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Inferno I
The Leopard
The Leopard
Amaya’s morning had started early, her sleep had been troubled, and the whole night it seemed as though her mind was unable to stop. Rather than laying restlessly in bed any longer, Amaya started her usual morning routine while there was no trace of the sun and each breath brought a puff of fog.
Amaya couldn’t take it anymore. The restless nights, the flashes back to the maze where death had seemed so close. Upon awakening in the pod in the real world again, Amaya’s desire to leave the place had taken a temporary precedence over the actions taken by the Captain in the illusion. But the last few nights had let her know one thing, that she’d have to pay the man a visit.
The symbol she had seen on the back of his haori let Amaya know her destination, and after wrapping a muted black and red scarf around her neck to ease the chill in the air, Amaya started walking toward the Fifth Division grounds.
The grounds were unfamiliar to Amaya. They had been closed for so long, and she had paid little attention to their reopening as the concept of terrain manipulation and traps seemed a little too underhanded to the Templar. But as she entered the grounds she fanned out her senses, and found the strongest source of reiatsu in the Division to guide her.
She could tell he was moving, and she counted herself lucky she was awake. His presence seemed to be moving back into the Division grounds, and so she situated herself just in front of the entrance to the Division.
It wouldn’t be long now.
Haresuno’s footfalls could be heard in the darkness before the tall captain could even be seen. The day was early, early enough that most people were still asleep, but it was the start of the day for him. Since becoming a captain, Haresuno had to find different ways to train himself. His usual take a break method no longer worked. But out of all of his routines, his morning run was the only thing he had yet to change.
Turning a corner, the Adept pumped his legs harder, gaining speed, as the final stretch of his run was in sight. His breathing was hard, ragged really, but he pushed on with the Dome now in sight.
This morning the Division grounds were calm. There were no sounds of hell fire flashing from sprung traps, no echoing screams of victims, and no devastating serenity of the grounds who itself could oft times be like a waking dragon.
No, today was a calm day.
Absolutely boring.
Slowing down to something less than a trot, Haresuno swept back the strands of his black hair that clung to his sweaty face. Just as he was starting to get his bangs in order, he noticed someone standing in the middle of the road between him and his beloved Fifth. The rising light of the sun to the East gave only the barest of help lighting their face, the rest being cast in shadows, but there was something familiar to the face. He just couldn’t put his finger to it.
Jogging past the woman, Haresuno smiled and said, “Good morning!”
“You don’t remember me?” Amaya’s icy voice trailed after the Captain as he passed her. Turning to follow him, Amaya matched his stride, running directly in his wake.
“You don’t remember driving a knife into someone’s chest and watching them die? You don’t remember when you fail to honor someone’s dying wish? And I thought I was a cold person...”
At that, Amaya stopped, and waited from the Captain of the Fifth to turn and face her.
He did stop, eventually. Just enough to be out of lunging reach.
“Forgive me,” the captain stated, his tone all friendly apology, “but it’s still too dark to see well. I only caught a glimpse of your face.” Turning to face her, his breath slowly coming under control, Haresuno planted his hands on his hips while his chest heaved under his training uniform - a plain looking shihakushou.
“I remember you,” he went on to say, “very well in fact. What brings you all the way out from the Eleventh, and so early in the morning at that?” He paused, as if waiting for an answer, but then his brow furrowed. “What do you mean failed to honor a dying wish? I remember no such thing.”
“I asked for the pain,” Amaya’s voice was dark, and her eyes stayed locked on the Captain. “You took that away from me, you took away one of the feelings I savor most in this world. And on top of that you took away my freedom and my choice.”
Amaya’s hand fell to Sin on her hip, her fingers feverishly tapping at the hilt.
“And what’s worse now is you didn’t expect to see me after it was all said and done. Do you have any idea what you did? Any idea what it felt like?
Haresuno blinked, surprised and taken aback. She wanted to feel the pain? After two hundred plus years at the receiving end of torture, various blades and cudgels, and some unfavorable fights, never in his life would Haresuno want pain - let alone let someone else suffer through that.
Relaxing, slightly, Haresuno waved a hand carelessly, “I apologize,” he said, his voice honest, “but I had misunderstood your words. I thought you doubted me, thinking that my plan would end with you suffering.” Cyan eyes watched as Amaya’s hand caressed the handle of her zanpakuto.
This had the potential to get nasty if he wasn’t careful.
Some other part of the captain almost wished for that.
“As for my actions then...,” he folded his arms, “Yes. I know perfectly well what I did, and I know what that feels like. It’s why I did what I did.”
“I doubted you in that I thought your plan would bring about our pointless deaths. As far as I could tell you had absolutely no proof that we were indeed in a false reality. What if Raifuku had been manipulating our mind and senses? What if he had convinced you to actually drive that knife through my chest and yours?”
In a flash Amaya drew Sin and leveled it at the Captain. Her brown eyes were dark a faint black swimming in their depths, revealing the true extent of her wrath.
“You would cost the Gotei a third seat of the Templar and more importantly a Captain . Because of your gut, because you blindly trusted.”
Haresuno shrugged his left shoulder nonchalantly. “Your guess about Fukushin is off. Though he did enjoy manipulating the Gotei and certain individuals, he was not a man to manipulate people to their deaths. I knew from experience that the chance of us actually dying was in the air, as I had died fighting an adjuchas class by the name of Gungnir - so my trust was not blind. Miss Adelaide Pierce, the young redhead who burst into flames, fell into a loop where she thought she was free of the maze only to have it spit her back into the white room.”
Beneath Haresuno’s uniform, his legs tensed. Nothing to warrant attention, but enough so if he had to he could react. “Also, you might not have known, but the Fifth specializes in traps, lies, deceit, and other manners of trickery. We’re also quite adept at pointing those things out, though, not so well as former members of the Second Division.
“In any case I had to make a decision. You were bleeding out and the healing would have only done so much for you. Eventually, with the help of Hotate or not, you would have died. I had no idea if dying outside of battle would kill you, reset you, or free you. I did know, however, that a violent death at the hands of a mazes inhabitant led to the possibility of a rest, and with Miss Pierce’s death I was given false information that death at the hands of one another would lead to freedom.”
Shrugging again, Haresuno didn’t seem to give the problem any more thought. “I made a decision and acted. It matters little what choice I made, in the end we’re both here. Now, unless you intend to use that sword, it might be a good idea to put it away.”
Amaya shook her head, and looked away. Twice she swept the blade through the air in front of her, but immediately following the actions the weapon found its rest again in its sheath. So much of her screamed to use it, begged to attack the nonchalant and give him a sense of her fury. But she knew how foolish it was. To attack a Captain in cold blood could easily be seen a treason, whatever the circumstances.
“If I thought you had meant to kill me in cold blood I couldn't restrain myself now. But I am because I see that you believed you were making the right call.”
Once again she shifted, the urge to fight was still bubbling up inside of her. She hated feeling used, she hated it when it didn’t matter to them. This man, this Captain was just like the men from her past who used her and left her, just like Masato did.
“That does not mean that I trust or value your judgement. Not that it matters to you.”
Frowning, Haresuno watched Amaya carefully. Then slowly, he spread his arms to either side. “Now that’s not fair,” he began lightly. “Because as a captain, your opinion matters to me. If, for some reason, you and I were to be paired together and expected to work, I would be reliant upon your faith and judgement in my actions.” Folding his hands behind his back, Haresuno bowed a little. “As repentance, why don’t I make it up to you somehow, hm? How about tea for starters? I was recently given a handful of Earl Grey that I don’t know what to do with, and my own tea leaves are often brewed a tad too bitter for the likes of other people.”
With his left hand, Haresuno stepped to the side and pointed towards his division. An invitation to the Templar that he meant well.
Gritting her teeth, Amaya glared at the Captain for a moment. She hated giving in, she hated showing anyone that they could take advantage of her. But she couldn’t ignore Haresuno’s desire to make amends, that despite Amaya’s outlooks on his actions he had been convinced he was doing the right thing for her. And when all was said and done, he was a Captain, and it was in her best interest to drop this. Her recent duel with Thaleia had let her see that maybe first impressions aren't always the correct one.
“I’ve never been one to turn down tea with a Captain,” Amaya voice was tense, but she did her best to ease the tension in her stance. “If you’ll lead the way, you never know what kind of things I’ll stumble into on your grounds.”
“A wise decision,” Haresuno replied happily. Turning then, his back to Amaya, the captain began a lazy walk towards his division.
The gate guards lounged about to either side of the arch that marked the entrance to the Fifth. No walls existed to mark where the division’s grounds began or ended, instead there came a slow, rhythmic, buzz of energy that prickled against Haresuno’s skin. Neither of the two needed to worry about the boundary, and the guards were more escorts that deterred clueless shinigami from entering unless they had business. No need to worry about random sieges, surprise assaults, or even unfamiliar shinigami getting into the Fifth. The grounds themselves saw to the disposal of the unwanted or the lame.
With a calm wave of his hand as he approached, Haresuno watched as the two women pulled themselves away from whatever it was they were doing. They stood straight and then bowed courteously, greeting him with his title.
“Good morning to the two of you,” he said, smiling. “I need the portal readied to take us directly to my office if you wouldn’t mind.” The girls nodded and one of them broke away to prepare the portal while the other asked some questions about the division. When he had answered them all, the portal had been readied, and Haresuno turned to look over his shoulder to find Amaya still standing there.
The air in front of the gate opened, as if someone had taken a hot knife to it and gutted it. Then, slowly, it grew and continued this way until the portal was wide enough for a single person to walk through at a time. On the other side was a dark oaken door with a polished silver handle. The handle was elegantly designed so that it swept outwards and down, a small latch rested above it to open the door.
“Thank you ladies. Miss Third Seat,” Haresuno stated as he walked through the portal. Once on the other side he opened the door to reveal an expansive and decorated office. “Please come in.”
Amaya glanced around the room in an amused disbelief. For some reason she had always imagined the offices of other Captain’s as little more than the wooden desks and piles of mess and paper work that defined the office of the Eleventh Division Taichou. But this office was large, spacious, and welcoming, and it only served to further deflate any of the discomfort Amaya felt at dropping her anger.
“I’ve never been in a Captain’s office, outside of the Eleventh,” Amaya admitted to Haresuno. “You really need to spend a day or two down there and help Kyuketsu out with some decorating.”
“Should that become his permanent station,” Haresuno answered, shutting the door behind Amaya, “than you may consider it done. I am a little bit curious as to what Kyuketsu would have his office look like. I seldom get to meet up with him aside from when business allows. How is he holding up as your captain so far?”
Gliding across the myriad of carpets that were laid over one another across his floor, Haresuno waved his left hand through the air absently and commanded the fireplace to the left of his desk to burn. Soft light, warm and only furthering the inviting nature of the office, threw itself against the lingering darkness. It opened up more of the room, giving away its semi-circle appearance, and displayed the other contents as well.
All along the walls were bookshelves, paintings and tapestries, as well as blocks of smooth white marble stone resting atop pedestals. Some of which actually showed signs of progress, as though someone was slowly, carefully, etching in the likeness of people into them. But the progress varied, with some showing facial features being outlined, and others showed partial bits of hair being sculpted.
Just off to the right of the door was a couch pushed up against the wall, and before it was a coffee table with four large chairs arranged around it facing different angles. Their leather-made backs looking old and well used.
But the most dominating piece of furniture, the one which Haresuno walked over towards, was the grand piece of finely crafted stone that made up the captain’s desk. Polished smooth with no signs of knicks or missing chunks, the desk showed amazing craftsmanship. Right down to the armor of the battle scene that marched across the bottom of it.
“Please,” the captain offered with a gesture to the seat before his desk, “sit if you like. The tea will be ready shortly. When it is, perhaps we can properly introduce ourselves and start anew.”
“Perhaps,” Amaya answered absently as she stared at the exquisite desk that stood in front of her. For a moment Amaya stared at the battle depicted in the carvings, her eyes flickering from sword to sword with an almost eager expression. It took her a moment to peel her eyes away from the magnificent scene, and actually make her way to one of the leather back chairs.
“I haven’t really had a chance to see how Kyuketsu’s fairing as a Captain. I mean we’ve been friends for a long while now,” Amaya’s hand absently reached to scratch the scar she worse in the middle of her back that she had earned by using her body as a shield for the Acting Captain.
“You see, I’ve been, well, out of commission for a while. I only barely had time to learn of Tsubaki’s defiance, and Kyuketsu’s appointment to acting Captain, before we were called to Raifuku’s maze.”
She paused for a little, knowing she had probably rambled a little too long. But it was her nature, she had always said whatever came to mind.
“It’s a beautiful desk by the way.”
“I see,” the captain stated. He pulled his tea kettle out from next to the fire place and filled it with water from a spigot. “And thank you.” Placing the kettle over the fire to boil, Haresuno turned back and fetched the cups he used for guests. “A lot of effort went into that desk, and I am very happy with the result.” Setting a cup in front of her, Haresuno placed the other before his seat.
“The last I saw of Kyuketsu,” he went on to say, “he had visited me here.” Dropping pre-prepared bags of Earl Gray into the cup, Haresuno straightened himself and waited for the water to boil. “He was concerned. About the division, about the troubles you all might have to face, and the troubles he could face with dealing with them. I would very much like to see him with the haori some day - even if its not as leader of the Eleventh.”
“I would too, he’s helped me with a lot up to this point.” Amaya’s hand reached out and clasped the cup that had been placed in front of her, waiting for the warmth from the freshly brewed tea.
“He was one of the few people who visited me when I was sentenced indefinitely to the Seventh, and he didn’t even know me. I think he’d do a lot of good for the division... any division that he led.”
One of Haresuno’s eyebrows quickly climbed to hide in his bangs, and a throaty sound of interest rolled out from him. “Did he ever clarify, later, why he visited you?”
“His original intent was to find why an officer from our division was sent so suddenly to the Seventh.” Amaya’s eyes stayed focused on the Captain, despite her hands still toying with the cup in her hands. “It turned into something else, an understanding of my actions and why I was imprisoned. That understanding is something I don’t take lightly, which is why I’ll support him in his Acting Captaincy, even though I already disagree with one of the few decisions I’ve seen him make..”
The water began to boil and Haresuno moved swiftly. He turned and removed the kettle from the flame, then spun again and strode closer to the desk so that he could pour the water into the cups. As he poured, he nodded. “Yes, I see. How did you manage not to be placed in the Seventh, then, if you don’t mind my asking?”
“By listening to him, despite my instincts. I’ve learned the advice of my Captain is usually more informed, and a wiser choice than my first instincts... Hence why I’m sitting here with you now.”
Her hands tightened around the rapidly heating cup. The heat was intense, but manageable. The bitter aroma that spread through the room and the tingling in her palms helped calm her nerves, and she finally stopped fidgeting with the cup she held.
After setting the kettle down next to the fireplace, Haresuno sat in his chair and waited while his tea leaves finished soaking. “That’s very courageous of you. Not many can listen to others, while their own voice is shouting at them, and accept someone else’s point of view. Is that why you’re the Third Seat of the Eleventh?”
“Ironically that’s the only reason. Our dispute was over my seating. When I rejoined the Eleventh, and even now I’m not what I used to be. I was in a coma for months, and I can barely maintain myself in combat. I thought I wouldn’t be able to keep up as a high seated officer in the Division, if I could barely fight for a few minutes without feeling the effects. Kyuketsu disagreed, he reminded me the Eleventh was more than combat, and my experience was necessary in the Division.”
Amaya paused, her palms pressing harder onto the hot cup she held. She thought back to Raifuku’s maze, and how wonderful it had felt to be free from the weakness she held now. She realized now she had known it couldn’t have been true, she was just too happy to believe it then.
“Kyuketsu is right.” Taking a sip of his tea, Haresuno set the cup down and waved a hand through the air. “The same could be said of all divisions. I was a seated officer in the Arcane Specialists before Sayis Inuzuri was Soutaichou. We did not engage in combat often, but when we did I found that it was not a knowledge of kidou that made me an officer, but rather my skills and judgement as a leader. It allowed me to do more than if I thought along the narrow roads of spellcasting and eventually lead me here.” He looked around his office pointedly.
Refocusing on Amaya, Haresuno took one more sip. “I’ve made you do an awful lot of talking since I invited you to my office, do you have anything you’d like to ask me?”
Taking her own sip, Amaya savored the bitterness of the tea. To his credit Haresuo brewed and impressive tea. For a moment she sipped and considered his question. She had come to the Fifth today for little more than revenge and anger, and in a single pot of tea those thoughts had been washed from her. She wasn’t sure what exactly she wanted to hear from the Captain, now that she had been talked down.
“Yes you have,” she chuckled. “I do have a question to ask you though now that I’m thinking about it. In your years as an Arcane Specialist, did you ever find a way to bring back lost memories?”
The question caught Haresuno by surprise, and he looked at Amaya with a blank stare. He shook himself of it, though, once he realized what he was doing. Instead he shifted in his seat, quietly thinking. “The arcane arts do a good number of things. It can manipulate the elements, redirect energy, add properties to things, subtract too, and that’s only the tip of the iceberg.
“But memories are not in the arcane.”
Realizing this probably wasn’t an answer she had hoped to hear, Haresuno made a reassuring gesture. “That’s not to say I can’t direct you in a direction to help you. Have you seen anyone at the Fourth or Tenth for this question? The mind is a strange and mysterious thing, if mishandled it can have a multitude of nasty effects to oneself that’s a list as long as what the arcane can do.” His chuckle was rough, almost forced. “But memories themselves are a trickery part. Unlike stored wells of power that you can find in some, memories cannot be coaxed or forced out. They’re like an entity all their own.”
“Do you know anyone in particular I could talk to about recovering them? I’m acquainted with Lilith-taichou, do you think she might be able to help?”
Haresuno nodded his agreement. “At the very least she might be able to direct you towards someone who can help you. Aside from that, I would seriously consider the Fourth. They may not be able to do everything, but if you give them a medical challenge then they’ll do wonders just trying.”
“Thank you,” Amaya said as she sipped again at her tea. With this direction she could finally take Kyuketsu up on his offer to sort things out. At least now she had a place to start. But for now she’d finish her tea. There was no need to be rude to Haresuno, and tea had always been more soothing to her nerves than cigarettes, albeit much less convenient.
“And thank you for the tea. It’s very gracious of you to take time out of your day to try to mend things with me.”
“Nonsense,” he replied with a smile, “it’s necessary.” With that his smile wavered, sensing their converson was coming to an end. “I do apologize, though, but I will have to leave shortly.” He motioned down at his training uniform, “A proper washup is called for and then I have my division to see to.
“But I would appreciate your company until my cup was finished.”
“Of course,” Amaya smiled. For a moment she sipped again at the tea, marveling at the fact that she could still manage this politeness. Before becoming a shinigami she had been an expert at controlling herself and formality, but she had been a part of the Eleventh Division for so long... she never thought this part of her still existed.
[4257]
Part 1 of 12
Part 1 of 12