Bleach universe, May 12th 1803
Damian woke up early in the morning just as a very small amount of light was shining through the window of Anii's room. He got up from the couch and stretched before heading to the kitchen area and getting himself some water. He glanced behind and noticed Anii asleep on the bed. Mentally kicking himself for falling asleep without helping her he finished his water and quietly left the room. He did not bother to leave a note or anything since she would likely know where he was.
His first order of business was to return to the Vuokufaia estate and discuss things with his father who would then hopefully help him approach his grandfather. He knew that his uncle was already on board as he had spotted the pair out at a restaurant in the 1st District on a date of sorts, and had put two and two together. His uncle, Mako, had promised to keep things silent but at the same time told him he had a responsibility to inform his parents and grandfather at some point soon.
Damian flashed stepped at a moderate place towards the noble estate land between the Seireitei and the first District of North Rukongai where his family lived. As far as noble properties go, it was not anywhere near as impressive as the main Kuchiki residence, but the Vuokufaia clan was not one of the Great Noble Clans. Its status among the nobility was similar to the Kyoraku family.
Its main claim to fame since the Gotei was founded was that the very first captain of the 14th division was Damian's late great great grandfather. The somewhat legendary man held the position for 350 years before falling in battle and passing the torch to his son, who then passed the title to the current captain, Raian Sutiramaru.
The clouds above in the area threatened to spill heavy rain, and Damian hoped to get inside before the downpour. Being inside during the rain was one thing, being outside and drenched was another. However, despite his prowess with the flash step he realized he had not eaten anything since roughly noon the previous day and was feeling the effects of such a choice. He decided to get a meal before going home.
Damian reached a small restaurant he had occasionally frequented. He sat down and a waiter whom he knew the face of but not the name of quickly came to him and bowed. Damian waved off the formalities and simply ordered a breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast, and a small portion of rice. Pondering over and trying to overcome his fear of revealing Anii as the woman he wanted to marry to his grandfather, he didn't notice the two men that entered the restaurant.
Shunsui Kyoraku and Jushiro Ukitake entered the Silver Chicken restaurant they frequented several times a month and were pleasantly surprised to see a vice-captain Shinigami sitting alone. "Lieutenant Vuokufaia!" Captain Ukitake exclaimed and the pair walked over to the table closest to where the tall blonde man was seated.
Damian practically bolted up but then after seeing who it was he was relieved. He had served in the 8th division fresh out of the academy and knew Shunsui rather well, considering him a somewhat older brother or possibly uncle-like figure. Despite this familiarity and Shunsui's relaxed and often non-formal attitude, Damian respectfully bowed to his superiors.
"Good morning to both of you. What brings you here? This place has some damn good food. I come here at least once a week." Shunsui tipped his hat to the man and responded in a standard Shunsui-like fashion. "The sake here is better than most places I have ever been. Don't know what they put in the stuff but its excellent-" "Shunsui!" His white haired friend admonished him. "Its far too early to drink!"
Damian laughed and moved to a larger table and gestured for the two to join him. "Haven't seen you two in a while, how are your squads doing? Anything strange or notable recently?" The waiter came back with his food but then almost gasped and quickly bowed low to the two captains of the Gotei who had seated opposite of Damian. Jushiro calmed the poor lady down and she took their orders still looking nervous. Perhaps she is new here and has never seen a captain before, Damian mused to himself.
The three men discussed a few cordial things about their respective squad activities, with Jushiro pressing Damian to update him with any more information and details on the unusual hollow numbers in the 9th district. "Captain thinks its likely an Adjuchas is leading a large group of hollows from Hueco Mundo that somehow have an easy way into the Rukongai. They seem to be enacting coordinated assaults to attack the Soul Society and draw out powerful Shinigami. Of course, unfortunately we have lost eight squad members in the past month and are on high alert."
After explaining this Damian realized his time off from the squad, while a very nice thing from the Captain, was not the best situation at the moment. He didn't plan to actually take the full three months off that he was given. Eight members dead in one month was way more than the average amount of losses even amongst novice unseated members fresh out of the Academy.
"Well, the Head Captain is aware of the situation and in the last Captain's meeting Captain Sutiramaru brought similar developments up. I just wanted to ask you if there was anything else you knew or if anything had changed. We are monitoring the situation closely. Rest assured we will purify these hollows, organized or not," Captain Ukitake stated with a serious expression on his face. All three men sat in silence for a minute until the waiter brought out the two captain's orders.
Damian decided to distract his thoughts by digging into his own meal for a couple of minutes and ate somewhat quickly. "Captain Kyoraku and Captain Ukitake, can I ask for some advice about something that is serious and personally important to me?" Shunsui spoke up this time in response. "Of course, Damian, what is it?" And the blonde vice-captain proceeded to explain his history with Anii, starting from his academy days up until now when she is seven months pregnant and both of them wanting marriage.
Shunsui took a long drink of tea. "Well, as a nobleman myself I know how difficult the situation is with your lady friend being of Rukongai origin. But she is an 8th seat in the Fourth Division right? Surely that will be enough to impress your grandfather and have his blessing for the marriage." Captain Ukitake also gave his two cents. "Damian, you shouldn't have too much of an issue. If you want I can try and speak to your grandfather on your behalf as a fellow captain-" but Damian waved his hand. "That won't be necessary, sir. It may help but it could also make my case appear as if it solely relies on others persuasive efforts rather than my own initiative. But I truly appreciate the offer nonetheless." Damian was a bit stubborn and embarrassed when it came to such kindness. He expected it from his own captain but wasn't about to request two other captains stick their necks out for some potential political drama.
Jushiro simply nodded and drank his own tea. The trio sat in silence for about a minute before Shunsui started asking Damian about what kind of wedding there would be and to be sure to invite him and Jushiro if it all worked out and they could make it. Damian suspected the man simply wanted some expensive sake and to fool around at such an occasion but nevertheless was glad and promised both of them he would. The two captains then got up and Damian bowed to them both as the two paid and left. Damian then paid for his own meal and exited the Silver Chicken after staring at his table for a couple of minutes deep in thought.
The Vuokufaia noble estate and main property has a small, private forest as well as a small natural lake situated on it. His mother and grandmother did their best to maintain a large, rather impressive garden of various flowers and plants. Despite the families wealth and noble status, they did not have any "servants" besides a butler, chef, and farmers who maintained cattle and crops far off onto the property, as well as a groundskeeper. However, these three men and the five farmer families were paid well for their work and provided residence as well as protection.
Damian's grandfather was not a fan of "owning" nonpaid workers and acting like some harsh feudal lord, as he believed it was morally corrupt and an abuse of power but also that paying and providing a living for people meant they were more likely to do better work and not discredit the clan in case of troubles. The Vuokufaia family was quite different than most other noble families in the Soul Society, and Damian was proud of that. Most of the crops and cattle product were sold in District 1 markets but the remainder was for the families to use themselves.
Damian landed a few paces from the front porch and got his key out to unlock the door. However it opened before he could act and he almost bumped into his family's hired groundskeeper, Tajin. Tajin was a burly but in decent shape man whom thoroughly enjoyed nature and landscaping and thus jumped at the employment opportunity when Damian's grandfather had posted the position was available. Especially since such a position allowed for him to move in with his wife and two children to a modest sized house near the lake on the property. As such, the man was almost always in lifted spirits. "Oh! Master Damian, sir! My apologies!" But Damian simply apologized to him as well and let him be on his way as the man was likely busy.
Damian entered the large house and sought out his grandfather's spiritual presence but did not detect it. He did detect both his father and mother inside, however. His father Dokvaro Vuokufaia is a very intimidating man to most, as he was not only heir to the clan but also the current vice captain of the Seventh Division. Dokvaro's father Koroko was the captain of the Seventh Division and even more of an imposing man as the head of the Vuokufaia clan. Damian of course wanted to initially serve in the same division as his father and grandfather, but he was instead sent to the Eighth. Both men wanted Damian to carve out a name for himself rather than seemingly live perpetually in their shadows.
Dokvaro was a similar man in terms of values, beliefs, and even personality to his son Damian. In this case, the apple did not fall far from the tree. But Damian didn't know if it would be enough to convince his very traditional and somewhat uptight grandfather. "Mother and father, I must speak to you about something important. Something possibly life-changing." Dokvaro was currently eating breakfast with his wife and Damian's mother, Raya. Raya was the fifth year Kido teacher for the advanced class at the Academy. She had served in the Kido Corps for roughly sixty years before going for the position once it was opened because she preferred to teach rather than fight if she could. "Damian! What are you doing here, have you taken some time off? Are you late for work? What is the matter?" his father asked. And Damian Vuokufaia proceeded to lay his heart out to his parents in regards to his love for Anii and their child on the way. It was more difficult somehow than any hollow or strife he had faced as a Shinigami. Funny how things like that can be. Slay a soul-eating monster with a sword? Not too hard. Talk to your parents about who you want to marry? Possibly the hardest thing he had ever done.
His parents listened intently to their son. Damian and Anii had both applied and successfully entered the Academy the same year. They had begun spending more than the usual amount of time between students and even though both graduated and joined different divisions, the pair stayed in touch and spent most of their free time inseparable from each other, but often in groups rather than alone. It was pure chance that neither Dokvaro nor his wife had learned of this information regarding such an important woman in their son's life.
"I know I have never courted or been with a woman besides her, but she is like my other half, wife in everything but name only. And now she is with child and is due in two months. I know she will accept my proposal and we both wish for this. I ask for your blessing and help in speaking to grandfather about this." Damian was genuinely relieved that neither parent offered any sort of initial hostility or disproval. In fact, his mother was ecstatic. Despite being a noblewoman herself before marriage, she did not look down on Anii for being from Rukongai. She had a love for people regardless of status or history, and it was the reason she was such a well liked teacher at the Academy.
"She sounds like a wonderful young woman, and an 8th seat as well! No doubt she is highly skilled in Kido and Kaido! We must meet her, honey." Raya exclaimed and she had already stood up to wash her dishes. "You have my blessing." His father on the other hand had not spoken a word yet. He appeared deep in thought but then sighed. "Son, I am happy for you in many ways, and you have already made myself and your grandfather incredibly proud as you have risen to rank of vice-captain as a Shinigami. However, I do wish you had approached me with this information before the girl was pregnant. Now there is no way to proceed but forward. You shall come with me and explain things to my father and his wife as soon as possible. Hope you didn't have any plans for the day." Dominik knew this was an order, not a request. "Yes sir."
However, before his father responded they all heard on a loud knock on the door. The voice was serious and loud. "Sir! Third Seat Love Aikawa reporting! Captain Vuokufaia requests your assistance! Multiple powerful hollows consisting of many Menos Grande have suddenly appeared all through East Rukongai District One and have begun an assault on the walls to the Seireitei-" Damian rushed to the door ready to spring into action and looked over at his father. Dokvaro immediately grabbed his Zanpakuto from where it rested and rushed out to meet the man. "Father, let me go with you-" "No Damian, stay here and guard the house." Damian did not need to respond verbally and simply went to the roof of the house to keep an eye out. His father and 3rd seat Aikawa had already flash stepped away to head towards the scene.
Anii Yukiyama awoke to see that her future husband was no longer lounging on the couch- in fact he was nowhere to be found in the building. She sighed and got up slowly, feeling her belly and glad to not be in pain or discomfort. She decided to go on a walk and speak to Captain Unohana for advice and for some paperwork to do. As strange as it sounded, Anii enjoyed paperwork when she had nothing else to do and no new books to read. Her main job was as a specialist in surgery and treating patients in need of emergency care already out of the field, and had developed a strong stomach and caring heart required to be a top healer in the Gotei.
Ever since her Academy days, Kaido came easy to her. Regardless of any negative reputation 4th Division members may receive, Anii was no pushover Shinigami when it came to combat or duties. She had mastered her Shikai and was adept in Hado and Bakudo up to the 70s level. However, she was worried about how to raise a child and always had the fear in her mind that the Vuokufaia family might not be all too accepting- or would only do so on the surface. She had only met Damian's uncle and was not well acquainted with either Damian's father or grandfather who led the Seventh Division as a strong father-son duo. But in truth she didn't care as much as making sure her child would have a loving family, the one she never had until now.