Waylaid By Fate

The travel took some time, even at speed, to get to the estate. A large portion of the wait also came from getting access to the Seireitei itself. Security was a lot more lax then it had ever been but it was reasonable given the situation that the Soul Society was in. However, even with loose security there was still some more of protection at any of the four gates. He had to wait to get access to enter given him not actually being a shinigami. If not for the fact that he was still a member of a family that was of the nobility, he would have never even been able to enter the Seireitei. Granted, if his family was not of the nobility, he would have no reason to enter the grounds to begin with, so everything kind of added up in the end at least. Tenjinsai now found himself wandering the labyrinthine passage ways that made up the entirety of the Seireitei.

It was a wonder that people did not get lost regularly inside the large compound that formed the headquarters of the Gotei Thirteen. He was also surprised that there was not more chaos going on considering the state of the Soul Society. The formal structure of the Gotei Thirteen had somewhat broken down, it was very loosely knit with more or less factions running the current government. Various political powers that had to work with one another or resort to bloodshed to get there way. Though many tried to stay away from the latter option it was not unheard of for shinigami to kill one another to resolve matters. Though not a shinigami himself, it still did make him depressed that things had come to this once the Soul Society's government had collapsed. These were individuals that were sworn to protect the innocent and sly the wicked.

They were brothers in arms, and yet here they were killing each other for the interests of what was essentially a warlord that had little interest in their person well being or needs. Things had degenerated to the way they were a thousand years ago before the forming of the Gotei Thirteen. That was back when the shinigami were just ruthless killers that really just did whatever they wanted and answered to no one. They were just a gang that were protectors in name alone. It was not until the slaughter of the Quincy that they calmed down to an extent and actually organized themselves into the way they currently were, or at least before the collapse. Sighing lightly, Tenjinsai continued moving his way down the various turning and twisting corridors that made up the walkways of the Seireitei. As he continued to move along though he began to hear other noises, noises that were approaching him as well.

It started off quiet and sounded fairly distant. The longer he kept moving though it seemed as though they were getting louder and closer to his current position. They were footsteps, running it sounded like, and definitely more then just one person. Slipping around a corner at the next intersection, Tenjinsai pushed himself up against the wall, his back facing towards it, waiting to see if these individuals were actually approaching him. Sure enough, as the second passed by so did the noise get louder. The footsteps started to echo louder and louder through the halls as they grew closer, the padding of multiple people closing in on him. Tenjinsai was not sure how to react in this situation nor what these individuals intent was. If this had been years ago, he would have not had a second thought about it and continued on his way.

In the current age though, he could not trust a single soul in here with his back turned to them. Depending on what their agenda was, they would attempt to cut him down without a second thought. The best thing he could do was to just wait up against the wall and see if they would pass by him without noticing. To be fair though, the odds of that happening were fairly slim but still a plausible plan. If they did just pass by him without a word, then he could continue on his way without incident, which was ideal. If not, then it would come down to what they were there for and if his presence would be an issue. The moments continued to pass, each one seeming like an eternity as he waited for the moment of judgment. Just as the steps grew louder as though they were just around the corner from him it was suddenly deadly quiet.

The noise stopped completely and the entire area had been plunged into a pure silence. He waited for a few moments before peering around the corner to the sight of an empty hallway. He moved forward with a few cautious steps, his right hand drifting down to the hilt of his zanpaktou just to be safe. There was no one there, no more footsteps, no nothing. It was an odd situation to be sure, especially when he was so sure he had heard multiple individuals heading in his direction. Squinting his eyes slightly and scanning the hallway he shrugged lightly and turned around to a startling view. In the intersection that he had just been hiding next to three shinigami were standing there, all ready to draw their zanpaktou and looking at him with daggers. Tenjinsai's eyes went wide and he instinctually took a few steps back to distance himself from these strangers.

He had never really been in an encounter like this by himself, Mikoto had typically been by his side so his nerves were certainly on edge. His right hand gripped the hilt of his zanpaktou tightly but he did not dare draw his blade until he knew exactly what was going on. If he pulled out his weapon and opened the air with hostility, then they may do the same if they were not intending to before. As he stood, eyeing the three of them closely, the shinigami at the center of their formation moved forward a step or two and spoke to him. "You are clearly not a shinigami, what business do you have here in the Seireitei? If you have a good enough reason perhaps we will not take you into custody for interrogation." Tenjinsai shifted slightly at the mans words and even eased his nerves a bit as well. It seemed they were just curious as to what he was doing there as he was not a shinigami.

There seemed a good chance that they may not be out for blood at this time, which was certainly a positive for him. The last thing he wanted to do was get into a fight, a real one this time. He was confident enough in his abilities, but without knowing how strong they were or what they could do, it was something he did not want to walk right into. He straightened himself up and shifted out of his lower combat stance and let his hand drift away from his zanpaktou. If he attempted to show he was not hostile, perhaps things could go more so his way as well. "I am trying to get to my family's estate to speak with my father. I am a natural resident of the Rukongai which is why my garbs are not that of a shinigami. I did not have the desire to join the academy and wanted to live more, freely." The man at the head of the group looked back to his left and then his right to get the thoughts of the other two shinigami who were with him.

They seemed unsure of the answer and still somewhat quizzical, most likely wanting more information before making any kind of decision. They spoke among themselves briefly before the man at the head addressed him once again. "Well if you are here to meet with a member of your family then they, and yourself, should have a name. Intruders are not something that we can just let walk away so we have to be sure of your intentions here. If everything is in order then I have no problem letting you go." Tenjinsai nodded lightly and pulled out a small crest that bore the symbol of his clan. It was proof of his heritage and being a member of their noble house, outside of his name of course. He handed it over to the man he had been speaking to and confirmed his name for him to help smooth things out. "My name is Tenjinsai Bushinji, a member of the Bushinji household and upper nobility."

He paused a moment, and placed his hands low in front of him, close together, both palms facing upwards towards the man. "I am just here to speak with my father, Tenkai Bushinji, regarding some personal matter. I mean no harm to anyone and am certainly no intruder here." After handing the man his crest he saw a change in his facial features which became all the more apparent when he said his and his fathers name. The individual threw the crest back at him and it clattered down onto the ground with a quiet clacking of the wood. The three drew their blades quickly, their hostile intent now becoming very apparent. Tenjinsai's gut reaction was to reach for his own zanpaktou and pull it out in defense. He backed away a few steps as well to further the distance between himself and them. "So you are one of the Bushinji clan, a little noble punk that is worth a fortune as a hostage."

Tenjinsai raised his eyebrow, at that last few words. These individuals apparently wanted to take him as a hostage for some reason, perhaps for a ransom of some sort. Maybe they were just shinigami that needed some money, a few basic thugs under the guise of guardians. "I am not to keen on going anywhere as a hostage if you do not mind. There is no need for things to get hostile, perhaps everyone can just go on their own way?" The man at the lead laughed loudly at Tenjinsai's words, the rest behind him joining in as well. Clearly they had no intention of just letting this encounter slip away. This was going to turn into a fight whether he liked it or not. The least he could do now at least was to try and get some more information. "There is no way we are going to just let you walk away, not when we can use you as a bargaining chip to get a leg up in this war."

That right there gave Tenjinsai more then enough information to figure out what was going on. These three were most likely part of one of the other factions that the Gotei Thirteen had broken into to. Him identifying himself as a family member of one of the other faction leaders had put himself into a situation that was a great deal more dangerous then he had hoped for. He was going to have to fight his way out of this if he wanted to get to where he was going in one piece. This was especially true if he did not want to end up somewhere else he did not want to be in potentially less then one piece. Sighing lightly, Tenjinsai flared his reiatsu and let it pour out into the area around him. Hopefully the force of his own strength could be enough to scare them off and have second thoughts about engaging him. At this point his strength did level off at around what a Vice Captain would be.

He also had his shikai at his disposal now so if absolutely necessary he could use it too. He dropped into a combat stance, his blade drawn and poised to strike, his reiatsu rippling around him and putting a weight down on the area around him. "I hope you three are ready for the challenge that comes with what you are attempting to do. Do not think I will give up without a fight just because I am supposed to be some kind of noble punk, as you put it." The three looked at one another and took a step or two back, his reiatsu intimidating them to an extent. It did not seem like they were going to give up entirely as they bolstered their morale and returned figurative fire by releasing their own reiatsu. This was going to be a fight, and one where blood would be spilled and lives would be lost. It was unfortunate, but at this point, there was no way around it.

Tenjinsai steeled his nerves as battle was about to begin in earnest. This would be his first real time fighting against not one, but three shinigami. He did not really even consider his spar against Yuuta to be real. He had been holding back on him almost the entire time and there was obviously no intent to kill. Now, these individuals most likely were not going to try and kill him either as they wanted to take him hostage. Still, they would most likely not hesitate to do him harm, or maybe even kill him, if their lives became endangered. At least Tenjinsai could at least tell one thing about his attackers, they were weaker then him. His senses were certainly not the best, but he had a general aptitude for feeling reiatsu. He had never fine tuned it like most shinigami learned to, but unless then individual you were sensing was either near death or very weak, there was always something to feel.

Based off of what he was picking up from them it allowed him to ease his mind slightly. He still did have to fight three combatants at the same time, but at least he outclassed them. He could never be certain in what way though or what skill set these three had. Tenjinsai had to be on his toes, there was no room to give the enemy an opportunity to take advantage of. Deciding that pushing the offensive may be the better way to go, Tenjinsai jumped into action and lunged forward at the shinigami to his right. They were moderately built and of average size, no looking particularly imposing, though that never meant anything. Tenjinsai lashed out at him with three slashes of his zanpaktou, each one striking at a different angle, but all aimed for his chest. While it seemed he had some trouble keeping up with the speed of the strikes, the power behind them was apparently more then manageable.

Tenjinsai had never really been a power fighter, opting for a combat style that was actually opposite his father. While Tenkai was actually very talented in the use of kidou, he had never used it and preferred to use his zanpaktou as a primary method of combat. Tenjinsai took the opposite approach and had a high level of aptitude with reiryoku manipulation. He was capable of bending and twisting reiryoku to his will and now with a couple kidou under his belt he could finally cash out on his own skill set. That was apparently what he would exactly need to do to deal with this first opponent. Pivoting on his left foot, Tenjinsai applied pressure and jumped off to his right moving around his opponent at a rate of speed they could not easily follow. Throwing a few more slashes at his target as he moved he disguised the use of his left hand to prepare the only hadou that he knew to try and end this quickly.

After only a few seconds, Tenjinsai raised his left hand up and placed it open palmed facing towards his opponent. "Hadou number one, Sho!!" A transparent ripple of energy shot from the palm of his hand and barreled hard into his opponents chest. They barely managed to get their weapon in front of the blast to attempt mitigating the strike to little effect. They were sent sprawling backwards a solid fifteen to twenty feet and only stopped when they struck one of their partners. The shinigami that was initially on Tenjinsai's left was the one who had caught him and seemed no worse for wear after getting smacked by his partners body, and at speed no less. After the one shinigami straightened themselves out and the one he struck assisted in said straightening, the fight was back on. The third and lead member of their group seemed eager to jump in as well.

The lead aggressor disappeared in a blur, most likely using shunpou, which would prove very troublesome for Tenjinsai. They were fast, one was strong, and the last one seemed to be about as sturdy as a brick wall. Together they would have formed an impossibly strong warrior. Separate, Tenjinsai had a chance of defeating them if he played his cards correctly. In the blink of an eye the leader popped up behind Tenjinsai and swung at him with deadly precision. There was barely enough time to spin around and intercept the strike, a spray of sparks from their clashing blades splashing around them. Jumping backwards quickly after their brief deadlock, Tenjinsai felt himself stop as he struck something big and solid. He realized quickly that it was most likely the living tank that had caught the first one that he had hit before.

Diving to his right, Tenjinsai rolled on the ground and sprung up a few feet away, giving himself some distance. His struggle was not over yet though, the one that he had actually hit already was now upon him, up in the air above with his blade poised to strike. Tenjinsai moved his sword up above him and braced the blade with his left hand. Bending his knees he prepared for impact as his opponent came down on him and their zanpaktou collided. The force that came with the blow was enough to knock Tenjinsai down to the ground. Thankfully, he had not suffered any injuries other then his right wrist hurting slightly. He would have to be careful in the future if physically intercepting any of that individuals attacks. He was strong and hit like a freight train, thankfully he really was not fast enough to catch Tenjinsai off guard.

If he had been, it would have definitely been over for him. Moving to his feet, Tenjinsai took a few steps back to try and gain some distance again. All three of his opponents were now standing in front of him, eyeing him maliciously. He sighed lightly and gritted his teeth trying to figure out a way to get out of the situation he found himself in. They were clearly used to working together in a team and could coordinate their attacks in a way that put him at a disadvantage regardless of his individually superior strength. "What, you giving up already little noble pup? We were just getting warmed up too." That man that at their lead was the one who had spoken again that time. The larger individual who was built rather sturdy was next to speak, though his words were few. "Give it up, we don't want to hurt you if we don't have to."

Rolling his eyes Tenjinsai flared his reiatsu and lunged forward swiping at the leader of their group. The strike went wide and the two at his sides stepped up and swung simultaneously at Tenjinsai. Swapping his sword hand quickly to his left, he parried the strike from the man to his left while preparing a kidou and firing it at the one to his right. "Hadou number one, Sho!" Again, he blasted the same man he had the first time and sent him sprawling backwards. He seemed more prepared for it this time though and did not get quite as much distance as before. Though, his opponent did not have a wall of flesh to catch him this time either. One way or another, the plan Tenjinsai had banked on had worked. Each of them seemed to be specialized in a certain area, and all around in the other areas. He could compete with the larger individual on a physical level, he was just very sturdy. 

The one that was fast he could keep up with and physically they were about a match. Finally, the one that hit like a freight train was the one he would have to keep an eye out for. He could not trade blows with him so keeping him at a distance with his speed and minimal kidou skills would be a definite. Tenjinsai still had his shikai at his disposal as well, just not wanting to use it right off the bat. It was something he would like to rather not use to begin with but if he had to, he would. Dropping into his combat stance he pointed his blade toward the lead of the enemy group and motioned with his left hand to 'bring it on'. "Oh, I am going to enjoy this." The man disappeared once more using shunpou and appeared up in the air above Tenjinsai. Diving forward quickly, Tenjinsai slid across the ground turning around as he evaded the attack.

Once his opponents attack had been completely evaded, he moved forward swinging his blade upwards from the ground in a vertical arc across his chest. The strike hit its mark, but only barely as a small tear became evident in his opponents shihakushou. Tenjinsai doubted any blood had been drawn, but something was better then nothing. It proved that he could at least hit him, he would just need to get a little closer next time. There was no time to think though, the other two were on him again, this time in formation. The larger more durable individual was the first one upon him. He swung his blade downward in a simple vertical chop aiming for Tenjinsai's right shoulder, a strike that was easily dodged. Behind him though the heavy hitter was already going to swing, coming in with a horizontal slash that was aimed for Tenjinsai's chest.

Falling backwards to the ground, Tenjinsai caught himself with his left hand, barely dodging the strike and then pushed himself back up, swinging his blade as he did so. The strike caught his target on the chin with a light, yet satisfying, slash. Blood slowly started to drip from the wound, another small victory for Tenjinsai in this battle. He just had to chip away at them a little bit at a time and either wear them down or make them retreat. Either would be preferable to killing them, but he would if he had to. Swinging his blade around in a wide arc for show, he dropped back into his combat stance and waited for the next attack. It seemed he was battle able to handle them if he waited for them to come to him instead of charging at them recklessly. It gave him time to react, to think in essence, and counter attack. If he could at least keep that small advantage, he had a good chance of coming out as the victor of this encounter.

Yet again, the heavy hitter and the brick wall came charging at him in the same formation. However as they drew closer they parted to the left and right and flanked Tenjinsai simultaneously. In the gap that they created, their leader charged forward with blinding speed, coming directly at Tenjinsai. Uttering a light 'shit' under his breath, Tenjinsai reacted as quickly and as well as he could. Instead of falling back or defending, he instead decided to charge as well. This gave him some space from the two at his sides, and halted the leaders advance prematurely. The two met blades and Tenjinsai drew in close to him purposely to try and use the leverage to pivot around and put him on the opposite side he charged from. He put pressure on his opponent specifically in a way that would force him to the right. Moving with that momentum he spun around while remaining deadlocked ending up opposite to where he had been, fulfilling his plan.

This put him out of harms way, for a moment, and gave him a small moment to think of his next step. Moving away from the deadlock, Tenjinsai took some distance and moved back into his stance. That last assault was good, almost too much for him to overcome. He doubted that he would be able to do it again as they would expect the maneuver he had just pulled and think of a way to overcome it. That being the case, he could not realistically think of another way to get around it other then just backing away, which would still put him at risk for their leader charging at him. It was not a no win scenario, but pretty damn close to it. It may have been beneficial to alternate his offense and defense based on how his opponents were reacting to his movements. If they thought he would charge, he should hold back, and vice versa. It was at least worth a shot to see how it would go.

Tenjinsai once again dropped into his combat stance, and waited for them to approach. Just as before, they fell into formation and charged at him with the brick wall in front and the freight train behind. This time however, instead of waiting for them to separate, Tenjinsai charged forward at the larger one and dropped down, sliding between his legs. As he did so he prepared the only hadou he knew in his left hand and sliced out at the brick walls right leg as he went under. As he came out the other side he brought his left hand up and aimed it directly at the heavy hitter and released the hadou as he had done before. "Hadou number one, Sho!!" His target attempt to shield the blast by putting his blade in front of him and bracing with his left hand, though it did not accomplish much. As the blast hit him, his arms folded out giving way to the force that struck him and sent him soaring backwards again.

He landed hard with a thud and the leader who was going to charge up the center again barely had time to avoid his companions body as he flew past him. Jumping up after his successful maneuver, Tenjinsai circle around to his left, distancing himself from the larger individual who he had managed to wound with his sword. The attack seemed to have left a small slice in his calve, one that would hopefully hamper his movements as the fight progressed. The leader of the group moved to help his companion, that had now been struck thrice by sho, up off the ground. As he did so the hard hitter stumbled slightly, gripping his right side with his left hand. It seemed as though all of those blasts finally hit their mark and broke a few of the mans ribs. One of them had a wound on their calve, the other one a small cut on their chin and broken ribs.

Little by little, this was looking like Tenjinsai's fight. That was what he thought at least before a startling realization was thrust upon him. He was yet again a small fry in a world filled with people that were leagues beyond him. A voice called out from beyond the corridor they were fighting in as several more shinigami arrived, supposedly in support of the three he was fighting. "I am glad to see that you idiots haven't gotten yourselves killed yet. What were you thinking engaging someone of that strength by yourselves?" Tenjinsai raised an eyebrow as they came closer and he could distinctly point out four more shinigami that joined the three he was fighting. They moved close to the individual that was speaking and all knelt down, barring the one with broken ribs who just bowed his head. "Forgive us Lieutenant, it seemed an opportunity too good to pass up and thought we could handle it."

Sighing lightly, the female who was addressed as Lieutenant crossed her arms and frowed her brow. "Yoshitatsu, how many times do I have to tell you. Act accordingly to your surroundings, it is not worth getting yourself killed. We need every man we can get right now and you throwing your lives away is not beneficial to this operation." Tenjinsai moved forward slightly, wanting to speak to this individual but was stopped dead in his tracks. As he moved in even the slightest way her gaze found her way to him and ripped right through his soul. Whoever she was, she was not playing games here. It seemed that instead of possibly having a diplomatic resolution to this, he may have found himself in even more danger then before. "Tell me Yoshitatsu, who is this man that you had to go out of your way to fight him anyway?"

The man, now known as Yoshitatsu, moved his head up to address the question, his head turning slightly to the left and giving a disdainful look to Tenjinsai. "He is a young noble of the Bushinji Clan. He is apparently one of Tenkai's children, and he seemed to good a target to pass up." At this news the woman's eyes went wide for a moment before returning to normal, her gaze fixing itself on Tenjinsai again. "So this boy here is Commander Bushinji's son? Perhaps this time you are correct Yoshitatsu." The woman moved forward past her subordinate, drawing her blade and keeping her eyes locked on Tenjinsai. "He is indeed too good an opportunity to pass up." She continued to approach until she was only standing about fifteen feet from Tenjinsai, her reiatsu leaking out subtly but enough to read her intent to fight.

Tenjinsai matched her, releasing his own and showing his intent to not back down. At this she smirked slightly and let a quick chuckle out before pointing her zanpaktou at him. "Tell me boy, what makes you think that you are a match for me? Surely if you are Commander Bushinji's son you know that my reiatsu outclasses yours. Why bother fighting?" With those words she released the full weight of her reiatsu through the area. It was clear she was not bluffing as the weight that pressed down was enough to startle Tenjinsai enough to stumble slightly. He bolstered himself and released the full force of his own reiatsu to counteract most of her aggressiveness. "You may be stronger then me but I am no coward. I will fight to the last and if you take me captive at that point, then so be it. But I will not go quietly before that point." 

She smirked once again, this time walking slowly forward towards him. "Spoken like a true warrior, let's see if you fight like one..." With that, she disappeared in a blur, using shunpou as her subordinate did but at a whole different level. Tenjinsai could honestly say he could not keep track of her movements and she was on top of him before he even knew it. She appeared right behind him, her head over his right shoulder, a quick breath blowing against the back of his ear. "Surprise." That was all he heard before he was on the ground several feet in front of where he had been standing, a pain rippling through his back that he had never felt before. He could not think of a time he had been struck that hard in the past, and he did not even remember it happening. He had found himself up shits creek alright, and the paddle was back several miles down and no one was around to help him.

Getting up as quickly as he could, Tenjinsai turned to face her only for her to have disappeared yet again. "You could at least try to keep up little boy, make this fun for me." She was on top of him again, this time almost literally as he looked up and saw her hovering only a few feet above, coming down to strike. Diving forward, he managed to just barely avoid the attack which left a small crater where he had just been standing. "Ohh, you actually managed to dodge that one, very good." 'God damnit' was the only thing that went through Tenjinsai's head as he got up yet again. He could not win this fight, he knew that with every fiber of his being. But would he really just roll over and let them take him captive without putting up some kind of resistance? No, he would not just give up, he still had one trick up his sleeve. Pointing his zanpaktou directly up into the air above him, he shouted out its name releasing his Shikai.

"Kiyomeru, Seijin Enma!!" As he spoke the name of his zanpaktou the blade of his weapon disappeared and was replaced by a powerful ripple of raging flames that roared outwards violently. Giving the weapon a quick test swing, the flames rippled out lightly and scorched the ground as they passed by leaving a smell of ashes in the air. Tenjinsai was not particularly surprised that he got little surprise as a response to releasing his shikai, as if it was expected. It was clear with the reiatsu he possessed he should have had his first release by this point, but it would not be enough. It would simply help him survive a while longer, and perhaps give her something to think about before beating him down into the ground. Moving in his combat stance again, he waited for her to make a move, ready to react to anything that happened.

As he stood, anticipating the attack, the woman he was now fighting simply moved in a wide arc around him, observing Tenjinsai closely. It seemed as though she was examining his shikai, maybe trying to figure out exactly what it could do before she moved in on him. To be fair there was no real way to know as it did not give away much other then it was a fire elemental weapon. "Fire, fire fire, what is it with your family and fire?" Staggering slightly as she spoke, Tenjinsai was surprised that she knew that it was a familial trend. Perhaps they had gathered information the rest of his family or had been in combat before and seen them? "Tenkai, Hayashi, Tsunkai, and now you, whatever your name is. All of you with the flames. Is it some kind of family tradition for you guys to be hot heads or something?" She shook her head and moved her left hand out towards Tenjinsai, holding up a finger for a moment.

"I just reminded myself I do not know your name, I just know you are a Bushinji. Would you be so kind as to fill that information in for me? Perhaps if you share you name with me I will share mine with you." A trade of information, one that he would not mind taking up either. The three stooges back there already knew what his name was, so it was not like he had anything to lose as it was. "It is Tenjinsai, Tenjinsai Bushinji. Now as I was so kind, it is your turn to be as well." She laughed lightly, and took a few steps forward towards Tenjinsai and vanished in a blur again. She appeared at his left side, away from the flames of his blade and stroked under his chin with her left hand. "So pushy, I am starting to like you a little bit. But I did say I would give you my name." In a blur she was gone again and just quickly enough to avoid a flaming slash from Tenjinsai's blade.

She reappeared standing where she had been before, her arms at her hips with her blade being held awkwardly at best. "Fiesty too, we are going to be great friends once we get you back to camp little Ten-Ten." Tenjinsai gritted his teeth at the new pet name she had just decided to give him. The flames on his blade flickered around wildly as well as his anger rose. She simply giggled again at the apparent fluctuation of his emotion, not holding him seriously as it was. "Relax Ten-Ten, my name is Nana Hisakawa. I am a Lieutenant with the Revolutionaries. That is just about all you need to know." Taking her hands off her hips, she moved forward and pointed her blade at Tenjinsai again. "Now, lets get you back to camp, shall we?" Tenjinsai simply smirked, and waved his blade towards her releasing a light wave of flames which she easily batted aside.


"Over my dead body, Lieutenant." Tenjinsai said mockingly, not particularly to her disapproval either. She simply smirked as she had been doing all along and prepared to jump into action again. "Perhaps not dead, but I can certainly arrange broken..." Just as she was about to pounce on him yet again she came to an abrupt stop as a powerful reiatsu rippled through the entire area. Even in his Shikai, Tenjinsai was forced down to the ground as were all of the subordinates at the back of the corridor. Only Nana herself was still standing, granted under a great deal of stress. "This reiatsu, who the hell is here, show yourself!!" Tenjinsai could not see them, but he felt a quick breeze of air as two individuals popped into existence behind them, their reiatsu being unmistakably familiar. "I would greatly appreciate it, Lieutenant Hisakawa, if you would leave my son be."

There was no mistaking who it was that had just saved his life, it was his own father. He could not say that he was surprised that he had come to his aid given the circumstances of their relationship. He watched from the ground as his father slowly moved past him, sparing him only a single glance before turning his attention back to the woman in front of him. "You would come here to save your little pup there. I have to say as well.."  She looked over at Tenjinsai briefly with a smile before turning her attention back to Tenkai. "If all of your children are of such great stock perhaps we would be able to make some talented off spring!!" Tenjinsai watched his father vanish in a blur and appear in front of Nana, her neck in his hand and her body hoisted off the ground. "You would do well to hold your tongue, child, if you have any desire to live."

Without another word he threw her body across the hall into the wall. With a loud crash the wall crumbled as her body struck it and a sickening grunt could be heard, forced from her lungs by the sheer impact. The weight of his fathers reiatsu started to lighten and Tenjinsai could stand once again, though feeling fairly worn from the experience. It was now that he realized his uncle, Hayashi, was there as well. He had stayed in the back, near Tenjinsai, most likely to keep him safe while Tenkai did what he needed to. Sealing his shikai and sheating his zanpaktou, Tenjinsai turned to his uncle and walked closer to him, getting away from whatever chaos was about to ensue. "You could not have shown up at a better time Uncle." Hayashi placed both hands on his shoulders, smiling lightly at his nephew, and shook him gently. "I am just glad we got here when we did."

He moved his hands from Tenjinsai's shoulder and looked past him towards the gathering of shinigami that were just now beginning to stand up as well. "When we felt your reiatsu, as well as theirs, we had known something was wrong. It was not until we felt her specific reiatsu though that we knew we needed to move. She is dangerous Tenjinsai, though I am sure you figured that out yourself." He nodded in response, turning to his side and looking at his father move towards the crumbled wall, clearing debris as he looked for Nana. "Yes, as strong as I may have gotten she is leagues beyond me. I would have certainly been defeated if you and father had not shown up when you did." Hayashi moved forward and placed his right hand on Tenjinsai's shoulder as he looked onward. "Well, we are here now, and hopefully we can wrap this up quickly and get back to the manor."

As his uncle finished speaking, Tenjinsai watched his father reach into one of the piles of rubble he had created and pulled Nana's body out of it. She looked a great deal worse for wear but certainly not dead. She struggled in futility against his fathers grip on her shihakushou, though she would not need to do so for long. He tossed her aside toward the rest of her subordinates that were now all standing and up in arms. It did not seem they were going to fight at least, they knew that doing so would mean certain death against a seasoned foe like Tenkai. "I would suggest you all take your leave now before I change my mind and drag you all back in chains." Nana slowly got to her feet with the help of Yoshitatsu and another of her subordinates, and after sharing a venomous glance with Tenjinsai and company, vanished in a blur along with her men.

His father straightened out his garbs as he turned around and slowly approached the pair. Tenjinsai attempted to speak but was quickly silenced by his father. "Not here, we need to get back to the manor before we discuss anything. If we linger too long they may be back with reinforcements." That was all Tenkai said before he was gone in the blink of an eye. "As impressive as always." Tenjinsai muttered as he and his uncle turned to head in the same direction. "Indeed, your father hasn't seemed to have lost his edge as the years have passed. He is just like your grandfather, selfless in duty and training, but those around him suffer for it unfortunately." Tenjinsai grimaced slightly at those words, understanding them full well. Event though he had exceptional circumstance as far as the relationship with his father, he knew it was the same with his siblings as well.

Their father had always been a shinigami first and a father second. From what he understood when he was growing up, Tenkai had gotten better when their mother had died, taking on more responsibility as a father at that point, but no more then was really necessary. Tsunkai and Amaya had both been grown at that point so it did not really matter in the long run. For himself though, his siblings had been more parents for him then his real father had been. "But that is neither here nor there, especially in this time of chaos. It is important for us all to fulfill our duty to the Soul Society if we want to hold it together." The two began to head off towards the manor after his father after those words. It gave time for Tenjinsai to mull them over, understanding their meaning fairly well. Beyond that, it gave some insight to his father's personality too.

He understood that they were shinigami, they had duties to fulfill, and their ranks held even more significance in that. The thirteen Captains were in charge of the entire Gotei Thirteen, by extension, the safety of the entire Soul Society was in their hands. His father took that responsibility seriously, very seriously. Tenkai had risked life and limb many times over to ensure the safety of every single creature in both the World of the Living and the Soul Society. Though the family suffered for it, the weight of the whole outweighed the needs of the one. Holding that in mind, he could see how his siblings had come to look past it, as he did now as well. Though there were still other issues between him and his father that may never be reconciled, he could at least move beyond one of the many. It still shook him though, that he may never be able to have a normal relationship with him.

It was not as though he hated his father, if anything he admired him and held him in the highest regards. He just wanted his father to acknowledge him, be proud of him, like Tsunkai and Amaya. He stopped in his tracks, thinking for a moment, his Uncle stopping with him to see why he had stopped. "Tenjinsai, come on, we have to keep moving. It is not safe out here with the threat of others still upon us." Tenjinsai shook his head, clearing his mind but still kept his head down. This was not the time to be disturbed by familial issues, but it was happening whether he liked it or not. He looked up at Hayashi, questioning him on the biggest issue on his mind since the day he was born. "Uncle Hayashi, will father ever be able to look at me differently then he does? Will I always be the murderer of my mother to him?"
A long sigh came from Hayashi as his hands moved to his hips.


"We need to keep moving Tenjinsai, we can talk and move, will that be satisfactory to you?" Tenjinsai nodded quickly and two picked up pace again and started moving towards the manor. A few more minutes had passed in silence as the two kept moving side by side, the topic still lingering in the air. Hayashi had finally decided to break the silence knowing that the question would not be dropped one way or another. "Your father, Tenkai, is a very enigmatic person. His mind works in very unusual ways, but there are three things that I know for certain about him." Tenjinsai was all ears, opting to not say anything and simply listen as his uncle spoke. If there was anything that he could learn he was more then open to it. "The first thing is that he will never forsake his duty to the Soul Society even if it meant his life. Unless certain circumstances are met at the very least."

Tenjinsai's eyebrows peaked up at hearing the last bit of that sentence. He had known his father was a proud and loyal shinigami and took his duties seriously. It had been centuries since he had become a shinigami and it was practically engrained in his being. But to hear that he could actually turn his back to the Soul Society under the right circumstances was, confusing, to say the least. "The second thing that is certain, is the one that contradicts the first. His friends and family are the most important things in his life, he would take on the world if it meant protecting someone dear to him. He acknowledges the difference between duty and justice." Now Tenjinsai could understand what his uncle had meant with what he had spoken. His father was not just a drone that did as he was told one hundred percent of the time.

He had a mind of his own and understood when something may or may not be as it should be. Tenjinsai found himself wondering if there was an actual example of that happening. Perhaps it was better of him not to know regardless, his fathers past was his own business. If he did not want to share it, it was for a good reason. "The third and final thing, is that he loves each and every one of his children and would do anything for them. Even you Tenjinsai, you mean the world to him even if he does not say it. It is just, difficult for him." He understood what his uncle said to a degree. He had been told many times over by family that his father did not hate him. It was the fact that whenever Tenkai looked at him, he thought of his deceased wife. It caused pain that could not truly be understood by Tenjinsai, but he at least tried to understand it.

"Your mother meant everything to Tenkai, her death was something he took very hard, understandably. They had been partners for centuries, had fought together, saved each others lives. They were ready to live or to die together. To lose someone like that, it crushed his spirit. To this day he has not truly recovered from it." Tenjinsai hung his head slightly, still feeling responsible for all of it. He knew he was not to blame, and had been told that hundred of times. It was something that was not within the control of himself, or anyone else. Even though it made him made at times that his father looked at him that way, the opposite end of it still effected him too. It upset him that his father could not look at him differently, but he also felt inexplicable guilt over being the instrument in hurting his father in such a way too. 

It was something that had broken Tenkai's spirit, something that was not easy for a proud warrior as he was. That was how he knew his father had been devastated by it. If his uncle was even saying that he had not fully recovered as well, it was something that he could take seriously. "One day, you two will be able to work out your differences, I do not doubt that. It will just take some time. Whether he realizes it or not, he needs you as much as you need him." Tenjinsai could not deny that his uncle's words did make him feel better. He was typically correct with his speculations and hoped that the same would be for this one. Perhaps he would even have time to breach the subject with his father as well as they had just arrived at the manor. How receptive he would be to it though would be an entirely different matter.

He would have to choose his words carefully, especially considering Tenjinsai had multiple objects in mind too. If he chose both he may not succeed one way or the other and leave empty handed. Which was more important to him, getting away to the world of the living, or gaining a real relationship with his father?

The small group made their way inside of the manor, the guards outside quickly making way for the three to enter. Tenkai led the small group with Hayashi just beside him and Tenjinsai trailed behind trying to gather his thoughts together before he was psuedo-interrogated. He knew there would be questions that he would have to answer. These questions had easy answers, but answering them in the plainest way would not be beneficial to his own agenda. Just blurting out, 'I want to go to the World of the Living', would not help out his cause. He needed to round about the conversation to steer things in a direction that would give him some leverage. Attempting to get his uncle out of the room would most likely assist him as well. He would end up becoming stern competition as far as getting his father to concede to his requests. The odds would be against him unless he could get him out of the equation.

That too though was something he was unsure of how to do. There was no way to just ask his uncle to go away. First of all, it was incredibly rude to ask a senior member of his family. Secondly, it would raise alarms as to why he wanted to be alone there with just his father. Perhaps not though since it was his father he was dealing with as well. Their relationship had always been strained, something that was no secret in the family. The nature of which was public information too, as well as his expulsion from the manor many years ago. He could ask his father for a private conversation, that would easily be able to get Hayashi out of their so he could have a one on one. From that point on it would be entirely up to him whether he was able to convince Tenkai or not. As the three moved into the manor they made their way towards the assembly hall.

It was a place were meetings of the clan were held for important matters and on the occasion a feast where all of the family could gather and make merry with one another. It would seem that the hall would be the venue of this conversation with his father. It was nothing that he had an issue with to be certain, it just seemed unusual that Tenkai would chose there of all places. As they entered into the hall, Tenkai seated himself at the head of large table, the position he always sat as the head of the clan. Hayashi was next to seat himself, to the right of Tenkai, and Tenjinsai followed by sitting opposite his uncle. The two servants who had been minding the room exited the room rapidly realizing the nature of the situation and closed the door behind them. The three now had the privacy they needed to begin the conversation, though Tenjinsai still needed privacy beyond that.

"So." Hayashi was the first to begin the conversation. "Would you like to share with us what you were doing within the Seireitei Tenjinsai? As a member of a noble house you of course have access to it, but that doesn't explain why you were here." Tenjinsai looked to his uncle and then cast a quick glance at his father before looking back. They remained silent, an imposing stare being placed on him as they waited for an answer. "I came here to speak with father about an important matter. It has been something I have been dwelling on for some time now. I thought it finally time to actually discuss it with you." Tenjinsai drew his attention to his father, their gaze meeting as his old man leaned back slightly in his chair, arms crossed over his chest. "Well, if there is something you want to talk about then you have my attention."

Tenjinsai cleared his throat lightly before turning his attention to his uncle. Both Hayashi and Tenkai looked at each other briefly before his uncle received a nod from the elder brother. "I shall take my leave and give you two some room to talk. If I am needed I will be nearby." Tenjinsai stood as his uncle left and bowed to him out of a respect, a common practice for nobility. Once Hayashi had left and the doors to the hall were once again closed, Tenjinsai sat back down and brought his full attention to his father. "I certainly hope whatever you came here for was important enough to risk your life for Tenjinsai. You were fortunate that we intervened when we did. Otherwise, who knows what could have ended up happening." Tenjinsai nodded lightly, his head slightly held down towards the table, his eyes tracing along the grain of the fine mahogany.

"I understand father, and I do appreciate the assistance you and Uncle Hayashi gave me. If not for you too they most certainly would have captured me." Tenjinsai moved forward slightly in his chair, placing his arms on the table and crossing his hands together. He drew his head upwards and placed his gaze on his father, now was the time. "I have come here to make a request of you, to use the clan's senkaimon." The word senkaimon grabbed Tenkai's attention quickly as he perked up in his chair, leaning forward towards the table, his right arm placed on it. "I take it that you want to go to the World of the Living. I can see no other reason you would want to make use of the Senkaimon." Tenkai stood up slowly and moved towards the back of the room. He gazed out an open window, observing the small garden that sat next to the hall.

It was adorned with a variety of plants, the most noticeable being the cherry blossom trees as the center piece. He placed his arms slowly behind his back and clasped his hands together, his head cocking slightly to the right one eye catching sight of Tenjinsai. "Now, what business could you possibly have in the World of the Living." Tenjinsai turned his gaze and set it upon his father. He knew he had to answer this question carefully, if he did not then he was doomed. He had one chance, one opportunity to try and get his father to say yes. If he could not, then he would not be given a second chance. "I desire to travel there to gain more experience as a shinigami, as ironic as that sentence is. I know I am not technically one, but I possess the same powers and abilities as one. Just because I have not gone through the academy does not mean I am not one. You know as well as I do father that it is in my blood."

Tenkai laughed loudly when his son had finished speaking. He turned away from the window and came back towards the table, his thunderous roar of merriment still rippling through the room. A smile shown brightly on his face as he placed his hands on the back of the chair he previous sat upon and looked down toward his son. The laughing slowly stopped but the smile still remained, something strange had certainly happened, but what Tenjinsai could not place. "You remind me a great deal of myself when I was younger. Though, you are my son after all. You are headstrong and eager to grow stronger and develop your abilities as quickly as you can. I understand how you feel but, I cannot allow you to go." Tenjinsai stood up quickly and turned towards his father, his hands clenched into fists at his side as he held back the sudden frustration that burnt up inside of him.


"Father wait, please reconsider. I do not see the reason why I cannot go. I am more then strong enough to handle myself against the hollows that roam the earth, I can do this." This father's smile disappeared slowly, his head shaking as his demeanor clearly remained the same. "It is not that Tenjinsai, I know how strong you are. It is because you lack discipline and a good situational understanding. Certainly you can handle the run of the mill hollow, but there are other threats in the World of the Living that you are not prepared for. However..." His father paused for a moment, sitting back down in the chair and reaching inside of his Haori, pulling out a small scrap of paper with some scribbling upon it. "I think we may be able to reach an agreement here. After that, then we shall see if you are ready to go to the World of the Living or not."

Tenjinsai squinted slightly and then followed suit with his father and sat back down in his chair. He reached his hand out to take the small scrap of paper which had a name written on it, one that he recognized. He looked back up to his father slightly surprised but confused as well to the reason behind the name. "You need discipline and training, real training, not what the academy offers new recruits. You will go to the Eighth Division barracks and contact Captain Sansuka Setsune. You will be appointed as his Vice Captain and serve under him for the next month. After that return to me and we will see if you have changed your mind or not." Tenjinsai could not believe what he had just been told. He had been denied permission to use the clans personal senkaimon and was now being offered an executive position in the Gotei Thirteen.

His father wanted him to serve under Sansuka for some form of training and discipline that he believed Tenjinsai was lacking. To an extent he was sure that his father was correct, but it still did not make any sense to him. Why did he need more structure to go to the World of the Living. The worst thing that he had to worry about there were hollows. What could being trained as a Vice Captain do to help him get ready to travel there. One way or another though he did not really have a choice in the matter. The decision had been made for him and this was now what he had to do. "You do not have to report to him immediately, but do it soon. I will have word sent ahead to him that you will be by in the next week or so. Now, unless there is anything further I believe we have concluded this conversation." Tenjinsai nodded quickly not sure of what to really say after that.

He bowed to his father, and maintained the position as he left the room, their conversation concluded. A few moments had passed before the door to the hall was shut again, Tenjinsai being left alone to the silence of the room. He had failed to do what he had come there for and had come out with a reward he did not desire. Now he would find himself in the service of someone he barely knew and a change in his life he did not expect. A great deal of regrets were starting to surround him and he almost wished he had never even come. But somewhere deep down inside, a part of his soul accepted this challenge openly and yearned for this opportunity. Even through opposition a door had been opened to his true destiny, what he was meant to do with his life. 

It would not become apparent, not for some time, but that was also the point of it all. His father knew a great more about his son then Tenjinsai even realized about himself. The young vagrant of Rukongai would become a splendid shinigami one day. The only thing that was left for him now, was to realize who he was.

While the group was making their way to the bushinji estate mikoto was able to for once take a breather from everything. Traveling in a big group for once was different then what he was normally used to but it was still a nice feeling, not having to contsantly worry about being jumped by random thugs. It was nice to for once take in everything around him and while the rukongai wasn't the most pleasnt place in the soul society it still had its beauty to look at here and there. While lost in thought many of the other people in his group chatted with each other about various things, things from the wheather to prior missions to getting drunk off mission. Takuji was the first though to strike up a conversation with him "So how long have you known the Tsunkai's brother? you to seem pretty close" mikoto snapped dout of his current thoughts and looked at takuji puzzled for a moment "Oh since we were young we used to hangout alot, we used ot get into all sorts of trouble it was some of the best days of my life".

Takuji smiled and let out a bit of a laugh "I see, tell me how well did you know the rest of tenjinsai's family if i may ask?" it was an interesting question he really didn't know much about the rest of tenjinsai' family really, he only really hungout out with tenjinsai and only saw his sibilings on a few occasions with the exception of his uncle Hayashi "Not much really only saw them when i guess they were not busy, other then Hayashi i didn't have much contact with the rest of his family". At this point Tsunkai decided to join the conversion "You know Takuji its is rude to prod to much" surprised takuji quickly apologiesed "Sorry sir i didn't mean anything just trying to get to know our new guy a little bit". With a laugh Tsunkai replied "I know just remember not to get out of line with your questions" tsunkai thought for a bit "I can say when mikoto did visit i only saw him when he ran by with tenjinsai and when My uncle was apparently teaching him".

With that remark Takuji precieded to ask mikoto about that "So if you don't mind me asking other then kido what else did he teach you?" mikoto had to try and remember it was a long time ago "Uhh i never really noticed i alwasy thought he was trying to impress me with kido sometimes, never really thought them as lessons though in hinsight i guess he was teach me" he paused for a moment "I guess prehaps he took pitty on me or maybe just took aliking to me and decided to teach me, prehaps he thought he could make one less thug on the streets who knowns" Hayashi did teach him many things wheather at the time mikoto realized it or not. A few of them being proper manners to reading and writing. Some more time passed and the group stopped for a bit to rest.

While resting mikoto became lost in thought wondering what he should do it was at this time Tsunkai came over and spoke "Considering your abilites mikoto i think this is a good time to work on them" interigued he asked "What do you have in mind?" Tsunkai smiled "i am going to teach you some more kido since you seem to be pretty good at it, now then which one?" Tsunkai thought for a while considering kido to teach him after a few minutes he apparently thought of one "Alright mikoto i think Shakkaho is a good one to teach you it should go well with you Shitotsu Sansen now watch carefully ill will show you how its done and then your going to try". Tsunkai took up a stance and began to concentrate, his right hand forward a red ball of energy formed "Hado number thirtyone, Shakkaho" the ball of energy fired from his hand and hit one of the trees in the area.

Many of the group smiled at Tsunkai's demonstration, He then turned to mikoto "Now its your turn stand like this arm up hand out and focus your energy". Mikoto got up and took the stance Tsunkai showed up put his arm up and hand out and began to attempt the technique. It took some time but eventually a ball of red energy formed in his hand but it became unstable and exploded, luckly he wasnt heart but many of the group looked at him and let out a chuckle though a stren look from Tsunkai shutup the group very quickly. After a few hours of practice mikoto was finally getting somewhere being able to keep the kido in control and firing it though it was weak he was getting the hang of it. After a bit longer he finally was successful "Hado number thirtyone, Shakkaho" firing the red ball of energy from his hand and destroying one of the trees Tsunkai walked up to him and congratulated his success "Well done mikoto excellent work, though its time to get moving" Takuji also came up and patted his pack and a few others in the group smiled and congratulated him as well.

Once they reached the seireitei they were let through the gate luckly it didn't take long thanks to Tsunkai. After some more walking the group finally made it to the bushinji manor and were greated by the guards Tsunkai told his group to relax for a bit while he dealt with something, mikoto decided to go track down tenjinsai since the guards told him he arrived already. It was at this time Hayashi found him "Mikoto it's been to long, how have you been?" with a smile he replied "Hayashi it's good to see you i am doing good all things considering, I don't suppose you know where Tenjinsai is?" Hayashi immeditaly knew why he was here at that point "Ah I see yes i know where he is ill take you to him he should be finishing up with what he doing by now". Hayashi lead him to the meeting area where tenjinsai was and told him to wait outside, mikoto thanked him and sat down out side the door while hayashi went back to waiting outside as well for their converstion to finish.

While they waited Mikoto decieded to rest and think on what was going on so far. Everything was going a bit crazy first tenjinsai's brother showed up then tenjinsai dragged them into a spar then apparently during the spar he learned his shikai and then told him to meet him at the bushinji estate. Though mikoto himself learned a few new tricks during his spar so all was not to bad he thought. After some time passed he began to wonder what tenjinsai's plans were, he made a note to ask him when he got a chance thoug hhe was sure he would find out one way or another. Mikoto decided to see what Hayashi was doing from what he could see he was in some sort of thought. He decieded to strike up a converstion while they waited "So what have you been up to?" Hayashi looked at him and replied "Hmm? oh you know this and that doing my best keeping things stable assisting tenkai with other thigs as well" interigued he asked "Assisting him with what if i may ask?" Hayashi smiled "Sorry private matters nothing personal mikoto" with that Hayashi went back to his thoughts and Mikoto went back ot sitting in silence.

Wc 1282

"Good, you've not disappointed me so far. The time is nearing when we can talk in earnest. You've grown whether you realized it or not. The moment you awoke and the time you spent walking to get here is far longer than you realize, but that's fine. Today grasp at your destiny and once you grab a hold- Don't let go. This is a chance at redemption for you." A voice said as clear as day to Aria. Confused by the sudden voice Aria looked around only to find no one around here. "What? Who said that?!" She shouted, but was only greeted by silence.

After a moment it came to her as to whose voice it was. It was the voice from her dream. The one she heard before she arrived to the place known as soul society. She eased, but couldn't help but wonder if this will be something that happened from now on. After all they say hearing voices in your head is a sign you're going crazy. She sighed from it all. Everything she knew was being turned and flipped around. She had very little control anymore on what was happening and all she knew was that she needed answers. Answers that would hopefully be given to her upon reaching the place the old man told her about. "Damn, this place is making me crazy. I'm even hearing voices in my head." She sighed once more. "So much for this place being heaven as well. The men I first met tried to rob me or worse. I thought those type of people were supposed to go to hell." She said aloud to herself.

It's true. People who are evil and who've done evil deeds arrive at hell rather than Soul Society, but what you did here seemed above any form of judgement that the last life had. "Ugh, all of this is confusing." As she was thinking this she finally reached her destination. Before her laid the white buildings- The Seireitei as she learned on the way here. The place where shinigami more or less congregate.

It seemed to be in much better condition than any of the rest of the area she passed through. It seemed as if they had better treatment as well and not just anyone could become a Shinigami. You needed to have spiritual power and attend some academy or some stupid thing. "Seems remarkably similiar to being a police officer huh?" She thought as she was thinking over the information she gathered from other people on the way here. Each and everyone mention her sword and thought she was one of these- Shinigami.

In all honesty she didn't know if she was or not, but she felt an energy within her that she hadn't felt before. After some testing she was able to actually push this energy out of her. It glowed in a magnificent blue hue. Apparently this was spiritual energy and that she could potentially become one of these Shinigami everyone seems to talk about. She wasn't even sure she wanted to. After all her mind couldn't help but remember the one that sent her to this place without any real warning. "Dealing with things like that seems like a real pain. However it may put me in a position to eventually get back at the guy." She sighed again. "This is a lot to take in." She was becoming a sigh machine almost sighing every few minutes. She was sure if anyone was around her they would start to get annoyed by all of her sighing.

The next thing she noted is apparently the sword she held wasn't all that common. Some more knowledgeable people she had talked to called it a -"Zanpakutō"- A sword only Shinigami carried. In English both translated into soul slayer and death god respectively. Even her doubts of not being one of these so called death gods seem to be disappearing."Guess I really don't get to pick what to do with this life." She sighed yet again. "This might be better though. Apparently Shinigami have a higher standing in this world and only very few can become one, but still. Combat seems to be a part of their daily lives and they train almost non-stop." She thought for a moment and only one word felt like it fit. Army. It seemed like this was this world's form of it. Again another sigh. It was a lot to take in that she could associate herself in such a world, but she wanted to make the most of this life unlike her previous life.

Still combat- Something she only experienced recently- seemed to make her feel more alive than ever. The thrill and the adrenaline. It felt great. A smile crept onto her face as she recalled the events. She never felt anything like that before. The joy it gave her was immense. "It may not be such a bad thing after all. To throw myself into a fight." She let out a small laugh to herself as she felt her blood churn within her.

Speaking of fighting another thought came to her. Apparently something had happened that caused the major faction leaders disappear and split everything in soul society as a whole. Even the Gotei 13 -as she learned the Shinigami's group was called- Was splintered. There was infighting behind the scenes and grasps for power. It was hectic and even the place she came from -Which she now knew as Rukongai- was falling apart. "Hmm, I wonder what happened to caused all these events to occur." She pondered in her mind, but was unable to find an answer.

This was about the sum of her knowledge she managed to gather on her way here. It wasn't a lot, but it was definitely a start to figuring out what to do with her new found life and power. "Nurture it and let the seed grow within you." She thought. Oddly enough she felt like these words were said to her before, but she wasn't able to place it's origin. "For now let's just step forward with no regrets." Her gaze fixated on the area before her. She was unsure as to where to go, but she wouldn't let that stop her. She grinned once more as she walked forward confidently that she would not let this chance go to waste.


It however didn't take long for her to be stopped by a man wearing the black robes of the Shinigami. This was something else that confused people. She didn't wear those robes that signified you as a Shinigami. It wasn't like she minded that she didn't get the robes with the sword. After all, her own clothes were much more comfortable than wearing such a strange uniform. "Well, well. Look what we got here? Ya lost of somethin' kid?" The shinigami asked with some form of intimidation in his. "A bit aggressive there." She responded. "Aggressive?" He laughed. "Awright, is the wee princess lost then?" He said mockingly. It was here that he noticed she held a sword in her hand. Not just any sword mind you- A  Zanpakuto. "Shit, which faction are you from?!" He shouted at her. "Faction?" She mumbled. "Ah, right. The Gotei 13 is splintered". She recalled. "I don't know anything about any faction." She voiced to him, but it seemed he was on guard and took very little consideration of her words. "I just woke up with this sword-" She was interrupted "Like hell! You're clearly not from the faction I'm from and what's more is even if what you say is true- You're a ryoka. I can't let you enter." With that he drew the sword that dangled from his waste. "Really?" She said to him in disbelief.

What could she hope to do? The shinigami before her didn't seem to be willing to listen to words and honestly felt like he was jumping the gun a bit. "I won't step back. I won't stop here. I can't let things be as they are and give up. I must press forward and learn. I mustn't let this new found life of mine go to waste! If you think you can stop me. Try!" She roared and her heart pounded in excitement as to what was about to unfold. She could hardly contain herself now. "Time to see how strong this "army" is." She placed her hand on the hilt of the sword and drew it from the sheath. This wouldn't be like fighting those muggers from before.

WC: 1,429

Aria gripped her blade's hilt firmly with her right hand and the sheath with her left. She stood there as she eye'd down her foe. She knew this would be her real fight on equal ground if not favoring the enemy. After all he was already an integrated part of this world. He survived and lived here for who knows how long. She knew it was time to get this fight going and whether or not she could live in this world depended on it. As she thought this the man charged towards her with his sword at the ready.

"It's begun." She grinned at the thought of how the fight might be quite entertaining. Nothing like the one sided fights she had been in thus far. This was a fighting ground equal to both. She also noted she felt no fear. It was unusual as she knew people in this situation were supposed to, but all she felt was the rush. The rush of battle and of risking one's life by throwing themselves into a deadly fight. She was utterly addicted to this feeling and held high hopes for this fight.

Her heart pounded as he started with a horizontal slash. Her body mode almost as if it were reflexes and the two swords touched with sparks splashing from the contact point. The metal ground together with a metallic ring and she felt alive. "You're open." She said coldly as she reversed the sheath and swung with her left hand. She used the sheath as if it were another blade and it crashed into the man's left leg. "Fuck." He yelled as he lost balance.

No longer having blades locked she was able to recover her right and just as she was about to swing down with her blade the man's left hand was lifted up and pointed towards her. He formed almost a fake gun with his hand. Both his index and middle finger pointed towards her. The rest folded neatly in a fist. Something in her mind screamed at her to dodge. "Hado #4 Byakurai!" He yelled. A brilliant blue light flashed from his fingers. Energy seemed to swirl as if it were a galaxy and within a split second later it gathered into one point. It shot out in a slender line of blue energy. It almost seemed as if electricity pulsed around the beam. Luckily she had listened otherwise she would of been skewered by the attack. She had jumped back and to the side. Energy seemed to still linger in the air for a second before disappearing. "Oh? You could of killed me with that." She laughed as she straightened up. She was having fun with the brush of death.

It was almost a restart as both of them as now both of them stood facing each other. She held a slight advantage of course due to hitting his right leg from before. "Well, that was quite neat!" She said laughing. She was interested in how to do it and decided to give it a shot herself. However as she did it something was stirring from within. "Let's see... It was like this right?" She asked rhetorically. She lifted her right hand and pointed the index finer and middle finger at him. She concentrated the energy there as she had seen before. The only difference is that it was red in color.  It must of be because she didn't actually learn it through traditional means. It was just as if something from within her was telling her how to do it and she listened. Within a few moments it was done. "Jugeki Byakurai hado #19." She said coldly as the red lightning spewed forth from her fingers with a crack. The man attempted to block with his Zanpakuto, but it drilled a hole through the sword and straight through the man's chest.

His body crumpled to floor. His breathing raspy as each breathe seemed to be a struggle. "Oh? It's over." She said as she walked over to the man's body. It was far more powerful than his and even more than she expected of herself. She looked down at the man who was now at death's door. "I shouldn't of done that. I wanted to enjoy the fight a bit more." She thought. She didn't know that she had this type of energy within her. However she was a bit confused as to how she even knew how to use that to begin with.

As if on que a voice chimed in, "Because you've already learned it. You've just forgotten who you were and us." A voice responded to her question. It clawed at her in familiar way. She knew it was in her head at this point. "Who are you?" She thought. There was no response as usual, but now there were two voices in her head. Disregarding the voices being in her head for a moment. The context of what it said. "I already knew huh?" It was quite the mystery, but it did feel awfully familiar. Same with the fight. It felt as if she already knew how to react and holding the sheath in her other hand felt natural too. It was all puzzling, but she had to press forward and hope answers would come to her.

"How?" The man asked with effort. "How did I do that?" She responded. The man nodded. His eyelids seemed heavy. "Well, I'm not sure. I just tried to mimic you and that's what happened." His eyes widened in disbelief, but he had no choice to accept the answer as the loser. He cough up blood as his life was drawing closer to an end. "You know. I didn't actually mean to kill you. I didn't think it would be that strong." She said to him as she walked away while putting her sword back into it's resting place. Honestly she needed some place other than holding it all the time to put her zanpakuto. Her left arm was getting a bit tired from holding it the entire time.

Just as she was leaving the voice spoke again. It seemed it faded in and out sometimes she could hear it and other times not. Only one word came to her mind. "Remember!" It screamed in her mind. Her head was beginning to pound in pain causing her to drop her sword and clasp her hands around her head. "Remember what!" She screamed, but no reply like usual. The voices repeated over and over the word. Each time it was said the pain increased to the point that she fell to her knees. Eventually she blacked out entirely. There she stayed motionless. Her hands now weakly touching the ground. It was an unusual sight as there she was on her knees no long moving and no longer conscious.

BONG! BONG! BONG! A clock was crying out. It was more like a clock from a clock tower. Each chime is made shook the ground. She could hear, but for some reason she couldn't see. "Ah, I need to open my eyes..." She said weakly. Her eyelids were heavy. For some reason it took immense effort just for her to open them. Even her body felt weak. "What happened?" She asked as she was finally able to open her eyes. It was certainly disorientating. Last thing she remembered was the fight with the shinigami and a voice screaming at her to remember. Then nothing. "What happened?" She asked herself. "Maybe I finally went off the deep end. With these voices constantly shouting at me." She chuckled a bit about how pitiful that thought was.

Finally her eyes began to come into focus and she was able to see again. From what she could gather she was in the top floor of an extremely large clock tower. Gears whirring and mechanical ticks ticking. It was a noisy place to be sure. The only light came from behind her. The clock face was transparent except for the usual lines for time as well as the hands. Outside there was nothing, but light. The light that passed through the face was enough to illuminate the entire room, but there seemed to be no exit in the ginormous room that she could see. "Hello?!" She shouted out. Her body seemed weak and her sword was no where in sight. "Did I die again?" She asked herself. Her current situation was certainly confusing, but she definitely had to do something other than sit here.

However before she could move she heard a noise behind her. She spun around towards the face of the clock. In front of her were two forms that looked almost shadowy in her perspective, but this was because of the contrast of the light shining in. "So you're back finally." One of the forms spoke. "We're your zanpakuto. You once knew us, but it seems you've forgotten. I'm the one who acknowledges your desire to grow and change. I'm the one who rejects you." The two almost seemed to be one entity. Finishing each other's sentence without any pause. It was certainly a unique sight to behold and hear. It was like something out of a movie. "So there's two of you in my sword?" She asked confused. She had heard about old tales of swords having a spirit of their own or otherwise. There now seemed to be some truth to it. Her question seemed to be ignored, but she was sure she would receive some insight soon.

The one who had said that they acknowledged her moved forward. It was the form of a young man. He had black hair that was a bit messy. His clothes are a white buttoned up shirt and black khakis for pants. His shoes were also dress shoes. It almost seemed he was ready for an interview or something. "Once again we meet. You need to remember us once again. Even my other half acknowledged you once before. Remember- Here we stayed for sixty years together with you. You need to remember all that had transpired. I believe she refuses to accept you've just forgotten everything." He said. It was a lot to take in. "Sixty years...?" She trailed off in disbelief. It was all difficult to believe, but somewhere inside her she knew it was true. "I see... How do I get your other half's approval."

He chuckled at her question. "Fight her." He said confidently. Almost as if that were a trigger a sword appeared in the other half's hand. "Wait what?! I don't have a weapon!" She shouted. "Don't worry. I'll help you gain her approval." He grinned stupidly as he began to glow and quickly took the form of a white blade. "The sword she's using is herself. She is the darker never changing half while I'm the light ever fleeting side. Once you know our names combine them and you shall regain the power of our shikai." The voice echoed in her mind in a familiar way. "Ahhhh! you're the voices that I've been hearing since I woke up!" Things were beginning to make a bit more sense and honestly she was a little relived that she wasn't going crazy.

"Get ready. She's coming." His voice was stern and a split second later she appeared in front of Aria. "W-what?" She stumbled over her word. She didn't even see her move yet she was now in front of her. She was about the same age as the half who had acknowledged her. Her hair blonde and neatly tied back. She wore dress and nice black shoes. The two of them almost seemed to be business partners or something to that effect. "You idiot stop gawking and block!" He yelled. Reflexively she raised the blade up and a second later she was sent back flying. She flew for a few seconds before crashing into the ground. She violently rolled for a few seconds until coming to a stop. "How can I do anything against that?!" She yelled at her sword. "Breathe. You don't need to beat her, but she's definitely not one to hold back is she?" His voice sounded slightly agitated. She heeded his advice and took a deep breathe. She exhaled as she climbed back to her feet. Her body ached from that last blow and she knew she would be aching in the morning.

"Alright, so now what? How do we deal with her?" She asked a little panicked. "She has raw strength and speed. However you have better raw energy than her. You should still have some of that from your time here. Use Kidou against her. Let's see... Use hainiawa bakudo #4 and the hado you just relearned." She breathed deep and wracked her brain for anything like this hainiawa, but came back empty. "I can't remember!" She yelled and in the next second she was under attack again. This time she managed to dodge the wide swing. It was at this time she managed to notice the actual swords that the two were. The one who was fighting here and the one she held was white. They both looked to be a matching pair other than the fact they were different colors. She noticed they both looked futuristic and were embellished with a pattern matching each other. On the block sword it was red in color and on the white sword it was blue in color. "Huh, you two are one and yet two." She recalled something that was deep in her mind. Brief images came to mind, but it made no sense. "I used to be a lot stronger." She smiled. "I almost forgot who I was. It's not all there, but I got at least a little bit back. Why am I afraid? I've never been before. So let's stop that fear here." Her heart was beginning to beat in the familiar feeling- Joy.

She lifted up her left hand open palm towards  her opponent. "Bakudo #4 Hainiawa!" She yelled as a bright yellow rope shot forward wrapping around her foe. "Good! Now use hado #19!" Aria obeyed without question and switched her open palm to the two finger formation of the byakurai. "Hado #19! Jugeki Byakurai!" The familiar red energy swirled for a brief moment before it cracked and a red beam short forth. It was almost point blank. There was no way she could dodge Aria thought as the attack shot out. However she was wrong. Within a moment her foe jumped up dodging most of the attack and only receiving a small scratch on her arm.

"At least she's still bound-" Her sentence was caught off by her foe breaking the bind with raw strength."Ok, guess you didn't keep as much as I thought you did." The sword said. "This is nothing!" She yelled after breaking the rope. This time Aria had no chance to dodge as her foe rushed into her. "Block!" Her sword yelled, but it didn't matter. She managed to block it sure, but she was sent flying back and into the wall far behind her. Her vision was growing black. She was beginning to pass out. "Hey! Hey! Don't go passing out on me! We're not done yet!" He was trying to wake her, but it was no use as she fell into an unconscious state.

"She didn't do bad right? C'mon you gotta acknowledge her again. She needs us now more than ever." The familiar voice said in an argumentative tone. "I admit I was a bit surprised that she even retained this much." The second voice sounded a bit annoyed and sighed. "I know she needs us, but I hate being forgotten. I guess I can forgive her this one time, but never again you hear!" She conceded. "Good, now she just needs to wake up and we can reintroduce ourselves. Also from what I can tell she'll remember who we are eventually. She regained some memories during the fight." With this Aria decided to open her eyes and sit up. "Ow..." She said as the pain from the fight caught up to her. "Good! You're awake finally. It seems I got her to acknowledge you if only a little bit. So now you can use some of our power in battle once again. You just need to know ours names." He said eagerly. "Once more we're MeIan. I'm the one who acknowledges your want to change- Ian. I'm the one who acknowledges your want for ordinary- Me. You can't always be changing, yet you can't stand for the ordinary every single day. Both of us will guide you in balance. Call out our name whenever we're needed and we'll help."

Instantly she found herself back where she had lose consciousness in Seireitei on her knees. Next to her no longer laid one sword, but two. "Me and Ian huh? Thank you for the support. I'll be counting on both of you in the future." She grinned for a moment realizing she gained a great new power and trustworthy friends before panicking. How long had she been like that passed out on her knees. "Don't worry only a minute has passed here." A voice in her head said as it sensed her unease about the thought. "From today onward we three are together again and we'll continue to move forward. Sometimes we'll take a break and enjoy the ordinary days too!" She laughed as she picked up both of her swords and began to move inwards towards the center of the Seireitei.

Aria returned to her feet and walked over to the man who was almost dead. As she did she drew both of her swords from their sheaths. Each sheath clattered to the ground as each blade was fully unsheathed. Memories stirred from within her mind and she had recalled an ability that her shikai possessed. "MeIan." She said quietly and her swords responded in kind. Within a second she was now holding the black and white swords from her inner world. "Don't say I didn't do anything for you." With that she lifted the white sword and plunged it into they dying shinigami's body. The man yelled out for a brief moment in shock and passed out. As she removed the wound closed instantly. Soon after even the hole that made in his chest closed. "I guess it was rather surprising to have a sword stabbed in you like that. It'll take time for you to heal fully, but you'll recover. Next time someone tries to talk to you- Try to listen instead of attacking." With that she turned away and her shikai returned to their sealed form. She retrieved her sheaths that were previously on the ground and returned her swords to them. "I was just saying I didn't want to carry one sword. Now I gotta carry two!" Almost as if a response she heard two voices in her mind, "Hey!" both her swords yelled as she chuckled. "I'm just playing."

She began to make her way into the bulk of Seireitei and surprisingly didn't run into many shinigami. She avoided the ones she did run into. She didn't want to injury or kill anyone from the organization she's trying to join after all. It wasn't her fault that the guy out front didn't even want to listen. Eventually found herself in what seemed to be a nicer area with guards placed here and there. "Huh, I wonder what this place is? It kinda seems a bit more fancy. Maybe this is where the captains live or something?" Maybe one of them would actually listen to her. So she continued to walk along the wall until she spotted an entrance with no guards. "Maybe I can get a look inside over there. It looks like a mansion is inside here." She said to herself as she approached the opening. As she did however a form emerged from the opening. It was a man and not just a man, but a shinigami. "Oh crap! A guard." She said to herself as his head happened to turn towards her at the exact time she said that. "Halt! Who are you!" The guard yelled. She had normal clothes on. There was no way they wouldn't identify her as a trespasser. "I uhhh... Got lost on the way to the bathroom?" She said jokingly. "Did you really just say that?" Ian asked. "Like hell! Name yourself! You clearly don't belong here!" He drew his sword and pointed it towards her. "Now I don't believe you'll listen to me will you?" She asked as the man began to cautiously move towards her. "Quickly stop him before he raises the alarm." Me hissed. "Oh right..." She moved forwards drawing both her swords once more. The sheaths clattered to the ground once more.

"I'll listen to your story after I take you into custody, but since you drew your weapons I don't imagine that'll be much of an option!" With that he moved forwards instead of calling for back up. He must of been certain he could handle her alone. As he approached he swung his sword wide. It was slow compared to what Me did to her earlier. She easily parried it with her left and slid in with an attack with her right. However that wasn't a lethal blow as he moved out of the way dodging majority of the cut grazing his side and cutting through his robes. "Gah, I guess you're better than I expected." As he said that he looked on her face and all he could see what a wide grin. Her eyes were cold and for a brief moment it seemed as is a darkness encompassed her. Fear began to enter his mind. He was beginning to realize his foe wasn't just your average enemy. He jumped back and just as he did he realized that Aria was pointing both the middle and index fingers towards him. With that same smile on her face the words, "Hado #19 Jugeki Byakurai" escaped from her lips. The next moment he had a searing hole in his shoulder where the red beam had pierced. His left arm was now useless and limp. "No way!" He yelled out as he gripped his zanpakuto with his right hand.

Everything today was just the same as any other day. In no way did he expect to be in a losing fight today. He trained hard to get to this point and now he was about to lose to a nobody. There was no way he would let that happen. With that thought in mind he charged forward once more and began to barrage Aria mindlessly with his sword forgetting his training in rage. Because it was so mindless and just with one arm she could block his barrage with little effort. So far this army isn't proving to be that great. "It's time to end this." She said coldly as she smacked his sword away. "I can't let you sound the guards you see. So I'm sorry for this." As she finished she brought her sword in slashing across his chest. This is turn caused a large gash to appear. "It hopefully shouldn't be fatal." She said as she looked down at the defeated man.

WC:3,895
Shikai Learned 1,500/1,500
Hado #19 Learned 500/500
Bakudo #4 Hainiawa Learned 400/400

The conversation had concluded and Tenjinsai was left in silence. He stood in the vast hall, left to his lonesome to think over the situation he had been put in. After only a matter of minutes he had gone from a wandering vagrant of the Rukongai to a Vice Captain in the Gotei Thirteen. It was still registering for him even though he had been standing in the hall for quite a few minutes now. Standing around doing nothing was not going to make things happen though. It was time for him to move on, where to though would be the real question. If Mikoto had followed his instructions then he should be here, or at least arriving soon as well. The first thing he should do at least is see if Mikoto was there, then they could plan out their next move. Moving to leave the room, Tenjinsai swung open the large sliding door that led to the hall and was surprised by a servant standing in wait.

"Young master, I was wondering when you would come outside. Your father instructed me to wait here for you with these robes." Tenjinsai raised his eyebrow and then looked down to see what the young man was holding in his arms. They were indeed robes, more specifically the shihakushou of a shinigami. He sighed lightly, taking the robes in hand knowing his father fully intended for him to wear them. If he was going to now hold the rank of a shinigami then he was certainly required to dress the part. Walking away and attempting to find a room to change in, Tenjinsai stopped for a moment and turned his head slightly to the side. "Thank you for being so patient on my fathers orders, you may go now." The servant bowed as Tenjinsai began to walk once more in search of a room to change in. "Thank you, young master."

It did not take long, considering how large the compound was, for him to find a small private room to use. Slipping in quickly and shutting the door behind him, Tenjinsai made quick work changing his robes out for the shihakushou he had been given. 'Fits rather well' was a quick thought that came to mind as he tied his sash tight around his waist and made the final adjustments on his new outfit. He found himself wondering how long his father may have been hanging onto it for Tenjinsai. Had Tenkai always assumed that his son would become a shinigami, and particularly in this manner. The circumstances seemed completely outrageous given everything, but then again perhaps not as well. With everything that had been going on recently, anything was possible. Standing tall in his new shihakushou, Tenjinsai decided to discard his robes in the room he had changed, not particularly needing them anymore.

They were relics of a past age, and something that should be left in the past as well. 'Now to link up again with Mikoto and see what our next move will be.' That was the only real idea that he could come up with at the moment. Granted, his father had arranged for him to be trained by Captain Setsune as his new Vice Captain, but it was not particularly appealing to him. There was no way he could really blow it off, but putting it off as long as he could was definitely an option. How long he had to do so, that was a question that he could not quite answer though. 'No time like the present then.' It was time to head off and get started, which would start off with quite a bang it seemed. As Tenjinsai was preparing to leave a flurry of reiatsu could be sensed just outside of the compound, fighting it seemed like. 'Members of that faction maybe?' The thought ran through his head, fueled by an earlier encounter with them.

Perhaps they had come to attempt finishing what they started, though at second glance maybe not. Those involved in combat did not seemed particularly powerful, the reiatsu being given off being relatable to a Seated Officer at best. Tenjinsai moved to head towards the call of battle, wanting to see what was causing it and fulfill his filial duty to his clan. Though he had not stepped foot in the compound for over one hundred years, it was still his home in some convoluted way. It did not take long for him to speed over to the outside of the compound, specifically the gate that led into his family's home. Jumping over the ten foot wall, he landed with a light thud on the other side and took in the sight of what he had sensed earlier. It was indeed combat, or at the very least the end of it. Before him was a woman who had just felled the guard who had been watching the gate.

Tenjinsai did not waste a breath, drawing his blade and making his mind and body ready to react if necessary. He was not going to aggress against them, not yet at least. He wanted to find out what was going on first. "You there, drop your weapon and places your hands in the air. I don't know what business you have here but murdering the servants of my clan is not something I can allow." He stood, ready to react to anything, awaiting to see what this woman's response would be to him.

As she was just about to walk away she heard a thud. She turned around to see another shinigami before her. "Careful Aria. This one is far more powerful than the guard." However within a moment of him assessing the situation he drew his sword, accused her of murder, and told her to drop her swords. "Oh c'mon the freakin' on!" She yelled in agitation. "It's just one after another with you guys isn't it?! Draw swords ask questions later type! Even though every time I just say I wanna talk!" She sighed in frustration. "Secondly this guy isn't dead." She said as she poked him with her foot, but received no response.

"Ok, he might be, but that was an accident. Give me a second to try something! MeIan!" Her swords changed quickly and without a seconds delay she stabbed his body with Ian, the white sword. "There! Now he should heal up if he's still alive." She withdrew the blade from the body and the wound the blade made closed shut instantly. Even the wounds on his side and shoulder began to close albeit a lot slower than the sword wound she just made. "See! He's still alive. I do also have to decline dropping my swords though. Even if you're a more powerful opponent than I. These two are my friends that I can't easily discard." She sighed at the current situation in hopes that this man may be more in favor of discussion rather than that of violence like the other two.

WC: 256

It only took a moment for the woman to respond to his request, though not in the way he had hoped. The first thing that he could consider as a result was her yelling out in frustration regarding the situation and her treatment. Tenjinsai could not speak to what happened prior to his arrival, but given what he saw this was the appropriate course of action. With all of the chaos that had been occurring there was no room for a benefit of the doubt unfortunately. What he saw was an armed combatant over the body of a servant of his household. His response to that was to draw his weapon and defend himself and further investigate what was going on. He needed answers first before he could let his guard down and decide to let this woman on her way. "I understand whatever frustrations you may have, but look at the situation from my perspective as well."

What happened next was, shocking, if there was a word that could describe it. The woman released her zanpaktou and proceeded to stab the servant's body with the white blade in her pair. Within moments of the weapon being withdrawn from his body the wounds began to heal, including the one that the blade had just created. She proclaimed that as long as he was still alive then he would be able to heal from his wounds. Somehow, that did not make Tenjinsai feel any better about the situation. Taking a small step forward, the last words he received from the woman before him were regarding his request to drop her weapons. She was reluctant to abandon them, which Tenjinsai could understand as well. The pair of blades she held was her zanpaktou, which any shinigami would have heavy reservations about abandoning.

If Tenjinsai was in a similar situation, he may have done the same. One way or another though, he had a duty to perform here. Until he had answers he could unfortunately not back down. Once everything had been figured out, then perhaps she could just be on her way to whatever location she was finding her way to. As of this moment though, she was an intruder, one that was armed and had assaulted a shinigami and a member of his clan. Once again, Tenjinsai would call out, the last command he would issue to her. "I understand your reluctance to comply, but there is no other option. We need to clear everything up first before I can just let you walk off though." Tenjinsai paused, releasing his reiatsu as an additional warning to the command he was issuing. He wanted her to understand that this was not a game. Of course he had no desire to harm her, or anyone else, but if he had to then he would.


"So one last time, I need you to drop your weapons or throw them over to me. Then place your hands in the air and walk towards me slowly. If we can get this sorted out then there will not be any trouble." Now the ball was in her court, it was entirely up to her how this was going to go. Tenjinsai earnestly hoped she would make the smart choice and surrender to him. There had already been enough conflict for one day, he did not desire to be involved in another one.

Once more he asked her to drop her weapons. This ticked her off a bit on top of her already agitated mood. "Ya know I was looking to join you guys, but for real. Every damn time all you guys do is draw your weapon and tell me to abandon mine! How about you give me your weapon?! You say think of your perspective? Think of mine?! I died yesterday and then woke up in this damn world. I was told I might get some answers here, but ha! All I get is one after another of you hot shots trying to be Mr. Number One Asshole. Can't even take five minutes to talk to someone who has little to no idea what's happening." She said with a tone of anger in her voice. She knew he was more powerful than herself and he was releasing his energy to prove it.

Whether it was him releasing it as a warning or him just flaunting how superior he may be it was all ridiculous to her. "Aria relax. You can't afford to risk your life here." Ian was attempting to calm her down, but she was just too frustrated. The day had been a stupid one at best described. Just one fight after another and no one willing to listen. "You guys think you own the whole damn place- Well you probably do for all I freaking know. I'm still going to have to refuse dropping my weapons." She said sternly. There was no way she would let go of MeIan. They have too much to tell her. Too much to share of the person she once was. They told her she had been with them for over sixty years in the clock tower, but this man is telling her to ditch the only two on her side as well as her only defense. She couldn't do anything, but laugh at that.

"Aria, you're not relaxing at all. It may be best to give in to his demands." Ian once again spoke to her to relax her, but in turn only made her a bit more angry. "Me? Give into this jerk? Ha. I don't care if he is stronger or a head of a clan, captain or otherwise. He's just like all the rest of these guys." She thought to herself. "You say there'll be no trouble as well! So far I've been here for one day! ONE DAY! I've been attack four times. FOUR. Honestly I don't think I can trust any of you anymore since none of you will even talk." She said angrily. "I'm not going to bow down and just listen to people like you. You talk sweet nothings, but I'm sure as soon as I drop my weapons or otherwise you'll throw me in some jail or kill me." She wasn't going to be a fool and just drop her weapons from the same group of people who've attacked he multiple times first.

At this point she knew the man before her was stronger, but she didn't want to fight them. Well, maybe a little now due to her frustration. After all this all started just because she wanted to join the shinigami and make something of her life. Yet her she was after fighting two shinigami and soon to be in a fight with a third one it seemed. So she prepared herself to challenge him. She never really had a choice as to what to do in the first place if he wasn't even willing to talk.

WC:594