terminus no. 1: flag with no wind [c]

Fate seemed to be playing with Sano as of late, and the shinigami found himself roaming the Dangai as if on a casual stroll. One could only wonder why any shinigami would choose there of all places for a leisure walk with the knowledge that it could devour their entirety.

The answer was actually pretty simple; an inspection. The Dangai would soon be in use by himself and the other Onmitsukidō commanders, and Sano simply wanted to get himself used to the terrain for whatever duration his upcoming training required. He also wanted to see if anything new had popped up since his last time traversing the rampant flow, which was god knows when. While his spiritual perception had room for improvement, it was still enough to alert him that something was actually present that didn't belong. Apart from himself, of course. As a hand seized his shoulder, Sano inhaled and prepared to swiftly disengage his attacker, but held himself back from his instinct.

"Who...?" he muttered in response as his eyes narrowed upon the woman. This was not the approach of someone that intended to assassinate a target, but some explanation was certainly necessary.

The woman stopped. Even worse, she seemed to have had him mistaken for someone else. Seriously? She couldn't have been a professional hitman if this was her method of confirming the target. Sano furrowed his eyebrows, completely bothered by the brief encounter.

His hand reached up and rolled through his hair. It was his body language for frustration, as he had a tendency to play with his own hair when something confused him to the point of discomfort. Was she off to go confirm the next target? Was she even that strong of a combatant? For all he knew, her next approach wouldn't be met with such a neutral response.

"Hey--!!" he shouted as his body lunged forward, closing the distance between the two nigh instantaneously. His shunpo certainly wasn't masterful, but he held his own grace.

"What is this mission of yours? You do realize you could perish if you approach someone the same way that you just did me, do you not?"

How could it be that this woman managed to make even less sense the more Sano decided to continue giving her his attention? His eyes narrowed on the Kaikyō Kotei, not quite sure how someone he failed to recognize had managed to come into possession of something that a shinigami either needed a large amount of reiryoku to use or a number of comrades to assist in relieving the strain.

Although his face didn't quite reflect it, his interest was piqued. All his face could show was contempt for the woman's air of mystery. No question was directly answered and each questioned seemed to provoke her into raising more questions. Somehow he felt he would get nowhere if he continued, yet he found himself unable to let it go. This woman was probably the most frustrating existence he had ever come across.

"Ishikawa Sano. That is my name, now," he began while raising a hand. His spiritual pressure would quickly rise from its barely traceable level to that of a lieutenant as his hands began to glow, a sign of his Kōte technique.

"Who are you?"

(ooc: all good. and i kinda figured that, but sano hasn't! )

His eyes didn't falter for a minute as she spoke, though the irises were intent on her like a lion to a gazelle. His perception wasn't the best in seireitei, but he was one trained to pay attention to every detail that he could physically recognize, such as muscle twitches, eyes movement, and even breathing patterns. He wanted even the slightest hesitation or sign of insecurity, but this woman seemed to offer none.

Either she was well-trained in deception, possessed strength he was unaware of, or both. Whatever it was, somehow it didn't quite seem malicious. Maybe mischievous, but not malignant. Her words actually seemed to hold some weight for once, though he didn't quite feel threatened. One who spent as much time conditioning their self as Sano had would find self-confidence to just be natural. Especially one who specialized in counterattacking. However, since she held no intent to strike first, Sano saw no reason in provoking her any further.

"Very well, 'Yamamisaki.' But what civil conversation is to be had if you don't intend to reveal your motives?" His eyes narrowed, sure that even humoring her would go no where further than he had reached moments ago. Still, a man could dream.