Shinigami
Administrator
Bordering the Sixty Third District within the Southern Region of the Rukongai rests a humble village. Not unlike the other Regions, the farther one ventures from the Seireitei the worse the conditions of the respective districts. Given the time of day one would expect there to be vendors on the streets, or children playing about outside 一 no such sights could be seen here. While not absent of people, there seemed to be an absence of life, a sense of terror that lingered in the air and over the very District as if composed of the very atmosphere itself.
”W-we did what you said. Me, the rest of the district..we even made sure the neighboring districts knew! We got you in right? You’ll..you’ll keep your word?”
The voice of a man inside his home speaks out weakly, stumbling and fumbling between words. Inside his home his wife sits balled up in the corner, his two children in the corner across from her, an elderly man’s hands resting atop their small heads, gently patting and caressing.
”Your children truly are quite lovely. They have their mother’s eyes don’t they.”
The voice was calm, cold...seasoned. It was clear it was from that of a man, an elderly one at that. The old man kept his back to the frightened father who remained shivering near the closed window as he continued doting over the children as if he himself were their grandfather. The man from behind seemed small and frail, absent of strength, of smell...absent of presence and even life.
”S-stop it! GET AWAY FROM MY KIDS DAMNIT!”
For a single moment the man had mustered a sliver of courage, his fear and love for his children causing him to shout out towards his oppressor. The elderly man moves his hands from the childrens’ heads, straightening his posture. All the courage the father had gathered, fades along with the color in his face. Hands reflexively come up to cover his mouth, desperate to take back every word, every decibel.
”Yes, you along with the Sixty Second and Sixty Fourth Districts played your roles properly. We will stay true to our arrangement..so long as you choose to enjoy the rest of your days peacefully and without indulging in say..idle gossip?”
”I PROMISE, WE WON'T SAY A WORD! EVER!”
The man responds immediately, quick to assure the elder of his and his family’s silence. The seasoned man walks slowly, his every step void of sound, his shadow passing over the children and the wife as he approaches the head of the house. As he passes by the man, he lightly taps his right shoulder twice.
”Very good.”
He passes through the door, closing it behind him. The man collapses to the ground, still shivering and sweating from the ordeal. The sound of his wife and kids sobbing causes him to crawl towards them in a hurry, the family huddled up together, holding one another, seeking comfort from each other. The old man was gone, from both his home, their village..and the District itself.
In the furthest reaches of an unknown Region...in an unknown district, veiled by fog and secrecy, lies the manor of the accursed corpses...the abode of the Mukuro. As always despite being the hub for the dealers of death, it seemed eerily quiet and vacant, almost as if abandoned. It was impossible to tell the number of those who moved within the shadows of this cold place.
”It seems the 3rd District of West Rukongai and the 79th District in North Rukongai have been met with...tragedy. I imagine the Oki Clan will be on the move soon in response.”
A male’s voice, deep and lifeless speaks out in shadow while the man himself is also covered in shadow.
”Perhaps. Two of their ilk have already obtained the required votes to occupy a seat each. While they are ambitious I doubt they’d try to procure any more leverage, they must maintain the facade of being humanitarians and peace bringers lest their ambitions garner the wrong attention.”
Another voice, equally monotonous in tone responds to the first. There is a pause. With the darkness and the heavy silence it's impossible to tell if anyone still occupied the room.
”The Oda have surprisingly come out of their forced isolation, no doubt taking this time to exploit it for their benefit. Seems their exile will soon come to its end. The Gekko, the Hoshi, and the Kiyoshi clan have also procured their places as well. Are you certain we shouldn’t have intervened?”
A third voice chimes in. Like the others, the tone in which they spoke was flat, and it was impossible to gather much regarding their identities from the manner in which they spoke.
”No need. Their agendas are no concern of ours. We should focus on the objective. Besides, the head seems fond of that Oki woman. We’ll at the very least, leave them be for now.”
The voice of the old man joins in the talks within the darkness. The Mukuro seemed well apprised on the current happenings within the various districts, as well as the clans who had put their ballots in to fill the vacant seats of the Central 46.
”Regarding the young head. What do we do about the girl he brought here that time? The pink haired one. She’s a liability to not only the head but us as-”
”We won't touch the girl. She is...special to the Head. He seems to trust her, and I’m sure he had his reasons for bringing her. He knows our ways after all.”
The elder cuts his colleague off, speaking on behalf of the young Lieutenant in the stead of their clan head.
”And if she proves to be unworthy of that trust? If it's determined that she is a threat?”
Koshi Mukuro steps from the shadows, preparing to depart. At the question posed to him he pauses for a moment, before barely glancing over his shoulder to respond.
”If it's determined to be so then...while the young Head will mourn her loss he will overcome the grief and rise above it with time. For now, she goes untouched...but watch her.”
Saying nothing further he takes his leave. A dangerous wind was blowing, accompanied with the move and actions of the Mukuro.
