[center][i]~ Hari Clan Rebellion: The Beginning of the End ~[/i][/center] After leaving the others, Rio promptly returned to her humble abode; her room at Squad Two. Placing the newly acquired box of eye-patches on top of her desk, Rio took a quick look through it, discovering that there was practically an eye-patch for any and every outfit possible. This did make Rio smile, matching eye-patches with her outfits was ideal for her since it'd make her eye-patch become more of a part of her outfit and not just an odd piece of clothing that would attract attention, [i]which[/i] was the last thing she wanted... Searching deeper into the box, she found a nice silver one with black detailing that seemed fitting for the current occasion, in her opinion. Taking off her current purple eye-patch, she replaced it with the silvery one before closing the box and throwing her purple eye-patch into her dirty laundry basket. Rio then proceeded to place her box within her wardrobe before returning to her desk, sitting down to write a note. [center][i]'To whomever is reading this note, I suggest that you are looking for me as you've came to my room. I'm going to out for a while, ahead of agreed schedule, but I [u]should[/u] be returning before the day is done, if not then I will return tomorrow... Please ensure that the Captain is informed of my absence, unless it is the Captain that is reading this then I haven't forgotten the mission you gave me. I will see to it that I complete it. Yours faithfully, Squad Two Lieutenant Rio Darishimo.'[/i][/center] After writing the note and making sure her handwriting was as eligible as possible, Rio raised from her seat and walked over to her door. Opening it, Rio's eye widened for a second as she had found that Keisa was on the other side of her door. [b]"Keisa why are you here?"[/b] Rio asked, puzzled as she opened her door a little wider to stick her note on the front of it. [b]"I saw you come in and was wondering whether you wanted to talk about those who attacked me since I only gave you brief details.... Wait, what is that?"[/b] Keisa leaned closer to Rio's door, reading the note from behind Rio's shoulder. [b]"I will discus that with you once I return... But I'm glad you came actually, I'm going to be out for today, make sure you inform anyone looking for me. Tell them that I will tend to them once I've returned."[/b] Keisa leaned back after Rio spoke, watching silently while Rio closed her door and dusted herself off. [b]"Yes Lieutenant, I'll do that for you... Nice eye-patch by the way."[/b] Despite Keisa's chilled tone of voice, her face stayed the same, almost making her seem sarcastic. Rio knew that Keisa wasn't being sarcastic however and so smiled at the compliment. [b]"Thank you. I will speak to you another time Keisa." "See you later then Lieutenant."[/b] Keisa waved as Rio made her way to the balcony steps and then continued to exit the barracks. Keisa watched Rio leave for a moment before turning her head and walking off. ---------- [b]"Gaishō"[/b] Fumio stood in a chequered hallway, staring out of one of the large windows that lined the wall on the left of the never-ending corridor. His Zanpakuto spirit stood beside him, leaning on the windowsill with both forearms resting on top of the sill while his hands dangled off of the edge. [b]"Kazuhiko..."[/b] His Spirit looked up at Fumio, speaking his real name in a tone to suggest that he was listening. Fumio was quiet for a moment, only staring out at the contrasting weather outside of the window. Quite literally half of the world outside of the constrained corridor was raining while the other half was bright, however a think fog continued to stretch across the whole of the world, making it impossible to see where the rain landed and the rays of the sun hit. [b]"I want to... apologise... for all of the pain I've put you through"[/b] Fumio's eyes kept on the world outside however his words were aimed directly at his swords spirit. Gaishō's eyes were on Fumio for an extra minute after the guy finished speaking before they drifted outside. [b]"There is no need to apologise. We are one Kazuhiko, therefore our pain is shared. Our emotions are tied together, remember that"[/b] Gaishō spoke in a soft voice, the sound comforting to Fumio as when he had no one to turn to, Gaishō would always be there for him. Fumio looked down before sighing but then chuckled. [b]"Heh, I know Gaishō... But still, I'm the one on the outside with the most influence, although sometimes I wish we could switch places, even if it was only for a short amount of time..."[/b] Gaishō lifted off of the windowsill while hearing this, looking at Fumio with a straight face. [b]"You've got to stop this. Stop wanting to trap or lock yourself away Kazuhiko. That may of been your childhood but that's over, soon you'll be completely free and yet I know you don't want to break free... Soon you'll finally realise... I can't tell you anything more though, you've got to figure it out on your own...."[/b] Gaishō turned his vision back to the outside world. [b]"Just look, what is it you see outside?"[/b] Fumio lifted his eyes up to Gaishō before looking outside. [b]"I see conflicting weather covered by thick fog"[/b] He answered. [b]"Wrong. What you're looking at is the inside of your being, your current emotions and thoughts within a manifestation.... or more [i]our[/i] current emotions and thoughts. We're confused and unsure whether or not to be happy or upset. All we can do is look from the inside in"[/b] Fumio looked at the spirit, confused at how he worded the last part of his sentence. [b]"From the inside in?"[/b] He asked so Gaishō nodded. [b]"Yes, but I can't tell you anything other than that. Like I said before, you have to figure it out yourself. Only then will you be able to..."[/b] Gaishō glanced at Fumio one last time as he abruptly stopped himself from saying anything else before going back to leaning on the windowsill. [b]"I see..."[/b] Fumio looked down once more. [b]"Well, hopefully I'll figure it out... but first, I have to deal with Ursu-"[/b] Fumio's eyes widened a little as he thought he had saw something outside the window, but he wasn't going to look, he didn't want to know what it might of been... [b]"Goodbye Gaishō"[/b] Fumio then closed his eyes and exited his inner world. [b]"Hehehe~ You're not dying on me~"[/b] Shortly, Fumio opened his eyes to find himself seated on the floor within the Seireitei near the west entrance. Standing up, Fumio dusted his clothes off before looking at Souta, still sitting next to the opposite wall with his eyes closed. [b]"Must still be within his inner world~"[/b] Fumio took to leaning his back against the wall close to the entrance, waiting quietly. ------- [b]"Ahh, you've done well Souta! You'll be fine"[/b] Souta dropped to the floor, holding his hammer/mace while panting lightly. [b]"Heh, you think so? Well, thank you for the support Himawari"[/b] Souta grinned a little at his Zanpakuto spirit who smiled back, waving his hand to dismiss the comment. [b]"Oh don't be stupid idiot, there is no need to thank me, of course I'm going to support you! Have you forgotten who I am?"[/b] Himawari laughed a hearty laugh while Souta just chuckled. [b]"Heh, I haven't but I guess you're right. But I'm still going to thank you whether you like it or not"[/b] Himawari only shrugged at this, chuckling himself. [b]"Whatever floats your boat Cherry"[/b] Souta's eyebrow furrowed at the use of that nickname. [b]"Hey! It's Souta to you!"[/b] He playfully yelled as Himawari continued to chuckled. [b]"I prefer Cherry and Imma call you that whether [i]you[/i] like it or not"[/b] The spirit grinned at Souta as the boy narrowed his eyes. [b]"Fine, have it your way"[/b] Souta then looked down at his now crossed arms, his playful look slipped off of his face as he frowned slightly. [b]"Souta stop doubting yourself. Ursula isn't indestructible... believe in your abilities dammit"[/b] Himawari straightened up, his face resting into a neutral expression while Souta sighed. [b]"Okay Himawari... I just can't help but worry... It's mainly Kazuhiko I'm worried about, I think he's trying to get himself killed, or going to atleast...."[/b] Souta's eyes scrolled to the left as he spoke, still on the grassy floor. His spirit just simply looked at him, silent for a moment. [b]"Well, if you disagree, don't let it happen."[/b] As Himawari spoke, Souta looked up at him. [b]"But I know Kazuhiko, if he wants to do something, he'll do it... I've seen it countless times" "So? I know you Souta. If you want to do something, you'll do it. I've been there and watched you. You're stronger than you think... Kazuhiko depends on you yaknow? I don't think you've noticed, but you really do have a strong influence on him. You may think he's stronger than you physically, but mentally he's dependant on you. It's pretty clear to me that he can't stand being alone, hence why we are where we are today. He could of easily killed you that day, he could of easily killed Huerona too but you stopped him. He could of easily killed Ronda, but again, you showed up. Are you really not noticing the pattern here?"[/b] Himawari pulled a confused face at Souta, really not understanding why the boy couldn't see this. [b]"Yeah but Tatsuki... I couldn't stop him that time..."[/b] Himawari sighed before shaking his head. [b]"Whatever Souta, looks like you're too focused on the bad things he does to realise but I'm not here to point out that shit. I'm [i]your[/i] Zanpakuto, not Kazuhiko's"[/b] Souta looked down once more before suddenly grinning sheepishly and rubbing the back of his neck. [b]"Eheheh, you're right again Himawari, sorry... Now anyway, I guess I should get going"[/b] Souta chuckled nervously before Himawari chuckled himself. [b]"Probably. But Souta, for the love of the Soul King believe in yourself dammit! Or atleast believe in me"[/b] Himawari grinned. [b]"Yeah yeah, I do Himawari heh" "Good. Now go!" "Alright! I'm going! Sheesh!"[/b] Souta laughed before closing his eyes, letting his body fall back, but as it fell, it never hit the ground. Instead, Souta opened his eyes to find himself back within the Seireitei. [b]"Ulgh, how long was I out?"[/b] Souta chuckled as he looked up at Fumio while lifting himself off of the floor. [b]"Long enough."[/b] Rio's voice sounded from the left of Souta as she stood with her arms crossed and her right foot impatiently tapping the floor. [b]"Eheh, my bad"[/b] Souta sheepishly rubbed the back of his head while grinning at Rio. Fumio just couldn't help but chuckle at this. [b]"Well then, ready to get going Hari's?"[/b] Fumio asked. [b]"Yep"[/b] Souta chirped. [b]"Let's get this over with."[/b] Rio spoke up afterwards, her face dead-straight as she uncrossed her arms and walked closer to the pair. [b]"Good~ Now let's leave~"[/b] With that, Fumio began walking out of the west entrance, followed by Souta, then by Rio.