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[piscestruth.livejournal.com]

[Ukitake is waiting on the porch outside the 13th division headquarters, pack on the ground beside him, and, typically cup of tea in hand. There's an extra cup and a small pot on the other side of him, waiting for his companion. He's his usual calm, cheerful self, although he's not wearing his captain's haori at the moment, and this morning is hair is pulled back into a ponytail.]

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[the-original-69.livejournal.com]

Kensie appeared soon enough, sans his haori. His arms rippled with the muscles built over years of training, his gate easy and relaxed as he approached the older captain, his friend. He tossed his own pack down beside Ukitake's, pouring himself some tea and sighing as he sipped.

"You know the only reason I invited you was to have you make me tea while I'm out there," he teased lightly as he sipped the delicious brew.

[piscestruth.livejournal.com]

"Good to know I'm only wanted for my talents with a kettle," Ukitake replied with a good-natured smile. Kensei looked...good. It was still something of a surprise to him to see the 9th division captain around, but it was most certainly a welcome one.

[the-original-69.livejournal.com]

He smirked back, glad the other had caught the jest rather than take it for insult. Against his better judgement he gulped down the tea and wiped his mouth, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Well, come on come on!" he chuckled. "I'm raring to go!"

[piscestruth.livejournal.com]

Ukitake took a long sip of tea to finish his cup up, placing it carefully back on the tray. "You young ones - always so eager to get places," he said, a teasing edge to his voice. He rose, grabbing the prepared pack. "Alright, lead on," he added with a grin.

[the-original-69.livejournal.com]

Kensei just grinned wider and headed off, keeping to a slow walk - not that he didn't think Ukitake couldn't keep up, but he wanted to conserve energy for the initial sprint through the woods.

"You sure you okay with spending a few days out in the woods?" he asked a last time.

[piscestruth.livejournal.com]

Ukitake kept up pace easily. "Well, I haven't done field work in a while, but I don't think I've forgotten everything yet," he replied with a grin. "And I've been feeling fine this week, if that's what you're worried about."

[the-original-69.livejournal.com]

It had been both of those really, but he trusted Ukitake's opinion of his physical health. Nodding, they made it past the gates and without further ado he slid into shunpo, dashing across the open space between Hueco Mundo, Seireitei, and the Neutral, making for the lush forests that sat like a mass of silent giants.

[piscestruth.livejournal.com]

Ukitake followed - Kensei's shunpo pace was fast, but not too fast for someone of his skills, and following the rhythm was easy. During one of the jumps when they were actually in sync, he asked briefly, "Do you have somewhere picked out already?

[the-original-69.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, sort of. I saw it one day when I was patrolling," the younger captain nodded, looking back over his shoulder slightly at the white haired man. "It's a nice clearing, near a river, so we can stay out there several days with a good water supply."

[piscestruth.livejournal.com]

Ukitake smiled back. "Sounds nice - I look forward to seeing it." It would be good to get around from Seireitei for a while - it was something he didn't do often enough.

FREEDOM!

[the-original-69.livejournal.com]

Kensei just grinned, thrilled to see the other Captain smile, and kept the steady pace. There wasn't a real rush, and besides it was a lovely day in the Nexus. They bounced from tree to tree and sometimes on the ground, leaves whispering at their passing, sunlight dappling their less that sometimes solid forms.

Finally Kensei drew up at what he had promised - a river - with a little opening in a semi-circle of trees. He dropped down into the open space, laying down his pack and stretching.

"Good place, right?"

[piscestruth.livejournal.com]

Ukitake touched ground a step behind Kensei, pausing a moment to catch his breath. Shunpo was far easier on him than actual running, but he'd gotten out of the habit of long distances, and it was still a little wearing. He gave the other captain a smile, though, as he placed his own pack along side. "An excellent choice, I think.

[the-original-69.livejournal.com]

Kensei puffed a little under the praise, but quickly deflated himself as he went about gathering some rocks from the riverbed to form a small circle to hold their fire, using a small spade-like tool from his pack to clear it of grass and other combustibles.

"Mind going to go find some firewood for later?" he asked Ukitake.

[piscestruth.livejournal.com]

Ukitake gave the other captain a grin. "I think I can handle that much - though I warn you, I'm terrible at fire-starting." He very carefully did not mention exactly how bad - Shunsui teasing him about almost starting a forest fire was bad enough without /more/ people knowing about it.

[the-original-69.livejournal.com]

"I can handle that part, you just get the rest of camp set up," he grinned, dashing away into the woods.

He came back about a half hour later with an armload of wood, dropping it down carefully away from the pit, and then stacking some together in a little tepee like structure.

"All right, we're in business!" he beamed.

[piscestruth.livejournal.com]

It had taken the older man a few minutes of slightly perplexed staring at everything else before his memory clicked - it really /had/ been a long time since he'd been on any sort of extended field mission. He sometimes suspected the other captains conspired to deliberately keep him away from field work - he understood why, but it still frustrated him occasionally.

Nonetheless, by the time Kensei had returned, he had gotten the rest of the camp set up to his full satisfaction. He returned the grin. "That we are."

[the-original-69.livejournal.com]

He stretched, taking in a deep breath of fresh air, soaking it in. It was good to be out here, to just enjoy the outdoors without feeling like he was being watched all night, like he had a sword poised to take off his head if he so much as sneezed wrong.

He shrugged off his top, leaving him in nothing but his pants and his shoes. He was sweating a bit from the previous efforts, but clearly enjoyed the burn of his muscles, the ache.

"Well, wanna help me catch dinner?" he pointed at the river with a grin.

[piscestruth.livejournal.com]

"Of course - though again, no guarantees here. My skills have gotten a little rusty over the last century." His own work had been far less exerting than Kensei's, so he opted to leave his kimono top on, but after a moment's thought, he knelt, and quickly undid the ties on his sandals, slipping both them and his tabi off. "-There. I hate having wet socks."

[the-original-69.livejournal.com]

That made the other captain laugh, a deep, bass sound that came from deep in his belly and chest.

"Yeah, they are the worst! And I think your version of rusty and mine are quite different," he reached out and punched the other in a friendly way on the shoulder before heading to the water.

[piscestruth.livejournal.com]

Kensei's laugh brought a complimentary one out of Jyuushirou. It felt freer out here, somehow. Fewer concerns. "Well, I suppose we'll see once we get started." The punch made his grin widen a little. It was particularly nice to be with someone who didn't treat him like he'd break if someone looked at him funny.

[the-original-69.livejournal.com]

Kensei kicked off his own shoes and tabi at the bank, rolling up his pants to care his knees and plunged in. He let out a sort of yelp - the water was cold!

But that was all. His face screwed into a mask of concentration, peering down into the water, watching for the glint of fish swimming by.

[piscestruth.livejournal.com]

Ukitake sat down on the river's bank, hiking up his hakama a little to keep the hems out of the water, and dangled his feet into the river. As Kensei's yelp had forewarned him, the water was ice-cold - spring melt, still. "Hmm. I think I'll stay here, for the moment." He glanced into the water as well, though, looking out for fish. He /could/ cheat - but not just yet. If they didn't catch anything in a bit, perhaps.

[the-original-69.livejournal.com]

"Aw, come on, the water's fine!" Kensei grinned, suddenly twisting and snatching into the water.

He pouted when he came up empty handed, though he just went back to searching again, clearly not one to be discouraged by one miss. The fact he'd managed to touch the fish at all was an accomplishment.

[piscestruth.livejournal.com]

"I try to avoid hypothermia for the most part," Ukitake returned with a grin. There was a flash of silver by his feet, and he snatched, putting a bit of his power behind it. He was rewarded with a wriggling trout, quickly killed with the barest touch of kidou. "There's one."

[the-original-69.livejournal.com]

Kensei stared at him for a moment, then mock frowned.

"What was that about being out of practice?"