Bleach Hereafter RPG

If Satsuki had been oozing with confidence, then this candidate would seem to lack it altogether. However, there also appeared to be a noticeable pattern with the candidates so far.

"Mother, did you have a type in mind when you chose them?" whispered Asahi. Homura chose to ignore this comment, instead addressing the nervous woman in front of her.

"It's quite all right, dear. Please set yourself at ease and introduce yourself," she said in a gentle, motherly tone.

"I-I'm K-Kaoru Kosaka, 5th Division," she said. "I... I'll be in your care... Huh?! Rekka-san?? I mean, Third Seat Hageshi?? I mean--"

Kaoru began flailing her arms around due to being flustered, but Rekka and Homura gave her reassuring looks, and Natsu gave her a cookie, causing her to calm down somewhat.

"Oh, it's you, Kaoru-san!" Rekka, for once, smiled genuinely, and gave a thumbs-up. "How's 5th doing for you?"

"Fine... I guess..." Kaoru replied, somewhat more comfortable

"I'll take it from here, Mother," said Rekka before continuing. "Kaoru is a friend from the Academy, and she was also in 9th when I became an officer, though she mostly stuck to desk work and was my squad member Osaka's friend too. Then she got shifted to 5th."

"While it's good that you're friends to begin with, what abilities does she have?" asked Homura.

"My release is actually forbidden to be used unless commanded by an informed officer of Third Seat or higher," Kaoru said. "However, I make up for it with expertise in Kido."

"Yeah, I know what her Shikai does and it's better off not to use it here," said Rekka. By the way, your clan totally put ya up to this, didn't they? I know ya have certain principles about love and marriage that you're very serious about, and marrying me for power probably violates most of them."

"T-thank you for your concern, Rekka-san, but my personal views are a small price to pay for my duty to my family," Kaoru said, her purple eyes downcast so the Hageshi clan wouldn't have to see them misting up. "Besides, marrying a friend like you isn't so bad even if you don't feel love the way others do."

"That's nonsense," Rekka said. "Our principles are what make us who we are. Do you remember Iroh, Kaoru-san? That's a man who stuck by his principles, and it made him one of the best Shinigami we know. And what we believe in can get us very far in life; ya don't even need to look beyond this room to see evidence of that. Also, love isn't something we feel. It's something we do regardless of how we feel."

"Kaoru-san, are you capable of marrying me while still remaining true to your beliefs, regardless what your family makes you do? Once you have your answer, come back and let us know."

"I will," Kaoru said, finally smiling for once before preparing to make her leave. "I'll come back when I can answer you, Rekka-san."

My son sure has grown... thought Homura.

Apparently, the next candidate was familiar to the young Hageshi.

Kosaka Kaoru-san, a very talented and yet timid shinigami from the 5th Division. While nothing of her features except her long black hair reminds him of his friend and sister to his dear mentor, Kanemi Asuka, he couldn’t help but remember her and was even tempted to ask Kaoru about her.

He parted his lips, ready to ask for his adopter’s whereabouts when he remembered this meeting isn’t about him. At least, not anymore, when he refused the invitation, agreeing to become a matchmaker instead.

Kaoru. Like Asuka, she seemed to be a bibliophile as well. From the way she carried herself, she didn’t seem to have enough social experience, though her relationship with Rekka seemed to be a plus. They might even have the right chemistry; thus a possibility of marriage could very well take place, if Rekka wants it.

It would indeed be easier to marry a friend than a total stranger. Though there are also the rarest gems of two people unknown to each other getting along pretty well. Both have been experienced by the Vice-Captain in the person of his lover, though in separate identities; albeit his relationship with Ayame didn’t progress to that, and he was still looking forward to asking for Yukari’s hand soon.

His daydreaming came to a halt when the young Hageshi addressed his potential partner, asking her, as if a taunt, to accept his challenge of marrying him while staying true to her beliefs.

“Zan’nen da ne…” He thought to himself as he truly saw potential in this relationship.

“Arigatou gozaimasu, Kosaka-san.” The Vice-Captain said, bowing and offering a smile to the lady.

Once the lady Kaoru leaves, he’d turn to the young Hageshi with a pat on his back, “I thought you’d get along pretty well with her.”

Next up, probably the last for this session, at least, was a girl with platinum blonde hair, hazel eyes as bright as the sun…

Hyakuji widened his eyes for a brief moment, as the girl resembled someone so dear to him… if not for the difference in their complexion, he’d probably indeed mistaken her for his lover…

Composing himself once again, exuding a stoic expression as ever, he greeted the lady and asked her to introduce herself,

“Lovely as the day, ojou-san. What is your name?”

[404]

“I thought you’d get along pretty well with her.”

Hyakuji appeared to have been lost in thought prior to his remark, for if he had been paying attention, Rekka and Kaoru were indeed getting along.

"Not that we wouldn't get along, Senpai," Rekka replied. "It's just that I couldn't live with making Kaoru-san go against her principles. After all, both of us know that Ninth places great value on being true to yourself."

After Kaoru left, the next candidate entered, which seemed to cause a stronger than average reaction from the Vice Captain and an equally strong reaction from Rekka, who was taking a water break at the time and did a spit take at her opening words.

"YUKINA-SAN DAISHOURI! TODAY IS THE DAY I FINALLY GET TO DOMINATE REKKA!!"

At this, Homura and Natsu also did spit takes.

"YOU'VE GOT THE WRONG IDEA!" All three Hageshi said simultaneously.

"Actually, she has the right idea," Asahi sighed. "She means it both ways, y'know."

"You know Yukina has spent the greater part of a century engaging Rekka in needless competition, Asahi, so I will give the both of you the chance to explain before she is kicked out of the venue." Homura said sternly.

"She came to me beforehand, demonstration and all, and asked to be signed up," Asahi replied. "I'll let her explain."

At this point, Yukina was making an incredibly uncharacteristic moe face, which somehow made her look more like a useless death god than actually cute.

"I... I've actually liked Rekka-kun all this time!!" She finally managed to spit her confession out, then promptly collapsed in a daze.

"NANI?!" Once again, three out of four present Hageshi were flabbergasted.

"It's true," Asahi explained. "Yukina liked Rekka since the beginning. But since she didn't know how to express her feelings, and my brother is denser than the Kenpachi's skull, she ended up competing with him and showing off so he'd notice her."

"Well, she certainly is strong and skilled enough, not to mention persistent, but is it really possible to get lost in translation for that long?" Homura wondered. "What say you, Rekka?"

Rekka took a while to respond, as it was still sinking in for him. "I suppose Yukina isn't the worst person to spend the next couple of centuries with, but bruh, ya could've just asked to be friends instead of racing me to school and back home every day. Not to mention all the duels and dares ya forced me into."

He went over to the still collapsed Yukina and crouched while offering his hand for her to get up. "I'll be marrying for power, and I don't think I'll ever like you or anyone else back. Will you still be fine with that, Yukina?"

Yukina's face turned almost as red as her potential fiance's eyes, but she took his hand regardless and got up. "A-as long as it's Rekka-kun..."

However, a butterfly landed on Rekka's shoulder. Upon closer inspection it was made of origami.

"Eh?"

Everyone turned to look at it as a "To Be Continued" sign from a certain anime flashed on screen.

Of course. It was not the girl he had left in the World of the Living. This girl by his side was Yukina, who was more lively and comical than Yukari. While they might possess almost the same features, the lover’s personality was completely different from his kouhai’s potential bride-to-be.

And again, another close friend of his. Or likely…

While the first candidate was more vulgar with her wardrobe, this lady here seemed to be more blatant with her words, casually declaring that she was going to…

“...”

“Dominate?”

Did he hear her correctly? Hyakuji looked around, studying the reactions of the fellows inside the room with him. The confused expression was still hidden in his ever stoic face but the little frown would help anyone confirm their thoughts if they were ever curious.

“Ahem…”

Hyakuji tried to break in. This matchmaking was quite distressful from what he had initially imagined. He thought it was something personal and private, but here also in the same room was the family of the groom, examining the candidates like they were judges in a talent contest, if he was speaking mortal.

After some consideration on Rekka had said, Hyakuji stood up and faced the matriarch, who while only concerned about her clan's situation is still the main culprit in this fool’s show.

“Homura-san…”

“I understand the need of your family. Why you are doing this. I know, it is out of the son’s duty to obey their parents. And I believe Rekka-kun had no intention in disobeying you…” he began, at first staring directly into the lady’s gaze. Her fiery eyes did not deter him from speaking from what was in his heart. He barely knew her, as well as the rest of the Hageshi except for Rekka’s ancestors who had been with him during the Shinigami-Quincy War.

“...but… isn’t it also his privilege to be cared for by them? Have you really asked what he really wanted to do in life? I think… there are other ways to restore a clan’s power. While true, these kinds of ceremonies had already been a custom, a culture in fact, so well ingrained in us. How about we break that tradition and start forming one anew? I believe in Rekka-kun. He would do greater things later in life. I can see it.”

Of course, there was still no certainty in that. But Hyakuji hoped nonetheless. He had no power to look into the far future, only heightened instincts that most of the time certain things are probable.

Even then, he wanted to believe.

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