Making his way through the halls of the 13th Division's barracks, Daisuke takes little notice of the young soul following him at a distance. If anything, it was the other members of the divisions that held his attention. Given the time of day, the place was busy with officers filling out paperwork, others patrolling or going about their own business. Yet, nearly all of them gave Daisuke the same look, a look of mild annoyance. He knew why, and as the years had gone by he'd lost interest in trying to change their perspectives. That doesn't mean, however, that it didn't bother him. No, it definitely did.
After a few minutes of watching passersby show their feelings towards him, Daisuke reached the offices of the high ranking officers. A single hallway on the topmost floor of the barracks hosted them all, with the Captain's being right at the end. As he passes each of the doors, he notes the kanji on them, going from 'Tenth Seat' all the way to 'Captain'. It wasn't uncommon for the officers' offices to be so close to their Captain's office, though the arrangement intrigued Daisuke. Right next to the Captain's office were two small desks, one at either side which are currently occupied by two seemingly bored Shinigami.
The first is a petite soul with energetic grey eyes, dark blond hair styled short and somewhat spiky. She dons the standard shihakushō, with small changes in the form of a collared top protruding from her kosode and a pair of white gloves. The other soul is a few feet taller than his comrade, sporting black hair, a short goatee and a white headband. Like his comrades, his shihakushō is a modified version, with white straps around both of his shoulders that attach to one another by a ring on his back.
At first, the two don't seem to notice Daisuke, both arguing about something relating to their Captain. Choosing to watch as they slowly get more and more heated about whatever it is, Daisuke places his arms into his sleeves and smiles. This sideshow had allowed the young soul to finally catch up with him, though she too finds herself more interested in watching the two argue. Sighing at the event, she turns back to Daisuke and taps him on his kosode.
"Err, Brother?" She looks at the man with an anxious look covering her face. Holding her tongue for a few moments before Daisuke slowly turns to face her, his warm smile puts her at ease. "What brings you here?"
"I'm here to see Captain Ukitake… I assume he's not here at the moment given those two's rather loud bickering?" Daisuke both answers her question while asking one of his own. The young soul shakes her head in response, causing him to sigh. "Then I presume he'll be at the Ugendō Quarters?"
"He is, he came down with another bout of his sickness." The young soul's answer is exactly what Daisuke didn't want to hear.
"It can not be helped, I'll go and see him afterwards." Daisuke's smile fades slightly as he turns back to the two bickering Shinigami, who have finally noticed him standing only a few feet from them. "Are you two in charge here?"
"Huh? Well yeah, the Captain's indisposed at the moment… who're you?" The dark haired man replies with a look of slight confusion on his face as he looks Daisuke up and down, trying to place him mentally. While doing so he sees the young soul beside him. "What are you doing here Rukia? You're not on duty today… are you?"
Before Rukia could even answer the question, the blond haired soul pipes up. "If she was off duty, why would she be carrying around her zanpakutō!?" Her voice is near ear shattering as she stands to confront her comrade.
"Well, how the hell would I know what she does on her off days! It's not against the law to carry a zanpakutō while off duty!" The black haired shinigami returns as he shoots out of his seat, their heads now locked firmly in a battle of might.
"You should know what those within our division are doing at all times!" The fight between the two continues to escalate at an alarming rate, with both no shouting at the top of their lungs. "That's our job after all!"
"Sorry for not knowing what each one of our four hundred comrades are doing at this specific time of the damn day!" Again the black haired shinigami pushes back, his face going red from the stress put on his vocal cords at the pitch of his shouts.
While the two shinigami continue to bicker, Rukia grows noticeably annoyed by the display while Daisuke simply stands and waits. If anything it was mildly amusing for him to see how other officers around the Seireitei act in front of others. Then again, they also seem to not know exactly who he is, which could explain their lax attitude. He goes to run a hand through his hair, but as he does he finds something missing, something that usually keeps the hair on his right side pushed back. A kenseikan clip. Pulling his arms out of his sleeves, he searches through his kosode, finding the wayward clip within moments. Pushing back the shortish hair that hangs over his right side back, he clasps the kenseikan into place.
Seeing no end in the two's bickering within the next few minutes, Daisuke coughs into his hand. Both stop their argument to turn to their guest as a look of embarrassment takes ahold of their features. The black haired shinigami scratches the back of his head and the blond haired souls bow in a form of apology.
"Sorry you had to see that…" Standing herself straight, the soul looks over Daisuke again and finds the one thing that was once missing. In a matter of moments, the look of embarrassment is replaced with a look of shock. "A… Kuchiki?"
"Kuchiki Daisuke, 3rd Seat of the 6th Division, to be precise." Bowing his head slightly while he waits for the two to return the gesture.
The black haired shinigami is the first to do so, somewhat loudly. "Kotsubaki Sentarō, joint 3rd Seat with Kotetsu Kiyone." He points to the soul next to him, as a slightly unnaturally long silence reigns over the four souls.
For nearly a minute the silence reigns over the hallway, until Kiyone breaks it. "I don't mean to be rude, but would you be the one a lot of shinigami refer to as the Weakest 3rd Seat?" Daisuke's face contorts slightly into an annoyed expression at the question. Seeing his reaction, Kiyone holds up her hands placatingly. "I didn't mean anything by it, I promise. I just heard things around the barracks and wanted to find out if they were actually true." Bowing again, Kiyone looks up to the man to see if he's accepted.
"It's fine, it is an unfortunate title that many seem to have saddled me with. Now, if we may move onto why I'm here?" Daisuke explains quickly before offering to expand on why he's actually at the barracks. The two both nod and wait for him to continue. "I was intending to see Captain Ukitake, but since he's indisposed. I'm here at the behest of Captain Kuchiki of the 6th Division to ask for your cooperation with a recent incident that looks to be connected to one your division experienced."
"Which event would that be?" Sentarō asks as he crosses his arms, a sense of authority beginning to come off of him.
"I don't know the name of the soul you subdued, but I know they were in possession of a zanpakutō without being a member of the Gotei 13. The soul also seemed to hold a high level of reiryoku, and if the report I read was correct, they were able to kill a few of your more combat focused men." Daisuke lays out everything neatly for both Kiyone and Sentarō, making sure they knew he was well informed, if even more so than they'd expect. "The 6th division encountered a similar soul on one of our patrols. Unfortunately, they were all lost to us, but not before sending word to us with the name of the district in the Rukongai they found him. I along with a team of officers were then sent, and we were able to kill the soul. He too possessed both a zanpakutō and a high level of reiryoku." He pauses for a moment to allow the two to keep up, before one final addition. "Lastly, he wore a shihakushō, seemingly from the academy only dyed white, a fact I believe your target also shared."
Doing his best to hide his surprise at the amount of information laid at his feet, Sentarō plumps up his chest. "You seem to know your stuff, but that doesn't exactly explain what you want from us?"
"As I said, we only ask for assistance while I investigate these incidents with a fine-toothed comb. To that effect, Captain Kuchiki would like to request you assign a member of the group who fought the soul to help my investigation." Daisuke expands on the assistance he mentioned while remaining ever formal.
Sentarō scratches his chin as he takes a moment to think, meanwhile Kiyone has a question of her own. "Kuchiki, if you already know so much about our incident, why are you requiring a member of our division to help you?"
"Ah, a good question Kotetsu. Captain Kuchiki expects there to have been information not present in the report sent to the Captain-Commander, or information missed by the first sweep. We simply wish to double check to ensure we are ready if another event were to pop up in the future." Daisuke's answer was honest, however it was clear to Kiyone he was doing his best to hide his bluntness in honeyed words.
Picking up on what Daisuke was implying, Sentarō's expression changes harshly. "Eh, you saying we can't do our job right? Or are you simply implying we chose to not tell everything to the Captain-Commander?"
"The latter." The words come as a shock to both Sentarō and Kiyone, but before the former can bite back Daisuke continues. "No division sends all of the details of an investigation to the Captain-Commander, that would simply be a waste of his time. Little details are sure to have been ignored, since you assumed this was a one off event. Those are the details I was referring to, ones that now could be useful."
Regaining his composure quickly, Sentarō grits his teeth. "As long as you're not bashing my division… I guess we can help you." Each word was seemingly forced out of the man's mouth, his companion waiting patiently to add her own thoughts. "However, in the future don't make assumptions about this division again."
"So, who did you have in mind?" Kiyone questions, content with how things have progressed.
"Anyone who took part in the investigation will suffice. For now the goal is to see if there is a connection, and if we find one, to see just what connects them." Daisuke comments, resting a hand on his blades' hilts.
"Hm, I think a couple of the group we sent are not currently on assignment, who do you think we should send, Sentarō?" Kiyone ponders over the thought for a few minutes, trying to decide who would fit the purpose.
Sentarō does the same, thinking on the issue for a moment before a small smile splits his lips. "Kurumadani Zennosuke is currently free, and he fulfils the requirements you asked for." He turns to his comrade and winks subtly before looking to Rukia. "Rukia, go and inform Zennosuke that we wish to see him."
The young soul bows to her superior, turns and begins to take her leave. As she passes Daisuke, she looks to him for merely a moment, but in that moment countless thoughts rush through her mind. Thoughts she's had for years; why was Daisuke always so warm to her, but in the next breath cold and distant? Yet, now was not the time for it so she suppresses them and continues on.
"Where would you have Zennosuke meet you?" Kiyone questions picking up a pad of paper and a pen, readying both as her grey eyes meet with her colleagues.
"The 6th Division Barrack's shall suffice, tomorrow at midday. Thank you, both." Daisuke replies, bowing his head to the two. "If you two don't mind, I've still a few more tasks to finish before the end of the day." Seeing no objection from the two, Daiskue bows his head again and strides down the hallway leaving the two 3rd Seats to their own business.
For a moment the two stand and watch the noble leave their barracks. Their thoughts occupied by either plans for their division's day to day, or the meeting that had just happened. Another minute or so pass before Sentarō breaks the silence. "I don't like that guy, just like all the other damned nobles. Up his own arse and thinks he knows everything."
"I think you're judging him too harshly, Sentarō, he was perfectly polite with us." Kiyone argues with her comrade while finishing jotting down the request that was made, ensuring it was all in order. "If anything he was only a tad blunt, nothing more." Putting her pen and pad away, she slides over to her desk. "Sentarō, let's get back to work. Rukia will find Zennosuke soon enough and we'll have to make sure we're ready to brief him." Sentarō scoffs at his comrades' points, though he internally concedes and strides over to his own desk.
Only a short walk from the 13th Division's barracks is a small patch of walled off land, filled with luscious green gardens. A small crystal blue lake filled with precious brilliant gold koi far larger than any others inside of the Seireitei. At the centre of the lake, only accessible by a small walkway, with a handrail on one side, is a small hut styled in Edo Period architecture. White walls and an orange curved roof. Daisuke appears out of thin air midway along the walkway, slowly walking towards the small hut. He keeps his pace slow, his footsteps barely ringing out as each foot hits the light wood.
The door to the hut is closed, made in the same style as the hut itself. A shoji with small sections made from thin paper. Knocking lightly on the thin wooden parts of the shoji, he waits to see if there is any response. After a few moments, nothing happens. Not even the faintest whisper. Daisuke knocks again a little harder, the shoji itself rattling a little from the force. Yet, again no call comes. For a third and final time, he knocks on the shoji, making sure to keep them respectful. A few moments pass him by and just as Daisuke begins to sigh and leave, a faint whisper of a voice calls out to him. It wasn't permission to enter, merely a weak call to see who was there.
"Jūshirō." Daisuke answers the faint call.
Again no response came, except for a tirad of coughs. Each one sounded worse than the one before. Hearing just how bad the man sounds, Daisuke slides open the shoji and takes off his waraji, leaving them outside. Stepping into the room he immediately moves over to the man, helping him sit upright. Once upright, he grabs a glass of water off of a small side table and places it to the man's lips. With all of the liquid gone, he returns the glass to the table and takes a seat next to the man.
"I see your subordinates were right about your condition." Daisuke comments lightly as he pulls his blades from his sash and rests them onto the floor next to him. "How long have you been like this?"
The soul chuckles lightly at the question. His body may be under turmoil but his mind is perfectly stalwart. "Only a week or so, you needn't worry, Daisuke," he pauses to cough again, though not as violently as before. Once done he looks up to meet Daisuke's gaze. "What led you to my division? I don't recall a request from the 6th Division and we haven't sent for aid either."
"That would be because I only brought this to them today,." Daisuke explains in short, leaving the majority of the details out of it. "However, they were able to help me with my request, so you needn't worry."
"Be that as it may, my friend, I would still like to know why you went,." Jūshirō replies with a small genuine smile on his lips.
Daisuke chuckles in response, standing from his spot. "Then I guess we should have a drink while we talk?"
Daisuke waits for Jūshirō to agree before he moves over to the same small table he placed the glass onto. Moving that glass into the sink to the right of the table, he searches the small cupboards above the table. Finding a lone bottle of white sake. He takes the bottle out and unscrews it's lid, taking in the aroma of the fermented rice wine. A subtle hint of flora with a hint of a sort of nutty odor. Happy with the contents of the bottle, he places it onto the small table and looks for a couple of saucers, which luck would have it, were next to the bottle. With all three things in hand, he slides back over to his place on the floor and sits. Placing the saucers down, one for himself and one for Jūshirō. The liquid quickly fills the saucers when Daisuke pours the sake, first for his host than for himself. The bottle is then placed to his side.
The two salute to one another before indulging in the clear liquor. Daisuke finishes his first, putting the saucer back onto the floor before he begins his long explanation. He leaves nothing out, not even the little tidbits he heard as he left the barracks. Jūshirō coughs again, before nodding as he places his own saucer down onto the floor.
"Ah, I see. I know the event you are referring too, a horrid affair." Jūshirō sighs as he recalls the report he made. "Four died to take down that man, and we have little to really show for it."
"Precious little is all any of these souls seem to leave behind, other than bodies." Daisuke comments, pouring two more saucers full of sake and offering one to Jūshirō. "Hopefully, the incident the 8th Division experienced was left with more evidence than ours."
"I'd advise talking to Shunsui's lieutenant before Shunsui himself. As you well know he has a tendency to leave it all to her and go drinking." Jūshirō mentions though he smiles softly as he does so, sharing a knowing look with Daisuke.
"I intended to do just that given the time, though I also wish to see Shunsui. It's been a while since I've had a reason to go and see him." Daisuke agreed before finishing off his second saucer of sake. "On that note, it's time I was on my way."
Waiting for Jūshirō to finish his own saucer of sake, Daisuke begins to pick up his saucer and the bottle. Standing he takes Jūshirō's saucer and takes them to the cupboard he found it in. Recorking the bottle, he places it back into the cupboard and moves the pots into the sink that resides just to the left of the small table. With everything away, he turns to his friend, who has already laid himself back down, and bows.
"I hope your illness doesn't keep you bedridden for long my friend." Daisuke straightens up and takes his leave of the small hut, closing the shoji behind him.
The sky is slightly grayer than it was when he arrived, a fact that causes Daisuke to sigh. There is no time for him to take a leisurely stroll, or even a brisk run. Now he needed to tap into his shunpo. Letting a short breath out, he focuses on his destination. His body is already beginning to funnel his reiatsu to where it needs to be. Breathing in, he takes a step, and another, and finally a third. In just three steps his surroundings had blitzed past him. Instead of the small serene hut and lake he once stood at, he was now outside of a two storied edo styled building. Not too dissimilar from the hut on the lake. The only difference, other than the size, was the fact it stood in the middle of the 8th Division's barracks.
Looking around, the barracks wasn't busy at all, only a few souls either training or taking a walk. Without waiting, Daisuke enters the building through it's uncovered doorway. Finding himself in what appears to be a small office of some sort. A lone desk and chair rest in the corner, while a few shelves home books, a stairway in the opposite corner and a filing cabinet sits behind the desk. Probably for all of the reports that need checking, or ones that have been archived. To his dismay, the desk was unoccupied, which meant the likelihood of him finding either the Captain or Lieutenant was rather small. Sighing, he pushes his hair out of his face and starts to leave, but is stopped by the sound of footsteps. Turning in the direction of the sound, he sees a short slender woman, dressed in the standard shihakushō with a pair of oval glasses. Her black hair is pinned back with flat bangs that hang to the right of her face, over her glasses. Her blue eyes look over Daisuke for a moment, shifting the book in her arms around.
"Good evening, 3rd Seat Kuchiki, how may I help the 6th Division?" The souls questions as she walks over to the desk, placing the book down onto it before sitting in the chair.
"Hello, Lieutenant Ise." Daisuke bows his head a little, taking up a casual pose as he leans on the doorframe. "I've come at the behest of my Captain to ask for your support in investigating a matter that involves a recent event. One that also seems relates to an incident of yours from a year or so past."
"Oh, and what incident would that be?" The woman questions, sitting back in her chair as if to say she's listening.
"The one involving a rogue soul with a high reiryoku and a zanpakutō." Daisuke quickly answers.
"Ah, that particular case." Turning in her chair, she reaches out to the filing cabinets and rummages through one of the drawers. A moment or so later, she pulls out a file and closes the draw, turning back to her desk. "Let's see here." She places the file onto the desk and begins to pursue it, taking a minute or so before she finishes and looks to Daisuke. "We didn't get the name of the soul in question, but he was quite the pain to subdue. Was there anything in particular about the case you wanted to know?"
"No, nothing in particular. We just wish to go over your files to see if anything matches our case, and if you would assign a member from that investigation to help. That too, would be a great deal of help," Daisuke replies easily, pushing off of the wall and walking across to the desk.
Closing the file, the soul looks up to Daisuke. "Well, I don't see why we can't come to some agreement, though of course you understand I must run this by Captain Kyōraku. Who at this moment in time, is indisposed."
"I had assumed he would be, given the time." Daisuke shares a knowing look with the woman. "Very well, I thank you for your help, Lieutenant Ise, and if you decide to send a member to help my investigation. Please have them report to the 6th Division barracks tomorrow morning at midday."
"If Captain Kyōraku agrees, I shall ensure they are there." The woman bows her head to the other soul. "Now, if you have nothing else you wish to discuss, I'd appreciate being left to my duties."
Before Daisuke can even speak, a soul blinks into existence and drapes an arm over the woman at the desk. Rosy red cheeks are barely visible from under a sugegasa straw hat, along with a sly smile. A pink kimono hangs over their shoulders and down the length of their body, only just covering their shihakushō and white haori. In the next instant, the soul is on their back on the floor, his face now on display. A thin pencil beard and moustache accompany his long tied up wavy brown hair. His grey eyes land on Daisuke as he looks around.
"Daisuke." The man rights himself as he speaks. "I thought you said you'd be out of the Seireitei for a while?"
"I was Shunsui, but I returned this morning… you knew that." Looking the man up and down, Daisuke smiles softly as a thought begins to fester in his mind. "However, it seems my absence hasn't stopped you enjoying yourself. I assume with the others?" He pauses for a moment, before smiling knowingly. "Ah, hello there Rangiku… Shūhei."
Turning his head to the side, he watches as two souls approach the door. The first is a woman of above average height with a very curvaceous figure that seems to emphasize her rather large breasts. Her long wavy strawberry blonde hair flows down her back, just above her sheathed zanpakutō, and over her shoulders. Like her many comrades, she dons the typical shihakushō but with her own style of wearing it. Leaving the front to hang loose enough for her ample bosom to be seen. Around her neck hangs a thin golden necklace that runs down between her breasts, often hidden by the latter. Lastly, a pink scarf hangs over her shoulders rather casually.
To her right is a taller soul with short spiky black hair and dull grey eyes. Under his left eye is two tattoos: the first a blue line that runs across his left cheek and over the bridge of his nose, the second the number '69' underneath the blue line. His other eye is marked by three vertical slash-like scars. Around his neck is a black coloured choker, which shares its look with two armbands that go around his upper arms. Unlike many souls his shihakushō is a sleeveless variant, though for everything else it is near identical. At his waist hangs his sealed zanpakutō, its hilt's wrappings a grey-blue.
Placing her arms behind her head, the first of the two makes a pouty-esque face. "Shunsui… you said there'd be more sake if we came with you..." She sighs rather loudly upon finishing, her crystal blue eyes looking around until they rest on Daisuke. Tilting her head, it takes a moment for her mind to click. "Dai-kun!" The woman launches herself at Daisuke, wrapping her arms around his neck as she swings from side to side.
Before she can even continue talking to him, Daisuke places his left hand between his body and right arm. "Bakudō #1 Sai."
In the next moment, both of the woman's arms are pulled from Daisuke's neck by an unseen force. It doesn't stop there, it continues to wrench her arms until they are fully behind her back and crossed over one another. For a moment she wiggles her arms around, trying to free herself of the kido. In doing so she loses her balance and falls backwards onto the floor. Clearing his throat to act as if nothing happened, Daisuke looks to Shunsui.
"You told her I had sake?" Daisuke asks, his tone tinged with slight annoyance. Mostly due to the fact he knows just how bad Rangiku is when drunk… even more so when drunk and promised more.
Looking on as Rangiku squirms in her new found restraints, Shunsui smiles slyly. "You could say I told her that… or you could say I said I had some in my office. Both would be true to a point."
Sighing hard, Daisuke runs a hand over his face. "Sometimes you really don't come across as a Captain." Another quick sigh leaves his lips as he turns to take his leave of the small, now overcrowded, office.
Before he can leave, however, Shūhei grabs his arm. "You're not going to stay for a drink?"
"Not tonight, Shūhei, I've yet to finish my duties." Daisuke replies simply, bowing his head to the slightly shorter man. "I don't think I'll have any spare time in the coming weeks, though if I do, I'm sure I'll be able to find you."
Getting a nod in response, Shūhei lets go of his friend's arm and walks fully into the office. Meanwhile, Rangiku continues to struggle with the kido, grunting as she tries to break the unseen shackles. Growing frustrated by the kido, she rolls onto her front and barely gets up to her knees. Staring down Daisuke as he walks off, his hand up as to wave behind him.
"Don't you dare leave me like this Daisuke!" Rangiku roars out, slightly losing her balance again and finding her face filled with dirt. A few hushed laughs can be heard as she rolls onto her side, her ire now fully on the two shinigami who did nothing to help her… and seem to still not have her promised sake.
As if from nowhere, Daisuke appeared in the main courtyard of the 6th Division's barracks. Unlike earlier, most souls have now finished their duties and are either in their rooms or relaxing with friends. With the hustle and bustle he so enjoys not present, he wastes little time making his way towards the largest building at the far end of the courtyard. Built just like all other buildings in the Seireitei, it hosts all of the offices for the 6th Division, apart from Byakuya's. Entering through the only entrance, he slows his pace as he passes a few rooms with open doors. The first few seemed to be conference rooms, or simply rooms for a number of lower-ranked officers to work together. One of which is occupied by a lone soul. The 18th Seat, Okuda Hotaru sat with her head in hands with a report of some sort on the table in front of her.
Rather unusually, the woman has all of her light brown hair tied up into a single ponytail, and her shihakushō is slightly unkempt. Though both Daisuke decides to blame on the fact she's already hard at work after just leaving the medical unit. For a few moments he waits for the soul to notice him, yet she remains so focused on her work she never once picks her head up from her hands.
Clearing his throat, Hotaru nearly jumps out of her skin as her royal purple eyes dart up to her commanding officer standing waiting patiently. "Lord Daisuke." She stands abruptly causing a wince of pain to leave her lips as she holds a hand to the centre of her chest.
Crossing the room in seconds, Daisuke places a hand on Hotaru's shoulder and helps her back into her chair. "Take it easy, Hotaru. You need to give the wound time to heal." A warm smile takes ahold of his lips, one that is accompanied by a soothing voice. "I take it you were reliving the battle in your mind?" With Hotaru back in her chair, Daisuke slides over to the chair next to the woman.
Sighing heavily, the woman nods. "I was… I just can't fathom how he was able to hide such strength. I used my Shikai and I was still too weak."
"The man was a fiend in and out, it was my fault for not noticing his strength sooner. For that, I'm sorry Hotaru." Daisuke comments, leaning back in his chair and sighing. "Now get yourself to bed, you're in no condition to fill out your report. I'll do it for you." About to argue, Hotaru stops when she turns to face Daisuke, seeing he was not asking, but ordering.
"Thank you, Daisuke… I'll make sure to be back to normal tomorrow." Hotaru supplies, standing slowly and bowing before making her way out of the small room.
Sighing to himself, Daisuke takes his blades from his sash and leans them against the small table before him. Taking a quick look over the documents his subordinate had been toiling over, he is pleasantly surprised with how well the woman works even after experiencing such trauma. Settling in, the time passes him by like he was absent to the world itself. The work takes him little more than a couple of hours of continuous attention. If anything, all he really had to do was sign off on the report after reading it through and checking for errors. With the last signature done, he leans back into his chair and lets out another sigh.
Compiling the files into one neat pile, he binds them all together and rests them back on the table. Placing his blades back onto his sash, he stands from his seat and picks up the files as he takes his leave of the room. Flicking the light switch and closing the room's door, he takes his time walking down the hallways of his barracks. It is already late and the report wasn't really something he needed to drop off until morning, yet in his mind, it would be easier to do it now. No sooner does he make it to the exit of the barracks does his body tense. The next step finds him at the balcony of Byakuya's office, the light to the small room still flickering through a small gap made by the ajar door.
I didn't expect to find Byakuya working so late. Daisuke muses as he moves to open the door.
Knocking slightly before pulling the door outwards, Daisuke finds Byakuya and his lieutenant Shirogane Ginjirō both hard at work with piles of reports at either side of them. "Captain, Lieutenant, I've brought Okuda Hotaru's report as she wasn't in any fit state to continue working on it. The fact she started it surprised me." Daisuke bows when the two acknowledge his presence.
"Daisuke, pull up a chair." Ginjirō offers, pulling out the chair himself and tapping on it. "With that in hand you can help us get these done, and you might even earn yourself a new pair of Gin Tonbo sunglasses for your effort." The elder of the two winks as he grasps Daisuke's shoulder once the latter has taken the offered seat.
"Thank you for the offer, Ginjirō, but I think I'll pass on the glasses." Daisuke smiles as he chuckles slightly, placing the report onto the already dubiously large pile before beginning to help in the effort to rid them all of the paperwork.
For a while, the three sit in silence as they each look over the many reports filed by the 6th Division, from simple assignment reports to the more annoying personnel reports. Neither really took any of the three much time to do, with Daisuke acting as the proofreader of the longer reports to make it so that the others only needed to sign them. The system works well and time slips past them further and further. The large pile of looming reports were now little more than a couple of bound documents in a neat stack.
Content with how much they'd gotten done, Byakuya leans back in his chair and looks to his younger sibling. "So, Daisuke, how did your meetings with the Captains of the 8th and 13th Division's go?"
"Well..." As Daisuke begins his report, Ginjirō stands from his seat and wanders over to the only over table in the room to make the three a refreshing cup of tea. Given how smoothly each Division had taken his request, it doesn't take long for Daisuke to finish his explanation.
"I shall have Yokoi Keisuke stand ready to receive any helpers sent by the other Divisions, and shall have him bring them to one of the spare rooms. Consider it your new office until the investigation is over." Byakuya takes all of the information in and quickly begins making plans on how tomorrow is going to go.
Daisuke bows his head to his Brother just as Ginjirō returns with a tray holding three separate cups of tea. Placing it onto the now rather clear desk, he hands both of the Kuchiki brothers their respective drinks before taking his own. With a nod, the two thank him and place the cups to their lips and partake of the black liquid. Each reacts to the bitter taste differently, yet all could agree that it's aftertaste is accompanied by a wave of freshness. A well needed energy boost to help them finish their endless hours of filing reports. After another hour or so all three rest in their chairs, the desk finally clear of reports. All of them neatly piled up by the door for the shinigami responsible to take them to the 1st Division.
"Thank you, both of you." Byakuya looks at both of those before him as he speaks. "With the reports out of the way, Daisuke, you are free to do as you please until midday tomorrow. From then, you and the 1st Special Response Unit will be on assignment for the foreseeable future. So, make the best use of the time."
"I will Brother, I shall take my leave then." Daisuke stands from his chair and returns it to the position he found it in. Bowing his head towards his elder brother, he picks up the finished cups of tea and the tray, placing both back onto the small table in the corner.
Leaving the same way he came in, he closes the door behind him and leaps down from the balcony to the courtyard. As the night had crept up and took hold of the Seireitei, no soul could be seen, not even in the shinigami responsible for the patrolling of the barracks. By now, Daisuke was finally feeling the fatigue of his travels and of his day spent doing paperwork and liaising with the other Divisions. Opting for the quickest way back to his clan's manor, Daisuke's body reacts to his whims and in only a few steps did he find himself on the engawa linked to his little section of the manor. It is nothing special, simply a moderate sized two storied building linked to the manor proper by the engawa and coverings.
Glad to finally be home and free of any responsibility for the next few hours. Daisuke slides open the shoji and enters his small porch-like area. Like the building itself, it isn't anything more than a normal entryway. A small mat where guests would take out their shoes and a few hooks to place any coats or overtops. From there it is a short corridor with a shoji about half ways down and the staircase at the far end. Nothing adorned the walls, not even the clan symbol which most would see as weird for such a great clan. Sighing to himself as he takes off his waraji and places them to the side, so as to not be trodden or fallen over. He takes a slow walk to the shoji on the right of the corridor, sliding it open and entering it.
The room itself is rather large, easily the largest room on the ground floor. Yet, nearly all of that space is empty or free from use. Two tatami mats rest together at the far end of the room under one of the two windows. A simple dresser, with a small mirror atop it, and draws under the other, with a more open style wardrobe next to them. Lastly, and perhaps the most fancy of all the items, is a duel sword holder which stands on the let of the tatami mats. A dark mahogany wood makes up the frame, embroidered with golden leaf etchings and finished with a modest finish. One word could describe the room, and it is Spartan. For some reason, even though his Clan could provide extremely luxury accommodations, Daisuke smiles to himself as he rests his eyes upon his modest room.
Daisuke ambles across the room while he pulls his two Zanpakutō from his sash, and deposits them gently onto the mahogany stand. A short yawn escapes his maw as his strengths, a hint that perhaps it would be best to head straight to bed. Agreeing with his internal voice, he disrobes and places his worn shihakushō onto the small draws beside the dresser. With a final few stretches, Daisuke pulls the bedsheets off and slides onto the tatami mat, pulling the covers back over himself as he does so. A final sigh escapes his mouth as he turns to look at his Zanpakutō before drifting off to sleep.