Sometimes there were places of natural peace that existed be they on Earth or in the Soul Society. Eaon liked to believe even in Hueco Mundo there were places like this, even though some of his Shinigami followers didn't like to wish peace on the hollows or Espada. Eaon was interesting in that he didn't hold an immense hatred for anyone be they Shinigami or Hollow. People Eaon was forced to fight were never his enemies and almost never targets of his choosing. Thus it was bad for him to hold hatred and instead of letting go.

That is why places such as this were special, a place someone could go to wash away the pain of the past. That past usually being the dirt on your elbows and knees and the grime of a long day of tending to the training of one's division. The Lieutenant was at a hot springs located somewhere outside the Rukongai. Far enough away to where there were very few visitors and the ones that did visit were usually Shinigami who could get there quickly. It was a small place, no gender variations, but that kinda stuff didn't bother Eaon.

This also could have been caused by the fact that Eaon was good looking. Even undressed and despite nearly five hundred years being one of the Shinigami's most infamous swordsmen, Eaon had relatively few scars, perhaps because of his infamy. A mark here or there were visible, but over all his body wasn't cut to shreds or destroyed. A good looking man for someone so ready to kill at the drop of a hat, but then again that could also be because Eaon didn't like killing. He actually hated it.

Eaon let out a gasp of air as his body sank up to his chest in the warm waters of the hot spring once he'd found a relatively secluded area of it. The first part of submersion was always the most shocking from below his chest, it almost always made him sharply inhale. From there dropping down up to his neck in water was easy and his long black hair sinking into the water wasn't even bad. Once Eaon was stabilized he started to breathe more calmly until he was finally relaxed.

"The first breath is always the most important. It lets us know we live, be it if we wake up at dawn or after a kill. It reassures us of our life." Eaon said quoting one of the teachings of Tenrai Kouhei Tsurugi Ryu. The most noble of sword styles and the one Eaon called his own. It was one of his favorite ones. The first breath of the day, the first breath after work, and now the first breath in the bath. These things let Eaon know he for sure lived and that gave him confidence going forward that he could live on.

Aki decided that today she would go and do something that she normally wound not do, she was going to do and relax at a hot springs. Now she knew that the only good place to go was the hot springs at the edge of the Rukon. Making her way to the hot springs she was debating whether she was going to wear her bikini or not, considering the fact she was unafraid of what others thought about her body.

Aki approached the springs and decided that she was not going to wear it today, however she would be respectful and wait until she was in the water to take off her towel, she knew that if she were to walk around naked in the springs she would have some men coming after her and today she wanted to relax, however she had a feeling that she might not be able to. She was still going to try and relax and not let anyone bother her today.

As she made her way to the waters edge she slowly lowered herself into the water, which relaxed her mussels almost instantly. Lowering her body so the water as up to her neck, she reached in and removed the towel as she let her fiery red hair float on the top of the water, soaking up the water and healing the damage done to it.

"What better way to relax than to come to a hot springs and just feel the water healing you as you sit and relax" she said to herself as she let her mind doze off.

"Sake's pretty good too." Eaon trailed off. He'd been watching Aki since she'd come in. Eaon was more of an observer than most, a scar habit of an assassin. He was no where near as paranoid as Taisho about things, but he was still one who observed everything. Speaking of Taisho, Eaon was thinking about Sake again. Maybe it was the summer heat and the relatively peaceful nights of late, but Eaon had been drinking rather much lately. He didn't drink till he was drunk and he certainly wasn't an alcoholic, but the Sake did taste very good right now.

"Oh hey! You're name is Aki something yes?" Eaon said quiet informally as his vision focused on the red head as she got situated. Eaon was pretty sure she was a Captain, but rank really didn't matter right now, unless she was on duty in which case her duty was questionable. Besides Eaon was sure as unsettling as it was Taisho probably had him tailed, and that usually meant he was safe from danger. Not that Eaon ever really found himself in danger but right now he didn't have a Zanpakutou and he was just terrible at kido so he had really nothing he could rely on now.

"At least I have some company to relax with."

"Oh great" Aki thought to herself as she seen another person was relaxing with her, "Oh well" she thought. Looking at the man who was making his way towards her she heard him call her name "Yes I am Aki, and you are" she said as she wasn't sure what to make of this person, she kept her hand out of sight but was ready to cast kido at any moment.

"Lieutenant Eaon Norellia of Division Six." Eaon said calmly as he regathered his focus. This was an interesting situation, it wasn't every day he found himself neck deep and naked with an alluring Captain of another Division. Still this probably wasn't the most awkward way to meet someone, and Eaon could be thankful for that. Besides he had better things to do than gawk at someone's figure, he had a Captain who didn't quiet know her place he still had to help get settled in.

Which made Eaon question his current train of thoughts. Why is it he had to justify not being interested in Aki at this moment to himself? Either he was or he wasn't, the situation was unusual and quiet interesting. Likewise he shouldn't have to stress and push his personal life out of the way of his business one just to make excuses for his shallow personal life. Eaon did consider his personal life shallow because he didn't actually do much of anything. His life consisted of training, occasionally drinking with Taisho, and in general dwelling on the past. That couldn't be healthy.

"So do you come here often?" Eaon asked curiously. He didn't care if she was curious or had any suspicions about his questioning. Tonight Eaon was a person first and a Shinigami second, even if that meant forcing himself to be in that position. Eaon had lived the life of an assassin, and a doctor, and a teacher. He had no desire to live any of those lives, and that meant sometimes having to live a life where he was just a person. Not a Shinigami, not someone who killed and lived off of killing. Tonight Eaon's world would be a slightly more gentle place.

Aki looked at Eaon with a little relief as she heard the Lt. ask his question. Lowering her hand see looked at the man and replied "Only when I need to and have a break from everything else". She slowly moved around the water as she was not sure to do, looking at the man she could tell that he was dealing with a personal conflict, "Do you come here often, and what is it that is bothering you " she asked as she slowly redipped her hair in the water.

Only when she needed a break. Twas interesting how not different people were. Some would argue everyone was different and while that was true habits and behaviors all seemed to be the same. Eaon and Aki apparently had the same ideas of what made for good relaxation. Naked and water, seemed to be a good combo. What better way to wash the day away right?

Eaon smiled and leaned his head back and felt the water soak everything from his scalp down for a moment. In a little while by contrast even in the relatively warm night he was sure his ears would be decently cold. Eaon really hated it when his ears got cold, he didn't know why, but they always felt so weird to him when they were cold. Eaon also felt like it messed with his balance. Maybe something had happened in his previous life in the cold and he just couldn't remember it. Eaon could never be sure, but still the moment or two of warmth was worth it.

"I come here regularly enough to make sure I can properly see all the Captains of the Gotei Thirteen without their clothes off." Eaon said sarcastically pulling his head out of the water finally. His hair almost all pulled together and straightened itself out perfectly. Eaon really did look good in a pony tail, he just despised wearing it special if he could help it. Eaon didn't focus too much on his looks, however he did look good when he tried, or when he meant to. Eaon also enjoyed watching people's reactions to awkward situations. A person in their comfort zone too much was a crazy person, and Eaon enjoyed watching people try and figure out responses to him. Espeically because when he was at work Eaon was a known swordsman, incredibly serious, and always dutiful.

"I wouldn't say anything's the matter. Just some recollection. We all have ghosts right?" Eaon said, not trailing off, but finding it oddly intuitive of someone to notice. Eaon did carry a whole other world around on his shoulders. An Assassin, a murderer, someone who'd lost someone dear to them because they chose to live a dark life. The closest most innocent person Eaon knew perished entirely because she knew Eaon, and that was hard to stomach. It was a harder truth to bare, however Eaon lived on and did what he could to repent and be a man worth having known and died over. Ghosts were an understatement though, Eaon carried around his past in the form of a purple ribbon tied firmly to the sheath of his Zanpakutou in the summer and around his neck in the winter.

Aki slowly raised her head from the water and looked Eaon in the eyes "Now do you want to try the line by me one more time, I don't by that there isn't something bothering you. Yes we all carry ghosts with us however sometimes it isn't good to keep everything bottled up inside, I should know." She said as she slowly moved around the springs trying to keep everything loose in her body, she knew that she was treading on thin ice, however that has never stopped Aki before and she wasn't about to back off now.

"Somethings are simply better left unsaid." Eaon said and she sat up a little bit, pulling his arms out of the water and resting them behind him. The chill in the rocks that coursed through out his skin felt nice, and it was even better because the contrast of the heat of the hot spring's water made everything a tad bit more tolerable. Tolerance was something Eaon had grown fond of. Tolerating other creatures, life, or points of view. Truly he'd be happy if he never had to shed another drop of blood, and that was probably Eaon's only real gripe, he simply didn't enjoy killing.

"Am I boring you? That why you're moving around and risking accidentally exposing yourself to a subordinate?" Eaon shot back, not necessarily defensively, but at least playfully when Aki began to move around in the water. Eaon figured she'd play it safe, and to be honest Eaon didn't really care one way or another. He was simply curious as to why she was so curious about him. Not even Taisho pried that much into Eaon's past, which even the most dull Shinigami would hear about and question it. Swordsmen like Eaon who could already kill many Shinigami before becoming ones themselves simply didn't appear at random. Eaon had been trained, and well practiced before he'd ever even started teaching, most people who knew of him had to at least assume there was something more to it all.

"What about you Captain, what's your story?"

Aki looked Eaon in the eye "[color=violet] Why would you be bothering me, I just need to keep my body loose and not allow it to become use to the heat from the water, I am sorry if it seemed like I was trying to keep away from you. And you are right some things are better left unsaid" she said as she slowly made her way back over to Eaon, however she forgot about the rock she had found earlier, stepping on it, her chest came up out of the water, pausing for a moment, she then continued back to her spot and sat back down.

Aki looked at Eaon"I am sorry about, you probably did not care to see those, and as for my story? How long do you have to lesson " she said as she began to look up at the skies, thinking about her past, and what it was she was about to do with her life, and how it would effect the SS.