bridges05: shadow casts by flowers [c]

Hinaai Jukan arrived to meet someone, and that one was a person she hadn't seen for a very long time. It wasn't so much that she didn't, more so she couldn't. Although, with the way things were going on at the moment, she doubted she'd have time to see him anyway. He acknowledged her approach and arrival; she nodded at him. Her silence was because of the deep thought that had threatened to drown her. For years she has worked hard to ignore the peace and suddenly it all seemed to be crumbling before her very eyes. Her scar began to burn, but she ignored it. 

"You know of my rank. I cannot simply drop everything on a whim and go out. In any case, why is it that you call me here?" She asked, a bit exasperated from all the events that had taken place over the past couple of weeks.

Not one to lose her temper easily, she took each of his verbal blows in stride. Each time she grit her teeth harder and harder. Things had not gone to Hell, they weren't even close. They were being way too dramatic, as far as she was concerned. For someone who governed and lectured peace - she'd be the first to make sure that stuck around. So who was he to come into the Sereitei and lecture her - that wasn't his place. His place was to stay and protect him while they protected Soul Society and everything outside of his realm. The Quincy issue was being dealt with and so was the issue with the Espada.

"Before you continue in your attempts to belittle me; know your place. Your strength is not your own, he gave you what makes you stronger than me. So do not speak as if you're the adult and I am the child. I know of what you hear and I know of what you see. There are small cracks in the dam and they're being repaired immediately. Last I checked it wasn't your job to come and check every time some little thing goes wrong." She exhaled the long breathe that accompanied her speech, and took out a cigarette before lighting it. He was the only one of them that truly pissed her off. The others she could talk to and deal with, but him? That was precisely why he was sent.

"The Quincy will be dealt with and so is the issue in Hueco Mundo." She said, decisively. She wasn't going to try and defend herself; she had no reason to.

Finally Hinaai was too shocked for words. How could she not know that the Kōtotsu was destroyed. Hinaai who was basically the mother of the Soul Society hadn't realized anything. None of her Shinigami had reported anything, either. She grit her teeth in frustration, the severity of the situation hitting her harder than she expected. As if waiting for him to mention it, the scar began to war before burning at the mention of the last invasion. Her sigh was like breaking glass in the quiet of the night. Things were much more serious than she had ever expected.

"The Quincy will wait to invade. They lost a part of their forces recently, and King will be examining the body. You're hurting us by taking two of the captains away. But...then again you don't care that much. However, as for the Godking," She said, gripping her Zanpakuto tightly in her hands. If she didn't know any better, she could've sworn there was cracks in the sheath from her anger. The peace was fading from her hands and now she'd have to fight to regain and maintain it. That was something worth fighting for.

"The Arrancar will simply have to be defeated with a preemptive strike or, at least, have a dent made into their forces. The Godking...I will have to unseal my Zanpakuto in order to defeat him...but..." She trailed off. They both knew what was on her mind - there was no need to vocalize it.

The man seemed to grate on her nerves while balancing all of the other problems on top of him. If she wasn't sure that he wouldn't die, she'd have cut off an arm or a leg for his impudence. However, there were more pressing matters to get to. She had to deal with the Quincy King, the Godking and the invasions they threatened. It had been such a long time that the Soul Society faced any real danger, it had almost seemed surreal. He kept talking, but she wasn't listening. She was lost in her own thoughts. Battle strategies, gauging the strength of the enemies, she nodded as he mentioned he would take care of the Godking. I had no doubt that he could but doing it was something completely different. He finally finished and asked if she understood. She flicked her cigarette butt at him.

"Yes, now leave and try to never return again; "Line Walker" Kazuya Sorimachi."