Captain's Office

"Hurt?" At first, it had...but after he'd been properly healed it'd felt...much better. He still felt a little sore from it, but that was natural. "At first, but after it'd been healed I felt a lot better."

"I'll be fine." He tried to reassure, seeing the fear in her eyes. "Really..."

Was she worried because he'd left so suddenly? Like Xarath had been? Maybe Kano had a lecture of her own to get by, he certainly knew he deserved it. It was her team that had been killed after all...and even though he'd been trying to postpone the pain of losing them, he'd been wrong to not even tell her why he'd left so suddenly only to come back injured.

"Sorry, I got hurt."

Quote :

"Sorry, I got hurt."

Huh? Why did he apologise? Realization dawned upon Kano's eyes a moment later and she blinked. Masaru must have been expecting a lecture from her like what Xarath did to him back at the First Division, but she had never felt the need to reprimand the noble for his deeds. Besides, He had enough on his plate from one Xarath Shiru...

"Don't be." Kano said softly. "Its your job after all."

Turning away from Masaru, she appeared to be pondering something. After what seems like a long while of silence, the blue-haired twin-tail captain finally spoke up.

"The arrancar you faced. It was him..."

"Him?" Masaru looked up at her from his spot on the floor, confusion flooding his features. "What do you mean?"

Then it hit him...

Back then...on their first date...

Those burns.

"The one that-?" He paused, figuring out his words. "The one that gave you your burns?"

If it had been...

'It's not your fault.'

'I should have stopped him.'

'He ran away.'

'I should of went after him.'

'You were hurt.'

'Still...'

"He...He got away." He admitted, "I couldn't stop him...I should have gone after him."

He'd hardly injured the damn arrancar, he should have done more...He should have...

Quote :

"The one that-?" He paused, figuring out his words. "The one that gave you your burns?"

Kano was silent.

Quote :

"He...He got away." He admitted, "I couldn't stop him...I should have gone after him."

"No... its okay." She murmured. "I don't want to lose anymore people to him."

She did not mean it as an insult to Masaru's abilities. But what if... what if Masaru by a stroke of fate fell to that demon as well? She had lost enough people to the hollow. She had lost enough people she holds dear to him. And somehow he had became an arrancar and that means he had became much much more fearsome. If Masaru came back to soul society as a charred corpse, Kano had no idea what she could or would do.

Masaru stayed silent for a moment, not wanting to say anything too soon in fear it may be taken insensitively.

Would they ever encounter that arrancar again? Somehow, he felt that they would...as of recently they hadn't had any problems with the arrancar per-se until this one had shown up. He wasn't sure why that was though, but he wasn't complaining.

He knew the burns he'd received were barely even visible on his flesh anymore, one had to look close to even notice them. He could remember Kano's though...and that Arrancar had really hurt her.

He understood what she'd just told him, but he still couldn't help but feel some anger within him because he hadn't been able to do much.

And in silent they stayed for a while, until the blue haired captain decided that enough silence is enough. She had what she came for, and the sixth captain is as fit as a fiddle. Besides, there is still paperwork to do, what with the recent deaths. With a deep breath, she stood herself up from whatever posture she was in and declared.

"Thank you, Masaru." Kano smiled, waving the empty sake bottle as indication before putting it down on Masaru's table. She did be jolly well damned if Xarath knew about it, but it was actually her that got the noble to plant such sake treats in his office so that she could drink it when she dropped by. And there is still the matter of her spilling all the beans to the vice-captain...

"If you are okay, then I won't bother you any longer. I just came to see if you are all right." She said.

With a wave of her hands, Kano opened the door and walked out. "See you later, Masaru."

Giving a wave back, Masaru bid the other taicho farewell. He stayed in his seated position for a few more moments, thinking.

Now what was he going to do? Nozomi was probably still busy with the twins, and he didn't want to disturb her...So for now, he just stayed on the floor, gazing up at the ceiling looking rather bored.

There wasn't any new paperwork that needed his signature either, all of that had been delivered to their rightful destinations this morning.

His thoughts drifted to the arrancar...

He wondered if he'd ever come to face him again, and if so, would he succeed if he were to fight? Fire vs. Ice. Not exactly a battle he had an advantage in...

Though there was always...

Giving a sigh, Masaru shook his head and cleared his thoughts.

Maybe he could go for a walk? Then again, he wasn't really in the mood for that at the moment...

So what...?

The little mouse got what he came for. With the other captain gone, there was no information left to gather here. He ran from underneath Masaru's desk and back under the door. He scurried the the halls of six until he was outside and on his way to 12th.

After awhile, Masaru finally stood and stretched. He couldn't just sit there all day, or at least until Nozomi's little tea party was over, so he might as well try to find something to do.

Looking out the window, Masaru thought for a moment.

'Perhaps a walk?'

It seemed to be the best option, and now that he'd rested a little bit he was starting to feel in the mood for a walk anyway.

Giving a nod, the captain turned and headed out the door.

[After returning from Human World Survey/ After Jago's Announcement in Act of Aggression]

[OOC: Takes place after leaving from: https://divisionzero.rpg-board.net/t201-act-of-aggression-no-more-peace-new-arc#5425 ]

Masaru sat at his desk, the only sound heard was his breathing as the captain stared blankly down at his left hand, which was now swollen at the knuckles and a turning a purplish-blue color. He'd wrapped it in a cloth but he knew that wasn't proper procedure, he knew he could heal it but he made no move to.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed between his return to the Seireitei and now. It'd certainly been enough time for him to drive his fist into a wall made of Sekkiseki stone.

It wasn't his first choice of material to take his frustration out on, but it'd been the closest. He hadn't waited until he reached the division so he could use a simple punching bag or practice dummy, no. He'd lost his patience, and in a way...it was something that worried him.

If this was the way he resolved his anger...was he becoming like Mamoru? He would never take his anger out on another person, that he knew but...he had to hit things, had to beat the anger out? How was that any different?

A sigh finally escaped the captain. He had decisions that needed to be made but...

What was the right thing to do...

Nozomi, Kano, and Xarath...

They were all he had. His nobility meant nothing to him when compared to the three of them. His path would be whatever was the safest for the three of them. What side was that though? Kano and Xarath...they could fight, they could defend themselves and at least had some way of keeping themselves safe...Nozomi though...she was just a child. She held no powers, abilities...What would he do with her?

He couldn't let her remain here in a war-zone...he couldn't let her stay here in such a time of crisis...

His uninjured hand found it's want to his head, gripping his hair tightly between his fingers.

'Damn it...'