Seireitei Streets

The commander sighed and looked to the woman at his side, more particularly at the steely glint in her dark blue eyes. “Bear with me for a little while longer, Nanao, then you’ll get enough work from me to stop worrying about it.”

She huffed and folded her arms. “Now you’re being ridiculous.”

Shunsui continued to look at her. “Perhaps but my answer stands. Despite how it looks, I know what I am doing, and this may be the best thing for me. Unlike Juu-chan, who’s always pushing himself to the limits, I rarely see the reason to. I can handle this stretch.”

He waved a hand at her. “Don’t worry. It’s too tiring to do this all the time. Away with you. Get something to eat before you tend to this old dog. 

“Old dog my foot!” Nanao muttered. “Your eyepatch won't fool me, and most dogs don’t change their tricks.” She disappeared in a whoosh of shunpo.

Shunsui stared up into the sky as more stars started to appear, blinking at him as if shaking their limbs after waking from a deep slumber. "Maybe I should take a day or two to go hopping around for food in Rukongai. That is more fun than these secrets. But then again, a nap in the sun would be even better." He lowered his head, looking at the tall, quiet buildings and walls around him. "Soon, but not yet." 

He glanced to his side. "And not when another pretty woman joins my musing. What can I do for you this evening, Lady Fire?" 

Shunsui halted in his steps as well and looked over to her, adjusting his hat to get a better look. “Change is not always for the detriment of us all, even if it’s painful or difficult to swallow. It’s a part of life, one way or another, and to be honest, I didn’t expect this coming from you, fiery Ryo. However, I can answer it all the same. Why do you second guess your capabilities of leading the Ninth?"

"Oh these days I feel my flame could barely light a dark corner in a room." Ryo grew quiet. She lowered her gaze, choosing not to look at her Commander. "Sousuke Aizen...He..." Ryo clenched her fists even as they were tucked away inside of her haori. "I am not myself, Kyoraku. I feel out of sorts. Rushed. I feel as if I am without direction."

“And yet you started to revive an old section of your division, even recruited a few members for approval,” her commander countered. “That doesn’t make me see a weak flame. Do I have the wrong perception? Was that a bluff to keep calm or an attempt to flay around blindly to find some footing?”

He gentled his tone. “Has something changed after that, Ryo?"

Shunsui stepped up and touched her shoulder. "You're not the only one who fell in the dark, Ryo. If I believed you any lesser after what you had experienced, I wouldn't have spoken up when your bullheaded husband made his demands."

He let go and took a few steps past her. "I came by that day to share lunch in lieu of checking up on you, both of you. Conquering one demon does not mean you are guaranteed to win against the next. Sajin suffered because we held him back from rescuing you, and you broke against the cruelty of Sousuke Aizen as the shadows over us grew darker. There is nothing to be ashamed of. You were alone."

Heart lighter than he would admit at his fellow captain's mischievous expression, Shunsui smiled back, even winked at her. “As tempting as that would be, Captain Stripper, I’ll save that date for another day. I don’t come out of sparring with you unscathed even if I enjoy it.”

Another idea formed in his head and he held a hand out to her. “Get back on your feet by tossing or burning a Puppy a bit and I’ll let you help my sort out an Oni and maybe get me off my feet. Deal?”

“I’m glad I was able to help a bit, Captain Hirabayashi, but you’ll have to save that favor,” her commander declared. “I’ll consider Lieutenant Shuhei if I see that he wants to leave the Ninth Division, yet I’ve heard that it was quite a different matter when you presented the option to him, even on a temporary basis. Therefore, he does not need to take that step, and there's nothing wrong with that. Talent is not the only reason we are made captains, my friend. Let the boy stand by your side for a while yet. We’ll need his eye on the Seireitei Communication with the kind of articles soon to come.”

"He was willing to do both, Captain." admitted Ryo. "I was the one who told him that he would have to give up one for the other. He is still with me in the Ninth because I decided he would stay. He's proven himself. And, if keeping his talents where should be, I am ready to relinquish the Communications to the Eighth."

Shunsui hummed to himself and looked up at the stars again. "I'll keep that in mind, but I think it's too soon for this from you or him. Why relinquish your position when you reached to improve it when you were lost? You may even feel more lost if you were given a new start...." He rubbed at the scar above his weaker eye. "Sometimes the way forward is taking a few steps back not rushing to the next destination." 

He turned back to Ryo. "You may yet get your wish but not now."