>>3644802
>Move through the inner Districts quickly, reaching the larger outer Districts faster. Then take it slower and more methodically.

>>3644802
>>Move through the inner Districts quickly, reaching the larger outer Districts faster. Then take it slower and more methodically.

>>3644802
>>Move through the inner Districts quickly, reaching the larger outer Districts faster. Then take it slower and more methodically.

>>3644802
>>Move through the inner Districts quickly, reaching the larger outer Districts faster. Then take it slower and more methodically.

>>3644802
>>Move swiftly, leaving your subordinates to conduct interviews. You’ll cover more ground that way.

>>3644802
You crouch, low to the ground and broadly aware of your surroundings as several squads from the Ninth Division gather around you awaiting your orders.

“We will move through the inner districts quickly,” you declare. “My sensory abilities will allow us to canvass the smaller areas much more quickly, then once we reach the outer districts we will slow to conduct more thorough sweeps which will include interviews with the local population.”

“Are my orders understood?”

“Yes, Captain!” is the only reply you hear, repeated dozens of times in unison.

“Then follow me,” you order before taking off with a powerful leaping step.

Many of your Division of course have not seen you in battle… at this point only the old hands who were active during the Korean conflict or the Second World War would have seen you going all-out, since most of your fighting since then has occurred in the context of single combat against exceptional opponents. That of course includes other Captains at varying points: the sort of fights that only your Commandos and Lieutenant are truly qualified to be present for.

The exception of course being the single attack on your own Division during the invasion by Aizen’s Sternritter flunkies, which claimed many lives. But certainly there are a few who now know the sight of the back of their Captain’s haori fluttering in the breeze.

This time twenty-four soldiers, a mix of veterans and more recent recruits, get to watch your back.

The inner districts take the better part of the day at your subordinates’ pace, but they hold out admirably through the Twenty-Fifth South District.

As the sun comes down, a fireteam leader admits to the exhaustion your subordinates all now feel as you take a water break.

“Captain, I’m sorry,” he apologizes. “But we don’t have Captain levels of stamina to work with… some of our guys are already at their limits.”

“I understand,” you nod. “We will rest here for the time being. Take this time to eat and sleep in shifts.”

>I will continue to the Eightieth South District and work my way inwards at my own pace. I leave the inner districts to you.
>We will continue at dawn, so be sure that you and your own subordinates make the most of that time to recover.
>We will canvass the Twenty-Sixth South through the Thirty-Fifth South tomorrow. Be sure to ask around for reports on a giant living hand… thank the Kami it is such a distinctive topic.
>Other?

>>3647615
>>We will canvass the Twenty-Sixth South through the Thirty-Fifth South tomorrow. Be sure to ask around for reports on a giant living hand… thank the Kami it is such a distinctive topic.

>>3647615
>>We will canvass the Twenty-Sixth South through the Thirty-Fifth South tomorrow. Be sure to ask around for reports on a giant living hand… thank the Kami it is such a distinctive topic.

>>3647615
>>We will continue at dawn, so be sure that you and your own subordinates make the most of that time to recover.

>>3647615
>We will canvass the Twenty-Sixth South through the Thirty-Fifth South tomorrow. Be sure to ask around for reports on a giant living hand… thank the Kami it is such a distinctive topic.

>>3647615
“We will resume in the morning,” you decide. “Searching the twenty-sixth through thirty-fifth south districts. Your teams will interview local leaders for any information that would fit Mimihagi. Thankfully, a giant dismembered hand is hard to miss.”

“You have a fair point...”

Once the squad members have begun to settle in at what appears to be a small in of sorts, you take the opportunity to seal your two zanpakuto.

“Captain?” one of the team leaders greets you after finding you seated quietly on the rooftop. “We have some rations here, and the innkeeper made some herbal tea.”

“Thanks,” you reply with a smile. “Should help me relax a bit.”

“Anything else, just let one of us know,” the man insists before heading back inside.

Just before he leaves earshot, you can’t help but mutter. “That should be my line.”

Once the coast is clear and you have some privacy, you slink down into the garden courtyard and seat yourself on the covered porch. Then, setting your swords aside, you manifest their spirits at your sides.

“So,” Rosa grumbles. “Tracking.”

“Tracking,” you agree. “Any thoughts, ladies?”

“One of us doesn’t know, one of us doesn’t care,” Rosa sighs, falling backwards onto the hardwood. “Bug the vixen if you want an actual answer.”

“So, Tenkotsuki?” you press.

Tenkotsuki considers her response very carefully. “What do you intend to do with this Mimihagi being, assuming you and yours are able to track it down?”

>I intend to kill it myself.
>I intend to seal it away.
>I intend to protect it from Aizen.
>I want to find a way to use it.
>Other?

>>3648642
>I intend to protect it from Aizen.
>We'll use it to resurrect Ukitake

>>3648642
>>I intend to protect it from Aizen.
Killing or sealing it away is poor recompense for keeping Ukitake alive all that time.

>>3648642
>>I intend to protect it from Aizen.

>>3648661
>>3648642
This is the end goal with him, agreed

>>3648642
>I intend to protect it from Aizen.

>>3648642
“I intend to protect it from Aizen,” you declare. “I still plan to use it to revive Ukitake Jūshirō, if it’s possible.”

“You really feel obligated towards that man, do you?” Tenkotsuki muses quietly.

You nod calmly. “He’s a good man. He deserved better.”

“Be prepared for the worst,” Tenkotsuki cautions you. “Even Mimihagi’s abilities must have limits… it is entirely possible that even if you did revive Ukitake Jūshirō, it would not be for long.”

“We’ll see when it happens,” you shrug. “But I intend to do as much as I can.”
>1/2

>>3651499
The next morning you awaken early, pulling on your haori and sash well before your subordinates are finished eating breakfast. By the time they see you, you’re sure to be as presentable as always.

“I’ll be conserving my reiatsu while I can,” you declare to them. “By remaining in this state, so don’t rely on my ability to precisely sense Mimihagi’s shinreiryoku. That means a lot of legwork… don’t waste time going house to house. Focus on highly populated areas then move on. We’ll meet in the Thirty-Fifth district south by nightfall.”

“Those are your orders.”

“Yes, ma’am!” comes the chorus of replies.

Easier said than done, of course. In order to keep to your time schedule teams will have to be constantly on the move. By necessity there will be large swathes which they don’t cover completely, but in order to do this quickly enough for it to matter that’s how it will have to be. By striking this balance you hope to maximize your chances of success… at least assuming no one chooses to lie to your squad members for whatever reason.

That being said, there’s one region where no one present can sense Mimihagi’s reiatsu directly. So the chance that Rangiku’s teams might miss something is understandably higher than the chance that you might miss something simply because someone lied.

Rangiku gives you the best chance of course, but what you really could have used is Inari’s direct assistance in the search. You can’t be sure, but she must have something planned.

>Accompany a team through the day.
>Strike out on your own, cover some of the ‘gaps’ your teams will likely leave.
>Search for any sort of kidō barriers instead of asking around.
>Other?

>>3651602
>Search for any sort of kidō barriers instead of asking around.

>>3651602
>Search for any sort of kidō barriers instead of asking around.

>>3651602
>>Search for any sort of kidō barriers instead of asking around.

>>3651602
>>Search for any sort of kidō barriers instead of asking around.

>>3651602
>>Search for any sort of kidō barriers instead of asking around.

>>3651602
>3d10, best of three

Rolled 10, 4, 9 = 23 (3d10)

>>3655056

Rolled 6, 5, 6 = 17 (3d10)

>>3655056

Rolled 4, 6, 3 = 13 (3d10)

>>3655056

>>3655056
You decide to spend your time pursuing a more novel approach. Instead of searching for shinreiryoku or interviewing possible witnesses, you decide to search for anything resembling a kidō barrier behind which something like a fallen god could be hiding.

And it doesn’t take long for you to isolate one such phenomenon.

“What do we have here...” you mutter to yourself, coming to a halt somewhere in the Thirtieth South district. “It feels like...”

By feeling around a little more carefully you narrow down your search area to about two blocks square. It’s a barrier alright, but not what you’d call a ‘hard’ barrier like Dankū or any of the other numbered kidō techniques. It’s more ‘soft’, like walking into a curtain.

You spend a few minutes testing its edges, measuring it out to be a circle with a radius of about twenty meters. And so you eventually find yourself moving straight towards the center of that radius, to find what’s being hidden here.

“A hokora?” you muse. No, not just any hokora… darkly-painted wood and five pillars, with a flaming aureola circling a single eye. This looks awfully familiar.

“Excuse me,” you ask the first spirit you find here, an old man who bows deeply. “I need to ask you something.”

“And what can my humble self do for a Captain of the Gotei 13?” the man asks, already kneeling before you.

“First you can stand up,” you sigh, “and then can you tell me what’s going on with that hokora in the alley over there? The dark one with the five pillars?”

“Just a simple roadside shrine,” the man lies.

“I had no idea Mimihagi was popular with travelers,” you counter.

After a few moments, the old man relents. “So, you already knew huh?”

“It’s pretty obvious,” you point out. “The barrier around it was particularly sophisticated.”

“Well then, where to begin...” the old man mutters.
>1/2

>>3655304
“It’s not widely known that the fallen god Mimihagi has proper worshipers,” the man explains carefully. “Were it known, it would attract unwanted attention. The fact that it’s a fallen god should say all you need to hear.”

“So his veneration is done in secrecy,” you surmise. “Mostly with shrines like this one?”

The old man nods, confirming your hypothesis. “That’s right.”

“Why though?” you press. “What draws you to venerate Mimihagi specifically?”

“The fact that it has actually helped us out, in the past,” the man shrugs. “Nothing more complicated than gratitude.”

“Alright,” you nod in understanding. “So where would I find the largest shrine to Mimihagi?”

“I’m not sure I should say,” the man frowns. “Even to a Captain. Or rather, especially not to a Captain.”

“I want to find Mimihagi,” you admit. “It’s of critical importance… real existential nonsense has come up.”

“Existential?”

“As in if I fail, we all stop existing,” you clarify.

The old man strokes his beard thoughtfully. “The Seventy-Eighth East District. That’s where you’ll find the hidden main shrine to Mimihagi, the fallen god.”

“Thank you,” you nod. “You’ve helped more than you could possibly know.”

>Collect your division and move out.
>Contact Mirai and head over yourself.
>Withdraw your forces and wait for Mirai’s signal.
>Other?

>>3655341
>>Contact Mirai and head over yourself.

>>3655341
>>Contact Mirai and head over yourself.

>>3655341
>>Contact Mirai and head over yourself.
Oh man, wasn't expecting Mimihagi to have secret shrines.

>>3655341
>Contact Mirai and head over yourself.

>>3655341
>Contact Mirai and head over yourself.

>>3655341
>3d10, best of three

Rolled 3, 6, 8 = 17 (3d10)

>>3658042
>>3658076
kek

Rolled 8, 8, 7 = 23 (3d10)

>>3658042
Goddammit.

>>3658079
nou

Rolled 7, 6, 10 = 23 (3d10)

>>3658042

>>3658042
“I’ve got some information,” you report to all your team leaders and to your officers using Kakushitsuijaku. “There’s a major shrine to Mimihagi somewhere in the Seventy-Eighth east district. That’s where Shirayama-hime and Mirai should be heading, I’ll meet you there as soon as I can. All other teams will continue searching in case this lead doesn’t pan out.”

Your response, as is customary, is a chorus of agreement from all parties concerned.

“Keep me in the loop,” Rangiku insists a few seconds later.

“Don’t worry,” you assure her, “I plan to.”

Without having to wait for your subordinates, you’re able to ‘cheat’ a little to get back to the Seireitei quicker. By first transitioning to the sands of Hueco Mundo, you’re able to open a portal via the official Senkaimon… what took a day and a half you cover in just a few minutes.

Then you resume running, this time to the east. The inner Rukongai districts continue to be much nicer than what you think of when you recall your time living outside the Seireitei, but then again that was mostly spent fighting in the streets and living off what you could scrounge or steal. So you rarely got the chance to enjoy the fact that these inner parts of the vast city of the dead were much nicer than where you’re heading.

“I’m still on my way,” you eventually declare shortly before sundown. “Mirai, where have you gotten to?”

“The mid fifties,” Mirai informs you dutifully. “You, Captain?”

“Forty-five,” you reply. “Let me know where you decide to rest for the night so that if I catch up with you I have an easier time finding you.”

“You think it wise?” she asks.

>Order her to stop and let her team rest some time soon. You’ll catch up later tonight.
>Order her to stop and let her team rest. You’ll do the same and catch up in the morning.
>Allow her to keep moving if she wants to. You’ll catch up with her.
>Other?

>>3658245
>>Order her to stop and let her team rest some time soon. You’ll catch up later tonight.

>>3658245
>>Order her to stop and let her team rest. You’ll do the same and catch up in the morning.

>>3658245
>>Allow her to keep moving if she wants to. You’ll catch up with her.

>>3658245
>Allow her to keep moving if she wants to. You’ll catch up with her.

>>3658245
>Order her to stop and let her team rest some time soon. You’ll catch up later tonight.

>>3658245
>>Order her to stop and let her team rest some time soon. You’ll catch up later tonight.

>>3658245
“Stop soon,” you order Mirai. “Let your group get some rest and I’ll catch up wit h you later tonight. Then we’ll move in on the Mimihagi shrine in the morning.”

“Understood,” Mirai replies tersely.

Were it anyone else, it might be a fair question whether she’ll actually stop for the night or if she’ll just keep searching anyway on her own initiative. But your Commandos aren’t the type to pull that sort of thing, Mirai especially. When she says she intends to do something she does it… it’s not because she’s your subordinate either. That’s just who she is.

Shirayama-hime, on the other hand, might be tempted.

“And make sure Shirayama-hime rests as well,” you add.

“I will,” Mirai promises.

With that headed off, you continue running well into the night. Eventually you sense Mirai’s reiatsu in the distance, and so you use Sentan Hakuja to close the last few kilometers all at once through kidō.

As the white ribbon dissipates from around you, Mirai rises and bows to you calmly.

“Captain.”

“Everything go well so far?” you ask her.

She nods. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Good,” you nod back. “Thanks for staying awake and helping me find you more easily.”

“Not a problem,” Mirai insists.

“Now let’s get some rest,” you suggest. “We’ll move out at first light, okay?”

“Yes ma’am,” she agrees, taking a seat nearby and closing her eyes.

>Rest. You want to give it your all tomorrow morning.
>Get creative and manifest Rosa, see if you can convince her to scout for you.
>Use Tenkotsuki and Rosa to sleep in shifts, make sure nothing goes awry.
>Other?

>>3661068
>Use Tenkotsuki and Rosa to sleep in shifts, make sure nothing goes awry.

>>3661068
>>Get creative and manifest Rosa, see if you can convince her to scout for you.

>>3661068
>>Use Tenkotsuki and Rosa to sleep in shifts, make sure nothing goes awry.

>>3661068
>Use Tenkotsuki and Rosa to sleep in shifts, make sure nothing goes awry.

>>3661068
>Use Tenkotsuki and Rosa to sleep in shifts, make sure nothing goes awry.

>>3661068
>>Use Tenkotsuki and Rosa to sleep in shifts, make sure nothing goes awry.

>>3661068
>3d10, DC 18, crit 24
>best of four

Rolled 2, 10, 10 = 22 (3d10)

>>3664910

Rolled 2, 9, 7 = 18 (3d10)

>>3664910

Rolled 10, 10, 7 = 27 (3d10)

>>3664910
>3664910
>>3664910
dolphin riku

Rolled 8, 1, 4 = 13 (3d10)

>>3664910

Rolled 8, 2, 8 = 18 (3d10)

>>3664910

>>3664910
You make an unusual decision…

“Hey, you two mind switching out with me?” you ask your zanpakuto. “I want to rest, but I don’t want to risk Mimihagi possibly sneaking past us while both our trackers are asleep.”

“I can help, my dear Riku,” Tenkotsuki responds happily. “Rosa, I take it you are not inclined to do so?”

“You take it correctly,” Rosa grumbles. “I’m not pulling guard duty for you, Riku.”

“Fair enough,” you shrug. “Tenkotsuki, please wake me if anything happens.”

“Of course. You can count on me… unlike some people.”

“Shut it, vixen.”
>1/2

>>3665015
You’re awakened by a shout of alarm very early in the morning.

“Riku! Please awaken, I have sensed Mimihagi!”

Your eyes fly open and you leap to your feet. “We’re moving!”

Your shout awakens several of the shinigami around you, especially Mirai who seems to almost fly to her feet as quickly as you did before helping Shirayama-hime haul herself to her feet.

“This had better be good,” Shirayama-hime grumbles wearily, before turning her head in the other direction. “Wait, that’s….”

“Mimihagi,” you confirm. “We’re going after it.”

>Close the distance and push Mimihagi towards your subordinates who will box it in.
>Get into close range and have Mirai and Shirayama-hime pin it down with their archery.
>Catch up and put it under a binding bakudō spell.
>Other?

>>3665023
>Get into close range and have Mirai and Shirayama-hime pin it down with their archery.

>>3665023
>>Close the distance and push Mimihagi towards your subordinates who will box it in.

>>3665023
>>Close the distance and push Mimihagi towards your subordinates who will box it in.

>>3665023
>Catch up and put it under a binding bakudō spell.

>>3665023
>bring in two specialized trackers
>riku singlehandedly tracks it down herself with nothing more than combat-honed senses
>the trackers didn't notice it trying to sneak away, but riku did
big oof

>>3665023
>Close the distance and push Mimihagi towards your subordinates who will box it in.

>>3666273
>riku being scary competent
>everyone else is either totally surprised or just goes with it
hey, its just consistency at this point

>>3666273
Kind of hard to notice it if you're two to three days' run away, or in Shirayama-hime's case asleep.

>>3665023
>3d10, best of four

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

>>3667517

Rolled 5, 8, 7 = 20 (3d10)

>>3667517

Rolled 6, 3, 10 = 19 (3d10)

>>3667517

Rolled 1, 7, 7 = 15 (3d10)

>>3667517

>>3667517
“Mirai, head that way!” you shout through Kakushitsuijaku. “Shirayama and I will drive Mimihagi towards you!”

“Understood!” she calls back, before signalling to the nearest team leader to head in the direction you indicated.

“Shirayama-hime, we need to outmaneuver it!” you declare. “I’ll cut it off, you push it towards Mirai’s position!”

“Don’t think you can order me around!” she barks back even as you rush forward, pushing yourself even by your own warped standards of speed. Predictably you force Mimihagi to change directions, giving Shirayama-hime a chance to take a slightly shorter route and close the distance even further. The very instant she feels confident she looses an arrow that narrowly misses Mimihagi, stripping several tiles off a nearby roof that looks like it could barely withstand the force of its passage.

By cutting back you force Mimihagi to evade towards Mirai’s position, and a few seconds later you hear a triumphant shout.

“Gotcha!”

Mirai swings her studded club with her whole strength, catching Mimihagi at his wrist and sending him crashing into the side of a building where several members of your division set up weaker bakudō. Weak, but just enough to give you a moment to act.

“Kuyō Shibari!”

Nine black spheres of burning reiatsu pin Mimihagi in place… one in each finger and four around its wrist like prayer beads.

“Don’t even try,” you warn Mimihagi. “If you try to escape I’ll just double down on the bakudō… and I don’t think Shirayama-hime or my subordinates will be so gentle from here on.”

Mimihagi remains stationary… perhaps it understands its position?

“So, you have your errant god,” Shirayama-hime grumbles. “Can I go home now?”

>I’d like you to remain present while I interrogate Mimihagi.
>I’d like you to lead the efforts to interrogate Mimihagi.
>I’d like you to communicate with Inari Ōkami, who is to be Mimihagi’s interrogator.
>Other?

>>3667595
>>I’d like you to communicate with Inari Ōkami, who is to be Mimihagi’s interrogator.

>>3667595
>I’d like you to communicate with Inari Ōkami, who is to be Mimihagi’s interrogator.

>>3667595
>>I’d like you to communicate with Inari Ōkami, who is to be Mimihagi’s interrogator.
>Other?
"Weren't you interested in an archery competition with my third seat?"

>>3667595
>I’d like you to communicate with Inari Ōkami, who is to be Mimihagi’s interrogator.

>>3667595
>>I’d like you to communicate with Inari Ōkami, who is to be Mimihagi’s interrogator.
>Other?
"Weren't you interested in an archery competition with my third seat?"

>>3667595
“Inari Ōkami would be a better interrogator for Mimihagi,” you insist. “I’d like you to call her here if you please, Shirayama-hime-no-kimi. Also… if you’re still interested in a competition with my Third Seat, our mission here seems to be in its final stages.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” Shirayama agrees, before stalking off into the dark to use whatever technique the kami use to speak with each other from afar instead of Kakushitsuijaku.

Mirai, in the mean time, is staring at Mimihagi in a state of absolute intrigue. “How does it speak?”

You think you have a pretty good guess, but before you can say anything your answer comes first.

“Telepathically.”

The answer is not in your ears, but in your mind, and causes Mirai to jump in surprise.

“I didn’t notice the intrusion,” you admit, impressed.

“The other’s guard is quite poor.”

“Who says I have anything to defend myself from?” you shoot back.

“Overconfidence is a weakness,” Mimihagi counters.

“So’s being weak,” you counter in turn.

“Being weak is a weakness, you say?”

“Did I stutter?”

Mimihagi’s mental voice is silent for a few seconds. “This one supposes the other has a point. The other is particularly strong for one so young.”

“Thanks for the compliment,” you incline your head slightly.

>Why did you run?
>What exactly are you?
>I need you to go back in Ukitake.
>Remain silent
>Other?

>>3672520
>>Why did you run?

>>3672520
>>Why did you run?

>>3672520
>>Why did you run?

>>3672520
>>Why did you run?
Wasn't Mimihagi the god of stagnation or whatever? I don't think shoving him in Ukitake would heal him or anything.

>>3672520
“Why did you run?”

Your question feels almost spontaneous… like it’s been subtly bothering you this whole time, ever since Mimihagi separated itself from Captain Ukitake. That’s not to say you’ve ever thought about it at all, but it really came so suddenly that it makes sense there’d be lingering questions. At first it made sense to simply assume it was the threat presented by Aizen Sōsuke, but then Mimihagi didn’t return. And even now it tried to flee from you again… so if it didn’t bother you at all before it certainly does now.

Now, you want to know: why did Mimihagi flee in the first place?

You don’t have to wait very long to get an answer, though it isn’t quite satisfactory.

“To escape,” Mimihagi replies.

“To escape what?” you press.

“Many things,” Mimihagi replies unhelpfully.

“So not just Aizen Sōsuke,” you guess, based on the implications in Mimihagi’s statement. “But something else as well?”

“This one has many considerations in mind,” Mimihagi explains. “Some of which the other may guess, many of which the other cannot guess.”

“Is my intelligence being insulted?” you raise an eyebrow. “And by a talking hand of all things?”

“The other may not be as stupid as this one assumed based on its appearance.”

You glare at Mimihagi through narrowed eyes. “You’re lucky I need you alive, hand.”

“And what does the other need this one alive for?” Mimihagi taunts you. “Or rather what does the other think it needs this one for?”

>You’re going to be interrogated in a few minutes.
>You still have to go into Ukitake and keep his condition from getting any worse.
>I don’t understand. Are you afraid of EVERYTHING, including me?
>Other?

>>3673209
>>You’re going to be interrogated in a few minutes.
>>You still have to go into Ukitake and keep his condition from getting any worse.

>>3673209
>You’re going to be interrogated in a few minutes.

>>3673209
>>You’re going to be interrogated in a few minutes.

>>3673209
>>You’re going to be interrogated in a few minutes.

>>3673209
>You’re going to be interrogated in a few minutes.

>>3673209
“In a little bit here you’re going to be interrogated by Inari,” you explain, “and we’ll figure it out from there.”

Before Mimihagi can reply, you add a new layer to your Bakudō. “Bakudō 99: Kin!”

Strips of black binding reiatsu wrap around Mimihagi’s shadowy hand, and a series of silver pins slam into them to pin it to the ground over top of the Kuyō Shibari.

“How thorough,” Mimihagi observes. “Though this one is hardly deserving of such elaborate means.”

“We’ll see soon enough,” you sigh, not really interested in continuing this little exchange any longer. “But I wouldn’t have done it if I believed it weren’t worth doing.”

Leaving Mirai to monitor Mimihagi’s binding, you find a secluded place to extend your contacts once more and speak directly to your fellow group leaders.

“Lieutenant Matsumoto, Ohoyamakui-no-kimi, Captain Shihōin, Captain Urahara… we have succeeded in capturing Mimihagi. Inari Ōkami will be conducting the interrogation.”

Then, immediately afterwards, you return to Mirai and your subordinates.

>We will wait here and secure this location until such time as Inari Ōkami arrives, then move towards the Seireitei
>We’ll move Mimihagi and meet Inari partway.
>As soon as Inari arrives we’ll move to Hueco Mundo and conduct the interrogation there.
>Other?

>>3676849
>As soon as Inari arrives we’ll move to Hueco Mundo and conduct the interrogation there.

>>3676849
>>As soon as Inari arrives we’ll move to Hueco Mundo and conduct the interrogation there.

>>3676849
if it is for security purposes, can't we move him to our demi-plane/valley of screams?

>>3676849
>>3676947
this

>>3676947
this

>>3676849
>>3676947
Sounds good to me.

i just started reading this quest

did we fuck yoruichi yet

>>3680692
what riku and yoru do with each other is their business, according to king

>i would assume yes, many times. after all both have been married for over a century

>>3680692
Search your feelings.
>>3680725
Only officially for around fifty years, but aside from that you're not wrong.

>updating

>>3676849
The minute Inari arrives, about half an hour later, you freeze space around your body where you and your subordinates have captured Mimihagi using Tenkotsuki’s knowledge of forbidden techniques. Then, with a second effort, you move the whole space into the Valley of Screams in a single tiring burst of reiatsu-fueled power.

“There,” you pant, gesturing for Inari to begin. “Knock yourself out, fox-mom.”

“So I’ll have some privacy and security,” Inari nods appreciatively. “Not bad, Kusajishi Riku. Not bad at all.”

“I’ll be seeing to other business,” you sigh, half-staggering back through a portal to the Seireitei. “Let me know if anything comes up.”

“Will do,” Mirai nods in agreement.

“And try and get some sleep,” you add before the portal folds itself shut and you find yourself quickly following your own advice.

The next morning your eyes open slowly, and you find yourself staring at the ceiling.

What are you gonna do… the problem is that there’s not just one problem anymore. Aizen is a problem of course, and you’re going to have to deal with that. You were always going to have to deal with him, ever since he made himself your business a hundred years ago. But now there’s also the problem with the Soul King, and the Royal Special Task Force.

They’re all trouble, bad news through and through. Even if you deal with Aizen this time, chances are good the Soul King will become a problem in the future. If not for you, during your own time in this world, then for Rangiku and Gin. Or maybe even their kids, if they’ll just get on that already.

As for the Royal Special Task Force, it’s mostly the Monk who you don’t think will ever let you live in peace. For that matter, the Noble Clans are their own problem too… though the current heads of the Shihōin, Shiba, and Kuchiki seem to be on your side that may not always be true. Even after all this time and all the maneuvering your position is somewhat tenuous.

It all makes you want to close your eyes and go back to sleep, but you know that won’t help.

So you haul yourself out of bed.

>Take a stroll to clear your thoughts.
>Head down to the target range and blow some shit up.
>Work your way through some sword kata as a form of meditation.
>Do all of the paperwork for the next month, just get shit out of the way.
>Other?

>>3680970
>>Take a stroll to clear your thoughts.

>>3680970
>>Do all of the paperwork for the next month, just get shit out of the way.

>>3680970
>Take a stroll to clear your thoughts.

>>3680970
>Do all of the paperwork for the next month, just get shit out of the way.

>>3680970
>Work your way through some sword kata as a form of meditation.

>>3680970
>Do all of the paperwork for the next month, just get shit out of the way.

>>3680970
In all honesty, though it makes you feel old to admit it, there’s nothing that’s quite so relaxing as knowing that something important is out of the way. And the pile of paperwork that’s been piling up in your inbox even since before the climactic battle with Aizen was supposed to happen has practically become a living thing which threatens to overrun your whole office.

For what feels like hours you stab with your steely pen, but you just can’t kill the beast.

But eventually you seem to be making progress. Personnel reports signed off and filed away, supply requisitions and inventories, drafts of articles to be approved for final printing, contact reports… all the workings of a military unit laid bare before you in intricate detail. The pile grows smaller, and eventually dwindles to just a few scraps of paper. A stamp here, here, and here, a signature there and there, a blood seal on this one? That’s oddly old-fashioned.

And that’s it.

You look up from your handiwork to the wall clock

“What do you mean it was only [i]thirty minutes[/i]!?” you cry out, grasping the sides of your head.

Come to think of it, the pile wasn’t actually that big. Nor is it as big a deal when your hands move faster than most peoples’ eyes can see… in fact, there was really no point in not handling this work sooner rather than abusing your accelerated speed to play catch-up.

Did Rangiku get this from you, or are you slowly picking up [i]her[/i] bad habits?

“Gah!” you shout, shaking your head. “I can’t even remember anymore… not like it matters.”

“You feel a bit better now?” you hear your daughter’s voice from the next office over.

Seconds later you find yourself sprawled on your back across the floor of Rangiku’s office, staring at the ceiling.

“I take it that’s a no, then. You, um… wanna talk about it?”

>Aizen keeps talking like this is principle, but it really seems personal and I don’t think anyone knows what that’d be about if it were.
>Do either of us even know what a ‘normal life’ is like? Because I’ve certainly never had one, or if I did it was so long ago I’ve forgotten.
>So which is gonna happen first, grandkids or you making Captain?
>Other?

>>3683800
>>So which is gonna happen first, grandkids or you making Captain?
Bully our daughter.

>>3683800
>>>So which is gonna happen first, grandkids or you making Captain?

>>3683803
>>3683800
this *evil grin*

>>3683800
>>So which is gonna happen first, grandkids or you making Captain?

>>3683800
>Do either of us even know what a ‘normal life’ is like? Because I’ve certainly never had one, or if I did it was so long ago I’ve forgotten.

>>3683800
>So which is gonna happen first, grandkids or you making Captain?

>>3683800
>Do either of us even know what a ‘normal life’ is like? Because I’ve certainly never had one, or if I did it was so long ago I’ve forgotten.

>>3683800
>>So which is gonna happen first, grandkids or you making Captain?

>>3683800
> So which is gonna happen first, grandkids or you making Captain?
Oh, absolutely this. I mean how can we not?

>>3683800
“So which is gonna happen first, kiddo?” you tease your daughter. “Captain Matsumoto, or ‘grandma’ Riku?”

Rangiku sputters at your comment, completely nonplussed. Clearly she’d expected something she’d recognize as a serious ‘Captain-level’ question about the current state of affairs, not a completely un-subtle push for her and Gin to just become an official item already.

“Well,” she sputters, looking desperately for an easy out. “You know Gin! Always putting off ‘till tomorrow what he could be doing today.”

“Sweetie,” you chide her, “that’s both of you to a degree. Just about different things, at least most of the time… but this is one you share.”

“Yeah,” she finally admits. “You have a point. It’s just, what with Aizen and everything… it’s hard, you know? I thought we were gonna make some progress, but that just never really… you know...”

“Oh my self!” you declare. “You’re actually [i]shy[/i]!?”

“Only with [i]him[/i]!” Rangiku protests.

After you’ve had a chance to calm down, you end up offering some advice. Not as a mother to a daughter, or as a patronizing taunt, but as someone who’s lived for a century or two longer than she has. And that advice is simply what you’ve learned to be true.

“Listen,” you ultimately tell her. “Even if we shinigami live for a long time, we’re not gonna be here forever and none of us [i]really[/i] know how long we have. So when it comes right down to it, even if it’s kinda awkward at first or the time doesn’t seem perfect you’ve gotta act on how you both feel.”

“My advice is, if that’s how you both are? Embrace it. Make that a part of it, learn to enjoy it.”

“Kinda like how you and Yoruichi can’t go three days without getting in a fistfight?” Rangiku smirks.

“Exactly!” you agree with a sagely nod of your head. “Like how your other mother and I flirt, you’re exactly right.”

>Just go with your heart.
>You want me to suggest a nice restaurant to go to?
>Joking aside, you want to help me deal with some stuff today?
>Other?

>>3688709
>Just go with your heart.

>>3688709
>>Just go with your heart.
>>You want me to suggest a nice restaurant to go to?

>>3688709
>>You want me to suggest a nice restaurant to go to?

>>3688709
>>You want me to suggest a nice restaurant to go to?
>>Just go with your heart.

>>3688709
>Just go with your heart.

>>3688709
>Just go with your heart.
>And give me some grandchildren already! I'm not getting any younger!

>>3688709
>>Just go with your heart.
>And give me some grandchildren already! I'm not getting any younger!

>>3688709
>>3689484