A New Beginning (Nanao)

[mizuki]

It was a quiet night in Rukongai. The majority of the souls were fast asleep in the various places they called home but there were the few that were still awake for some reason or another. When it came to the young soul that went by the name Arianna, her reason for being up was simple. She wanted to look up at the starless sky. Sitting down on the roof of a random house, the soul kept her gaze lifted to the skies for the slightest hint of a star because it was something she missed dearly. With a sigh, the girl would tear her gaze away from the sky and return it to the ground. It wasn't too far to jump but why not play it safe instead of possibly waking someone up.

The brunette sat on the edge of the roof, legs hanging over the side as she took a breath and slid off the roof. Landing on her feet with a little trouble, she straightened herself quickly and started to walk down the path of houses. Whether she was actually headed home or not was up to whoever she happened to come across. Technically, the only people she bothered listening to were the shinigami. Technically, she didn't completely listen to them but even a little bit of respect was a lot coming from this particular soul.

Lost in thought, the soul continued to wander down the path of houses. Without paying attention, she walked straight into another person and fell back. Landing on the ground, she looked up at the person she had walked into and the first thing she noticed was that the woman before her was a shinigami. What did I do now...? was the only thought resonating in her mind.

[Nanao Ise]

Though the captain of the Hachibantai would have a difficult time explaining what she was doing so deep in the Rukongai at this time of night, she had to take the risk after deciding that the reward would be well worth it. Takeshi would be starting work soon and she could go finish writing her report at the Dragons Jewel, suspecting that in his company she would feel more inspired but perhaps he might end up causing some distraction. Both of these facts were fine with her. The petite shinigami seemed to glide forward effortlessly, the effect compounded by her oversized ivory haori, giving the impression of a pallid spectre. So lost was she in her increasing mischievous thoughts that she didn’t notice the girl until she had walked straight into her. The little soul and her paperwork hit the ground with a simultaneous thump and Nanao let out a short gasp of surprise.

Her first instinct was to scold the child, annoyance seeping into her expression as she knelt down to gather up the paper, but as she reached her level and noted her bright lavender eyes and troubled expression, she felt her demeanour melt a little. She hadn’t been paying attention either, perhaps they were equally guilty, so she offered the child a small bow accompanied by a sheepish smile.

“I am sorry, little one, are you alright? What are you doing out by yourself so late, don’t you have someone who will be missing tucking you into bed?” Her voice was soft and sincere, tinged with genuine concern. Though not the worst of areas, she certainly wasn’t fully comfortable walking these streets alone at night even in the knowledge that she was fairly certain she would be able to decimate most threats that might present themselves. Pushing herself upright, she dusted off her uniform before placing the file under her arm and extending her hand in a peaceful offering of assistance; there was no way she could run off without aiding the mysterious girl, it was her duty as a shinigami to protect all souls in this world, and the others. “My name is Nanao, I’m from the Gotei 13. Can I ask yours?”

[mizuki]

The girl disregarded the helping hand that the captain offered and helped herself off the ground because in a place like this, people would eat you alive for a display of weakness that the shinigami just happened to present. She looked at the captain before her and took a step back before dodging one question and replying to the other. "My name doesn't really matter and based on your previous expression, I highly doubt you care anyway." The girl's words were cold but held the slightest hint of observation. As she spoke, her gaze swept over the haori and a sudden feeling of terror overcame her. It was the feeling that she'd just said something she shouldn't have to someone that was somewhat important.

"You shouldn't be sneaking around. Someone might think you're up to no good and for a shinigami like yourself, something unsavory doesn't quite suit your image." She gave Nanao a secretive little smile that just screamed 'I know something you don't know'. It was slightly mocking but if the captain was paying close attention, that wouldn't be the only thing she'd noticed. Should the captain bother to look close enough, she would notice the soul's breathing was erratic almost like Nanao's very presence was smothering her. It was also quite clear that the girl was less than thrilled to meet a member of the Gotei 13 and she was even less enthusiastic about having to talk to the captain.

As silence fell, the air around them would grow tense and would hold a strange chill that hadn't been present earlier. As if the soul was trying to annoy the captain, she turned her back to the shinigami and spoke quietly, letting the broken silence carry her words. "And to answer you're question, no one will miss a soul that has no place." Words tinged with mixed emotions followed be the girl beginning to walk away. In her eyes, Nanao was just another one of those people here to do who knows what. Its not like the captain actually cared what happened. Sure it was her job and all, but underneath there was just no way possible.