Each Promise [Shishiyuki, Kasha]

It was upsetting, truth be told, how easy it felt to broach the upcoming conversation. Shishiyuki had already spoken with many of the Koizumi about the state of affairs, had offered her sympathies and her prayers over the departed. Every farewell was difficult, to put things mildly; they were, after all, all her dear family, who she had dedicated herself in entirety toward. As she reached the latest in this long line of Koizumi who had suffered loss, he knocked on the threshold, speaking out in a firm, but quiet voice.

"Kasha?"

The memory of her last exchange with her dear friend was still etched into her memory. It made the usage of such a name feel bitter for this young man, but even so, she could hardly think to use any other before she had conveyed that final intention to him.

In most circumstances, Shishiyuki might not have appreciated the tone of such a response. Right now, however, she couldn't particularly imagine any other way of replying to her. She entered the room, taking a moment to survey the situation. There were questions raised about what it was Kasha was planning, but that wasn't why she was here.

"I am sorry to have not come to you sooner. She entrusted me with a message to you."

It needed no elaboration who it was Shishiyuki spoke of, and the matter on the whole needed no elaborate apologies or statements of sympathy. The two of them were both stern people. Practical, to the point. It would have felt hollow to state the obvious, how she felt about the situation, when there were far more important matters to speak on.

"Sora. She wished to give you that name. 'Sorry' was the final word she spoke."

She could not help but wonder how he might respond. It was no secret how the two of them had interacted.

"It certainly is, yes."

There was a faint, but undeniable hint of grief of in Shishiyuki's voice as she made that agreement. She would miss the woman for a long while, she imagined. She was profoundly unhappy that she had to deliver such a message, but she would never in her life have failed to do so.

"In the immediate? I intend to continue in my duties as acting captain until my captain can be returned to Soul Society. To ensure that, if nothing else, there are no further losses like those we have suffered. I intend, perhaps more than anything else, to be present for my family."

Her tone made it clear that, though she may have been speaking of the whole family, she was directing that notion toward Kasha. Though he was hardly the sort of young man that Shishiyuki expected to be open about anything he felt on the matter, she knew him well enough to immediately note and understand that pause, his manner of speaking. She would support him, in whatever way he needed, to the best of her ability. She had sworn that to Mikoto.

"I will continue to do what I believe is best for every Koizumi. Even if such a thing may bring us into conflict with some of the other noble houses, I refuse to capitulate ever again. I have no doubt that there will be those who intend to see the Seireitei rebuilt to their own benefit; I will crush their efforts underfoot if I must."