Savior [Closed]

Ryoko's day was meant to be an easy one. She wasn't the strongest shinigami, so she was often assigned to the easier posts. Things were changing rapidly because the Edge broke and her area was becoming more violet. People reacted out of fear and self-preservation. Many ruffians stopped idling and caring about those they hurt became something they didn't concern themselves with. Ryoko was able to stop the few little skirmishes that happened. They were pretty much the equivalent of starving people mugging old ladies in the middle of the street. Nothing was well thought out and it was easy to break up.

When the evening came, Ryoko was enjoying the sunset. She was tired and ready to call it a night when she heard some ruckus down an alley way. She showed up and saw three men surrounding a young boy, hassling him for a small bag of food he was protecting. Ryoko shouted out, catching their attention and walking toward them with her zanpakuto unsheathed. The boy took the moment to run, which angered the three men. Ryoko gave the three a warning and told them to leave, using the threat of hollows as motivation for them to listen. They didn't listen. They were angry, hungry, and their target switched.

"Get back here, you stupid woman." One of the men yelled, charging at her. He wasn't quick, but neither was she. She brought her sword up to try and defend herself. She held her own for a short time. Once the second man joined in, she was put off balance. When the third joined in, her back hit the floor. She struggled against them, swiping her leg out to bring one to the ground. She heeled the second in the gut. The third kicked her in the ribs. She tensed immediately, taking the pain pretty well. She got up quickly, flipping backwards, but didn't realize she was moving deeper into the alley. "Cornered yourself."

They came at her again. She was able to fight them off, but was always on the defensive. She couldn't counter attack and ended up with her back against one of the walls. A bruised cheek and gut punch later, Ryoko fell to one knee and had three men standing over her. "Back off!" she shouted angrily and swung her sword wildly. One of them grabbed the hair at the top of her scalp and pulled her back to her feet. She kicked and swung her sword. Her wrist was grabbed and twisted, so she dropped her zanpakuto. Her kick hit, but only pushed the guy backward, which pulled her too because he wouldn't let go.

"LET ME GO." She screamed louder, more desperately. Her back was pinned to the wall, this man's arm pushing against her throat. "Check her out. Bet she has some money hidden somewhere." "I am a member of the Gotei Thirteen!" Ryoko said. "So?" "S-So? Let me g-..." Ryoko's words were cut short by a slap. "No one out here cares about that shit. Now, gimme that necklace." "No, please!" she begged as it was taken from her neck. "It was my Mom's... It's all I have left of her." They didn't break it, likely in order to sell it somewhere around here. They did laugh at her as the leader slid the necklace into his pocket.

"Oh well. It's mine now." The three started walking off, turning their backs to her. Ryoko dropped to the ground and coughed when his arm was finally lifted from her throat. After a few moments of catching her breath, she glared at them and charged, forgetting to pick up her zanpakuto. She jumped on the back of the leader, forcing him to the ground. "GIVE IT BACK." she screamed angrily and tried searching through his pockets, but his friends pulled her off and pinned her to the ground. "Looks like we gotta teach her a lesson." the leader said, stomping on her chest. Ryoko tried to catch her breath, so he stomped again.

Tsubine finished watching his latest victim scurry away. Guy was a creep, he had to be taught a lesson. For the past day-and-a-half, he had been teaching said lessons nonstop. Sleep was something that only brought upon nightmares, and he had enough of those. Caffeine and adrenaline were the only things keeping him upright—let alone awake. He yawned and scratched his chin. He had a bit of stubble growing in. Oh well, shaving can wait—saving is more important.

Tsubine heard the scream and almost sighed. He yawned once more and began stalking into the night. He found the girl after only a bit of searching. And immediately, he was in the fray. He saw the presumed-lead bandito raise his foot to stomp on her stomach for a second time. The next thing the aggressor knew, he had flipped upside-down and his leg was about to start hurting. Tsubine held his sword, still in its scabbard, as he loomed over the toppled man. He tapped his still-sheathed sword against his shin. "I just had to save this guy they thought was a girl from people just like you. He kinda reminded me of someone, but yanno, people start looking the same."

Tsubine brought the sword down on the guy's other leg hard. "Especially gravel like you." The other two's wits finally caught up to them as their boss began screaming. He remembered what he had heard on the way over and stared at them with enough anger to frighten a lion. "Mementos are not something to be taken lightly, shitheads." Tsubine pointed the scabbard at the two of them as they slowly drew weapons. "I'm not going to ask you two to surrender because I know you won't accept. So you two better fle—"


Tsubine swatted at the hands of the one on the left. There was a sickening crack as fingers went limp. A second crack and he, too, was on the floor. The other guy, smartly, hesitated. He was too late, however. Tsubine slammed his scabbard lengthwise into the man's stomach before repeating his toppling trick. Tsubine nodded, satisfied, before adjusting his jacket and re-attaching his sword underneath Kanna's. "Now where did you go..." Tsubine searched the leader for a moment before finding the necklace. He yawned again, his head feeling light as he leaned back upward. He must have just stood up too quickly, right?

Tsubine held the necklace in one hand as he walked over to Ryoko. He extended the other hand to her. "Here, lemme help you up." Tsubine pulled the young girl upwards. He felt light headed again. Man, maybe he should sl—Why was the world falling? Without another word, Tsubine fell backwards, still holding onto the girl's hand, pulling her with him as he passed out from exhaustion...

For a moment, Ryoko's mind went dark. She messed up and no one was here to help her. When she saw the man's foot coming down at her a second time, she tensed to brace for impact. It never came. Instead, she heard a new voice and realized the leader had been thrown back. She was quickly let go as a battle ensued in front of her. She watched this strange man fight them with ease. He looked exhausted and could still fight them off easily. Ryoko was impressed. Ryoko slid back a few feet to get away from the violence.

After the men dropped, her savior grabbed her necklace. For a moment, she thought she was going to have to beg for it back because she knew she couldn't fight him. He came to her, holding out a hand. She hesitated, but took his hand and was pulled to her feet. "Thanks, I-..." Ryoko squealed as she was suddenly pulled forward and landed on her rescuer. She froze like a wooden board and looked around. She scurried off him like a startled cat, her face deep red. "Are you okay?" She asked and then saw he was unconscious. "OH, COME ON." she groaned in aggravation and stood up, fists clenched.

Ryoko paced for a minute before giving in. It took her a while, but she picked up Tsubine and struggled to walk him through the streets. After a few minutes, she walked up to an abandoned hut that seemed mostly intact. She couldn't walk any further. She took him inside and went to lay him down on the floor. His weight pulled her down and she ended up face on the floor. "Mmm..." she groaned again and got up, turning him onto his back and making him as comfortable as possible. With that, she left the hut, returning a few minutes later with water and a few fruit for him. Luckily, she made sure to have money.

Tsubine was thankfully not too heavy. He had lean muscle, not bulk. That said, he was still a large man at over six-foot tall. He also carried two full-length swords instead of a standard daisho pair. He would have helped her if he could, but he couldn't. That's what being unconscious did to you.

Tsubine didn't have a nightmare for once. Instead, he dreamt of Kanna in a positive light. They just sat there, on a hill he vaguely recalled. They stared at a crescent moon cleaved in twain. Kanna's hand was on top of his, and he could feel how soft it was. If it weren't for his tattoos being there, he'd have thought it was a memory long-buried. They stared in each others' eyes for a moment before Kanna stood. She smiled at him and began fading. "...n't go..." He mumbled aloud as someone began to gently shake him.

"Helloooooooo. Wake up, dipshit." The female voice outside said very clearly as a series of cold water droplets hit his face. He shot up, breathing hard once. He almost glared at the woman beside him... but then chuckled. "You're lucky you're pretty. I'd've smacked anyone else who did that." He tried to stand, but his body didn't listen to him. He actually felt a little numb beneath his knees. He gave up after three tries, then looked around with a yawn. "This... ain't your place, is it? And on that note, who are you?"

When he woke, he shot up, which was sort of expected. She moved out of the way so he wouldn't headbutt her and then watched him with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah, it's not my fault you weren't waking up. I can't stay out here forever; you're gonna get me in trouble." Ryoko said in annoyance. He looked around as she prepared a small drink, using an old cup she washed and the rest of the water. "Here, drink up. You're gonna need more rest."

"No, I live in the Seireitei." She pointed toward her uniform, as if that should have been obvious. She had her necklace back on now. She took it from him while he rested. "Thanks for rescuing me from those hooligans." Ryoko said, rubbing her stomach a bit. It still hurt. That bastard stomped on her hard enough that it was leaving a bruise; the stupid clogs didn't help either. "And for getting this back..." she pointed to the necklace.

"My name is Ryoko. What about you?"

"You have no idea," he yawned. Tsubine took the cup and chugged it down. It burned a little. He didn't know he was that parched. He coughed with the last drink. Tsubine flexed his toes and fingers, making sure all of them were there. His legs were still tingly and sore, as were his arms and back. Tsubine was going to comment more on how people did live outside of the Seireitei, but decided not to go with that. "Tsubine." Yes, that Tsubine is what he didn't say.

Tsubine tried to stand, but it didn't work this time either. "No problem, Ryoko. I don't mean to make you seem unimportant, but I've been doing this for almost two days straight now. I'm just glad I saved you before anything else happened. Not all of them have been so lucky." He tried to stand up again. This time, his legs listened. He stumbled and caught himself on the wall. His legs needed more time to recover. They didn't have time.

"Let's get out of here. This ain't your house, it ain't my house, and I damn sure do not want to find out whose house this is." Tsubine unhooked his sword and began using it as a cane. His gait was slow and a bit measured. If he didn't go too fast, his numb legs might be able to carry him to the Seireitei. "Who's your Captain? I can make sure ya don't get in trouble." He winked. "Well, at least not too much trouble."

Ryoko narrowed her eyes as she tried remembering where she heard that name before. She couldn't place it and mentally waved off. She watched him try to stand over and over again. Each time he failed, it was more entertaining to see him try again, but then it was getting sad. "Tsu, just sit." she said, though he finally seemed to stand up. She kind of blanked out on most of what he said before that. She stood up and tried steadying him. "Where are we gonna go?" she asked, not wanting to travel alone at this time of night.

"Captain Mifune, Ninth Division." Ryoko said and then glared. "Don't you wink at me. You're pushing yourself. I can tell! Unless you know of some place to rest, we should probably just relax for a while. Besides, it's night and dark. More of those jerks could be out there. Can you even fight now? What happens when they find us? You'll faint again."

Tsubine felt the glare as he stood at the doorway. His eyes met hers for a moment as she began to berate him. His mouth tightened into a line. That jovial streak he tried to hold together was gone, and he felt a little more tired all of a sudden. "And what else are we gonna do? Sit in someone else's house, hoping they don't show up?" Tsubine sighed. She was right. He couldn't even activate his regeneration without fully masking. That would be troublesome too, as he didn't know how long he could hold it—let alone control it.


Tsubine sat back down, defeated. "But you're right. I'm no good to you in my current state." He felt better immediately after getting off of his legs. "Or at all, really," he mumbled. He sat the sword down and began rubbing his thighs. If nothing else, it might help him get up faster. As he did so, he spoke up again. "Mifune though, huh? He's a friend of mine... of sorts. We can work something out with him. You were out here on squad duties, right? Not just a personal thing? 'Cause a lady out here would worry me."

He sat down, so she did too. She looked toward the door, her eyes filled with worry. She didn't want people to walk in here. How would she explain that? She thought the place was abandoned. It was so dusty, the door was open, and it looked like no one had been here in a while. She didn't realize how icky some of the places people in the Rukongai lived.

"Just sit and rest for a while. I'll do my best to watch over you." Ryoko said and pointed toward the door. It was barricaded with a few random items she found in here. "Hopefully no one will get in here." she said, more trying to reassure herself. Then he mentioned knowing her Captain. "I was on patrol. I helped a few people, killed one hollow, and then ran into those guys you saved me from... Jerks. This is why I don't take night shifts."

Ryoko reached over and tapped his shoulder. Once he looked to her, she pointed him toward the makeshift bed that she made for him. "Get over there and rest. Now." Ryoko ordered. She obviously was a little bossy, but she was doing it for his own good. If he decided to resist, she'd shoot a slightly puffy-cheeked glare at him. "If you're not going to sleep, then come up with something interesting to talk about. It's too quiet out there..."

Ryoko's words stung. Watch over him. Was he that pathetic that he needed care from a random Shinigami that he just saved? He was exhausted, sure. But that shouldn't mean that he needed someone to watch over him. It was just another sign that he was weak. It was just another sign that he wasn't worthy to carry her sword yet. His mood soured further, and he didn't have much to say to her patrol duties.

Ryoko seemed to notice it, as she tapped his shoulder and went all bossy on him. Normally, he'd pick on her a bit—but right now, his pride was hurting. She could probably take him on herself right now, and he couldn't stand that. Him needing saving was almost an insult. He grumbled as he slowly stood and hobbled over to the makeshift bed. He sat down, but didn't lie down. "If I fall asleep again, your water trick won't be enough to wake me up." Ryoko decided to try to be all cute—and it made him chuckle once.

"This time of night, I'd rather it be quiet. It shows that you and your Divisionmates are all doing their job. I don't know if he'd say it to you guys, but Mifune would be proud." Tsubine then thought for a moment before chuckling again. "Man, that makes it sound like he's dead, huh?" And right now, that very well could be the case. The Gotei has lost too many people to this war, and that's not going to stop any time soon it seems. "So why did you join the Gotei, Ryoko?" Tsubine asked out of the blue.

"Uh... I'm probably not gonna try to wake you up if you go to sleep again. I figure you'll sleep as long as you need to." Ryoko explained. She had helped him over to the make-shift bed and sat down next to him. She was ready to sit and wait for a few hours, but he didn't go to sleep. He chose to comment on her worries about it being so quiet instead. She brought her knees up and laid her arms on them. "I guess... maybe he'd be proud."

"Uh..." Ryoko raised an eyebrow at him. "Why? Because you said 'was'? I doubt Captain Mifune would die. He's too powerful, tactical... all that good stuff." Ryoko pulled the ribbon out of her hair and began using her hands to comb through it. She had dirt all over her uniform and her hair was all messed up. "Hm... Different reasons. Mainly my Dad and Grandpa. I wanna make them proud. Kinda hard when you can't even do shunpo right."

"Stubborn," Tsubine interjected."You forgot stubborn." Mifune was all of those things, and that's part of why they had gotten along so well. They had similar goals, and both of them seemed to want better for the Shōjin. Of course, Tsubine had an actual plan for that. He wasn't quite ready to present said plan, but it was in fact there. In fact, he just needed to find out a way to get funding from the Gotei for the smiths. Everything else was laid out in a document he kept buried in a briefcase near Lilith's house.

Tsubine found her goal admirable. Making people proud was a very simple, but pure reason to put your life on the line. Tsubine sat up a bit straighter. "So, what about Shunpo can you not do right? Because if it's the landing, well, I can't really help you. I suck at that too. I tend to either overshoot or undershoot my landings..." He almost cracked a smile. "But if it's the initial step, then I might be able to help you out. Well, if you'd let me. And, well, not right now. I think I'd slam right into a building if I tried to do that right now. That's the best case scenario."

"I guess. Maybe. As I said, I don't talk to him really at all." Ryoko shrugged and began retreating in her own thoughts until he decided to ask about her shunpo. She turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "You're one of those guys who only talks about training, aren't you?" Ryoko sighed, speaking after he offered her help. It may have been a little rude, but it didn't matter too much to her at the moment. "Yeah, I'm just not that good at it yet. I only started my training like... a year ago, and apparently a year isn't enough to be good, so..."

"I also joined to prevent my insanity. Being locked in the house all the time, rarely able to do anything interesting, is not fun. It's not really fun fighting all the time either, or training... Now, with all of this Edge stuff happening, it's all just super stressful." Ryoko turned to him with a smile. "Talk about something more fun. Do you ever go to the world of the living? How about Hueco Mundo? What do you do for fun? And don't be cliche and say something stupid, like drinking or sex. Totally not interested in that shit..."

"Besides those things... let's see..." Tsubine took a little too long to think on that. When he realized she was waiting, he let out a one-breath-chuckle and shook his head. "As of lately, shit and fuck all for fun. Work, work, work, yanno?" Tsubine had a glimpse of how dull his life was. Sure, his fun times in the Seireitei were entertaining, but he didn't seem to do anything besides that. Once that was over, he was back out on the streets. He'd talk to people, try to network and get his plan in motion. For the past century or so, that was his life. How had he not realized how droll that was?

Tsubine shifted and changed the subject. He stretched and leaned backwards. "Well, I've been to the World of the Living a few times, but I didn't particularly like it. I felt very out of place, though they do have nice clothes. Never been to Hueco Mundo, never want to. I have been to just about everywhere in the Shōjintoku though. Well, everywhere important and a few places that weren't. Used to live in Sayamachi, now I don't really live anywhere." Tsubine put his hands behind his head. "If someone wants to find me, I get the memo from people out here in the Rukongai."

Tsubine yawned. "Wake me up at dawn. I know I'm more tired than that'll get rid of, but I don't want to keep you out here later than that." Tsubine kept his hands behind his head as he drifted into slumber... And again, that same dream with Kanna came up. This time, he looked more at the moon. It was a clean cut through the crescent. He didn't know what meant yet.

Ryoko had a hard time keeping a straight face. He was boring. This was the same type of stuff she heard from all the other shinigami. Blah, blah, punch, kick, fight, hollow, spirits, etc... She wanted something more cute? Sweet? She didn't know. She just wanted a nice story about how a couple met or two friends getting to know each other. The every day action was just so tiring. She assumed he realized she was bored too, because he decided to go to sleep. She agreed to his terms and kept an ear out while he slept. It was a lot lonelier without someone to talk to... Maybe she shouldn't have been so rude.

Ryoko sighed and turned to Tsubine. She watched him curiously for a few moments and then tapped his nose. He didn't wake. She ruffled his hair a bit. He didn't budge. She picked up his arm and flailed it a bit, not roughly, and he still didn't budge. For some reason, she decided to push it further. She threw a leg over him and began straddling him. She even put her hands on his chest and wiggled around a bit.

"How the hell does this even work..." she muttered quietly under her breath.

Tsubine kept focusing on the dream. Occasionally there was a distant thud at the back of his mind. Kanna being there again was all he wanted. She was alluring, and that was distracting. He tried to focus on apologizing to her, but her thighs were tantalizing. He could almost feel them squeezing around his waist. He let out a small groan as he cracked open his eyes. And sure enough, some damn nice thighs were around him. He was ready to go in more ways than one, but the face the thighs belonged to was almost-unfamiliar. "Probably better if we weren't wearing clothes." Tsubine replied as he grabbed the thighs.

"But something tells me you're not here to grind against some random guy." Tsubine patted the thighs. "Moving back and forth slowly is how that'd work with clothes. Now, up, up." At that moment, there was some shuffling outside. "Oi. Who blocked our do—Who the Edge are you?" A bald man with eight claw-shaped scars across the front of the face knocked away the debris. "Why are you two in my house, huh?" He drew out a cudgel, narrowing his eyes. Tsubine was a little stuck. This was exactly what he wasn't wanting to happen. A pretty girl he knew for all of a few hours was on top of him and now some weird bald guy was coming in... This was not a good night.

Ryoko tensed and her entire body shivered when Tsubine suddenly woke up and grabbed her. Her face turned red and she glared at him. "You said you wouldn't wake up!" she shouted and then pushed his hands away as he pat them. Once he said to, she quickly shuffled on him. Of course, someone barged in at that moment. The bald man came toward them with a weapon and Ryoko thought quickly. She pushed herself into Tsubine and held out her hand defensively, pushing up tears. "N-No! Don't let them hurt me again."

"What are you talking about?" The bald man only got angrier, raising his weapon. "Who the hell do you think you are?" Ryoko recoiled into Tsubine more, moving to wrap her arms around him. "Stop it! Please, don't hurt me." She begged. Her performance was rather good. She whispered into Tsubine's ear. "Play along; maybe he won't hit us." she whispered into his ear and then looked back to the bald man with tears down her cheeks.

Tsubine was shocked about what she was doing. He was going to question it, but he held back. Tsubine sat up, wrapping his arms around her. Tsubine was ready to cast a kidō—he didn't know which one, but it would be loud no matter what. He seemed to stop as Ryoko cried more into Tsubine, begging for something he didn't quite understand. And then, she whispered into his ear. "Sorry 'bout this." Tsubine stood, ruffling his jacket covertly. Ryoko was beside him, one arm around her waist as he drew her up.

Tsubine sized the man up briefly, then decided on a course of action. "Yeah... Sorry, man. We were trying to get through to get to Sayamachi. Fleeing the shit going on in the Seireitei, yanno? A little too much for us, and it ain't what she signed up for." Tsubine slipped into a slightly more rural accent, trying to show that he wasn't from here. "Some guys jumped us, trying to get her back to the Seireitei. My girl here got scared, and we hid here. Then, well, the urges—they happen." Tsubine shrugged, smirking and lightly slapping her ass and rubbing it a little. "Didn't really mean to wreck your house, mate. We'll leave, and ya won't have to worry about us comin' through again, yeh?" Tsubine un-palmed a couple of 500-kan coins to hopefully grease this guy's palms a little.

Tsubine played along! Yes! He understood what she was doing. She was always good at playing to the hearts of old bald men... probably something to do with her grandpa. She would glance to the bald man a few times, each time looking away and acting fearful the moment the man looked back. It took all of her will to hide the surprise of her backside being smacked. When Tsubine offered the money, Ryoko looked hopefully at the old man.

"You idiots." The old man snatched the money away. "This'll make up for everything ya broke, so I guess that's fine, but you get outta here now. I don't need no one keepin' me company, except maybe the young lady..." The bald man smirked and Ryoko immediately hid her face in Tsu's chest. "Haha, just kiddin'. Now, get out." Ryoko looked up to Tsubine and took his hand, quickly moving out of the hut. "Well, that was a close one..."

As Ryoko walked away from the hut, she let go of his hand and put both of her hands on her backside, creating a shield. "I can't believe you smacked my butt. I could slap you for that! But, I guess, since I kinda got on top of you like that... Agh, never mind." The sound of something falling over in an alley, likely an animal or something, caused Ryoko to jump right back into Tsubine. "What was that?" she asked, looking around nervously.

Tsubine sighed once they left audible range. He had kept his arm around her waist the entire time. As soon as they were away, he removed it quickly. He was going to apologize, but she spoke again. There was a part of him that wanted to just roll his eyes. However, he couldn't help but to not. Thankfully, Tsubine's instincts ran true. Ryoko was back up against him. He chuckled once. "Nothing I can't handle." Tsubine winked. He was sore, but not entirely exhausted.

"As I said, I'm sorry. I normally don't go slapping strange women's asses—even if they are fine asses." Tsubine shrugged, then walked her around a corner. When he did, he stopped and got in front of her. He went serious again. "Why the hell were you out on this shift? Not gonna pull any punches here, but you shouldn't be out here. Not alone. You've got good acting skills, but you need to know how to fight when outnumbered. Plus, that... well, provocative stuff you were willing to do..." Tsubine sighed. "You're a little too good looking for that to work out in favor. You'll probably end up in worse trouble, Ka—" Tsubine froze for a moment. "...Ryoko, sorry."

Ryoko saw something there and it was upsetting. It wasn't an angry-type of upsetting, but sadness. It instantly showed on her face too: worry. "Um... It's okay." she said, wondering if she should press about what name he was about to use. She spoke softer to him, more kindly. "Well, I was here during the day, but when you fell unconscious, I let you sleep. You looked too tired to wake up... I don't know..." Ryoko rubbed the back of her head.

"I'm not the strongest, but I'll never get better if I don't try. Training won't take me everywhere; I need experience..." She tried to explain further, but that conversation wasn't interesting to her. She had to push; her curiosity was killing her. "Um, who were you about to call me? I'd say I don't mean to pry, but obviously, that's not true... You looked sad..."

Tsubine didn't mean to burden her with that worry. Tsubine knew what she was saying was true, but this still wasn't safe for her. She did need experience, but maybe this wasn't the right kind of experience for her. She shouldn't be this far out, even in the daytime. Mifune was a "out of the skillet into the fire" type guy, but c'mon. Not every lady was Lilith. That was something Tsubine was having to learn too. Tsubine shook his head lightly before looking upward and away from Ryoko. "...Her name was Kanna. She... was someone I couldn't save, and she... died very recently. You kind of remind me of her in a few ways." He tried to cheer himself up. "She would have stayed with someone if they were unconscious too."

The same loud noise from before came again. He looked around, but didn't see anything at first. Then, he looked up. Sure enough, there was a quick-moving cloud formation above them. As he was about to point it out, the rain started falling hard. He looked around, and nowhere seemed safe. If nothing else, they needed to get out of this district. "Ah shit..." Before long, he was starting to feel soaked. Soon, she would be too. The cold rain shook most of the remaining exhaustion out of him. Knowing he couldn't shelter her here, nor could he leave her alone, Tsubine knelt down in front of Ryoko. "C'mon, get on my back. I can try to get us at least to somewhere a little dryer." If she refused, he'd pick her up bridal-style. This time, she didn't get a say in it.

"I'm sorry. I haven't lost many in my life, but I lost my Father when I was very young. I remember it tearing me apart for a long time and I stopped speaking because he and I were so close..." Ryoko explained, touching her necklace with the tips of her fingers. "It's' not a pain that goes away easily..." Ryoko could tell that this Kanna woman was important to him. Maybe a sister? Or girlfriend? The sadness in his eyes became clearer.

Thunder cracked and Ryoko jumped again. She watched Tsubine as the rain fell. She didn't mind it; For her, it was refreshing. She did want to get out of this area though and she felt safe with him. He already risked himself for her once, so she doubted he was going to hurt her. Besides, he was also friends with her Captain, which meant he must be a good guy. When he turned around, she knew what he was offering. She got on his back and wrapped her arms around his neck, ruffling his hair and laying her head against his shoulder.

"Thank you." She smiled at him and then waited for him to move. She expected a shunpo since that is how most shinigami got around, so she held on firmly. "Where should we go? I just got over a cold; if I'm out here too long, I may get sick again..." That was why Ryoko took this shift. She needed the experience, yes. It was originally day, yes. But the location was not ideal for her. Unfortunately, she had to take up some post, whether it was safe or not, because she already had quite a bit of time off. This was just her duty.

Tsubine had forgotten about his father. That pain had been buried. He had to bury it; else it would have driven him crazy. Or maybe he was already crazy, and that pain was now just dulled enough to not matter, like a pinprick left in the middle of a deep cut. He remembered just how he felt when his father died, and it only worsened his depression. He shook his head, breaking out of that real quickly. Not even Lilith, not even Kanna, not even Eira knew about that death.

Ryoko was heavier than he thought she'd be. It must be the wet clothing. He tensed his throat before standing up. The last person he carried like this besides his sister was Kanna, many, many, many years ago. Tsubine adjusted himself and soon found the real reason she was heavier. He blinked twice. "I know a place that is owned by a friend of mine. It's a bit far, but it's the closest I've got. Hold on tight. I can't land for shit." And so the two of them began disappearing. Tsubine would land on the edges of roofs, near trees, and sometimes right next to people. His form when starting a shunpo was excellent. His form for landing was non-existent.

Within only a few minutes, they arrived at an old bar in one of the middle districts. The doors and windows were boarded up, and it was obvious it had been abandoned for a while. Tsubine carried Ryoko around to the side, where there was a door that remained unboarded. Tsubine pulled out part of a plank, revealing a key hidden on a peg. He unlocked the door and slipped inside. He locked it behind them and then sat Ryoko down. They were both soaked, and it was almost pitch-black inside. "Sorry it ain't much." Tsubine found an old lamp and lit in, giving them a small area of light.

Tsubine grabbed a jug of water from under the bar, setting the lamp on it to get just enough light for most of the room to be seen. The bar was mostly empty. A few crates remained, as did all of the interior furniture. Well, what was nailed down. A few stools were toppled over, but weren't dusty. The booths were lacking cushions, but were still sturdy. It had the appearance of being long-abandoned. It wasn't. This was one of Tsubine's refuges in the Rukongai, but more than that it was one of his primary meeting places for his colleagues. He began drinking from the jug, hoping it being room temperature would warm him up any. It wasn't, so far. "So how wet are ya? ...er, I mean soaked."

They arrived at the place Tsubine talked about and he unlocked it to let them in. She was back down on her own two feet, hair and uniform stuck to her from the rain. She grabbed the fabric and pulled at it multiple times to loosen it. She then ran her fingers through her hair and retied the ribbon she previously took out to get her hair out of her face.

"No, this is fine. Better than the place I chose." Ryoko walked around, taking in the few sights she could see. She had little opinion on it. The place was dark, but dry. That's all she wanted. She turned back to Tsubine and watched him as he took a drink. She swallowed, mouth dry. She wasn't one to ask. Once he pulled the jug away from his lips, she grabbed it with two hands and tilted it back toward her to take a drink even though he still held onto it. "Ahh." She was refreshed, at least a bit. "Clothes are soaked through, but they'll dry soon enough. And stop correcting yourself, I wasn't expecting some innuendo."

Ryoko yawned. Then she shivered. "It is a little cold though." She said and looked around for something to cover herself with. She doubted that she'd find a blanket or anything like that. Then, she coughed. And coughed again. "Oh come on." Ryoko groaned and flapped her arms. "Isn't there a kido that could dry me off? They have kido to blow up mountains, there should be one to make clothes dry. Come on. Do it. I need warmth."