Chiaroscuro: Premonition

Part 1
. Outskirts of the North. Afternoon.

It was a calm and sunny day. Few clouds were scattered on the blue sky, and a light wind rustled the foliage. Several birds chirped merrily, flying between the branches of trees forming a small forest, accompanied by a number of crickets hidden in the tall grass growing around a nearby lake.

There was a woman crouching on its shore. Wearing a simple, non-descript clothing and with her long red hair let loose, she observed a group of frogs attentively. Then, she lifted her head.

There was a large, semi-transparent prism of glistening energy in the distance, partially obscured by the trees. Some low-pitched, barely audible sounds could be heard every once in a while, and the ground trembled each time they happened.

The woman stood up and straightened her back, slowly shaking her head.

"They're training again, Shōki-san?", asked a feminine voice all of a sudden.

The former Captain of the Twelfth Division of Gotei 13 turned around unhurriedly and smiled when she saw her visitor.

"They've been doing little else since a long time, Motoko-chan", she said and approached the Second Division Lieutenant. "I've tried talking with Kuro-kun about that, but all I've achieved were some Kidō training sessions", she paused for a moment. "You could try to persuade Ikiryō-kun to rest a bit", she added with a wry smile.

Motoko Manihōrudo sighed in response and shook her head.

"I've tried. You can see the result for yourself."

Kaoru shrugged.

"You know, you can always order him to stop", she remarked in a suggestive tone.

The Second Division Lieutenant smirked, but became solemn again whe she saw the face expression of her interlocutor change rapidly.

"They make me anxious sometimes", revealed Shōki before turning around to gaze upon the distant Kidō barrier. "They used to be strong, but now... I think they could give Old Man a run for his money in a duel."

Motoko nodded in an absent-minded manner. She was able to sense their from an impressive distance, despite being sure they were not using their full power. The feeling was familiar, but very intense and slightly off, prompting her to cringe inadvertently.

Suddenly, the prism of spiritual energy dispersed, and the power of the two dropped significantly. Manihōrudo let out a subtle sigh of relief. Kaoru saw it, but did not comment upon it.

"Here they come, two of the three stooges", she said instead, a wide smile returning to her face.

The aforementioned men did come indeed, using to materialise nearby before she had been able to finish the sentence. Like Shōki, they were wearing simple, somewhat ragged and dirtied clothes and also like her, they were still equipped with their Zanpakutō, which they were actually in the process of re-sheathing.

Whilst Tadayoshi smiled at the sight of the guest and waved to greet her, Ikiryō seemed to freeze for a moment.

"Motoko-chan", uttered Kuragari with a peculiar mixture of emotions.

He had approached her rapidly and embraced her, kissing her ere she was able to reply. It had taken a while before Manihōrudo patted him on the back, reminding him of the two friends watching them in utter silence.

"Why don't you come more often?", asked Ikiryō as Motoko delicately, but firmly put him aside.

"You know I can't. Or have you forgotten already how much stuff has the acting leader of the to do?", she retorted. "Anyway, I've got some important news to share with all of you first. We may talk personally later", she added with a very slight blush.

"Before you start, how's Akira-chan doing?", asked Kaoru. "I always knew the boy had potential, but does he manage to run the Division and the as a Captain?"

Motoko smirked.

"Well, I knew you'd want to ask about that, so I've spied on him a bit. He's clumsy, but he makes do", she replied. "He's also inherited your habit of always coming late to the Captain meetings", she added with a slight wry smile.