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Post by Rangis Mukondo on Aug 11, 2008 19:36:14 GMT
Roren groaned as he woke. He was in an actual bed. This felt...nice...he had forgotten the feeling. He looked up, examining himself. His right arm was in a cast, and, of course, his fingers wouldn't regrow. He sighed. He knew his face must be mangled beyond belief. Along with that, the searing pain where the boy had carved his name. A constant reminder of who did this to him...
He threw his head back. Would he be able to fight? To serve Soul Society as the Lieutenant of the 12th? He doubted it, but who knew? He brought his left hand up to his face, all three fingers. The boy had claimed his middle and pinky fingers. Thankfully, his thumb remained...
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Post by Tsukiyo Kyohaku on Aug 11, 2008 20:13:15 GMT
Zuki stood up. He was awake. She grabbed the chair she had been sitting in for the past few hours and pulled it up to the side of his bed. She sat back down. "So you're finally awake, Roren." She leaned back in the chair. She had been wondering when her was going to wake. She wondered what thoughts might be going through his head right now. Thoughts of shame? Of doubt? She couldn't stop thinking about what Taka Kasai had told her. She had told her all the plans of the arrancar, what she herself was doing and what they had done to Roren, with some details.
She looked down at the bandaged lieutenant. "Taka Kasai told me everything. I have yet to alert Sakata of their plans but I will as soon as possible. But enough about that. How are you feeling?" Zuki wondered how the other shinigami would take Roren's return, and how they would take the fact that it was a formerly hated, and still hated, arrancar that had aided him. BShe had told no one and currently only the members of her division and select few from the fourth division knew about his return.
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Post by Rangis Mukondo on Aug 11, 2008 20:58:16 GMT
Roren laughed. "I'm fine. To be honest, it doesn't hurt much." Of course, Roren was never much of a liar, so this statement wasn't believable in the least. "I was more worried about you. After all, I was knocked unconscious. I'm glad you were able to fight them off. You did the right thing in letting me go, if you had to..."
He felt that his face was rough with open sores and wounds. He shook it. "Well, I'm not exactly in great shape. Looks like I'll have to take handsome off my resume." He chuckled, referring to their conversation before he had been taken. "Tell me something, were there any casualties?"
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Post by Tsukiyo Kyohaku on Aug 12, 2008 15:35:36 GMT
Zuki smiled. "I'm glad you're okay...Raul helped fight off the exact same espada who helped you, though he suffered much damage. It was a tough lose for him. But he's getting better, though it was most likely a permenant blow to his pride." True, Raul had been getting better. That night was just a horrible, black memory now. "I never got to thank you truely. If you hadn't stepped up I'd be the one lying wounded in a hospital bed. I might even be dead. Thank you." She smiled down at him. He was strong, they all knew it. Everyone in the Soul Society. All the prayers that were being said were based around him now.
"Casualties? Besides you? Raul and I were injured but besides that everyone else was safe. Hueco Mundo only needed you, well, me, but you get the point." In some ways Zuki believed that it was her fault that Roren was captured in the first place. She knew it should've been her. But he did make the decision to convince that other shinigami he was captain. She felt so weak. That night...she was to angry to fight. Angry, distraught, she couldn't think straight. That's what she regretted the most.
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Post by Rangis Mukondo on Aug 12, 2008 21:12:47 GMT
Roren held up a hand. "There's no need for thanks. You're my Captain. The only course of action is to protect your Captain. You're also my friend. Both my duty, and my personal feelings spurred me to make that decision. And I don't regret it..."
He flinched as he sat up, and, pulling his clothing to see, he examined the wound in his thigh. "Merk Jigrent. That's the Shinigami that did this." He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Zuki. They tortured me, and threatened to kill me. I wasn't strong enough, I told them about the Hougyoku. Now, if they obtain it, I'll have damned Soul Society."
He clenched his fists, though this was now a difficult feat. Actually, only his left fist was clenched. "If only I had won that fight, the one with the child. Then, Raul would have had backup against the Espada..." He bowed his head. "If we lose, it will be entirely on my shoulders. The blood of all on my hands. That's why I can't let that happen."
He looked at her. "Captain Kyohaku, I am requesting a demotion to 5th Seat. I cannot fight in this condition. You would do well with better men than me in the positions of power..."
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Post by Tsukiyo Kyohaku on Aug 12, 2008 22:05:30 GMT
She put a finger to her lips. "You need not speak. Taka Kasai told me everything they did, do not hurt yourself telling me things I already know. You did the best you could and that's all people should ask for. If you want to blame yourself for what happened then I suppose I can't stop you but it'd make me feel a lot better if you didn't." She smiled down at him.
The smile faded however when he spoke of demotion. "No..." She said simply. Zuki didn't need to even think about it, she had been expecting something like this but it still came as a shock. "I can't think of anyone who could do the job better then you. Right now you may be at a bit of a disatvantage but with the care of the 4th division you'll be back to good health in no time. Secondly, your mind is the most valueable thing to our squad and it seems that that's okay. So no, I am not demoting you."
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Post by Rangis Mukondo on Aug 13, 2008 0:32:06 GMT
Roren sighed. "But what if I fail you, again? We have others in the group that can do my job. Others that are more combat ready right now. My brain still works when I'm a lower seat. But let the Lieutenant be the one to protect, to never fail. That man...isn't me..."
He stood, but his leg, once more, gave out. He forced himself back onto the bed, taking a deep breath. Finally, he got up on one leg, and sized himself up. He couldn't walk, not right now. He'd wager his left leg was broken, and his right leg wasn't in much better condition. He blushed a bit, and laid himself back out on the bed. He didn't want to look weak in front of the Captain. As much as she knew, knowing and seeing were two different things...
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Post by Tsukiyo Kyohaku on Aug 13, 2008 1:08:31 GMT
She chuckled lightly. "You know, as far as I'm concered you've done a pretty damn good job so far. Under no circumstances am I demoting you. It's completely out of the question. You remember how you feel having to take your former lieutenants place and I remember having to take my former lieutenants place. It's an aweful feeling. In both those cases the former lieutenant had died, you are alive. I doubt anyone would agree. You'll be back to normal in no time. As I've said before, no one in this squad could replace you."
She watched him struggling, it hurt her. She knew how horrible it must be for him to suffer like this. She wish she could do something to help but there really wasn't anything she could do. She felt really horrible just sitting back and watching this happening to him. She wished he hadn't had to go there in the first place, but everyone felt that way now.
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Post by Rangis Mukondo on Aug 13, 2008 1:21:28 GMT
Roren twiddled his thumbs. "I suppose you're right..." He noticed his zanpakuto next to the bed, on a sort of nightstand. He grabbed it, and unsheathed it. He used the sword as a mirror, gazing at his face. He made a sort of uneasy sound. "Well....this is.....a tad embarrassing..." He commented. His face looked like...well, he didn't look anything like he had. Cuts, burns, gashes, tears. It was all there. They had certainly not gone easy on him...
He put his sword back, and laid it next to him. "Ah, well...what's done is done...we should....we should look to the future..." He was obviously shaken by his appearance. Merely feeling his face had not been enough. His sight registered what he had wished to know...
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Post by Tsukiyo Kyohaku on Aug 13, 2008 1:41:21 GMT
Zuki watched him. She gently put a hand on his shoulder, careful not to hurt him. "People will still respect you for the great lieutenant you are. We will destroy those arrancar for what they did to you, starting with the traitor boy. I could take core of him myself. You were very brave, most people wouldn't have lasted as long as you did. That is the sign of a true shinigami."
She lifted her hand. "When I was alive I used to get in fights a lot. I always worried about the cuts or bruises that I recieved. Though I very quickly realized that those things didn't affect the way I fought or the fact that I won. Sure it made some things harder like trying to convice my parents that the neighbors cat attacked me AGAIN but it doesn't matter whats on the outside, just how well you can do with what you've got. Remember that ok?" She smiled at him.
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Post by Rangis Mukondo on Aug 13, 2008 1:48:37 GMT
Roren smiled. "You don't have to tell me that, Captain. I don't give a damn about my appearance to the general public. But now I won't win our little arguments. You'll always be the more attractive." He laughed, shaking his head. "I don't worry about my face. I worry about my hand. My right arm is broken, bad, I can't move it at all. And with 3 fingers on that hand, my sword work will get even sloppier..."
He sighed. "You know, I often wondered how the 4th Division treated their patients. I'm going to owe some favors after this." He stated, jokingly...
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Post by Tsukiyo Kyohaku on Aug 13, 2008 2:01:54 GMT
She laughed as well. "I'm sure you'll be fine. Your right arm will get better, that's what the fourth division is for. Making people better, and housekeeping, but that's another matter. Now that I think about it, it must really stink to be in this division unless your one of the higher up seated officers. Seriously. Makes one glad they were born with an incredible mind and not the power of life, or whatever one wants to call it." She leaned back in her chair.
"And must I mention to you yet gain that we shoul leave the fighting to the crazies in the eleventh division? We're just here to make sure things run smoothly up until that point. They led an attack directly on a non-fighting squad, well, partially non-fighting. Don't blame yourself for not being as good as some of those bloodlusting goons. Just remember that you will always be able to figure out the tip on their drinking bill before they do. One reason why Yachiru used to like me to tag along when I was a lieutenant and she was too. Though Kenpachi scared me a bit."
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Post by Rangis Mukondo on Aug 13, 2008 2:19:48 GMT
Roren laughed hysterically. "Kenpachi was before my time, but Yachiru seems to be developing into a personality..." He enjoyed speaking with others about things that came before him, especially Urahara-Taichou. However, it also made him sad....
Most Lieutenants remembered far back, to hundreds of years ago. Him, the phenom, had almost no experience. This made him the butt of many jokes. After all, was it his fault he didn't know what 'Sick as an Ukitake' meant???
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Post by Tsukiyo Kyohaku on Aug 13, 2008 2:39:33 GMT
She smiled. "Yeah, just be glad you didn't know the captain before me, he was kinda scary. Brilliant but creepy, and mean. Definitely mean. Though I suppose he was a good captain. Now let's see...who do I want to tell you about. Let's start with Captain Kyoraku. The old version of Raul. Pervy, often drunk, the works. And um...Ukitake. Sickly, but he was kind to everyone. Fun to chat with, kind of like Sakata-san. Byakuya Kuchiki. Stern, cold, often harsh but he was a good captain. Hitsugaya Toshiro. Well, though Hyorinmaru is a great zanpakutoh when in the ice category Aisu Hishu has surpassed her predecessor. So, who else do you want me to talk about?"
She smiled. Reminiscing was so fun. He looked fairly happy right now. She enjoyed their little chats, it was good to talk to someone almost as intelligent or as intelligent as yourself. She hoped he wasn't taking anything to hard. She really didn't think it was his fault. She knew it was hers.
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Post by Rangis Mukondo on Aug 13, 2008 2:53:19 GMT
"Speaking of Kyoraku..."
A voice came from the threshold of the door, and Raul stood, clutching two large bottles of a liquid. It was not hard to guess what was in these bottles.
"SAKE TIME!!!!"
He shouted, running over to Roren, and almost jumping onto the bed. At the last second, he realized the extent of the injuries, and stopped himself. He handed an entire bottle to Roren. "This is the greatest present I shall ever give you." He stated, laughing.
"Great to have you back."
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