Whoop. Guess who's back, people? Again? Yes.
School started up again, so I will apologize for the further delays in my already erratic updates. But luckily, I don't have much further to go!
-;-
Roka and Ryo were the first out of the giant hall, bent forwards with their arms back in an arrow formation and running in circles making odd buzzing noises.
"Do I even want to know what you two idiots are doing?" Kizuro deadpanned, crossing his arms and watching them casually.
"We're airplanes!" they chorused before bursting into cackles and continuing on further down the hall. Sayomi started cackling as Sanura joined in, circling around Kizuro and buzzing before joining the twins, who began copying Sanura and doing loops around Kizuro.
Rika smiled in amusement, while Karasu rolled his eyes and prevented Tonbo from joining in, knowing that he would only disorient and possibly harm himself in the process. The Captains, filtering out after the rather large group, were slightly surprised at the sudden change in behavior.
Ukitake and Shunsui approached the group as most of the other Captains left, Shunsui raising his hat up get a better look at the blond twins running around and giggling. In a manly way, of course.
"Nokeshi-san," Ukitake called out quietly, brows creased slightly.
Both women and the one male looked up, Sanura stopping mid-step and causing Roka to slam into her with a yelp. Then Ryo, not noticing either of them, tripped and face-planted into the ground on top of them.
Sayomi sighed at her twins behavior and looked back at her former Captain. To be honest, she hadn't even remembered which Division she'd been in, let alone her previous Captains face. Rubbing the back of her neck, she shifted her weight onto one hip.
"That would be me, Captain."
"Ne, are those two really my former third seats?" Shunsui commented offhandedly, tilting his head slightly at the blond twins, who were now bickering about watching where they were going.
"HEY! Roka! Ryo!" Sayomi bellowed, silencing the pair immediately and causing them to look over with wide eyes, no doubt expecting to get a tongue-lashing.
"Hai..?" they replied timidly.
"Is this guy your former Captain?" she asked, jabbing a thumb towards the kimono clad man. Ryo bounced up, closely followed by Roka, and curiously peered up under the large brimmed hat.
"Yep!" they replied after several seconds, nodding cheerfully.
"It's been a long time, Captain." Roka half smiled, tilting his head ever so slightly to one side. Ryo nodded in agreement, though it was doubtful he was actually listening to the conversation.
Sayomi sighed, realizing that the twins being there would most likely conflict with whatever Ukitake wanted to speak with her about.
"Hey, Masamune. Go annoy Kizuro. I want to talk to Captain Ukitake. Alone."
They stared at her blankly for a moment before darting off with war cries, mobbing Kizuro and earning a couple of well-earned punches in return.
Sayomi sighed. "Boys. Completely unless you need a distraction." she muttered, shaking her head and crossing her arms. Shunsui snickered, making the poor woman jump and nearly fall over.
"My apologies." she murmured, though there were traces of a smirk at the edges of her lips.
"It is quite alright, Nokeshi-san." Ukitake smiled gently back. "Actually, since you accepted the offer, I was wondering if you would like to meet each of the lieutenants and mark which ones will come along into the Rukon."
Sayomi tilted her head slightly. "So, I take it that you, Captain Kyoraku, will be the other Captain coming?"
"Correct, Sayomi-chan." Shunsui grinned, tipping his hat to examine the lovely woman.
"Please refrain from greeting me as such when you don't know me, sir." Sayomi replied pleasantly, though her reiatsu spiked just enough to show that it was a dark, unforgiving mass of midnight that promised pain.
"...Very well, Nokeshi-chan."
"Much better."
-;-
Ukitake led Sayomi through the maze of Soul Society, said woman recognizing a couple of the barracks as they approached, each a variation of people and skills. As she assessed each Division, she compiled a list of characteristics of each lieutenant and their squad.
The First Division was an automatic no. Sayomi really didn't want to have to deal with anyone who worked directly under Yamamoto, regardless of who they were. After all, who knew what the old man would do to the poor guy who would be coming along with them if she had chosen them?
The Second Division was pathetic. Omaeda was a selfish, greedy man who looked as though if he took one step he would fall over and lay there like a beached whale. Soifon, however, was someone she could see herself working with in the future. Although small in stature, she was vicious and cool in demeanor. Vaguely, she recalled Yoruichi mentioning something about her being the one that she had taken under her wing way back when, but she would have to double-check later.
The Third Division was promising. The lieutenant, although quiet, had experience and varied backgrounds in the squads that would prove beneficial. Not to mention that he was much too polite to even make a move on the brunette after introducing herself.
The Fourth Division was also promising. Isane was a gentle woman, but Sayomi could sense power beneath the surface of her reiatsu. It almost made her wonder why she was in the Fourth at all, but then again, she and Sanura had been in the First Division, once upon a time.
The Fifth Division...well, let's just say Sayomi wasn't too pleased with the state of affairs. With the lieutenant slightly off her rocker, she was a bit nervous to be around the girl, to be perfectly honest. What kind of state was Soul Society in that they couldn't find someone more competent and sane to replace the current nutter?
The Sixth Division was one to be avoided at all costs, she discovered. Stupid, stuck up nobles...Although Sayomi thought the red headed lieutenant was boyfriend potential for Sanura, as her sibling was currently infatuated with anything red. She would have to mention that to her sister later.
The Seventh...kinda creeped her out. Come on, how many Captains do you know that have the appearance of a giant dog? Even though Komamura was nice enough, she was a bit unnerved by his furry appearance. (And also resisted the urge to throw a stick to see what would happen)
The Eighth was out of the equation, by Shunsui's orders. He didn't want his precious 'Nanao-chan' to be in the heat of battle against an Arrancar of any sort. 'Nanao-chan' then beat him with a rather heavy looking tome. Sayomi liked her immediately.
The Ninth Division was slightly entertaining. As they were in charge of the newspaper, people were scuttling everywhere like ants in a hive. The lieutenant, although slightly intimidating by his scars and tattoos, was an extremely talented and level headed person. Not to mention polite, considering he smiled and kissed the back of her hand after introductions were made.
The Tenth Division lieutenant was notably absent during the meetings. Shunsui merely smirked and mentioned that 'although Matsumoto had an alcohol addiction of sorts, she was a hard worker.' Yeah. Sayomi had heard that one before.
The Eleventh Division was fun, in her opinion. Right off the get go, she could see herself sparring with all of the men and interacting with the pink haired lieutenant. Said lieutenant was quite powerful, although it was difficult to tell since she masked it with childish innocence. Good tactic in the long run, though.
The Twelfth Division was just plain awesome. Sayomi wanted to run around pulling everything apart and seeing how all the machinery worked, considering that one of her passions included science. In fact, she had been in the Twelfth for a short while when Urahara had been in charge. In other matters, she pitied the poor lieutenant, as she was just another experiment of the psycho that everyone called Captain. However, she wasn't about to trust her, having heard rumors from the other eleven squads earlier. Plus…she was a little wary of the weird Captain.
As The Thirteenth Division currently had no lieutenant, Sayomi politely declined assessing the two third seats, but enjoyed re-exploring the barracks. The quiet and calm squad was familiar, and she felt at home within the first five seconds.
Which led her to where she was now.
She, Rika, and Kizuro were all seated on one of the smooth stone benches around a small pond, Sayomi sharing her thoughts.
"I think that of all the Divisions I saw, the most competent choices would be Izuru Kira, Isane Kotetsu, Shuhei Hisagi, Renji Abarai, Rangiku Matsumoto and Nanao Ise, despite what Captain Kyoraku might say." She suggested.
Kizuro leaned back, stretching leisurely. "I'll go with whoever you and Rika choose. You two are better at these kinds of things."
Rika sighed good-naturedly, a slight smile pulling at her lips before she looked back to Sayomi. "Who are you thinking of bringing with us?"
Sayomi thought for a moment. "Isane Kotetsu. She's from Fourth, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to come with us. Not only that, but she's quite powerful even if she doesn't show it. Then there's Shuhei Hisagi, who knew Kaname Tousen, another Captain who defected with Aizen. Not only that, but he's pretty level headed and manages the paperwork and the newspaper in his squad. But at the same time, if we were to take him with us, it would probably fuck with a few things. So instead, I would say Kira and Nanao. They're both balanced in their styles, from what Captain Ukitake told me, so it would be good to take them."
Rika absorbed the information before sighing. "I suppose that's it, then." She nodded. "You'll probably have to barter with Captain Kyoraku to let Lieutenant Ise go with us, but other than that the other two sound like they'll do well around us."
"Well, we can hope." Kizuro shrugged. "But, knowing Sanura and the twins, it's highly unlikely."
"Don't count me out just yet." Sayomi giggled, flipping her bangs out of her face. "Remember, Sanura and I are close enough in age that we're mistaken for twins."
"Don't remind me." Kizuro groaned.
"Too late!" Sayomi sniggered.
-;-
"Hey! Kaijin!"
Sanura glanced up from her plate of prawn tempura, mouth stuffed full, and stifled a snicker at the fact there was a bald guy coming towards her, zanpakuto slung across his shoulders casually.
"I have a name you know." she replied after swallowing. "I suggest you use it."
"Whatever." he shrugged. "The name's Ikkaku Madarame. Third Seat of the Eleventh Squad."
Sanura went back to eating her tempura, munching contentedly and savoring the taste of the sweet sauce that she'd drizzled over their surfaces. Really, why were people irritating her while she was trying to enjoy her food?
"...Are you even listening to me?"
"Nope." she admitted, sending a cheeky grin his way. "Say, were you born bald or did you just shave your head?"
"WHAT WAS THAT?" he snarled, suddenly in her face.
Unfazed, Sanura poked him in the forehead. "I just asked you a question. No need to get angry, baldy." She muttered, giving him a deadpan look.
Ikkaku's outraged yells were heard throughout Soul Society.
-;-
Karasu and Tonbo were wandering casually throughout the maze that used to be their home.
Tonbo, of course, was being easily distracted by the odd Hell Butterfly that flew by, attempting to dart after them and only failing due to the face that Karasu held him back by the scruff of his neck.
"Tonbo, stay." he rolled his eyes. "If I let you chase a butterfly, you'll end up eating it."
Tonbo's face fell. "But...they taste so good!" he whined, using the trademark kicked puppy expression, which he coincidentally had down to a T.
"What if Soul Society was about to blow up and you ate one of the butterflies?" Karasu sighed, shrugging off the pathetic expression like it was nothing. He'd had a good couple hundred years to get used to it. Not a lot phased him anymore.
Tonbo tilted his head to one side with slight irritation. Probably because Karasu was treating him like a child again, something that he despised. "Soul Society would explode?" he suggested.
"Yes, Tonbo. Soul Society would explode." Karasu rolled his eyes.
"How exactly is that a bad thing?" Tonbo deadpanned. "If it explodes then all of our problems go away and we can go back home in the World of the Living."
Karasu face-palmed, even though he had to admit that the black haired male did have a point. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to let him eat just a couple of the Hell Butterflies, as odd a habit as it was…