MAGICAL GIRLS AND FOX GIRLS. IS THIS JAPAN?

America was a strange place compared to her homeland, something to be expected, but still shocking, to say the least. She wasn't really there to aid the Quincy in driving out whatever remained of demonkind in America, despite being half-demon herself, she wasn't seeking out souls to purify and send them to the Soul Society -- though she would if she came across any -- she was mainly there to see what America was like.

All she knew about it was what she had heard about it through the rumors and stories passed around back home, and the experiences that her brother had when he had returned from the front. Thus, it was fairly expected that her knowledge was extremely limited, extremely negative, and obscenely focused. From what she had found so far, America had been a fairly interesting place.

There were countless amounts of things that she recognized from the days of their debut and creation in Japan having been imported, be it food, technology, or media, and she certainly could appreciate that the wonders that she knew in her younger years before her death had become a trend in more than just Japan. The girl smiled softly as she rounded the corner, her smile fading instantly and her body locking up just as quickly.

A Gotei Shinigami was standing there -- and they were...a fox girl. It was a mixture of shock, concern, fear, and confusion all at once as she found herself staring at the fox girl in disbelief. She could detect faint traces of spiritual energy in the air -- she must have been there to perform a Konso, and Kitarune just...had to basically walk right into her, didn't she? Very slowly beginning to take a step backward, she kept a hand ready to pull out a hairpin and turn it back into her Zanpakuto.

Even if she was ready for conflict, she was still practically a deer in headlights right now.

As the fox Shinigami leaped forward, closing the distance between herself and Kitarune without much trouble, Kitarune jumped as the woman was suddenly a lot closer to her, and the hairpin between her fingers turned back into her Zanpakuto, a long naginata polearm as she kept a tight grip on it, ready to attack if need be -- only for the Shinigami suddenly start...sniffing her.

The mage blinked a few times in confusion, and just as she opened her mouth to speak, the words that came out of the fox girl's mouth only drove her into further stunned silence, followed by her cheeks flushing red at the compliment. Blinking a few times and shaking her head, while also trying her best to hide the naginata behind her back, she managed to find the words to say something, at least.

"Um, t-thanks. I'm...Kitarune Astillon -- er, I guess it should be 'Astillon, Kitarune'. I'm not part of a Division, because, well, I'm not with the Gotei."

She paused, her head lowering as she thought of what to say, lifting her head to return her gaze to Himiko. Dismissing her Zanpakuto back to her Inner World as she slowly wrapped her arms around herself, looking to the side for a moment before shaking her head and sighing softly. She really had fallen out of the habit of her homeland, everything to the surnames, to honorifics -- but, a few centuries in a lawless land would do that to a person.

"It's, uh, nice to meet you, Himiko. I'm glad that you like my hair. I was looking around because I sensed a spirit and I was gonna perform a Konso, but, you got here first and purified him."

Part of her wanted to just run, right there and now, say that she had to leave and get the hell out of there. She still kept the thought of re-summoning her Zanpakuto in mind, just on the off-chance that she would need it again. She really doubted that she would, but, she kept it in mind. She didn't trust anyone from the Gotei -- or anything about the Gotei. Even with what Hannah had said to her, she just couldn't let go of what had happened to Katsu. Perhaps it was just stubbornness, but the mage's antsiness was definitely showing.

Was it really that common for Shinigami to be paired up with the Gotei? Admittedly, that gave her more anxiety. If that were true, then would it only be a matter of time before she was forced into the Gotei? Would she have to hide from them in order to be safe and not stand out?

But, as if it were nothing, Himiko quickly dismissed changed subjects, asking if she were a part of an organization on Earth, but as Kitarune went to open her mouth and respond, she said not to tell her. So, she shut her mouth, now just awkwardly standing there as the fox Shinigami tried to guess what she was a part of. But, as soon as the thought came, it seemed to go away -- with Himiko choosing to focus on her mention of a Konso.

She couldn't help but laugh a little bit -- from what she understood, Konso was extremely basic for Shinigami, as well as one of their basic duties. For some reason, Himiko saying she was "cool like that" in regards to Konso made her laugh, it was a good kind of laugh. A laugh that seemed to calm her down, to make her anxieties slowly recede -- something that made her feel safe.

"Well, if you're so good at it, I guess I must be pretty average, especially since you got here first."

Giggling softly, Kitarune sighed as she relaxed, smiling warmly while keeping a hand on her sleeve.

"I'm not a part of any organization right now. I'm still just trying to adjust to everything, because, I've been in the Rukongai for over...I think six-hundred years. I'm so far out of my time, and I don't understand anything about the world anymore, much less my own homeland. Everything's so different, and it's so overwhelming."

The woman immediately stopped talking as Himiko began showing disbelief of her age, blinking a few times. But, just as she was about to remark on it, Himiko mentioned going back with her to Soul Society, and that she was out there on patrol. Kitarune froze in place, her hand slowly moving away from her side as her Zanpakuto began to manifest again in her hand.

Immediately, a wave of anxiety crashed into her as her eyes went wide, the woman's body trembling slightly as she started to take a step back, her knuckles turning white as she instantly held a death grip on the polearm. Her voice grew quiet and small, with Kitarune starting to stammer as she started to slowly move the naginata in front of her.

"N-No, that's fine...why don't we j-just stay here? Earth is really nice, and, I...I need to figure out what's changed in Japan since I've been here last. Y-You know, almost six hundred years since I've been there, I think."

A forced smile began to form across her lips, and if she had been any physically stronger, she might have started to crack the handle of her own Zapkauto from how tightly she came to grip it.

"Plus, I-I doubt anyone in Soul Society would want me! I'm not that special, so, I can just...stay here, you know?"

While she was starting to panic at the thought of having to go back to Soul Society, as Himiko told her that she wouldn't have to if she didn't want to, Kitarune's death grip on her weapon slowly began to loosen and she began to breathe normally. Slowly lowering his arm and dismissing the weapon, she took in a deep breath, holding her arm with her hand.

"...Sorry about that. Just, I have bad memories with Soul Society and the Rukongai."

As she brought up the subject of her name, her face quickly turned to shock, blinking a few times before looking away, finding the ground to be far more interesting to look at as she rubbed her arm. She knew that the name she had picked wasn't Japanese, but...should she tell this girl? She had only just met, and the first thing that she had suggested was to take her back to the Soul Society.

"Well, it apparently means 'nothern magic,' but it's spelled K-i-t-a-r-u-n-e."

She paused for a moment after spelling out her name, then sighed.

"But, it's not...technically my real name. After I died, I lost a lot of my memories from when I was human. My older brother, Yuuto, once I found him again, filled in some of the gaps. My real name is Atsuko. It's spelled with the characters for 'honest child.'"

Using a small bit of magic, Kitarune summoned a notepad in her hands and a pen, quickly drawing the characters, "敦子," for her name, before writing down the word "Atsuko" for Himiko.

"I went by Kitarune for so long that, the name sorta, got stuck, and I'm used to it."