The Runaway Returns: Never Again

By the time it was all over, they were gone. The fires were dying down and rubble from destroyed buildings had fallen all around, taking some lives on its own. The hollow was dead, along with dozens of others. Souls were taken, eaten. The lower ranked Shinigami that had been on duty in this area fell to the hollow’s sudden rage. Luckily, they got word to the Soul Society. The Shinigami that was called into battle arrived just in time to stop the carnage, but not quickly enough to save everyone.

Eira sat in the middle of the wreckage of destroyed buildings, shakily holding the hands of two lifeless friends, as tears streamed down her cheeks and she struggled to breathe through it. A hand rested on her shoulder.

“I’m sorry about your friends.” Kaminari stepped up behind.

“I couldn’t… do… anything!” Eira frustratedly screamed.

“That’s not your fault.” Kaminari said. “You don’t have the training for something like this.”

“I know it’s not my fault.” Eira said, letting go of their hands and standing to face Kaminari. “Take me to my brother.”

“Wait, what? Your brother?” Kaminari asked.

“Tsubine Shirazumi. Take me to him. He’s at Lilith Blake’s. Take me to my BROTHER.”

“O-Okay.” Kaminari nodded.

Quickly using her zanpakuto to open the senkaimon, the Shinigami led Eira back into the Soul Society…

Captain Tsubine Shirazumi was busy. Between various transfer requests from the previous Captain's tenure and new admittance requests from the Academy, his desk was more paper than wood. He sat reading yet another personnel file. Thankfully Captain Hōzōin had been gracious enough to put whatever new applicants showed promise for the new Eleventh into binders. His tie and jacket hung loose on the back of his chair. Words started to merge together, as did names and faces. When someone opened the door, he expected another batch of paperwork. He couldn't see the door from behind the stacks of binders. His hand peeked over, waving whoever it was to one side. "Just leave it by the door. I'm already backed up two days."

When they arrived, Kaminari had Eira wait just a moment outside the office. She opened the door and saw the impressive pile of work he had. She was silent for a moment, glancing to Eira, and then stepped in. “Well, uh no. That’s not… Holy mother of goodness, why do you have so much?” Kaminari asked, leaving the door open as she stepped to the side of Tsubine’s desk. “You’re gonna have to put this down for a bit, I’ll even help you later; there is something a thousand times more important you’re going to have to deal with… like right now. Okay? It cannot wait. Do you understand? Cannot wait.”

Tsubine peered over the side of the pile at Kaminari. He raised an eyebrow in a bit of disbelief. He let her speak, not interrupting her as he closed the binder. "Promise you'll help me later?" With an affirmation, he nodded and grabbed his jacket. "So, what's the rush?"

"Yes, I promise. Mine's all cleared up for now." Kaminari said and has he went to grab his jacket; she gently took hold of his wrist. "No, no. You don't have to go anywhere... Just... stay here." Kaminari took a deep breath and walked back toward the door. "Go on in."

Eira passed by Kaminari and limped into the office. Dried blood tainted her cheek and forehead. The left side of her face was bruising and some of her clothes were torn.

"Good luck..." Kaminari said in general before closing the door and waiting outside.

"Hello, Tsubine..." Eira said, a crack in what little calm she could hold in her voice. She stared at him, a bubbling rage behind a calm storm. "You're a Captain now?"

Tsubine stood in stunned silence. Tension rose quickly from multiple sources. There was... so much he wanted to say. So much he wanted to do. And yet, he remembered that letter. He winced once she said his name. It still stung. "Yeah... it was the 'big surprise' I was waiting to unveil... so... surprise?" There was a slight lopsided smirk to show that he had meant to tell her... and that's when he noticed everything that was wrong. "Eira... what the hell happened?" He began to take a step towards her to see if she was okay.

Eira's entire body tensed. She clenched her fists and stared at a spot on the ground. Speaking through grit teeth, "A hollow happened... It... got to close..." Eira's eyes snapped back up to his and with all of her might, Eira slapped her brother so hard across the face that Kaminari flinched and rubbed her cheeks. It didn't stop there. Eira punched him multiple times, and when she realized she couldn't hurt him, she pushed the pile of papers off his desk in a fit of rage. "IT'S YOUR FAULT!" she screamed. "You kept me locked away, isolated! Now, I'm just some weak, fragile, worthless meal for hollow. I HAD FRIENDS. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE, I HAD FRIENDS, AND JUST BY BEING NEAR ME, THEIR LIVES WERE IN DANGER. THEY'RE DEAD AND IT'S YOUR FAULT. WHY DID YOU HAVE TO KEEP ME LOCKED UP? WHY DID YOU HAVE TO KEEP ME SO WEAK? YOU SHOULD HAVE TRAINED ME! YOU KEPT ME HELPLESS. WHAT KIND OF LIFE CAN I HAVE NOW, TSUBINE? YOU MIGHT AS WELL LOCK ME IN A BOX!" Eira stopped and finally took a breath, then two, then three. "I know... you thought... you were protecting me... You thought you were keeping me safe, but that's not how it works. I need to be able to keep myself safe. I need to know how to fend for myself... and because of you... I don't know how... and... now they're dead." Eira brought her hands to her face and fell to her knees, crying into them.

The slap stung. His body didn't react quick enough to it. It did react to the punches. It didn't hurt him. He just hoped that Kaminari would stay by the door and keep other people out. Every word was true, and every word was a dagger. He watched her; his lips drawn into a thin, tight line. When she took the moment to catch her breath, Tsubine began to speak. She cut him off. He walked over and sat beside his sister. He didn't say anything for a few minutes. "I know it's my fault. I... know I fucked up. At least you understand that I tried. I just wanted to make it so you didn't have to train... that anything like this wouldn't be a worry."

"You're stupid." Eira wiped her tears, sniffled, wiped her nose, and then looked at him. She was calmer now. "Really fucking stupid. Look around you, Tsubine. Your entire job is fighting monsters. There is a magic barrier that keeps our world from a world of horror. You and I are-... Well, you know..." She was obviously referring to their heritage. "I was born into this world. We both were, so trying to keep me from it is just... just... just stupid!" Eira slammed her fist into the ground as her anger rose once more, but hurt her fist doing it. "I... need... your help... I can't be like this anymore."

Tsubine looked up at the ceiling. She was right about the job... the difference was that it was a new thing. He made the smart choice and didn't point that out. "I was... well, am too cocky. I thought that I could fix things. I'm learning that I'm not standing alone in a forest with you hiding behind me again." The memory of them running from their childhood home flashed. Blood. Screams. The first tinge of lack of control. Tsubine shook it off. He stood up, extending a hand to help his twin. " Eira, will you follow me? There's something I want to show you."

"That's a fucking fact." She interrupted him after the cocky comment, sniffling and wiping more tears from her face. As he stood up, she took his hand and stood with him, nodding. She followed him out of the office and stopped at Kaminari. "Hey, uh... Thank you for bringing me here." Eira finally stopped the tears and then hugged Kaminari. "And for saving my life."
"No problem. My pleasure, especially for Blue Eyes' sister." Kaminari said, returning the hug.
"Blue Eyes?"
"Look at 'em!" Kaminari said, pointing at Tsubine's face. "And he calls me Shorter Stuff; I'm not good at nicknames, I guess."
Eira and Kaminari shared a laugh before the siblings continued on. A quick tap on Tsubine's shoulder got his attention, so she pointed silently toward Eira, signaling behind the hurt woman's back. Kaminari motioned to her face and pretended to have a limp, reminding Tsubine that Eira was, in fact, hurt!

Tsubine shook his head as Kaminari explained the nickname. "Her Captain is Shortstuff. She's shorter than him, so it only follows that she be Shorter Stuff." He joined them in the brief laugh before getting Kaminari's silent message. He mouthed I know before continuing on. "Eira, let's stop by my place and get you cleaned up first." He led his sister to his own private quarters. Just like his office was filled with binders and folders of paperwork, this place was filled with moving boxes. You pointed out where the bathroom was began rifling through one of the boxes. He occasionally asked if she needed any help, would give it if she requested. When she was done, he came out with a Shihakusho. "It'll be a little big on you, but I figure it's better than what you were wearing."

Eira was silent most of the time. She washed her face up and brushed her hair back. Using a wet cloth, she took the time to get some of the dirt off her. She winced a few times, but no real sound was made. She stepped back out and was handed a Shinigami uniform. "Okay." she said, heading back in to change. When she came back out, she raised her arms to sort of gesture to herself. "I look like the rest of you. How droll..." she said, chuckling. "So, where are we going?"

Tsubine gave her a thumbs up and pulled at his collar. "You look more like one than I do." He led her out the door. "The one place I know we can talk without being interrupted. And one of the only places I never get lost going to " He held out a hand for her to take. Once she did, he began using Shunpo to take them far out of the Seireitei and into the Shōjintoku south of the Rukongai. Specifically, they went into the all-too-familiar forest from his memory.
Standing before them was a burnt-out husk of an old, stately home. Stone walls and charred beams were all that remained of the ancestral Shirazumi home. "It's been a while since I took you here, hasn't it?"

Eira could not shunpo. Eira was not just going to be dragged along. She got on his back and he was going to deal with it. She almost fell asleep on the trip there. When they arrived and she opened her eyes, she looked around at the burnt rubble of their old home and then to him. "Yeah, prisoner, remember? Why are we here?"

Tsubine placed a hand on one of the stone walls. "Because this is where it began. We're Vizards, but not like others. Somewhere out there, the source of what makes us what we are is still alive. I've been trying to find out where it is so that I can kill it—and I hope that it'll make it so we don't have to worry about our Inner Hollow anymore. That's what I've been doing." Tsubine held up a hand. He stepped inside the ruins, talking to her as he moved around. "But as you said, I fucked up. I've been an idiot about how I treat you... and probably others too. I know what happens when a Hollow gets too close. I thought that keeping you away from battle would be the best way to prevent that from happening."

There was a sound of creaking wood followed by a grunt and wood snapping. Tsubine coughed as he rounded the wall, carrying a clattering bundle wrapped in a stained sheet. He laid it down gently in front of Eira." If you want to train, then you should have these." He unfurled the bundle. Inside was a pair of katana. They seemed to be a matched pair. "Mom and Dad both graduated from the Shin'ō Academy. They ran away immediately after, taking their Asauchi with them. They never bonded, so they're still unkeyed. You should have them."

Eira looked down at the two katana. "These were theirs?" she asked, picking them up and examining them. "And you want me to have them? Why didn't you use them?"

Tsubine nodded. "Yep. The one with the red scabbard was Mom's. The blue one was dad's." At the two blades. There was a hint of longing there but he shook it away. "By the time I found them, I had already made a bond of my own. I had actually planned on giving them to you after I had dealt with the hollow that cursed our family. The idea was that if I dealt with it, you would be at less risk in a fight to... Well, you know. But, plans change. They are both yours now."

Eira wasn't sure what to say. She wasn't even sure what to feel now. "Okay. Thank you..." she said. She put them on her back, unsure of how to put them on her waist like most people did. "So, how is my training going to start? I'm not staying like this anymore, so..."

Tsubine shrugged. "I don't know. My first suggestion is to honestly go through the academy. There is a big recruitment drive going on, and I know the teachers there are top notch. But, I think that would keep you a little too close to me. I get that you probably don't want that. Outside of that idea, I don't really know."

"I am not going back to school. I want to learn how to fight, not read and write. I don't care about history shit either. Can't one of your friends help?"

Tsubine went through a mental list of the people he would consider a friend. Most of them came back with a wince or a look of fear. "Not... Really. Most of them aren't exactly beginner friendly. And the one guy I would probably have sent you to is going through a mental break of his own. It also depends on how you want to fight. So, let's start with that. How do you want to fight?"

Eira glanced back to her katanas. "I guess... with these? I don't know what else there is, except punching stuff, but... I don't know if I'd be good at that."

Tsubine made a face. It wasn't quite concerned, nor was it displeasure, nor was it anger. "Then there is one guy I would probably kind of sort of recommend. How good are you with philosophy though?"

Eira blinked. "Um... I don't... What do you mean?"

"He's the type of guy that wants to know the why. And not just the surface level why either. No, he kind of gets in your head sometimes. It's a little weird. But, especially for training with a sword I would go to no one else. Besides myself, of course. oh, and the other guy that's having his own problems right now."

Eira rolled her eyes, "I ain't training with you, so let's go with the philosophy guy. I'm sure he'll understand my reasons..."

Tsubine pursed his lips. "I hope he does. But you're going to have to realize one thing. He is another captain, just like me. You're either going to have to deal with his schedule or join up and go into his division. And that is if he even accepts my request on this."

Eira nodded, "Okay... Yeah, I can do that." Eira took a deep breath and suddenly looked really weak. "Can we go back now?"

Tsubine looked back in the direction of the Seireitei. "Where do you want to go? I technically have room in my place, but..." He let the remainder of that remain unsaid.

Eira looked away and thought for a moment. "I wanna be with another girl, so how about that one who brought me in? Is she okay? Seemed like it..."

Tsubine made the same face as before. "Yes, she is.. well, she has a good head on her shoulders... I just... Don't exactly think the two of you rooming would be a good idea... Besides, it's not something I can approve... It would be up to her captain..."

Eira raised an eyebrow. "Uh... What are you holding back? Spill it. Now."

Tsubine sighed. "Okay, look. She already gets put through a lot because she is from the shojin like we are. I'm just concerned that the two of you might get some harassment..." He thought about leaving the conversation there. Everything would be fine and dandy if he did. Except his conscious ate at him. "Plus... She knew Kanna very well. From what I understand, they were like sisters. And she doesn't know the full story of what happened."

Eira's entire demeanor shifted. Her heart skipped a beat and she bit her lip to hold back the tears before exhaling heavily through her nose. "Oh." she forced out and then cleared her throat. "Oh... Okay. Good to know." Eira put her hand over her own forehead, paced for a moment, and then just screamed. "FUCK." After she ran out of air, she looked to Tsubine. "I just wanna hang out with another girl, okay? Recommend someone or something, I don't know."

Tsubine shrugged. "Lilith?"

Eira shakes her head, "I'm not staying with your fuck buddy."

Tsubine blinked. "How did you know?"

Eira gave the dullest look, "Woman's intuition? And the way you look at her, but she doesn't look the same way back... It's strange. You obvious like her, but she's oblivious and you wouldn't turn that down. Who would? I wouldn't. If I were a guy, I'd stick myself in like that." She snapped her fingers.

Tsubine crossed his arms in an X. "Too much information. Anyways. Um... Wait." He snapped his fingers. "That's one other girl I know. I think she could use a friend as well. Her name started with an R... She might be a good choice. I would probably have to ask Lilith how to get in touch with her though."

Eira shrugged. "Alright. Then do that. What do I do until you find out?"

"You could stay at my place? It would just be until we could figure this out." Tsubine held up a hand. "And besides, with how busy I am, I am barely there."

Eira went to reject the idea, but he stopped her. She crossed her arms like he did. "Fine. Let's go then."

Tsubine knelt down so she could get on his back once more. "Thank you for coming out here." And once she was on, they began the trek back to the Seireitei.