Shinigami
Administrator
She was aware of the fact that her attempts to mask her volatile emotions were failing. While she herself had not allowed for her stature to falter, she was nearing the brink of a breakdown. Every time that she came close to falling over the edge, her composure seemed to recoup. How she was doing this had yet to be explained. The Lieutenant was not aware of this herself, either. All that ran through her mind was each piece of evidence within the scene she viewed that continued to replay. For some reason, she felt as if she had not pieced a vital clue together. Perhaps this was the truth, but the more likely story is that there was little to piece together given what they had to work with. Something was not right and it frustrated her to think that her deductive skills were potentially not adequate enough to handle the situation. Given that she hadn't had a moment to decompress and process such a serious event, she was not able to decipher the venue that lingered within her head. Despite this, she remained alert — perhaps at the highest level she had ever been in her life.
Aside from Itsuki's death from an emotional perspective, the reason for such drawn-out procedures and alarm stemmed from the fact that a Captain's death was not something that happened often. Even with Maho Kojima, many were surprised. The biggest difference between how the two had succumbed to death was apparent. Maho's delusions of grandeur caused him to become far too arrogant and this clouded his judgment. His fate had been sealed when he crossed one of the strongest members of the First Division - Akarui. Unlike that incident, Captain Asakura's killer was unknown. This was not a warranted murder, however, if this were even the case, no soul within the Rukongai could come up with an explanation that would satisfy the Seireitei. People died all of the time in the unending number of districts. Life held little value outside of nobility when it was not within the walls of the Soul Society. Her suspicion was that someone who wielded the power of a Shinigami had likely killed her Captain. Other possibilities were not ruled out, but this conclusion made the most sense. No Arrancar nor other species had come across her keen sensory. Yes, perhaps they were suppressing their spiritual energy, but this could only be done for so long. Would this being also not raise suspicion within whatever district they resided in? Many questions were still left unanswered and the best she could do was hypothesize various scenarios.
After her words, her eyes did not move from the Lieutenant of the Ninth. Instead, they stuck to him, assessing every action—every twitch, every expression. If he was going to deny her entry, she would know before he could vocalize it. In this case, she would have had to release her energy once more, which would have inevitably led to her fighting both Shusuke and Zen'no. This was not something she was opposed to, nor did she believe herself to be alone. With Signy by her side, she was sure that the battle would, in fact, be in their favor. There was no arrogance intended in this thought, no, none at all. What she knew was that she was willing to do anything to get answers—something she was sure that the two from the Ninth did not know. Thankfully, they would not have to witness the full extent of her determination. As the giant reaches to grab Shusuke's attention, she sees an opening that she does not take. In the quickest of moments, she could have taken them both off guard and potentially grant herself access to the Seireitei. Like many thoughts today, this, too, is fleeting. The Matriarch does not act, electing to watch them closely. It was wise of them to turn away from her because she would read their lips without a second thought.
Just a few moments later, Zen'no stands from his position and walks towards the gates. Nothing about Captain Yugure's Lieutenant tells her that they will be denied entry. Exhaling deeply, Atsuko walks forward, expecting Signy to match her pace. Before entering, the Kiyoshi Lord's voice rings once more and it is oddly in tune with her own line of thinking.
”We’ll talk in more detail within the walls of the Seireitei. Follow me to the Central Seireitei, Lieutenant Ise. Uzu, accompany the subordinate of Seventh to Fourth with the body of the Captain please and report the results of the autopsy to me as well. No stone left unturned, that's a direct order. I trust Uzu greatly Lieutenant, if you have any in your own men, then we should get going.”
Originally, Atsuko intended to see the late Captain's body off at the Fourth Division's barracks. What had not changed, though, was her intent to have Signy work with Fourth to examine the body and take notes on the situation. The Kiyoshi had simply expedited this process, which was likely for the best. Atsuko shifts her body to the left, the corpse moves with her. Looking down, her eyes soften for a moment as she smiles slightly. Handing him to Signy, it almost seems as if she refuses to let go for a moment, but she ultimately relinquishes his body to her. Her right palm comes forward and begins to run through the dirtied hair of their late Captain. Slowly, she withdraws her hand without a single word. Looking up and directly at Signy, a solemn nod is given. With this, she is sure that the Hoshi understands what must be done and how much trust her Lieutenant is putting into her.
"Let's go, Lieutenant Kiyoshi. Don't fall behind, either."
With that, her image fades from existence as her image begins to dissipate moments after her last word to Shusuke. It was time to report to the Commander.
Northwest Seireitei ----------------- Central Seireitei