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.

"Enter."

The state of affairs was a disaster. Prior to the attack he'd spent some of his finances to acquire a small building that served as the place where he'd spent most of his time during the period of investigation. In light of Shiba's death it only raised suspicions but he was unable to keep tabs on his quarry due to prioritising the safety of Ira. Regardless of his character, Kasha didn't fold on the principle that humans should not be involved in the affairs of Soul Society. They should not suffer the consequences and so he had done his best to shelter Ira during the chaos where able.

Now it began again though, he was absorbed in his task at hand and the faceless enemy would soon have a name to it. Of this there was no question and the white ends of his hairs only made that resolution clear. As Shishiyuki was granted permission to enter he sat amongst fabrics and make-ups. A photo of a relative had been set-up to the side that served as his reference for the work.

Fortunately this one would not be difficult for the young shinigami they called Byakumen during his brief time in the Fifth Division.

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.

So absorbed was he that he had not considered who might be coming to see him. His work did require meticulous detail and precision that made his peripherals seize during the process so he did tense when the identity came to mind. That was not the way he ought to address the head of his family.

"I suppose that's just like her to do."

It was slower than he normally spoke and flat when he said it. He didn't sound particularly upset but he'd taken a pause in what he was doing that didn't last very long before he returned to what he was doing. Time didn't stand still and there was still things he could do with these hands of his.

"What do you intend to do now then?"

"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."

"Then I'll remove any obstacle for that to happen."

He had no intention to crush them himself. At least not in the way that she could've meant. If things had to change and wounds needed to heal as best they could then infections had to be removed. They had to be found first though. While his own ethics prevented him from being an effective fighter, competent but lacking the motivation of a true warrior, he was fine with crushing any opponent that wanted to play games of strategy.

"Where does your mind rest with the Gotei United? They failed to prevent the incursion from the hollows and the Koizumi suffered the consequences, let alone many others."

Kasha wasn't going to make light of the losses that they sustained as a group either. However, Kasha did ask her where exactly her priority was. If there was a conflict between what was best for the Koizumi and what was best for the Gotei United. Which one took precedence?

"Of that I have no doubt."

He was among the most diligent members of their household, doubly so when one considered its losses as of now. Still, Shishiyuki hardly considered him a mere best option. She would trust in Kasha's word wholeheartedly.

"If the Acting Commander still acts as the Commander would have, then I do not intend to abandon the organization. There are undoubtedly failures within it, which I will certainly never deny. But now, when the whole of the Seireitei has hardly had time to stabilize, is not when I would wish to demand reform. I will see things through in what I believe are the most efficient manners possible."

That was all there was to it. Murasaki had done well, so far as Shishiyuki was concerned. She had no reason to abandon the woman's ideals just yet. Even so, she could not deny that Kasha was all too correct about part of the matter, either.

"Should my niece's vision prove to be abandoned, one way or another, then I will act accordingly."

She believed in Murasaki as someone of her own blood; it was not simply a question of duty for its own sake. To that end, there could be no doubt that Shishiyuki still held the Koizumi above all else.

"Very well. On that note, I'll be busy tomorrow morning though I do require a favour. It's for the benefit of the Gotei and Seireitei, but could you occupy the Senkaku Shin Ken successor for me until the afternoon. Depending how things I go I might like to spend some time in their shoes for a few hours of each day."

He adjusted some of devices to his side, the shihakusho would make it easy to conceal them. Evidence was very important in a time where a person's word meant nothing. He was quite familiar with all the other elemental dojos of the Koizumi, successors and heads of them, even if he didn't spend time outside of necessary occasions.

"Oh? Certainly. I would ask what sort of work requires such a thing, but I believe I have some idea."

The note of spending time as that particular member of the family certainly explained all Shishiyuki felt she needed to know on that issue. She could have been more stern if she wished, demanded that her nephew speak on the matter more fully. But, if she was correct in her assessment, he would likely have all the reason in the world to decline any answer.

"I would imagine you have already told him I will be meeting him, hm?"