The next morning Atsumi woke up, and looked at the mess her room was in. It didn't take too long to set it straight again, wash up and head to the practice room. She entered, scooped up a solid bokken and picked her first victim. Atsumi was generally energetic in the morning and chose her first sparring partner. With one half hearted parry and a one solid smack, she had to look around for the next sparring partner. The second was done almost as quickly as the next. She stalked back and forth, sullen, angry, like a lone wolf. Everyone was busy. The weaker ones tried to avoid her, but she decided to take on two at a time, and won. She was running on pure rage and it made her strong.
She fought wildly, and erratically, even for her. She didn't express much, but her eyes were not the bright and eager window to her soul they normally were. They were glaring, and a bit crazed.
Ikkaku stepped forward and said, a bit of caution in his voice "Oii, we never got to spar that day. You got hit by captain instead. Why don't we pick up where we-" she swiped her bokken at him and he was almost immediately sorry he said anything. Everyone stopped to watch. Atsumi grunted with every movement, appearing almost possessed, baring her teeth grimly. She pulled a tricky sophisticated maneuver that wreaked of the sparring she did with her noble friend and disarmed Ikkaku. The bokken flung across the room end over end and he quickly spotted much closer by. Atsumi's deadly practice sword was already heading toward him again. He swiftly brought up the new sword and was glad he was fast enough. He felt the impact and knew he would've been sent off to the 4th squad buildings had he received a direct hit. There was no time for trash talk. Atsumi's eyes went wild and with one last savage hit she yet again disarmed Ikkaku by breaking his hand. He was blinded for a moment with pain and thought the last thing he was going to see was the end of Atsumi's bokken smashing into his skull. The well-worn practice blade came down, but made a sharp turn to the side avoiding his face and smashing into the wall.
Atsumi then focused her wrath on the wall, repeatedly slashing the old surface over and over and over. Her bokken snapped in half and she let the end fall to the floor. Yamichika dragged Ikkaku away from Atsumi while she was distracted stabbing the wall with the jagged end of the the broken bokken. She screamed with each strike and one last stab found a wall post and she finally jabbed the broken piece into the wall.
She stood back, punched a hole in the sheetrock. She then realized how quiet it was. Panting, she turned around and the entire room was looking at her. Some of the men were nervous, others curious, but most simply stunned. Atsumi was an enthusiastic, strong fighter they had come to know for a good workout in the morning. She was a clever swordswoman and hard to intimidate, if at all. But on this morning she was a monster. They didn't know what had happened or what made her so dark, but she went from challenging sparring partner to truly frightening overnight.
Zaraki stood in the back, and caught her eye. He jerked his head to imply she should follow and walked out. She followed him to his office. Her tears were being held at bay as she settled into a chair across from him. "What the fuck was that?" he asked bluntly.
"What?" she said not wanting to talk about the death of her friend. Atsumi looked at the floor.
"You're a psycho today" he said, not used to having conversations about feelings.
Atsumi noted Yachiru was not in the room. "I ain't gonna hurt anyone" she mumbled not believing herself.
"HAH!" he was genuinely amused. Then annoyed. "Then why are you here!?"
"I meant-" she started loud "no more than necessary" she finished more quietly, obviously ashamed of her behavior.
"What's making you…" he guestured with his hand instead of using his words. "…Some kinda…lady thing?"
"WHAT NO!" she snapped. "MY…"She bit her lip when feelings began to bubble up again. She took a deep breath and drew in some energy to calm herself. "My friend. She died. She…she's gone."
"Eh? Who?" he said.
"Pigtails."
"Ah" he nodded. "How? Accident?"
"Nah, she…Don't you know?" asked Atsumi. "She went on some secret mission she shouldn't've."
"Hm. Sometimes I drift in an' out."
Atsumi's the hurt was apparent momentarily before he observed it morph into rage.
"Oi" he said "Don't do that. I don't want to fuck up my office with my sword" he barked.
"Do what?" she asked with gritted teeth.
He signed. "If yer sad, go be sad. Don't go destroying the walls, and what the fuck were you doing last night? Your neighbors were trying to have a party, but you were too loud."
"I'm angry."
"Look, if we settle this with swords I'm just going to kill you. I'm trying to do this captain thing instead. I got a bad review last quarter."
Atsumi felt the tears welling up and began to breath heavily. "Like this, what are you doing what is this? You're sure it's not a lady thing?"
"NO! She shouldn'ta died"she stood. She put a hand on his desk and leaned forward, and yelled "IT SHOULDA BEEN ME!" she blurted. She flopped back, deflated. "Ain't no one gonna miss me. Her? Everybody will. I will."
Zaraki nodded. "Mn." They were quiet a moment. "Nah. You know that's not true" he said serious,and correct. He looked away also and said "Yachiru would be sad. I ain't got no tolerance for things that maker her sad. Who will put Ikkaku and Yamichika in check when their heads get too big. When Ikkaku and Yamichika talk big, but don't have time for paperwork or, when Ikkaku and Yamichika get involved with a game with Ichigo and don't do their command duties, who else is doing that? I don't have the time."
Atsumi's eyes returned to the bright young woman everyone recognized. I thought no one knew I did all that shit. He knows. He sees! She nodded and bit her bottom lip. Returning to herself for a moment she crossed her arms and mumbled "I told Tashi that we're gonna get that fucker, though. Wherever it is. We're gonna get it." She was soothed by her own words.
"Tashi?"
"Nutcracker" she clarified.
"Ah" he nodded knowing who Tashi was now. "She's a captain now. You'd better get it first. I don't want to hear about you takin' orders from some squishy princess type."
This made Atsumi smirk and snort. "If I see it, it's mine" she said gravely. "But Tashi can help. She's soft and girly, but she's good in a pinch."
This made Zaraki chuckle and he stood, grabbing his crotch "Telling me not to corner her? Hahahaha!"
Atsumi laughed too, not offended by his coarse humor.
He sat again sensing the conversation wasn't over. Atsumi nodded. Her eyes returned to the floor. "I'll fix the wall. I just…that rage gets me sometimes, ya know? It's my default setting or something."
"Mn" he nodded. "Don't fight it. It's kept you alive. Inner peace is over rated. I don't feel alive like I do when I've just made a good solid cut."
She got a far away look, thinking about her past. "Yeah. It's just something that's saved me from everything. I don't have to explain to you how rough it can get out there. When I was threatened if I cried for help or got weepy I woulda died. I had to just rage to survive. An' I ain't even had a sword til I got here."
This made Zaraki's eyebrows jump. They were from the same district and he did indeed understand how rage kept him alive, but at least he had a sword. "How did you cut?" he asked, confused how she could have existed without one.
"I used whatever I had. A plank, an old piece a rope. I didn't just cut. I had lotsa options that way."
Zaraki tilted his head, curious about what she meant. She said "This one time, I was sittin' next to this guy who was eatin' some chicken. He started getting' gross with me. I couldn'ta been even 100 at the time. He was a sicko cuz I was just a girl. And while he was flappin' his dick at me I grabbed some bones off his plate, jumped on him, and dug out his eyes."
Zaraki laughed harder than Atsumi had ever heard. Atsumi chuckled, not at her story, but at the enigma of her captain. Maybe he ain't so complex. Maybe he is. I just can't tell.
He sighed to a stop. "Don't worry about the wall. You won that match fair and square. Not like some quibbling, weepy little shit. Ikkaku lost. He'll fix it."
"Okay" said Atsumi unwilling to argue for work or a punishment. She did win the fight that Ikkaku picked. "I'll try to keep my rage in check" she said trying to figure out what she was going to learn from all this.
"Nah" he shook his head "It's fine you used rage, that's fine, just don't let it make you erratic. That's something else." He pointed at her "You were able to focus today, but in the future you may not be so lucky. Rage is fine as long as you're focused."
Atsumi felt his words to be true and nodded while she took them in. It was rare that Zaraki Kenpachi shared battle wisdom so she was deeply honored he did so with her. She returned to her room and the need to cry had passed. She was sad, but somewhat peaceful. Atsumi was a restless soul and would never be truly at peace, but she liked it that way. She was always challenged, and always winning those challenges. She was ready to rage on.
The next morning Tashi packed a small bag and left her squad building. Her vice captain took up a few paces behind her and she halted. "Where I am going is to address personal business, Fukutaicho. You are not obligated to serve."
She heard from behind her "You are my Captain. I will do everything I can to ensure your safety, wellbeing, and to support your mission."
Tashi sighed. "As you wish" and she entered a palanquin along with Hisagi Shuhei and they headed west to her ancestral home.
The next day Tashi walked up to the gate of her old home with only her vice captain behind her. The two guards at the gate were from Yukimaru's new regime and didn't recognize her on sight. The saw her white cloak and knew what she was. "Captain, please, halt" they said and crossed spears across the path.
She said "Can I not visit my own home?" she said calmly knowing where this was going.
With confidence the first guard said "I'm sorry madam captain, but we cannot allow you to pass without the permission of the lord Yukimaru."
Tashi said "I wrote him and told him I was coming here on this day. Please let him know I have arrived."
The second guard explained "We have a confirmed list of visitors ma'am and you are not one of them."
Tahsi sighed and Shuhei advanced. After a brief skirmish, hardly worth describing, Tashi made it through the front gate. She used kidou to fry the doorknob on the front door and entered. She walked through the entrance and Shuhei disarmed three more guards in a flash. Tashi walked past a few maids who recognized her and ran off into different wings of the house. Tashi suspected they were heading to tell her parents and Yukimaru. Her ex fiancé had come to live there after she rejected him at the altar. Byakuya told Tashi before she left that his advisors said Yukimaru was named, but not legally confirmed, as the heir to the Touichi fortune. She could still retake the estate and the family treasures by whatever means necessary. Tashi heard a commotion of sorts coming from the tea room where she had previously entertained Ukitake and Renji years earlier.
Hisagi was silent impressed by the vastness of the home. Tashi and her vice captain went to investigate the noise and found Yukimaru sitting in a chair with a toy crown on his head. He held a chalice and appeared to be entertaining a variety of women and men. He had grown into a strong handsome young man, but his drunkenness was most unappealing. There was a long table set up with a bounty of food. The room was a large round room with an impressive dome. There were several floor to ceiling windows draped with a thick luxurious crimson fabric. The walls were covered in elaborate molding, some of which was gilded.
Yukimaru finished tickling the neck of a busty blonde woman at his side and then saw Tashi. He blinked in disbelief and called for his guards. No one came.
"Tashi!" he said with fake enthusiasm. "Have you come to join the party?" He gestured to the food and she could tell he was drunk as he stumbled to his feet, and she did not answer him. He stood from his chair and backed up as Tashi advanced, her eyes like cutting into him like a scythe. At the sight of the grave captain the half drunken party goers scrambled out of the room, in a flurry of more lace and shimmering fabrics Hisagi had ever seen, abandoning the lord they professed loyalty to a few minutes earlier.
Yukimaru continued to back away until he felt the wall behind him and shook with fear. There was a captain of the Gotei 13 in front of him who did not look pleased. Then he smirked and began to laugh. "Tashi. You're cute when you're angry. You couldn't hurt a fly." He found some confidence. He slapped the center of a rectangular shape camouflaged with gilded molding and out shot his own Zanpkatuou. He drew his sword form the sheath and said "You want this throne? Bring it on, you bitch!" Tashi didn't even draw her sword. "I left the Gotei because I had bigger fish to fry. I can't believe they took some little princess as a captain. Their standards must've fallen quite low."
Tashi took a deep breath without blinking to remind herself he was only trying to antagonize her. Tashi's Vice Captain stood loyally behind her, unmoved, knowing his Captain was certainly going to win. Yukimaru glared down past the end of his blade at his target. Tashi had yet to unsheathe her sword and merely flared her powerful reiatsu causing a controlled, but powerful blast of energy to pinned Yukimaru to the wall.
Shuhei wisely erected a barrier to protect himself and watched as his captain immobilize her opponent without even drawing her sword. The force of the pressure railed against Yukimaru and rippled the flesh on his face. Chairs and side tables nearby were flung off crashing to the ground. Yukimaru was reluctant to release his sword, but soon enough it was peeled away from his hand and flung across the room where he was unable to summon his shikai.
When Yuki's sword was torn out of his hand his eyes were redirected from his weapon to his opponent. He was staring at Tashi and the whirlwind of energy that swirled around her. Her hair tie burst and her long black hair swirled upward and out. His memory was flooded of images of her blushing, and turning away, deflecting compliments, and saying she was sorry. He didn't recognize the woman who was standing before him. Her eyes were clouded over in a golden light and there was nothing apologetic about her.
She suddenly restrained her reiatsu again, and he collapsed on the floor. She took a few steps towards him and said "Get out. Never come back."
Yuki looked up at her as he pushed himself up from the floor. He was out of breath, but not out of disdain. "You think I'm going to just get up and-"
With the precision of a razor Tashi cut him off and calmly explained "Before you threaten a captain of the Gotei 13, let me finish my thought. If you do not leave I will kill you. If you return I will kill you. If you shame yourself by stepping in my family's lands again I will kill you."
Yukimaru then made a foolish run for his sword instead of the door, but Tashi beat him to it with a blast of chantless kidou. The strike was a direct hit on his flank and he was knocked down again and screamed in pain. His side had been badly burned. Hisagi took a step back shocked at the flesh wound apparent on Yuki's side. It stretched hip to arm pit and was smoking, and bleeding profusely. His Captain didn't flinch at the sight of her opponent's wound, nor seemed bothered by his screaming nor writhing.
Tashi approached and said "I warned you." She knelt down next him and stroked his face. "I am here to relcaim what is mine and to save my family's legacy." Tashi approached her victim "Sh, shh" she cooed, extending her hand towards him. Yuki stopped screaming, but coughed up some blood. She continued to say "shh, shh" and touched his head gently, stroking his hair.
He seemed calm and she appeared to relieve his suffering. Then, her touch became unexpectedly intense and she pressed the palm of her hand over one of his eyes. Hisagi looked away, but heard the chant, and the distinct sound of cracking bone and slap of blood on the marble floor. When Hisagi opened his eyes again he saw what remained of Yukimaru and his Captain's hand covered in her enemy's blood.
A woman who had gone unnoticed screamed hysterically from the corner of the room. She was fearful of Tashi and afraid now that the man who had promised to protect her was dead. Tashi approached the woman and Hisagi trailed behind her.
The woman began to scream "GET AWAY! GET AWAY! YOU MURDERED HIM! GUARDS!" The woman then got up, but she was dressed in formal western garb and began to hyperventilate in her corset. It didn't' stop her from throwing whatever random decoration she came across at Tashi.
Tashi calmly asked the woman "Please, halt. Please stop. Tell me who you are."
"I was to be his WIFE!" She heaved, between gasps. She wore a satin blue dress, with gold trim and gilded buttons. These were similar to the Touichi family colors. Her golden curls tumbled over her shoulders, and framed her bust that bounced trying to gasp for air. The sight made Hisagi blush deeply. The woman rested her hands on the wall behind her, and leaned forward defensively.
The woman's words made Tashi pause. She was to hold that role at one point. She looked the woman up and down and realized she was lied to from the beginning. She pitied the woman who had garish low class tastes, and an accent which revealed she was not educated like an aristocrat, no less a woman to marry a lordship fit for the size and stature of the Touichi estates. Tashi sighed as she watched the woman lose strength, gasping for air, fall to the ground again, and pass out.
Hisagi was not from the west and not familiar with how women of the area wore corsets under their dresses. To him the woman simply passed out from fear of his tremendous captain. Tashi turned to her Vice Captain and ordered "She has only fainted. Please tie her hands behind her and sit her up."
"Yes! Touichi-taicho!" he immediately responded.
As Hisagi got to work Tashi looked around the dining room and while memories from her child and young adulthood flitted through her mind she walked over to a large tureen filled with water and began to rinse her hands. She further stated "I will have to round up Yuki's supporters here and I will have to decide what to do with them." She looked at Hisagi who finished his task and awaited further orders while she shook her hands dry. She looked him in the eye and said "Vice Captain, I appreciate your support more than you can know, but, again, I have to be clear this is all personal business I am on and you are under absolutely no obligation to follow my orders."
Hisagi stood up and said "You are my Captain and regardless if it's on the battlefield, in the office, or on your personal time, I am your Vice Captain. I am your most ardent and loyal supporter."
Tashi eyed him and saw him in a new light. "Well then, if we're here on personal business you'll have to drop Captain and call my only by my name." She smiled knowing it would be awkward for him.
"Are you…" he couldn't tell if she were joking or not.
"I'm serious Hisagi-san. I don't' want you getting in trouble with the Gotei should something here go terribly wrong."
He glanced at Yuki's remains. "I hate to speak out of turn Cap-Touichi-sama, but" he looked back at her and she encouraged more words with a nod "…but…have you already done something illegal?"
She grimaced and shrugged "Ironically no. I am a noble and everything I do is in defense of my family and the people who live on my lands. This includes ending lives of those who threaten it. Kuchiki reports say my father is too incapacitated, and I know my mother was never much use in practical matters. My elder brother passed away years ago, so it falls to me, legally." Tashi looked at the room, sadness softening her face slightly. "Kuchiki-sama told me they never made my disowning official. No paperwork. Nothing could be found in the archives."
Hisagi nodded.
She looked back to him, her determination renewed "Let's move on from here. My parents can't be far."
Tashi walked through the palace and Hisagi kept his awe of the large marble structures, gilded surfaces, and elaborate furniture and artwork on the walls. His Captain was from a world of wealth and privilege he never even knew existed. Tashi glided up the stairs in front of him and he marveled at how evenly she moved up the stairs. Without a bounce in her step she appeared like a floating ghost.
Wandering through more halls he could see the home had been somewhat neglected. There were a few cobwebs, some dusty tapestries, and some dirt on the floors in the corners. They came to a hallway of windows which vaulted a few stories high. Tashi barely noticed, but Hisagi stole a glance upward. The view shocked him. He could see the rest of the home which was hidden in a valley out of sight from the entrance. She was from a rural family, but certainly noble. He refocused when he heard Tashi say "Governess Umeko!"
A tall, aged woman, with aristocratic features stood, shocked in the hallway. The elderly woman raised a hand to her lace covered throat and said "Tashi, how did you know?"
Hisagi realized this part of the house was so far away from the fight they had in the dining room that this old woman probably had no idea what just happened. Umeko noticed Hisagi Shuhei standing behind her and angrily said "Do you never shrink from shaming your family? Is this the type of riff raff into this esteemed-"
"Are my parents in their apartments?" Tashi cut off her old governess with sharp words and authority she had earned in the Seireitei.
The elderly governess gasped at the impudence of her old ward. A cruel smirk stretched her mouth. "You don't know."
Hisagi watched the women carefully and heard Tashi say "No, obviously I don't."
"Well, then let me be the first to extend my condolences about your father" she said, with controlled, but genuine sympathy.
Tashi took a subtle deep breath, but did not provide any satisfaction to the governess by showing emotion on her face. "I see. Thank you for your sympathies." Tashi glided past, into a set of double doors and the governess lingered in the hallway. Hisagi remained behind.
Tashi entered the series of darkened rooms to her father's bed chamber. The enormous oaken four post bed sat against the door side wall. She walked in and saw her mother weeping at the food of the king sized monstrosity which dominated the room. The Navy velvet drapes which hung around the bed were pulled back and she saw her father's elderly corpse laying fully dressed in his dress uniform on top of the navy blankets. The wake was over and a funeral would have to be arranged.
"Mother?" peeped Tashi, her eyes still on the lifeless body which once contained her father.
Tashi's mother looked up, dazed and teary eyed. She hardly believed her own eyes that her daughter had returned. "Ta..Tashi?"
Tashi approached her mother and gave her a hug. Just as Tashi had matured into a grown woman while away her parents had aged into elderly nobles. Her mother's cheeks were sunken and her hair had gone grey. She was still surprisingly pleasant looking, but it didn't matter to Tashi. She kept looking at her father. "He has been waked already, mother?"
Her mother nodded. "I tried to write to you, but…I didn't know how to say it or if you'd come. We all parted on such awful terms. He missed you dear, all the way up until the end."
Tashi looked at his ornate bed stand, and it's dark, heavy, antique wooden lion paw feet. On the top were pictures in ancient family heirloom frames. There was a photo of her there, of her and her brother when they were little kids. She remembered taking the photo and smiling for the camera. The world was so big but she was happy and safe. Everyone promised to take care of her and she had no idea that one day it would be her duty to take care of everyone else.
"Mother" she said "Yukimaru is gone. I just…dispatched him."
Her mother raised her head in a panic "Who will take care of us?" she snapped nearly hysterical. "Who will protect us from foreign invaders? How are we to survive!" The old woman stood up in her heavy black mourning clothes and threw her hands up, still clinging onto her black handkerchief "Send for him immediately! We're more vulnerable now than ever!"
Tashi stood and backed off. She said "I cannot bring him back from where I have sent him, mother, and there is no need." She turned around to leave, the captain's cloak and her division's number prominently displayed on her back. "I will run the family, and I will protect what is ours." She left the room and her mother confused how her meek daughter could possibly fill a man's shoes.
Tashi left her father's bedroom with no desire to talk to a corpse and ignored her governess as she headed down the hallway, Hisagi picked up right behind her. "First thing, Hisagi-san, is that we must be certain that the mess from the scuffle with Yukimaru is cleaned up."
Tashi sent a page waiting nearby assemble all the servants for a meeting in the main kitchen. Tashi walked with purpose down a number of hallways deeper and deeper into the castle. She and her vice captain passed the occasional confused maid, or surprised butler or footman and Tashi requested the windows be opened and the light be let into the hallway. "I hate dust and dark and refuse to live in it" she mumbled. The spring air rushed in, flapping some of the curtains and allowing the light to once again pour in the various windows.
Hisagi had never seen a home so opulent and eclectic. The palace had been constructed over different millennia and he was amazed at the strange details and how beautifully they all came together. The windows themselves were different section to section. He felt as though he were walking back in time as he followed her. They had come from a traditional western style palace with new insulated, but spectacular automated floor to ceiling windows, down into an ancient part of the home. They walked past smaller windows with heavy leads lined panes, and then he noticed the walls changing materials. Upstairs in the personal apartments the walls were solid sheetrock, perhaps, with moldings and clean wainscoting. The walls became rougher and of more natural materials the deeper they went.
Closer to the center of the palace, where Hisagi suspected was the oldest part of the structure, the windows were not all able to be opened. They were mostly lead lined rainbow plate glass. They depicted scenes from history, possibly his captain's ancestors, and various tales which may or may not have been divine in nature. The uninsulated walls were covered with tapestries and old torch holders dotted the hallways. This place is ancient indeed. He looked at his captain's back and thought No wonder she was so married to tradition. I can't imagine having the responsibility of continuing a history with such deep long lineage. Byakuya Kuchiki flashed in his mind and he nodded to himself understanding why his captain and Kuchiki-taicho were rumored to be romantic partners. Who else could they both identify with? I always assumed pairings like theirs were only about maintaining money and regional power. But who else could they look to for personal understanding and support?
They passed a series of framed documents and a large painting of a waterfall. Three handwritten pages on old parchment hung on each side of a massive painting of the Touichi waterfalls. He had heard about them, but had not thought to find them until that moment. I'll have to see them before we leave.
"Here we are" said Tashi, quietly. She turned to Hisagi and said "I'm going to call all of the servants still in the house to the kitchen. I am going to separate the Yukimaru supporters from the original servants I remember and know. I will deliver the news to them about his fate, ask for volunteers to help clean it up, though I suspect some of the groundskeepers will reluctantly agree to the task. As for the body we will likely have to wait a few hours for the appropriate people to come and collect it."
"Appropriate people?" Hisagi asked.
"Yes. There are people here who specialize in handling the dead. I want to send his body home to his family."
Hisagi's eyes widened. "That will incite a response, no?"
Tashi nodded. "It will. It is also in line with etiquette."
Hisagi thought ahead. "What will we do? Who will come to our aid? Do you have a standing army here? That would take time to mobilize, and how do we know if they were brought under Yukimaru-sama's banner?"
"We don't have to worry about that" said Tashi, solemnly. "If it comes to a battle, I will handle it" she said with finality. She turned and walked down a few stone steps towards a large oaken door with a heavy old handle.
"But what if it's an entire army?" asked Hisagi, feeling increasingly alarmed at his captain's actions and their consequences. He looked down at his captain, at her petite frame and large eyes. Does she not understand the predicament here? Yukimaru-sama's family was large and powerful. They'll undoubtedly send an army after us! They'll take her and kill her, or worse! he thought.
Tashi turned and looked up at her panicked Vice Captain and with a bit of ice in her voice she said "I said I will handle it."
The meeting in the kitchen went much smoother than Hisagi had imagined. The news of Yukimaru's demise had already spread and most of his supporters had already fled. There were a handful of them still willing to stay at their post. Tashi was suspicious of them, but felt no need to send them on their way as of yet. They would have to prove their loyalty, but if they did they and their families may be promoted to service families instead of just peasant servants. They would then be granted land and titles, however humble. The Toucihi clan had a number of service families that supported them and the loyal partnerships were historic and important to the cohesiveness of the province.
Tashi realized that the people who traditionally handled death and dead things were on hand due to her own father's passing and could swiftly dress Yukimaru's body and send him with the ceremony befitting an aristocrat back to his Satsuna palace.
It took only a day for a response via writing to come to Tashi's hands. The next night she sat in a familiar family room in her father's old chair looking at the communication in her hand. The paper was an old parchment. Using this material was traditional and symbolic.
Hisagi-san leaned against a stone wall with his arms crossed, resting one foot on the wall behind him. He contentedly watched over his captain and her mother. Tashi's mother worked on needlework and prattled on about the latest engagements and probed Tashi about her success with finding a suitor. Tashi ignored her mother's questions and sat back in the large rawhide chair next to an enormous hearth. The fireplace must have heated half the wing they were in. Two attendants stoked and calmed the flames to keep the room at the perfect temperature, sending heat via ducts to surrounding rooms.
Hisagi leaned back and looked at the room and realized It's probably the first room of the castle. This hearth is large enough to fit an entire cow inside, maybe two. He imagined a long wooden table he had seen in history books about the area and thrushes on the floor. There were large furry blankets folded as neatly as they could be in the corner and it sparked a string of images of an entire family sleeping on straw mats with animal skin blankets together in the room. The wall, as it seemed every wall in her home, had a few more modest portraits, but here the portraits also had artifacts displayed nearby. Scattered about underneath and next to the portraits were a few unwieldy broadswords constructed for one destructive swipe rather than the prolonged battle his lithe zanpaktuo afforded. A gorey looking mace and wooden shield sat on a wooden platform underneath a portrait depicting the original grizzled owner. Hisagi looked at the size of the shield and then at the size of the shield in the picture compared to the man holding it and thought perhaps Tashi was descended from giants. His eyes took in the artifacts of her family history but his ears perked up when his captain spoke.
"The Satsuna clan will wage battle not only as vengeance against the loss of their eldest son, but to wrest away control and authority from my hands." She lifted her tiny feet up under her full skirt of the traditional western dress she had changed into. The action had made it even harder to believe little Tashi Touichi was descended from such brutal giants that hung in these portraits. Sounding somewhat disinterested she reads "They then go on to call me a spoiled girl-child who could hardly handle the responsibilities fitting of a mere lady nevertheless that of running the entirety of her family. With the lack of any direct male heirs I am hereby being told that if I do not marry a son of the Satsuna clan that they will raze the castle to the ground and make me pay with the indignities of a thousand men, or more." She grimaced and shook her head a little, as though they were mere children she didn't have time for.
"My gods, Tashi! You must accept their proposal at once! At this point you'd be lucky if you could marry a farm hand, nay, a farm animal! We can't lose everything! Everything this family has fought for!"
Tashi ignored her mother's fears and looked up at the largest portrait in the room, that of her most ancient relative. The founder of the Touichi clan stood with his beefy hands on his hips, standing proudly with an ermine cape, navy velvet fabrics and gold buttons. It was an unusual portrait as it was depicted with a night sky behind him. The stars were painted as yellow sparks and the moon had a face which smiled gently down on her greatest grandfather. The moonlight shown down on the battlefield the Satsuna's threatened to stand on and she absently said "I don't think that's necessary, mother." She got up from the chair and walked over to a thick glass window. She looked out on the field painted in the portrait and summoned Hisagi to her side with a polite wave of her hand. "That field there, it's only about a mile wide, isn't it?" she asked.
He ignored her question and said "Touichi-sama, I have to, regrettably concur with your mother. I will stand by you no matter what, but me and you against an army is a foolhardy plan."
Tashi looked at him shocked then shook her head. "Let's go outside" she said ignoring her mother gaping from over the back of her chair.
"Tashi! Get back here! At least let me give you some tips on how to entice your enemy!" she said, her voice old frail, and irrelevant to Tashi.
Tashi and Hisagi looked at the field of battle in the bright moonlight and then turned to face him. Hisagi saw her framed in a scene identical to that of her greatest grandfather's portrait, bathed in the light of a smiling moon. "It will be okay, Hisagi-san." She handed the parchment to one of the butlers who followed them outside and she said "Please respond I am prepared to face them in battle as soon as they can arrive."
The servant's face went white with fear, but he took the paper with a white gloved hand and nodded his understanding "Of course, Mistress" and left immediately to fulfill his duty. She turned again and looked up at the stars.
Two days later Tashi and Hisagi stood on a swell in the land between the Satsuna army and her ancestral home. Tashi's mother and governess along with the servants hid behind the heavy oaken door of the kitchen. The Satsuna army was comprised of men on their horses, a dozen lines of archers, and a mob of infantry men. They filled the opposite end of the battlefield to the brim.
Tashi approached on foot while Lord Satsuna and his two captains approached. They trotted up on horseback decked out in their ancestor's armor. She could hear their chuckles over the jangling of their swords and hardware. The vivid red lacquered armor of Lord Satsuna was impressive even without the traditional mask. The two similarly armored captains flanking his side were also smiling broadly and not wearing the ghostly gruesome masks which always bothered Tashi.
"Lord Satsuna" she said acknowledging him with a nod of her head.
The three men all laughed heartily. "Is this your surrender?"
Tashi giggled in her hand, like a little girl. "Oh no, Lord Satsuna. I'm giving you a chance to leave."
The captains nearly fell off their horses their laughter was so hard. Tashi did not respond.
Lord Satsuna lost patience. "Listen little girl, I have my entire army here. If you aren't going to be serious then I'll strike you down here and now."
The two junior officers stopped and looked at each other surprised at his harshness.
Tashi went ice cold and didn't back down, but rather looked deep into his eyes. "I will be waiting on that swell of land back there." She pointed back towards where Hisgai was standing. "If you don't leave, I guarantee each and everyone one of you will die today."
Lord Satsuna sat tall on his horse and sneered "You're making a mockery of a time-honored tradition of battle! I won't need an army to destroy a little girl and her boyfriend."
Tashi sighed, disappointed in Yukimaru's father. She mumbled "I see where Yukimaru learned his respect for women." She looked up and calmly said "As I said. I will be waiting on that hill over there."
Hisagi Shuhei watched his captain walk across the green grass up to the top of the small hill they stood on. He felt panic. He knew his Captain could handle herself, but he did not think they could take on an army all alone. "Tashi-sama! This is madness!" he said. He watched the three men on horseback return to their place of command behind the army.
She shook her head in agreement. "It certainly is. It's not something I want to do, but it is necessary." She walked forward signaling she was going to accept the challenge. "Hisagi, you may leave or you may stay. If you stay I ask you simply kneel at my side, here." She pointed with her left hand at the ground.
"No, Touichi-sama! I will fight by your side!" he barked.
She looked at him irritated that she had another man who didn't believe in her, and sternly said "No. Not this time. These are the only conditions I will allow."
Hisagi watched the lines of warriors and said "I can send a messenger back to Kuchiki-sama. He can send troops! This is madness!"
She yelled "Kneel or leave!" Frustrated he may die like a coward he took hesitant steps forward to her side, but kneeled. With warmth and understanding she said "Worry not, my loyal Vice Captain. I am capable."
The army saw it was only her and her foolish vice captain at her feet. Lord Satsuna laughed at the woman wearing white a white haori and her simple black shihakushou with no armor. He had not seen her since she was an apologetic girl well before the academy, and well before her time in Inuzuri, and well before the trials she faced as a Shinigami.
The infantry began to charge. "Taicho!" said Hisagi stunned Tashi was so calm while a wave of sheer violence closed in on them. The ground beneath their feet rumbled with the charging men. Hisagi could not imagine what it would be like once the cavalry and its armored horses would begin to charge towards them.
"Stay there, Hisagi" she snapped. She unsheathed her sword, dug her scabbard into the ground next to her, and raised the blade over her head in an unconventional horizontal posture.
He could hear some laughing amongst the cavalry and then the imprecise line of horses began to gallop towards them behind the infantry. The thundering hooves created a sound Hisagi could feel in his chest and then his bones. The vibration and shaking were terrible.
Hisagi looked at her form and saw it begin to glow a golden color. She confidently said "Ban-kai. Aite, Hidoi Tengoku!" (Open up terrible heaven!). An inky black cloud appeared in the sky high above them over the battlefield.
Some of the charging horses faltered but the charge continued onward towards Tashi and Hisagi. The black ink spread outward and eventually down towards the horizon. Light from the sky faded to darkness blanketing the battlefield and lands well beyond it into darkness. Pin points of light began to pierce through the velvety blackness overhead. The golden light surrounding her shot into the sky. There were bolts of light firing off her blade into the sky where they burst and filled the darkness with what appeared to be brilliant sparkling stars.
The lights began to burn very bright, so brightly in fact it was blinding. In a flash the stars lit the field so fiercely that the army could not see and the soldiers became disoriented. The cavalry nearly trampled itself in the confusion. There was pandemonium as no one could see where they were headed only moments earlier. Some thought they had gone blind from the divine light. Others were fearful of divine forces. The stars began to shine brighter and brighter. Everyone, save Tashi, needed to shade this eyes from the glare of the white light pouring down from the sky with lifted arms.
Hisagi peered over his elbow as Captain Touichi slashed her sword down forcefully and precisely drawing down a dense thick shower of sparkling falling stars. The terrible fire of blinding light fell upon the battlefield in one fell swoop. After the wave of deadly destructive starlight singed the field with deadly fire, the remaining stars arched out of the sky down onto the ground like meteors. They crashed into the Earth and demolished what remained of the army. It was as though the heavens itself were attacking. Hisagi had to shield his eyes with his arm until the fatal lights ceased falling and burned out.
There had been a great cry of panic from the oncoming army, and then nothing. A great heat blast hurled a warm wind over him and his captain, but she stood firm. Hisagi instinctively reached out and clung to the scabbard she had dug into the dirt in front of him to prevent from being blown over. He stole a glance of his petite captain standing firm in the light and wind, the waves of heat and light ruffling her cloak and her hair, but not making her bow. Hisagi took cover at her side without shame.
After the relentless bombardment it had become quiet, the darkness faded, and the blue of the daytime sky reappeared. It was only midmorning and his captain had obliterated an entire army of highly trained battle-hardened warriors with a single swipe of her slender blade.
The field had been completely blackened. There was no debris, no bodies, no bones, no armor, nothing but sizzling scorched earth, the smoke of which was being gently carried away on a warm breeze. The army was no more. It had been smote by the great and terrible beauty of his Captain's Starlight Bankai.
He was shaking in the shadow of his captain. She looked down at him and in her tiny voice said "You can get up now if you like."
Instead of standing he put his other knee down and said "I apologize, Captain. I doubted you, and I apologize." He bowed to the ground, touching his forehead to the grass.
It was quiet and then he heard her giggle, like a girl from the academy. "I reached bankai many years ago, but for the same reasons as many others I didn't share it with many people. Just those closest to me." She knelt down and put a hand on his shoulder "Vice Captain, please don't doubt me again. I dragged you out here with nothing to go on, but you should have asked me what myplan was, and not presume I had none."
He pressed his head further to the ground in shame.
Tashi said "Thank you for staying by my side."
He looked up in disbelief. Some movement caught his eye on the field which was mostly white ash ditches. He saw a couple soldiers run off into the surrounding woods "Captain!" he pointed.
She looked and said "Yes, it's fine. I want them to go and tell others. I want people to know I've returned and that I'm capable of fighting for my lands and people. "
"Who will lead their clan?" he asked, looking down at the empty field.
She pouted in thought "I don't know. I just killed the lord, all his subordinates, and his son. Maybe I'll take on their properties. I didn't think that far ahead" she shrugged and grimaced "I didn't think they'd come after me in such force." She shook her head. "I'll think about it tomorrow. There's probably a lot of widows and children who will now need looking after."
He stood and nodded uncertain how his captain would handle such fall out.
She said "They should not have come here. They should not have pressured the Touichis" and walked back towards her castle. "Come, Hisagi. I think I'd like some iced tea. I'm feeling a bit parched."
He took one last look at the white ashen field then followed his captain inside.
Back at the castle in the tea room a smattering of servants dotted the walls of the room. Earlier that day they had waited in quiet behind the heavy doors expecting a slaughter. A handful of the butlers and under butlers were convinced, like everyone else, that they would meet their gory end that day. The young men and boys decided they would go out in a blaze of glory and broke out of the room to the horror of the rest of the staff and ladies who were also in the kitchen. They ran out to the balcony where Hisagi and Tashi looked over the field two days earlier. They arrived just in time to see Tashi raise her sword, send lighting into the sky, and use her bankai.
After witnessing her power from a distance no one was in any doubt about who was now in charge of the estate. Tashi dabbed her mouth delicately with a cloth napkin and requested a hell butterfly. One in a gilded cage was brought to her and she sent word via the butterfly to Byakuya to inform him of the events of the last few days. HIsagi stood along the ornately decorated wall and while his captain sipped from her tea cup he admired the gilded molding on the walls. He eyed some larger than life portraits of her ancestors and some simply displayed metallic wallpapers which he was convinced were made with real gold threads. Captain had mentioned her mother's family saved this castle with their wealth when her parents were wed with the dowry. I wonder what her mother's family's home is like. I can't imagine anything more opulent.
Tashi sat back and signed. She needed to tell Byakuya of the events over the last couple days. She placed her fingers in front of the creature in the cage and transmitted the images of the last few days to the bug who would share them directly with him. When finished the cage was carried off by servants to send the creature on its way out an enormous window.
Tashi moved to a richly appointed study down the hall in which her father used to work. Hard wood veined with darker brown swirls lined both the walls and floors. Royal blue velvet cushions and textiles littered the room. Golden yellow tassels and fleur de lis accented the furniture and dramatic drapery. Tashi ordered all the draperies be opened wide for daylight to pour in and opened most of the enormous ancient windows for fresh air.
Many of the servants had been dismissed when Yukimaru took over, and eventually he replaced them with his own. The day he was killed many of his servants left of their own accord. After the battle some had stayed with nowhere else to go, but Tashi dismissed them and asked they return to the Satsuna lands. When some refused she was forced to add under penalty of death. She could not trust Yuki's people and could not allow them to stay in her home. To her relief they all left.
The sunlight poured into the room and a warm breeze filtered through the dusty hallways. She had a moderate sized birdcage of hell butterflies trained and awaiting messages. Despite the insect messengers she was writing hand written letters to the surrounding families to not only announce her return, but asked they assist the orphans and widows of the Satsuna clan. The sheer number of Satsuna orphans and widows acted as a not so subtle nudge to the surrounding clans to not try the same actions as the Satsunas. The birds tweeted, the warm breeze blew over her shoulder, and she smiled at what she had accomplished.
Byakuya sat at his desk at home while the sun began to set. He wrote diligently of the days events in his family log, and then moved on to his personal journal. His door was open to the outside providing a brilliant view of his personal garden. He had passing thoughts and memories of his family there and though he missed them all he was comforted by their memories. The flutter of Tashi's hell butterfly's wings caught his eye and as it came towards him he reached out his arm and allowed the tiny creature to land on his finger. It transmitted the near unbelievable battle, her father's passing, but then the peaceful state she was in when she sent the message. She wanted him to come to her, but understood if his responsibilities held him at home.
The next morning Tashi was dressed in her people's traditional corseted dress in royal blue. Gold lace subtlety and tastefully adorned the boat neck style, and the edge of each layer of ruffles of her floor length hoop skirt.
She enjoyed breakfast with her Vice Captain who wore a top hat along with his signature sleeveless shihakushou. They sat at a small table in the tea room and Tashi had a laugh as she laid a white napkin on her deep blue taffeta skirt. "I am heartened by your embracing of my culture, Hisagi-san, but so you are aware, it is considered rude to wear a hat at the table" she smiled then giggled. He blushed and took it off.
Tashi nodded at servant who came and held the hat for him while they ate. "Where did you find the hat? You're more than welcome to it, of course" she asked.
He smiled "It was a gift from your mother" he said, cautiously.
Her eyebrows jumped. "That's…interesting."
"At first I wasn't going to accept, but then she said she would be insulted if I didn't take it."
Tashi nodded. "I think she's uncomfortable with Shinigami dress."
"She said it was a…a…" he swallowed, anxiously. "A thank you."
"That's nice" said Tashi absently, spooning yogurt into her mouth, while eying a newspaper laid on the side of the table. "For what? Your service to me?"
He cleared his throat. "She was under the mistaken assumption that…that I…"
Tashi looked up. Her interest in the article fading and her concern about her mother's ability to manipulate. "What?" asked Tashi inviting nothing less than the blunt truth.
"She couldn't believe you won the battle" he said and immediately followed with "I tried to explain. Repeatedly that I had nothing to do with any of it, but she-"
"I understand" said Tashi, cutting him off. She went back to her yogurt and the newspaper. "Doesn't matter."
He sighed, relieved.
A young woman came from the hallway and kneeled down next to Tashi who gave the girl her attention. "Milady, a Captain Byakuya Kuchiki is here."
"In the parlor?" Tashi dropped her spoon in her bowl. Hisagi was glad to see her face light up with happiness.
"Yes, ma'am" nodded the young lady.
Tashi stood and told Hisagi to enjoy his day as he sees fit. "I haven't seen the captain in some time and would like some personal time with him" she winked.
He blushed and nodded.
Tashi glided out of the room, down the hall and towards the parlor. Her gloved hands gently rested in the folds of her dress to guide the large bulk of fabric gracefully when she walked.
The captain stood next to a large narrow spring line window. He wore his captain's haori and familiar kenseikan. They greeted each other very formally: her with a curtsy, him with a bow. They spoke as captains about their work very briefly but their eyes never strayed from each other. Their prescribed formal words were automatically flowing and did not align with their strong attraction.
She invited him out to see the gardens where she had, years previously, entertained Ukitake-taicho and Renji trying to convince her mother she could go on a school trip.
The two captains walked down stone steps towards white wrought iron table and chairs. Tashi explained that it was perfectly alright for him to lean into the large ruffles of her skirt for practical reasons heading down the narrow stone steps. They passed a familiar wrought iron table set while he updated her on the goings on at his estate, and Rukia's well wishes that she sent along.
Tashi took off her gloves and slid her hand into his. His speech slowed distracted by the softness of her hands. She led him to a clearing along a dirt path beyond the sitting area. The area was open in a strangely perfect symmetrical way. He thought it odd until Tashi pointed out "This intersection is as ancient as the castle itself. If you look closely you can see the old petrified wooden trellis which was covered up by these huge vines. I know they look like trees, but they're actually vines. Many thousands of years old."
Byakuya admired the vines as thick and knurled as the trees deeper in the forest. They had grown so much they took over the structure creating a completely natural looking structure. Then he heard the sound of rushing water and felt a rumbling under his feet. She guided him down one of the four paths towards the sound. They popped out of the thick green canopy and looked out upon the most famous feature of the Touichi estate. It was one of the most famous natural features in all of Soul Society. They stood on a small balcony which jutted out over a deep rocky cavern across from a massive series of waterfalls that stretched as far as his eyes could see. It was as though there had been an ocean there at one point and the floor dropped out from underneath. The spray created large clouds of mist obscuring the river below and the thundering of the falls pounded his chest and ears. It was what the Touichi estate was truly famous for and what her family had been stewards of for so many millennia.
He held her close and she rested her head on his chest. He stroked her black hair noting it was casually held up by a few antique hair pins. He could freely stroke her head without worrying about ruing her hairdo. He smiled, exhilarated by the sights and sounds of nature. He brought his hand up again to stroke her silky hair and he brushed against her cheek. He thought he noted it was wet from the mist and then realized she was quaking in his arms. He lifted her chin and saw her tears. It wasn't the mist of the falls, but tears falling onto her round cheeks.
He guided her away from the thundering falls and when they were back in the intersection they halted and she continued crying. She wrapped her arms around him as her skirt billowed out behind and around them and she cried into his chest, comforted by the scent of koboku which she so associated with him. He gently cradled her and whispered, "Why do you cry? I might have from the beauty you just showed me."
"I'm sorry she whimpered. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to ruin-"
He chuckled "Sh, no" he said his voice deep and calming.
She put her hands on his chest looked up at him and said "I…I killed them all. With, with just a swipe of my sword." She couldn't finish. She dropped her head and let her tears fall. "I didn't want to" she cried. "I, I didn't want to! I asked them to leave. Repeatedly! They just laughed."
He held her tightly and nodded, somewhat relieved. He sighed and said "Yes, I understand. This is another reason why there are many restrictions on bankai and why we try to use it sparingly. Your tears show you are responsible enough to handle the weapon. You are a good woman."
She calmed somewhat, glad she could confide in him and that he too understood the cost of taking life and the responsibility of wielding such great power. Her crying slowed to a stop and she closed her eyes, inhaled his scent, and gave him a squeeze. A playful hug.
She backed away, still holding his hand, and they walked back towards the castle. "Thank you" she whispered and he squeezed her hand.
"You did what you had to, Tashi-san. It is not always easy, but take heart, it is not always hard."
Later that afternoon Tashi closed the door to her personal bedchamber. Byakuya leaned in the doorway of her personal balcony gazing in the distance at the mist rising from the falls. He heard the click of the handle as she locked the door. He glanced back out her windows at the rolling hills and lush forest beyond her castle. He flinched when he felt her small hand touch his back and smiled when she peaked around his arm. He lifted his arm around her shoulder and held her. He noted the playful but seductive look in her eye which he had never seen, and found it very enticing. She pulled the hair pins out of her hair and allowed her long black hair to tumble down free and loose and long. It had grown significantly since the last time he had seen it down. It hung to the back of her knees.
"You look like an ancient princess" he said almost hypnotized by her.
He felt a bit more apprehension and glanced at the door. "It's locked" she said, then stepped back, away from him. His eyes followed her and she gripped his hand, gently tugging him towards her. She sat down on her bed and he followed her sitting next to her on the unfamiliar furniture. He tested the spring by bouncing a couple times when he sat. A look of confusion spread across his face and she laughed at him. She popped off her strange western shoes and crawled to the middle of the mattress. "Come here" she whispered.
He got up on his knees, dropping his sandals off and awkwardly crawled to the center of the mattress with her and they met, on their knees. She giggled at ever cool Byakuya momentarily being clumsy as he tried to find his balance on this strange contraption. Once he did she took his hands in hers and they kissed, deeply, and he pulled back, surprised albeit pleasantly at her eagerness.
He eyed her, questioningly. Hesitant. "I'm in your personal bedchambers. Is this not against your rules of etiquette?" he asked.
"This is my home. I am now the head of my family" she touched his face, and let her eyes linger on his mouth. "I make the rules." She looked back up into his grey eyes and they embraced again, shedding clothing in broad day light. They had been intimate under covers in the darkness of night, but never fully for Tashi's childish fears of breaking rules her family had set for her.
She felt his hands on her naked flesh and her confidence soared. I'm not property to protect. I am a woman and I possess myself. She gleefully broke her family's rules and took her own life in her hands. Byakuya was more than happy to oblige.