#this here be the moment ajisai defected

[ubejamjar]

What… What am I doing? I can't. I can't do this. Not to another kid like me.

[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.