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Out of thin air, Yuji touched down in an open field on both feet. A hand was over the top of his brow bone, blocking the glaring sunlight. His purpose for being here was so that he could open a garganta without much attention falling on him. With his experiments, he was able to find a way to mask the openings of these portals, but this was still a step the needed to be took in order to ensure complete cover. With so much time to spare, the shinigami though he'd take a moment to have a little smoke before entering into Hueco Mundo. Having come to that conclusion, Yuji went into his shihakshou and pulled out a custom red rood smoking pipe.

Along with this pipe was a single match. He lifted his foot and struck the match on the bottom, bringing the flame in his right hand up to the pipe that was now hanging from his lip. At this point, there was a look of complete excitement on his face. It had been a while since he had time to take a puff, so this was surely a moment to be cherished. After a few seconds of holding the flame on the tip of the match steady, a large thick gray-looking cloud of smoke lifted into the air. And with a deep inhale, a portion of the smoke filled his lungs only to escape from both nostrils... "Ah... The good stuff.", said Yuji.

There seemed to be no one out and about, or at least no one in this area. That wasn't strange, seeing as how the Seireitei was in some what of an uproar.

There he stood, partaking in his favorite hobby. It wasn't long before he became intoxicated, his attention drifting ever so slightly. Even with that, he was able to register, in his mind, that he was no longer the only person here. Even before he was approached from the rear, or even cornered, there was a feeling of unease looming. Still, he found no reason to go in pursuit or even acknowledge the fact someone was definitely following him. Who this person was ended up being another matter completely, so to expect an attack was the only logical thing for Yuji to do. After looking down at the blade that was very close to caressing the flesh of his neck, Yuji proceeded to grin and continue to add to his already heavy level of intoxication.

"That hilt...", thought Yuji. The idea seemed pretty unrealistic, but the sword this person held to Yuji's throat was that of an ex-12th division captain. Meeting her in a place like this was nothing short of awkward, but an unexpected surprise, to say the least.

After he had sucked the pipe clean of all its contents, he went on and dumped the ash. After placing it back inside of his shihakshou, he looked up from the blade and to the corner of his eyes. "What rock did you decide to crawl off from under after all this time, you pain in the a**?", said Yuji. His tone was that of a sarcastic friend, but at the same time, he did appear to be on guard. After all, there was a blade less than an inch away from snipping his throat pipe like thread. This whole time, there was a hand on his hilt. With his level of combat skill, escaping or even reversing a predicament like this one was like breathing, but he remained. "Are you going to cut me with that famous zanpakutou of yours? If so, you should at least tell me how you've been first."

It was nice to see her again, and he had every intention on milking the encounter for all it was worth. It had been many years since he had seen her, and lord knows how long it would be should they walk separate paths yet again. Without turning to face here, he carried on the conversation casually.

"Don't take my harsh talk the wrong way, I'm just excited about running into you after all this time. I was actually just passing through, you know. Decided to stop for a smoke break, is all."

Finally, he turned to face her with a look of delight in his eyes. This was the only indication that he was smiling, seeing as the bottom half of his face was wrapped in the white scarf of his. The once nonchalant demeanor dissipated, as did his weed lag. Apparently, after thousands of years, his tolerance for marijuana was astounding. Smoking a pipe of it was only good for about 10 minutes of intoxication. That would probably explain why every resting spots of his was filled, literally stocked to the roof with tons of marijuana. Seeing as he was now sober, functioning and conducting an intelligent conversation was back within his grasp.

Just like the old days, he was able to feel how paranoid his old subordinate was. In fact, she seemed to be even more on her toes than she was in the past. It was cute, to Yuji. At every chance, he'd poke fun at it and try to make her even more uncomfortable. With a light chuckle, he placed his right hand on his hilt. "I see you're as paranoid as ever. That's just like you. However, you need not worry about anyone else." He was still smiling, and speaking with the characteristically warm and welcoming tone he was famous for. "I'm the only significant threat to your life, at the moment.", said Yuji. Only, he was standing in front of her. Yuji had almost literally dropped off the face of the earth for about 4 seconds.

He appeared mid-swing, bringing his back handed slash out toward the back of her neck with a slash strong enough to produce a small whirlwind.

After taking a test swing at the woman, Yuji was able to feel that she hadn't lost a step. In fact, she was now stronger than she ever was. He was able to figure that out just by her blocking his first attack. It was more for amusement than for an evaluation, but it all fit in there together. After she backed away, he sheathed Katsuki and smiled again. It was, again, good to see her. And on top of that, from what she had just said, she'd be willing to help out with his plans. In fact, she would end up being a crucial piece of the mass puzzle he had been putting together. The timing couldn't have been any better.

So, with all of that being evident, he decided to invite her into the order of the black flames. He walked straight pass her and flicked his finger out into the clear breeze. Vertical lines split the air, raising apart like an opening mouth. The inside looked to be black. There was something there, but one would need to be close and paying hard attention to differ the inside properties from the overpowering darkness. "Well then, good. Welcome to the order of the black flames. Go back to where you began tracking me and introduce yourself. I have other important matter to handle in hueco mundo. Later, lovely."

With a wink, Yuji darted off into this opening.