His mind began to be cast adrift, distancing itself from the present as he focused on what could possibly be the best outcome. Despite the leniency in his words prior, he was more than certain that the request for the release of the limiter would be denied without question. Furthermore, it was difficult to gauge when the Twelfth division would have any information concrete enough to determine if things were as drastic as they seemed. As if that weren’t enough, Lieutenant Kasumi still hadn’t surfaced, all-the-while Higen was yet to receive Kuro’s report. It was as if everything was breaking down from the roots, with little success in sight. He’d be telling a fatal lie if he said it didn’t cause him some form of concern, though he was powerless to expedite the process himself. A somewhat frustrated gaze shifted away from a distant nothingness and back to Captain Kojima, his words floating seamlessly through a huff of smoke.
“
Hm...If i'd known where any of the nine were i'd give you a few extra hands. Sadly those idiots are nowhere to be found at the moment. That reminds me of why I came here. It has to do with...
Shunko”
A smile was birthed from his companion’s gesture, despite knowing that a few extra hands wouldn’t solve all the problems that had surfaced
“
Hmph. I appreciate the thought, but I’m afraid 9th Division’s mighty fists can’t fix every problem, especially this one.”
There was a bit of banter involved, but for the most part Higen was serious. This was beyond the two of them, beyond the fierce rivalry that had grown over the years between themselves and their divisions. Higen couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but there was more to all of this than he could gather, at least for now. Something was
off. Maho’s mentioning of Shunko the first time fell on deaf ears, but upon following up on his previous statement Higen was brought back down from his plane of thought.
“
"Once the shit out there is handled Ima need to ax' you about that technique you used to defend yo'self during my test back in the day. I been tryna' replicate it in secret, but I can't seem to get it. Something tells me it the secret to gettin' this damn shunko to stabilize. No rush though, A brotha's got all day.”
“
Ah, I hadn’t even known you were attempting to learn shunko.. a volatile technique for a volatile man. Heh, always trying to stay a step ahead of me, hm? And you must be talking about the Senren, I have no doubt someone of your caliber co-
He paused, and for a moment it would look like he had been frozen in time. His frame remained stiff while his eyes slid to the corners of their sockets to peak over his shoulder. No genius, and perhaps one to sometimes be called oblivious, Higen showed neither of these qualities when it came to his own division and its welfare. His Reiryoku fluctuated briefly quelling and spiraling into a ball at his core, before exerting itself across the entirety of the courtyard through the transmission of his own Reiatsu in a transparent pulse. To Maho, this would just seem like a brief exertion of pressure with no significance. To the dozens of members scattered about the courtyard, however, Higen’s very presence acted as a beacon, an alarm—A signal to be on alert at all times. Without immediate urgency or caution, they all came about to surround him and Maho in a simple formation. Twenty four of them total—twelve on each side—stood single file in a linear path, with an opening behind Maho, and another behind Higen.
The Tenth Division Captain turned slowly, as his subordinates stood unmoving, and approached the nearest exit of the courtyard that was only a mere twenty yards from his immediate position. Figures caught his glance, garbed in black as they all had been, with faces covered and hidden; undoubtedly omnitsukido members. For a moment he had forsaken all other issues that plagued him, this most current one seemingly more pressing than the former. His intuitive nature allowed him to assess their body language, revealing nothing but a dutiful, somewhat combative stance. He had nothing to fear of these individuals directly, of that he was sure, but the fact that they showed no fear in performing whatever task they were assigned was terrifying enough. To think, these individuals were boxing in two of the most destructive Captains among the Gotei 13, with little to no regard for the outcome. What was serious enough that required this amount of sacrifice? Even so, years as a Captain helped him escape his irrational, impatient manner, and even instilled a bit of diplomacy into the once boisterous man. By now, someone else would have been grasping at their zanpakuto, but himself, as well as Maho, had no need for such caution. Had it come down to it, these individuals seemed prepared to die at the duo’s bare hands. Higen specifically had thoughts of dismemberment in the event of a sour turnout, but despite the sinister thoughts that began to plague him in this moment of mystery, he simply looked at them, a stare that would rival the frigid nature of even their own captain, as words poured over his lips in a final act of mercy.
Now tell me…
What is the meaning of this?
