Meeting of Warrior Hearts

A few months had passed since Tomoyo's visits to Soul Society became a regular occurrence. So much so, she was even gifted a home on the Kuchiki grounds, courtesy of the family's head of course. This time however, she was not alone in her trip.

With so many trips in so short a time, Tomoyo's sister became more and more curious about this place. If it was enough to captivate her to be there so often, then Amaterasu wanted to see it for herself. Being royalty though, she was basically forbidden from going anywhere without an escort. While it was a slight annoyance to do so, she gave in and allowed Sooma to accompany her. A decision she would come to regret and appreciate.

As the trio arrived through the Sixth Division's Senkaimon, Tomoyo gained a wide smile upon seeing Byakuya waiting for her. The man's own expression seemed mildly concerned though when noticing the elder sister of his betrothed, but it returned to his typically neutral one soon after. He then offered a bow of his head to the Empress, showing respect for both her status as a leader, as well as his future in-law.

Amaterasu herself merely waved a hand slowly in dismissal to the man, smiling faintly as she did. With how much time she interacted with Byakuya, she nearly felt a familial bond with him already. So his show of respect, while nice, was mostly unnecessary.

"Greetings, to what do I owe this honor?" the raven haired man questioned, lifting his head.

"Well..." Amaterasu began, a quick glance being sent in her sister's direction.

"...after she's talked about this world so much, I admittedly became curious and decided to see it for myself." she continued in a very regal manner.

Though she always made the effort to not sound formal in relaxed situations, it was still difficult for her at times. Not only was it a deep seeded habit by now, it also came naturally to her. Save for in very particular situations.

"We would be happy to have you, and will eagerly escort you wherever you might desire." Byakuya stated in his own formal tone, him being guilty of many of the same things as his soon to be sister.

While Amaterasu nodded in acceptance, she gradually turned toward Sooma. Said woman was looking around carefully as she always did, cautiously searching for any potential threats. Even when they had no actual enemies in this world, it calmed the Empress to see this. However, she did hope to help her bodyguard to relax and enjoy herself, at least once in a while.

"That is greatly appreciated, though...I would also like to make a request." Amaterasu started as her gaze shifted back to Byakuya.

The man's stoicism remained, but there was a hint of inquisitiveness in his eyes. "What request might you have?"

Another faint smile tugged at the corners of Amaterasu's lips as she answered; "I want a reservation at the best massage parlor you have."

Blinking a few times, both Byakuya and Tomoyo stared at the woman before to one another. Certainly not the request either of them were expecting, but definitely one they could easily provide. "Of course." the former spoke with a nod of his head in response.

Amaterasu's smile grew faintly as, while Sooma clearly heard the conversation, she had no idea what the leader of Nihon had planned.

Walking on and showing the new pair around, the group moved through the Sixth Division. A few moments after they were out of sight, another figure moved through the Senkaimon. This one however, disappeared into the shadows and vanished fully from view. Not even the guards posted on either side of the portal noticed them.

At the same time, the four moved through the streets of the Seireitei, heading directly for the shopping district. The area where most, if not all, businesses had set up their shops. But as they moved through, many of the people in the area were taking notice of the two very obvious members of royalty. Though most recognized Tomoyo, the other was a bit more of mystery. The fact that they looked quite similar helped slightly, but there were few whom even had the bravery to stare at them 'that' long.

Not because the sisters themselves, or even Byakuya presented an air of not wanting to be bothered. It was due to Sooma's murderous gaze toward everyone they passed. Realizing that it would be difficult to keep an eye on everyone in such a sizable crowd, she settled on using her blood-lust to differentiate the innocent, from the nefarious.

This did have the adverse effect of making it hard for Amaterasu to talk to anyone, much less even approach them. Glancing to Sooma from over her shoulder, the woman let out a heavy sigh. With any luck, it wouldn't take long to get the woman to relax...if even only temporarily.

"Four please." Tomoyo said while holding up this many fingers on a hand, looking at the clerk behind the counter of the massage parlor.

It was a larger establishment that offered hot springs, massages, manicures, pedicures, and much more. 'Perfect.' was all Amaterasu thought to herself, a faint grin of satisfaction forming on her features as they were each allowed in.

While they walked on, both sisters had their eyes on Byakuya. But while Tomoyo's were one of curiosity as to what Amaterasu might be up to, said elder sibling appeared to be signaling something to the man with her stare. Byakuya himself glanced between the two, before settling on the taller woman. One of his brows arched briefly as he saw Amaterasu's eyes shift from him, to Sooma walking behind and to the side of her.

The Shinigami Captain narrowed his gaze ever so slightly in thought, slowly grasping what was being conveyed to him. If there was one thing the woman wanted to make sure he understood of her from the moment they met, was her manner of subtlety. And like a sudden burst of inspiration, he figured it out.

"Would you like the VIP treatment?" he questioned to Amaterasu, whom gained a small grin that she quickly hid before responding.

"Oh? I would indeed appreciate such a thing." she answered as they approached the four masseuses, ready to assist them with whatever they desired.

Tomoyo blinked several times between the two, appearing a little confused at what they were secretly planning. But as she caught her sister's eyes, she very swiftly understood. Years of their sibling bond made it even easier for her to pick up on Amaterasu's machinations. "But you know..." she began, a smile curling her own lips.

"...the rooms are only for one person at a time." she claimed with a shrug.

It was only at this moment that Sooma finally appeared to take notice of where this conversation was going. This lead for her to turn toward Amaterasu, ready to offer her declaration of not leaving the Empress' side. However, said woman was already one step ahead as she turned to face her bodyguard with a smile. "Oh well, I suppose it cannot be helped. We'll have to be in separate rooms for now."

The kunoichi just stared at her leader for a few quick seconds, her eyes rapidly blinking in surprise. Even when she opened her mouth again to convince Amaterasu otherwise, said woman merely lifted a hand up to halt this. "But we'll make sure they're right next to one another, alright?" she suggested, both Byakuya and Tomoyo knowing 'this' is what she was aiming for.

With a long pause, Sooma reluctantly nodded in a agreement with a sigh. "Very well, Amaterasu-sama."

Upon being shuttled off to their individual rooms, Amaterasu simply smiled lightly as she knew exactly what to do for her plan to work. Soon, victory and freedom would be hers.

It would be after the very pleasant massage that the woman snuck away. Leaving the three behind in their own rooms to continue enjoying their pampering. This was something Sooma desperately needed, but it wasn't really what Amaterasu wanted. After being held up in the palace for so long, she wanted a bit of excitement. To go places and meet people without the constraints of people knowing who she was. While she would never give up her position for the world, this was still a chance she didn't want to pass up.

Leaving her many robes behind, Amaterasu was left in a black short-sleeved kimono. This actually being rather similar to the outfit Sooma herself wore, but the material for the royal woman was of far greater quality. She always had this garment on, in case she needed to fight at any point, but it was almost never seen by anyone.

Though she missed the thrill of battle, for now however, there were all manner of interesting shops throughout the entire district for her to visit. Many of which were selling things she had never seen before. 'I should probably check all of them out.' she mused to herself as a small smile of mild excitement curled her lips.

'If we're going to possibly open trade to this world, I should do some product testing first.' the woman added inwardly, still trying not to sound too eager, even in her own mind.

Sunglasses...phones...video games...and even this thing they called a 'Roomba'. They were all quite fascinating and interesting to see and try, but most of all...they were new. With each passing store, Amaterasu's smile widened as her resemblance to Tomoyo started shining through now more than ever. It created a sense of tranquility around her, one that made the woman easy for others to approach. And for several hours, she had the chance to finally be normal.

It was then however, that she saw a particular individual that turned that all around. The peacefulness instantly became a fire, a deep flame that called her to battle.

This person was a tall man with long spiky black hair, which he let fall in a wild way. He had a long scar on the left side of his face, and an eye patch on the right. While he wore a similar Captain's uniform as Byakuya, his was rough and torn in places. But it was the aura he had that caught the woman's attention. It was jagged, sharp, and hungering for a fight.

Though Amaterasu's own aura wasn't nearly as intense, the tall man noticed her almost immediately. His single eye gazed at the woman, causing a small grin to form on his features. Before either of them knew it, they were suddenly only half a meter apart. Despite this Captain towering over the woman, they felt like equals in spirit.

"Kenpachi, I presume?" she questioned, having heard about him from Tomoyo multiple times.

"Yeah..." was all he answered with, clearly wanting to start a fight as he lifted his Zanpakuto up slightly to make it easier to draw.

"And you are?" he continued in an almost eager manner, wanting to know the name of his next opponent.

"I'm Amaterasu. Nice to meet you." she stated, reaching behind her back to the short blade concealed in her kimono.

"Likewise." Kenpachi uttered as both their eyes flashed with excitement, their hands clasping over the hilts of their weapons.

"Amaterasu-sama..." a voice spoke suddenly from the side, making both turn in the direction of its source.

There stood Kurogane, a mildly exasperated expression on his features as he looked at the Empress. "This is neither the time, nor the place for this." he continued, gesturing to the area around them.

Many of the bystanders were giving them a wide berth, but they would very easy get caught up in whatever battle the pair initiated. It almost made Amaterasu groan in response. Just when she finally had a fight she could enjoy, it was taken away from her. And today was already going so well.

Even Kenpachi appeared annoyed by the interruption, his visible eye giving Kurogane a glare that seemed to question if the man was genuinely going to get in the way. During which, he drew his blade ever so slightly. But stopped as a newer voice spoke up; "Don't worry Kurogane...I'll be escorting them to an appropriate area." Sooma claimed, emerging from a side alleyway.

Amaterasu turned toward her in a bit of surprise, yet it was clear what happened. Sooma didn't actually fall for her trick, as she was simply watching her from afar this whole time. A small smile curled her lips, to which she nodded in appreciation and turned back to Kenpachi. "In that case, shall we relocate?" she asked in an excited tone.

Said man merely grinned back in return while nodding; "Sounds good to me." he claimed, eager that they would get their fight after all.

As they headed off on their way, Byakuya and Tomoyo watched on from further down the street with smiles on their features. "Looks like Onee-sama will finally get to enjoy a fight for the first time in a long while." the latter commented in a soft giggle.

"It appears so." the former agreed, slowly nodding his head.

"Though...I wonder why Kurogane came along as well." Tomoyo added curiously, tapping her chin.

"He never said anything about joining us." she commented with a shrug.

With her gaze directed toward said man, she never noticed Byakuya straightening his haori to hide the small, box-like shape in his robes. "Perhaps it was also to look after you both." he reasoned, making sure she wouldn't suspect Kurogane of his true purpose.

Having seen many rings Tomoyo liked, he had one custom made specifically for her. But since he couldn't pick it up without arousing suspicion, he had to ask Kurogane to get it for him.

Soon...

Soon, he would propose...

A bit shorter than usual, but I hope it was still nice nonetheless. Happy Birthday again Tuli-chan~! I hope it's a great one~! =^w^=