Reclaiming What Was Lost: Siblings Of The Sword

Consoling Scorn
Midoriko was sitting in a corner of the cafe room, silently fuming. She was not happy with the fact that she could not see Kibou.

Shortly after the Kurosaki had gotten introduced to their rooms, the cafe had cleared out most of its people. Juushin, having discussed their next plan with Tereya and Tokoshiki, had them depart as well before vanishing himself, each one going to their own devices. Sometime later, Midoriko herself had come into the empty cafe room, apparently still upset by Juushin's stern words...

...and now, here she was, sitting in a corner and brooding.

But soon, she would not be alone.

A spiritual presence could be felt at the metallic door entrance, its owner about to open the door with seemingly no regard for who was inside.

Midoriko looked up to see who it was, for she could feel the power. "Who is it?"

The door was pushed open. "Me." Juushin's voice came to her ears. Calmly, he stepped in, shuttiing the door behind him.

"What do you want?" Midoriko asked, rather harshly.

"Just getting myself some tea..." Juushin denied himself to be phased by such a harsh tone. "Though I can never decide whether it's better hot or cold..." He walked over to a cabinet, opening it and reaching inwards. "Would you care for some?"

"I'll pass." She said coldly.

"You sure?" Juushin pressured, though careful not to press too hard. "I'd be kind enough to fix you some." He took out a solo cup, however, grabbed up a pitcher, and poured himself a good amount of warm tea into the cup.

"I'll pass." She repeated.

"Suit yourself.." Juushin shrugged lightly, setting the pitcher back into the cabinet. He picked up the cup, slowly walking towards her while holding it in both hands. "Though, I also came to speak with you about what happened ealier...miss..." He trailed off, frowning. "We never did get a proper introduction. Could you tell me your name?"

"Midoriko Megami Kurosaki." She replied. staring at the ceiling.

Walking past her, he took a seat opposite of her, in front of her. He took a sip of his tea before responding. "Ah, yes... Midoriko, I don't know what connection you have with this Kyashi and Kibou, but I can safely assume you're very close. It's a decision I myself don't like making, preventing someone from seeing their loved ones..."

"Then why are you?" Midoriko asked, rudeness and annoyance ringing in her voice. "I am a Vizard, and much more composed than my mother. Killing officers who are in my way would be child's play."

Juushin frowned. "I understand that. I know you have power in you, but I also know that those soldiers out there won't make the same mistake twice. They've seen the same power come from your mother and father. This isn't some kind of movie where all of your enemies are nothing more than targets to be cut down. They will find a way around that power in order to get to you, once they get the chance."

He closed his eyes. "Besides... with things as they are, they could've been captured already... or killed off. Can you truly assure me that they are safe and sound right now?"

"Yes." Midoriko said, her voice ringing. "Injiki is as strong as Tou-san and Kyashi is strong too. It'll tale more than guns to kill them."

But Juushin simply shook his head contradictingly. "If that were true, there would've been much more of a ruckus when your family first approached me and the resistance fighters. That battalion would've been decimated, and those two would've been standing right there waiting for you. Were they?"

Midoriko's eyes glowed a deep crimson. "No." She said slowly. "That does not mean they're dead. They probably kept out of it to keep Kibou safe."

"I'm not saying they're dead..." Juushin's voice now had a pleading tone to it, as well as the look he gave her. "But they could also be captured, headed off to prison. You should understand how ruthless these soldiers are, and how blindly they'll pursue their quarry." There was no fear when he saw the change in Midoriko's eyes - only the slightest bit of hurt.

"I still want to get the fuck out of here." Midoriko replied. "I'm not going to rest until I've seen Kibou. And this place makes me feel trapped anyway."

Now Juushin's eyes narrowed. "Are you going to let your selfish desires get in the way in a time like this?" He criticized sharply. "Are you going to put yourself in front of the protection of innocent lives? How can you be so narrow-minded?!" He followed up with another sip of his tea.

"I used to be worse." Midoriko smirked.

"That's not something to be proud off, child." Juushin retorted. Then, he paused for a moment, taking in a deep breath. "Even if they were safe... what makes you think your actions won't jeopardize that safety? Or have you forgotten that the heat of battle can be unpredictable? Have you already forgotten what nearly became of your mother?"

"No, I merely got over it faster than them." Midoriko replied harshly, the glow not fading from her eyes. "I had something to move me forward."

"Well, that very same thing could happen to your beloved Kibou once you run that risk." Juushin continued. "You won't be seeing your precious Kibou anymore. You'll be seeing a lifeless corpse. Can you really live with that?"

Midoriko's eyes widened and she turned to look at Juushin. "No." Was all she said.

"I thought not."

Upon his next statement, the bitterness in Juushin's tone faded, replaced by a look of assurance. "But rest assured, when the time comes, we'll take that opportunity to rescue them. I save the people I can."

"Fine.." Midoriko murmured. "I'm counting on you...to keep Kibou alive at the very least."

"Thank you, Midoriko." Juushin said, not bothering to hide the gratitude in his tone. After taking a sip from the tea once more. "I won't let you down. Any of you." He arose from his seat, placing a now-empty cup down on the table. "I'm glad we had this talk. I hope you've learned a little about me just as I have about you." After dusting himself off, he turned to walk away from her in the direction of the door.

"I learned you're not a complete jerk."

He stopped his movement, just before he reached the door. "And I've learned that you're a bit too hot-headed... but capable of understanding." He responded, a smile gracing his face. "Just like your mother..." With that, he opened the door, stepped through, and closed the door behind him.

Midoriko was about to say something, but decided not to, and she closed her eyes, drifting off.

Reminiscence
Tereya would've gladly bought a scalpel in order to rip out a piece of her own brain at the moment.

She lay on her surprisingly comfortable bed in one of the rooms, hands behind her head, and her legs crossed in a rather lady-like manner. Gone was the expression of usual skepticism and annoyance, but rather a thoughtful and slightly saddened look as she stared at the ceiling. As if to continuously torture her, her mind played back to the point where she had told the resistance team about her backstory with her husband.

It wasn't her husband she was thinking about. It was Smirnov Seishou.

He had been the one to take her up before death could claim her. He was the one to raise her as his own, as a father, a brother, and a mentor. He had been the one to teach her the way of swordsmanship, one of the reasons she had gotten as strong as she was. But in the end, all she had really done for him in return was get married and run away with her husband, as well as her brother behind.

Guilt swelled slowly within her, and she let out a soft groan as she leaned onto her side, trying to force it out of her mind.

There was a knock her door and Ahatake's voice sounded. "Tereya. You up?"

Immediately, Tereya snapped out of it, sitting up in her bed. Her eyes narrowed in annoyance, and a scowl fitted her place. All of it replaced the previously thoughtful look she had before. "Yeah..." Was all she said in reply, pulling her legs up so that she could sit on the bed fully.

Ahatake opened the door and was slightly taken aback by her scowl, his dark eyes widening slightly. "You mad about something?"

Tereya scoffed, folding her arms across his chest. "I'm fine, big boy. But thanks for asking." She said immediately, allowing herself to collapse back on her bed.

"Just checking to make sure you're still alive." Ahatake replied. "So what exactly where you thinking about anyway?"

For a moment, Tereya remained silent, refusing to look at her husband. She really didn't like showing these moments in front of other people, especially when she was supposed to be tough. But, then again, she had shared so much with this man. It would be impossible to hide anything from him now. She took in a deep breath, before answering reluctantly.

"...my brother."

"Your bro- Oh yes, Smirnov." Ahatake clapped his fist into his hand. "I forgot about him. We haven't talked to him in a long time."

"Ever since I told them about us..." Tereya spoke quietly, using a level-headed tone. "He hasn't stopped pecking at my mind. I can't help but wonder how the guy's doing, where he is, or if he's even alive..." Once again, her expression, as well as her tone, had converted to a thoughtful and slightly saddened outfit.

"Hmm..." Ahatake looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well...we could pay him a visit."

"...how the hell're we gonna do that?"

"Trans-dimensional travel isn't that hard for me." Ahatake laughed.

His laughter, however, seemed to sour his wife's mood even more. "Sure..." She muttered, unable to bring any enthusiasm in her voice. "I guess we could pay him a visit..." She allowed herself to sit up and stand on the ground, dusting herself off.

"I'm thinking we bring Aoi and Kyuui, since they've never met him before."

Oh, why did he have to bring up the option of taking even more people? It was already hard enough predicting how she would react upon seeing her brother again. If she showed weakness, it would be right in front of her family. That, she could never bear on her conscious. On the outside, the woman simply chose to remain silent against his statement.

"Is something wrong?"

"....bring 'em if you want. I don't care."

"Alright." Ahatake said, and he walked out, and walked back in less than two minutes, Aoi and Kyuui in tow.

Kyuui herself seemed slightly irritated, though she hid it well. "What is it, Ojii?" She asked, eyes drifting over to her grandmother.

"We're going to meet your grandmothers brother." Ahatake told her.

All irritance faded into surprise. She turned to look at her grandfather incredulously. "Really? There's another member of the family?" She asked, a grin growing on her face.

"This'll be fun!" Aoi grinned. "When do we go?"

"Right now actually." Ahatake drew his blade. "I've been testing this out and it seems I can use this in sealed state as sort of a Senkaimon." Ahatake's blade glew black and he swung it down, creating a large, wide garganta.

"Yes!" Kyuui cheered, obviously excited. She could see the Human World clearly again, feeling a sense of nostalgia go through her. "We're going back to our first home!" However, she stopped a second afterwards to think. "....sort of."

Ahatake laughed. "Hope you two have good reishi control." Ahatake said as he jumped into the Garganta and a pathway, dark and black, formed under him. Tereya, following his lead, leaped in after him. And, well... given her ability, she was easily able to control her reishi in order to make a solid path for her grandchildren to follow. Kyuui wasted no time in doing so. Aoi quickly followed, creating her own path, which was clear as crystal, quite different from Ahatake's.

"Let's roll!" Ahatake said and started running.

Reunion
On the outside, it looked like a monument more than anything.

The walls were covered in scattered masses of moss, lacking in paint quality and overall beauty. The porch was practically covered in dust, and scuffled footstep marks were the only signs that anything lived in it. It stood tall, and yet at the same time, it seemed as if it was going to fall apart at any minute.

However, the inside was a different story. It was rather clean and tidy, simple and comfortable. The quality of the rooms were middle-class compared to the likes of a rich mansion. There was nothing radical that stood out, nothing to draw visitor's attention or draw them away - it was just right. At least, if you were the person living in it.

That very person was lying on the couch, eyes closed, and hands behind the head in a comfortable manner. His short silver hair was slightly scattered, but not unkempt. He was wearing an orange and blue suit-like outfit, with a blue scarf around his neck. On his face were a pair of glasses, though it was strange why he would even keep them on while asleep.

There was movement in the house however. A young, blonde haired girl was flitting through, picking up objects and placing them on the correct shelf or dashing into the kitchen where a delicious smell was wafting through. All in all, the place was peaceful.

When she passed by him, the man opened one eye and looked in her direction. A smile of amusement was on his face as he watched her work. "Mizuko..." He spoke, a deep Russian accent in his voice. "You don't have to do all this. I myself was getting to it." Yet, he made no move to stop her.

She smiled. "Sorry, Smirnov-san." Her own voice was soft and quiet, though it was very much audible. "Cleaning is something I can't help but do."

"All right, dear." He relented, though he allowed himself to sit back up. "Just don't overwork yourself, all right? Last thing I need is someone comatose all over the clean floor." He joked.

She laughed, the sound resembled that of a soothing bell. "Just stay put. Your meal is nearly ready." She flitted back into the kitchen

"And she's not even my wife yet..." A soft sigh came from Smirnov's lips, and he allowed himself to stand on his own two feet. He began to relax his own muscles, gripping one arm and working it out to get the feeling back into it. As he did so, he closed his eyes in thought. How long had it exactly been since he had resorted to this kind of training again? He didn't keep track of the time anymore... at least, not when his sister had left him. With her gone, he was once again free for the moment, free to relax in his own little world.

And that bored him.

He missed her terribly, though he would never express it outwardly. Her cocky attitude, her violent bloodlust, and her carefree spirit was something that made him proud to be her brother. A thoughtful look crossed his face, memories of before flashing into his mind.