Time.

[Rizu Minamoto]

Rizu gasped for air as she awoke from her nightmare-riddled sleep. She could barely remember the last time she got an uninterrupted night of rest. She yawned softly and lowered her head back onto her pillow, rolling onto her side. Rizu's eyes slowly shut once more and she fell back asleep, only to be met with violent flashbacks to being trapped with Koga, watching Fukaku being killed in the illusion he created, then her father...

Rizu's eyes flew open once more, her hair stuck to her forehead in a cold sweat. She wiped her eyes of tears and sighed softly, laying quietly as she placed a hand over her stomach.

[Ruby rose]

Fukaku sat outside, dealing with a conundrum he had never dealt with in his life. Sitting on the ground, looking upward, he dimly noted that the moon of the seireitei seemed to be a picture-perfect representation of the earth's. He had no way of knowing if they were really the same, however.

In spite of his own exhaustion, and his own lowered reishi reserves, Fukaku found himself, for the first time in his life, unable to sleep. to compensate, he had decided to sit outside and hopefully clear his head. Perhaps the constant use of the serums had something to do with it. doping the body repeatedly was likely unhealthy.

Fukaku looked down at the ground for a moment, idly flexing his sanrei glove. pointing it at the ground, he had a sudden urge. Materializing his bow, Fukaku stood up, pointing an arrow at the moon above him, as though trying to defy the celestial body.
"...What am I doing?" Fukaku asked aloud, before dematerializing the bow again.

Fukaku thought of the day's events, of Aizen, of Koga, of Typheus.
He was perfectly useless against all of them.

Even after finding, within his black pit of a heart, that there were things worth protecting, things he cared about... He was nothing more than a useless buffoon, chasing his own tail for the duration of the battle.

[Rizu Minamoto]

Rizu slowly sat up from her bed, rubbing her eyes as she swung her feet over the edge. She noticed Fukaku's aura shift. You're awake too, eh... She stood, stretching slightly before making her way outside to where Fukaku was, just as his bow disappeared.

"I used to look at this sky and feel as though anything I needed to know could be answered, if I looked at it long enough. Now it seems to pose more questions than I ever thought to ask." She approached, coming to stand beside him. "Can't sleep."

[Ruby rose]

"...I see." Fukaku responded, slightly surprised by Rizu's sudden appearance. "...It seems I'm not used to the seiretei air, yet." Fukaku said, looking around. "It seems clearer than that of the human world."

[Rizu Minamoto]

Rizu nodded slowly, thinking of the smoggy, city skies in the World of the Living. "The technology there is very different from here. We have nothing to pollute our world other than intentions." She smiled, almost sadly, glancing at the ground. "I felt you bring out your bow. I thought you might have been training, but I suspect that's not the case, is it?"

[Ruby rose]

"...I thought I saw something..." Fukaku replied lamely. He couldn't really explain why he brought out his bow. He couldn't even really explain it to himself. He was simply moving on some instinct. "It was nothing..."

[Rizu Minamoto]

Rizu smiled , placing her hand on Fukaku's arm. "Our weapons are each an extension of our bodies. It's only natural to feel it necessary to wield them, even without danger. Especially when they have become so vital these last few years..." Rizu's voice trailed off and her smile faded. She had come to expect danger every time she opened her front door. She constantly looked over her shoulder, feeling as though there was someone following her. She had not been the same since the battle had ended.

[Ruby rose]

Fukaku initially didn't respond, sighing, before he stated. "At least Aizen is no longer a threat." Fukaku stated, though he knew that's not who Rizu was thinking about. It certainly wasn't who he thought about when it came to danger. "One less threat looming over our shoulders..."

[Rizu Minamoto]

"Of course...one less thing to worry about..." Rizu absent mindedly scratched her scarred shoulder. "And still several others left to deal with." She thought about everything that had occurred from the end of the war and an unsettling shiver went through her body. "What are we going to do about Ajiro?"

[Ruby rose]

"...I don't know. It's likely we can't simply assault him with the forces we have now. He has too much power." Fukaku stated simply. "And I no longer have up-to-date intel on his organization, unfortunately. It's... Still something we need to handle as soon as possible, though."

[Rizu Minamoto]

Rizu remained quiet for a moment, lacing her fingers together atop her stomach. "I should have killed him when I had the chance. I could have. If I had just been in control of myself, I could have ended this before it began. But I was weak. And now we have nothing to go on." She clenched her jaw tightly and took a deep breath through her nose. "I am sorry for what I've put you through, Fukaku-kun."

[Ruby rose]

"Rizuka, honestly... It's alright." Fukaku said in a soft voice. "To be honest... The only one who's put me through anything is... myself." Fukaku said. "Well, the only one still alive, at least." Fukaku quickly corrected himself. "It just happened to feel better to stew in my own anger and hatred... At least for a while. Now I just happen to need to deal with the after-effects of hiding behind those, instead of attempting to live." Fukaku's eyes seemed to relax a bit.

"I never really kept in contact with anyone, I more or less distanced myself from the other quincy clans, and I've nothing of real worth or value to claim other than a decent capability at mass murder." Fukaku continued after a second. "but those were all things I chose for myself. I took all of that on willingly. Nothing that's occurred to me is your fault. Nothing that really matters, at least."

[Rizu Minamoto]

Rizu sighed softly, closing her eyes. "I don't think I'll ever stop blaming myself for jeopardizing your safety semi-regularly. I will certainly never forgive myself for not stopping Koga from injuring you so terribly. I'm afraid that's just something we're both going to have to deal with." She opened her eyes and smiled. "Your worth is immeasurable. You are strong and you are an incredible warrior. You possess reason and logic that, for most, is a distant dream. You have more to offer to the world than you think. And even if none of that were true, you are my brother, and that's all I need to know of your worth."

[Ruby rose]

"Heh... The world?" Fukaku asked. "Frankly... The world doesn't, can't, want me. I'm literally the spawn of satan, after all." Fukaku said with a hint of humor in his voice. "You've been kind enough to offer me compassion and warmth. However... you're the only one who has."

Fukaku told her. "And for that, Rizuka, I am more grateful than I could ever express in words. However... Frankly, at this point, I scarcely know what to do with myself. The way I look, I have no doubt that I cannot walk amongst humans any longer. The seireitei might be more understanding, were I not also a quincy and a shinigami-killer at that. To this day... You are the only one who's ever looked at me as though I was a person."
Fukaku shifted slightly as he said that. "Though, to be quite frank, as long as you do... It's enough for me." He said, the ghost of a smile playing around the edges of his face. "But... What in the world do I do with myself from here? I no longer have the simple facade of training and bathing in hatred anymore. It occurs to me I have no job, no real purpose. The extent of my life has been training and killing. Filling time or adding meaning to my life.. I have no experience with either."

[Rizu Minamoto]

"You forget that we're cut from the same cloth in that regard." Rizu paused thoughtfully, looking up at Fukaku. "You will continue to train with me, here. You can work with me in the SRDI and come and go between the World of the Living and Soul Society as you please, if you should ever want to leave. I could use the help."

[Ruby rose]

"You forget that we're cut from the same cloth in that regard." Rizu paused thoughtfully, looking up at Fukaku. "You will continue to train with me, here. You can work with me in the SRDI and come and go between the World of the Living and Soul Society as you please, if you should ever want to leave. I could use the help."

Fukaku sighed. "You really do spend too much energy taking care of me." He said with a small smile. "it's been that way since we first met." Even though I'm never able to return the favor.

[Rizu Minamoto]

"It's the least I can do. You've kept me grounded for quite some time. I don't think I'd still be here if not for you, Fukaku-kun. You gave me a reason, for years, to fight. To survive. So I could protect you. And now, with everything crumbling around us, I still have no desire to give up. Because I have a reason to survive and win." She chuckled softly and scratched the back of her head. "Besides. I ask for your assistance in the SRDI because I need it. Admittedly, I'd like the opportunity to rest every now and again."

[Ruby rose]

Fukaku fidgeted a bit as Rizu said this, frankly not used to being thanked like this, or the feelings that came along with it. "...Frankly, I don't care if the world does crumble around us. But... you do, and that's enough for me." Fukaku said with a smile. "I'll help out as I can in the SRDI, but I'm afraid I'm no talent, in all honesty. I'm a far shadow from your scientific abilities."

[Rizu Minamoto]

Rizu shook her head. "I had to learn, even after Koga...I wasn't quite used to being the one creating experiments..." I was one. "...At any rate, I'll teach you all you need to know. Having you there to pick up some of the slack would be really helpful. Mostly I just need an assistant in the lab. Other than that, we'll use the training grounds behind the barracks semi-regularly."

[Ruby rose]

"and you've still made more devices than I even recall Koga creating. Don't downplay your achievements in the field." Fukaku said with a smirk. "Frankly, I just hope I'll be able to keep up." Fukaku said.
"...The training grounds there, hmm?... I'm not sure if I'm comfortable training that close to your squad members." Fukaku admitted.

[Rizu Minamoto]

"That is because the devices I create are not for the purpose of harming others." She balled her hands into fists for a moment, taking a breath, pushing her memories back. "I spend my time training there. I'm not particularly worried about there being any danger, but if it makes you uncomfortable, we can use the grounds under the SRDI." Rizu pushed her hair from her eyes. "It doesn't matter where we train. We just need to be ready when the time comes for us to kill Koga."

[Ruby rose]

"And you had the wisdom to do more with your life, which is far above your predecessors." Fukaku said.
"...I'd prefer that." Fukaku said, thinking about the idea of training behind the 12th's barracks. he might have resolved to let go of his grudge against shinigami, but saying it was one thing and doing it was another. the idea of training near shinigami, some of which he knew were likely involved in the death of his father... anger began to fill him, but he took a deep breath, and allowed it to pass. "Yes, when the time comes..." when the time comes, I won't fail you again." Fukaku thought.

[Rizu Minamoto]

Rizu smiled softly, giving Fukaku a slight nod. "Then we'll begin training tonight. For now, though, it's far too early to be awake." She yawned quietly and turned back towards the door. "You should try and rest, too."

[Ruby rose]

"you're probably right." Fukaku admitted, cracking his neck. After a few seconds, he turned towards the door, heading in to see if he couldn't manage some rest after all.At least it was worth an attempt.

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