Reuniting With A Fallen Icon [Private]

Subject: Reuniting With A Fallen Icon [Private] Wed Sep 04, 2019 10:05 am

Things were as calm as they could be in the Shojin. Kanna had been able to enjoy a few days of mild relaxation and basic paper work. On this particular day, she was enjoying some tea with an old book when someone came to her door. It was a young woman that had been acting as her secretary for a bit. She came in nervously. Kanna raised an eyebrow at the girl. "Spit it out." she demanded as the girl stood there.

"Th-There's an issue we need you to deal with." she said and cleared her throat. Kanna sat the book down on a side table and gave the woman her entire attention. "This guy outside of the city is demanding to speak with you only, refusing any mediator." she explained, "Your name came up on some papers that he needs dealt with. It's something about land ownership. I don't know, but he's waiting for you here." The woman set a piece of paper on the table and Kanna picked it up to read it. She thought the location sounded familiar, so something about it must be true.

"I'll deal with it." Kanna dismissed the girl and stood up, already making her way out of the building. She didn't take long to get out of the city, choosing to go alone since this wasn't that big of a deal. She arrived at the designated location within five minutes, but didn't see anyone waiting. She re-read the note and this was indeed the place, so she chose to wait for a while. She leaned against a wooden fence post and looked around for whoever it was that wanted to meet her so badly.

Posts : 261 Join date : 2018-07-01

Although this was his first plan, Tsubine did not expect it to work. Like, at all. He thought she'd just say "fuck it" and send more people to shut this guy up. Nope, there she was. She'd put on a few more pounds (of muscle) since he'd last seen her. She still looked great. Tsubine pulled down the wide-brimmed hat he wore, shrugged on a tattered jacket, adjusted his fake beard, and walked towards her. He walked with the distinct hunch of someone who worked in the fields—a deformity he actually worked out of himself before. In his right hand, he held a piece of paper that once read "BUY ONE ROOM'S FLOORING, GET ONE HALF OFF. EXPIRES 10/87." The text had faded enough that he had scrawled a bullshit deed to some land.

"You must be Miss Ha-na-shee-row," Tsubine tried to mask his own voice with exagerrated pronunciations."I found yer name on this here deed, so I wanted to make sure that I wasn't in-croachin' on yer land." Tsubine handed her the deed. Her name was spelled mostly correct, save for one tiny error. It was like someone only making a tiny line to differentiate between an 'O' and a 'Q.' "There is one other matter, before we get to that though."

"I need you to tell me why there's about to be a war," Tsubine's voice changed at the end of the sentence to his normal tone, "Kanna."

Subject: Re: Reuniting With A Fallen Icon [Private] Wed Sep 04, 2019 9:28 pm

Kanna turned her attention toward the voice that called out. The man looked like a regular farmer, so she didn't pay much attention. She took the paper and read over it, but the thing didn't look official at all. It wasn't unlikely that it was real, but only because of how the Shojin used to work. She couldn't remember whether she did own a piece of land and was ready to hand it over to this gentleman anyway. She wasn't going to use it now, even if she had once before. He'd likely make more use of it.

As she pondered the situation, the man's voice changed and Kanna's eyes shifted up from the paper. She instantly recognized that voice and a whirlwind of different emotions came over her: anger, curiosity, joy, relief, and regret. She couldn't figure out which one was stronger and her inability to parse her mindset only angered her, so anger won. Kanna suddenly launched a barrage of punches at his face, one after the other landing minimally effective strikes. "AHHHHHH." she yelled angrily as she threw her punches, "YOU BASTARD! HOW DARE YOU SHOW YOUR FACE HERE AFTER WHAT YOU DID! YOU TRAITOROUS SON OF A BITCH."

Posts : 261 Join date : 2018-07-01

The beard, the hat, and everything flew off with the consecutive strikes. To be honest, even though Tsubine didn't expect it he should have. His body reacted more on instinct. Tsubine wasn't able to fully defend himself, so the punches hurt but no damage was actually done. After Kanna finished her tirade, he stepped back a few steps. "I... should have expected that." Tsubine took out his trademark glasses and put them on.

"Although, I would have liked a simple 'hello.'" He popped his neck. "If I felt like I had a choice I would not have shown up back here. I'm risking my life just showing up this close to the city..." Tsubine shook his head. "I'm serious though. Why is Asra starting a war now? I heard about the attack on a Gotei patrol—a lot more fatal than the usual." His tone was deadly serious. "If you're anything like the Kanna I knew back then, then you've got to agree that a war is the worst idea for the Mikazuki, no the Shōjin as a whole."

Subject: Re: Reuniting With A Fallen Icon [Private] Thu Sep 05, 2019 5:10 am

"Yeah, you should have." Kanna said, rubbing her now sore knuckles. She had gained a lot of strength since he had been gone, but not enough to really damage him. "I couldn't care less what you're risking. You should never have come back here." she said with venom in her tone, her eyes narrowed angrily at him.

Tsubine's question and the explanation of it caught her off guard. "What are you talking about? The Mikazuki aren't involved in anything that stupid." Kanna insisted confidently. "Asra's been playing quiet recently, focusing on the Shojin. Honestly, I'm not sure what his plan is at the moment, but I'd know if anything like that was going on." Then Kanna realized something and glared at him in utter disgust.

"You left us to join the Gotei?" Kanna accused and the anger in her eyes intensified. She looked as if she wanted to say something, to yell at him like he had just cheated on her with her worst enemy, but she bit her lip and looked away. "I don't see you for years and you come back to accuse us of starting a fucking war after betraying us for the very people that oppress our home? I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD."

"Just go away, Tsubine." Kanna took a step back and then turned on her heel, walking off with her fists clenched. "I don't ever want to see you again..."

Posts : 261 Join date : 2018-07-01

"Then don't look at me, just listen. What I have to say is bigger than my leaving the Mikazuki."

"For one, I didn't fucking join the Gotei, Kanna. Nah, I just screw around with one of the..." Tsubine thought carefully about his next words, "seated officers and sleep on the Head Captain's couch. I'm not a spy for them or anything. I fed them only one bit of information—and it stopped the Shojin from being invaded back then. Anything else I told them was irrelevant or outdated. Sleep under their roofs? Sure. But join them? Nah, never would. My loyalty is to the Shojin and what's best for it."

"But that's beside the point. I'm not here to patch things up and be friends again. I'm here to stop a fucking war, Kanna. I don't think it actually was you guys. I didn't get much information, but the Gotei had a patrol attacked by a group of Mikazuki members. Only one survivor."

"Two Captains and two Lieutenants were attacked by Mikazuki members when they were doing the recovery op. Don't know anything else about the aftermath or the beforemath. Protocol sounds like it may have been y'all. But I don't think it was." Tsubine began counting with his fingers. "One, it was way too far within Gotei territory. Only spooks go in that far, and this was a standard patrol. Two, I heard that a lot of the border patrols had been pulled back towards Sayamachi. Never heard why. The location they were in was one of the areas they had pulled back from. And three, the only thing that allow the Mikazuki victory in a war would be if they did a swift and strong opening blow. This was kicking the hornet's nest. I may not be a thinker, but I can do some basic math. And saying the Mikazuki did this is the same as two-plus-two-equals-five."

Tsubine lowered his hand. "So, Kanna, I need to know what's going on. We both know how bad a war is going to be for everyone in the Shojin."

Subject: Re: Reuniting With A Fallen Icon [Private] Fri Sep 06, 2019 12:34 am

Kanna was stopped in her tracks. As he spoke, she regained her composure and decided it was time to stop acting like a petulant child. She straightened her back, crossed her arms, and turned back to him as if he were nothing more than an untrustworthy informant. Clearing her mind of the anger and betrayal she felt helped her focus. As she listened to him name off the obvious, she rolled a few scenarios around in her head. She knew the Mikazuki weren't behind this.

"How am I supposed to know what is going on?" Kanna stated as she walked over and leaned against the wooden fence again. "It sounds to me like bad happened in the Gotei and they're wanting to quickly blame someone to explain things to those impacted by the event. It's easy to point a finger, but if there were actual Mikazuki members involved, they must have gone rogue. Either that or they have something to do with a recent attack on our own people." Kanna pushed her hair behind her ear and looked to the sky. She thought in silence for a moment and sighed out the stress.

"Recently, one of our own squadron was attacked and slaughtered. No one was left alive, but a witness came forward to point the finger toward your friends." Kanna explained. She wasn't being hostile, but stating facts based off his "sleeping on the Captain Commander's couch" comment. "There was evidence that the Gotei was involved - A piece of paper with the Second Division symbol on it, but it was mostly burnt and no other information was discernible, which is why I believe we haven't retaliated. Many want to, but as you said, a war would only get us all killed."

Posts : 261 Join date : 2018-07-01

Tsubine frowned. This wasn't good. An attack from the Gotei? "Explain." Tsubine sat atop an old stump. He thought hard about what Kanna was saying. "...Yeah, if what I know about the Second Division Captain, that doesn't sound like something he'd allow. The document, that is. Seems a little blatant, and he's not the blatant type. That seems more like the... Thirteenth or the Tenth. But it's also just plausible enough to believe. Same with rogue elements—or even an element Asra was going to turn another blind eye to—of the Mikazuki retaliating. It's just plausible enough that you'll get a lot of the people who think with emotions ready to fight."

Tsubine set it up a different way. "So we have two attacks that each of them have weirdly specific indicators that the other party was responsible." Tsubine sighed. "I think... we're being set up. I believe you that the Mikazuki wouldn't do that. I was once with y'all, and I figure that gives me some insight on how y'all'd think on it. The Gotei... I've met each of the Captains, and I think I know a bit of their personalities. The little Saionji wouldn't be the one ordering an attack on the Mikazuki either. I think that'd be... the Ninth? Captain Mufoni or something other. This seems like it's the kind of thing that someone who has a splash of knowledge on both sides would do. That's my gut feeling at least. I may not exactly be able to prove it, but I'd bet my left nut on it."

Subject: Re: Reuniting With A Fallen Icon [Private] Fri Sep 06, 2019 4:11 am

"Someone who knows both sides, hm?" Kanna raised an eyebrow, "You're describing yourself, dumb ass." Kanna rolled her eyes as she shook her head. She tried to think of defectors of the Mikazuki or anyone that had come from the Gotei Thirteen. "There's only one other person that knows both sides, but she's such a little doll that I doubt that'd ever happen. If it does, the girl is possessed." Kanna chuckled and sighed again before turning back to him. "So, what exactly am I supposed to do to help you?" she asked, expression mostly dull aside from the annoyance in her eyes. "As far as I'm concerned, the only reason you're here is information I don't have, so maybe you should contact someone else, hm? Goodbye, Tsubine."

Posts : 261 Join date : 2018-07-01

"Wait." Tsubine sighed and adjusted his glasses. "It's not just for the information. Yeah, that's the main reason I won't lie. You're the only person I know who is high enough to know what I needed and also feels the same way about the Shojin that I do."

"Kanna, one more spark will probably push one side over the edge and into a war. Knowing y'all didn't do it, I may be able to calm down the Captain-Commander... and I'll check on if the Gotei did that attack so you can calm shit here. But I also... wanted to make sure you were safe. Shit's getting real, and you're like one of the three people I actually would freak out over if something happened. I don't regret my leaving, so I know I gotta live with the consequences of that. I know I hurt our friendship, but that doesn't mean that when shit hits the fan, I won't look out for you like before."

Tsubine held out a folded piece of paper to her. "If you hear anything out of the ordinary, you can reach me here." It contained a phone number, similar to a Shinigami's denreishinki but it had a few too many numbers. "Don't try to track it, it won't work. I stole the denreishinki it belongs to from the 12th Division. It was a failed prototype that 'got lost' in a warehouse transfer."

Then, something clicked. "Wait, that other person... she short? Kinda tomboyish? Brown hair?" Once he got confirmation from Kanna, Tsubine smiled wide. "You're talking about Shorter-stuff. Good to know you're the person that they were concerned about when it comes to her connections out here."

Subject: Re: Reuniting With A Fallen Icon [Private] Sat Sep 07, 2019 2:24 am

Kanna stopped and looked over her shoulder at him. She let him talk and used her hands to brush her hair back, acting as if the conversation wasn't worth listening to even though she took in every word. "You do what you need to do." Kanna said as she straightened out her outfit and then took the piece of paper. She slid it into her pocket after reading it to see what it was. "No reason to track it if you're telling the truth." Kanna said. "You'll be sleeping on the Captain Commander's couch."

"Yeah, sounds like the one. Her name is Kaminari, though, not shorter stuff." Kanna corrected after a short chuckle. "You call her that to her face, you might not be able to have kids anymore. She really hates her height being commented on... along with her chest, or lack there of, or the fact that she's a tomboy... Girl's got a lot of insecurities, but she makes up for it in different ways. I am glad to hear that she made it alright. I wasn't sure she'd get to the Seireitei on her own. How is she doing?"

Posts : 261 Join date : 2018-07-01

Tsubine shrugged. "Don't quite know, honestly. Never actually met her. I only know of her 'cause of her 'promotion ceremony.' Your little friend is actually a Lieutenant now." Tsubine adjusted the way he sat. It was never comfortable sitting on a stump. "Eighth Division, actually. Had this whole little battle-royale thing where people who wanted the position were put into little groups and they had to work out how they'd react as an officer. Then a masked guy showed up and started beating the crap out of them, I guess as a 'missions ain't always so straightforward.' Don't know much else other than her decisions got her the position and that she somehow broke the rules and still got it. You trained a little rebel apparently, Kanna." Tsubine smirked at her.

"When I was there, watching her fight I swore I recognized the way she was fighting. I just couldn't put my finger on it. It now makes sense, since I'm used to that style using two swords and not just one." Tsubine adjusted again. This whole thing just wasn't that comfortable. He could tell Kanna was still angry with him, and that was making this whole conversation tense. "And I call her Shorter-stuff because her Captain is a kid who looks like he's stuck as a teenager, so he's Short-stuff. Can't have two Short-stuffs. Easier to remember names like that than their actual names. You want me to pass a message on to her for you?"

After a moment of silence, Tsubine spoke up again. "So... how are things, you know, here?" Tsubine gestured to the general area they were in. "I still come back to the Shōjin every now and then, but I never get this close to Sayamachi. Too risky."

Subject: Re: Reuniting With A Fallen Icon [Private] Sat Sep 07, 2019 10:37 am

"Lieutenant? Haha." Kanna shook her head. "It's only been a couple years, so how the hell did she pull that one? I mean... she said she'd do it. Girl has plans to become Captain, but I didn't think it'd happen that quickly. What Division?" Tsubine explained and Kanna couldn't help but smile and keep smiling at that. There was a feeling of pride there. "Well then. Good for her." Kanna nodded to herself.

"And why assume I trained her?" Kanna raised an eyebrow at him. She gave him a look that said 'you're not wrong' and the tension that they had was slowly fading. "Taught her to use her body better than any other disciple I've had. She's a natural, even if a pain in the ass." His explanation on his name calling was expected. Kanna just stared dully at him. He still can't remember names... The dullness faded when she thought of a message she could get to her old friend. "Yeah, sure." Kanna pulled the charm from her neck and set it in Tsubine's hand. "Just give that to her." she said. She had no intention of explaining what it meant. "She'll know what it means."

"Yeah, I'm sure it'd be risky for someone who up and vanished after betraying the Mikazuki." Kanna said with a snap of snark. If he tried to rebuttal, she'd just wave it off like she didn't care. She was joking in the first place. "Doin' alright. Had some ups and downs. Got a few new recruits" Kanna explained. "A couple of cute ones too. You're definitely missing out. One little thing with the innocent girl personality and another mysterious cutie with some accuracy skill that puts a lot of us to shame."

"So, why the Gotei? Out of every place you could have gone, you chose the one place that your home is currently standing against?" Kanna said with accusingly, but more out of curiosity and a bit of hurt. "Feels a little back-handed... unless you're playing some angle. That I could get, but since you've made friends, I doubt it."

Posts : 261 Join date : 2018-07-01

"Will do. I'll make sure she's the first stop I make after returning." Tsubine turned the charm around in his hand a few times before pocketing it inside of his vest.

"May be missing out on some stuff, but man I'm not going to deny that I've been having a hell of a time there. Still feels like a stressful vacation and not like I live there though." Tsubine let out a small chuckle. It was a little too true, since he didn't really live anywhere though. "There's this bomb-lookin' new Captain who, unfortunately, is too much of a bitch. If she weren't, she'd easily be a solid 8.5. Plus there's a few guys who look like they're model material—and I ain't talkin' bout the noble brothers either." The tension was easing, and that brought back a lot of the former candor they once had.

"Kanna, Kanna, Kanna... You still think I'm trying to have an angle. When are you going to learn I always have two angles?" Tsubine smirked. "First, I can get information about their plans for the Shojin. I'm also one of the only people there who're from the Shojin, so I can explain things the city folk don't understand. But mostly I'm there to make sure they don't go all genocidal on the Shojin."

Tsubine sighed. He knew he'd have to tell her that. It was his plan to get her on board in the end anyway. "But mostly... I guess you can say that I have an idea—a good one too. So the Mikazuki isn't what the Shojin needs. Their original purpose—the reason I joined is slowly becoming a relic of days gone. So, I'm going to try to get the Gotei to fund a new branch, led by yours truly. Won't have anything to do with the rest of their 'balance of souls' and whatever. Nope, just a group of stronger people who can handle the big problems in the Shojin. But that's not all. See, they can't be everywhere for every little problem. So, the Gotei funds this group so they can go and train and arm people throughout the Shojin to defend themselves against the common threats. It won't be part of the Gotei proper, so no academy brats or people who just want to stomp on the Shojin. Nope, it'll be staffed by people from the Shojin and it's for people from the Shojin. Only ties to the Gotei are funds—and not all of the bank is from them, I've been talking with potential investors—and information. And I guess I'd technically answer to the Captain Commander, but I think he'd rather just have me off his couch. But it wouldn't be part of the Gotei's hierarchy, so it wouldn't be dragged into wars that have nothing to do with it."

"If the idea gets approved, I'll need a second in command..." Tsubine gave Kanna a look that asked the question he couldn't ask.

Subject: Re: Reuniting With A Fallen Icon [Private] Sun Sep 08, 2019 8:10 am

Kanna listened to his plan, staring at the ground as she took it all in. "So, that's your plan, hm?" Kanna said. She shifted her stance to a more comfortable one. She understood what he was trying to do, but it felt a little bold. It also didn't sound like something the Gotei Thirteen would agree to. It had been almost two hundred years since she left the Gotei, but she doubted that much changed since then.

"Sounds like a good plan, but implementing it isn't going to be easy." Kanna said and crossed her arms again. "And second in command? And why would I take that position? Kinda sick of following someone else's orders. Why don't I take the Captain's position? I'm probably better suited for it than you are anyway... Lazy ass."

Posts : 261 Join date : 2018-07-01

"Yeah, well, I don't like taking orders either. So the higher up I go, the less I gotta deal with it." Tsubine chuckled. "And you'd only be taking orders from me, so what's the worst that could happen?" Tsubine stood up, feeling that if he stayed too much longer, he might be risking Kanna's life a little too much. "But you're right that it won't be easy. That's why I've been working at it for the past fifty years... I think we both know how stubborn the Gotei can be. It'll be a pain to convince them, but I at least feel I won't be standing alone if they do take up the plan."

Tsubine's body tensed slightly as he changed the subject back. "Kanna, try to keep Asra from reacting too harshly to what's going on. I'll talk to the Captain-Commander, figure out what's going on with that attack you mentioned. If it wasn't, I think we're going to have to work to figure out who is pulling the strings on this." Tsubine walked over to her and actually extended his hand. "I know it don't make up for just up and leavin', but I am sorry for hurting you. Sometimes I think you and I are the only two who actually get how life is like on both sides. ...Shorter-stuff might know too, but I ain't really met her yet."

Tsubine began walking away, waving. "Call me in a week and I'll fill you in. Or call if you ever need me." He spun in the dirt, still moving. He put his thumbs under his jacket and lifted it up. "Since I am one-of-a-kind." If nothing else, Tsubine felt a weight off of his back from this. He'd put a sheet of metal down over a burnt bridge. It might blow away in the next storm, but he hoped for now that it'd allow the two sides meet once more...

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