The Human World, Karakura Town

„You really ought to train your skills in archery more Ryota…"

Ryota sighed, he was sitting in a white, somewhat soft sofa, while the older quincy, those responsible for training exercises. And they were still spouting the same old drivel that they had been force-feeding him for years on end, something he was quite simply sick of. Even his little display earlier had done little to quell their prattle; on the contrary, it had merely prompted them to nag at him with renewed vigour, instead using his display as an example of what he could achieve if he only applied himself properly… Now he had to sit there and listen to old men who knew nothing blather on about pointless topics… the uselessness of his close combat training, his value to the quincy, how he shouldn't be associating with those of unpure status… the list went on and on…

"… and really, the practicalities of such as move against a more powerful opponentare somewhat lacking. It seems that it would only really seem to slow such a foe down-" They got no further as Ryota sighed loudly and got up, sighing as he did so.

"Tscheh….. You do know I just completed that training exercise, don't you? Perhaps it'd be better to lecture me when I've actually failed or disappointed you in a reasonably disastrous way." He turned, walking out of the room, the others silent due to his audacity. "Anyways" He muttered, half to himself "Seeya."

The Gardens of the 10th Division

One of the more obscure facts about the late captain of squad 10 was his intense obsession for gardening. It is said that in his final years, he spent many hours tending to the small plot of land that he owned by the barracks, cultivating it into a beautiful spectacle, a splendorous array of brilliant yellow daffodils transforming the outer edge of the barracks into a beauteous scene, the sun's golden light cascading overhead, reflecting off the daffodils in a myriad different ways.

This was where Mio often found herself coming to in recent weeks. The soothing nature of the garden relaxed her, often helping her in finding clarity when her thoughts were troubled… A state of mind all too familiar to her these days, with the situation in Hell, and the mysteries of Sakamoto…

"Damn!" she cursed, through gritted teeth. It was just typical of her life to throw so many complications her way just when she had achieved the rank of captain that she had worked so hard for. It quite simply frustrated her to the bone.

Interrupting her moment of introspection, a voice surprisingly soft spoke…

"Something on your mind, my dear?"

Karakura Town

Ryota sighed, leaning back on a park bench, watching the stars pass by in the dark night sky. He was really beginning to get tired of those old men telling him what to do… He would probably have left the family, were it not for the fact that he knew that his brother would likely discipline him on his return from the talks with the Fullbringers in Naruki City… suppressing a shudder, he turned his mind to more pleasant things…

"Hello there, my Quincy friend!" A cheerful, yet weirdly pitched voice rang out across the empty park, as if somebody had distorted an elephant's bellow. Ryota grinned, instantly recognizing the voice, indeed the perfect person he knew for "more pleasant things"

"Hey there Xing" Ryota straightened, sitting up to greet the new arrival. In front of him stood a thickly man in his early 20s, features hinting at a vague oriental heritage, possibly originating from the mainland, possibly the land once known as China. He wore his hair in one long braid reaching to his knees, and had a thick, matted beard, both of which were dyed an alarming shade of pink. The most curious thing about this man however, was the strange ring that he wore on the middle finger of his right hand, in which there was set a dark gem, fastened by silver clasps. If someone were to stare deeply into the gem, they would feel drawn into it's very essence, losing themselves amongst the darkness of the seemingly bottomless object. "You do know that people might take you more seriously if you actually talked in a normal voice?"

"Heh, I don't recall a time where I've needed people to take me seriously…. People make do, as they always will…"

"True enough, you fullbringers always seem happy enough with your lot in life…. I wish the same could be said for us Quincy…" He said… a strong tone of wistfulness in his voice..

Xing smiled emphatically, placing his hand on Ryota's shoulder "Don't worry about it… You Quincy aren't all that bad… they have you, see?"

Squad 10

Mio turned rapidly, hair whipping across the wind, her right hand falling instinctively to the hilt of her zanpaktou. From the corner of the garden, where the wall of the barracks met a wood fence, a solitary figure emerged from the shadows, holding up his hands in mock surrender, a daffodil held by the stem between his fingers.

"Now now… I mean you no harm… I simply feel it is in my interests to see what could perturb a fellow captain so…."

Realization dawned upon Mio as the figure strode easily into the light, revealing a well built man, his blonde tinged brown hair swaying across his face in the breeze… She knew of this man, his habit of wearing his captain's haori loosely over his right shoulder like a cloak distinguishing him from the other captains. She relaxed her grip on her zanpaktou, though a keen observer would notice the wariness in her stance. She had heard disturbing rumours about this one….

"I don't believe that we've been formally introduced" She said, keeping her tone level.

"Oh my, have I not given you my name? How terribly rude of me" A smile flitted across his face, reminding Mio of the way a shark would look at it's prey. "I am, as I'm fairly sure you're aware, the captain of the 11th division, known as Kenpachi, Kenpachi Tsubasa… However, a beautiful lady such as yourself…. You may call me Yushi."

"Enchanted I'm sure…" Mio muttered dryly "Now if we could cut to the chase, Tsubasa…. You can tell me why you are here."

Yushi recoiled in mock horror, the selfsame shark smile staying upon his face. "What are you implying? That I, an esteemed captain would have no business paying a social visit to a fellow captain? Oh my….. How hurtful." He took a half step forwards, and Mio immediately stepped back, keeping her eyes locked firmly upon him. "You are however correct….. In my case, one such as I does hear certain…." he paused, seemingly relishing every word he spoke "Rumours shall we say, of a rather feisty female captain tracking down and summarily knocking out a truant squad member…. She even dragged him all the way back to the barracks… imagine that? One must admit that a certain interest is warranted in such a situation…. Especially when the truant in question had achieved a certain infamy many years ago….."

That certainly grabbed the attention of Mio, ignoring her earlier wariness, she forcefully stepped forwards, her face mere centimeters away from that of Yushi's. "What do you know of Sakamoto?!"

The smile widened, if that were possible… "What do I know?" He asked playfully… "Oh… this and that, rumours mainly… I wouldn't want to be the one to inform you falsely. However, I believe I can give you some small advice on the matter…. Simply remember this… the vacancy that you filled isn't the only one of it's kind."

Mio's mouth formed a perfect "o" as comprehension dawned… The one other vacancy for a captain's position had been left untaken for many years, before she had even graduated from the Academy…. The 2nd division.

"You mean….." she muttered, half to herself… a thousand different possibilities rushing through her head

"If I were you, it wouldn't be me I'd be asking captain… ask yourself this, what is better, a second hand account? Or first hand? And who would best be able to answer such a question?"

"Sakamoto…." Mio turned, and begun to walk away

"Wait right there captain!" Yushi called, his voice a sibilant whisper. Suddenly he appeared in front of her, blade flashing out of the sheath and sweeping towards Mio in a dangerous arc. Caught off guard, Mio barely had the time to draw her blade, stopping the blow just before it would have reached her, the very force of the blow sending her skidding backwards.

"What the hell do you think you're doing Tsuba-"

"Take my advice" He interrupted "Challenge him to a duel, there is nothing quite like a clash of two zanpaktou to determine truth…. I can already feel the doubt in your blade." Ignoring Mio's angry outburst, he vanished suddenly, leaving only a lifeless daffodil and his last words floating in the air.

"I'll be watching, I'm sure your prowess will be quite exquisite…"

AN: Yaay… finally got a new chapter up… apologies for the wait, at least the majority of my schoolwork is finished now , sadly the next releases for the next couple of months will still be somewhat irregular, moving country which should prove to be somewhat of a hassle

Anyways, back onto the topic of the story, I'm really enjoying writing Yushi, I felt like going for a different feel that what would be considered the norm for a Kenpachi and it's working out pretty well in my opinion.

Thanks to everyone for the positive reviews so far, and I hope you enjoy! ^^