Red Moon Rising [P]

[Takuya]

Chapter 4:1 – Red Moon Rising

Rika Takuya sighed, breathing in the fresh air of the Living World. There was something about the air there, as compared to the Dead World, that was just so… alive. It was aptly named, then. He frowned, looking around the area. He was waiting to begin his patrol, this time by Karakura High School. He stood in the soccer fields, waiting silently with closed eyes for the other Shinigami to meet him. It was a multi-division patrol tonight; Fourth, Seventh, and Eleventh were all on duty. The threat of Hollow Attack was, supposedly, quite high.

“Hmm…” He murmured to himself. “I wonder who I got paired with…” He imagined it would be a Fourth Division Shinigami. The Division Leaders knew that he seemed to cause quite a bit of damage. He would probably get wounded, or wound someone, if they came into contact with a Hollow. Those sort of things just tended to happen to him. He waited, quietly, one hand on his katana, preparing for his partner to show up and the patrol to begin. It was his duty, and he was eager to get to it…

[Lady M]

Though Takuya was well known to cause damage, his assigned partner was not one that was very versed in the arts of healing yet. She had yet to learn any healing skills, yet she held all the needed values to be part of the 4th Divsion. Meimu was calm, compassionate and strategic in her manners. The young girl approached towards the shinigami, step by careful step she crossed the distance between both of them on the large soccer field. Her feet produced no sound with every step she took, yet her hair bounced behind her. She had decided to wear her silky white locks into two pigtails that fell upon her chest. A few bangs were left to roam freely, from time to time a strand of hair would block her right eye, yet she continued on, her blade horizontally placed above her backside.

''Hello, I am Hakuchou, Meimu of the Fourth Division.'' The shinigami would say as she bowed elegantly before the shinigami she had been assigned to as a teammate. She quickly straightened herself up, both of her hands falling to the side of her hips. Cerulean hues scanned the school. It was her first time in this specific area of Kurakara Town and it was also her first mission in a while in the Real World, she was curious to see what was going to happen, or she was mainly curious to know what would happen and she was also curious to know who was the individual she had been paired with.

''It is a pleasure to meet you.''

[Takuya]

So… This was his partner. He looked over at her, flicking jade orbs up and down, sight traveling her form. She was beautiful, no doubt. Her body was shapely and her skin pristine, pale and creamy over an expanse of smooth flesh. Her hair was long and ivory, falling in symmetric curls and asymmetric bangs around her face. Her eyes, which he met briefly with his own upon inspecting her, were a deep tint of cerulean, provoking images of the ocean and the snow. He nodded approvingly.

Hakuchou Meimu was beautiful, there was no doubt about that. She filled out her uniform quite well, a fact he took only a moment to consider before he pushed it out of his thoughts and regarded the rest of her appearance. Her zanpaktou was stored at her side, it’s hilt a glistening alabaster. It dangled with a long ribbon that, interestingly enough, ended in a feather. She was a fourth division Shinigami, so he could only imagine that it was going to end up being a Kido type sword, especially looking like that. He nodded again to her.

“My name is Rika Takuya, Seventh Division.” He returned her bow, eyes still focused on her. This was going to be interesting. She seemed like a competent sort. Her combat skills were still unknown to him, but sooner or later he was going to find out; either in sparring or on a battlefield. He always made a point to know the combat capabilities of all those around him; in the Seireitei, it’s an important thing to know, when you could be isolated and attacked at any time. He removed his hand from the hilt of his sword, straightening from the bow. They had a few minutes before their patrol was to begin. He frowned for a moment.

“It’s nice to meet you.” He said next, casting about for a topic. “I don’t believe I’ve seen you around Seireitei or heard of you before.” She seemed to be a fairly low-key Shinigami, in terms of her reputation. People like himself, who got in big fights and caused big damage, tended to make a name for themselves, even if that name was somewhat of a bad thing. If anything, not having heard her name before was probably a good thing; safer for him. Still, with her beauty, he was surprised he hadn’t heard of her before. The most beautiful girls in the Gotei Thirteen were well discussed in the bars around town.

He looked out at the moon, thinking. Takuya… The whisper echoed out, deep in his mind. He raised an eyebrow slightly, but otherwise concealed his surprise. He had heard the whispers before, but aside from that, his zanpaktou had never directly spoken to him. He calmed himself, listening to the voices of both the inner soul and the woman beside him. He imagined that both of them had interesting things to say…

[Lady M]

Though it seemed the other Shinigami had never heard of her, Meimu had been well acquainted with the legend of Rika Takuya. She smiled as she listened to what the male had to say, he was good looking, that she could not ignore it. Her eyes temporarily looked away from him as she scanned the buildings around them. Yet the cerulean hues would return back to the 7th Division Shinigami. The young Hakuchou had learned to be an expert in the analysis of minor details. It was mainly because of her lack of strength, by being able to determine a person's weaknesses or things like that she would be able to take them out without relying on strength that she did not possess. Her love of details also gave her the ability to pinpoint people's feelings and see changes in their mood. She noticed the change in the boy's face, she easily saw his eyebrow gently shift even before she had said anything which did stimulate the girl's curiosity.

''Yeah I tend to not want to make a name out of myself too soon. My father was a powerful Shinigami and I have big expectations to live up to.'' The girl explained as she waved her right hand gently above her shoulder, sending the silky ivory mane backward and to her back.

Meimu had heard of Takuya, mainly from other female Shinigami in the Fourth Division, they spoke of some of his exploits and how they had wanted to meet him. It seemed as if making a name for one's self, be it by doing bad or good things did attract some positive attention from the opposite gender. Yet Meimu was not the type to make a scene, she was serene and elegant, she had difficulty breaking away from this shell her parents had shaped her into. Yet she had no real problem with who she was, she simply smiled as she looked at her new friend. ''I have heard of you though.'' Meimu said with a bright grin before continuing. ''I expected you to be larger, more buff. I guess I should not have made my own expectation out of you.'' She would say before breaking into a fit of whispered giggles. She would soon straighten out, depending on how he would react to her words she would ask about his change in facial expression that had happened earlier. Though it had been something small, Takuya's rising eyebrow had raised several questions. Meimu was odd like that.

[Takuya]

“Hmm…” Takuya said, closing his eyes briefly and gathering his thoughts about him. “Well, quite frankly, it’s your job… Don’t worry too much about filling shoes and all that expectation stuff. Just do your best. If you get recognized for it, then you can talk about the family legacy at that point.” Takuya himself had a bit of filling in to do for the Rika family. They were not a great noble house, but they were a noble house nonetheless, and he would uphold their core values now that he had a bit of a reputation. He glanced at her again as she continued to speak.

“Well, I suppose the stories are a little out of tune with reality.” He said with a smile. “The truth is most of my success and property damage is due to Kido; that’s my specialty. I’m no master swordsman, just fast and hard with the spells.” He smiled slightly as she laughed. It was to be expected; much of his legend was built around stories of the destruction he’d caused, both on the hollow race and on the scenery around them when he fights. He scratched his cheek idly. Most people assumed it took an Eleventh Division brute to cause that kind of chaos. He looked back up at her, still smiling.

“So, Hakuchou-san…” He said, after a moment’s pause. He could read the questions on her face, though he had no real idea what they may be. He yawned, stretching out slightly before refocusing his eyes on her. “Ask away, I can tell you’ve got some sort of question forming on those lips.” He quieted then, smiling invitingly and waiting for her to respond to his prompting. He was not a large fan of unanswered questions. He himself had a lot of them, and he wouldn’t want to inflict any number of them on a poor unsuspecting beauty like this….

[Lady M]

Meimu's eyes scanned the area as she listened to the Shinigami's story. As she had given a small slice of her life, it was only fair that he would give his. She liked to Takuya intently, she was genuinely interested in what the other had to say. She had somewhat of a boring life and she seemed eager, if not hungry for pebbles of information of some sort of excitement. Her cerulean hues settled once more upon the 7th division shinigami, she was somewhat shy about asking her question, she did not want to invade his privacy about a fact that may have been complete fiction. Maybe his brow quirk meant absolutely nothing, maybe it was simply something that happened and there was no internal activity to back it up. Would her keen sense of detail had been wrong? There was only one way to find out it seemed.

''It's nothing too...'in your face' but I noticed a small unexplained and subtle change in your face while you were talking earlier.'' The Hakuchou explained as she placed both of her hands together, knitting her fingers as a whole as her eyes remained on Takuya.

''Your brow, it shifted. So I wondered for a moment, did you notice something about me while talking or did you notice something?'' She would ask as her eyes scanned the area around them. Maybe he had sensed the reiatsu of a hollow in the area that she had failed to sense? She had yet to grow enough to be an expert at sensing spiritual pressures properly. She only hoped she did not come off as a nutcase, she truly was not. Meimu was usually not the type to be so forward, yet it had just came out of her lips without her really thinking and hopefully she would not be put down too hardly.

[Takuya]

“Hmm…” Takuya said, regarding her with a bit of a smile on his face, though it had diminished. He wondered why she was so observant of other people’s physical expressions. It was a useful skill to have, no doubt, and he couldn’t begrudge her its use, especially not in a job like being a Shinigami of the Gotei Thirteen. There were simply far too many dangers and deceptions to rely on appearances alone. He had learned that first-hand with his experiences with Rescuezo; he couldn’t let that sort of thing happen again. He wouldn’t be roped into another deception like that creature had caused him.

“That’s very observant of you.” He said quietly. He glanced at her face again, settling his eyes on hers. She was very straight-forward, at least with him, and he respected that. He hoped it was a trait she could curb when she had to, but he’d never fault anyone for cutting straight to the point. It was something he liked to do himself. She had asked, and normally it wasn’t something he would talk about with just anyone, but he felt like he should answer. “I felt… something from within. A voice from within. Communication with the spirit of my zanpaktou.” He shrugged. “She’s trying to tell me her name.”

It was a bit of a strange admission. Normally, amongst Shinigami, one didn’t speak of the nature of their communications with their zanpaktou until they had achieved full commune. As a consequence, new Shinigami didn’t know much of anything about how to awaken the voice of their zanpaktou until they discover the way themselves. Perhaps, Takuya reflected, this is because everyone has a separate way of coming into contact with their isolated sword spirit. He glanced back up at her. He sensed the spirit, now, lurking inside the blade, as though it was trying to reach out to him…

[Lady M]

Meimu's eyes widened in surprise at the other Shinigami's words. Takuya was surprisingly...trusting of her. She gently pushed an ashen lock, placing it behind her shoulder as she slowly cut the distance between both herself and the young Rika. Soon she was mere centimeters away from him, the petite Hachukou needed to tilt her head upward for her eyes to be levelled once more with those of Takuya. For a brief moment she lost herself in his eyes before looking away momentarily, she was unsure of what to say, of how to feel about the private comment he had made. She too wondered a lot about her Zanpakuto, she had yet to hear the blade's voice though. It was an odd feeling, to know that the Captains and Lieutenants could do amazing things while wielding their swords, yet during that time Takuya and herself had yet to call their blades by name, had yet to know what was its abilities.

Her hands went for his, as her fingers wrapped themselves upon the top of his hands. She brought both of his hands upward, close to her heart. She looked at his open palms. ''You are lucky, Takuya-kun.'' She purred, cobalt hues now darting once more towards the 7th Division Shinigami's occuli. ''The bond between you and your Zanpakuto is growing... You must be close to learning its name if it is speaking to you, is that not right?'' She would ask, hope in her voice. She remembered her father as he displayed his amazing Zanpakuto abilities. To thinks that Takuya was close to having such powers was refreshing. She was speaking to someone that was about to become more powerful, and she could not wait to see what Takuya would be like once he had attained Shikai.

''I could even admit that I am jealous.'' She would add. This was an attempt at humour, something that Meimu had little experience in.

[Takuya]

Takuya’s eyes widened slightly, no doubt a facial expression that the beautiful girl would pick up on, with her level of observation. He swallowed slightly. This wasn’t something he had a whole lot of experience with. As she stepped closer to him, behind his only slightly expressive eyes, a million possibilities were considered, discarded, and indexed, fitting together in his mind to form into a generally very pleasant, if slightly anxiously uncomfortable frame of mind. He looked at her, letting her speak. Her words were interesting… It seemed like she wasn’t discovering the name of her zanpaktou either.

He flinched, only in the slightest, as she gripped his hands. That was definitely something he wasn’t used to yet, something he hadn’t experienced in quite a few years. It wasn’t that he didn’t know how love and lust worked; he was quite familiar with them. But he’d been away from those concepts for several years, dedicating himself to his duties and distancing himself a little from the women of the Seireitei, despite how much they wanted to keep close to him. As a result, a lot of his friendships had waned, though he still looked back on them fondly. He wondered if he was forming a new one right here and now, or if something else was being created.

“Hakuchou-san…” He said softly, gazing into her eyes, searching for some clues to her behavior, his heart fluttering only in the slightest. He was as confused as he was intrigued, but he was willing to see where this was going. “Meimu-san, I wouldn’t be jealous.” He smiled at her. “I’ve only discerned a few sounds, nowhere close to a full name. Still…” He knew that name was coming soon, though. It wouldn’t be long before that name came to him, before he unlocked the secrets of his weapon. He looked into her eyes, seeing a myriad of things there. Not all of them made sense, but some did. He reached out tentatively, brushing a lock of her hair away from her eyes. His own dark hair was settled nearly over his own deep optics. “You are an interesting woman…”

[Lady M]

She had only known him for a few minutes now, and Meimu deemed herself too hasty at that precise moment. They had already made physical contact. For someone that had been brought within the bounds of strict etiquette was not supposed to do such a thing. And certain emotions should never be revealed in a first meeting with someone of the opposite sex. Meimu had presented herself as vulnerable, and her elegance had been replaced by cuteness. She slowly broke away from Takuya, her eyes now looking away from him. The white-haired shinigami had seen surprise upon the boy's features, his eyes had widened as she spoke to him, as her hands went for his. Had anyone else of her family seen her being so close to someone on their first meeting, they would have been disappointed in her clear breaking of etiquette.

She even felt disappointed in herself. Throughout her life she had been shaped to be a certain way, yet there was something different with Takuya that made her at ease, that made her feel safe.

''I'm not that interesting...I'm not worth the time to look into.'' The young Hakuchou would laugh before continuing to speak, her hands hand now fallen to her hips, her now moist palms being gently, and hopefully subtly rubbed against the fabric of her clothing. ''I'm sorry if I put you at ill-ease with my display of er... closeness?'' She would add with a smile. She would turn around, her back now facing him as she walked through the field. With every step she took her ashen tresses would bounce or be gently lifted by the rising breeze.

[Takuya]

“Hakuchou-san, that’s not a nice thing to say about yourself.” Takuya said, smirking and crossing his arms as she moved away from him, turning her back to the Seventh Division Shinigami and strolling into well-trimmed field that surrounded the school. He shrugged his shoulders slightly, shifting the weight on them, and stepped forward, following a pace or two behind her as she moved quietly down the route that had been prescribed for them by fate. It was their patrol path, anyway, so it seemed wise enough to follow it, to him. He laid a quiet hand on his zanpaktou, letting it’s power rush through him, caressing his soul.

“I’m not bothered.” He said simply. He wasn’t. Though most people would be, he wasn’t exactly everyone. When a beautiful woman came close to you, you didn’t complain. It was a very simple fact that had been imparted on Takuya, mostly by the elders of the Rika family. Chivalry was still alive and well, at least in that house of Shinigami. He stretched slightly, watching her hair bounce as she moved. It was an interesting color. White, or an ivory very close to it; the color of… Snow…[/b] He quirked an eyebrow again. It was the same voice within him, but this time it echoed with much greater strength. It was speaking into his mind…

“I’m curious why you did it, though.” He shook off the images in his mind of pristine white snow. It didn’t seem like the sort of thing she would do; she was, at least in appearance, a member of a noble house of at least average standing. She seemed like she was a pure-born soul, too, of the Seireitei. That sort of person normally didn’t approach him, let alone get so physically close to him. He was fascinated by it, really. She was breaking out of a mold established for her over decades, for reasons he couldn’t possibly fathom. He was a simple sort of man, but underneath that he was always observant. A part of him always wanted answers. And it wanted them now…

[Lady M]

Meimu's eyes rose to the heavens, looking at the faint glows of the stars trying to shine through the endless light of the town. Karakura Town was far from a metropolis, the light it gave out was not enough to hide all the stars, a few could be seen. The young shinigami would turn to face Takuya once more, a grin upon her features. She was happy that the other shinigami had not been bothered by her display of affection, or whatever term her actions could be named with. She did not sense the presence of Hollows about, would any of the monsters be near them, they were likely to be masking their Reaitsu, it seemed as if tonight would be an uneventful one. She had no problem with that, she was limited in the Kido department at the moment and she was not an expert in sword wielding. Hopefully Takuya and herself would be ready to fend off any Hollow that would want to attack them.

Now came the time to answer the Rika's question. She was unsure what to say, she barely knew him, and Meimu barely knew why she had made such a display. ''I know we only met, but I feel at ease with you.'' She explained before taking a short pause.

She would turn around and continue walking forward towards the path they had been assigned. Hopefully Takuya would decide to walk along by her side. The 4th Division Shinigami hoped she was not being too weird at the moment. ''I think we can be friends, you're really a nice person, very genuine.'' Meimu explained, her lips still forming a smile.

[Takuya]

“Well, that’s…” Takuya wasn’t quite sure what he was going to say next. He held his tongue for a moment. What was the appropriate response? To tell her that it was unwise to be at ease with someone so quickly? That sort of response would threaten the budding friendship before it could even develop. But it was dangerous, and he didn’t know if he should just simply allow it to pass, when it could be something that threatened her life around someone like Rescuezo, who could shift his body into the shape of a new creature. He gazed at her for a moment, wondering what the right answer was. It wasn’t coming easily.

“That’s good.” He said finally. “I feel at ease with you as well…” He ended his statement somewhat lamely. It was true, but he wished there was a better sounding way of phrasing it. Takuya…[/b][/color] A hidden voice whispered from inside his skull again, echoing all throughout his soul. He knew now that it was his zanpaktou, a voice layered with a thousand currents. It seemed subtly different, subtly feminine, like the woman before him, with curves and bends to the shapes of the nonsensical words. He smiled at Hakuchou-san, listening as she continued to speak.

“I’d like that. I could use a few more friends.” He commented, nodding in agreement to her statement. He shifted on his feet again slightly, moving to follow her as she moved on the prescribed path. Several minutes passed in silence as they walked down the street, alert for any signs of attack. There were none, so far. Sometimes there were uneventful patrols. In fact, they happened quite often. However, it was always the one patrol that made all the others worth it; the day or night when the Hollows hiding in the shadows finally struck, opening themselves to be struck down. He glanced at Hakuchou-san… What was she thinking?

[Lady M]

What was she thinking? It was better left unknown to the people around her, as it would seem quite pathetic. Would anyone possess the ability to read minds, he or she would be forced to laugh at what was going on in Meimu's mind.

Left, right, left right. He makes me so nervous, he's really attractive and very nice. Keep it together, Meimu, just walk straight. He's not talking! What is he thinking about! It's killing me. Left, right, left, right. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. Oh no, I'm thinking about breathing again, am I sweating? Oh, only my palms. Left, right, left right. Nice I stopped thinking about my breathing. Now I'm thinking about it, darn it! Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. Left, right, left, right.- The Hakuchou's mind was filled with a hot mess of thoughts. Everything that the boy had said passed through her mind. She stopped in her steps, shaking her head, to somehow try and clear her thoughts. It surprisingly worked. She stilled her breathing, slowing it down to its regular, comfortable pace. She continued walking by the boy's side after this small unexplained stop. She could not believe how weird she was acting.

Meimu deemed herself beautiful, she had been told several times in the past. Her locks, as soothig and enchanting as the gentle first snow, fell to her back and shoulders in twists and tresses. It set her apart from all the other shinigami of her age and gender. Her cerulean eyes, as beautiful as the precious Lapis Lazuli were filled with warmth and curiosity. Yet why was the young Hakuchou so nervous? She would need to settle her thoughts, Takuya was a friend, nothing else, nothing more, would she act like this everytime she would meet with someone she deemed attractive Meimu would deem her own self annoying. She rolled her eyes at her trail of thought.

''Pleasant night, no?'' The 4th Division shinigami whispered as she continued onward, her hands had not met behind her back, knitting her fingers together just above her weapon as she walked forward, her eyes scanning along the structure of the school.

[Takuya]

“Hmm…” Takuya murmured to himself, thinking idly as they strolled along the path. He liked the way she walked. She made each footfall with the slightest of bounces, accentuating her curves and causing her hair to bob and dance freely as she moved. It was endearing, in a quiet sort of way. He could definitely be friends with her, even if her charming oddities and perfectly developed body were causing him to get a little bit hot under the color. He couldn’t help that, he reasoned. It was a natural reaction. His body’s reaction was entirely natural.

“Yeah…” He agreed softly. He wondered why she had paused, but she was moving again before he could really question it. He let it slide away, seemingly unnoticed but truly just noted and quietly observed. He watched her for another moment. Some people would call it a painfully obvious comment, but he liked it. He liked that she recognized the simpler, more intuitive things in life. They passed by a lot of Shinigami, who got to wrapped up in their daily duties. He watched her silently, checking out her patterns of motion and habit. It was interesting, to say the least.

“Hakuchou-san…” Takuya hesitated for a moment. He hoped he wasn’t being too forward, or reading clues that didn’t exist. “Is something bothering you, worrying you?” His eyes glanced from her hands to the gait of her step. “You seem a little nervous.” He let himself step a little closer to her. Not uncomfortably so, but just enough to reinitialize a quiet sense of friendship and affection. Never mind that she way too beautiful to be that close to him. That was a concern for another moment, he tried to tell himself…

[Lady M]

Meimu's head tilted to the side, granting her better view of the shinigami's face. He asked her if anything was wrong, if she was nervous. She shook her head, trying to figure out what to say. A few of her digts would start playing with one of her tresses, the ivory hair being twisted around the small, thin finger. Her blue eyes scanned Takuya's face. She tried to pick the perfect words to describe an emotion that she herself could not quite understand. She was less nervous now, she needed to be. She felt comfortable and safe with Takuya, he made her feel...Normal. No more was she thinking of the Hakuchou, she could simply be Meimu, a shinigami like all others. She took a deep breath, her hands falling back to her hips.

''Well you know... Meeting someone knew can be stressful. You're unsure who they truly are, you don't know how they perceive you. I'm being surprisingly honest.'' Meimu explained, from her lips a gentle laugh would be released, slowly tickling at the boy's ears. ''Being part of a sophisticated clans forces one to live with certain rules, and I'm breaking several of them. But it's not your fault.'' She would laught once more. She decided to shrug it off. She knew that there patrol would come to an end soon, all she was hoping was that their next meeting would be easier for her. She was happy that she had made a new friend, would anything come out of this friend? Who knew, maybe, but she was unsure if she was his type.

''Forgive my quirks.'' She would add, a bright smile on her face. They had stopped walking by then, they stood there, staring at each other, it was refreshing to speak with someone outside of her family, someone that understood what she went through on a daily basis, as a shinigami Takuya could understand her.

[Takuya]

She was a beauty, there was no doubt about that. It was an elegant kind of beauty, the kind that you didn’t see every day, the kind that graced princesses. In all honesty, she very well could have been a princess. There were far more extravagant titles that noble Shinigami carried with them on a regular basis. Still, not everyone could claim such a girl as this as their friend, least of all by her own admission. It was nice, to have a friend. She was open with him, for whatever reason. Completely honest. He felt he at least owed it to her to do the same. He smiled slightly at her, blinking briefly and gazing into her eyes for a moment.

“Well, that’s true.” He said, nodding. “I’m from a noble family myself… Not as prestigious as the House of Hakuchou, but a noble family nonetheless.” There was a hint of pride in his words. “Takuya of the House of Rika, is my full name.” He was no prince or head of house, but he was a part of the Rika family, one of the Lesser Noble Houses, and he would uphold that with pride. He, too, was breaking some noble codes, but Rika had never been as rigid as some of the other families. Clearly, not as rigid as hers. He smiled as she spoke again. She was kind of cute, in that apologetic noble way.

“There’s nothing to forgive, Hakuchou-san.” He patted her on the top of the head, gently touching the ivory locks of hair covering the dome of her head. “I like your quirks… They’re kind of… cute, in a way.” He explained awkwardly. She was cute, and she was already an excellent friend. He was glad he found someone he could talk to without having the pressure of destiny and duty filling the conversation. Shun was a great friend, but his mind was a little too filled with his duties to the House of Rika. Takuya, on an impulse, leaned forward and gave a faint, affectionate kiss to her forehead, almost like the kind from adult to child. He smiled down at her. “I think so, at least.”

[Lady M]

Meimu could do nothing else but smile at Takuya's words. He was being increasingly nice, giving out compliments as if he was afraid that she would leave or something. She nodded before him and whispered a gentle.: ''Thank you.'' With that she created some more distance between herself and Takuya. He had touched her in turn, gently moving her tresses from out of her eyes. Blood was sent to her cheeks, further reddening the porcelain-like skin. It seemed as if they would need to part ways. The young Hakuchou took a look at her watch, time had gone by at a faster rate than she had first thought, it seemed as if time went by quickly when you were in good company,. She smiled once more towards the Rika, it seemed as if she had been smiling a lot during their meeting.

''Well, Takuya-kun, our first impressions have been made and our meeting is concluded, our patrol was uneventful. You probably scared away all Hollows.'' Meimu explained before giggling at her own, somewhat non-comical joke. She would walk away, simply waving at her new friend before meeting up with all the other Shinigami before being spirited away back to Seireitei.

--Exit

[Takuya]

“You’re welcome.” He said simply. She was blushing. It was cute. He smiled at her, quietly allowing her to place distance between them. It seemed like the right thing to do. He looked around, belatedly expanding his spiritual senses and feeling the area around him. The tethers materialized before him, drifting through the air. There were dozens, but none marked with the black thread of a Hollow’s tortured spirit. He nodded, agreeing with her. She was right; the patrol was ending. It had been a good time, and the Hollows were still hiding in their holes. He grinned, nodding to her. “I don’t think I’m that scary… But it was nice to meet you.” He let her start to stroll away before he disappeared, vanishing through the use of his Shunpo…

[Exit]