#gotei-13 middle management

[gallusrostromegalus]

Hello again, apologies if this has already been answered, but which captains get along the best? Any unlikely friendships within the gotei 13?

I did a post on some of the friendships in AEIWAM but I'd like to elaborate on a few of them so:

Less than a year after the events of Turn Back The Pendulum, Widower Sojun Kuchiki died, and a teenage Byakuya was orphaned.

Now, Byakuya wasn't totally alone in the world- he still had his grandfather and the rest of the Kuchiki clan, but that sort of ended up being the problem. Ginrei was massively overworked as captain of the 6th, and had to ask Byakuya to step into some of his late father's roles early, like taking a diplomatic trip to some of the clan's land holdings up North. A largely boring and scripted event, but an important one and good practice for the future Clan Head.

-So of course, it immediately went catastrophically sideways when a rival clan attacked and attempted to kidnap the Kuchiki heir, shutting down the portal system to prevent support from the Seireitei arriving in a timely manner. Young Byakuya, already doing poorly from the grief of losing his father, suddenly found himself alone in unfamiliar territory, surrounded by enemies and hopelessly outnumbered.

Unfortunately for the rival clan, just because the portals were down didn't mean that other shinigami weren't in the area.

The memory is burned indelibly into Byakuya's mind.

It was a blazingly hot, almost painfully bright bright summer afternoon, the sun gleaming off the blades of his would-be assassins. They were good, and had separated Byakuya from his retinue, but at least he had managed to buy time for the village and the rest of the diplomatic party to escape. He stood, panting, holding the blank asauchi sword that had not yet been called to host a zanpaktou spirit, between himself and the leader of the strike team. All around him, spears and Kido Spells were trained on his person. No escape. Nowhere to strike that wouldn't immediately get him killed.

Despite there not being a breath of wind in the valley where he stood, something was causing the Alarm Bell at the top of the valley to ring, making Byakuya look up-

The sun was behind the leader as he was saying something about how their contract didn't actually specify that they had to keep him *alive* so how about he be a good boy and come quietly before they decided he was more manageable dead, but Byakuya wasn't actually paying attention.

Behind the leader, the sun seemed to be having some kind of spontaneous Eclipse. Or at least, there was a dark spot in the middle of it that seemed to be rapidly expanding and surely that can't be righ-

Sharp

It wasn't even a word, more an impression in his mind that something was hurtling in his general direction with the intent to disembowel, and not even centuries of Noble Breeding to be stoic in the face of peril could stop Byakuya's entirely correct prey animal instinct to duck and cover.

The blast from the impact would have been enough to pin Byakuya to the ground anyway, given how it scattered half the strike team and the dust blinded the rest. Byakuya felt the interloper's feet strike the ground on either side of where he was curled into a defensive ball, and the string of invective was too fast to parse but the way his rough voice echoed in Byakuya's chest left no doubt to his meaning.

A swing of the Odachi from his impressive wingspan cleft three of the assailants in twain and mortally wounded a fourth. The headless corpse of the leader thudded to the ground behind him, vaporized from the neck up by the flying kick he'd taken to the head. There was a strange jingling noise, the bells of a child's toy, and one of the remaining assassins recognized the chime and spiky silhouette-

"SHIT! IT'S THAT SWORD BASTARD! THE ONE FROM NORTH 80!!"

The remaining assassins started to back up, and Byakuya peered up from where he was hiding under the protective stance of recently-appointed 11th Division Captain Zaraki Kenpachi.

"THAT'S CAPTAIN SWORD BASTARD TO YOU!" He roared back, bristling magnificently and the remainder of the strike team scattered.

Once satisfied they were fleeing and not regrouping, Zaraki reached down with his free hand and grabbed Byakuya by the collar, pulling him to his feet.

"Zaraki-Taicho?" He asked, almost not believing his luck. "How did you get here so fast? The portals are down and even Captain Yoru- Captain Fon's shunpo would take days to reach me from seireitei!?"

Slowly, Zaraki turned his head and actually looked down at the boy, single functioning eye blinking in confusion.

"Byakuya?" he asked, cocking his head sideways. "-The fuck are you doin' out here?"

"BYAKUSHI??" Yachiru shrieked with excitement, popping up from behind her father's shoulder, and scrambling over to climb into Byakuya's bewildered arms instead.

"I- I'm on a diplomatic inspection of land holdings for the Kuchiki Clan. Sir." Byakuya babbled, unconsciously settling Yachiru on his hip, still waiting for his heart to resume a regular pulse and not whatever this live-hummingbird-in-his-ribcage nonsense was.

Zaraki squinted, displeased with that answer. "...Didn't your dad die just last week? The fuck are you doing out here? You should be home mourning or something."

Byakuya's gaze flicked away from the captain, face wan and jaw tense. "I have. Duties." he winced.

"Hf." Zaraki grunted, still displeased, and Yachiru pulled a spare hair tie out of her kimono. "Whatever. Relatedly, where the fuck is 'here', actually? Also- We have a Portal system??" he asked, changing the subject gracelessly but with deep mercy.

"We are in Inuzka, the town inside the Kuchiki Clan's ancestral land holdings in North 41." he answered- Zaraki could stand to be more polite, but Byakuya had to admit he wasn't precisely out of line- He wasn't Clan Head yet, and even if he was, as a Captain, Zaraki still would outrank him. "If you didn't come here by the portals, you must have already been in the area... Forgive my impudence into prying, but what are you doing here? Eleventh Division exercises?"

"I'm fuckin' lost." Zaraki shugged, unbothered by the question. "Tryin' to go see family while they're done here for the summer and I thought I could just follow the Red River up to the headwaters and then I'd be close enough but I must've picked the wrong tributary..." He muttered, folding his arms into his Kosode and reaching out through the neck hole to scratch under his chin, contemplative.

Byakuya blinked in surprise. "I didn't know you HAD a famil-" He started, then slapped his hand over his mouth, mortified.

"HAH!" Zaraki's laugh rang through the empty street and he affectionately slapped Byakuya's shoulder. "Did you think I just fell out of the sky one day? 'Salright, I look like something that got tossed out of Heaven's garbage tip." he grinned, and Yachiru giggled as she braided Byakuya's hair.

"My apologies, sir." He mumbled, face flushed. "-Well, the Gotei-13 *had* a portal system but this was a very coordinated attempt to kidnap me and there was an agent in the Seireitei that sabotaged the portal system, preventing both a retreat and form help arriving. I got the villagers and my retinue safely through before they went down, but I'm not sure how I'm getting back..." he puzzled.

Zaraki frowned into the distance, the hand on Byakuya's shoulder rubbing a slow circle as he considered something. "These duties- sort of a 'go practice yer meetin' people manners' trip?"

"It was supposed to be a routine diplomatic excursion, yes." Byakuya nodded, confused. "I've been here before with- with my father, and we had planned to go together again, so it's not like this was dropped on me suddenly." he muttered.

Zaraki nodded. " 'S summer break for school right now, yeah? Yachiru starts school in September, when do you go back?"

"Um. The first week of September as well?" Byakuya blinked confused.

Zaraki tilted his head to peer down at Byakuya, and gave him a strange grin. "-And you know how to read a map, right?"

"Yes?" Byakuya huffed, starting to get annoyed at this strange interrogation.

Zaraki suddenly dropped into a crouch, single eye level with Byakuya's own, and the boy startled to see that his iris was a pale yellow, like a hawk. The Captain threw his arm around his shoulders and pulled him in close.

"...How d'ya feel about goin' on a REAL Diplomatic Mission?" he asked with a decidedly conspiratorial drawl.

"YEAH! COME SEE BA-SAMA!" Yachiru bounced in his arms with excitement, waving a handful of clover flowers he suspected were being incorporated into the braid.

Byakuya tilted his head sideways, hoping they would make more sense at a forty-five-degree angle.

***

Minutes later, the recently-installed Spirit Phone on Kuchiki Clan Head and 6th Division Captain Ginrei Kuchiki's desk rang.

The elderly head of the Kuchiki clan looked to his even more elderly commander, and then to the piebald clown that was now running the 12th division. Mayuri pressed a button on the strange device he'd hooked up to the Spirit Phone which would allow them to record and track the call, which whirred and clicked, and he listened for a moment into the earphones before giving Ginrei a thumbs-up. Yamamoto nodded as well, and with grave seriousness befitting a likely hostage situation, Ginrei picked up the receiver.

"Captain Ginrei Kuchiki speaking." He spoke, trying to keep the icy growl out of his voice and failing.

"Hi Grandpa!" Byakuya called cheerfully on the other end of the line.

"BYAKUYA?!" Ginrei yelped. "Are you alright? You need to get out of Inuzuka now! The Ozaki clan have-!"

"Oh no, no- they already attacked! I'm fine!" Byakuya interrupted him. "Captain Zaraki saved me!"

There was a moment of very confused silence.

"...Zaraki?" Yamamoto asked, stepping in to speak into the receiver as well. "What's he doing there?"

"You gave me leave to go see my family and tell them where I live now, remember Boss?" Zaraki grunted.

"HI JI-SAN!" Yachiru called as well.

"...Well that worked out nicely. What a stroke of good planning on my part." Yamamoto nodded and Mayuri rolled his eyes.

"I- Thank you, Zaraki-taicho." Ginrei said, bewildered but genuine. "...Where are you now?"

"I'm calling from the spirit phone in the town council building in Inuzuka." Byakuya explained. "If I may grandfather, about me getting home-"

"It's going to take at least three months to get the portals up and running again." Mayuri grunted, disappointed that he was not getting to test out his new spirit phone tracking invention.

"...Three months?" Yamamoto glared.

"Don't glare at me like that!" Mayuri huffed. "-With anybody else in charge a blast like that would have taken the system out for good, but *I* build in redundancies! Which are. also damaged. but not obliterated! Urahara hadn't backed up SHIT, if this had happened last year-!"

"Yeah, yeah- Hop to." Yamamoto waved.

"Well, since the portals aren't going to be working any time soon and I'm already more than halfway from the city- I had a thought." Byakuya spoke up, voice gentle and sentences clearly enunciated, making sure Ginrei could follow his logic. "It's an awful shame that the Land Holdings Assessment Meeting won't be held this year, but Zaraki-taicho's family is significantly farther north than I thought, and the journey there would take me through several very underrepresented districts-"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT." Ginrei snarled. "I knew it was wrong to send you to the Holdings without an armed escort, I'm sending the Onmitsukido out to collect you this instant!"

"Now hold on a minute." Yamamoto cautioned him with a hand on his shoulder as there was a muffled noise on the other end of the line. "-I know you're worried but-"

"-He's a Kuchiki, ain't he?" Zaraki interrupted on the other end.

"Yes? Of course? What does that have to do with anything?" Ginrei demanded.

"-Future Head of The Clan and Captain, yeah?" Zaraki continued. "He's gonna have to deal with shit like this sooner rather than later. Already dealin' with it! Tryin' to hide him back in the compound won't teach the kid shit."

Ginrei sighed, pushing his glasses up to rub the bridge of his nose, perfectly aware of where this was going.

"He's not made of spun glass- hell, he'd forced the assassins into having to siege him to get to him when I showed up. Exactly the correct choice for the options and information he had- But I do think you're right that he still needs an armed escort while he's learnin'. I'm armed, and I'd be Escortin' him." Zaraki offered. "...Actually, he'd be escorting me, I'm lost as hell and Byakuya knows how to read a map. I get more time with my family, he gets- What'd ya call it?"

"It would be an Exceptionally Valuable Diplomatic Experience." Byakuya chimed in.

"Byakuya..." Ginrei groaned. They had coordinated and rehearsed this, Gods help him.

"While I appreciate your concern Grandfather, and no shame to the Onmitsukido, but recent events have shown that sufficiently motivated criminals will try their luck against them." The boy continued, undeterred. "...Wheras Captain Zaraki is well-known in these parts- to the point that the Ozaki Clan's would-be assassins scattered at his mere silhouette. I honestly think that 'Within Arm's Reach of The Current Kenpachi' is quite possibly the safest place I could be in all of Soul Society."

"Kid's got a point." Mayuri shrugged, prodding at his call-tracking device. "Even *I* had heard of him as a fighter when I was still on the outside, and I was operating clean on the other side of the Rukongai! The guards at The Maggot's Nest speculated that if he were ever to cross the law, he might not be arrested because they didn't think that hole could actually hold him. Rather natural that he ended up here- very literally nobody in the rukongai wants to cross blades with him anymore."

Ginrei fixed Mayuri with a horrified stare, gaze slowly shifting to Yamamoto.

"...You're both Captains and privy to classified information, but this does not leave this room." Yamamoto said, covering the receiver and glaring imperiously down at both men. "Zaraki's family, especially his Mother, is someone we very much need to stay on the good side of, and I am NOT going to interrupt communication between them, lest we suffer Her wrath."

"Captain Kurotsuchi was in prison?" Byakuya asked, voice muffled like he'd covered the receiver with his hand as well. "-Yeah, he heard 'a me and I heard 'a him, which is why I ask Akon and *Not Him* if I ever need anything out of the 12th." replied Zaraki.

"...Who is She?" Ginrei frowned. "-And if She is so dangerous, you think Byakuya is the person we want to send as a diplomat to Her?"

"What for?" Byakuya continued, curious. "-Operatin' without a license." Zaraki shrugged.

"How does your mouth feel after saying that, Captain Kuchiki?" Yamamoto asked, voice light and pleasantly curious in a way that belied extreme danger.

"It's f-" Ginrei started and stopped. There was an odd sensation in his mouth, a sting like he'd taken a sip of tea without letting it cool down. "...Why is my mouth burning?"

"You were present for the execution of traitor Soya Azashiro, yes?" Yamamoto smiled menacingly.

"Operating what?" Byakuya asked, puzzled. "-Or anesthetic." Zaraki elaborated. "...Ah." Byakuya winced.

"Yes, the sight and heat of the released form of the Sokyoku is not something I'll soon forget, but what does that have to do with..?" Ginrei stopped as a horrible, terrifying thought occurred to him.

"I still do not entirely understand how-" Yamamoto admitted, patting Ginrei on the shoulder. "But Kiko'o is both Captain Zaraki's Uncle, and quite submissive to his Big Sister."

Ginrei paled.

Mayuri frowned in confusion, trying to work out how that happened, biologically speaking. "-Did Zaraki fucking hatch out of an Egg?"

"You can ask him when he returns with young master Kuchiki!" Yamamoto grinned. "-But that said, you see why I will not do anything that would turn her attention to Seireitei."

"...I understand." Ginrei gulped. "-but he's just a boy!"

"Take heart- You've seen how fond and protective of children Zaraki is? By all accounts, it's something he picked up from Her. Byakuya's youth will serve us all well." Yamamoto explained, uncovering the recciver. "Let him go."

Ginrei grimaced, but nodded and lifted both pieces of the Spirit Phone to his face again.

"-was in prison too, but that's just because his family sucked ass and didn't realize talent when they saw it-" Zaraki was explaining on the other end.

"Byakuya?" Ginrei asked.

"Yes, grandfather?" Byakuya asked, Zaraki's voice stopping like he'd been physically shoved aside.

"This journey will take some time, and I am concerned about your schooling." Ginrei said, never one to give up ground.

"Winter comes early up there, we'll be home well before term starts!" Byakuya assured him. "Captain Zaraki suggested I write to you for your sanity while I was away, but I feel like it would be a legitimate academic exercise to write reports on the lesser-known districts for as well." he offered.

"That is very generous of you to offer, young Kuchiki. I would appreciate Zaraki-taicho's local knowledge of the area in those as well." Yamamoto added, grinning at Zaraki's audible groan on the other end.

Ginrei winced. "Promise to return home by the last week of august, and sooner should any disaster befall you."

"Oh yeah, anyone loses a limb or major internal organ we'll hoof it right back!" Zaraki said, managing to evoke the exact opposite of reassurance, and Ginrei hid his face in his hand.

"I promise." Byakuya said, voice soft and sincere. "I'll write often, and call when possible."

"...Please, take care, Hokushin." Ginrei begged, using the boy's nickname. Public displays of sentimentality were unacceptable, but... this was his only grandson, about to venture deep into the wilds with some maniac!

"I will, Ji-san. I'll be fine, I promise." Byakuya replied, returning the intimate nickname.

"Alright punk, we need to get moving before it gets dark." Zaraki interjected, ending the call with an unexpected social grace. "See you in August Old man!"

"Bye Kuchiki-ji! Bye Jii-san!" Yachiru called.

"Go in good health, and I look forward to both your reports!" Yamamoto dismissed them.

"Didn't catch that Boss, bad line-" Zaraki said, then abruptly hung up, negating any vague hopes Ginrei had about his diplomatic prowess.

"Oh gods- What have I done?" Ginrei cried, hanging up the phone and hiding his hands in his face.

"Well, you've agreed to let your only heir and grandson walk into the most violently uncivilized parts of the rukongai under the supervision of a violent maniac that was raised by birds, and a toddler!" Mayuri explained, unhelpfully.

"Don't you have a portal system you need to be repairing?" Yamamoto glared.

"I'm multi-tasking." the freak of unnatural sciences waved, fiddling with his newfangled 'textual communicator' device. "My point is, loathe as I am to agree with someone like Zaraki, he's got a point. If your little star is going to be captain someday he needs to learn to handle worse than this. He'll be fine, or he wasn't qualified in the first place."

"Keep that name out of your mouth, clown." Ginrei snarled.

"That's the spirit!" Mayuri cheered, pumping a not-totally-ironic fist. "Mind copying me on those reports? That shit's gonna be HILARIOUS."

"KUROTSUCHI! PORTALS!" Yamamoto barked and the captain of the 12th abruptly made himself scarce. The captain-general gently laid a hand on Ginrei's shoulder, and Ginrei placed his own atop it.

"I never had children of my own, so I cannot imagine the depth of your fear, but I can imagine it pains you." Yamamoto sighed. "But that was the right thing to do. He will be fine."

"He will. He has to be." Ginrei sighed, sitting back in his chair. "...though I fear that Zaraki's presence may presence may prove more educational to the boy than any of us intended."

***

"Just a tip for the future-" Zaraki sighed, turning to Byakuya after hanging up. "-once someone agrees to your demands, you don't offer additional incentives. That just makes it a worse deal for you."

"I know that!" Byakuya protested. "-the second he brought up my schooling I knew Grandfather agreed to the trip, but that was also him retreating to the tactical ground of controlling my schooling. The offer of reports was the Opening Salvo of the next battle."

"...Fought the old man a lot eh?" Zaraki cocked a heavy, bald brow at him.

"There are limited opponents for me to practice diplomatic sparring on." Byakuya shrugged. "...but yes, he is a prickly old sod."

Zaraki barked a laugh and shook Byakuya's shoulder affectionately. "Alright, where the fuck are we, actually?"

"We're... Here, in Inuzuka Village." Byakuya pointed to their location on the large map on the wall of the village hall. "I'm not sure where in North 80 your family is-"

"Way up here, on the coast." Zaraki pointed out. "So... Oh, we did pick the right tributary!"

"I told you so!" Yachiru rolled her eyes, adding more clovers to Byakuya's braid.

"Lessee- We should raid this place for anything useful first, but we need to get moving soon so we're somewhere high before it gets dark, but... Oh hey, is this Saikoro the place with the big gambling house?" Zaraki asked, tapping a point on the map just upriver.

"I believe so?" Byakuya nodded.

"...Ya wanna learn how to shark at pool?" Zaraki grinned the same conspiratorial grin.

This time, Byakuya nodded enthusiastically.

[doomxdriven]

"What I think of Central 46-?"

Kōtarō's voice died a little bit, albeit more out of surprise after repeating the odd question than anything else. He certainly had some opinions, which may sound a little... contrarian compared to the status quo, so the lieutenant's uncertainty in how Amagai might react to these prevented him from answering right away. First things first, however, he set his small cup of sake down.

"I have... some thoughts, sure, but mind if I ask why you wish to know-?"

Kotaro's answer was actually a little more telling than what Amagai had expected-- true they didn't give a definitive answer right then and there but the way Kotaro phrased their words made it clear they had a lot more to say. Whenever Amagai asked this question to others, almost always, he was either stonewalled or given some uncomfortably middle-of-the-fence take about Central 46 that he just couldn't get behind-- granted, Amagai didn't go around asking this question to everyone he met or knew (he felt that would perhaps draw a little too much attention to himself and his greater machinations) but still, it was a question that almost always led to immediate disappointment. Kotaro hadn't immediately disappointed Amagai, though, and as he took another sip from his cup of spiced tea (no alcohol for him, that would be bad), he was interested about what their real thoughts were.

"I suppose it wouldn't be enough to say 'I'm only curious'?" Amagai replied, before setting his cup down and laughing a bit. "I won't lie to you," Amagai wouldn't lie insofar as he wouldn't let slip what his goals for Central 46 were, "I'm not very fond of them; I think they're at the core of everything wrong with the Soul Society." There was the nobility, too, who were definitely at fault for much, and even under new management, the Gotei 13 still had its own issues, but behind all of it Amagai saw Central 46; their backwards laws and rulings, their insufferable customs, their blind eye toward and embrace of corruption, all of it tainting the Soul Society and the lives of everyone therein, just like they had tainted Amagai's life so many years ago.

"I don't know why they're kept around." Amagai's voice gets a little quieter (he didn't want anyone else overhearing what he was about to say), but for a moment he gets more serious, too, a lot more serious than Kotaro may have ever seen him (outside of battle perhaps), "I understand there needs to be laws, and some authority on those laws, but Central 46? They're hypocrites, and tyrants-- their 'authority' seems to be all they care about. There's no real justice with Central 46, no fairness, no progress."

Amagai makes full eye contact with Kotaro, and his tone eases up, becoming more on the mirthful side again, "I don't think they're going anywhere anytime soon," it would take something momentous to get rid of Central 46, something that went beyond just murdering all of its members (which had already happened almost twice now), something that Amagai was still working out, but nonetheless he speaks innocently enough, bordering on lighthearted even, not a hint of malice in his tone despite that being all he harbored for Central 46, "but don't you think it would be nice if they shoved off? How great it would be for the Soul Society? I think it would be pretty awesome."

After pausing for a second, Amagai chuckles loudly, and then gestures toward Kotaro, "Though I guess you might not-- I've talked and talked but I still haven't heard those thoughts of yours." // @galeforged

[windstormwielding]

{ ooc } Recent trends show that people are very receptive to big, scary, beefy mommies™... so why not come meet the fine lady who raised Kō-boy here? Hadn’t had much of a proper image for her until recently, but then a bunch of things just clicked and fell into place!

I’ll repost all of the below for her own page on the blog at some point, and might soon open her up for interactions as a proper side/request-only muse like Hai’iro Ranmaru. For now though, here’s the rundown! History, abilities, you name it, it’s down there!

–––––––––––––––––

Profile: Ryōhei Yumiko

Name: Ryōhei Yumiko (亮平 由美子)

Birthday: June 26

Race: Soul

Gender: Female

Height: 185.4cm (6′1″)

Weight: 86kg (190 lbs)

Relatives: Ryōhei Kōtarō (Adoptive son)

Previous Profession: Shinigami

Previous Affiliation: Gotei 13, 11th Division

Previous Position: Lieutenant

Theme Song: “Battle Against a True Hero (UNDERTALE OST)” by Toby Fox

— Appearance —

Yumiko is a middle-aged woman with an imposingly broad and burly figure. Her face, while still retaining some youthful beauty to it, is partially disfigured from an accident with her zanpakutō early in her career. Many scars adorn her muscular form from head to toe, gained throughout her time as a battle-hardened soul reaper of the 11th Division. Her hair is auburn red with hints of greying in the present, usually kept long down her back and tied in a ponytail, and her eye colour is hazel.

She is often seen wearing an amigasa and a frayed, dull green kimono to better blend into the foliage, albeit the fabric is bloodstained. In her younger years, she wore a shihakushō, but customized her look into that of a sukeban-style delinquent: she wore her kosode open over her shoulders, tied to her upper body with a red ribbon; she tore off her shitagi sleeves to bare her arms; her Lieutenant’s badge was worn around her left bicep.

(Present Day Faceclaim: Balalaika of Black Lagoon)

— Personality —

Years ago, Yumiko was a foul-tempered spitfire who assisted in keeping the sorry louts of the 11th in line. Strength meant authority within those walls, and there were really only two within the Division who could challenge her might, but she was never one to lord her position over others. Diligent as can be, she often took initiative for leading combat drills to keep her subordinates’ skills sharp. As a member of the 11th, she was a fiercely determined fighter who also relished in the thrills of combat, often using brute force to get the job done, and let her hair down whenever parties were held and drinks flowed. Though she and 3rd Seat Kuruyashiki often butted heads over trivial matters to the point of trading blows, she genuinely respected his strength and character deep down.

While she grew calmer and humbled when she effectively retired, she still holds no patience for any who seeks to do harm unto others weaker than themselves. Yumiko always had a weakness for children, despite the fact that her appearance tend to terrify many, to her dismay. To make up for this, she starkly changes her demeanour into a far more doting personality, sometimes accompanied by a familiar dopey grin that Kōtarō would inherit. She was fiercely protective of him growing up, and, true to her 11th Division training, killed those who dared to threaten her boy’s life without batting an eye or losing sleep.

— History —

In her heyday, up to 410 years before the present, Ryōhei Yumiko lived as a Gotei 13 shinigami, serving as the Lieutenant of the 11th Division. She fit right into the mold of a squad full of melee combatants and was a master with a blade, living and breathing by the three B’s: brawls, bloodshed, and booze. The many scars she accrued over the course of her lifetime each stood as a testament for her love of fighting, as these only grew in number the higher she rose up the ranks.

Unfortunately, her career was cut short come a terrible incident with her Captain. In a bid to further his own swordsmanship as the 6th Kenpachi, Captain Baishin attempted to merge with his own zanpakutō. This fusion, though successful, turned out to be one-way and took a debilitating toll on his mind, causing Kenpachi Baishin to go on a killing rampage that claimed the lives of over 60 seated officers across the Seireitei, including Lieutenants (OVA: The Sealed Sword Frenzy).

Yumiko nearly lost her life in the assault. While she survived, her saketsu and hakusui were pierced during the battle while she burned through her reiryoku. She awoke to several changes in the Gotei 13, chief among them being: her powers have effectively disappeared forever; Kuruyashiki, her 3rd Seat in the 11th, rose to the occasion and donned the Captain’s haori as the 7th Kenpachi during the crisis; and Baishin fled to the world of the living before being sealed away by Kuruyashiki and five other Captains, with two of them not returning home.

Not wanting to sit around for a pity party as she can no longer work within the Seireitei, Yumiko simply left and returned home in North Rukongai. Though her soul reaper powers are gone and she can no longer hear the voice of her zanpakutō, she still had both her fearsome physical strength and her incredible skill with a sword, just as how she always lived and liked it. She never raised her blade against innocent civilians, but many thugs in their attempts to cross her over the years lost their lives.

Around 270 years before the present, Yumiko found a toddler in the thickets of Kusajishi, just passed on from the world of the living. Disgusted that her former comrades would leave him to die within one of the worst districts for a child to be in, she sought to foster him and take him up to some family in a better-off district closer towards the Seireitei. However, she quickly found herself endeared to him when she realized he wasn’t scared of her at all, clinging to her with not one scream of fear or protest at the sight of her. She then decided to take him in as her son and gave him a name of his own: Ryōhei Kōtarō (亮平 康太郎).

Yumiko doted on and sheltered the boy as best she could over the years. Putting her years of fighting experience to use, she strove to teach her son the way of the sword. This was not only so that he may stand an actual chance by himself in the sticks of the Soul Society, but because she knew from his persisting hunger that one day soon, Kōtarō too might follow in her footsteps as a shinigami.

After he finally left for the Academy, she took to wandering the Soul Society proper, but would still come back to Kusajishi on the occasion he should ever visit.

— Powers & Abilities —

Expert Swordsman: As a Lieutenant of the 11th Division, Yumiko's talent in Zanjutsu was almost unrivalled back in her prime. Though her skills dulled with time and little worthy foes to fight out in the boonies, she still managed to garner a menacing reputation that kept her feared by many in North Rukongai. She passed on much of her knowledge in the combat art down to her son, who later became a worthy swordsman in his own right.

Expert Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Yumiko supplemented her swordsmanship with grappling, throws, and boxing, where her larger size and superior strength come into play. In the past, she often resorted to fighting with her bare fists while her active Shikai was locked into its sheath.

Enhanced Strength, Endurance, & Durability: Kōtarō looks up to Yumiko and calls her the strongest woman he knows; that’s not just him being cute, as he means that quite literally. She built up much of her strength over her long tenure as a shinigami in the most combat-intensive Division of them all, capable of lifting and cleaving boulders that are heavier and larger than herself with relative ease. Her body proved resilient enough to not only survive attacks from a crazed Baishin-zanpakutō fusion, while other seated officers in her position—including fellow Lieutenants—perished, but hold him off solo for some time despite her wounds and failing powers.

— Former Powers & Abilities —

Great Spiritual Power: As a former Lieutenant of the Gotei 13, Yumiko once possessed a considerable amount of reiryoku. Her reiatsu was coloured light blue, and her exerting her spiritual pressure made the surrounding area more humid.

Kidō Practitioner: Having attended Shin’ō Academy, Yumiko proved to have little aptitude for magic. The loss of her powers only took away what little capability for Kidō she had.

Shunpō Expert: Yumiko was surprisingly agile for her bulk and quite fast among her peers, able to keep pace with her old Captain who was himself well-versed in Hohō. While she now lacks the power to use such techniques, she still retains some valuable footwork lessons and continues to apply them toward her swordplay.

Zanpakutō: Yūgiri (夕霧, Evening Mist) resembles a normal katana in its sealed state, with a grey hilt and raindrop-shaped tsuba, and its scabbard came with a clip that kept the blade notched. Though Yumiko can no longer call on its power, she took her blade with her nonetheless when she absconded from the Seireitei, and concealed its distinct appearance by binding its hilt and tsuba in cloth. Yūgiri hangs by her hip. Its release command was “Billow!” (畝れ! Unere!).

Shikai: When transformed, Yūgiri’s blade hollowed out with small holes dotted along its length, gathering moisture from the surrounding area to empower its steel with super-heated steam and scald her enemies. Yumiko used the mist as a smokescreen, and often sheathed her active weapon to compress and build up power within its scabbard for mortal draw techniques, such as steam blades.   Yūgiri’s signature technique, Jyōki Bakusatsu (蒸汽爆炸, Steam Eruption) was the end result of storing up so much pressure, that it creates a steam explosion with extreme heat and force from the sheath once her blade is drawn. The first time Yumiko used this move proved reckless, resulting in the facial burn injury.  

Bankai: Not achieved.

[canariie]

it was just a dream

Rating: K+

Synopsis: On one of Momo’s darkest days, she meets a stranger at night that comes crashing through to her garden.

Word Count: 3705 words

Setting: Post-chapter 686

Prompt: Hitsuhina Week 2020 Gift Exchange

Authour’s Note: This is for @rays-of-fire-and-ice as part of the @hitsuhina-week 2020 Gift Exchange! Just in time for the end of Hitsugaya’s birthday :) 

[I know the themes were Red String (which I absolutely love and would write something separate for that) or Birthday, but I had this idea for a while and felt this was a perfect moment to explore :) ] 

Ray’s requested a take on Momo meeting the “Mature Hitsugaya”! I think the premise is so promising in the Battle with Gerard but I’ve always entertained the idea of what if Momo never knew that Hitsugaya had a matured form? ;)

I hope you enjoy!

—

The white moon hung high and alone in the sky, its light reflecting off the grey stones of Momo’s garden. The mist still hung in the air from the earlier storm leaving the plants glistening with dew.

If it had been any other night, Momo would have loved to settle down on the porch with a steaming cup of tea and watch the stars. However, the thunderstorm earlier had only rattled her nerves from an emotionally draining day, leaving her exhausted with a shawl wrapped around herself.

Momo sighed. I wish today would just end.

Today was the anniversary of the day Aizen had tried to murder her. Though it had been many years since the former captain had defected from Soul Society, whenever the day crept around, she could feel her body shut down. Like a dark foreboding cloud, it occupied her mind, and drained her strength.

It had rained all day, which had shut Momo in alone with her anxiety on edge. She couldn’t muster the will to go to the dining hall and pick up a proper meal for herself so she nibbled on morsels of food from her kitchen. However, she had promptly thrown it up, her stomach in knots and with an empty desire that food couldn’t satisfy. So the brunette remained in bed, drifting in between consciousness and restless bouts of sleep. Now that it was the middle of the night and the rain had passed, Momo forced herself out of bed and in the shower to wash the nerves away before changing into her sleep wear. Though she had not left her room, she still wanted some semblance of routine before going to bed.

She had taken the day off without any complaint from her captain; they both had an unspoken agreement on reminders of the past when it concerned Aizen. It was their way of giving each other space to fight their own battles. However, she knew Hirako-taicho still cared when he had sent some tea for her earlier in the day.

No matter how much she told herself that she had moved on, this day left an indelible mark on her heart as a reminder of the foolish person she was in the past. Everyone had carried some scar from the wars past but had worked to move on; however, for Momo, this day always pulled her back in the dark place of confusion, betrayal and self-loathing.

Momo wrapped the shawl tight around her shoulders before taking a brush through her wet hair. Her hair had now grown past her shoulders, almost halfway down her back. It has grown quite long, she mused. Maybe it’s time for a change.

Hirako-taicho had offered to cut her hair again and she was more open to the idea than the first time he had offered. But there was something that held her back, as she hadn’t had this length since Aizen was her captain—and she didn’t quite know what to make of that.

He was the one that had offered the blue hair cloth to her, as a way to keep her hair safe from battle. At that time, Momo had been over the moon to accept such a gift, believing that she had lucked out with the best captain in the Gotei 13.

But now as she inspected a lock of her hair, Momo could only be reminded of the naivety of a girl that was too star-struck to see the evil lurking within.

Both of Rangiku-san and Rukia-san’s hair have already grown so long since they last cut it. It suits them both and they still manage to fight in battle well. They have both moved on and made something for themselves.

Momo sighed and continued to brush her hair Maybe I should cut it short again…I don’t even know if this long hair would suit me.

All of sudden, a crash erupted from the corner of her garden, startling her to drop the hair brush. It sounded too loud to be an animal, but it was past midnight, and far too late for anyone to wander. The brunette stood up, her shoulders tense as she mentally switched into battle mode. She heard a noise rustle from the bush at the edge of her garden and what sounded like unintelligible muttering.

“Who’s there?” she called out, preparing to summon Tobiume to her side.

What emerged out of the bushes, knocked Momo off her feet and back onto the porch, her night robe slipping of her shoulder. A grown man with shockingly familiar white hair stepped out, albeit less than gracefully, removing the leaves from his hair. His stature was long and thin and she could hear him panting for breaths. White plumes of frost floated all around him, and pools of ice bloomed at his feet. All the wet dew that remained from the rain turned to ice, as if Winter were following this man.

This man wore the shinigami uniform but there was no marking of a division insignia anywhere. Instead, pieces of ice covered his arms and legs with a collar resting on his shoulders, like frozen armor. She could hear the crackle of it as he stepped forward and it fell to the ground. He looked up and Momo could feel the breath escape from her lungs: his eyes were the same deep emerald of her childhood friend. “Hitsugaya-kun?” she called out softly. “Is that you…?”

The man stopped what he was doing and froze, as if realizing that she was there for the first time. “Hinamori?”

Oh my. The timber of this man’s voice was much deeper and it raised goosebumps on her skin.

No, this can’t be Hitsugaya-kun. His eyes seemed far brighter and the look of fear on his face was a foreign one she had never seen on her childhood friend. It felt like someone took the most comfortable parts of her childhood friend and distorted it into this strange older man.

“What’s going on…?”

“Wait, Hinamori—” he doubled over, his body crumpling to lean against his sword. The man struggled to push himself up before collapsing with a thud on the ground.

Momo stood still, in shock at this somewhat strange apparition that appeared in her gardens.

I have to be dreaming. That’s the only possible explanation.

If this were real or not, the man on the ground was not moving, and as time passed on, a pool of worry quelled in the bottom of her stomach. Momo wasn’t sure who this man was, but she also knew she couldn’t leave him alone when he clearly needed help.

With trepidation, she slowly approached the shinigami. Frost surrounded all of him, as if the area around him had already frozen over for winter. Closer up, she could study his face, which truly looked like an older version of her childhood friend. But the traces of childhood were gone, leaving a defined jaw and striking cheekbones. However, Momo noted under his eyes there were deep shadows and even in sleep, there was a weariness to his face. As she bent down next to him, the ice that was surrounding his body had now finally cracked, settling into piles of snow dust.

When Momo reached out her hand to touch his arm, she almost pulled back at the feeling of ice. Like frostbite, her skin burned with the extreme cold and she could feel it race through her arm. She had held hands with her childhood friend before, but he had never been this cold. This man was so cold it was like he was dead. Instinctively, Momo raised her reiatsu higher than normal and a warm glow emanated from her body. No one else should be awake so this shouldn’t hurt anyone else. Slowly, the snow began to melt, and the green grass emerged again, as if spring had returned.

Momo quickly attempted to pull him up but was almost knocked over by his size. This white-haired man towered over her and she could feel the weight pulling her down. But she had practice from when she would train with Renjii so she quickly repositioned his weight so that he was draped over her shoulders. Momo tried to ignore his breaths against her neck as she pulled him along with her before dropping him, quite unceremoniously, on her veranda.

Though it was cold outside, she was still wary to bring him in her bedroom so she settled for rummaging inside for as many blankets as she could find to cover the shinigami.

Momo collapsed with a sigh of defeat, feeling more exhausted than the beginning of the night. I don’t know what’s going on, but I can’t leave him alone. She glanced over, trying to see if there were any apparent injuries she had missed in her early inspection. Momo moved to sit next the sleeping man, and looked closer at his hands.

They’re so large…one could cover all of my hand.

Before she knew it, she lifted one of his hands, studying it. His temperature was still low, but not as deadly as before. As Momo increased her reiatsu, she found herself rubbing her fingers over his knuckles, noting the calluses on his palms.

“If this is you Hitsugaya-kun…what have you been doing?” He had never mentioned anything like this to her before and it arose deep insecurities of deception from within. Momo could feel the anxiety begin to grow inside her as her mind raced of all the possibilities why her childhood friend would keep secrets from her. Stop Hinamori, Hitsugaya isn’t like that. He’s proved that to you before. But, she couldn’t ignore the seed of doubt inside.

A muffled groan brought Momo out of her daze and towards the white-haired man who was slowly waking up. His emerald eyes blinked out of focus, taking a moment to register where he was until they settled on Momo. Immediately, he pulled his hand away causing Momo to jump as he bolted up and pushed himself away from her.

“Don’t touch me! You’ll hurt yourself!” There was a fear in his voice and she could feel his anxious eyes on her, as if he were checking her for any injuries. Momo couldn’t find the words to say anything, too arrested by his deep voice and the open panic on his face—things that she had not associated with her childhood friend at all, leaving her confused.  

The man sighed in frustration, clearly out of his element. It took him a second before he looked down, finally registering the multiple blankets that covered him. “Did you put these on me?” he asked incredously.

“Well, you were cold,” she replied indignantly, “And even if I’m not sure what’s not going on, I’m not going to leave you to freeze to death.”

A moment passed and he chuckled softly in disbelief. “Only you would clothe a stranger in a blanket.”

“Well, that’s what I would like to know…” Momo eyed him measuredly. “Are you Hitsugaya-kun?” she asked in an even voice.

He matched her gaze but Momo could see something beneath the emerald colour, almost like wariness. “If I said yes, what would you think?”

“I would say this is a dream because I know that my childhood friend did not grow overnight,” Momo responded. “Unless, there’s something that he’s not telling me…”

He remained silent for a moment. “Are you not afraid of me?” he whispered.

Momo narrowed her eyes. “I’m more afraid of the fact that you would be hiding something for me.”

The white-haired man looked down, a flash of shame passing his features. “I would not hide anything from you deliberately, Hinamori.”

“Then what is this? How does my childhood friend turn into someone I don’t know and crash in my garden in the middle of the night? Why are you so deadly cold to touch? Why is your reiatsu out of control?” She could feel tears began to prick at the corner of her eyes. “Please tell me what’s going on, Hitsugaya-kun,” Momo pleaded, her voice cracking.

When he looked up, Momo felt like her heart break inside at the sorrow in his eyes. “I can’t control my reiatsu when I’m in this form…I might end up hurting you.”

“You would never intentionally hurt me.”

“Don’t say that Hinamori,” his tone cold, like the sharpness of a blade. “I have hurt you in the past.”

“And it was not your fault,” she asserted adamantly. “Also, I have been counteracting your reiatsu.” She took hold of his hands and his body stiffened. He tried to pull away but it only encouraged Momo to hold on tighter and increase her own reiatsu, sending warmth from her palms into his body.

She could see his body slowly relax. “See, you could never hurt me.” Momo smiled.

He started to say something, but stopped and sighed. “You never cease to amaze me, Hinamori.” They were quiet for a moment, basking in the warmth of her reiatsu. However, she felt her breath hitch when he placed his other hand on top of hers, encasing them fully. “You’ve always been like this…thank you.” He let out a small smile that set a flush racing against her cheeks.

Momo cleared her throat. “Will you let me know now why you’re suddenly…older?”

She could see the inner argument behind his eyes—at least that part was still the same of Hitsugaya. “I have been training my bankai...but to develop it to its full potential, I have to age a bit.”

“A bit?” Momo said dubiously.

“It doesn’t last long, it’s only temporary,” he alleviated. “Between you and me, I’m hanging on by a thread now.”

They fell again in silence and Momo took the time to study him—this older Toushiro. Yes, it was as if he jumped 50 years to the future. But behind the broad shoulders and tall stature, Momo could begin to see her childhood friend. From the stubborn fringe that covered his eye, the troubled furrow of his brow, to the protruding bottom lip as if he were perpetually frowning—her Toushiro was still there.

That’s Hitsugaya-kun for you, always working on getting stronger…and moving on. Momo could feel the anxiety return at the bottom of her stomach, freezing her whole body. Everyone is moving on…

“You’re amazing Hitsugaya-kun…” she said weakly. “I really could never compare…” She couldn’t stop her voice from trembling.

“What are you talking about?” he said apprehensively, noting the change in her tone. He gripped her hands tighter but it only served to release the tears she was trying to hold back.

“You and everyone else have been training so hard, while I’m still stuck in the same place…And every year this day comes, it just takes me back to what I was before,” she wallowed. “I’m still the same naive girl.”

“That’s not true, Hinamori…” His emerald eyes searched hers, trying to convey the truth but she wouldn’t hold his gaze.

“Yes it is! If I truly would have become stronger, this day wouldn’t hurt me anymore,” Momo wept. She pulled her hands away from his and swiped away at her tears. “It just reminds me of all the things that I’ve done to hurt you.” She covered her face, too ashamed to look at him as her body shook with sobs.

Momo didn’t realize how much frustration and anxiety she had been holding in until it all had released. It had hurt so much to keep it inside that she couldn’t help the tears that poured out. She also couldn’t remember the last time when she actively cried out loud this much.

Too caught up in the moment, Momo didn’t even register the presence of him moving closer to her as he wrapped a blanket around her shoulders. Slowly, two cool hands pulled hers away from her face and squeezed them tight. Momo looked up and was surprised to see the open concern on his face.

“Shiro-chan?”

His eyes didn’t leave hers, almost as if he were trying to communicate with them. “I’m sorry that I didn’t see you today and left you alone. I’m sorry that I crashed down into your garden and scared you. I’m sorry that I have failed you when I couldn’t save you.

“I’m sorry for many things in my life Hinamori.” He gripped her hands tighter. “But I have never been sorry that you are a part of my life.

“In the academy, we are taught to lay down our lives for our family and friends,” he leaned forward and Momo felt like she looking at the ocean, his emerald eyes drawing her in. Though his voice had grown deeper, it was the gravitas of the tone that held her attention. “If it came down to it, I would lay my life down for you regardless.”

“But why?” Momo protested. “I’m naïve, believe in others too easily and hurt those around me. I only hold you back!”

He shook his head softly and continued undeterred.

“You don’t realize how important you are to others. Your strength is in your faith in others and the kindness you radiate to everyone—including me.” At this point, he was so close that Momo could see the silver strands shining in the moon light as he bent his head down to be eye level with her. “Without you, I would not be where I am today. You have never held me back.”

“But you don’t need me to become stronger,” Momo whispered.

“You are the reason I have this power. Hinamori, you are my reason to be stronger. Without you, there is no purpose for all of this.” He pulled her closer to him. “I need you.”

A that point, Momo couldn’t cry anymore as she was too busy blushing furiously and processing his poignant words. Her Toushiro had never spoken to her with such intensity! Any self-doubts that were there, slowly vanished and Momo couldn’t ignore the lightness inside her chest. Coupled with the fact that these proclamations came from an older (more handsome) version of her childhood friend, Momo felt like she could implode from a fast beating heart.

She chuckled to herself, wiping the tears away from her cheeks. “Now, I really know I’m dreaming! You would never tell me things like that in reality!”

Momo wiped her face with her blanket as he continued to watch her solemnly with dark jade eyes.

Well, if she thinks it’s a dream…

Momo’s heart jumped as this Toushiro moved far closer than before to tug the slipped collar of her robe over her shoulder. “This has been bothering me all night,” he murmured. Her breath hitched as his long fingers then moved up her skin before pulling a lock of hair that rested on her collarbone. Turning it over, he inspected it as if it were precious silk. When he looked up at her through his dark eyelashes, she could hear her heart thumping erratically in her ears. “You should wear your hair down,” he smiled, leaving her breathless. “It suits you.”

Oh my goodness, Momo thought.

Now, she felt like she was going to implode.

--

“And then he covered my shoulder with my robe!” she exclaimed, cheeks flush and eyes wide. “And-and held my hair!”

The next thing she knew, Momo had woken up in bed, alone and with a still fast-beating heart. Too red-faced and preoccupied with thoughts of her dream to go to work, she had quickly rushed over to Rangiku’s quarters to discuss and inspect these new-found feelings.

Which is how she found herself settled on the blonde’s couch, with a warm cup of tea in her hands and the older girl quietly listening as Momo recalled her whole dream.

Rangiku raised a delicate eyebrow. “Did you enjoy it or not?”

“W-well, he was all grown up so it was so new!” she covered her red face with her hands. “But yes,” Momo mumbled.

The older girl took a sip of her tea before placing a warm hand on her shoulder. “Maybe Hinamori, this is a sign that you’re developing new feelings toward Taicho…”

Momo looked at her startled with wide brown eyes. “I have never thought of Hitsugaya-kun that way…He’s always been such a good friend to me. I couldn’t imagine anything else…”

At that point a knock came at Rangiku’s door and Momo felt like she jumped out of her skin.

A voice called out from the entrance, “Matsumoto, here are the reports that need to be sent out.” Momo whipped her head behind the couch just as the white-haired boy walked into the living room, a puzzled look on his face. “Hinamori? What are you doing here?”

“Hitsugaya-kun!” She shook her head viciously. “N-no, I mean Hitsugaya-taicho!”

He raised an eyebrow. “I’m glad you got my title right, but is there something you need?”

Flashes of the dream passed through Momo’s mind of hand-holding, a deep voice and intense emerald eyes, setting her heart racing.

“I-uh I…have to go back to my office!” She ran out quickly before Toushiro could utter another word.

Oh my goodness I can’t look at him the same way after that dream, Momo thought as she flash stepped to her division.

---

Rangiku watched the whole awkward scene unfold and she had to bite her lips from releasing the laughter she was holding in. Her captain looked so puzzled as the petite lieutenant had past him so fast, it would rival Yourichi’s flash-step.

“Hmm Taicho,” Rangiku said, finally breaking the silence, “Have you been training your bankai near the 5th division at night?”

He looked straight ahead and dropped the papers on her table. “I don’t know what you’re talking about Matsumoto.”

She smirked. “Well, you should be careful of appearing in women’s garden in your adult form. It can really cause them restless dreams and…intense heart palpitations.”

He pointedly ignored her. “I’ll see you soon in the office, Matsumoto.” Toushiro turned briskly around before the blonde could say anything, not wanting to continue the conversation.

He was inwardly happy, however, to see Hinamori with her hair down—glad that she had taken his words to heart.

-----

Authour’s Note: I hope you enjoyed it ;--; I haven’t written that much in so long! It was definitely a difficult one to write and I struggled a lot with their dialogue. 

I also think the “Mature Hitsugaya” has such Shoujo-manga material potential!! If Bleach were a shoujo-manga, I would have loved to see all the situations where Momo didn’t know about the older form xD (kind of like MeruPuri)

Also apologies if the characters were OOC but I felt Momo needed to hear those words.

I also always headcanon that the day Aizen tried to murder Momo would always be a dark one for her every year. And no matter how much she’s moved forward, it would still haunt her. I think it would take her many many years, after she’s gained her own footing and strength as an individual, to be able to move one from that day. So who better to console her than Toushiro? I didn’t reflect as much on him, but I also believe that day would be one marked for him as one of shame...it could probably merit a companion piece (if I ever have the energy haha)

I really hope you enjoyed my take on this, Rays!! Happy Hitsuhina Week 2020!!

[elxfi-archived]

𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐬 !

FULL NAME. Chiyoko Koizumi NICKNAME. Chiyo or Chi GENDER. female HEIGHT. 4'7" AGE. Roughly 300/ 24 in Human verse ZODIAC. Libra / October 15th  SPOKEN LANGUAGES. Japanese, English, French,  Spanish, & some Cantonese (She’s had a lot of years to experiment with language) 𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 ! HAIR COLOR. Chestnut Brown EYE COLOR. Very light blue SKIN TONE. Warm & tan with freckles on her cheeks & shoulders BODY TYPE. Petite - pear shaped with a smaller bust & full hips VOICE. High in pitch, but not obnoxiously so. Quiet when speaking normally. A bit of an unsettling air that can’t be placed by those who don’t know her well.  (Japanese Voice Claim would be Mai Nakahara- with inflections like Rena Ryugu from Higurashi or Maria Kurenai from Vampire Knight)  (English Voice Claim would be Cherami Leigh- With Inflections like Sunako Kirishiki from Shiki) DOMINANT HAND. Left (but she’s fairly ambidextrous)  POSTURE. Stands very straight on a good day, but tends to slouch when her bones start to hurt  SCARS. Three large ones on her left arm, four on her right, scars that wrap around both her wrists, a large scar that stars right bellow the middle of her bust and extends at the bottom of her rips, one that starts bellow her belly button and ends just before her groin, a large one on each thigh, one that wraps around her right calf & 4 on her back  TATTOOS. None BIRTHMARKS. None  MOST NOTICEABLE FEATURE(S). Big eyes, long hair to her calves, unusually small stature & antlers atop her head  𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝 ! PLACE OF BIRTH. 78th district of Eastern Rukongai  HOMETOWN. N/A SIBLINGS. Kiniichi Koizumi (eldest brother, Deceased) & Nobuo Koizumi (Older brother) PARENTS. Tsuneo Koizumi(Died shortly before Chiyo was born) & Meiko Koizumi (Died during childbirth) 𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 ! OCCUPATION. Gotei 13 officer & toxin specialist for the SRDI (3rd seat of the 12th Division) CURRENT RESIDENCE. Seireitei (12th division barracks), part time in Las Noches (Main verse) CLOSE FRIENDS. Nanami Kurosawa (best friend) RELATIONSHIP STATUS. Taken (Main verse) FINANCIAL STATUS. She’s not struggling, really. She’s comfortable enough on her current salary to afford essentials & some odds & ends things DRIVER’S LICENSE. No VICES. Tends to slip off for extended periods of time when she’s feeling overwhelmed, occasionally partakes in controlled substances to manage pain  𝐬𝐞𝐱 & 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 ! SEXUAL ORIENTATION. Bisexual PREFERRED SEXUAL ROLE. Bottom, though occasionally likes to top  LIBIDO. It really depends, but generally medium when in a committed relationship. Fairly low when not.  TURN ON’S. Dirty talk, a dominant partner, spanking, light bondage, hair pulling TURN OFF’S. Being called offensive names, choking, poor hygiene  LOVE LANGUAGE. Gentle touches, gathering little trinkets for her partner, long conversations, emotional vulnerability RELATIONSHIP TENDENCIES. In general, she’s fairly closed off about her personal feelings & emotions. She doesn’t like being touched. But when she’s with her s/o, she’s a bit of a chatterbox & an emotionally open book. She can’t get enough of being touched by or touching them. She is very devoted when in a committed relationship & looks at everything through a long term lens.  TYPE: She leans toward quiet, calm types with high intelligence. Someone who is easy to relax with & open up to. 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬 ! CHARACTER’S THEME SONG. Idontwannabeyouanymore - Billie Eilish  HOBBIES TO PASS TIME. People watching, cooking, music (she plays very instruments to try & help her mind focus) MENTAL ILLNESSES. PTSD & anxiety  PHYSICAL ILLNESSES. She has very weak bones, but has managed to keep her condition under control. PHOBIAS. Being touched by anyone other than a select few, being choked  SELF CONFIDENCE LEVEL. 6/10 Tagged by - @pure-patissiere​ Tagging - If you’re reading this, you’re tagged.

[hanabiira]

Thoughts on Miki’s bankai, taking up captaincy, and the general timeline.

Miki has served in the Gotei 13 for well over 400 years, the entirety of it being in the 5th division, slowly climbing her way up the ranks. For approximately 50 years, Miki held the position of 3rd seat, dutifully training to attain her bankai and further sharpen her shinigami techniques. 20 years prior to the beginning of the story we know, Miki would’ve first attained her bankai. With bankai being a highly rare occurrence and coveted, her training was largely done alone. She was not exactly sworn to utmost secrecy, but kept her ability under wraps until she felt it was ready. An unprepared and unperfected bankai would be foolish to reveal, thus she spent 20 good years honing it into the deadly weapon it could be. She knew if word were to get out, she would be swept up into power before she was ready. Miki had always sought after a captain’s position, quietly but on her terms. She was not exactly your reckless and headstrong hero that would profess her life goals at every chance she got. 

When Aizen’s plan was fully set into motion, everything went to hell. Their once beloved captain, a traitor. Their lieutenant, nearly dead and out of commission. Miki was left to hold up the shambles of a yet again, demoralized division. She managed well enough, taking hold of the reigns as defacto captain while Momo still recovered. It was the exact test of leadership she needed. No, it wasn’t easy. Prior to then, she still didn’t feel ready to become a captain and despite the sudden vacancy to not one but three divisions she found it...somewhat inappropriate to request the captain’s proficiency exam, thus she remained where she was. Yet she craved more, a true test of power, worthiness, to hold such an esteemed position. 

The few years between the battle between Aizen and the time after it was something of a whirlwhind. The winter war was not a battle she was a part of, once again, holding the reigns of the 5th division while their lieutenant fought. Then, the return of Shinji Hirako, their old captain. Though she is sure he barely remembers her and her mousy ways she makes an effort to quell the worries of anyone who never remembered him as a former captain. The chance for her to be captain seems to be gone, the vizard men returning to their former glory. She remains optimistic despite this, god knows they deserve to be welcomed back after what was ripped from their hands. 

Then the Quincy, the first wave comes and they are broken and battered. Yamamoto soutaichou; Gone. How are they supposed to carry on when their strongest is dead? Shunsui is promoted to head captain and suddenly, the 8th division...is open. It almost seems wrong to her, to grab at it, almost. It has been his for so long.  But with what had happened, the invasion, it was now or never. If she could get through this, oh, she could get through anything she is sure. To shoulder a division in the middle of a war is maybe a little crazy, but they needed a leader. She could die in the war not obtaining a goal, or she could die a captain, doing the best to protect the sereitei with the tools she had. 

Miki requested to take the Captain’s Proficiency Test not days later. Time was of the essence. The two other captains present as witnesses were: Shinji Hirako and Juushiro Ukitake. The process was quick and between the time of the first and second quincy invasion, no one bothered with an inauguration ceremony. The only thing she needed made is a new haori, as Shunsui’s old one was simply too large and surely held too much sentimental value. She scrambled to do what she could with the 8th division, in preparation, morale, and training. She doesn’t find it surprising that the division is a little wary of a brand new captain, but she doesn’t have time to blame them and soldiers on. They survive the war. What feels like just barely. She thinks she maybe has gotten lucky. 

Slowly, they begin to pick up the pieces. The sereitei is rebuilt and with it the 8th division changes in her vision. The gardens are expanded, greenhouses are added. Over time she establishes herself. She manages to introduce herself to the rest of the captains and lieutenants. She becomes trusted, the 8th division becomes a fixture of something new. 

[darknessandposionrp]

"When two combatants are equal speed, the one who is smaller has the advantage!"

Full Name: Suzumebachi (shikai) Jakuhō Raikōben (Bankai)

Gender: Female

Alignment: Lawful Neural

Age: 110+

Race/Homeland: Zanpakutō Spirit That lives in Soul Society with her Master Soi-fon (or Súi-fēng)

Character Appearance: Suzumebachi is a small pixie like spirit with a fur collar around her neck,puffy shorts, and two yellow-black plates covering her chest. Her left arm is covered by a Yellow-Black stinger that is bigger than most of her body.

Hair: She has two buns with twin tails coming out said buns within a middle brown.

Skin: Fair or pale skins

Eyes: Pastel pink eyes

Height: unknown

Weight: unknown

Personality: (From the Bleach Wikia)

While under the influence of Muramasa's brainwashing, Suzumebachi is not fond of impatience, calling it an "unattractive" quality.She claims to have chosen her appearance upon being manifested in order to create her own fashion statement.She is somewhat cautious in battle, criticizing Wabisuke��for attacking Kenpachi Zaraki in a careless manner.She believes the smaller combatant in a fight always has the advantage when facing someone of equal speed. In battle, she frequently giggles while dodging an opponent's attacks.

Suzumebachi is very critical of Suì-Fēng: she finds her style of clothing and appearance to be "lame", and criticizes Suì-Fēng for worshiping Yoruichi Shihōin instead of paying attention to herself and finding a real man. However, she is willing to compliment Suì-Fēng when she impresses Suzumebachi, such as when Suì-Fēng managed to dodge her surprise attack and later sacrificed her arm when she could not dodge another strike.

Suzumebachi claims Yoruichi is holding Suì-Fēng back and clouding her judgment, and that she is the real problem in Suì-Fēng's life.

After being freed from Muramasa's brainwashing, Suzumebachi is much more friendly, happily greeting Haineko upon meeting her in a corridor. However, she has her own sense of humor, teasing Hyōrinmaru about being sentimental upon finding him staring at the moon.

Optimistic/Pessimistic: Depending if she's under mind control or not, Suzumebachi tends to lean towards a cautious and realistic optimistic person.

Philosophy: Her Philosophy is very similar to her master's, whether someone is considered good or evil, it doesn't matter of she has to harm them she will simply because she is willed too.

Relationship Status: Unknown (Most likely single) 

Place of residence: Gotei 13, 2nd squad barracks 

Place of Birth: Gotei 13, 2nd squad barracks

Occupation: Sword Spirit 

Group/Guild/Clan affiliation: Gotei 13, Suì-Fēng

Enemies: Aizen, Hollows, Quinces, Muramasa and anyone who threats her Master or the Gotei 13.

Favored Weapon: Suzumebachi Favorite weapon is well, Herself! In the gif above is how she appears awakened in her non-humanoid form in the use of her Master.

Weapon Skill: Shikai: Suzumebachi does not actually use a Zanpakutō, but instead uses the stinger on her right arm as her Shikai.

Shikai Special Ability: Suzumebachi can use the stinger on her right arm for a special attack. Nigeki Kessatsu (弐撃決殺, Death in Two Steps): Suzumebachi stabs her target with her stinger. In addition to creating a deep wound, this attack causes a butterfly-shaped stamped, known as Hōmonka(蜂紋華, Hornet's Crest), to spread from the center of the wound; this stamp becomes the target of Suzumebachi's second attack. If struck in the same spot which was hit the first time, Suzumebachi's victim will inevitably die, and will thus illustrate "Death in Two Steps".However, this can be prevented if another force protects the victim's skin from being penetrated, such as Shunkō.

Magic Abilities: Great Spiritual Power: As the Zanpakutō Spirit of a captain of the Gotei 13, Suzumebachi possesses a formidable amount of Reiryokuproven when she fights evenly against Suì-Fēng. Her Reiatsu is yellow.

Enhanced Speed: Suzumebachi is a very fast combatant. She managed to attack Suì-Fēng without the latter even noticing until Suzumebachi called out to her. She is fast enough to effortlessly dodge all of Suì-Fēng's attacks while making several of her own, and claims she is almost as fast as Suì-Fēng is.

Flight: Suzumebachi can fly through unknown means. She is proficient enough in this skill to effortlessly dodge several attacks while in midair.

Magic Strengths: Suzumebachi is very skilled and being fast in both flight and attacks alike.

Birthplace: Gotei 13

Parents: Soi-fon/ Suì-Fēng (Master/Mother Technically)

[uraichievents]

So here we are! UraIchi Week 2018 will take place:

Monday, May 28, 2018 - Sunday, June 3, 2018.

What is UraIchi Week?

Basically, it’s a week-long event to promote the Urahara Kisuke x Kurosaki Ichigo ship. There’s no sign-up, it’s just for fun, and everybody’s welcome to participate. Hopefully by the end of the week, there’ll be plenty more works for UraIchi shippers to enjoy. What I want for this event is just for UraIchi shippers to enjoy new material, maybe chat a bit, and hopefully add some life to a somewhat dead rarepair that I happen to adore.

What kind of stuff would be accepted for this event?

Fics, fanart, graphics, moodboards, gifsets, fanmixes, and playlists are all welcome. Headcanons and meta too. So long as it’s focused on UraIchi, pretty much anything goes. The pair itself can be written romantically or platonically, pre-relationship or established, basically anything you want so long as it involves these two idiots.

Posting:

For those of you with Tumblr, you can tag your stuff with #UraIchi Week or #UraIchi Week 2018 in the first five tags of your post. I’ll be tracking those two tags so I’ll see it and reblog it to this blog. (If it’s been a couple days since you posted and I still haven’t reblogged it, something probably went wrong, Tumblr’s not always reliable, so just shoot me an ask about it and I’ll reblog it.)

For those of you with AO3, I will create a collection a day or two before the event starts, and you’ll be able to add your work to the collection when you post. (I’ll toss up a notice for everyone once the collection is up.)

Discord:

If you want to chat about headcanons or meta or just random stuff, join Discord! There’s already a a few people lurking so you don’t really even have to wait for the event.

Submissions:

If you’re nervous about posting something for UraIchi but still want to get your work out there, I will open submissions on Tumblr before the event, and you can send it in for me to submit anonymously.

And finally, the moment we’ve all been waiting for. After looking over all the votes, I’ve compiled two or three themes for each day of the week. It’s your choice whether or not you want to make a fanwork that includes all the themes of that day, or a fanwork for each theme, or a fanwork for just one. You can make something for each day of the week or just one or two. Likewise, you are fully welcome to create fanworks based on any genre or AU you can think of. The official themes are only suggestions. WIPs are perfectly okay too.

Themes

May 28: Day 1 - Time Travel | Dimension Travel | Fix-It

Probably to no one’s surprise, Time Travel was the most popular choice of all the themes. I’ve combined it with Dimension Travel and Fix-It, but of course, you don’t have to include all three in the same fanwork. Prompts with Ichigo travelling back in time, or Urahara during his assassin tenure travelling forward to Ichigo’s present day, or both of them dimension-hopping to a world where the Gotei 13 is in the middle of a civil war, all fit into these categories.

May 29: Day 2 - Soulmates AU | Daemons AU | Wings AU

Also probably to no one’s surprise, Soulmates came in second. I’ve thrown Daemons AU and Wings AU onto this day too since they’re similar enough to combine if you wish (or not if you don’t). Here you could find soulmates with matching soulmarks, soulmates connected by a red string of fate, or soulmates who can only see each other’s wings. Or maybe you want to explore an inverted AU where Urahara and Ichigo are not each other’s soulmates but their daemons spend an inordinate amount of time together anyway and refuse to be separated. Anything related to any of these three AUs goes!

(I’ve also included these two links to some soulmates AUs you can use: here and here.)

May 30: Day 3 - SOMETHING!Ichigo and/or SOMETHING!Urahara | Creatures & Monsters/Supernatural Elements AU

Feel free to go wild with this one. Soul King!Ichigo? Let’s see what he does with the world. Arrancar!Urahara? He’d never work for Aizen so maybe when Ichigo storms Hueco Mundo, he ends up saving a half-feral monster from the dungeons, and God help any Shinigami who suggests putting him down like some kind of rabid dog. Or maybe you’d prefer a whole universe of supernatural creatures. Vampire!Urahara and werewolf!Ichigo? Angel!Ichigo and demon!Urahara? World’s biggest cliches right there but they’re cliches for a reason.

May 31: Day 4 - Mutual (or Not) Pining | Alternate First Meeting and/or Getting Together | Outsider POV

Day 4 is more slice of life than the rest. Meet-cutes or love at first sight, Urahara pining away after an oblivious Ichigo, or Ichigo determinedly courting a confused Urahara. Or maybe you want a glimpse of these two idiots from another person’s perspective. Maybe Zangetsu and Benihime get together to try and make their wielders fall in love. Maybe Ichigo and Urahara have been together for a while and eventually their friends begin wondering when those two became close enough to share whole conversations with a glance. Or maybe the Soutaichou has had it up to here with Urahara making things explode because he’s too busy moping over what he thinks is unrequited love to get his shit together enough to actually do his work, so he sets his entire military organization with the task of getting two of the most stubborn morons to have ever lived together. They’re all at least several hundred years old. It can’t be that hard, right?

June 1: Day 5 - Crossovers | Fusions

I personally wasn’t too surprised that a good chunk of votes went to Crossovers and Fusions. Fancy a Hunger Games AU fusion with the Gotei 13 making up the Capitol, Urahara as a mentor or a stylist, and Ichigo as a volunteer tribute? Or maybe a Pacific Rim AU fusion with Ichigo and co. signing up to fight Kaiju. How about a crossover with Naruto where Ichigo and Urahara find themselves in the Naruto world and they end up rebuilding Uzushio? Or maybe you prefer a crossover with Harry Potter where Urahara is hired as the new History professor and Ichigo the new Defence professor, and holy hell - as they discover - there’s a lot of shady things going on in the Wizarding world.

June 2: Day 6 - Canon Divergence | For Want of a Nail AU | Ichigo vs. Gotei 13 | Apocalypse AU

Post-Winter War, Ichigo never regaining his powers and leaving town as soon as he graduates? Pre-Turn Back the Pendulum Arc, Urahara starts receiving anonymous letters about what Aizen is up to and manages to prevent Shinji and the others from becoming Visored? Aizen wins and ends up bringing about the apocalypse? The Shinigami ‘cleaning up’ and ordering the execution of all non-Shinigami after Aizen is defeated? Give me all the what-if scenarios here.

June 3: Day 7 - Colours | Single-Word Prompts

To be honest, neither of these two themes had a particularly large amount of votes but I wanted to reserve one day for prompts geared more towards artists and those who maybe write better with specific word prompts than general AUs. So, Colours are pretty self-explanatory - pick a colour and make a moodboard or put together a gifset of UraIchi moments. Of course, writers can also work around this - a dozen red roses delivered to Ichigo’s doorstep one day, or five times Ichigo gave Urahara a different green hat and the first time Kisuke stops wearing one around him.

As for single-word prompts, there were people who wanted to come up with their own words, but also people who asked for me to come up with a list for them, so I’ve decided to include a google doc with a list of words here. You can click through or not, it’s up to you.

And that’s it! I hope everybody will have fun with this! I really want this to be a success so get those creative minds in gear and start preparing for the event. Two months actually isn’t that long. I’m looking forward to seeing what everyone will come up with when the time comes! And feel free to send me an ask if you’re confused about anything.

[tappity-tap]

“Family Matters”

RENRUKI WEEK 2017 Day 7 - Happy Family

”Always together...we were like family.”

Story Rating: G+ Warnings: Some suggestive content, language. Summary: As days go by, we’re gonna fill our house with happiness. The moon may cry, we’re gonna smother the blues with tenderness. When days go by there’s room for you, room for me, for gentle hearts, an opportunity. As days go by, it’s the bigger love of the family.

“But…I wanna go with Mommy and Daddy.”

Renji chuckled and adjusted his hold over the course of his next few strides. “Sorry, kiddo. We talked ‘bout this, remember? Only Shinigami’re allowed to go to the Livin’ World.”

Like a nostalgic vision from the past, Rukia’s childish pout glared back at him. Well…almost. The chin wasn’t quite right and the hair was completely wrong both in color and style. But other than that, the tiny girl he held in his arms could’ve easily passed for his wife’s doppelgänger back when she was a child, right down to the way in which she hunched her shoulders and gave a grumpy huff.

“No fair,” she grumbled, now deliberately refusing to look at him as if her defiance would somehow change things. By maintaining a fixed stare on Soukyoku Hill off in the distance she was trying her very hardest to keep a steeled face, he knew, but even before her lower lip started trembling a small trickle of moisture was already making its way down her flushed cheek.  

“Oh…now…Ichika…” Renji halted and sighed helplessly as the tears flowed faster and bouts of sporadic hiccupping began, all the while praying no one would notice.

No such luck. On a sparsely populated street like this, a tall man with bright red hair standing awkwardly in the middle, sobbing child in one arm and a large satchel in the other, easily stood out. Several curious onlookers turned their way as they passed, a few even offering him sympathetic looks before hurrying on. Those Renji felt obligated to acknowledge and his unfortunate response came out as somewhat of a painful grimace.

Of course he hated seeing his precious little girl upset like this, but what could he do? It was completely out of his hands. Deciding who could and couldn’t leave Soul Society was and had always been up to the Central 46, and he highly doubted they would change the policy now for a two year-old. Even if said two year-old did happen to be the child of two of the Gotei 13’s strongest lieutenants.

Unfortunately, explaining this to her, even in the simplest of terms, wasn’t enough. Being so young, the scope of her worldview just hadn’t yet expanded beyond their immediate family, the Kuchiki clan, and Mommy and Daddy’s friends who played with her sometimes. As far as she understood, whenever there was something she wanted or needed, no matter what was wrong, her parents would always be there to make it right. To her, they could do anything!

Yet now her father was telling her this was a problem he wasn’t going to fix? In her eyes, it meant he could but didn’t want to. Which of course, was not true, but imagined or not, the guilt of being at all responsible for what she saw as a devastating betrayal by her beloved Daddy still tugged painfully at his heart. So much so that Renji was half tempted to start crying right along with her until a gentle voice at his side spoke up in his defense.

“Shhh…Daddy knows it’s not fair, sweetie. And it makes him very sad that we can’t bring you this weekend.”

Wearing that affecionate, beautiful face Renji loved so much, Rukia reached up and tenderly rubbed Ichika’s back. Despite 17 inches of distance separating their statures, he wholly felt every drop of soothing warmth she emitted towards their distraught daughter.

“But you know what? If you keep working hard at your lessons, you’ll be enlisted as a Gotei Apprentice soon enough. As seated officers, Daddy and I can request special permission for Apprentices to accompany us to the Living World.”

Giving a small sniffle, Ichika clumsily rubbed her leaking eyes with one chubby fist. “Then…I can go, too?”

Rukia put on an encouraging smile and squeezed the foot dangling down closest to her. “I promise…when you’re an Apprentice, you can come with us any time you like,” she vowed.

Ichika finally looked back to Renji in a silent plea for reassurance; It was up to him to bring it all home and thanks to Rukia’s efforts he knew exactly what to do.

So in one smooth motion, he set Ichika on the dusty road and knelt before her as close to her level as he could get, though there was still over a foot of growth required on her part before seeing eye-to-eye in this position would be remotely possible. Gently, with the comforting touch he’d acquired from fatherhood, the few stray tears that had been missed were expertly brushed away without a trace. He discretely wiped his damp thumb on one pant leg and grinned.

“Hey…Mommy’s right, ya know. You’re doin’ real well with your lessons,“ Renji declared. Just thinking about it triggered a small rush of pride to well up in his chest. “‘Fact…I’d figure you’re a lot stronger ’n we were at this age.”

Her downcast eyes lifted immediately. “Really…?”

Renji grinned wider and poked her shoulder. “I’d be shocked if they didn’t come knockin’ down our door beggin’ ya to join up by the time you’re six.”

He was saying all this now to make her feel better, of course, but it actually wasn’t a lie. Even before she was born everyone had been certain Ichika would inherit at least some of her parents’ talent, so as soon as she could stand and hold a (wooden) sword on her own Rukia insisted they begin training her. During the first lesson it was confirmed that yes, she did indeed possess remarkable reiatsu and spiritual capabilities when she shocked both of them by producing a perfectly formed miniature orb of energy after seeing the technique demonstrated only once.

True, Mommy and Daddy probably should’ve said something before now. But thankfully, the pep talk had done its job. Like a rainbow breaking through storm clouds, a hopeful smile finally emerged.

Rukia adjusted the two bags slung over her shoulders (her own plus Ichika’s) and joined them on the ground. “But for now, Ichika, your job is to be a good girl for Oji-sama while Mommy and Daddy are away at Ichi-nii and Hime-chan’s wedding.” She swept aside the wisps of red hair framing Ichika’s round face. “Can we count on you to do that?”

The simple action had brought into prominence the sole hair-related genetic trait Ichika received from her mother: One small lock in the middle of her forehead that stubbornly sprang back into place almost immediately. With determined confidence, the fully formed miniature Rukia puffed up with one final sniff and gave her parents a grand nod. “Mm!”

“‘Atta girl!” Renji wrapped one arm around her and pulled her in close. “Now how ‘bout we get a move on…don’t wanna keep Oji-sama waitin’, do we?”

“N-nooo-oo!” Ichika shrieked and giggled at the flurry of kisses and playful noises assaulting the top of her head. Only when Renji was satisfied that all traces of the previously unhappy mood had been destroyed did he release the squirming toddler-now sporting a cheeky grin topped off with a lopsided ponytail-and stand back up. While brushing the dirt off his clothes, out of the corner of his eye he saw Rukia give an exasperated huff and reach out to quickly fix the destruction left in the wake of his affections before following suit.

The final leg of their family trek to the Kuchiki estate was completed hand-in-hand with Ichika happily trotting between Rukia and himself (uncomfortably hunched, of course, but he was used to it by now). Once they were mere steps from their destination, however, Ichika wrenched out of their grasps and ran ahead through the entrance gate, calling out, “Seike-san! Seike-saaan!”

Just inside, Byakuya’s personal attendant stood waiting for them on the paved walkway. At the sound of his name, he looked up and caught sight of the little girl happily bounding towards him. The old man’s normally serene expression instantly blossomed into a warm smile.

“Why, hello there, Ichika-sama!” Seike bent over to greet her with a respectful bow of his head once she had skittered to a halt. “And what brings you here today?” he asked curiously, though Renji knew he was actually fully aware of the next six days’ arrangement.

“Well. I’m here staying…with Oji-sama!” Ichika announced proudly while rocking back and forth with her hands wringing together in front of her.

“Are you now?” Seike adjusted his glasses with a very convincing look of surprise on his face.

“Yes! Because…Mommy and Daddy are going to the Living World.” She pouted and gave a dejected sigh. “But I can’t go, too.” To cap off this display of misery, she sagged her shoulders low and ground the toe of one sneaker into the stone path.

Renji nearly snorted out loud. That kid could really lay it on thick when she wanted to…and it wasn’t hard to guess who she got this from.

But ever the good sport, Seike played along with Ichika’s antics and let his face fall into a sympathetic frown. “Oh, no…I’m very sorry to hear that.”

Satisfied that she’d suckered him in with her little performance, Ichika instantly recovered with a screech of laughter and clapped her palms together. “It’s okay, Seike-san! Because guess what?” She cupped her hands around her mouth and leaned forward to tell him in a loud whisper, “I’m gonna be a Shinigami soon!”

Somewhere behind him Rukia let out a stifled cough, which Renji immediately recognized as not an actual cough, but her polite attempt to keep a laugh suppressed.

Oh boy…

When he had said “by the time you’re six” what he meant was “probably in four years,” so definitely not anywhere near “soon.” And when that did happen, as Rukia had stated, she would be enlisted in the Gotei as an Apprentice, not a full-fledged Shinigami.

But rather than put a damper on the bubbly mood they had just managed to bring out minutes earlier, Renji simply kept his mouth clamped shut and shrugged to himself. She’d learn the differences eventually.

“Ahh! Is that so?” Seike chuckled with a knowing twinkle in his eye as Ichika grinned at him and gleefully twisted herself from side to side, “Well, I have no doubt you will make a fine Shinigami, Ichika-sama!”

If there was one worldly concept Ichika had actually grasped in her short existence, it was the polite thing one should say in response to a compliment. She giggled and hid her mouth behind her fingers with a squeak of “Thaaank you!”

“Rukia-sama. Renji-sama.” Seike straightened and acknowledged the two of them. “Byakuya-sama is taking his daily walk through the gardens. Please follow me.”

Impatient as always, Ichika did not comply and instead darted around Seike to make a beeline for the grove of trees in the distance. When she spotted the familiar figure among them, strolling over the koi pond’s painted bridge, her face lit up with a gasp of excitement and she sprinted towards it as fast as her little legs could carry her.

“OJI-SAMAAAA!!!”

Byakuya, looking oddly relaxed in casual garb of light blue and grey with freely flowing hair, waited patiently until she was thundering over the wooden planks before crouching down to meet his niece. Ichika took a flying leap into his outstretched arms and flung her own around his neck in the biggest, squeeziest hug she could muster. He returned it in kind and held tight as the rest of the adults joined them on the bridge.

If someone told Renji years ago that this sight would become a commonplace occurrence, he would’ve most likely laughed in that person’s face. And then told them to go home and sleep it off. Even now, after witnessing the captain fully (and dare he say it…happily) accept his daughter’s enthusiastic greetings many times over, Renji was certain he would never, ever get used it.

“Hello, Ichika. You look well.” Still on one knee, Byakuya held her out at arms length and looked her up and down. “That’s a very pretty…” he frowned slightly, “garment…you have on.”

Her face brightened at the intended compliment, nonetheless, and she cheerfully informed him, “Thank you, Oji-sama! It’s from Ishi-san!”

Rukia, having just given Ichika’s overnight bag and a few last minute instructions to Seike before he took it into the house, walked over and knelt beside Ichika with a hand on her shoulder. “Ichika, why don’t you tell Oji-sama what those are?” she suggested after noticing the puzzled look on her brother’s face.

Thanks to the generosity of their friends in the Living World, Ichika’s wardrobe from the time she was born boasted a mix of modern Western and traditional Soul Society clothing so she, unlike a good majority of people in the Seireitei, was equally comfortable sporting either style. Now that she was old enough to voice her own opinion on the matter, she would frequently switch between the two depending on what she felt like wearing that particular day. More often than not, on the days she wore human clothes one of them (usually Rukia) ended up having to explain the various pieces of her outfit to friends and colleagues.

“It’s…they’re, um…” Ichika’s face scrunched up tighter than the time Rangiku gave her some sour candies to try in her effort to remember what Ishida had said when he presented them to her. It was understandable if she’d forgotten; Her birthday was over a month ago and the excitement from opening a whopping 127 presents in total had left her dazed and reeling by the time she was finished. So as Renji expected, it took some quietly murmured prompting from Rukia before she came up with the answer.

“Ohhh…veeerrr…Oh! Over-alls!” she proclaimed happily and lifted up the bib to show off the flowers neatly embroidered on the dusty pink denim.

After a brief examination of the bold designs, Byakuya closed his eyes and nodded his head in understanding. “Ah, yes…overalls. They suit you nicely.” He stoically straightened himself and then his haori. “Now then, Ichika, shall we see how the fish are doing today?”

Ichika’s eyes widened. “Are they in the water now?” she asked in a hushed voice.

A hint of a smile crossed Byakuya’s face. “Yes, they are in the water, as always.”

“So we can see-we can please see them?” Ichika corrected herself mid-sentence even though she wasn’t posing this as a question of permission, so there was really no need to.

“If that is what you desire.” The smile was no longer merely a hint now.

Ichika drew herself up and nodded. “Why yes, I do desire…that…” With Byakuya in tow, she marched over to the railing and tried to peer around and over the banisters, but unfortunately her tiny size meant she lacked the height necessary to obtain an unobstructed view of the pond. She looked up at Byakuya with a disappointed frown. “Ummm, it’s not working, Oji-sama. I’m sorry…we can’t see the fishies today.”

Laughter was another thing Renji never thought he’d witness coming from Kuchiki Byakuya, but there it was.

“Do not worry, this is a simple fix,” Byakuya assured as he lifted her high up into the air. Once he had one arm wrapped securely around her torso and the other pinning her lower half in place against him, he allowed her to put her hands on the railing and lean forward so she could peer into the pond. Ichika flailed and squealed with delight when she spotted several brightly colored fish circling in the water directly below her.

“Nii-sama.” Rukia took the opportunity to step forward and bow deeply to her brother. “Thank you so much for allowing us to leave Ichika in your care.”

“As I have told you before…there is no need for thanks.” He calmly watched Ichika puff out her cheeks and smack her lips in imitation of one of the fish as if she was trying to commune with it, then added, “I am not bothered in the slightest.”

Whether this was true or false, it was still rather impressive how unfazed Byakuya seemed by Ichika’s determination to destroy his carefully put-together appearance. Maintaining such poise while keeping hold of a wiggling toddler whose wild thrashing threatened the likelihood of a whacked nose or eye and every sporadic kick sent crumbs of dirt tumbling down his pristine clothing had to require extreme effort on his part, but he never let it show. No…Oji-sama’s adoration for Ichika outweighed whatever inconveniences she wrought upon him, and he would endure it all without complaint for even the tiniest sliver of her happiness.

“Well…needed ‘r not, we’re still grateful knowin’ she’s in good hands while we’re gone. Puts our minds at ease, ya know?” Renji told him with a nod of his head-a much more casual gesture than he would’ve normally dared to attempt. However, in this rare instance, formalities had no place in an acknowledgement of understanding between equals: Two men, driven by their devotion to a pair of sisters, each entrusting the other to protect what was most precious to him and the woman he loved. It was the one bond they shared as brothers-in-law that was built on true mutual feelings, and one that Renji didn’t take for granted.

Despite never openly admitting this to him, Byakuya knew. And ever a man of restraint, the look he returned was brief but just as steadfast in its recognition. “Yes, of course. Be sure to give my sincerest regards to Kurosaki Ichigo and Inoue Orihime on their marriage.”

Renji nodded again, this time with all due respects as subordinate and family member in place. “Will do, Captain.”

Byakuya lowered his head to address Ichika, still deep in “conversation” with her fish friends. “Ichika, it’s time to say goodbye to Mommy and Daddy.”

Ichika looked up and waved vigorously. “Goodbye to Mommy and Daddy!” she chirped with enough cheerfulness to fill the space between those rosy cheeks with the widest, brightest smile possible.

“Bye, kiddo. We’ll be back to getcha in a few days, okay?” Renji couldn’t help chuckling as he stepped forward and lovingly ruffled her hair. This was done quickly, though he felt a strong reluctance to remove his hand once it made contact. She was a troublemaker for sure, but it was indisputable he and Rukia had made a kid that was too damn cute for her own good sometimes.

“Okay, Daddy!”

Looking slightly teary-eyed, Rukia reached out and gave Ichika’s ponytail one last motherly fix. “Goodbye, sweetie. Have fun, and mind Oji-sama. We love you so much.” The kiss she placed on Ichika’s forehead lingered slightly longer than usual.

“Yes, Mommy,” Ichika mumbled when Rukia finally pulled away. A shadow of a pout crossed her face and it made Renji’s heart drop several centimeters in anticipation for that day’s second round of devastated tears. However, within seconds the threat had faded and her attention was already back to the fish, drawn by the sounds of playful splashing.

Rukia stayed rooted in place, watching with pursed lips and furrowed brow, until Renji gently laid a hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t worry, she’ll be fine,” he murmured as encouragingly as he could. Whether this was meant to reassure his wife or himself was unclear even to him, but it worked well enough for her to nod and accompany him off the bridge and down the garden path without hesitation.

“Ah, Rukia…Renji…” Byakuya’s voice called after them just as the two of them were about to step out of earshot.

They turned back immediately to find Byakuya hadn’t moved at all from his spot on the bridge. In fact, he didn’t bother to look up as he stated, with utmost nonchalance, “You will have a fair amount of time to yourselves this week. It would be wise to make the most of it.”

The effort it took Renji to force out a smile made his face feel like it was cracking in half. “Ah…y-yeah. That…good. Good thinkin’, Captain!” He kept it up so long one eye started twitching.

Yes, there was the other thing he would never, ever get used to: His captain doling out advice on his love life in the form of some sophisticatedly subtle innuendo.

“Of course! Thank you, Nii-sama!”

And it had completely flown over Rukia’s head, as usual.

“We should really take Nii-sama’s advice, though, Renji,” Rukia said once they’d passed through the gate and left Byakuya far behind, “We are arriving earlier than necessary and staying through the weekend.” She put a finger to her lip and furrowed her brow in thought. “Perhaps a day of sightseeing in the city would be…”

Renji’s loud burst of laughter cut her off. “Rukia…yanno that ain’t at all what he meant.”

“But what else would he mean by ‘make the most of-‘?“

“Look…what’s the one thing we never get to do…’an I mean really get to do anymore? Think about it…he knows damn well that the next few nights’ll be just you ‘an me in a fancy ass hotel room…alone…no distractions…no chance our kid’ll come burstin’ in at the worst-ahhhh, you’re gettin’ it now.” Renji smirked at the color slowly filling Rukia’s cheeks. “Honestly, should just skip the subtext next time ‘an say flat-out, ‘Rukia…Renji…enjoy those uninterrupted, uninhibited maritals while you can!’”

She stared at him, aghast. “Renji! He wouldn’t…you can’t be serious...”

“Oh, but he does and I am, “ Renji snorted, secretly relieved that she was finally being let in on the indignity he’d been subjected to by her brother since the day they were married, “‘An seein’ how he is with Ichika, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s hopin’ to get a few more outta us.”

“A few more what? Children?” Frowning, Rukia shook her head from side to side. “I don’t think that’s…well, it’s not something I was…” she looked up at him suddenly, her eyes wide. “Renji…are you saying you…?”

“Oh, hell no,“ Renji answered with zero hesitation, “That one’s a handful ‘an a half as it is. Fuck me if there’s two ‘r three of ‘em runnin’ around.”

Rukia laughed with relief. “Yes. One is enough, I think.”

“Yeah.” Renji lightly rubbed her shoulder. “’Specially with your impendin’ captain’s promotion ‘an all.”

She sighed and softly grasped his hand. “That’s…still quite a ways off, Renji.”

“I know, I know,” he chuckled, “You wanna wait ‘til she’s gotten a little bigger, amirite?”

“Yes.” Rukia closed her eyes and sighed once again. “At least until she can take care of herself and help around the house, when both of us are busy. Once she’s an Apprentice that shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

“Right…but just so ya know, I’m more ‘n willin’ to pick up any slack at home if ya take it now,” he said seriously, “Even if it means I gotta step down as Lieutenant temporarily. Or…not so temporarily.”

He knew he’d said the wrong thing when something inside Rukia snapped. She wrenched his hand from her shoulder and whirled around to face him. “Abarai Renji, how dare you even suggest such a thing! I will not let you give up being a Shinigami…and throw away everything you’ve worked for…just for my sake!” Her eyes blazed with anger.

Gently, Renji gathered up her shaking fists into his grasp. “Rukia…much as I love bein’ a Shinigami, it’s not what I’ve worked for. Not even close.”

“But…then what…?”

Renji gave her hands a pointed squeeze. “This. Us. You…’an Ichika…you’re everythin’ I’ve worked for. I trained ‘an got strong so I could give ya the life you deserve, ‘an be worthy ‘o standin’ by your side.“

Rukia’s hands wiggled apart and gripped him just as tightly. “You were always worthy, Renji,” she declared hotly, tears brimming, “You didn’t need to prove anything…I wanted you by my side.”

“Well…yeah…I know that now,” he scoffed (while trying very hard to contain the sheepish blush that suddenly popped up on both cheeks), “But geez, Rukia… bein’ a Shinigami is nothin’ in the long run. It’s just a position…a title. Give that up for you? Easy. Hell, I’d give up bein’ alive for your sake.”

Judging by Rukia’s sharp intake of breath, she was gearing up for one heck of a protest, so he pressed a finger to her lips before that could happen. ”Ah, ah…sorry…there’s nothin’ you can do to change that,” he told her with a firm nod of his head.

Despite the “sorry,” his words and the accompanying smirk he wore while expressing them weren’t the least bit apologetic. Why would they be? He wasn’t sorry for loving Rukia, nor the child she bore him, with every fiber of his being. And he certainly wasn’t sorry for swearing to his soul every waking moment that he would protect his precious family at all costs, would do anything for their well-being. She had to know by now he would never go back on the promise he made to her all those years ago as he held her close and shielded her from the slashes of Aizen Sosuke’s sword with his own body.

On the other hand, he knew by now that Rukia was just as fiercely devoted to their family, and he knew it was why she’d made a firm decision to hold off accepting the captain’s position she deserved and was more than ready to take on. Unfortunately no matter how hard Renji tried, or how much Rukia resented him for it, he would never be able to fully suppress the innate desire to do anything he could to make it happen. At any rate, her frosty scowl made it clear that she was also very much aware this was one of those arguments neither of them could fully win. Not when both were coming from opposite sides of the same exact place.

So, in lowering his hands, Renji silently telegraphed his concession and patiently watched her face sift through a wide assortment of emotions until it finally settled on defeat. She sighed heavily. “Fine. But I’m still waiting, Renji.”  With a haughty toss of her head, she spun and marched away, calling back over one cocked shoulder, “And there’s nothing you can do to change that.”

Renji caught up in less than three measured trots and casually fell into stride next to her. “Eh, I figured. Still worth a shot, though, right?”

Rukia deliberately rolled her eyes in the opposite direction with a huff. “You are so infuriating…”

After a quick visual scan up and down the street to make sure no one nearby was watching (all clear), Renji bent over and delivered a swift kiss her forehead with a soft, “Love you, too.” She almost got away with appearing indifferent to his affections but unfortunately for Rukia, pink cheeks weren’t as easily suppressed as glances and smiles.

By this time, they had arrived at the 6th Division’s Senkaimon and going through all the necessary checkpoint procedures meant their conversation was put on hold for several minutes. With clearance confirmed and Hell butterflies assigned, each slipped inside their Gigai and entered through the open portal into the Dangai.

“Anyways…I’m lookin’ forward to some quality alone time with ya once the weddin’s over,” Renji told her as they walked through the dark tunnel. He ran through a series of quick arm stretches to make sure his Gigai was properly calibrated, then patted his satchel thoughtfully, right over the pocket where he’d stuffed an extra item when she wasn’t looking. “Forgot to mention this before, but I brought a little somethin’ special I think you’re gonna like…”

He saw her perk up out of the corner of his eye, but refused to elaborate. After all, a little teasing now meant more fun in the bedroom later, where any seeds of anticipation he carefully planted would no doubt produce some very satisfying outcomes for both of them. So Renji turned his immediate attentions elsewhere, though he still kept a close watch on Rukia as her impatience steadily mounted in proportion to the length of his silence.

“And? Are you going to tell me what this ‘something special’ of yours is?” she finally demanded when the end of the passage lay directly before them.

Renji pretended to observe the Hell butterfly circling his head with great interest. “Now why would I do that when the whole point of showin’ it to ya is to getcha nice ‘an turned on?” he wondered aloud as innocently as possible.

Rukia’s eyes widened even further than they already had in the dim light. “I-is that so?” Flushed, she bit her lip and gripped her own bag tightly. “Well…a-as it just so happens, Renji…I may have…also…brought something…special…” she announced, staring very intently at the ground.

The doors began to slide apart then, slow and steady, just like the eager grin Renji felt spreading over his face. Things were definitely getting interesting. “Ohhh? Well, guess I’m really lookin’ forward to this week now,” he smirked, and in a bright burst of sunlight, the two of them happily stepped into the Living World together.

*looks at title and summary sheepishly* Did I do that...? B]c

No, even for the Abarais (and extended Kuchiki) not everything is happy happy joy joy all the time but families aren’t perfect, are they? What counts is making it work through love and patience, and knowing how to support one another. That, imho, is a TRULY happy family.

Two year-olds are the cutest little things on the planet. Many thanks to all the people who’ve ever uploaded videos of their toddlers to the internet and to Justin McElroy for creating “The Daddy and Charlie Show” and Charlie of course. I wouldn’t have been able to write little Ichika half as well if I didn’t have all this wonderful content to study.

Ichika got at least one birthday gift from every person they knew. Of course, family members gave her much more than that (eight from Mommy and Daddy, 15 from Oji-sama), however the big winner was, in a surprising twist, Captain-Commander Kyoraku with 19 presents and over a dozen party poppers. Her favorite present was a pair of (real) white rabbits, both of which she insisted on naming “Zabimaru.” This may have been because Renji recently showed her his bankai for the first time and she thought it was the most amazing thing she’d ever seen.

Oh, the “something special”? Hmmmm I wonder...

[recurring-polynya]

I have always loved this shot from the Very First Captains' Meeting we see in Bleach. Between some combination of Early Kubo Art Rizz and the fact that he hadn't exactly nailed everyone's aesthetic yet, everyone looks sublimely scrungly.

Anyway, I was delighted to find that the anime gave us a companion shot for the lieutenants, a loving pan over These Sure Are Some Individuals.

Bonus! The manga panel this is based on doesn't have quite the same degree of charm (or the full roster) but they did Mike Wazowski my boy Iba, and I am incredibly charmed by this.

[gallusrostromegalus]

How does trash pickup, Recycling centers, &/or Hazardous Material Disposal work for Soul Society in AEIWAM? Is there a Kido-based ritual to break things down into Reishi? Are there Tech Repair Shops?

Sewage in Soul Society works really well but very dangerously because those fucking idiots built the city directly on top of an active supervolcano.

Let me back up:

There isn't a good consensus on how big the Seireitei is (Yoruichi says it takes 10 days to walk 1/4th of the way around the circumference, but whether that's her speed, the average person's or how long a patrol group takes is unclear), Or any real maps of the place, but it's generally agreed that

the city is LARGE. Yoruichi says it would take her and the kids ten days to walk to the next gate 1/4th of the way around the city. Maybe that's 8 hours average human walking speed minus 'trying to herd a bunch of teenagers' but that's still a long trip!

Even before the Seki-Seki stone wall was put up, the city was pretty much circular.

Unlike pretty much every real city, there's no river running through it. Where are they getting their water?

There is a Small but substantial and TOTALLY ISOLATED mountain in the middle of the city made of apparently hard-to-mine rock. A Lonely Mountain, one might even say.

The only visible natural sources of water I've seen evidence of are hot springs in both the Yoruichi/Urahara Super Secret Training Ground/Love Nest and the first division grounds.

Soul Society is run by jackasses and if there's a stupid way to do things, that's the way they're doing them.

In fact, the Soul Society as a whole is almost suspiciously Amestris-shaped, but instead of nefarious alchemy, it's negligent civil engineering

...all this leads me to believe that Seireitei is built DIRECTLY ON TOP OF the caldera of an enormous supervolcano. The city gets it's water from the aquifer of rainwater that's collected in the underground cracks and fissures of the Caldera, and the seki-seki stone wall is set up around the really convenient geographic barrier made by the rim of the caldera.

"Hey!" I hear some of you nerds objecting "Aren't calderas usually concave? Seireitei is convex, if anything!"

You're right! Most Calderas are concave! But they will absolutely fill in with sand and dirt over the true floor of the caldera over time and develop Mounts like the thing at the central part of the city and start to rise WHEN THEY'RE ON THE VERGE OF A CATASTROPHIC ERUPTION.

So yeah! The Gotei-13 has an almost infinite supply of hot water, and probably less than a century to figure out what to do before The Big Kaboom.

Anyway, back at sewage:

There's been a city where the Seireitei is since time immemorial, and even though it's done the istanbul-not-constantinopple shuffle a few times, very little of the actual infrastructure has changed. Empires rise and fall but the desire paths stay the same.

This is especially true in Seireitei, because unlike very nearly every major IRL Municipality, it doesn't have a river running through it, something that usually necessitates Sewer updates By Force. But compared to a river which is constantly moving around in it's bed, a volcanic aquifer doesn't move much until it moves a whole fucking lot real fast, so the undercity of the Seireitei has really had time to... Develop isn't quite the right word.

"Ferment" is closer.

Above-ground waste management is the provenance of the actual local city government- yes, there is a Mayor of the Seireitei that the Gotei-13 has to pay property taxes to. Yamamoto maintains a lot of goodwill with the Mayor by dint of sentencing ill-behaved shinigami to shore up the municipal labor pool, and by knowing the mayor's family for the last millennium. So you'll see Shinigami doing things like trash collection and street-sweeping, but they're just there on probation.

-But nobody wanted to deal with the undercity. It's got a soul of it's own. Washington DC, which is less than 500 years old as a city and on top of a swamp, has an undercity that goes down over half a mile. Imagine how deep the sunken buildings, abandoned secret tunnels, and sewer system of a city that's millenia old, not sitting on actual mud and constantly subjected to high levels of magical background radiation might develop.

An Appetite, for one thing.

The 11th likes to talk a big game, but the reason the 4th is in charge of sewer maintenance is because the only people with the guts for it were people who got degrees rummaging in the guts of living people. Sewer maintenance really is a lot like abdominal surgery, if you were able to walk around inside the patient.

It was Retsu Unohana's idea, actually. Chigiri was a battle medic and aged rapidly for a shinigami. She was old when the court guard finally went from "Yamamoto and his gang of assholes" to "A for-real governing body". Her successor, Kirinji was more interested in traumatic injury recovery than preventative medicine, for obvious reasons- his triage was constantly full of combat casualties and early kido experiment victims Blood Loss was still his #1 Killer.

But Retsu had been reincarnated in and spent her youth in South 80, in the utterly undeveloped conditions there, and held deep, personal grudges with Dysentery and Cholera. For all his talk of healing waters, Kirinji had no sense of the importance of water sanitation, and it was a continuous point of contention between them for her apprenticeship.

"FINE!" He shouted one day after a particularly nasty row. "IF IT'S SO GODDAMN IMPORTANT TO YOU, YOU HANDLE IT! FORM NOW ON, YOU'RE IN CHARGE OF SEWAGE, SLUDGE QUEEN!"

She made her first descent the next morning.

She did not return for six weeks, and Kirinji almost thought he'd resloved that particular problem when she reappeared from the depths, a changed woman. That long in the darkness, alongside the buried secrets and skeletons of the city, with the horrors that did not dare brave the sunlight- it would change anyone, and most would come up looking at least mildly haunted.

Retsu Unohana is not most.

She looks radiant, almost like The Kenpachi again, covered in the horrors of the underground as she used to be covered in blood. She thrives on a challenge, and excels at the art of purification, and now, she has been given the single greatest challenge of purification in history. There is something beautiful and terrible in her eyes as she explains that it does down at least five miles, look at this, she thinks it's from the neolithic era, and there are incredible boneyards of thousands of skeletons, and fungi the likes of which she's never seen before- She is ecstatic- a creature kept in captivity, finally released into it's natural habitat.

It's hardly a surprise, if you consider Minazuki. Stingrays are benthic creatures, right at the bottom of the river, deep in the muck and decay.

It's been a little over eight hundred years into her tenure as a medic, and she has tamed much of the beast. The upper levels are well-mapped and have been made clean and well-lit, enough that even the civilian sanitation forces of the city can regularly enter and work in them without any particular unease. Infant and preventable disease mortality has dropped astronomically. Nobody's had cholera since the 1800's . While they have other jobs, all members of the 4th division are required to take at least one tour in the depths of the undercity.

Horrors still lurk in the depths.

They're pretty sure they lost Tokagero Kenpachi chasing one of those, shortly before Unohana became captain, and she's been reluctant to let other divisions assist since then. The Fourth Division's Fourth Seat, rumored to be the unluckiest post in the entire Gotei-13, is permanently stationed underground, and she loves it that way.

It's only recently that the 11th has been allowed to come along on descents, after Zaraki vanished for two days and then emerged victorious from a manhole in the 5th division with a tentacled horror she'd been tracking for decades that lived at least three miles down. He apologized- he had meant to come up in the 4th to present it's corpse to her directly, but well, you know what his sense of direction is like. Anyway, I saw it scuttling around in the rain aquifers and we don't need it tracking literal shit into the water supply so I went after is and d'ya think maybe I can take the lads down sometime? They' get lazy between deployments and you have a triage up here to manage.

Charmed, she agreed.

---

Hm. I just re-read that ask and it's actually about dry waste managment.

Sorry. I got very excited about the sewers.

I am now about to get worse about trash.

I don't think they have plastic in soul society- given how bug-themed the 12th division is, I'm pretty sure the casing on Rukia's soul pager is made of Chitin, and if you break it, it bleeds. Also it makes people with shellfish allergies break out in hives.

Since pretty much all the waste in Soul Society is either recyclable or organic matter, I think those trash pits Yumichika and Ganju were fooling around with are really more like Kido-enhanced composting centers. All waste goes into them and the bottom of the pit is pulled out in a tray, like with a vermiculture tower, if the worms were eighteen and a half feet long and hungry enough to swallow anything that falls in the pit, because Mayuri is incapable of making anything that is not at least slightly awful.

The compost is then shaken out for any spare glass or metal that made it into the compost and that's sent off to the 12th division forges to be recycled. it's baked to kill any dangerous pathogens and Giant Garbage Worm Eggs so they don't breach containment, and measured for nitrogen, phosphorus and other important plant nutrient content. Based on it's composition, it's then shipped out to farmers in the upper districts of the rukongai because "Free, A+ grade fertilizer if y'all don't start revolutions, pay your taxes and give us first dibs on crops" is an amazing incentive for rural farmers to not start backing the local warlords.

It was 12th division founder Uhin Zenjohji who came up wth the scheme- he remembered the lengths upper-district farmers were willing to go through to make sure their land remained fertile, what kind of demand Nitrogen was in, and the ravages of phosphorous runnoff, so he could kill two birds with one clod of shit by supplying farmers with 'free' fertilizer that kept them loyal to the court and was tailored to that area's nutritional needs and watershed capacity.

The fact that it kept a lot of swamp and waterway areas pristine so he could indulge his birdwatching hobby was a nice benefit too :).

NORMALLY, those pits are covered, clearly marked, and usually the site of a major traffic jam because that's the local collection point, but when Ichigo and friends arrived, Aizen had whipped everyone into believing they were being invaded by an elite force of super-assassins and not like. 4 high schoolers and a furry. All the street signs and markings came down, civilians shuttered themselves inside, and generally made the Seireitei as difficult to navigate as possible.

I wonder how much Zaraki's rotten sense of direction was exacerbated by that.

ANYWAY! That's my thoughts on trash! Deep undercity horrors and giant compost worms over an active volcano!

[yverocher]

I was tagged by @cestpasfaux24601 - thank you so much, Elodie! I’m gonna put this under a “read more” so only click if you want to read my ramblings about Bleach :P

1. top 5 favourite zanpakuto ?

Benihime - Benihime is one of my faves because it seems to be one of the most powerful zanpakutos with a wide range of attacks. Its bankai is terrifying but its look and its ability to restructure things are incrdible (and we already talked about the fact that the stitches it leaves on Urahara’s face look a lot like the stitches on Mayuri’s body :P) Katen Kyokotsu - Shunsui’s and Jushiro’s zanpakutos are among my faves because of their unique nature (read: them being the only zanpakutos with two blades) and because that shows their interpersonal connection. Katen Kyokotsu’s powers are fascinating and also kinda creepy and imo that shows that there’s more to Shunsui than the happy-go-lucky behavior he puts on.  Sogyo no Kotowari - same explanation as above^^ I love the double blades and that it’s able to absorb an attack to throw it back at Jushiro’s opponent, and the zanpakuto spirits are the most adorable ones! Senbonzakura - I dunno but its abilities fit Byakuya so well, the extravagance as well as the power behind its attacks. Plus, the zanpakuto spirit shows that Byakuya’s quick temper isn’t completely gone :D Ashisogi Jizo - its powers as well as the modifications Mayuri made make it one of the most terrifying zanpakutos and its bankai even tops it off. I love how Mayuri always seems to have a trick up his sleeve regarding his zanpakuto; you never know what you’re in for when you’re facing Ashisogi Jizo. Oh and the zanpakuto spirit is a terrifying cutie :’D

2. what kind of ability would you like your zanpakuto to have ? 

I’m a sucker for all things magic so I’d love to have a kido-based zanpakuto - Benihime comes to my mind here. An elements-based zanpakuto would be fine as well, a fire- or ice-type zanpakuto for example; close combat ones wouldn’t be my cup of tea though because it’s not my preferred way of fighting.

3. what’s your favourite generation of the gotei 13 ? 

I love the constellation of captains in TBTP. The vaizards and Urahara are still there and the friendship between the vaizards was already there even before all this shit with Aizen went down. Urahara makes a good captain for the 12th and it would have been interesting to see more of him establishing the SRDI. It’s a pity we didn’t get to know the former captain of squad 10 who died in action and the Kenpachi , but apart from these two the captains make a good team imo

4. which squad would you want to be in ?

My standard answer would be squad 13 because I like Jushiro as a captain and feel like working for him would be pleasant. I’d actually like to be in squad 12 though because I’m less of a fighting-and-being-in-the-middle-of-the-action and more of a staying-on-the-computer-and-calculating-everything kind of person, and the subjects they’re researching actually sound interesting. Having Mayuri as a captain sounds daunting af at first, but if you prove your worth to him and don’t fuck up royally it’s probably agreeable to work for him

5. arrancar or quincy ?

Arrancar - the last arc with the Quincy war is one of my fave arcs, but I liked the Arrancar themselves more than the Quincies. One intriguing aspect was that they were basically created by Aizen and following him wasn’t really a question of loyalty for them, but a question of necessity. Especially the top 3′s backstories showed that they didn’t follow Aizen voluntarily, so to me it felt like they had more of an agenda than the individual Quincies in the last arc 

6. what would you change about the ending ? 

Welllll one thing I’m not fully content with is how the protagonists are paired up. I’d have preferred Ichigo/Rukia (though that’s more difficult because of the human/shinigami thing) and I think Orihime and Uryu are kinda cute together. And I’ve always seen Renji and Rukia as more of a brotp. An even bigger problem for me is, though, how the last big fight and the aftermath were handled - it all felt rushed and kinda left me with more questions than answers, and some open questions never got answered either which kinda bugs me because I always want to know everything about a universe I’ve been invested in for a long time

7. which shinigami do you understand the least ? 

It’s a tie between Soi Fon and Yamamoto here, mainly because the things I don’t understand are connected to both of them. So yeah, Yamamoto is the captain-commander and has been for a 1000 years and that shows: he’s rather narrow-minded sometimes and doesn’t even consider a different (and often much easier) approach to things which can lead to more problems than necessary. And Soi Fon can be just as narrow-minded imo, she carries out Yamamoto’s orders and acts like a soldier which isn’t a bad thing per se, but she fails to judge situations correctly in the field that Yamamoto failed to judge correctly in theory and this adds to the confusion and mayhem instead of alleviating it. 

8. favourite espada ?

Starrk is my favourite espada - his laid-back, lazy attitude reminds me of Shunsui and in their fight against each other it shows that both don’t even want to fight and Starrk basically just wants some peace and quiet. Starrk is not out to satisfy some desire for revenge on the shinigami, he simply has no other choice, and I like to imagine that in an AU he and Shunsui would get along really well. Also, his aspect of Death, solitude, kinda resonates with me so maybe that’s also a reason for me to like him.

9. top 5 favourite fights ?

Mayuri vs Szayelaporro: This is my nr-1-absolutely-favourite fight; you have these two brilliant, crazy scientists facing each other and everything can happen because both always seem to have another trick up their sleeves. They constantly try to outsmart each other and get creative with their powers which made the fight more intriguing than most other fights. Mayuri’s speech about perfection is another reason why this is my fave fight - he has more faults than I can count, but this speech really hits home and for me it’s something to remember and to try to live by because I’m too much of a perfectionist and that makes me my own worst enemy most of the time. Shunsui and Jushiro vs Starrk and Lilynette: In this fight, it’s the dynamic between both parties that makes it one of my top 5 fights. Like I said in 8) Shunsui and Starrk could acutally get along, and both of them unleash their “hidden potential” in their fight against each other; there’s more to each of them than meets the eye at first. And Jushiro’s “fight” against Lilynette proves once again that he’s a cinnamon roll! Finally, when Shunsui and Jushiro are fighting and Jushiro gets attacked by Wonderweiss, you see Shunsui getting deathly furious and ready to rush to Jushiro’s rescue and I just love to see this kind of reaction because it shows how deep the bond between these two goes :’)  Urahara vs Askin Nakk Le Vaar: This one is among my faves mostly because we finally get to see Urahara’s bankai. I mentioned that its abilities creeped me out but at the same time they’re ingenious, just like Urahara’s way of using them to outsmart Askin. Soi Fon and Omaeda vs Baraggan: I enjoyed this fight because Baraggan’s powers freak me out like crazy and I was curious about how Soi Fon and Omaeda would act to defeat this seemingly overly powerful opponent. These two worked well together (even though it was rather reluctant teamwork), and the combined efforts after Hachi joined the fight made it even better; I enjoyed seeing what Hachi is capable of. Mayuri and Nemu vs Pernida: Not many people would be able to fight against the Soul King’s right hand and stay alive after winning this fight, but of course Mayuri manages to do exactly that by being prepared for basically everything Pernida could come up with. And we already talked about Nemu sacrificing herself for Mayuri, about her developing further than Mayuri ever dreamed of and her making this decision on her own and not because Mayuri told her to do so. 

[momojaftha]

Cosplay: Nanao Ise from the Bleach anime 👓 As lieutenant of the 8th Squad, she has a lot of responsibility (and paperwork), yet she always manages to ensure that every item on the schedule is attended to (be it for the Gotei 13 or the Women's Association). Top Row, Far Left: Ladybug from Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir 🐞 Top Row, Middle: Ms Marvel/Kamala Khan 😃 Top Row, Far Right: Thor 🔨 (and Mjolnir of cause) Middle Row, Left: Hawkeye, one of my favourite Marvel characters...ever 🎯 Middle Row, Middle: Tobi from the Naruto anime, this guy made my day when he was the first person to recognize that I was a character from Bleach 🎭 Bottom Row, Left: These two were so sweet but I unfortunately couldn't recognize their characters 😓 so if anyone can help me with the names...it would mean a lot! Bottom Row, Right: Marceline from Adventure Time 🎸 A gigantic thank you to each person for taking photos with me 💖 #fancon2018 (at FanCon : Cape Town Comic Con)

[recurring-polynya]

Procrastinating from writing my fanfic to ponder this question: Which lieutenants are good at math?

Sasakibe: He's fine. Really enjoys writing out long columns of numbers in his fancy-ass handwriting. Is the primary reason that the Gotei made the shift to Arabic numerals for math, against Yamamoto's vehement objections.

Omaeda: Absolutely not.

Kira: Too gay to do math.

Isane: In a high-pressure situation, like emergency surgery, can crunch numbers like a calculator. Can also do math fine if she's in a quiet place and can concentrate. If she has do math in her head during a low-stakes interaction with people watching (say, calculating a tip...do they do tips in Soul Society??), gets completely flustered and loses track of what she's trying to do.

Momo: Perfectly competent, took all the higher level courses at the Academy.

Renji: Oddly good at math, but pretends he's not. Can add stacks of numbers in his head, took all the same school courses as Momo and claims she carried his ass, which is absolutely not true.

Iba: Doesn't like it and is not good at it, but slogs through and always double checks his own work. Is not too proud to ask Renji to calculate things for him.

Nanao: Fantastically good at it, including topics in pure mathematics like formal proof and number theory (I assume this kind of stuff has application to kidou, particularly the creation of). Has authored numerous monographs.

Shuuhei: Severe dyscalculia. :( It's okay, he's got many other fine qualities and he's pretty.

Matsumoto: Pretty decent at it, especially calculating things in her head. Like, Renji, pretends to be bad at it, but she does it to get out of being given work (he does it for image-related reasons). She makes mistakes in her paperwork because she gets bored with it and doesn't like to check her work, plus she knows Hitsugaya is gonna check it anyway. She says she leaves the mistakes in "for his enrichment."

Ikkaku: Marginally better at math than he is at spelling, but that's saying basically nothing.

Yumichika (included here because he actually keeps the books at Squad 11): Very competent and detail oriented. Also enjoys his own handwriting. Not above using his accounting skills in slightly unethical ways.

Nemu: This goes without saying.

Akon: Compared to other people on this list, he's a genius, but does not consider himself a "math guy" by Squad 12 standards. Extremely well versed in applied math and statistics, but those are just tools for doing his other work, y'know? Would always rather write a script or make a spreadsheet than actually calculate a thing himself.

Kiyone and Sentaro: Oh, no. Oh, dear.

Rukia: Decent, but it's not her favorite. Also not too proud to ask Renji to calculate things for her.

[gallusrostromegalus]

Running gags in AEIWAM, a list:

Uryuu is bad at being a Quincy. Mizuiro is worse.

Sneezecut

Ichigo having calling literally anybody BUT Isshin in an emergency.

Leading actions (instead of theme music, a specific thing happens just before/when a character enters the scene) that are also jokes.

~*BIRD TIIIIIME*~ At the [location]!

Plot-Relevant Middle School Girl Drama

Exactly Three people actually speak German and all of them insist the other two have terrible accents

Fibercraft Discourse

People repeatedly getting the very wrong idea that Kenpachi is secretly Byakuya's biological father, until someone manages to get it even wronger.

The Karakura Gang is sure that Chad is a delicate flower who must be protected, despite him literally never losing.

Tousen's ongoing battle to keep the Seireitei Bulletin Horoscope-free.

Yamamoto's Poor Hiring Decisions

12th division is the Denny's of the Gotei-13

The Jushiro Ukitake Minimum Security Institute For Pyromaniacs

[gallusrostromegalus]

Your line about Unohana's smallpox scars made me wonder: are there any soul reapers that can remember when they were alive? (If they were alive? I'm not sure if all souls originate in the world of the living)

All souls are "born" in the Living World and eventually move to Spirit World (if they don't go directly to Hell). The majority of souls in the afterlife do not remember their previous lives, but a significant portion do.

Souls Born in Soul Society:

Children and babies that die in utero or before they can reliably recognize their names, very old people that have lost most of their memory and people who suffered catastrophic memory loss while alive move to to Spirit World and become the souls of babies gestating in mothers there. Souls that are Born in spirit world do not remember their previous lives because there isn't much, if anything to remember.

Sometimes very young children and babies will appear in the queue to the afterlife, and in AEIWAM, the 7th Division manages incoming souls and takes care to place any children that come through the queue in SOME kind of care in the area their soul was assigned to. This is a recent development under Captain Komamura, but something the 7th has been wanting to do since it's inception. It's only recently that technology and staffing has been able to allow it. The majority of souls in Soul Society, and by extension, in the Gotei-13, were born in soul society.

Even though they have no memories, sometimes things will come through- people born in soul society are much more likely to have birthmarks. While the superstition is that if you're born with one, it relates to how you died, there's no evidence that so-called "marks of the previous life" are from death specifically. There's also no evidence that they're not :)

Characters that were Born in Spirit World with Marks Of The Previous Life:

Izuru: Born with two red dots about an inch apart on his ankle

Byakuya: One absolutely perfect beauty mark smack in the middle of his left asscheek

Shuuhei: Smattering of thick, raised skin patches across his upper back.

Ukitake: hard to see because he's so careful to avoid the sun but there's a couple patches on his abdomen and thigh that are totally devoid of pigment and never tan

Shunsui: Partially developed third nipple in his right armpit

Soi Fon: weird tooth growing out of the roof of her mouth.

Komamura: the paw-pads on his left foot are pink.

Aizen: Born with partially webbed toes.

Yumichika: The Beauty mark on his cheek is painted on. The one on his dick is not, much to his chagrin.

Yachiru: changed her origin story to HURT :), no birthmark but when her teeth came in, her adult right canine came in and the baby canine is just. Missing.

Urahara: patch of something that looks like freckles, but bright red, on his throat. Only shows up if he's been doing cardio.

Yoruichi: small, diamond-shaped white patch of skin over the lower part of her sternum.

Souls That Forget:

Souls over the age of about 3 will (barring something bizarre happening) reincarnate in the afterlife at the developmental age they dies at, and stand a 50/50 chance of forgetting their previous lives entirely. *Why* is unclear to the shinigami (it's a side-effect of the wheel being jammed), but the effect seems to be slightly more likely if the soul died a particularly violent death.

The loss occurs when the soul steps through the door out of the Queue and into spirit world. This sudden loss and confusion is part of the reason it's so important for Shingami to escort incoming souls to their destination in spirit world, any why Ryoka (AKA, souls that somehow got out of the queue and into Soul Society without checking in with the Shinigami) tend to be chaotic little bastards.

Souls that forget their previous lives upon stepping through the gate usually retain muscle memory, learned skills and a handful of details- the name they answer to, how old they were when they died, and sometimes they remember what they died of. Souls who do forget often tend to be emotionally ambivalent about it- on the one hand, not knowing who you are or where you came from kind of sucks, but after seeing their friends who remember wracked by grief or traumatized by a violent end, it can also feel like a strange blessing or a fresh start. Characters who were reincarnated at the age they died, but do not remember their previous lives:

Unohana: Does not remember her name, did remember a lot of slikks relating to ritual purification and swordsmanship

Hitsugaya: Sole memory of standing in a blizzard/thunderstorm as a small child

Tousen: Only his given name, and the feeling he was killed by a lightning strike.

Matsumoto: Given Name, no-context memories of a pet cat

Shinji: Does not remember his name, remembers a weird number of folk songs and a really good fish recipe though

Ikkaku: Remembers fuck-all. His sister DOES remember him and that's a fun chapter in the drafts

Souls That Remember:

Souls that do reincarnate and remember their previous lives remember varying amounts- Some people can recall previous lives with incredible detail, some people have only a very vague or uncertain recollection, others have very clear but context-less memories that they know came from a previous life but little more than that.

Just like people who forget, people who remember have mixed opinions- Some find it a burden to have memories of a family lost, some are really glad they still remember their loved ones, but the majority are a combination of nostalgic and wistful about their previous lives.

Characters who reincarnated and remember at least some of their previous lives:

Yamamoto: Died at about age 10, but remembers every detail. Died of Being Next To A Volcano When It Exploded.

Tama: Her memory bordering on eidetic, including her cause of death (bad)

Momo: Has many memories but not context. Remembers another little girl (sister?), and living out on a farm with a goat.

Rukia: She was very young, but does have a handful of distinct memories of her previous life, including Hisana making stupid faces at her to make her laugh.

Hisana: Recalls her previous life almost entirely. She and Rukia barely escaped a house fire only to die of hypothermia.

Hollows:

Nearly all lesser hollows remember their previous lives, and what caused their soul chain to rot, but once a hollow is consumed by another hollow, or becomes part of a Menos Grande, they lose all but a few memories, and those tend to be vauge and distorted. By the time a hollow becomes a Vasto Lorde, it's been torn apart and absorbed so many new soul fragments that it can't really be called the same soul at all. If there are Souls that are "born" outside of the living world, it's hollows like that. A Few Notable Exceptions:

Coyote Starrk and Lilynette Gingerbuck: They were a Genus Loci (the spirit of a place) that died in a calamity, but since a Genus Loci is functionally a Kami, when they hollowfied and re-appeared in Hueco Mundo, they started out at Vasto Lorde Class hollows. They divided into the 'two' souls they are now out of sheer loneliness and because the memory of the calamity was so awful they hoped they would forget. It sort of worked- Both of them only half-remember who and what they are.

Nnoitra Gilga: A singularly single-minded individual, Nnoitra forgot almost everything including his Name but not what caused him to become a hollow in the first place. He doesn't exactly have context for those memories until about half an hour before he dies, but he also doesn't care- he's always been a man to tell himself whatever story suits his needs.

Wonderweiss: Wiess was a soul that absolutely should not have been able to hollowfy but did so because a Divine Power fucked up to a SPECTACULAR degree, and like Coyote and Gingerbuck, started out as a vasto-lorde class hollow. He does sort-of forget who he is for a while thanks to Aizen's Meddling, and while he has the facts of who he is, nobody quite makes the full connection to WHO he is until about halfway through Act 2.

Weirdos:

SOME PEOPLE manage to enter the spirit world in completely ass-backwards and stupid ways, and sometimes this effects their memories:

Ichimaru Gin: Probably has the MOST understanding of what's going on of anyone in the series but unfortunately, he's fucking stupid.

Mimihagi: The Second-most-informed person in the series, but turns out getting dismembered, undergoing a catastrophic database error and surviving as a fragment of your previous self does a number on your ability to remember anything with any clarity.

Zaraki Kenpachi: Developed a soul in the living world when he wasn't really supposed to, reincarnated in a place he should not have been able to, got thrown out and survived a fall that should have killed him, was raised by a being that normally would have eaten him, and has generally been Why-Are-You-Not-Dead-ing his way through his existence.

Quincy:

If, How much, What Version and The Actual Veracity of what any Quincy in the Wandenreich remembers about their previous lives is ENTIRELY determined by Yhwach and what suits his needs :)