That Chemical Smell [Hitoshi/Kanae]

While far from an exceptional relation to the Gotei, the Kurata as a whole were not entirely unwelcome. Such privilege's still extended to the Shin'o flunky that was Hitoshi, particularly with the combat division.

Too busy beating the shit out of each other to notice anyone not covered in blood and piss. A shame, we could've considered recruiting some muscle. Something to consider. But there's a cunt we need to find first. Emerald gaze turned over the training ground, Hitoshi bathed in his own shadow in a derelict corner. He had heard of the new management, and of her proclivity. Unhinged, violent, yet surprisingly capable for the task. He wasn't aware of the full details regarding her sentencing, but that was far from a concern.

Females can be made to submit. Strong willed or mentally broken, there is always a whip strong enough. Exciting enough. Hitoshi could recognize the favor of a captain, although he had never considered committing to it prior. Now the circumstances were in place, movements were being made. And while Hitoshi was not experienced talking to captains -

He had plenty experience with criminals.

The woman's face shifted into the corner of his vision, his head turning slowly as he watched. If she made no apparent signs of mental illness, he'd approach. Reserved in his tone as he neared, shadow stretching to meet with hers; "Excuse me, are you the new captain we've heard of?"

Captain Kanae had made a habit out of observing both her underlings and members of other Divisions as they train and spar. Though her position made her observations seem of a sagely kind, in truth she was growing a library's worth of knowledge and data on the Gotei United's capabilities. Thus far she was thoroughly unimpressed with the abilities of average soldiers and seated officers, though members of her own squad were predictably above average. On the other hand, the rest of the Gotei had...fallen short of expectations, as Kanae would put it.

In front of her a group of the Fourth Division's unseated members were facing off in simultaneous spars. They were fighting with only their sealed Zanpakuto to improve in the most basic form of Shinigami combat. [color=#996699]Pathetic... Kanae thought as her violet eyes shut tightly to guard them from the hideous sight of their training. She felt a strong urge to cut all those Gotei United cretins down, but forced herself not to in order to keep up appearances as a strict, though not unkind, Captain.

Freeing her from the Hell of having to watch mediocrity at work, Kanae heard a man's voice greet her from nearby and turned to find it's source. Kanae was surprised to see a man clearly not belonging to her Division or the Gotei United at all as he lacked their signature black Shihakushō. Her cold gaze swept across him like an Arctic wind, taking in all she could of this stranger's appearance and almost-haughty air. She narrowly hid her grimace as the possibility of him being a member of nobility occurred to her.

Kanae fully turned to face the white-haired man, revealing her unarguably attractive, mature face framed neatly by raven locks of hair. Any other 1400 year old would surely be envious of her youthful appearance, though they'd also likely be startled by the iciness of her stare. This frozen gaze was now set on Hitoshi as she responded to his inquiry "I am Captain Nagoshi of the 4th Division, so yes. And you are?"

The woman's gaze met the man's, a recognition of the look in her eyes.

Ruthless.

Killer.

Cold.

Not the usual captain. Not the usual criminal. Good.

"First son of the Kurata. Emerald shifted in gaze, looking at nothing in particular; a slight pause before they returned to the captain. "You can call me Hitoshi." He wouldn't move to bow, instead extending an alabaster hand towards Kanae.

"I would like to apologize on behalf of our family, as we understand you have been dealing with our sister." If she accepted his hand, the man would shake it once in response; a soft grip. "She can be a handful."

Hitoshi's respect for his sister had its limits, but more importantly, she made for an excellent piece to move and use however necessary. Her action in the fourth had initially come as something of a sore point for him, seeing her involvement in the Gotei in general as a dissidence for the family. As it would turn to more modern times, Hitoshi instead found it useful, the concerning thoughts that paraded his skull no different than the usual.

Careful approach? No - this one will need to be broken. There is nothing in those eyes.

Kanae had to practically hold herself back from rolling her eyes at the man's introduction. First son of the Kurata. This person was almost certainly some kind of noble, a thought which nearly made her gag. She had not yet had the displeasure of running into any nobles of note since her sentence ended, but in her day they were mostly sniveling wretches who thought themselves above the brutality of life in Soul Society. She could not remember if any of the other original Captains were nobles, but what Kanae was certain of was she needed no new reasons to hate the scum who forced her into the slave labor of Captaincy.

It took a second for Kanae to connect the dots that this Hitoshi person had meant that psycho Shura. We learned nobles have lost a bunch of their influence thanks to that Murasaki's predecessor. Maybe the Captain Commander won't mind so much if we kill just a few of them? Could start with this upstart, Kanae. Doesn't that sound lovely? Kanae shrugged off her Zanpakuto's comments and, while ignoring Hitoshi's offer for a hand shake, something she was not familiar with as a traditional greeting, questioned the man's intrusion upon her squad's barracks. "Never mind her. Why are you here, Kurata Hitoshi? Are you lost?"

A territorial sow.

"We are never lost." Hitoshi replied bluntly, unflinching to the woman's tone. Noting her address of his sister, he'd continue.

"Simply, we had heard of a new captain being appointed. While we may not have the strongest relation with the Gotei, to know who we are working with is invaluable." His head returning to neutral, standing at full height. "We are responsible for much of what is shipped through the Rukongai, and what eventually makes it here, to the Seireitei."

A small gesture of his wrist, waving indiscriminately to whatever lay around them. Be it training equipment, food left out - nothing in particular.

"If you need to get something in, or out, of the Seireitei as it may be, the Kurata are of service." Hitoshi would maintain a stare as he spoke, gaze matched to the woman's with each word. To speak without speaking, such was the tongue of politics.

Hmph. A psychopath and a schemer for siblings. Wonderful. Though not one for playing politics, Kanae was sharp enough to catch Hitoshi's hidden meaning and the implications in his words. As her icy gaze narrowed suspiciously, she thought this person either brave or reckless for coming to her Division and so immediately hinting at nefarious purposes. Not even the most well-read scholars would have any clue as to the real truth behind her imprisonment. For all this man knows she had been a fantastic and loyal captain who got caught up in a horrible lovers' quarrel. Yet here he was, taking a risk to garner her attention.

Perhaps this Hitoshi Kurata had the potential she thought that Hyosuke idiot might have had. One thing she could be sure of though was the ears and eyes ever present in the Seireitei, and so she would have to proceed with caution. "Shipping? How...mundane. Do you take pride in your work, Hitoshi Kurata? Does it bring you gratification knowing without you, nobles and the Gotei wouldn't have Rukongai's napkins? Or perhaps you have grander ambitions?"

A rare shift amongst marble, the statue that stood in front of Kanae having the gall to shift expression. A raised eyebrow, the arch highlighted by the imprint of red. "We take pride in keeping the Rukongai alive. Healthy. Pride in knowing that without us, many would be dying in the street, unsheltered. Uncared for. Not to mention your barracks unclothed. Unfed."

Unmoving, he'd maintain eye contact as his shadow fed into hers. Hitoshi would start small, to test the waters; "joy". It was never a guarantee he could manipulate someone's emotions, and as he had yet to figure out how or why this was the case, there was only ever one way to find out. Attempt. With his spiritual pressure as concealed as it was, Kanae would not be able to tell where or why the sudden flash of emotion was coming from, but she would be able to easily ignore it nonetheless.

In turn, the man would watch for any sign of it taking effect. A shift in stance, the slightest motion of the eyes. "Ambitions, however, are much more personal than pride. Wouldn't you agree?"

People dying in the street sounded rather lovely to Captain Kanae. Preventing it did not. How one could take pride in that, she had no idea. Then again, she thought, perhaps its all a cover; a ruse, to prevent one from knowing this Hitoshi's true feelings on the matter. If he was the kind of man she suspected him to be, such a facade would be obvious. Her only response to his supposed pride was to turn her gaze back to the Fourth Squad members training and utter a single sound "Hmph."

Suddenly Kanae felt something...strange. Not happiness, she thought. More the familiar sensation she gets when cleaving through her victims. Tosatsusha was confused by her unexpected and out of nowhere reaction. It was subtle, but irregular nonetheless. Even if Kanae herself wasn't aware she may be being manipulated, her partner was on alert. Their powerful connection made them acutely aware of changes in one another.

"Pride is for those who think themselves above death. As a result, the prideful fall the hardest when toppled. Ambition, however....I have plenty of that, Hitoshi Kurata. More ambition and ambitions than can be counted. Perhaps even too much for just one person to reach on their own."

Nothing that we can tell. The urge for his eyes to narrow became a blink, slow as she spoke. Posturing for what, exactly? Ambition this, pitfalls of pride. Nothing new. If she wants an ally, a first meeting is not the place or time. No captain should be so desperate. Criminal or not.

For now, the man would pull away some, shadows returning to their ordinary. Unmoving in the physical, Hitoshi's mind was shifting quickly "We would imagine so." the man replied coldly, still. "We have yet to meet a captain lacking in ambition. The position does not allow it. Particularly when one has a mountain to climb." A slight nudge of the man's head, gesturing towards the center of the Seireitei - deeper into the Gotei.

This woman is dangerous. Sanzukiko chimed as her bearer spoke, a soft nudge against the back of his mind.

Worried? You protest too loudly. Hitoshi's patience threadbare for his zanpakuto in the moment. This will be handled with care. As everything else.

"There is always a deal to be made. Our family was founded on such. Of ambition, of pride. In that? Life is a bargaining chip. Thinking ones self above death, we see as a bad exchange. Whatever one's ambitions may otherwise leave to believe." He spoke of little, by saying much. The message was clear, if she was capable to hear it.

The Kurata do not shy away, but we are not foolhardy.

The meaning behind Hitoshi's words and subtle head nod were not lost on Kanae. Her violet eyes turned to the center of the Seireitei, setting her mind aflame with images of revenge. In her mind's eye she could picture every perceived enemy, all those she had ever felt wronged or threatened her way of life, rent asunder at her feet. Streets and burning mounds where the great soul city once stood, littered with the horrifically mangled and mutilated limbs and bodies of all those who stood in her way, the scent of charred flesh filling her nostrils as she gazed across the sea of death she hoped to scuttle Soul Society beneath.

You have such a beautiful imagination, Kanae~ Tosatsusha whispered silently to its partner, who, upon closing her eyes and breathing a deep sigh responded as such It is all I had for company in those thousand years, Tosatsusha.

Turning her attention back to the pale noble standing beside her, Kanae opened her eyes and set her cold, hateful gaze back upon him. "Deals are dangerous, not everyone has the stomach for them. I believe they can be a useful tool. Particularly when what the other side needs is power, the most wonderful of bargaining chips. Don't you agree, Hitoshi Kurata?" A subtle, though powerful, echo of spiritual pressure radiated from Kanae to emphasize her point.