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Post by Lt. Renji Abarai on May 13, 2024 22:06:20 GMT -6
"I'm coming, don't worry," Renji reassured her.
Renji jogged to catch up to Rukia's side. He could tell she was more tired lately, but even so, he still saw moments of her usual spitfire self. Being as small as she was, she could be fast when she wanted to be. Renji had barely had time to tie his hair up when Rukia had barged into the Division Six barracks and dragged him off to the memorial. He was planning on asking her along with his longtime friends and their academy classmates Izuru and Shuhei, but Rukia had beaten him to the punch before he could even ask the other two.
Now here was with her at the shrine. She was being as brave as she could, but still when he fell a few too many steps behind, she called out for him. And like a puppy he came running back to her side. He quietly smiled to himself, internally chuckling at the image. Some things never changed, he guessed. No matter how many years passed, Renji was still a stray dog wagging his tail. But he was her stray. She was the one who had been adopted and made into what he equated to royalty, while he remained the stray, scratching at the door for scraps.
But no longer. Things had changed in the decades since her adoption. Both of them had been through a rollercoaster of emotions, but still it brought them together. They were side by side now just as they had been in Inuzuri.
Renji looked over at Rukia, seeing her tense and rigid. He laid a gentle hand on her back. "You ready to do this, or do you need a moment?"
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Post by Lt. Rukia Kuchiki on May 13, 2024 22:34:23 GMT -6
“I’m fine,” she muttered in a lower, softer tone that contrasted with the curt response. “Let’s go.”
Grabbing his wrist, she pulled him inside, exhaling after they passed the guards, and switched to holding his larger hand. Her heart galloped somewhere between her stomach and throat, rolling with nausea and anxiety that she refused to focus on. She could do this. Renji squeezed her hand and her eyes narrowed in response, emboldened.
She started to make her way through the crowds of flowers and people, doing her best to not flinch if someone brushed past her. She probably knew all of these people, but crowds still hurt after being alone in the dark or trying not to kill her own comrades for months. She’d hoped there would be less people when she arrived, but if she backed out, she might not see the people she came for.
Rukia pulled Renji to a stop at the first familiar alter, 13th division's co-third seat Sentaro Kotsubaki. Her eyes stung at the sight of the goofy portrait so she put down the cookies she’d baked and folded her hands for a small prayer, trying to stop the shaking that had started.
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Post by Lt. Renji Abarai on May 13, 2024 22:48:59 GMT -6
Renji prayed with Rukia. He wished he had something to place at the alter, but he also knew that just being here for Rukia was enough. He would have to come by again another time and leave proper offerings.
Once they were done praying, Renji looked over at Kiyone Kotetsu's photo right next to Sentaro's. His heart burned for Isane. Although he had no siblings of his own, he still ached with sympathy. He couldn't imagine how bad her death must have hurt. He walked with Rukia a few steps over as they stopped at Kiyone's picture next.
"They were a rowdy pair, the two o' them. Gods spare the world of the living if they get reincarnated as siblings," Renji gave a lighthearted chuckle.
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Post by Lt. Rukia Kuchiki on May 13, 2024 23:00:57 GMT -6
Rukia blinked tears out of her eyes. “They embodied the soul of 13th division, bravery and smiles. Even Kaien-dono would say that when he was alive…” She closed her eyes, taking a shuddering breath. She put down another offering of cookies.
“I hope they’ll get together next time. I don’t know if they ever got past arguing and then being awkward with each other after Kiyone helped Sentaro at the end of the second war.” She ducked her head once more and reached for Renji’s sleeve.
“Are you ready for next spot?” she asked.
Ran and Momo.... she gave in and buried her head in Renji's shoulder, her fists clenching in the cloth.
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Post by Lt. Renji Abarai on May 13, 2024 23:30:54 GMT -6
Renji reached up and wrapped his arm around Rukia, holding her tight. He nodded firmly. "Yeah. Let's finish up and go home."
They visited Momo and Rangiku's pictures, making offerings and praying at the alters. Surprisingly, Rangiku's alter only had one bottle of sake. He couldn't help but smile and wonder who left it. He reached out to lift it gently, inspecting it. The fact that it was Rangiku's favorite and the unusual chill of the bottle let him know exactly who had left it. Renji couldn't hold back the chuckle that escaped him as he placed the bottle back. When Rukia looked up at him in confusion, he shook his head with a smile.
"It's nothing. Just..." He pointed to the bottle. "Pretty sure Captain Hitsugaya left the sake. Didn't think there'd ever be a day where the captain gave the lieutenant sake instead of taking it away from her. It's her favorite too."
Rukia blinked at the bottle and reached out for it. Her fingers barely brushed the bottle, finding it nearly ice cold. There were traces of Captain Hitsugaya's reiatsu coming from it. To her surprise, a laugh left her. She brought her fist to her mouth and let out a giggle. "He really did know her best."
"Yup he did," Renji crossed his arms with a smirk. He bumped Rukia with his hip playfully. "Well, I think leaving on a good note would be best. What do you think?" When she looked up and nodded at him he reached his hand out.
Once she took it he led the two of them out towards the entrance of the shrine. He looked back over his shoulder at the memorial before it faded from view.
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Post by Yoruichi Shihoin on May 15, 2024 12:54:51 GMT -6
Yoruichi entered the memorial area dressed simply in a black kimono, her hair pulled up into a high ponytail as usual. She looked around sorrowfully at the countless altars for the deceased. And amongst them was one she wished wasn't. Soi Fon's picture sat with the other Second Division and Stealth Force altars. She walked up to the picture and stood, looking at her student's picture for a long moment. Yoruichi pulled a small figurine out of her sleeve. It was a pair of cats, a black one and an orange tabby. Soi Fon had always loved cats since she discovered Yoruichi could transform into one. It always amused her, especially seeing Soi Fon's room covered in cat themed goods.
She sat the figurine down and when she did, she recognized the traces of Tsukiro's reiatsu on a bouquet of pasque flowers. Yoruichi sighed deeply. Her two students had never quite gotten along, but they were both talented and excelled at her training. And both of them made fine supreme commanders in her place. Still, she felt as though she had failed both of them for leaving as she did when she and Kisuke dealt with Aizen so many decades ago. Yoruichi knew the two of them would have followed her to their deaths if she let them. That was why she had to leave without saying anything.
And now Soi Fon had given her life to the fight against Aizen anyway.
"I'm sorry, Soi Fon. I'm sorry for being so foolish and weak," she said softly, lifting her hands in prayer. "I am proud to call you my student."
Once she was finished at Soi Fon's altar, she visited a few more before heading off back home.
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Post by Captain Sajin Komamura on May 16, 2024 14:09:55 GMT -6
Sajin stood there, head hung and fists clenched, staring at the shrine of his fallen comrades. Long had he felt separated from the rest of the Gotei because of his appearance and stature. But, he had found some peace and ease having befriended Tosen. Aizen’s betrayal was devastating. Tosen’s betrayal, though, felt far heavier. Sajin sighed at the thought. He had never truly put the weight of those moments behind him. How could he? Barely given enough time to grief, Aizen would strike again. That time, the blow was heavier and the strike longer than it ever had been. His own wife suffered at Aizen’s hands. But, she had returned to him. Broken…But she was here.
“I don’t know what to say, Ryo.” he said to his wife, his voice just barely a whisper. “I don’t know…”
Ryo looked up at her husband. Her time in the Gotei had been much shorter than his. And, she had not made the same connections he had. She felt disconnected from her fellow Captains for other reasons. None quite as understandable as his. But, they had all lost quite enough.
“You don’t need to say anything…” she answered.
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Post by Captain Juushiro Ukitake on May 28, 2024 21:56:36 GMT -6
Juushiro watched as the first day of the memorial came to a close, a day that been both too long and more uplighting than he had at first thought possible, still burdened as he was with his own mistakes and failings. But as he set aside his worry for the future to focus on the people around him, some pain, the lump in his throat, the pressure against his temples, faded. Juushiro didn’t know if it would last but took it as a sign. The day moved on in a blur with the captain rarely standing alone for long, and by the end, both his throat and his hands were sore. Continuously consoling or boosting anyone he approached. Writing notes that others asked his help in composing. Folding origami as offerings for those who felt like they had brought too little for their deceased friends. The White Knight did all he could for any person that approached him, taking sustenance when he could but not really feeling the need for it. He waited until the end of the day, when most were gone, to approach the shrines himself. He lingered beside them as old memories filled his head, trying to recall the best moments of each one, before going to the boxes to write his personal notes. Soi Fon - Hard-headed, stubborn, but she stayed steadfast and true to her beliefs to the final moment. Momo Hinamori - Faithful with an air of innocence even after the betrayal wrought on her by the traitor, she stood tall against it, her naivety turning into a heart of ever-flowing courage. Rangiku Matsumoto - Optimistic to a fault and never far behind her captain and friends, she knew how to spread joy and have a good time, hiding her loneliness and weaknesses with a smile as bright as the sun Hanatarou Yamada - Good-natured to a fault, he spent more time healing and tripping over himself trying to help others than trying to do anything to get stronger. Sentaro Kotsubaki - A friend, partner, comrade, he never listened to anything that could be taken as weakness without turning it into a challenge, never staying down for long and always looking for the next problem to put a stop to, all with a sure smile on across his face. Kiyone Kotetsu - Fussing, argumentative, observant, she always wanted to support those around her, holding them up from their own weaknesses even if it meant putting herself in the way or taking on too much, never resting for long until she could help no more. Juushiro closed his eyes as he folded the last letter. The rafters above them swirled with red papers and flower petals scattered over the floor. None of the boxes of notes for the living had been ignored. Hopefully, this was enough of a step in the right direction for them all. He let it go, letting it fall into the box, and walked away. - END RP - "Healing Well" |
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