[The shop was closed. The kids had their dinner and everything had been locked up. Presented with an empty closet, save for a shrink-wrapped suit, Kisuke looked dejected as he showered up, got dressed and stepped out of the side door in an outfit he did not want to wear. Still, Gin had come to him in total honesty and asked him to go to a party and waited for him to cave to pressure to say 'yes' before mentioning it was formal. He might have said 'no' if not for a little weakness he had for her brand approach to being upfront and direct.
She could be cute when she twisted his arm and he worried she realized that.
He knocked on her door, shoulders hunched, hair tied in a pony-tail that barely held scrutiny even when he was in his basement doing lab work. Somehow, he figured it would look better in a suit than not.]
[ he looks good. objectively knowing urahara is handsome probably dulled the surprise of seeing him in formal clothing and, at least, gin can admit to being pleased with the outfit of choice. she looks up and down double-checking the fit, stepping close enough to tug at the edge of a sleeve to straighten it.
gin smiles. ] You sound so very excited. [ for her part, she's also in a suit, her hair pinned up in the usual spikey style she uses for work, the mask she will don in a moment or two tucked in her pocket. ]
Thank you for coming with me tonight. I know it's a work thing but-[ gin waves a hand. ] I prefer not going alone if I don't have to.
[To no surprise at all. Any time she saw him, she was trying to get him to take a nap or eat something more than a rice ball, so when Gin began coaxing his sleeve back into place, Kisuke shut one eye and leveled a peaceful smile her way. He wasn't in the best of moods after putting on something so restrictive but there was a little sense of satisfaction in seeing her so happy with herself for convincing him to put it on.
Reaching out just above her ear, Kisuke nudged a stray hair back from out of place after teasing out a little bit of a deeper smile.]
So, what role am I playing? I carry fake wedding bands around just for situations like these~.
I like it. [ looking after someone, doting on them—gin feels it is rewarding but before she can add to those thoughts she feels the touch and freezes. sometimes, she finds urahara touches so casually and with enviable confidence; gin prefers not to dwell on it.
this is like being confronted with dazai in her early teen years and having no idea what to do besides turn red a lot. that had, thankfully passed and so she's fairly confident this will too.
until he has to tease with—
gin's expression is flustered, openly now rather than the earlier pretence of not. ]
No, that's not- necessary. It's not- [ wait. ] How many situations like this do you even encounter?
[Armed over a century's worth of training to rip apart his innocence and replace it with something more practical, Kisuke saw no qualms with casually weaponizing a crush. At the very least, he wasn't trying to hurt her feelings or lead her on rather than just trying to keep himself from making everything in the world out to be an exercise as a Soul Reaper. He wasn't invulnerable. He could flirt a little.
Though, there was certainly a part of him that enjoyed any and every time he caught her so perfectly off guard. No, that was just a smidge of sadism.
He opened his hand with a little sleight of hand from his wrist, conveniently made a little easier when she adjusted his sleeve, producing a case with two rings and opening it just before she answered. Two wedding bands, as promised.]
Oh? [At her answer, he promptly shut the case and began tucking it back into his sleeve. He already got what he wanted, seeing Gin fall apart for a moment, so he didn't see the need to push further when he could look for ammunition during the party.
In a way, it was also an intelligence collecting session for ways to tease her later.]
You'd be surprised how often it works. Married couples always whisper to one another so it wouldn't look out of place if I leaned in to whisper in your ear at all during the evening, would it?
[At the time, he was falling apart. Surviving just long enough to see her. The last person he'd ever see and she was quite the looker.
'Don't look so glum. There's nothing more satisfying than protecting someone you love.'
When he faded and everything passed, he knew he would never see her again. Not unless he made a wish. Lucky for him, he already had a wishing star in his hand.
-
Naoyuki woke up to that dream at least once a week though it was always somewhat nebulous. Tough to grasp. The only clear thing had been that woman's face. Even so, he understood it wasn't just his brain making up stories out of parts he didn't have. Dreams collected things that were left behind that needed to be processed. Before he grew out of that dream? He wanted to find out where it came from. The rabbit hole he fell into came with a world of danger. A wealth of information to process.
He didn't expect to get as far as he did. Running along on theory alone? His 'sliding door gate' worked much more effectively than it should have on paper... or, well, in his virtual notes.
Alarms were firing off in the Twelve Division. Surveillance couldn't piece together where their new intruder came from. Only that he was in the Seventh Division barracks. Standing in front of a crowd of surly-looking men in old-fashioned shihakusho and swords, Naoyuki waved and tried to make his way over to the door... only to be stopped by an utterly enormous man.]
Oh, I thought I'd just... politely step out?
Interesting strategy, invader.
[He didn't actually want to put the man's face through the door but a few swings of his sword told him their weapons were the real deal. Scrambling along a number of walls, he hopped from point to point and came to a dead stop at the peak of a gate. Naoyuki pulled his hood loose and shook out his shaggy hair, looking over the massive expanse of walls leading into green and brown mountains in all directions. The land of spirits.]
[ it was an open secret among the captains and vice-captains, as well as some members of the 7th division that akutagawa gin had been in love with urahara kisuke, and that his death had left a mark. but gin is resilient and much like the first departure had elected to continue. she had responsibilities and she had, for better or worse, the legacy of what kisuke created and what he wanted to protect to look after. even if mayuri and her had radically distinct ideas on how to go about that.
to shinigami months are nothing, years and decades are easily passed too. it is only once a couple of decades sink in that gin feels the ache in her heart lessens one morning for some inexplicable reason. she feels as if the memory of urahara is no longer painful enough to just pull away from. she looks at the sky, drinking her tea contently.
and so the decades keep going. the world changes, and the shinigami do not. she smiles more often, leaves behind her mask and need to pin her hair up. captain hirako says she looks happy before they enter a meeting together and gin-for the first time in a long time-agrees.
she doesn't forget, though. that's not possible.
when the newest third seat of the 7th confesses that he's fallen in love with her, gin rejects him but decides against sending him elsewhere. he does good work and, it's brave of him to confess so respectfully to his boss. gin doesn't mind, she just simply doesn't have the heart for it.
and so it goes. it became an open secret that captain akutagawa is beautiful and impossible to attain, like reaching for a star crossing the nightsky too fast to even wish upon. gin smiles more often, she follows order, she has a sense of belonging.
things are going well.
...and then of course the alarms go off. an intruder in her squad's barracks? that's unforgivable. gin is happy to let iba handle it until apparently, she is not because the intruder kicked him in the face and escaped.
she takes a deep breath and goes hunting. she doesn't even need to look far, is this intruder an idiot to just hang on the wall looking over like that? well, it doesn't matter, she's capturing him unless he is a threat that must be eliminated. from this position she can only see the hood he's wearing, not his face and that is perfect. her footsteps make no sound, closer, closer, closer—
and that is how akutagawa gin's beloved knife ends pressed against sato naoyuki's throat. ]
[He might have let his guard down a little too easily. More preparation went into that trip than anything he tried to pull in the past and yet, there were plenty of things he couldn't account for. Among many things, he hadn't realized just how quietly those soul sealers could be. The very first 'fight' he got into had been someone loud and boisterous and the second was something of a monster. He felt her presence so dimly, he could have sworn she was a mile away but with precision, he couldn't understand until confronted with it, Kisuke felt the gentle, controlled press of steel to his throat.
His smile wavered. Not because of the threat she posed but because of her voice. Soft and almost kind despite the danger of it being so close to his ear. Of course, if her goal was to capture him he might not have stood a chance but he could feel a need to spill blood in her aura. Her voice. There was some grand insult to her integrity present and it had a dirty mop for hair. He could redirect something fatal.
He pursed his lips and exhaled.]
Pop.
[Naoyuki exploded. Ribbons of black rubber fell from the air as he triggered a decoy of himself from the confines of his hoodie, barely managing to flash from Gin's grasp with a thin line of blood running down his neck. Smoke poured from where his decoy had replaced him and Naoyuki watched carefully from the next pillar he landed on, sword drawn from the backpack he'd been wearing. Tension-inducing as it was to face someone with her spiritual density, he felt a warmth roll over his cheeks never before felt in his life before coming face to face with her.
How fortunate it was that she had left her mask behind that day.]
Woah! Would you look at that? The girl of my dreams!
[ gin thought she'd had him; the knife had been firmly pressed and while she had no intention of actually going further the surprise from that 'pop' made it slip--not deep but enough to draw a thin line. she's utterly baffled by what follows, showered in black ribbons and--
she might have to draw her blade to deal with this intruder, not the knives she tended to favour for close combat. fingers set on the hilt of her zanpakuto. she doesn't want to draw it unless she must and is currently having that internal debate when the intruder speaks again.
did he seriously
did he just
gin looks distinctly unimpressed from where she stands. had he really just tried that? in the middle of invading soul society? this man was either a genius or an utter idiot with luck who had found his way here. (though the fact he's wearing a reiatsu concealing cape suggests he's smart but gin's seen her fair share of idiot-geniuses and idiots who pretend.)
muttered mostly to herself with undisguised irritation: ] Are you serious right now? [ then, louder ] The longer you draw this out the more it'll hurt.
[In the scope of his scanning and probing over the past few months, Gin registered as one of a hundred similar presences. Hers was one of the sharper ones--easier to pick up if only because of her spiritual density. Her signal was also closest to the one he remembered. A lone, red ribbon marked her signal in a sea of various shades of red. As the smoke cleared from his decoy and Gin straightened herself, Naoyuki drew back his hood fully and ran his thumb over his throat, sealing the cut on his neck with kido, a thin green line of light left behind.
He hadn't let his eyes off of Gin, watching as a number of other soul reapers were scrambling to run to the same levels Kisuke and Gin had settled on. It would take a little time for them to catch up to the two. So, he didn't have long at all to verify who she was. Even if he had to run, he needed to hear her name. From her mouth.]
Deathly serious! Well, to an extent. I'll admit, my motivations for coming here are a little sketchy. They're not even remotely heroic, either!
[Laughing, he tapped his sword against his shoulder. In its unreleased state, it looked as simple and straightforward as any other asauchi.]
Now, just because I have my sword out doesn't mean I want to fight. Weird as it sounds, I still don't know if you want to kill me or kiss me, so it's there just in case I made a mistake and went for a different beautiful woman.
[It took hours for him to revert the real Karakura, returning it to its space. It certainly wasn't something that could wait as every resident had been rendered unconscious through the process. He couldn't leave a single person aside though, at both Yoruichi and Tessai's insistence, he made the effort to rest once it was complete. He'd been working throughout it all, concealing the depth of his injuries to allow everyone else that priority.
'Kisuke. It's over. Settle like the rest of us.'
Yoruichi, knowing him too well to bother trying to force him to let himself, watched impassively as he set up his console at the kitchen table and began making more work for himself. Monitoring the fourth's data on Hiyori's recovery and beginning to piece together research to return Ichigo's powers to him only a few hours after they were lost, Kisuke loosed a sigh.]
I'm sitting and enjoying tea. Resting.
[Yoruichi left, responding with her own exasperated sigh. It didn't surprise her than Kisuke went back on his promise less than an hour after making it. Rather, she decided she simply didn't have the energy to convince him to stop. Instead, she offered the shop's new guest a curious look and smile before disappearing into her room down the hall. Kisuke must have been quite distracted by his work and the exhausting pain he was in to not notice her.]
[ gin flashes yoruichi a smile as they pass each other and she knows to follow the direction the other had been coming from to find him. nerves keep her from hurrying along to say hello, and she knows it is ridiculous. it's been a long time but it has not been— alright, a century and then some is a long time but now that aizen has been unmasked everything should be fixed.
he could come back to soul society. captain mayuri wouldn't like that but—
the past could stay in the past. gin feels oddly hopeful as she fiddles with her hair, a loose braid to keep her hair tidy and--she fusses briefly with her appearance before stepping into the kitchen.
[He hadn't seen her prior on the battlefield. Among the captains, Gin had been one of those best suited to assist Ichigo in Hueco Mundo. That much might have been a blessing for him. If he had to count her among the ones who faced Aizen before he could arrive then he might not have stood a chance at sleeping that week. Still, he hadn't realized she was there until she stepped through the threshold, so Gin was treated to a rather genuine flash of surprise in his eyes visible even through the gentle blue light of his holographic monitor.
In two parts, he stood up. There was a wave of pain that radiated from his ankles to his throat that slowed him immediately but, beyond that, his relief in having a chance to see her again fell prey to the doubts that kept him anchored to his shop in the first place. He didn't go to her immediately, restrained by that realization that he'd squandered his obligation.]
Gin--
[What right did he have to speak with her so cordially after all of that? A hundred years of silence after he promised he wouldn't leave her like the others--]
Ah. No, it's Captain Akutagawa now, correct? You haven't been a lieutenant for quite some time...
[ she relishes the look of genuine surprise on his face because honestly, genius bastards are so hard to be caught off-guard, and she does not often manages it. it has been a long time since they both have shared the same space and were gin a more emotional person she may have reached out to touch him. instead, she tilts her head, cataloguing the way he is moving.
the way he gets up does not escape her scrutiny though gin remains where she is rooted in place by that formal address. there is a little glimpse of hurt and discomfort but she shakes it off and straightens.
Little escaped him. The paranoia built up in him for nearly a century had cultivated something completely new in him. The near-constantly jovial young man he was no longer fit who he was in the present. Pieces of him had been shaved off and replaced by bits of a mask and shards of armor.
Still, he could see that miniscule shift in her expression. A tiny squeeze of her eyes that carried him forward. Pain gripped at him but he reached for her arm, regardless, falling into an old habit. The dignity and grace that came with being a Captain of the Thirteen Court Guard squad?]
[For most, refusing to plan out a date might have sounded impersonal and a bit rude but for Kisuke, it was the kindest way he could reasonably think to approach Monika as himself. If he sat down and ran through plans there was a realistic chance he would overdo it. If he thought about places they could have gone then it would have turned into a night's worth of research to weigh options and he'd spend an painstaking amount of time simply looking to gauge her mood on the right time to ask.
So, instead, he simply waited until he had a free afternoon and called out to her while she was stocking a shelf. He'd wrapped up his smoke break a little early when the idea came to him.]
Monika. Do you want to go downtown with me to pick up a few things?
[ Monika had had those "three dates" on her mind ever since their conversation the other day. Of course. He didn't want to plan them out, but like heck if she wasn't going to prepare herself. She couldn't screw this up. She had to be absolutely perfect lest he reaches the wrong conclusion.
... Though of course, being too perfect could be counter-productive. Her perfectionism had been something of a problem in the past. Gosh, how was she supposed to know what to do? ]
Mhm...?
[ She snapped out of her thought process when he called her out. Pick up a few things...? That was unusual. He'd never needed her to go with him on errands... ]
Of course, just let me finish that!
[ Just finishing to arrange the shelf in front of her- A bit too perfectly, as usual. ]
Alright. I'll be waiting outside. [Leaving his hat atop the cash register, he stepped outside, hoping to at least enjoy the breeze until his hair was blown right in his face, prompting a dissatisfied little groan from the back of his throat. Pulling locks of hair aside, he rummaged through his pockets for the keys so he could lock up once Monika followed and then found the little slip with his shopping list.
He waited for something that would take a little bit more time to clear on foot. Knowing she'd been so happy to have a body that she'd gotten more than a fair sum of cardio in, Kisuke felt no guilt at all for making it that kind of date.
He only noticed a bit too later that someone scribbled 'Takoyaki' at the end of the list in haste. Ururu tried to copy Jinta's handwriting.]
[ Monika arrives a tad later than expected, mostly because she changed her clothes, putting on a white sundress and a hat. ]
I'm here!
[ She glances at the list and considers for a moment engaging in small talk-- But there's no point hiding what she knows. Or rather, what she suspects. ]
So... Is it a stealth date?
[ She had had the the three dates on her mind all the time after all, and he'd refused to plan out the dates beforehand. It was the logical conclusion-- At the very least, it was the logical conclusion for someone like Monika. ]
[Dressing down might have been an option for him but it certainly would have spoiled the surprise. Even so, he made it a point to not overthink the second date before the first was even underway.
If anything, Monika's smile, just as she sought out his intentions, prompted one out of him in return. He pinched his chin and stroked his stubble, pantomiming a wisened older man with little fuss.]
I didn't want either of us to be overthinking it though... I assume you caught on already, then.
[He brought just one canvas bag with him to guarantee it wouldn't be a bulky trip. The list and bag could be set aside for the moment as he brushed his fingers over Monika's wrist if only to gently urge her along with him down the street.]
Why don't we wander and see what catches your eye first?
[There was a certain privilege in being given access to his own lab for research and development that Kisuke swiftly sought to abuse. Among the faculty, there was hesitance in investigating misconduct among students as exceptional as he was though, so it took a great deal of reconciliation to even call for someone to be sent to look into things.
That meant that Kisuke, of course, had been very surprised when he heard footsteps at the end of the hall beside his lab, rushing to stuff his dice and cup into his clothes as a number of other students retreated to their work stations to pretend that they were well into numerous tests and trials.]
Hello, hellooo! [So that, when the door swung open, the very pantomime of a well-oiled branch lab was falsified.] Oh, Madame President Akutagawa, to what do I owe this honor--
[ there are many things gin looks forward to in life, but dealing with kisuke and his shenanigans is not one of them. she doesn't look intimidating if her full face is visible so gin has taken to wearing a face mask to hide her expressions as most as possible.
she just has that kind of face, really.
hands on her hips, chin up and she levels a glare at the culprit who is so smart and so stupid at the same time. ]
Gambling on school property is illegal, the disciplinary committee just sent a memo about that earlier this week.
[One might have argued that Gin's habit of wearing a mask made her a dead ringer for a candidate in the second. Kisuke, on the other hand, speculated that she might have been too beautiful to show her whole face or else she'd run the risk of entrancing anyone who looked upon her. He wouldn't quit spreading that rumor regardless of the potential bruises and fractures it would inevitably incur.
Hence his persistently forward smile in the face of her utter disinterest and mounting impatience.]
Oh! Well, I suppose that's an interesting piece of information to share with us, Madame President but I hardly see why it's a relevant topic at the moment. [Blinking like he's pretty--]
[ he isn't pretty. he isn't remotely interesting to gin unless she's about to drag him into the office for a reprimand...but then again, kisuke urahara is very good at wriggling out of trouble. it is insufferable.
she's annoyed just by those blithe words and attitude. she swears he is almost, almost making fun of her when he calls her madame president.
gin's glare only intensifies. ] One of these days, I am going to catch you in the act.
[The daunting, intimidating waves of prickly heat rolling off of Gin's intense glare left the rest of the students in the lab withering, doing their utmost to not make eye-contact with her or even acknowledge to her that they existed. There might have been a few prayers muttered to rustic, barely remembered gods mixed in with what sounded a bit like data collection figures being listed off.
On the other hand, Kisuke brightened at her very threat. Where in the world could he find a sunny perspective on Gin's promise of retribution?]
Oh, my... Well, if you'd like to investigate me further then we may as well work the details out over dinner! [For the eight-hundredth time--]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
@ghaist,
She could be cute when she twisted his arm and he worried she realized that.
He knocked on her door, shoulders hunched, hair tied in a pony-tail that barely held scrutiny even when he was in his basement doing lab work. Somehow, he figured it would look better in a suit than not.]
I've arriiiived.
just kill her why don't u urahara
gin smiles. ] You sound so very excited. [ for her part, she's also in a suit, her hair pinned up in the usual spikey style she uses for work, the mask she will don in a moment or two tucked in her pocket. ]
Thank you for coming with me tonight. I know it's a work thing but-[ gin waves a hand. ] I prefer not going alone if I don't have to.
he isn't even trying that hard yet, just wait
[To no surprise at all. Any time she saw him, she was trying to get him to take a nap or eat something more than a rice ball, so when Gin began coaxing his sleeve back into place, Kisuke shut one eye and leveled a peaceful smile her way. He wasn't in the best of moods after putting on something so restrictive but there was a little sense of satisfaction in seeing her so happy with herself for convincing him to put it on.
Reaching out just above her ear, Kisuke nudged a stray hair back from out of place after teasing out a little bit of a deeper smile.]
So, what role am I playing? I carry fake wedding bands around just for situations like these~.
sir SIR this is a wendy's pls
this is like being confronted with dazai in her early teen years and having no idea what to do besides turn red a lot. that had, thankfully passed and so she's fairly confident this will too.
until he has to tease with—
gin's expression is flustered, openly now rather than the earlier pretence of not. ]
No, that's not- necessary. It's not- [ wait. ] How many situations like this do you even encounter?
ok i would like a medium frosty...
Though, there was certainly a part of him that enjoyed any and every time he caught her so perfectly off guard. No, that was just a smidge of sadism.
He opened his hand with a little sleight of hand from his wrist, conveniently made a little easier when she adjusted his sleeve, producing a case with two rings and opening it just before she answered. Two wedding bands, as promised.]
Oh? [At her answer, he promptly shut the case and began tucking it back into his sleeve. He already got what he wanted, seeing Gin fall apart for a moment, so he didn't see the need to push further when he could look for ammunition during the party.
In a way, it was also an intelligence collecting session for ways to tease her later.]
You'd be surprised how often it works. Married couples always whisper to one another so it wouldn't look out of place if I leaned in to whisper in your ear at all during the evening, would it?
[That was a bad smile he was putting on.]
no medium frosty for you, sir!!
y'know what fine /cries
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
i almost wrote 'thirsty seconds' and thought about keeping it
i mean lol
(no subject)
@GHAIST - Sad AU pt 2 w/ Sato Naoyuki...
'Don't look so glum. There's nothing more satisfying than protecting someone you love.'
When he faded and everything passed, he knew he would never see her again. Not unless he made a wish. Lucky for him, he already had a wishing star in his hand.
-
Naoyuki woke up to that dream at least once a week though it was always somewhat nebulous. Tough to grasp. The only clear thing had been that woman's face. Even so, he understood it wasn't just his brain making up stories out of parts he didn't have. Dreams collected things that were left behind that needed to be processed. Before he grew out of that dream? He wanted to find out where it came from. The rabbit hole he fell into came with a world of danger. A wealth of information to process.
He didn't expect to get as far as he did. Running along on theory alone? His 'sliding door gate' worked much more effectively than it should have on paper... or, well, in his virtual notes.
Alarms were firing off in the Twelve Division. Surveillance couldn't piece together where their new intruder came from. Only that he was in the Seventh Division barracks. Standing in front of a crowd of surly-looking men in old-fashioned shihakusho and swords, Naoyuki waved and tried to make his way over to the door... only to be stopped by an utterly enormous man.]
Oh, I thought I'd just... politely step out?
Interesting strategy, invader.
[He didn't actually want to put the man's face through the door but a few swings of his sword told him their weapons were the real deal. Scrambling along a number of walls, he hopped from point to point and came to a dead stop at the peak of a gate. Naoyuki pulled his hood loose and shook out his shaggy hair, looking over the massive expanse of walls leading into green and brown mountains in all directions. The land of spirits.]
Well, how about that? Knew it was real.
sad au p2 electric reincarnation boogaloo
to shinigami months are nothing, years and decades are easily passed too. it is only once a couple of decades sink in that gin feels the ache in her heart lessens one morning for some inexplicable reason. she feels as if the memory of urahara is no longer painful enough to just pull away from. she looks at the sky, drinking her tea contently.
and so the decades keep going. the world changes, and the shinigami do not. she smiles more often, leaves behind her mask and need to pin her hair up. captain hirako says she looks happy before they enter a meeting together and gin-for the first time in a long time-agrees.
she doesn't forget, though. that's not possible.
when the newest third seat of the 7th confesses that he's fallen in love with her, gin rejects him but decides against sending him elsewhere. he does good work and, it's brave of him to confess so respectfully to his boss. gin doesn't mind, she just simply doesn't have the heart for it.
and so it goes. it became an open secret that captain akutagawa is beautiful and impossible to attain, like reaching for a star crossing the nightsky too fast to even wish upon. gin smiles more often, she follows order, she has a sense of belonging.
things are going well.
...and then of course the alarms go off. an intruder in her squad's barracks? that's unforgivable. gin is happy to let iba handle it until apparently, she is not because the intruder kicked him in the face and escaped.
she takes a deep breath and goes hunting. she doesn't even need to look far, is this intruder an idiot to just hang on the wall looking over like that? well, it doesn't matter, she's capturing him unless he is a threat that must be eliminated. from this position she can only see the hood he's wearing, not his face and that is perfect. her footsteps make no sound, closer, closer, closer—
and that is how akutagawa gin's beloved knife ends pressed against sato naoyuki's throat. ]
You should have run further.
no subject
His smile wavered. Not because of the threat she posed but because of her voice. Soft and almost kind despite the danger of it being so close to his ear. Of course, if her goal was to capture him he might not have stood a chance but he could feel a need to spill blood in her aura. Her voice. There was some grand insult to her integrity present and it had a dirty mop for hair. He could redirect something fatal.
He pursed his lips and exhaled.]
Pop.
[Naoyuki exploded. Ribbons of black rubber fell from the air as he triggered a decoy of himself from the confines of his hoodie, barely managing to flash from Gin's grasp with a thin line of blood running down his neck. Smoke poured from where his decoy had replaced him and Naoyuki watched carefully from the next pillar he landed on, sword drawn from the backpack he'd been wearing. Tension-inducing as it was to face someone with her spiritual density, he felt a warmth roll over his cheeks never before felt in his life before coming face to face with her.
How fortunate it was that she had left her mask behind that day.]
Woah! Would you look at that? The girl of my dreams!
no subject
she might have to draw her blade to deal with this intruder, not the knives she tended to favour for close combat. fingers set on the hilt of her zanpakuto. she doesn't want to draw it unless she must and is currently having that internal debate when the intruder speaks again.
did he seriously
did he just
gin looks distinctly unimpressed from where she stands. had he really just tried that? in the middle of invading soul society? this man was either a genius or an utter idiot with luck who had found his way here. (though the fact he's wearing a reiatsu concealing cape suggests he's smart but gin's seen her fair share of idiot-geniuses and idiots who pretend.)
muttered mostly to herself with undisguised irritation: ] Are you serious right now? [ then, louder ] The longer you draw this out the more it'll hurt.
no subject
He hadn't let his eyes off of Gin, watching as a number of other soul reapers were scrambling to run to the same levels Kisuke and Gin had settled on. It would take a little time for them to catch up to the two. So, he didn't have long at all to verify who she was. Even if he had to run, he needed to hear her name. From her mouth.]
Deathly serious! Well, to an extent. I'll admit, my motivations for coming here are a little sketchy. They're not even remotely heroic, either!
[Laughing, he tapped his sword against his shoulder. In its unreleased state, it looked as simple and straightforward as any other asauchi.]
Now, just because I have my sword out doesn't mean I want to fight. Weird as it sounds, I still don't know if you want to kill me or kiss me, so it's there just in case I made a mistake and went for a different beautiful woman.
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
@ghaist childhood friends!!
'Kisuke. It's over. Settle like the rest of us.'
Yoruichi, knowing him too well to bother trying to force him to let himself, watched impassively as he set up his console at the kitchen table and began making more work for himself. Monitoring the fourth's data on Hiyori's recovery and beginning to piece together research to return Ichigo's powers to him only a few hours after they were lost, Kisuke loosed a sigh.]
I'm sitting and enjoying tea. Resting.
[Yoruichi left, responding with her own exasperated sigh. It didn't surprise her than Kisuke went back on his promise less than an hour after making it. Rather, she decided she simply didn't have the energy to convince him to stop. Instead, she offered the shop's new guest a curious look and smile before disappearing into her room down the hall. Kisuke must have been quite distracted by his work and the exhausting pain he was in to not notice her.]
It's not going to end here, after all.
no subject
he could come back to soul society. captain mayuri wouldn't like that but—
the past could stay in the past. gin feels oddly hopeful as she fiddles with her hair, a loose braid to keep her hair tidy and--she fusses briefly with her appearance before stepping into the kitchen.
she's being ridiculous she knows. ]
What's not going to end here?
no subject
In two parts, he stood up. There was a wave of pain that radiated from his ankles to his throat that slowed him immediately but, beyond that, his relief in having a chance to see her again fell prey to the doubts that kept him anchored to his shop in the first place. He didn't go to her immediately, restrained by that realization that he'd squandered his obligation.]
Gin--
[What right did he have to speak with her so cordially after all of that? A hundred years of silence after he promised he wouldn't leave her like the others--]
Ah. No, it's Captain Akutagawa now, correct? You haven't been a lieutenant for quite some time...
no subject
the way he gets up does not escape her scrutiny though gin remains where she is rooted in place by that formal address. there is a little glimpse of hurt and discomfort but she shakes it off and straightens.
after all, she is proud of her rank. ]
Well, yes, but don't be stupid, Kisuke.
[ we're friends.
although... ]
no subject
[Not those memories of...
Little escaped him. The paranoia built up in him for nearly a century had cultivated something completely new in him. The near-constantly jovial young man he was no longer fit who he was in the present. Pieces of him had been shaved off and replaced by bits of a mask and shards of armor.
Still, he could see that miniscule shift in her expression. A tiny squeeze of her eyes that carried him forward. Pain gripped at him but he reached for her arm, regardless, falling into an old habit. The dignity and grace that came with being a Captain of the Thirteen Court Guard squad?]
I'm sorry for leaving you, Gin. My little shadow.
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
@peninhand
So, instead, he simply waited until he had a free afternoon and called out to her while she was stocking a shelf. He'd wrapped up his smoke break a little early when the idea came to him.]
Monika. Do you want to go downtown with me to pick up a few things?
no subject
... Though of course, being too perfect could be counter-productive. Her perfectionism had been something of a problem in the past. Gosh, how was she supposed to know what to do? ]
Mhm...?
[ She snapped out of her thought process when he called her out. Pick up a few things...? That was unusual. He'd never needed her to go with him on errands... ]
Of course, just let me finish that!
[ Just finishing to arrange the shelf in front of her- A bit too perfectly, as usual. ]
no subject
He waited for something that would take a little bit more time to clear on foot. Knowing she'd been so happy to have a body that she'd gotten more than a fair sum of cardio in, Kisuke felt no guilt at all for making it that kind of date.
He only noticed a bit too later that someone scribbled 'Takoyaki' at the end of the list in haste. Ururu tried to copy Jinta's handwriting.]
Hm. She's certainly getting better at forging it.
no subject
I'm here!
[ She glances at the list and considers for a moment engaging in small talk-- But there's no point hiding what she knows. Or rather, what she suspects. ]
So... Is it a stealth date?
[ She had had the the three dates on her mind all the time after all, and he'd refused to plan out the dates beforehand. It was the logical conclusion-- At the very least, it was the logical conclusion for someone like Monika. ]
no subject
If anything, Monika's smile, just as she sought out his intentions, prompted one out of him in return. He pinched his chin and stroked his stubble, pantomiming a wisened older man with little fuss.]
I didn't want either of us to be overthinking it though... I assume you caught on already, then.
[He brought just one canvas bag with him to guarantee it wouldn't be a bulky trip. The list and bag could be set aside for the moment as he brushed his fingers over Monika's wrist if only to gently urge her along with him down the street.]
Why don't we wander and see what catches your eye first?
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
@cloths - soul reaper academy because why not
That meant that Kisuke, of course, had been very surprised when he heard footsteps at the end of the hall beside his lab, rushing to stuff his dice and cup into his clothes as a number of other students retreated to their work stations to pretend that they were well into numerous tests and trials.]
Hello, hellooo! [So that, when the door swung open, the very pantomime of a well-oiled branch lab was falsified.] Oh, Madame President Akutagawa, to what do I owe this honor--
omfg lmaoo
she just has that kind of face, really.
hands on her hips, chin up and she levels a glare at the culprit who is so smart and so stupid at the same time. ]
Gambling on school property is illegal, the disciplinary committee just sent a memo about that earlier this week.
no subject
Hence his persistently forward smile in the face of her utter disinterest and mounting impatience.]
Oh! Well, I suppose that's an interesting piece of information to share with us, Madame President but I hardly see why it's a relevant topic at the moment. [Blinking like he's pretty--]
no subject
she's annoyed just by those blithe words and attitude. she swears he is almost, almost making fun of her when he calls her madame president.
gin's glare only intensifies. ] One of these days, I am going to catch you in the act.
no subject
On the other hand, Kisuke brightened at her very threat. Where in the world could he find a sunny perspective on Gin's promise of retribution?]
Oh, my... Well, if you'd like to investigate me further then we may as well work the details out over dinner! [For the eight-hundredth time--]
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)