The second Juki mentioned that Captain Kurisa Kuchiki was... dead... Rio's eye widened ridiculously. [i]'This.... this cannot be..... he can't be.... He can't be dead!'[/i] Her eye shook as Juki continued to talk, his words overpowering every other sound. She looked down, tears suddenly dropping from her eye, and bloody ones from her other... Biting her lip, Rio let herself go, uncaring of how much emotion she was showing... sobbing quietly to herself as she heard Captain Kuchiki's final words to her and others. If it wasn't for him, Captain Kuchiki, she would of never reached this point and become this strong.... Whenever she'd feel like she was loosing it or starting doubting herself, she'd remind herself of Captain Kuchiki and everything he did for her... He was her figure to look up to, larger than any Head Captain would ever be to her.... He was the strongest person she had ever known.... he was the one that gave her a chance at living a new life as one of his subordinates.... No matter what Squad she was in or who she had to answer to, Captain Kuchiki would still always be her Captain in which she would always carry out all and any orders he gave her despite being in a different Squadron.... And now... he had been killed.... Lifting both hands onto her fringe, Rio clenched them into fists and tried to hide her face behind her arms, unable to stop the tears.... they wouldn't just stop, only continued to pour out, even when she thought that she had cried enough.... [i]'C-Captain.... wh-why?!.... Captain Kuchiki.....'[/i] Her shoulders quivered with every quiet sob.... However, she repeated to herself what he had wrote in his letter. [i]'He died doing what he loved....'[/i] At that moment, Rio felt a squeeze on her shoulder. She simply turned her head towards that direction, recognising Kenta's hair. Rio wanted to speak but the lump in her throat wouldn't allow that, however she didn't respond negatively and welcomed Kenta... despite everything that had happened, Kenta was still someone important to her, along with Captain Kuchiki... Both of them helped her become the person she was today.... she owed alot to the both of them..... but that was all before she had found Kaizo... Kenta then took off. Rio understood that he might of wanted to be alone... She was still crying, however her sobs had quietened down a little... but that didn't make the pain in her heart fade away... it only lead to more pain in her head... ----- Miwa stayed silent, the mentioning of her husband's death causing her to close her eyes and just breathe.... [i]'So that was what you left to do.... You worked yourself to death.... your job meant everything to you... I only wish you were more honest with me and had told me....'[/i] Her heart ached an unimaginable pain, however she simply continued to breathe, stopping any emotion from surfacing as she didn't want to reveal herself... A few tears made their way out, slipping down her cheeks from behind the shadow that the hat had cast onto her face, but that was all she'd allow to show.... Opening her eyes when Kurisu's name was mentioned, she silently looked over to her son, watching him crumble at the news.... She knew Kurisa better than anyone and, despite wishing for it not to happen, knew that this day would come.... but it came sooner than she ever thought it would.... [i]'I've got to stay strong... Kurisu is all I have now and I must stay strong for him.... Oh Kurisu, I'm so sorry, I wish I could help you....'[/i] Miwa watched her son starting to cry, the ache of her heart growing to the point where she felt that just ripping it out right now would be less painful than what she was currently feeling... However, since she adopted the Kuchiki way of life, she had long since disciplined herself to control her strong arsenal of emotions... but that didn't mean she couldn't feel them clawing at her very soul and desire to live. From now on, she couldn't think selfishly... If she didn't have Kurisu, Miwa would of definitely broken down there and then and most likely would of taken her own life afterwards.... but no, Kurisa left her, but she still had the beautiful son he had left her with.... Kurisu was her life, both Kurisa and Kurisu were her life.... without them, she'd be nothing since the only reason she was still alive was due to Kurisa saving her years ago.... A few more quiet tears slipped down her cheeks as she thought back over her memories of her husbands before watching her son leave. The sight of this action caused her body to inch forward, instinctively wanting to follow after her son... but she stopped. [i]'No... Don't let your emotions control you Miwa.... Use them instead... You won't loose Kurisu... not to anyone... and you will see to it that Kurisa's murderer will regret what they have done... and then they will pay with their life...'[/i] Leaning her body back, Miwa stood up straight with impeccable posture. From the outside it may seem that she wasn't effected much by this news... but those who assumed that were wrong... More wrong than anyone would ever know.... but would find out in due time just how wrong they were... ----- Nishiki's eyes were to the floor, scowling deathly at the dirt. She glanced upwards for a moment towards Shiro, noticing her Captain's reaction before looking back down, refusing to look at Juki.... [i]'This shouldn't of happened.... Captain Kuchiki should of still been alive.... If they sensed a large energy then why did... Juki let him go alone?!'[/i] To respected the Captain's death, Nishiki kept her thoughts to herself, not wanting to anger those who were morning.... However hearing this news only gave Nishiki another reason to hate Juki.... ------ The others that had gathered, Fumio, Lotte and Keisa, seemed surprised but weren't as effected as others seemed to of been. Fumio looked over to Rio when her fake name was mentioned, knowing a little of how much that Captain meant to her.... He couldn't help but frown, actually saddened by how upset she was, however chose to just leave instead. This wasn't a place for him, plus he wasn't at all close to that Captain so his death wasn't exactly something Fumio particularly cared about. Celetria, however, didn't seemed phased at all. She simply continued to observe the others, noticing how some reacted more severely than others as her attention continued to be dragged onto one specific person every now and then.