The lost coat (NPC Thread)

Kaiyo stared up at her ceiling. Motionless. Silent. She held her breath and considered the sound of silence, as it rang through her ears...she’d always wondered why it rang?  She was sure silence didn’t yell, or hum or buzz, it definitely rang. It rang like the very last vibration of a symbol before nothingness; like life teetering onto an edge without motion. It rang through her mind as only silence could...Then she had to breath. She could still hear the silence though, as it faded into the background again, waiting to ring once more.

Her feet shuffled on the sofa, toes pointing up to the sky with her gaze as her back stretched on the floor. It was an unconventional sitting style, but it suited her just fine. It was the first sign that peace had returned really, that she had space for such numbing thoughts. Boredom was a luxury that she could afford again. The price had been a lifetime of adventures that she tried never to regret, though it was much harder to do when she was trying to sleep. Her mind wandered into the darkest corners of her memories when it was left alone for too long.

Her head wilted to one side, catching a warm box of light that had slipped in through her window. Kaiyo puffed her hair out of her eyes and stared along the dust on the ground. She didn’t even have any paperwork left to do. That was a testament to her level of boredom. Chasing highs had always been a risk, especially because you can only go so high...and something about burning up in the sun, she always forgot the ending. Still, the world had stopped spinning out of control, for now at least and Kaiyo was left, as she was, staring at dust along the floor. She missed fighting, she missed being excited by combat. In truth, she missed feeling like she was about to die. She’d been so close to that line before. Kaiyo had never really thought of herself as a thrill-seeker but she couldn’t deny her love of fighting. It was the single most exhilarating thrill she’d found in life. That thought stuck with her. It muddled around her eyes as she frowned back up to the ceiling. Maybe it was that simple? Maybe she just needed to fall in love with fighting again...Things fall apart, they get messy and emotional and people leave. Life had been a bigger challenge than she’d expected. Perhaps it had taken its toll on her, or maybe she just needed to move on. The blonde girl lifted her legs off the sofa and hung them in the air for a moment, swinging them backwards as she rolled back up to her feet.

‘Time to find adventure!’ She cheered to herself, trying to sound more enthusiastic. As she was tying her Zanpaktou to her hip, her eyes scanned the room for her Captains robe...it had to be around here somewhere. When she dropped that comforting weight back at her hip, she decided to search more actively for the white coat. Since, officially she was meant to wear it.

...

It was lost. Gone forever. Kaiyo would’ve happily left the mystery unsolved had she not caught sight of the most recent ‘memo’ on her desk. The soul king might be dead but the red tape bureaucracy of the Gotei 13 was alive and well...

All Captains, must represent their squad and the entirety of the Gotei 13 by following the strict dress code set for all soul reapers.

‘Bugger’ she whispered to herself, cursing the fact she’d been unlucky enough to read the damn thing. Though Kaiyo had begun to get more suspicious of the memo’s that we’re being sent around, sometimes they felt like a very personal attack. Last week they sent one reminding captains that they weren’t allowed to spar with squad members as a punishment. Which seemed stupid to Kaiyo but whatever. If her squad members were too scared to spar with her then they didn’t belong in the squad. Her hand drummed along the desk as she considered the responsible course of action. Not that responsibility was Kaiyo’s redeeming quality, she relied on Tatsu for that. Being a senior Captain usually gave her a lot of leeway with the rules but peace time always brought about busy-bodies who need new regulations every day. Kaiyo didn’t even know where her captains robe could be! She didn’t even wear it to the last meeting and nobody had...her eyes drift back down to the memo.

Kaiyo kicked her desk in annoyance, flinging open her office door as she stomped out to begin her search.

Tatsu stood in front of the door, calmly. Mundane squad documents needing the captain certification and other folders requiring her attention. He wasn't sure how much he enjoyed the tedious day to day affaires that were required of him, but he was doing them well. With frightening efficiency one might say because it allowed the captain to have some free time, and after all the chaos that she went through he though she should be allowed to feel bored.

That's when it hit him, not the idea.. but the door. Papers flying out in every direction, Tatsu at this point was no where to be found in front of the captain. Tatsu was surprised to say the least, for a moment there he could easily see a door, and then it was the garden. The captain was known not to hold back her strength from time to time when her emotions got the better of her, and from the impact a door could do on his face, he'd guess from the distance and strength of the impact that she was 'mildly annoyed' by something.

It took a moment for the shinigami to gather his bearings, squad members onlooking in awe wondering just what had happened. It took him a few seconds to get back up to his feet, door imprinted on his face he looked at the captain. "Really ? Just -after- we're warned we can't spar over trivial matters?" He'd say laying his hand casually on his zanpakuto's handle, making a playful taunt with the smirk on his face.

With that comment it was as if every squaddie who could hear it held their breath, many of them had seen what Kaiyo was able to do through previous fights and her legendary reknown, but Tatsu's reputation was far below hers and very few people had actually seen their Lieutenant fight, it was kind of a squad betting pool thing to see who would be able to get him to draw his sword for a spar. With half of them hoping it was the captain, versus the other half who believed it would be someone who wasn't in the squad at all.

And so half the present squad members held their breath as Tatsu held tried to lock eyes with the captain, -trying- his best to keep his serious because HOLYSHIT she had just knocked him off his feet with a DOOR and he thought it was super funny but.. composure had to be kept.

Kaiyo scraped a sheet of paper off her face, looking around for the source of the thud before she leapt into the garden after Tatsu. You'd think after all this time she'd have a better handle on her emotions...Or Tatsu would have learnt not to hover by her door. 'Sorry Tatsu, are you-'. Her outstretched return slowly to her side, as she cleared a step back. A wry smile stretched across her face as her friend spoke. 'That memo could have been about anyone ya know'. They both knew it was about her.

Kaiyo could feel the eyes on them, the whispered beckoning to the clearing. A breeze rustled along the grass, shifting the strewn papers around their feet. She held his gaze, though her serious expression was far less successful, as she stepped to the side. Slowly circling the man like a lion with its prey. The silence was palpable, lifted by the sound of her feet sinking into the earth. Tatsu was a comfort to be around, he always had been and she was grateful to have him by her side, particularly when she did reckless things like this. Her crystal gaze lowered down to his zanpaktou as she thought about how long she'd been meaning to redecorate the garden. She'd heard a few squadies complaining about their patrol duties, so it might give them something to do. 'I know you're mad, but we did all agree we wouldn't fight in the garden' she mused, still pacing around. In fact it was one of the few rules Kaiyo imposed; and her squad had been surprisingly supportive of the idea, for a bunch of brutes they did enjoy their own peaceful patch of nature. Still, retributions seemed to be in order. 'How abouutttt....' Her voice trailed off as she glanced towards the nearest crowd of people. 'A RACE!' Kaiyo was already running towards the gaggle of men, arms pumping at her side as she leapt through them like a bowling ball, tumbling back up to her feet as she made her way around the courtyard. A race around the garden, also meant she could fight and race, since technically it wasn't IN the garden. She was very proud of this idea.

Tatsu wasn't that mad, he held back the grin as to uphold the decorum of lieutenant and captain. "It could have been for anyone, that's true." He says, knowing it was clearly about her. The captain paced towards him, and then circled, as if he was prey. The tension in the squad was palpable it was as if people almost wanted this to happen simply for the light show that would happen.

The captain started to speak about not fighting in the garden, he'd look around and half of him was happy of not having to fight her, but the other half wanted to stretch his muscles. "Fair, let's not fight" He'd say, almost like a lazy tiger letting the gazelle, the tension in the room falling rapidly, well until she'd say they'd race. The shinigami at this point would rush towards the starting point, focusing his spiritual energy as to not spread it through all the garden and damage the plans. He'd charge towards the captain at blinding speed and attempt to overcome her, because she hadn't picked a direction or a finishing point, but still this would allow him to flex a little.

Kaiyo knew where the finish line was in her head and this way she was bound to win. The fight might not have happened but that didn't disperse the crowds. Kaiyo had been so proud when she appointed Tatsu as her Vice Captain and equally surprised that he'd managed to remain almost anonymous with a large group in the squad. He was one of the best advocates for the 11th squad and it would be nice to give him a good show around. As the small bundle of blonde rounded the first corner, she came upon an idea.   In a recent drill, Kaiyo had run the squad through an escaped prisoner scenario, which meant their groups should still be fresh in their mind. She glanced back over her shoulder to see Tatsu gaining on her fast. Perfect timing. 'Escaped prisoner race, group 1 and 2 stop me, group 3 and 4 stop Tatsu!'.

Things got instantly interesting. Kaiyo had already gathered up a lot of speed, so when she glanced across to see three squadies blocking Tatsu, she turned back just in turn to see the large bodies blocking her path. With too much speed to manage a full stop, Kaiyo bounded off her heel and flipped over the first man, sliding around the second as she led a knee into the jaw of the third. Back off on her run. Kaiyo's golden hair fluttered behind her as she felt her heart starting to pound. The girl dug her heel into the ground again, spinning around as she pulled her blade from the sheath just enough to block the first strike. Hoping not to lose too much momentum, she ducked under the next strike, still bounding forwards as she stepped onto a wrist and leapt over a large mans shoulder. Kaiyo dropped into a roll, about to get back up when the whooshing sound of a blade made her twist around. Her hand went straight for the handle, punching her palm into the woman's chest and she spun and threw the blade at Tatsu. Anything to slow him down.

Second corner. A group of 5, swords drawn. Spread out enough to block the way. Two from behind shunpo'd in close, trying to land on their Captain as she wriggled from from their fumbling limbs. Then came the fatal blow, Aito (one of her more favoured squad members [until then]) grabbed her foot; Dropping her face first into the ground. Bodies crushed her in an instant. They exploded back as her spiritual energy spiked, the golden hues encircled the girl as she tried to speed away again towards the third corner.