Way of the Hoe [Closed | Yuki]

It had been a week since his attempt to disperse an unruly group and he had gotten to know few of the people involved. One of which still insists on fighting him, one Yuki Kameko to sling names. He began to wonder if it was the right thing to do to tell her to come here in seven days, considering how vague it was, it'd be better off not saying anything.

The makeshift arena located on the far corners of seireitei, stuck in the borders between Fifth and Sixth squad and was flagrantly abused by Shinigami with lust for violence. Thankfully, the first squad finally took action and shut down these unsanctioned fights, but shinigami still insisted on flaunting their orders.

That's where Rei comes in. His black long sleeves were rolled up and bound by thin rope coiled around his shoulders and armed with a large garden hoe with a long wooden shaft had managed to not only uproot the makeshift arena but also scared off those who were looking for a good time.

He does wonder if Yuki did come here looking for a good time? With the additional long shafted hoe along with a large trolly full of tools, she is sorely mistaken.

Everything should be in order. Nothing to keep us from letting loose today.

For once Yuki had gone through the administration, had filled out papers and requested a pass to conduct one fight upon the makeshift arena grounds between her and one other person. Of course she had to leave her opponent's name on the application blank. She hadn't departed with that knowledge last time. Perhaps this time she would catch it.

I still don't see the point.

Hm?

Of the pass. If they want to punish you it means more fights. Breaking the rules really only works in your favor.

Respect.

That really had been the only reason for it. She had spent a couple hours at the first division and five more days of waiting out of respect. Not for her opponent, of course, although he did reserve some measure of respect for beating her to a draw. Nao and Zenji, two Shinigami she respected for different reasons.

You needn't bother with them.

They are good people and they are both strong. Respect is the least they deserve.

Unfortunately for Yuki today was not going to begin quite how she'd imagined it. Her pace picked up as she rounded the corner of the fifth's headquarters building, noticing the state of their little dirt arena. It had been torn up! The culprit had of course been the sixer.

As she reached the edge of the arena Yuki came to a stop. "Hello again sixer. What is all this about? Was our last match not enjoyable enough for your tastes? I don't really mind fighting on uneven ground, but this is unexpected" spoke the pint sized Shinigami, only to pause and lower her head. "Ah. Yes. There is something I must apologize for before we begin. Last time I did not catch your name, nor did I offer my own. I am Yuki Kameko."

What was she referring to? The makeshift arena, the gardening tools or perhaps the lack of hostility lingering in the air? Or perhaps the upturned arena that stood before her?

"Who said we're going to fight?" He said, raising the hoe up into the air. The metal head reflected from the sunlight before swinging it down to the stubborn ground with a sudden smack, "I merely said come back here in seven days."

He began to wonder how long it must've taken them to create a perfectly encircled arena and able to maintain, for Sabitsura Rei, it took him six days to uproot half of the arena, every hour at the end of his duty, comes rain or shine, he sings. He doesn't know many songs, but one had clung onto him during his pilgrimage to Gotei six.

"I know," he replied with a curt smile, finally taking a break from uprooting. Yuki Kameko, the head noble of a dying family. He didn't think too much at first, but after witnessing her once more during his stint on Earth, he had been asking about her.

She was dipping her head, Rei sharply replied, "If you're a noble, you shouldn't be dipping your head, not to a lowly unseated sixth, Sabitsura Rei."

What?

REMOVE HIS HEAD!

No way.

HE BETRAYED YOUR TRUST!

What did he say exactly?

IT DOESN'T MATTER! CUT! HIM! DOWN!

Her right hand settled upon her hip, one claw gently tapping at her side in thought. He had called her a beast. He had told her to return in a week's time. He stated that she'd find the conclusion she craved. Nothing about fighting, but the way he worded it suggested as such. The wolf's tail swatted at the air in agitation behind her.

"Nobles do not deserve the respect that they have not earned" she replied with just a little hint of a snarl.

This was exactly the reason for her disdain. The sixer, this Sabitsura Rei, was a righteous soul, a man so dedicated to justice that he would fight for it, no matter how small the transgression. That on its own deserved respect. But in their society even he would be expected to lower his head for the lazy and inept, for the criminal, to the very sort of people he fought against all because of one little word: nobility.

Getting sidetracked.

"Tearing up the arena is not exactly something I crave. You did say that, did you not? That I would crave whatever conclusion I beheld today? So what exactly are we doing here?"

"You are right," he spoke with a warm smile. His swinging motion of his hoe and the deft wrist movement had struck the land deep with minimal effort, "You still have my respect." He paused for a moment, considering his next words, "I was worried of your well being the last time we met. I hope you are well."

He jerked the Hoe back, spilling the soil from underneath and lifted it once again, His footwork was in a basic Kendo stance, one foot straight ahead with the rear foot horizonally, The rear began to slide back followed by his front once his rear gained enough weight to do so.

"Oh? Did I?" He mused. To be fair, he couldn't remember the rest of the day, her knee strike caused a number to his head and it only a repetitive movement on his day to day work kept him active. What was it, he pondered? He dropped his hoe long enough to question her parapharsing.

"I guess I did. Well…"

He let out a deep sigh, pacing over to the trolley to grab a towel to ward off the sweat from reaching his uniform.

"What if I said that the conclusion that you crave is not the conclusion you are looking for?"

He had been worried? Of course. The last time they had met was during that foray to Earth. It had been quite a mess, hadn't it? She had suffered some nasty wounds, but they had already healed up thanks to the power of kido.

"I do appreciate the worry. And the respect."

She dug into her robes with her left hand, tugging out a small scroll. Claws idly played with the edges while she observed Rei's hard work. How long had this taken him? He certainly was dedicated to removing one of her little hobbies, wasn't he?

"Do you know what this is?" she asked, holding up the pass. "I spent a couple hours down at the first division. Waited days. It is a pass for one sanctioned fight between two designated individuals. My name is already signed upon it. We may still fight here and it would be entirely legal."

Of course she didn't hand it over just yet. Who knows what he might do with it. So it returned to her side. "Still. I am curious. Which is the conclusion that you believe I am searching for?"

"Oh?" He stopped upon hearing about the pass. This was the first time he had heard about the pass for unsanctioned duel? Rei plopped his Hoe down for a moment and approached her, "and you say that you waited hours or days?" He thought she's telling porkies, especially considering her nobility, she could just get just about anything within minutes.

Even if they do sign up for a fight, he would never want to fight here again, especially now that the makeshift arena, so he asked her a curious question, "why do you want to fight me? I'm not that interesting and I'm sure you'd find a much better person to test yourself…"

He subtly ignored her last question, by leaning towards her with a curt smile and a glare, pressing her a curious question, "Are you infatuated with me? Am I in any threat about having to take your hand in marriage?"

"Five days, yes. It took about two hours to complete the form itself."

She could have rushed it through. It most certainly would have been possible for her to get someone else to do it. Hell, she could have ignored the process altogether. But she tried not to abuse the rank she held in society, after all that would make her just as despicable as the rest of them.

Well, most of them.

All of them.

Oh? What's this? He was approaching her? Were they actually going to fight? Even if he decided not to sign his name she really didn't mind. Yuki had done what she could to make it legal for the sake of her friends. If Rei broke the rules then it really wasn't on her now was it?

In fact Rei was getting close. Real close. Within striking range in fact! Her left hand unconsciously drifted to her side, fingers settling gently upon the tsuba of her zanpakuto. She was ready. Ready for a fight, for his attack. But he didn't attack.

Huh.

ANOTHER ONE?!

"That certainly isn't the strangest proposal I've ever had. No. Such an idea had not crossed my mind, although I am surprised that you would bring up such a thing" she responded, gently prodding the man's chest with the scroll. "Is this the conclusion you speak of? A marriage? If so then I must unfortunately decline. As I told Watari I am not ready for such things. There is too much to do."

'That long' he thought to himself. Though as much he wanted to question her time in preparing her documents, he chose to take her words as truth. Sabitsura Rei would politely smile at her determination to fight him, and the smile turned to a mild laughter from her response, his body responded with hilarity, relaxing himself, resting against the hoe.

"I was far ahead of myself, but I wanted to see your reaction," he spoke with a rare jovial tone. Rei was adamant in not fighting today, but her response got him curious about her bucket list. "So, what were your hopes and dreams?" His curious tone ringed. She mentioned Watari, a fellow Sixth Squad and another noble had made his attempt. "Well, it's hardly surprising considering how strong you are," he let out a deflated sigh in between his words, feigning his disappointment by looking away, "I wish you should stop getting all beaten up! I'm not fighting you just so you can get beat up even more. What are you a masochist?"

"But, I will sign it on two conditions."

He mocks you, teases you, thinks you a fool!

It was just a joke. Probably.

Her hopes and dreams? It was a fair question, wasn't it? Wait, was he trying to be friendly with her? Was this another chance to make a friend?! She couldn't squander such a thing!

"I hope to become captain of the fifth. Abolish the nobility. Eradicate those who are subjugating the people. Give those people a chance for something greater in life. See my family's reputation restored to what it was."

Yuki's response was perhaps a little too curt, but then he had asked and she was not going to lie to him about it. Besides, did it really matter how brief it was? Sharing the information was the main point to these things. Of course she had held off on another one of her hopes. She was getting around to it! It was just a bit more embarrassing than the rest.

"And make friends I suppose" mumbled the wolf, gaze turning away from the sixer. "Also I know not exactly why Watari desires my hand. It honestly still confuses me. I suppose it could be my strength. Or perhaps because he fears me. I don't really know. Economically it makes no sense. Nor would it strengthen his clan."

Now she really was curious. She needed to know from someone else, get another point of view on this. Maybe there was something she was missing. So she turned to face Rei once more. "What do you look for in a marriage candidate? Say you weren't joking. Why would you marry someone like me?"

It warmed her heart a little to know that he cared about her safety, especially given how they met in the first place. Of course another part of her wondered what his play was. Perhaps it wasn't genuine worry. Maybe he just wanted to get on her good side.

I'm sure it is legitimate.

You know that it isn't.

"I enjoy hunting and I enjoy fighting. Also gardening. Maybe drinking too. Getting beaten up is just something you get used to. It is a part of my job. Also it doesn't really count as getting beaten up if you win the fight."

He had two conditions for signing. She was actually perfectly fine with not fighting him today. Still, she was curious. "Which conditions?"

"That sounds like a good dream," he let out a soft sigh. It wasn't a bad sign or anything untowards Yuki. It was generally a good dream for an ignorant being. Maybe she will hit that dream, maybe she'll fall part way. Her words gave him pause for consideration, maybe it was a good dream to follow. Would he follow it too?

Now that Rei mentioned it, does he have a dream to go by? He was going to drop this line of thought until her addendum to her dreams sparked a warm smile from the Sixth squad.

"I lied,.." he uttered quietly, the gentle wind breezed through the two rustling their clothes, Yuki continued speaking and it was his next words that was swallowed up by her hypothesis, his next words were brief, fleeting, his mouth was barely open as he spoke, "that's a wonderful dream."

He doesn't really know why Watari wanted her hands in marriage, in fact it was the first time he heard about this. Watari, Watari, Watari. He kept hearing this name like he's a hotshot. Maybe so, but he felt indifferent about the gentleman. He thought making him a rival might be a good motivation to improve.

"Me? Well,.." a little embarrassed tone emitted from his lips and looked up at the skies. He never thought that a joke could take the center of the conversation. To his admittance, he never was taken. He was dedicated to his work and before that, his pilgrimage to the heart of Soul Society. If a woman asked, Rei would give it a try, but deep down, he wanted more for himself.

But still…

"I don't really know. I feel that marriage should feel natural, not forced. I don't believe in the concept of true love," Rei signed yet again, but then continued, "but…I would like to stand besides someone who is strong-minded, sure and able to rebut whatever I say with certainty. I would love to have someone who I can lean on and for her to lean on me when things get tough. Sure we would probably be fighting all the time, but we would be fighting out of our love."

"that and someone shorter than me is a huge plus!" He refrained that comment only to his thoughts.

In regards to the condition, he stood upright and looked at Yuki. With a warming smile:

"Only two conditions: one, be my friend and two: the stipulation for fighting is to the death."

Her ears twitched. Had Rei said something while she spoke? It sounded like it. Unfortunately she had been so focused on figuring out just why Watari wanted her as a wife that she had missed it. Still, he had whispered whatever it was. Perhaps she wasn't meant to hear it?

Probably nothing important. Just admitting his betrayal of you.

Arms crossed over her chest as she listened to Rei's explanation. She had to agree with him on the first point: natural marriages were the only good way to go. Only nobility forced people to marry other people, shackled them to people they didn't even know. And for what? Money? Reputation? Land? None of it was worth a person's life.

Nor did she really understand the concept of true love, but she did personally believe in the idea that it could happen. It probably didn't happen to everyone though. She doubted if she'd ever experience it herself. Still, it was a nice dream for some people.

She nodded repeatedly in agreement with each of Rei's ideas about the perfect mate. Someone who could think for themselves, who was not easily dismantled. A people that could be trusted. And of course it was important that they be able to assist in important and possibly difficult matters. Fighting also sounded kind of nice, but only the type which involved swords.

Ah. Interesting conditions.

Acceptable!

"Very well."

Yes!

"The first condition is acceptable."

YES!

Yuki lifted the scroll, tearing it in half.

NO!

"Which disqualifies the second."

Of course she didn't toss the pieces onto the ground. That was littering and it would be rude. Especially in front of the sixer. So she instead held out the now torn application for Rei. Then she turned her gaze towards the fighting pit.

"By the way, you do know that tearing up the arena isn't going to do anything, right? Warriors of the fifth would fight here regardless."

Well, the ones that could call themselves warriors. Unfortunately they were lacking in those sorts these days. Many within the fifth only joined for the title, or because they believed it was the strongest division and simply wished to be on the winning side. It disgusted her.

Witnessing the paperwork being torn up right before her, invalidating all the work Yuki had made trying to get them in the first place was shocking. His shoulder slumped as she held it out before her. "You shouldn't have done that, Yuki." His tone was soft, his voice trailed off in disappointment. Instead he took one piece of ripped paper and waved it briskly, "I'll keep this for now, We'll make use of your half of the contract...the friendship, how about it?"

He thought that making unreasonable demands would make her resort to a compromise, but for her to rip it all up, giving up her desire to fight was nothing short of startling. He reached out to the shaft of the hoe and tucked his piece of paperwork in his uniform.

"Oh," he chirped, looking at the upturned fields, "I'm turning them into a garden. Mind you, I am doing it on the Sixth Division side. Your squad can decide how they do their side." He scuttled over to the cart and reached out for another Hoe. "Find something worth fighting for, I think a garden produced from your own hands is something worth fighting for."

What was that? Disappointment? Had Rei actually desired a fight? Was he playing coy this whole time? Or was it relief? No. She was right. As soon as he started to speak she knew it.

Now I almost feel embarrassed. Well. We can have our fight another time.

WHY?! WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!

It is better this way. I am better this way.

With the confirmation that their friendship had been established Yuki nodded once in agreement. Her tail even started to wag a little! Who would have thought that she would give up a fight in exchange for something like this? She wouldn't believe it a few months ago.

The remainder of the contract was shoved into a pocket within her robes. "A garden?" she mumbled. "I can get behind that. You need not limit it to the Sixth's side. What will you be growing? I grow strawberries at my estate. The best strawberries in Seireitei."

She followed the man over, fingers gently tugging at her sash. Her top was removed and folded up, set aside so that she could assist, revealing the bandages covering her torso and the many old, thin scars crisscrossing her body. Only then did she accept the other hoe, moving over to work on extending the tilled soil onto her side of the field. "You should come over sometime. And worry not. I'll make certain that nobody from the Fifth tramples upon our plot of land."

Hours passed, primarily spent working on the land, although there were brief stints of conversation scattered about. It was long, tiring work, but it was well worth it. A garden would separate the grounds used by the Fifth and Sixth divisions. However it would also act as a permanent bond between the two groups, perhaps something to foster healthier relations over in due time.

More importantly to Yuki, it would stand as a monument to a newly formed friendship. One of many recently forged. Hopefully one of many to come.


// EXIT THREAD