damned_institute | Day 28: Morris Park

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/245488.html?thread=17451504#t17451504)]

Oh. Excellent.

Not only was his chosen refuge already inhabited... but, it was inhabited by that idiot child Hinamori. Really, just wonderful.

"Hinamori-fukutaichou," he said, in acknowledgment of her presence, his voice simply dripping with scorn.

Momo had been lost in thought as she stared off across the park. Thinking about everything over the last several years was going to take her time. How could she hav enot been able to see--

Byakuya's voice broke through her thoughts and she meeped, immediately getting to her feet and standing at attention. A reflex reaction, really, now that her heart wasn't about out leap out of her chest from the surprise.

"Kuchiki-taichou," she said formally. "Good morning, sir."

Why or why did he have to be here of all places? I thought I picked someplace no one else would wander to this early. Her hands at her side shook just a little. And he sounds upset.

The slightest hint of a sneer intruded upon his features. "Hardly," he replied, his voice unchanged.

The insignificant fool... not only had he come upon another shinigami, but one who deserved to bear the brunt of his wrath. At least, that was how he felt in that moment. If he were to unleash it here, then perhaps his eventual, necessary discussion with Renji could be done more logically.

"Hinamori-fukutaichou, I have a question to put to you. A question that has been bothering me for quite some time." He turned a harsh gaze on her, and asked, "Is there any reason for any respectable shinigami to place any trust in you?"

Momo fought really, really hard not to shrink back from Byakuya's gaze. She didn't like being around him and everyone knew the captain of the 6th Division was a by-the-book shinigami and she knew full well she'd committed several crimes recently.

She swallowed hard, her eyes focusing on a point on the man's chest, unable to look up into his eyes, her cheeks coloring a little in a combination of embarrassment and the dread she was feeling. He had to ask that question. How could she answer him?

"We all make mistakes, sir," she started, her voice soft. "Sometimes emotions get the better of us. I know I have made mistakes and done things I hate myself for."

She drew in a ragged breath. "I know the error of my actions and have apologized for them. I don't actually expect any of the Gotei 13 save my division to trust me," she said.

"Tch. I don't believe 'mistake' quite covers it. You were, theoretically, the closest person in the Soul Society to Aizen Sousuke. You were at his beck and call. You were by his side a simply incredible amount of time. And yet. You did not even have the presence of mind to detect his true intentions." His words came out in a harsh staccato, as he carefully, and wrathfully, pronounced every syllable. "At the devil's right hand, and you didn't even know it... or did you? Perhaps he left you behind, as a spy?" The sneer turned more brutal, at this new thought.

Momo's body started to shake as Byakuya began to speak. Yes, she was the closest person to Aizen - or so she'd thought. Yes, she did spend as much time as she possibly could with him. And still she didn't see any indication that he wasn't everything she thought he'd been.

The shinigami;s face paled and her breathing became ragged. She felt tears starting to come to ehr eyes, but she didn't let them fall. She couldn't, not here before Byakuya. Every word was like a jab from his sword right into her heart.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I didn't... couldn't.."

How many times now has she gone over what things were like before the ryoka had invaded Seireitei, looking for any indication that something had been going on? And to call him the devil... Momo's breath hitched in the back of her throat. At Byakuya's accusation that she was a spy, she visibly flinched.

"I knew nothing of Aizen-sama's plans, sir," she replied. "I wish I had." Because then she could have stopped them - freed her beloved captain from Ichimaru's control.

"Of course you didn't. How could I have considered that you were a spy?" he asked, largely facetiously. "Your sin isn't conscious betrayal... no. It's something far less excusable." He had considered all the angles, he felt, and there was no other possible way to explain her behaviour.

"Your sin, Hinamori-fukutaichou, is stupidity. It is simply disgraceful how vapid and protective you acted towards that traitor, even after he did his very best to end your pitiful existence." His rage was pouring out now; it simply refused to be contained. In that moment, he saw the small Lieutenant as the lowest, most base scum he had ever encountered.

"Even now, you cling to the hope that he is innocent, don't you? Open your eyes, idiot child. He is a monster. A traitor. The enemy. And we will cut him down. Burn his body to ashes, and scatter them in Valley of Screams. Perhaps there, his cursed spirit will never again enter the cycle of rebirth."

Momo's shaking got worse the more Byakuya brow-beat her. The tears finally slipped free from her control and slid down her face as she continued to stare at the man's chest. And the worst thing was, he was right about a lot of that. She didn't want to think of Aizen as the enemy, as a traitor to anyone but herself. She didn't understand why he didn't bring her into the plan, not that she was sure she'd have gone along with it, but to be tossed aside so carelessly...

She was upset, the tears continuing to flow down her face, so she didn't think of what she was actually saying when she spoke next. "He was a good captain... before..." A sob caught in her throat. "You would deny a soul their rightful opportunity at reincarnation?"

The tears only urged him on; looking back on this later, even Byakuya would be shocked at his heartlessness. "A soul as corrupt as his is like a disease. Given the opportunity, it would destroy us all. Since I am not sure how to purposefully open a gate to hell, the Valley of Screams seems to be the next best option."

Her comment on him being a good captain went largely ignored; he knew what she thought of the man. Everyone did. She was like a small dog, who craved nothing but her master's approval. A dog that ought to be euthanised.

"You were used so easily... it's sickening. You were never anything but a tool to him, you know. In all likelihood, your stupidity and the ease with which he could manipulate you are the only reasons you were ever made a lieutenant!" The last statement was as close to a shout as he ever got. What he said next was far quieter, though just as wrathful. "You are a disgrace to the Gotei 13, Hinamori Momo."

Aizen wasn't a disease; he'd taken good care of the 5th when he was captain, teaching her how to be a good leader and creating a strong cohesive division that worked well together. Sure, it was mostly headed by herself, Aizen taking care of captain things more often than not once Momo had earned her right to sit second seat, but he'd been a good captain. Everyone deserved a chance for reincarnation unless one's soul naturally moved onto Hell.

"Aizen-sama deserves just as much a cha--" momo;s words cut off in shocked silence as Byakuya insulted her station and right as second seat of her division. She'd been upset, full of despair, sorrow and hate at herself through this whole conversation but what Byakuya did went beyond anything she could have imagined, insulting her more than she'd though anyone was capable of.

Tears pouring down her face, Momo snapped her eyes up to meet Byakuya's in pure defiance. Her body posture completely changes, hands clenched into fists at her side so hard, her nails were drawing blood from her palms. She bristled as anger took her over.

"How DARE you say I did not earn my position as Vice Captain?" Momo praqctically yelled at him through gritted teeth. "I worked very hard to reach that position and I AM among the elite and strongest twenty-six of the Gotei 13!" She just got angrier and the words came tumbling out of her mouth as she stood as tall as her short stature allowed her. She was pissed.

"Captain or not, you have no right to say that. I carried myself with honor and loyalty, carrying out my duty to the fullest extent I was capable. I did everything to be the best shinigami and Vice Captain I could possibly be. I EARNED my place and still hold it."

She shook her head violently, tears flinging off her face. "I have done horrible things in the name of loyalty and love, but I do believe I have paid for my crimes, sir, when he ran me through. Are you ignoring this fact or are you simply trying to finish what Aizen-sama started?"

She stood there once the words were out, breathing heavily as the tears continued to flow, staring defiantly up at Byakuya. It was the most disrespectful thing she'd ever done of her own free will, pure insubordination, but Byakuya wasn't her captain nor did he deserve any respect after insulting her so basely.

She didn't even notice the presence of the staff anymore, nor any other potential people in the park. All she wanted to right then was, as Captain Jack would have said, eat Byakuya's face.

Byakuya listened to her rant, almost enjoying the anguish. This had become something of a battle; in battle, Byakuya liked nothing more than to know he had caused his enemy pain. However, this had gone far enough. The child had become too full of herself... and, implying a similarity between himself and Aizen? Unforgivable.

He was no faster than normal, but Momo's anger had blinded her; as such, he met no resistance when he viciously slapped her across the face. It was a harsh act, but it would hopefully bring the girl back to her senses.

Sneering down at her, afterwards, he simply said, "You are correct, Hinamori-fukutaichou. You are the best Lieutenant Aizen could have asked for."

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/245488.html?view=17488624#t17488624)]

Rangiku wrinkled her nose in disgust at the state of the park. Such open space was rare in Seireitei and in the human world and to find it untended and in such disarray... it annoyed her. It needed tending to in order to flourish. Ah, but she doubted they'd listen to a supposedly insane person and they obviously cared little enough for it.

She walked as quietly as she could up to where Hinamori and Byakuya were, not approaching them, but she leaned against a tree, close enough for Byakuya at least to catch sight of her. The look on Hinamori's face displeased her greatly and she had never been fond of most of the nobility. Hinamori was a friend, as close to a sister as Rangiku was likely to get and she disliked seeing her looking so hurt.

The other boy that Lee had met on the bus was quite a nice person. Lee wondered if he would see him again in town, or if they would part ways. All he knew was that he wanted to think for a couple of seconds before exploring the town.

The nagging feeling that something was wrong was still weighing his mind. Yet since he could not figure it out, he decided to put the worry aside.

Now, for the town...it did seem a bit odd to bring them here. He would have to be careful, but perhaps he could talk to some others in the stores and get more information...it was a thought.

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/245151.html?thread=17556383#t17556383)]

Arriving at the other park, her hopes of it being a nice one were dashed. It looked like the entire maintenance staff just quit or went on strike a decade ago. Luckily, she noticed salvation in a friend. "Lee! Thank goodness!"

She hurried over to the other teen as well as she could in a pink sweater, grey skirt, and black heeled boots. Maybe he had heard from Sakura!

[[From Kelley Street (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/245488.html?view=17563632#t17563632).]]

Signum had thought as long as she stayed ahead of Gin, Momo wouldn't have any problems, and hadn't made any effort to catch up with the girl. As a result, she drew near just in time to get a particularly good view of Byakuya's slap of an unresisting Momo.

Oops.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that this probably had something to do with something that had happened in their mutual home. Byakuya had only recently arrived and had seemed satisfied enough with them last night. His ire had probably come pre-earned. And it didn't take a genius to guess that it was linked to whatever had made Momo hate Gin so much, the betrayal Signum knew so little of.

His reason might even be a good one. Signum wasn't exactly a pillar of tolerance for subordinates (named Teana Lanster) who let their personal issues interfere with their ability to fulfill their duties. And Momo's reaction to Gin had shown that she had exactly that kind of emotional volatility.

But right now, she saw an arrogant fool who'd amply demonstrated his ignorance of their situation and unwillingness to accept its realities on the message board breaking down a unit commander who was actually useful to their cause. One who Signum had put a fair amount of effort into keeping functional. And one, more ruthlessly pragmatic lines of reasoning aside, she considered the closest thing she had to a real friend here. It did not make her happy.

And, well, she'd been itching to knock a shinigami down a peg ever since she'd been exposed to their particular brand of overbearing self-importance, and Byakuya more or less personified it, so her not-happiness met little resistance in its translation into a quick charge and swing at him. She aimed for the good old solar plexus. It'd shut him up, at least.

If she'd been truly vengeful she might have found a more circumspect means of attack, or aimed to cause lasting damage, but she didn't care much to try either. She'd always been a bit masochistic; getting sedated wasn't an issue (showing the locals how to throw a punch was doing something useful with her time, right?) She just didn't like him standing over Momo, looking oh-so-imperious. She couldn't make him unsay what he'd said, but she could ruin his air of superiority, and perhaps lessen the weight of the words he'd spoken. When the same lips with which he'd passed his judgment gasped for air, the judgment would be cheapened.

And she was hoping he'd fall over or vomit or something embarrassing, hopefully while people he knew were watching, but Landel's had taken the edge off the strength advantage the Book had worked into the 'almost' part of her almost-human body, so as long as she wiped the smug look off his face she'd be happy.

[[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/245488.html)]]

Seemed he'd arrived just in time for the main attraction. He didn't approach, it was a fairly large park afterall, and opted to stay where he could see the people coming and going. Never knew just who he might run into.

It was obvious, at least in his mind, what they had to have been talking about, but Kuchiki, as usual, could only see the flaws in others. Perhaps Hinamori had played an unwitting dupe to the charming Aizen, but hadn't Kuchiki as well? He'd willingly followed orders that threatened the life of his own kin. He'd been fully prepared to see Rukia die on the executioner's hill.

Gin supposed he shouldn't have expected more from the elder Kuchiki, but taking his current situation out on Hinamori seemed a little too much like kicking a puppy. No real sport in it. Though it was only a matter of moments before the show got more interesting. People were just popping up out of the woodwork to come to her defense. And if the show ended with Kuchiki being utterly humiliated, well, that was all the better.

Momo had been so angry, barely containing her rage at Byakuya, that she hadn't even seem the captain move. The crack issued from the slap was loud, echoing across the park, and the force snapped Momo's head to the side violently, almost knocking her off her feet with a cry of pain, and she cut her bottom lip on her teeth.

The anger was momentarily knocked out of her, eyes wide as she caught her balance. He'd hit her! She'd held back from attacking him so much and yet he hit her! Tears still poured down her face and the sneered remark from Byakuya that followed caused the tears to turn into quiet sobs. He was right and that's what made it hurt so much. If she hadn't been Aizen's vice-captain, maybe it all wouldn't have happened. Maybe someone else that close would have seen the changes in him, or see through the facade everyone liked to say he had.

Maybe it had all been her fault.

But even so, she had paid for her crimes. She'd laid bleeding upon the floor of the Chamber of the Central 46 after the man she loved, adored and trusted above all others and put his sword through her chest as he was hugging and comforting her. He had destroyed her and what little pieces she had managed to put back in place Byakuya had just ripped asunder. She was caught between pain and anger, her mind unable to grasp what she should say or even do next as she put a hand to her slightly bleeding lip. She didn't even know what Byakuya could possibly be planning to do to her next.

Then suddenly there was quick movement and the color pink.

Western fairy tales were full of stories of knights in shining armor rescuing damsels in distress. Whereas Momo did not really think herself a damsel in distress, never mind the knight in question being female, Signum's appearance and subsequent blow delivered to Byakuya was the most beautiful thing the shinigami could remember having seen in decades.

Needing to give into her moment of weakness, Momo stepped behind Signum and, taking the back of the knight's shirt in both hands, buried her face in the long tail of pink hair. Her body was shaking and her breathing hitched in her throat as she tried to gain control over the mix of emotions that were overwhelming her.

How could Byakuya have said such things? He was supposed to be the epitome of nobility and honor, something all of the commoner shinigami were supposed to look up to and want to be. He was nothing of the sort. That thought brought the vice captain out of her brief moment of weakness and she moved to the left so she could see Byakuya fully and not get in Signum's way at all.

Tears streaming down her face, she spoke in an oddly calm voice. "Yes, I am the best vice captain Aizen-sama could have possibly had. I am the best vice captain that any captain of the Gotei 13 could have if they hold my loyalty. Of which you have none." She drew in a shaky voice. "If you want a reason why any respectable shinigami would ever trust me after all that, ask Hitsugaya-taichou. I tried to kill him and yet he's forgiven me and entrusted me with the leadership of what is probably the single most powerful team in the shinigami's efforts against our captors."

Her moment of strength faded because even she didn't know the answer to why Hitsugaya trusted her. Fresh tears fell from her eyes and she yelled at Byakuya, her voice cracking, "ASK HIM!"

"That is enough." The nurse's voice was like the crack of a whip through the air; her decidedly refined British accent only made her sound that much colder. "You should all be ashamed of yourselves."

Nurse Pritchard swooped in from what seemed like nowhere, two rather burly orderlies in two. She stopped a safe distance from the group, arms crossed over her chest in an unmistakable posture of utter disapproval. The orderlies closed in, just in case anyone was thinking of throwing another punch.

It was all Rangiku could do not to flash step over there and use a few of her nastier Rukongai tricks on him for what he did. Her eyes blazed with anger as she took a few steps forward. How dare he?! Hadn't Momo been through enough? Was this the graciousness of the nobility? And he was nothing here! Nothing! It made the street urchin remaining inside her hiss and snarl to see it.

But then another person intervened and Rangiku caught herself just in time when she spotted the nurse approaching. No, she'd bide her time for now and let Hitsugaya know what had occured. She didn't like Byakuya and at the moment, she'd trust Gin more with their goals than some stuffy noble who couldn't adjust to the fact that things didn't work the same way here.

Her eyes caught a flash of silver and she smiled wryly in Gin's direction. Should have known. She wanted to talk to him at some point anyway and if it pissed off their dear Kuchiki-sama well... she wasn't really in a charitable mood.

The blow landed squarely, forcing the air out of Byakuya's lungs; his reflexes, it seemed, were worse for this imprisonment. Hmph. It hurt, of course, and forced him to both cough rather unrefinedly, and take a knee, due to a sudden bout of unsturdiness; however, something as severe as vomiting was simply out of the question. He'd endured the agony of muscle being carved from bone; compared to such a thing, this was a minor inconvenience. Only by comparison, though; objectively, it was still extremely painful.

He was about to answer Hinamori's demand, that he ask Hitsugaya about said captain's trust in her, when the nurse approached. Her voice was jarring, having all the characteristics of a slap in the face. The worst part, though, was that she was right. On some level, he was ashamed at his behaviour. Not that he would admit it, of course... he still had a fragment or two of his ego left unmolested. Very small fragments, but they were still present.

Rising to his feet, he took a deep breath, long enough to allow him to think. He'd done enough... no, far more than enough damage. He needed to leave, to get away, before he really did shatter the last of that child's psyche. Whatever his opinion of her, she was, at least, useful to the resistance; to continue to be so useful, she needed to be mentally stable. He was clearly not helping that situation.

"It is, indeed, enough. I will take my leave now," Byakuya said, curtly; with that, he turned to leave.

Signum had to admit the nurse projected well. And that it was mildly impressive of Byakuya to just pick himself up and walk off after an attack by a near-stranger. She would have wanted to make a real fight of it, in his position.

"We're done." she informed the nurse, allowing neither of those concessions to color her voice. She'd be damned if she was going to allow the slightest appearance of having been cowed by the orderlies, even if she'd seen enough mealtime altercations to know that they'd probably prove more than equal to the task of subduing her no matter how she fought them.

The suggestion that she ought to be feeling shame right now was just more evidence that she wasn't meant for this kind of environment. She'd gotten exactly as angry as she wanted to be. Nothing wrong with that.

"Are you well?" She turned to ask of Momo. Might as well play the rest of her hero bit before any potential sedation.

At this point, Momo had managed to subdue the vocalization of her crying though the tears still feel from her eyes and her breathing was shaky and ragged. Her eyes watched Byakuya as he started to leave and then were drawn back to Signum when the knight turned to her, reminding her that she still had a hold of the knight's shirt with one hand as if it had been a lifeline. And yet she couldn't quite bring herself to let go.

She brought her other hand to her mouth and checked to see how much her lip was bleeding. At this point it had mostly stopped and other than the red mark on her face and the slight swelling, physically she was alright despite the fact that she was still trembling. Mentally though was another question.

"I think so," she said quietly. "Thank you for stopping him." The nurses were there so she needed to play up being an ordinary non-shinigami girl top these people. Maybe it would stop them from sedating Signum. She sniffled and looked over at the nurse. "He was such a mean bully."

Her eyes flickered over to meet Signum's and she was sure her current state of brokeness was apparent in them. Any courage and anger she'd had from Byakuya's insult to her station had fled and there was effectively two twigs holding back the torrid of pain that would fall any moment. She needed to get away from the nurses and, she finally admitted to herself, cry like she'd been needing to since the moment she woke up in this place.

Sadly, Signum was not the fluffy, cry-on-the-shoulder type she needed right then.

[[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/245488.html?thread=17604336#t17604336).]]

Hokuto came up to her group quietly; she'd missed nearly all of the confrontation, but she could guess enough. Her opinion of Byakuya had gone from approximately neutral to negative; if she was lucky, she'd manage to avoid talking to him herself. She could handle being spoken to harshly, or hit, but when someone did it to one of her friends...

"Rough day?" she asked softly, putting a hand on Momo's shoulder. She wondered if she should have been here, but--this more than likely hadn't been planned. Even if it had been, judging from how upset Momo was something had definitely gone wrong.

[[moving up to pester Rangiku]]

Gin took the smile as an invitation, which he returned, taking his time to walk over to see her. While his smiles were usually seen as devious, showing nothing but a mind full of wicked designs, hers were flirtatious, sensual in a way he had yet to master.

It didn't take long to reach her, though he let his eyes drift occasionally to the scene not far from them. "Nice day for a walk, ne?" he asked, offering his hand. It was his own open invitation, unless she'd rather stay for the show, though it looked to be winding down.

Day 28: Morris Park

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