writingwithryder

[writingwithryder]

A Tomb of Past Mistakes

Dark Souls AU

The grey and silver parapets seemed endless against the navy skies and dying stars as the Blade of the Darkmoon wandered aimlessly, letting his feet lead him down paths he’s taken thousands of times. Aged slate cracking and crunching beneath his feet as the wind stirred, howling along the rooftops, swaying him, tempting him. Closing his eyes the Blade of the Darkmoon sighed -- he knew the result, embracing the wind that swayed him would change nothing of his fate. Still. He tried. Letting himself slip, shingles sliding off with him, cracking in protest as he fell.

Lifetimes passed, and yet, days seemed like months and years turned into days. Time was no longer linear, but instead always in flux, and often, he felt as if he was reliving the same day over and over again. Only the darksign wrapped around his left side a tattooed and cursed reminder that even as the world around him turned to ash, he was destined to remain -- regardless of time.

It burned and his body was returned to the bonfire far below, The Darkmoon Tomb, his eternal resting place. Even in this cycle of death and return it seemed a fitting end for a Chosen Undead.

The ring on his hand warmed, vibrating. A warning. Someone approached who had killed Gwynevere, killed being the tentative word -- she wasn’t dead, but instead, the person who did it had the veil of Anor Londo lifted, and viewed the same eternal twilight as he and so many others did. The Blade of the Darkmoon heaved a deep sigh as he stood. It was foolish, to maintain such a façade, and yet, here he was, maintaining a dying world for a dying god.

Footsteps echoed behind his back and the fire in front of him faded down into dying embers. “You ever sit here and wonder, will the next five hundred years be any different?” The Blade of the Darkmoon recognized that voice, and he turned, a flash of blonde peeking out from a hood and the mocking tone she took as she looked at him, “Or are you content, killing, dying for the very people who abandoned us to our fate?”

“If we’re being honest here, none of our options are really all that positive, Cristiana.” He chose not to stand, instead, motioned her over to the fire, now, reigniting as he noticed a smaller woman behind The Bandit Queen, nodding over to her, the two older undead shared a silent look, “A new apprentice of yours?”

The woman snorted, kicking her feet out in front of her as she sat beside him, “A thief, I found her wandering the Woods, tempting those in the Forest.” A dangerous proposition, Alvina would allow her men even the cruelest of advantages, the smaller woman was lucky for Cristiana’s intervention, regardless of if she knew it or not, “She’d’ve been killed if I hadn’t showed up.” The smaller woman rolled her eyes and jabbed an elbow into the Bandit’s back, making her smile, something he sees so rarely these days, “That isn’t to say she’s without merit or tenacity. She acquired quite the loot, but they were Shiva’s men, and he isn’t one to turn a blind eye.”

The Blade of the Darkmoon hummed in agreement, the smaller woman continued to eye the two of them suspiciously. It’s easy to see why his… friend had picked her up. There was a lot of herself, of all of those who watched the world fall to pieces in her eyes. “Is she from Lordran?”

“The Undead Asylum.” It was the first time the woman spoke, and the Blade of the Darkmoon couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows at the sharpness in her voice. “Before that I…” The woman’s voice faded, had he been younger, less hard, less callused to death, there may have been pity in his eyes. Now however, he just saw a woman, bitter and angry, locked away and left to rot until the end of the world, and he can’t help but think it’s no wonder the woman was so quick to push the limits of her newly acquired freedom.

“We thought we’d make our way here, see what’s left of the abandoned city.” The Bandit Queen smiled although it didn’t quite reach her eyes, “Imagine my surprise when we arrive to find you.”

The Blade of the Darkmoon laughs, “Yes, well, the silver knights are still here as well.”

“We noticed.” Her companion’s words were dry, the two had obviously been surprised to find them lurking in the crumbling buildings. “Also a bunch more of your buddies came to greet us.”

“That one is Cristiana’s fault. Had she just left well enough alone, the two of you wouldn’t have that problem.” He smiled, impetuousness and idealism of youth still haunting her more than a few centuries later. The Blade of the Darkmoon couldn’t help but wonder if everyone as old of the two of them loathed what they had become.

“Gwyndolin needed to be stopped.” Gloved fists slammed the ground, because now, the two of them knew that something that small, as insignificant as the two of them, could ever have changed the fate of the undead, “The endless parade of undead to the First Flame needed to end.”

Flames crackled, and the Blade of the Darkmoon looked deeper into the dying embers, “And yet here we are.” “And yet here we are.” She echoed, anger now coating her words with venom. The words bounced around the tomb as silence overtook them in their seats around the bonfire, watching, waiting, the expectation of more Blades of the Darkmoon appearing keeping both women on edge.

Here they were, haunted by past mistakes and a bleak future, hoping and praying to gods that no longer listened for something to save them all from the darkness that was certain to come. Watching the flames continue to flicker, the Blade of the Darkmoon couldn’t help but wonder -- was this really all his infinite lifetimes had to offer.

But the silence held no answer.

[writingwithryder]

Not the Right Kind of Wake

A fill for the prompt, “If you think the end of the world will stop me from blaring my music, you’re sadly mistaken.” for Bridget and Garrus. 

There was this never ending haze that seemed to permeate from the ground of Omega -- like smoke and steam that never seemed to drift off or dissipate and cause the neon to glow in a fog like haze, it reminded her of home, of the rivers and the fog that engulfed her home in the early mornings. Except, this haze was neon red and smelled of tar and something still foreign to her even after spending all these years in space. Gaze listless as she watched the rocks float steadily by the window she couldn’t help but sigh -- it had been two weeks since Cris’ funeral. Two weeks. That’s all it took for the Alliance to sweep everything she had done for them, Saren, the Geth, fucking Sovereign, all of it, under the rug, discredit her and run the rest of them off.

Honestly. She’s not sure why she followed the turian all the way out to the Terminus System. Bridget shifts, and stretches her arms up and begins rotating her head, groaning as her back and neck both pop. Maybe she was concerned that the Alliance, no longer in need of her services would arrest her for her work, maybe it was Cris--Shepard, who had shown her that there was so much more to this Galaxy than just jury rigging VIs for credits and favors from black market dealers, or maybe it was Garrus himself, idealistic and trying to fill the impossibly large shoes left by the woman whom they had come to respect and admire. Whatever the real reason, she couldn’t just go back to hiding on the Citadel -- not when she knew what was coming.

She stood. Anxious energy wanting her to pace, to move, to do something than just sit on watch in the cramped apartment they had found, “You know, Cris, this is all your fault. Had you managed to just stay alive, we could all still be space cowboys, even if it was just fighting against Geth.” The words were a whisper, and more for herself than to wherever her friend was as she began to pace, counting the number of laps she did from one end of the room to the other -- being cooped up in this tiny apartment was going to drive the both of them mad, she was sure of it. Hopefully, one of them would come up with a plan before that, if not, well, she couldn’t say she had lived a good life, but, beggars can’t be choosers.

Eventually, she stopped, looked over at the bedroom door and calculated the likelihood that the turian on the other side of the door would wake up if she decided to play music from her omnitool. The song was older -- it reminded her of home and it brought a smile to her face as she started to dance, absolutely certain that she looked ridiculous while doing so. “I had had known that this would be what I’d wake up to when you agreed to come with me, I’m pretty sure I’d have left you on the Citadel.”

The sarcasm in the groggy voice made her turn and grin, rolling her eyes as he took the seat that she had been in previously, “You would have gone crazy by yourself. Besides, you never know when a hacker will come in handy.” Music still rang from her omnitool as she climbed on the back of the opposite chair and sat on the backrest, feet sinking into the cushion beneath her.

Mandibles flickered in amusement, “At least it would have been quiet.”

She scoffed, “Quiet is overrated.”

“So is sleep, evidently.” It felt normal. As crazy as it sounds, both of them could close their eyes and imagine this exact same conversation happening on the Normandy six months ago and it feels right -- even after so much has gone wrong.

“If you think the end of the world will stop me from blaring my music, you’re sadly mistaken.” She kicked her legs up and crossed them against one of the arms of the chair.

Eyes widened as Garrus looked at her, “You really think that this is the end of the world?”

“With the way we’re moping over Cris’ death? It might as well be.” A pause. She had cut their light conversation to the quick and his blue eyes met her brown ones and they sat in silence, their entire futures seemingly hanging in the balance.

Bridget finally breaks the silence, fingers picking at the scabs from their fight on the Citadel, “What do we intend to do about it then?”

“Well…” His voice drifted off for a moment, and his mandibles flicked into a grin, “There’s a hell of a lot less red tape here than on the Citadel, you wanna see what we can fix before they catch us?”

“I think that sounds like a hell of a plan that I can get behind.” Reaching over she grabs his outstretched hand and shakes it -- a promise, that the two of them are in this together. Going to stand she stumbled out of her chair, grabbed by Garrus as she almost face plants into the ground -- and she can hear him holding back laughter, “Yeah, yeah, laugh it up big guy, just wait until you get your gear stuck somewhere again and you need someone tiny to get it out.”

“I was always so curious how the humans were able to go toe to toe with us at the Relay Incident, but obviously it’s your inane agility and grace that put your species on our level.” He’s laughing now and as much as she’s trying to twist her face into a scowl she devolves into laughter too. Maybe it isn’t perfect. And maybe she doesn’t know why she’s here. But because of one woman, the two of them were going to do everything in their power to make this galaxy a better place.

[writingwithryder]

Clattering Teacups

Day 17 of barbex‘s fictober “You shouldn’t have heard that.”

Shiori meandered into the office of the Tenth Division,sat on the couch in front of Matsumoto’s desk and started a conversation with her about some wine festival that's taking place in the World of the Living in the coming weeks and wondered if she'd be interested in coming along. His Lieutenant laughed and agreed and he couldn't help but grimace as her paperwork was forgotten in order to speak with Shiori, there was something that stirred in her chest as she continued on and apparently ignored him, they had both agreed on professionalism while in a relationship and he understood her to be doing just that, but in that same moment he couldn’t help his jealousy and instinctively he snapped, “Captain Nakano,” his voice was sharp and it cut their conversation to a halt, “don't you have more important things to do than bother my Lieutenant?”

He watched her face fall slightly, the smile that was so easily hung there replaced by the slightest frown and he felt a pang of regret twist his stomach, “Of course, my apologies, Captain Histugaya.” She stood without another word and bowed to them both and left without another word.

Rangiku sighed loudly and looked over at him like a petulant child, scolded for talking during class, “You know, Captain, you can be so cruel sometimes, she only comes to see you. She just always has an excuse for why she’s here otherwise, so that it’s always professional -- or personal, just not with you.” She watched him closely as his hands faltered, pen slipping for a moment over the document he was attempting to review, and she continued while she had him off balance, “She loves you, Captain. She's just terrible at showing it, just like another Captain I know -- it's what makes you both so endearing.”

He scoffed but his mind reeled at her words -- that was something that he hadn't thought about. Their lives had just returned to normal; fifty years to relax after Aizen and Arrancar and everything else, “Don't be ridiculous, Matsumoto.” They had been seeing each other for twenty years now, but to them, that's no time at all, but now, her words repeated in his mind for the rest of the day.

By the time he came home, he was greeted to a hot pot of tea and take out on their shared kitchen counter. He could hear music filter out from the bathroom and water run, apparently she had already eaten and continued her nightly activities without him. It shouldn't bother him, they were both Captains with little free time, there wasn't always time for each other, he understood that, but Matsumoto’s words continued to rattle around in his mind and he wanted -- he didn't know what it wanted, which only served to bother him more.

By the time he had finished, the water was drained from the bathtub and she had joined him back in the living area and poured herself a cup of tea, “Toshiro, I wanted to apologize, it wasn't professional for me to come into your office today and I--” It was enough thinking, enough of how contrite she looked as she left his office and knowing that she probably scolded herself for the rest of the day over it.

He cut her off, pressing a kiss to her lips and he could hear the teacup in her hand clatter to the floor, “I love you.” The words were whispered and as soon as they left his throat he was panicking, jumping up, cheeks red and eyes wide,“You shouldn't have heard that -- I meant to say that it's okay because -- I know that you were just coming to--” his words were frantic and his eyes refused to meet hers. Why had he said that? Of all the things he could have said to her, and he chose that.

He called himself twelve types of foolish and was ready to backtrack until he felt her arms wrap around him and she stood on tiptoes to press a gentle kiss to his lips, “I love you too, Toshiro.”

[writingwithryder]

Laundry Days

Day 16 of barbex‘s fictober “ Domestic Bliss.”

Of all the things that Shinji Hirako had imagined himself doing in his lifetime, he could safely guarantee that sitting in the backyard of a three bedroom home wringing out bedsheets was firmly not among them. The unusually warm autumn day had made his wife, he paused, a smile stretching across his face at the thought, Shiori was his wife, another thing he had never thought he’d manage -- anyway, it made her decide to clean their home, washing bedsheets and sweeping floors, letting his jazz music float around their home like the soft breeze that carried what was left of the leaves around their yard. She had disappeared for just a moment -- walking back inside to carry some of the mats outside to shake, leaving him to wring out their wet bedclothes and apparently think about his life up until this moment.

She was humming to the sound of his records as she returned, shaking the mats and laying them in the sun for the afternoon as she sat at his side again, before reaching into the bucket, however she leaned over and pressed a kiss to his cheek, “Thank you for helping today, Shinji.” Her soft words and the gentle kiss caught him off guard and made him melt, especially as she reached in and helped him get the last of the laundry somewhat dry, he followed her over to the clothes lines, watching as her hands, so often used for kido or sword wielding or even signing papers gently lifted the soft fabrics and pinned them to the line. Walking over, he lifted the rest of the sheet up and copied her, and the two continued to hang their laundry from the line until the last sheet was fastened to the line of twine.

Walking over to her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed a kiss of his own to her forehead, “You know,” he smiled and began to sway in time to the music, making her laugh and join him, arms wrapping around his shoulders and pulling him close, “a hundred years ago, if someone had told me that I’d be married and doin’ laundry in my backyard to the most serious and somber woman in the Seireitei I’dve laughed at them and walked the other way.” His hand slid up her arm now, leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake as he grabbed her hand from his shoulder, and spun her outward, drawing another airy laugh from his fellow Captain.

She looked so much brighter now, smile easily splayed across her lips as she swayed in time with him, and what has to be for the millionth time in his long life, he thought of how beautiful she was; hair a mess while cleaning their home, laughing as they sway in the backyard to faded jazz music but she was everything, strong and determined and brilliant… And his. “You look like you’re going to have an aneurysm there, Shinji.” Shiori laughed again, this time at her joke and the way his nose crinkled as he rolled his eyes, and he couldn’t help but thank some higher power for giving them both this second chance. Pulling her in once more he kissed her, it said everything he thought was too ridiculous to say out loud and she kissed him back in just the same way, reminding him that she loves him just as much as he loves her.

Between the white sheets blowing in the breeze the two Captains danced, fools in love and never wanting to lose this moment.

[writingwithryder]

Autumn Rains

Day 15 of barbex‘s fictober “Their voice had never sounded so cold.”

So, when I created Hikari, I made the point of making her as a way to write more about the Seireitei as it was closer to the inception of the Academy. She’s a window to the past that Kibo just sort of left open after only using it for the flashbacks 100 years ago. I knew from the beginning she was going to die, that her purpose was to foil Shiori -- all gentle words and kindness and compassion instead of distrust and frustration and masking of emotion. She was made to show the bond that formed between Shunsui and Jushiro in their early years, and the hope that they had back then, and how she helped them grow that hope, even in her death. So this fic takes place ~900 years before the current canon.

TW: Character Death Below the Cut

The silence of the late autumn morning was only broken by the rhythmic drip of rain off the edge of the Thirteenth Division’s roof, and Jushiro Ukitake opened his eyes to be greeted by the  abysmal grey light of morning, and the only thought that seemed to pass his mind is how he could feel, in the pit of his stomach, that nothing good could come of a day as dark as this. He dressed for the day, the slow patter of the rain still the only thing to break the seemingly endless silence that encroached on the usually warm Captain’s quarters and it seemed to follow him as he came to his office; paperwork and conversation with his Lieutenant all seemed melancholy today, and he couldn’t seem to figure out why.

There was no reprieve in the grey come lunchtime, rain continued its steady rhythm as Shunsui appeared in his doorway, a lax grin playing at his lips as he leaned against the doorway, “Manage to slip away from your Lieutenant, did you?” The dark haired man laughed at that and sat himself in front of the desk and began fiddling with the tea set on the table directly behind him. Attention taking away from his work Jushiro took the moment to reflect, the cold and the rain unfurled such a feeling of consternation that he hasn’t felt in the hundred years he had spent here in the Seireitei.

“You feel it too.” Jushiro’s head snapped back towards Shunsui, the words weren’t a question, but an observation, “Waking up to this cold and the rain this morning, something felt… wrong.” The white haired man nodded in agreement, there was a sense of relief in knowing that he wasn’t the only one with this sense of dread and loss in his heart, “Don’t worry too much about it, Jushiro, it’s probably just the weather.” With that, Shunsui laughed it off and poured them both a cup of steaming green tea.

The late afternoon was still, Shunsui’s words and company stilled the distress he had felt in the morning, rain continued to fall and the chill of the autumn weather couldn’t seem to be combated, but he maintained his composure and finished the paperwork in front of him just before a knock came to the door, before he could respond, his fifth seat slid the door open, panic written on his features, “Captain! You need to come, Lieutenant Saitou of Division Four was just brought back for treatment and -- it doesn’t look good.”

By the time he arrived at the Fourth Division’s Barracks, he could already make out Shunsui’s silhouette at the door, his normally warm demeanor was cold now, face pale and eyes wide as Jushiro made his way to the door, “...that bad?” His partner could only nod and follow as they both entered the hospital, it seemed busier than normal -- Jushiro could easily feel the panic and worry in those working and it made his feet move that much faster, Shunsui was beside him, guiding the both of them to her.

Her room was at the end of the hall, window overlooking the gardens of the Fourth Division, and as both men entered her eyes departed from the dark grey of the sky and turned to give them both the softest of smiles. She was so pale and sweat beaded her upper lip and brow, as the men both pulled chairs to sit at her side, she reached out for Jushiro’s hand, her words were raspy and she sounded out of breath, “You both mustn't cry -- too many of the seated officers have already left in tears and I can’t -- I can’t have you two crying, I’ll never make it through what I want to say.” Her hand was so tiny as she began to draw circles around it, how had he not noticed it before? “I love --” the words caught in her throat, tears pricking in the corners of her eyes already, and Jushiro noticed Shunsui gently brushing the hair from her face, his own hands now cupped her one, she was so cold, “I love you both so much. I count the last two hundred years I’ve been able to spend with the two of you the greatest blessing that I could have ever have been graced with.”

There was so much they both wanted to say, beg her to not leave them, not like this, she interrupted their thoughts before they could speak, the words were cold and not even the smile that she put behind them took any of the sting away, “The truly difficult part of being part of Division Four is knowing when you’re beyond saving.” She had done what she could, begged her Captain to give her time, just some time, so that she could say goodbye, to hold their hands and tell them that it’ll be okay, because she has them with her now. “I’m not afraid,” Her hand tugs his and he looks at her, she looks so soft, so small, “it doesn’t hurt and with the two of you here, I have nothing more to want from this life.”

“You can’t just go, Hikari,” Shunsui’s voice was gravel, and he could tell that the man was trying just as hard as he was to not cry, to do the only thing she’s ever asked of them, “We haven’t had enough time and--” her other hand reaches up and gently cups the side of his face, asking him to move closer, and she places the gentlest of kisses on his forehead, cheeks, lips and he watches as the man beside him cannot contain the tears any longer as he tries to stifle the sob that escapes as he pulls away.

“It’s okay,” There were tears in her eyes now as well and Jushiro felt himself collapsing in on himself as he watched the people he loved most devolve into tears, he started to cry too, and between her breathless gasps she pleased, “Stay with me, please.” And the two men knew that it was the last thing they could ever do, and instead both crawled into the tiny hospital bed with her, they each took one of her hands and her head rested on Jushiro’s shoulder. The three of them had always thought it would be Hikari and Shunsui burying him, that it was his bedside they’d sit in as his damnable illness took him away from them, this turn of events seemed cruel. And gods, they both thought, if there anything in this world they could do to keep her here with them, they’d do it without a second of hesitation.

Her breathing became more shallow as night came, and she held them both tighter, her fear wasn’t for herself, she was safe and warm and loved and accepted what was to come, her fear was for them, and the pain that was certain to follow. Her eyes turned to the men on either side of her, tear stained cheeks and bright red eyes met her gaze and her entire body ached for them, as she kissed them both one last time, her eyes then returned to the window, watching as the rain slows to a stop as she lets her last breath go.

[writingwithryder]

Everything Can Go Wrong

Day 14 of barbex‘s fictober “ You know even less about this than me? ”

Everything about this was experimental – she had been collecting data since she had come to the World of the Living almost a month ago, and Kisuke has had almost a hundred years of data behind him, and Tessai, former captain of the Kido Corps was here as well to help them in their ventures. All of the math seemed right, the numbers and calculations in theory seemed to hold up, especially if they could get the ratio of reishi in the pillars correct and exactly the same, the various kido required for the reishi calculations were daunting, but Shiori had Tessai had worked on that more often than the calculations she had worked on with Kisuke. There was no way this could possibly go wrong.

The biggest lie that one can tell themselves is that nothing can go wrong, when everything can go wrong. Everything.

It started off innocuously enough, small amounts of replication and teleportation; Kisuke had borrowed one of Jinta’s long discarded toys and brought it down to the basement with them, the pillars themselves were labor intensive, and currently they were only a meter tall – the idea of making ones big enough to encapsulate all of Karakura town seemed more daunting now than ever before. The replication process seemed easy enough, their calculations held up and it seemed like a perfect duplicate of the small red car placed within the square. Where things went wrong, however, was the teleportation, upon starting the incantation for teleportation with Tessai, the duplicate care caught fire, and subsequently exploded.

Kisuke was leaning against the rock after she and Tessai managed to put out the fire that was still burning, even though there was absolutely nothing there. “So. Do we know where we went wrong?”

Were there something to throw, Shiori would have done so, “These are all theoretic calculations, nothing of the scale we’ve decided on has ever been speculated before. The kido required for the pillars alone is astronomical – it could be something in the spell itself, a miscalculation in the reishi quantities, or you know, this whole plan is fucking crazy and we have no idea what we’re doing.”

Kisuke’s grin only widened at that, “Wait… You mean that you know even less than me?” This time she actually hit him, a light twap on the back of the head as she indignantly glared at him, before sitting crossed legged beside him, grabbing the spiral notebook placed on the rock, she noted their first attempt, and the results while Kisuke turned his attention, “So what you think, Tessai?”

The former Kido Captain hummed for a moment, “It could be anything that Shiori listed, it’s hard to pick something specific out until we do more testing. Just keep trying to isolate the individual variables that might be causing it until we solve this problem and then move onto the next.”

Shiori sighed heavily and collapsed onto the floor with a loud thud, this was going to be a long, tedious and absolutely painful process, but someone has to do it, and honestly there was no one better suited than the three of them. Counting to ten, she stood and returned over to their designated test site, grabbing another seemingly innocuous toy from Jinta’s discarded pile they tried again.

It took two weeks for them to make the progress that they hoped for – Kisuke’s basement looked like a battlefield; craters and pieces of the rock faces were missing, pillars of various sizes had sprouted up all around the seemingly never ending training grounds. They were all sore, exhausted and cranky, but they had done it. Halfway through the mess of testing they had all thought it was impossible, but here they were – certain that it would work, and proud of all that they had accomplished, “I will deny it to my dying day if you ever tell anyone, but you’re pretty amazing Kisuke.” A smug grin spread across his lips, but before he could get out a snarky remark she continued, “And Tessai, it’s been an honor to work with you; your notes and advancements in kido have been inspiring, especially over the last one hundred years.”

She could see him blush as they settled around the table in Kisuke’s back room, “The pleasure has been mine, Captain Nakano.”

[writingwithryder]

For A Girl

Day 13 of barbex‘s fictober “ A person is speaking but nobody listens.” 

The room is silent save for the sounds of feet pacing the floor outside; this is the last exam for the sixth years at the Academy before they’re organized for the division placement tests, everyone wants to do well. The better your scores at this exam the better your place in the picking order for Divisions. Shiori sat at the front of the room, placed in the middle of the long table while waiting for the rest of the academy teachers to assemble; she could already hear her students pacing outside the door.

Shiori was in the middle of proctoring an exam when the Hell Butterfly came -- it distracted the student and the spell she was attempting to cast backfired and she ended up flat on her back, “Get out, Ayame.” The words were flat as the butterfly landed on her outstretched fingers, “We’ll call you back in once I’ve taken care of this.” The words were whispered to her, Rukia Kuchiki has been apprehended in the World of the Living and is currently being held in the cells of Division Six’s barracks. Her sentence has been confirmed -- death for her crimes will occur in 28 days atop Sokyoku Hill.

The reishi associated with this particular butterfly wasn’t that of Division One, but she recognized it as the Captain of Division 13s reishi, and she frowned -- Jushiro wasn't playing fair; he knew she cared about Rukia, and knew how worried she had been when they had lost word with Rukia some time ago. “Excuse me, please continue with the exams, something has come up and I must attend to it.” She stood before anyone could protest, outside the door she was met with a wide eyed Ayame, “Head back in, your exam will resume.”

The girl couldn't help but stutter, Shiori’s voice was hard and sharp and had a volume that the girl if never heard before and it sent chills down her spine, “W-without you, Nakano-sensei?” Shiori simply nodded, she was too angry to respond well and would prefer not to set the girl more on edge than she had been at the start of the exam. Without a word she was off, the sea of students, enjoying the free day parted as she walked through; the undercurrent of her own reishi as well as the look on her face enough to strike fear in every student she passes. Once outside the Academy she immediately headed towards the Sixth Division’s Offices - fury fueled her steps forward, she had known Byakuya since he was a child, knew how he was raised and knew that he chose to do nothing to save the one person who needed him most in this world. She would remind him that being a Captain didn’t mean simply following the laws because they’re there, but to follow them because they are just and meant to protect society.

The office was relatively quiet when she arrived, but she could feel the stirrings of his spiritual pressure inside, and without knocking or hesitation she slammed the door to the offices open and stormed inside, “Your sister has been sentenced to the death of a traitor and yet you sit here and do nothing?” Her hand slams on his desk and he looks up, and for a moment she sees surprise on his face. Evidently, she was the last person he expected to show up here, or at least, the last person he expected to yell at him, but before he could respond she continued, “The price of nobility isn’t to just sit and accept the laws as they’re given, you, of all people should know that,” teaching at the time when Byakuya found Rukia, she was told the story of his late wife then, knew that he had been willing to pursue love and justice beyond nobility, beyond the Seireitei then, “I guess the difference now is that she’s expendable to you. You paid your debt and now that she’s trouble for the Noble House of Kuchiki it’s easier to watch her die then fight for the last remaining ties you had to your wife.”

He stood, face as calm as a still pond on a windless day, Shiori could feel the fury, the impulsiveness in his reishi but he remained firm and emotionless, “I don’t believe that it’s something a teacher of the Academy should concern themselves with. You no longer have any standing without the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, so why should the death of a criminal mean anything to you?” The words came with ease and it was as if he was discussing the weather with a subordinate instead of the death of the only family he had left.

She shook with anger -- she knew Rukia, the brilliant, striving girl, she tried so hard to please him, please his family. She trained until she was ragged, with her and Kaien and even Jushiro, just to please him and the faceless name of the Kuchiki family, and her brother, the man who loved her sister so dearly as to break every law that the nobility held, just called this girl a criminal, stirred something that she had worked her hardest to quell from the day she was accepted at the Academy one hundred and sixty years ago. She slapped him. Hard and fast and she did it without thinking, “Your pride blinds you, Byakuya Kuchiki. When your sister dies at the end of the month, the sin for her murder will be on your soul and yours alone. You abandoned her and I hope your men all hate and spite you for it because evidently, no life holds any meaning for you.”

Her hand stung as she turned on her heel, the grim satisfaction of his cheek turning pink was enough to sate her for now, before she could leave, however, Renji stood frozen at the door -- in the flurry of emotions, she missed his approach and she’s certain that he’s seen everything, “N-nakano sensei.” The words were stuttered and she could see the panic on his face; she was angry with him too, knowing that he had also abandoned his childhood friend in her hour of need, but there was no point, in what he just witnessed was enough the drive fear and shame into him, she could feel it in his reishi and see it in his eyes.

Shunpo took her from the doorway of the Sixth Division, and within a short walk, she found herself in front of the Thirteenth Division and walked into Jushiro’s office being quickly followed by his third seats who hurriedly announced her arrival as she opened the door, sitting in his office was Jushiro and Shunsui, drinking tea and a knowing smile on both of their faces, “ I see you received my message, Shiori, it’s been a long time.”

With a deep bow she settled in with the two older Captains, “You both realize that there’s no point in going to the Head Captain or Central 46 to contest this sentence, correct? It’s well within the rights of both to pass judgement as harsh as this. Even if we would speak out against it, no one would listen to us.” She poured a cup of tea while both men looked on, lost in thought themselves as they took in her words, “The only advocacy that could work is that of a noble clan and I’m certain that none of them would be willing to step in on behalf of Rukia.”

Jushiro grimaces, “I was afraid you’d say that. It definitely limits our options, and puts us in quite the predicament.” Both she and Shunsui nod, but the three of them know that in this case, for this girl, they’re willing to do whatever it takes. Jushiro saw her, and chose her to join his Division, he saw what Shiori sees in her and knows that she doesn’t deserve this. Shunsui is doing it for Jushiro, he knows the man and knows that his judge of character is probably the best in the Seireitei. Shiori is doing it for Rukia, the girl from the deep Rukongai who has no one in the world right now, but her and Jushiro.

[writingwithryder]

Bring Her Home

Day 11 of barbex‘s fictober “There was a legend about the well in the garden.” 

Early fall had colored the Seireitei, bright oranges, golds and reds hued the world around them and shone so brightly against the pink and yellow watercolors of the dawn, Byakuya reached over to the far side of the bed to be greeted by emptiness and cold -- it was the third time this week he had woken alone. He rose and dressed himself before sliding the door of their shared bedroom open to find Shiori sitting on the lip of the stone well in the garden; her hair was down and a simple white yukata framed her figure, the collar was askew and allowed him to see the lines of her collarbone against her skin.

Shiori didn’t notice his approach, her mind was worlds away as her eyes watched the bright red and gold leaves chase each other across the water. Now was her favorite time of year; crisp mornings and vibrant days there was so much to enjoy but, she felt… lost and for whatever reason, this well seemed to answer her call. “Did you know that there’s a legend about this well?” She looked up to be met by Byakuya’s always calming gaze, of course he’d notice she was gone, he was too observant, too kind, too good not to notice. “My father used to tell me the story.”

Sliding over to make room for him on the cold stone she waited, “Of all the times I visited here through the years I never once heard of a story associated with this well.” As he sat she curled up into his side, head resting on his shoulder. She was glad it was early enough for them to do this, even if it was at the expense of both of their sleep. They were reaching out for each other, he was searching for her in all of the distance she had put up between them. She accepted, of course she did, he was warm and welcoming and trying to hard to be more than he was ever taught to be.

Curling up into his side she smiles as he hums at her words, “It’s something of a family secret.” She couldn’t help but laugh at that, but of course, another Kuchiki family secret, she could feel him gazing at the top of her head at her laughter, but only pauses for a minute, enjoying the sound of her laughter before continuing. “The story is that before the foundation of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, this was the well that young women would come to this well while getting water for their families. One day a young woman came to the well to find an old woman sitting there, in tattered rags and covered in mud, her heart broke for the woman and she agreed, giving the woman water and the shawl that she had with her. The kindness the young woman showed her, the old woman prayed for the young girl’s fortune in life - promising love and fortune in return for the love that she had been shown. The next time the young woman returned to the well, her eyes met that of a man and it was in that moment she realized that she had found the love of her life.”

There was a long pause -- they both knew that the story was ridiculous, but there’s meaning behind it, and the promise that was there was what was to inspire people; especially the younger generation. She smiled, wanting to break the silence with something easy, “I’m under the assumption that they are the first recorded ancestor of the Kuchiki family?” The laugh that rumbled through Byakuya’s chest could be felt from where she was curled up beside him.

“Of course.” She could hear the smile in his voice even if she couldn’t see him, “How else could a story like that be handed down the generations if it didn’t involve our family specifically.” His sense of humor was lost on both people, but she’s so happy to see it peak through, especially when they’re alone like this

Readjusting onto his lap she looked up at him, nose centimeters from his as she whispered, “I’m more than content with you as the love of my life.” Pressing a kiss to his lips she’s greeted by the soft breeze of the autumn dawn and the man whom she was ready to spend her life with, he found her and brought her home.

[writingwithryder]

A Soft Epilogue

Day 10 of barbex‘s fictober “You will love them in the end, like they said.”

So this particular day’s writing needs a preface; in wading and struggling and crying through the Bleach universe, my dearest and by far most evil friend who ended up introducing me to Bleach and I decided that we were going to basically turn the canon on its heels, for pacing and character development and honestly just for better flow than our man Tite Kibo.  

So in the end, we created this Bleach Universe with a better flow, more arcs and a different ending. Which was jokingly called “The Good Ending” where everyone ended up not destroying their character development through the series and progressed in their lives after the main arc of Bleach. Then we have the “Mostly Canon Ending/Neutral Ending” with a few changes of things that either seemed nonsensical or drawn out while still adding our character’s arcs into the mix. And finally the “Canon/”Bad Ending”” which is just as it sounds, the canon ending to the series, with only the addition of our characters.

Today’s piece is going to be about those three universes (in the order earlier listed) and her realizations and beyond of love in each of them.

Shinji Hirako

She realized she loved him when it was too late -- standing in her Captain’s office when she's informed that he, and everyone else sent on the hollow containment mission last night were dead. Lieutenant Shiori Nakano stood stock still as Captain Ginrei Kuchiki looked her in the eyes and said the words that made her world collapse around her that everyone that she cared about in the Seireitei was dead or exiled. Her thoughts were of Shinji, that she'd never smell the floral shampoo he used again, or feel the way she did after he kissed her upon returning from a long absence, even his ridiculous music player and the cheeky smile he'd give her after she'd complain about it. “I'm sure you'd make better music, doll.”

Their arrangement was supposed to be simple, sex and occasional flirting -- it's what any Captain or Lieutenant needs to unwind and up until this moment, it's all she thought of it as. The two of them made it easy; she was calculating and precise, always knowing the perfect times to come and go, and had the best excuses for being exactly where she shouldn’t be. He provided the calm air to it all, that it was easy and they never had to worry about being caught because, “Who would ever believe that these two polar opposites could ever end up together?” It always made her smile when he’d say those words, because somehow, it felt right that they did fit together so well.

Seeing him again, alive and right in front of over brought so many conflicting feelings to bloom in her chest -- it had been one hundred years, time which she used to move past those feelings that she wasn’t allowed to have in the first place, to mourn him and her friends and move on. Instead, she left the Vizards line of vision before any of them could see her. It was too soon and she needed to quash the feelings that she shouldn’t have before anyone reads the emotion so easily carved onto her face.

The months following the final fight with Aizen had been hard; she had worked on mediating terms between Hueco Mundo and the Seireitei as well as trying to make reparations to the Vizards after everything that had happened over the last hundred years, her own relationships were included. Hiyori was mad at everyone and Lisa seemed far too calm about their treatment and wouldn’t accept apologies -- at least not from her. The other Captains and Lieutenants she knew, but her damning trait was how poorly she socialized and she regretted it while trying to fix what had been done. Last was Shinji, to any of the Vizards of the Lieutenants who had been ordered to stay with her in the world of the living, their relationship seemed unchanged, occasional verbal sparring and snark was expected, a Captain now, she was willing to give just as much as she took. They both knew though; one hundred years changes people, and Shiori knew that deep down, they all felt that they had been abandoned - by the Seireitei, by the Thirteen Court Guard squads and especially her.

It was late autumn now, a chilling breeze seemed to soak through their clothes while sitting on a roof of a random building in Karakura town. Shiori rested her head on Shinji’s shoulder and she couldn’t hope to hide the small smile that slid onto her face, it had taken one hundred years, thinking he was dead, killing his former lieutenant and rebuilding trust that had been lost in thinking she had abandoned him. And yet… here they were, fingers twined together enjoying the stars and relative peace of Karakura town, pressing a kiss to his cheek she couldn’t help it when she whispered in his ear, “I love you, Shinji.”

Toshiro Hitsugaya

It didn't start out as love, hell, it didn’t even start out as mutual trust. After being made Captain of Squad Five in the aftermath of Aizen’s defection and the madness that had consumed the Seireitei in the wake of the Bounts and repairing all of the damage that was caused she had to get away. Too many people that questioned her ability, her demeanour, her… everything. So when the Head Captain requested volunteers to go to the World of the Living she was among the first volunteers. It was a welcome reprieve; and seeing Yoruichi and Kisuke again was definitely a welcome bonus, she missed her friends dearly.

Toshiro was suspicious, and Shiori knew, that were she in his place, she’d most likely feel the same way. Every one of the Lieutenants and the Captain himself had seen her as their strict, distant kido instructor - not someone powerful enough to be a captain, or even a seated officer, so to go from their proverbial nothing to a Captain in a matter of weeks was enough to make anyone leery. She proved capable though; more than capable, really. He watched her defend the Lieutenants at the battle in Karakura town, realized that she was part of Urahara’s and Tessai’s plans to keep the town safe, she proved to every Captain and Lieutenant that day that she truly was confident and worth of the title that so many thought was tokenly bestowed upon her.

When they returned to the Seireitei, she became a different person -- not a teacher, not a mentor, but a friend, often coming his office long after their Lieutenants had left, bringing her own paperwork and food for the both of them. It started then, for the both of them, it wasn’t love, but a fondness for each other, enveloped in her stories of the Seireitei and her genuine questions of his wellbeing and forcing him to take breaks. He rolled eyes at her crazier stories but always supplanted with some of his own, usually more tame, but she listened to them all the same, either while writing reports or eating dinner.

By the time of the Quincy War they were close friends; something that in hindsight, Rangiku ruefully admitted was bound to happen, “You’re both so serious all the time, of course they’d end up friends as the strict captains.” Shiori was pinioned for logistics and battle planning -- keeping the fourth and the injured safe while still helping maintain the frontline of fighting by knowing where to send people and when. She knew everything that was going on, knew where her friends were and how they were doing -- had to watch as friends were placed under Giselle Gewelle’s control, knowing that if she left to help them that more people would die so she was forced to watch. When it was finally finished, she was the first one out there, pulling Toshiro into the tightest of hugs and pressed a kiss to his lips, it was impulsive, more impulsive than they ever were, but after all of the dying and bloodshed, she didn’t care.

They were asleep, lying together on the sofa in the offices of the Tenth Division as the sun rose, papers were forgotten, scattered across the coffee table and floor with her head on his chest and his arms tightly around her. She awoke first and couldn’t help but smile -- so much had changed in the years since the war, but this hadn’t changed, could never change. Her pointer finger traced the lines of his nose and lips and she pressed the gentlest of kisses on each of his eyelids, Toshiro grumbled slightly and pulled her closer and Shiori was soon greeted by jade eyes and a drowsy glare, she kissed him again, this time on the lips and with more force behind it, “Good morning, Toshiro.” He grumbled into her hair, as he pulled her back down to rest her head on his chest, and she couldn’t help but smile, thankful that the Captain of the Tenth Division managed to relax a little, if only with her, and she couldn’t help but whisper, “I love you.”

Byakuya Kuchiki

The first time Byakuya saw her his only thoughts were of how unremarkable she was, decent looking, but with the same black hair as everyone else, emotionless and unspeaking as she followed his grandfather around the estate. “This is the woman who’s supposed to replace my father?” It seemed impossible, she was small and weak and carried herself in such an undignified way, arms curled behind her while she slouched, all of which made her shorter than she already was. When she was introduced to him her bow was precise and deep as she told him how honored she was to meet him, he met her gaze only once and that’s as she straightened and that’s when he noticed that there was something behind the timid calm that she presented to his grandfather and the rest of the Seireitei, he could see it in those dark brown eyes filled with determination and a will she kept hidden.

Her return to the Thirteen Court Guard Squads was… exhausting. Emotionally, physically, mentally, Shiori was drained -- she was still helping to organize the graduation tests at the Academy while helping her Lieutenant cope with her previous Captain’s defection and on top of all of that; there was suspicion, most of the Captains and Lieutenants now didn't know her one hundred years ago. Didn't see her on top of Sokyoku Hill. The expectation was for her to fail or defect and it took its toll. Many nights as of late had been spent wandering the streets of the Seireitei, at first, she was alone, but after about a month or so she was joined by Captain Byakuya Kuchiki. They were silent, but his earlier reassurances of her abilities and his confident demeanor did more to help her every day.

Byakuya asks her to join him when he went to his family’s private cemetery. They walked in silence; respect for those now gone as well as comfort in each other's presence. Shiori had been here before; at his father’s funeral, she stood behind his grandfather with the Lieutenant of the Sixth Division Armband in place. He hadn't cried that day, his face of one of determination, not sadness and she understood. It was the same look she had always hidden away. By the time they reached his father’s and wife’s graves they can almost feel a weight press down on them. The promise to themselves and others of what they would be; there's hesitation when she reaches for his hand, gives him time to pull away without making it obvious or embarrassing but he doesn't. Lacing her fingers with his, they continue to stand in silence, she knew she could never replace Hisana, she didn't want to, but if he's ready, she'd like to help him move forward.

The two Captains were sparring the first time Shiori realized she loved him, it was the one time that the two of them didn’t have to hide, no masking emotion or skill or taunt, everything was allowed when it was the two of them. He was a better swordsman by far, but her kido and shunpo edged out his by the slightest of margins; to those of the Fifth and Sixth Divisions watching, it was a dance. Her movements were precise and countered his sword with the smallest of margins while still casting something to offset his balance and rhythm. No one knew they were seeing each other, but Renji had bet half of his next pay that his Captain would win, so when he purposefully sidestepped into her bakudo she couldn’t help but want to laugh, Renji thought it was in the triumph of winning, but she knew that he did it just to watch his reaction when his Lieutenant realized he lost. They were walking to dinner together when she shyly looked over, “You know, you didn’t have to let me win, five more moves and I would have had you.” Before he could ask her what she meant, she disappeared, making him sigh -- sometimes he had to wonder why he chose this woman.

The pond was full of golds and oranges and reds this time of year, Shiori sat alone on a solitary in the gardens of the Kuchiki estate. She thought of how the world had changed, since she had changed since she was sitting in this very spot almost one hundred years ago. Feeling his reishi before seeing him, Byakuya was greeted before he sat down beside her, eyes also seemingly fixated on the pond in front of them. “Did you know that we sat in this same spot almost one hundred years ago to the day?” He looked up at her then, pensive at first and then agreed -- the night itself was awful, like an obligation to attend and play nice, neither of them were interested at the time and it felt… uncomfortable. But now, they sat in that same spot, his hand discreetly wrapped around her waist while discussing time long since past, she couldn’t help but smile, “I love you, Byakuya Kuchiki.”

[writingwithryder]

Captains

Day 9 of barbex‘s fictober “In a new light.”

In the evening after she had passed her Captain’s Exam, Shiori couldn’t help but feel lost – for over one hundred years she had maintained a certain facade and now, she wasn’t certain of who she was. “You seem lost, Captain Nakano.” She looked up to see Byakuya standing behind the bench she was on – honestly she shouldn’t be surprised, there were so few people who would be that formal with her and be aware of her new promotion, “I must admit I was impressed at how skilled you had become. May I sit?”

She nodded, “Of course, Captain Kuchiki.” It was polite and formal, almost stiff she was still too caught up in her own thoughts to truly respond. Marveling at how over one hundred years have passed and how little has truly changed in the Seireitei since her departure, and how the transition from Lieutenant to teacher to Captain was more difficult than she anticipated. She didn’t have friends or colleagues here anymore – only past students or respected mentors, everyone else was an anonymous face from her time as a Lieutenant. It left her uncomfortable. Realizing just how poor company she was being a blush crawled up her neck and dusted her cheeks, “I apologize, Captain. I seem to be lost in my own thoughts today.” Looking over she offers a shy smile, between storming into his office to berate his abandonment of his sister and ignoring him now, she can’t be making a very good impression on the head of the Kuchiki clan.

“It’s understandable, adjusting to the position of Captain after so long as something as menial as a teacher would seem to be a difficult one.” The Captain was lucky that she had become accustomed to such brusque words while working under his grandfather for forty years, most of the Seireitei sees him as apathetic and perhaps, at times he is, but there’s more to him – wit and passion stir beneath the surface there’s just so much that can’t be shown because of the formalities of the nobility. “I also wanted to apologize – a lot has happened over the course of the last two months and my behavior, especially towards my sister and my men was unacceptable.”

Laughter bubbled in her chest at the Head of the Kuchiki clan apologizing to her, covering her mouth and hoping to pass it off as a cough. Looking over at him she smiles, “Your familial ties and responsibilities makes it difficult to see shades of grey, no one expected you to see things differently.” She flinched, it was honest but came out poorly, “That was poorly worded I’m–”

“I appreciate you being honest with me, Captain. Too few people decide to look past the title.” She smiled at that, “Without your… heavy handed suggestion it would have taken me even longer to come to the realization I came to.” She laughed at that and noticed him looking over at her as she did so, it was strange, to see each other in such a different light, “You have a lovely smile.”

His compliment made her blush, “Thank you… also, just Shiori is fine.” He tested the name and it made them both smile, “I also appreciate you taking the time to sit with me, I needed to get out of my head. Another time, Byakuya.” Smiling, she bowed and quickly headed off, grateful for his words of encouragement in the face of overwhelming odds.

[writingwithryder]

Dinner Dates and Paperwork

Day 8 of barbex‘s fictober “ What are your thoughts on cooking?”

The two Captains sat in the office of Division Ten in relative silence, only the sound of pen against paper echoed in the otherwise empty office. It was an important tradition they kept, both busy and dedicated to their work, they made certain to make time for each other, even if it was just sitting in the same room together, being with each other was enough. Rangiku had left three or four hours ago; she had dinner plans with the other lieutenants and left the two captains alone, in the back of her mind she worried that they would forget to eat, and that she’d find them asleep on the couch yet again when she made it back to the office in the morning.

Weekly officer assignments were always the bane of Shiori’s existence – they were tedious and required so much time and attention and worst of all, paperwork in triplicate. Only about a third of the way through the pile she honestly felt like crying, or sleeping, or eating or anything other than finishing this damn stack of papers. She soldiered on though; knowing that the sooner she finished, the sooner that the two of them could drag each  other to bed, the thought motivated her on, she missed the feeling of waking up next to him. Especially after so many nights spent in their offices.

Toshiro had moved onto Rangiku’s paperwork about an hour ago – the woman never finished her work, there were reports here from six weeks ago she hadn’t filed. He wanted to be angry or disappointed, but instead he just sighed – there was no point, and at least it meant that their evening was spent together, even if it was in his office. That was until his stomach growled loud enough to shatter the once peaceful silence; Shiori laughed and looked over at him, he couldn’t hide the blush that quickly crept across his face and neck, “Well, I suppose that’s our interruption for the night. What are your thoughts on cooking?”

Her giggles turned into full blown laughter at his words, “How about out to dinner instead? I know a place in the Rukongai that’s open this late.” He nodded at that and stood, Shiori abandoned her work on the sofa and joined him, lacing his fingers with hers. Tonight was already looking more promising than most, perhaps she could even drag him home afterwards.

[writingwithryder]

What Was Lost

Day 7 of barbex‘s fictober “In the distance.”

How long had it been now? Six hundred, no, seven hundred years? Too long. Shunsui thought as he seated himself between the two stones. He missed her – especially in the recent years, she would have had more eloquent answers than he or Jushiro had, and it made him miss her more. Taking a deep breath he settled himself, a light breeze rustled his kimono as he reached behind himself for the small basket he had brought with him, inside was a bottle of sake and three cups. Placing a cup on each of the stones, he pours the three of them each a glass.

After taking a long drink of sake he sighs, this was always one of Jushiro’s favorites and the light breeze continues sweeps across the top of the hill making the pins in his hair clink. “Rukia is going to be taking the Captain’s exam soon, you’d be even more proud of her now, Jushiro, she’s really come into her own these last few years.” He’s met with the light chiming of bells, but nothing more and it stirs the longing for his companions that never manages to go away.

The Head Captain raises his glass again and takes a deep drink, there’s so much that he’s lost in this life, so much they all had lost; friends, family, love and sometimes it’s something to be humbled by. To be grateful for what you’ve had and what you’ve lost, pushing you to be greater so that you don’t lose anything ever again.

He thinks of the three of them; smiling kids at the Academy, all jokes and laughter, becoming the inspiration and hope to the rest of the Seireitei. The three of them became inseparable – even after being placed in different divisions, they always found time for each other; there were so many evenings spent settled together cuddled next pillows on warm summer nights. Laughter and kisses and gentle touches filled their youth, life was so much simpler back then, no wars, no death, no captain's’ duties. He missed it. Missed them.

Trying to remember it now is like looking into the distance, though there are objects that are sharp in his vision, so much of what he sees is blurred. Did Hikari actually look like that? What did Jushiro’s laughter sound like before sickness had him so tightly in his grasp. He couldn’t remember the feeling of the three of them together, their combined warmth into the late hours of the night.

He poured himself another glass of sake as his eyes misted over, “There’s so much that’s changed since you left, Hikari. Even our great elder Unohana has left us, Old Man Yama too.” He cleared his throat, as you do when trying to hold back tears, “I hope you and Jushiro manage to find each other in that never ending cycle; the life we had – it only comes around once in our lifetime, and if you both left me, you better have found each other.”

He wished he had an eternity to spend here with them, there’s too much time spent in the Seireitei that he knows he doesn’t visit as often as he should. He pulls flowers from his basket next, beautiful white lilies that he had picked out himself and gently placed them in front of Hikari’s stone. In front of Jushiro’s, he found a tiny bakery in the Rukongai, and purchased the tiniest white tea cakes with the most delicate of flowers on top. Placing the bottle of sake between them he stands and bows, he misses them both, but there’s so much left to do, and live, but he promised, he’d be sure to visit them both more often.

[writingwithryder]

Zanpakuto

Day 6 of barbex‘s fictober “They had made a poor job of hiding the damage.”

It seemed strange in hindsight, the very air of the Seireitei was different, more charged with spirit energy than usual, for almost a week Shiori ignored it -- after everything that had happened with Aizen, and now arguments within the Thirteen Court Guard Divisions about the reinstatement of the Vizards while still trying to control the fallout from Aizen’s defection, it was easy enough to overlook. What she shouldn’t have ignored, however, was the distance that seemed to have appeared between herself and her Zanpakuto, the chair that Shiori had brought with her from her office at the Academy had sat empty in the Captain’s office for the last three days now, and Ajisai never goes that long without some sort of communication with her.

Honestly, part of Shiori thought she was pouting -- angry that she was speaking with Shinji again after all this time, another part was concerned, her Zanpakuto had been there for her through the worst parts of her time in the Seireitei, to not have her now should have caused her greater concern.

Now standing together with the various Captains and Lieutenants on the top of Sokyoku Hill, all brought together by Hell Butterflies sent out by the Head Captain, her stomach started to churn with anxiety. None of this was standard procedure, and the confusion and exasperation on the rest of the officer’s faces told her everything she needed to know. This was a trap. But by then, it was too late -- Lieutenant Sasakibe of Division One appeared before them, only to collapse. She watches her comrades rush forward, anger and distrust flicker through the group, it’s only increased as a tall, lanky man slowly walked forward. He spoke of Zanpakuto and Shinigami, of how now it is the Zanpakuto who will rule the Shinigami.

The attacks that followed were fruitless, distraught and unfocused, there was no way that the Captains and Lieutenants had any chance at this, not without organization and an actual plan, raw anger and frustration would never win here with all of their shikai sealed away with the people standing opposite them. The call for retreat probably came too late -- the Zanpakuto already calling on their bankai in order to attack the Shinigami, Shiori grimaced, it was enough to think that they truly did mean to kill their partners.

She had to do something, though, try to stop at least some of the senseless destruction that was ripping through the Seireitei, more importantly she had to find Ajisaihantei, it being the middle of the night, her bankai could be the most destructive of any in the Seireitei until daybreak came. The thread was easy enough to follow; the feeling of her Zanpakuto one that she had known all her life as a Shinigami and found her in front of the Division Ten Barracks.

Shunpo put her directly in front of her Zanpakuto, muscles made taut and unable to move as she stepped onto the shadows that were so easily controlled by Ajisaihantei. The Judgement of Pride. Her pride. “Lovely night, isn’t it?” Shiori could sense the terror from the unseated Shinigami around her. She was hoping to be enough of a distraction that her Zanpakuto forgot about the others and focus her intent on her. “I must admit, when we spoke of changing the Seireitei for the better this isn’t what I had in mind.”

Ajisaihantei was no longer clad in soft robes of gold and black, instead, now she wore the armor of a samurai, dark as shadow but glinting gold where the hydrangeas were emblazoned across the armor. Her eyes narrowed at the Captain, “You’ve always been such a fool.” Shiori could feel her Zanpakuto’s shikai wane, focusing only on her and giving the men a chance to run, and run they did, “You could have been safe, could have run and hid like the rest of the Captain and Lieutenants, made plans in secret and then come back and foolishly try to stop us.”

She could feel the shadows of the Seireitei encroaching on her now, slowly crawling up her body, binding her, ensuring she couldn’t move, “What? And leave the men and women who have no part in this to suffer on our behalf? That doesn’t sound like me does it, Ajisai?” Despite everything, calm overtook her, the irony of another near death experience in less than a year seemed almost comical to the new Captain.

“Abandonment is your speciality, is it not, Captain?” The words were sneered and the shadows tightened as she continued to speak, “You didn’t check to ensure that the friends you thought were dead and exiled were so, you left them in your own grief, you even forgot about me in your grief, condemning yourself to solitude, forgetting that I would always be here. It’s right that they hate you now, knowing what I know, the feeling of abandonment by you burns.”

Shiori’s usual, unbreakable mask of confidence and restraint broke at that, her eyes softened at the stinging of tears in their corners, “You really think that? That I’ve abandoned you?” She wanted to reach out, to hold her Zanpakuto’s hands, to let her know that no matter what happened, she’d always be there..

Unmoved by the show of emotion in her Captain, Ajisaihantei continued, “Of course you have,” the words were spat at Shiori, and unexpectedly, she physically flinched, “Captain’s duties, returning to the world of the living, reuniting with Yoruichi and Kisuke and even Shinji Hirako. It all put distance between us, because you would always choose me last.”

Shiori wanted to deny it, to scream and yell while crying all the more that she was wrong, “If that’s how you feel.” She was numb now, no mask, no jokes, only emptiness, “What kind of companion am I if that’s how my other half feels?”

The samurai women nodded, “At last we agree on something, it would be so much easier if you were dead.” With that the shadows rose and ran her through, she could feel the blood seeping down the manifested shadows and strangely there was peace, if she had to die, better here and now than at the hands of a hollow or Aizen, or whatever is next on the horizon. Vision blotting black she heard the gasp of her Zanpakuto and her name being called, “Shiori, Shiori I’m so sorry.”

Everything after was filtered in shades of grey, the shadows binding her released and she was caught in the warm hands of her Zanpakuto, gasps and cries continued as she continued to call out her name, “I’m here, Ajisai, please don’t cry.” Pressing their foreheads together, the Zanpakuto whispered something before starting to tear at her white haori, taking the long pieces to try to staunch the bleeding. She couldn’t help but attempt a laugh as she was easily lifted in Ajisai’s arms, “You know, for someone who wanted me dead, you’re doing an awful lot to keep me alive.”

“Idiot.” She could still feel the tears dripping down onto her neck, Shiori felt guilty for so much, she had lost everything once in her life, and now to almost lose it again… Her hand was cold as she reached up to brush the tears away from her Zanpakuto’s face, “Can you stop moving? I swear, if I end up actually killing you before I get you to the fourth, I’m having Unohana bring you back just so I can kill you again.”

Her mind was racing -- five minutes ago her Zanpakuto was ready to kill her in the name of justice, or pride, she pauses, thinking about it now in her hazed blood lost state, and now she was being carried to the Fourth Division, “What changed?” The words were a whisper, and she didn’t expect an answer, not now at least, now her only thoughts were to get word to the world of the living, to put an embargo on travel, so that no more Zanpakuto would be lost this way, “Ajisai, stop.” It was getting harder to breathe, obviously, something vital was hit in that blow, “I have to.. I have to tell them not to come.”

Her Zanpakuto paused, taking only a moment to understand what Shiori was trying to do, “You’re literally dying and you’re more concerned with the people in the world of the living?” She scoffed as the Captain nodded, “You really are an idiot you know that.”

Two shaking fingers rose, she hoped she could do this right, she could barely focus as it was, but as the butterfly gently sat on her fingers she breathed a sigh of relief, “Go to Kisuke. Tell him to stop any travel between the Seireitei and the World of the Living until he receives further word from me.” The small insect rose and fluttered off and Shiori nodded curling further into her Zanpakuto’s arms as they continued towards the fourth.

Consciousness came and went from that point on, she felt so heavy and tired, and knew she had lost far too much blood but she came to as she felt Ajisaihantei stop, “W-who are you and what are you doing with Captain Nakano?”

Words were shouted and she could feel the panic in her Zanpakuto’s reishi, she was truly afraid that her Captain was going to do, “Idiot. Can’t you see she needs help, not a formal inquiry right now?” Her voice was panicked and full of tears and her grip tightened with every word

Shiori’s head lulled as she tried to focus, to be fair, she’s certain that anyone would have made them stop, there wasn’t a whole lot they could do outside the Tenth Division to hide the damage, “It’s okay, Izuru, Shuhei. Please go and inform Unohana that I may be in need of some medical attention and please, don’t hurt her.”

The world was a flash then, Izuru went inside and instantly reappeared with Unohana and a stretcher, questions were asked, but she was so light headed and dazed, she’s certain that none of her answers were correct from the way her Zanpakuto continued to correct her. They wanted to take her inside, but demanded Ajisai wait out here -- there was so much uncertainty about it now, but it wasn’t until she refused to let go of the woman’s hand that it was acquiesced that she could follow.

Her world then went black.

When she awoke light was streaming from the windows, Ajisaihantei was asleep in the chair next to her, hands still laced together. There were a lot of questions that needed answered, but for right now, she supposed she’d pretend to sleep for just a little while longer.

[writingwithryder]

Intimacy

Day 5 of barbex‘s fictober “Once, just once.” 

Warm lantern light flickered down from the tall maple trees where they hung, blowing softly in the breeze in the courtyard of the Kuchiki estate, the normally silent grounds were filled with quiet murmurs of the Seireitei’s nobility and captains. It was a night of networking and opulence, a show of the Kuchiki family’s power, and the power of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. These sort of events bored Shinji to death – it was always the same, and yet the Head Captain required all of the Captains to attend every year, regardless of host, and in full uniform no less. As another servant passed he quickly grabbed a glass of whatever she was carrying and brought it to his lips, eyes passing disinterestedly through the crowd.

Yoruichi Shihoin was surrounded by a crowd of nobles, no surprise there, they seemed as wrapped around her fingers as they ever were. Observant and poised, the woman knew how to play a crowd, especially of the people she’s been forced to socialize with her entire life – the third seat of Division Two was beside her with a traditional kimono on, he was obviously here as a guest of the Captain, what was his name again? Kenta? Kiyoshi? It’s unimportant.

Zaraki seemed to have left, what a surprise, he’s probably off getting some real booze instead of the light wine that was being served at this event. Taking another drink his eyes continue to wander – both Shunsui and Ukitake were flooded with young noblewomen, Shunsui seemed to be enjoying the attention and the alcohol, Ukitake was simply being as charming as he ever was, the women there would never get over the older captains now. Speaking of older captains, the Head Captain seems only to make an appearance at the start of these events, and then disappears, his frown deepens at the thought and he places his glass down.

Unohana always got a pass as Captain of the Fourth, sick people take precedence over nobles, apparently. Kensei and Love seemed to have the same idea as him and were secluded in a corner of the courtyard, drinking alcohol as it passed by. Rose, however, seemed to be blooming (pun absolutely intended), nobles flocked to him in droves, and never left without a smile. He was definitely… something, at least he was helping keep the nobles busy.

The host of the event seemed to seamlessly make his way through the crowd, taking what Shinji assumed to be the appropriate amount of time talking to each of the individuals invited, he noticed, however, that the head of the Kuchiki family seemed to glance at the opposite side of the courtyard at regular intervals. Eventually his curiosity was piqued and he stiffly moved until he could see past the people and the trees and found what the Captain of Division Six had been keeping close watch of. Lieutenant of Division Six, Shiori Nakano sat discreetly at the back of the courtyard clad in an exquisite black kimono with gold embroidery that caught the lantern light just so, and for a single moment his mind was completely blank, she looked beautiful. He then noticed the young man beside her – the heir to the Kuchiki family, Byakuya, he recalled and it made him scoff, he understood the Sixth Captain’s motives. He only wondered if Shiori was aware.

His thoughts were broken only by Ginrei Kuchiki thanking them all for coming, officially allowing the captains to leave the event, but Shinji stayed, eyes still on Shiori as her Captain approached – there was too much noise and he was too far away to be able to hear what was said, but as she stood and bowed he was certain he understood. Shinji waited for her to leave, grabbing another glass of wine he made small talk with Yoruichi and Kisuke, that was his name, eyes every so often straying over to the gates of the estate. Fifteen minutes after she left he placed his glass on one of the tables scattered around and thanked the head of the Kuchiki family for such a pleasant evening.

Walking past the gate of the estate he moved with purpose, his shunpo put him in front of her room in less than a moment, not bothering to knock he walked into the Lieutenants quarters, only for his feet to meet the soft fabric of the kimono on the floor in front of the door, “Shiori.” Her name was a whisper, he had to be quiet, most of the Division was likely to be in bed, and he certainly shouldn’t be there at this time of night, but he had to tell her. Walking past the entrance, he finds her staring blankly at a wall in nothing but her underclothes, the look on her face was soft, more vulnerable than he had ever seen in the past.

Letting out a deep sigh he watched her for a little while longer before quietly sitting at her side, her apartments were sparsely furnished, most of what was there is what comes with the space, no personal items, no clothing out of place - save the dress at her front door, no forms of entertainment save for the small bookshelf that was tucked away in the corner of the room, “You shouldn’t be here, Shinji.” Her words lacked her usual sharpness and grinned as he turned to look at her, nothing Shiori ever did was spontaneous, especially with their tenuous relationship, she always had a plan, a reason for being where she was when she most certainly shouldn’t be there. Right now, she had none of that, and he could so easily read the frustration on her face.

Shinji brought his nails up for inspection while keeping her in the corner of his vision as he spoke, “I take it you had a good time at the Momijigari festival this evening?” The smallest of grimaces appeared on her face at his words, she had to know by that reaction, “You certainly kept the most interesting company.” She now turned to openly scowl at him now all while wrapping her arms more tightly around herself, she buried her head into her knees before she spoke.

There was an inaudible murmur and he hesitated for only a moment before running his fingers through her hair, making her lift her head and repeat herself, “I understand what’s going on Shinji.” His eyes softened at her words, this headstrong, ambitious, intelligent woman was sitting here trying to grapple with the fact that she was only made Lieutenant as an intermediary, “I know that tonight was a test from the Captain to see if I could handle the nobility and to see if Byakuya could tolerate me outside of a professional environment.” Her words paused and she leaned into his hand that was still gently running through her hair. 

Shinji couldn’t help but think that this was truly the most intimate thing that they had ever done, and it made his chest pang in jealousy, he wanted more, he wanted all of her and his eyes found hers once more as she continued, “The purpose of all of this is to see if I would be a suitable wife for the future head of the Kuchiki family.” The world seemed to deflate around the two of them as she uttered those words, “I was to remain third seat as the current captain retired and Sojun was to take over as captain with Byakuya as his lieutenant. Everything changed with Sojun’s death, and I guess it made the Captain concerned for the future of the family.” Her head rested on his shoulder now and Shinji moved his arm to wrap around her waist as she continued, “Excellent test scores, with a serious demeanor and an unprecedented understanding of the laws of the Seireitei seemed to be exactly what he was looking for, and now as a third seat of Division Six, I was no longer seen as a common woman from the Rukongai, instead a distinguished member of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.”

There was a sadness in her tone that he hadn’t heard before and she buried her face into his neck, there wasn’t any more that needed to be said so instead he shifted and gently brushed the hair from her forehead before placing a soft kiss there, he called himself a fool twelve times over as he kissed her again and again, they both knew better than this and yet here they were. She deserved to know that she was more than just some ornament or trophy, she was beautiful and intelligent, and right now, there was nothing in this world he wanted more than her, “C’mon doll, let’s get you to bed.”

Lifting her from the chair, Shinji carried her to the futon in the back corner of the room, trailing kisses as he places her down on the mattress, “You should go, I don’t want you to–” He cut her off with another kiss, once, just once, he wants her to himself for the night, he’d find an excuse come morning. Right now, he wanted nothing less than all of her.

[writingwithryder]

First Day Blues

Day 4 of barbex‘s fictober “The hall was a place of wisdom and authority, or so they said.”

Everything seemed to bright, her head hurt and her body ached, Kumiko decided in that moment that jet lag was a punishment that she really didn’t deserve right now. Her grandma waved her off to school this morning after the two of them ate a peaceful enough breakfast, the one saving grace to this entire situation was that at least it was the first day of the term; coming in during the middle of the year would have been exhausting.

The school grounds were what she expected, and she was greeted in traditional japanese fashion as she made her way into the office with the papers that her grandmother had handed her before she left this morning. She was given short, if direct instructions on how to reach her classroom and that they hope that she does well this year. She nods and quickly makes her way there only to be greeted by the teacher -- of course they’d know who she is, the one new face in the sea of children that they’ve seen for years.

Instructed to write her name on the board she quickly does so, and introduces herself. It’s over more quickly than the teacher anticipated as Kumiko quickly finds a seat at the back of the room, but it doesn’t take long for the homeroom teacher to get through her introductory start of term lecture and for her to shuffle out and the next teacher to shuffle in. It was different, more efficient and the classes her face paced and challenging enough that she had to focus but not difficult enough for her to get lost, she was honestly glad for the chance to focus on something other than the death of her father, among the other circumstances that brought here here.

By lunchtime she had gotten the hang of the routine of the individual teachers as well as the school and her classmates, food was passed out and she continued to sit in relative quiet. Girls came and asked her questions, about France and her life before Karakura town, but regardless of the question, her answers were always succinct and to the point and it seemed to give pause to the rest of the class.

By the end of the day, the school was monotonous and calm, there were the class clowns, of course, the talkative girls in the middle of the room, the quiet smart kids at the front corner nearest the podium, then the loners and less social people at the sides and back of the room, but all of that seems to extend beyond countries, and the normalcy was welcome.

Well, it was, until she walked out of the school to be greeted by a tall orange haired kid tossing a shorter, shouting angry kid across the front of the school yard. The orange haired kid was saying something about “respecting the dead” she missed most of it because she was more interested in the five or six guys who were coming from behind, “Yo. Carrot top, behind you.” Kumiko’s warning came too late, however, as two of the guys already grabbed him in a headlock. That’s when an ever taller guy comes in and eventually the guys run off shouting about how the two guys were freaks of nature, and she shakes her head, a place of wisdom and authority her ass -- where were the teachers now when you needed them? She scoffed at the thought and walked over towards the both of them, offering a hand to the orange haired boy who had unsurprisingly ended up on the ground, “Nice job there,” dumbass, she added mentally, “you ever think about not taking on a group of guys in a six against one?”

He takes her hand and she pulls him to his feet, the bigger guy just sort of shuffles in beside them -- she recognizes both of them from her class, but they both seem to be about as talkative as her, “You’re Kumiko, right? The new transfer student.” She nods at the orange haired kid’s question, “I’m Ichigo Kurosaki, and this is Chad. Thanks for the help.”

She nodded and started walking off, the situation was handled and she was obviously no longer needed there, making it about halfway down the street she heard Ichigo Kurosaki shouting for her, turning, she was greeted by that same boy running her over. Crashing onto the pavement they both groaned and she couldn’t help but grind her teeth, “Dumbass.” It was a whispered hiss, “Is there something else you needed, Kurosaki?” He shrugged, and this time, it was Chad that helped them both up and she nodded her thanks to him.

“Figured since you were so quiet in class you’d want to talk now,” It was brusque and Ichigo’s hands were in his pockets and he just seemed to follow her no matter how long she went without talking. Well, it could be worse, she figures, at least these two seem capable and are willing to just go with the silence instead of trying to pry information out of her.

Eventually she sighs, “You know the worst part about Japan?” Both of the boys hum in question, “That there’s no where I can go to get a drink after an afternoon like this.”

[writingwithryder]

More Than a Title

Day 3 of barbex‘s fictober “Now, behave,” they murmured.

The succinct tapping of her feet against the wood floors of the Sixth Division matched the pace of her thoughts this afternoon; the Captain had scouting reports for divisions one, two, ten and eleven as well as wanting information on the dispatched squad who were currently in stable condition under Captain Unohana’s care.

To the Seireitei, Shiori Nakano was what was expected of a Lieutenant of the Thirteen Court Guard Divisions. Her hair intricately twisted, shihakusho perfectly adjusted, while making as little noise as possible while passing from barracks to barracks. There was never a minute of hesitation or a word spoken out of turn, her bows were all deep and she left as quickly as she arrived. Before this, she was just poor kid from the Rukongai, pushed to the outskirts because of her spiritual pressure and abandoned in death, she was left in this world that was the afterlife to starve.

She would be exceptional. Not because she wanted to be, but because she had to be. There isn’t an alternative.

Shiori returned to the Sixth Division Captain’s quarters almost a half hour before she was expected, kneeling in front of the door, she quietly raps at the wood, head already bowed as she heard the footsteps of her Captain within shuffling towards the door. Their conversation was pleasant enough – reports on the condition of the squad were handed to him. Bowing once again she paused before turning back to the head of the Kuchiki family, “Is there anything else you need, Captain?”

Her question was met with a gruff hum, “No. You have completed your duties for the day. Dismissed.” She bowed again, deeper this time and muttered her thanks to the Captain. In the courtyard of the Sixth Division she exhaled, this was the only time she allowed herself to be the girl from the Rukongai – the moments where no one could see her, otherwise someone would use her vulnerability against her. Taking another breath, she disappeared from the Sixth Division’s Barracks, shunpo taking her just outside the living quarters of the Captain of Squad Five.

Knuckles reaching the door it opened before she had the chance to knock and instead is greeted by a pair of amused hazel eyes, “Yer early.” She wanted to scoff, instead she shifted to the side of him, removing her shoes and placing them carefully beside the door, soon followed by her Lieutenant’s armband – that’s not who she was here.

The sound of his ridiculous music echoed throughout the room and she turned back to look at him, her features softer than that of Lieutenant Nakano, she was Shiori now, “Aren’t I always?” Shinji’s grin widens at that and he pulls her further into his quarters, making it only to an armchair before she grabs the sleeve of his haori and tugs, reaching up on tiptoes to press a kiss to his lips. Shuffling for a moment, Shinji finds himself sitting on the armchair with her above him, long breathless kisses interrupted only by gasps for air that seemed louder than the jazz music that continued to play. His hands slid up her body, eventually making their way to her ass, pulling her closer and pinching, pulling away she pushed the hair out of his face and blinked coyly at him. “Now, behave,” the words were murmured against his lips, she was still breathless and his hands running up and down her sides was a distraction, “or I will be more than happy to make you.”

He laughed and pulled her in for another kiss, “I’ll be sure to hold you to it, doll.”

[writingwithryder]

Under the Setting Moon

Day 2 of barbex‘s fictober  “Under the sun and the moon.”

A cold breeze crept through his bones as he stood on that rooftop on the cold November dawn. Karakura Town seemed quiet enough, almost peaceful, if he could ever believe that after everything that had happened here in his adolescence.

This was what he wanted though, right?

Part time college student, part time Soul Reaper, his life was busy, but he couldn't imagine himself anywhere else. Black robes rustled in the early fall breeze, he stretched and felt every bone and muscle in his body ache in relief. Slow nights were the norm now, but sometimes, he enjoyed coming out onto the rooftops to remind himself of what exactly it took to get here.

Ichigo’s walk home was uneventful -- dogs and chickens started waking and so, the once silent Karakura town returned to life under the now rising sun. Slipping through the door as silently as he could, he made his way to the tiny apartment’s bedroom and returned to bed, hopefully without waking the woman lying there. “Morning, Ichigo.” He grimaced, unsuccessful again. “Did you have an eventful night?”

He turned over and was met by the darkest blue eyes he had ever seen, “It was as peaceful as ever.” He pressed a kiss to Rukia’s forehead and pulled her back in close. Outside, the world came into focus for another day, under the setting moon and the rising sun. And it was in that moment he decided.

This was everything he could ever want.