|
Post by GoldenKitten on Aug 10, 2011 1:00:01 GMT -4
“And so, by rerouting funds and personnel from the excess in Rukongai Defense we can increase Outer Defense and boost the current losses in the Tenth Division,” Kuatura stood in front of the collected captains and pointed out mathematical equations on a board he'd pulled in behind him. Despite his somewhat juvenile actions at times he was quite familiar with handling the Captains and so unlike most of the other Vice-captains or temporary leaders present who were fidgeting uncomfortably in the background he didn't even really seem to care that attention was on him.
He could hardly finish before Makkuro spoke up, "I understand your need for more soldiers; however, my squad is in a slump of it's own at the moment. A recent hollow attack on Rukongai robbed me of most of my higher seated members. If you truly need more members for the other squads; please speak with them, as their own futures aren't mine to control. And recall, the events up till now suggest that these individuals could threaten our borders at anytime."
When he had first spoken up there had been bated breath for a moment but whether Makkuro was actually that polite or simply being smart there was a collective release of sighs from some of the vice-captains. Kuatura had taken a distinctively tightly-wound turn in the past two-weeks, and he'd snapped at more than a few people in the process. One could hardly blame him though and it's why he was getting away with it as he was merely the physical visage of the aggregate whole of Soul Society.
To call the state of the the Shinigami a sad one was an understatement of comedic proportions, at least had their been anything funny about it. The Thirteen Divisions were all present, but of them ten were being lead by fresh captains than a months experience or temporary replacements in the forms of Vice-captains...or lower. Beyond that as an accumulated total the divisions had lost almost half their manpower. And perhaps the worst of all was the current situation of the Commander Generals position, after the death of Kazuma it had been Saigotschuu Yun who had taken his place, but to say the situation was unanimous or that the tempers incited during it were calmed would be a lie.
Minoru and Rin were the obvious competitors, there had even been other suggestions though they weren't taken as seriously. At the end of the day though the trio had come to a peaceful solution stating that a proper vote or trial could take place when the emergency situation was resolved, and that for the time being the one with his mind clawed into a number of skills was the tactical choice. Though this had come and passed without aggression there were a great deal of people who didn't trust Yun. His attempts to make Tenth increasingly autonomous had not gone unnoticed and many were convinced that when the time came around he would not so readily hand the reigns of power which he might use to further shape Seireitei as he saw fit back over...and they might have had a point.
As Kuatura looked ready to argue the point Yun held up his hand from the chair where sat and motioned for him to stop, “Katayama-san, the points have been addressed, I feel this is a matter to pick up once we've examined the critical specifics behind each possibility. Simply voicing each view without hard numbers from both groups will not get us anywhere...don't you agree?”
They sat in the same room that had long played host to the captains meetings. Some would argue it was in reverence to the passed Kazuma Irashi and to maintain a semblance of normalcy, others said Saigotschuu was simply being politically correct and earning brownie points from the traditional caste. Whatever the case there lay a few differences aside from the company of those present, namely that each squads Vice-Captain or its current equivalent was present; standing behind their captain. With the command structure in such disarray Yun had argued that much of their past failures lay in the disconnect between the various levels of command, it was not an argument many disagreed with.
Though it was the same room it was not the same division despite it still playing as a central gathering point. Upon his ascension Saigotschuu had essentially swapped the titles of First and Tenth division but kept all other factors including personnel and duties in place, save that “First” division was now the one giving the overall orders. It was just another reason the whole event wasn't sitting well with many, not even counting the speed with which it had occurred. Regardless one could hardly argue with the efficiency Yun had worked with installing a number of protocols that cut down on response time to all situations in general, they could however argue with the means by which he sought to achieve them.
Whatever the case this had left Kuatura in charge of Soul Societies background administration duties, as despite him being the ranking officer of “Tenth Division” (alone since his brother Kaiba had been ushered in like many of the others to command one of the battle divisions) the honest truth was he was still performing the organization of the command structure as he had under Kazuma as “First Division”. Unlike others Kuatura did not seem to hold this against Yun, if anything he took his responsibility the most serious of them all, perhaps too serious. The death of Kazuma hadn't made Kuatura useless, instead it had spurred him to zealous levels of activity much to the grievance of those who had previously gotten past on his happy-go-lucky leniency. But Yun was thankful he at least performed the job well, appearances aside he'd learned Kazuma's commanding skills well.
So when he was challenged one almost expected him to argue with Yun, instead after a moment he nodded, “Yes, Commander General...”
It was not uttered with contempt so much as some morbid disapproval, perhaps not in Yun's skills but in an inability to accept the death of the Commander General, even Yun could not claim to have been as close to the man as Kuatura had. As the temporary leader turned and walked to the chair saved for him where Yun had once sat he practically collapsed into it before leaning over; his hands met in front of his mouth like a dome, his near constant glare tapered by massive dark circles beneath his eyes telling of his nigh incessant obsession with fulfilling his charge.
Ignoring this as everyone came to terms their own way and Yun couldn't argue with his recent efficiency he instead mused on just how poor a state they really were. As the leader Kuatura had to place someone as his own helper and they were now so far down the line that Yun didn't even recognize the young girl standing behind him.
It was truly a pitiful state, and it was but one of the vast changes in their daily routine.
Sitting back into his chair for a moment Yun began to speak before a number of incessant beeps sounded out through the room. Yun, Minoru, and Hana retrieved their spirit radars all at once, viewing the data there before holding it up to their ears to listen. Another change Saigotschuu had immediately put in place was insurance that any situation over a certain level was immediately reported to the captains, there would be no more surprises, no more red-tape and rules getting in-between the delivery of essential data. The goal was for each captain to be part of this system by months end; for the time being though it would be just as inefficient for them all to respond to the same alarm and so until a set of guidelines for who received what was established it was instead kept to the two of them familiar with such data dissemination...and not surprisingly to Yun, apparently the little wannabe-girl standing behind Minoru who'd been wielding an entirely inappropriate light-hearted demeanor the entire meeting.
Collecting his thoughts he turned and began, “I need someo-”
But he stopped mid-sentence because Hana was already waving his hand in the air as if to say, “Me! Me! Me!”. Yun made a mental sigh but naturally for composures sake made no obvious physical signs of it, plus he was used to Hanas........nature by now. At the end of the day he knew the boy was not what he pretended to be...or maybe not what he often seemed was a better word, Hana didn't really pretend...stupid savant. Not paying it any further mind he raised his hand and tapped the massive soldier standing in black mail behind him, who was currently serving as his own vice-captain, on the breastplate.
“Hana, investigate it. Desmae, you'll be accompanying her. I want a report in fifteen minutes.”
Desmae issued a militaristic affirmative while Hana happily half-walked-half-skipped to the door. As they passed Kuatura was already to his feet, “Is it them?”, the disdain with which he uttered the word left little doubt of whom he spoke. The ones who had killed so many of their friends, coworkers, and soldiers; the ones who had left Soul Society in such a bind.
Raising his hand in a comforting but at the same time authoritative way Yun spoke softly, “Not that I am aware, certainly if I was I would not send them alone. We're simply picking up a blank spot on our monitors as if someone is hiding something from us; this calls for action but if we stop our entire operation for every emergency we cannot hope to rebuild...or to win. Do you not trust them to handle this properly?”
By this point Hana was out the door and Desmae was just about to exit, hearing the conversation he gave a brief commanding look over his shoulder directly into Kuaturas eyes which was returned. They remained locked like that for some period before the younger man slumped back into his chair, defeated, or perhaps simply disappointed but consenting. Allowing the vice-captain to fume with his arms splayed out across the chair in an annoyed manner Yun turned his attention to the group as a whole.
“Alright, well until we hear more on this lets continue. With all of todays divisions having been allowed to bring dispute or concern to the floor let us move to continuing last weeks projects. Now as was our first agreement each division needs to have a ready-and-prepared force in the event of mass movement. Never again can we be forced to pull together a working army at the last moment, they need not be a standing force but they do need to be capable of deployment within a reasonable period of time. As was our decision at that time each division must place a minimum of fifty members into this force. Excluding Eighth Division whose sole purpose is this duty, inform me of how each of your own progress goes at this point – whoever wants to go first.”
He motioned toward them all as to suggest any could take the floor.
|
|
|
Post by kensei on Aug 11, 2011 2:01:51 GMT -4
Words.. The whole damn room was filled with meaningless words. Charts, and graphs, and all the other crap that the top brass had to show whenever they wanted to make a point, everyone in the room knew they where shoving this down your throat even if you didn’t want it. But they had to keep appearance; they had to make you think you wanted it. It was pathetic, and annoying. And worst of all, he had to sit through it despite not being a Captain anymore. Well, he never really was one, but he had been commander of the division for a little over two months. He had gotten use to the responsibility, and he had started taking pride in it. But now, now he was just an errand boy again.
Perhaps that was a bit to harsh of an outlook, but he still couldn’t fully accept handing over the reigns to someone his men hardly knew, or didn’t know at all. Sagara had only personally been on one mission with Kaiba, and he didn’t trust him to lead. He was every bit as rash as Sagara was, but he knew the men who served under him, he trained with them, fought with them, shed blood with them. What had this prick done? Showed up and handed the keys to the house. But it wasn’t even Kaiba that angered him the most, it was the reason Kaiba was selected. The one parading himself as the Commanding General, Saigotschuu Yun. Maybe he was the most competent to lead, but that didn’t mean he had the right to change every division from the ground up within a month after the old man’s death. Especially in war time when reorganizing everything could result in disaster as people try and learn the new ways.
His golden eyes traveled to Kuatura, it was almost pathetic to seem him as he was. The Commanding General’s death had hit him harder then anyone else, it had reduced him from the fiery man who was willing to scold the entirety of the Shingami leadership, to a pathetic shell of his former self, constantly absorbing himself in his work to ignore the world around him. At least that’s how Sagara viewed him now, it seemed like his work was the only thing keeping his world glued together. It was a way to coupe he supposed, but Sagara feared the man would burn out at this rate. He didn’t know why he pondered his emotions the way he did, perhaps it was just Kuatura was the manifestation of all of the Gotie 13. All beaten and broken, sinking into whatever little thing allowed them to claim to still be sane. What was it that glued his world together he wondered? For a while he had dealt with the loss of Fensake Diato, and Captain Yamato by simply trying to be them. Leading the division like they would have, trying his hardest to fill in the gap. He assumed the responsibility of the two of them, worked himself to the bone, and trained every day to gain the strength of them. But now, he assumed the work of a Vice Captain, and spent more and more time at the MABSG then he did there own training grounds. He had become obsessed with mastering his Bankai so he might once again lead the squad. That was his goal, a leader who cared and knew. It was what kept him going throughout all of this.
But now in this ever changing world, just training and doing his daily duties didn’t seem to be enough anymore. Divisions where getting swapped around, and all of those loyal to Yun seemed to be getting special treatment. Speaking of special treatment. The new information system went off in the middle of Yun’s speech. He eyed the tech, wondering what it was saying. Naturally, only those who where close to the Commanding General had them currently. It must have been nice being one of the divisions in the loop. Sixth hadn’t made it there, despite there Captain’s close ties to the old First division, Sixth was a very proud division, alienating itself from the other divisions to a fair degree because of it. While he was still Captain he had voiced his concerns about how Yun was overstepping his bounds, asserting more control then Kazuma Irashi ever had. He had been quickly replaced by someone “more competent.” He subconsciously stared Yun down, even though he hardly knew the guy he couldn’t help but hate him with a passion..
”Well, I told you that it wouldn’t last, and they needed to find someone better to run the division. Seems that the new Commandant agrees with me. You’re far to pathetic to run Sixth, having you as the Vice-Captain is a bad enough joke as is.” He shook his head, causing his long crimson hair to smack Kaiba lightly in the back of his head. “Sorry, sir.” He whispered before responding to his soul mate.. Yeah, seems that I can’t fit in with the new order so the Commander gave me a personal fuck off. Kaiba could have been used by other divisions, but naturally the one who says something gets the new leadership. I can only hope this jackass doesn’t get so overjoyed about being a Captain and forget he has to look out for our division more then kiss his brother’s ass, and suck up to the boss who put him there. ”Wow, you have a lot of rage built up inside. But it’s understandable, post people are pissed off after getting demoted. Face it; you just didn’t have what it took to run the division Sagara. You aren’t strong enough, or smart enough to make friends in high places.” And trash my division’s honor? I was in charge of the well being of my people, and making sure that Sixth retained all of its power among the other divisions was my duty. I have no regrets. Except that you are the one standing up, not sitting down that is..” Go now.. We can talk after the meeting.
And with that, Kasai was silenced. But his words still rung threw Sagara’s mind. He was right, he was jealous.. He had a cold stare at the back of Kaiba’s head, he wanted him gone. Dead or not, it didn’t matter right now, he wanted to be back in charge. His was green with envy, he wanted to be Kaiba, have his power, his position, and not have to worry about having it taken away at a moments notice.
Damn it.. Whats wrong with me?
|
|
Wanzer
Junior Member
What does it mean to be strong?
Posts: 214
|
Post by Wanzer on Aug 11, 2011 20:08:36 GMT -4
Makkuro could barely hold his peace and his emotions were begging to explode out of him in a frenzy. The recent battle in the human world had been a disaster; so many people were slaughtered and the Seireitei’s already drained resources just took a nose dive, inadequate barely scratched the surface. Out of all the squads, squad three had been hammered lately; the lose of a vice captain along with several upper seats left a gaping void in the chain of command. The leniency that Makkuro normally held was beginning to slip through his fingers like a rope covered in butter; his face nearly turning red when he corrected Kuatura on his statement. Breathing out slowly, his response was delivered with effective immediacy and with much less bite than he had mentally rehearsed; this would have been the only time he ever found himself aching to smash someone in the jaw. Kuatura was known about the Seireitei for being a skirt-chaser a fact that irritated Makkuro to no end; especially, when they existed to keep order about this place. Now the man was attempting to redirect forces from an already severely weakened Squad? He needed to do much more research on matters before inducing such macabre plans.
“Makkuro, you should give the kid a break; he is much younger than you after all. So maybe it would be wise to think it as just the wiles of youth and dreams of grandeur fluttering through an otherwise empty head. Don’t get yourself so worked up over such things; we can’t afford any in-fighting right now.” Meuma, Makkuro’s zanpakuto spirit had said to him over his shoulder; the fully armored, war horse spoke with elegance something that was rare for him. Under normal circumstances, the horse was a plethora of perverted statements and an endless source of frustration for the shinigami. As of right now; the massive, red stallion was proving to be right and was just nigh of being materialized in front of the entire group. Doing something to that effect though would cause more havoc than good; so Makkuro was keeping an unwavering grip around his spirit. Mayhem was the last thing this crowd needed at the moment.
Lowering his head down slightly; the caramel colored orbs of his eyes barely revealing themselves due to the angle he held his head. He found himself in a rather precarious position; he was the newest of the captains and the least experienced, hell probably the least powerful as well. Looking at Sagara, a red head with a temper and a zanpakuto spirit to match that fiery attitude; Makkuro wondered just how out of his league he was right now. He was sure Sagara had been there longer than himself; though he knew he was a member of the MABSG, an association of shinigami attempting to gain bankai. Yet, the man had much more battle experience and could better relate to the other shinigami than Makkuro, a captain, could. Feeling himself plummeting slightly in self-respect; he stopped and remembered that it was his duty to be a guiding light for the other members of the Seireitei in these troubling times.
“That maybe so Meuma; however, for someone in such a high position and held in such high regard to err so poorly right now. Things need to be clear, precise and run with optimal efficiency; there is no time to make due or to just wildly slap out a plan without clear and precise data. I don’t have the data right now; however, with the creation of an army I can think of something that should be done.” Musing over this in his mind; Makkuro allowed himself to smile slightly, rubbing his scruffy chin as the salt and pepper of his hair matched the consistency of his beard. Finding that Commander General Yun had opened the floor to all speaker’s Makkuro’s eyes widened slightly; still, he was completely unnerved at the moment especially after a little girl began to frantically wave her hand about. Minoru and Yun, along with the little girl had all looked at some strange device moments before; leaving Makkuro at a loss at what was going on for a few seconds.
Just as he was interject and ask what was going on it hit him; they were all holding spiritual radars, enhanced detection devices. A bead of cold sweat began to form on the man’s neck sliding down from the jugular and one his untrimmed chest. A long exhale was in the works; however, Makkuro held this back and only allowed him a small blow through his nose. Taking in the appearance of the little girl and watching Desmae exit leaving a silence following the area; Sagara meanwhile, had taken on an almost sickly appearance causing Makkuro to worry over him. Something in the back of his mind told him to allow it to slide this once; otherwise, a bit of a backlash might sting him. “Emotions are running far too high right now; everyone really needs to just relax. Otherwise nothing will ever get done.” Shaking his head once, he slowly raised his hands to signal that he was about to speak.
“Yun-sama, if you don’t mind.” As he began to speak; Meuma was already hounding him in the back of the head. The stallion’s incessant and near neighing voice causing Makkuro some aggravation; which did not show on his face at all, a testament to his patience. Meuma had always been a thorn in his side; however, to interrupt what was likely the most important speech of his life. That was taking things a little bit too far; trying to tune him out, the gruff, blunt speech of his spirit blared through all his mental road blocks and the screech of his companion’s voice began to fill his ears.
“Makkuro, don’t go playing the hero; you know nothing about the battlefield yet and you should leave the heavy thinking to the other captains. Trying to prove yourself here will only lead to embarrassment and that is something we can’t afford!”
Meuma’s voice sounded frantic and the embarrassment that he was talking about was perhaps something to deal with the relationship between the Captains of Squad three and thirteen. Granted, at this point Makkuro could care less about personal appearances and his love-life when there was an entire population to save. He had a point to make right now and if he went without making it; then the entire seireitei would have to suffer. In his mind, if he lost Rin, but saved the multitudes of spirits that had put their safety in his hands; it was a noble loss and something he could deal with. His life was a secondary and theirs were the primary; nothing else mattered so long as they could live their afterlives in safety and be reincarnated without fear of being devoured by Arrancar or Hollows.
"Meuma, I have no time for what you have to say right now. This needs to be said regardless of what is happening here in your mind or anywhere else. My love-life can be placed on hold for now; the safety of the populous is what is important right now. Along with the unity of the Gotei thirteen; if we can’t even get along with each other and focus on a combined goal…how can we claim to the be the salvation of everyone around us?”
Finishing his statement to his inner spirit; he continued to speak to the rest of the Captains or those in command. “If I can be so bold; we’re a bit disjointed right now aren’t we Captain Commander. If we’re going to construct an army to be deployed at any moment; how can we just superimpose our whims of who will join or who wouldn’t. Of course, we would require some draft to pull soldiers into this army; however, what will this do? My suggestion for this is for each of the divisions to gather the remaining members of their squads and issue this; better yet, why don’t we just make the entire Seireitei this army?” Makkuro ran his hands together slowly before looking about the room to gauge the other Captain’s reactions to his statement; waiting for any commotion that might come up to settle down before resuming what he was saying.
“One of the biggest issues here is that we don’t communicate with each other that often; our squads are disjointed and our members see little of each other. I’m not suggesting some dissolution of all the squads, but rather creating days where all of our shinigami in the Seireitei are required to train together; intermingle and function as a unit rather than this bizarre centipede which we exist as right now. Afterwards, we can pick from the ‘units’ that show the best teamwork and combat ability to work together. Supposing this, every unit should have one member of each squad in it. Simply collecting six hundred and fifty shinigami and creating them into an army would do little for them; we all already know of the distrust between divisions. Few of the shinigami here speak to each other beyond the occasional hello while passing by; if we are going to have a war, shouldn’t we create bonds between our soldiers before sending them off to battle? There is no camaraderie between them and thus no reason for any of them to risk their lives in combat for another. Commander, we don’t just need an army randomly slapped together; we need to train these men to eat, sleep and breath as one cohesive unit. Otherwise, they are just going to end up dead or they are going to flee like cowards the moment they hit ground zero.”
Finishing what he had to say; Makkuro sat still and waited to see any reaction from those around him. He held no shame in his mind for what he had just said; however, he was still nervous and wondered if his suggestion was one that would be taken as a slap to the face. Nothing ill was meant of it; rather, he just wanted to break down some of the barriers which were restricting the best possible movements of the Seireitei. In his mind, if the soldiers who were risking their lives couldn’t trust their leaders or the men beside them; what reason did they have to give their all in battle? Without some sort of unifying power behind all of them; they’d just be sending more and more men to their deaths without so much as a warning and one final good-bye. Makkuro could see himself standing at some sort of draft box; spinning the handle of the cart and pulling slips of paper with his men’s names written on it. Mentally, he could hear the tears and the cries of frustration; could hear his own voice droning out the names as if each and every single one of them was already a dead man. That was something he never wanted to see; nothing in this life was worth that scene.
|
|
Jukuma
Junior Member
Let's begin the operation...
Posts: 131
|
Post by Jukuma on Aug 13, 2011 3:02:07 GMT -4
During the entire meeting, Yasuo had remained in the same, static position, sitting with his back straight, his arms crossed and staring with an attentive expression at Yun as he managed the meeting as the new Commander of the Gotei 13. He couldn't say he approved of him yet; as of that point in time, Yun was lacking the aura Commander Yamato had and it was hard for him to think of him as the greatest authority among the Gotei 13. There was no doubt that Yun was an incredibly capable leader and fighter, that's why he had been chosen as a Captain before and proved to be an exemplary one, most likely leading to the reason why he was chosen to fill in Commander Yamato's position for a long time seeing that there was no one else with more potential than him yet. Nonetheless, Yasuo had already given it enough thought and he wasn't anywhere close to question this decision, nor the new Commander's attempts to fix their pitiful state. The room was filled with the elite of Soul Society, which was pitiful having in mind they didn't even have the usual thirteen Captains to lead divisions, and some of them were appointed without meeting the requirements they would need under regular conditions. There was hardly anything that Yun could do to worsen the situation and, at the end of the day, he couldn't see anyone in that room that he could bet would do better than him. But at least the man seemed to be managing for the moment and you couldn't say the same thing about Kuatura. The man wasn't even a shadow of what he used to be, and that came from someone who hadn't had a decent conversation with him yet; Yasuo couldn't even imagine how his close acquaintances saw him now, but he figured it had to be painful. Nonetheless, he had an idea of what he was going through and hoped that he could just fight through it for now, and that he had people who could help him do so soon, since he was needed now. He made on comment though, nor did he say anything about Hana when she broke the serious atmosphere in the room (God, he found her annoying) before leaving with Dismae.
Apparently, those were not the only matters that needed attention. He wasn't really close to that problem, but he was able to tell that the unity of the organization was breaking apart. A portion of the Gotei 13 thought that Yun was favoring those close to him by appointing them to fill the high ranks left empty. To Yasuo it simply seemed like he was organizing everything using people he knew could fit the part rather than trusting those he was unfamiliar with. If everyone was against that, then they simply had to prove otherwise, and there still time for changes to be made. He had seen this issue among his own peers in his division and could at least address it with his own viewpoint (which then again didn't mean he had been able to convince all of them, since he was taking a "wait and see" position for now). However, the one who stood out when he thought about this issue was Sagara. The two were not very close acquaintances, but Sagara had been appointed second in command of the MABSG and he felt that the two had reached some sort of mutual understanding through that, not to mention that he had become an important figure in that project, so he couldn't help but feel concerned about him. He could understand what the new Vice-Captain had gone through in the absence of their Captain since he himself had seen himself in a similar, less extreme situation, and now that they had been appointed a new leader who barely qualified and wasn't familiar with the division had to be like a spit on his face, especially seeing how much he valued his companions. He hoped his suspicions were just his own paranoia, but lately the man spent more time in the 5th Division's training grounds than in his own, and he could very well see it as some sort of breather from the scenario he had envisioned. Either way, he decided it would be better if he talked about it with him when he got a chance.
On his part, Yasuo was trying to deal with the new changes the best way he could, and that way seemed to be a change of character. He was still the eccentric and energetic man who would continually preach almost nonsensical speeches about effort and respect to his underlings and, to many people's dismay, he still talked like a pirate when he got overly excited. However, he had become much more dedicated and serious to his duties lately, and that was becoming more evident by the day. There were many things in his mind now; he still had to recover the pride of the 5th Division, which he felt was his duty having in mind he was the highest ranking officer left in it. Since the division hadn't been appointed a new Captain yet, he was still acting as a substitute, but he remained officially a Vice-Captain; in fact, if the meeting hadn't provided chairs and they were standing, he would have had to remain on his knees the entire time. it was true that ever since Yasuo managed to create and maintain the MABSG, he had been regarded more seriously among the higher-ups, but he was well aware that despite that, the reason why he hadn't been robbed of his right to have presence in these meetings was because Yun still hadn't found someone appropriate to take the position. He lacked the power to lead his division for much longer, but knowing that he had to hold on until then had changed him into a responsible and serious person and, in meetings, the change was extreme. Just seeing his expression was enough to see the difference, although the fact that he didn't have his bandanna on in this meeting also played a part.
His attention switched to Makkuro when the man took the floor to speak. He knew a little bit about him; he had asked him to be a temporary instructor in the MABSG a few times. if he had to compare him to other Captains, he would have to say he was one of the easiest to talk to and probably the one he was most comfortable with. He waited for the Captain to finish and, once he was sure he wouldn't continue, he decided to take the floor this time.
"If I may" he said while slightly raising his hand to ask for permission to speak. Once he saw no one had a problem with him speaking, he continued. "With all due respect, Captain Makkuro, I have to disagree with your argument", it was surprising to see Yasuo disagree with a superior. It didn't have anything to do with Makkuro being the newest Captain, he respected him the same as all the others, but after all the time he had been spending as a speaker in these reunions, he had learned to voice his opinions more openly. "Sereitei is divided into these Divisions for a reason and the camaraderie you speak of already exists inside of them; at least, I can account that that's the case in the 5th Division. If these men won't risk their lives for comrades of other divisions then they will for their own; and if they cannot do that much then they have to comprehend that whatever their reason to fulfill their duty is, fighting with those comrades is part of that duty." Yasuo crossed his arms again and continued on with the same serious expression. "Moreover, I don't need to say our numbers have taken a huge toll, there is no reason why we wouldn't be attacked tomorrow, since the Arrancar have the power and numbers to be that bold. With that in mind, I don't believe we have the time to create the strong bonds in the manner you speak of. I'd rather take my chances, trust that army and have it create its own inside bonds and sense of camaraderie." Once he finished his explanation, he turned his head to wards Yun. "The 5th Division has confirmed thirty-four members for the army, including myself among them. However, we have more volunteers, so we expect to meet the quota soon, sir."
He didn't know if they were meant to include themselves among their volunteers, but, at the end of the day, Yasuo was aware that he would be replaced as the leader of his division at any moment so he had seen no problem with including himself. There was also the fact that the 5th Division was in a pitiful state; they had lost their Captain and several other seated officers and regulars while defending the Sereitei during the Espada attack on Soul Society before their invasion in Hueco Mundo and were still recovering their officers and numbers. The division now had little less than 400 members (388 last time Yasuo checked and if Yun hadn't made any unannounced changes), so it was hard to provide 50 members without seriously compromising the division's existence. However, that wasn't the main reason for Yasuo to volunteer himself either. The truth was he was eager to fight; all he could do was motivate his own underlings, he had no tactical knowledge and most people would say he wasn't smart. But if all he could do was share his determination, he wanted to do it in the battlefield. However, for now, he remained silent and waited for someone else to take the floor.
|
|
|
Post by Galihan on Aug 13, 2011 13:46:14 GMT -4
It was definitely not the most enjoyable of predicaments that faced the Gotei Thirteen, many people would be uncomfortable, upset, or unwilling to accept that change was going to be inevitable in the coming days. The reorganization of various squads as needed to fill the empty seats and re-balance the weakened chains of command were going to be a particular issue among certain seated officers and being relieved of de facto leadership in favour of others from different squads with better credentials – such as was the case with the Sixth, but probably most of all the First. The death of Kazuma Irashi was sudden, unexpected, and couldn't have happened at a worst possible time – that's what most people were probably thinking. The entire affair was kept under close wraps and credit had to be given where it was due in preventing mass hysteria or panic within the ranks of the Gotei Thirteen and the nobility of Seireitei alike. Everyone was curious to learn more about the details behind the late Head Captain's passing, and especially of Yun's rather unexpectedly sudden claim as his replacement – at least for now – and nobody was willing to talk who actually knew anything about the event it seemed.
Minoru didn't mind nearly as much as many people probably assumed he did, despite officially now being the oldest of the current shinigami and the longest-reigning of the current captains, he didn't really have any desire to become the next commander-in-chief. To take up that position would be too much responsibility, he was already busy enough with his own projects as the head of the Science and Research Division – he enjoyed his position in Squad Twelve too much, and frankly didn't want to step down unless he really had to. Perhaps that had something to do with his vice-captain, who, although highly competent (more than anyone liked to admit,) and Minoru DID actually care for him (more than he liked to admit (and whether that be as like a daughter or a son was something that he was unsure how to decide upon (and being possibly one of the few mysteries he DID admit he'd probably never know for certain,))) Minoru was frankly not eager to hand over his Squad Twelve to the cute boy in the dress who was skipping out of the meeting room just yet. Or anytime soon if he could have a say in the matter... just to play it on the safe side.
Regardless, Minoru didn't mind Yun as much as many people probably assumed he did, if anything he admired his ambition and exceptional leadership when it was needed. Granted, what many people disliked about Yun and Squad Ten, its increasingly independent growth that alienated it from the rest of the Gotei Thirteen, Minoru was able to see as both a relief on his own squad for not having to provide and maintain gadgets for, and if anything else, as a testing ground for Yun to modernize his forces. If Yun were to go about similar changes to the Gotei Thirteen as a whole, then perhaps it really would be for the best in terms of keeping the forces of Soul Society up to date in the face of the reforms the arrancar and advancements the humans were both rumoured to be undergoing. Being brothers with the head of the noble Daichi Family, Minoru was fairly embossed in the politics of Soul Society and also never hid the fact that he wasn't the fondest of the way Soul Society was ran at times, the Central Fourty-Six particularly being one thing he wouldn't mind doing away with, providing that in its stead was something reasonably worthy of being in control that would neither abuse its power nor have their heads lodges firmly up their backsides while flaunting themselves over those who actually gave a damn about the people and places they oversaw. Of course they would have to have the final say in Yun becoming the official new Head Captain, and would probably could cause lots of grief in the coming days with Yun having assumed command like he did, and be responsible for way too much red tape in the way of any of the major reforms that people opposed Yun in charge may have been afraid of. But in the long run, Minoru was somehow pleased at the turn of events. Unfortunate that they had to involve the unexpected passing of Kazuma, but he wasn't particularly going to be remembered as a great leader in Minoru's eyes – granted there were those who would disagree entirely on that matter, he was neither incompetent nor weak, but nothing great was likely to ever happen if it weren't for outside powers to force change upon Soul Society while Kazuma was still in charge.
And then Captain Makkuro Shiboo of Squad Three brought up an interesting point. It was true that the various squads have never been the most cooperative and teamwork has been a major weakness in joint-operations in the past. Every squad had its own honour, pride, ego to protect. While friendly competition was healthy, sometimes it was just out of control and completely crippling in the long-run. It was something that Minoru himself felt needed to be improved greatly for the Gotei Thirteen to be able to run smoothly. But Minoru was never one to get involved in such squabbles, his business has always been independent of the other squads, as with his squad's business being separate from the others altogether. As much as he wanted to discuss the matter with Makkuro, he knew that anyone who saw beyond Minoru's position as a high-ranking captain would be less likely to want to agree with whatever he had to say regarding the issue, thus doing nothing to improve the situation.
At that moment, however, someone else decided to break his own silence and argue against Makkuro's concerns, the Vice-captain of Squad Five, Yasuo Funanori. He brought up a good arguement, that Captain Azuka of Squad Two was able to expand upon, who stood to address everyone present.
“I appreciate what both of you are saying, but I have to both slightly agree and disagree with the both of you. Shiboo-san, your concern is as well justified as Funanori-san's. While it would be very beneficial to train members of our squads together and I agree that ideally we should, our divisive nature would only lead to petty squabbles unless we took the utmost care to drill into their heads that we are but one single force and did away with the idea of being from separate squads altogether. Such a process would be very laborious and we may very well be too hard pressed for time as Funanori-san says to make it realistically possible. Even if we could teach everyone to see past our squads, there's still the matter of what these squads stand for to each of us.
If for instance, we had a unit of forty men, that's only three members from each separate squad plus one additional officer to lead, to issue a command, 'attack that hollow' lets say, we'd have soldiers trying to ambush it from behind, soldiers trying to rush it head on, soldiers trying to argue among themselves over who is going to be the one person to claim the fight for themselves, and so on. The difficulty would arise while training making us more vulnerable, bickering over how to fight in a uniform manner that everyone can agree with rather than actually being a cohesive unit. Many of our soldiers would need a real crisis to understand just how real the threat is, the memory of our previous defeat will only last so long to motivate us.”
Tsuno took a moment to pause, breathe, readjust the sunglasses on his face and turn to face the newly declared commander of the Gotei Thirteen. How it was that he became the current Head Captain was a mystery, but Kazuma-sama's passing was not suspected to be foul play according to what he was told, so Captain Saigotschuu being able to fill the position on such short notice was at least better than leaving the shinigami crippled and confused without a leader. Tsuno was still the leader of the Onmitsukido, separate from the Gotei Thirteen in that Tsuno was free to act on his own so long as it didn't interfere with any of the squads or unless Central Forty-Six said otherwise, but being so closely bound to Squad Two, having a Head Captain at all was much better than not.
“Captain Saigotschuu,” Tsuno resumed. “Squad Two will prepare its forces as you request, and I will personally see to it that the Onmitsukido are also ready to dedicate forces from the Executive Militia and Patrol Corps to further assist the Gotei Thirteen should the need arise."
|
|
|
Post by kensei on Aug 14, 2011 3:14:29 GMT -4
For the first time of the meeting, Sagara had broken free of his thoughts to really listen to what was being said. The newly appointed Captain Makkuro apparently wished to make a big entrance to the meetings, suggesting a foolish idea, at least in Sagara’s opinion. A grin touched his lips as Yasuo started about concerns with the idea. It was comforting to know he wasn’t going to be alone in a fight against a Captain. His eyes traveled over to Kaiba, gritting his teeth as the man simply watched the scene unfold. What his opinions where he didn’t know, but he wasn’t going to take the chance of him giving Sixth division’s support of the proposal.
Sagara raised his hand after Captain Tsuno finished giving her thoughts on the issue. “I would like to build on Vice Captain Funaori-san’s argument. The Divisions are separate for a reason, every single squad has its own functionality it trains for. You wouldn’t pull members from Eleventh to bolster the Fourth squad simply because they wouldn’t mesh. We are separate because we have different functions. While building our relationships between the squads is all well and good, we need to train separately to do our separate tasks. Our men need to know that the people in there divisions have there back, because those are the men they will be deploying with. Perhaps similar divisions could partake in joint training exercise’s to help teach the men who should be where. But trying to form squads out of all the divisions is just a bad idea. Just because Commander Irashi didn’t utilize the different Squads to the best of his ability doesn’t mean the old system is broken. To put it bluntly, we just need to get our shit together.”
There was an underlying tone of anger in his voice, it didn’t seem to be directed at anyone, but a general frustration with the whole situation oozed out of his words. Many would have guessed it was because of the new replacement Captain in charge of his division, and they would partially be right. Partially. “Of course..” He continued as he turned his head to Kaiba, pausing slightly. “The last word on this matter comes to you Captain.” Captain.. Perhaps it was imagination, or simply the frustration that had plagued his entire speech coming to an end. But the word seemed like venom, he didn’t mean it to be openly hostile, or even cruel. But there where to many emotions in him to bottle up, he was the type to scream, shot, and cut his problems apart. Having to keep respect and order despite personal feelings was new and foreign, and this meeting was showing he was not very good at it..
When Kaiba finally gave his opinion on the matter Sagara piped up again, this time starring Yun down. “As for the standing army, it may take some time to get the numbers you have requested. As you all know, Squad Six was hit hard, only second to Squad Ten, but unfortunately we didn’t have a secret reserve army to bolster our numbers with.” There was no mistaking this one, this was a direct cut to Yun and his actions as head of the Tenth Division. Yun had managed to tick Sagara off, and he wanted revenge. The air had become far tenser; it started resemble a peace talk between two warring parties then a meeting of allies.
_________________________
A few minutes ago.
Ada fidgeted as she stood to the side of the door to the meeting room. He slender fingers twirling a strand of her long golden hair. Even though she had been coming to the meetings every week for the last three months, actually stepping in was an act of courage for her. She had no qualms telling you that the other Captain’s intimidated her. The way they carried themselves, there proud and powerful demeanor. The pride of all of there divisions resting on there shoulders, and the trust they had in there own abilities. But Ada had a different source for courage on her shoulders..
The soft, lily white hands of her twin sister gracefully made there way onto her shoulders, massaging them deeply. Her pale white cheeks became slightly flushed as he sister placed her body against her back, and whispered in her ear. “You’ll be fine Ada. We have done this a dozen times already.” She laid her head onto her Leni’s hand, taking comfort in the fact her sister was with her. “Alright Leni. I’m ready.” She said, her soft voice hardly even counting as a whisper as she stood up straight. However, right as she was going to make her way inside, a giant appeared in front of her. He was nearly twice as tall as her, and though not particularly broad for his height, he was practically two of her abreast. On top of that, on his back he donned the largest battleaxe she had ever laid eyes on. Her eyes widen as she searched for words, all the comforting Leni had just done flying out as the small girl turned towards her sister, panic in her eyes. She went to move past her sister, but the firm clasp on her shoulders told her enough to know she had just agitated her..
_ " Ada." She said she smiled, clasping her sister’s hand in her own. "It is really important that we maintain composure now more than ever." She squeezed her hand sligtly. "They need us. All of Squad Seven needs us. Even more so, I need you. So focus; and we can will get through this." She let go of Ada’s hand as her face went back to the impartial look she almost always carried. She walked passed her sister, hoping she wasn’t going to have to drag her into the meeting.. _
Ada’s lower lip started to quiver as she stared into her sister’s snowflake like eyes. Her hands grabbed the edges of her Haori as she pulled it tight around her, before tightening the sash around her waist. She had been given the Haori several sizes to large for her when she took the position of Captain, however she insisted that the Haori remained unaltered. It acted like her own personal security blanket, a symbol of the trust her division had for her that she could wrap herself in and hide from the world with.. She closed her eyes as she took a few deep breaths, with what little determination she could muster, she strode into the Captain’s meeting.
She had taken comfort in the fact that Yun was now at the head of the meetings. Yun was one of the few people she felt comfortable with in here. A few years back Ada and Leni had taken the Captain’s proficiency test for a second time, Commander Irashi had once again rejected there test as he did not believe a Captain seat should go to the two as neither of them had the full power of there Bankai because of the nature of there shared Zanpakuto. So the duo had attempted to bypass Irashi’s ruling, and attempted to gain the recommendation of the other Captains, of them all, Arashi and Yun where the only two willing to support the sisters against Commander Irashi’s wishes.
She sunk into her chair, moving her hands to her lap so she could look at the long sleeves of her Haori. Her mind was filled with doubts these days, and the thought that perhaps the Commander was right about them echoed in her mind everyday. Normally the white cloth felt like a security blanket to her, wrapping her in the confidence her squad placed in her, and some sort of reminder that she had the ability to lead.. But right now, it seemed like a lead weight in her heart, making her question if she was truly worth of wearing it. Even though she was almost as old as Rin, she had never held even a Vice Captain position, and the lack of experience could end up being a major problem later on. But.. But there was no one else fit to lead, at least, not as long as she held her half of the Zanpakuto, and stopped Leni from gaining all of its power.
Her eyes slowly traveled up as Yun’s speech was cut short. Unconsciously she gulped as she eyed the new command alert devices. She dreaded combat, but more then that, she dreaded the idea that the Horror Vacui where attacking again. The loss of life in recent months had been unlike anything she could remember with her time in the shingami, and the prospect of more bloodshed frightened her greatly. A sigh of relief escaped her as it didn’t appear to be the Arrancar making another strike after there success.
She was a bit perplexed by the Horro Vacui, despite having a large numbers advantage, and the strongest warriors the world has quite possibly ever seen, they have yet to launch a full scale assault on Seirity. While there defenses would provide a lot of resistance, she had to wonder if they could actually hold them off. But such an attack would bring upon the wrath of Squad Zero, a formidable foe that might possibly provide more resistance then perhaps all of the other squads combined. It was no doubt it was an untapped resource to be feared, but for how much longer would it remain in reserve?
She sunk deeper into her chair as she watched the debate take place. Despite the formalities being used, the rift between divisions was a frightening thing. She agreed that the walls of the past had to be dissolved in the face of what lye ahead of the Shingami. However, one Shingami sought to destroy even the formalities, and instead opted to openly attack Commander Yun in front of all the other divisions, and the hostility towards his own command was dully noted as well.
“Sagara Zurui!” She said as she stood and stared the red headed man down. The entire room seemed to turn to her, they where all watching, wanting to see what she had to say, waiting to know what the Captain had to say.. “Um…” Her voice trailed off as she looked from one person to another, her eyes started to water, as tears of fear tried to break free. He breathing started to become more rapid and infrequent as she tried to collect her thoughts. Her voice was quiet, and many would have to strain themselves to catch what was to come next.. ”We are... We are. We can’t. We can’t afford to. To um.. To continue to fight amongst ourselves.. We have.. We have to work together.. So.. I. I support Shiboo-sans idea..” Her voice started to squeal slightly as she stared at her sister, begging her to save her from the trouble she founder herself in. ”Leniiiiii!”
|
|
|
Post by Zhiel on Aug 14, 2011 20:57:38 GMT -4
OOC: Did some miss on where certain events happened so had to re-arrange much of the early parts of the post, so some might be a little jumbled, sorry about that. This is a fairly accurate image of Erik Blotfalke, the captain of 8th Division: Clicky--- Among the assembled members of the shambled Gotei 13's Leadership Erik was one of the oldest and most experienced in the way of battle, however despite his age he was by far the most recent to be promoted to the position of a Captain, not even having been a Vice-Captain before due to the nature of his Zanpakutou and it's impact on his ability to lead... Having been on the general strength level of a Captain for many years but unable to utilize his full combat ability and still able to guide his fellow Shinigami Erik had instead been given the rank of Vanguard within the 8th Division, but with the whole of Soul Society in shambles now they could not afford such excess rankings and it had not been more than a few hours from when he had returned after his 'excursion' in Hueco Mundo that he was given the notice telling him he was now the 8th Divisions new Captain. Because of this Erik was about as nervous as anyone and had to really fight the urge to "arrange" his uniforms collar every ten seconds. Sure the previous captain had taught him everything about leading and he had a great deal of general knowledge he had picked up over the years but he wasn't used to actually using it, he preferred to simply be the weapon. Still while the Vice Captain of the 8th Division was a good leader Erik guessed that the higher ups wanted more powerful individuals in charge of the divisions, partly due to the morale boost it could bring to see displays of power from your leaders. Erik himself was probably not very well known outside of 8th division, other than perhaps as "that foreign guy with the huge axe", having a permanently released Shikai was really bothersome at times. With all that said however Erik was sitting back in his chair trying to look calm and collected, though he wasn't sure how well he was doing. Erik did his best to keep up with the conversations going on while musing on the different individuals gathered in the room, first of whom was Kuatura, Erik himself had never really been all that involved with the previous Commander General but his own Captain had spoken highly of him and he had done much to earn Erik's respect, so it had been a shock to hear of the disaster in Tokyo when he had come back nearly a week ago and having lost his own captain over a month ago who had been like an older brother to Erik he could sympathize with Kuatura quite well. Though he couldn't help but worry for the Vice Captain who clearly worked too hard. Then his focus shifted when Makkuro, another fairly new Captain spoke up. For obvious reasons the man wasn't happy about people from his squad being pulled to fill gaps in other Divisions and it was definitely something Erik could understand. He personally knew the name of almost every member of the 8th Division and he was on a "first-name basis" with many of them, if they were suddenly split up and assorted like statistics into another Division he'd too be pissed. Sure it was tragic that the Divisions were so understaffed in general but that went for almost all of them right now. Makkuro himself seemed an alright person, honest and willing to stand for what he believed in, two traits Erik found very respectable though other than that he didn't know too much about him, which really was the case for most of the current leadership... Erik continued to listen and observe as the new Commander General took center stage, Saigotschuu was a man whom Erik had had very few dealings with over the years and so he mostly had opinions and rumors and a bit of textual facts to go on regarding the man though Erik preferred to make his own opinion of others so he'd wait and see before he would decide his position in the grand whole of things, that and he still needed to get a grasp on the way the politics of Soul Society worked himself. Out of nowhere a sudden beeping came from the spirit radars of Yun, Minoru and the girl behind the 12th Captain, however he had no clue about what it suggested other than a potential threat though Yun's reaction to it and his sending the little girl and his own Vice Captain suggested it was recon more than anything. He couldn't really blame them for not informing him of this change, most gathered here probably hadn't even heard about his own sudden promotion until they saw him sit in the captains seat now... Communications seemed to be a bit haphazard at the moment. Once the matter of the mysterious "null zone" had been dealt with Yun proceeded to recap their plans for a "standing force" project, something that didn't directly touch the 8th Division though they had still been kind enough to inform him about it. Usually 8th Division was kept out of the loop, something which got on his nerves given how they were supposed to improve on the relations between Divisions. This was most likely a result of their Division being comprised almost entirely of "gaijin", or "foreigners", and the Nobles aka the "elite" of Soul Society was not exactly known for being impartial. It was quite ironic they might have become one of the most important Divisions for this upcoming war. Ending his musings on the current position of the 8th Division Erik found that Yun just opened the flood gates for everyone to give their own opinion or just general thoughts about the project. The first to make themselves heard was once again Makkuro who commented on their disjointed nature and then made a suggestion that at least in Erik's eyes seemed to contradict his previous complaints about having members of his squad moved to another... His idea was pretty much the same, just that they would end up creating a "14th" squad consisting of a jumbled mess of different viewpoints and methods of combat and thinking... Luckily Erik wasn't the only one to think so and judging by the way opinions and arguments began to be traded between them all it seemed more were opposed to the idea than for it. Things remained civil until Sagara began his own tirade and ended it with not only making a possible jab at his own Captain, but also directly calling out the Commander General. This apparently did not sit well with another member of the Gotei 13's leadership who rose and said his name in a sharp tone while staring him down though it seemed the sudden attention made the fire which had given her confidence to disappear altogether as her voice was reduced to a barely audible whisper... It was cute in it's own way, but Erik was feeling more pity toward the girl than anything and decided it was perhaps time for him to give his own views on the matter. "Ahem." Erik cleared his throat to bring attention to him as he stood up to his full height of 8 feet, the white cloak-like garment hung around his neck falling down to cover his sides as he did so. Erik Blotfalke was a giant of a man though his body was well-proportioned to that height and so he didn't seem excessively muscled which made his physical power all the more surprising to those who faced him in combat. He had short-cut bright blond hair and clear blue eyes adorning a face with sharp features along with a shallow scar across the side of his left cheek, his expression saying he was calm and collected but his eyes betrayed his nervousness. Other than the white cloak like garment which was his Haori Erik wore a very distinguishing ensemble underneath it almost completely different from the regular Shinigami Uniform, it being more like a long-sleeved tunic or high-collared shirt paired with loose fitting pants, with leather gloves and boots on his hands and feet. The most eye-catching of this however was the steel grey of a Chain-mail Hauberk that was laid out over the shirt, split under the waist and then covering the majority of his legs as well. In general it was frowned upon to alter the standard Shinigami Uniform too much, however much of Erik's current uniform had been created specifically so that he would stand out even in a crowd. The reason for this was quite simple if one took the moment to consider his previous role in the 8th Division as "Vanguard". It was not exactly a good idea to have people run up to him while he was in a berserker rage after all, and the Hauberk HAD actually done some good over the years. Leaned against the side of his chair was a massive rune-encrusted axe, the hilt being roughly two meters long with the axe head covering nearly a third of his before widening, a large wolf head being engraved near the center of the blade while at the other side a broadsword laid in it's scabbard, a blunted spirit-less blade that Erik had crafted very recently in order to allow him to partake in battles as a leader of men. "If I may speak..." Erik then said once the attention had been shifted to him, making sure everyone was there before speaking again. "While I agree with Sagaras overall argument regarding the Divisions and their individuality, I believe if can be expanded on further." For someone who was rumored to be a wild barbarian who'd likely kill someone because they looked at them funny (oh those exaggerated rumors) Erik had a very sophisticated way of expressing himself though it was clear he was also not very experienced at making speeches as he was basically grasping or whatever authoritative sounding word he could think of. "I don't believe we need to create a united front to stand up against our enemy, in fact I'd be so bold to suggest we already have one it's just that up until now we've failed to use it." Erik paused for a moment to let what he had said sink it, hopefully they would start to catch on to what he meant, though just in case he shortly continued not letting anyone cut him off. "I've read through many a battle report involving more than one Division and generally speaking they are each given their own individual guidelines and missions, with almost no communication between the two at all so it's no surprise that they won't be able to work together. We do not need a united front, we need a united Leadership." Pausing to catch his breath Erik looked across the room to see what everyones reactions were though whether they seemed approving or not he continued. "If we can incorporate proper communications between the Divisions at all times during a mission, with qualified members from each Division handling the distribution of intel and mission orders for their own Division we are likely to see an amazing increase in cooperation. I believe this should go for all of us as well. Thank you for hearing me out." Erik then finished, bowing respectfully before sitting down in his chair once again to hear the inevitable backlash toward his suggestion.
|
|
|
Post by GoldenKitten on Aug 22, 2011 4:34:06 GMT -4
“Isn't this pretty?” “Uh-huh.” “All the mountains and trees.” “Uh-huh.” “I don't get to come to the West very often.” “Uhhh-huh.” “But they don't have kiwi birds, that's a downside.”
Desmae honestly didn't think she could take him by surprise any longer, but after that last comment sunk into his head he stared down at Hana incredulously. As he brought a hand to his face certain he was having a brain aneurysm from the sheer absurdity speaking with this woman brought upon his poor mind. Most people just found Hana eccentric, but for the always serious and self-reliant Desmae being paired with her was little better than being tossed into an insane asylum for clowns...clowns made of sunshine and happiness.
He understood why she was there, once they'd left the Captains Meeting they'd been briefed on the actual details, or rather Hana who already had them through her little communicator had explained. A pocket of energy had been detected in Sector-AG25; that would be the county of Winchester in the state of Wyoming in the United States but such specifics were of no use to Desmae, it was simply the operating ground for the next mission to him. This energy was anomalous and without known origin being as far as they could tell simply a dome of empty space sitting on top of the Earths surface, the concern was it was exactly where a town should be. Because it was a quantitative unknown it was logical for a Twelfth Division member to attend, but why it had to be her was beyond him, as far as he was concerned she was the Vice-captain because apparently Captain Makkuro was INSANE. He found himself thankful for his own placement within the Gotei 13 once more, though with his Captains recent rise in status he was aware things were going to change.
When he came out of his reverie he found that Hana was still talking and he couldn't take it anymore as he turned his head abruptly and spoke in a harsh, low yell, “Hana if you don't shut up you are going to drive me mad! If your own division lets you waste time then so be it but when you're on a mission with me or another division you'd do well to try and accommodate them to a degree!”
The look Hana gave him after this was akin to a puppy who'd just been kicked, it was a good thing Desmae LIKED KICKING PUPPIES! Yeeess, yeeees that was the way, hahahahaha, so manly (Note: Desmae did not actually like kicking puppies, Desmae was in denial). The big eyes, they do NOTHING for her.
Hana went quiet for a bit and turned her head away as they continued walking down the street that had been the closest coordinates they could insert to without being within the dome. Whether they could actually do so was a non-factor because without more data they wouldn't have attempted it even if they knew doing so was safe from an energy interaction standpoint. With Hana finally quiet Desmae was able to concentrate and focus on his surroundings. Like the girl had said to their West was a tall range of mountains, the same could be said for the East but they were much further away across a large plain, it was on this vast expanse of flat ground and rolling hills that the power surge of concern was placed. Even from here they could see the town looking as normal as a small American town could look even if it seemed strangely still even from this distance, perhaps more concerning was that there was no visible evidence of any sort of barrier on the visible spectrum.
Desmae wasn't the smartest individual when it came to such things but he was at least giving it thought when a voice sounded out behind him from Hana, “Because you know...I like Kiwi birds,” Desmae wasn't sure if you could get a hernia from listening to someone but he was pretty sure his body was currently trying.
Two silence-filled minutes later (which Desmae had a feeling he wouldn't have gotten if he hadn't given her a psychotic glare after her last comment) the duo were roughly two-kilometers from the town. By this point Hana had pulled out her little computer and was monitoring their surroundings, it was this monitor that began beeping once more as Hana raised her hand and stopped walking. She looked up and moved the device around several times before lowering it and giving the blank space before them a quizzical look.
“This is it.” “What is?” Desmae asked flatly, not wishing to give her another chance to go into a sugar fueled deluge. “This is the barrier.”
Desmae looked in front of them and considered the blank space before shooting her a disbelieving look. She said something about looking into it further as he blankly searched the space before them. He had perhaps known what to expect but Desmae had never been very good with situations where he couldn't hammer his problems into the ground, that was likely why he was the leader of something called the Deaths Hand. Hana had only been piddling about with her little contraption for a half-minute before he had tired of watching, if it had been anyone else he'd likely have given them the time but he just didn't trust the girl to do what needed to be done. He questioned what intelligence she might have, but more over he questioned if she had any actual skill as he certainly hadn't seen anything to affirm its existence to this point. He didn't doubt there was a barrier there, he could feel the emptiness, but it felt no different than a normal barrier or lethality stone.
With a gruff, “Enough of this.” He took a step forward (Desmae wasn't always the brightest bulb) through what Hana claimed was the barrier wall.
She let out a cry of surprise and concern but by the time she finished Desmae was on the other “side” and no worse for ware. He held up his hands on either side of his head and let out an “Oooo, dangerous” before turning back to the town to see if he could sense anything now. But when he did he found himself staring at a wall about fifteen-meters ahead, and he started to realize the sun seemed to be losing its luster. He still felt nothing out of the ordinary with his senses but with a quick look up he affirmed something was blocking out the sun.
It took a moment for his battle senses to kick in and realize the object was getting closer...quickly. And that was when the tentacle hit and the air around him exploded in a plume of white sand.
----------------------------------
Yun was not one to show his emotions, so that the sudden change in direction of the discussion actually caused him to react said something of its importance to him. As the realization of where Makkuro was going with this topic hit him he was forced to place a small polite cough into his hand lest the fact that things had just swung in his direction wonderfully be communicated. Always quick to recover though the moment had passed by the time he'd cleared his throat completely and he sat back in his chair as Makkuro detailed his thoughts in entirety, it wasn't exactly what Yun had in mind but it was workable. When the young captain pushed the topic in his direction and questioned his thoughts Yun put on a show of contemplating the matter for a moment with his hand over his mouth before removing it and performing a little swirl with his fingers.
If he voiced full support he would get a negative reaction but at the same time if he voiced none it would truly be left up to each Captains own whims. His best bet was to take a more moderate approach while still letting the direction he swayed be known, those who would always disagree would still do so, as would those in agreement. But those with more neutral tendencies were more likely to put their lot in with him, and so formulating his words carefully he proceeded.
“I don't disagree with the inherent concept, but let me hear your thoughts first,” naturally some might find it odd that this seemed to go into direct contrast with his Divisions own isolation. But then, Yun had never made it a secret half the reason he did so was the unreliable nature of putting stock in another group not as invested in your own survival as you. He just had to make sure it didn't come across as him pushing the matter strongly.
It was not a suggestion he needed to make, as those with opinions quickly made theirs known almost before he could put the words on the table in full. He had to admit his first reaction was to take an aggressive stance to the seeming disrespect for his position but sensibility and caution caught him in time. Emotions were running high right now and that meant those with less restrained personalities were even less likely to limit themselves by cultural and hierarchal concerns. Plus he was not fool enough to believe he could get anywhere without the backing of at least a significant number of those present.
That was why it was somewhat disheartening to hear the number of naysayers in the group. Certainly he had expected certain groups to disagree but that it seemed to be roughly equaling out so far was of concern if workable. He couldn't even begin to start making strides toward his eventual goal of dissemination of the Divisional rifts in favor of a single like-minded brotherhood if he couldn't even get a basic agreement on this first step. And that was his goal, it had long been, but only now did its potential to manifest as reality come to bear. It wasn't disrespect for Kazuma that drove him to this, in fact if there was anyone in Soul Society he had actually respected despite the separation it would have been that man. But at the end Yun was a sword of efficiency and justice; perhaps to a dangerous degree, and he would do whatever it took to purge inefficient and outmoded standards if it meant accomplishing their true goal of an ethical and empowered Soul Society.
Yasuo was perhaps the biggest surprise, not because he had thought him a surefire bet for agreement, he had simply doubted the newcomer and a vice-captain at that would have the gumption to be so outspoken. He was wrong of course, but there was no use in concerning himself over it, it was done and there was no taking it back. Part of him wanted to beat the man back into his box, but it would again go in contradiction with his own allowance of sub-leaders into these meetings if he did so. He was thus thankful for Tsuno's interjection, it wasn't quite the agreement he wanted but it actually worked exceedingly well in this case. If he or someone else had jumped in direct opposition to Yasuo it could have started a heated argument, instead Tsuno's relatively neutral stance allowed them to ease into the middle-ground again.
He was not oblivious to Minoru's silence this entire time but it was perhaps for the best. Knowing Minoru it was entirely possible he might very well agree, but if he didn't then it would spell bad things. As one of the eldest captains present if he disagreed with the sentiment then those in opposition would gain ground they previously existed without. As it was the dissent was mostly the work of sub-leaders, temporaries, and quickly appointed replacements so with his own support as well as that of more long term members it could gain traction. That would not be the case if one of the other “elders” put their lot in with the opposing ideology. It was entirely possible Minoru's silence was a play in its own, the man did like to try and avoid conflict in favor of his own pursuits so it was the smart decision in this case, and Yun knew that despite appearances 12th Division was perhaps only second to his own in slight manipulations.
Sagara disagreed, it was not unexpected and in fact had been one of the negators voices he had been expecting since the debate began. In fact other than taking the words in for simple posterities sake Yun was largely relegating the mans discourse to secondary attention until the pointed non-to-subtle condemnation that was thrown his way. Naturally his, and most everyone in the rooms, attention was on the man by the time the words were cemented in the real but he did not instantly respond. He took an inhalation of breath without moving his hand from covering his mouth as he normally did while listening, he had to be careful how he approached the situation, he could ill-afford his ascension being viewed in a negative light. Makkuro taking the initiative had removed one of the large hurdles he had being facing until this point, but it could still go wrong if he didn't play his cards right.
Being under no illusion that his own opinion was the popular one had lead to this situation in the first place. Confining his Division had perhaps not been the most effective way to set himself up for pushing this matter at a later date, but Kazuma's death was unexpected to say the least. He had not been idling previously, he had been putting plans into motion to move toward his objective for some time and now things had been thrown on their head. The Tower had only been one aspect of that plan and it was now unnecessary. There was a far more peaceful and effective solution before him now but it was taking a reordering of the gears, isolation and veiled animosity were replaced by like expansion and acceptance. This however not only required an utter change in his own way of thinking but also good explanations to outsiders to explain this change. The opportunity was here, but every word had to be carefully considered lest it slip right through his fingers.
With an exhalation he went to answer when a voice he (nor likely anyone else) had expected spoke-up. To what was honestly a rare shock of utter bemusement on his part the often quiet and always introverted bi-leader of Seventh Division was reprimanding the boy like a mother. Yun didn't try to make friends but he did his best to make allies, if only as a backup to his initial intentions, a backup that now seemed to be paying off nicely. Sometime prior the now captains of Seventh, pretty much the only two recently appointed actually capable of manning that position, had attempted to move into the Captainhood during a time of peace. Upon reviewing their accomplishments on request he had seen little reason to deny them but it seemed he had been one of the few, whether they would agree with his future goals or not mattered little though he expected they might, the important part was it had gained him a powerful voice he might not otherwise have had.
Ada hadn't exactly put the boy in his place but she had diffused the situation and much as was the case with Tsuno this was perhaps the preferred method given the current tension. The little outburst caused a few chuckles throughout the assembled leaders and that was all that was needed, unless Sagara pursued the topic beyond this act it would be put to rest; no input from Yun needed. And that would be the case as Erik took the floor, naturally his disagreement was in contrast to Yun but he had to admit he admired the man for coming up with the most logical response of the new leaders. Of course his division hadn't lost as much as others so that might have something to do with it, but a good leader didn't let personal loss get in the way of their decision making anyway. And though it wasn't his end-goal Yun did like where Erik left him, it wasn't a acquiescence to his own idea but it did purport active participation between the leaders, something he was already doing and left him with good future holdings. In fact despite it being in opposition to his plans this was the one point in the entire discussion in which Yun broke from his silent stare to nod some form of agreement.
When it passed the discussion continued for a while, remaining largely equal in consent and divisiveness. Regardless things were largely looking up, few were as negative as Sagara, Makkuro had the indirect agreement of a more experienced leader in both Ada and Yun, Minoru and Rin seemed to be staying silent, and though not many were for the dissolution of the divisions (something Yun hadn't even planned to bring up, so was glad at least some were thinking that far ahead) even those in disagreement seemed to think some level of increased unity was preferable. It wasn't what one would call an all-win situation but he hadn't even been prepared to bring the matter up for at least another month, this was a situation he could work with and that made it an unexpected success.
But it wasn't over yet, three of the leaders had yet to speak or state their silence. From one of them, Miyoko the Captain of Fourth Division this was not a surprise, she rarely talked and even when something was said it was typically at the last moment. No she was not the concern as he strongly believed she would support the measure or stay silent ala the other two long-standing Captains. Kuatura had also not voiced his opinion, he was doing almost as good a job as Yun at keeping a stonewall face. Yun would have expected him to agree on any other occasion but with Makkuro having suggested it RIGHT after their previous clash (a conflict Yun had obviously noted but wasn't quick to point out since this worked in his favor) it was possible he was formulating an argument against it just to hurt Makkuro. He normally would have expected the experienced Vice-Captain to be above such petty conceits but right now nothing was certain.
All that thought though and neither of them was the real problem in the end. The concern came from the one he had imagined would be the first and most vocal opposer and yet she sat in her chair lazily-eying each individual as they spoke. Naturally with the current looming threat of invasion or immediate action needing to be taken they had all been allowed to keep their zanpakutou on them at all times, but most of them had the good personal skills to still keep them out of sight or sheathed on their side. Instead she had kept her long curved blade across her lap and had been scratching the surface with her pointer-finger nearly the entire meeting, switching her eyes between the speakers and the blade. With darker skin that made her stick out in a crowd and a dress-like outfit she could actually be considered extremely attractive, of course most people didn't think that anymore since the general consensus was that she was ten types of nutty in a nut farm made of nuts.
To say Yun had disagreed with Laetitia's appointment as Ninth Divisions captain was an understatement. Was she powerful enough to take the job? Probably. Did that make it a good idea? Not a chance. True, recent events had forced them to promote more than one lower ranked member to their ranking seat without full credentials and so this made her unique in that she fit the bill in almost every regard. But that was exactly his issue, Kazuma had promoted an era of stagnation, that could also be called stability but this was one pillar that deserved to be kicked out. Hitotsu and the Captains before him all the way back to just after the Era of the Steel Judges had been taking Ninth Division down a dark path. With Hitotsus death after eight-hundred years they finally had an opportunity to prune the division and set it on a different course, instead they had just continued the trend...if not worse.
The Imari clan no doubt had a large part to play in that decision, Kazuma wasn't the biggest fan of the Central 46 like most of them, but he had kept the elite families alive and was known for supplicating them. The Imari were raised from birth to join the Ninth and had subsequently joined in its spiral downward. Having the backing of a large family had been a giant part of the Divisions success.
But Yun didn't just have a problem with the fact that they were maintaining the status quo of deviancy with Laetitia's appointment, he had a problem with the girl herself. For all the problems Hitotsu brought to the table he had at least been easy to read, you might not like what you got but you always knew what you were going to get. To say he wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer was putting it lightly and that's exactly why having him in charge worked. Nobody had even known what to expect when Laetitia had taken command but the answer had come quickly, you didn't know what to expect, and that made her infinitely more dangerous. Despite the fact that she was every bit as malevolent as her predecessors and even a tad (if not a lot) unhinged there was no doubt that there was competent plotting going on behind those eyes. And with such a vastly different agenda than everyone else in the room (at least it seemed to Yun that this was obvious) it was incredibly foolhardy to keep her in charge, and yet because it was done Yun had no real way to simply remove her without good reason. Not to mention even if he did the reallocation and replacement of Ninth Division was an undertaking that would have strained time and resources even when they were at full strength.
And so for now she stayed, Yun tried to keep her down as much as possible without being outright aggressive but this wasn't always possible. Thankfully most everyone in the room wasn't tricked by her even if they weren't exactly as negative as Yun. However, on the bad side she wasn't intimidated by her new position or the other Captains like many of the new appointments and this meant she had no problem using aggressive and pointed politicking that was usually the grounds of more experienced Captains. A less nice way of putting that was that she didn't care about the ethical and personal boundaries most people kept in mind while speaking.
So it was understandable why Yun was concerned by her silence, it implied she had a real response instead of just running in with opposition. Though Kuatura hadn't spoken either most of the rooms attention fell to the backside as the arguments started to quiet down and attention fell to those who hadn't spoken. Laetitia and Miyoko were seated next to each other (much to Miyoko's horror, she had been sitting next to Hitotsu long enough and had likely hoped for a swap) at the very back of the room, combined with the presence of a large number of people standing around them this naturally brought attention to them before Kuatura. In Laetitia's case two men Yun had been trying to get as much information on as possible on but had succeeded on little more than their names flanked her on either side of the chair, one was large and rough looking; pretty much what everyone had come to expect from the division during Hitotsu's reign. The other however came across more like Laetitia herself, calmer and more calculating than Yun was comfortable with in a smaller shell belying his likely true power.
With the eyes on them Laetitia wrapped on her blade with her knuckles before taking the initiative, “I agree.”
Yun couldn't keep himself from raising an incredulous eye. This obviously went against her Divisions very nature so he wondered where she might be going with this af... that was when Laetitia leaned forward whipped her blade around and slammed it point first into the ground, a venomous smile broaching her expression.
“I agree assuming these others who will be working with my Division conform to my standards,” ahhh there it was, she paused for a moment before throwing her hand up haphazardly and loosening her expression. Throwing one of her legs over the other and retrieving her blade which she casually tossed over her shoulder she continued.
“The points have been made I don't need to reiterate them in detail. Our Divisions each have their unique quirks and lifestyles. It doesn't matter if having a more unified front is what we should or should not do, the simple fact is we would only weaken our overall ability by trying to combine on more than a cursory level. This is a discussion to be having during a time of calm, not while the dogs are at our door. Right now we are capable of doing what we each specialize at and what others can't,” she gave an amused eye before giving her next few words, “Or won't do. Working as a single unit or even a reduced number of units would take years of organization, reeducation, planning, and the destruction and rebuilding of societal obligations and expectations. Why are we even having this discussion right now? It's the worst possible time.”
Wrapping her statement up she flicked her hand as if to say “That's it” before falling back into her chair once more, lackadaisically watching the walls and ceiling. “And yes, we've a standing force ready, just sa-ay~~~ the word.”
God he hated that woman, at least with Hitotsu he could have expected something along the lines of “AND THEN I'D STAB IT WITH MY KNIFE!!!”, this was exactly the issue. She was the anti-thesis to his plan, and even without his own ideals Soul Society could ill afford a Division working towards unknown and separate goals at this point (irony was sometimes oblivious to Yun). Yet at the same time she was eloquent enough to put it in milder words that came across no more aggressively than any other leaders had...well, save that whole blade in the ground thing, guess you couldn't totally take the bite out of her. Others might have just seen her as self-absorbed but Yun thought of her as a physical threat, and with the looming potential for aggression existing from without he could not bide possible attacks from within. Maybe he was over exaggerating her antisocial behavior or perhaps it was just his own paranoia, but either way he was thinking of ways to oust her before the meeting was finished.
With her finished and assuming nobody attempted to argue with her there were only two people left and it was then that one of the three people surrounding Miyoko spoke. Looking at them you'd think they were Shinigami but any long term member of the meetings knew they were not. A large elderly man that could have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Desmae sporting a balled head and a grizzled face stood between the Fourth Division Captain and the Ninth, giving the latter glares every so often. A more averagely proportioned middle-aged man with a scruffy unshaven appearance, an eye-patch over his right eye, and yet an overall aura of friendliness stood to her right. And lastly a woman not much younger than the second man with average oriental features but a (to those who knew) near constant sarcastic demeanor stood to her left. All three wore the robes of a shinigami and appeared very solid, but they were in fact the spirits of her Zanpakutous who were almost constantly manifested.
It was the second man with the barely tamed goatee and wild curly hair that spoke as was normally the case, “We have your standing force, more importantly Kawanokensin-sama agrees. This was in fact a matter we intended to bring up at this meeting. Correct Kawanokensin-sama?”
He looked down to the small ball of fabric sitting in the chair between them. Though she had the size and appearance of a young-adult of about eighteen-to-twenty Miyoko had a way of appearing even smaller than Ada or Leni. This was partly because at any gathering she was usually found sitting as far back as possible with her knees pulled to her chest as she gripped them and hid as far within her oversized haori as space would allow. When the zanpakutou addressed its master the top of the girls head appeared over the edge of the two stave zanpakutou that were laid out across the front of her chair, though not in the same imposing way Laetitia wielded hers but more like a barrier between her and everyone else. With a slight nod she confirmed his words and then looked at him as if to beg for him to keep talking so the attention would be back on him.
Miyoko had been a Captain the third longest in the room after Minoru and Yun, but for obvious reasons had never even been considered for the Commander General position and she was no doubt just fine with this. Anyone new to these meetings was doubtful to have ever even met her much less been involved in any long term contact so to them her very presence and position as a Captain was likely a mystery, but then that's exactly why they didn't know her in the first place. To call Miyoko introverted or shy would be akin to calling the sun hot in terms of understatement; but she was also a healing prodigy, she was a master of the art before she had even died and had only grown in power in her afterlife. She was also compassionate to the point that her zanpakutou were incapable of dealing fatal damage and was bewilderingly intelligent at times to a level that Yun considered himself quite thankful she was as she was, lest she outsmart him at every turn. Her Division was as protective of her as her zanpakutous were but despite being something of a little sister to everyone there her mind for field care logistics were second-bar-none.
Certainly there were limitations to placing her where she was but the yield was far greater than the take, she just didn't do very well with outsiders and especially the high-powered Captains meetings. Especially now that she had Laetitia breathing down her neck whom Yun got the feeling she was as wary of as he was, she disliked Hitotsu for certain but despite her personality he occasionally caught looks of distaste being thrown the younger captains way. Of course she wasn't the only one, Miyoko didn't do well with anybody, just she did especially poorly with psychotic murderers...though shouldn't everyone?
“With Fourth Division essentially working as a healing kido Division and Seventh Division working as an offensive kido Division Kawanokensin-sama has been considering proposing some level of interaction. Her idea being that Fourth which has long taken a standing and support role will serve an important role in minimizing losses in the future. Our decision not to field medical personnel during the assault on Las Noches and the Tokyo Event were based on this meetings agreed assumption that we would just increase casualties. And, without proper protection this was likely an accurate prediction. That is exactly what we aim to change.”
Running his hand along the side of the chair he took a few steps forward, “As has been said here we can't just change the way divisions work overnight, and though our leaders can certainly hold their own we don't deny there are a number of members in the Fourth who have a high skill-level in healing but virtually none in battle. If we had the time we would start training our personnel in a higher level of efficiency fighting but that just isn't something we can work with now. The logical answer is to have a more combat oriented Division, or at least a branch of them designated to protecting us in the field. A number of wounds that could have been treated had become fatal by the time the injured person was removed all the way from the front lines to the medical staff in both battles.”
A voice barely audible than a whisper called out, if he hadn't been her zanpakutou its doubtful the man would even have known to stop and look toward her, "So...that's why...I thought of...Seventh...if you think that's ok...."
Turning back toward them he interpreted since it was doubtful anyone actually heard what she said, “Indeed, that was why Kawanokensin-sama thought of Seventh Division. Just pairing any group together would likely lead to animosity and inefficiency. Many of the members of these two Divisions have already trained together at some point in time due to their similar field of specialization, and this also makes them more likely to understand each others' tactical capabilities. Understand this isn't suggesting a full merger, but rather at least some unified group built specifically for combat deployment. But given the subject matter of the discussion it is relevant. Thoughts?”
It was an unexpected turn for certain but hardly of negative repercussions to Yun, barring a negative response he stayed quiet. He didn't want to make a move until all the cards were on the table and so far things were progressing as smoothly as he could have hoped (taking into consideration the number of unknown variables) so interjecting at this point was not a smart move. Once the others were played out then he could manipulate as he saw fit with less fear of turning an opinion, if he spoke out in a way that angered someone then they might head in a direction that was less capable of alteration. So far Sagara was the only one he might consider a lost cause, and with time that problem would solve itself.
When the discussion between those present, particularly Seventh and Fourth came to a close the forum was almost complete. Yun was the first to turn to Kuatura perhaps as the one action that gave away his eagerness for the topic but it was hardly perceptible much less obvious, and not many people were as concerned with every little movement as Yun. With attention on him Kuatura who was still in the same position he had been for some time, leaning forward and bracing his head on his hands, finally moved. He gave a questioning look toward nobody in general before offering a shrug.
“What, you were expecting me to disagree? I agree, this is a government, putting our personal opinions and social clashes aside for the greater good is our job.” Perhaps Yun's worry over whether Kuatura's self-overtaxation would effect his judgment was unfounded and that was what almost lead him to facepalm when Kuatura spoke out innocently enough once more. The Vice-Captain reached for a cup of water that was sitting on a small table next to him and just before he touched the cup to his lips offered a calm, “After all what choice do I have? I've just over two-dozen members barely keeping our foundation together; the whole foundation mind you including every other Divisions orchestration and logistics. If I can't get a few transfers from a Division with hundreds of members I suppose I'll have to rely on others to fill that gap for me.”
Laetitia offered a very audible “Hah!” as Kuatura went on to take a sip from the cup before he sat back in his chair. Yun had mostly let things progress freely up until this point but this time he reacted before another argument could break out, instead opting to raise a single hand to usher silence amongst the group. He put on a show of thinking about the matter for a brief moment which wasn't totally inaccurate though in reality he was thinking of how best to word his suggestion to set off as few warning bells as possible. When he had set on a path he leaned back in the chair in an authoritative pose before beginning.
“Agreements and disagreements are roughly equal, each side brings up logical concerns. Then, how does this sound? We will not initiate any official stance on the matter for good or ill. Instead the Divisions, as always, are free to operate within their own boundaries. However, the standing forces we are speaking of will be required to train in preparation as they would have regardless. Utilizing the forest training grounds as well as the mustering grounds before my own Division HQ these groups will be encouraged to interact since they in particular will be operating with each other. If nothing else their cooperation will be required. Any further melding however is up to the leaders in charge for the time being lest we discover future reasoning to affirm or deny the motion. Does this sound agreeable?”
Or perhaps more accurately put in the immortal words of his zanpakutou Oouruzan-boukon in the back of his head. “Fufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufu!!!!” “What are we laughing about Chaos?” “Things are going our way Tranquility!” “Oooooh neato! Can I laugh too?” “LAUGH WITH ME TRANQUILITY! LAUGH!!!! FUFUFUFUFUFUFUFUFUFUFUFUFUFUFUFU!!!!” “Fufufufufufufufufufufu!” “LOUDER!!!” “FUFUFUFUFUFUFUFUFUFUFUFUFU!!!!” “FUFUFUFUFUFUFUFUFUFUFUFUFU!!!!” “......I. Hate. You. Both.”
|
|
Jukuma
Junior Member
Let's begin the operation...
Posts: 131
|
Post by Jukuma on Aug 27, 2011 19:01:03 GMT -4
As he confirmed that no one was trying to murder him for speaking up against Captain Makkuro, Yasuo sighed in relief. As expected of that man, in the end it was still too soon for him to talk against a superior with a straight face. In fact, it was good to see that his idea was expanded on by Captain Azuka Tsuno, who had a stronger voice in the hall. It was reassuring to see that he wasn't the only one concerned with how much little time they had in their hands and, while he still understood that Captain Tsuno was taking a more intermediate stance on the matter, he still appreciated his presence.
Yasuo didn't fail to notice that when Sagara began to speak he claimed to be expanding on his argument; he instantly remembered how he had done that once before and his first thought was that it was a bad idea, since experience told him he was wrong most of the time (hopefully not this time). Moreover, the pirate didn't quite believe they were on the same page, but since he had managed to speak up what he wanted to say and didn't want the meeting to turn into a debate, he remained silent and decided to at least wait for all the arguments to be put on the table. Truth be told, he didn't think they should be wasting time arguing about anything, but unfortunately that seemed to be the direction the meeting was heading to. However, before Sagara's complete lack of reverie towards his own Captain and even the Captain Commander turned things for the worse, a voice rose up and called on the redhead in a loud phonation. Yasuo, like practically everyone else, followed the sound and was disappointed when he found out the source was a girl... Captain Ada. Though he had seen her in the meetings enough times now, he still didn't understand how such a weak-looking girl could take such a high-rank in a time when good leadership was needed; he hadn't actually seen her in action and he could guess she had a great deal of power to back up her position, but how could this fragile person lead anyone when she would call upon her sister as soon as everyone just looked at her? This was exactly the kind of situation that reminded him how little he understood women.
He was surprised when the next one to take the floor was Erik; he had already heard a few things about the man who held a special rank in the 8th Division and possessed power that could rival with that of a Captain and also loosely remembered being informed that the man was now given an actual Captain position. The man was even more imposing than what Yasuo had imagined; sure he had seen him when they all entered the hall but only when Erik stood up did the Vice-Captain realize how insanely tall the man was. He almost laughed at how opposing this man's presence was to that of Ada's. While he seemed to agree with Sagara, he also brought up the issue of communication in a different manner. That wasn't really Yasuo's main concern so his attention faded slightly at this point.
The next voice sent chills down his spine. there was no mistaking it, Laetita had taken the floor. This was definitely the one Captain Yasuo would never be able to respect in the same way as the others; he still remembered when she was also a Vice-Captain and, even then, he had never been able to find anything salvageable in that woman. What actually disgusted him the most was that her argument was similar to his in a few things. He didn't know whether to be relived or worried about that; he had always recognized Laetita as a strong individual, but when it came to meetings, he didn't really know whether her voice provided support or harm to any ideas. The remaining of the spokesmen either addressed matters concerning the 4th and 7th Divisions, which didn't concern him at all, or didn't really provide any new ideas to the floor. Particularly, Kuatura's attitude was beginning to be more than just depressing. His current state pretty much reflected the state his division was in, so of course he didn't really have much of a choice here.
Though more arguments were being put on the table, Yasuo's opinion did not change in the least from what it was at the beginning. As he saw it, there was no need to postpone any official stance on the matter, as Yun put it, at all. His main concern was that they were missing time to prepare, so delaying anything seemed ridiculous to him. They were supposed to have already agreed on this on a previous meeting, what point was there to argue about it now? Now that he had confirmed there was not an issue with him being part of that joint army (he assumed Captain Commander Yun would have said something against it when he brought it up were it an inconvenience), he was even more eager for the plan to be put into action.
"Agreed", was Yasuo's final answer, it was a short and military-like response, like he was OK with the idea even if he would still change things about it. He agreed with the plan from the beginning so he didn't have a reason to argue any further. While he was concerned with all actions being delayed any further, if he spoke up now then the result would probably be similar to what he had seen before: another round of debate that would end in a conclusion that won't fully satisfy anyone. With that in mind, Yasuo came to the conclusion that the best he could do now to help the cause was to agree, nod and shut up. Besides, even though in theory he knew he had to be aggressive in meetings like these, in practice it was still hard for him to challenge a Captain in his opinion and didn't want to push it any further, at least not in the same reunion.
Having said all he wanted to say and declared his approval for Yun's proposition, Yasuo remained seated with his arms crossed and waited for everyone to agree and for Yun to declare an end to the meeting.
|
|
|
Post by kensei on Aug 31, 2011 2:13:36 GMT -4
Sagara couldn’t hide the shocked expression plastered all across his face as he stared wide-eyed at the frail girl that made up one of the joint members of the Squad Seven Captaincy. He was expecting a harsh reaction, but not from the one he had gotten it from. He had prepared himself for Yun to make some sort of remark against him, but never did he think that Adala Fraulein would be the one to scold him. She was one of the more experienced new Captain’s, but she was who she was, in almost all of the Captain meetings she had let Leni take the spot light before now, so to see her stand up and draw so much attention to herself… It had caught him off guard to say the least.
As Ada started to trail off, Sagara finally realized the ridiculous expression he had on his face and coughed into his hand a few times in order to restore his calmer, if slightly angry, expression as his eyes traveled back to Adala. ”Yes Ma’am. Sorry.” He gave a bit of an annoyed smile to her, his voice obviously harbored some resentment in it. He didn’t have much reason to dislike the Captain, but she was taking Yun’s side in all of this, and that was enough to put her on his enemies list for now. Hohoho. Ain’t she quite somethin’ Sagara? So assertive, so inspiring!” A smirked touched Sagara’s lips as he closed his eyes and responded to his Zanpakuto spirit. Oh yes, hiding behind her sister at the first sign of attention. Truly a women that can lead into battle.. Honestly, I get demoted when this kind of inept leadership is in place? Oh yes, quite.. Though it’s not like she has Bankai, or, oh, I don’t know, a walking mouth piece in that sister of hers. Or at the very least allies within command instead of just a bunch of enemies.. Honestly Sagara, the only one inept here is you. Not only are you a lousy fighter but you’re also completely incapable in the realm of politics![/i]
Sagara’s eyes shot wide open, fixed on Yun with a killer glare. And here he was naively thinking Kasai wouldn’t be.. Well, Kasai. It seemed that no matter what he did the Spirit would always try and put him down, it attacked his mind like a dieses, constantly making him question his ability and worth. Kasai was a poison to him, a poison he was working hard on defeating. He couldn’t wait for the day he squashed Kasai like the bug he was, and force him into submission. When he finally achieved his Bankai he would take back his division from the hands of outsiders, and, ironically, he planned to follow in Yun’s footsteps. He would segregate Sixth Division, train each and everyone of there members to a higher level, and even work to recruit potential fighters outside of the standard method. The Tracking and Pursuit squad would start tracking down fugitives in earnest, and offer them a place in the division, hidden away from whatever they ran from before handing them over to the Ninth Division. Outside of Seireitei they would hunt for talent that didn’t appear in the academy. Sixth Division would become the largest and strongest of all other Divisions, and one day, it would be strong enough to break away from all others if it came to it. Of course, that all depended on how Yun continued to play his cards as the Commanding General.
His eyes broke off of Yun, traveling over to Laetitia as he had been to consumed in his own plans to pay much attention to Eric. He tried to hide it as best he could, but the women sent chills down his spine. Sagara had seen and done some things in his line of work that would make others cringe, but Laetitia… She was a different beast all together. Sixth Division arguably had the most interaction with Ninth, as they where the one that often times had to hunt down there prisoners. And even with there minimal encounters since he and Laetitia had taken command; he had noticed a huge difference in the way the division operated since the time Hitotsu ran the Ninth. It was more closed off then ever before, they where hardly let past the front gates, and at all times had a guard on them. Hitotsu kept other divisions out of his business, but Laetitia was setting up a stand alone division, much like he wished to do..
His started to look past Laetitia to the man that had been on his mind for quite some time. He knew he had seen him before, but he hadn’t quite been able to put his finger on it.. Before he knew it he was staring at him, and then, the Vice-Captain of Ninth Division glared back at him, his stare was dark and cold, and spoke of all the horrors he was willing to inflict on Sagara’s body. And it was then that he remembered just who this man was… Zamaru Ungeki.. He tried to hide the shock and horror on his face at the sudden realization of what Laetitia and the Ninth Division had to be doing. Zamaru Ungeki was a serial killer in the middle districts. Officially he had been charged and found guilty of 334 murders, including two shingami, and a nobleman. The first Shingami he had killed was simply a man on patrol, he was the one he had taken his Zanpakuto from. The other was the first person they sent to do recon on him. After he had been found dead, Captain Yamato had sent him out to track him down. He had watched him for a few hours, and deemed him far beyond his current skill level, Zamaru never tried to conceal his Riatsu, and so it was easy for him to sense the difference in power. Because of the threat he posed, both Captain Yamato and Vice Captain Fensake went after him, so that neither’s lives where placed in much danger. Despite this, Vice Captain Fensake returned badly injured, and Yamato had even received a few wounds.
He gulped slightly as he contemplated what his options where. It was obvious Ninth Division was pulling out members from its prisoners, ones that should have gone to death row. It had to make you wonder how many they had decided to instate, and where they where else they where bending the rules. But what was he going to do about it? If he approached Laetitia he would most likely end up dead and she’d come up with some excused that Yun would buy because at this point he was nothing more then a nuisance to the man. He doubted if he met an untimely demise that Yun would look to far into it. There was also the question of if he should say anything. Laetitia was only doing what he had planned when he took back control, he couldn’t blame her for wanting to create a stronger division and hell; he would be using Zamaru if he could as well. But things where becoming rather bad between Yun and himself right now, and he needed something to smooth things over a bit, lest Yun put to much energy into seeing his career come to an end. Offering the Ninth on a silver platter just might be enough to get his suspicions off of him. It would make Sagara seem like he was more dedicated to the protection of the Shingami as a whole then personal goals or vendettas. After all, who knew what Ninth Division might have planned? This was Ninth, and Laetitia, one couldn’t put anything past them.
And so, with a slight grin he started to scheme. See, I can play politics Kasai. Ha ha ha. It seems I underestimated you, throwing fuel to Yun’s paranoia so he doesn’t look at you. A good move, though if Ninth comes for vengeance, I wouldn’t want to be in your place.[/i] He looked over to Yun, when this meeting was over he was going to have a talk with him. Sixth division kept its own records on all the criminals it brought in, in there he would find the proof he needed of Zamaru’s past, and perhaps even more detail’s about possible prisoner Shingami.
He started to watch Laetitia as she wrapped up her position on the subject. He completely agreed with the women, right now simply wasn’t the time for these conversations, but considering he was about to throw her under the bus he wasn’t about to voice any support of the matter. Instead he stood there in silence, waiting for the discussion and meeting to wrap up. It was then that one of three men surrounding the Fourth Squad spoke up. In his early meetings he wasn’t quite sure who they all where, but someone had been kind enough to explain Captain Miyoko’s situation to him. To him, Miyoko was much like Adala, in that neither where truly fit leaders. In his mind having the power to lead was far different from having the ability to lead. And if you couldn’t face a room full of your supposed allies, then how could you lead your division against an army of your enemies? The simple fact was that you couldn’t, and it shouldn’t be expected that someone like that would. Miyoko had it slightly easier then Ada though, as she was only the Captain of a support squad, one that rarely, if ever, went out to the front li…
With a controlled sigh he let out his frustration as Miyoko put out her ideas. Out of all the divisions, Squad Four and Seven where probably the best to put together, and her proposal and reasoning where both logical and sound.. But two divisions working in unity like that was the first step to other divisions slowly integrating themselves more and more. All it took for an idea to sprout is a few successful early adopters, and if this combination worked out, then it could spell out the way of the future. The way Makkuro had lined out, and possibly even beyond if it was allowed to play out completely. Such a thing couldn’t be allowed to happen, but damn it.. He had already opened his mouth in rejection once before, and being a Vice-Captain in these meetings many would think he had already been overstepping his bounds. Who was he to tell two divisions how to run themselves? They had always been very independent, and if two divisions wished to end that then it was there business he had no right sticking his nose in, at least not anymore with his demotion.. He would have to let it slide to save some face with the Captains, and just hope someone else spoke out against it.. And saw a better hole in it then “it could lead to the destruction of my plans to create an autonomous division that can shrug off the desires of the other divisions.”
Kuatura once again became Sagara’s center of attention. Sagara did his best to keep a neutral face as he agreed with the proposition, it was unfortunate he would place his chips with Yun, but there wasn’t much to do about that.. Or was there? As Kuatura gave his reasoning Sagara cracked a small smirk. As Yun finished the meeting he decided to make one last play to change the course of the next few meetings. He glanced over to Kaiba and smiled slightly as he said.Captain. I believe given the current situation, Sixth Division has found itself with less work then ever before. Despite our heavy losses in these last few battles I believe we could spare, say two dozen, of our men to help Tenth Division’s loss of manpower. Don’t you agree?” While many would think this a massive contradiction to everything Sagara had seemed to stand for earlier in the discussion, there was a bit more to this then that. If Kuatura didn’t require the extra manpower he would obtain by merging with other divisions, then perhaps he could convince him to change the division’s official stance. On top of that, he was hoping that this act of kindness would be returned with an ally in Kuatura. He needed some friends at the top in the future if he was going to reclaim his division, and his current position despite his heavy opposition against Yun. Kasai was right, he had to start playing his hands a bit smarter..
|
|
|
Post by Tagz on Sept 1, 2011 2:10:54 GMT -4
The thick tension in the air was almost palpable. The discomposed, fidgety “leaders” of the various divisions were perceptibly out of place. The one who was supposed to be the most acquainted with handling himself amongst Captains had been acting very much unlike himself these past few days. The Shinigami were hilariously battered and Kuatura was the most distraught of them all. The usually cheerful Vice-Captain presently embodied the displaced state of mind, assorted emotions, and the overall ambience of Soul Society in its totality. If this was what the visual personification of the Seireitei’s current standing looked liked, then it was clear that the Shinigami were in a far more contemptible state than Yokubari had first realized. This notion was solidified upon Captain Shiboo Makkuro’s hypocritical assessment of what would be the most efficient way for the Captains to return dominance, power, and order to Soul Society. Clearly, when men of power in a reigning government began contradicting themselves, said government was inches shy of collapse. Shamefully, Shiboo spoke out and quite vehemently struck down Kuatura’s proposal of rerouting personnel and funds from those in charge of Inner Defence, to bolster the strength and might of Soul Society’s Outer Defence. His overwhelming ire manifested itself as the baby Captain’s face flushed red. It wasn’t as though the Vice-Captain didn’t have his reasons for requesting a transfer of capable men and women. Kuatura had, arguably, one of the most taxing jobs assigned to his division, and less than a handful of staff at his disposal to get it done. Regardless of this fact, the new Captain was quite displeased with the proposition for foreseeable reasons. He did not want his own militant power to suffer at any degree. No amount of mathematical equations or well thought out reasoning would convince the fledgling Captain to weaken his Division’s might. Still, it wasn’t as though the Third and Tenth Divisions were the only one’s struck hard by the Shinigami’s leisurely excursion into Hueco Mundo, understatement intended. Just about every Squad had taken a significant hit, and therefore, were on edge. It was for this reason that Yoku was glad to be in the seat he was in. Though it was known that Ninth Division lost fewer men than most (only two), the men lost were the highest in power and were in important leadership positions. Their Vice-Captain, Laetitia, had been defaulted into filling out their previous Captain’s white haori. Their newest Vice-Captain, though brimming with the desirable talent of hacking people to pieces with great efficiency, wasn’t the best strategist Squad Nine had to offer. To make up for that, their Third Seat was also present at this Captains’ Meeting. So here he was, a generally phlegmatic individual, evidently bored out of his wits. Behind his lacklustre expression, vigilant eyes scanned over the various facial gestures of the new leaders of Soul Society. Ignoring the sudden beeping sounds and the departure of a small girl and a gargantuan titan, the navy haired libidinous watched as the brand spanking new Commander General Saigotschuu opened the floor up so that any one of them could respond to the question he’d asked. However, instead than following the original plan and answering the question asked, Shiboo decided that he’d rather address the issue of the Gotei Thirteen behaving like a “bizarre centipede”, as he put it. He went on to say that Soul Society would be better off if they were to create some sort of deformed chimera division that had been spliced together from various parts of very, very different animals. The result Captain Shiboo lusted after was to attain a babyish dream of friendship and perfect cohesion. This was a horrid notion and would systematically rob the Gotei Thirteen of a certain level of much needed efficiency. Most importantly, Squad Nine didn’t need to mix their members in with those of another breed. They just weren’t cut from the same cloth. Spending a day within their barracks would explain why. Yet before Yoku parted his lips and showcased why the idea was moronic, he chose to keep his uninterested expression plastered across his face as he mulled over Ninth Division’s best move. As others spoke, he watched their flapping mouths without paying attention to whatever it was they had to say. Within his own mind, he continued to contemplate. There was suspicion amongst the more seasoned Captains, and the distrust they had for Ninth was as clear as the cloudless skies. Agreeing with Shiboo’s juvenile suggestion would, on the surface, be the simplest move for Squad Nine. This was not because it would offset the aforementioned suspicions the more intelligent Captains held; it simply would not give those more oblivious any reasons to question Ninth’s motives. Besides, Yoku wanted nothing more than for all the Shinigami of Soul Society to be bestest best friends for ever and ever ‘til the end of time. Yup, yup, that’s exactly what Yokubari sought after. Unfortunately, this would provide an open window for others to see how Ninth Division’s Shinigami acted. Would they all be able to keep their… tendencies under control? Even during combat training? Even with their swords gripped tight and the smell of freshly drawn blood wafting languidly in the air? Some would, but it was doubtful that they all grasped the concept of self-restraint. So… what was the best course of action? It was to wait. Yoku’s half-eyed gaze drifted from person to person as everyone began tossing in their two cents worth. It did not take long for someone to oppose Shiboo’s paradoxical proposal. The first to voice their disapproval was a Captain substitute, officially a Vice-Captain, and he brought up some good points. Using Shiboo’s own analogy, there was absolutely nothing wrong with a centipede. One could argue that each and every leg moves to guide the centipede to its desired goal. Certainly a line like that would be corny enough to win over the infantile Captain. The next one to speak up was a more seasoned individual, Captain Azuka of the Second Division. His stance was a little more neutral, yet still leaned closer to the Vice-Captain’s end of the argument. Examining facial expressions, body gestures, and tones of voice, Yokubari attempted to analyze everything to get a better judge on their stance, beyond their words. The grin that slipped across Vice-Captain Zurui Sagara’s lips as Funanori objected to Captain Shiboo’s suggestion was also registered, so when Zurui spoke up and added onto to Squad Five’s VC, it came as no surprise to the crystal-eyed libertine. It was around this time that a shaky little girl in a vastly oversized haori finally decided to enter the meeting. Seriously, the new Captains were a pitiful sight. They were squirming in their chairs more so than a Third Seat. It was damn near impossible for them to come off as respectable and trustworthy leaders in the eyes of lower ranked Shinigami from other squads. If this was not true in a general consensus, then at least it was true for Yokubari. Captain Fraulien Adala was soft spoken and often came across as a frightened little girl that could be spooked by her own shadow. So, it goes without saying, the moment she burst out of the chair she’d sunk so deeply into Yoku broke out of his uninterested façade. Wide-eyed with shock, his head snapped into the direction of the small girl’s petite frame with an expression of perplexity. He was eager to see exactly what it was that made the higher ups view her as worthy enough to adorn that massive white haori she seemed to veil herself in. “Um…” She stammered. Disappointment ensued. Adala instantly reverted back to her yellow-bellied nature the second she noticed all eyes turn to her. Yokubari could see the rapid expansion and compression of her chest. The rate of her breathing had increased substantially. Her eyes watered up and Captain Fraulien then uttered something completely inaudible. Ugh. These were our new captains? Seventh Division had a pitiful duo of fragile females to lead them. His wide-eyed astonishment quickly faded back to an uncaring gaze of boredom. Resting his right elbow on the table and propping up the side of his face with his palm, the libidinous Shinigami watched as the group continued to express their concerns. The next one to speak reinstated Yokubari’s confidence in the capability of Seireitei’s leaders. Captain Blotfalke Eric was composed, staunch, and well spoken. He explained the deficiency of Captain Shiboo Makkuro’s plan and how the current Soul Society could better perform its duties. Yoku had absolutely no objection to his plan and it seemed to be the most useful so far. Still he did not find a need to voice an opinion just yet. Both sides of the argument had given their fair share of statements. Yet, what Yoku wanted more than anything else was to hear Commander General Saigotschuu’s take on the matter. He was the most troublesome. He was the most calculative, and he was also the most suspicious and wary of both Captain Laetitia and Squad Nine in its entirety. Unfortunately, Third Seat Dara Yokubari was not able to thoroughly scrutinize, dissect, and assess the new Commander General’s reactions for he had yet to speak, giving Yoku no logical reason to stare so intently. That changed when Yoku’s own Captain gave her opinion. The slight raise of Saigotschuu’s eyebrow was duly noted. The navy-haired Shinigami fought to keep his expression unchanged. A smirk was nagging at him to set it free, but that was not going to happen. Then, Captain Laetitia verbalized much of what Yoku had been thinking, save for a couple of points. Still, he was absolutely certain his Captain was both logical and capable enough to lead his Division into grander times. Hitotsu, though lacking those qualities, held admiral power that prevented Yokubari from so much as conceiving the notion of striking him down. This would not have been the case if he had a fidgety, frail Fraulien as his commanding officer. Taihen Obasan would have drunk her blood to the last drop. That nagging smirk began to tug on the side of his lips as he revelled in the image. But that was beside the point. He continued to bathe each individual with his half-eyed gaze. There were a couple who were as curious as Yun, but there was one expression that was over the top. The wearer of the aforesaid expression was obviously one of the lower ranked individuals in the room. Vice-Captain Zurui was so very easy to read. He made little to no attempts at hiding his emotions. The lieutenant wasn’t even looking at the woman who was speaking; he stared at the man to her right. He was staring at Ninth Division’s newest Vice-Captain. At first, it was a quizzical look. He had come into contact with Squad Nine many times before; he should’ve been used to scruffy looking Shinigami by now. What was he perplexed about? Ah, so that was it. The sudden face of astonishment that instantaneously overtook his face cleared everything up. It was a look of realization, meaning the previous expression meant he recognized their new recruit, but couldn’t put a finger on who he was. Now that finger sat tightly on the name Ungeki Zamaru. This was too be expected, Sixth Division was the largest exporter of captured criminals. Perhaps Ungeki Zamaru was one of them. Was Yokubari becoming indolent? Was he becoming incompetent? These were things he was responsible for checking up on. Clearly he was going to have to head back to his files and find where this former prisoner was captured, and by whom. On top of that, Vice-Captain Zurui has proven himself to be a liability. Leaving that subject matter for another time, Yokubari turned his attention to one of the older Captains. Though she was supposed to be more experienced and skilled, the Captain of the Fourth Division was every bit as diminutive and “pussy-hearted” (Yoku coined the term) as Captain Fraulien Adala, if not, she was more so. It was getting to the point he had to wonder if the Central 46 and the other Captains had a fetish for pettanko. Since she was as irksomely withdrawn and timid as the Seventh Division’s co-leader, Captain Kawanokensin’s subordinates did all the talking for her. There were three individuals huddled around their Captain, none of which were familiar to Yokubari. Whatever their ranks were, they must’ve been quite high to be attending this meeting. In fact, one was even so bold as to give consecutive disgruntled looks of disapproval to the only REAL woman in attendance. Well, their ranks were irrelevant. One of the three Shinigami began to speak in place of the fragile child. Proposing a merger, but not a merger, kind of merger, but not really a merger between Squads Four and Seven, most everybody turned to Kuatura for a response. Given his position and his request earlier on in the meeting, it was obvious to Yoku what his response was going to be. Damn. Was the single thought that resonated throughout the inner barracks of the four hundred year old man. Commander General Saigotschuu had more or less tied up any loose ends and closed off the conversation without revealing his intentions. Yoku could tell he had an opinion on the discussion. He truly was a problematic individual. No matter, things would play out as they should, regardless. “Yes it does sound agreeable, Commander General Saigotschuu. I’m sure most people would concur. With that being settled, what is our next topic of discussion? Seeing as this debate was brought out spontaneously, there must’ve been some other reason you’ve gathered us together, am I right?” A little peeved that he wasn’t able to learn anything from Yun, Yoku pressed the conversation further with a smooth, calm, and clear voice. He did not want the meeting to end without acquiring any further knowledge on the man. These meetings provided him the greatest likelihood of better understanding the new Commander General. What was it he sought after? It was obvious the man who segregated his Division while he was Captain had schemes of his own. How much did he plan to change Soul Society? It was also clear that he suppressed Laetitia as best he could without seeming over aggressive about it. How far would he go to hinder the goals of Ninth’s Captain? Only three questions on a lengthy list that Yoku had drawn out. He was going to get answers, be sure of it.
|
|
Wanzer
Junior Member
What does it mean to be strong?
Posts: 214
|
Post by Wanzer on Sept 1, 2011 14:57:06 GMT -4
Makkuro hadn’t expected as much aid to come to him as there had been; in fact, he had expected the entire idea to be rejected outright at the first words that came. Instead, he found a rather level argument forming across the table around him. An ego booster to be sure; however, there was contention forming that needed to be addresses each in proper turn, making anyone feel lesser would not be wise. No, Makkuro believed about equality amongst all the squads; even though he wanted the third to be successful, putting it ahead of others would only show a negligence on his part concerning the Seireitei. Stroking his chin, he listened with opened ears and regarded everyone’s opinions with an equivalent amount of respect and credence; even Laetitia’s comments were held in high regard. The woman after all was a captain and therefore had to be doing, SOMETHING, right even if she was crazy; disrespecting her now would do little to advance his ideals. Thinking over what everyone was saying, he dropped into a state of almost subconscious and reflected on what everyone had to say and their reaction to his proposal. First, he had to come to terms with what was going on around him; otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to effectively speak his mind to the others. Analyzing the situation, he stopped and brought down a slow play by play for himself.
Yasuo had been the first to comment on him; regretfully, the man had disagreed with his proposal creating a rocky start. Makkuro could still remember how his countenance had begun to fall the moment the current leader of squad five had spoken; sure, the man was a good acquaintance and trusted him enough to teach the MABSG…something that he really needed to get around to doing. In his mind, Yasuo was probably one of the people that he empathized with the most at the meeting; along with Sagara despite the man’s fiery disposition. They were both in situations that they didn’t really belong in right now; being stand ins for real captains, which Makkuro did not consider himself to be. While he did have bankai; he considered it a trifling thing that really was of little use to his position, being a leader was something completely new to him. So it was of little surprise that he would differ to Yasuo and Sagara for information at times on how to lead; already, he had asked for help from other captains seeking their opinions and processes. On any given day it wasn’t a surprising to find Makkuro talking with another Captain over tea about some issue that popped up; granted, most of the issues were small things and the major problems were handled smoothly without much hesitation. Still, the main criticism that any one of his squad members had with him was that he didn’t spend enough time with them. In particular, many of them thought that he spent far too much time with the captain of squad thirteen; something which irked Makkuro to no end, considering he had only just recently allowed himself to say how he felt to Rin. Scratching his chin slowly, he allowed Meuma to speak his mind to him under the pretense of practicing what he would say to the others when his own turn came up.
“I suppose you are just going to let that little runt run all over you Makkuro? He isn’t even a real captain so what right does he have to speak out against you; this isn’t his quarrel to be a part of, he should sit silently and be honored he was allowed in here. Knock him down a peg and that will show these blowhards just who they are messing with! Come on Makkuro, just knock him down, make him squirm like the little worm he is!”
Makkuro thought over what Meuma said as he contemplated what Yasuo’s grievances with his plan were. Good points were made and he sounded as a Captain should in his mind; expressing his own thoughts without cutting down the other man, calm, level-headed and set into very state of mind which allowed for analysis to be made. No, Makkuro didn’t have the right nor the will to cut the man down; despite, the fact that he disagreed with him and would explain in greater detail just how he thought to work his plan. Still, the man had brought up a good point regarding how it was the squad’s duty to communicate and work with others regardless of what happened; however, that duty was failing horribly and something had to be done about it. “Meuma…Yasuo’s points are good ones and he shows courage by speaking up at this meeting; while, we may be is superiors, that is in rank only. He has more battle experience than us and has more than likely proven himself our better on the field of battle; so there is no reason to disregard his opinion. So for now, we hold our tongues and watch to see what others have to say before we speak. Remember, there is no honor in an argument; however, in a debate there is much to be learned and many chances to bring honor and praise to oneself.”
Just as he finished the dialogue with his spirit; did the notice that Captain of Squad Two, a man he had battle experience with and knew on a personal level, Tsuno Azuka. According to the information that Makkuro had on the man; he excelled greatly in combat and was one of the only Captains that actually got along well with their zanpakuto spirit. He was also the only married member of the Gotei Thirteen; which spoke volumes for the man in Makkuro’s book. The commitment that came with matrimony and well…living with a member of the opposite sex for a long period of time in general; especially, a vocal one, was about as mind-numbingly tedious as it got. Males and females were wired completely differently and the concept of a union between them wasn’t exactly a sure-fire process; thousands of variables stacked the odds against the process working, still most humans still found a way. Things weren’t that simple in the Seireitei considering that spirit’s didn’t really have a ‘need’ to reproduce as they did in real life; so a marriage became more a symbol of mutual respect and the highest affection possible. Seeing as this stood, out of all the current captains, Makkuro respected and admired Azuka-dono the most; taking this into account, he began to nod his head slowly as he spoke, agreeing with most of what he said. Granted, he would still pursue his idea regardless of what anyone said; however, with Azuka’s hat falling somewhere on the median, he paused and contemplated his pursuit for several moments. The deliberations becoming rather long and arduous, only to be made all the more difficult by Meuma’s incessant ranting in his ear; the likes of which he had expected from Laetitia or one of her squaddies.
“What is wrong with these people!? Have they never heard a good idea in their lives; I could understand the low lives disagreeing with you, but even other Captains!? Can they not see the importance of proper communication on the battle field!? No wonder so many of you got slaughtered on the battlefield! Probably running around on the battlefield all willy-nilly and performing completely disjointed maneuvers screaming: Woo! Hey look at me! LOOK AT ME DOING THIS THING! YEAH SEE THIS THING HERE IS MAKING ALL THESE GUYS DEAD!! WOOOOHOOOO! Just before you get slammed with a cero or impaled on some arrancar’s horns; tossed about and bumped up and down until they got a one-up like Mario.” Meuma fumed while Makkuro continued to debate on what to say next; any hole in his arguments now could lead to utter disaster, but a well thought out and placed statement could easily mend over the hole he had dug himself at the moment. Not bothering to reply to his spirit, he moved on to the next Captain to speak; finding his jaw almost agape when he noted the size of the man.
It was the first time he had seen the Captain of Squad Eight and well…several of the other Captains to be honest; this was after all one of his first meetings. While Yun, Minoru, Tsuno, Rin, Sagara and Yasuo, were all familiar faces to him; however, Laetitia was one he would have liked to forget the most, but she was etched into his memories. He had witnessed unspeakable horrors prompted by her hand during combat; however, as a fellow Captain, he respected her, but as a human being and a warrior…he was both fearful of her and completely appalled by her actions. No one could get a read on her and even then, did one really want to understand how that twisted beings mind worked? Makkuo could only shake his head at the digression that had just taken place; he needed to get back on track quickly, where had he been? Oh that was right, the beneath known as Erik had just started speaking. The man’s voice rang out true to what Makkuro had been suggesting in the first place; not so much a dissolution of the squad’s or even a tattered ideal of what each stood for, instead, just a simple mechanism to allow all the squads a comfortable way to communicate with each other and respond. What others had been seeing as some sort of call to break down all barriers; had really been exactly what Erik had commented on, a call to increase combat effectiveness through communication.
Still, there was more to come and surprises began to abound through the room; first came Sagara whose violent outburst was hardly expected by Makkruo. No visible signs of being upset came to his face; however, after Sagara had finished his narrative expressing his opinion on the matter, Makkuro felt a vein on the top of his head beginning to stand out slowly. No one had really understood what he was going for with his argument and had simply taken it upon themselves to assume something; rather, that asking about what he really meant. The implications of such trivial games of word play spoke enough to Makkuro; his annoyance starting to spike and his spiritual pressure beginning to pick up and carry those emotions as well. Most captains were adept at controlling their emotions and spiritual pressure; though, faint threads could always be felt out to quantify a person’s current mood. Around the table though all he could feel was Sagara’s flaring anger and the cold, impetuous, calloused nature of those around them; just as he was about to stand and correct Sagara himself, the Joint Captain of Squad seven did it for him. Staring at the woman, he was glad for her support; granted, it seemed more to be out of the need to save face that really agreeing with them.
Adala was a timid girl, that much was known about her and was quite the understatement. The young girl didn’t even appear to be of an appropriate age to intend such meetings; though, neither did her sister for that matter. As far as his first meeting was going; all Makkuro could think about was how wonders never ceased, disrespect and constant near-sighted misunderstanding continued to run amok through the area without so much as a check. Yun was obviously thinking of something and the senior members of the council held their tongues; with the exception of Laetitia who went ahead with her little rant which only served to push Makkuro completely over the edge causing him to clinch his fist with pent up frustrations. The grind of his teeth against each other suddenly filled his mouth with grit and a flash of pain around his gums; he knew that this wasn’t the place to let his emotions get the better of him, but he was known as the Captain whom always wore his heart on his sleeve. “Patience, patience….” Makkuro whispered to himself. Calm soon returned to his body with a quick exhale and his attention turned back to Adala scolding the now slack-jawed Sagara; if the situation had been anything but a captain’s meeting, he would have thought it humorous. The tiny girl causing the visibly, much larger man to withdraw into himself with annoyance; prompting an apology, nodding that over he thought about any past experience with the fourth squad. It was all minimal and he actually had some rather…negative memories regarding the squad.
Remembering how the ash of the Arrancar’s abilities and residue from the end of the battle felt against his skin; Makkuro shivered slightly, recalling the events as if they were yesterday. The medical team swooping in through the rain and thunder; slowly taking care of the three Captains’ wounds and promptly bringing out burial materials for those that had fallen. It had all been very…sullen and quiet; not a single member of the squad had spoken to him, aside to say hold still. Biting his tongue was all he could do; shaking with rage, sadness and frustration at what he considered a total failure on his part as a captain. Now, he was chomping at the bit to prove himself worthy of the position and to ensure that his fallen comrades didn’t die in vain. Yoku’s thoughts were true that Shiboo had a dream that was overly romantic in nature; however, he wasn’t one to be swayed by pretty words or the dip-shittery that was surrounding him so utterly and completely at the moment. Deciding enough was enough as the final speaks closed out their comment; Makkuro stood up and placed both of his hands on the table before glancing around at everyone present with a small grin.
“Are you all done proving my point? I believe Blotfalke-sama said it best; however, almost every single one of you commented in the exact why I was trying to warn against. This isn’t about god damn squads, not that any of them were in danger; your over-indulgence in this segregation seems to have rotted your minds and whittled them down into splinters obsessed with only the thought of how to advance that one region. I never said that we’d pull our forces into one unit or create a new squad; I even explicitly stated that the squads wouldn’t be dissolved, but that’s what nearly everyone here jumped at. No, the idea was simply as Blotfalke put, to increase communication and proper execution of battle commands during large scale operations; something that Blotfalke’s unit knows much about. The concept wasn’t one of oh, let’s all be friends and go frolicking through the fields of flowers as one united force without any sense of individuality between us. No, our current system exists for a reason; squad nine exists for the pure reason that they have to do things that are….’morally questionable’ to most of us. They bear that burden, Squad Three acts as shields, Squad twelve is our science division; not everyone is suited into all of the squads nor is there a reason to group them together. My idea was simply a means to create communication between the squads, so we don’t get another repeat of what happened down in Tokyo; we’re far too segregated and far too proud of a damn picture and a number attached to our arms. “
Makkuro stopped to breathe slowly as he ranted at the entire group; shaking his head slowly at what he called the biggest collaboration of stubborn fools he had ever seen. Sure, the outburst was no better than Sagara’s; however, it needed to be said and anything short of it wouldn’t have had the effect he desired. The group as a whole needed to see how much of a break down there was between them; there was no need for a member of squad two to be placed in with squad eleven. The functionality of the two groups was far too different for them to mesh together; instead, a cooperation needed to be formed between them as competition would only serve to agitate both parties. An assassin and a soldier needed to communicate on a level during battle; otherwise the flow and timing would be ruined, leaving both fronts failures. Sure, they could defeat a few enemies; however, in large scale operations, that was winning a battle and losing the war. Breathing out once more, he pressed his palms flat against the table and redressed the standing Captain Commander.
“Regarding your initial plan Captain Commander; I’ve already promoted the soldiers of Squad three. Of the four-hundred and eighty or so that are currently stationed; at least forty have already agreed to be part of this army of yours. In addition, Kuatura-dono, I will prompt them over your proposal as well; you may speak to the members of my squad if you wish…any that wish to join you may. If asked by the group, I’ll see to it that the funds and men desired be transferred over to you effective immediately.”
Finishing what he had to say, Makkuro sat back down and leaned forward; hands cusped together and folded into each other. His eyes showing a keen interest in what had to be said next; the orbs almost dancing as they waited, patiently waited for the next remark to be made. He didn’t have opinions on everything; however, what he knew and what he saw he had opinions on and if he didn’t share them. It made him no better than a wild animal prowling the streets and howling at the moon; no one got anywhere by not acting or by not speaking up, so that was how he pursued his goals. Not by idly waiting for them to come to him; instead, he focused on how to get things down and did so with a moral compass guiding each step of the way.
|
|
|
Post by Galihan on Sept 1, 2011 21:31:13 GMT -4
***Shortly before the meeting*** "So this is how it's gonna be then? I'm sure you'll both will do great as captains so don't worry about me, I've never wanted that for myself anyways. I'm happy where I'm at now as your vice-captain, so feel free to call on me whenever you need my help. That's what Mouretsu-kun and Keigo-sama would have...
Please excuse me thir- umm, I, Captain...s...
I'm sorry. We shouldn't keep the others waiting... again..." *** Ada and Lani were sure to make great captains for Squad Seven, together they definitely made a wicked team that Arashi and Yun were able to tell despite what anyone else might have missed seeing in the sisters. Even though they looked younger than the vice-captain, they were in truth quite a bit older than Iko, something she was used to after befriending Hana-chan who took deceptive age vs appearance to an all-new level of cuteness. But that didn't help the fact that Ada and Lani were in the eyes of many, most of whom in this room, unfit to lead as captains in this dark time. What did some of the people from other squads think about Seventh, that the new captains were too weak or unqualified to lead apart? What would that have implied about the shinigami as a whole, being desperate to find anyone to fill vacancies in the ranks? Regardless, Sagara's tone towards Ada was pushing it given his position. It wasn't particularly a secret that the man was aiming to advance to the captaincy of Sixth, or that he wasn't at all pleased with the recent reforms. Always so blatantly obvious that man, she cared little for him or his attitude. If it weren't for Seventh's reputation being at stake, she would have gladly lashed out at him even knowing that he'd probably have a good shot at beating her if she wasnt' able to exploit the fact that her kido was vastly superior to his. But then there'd be the problem of ongoing intersquad-relations either way so Iko was willing to let Sagara off the hook for now. But if he'd ever look down on Squad Seven like he seemed to be again any time soon, she'd be much less likely to agree to remain civil. Suddenly, Captain Miyoko from Squad Four, or more specifically, her zanpakuto spirits, made a very agreeable proposal concerning the integration of Four and Seven into a conjoined task force. It was very true that Four was often kept away from the front lines where they were needed most due to the risks of being attacked by hollows – far more often than given credit for, cunning predatory creatures rather than indiscriminate killers. And Seven, often specializing in ranged support, they too rarely saw the front lines due to the dangers of getting close and personal with giant soul-devouring monsters. Iko always liked Captain Miyoko, she felt like if given the chance to converse, they'd get along nicely. Iko was usually very shy and timid around other captains, but the fact that Miyoko herself was also like that helped ease her when she was preparing herself mentally for attending the meeting. Squad Seven was as of late, lacking in strong leadership and not doing so great from the eyes of the other squads. Even if Miyoko also was criticized for not being a strong leader, Iko knew that coordinating their squads together would be for the best, not only for the rest of the squads logistically but also to regain the backbone that many seemed to think was dying away ever since Keigo died and depriving Seventh with one of the greatest shinigami since Yun Saigotschuu began his long career to achieve the current position of Commander General. “While I may only be speaking for myself, I'd be a great honour for Squad Seven to go along with Kawanokensin-sama's proposal. I'd be happy to be apart of a security force to escort Squad Four where they're needed most, provided that Captains Fraulien approve.” While Iko maintained a rather confident, calm demeanour while discussing the situation, but still felt uneasy inside. She had a bad feeling for Squad Seven that only multiplied tenfold when that horrible, terrifying woman spoke. Before, Laetitia made Iko uneasy at the vice-captain meetings but now as the fullcaptain, she was genuinely afraid to interact at all with Squad Nine unless she absolutely had to. The way that their Third-Seat was eyeing everyone up, as if trying to tear into everyone's minds with rusty hooks in search of weaknesses to exploit, was disturbing. Even worse, Iko acknowledged the fact that she herself wouldn't have paid heed to them had not Sagara – who up until then seemed to be the most unpleasant person present – appeared to be so obviously disturbed at the sight of Ninth's new vice-captain. Did Sagara know that man from before, she wondered while contemplating the possibilities of the situation. Of Course, Sixth and Nine weren't the only divisions that handled the pursuit, capture and imprisonment of wanted criminals. Squad Two and the Onmitsukido also had their own fair share of activities going on behind the shadows until the other divisions began increasing the role they played in that field, limiting the role of the special forces to dealing usually exclusively with threats directly handed out by Central 46 for whatever political matters. Regardless, Two still tried his best to keep track of who Six brought in, and to the best of their ability, figure out what Nine did with them. Not an easy job at all, considering that Laetitia was brilliant at keeping everything so clean while also being so belligerently up to something. Tsuno knew something was up with her, as too did many others, however unlike most, he suspected the worst. In the time that they'd both been captains, Tsuno noticed an increase of members in Squad Nine, the kind of men who he spent years of his life fighting to protect the innocent against. He could see it in their eyes, their attitude, the desire to bring pain and suffering without any repercussions. With Laetitia in power, the kind of men he swore to kill were instead given freedom to act freely with nothing he could do about it. She would become an outright threat to the people of Soul Society if allowed to continue freely for much longer. How long, probably nobody could answer that and that was something that troubled him the most. Tsuno was fairly certain that Captain Saigotschuu also considered her a threat, anyone as crafty as the Commander General or even had any sort of agenda probably was wary of Laetitia. It was obviously clear, as Makkuro had was fed up with beating around the bush about and commented upon outright. So blunt, yet incorruptibly virtuous. Unlike so many others, that man wasn't afraid to speak his mind by merit that his agenda seemed only to uphold his morality. It was why Tsuno had such respect for the fellow, even if their methods were so different, they shared a common interest in the well being of the innocent. As long as Squad Three stood strong as Seireitei's shield from its enemies, Tsuno would continue to pledge Squad Two as its dagger to strike those enemies from behind. He stood to address the audience as a whole, intending to amend his previous comments to clear any confusion and step out of the shadows of neutrality that loomed over his words, but still made the effort to address his intended targets more personally. “Captain Shiboo-kun, I'd like to apologize for earlier if I seemed too critical of your position. You're absolutely right in that what we need is to quit confusing our own agendas with our purpose. Our duty is first and foremost to serve Soul Society in the manner of which we are best able, after that comes our own reasons why and how we go about that. While not everyone is able to work together closely in such a direct manner as has been proposed for Squads Four and Seven, there is no reason why any of our own ambitions should make us act in such a way as to interfere with that which we have sworn ourselves to uphold. While I still stand by my word to dedicate what forces I can muster to aid Captain Saigotschuu-dono and Vice-captain Kuatura-san, I assure that doing so is my word to uphold my honour to protect that which I have sworn to protect... from any threats. Be they from outside or within, if an enemy reveals itself, I will see to it that it is silenced. That is what Squad Two can... and will do.”
|
|
|
Post by Darkoda on Sept 10, 2011 21:24:36 GMT -4
Well this meeting was slightly more troubling than usual. Rin was usually only half paying attention to the standard Captain’s Meetings, but recent events had passed to put a far more serious air on things. The Horror Vacui threat, the large loss of shinigami, and now the death of Kazuma was threatening to be the straw that broke the camel’s back. It was a small miracle that they managed to keep that under wraps enough to prevent mass panic and anarchy.
Of course, there was also the issue of Saigotschuu Yun becoming the new Commander. There was a good deal of people – unfortunately, of the noble, meddling sort – who seriously questioned the appointment, but they had little better to do right now; they were in an emergency, and Yun’s general nature made him best to operate for now. Granted, Rin could see their point; Yun’s general secretive nature made it difficult to read him. Rin herself had no desire to lead, but that didn’t mean that she wouldn’t keep an eye on him during this period. For now, she chose to stay neutral, and let Yun’s handling of this incident serve as a test of fitness. After all, if he was a poor choice, dealing with this emergency should make it clear.
As for the poorly contained power struggle that they were calling a meeting.....well it was somewhat to be expected, between the multiple changes in leadership, the grudges and distrust some members had for Yun, and the stress everyone was under, some people handled it better than others. It started off benign enough, with Makkuro’s idealistic suggestion, then came the landslide. Rin did agree with him to an extent, but she ran a Division that had to cater for multiple Division personalities; she knew from experience that actually getting them to operate as one cohesive unit was far easier said than done. As it was she had settled for letting each of them act as their own mini-squads and simply forcing them to get along with each other.
That said, she didn’t expect the suggestion to spark so much discussion; from those who agreed, those who disagreed, and an annoyance called.....Sagara was his name? He clearly had some issues with Yun and being demoted, but frankly, with his hot-headedness, Rin didn’t blame the Commander for putting someone more capable in place. Then there was that nutjob Laetitia; Rin generally distrusted Division 9 on principle, but their newest captain was another level. While she couldn't prove it, Rin was certain that she was up to something far worse than the previous brute, not to mention the uncomfortable amount of time she was spending with Kubi – as sneaky as he thought he was, a ninja, the kid wasn’t.
Still, considering what she knew of Makkuro, sooner or later he was going to say something again; the guy really wore his heart on his sleeve, for better or for worse, but he did act with the best intentions, so it was okay most of the time.
If nothing else, the current meetings certainly weren’t dull anymore.
|
|
|
Post by GoldenKitten on Sept 16, 2011 16:40:14 GMT -4
Desmae could do nothing but brace for the inevitable, the assault had already been upon him before he could even acknowledge it; much less reach for a weapon or maneuver out of the way. In the moments following the gut churning force he had expected hit him like a brick and forced his eyes closed with the speed it whisked him away. However, for it all it simply didn't have the kick one would expect and in moments passing he soon realized not only was he alive but he'd come to a stop. The forces placed upon his body letting up he was allowed to open his eyes and try to take stock of the situation, for a brief moment all he saw was the dirt beneath him, but after a split-second passing he came to realize he seemed to be floating as his head bobbed too-and-fro. With a slight bit of effort he turned his head to find himself looking at Hana's profile.
As he reoriented he tried to come to terms with both the personal fact and strength at work in the reality that he was being hoisted armor-and-all on to the small girls left shoulder. Not only that but as his life stopped flashing before his eyes he noted they were a good dozen meters from the large tentacle that had carved a gigantic impression in the ground where it had struck, and was only now being pulled back. It was as he took stock of what this was attached to that the combat expert in him came back to bear and he rolled off the girls shoulder and on to his feet, reaching for his hammer as he went.
Raising six-stories before them was a behemoth lump of a hollow, nothing but white blobs and writhing grabbers attached to something in the center. The only thing giving it human form at all was a dome-like mask set in the center and top of its bulbous girth, peering down at them with great yellow slits. Despite its size it retracted and moved its limbs rather quickly and seemed to be capable of keeping track of what Desmae assumed had been Hana moving at shunpo speeds; that wasn't even counting that for him at least just moving out of the way of the tentacles in time was going to prove difficult given their diameter. Desmae was surprised by what they had found waiting for them but had no time to consider why there was a hollow here until they had dealt with the threat.
Bringing his hammer to his side Desmae took his opponent in and prepared to charge when a small hand was thrust up in front of him. Sparing a glance down at the little girl who wasn't even half his size he couldn't judge her face as she was turned toward their foe and slightly in front of him, but he could tell her stance had gone from slack to prepared and rigid. Turning her head enough so that he could catch the far more straightened and professional look in her lightly glowing violet eyes she spoke softly, “Desmae, the barrier will keep our radio signals in just like it's hiding the hollows. I'll cover you, return to the edge of the zone and inform Seireitei of this as soon as possible.”
He couldn't help from performing a huge guffaw at the gumption and insanity of the statement and couldn't do much but echo that sentiment in words, “Are you insane?!” “This is not the time to argue, do as I say.” “Listen here girl, like I'd trust you to do the job right for an instant. If anything this is my job more than anyones. And even if I did put your skill before mine I'd still not allow myself the shame of knowing I'd let someone else perish saving me!”
Desmae was about to continue as he almost forgot their circumstance until, turning her head all the way toward him, he saw the look on her face. He'd never seen anything like it, especially not on her, and it forced the words in his throat to catch. Was it annoyance? Not really. If he had to put a word to it, it was pity, like she was pitying him though for what reason he could not begin to fathom. Before he could question the matter any further though they were called back to the urgency of the situation as the beast let out a low wallow like the worlds largest earthbound whale.
A short, “Oh my god...” escaped his lips as he witnessed a mass of tentacles a dozen times the width of the previous attacks size raise from somewhere behind the creature. Any attempt at arguing with the girl was gone as he tried to consider what course of action he should take, he was the leader of Tenths...or First rather, most seasoned combat force, this was his bread-and-butter dammit! But he would have needed time to think to figure out how to counter this foe and it was not time he was going to be given, as already the thrashing appendage was changing direction toward them and gaining velocity. Desmae was strong, but he couldn't take that head-on, and for all his strength he wasn't fast enough to dodge the initial smaller feeler much-less what was about to hit them.
And so with no time to spare Desmae did the only thing he could, pulled his hammer back and prepared to meet it head on. This was going to hurt a lot, he might even die, but the Deaths Hand never submitted to despair, they never lost, and they certainly didn't (*Uck*) retreat. He tried to figure out what the hell was even going on but there simply wasn't room in his head for questions, or answers. Instead he found his mind narrowing in on the speech Saigotschuu-sama gave all new members of the Division, though he certainly didn't like the prospect of failure, he couldn't deny that compared to how many of them would meet their fates he couldn't have asked for a much grander way to fall.
Someone decided he wasn't going to be allowed his morbid thoughts though as he felt a force lift him from the ground once more. Less taken aback this time his eyes instantly flowed down to find Hana beneath him again, this time bending her left hand under his waist, lifting him up with supernatural strength even as he protested. He didn't care if she was fast enough to get him out of the way, it was shameful to rely on anyone, he'd rather die than say someone from another division; particularly Twelfth; had saved him. Not to mention it made him all sorts of awkward to find himself hefted into the air by a girl of all things, if he allowed it to go on even if he lived it would be a disgrace he would never live down.
“HANA-” “This isn't...” “RIGHT THIS MOME-”
His words went unacknowledged though as he found himself firmly held in place and before he could escalate his words the air was kicked out of his lungs and he found his world spinning. What happened next was too fast for him to follow and by the time his world was back in the still he realized they were quite some distance from where they had been. Across the way the large hollow let out an inhuman howl as it thrashed back-and-forth spewing mass volumes of blood from a stump where one of the trunk-like tentacle had been. His eyes quickly traveled to Hana's blade, and from the blood trickling down the translucent edge it was clear she had been the one to severe the appendage which was now laying lifeless across the building white sand on the ground...how she'd managed to do it was beyond him, he'd heard she was a better swordsmen than some might give her credit for but the tentacle had been five times as thick as the blade appeared capable of cutting.
Before he could ponder it any further or reevaluate the girl she tossed her arm to the side and he went flying, slamming into the sand someways away. As he began to stand and complain he was cut-off by kindly spoken but harsh words, “Perhaps what I said sounded like a request, when in fact it was a demand. Retreat, call for back-up.”
He began to argue, maybe he had misjudged her own ability; her speed in particular, but he didn't much appreciate his own abilities being doubted either. “Why?! With my help we can eliminate this and be-”
But he was forced to stop when she gave him a confused look, it wasn't angry, he doubted she was capable of that, but it did seem to question his sanity. Then as if realization had taken over she made an affirmative sound and then spoke aloud, “Desmae, maybe you've been focusing to hard on what's right in front of you. We aren't alone here...”
Desmae shook his head as he at first didn't comprehend but after seeing that the hollow was still preoccupied with its missing appendage he spared a glance in the direction of the village. It was a look that stuck because looking back at him from a small town now half-buried in white sand were dozens of red and yellow eyes, including several equally large hollows to the one attacking them surrounding it as if on guard duty. As a whole their eyes were now on the two Shinigami, several giving haunting low bellows, and even now he could see many were moving toward them.
“Oh......fuck....”, he muttered.
Hana yelled, “Now, go, I'm faster I can keep them distracted far longer. But if we want to contain this now we need backup. Go Desmae.”
She was now turned back toward the hollow in an attack pose with her blade held out to her side, the hollow itself had recovered and now seemed to be re-accessing how to assault the little creature that had harmed it. It was not in Desmae's nature to retreat, or leave others to do his job, especially someone like her. But some part of him understood the logic in what she'd said even if admitting it to himself would take many long months to accept.
And so, gritting his teeth and with a slight growl he spun around and ran for the edge of the containment as quickly as possible.
----------------------------------
Watching Kuatura you'd think he'd discovered the most interesting glass of water in the world, as during the entire following speech he continued to swirl the glass around and stare into the spiral. In truth he simply had no reason to argue; self-obsessed idiots would never change their ways, especially if they thought they understood you. Such people were fools, and this room had no shortage of fools now, they thought Kuatura had lost his way from outward appearances without realizing he was in fact perhaps the most organized and prepared of them all. Nowhere was this more obvious than Makkuros selfish and obvious disdain, even the normally silent Harut Marut had something to say about that one.
“Cretin...”
Cretin indeed! The division Kuatura was now almost keeping afloat on his own shoulders had previously been manned by roughly a hundred individuals, even then they had been tempting the edge of oversaturation of work per individual and though their title had changed nothing about their job had. Now they had twenty-six working members, of those three had been injured beyond ability to maintain a proper workflow, and eleven of them were junior members. Of the thirteen remaining members who were both able bodied and experienced four of them were part of the divisions combat personnel and not good for much more than chauffeuring paperwork back and forth. This left NINE members fronting almost everything statistical in Soul Society, and of them Kuatura was the only one with any sort of Captain-level leadership.
He was aware that Kazuma had been seen as something of a stagnate force that in some eyes had lead to a state of unreadiness. Not one of them understood how much work he had held up alone behind the scenes, just like they were incapable of looking past their own little worlds now. Did they think Rukongai just managed itself? Did they think the Shinigami Academy would have lasted even a week without proper management (and then where would they get their precious new members they so desperately needed now)? What about all the information that helped them manage their own Divisions, were they stupid enough to think the First Division just pulled that out of its psychic bag of the Ether? Apparently so. It wasn't the work that bothered Kuatura, all appearances aside he strove for excellence in all things, but the disrespect the Division received as a whole irked him, but there was nothing that could be done and so he tried not to let it bother him.
Of everyone present Kuatura was one of the few who had semi-frequent contact with every Captain, and their Vice-Captains so by-and-large he at least had some degree of understanding behind most everyone present. This also meant he was one of the few who could read Yun's brick-like visage, anyone could tell he was thinking, but few would have guessed just how much so. Though he was still an outsider he had glimpsed enough of the leaders psyche to know he was an overthinker, some might deem it paranoia of course, Kuatura just considered it a necessity for any good leader. Most thought leadership meant standing at a podium and stating your views in an agreeable way...like Makkuro, few realized the subtle nuances required of true leadership. Kuatura would even acknowledge that was beyond him, though he understood its point, this meant he was likely one of the few ok with Yun's appointment as the Commander General.
This also meant he had an advantage over the others, though he sometimes lacked the know-how to properly exploit it. He was however capable of gauging his shifts in stance. When he sat back in the chair he was thinking, when he leaned forward with his hand over his mouth something had either gone his way and he was masking any mouth movement or he was thinking of how it could be used to aid him, and so forth...and they said Kuatura was simple. When Makkuro burst out another sign was shown as Yun placed his left hand over his right and tapped on its upper side with his pointer-finger. Kuatura had learned to associate this with annoyance, put all together he gathered that Yun had agreed with Makkuro but wanted him to shut up before people started seeing him as to radical in belief...or, at least that's what Kuatura thought.
He had to admit he was caught off guard when Makkuro directed the end of his conversation back at his initial concerns. He wasn't as good as hiding it as Yun so he was sure some degree of both his resentment and appeasement (in mixed regards) came across, but he didn't make it overtly obvious. At the same time he heard Laetitia let out a giggle and a slight (though far from unexpected), “Optimism, yay.”
What did come as a surprise that caused almost everyone to turn was when a knock came on the door to the room. A Captains Meeting was rarely interrupted for all but the most dire of situations, so it was understandable that it caused a degree of confusion. After waiting the appropriate length of time the door was pulled open and a shinigami of lower rank was kneeling there, an unremarkable Japanese man. A quick look at the patch on his shoulder marked him as a member of Ninth Division, proving not everyone in that Division looked the part...not that, that meant anything.
Kuaturas eyes traveled to Laetitia as he suspected most did, the typically nonchalant and carefree girl bore a dark look even before words were spoken. Laetitia unlike most of those present wasn't as easy to read as others since she tended to respond to identical scenarios in wildly different ways, but it seemed likely to him that she knew what the man was here for already. There was a pause before Yun uttered, “Speak...”, from the slightly negative tone Kuatura got the feeling Yun was thinking the same thing.
Speaking in a nervous manner most who rarely had contact with the Captains did the man stuttered before getting into stride. The brief idea that he might not find them imposing so much as he feared delivering bad news to Laetitia did cross his mind, “I...I...um, I apologize Tonosama, I've come to deliver a message to My Lady. Madame Laetitia, we've had an escape in Cellblock R; Shuja Akame, they're still in the facility but we fear we lack the means to contain them should they take the fight to us.”
Nobody could really respond, and it's not like you could respond negatively as it was no secret she had handled security for many years and there had never since been an escape. No, that wasn't what got Kuatura, he had looked to Yun once the man had reported and the Commander General was for once wearing an incredibly doubtful looking face. Kuatura himself wouldn't have second-guessed the matter but after seeing this he had given Laetitia a closer inspection and his mind became clearer. For several seconds her eyes darted from side-to-side, it was the look of someone hearing something very bad for them that they were unsure how to respond immediately...and it was only then that Kuatura realized, Laetitia reveled in battle and pain, she should have been ecstatic at the idea of hunting someone down. He wasn't sure what to make of that, but he knew she wasn't to be trusted, and if the Commander General was questioning it made sense to air on the side of caution.
After being given a few seconds to analyze the situation Laetitia whipped her blade around and stood up, she looked to Yun and spoke in a polite tone which was equally suspicious, “With your leave Commander General. The man in question is a long-term prisoner of higher strength, it would be best if I were present.”
Though Kuatura knew Yun was probably the least trusting of those present the man wasted no time responding, “Yes, of course.”
The woman looked to her side, “Yokubari, you'll remain and report on the rest of the meeting. Zamaru, you are with me,” despite the latter claim by the time she'd spoken Laetitia was little more than a white-scarf trailing out the door, jumping to the edge of the rafter and disappearing in a flash over the edge, leaving Zamaru way behind before he even made it out the door and the lower-ranking member of the division slid the door shut. In most cases someone likely would have said something about her lack of manners in leaving without any further explanation, but hey, it was Laetitia after all. Plus, most present were likely more concerned with the previous argument, or if they were more socially aware why Laetitia had been so...un-Laetitia like.
Kuatura returned his attention to Yun as a silence pervaded for several seconds after her departure. Yun only allowed himself a few seconds of thought though and quickly went about cloaking the matter, turning to Makkuro with an open palm; “Now back to the matter at hand. I understand that such topics bring up emotional stirrings but let's plea-”
One could see the visible annoyance on Yuns face when a shrill beeping came from this spirit radar once more, he hated being interrupted and it had happened multiple times which led to a break in his typically calm features as he let out a small sigh. Still he retracted his hand and brought the device to his ear, “What's our situation?”. The look on his face as he listened to the phone grew gradually harder, it didn't take a genius to realize more was happening on the other side than they had expected, though to what degree nobody knew. Regardless it was enough to set Kuatura off as he stood from his seat and placed his sheath-and-blade which had been sitting next to his chair into his sash.
While Yun was still in the middle of listening Kuatura was already standing and ready to move for the door as he was already assuming the worst, with an aggressive glare at nobody in particular he rasped, “How many?”
Yun looked up to him before he pulled the device away from his ear and placed it on the table in front of him, pushing a button in the process, “We have a hollow incursion in the real world; too large in scale to be a random spirit event. Add into the mix the barrier that kept us from seeing inside and it looks to have been planned. Desmae, you're on speaker, what are their numbers.”
“I don't k-” Desmae began to yell but he collected himself, and after a brief moment of thought he concluded, “At least a hundred hollows of various strength, likely more. The barrier keeps us from communicating and Hana covered my... retreat so I could make the call, I didn't have time to count them all, but the towns lost, this has the markings of an invasion more than an infestation.”
Kuatura walked past the sitting captains up to the device and spoke, “Is it them Desmae?”
“I've no way to know sir, but I don't know of any other foe we have that has command of Hollows that could bypass us long enough to set this in motion. Now, Saigotschuu-sama I am returning to help her, please send backup quickly, if we don't contain this quickly we'll lose far more than a small town.”
Yun began to argue with Desmae; “Negative! You will remain where you are until backup arrives, we've lost enough to pointle-”
But the discussion which ended with Desmae acting like he couldn't hear Yun's order to stay back (nobody could have been fooled by his poor acting skills, he even made static sounds with his mouth) was the last thing on Kuaturas mind. It was a maelstrom of thoughts both sensible and not. Part of him simply wanted revenge, the other part was thinking about how to logically go about handling the situation. But every time he attempted to think things straight all he could remember was the massive explosion that had killed Kazuma, many of his Divisional friends, and any chance of keeping the same future that had long laid out before them. Yun began talking but while he paid attention he remained looking at the floor, until Yun caught his attention.
“Ok; we need to handle this carefully. I will take the D-”
But before he could even begin Kuatura pointed at him and yelled, “NO! Not a chance, don't be a blessed fool.”
That got more than a few peoples attention, including Yun who in a moment of uncharacteristic stupor actually looked at Kuatura in surprise. His thoughts were collected now as he pulled the strings tight and considered their situation, no, they couldn't continue to operate like they always had even if they wanted to. Yun might wish that things were the way they had been, who could blame him as Kuatura did too, but they weren't and as such they could ill-afford to treat them as if they were. Not paying any of the other Captains any mind Kuatura looked straight into Yuns eyes without wavering and spoke before anyone could reprimand him Sagara-style, they were hardly the same thing after all.
“Have you so soon forgotten our past mistakes? If my lord hadn't let his pride get the better of him he would still be alive, I'm no fool and I can admit that, so don't make the same GOD DAMN mistakes.”
Kuatura broke from his stare down and backed off so he seemed less hostile, turning to look at some of the other captains from time-to-time though he kept his focus on the Commander General. “Enough with the unspoken truths; Seireitei and the Gotei 13 are in shambles, they aren't fractured, they're broken, and with a little more pressure they'll be no more. This isn't a bruise, it's a break held together with naught but string. Understaffed and widely being lead by a half-force, if that. We cannot afford to treat situations with flagrant disregard for safety any longer; you Commander General, and the other long standing Captains must live. Because if you don't there will be no tomorrow for the Shinigami, and if there's no tomorrow for the Shinigami, then soon after there will be no tomorrow for existence as we know it.”
He held his finger up in a challenging way, “I can be replaced, all these fill-ins of leadership can be replaced, but if we lose the knowledge and foundation which your experience grants you then we've no chance of winning a battle we're already losing. And I use the term battle loosely, because lets be honest that until now deeming it a one-sided landslide would be more accurate. One against us.”
Kuatura had no idea what the general consensus of him was now, at the very least he wagered they had some opinion of him now instead of paying him no heed like until this point. But then, he didn't care, enough with the tomfoolery and shades of truth; they could never win if they chose to only acknowledge the truth in their hearts, and kept playing a game of house in reality. Let them think what they want, he had better things to do, things like stopping their fucking extermination. He was tired of this...very, very tired...and he now decided he would take his stand because if he waited till later it would likely be too late.
He was unsure of what Yun was thinking, the man had closed down all outward expression again, but after Kuatura had finally said his peace the Commander General spoke, “Then, as the strategical Divisions leader, what is your plan Katayama?”
He suspected it was either meant to keep him quiet, or at least point out that he was speaking without thinking. But he hadn't spoken out without conceptualizing it through first, he knew what he wanted to say, despite what seemed to be a common misconception he was not a Vice-captain for the sake of his dashing good looks. He stepped forward and pointed to himself, “Contact the Deaths Hand, have them ready, I will lead them through to act as a distraction and as much containment as possible while we await Blotfalke-sama. At the same time have the other Divisions provisional forces preparing. I will get in contact with Hana, if she still lives, and plot the dimensions of the barrier. Blotfalke-sama and his men will enter en-masse at six-points and proceed to circle the town to keep any escape from occurring. The provisional forces will enter and then with the help of Hana or another Twelfth Division official we will proceed to the center of the anomaly and deactivate the barrier, allowing us to gauge the situation better, and perhaps find a way to stem the flow of hollows if their forces are indeed beyond Desmaes rough estimate.”
He spotted the sly smile at the edge of Yun's mouth but quite honestly he didn't care if the man was pleased, or if he was somehow fitting into his plan. He only cared that they handled the situation in such a way that they lost as few members as possible during the containment. It was all he could hope to do now after all, larger concerns were beyond his ability to control at this point.
Yun brought his hands together and clapped once loudly, “Then if there are no arguments we'll cut this meeting short. We'll go with Katayama's plan injecting change as the situation becomes more clear. Blotfalke, begin assembling your men immediately, you have permission to utilize the emergency Senkaimon to get on-site as quickly as possible. Everyone else is to return to their Division and begin preparing what forces are available for a possible assault once we know where to strike. Let's move.”
As soon as he was finished Kuatura turned to the girl who had been shirking further behind his chair the more outspoken he had become and pointed at her, “Kei, you're in charge until I return, understood?”, as soon as he got an affirmative he was the first to leave, though as he did so he caught Yun speaking.
“Meanwhile, Shimizu, Azuka, the other Katayama, Zurui, and...Kei, was it? I would like to speak with you, if anyone else has something they needed to say then you may remain in the waiting lobby until we're done as long as you can still get your Divisions ready that way.”
Kuatura didn't bother concerning himself with what Yun was plotting this time, he had a mission to complete now. And Horror Vacui or not he did not intend to let things get so out of control ever again.
|
|