Strength

It was a solemn day within the squad barracks of the Gotei 13. There had been so many events that had transpired that for it to be this tranquil, almost seemed as if everything had been a dream. Ibiki Suika was no longer the Captain Commander, having decided to retire from her position.

Her efforts would never be forgotten. She breathed life into an organization that - truth be told, seemed to deteriorate over time. And now, with the arrival of Abalia Kyoraku, the Gotei 13 were no doubt poised for a momentous path.

With her will and wit, true order could be restored across the realms. To the woman walking silently through these barracks, such a thought filled her with pride. After all, it was not long ago that she was once a fellow member of the Gotei. What filled her with even more joy is that she had earned her way into her division. Most who knew of her here had said that if she had stayed, there was no doubt she would’ve been a captain by now.

Perhaps, she mused. Her family was all that mattered in the end, and so she retired from the division she was situated in early, though she did not close the door on a possible return. Still, it was always pleasant to visit the men and women she had befriended in the academy and in each of the 13 divisions. On her person, along with a few bodyguards, she was carrying congratulatory letters and meals she had prepared as a sign of good faith and friendship to those she met…

Hakuyou was.. lost.

In both the metaphorical sense and the physical sense, the son of the Shiba had arrived into the Gotei with little idea of what was going on. Even now as he struggled to find his family estate, or even the Captain-Commander he was utterly and truly at a lost for words. The world around him had changed to much, even the atmosphere of the society he once called home was different. In some ways it excited him, and in others he felt a pit in his stomach which would soon have to be dealt with.

His troubles would not stop however as he finally resolved himself to meet with the CC, but he first needed to locate them. After a moment of wandering around lost, he would relent to ask for help begrudgly. So the main wearing the Victorian style outfit, with a katana and rifle holster, would walk over to the dark skinned woman. His eyes showing something of a natural defiance to this action, the deep voice gaining her attention.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for the Captain-Commander. I am Shiba Hakuyou, and I have information which will interest Yamamoto."

The man stood a little over six feet, six inches tall. So unless she was near his height, vibrant amber eyes would gaze down at her intense.

The bodyguards turned towards Hakuyou as he approached Rio. Rio paused as she heard the deep timbre of the man's voice call out to her. It was a firm, strong voice that held no hint of playful intent or bashful demeanor. In a word, it was the type of tone that captured attention.

Rio turned to face the man, her composed gait coming to a pause as she shifted her feet to face him. With a single wave of her hand, she ordered the bodyguards to let her through. There was no sense of danger; she would engage the man on her own and observe his demeanor and intent.

Standing at five feet, seven inches, the Shihoin protector was significantly dwarfed in size by the shinigami that stood before her. Such a fact hardly bothered her but his line of questioning is what gave her pause as she looked at the bodyguards to confirm whether she was hearing him right.
Captain Yamamoto? That was a name she had not heard in years.

She had never known the man personally but from Papa's words and historians of the Soul Society, his was a name that would remain timeless in history. His time had long since passed, however. He died long ago. She never bothered to look into why but did such a fact matter now?

it would certainly matter to him, she surmised as she observed him fully with a pair of fierce, golden eyes.

Everything from his body to his gaze, to his very voice, demanded attention in equal measure.

Clearing her throat, she gazed at the man softly as she decided to clarify the events that had come to pass. She was unsure of whether he had been absent or simply lost to the sands of time - still, honor guided her to let him know of these events because they would likely leave him in shock. She handed the rest of the meals to the bodyguards, waving them away with her hands. She kept two boxes of food with her, offering the other to the tall man as she prepared to speak.

"I... am not sure how I may explain this to you, but Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto... is dead. He was killed in battle long ago. There were quite a few successors after him. If you wished to meet the Captain Commander now, her name is Abalia Kyoraku-Hayden."

Now, she prepared for the bombardment of questions set to come her way.

The man made no over comments at this news, perhaps a look of acceptance in his eyes. His ambers eyes displayed that of a man who had come accustomed to death, of the trials of time and the reality that the world he once knew was now dead. It was buried among the ruins of change, built over by progress and the like. As his large hands extended to two the box of lunch, he gazed at it for a moment before focusing that intense gaze back on her. In a clear voice, not held down by any shock or confusion he'd speak:

"Thank you."

The man would comment it in a clear and concise manner, held in place by his mere will. He was not sure what the future would hold, but for now a lunch would be nice. The trials before him would be hard, and they would be long indeed. But it was such that he was prepared to meet them come hell or high water. So he'd look off to the site for a bench, his head tilting towards it with the subtle command she should follow a natural authority to his body. It was not forced, simply the nature of things.

Such was the way of a noble, even if he loathed it.

"I have not caught your name. The world has surely changed since my departure. This Captain-Commander will surely fill me in, will you escort me once we have eaten?"

Almost as if he had betrayed her expectations, Rio stared at the man dumbfounded as he accepted her news with poise, a composure not many men would keep after hearing how much they had missed in their absence. As a woman who stood as a symbol of composure in her own right, his calm demeanor, and intense gaze was almost enough to leave her speechless. Her thoughts could not help but cycle through who this man could possibly be.

Hakuyou... Hakuyou Shiba. Shiba. Shiba!?

In spite of their fall from grace as a noble family, Rio was very familiar with their existence. Even so, meeting one was enough to give her pause. Still, she could not find it in herself to refuse his offer of eating at the bench. The woman could not help but wonder if he was once a captain, perhaps... such a gaze and voice was capable of demanding anyone's attention. Rio was accustomed to being that type of woman in her own family but this man...

Rio blushed softly as she nodded her head. There was too much surfacing through her brain right now. Maybe it would settle with a meal.

"Indeed, there is a lot to go over when you meet her. If you wish, I can fill you in on what I know, Hakuyou-san. Excuse me for not introducing myself sooner... my name is Rio Shihoin."

"Thank you, Rio-san."

The man would reply with the same level of control he exhibited last time, before taking a seat on the bench. With grace, he'd begin to unbox the lunch she so kindly provided him. Despite having not used chop-sticks for several centuries he was able to regain the knowledge immediately. And even if he wasn't able to, he'd force himself to learn in that moment. Such was his pride, and such was the display he would give to this woman.

But the name Shihouin, he knew it well. Once again he considered some of them family friends, and as far as he could tell this could be Yushiro or Yoruichi child. He felt a bit sad at the notion Ichi might've settled down with a husband, but such was life. He was the one who left, the one who was coming back into a foreign world. He'd sigh out of the blue, as he rested what looked to be some type of long wrapped up object- before it twitched a bit undoing the wraps which binded it.

What looked to be... an extremely thin dragon like creatures would make a tiny roar. Before beginning to eat some of his food, laying it's head on it's lap. He looked briefly annoyed at the creatures before chuckling to himself placing a hand on it's scaly head.

"Ever hungry, Ryu." The man would comment at the companion, before focusing his gaze towards Rio. "It is fine, Rio-san. How is your family? Perhaps you have seen my sister? It appears our former estate is now Gotei property."

Ryo looks like dis.:

Hakuyou was certainly a well-mannered man who was clearly in control of himself in all aspects. There was hardly any sort of emotion that would've indicated anything other than solemn acceptance towards what fate had ordained. Rio could freely admit she would have not been as peacefully minded as this former noble sitting beside her.

She unwrapped her own box of food, gracefully guiding the chopsticks through her cuisine. Placing a small bite towards her mouth, she kept her gaze towards Hakuyou as she observed him, making a considerable attempt in reading his emotions.

Seeing as he had mentioned Yamamoto, she wondered how old the man was, considering the fact that, the once-great Elder Shinigami had reigned since the inception of the Gotei 13 until his untimely death.

Sighing, the amber-eyed Shinigami placed a wrapped-up object - or so it seemed - on his lap. Of course, if it were an object, it certainly had a will of its own - revealing itself to be a small dragon that boldly took a sample of Hakuyou's meal. Rio blinked, as the bewilderment in her countenance could clearly be read with a glance. She could not claim she had ever seen such a creature before but as Hakyou directed his gaze towards her, Rio was brought back to her senses.

"Ah... my family? We are going through a transitional period of sorts. Papa Shihoin's health is declining rapidly and he is not long for this world. He is giving it his all to remain long enough to provide for his family, but I've come to terms with the idea that my father will die at any time. His firstborn is set to succeed him... but I question her commitment for so many reasons that I will not delve into any of them out of respect towards you."

She moved onto the next subject, placing another small bite of food in her mouth.

"Yes... it would appear so. As far as me seeing your sister, I think I may know who you are referring to. Papa always said she was good for a laugh or two. Kukaku... was it? I don't think I have met her personally but I know a few stories from my aunt and my father."

"She shall need your support. Your family shall require unity, cast aside the past. It will do you know good." The man would comment, his deep voice seemingly having come out of nowhere- certainly breaking any level of tact. But it was clear he spoke from a place deep within his soul, he hadn't been able to resist to say such a thing. A far look came onto his eyes, as if remembering an unpleasant memory before lifting his chopsticks upwards to chew diligently and swallow.

"Apologies. I speak out of turn."

The man would add on, possessing that well-mannered voice again. It was rough however, as if he was forcing himself to act like such. Ambers eyes gazing upon his food, and the dragon, before sighing. He looked to age in that simple sigh, before straightening his shoulders once more. The name of 'Papa Shihouin' and the like catching his attention.

"Papa Shihouin? Did the Shihouin have a third child? Or did Yushiro and and Yoruichi have their husband adapt their last name?" The man question'd seemingly to believe that Yushiro was a woman. He'd add on. "Truth be told, I always thought Yushiro was a strange name for a girl, but Yoruichi always waved it off."

Hakuyou's wise words gave Rio a pause. It was heartfelt as if he spoke from experience. He neither passed judgment nor advised her to do otherwise. He gave her advice. Rio nodded silently as she continued to eat her meal. As much as she hated it, he was right.


With her father's impending death and so many other factors, was it beneficial to hold onto a petty grudge? As she ruminated on such thoughts, Hakuyou had caught her attention. He went on about whether Yoruichi and her... yes, her father had husbands - if they had adopted their Shihoin name. Rio held back the laughter that threatened to break free from her body before a chuckle slipped out as she gazed at Hakuyou's face. He was legitimately serious. Which made it all the more hilarious...

"Well... if you thought Yushiro was a weird name for a male, then it seems Aunt Yoruichi played quite the prank on you. Yushiro is a male. He ended up giving birth to the next heir in our family, me, and many more. It is true he had quite the effeminate look in the past... but he's certainly much more grisly now."

Rio slowly placed a hand within her pocket, pulling out one of the many family pictures she had, revealing a picture of a much taller, bearded man standing beside his considerably smaller wife.

"That's him."

"Ah. That makes sense."

The man would reply in the most even tone voice one could have, gazing at the picture for but a mere moment than consuming his food once more. Perhaps others would have shown some embarrassment for believing such an old joke but for himself, it simply had passed. He found it amusing in some deep part of him, but that amusement was overshadowed by his... discomfort. A discomfort which brewed from being in similar, yet foreign lands.

He'd place a hand on the companion of his, the thin dragonlike creature. It was as if it sooth'd him simply having such a thing, his gaze focusing on something afar. The consequence of having left his home was that he returned to it feeling completely foreign to him. With the smallest shake of his head, he'd turn to her offering a thing smile. A rare thing, something which seemed to not belong on his features.

"I shall visit him when I have a chance. The years have not been kind to him, it looks. I am sorry, Rio-san, if I appear distant. There is so much to take in, and I fear I will be swept up in the tide."