but the sensation had always been there. The only difference now was that it had been spoken. Last time, the feeling had come before the word, now the word was paving the way for the feeling.

The concept struck Kyousuke as odd. "Family," he said quietly, half to himself and half to the world at large. He didn't really know what the word entailed. He was alone on so many levels, and had been for as long as he could remember. "Do you have any real family, Kachekiwa?"


°518

...He had gone quiet. Extraordinarily quiet for one such as him, who seemed to have a talent for having obnoxious things to say. So that was why she made sure to keep her gaze on the garden and not him, so that he didn't think she was worrying about what he was thinking or anything like that. Well, aside from the fact that that was exactly what she was doing. Lessa couldn't help but wonder what in the world he was planning on saying or doing next. Perhaps she ought to have researched him a bit more? But...no, that was simply not her at all, Lessa was not the type to research people, even after everything she had learned. No, she much preferred to just do things by herself, and straightaway too. In a straightforward manner. None of the stupid nonsense of researching things before she did them. So while he stayed quiet, she did the same, and kept her thoughts mostly to herself. But even so she kept on wondering on what he might say or do next. What kind of person was Kyousuke, anyway? She didn't even know that much.

Tova's memories did not give her a glimpse into what the man's personality was like. One instance, one moment, didn't tell her much at all. It was beginning to feel a little awkward, she had to admit to that much, and so, her attention eventually came back to him, despite the fact that she would very much like to not let him know she was wondering what he was thinking. And to be honest, she was quite fascinated by him. Yet another Vaizard! Lessa hadn't expected there to be so many, nor had she ever expected to see the very first Vaizard. Or at least, the first that Tova had made. Presumably, Shinigami had gotten Inner Hollows before in a fashion similar to Eon, or Kenshou, they just never had been very public about it. Understandable, considering they likely would have gotten lynched for even having one, no matter if it was their fault or not. And it was at that statement that she heard him say something, or rather, he whispered it. That word she had said, family. That was what he whispered. And then he asked her a rather surprising question.

Lessa hesitated a moment, wondering if she should lie. "I used to. A long, long time ago, it feels like. I had a mom and dad, and later I learned I had a brother, too. But...that was a long time ago, and while I miss them a lot, I realize it's the past," she answered him with a smile, deciding to be honest. He was the closest thing she had to family, not counting Hachiro, if he was even alive as a spiritual being anymore. Lessa had never considered the possibility that he could have re-entered the cycle or been dominated by a Hollow. "There was a guy, Lancelot. He was a Shinigami, and he felt like the closest thing to a father I had. Dunno what happened to him," she added, lying this time. He did not need to know Lancelot was trapped in Gilgamesh. It was painful to even think about it. "What about you? Do you have a real family?"

Words: 559
GP: 11/56

Kyousuke had no recollection of his life before the day he had woken up in Rukongai, no memories of parents or siblings. All of that had been lost the day he had died, and like so many others, his experiences as a living being had not played a part in shaping the man he was today. For all intents and purposes, his life had been meaningless, an insignificant drop in the vast ocean of history. He stayed quiet for a while, then answered Lessa. "No, not that I know of. I suppose I had a real family before I died, but I can't remember any of it. No names, no faces."

A thought struck him, one that he wouldn't have expected to come from him at all. He glanced at the girl sitting next to him, a slight frown darkening his face. "Do you think it's worse to have had a family and lost it, or to never have had one at all?"

Emotional pain wasn't a concept Kyousuke was familiar with, but there had been a twinge of something when he had found out Kasumi had died, a strange and melancholic tugging at his heart that he could not seem to do anything about despite his best efforts. The unpleasant sensation had dulled in time, but certain things tended to set it off as sharply as the day he had found out. It had been the first time he had ever felt something like it, and he wondered on some level if what he had experienced was the feeling of loss.

Loss of a loved one, a family member. Wasn't that exactly what Kyousuke's entire existence centered on? Hadn't he threatened to do just that to Aizawa earlier the same day? His job was to remove obstacles, but the thought had never struck him that those obstacles had people who cared for them. Intellectually, he knew he should have been feeling guilty for what he was, for what he caused, but the emotional framework simply wasn't there to support it. Kannaduki didn't seem willing to provide input on the matter, and her silence echoed through his head.

"And when you think of... Lancelot," he said, the name sounding somehow familiar, "what do you feel? When you think of all of us—" a vague gesture toward himself, trying to point out, somehow, their common affliction "—what goes through your head? Are we really family? Do we deserve to call one another that? Does that infringe upon territory we have no right to, or is family more than just blood ties?"

He was trying to understand, trying to process these abstract concepts of which there could be no tangible, empirical evidence of even existing in the first place. If family could be more than direct biological kinship, what was it that decided what family was? How far did the idea of family even go? If Kasumi had been family, and Lessa was family, did that make Mitsutaka family? Tova? If Kyousuke—gods forbid—was ever to do what Tova had done to them all, would the resulting aberration be yet another member of their family?

There was so much to consider, and there was no clear set of rules that governed it all. Kyousuke sat there, feeling even more detached than usual, trying to grasp with slippery fingers something that had eluded him for almost a century. His mind was not meant to understand these things—that's what he had Kannaduki for—and when she remained silent, he had nothing. For all the benefits that came with being an emotionless void, the drawbacks were frustrating.


°604

Kyousuke wasn't so sure he agreed with Lessa. On a fundamental level, he had experienced both options—after his death, he had come to Soul Society and been, in a sense, completely alone for decades. It had never bothered him; he had worn the isolation like a cloak, and it had protected him from issues that other people simply couldn't seem to find respite from. Even his lovesickness had been a pale shade of what others seemed to experience. It had never manifested as anything more than irritation, whereas for others it had devastating effects. He had learned absolute self-reliance and honed it in every moment of his existence since then.

In sharp contrast, the loss he had felt when Kasumi had died had been excruciating in a way he had never experienced before. At the time, the scars on his torso had grown beyond counting, but not a single one of those wounds could compare to the sudden emptiness in his life as his sister was taken from him and the pain it caused him. It had been an entirely new sensation to him, and he didn't like it. Pain was a way for the body to realize it was damaged, it served as a reminder that something was not right and it needed looking after. Pain was good, because pain kept you alive.

But there was no way to soothe the pain of Kasumi's passing, no amount of bandages or morphine could heal the wound or dull the sensation. In retrospect, his entire relationship with the second of his kind had been nothing a buildup to inevitable suffering, suffering that he would have to live with for the rest of his life. The way things were looking, it was going to be a very long one; Kyousuke had seemingly stopped aging, an unforeseen consequence of subjugating Hazuki, it seemed.

Sudden realization dawned on him that this girl—your sister, he thought absentmindedly—would always look the same to him for as long as she lived, just as he would always look the same to her. That permanence, that finality of it... It resonated with him. It wasn't something that had factored in to the relationship with Kasumi, because neither of them knew it at the time. It was foolish to think that it was irrelevant, but somehow he could call it nothing but: he hadn't been aware of it and neither had she, so it might as well not have existed.

Together forever. Like Shinigami and zanpakutō, like the sun and the moon.

You want this, don't you? You want someone to take her place, and this girl seems to want to be the one to do it.

Who cares what she wants? This is about us, Kannaduki.

It's about her just as much as it is about Kyousuke. Like him, she's got someone like me in her head, and she's even got someone like you. That's the whole point, Hazuki, she's the same as us. She's family.

Kyousuke didn't really have any idea what being a brother meant, though. Not really, not when it all came down to it.

That's the privilege of being the eldest, Kyousuke. You just have to act the way you always do, and your siblings will follow suit. To them, you're someone who's always been there and probably always will be, said Kannaduki, insightful as always.

Yeah, your reaction isn't exactly strange, the firstborn never knows what to do with themselves once they start getting siblings.

But then why had Kannaduki never expressed anything of the sort?

We're not sisters! they shouted in unison, angrily.

And even if we were, she wouldn't be the older one, muttered Hazuki darkly, half to herself.

Kyousuke had reached his decision. After a brief moment of silence, he stood up and spoke, as if to the world at large. "I've only been a brother once before," he said in an even tone, "and it didn't end very well for the other person. Let us hope, for both our sakes, that this time I'll do a better job of it."

He made no reply to the statement about Lancelot and the King, but instead looked down at the figure seated at his side thoughtfully. Something else to bring up with Mitsutaka, perhaps.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, Lessa, I have to go see about another one of our wayward siblings. I'd invite you to come along, but I fear you may find it somewhat dull."

He made to leave, and just as he was about to turn the corner, he glanced back at the girl. "Come visit me at the Second's headquarters some time. I'll make you something to eat."

Perhaps it would work out better this time, now that there were more of them.

Part of Kyousuke truly hoped it would.


°806

jesus christ I had no idea you had posted, I am so sorry for making you wait this long, Lessa

you should teach me how to ninjapost like you do, though, it must be a useful skill

Kyousuke looked over his shoulder and grinned at the incredulity in Lessa's tone. Could he cook. "There's a lot you don't know about me, little sister," he called back to her, a certain smug satisfaction leaking out. "Be careful not to fall under the impression that you'll learn all there is to know about me from the half-forgotten memories of someone else."

First he may have been, but if his siblings thought they knew everything about him from the get-go, they would soon find themselves very sorely mistaken.

When Lessa expressed her desire to come along, however, Kyousuke stopped short. It wasn't that he didn't want her to come along, it was just... Well, this wasn't exactly Gilgamesh-sanctioned activity. While a visit to the Captain-Commander from the newly-appointed captain of the Second Division seemed official enough on the surface, Kyousuke's motives weren't what he would call transparent. He contemplated how Lessa's participation might affect his business, and then came to a decision.

He shrugged. "Alright, you can walk me there. Once we arrive, though, I'll need some privacy. Captains-only," he said, with an exaggeratedly conspiratorial wink. He waited for Lessa to catch up and then they took off together in the direction of the Fourth, weaving back through the side streets they had both come from. They must've looked quite the mismatched pair: one black-haired, the other blonde; one tall, the other short; one in a regular uniform and the other in a dress. While Kyousuke possessed the ideal appearance for blending in, Lessa crushed any hopes for them to remain unnoticed. Her attempts at remaining inconspicuous had done the exact opposite, but Kyousuke, at least, could remain anonymous. The rumors of a new captain were just that, and his insistence on not wearing the haori if he could avoid it was proving more convenient than he had thought.

"Well," he asked his diminutive companion as they walked, "you said you wanted to get to know me. It'll take us a while to get there, so we may as well fill up the time with something meaningful. What is it you want to know?"


°361

A little on the short side, but I'm sure I'll be able to make up for it by answering some well-phrased questions.

Kyousuke had never been particularly fond of divulging personal information; he was a secretive man by nature and his line of work didn't exactly breed openness, but Lessa's request was a simple one.

At first glance, anyway.

Kyousuke himself wasn't entirely sure of what he thought about his current situation, he had been pulled out of the depths of a cold hell and instantly raised to a position of power and influence by a man he had never met nor heard about. Almost everything familiar in Soul Society had changed: the Central Forty-Six had been eradicated, insubordination certainly seemed to be a thing of the past, and there was very little evidence remaining of the constant and greedy power struggle that had pervaded Seireitei before Kyousuke had defected. People knew their place, and the nails that stuck up were hammered down swiftly. Rewards came to those who deserved them, as was the case for punishment.

Intrinsically linked with his view of the situation was the path that had led him there, and looking back at it, Kyousuke couldn't say everything had gone the way he had expected it to. He wouldn't have dreamt for a second back when he was faking his death that he would one day return to Seireitei, much less be promoted to captaincy of a division. He never expected to go on a week-long jaunt to another dimension and come back to a world where nine months had passed. He never expected Tova to—

No, there were many things he hadn't foreseen, that he couldn't have foreseen, and yet here he was, not quite in one piece but not exactly worse off because of it. His soul was fractured but Kyousuke Tsukimiya had pressed on and eventually ended up in a place where, at first glance, it certainly seemed like he belonged. He had been given purpose and was fulfilling his duties with the usual aplomb.

But how could he possibly put all that into words? It had been easy in the dark, subterranean chambers of the Second Division's headquarters, but plenty of what Kyousuke had told Saotome and Irie had been pure fabrication, not even elaborately crafted lies. He had told them, more or less, what they had expected to hear, and they had been too stupid to doubt it. Here, now, with this girl who was calling herself family, Kyousuke found himself reluctant to lie, the misinformation simply not coming to him as it often did. The best liars had poor imaginations, and Kyousuke had very little imagination to speak of: he was a man rooted in the present who looked at the path in front of him and never dwelled on the ground he had already covered.

So how, he thought, am I supposed to answer something like that?

"Well, I like it out here in the sun a lot more than I liked it down in solitary confinement." He looked up at the bright blue sky, letting the sun wash over his pale skin. It was a sensation he had been without for far too long and he thought back to the day he had first met his new lieutenant, and how he had sat on the veranda with his feet out over the edge, soaking up the heat.
"As far as what I've been up to since Tova and I took the first step in Shinigami evolution, well... That's almost as difficult as what my favorite food is." He scratched his chin thoughtfully as they walked. "I was... Abroad for some time," he said delicately, not quite sure how to put it in familiar terms, "and I spent some time with your late older sister. Really, though, it feels like I've been underground for the past ten years."

His grey eyes grew distant, colder somehow. "It's not a nice feeling." He suppressed a shiver, feeling cold despite the fine weather, but the moment passed. Kyousuke found himself inexplicably wishing for rain, but he shook the feeling and continued. "What about you? I always liked listening to Kasumi tell me how she managed to beat Tenpuku into submission, how was it for you? The way we choose to quite literally overcome part of ourselves is quite revealing, I've found."


°709

Kyousuke couldn't help but smile when the girl at his side mentioned the Crystal Forest. Kyousuke had achieved Bankai in the gloom of those caverns—he had cut a hole in the dimensional fabric and simply pulled Kannaduki out of his mind and then convinced her to grant him access to her true form. Thinking back on it now, the notion was absurd. How had he even managed to concoct such a scheme? Part of him suspected Kannaduki herself had influenced that particular choice a great deal more than she was prepared to admit, and it wouldn't surprise him if she had planted the seed of that particular idea.

"Some time ago, there were those who called me the Duke of the Forest," he said, trying not to let his smile widen as he recalled the days he had spent among the crystalline trees. It had been an empty title, more of a playful joke than anything else, but thinking about it brought with it an almost overwhelming sense of nostalgia. Back then, Kyousuke had been a traitor—

Has that changed?

—and he had found a safe haven in a place he would never have expected. His disgust with the situation in Seireitei had driven him to simply up and leave, and he hadn't regretted it. He still didn't regret it. He had discovered something about himself in the shadow of the gargantuan castle the Espada called their home, and atop the dome itself his existence as a mere Shinigami had ceased. He had become something else entirely. He had asked a question and received an answer, and for that, at least, he was thankful.

Lessa certainly seemed to have found her own answer to the same question, and although it sounded similar to Kyousuke's, there was something there that surprised him. Lessa had accepted what her Hollow had been telling her? Kyousuke had accepted Hazuki, but never her values. She was part of him, but his subconscious distance from what she stood for was what defined her entire existence. She was impulsivity, aggression. Things Kyousuke had no need for, but was part of his psyche all the same. If Lessa had embraced even what her inner Hollow stood for, then...

Well, maybe she was a lot more mature than she looked, after all. She had taken a step that Kyousuke himself had not been able to take yet. Hazuki was not something Kyousuke considered valuable; she was merely a part of him that he very much would have preferred to be without. Lessa had, however, hit the nail on the head: Tova's involvement had not been planting a seed in either case—the Cuarto Espada had merely expedited the growth of something that already existed.

Kyousuke was well aware of where Hazuki originated from. She was an embodiment of yet another facet of Kyousuke's psyche. The part that neither Kannaduki nor Kyousuke wanted anything to do with, on varying levels of their consciousness. At first, Hazuki had existed only as a collection of repressed emotions, but she grew, feeding off whatever she could. When Tova had pierced Kyousuke with his blade, he had inadvertently supercharged her, given her a voice of her own. Hazuki had achieved sentience. She thought, and therefore she was. He had sped up a process that would have taken centuries.

It had been like tearing off a bandaid.

"I'm impressed," he said, and for once he was telling the truth. "That's some quite remarkable insight. Hazuki just won't cut me a break."

You don't deserve one.

He was very suddenly reminded of the battles he had fought with Hazuki during his years in solitary confinement, and how almost every time she had pulled something out of her sleeve that had caught Kyousuke completely off-guard. He stayed silent for a moment, then looked down at his companion. "You ever feel like they know you better than you know yourself?" he asked, genuinely curious.


°658