Ghosted? That's Not Quite Right. [Social | Closed]

[Luke Clyburn]

<sub>This really shouldn’t have been as difficult as it was turning out to be. It was such a simple little thing after all. All he had to do was hit the “Call” button and it would be done. Just pressing a button with absolutely no effort at all from nothing more than a single finger. There were some shits that were harder than this. So why couldn’t he do it? Why was this turning out to be the most difficult task of his life? Well, second most. Let’s not downplay what had Luke knocked out on his ass for a while. Compared to that, simply giving Shizuka a phone call should have been a really easy task. Yet Luke sat there on a bench in the park, staring down at his cellphone and the contact information on the screen. How the hell was he even going to explain things to her when even he couldn’t hardly believe what happened. It was still so unbelievably hard to believe.

Three years. Luke had been frozen, underground, for three years after the battle with his Doll. The injuries he sustained in that fight had been so devastating and life threatening that his Doll, Windstarke, saw fit to encase Luke in what was pretty much a coffin of ice. But the damage had been so great that it had taken him three whole years to slowly but surely heal. Those injuries, alongside the ones he was sustaining from being frozen, were eventually healed over the course of time thanks to Luke’s healing sleep. It was still so crazy to say it. Frozen solid for three whole years. That time was just gone. Finding out that he had pretty much jumped forward into the future had left him shell shocked. First and foremost was finding out that Karakura Town was still standing after all this time had been a real surprise. He figured it would have been leveled to the ground without him around.

But no, it was still here. People were still around. It hadn’t been destroyed during some spiritual war between the Shinigami and Vandenreich or whatever factions wound up fighting. What’s more the questions had to be asked. What movies did he miss? Who won the Super Bowl? Did he get fired from Uzaki Enterprises? Well, probably. What about the Bounts in the city, were they fine? What about Taka, Marcus, Kazura, Aura, everyone Luke knew and cared about? It had only been a few days since he woke up and in that time he had managed to calm himself down. He was happy to be alive, that was for sure. But there was so much he had missed. So much time had passed.

But going off the grind for as long as he did had its consequences. He didn’t have a place to live. All his stuff was gone including his clothes. He didn’t have a job. His bank account had been frozen so he didn’t have any money for a little bit. Luckily he had prepared a bit in advance before the battle with his Doll. He had stashed his wallet, phone, and keys in a lockbox that he had buried in the countryside before going to have his fight. It took him a while to find it, of course, because, you know, time had passed and shit had grown. He had to have looked weird to anyone who had seen him. Dude with a half torn shirt digging around in the dirt and looking under fallen trees and under rocks along the side of the road. Thankfully the bikelock he had left behind on a tree branch had still been there so he knew what area to search.

Still took him a while to get the bank shit sorted out though. Shouldn’t have been a surprise that his cell phone plan had run out at some point so the damn thing was basically a paper weight unless he had a wifi connection. He couldn’t buy a new plan while his bank had his account frozen after all. Oh boy was that a conversation and a half. Lots of paperwork and verifying his identity and coming up with excuses about why his account had been inactive for so long. He had less money than he remembered having but, hey, he at least had enough to get his phone working again and get himself a change of clothes. As well as a stop at a cheap bathhouse to clean himself up and get himself a hotel room to stay in for a little bit.

But in comparison this issue related to Shizuka absolutely dwarfed any and all other problems Luke had at the moment. To him, three years ago was like yesterday. He still perfectly remembered that last night they had spent together and the conversation they had. I can’t even imagine what she must have thought when I didn’t come back. She had no idea what had happened. he thought to himself as he looked at his phone once more. He closed the contact information and opened the phone's image gallery and scrolled through to find the few pictures that they had taken together when they were, well, together. It was decided it would be best for them to not have many pictures taken given the previous touchiness of their relationship due to their respective positions. She was part of an assassins organization and he was part of one that wanted to play at being heroes. But despite that they at least had a few pictures taken together. Luke smiled looking at them as he remembered the times they had when they had been taken. Their relationship was never that complicated. It was fun.

Which is why it made sense that when he turned his phone back on he had what was, like, hundreds of missed calls and messages from her. His voice mail box was completely full. Based on the dates of the calls and messages it was probably best to assume she thought he was just gone. Fuck it’s really been three years. he thought to himself. What was she doing now? Should he even call her? What if she had found someone else or was happily married? Would it be right for the ex that, potentially, ghosted her three years ago to suddenly ring her up? Should he call? Maybe he should go to her house. No, that would be a worse idea. She might actually even attack him on sight. Three years for a woman as powerful as her? Luke could only wonder how much more power she had gained. He didn’t even know where she worked. Xcution was that secretive. Very you only know if you need to know sort of thing. Texting her, on the other hand, was absolutely off the table. What would he even text?

“I lived bitch.”

“Hey, wanna go get some lunch?”

“It’s been so long since we last saw each other, let's catch up!”

“Heyyy.”

No, calling her was going to be the right answer. He needed to stop waiting on this. For once he wished Jaeger or someone had something to say. But no, they were still sleeping deep inside of his soul. Luke had come to realize why they weren’t “here” when he woke up. Windstarke and Jaeger must have been left unsealed during all that time. Their forms, consciousnesses, and identities deteriorating down until they were nothing more than the base elementals they were made up of with simplistic robotic commands. Windstarke was to keep Luke frozen so he could heal, and Jaeger was to attack anything that came close. You know who was also quiet and sleeping. Luke had a feeling that the situation was a bit different for him. If they had “died” at the same time then the Doll had nowhere to return to. So he had been left unsealed and unreturned all that time as well. Or maybe he was also protecting Luke’s coffin in his own way.

”Okay I need to get this over with. Waitings only going to make this worse.” Luke commented to himself before taking a deep breath, pulling up the contact information, and hitting the Call button. He leaned back on the bench and looked up at the sky as he held the phone to his ear. For all he knew she wouldn’t pick up. She might have been busy. Doing assassin things or desk work. Or out with someone. He could hear the phone ringing through his ear. He sighed, closed his eyes, and waited. Yeah she probably wasn’t gonna pick up. She was a super busy assassin after all- ”Oh… uhm, hello! It’s been awhile, hasn’t it?” he suddenly said when the line picked up.</sub>

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

"Shizuka, seriously? You didn't!"

"Girl, we told you to leave it alone. Are you trying to start things too early again?"

"Huh??? Too early? Wait, what?"

"You remember, right? You got yourself worked up and it ended with you being hurt again. We can't let you do that for, like, an eighth time."

"Rachel, I think it was nine."

"Oh yeah, you're right."

Back from a job that lasted a few weeks, Shizuka had wanted to spend some time with her girl friends and went to her favorite local café called Cool Beans. It was a cute little coffee shop right next to the university she attended. She and two of her friends, Rachel and Jennifer, frequently visited this place enough to where the barista had memorized their orders. She sat before the two of them as they interrogated her, and she could have sworn she started sweating. Resting her chin upon the palm of her right hand, Shizuka raised an eyebrow and stared at the over-protective 'adoptive moms' she called her besties.

A skiing accident, she'd told them. It was all because of a skiing accident. Shizuka had a couple of injuries that healed very quickly considering her status as a spiritual being, especially one of her caliber. She had been away on a job and was careless with her opponent, testing her strength. She won, of course, but not without punishment for not paying attention as much as she should have. She'd kept this secret life for so many years that it was like second nature to lie to her poor friends. Well, mostly lie. Sort of. She was honest about a few things. She also told them about Leon and how nice it had been to meet him after doing her own thing for so long. He was refreshing, though she wasn't totally sure that friendship was going to grow to be more than just that. She was fine either way.

Unfortunately, her friends were getting on to her about such carelessness, not about the boy she was trying to get to know better. Actually, they completely overlooked that part of the story when Shizuka fabricated her lie flawlessly. Instead, they were more concerned for her safety, hoping she wouldn't get too carried away with her numerous adventures. They even asked about why her clothes had been covered in blood when she'd returned. She had completely lost her mind and forgot to get changed out of her messy pants, so of course she had to pretend to be hurt and claim she was on her way to the doctor. This had been not too long ago, so at this point she was borrowing some crutches and wrapped her own leg. She wondered how much longer she was going to have to keep this up.

"You two worry too much! I'm fine. I'm always fine. I'm practically healed already. I can put weight on it and everything."

Not a lie. Her leg was honestly fine. But since not much time had passed, her quick recovery would look too suspicious. It was easier to simply avoid the topic as much as possible, but Rachel and Jennifer were absolutely determined to lecture the poor girl to death. Shizuka smiled with an understanding that her two best friends were only trying to help, but focusing on that conversation was difficult enough. She was actually mostly questioning what the heck she was going to do if she was ever able to see Leon again. She didn't realize she had been in a funk much at all until that day on the beach so many months ago, and she truly had such a wonderful time with him on their not-a-date date. When was the last time she let herself feel free? Happy?

"Shizu, we have no idea what we're going to do with you. This is, like, the millionth time you've come back from a trip hurt like this. We won't be able to continue covering for you with your parents so you have to get your shit together."

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Mom and Dad don't like that I travel so much." Or kill people. "I appreciate you guys letting them know when I have to peace outta here so suddenly. I mean, Groupon waits for no one, am I right?" Neither does death.

Both friends sighed and suddenly got distracted by something on social media, so Shizuka also took to her phone. Lately, she'd been trying to distract herself with some manga or maybe some funnies on Instagram, but the real reason she took her friends out today wasn't to dwell on her jobs while they droned on about how she needed to pay more attention to herself, or even dwell on things like half-dates. No, what she dragged them to the coffee shop for was one thing and one thing only. She was trying to clear her mind after what she'd felt the other day.

As she scrolled through some cute reels, she couldn't help but let her memories resurface. She had felt a sudden surge of power - one so immense that she was shocked she could even feel it. As of late, be it due to lack of practice or otherwise, she found it difficult again to sense the energy of others. She had to focus an insane amount unless they flexed against her, and even then it was pretty weak. She had been spoiled for a few years but felt as if she'd drifted back to her early days when she was in training. She supposed the trade-off for being CEO was not needing the sensory ability the way she used to.

The surge, though, had felt so familiar. It was warm and fierce and kind and scary. Her heart skipped a beat for only a moment as she realized who had felt such a way in the past, but that was ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous. Shizuka knew it was impossible for him to exist. How many times had she called and texted? Her most recent attempt was even less than a year ago, hoping that she'd experience a miracle and he would just explain himself. Rachel and Jennifer pulled her out of the depths of despair once already when he'd left her, especially after she thought she'd finally found someone who understood her and would stay by her no matter who she was or what she did. No one ever saw her side. No one ever agreed that what she was doing was for the best. She was ridding the world of evil. That's why she took over Xcution.

But it was all pointless. He'd ghosted her out of nowhere after their last night together. She couldn't even remember what he'd said to her, though it was probably important. It had been three years! Expecting her to remember that conversation at this point was unreasonable. Especially when she was already so distracted by his abs the fact that he never came back. But that fateful day... That familiar pulse of Reiatsu. How could it have possibly been him? When he was gone for so long. When he never spoke to her again. When she assumed he was done with her and had thrown her away, just like everyone else. At least until, very suddenly, a name popped up at the top of her phone screen. Someone was calling from a number she could never bring herself to delete.

Luke Clyburn.

She let it ring once. Twice. Two more times. She knew if she didn't pick up soon, it would go to voicemail. Was this a joke? Was this some kind of sick prank? Did someone steal his information? No, unlikely. He was known well enough, but not as much as someone would think. Neither of them made their relationship entirely too public since they knew they couldn't risk getting in trouble or worse, risking each other's lives. Her friends were too busy gossiping and watching something on TikTok - an app Shizuka could never bring herself to download - to notice her distress, so she excused herself, allowed them to wave her off for a moment, and stepped out the door as she clicked on the green button that answered the call.

"Hello...?" She said quietly, cautious of who she may hear on the other line. After a pause, she heard the person on the opposite end speak. Her heart sank impossibly low.

”Oh… uhm, hello! It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

Wide-eyed, shocked beyond belief, Shizuka gathered all of her strength and managed to hold on to her phone for only a moment before dropping it. The drop didn't make the call end, and she staggered briefly before reaching down as fast as she could to pick it back up. Fumbling, she checked to make sure there was no damage and, thankfully, there wasn't. Her throat had dried completely and she found it impossible to make words. Despite her best efforts, nothing but air came out and she didn't know what to do. Her anxiety had risen to a panicked state so bad that she almost felt as if she needed to make a run to the restroom, but grounded herself. Then she pulled the phone away from her ear, having said nothing, and ended the call.

Shizuka immediately leaped to the skies, using her abilities to stand on Air Ground when necessary as she jumped over buildings. Her training throughout the years made her stealth almost impeccable, so she feared very little about being caught by anyone. She'd made a few calls to her assistant who was just so incredibly helpful with locating where the call had come from. Being the CEO of a major assassination group had its perks with finding targets, and since this target had so generously initiated the call from his original cell phone, she was already on the hunt. She looked left and right on every street, down every corner, everywhere she possibly could in Karakura. He wasn't too far away but the GPS could only give a general location. She had to handle the rest.

Finally, after what felt like hours but was probably only a few minutes, Shizuka found a young man sitting on a park bench with a bag full of spare clothes. She perched herself atop a building close by and watched him, questioning whether or not she could descend now or see if he spiraled the same way she had so many years ago. This wasn't the first time she'd stalked him, and she wondered if he would even consider that or if maybe he'd think she was just too pissed to speak back. Either way, ultimately she chose to descend.

Slowly and carefully, she stepped down the ladder that scaled the backside of the building where she was out of sight. She texted her friends to make sure they knew something had come up and they both responded with positive notes. Shizuka smiled and thanked whatever deity was out there for blessing her with two very loving, very accepting, and very clueless friends who supported her unconditionally. Once that was over, she put her phone back in her pocket and exposed herself, walking over to Luke who undoubtedly spotted her.

"I never thought I'd see you again," she started, fighting tears in her blue and green eyes. "You made me think that maybe it was something I said, like maybe it was my fault that you left. And when I called to apologize, not even knowing what the fuck happened to you or why you ghosted me, you never fucking answered. You made me feel like I was worthless. Like I meant nothing."

She was only a few feet from him at this point, hands fisted by her sides. Still fighting the urge to cry in front of him, she continued closing the gap, ignoring the people who passed by the two of them. He looked the same, but tired. His clothes seemed tattered, or actually really destroyed honestly, as if he had been homeless for quite some time after getting in a major fight. Right, as if she'd believe that. He already lost every ounce of trust she had in him and he had the audacity to call her out of the blue? Seriously??

Within a few steps, the distance between them was finally closed and she mustered up the courage to raise her right hand. "And you know what the worst part about all of this is? The most messed up part?"

With every bit of force her anger, betrayal, sadness, and depression could gather, she slapped him straight across his cheek. By the time he looked at her again after she was done, her hand would still be raised but now across her body. She made a fist again, unable to hold back the tears she had been fighting now for so long. They flowed down her cheeks almost endlessly, making her wonder how long it had been since she felt this way. How long had it been since she came out of her anxiety-ridden disaster of a detrimental emotional state? Since she thought she'd healed?

"I still came running back to you."

[Luke Clyburn]

<sub>He blinked a few times. That had been her voice, right? There’d been no mistaking it. Luke had most definitely heard Shizuka’s voice on the other end of the line. It may have only been one word but that had been enough to verify that it was her. So then why did she hang up? Lowering his cell phone from his ear and looking at the canceled call screen, Luke suddenly had a sense of dread build up. He felt like he was in danger. Like a tactical missile had just been deployed. He couldn’t help but smile to himself a little. It brought him relief to know that Shizuka was still alive and kicking. Sliding his phone into his pocket and getting to his feet, he decided to just wait it out. The lure had been laid and the hunter was on the hunt. He had a feeling that it didn’t matter if he ran, he was gonna get found.

But why would he run? Exposing himself like this was exactly what he wanted. This was, of course, assuming this was what was happening. Luke had no idea if Shizuka was actually looking for him. She might have been stunned by the sound of his voice and hung up in disbelief. Luke chose to believe that she was coming. Probably tracing his phone’s GPS signal or something. Xcution could probably do that. So he stood, waiting, looking out at the well cut grass of the park as people went about their day. Business men, teenagers, mothers walking with their kids, it was just sorta a normal day.

Wasn’t surprising at all how quickly he got found. Amber eyes turned in the direction of the approaching blonde. The mixture of conflicting emotions were incredibly apparent on her face. Luke could tell she was fighting it back. She was about to explode. But despite the anger he could see radiating off her like a fire, he still found her beautiful. She hadn’t aged a day at all. She looked exactly the same as she did the night they last saw each other. Luke had a good notion of what was coming. He didn’t raise any of his defenses. He simply looked at Shizuka with a calm expression and soft smile. Her words reached his ears and confirmed what he thought earlier. Yeah, she was mad. She hadn’t known what happened to him.

The slap stung his cheek hard. His head turned slightly from the impact. He blinked once and then twice, before raising a hand to rub his cheek. Every emotion she was feeling had gone into that slap. Luke felt it all. When he turned his face back towards her again he noticed that the walls had crumbled. Tears began flowing from her two colored eyes and down her cheeks. He still hadn’t said anything. What words he chose to use would be very important right now. It was still so strange. To him the last night they spent together hadn’t been that long ago. But, for her, it had been three years since she’d seen him. What she must have experienced in that time while he slept. Luke knew there was only one thing he could do. He’d simply do what his heart told him to do.

As Shizuka finished her words both of Luke’s arms would shoot past both sides of her head and wrap themselves around her. He’d pull her into his chest, regardless of protest, and just hold her. One hand holding the back of her head and the other simply wrapped around her back. ”I know.” he said softly. Just two words. ”I can’t begin to imagine what it must have been like for you. The anxiety, the worry, the pain you had to have felt. Feeling like you had done something wrong. That you were at fault. I’m sorry. I’m sorry it took me so long.” Luke said softly to her, holding onto her tightly. ”It wasn’t you. It had nothing to do with you, Shizuka. I wasn’t able to come back until now.” It really was hitting him now just how long he had been gone. ”I can explain everything. I really can. Only if that’s what you want though. If you want me to vanish from your life, I can. I’m owed no favors.” he loosened his grip on her and placed his hands on her shoulders, pushing himself back from her.

But instead of a look of sadness on his face, he simply smiled at her. He gave her a warm smile. ”I know I’m late, but, I made it back, Shizuka. You’re just as pretty as the last time I saw you.” he replied with that same warm tone he always had for her.</sub>

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

She didn't realize what was happening at first. Words that she had been dying to say for three years finally made their way out of her mouth. A slap she had wanted to force upon his cheek finally made an impact. Tears that she had fought for so long betrayed her and revealed themselves to him. Mascara ran down along with the water, so for a moment, she was thankful that his hardened chest was pressed against her face. At least she was hidden from the public eye. At least they wouldn't see her like this, should anyone recognize her.

As Luke spoke, he and Shizuka parted for a moment as the only contact between them was through the man's warm palms upon her shoulders. She didn't want to look up yet since she was still crying, and she knew there was a high chance of it being a very unattractive cry at that. Yet he made his offer to explain things to her and she paused for a moment, still looking at the ground but listening very intently. He couldn't possibly think that just a few kind comments would sway her after all this time, could he? But, then again, would he lie to her?

But then he smiled his sweet smile and her heart melted. Still crying, albeit not quite as much as before, Shizuka sniffed and snorted once or twice before pulling herself together just in time to hear Luke say once again how pretty she was. He just had no idea what she went through after all this time. She wasn't the same person and she doubted he was. The massive wave of Reiatsu that even she had felt not too long before they reunited was enough to tell her that. Despite every ounce of her that told her to make him go away, there was a small part that had even more strength than she was willing to admit.

With a sigh, she wiped her cheeks - smearing her mascara even more but choosing to ignore that - and looked up at Luke. "You make it so impossible to hate you even though I wish so badly that I could. But you say you can explain what happened, so I'll choose to believe you this time. Blame my curiosity or whatever... or maybe I'm just being crazy." Yeah, crazy. If he agreed, it wouldn't be the first or last time anyone thought so. It came with the territory of her job. "So if you do even one thing out of line, I'll rip you apart."

She didn't move. Shizuka was going to let Luke take the lead, though she had no idea where that lead would bring her. She was too preoccupied with acting like she could hold herself together to really pay attention to anything else, honestly, and she was still reeling herself in from the shock that this man was actually alive. She had gotten to the point in her life where she was ready to accept that he was gone and trying to move on from that grief of loss, but here he was in all of his homeless-looking glory. How could he still be so stupidly hot in such raggedy clothes? Probably because he's a man and life isn't fair. Yeah, something like that.

"Well? Start talking."

[Luke Clyburn]

<sub>His smile couldn’t refrain from widening when she agreed to hear him out. It was a smile of relief. Like a great weight that was on his shoulders was suddenly lifted. It felt like there had been something in his chest making it hard to breathe but as soon as Shizuka told him to start talking, even with an added threat, he felt that sensation go away. He took a deep inhale through his nose and nodded. ”Alright. Well the truth is it’s actually not that complicated.” Luke started to explain before he looked Shizuka dead in the eyes. ”I was dead.” he said with absolute certainty and matter-of-factness with a straight face.

A moment passed. Then another. Then a few more. Silence would linger as his words were allowed to ruminate inside both of their heads. Luke made a face and let go of Shizuka’s shoulders and scratched at his cheek a little. ”Huh. When I say it outloud like that it really does come off as bullshit, doesn’t it?” Luke asked before sighing. ”Okay maybe it is a little more complicated. Here, uh, sit.” Luke expressed as he returned his butt to the park bench. Crossing his arms across his chest and leaning back, Luke pursed his lips to one side as he thought about how exactly the best way to explain this was going to be.

”Do you remember that last night we had together and I told you that there was something I needed to fight?” Luke asked, turning his gaze to Shizuka once again. ”Well that’s exactly what I went and did. I went to fight my Doll. The one that I’ve had a rather bad relationship with. I’d gone into that fight thinking I could do it all myself, without my other Dolls help, but quickly learned how fucking stupid of an idea that had been.” Luke explained, lowering his gaze a bit as memories came back of that night. That fight in the cold rain of the night. ”I threw everything I had at that monster and none of it seemed to slow him down. But little by little I was making progress. That was, at least, until the final clash. My Doll and I, well, we killed each other.” With one hand he traced a line splitting his head in half and down his neck and torso.

”His attack was too much from what I understand. The memories are fragmented. I think they’ve come from my Dolls too. Half my body was blown away. Vertically, not horizontally. For all intents and purposes I was dead. But my body, being a Bount and all, is a little different than most people’s y’know? There’s this thing my body can do. When I sleep I heal. It’s how I can get a full night's rest with only an hour of sleep and even after a long fight I’ll wake up in perfect condition. It’s why I have no scars despite all the fighting I’ve done in my life. It’s a Bount thing.” Luke explained, using his hands as he talked. ”From what I gather what I think happened is that before I had total brain death by body might have unconsciously activated that ability. But there’s no way I wouldn’t have died from that. That power can’t just suspend death that’s about to happen. Windstarke is the reason I’m alive. Y’see he, froze me. Froze us together into a block of ice. Frozen in a state of suspended animation while also in my healing state. So I didn’t die, but I did, but not completely and just sort of… healed. Really slowly.” he continued to explain.

”For three years. For three, long, years that I was asleep. Frozen underneath a lake that had been created during my fight. I don’t think I would have woke up either had it not been for some Shinigami snooping around. I mean that. I don’t think I would have ever woken up. My Dolls had been released that entire time and completely lost their minds, their personalities, and even their forms. They were just drones at that point. Windstarke would never have unfrozen me.” Luke realized just how lucky he was to have been found. It really was entirely possible he could still be sleeping underneath that lake right now had it not been for those two. How much more time would he have lost?

”Yeah… so… that’s where I’ve been. I couldn’t really take your calls, y’know?”</sub>

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

”Alright. Well, the truth is it’s actually not that complicated. I was dead.”

As the moments passed, Shizuka owned the most dead-pan, no-nonsense, You're-So-Full-Of-Shit face she could have possibly had plastered on herself. She was also incredibly offended that this idiot would think even for a second that she'd believe his sudden disappearance had anything to do with actually dying. So the entire notion had her getting ready to completely blast him and then leave him there to deal with his horrendous levels of lying, but the moment she opened her mouth to tell him she was done with this, he kept speaking.

Her eyes squinted as he began to consider his own words, but she took him up on his offer to sit down and did so. Brushing off her pants and straightening out the fabric on her shirt, Shizuka decided to really give it her best attempt and listen. She owed Luke that much after she came all this way, no doubt with him knowing that she stalked him to get here. Actually, even so, he probably did all of that on purpose because he truly straight-up knew she would track him down. Well-played, Mr. Clyburn. Well-played.

”Do you remember that last night we had together and I told you that there was something I needed to fight?”

Her cheeks and ears turned red as she pouted and averted her gaze for a second. "B-barely..." Her eyes met with his again. "You may have mentioned it after... everything else. Whatever. What about it?" she asked awkwardly.

Well, evidently that's what he did. And he explained everything to her. The entire crazy story about fighting his own Doll and somehow ending up halfway blown to bits. He may have caught Shizuka's gaze suddenly dropping from his eyes to below his beltline very briefly when he mentioned the details about part of his body being destroyed, but she corrected herself quickly the moment he mentioned that the damage was vertical rather than horizontal. So at least that meant some of the important parts were oka-- Stop it, you're angry!!! Oh, yeah. That's right. She was angry. She had to put her angry face back on. Shizuka lowered her eyebrows once again.

The fact that he had something so elaborate happen to him on top of looking the way he did with his junky clothes and basic homelessness had the Fullbringer feeling like she could believe him, though she still refrained from saying anything as he finished his story. She controlled her eyes again, making sure they didn't stray from his, but her facial expression changed from anger to sadness. She wasn't going to mention the intermediate change it made. It only lasted for a second and didn't matter.

”Yeah… so… that’s where I’ve been. I couldn’t really take your calls, y’know?”

It took a moment before she could really figure out what to say after everything he'd shared. She didn't want to come across as insensitive, and the last thing she wanted was to make him more uncomfortable than she probably already did. He never owed her any explanation, no matter how much she believed he did or how mad she was, yet he gave it to her and tried to make her understand why he was gone for so long. Even if that didn't melt away the hurt she felt in her heart, or the fact that she'd felt abandoned after that last night...

"...I guess I get it now. You should have let me help you, but you're a stubborn man. You would never have let me do that." Shizuka stood up and did a quick check of herself, making sure she had her things. "Thanks for telling me. After all this time, I'm sure the last thing you actually wanted was to see me. Or maybe since you were frozen it hasn't felt like three years to you."

She turned and faced him, sadness still within her eyes, but tears were finally absent. "So now I offer you the same courtesy you tried to offer me. You clearly have a lot to do, and I don't know if you really care for me to be a part of your life after all of this, or maybe there's a part of you who wants to try to be friends. I don't know. But..." Playing with the ends of her hair, she paused and thought about what she wanted to say. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that I can be here for you if you need me. And, um... would you like a warm meal and a place to stay?"

Her cheeks grew hot again as she faltered and stumbled over her words. "I-I mean! I own my entire apartment building. You can have any unit." She turned completely away from him. "Don't get the wrong idea. I'm just trying to be nice. Trauma isn't funny. ... Except for when it is."

[Luke Clyburn]

<sub>”You should have let me help you, but you're a stubborn man. You would never have let me do that.”

She was right. But for the wrong reason. Luke could explain it to her but he doubted that she would actually be able to understand. This wasn’t like taking a misbehaving dog and disciplining it. What Luke had engaged in was a battle of dominance. He had to subjugate his Doll with all his might, with all his will, with all his power. A Doll was just as much a part of their Bount as the Bount was to their Doll. These beings did not operate as other Releases did. They were sentient. With their own personalities and opinions. While they would obey the Bounts command they might even voice a complaint or disagreement. But they would still obey. So long as they continued to respect the Bount and accept that they were the master.

If Luke had asked Shizuka for help then the ritual would have been made null and void. The chances of Luke surviving the fight and not having to take a three year dirt nap would have been certainly higher. But Shizuka herself might also have died in that fight. But irregardless how the battle ended, Springflut would not have been tamed after his defeat. It was sweet of Shizuka to make that comment but at the end of the day, Luke wouldn’t have asked her for help. Those amber orbs blinked though when he heard what Shizuka had to say next. Seeing her was the last thing he wanted to do? Sure it was true that Luke predicted this meeting could turn awkward, but did that mean he didn’t want to see her? No, not at all. It was just as she said as well. To him, three years ago was just yesterday.

He watched her stumble over her words and grow to be embarrassed. It was cute. ”Shizuka, if I didn’t want you to be a part of my life then why would I reach out to you? Of course I want you around.” he responded with a slight chuckle. ”You’re the first person I’ve checked in on as well. As well as the most important one.” he added along to the previous sentence. His ears perked up at the sound of her offer. Tapping a finger to his chin a few times he mulled it over in his head. ”Warm meal and a bed huh? I don’t have anywhere else I need to be right now anyhow.” Luke said cheerfully as he hopped to his feet.

”Wait, you own the entire complex? How? Why?” Luke asked casually. This was fine, he thought to himself. He was certain that Shizuka was conflicted and confused right now. Her emotions were probably a wreck. He didn’t want to give her anymore to stress about. So Luke decided to treat her like a friend. That was for the best. Until the two could sort out their history at least. ”I can have any apartment? Wow you really are a miracle. I’ll pay you though don’t worry. Not gonna have anyone say I’m a freeloader. Just as soon as I get the whole work and money thing sorted out…” he replied wistfully. That was another thing he was gonna have to think about. But for now he would just follow Shizuka. He just wanted to spend time with her and try to make up for what was lost.</sub>

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

At least he accepted her offer. That was a start and it gave her a chance to hold back her ever-growing need to be violent towards him. Despite her kindness, she still very much wanted to beat him down, but she remembered their fight from so many years ago. Well, part of it. So much was still a blur. What she did remember, though, was that he was physically stronger than she was. Without some support, he'd easily take her down just through fistfights. Well, that was when he was at full strength. As far as she could tell, he was still recovering.

”Wait, you own the entire complex? How? Why?”

"Hm?" Shizuka had started walking away in the direction of her building under the assumption that he'd follow. With his question, she peeked over her right shoulder and gave him a thoughtful look. "Oh. I was bored. I have a lot of money. Actually, I own forty-seven buildings, apartments or otherwise, globally. Quite a few are in the States, too."

”I can have any apartment? Wow you really are a miracle. I’ll pay you though don’t worry. Not gonna have anyone say I’m a freeloader. Just as soon as I get the whole work and money thing sorted out…”

She continued walking, but a smirk crept up on her face as she had a few ideas slip through her mind. "Oh, don't you worry about that. I'm going to make you pay somehow."

Pay, yes. But not in money. She may be angry, but she wasn't completely heartless. He clearly needed some help and wasn't in the best spot after disappearing for three years. If people didn't presume he was still dead, they likely just completely forgot about him and moved on the same way she had tried to for so long. Still, no, he didn't owe her money. He owed her in eternal servitude. She wasn't about to let this idiot spontaneously exist again and screw with her. She was so finished with feeling like she was never enough. Everyone always left her eventually. So what was going to stop him?

"In terms of a job, on the other hand, why not work for me?"

Yes, yes. Ask him politely so he doesn't totally figure out my plan. Good choice, good choice. He was going to make up for what he put her through even if she was going to work him to the bone. As a spiritual being, he already had more strength and stamina than normal people, and being a Bount meant he could handle even more than Shizuka in some ways. She was going to turn him into her lackey. So she may be inviting him to her live in her apartment building wherever he wanted and offer him food when he needed it, but in return, he was going to serve her in any way she saw fit. She had grown significantly since they last met, after all.

In fact, it was the last time that they fought when she really felt the massive surge in power. It affected her in such a way that she felt she could take on anyone and subjugate every person on the planet. She didn't necessarily use this immense power the way someone may think she would, but she was crafty. She was careful. She had a ton of Reiatsu to spend and almost no problems with exhausting herself. If Luke really thought he could take her and get out of his entirely one-sided contract, he'd be wrong. She would crush him.

So long as he didn't bite her.

All of her confidence melted away the second she remembered how that fight ended. She felt her face get hot again, thankful that Luke had been behind her, hoping he still was even now. She stopped for just a second on the sidewalk and slapped both of her cheeks before continuing on, thinking that would get her mind off of it all. This was an incredibly inconvenient time for her brain to torture her with these memories, especially when she was trying to be a badass. Ugh! This is so stupid! You were over it! You were over it... until he showed back up. Now you have to pull your shit together because letting yourself get distracted by the past won't help you now.

"At least working for me will get you money. You won't have to feel poor, and not paying rent means you can save up and move out any time. So I won't hold you hostage." In that building. Wait... I did tell him that he didn't owe me rent, right? Maybe he won't think too much about it. "Up to you, though."

The steps to the main door of Shizuka's building showed up faster than she remembered, but she guessed it made sense with how she'd been walking so quickly. She was dealing with a mix of wanting to stay outside and talk to Luke and just make up for lost time, and then the obvious sinking feeling that this was all a trick of some kind. She wouldn't be surprised at the latter and actually assumed that was the truth. At this point, it all came down to her inner self battling against logic and emotion. She didn't know what she wanted out of this reunion.

"So here's a list of open units. The very top one is mine, of course, but the one right below is still pretty nice. It's easily the second-largest compared to my penthouse. But if you prefer something further away, I totally understand, and that's entirely your choice. I just figured I'd let you know what was available to you."

The business-like words were tainted by the clear awkwardness in her voice. She didn't sound very sure of herself at all since her voice was so wavery and her cheeks would not calm the hell down back to their original color. She didn't even know if she made eye contact with him once since leaving the bench, and she knew she couldn't because every inch of him reminded her of things she had buried. Every bit of color in his eyes made her weak. The sound of his voice had her melting away, ready to forgive him. And then there was his scent. His wonderful, masculine scent. The worst part of him. The one thing that tore her away and made her want to embrace him harder than she ever had.

But she wouldn't. It didn't matter how good he smelled. "A-anyway... Um, once you pick whichever place you want, I can take you to one of my old favorite restaurants. Actually, it's that old ramen house that we- I mean... it's a place I like a lot."

[Luke Clyburn]

<sub>Bored? She bought an entire apartment complex all because she was bored? Just how much money did Shizuka have? Was being an assassin really such a lucrative career? He wondered if she also dabbled in stocks and trading. Investments and what not. But his thoughts did drift towards his immediate money problem. For all he knew he’d more than likely been fired from Uzaki’s after no calling and no showing for a number of years. But there was also the chance that he might not have been. While getting a roof over his head was the first priority Luke did contemplate stopping by and checking in at the office to let them know he was alive. Hell maybe he had money sitting there waiting for him to collect. Or maybe he did still have his job. But being “free” now made him stop and wonder if he actually wanted to go back to Uzaki’s.

He had to wonder just how necessary he really was when it came to keeping Karakura safe. While he was certainly relieved to find that the city had not been wiped off the map by the Vandenreich or something, there had been another odd feeling that was mixed in with that relief. Like, how much had he actually mattered in the grand scheme of things? Luke wasn’t entirely sure what it was he had felt quite yet. But besides that he had his own apprehensions about going back to UE. He didn’t care for all the checks and balances that went with the job. Luke never liked the corporate side of things. Paperwork, meetings, needing permission to act, being required to answer to someone that was weaker than him. He remembered fighting with Kazura once. It had been a spare, nowhere near as explosive as the one with Shizuka, but Luke had defeated his employer with relative ease. He didn’t begrudge Kazura’s mission statement though. Luke had simply felt he joined UE out of obligation. If he wanted to be a hero of justice then why not join the organization striving to keep the city safe from spirit world threats?

But it hadn’t been enough for him. Sure the pay was good but was it worth being leashed like a dog? He only joined out of a sense of obligation to right his past wrongs. Doing good in the eyes of those he had killed on that night so many years ago. The organization was also subservient to Soul Society and Luke had never been sure whether or not Kazura would hand over “illegals” like himself to his Shinigami masters if he had been pressed on it. That wasn’t saying Luke had a personal problem with Soul Society. He had good relations with many Shinigami, particularly Yetsuna Yeshnir and Aevus, but he knew that they were only two of many others. Plus he had some awareness of what they had done to the Bounts in the past. Now there were seemingly so few Bounts left in the world that Soul Society just didn’t bother with the rest of them. Matters like the Vandenreich and the Espada took precedence over a few dozen vampires running around the living world.

"In terms of a job, on the other hand, why not work for me?"

Shizuka’s question pulled him out of his train of thought. The Bount blinked and looked at the back of her head as he followed behind her and then made a face of surprise when she suddenly stopped and smacked her own cheeks. Listening to the rest of her explanation he grunted a ”Hmm.” as his initial response. He looked ahead of them as they walked through crowds of people. All normal humans. Men, women, children, all going about their days and living their short lives, hopefully, to the fullest. He was contemplating her suggestion. Rolling it around in his head. ”Work for Xcution, you mean?” Luke asked her casually, not realizing how far off the ball he actually was. He didn’t know Shizuka meant something way, way, different than that. ”I’ve certainly considered it. Especially when I was getting more and more unsatisfied with working for Kazura and all the road blocks that came with it.” Luke continued, searching for the right words to convey his personal feelings on the matter. He had never been the brightest man when it came to speaking. If he had been a normal human he’d probably be an aloof construction worker or firefighter that didn’t talk much. ”I remember there was a Hollow in Sendai. A high level one too. Something that someone our power level should have been sent in to deal with. But Kazura wouldn’t let me go. Said that fighting it was too much of a risk to the people around where it was hibernating and that we’d just let Soul Society handle it. I got angry with him. Thought that if we had the power to do something about something like that then we should. Wasn’t that our jobs? But he told me to stay put and to not do anything about it.” Luke wondered if that Hollow had ever been dealt with actually. He had gone to battle Springflut shortly after that conversation. That had been three years ago. Maybe he would look into that.

”I could just do freelance work. Like when I did the fighting ring stuff way back when. You remember that? That was when we first met. I’d have to find out where that whole setup moved to but…” Luke trailed off. He wasn’t certain about mercenary work. He knew it was unreliable. Sure he’d be free to work when he wanted and do what he wanted, but he wasn’t sure where to start. Taka had moved out of Karakura and he’d need to go about tracking her down with no resources or anywhere to begin. If she was even still in Japan. There was also Aura and her bar but Luke wasn’t certain if that was the sort of place mercenaries hung out. Maybe going official was a better option after all. That just meant he had to consider the two options. The morally good but corporate world of Uzaki’s. Or the morally grey world of Xcution. The latter was certainly more in line with his abilities.

Seems they arrived though. Looking at the front door to the apartment complex Luke smiled at Shizuka and followed her in. Listening to her explain the layout and the fact it was pretty much entirely empty, save for her room, Luke took her up on her suggestion. ”Sure. Let’s check out that one.” Luke didn’t see any issue with living close to Shizuka. Wasn’t like he would be able to get away from her if he wanted to after all. Taking the tour of the building and confirming that, yeah, nobody lived here Luke arrived at the room in question. Taking a step inside the empty apartment and looking around, Luke was satisfied with the three bedroom layout. The kitchen was nicely sized and spaced. Living room space looked cozy. The master bedroom was large. I’ll need to get black out curtains for the window. Luke thought to himself. He liked the view out the window. They were near one of the larger shopping districts in Karakura so at night he’d get to see all the colorful advertisement billboards. Like something you’d see in Shibuya over in Tokyo, just not as grand though.

”It’s not the penthouse but it’s pretty good. I’ll take it off your hands. Thanks Shizuka, I owe you.” Luke called back to her, dropping his gym bag in front of the master bathroom. He blinked with surprise and turned to the blond woman when she suggested that they go out to eat. She was stumbling over her words but the point came across. Luke smiled softly. ”Yeah, I’d love that.” Shizuka had the same desire he did, it seemed. He wanted to continue spending time with her. To make up for what was lost. While the status of their relationship was in question right now, Luke had no interest in pushing the question. He just wanted to enjoy being around someone he trusted greatly again. He may not have been able to call her his woman anymore but the feelings of affection and care for her were still there. ”You said your room was above this one, yeah? Why don’t you wait for me there and I’ll come get you. I wanna clean up real fast. Gotta look my best, y’know?” he said with a smirk before picking the bag back up and going into the bathroom.

He had some spare clothes he had gotten with what money he had left and some toiletries to clean himself with. Thankfully he didn’t need a shower curtain thanks to the master bathrooms shower being a glass door. Plus he had swiped a towel from the public bath house he used yesterday. No more bathing alongside old men and hearing comments about how young and in shape he was. Turning the nozzle and letting the water turn on Luke stripped. With small travel bottles of shampoo and body wash in hand Luke stepped in to let the hot water hit him. Hot water hitting his head and trailing down the muscles of his body, Luke blinked and looked at his chest and biceps. At least I didn’t lose any definition while I was sleeping. Luke thought to himself, rubbing one bicep and sliding his hand down his broad chest and abdominals. ”Hmm.” he mumbled to himself as his thoughts returned to what he was previously thinking about. Work. What was he gonna do about money? Shizuka might have said that he didn’t need to worry about rent but that didn’t mean Luke was just gonna freeload. Plus he needed to eat.

Scrubbing shampoo into his hair Luke found himself wishing that the inside of his head wasn’t as quiet as it was right now. He was missing the various voices he would hear throughout the day. Looking up so the shower head was blasting directly into his face Luke let his mind wander. He opened his eyes a little bit and stared up at the shower head. As the water hit his face like droplets of rain. Like droplets of rain..

The rain was cold. Had he passed out? It was cold and heavy. Each drop hitting his skin like a tossed pebble. ”..p..” He had done enough right? All the fighting. All the weight on his shoulders that he just couldn’t carry anymore. It was fine to just rest now, right? ”G…u…rd” a voice was reaching his ears but he couldn’t quite make it out. The ringing was too loud. The dark clouds above him delivering their rain to the world below them were so blurry and foggy. He was seeing double. But whose voice was that? What was it saying to him? ”Get up you heavy bastard!” he felt pushed from behind. Freed from the mud that clung to him like the grip of damned souls from something underneath him. Luke felt forced to his feet with a groan, staggering through ankle high water, and turning to look behind him. A pair of black as darkness itself arms were reaching out from the mud. No, not the mud. From the shadows layered on top of the ground. Following that an entire figure emerged after them. A being made entirely of shadow. His Doll, Jaeger. ”Why are you just lying around, stupid? It’s not nap time, fucking turn around!” the Doll shouted at him in a desperate panic.

Why was… oh right. Placing a hand over the impact zone of his torso he focused. Reishi in the air around them surrounded and flowed into his body. Beneath his torn shirt the dark purple blotch and internal damage was healed as he regenerated, healed, with his Immortality Drink. The blow he received had sent him flying. He estimated some organs had to have been ruptured. Ribs were fucking broken for sure. Wiping blood from his lip Luke turned his attention back in the direction he had been flung. The leviathan was there, busy, dealing with harassment dealt to him by a bird made entirely of ice. Frozen winds blew from extended wings down at the monstrosity. The water produced by its body was freezing the instant it met with the winds. But the raw strength of the monster was stopping the ice from restraining him properly.

Luke still had a battle to win. The more pressing damage of his injury had been healed. He had to go support his Doll. Only together would the three of them have a chance of winning. Luke broke into a sprint and headed towards the conflict just before he watched as the avian being took a heavy blow from the leviathan’s tail. An explosion of ice. The thunderous clap of overwhelming physical force colliding with something. Windstarke was sent tumbling through the air. Shards of its own head flung through the air as well. Four eyes glowing with hatred turned to Luke like a hungry predator. ”Still alive then, rat?” the beast asked before rapidly approaching Luke with speeds far greater than his own. It was so fast despite its size. It lunged at Luke with its left arm. The Bount vanished from sight. Grinding atop a rail of reiatsu up the beast's arm like a rollerblader might. He reappeared before the beast's face. His right arm struck first, then his left. He wasn’t as physically strong as the Doll. Close but not yet there. Both blows struck true and sent the Dolls head bouncing back in both directions. Luke followed up with a palm slam with both his hands together directly into Springflut’s chest.

The impact forced the beast back and for the air to be forcibly pushed from his body. ”Did you think that would-” the Doll began to mock, hardly being damaged, before noticing what Luke was doing. Luke flicked his left hand, arm cackling with blue leaping electricity, casting forward the lighting from his fingertips. Like a scene out of Star Wars, Luke reenacted a Palpatine moment by unleashing lightning into the water at Springflut’s feet. The Doll created water simply by moving and existing. It was always there. The electricity and water mixed and Springflut roared out in pain as the technique spread across his entire body electrocuting him. ”Come on… come on!” Luke shouted in pain as he channeled the technique. His arm, the conduit of the Energy Generate technique, was actively becoming burnt as well as the Dolls body. Horrific third degree burns were beginning to inflict themselves on his arm. But as soon as they appeared they were healed. Luke channeled both the destructive power of Electrocution into his Doll, and utilized the healing ability of Immortality Drink. Springflut didn’t have this kind of healing power. As its body was electrocuted it was receiving similar burns. If Luke could just keep channeling the technique and heal the damage at the same time, he was confident he could stop Springflut here and now.

It wasn’t that Luke underestimated Springflut. He came into this battle prepared to battle the Doll alone. To make a statement. But shortly after releasing the Doll and the fight immediately beginning, Luke had to release his other two. Fighting this Doll alone was impossible for him. It was too powerful. So Luke wasn’t even surprised, just disappointed, when Springflut lowered his hateful gaze to Luke despite his pained screams. His Strength of Will matched his masters. Springflut lurched forward. His form breaking apart into pure water. He hurtled forward at 4x his speed and turned into a high momentum wave. The same technique was used to destroy a chunk of Karakura years ago. It was like being hit by a bullet train. How could water be so hard? Even though Luke activated Ken to absorb the brunt of the impact he was still pulled along by the sheer amount of water. Springflut, at the end of the step, spotted Luke being tossed around by the force of the water. The Bount suddenly felt water tighten around him like a python constricting its prey. This is! Luke was hurtled into the air by a tendril of water connected to Springfluts tail. Luke was thrust through the air and then slammed, hard, into the ground. The Bount gagged in pain as the water pulled away from his body. Springflut then formed the water connected to his tail into the shape of a hammer.

Luke struggled to get back up. Which bones were broken now? He couldn’t use Nebel to dodge this because the power was water, not a punch. Luke grit his teeth and pushed himself to tolerate the pain. The hammer of water came down. But the Bount was no longer there. Springflut noticed Luke emerging from out of the ground a distance away, out of the shadows, panting like a dog with exhaustion. Before Springflut could engage again though there was suddenly a series of frosted explosions upon his back. The Doll howled and collapsed forward. Turning to look behind him he saw Windstarke, taken to the air once again, as another volley of frozen missiles were being created in the space around the bird.

”This isn’t going as planned.” Luke suddenly heard from the ground. ”No… but maybe if you actually fucking helped…” Luke hissed bitterly. ”I’ve been trying! What do you think I’ve been doing? His skin and muscles are too hard and dense for me to cut through.” Jaeger whined, emerging halfway through the shadows next to Luke. Panting, the Bount eyed his Doll for a moment before sighing. ”I know, I’m sorry.” pushing himself to his feet as Windstarke landed, violently, next to him after having been thrown. Lightning crackled in the distance behind Springflut’s form. ”So… anymore tricks up your sleeve, boy?” Springflut asked menacingly, approaching the trio. Each step produced more water. A duplicate of the Doll made entirely of water existed for a second before collapsing into the growing pool around the countryside battlefield.

The wind blew harshly. Cold rain mixed with dirt, sweat, and blood. Luke narrowed his eyes at his Doll. ”Is returning to my side really that awful?” Luke suddenly asked at Springflut, causing the Doll to pause. ”Heh…” the Doll suddenly chuckled after a moment of silence. From that chuckle came laughter. ”So you’re going to beg now, is that it? I have no interest in giving my power to such a weakling. To someone like you.” Springflut retorted. ”I know. I put all the blame on you. I blamed you for killing all those people when we fought that Quincy. I know you were trying to protect me and still I blamed you for it. Isn’t all of this enough?” Luke questioned back.

”Is it enough? No!” Springflut shouted, slamming his tail into the ground with such force it was like a miniature earthquake. ”You really are such an idiot. So stupid. So fucking stupid. Do you really think that’s what this is about? Do you think I care, at all, about how many worthless humans get killed if they are in my way? I would not think twice about killing millions if it meant protecting you from danger, Luke Clyburn. It’s you who cares about gnats, not me.” Springflut roared back. ”He’s coming.” Windstarke suddenly said. Jaeger vanished into the ground. Windstarke and Luke vanished from sight with hurried speed as Springflut hurled himself forward, slamming both arms down onto the ground where Luke had been before. The earth caved in and shattered. The Dolls raw strength created a large crater. Luke, grasping ahold of Windstarke’s leg, saw a chance. He used Movement after letting go of Windstarke and reappeared behind Springflut’s back. He collided his fist with the Doll, boosting his physical power with Pulley, and causing Springflut to get slammed hard into the earth. Consumed in a red, Kaioken like, aura and with his skin burning, steam emitting off of him, Luke grabbed ahold of Springflut’s tail. Not giving the Doll the time to gather his wits Luke began to spin. Spin like Mario in that one game on the Nintendo. With a yell Luke let go after enough momentum had been gathered, throwing Springflut through the air.

The Doll hit the ground and rolled like a ball. He recovered quickly, snarling like an animal, crouched on all fours before being battered by frozen winds from the exhausted Windstarke. Luke even spotted Jaeger emerging from the shadows and trying to take a shot at Springflut, but the Doll had been flexing his muscles the entire battle. Jaeger’s claws couldn’t pierce through. ”What is it then? Why are you fighting this hard against me then!” Luke shouted at his Doll. The monster bellowed into the night as the light absorbing ice across his body shattered, a shockwave being released all around him as he flexed his muscles and body with such intensity the world couldn’t handle it. ”Because you’re weak!” he roared. ”Bullshit give me a real reason!” Luke shouted back. ”Why haven’t you used those flames!?” Springflut shot back, giving Luke pause. Flames? Did he mean Chakra? ”Because you can’t!” the Doll answered for him.

”What is it that’s on your mind? Duty? Responsibilities? Grief? What about yourself, boy? You bear weight on your shoulders that is not your own and it’s crushing you. You expect me to shoulder that weight on mine?” Springflut asked. ”You can’t call up those flames because you’ve lost sight of yourself, haven’t you. What’s the real reason you’re so upset about that night we killed all those people Luke?” Springflut asked as he shoved his fingers into the earth and tore out a massive chunk of rock, hurling it at Windstarke who continued to harass him with the freezing wind. ”You actually felt sorry for yourself because you found some happiness with that woman. Instead of living true to yourself. Acting upon your own desires. No, instead you let the dead weigh you down. Ghosts you don’t even know hold you back. You choose to be weak and miserable. And for what? What has it gotten you, boy?” Springflut asked with a roar.

”Nothing but misery. You can be the strongest. You could destroy the entire nation with your power if you wanted to. If you want to be a hero, help the weak, save the world, then so be it. But it has to be something that you want. Not something someone else makes you do. Not something else the DEAD make you do, boy! Why are you upset about that night? What is the real reason, Luke Clyburn?” Springflut asked, kicking off the ground into a sprint. Luke stood there, stunned. He didn’t need to go on some long winded mental journey to find the answer. He knew what it was. He didn’t want to admit it. But he knew what it was. Gritting his teeth together and shouting, ”Damn it!”, a multitude of ravens suddenly exploded out of the shadows at his feet. Springflut paused as Luke was consumed entirely in a murder of cawing ravens. His vision was blocked. Suddenly a leg collided with Springflut’s face. ”Because I didn’t win! Because I lost!” Luke shouted.

”God damn it! I made excuses all because I lost. I want power. I want to be strong. The strongest. I never want to lose again. I want to protect. I want the power to protect. My friends, my home, my life, people, everything.” Luke shouted through the ravens, grasping his two hands together into a single combined fist and smashing it down on top of Springfluts head. The Doll suddenly slammed his own fist into Luke’s right arm. He heard the bones in his arm shatter. ”That’s right. You’re selfish. Desperately wanting to power to get what it is you want. If you want to play the hero, use your power to help the world, then do it. But only because that’s what you want to do. Your fakeness, your self pity, makes me sick. You don’t deserve my power. You’re so confused about yourself that you can’t even call up those flames. If you could, this battle would have been over long before it reached this point.” Springflut commented.

Pulling himself out of the mud Luke looked at the Doll. ”Why didn’t you use that, then?” He glared at the Doll. Springflut paused. ”I didn’t have the reiatsu to-”

”Bullshiting cocksucker!” Old Luke started coming out. ”If you had used that at the start I would have died. So why didn’t you? If you’re not intending to kill me then stop acting like this and come back to me!” Luke shouted at the Doll. Silence grew strong between them. A growl escaped from the Doll as he glowered down at Luke.

”Earn me.”

Luke gagged for a second before spitting all the water in his mouth out. His mouth had been left hanging open a little so all the water from the shower was collecting inside it. Shaking his head and clearing out his thoughts, he leaned his hands against the wall and looked down at the drain. Did he just have a flashback? What, was he an anime character all of a sudden? Springflut’s words still rang clearly in his head. ”Earn me.” Luke had won the fight, right? After waking up from his hibernation he felt different. More confident. Unburned. The guilt that had been consuming him was gone. Had he won? His Dolls were still silent, regenerating, so Luke couldn’t investigate the matter. I should worry about the here and now right now. Right now I want to hang out with Shizuka. Luke thought to himself as he turned off the water. Water dripped off his chin and bangs as he stared ahead at the wall a little longer, thinking about things, before focusing and opening the showers door to dry off. After shaving his stubble, Luke dressed himself in a long sleeved black shirt and matching pants. ”Alright, I should go get Shizuka.” he said to himself with the intention to go get her from her apartment. He’d be able to find it, surely.</sub>

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

At least he agreed to her offer. Clearly, that was the proper choice as her future servant for eternity. While she was pretty sure Luke would outlive her, she made a mental promise to herself to come back as a Shinigami, never tell anyone that she was okay with it, and haunt his ass for the rest of his days. She was going to trap him and make him suffer for spontaneously appearing one night and then somehow appealing to her kindness (and definitely not because she couldn't help being nice to him) because he was homeless and sad. Shizuka sighed to herself, remembering something she said a while back. She really was this easy.

”You said your room was above this one, yeah? Why don’t you wait for me there and I’ll come get you. I wanna clean up real fast. Gotta look my best, y’know?”

She didn't even realize she had been standing in the living room of his new apartment as he explored it. For only having three bedrooms, it was quite spacious. The rest of the units were not nearly as luxurious as this one, and it certainly never compared to the penthouse where Shizuka lived. No, Shizuka's residence was akin to that of a mansion on the top of a tall building. It even had two floors. Did she need it to be this big? Absolutely not. She just wanted it that way. She had an entire room dedicated to gaming, too. Neon lights of many colors outfitted the walls, ceiling, tables, and anything else that made sense for such a decoration. Like she'd said before, she was bored.

Shizuka stared at the man in front of her with a neutral expression, noticing the smirk from his comment only a few seconds before. She didn't have it in her heart to say out loud that he looked handsome even if he looked like a grungy street-sleeper. I need to buy him more clothes. If that bag is all he has, then it's going to take some work to fill out these closets. Maybe I could do that for him as a gift. It never mattered how stone-cold-killer she could be. At the end of the day, she just wanted to make the lives of those she cared about as easy as possible. He had a difficult life leading up to this point and was probably confused about the world around him even if not much had changed. Did it seem different to him? Shizuka was present during all that time. She adapted along with everything. He didn't. She was curious about how much that affected him.

"Yeah, okay. I get that. Uh, I guess I'll leave you alone, then. You probably want your privacy."

As Luke made his way to the bathroom, Shizuka pivoted on her heels and headed towards the door. She never heard any door shut behind him but noticed that he turned the water on and had gotten in the shower just based on what sounds were made. Shizuka bit her lip hard. Three years. It had been three years. What did he look like? Was he bruised? Beaten? Was he healed yet? Did he have scars? Does it matter if I'm trying to leave him alone? It only took seconds before Shizuka decided to shut the door before her and stay in his apartment. Or maybe I should leave since that's what I said I was going to do and I don't want the first thing he experiences of me being that I'm still just as much of a creep as I was back when we dated.

A few steps were all it took before she was standing at the door to the bathroom. The way this room was configured made it so that the person taking the shower couldn't see anyone entering until they made their way inside by a decent amount. So as the woman stopped herself at the entrance, she sniffed a couple of times, taking in the notes of man-scent and... something else. Something she didn't really notice before while they were talking. I guess I was too busy being angry with him to pay attention. I thought I didn't have any ability to sense these things anymore. Which was true, but this scent was different. It was familiar to her. It was something she'd felt like she knew her entire life. It was identical to something she had, as well. In fact, if she really had to put a finger on it, he smelled... like me.

She couldn't see him very well yet. She wasn't sure if she really wanted to. She was stalking a naked man in what was now his own home and she seriously needed to leave. But I'm here now, so I might as well try to figure out why the heck he smells like me. He's not even using any of the same products I use. No, he was using products that had a certain spice to them that made Shizuka's nose happy. There were some scents that drove her crazy and most men's body washes tended to do that to her. She thanked whatever genius was responsible for making that recipe because she was able to enjoy it. But more importantly than that, she stayed in his apartment for a reason and she wanted to see it through.

She peeked inside the bathroom and looked around to find Luke standing in the shower, obviously with zero clothes on, rinsing shampoo out of his hair and... just standing there. Was he okay? Maybe lost in thought? Was this his first shower in weeks? No, probably not. He didn't actually seem very dirty when Shizuka met back up with him a short while before now, so that wasn't it. He must be thinking about something, then. Well, in that case, she really shouldn't be disturbi- He's naked. He's very naked. His back and ass and legs haven't lost a single ounce of definition. Oh my god, his back. His back! I seriously can't! What is wrong with me! What is wrong with me?!

The water flowed like streams down the contours of his muscles. He truly was almost exactly the same as when he'd left her. As it hit his back, steam rose in the shower and she couldn't help but watch as it trailed down. The woman balled her hand into a fist and dug her nails into her palm to keep herself from saying anything stupid, but she was so entranced by every flattering gesture the water made against his skin. She couldn't help but wonder what the front of his body looked like, or if any inch of him changed. Any inch... or all of them. Her heartbeat had picked up the intensity and she felt it inside of her chest, threatening to expose her. Gripping her hand wasn't enough. She still wanted to push her luck, step beyond a boundary, see if he'd let her in there with him so she could properly take her anger out on him-

Shizuka was sweating. She had dug a grave and now threw herself into it voluntarily. Luke was so preoccupied with whatever it was he thought about to notice that she was even there, but before she knew it, she had tip-toed closer to the shower. Still technically standing behind him, he wouldn't be able to hear her footsteps through the water with the shower door separating the two of them. Was she really this horrible? Did she actually stoop this low? How could I not?! He was right there! I just wanted to make sure he was okay! By watching the poor man shower. MAKING SURE HE WAS OKAY! Even though he's naked and defenseless. Oh my god!

With a blood-red face, Shizuka squeezed her eyes shut before turning herself around. She didn't have it in her to say anything or get his attention, which she clearly couldn't do anyway since he was distracted by something else. She pouted at herself, disappointment in her actions settling in after the excitement had faded. How long had it been since she'd even seen a man like that? She obviously knew what he looked like because of their history, but it suddenly hit Shizuka very quickly that she had become inexperienced. She wasn't sure how he would take any of that. She didn't want him to know, or maybe she did, that she was unsure of how to act when it came to any of that stuff anymore. Maybe that was why she went against her actions and watched him shower. Or maybe it's because someone's making me do it! That doesn't sound right. It was totally her choice.

The sound of Luke spitting out water had Shizuka sprint out of the door in a panic. He told her to wait at her apartment but there was no way she'd have time to run all the way up there with how quickly he seemed to get dressed. Instead, she did the next best thing and ran back to the living room, thanking her lucky stars that these units came with furnishings already. She sat herself down on the couch just in time for Luke to mention something about going to get her, but he would soon see that she was waiting for him already.

"I-I just figured... I mean, I thought it would be easier if we left from here!" Her voice wavered. She was still trying to calm herself down. "I don't let anyone into my place. Or, wait-" Can I really not talk like a normal freaking person around him?? No, not without thinking about his naked body. "Ugh. Never mind. I don't know what I'm saying."

It took a moment to clear her mind once again. Obviously getting flustered over an undead guy was her thing but she didn't expect it to happen so quickly. This is what happens when you don't date for three years. She mostly just hated what she had done and couldn't believe how impossible it was to not spy on him like that. She knew better. She felt guilty. He wouldn't be okay with knowing what she'd done and she prayed he wouldn't realize she was standing there, wishing to join him. Don't remind me. I can't believe how weak I am to hot people. Only sometimes. Apparently, only with Luke.

As she stood up and grabbed her purse, she suddenly remembered a thought she had while she was watching his back muscles flex with every breath- No, I'm remembering the scent from earlier. Fine. She's remembering the scent from earlier. Shizuka looked up at Luke, a bit of worry in her eyes mixed with the desire to dissect what about him changed and why it took this long to pick up on it. Despite the interactions they've had, and now the one that he was a victim of, she wanted to be serious when she asked this. She didn't want him to beat around any bush. She wanted the truth from him.

"Luke," she started, the uneasiness faded entirely from her voice. "Why do you feel like me? What did you take?'

[Luke Clyburn]

<sub>In hindsight maybe asking her to hang out in her own apartment for a bit was a tad silly. But, in truth, Luke had also wanted a moment to himself to think about things and get his mind straight. A lot had happened in such a short span of time that having some “me time” for himself would have probably helped. The time skip, Shizuka, suddenly having a roof over his head again, Luke was taking it in stride for sure but the man did have quite a bit on his mind. Just needed a minute to take a deep breath, slow exhale, and then resume normal operations. Unfortunately, Shizuka didn’t see it that way. In fact she was still in the apartment. Lounging on the couch in fact. Luke blinked, his amber orbs widened with surprise, as the two looked at each other. She was stumbling over her words, flustered about something. Like she couldn’t talk right all of a sudden.

Luke had an idea why she was acting so cute though. It made him smirk a little bit. If she had been in the apartment the entire time he was cleaning up, she probably had a few things on her mind. He remembered how she could get sometimes. She could be too feisty for her own good. But that was just Luke assuming she had some perverted thoughts going on in that head of hers. Reality was, she was probably just flustered with him being back. It wouldn’t be the first time today she spoke in broken english. The poor girl was probably just as taken back by things as he was. No, correction, worse than he was. Luke was just having to deal with the after effects of the world's longest nap. Shizuka had to live through that time, alone, without him. Luke had to wonder if she was seeing anyone right now. He doubted she had stayed single all this time while he was gone.

”Oh, yeah, that makes sense.” Luke played it off like he was just being absent minded. ”Sorry to make you wait, though. You ready to get going?” Luke asked before Shizuka got up to collect her purse. So they were going to go out and eat now, huh? More stuff that Luke owed her that he needed to pay back. He was going to need to make a list for what he needed to pay her back for at this rate. But as they began to leave she asked him a rather odd question. The Bount turned his head towards her and blinked. He looked at her confused. A pair of tenants, going about their day, walked past the Fullbringer and Bount. ”Feel like you?” Luke repeated her question, trying to understand it. Take from her? Wait, does she mean…

Oh! Did she mean her reiatsu? Back from when they spared and he brought her out of her berserking rage by sucking the energy out of her neck? Was her reiatsu still inside him after all this time? ”Do you remember when we had that sparring match and you got a bit drunk on power and started thrashing around?” Luke asked. ”Yeah, you remember how I had to calm you down right?” He asked again, though this time he tapped the skin of his own stretched, exposed, neck. ”When I did that I took some of your energy. What’s more, I took that power you were using to. That Inner Power of yours. That might be what you’re feeling. Since I’ve been knocked out cold all this time maybe your reiatsu hasn’t, y’know, actually digested yet. Not sure if that’s the right way to describe it but… yeah sure let’s go with that.” Luke explained.

”That Inner Power, though, came in clutch now that I think about it. I wouldn’t have been able to survive, as much as I did at least, the fight without it. It’s what got me the win in the end.” Luke elaborated, thinking about how the battle with Springflut ended with a little more clarity. He smiled softly before putting an arm around Shizuka and holding her close to his side suddenly. ”Guess I owe you for that too!” he laughed before realizing he was overstepping and taking his arm off her shoulder. He had to remember that things were different now. Time’s changed. ”That’s probably what you’re feeling though. I took some of your soul and power into myself. You just have so much power that you’re able to feel it even inside of me. Not sure how you’re doing that though.” He commented again as he walked alongside her.</sub>

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

An innocent question stemming from a strange sensation. She had no idea how this specific thing was able to be sensed by her when she couldn't do this with anything else anymore. Was it just because it was a part of her that he took? Yeah, maybe that was it. But still, she didn't even know. This was new to her. Luke coming back was new to her. Thankfully, at least for now, he didn't seem to notice the fact that she had been a complete creep in the bathroom only moments ago. That was a blessing and probably her only one.

She wondered how much Luke remembered. He responded to her with another question at first, which made the blonde feel a bit insecure. Perhaps she shouldn't have asked. Perhaps she just needed to move on from the topic quickly. She wasn't actually trying to make him uncomfortable, but she was curious and just wanted an answer. That is if he even knew about one. As he thought to himself during the pause, she fidgeted, playing with the hem of her shirt. She was suddenly very not comfortable. Why was she getting so nervous?

”Do you remember when we had that sparring match and you got a bit drunk on power and started thrashing around?”

"No." Yes. "Ugh, I mean yes."

”Yeah, you remember how I had to calm you down right?” Luke's gesture reminded Shizuka exactly of what happened. Her face immediately lit up, red as a tomato. ”When I did that I took some of your energy. What’s more, I took that power you were using to. That Inner Power of yours. That might be what you’re feeling. Since I’ve been knocked out cold all this time maybe your reiatsu hasn’t, y’know, actually digested yet. Not sure if that’s the right way to describe it but… yeah sure let’s go with that.”

She didn't even notice that the two of them had started walking. As they did so, his arm found its way around her and she clenched. He felt too familiar, too warm, too real. She had gone three years without any of this. Three years without his touch, or smell, or anything. And just when she was thankful that he had done something so friendly, he removed his arm, leaving her shoulders to feel cold against the night's air. With a pout, she accepted his explanation, though she made a mental note to remind him that he didn't owe her anything. No, it wouldn't be fair. Not after what she was planning on forcing him to do.

"Honestly, I don't even know how I can do that. Maybe it's because it was a part of me, but my ability to sense things had grown weaker for some reason. I couldn't possibly tell you why that is, either, but it did. In any case, if that's it, then you can also summon a beast to fight? I'd be interested to see that."

While it was the truth, she genuinely couldn't tell if she wanted it to be an offer to spar with him again. From the sounds of it, he wasn't in the best shape, and she wasn't sure how well she'd be able to hold back her anger. She was doing a decent job of that at the moment, but if she were able to fully flex her powers against him, she feared he'd get seriously hurt with the way he was. And despite how she felt, she really didn't want to make him grow to hate her. She wanted, in some capacity, to rekindle the friendship they shared. He was asleep for this entire time. He didn't try to move on the way she did.

They exited the apartment building and Shizuka glanced back up at it, noticing how pretty the lights in the windows could be. Happy tenants just enjoying themselves. She wasn't a horrible landlord, after all. She tried to spoil them and also was careful about who she allowed in there to rent. Most were spiritual beings or normal people who could see them. At least it could create a sense of community, and maybe it would even give Luke a chance to make better friends. Then he wouldn't have to be by himself all the time.

She also quickly picked up on the fact that she wasn't stuttering as much as before. Well, I guess that makes sense since he's not naked anymore, but hey, we can revisit that memory. She must have gotten a hold of herself enough to be able to look at him like a person and not just a piece of meat- I absolutely still think of him as a piece of meat. He's just also a person and I'm trying to pull myself together. She was trying to be a pure and chaste young woman- Both ships sailed a long time ago. Okay, she was trying to at least not let her lewd thoughts get in the way of treating this man to dinner. Sure, okay. Phew.

Since she lived downtown near all the shops and restaurants, it didn't take very long before they arrived at her favorite restaurant. They served the largest bowls of ramen she could ever dream of, and since both she and Luke had a habit of expending an obnoxiously high amount of energy given the nature of who they were, she appreciated the carbs and assumed he would, as well. She smiled and waved to the restaurant owner and he immediately waved back with such enthusiasm that it caught her off-guard. She was a regular here even without Luke, though this was the first time in years that the owner would have seen him. Once their eyes met, the owner panicked for a moment and whispered in Shizuka's ear.

"Yeah, I know. Turns out he's alive. ... Um, no, but thanks for asking. I haven't thought about that. ... Don't you think that's a little intrusive?? ... Oh my god can we please just get some food??"

Though hushed, Luke would be able to hear Shizuka more so than the owner. He was asking her about their private life, or lack thereof right now, and Shizuka tried to hide her embarrassment by turning her face away from Luke so he wouldn't see. She couldn't hide her ears, though, so he would absolutely notice that she was having a tough time. The owner knew about their past and how they used to be. He and Shizuka had grown friendly even before Luke's disappearance, so she gossiped with him about several things that she probably never should have. As such, he knew about a million details about Luke's body, and Shizuka suddenly very much regretted that.

"Okay, well, anyway, um... He's going to make us our old favorites, so hopefully you still like yours. He was just being nosey so hopefully he doesn't ask any more questions."

She was trying to not let that get to her. She lost her will to stay put once in that apartment already and truly didn't want the first thing she and Luke did after he came back to be... that. Could she even do it? Every second she looked at his face, she was reminded of how much she absolutely adored him back then. She thought about him every single moment that she could. He was so wonderful to her, so non-judgmental, looked so good in tight black shirts, and all of those memories came flooding back. She didn't even realize she was staring at him until she snapped back to reality and looked at the spot in front of her at the bar where they were sitting.

"Sorry," she began, taking a big breath and letting it out in a sigh. "I wanted to tell you that I appreciate your honesty. You're a good man. Usually. This is just so much for me to digest is all."

That, and she was still thinking of ways to torture him. She wasn't able to drown the anger and disappointment. She couldn't choke out the pain she felt when she looked at his amber eyes. For every happy memory, she felt an equal amount of pain. It started growing within her again to the point where it took a good amount of strength to hold back the immense desire to pin him to the ground with her sharp heel and make him hurt the same way she did. But no, not in public. She wasn't going to do that. Not yet.

[Luke Clyburn]

<sub>”Also summon a beast to fight, huh?” Luke replied back, teasingly, wondering if Shizuka had forgotten just what his actual powers were as a Bount. He understood what she meant though he just wanted to give her a hard time. Hearing her offer about sparing again, though, Luke gave it some thought. Considering how explosive and violent things got the last time the two decided to do more than a little tussle in the sheets, Luke wasn’t sure he was quite ready or eager to go through all of it again. ”Y’know, I think I’m good.” he replied, earnestly, not eager to fight her again. ”I’m not completely sure I’d be able to bring you back to your senses like I did last time if you lost control again.” he said with a shrug.

Walking down busy streets bustling with people going about their day, Luke’s attention was drawn away from Shizuka’s swaying hips and to the things around them. It was still so surreal to him. The fact that he had actually been asleep for three, whole, years. That Karakura itself hadn’t changed all that much in that time. That Shizuka was still around. That everything was still here. That he hadn’t been. Luke's gaze lowered for a moment as he thought on it again before simply shrugging. It is what it is. he thought to himself before turning his attention back to Shizuka. What about her? Had she changed much in his absence? What about what they had together?

As they neared the restaurant the smell of ingredients hit Luke’s nose. He turned his attention to their destination and blinked with surprise when he saw the owner’s reaction to him. The man started hurriedly whispering something in Shizuka’s ear, causing Luke to raise an eyebrow quizzically. Shizuka was responding back loud enough for his superhuman hearing to pick up though. It made the Bount chuckle a bit. She was cute when she was flustered. The shade of red on her ears only helped cement that opinion. ”He remembers my favorite still? Shoyu with egg noodles and pork? That’s good service. I’ll have to come here more often.” Luke commented, taking a seat beside Shizuka. He noticed rather quickly she was staring at him. ”What? I’m not gonna disappear if you take your eyes off me.” he joked, chuckling lightly as she seemed to regain her composure and give him an apology.

"I wanted to tell you that I appreciate your honesty. You're a good man. Usually. This is just so much for me to digest is all."

His gaze lingered on her for a bit. Amber eyes looked into her dual colored orbs as she told him what was on her mind. ”Usually, yeah.” he commented lightly as he looked ahead past the restaurant's bar and into the kitchen. He could see the chief working away preparing their meals with his back to them. ”Yeah I get this is a lot for you. Can’t imagine it wouldn’t be. I just up and vanished on you and then at random I show back up years later.” Luke said, taking a drink from a cup of water provided to the two. He wanted to get a bit off this topic though. He could tell Shizuka had a lot on her mind. So while they waited for their food he’d get her to engage in some conversation.

”We talked about me, but what about you? What have you been up to all this time? What’s new? How have things been here in the city?” Luke asked. He figured she would love to talk about herself. Plus, well, she would know better than anyone what things were like in Karakura. She was the defacto leader of an assassin organization after all.</sub>

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

Luke's rejection of the thought of fighting Shizuka again had her somewhat proud, completely not understanding that he was still under the impression that he'd beat her. Remembering how that fight ended made her core feel hot against her will as the memories came flooding back to her like a wild river. What a shame that her biggest weakness in this entire universe was something that Bounts had to do to survive. She needed to figure out how to get him back for that, too. She suddenly realized that she never did.

Once they were seated and the awkward conversation with the shop owner was over, Luke seemed surprised when Shizuka mentioned that the owner knew what he used to get all the time. ”He remembers my favorite still? Shoyu with egg noodles and pork? That’s good service. I’ll have to come here more often.”

With a cheeky grin, Shizuka eyed the owner who leaned back from his position in the kitchen, catching her gaze, as well. With a wink and a hand signal to him that meant "OK," Shizuka had managed to get Luke to order without even making him feel like anyone had forgotten his go-to dish. The owner nodded back at Shizuka and she'd gone back to being lost in thought while looking at the man seated beside her. Only when he spoke was she taken out of her inner world, woken up by the voice that she'd waited three years to hear. She apologized, of course, and he'd responded.

No matter how apologetic he seemed, she wasn't sure how she felt about his return yet. Happy? Confused? Still mad? All of that and more? With a deep breath to try to calm herself again instead of getting riled up, she heard Luke ask about what she's been up to after all this time. Yes, what had she been up to, indeed. How long had it been? What did he even remember last? She had to think on this for a moment. The blonde hummed to herself as she thought about which story to tell and ultimately decided to drop the biggest news first.

"I'm the CEO of Xcution now. So when I asked if you wanted to work for me, I meant that very literally." She turned to him, her eyes matching his, way more serious than before. "Rather, you'd be working under me. I handed off my old position already, as well. Xcution became significantly more accepting under my reign, so I hire just about anyone except... ugh. Well, almost anyone. So my replacement is an Arrancar."

When she'd first taken on full ownership of the organization, Shizuka soon realized she needed to rebuild her Guns the most. They were taken from elite to empty very quickly after her ascension, and in order to get them back to their original stature, she had to hunt for capable people who could handle the job. After hearing about Col, she took it upon herself to meet him. She was surprised at how well they got along and she was able to strike a deal with him that benefited their relationship ever since. Even now, she'd go so far as to say she loved him dearly as a friend.

"He takes care of handling the more gruesome assignments, and yes, I know you hate all of this stuff. But it's my job, Luke. It's all I've ever known ever since I was sixteen. It's hard to train an assassin to stop being one when she's been doing it for almost thirteen years."

All she remembered from their past was that he tended to lean more toward the hero side of things, and she was certainly a bit of a villain. She'd never call herself evil, but she definitely did things as she wanted to do them so long as they made sense to her. She was selfish, but not terrible. She wondered if he still cared, or if he judged her at all for what she did. Maybe this would make him reconsider her offer, but then that just meant nothing had changed between them. That meant he was better off with someone who could relate to him professionally. She didn't want to be the one who caused him pain simply because of a job.

Yet even with all of those insecurities, she sat next to him at this restaurant, looking at his face, his jawline, his shoulders, his everything. Watching his muscles move every time he adjusted his position. Taking in the persistent scent of body wash. Seeing his hair sway a bit in the wind, thinking it was cute how he kept his white bangs and never dyed them. No matter how many times she tried to push these feelings away, they kept welling back up, and she wondered if she would ever be able to ignore them. Or if she had to just... accept that she couldn't.

Moments passed and the owner came out of the kitchen with both of their bowls. Shizuka ate miso like a fiend, so of course that was hers. He eyed the woman and that action caught her attention, but it wasn't until she noticed his eyes dart between his two guests that she realized what she did. Shizuka's left hand was on Luke's right thigh. And she was squeezing it. Her thumb was placed on the inside as her fingers pointed up toward his body. She had no idea when this happened while she was lost in thought and quickly removed her hand, looking the complete opposite way away from Luke. She felt like such an idiot. What could he possibly think of her?

"I have no idea why I did that. I seriously have no idea why I did that. I have no freaking idea why I did that. Why the hell did I do that? I don't know why I did that. Jesus fucking Christ."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[Luke Clyburn]

<sub>The Bount actually blinked with surprise at the sudden allegation hurled his way. He’d been listening intently, with interest, as Shizuka answered his question and told him about what she’d been up to while he was gone. Receiving the news that she was now the CEO of Xcution itself, Luke couldn’t help but look at her with a little awe and pride. He wasn’t all that surprised by the news. He was well aware how seriously she took her job and her being promoted to top dog was practically a given. If anybody deserved it, it was undoubtedly Shizuka. But before he could give her a long overdue congratulations, Shizuka said something to him that caught him off guard. She claimed that she knew how much Luke had to have hated all this. The assassin stuff. She threw out an excuse that she’d been doing this for so long that she couldn’t just stop. That this had been what she was trained to do.

Luke blinked as he remembered the conversation they had in his apartment, three years ago, before he committed to challenging Springflut. When he was at his lowest. When the weight of his grief was at its heaviest and he was about to collapse from it all. When he was consuming Hollows and the innate negativity of their existence attacked his mental health. When the rift created between him and Springflut became a rotting, festering, wound. When his Dolls stepped in and stopped Luke from relying entirely on Shizuka. They had had a conversation a lot like this then. He didn’t blame her for not remembering. The make up sex that night had been amazing. But because of Luke’s perception of time, he remembered what had been talked about all too well.

Perhaps she had a point. He was supposed to be a “hero” right? So he should stand opposed to Shizuka and stop her from taking lives for profit, right? No. Luke had decided. He wasn’t a good hero. Luke strived to be his own kind of hero of justice. How could he fault Shizuka for killing the scum of the world when he himself killed people? Shizuka explained her method and mentality as an eye for an eye. Luke could get behind that. He was like that as well. There had been those that Luke had purposefully sought out to kill to punish them, avenge others, and prevent the future risk to others. He thought back to that Quincy woman he found at the bottom of the asylum. What’s more, how could he, a mass murderer, condemn Shizuka for what she did when what he had done was substantially worse. He had completely destroyed the Yumisawa District in a single night after all.

”I don’t hate your work.” Luke said suddenly and straight faced, quickly before Shizuka could add any other words. Those amber eyes of his peered directly at her. His white bangs shook slightly from a sudden breeze. ”I’ve never had a problem with your work. When I found out what you did I had a choice. I could have done something about you, or I could accept you and what you do. So I picked the one that would make me happy.” Luke smiled a little at her. He had chosen her over the expectations others had set for him. ”The reality is… I’ve never been a good hero. Yeah, I like helping people. I like saving people. But I’ve never had a problem with taking life to save my own skin. Taking life in self defense? No problem. Taking life to save someone else? Yeah, still no problem. Even going so far as to take a life I felt would be a threat down the line? I’ve done that too.” Luke explained to her.

”Plus, I’m a Bount. I have to consume lives in order to survive. Souls that won’t move on to Soul Society are now a part of me. I’ve always thought that if I have to take life, for whatever reason, then I should also be willing to give back for the still living however I can.”

His eyes drifted from the beautiful woman next to him to some random part of the restaurant. ”I went and visited the Yumisawa District before I called you. The one that I destroyed when I was attacked by that Quincy. It’s practically rebuilt now. People live there again now.” that trip through the district was such a strange experience for him. He could still remember it all from back then. The image of the district being consumed in water and all the buildings collapsing was still burned into his mind. But, remembering it, Luke wasn’t filled with guilt. Instead there was a different burning sensation that had filled that gnawing hole inside him. ”The woman responsible for all of it is still out there. Her and the Vandenreich.” the Bount’s expression darkened as he glared straight ahead, his brow furrowing with anger as he remembered that red haired woman’s smug expression and the other Vandenreich he had come across. ”I no longer intend to kill myself making amends for the dead. But I can avenge them.” Luke would no longer let himself be held back by grief or others' expectations of him. He would be free of such burdens and act and move as his consciousness demanded.

”That’s why I’m interested in joining you. Your Xcution. I trust you, believe in you, and have faith in you and what your goals are. I need allies. Strong, powerful, allies that I can trust that, when the time comes, we can take the fight to those insane Quincy and their mad king. Even if it means stepping out of the light and into the dark.” he expressed with resolution. Though, after a moment, his expression softened to what it normally was and he chuckled a little and scratched his cheek. ”All that being said I don’t know if I can just assassinate a business owner cus his rival has a problem with him, y’know? I’d like to think I’m more of a hero of justice sort of punk.” he joked just as the owner finally brought out their bowls of soup. Luke wondered for a moment if the man had overheard what they had said but his attention was instead directed to the ramen placed in front of him.

The smell hit his nose first and immediately he began salivating. But Luke didn’t dig in right away. He blinked with surprise. He felt something gripping his thigh. Luke looked down to see Shizuka’s hand firmly grabbing his thigh rather close to his manhood. He blinked. Turning his head up to look at her, Shizuka seemed to realize what she was doing and started to panic. She began apologizing profusely. Luke’s cheeks grew a bit warm but, he just smiled at her. ”You really missed me, huh?” he asked. He extended his arm, hesitating for a moment, before placing it on her back. ”It’s alright, relax. I’m not bothered. Not by you.” he said softly, rubbing her back to try and calm her down. Shizuka had always been an incredibly forward woman. A lot were bashful and shy. Teasingly playing around their desires. Not Shizuka. She was incredibly forward, lustful, and when she wanted it she’d come at you like a semi truck versus a goose on the highway. Luke liked that honesty about her.

But Luke had to ask it, as he removed his hand, and picked up a pair of chopsticks. ”I have to ask it because, well, I just woke up and the last time we saw each other is still very fresh in my mind. Especially what we did after our argument. Are you seeing anyone new?”</sub>