The quiet times in Seireitei were less frequent these days, but when they did show up, one had to stop and breathe, if so only for a moment. One of the countless souls inhabiting this realm was doing just that, gently leaned against the railing of the wooden porch outside one the main buildings. He was titling his head slightly upwards to the sky, spotting a lonely bird just above.
Unlike many other shinigami who wore the standard black shihakushou uniform, this man was sticking out. The white captain's haori was draped over the black hakama and yukata, long sleeves covering the black material almost completely, and the man's equally white hair added to an almost ghostly look.
That hair, unusually long for a fighting person's, fell freely over his shoulders, some of it collecting over his face and the ridge of his nose. It was well kept, even though it was not put up in any way, and the strands over his face usually made people itching to move them.
He had an aristocratic face, finely cut with pale skin, though his dark brown eyes lacked the common coldness seen in many other upper-class shinigami, such as Kuchiki Byakuya. They were calmer, bordering on fatherly and caring eyes, and as one of Sereitei's oldest captains (with the exception of Yamamoto and one more person) he surely could see the rest of them as children.
Leaning one hand calmly against the zanpakutou resting by his hip, the man turned a bit, looking out over the nearly empty grounds. A closer study at the man's face would reveal the tired look in his eyes and as he reached up to brush away some of his hair with a thin, almost artistic hand, the paleness truly could be seen more as sickly then aristocratic. His dark brows spoke the telltale sign that the whiteness of his hair might not be natural, either. And it was not.
As eldest son of the low-class aristocrat Ukitake family, Ukitake Jyuushirou, captain of the 13th Division, had fallen ill at young age and had carried that illness with him for over two millennia.
Closing his eyes for a moment, he took in the silence of the quiet Seireitei before looking up at the sky again. The bird was still there. Smiling, the shinigami decided to go inside again and get some tea.
Unlike many other shinigami who wore the standard black shihakushou uniform, this man was sticking out. The white captain's haori was draped over the black hakama and yukata, long sleeves covering the black material almost completely, and the man's equally white hair added to an almost ghostly look.
That hair, unusually long for a fighting person's, fell freely over his shoulders, some of it collecting over his face and the ridge of his nose. It was well kept, even though it was not put up in any way, and the strands over his face usually made people itching to move them.
He had an aristocratic face, finely cut with pale skin, though his dark brown eyes lacked the common coldness seen in many other upper-class shinigami, such as Kuchiki Byakuya. They were calmer, bordering on fatherly and caring eyes, and as one of Sereitei's oldest captains (with the exception of Yamamoto and one more person) he surely could see the rest of them as children.
Leaning one hand calmly against the zanpakutou resting by his hip, the man turned a bit, looking out over the nearly empty grounds. A closer study at the man's face would reveal the tired look in his eyes and as he reached up to brush away some of his hair with a thin, almost artistic hand, the paleness truly could be seen more as sickly then aristocratic. His dark brows spoke the telltale sign that the whiteness of his hair might not be natural, either. And it was not.
As eldest son of the low-class aristocrat Ukitake family, Ukitake Jyuushirou, captain of the 13th Division, had fallen ill at young age and had carried that illness with him for over two millennia.
Closing his eyes for a moment, he took in the silence of the quiet Seireitei before looking up at the sky again. The bird was still there. Smiling, the shinigami decided to go inside again and get some tea.
