You May Be Entitled To Compensation [Kabuto/Julian]

SEIREITEI
Questions beget questions. What good will answers do?

Kabuto's spine was slick with sweat, emblazoned mask crumbling away from flesh - emerald flames licking it away. The man sat, hunched over balled fists. A dizzying burst of emotion as he left Hiruko's office, reiryoku spiking before silence. Sound returned to him as he stood, aura flickering in and out of existence. It was... a troubling moment. An indignant rage had exploded from somewhere deep, the taste of bile filling the back of Kabuto's throat. "Fuck." he'd whisper, before moving to shuffle back to the entrance.

Once again, eyes turned to the various plaques and signs of the building, each successive glance processing less information. He'd pause in the middle of a hallway, pinching the bridge of his nose. Eyes closed tight, Kabuto exhaled with the grace of a lawn mower refusing to start, hand dragging down his face as he'd open them again. Vision blurred before details swam into existence, the lines gaining form with dizzying clarity - 副隊長 - Vice captain.

He paid no attention for any names. An arm raised, loud rapping of knuckles against the door - automatic. A side glance to the limb, synapses firing panic, fervor riling from his Zankpakuto. Alien at first, then familiar; excited. He'd make a mental note, before the crackle of his voice filled the air. "Excuse me, vice-captain...." he trailed off, sight slipping back to the sign. "...Julian?" Uncertainty plagued the name, a shake of his head unseen.

"My name is Kabuto Itagaki," half yelled through the door, "I used to be part of this division." this time, akimbo with confidence.

Despite his having served as acting captain for some time now, Julian was still far from willing to say that he felt he'd progressed to being able to take the captaincy formally. Of course, he'd already spoken at length with the vice captain of the First about his efforts, but it wasn't as though his simply lack of power was what made him feel almost out of place.

No, if anything, he felt that it was his own nature as a person which made him something of an anomaly among the division. He was, rather unlike many of his subordinates, rather interpersonal, attached to his ethics. Of course, even beyond that, he'd come into this position rather suddenly, an ostensibly prodigious graduate of Shino Academy who lacked many of the decades-old connections that one could find in the Gotei.

"Come in, Mr. Itagaki."

It was rather convenient for Julian that his research was remarkably easy to keep hidden from those who entered into his office. After all, much of what he was pursuing at the moment was easily disguised as simple jinzen. Setting his zanpakuto to the side for now, the acting captain turned his courteous yellow gaze toward the door.

"What can I do for you?"

SEIREITEI
A creaking door announced the man, leaning forward as his hair scraped the doorframe. Kabuto's gaze would immediately round the room, a quick flick back and forth as he stepped forward. His attention cut short as he stood to height, closing the door behind him and looking to the vice captain.

He felt surprisingly naked without his mask, for a moment. Some inner disdain for his current appearance or otherwise, it would be nothing but a glimpse at deeper thought. The taste of someone he once was.

Then, the realization that he had been standing - silently - at the doorframe for going on ten seconds, a rapid blink before he spoke. The crackle of his voice stretched, each breath a failing of the universe. "I'd like back in." Kabuto had, for the moment, taken to trust the instinct of his zankpakuto.

"Although," his arms crossed, his stone sheath scraping against the wall as he leaned back. "Hiruko advised me against it." Although he had just met the man, the words felt familiar. Not unlike the one in front of him. He'd hope for the remembrance to be mutual, if not expected it.

Julian wasn't entirely certain what he ought to do with this newcomer's sudden request to rejoin the division. He didn't know the man, after all. He'd only come to this division himself within the last couple of years, and most of his efforts had been on research rather than researching former members. However, that didn't change that this was his responsibility, so he thought about the request for a moment or two.

"I have no issue allowing a former member to return. But I think it would be important to note that I do not run this division as previous captains have. My purposes are not unilateral progress for its own sake. This is a division of the Gotei, and our research is intended to further this organization's best interests."

There was a certain degree of cutting, stern absoluteness to Julian's voice. He'd found that he did not tend to like many of those in his division, if only because they did not care for his own ethical stances. But that was inconsequential to him. He had a job to do, and he would do it.

SEIREITEI
"Previous captains?" Kabuto parroted, noted emphasis on the plural as he stepped forward. "I was told Kurotsuchi left the position recently."

That man had retained in his memory, none of it pleasant. Some admiration for the sheer abandon of moral affects, then disgust and frustration. There was another name, floating there... All the more indecipherable. A picture torn and discarded.

So, for the best? Kabuto considered Wonder what state I'd be in if he weren't in control, you'd be normal. Yuebn'na chided, the man's thoughts quelled beneath the Zankpakuto. Taunting.

"Regardless," Kabuto would reply as he lowered himself to a sitting position, in a match to Julian. "I would hope that some research could be done on..." his voice trailed, a hand guiding alone the jagged tip of his ear. "Well, I didn't always look like this."

What did I look like? a question, this time. There was no response, taunting or otherwise. Some frustration would visibly cross Kabuto's face, closed eyes as his hand slipped down, pressing his temple. "Along with there being other complications." his voice tinged with faux pain - although, not consciously.

"She did, yes. I wish her well, though that does not mean that I will lead as she did."

Julian studied the Vizard opposite him with a faint degree of interest, though in truth, questions of Vizard physiology and unique development were not his forte. In a way, perhaps they should have been, but he was not the sort to spread himself out over all manner of topics as many of his subordinates were. Even as a Vizard himself, Julian acknowledged that there was much he did not know on the topic. Something for him to correct, he supposed, when his more pertinent research had hit a comfortable point.

"I will have it looked into, if you believe it necessary or interesting. With the ever-increasing number of Vizards in the Gotei, as well as the increase in Hollow activity that will likely lead to further Vizards being formed despite their own intentions, we will presumably need to know of any and all possible permutations and possibilities."

He was thinking more to himself than necessarily speaking directly to Kabuto, though not out of any intention to shut him out of the conversation. Julian simply preferred to think aloud in situations like this, to let others better follow his line of thinking.

"What sort of complications?"

SEIREITEI
She? His index finger pushed harder against skin, the corner of his skull straining against the muscle. An attempt to make sense of what he could remember, any results consumed by the immediate flare of panic.

The word 'vizard' sparking a flame of anxiety, Kabuto's hand instinctively moved from the side of his head to a claw covering his face. The lack of metal's sting sent a wave of relief, swirling in confusion a second later. The how would settle into an uncomfortable realization, the jutting wave of his aura spiking in that moment. 'Unstable' would be making light of the situation.

His arm would slump back to default, some obvious discomfort before he could compose himself. The open flapping of a silent mouth, a false start once, then twice. The third time, being charmed, had some more efficacy in the attempt.

"I am... unsure." Tightened lips followed, an exasperated sigh. "I- I mean I can't remember. Don't know?" Hands raised again, a shrug as he continued to stumble over his speech.

"My mask apparently materializes when I'm unaware, my reiryoku feels... Wrong, in a way I can't describe. I've lost massive chunks of memory!" hands raised, the exclamation falling as they returned to his lap, hulking frame seeming to collapse forward and onto himself. "And that's what I'm aware of."

A verbal utterance of defeat, Kabuto would recognize, if only for a moment, that he didn't actually know who he was talking to. Nor did they know him. So his eyes would stay down, staring emptily into his own lap.

The brief outburst would likely have been enough to cause most people to at least react in some concerned way, but Julian had a suspicion that this man was more a danger to himself than anything else. That wasn't to say Julian was unwilling to help, of course. But simply leaping right to assistance without any understanding of the situation could only worsen it.

"I see."

Julian was writing down notes as Kabuto spoke, though he had to admit that this wasn't his immediate area of expertise, and that offhand this wasn't much for him to work with. Still, as a vizard himself, he knew that it would only be proper for him to put together a bit more understanding on the situation. Besides, he intended to become Captain, and it wouldn't bode well to stay distant from his subordinates even as Vice Captain.

"Well, I must admit that's a good deal less than would serve as a good basis for any study, but it's something to keep in mind. The amnesia is probably something most worth considering, but I don't want to jump right to any conclusions based on that."

Tapping his desk in thought, Julian continued to think about the situation.

"From a less scientific standpoint, I think it's best to bear in mind that you're far from alone in this particular situation. Many vizards in the Gotei come into that situation without being ready for it. Until we can discern the actual cause, I would only ask that you stay away from more sensitive areas such as the Academy, and check in with me daily. You ought speak with the medical specialists, as well. They may know a bit more."

SEIREITEI
A slow nod would begin, paralyzed in an instant by the man's offhand mention. That girl in the academy could be a problem. His shoulders would stiffen, the bead of thought racing behind eyes hidden in shadow. The truth would be too burdensome, Kabuto decided.

"I see." his head still hanging low, hands gripping one another tightly. The snapping and popping of his joints silent to him as the echoed, thoughts louder than his own filling Kabuto's skull. The parroting would pass unnoticed, Kabuto's grip loosening between hands.

"I'd like to say it's that simple." In this moment, the who became a when, a shift in tone. A mouth that moved as if there were no scars. "Something is telling me to go to the human world."

The goliath's head raised, matching eyes with Julian. A hand tightened around the hilt of his zankpakuto, a deafening silence answered him. "I don't suppose something can be arranged when I'm...." The past would fade, the pain new again, the lake of fire under his face. "Like this?"

The consideration for medical staff was concerning, and Kabuto agreed. If not intellectually, instinctively. The itch and scream of his scars resonated freely, the burning rage of his mask. The fact that he was alive was no doubt a miracle - the continued act even more so.

"A trip to the human world, hm?"

Julian knew, just on account of his own authority, that such a thing could fairly easily be arranged. He could easily have a researcher accompany, and of course any number of the members of the 7th Division to ensure this whole operation wasn't a complete waste of time. He supposed he ought to be thankful that he had a fairly good rapport with Captain Kishimoto, then.

"I will see what can be arranged. I think it should go without saying, however, that you will not be going alone if such a thing can be approved."

He was certainly not foolish enough to think he was ever what one might call "safe" when sitting opposite this man. It was not that the Vice Captain considered himself especially vulnerable, by any stretch, but he could see quite plainly the degree to which Itagaki was in what could only be called a concerningly unstable state.