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>>3522596
“So,” Aizen greets you, spreading two scaly wings. “Kusajishi Riku has returned after all. I suspected it was too easy the first time.”

“Your instincts were correct,” you shrug. “You seem different somehow. Have you changed your hair?”

Aizen snorts dismissively. “The last time we fought was several evolutions ago. I'm interested to see if you truly have anything else to offer me.”

“Don't underestimate us,” Yoruichi asserts, raising her blades. At your other side, Tia raises a shield? That's new.

“Nice shield,” you comment.

“Thank you,” Tia replies.

>Open up with Ura Hadō straight out of the gate. You're willing to bet that this is standard, hollow-like rapid regeneration.
>Test Aizen's new form with your own powers. This will give Yoruichi a chance to examine his regeneration more carefully.
>Yoruichi and Tia are not utilizing their shinreiryoku to the fullest. Perhaps you can get that to change?
>Other?

>>3522604
>Yoruichi and Tia are not utilizing their shinreiryoku to the fullest. Perhaps you can get that to change?

>>3522604
>>Test Aizen's new form with your own powers. This will give Yoruichi a chance to examine his regeneration more carefully.

>>3522604
>>Yoruichi and Tia are not utilizing their shinreiryoku to the fullest. Perhaps you can get that to change?

>>3522617
>>3522604
This

>>3522604
>Yoruichi and Tia are not utilizing their shinreiryoku to the fullest. Perhaps you can get that to change?

>>3522604
>Yoruichi and Tia are not utilizing their shinreiryoku to the fullest. Perhaps you can get that to change?

>>3522604
You can't help but notice that despite having two of your closest allies at your side, the situation could actually be improved somewhat. This is because you can sense that neither Yoruichi nor Tia are utilizing their shinreiryoku to the fullest. Which in this coming battle against Aizen Sōsuke will prove to be a detriment... particularly to the two of them.

But how to get them to start utilizing their shinreiryoku more effectively?

There are a few ideas that could work. The first is to adapt some of the techniques of the Onmitsukidō to try and stimulate the flow of reiatsu within their bodies, which in their fully-released forms should cause them to draw more heavily from their deeper, normally inaccessible reserves of Shinreiryoku.

There's another possibility: that they may only be able to draw on those reserves by using specific techniques. For Yoruichi that likely means something to do with her Bankai, but for Tia? You have no idea, since her new form is unfamiliar to you.

The third and final possibility is a bit more hands-on, and more of a gamble, but it would make Kisuke blush if you ever spoke of it. Similar to the training method he used on Ichigo, you could deliberately put them in a do-or-die scenario that will cause them to draw on their shinreiryoku in response. The problem is... you really don't like that idea.

>Do the Onmitsu thing... like a particularly aggressive massage that hits their spiritual pressure points.
>See if Yoruichi has a technique that will help her access her shinreiryoku, and ideally that will give Tia an idea.
>Nothing wrong with a little mortal peril between friends, right?
>Other?

>>3523994
>Do the Onmitsu thing... like a particularly aggressive massage that hits their spiritual pressure points.

>>3523994
Do the onmitsu thing

>>3523994
>>Do the Onmitsu thing... like a particularly aggressive massage that hits their spiritual pressure points.

>>3523994
>>Do the Onmitsu thing... like a particularly aggressive massage that hits their spiritual pressure points.

>3d10 best of three

Rolled 6, 2, 2 = 10 (3d10)

>>3524291

Rolled 10, 1, 6 = 17 (3d10)

>>3524291

Rolled 4, 10, 8 = 22 (3d10)

>>3524291

Rolled 1, 4, 8, 7 = 20 (4d10)

>>3524291
You decide that now is an excellent time to dust off some of your Onmitsukidō training, particularly one of the earliest aspects: improving a recent initiate's reiatsu utilization. Unfortunately you really lack the time to do it properly, but you turn it on Tia anyway.

“Hold still for a moment, Tia,” you tell her simply. “No matter what happens.”

Tia, who is currently looking away from you, seems understandably disconcerted. “What do you...”
>qm rolling

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>>3524339
You begin to strike her, dozens of lightning-quick jabs that barely dig into her flesh and only in very specific spots, in a specific sequence. Each blow strikes home an instant before the next, some accompanied by a small burst of reiatsu to affect the spiritual pressure point you targeted.

With three quick strikes to the front of her torso you conclude your efforts, and earn a small grunt from Tia whose face has begun to flush red.

“Are you okay?” you ask curiously. This response was not what you expected.

She nods quickly. “Yes... fine. Completely fine.”

“That is good,” you nod in relief. “Very good. Do you feel any different?”

Her eyes, already slightly wider than usually, widen even further. “I do. Something feels different... something... primal. Something other than hollow power.”

“Seize that,” you insist immediately. “Seize hold of that and use it, and never let it go... that, my dear Tia, is your shinreiryoku.”

“Shinreiryoku...” she repeats thoughtfully.

You leave her to sort out the ramifications of that, and turn to Yoruichi. “Can you use what you have?”

Yoruichi shuts her eyes. “I can. But you're not gonna like it.”

“Go ahead and tell me,” you nod calmly. “Please.”

“I would need to manifest a Hōgyoku using my Bankai.”

Aizen turns a glare towards Yoruichi.

“.. no.”

>Do it quickly.
>You do not have to do it.
>It is your decision to make, and no one else's.
>Other?

>>3524368
>It is your decision to make, and no one else's.

>>3524368
>>It is your decision to make, and no one else's.

>Aizen turns a glare towards Yoruichi.
>“.. no.”
lol somebody is mad about their shtick being taken.

>>3524368
>>>It is your decision to make, and no one else's.

>>3524368
It is your decision

>>3524368
>>It is your decision to make, and no one else's.

>>3524368
>Do it quickly.

>>3524368
>>It is your decision to make, and no one else's.

>>3524368
>3d10, best of four

Rolled 6, 4, 8 = 18 (3d10)

>>3525732

Rolled 4, 6, 10 = 20 (3d10)

>>3525732

Rolled 3, 7, 8 = 18 (3d10)

>>3525732

Rolled 7, 1, 8 = 16 (3d10)

>>3525732

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>>3525732
You reach out with your left hand, pulling Yoruichi's forehead in to touch against your own.

“It is your decision to make, and no other's,” you insist quietly. “Know that what you choose, we will make work, and that is the absolute extent of it.”

Once you release her, she nods silently and turns to face Aizen with a quiet resolve.

“So, you have found your resolve at long last, scion of the Shihōin?” Aizen quizzes her with a frown, as if his expectations have somehow been dashed. “Very well. As one of the great Clans the Shihōin will need to fall before me sooner or later irrespective of your resolve.”

“You're wrong,” Yoruichi counters, glaring hard at her foe.

Aizen raises one slender eyebrow. “About what in particular?”

“I'm not here as the head of the Shihōin clan,” she declares, raising her swords. “I'm not even here as a Captain. I'm here as myself, Shohōin Yoruichi, nothing more or less.”

With a smooth movement she threads her blades through the sleeves of her haori and shrugs it off, where its upper half settles around her waist. “Right now I couldn't care less about what the Gotei 13 or the noble houses want. All I care about is what I know I have to do.”

“And that is?”

“Just this once,” Yoruichi replies, “I'm going to take things too far.”

“Bankai: Tenrai Kenshō no Shōsōtō.”

With a burst of unusually dense and deeply blue reiatsu, Yoruichi manifests something that would be very familiar to Aizen. His shocked expression confirms that he knows damn well what it is that has emerged from Yoruichi's forehead, a bright and luminous blue gem that seemingly burns from within with an obscenely powerful reiatsu.

“A Hōgyoku?” he demands, features contorting slightly in barely-contained rage.

“A Hōgyoku,” Yoruichi confirms. “Now then, it seems we're all finally done showing off.”

“Time to get to the actual fighting,” you agree. “Don't you think?”

>Charge head-on, use your personal style to keep Aizen on his back foot and allow Yoruichi and Tia to attack more easily.
>Probe cautiously. Test his speed and strength, giving Yoruichi and Tia time to observe as well and adjust appropriately.
>Use some hypnotic illusions to alter Aizen's perception of depth and time, tilt the scales in your side's favor.
>Other?

>>3525834
>Charge head-on, use your personal style to keep Aizen on his back foot and allow Yoruichi and Tia to attack more easily.

>>3525834
>Use some hypnotic illusions to alter Aizen's perception of depth and time, tilt the scales in your side's favor.

>>3525834
>Charge head-on, use your personal style to keep Aizen on his back foot and allow Yoruichi and Tia to attack more easily.

>>3525834
>>Probe cautiously. Test his speed and strength, giving Yoruichi and Tia time to observe as well and adjust appropriately.

>>3525834
>>Charge head-on, use your personal style to keep Aizen on his back foot and allow Yoruichi and Tia to attack more easily.

>>3525834
>>Charge head-on, use your personal style to keep Aizen on his back foot and allow Yoruichi and Tia to attack more easily.

>>3525834
>3d10, best of four

Rolled 1, 9, 6 = 16 (3d10)

>>3528405

Rolled 10, 8, 5 = 23 (3d10)

>>3528405

Rolled 9, 10, 9 = 28 (3d10)

>>3528405

Rolled 1, 9, 4 = 14 (3d10)

>>3528405

>>3528423
nice one!

Rolled 2, 1, 1, 3, 8, 8, 9, 2 = 34 (8d10)

>>3528405
>QM Rolling

>>3528405
You know that you are at your strongest when fighting according to your own deeply-ingrained, aggressive style, and so that is precisely what you decide to do.

Your kodachi in hand, you close the distance with Aizen in an instant.

There's a series of clashes as your edge meets his blade: one swing at hidarikariage, one at miginagi, one at kesagiri. With that last downward swing at Aizen's left side you follow through, turning to kick at his hip even as your blades flow against each other before parting.

Aizen's counterattack meets your high parry into ryutō, your own edge slightly redirecting the arc of his swing as you sweep low with your right foot. He lifts his lead foot to evade, and slides to your right to evade the downward sweep of your own flowing blade out of your parry.

He attacks from your blind side, intending to impale your under the ribs, but in an instant your right foot withdraws and you reverse the arc of your sword to sweep aside his attack and turn to face him.

“Byakurai.”

A lance of lightning impales Aizen in the shoulder, and his cero bursts against the edge of your sword. You emerge from the blinding blast with your skin steaming slightly, but otherwise unhurt.

When your vision normalizes you see that Aizen is using an especially powerful kidō... one which you instantly recognize.

“Hadō Ninety-Nine...”

You understand instinctively that there is no possible way to counter Aizen now, at least using conventional methods. His Five Dragons will annihilate your body in an instant, and will probably take Yoruichi and Tia with you. You might be able to dodge, or use some form of dimensional manipulation, but that would not solve the problem of Yoruichi and Tia being in the line of fire.

Which leaves you one reasonable counter: to ignore the limitations of 'conventional methods'.
>1/2

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>>3528699
Using the abilities possessed by Tamamo no Mae, you briefly bend the passage of time in your favor, just enough to finish what should take several seconds in a single heartbeat instead. As if in three separate voices, you speak the words that you know you must.

[Five dragons, three sparrows, an unsheathed sword]
[Untouched by the light of the world's ending]
[Hadō 99: Mumyoryū Tenken]

In an instant, your technique strikes home. Three bursts of reiatsu, flickering like the scales of a hitofude-ryū, twist and fade as they dissipate into the air. Even you didn't see the three dragons hit their target.

Aizen's body is left in ruins. He coughs, massive chunks of his body simply missing. His blade is gone as well, dissolved into atoms., but his hand reshapes itself into the form of a dragon's widening jaws.

Wordlessly, he releases a pulsing surge of shinreiryoku-laden power, a divine cero to match the raw potential of any technique you know.

In an instant, Yoruichi's back is before you.

“Shinken Hakkyōken!”

A copy of the Ise clan's treasured artefact reflects the attack before it shatters entirely under the force of the blast, but Yoruichi manages to pull off her technique... just barely.

“Cascada de Cielo Helado.”

A sudden downpour freezes Aizen in a massive pillar, which compresses itself into a massive cross pattern. The arms meet right where Aizen's body is trapped, and the ice still seems to be flowing... that's not ice, you realize, but supercompressed water of an impossible physical nature. It has the effect of trapping its victim as though it were a solid, but cannot be cracked or shattered the way you've seen happen with Hitsugaya's ice.

>Wait. That cannot be Aizen's end.
>Speak Ichibē's name to revive him.
>Discuss the next step with your partners.
>Other?

>>3528777
>Wait. That cannot be Aizen's end.

>>3528777
>>Discuss the next step with your partners.

>>3528777
>>Wait. That cannot be Aizen's end.
>>Speak Ichibē's name to revive him.

we can do both

>>3528777
>Wait. That cannot be Aizen's end.
>Speak Ichibē's name to revive him.

>>3528777
>Wait. That cannot be Aizen's end.

>>3528777
To clarify/explain what happened just now, Riku combined her modified blade-casted Hado 99 with the mythical technique supposedly used by Okita Souji that targeted the top of the head, the base of the neck, and the arm all in a single movement. So she essentially struck Aizen with three dragons in an instant before he could release his full five.

This is what happens when the four basic shinigami combat styles become completely interchangeable.

>>3528777
Aizen has already said Ichibe's name in previous thread
> “That is Ichibē, the Monk who calls the Real Name,” Aizen explains

>>3528891
i think you need the full name to revive him and i am pretty sure Aizen knows that very well

>>3528916
My bad, you are correct. Thread #97

>>3528818
>This is what happens when the four basic shinigami combat styles become completely interchangeable.
Holy shit that's badass.

Man, I'm so conflicted on if we want Ichibe involved at this point. Considering the lack of trust between both parties, I'm leaning towards no.

>>Wait. That cannot be Aizen's end.

>>3528777
>Discuss the next step with your partners.
At this point,the problem is keeping Aizen down and I'm not sure that problem can be solved just by beating him down repeatedly.

Aizen is many things, but a quitter ain't one of them.

As much as it sucks, Ichibei might have a better handle on how to seal Aizen since Urahara isn't nearby.

>>3528777
>Wait. That cannot be Aizen's end.
>Discuss the next step with your partners.

Rolled 3, 3, 4, 4, 7, 2, 10, 8 = 41 (8d10)

>>3528777
Rollem
>3d10, best of four

Rolled 3, 9, 6 = 18 (3d10)

>>3530516

Rolled 8, 1, 9 = 18 (3d10)

>>3530516

Rolled 1, 9, 5 = 15 (3d10)

>>3530516

Rolled 1, 1, 8 = 10 (3d10)

>>3530516

>>3530516
You realize it immediately, instinctively. Frustrating though it may be, Aizen still lives even now.

It's shocking that after taking a string of attacks sufficient to obliterate any other mortal you can think of Aizen still has not managed to die. Is it possible that he has either literally or effectively become immortal through the Hōgyoku's transformative powers?

Seemingly out of the blue, Kisuke appears.

“So, it finally happened?” he asks with a grim expression. “Took long enough.”

“Long enough?” you ask, turning to face your fellow Captain. “You mean to say you anticipated his body rejecting the Hōgyoku?”

“How is that?” Tia demands quietly.

“Aizen Sōsuke's body has been infected with cells that produce an immense amount of spiritual antibodies,” Kisuke explains carefully, producing a small vial from his sash. “They are extremely aggressive, and are keyed to feed off the reiatsu of a specific target.”

“Isn't that a bit... oh, I dunno,” Yoruichi sighs, shaking her head. “Dangerous?”

Kisuke pulls out a second vial, shaking it at you. “A second compound designed to trigger a self-destruct protocol in the infectious agent, causing the cellular structure to break down.”

“Dangerous,” Yoruichi repeats. “When this is over I'm putting you in for a commendation, then I'm putting you in the Maggot's Nest for a month or two and sealing all your research materials.”

“So you're not going to mention the fact that he's still alive?” Tia asks, rolling her eyes.

Kisuke blinks, nonplussed. “Literally how?”

“I cannot say,” you admit. “By all regards each of those last three attacks should have killed him... and by that logic even Arisawa should have managed it.”

“Then, what should we...” Kisuke muses.
>1/2

>>3530782
“I do not know,” you cut him off with a frown. “Because if I cannot say how he has survived thus far I cannot say how to go about ending his life.”

“The best I could probably do at the moment is Sōgenbi followed by a fully-incanted Goryūtenmetsu, which given his current reiryoku properties I doubt would fully destroy his physical form. What is more likely is that he will regenerate as soon as I started to tire.”

“And his reiatsu would recover as well,” Tia adds, her expression grave.

Yoruichi sighs, seemingly conceding a point to herself. “That matches what I observed. His regenerated tissues also come with a fresh supply of spiritual power. The more thoroughly you trash his body the greater his endurance.”

Damn… you knew something struck you as off about his regenerative abilities, and that would explain it. The harder you push him the more quickly the gap in your potential stamina would become apparent.

>Send Aizen to Hell. That will buy you a week or two, maybe a month.
>Try to conceive of a way, together with Kisuke and Yoruichi, to seal Aizen.
>The time is right, you need to wake Ichibē from his dirt-nap.
>Other?

>>3530804
>Try to conceive of a way, together with Kisuke and Yoruichi, to seal Aizen.

>>3530804
>Try to conceive of a way, together with Kisuke and Yoruichi, to seal Aizen.

>>3530804
>>The time is right, you need to wake Ichibē from his dirt-nap.
let's use the rock near your foot first, worst case ichibe doesn't work. We move on to alternatives.

>>3530804
>>The time is right, you need to wake Ichibē from his dirt-nap.

>>3530804
>if his regeneration stems from a fresh supply of spiritual power and reishi, that power has to come from somewhere. And we're fighting him in the worst place to fight him in. Seireitei's full of ambient Reishi. How about we send him to a place where it's utterly devoid of Reishi?

>>3530804
>>The time is right, you need to wake Ichibē from his dirt-nap.

>>3530859
>>3530804
supporting this instead.

>>3530804
>The time is right, you need to wake Ichibē from his dirt-nap.

>>3530804
>>The time is right, you need to wake Ichibē from his dirt-nap.
Sure why not.

>>3530859
That sounds like it makes sense, but I'm not sure Aizen's powers have any connection to logic

>>3532507
Aizen's strength stems from the degree to which the situation he contrives to place you in is illogical, so it stands to reason the means through which he powers his ability are completely illogical as well.

>>3530804
>The time is right, you need to wake Ichibē from his dirt-nap.
We need to consult the gods, we can't easily do this on our own and it's become a far larger issue.

>>3530859
>>3532748
Actually, this really does make sense, so i'm supporting it as well.
Right now there's so much latent energy in the air that he's practically swimming in it, all the energy from the entire gotei 13 and it's allies combined...

>>3530804
“Ichibē Hyōsube.”

Two little words, but words with some power to them. Because when you speak them they allow the Monk that Calls the Real Name to reincarnate himself after being dead for a not insignificant amount of time.

Aizen’s body continues to regenerate as the Monk joins you, staring at the scene before him in shock. “What has been happening while I was dead?”

“Crazy stuff,” Kisuke explains vaguely. “I guess you have a reason why you did that, Riku?”

You nod. “Yoruichi, correct me if I am mistaken, but he should not be able to recover his reiatsu were he not in a place with such a heavy concentration of reishi?”

“Reishi domination?” Tia asks.

You nod curtly. “Perhaps. It is the best explanation I could come up with.”

“It’s a consistent theory,” Yoruichi agrees.

“So, Ichibē,” you ask, finally coming to the main point at hand. “I brought you back for the purpose of asking this question: how do we disable Aizen’s regenerative abilities?”

“Speak quickly. There is little time.”
>3d10, best of three

Rolled 10, 8, 4 = 22 (3d10)

>>3533065

Rolled 5, 6, 9 = 20 (3d10)

>>3533065

Rolled 9, 10, 9 = 28 (3d10)

>>3533065

>>3533065
You’re surprised when Ichibē opens a Hell portal.

“Ichibē,” you ask, suddenly concerned. “What are you doing?”

“This is the only way to buy ourselves any time,” Ichibē explains with a grim look. “We will need to do something that is utterly without precedent… Captain Urahara, Captain Shihōin, I require your assistance.”

It takes a minute or two for the three of them to do their work.

Kisuke uses a Bakudō #99 to hold Aizen in place even more thoroughly than Tia herself has managed, while Yoruichi and Ichibē use a powerful series of binding and sealing spells. Then, at what seems to be a point predetermined by Ichibē, the Monk has Tia push Aizen through into the Hell portal before sealing it.

“I do not understand your logic, Ichibē,” you growl. “Surely you must be aware that at his current level Aizen Sōsuke will be able to break himself free?”

“I am painfully aware,” Ichibē admits as he revives his fallen comrades. “But as I said, this situation requires an unprecedented step.”

“And that is?” Yoruichi demands. “I don’t appreciate being kept in the dark.”

“We must call a meeting,” Ichibē states flatly.

“Just explain yourself!” you demand, reiatsu and tails flaring violently. “I tire of your mealy-mouthed sputtering!”

“… we must call a meeting of the Gods.”
>tbc

>>3533189
Fuck yes, we're doing the thing i thought we really needed to do

>>3533189
Things are escalating! Very nice!

>>3533189
>“… we must call a meeting of the Gods.”
oooooh shit this is gonna be exciting

>>3533715
inb4 its a marathon of divine bureaucracy

>>3533782
>it's a meeting that takes months in real time

>>3533782
>And now you have to fill out form #34215a in triplicate
>You missed your signature in subsection II, paragraph d, and your personal seal in subsection XIV paragraph h
>This one needs to be sealed in blood
>Fill out the requisition form in green ink with a calligraphy brush, and write your True Name in the box for your signature
>But remember you have to do it on the night of the full moon
>No, you can't staple them you dummy!
>Now you have to start over!

>>3534973
This is Hell. I sympathize with the monk.

>>3535057
that really is hell

>>3533189
“We must make preparations,” Ichibē explains. “Tomorrow at dawn, you will present yourself at the Grand Ise Clan Shrine.”

Before you can even come up with a question to ask, Ichibē is abruptly absent. As if he was never there to begin with. You’re left stumped, and seeing very little else to do you seal your swords and nearly fall over from the overwhelming sense of exhaustion.

Yoruichi and Halibel nearly bump into each other rushing forward to catch you, and between the two of them you somehow manage to stay off the ground.

“So what’s the situation?” you ask wearily, directing your question at Halibel. “In the living world I mean?”

“No fatalities, somehow,” she replies, sealing her own sword once it’s clear your in no imminent danger of faceplanting. “Though some of your fellow Captains will not be returning to duty for some time.”

“Yoruichi, what about the second line?”

Your wife shrugs. “Same story, really. Not sure if Byakuya’s gonna be up and about in time to go to this meeting Ichibē’s trying to call. But he’ll wanna try, I’m sure.”

“It’s about what I’d expect,” you grumble. “Which leaves one outstanding issue...”

You can see now that Shunsui, supported by the presence of his Lieutenant Ise Nanao, has finally joined you.

“I seem to recall you didn’t want me running off to Hueco Mundo,” you sigh.

He nods at you, exhausted himself. “Yeah. Funny enough, I remember something like that too.”

>Argue your point. You followed what you believed to be your duty, as any Captain should. Your duty simply went beyond the immediate interests of the Seireitei.
>Plead the noble/Goddess defense. Considering your rescue of Ichigo to be either one of those makes it an affair that the Gotei 13 explicitly cannot meddle in.
>Toss your haori at him and resolve yourself to forfeiture of your Captaincy if that’s what Shunsui decides. But you won’t play the political game any longer.
>Other?

>>3535216
>Toss your haori at him and resolve yourself to forfeiture of your Captaincy if that’s what Shunsui decides. But you won’t play the political game any longer.

>>3535216
>Toss your haori at him and resolve yourself to forfeiture of your Captaincy if that’s what Shunsui decides. But you won’t play the political game any longer.
Let us see this to the bitter end, hmm?
there'll be even more politics to come, and at a bigger scale

>>3535216
>>Toss your haori at him and resolve yourself to forfeiture of your Captaincy if that’s what Shunsui decides. But you won’t play the political game any longer.

>>3535216
>"I would've argued that my running off contributed to the war. A covert op that crippled the enemy of its reinforcements... while trying to haul the asses of two lieutenant class shinigami back along side my nephew..."
>Toss your haori at him and resolve yourself to forfeiture of your Captaincy if that’s what Shunsui decides. But you won’t play the political game any longer.
>"It's gotten to the point where the political game of Seireitei's been outweighed by the political game of Divine Bureaucracy that I've gotten myself involved in. Queen of Hell and all that jazz."
>"Besides, Captain Rangiku and the 9th division have been handling my vacancy just fine."

>>3535216
>Argue your point. You followed what you believed to be your duty, as any Captain should. Your duty simply went beyond the immediate interests of the Seireitei.
I worry that just quitting on the spot would mean he'll ask we turn in our swords as well. No deal on that.

>>3535476
i think we just leave it in his hands, atm riku is just to exhausted to deal with the bullshit that is the seireitei politics
even if Shunsui is one of the reasonable ones, possibly the only reasonable one as well

>>3535216
>>Argue your point. You followed what you believed to be your duty, as any Captain should. Your duty simply went beyond the immediate interests of the Seireitei.
>>Plead the noble/Goddess defense. Considering your rescue of Ichigo to be either one of those makes it an affair that the Gotei 13 explicitly cannot meddle in.
Ichigo is part of our family, so you know I think we have grounds for going off the reservation a bit even if we have to eat a little crow.
>>3535508
I really don't want to throw him our haori, because he's the chillest captain here. He does not deserve to be fed our annoyance at the political system we're stuck in. He's had our back numerous times.

>>3535216
>3d10, best of four

Rolled 3, 6, 3 = 12 (3d10)

>>3535813
And here we go

Rolled 10, 1, 4 = 15 (3d10)

>>3535813
this is gonna be bad

Rolled 8, 1, 10 = 19 (3d10)

>>3535813

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

>>3535813

>>3535837
>>3535830
>>3535824
>>3535817
Welp. Back to mediocrity.

>>3535813
You wordlessly remove your haori, then hold it out towards the Head Captain clutched in one hand.

“What is this?” he demands, staring back at you.

Your own gaze remains steady. “It’s my haori. Take it. As the Head Captain it’s up to you to decide who should wear it, whether that’s me or someone else.”

Next to you, from the corner of your eye, you see Yoruichi begin to do the same.

“You don’t have to...” you begin, only for her to thrust her haori forward emphatically.

“I made my decision when I went with you,” she insists bluntly. “Or maybe even before then, now that I think about it. Regardless we’re in this together, you and I.”

You can’t help but chuckle grimly. “You’re so predictable, you know that?”

“I prefer ‘dependable’, but yeah,” she grins. “I know.”

“Sure you don’t wanna argue with me a bit?” Shunsui asks.

You nod back at him. “I’m too tired to argue.”

Shunsui considers the situation carefully, before shaking his head. “Keep them. Besides, it’s not up to me… question’s whether your actions are protected as a noble family matter or not.”

“That is for the noble clans to decide,” Yoruichi muses, shutting her eyes and throwing the haori over her shoulders. “Whaddyou think, Byakuya?”

“Or, should I say, Twenty-Eighth Head of the Kuchiki Clan, Captain Kuchiki Byakuya?”

“Twenty-Second Head of the Shihōin Clan, Captain Shihōin Yoruichi,” Byakuya greets the two of you, propped up by Captain Unohana as he copes with his own wounds. “Captain Kusajishi Riku of the Shiba Clan. Your actions were reckless… but within your rights.”

“And from the way things appear, justified as well.”

“That was perilously close to a compliment,” Yoruichi taunts her peer.

“As close as you are likely to get, cat-monster,” Byakuya replies wearily.
>1/2

>>3535885
>“As close as you are likely to get, cat-monster,” Byakuya replies wearily.

be careful beyakuya, that almost sounded like humor

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>>3535885
You are afforded little time to rest, but you do get a brief chance to reunite with your Division. Rangiku and your Commandos you embrace warmly, and after hearing about the battle from them you give them three days’ mandatory rest and recovery. Aside from Rangiku, of course, who you feed and subsequently send to bed early. After all, she’ll be your stand-in tomorrow morning.

Also present are the ‘Tres Bestias’, and the surviving Sternritters. Predictably Bambietta is unhappy that none of your opponents still live… but she does seem to understand that you were given no alternative. She leaves shortly after dinner to recover what remains of their bodies, obviously for burial.

You send a squad from your Division with her to help.

Kaoru spends a busy evening coordinating with her Kidō Corps members, who are busy returning Karakura town to its usual place in the world of the living. You have Starrk and Kai join their teams, offering them some measure of protection against any hollows who may be drawn to all the commotion.

Finally, you’re left with one more decision to make, brought to you by Menoly.

She knocks politely at the frame of your door, while you lay your head on your office desk with a hot water bottle on it.

“Yeah, what’s up?” you ask, not even bothering to lift your head.

“I found my friend,” she tells you simply.

You glance up at the arrancar in question, recognizing her face. “Loly, wasn’t it?”

After a quick elbow from Menoly, the newcomer nods. “Yes.”

“And… you want… what?” you ask Menoly.

“Don’t you want to, I don’t know,” Menoly sighs. “Lock her up, or something?”

>I don’t care. You know the rules, make sure she follows them and that’s fine.
>Hell, let all the other prisoners out. Except BG9 and that crazy quincy woman.
>Put her in a cell and make her comfortable until I get a chance to arrange something.
>“You make trouble and I eat your head. Like a mantis.”
>Other?

>>3535940
>>“You make trouble and I eat your head. Like a mantis.”
>"Kidding, mostly. You know the rules, make sure she follows them and that’s fine."

>>3535940
>“You make trouble and I eat your head. Like a mantis.”

>>3535940
>>“You make trouble and I eat your head. Like a mantis.”
>"Kidding, mostly. You know the rules, make sure she follows them and that’s fine."

>>3535940
supporting: >>3535963

>>3535940
>>3535963
Sure, I'll support it.

>>3535963
Supporting.

>>3535963
Sure, got my support.

>>3535940
You sigh, lifting your tired eyes towards Loly. “Cause any problems and I eat your head.”

She stares at you in silent horror, so you continue. “Like a mantis.”

Loly turns to Menoly to voice her concern.

“She’s… she’s kidding, right?”

“I’m sure she doesn’t mean it literally,” Menoly forces a laugh. “I mean, really.”

“I’m kidding,” you offer. “Mostly.”

“Mostly?” Loly repeats, but your attention is back on Menoly now.

“You know the rules. Make sure she follows them and there won’t be any trouble.”

“Thanks, Captain,” Menoly quickly bows. Then she glances at Loly and gestures for her to do the same.

Which she eventually does.
>1/2

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>>3537188
The next morning you awake in the dark to the smell of coffee, still at your desk, with your haori thrown over you like a blanket. Staring back at you from the chair on the other side of the room is Tenri, your purple-eyed divine attendant, who seems to have been waiting for who knows how long for you to stir.

“What time is it?” you demand blearily.

“A few hours before dawn,” Tenri responds calmly. “You have an early engagement, remember?”

“Ah, that god stuff,” you grumble, practically chugging the whole pot of coffee in one go before wiping your face clean with your arm. “You’ll be coming along. I’ll need someone to remind me of the full formal names each of these big guys go by.”

Tenri nods dutifully. “Of course, ma’am. But please remember that I am only supposed to speak when spoken to directly. Your… informal attitude may split opinions of the assembled divinities.”

“Noted,” you nod.

CHOOSE ONE:
>Go in your fully-released form, wearing your Captain haori.
>Go in your fully-released form, without your Captain haori.
>Go as you are, as a shintai, wearing your Captain haori.
>Go as you are, as a shintai, without your Captain haori.

>>3537196
>>Go as you are, as a shintai, wearing your Captain haori.

>>3537196
>Go as you are, as a shintai, wearing your Captain haori.
We're going as a mortal captain of the court guardians, nothing more.

>>3537196
>>Go as you are, as a shintai, wearing your Captain haori.

>>3537196
>Go as you are, as a shintai, without your Captain haori.

>>3537196
>Go in your fully-released form, wearing your Captain haori.

>>3537196
>>Go in your fully-released form, wearing your Captain haori.

>>3537196
>>Go in your fully-released form, without your Captain haori.

>>3537196
>>Go in your fully-released form, wearing your Captain haori.

>>3537196
>Go in your fully-released form, wearing your Captain haori.

>>3537806
>closing the vote, will write after dinner

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>>3537862
You elect to release your abilities to their maximum level, intending to present yourself as ‘Inari Riku’ for the duration of this meeting. That way, at least in theory, the assembled gods will be more likely to take you seriously.

As you remain Captain for the foreseeable future, you leave your white haori on as the outermost layer. Tenri points a small mirror at you and for the first time you can actually see yourself in this form.

A deeply-purple hakama and your sleeveless white Captain's haori are still clearly visible, though the latter seems to have become less of a distinct garment and more of a layer of fine white to cover over your back and shoulders before tucking under your sash. Between those are several layers, many only visible at the neck, at the hems which fall around your ankles, and the sleeves which settle just below your elbows. One is a golden orange color with figured threads shaped like flowers, the lowest layer which leaves the broadest border at the hems, along with six that leave thin bands of blues, purples, a lone green, and an orangey-red. The shortest layer just under her haori is golden yellow like fallen leaves with a pattern of red flowers and their green leaves that look like they could be painted on.

Then comes the haori with its figured shoulder panels, tucked through a familiar pale blue sash, from the back of which trails a violet band with finely-painted white flowers and threads of eye-catching silver damask.

Amazingly, the whole thing seems to be cut in such a way that not only does it display the layers proudly, but the sleeves, hems, and hakama all allow for freedom of movement due to a lack of the usual stiffiners. The nine spectral tails, or rather eight-and-a-half, don’t interfere at all with the outfit itself… you can’t say for sure whether they’re simply manifested that way, or if there has been some provision to allow them to move freely through your kimono.

You manage to resist the urge to investigate, and head downstairs to meet with Rangiku.

“Lieutenant Matsumoto,” you greet your adopted daughter politely. “Are you prepared?”

She nods. “Yeah, I am.”

“Please try to understand that protocol may not let us speak,” you sigh. “I simply hope this concludes quickly.”

“Same here,” Rangiku shrugs. “You look suitably regal.”

“I do seem to clean up well, do I not?” you chuckle. “Come on, we would not want to keep the gods waiting.”

“That’s the oddest thing I’ll probably hear all day,” she grumbles.

“I wish I had your confidence.”
>1/?

>>3538169
Pale blue?
Looks pale green to me. Are you colourblind, king?

>>3538178
yeah, that doesn't really look blue to me either

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>>3538169
The location is a small shrine in the First Division’s grounds, a sacred, walled-off precinct with a familiar layout of fragrant evergreens, flowering trees, and torii gates. The meeting is to occur in the haiden, intricately carved and painted vermilion with green tiles on the roof… fittingly, it’s a shrine dedicated to Inari Ōkami.

Ichibē is waiting for you, so with a quick nudge to the shoulder and an embrace you part ways with Rangiku to follow the Monk.

“Inside,” he explains stiffly, “is where the meeting will take place. Representatives of the Thirteen Divisions will be assembled outside for our guests’ arrival, and they will file into the haiden.”

Then he gestures to the elevated platform within the haiden, which is mostly screened off from view by hanging cloth curtains. He pulls aside one curtain, allowing you to see eight backless seats with many cushions on the tatami around them. Two in the center, facing the entrance to the haiden, are surrounded by their own curtains, with four seats total in that row. To the left and right are two more seats on each side, facing inward towards the center of the raised platform.

Behind you, more cushions are placed along the sides of the room facing an inner ‘aisle’ formed by a fine cloth runner between.

“These seats will be reserved for Captains, Lieutenants, and a certain number of seated officers obliged to attend in place of Captains too wounded to be present,” Ichibē explains. “They are not to look at or speak to any of the divinities unless directly instructed to.”

“I understand,” you sigh. “Though I already find the formality stifling.”

“You had better not mess this up,” Ichibē grumbles.

“What was that about not speaking unless instructed to?” you quip. “Now, when will this all begin?”

“The other officers are assembling nearby,” Ichibē explains. “The Head Captain will escort them when they are ready.”

“Apparently they want us here too,” Yoruichi sighs, letting herself into the haiden. At her sides are Tenri and Halibel. Each is finely dressed, with Yoruichi wearing her haori similarly to your own over a fine golden kimono which you haven't seen her wear in a long time. “I bet you can guess the reason just as quickly as I did.”

“No doubt about it,” you nod. “That also explains the cushions around these seats. Each divinity is bringing a certain number of companions.”

“Follow me,” Ichibē instructs. “The Captains are on their way now.”
>2/3

>>3538178
>>3538212
It's directly translated from the name of a traditional Japanese fabric color, so take it up with a Japanese person.

>>3538232
well, i will be calling ..., i don't actually know any japanese people, only koreans ...

>>3538232
Ah, that would explain it. The japanese don't differentiate between certain colours properly. This is an issue with traffic lights as well, from what i understand.

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>>3538232

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>>3538228
A few minutes later you are led through the center of the shrine grounds, past numerous shinigami whose heads are all lowered in deep reverence. It’s an awkward experience, but less so than what you find inside the haiden.

“Inari Riku-no-Kami,” Ichibē booms as you pass Captains who are kowtowing, “with Shihōin Yoruichi-hidenka, Tia Halibel-hidenka, and entourage.”

Hidenka? Surely he didn’t mean…

You notice that of the Captains Zaraki and Komamura are absent, replaced by that peacock-headed officer and Tetsuzaemon respectively. Behind them are seated officers whom you’ve never met. With Rangiku are your Commandos, though you have to figure by the backs of their heads. Also here are Starrk… who’s thankfully left Lilynette at the barracks, and Bambietta as well.

Hitsugaya glances up as you pass and you catch his eye. Glancing quickly to make sure Ichibē isn’t watching you, you flex your kidō prowess and extend to speak with each of them silently.

“Sorry for this,” you apologize mentally. “Once this is over I will treat you all to a nice meal as an apology for the insufferable formalities of the situation, but until then please bear with it for the sake of appearances.”

Hitsugaya glances back down, but not before giving you an expression that suggests he understands the fact of the matter: that you are just as uncomfortable about all this as they are.

Within the cocoon of curtains you find your seat, the second in on the right facing inwards. Yoruichi, Halibel, and Tenri each carefully settle onto their own cushions, avoiding crumpling their fine clothing and damaging any of the pleats or hems.

You don’t have long to wait before your first guest arrives.

Ichibē’s voice booms once more. “Amaterasu-ōmikami, with attendant Ame-no-Uzume-no-kami.”

Amaterasu? As in that Amaterasu? You exchange a shocked glance with Halibel, then one with Yoruichi who shakes her head.

“I guess it’s just gonna be one of those days.”

A tall woman with long, luxurient black hair and pale skin enters, more floating than walking, dressed entirely in white and bearing a silver mirror and a finely crafted straightsword in a jeweled sheath. Could that be the Kusanagi?

The way Yoruichi is eyeing it suggests that she’s had the same thought, but you both keep it to yourself.

Ame-no-Uzume is a voluptuous woman whose extremely fine kimono barely clings for dear life to her shoulders. In contrast to Amaterasu’s impassive expression the dusky-skinned heaven-alarming woman wears a confident smirk. Both women’s eyes are a solid purple like Tenri’s, who promptly touches her forehead to the floor. Yoruichi and Halibel both take the hint and bow as well, though not as deeply.

“Inari Riku-no-kimi,” Amaterasu greets you in a strangely soft yet sonorous voice. “Am I welcomed into your world?”

You incline your head slightly, whispering to Tenri. “How do I address her?”
>3/4

>>3538300
“No-kimi,” Tenri whispers back.

“Amaterasu-no-kimi,” you reply. “Consider yourself welcomed. Is there anything you need to feel comfortable?”

“Some tea would be nice,” Amaterasu admits, “in due time of course.”

She seats herself in the right-hand of the two individually shrouded seats, while Ame-no-Uzume sits in wariza on the single cushion in front of it. With her almost slovenly mannerisms it’s hard to think of a starker contrast to Amaterasu’s effortless formality.

>Try to make some small talk with Amaterasu. She has after all come a long way to be here.
>Greet Ame-no-Uzume, try to include both in the small talk. Break down a little of the formality.
>Ask them if they can offer any insight into who else will be in attendance, make sure nothing comes as too much of a surprise.
>Other?

>>3538320
>Greet Ame-no-Uzume, try to include both in the small talk. Break down a little of the formality.

>>3538320
>Greet Ame-no-Uzume, try to include both in the small talk. Break down a little of the formality.

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>>3538320
>Greet Ame-no-Uzume, try to include both in the small talk. Break down a little of the formality.
Leave this to me guyse, I know what I'm doing

>>3538320
>>Greet Ame-no-Uzume, try to include both in the small talk. Break down a little of the formality
i really hope that doesn't backfire ...

>>3538320
>Greet Ame-no-Uzume, try to include both in the small talk. Break down a little of the formality
This might not be the best idea, but not greeting a god feels like it would be worse.

>>3538320
>>Try to make some small talk with Amaterasu. She has after all come a long way to be here.

>>3538320
> Greet Ame-no-Uzume, try to include both in the small talk. Break down a little of the formality.

>>3538320
>>Greet Ame-no-Uzume, try to include both in the small talk. Break down a little of the formality.

>>3538320
>>Greet Ame-no-Uzume, try to include both in the small talk. Break down a little of the formality.

>>3538320
>3d10, best of four

Rolled 6, 9, 2 = 17 (3d10)

>>3540284

Rolled 5, 3, 1 = 9 (3d10)

>>3540284

Rolled 3, 6, 5 = 14 (3d10)

>>3540284

Rolled 2, 10, 1 = 13 (3d10)

>>3540284

>>3540284
“Ame-no-Uzume-no-kimi,” you greet the deity seated on the floor… you would almost believe that she positioned herself to deliberately show a provocative amount of thigh. Is she actively trying to seduce someone, or is that just how she behaves?

“Yes, Inari Riku-denka?” the deity responds with a natural, easy smile. “What’s on your mind?”

“I… suppose we have you to thank for the sunrise, then?” you try to joke. “To be honest, nothing in the personal experiences of Tamamo-no-mae can confirm nor deny the particulars of any given myth, so most of you are going to be a mystery to me.”

“If you want to credit me with that I’ll gladly accept,” she continues to smile. “Though it’s credit that would be misplaced. You’ll find that many of the old stories are exaggerations.”

“And the story of the cave?” you ask, wondering where if anywhere the boundary of good taste will be with a goddess.

“Oh, Ammy-chan was having a bad day to be sure!” Ame-no-Uzume laughs. “But the whole thing with the sun is just part of the story. Symbolic, poetic even, but far from literal.”

“Not in front of others,” Amaterasu-ōmikami gently chides her attendant. “Particularly when my brothers arrive.”

“Right, sorry Amaterasu-denka,” Ame-no-Uzume apologizes with what you’d almost call a ditzy expression. “I keep forgetting, but you have to admit it’s not like they don’t know...”

… so it’s like that, is it?

Amaterasu leans out of her silken cocoon and catches your eyes with a placid expression. “Yes, Ame-no-Uzume-kun is my consort. Previously, she was consort to Tsukuyomi-no-kimi.”

So in sending Ame-no-Uzume to tempt Amaterasu-ōmikami out of her hiding Tsukuyomi-no-mikoto lost his mistress to his own wife… ouch.

You and Yoruichi exchange a glance, equal parts amused and embarrassed on Tsukuyomi’s behalf.

“Thank you for clarifying that,” Tia bows politely. “I have been wondering about such things myself.”

“Rare, for a hollow,” Ame-no-Uzume cocks her head, before her momentary confusion melts into another warming smile. “You’re a pleasant surprise, Tia Halibel-hidenka.”

“You keep saying that..” you frown, until your train of thought is interrupted again by Ichibē calling out a name.

“Sarutahiko Daimyōjin!”
>1/2

>>3540328
The newcomer is a massive mountain of a being, with a balding head of hair and purple eyes like the other divinities you’ve seen. He also bears a massive bushy beard, and wears voluminous silken robes, seating himself on the far left side of the row of forward-facing seats, to Amaterasu’s right.

Behind him stands a single divine attendant, long-limbed and with a topknot, who bears an elaborate spear studded with many glittering jewels. This attendant takes a knee behind Sarutahiko’s seat, spear butt against the tatami and point aimed at the heavens.

“Welcome, cousin,” Amaterasu greets the lord of earthly kami.

“Amaterasu-no-kimi,” the man greets his fellow god in a voice like gravel being ground together. “I see you have been keeping well.”

“Well enough,” Amaterasu replies vaguely.

“And you are as jubilant as ever, Ame-no-Uzume-no-kimi,” Sarutahiko greets Amaterasu’s attendant, raising one bushy eyebrow. “Always a joy.”

“Likewise, you seem as dour as ever!” Ame-no-Uzume replies happily. “This is Inari Riku-denka, and her consorts!”

“We are not...” you begin.

“Ah, so the wayward daughter comes into her own at last!” Sarutahiko favors you with a smile… though his eyes have an intensity to them that is at odds with his expression. “What sort of goddess are you, I wonder...”

>The part-time kind.
>The vengeful kind.
>The idealistic kind.
>I am still uncertain.

>>3540348
>I am still uncertain.

>>3540348
>The idealistic kind.
>The part-time kind.

>>3540348
>>I am still uncertain.

>>3540348
>>The part-time kind.

>>3540348
>>I am still uncertain.

>>3540348
>I am still uncertain

>>3540348
>>3540348
>>I am still uncertain.

>>3540348
>I am still uncertain.
Only because theres no option for "The vigilant kind."
Because Riku's pretty much been preparing preparations since the quest started.

>>3540602
This is pretty accurate.

>>3540602
i would support that as well, from
>>3540356

>>3540348
>>I am still uncertain.
Man, I would totally be down for "The vigilant kind"

>>3540348
> I am still uncertain

>>3540602
Oh yeah, absolutely. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst, etc.

Honestly, I think many of the gods we've met have been pleased by Riku's actions and performance, even if they at first doubted.

>>3540625
>>3540681
>>3540741
Well, I mean, as far as I know, thats one of the two things thats defined Riku so far:
She prepares for trouble, and she helps people grow, in multiple manners.
Sounds, out of context, like a type of mother/guardian deity description

>>3541335
This is very true. I guess you could call her protective and nurturing...a bit like Inari herself actually.

>>3541335
I mean, if enough people like this I'll roll with it.

>>3541444
>>3541335
It's basically what Riku is.
Why else would we adopt, raise, train and fight alongside with prospective shinigami? And raise a good family?
>>3540348
The kind of goddess who is vigilant and would suffer no threats against those she protects, yet would spend time nurturing and caring for those below her. In short, I'm a proud mother of 2 adoptive shinigami children, a mortal nephew, 3 Arrancar/Hollow orphans, a dutiful wife, and kindred sister to an Arrancar with divinity in her blood.

>>3540328
I like this.
>>3540602

>>3540348
switching to
>>3540602
>The vigilant kind
from >>3540391

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>>3540348
“I am not certain,” you admit, “though if I had to guess I would say that I am the goddess of parasols.”

Sarutahiko regards you with apparent curiosity. “I sense a clever thought here. Please clarify your meaning?”

“I protect and nurture anything under my embrace, rain or sun,” you explain. “I will reject even the heavens themselves if it becomes necessary, because that is who I am. That is what my divine power exists to do.”

Yoruichi leans against your leg, and you’re about to make a comment when...

“Inari-Ōkami!” Ichibē’s voice calls out, and a familiar face pokes into the curtained-off space along with one white-clad shoulder.

“Sorry for listening in,” she apologizes with a smile. “But I have to agree, that assessment suits you.”

“Mother,” you greet Inari warmly. “I was hoping you would be here.”

“And so I am,” she replies, sweeping her way to the seat on Amaterasu’s far left, in front of you and to your right. Two white foxes prance around at the hems of her scarlet hakama, with red bibs tied around their necks. One carries in its mouth a sheaf of rice, and the other an old metal key.

These they lay at Inari’s feet, before one sits obediently at her side. The other is lured away by its curiosity, coming to stare at Tia expectantly. She relents, giving the spirit-fox a gentle scratch behind the ear.

“Inari-no-kimi,” Amaterasu greets her fellow goddess. “Your daughter has been entertaining us… or rather trying to, in spite of the constant interruptions.”

“All this pageantry is certainly an inconvenience for conversation,” Inari sighs.

“Pageantry serves its purposes,” Sarutahiko Daimyōjin observes slyly. “Also, when was the last time we had the chance to parade ourselves in front of mortals like this? I am shocked more did not answer the call for that reason alone. Don’t tell me that rascally Susano’o-no-mikoto let such a chance pass him by?”

“You know my brother,” Amaterasu sighs. “Always unfashionably late, and always making a grand show of it.”

“Still,” Ame-no-Uzume sighs. “At least he’s not...”

“Tsukuyomi-no-mikoto!” Ichibē calls out.

There’s a moment of silence before Ame-no-Uzume mutters to herself. “Well, shit.”
>1/2

>>3541532
>“Tsukuyomi-no-mikoto!” Ichibē calls out.

>There’s a moment of silence before Ame-no-Uzume mutters to herself. “Well, shit.”

Hoo boy, i can sense D R A M A

>>3541532
Also, gimme a 3d10. Best of four, and no rush on it since I won't be able to post again for a few hours.

Rolled 2, 8, 6 = 16 (3d10)

>>3541542

Rolled 7, 1, 4 = 12 (3d10)

>>3541542

Rolled 1, 8, 1 = 10 (3d10)

>>3541542

Rolled 7, 2, 1 = 10 (3d10)

>>3541542

>>3541532
“So this is the Inari Riku of whom I have heard,” the newcomer muses as he joins his peers within the shrine. “How fascinating. I look forward to hearing from you, Inari Riku-no-kimi.”

Tsukuyomi-no-mikoto is a darker man, tall and lithe, with his raven-black hair in a topknot and wearing a deep, regal purple kimono. He is attended by two lesser divinities in plain black haori who kneel on either side of his shrouded seat. As he turns to sit you catch a glimpse of his eyes: one is the same purple color as his sister, but the left eye is pure, featureless white.

Then you realize something: every time a divine being with those featureless eyes speaks, they turn their head to face whoever they are speaking to directly. Tenri does it, Amaterasu does it, Inari does it, Ame-no-Uzume… but not Tsukuyomi. The god of the moon never once looked at you when he spoke, and now he’s shrouded the same as Amaterasu is.

You gather that they aren’t on speaking terms, a suspicion that is confirmed when he does begin to speak.

“Sarutahiko-no-kimi, it has been long old friend,” he greets the massive earth deity.

“Likewise,” Sarutahiko replies calmly.

“And Inari-Ōkami-no-kimi, you seem well,” he abruptly shifts his focus. “Come to visit your offspring in an official capacity?”

“You speak as though accusing me of impropriety,” Inari replies calmly, as her second fox companion finally tires of head scratches and lays at your feet with its head between its paws. “If that is not your intention I would counsel caution in the future. No need to turn our first reunion in fifty years into a confrontation.”

>So you do not see one another often, I take it? That makes this event all the more momentous.
>Thank you for coming, Tsukuyomi-no-kimi. I look forward to hearing your counsel.
>If I may be blunt, we DO intend to speak about serious matters today, do we not? Since when is my surname Baggins?
>Other?

>>3542077
as much as i want to do a lord of the rings joke, i think being polite is a better idea
>Thank you for coming, Tsukuyomi-no-kimi. I look forward to hearing your counsel.

>>3542077
>So you do not see one another often, I take it? That makes this event all the more momentous.

>>3542077
>>Thank you for coming, Tsukuyomi-no-kimi. I look forward to hearing your counsel.

>>3542077
>Thank you for coming, Tsukuyomi-no-kimi. I look forward to hearing your counsel.

>>3542077
>>Thank you for coming, Tsukuyomi-no-kimi. I look forward to hearing your counsel.

>>3542077
>So you do not see one another often, I take it? That makes this event all the more momentous.
>Thank you for coming, Tsukuyomi-no-kimi. I look forward to hearing your counsel.

>>3542077
>>>Thank you for coming, Tsukuyomi-no-kimi. I look forward to hearing your counsel.
>>3542077

>>3542077
“Thank you for coming, Tsukuyomi-no-mikoto,” you greet the newcomer politely. “I look forward to hearing your wise counsel.”

Behind his curtain, Tsukuyomi’s response is a thinly-veiled insult. “My words are not for you, Inari Riku-no-kimi.”

Before you get the chance to respond, Amaterasu interjects. “Ame-no-Uzume, my dear?”

“What is it, Amaterasu-ōmikami?” she asks cheerfully.

“Please remind my husband to use his manners when dealing with our peers,” Amaterasu directs her attendant. “And that as Inari Riku-no-kimi is the inheritor of Inari-Ōkami’s third aspect she is counted among our peers.”

Tsukiyomi-no-kimi,” Ame-no-Uzume addresses the man behind the curtain, “your wife wants you to stop being a jerk.”

At first there’s silence from Tsukiyomi, but eventually he replies. “If my wife expects civility, perhaps she should show it herself.”

“He’s still upset,” Ame-no-Uzume sighs, relaying information to Amaterasu despite the fact that the latter should absolutely have been able to hear Tsukiyomi herself.

“Is that so?” Amaterasu muses. “Perhaps he would relent if the others present were to agree that his behavior is inappropriate?”

“Wanna put it to a vote?” Ame-no-Uzume offers to Tsukiyomi.

“Fine,” Tsukiyomi sighs.

“He’s game,” Ame-no-Uzume relays.

“You’re being an arrogant ass,” Inari declares.

Sarutahiko nods. “She may be inexperienced, but you are acting like a child.”

“I like her,” Ame-no-Uzume nods. “Ammy?”

“I decided to give her a chance,” Amaterasu agrees.

>Ask for clarification… can Amaterasu and Tsukiyomi not hear each other?
>Thank your new ‘peers’, but you can speak to Tsukiyomi for yourself.
>Just… wait for the next name. Ichibē’s going to end up interrupting you anyway.
>Other?

>>3543933
>Just… wait for the next name. Ichibē’s going to end up interrupting you anyway.
Don't engage the ancient weirdos, might mess up the actual talks

>>3543933
>>Just… wait for the next name. Ichibē’s going to end up interrupting you anyway.
worse than highschool drama

>>3543933
>>Just… wait for the next name. Ichibē’s going to end up interrupting you anyway.

>>3543933
>Just… wait for the next name. Ichibē’s going to end up interrupting you anyway.

>>3543933
>>Just… wait for the next name. Ichibē’s going to end up interrupting you anyway.

>>3543933
> >Just… wait for the next name. Ichibē’s going to end up interrupting you anyway.

>>3543967
If the Shinto gods are acting like snippy teenagers, can you imagine what the Greeks must be like?

No wonder there's been such a lack of communication, let alone cooperation.

>>3544326
i just assume it has to do with being pretty much immortal and too much power, endresult, never ending puberty bullshit

>>3544326
>meanwhile, in Hades: Dear would you like some more fruit?
Mount Olympus is a permanent frat party but their underworld is a-okay.

>>3543933
>>Just… wait for the next name. Ichibē’s going to end up interrupting you anyway.

>>3543933
>>Ask for clarification… can Amaterasu and Tsukiyomi not hear each other?

>>3544438
I have a feeling Hades and Mictlāntēcutli (basically his Aztec contemporary) would be bros, occasionally meeting up to have drinks while their wives gossip.

>>3543933
Instead of wading into this new mess, you elect to remain out of the discussion. There’s no sense in lowering yourself to the level of squabbling children, especially since Ichibē will doubtless be announcing the next arrival before you can make your point with any eloquence. In fact you can predict exactly when the next announcement will occur, and that’s the very second anyone decides to bring up Tia’s presence and her relationship to you.

Perhaps the god of time is to blame for this perfect coordination.

“Very well then,” Tsukuyomi relents, having been out-voted by the rest of the assembled deities. “Please inform my sister that she has won this argument, for the time being.”

“He surrenders,” Ame-no-Uzume summarizes.

The balance of all evidence seems to suggest that the two of them, Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi are not on speaking terms… or rather, it may be more appropriate to say they are not on ‘hearing terms’. Some curse seems to literally prevent them from hearing one another, and given the fact that the have mutually committed to measures that prevent each from seeing the other’s face there must be lingering animosity there.

Come to think of it, wasn’t it a part of the whole ‘missing sun’ story of the old traditions? You glance at Ame-no-Uzume, who smiles back at you disarmingly. Her intention may have been to convince you not to put much stock in those stories, but how many of them have some relation to reality in the end?

Perhaps even the creation myths aren’t entirely fanciful?

“Sorry to tire you with such trivialties,” Inari Ōkami sighs, rolling her eyes. “You may have already gathered that the relationship between Amaterasu-no-mikoto and Tsukiyomi-no-mikoto is more complicated than between most siblings.”

“I did gather as much, yes,” you shake your head. “Though it is hardly my business to pry any further.”

“It’s interesting,” Tia muses quietly. “Aside from the shinreiryoku, I see very few differences between mortals and immortals so far.”

“I hate to agree,” Yoruichi sighs, “but I can’t exactly disagree either. In fact, in retrospect I can’t understand why I expected differently in the first place.”

“How charmingly impudent,” Sarutahiko chuckles merrily to himself. “I confess, Shinigami-hidenka and Arrancar-hidenka seem like quite the handful. It speaks to the character Inari Riku-no-mikoto must possess that she seems to prefer it to more demure company.”

Again, you’re about to correct Sarutahiko when…
>1/2

>>3547240
“Amekushin-otome-ōankami!”

Wait, does he mean…

“Hello!” the newcomer, a dark-skinned woman with brownish hair and purple eyes greets you with a broad smile and a familiar accent. She’s unusually small and slight, beautiful in her youthful vitality, and clad in a formal gold embroidered kimono with a white haori over it. She dresses as a Noro priestess of the highest rank, with an elaborate hairpiece, sprig of greenery, and a long chain of prayer beads.

“Amamikyu-no-kami!” Tia gasps quietly, immediately touching her forehead to the floor. You knew that vague fragments of her memories had been reemerging, but to have the situation advance to that degree… even Yoruichi realizes the significance.

Amamikyu returns the gesture with a slight bow. “Please, my child, there is no need for such dramatics. You are present as the divine consort to an aspect of Inari.”

>Take the opportunity to set the record straight: Yoruichi is your wife, Tia is a dear friend and confidant.
>Just… do not bother correcting them. Ame-no-Uzume will probably tease you about ‘not having said anything about it’.
>Ask Amamikyu why she believes that Tia is your consort, because everyone seems to believe that.
>Other?

>>3547283
>>Ask Amamikyu why she believes that Tia is your consort, because everyone seems to believe that.
the question is a lot more graceful than outright saying it

>>3547283
>>Ask Amamikyu why she believes that Tia is your consort, because everyone seems to believe that.
aaaaaaand more drama, iirc riku missed tias explanation/enlightenment when she reached bankai, for a lack of a better term

>>3547283
>Ask Amamikyu why she believes that Tia is your consort, because everyone seems to believe that.

>>3547283
>Ask Amamikyu why she believes that Tia is your consort, because everyone seems to believe that.

>>3547283
>>Ask Amamikyu why she believes that Tia is your consort, because everyone seems to believe that.

>>3547283
>>Ask Amamikyu why she believes that Tia is your consort, because everyone seems to believe that.

>>3547283
>>Ask Amamikyu why she believes that Tia is your consort, because everyone seems to believe that.

>>3547283
>Ask Amamikyu why she believes that Tia is your consort, because everyone seems to believe that.
Meanwhile, Yoruichi is just grinning from ear to ear. "Well, dear sweet wife, it seems that I am not enough to satisfy your voracious appetites!"

>>3547283
>3d10, best of four

Rolled 7, 4, 10 = 21 (3d10)

>>3548802

Rolled 3, 3, 7 = 13 (3d10)

>>3548802

Rolled 6, 2, 5 = 13 (3d10)

>>3548802

Rolled 8, 9, 4 = 21 (3d10)

>>3548802

>>3548811
>>3548822
>>3548831
>>3548848
well, this is weird

>>3548802
“Amamikyu-no-kimi,” you address the mother goddess of your mortal home, Ryūkyū. “I have a question. Why is it that you and the others have taken Tia Halibel to be my ‘consort’ when no such statement was ever made?”

Yoruichi chuckles. “I’d like to know too. I wasn’t aware my dear wife had such an appetite.”

“Something about how you phrased that...” Tia sighs from your opposite side.

Amamikyu nods thoughtfully. “I suppose you couldn’t have been expected to know, but it’s obvious to the rest of us that you’ve shared shinreiryoku between those who are currently at your side. Normally divinities aren’t allowed to do that, just as normally intimacy with a mortal would be frowned upon, or perhaps even mocked.”

“I take it there’s an exception to both?” Yoruichi guesses.

Amamikyu smiles. “Always. Sharing divine essence is itself considered an intimate act, and doing so demonstrates a sincere commitment. As such, considering the recipient to be a consort to the donor is enough to satisfy any concerns about the situation.”

“That explains it,” Tia nods quietly. “Thank you for the explanation, Amamikyu-denka.”

Amamikyu sighs, rubbing the back of her neck. “I see, so you were a Noro when you were alive.”

“One of my personalities was,” Tia confirms. “I have never spoken of this… in fact, it was only recently when those memories began to resurface.”

“Well, now that’s been explained,” Yoruichi muses, glancing up at you from her cushion.

… oh dear.

“Did you know?”

You shake your head. “No. I simply did what I thought was right at the time.”

She nods. “Alright then.”

For a few seconds you try to puzzle out the meaning of those two words, before giving up and simply repeating them with a different tone.

“Alright then?”

“That’s what you always do,” Yoruichi shrugs. “That sincerity is what brought us together, so why would I let it drive us apart?”
>1/2

>>3548858
You sigh, hand pulling your wife’s head closer to you. “Sometimes you make me wonder if I deserve you.”

“Nonsense,” Yoruichi scoffs. “If you weren’t so damn pure-hearted I would never have believed you… but you’re not that sort of person. The sort of person you are is the sort of person who’d absolutely take a consort by accident just trying to be decent.”

“That being said, I’m not encouraging you to take another woman to bed or anything. I’m just assuring you that whatever you decide to do won’t change our own relationship… because you’ll have done it for reasons I could never hold you to fault for.”

“Lady Yoruichi,” Tia replies at long last, bowing just as deeply as she had to her divine mother moments before. “I ask that you believe me when I say I would never...”

“Sit up,” Yoruichi interrupts. “I already know all that… and besides, this kowtowing routine doesn’t suit the woman my wife has acknowledged.”

“… thank you.”

Well… that could have gone a lot worse. But secretly you’re a little ashamed for worrying needlessly. After all, petty grudges and misunderstandings don’t suit the woman who acknowledged you either, and you know that.

>Thank Amamikyu again for her explanation.
>Ask how it is Amamikyu knew you and Tia were from Ryūkyū.
>That leaves only one seat… ask Inari if she knows who will fill it.
>Other?

>>3548862
>thank amamikyu
>ask Inari who is left for the open seat

>>3548862
>>Thank Amamikyu again for her explanation.
And I guess ask her about the Ryukyu thing? I don't think thanking her would take too long?

>>3548862
>Ask how it is Amamikyu knew you and Tia were from Ryūkyū.

>>3548862
>>Thank Amamikyu again for her explanation.

>>3548862
>>thank amamikyu
>>ask Inari who is left for the open seat

>>3548862
“In any event, thank you for the explanation Amamikyu-no-kimi,” you incline your head politely towards the goddess of Ryūkyū. “May I ask one more question?”

“That won’t be a problem,” she replies, taking her seat to your left. “What is it?”

“How did you know where we were from?”

Amamikyu laughs, a clear and melodious sound. “It’s quite simple, I can tell when something originated among the people which I created.”

“So it’s inherent?” Yoruichi muses.

The goddess nods. “Yes, that’s correct.”

“Omoikane-no-kami!”

The next god to enter is a man with a shaved head and a simple monk’s robes, accompanied by a lesser divinity similarly dressed. He carries an abbot’s staff, the iron rings jingling with each step.

“Omoikane-san!” Ame-no-Uzume greets the newcomer warmly.

Omoikane bows politely, then takes his seat on the far side of the room. Instead of using the seat provided for him he sits on the cushion with his staff laid across his lap. His attendant sits on the seat behind him… an odd arrangement, but a very visible show of humility.

You suppose that’s the point.

“So,” Amaterasu begins. “Shall we begin?”

>We are still one short, are we not? Should we wait for the final guest?
>The last one is Susano’o-no-mikoto, isn’t it?
>Begin with what? I still have not been explicitly told what the aim of calling on the divinities was.
>Other?

>>3549738
>>We are still one short, are we not? Should we wait for the final guest?

>>3549738
>We are still one short, are we not? Should we wait for the final guest?

>>3549738
>>We are still one short, are we not? Should we wait for the final guest?
>>The last one is Susano’o-no-mikoto, isn’t it?

>>3549738
>>We are still one short, are we not? Should we wait for the final guest?

>>3549738
> Greet Omoikane-no-kami warmly and thank him for joining us.
Manners first folks.

Also, I am sensing a theme to divine beings presiding over this whole..thing.

>>3550260
Oh yeah? What do you think that theme is?

>>3550267
Trying to organize my thoughts here, but it feels like these gods are connected to Riku in one form or another.

Take for example Amamikyu; she is the goddess of Rosa's homeland and Tia's former patroness. Even if she can't directly interfere in mortal affairs, it comes as no surprise that she'd be in Riku's corner.

Each of them, at least I feel, has a vested interest in Inari Riku, whether by actions or relation. Omoikane is probably impressed by her wisdom and her deed on bridging the gap between shinigami and the lost souls of the arrancar and Sternritter, and even reaching out to the other pantheons.

Similarly, Sarutahiko might be pleased by her virtuous deeds in the pursuit of justice and peace (even when Riku had to bend or break a few inconvenient rules), and in her stalwart defense of the world against 'evil'.

I'm still pondering why Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi would be present, aside from the fact that Aizen threatened their land.

>>3550333
You're not entirely off base, there's definitely an aspect of self-selection at work with who showed up.

>>3549738
>>Begin with what? I still have not been explicitly told what the aim of calling on the divinities was.

>>3549738
“Should we not wait for our final guest to arrive?” you muse.

Amaterasu is quick to discount your suggestion. “I am almost convinced that no-good rascal would never turn up if he knew he would not be interrupting.”

“Harsh, but fair,” Inari sighs. “And even were it not so believable, what is undeniably true is that if we were to wait for him we could be here all day. And as much as I would enjoy just sitting here talking about nothing some of us lack that patience.”

“Then it is settled,” Tsukuyomi declares. “This meeting has been called to address the threat posed by the criminal Aizen Sōsuke. Please summarize the last known condition of the subject.”

“Of course,” Ichibē begins, before several deities object in unison.

“Calm yourselves!” Amaterasu raises her voice for the first time so far. “I believe I can speak for those assembled when I refuse the being named Ichibē Hyōsube permission to address the assembly. Return to your duties at once, Monk!”

“Of course, Amaterasu-ōmikami,” the defeated man replies, turning and taking a few steps away from the curtained-off pavilion.

“This assembly recognizes Head Captain Kyōraku Shunsui,” Tsukiyomi continues. “Please step forward to address us.”

Somewhat awkwardly, the Head Captain takes a few steps towards the raised floor and kneels in seiza just on the other side of the soft barrier, so that only his torso from the belly up to his shoulders or so is visible. After a few moments he finds his words.

“Thanks for the chance to speak,” he begins. “Before this august council...”

You quickly interrupt him. “Do not speak so formally, Shunsui. It does not suit you… just use the right honorifics, and speak directly when prompted.”

“Right, right,” he sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. “To be honest I was just a little caught off-guard by all this.”

“Understandable,” Inari replies, waving to silence her peers before any of them can speak, “but my daughter is correct.”

“Well, to be honest I’m not sure what his ‘status’ is,” Shunsui admits sheepishly. “Aside from being in Hell. Captain Kusajishi seems fairly convinced that he’ll be back, so I’m taking her word for it.”

“What is this assumption based on?” Sarutahiko presses you.

“I believe he can do it,” you shrug.

Sarutahiko seems dissatisfied. “Why?”

“Because I have done the same.”
>1/2

>>3552271
“So when this Aizen returns,” Amamikyu quickly advances the discussion, “what will he be?”

“To be honest, I’m not sure of that either,” Shunsui sighs. “Our top scientific mind thinks he’s fused with a lump of condensed shinreiryoku, and that he somehow supercharged it by feeding the Quincy King Yhwach to it at some point in the past. Reports from our sole Captain who had been in his inner circle seems to largely confirm this suspicion.”

That would be Gin.

“That would be Captain Ichimaru Gin,” you explain quietly.

“So we are to trust the words of a one-time traitor?”Amaterasu asks.

“She wants to know if we can trust this guy,” Ame-no-Uzume interprets for Tsukuyomi.

You stare Ame-no-Uzume straight in the eyes. “He is my adopted son. I trust him.”

“I suppose if you couldn’t he wouldn’t still be walking free,” Sarutahiko muses.

“No,” Yoruichi confirms. “He wouldn’t. Because I’d have dealt with it myself.”

“Change of topics,” you interject. “Captain Kyōraku, could you share with the assembly everything you know about Aizen’s abilities?”

“Hypnotic control of the five senses,” Shunsui begins. “Mastery of kidō, high skill in kenjutsu, genius intellect, and exceptional reiatsu. This was all before we found out he was playing around with divine powers.”

“If he’s such a badass, why did you spend so much time thrashing him?”

That was a new voice.
>3d10, best of four

Rolled 5, 4, 2 = 11 (3d10)

>>3552301

Rolled 10, 10, 8 = 28 (3d10)

>>3552301

Rolled 7, 8, 6 = 21 (3d10)

>>3552301
Hello Susano'o

Rolled 10, 1, 2 = 13 (3d10)

>>3552301
The voice of one who would wait until he/she/it could interrupt something important, this will be interesting

>>3552301
In an instant a blade is caught inches from your forehead.

Holding it is a wild-looking man, his arms covered in colorful tattoos of coiling dragons and stormclouds, his chin-beard and long hair carefully groomed to emulate the style of what most Japanese people assume a yakuza should look like. His eyes are a deep purple, and his expression is a perpetual smirk.

“Japan’s number-one troublemaker, it’s ya boi Susano’o!” he declares, playing the part of his own hype-man.

It would have been a hell of a show, were his tanto not grasped firmly in Yoruichi’s crackling hand and his neck not threatened by the glowing cero compressed along the edge of Tia’s palm and fingers like a waiting guillotine. Even more telling, the spot where you struck him with a combination of Oni Dekopin and Kamaitachi is bleeding profusely onto the tatami.

There’s no way he doesn’t feel that.

>It seems you are bleeding, mah boi.
>Take your seat, Susano’o, or the next one sends you to the moon.
>Answer his question: Aizen knows he's immortal, and it made him sloppy.
>Other?

>>3552331
>Answer his question: Aizen knows he's immortal, and it made him sloppy.

>>3552331
>>Answer his question: Aizen knows he's immortal, and it made him sloppy.
>Also you seem to be bleeding quite profusely, you may wish to remedy that soon.

>>3552331
>>Take your seat, Susano’o, or the next one sends you to the moon.

>>3552331
>answer his question

>>3552331
>>It seems you are bleeding, mah boi.

>>3552331
>>Answer his question: Aizen knows he's immortal, and it made him sloppy.

>>3552331
>>Answer his question: Aizen knows he's immortal, and it made him sloppy.

>>3552331
>Answer his question: Aizen knows he's immortal, and it made him sloppy.

>>3552331
>Answer his question: Aizen knows he's immortal, and it made him sloppy.

>>3552331
>Aizen knows he's immortal, and it made him sloppy. Just like your dynamic entrance. boi.

>>3552331
>And your entrances are as sloppy as Aizen. Boi.

File: 1524840338673.jpg (94 KB, 1000x531)

94 KB JPG

>>3553185

>>3553435
Just for funsies, how would he actually respond to that?

>>3553442
Poorly.

>>3550340
>>3550333
Susano'o's here because Riku's a Maverick among Seireitei. A law-abiding Maverick who frequently bends the rules as much as she can while still kicking ass, so Susano'o's gonna see what she what hot shit she's made out of.
Ammy and Tsukuyomi are sun and moon. Girl and Boy respectively, Riku's a boyish girl, so they might be wanting to see where on the boy/girl spectrum Riku lies.