♪ They got the game all wrong, homes. It's too pretty in here. ♪

Steady and cautious strides across the rutted foundation of the damaged area, wasn’t as pleasant and daring as he had anticipated. It was more wearisome and compelled him to remain vigilant. He wasn’t aware of what was buried beneath all the rubble and wrecked domiciles, he wasn’t eager to be acquainted with the mystery and no doubt, corpses, either. How this particular area could be smoldered into ruins effectively, by a mystifying being yet to be found was beyond his comprehension. Perhaps, the demolition of the area set into motion sometime at night-time, when the inhabitant's fortification was at its lowest. It’d make sense, but what did not, was the fact that the demolition of district 99 had not been prevented, not even by a small measure.

As a result of the souls being off the cuff and ill-equipped for the battering- obliteration of their home, he found himself here, strutting through a ruin-crammed trail. His intention for being here was simple: assist with the reconstructing of the area and find out more information about the person responsible. Perhaps a Hollow, doubtful. The patrolling soul reapers would have most-certainly gotten rid of them, and effectively. An Arrancar would be more suit, to fill in the position of the one responsible for all this damage. Those gosh-darn idiots. The handsome-looking purple-shaded long-haired captain came into view, or at the least, made his presence in the area known. Before he had arrived, and with the supplies that accompanied him to the site of construction. He would provide food and simply lay back and watch, prepared for any danger.

“Hush a by don’t you cry, go to sleep my little angel” the word of the song where not there, but the sweet sound of the piano and flute arrangement for the soft lullaby carried its self around the room. It was a gentle little song that came from a small box, a music box to be exact. The small box seemed to be carved out of oak or maybe maple, its sides where smoothed and the wood finished, yet it had a very old look about it as it sat on the lager desk among papers and other random things. “Hush A by don’t you cry.” The woman muttered to herself her head laying on her thin arms, her eyes red from tears, and her brow dampened with sweat…. Her soft angel like face seemed troubled, worried, maybe the correct word was frightened. This young woman’s name was Rina, she was third seat in the 12th deviation….it was one of her rare days off and sleeping was not on the agenda like normal, she avoided sleep whenever it was possible, the reason was simply of a slight dreaming disorder she had. This disorder made it very stressful and to Rina it felt like it did more harm than good. But she already had it planned she would head over to an area that had been recently demolished and see if she could be put to use there… form that point she was at a blank.

Slowly hulling herself out of her chair to her full hight 5 foot, Rina ran her finger threw her creamy chocolate hair, her blue and green eyes shining in the light of the room. She looked in the mirror, black kimono, hair nice and straight, and pulled over her green eye….she was ready. Without little to no thought she exited her quarters and slowly walked towards her destination. As RIna walked her mind wandered , it wandered through her limited memory trying to find things she had forgotten…maybe a clue on who she was, or even who she wanted to be….who was friend or who was foe. Everything was vague with her, there would be faces yet no names, names but no faces, events but no memory.

The walk lasted for a long while her feet leading her while her mind began to continue wandering……. But before she could really think any further she found her nose pressed against someone’s back…..her heart stopped had Rina really been that lost in thought she ran into someone…

Observant and attentive of his surrounding, he simply kept a steady gaze upon the lot of beings at labour, toiling in harmony and assembling structures to replace the ruined. It was admirable and surprising at first. But then the Captain became accustomed to the effort put forth by the souls. Now, he needed not worry about scoundrels running around and causing mayhem. He just needed to monitor and ensure progress was being made upon the area; and the inhabitants of the district were out of harm’s way and had the potency to carry on the construction work. Working on a hungry stomach was a bad idea, which was the reason he’d brought along with him provisions; which were already almost over and done with.

It would seem the cuisine he’d brought to the district was mouth-watering; or the souls were just famished. Especially the young ones; which troubled the kind-hearted captain most of all the many predicaments known to exist in Rukongai. That though, was going to be taken care of. It was a good thing the soul society harvested an excellent amount of cooks. He was amongst those select few. Now, as he wondered and thought about his scheme to rid Rukongai of these hassle, he sealed his eyes for a brief second. His siesta though would come about to be interrupted. How short-lived the snooze was.

A delicate bump would force the Captain awake. His oculars shut open, acknowledging the seated officer. Concluding from the quantity of her spiritual power, the officer was a third seat. Ascertaining from the stimulating fragrance the presence gave off, a female at that – one clueless of her whereabouts; which he gathered from her facial expression. Now turned around to face the lost sheep, his arms would reach out to grasp the female; his hands gripped her arms. She had a petite body build, which suited her. She was cute. He admired her the way a father would to his daughter. He recognized her as the member of the twelfth division. Zakuroichi Rina was her name, if his memory served him right. Having dwelled in soul society for decades, exceeding a thousand years, he knew the majority of shinigamis.

“Ah, Rina-chan. What brings you here? You seem misplaced, are you alright?”

He spoke, standing before the female. He must have looked like a giant to her, considering the vast different in height and body build. How intimidating he must have been.

“Dame it.” RIna thought her shoulders stiffening against her fragile frame “Im such a…..what’s the word… hum ah yes a idiot” her eyes glimmered with embracement as she felt the movement of the captain before her against her nose, the color seemed to drain form her naturally pail face even more, was she like this when she was alive? That thought had crossed her mind quite often. But then again what was the point of knowing, it was not like she was about to run into someone she remembered when she was alive any time soon….. she looked nothing like she used to anyway, her once neat and pined hair flowing down her back covering her once prided face, her right eyebrow priced, she also seemed a bit colder….she could only imagine what her mother would think if she could see her..

Slowly building up the nerve the woman faced the captain, only to be sized by his hands…..this made Rina feel a bit uneasy, yet relaxed. Slowly Rina lifted her head, the long silky hair falling away from her eyes as she studied him… it was Suo if she recalled correctly. “Third division captain.” She muttered to herself thought fully, her lips pressed in a thin line as if she had something more to say but resisted vocalizing her thoughts, quickly as if not to spike any unwanted questioning or maybe it was just to see exactly where she was, Rina glanced around curiously making a mental note to get an update on the situation later……. What the young woman saw before her was rather… one could say disturbing.

Suo did not leave RIna much time to allow her curiosity to take hold before her aimed a question at her, it was not surprising that he asked why she was present. After all she was not scheduled for it or anything. So she answered her voice sweet, hit seemed to flow smoothly, it somehow held a bit of a musical sound to it as well, “Eh hello Suo-san, for your sake ill put it bluntly…” She paused tilting her head her eyes fixated on his hands as if worried they would harm her in some fashion “I was given a day off, and I wanted to see what the situation of this district was and if I could be of any assistance…… As for if I’m okay…” she shot him a sideways glance, her eyes where soft, their normal hostel coolness gone and replaced with a warm and comforting one. “ You should not worry about it” that last statement was true, she seemed to want few people to bother with her issuses, so far no one had bothered to argu.

But the silence did not last long before the intelligent women’s eyes locked onto the mans, as if she was about to ask an important question.

“How are you Suo-san? And would you mind filing me in on what happened here?” she asked

The Captain felt it; the stiffening of female’s shoulders and the uneasiness he had created in her. She was intimidated, as he had presumed. Or so he thought. He liberated his grip on her arms, as they swung back and kept to his sides. She fell pallid, more-so than her innate pastel-hued skin. It would seem he had drained her off her bodily fluid with his executed action. This brought glee to his face, some-what. He wasn’t content because of the displeasure of the girl; but of her endearing attribute. Situations as such, had the Captain wishing he had settled down and had a family. A family was a haven in the heartless world he dwelled in. The love of a family was, no doubt, life’s greatest blessing.

Eyes satiated with amusement looked intently at the female. She considered her surroundings as she came to be, her stable state gradually being restored. She wasn’t confounded anymore and that was apparent in her present bearing and uttered words. A soothing tone to the ears her voice was. A tune, melody that seemed to give surety of tranquillity; instil a measure of harmony within one’s soul – a voice the Captain would willingly allow to persuade him, if a situation as such arose. She was as innocent as a newborn. He simply wanted to cradle her in his arms and rock her back and forth. But she wasn’t a child; she was a grown-up, an adult.

As he took in the utterance of the female, his eyes oculars met with hers. He could now behold the splendour of both oculars; for the other had been concealed by her lengthy, graceful hair. If she did not get a hair-cut, it was bound to make contact with the earth. But the prolonged hair-style fitted her. She came across to be exquisite that way. Though each was of alternate colours; they looked magnificent nonetheless. He spoke in his innate friendly and profound tone.

“A day off, you say? I always thought Captain Kaizen as the menacing and stingy type. But it seems my judgement has been clouded by past times. I would have depicted you in a chamber, bounded by chains and working on an experiment of some sort. Hmm, but that was unjust of me to think of Captain Kaizen that way. I’ll make sure to apologize, whenever it is we meet again.” A smile was present on his face as he halted, his oculars till locked onto hers. “I see you’ve heard about the situation of district ninety-nine. Kind of you to pay the district a visit, Rina-chan; and I’m glad you’re okay. I didn’t mean to astound you!”

“As for my well-being, I can’t complain. Apart from the customary tedious tasks now and then, I’ve been fine. From the information I have gathered thus far, it would seem a person, the identity yet to be discovered as it still remains a “mystery” to both soul society and the inhabitants; brought destruction upon the poor souls here. I am most certain the one behind the absolute demolition of the district is of the Hollow race – definitely an Arrancar. That silly group of mischief have been up to no good as long as I have been aware of their existence. But you need not worry; they won’t show up again for a while. I am sure by now, they are aware shinigami’s will be patrolling the district.”

Another warm and friendly smile made its way to the Captain’s face. The words he spoke would prove to be too much information for the girl to process in that brief amount of interval. So he had paused and gave her time to do so. Then he spoke again. An odd occurrence, as the Captain in particular was an introvert and mostly kept to him. But he revealed to information every now and then. This was just one of those rare occurrences. “I hope that wasn’t too much information for you, Rina-chan. My apologies if it was,” he shut his eyes for a brief moment before unsealing them again, his left hand coming to rest upon his purple-hued and extensive curly hair as he stroked lightly, embarrassed – akin to that of the female’s; with the exception of few properties of course, such as the colour of the hair itself. “As a matter of fact, I do indeed have a task for you, Rina-chan. Are you able to prepare a dish or two by any chance? The provisions I brought along is being taken care of rather quickly.”

The gaze of the higher ranked man burned into Rinas flesh, he made her feel somewhat uneasy, yet calmed in a very odd fashion. Briefly she began to look around again, the area looked demolished……….. Sadly…. Her heart stopped as she thought of all the helpless souls that were affected by the tragic attack, it was almost depressing but at the moment she was not feeling very sympathetic for others. Then abruptly she turned her attention back to Suo so she could show a bit of respect for him while he spoke.

As Suo began to speak of her Captain her eyebrow rose slightly as the thought of being locked in a chamber bounded by chains crossed her mind………”hum bondage is not something iv ever fancied.” Rina uttered in her soft voice a slight smile playing on her pink lips “Even if its only the door bounded shut, I prefer to be able to move as a please,” there was a slight hint of sorrow in the young women’s eyes but it did not last long as she began to listen to what the man was saying once more. But this time simply nodded as if to tell him she was fallowing what he was saying her right hand popped on her hip her left hanging at her side.

The talk of work was never a hot topic with RIna but she never allowed that to show when addressed by a captain, or even another 3erd seat officer. But the concept of district 99 was slightly nerve racking to her for some odd reason.. “99 is one of the poorer districts ……. Right Suo-San?” she asked her eyes looking into his own deeply before she feel silent again taking his brief pause to posses everything he had told her, she was used to receiving motions of information at one time but it was always nice to have a moment to organize it in her mind.

“Its quite alright,” smiled Rina gently “I rather have to much information told to me at once then to little any day.”

Suos request made Rina want to crawl into a hole……Cooking? That was one of the last thing she ever thought would be asked of her, but she knew she was in no position to refuse……..And she felt as if it was her abligation to do what she could to help the people around her.

“yes,” she replied Rinas eyes closing for a moment before flickering back open. “just tell me a few things please, where can I cook, what ingredients do I have to work with, how much will I need to make.” She smiled “and lastly will you be accompanying me .”

The sweet voice jingled again as she spoke, as soothing as the light breeze that caressed against his skin; he grinned at the response of the female and held in a chuckle. A warm and blurry feeling developed within him. He was clueless as to why he felt as he did – but it was crystal-clear that the petite-sized and charming lady before him had a hold of him. A grasp he was capable of breaking free from, but chose not to. He took pleasure in this sentiment of affection he had developed in the brief-time of his encounter with the twelfth division member.

Though this liking for the female could be easily misconstrued for something more – somewhat along the lines of love; love, he did adore her. The way one would to a child. Had she been older, he would have easily fallen for the female. But that would be a tale for another day. This feeling he harvested in his soul, he adhered to. It was a change, a worthy one at that. Like a light smouldering through the dusk besieging him. Clearing his mind and the tangle of thoughts racing through, he focused his attention once more upon Rina. He was musing once more; but that of course would remain unknown to an outsider.

“Poor, you could say so. Peaceful, definitely; their collaboration is most noteworthy. I never thought I’d ever witness such harmony amongst the souls here in Rukongai. A quality the majority of Rukongai needs to cultivate. It would most certainly make my – our lives stress-free.” A warm smile manifested once more as he admired his surrounding – the view before him, at the rear of Rina to be accurate. The exertion the “labourers” put forth was clearly apparent, salty fluid excreting from their glands. His attention was quickly redirected at Rina, his arms folded across his chest. “The climate seems to be getting sultry. Perhaps we could pay a visit to Karakura town.”

He nodded as he spoke once more. “Of course I would love to keep you company. With that voice of yours, who wouldn’t? Ever considered pursuing a singing career? If you need a manager, you can count on me!” A flattering remark he spoke, his arms reaching forward to grip the female’s waist. He would then, without her consent or much time to react, hurled her in an upwards motion and onto his left shoulder. “We are going shopping, and in Karakura town. I’m sure the Captain Commander won’t mind. It’ll be a brief trip.” With that uttered, he vacated the premises in a rapid manner, with the use of the Shunpo technique.

RInas eyes glimmered intelligently as she glanced around her, everyone was working hard. She admired that about the souls in this district and the fact they did not seem as separated, unlike the district she lived in when she first entered the soul society when a soul reaper, though she forgets her brought her back. Often she would wonder whom he was but never went through the trouble of snooping about to find out herself, it just was not in her nature……She preferred the a more simple tactic……just to simply not to worry about it.

“its nice to see this state,” RIna commented “I know that there are many districts that have caused a great deal of mayhem for other, it’s a pity some people just can get along.” She muttered slightly trailing off towards the end.

At the mention of going to the world of the living Rinas ears perked it had been a long time since she had stepped out of the soul society at all, she would very much like to do so before she is sent back to work by her caption. In fact she loved going to the world of the loving, people are so interesting to watch as they go about doing there hobbies and everyday lives, when she went last time she took a brake and went to the park, children were playing there it made her feel all warm on the inside.

Suddenly RIna was awoken form her short little day dream by Suos statement about her voice…….her face turned a bright red with embarrassment. “Ummmm I….Umm.eh” RIna stuttered her eyes wide as he grabbed her waist her blush darkening. “iv never really thought of it, heh” she declared smiling rather nervously. “I never really thought I had the voice for such a job” she laughed modestly trying to think of some witty remark to take away from her embarrassment.

Without a moments warning she was hoisted over Suos shoulder, “Suo-san what are you do..” she exclaimed cut off by his explanation, and without an moment to spare they where off Rina in utter shock.