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>>45125952
With Zaraki currently off pouting somewhere and your Commandos preparing to make themselves present at the Ninth Division barracks, you find yourself with some time to kill. There are probably a few things you can do with said time before you'll be required to head back to lead the joint exercise with the arrancar.

There are several Captains who have expressed deep doubts about your friends and proposed allies, most notably Jūshirō. The man has been good to you since around the time you made Unit Commander in the Onmitsukidō, and even your decades of service in that role seemed not to faze him after you made Captain. So it's quite clear that your recent revelations must have either troubled him deeply, or else been added to a long list of concerns he has thus far kept private. Winning him over would go a long way towards making this alliance work.

There's also Komamura to consider. Not only has the Captain lost a man he long considered a friend, but he also learned that his “friend” probably only joined the Gotei 13 to pursue his own thirst for revenge. Komamura likely doubts his own assessments of others around him, as well as the notions of justice which both he and Tōsen had seemed to hold in common.

On the other hand, it seems that Lieutenant Sasakibe is on his way towards you. It's entirely possible he's trying to find you for some reason.

>Wait up to see if Lieutenant Sasakibe wants anything from you.
>Give Komamura some reassurance. He needs it right about now.
> Jūshirō's loss of faith in you is not just disconcerting, but problematic.
>Other?

>>45126046
>> Jūshirō's loss of faith in you is not just disconcerting, but problematic.

>>45126046
> Jūshirō's loss of faith in you is not just disconcerting, but problematic.

>>45126046
>> Jūshirō's loss of faith in you is not just disconcerting, but problematic.

Sup king?

>>45126046
>Jūshirō's loss of faith in you is not just disconcerting, but problematic.
An inflexible mind can be blind to the hidden possibilities that could make or break a situation.

>>45126046
>>Wait up to see if Lieutenant Sasakibe wants anything from you.
I'd like to get started with Ukitake, but Sasakibe's a good sort. If he needs us for something, it's worth finding out what.

>>45126046
>> Jūshirō's loss of faith in you is not just disconcerting, but problematic.

>>45126088
Not much. Spent the better part of the day doing yardwork and gardening.

Tired, but strangely satisfied.

>>45126046
>>Give Komamura some reassurance. He needs it right about now.
>> Jūshirō's loss of faith in you is not just disconcerting, but problematic.

>>45126046
is Masaki also tagging along? Because Jushiro meeting Strawberry's Quincy mom will have a significant influence in the upcoming conversation.

>>45126145
It wasn't as clear this time, but the first update occurs several days after the second. You've been recounting the three days between the battle with Aizen and Masaki's arrival to her.

>>45126131
I miss mowing the yard for my old man, it's very cathartic.

>>45126046
>Jūshirō's loss of faith in you is not just disconcerting, but problematic.

>>45126046
>> Jūshirō's loss of faith in you is not just disconcerting, but problematic.

>>45126121
I think Kumamora needs more attention after Jushiro. I don't want to see a sad doge.

>>45126426
he needs help, but Jushiro needs to be on our side to make sure we aren't exiled, executed, etc. Pragmatism before goodwill

>>45126526
Jushiro has also been a good friend for a long time.

Rolled 1, 4, 3, 3 = 11 (4d10)

>>45126046
Out of all the numerous people you'd expected to react poorly, it's Jūshirō's apparent loss of faith in you that has proven not only the most surprising but the most disconcerting. You might even say it stings a little, if you're being honest with yourself. Not only is it important to the future of the Seireitei and Hueco Mundo that you speak to him about this, but it's become somewhat personal.

You excuse yourself from the Fourth Division and head out towards the Thirteenth's grounds. At first glance it seems no different from any of the others, but there's a small corner of the grounds that stand out. These are the Ugendō, the personal quarters of its Captain to which he confines himself when he's ill.

Which is often.

The building is a rather small single room which is situated out in the center of a reflecting pond. It rises from the water on stilts, and a little wooden walkway runs around it and back to the shore of the pond. Pitched eaves and a slatted wooden window screen its occupant from the heat of the midday sun, and koi fish swim back and forth lazily below.

“Wait,” you frown, looking down at a black and white fish with a familiar marking on its side. “Like a plum blossom... one of Byakuya's prized koi? But he'd never part with one of those.”

Behind you, someone clears his throat.

“You are trespassing, Captain,” one of the two interim Lieutenants of the Thirteenth Division announces. You struggle, but for the life of you you can't recall the man's name. All you know is his female counterpart in the rank is Lieutenant Kotetsu's sister, and you don't even really know her name either.”

“Our Captain is resting. I can't let you intrude.”
>dice+3d10, DC 7

Rolled 8, 2, 2 = 12 (3d10)

>>45126583

Rolled 8, 4, 4 = 16 (3d10)

>>45126583
Wait, what happened to Kain's wife? I thought she made LT?

Rolled 9, 1, 3 = 13 (3d10)

>>45126583
oh crap!

Rolled 7, 2, 5 = 14 (3d10)

>>45126583
rolling

>>45126621
>>45126627
>>45126629
Damn.

>>45126627
Crit.. 4 is super bad right?

>>45126627
Yes. https://ask.fm/QMKingofHearts/answers/134497978297

>>45126627
... honestly, I forgot for a moment she was alive. I haven't decided whether she would remain active.

My mistake.
>writing

>>45126736
see >>45126731 Miyako's been mentioned in the Ask a few times.

>>45126766
Found the other mentions. Fuck ask.fm for not having a native search function.
https://ask.fm/QMKingofHearts/answers/134417268665
https://ask.fm/QMKingofHearts/answers/134377966521
https://ask.fm/QMKingofHearts/answers/134487545273

>>45126583
“What's all the commotion?” a more familiar voice interrupts. Turning, you find Shiba Miyako emerging from the Ugendō and approaching along the wooden walkway. Before the curtains hanging in the doorway close behind her you feel... something. You can't quite tell what, but it's very unusual.

“You felt this too?” Tenkotsuki muses. “Strange that I could not tell what it was either.”

“The Captain was just leaving,” the other shinigami insists, but you wave him off.

“I'd wanted to speak with Jūshirō,” you explain to your sister-in-law. “I take it he's not exactly in peak shape?”

“No,” Miyako admits thoughtfully, “though I know recent events have weighed heavily on his mind. He even tried to convince me to return to the Lieutenant posting.”

It's been many years since her husband Kaien's death, and Miyako was never really comfortable filling his role in the Division. Not that she lacked the ability or experience, it just plain bothered her. This is the reason why two other shinigami in her Division have been filling her role temporarily, while she sorts out her feelings on the matter.

“Did he now?” you ask quietly. “Then he must be concerned. He wouldn't ask you if he didn't think it was important.”

“Is what I heard from him true?” Miyako asks of you. “Did you really bring arrancar here as your friends and allies?”

“I did,” you nod grimly. “That's what I wanted to speak with him about.”

“It may well set his mind at ease...” Miyako considers the option. “But it may serve to tire him further.”

>I wouldn't ask if it weren't important.
>Maybe I should come back later.
>You can go in with me and observe.
>Other?

>>45127034
>>You can go in with me and observe.

How is a soul captain sick? That doesn't even make sense.

>>45127034
>>You can go in with me and observe.

>>45127034
>>You can go in with me and observe.

>>45127034
>You can go in with me and observe.

>>45127034
>>You can go in with me and observe.

>>45127034
>At least let him know that I want to talk about it at a later time when he's feeling better.
>Go see Kumamora

>>45127034
Also, feel free to devise some carefully-selected words for Ukitake.

>>45127093
he traded his lungs for being a vessel for part of the Soul King's body

>>45127166
That sounds like a shit deal.

>>45127181
He would have died if he didn't.

>>45127034
>you feel... something.

Come on, mang, don't tease. No hints, just "sumfin". What's the point of us feeling it at all? Then I feel like we should investigate it because its something unusual, but that ain't an option and I feel anxious.

Your a right bastard, you know?

What am I talking about?

>>45127181
His lungs were kind of shit anyway, if memory serves. Which sort of doesn't answer the question "how was he ever sick".

>>45127210
Neither Tenkotsuki nor Riku rolled well enough to recognize it, but Riku rolled well enough to sense that there might be something to examine.

>>45127210
>your
>your
>your
>your

I have never seen a phone auto-correct from "you're" to "your" before. Well that's new.

>>45127034
>You can go in with me and observe.

Ukitake's mainly concerned about the fact that we've been bending the Soul Society laws too much and that letting Arrancar in is seen as Riku losing perspective on the line between Hollow and Shimigami. So why don't we speak in the sense that we're able to maintain a viewpoint centered around the core tenets of a shimigami. Riku knows that she's dabbled in things SS considers taboo, but she knows where she still stands in the end. Now we just have to translate that perspective into a convincing argument

>>45127159
What ever we say we need to be properly apologetic for disturbing him, even if that includes bowing. Jushiro should know that's a big deal from us.

>>45127034
Hey, how are you feeling?

Well I just wanted to talk to you about the Arrancar. Specifically if you have any questions about them. I will tell you this first though, I only turned Mila Rose Sun Sung, Apacci and Tier into Arrancar. Coyote turned himself into one but he's a..... well he's a coyote.

>>45127034
First of all, I would like to apologize. I would like to apologize for having shaken your trust in me and my actions. both of us know what the topic at hand is about. You say your piece on the matter, and I'll say mine on my motives behind said topic.

>>45127159
not really sure about the specifics, but I'd like to just talk about our friends' hobbies, their hopes and dreams, some of the stuff we spoke to them about even before they became Arrancar. Talk a lot about how we learned they were good people long before helping them grow stronger

>>45127243
I assumed that we always had a different perspective then he had. He's been born and grew up as, admittedly minor, nobility. Our first meeting with a shinigami was one murdering our parents. We've died at the hands of another Shinigami, then became one ourselves, learn by both our and our parents killers are actually decent people, along with most shinigami. Then spent a bunch of time doing SS's dirty work. Our conclusion is that assholes are everywhere, and that the ability to judge character, rather than simply assuming that you are right and your enemy is wrong, is critical.

>>45127436
Not only just that, give Ukitake the perspective of those rare few in a vast desert of a dog-eat-dog realm of Hecro mundo. The trials and tribulations on building the trust between the proverbial Lion and Gazelle where the Gazelle somehow manages to teach the Lion to learn to love food that's not meat.

>>45127530
What are you talking about? Riku had no idea who she was before she met Yoruichi (for a second time) and Yoruichi told her that Riku was a former quincy Sternritter and Yoruichi killed her.

>>45127604
Thus learning that she was alright.

>>45127530
Then why not give him the hard facts that can be drawn from many observations about the situation since the beginning of said conspiracy.

>>45127745
I'm fine with doing that. I just wanted to point out that we never "lost perspective" because we never had the same "Shinigami: good, everyone else: bad" perspective in the first place.

>>45127159
“Come in with me, then,” you offer with plain sincerity. “He already knows I'm here, so you can go in first and ask him if he'd like to speak with me.”

Miyako ponders your proposal briefly before nodding. “I think I know what he'll say.”

Sure enough when she pops her head into the door, it's not long before she waves gently for you to enter. The inside of the room is quite dim, with little in the way of furnishings or comforts. The tatami are clean however, and there are cushions in the corner. Meanwhile Captain Ukitake has propped himself up to greet you, though he looks unusually pale and there are dark bags under his eyes.

“Captain Kusajishi,” he smiles gently, “I'm happy to see you. Please, make yourself comfortable.”

Removing your shoes, you step in and take a seat on a cushion Miyako prepares for you. Your sister-in-law takes a seat next to you on your left, but about an arm's length behind you.

“Jūshirō,” you greet him with a small bow of your own, respectful but not too flattering. “You look terrible.”

“It comes with the feeling,” he sighs, still smiling. “But of course, for something this important I'll try and make myself presentable.”

You nod thoughtfully. “Miyako told me something was bothering you. Doesn't take much guesswork to figure out what that is.”

“Any questions you may have, I will answer truthfully to the best of my abilities.”

Ukitake takes a moment to select his first question: no doubt many come to mind, but only one can open the discussion.

“You have seen these arrancar up-close, for many years. Tell me about them.”
>1/?

>>45127839
>“You have seen these arrancar up-close, for many years. Tell me about them.”
Wait til he gets a load of Apacci and Tia before they were even arrancar. Actually, prefacing with that would be a good start.

>>45127839
“Well,” you consider your response with equal care, “none of them were ever very much like the hollows we usually see in the line of work. Even as menos they were more agreeable than some shinigami I've had the misfortune of meeting.”

Ukitake chuckles softly at the notion. “I suppose serving in the Onmitsukidō allowed you to see many facets of shinigami that most of us wish not to acknowledge.”

“Saints and sinners of every stripe,” you sigh. “I kept tabs on them for quite a while before the hollowfication incident. That's why after that night I sought them out.”

“Because you didn't know who else to trust?” Ukitake asks. “I would have offered to help.”

“I know that now,” you admit rather sheepishly. “But at the time all Yoruichi and I knew was that there was a conspiracy. Not who all was involved or who was a victim.”

“How did you help them evolve?” Ukitake continues. “And why?”

“Why?” you ask incredulously. “Hollows normally exist and grow within a cycle of fratricide and cannibalism. If you were a hollow with even a shred of conscience, you'd find it horrifying.”

“And your friends found it such?”

“Not all,” you reply. “Tia did for sure, and Apacci was never comfortable with it. Sun-Sung and Mila Rose always seemed more concerned with protecting the members of their little band than the sad state of all the other hollows. As for Starrk and Lilynette, they had become arrancar on their own when I found them.”

“They had?” Ukitake asks, clearly astonished. “I had no idea any but one had managed a perfect transformation on their own.”

“He is a little like Arturo in that regard, from what little Yoruichi's told me about him,” you agree, keeping the knowledge given you by Coyote to yourself for now. “But Starrk did it in an attempt to weaken himself, not to grow stronger. He saw what his uncontrolled reiatsu did to the other hollows around him.”
>2/?

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>>45128126
“He killed them?”

You nod grimly. “Mountains of corpses, not a wound on any of them. I didn't even realize hollows gathered in communities before I saw one wiped out like that by mistake.”

“There was a community?” Miyako interjects. “No, how is that even possible?”

“I don't know, Miyako,” you admit. “Like I said, they were dead when I got there.”

"All they wanted was friends who they couldn't kill by accident," you continue, turning once more to face Ukitake. "So I helped them learn to control their reiatsu, and introduced them to Halibel's group."

"And the how?"

"I helped Apacci rip her face of first," you recount, "and helped seal the outburst of her reiatsu into a discarded asauchi. She placed an amazing amount of faith in me in the process, and endured much pain... but it worked."

"You almost sound proud of her," Ukitake observes with a hint of amusement.

>Of course, a little like how Yamamoto is proud of you.
>I suppose I am a little bit, yes. Can you blame me?
>Do you have any more questions?
>Other?

>>45128299
>>Of course, a little like how Yamamoto is proud of you.

>>45128299
>Of course, a little like how Yamamoto is proud of you.

>>45128299
>Of course, a little like how Yamamoto is proud of you.
>I suppose I am a little bit, yes. Can you blame me?
>Do you have any more questions?
>She's also learning Kido, Which I don't think I have to tell you how amazing that is for a Arrancar

>>45128299
>>Of course, a little like how Yamamoto is proud of you.
And in case you are wondering I did ask for permission to use the asauchi like that before I did it.

>>45128299
>Of course, a little like how Yamamoto is proud of you.
"Also the only Arrancar to ever learn Kido. It was absurdly difficult for her, but she was determined to surpass her instincts."

>>45128299
>Of course, a little like how Yamamoto is proud of you.
>When you get down to it, they're a bit like curious children. Apacci in particular, she tried to replicate kido. granted it was just a huge block of reiatsu she tried to mold into different shapes, but it still looked like kido.

>>45128299
>Of course, a little like how Yamamoto is proud of you.
>Other: She's learning kido in an attempt to emulate me.
>Do you have any more questions?

>>45128299
>>Of course, a little like how Yamamoto is proud of you.

>>45128407
That is pretty impressive.

Rolled 7, 4, 10, 9 = 30 (4d10)

>also, forgot to roll

>>45128511
wew lads.

>>45128299
>I suppose I am a little bit, yes. Can you blame me?
I forget, wasn't it almost immediately after we arrancarized Appacci that Ouetsu was waiting for us?

>>45128511
mother...

>>45128511
Is that his roll to sense motive/intention, or is that his roll to resist whatever we're saying?

>yfw it's mimihage's roll to bitchslap us.

>>45128299
>>Do you have any more questions?

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>>45128299
“Yamamoto is proud of you and Shunsui, isn't he?” you ask an astounded Ukitake. “She's even tried to learn kidō, and succeeded... more or less. Of all of them, she's come the furthest from her hollow instincts... she's got an almost childlike sense of curiosity that never ceases to amaze me.”

“And the others?” Ukitake continues after he settles into his cushions a bit, that careworn smile reemerging in full force. “They were evolved in the same way?”

You nod curtly. “Yes. Each of them did the same thing in turn, using asauchi we were directed to by Oetsu Nimaiya.”

“Oetsu? Of the Royal Guard?”

“The very same.”

“If you weren't wearing a haori made for you by Shutara,” Ukitake muses, “I would call you a liar.”

For a few moments you sit in relative silence, before Ukitake addresses you again. His voice comes across as even more tired than before, but seemingly relieved. But on your end, a grave concern is clearly growing in Tenkotsuki's mind, and though your face doesn't betray it that in turn worries you.

Something is deeply wrong with Jūshirō.

“It's always good to have friends,” he muses. “Even if those friends seem different. Thank you for speaking with me, Lady Riku. I feel like I can rest more easily now knowing that your heart and mind are still in the right place.”

>I'm glad you feel that way, Jūshirō.
>You should meet them some time. You'd get along.
>This isn't tuberculosis, Jūshirō. You know that.

>>45128775
>>This isn't tuberculosis, Jūshirō. You know that.

>>45128775
>You should meet them some time. You'd get along.

>>45128775
>>This isn't tuberculosis, Jūshirō. You know that.

>>45128775
>>This isn't tuberculosis, Jūshirō. You know that.

>>45128775
>This isn't tuberculosis, Jūshirō. You know that.

>>45128775
>You should meet them some time. You'd get along.
>This isn't tuberculosis, Jūshirō. You know that.

>>45128775
>>This isn't tuberculosis, Jūshirō. You know that.

>>45128775
>This isn't tuberculosis, Jūshirō. You know that.
HAPPENING

Wait a minute, the fact that it isn't TB, the inoccuous koi, the strange arrangements of Jushiro's private confines, it's Feng Shui with a purpose to allieviate a horrible condition that Tenkotsuki's very concerned of. Why would Jushiro have precise Feng Shui arrangements when he's recuperating?

>>45128775
>I'm glad you feel that way, Jūshirō.
>You should meet them some time. You'd get along.
>This isn't tuberculosis, Jūshirō. You know that.

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>>45128775
Outside you can feel that Lieutenant Sasakibe is waiting for you, but inside... inside, you feel for the first time that you can identify that something is horribly wrong about Captain Ukitake's condition.

“There's something very much wrong here,” you mutter darkly. “Tell me, Jūshirō, after all these years... what's really wrong with your health?”

“I've been sickly since I was young,” the Captain sighs, brushing back his long white hair to clear his face. The smile fades a little.

“You're not sick,” you press. “Not in the conventional sense. I can feel something about you is abnormal. Almost... twisted.”

“My lungs were incurable,” he continues. “At least, not by conventional medicine of the day.”

“I see,” Tenkotsuki muses quietly in your mind, “that poor young man. Lady Riku, please do not be alarmed.”

“Why?”

“I believe Captain Ukitake has been possessed by a fallen god by the name of Mimihagi.”

“Mimihagi?”

“How do you know of such matters?” Ukitake asks, puzzled.

Tenkotsuki sighs, manifesting seated at your side. “I apologize for intruding, but I am aware of the god of stagnation's abilities. He is what keeps your condition from deteriorating, yes?”

“That's exactly true,” Ukitake nods, unable to properly bow. “I take it you are Tenkotsuki?”

“Indeed,” your zanpakuto replies politely. “Lady Riku, I think it best we keep this situation confidential.”

“Why is that?” Ukitake asks, still a little confused.

>Nothing to be concerned about.
>Tell him about the Quincy King.
>Other?

>>45129043
>>Tell him about the Quincy King.
Now Aizens gone nothings stopping us from trusting him.

>>45129043
>Tell him about the Quincy King.

>>45129043
>Tell him about the Quincy King. The fact that Aizen Nomed the King's Shinreiryoku is a huge concern and safety issue.

>>45129043
>>Tell him about the Quincy King.

Fuck me, poor Jushiro

>>45129043
>>Tell him about the Quincy King.

>>45129043
>>Tell him about the Quincy King.
And how Aizen already nommed him

>>45129043
>Tell him about the Quincy King.

>god of stagnation
So, that makes how many targets in SS that Aizen might scope out now? Sokyoku, the Soul King, and now Ukitake?

Hei, can Ukitake fusion with Mimihagi?
Become New/Neo Mimihagi

>>45129133
Many if you were to believe. Woe for Riku if Aizen actually finds out Riku's 1/3 divinity. Any source of divinity would be like candy for a kid with sugar addition to Aizen.

>>45129133
us, if he learns about where our power comes from
Inari, maybe
Kisuke's plot rock, wherever it is

>Tell him about the Quincy King.
and explain the whole deal with Sokyoku.

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>>45129043
“Jūshirō , before Aizen left he told me something disturbing. He said he'd been to Silbern.”

“Wait, you mean the hidden city of the quincy?” Ukitake asks, rising slowly in alarm. “What was he doing there?”

“Noshing on their King, if his shinreiryoku is any indication.”

“He was dead. Yamamoto killed him,” your fellow Captain insists as Miyako eases him back down, casting you a concerned glance.

“He was ruined beyond any recovery,” you explain slowly, “but evidently his being retained some of its vast power. It was that divine spark Aizen stole.”

“That is troubling news... it means if he ever found out....”

“You would be a target, yes. I'm sorry,” you bow a bit lower than usual, a gesture Ukitake clearly picks up on.

“No, that's quite alright,” he sighs. “Nobody outside this room knows the truth, and they never will.”

“I'm certainly not sharing the details with Aizen,” you nod. “So no worries there.”

“I'll leave you to rest, Jūshirō. Come by some time, my friends would like meeting you.”

He shuts his eyes as you rise to your feet. “I suppose I'd enjoy it as well.”

Back on the shores of the pond, Lieutenant Sasakibe is still clearly waiting for you with a piece of paper in hand.

“What is that, a piece of paper?” you ask bluntly. “Chōjirō, I hate when Lieutenants carry around pieces of paper. Nothing good ever comes of it.”

“It's a summons, Captain,” your former colleague from the First Division explains. “From the Central 46.”

“That was fast,” you say, crossing your arms. “The old Central 46 leave a list of alternates?”

“There were only so many eligible candidates, ma'am.”
>1/2

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>>45129489
“I see, let's take a look.”

Looking the summons over, it's clear what this is about: your involvement with the Vizards and with the arrancar. But they've stopped just short of charging you formally with any wrongdoing, so technically you have no legal obligation to reply.

Funny way of asking for something. Maybe the opinions about your case are sharply divided?

>Lieutenant, please inform the proper authorities of my polite refusal.
>Please tell them from me to charge me with a crime or to let me work.
>I'll go straighten things out with them once and for all.
>Other?

>>45129505
Huh, well we're gonna have to deal with it sooner or later.

The question is, is there any way doing it now could make things worse?

>>45129505
>I'll go straighten things out with them once and for all.
might as well nip this shit in the bud before they get stupid

>>45129505
>>I'll go straighten things out with them once and for all.

>>45129505
>I hate politics....
>I'll go straighten things out with them once and for all.

>>45129505
>>I'll go straighten things out with them once and for all.

>>45129505
>I'll go straighten things out with them once and for all.l

>>45129505
Time to see the circus of idiots.

>>45129505
>>45129505
>I'll go straighten things out with them once and for all.
>3 things. "About time", "why now?", and "they better be wiser than the last 46"

>>45129505
>I hate politics....
>I'll go straighten things out with them once and for all.
>Phone our wife Yoruichi on the way to Central 46

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>>45129505
“Guess it's that time then, Chōjirō,” you sigh, scratching lightly at the back of your neck. “Knew it was coming for a century, but damned if it doesn't still bug me.”

“Old habits die hard,” Lieutenant Sasakibe replies sagely. “You know, many of them intend to turn this into an inquiry.”

You nod. “I know, Lieutenant. I'm anticipating it.”

Upon your arrival at the Central 46 compound you are swiftly ushered into the main meeting hall. Your zanpakuto are placed carefully outside the door, where you glare hard at the guard meant to watch over them.

“You so much as breath on them wrong and I'll open a Hell portal and toss you in it,” you threaten menacingly. “These swords are part of my soul, after all.”

The guard gulps nervously. “I understand, ma'am. I feel... kinda naked in here without mine, honestly.”

“I was kidding about the Hell portal,” you sigh. You weren't really, but he doesn't need to know that. “But I'll be quite cross if anything happens to them.”

“I'll remember that, ma'am,” the guard nods, seemingly relieved by your lie.

Once you take your place at the center of the chamber, the representatives of the Central 46 seem to regard you curiously from behind their numerous personal screens. Unless you're terribly mistaken many of the seats are still empty, and a few stubborn spots of dried blood are still obvious around the room.

“You, Captain Kusajishi Riku, are believed to have been associated with some disturbing events of late,” a male voice addresses you, seemingly speaking for the whole. “The use of Kūkanten'i, a forbidden spell... for assisting in the unnatural evolution of powerful arrancar, and for not only possessing Hollow powers, but actively improving on them. How do you explain all of this?”

>Aggressive
>Dismissive
>Factual
>Other?

>>45129783
>>Factual

>>45129783
>>Factual

>>45129783
>>Factual

>>45129783
>Factual

>>45129783
>>Factual
What is Kūkanten'i?

>>45129783
>>Factual

>>45129842
The spell we used on Aizen?

>>45129842
http://bleach.wikia.com/wiki/K%C5%ABkanten'i

>>45129873
>>45129896
But we never use that kido to Aizen?
Kido used was Rikujōkōrō, Bakudō 99, Part 1: Kin, Hadō 91: Senjū Kōten Taihō and Hadō 90: Kurohitsugi

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>>45129783
“Technically that spell was cast by my zanpakuto Tenkotsuki, not by myself,” you explain. It's not just an excuse, it's technically correct: which is the best kind of correct. “Correct me if I'm wrong, but to my knowledge there is no law which prohibits a zanpakuto from acting in any particular fashion under its own will.”

“Such an argument is ludicrous,” a second member of the Central 46 asserts loudly from behind his screen. “No zanpakuto may act independently of its owner's will.”

“First,” you growl, not appreciating the man's tone nor his implications, “Tenkotsuki and Kobara no Tachi are my companions and partners, not my possessions. You would do well not to speak of 'ownership' in our presence.”

“Your blades are not here,” the man observes almost mockingly.

“Their physical presence is irrelevant. I am here, and so they are here. You speak as one who has never been paired with a zanpakuto,” you counter sternly. “All zanpakuto are entwined inextricably with their wielders' souls, though each maintains a distinct personality and will. I have always given Tenkotsuki considerable latitude, and she has never let me down in our shared duties.”

“I do not expect you all to understand that relationship.”

“... we shall endeavor to verify your statements,” a female's voice responds calmly, her body visibly turning towards her colleague. A hidden glare? “This leaves us the issue of your purported Hollow powers.”

“Yes,” the first man agrees calmly. “Quite right. Our records suggest you got them during the incident one hundred years or so ago?”

>The incident your predecessors actively made worse, yes. I remember it.
>Sort of. It took time and effort for those powers to come fully under my control.
>Irrelevant to the current situation. I no longer possess the ability to “Hollowfy”.
>Other?

>>45129997
>Irrelevant to the current situation. I no longer possess the ability to “Hollowfy”.
Maybe namedrop Ouetsu again, for helping fix it?

>>45129997
>Irrelevant to the current situation. I no longer possess the ability to “Hollowfy”.
>The incident your predecessors actively made worse, yes. I remember it.

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>>45129994
Riku had Tenkotsuki use it to get from the execution grounds to the Central 46 chambers instantly.

For a moment I was TERRIFIED that you were right, and that you'd chosen some other means of transit and I'd just forgotten. Don't do that to me anon, my heart can't handle it!

>>45129997
>The incident your predecessors actively made worse, yes. I remember it.
>Irrelevant to the current situation. I no longer possess the ability to “Hollowfy”.
>Oetsu helped with that.

>>45129997
>Irrelevant to the current situation. I no longer possess the ability to “Hollowfy”.

>>45129997
>The incident your predecessors actively made worse, yes. I remember it.

I don't think they'll see much distinction between us Hollowfying and Kobara no Tachi, and it's a technicality that doesn't really help since Yoruichi still Hollowfies normally.

>>45130038
Hue.

>>45129997
>>Sort of. It took time and effort for those powers to come fully under my control.

>>45129997
>>The incident your predecessors actively made worse, yes. I remember it.

>>45130042
Best combo, supporting this.

>>45129997
>Our records suggest you got them during the incident one hundred years or so ago?
>Other?
"Did your records also suggest that this already killed anyone with the strength less than a Lieutenant? And that those who survived it only did due to timely interventions?"

>>45129997
>Sort of. It took time and effort for those powers to come fully under my control.
It proved fatal to everyone under lietenant level, and even then it could have killed the survivors, were it not for Urahara.

>>45129997
“While it is true that at one point I could perform 'Hollowfication', I no longer have that ability.”

“Are you claiming to have found a means to reverse the affliction caused by the traitor Aizen Sōsuke?” a different man asks, one who has not spoken yet. “If so we would have you tell us.”

“No such means exist,” you admit solemnly. “Initially Lady Shihōin and I managed to subdue the “inner hollows” which initially gave us trouble through different means. I engaged mine and basically talked her half to death, while Lady Shihōin found a rather clever solution. To my knowledge those are the only two cases where outside help was not needed, and all victims below Lieutenant level were simply killed. Soul suicide."

“You say the other surviving officers were helped?” the woman from before asks.

Your response starts the Central 46 muttering among themselves almost immediately: “Urahara Kisuke.”

“You stated you are no longer afflicted?” the apparently leader of the group speaks up over the sidebar conversations, trying to retain order.

“I merely sealed the entity who was my 'inner hollow' into an Asauchi using Oetsu Nimaiya's forge,” you tell the Central 46. “Kobara no Tachi is a zanpakuto as any other, and she is guilty of nothing but the crime of reflecting a very specific part of my soul.”

“I hear no calls for Captains Yamamoto or Unohana to stand trial for their questionable history,” you conclude, “so why should I for having possessed hollowfication in the past?”

“And what of Lady Shihōin?” one of the Central 46 presses. “Has she gone to such extremes?”

“After the fight with Aizen,” you sigh, “she decided it may be best. Forging a second distinct zanpakuto is a lot of trouble, after all... it's not a process that Oetsu can really predict, and that tells you something.”
>1/2

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>>45130311
"We will need to deliberate on what this means," the lead man admits. "Such matters are sadly beyond most of our experience, and are far too important to be left to play out un-overseen. I hope you understand, Captain, you are not under trial here... others could do to remember that as well."

"That voice sounds familiar," Rosa grumbles in your mind, her voice slightly distorted by distance. "Don't you think so. vixen?"

"Finally, we come to perhaps the most troubling matter," the aggressive man from before presses once again. "The matter of these so-called arrancar."

"Not so-called," you correct him calmly. "They're absolutely arrancar. I know, I'm an expert."

"And that is what many of us find alarming," a new female voice announces. "What guarantee do we have of their allegiances?"

>I have faith in them. I'll be personally responsible for their conduct.
>No guarantee is absolute: case in point, Aizen's betrayal.
>Write-in?

>>45130412
Also,
>roll 3d10

>>45130412
>I have faith in them. I'll be personally responsible for their conduct.
Also
>I've invited the Gotei 13 to verify their trustworthiness on their own.

Rolled 10, 5, 4 = 19 (3d10)

>>45130412
>I have faith in them. I'll be personally responsible for their conduct.
>As long as they're treated fair, They'll treat us fair also.

>>45130412
>>I have faith in them. I'll be personally responsible for their conduct.

Rolled 3, 7, 7 = 17 (3d10)

>>45130412
>>No guarantee is absolute: case in point, Aizen's betrayal.
Although I can vouch that not doing anything to Coyote would go along way. To be honest I doubt any of them would be any more troublesome than Zaraki.

Rolled 4, 3, 9 = 16 (3d10)

>>45130412
>>I have faith in them. I'll be personally responsible for their conduct.

Rolled 5, 3, 7 = 15 (3d10)

>>45130311
>>I have faith in them. I'll be personally responsible for their conduct.

>>45130432
Pass at 7 hopefully.

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>>45130311
“I have complete faith in them,” you insist sharply, “and I'm allowing the Gotei 13 to ascertain their character themselves. It'll take time, but I'm confident they'll eventually be accepted for what they are: my personal friends, and allies to all the causes I hold important including the well-being of the Soul Society.”

“They can't be more trouble than Zaraki's been,” the woman who's seemingly gone to bat for you so far admits wearily. “Gods, what a mess he can make.”

“If they're treated fairly and with respect,” you conclude, looking around the room, “they'll treat us the same way. They're not monsters.”

Your eyes finally fall on the screen behind which sits the lead man of the new Central 46, whose voice you're now almost certain belongs to none other than Yoruichi's father.

“In light of the evidence presented here,” he announces, “I move to adjourn. I can see no reason to bring up formal charges at this time.”

“Seconded,” the woman from earlier agrees. “All in favor?”

A majority of hands are raised, though not as strong a majority as you'd have hoped. It seems like although you've been given room to maneuver for the near future, you still have your share of doubters and enemies in high places. The road ahead is going to be a long one for sure.

>>45130606
Don't end now please, The last threads have been extremely short.

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And that's all for tonight, thanks for turning out! Archive is up, and I'll stick around real briefly.

On a different note, I have only two weekends left before I'll need to drop off the face of the earth for a while. I'll likely have time in mid-March to run a full-sized session, and then by the end of March things will be back to what used to be "normal".

So if you've been as frustrated as I am at the short times and odd schedules, there's a light at the end of the tunnel.

>>45130606
If you dont mind me asking what crest is this?
>>45130649
>Mid march
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

>>45130649
Thanks for giving a heads up!

>>45130649
Thanks for the run Queen.

>>45130649
Thx for running

>>45130634
No real choice in the matter, sorry. It was either a series of unusually short run times that wrapped up at 1:30 in the morning PST (due to demands on my own time) or a months-long hiatus until things normalized.

>>45130662
The Shihouin Clan.

Well, depending on the Old Man's timeline for the arrancar being put under observation in SS, I reckon they'll be out of Central 46's hair soon enough. They'd do more good as extra eyes beyond SS anyway.

So, what's lined up next? Kenny earning some combat satisfaction and making sure it doesn't go beyond the 9th's boundaries? Seeing what Gin and Yoru gathered from Mayuri's lab, and relaying those info to Urahara? Supervising the bankai training for our two Commandos?

I would also suggest for Kaoru and her Kidou Corps to investigate the area where Arturo was sealed. Might scrounge up some knowledge on it and get to jury rigging a temporary seal for field use.