Autumn Mists [Saiko/Murasaki]

Fall was a calming time of year for most. The leaves were dying, the air was cool, the lands were coming to rest, and the grey skies made it a time of contemplation and reflection for those who didn't care much for the barren landscapes. Yet, this weather was of no consequence to the likes of Saiko Mori.

Browsing among the barracks of The First Division, Saiko's heart had a sense of nervousness to it. After finishing a few incidents of hollows in the human realm, she figured it was time to head back to the first division to have a proper conversation with Murasaki, perhaps.

There were a few things on her mind, such as the incident with Hime's imprisonment, the future of Saiko's time in the Gotei, the incidents on Earth with the hollow that attacked Quincy's City Of Lights and if there just anything she could keep doing to make her time here worthwhile in the sense of adding more good than when she left the organization.

But, most of all, she was worried about being rejected as a person. There was a part of her that felt like she wasn't doing enough, so it was unnerving to ask the woman for any advice as there were probably more significant issues to deal with now. So, that sense of uneasiness when dealing with people was there in her mind, but it wasn't the time to indulge in social awkwardness.

So, she decided to lean on the old cliche of courage. When one is uncertain, fearful, or doubtful, that is when character shines through, and the willingness to sit through nervousness and fear makes bravery. So, after arriving in her chambers, Saiko gently tapped on the wall and looked to see if her Captain Commander had been lying about somewhere.

"Uhm, hello? Is anyone here? I had come to see if Murasaki was around."

Being Captain Commander was absolutely a pretty busy job, and having moved to a new division meant that Murasaki hadn't had nearly as much time to spend with all her subordinates that she'd grown close to over her years in 7th. She tried to stop by often, of course, to come and check on everyone, but she didn't want to seem like she was showing too much favoritism just because they were her old division.

"Oh, Saiko! Come in, come in! Have you been doin' good? You want some tea or somethin'? C'mon, take a seat, feels like we haven't talked in forever."

Murasaki did, however, quite miss her old subordinates, and the moment she saw who was here to visit, she didn't hesitate to give the much shorter girl a hug, inviting her into the office with a big smile. Saiko was, after all, someone Murasaki was tremendously proud of, and she did like to make sure she was doing alright.

Well, it seemed Murasaki was as lively as ever. Seeing her smile and relaxed demeanor put Saiko at ease. Perhaps this talk would go over better than she had anticipated. So, with her fears put to the side, the hybrid engaged and spoke up in a cheerful, relaxed voice.

"It's been so long since we have seen each other. I'm glad to see you are doing so well."

After taking her seat, Saiko nodded her head at the suggestion of having tea.

"That would be wonderful! Tea, water; anything to drink sounds good to me right now."

Now mulling over some of her previous thoughts, Saiko wondered which subject would be easier to bring up. Should she go straight into the deep end with Hime? Or just ask general questions about what was going on with earth? She paused, pondered for a moment, and decided to go with her gut.

"I definitely have a few things to discuss with you, but let's have the tea before we get into the nitty-gritty of it. I think it'll get serious toward the end."

Murasaki gladly poured two cups of tea, one for herself and one for Saiko, and set them both down on the desk before she herself sat atop it. She could have sat in the chair behind the desk, but that was pretty formal, and she liked keeping things casual when she could.

"Mm, serious, huh? Alright, well we can work with that. Wouldn't be a very good leader if I didn't take your concerns seriously, right?"

She offered a reassuring smile, though in her mind she was at least somewhat curious what it would be that Saiko would want to discuss. Frankly, it could have been any number of things, and Murasaki wasn't the sort to try and overthink stuff. Better to just see what Saiko said and go from there.

Saiko was more than happier to take the tea. There was something was calming about taking in a warm drink on a cold day that eased the nerves. And considering some of the topics, the hybrid had in mind? Yeah, that comfort was more than needed, even if Murasaki reassured her nothing bad would come of it.

"Well, I guess I might get the easier topic out of the way. When it comes to the human world, what are our plans concerning what became Ichigo Kurosaki? Since my division handles many affairs in the living realm, it was hard for me not to hear of the incident there."

Once she took another sip from her tea, she continued.

"I'm more than willing to put myself in the line of fire if he intends to become a threat to the world. But, given his power, if he was hellbent on that, I think he would have done much more damage than he did. What do you think he is after?"

In her experience of dealing with otherworldly beings, if they wanted something destroyed, they'd get it and destroy anything in their path to attain it. Yet, from the bits and pieces of information Saiko had, it seemed to her that he was searching for something more than wanting a full-on invasion or attack. So something was off to her.

Right to Ichigo, eh? Murasaki sighed to herself as she thought about that situation. It was almost weird to think about, the fact that she was old enough now that she should have remembered Ichigo. Well, she'd chalk that up to her time up in the Soul King's palace. Didn't exactly seem like anyone else even realized what'd happened, and honestly, that was good.

"If the reports're anything to go by, it seems like he was after the lady. And judgin' by what she did...well, seems like it was Orihime Inoue. I dunno what he wants after that, but if he's willin' to destroy like that, I don't think he's gonna just lay down and call it a day now. Somethin' seems wrong."

Admittedly, though, she couldn't quite place what it was. By all accounts, this should have been the end of the situation, but she would've expected...more. If that was Orihime, why'd she just been silent? Things didn't add up.

So that's how it was, huh? Ichigo would definitely be a problem for the Earth in the future if it seemed Murasaki was concerned. So, Saiko nodded her head and decided to speak further on that.

"I'll keep tabs on whatever I find on Earth then. I'm sure Elyss is already handling it, but if he comes up again, I'll be sure to lay down my life if needed."

There wasn't an ounce of hesitation or lies in her voice as Saiko was resolved to carry out whatever duty her squad needed to the best of her ability. What else could someone like her do? No sense in letting a power like this go to waste.

"However, do we have any plans to avoid massive casualties if we should end up having to fight him in an all-out battle? I'm sure many Captains and other dangerous beings on Earth may be able to fight him, but I'm not sure if we should find him first or wait for him to come out. It seems like a full-out battle with him will greatly destroy the balance of souls."

Now going silent, Saiko just held her gaze on Murasaki and waited for a response to it. Yeah, any jackass could seek to fight and try to save the day, but is the cost always worth it? If their job was to protect the soul society, look over the Earth and ensure things don't get too chaotic; and that did include watching out for the innocent who have nothing to do with this conflict as far as Saiko was concerned. She didn't want to put them in danger if it could be avoided.

That was a good question from Saiko, and it was one Murasaki had already had to think about. She didn't like it, but it was just reality. Ichigo could cause huge levels of destruction, after all, and who knew how many people could get caught up in that?

"I'm workin' on a special task force right now just for if that happens. It's real easy to plan for a fight, but it's more important to have people there on standby to help with all the evacuation, the medical, konso where we've gotta. If we can get the fight somewhere else, that'd be great, and I want anyone who fights him to try and do that. But I know that's not always practical."

Murasaki still remembered plenty of the last war, after all. She wasn't willing to see that level of destruction again. Even if she'd never say it openly, for the sake of morale among her people, she genuinely believed the Gotei had let the people of Earth down. They'd allowed far too much collateral damage, and really, was it any wonder the Vandenreich had been able to take root?

"Still in the idea phase, though. I can only plan so much for somethin' like this."

With a nod, Saiko responded promptly to the end of Murasaki's words with a sense of agreement on the matter of war and battle.

"Battle changes quickly. You can't ever adapt to it. But being prepared, having a plan to fall back on, and the resources needed to improvise are crucial."

After taking a sip from her tea and enjoying its warmth, Saiko let those words linger before she spoke further.

"I'm more than willing to help with evacuation, preventing the destruction of life or fighting him head-on. My abilities can cover a large region, so I'm uncertain if it will be wise to take him head-on, but it can't hurt to be there."

Eyes filled with a fiery sense of determination, Saiko was resolved to commit those words. Even if she wasn't certain of fighting him directly, there had to be something she could do to help this circumstance. It was in her heart to want to be of use so she'd continue.

"I just want to earn my keep, I suppose."

And then that's where the crux of this conversation was going. As she held her stare on Murasaki, Saiko spat out more of what was on her heart.

"Do you think I'm earning my freedom here? I've been doing what I can to help the Gotei lately, but I'm uncertain if I'm doing enough. I don't want to be an idle hand."

Murasaki appreciated that determination in Saiko's voice, the confidence that she'd been lacking when the two first met. It only made her more assured that the girl was on the right path, and that was why, when Saiko asked her question, Murasaki was quick to answer, her voice firm but still cheerful, reassuring in the manner of an older sister.

"I think you're doing great! You've been workin', and it's not like we've had tons that we needed done, ya know? That'll change soon, but I don't think ya need to worry at all," she said with a chipper tone. After all, there was only so much she could ask anyone to do up until recently.

Of course, some people managed to not do much even so. "Besides," she continued, "just tryin' is what matters most to me. The fact that you've been takin' the initiative, bein' part of your division. That all means a lot more to me than just measurin' what you've done."