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You are Inari Riku-no-kami, the result of Captain Kusajishi Riku fully awakening her latent powers and fusing her mind and spirit with her mortal memories and the divine presence of the heavenly fox deity Tamamo-no-Mae, daughter of Inari-Ōkami. And at the moment, you find yourself surrounded by fellow divinities who are not only much older than you, but who for the most part outrank you in the divine hierarchy.

What is working to your advantage, however, is the fact that you and those who you have brought with you are in a position to act against the threat which if left unchecked would seek to unravel the world at its most basic level. Aizen Sōsuke is a mortal, as you are, who wields powers not entirely his own. And before you sits the spirit of his zanpakuto, Kyōka Suigetsu, whom he has turned his back on.

“What were Aizen Sōsuke’s original intentions in becoming a shinigami?” you ask quietly. “What hopes did he imprint upon his sword when he first took it up?”

“I understand if you cannot or will not answer, it is an exceptionally personal question.”

“I can answer, and I will,” Kyōka Suigetsu confirms. “It’s my understanding that his ‘hopes’ where quite pure-hearted at first, that what he truly desired was a more equitable world.”

“You’ll have to forgive some of us if we find that hard to believe,” Yoruichi grumbles.

“She has a point,” you admit. “There is quite a discrepancy there that must be reconciled in order to believe your explanation.”

“What changed him I think was a realization,” Kyōka Suigetsu continues. “He became aware of the existence of the being known as the Soul King and the Noble Clans’ role in creating the current system. That is what led him to believe that the entire world was fundamentally broken, at the most basic level.”

“Omoikane, are you taking precautions?” Tsukuyomi interrupts the explanation.

“Of course,” Omoikane replies calmly. “No one who does not already know the Truth will be able to hear our words.”

“You would suppress the truth so readily?” Kyōka Suigetsu protests immediately. “Surely you cannot believe that...”

“Watch your tongue, mortal,” Tsukuyomi interrupts. “Mind that your place is to answer our questions as we come to a decision, not to question our decisions regarding subjects which are far outside your purview.”
>1/2
>>
>>3567014
“Kusajishi,” Kyōka Suigetsu turns to you for support. “Surely you do not believe that such a warped reality should remain hidden? That the sins of the past should simply be forgotten, and that our current broken world should remain unchanged forever?”

>I would tend to agree with Kyōka Suigetsu’s position on the subject. Unless someone could present new facts to convince me that there is simply no viable alternative?
>I only got as far as I have by knowing when to keep secrets. For now, this knowledge should be carefully guarded… because if it came out suddenly, the results would be impossible to predict.
>I will defer to the wisdom of my wife on this matter. It has been her secret to keep longer than it has been mine, and I trust her judgment when it comes to matters of such importance.
>Other?
>>
>>I would tend to agree with Kyōka Suigetsu’s position on the subject. Unless someone could present new facts to convince me that there is simply no viable alternative?
The example of Aizen sosuke, even if rare, proofs that secrets can not be hidden forever and the more forgotten they seem, that much more dangerous they can become if unraveled.
>>
>>3567025
that should say 'will become' honestly
>>
>>3567015
>>I would tend to agree with Kyōka Suigetsu’s position on the subject. Unless someone could present new facts to convince me that there is simply no viable alternative?

As much as I love Yoruichi, sometimes you have to take an idealistic stance
>>
>>3567015
> I would tend to agree with Kyōka Suigetsu’s position on the subject. Unless someone could present new facts to convince me that there is simply no viable alternative?
Also, Tsukuyomi, my guy, calm the fuck down.

>>3567029
At this point she's probably right there with us.
>>
>>3567015
>>I would tend to agree with Kyōka Suigetsu’s position on the subject. Unless someone could present new facts to convince me that there is simply no viable alternative?
>>
>>3567015
>I would tend to agree with Kyōka Suigetsu’s position on the subject. Unless someone could present new facts to convince me that there is simply no viable alternative?
>>
>>3567015
>I would tend to agree with Kyōka Suigetsu’s position on the subject. Unless someone could present new facts to convince me that there is simply no viable alternative?
>>
>>3567015
>>I would tend to agree with Kyōka Suigetsu’s position on the subject. Unless someone could present new facts to convince me that there is simply no viable alternative?
>This was barely as deeply as most could manage, and even then, still not enough. What is secret always come to light in time.
>>
>>3567015
Are there any news of Sadbat and grimmjow, that "surrendered" to the gotei?
Last we heard they were helping as good they could with healing the wounded, together with Neliel.
>>
>>3567015
You can’t help but sigh and shake your head, knowing that there’s a high probability that this will be a point where you and your wife disagree. “I tend to agree with Kyōka Suigetsu on this point, at least in principle.”

“Do you now?” Tsukuyomi grumbles. “I doubt you’re going to find much agreement among the noble houses… but if that is really the position you intend to take perhaps you could ask the clan head who sits next to you as your wife?”

You glance down and to your right, to look at Yoruichi at your side. “Well?”

Tia watches her carefully as well… perhaps all eyes in the room are watching her now.

“First, someone who divorced his own sister shouldn’t be dragging other people’s marriages into arguments,” Yoruichi scowls angrily in Tsukuyomi’s direction. “Second, for the record, my dear wife’s personal opinions and my own are in perfect alignment.”

“It sounds like there will be a ‘however’ soon,” you sigh.

“However,” Yoruichi continues, “in my position as Clan Head I can’t always follow my own personal opinion. There were four other clans involved in forming the world as it is now, and those four have a say in what we as the inheritors of our ancestors’ will can do.”

“What was your clan’s role?” Tia asks curiously.

“Expanding the cycle of rebirth to avoid stagnation,” Yoruichi explains. “Exactly how that was accomplished is unclear so many years later, but ‘avoiding stagnation’ is still a key goal of the Shihōin.”

“But it is one among several goals,” Amamikyu realizes. “Other clans may have their own reasons for wanting to maintain the status quo.”

“What are your thoughts on that topic?” Inari asks.

Yoruichi frowns, considering her answer. “The Shihōin might be persuaded that ‘avoiding stagnation’ means a fundamental change. Many of my clan members aren’t unreasonable people, but in order to come to a decision I would need to convince the various elders.”

“And the other clans?” you ask.

“The Shiba Clan would be in favor of revealing the truth,” Yoruichi explains. “My understanding is that they had the most reservations over the whole Soul King situation. The Kuchiki would be strongly against upsetting the current balance, as that was the original intent of their ancestor. Those are the positions I can actually guess.”
>1/2
>>
>>3569281
“As for the others,” Yoruichi continues, “I have some thoughts of course. The last head of the Tsunayashiro family would never in a million years consider doing what Inari Riku and Kyōka Suigetsu believe is correct. But since there’s an upheaval among the Tsunayashiro at this very moment I can’t say if the next clan head will feel the same.”

“And the fifth family?” you frown. “What of them?”

Yoruichi shrugs. “They’re too scared of the potential repercussions of their ancestors’ decisions they’re effectively a clan of recluses. No head of my clan has met with them in five generations… so my guess is that’d be a solid no from them.”

“You can’t know that...” Kyōka Suigetsu protests weakly.

“You’re right,” Yoruichi admits. “But it’s the only response from them that would be consistent… sudden change is far more likely to cause a problem than the status quo. So while I can’t know, I definitely suspect.”

“In other words, we cannot count on the nobility to make any serious attempt at changing the world system,” you sigh.

“Which is the reality which Aizen Sōsuke must have faced,” Tia muses quietly.

>I guess he may have a point. That cannot excuse his actions, but it does explain them.
>And so what was he trying to do that would accomplish his new goals?
>I have to admit, I find myself agreeing with Aizen’s original goals and intents.
>Other?
>>
>>3569300
>>I guess he may have a point. That cannot excuse his actions, but it does start to explain them, there was too much arrogance and egocentric ambition involved.
>>And so what was he trying to do that would accomplish his new goals?
i assume riku agrees, but voicing that too openly would a huge problem
>>
>>3569300
>>And so what was he trying to do that would accomplish his new goals?
>>
>>3569300
>>3569315
This
>>
>>3569300
>>And so what was he trying to do that would accomplish his new goals?
>>
>>3569300
>>3569315
Supporting
>>
>>3569300
>>And so what was he trying to do that would accomplish his new goals?
>>
>>3569315
this
>>
>>3569300
“I suppose that begins to explain his actions,” you sigh, “though I still do not understand one thing.”

“That is why I’m here,” Kyōka Suigetsu replies quietly.

“With his rebellion and his army, which he clearly viewed as disposable,” you lay out the reasons for your confusion, “what was he expecting to do in pursuit of his original goals?”

“That is a question I can’t truly answer,” Kyōka Suigetsu frowns, deep in thought as though trying to call back a distant memory through sheer force of will. “But what I do know is that his plans involve the Soul King.”

“Do you know what he intended to do with the Soul King?” you press. “Was it to kill him? Replace him? Free him?”

The zanpakuto shakes her head. “I’m sorry, I truly am. But he never told me what he intended to do once he got to that point… he always seemed convinced that if he could remove all obstacles to that objective whatever else he intended would come together easily enough.”

“Thank you,” you nod.

“I have reversed my technique,” Omoikane informs the group a few seconds later with a polite bow.

“Does anyone else have anything to say to this being?” Amaterasu demands.

“I do,” Susano’o raises his hand, like a delinquent student might. “What d’ya plan ta do with that sword once all this is done?”

What do you plan to do with Kyōka Suigetsu? Why should he care?

“I have similar questions,” Shunsui admits. “As do several others who shall remain nameless.”

“Probably nobles of the Central 46,” Yoruichi informs you quietly. “They received an emergency briefing late last night.”

>Nothing. She is not my sword, so even if she survives I have no right to keep her or anything.
>If she survives I intend to seal her. I hope you can understand my sentiments, Kyōka Suigetsu.
>If she survives she will become my responsibility. We will sort out what that means if it becomes relevant.
>I do not expect she will survive, as I am certain she does not either.
>Other?
>>
>>3571024
>If she survives she will become my responsibility. We will sort out what that means if it becomes relevant.
>I do not expect she will survive, as I am certain she does not either
>>
>>3571024
>If she survives she will become my responsibility. We will sort out what that means if it becomes relevant.
>I do not expect she will survive, as I am certain she does not either
>>
>>3571024
If Kyoka Suigetsu survives Aizens death, impropable as it may be, i would vote for a memorial to all those who were lost to his ambitions with her as the warden and gravetender

she could have some leeway in moving around and would have the chance to tell her story, so that it won't be forgotten, also no one could blame us getting another powerful zanpakuto
>>
>>3571024
>>Nothing. She is not my sword, so even if she survives I have no right to keep her or anything.
>>
>>3571045
This sounds good, if it's at all possible.
>>
>>3571024
>>If she survives she will become my responsibility. We will sort out what that means if it becomes relevant.
>>
>>3571024
>>If she survives she will become my responsibility. We will sort out what that means if it becomes relevant.
>>
>>3571024
>If she survives she will become my responsibility. We will sort out what that means if it becomes relevant.
>>
>>3571024
>If she survives she will become my responsibility. We will sort out what that means if it becomes relevant.
>>
>>3571024
“If she survives, then she will continue to be my responsibility,” you shrug, honestly not quite understanding the point behind the question. “Since her survival is not something that is assured, it makes no sense to me to draw extensive plans for every contingency.”

“You understand that’s not going to satisfy people?” Shunsui presses calmly from the other side of the curtain. “There are some for whom the addition of another zanpakuto, especially one as infamous as Kyōka Suigetsu, to your arsenal would be a disaster on par with Aizen’s defection and the invasion of Karakura town.”

“She is not my zanpakuto,” you remind Shunsui sternly, “nor do I intend for her to become such. And I will not condemn a well-meaning, intelligent being to death merely because her existence makes some petty nobles feel uncomfortable. So long as Kyōka Suigetsu continues to assist against Aizen she is under my protective aegis. Should she become an unacceptable threat to the Seireitei I will end her existence personally, as she should be well aware by now.”

“It is my decision to make, and I have made it. If your position requires you to act based on that assertion I request that you do so now and save both of us the trouble.”

You can hear the Head Captain sigh loudly on the other side of the flimsy barrier. “Yeah, I expected you to say something like that.”

“They’re gonna hate that,” Yoruichi mutters.

“I know,” you shrug. “But I never cared before now what the nobility think, and I do not plan to start doing so now. I will do what I have always done, and that is what I believe is right.”

After a moment, Yoruichi sighs and leans wearily against your side. “Yeah, I expected you’d say something like that.”

“Am I becoming too predictable in my old age?”

Yoruichi snorts. “Y’know, there’s something to be said for reliability.”

“That did not answer my question.”

“I know.”

“Tease.”

Amaterasu interrupts with a gentle cough. “There remains one issue to be discussed, the reason why gods of creation, and of life, and of wisdom have been called here to converse.”

“And that is?” you ask, feeling suddenly much more tense than just a minute before.

“The question of the Soul King itself.”

>Clarify. What exactly IS the Soul King, and how did it come to be as it is?
>Go on. What question is there that needs an answer?
>You mean to say the ‘linchpin’ of existence? Is there something the matter?
>Why should I care, short of foiling Aizen’s mad designs?
>Other?
>>
>>3573137
>>Clarify. What exactly IS the Soul King, and how did it come to be as it is?
>You mean to say the ‘linchpin’ of existence? Is there something the matter?
>>
>>3573137
>>3573140
This
>>
>>3573137
>>>Clarify. What exactly IS the Soul King, and how did it come to be as it is?
>>You mean to say the ‘linchpin’ of existence? Is there something the matter?
>>
>>3573137
>Clarify. What exactly IS the Soul King, and how did it come to be as it is?
>You mean to say the ‘linchpin’ of existence? Is there something the matter?
>>
>>3573137
>>You mean to say the ‘linchpin’ of existence? Is there something the matter?
>>
>>3573137
>Clarify. What exactly IS the Soul King, and how did it come to be as it is?
>You mean to say the ‘linchpin’ of existence? Is there something the matter?
>>
>>3573137
>Go on. What question is there that needs an answer?
>>
>>3573137
>>Clarify. What exactly IS the Soul King, and how did it come to be as it is?
>>
>>3573137
“Clarify,” you immediately interject. “How can something that can be called the ‘linchpin of existence’ even exist in the first place, and what has apparently gone wrong with it which demands a response?”

“I object to this line of questioning!” Ichibē insists loudly.

“She has the right to know,” Inari counters, relying on the full weight of divine bureaucratic norms.

“She is not a divinity,” Ichibē declares. “She is not entitled.”

“Perhaps not,” Amamikyu admits. “However her zanpakuto is certainly a divinity. That is irrefutable truth. Omoikane-no-kimi?”

“Amamikyu’s words are correct,” Omoikane replies stoically. “However the Monk also has a valid point in that the shintai Captain Kusajishi Riku of the Shiba is not a deity.”

“However she is a Shiba,” Yoruichi observes with a sly smile. “Married to a Shihōin. And so on a technicality the Soul King has to do with her even as a ‘shintai’, as you call her.”

“Omoikane,” Amaterasu asks calmly, “is Captain Shihōin Yoruichi’s stance valid?”

After a few moments, the other divinity nods in agreement. “Her assertion is fundamentally sound within divine custom.”

“I don’t like it,” Tsukuyomi grumbles.

“Tough shit,” Susano’o shrugs. “Omoikane-san’s got the rules down, so if he says it’s fine it’s fine.”

“The Soul King possesses a certain inherent characteristic,” Amaterasu explains carefully. “That which is known as the Almighty. When the rise of the hollows created by Izanami-no-mikoto’s curse threatened to destroy the world it was Izanagi-no-mikoto who used his abilities to counter the hollows, turning himself into practically a living weapon.”

“How did he come to be sealed as he is now?” you ask.

“By the ancestors of the Great Noble Clans,” Amaterasu continues. “When it became clear that Izanagi-no-mikoto’s motives were far from benevolent. Left as he was his slaying of hollows would throw the balance too far in the opposite direction, eventually causing the underworld within which his wife was trapped to collide with the overworld.”

“He wanted his wife back,” Yoruichi realizes. “That’s what all this boils down to, a man who wants his wife back.”

>So what is it that the Great Noble Clans did to solve the problem?
>The Noble Clans were not even to blame, were they? It was the other divinities.
>His motives do not matter. All that matters is how to ensure he does not become a threat again.
>Other?
>>
>>3574652
>>His motives do not matter. All that matters is how to ensure he does not become a threat again.
It's selfish, but we've no need of him now. Plus, there are some pretty swell hollows in our company.
>>
>>3574652
>>So what is it that the Great Noble Clans did to solve the problem?
>>
>>3574652
>>So what is it that the Great Noble Clans did to solve the problem?

>Is he the reason why the Soul Society is expanding?
>>
>>3574652
>So what is it that the Great Noble Clans did to solve the problem?
>>
>>3574652
>So then... what would happen if her curse were lifted, and they were able to be with eachother again?
>>
>>3574715
>>3574652
Asking the real questions here.
>>
>>3574652
>>3574715
I'm going to have to support this.

I've no doubt that Tia, not to mention Apacci and the others, would whole-heartedly support efforts to end the cannibalistic horror of Hueco Muendo.

>>3574679
Also this.
>>
>>3574652
>>3574715
This is a fascinating question, and we're kind of invested in the answer, since we know Tia is invested.
>>
>>3574652
>>3574715
>>3575346
And just to make myself clear, I'm supporting this vote.
>>
>>3574652
“And what if that curse were ended?” you ask.

There’s a long pause before Tsukuyomi speaks. “What?”

“I asked what would happen were the curse to be lifted,” you repeat your question. “Were Izanami and Izanagi to be reunited and the curse which creates hollows to be ended, would the world’s stability be preserved?”

“It would,” Omoikane confirms.

“And it would put the system of cannibalism in Hueco Mundo to an end, would it not?” you press.

“Logically,” Omoikane agrees. “It should have that effect.”

“So what would the problem with that be?” you ask. “And why is it that the Great Clans did not do so in the first place?”

This long pause is even longer than the first, and is only broken by Tia’s voice.

“Stubbornness.”

“I thought the same,” Yoruichi admits. “And that’s right, isn’t it?”

“It is not incorrect,” Amamikyu replies calmly, glancing between Omoikane and Inari. It takes a few moments longer for Amaterasu to speak her mind.

“The enmity between the two is greater than that between shinigami and hollows,” Amaterasu tells you sternly. “It is as the enmity between life and death themselves. Utterly incompatible in their current forms.”

“So what was Izanagi’s plan?” you ask in confusion. “If he cannot have what he seeks then how does he intend to change the rules?”

“I believe I know his intention,” Amamikyu interjects. “If I may, Amaterasu-ōmikami-san?”

“Of course,” Amaterasu replies.

“As a goddess of creation I am familiar with the use of Amenonuhoko,” Amamikyu explains carefully. “In fact I have used it, in the creation of the Amami and Ryūkyū islands… which of course most of you already know.”

“The spear which supposedly raised Japan from the sea,” Yoruichi informs Tia. “I can’t recall whether that was a feature in Noro.”

“It was not, if my memories are not betraying me,” Tia nods.
>1/2
>>
>>3577168
“And your point?”

Amamikyu glances at Tsukuyomi, but continues to explain without commenting on the senior god’s perpetual rudeness. “It was a sensation I will never forget, a tool which felt as though it wanted to be used. It was… intoxicating.”

“So you believe that Izanagi-no-mikoto intends to use the Amenonuhoko to modify the physical and spiritual properties of Japan to unify the realm of the living and the realm of the dead,” you complete the line of thinking, “so that Izanami-no-mikoto would not have to leave the underworld. In essence, for all but her and her husband, the worst of all possible worlds.”

“I do,” Amamikyu nods in confirmation. “Troubling though it may be to think of it this way, my belief is that the Soul King has set his heart upon solving his dilemma with the easiest means available to him, which is the Amenonuhoko.”

“And that is why he was sealed,” Inari concludes. “The progenitors of the great Noble Clans used that sealing to suit their own ends, but in a sense we are all complicit in the sealing of Izanagi and the events which came after. Even if the present situation was not our intention.”

“My understanding is that it’s the Tsunayashiro who were responsible for further sealing the Soul King,” Yoruichi informs you quietly. “Why, I can’t say. You’d have to ask their head.”

>Then we should do precisely that. They cannot refuse a divine summons.
>Might the object of Aizen Sōsuke’s ambition be the Amenonuhoko?
>So Aizen Sōsuke desires the power of the Almighty, is that accurate?
>Other?
>>
>>3577170
>>So Aizen Sōsuke desires the power of the Almighty, is that accurate?
>>
>>3577170
>Then we should do precisely that. They cannot refuse a divine summons.
>>
>>3577170
>>Then we should do precisely that. They cannot refuse a divine summons.
Turning this into an unholy amalgamation of a Phoenix Wright courtroom and marriage counseling would be hilarious
>>
>>3577170
>>Then we should do precisely that. They cannot refuse a divine summons.
>>
>>3577170
>>Then we should do precisely that. They cannot refuse a divine summons.
>>
>>3577170
>>Then we should do precisely that. They cannot refuse a divine summons.
>>
>>3577170
> Then we should do precisely that. They cannot refuse a divine summons.

>>3577266
Also in character, for several people (Riku and Yoruichi, obviously because solving the root problem without resorting to ultra-violence has become one of their core skills, and Gin for the hilarious shenanigans to be enjoyed).
>>
>>3577627
The greatest superpower of all, being able to stop and go "wait this is fucking stupid let's do this instead" when you're a shonen character.
>>
>>3577170
>Then we should do precisely that. They cannot refuse a divine summons.
>>
>>3577170
“Well then now would be the ideal time to do precisely that,” you muse in response. “A Captain or a noblewoman, perhaps the Tsunayashiro could ignore. Eight deities and their company? Assembled before the Captains of the Gotei 13? I doubt it.”

“You may have a point,” Yoruichi shrugs. “I’d be game.”

“What will we do until such time as we receive a reply?” Inari asks you.

Tia glances up. “The Tsunayashiro are in disarray?”

“They are sure to have someone to send from the line of succession,” you assert. “And they will do so if it is required.”

“So it really is just a waiting game,” Yoruichi sighs.

>Step off the stage, try and have some tea and cakes delivered to make the wait more pleasant.
>Head out and catch some of your comrades up on the recent developments.
>Engage with some of the other divinities, perhaps ask some burning personal questions.
>Simply wait patiently.
>>
>>3579264
>Step off the stage, try and have some tea and cakes delivered to make the wait more pleasant
gib cake.
>>
>>3579264
>Ask Susano'o a question:
>"So why the horse?"
>>
>>3579264
>>Step off the stage, try and have some tea and cakes delivered to make the wait more pleasant.
>>
>>3579264
>Engage with some of the other divinities, perhaps ask some burning personal questions.
>>
>>3579264
>>Step off the stage, try and have some tea and cakes delivered to make the wait more pleasant.
>>
>>3579264
>>Step off the stage, try and have some tea and cakes delivered to make the wait more pleasant.
>>
>>3579264
>>Step off the stage, try and have some tea and cakes delivered to make the wait more pleasant.
Cake is good.
>>
>>3579264
“I will see to our guests if you will send the runner?” you offer to your wife.

She rises from her seat, as does Tia to your opposite side. Meanwhile, Tenri bows humbly.

“If you will pardon Inari Riku-denka’s brief absence, she will return momentarily,” Tenri declares in a quiet tone, only lifting her head far enough from the bow to speak.

“We will not be long,” you insist.

Leaving the stage, you walk past your comrades in the Gotei 13 and find your daughter.

“Lieutenant Matsumoto,” you greet her formally. “Please contact Okita-sensei, in the First Division. Have him prepare the finest tea and wagashi that are readily available and bring them here to serve our guests.”

“Will this be taking longer than you guessed?” she asks.

You nod slowly, letting some of your frustration show. “I would prefer not to be here at all, but so long as we are there is some additional business that it makes sense to address. Consider this a degree of future-proofing.”

“Guess it’s good to get it out of the way,” Rangiku nods thoughtfully, before rising to her feet. “Kai, you’re in charge until I get back, ‘kay?”

“Got it,” Third Seat Kai agrees, before giving you an awkward grin. “Moving up in the world, I guess!”

“Try not to make any mistakes,” you smirk back.

“Oh, come on! How could I screw this up?”

“You could accidentally pass gas in front of Amaterasu-Ōkami,” you point out. “Embarrass our entire organization all in one moment. You might be surprised how badly one can damage their own reputation with something apparently so small.”

“Yikes,” Kai sighs. “Guess that’s why you and Kaoru find bein’ Captains so exhausting.”

“It would be one reason, yes.”

Your wife promptly returns with a nod. “Okay, that’s taken care of.”

“And now we wait to see who answers the call,” you shrug. “Thank you for humoring me.”

Yoruichi waves your comment off. “Not a problem.”

>Speak briefly with Gin, catch him up on the situation and get his input regarding Aizen.
>Tia is speaking with the assembled arrancars and quincies. Join them briefly.
>Other?
>>
>>3581171
>Tia is speaking with the assembled arrancars and quincies. Join them briefly.
>>
>>3581171
>>Tia is speaking with the assembled arrancars and quincies. Join them briefly.
>>
>>3581171
>>>Tia is speaking with the assembled arrancars and quincies. Join them briefly.

Passing gas, in the general direction of someone, the most primal of offences
>>
>>3581171
>>Tia is speaking with the assembled arrancars and quincies. Join them briefly.
>>
>>3581171
>>Speak briefly with Gin, catch him up on the situation and get his input regarding Aizen.
>>
>>3581171
>>Speak briefly with Gin, catch him up on the situation and get his input regarding Aizen.
>>
>>3581171
>>Speak briefly with Gin, catch him up on the situation and get his input regarding Aizen.
>>
>>3581171
>>Tia is speaking with the assembled arrancars and quincies. Join them briefly.
"We're gonna get some gods marriage counseling and end that curse that's creating Hollows. Thought you ought to know."
>>
>>3581171
>Speak briefly with Gin, catch him up on the situation and get his input regarding Aizen.
>>
>>3581171
>>Tia is speaking with the assembled arrancars and quincies. Join them briefly.
>>
>>3581171
You head to join Tia to speak with your other guests. As you join them, Bambietta is the first to interrogate you.

“Did they really say it was ‘the Almighty’?” she demands in a low hiss.

You nod sternly. “Yes. That is what they called the Soul King’s power.”

“Then Yhwach must have actually had a real connection to the Soul King after all,” she realizes with a frown. “And the Schutzstaffel who claimed to be aspects of the Soul King, like Pernida and that idiot Gerard… could they have been telling the truth too?”

You nod again. “That is a possibility. It was said that Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi were created when Izanagi washed his eyes clean after escaping Yomi, while Susano’o was born when he washed out his nose. Which would certainly explain his snotty attitude.”

“I heard that, bitch!” Susano’o calls out from the stage.

“I know you did!” you call back.

“So you gonna apologize or what?”

You remain silent for several seconds before continuing your conversation. “So again, it is entirely possible that they were in fact telling the truth… or at least some version of it.”

“Anyway, they’re all dead now,” Bambietta sighs. “Maybe for the better. So I hear you’ve got some plans for the future?”

“Halibel even woke me up about it,” Starrk grumbles. “So is it worth it?”

“I think so,” you declare calmly. “We have confirmed that the creation of hollows is the result of an unnatural curse, and so it must logically be possible to reverse that curse.”

“And so no more natural hollows would come into being,” Starrk nods, suddenly much more awake. “But what about those of us who already exist?”

>You would need to choose your own destinies.
>That depends on the needs demanded by balancing the cycle of rebirth.
>You would be welcome here while we continue to deal with other hollows as problems arise.
>I do not yet know that this is even possible, so we would need to decide later.
>Other?
>>
>>3583543
>You would be welcome here while we continue to deal with other hollows as problems arise.
>>
>>3583543
>>You would be welcome here while we continue to deal with other hollows as problems arise.

>Halibel seems to have overcome her curse.... so you could as well in theory.
>>
>>3583543
>You nod again. “That is a possibility. It was said that Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi were created when Izanagi washed his eyes clean after escaping Yomi, while Susano’o was born when he washed out his nose. Which would certainly explain his snotty attitude.”

“I heard that, bitch!” Susano’o calls out from the stage.
kek

>>3583568
this honestly, they might be able to choose their own destiny and what they want to do with their life, but circumstances (by which i mean the C46) might make that difficult, at least for now
>>
>>3583543
>>You would need to choose your own destinies.
>This ofcourse includes staying here
>>
>>3583543
>>3583755
I'll support this.
>>
So, new reader who is getting caught up, but I have to say, I'm reading through the Silbern invasion arc right now and the part where Riku drags As Nodt to hell while reciting the Wonka line gave me literal chills and it was fucking great, consider me a huge fan.
>>
>>3584936
Nice, always good to hear that people are still committing to getting caught up!

That sequence was a lot of fun to write, because having someone dunk on Ass Noodle with a "kill it immediately" response to their fear was something I'd been looking forward to.
>>
>>3583543
“You would need to decide on your own futures,” you sigh, telling them only what you believe to be true. “But while you are doing so, you will of course be welcome to consider this your home.”

Tia glances at you. “And the remaining hollows in Hueco Mundo?”

“Ultimately that remains to be decided based in part on an assessment of the situation if and when this curse is ended,” you admit. “However my inclination is to continue doing as I have done so far, which is to treat each case individually based on my own judgement.”

“That certainly seems reasonable,” Starrk admits. “Not all of us are gonna take you up on that though. So those’re gonna be some of those ‘individual cases’ I guess?”

“That is correct,” you nod. “So long as Grimmjow, Yin and Yang, Aaroniero, or anyone else who may decide to leave keeps out of trouble I will do nothing to hinder them.”

“And us?” Bambietta asks, pointing almost comically at herself… it’s only not ‘comical’ because of how serious the question is. “We’re...”

“No more or less inherently friendly with the shinigami than hollows are,” you interrupt, your words chosen carefully. “I trust you, Bambietta. You have earned that, and your fellow surviving Sternritter are in the process of earning that. And so I will treat you as I do anyone else who has earned my trust and affection.”

For a moment Bambietta simply stares at you, before nodding in understanding. “Yeah, okay. I get you.”

“Then are there any further questions?” you ask. “Before I head back to entertain these visiting deities I mean.”

“I think that covers the important bits,” Starrk sighs. “Can I go back to sleep?”

“No,” you, Tia, and Bambietta all insist simultaneously.

By now the tea must be on the way…

>Return to the deities and entertain them for a few minutes until the tea and snacks arrive.
>Speak briefly with Gin to get his opinion.
>Speak with the Head Captain, ensure that your promises will not prove empty.
>Other?
>>
>>3585926
>Speak with the Head Captain, ensure that your promises will not prove empty.
>>
>>3585926
>>Speak briefly with Gin to get his opinion.
>>
>>3585926
>>Speak briefly with Gin to get his opinion.
>>Speak with the Head Captain, ensure that your promises will not prove empty.
>>
>>3585926
>>Speak with the Head Captain, ensure that your promises will not prove empty.
>>
>>3585926
>Speak with the Head Captain, ensure that your promises will not prove empty.
>>
>>3585926
>>Speak briefly with Gin to get his opinion.
>>
>>3585926
3d10, DC 18, Crit 23
Best of four
>>
Rolled 7, 5, 5 = 17 (3d10)

>>3587707
Rollan'
>>
Rolled 10, 6, 3 = 19 (3d10)

>>3587707
I'm amazed to even still be awake for this roll call lol
>>
Rolled 2, 4, 4 = 10 (3d10)

>>3587707
>>
>>3587718
Good thing you were, apparently.
>>
Rolled 5, 9, 7 = 21 (3d10)

>>3587707
>>
>>3587707
On your way to meet with the Head Captain, you swiftly and silently tap into the tattooed spell array on your left arm to reach out to Gin. You make the connection just as Shunsui notices you, which means you’ll need to do this simultaneously. Thankfully this isn’t a combat situation, so you can accept the extra strain of allowing a bit of the individual personality contributed by Kusajishi Riku to come unbound from the whole to manage the silent mental conversation.

“Head Captain Kyōraku, I need to speak with you regarding a certain contingency.”
“Hey, brat. I’ve gotta talk to you for a second. Use Kakushitsuijaku.”

Shunsui narrows his eyes in mistrust. “What contingency are you referring to?”
“Mom!? Knock first!”

“I have just made a promise I would like to know that I can keep.”
“If I knocked first you’d be on the floor. So what d’ya think Aizen’s thinking?”

“What sort of promise?” Shunsui presses for more details before he replies. “Did you say something to Halibel or Starrk that you’re not sure you can follow through on?”
“I’m not exactly a mind-reader, you know. Sometimes Aizen does things for reasons I don’t even fully understand.”

“I promised them a home,” you tell Shunsui. “In the event that the curse is lifted they will have even less reason to call Hueco Mundo their home.”
“Your ‘humor’ is often as perverse as Aizen’s genuine thought process. If anyone can guess his mind it’d be you, even if as a joke.”

“So you’d be aiming to make what’s been a marriage of convenience into something more permanent?” Shunsui summarizes. “Is that more or less what you’re suggesting?”
“I’m flattered. Okay, so how’s this: the line from Aizen’s short-term actions to his long-term goals is probably based on something counter-intuitive.”

“Do not call it a marriage,” you sigh. “I get that enough from the Kami. But generally speaking yes, I intended to offer them permanent acceptance within the Seireitei as one possibility for their future.”
“Almost irony, but not quite the definition… I get it. So you’re saying that whatever he’s trying to achieve is the opposite of what we might assume the effects of how he’s doing it would be?”
>1/2
>>
>>3587771
Shunsui nods. “And the former Sternritter as well… I’d have to run it past the Central 46 of course. But the precedent is already there at least. So I can’t say it’s likely that I’ll have to make a liar of you if that’s what worries you.”
“Keep in mind that’s just a whimsical thought from your screwball of a son, so don’t take it at face value… like anything else related to Aizen.”

“That sounds fine to me,” you sigh. “So long as the Central 46 can be convinced to give them a fair chance I am sure they can win them over. Thank you.”
“I think it’s a good suggestion in any event. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”
“No problem.”

Shunsui glances at Gin in confusion, while your son simply whistles and glances in the opposite direction.

>Return to the stage and be sure that you’re sitting there waiting when the Tsunayashiro representative arrives.
>Oversee the tea preparation, act the part of a good host to the deities to maintain a carefully-crafted dynamic of authority.
>Speak to the Sword God for a moment, see if he’s willing to hint at the Royal Special Task Force’s attitudes.
>Other?
>>
>>3587775
>>Oversee the tea preparation, act the part of a good host to the deities to maintain a carefully-crafted dynamic of authority.
>>
>>3587775
>Oversee the tea preparation, act the part of a good host to the deities to maintain a carefully-crafted dynamic of authority.
>>
>>3587775
>oversee the tea preparation
>>
>>3587775
>Oversee the tea preparation, act the part of a good host to the deities to maintain a carefully-crafted dynamic of authority.
>>
>>3587775
> Oversee the tea preparation, act the part of a good host to the deities to maintain a carefully-crafted dynamic of authority.
>>
>>3587775
>Oversee the tea preparation, act the part of a good host to the deities to maintain a carefully-crafted dynamic of authority.
>>
>>3587775
You turn your attention to the recent arrival in the back of the room: Ōkita, accompanied by Rangiku, carrying a surprising amount of stuff. Stacked bowls, bamboo whisks, several different types of matcha, and a plate of yatsuhashi. Each is made from soft mochi-like pastry mixed with cinnamon, and you think they’re filled with a thick curd made from some of Gin’s home-grown stone fruits.

You realize that it’s probably still recent enough that all of this once belonged to old man Yamamoto.

“How many do we need?” Ōkita asks, quickly selecting a fine Ujicha and motioning for Rangiku to get to work heating the water in a nearby alcove designed specifically for the purpose.

“Twelve,” you decide. “The other deities would not provide for their adjutants, aside from Amaterasu-Ōkami and Ame-no-Uzume.”

“Understood,” he replies, measuring out the tea. “How many wagashi?”

“One each,” you declare. “And are there a few things of fried tofu available?”

“That can be arranged,” Ōkita replies, quickly gesturing to someone waiting near the back door. “Some fried tofu!”

The other shinigami heads off to follow his new orders.

Meanwhile, a newcomer walks in just in time to see the third seats of First and Ninth Division and the Ninth Division Lieutenant complete the trays of matcha bowls and plates of snacks, laying them at the edge of the platform for the divine attendants to pick up.

“Well, this is nice!” the newcomer, a narrow-eyed man with slick dark hair and a white robe, declares. “All the Captains all lined up for little old me, and even tea!”

“And who might these be?” he muses as he approaches your subordinates… and daughter.

Mirai stares at the man like she stepped in something foul. “The visitor should identify himself first.”

“That’s no way to speak to a noble,” the newcomer replies with a narrow gaze.

“Then I’ll say it,” Yoruichi glares at him. “The visitor should identify himself first.”

“Shihōin Yoruichi,” the man begins, only to be interrupted.

Captain,” she growls.

“Yes, yes,” the nobleman waves his hand dismissively. “We all know...”

“Say it,” Yoruichi insists.
>1/?
>>
>>3588376
Captain Shihōin Yoruichi,” the man eventually grumbles. “And here I thought we were friends.”

“We’re not,” she replies quickly.

“Why so hostile?” the newcomer asks.

“Because I’m a better judge of character than you give me credit for,” Yoruichi replies sternly. “Unlike Aizen you’re not good at hiding your nature.”

“Is that so?” he muses. “I am Tsunayashiro Tokinada, sent here to speak with you on behalf of what’s left of my Clan.”

Tokinada reaches down for a bowl of matcha, only for the edge of a zanpakuto to press lightly against the back of his wrist.

“And you would be...”

“Inari Riku-no-kami,” you reply sternly, glaring at Tokinada as you swiftly resheath your sword. “This tea is for our divine guests, not for you. And I would ask that you not annoy my subordinates again in the future.”

“I am a nobleman,” Tokinada reminds you.

“And I am a noblewoman,” you counter, “a Captain, and at the moment a kami. My lovely wife is the head of her Clan, Captain of a division, and Executive Commander of the Onmitsukidō. My other companion is the de facto Queen of Hueco Mundo.”

“Nobody here is impressed that you are a noble.”

The tea and wagashi disappear behind the curtain, and Rangiku and the third seats withdraw to their appropriate positions. Then you and your companions for this annoying misadventure begin to return to your own seats on the stage.

As he tries to follow, he finds two blades crossed in front of him to bar the way.

“You stay out here, pal,” Kai informs him, sheathing his zanpakuto. “Ain’t nobody else allowed on that stage but kami and their guests, ya see.”

"You should keep your subordinates on a tighter leash," Tokinada glares at you.

"And you ought to mind your manners," you counter with a glare. "There are literal kami on the other side of this curtain... I may find it overly formal for my own tastes, but there are rules to be observed here."

"See that you do so from this point on."
>2/3
>>
>>3588408
Tokinada really made friends here today, great first impression moron
>>
>>3588421
I forsee him being a PROBLEM in the future.
>>
>>3588408
You settle into your seat, and after a brief, less than friendly exchange, Shunsui obliges Tokinada to take his own seat at the foot of the raised tatami platform.

“Tsunayashiro Tokinada,” Amaterasu declares as at her feet Ame-no-Uzume sips happily at her bowl of matcha. “You have been called to speak before us on several key issues.”

>Ask Yoruichi if she knows anything about this Tsunayashiro.
>Ask Shunsui if he and this Tsunayashiro know each other.
>Ask Tokinada who he is and why he was chosen to come here.
>Other?
>>
>>3588433
>>Ask Tokinada who he is and why he was chosen to come here.
lets see if he can be professional, or if he has just as much of an ego in this instance
>>
>>3588433
>>Ask Tokinada who he is and why he was chosen to come here.
>>
>>3588433
>>Ask Tokinada who he is and why he was chosen to come here.
>>
>>3588433
>>Ask Tokinada who he is and why he was chosen to come here.
>>
>>3588433
>>Ask Tokinada who he is and why he was chosen to come here.
We're gonna have to put this faggot in his place by the end of the day, that's all there is to it.
He will respond to fear, and can be made a useful puppet if nothing else.
>>
>>3588433
>Ask Tokinada who he is and why he was chosen to come here.
>>
>>3588433
> Ask Tokinada who he is and why he was chosen to come here.

>>3588534
If he tries to be an ass or does something rude in front of our guests, a little show of killing intent like what we showed Ichigo and friends might be appropriate.
>>
>>3588561
>If he tries to be an ass or does something rude in front of our guests
He's already done this egregiously.
>>
>>3588433
“First and foremost,” you begin in a calm, even tone, “I would like to know who you are and why you were chosen to come here.”

“I just told you who I am,” he frowns in your vague direction. “Or at least I recall doing so.”

“You told us your name,” you chide him. “That is not who you are.”

“Ye shall know them by their fruits,” Omoikane observes. You only understand him because of Tenkotsuki’s influence… he was speaking Aramaic, you realize.

“By their deeds you shall know them,” you translate aloud. “So I ask again, Tsunayashiro Tokinada… who are you?”

There’s a long pause, before Tokinada replies. “I was born into a branch family, so low in the line of succession I barely ever saw the Head. That left the Gotei 13 as the only place where I could make a name for myself.”

“When was this?” you press.

“The same time as former Captain Ukitake and Head Captain Kyōraku.”

Yoruichi bristles at the emphasis on ‘former’ just as much as you do, but similarly manages to keep her anger in check.

Instead of getting angry, you decide to get even. “Two names every shinigami knows, so why do I not know your name?”

“Because I chose to retire,” he declares, “probably some time before you were even born into this world.”

And because he was a member of a branch family, with no real name for himself, he was allowed to do so? Or was there some internal affair to the Tsunayashiro family that allowed such a thing to take place? Of course the Gotei 13 could not interfere in the private affairs of a noble clan, so you suppose such a thing was possible. After all the reasoning behind former Lieutenant Yamada Seinosuke’s retirement was never made clear either… you once assumed that his constitution was too poor to continue active duty at the level of Lieutenant.

Of course it’s also possible that both men were simply cowards.

>And you were simply allowed to do so? I find that difficult to believe.
>You are omitting part of the story. I desire the full truth.
>Press on the second half of your question: why him?
>Allow someone else to ask a question.
>>
>>3590657
>You are omitting part of the story. I desire the full truth.
>>
>>3590657
>>You are omitting part of the story. I desire the full truth.
>>
>>3590657
>>You are omitting part of the story. I desire the full truth.
>>
>>3590657
>>You are omitting part of the story. I desire the full truth.
>>
>>3590657
>You are omitting part of the story. I desire the full truth.
>>
>>3590657
>>You are omitting part of the story. I desire the full truth.
>>
>>3590657
>You are omitting part of the story. I desire the full truth.
>>
>>3590657
>3d10, DC 19, best of four
>>
Rolled 8, 3, 2 = 13 (3d10)

>>3594150
>>
Rolled 6, 4, 9 = 19 (3d10)

>>3594150
>>
Rolled 6, 3, 2 = 11 (3d10)

>>3594150
>>
Rolled 1, 2, 7 = 10 (3d10)

>>3594150
>>
>>3594167
Thank the dice gods for you anon.
>>
>>3594199
>Thank the dice gods
The only gods that exist here.
>>
>>3594150
You,” you emphasize to him, “are obviously leaving out the most interesting part of that narrative. Ambitious nobles do not simply ‘retire’ from active service as shinigami. So what was your reasoning for doing so?”

After several tense moments, Tokinada seems to accept that he won’t be able to weasel his way out of this situation. “I failed to gain any respect from my clan, so it no longer served my purposes.”

“So you treated the Gotei 13 as an opportunity for personal advancement?” Tia asks sternly.

“And what do you think most shinigami join for?” Tokinada snaps. “A deep-held sense of duty? Why don’t you ask your friend there, hollow, what her reason for becoming a shinigami was?”

You glance down at Yoruichi beside your knee.

>To find a purpose.
>To improve myself.
>My now-wife offered me food.
>Other?
>>
>>3594347
>My now-wife offered me food.
>>
>>3594347
>To find a purpose.
>>
>>3594347
>My now-wife offered me food.
>>
>>3594347
>My now-wife offered me food.
and a chance to be more
>>
>>3594347
>>My now-wife offered me food.
its just to good to pass up
>>
>>3594347
>My wife offered me food and a place to sleep. From an orphan to a captain, i asked for nothing in return and offered everything that I had and more.
>>
>>3594390
>>3594347
and this, supporting
>>
>>3594347
>>3594390
Ooh yeah this is actually super good. Gonna support that.
>>
>>3594390
Supporting
even though I feel this is what the offered food option would have naturally produced, with the correct roll
>>
>tfw the food option is clearly a trap sense it is the most self-serving thing of all, survival
I'm not paranoid.
>>
>>3594808
>sense
You fucker I said since.
>>
>>3594390
>>3594347
supporting
>>
>>3594347

>To find a purpose.

Guys, aren't you forgetting that their marriage is a secret because they wanted to avoid people assuming they are stacking their political power together? I mean, are we really gonna come out for shits and giggles?
>>
>>3596743
At this point I'm pretty sure it's very much an open secret among anyone who could take offense to it.
>>
>>3596743
Pretty much what >>3596902 said.

Riku only ever really would have cared because Yoruichi used to care, and Yoruichi has all but explicitly ceased to care. But in this case some care might be appropriate.
>>
>>3594347
“I was offered food and a place to sleep,” you recall quietly. “Nothing more was offered, and I gave everything I had and more without asking for anything else. From that day, until this one. And yet my hands are overflowing with precious things that have come to me unbidden.”

Tokinada doesn’t seem willing to take your words at face value. “Are you saying that you seriously had no ambitions of your own when you joined the Gotei 13?”

“It was while I was serving in the Gotei 13 that I found things worth fighting for,” you clarify. “This was not due to any designs or intentions of my own, but as a consequence of who and what I am.”

“If you’re trying to prove a point with her, don’t bother,” Shunsui tells Tokinada, who you gather to be his former classmate. “The harder you try the more obvious it’ll be how little you understand the situation.”

You can tell that Tokinada is holding his tongue, restraining himself from insulting the Head Captain on reflex. Instead he takes a few moments to collect himself.

“You’ve yet to answer the other half of the question,” Yoruichi chimes in. “Why you?”

“You did say that you were a relatively unimportant Tsunayashiro,” Omoikane observes. “Can we take it to mean that you are the highest-ranking member of that family to survive? Or are the Tsunayashiro intending to send a message in sending such a low-ranked member?”

“I have no idea who’s still alive,” Tokinada admits. “Though I do know for sure that the Head was killed. Beyond that I was just the one the message happened to reach.”

You glance first at Yoruichi, then at Tia… not even Tenri is buying this, and she typically reserves her judgement on such matters as her first instinct. So either she’s suddenly learned to stop hiding her own thoughts and feelings within the last few hours, or Tokinada’s narrative is just too ridiculous for even her to pretend otherwise.

>Matters of succession aside, tell us everything you know about the Soul King and its current state.
>Running off during a crisis of succession is at odds with your apparent goal of climbing the ranks.
>I have also heard that your clan refuses to allow an impartial investigation by the Ninth Division.
>Other?
>>
>>3597033
>>Running off during a crisis of succession is at odds with your apparent goal of climbing the ranks.
>>
>Running off during a crisis of succession is at odds with your apparent goal of climbing the ranks.
>>
>>3597033
>Running off during a crisis of succession is at odds with your apparent goal of climbing the ranks.
>I have also heard that your clan refuses to allow an impartial investigation by the Ninth Division.
>>
>>3597033
Lol this boy playing with fire like it says fisher price on the side.
>>
>>3597033
>>Running off during a crisis of succession is at odds with your apparent goal of climbing the ranks.
>>
>>3597033
>Running off during a crisis of succession is at odds with your apparent goal of climbing the ranks.

>quite the convenient situation you found yourself in
>>
>>3597033
>>Matters of succession aside, tell us everything you know about the Soul King and its current state.
I just want to get to the point here.
>>
>>3597033
“So what you are saying is that you came running when you received the message,” you summarize. “But would that not run contrary to your previously stated goal of personal advancement? You did after all join the Gotei 13 and subsequently abandon your duty for that precise reason, by your own words.”

“Is it such a strange notion that I would attempt to ingratiate myself with such an action?” Tokinada muses. “Especially since no amount of effort seemed to be working within my family?”

“Yes, it would,” Yoruichi counters. “Unless what you were trying to do was consolidate a new position in the wake of a major disruption.”

There’s a brief pause. “How perceptive, Lady Shihōin. But I feel that judging me for it isn’t exactly in your proverbial wheelhouse.”

“You’re right,” Yoruichi immediately admits. “The internal affairs of the other Clans isn’t any of my business… so long as it remains internal, that is.”

With that threat, Yoruichi relents and that line of questioning naturally reaches a conclusion. Instead, it’s Amaterasu who poses the next question.

“What can you tell us of the Soul King’s current state?” she asks.

“What do you mean?” Tokinada replies with a show of mock innocence.

“Don’t play dumb,” Tsukiyomi demands angrily. “You need make no extra effort. Just answer the questions posed to you.”

Tokinada takes another moment to collect himself after the rebuke, before replying to the two kami. “I do not know all of the details, however it is my understanding that my ancestors feared the power used by the Soul King before it was bound. So they took precautions to ensure that power would never be used again.”

>Well, it WAS used again. By Yhwach, the king of the Quincy.
>And how did they go about doing that, I wonder?
>Aizen wants to use that power again. Do you know how?
>Other?
>>
>>3597300
>>And how did they go about doing that, I wonder?
>>
>>3597300
>And how did they go about doing that, I wonder?
>>
>>3597300
>>And how did they go about doing that, I wonder?
>>
>>3597300
>>Well, it WAS used again. By Yhwach, the king of the Quincy.
>>
>>3597300

>Apparently said precautions is is piss poor. Yhwach the Quincy king used it 1000 years ago. And now Aizen has taken the same power for his own use.
>>
>>3597300
>>Well, it WAS used again. By Yhwach, the king of the Quincy.
>>
>>3597300
“What did they actually do?” you wonder aloud. “It could not have been terribly effective, as it has been used twice in spite of said precautions.”

“No, it hasn’t,” Tokinada denies your statement outright.

“Once by Yhwach a thousand years ago,” Yoruichi presses, “and now by Aizen Sōsuke.”

“That’s not possible,” Tokinada insists even more firmly. “Yhwach was a fluke, but Sōsuke? Nah, I don’t buy that for a minute.”

“He used it to finish maturing his Hōgyoku,” you explain.

“The hell’s a Hōgyoku?” Tokinada asks, confused by the new term.

“A lump of semi-sentient shinreiryoku,” Tia supplies.

“Then yeah, that’s not possible,” Tokinada repeats. “Unless we’re talking about two different Aizen Sōsukes.”

“If there’s two of him I quit,” Yoruichi grumbles, perfectly summarizing your shared thoughts on the prospect.

“Why?” you ask Tokinada, your question exceptionally simple.

“Because he can’t manipulate shinreiryoku,” Tokinada replies. “I know that because I had my eye on him when he was a rookie.”

“What if he used his Bankai?” Yoruichi muses.

“What, you mean those water-based illusions?” Tokinada asks in confusion. “How would that help?”

There are several long seconds of stunned silence before Tia speaks up. “While that is an interesting idea, it is also untrue.”

“What do you mean?” Tokinada protests, before turning to Shunsui. “What does she mean?”

“You’ve been really out of the loop,” Shunsui sighs loudly, the sort of exasperated tone that makes you sure that he’s rubbing the back of his neck even though you can’t see him do it. “Long story short, his Bankai apparently lets him make his illusions into reality, but with only one change at a time.”

“So he used it to give himself the ability to manipulate shinreiryoku,” you conclude, throwing your hands up in protest. “Us damn it, of course he did! Every time I think there is no way I could hate that man more, he has to go and prove me wrong! What IS it with him!?”
>1/2
>>
>>3599481
“Riku, calming breaths,” Yoruichi taunts you as you fume. “In and hold, release, and hold, and in and hold...”

Meanwhile, Inari thankfully takes over for you. “So, Tsunayashiro Tokinada, this is Inari Ōkami speaking.”

“No kidding?” Tokinada muses, evidently surprised at the names this little meeting has drawn.

“No kidding,” Inari repeats. “So what does it mean to you that Aizen Sōsuke has that missing ability to manipulate shinreiryoku that you thought he lacked?”

“Well,” Tokinada admits. “It’s not good. Not good at all.”

>Why, precisely, is that not good?
>If you know what he’s doing spill it.
>… what do you mean you had your eye on him?
>Other?
>>
>>3599482
>… what do you mean you had your eye on him?
>>
>>3599482
>before we go further with this, what do you mean, you had eyes on him?
It might help piecing together how aizen knows, where he knows it from and what he is missing
>>
>>3599482
>>… what do you mean you had your eye on him?

>>3599494
well, he might have fancied aizen, would make some more sense if any effort of his wouldn't get him where he wanted.
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>>3599512
No wonder it went nowhere, aizen is keikakusexual
>>
>>3599482
>>… what do you mean you had your eye on him?
>>
>>3599482
>>… what do you mean you had your eye on him?
>>
>>3599482
>… what do you mean you had your eye on him?



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