Re: Blood Staining the Heart [Kuukaku, Shishiyuki]

Wed Oct 30, 2024 7:40 pm

Blood Staining the Heart [Kuukaku, Shishiyuki] - Page 2 Myd5c6w8eq4

The information certainly spoke volumes. Even now, she could only take what she knew. This woman, who frankly sounded like she was FROM the maggot's nest, talking about how her Brother had betrayed soul society and wound up killing him on those grounds.

Yea... that solidified it. She set her jaw for a moment and narrowed her eyes as she considered the situation. A slow, steady breath as she closed her eyes and reached up to rub the back of her head. Looking past her own goddamn piss and vinegar. And looking at the actual potential problem. With a gentle pop of her neck, she looked back up to Shishiyuki. How many goddamn years of her life were gonna be spent with revenge in her fucking head?

Probably when people stopped killing her fucking family. But this wasn't like little Rukia. This wasn't understandable. No, this was the exact opposite. And deep down in her gut, she thought about the situation. And what her Brother would have done. And she remembered sensing it. That power that he was explicitly told not to use for the safety of the Sereitei.

No.

Whatever had happened. If Hakuyou HAD betrayed Soul Society, he would not have used that technique unless something vile stood before him. Something that NEEDED to be erased, even if it meant endangering the Sereitei.

And he had released that attack on this woman.

And if Hakuyou felt that this woman needed to die. And that woman was now free. Of both charges. AND the constraints of the Gotei?

"If this woman Nagoshi. Were to suddenly turn on the Sereitei, with the Gotei now gone. Do you think theres sufficient presence in the Gotei to do something about her?" She asked gravely, her tone saying it all. That this wasn't a hypothetical, but rather, something Kuukaku considered a significant possibility.

Tue Nov 05, 2024 12:42 am

Blood Staining the Heart [Kuukaku, Shishiyuki] - Page 2 WXsZTdN

KOIZUMI SHISHIYUKI | FOUR-DEATH SNOW

"Most likely, yes. The question, however, is not whether or not she could be stopped. The question is how many lives would be lost before she was."

Shishiyuki did not necessarily fear Nagoshi on a one-on-one level; she was confident enough in her abilities, even if she wasn't so arrogant as to think it would be an easy fight. But the question of the scope was one she could hardly ignore, and even beyond that, she wasn't entirely certain she wanted to pursue that battle.

The reality, callous as it might have sounded, was that it was not Shishiyuki's battle until it was made her battle. If her family was not in danger, whether that be immediate or simply obviously impending, she couldn't justify putting herself into that bout.

END POST | SAGE WHO KNOWS TEN THOUSAND WORDS

Tue Nov 05, 2024 1:37 am

Blood Staining the Heart [Kuukaku, Shishiyuki] - Page 2 W7w6c8j8qay

"That's real fuckin encouragin." She sighed and reached up rubbing at her eyelids as she shook her head. "If Hakuyou really did attack this woman, then I don't like the idea of her being left to her own devices. But you're right. If we just try to deal with her....who knows what the hell kinda price we'd pay." She furrowed her brows and her mouth shifted into a grimace. The woman should be dead, for the Good of Soul Society. That's what Hakuyou's actions told her. But well, the way she was. The way ANY of them were, by the sounds of things, if even Shishiyuki would say such a thing about the woman.

"I'm not my Brother. I'm not my Bousin. I'm not my Uncle. But I'm gonna be damned if I keep sitting by." She murmured, tensing her shoulders as she reached up and rubbed the side of her head. A slow, rueful grin spreading out across her lips. "Yer a pain in my ass Shishiyuki. If you was really secretly training yourself all this time to be what ya are now ya coulda at least got me in on it." She noted halfheartedly

"Speaking of you. What exactly do you have planned? You've got trouble written all over your face." She ventured, resting her palm on her hip as she looked directly at the woman. As ... serious as the subject matter was. She still had to admit, that she was mighty curious about this ...woman that Shishiyuki had become. Or rather, had been this entire time. Not that she was actually bothered the woman didn't tell her. Not like they had been particularly close, but she'd certainly heard a little bit of information about Shishiyuki taking down quite the opponent. And she couldn't help but be a little curious.

Tue Nov 05, 2024 2:33 am

KOIZUMI SHISHIYUKI | FOUR-DEATH SNOW

"It has long been the position of the Koizumi to remain unassuming and of little note. I simply maintained that position, until the events of the past century made it clear to me that there was no longer any benefit in doing so. The well being of my family is paramount, and our traditional place had ceased to be to their benefit."

That was all to say that Shishiyuki certainly had not enjoyed being sequestered away, pretending to be something she was not. But that was the past, and she would not be defined by it any more than she had to be.

"Central 46 has made it clear that they wish to make their authority known again, now that there is no one to push back against them. I have no interest in continuing the cycle of the noble families ruling simply because they have historically done so, and so I intend to begin putting their merit to the test with my own two hands. Can they defend their titles? Or are they simply content to rest on wealth built by their ancestors?"

It made Shishiyuki sick, truth be told. To know that so many of those who would be considered her "peers" were simply lazy, idle creatures who had come to a place of power through nothing more than the circumstances of their birth. And that was why she would strip them of that power herself.

END POST | SAGE WHO KNOWS TEN THOUSAND WORDS

Tue Nov 05, 2024 10:51 am

Kuukaku remained silent as she considered the information that Shishiyuki was providing to her. Remaining lax and observant as she allowed the information to sink in. How very ... cavalier Shishiyuki was when revealing that her family had been putting up a ruse for so long. And even more than that, the idea that seemed to be at the very forefront of shishiyuki's mind. Her concerns about 'The Nobles'.
Which, ultimately, was Central 46. It wasn't even specific to any particular noble family. Central 46 consisted of Elders and Representatives of the families. Representatives that ultimately, as a whole, went to try and decide things.

"That's certainly an interesting way of going about things. Not to mention pretty fun. But what exactly does this accomplish? You go around and fight a bunch of people from these noble houses. And the strongest ones are probably gonna just wind up being the people currently in charge now. But on that note, what exactly does this prove? If Ol Machihara manages to put you on your ass. Then what, you're gonna respect the shit he said during that meeting? Having the will to train and better yourself doesn't mean you're right. And a member of my own family proved that when he destroyed the Gotei, and your family." She murmured firmly.

"But what is it ya plan on doing once you finish this little face-punching spree of yours? What's your plan after that?" Frustration was in her voice, because in this moment. it was like she was talking to someone in her own family. All stubborn. And worst of all, she was stubborn too. The fact of the matter was, she wanted to be right there next to Shishiyuki, slam-feeding a bunch of bluebloods a set of knuckle sandwiches.

All while the actual problem. HER FAMILY'S actual problem, was still out there. Just as liable to come back as they were to fuck up some other place. The problem was Kuukaku wasn't built any different. She planned on training her thick ass off and walking right into the most immediate problem, and then she'd look for more problems. But Shishiyuki wasn't. Shishiyuki was smarter than her. Regardless of how she was letting herself get towed by her emotions right now, she knew damn well that when it came to execution, the woman infront of her was capable of more than she was.

"Ugh... this is why I didn't say this shit at that damn meeting. I don't even got the answer to any of my own questions. Not like I got a better suggestion than your plan here." She murmured with a calm sigh, that famous Shiba aloofness. No frustration, no self doubt. She accepted her problems.

"So then. Shishiyuki. If you were in my shoes right now, lookin at a pissed off yoked out Koizumi head. What would you do?" She asked, earnestly at that. The expression she gave was sincere, she wanted to know what shishiyuki thought she should do. Because for damn sure, what she WANTED to do, namely track down Kanae and Ichigo and throttle them, WASN'T a smart idea.

Thu Nov 07, 2024 8:49 am

KOIZUMI SHISHIYUKI | FOUR-DEATH SNOW

"Hm? This is not about what is right or wrong, Kuukaku. Do not misunderstand. Whether I win, or lose, I still intend to offer my family's support to Komamura-dono and his efforts to succeed the Gotei. I intend to offer a place where those loyal to my niece may find allies."

It was not in her intention to prove anything about the ethics of the family's stances. Shishiyuki knew that such things would not be changed through violence, nor would they be changed through discourse. In the end, it was something beyond any one person's control. But other things were certainly not.

"Central 46, the will of the collective nobility, has decreed that they can simply assert their will, even when others of their own ostensible 'status' disagree. They wish to rule over the Seireitei? I do not wish them to do so. It is that simple. If they desire authority, then they will prove to me that they can maintain it. That they have the strength of will to defend this place."

It was strength of will that Shishiyuki sought, even if she would not quite make that so transparently clear. She did not care if they won or lost. That was inconsequential to her. She wished only to see what nobles would still meet her challenge. What families would put themselves into the path of destruction, for the sake of proving their resilience.

But she would not tell them that. So far as they would ever know, she simply wished to see whether or not they could win.

"If I were you, Kuukaku, I would look at the situation in the Seireitei, and in the Rukongai, and ask what it is that you can do to better it. I intend to use my authority to create a domain within this place that makes the distinction between Rukongai and Seireitei nearly obsolete. Anything else here is not my battle to begin."

END POST | SAGE WHO KNOWS TEN THOUSAND WORDS

Fri Nov 08, 2024 3:12 pm

Looking at Shishiyuki, Kuukaku didn't really bother, or perhaps she was simply not capable, of showing that there was a disconnect at place. Her brows slightly furrowed, as she stared at the woman throughout her explanation. And she did indeed want to understand. But she didn't.

Lending assistance and endorsing Komamura she understood.
Disliking the Central 46 and wanting to oppose them, that she understood in spades.
Going out and challenging the various noble families as a matter of pride and as a reminder perhaps of their place and that their power was precarious? But that only predicated on the idea that those in the rukongai could match Nobility.
Instead of a scale between noble and citizen. There instead was simply a scale between the strong and the weak.
But she also saw that Shishiyuki was doing more than that, it was at the very least, easy, to see that the woman wasn't entirely ruled by her emotions, she had some sort of plan. And in that moment, Kuukaku looked at Shihsiyuki a bit differently. As she ... considered just how little she really knew about that girl she'd watched grow up so very timidly.

"Well, I figure you know what you're doing." She didn't understand, but she didn't feel like she really needed to. She was sure that for better or for worse, she'd see how Shishiyuki's plan would go.
"I'll tell you right now that I'm not one for making plans. We'll see. I suppose I'll just keep on the lookout for problems that need solving that I can handle. Who knows, maybe I'll show up now and then and check in on you. and if I don't like it maybe I'll punch you in your face." She noted with a sagacious nod of her head. If Shishiyuki wasn't gonna offer direction she'd just trust her gut then.

For now, that meant getting to the point where she COULD reliably punch shishiyuki in the face if she, or any other of these trouble makers for that matter, caused problems. But she had two very PARTICULAR problem causers in mind.