Byakuya's Disturbance [Open, 3 max]

She felt his presence immediately, the vaguely familiar signature trekking through the forests surrounding Karakura Central. The essence of indifference and cold logic flowing indomitably through his being, defining him through the gaze of the Omnidou. She knew him, the Shinigami noble, only due to a degree of notoriety from the past of the Soul Society. This was the fortunate veracity of the matter; any one entity who dared to garner reputation in any of the known worlds was a subject of interest the young woman would have come across in her multi-millenial existence, either by hearsay, by literature, or by personal investigation. Any single Captain present or prior fell under that category in varying degrees, and would be stored away in the woman's extensive archives for the obvious reason of preserving useful information. After all, Nozomi was an intellectual at heart, and no matter how secure she thought her mind might be, it would be foolish not to keep a backup hidden away. Though, in this case given her brain was in no dire situation, it was beyond simply to call up everything she had on the noble to the forefront of her mind, and that included having a couple times before felt the timbre of his spiritual pressure. The woman was off without a word.

The range on the Omnidou expanded to precisely three kilometers, so the moment he entered the proximity of her keen eyes, she had noticed and acted. The thousands of thoughts that raced through her mind executed in less than a fraction of a second, rendering the delay minute and nearly invalid. Though she was walking along the man-made paths of the city outskirts, the Kuchiki noble still passed within the dominion of her sight. Hirenkyaku was her method of choice to travel by, as she flickered sporadically through the thickets at untraceable speeds. Much like the Shunpo employed by Shinigami, many ways superior, the God Step easily closed the distance within seconds. Though, by choice, she chose a destination not too close in proximity to the Kuchiki, but somewhere along the path he was walking, using accelerated probability to predict the most likely of routes the man would take. She considered first whether or not he was walking mostly by conscious or by unconscious, figuring it was the latter of the two while his mind seemed preoccupied with deep thought. She was mindful not to give herself away too easily, and she was thankful that the usage of Hirenkyaku did not give away too much spiritual pressure to communicate her position to the man from this distance. After that, the device implanted on her back would graciously consume the passive spiritual power that normally would have leaked out of her. It was necessary, she briefly mused, remembering the pain she caused to herself and others when she let her Reiatsu simply spread freely.

He finally came close. He was slowly withdrawing from the confines of his mind to take notice of the world around him, but Nozomi was nowhere in sight; completely silent; the aromas of the forest easily overpowered her own; no spiritual energies stronger than a mite present... She waited. However, she detected the slight impulse of certitude click in him, and she was barely on time to act before he flash stepped away. She purposefully shifted her form into sight from behind the cover she was using, before disappearing once again; it was enough. He stopped, wasting no time to consider it a part of his own imagination, as she predicted. He would have be too certain of his mind to think otherwise, thus why the man was swift to cast his hand in her general direction and demand she revealed herself. Inwardly laughing at how she had already chosen to do so, she decided to grant him the grace of her compliance without delay, thinking he'd rather appreciate the briskness. A woman of long indigo-shaded hair appeared, a soft smile among the elfin features of her face, stark crimson eyes appearing focused through the shadows cast by the forest canopy. Her apparel was majorly black and rather loose around her, proving a contrast to the pale skin of her lithe form; aside from her face, the lower half of her stomach could be seen, everything else being convered. Oddly, the woman chose small boots to cover her feet, while her arms were almost entirely wrapped in white bandages. Last to note were the black gloves on either hand, the one on her left embellished with a aquamarine gemstone on the back.

As if she had known the man all her life, she raised that left hand to wave at him, her smile growing wider and her movements noticeably lax. "Yo, Byakuya Kuchiki," she greeted casually, further emphasizing the illusion of familiarity. Of course they had never been properly acquitted, but fear, for Nozomi's Ernst personality has taken the reigns.

The man didn't deviate from her records at all. He didn't do so much as flinch at her act, seeming content to hold a staring contest and utter his words in a dull monotone voice. The information she possessed she considered far outdated, not having seen Byakuya in broad daylight for ages to count. Neither had anyone else, persay, which begged for Nozomi's curiosity; in due time. The thing that bothered her most was the question. She hated questions, and she particularly hated stupid questions. She did not believe Byakuya to be so obtuse in person, as his question led to believe. Why ask that? 'Do I know you?' the man queried with all seriousness, and she knew the noble was not one for joking. 'Do I know you?' was only a question the asker could truly answer, and bluntly the answer was 'no'. Nozomi didn't say that, however, as it simply lead to another currently unanswered question. Instead, she simply put on a face of incredulity as she answered. "What? You don't remember me after all these years? You wound me, friend." Her voice displayed feigned hurt, her hands coming up to her chest over her beating heart as she made what she thought was a good imitation of someone keeling over. After dispensing with the gag, she simply smiled and hummed her name in a melodic voice. "Nozomi it is, Kuchiki-san." Again, the blue-haired woman seemed to persist with an air of familiarity, this time securing it further with a couple cute lies. She was unphased by his suspicious gaze, and her body language suggested she was comfortable in the proximity of the hard-tempered man. No, it was not easy for anyone—perhaps even Byakuya's acquaintances—to act frivilous in the face of such a chilly aura, yet Nozomi seemed to be able to pull it off with flawless ease.

Not that she took Byakuya for a fool. She knew she was playing at a gamble, for it was rather likely he would not believe her. She reiterated her earlier thoughts, being reminded from only seconds ago how she was sure the man was sure of himself. The thoughts that ran through his mind were his surety, as was any proud creature's. Though, perhaps something from his past could have affected his mind in a way that he could lead himself to believe his memory was not perfect. Perhaps he could admit to himself that he had simply forgotten the woman; after all, what was the harm? There was none, for Nozomi bore no ill will towards the Kuchiki noble and if anything she was purposefully exuding such a fact through her lax body language, whereas normally she would be silent and unreadable. "I guess it's true what they say about you. Ya don't deign to pay attention to anybody lower than you," she said good-naturedly, even tacking on a slight chuckle at the end as she began to draw a couple steps closer to him; she didn't walk too close though, as if she were attempting approach a frightened cat, deliberate in her movements so to not scare it away. It was almost like playing a game to her, and to say the least she was having her fun. They met eyes once again, and Nozomi stopped her trek forward, relaxing into a stationary stance again with an unwavering and friendly smile. Her eyes simply accentuated the expression with a light cheeriness; they lacked depth, seeming static. By far the most interesting thing about them were their scarlet coloration.

Then another question was posed. She hated questions, a lot. It was in her nature to even refrain from asking them because it showed an inability to figure out the answer for herself; a weakness of the mind was still a weakness. She didn't exceptionally enjoy answering questions either, but at one point in her life she had come to terms with the fact that there often would not be an elementary way out of it, as was the case here. Garnering the trust of such an individual as the dark-haired man before her would not do well with the animosity caused by refuting an answer. "Hm?" she assumed ignorance at first, but then seemed to find clarity as though she hadn't already figured the situation. "Ah, that's right, you haven't been around for a while so you've missed out. The Kuchiki House has really fallen out of sway within the Gotei 13, no longer possessing the same amount of influence it used to with your bloodline at the head of the sixth division, an unfortunate result of your leave. The only one who was left to really represent the Kuchiki in the Gotei was a young woman by the name of Rukia, but she also seemed to disappear. As of now, a new Kuchiki has popped into the Gotei, but has failed to really make up for the lost influence; forgot her name..." She trailed off. In actuality, Nozomi did know the name of the Kuchiki, Yoko Yuri, but pretending to lack that knowledge would hopefully reinforce the fact that the Kuchiki house wasn't as powerful as it used to be, at all.

"Still, they remain one of the well-founded noble houses in Soul Society, just not in the Gotei 13. As for the Kurosaki kid, same deal. Not seen him around since he left his position as Division Thirteen's Captain. A shame, he was really strong." She finished off with a fake wistful muse, as it could be nothing more than an act. She was thankful she could pull off such perfect fallacies with such ease, for otherwise some of her distaste would seethe out. She never was fond of 'everybody's hero' and had personally gone out of her way to avoid meeting up with the man. Wherever he had been in his lifetime, Nozomi had not been, as legend seemed to follow him like the paparazzi. She also knew he possessed a hard head and a staunch stubbornness, traits she hated. Byakuya was aloof, unforgiving, drowning in pride... but the part-Quincy, part-Hollow woman would endure hours alongside him before she would step near Ichigo. Now, discarding such thoughts, Nozomi refocused on the Kuchiki and turned the tables, asking her own question. "Though I have to ask, Kuchiki-san. What made you leave for so long, and why are you back, here of all places?" She gestured to the area around her, Karakura forest, the lands bordering the new era civilization not a couple miles off.

Strange, it would seem as soon as she noted how stubbornly detached he was, he would show minor digressions as if to prove her wrong. She expected a harsher reply than the one she got, given the nature she had read about. It would seem her gamble would have paid off, as he called for forgiveness if he perhaps had forgotten her. Success, the blue-haired woman surmised within her mind; his words proved an indicator in her attempts to cement her blatant lie in the Noble's head, even if he could not directly recall it. That bit being resolved, the matter moved on as it was no longer a concern—Nozomi could play off any further skepticism with a lowly-esteemed joke or two. Speaking of jokes, Byakuya seemed to take her little quip about him seriously enough to respond to it with an argument. Another oddity; her tone of voice suggested nothing more than her words being a simple jest. Yet, the man shot back with his denial and a neat little reflection on past happenings. Was he offended so easily? No, she had read he was not that type of person, and it did not seem to be the case here either. She felt the true answer here was that the Noble had changed in the many years he'd been out of the public eye. The woman always had known it was possible, having witnessed both the younger and elder renditions of the Kuchiki Noble and the morose shift from the youthful boy he used to be to the conceited exemplar his clan he was made to be—Byakuya was not a static character. He had left now, discarding the burdening weight on his shoulders caused by his peers... there was room for change now.

She wondered what thoughts were racing through the man's head at that moment, the only facet still mysterious to Nozomi. She could see the nerve impulses sparking to life, the activity behind those cool gray hues, but she could not read the cognition shrouded away; only assume. She perceived that distress would arise at the mention of how far the Kuchiki House had fallen in power. To figure that out, she need only look at his face to see the widening of his eyes and disturbance that pulsed through his essence to behold that discontent, meaning that the core of his pride still remained in tact. But that begged the curiosity about his recent whereabouts, as a man so dignified would not leave his post if it would shame his family, would he? Questions, questions, questions. She hated them, but she would figure them out in due time. A gust of wind interrupted the silence, and Byakuya addressed the very one she posed. He had been going to see Urahara, which made her see the motive; it was very simple, as Nozomi knew the strange inventor possessed a construction with capabilities of manually opening a Garganta to any known place, the desired destination being the Soul Society. She would realize this to be the case just before he spewed some uncharacteristicly self-deprecating statement that revealed his disappointment with the state of his family. Nozomi, still in character, would widen her eyes in shock as though she absolutely rejected such a thing.

"No, Kuchiki-san, don't think of it like that." she blathered, holding her palms up to him as if gesturing for him to cease such despair. Her own voice had risen several octaves in artificial worry. "They will probably be pleased with your return, and reinstate you as a Captain right away! And even if not, I still got your back. After all, I came rushing to you as soon as I felt your presence." The last two setences were more serious, spoken in a low hushed voice, attempted consolations. Even if her words counted for nothing in the Noble's heed, it would not matter; they were only there to further conform to the persona she had crafted. Whatever the case, Byakuya finished speaking and the woman would take her chin in the palm of her hand, rubbing it as she seemed to think (A ruse; Nozomi's processing speed was second to none). He requested a fight and by the looks of it he seemed to be indirectly referring to her as a potential combatant in the order of testing his abilities. That told her that in his absence, Byakuya had acquired new power, yet Nozomi was in no form to study that now. To even get him to show this power he would no doubt require an opponent of great caliber... The Quincy could not quite rival him while maintaining the persona, and in truth did not wish to fight at all at the moment.

"Urahara? Urahara Shouten? You mean the guy who owns the old candy shop in Karakura Central? I don't see how he can help you, but if you'd like I can lead you to his place. With the way the city has expanded in the recent years, navigation might be a little difficult for you." She briefly considered if the man would react to the new futuristic metropolis that had been built in place of the once homely town. From here the towering skyscrapers and bright lights were almost entirely blotted out by the treetops of the forest, but they were not too far from the end of the treeline. "Unfortunately, ah... Kuchiki-san... I still haven't managed to unlock my Shikai, so uh... I wouldn't make a good opponent for you." She turned around, finally breaking eye contact as she began to walk back towards the city, hoping he would follow. "But perhaps this Urahara fellow would fight you. There seems to be more than meets the eye, hmm?" And with that, she was off, moving beyond what light could trace. Her hand was forced, she had to use Hirenkyaku, but she was thankful for investing so much time and skill into controlling reishi. By expending several times worth the energy necessary, she could forcibly manipulate the way the spiritual energy was used in order to make it look like a Shunpo. There were slight dissimilarities, but they could be passed off as the rough edges of an unmastered Flash Step. Naturally, Byakuya could easily keep up while she intentionally moved slowly.

She didn't enjoy to see him pessimistic, or at least her artificial persona did not; he was dejected and resigned to the belief that it was better he stay away. She, the fake personality, wanted to make him feel a little more faith despite all the factors pointing the other direction. After all, Byakuya had done so much for the Soul Society already, and that should have earned him a reprieve from such a crime as it did Rukia in the end. Granted the history of centuries ago, the Soul Society should have changed, and this man should have been able to return from his leave as though it were simply a vacation, a necessary vacation. The controversy of the matter was that Nozomi did not speak her mind, simply keeping it to herself as she allowed him to brood over it for a while. Time healed wounds well, and she would grant him that time. For now, there were more pressing matters to address, one of those being Byakuya's desire to see Kisuke Urahara, one of the Gotei Thirteen's former Captains. She was fairly certain that the man would not be able to find his way, though she was proved wrong, his destination in mind already. Before they left though, words of wisdom spouted from his mouth, a saying she had heard several times before and did not need to hear it repeated again; still she made to widen her eyes in surprise, as if such strangely supportive words came ot her so unexpectedly. Then, feign embarrassment, taking his words almost as a compliment to bolster the low self-esteem she had seemingly displayed prior with her admission to failure. Again, no words were spoken.

Eventually they were off, and despite her offer to lead the man to Urahara's place, he was already rushing forth, his single flash step bringing far ahead of her. She didn't need to remind herself that she was purposely limiting her speed, as too much would expel too much energy and thus make her spiritual signature capable of being read. She also couldn't manage to disguise the Quincy God Step as a Shinigami Flash Step very well if she was forsaking deliberation for velocity, and she was still maintaining the ruse of being an exceptionally pathetic Shinigami, too. After all, it fit in with the fact that her spiritual pressure was practically non-existent, unreadable when she wasn't using her Hirenkyaku. As if reading her mind, the question was asked as they were in the middle of the high-speed movement. Nozomi was struggling to keep up with Byakuya, several meters behind him, but she could still hear him fairly well as his voice trailed behind him. Again, she didn't like questions in general, but that wasn't the reason his query put him off. Doubt still lingered in his mind despite the minor acceptance that had settled within him. She watched his back as his cloak billowed wildly behind him, waiting for the continuation of his thought process she could tell was coming. "Your soul ribbon is not quite like anything I've ever seen. In fact, I can't quite make it out."

It would seem his sensory was of the most basic form, using the existence of soul ribbons to track spiritual entities, even from long distances. It would be as soon as he mentioned this that the woman's spirit ribbon would shift infinitesimally. There was suddenly a slight reddish tinge in the essence of it, still almost black and very hard to make out, but still showing red nonetheless. This was what the weakest of the weakest Shinigami possessed, this dull almost-lifeless thread trailing off of her. If Byakuya would look back at the woman he would see traces of despair on her face, her eyes downtrodden. This seemed to translate through the spirit ribbon as well, a slight shimmer of sadness passing through the immaterial fabric. It took a while for her response to come out; it was loud only because it had to be as they moved at these breakneck speeds, casual because she forced the words from her throat as such. "Ah, sorry, Kuchiki-san... I guess I was subconsciously hiding it. It's the only thing I seem to be good at, so might as well." Then it disappeared so suddenly, dragged away from her features posthaste. She did not want to show such weakness in the face of someone she looked up to.

And then she internally patted herself on the back for such impressive acting.

It of course did not take long to arrive at their destination, or at least for them to stop moving. Byakuya arrived seconds earlier than the blue-haired woman, and he surely was not winded. Nozomi on the other hand would bend her knees and collapse her hands on them as she worked to catch the breathe she already had—all for the sake of looking out of shape. When she straightened up, her crimson eyes came into contact with another set of gray ones, except this time they were not Byakuya's. The strange blond man, so uncomely in the antiquated Living World get-up he wrapped himself in, was standing before them with a feminine-looking fan in hand. She did not know too much of the man after his exile, but she had been warned that his behavior was highly sporadic and that it was best to be careful around him. In confirmation, he addressed them with an even more erroneous greeting. Always in character, Nozomi forced her bodily functions to comply, and they did as a blush rose to her cheeks. She crossed her arms and looked away, no longer enjoying the man's presence. "Well, I would prefer we hurry it up here..." And then she was quiet, seemingly content with staring at the sunset, it was just about to disappear over the horizon.