(Collab with
@Aeronfarron)
(Before current IC)
Walking back to the Squad Ten barracks Hikari yawned, stretching an arm over his shoulders. While he was wide awake he was quite bored, and feared he would go insane if he was to look at one more document. Ever since he got in the office a few months ago, most he focused on was work, so he thought he deserved a break. Especially after all the studying he did for the day, though he never really knew what to do. Walking inside the barracks he smiled and waved at some of the members walking past, wondering what they were going to do themselves. He didn't dwell on it as he wanted to know what
he was going to do. Haruka then popped into his mind, she had been – hopefully –working all day, and he was sure she probably wanted a break as well, so he walked to her office and knocked on the door.
"Lieutenant, I need a word with you," he called out in an official manner.
Haruka sighed deeply as she stared at the reports on her desk. She grumbled in irritation at how long it took to fill out the forms, and screen the applicants for the Captain. Ever since Hikari took the office, they'd had quite the...influx of female applicants. And of course, the ones that weren't cut out often camped out on her doorstep to yell at her jealousy because Hikari would have wanted someone cuter and hotter. Being the diplomat that she was, she calmly and coolly...flipped them the bird and called out,
"Bite my dick, bitches." Today was one such day, and with the stack of reports well...let's just say that she was itching to break something.
Haruka grunted as she began to read over another report. As a part of her continued training she used her Shikai as she worked. Having Yuurei unsheathed and being used helped her become more and more comfortable with his...well...
her power. Doing menial tasks with the spirit's power also helped her bond with the spirit as the two were often in communication while in Shikai. This gave the unintended side effect of strengthening her spiritual pressure, and weighed down on the younger, inexperienced, or simply lower seated squad members should they try to enter her office. Upon hearing the knock and subsequent voice behind the door, Haruka set down her pen and stood. Stretching, she then opened the door for her Captain.
"Captain, how can I help you?" she asked as she stepped aside for him to enter.
Hikari smiled at her noticing that her hair had gotten longer, and while he preferred shorter hair on women he couldn't deny how beautiful she was with longer hair, it worked for her…like, really worked. Haruka looked confused for a second when her captain's gaze lingered on her hair. She'd been neglecting getting it cut due to personal preference as well as time constraints, or...she simply kept forgetting to book an appointment. Regardless, her spiked bangs fell into her range of sight, but the lighter color of the wisps kept her vision from being too impacted.
"Ah, yes, you can help me by-" Hikari grabbed Haruka's hand pulling her with him as he walked the direction he had come from. Haruka wasn't prepared to be dragged out of her office and merely gave a mess of sputtered sounds of protest, though they were overtaken by Hikari's talking,
"-taking a break with me, and doing anything other than being in this shithole. I swear, if I look at one more report today!" He exited the barracks with Haruka before letting her hand go, she really needed to finish reading those reports but…a few free hours did sound nice. She'd recently adopted a different style of dress in these last few months. The Shihakusho had taken some getting used to, but the freedom of movement was amazing. Her arms had gained some muscle but not overtly so, they were much easier to feel rather than see. Rarely were the forearms seen while in Shikai though due to the nature of her Zanpakuto spirit.
Hikari seemed to have taken notice of her new attire as he raised an eyebrow, gazing her arms and torso wondering if it had been like that for the past few months or what? It must have fit her so naturally that he just looked over it. He walked behind her to check her out; his eyes falling over her toned back which caused them to widen slightly as the Shihakusho was backless as well.
'No! No more of this! You are a Captain now, you cannot act this way! You cannot think these thoughts that you are currently thinking!' Hikari thought…as he stared at her back…a bit of blood dripping from his nose…
She huffed a bit snapping Hikari out of his trance in which he pulled a napkin from his haori wiping his nose. He then crumbled the napkin, shooting it into a trash bin near the barracks, listening to Haruka with curiosity as she spoke.
"Well, if a certain Captain would stop gathering more bimbos to add to his "Hikari's Harem" Club, I'd be able to y'know, do some actual work rather than sift through our applicants. It's getting to the point that I'll accept them all and then train them personally," she flicked some of her hair behind her shoulder with a twitch of the head,
"But then, our mortality rate will increase...by a lot."
"Hey, it's not my fault that it keeps happening! I don't even know how it started! Though, I think someone might be little jealous," he joked,
"But you can do that if you think it'll be easier on you. I wanted you to start leading more missions, but since you already have something in mind then I won't add more to your work. But like I said, we're taking a break therefore we don't need to focus on work at the moment. So Haruka, anything you want to do specifically?"
"Break something." She answered honestly.
"And jealousy implies that I feel threatened by those little girls. If you think I feel threatened, well..." she smirked,
"You don't know me at all." Her eyes narrowed as her smirk widened to form an unsettling visage.
"Anyway, if you want me to lead missions, that's fine. Gives me a reason to dump all of the paperwork onto you." she joked then rubbed her hands.
"You wanna get some food? I know Alucard is probably bored out of his mind if he isn't off getting pampered."
Hikari chuckled at her statement about feeling threatened, one of the many reasons why she was the Lieutenant. When she suggested food Hikari placed a hand on his stomach, he really hadn't eaten anything all day so he could use a bite, though she did mention breaking something so it gave him an idea.
"How about we get something to go? I have a place I want to show you. We can eat there, or on our way there. You go grab Alucard and we can be on our way."
"Sounds like a plan," she agreed. The young woman looked over her Captain, still proud that the young man had managed to earn some respect. Still...she was quite happier that she screened the mail rather than him...Her family, well...grandfather...had been sending him requests for a meeting about her involvement as a lieutenant. The latest had been a possible meeting about a merger, a way for him to ally with the Katsuye family while strengthening his own clan's status which...ugh, the thought made her a little sick...she doubted her Captain would pay any attention to the letters, but that fact that her grandfather was pulling this crap was--well it pissed her off. "Yeah, lead the way," she said once she was back from her musing.
Once they had gotten food Hikari began leading Haruka to the place he wanted to take her. It would normally take a few days, maybe weeks, to get to the place he was going from the Seireitei but for them it'd take a few minutes since there was a shortcut Tabo had provided him. He didn't know how the shortcut got them there so quickly but it did. Hikari had finished the last of his ramen before emerging from the tunnel and entering a
city.
"Welcome to the clan grounds of the Shinrai clan, though we're not there yet," Hikari said as he walked past the abandoned buildings. The clan was deserted, except for maybe Himeko and a few others but they didn't seem to be around. They didn't need to let the beautiful city just sit there wasting away. The two soon walked onto a bridge, and as they walked Hikari looked out at the water with a small smile before entering the next part of the city. Hikari continued walking until he was at the back of the city, towards the mountains,
"There are stairs," Hikari told her. He then turned the corner walking up the stairs.
Once they finished walking up the stairs they were then set on a
path that only led forward into what seemed to be a cave. While on the path, if they were to look to their right they would see the
surroundings of the clan.
"Beautiful," Hikari commented before walking into the cave alongside Haruka. Once they exited they would emerge through what looked to be a
temple door with a waterfall behind it, despite the waterfall the noise was calm and low. There was a path that led to another temple door, and once they walked through it they would find themselves in depths of the clan.
A single path led up to a colorful tree, flowers blossoming beneath and around it. The area was filled with water, with bits and pieces of single, solid ground surrounding it. And while the surrounding area was big, looking onwards it seemed as if it spread for miles.
Haruka followed the man quietly while eating her own ramen. Her eyes went wide at the sights they passed. The place was amazingly beautiful, and she felt almost out of place with how quaint it was. She didn't speak, just drinking in the landscape and smells and sounds as they walked.
"This place...it's gorgeous...your family lives here?"
"Used to live here," Hikari corrected, "
After the attack on my clan the surviving members fled from this place now living in various other places. The clan grounds were destroyed, but places like this were thankfully left untouched. The places above were rebuilt, in just three months, by my sister and a few others which I'm thankful for. Since I'm technically the head of the clan now the next step is restoring the members, and maybe one day I can contribute as well by having my own children. That's what I aim for atleast, but no one knows what the future has in store." Hikari gave a smile as he looked around but his eyes set on Haruka quickly,
"But we're in the present, so let's focus on such. You said you wanted to break something, right? Well we can do the next best thing, spar. We've had yet to fully see what each other could do in these past months, and you can release some anger and stress, so what do you say? And don't worry about damaging the area, it's regenerative. This is the place the members used to come to for sparing, or to just relax. So…"
She listened carefully, looking around as he spoke.
"That's sad...but...it gives me hope that one day you'll be great. Your clan will be great," she says honestly. As he finished, she cracked her knuckles.
"Alright then, Yuurei and I have been training a lot," she said, "Shikai or regular sparring?"
"Thank you for the kind words," Hikari responded,
"It's good that you two have been training together. It seems as if you two have been on better terms. As for Shikai or not, just use whatever. I want to see what you have improved on, but since it seems you and Yuurei have been training then I guess Shikai." Hikari placed his hand on the hilt of his Zanpakuto, slowly drawing it as he held his sheath in his left hand. Duel wielding them had become one of his main styles of Zanjutsu as he was able to use his sheath just as well as his blade thanks to Tabo.
She grinned up at the man and rolled her eyes.
"Don't get all sappy, yeah?" She smiled fondly at her Zanpakuto's Shikai form then ran her clawed fingers over the metal there. It seemed to hum as the symbol glowed brighter.
"Let's show him, Yuurei. Unfaltering, and unwavering, the aegis of the dead stands resolute, Yuurei Mamoru!" With the full incantation recited, the gravity feels like it has tripled due to the sheer density of her spiritual pressure. She felt the comforting weight on her own chest as the gauntlets cracked to life. She shifted her stance, and felt her lips quirk ever so slightly. Without warning, she sped directly at her mentor, much faster than she had been three months ago.
Once she activated her Shikai he felt the pressure of her spirit energy, one that even shocked him causing his eyes to widen due to not expecting it. That was certainly one major improvement, as well as her speed. As fast as she was now, if it was three months ago she might have gotten the drop on him, but he was still faster. He boasted his spirit energy to match hers, fearing what would happen if he let his fully unleash. He dashed towards her as well. Haruka wasn't too surprised to see him keep up with her. He was a Captain and thus stronger, but she wasn't going to stop learning and chasing. She was going to do her best to keep up with him, as best as she could. Once in range Hikari swung his Zanpakuto down at Haruka. He expected her to block the attack then follow up, but he knew she was smart enough to not do the obvious.
Once the blade came down at her she leaned a little bit towards him. Due to the thin nature of the Zanpakuto the blade missed her arm by centimeters. That move reminding Hikari of their first spar together. She then stepped forward with one arm in a forearm block at the elbow of his outstretched arms. Rather than attack though, which came as a small surprise to Hikari, her fingers twitched with rush of light racing directly at him which he looked into directly. Jumping back with closed eyes the only thing he was able to see was the darkness of his eyelids and small blobs of colors. Though he was temporarily blind he didn't need his sight, he could feel Haruka's energy especially with how high it was now, and it was obvious where she was. Though he suddenly felt five different spiritual pressures which he assumed were attacks.
The tendrils of light detached from her hand but stayed suspended in the air. With her hand, she straightened the opposite one which straightened the light into spears. With a grin she punched the air in a sharp five hit combo, which launched the light spears at her mentor; each spear seemed to carry its own spiritual pressure.
Hikari wasn't sure what the attack was, or how wide they were, but he did know that they were heading towards him at a quick speed. He took a breath and kept calm as the first one neared him which he quickly side-stepped letting it hit the ground. The second one came soon after in which he held his Zanpakuto in front of him to block it. Once the spear slammed into his blade he was pushed back but managed to not go too far, that was until the other three slammed into him causing him to fly backwards into the water. Haruka said nothing once he went flying into the water, and even began tapping her finger on her right gauntlet once he hadn't emerged. A moment later the sound of water splashing into the air, and the feel of such on her back, grabbed her attention causing her to look back and see Hikari there with his body-sized Shikai activated.
He wasted no time in attacking as he swung his blade at her torso. She knew she couldn't dodge, that thing was huge! But she could...Haruka reached her hand out and called out,
"Bakudo #39, Enkosen." A yellow disk projected from her hand to block the blade from her entire torso. Hikari smirked as she did so; at the very least it would soften the blow and not get her cut. She had grown smarter, as well had become faster with activating her Kido. It was impressive from what had been. She stood firm, ready to meet it head on as the blade neared the Kido. Hikari quickly stopped his swing and then pivoted with his blade out on the blunt side switching the side of her torso he was going to attack. It had hit and sent her flying back; she wasn't ready for the switch due to forgetting how masterfully he could wield the blade. She rolled onto her feet and immediately went into an attacking stance; Hikari thought it was a good recovery.
Her gauntlet glowed brightly as she struck out with punches. Light flew from the gem-like protrusion of her gauntlet and went straight for Hikari. She kept running though, which shortened the length of time between each volley from bot gauntlets. As the light shot from the gems Hikari knew better than to look directly at them, look directly into her gauntlets in general. He watched her closely noting her improvements and how this new fighting style worked for, as well the flexibility her new outfit gave her. She looked good while fighting well, two in one deal.
He avoided the light by using shunpo to get into the air; he then lifted his Shikai above his head before swinging downwards sending an arc of red reiatsu out at Haruka which she smirked at. Before the attack even reached her, he had used shunpo once more to get behind her. Slamming the large blade into the ground a crack was sent forward and the earth began shaking to attempt throwing her off balance. While she was accomplished in her own right as far as shunpo is concerned, she was going to stand her ground. She stumbled a little bit, only to pick up a larger piece of the ground. Hikari's eyes widened as she did so, not sure if it was natural strength or the Shikai, either way he was impressed and noted it as an improvement.
She encompassed the earth in her spiritual energy before launching it towards the blast, and once the two collided it sent bits and pieces of the earth everywhere. As that was happening Hikari thrust his blade towards Haruka's back while calling out,
"Never take your eyes off the enemy for too long!" Though that was just a speed clone as many others surrounded Haruka with an attack hiding the real attacker. Haruka looked panicked for a second, but something was a little off. The eyes...they looked a little dead which Hikari had noticed. Nonetheless the Captain attacked her, though her Shihakusho was revealed empty causing the Captain to stare at it. To the left a beam of bright purple light fired off in a straight line.
"I never do."
Instead of making his next move he just stared at the Shihakusho, droplets of blood escaping from his nostrils. Did that mean she was naked? A perverted grin began forming on his face before it turned into one of shock as a purple light flew past his face. He looked in the direction it went, seeing a hole in the rocks before it regenerated. He then looked in the direction it came from spotting Haruka in a tree….clothed in a fitted, sleeveless top and tight girl boxers. Hikari threw his head back letting a groan escaped his mouth alongside an,
"Awww! Seriously?!"
Haruka laughed at her Captain's obvious disappointment but didn't attack.
"Aww, what's the matter Captain?" she asked with an impish smirk as she flash stepped towards him. Hikari heard Haruka ask that, he could even hear the smirk in her voice. Lowering his head to look at her he yelled,
"Nothing is the matt-"Before he continued Hikari had actually taken a look at what Haruka wore underneath her Shihakusho which caused blood to shoot out of his nose, violently jerking his head back causing him to fall into the water. He quickly made his way out of the water crawling back onto land.
She picked up her garments, and as she did, with his good analysis skills could make out some cleavage. He quickly covered his mouth and nose as his face began heating up, then flash stepped behind some rocks. Once she flash-stepped behind the rocks he thought he could see her clothed butt for a quick second, which may have just been his imagination, nonetheless more blood shot out of his nose sending him skidding back, but he managed not to make too much noise or crash into the rocks.
"It's a nice day, why don't we just walk the grounds while you tell me what you thought?" she asked. It was obvious that she was done sparring, as her hands were bare again. Her Zanpakuto was sheathed on her right side. She swiped the blood from her nose with a shake of her head. With blood from his head traveling to two places, he felt light headed. So when Haruka suggested they just walk and talk Hikari nodded rapidly,
"Yeah, that's a good idea!" Hikari sat down and closed his eyes, calming himself quickly while waiting on Haruka to come from behind the rocks.
"Such a pervert, Kari." He heard her say which caused him to smirk, he couldn't really deny it. While he hadn't been that way in about a year or two, he still found the female body a fascinating thing, especially Haruka's. He was sure many would agree, even her.
The young woman rolled her eyes playfully at her Captain, emerging from her changing rock fully clothed. She smoothed down a few imaginary wrinkles then stretched her neck and hands.
"Man...Nothing gets the blood rushing like a spar. Or...a half naked woman, am I right?" she said to Hikari with a slight laugh.
"Both do the trick just as good as the other," Hikari replied, eyes opening, feet planted on the ground and legs straightening lifting him up. His Zanpakuto sealed and sheathed, Hikari dusted himself off and straightened his Shihakusho and Haori.
"I'm gonna need to get a haircut soon," Haruka stated once she turned her head towards Hikari, her curled, longer hair giving a small bounce. She smiled gently at him as she played with her hair idly which Hikari smiled at before hearing her words. Faster than he had ever moved in that spar he appeared in front of her holding her arms with widened eyes. She looked surprised at the sight of her Captain directly in front of her.
"No! Never! You look unbelievably beautiful with long hair!" After a moment his eyes returned to normal as he let go of her and backed up, brushing his arm trying to return back to professionalism.
"I mean, uh-Your hair, your decision. It looks nice either way Lieutenant," he said as he tried putting on his best official voice that just came off as stupid sounding. A blush erupted over her cheeks, and she looked away in an attempt to calm down.
"I uh-Maybe I could keep it like this if you like it," she said, though she didn't look at him. He was shocked to hear that, though it caused him to smile and rub the back of his head as he looked away himself,
"I…really like it." Her blush slowly drained away so that her cheeks were their normal color.
"I'm glad you do..."
After silence fell between them she cleared her throat which gained his attention, she then changed the subject.
"Um-So...I was thinking that we can have Hype lead the 4th Vanguard Squad. He's been kind of restless lately, and the 4th Vanguard Squad has day to day training. Pretty good squad for unseated Shinigami."
"Ah, but I worry that he'll get them warped into the whole warrior antic thing, and if they don't get into it then he'll strike them with lightning. But we can bring it up to him; see what his opinion is on it. He should have a say as well," Hikari said before turning around.
"But let's walk. I think you might like what's around here, hopefully." Hikari walked further into the area they were in, it was bigger than it looked, atleast he knew that.
"Yeah, we can ask him. I saw the after action report on Ayami. What are your thoughts? I think I'll be having a Hakuda clinic when we get back. Some of the junior officers and unranked are neglecting it. Granted, my Zanjutsu is no better than some of theirs, but I can probably break most of their bones without Shikai." She sighed.
In only a few moments would the two find themselves walking through what seemed to be a mountain
path, it looked small but there would be plenty of room for both of them to walk through.
"Ayami needs allot of work but you can't expect allot out of unseated. So far her biggest asset seems to be her analysis and quick thinking, so I'll be helping her further develop that. She seems decent at Kido as well which is something I might want you to help her with, I doubt Tabo is up for another student. She didn't really use Hakuda, so I assume she has no talent in it. But overall I think she can become a good Shinigami with the right amount of training in specific areas, all she needs is a bit more hard work."
She listened quietly. She knew that Hikari knew she was listening; she didn't bother with the general cues that denoted as such.
"I can work with her if you'd like. I've been a little bored myself lately." She snickered. "I don't think we should subject anyone to Tabo. The old man isn't captain anymore, so we should let him take his naps." she said.
"Bored? Not having fun handling my harem club?" Hikari joked with a chuckle, chuckling even more once she said they should just let Tabo take his naps.
"Knowing that geezer it's probably what he's doing now, or doing something I'd rather not think about it."
She respected the man a great deal since it was him that allowed her to learn Shunko. A technique she had yet to show Hikari...if she even told him she was learning it she couldn't remember as Shunko was generally a technique that was developed and kept in the Second Squad.
"Few could understand the concept, even fewer can execute it. Fewer still can execute it and not kill themselves." Tabo had told her.
"So don't waste my time. You wanna learn it? Then strengthen your core, arms and shoulders! You need to support your spiritual density with your own body. Only then will you learn." She didn't know how often she heard that speech. He pushed her harder than anyone had. As a noble, a minor one but a noble nonetheless, she had always been pampered. Only Yuurei pushed her.
Walking on they soon entered a
forest like area with the sun beaming down, yet there were little flowers. He looked at the water spilling down the rocks from above.
"The water is clean if you're thirsty and willing to use your hands," he commented,
"Sadly only little come down this way, this area is where some of the best tasting water comes."
"Hm..." she kneeled down and cupped her hands in the water. She drank deeply then sighed.
"Wow...that is really good." The commented caused him to smile brightly, taking pride in his clan grounds.
"You really think so?!" he asked excitedly,
"If you want I could have some bottled and sent to you! The reason why the water is so good is because my clan is really close to nature, the members and the clan grounds. You could say we're in tune with it, like we're destined to be. It spans back a few thousand years to our first generation, they protected nature in times of war and nature sort of…returned the favor, like our protection gave life to it. It's why we're so close." Hikari then walked up to Haruka and slowly grabbed her hand placing it on the mountain rock in which she would then feel something faint, as if the rock had a pulse. Haruka couldn't help the smile that came to her lips as he gushed about his clan. It was obvious that he took great pride in his lineage, and it warmed her heart. She was a little surprised when he took her hand and gasped when she felt the pulsing.
"Amazing...it's like...it's alive."
"It all has life which is why I find it sad when it is destroyed, for a justified reason or not. But it can't be helped…"
She had a new respect for this land, and she hoped it would stand forever.
"I think I'd like some of the water. If you didn't mind I mean..." She didn't pull her hand away from his, too enthralled by the warmth and pulse from him and the rock.
"It's no trouble at all; you'll have a whole set by the morning. It'll be good for you too, it reduces stress and can refresh your whole body once you drink enough…But there's still more to show you." Hikari took their hands off the rock, but never let their hands escape each other as his hand engrossed hers gently. He waked out the forest alongside Haruka, holding her hand. They would soon come across an area that was really too difficult to put into words, something that just required
seeing. Haruka lets her hand stay in Hikari's. She was left breathless by the forested area.
"Huh, it's so quiet," Hikari said with a frown,
"They're probably just not used to someone new being around." Hikari put his hand to his mouth making bird calls, but alas got nothing in return.
"…Really you guys?!" he called out to seemingly no one as he began messaging his temples,
"This was supposed to be cool, fireflies and birds and stuff! Like, this could have been such a good romance moment or something, make it seem like I had an idea of what I was actually doing!" Haruka giggled quietly when it didn't work out as he liked. Before she can say anything though, the forest came alive as a loud roar erupt causing Hikari to smile with his arms behind his back. Soon fireflies would surround the area, lighting it up, while birds began flying around. A few deer came from behind the trees and began walking towards them. Next a fucking lion erupted from the bushes charging them, tackling Hikari to the ground and began licking his cheek like a dog. Hikari laugh while patting his head,
"Yeah, yeah, I missed you too buddy!"
Haruka marveled at the animals then seemed a little freaked out by the gigantic lion.
"Er...." she blinked again. Once seeing Haruka's reaction to the lion he lifted up letting the lion lay in his lap as he pets it. He looked up at her,
"Told you we were close to nature, animals and all. In this clan, once we're of age to start training, we come to this area and the first animal that comes to us determines the kind of training we'll go through. Funny because the training we go through, more times than not, works out for us. Though not only that, the animals that choose us sticks with this. Just so happens that this big guy chose me, despite him looking all tough he's really just a big softie. Ain't that right Nuggets?" Hikari continued petting the lion named Nuggets before standing up and brushing himself off. Nuggets circled Haruka, sniffing her before nudging her hand, he wanted all the pets.
"You...named a lion...'Nuggets'?" she asked incredulously. Nonetheless, she pet the lion as directed and marveled at how soft his mane was.
"I couldn't come up with a name for him so I just started calling him nuggets because he'd always eat mine when I wasn't looking," Hikari replied with a shrug. Hikari heard a familiar voice call out,
"Hey Hikari!" he turned to see Himeko walking towards the two while holding a bunny. She stopped as soon as she saw the random pink haired woman,
"Hey Hikari, didn't you once say you wanted pink haired childr-" Hikari quickly used shunpo to appear beside his baby sister covering her mouth as he grinned at Haruka,
"I've toooold you about my sister right?" he said, a bit too quickly.
Haruka was pretty occupied by petting the lion that she almost didn't hear what the random girl said. Almost.
"'Pink...haired...children huh?" she asked idly
. "Pink hair isn't all that common, but I do know there is a cute girl with pink hair in that fan club of yours. I am quite sure she'd be happy to know that you fancy pink hair." She didn't look at him, but her eyes twinkled. Oh no, they were going to talk about that later, definitely a conversation for later. She wasn't stupid, she could feel the change in their relationship, but they both had too much going on to even try to court. Haruka didn't do dates. Regardless, Hikari's clan was still getting back on its feet. And the Katsuye clan head was only much too willing to have a hand in it's revival. No. Not now. Especially since she didn't need the barrack's rumor mill to start churning out that she was handed the Lieutenancy since she was sleeping with the Captain. Division Ten couldn't afford so many deaths at one time.
"As for your sister, I don't remember making her acquaintance," she gives a respectful bow to Himeko,
"A pleasure to meet you. My name is Haruka Katsuye, 13th Heir to the Katsuye Clan."
As Haruka said what she said Hikari rubbed the back of his head staring at the ground,
"I wasn't referring to her. I was actually referring to-" before he made his next choice of words he thought about it. It was too early to even be thinking about going that far with her, not that he
wanted to per say, but if he had to choose at the moment then she would be his choice. But she was far too busy to even be thinking about getting close to anyone, he wasn't even one hundred percent sure if she felt that way. For him it was sort of a goal to get close to someone, to her it was more of an option like for most people. They were definitely going to talk about it later on, he could feel it. So he finished
, "-my aunt Jewel! She uh, has pink hair…and I think it's really pretty, so…pink haired children, you know? Plus I really don't know that other girl, I mean, not just the hair matters. I mean, it helps, but personality and-"he was slapped by Himeko to stop his rambling in which he rubbed his cheek and nodded in thanks, not looking at Haruka. Himeko gave a bow to Haruka,
"Sorry for making it awkward? Pleasure to meet you as well. Himeko Shinrai, uh…a Shinrai."
Haruka laughed when he talked about his Aunt Jewel.
"I'm not stupid, Hikari. We can discuss it before we get back to the barracks. I'd...like to get to know each other more and I will need to discuss some...sensitive clan information before we even think about courting. While the idea is nice..." she looks at the lion,
"There are the fates of two clans and a Gotei 13. Division that hang in the balance. There are...a variety of things we'll need to organize before we continue down that path." she said. Truth was better than fiction, and like most negotiations, he needed to know these things. Granted, she was still holding back a few things, but they didn't concern him nor the tenth division." She smiled at Himeko.
"It is ok. It is only awkward if we make it awkward."
"Pfft, of course I knew that," Hikari said as he crossed his arms, looking all high and mighty,
"But I agree. Things should be worked out before we try to go going any further, but I wasn't being dishonest. Jewel is one of the reasons why I want pink-haired children." Himeko then chimed in, "
As for being awkward, you won't get anything but from this one." She teased before reaching up and patting Hikari's head much to his dislike, causing him to grumble and step away. Himeko rubbed the bunny while looking between the two,
"I ship it," she said before walking away as some of the animals followed her.
"Sometimes I wish she was too shy to speak again," Hikari mumbled before looking at Haruka,
"Anyways…Shall we continue walking or?"
"Sure thing," she replied,
"We can continue walking." She left the topic alone for now and began to retake her hand from lion petting duty.
"She is quite funny though, and adorable."
"She is…one of those things," Hikari said as he began walking up the path that led to the glowing tree thing. Once up close he drew his Zanpakuto.
"We call this the oracle for it can show many things and even give advice. Our legend says a forest goddess lives within the oracle, but no one has really seen her." As Hikari stared into the light it began showing his strongest desire, which was a picture of his
mother. It then began showing scenes of him chasing and flirting with women like it was nothing. As she would know, he was the reason his mother died giving birth due to his large amount of spirit energy. What she didn't know, but could probably piece together from what was shown, was that he chased women constantly just to try and get that woman in his life, the one he always missed. She looked up at the Oracle and stared. She didn't say anything, but she could read between the lines.
"Enough of that," he mumbled as he gripped his Zanpakuto tightly. He held it outwards, light shined on his blade. Inside the oracle showed his Zanpakuto spirit, Ken. He sat meditating in what seemed to be a dojo, letting out small breaths from time to time.
"Can show anything from greatest desires to greatest fears, to even your own Zanpakuto spirit."
"Will it...work for me?" Haruka asked.
"It works for anyone who looks into it for long enough," Hikari replied as he backed up. Once he did he pulled his Zanpakuto away from the oracle to sheath it, then stopped looking directly into the light so it could work for Haruka.
She drew her Zanpakuto and looked directly at the oracle. It showed her strongest desire: An older Haruka presiding over her clan with the support of her parents and clan council. There was a glimpse of the Katsuye discipline, a young Haruka being punished with a rather large stick. The young girl cried out for her mother, but when she didn't come, the cries dissolved into whimpers, then silence. The present Haruka gasped for air, she hadn't anticipated that. As the events played out Hikari's expression turned to that of concern, mostly at a young Haruka being punished and now at her conversation with her Zanpakuto spirit. Before she could look away though, her Zanpakuto spirit could be seen. She was standing in a meadow, staring in the direction of Haruka's gaze.
"I know you can hear me...I know you're afraid...just trust me. I...I can take care of you. As I always have." comes the soothing voice. Haruka trusted Yuurei Mamoru. She always had, even if the spirit hadn't reciprocated. She loved the spirit immensely and she doted on her physical form as often as she could. But she was afraid. Afraid to upset Yuurei, to lose the friendship and kinship she'd finally crafted with her Zanpakuto. Yuurei was there when she had no one in the academy. And...she was afraid that she'd taken that devotion too far.
"I...can't Yuurei. I can't. What if you hate me?"
"Is power your wish from me?"
"No! Never! Never, Yuurei!"
It seemed as if Haruka was freaking out, atleast a little. Hikari's hand found its way onto her shoulder, looking at her as he spoke,
"I don't know what you and her are going through currently, but stay calm alright? It's the best way to handle it, best way to get through it."
She startled at his touch and she closed her eyes. He was right, and she felt a shift. She trusted her Zanpakuto
..."Catch me," she told the man before she slumped over unexpectedly. She had gotten used to her Zanpakuto forcibly pulling her into her own world in these last few weeks. Hikari caught her and figured it was like the time at the festival, he let out a breath hoping everything would be alright. He laid her in his arms walking into the house opposite side of the oracle. He walked through the
giant halls and then walked into a room that had a bed that looked like it was for a king and queen; he laid her on it gently before walking out of the room. It had been a few hours and Hikari had been waiting for Haruka to wake, checking up on her from time to time seeing she was fine then would get up to leave and explore the area.
Haruka remained out of it for a few hours, her mind conversing with her Zanpakuto amongst other discussions and training. When she woke up, her sealed Zanpakuto's sheathe gained a small, ornate symbol emblazoned in gold right below the hilt. She groaned as she came around. Hikari walked into the room she was in once more, now seeing her waken he smiled and walked up to closer. He gently sat beside her and handed her a bottle of water to help wake her up.
"Here, drink," he told her. She panted as if she'd just run a marathon. She smiled thankfully at the man, drinking deeply of the refreshing water,
"Thanks. Sorry about that." She smiled sheepishly.
"You're welcome, and no need to apologize. I hope everything went well with you two," Hikari said before standing up, eyes gazing over her sheath and noticing the symbol. He would ask about it later.
"We've been gone for a few hours and the Squad is probably wondering where we are, we wouldn't want them to be getting ideas now do we? Once you're good meet me outside," Hikari said. She nodded quietly then waited for him to leave. He left the room with a gentle shut to the door. Once she was decent and composed she finished the water then made her way outside.
"Whose house is this?" she asked,
"The bed was comfy."
"Lovers house," he replied quickly before reaching back into his haori and pulling out a piece of candy. Unwrapping the candy he stuck the wrapper back in his haori as he didn't want to litter, then flicked the piece of candy in his mouth chewing.
"Take that as you will." He then began walking forward with a smirk on his face.
"For the sake of your future children, I hope I was alone on that bed," she says coolly before walking passed the man. She shook her head, still a little dizzy.
"You might have been," he joked with a chuckle. She rolled her eyes again and pushed him lightly,
"Jackass."
