After you return home, you clean and bandage the wound on your side. You tell your adoptive mother that there's something you need to tell her, and she insists on preparing some tea before you go on. She also has the conversation begin with idle chatter about nothing particularly important. When she goes quiet, you take it as your cue to talk about yourself.
Shiori listens to your story patiently; you explain how you came to be and why you're incapable of feeling anything. When you finish explaining your origins to her, her expression is difficult to gauge. Your mother seems to be uncertain about how she should respond. Eventually, she does speak up using a calm and steady tone.
"I think your Captain wanted to tell me about that. At the time, I refused to listen. Do you know why I did that? I thought that your past didn't matter. After hearing all of that... I realized that I was right." As she says that, her small mouth curves into a warm smile. "Ryouta, you're not even close to the person you were back when I first took you in. That meek, dull-eyed boy really must have been emotionless. But the young man sitting before me now is my lovely son, without a doubt. Thinking about it now, it feels like those are two different people. So... it doesn't matter what you used to be, or how you came to be. Your past doesn't matter, because you're different now."
Shiori pauses, takes her cup into both hands and sips her drink. The tea must have grown cold by now, but she doesn't seem to mind. After that, she continues. "Ryouta, if you were to tell me that you don't feel anything now, I'd have a really hard time believing it. Everything you did for me and Miyu-chan is something I just can't chalk up to anything but love. Didn't you also tell me about how you've saved several people during your work even though you didn't need to? I'm sure if you've told those people about your troubles, they'd have a hard time believing it as well." She sets the teacup down.
"Even if one were to look at your situation from a coldly logical perspective, it just doesn't add up, don't you think so? But, you see, if you're not looking at it from that perspective in the first place, then that means that it isn't the only perspective you're capable of looking from."
She pauses again. So because you're not thinking from the perspective of raw efficiency alone... it's enough to call your beliefs about your lack of empathy into question? Her smile fades. "I'm not trying to say that your concerns aren't real. Don't think I'm not taking them seriously. I simply think the issue is different from what you believe it to be. You may have really been emotionless when you were first born, but then you've gradually grown into being able to guide your actions with morals and righteousness. You're doing things that aren't about cold efficiency because you feel that they're the right things to do. Even if you can't recognize it yet, you're acting exactly like a person with empathy; and whether you've learned to do so or had it in you all along is not really relevant. The end result is the same, after all. So that's why I think that... instead of being unable to feel them entirely, you simply don't know how to recognize your feelings."
"In other words, I think you might have developed something like a complex, Ryouta." She concludes.
It's... not something you can deny or accept with any degree of certainty. How do you even prove something like that? Whether she's right or wrong is something that only you can tell, but you can't. Whether that's because you lack emotions or, as she says, aren't able to recognize them... it still leads to the same outcome - you can't confirm or deny Shiori's thoughts.
(2/3)
Jayden Lopez
Nope.
Brayden Foster
"Undeniably, you've grown. You might not see it yourself, but I can. It may have been slow, but it was steady and it was most certainly real. I... can't wait to see what you'll be like in a few more years. You're already great, and knowing that you'll get even better... it makes me really happy." Shiori smiles again. This time, her smile is weaker, but it feels more genuine and heartfelt than before. "So... maybe you should quit being a Shinigami?" Your mother asks. Maybe she didn't mean for her words to sound so strained, but her voice makes it seem like a plea.
"I... don't think it's necessary for you to continue taking risks. Even if it contributed to your growth, I think you've established a sufficient foothold to continue on your own. I think it would be better if you lived here with me and Miyu-chan. Maybe we should convince her not to go to that Academy as well. What... do you think, Ryouta?"
She waits for your response with an expression that seems to be trying to, but simply can't hide its hopefulness.
...
>"I think you're right. I'll quit being a Shinigami." >"I don't think my issue is that simple." >"I think there's a guaranteed way to make me better. Coincidentally, it's exactly what I'm working on as a Shinigami." >Other. (Write-in).
I see nothing user, are you ok? You seem to be posting blanks.
Aaron Murphy
Maybe say that even if we wanted to do that, we're not sure if it's possible? Like without getting into specifics, say that Urahara wants us to do a very specific thing, and try to convey his reaction when we stood up to him about Miyu.
Even if he's never phrased it like that, dude has a LOT of leverage on us.
Also a lot of the people in squad 12 are perfectly safe doing their job and once we complete our mission, we don't see a reason to think we won't join them.
Finally, Miyu seems to have decided to be a shinigami on her own and we're not sure we want to discourage that.
Jayden Peterson
>>"I think there's a guaranteed way to make me better. Coincidentally, it's exactly what I'm working on as a Shinigami."
Nathan Fisher
>"I don't think my issue is that simple." >"I think there's a guaranteed way to make me better. Coincidentally, it's exactly what I'm working on as a Shinigami." Sorry I'm late!
Owen Brooks
In addition. Did Urahara convey to her that he built Miyu to be -really- strong?
Daniel Butler
I don't know, isn't she conveying that we don't need a wishing orb to become better, it's happening on its own? That kind of seems like it's dismissing what she's already noticed.
Isaiah Carter
Like I agree that retiring is an option, it's just that the path you're on leads to nowhere.
Zachary Wright
Voting over, writing!
David Rodriguez
"There's a guaranteed way to make me better, mother. It also happens to be part of my main work as a Shinigami. Instead of waiting for years for something that may or may not ever come, I think I could fix everything with that."
Still holding up her smile, Shiori reluctantly nods. "I won't argue. I trust you. If you think that it's the best way, Ryouta... I won't try to stop you. I won't go back on everything you've worked so hard on and tell you that you shouldn't do what you believe is right. Just... promise that you'll stay safe, okay? That's the only thing I ask."
It's a hard thing to promise, but you nod anyway. "I'll do my best. The work in the 12th is generally rather safe. It's rare for me to get into something dangerous."
After a slight pause, you decide to bring up Miyu, as Shiori has previously voiced a desire to bring her back home.
"Miyu needs the training to control her spiritual powers." You explain. "Well, once she's learned that, she should be able to quit whenever she wants to." Even the Captain shouldn't be able to force her to work for him against her will, after all.
"I know... And she's doing it of her own accord. I think it's great that she feels passionate about something. Oh, and Miyu-chan... she is the same as you, right?" She asks.
"Yes. That's how the Captain learned about me. He made Miyu." You take a sip of your tea. The drink really has gone cold. "Do you think we should tell her about it?"
(1/2)
Kayden Morgan
"I'll leave it to you, Ryouta. I know I might seem like an irresponsible parent by piling that responsibility on you, but only you know what you felt when you were told about it. You're the only one who can tell if it's necessary for your sister to go through the same thing. Has learning it made you a better person, or did the knowledge only bring you inconvenience? You should think about that and make your choice based on the answers."
At the time, you really didn't feel anything. But you suspect that even if your state was normal back then, you'd still have a hard time knowing how to take those news. After all, if you really think about it, how much did that change about you? Your goals largely remain the same even after learning it. Your behavior hasn't changed at all, either. And the future still remains as uncertain as ever.
Perhaps Miyu will take the news in a similarly impassive fashion. So the most important question here is whether or not the knowledge would help her grow into a better person.
...
>Tell Miyu about her origins as soon as you can. >Don't tell Miyu about her origins for now.
Jaxson Adams
>Don't tell Miyu about her origins for now.
Lucas Taylor
>Tell Miyu about her origins as soon as you can. I don't know, I feel like it will make it easier for her to -recognize- that she's growing into a better person, because if she knows that she'll have problems with emotions but can develop them, she might not develop the same complex we did?
Though I'm not sure if she needs the whole story to know that. Like the most important things are she has a brother and mother who cares about her, and regardless of what she was made to be, her path is her own to follow.
I'm pretty much just erring on the side of knowing what her deal is, and knowing she can get better, would be better than just wondering what's wrong with her.
Chase Harris
>Tell Miyu about her origins as soon as you can.
Robert Evans
There is an idea of a Tsukuda Ryouta; some kind of abstraction. But there is no real me: only an entity, something illusory. And though I can hide my cold gaze, and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable... I simply am not there.
Ryder Flores
Voting over, writing!
Isaac Edwards
Have you been reading the quest? That seems to be the opposite of the truth, as Shiori just pointed out.
Jeremiah Sanders
I know it's late, but I just find it funny that the quote was somewhat applicable.
Charles Kelly
Like the times we had that You seems to indicate that Ryouta doesn't need someone to breathe him to life, he just can't recognize himself.
...Honestly it kind of reminds me about the canon Bleach character who definitely also had Analytical Mind (though probably rank D). That dude could see how other people thought and felt just fine, but he had like... zero reflective ability.
Cameron Cooper
I don't know if it was the right call, like Shiori is right that it didn't really change much for us, but I think she might underestimate how important a "why" can be, even if it's not really very satisfying.
Like if someone has like major depression, knowing it's due to a chemical imbalance in their brain and it can be treated is better than them just thinking it's becuase there's something broken about them, right? I don't know, it's a really tricky issue.
Liam Flores
Later that day, you speak with Miyu in private.
"Do you know how you came to be, Miyu? Would you like to know?"
"Onii-chan, I know how babies are MADE. However, because this is Soul Society, I can't see how that would be relevant to me... Did you mean something ELSE?" The girl forcefully accentuates the ends of her sentences, as always. You can't say you expected her to bring something like that up, though. How did she even learn about that?
"It's... really not applicable at all here, yeah. And it isn't applicable not because of Soul Society, but because of who you are." You say. The white haired, golden eyed little girl diligently nods, prompting you to begin the story.
You explain to your little sister everything she needs to know. You tell her about the Shinigami's Asauchi, about Urahara Kisuke's experiments, about the results of his work and the side-effects of his creations. The century old conspiracies involving Aizen Sosuke are irrelevant here, so you leave them out.
As expected, her reaction is rather inexpressive. After listening to it all, Tsukuda Miyu asks a single question.
"Can I see the person I was based ON?"
"Why do you want to do that, Miyu?" You decide to ask. It's probably not an unreasonable concern, but you still can't help but wonder why. It's not something you'd like to see if it were you. Your little sister remains thoughtfully silent for a little while before she responds.
(1/2)
Noah Martin
"Soul Society is home to a countless number of people; it's impossible that all of them fit under the profile of the stereotypical dark-haired and dark-eyed japanese PERSON. But even so, there are there are only so many hair and eye colors that a human being may naturally HAVE. I know that my appearance stands OUT. It is UNIQUE. I had never seen, heard, or read of a real person who shares any traits of my APPEARANCE; I've asked mother to make sure, and she's confirmed it. But onii-chan, you say that there exists someone who is not only similar to me, but exactly like ME."
"I understand. You wish to see proof." You try to sum up her concerns.
"Please don't think I'm being distrustful towards YOU. I believe you, ONII-CHAN. But I'd like to see it for myself. I wish to know exactly how DIFFERENT or SIMILAR we are. I believe that's important. I can't say WHY."
...
>"I'll speak with the Captain and see what can be done." >"I think you shouldn't meet her. From what I understand, she's bedridden, most likely in a coma." >"Sorry, but you can't meet her." >Other. (Write-in).
Cooper Taylor
>"I'll speak with the Captain and see what can be done."
Jack Lee
>"I think you shouldn't meet her. From what I understand, she's bedridden, most likely in a coma."
"However, it's possible that Hikari knew who she was in the academy, so I could help you investigate there?"
Parker Rodriguez
Maybe say that unfortunately all she might get is a physical appearance and secondhand knowledge, just like us when we met our template?
Jason Williams
Like I don't know, I don't really want to talk her out of it, but just let her know what she's most likely to get?
Aiden Price
Voting over, writing!
Evan Hernandez
"From what I understand, she's bedridden, most likely in a coma. There may not be much point to meeting her."
Miyu, however, doesn't mind. "That's fine, ONII-CHAN. Comparing our appearances would be enough."
Then you suppose it's fine. As long as she knows what to expect, there's no harm in it. "I'll speak with the Captain and see if he can arrange something for you."
Miyu nods.
A few days later, you manage to get ahold of the man in question. Urahara Kisuke, upon hearing that the request to see the girl comes not from you but from your little sister, has quickly turned cooperative. He provides you with a key and directions within the underground laboratory. The girl is being kept there.
The Captain doesn't come along. You lead Miyu through the empty white halls yourself. The room is actually unlocked. Inside it's spacious, sterile, and just as blandly white as the rest of the building. This place smells of medicine and antiseptics, and looks just like any modern hospital room. Inside is a lone bed next to equipment for monitoring vital signs. A white haired girl lies in the bed, her eyes closed. You wonder how long she's remained in that deep sleep.
If she's comatose, then someone must have been coming here to take care of her. That must be why the door is unlocked.
You and Miyu approach the girl. She remains completely motionless.
"Will she really never wake up AGAIN...?"
"It appears so."
After that exchange, the two of you quietly observe.
(1/2)
Levi Ortiz
"She's the SAME..." Miyu eventually concludes. It's true. Everything is the same, down to the fingerprints. It's just like what you experienced in the Fourth District. The other girl is identical to your little sister, save for a few negligible differences originating from their environments.
Well, there is one detail that has remained unobserved as of yet.
Miyu sets her hand over the girl's face. Her fingers lightly lay on her eyelids. Their eyes are that lone uncertain detail. Are they the same? Are they different? Is that important? Regardless, the truth is just a tiny movement away.
Your sister hesitates. "Is this OKAY...? Can I do this without her PERMISSION."
"We can't get her permission right now, Miyu. She might never be able to grant it. Why do you feel that you need it? We're not doing anything wrong. This concerns you as much as it does her, after all."
"Are we not doing anything WRONG...?" Miyu repeats. "I'm not sure if I can agree. It's like looking at a MIRROR. It might be her resemblance to myself is what's frightening me so MUCH. I think this resemblance is what makes me think about what it would be like if I was in her PLACE. It's scary, like thinking about what happens when you die, even though I know that she isn't really DEAD. I'm not sure, but I think that even more than frightened, thinking about it makes me... sad." Her hand slides down the cheek of her bedridden reflection.
Miyu slides her thumb down the girl's lips. "But right now, it's merely a RESEMBLANCE. Right now, we are still two separate PEOPLE. Would there really be nothing wrong if I took that away, ONII-CHAN? It's just as you've said: it concerns me as much as it does HER. It isn't just one person who'll disappear if I do this; two unique people would cease to EXIST."
(2/3)
Jaxson Cruz
I don't really see how sharing the same appearance means they're the same person. Like we're not that guy from the Fourth District.
Brody Allen
In the end, Tsukuda Miyu takes her hand away from the girl.
"Does my reasoning make SENSE? I don't think it does... It's strange, ISN'T IT? I wanted to find out this exact thing, but I can't seem to go through WITH IT. It would be like stealing her life, and I can't do it." She mutters weakly.
She turns away from the girl and looks up at you. "Do you know why, ONII-CHAN? Do you know if this is NORMAL?"
"I think it's normal." You try to reassure her. Miyu doesn't want to stop being Miyu, and that's normal. It's just like how it was with you and your own replica. You were afraid of a stranger stealing your life. However, in Miyu's case, it seems that the fear has been reversed, turned into concern for the fate of another. That's... not a perspective you've considered before. Perhaps you haven't grown enough, after all.
You hug her. Her small body remains limp in your arms as you pat her head for a while.
"Let's go home, Miyu."
She nods.
...
>After Miyu leaves, check the girl's eyes yourself. >Leave the girl alone.
Carson Garcia
>Leave the girl alone.
Gavin Allen
>Leave the girl alone.
Aaron Ortiz
>Leave the girl alone. I'm almost certain her eyes are the same and even if they aren't, I don't think it matters? Her fate isn't any less sad, and it would still be nice if we could help her, regardless, but she's not Tsukada Miyu.
Liam Long
>"I think it's normal." You try to reassure her. Miyu doesn't want to stop being Miyu, and that's normal. It's just like how it was with you and your own replica. You were afraid of a stranger stealing your life. However, in Miyu's case, it seems that the fear has been reversed, turned into concern for the fate of another. That's... not a perspective you've considered before. Perhaps you haven't grown enough, after all.
I'm not sure I grasp the reasoning. Does Miyu feel like she's effectively stolen this person's identity because Miyu can do things and grow while this girl cannot?
Andrew Adams
Yup.
Logan Fisher
Voting over, writing!
Hunter Rivera
REALLY hoping that Urahara isn't keeping that girl in a medically induced coma just to make sure no one notices Miyu and her look identical.
I mean I'm pretty sure the timing doesn't line up and the reason Urahara used her as a template is because she was the strongest shinigami who was also in a condition where no one would see her, but that guy... That fucking guy.
Tyler Sanders
After that incident, the days go along rather normally. You spend a little time practicing with Miyu in preparation for her time in the Academy. Even that kind of light strain to her spiritual powers seems to undo the seals placed by Urahara, as her power quickly leaps to unbelievable amounts.
Tsukuda Miyu's Attributes: >STR: C >END: C >AGI: C >SPI: C >REIA: C (C)
Without even beginning any sort of serious training, this little girl is already on par with a full-blown Lieutenant. But at the same time, she seems to already be at her peak. Aside from mastering the basic Shinigami skills, it's highly unlikely that she'll grow any stronger than she already is. While that difference is still present, she can't actually compete with any Lieutenants.
You, in the meantime, continue training with Hikari. She really does have a knack for teaching - a single month isn't a lot of time by any stretch, but you've still made some impressive progress.
Pick a new spell to learn.
...
>Hado #53 - Haien, C Rank. Purple flames which incinerate their target. Instead of dealing its damage normally, the spell splits itself into an amount of E Rank instances of damage equal to the user's SPI modified by their REIA. After the initial hit, the spell may be maintained, causing its damage repeatedly over the course of several turns. >Bakudo Barrier Spells, E-C Rank. A versatile array of area-lockdown spells, ranging from barriers that bar human or spirit entry through physical or mental negation to barriers that seal areas from the outside world, preventing sounds, spiritual signatures or Reiatsu from leaking outside the barrier. The cost of the barrier depends mostly on its size, though the toll can be shared by other practitioners. >Kaido, C Rank. An initiation into healing Demon Magic. Capable of healing most injuries, though the cost of the spell is directly proportional to the injuries sustained by the target, which can quickly get very draining.
Cameron Baker
>Kaido, C Rank. An initiation into healing Demon Magic. Capable of healing most injuries, though the cost of the spell is directly proportional to the injuries sustained by the target, which can quickly get very draining.
Gavin Davis
>While that difference is still present, she can't actually compete with any Lieutenants.
What difference are you talking about? A difference in skills?
Also could you provide an example of what B-rank Reiatsu looks like?
Matthew Rivera
>What difference are you talking about? A difference in skills? That's right! I ran out of characters!
>Also could you provide an example of what B-rank Reiatsu looks like? B-Rank is officially considered to be 'captain level', but in practice almost none of the current captains have B-Rank, except for maybe Hitsugaya. But basically, anyone capable of Bankai is at least a B-Rank in Reiatsu!
Landon Russell
Damn, all of these seem like good options.
Kaido seems most useful if bad stuff happens to anyone with us, but considering how weak we are I'm not sure we'd be able to make much of a difference. Meanwhile the Bakudo barriers seem like they could be pretty useful but also very situational.
Not really feeling the Hado.
Aiden Miller
So... Ikkaku and Renji (pre-Royal Guard training) and also I guess Rukia (either before or after Royal Guard training)? Also considering they were at least training for bankai, Matsumoto, and Shuhei?
Carter Thomas
Oh right, also maybe Sasakibe? Though he could have been the most unambitious A-Rank.
Ayden Harris
It really depends on which part of the manga we're talking about, but that's about right!
Gavin Ross
>Hado #53 - Haien, C Rank. Purple flames which incinerate their target. Instead of dealing its damage normally, the spell splits itself into an amount of E Rank instances of damage equal to the user's SPI modified by their REIA. After the initial hit, the spell may be maintained, causing its damage repeatedly over the course of several turns.
Robert White
It kind of feels like SS arc and later, B-Rank is kind of the bare minimum for "has potential to win an on-screen fight"
Benjamin King
Interesting, that was the one I didn't think e needed. What made you choose it?
Gabriel Richardson
The other ones are both lame and we could use some more firepower
Nathan Baker
I don't think we've ever actually used the fireball spell we did learn on an opponent though?
Also I feel like with our copied swords, we've got offense on lock.
Cameron Jackson
Ok whatever I'll change my vote to kaido just to keep things moving
Matthew Harris
I'm fine with changing to the Bakudo stuff if you'd prefer that one.
Dominic Perez
I don't know man we never even use offensive Kido anyway
Gabriel Smith
Well yeah, but we do use defensive stuff sometimes.
Gavin Morris
Just choose what you want I don't care that much
Luis Hernandez
Alright, let's call it a day for tonight, it's getting kind of late! Let's resolve the vote another time!
If you have any feedback or questions, shoot them my way!
Thanks for reading!
Lucas Powell
to be blunt this thread was extremely boring
Daniel Richardson
Thanks for running! I'm not sure if I'm reading it wrong, but I've pretty much come to the same conclusion Shiori has with regards to Ryouta developing a complex about his own (apparant) lack of emotions, and I liked seeing Miyu growing a bit as well.
Have we encouraged her to make friends in the academy?
Also I think it's actually pretty interesting how Ryouta's development seems to be being primarily drawn from two seemingly contradictory directions, love for his family and duty as a shinigami towards his fellow shinigami.
Dylan Brown
I don't know, I liked it. We were just clearing up some lingering issues and it went a lot better than it could have.
