The Soul Society

[Leonardo Krilangi]

"Nanao-chan and I have both tried and failed to talk him out of it," Kyouraku replied, heaving a sigh, "and I can't hold him in a cell if he hasn't commited a crime. I don't really have another choice. Anyway, thanks for playing along; he shouldn't be too much trouble to look after, so long as the Arrancar don't decide to follow up this attack."

The tall captain turned his chair to one side and slouched into it, tilting his hat over his eyes as if going to sleep, but Ayato's comment made him flinch. Her razor-sharp intuition had seen through him once more.

"Why can't it just be enough for you that I wanted to see your lovely face for a change...? What a hassle..."

Kyouraku grew serious as he drew back up in his seat, and he leaned in close to Ayato, a dark look in his eyes. It was obvious that all false pretenses were now being cast off.

"That's exactly why I wanted you on this mission: to keep your eye on Leo-kun. Recently, he's been running off someplace without warning, and he doesn't turn up for at least a day. If he pulls that trick this time, I need you to follow him and let me know where he goes. I'd do it myself, but...if I went with Leo-kun to the Living World, he'd get cautious and hold back. It'll only work with someone he doesn't know, and your intuitive eye is perfect for that cause. Please, help me out here, Ayato-chan...If he's getting himself into trouble, I need to know. Not just for my sake, either."  

[[Mochi]]

((Still watching House obsessively.. xP expect way too much witty sarcasm.. But since I'm half asleep.. that may not be the case.))

That subtle flinch made Ayato chuckle. Some confession was probably going her way.

"Lovely face... right... Who would want to look at a face with a permanent sarcastic expression on it."

Her eyes narrowed as Kyouraku explained the true situation. She closed her eyes when he finished his explanation and sighed.

"You sure he isn't just running off to go train or something? Ah well.. I'll play along and stay with him.. As a random note, I wonder if he would be intimidated to run off with a captain being paired up with him. Of course, he may think that I wouldn't notice.. How little does he know about me anyways?"

"Ayato Hasagawa! You are fifteen minutes late for your appointment with me!"

Ayato paled as soon as she turn around to see Unohana with an angry expression on the fourth division captain's face.

"Oh shi..."

Ayato mumbled under her breath.

"Sorry but I'm in the middle of a briefing... Can I get back to you as soon as Kyouraku supplies to me the final bits of info I need?"

"nope. I don't have all the time in the world you know... And Kyouraku! When was the last time I've seen you in my office? You're long overdue for a checkup too!"

Ayato sighed.

"Looks like we have no choice.. mind if we finish our conversation on the way to 4th division HQ?"

(( xP only way I could keep us talking ...))  

[Leonardo Krilangi]

"Not much more to say, really," Kyouraku replied as he stood up. "Just don't drop your guard; Hollows and Arrancar are everywhere these days, and we're not quite sure what to expect.

"Now," he continued, smiling in Unohana's direction, "let's not keep our beautiful motherly figure waiting...Oh, but before that..."

As the words left the captain's mouth, Kril came walking up to the office door, bowing low to the three captains. He winced slightly when his wound twitched, but he shrugged it off as he straightened up.

"Captain Kyouraku, I apologize for my tardiness. I'm ready to be briefed for my mission."

Heaving another heavy sigh, Kyouraku replied, "I know I've said it before, but I'll say it again: you shouldn't push yourself so hard, Leo-kun. You keep this up, and you'll end up dying out there."

Knowing how stubborn and headstrong his third-seat was, the captain continued, "Well, I guess it can't be helped, then. Just don't take any chances, and take some of Unohana-chan's meds with you. I've asked Ayato-chan to oversee your mission as well, in case something big goes down while you're there. You know the rest: just stay in the area and oversee damage control until Izamaru-kun arrives."

Bowing again, Kril replied, "Yes sir, I'll do you proud." As he did, though, he caused his festering slash wound to twitch again, and he clutched at it tightly, trying his best to hide his anguish-ridden face.

"We were just on our way to Unohana-chan's infirmary," Kyouraku said, knowing exactly what was happening. "You should come with us; you're going to need some supplies anyway."

Wiping his face clean of his pain, Leon nodded, and the four shinigami began their trek towards the fourth division infirmary.

((I've been playing WAY too many MMOs recently; I haven't been paying attention to any of my other online obligations at all. I'll try to remedy that in the near future.))  

[[Mochi]]

((Haha. You just need to learn the skill of balancing your hobbies and stuff. xD;;; As a rnadom note.. according to the bleach manga, Unohana is older than all the captains except for first division I think))

Ayato was silent as they walked to 4th division. she had a distant look in her eyes. She was going through the details of the mission as well as was speculating on what was to happen, though she did have some idea.

Unohana smiled and pat Ayato on the head as they went around a bend. The 4th division was right in front of them.

"I've never seen you so quiet. Anything on your mind?"

Ayato flinched at bit at Unohana's touch. She looked up at the older captain.

"Just thinking through a couple details..." She looked forward once again.

"I hope you wore the correct cami I asked for." Unohana raised an eyebrow.

"A shirt that exposes my back? Yeah.. I didn't forget."

The four shinigami walked into 4th division HQ. It was a slow day, with very little patients circulating in and out. Unohana walked up to one of the shinigami, requesting for a small first aid pack with a couple extra meds and other things for Leo. She also asked them to prep a couple other things to get ready for Ayato's checkup, as well as Kyouraku's physical. She led them into a fairly large room with 3 separate beds.

"Oh yes. Thank you for coming here with use Leon-kun. It's a great time to have a look at those healing wounds you've got. Hopefully none of them have opened."

Ayato suddenly took of her captain's robes. Unohana motioned to her with a funny face, asking her whether she wanted the men out of the room.

"I'm wearing a cami... It's not that I'm fully stripping. Anyways... Kyouraku isn't a lolicon. I don't really care much anyways"

She faced her back at Unohana, and took off the upper part of the shinigami robe, exposing a large scar that ran throughout the entire height of her back. Near it was a heavily padded bandage which Unoahana proceeded to remove.

"Kyouraku.. Anything else you would like me to know about htis mission?"

 

[Leonardo Krilangi]

Both Kyouraku and his subordinate were silent on the trek to 4th division's infirmary. As uncomfortable as the silence was, neither man bothered to break it. Both felt an irrepressible urge to answer when Unohana asked Ayato why she was so quiet, but they stifled themselves quickly, since they couldn't reveal their concerns in front of each other.

Finally, when Unohana addressed him, Kril replied, "I do appreciate it...but I'm leaving on assignment soon, so I'd be grateful if we could make this as quick as possible. There's still a lot of work to be done in the Living World; my comrades need me down there ASAP."

The motherly Unohana didn't even bother looking in Kril's direction as she replied, "I understand your sentiments, third-seat Krilangi, but you won't do your comrades any good if you join them with such a drastic handicap. As much as I want to let you go quickly, your wounds must be treated properly, and treatment will take time. I have arranged for Isane to handle your case for the moment; not only do I trust her healing powers, but she can subdue you if you attempt to escape."

At that moment, Kril was caught in Unohana's trap; he flinched slightly before finally nodding assent. As much as he admired Lieutenant Isane, he was also frightened of her combat potential, and he was sure that Unohana had posted her as his watchman because she was aware that Isane knew exactly how to intimidate him. As Ayato's treatment began, Kyouraku sat down nearby and began conversing with her. Kril was about to follow him when he felt a rushing air current from behind him, and he turned around to see Lieutenant Isane standing over him, sending a chill down his spine.

"Please follow me, Krilangi Leonardo-san. I've prepared a room for you farther down the hall."

As he followed the lieutenant out of the room, Kril turned back for half a second, and he caught a brief glimpse of the horrid scars running across Ayato's back. Unsure what to think about those scars, he brushed those thoughts aside and hurried himself to catch up with Isane. Meanwhile, Kyouraku filled Ayato in on the finer details of Kril's mission.

"For the most part, you won't need to do anything but watch Leo-kun," he said. "If we get attacked again, you should only jump in if he can't handle it. Not to say that you aren't strong enough, but Leo-kun is very sensitive about having to be taken care of; if he thinks that he's too weak to take care of himself, he may start getting funny ideas, and we already have enough trouble with him running off without warning. All I ask is that you don't let him get in over his head. Do that, and this whole mission should be a relative breeze."  

[[Mochi]]

Ayato sighed at Kril's stubborn personality.

"It's not that you can run off without me anyways, and I'm probably due for a longer appointment."

Unohana removed the bandage, revealing a still healing wound.

"Hmm.. It's still pretty bad.. I may have to knock you out to treat it. I wonder what happened to your regenerative powers. You are still quite weak, so I'm not going to allow you to go on hard missions. From what I've heard, this mission is quite simple, so I'll approve."

Unohana walked off to go get a sedative.

"Kyouraku... I understand.. He's quite the stubborn child too. Hopefully nothing big will happen. The chances of a strong arrancar to come in is quite small. If you don't mind.. will you stay with me while I'm unconcious?"

She look flustered for a couple moments when Unohana suddenly came in with a syringe and a bottle containing a liquid sedative as well as a couple surgical tools.

"Well anyways, Kyouraku needs to stay around for a physical exam, so you won't be alone here. We're going to try to suture the wound togeter. I don't want you to suddenly jerk or go unstable, so keeping you asleep is the way to go."

Ayato laid down on her stomach on the bed, and Unohana quietly inserted the syringe. A couple minutes passed, and Ayato slowly closed her eyes. The sound of her soft peaceful breaths filled the room, while Unohana prepped for the procedure.  

[Leonardo Krilangi]

"Come on, Ayato-chan," the flirtatious captain replied, a devious tone to his voice, "how could I refuse to be in your company? I'd lose face, you know. Of course, I won't leave the room."

As Kyouraku shifted around in his seat and made himself comfortable, Kril laid back on the operating table in a room farther down the main hall as Isane pulled away the top half of his shihakushyou. Beneath the folds of his uniform was a rough slash wound, somewhat painful-looking and still festering every so often. Isane quickly began to inspect the wound for infections, engaging Kril in some side conversation to take his mind off the examination.

"I hear you've been busying yourself since the rebellion," she remarked, lightly touching at the neatly-cleaved skin as she probed around the gash for signs of atrophy. "Even with such a painful cut, right here in your midsection, you've been keeping active within your division...Don't you ever consider taking some time to rest?"

"Not really," the third-seat replied. "The Hollows never rest, and with Aizen's help, they're quickly growing more powerful. I can't stay down because of something like this."

"I can sympathize...to some degree, anyway...but what good can you do when you're half dead? It'd be easier if you'd just give your body some time to heal; no need to throw your life away so haphazardly."

Having prompted no response from Kril at those words, Isane quickly changed topics as she began to fetch various surgical instruments from her surroundings. She didn't want his mind to wander; if he thought about the prospect of being sewn up, he might panic, and that was the last thing anyone needed. After taking a moment to think, she decided to press her luck and strike up talk of family.

"What of your relatives," she inquired calmly. "I remember some talk about Krilangi Carlo-sama over in third division a while back, and the rumors about Krilangi Sylas-dono are still alive in seventh division...How are those two doing?"

"We haven't spoken much recently," Kril replied shortly. "They've been busy, too, and we haven't had time to meet of late."

Isane had only heard rumors about the Krilangi family, but she heard that they were one of the first Shinigami families to be reunited after death in Rukongai in several centuries. She'd also heard talk that they were one of the only families in history to be reconnected over more than two generations: Sylas, the oldest; Carlo, his son; and Leonardo, his grandson.

"That's too bad," the lieutenant replied, returning to Kril's side after gathering the essential tools and preparing herself to sew up the slash wound. "You three are a very influential family in the 13 Court Guardian divisions; you should try to communicate with them more openly and frequently. Especially Sylas-dono...He's getting up there in age; who knows how much longer he can live the life of a Shinigami?"

At this point, Isane had struck a nerve; Kril sat bolt upright, grabbed the collar of Isane's medical uniform and pulled her in close, until the two were touching noses. He stared into her eyes with a furious gaze that would make mortal men tremble as his chest wound began bleeding lightly.

"Don't ever...say that again...!! My grandfather is not just a good Shinigami; he's seen eons of pain and suffering and lived to tell about it...!! No way is he going to go out quietly!! He'll take hundreds of Hollows with him when he dies, and he'll never give up his life before someone as young and foolish as me...!! You understand...?! Ngh...!!"

Finally, the pain of opening his wound forced Kril to release his grip, and he fell back on the table, his fists clenched as he struggled for air. Isane was shaken; she had no idea that the ties in the Krilangi bloodline were so powerful that they could provoke such a reaction in a young wounded Shinigami. More profound still was the last thing he had said: something about Sylas dying before someone as young as him.

"What do you mean, 'before someone like you'...?"

"I meant what I said," Kril said, his words broken by his gasping for fresh oxygen. "I once told Grandfather that...I couldn't stand to see him die...So he promised me...He promised that he wouldn't give up his life...before I lose my own...He promised me...He...promised..."

Having struggled to maintain consciousness, Kril finally succumbed to the pain from his wound; he coughed up stale air and blood once and finally blacked out, lying still on the table but for the steady rise and fall of his upper torso.  

[[Mochi]]

Unohana carefully cleaned the wound. She then reached over for the tray containing her surgical tools. She carefully picked up a needle as well as surgical string. She then started to suture the wound carefully.

"Kurotsuchi. Go change into that yukata right on the bed on your right in the corner of the room. You can pull the curtain. I'll start your physical as soon as I'm done with Ayato."


While she was finishing her suturing, she suddenly heard Kril's audible shouts from down the hall. She paused for a couple moments.

"...Grandfather..? Oh yes. Leon-kun was one of the lucky ones who was able to reunite with his family. Ayato-san never had a mom, and of course she lost her dad who went on to try to kill her.. I wonder if those two can ever get along..?"

She carefully pulled the last suture in and knotted it tightly. She then redressed it with fresh gauze. She then called in some fourth division members to help turn Ayato over on her back. She then had a check at the captain's abdomen.

"That wound healed nicely.. Okay.. Time for the physical."

((how are we going link our charas together?))  

[Leonardo Krilangi]

((Revival post GO!!))

Once Kril lost consciousness, Isane prepared to stitch his wound shut; using her kidou powers, she bound the third-seat's arms, legs, hands, and feet to the table, and once she was sure that he was properly restrained, she began to sew his parted skin tissue together with ridiculous precision. As she pulled the skin together, she peered deeper into the open part of the gash, carefully studying the reiatsu coming from it. With the power of wind evident in the foreign reiki surrounding the wound, it seemed obvious that Captain Kyouraku's zanpakutou - specifically, it's Shikai form, Katen Kyoukotsu - had created it. What Kril had hoped to gain from challenging the shrewd captain was beyond Isane's scope of understanding; she didn't follow his logic at all.

Back in the other operating room, Kyouraku obediently crossed the room and pulled the curtain back while he changed into the medical yukata Unohana had pointed out to him. He had never felt comfortable in the things, since they seemed so plain and cramped, but he never complained; he knew that he'd never hear the end of it if he did.

"It'd take time, of course, but I think they'd work well together. From what I've seen, they think along similar lines. Sometimes it surprises me how closely Leo-kun resembles Ayato-chan...That's part of the reason I want her help watching out for him right now..."

Knowing exactly what Kyouraku was getting at, Unohana took a moment to herself before responding, "That boy requested to be in 8th division even before he realized his talents in the Academy; you'd be crushing his hopes for the future, sending him off to 3rd division..."

"I know," he replied, removing his hat and letting his long hair provide cover for his eyes. "Still, they both need this, more than they'll ever know...Besides, " he added with a confident smile, "it's not like he'll be stuck there permanently...He just needs to learn some control...and Ayato-chan is the best teacher in the world for that purpose."

-----

Once she had closed enough of Kril's slash wound, Isane began to seal the gap shut with her healing kidou, repairing his torso by creating new skin over the scar tissue and fusing it to the edges of the cut. After several minutes, she had managed to graft new skin over the slash and had properly closed the wound; all that remained was to let his body internally repair itself, which would likely take a few more days. For the moment, though, her work was finished.

Isane released Kril's arms and legs, allowing him more free movement, before finally taking a seat near the table and heaving a sigh. She was glad that the stitching procedure hadn't hit any obstacles, but she was perplexed by the fact that Kril hadn't so much as twitched during the half-hour procedure; it seemed as though his nervous system had gone silent, rendering him completely motionless. This was not too far from the truth; the third-seat's consciousness had retreated to the inner depths of his soul, and the electrical signals that powered his nervous systems had shut down as he did, in order to prevent a sudden overload of his bioelectrical circuits. As he 'slept', Kril was conversing with his counterpart and mentor: the soul of his zanpakutou, Shunrai.

((Words cannot express how sorry I am for abandoning you. Things were overwhelming me in real life, and I had to set my priorities: school and work first, Internet fun and games later. Now that my classes are over for the term (one C, one B, and two A's, the best I've done since fifth grade) and I'm out of a job, I'll try to rejuvenate this guild and get active again.))  

[[Mochi]]

Unohana glanced at the sleeping form of Ayato. She looked so peaceful for once, not having to worry about all of the stressors around her. Ayato's chest rose and relaxed with each breath the captain took. Unohana quickly took out a syringe and started Ayato on an IV line, carefully instructing her assistants to monitor her vitals closely. She then turned back to Kyouraku. Looking at him in the medical yukata, she chuckled. The 8th division captain looked very unnatural in that yukata, seeing that everyone was used to him wearing loose and brightly colored. She motioned for him to sit down.

"you're probably correct.. Though... I don't remember the old Ayato that much. She just seems to be very serious and tense nowdays.."

Unohana took out some instruments that would aid her with the physical exam. "Shall we start then?"

--------------------------------------------------

Ayato opened her eyes only to see herself in midair, falling towards the ground. She blinked for a moment to clear her vision. The landscape was daunting: A dark city in complete disrepair, completely empty. It wasn't evil, but it had a very sad feeling resonating throughout the buildings. Noticing that she would die falling from this height, Ayato could help but scream.

"Oh Shi-..."

When she was about to hit the ground, a tanned woman with firey red hair suddenly caught her in midair and they glided slowly to the ground. Ayato's eyes widened in recognition.

"A-ashimaru? what the heck am I doing here?"  

[Leonardo Krilangi]

-----Inside Kril's Soul-----

Deep within Kril's spirit, grey clouds swirled around in a spiral around two people, who floated within the whirling sky. The first of them was Kril, who appeared just as he did on the outside, but the other was a woman, the humanized form of his zanpakutou: Shunrai, the wise woman who acted as his guide and mentor. At the moment, they were discussing the outcome of Kril's recent battle with Captain Kyouraku, much to his disdain.

"...and that," Shunrai was just concluding, "is why you lost. It wouldn't matter if you challenged your subordinates or the Commander himself; you lack discipline, and that is why you cannot win. Rushing headlong into combat is not the way to win a battle; you must choose your battles wisely, always think a step ahead, and be more cautious about your opponent's tactics."

"I just don't understand why I still can't even hit Captain Kyouraku," Kril vented. "I mean, I know he's fast, but still-"

"Speed never had anything to do with your loss, Leonardo," Shunrai retorted, chastising him. "You lost because you were ill-prepared to face him. He may be faster, stronger, smarter, but his primary advantage over you is his ability to know his opponent just as he knows himself. You failed to analyze and understand his behaviors, and that's why you couldn't beat him."

"So what am I supposed to do, stalk him every time he fights and record it?! I've got to fight him hands-on and learn how he works by practice, not just by observation!!"

Suddenly, a ray of light pierced the third-seat's inner world, and Kril began to descend into the whorl of clouds below him. Knowing that it was high time that he return to the outside world, he turned his back to his mentor and dove out of the sky, signaling his return to bodily consciousness. Shunrai stared after him, silently shaking her head in disapproval at the recklessness of her counterpart.  

[[Mochi]]

((Sorry for taking so long.. I'm right now at summer school so yeah >_>))

"What the hell are you doing here? Well, what do you think?" Ashimaru replied with a sarcastic expression on her face.

Ayato closed her eyes and sighed. Ashimaru was the same as always. She looked at the dysfunctional world around her, noticing no changes to it. She grumbled to herself and laid back, only to notice that the world was fading around her.

"Looks like you're being dragged back into the world of the awoken. Have fun and tell Unohana that I said hi." Ashimaru flashed a smile. As Ayato started to wake up, a dark dragon faded into view and nodded at her. She smiled and waved as the soul society appeared before her eyes behind a giant array of fog.

"Uggh..." Ayato started to cough hard and slowly stood up.

Unohana turned around in surprise, in the middle of looking through Kyouraku's chart.

Ayato smiled and quietly walked out of the room. Consulting one of the shinigami for Leon's room number, she took note of it and started to walk towards it, with Unohana running behind her, yelling to her something about the anesthetic not having worn off and how it was extremely dangerous to walk around. The 3rd division captain completely ignored all warnings, suddenly opening the doors, and walking past Isane. She quickly tapped Leon's back hard.

"Leon you sleepyhead... Wake up dammit."

She suddenly swayed and collapsed on top of him due to the effect the narcotics had on her system.