Shadows of A Luminous Beyond

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Kimiko always preferred to fight alone. In a way, that one preference has always been a staple of hers ever since she became a Shinigami. From her very first classes at the Academy down to her proper career within the ranks of the Gotei 13, she always believed that her blades could perform at their best whenever they were on their own against the enemy whilst she remained locked with the enemy. Some believed that this was due to her chivalry and obsession with honor, and in truth, they would be right about that; after all, she always thought that battles were best fought between two rivals in proper one-on-one duel, as only then did she believe strength - regardless of its meaning to the two battles - to be best tested. With that said, there was another, far simpler reason behind this preference, one that was much less grandiose and perhaps more relatable to most. In truth, she simply didn't want to see those that she cared about or protected to be harmed while she fought.

One would think this to be a joke, especially considering the lack of care that she has shown in regards to the lives that have been lost during the many attacks against the Soul Society and the Living World. However, it was the truth. Even though she was the Captain of the Eleventh Division, the Attack Squad, one of the main sides of the Gotei 13 which saw the greatest casualties... she did not like witnessing the death of her comrades. She never has, and from the way things are going, she never will. To see them let out a blood-curling scream as they fell onto the ground below, to gaze upon them as the precious blood which kept them alive all this time slowly left their bodies, and then to watch as the light in their eyes fades away... All of those things brought her a sort of pain that she could unfortunately not ignore, and the weight they brought upon her shoulders grew larger and larger still everyday as she carried on her duties as a superior officer and military commander.

For the last few months, this very weight has made her experience quite the tumultuous time. It has brought her great anger, the kind that made her wish to commit a great act of vengeance against those who wished to bring ruin to the heavenly realm, and it has brought her a great sense of cautiousness, the kind that made her want to protect the people at her disposition at all costs. These two emotions only became more prominent throughout the course of the many events which have happened during these aforementioned last few months, namely those which involved the likes of her Inner Hollow and those which instead involved something that was perhaps worse than that in comparison: the people of the infamous Vandenreich. Coincidentally, it was what happened during the second encounter with these people that brought Kimiko away from her dojo and her students, and instead towards the holy city of Seireitei, most particularly the headquarters of the Fourth Division.

A few weeks ago, a distance away from Rukongai's northernmost district, a band of Vandenreich officers had decided to conduct an operation within the wilder outskirts of the Soul Society. The reasoning behind their visit to the heavenly realm was unclear, though upon their detection, this reasoning was ultimately rendered moot to the people of the Eleventh who had volunteered to clear them out. Kimiko and one of her stronger subordinates, Bushida Dai, were both apart of these people, with the former being their leader. In a moment's notice, a great number of Shinigami headed straight for the position of the Vandenreich group, and what then ensued was what should have been expected from a clash between Shinigami and Quincy. The result of this battle was a decisive victory for the first group, as every men and women of the cross were promptly slaughtered. Well, all but two, that is. The first was their commanding officer, who was apparently crushed to death by an immense of spiritual energy shortly after his capture, and the second was Ruhe, the child who seemingly had no wish to be apart of this battle to begin with and was thus spared by Kimiko.

While the loss of Shinigami officers was minimal on that day, there were a few of them that unfortunately either lost their lives or suffered from great injuries. Dai, having had the misfortune of being near the child while she was unable to properly control her strange liquid abilities, unfortunately found himself part of this group. During his battle against a shark-like construct that Ruhe had summoned, he found himself caught in a blast that caused him to become no longer able to fight back the hydrous creature, and in so doing, one of his arms found itself mangled. The chunks of flesh that were lost from that arm were shockingly great, which caused a great amount of shock and blood loss that immediately caused him to become unconscious. Fortunately, he survived the ordeal and was able to be brought to the Fourth Division's headquarters in time for medical aid. Unfortunately, the aforementioned lost flesh was so overwhelming that it led the medics to conclude that the amputation of what remained from the arm would be the best decision to make. Moreover, the man has remained unconscious ever since, and has thus been confined to a bed.

Dai's presence was not very appreciated within the Eleventh Division. He was loud, rude, lazy and unskilled with a sword, and he was a man that came from a minor noble family. Some of his opinions about the economical classes of the Soul Society as well as other societal topics were also often considered to be extremely controversial. All of these elements were things that have progressively caused many of his squadmates to loathe him. With that said, the man was nevertheless a member of the Eleventh Division, and to see him suddenly find himself in such a precarious situation was nothing short of unbelievable for many of them. This has caused many of them to come visit the man every now and then. Even Binita, someone who was known across the Eleventh as the one person who personally enjoyed beating Dai up every single time she found herself near him, paid him a few visits every now and then. Considering this, it would be rather unsurprising for anyone to learn that Kimiko also visited the Fourth often to check up on him.

Today was officially meant to be the second time the Captain would decide to check up on the man's condition today. At this point, it had become a sort of habit of hers. She would first come visit on Monday, and then she would come visit on Sunday, while she would attempt to learn more about his condition every once in a while in-between these two days. It was perhaps a bit unusual for her to do this, and quite frankly, even she believed that it was, given that she wasn't even used to coming this often to the Fourth's headquarters to visit her other subordinates. With that said, she had a feeling that visiting Dai was something that took precedence over the other visits she had made here. She felt that, after quite literally losing his arm from having fought something that was much more powerful than he was... he deserved that kind of attention, at the very least. Not just from her, who was by his side while they dealt with Ruhe, but from everybody in the Eleventh.

Thus, with that in mind, the woman would accomplish her usual trek from the dojo to Seireitei. Early in the afternoon, she would depart from one of her schools and then proceed towards the holy city with the aid of several Shunpo jumps. About twenty minutes later, she found herself standing on top of one of electric poles nearest to the Fourth's barracks. With a quiet gaze, she looked down towards the great green building below, and then with one more Shunpo jump, she appeared before the gates. The familiar sounds of her geta sandals would then be heard as she moved towards the front door, and then opened it, revealing the main waiting area inside. There were several seats, some of which were filled by Shinigami officers and Seireitei civilians who appeared to be either wounded or sick, and there was a desk. Behind this desk stood a single, older female nurse besides a closet that contained several Zanpakuto. Noticing Kimiko, the nurse would first blink, but eventually, she would smile at her. "Good afternoon, Nakajima-taichou," she greeted politely as the superior officer approached the desk. "I take it you came to visit Bushida-san once again?"

"Good afternoon, Minamoto-san. And, yeah, that's right," the dojo master would smile back at the older woman as she detached her blades from her obi sash, then lightly put them on the desk to give them to the nurse. "I'm not really being subtle about it, am I?"

"Oh, not at all. We already have so many people from Jūichibantai coming to visit him everyday," the woman would leave out a small chuckle as she spoke before she then turned her head towards a few papers on the desk. As she checked the papers, her smile would then leave her face as she left out a light sigh. "The doctors have told me that I may only grant you an hour today. Bushida-san has been having terrible dreams lately, and we are not sure of why that is."

Kimiko would remain quiet for a moment as she considered this piece of information. This was not the first time that she had heard of Bushida apparently dreaming in spite of his unconscious state, and she wasn't entirely sure of what that was supposed to mean, as she was no medical expert. In spite of this, her smile would brighten. "Well, that's alright. Dai's probably the most stubborn of all of us. I'm sure he'll be able to wake up soon." Her tone of voice was reassuring, as though she truly believed in what she just said. Once she was done speaking, she would then give a nod to the nurse. "I'll leave my swords in your care."

And with that, she moved along towards Dai's room, hoping to see how he was currently faring.

[Satoshi Kazuhiko]

A quill pen scratched upon parchment. Once, twice, and finally a third time. Three swift checkmarks. The words beside each whimsical mark made it clear that this was an inventory of sorts. Though Kazuhiko was hard at work, he was not at his desk. He'd recently been appointed a Captain, one who was often busy. And with no Vice Captain, it meant that Satoshi Kazuhiko was typically the ranking officer in the Fourth Division barracks.

Despite this, he had a habit of avoiding his office. Today he was working from the bedside of a new arrival. According to his report, the patient was a man from the Eleventh Division. He was caught up in a fight that involved a child with surprising and uncontrolled abilities. It had torn his arm off... Something that Kazuhiko could empathize with. And the child with uncontrolled abilities also resonated within his heart, filling him with a deep sense of guilt.

And so today he was doing his paperwork at a table beside this man; Dai's bedside. He was scratching through reports and stamping official documents while watching over the wounded warrior. There was little he could do for his injuries... Not the way he was now. Kazuhiko had all but lost the ability to heal. But he could provide comfort just by being near him. He'd heard that he was having nightmares. And while Kazuhiko couldn't heal him through normal means, his constant leak of positive reiatsu had a way of easing more subtle agonies. Such as bad dreams.

When Kimiko entered she would find Kazuhiko sitting right beside Dai. "There've been no changes Minamoto-san." He said before looking up from his paperwork. He scrawled his signature into a box before turning his attention finally towards the door. "Oh! Oh, N-Nakajima-taichou!" He rose quickly to his feet to offer her a salute. And he did so without bothering to step out from his desk, meaning the surface would flip and spill paperwork all over the floor.

"W-welcome!" He gave her a polite bow as black ink ran down his otherwise immaculate white robes.

[Nakajima Kimiko]

After her swords were probably submitted to the elderly nurse at the waiting hall, Kimiko began to walk down the halls of the Fourth's headquarters with a calm stroll. At a glance, it almost seemed as though she was treating this entire matter rather casually. She would quietly pass hospital room after hospital room, looking ahead and away from those who occupied the rooms. The majority of the occupants of these rooms, enraptured by their pain and suffering, would fail to notice her presence, instead forced to look towards the ceiling as they endured their recovery. As for the few that had the chance to do so, they would only be able to hear the distant clacking of her sandals as they hit the sanitized floor below, and perhaps see the noises left by her haori as it was lightly pushed behind her as she continued her little journey. Some would recognize her, some would not. In the end, it did not really matter to Kimiko, as today, the only person who did was Dai.

The Captain of the Eleventh has always had a hard time caring about the wounded and the dead. No matter how many times she found herself staring at a dead body, she would feel nothing, not even when their disgusting appearance would at times flash before her eyes. For a while, she had believed this to be the work of her duties as a Shinigami officer, as it was not uncommon for an officer of the Gotei 13 to witness death. However, only recently, the darkness inside of her hinted that it was all her work. The beast had turned her partly heartless, supposedly to turn her into a greater warrior. In many ways, she was right: the lack of care for the deaths she witnessed and the deaths she caused did bring her power. It removed her hesitation, her will to spare, and her regret. With that said, it almost made her recognize the situation time and time ago, and understand that, in many other ways, a number of people could accurately describe her as a monster.

But there were a few key elements that prevented her from succumbing to her Inner Hollow's machinations. Her students, for one, were amongst her greatest motivations, and she knew that to see them perish would bring her a most terrible pain that she was not sure she could ever conquer, not even now. Then, there was Celes, her mentor. They did not talk as often as usual, not ever since what happened to the Tenth Division during the latest attacks, but she nevertheless believed her to be the greatest friend. And then, there were other friends, her subordinates, her comrades, and a number of people within Rukongai. Perhaps she was clinging onto these people for her own sake, as they allowed her to not become the monster the beast inside oh-so wished she could turn into. Even so, she cared about them nonetheless, and she could not show this care any more so than by making sure to see if Dai was hanging on. The man was terrible, sure, but he nevertheless remained her comrade, and she believed his fall to partly be her fault.

The clacking of her sandals would further resonate throughout the halls as she passed by a few more rooms. Though they were quiet, they would fill the empty halls and echo within the aforementioned rooms, bringing alongside them the strength of the Captain of the Eleventh. It was not much, but in spite of her ignoring them, the people inside the rooms would find themselves slowly battling the pain just a little bit more easily once they heard her sandals and saw witnessed her haori. In their eyes, it did not matter that she did not visit them; as long as Kimiko, the master of Nijūkan, was simply here within the headquarters of the Fourth Division, they could remember the words that she was so used to shout out during their sessions and the energy that she expelled during the entire process. Such was the emotional power brought about the dojos, the infectious willpower bestowed to them all by the almighty schools and their main teacher.

Eventually, the clacking ceased. Kimiko had reached her destination. For a moment, she would find herself simply standing in front of the room's door and plainly look up towards the number which had been stuck to the top of the door frame: seventy-eight. The sight of the number was almost enough to bring a grunt out of her. Of course, she recognized these numbers for what they were. How could she not? Even now, so many years after her passing, she could remember the rumors that were spread about them back when she remained in Japan. However, she believed them to not be applicable in this situation. There was nothing fortunate or lucky about Dai's wound and the way he received it. Nothing. Not one bit. Still, she supposed it could have been worse. It could have been the number four, or worse, it could have instead been the number forty-nine. Then again, she doubted that Minamoto would have allowed anyone to be in a room numbered in such a way. Hell, she was pretty sure that there were no rooms numbered in such a way to begin with.

In any case, after a time, she would eventually let out a sigh before pushing herself onward, grabbing the door's handle, then sliding it to the side so to as to open it. She did so quietly enough, if only to not disturb the people in the other rooms as well as Dai himself. As she entered the room, however, her scarlet eyes would blink as they would spot somebody else in the room alongside the bedridden warrior, an officer with a familiar tuft of blonde hair upon their head. Somewhat surprised by this, the Captain would briefly stand there in silence, which gave plenty of time for the familiar officer to notice her. In a moment's notice, the man would first confuse her for Minamoto, and then immediately proceed to salute her as fast as she possibly could. The poor guy didn't even bother to properly stand up from his desk in this entire process, which caused some of his papers to fly off the desk right towards the floor below.

Taken aback by the salute and the bowing, Kimiko would continue to stand there for a moment before she would close the door, let out a chuckle, and then shake her head. "Heh, hello to you too, Kazuhiko," she would greet with her usual casual ways of speech, not bothering to stick to any of the typical etiquette that was normally to be expected from the officers of the Gotei 13. She had never really bothered to do so ever since she had become a Captain, and quite frankly, she didn't really want to start doing so now, aside from perhaps with the Captain-Commander. This was something that she also ideally wanted her officers to do, which was made more evident after she smirked to the young man and proceeded to give him the papers that had fallen from his desk. She had picked them up so utterly quickly that it almost seemed as though they had never fallen to begin with and that she was simply lending him a pile of papers. "Next time, just call me Kimiko, alright? I already told you that you don't really need to do this whole salute and bowing thing in front of me."   

After she would give the papers to the young man, her gaze would turn towards Dai. As to be expected, the soldier of the Eleventh had not changed since she had last visited him. In fact, his condition appeared to be identical. He was asleep with an expression of struggle on his face, and his right arm was gone, leaving him only with one. With that said, she could tell that his struggle was a bit lesser in comparison to what he previously displayed, almost as if somebody had come to his aid. "So... how is he doing?" He would ask to Kazuhiko then, looking a bit less jovial as she did so and slightly more serious. "I've been told that I can only visit him for an hour today. It wasn't like that the first time I came earlier this week. Did something happen to him while I was gone?" While her tone was calm, the young medic would be able to tell that she was concerned for the man's health and genuinely cared about his recovery.

[Satoshi Kazuhiko]

Kimiko gathered all of his papers before a single one had hit the ground. It was with an effortless speed. Something that was frankly a little intimidating. And he was surprised to find himself feeling daunted...

She had always been kind to him. She was an ally. But he understood now that he had a secret. And Kimiko's reputation as a ruthless and efficient executioner preceeded her. Were they allies still? Truly?

He rose from his bow with a bit of awkward and uncertain energy. He pondered for a moment before finding a compromise that suited him. "Ms. Kimiko then!" He nodded, answering her request. He still honored her with a title. Unlike his sister, Fuuko; Kazuhiko's speech was usually quite formal. Respectful.

Ettiquette was a ritual he'd learned when he was young. He'd found that it had helped to ground him around some of the less savory sorts that might have come into Raion-Sensei's tavern when he was working. He resisted a sigh as he briefly reminisced of simpler days.

"His condition..." He paused as he considered Kimiko's question. "It hasn't worsened. But it hasn't improved." He confessed grimly. "I apologize, but the limitation on visitors was my order." He offered his words to Kimiko with his left hand, palm up. His right arm was hidden within his overly long sleeves. It had been the type of still that only machines and the dead could be.

"The Yonbontai has treated his wounds. There's nothing more that Kido can do. So I'm staying by his bedside to help comfort him as he recovers." It was a plain enough statement, but it didn't fully explain the limitation on visitors. That had more to do woth his nightmares.

Dai had been struggling in his sleep. He couldn't very well toss and turn. But he'd been make soft, pitiable sounds. Any witness could easily see the state of unrest he was in. However, when he was immersed in Kazuhiko's positive reiatsu aura, the troubling dreams seemed to fade. He wasn't sure if a third person in the room would slighten the effect.

"Is it true that this was done by a little girl?" He asked, diverting the focus of the conversation onto the event that caused this. "And it was an accident?" An inexperienced child with a hidden power. The analogue made his belly twist into a knot.

[Nakajima Kimiko]

After Kimiko picked up the papers that Kazuhiko had accidentally send towards the floor before welcoming her proper, she would find herself observing him. Although it was only but a very brief moment, her instincts as a teacher allowed her to recognize that he had been left surprised by her speed. It wasn't very difficult for her to properly identify his reaction, as the look he gave to her after he rose from his bow and witnessed the papers he had dropped appeared to be somewhat hesitant. Usually, the swordswoman would have simply been pleased by the reaction, mainly due to pride in her skills more than anything else. However, admittedly, she was not so enthused by the idea that this particular young man wasn't able to follow her tracks. He may be a medical expert, and so it is only normal for him to prioritize his field of expertise rather than her own, but that did not mean that he could skip training. This was especially apparent, given his earlier capture.

Then again, perhaps she was judging the medic a bit too quickly. Indeed, just as she was about to comment on his ability to properly follow her movements, the man would reply to her opinion of military etiquette with an optimistic "Ms. Kimiko, then!". Ignoring the fact that the honorific made Kimiko suddenly feel a hundred years older in an instant, the words would be enough to cause the dojo master to feel a drop of sweat slowly appear onto the side of her head. She had... over-analyzed him, hadn't she? He was just awkward earlier because he was trying to find a good honorific to use for her. That was it.  Man... Why am I like this? I should probably stop trying to look so hard into things...  her thoughts would awkwardly realize then with a bit of a self-deprecating tone to them before, in an attempt to push herself away from them, their owner would let out a sigh and smile once more to the medic. "Alright, fine. I'd still prefer you just call me Kimiko, but I guess that works."

Once the analyzing mishap would have passed completely, the Captain would wait for a brief moment before decided to tackle the subject of the unconscious Dai. As much as she appreciated seeing Kazuhiko again, he was not the reason why he was here in this hospital room. If that would have been the case, he would have instead preferred to meet anywhere else. Quite fortunately, it appeared as though her subordinate's condition had not actually worsened since the last time she came, which eliminated a few of the worries that had begun to appear inside of her head ever since she had spoken to Minamoto. Unfortunately, however, his condition had also not gotten any better. He was still apparently suffering from the dreams that he was apparently experiencing during his slumber, and they appeared to still be just as unpleasant as they have been ever since he found himself in that hospital bed. In other words, his condition had stabilized.

The swordswoman wasn't really sure of whether or not she was supposed to interpret this as good news, but it seemed as though the doctor in the room didn't, as he was the one responsible for limiting the amount of visits. Furthermore, he also made sure to point out that the Fourth Division had practically done everything they could to save the man, from the use of practical techniques to healing spells. As she received this information, Kimiko listened attentively, taking it all in with as much attention as possible as she made sure to stare at Kazuhiko during his explanations. Once he was done, her eyes would drift towards the man on the hospital bed, and she would find herself quietly inhaling, then exhaling. "I guess that means it's all up to him now, then," she calmly concluded as her scarlet eyes focused onto the man's bandaged right shoulder. A pause would then ensue, after which her smile would return to her. "Heh. He'll be alright. This looks bad, but if there's something he does best, it's getting back on his feet."

This was partly in true. Being the man he was, Dai often found himself in trouble whenever he was at the barracks of the Eleventh. More often than not, he would receive the ire of the women of the squad for the words he would often tell them. Not to mention that, although he was strong in his own right, his lack of knowledge regarding his own Zanpakuto's name left him vulnerable to those who did know better, namely the person who may as well be as rival nowadays, Binita. With all of that being said, he had never really received a ton of injuries during Hollow hunts. He had not even gotten a lot of injuries during the latest injuries, which was a miracle in its own right. In other words, this injury was the absolute worst one that he has ever received throughout his entire Shinigami career. Even if he does eventually wake up from his slumber, Kimiko wasn't even sure of how he would react to losing it. She wasn't sure if his father, as rich as he appeared to be, could really pay for the usual expanses tied to limb recreation.

Another pause would then come as Kimiko continued to stare at Dai. She would not say anything then, mostly because she felt that she didn't have much more to say during that moment. That was, until Kazuhiko spoke asked her a few questions regarding the origin of the unconscious man's injury. For a moment, the Captain would appear to hesitate to answer these questions, as though she was unsure of how to properly respond to them. Eventually, though, she would find the strength to battle her hesitation and bring about an explanation. "Sorta. It's more complicated than that," the dojo master would let out in a sigh as she found herself approaching a nearby wall and then pushing her back against it in order to make herself a bit more comfortable. "A few months ago, a couple of Quincies from the Vandenreich were detected outside of the Soul Society. A bunch of my soldiers and I decided to go there to take care of them. At first, the goal was to just capture them. Then, when they started shooting at us, we changed our minds."

A frown would appear on her face as she briefly reminisced what happened during the confrontation between her group and the scouts'. She could still remember the coward who dared to attempt to strike her from behind while she was questioning him in order to learn of his comrades' position, and then the terrible bloodbath that ensued. Then, she remembered Ruhe, and her frown darkened further. "The commander of those scouts brought a girl along with them. Thirteen-year old kid. She was scared shitless. I still remember how she couldn't shoot anyone and how she just kept telling everyone to stop fighting. Even called for her mom, too." Her spiritual pressure, then, suddenly begin to rise quietly around her. "Her commander kept barking orders at her throughout the whole thing. He was all focused on her too, nobody else. And then, at one point, he just... stabbed her in the back. Just jammed a whole fucking sword right into her back."

Kimiko's spiritual pressure had continued to rise as she described what happened. The rise in question was both sudden and sharp as, soon, the equipment in the room would begin to lightly creak under the pressure exhumed by the Captain. It would reach such a point that, eventually, Kazuhiko would be able to feel the emotions that Kimiko felt then in their purest form, her anger, her wrath. Immediately upon hearing the sound of whining metal, the swordswoman's eyes would widen before, immediately, she would suppress her energy as much as she possibly could. "Shit. Sorry, that was uncalled for, I'll just... make this quick," she would apologize quickly to the medic, looking visibly bothered by the lack of restraint she showed then. After she calmed down, she would let out a quiet hiss before continuing. "Long story short, the girl didn't die from that. Instead, she got some kind of blood ability that she had no control over, and she attacked us with it. I don't think she really wanted to hurt us, though I suppose it doesn't really matter now. In the end, Dai ended up losing an arm, and I had to put the kid down before she could become any more dangerous."

That was a blatant lie. Although she was not quite the person that she was during that battle, Ruhe was doing okay at her northern dojo. With that said, she couldn't trust Kazuhiko with that information. He may be someone that Kimiko believed to be somewhat trustworthy, especially given that he was Fuuko's sister and that the both of them had gone to go save him in Hueco Mundo, but he remained a Shinigami and it is a Shinigami's duty to execute Quincies, especially those who have any kind of connection to the Vandenreich. "My guess is that the girl was some kind of weapon those guys wanted to use against us at some point. I don't know how they were going to use her, and I honestly don't really want to know how, but it's how I'm seeing it right about now. Whatever that was about... I'm probably never gonna forgive them for what they did to her." A huff would come from her then. "Bringing a child to a battlefield... Tch. Dishonorable scum."

[Satoshi Kazuhiko]

Kimiko rebuked the honorific title he'd given her. He knew she would. But it hadn't stopped him from using it. Was it force of habit? More than likely it was the old Satoshi Family's Stubbornness. He offered her a polite smile in response to her deflection and gave her a nod. It wasn't in acquiescence, but rather, acknowledgment. That had to be worth something, right?

"Yeah." He nodded confirming Kimiko's optimistic diagnosis. "Something like that. He's already stable. He's got a strong will and strong people cheering him on, he'll be fine!" He looked over at Dai with a smile. A smile that hid the grim inner workings of his mind. His missing arm was familiar to the boy, and the sight of it caused him to reach over and grasp his right shoulder. He still hadn't gotten used to having it. It was nice to have his arm back, but as his fingers squeezed upon it there was no give. No warmth. It was a reminder that it was a weapon.

The boy's attention was drawn back to Kimiko as she spoke again. This time about the incident that resulted in the injury. While Kimiko spoke he placed the papers back down on the little chair/desk combination that he'd been sitting at before turning to listen to her tale. "Quincies? I see." He'd heard of the Quincies, but he'd never encountered one directly. And certainly none of the Vandenreich.

The deeper Kimiko delved into her story the heavier the atmosphere got. The air felt heavier and heavier. Crackling, as if the molecules that made it up were confusedly bouncing into one another. No, not in confusion... In anger. The air continued to grow heavier, prompting the boy to place a hand on the desk, atop his papers. He braced himself as the machinery in the treatment room began to creak and groan! He began to lift a hand, but found the air was too heavy for even that!

"M-ms.-" He could barely get the word out. And then suddenly the weight disappeared! He nearly slipped, his hand sliding and tipping the stack of papers... But he managed to catch himself, preventing both the papers and himself from scattering upon the floor again. "It's... Quite alright. I understand this must be difficult to recall. I'm sorry to bring you back to that place." Just her anger alone had been too much for him to bear. She was a force of nature...

Kazuhiko listened as Kimiko continued undaunted. She elaborated on what occurred after the girl had presumably been slain. His polite smile darkened. Slipping until it became a frown. He knew the world was cruel... Moreso than most. He still had some of the memories of his human life... Of being shot dead. His blood seeping out onto concrete before his fifteenth birthday.

The bullet hadn't been meant for him... But it'd found him just the same. Just as Kimiko's sword had found the girl. It had created a girl with powers she couldn't control. Something that was dangerous to everyone around her. It had cost Dai his arm... And in the end, it had cost the child her own life. His frown deepened. He wondered... If she had known that she might have harmed others with her lack of control... Would she have volunteered for such a thing? No... That wasn't what he was wondering. He was wondering if that is what he should do.

"Dishonorable..." His frown deepened as he thought about the word. "You did what you had to, to protect the lives of those who depend on you." He reaffirmed his previous statement. There was a sadness to his words. It seemed appropriately in line with the emotions one would expect to be provoked by Kimiko's story. And he was sad about that. About the loss of life... Life was something he sought to protect. That, he believed, was why he'd been given this weapon. A weapon that couldn't hurt. A weapon that protected life, rather than taking it.

He closed his eyes, shutting the world out best he could. His mind wandered into a solitude that must have been awkward for Kimiko. He had become a weapon himself. Not Hyakujuunou. But he harbored within him an inner hollow. A piece of Lagos. A piece of an Espada... He wasn't sure if it was her within him... Or if their battle had given birth to a new being entirely... But he knew what he was. He'd been taught about it in the academy.

Vizard.

It was the first time he'd acknowledged the word. It terrified him and caused his eyes to snap open. His pupils were dilated from the private anxiety. He was sweating. "You did what you had to do." He nodded. She'd... Put the girl down, as she'd put it. Because it was what needed to be done to protect people. Never once had he wondered if she had suspected his secret... He hadn't really considered it a secret. Not from anyone but Fuuko.

He'd vowed that if he ever made it back to Soul Society, he'd be the one to protect her... And now that he was here, he was a direct threat to her. He'd heard its voice inside his head. Mocking him. Gnawing at him. Tempting him to commit acts with invasive thoughts. His right fist clenched. The long sleeve that hid the arm began to flicker with the unique white light of his reiatsu... It seemed he too had difficulty controlling his reiatsu.

He looked past Dai and out the window. It was bright and brilliant outside. "I promised to protect her." He said aloud. "So... I understand what I have to do." He drew in a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. His resolve brought with it a sense of freedom. And that freedom allowed his pleasant smile to return as he looked back at Kimiko. The sweat still moistened his tan skin, but his pupils had returned to normal. "I'm sorry. I know you didn't come here for this. But I have a favor to ask of you. Well..." He paused and put up two fingers. "Two really. The first, being that you wait until I finish treating Mr. Dai is healed until you take me in."

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Yeah. Dai was going to be fine. At least, Kimiko hoped that he was going to be. As she looked him over a few more times, she couldn't help but recall the decision she had made for the brutish man while they were battling against Ruhe's abilities. She could have cut down the shark that was biting onto his arm. Really, she truly could have done so; after all, she was able to take care of the other constructs the Quincy girl had made without too much trouble. In so doing, if she would have actually given any attention to the shark while she was taking care of Ruhe, it was possible that she could have destroyed it completely before it would have taken Dai's arm, perhaps even before that terrible blast had sent her and Dai flying so far away. However, she had decided not to do anything, all so that she could allow him to prove himself to her, to attempt to convince her that he was perhaps worthy of occupying a higher position within the Eleventh Division.

Given the circumstances surrounding Dai, this was not a decision that she had believed to be strange at the time. He was a nobleman who was quite annoying at times, yes, and she could hardly deny that he was certainly not the kind of person that was easy to respect. With that said, he was a strong man, one that was clearly strong enough to rival as strange and as unpredictable as the uncontrollable abilities of a superior Quincy. Moreover, he had recently been clearly trying to bring more and more of Kimiko's attention towards him. It hadn't been difficult to notice his efforts throughout his day-to-day life. One could simply look towards some of the traits he had shown throughout the accomplishment of his duties: his rising optimism for more difficult missions, his emboldened will to protect his Captain, his continuous attempts to spar against his fellow soldiers in order to bolster his abilities as a combatant. Thus, she hadn't hesitated. She believed her decision to be sound.

Was Dai's current condition her fault? In a way, it wasn't. The officer was a stubborn man, and so, even if she would have told him to leave, it was possible that he would have decided to simply deny that order. The only thing that could have potentially forced him to leave would have been direct intimidation from her part, but intimidation was not something that Kimiko really enjoyed using whenever she spoke to her subordinates. She believed that it was a tool that was effective, but alienating, as proven by the contemptible Vandenreich commander that she had more or less slain on that faithful day. With all of that being said, her decision did lead the brutish man towards this hospital bed. If she would have convinced him to leave back then, he would not have ended up here within the headquarters of the Fourth Division. He would have probably just gone back to the barracks of the Eleventh with the others, and that would have been the end of that. Ruhe would have also been spared the thought of having harmed him, something which Kimiko believed was going to show up any time now if the girl is ever going to be able to recall the battle.

The battle. At this point, just recalling it bothered her, and the way she eventually found herself describing it to Kazuhiko very much confirmed that. She hadn't wanted to almost explode like the way she did; in fact, she believed that she could have been able to simply summarize the battle without being too bothered by it, much like how she had done it countless other times in reports and in front of other officers of the Gotei 13. But this time, she became angry. Maybe it was because Dai was there, or maybe it was because she felt she could be slightly more open with a familiar person like the medic. Either way, she was not very happy about her outburst. Quite frankly, she was almost ashamed of it, and the words that then came out of Kazuhiko's mouth shortly after it did not make things much better. In fact, it somewhat made her feel worse. "No, it's okay. It's... It's my fault. Don't worry about it," she would try to reassure the young man after he apologized. The tone that her reply held was one of discomfort and embarrassment.

Fortunately, nothing was broken in her outburst. She had been fast enough to prevent her spiritual energy from wrecking havoc in the room or, worse, the rest of the hallway outside. She couldn't imagine what she could have accidentally done to the other wounded in the rest of the rooms down the hallway should she had completely lost control. Furthermore, she was able to finish her recap of the situation without any more outbursts. However, the shame remained, and it bothered her more so than ever before. These outbursts... They have always been there since the beginning, but for a while, they had remained dormant. She had them under control, so to speak. However, lately, they've only been becoming worse and worse. Was it her Inner Hollow doing things to her again? Worse... has it always been that bad and she never realized it? She has always had quite an enormous amount of spiritual energy within her body, after all...

Just as she looked away to perhaps give a little bit more thought on the matter, Kazuhiko would bring her back to the battle with what appeared to be his final opinion on the matter. In his words, she had done what she needed to do in order to protect the Soul Society, and that was that. That view appeared to bother him, but in the end, Kimiko knew that he was right. The death of these Vandenreich officers and Ruhe's neutralization allowed the people of Rukongai to be spared for just a little bit longer. She didn't know how much longer these people were going to last, given the sheer amount of attacks against the Soul Society that have been occurring lately, but it was better than simply allowing an uncontrollable Ruhe to let loose onto them, or worse, to allow a pack of Vandenreich officers to slaughter them for the hell of it. Though their real intentions will now be forever lost, for all she knew, killing civilians from the 80th districts was perhaps their penultimate goal behind their presence in the wilderness.

Crossing her arms, the Captain would then find herself turning her head towards the floor for a moment, if only to clear her head of these matters. She didn't need to think about the battle anymore. It was in the past, where it now belonged and will forever belong to until the end of time. The only element of it that she still needed to worry about for the time being was Ruhe, and she was safe. That was all that mattered. The only thing that mattered. It somewhat pained her to lie to Kazuhiko, as she had a hunch that he would have perhaps sided with her should she have told him the truth about the fate of the Quincy girl. However, once again, she could not take the risks. The fact that Ruhe even released spiritual energy not that long in her dojo was enough of a bad sign as is: she didn't need to also potentially worry about someone potentially telling her secret to other people, especially not someone who appeared to as honest as the medic.

As she reached this conclusion, Kimiko would look back towards Kazuhiko with a smile at first. She was ready to change the subject and talk about anything else, like the medic and Fuuko's new positions within the Fourth or maybe even Kazuhiko's relation to Raion. It had been a while ago now, but that Beast-clansman had caught her attention back then. However, it would not take long for her smile to vanish once she noticed the expression of pure terror that was on the young man's face. His eyes were wide open and his pupils dilated, and he generally appeared to suddenly not be in a very good state, as made apparent by the words he just repeated. This would cause Kimiko to eventually frown as she steadily grew concerned, but also cautious. "Yeah, you... just said that," she would remark then as she quietly maintained her gaze onto the young man, giving him her full attention. "Are you alright? You look kinda pale."

Something was wrong. She wasn't sure of if that was actually the case, since she was not at all an expert on the matter, but she could swear that the young man looked like he was about to pass out. That was not even mentioning the strange light that was coming from underneath that long sleeve of his, which was flickering with spiritual energy. The Captain of the Eleventh knew that the medic lacked a limb, but she had heard that he had somehow recovered it not too long ago, though not through medical practices. Rather, it was supposed to be that once-unwieldy blade that he carried wherever he went. In other words, his Zanpakuto supposedly shared the same property that Binita had, which was that it was constantly stuck in its released form. She wasn't too worried about that; after all, even if he was part of the Fourth Division, Kazuhiko surely knew how to use this new sword of his, or well, whatever it had become. However, if it was flickering like that and his reaction to it was so intense, then surely, that meant that the man wasn't really aware of how to properly use it.

The truth to this condition did not come right away. Instead, something else did. Without any other foreshadowing in the moment, and from completely out of the blue, the young man would just... ask that she take him in after Dai has recovered from his wounds. Take him in, as in, arrest him. The request was so unexpected that it caused Kimiko to simply stare at Kazuhiko at first, then almost smile for a split-second, as though she considered what he just said to be some kind of joke. However, that smile quickly disappeared once she recalled his earlier reaction. Looking towards the door for a moment, the Captain would listen, making sure that nobody else was listening to them. Then, she would lightly push herself off of the wall she was putting her back against. "Well, you're definitely right about that. I wasn't expecting to arrest someone today," she would first jest with a casual tone, trying her best to not freak Kazuhiko out before she would then let out a sigh. "So, what's this about? What did you do?"

She was not going to arrest someone because that other person wanted her to arrest them. No, if Kazuhiko truly wanted to be arrested, he would have to give her a very solid reason... something which she hoped that he didn't have. The poor guy has gone through enough stuff as is, and so has Fuuko. She couldn't even imagine seeing him in a cell within the Senzaikyū, or worse, up on Sōkyoku Hill. Hell, she couldn't imagine what his sister would do if he did. She would probably never be able to forgive the Captain for bringing him to these places.

[Satoshi Kazuhiko]

"Arrest?" He smiled at that. It was a humorless thing. And it let Kimiko know that 'arrest' was not severe enough an action as was necessary. Having started the process had given him some comfort. He'd felt petrified as he'd led into it. It had given him a pallid complexion and doused him in sweat. But now that he'd confronted it he'd found an unexpected bravery. It was still terrifying. But he'd faced his own mortality so many times during the Hueco Mundo Survival Game.

He'd crossed swords with more than one Hollow. He'd escaped a high-ranking Espada. He'd survived a fight with the number 8 Espada. He'd even declared his intent to thwart the very king of Hueco Mundo himself! Each one of those moments might have been his last. In a way, standing in front of The Sandman provoked less anxiety than the uncertainty of his presence.

"Please believe me. I didn't understand it at the time that I'd given my report... If I had, I wouldn't have intentionally obscured it." He closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. Closing his eyes offered him no additional focus, as his sixth sense ensured he was still able to observe everything. He wasn't sure he'd ever get used to being unable to seek the small solace of closing off the world around him. "In my fight with the number 8 Espada, Lagos Obscuras-"

He paused, his voice catching in his throat. Intrusive memories flooded his mind, piercing his brain like hot pokers. The sensation of his soul chain consuming itself was both impossible to describe and impossible to forget. His expression wrinkled like the boy had put his palm flat upon the burner of a stove. "Tch." He shook his head, warding off the tangible memory of his soul literally consuming itself as he screamed, alone in the desert.

"She changed me..." He placed a hand over his heart, where he'd nearly had a hole like a hollow... A second later and he might have been just that. It had only been due to his immense and uncontrollable spiritual pressure that he'd been able to survive. He'd sated the infection with an incomprehensible amount of reiatsu for a being of his strength. Lagos had left him to become some corrupt thing, arrogant and confident in her final attack.

His eyes opened as he looked upon Dai and his missing limb. "I'm a danger to everyone here... I could lose control at any time. But I feel safer with you here." He then turned his attention back to Kimiko. "Because she's still inside me. Or something like her."

A tear formed in the corners of his eyes, but they never lost their light. He made his confession to her with a smile.

"I'm Vizard, Ms. Kimiko."

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Kimiko found herself frowning seriously upon hearing the word which came out of Kazuhiko's reply to her question. It was said with a laugh and a smile, but it was not because he found the idea of being arrested funny; rather, it appeared he instead believed that it was ridiculous that the Captain would only go so far with him. It was only a simple reaction to what she had just said, only a word, and yet that was enough to cause her mood to almost change drastically almost immediately, especially having witnessed the medic cross what may has well been the edge of an emotional breakdown only about a minute ago. If he did simply want to be arrested, and if he was braving his own fears right this instant just so that he could tell her what was coming next, then he must have either done something that he regretted in one way or another or he must have been part of something that he believed needed to be revealed before it would be too late.

Given the sheer amount of attacks that have been committed against the Soul Society lately, as well as Kazuhiko's unfortunately-unique relationship with the likes of Hueco Mundo, the Captain first assumed that the young man was somehow caught in some kind of scheme orchestrated by either one of the Espada or Kouhai himself. He was an honest officer, someone who genuinely appeared to always want the prioritize the betterment of others, and so it would not be shocking to anyone to learn that he could have potentially been eaten whole by regret and powerlessness throughout this whole time behind the scenes up until this very moment. At least, it wouldn't have been to Kimiko; after all, she had seen her fair share of warriors who fought for someone or something that was so much greater than them that she personally believed that they found themselves caged by their influence, such as that one scout she had left bleeding out after he foolishly attempted to strike her while she was sparing him.

As the medic spoke to her, it appeared as though her assumptions were partially correct. This all appeared to be somehow connected to the Octava Espada, an Arrancar known only to Kimiko as Lagos Obscuras. She had heard of the woman to a certain extent, if only because she had learned that Kazuhiko had fought her while he remained within the land of the heartless through a few reports of his kidnapping. She had no real knowledge of her abilities, or at least none that she could probably recall, and she was not quite sure of how she usually behave. But as the man further recounted between himself and the Hollow, the Captain couldn't help but begin to stare at the man with eyes that were widening further and further. Many words and terms and expressions were spoken that she absolutely loathed being heard from the young man: changed, danger to everyone, could lose control at any time... still inside me. Then, finally, what she feared was going to be said then and then would finally be said.

By the time the accursed words fully came out of the young man's mouth, Kimiko was staring at him with widened eyes beneath a great frown. From them, he could witness a great flame. It burned with a mixture of scarlet and what appeared to be a sheen of silver, bright, encompassing, almost chaotic. Her breath had gone completely silent, almost as if her emotions completely prevented her from remembering how to nourish herself upon the surrounding air, and a ringing was heard within the depths of her ears as her fists clenched tight. All it took was but for a single declaration, and already, Kazuhiko was able to witness the utmost fury that once almost exploded from this larger-than-life being almost explode outward, and this time, she was visibly trying her absolute damnedest not to allow it to lay waste to her surroundings. It was the sight of anger personified, wrath unending, and it was both awesome as it was horrifying to behold.

Images of a being who held the title of Octava Espada would flash before her eyes as the familiar adrenaline came to her again. Shaking, the visualizations would flicker all around Kazuhiko in Kimiko's vision. Since the Captain was unaware of how Lagos Obscuras was supposed to look like, it only resembled the shadow of a woman. But that was more than enough for her to perceive it as what she was: a jester, a bully. The shadow would continue to flicker incessantly around the young man, snickering and laughing as it continued to appear all across the hospital room. Then, it appeared behind the man and simply stood there, looking down upon the lower officer. As it remained still, its body jittered uncontrollably, almost as though Kimiko's eyes were unable to focus onto it. However, after a time, its head would slowly raise itself towards the Captain, and the shadow that covered it would melt away, revealing beneath it the smile of the swordswoman's Inner Hollow.

Well, now, this is quite ironic, isn't it, Kimiko-chan~? So much time and effort spent just for this one boy... and it was aaaall for nothing. Oh well~! I say we skip the formalities. Come on, then.

G i v e  h i m  w h a t  h e  w a n t s .

Droplets of blood would steadily begin to spill from Kimiko's fists as she further clenched them against one another before the suddenly-disfigured Inner Hollow, which caused her nails to sink deeper into the skin of her palm. Just like back then, while she was confronting Ruhe, her adrenaline skyrocketed. Her brain, manipulated by her Inner Hollow, was shouting at her, telling her to execute Kazuhiko on the spot. It was so incredibly-difficult to resist it. It was clear that the Inner Hollow had been waiting for this just like before, patiently standing by until the best opportunity would have come forth for her to attempt to play this game with Kimiko yet again, and even the Captain had to admit that this was unfortunately a very reasonable strategy. Even now, she could feel the anger that she had for Lagos Obscuras almost drive one of her fists to open up, grab onto one of her Zanpakuto, and unsheathe it so as to cut Kazuhiko's head off right then and there.

But the Captain had made herself clear to the beast that lied deep within her heart. This game of hers had ended. There was no point in it. She now knew how to recognize when her Inner Hollow was striking and how she was doing it, and therefore, she was no more terrified of her or even so much as intimidated. Scary faces could only do so much to her, and so could her very own wrath. Thus, slowly, she would close her eyes and take a few deep breaths. One. Two. One. Two. Steadily, her anger would begin to leave her core. It would seep away, causing the flickering shadow that stood near Kazuhiko in her sight to eventually vanish from sight. It demanded a bit more of her blood to be shed from her fists, but fortunately, not long after she closed her eyes, she would be able to feel her muscles tense down. By then, her fists slowly open, revealing the bloody marks of her nails onto her palms, and with that, she could finally open her eyes.

All of this only lasted for, at best, about ten seconds of silence. It did not last long, and although her self-inflicted injuries were notable, nothing much worse had happened to Kimiko. With that said, she doubted that he did not notice her moment there. It lasted for far too long, and it was plainly obvious that something had affected her. In a way, it could be said that she reacted similarly to how Celes reacted to her own Vizard symptoms back then, when they spoke of this matter for the first time at the spa resort. However, unlike Celes, she was not going to hide this truth away from Kazuhiko. She was not going to leave him sheltered and alone to suffer in her despair like she has prior to her intervention before the founding of her dojo. Perhaps Celes could to some extent, but Kimiko would most decidedly not be able to forgive herself for letting that happen. Not to mention that Fuuko would be able to forgive her even less, especially given the fact that Kazuhiko was her little brother.

So, after she recovered from her supernatural adrenaline rush, the swordswoman would find herself staring at the young man once again. She would take another deep breath, then let out a sigh. "Alright. I'll give you what you want. I'll take you somewhere, and we'll deal with this problem together," she would appear to concede before she would then look towards Dai one last time, then turn her back towards him to leave the room. Once then, she would close the door and wait in the hallway for Kazuhiko to leave. The loss of her presence within Dai's room was made immediately evident. The power which she carried was moved away, causing the surrounding air to be so much less oppressive. However, so too was carried away the care and concern that came with that power. In a way, it was as though a hole had been erected straight in the middle of the room where the Captain, one so deep that nothing could be seen from it but utter darkness.

As the room became quiet, nothing could be heard from it aside from the few beeps and boops which came from the medical devices stationed by Dai's bed. The faint chirping of nearby birds and the buzzing of small bugs could also be heard from outside the nearby window. Then, suddenly, almost out of the blue, something akin to a voice would come from the dismembered officer's bed. It was weak, but it was there nonetheless. "Go..." it said as the man remained on his back, breathing quietly. "Don't worry about me... Just go..."

It seemed as though the young man was given the go-ahead.

[Satoshi Kazuhiko]

He'd gotten the words out. He'd said the unspeakable. And with it came a great relief. A weight. A burden was lifted off of his shoulders. Bearing the truth set him free. Kazuhiko had never been one for deception. Having to lie to people who he expected to trust him tore at his heart.

It was agony to hide this revelation from his sister Fuuko. But he knew she would give anything to save him. Even her own future. He'd done the same for her when they were alive. And the result was both of their doom. Fate held the firearm this time, and he'd not let her jump in the way of the shot. Selfish and short-sighted as that might have been.

Something curious woke him from his elated relief. He had expected it to be the Captain of Squad 11's condemnation. But what he heard was louder than any command she would have given. The lines of her face creased, but her eyes widened. It was somewhere between fury and horror. Her muscles tensed and her joints locked. Rigid and tense. Her fingernails dug into her own palm until they dug crimson furrows. But what he saw on the outside was nothing compared to the chaos he could feel within her.

Kazuhiko was a journeyman in the ways of energy sensory. But Hyaakujuunuou gave him sensory abilities far beyond the most eagle-eyed. His reiatsu field flowed through and around everything within it. He felt her heart rate increase. Beating rapid and erratic. He felt the texture of the adrenaline within her blood as it coursed like rapids through her veins. He felt the spike in chemicals in her brain. Neural pathways splitting and tangling.

It was an overwhelming amount of biometric information. But thanks to his medical training he could understand what was happening. She wasn't frozen in memory. She was hallucinating. He couldn't possibly see what she was seeing. But he could see that she was seeing something that troubled her deeply!

He knew the vision had passed before perhaps even Kimiko did. He took a deep breath in time with hers. It wasn't intentional, but their relief was synchronized by the intensity of the boy's intimate understanding of Kimiko's experience. At least on a biochemical level.

Despite the relief, however, he could only nod as she told him he'd grant her request. The weight of her spiritual pressure was still smothering. He couldn't dredge up the strength to force any sound past his lips. And it was only when she left that he could make a small, pitiable sound. It was the squeak of a mouse. An insecure uncomfortable noise, like a yelp occurring during a prepubescent voice crack.

He let out a sigh... Poor Kimiko-taichou. He had put her in a terrible position. It was cruel of him. A boy who claimed that he sought to put an end to suffering had provoked such an obscene reaction from her. He closed his eyes, rebuking himself in shame... He'd nearly forgotten that he'd just requested his own execution.

"Huh!?" He hadn't expected the voice that came from beside him. He nearly leaped out of his robes! "D-Dai-san?" His voice was still a little squeaky. "Y-you're okay then?" He asked, his tone finally reaching its natural level. The man had woken only a few moments after his captain had left. Kazuhiko had expected that perhaps being around him would be what helped him heal, but it seemed like Kimiko had been the best medicine. Perhaps she'd stirred him awake when she'd weighed on the room. Scared the coma right out of him. The thought made him grin.

"Yosh." He nodded to Dai then. "Don't get any ideas about getting out of bed. You're still recovering. Don't make me sick Fuuko on you, hm?" He gave the man a wag of his finger. Saying his sister's name caused his stomach to twist. Instant regret. Without saying another word he turned and moved to follow Kimiko into the hall. He grasped the door handle and took note of how his hand wasn't shaking.

He could do this. And Fuuko would forgive him. He was sure of it.

[Nakajima Kimiko]

After she left the room, the Captain of the Eleventh would remain quiet. She stood still near the wall opposite to the door, facing it with a calm and almost-distant gaze without a word as the palms of her hands slowly stopped bleeding. Her breath was quicker, synonymous of her recovery, but it was not loud, and her demeanor was straight but not overly so, just enough for her to slightly bend against the wall again. From where she stood, a few of the people who remained in the other rooms could somewhat see her through the little cracks left in the folding doors. In their moment of weakness, they could witness the might which came with her haori, the power, the prestige. They could also see the light traces of red which now stained its sleeves. Some questioned the presence of these traces, wondering why they were even there to begin with. The majority, however, did not give them any thought. This was a warrior, a being of battle; therefore, it was normal for the presence of blood on her person to be expected from her, even if faint.

As her scarlet eyes remained stuck on the door, they remained solid and unshaken. It was clear that they reflected the many thoughts that came to her mind then as she reflected upon Kazuhiko's condition. The medic was a Vizard. He was like her. He was like Celes, like Camila. For now, there was nothing that really suggested that he was actually what he believed to be, aside from the fact that he has lost his healing ability for whatever reason. It also did not seem as though he had once been taken over by the being which now remained in his heart, or at least not physically. Even so, she believed him. She believed that there was such a being which resided within himself, and she believed that it could thus wreck havoc to everything and everyone has come to know at any given moment, if only because he had finally found the courage to tell the Captain to execute him, and only because the being residing within her own heart made sure to make a mockery of his words. 

Thus, because she believed him, she waited patiently for him to leave the room. She did not listen to those around her, did not pay attention to her surroundings but the door itself. To her, as she waited, the hallway was but an empty corridor, a void devoid of life and meaning. This focus was such that she almost appeared as a statue, as only stillness would be able to bring her the strength that she required in this moment. In this moment, she did not hear Dai. She did not hear his voice telling Kazuhiko to leave his room and to not worry about his condition. She did not feel the impressive spiritual energy that was steadily rising from her as he was suddenly brought out of his slumber, nor the spiritual energy that suddenly appeared in the waiting room. She also did not hear the cries of surprise of various nurses, and the sound of wood and glass shattering altogether in a cacophony of terrible noises which resonated throughout the hall. None of this was important to her now. The only thing that was was Kazuhiko.

When the door finally opened before her to reveal what was going on behind its folds, Kimiko's focus was slightly broken as she finally senses the energy that came from Dai. It was a marvelous sight, to say the least, the kind of energy that no one could have ever expected to have ever been released by him. But as she witnessed him, her gaze eventually steadied and she focused back on Kazuhiko. It was doubtful to her that the medic would not be able to feel the sudden changes that affected the one-armed man. They were, after all, quite potent and notably powerful. But the Captain was certain that he also understood that there was nothing more that needed to be done to better the man's condition. Like she had predicted, he had pushed through on his own. He had held himself on his own against the thing that brought him anguish in his sleep, and thus, now, he came back alive. Better yet, it seemed as though that he came out of this stronger than ever.

What was going to happen next to Dai was going to be his decision and his decision alone. She was not going to meddle in his choices, and she was far less so going to make them for him. With this in mind, once Kazuhiko had joined her once more outside of the room, she would give one last look to the bedridden Dai, brandish her signature smile yet again, then begin to walk down the hall with the hopes that the young man was in tow. As she walked down the many halls of the wounded once again, she would remain silent. She would pass by the same people who had watched her before, and she would garner the same amount of attention from them. The only difference from before, this time around, was the rush of medical officers that found themselves quickly heading towards Dai's room in order to understand what was happening to him, a rush that Kimiko simply ignored as she looked on ahead. Though she was smiling and her walk was as optimistic as usual, there were many amongst the officers who witnessed her that believed that her scarlet eyes did not share the brilliance of her smile. It made her appear almost haunting.

Eventually, the Captain of the Eleventh and the Third Seat of the Fourth would find themselves reaching the waiting room once again. Once there, it would not take long for Kimiko or Kazuhiko to quickly notice the culprit of the earlier explosion of glass and wood. Where the closet which was used to store Zanpakuto once stood was now in place what appeared to be a large odachi. Its blade was wide and enormous, enough so that it easily tore right through the straps which once held it tightly against the wall, and where its hilt was meant to be instead remained what appeared to be some kind of tuff of white fur. It was needless to admit that it was a crude blade, one that no normal warrior should be able to wield. However, to Kimiko, it was a beautiful blade. It was strength personified, the will of a warrior who wished to remain standing in spite of terrible odds. Of course, there was only one man in this entire hospital to which this sword could be owned by.

Many nurses and other officers who had remained in the waiting room were staring at the great sword in utter shock and confusion as it now stood far above other blades which now laid on the floor. Meanwhile, Minamoto, the elderly nurse who had remained behind the counter of the waiting room, simply stared at it in silence, contemplating on its existence. When she saw Kimiko and Kazuhiko, however, her expression changed. By then, a bright and thankful smile had come to her. "I take it this is his work. Ah, so scary! Only the blades of Jūichibantai could look so frightening," she would guess as she gazed upon the blade one more time. While her words seemed insulting upon first hearing, especially given the sheer size of the blade, Kimiko would quickly understand it to be a compliment. After all, if a weapon is meant to be formidable, how could it not look frightening? Unless they are weapons meant for trickery and deceit, that is.

In any case, the elderly lady would gaze upon the sword in silence for just a bit longer before she would then find herself chuckling and picking up the only swords which had remained standing in the closet: the white blade and the black blade both owned by Kimiko. "Here. These are for you," she would find herself telling the Captain as she brought the swords to her, assuming that her visit had come to an end. They were not damaged by the destruction brought the closet, quite thankfully. After she was done, she would then turn her head towards Kazuhiko. Her gaze appeared to be slightly surprised by the young man's presence. "Ah, have you come to see if I was in one piece, Satoshi-san? I had assumed you would have remained with your patient."

Her suspicion was perhaps warranted. Kimiko was not entirely aware of how things worked here nor of Kazuhiko's ethics when it came to work, but she knew him to be a diligent man who cared very much for his patients. Therefore, after such a change in Dai's condition, he would have most likely remained by his side during normal circumstances. As such, upon hearing Minamoto's concern, she would give the elder a smile before putting her hand on the medic's shoulder. "Kazuhiko wanted to talk to me about something that's been happening lately in Rukongai. We've been having a few outbreaks in the later districts, and I've been fearing they might reach Nijūkan West soon if they keep going," she would count then and there. Much like Ruhe before, this was a lie: the man had obviously not told her anything about this. However, the outbreaks had some truth to them, as the later districts were at times indeed stricken by various diseases.   

The nurse would hum upon hearing this, still somewhat surprised by the fact that Kazuhiko would want to leave Dai in spite of this matter. Nevertheless, she would not question it. Kimiko was a Captain who exceeded the both of them in rank, and so her words were most likely truthful. Even if they were not, she most likely had her reasons to bring the younger officer elsewhere. As such, the old lady would eventually nod to them both. "Ah, I see. I have been hearing about some of those things. Oh, it's quite terrible. The more I hear about them, the more terrible they become." Her tone seemed to be hurt by this truth, a normal reaction to Human suffering that Kimiko understood, but did not share. "Well then, I hope that you two will be able to find a solution to this. Have a nice day, dear."

With that, the two officers would then be allowed to leave the Fourth's headquarters. Once they were outside, Kimiko would simply walk forward for a few moments in silence, not saying a thing to Kazuhiko as she headed towards the west of Seireitei. Eventually, however, the two would reach a street that was devoid of anybody's presences but theirs, and at that moment, she find turn her gaze over her shoulder towards the medic. "We'll be heading towards Rukongai. Follow me, and don't stop," she told the man. Then, all so suddenly, she would disappear with a single Shunpo to appear on the roof of a nearby building, and after looking back towards Kazuhiko to see if he would properly understand how this was going to work, she would then proceed. 

The trek had begun.

[Satoshi Kazuhiko]

"I'm glad." He said as he shut the door behind him, sealing Dai off in his recovery room. "He's going to be just fine." He added. Though the extra sentiment didn't seem like it clarified what exactly he was glad about. Whatever happened here, he'd given it his best.

Kimiko set off down the hall in silence. Somehow, the halls of the Yonbontai barracks felt smaller. Like the opposing walls were pulling towards one another. He knew this wasn't the case, even if his eyes told him it was. His sixth sense informed him of their immobility. It was his own pupils dilating. He wasn't entirely free from anxiety. And the walk behind Kimiko felt reminiscent of a stroll down death row.

Much like Kimiko, the boy hadn't heard the din that had been caused in the lobby. Though his senses were incredibly acute within the range of his Shikai, they were practically normal outside of it. So it was to his surprise as well when they happened upon the former weapons locker. The wood and glass cabinet had ruptured from within. One of the weapons inside appeared to have somehow... Remote released.

Kazuhiko's eyes fell upon Kimiko to gauge her reaction. And she offered none. He could feel her admiration somehow... But she remained stoic. Perhaps she was simply focused on their grim task. The senior nurse addressed them and her analysis caused Kazuhiko's lips to purse into an 'O' shape. A look of understanding.

The nurse handed over Kimiko's weapons. That had taken enough time for Kazuhiko to get his expression back to neutral. "Of course Minamoto-san! After all, our patient seems to have made something of a miraculous recovery." He gestured to Kimiko with an open palm. "Apparently our medicine pales in the face of the wishes of a concerned friend." He gave the woman an ear-to-ear grin. It should have been too bright, too cheery, given the situation he found himself in. But he was genuinely overwhelmed by the end of the man's suffering. The light at the end of his tunnel.

"I'll leave him in your care now Minamoto-san." He gave her a bow. Deep and respectful. "Thank you for all your hard work." He righted himself. "I apologize for always taking off to the Rukongai! But I have to go where I can help the most people. I'm leaving the Yonbontai in your care, Minamoto-san! Farewell." He met her eyes with his own. Golden and gleeful. Before following Kimiko. Her explanation hadn't been exactly honest. But it let Kazuhiko know where they were going.

Once outside he was given an express command. To follow her to the Rukongai and not stop! She vanished in the blink of an eye. And he did his best to follow in her footsteps! He could feel her tensing to Shunpo before she fully lifted off. Her muscles and orientation informed him of the direction she would step... And so he was able to move a heartbeat before her!

This technique gave the illusion that he was faster than he was. It helped him to keep up with the Captain... But the intense focus was exhausting. And even with it, he couldn't match her speed. If she was trying to lose him, she'd have left him in the dust. And when they finally touched down wherever she was leading him, he would be sweating and panting. Exhausted. He'd made it a game. A recreation on his way to the gallows. It might be his last walk... He might as well make it a fun one!

[Nakajima Kimiko]

The wishes of a concerned friend... How innocent. The words were well-meaning, upbeat and joyful, but they usually were of the kind that could only be brought about by either the young or the inexperienced. It was not normal for someone to suddenly awaken from their long-lasting bout of unconsciousness just because an acquaintance of theirs had decided to remain by their side - especially when such acquaintances have been visiting that someone for more than a few weeks now at quite the regular interval - and it was even less normal for that person to suddenly almost explode with spiritual energy once all was said and done. That kind of process typically carried a reasoning that was much more complex than the likes of usual healthcare, much like anything that involved the likes of spirituality in this heavenly realm. Yet, as Kimiko found herself staring at Kazuhiko's grin as he spoke those words, she couldn't help but almost be completely taken away from the main task at hand as she began to think that there was maybe some truth to that statement than she initially thought.

Considering that Dai's weapon strangely transformed from so far away, it was safe to assume that he was able to finally communicate with the being who remained in his Zanpakuto, the very same he had never been able to speak to ever since he became a proper Shinigami. It is unclear how long this conversation with the spirit had gone; for all they knew, he had actually been talking to them for the entirety of the time he remained in his hospital bed. Moreover, it was most likely a very difficult process for him to accomplish, if the noises he made and the constant struggle he showcased while he slept were both anything to go by. Regardless, the outcome was the same as any other Shinigami's first successful attempt at releasing their Zanpakuto: the man learned of the spirit's name, and thus, he was granted access to Shikai. In other words, he finally became a more powerful Shinigami, an officer who was worthy of bearing a superior rank.

This entire process was something that the Captain of the Eleventh was all too familiar with. Although she was able to acquire access to her Shikai and then her Bankai at a much faster pace in comparison to Dai, her development was just about as tumultuous as his. Even now, after so many decades, she could still remember the struggle she had gone through in order to get Shizukakane to tell her his name. She remembered the constant matches of shogi that she lost, and the many books she has had to read in order to fully understand the game. Then, there was Taishokukane and the oddities the Captain has had to witness before she was able to summon... and then, there was the making of her Bankai. It was needless to say that, should anyone have had the chance to actually properly observe everything she has gone through, it would not have been surprising for them to say that they would have been unable to go through everything she's gone through.

But in the end, she did. In fact, so as many superior officers. They have each gone through their trials, their tribulations, and by doing so, they were able to acquire a higher power that only they could access. In other words, yes, they were worthy of this power. Kimiko was worthy, Kazuhiko was worthy, and now, Dai was worthy. It is possible that he will complain about the things he went through, and hell, he might not even get along with the spirit within the massive thing that his blade had become. For all everyone knew, that spirit may be as wild and uncontrollable as the one which remained in Fuuko's dagger. But in the end, he got through it all, and it was perhaps thanks to the memories he shared with his comrades and of the support that he gained from them - as meager as those two things may have been - that he was able to achieve this in the first place. If that was true, then Kimiko was not just proud of him: she was also glad, if only because it meant that she and her squad's efforts to build him into a person that was worthier of the title of warrior had paid off.

So, with this in mind, the Captain smiled back to the medic. Really, in this moment of distraction, how could she not? They were both witnessing a great moment for Dai and perhaps even the rest of the Eleventh Division, and Dai himself was most likely going to cherish that moment for the rest of his career in one way or another. Thus, she was able to hold onto that smile for just a bit longer before Minamoto, all in spite of the clear message of farewell the boy was giving to the elderly nurse. However, once they left the Fourth Division's headquarters and found themselves walking away sufficiently far enough, the gravity of the situation would quickly return, and in so doing, her smile would leave her once more. This was not a time for happiness any longer. Now, this was a time for strength, strength that Kazuhiko appeared to display in spite of the despair brought about by his condition. It was a courageous thing that he was doing, all things considered, to face death with such a bright smile... but Kimiko knew what remained behind that smile. She knew, because a long time ago, she once displayed that accursed thing too.

It was this knowledge that fueled Kimiko as she headed towards Rukongai. For miles and miles on end, she would execute Shunpo after Shunpo after Shunpo, jumping from building to building consecutively and incessantly. While she attempted to remain at a reasonable pace in order to allow the young man to keep up with her in spite of the fact that he appeared to be noticeably faster than usual, she would nevertheless not give him any chance with her movement, creating in turn a most difficult path towards the man's execution. To someone like her who engaged in such travels on a daily basis, this was nothing at all; in fact, the only thing it did was tighten the muscle in her legs just a tad bit with each jump as her sandals left a dusty imprint upon the surface they landed upon. In comparison, for Kazuhiko, this would be a test of his physical capabilities, of his mental faculties, and of the sheer will that brought him onward towards his own death.

As they further headed onward, it would not take long for their surroundings to begin to blur from an antique urban jungle to something that was more so based on the countryside. Full-fledged buildings and businesses would turn progressively turn into nothing more than mere houses and cabins, and proper streets of brick and stone would turn into simple dirt roads. It would become clear to Kazuhiko, at that moment, that they were going very, very far into Rukongai, towards districts beyond even the 40th ones where her schools remained. Many more jumps later, there would be no more buildings and no more roads. All that would instead remain beneath them would be trees, rivers, and rock. This was no more a place built to harbor any kind of civilization; rather, it was now a place where only nature remained, a place only suited for life at its most primal. Then, finally, after what almost seemed like a full hour of constant movement into what appeared to be rockier and rockier grounds, Kimiko would find herself stopping.

By then, the Captain would simply stand there, seemingly unperturbed and not that exhausted by the ridiculous feat of Hohō she had just accomplished. More importantly, she would remain quiet, and in her quietness, she would allow Kazuhiko the massive monument that stood before them. 

What remained in front of them was a great mountain. It was a foundation of incalculable size and scope, one whose base was somewhat grassy and plain and its top snowy and harsh. Although it was sunny today, the medic would most likely be able to tell that this thing clearly went beyond the clouds. On a rainy or snowy day, it would have perhaps been able to downright pierce through said clouds and stand above anything which remained in the heavenly realm that was the Soul Society. One could say that this mountain was a majestic piece of natural engineering, the kind only the earth could produce. However, what was more impressive was what was built into it.

Curiously, from the base to the top, an onlooker would be able to spot a series of stairs leading upward. They appeared ancient, directly carved into the rock, and beside them were a few flags of many colors waving in the wind. It would be clear, by then, what Kimiko was asking of Kazuhiko. The Captain of the Eleventh would remain silent for a bit longer, allowing the man to further understand what his final destination was going to be. Then, once she believed him to have sufficiently understood this entire matter, she would find herself stretching a little before gesturing towards the mountain with a sharp flick of her head. "Climb with me," she ordered. After that, she began to move forward towards the ancient stairs, then began to climb upward. Perhaps to Kazuhiko's surprise, she would not use Shunpo this time around. No, she would simply move on step-by-step, with each step bringing in weight onto her legs.

[Satoshi Kazuhiko]

Kazuhiko was exhausted by the time they'd reached the end of the rukongai districts. For every step that Kimiko took, he'd had to take two. And even that wouldn't have been enough without the exhaustive use of one of his advanced sensory techniques. It was meant to keep an opponent from slipping out of range... He'd never expected to use it to keep up with someone who was far faster than himself.

They'd been moving for at least an hour. If he'd been less skilled at Hoho, he'd have fallen behind at the twenty-minute mark. The trek finally came to a halt at the foot of a mountain. Kimiko had touched down daintily upon her feet. Kazuhiko on the other hand, collapsed onto his hands and knees. It was already further than he thought possible. His muscles ached and his ridiculous reiatsu reserves were nearly tapped out! He could even feel the field of his sixth sense wavering... Quieting. Something that came as a curious relief.

It was an act of willpower that kept him going. A single-minded determination. That Satoshi Stubbornness that he and his sister were known for. And it was this single-mindedness that had kept him from pondering where they'd even gone to. It wasn't uncommon for him to visit the outer districts of the Rukongai. In fact, that was where he had been abducted. It was there that all of this had started. And now he was beyond that place. Literally and metaphorically.

Sweat dripped from his brow onto the rocks beneath him. He took big, heaving breaths as he sought to refill his lungs and regain some semblance of stability. Once he could focus on more than the pounding of his heart in his head, he took in the majestic world around him. His vision was a little fuzzy from exhaustion but that just added a softer glow to the light coming through the clouds beyond the mountain top. There was no noise save for the wind sweeping across the terrain and the planted flags. He closed his eyes, and in that moment it reminded him of the barren deserts of Hueco Mundo. It gave him a shudder.

"W-where are we?" It took an extra breath to get the words out. "I was expecting to be brought to the Sixth." He finally looked toward Kimiko, curiosity in his eyes. It was clear he wasn't going to be getting what he'd anticipated. Her order brought him to his feet. He staggered like a toddler and caught himself on the nearby rock surface. He took another moment... And then found himself able to take some steps forward. He placed his left palm against the cool rocks as they were available to help him climb.

Kimiko moved ahead of him and he was thankful she hadn't used any step techs. He couldn't have possibly kept up. Not that he was doing the best job of it now. He wasn't sure -what- to expect. But he hadn't expected to die tired. Though if this was an execution ground it was one of the strangest he'd ever seen. He was familiar with the procedures and policies expected of officers of the Gotei 13 when apprehending someone. This wasn't within their constraints.

"What are we doing here Ms. Kimiko?" He managed not to pant as he spoke. He was getting his second wind. Bully for him. He'd need it, as there were quite a number of stone steps ahead of them.

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Once the brunt of the trip came to an end, the Captain's gaze briefly turned over her shoulder to settle upon the fallen medic. It was clear to her that the journey from the holy city of Seireitei to one of the deepest parts in Rukongai had utterly tired the young man. He could barely remain on his feet, forced to be brought to a stop as he quickly found himself on his hands and knees, and he appeared to be out of breath. Yet, as he remained on the ground, she did not help him. Instead, she simply stood there, patiently waiting for him in silence. In usual circumstances, she would not have done this; in fact, she somewhat hated what she was doing, and so it took every ounce of her being not to actually bring herself to Kazuhiko's side and bring him back up. However, she believed this to be necessary. She was not doing this for herself, at least not completely, and so, she was not going to let her own feelings get in the way of the main goal behind this journey.

Calmly, she waited. Quietly, she remained, keeping her gaze right upon him during all this time like a divine statue. She wanted him to stand up, to understand that there was nothing at this moment that was more important than being capable of using his legs once again. In the moment, one could say that this was an almost-cruel way to judge the man's strength, a kind of practice that should have broken him in pieces. Ironically, Kimiko would completely agree with them. This was something that was beyond the usual training practices that she upheld with her students. Even Emile, her first and strongest disciple, struggled with the harsher training regimens that she would give to him, and these regimens were not as difficult in comparison. In spite of this, she did not give Kazuhiko any chances. She wanted him to beat this, to overcome it, to prove his worth both as a warrior and as the protector he so appears to want to be for his squadmates and his sister.

The struggle the young man faced eventually paid off, as a few seconds later, he was able to bring himself back up. From the way he looked by then, it appeared to have been noticeably difficult. His breath was still somewhat laborious, heavy and deep, beads of sweet had begun to fall onto the mountain rock below. His gaze, too, appeared to be affected, as it was now seemingly unfocused and almost dazed. Frankly, it almost seemed as though he was about to fall unconscious at any given moment... but Kimiko appreciated this. In fact, she admired the sheer strength of will that he was showcasing here. He could have simply remained on the ground and wait for the Captain's judgement. Hell, he could have simply collapsed right then and there, and begged for his immediate execution. Many others would have wanted that. But no, instead, he stood up and he found the bravery to behold the next challenge that towered before him.

Unsurprisingly, the man wanted to know what this was all about. To this, Kimiko would answer with a tone that was very much serious, focused: "This is the western edge of the Soul Society. About a week or two of straight walking away from Seireitei." No doubt, this was most likely going to bring more questions out of Kazuhiko. In normal circumstances, Shinigami officers who have admitted to have committed some sort of crime in one way or another were immediately sent to judiciary officers within Seireitei, investigated, and then handled appropriately by the people of the First and Sixth Divisions as well as the officers' own squads from there on. They were most definitely not brought to a place like this, not to the western edge of the entirety of the Soul Society, somewhere that was almost entirely isolated from the rest of the heavenly realm. For all intents and purposes, it could morbidly be insinuated that Kazuhiko was about to be kidnapped again. But obviously, that wasn't what the superior officer wanted to do here, as made evident by what they would both do next.

Following her own order, Kimiko would bring herself forward onto the steps that were expertly carved into the rock of the mountain, then begin to climb. While it was not as fast nor as difficult as the previous trek she and Kazuhiko had gone through, this part of the voyage nevertheless required a challenging effort. They climbed, and climbed, and climbed. First surrounded by rock and tuffs of grass, they would eventually find themselves also surrounded by snow as they began to reach a higher altitude. Temperatures would begin to decrease, and the air would become cold enough to bring about puffs of steam from their mouths. Kimiko, who was wearing a sleeveless outfit, grunted a bit upon feeling the harsher climate hit her. Nevertheless, she continued to move forward, standing high in front of what she could only assume to now be a completely-clueless Kazuhiko. She couldn't blame him: anyone in his position would have easily felt as confused as he currently was in this situation.

Another question came from the medic in that moment, but this time, Kimiko did not answer it. Instead, she continued to climb, and climb, and climb ever onward. It was becoming colder and colder, and the snow was becoming more and more overwhelming. At times, some of it would find itself fallen onto the steps, forcing the Captain and the officer behind her to have to take a narrower path onto them. At other times, the snow was so overwhelming present on the steps that they literally hid them completely. Fortunately, the swordswoman was kind enough to push the snow away with an swipe of her blade's blunt side. Like the time she showcased her speed by picking up his fallen papers, her movements were so quick that Kazuhiko would be unable to follow them; instead, he would only witness the snow being blasted to the right with such power that it turned into a cloud of dust brought down the mountain by the rising winds.

More steps would be crossed over the course of the next hour. Or was it the next two? Or the next three? Ultimately, it did not matter. By then, Kazuhiko would be able to realize that they had reached a shocking altitude. From here, he would be able to see by simply looking to his right that they were far, far above the ground. If this mountain would have been closer to the larger districts of Seireitei, he would have been able to witness much of the higher districts of the Soul Society only by looking down towards it. Naturally, this kind of height shouldn't be accessible to typical Souls and much less so normal Humans, as it was quite clear that they were reaching heights comparable to the greatest mountains of the Living World. Considering this, it could be safe to assume that it should be impossible for them to breathe. And yet, they still could. Was this because they were Shinigami? Or was it some kind of external influence they were unaware of?

Once again, Kimiko paid absolutely no mind to this. She seemed to be familiar with it, and in truth, she somewhat was. However, she would rather allow Kazuhiko to find his own explanations for this in the moment. It would give him succor in the moment, a distraction that would keep him from thinking about his potentially-weakening legs, and the cold air that surrounded both he and the Captain. Another second wind, so to speak, although one brought by questions rather than answers. Perhaps he could answer these questions and come up with answers of his own making. Perhaps he couldn't, and would thus remain forever oblivious to the kind of response that is meant to be associated with them. Either way, it didn't really matter to Kimiko, a person whose mind was perpetually overwhelmed by more important questions that will most likely never be answered in her lifetime. She had gone through these struggles many times before, and in a way, she somewhat wanted the medic to be able to do the same.

A few more steps. At this point, it was becoming more evident that they had gone above the typical altitude clouds were meant to float at. Should there have been a great amount of them on that day, they would have entirely covered the world that remained below, obscuring it from the Shinigami officers' view. Fortunately for them, however, their voyage was about to come an end... or at the very least, the steps did. What they found up there, at the very top of the mountain, was quite the notable sight. From there, they could see much of the Soul Society's lower districts and the wilderness which remained near the western 80th district of Rukongai. The lot was illuminated by a bright orange light that signified the end of the afternoon and the beginning of the evening. It was quiet here. Even the wind was. Although, perhaps this was because of the majesty of the many slabs of stone that appeared to be occupying the area.

The top of the mountain appeared, in actuality, to be a rather large area that could welcome many. There were a number of flags flowing in the wind, as well as numerous effigies. The most prominent of them all appeared to be some kind of statue depicting a strange being in solid clay. It possessed many arms, many faces, and held onto several tools such as a dagger and a rope. It was also impressive in size, easily surpassing the two Shinigami both in height and in width. Its form was overwhelming, but upon its primary visage was an expression of patience and otherworldly kindness. Was this an ancient god, perhaps? Most likely, if the relics nearby were anything to go by. Meanwhile, in front of the statue was positioned what appeared to be seats and a sort of circle. The seats were broken, but their original use nevertheless remained obvious. Not that they looked very comfortable, though, quite unfortunately for anyone who sat upon them in the past.

Kimiko would find herself gazing upon the abandoned area with a quiet gaze before she moved forwards towards the statue. There, she would look at the frozen, yet intimidating being for a moment, if only to grant Kazuhiko a brief moment of respite from the sheer amount of effort he has showcased throughout his journey. A reward, if anything. After a few seconds would pass, during which Kazuhiko would be able to witness the yarrow imprinted upon the back of the Captain's haori calmly wave in the cold wind, she would take a single breath. "Sorry. I had to bring you here for safety. It's gonna be better this way, for the both of us," she explained before she turned towards the medic. There was something about the Captain's gaze as well as her position before that statue that made her somehow look much more intimidating than ever before. "I'm gonna make this short. From now on, until midnight, this place will be our battleground."   

The young man had always seemed to be a pacifist in Kimiko's eyes. In so doing, she knew that these words were most likely going to be a shock to him, and that he was not going to appreciate them all. However, like the many trials before, this was another test, and she wanted to see how he was going to react to it all. "If you win this fight, you'll have your wish. You'll be escorted to Rokubantai, and I'll make sure that everyone over there takes care of you in accordance to what you are. That means you'll be restrained, thrown inside a jail cell for a while, and then executed whenever it's time for you to go. If I win, however... I'll be the one who will bring an end to your current life." Her further explanations only made her appear even more intimidating beneath the great statue. By then, the shadow left by the deity draped the Captain of the Eleventh in darkness from which only her scarlet eyes could be seen, and for a brief moment, they almost appeared to be glowing in the dark. And then, there was the spiritual energy that was beginning to rise around her. Somehow, it did not break anything in the area... but it was there nonetheless, and it remained as omnipresent and as overwhelming as before.

She was being serious. She wanted Kazuhiko to fight for his own death... and it didn't seem as though she was giving him the chance to avoid this decision.