Rising from the Rubble [ Tento | Toki ]

The sun was barely a smudge on the horizon when Tento arrived at a set of destroyed homes. So much still needed to be done after days from ruin. The Rukongai district bore the scars of the recent invasion and the sight before him was one of both h eartbreak and resolve. Families sifted through the rubble trying to salvage remnants of their former lives. Clothing, toys, pictures. Children huddled close to their parents, eyes wide with uncertainty and fear as streaks of drying tears clung to their roses cheeks.

Tento wasted no time. He rolled up his sleeves and joined the efforts, his presence a calming influence amid the chaos. With strong steady hands, he helped lift broken floors and shattered walls, his strength a beacon of hope for those around him. The air was thick with dust and the murmur of despair, but Tento’s presence was a reminder that they were not alone. Gotei Shinigami or not, they had people with them.

As they cleared the debris, Tento’s keen eyes spotted a young woman struggling to free an elderly man trapped beneath a collapsed structure. Rushing over, he called for others to assist. "Over here! We need more hands!" he said firmly. With coordinated effort, they lifted the heavy debris, and Tento gently pulled the old man free, immediately assessing his injuries. His basic knowledge of Kaido came into play, a soft glow emanating from his hands as he stabilized the man’s condition. "You’re going to be alright," he assured, his voice a soothing lull to the man’s pain stricken face. "Stay still for a moment while we bandage this sir."

With practiced efficiency, Tento applied first aid, bandaging wounds alongside the young woman, the man’s granddaughter. Soft whispers of comfort came from her as Tento ensured that the man was comfortable before moving on. He looked around at the group. "Keep an eye on him, please", he instructed one of the bystanders. "Make sure he stays hydrated and doesn’t move too much."

The Rukongai was, by every measure, the part of the recovery that Toki was more concerned with. He could hardly lie about such a thing; he was no noble, nor was his mother. The nobility, by and large, had done little for them, and those precious few nobles who had supported the two of them were not so defeated that they required his assistance.

If anything, being freed of the obligations of the Gotei meant that he could assist those he knew needed help most. The boundary of red tape was hardly a factor now. As he came across yet one more scene of many, assisting in the removal of a man beneath one of the many piles of rubble, Toki hurried over and looked to the fellow former shinigami.

"Is he well? Do we know if anyone else is in the debris still?"

Direct, practical, and above all, focused entirely on his duty. That was how Toki always handled things.

Tento knew not the struggles of being an outside or influenced by noble rank. He spent little time as a soul within the Rukongai before being taken to the Shino Academy by a Shinigami. For the longest time, the most he dealt with any noble were of their children. And like of any household with a legacy of wealth and power, it was a game of chance if you met an honorable adult in the making, or a spoiled brat. The rank of nobles in the social hierarchy was generally understood by Tento. But for what it was worth, he could give less than two cents about someone's family if they were not of good character.

Everything was such much harder without the Gotei's number and resources though. He could not help but feel that things would be running so much smoother right now if their numbers weren't decimated and resources relinquished. Nevertheless this was no time to make any excuses or think of what ifs. Tento focus was intense as he took a second to gaze over the scene. A slight build up of sweat began to form at the base of his forehead as he heard a voice that cut through out of many. He gave a wordless nod of thanks to Toki for his assistance removing the elderly man from the rubble before listening.

“Thankfully not critical. But he is a bit worse for wear. I have no idea how long he has been under there but at the least his life isn't in immediate jeopardy. He just needs to be aided to the ex 2nd division’s medics to check over his body and tend to some of those injuries”, Tento aided giving a soft pat to the man’s granddaughter in an attempt to reassure her. A stiff released sigh coming from her lips as her eyes stayed glued to her grandfather.

“I feel some energy in there. Two…maybe three people still in there. Give me a hand digging then out?”, Tento said turning to point in quick spot. An estimate of where he could tell a person was. He had no idea how deep they were though.

"Good."

In such an environment as this, Toki wasn't one to waste time on too many words. Doubly so knowing that there were lives still potentially at risk under the rubble. Even if there were not, bodies would still need to be recovered if families wished to be at peace. Closing his eyes as he took a breath inward, Toki held his hands forward, opening his eyes as he turned his gaze to the stonework. He wouldn't need the incantation in a setting like this; if anything, a lessened power meant he could be gentler than normal.

"Hadō 57: Daichi Tenyou."

The rubble before him slowly began to levitate, the Hadō allowing Toki an impressively precise degree of control over the stonework and wood that had fallen down. In combat, it all might have made for an impressive series of projectiles; but in this situation, he simply utilized reikaku to find a location without any bystanders, and carefully lowered the debris there.

"I'm not opposed to doing it by hand, of course, but I'm always happy to help at my best."

It seems the man alongside him was the type of little words. Only a simple acknowledgment of 'good’ in regards to the situation. That was quite alright With Tento, they had work to do after all. Thankfully though with Toki's use of kido, there wasn't going to be another string of hard work due to his thoughtfulness. Levitating the rubble was a far faster way then by hand, the urgency of the situation was clear and every moment they had was a race against the clock.

“A delicate touch is needed, no complaints from me”, Tento said as Toki carefully levitated more debris away, Tento moved swiftly, lifting chunks of stone and wood by hand. His strength and endurance were pushed to their limits, but he refused to relent. They came upon a particularly large section of fallen wall, and Tento’s intuition told him they were close. He waited for it to be lifted. "Hey, over here," he called out, his senses tingling with the faintest sign of spiritual pressure beneath the rubble.

Another Daichi Tenyou made quick work of the next debris, though Toki continued to focus in intensely, sacrificing speed for control and precision. After all, this wasn't just a matter of moving materials from one place to another; lives were at stake here. Every piece moved slowly, carefully, toward the same pile, stacking away from any of the bystanders.

"How's it looking?"

Toki didn't want to distract himself too much by thinking about what-ifs, and he understood that perhaps they were simply unearthing bodies to be buried rather than saving any lives. But even if they were, that hardly mattered to him. People deserved to bury their dead, after all.

The air was thick with dust and tension, the silence broken only by the sound of shifting rubble. Tento's hands trembled slightly, not from exhaustion, but from the weight of the responsibility on his shoulders. Each piece of debris they moved could reveal a survivor or another lost soul. As soon as Toki used another Daichi Tenyou to help clear the rubble. Tento maneuvered through the cracked floors and what little pieces laid in the way before moving a few pieces carefully out of his way. Thankfully due to Toki, the heaviness of time received some ease. Moving with a slowed speed, Tento watched with Toki to watch out for any signs for people.

Toki's question reached him, breaking the heavy silence. Tento glanced at his fellow rescuer, understanding the underlying tension in his voice. "It's hard to say," Tento responded, his tone calm but weighted with concern. "We're making steady progress, but-”. As Tento lifted another piece of rubble, a faint, muffled cry reached his ears. Tento froze, his heart pounding in his chest. "Did you hear that?" he called out, his voice laced with urgency.

His fellow rescuers paused, their eyes wide with a mix of hope and fear. The cry came again, fainter this time, but unmistakable. Tento's movements became more frantic, yet still controlled, as he worked to clear the debris more quickly. Sweat dripped down his brow, mixing with the grime on his face. "Stay with me," he muttered under his breath, his hands moving faster.