They come and they go

Clicked his tongue, of course he would click his tongue, as he placed the flat of his palm against the familiar door leading into the mansion. He had not come here ever since then, ever since the news that she was simply gone had reached him. It was still hard for him to wrap his mind around the fact. True, he had always been so unused to actually having family that he had been gruff and awkward towards her. Most likely not somebody she really liked, however all he had managed to give when she had still been alive.

And now he found himself here again. Her death had left an  impact on him however. One he did not manage to show with tears. There was simply an emptiness, a deep hole that bore into his heart and almost left him breathless. He had not been any good when she had been alive, now he would try twice as much to live up to her.

Again his tongue clicked, the sound lost to his ears as his mind wandered still. He had accepted his captain promotion for this was one step. He had cut his far too long hair short also, for while he could not show with tears he still had to show one way that he was suffering also. That he was not as cold-hearted as he sometimes seemed. And the last step was to be here now, to approach the mansion and the woman he knew lived within.

His meetings with Setsuna had been rare. However with Ai they were non-existent. He would not make that mistake once more however.

Finally his palm slipped down to wrap around the handle of the door, pressing it down before his slim frame slipped through. The door was closed behind him then and his dark green kimono, a male one of course - he was outside after all, straightened before the slim fingers of his other hand brought up his smoking pipe. He drew in a long drag from the elegant, wooden stick while his eyes shifted around.

Xarath had no clue where she could be, knew far too little of her to even be able to guess. Neither did he see it fit to ask one of the staff members. They just had him think of her.

Another click o his tongue, just as the smoke trailed out from between his lips.

It seemed like he was being forced to cheat. With a sigh he closed his eyes, just for a few moments, before his head glanced at his right. There. There she was. And his body followed before quiet footsteps carried him towards the reiatsu that carried a familiar touch.

Ai stood in the dining room just off the foyer of her mother's and now her mansion. She stood there staring up at the large portrate of her mother that hung over the entrance to the butler's pantry. Ai missed her mother's presence, missed being able to sit and talk with her. Ai held on to the hope that that would all be over soon.

The tall woman let out a soft sigh as she clutched her hands together at the waist of her ivory satin dress that reached all the way to the floor. Her silky white hair was pulled up into an elegant French twist, pinned in place with pearl hair pins. A long triple strand champagne pearl necklace rested between her bosom. She was the picture of elegance and grace. So much so that she made Setsuna look common in comparison.

Ai as stood there in thought, silently studying the portrate, she sensed someone behind her. First it was a change in the room's pressure, and then it was the smell of...tobacco. Ai turned around, and saw a man wearing a dark green kimono. He had shoulder length black hair, a long thin wooden pipe, and neatly kept finger nails. Ai knew who this man was, although his hair was much shorter. With a voice like velvet, Ai spoke to the man.

"Xarath? It's...It's very good to see you."

Indeed found her easily but did not yet see reason to disturb her. Instead he leaned his left shoulder against the doorframe while his eyes sought out the very same potrate she was staring at. It caused the hole within his heart, the one that usually only stole his breath, to ache. However he was quick to shake off the thought and as his tongue clicked yet again he brought his pipe back up towards his lips.

He drew in another deep drag as Ai turned around to face him. Of course she would have been aware of his presence the very moment he had caught sight of her. He had not expected anything else from his aunt. From his family really, that turned out to be so much greater than him. Maybe that was the reason why he still did not freely seek out any of them.

His tongue clicked once more while the smoke made  a quick escape from between his lips. "One might have thought otherwise." he murmured before yet another tongue click followed. Yet, and quite uninvited so, he took a step forward and towards the woman. "How are you holding up then." It was difficult to find a topic that suited them both. He just hoped she was doing any better than him.

Ai smiled softly at Xarath. His body language was one of discomfort. She hoped it wasn't her presence, but the woman knew it was probably being back here in this home. The home where Setsuna lived. She didn't know how Xarath felt about her mother, but she knew how her mother felt about Xarath. She loved him. Ai's violet eyes rested on the man's face. He was a very good looking man. Nice charming features.

Ai took a few steps toward Xarath, her soft gentle smile still in place. Her velvety voice sliding from her merlot colored lips so eloquently. "I truly am happy to see you great-nephew. Your Uncle Yasu will be sad he missed you."

The older woman motioned for Xarath to take a seat at the large wooden table. She'd be more than happy to sit and have a conversation with him.

"I am holding up fine. How are you doing? I heard you were promoted. That is such an honor. I am very proud of you, Xarath. Oh, forgive me, Captain Shiru."

He did not immediately follow her gesture to take a seat at the huge table. Instead he remained unmoving as his eyes finally trailed along her beautiful form. At long last they came to rest on her eyes and he immediately found himself trying to figure out what she truly was feeling. It was useless however - for this he knew her too little.

"Che." he muttered while finally taking a seat at the table. His form was relaxed and leaned against the back of the chair while his left leg moved up to cross over his right one. As per usual the man did not care how his kimono parted. He instead simply stared back up at her, heard her out until she was completely done while taking another drag of his pipe.

"That's bullshit." he said at long last and lowered his elbow down onto the hard wood of the table. "If you want me to sit here and ask about private affairs we might as well address each other privately. I'm Xarath. Thanks for the congratulation though. I have been told you have been promoted also so yeah-" A shrug. "Congratulation also."

A clicking of his tongue followed, the whole conversation immediately slipping into something awkward, while his eyes finally slipped away from the woman. "I don't know about this uncle. I don't really know anything about you guys and your family." He shrugged. It was his own fault, therefore he had accepted it.

After Xarath sat, Ai followed suit. She didn't want to be rude, and insult him by offering him a seat and then herself sitting first. As they sat, Xarath began to speak, and Ai listened intently. So what did he think was bullshit? It being an honor to be a captain, or her being the one to say it. She hoped she hadn't offended him.

"I hope I haven't offended you, Xarath. That was never my intention."

Ai was all too sincere when saying this, her face displaying an apologetic expression. She had recently become a captain like him, but unlike him she hadn't been promoted.

"We, I am a captain now, but I've never served here in Seireitei before this. I was asked if I would accept a place among the captains, and I promised mother that when I graduated the academy that at some point I'd put my training to use. Thank you though, I appreciate it."

Ai rubbed at the pearls at the hollow of her neck. It was true. Xarath didn't really know them all that well. Before a few days ago, Ai and Yasu didn't even live in Seireitei.

"Well, up until a few days ago we lived out in the countryside on a small farm. I haven't lived in Seireitei since I was a very young woman. So it's not unreasonable that you'd not really know us. I only really know of you from how mother spoke of you. She spoke of you often. You, Lakshmi, and Masaru were her pride and joy."

His eyebrow arched while he guided his pipe back up to his lips. Offended? Why should he have felt offended? It was his try to become a bit more familiar with each other. If she felt saver calling him by a title than an actual name he would go with it.

"Is fine." he murmured at long last before taking a drag of his tobacco. "Call me what you want." Maybe this whole conversation was going downhill very fast. However which conversation did not go downhill when he was included? So much to pride and joy indeed.

His tongue clicked and his arm lowered while he spoke up once more. "They were her pride and joy. I've done nothing to be that, so better if we just drop that subject." Another click of his tongue. He was certainly aware that he could never live up to the other two, or be as much in her eyes, but it was alright. It had been him pulling away when it had been offered. It had been him scared of losing somebody close again. He had stayed away and yet felt the deep pain of losing somebody. How ironic. It seemed like he had failed once more.

"Eh." It was good that he had kept the conversation about her promotion to last. It was easier to switch the topic than continue talking about his worth in Setsuna's eyes. "I know that kind of shit. The stuff everybody else knows also. I ain't got a clue who you are though. What makes you you so-" He shrugged. "We are strangers." Why was he here again? To try this becoming close once? It was already know falling apart within his hands! He snorted and rolled his eyes before turning on his stool slightly. "I gotta go. Have to whip some idiots into shape."

Ok, so he wasn't offended. Good very good. Unlike her mother, Ai actually cared about people's feelings. She didn't want to upset anyone, or make them feel uncomfortable. She smiled a litle brighter now knowing that she had not offended her great-nephew. That would be a terrible way to start things off.

"Very well. Xarath it is. You can call me Aunt Ai, or Auntie like the rest of my nieces and nephews. You could also just call me Ai if you're not comfortable with the other two."

Ai was saddened to hear that Xarath seemed to have a very low sense of self-worth. She didn't know much about his life, but for someone to think so poorly of themselves, she could only imagine the hells he lived through. This made her heart ache for Xarath. Everyone should feel love, but especially from within.

"That's ok. We don't have to talk about that."

His speaking of not knowing her, and their being strangers was true. She didn't know Xarath first hand, but she'd love the chance to get to know him. To build a relationship with him.

"Well Xarath, what would you like to know about me? I'm an open book."

At mention that he hand to leave, Ai slid her hand across the small space that separated them and touched Xarath's hand.

"Please don't leave. I'd really like to spend this time with you. There is also something you need to know."

It took quite some time or him to mull over what she had said. Calling her auntie or aunt Ai. That- He could not even imagine saying anything like that. He could not even imagine himself ever saying anything like this. But she continued and he had to listen. And so he did.

At least she understood when he did not want to talk about something. Maybe they would actually get along? With a sigh he lowered his eyes and glanced at the petite hand that covered his own. Then he lowered himself back down, fully relaxing back in his chair even though it caused his kimono to part widely. It was his turn to start speaking them.

"I think I'll call you Ai for now." he murmured quietly but kept his eyes on her. "Maybe it will change but ah, right now it is-" He shrugged. "Hard? Can't imagine it." He sighed. "About the questioning." Something that seemed really weird, but he would play along for now. "We can start it after you told me what you wanted to say?" In the end he was fine with either way.

"That's perfectly ok. I get it."

It was completely understandable that Xarath didn't feel comfortable addressing her with such a familiar title. They weren't familiar with each other at all. Ai smiled warmly at Xarath. She wanted him to know he was welcome here, and that he could feel ok with her.

"Very well. I don't really know of a gentle way to put this, so I'm just going to come right out with it."

This was big news. Really big. She wasn't sure how Xarath would take it, but she wanted to be honest with him. She wanted to lay everything out on the table. She wanted to do what Setsuna never fully did with anyone.

"Setsuna isn't dead. Not forever anyway. The nature of her bankai doesn't allow her to die. I guess that might seem confusing. Setsuna led everyone to believe that her zanpakuto was only a wind type. That isn't all it does. It manipulates matter on the atomic level. Her bankai revives her. Rebuilding her body if needed. So she will return, but she will look different than you knew her. She'll probably also go by a different name now that this cat is out of the bag."

Xarath simply nodded at her first reply and left it as that. He was grateful that she understood. That she neither looked hurt nor surprised. No. Those two might actually get along. Not that he did not get along with Setsuna. He had actually enjoyed their interactions with each other. His grumpy self and her amusement and pushing due to it.

He was not Masaru however. He was not Lakshmi.
He was Xarath and that was not good enough.
It had been his own fault.

He clicked his tongue before swallowing heavily. Nothing of this escaped him however.

Nothing of this had a chance to even escape. Not as the woman in front of him continued.

He had no clue what to think. What to say or what to do.

His expression did not change. His mind became blank. His breathing too set out for a moment.
Slowly he pulled his hand away from underneath hers and brought shaky fingers up towards his lips to take another drag of his pipe. The smoke did not manage to soothe him.

"You all fooled me." he finally pressed out in a whisper.
Yes, he was not as important as the others.

With a shake of his head he once more stood up and then turned around. "Goodbye, Soutaichou." he muttered, clicked his tongue and started to head out.