Post by GoldenKitten on Jun 20, 2008 4:19:32 GMT -4
((OOC: I apologize for how long this took to be put up. I won't make excuses, I simply had no muse left to put into it and seeing as how it was one of the most important story moments of the arc, or at least the first serious one I couldn't put it up half baked.
Now on to the post itself. I will try to do as little “god-modding” as possible but unless we all want to be spending the next 20 years getting out of SS I am going to simply assume certain people do certain things. For instance I will just say Nekomi and Minoru follow Yun, it is up to those two people to detail exactly how that is done in their following post but the simple action itself will be supposed.
Also to Mai, we are gathering in front of 10th Division, not 1st. Like Nekomi and Minoru I will make a mention of a senkaimon being erected in the center of the large gathering area but will leave it up to you as to how that is done and the specifics of its construction.
Finally remember all following post will essentially be the end of this topic. After that we will mesh with “For the Fallen”. A posting order will be erected using the two list sometime in the next day. For this reason feel free to give your post proper “ending” themes though of course if you would rather just leave it open as a continuation into For the Fallen that works just as well. Just a heads up so nobody gets confused when this thread goes dead.
Also yes Yun's speech is a copy of something I wrote in another topic with some changes but I just liked it to much for it not to be used in a more serious propensity given that the initial topic was more of a joke and not many people saw it. Don't kill me...I liked it...))
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There were few things that could scare an experienced shinigami, their lives being so full of extreme surprises that almost nothing could even phase them after a point. There were of course exceptions to that rule depending on their various personalities and some might not “fear” them as simply being intelligently wary of the circumstances. Most, even captains knew not to doubt the arch-enemy, the hollow especially their upper echelon, one should always fear the powers of hell and in a more localized format any intelligent person shouldn't want anything to do with 9th Division. Add one more to that list, Saigotschuu Yun genuinely smiling.
It wasn't out of the ordinary to see him grinning or even joking around but anyone speaking with him could feel the sort of “disconnection” he had with the situation, playing more to make the people around him comfortable than to enjoy it for himself. There were few times he cracked a true smile and from experience any time he did bad...or at least surprising events followed, he was renowned for knowing a little more than was probably safe to know or rather he used the knowledge he had a little bit to much. Where others like Minoru were probably just as smart as him they were more restricted, yet for all the dominating and strict nature he governed his Division with he often crossed the line himself. This was far from the first time he had done something in complete secret that was both incredibly stupid, incredibly intelligent and just as amazing all at once...it was also far from the first time he had done so in crossing the Commander Generals word. He had a tendency to bring these things out at the last moment and it was not the first nor should it be expected that it was the last time he would provide a working but volatile answer out of the blue.
So as he stood high on the stairs up to his own HQ with a near manic grin spread across his face anyone with even passing knowledge of his personality should have been prepared for something to happen. Especially since by any regard of the discussion he and the Commander General had, had not thirty minutes before he should have been far from happy.
The congregation of amassing shinigami was quickly reaching a bursting point, the 10th Division parade road had been built to accommodate a massive army but nobody had actually thought it would be used. The sight was astounding even if many of them would not actually be crossing over and even to a captain. To Yun, who always felt that the Gotei 13 should function as one it was a momentary and beautiful occasion and his smile slowly disappeared as he viewed the scene. It seemed the others agreed with him or were at least in their own little worlds as the leadership took a momentary silence and the loud ruckus from below flooded over them. It was at just that moment that Yun looked over his shoulder and Kuatura who had still been standing next to him saluted, the mans detection wasn't as high as Yuns but he and his brother were far more in tune with their leaders reiatsu.
“Now, now you shouldn't sneak up on people like that!” Yun said in a mock reprimanding tone.
“My apologies.” replied Kazuma as he approached, Kaiba close in tow, both seeming to appear out of nowhere with no visual approach to the gathering spot.
Yun turned back out to the group before them, most had yet to spot the Commander Generals presence. Amongst his searching he saw a particularly earnest group of Division Ones members pushing through the crowd toward the front as they passed by the senkaimon that was being risen with amazing speed in the middle of the large group. Reaching the steps they walked upwards with purpose, unlike much of Division One which were much more...normal than other divisions several of these members wore aristocratic markings or simply carried themselves with a higher air, certainly they were the Commander Generals addition to the attack. Yun might normally have gone off at such a pompous show but composed himself knowing full well they would be worthy if Kazuma had selected them himself, the General moved down to his followers and out of earshot began speaking with them. Yun however did not need to hear him to know what he was telling them, half of them were now wearing sour faces and the other half, most of which were females were now smiling and waving at Kuatura...and maybe Kaiba...the useless bastard. *Cough* I mean the gracious and loved higher-up of First Division, Kaiba. Yun then turned to Hikaru and motioned to Kuatura who had just been about to march down to the group.
“Ah yes Hikaru, say hi to your new fellow Fukutaichou...seems the Commander General finally decided the spot had been empty long enough. Enacted an old war time right, dual fukutaichous engaging both the Katayama brothers. Honestly though I think that the old guys just been waiting for an excuse to enact the right, had to soft a heart to only promote one of them.” He gave Kuatura a wry smile.
By that time Kuatura was walking down the steps though he briefly turned to the two and gave them a half assed joking salute. While not many knew to what extent, it was fairly common knowledge that 1st Division was the only other that 10th readily had relations with, whether this was because of how they operated or simply because Kazuma was the only person Yun truly appreciated and trusted was unknown. Regardless the upper ranks were familiar with each other and it was a fairly common practice for the groups to exchange dry or sarcastic humor in place of friendly relations, none of 10th being particularly good or fond of the latter form of communication, including Yun. They watched for a moment more as the group talked with the new duo of vice captains and a hush fell over much of the crowd as word began spreading as more paid attention to the Commander Generals presence. In this relative silence the clanking footfalls exiting 10th Divisions HQ echoed out like a small legion.
“Reporting Sir!” called out Desmae, Yun faced him and returned the given salute.
Behind the massive man who now had his helmet removed exposing a large, bald Caucasian male with enough scars to last a couple lifetimes and a spindly vine tattoo on his face the entire Deaths Hand began exiting the narrow door and taking up alignment behind him along with his seated members and their selected members. Many of the Deaths Hand wore the same massive armor as their leader but just as many did not, instead opting for unique outfits without completely betraying their shinigami nature by wearing black. Even amongst this experienced crowd it was obvious to see in the faces of those who were visible that seeing the grand gathering the importance of the matter was seeping in. Yun turned back around and saw that Kazuma and his entourage were returning, before words could be exchanged he spoke.
“Desmae, give command to your most trusted and send everyone but the three you have selected to stand wait with 11ths charge at the Senkaimon. Also these fine men and women from 1st Division will be accompanying our initial charge so work them into your plan.”
There were no arguments or concerns expressed about this fact and after several silent exchanges from Desmae the grand majority of the Deaths Hand began marching quickly in step down the stairs toward the senkaimon. The three who remained with Desmae included a young black girl in a vest who seemed to bear a tattoo mimicking her leader, another even larger man in the same armor as Desmae and an extremely thin, young and tall Japanese man in a long coat and a short top-hat with indiscriminate piercing gray eyes. Kazuma nodded approvingly and everyone on his side but Kuatura and Kaiba ran off down the steps after them as they broke into the crowd below. Yun understood his leaders meaning, he could not go and had to defend Soul Society so he at least wanted some of his people to make the bastards pay...Yun could respect that.
With no more exchanges among the leaders the Commander General motioned to Yun and so he took center stage in the middle of the stairs, directly to the left of the main podium. Kazuma could have delivered the speech but Yun was good with words and more so once on the other side they would have no contact so someone needed control. Kazuma couldn't tell the other captains to follow Yun but by initiating the strike he would become the unofficial face associated with command. Most of the other strict loyalist captains would understand the reasoning and likely obey, others that were not so much so wouldn't but there was a good chance the rest of their members preparing here would. There were two reasons for this and Yun knew that while some might think it was Kazuma playing favorites in truth it was his way of giving Yun a chance to have his indiscretions excused if he could make this succeed. The stage was silent and so after a long period, just for a little fun to draw things out he began. As he spoke he began pacing the stairway and at proper points raising his voice, gesturing with his hands or inserting proper inflection to play on trust and honor. His voice carried much farther than it should have, an obvious amplification device attached to the podium though its physical form was hidden as were the speakers to which it was connected.
“Hello brothers and sisters in arms, I come before you today with a choice, a choice that trust in your courage, your power and your strength of character!
Our fellow warriors have been taken by an enemy most cruel and we can not, WILL NOT, stand for it! I began by saying you had a choice, but to be honest in some respects that is not true. They are your as well as any one of our own responsibility to retrieve and we WILL take them back. The question is, when you step into the enemies home territory will you have the strength necessary to stand firm? Or will you shirk back and let others do the fighting? Many would say that was safer and smarter choice...
HA! That may be true, but what will you gain from that? Nothing.
Yes, thousands of years from now you might very well still be alive and coming to the end of your days in peace after a long elated life...but when you do, what will you have to show for it? You will have been nothing and then you will die as nothing!
So “what?” might you ask do I or this endeavor offer you?
Do I offer you the peace and joy that might otherwise be given you? No I do not.
Do I offer you a place in the chronicles of history? No, you will be forgotten within days of your death.
Do I offer you the strength to fight? No, I simply give you the opportunity and it is your right to turn it into something grander.
Do I offer you an epic death, fighting hundreds of enemies in a epic campaign? No, many of you will find your end against the deadliest of foes in the darkest corners of the black dimension of the great enemy.
So what then?
Honor, brothers and sisters all around, honor.
The honor of knowing you have been part of the grandest undertaking Soul Society has seen in a hundred or more years.
The honor of having crawled from the depths of nothingness all the way to being the best you might be.
The honor of having fought not just for yourself, not even for the rest of mankind, but instead the honor of having fought and protected the very thing we call life!
Tis true, you will be in much danger. Many of you will die but as you lay there, taking your last breath you will be able to say - “I lived a grand and honor filled life and died for what I believe in. And whether I am remembered or not it has no meaning, for I know I had life, and I know that I lived it to the fullest.”
So if you must be weak and hide from your duty this day then go and do so, we do not need such infirmity running our glory and strength of will into the ground.
But if you have a desire to be better. To stand above the rest with a soul of steel then come where you belong and fight the long war against those who would see us undone. Fight to protect and retrieve your fellow warriors. Fight here and die here, knowing your spirit will forever be carried forth on wings of fire!
I am Tenth Division Taichou, Saigotschuu Yun and united together in our grand cause we shall crush our enemies and you shall earn the right of being proud of your dignity!”
Yun pulled his hand into a fist and threw it into the air, Tenth Division immediately exploded into roars and it was obvious everyone had been listening from inside the Division as well as it swelled with noise to, even beyond the massive walls. It didn't take long for most of the other divisions to follow suit or at least certain individuals though there were clearly groups who either didn't care or didn't agree who remained silent. Still he had served the reasoning Kazuma had given him this chance and he would have the respect of those who would matter when it came to actually winning this. After a moment he raised his hands and called for silence using his hands to suggest a muted volume.
“Now then, you will each follow the orders of your immediate superior. You should all know what needs to be done by this point and so we shall begin.” He turned around and began to walk off but stopped short before turning around, “Also would everyone please remain calm? What follows is perfectly normal.”
Yun obviously grew up in a very odd neighborhood when he was little because whatever you might have called what happened next “normal” was not one many would be using for a few thousand years until the structure became a routine sight. He reached inside his interior pocket, touched something and then began watching 10th Divisions walls very closely. There was no time to worry what he might be up to though as the ground began shaking, it was immediately like standing in the middle of a heavy earthquake but grew in strength with every passing moment. Though no damage was caused to the reinforced buildings or concrete that made the road several people fell over and more than a few squealed. What at first sounded like some far off machine over the rumbling was quickly starting to sound like a couple hundred jet engines sitting next to each other and the rumbling ceased as it was instead replaced by a ferocious trembling as the ground began rippling at phenomenal speeds. All at once it became very clear what was happening...something was coming from under the earth. The white walls that surrounded the Crypt split at the corners as a bright green light ran up and down the creases and the ground near them began shooting out in small puffs of dust. The walls began sinking downward as if caught in quicksand as they exposed the Crypt beyond and finally disappeared beneath the ground. More than a few of 10th Divisions members inside were now looking out at them, completely clueless as to what was going on.
“You are completely psychotic, you know that right?!!!” Kazuma had to yell over the now unbelievable pitch of the “jet engines”, Yun spared Kazuma who was now standing next to him another huge grin, it was rare to hear the Commander General speak in such a manner. He turned around to Hikaru and winked at her, he seemed on the verge of giggling...he really had become a little to grandiose in nature lately.
Then the whining stopped and directly behind the Crypt the earth exploded skyward and while large chunks were sent flying it was obvious the angle had been planned to send them in the other direction. Six huge gears broke out of the ground, chains with links the size of a mans waste winding around them as they rapidly pulled something up, something very heavy...and then it appeared. The gears tore it out of the ground with so much force they almost seemed angry. One moment the Crypt and its four obelisk dominated the view and within moments they were made to look like little shards of nothing protruding from the ground as a black structure that eclipsed even the grandeur and size of the Shrine of Penitence was torn from the very earth.
It was thousands of feet tall as it rode toward the heavens along the grooves of the gears. It was pure black lethality stone much like the Crypt, despite this obvious arcs of green spiritual energy arced around the building as it rose up and pulsed down long Gothic “windows”. It was an octagon and was mostly flat except for a large protruding green arcing obelisk shooting from its roof, it had no visible entry points. The shadow from the structure grew longer and turned the land dark as it pulled higher into the air and then after what seemed like an eternity but what was really seconds it came to a stop, sunk a little bit and then a ear drum shattering boom of locks engaging echoed out. But as the earth directly in front of 10th Division where the white wall had just dropped began churning it was clear things were far from over. Another black structure began pulling out of the ground but this one looked to be a giant black senkaimon, it raised up in the same fashion though to a lesser extent as it blocked out their view of the Crypt. When it stopped moving it too arced with green energy and then exploded as a doorway of pure purple crossed its length, ready for someone to cross over.
Yun composed himself but turned around still grinning ear to ear as he spoke to those around him and not the large group as a whole, “The Black Tower...in case anybody was wondering.”
But it was at that point that Yuns near adolescent behavior ceased and he dropped back into his normal stance. He motioned to Nekomi, Minoru and the band of 11th Division members to follow and the 10th members of course followed without prompting, oddly enough shortly after so did Kuatura and Kaiba. Without a worry in the world Yun stepped right into the giant Senkaimon and disappeared within an arc of purple light, sooner or later the rest of them followed. Barely ten seconds passed after the last person disappeared when the purple light abruptly cut off and the senkaimon disappeared back into the ground leaving the Crypt full of amazed and frightened 10th Division members and the looming Black Tower as the only sights before the amassed crowd.
The view around them was a panoramic 360 degrees straight out over Seireitei. They could see the Crypt and beyond that the troops scurrying about as they prepared themselves, to the sides endless plains and out the opposite way the destroyed ruins of a portion of rukongai that had long ago succumbed to a hollow infestation and had never been repopulated since. Despite the fact that from the outside it had looked like sheer black stone you might as well have been looking straight out an opening that seemed to have no struts supporting the roof above their head, the very top of the Black Tower just forty or so feet above them...not counting the obelisk on top. The room they stood in was circular with a series of target patterns on the floor, the only signs of anything but themselves was a small black box on the far side of the room that seemed to have a door on it. Yun motioned to all of the group who had crossed through to wait and just a moment later the door opened and a figure pulled out, obviously feminine though she really looked more like an adolescent and had bright blue hair tied back with a large red bow and was cloaked in black but wearing a white lab coat over her inner outfit. As she approached all of the 10th Division members except the young man with the hate murmured in amazement before Desmae finally spoke.
“Kama-mina Fukutaichou?” he said a bit awed.
“Not anymore.” she chuckled a bit “I hear little Hikaru holds that position now.”
This woman, Kama-mina had been the Fukutaichou of 10th Division for as long as Yun had been taichou until one day, she simply disappeared. The official explanation had been that she had perished during an ill fated hollow hunting expedition, she had even received official funeral rights and was on the long list of honored dead. She had been a beloved member of 10th Division offering a unique and cheery attitude to Yuns stricter and more authoritarian leadership. It had even been rumored at one point that they were more than they seemed as Yun had never deigned to keep such an unfitting member in a leadership position before. Thinking back many people had found it odd how quickly he had selected Hikaru after Kama-mina had died seeing as how much respect he usually held it seemed odd that he would forget her so readily. With such a revelation it was impossible to tell what else Yun might be hiding, to think that he had hidden his vice captain for so long for an unknown purpose was an absolutely unheard of concept and escalated the importance of this place beyond anything the gathered 10th Division members had ever witnessed. It also showed the Black Tower was no spur of the moment creation with no thought, this had been planned for countless years.
“Now I am the head administrator of the Black Tower though. It's fine...I never was much of a fighter anyway was I?” she chuckled, it was clear from most of the surrounding faces though that the other 10th division members were to surprised to exchange pleasantries and the others didn't understand or just wanted to get going.
“Well then, it is time taichou?” she asked obviously picking up on the surrounding feelings.
“Of course...” Yun responded.
“Very well...all of you, the only thing you need to do is stand exactly where you are, we can take care of the rest.” she said calmly to the group before turning around and heading back toward the door she had exited.
Yun turned around to face his group and simply cocked his head and smiled, saying nothing. He happened to see Kuatura pull out a spirit detector as he tuned it only to register a black screen. Yun shook his head and closed one eye, making no contact with Minoru but the reasoning was obvious as it was meant to be.
“That won't work here, all signals are void...wouldn't want the enemy tracing our coordinates would we? They could do the same thing.” he clicked his tongue several times. “Even once we are there it will be useless, it either simply shows all red or stops working entirely...just the way of the enemies world.”
“Ready.” the calm voice of Kama-Mina echoed from a speaker system.
“Understood.”
The room began pulsing with green energy that grew strong and brighter as a twenty second count-down by Kama-mina began...and then everything melted away.
Outside the tower began pulsing with the same energy as the outside, firing off arcs of great green power. A few moments passed and the arcs began to take on a circulating form around the tower, speeding up and become straighter and thicker as energy was gained. Above a purple portal opened at the tip of the massive green obelisk and as the energy swirled around the tower it moved upward and collected in the portal which itself began to expand larger and larger. It swirled like a tumultuous storm of pure chaotic energy and while it didn't look like the normal portals to Hueco Mundo the aura it gave off could never be mistaken, this was a portal to the realm of death. Then with a single bolt of energy all the green circulating powers rushed up and shot through the purple portal, there was a massive bang and all at once everything was silent, everything was gone. The tower stood as it had been and no traces of energy or of the portal could be found. Inside the members of the strike force had simply...disappeared.
There was no pathway...there was no waiting...there was momentary darkness, and then everything was there.
White sand rushed over Yun's boots and he pushed his glasses high on his nose, any sort of kindness or even sarcastic joking completely drained from even his most rudimentary sentiments. He took a deep breath and turned around to face the group, several had bowled over into the sand at the speedy entry but were quickly arranging themselves while most of the others remained standing. He placed his hands into his pockets and a gust of wind kicked up the lower portions of his jacket as they flapped about and he stared through every one of them with eyes of liquid steel.
“Welcome...to Hueco Mundo. Minoru, please get started on sending our coordinates to the senkaimon, I imagine we have about thirty seconds before we have company coming for an instinctive meal and once they get us started it won't be long till we have worse greeting us.”
Now on to the post itself. I will try to do as little “god-modding” as possible but unless we all want to be spending the next 20 years getting out of SS I am going to simply assume certain people do certain things. For instance I will just say Nekomi and Minoru follow Yun, it is up to those two people to detail exactly how that is done in their following post but the simple action itself will be supposed.
Also to Mai, we are gathering in front of 10th Division, not 1st. Like Nekomi and Minoru I will make a mention of a senkaimon being erected in the center of the large gathering area but will leave it up to you as to how that is done and the specifics of its construction.
Finally remember all following post will essentially be the end of this topic. After that we will mesh with “For the Fallen”. A posting order will be erected using the two list sometime in the next day. For this reason feel free to give your post proper “ending” themes though of course if you would rather just leave it open as a continuation into For the Fallen that works just as well. Just a heads up so nobody gets confused when this thread goes dead.
Also yes Yun's speech is a copy of something I wrote in another topic with some changes but I just liked it to much for it not to be used in a more serious propensity given that the initial topic was more of a joke and not many people saw it. Don't kill me...I liked it...))
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There were few things that could scare an experienced shinigami, their lives being so full of extreme surprises that almost nothing could even phase them after a point. There were of course exceptions to that rule depending on their various personalities and some might not “fear” them as simply being intelligently wary of the circumstances. Most, even captains knew not to doubt the arch-enemy, the hollow especially their upper echelon, one should always fear the powers of hell and in a more localized format any intelligent person shouldn't want anything to do with 9th Division. Add one more to that list, Saigotschuu Yun genuinely smiling.
It wasn't out of the ordinary to see him grinning or even joking around but anyone speaking with him could feel the sort of “disconnection” he had with the situation, playing more to make the people around him comfortable than to enjoy it for himself. There were few times he cracked a true smile and from experience any time he did bad...or at least surprising events followed, he was renowned for knowing a little more than was probably safe to know or rather he used the knowledge he had a little bit to much. Where others like Minoru were probably just as smart as him they were more restricted, yet for all the dominating and strict nature he governed his Division with he often crossed the line himself. This was far from the first time he had done something in complete secret that was both incredibly stupid, incredibly intelligent and just as amazing all at once...it was also far from the first time he had done so in crossing the Commander Generals word. He had a tendency to bring these things out at the last moment and it was not the first nor should it be expected that it was the last time he would provide a working but volatile answer out of the blue.
So as he stood high on the stairs up to his own HQ with a near manic grin spread across his face anyone with even passing knowledge of his personality should have been prepared for something to happen. Especially since by any regard of the discussion he and the Commander General had, had not thirty minutes before he should have been far from happy.
The congregation of amassing shinigami was quickly reaching a bursting point, the 10th Division parade road had been built to accommodate a massive army but nobody had actually thought it would be used. The sight was astounding even if many of them would not actually be crossing over and even to a captain. To Yun, who always felt that the Gotei 13 should function as one it was a momentary and beautiful occasion and his smile slowly disappeared as he viewed the scene. It seemed the others agreed with him or were at least in their own little worlds as the leadership took a momentary silence and the loud ruckus from below flooded over them. It was at just that moment that Yun looked over his shoulder and Kuatura who had still been standing next to him saluted, the mans detection wasn't as high as Yuns but he and his brother were far more in tune with their leaders reiatsu.
“Now, now you shouldn't sneak up on people like that!” Yun said in a mock reprimanding tone.
“My apologies.” replied Kazuma as he approached, Kaiba close in tow, both seeming to appear out of nowhere with no visual approach to the gathering spot.
Yun turned back out to the group before them, most had yet to spot the Commander Generals presence. Amongst his searching he saw a particularly earnest group of Division Ones members pushing through the crowd toward the front as they passed by the senkaimon that was being risen with amazing speed in the middle of the large group. Reaching the steps they walked upwards with purpose, unlike much of Division One which were much more...normal than other divisions several of these members wore aristocratic markings or simply carried themselves with a higher air, certainly they were the Commander Generals addition to the attack. Yun might normally have gone off at such a pompous show but composed himself knowing full well they would be worthy if Kazuma had selected them himself, the General moved down to his followers and out of earshot began speaking with them. Yun however did not need to hear him to know what he was telling them, half of them were now wearing sour faces and the other half, most of which were females were now smiling and waving at Kuatura...and maybe Kaiba...the useless bastard. *Cough* I mean the gracious and loved higher-up of First Division, Kaiba. Yun then turned to Hikaru and motioned to Kuatura who had just been about to march down to the group.
“Ah yes Hikaru, say hi to your new fellow Fukutaichou...seems the Commander General finally decided the spot had been empty long enough. Enacted an old war time right, dual fukutaichous engaging both the Katayama brothers. Honestly though I think that the old guys just been waiting for an excuse to enact the right, had to soft a heart to only promote one of them.” He gave Kuatura a wry smile.
By that time Kuatura was walking down the steps though he briefly turned to the two and gave them a half assed joking salute. While not many knew to what extent, it was fairly common knowledge that 1st Division was the only other that 10th readily had relations with, whether this was because of how they operated or simply because Kazuma was the only person Yun truly appreciated and trusted was unknown. Regardless the upper ranks were familiar with each other and it was a fairly common practice for the groups to exchange dry or sarcastic humor in place of friendly relations, none of 10th being particularly good or fond of the latter form of communication, including Yun. They watched for a moment more as the group talked with the new duo of vice captains and a hush fell over much of the crowd as word began spreading as more paid attention to the Commander Generals presence. In this relative silence the clanking footfalls exiting 10th Divisions HQ echoed out like a small legion.
“Reporting Sir!” called out Desmae, Yun faced him and returned the given salute.
Behind the massive man who now had his helmet removed exposing a large, bald Caucasian male with enough scars to last a couple lifetimes and a spindly vine tattoo on his face the entire Deaths Hand began exiting the narrow door and taking up alignment behind him along with his seated members and their selected members. Many of the Deaths Hand wore the same massive armor as their leader but just as many did not, instead opting for unique outfits without completely betraying their shinigami nature by wearing black. Even amongst this experienced crowd it was obvious to see in the faces of those who were visible that seeing the grand gathering the importance of the matter was seeping in. Yun turned back around and saw that Kazuma and his entourage were returning, before words could be exchanged he spoke.
“Desmae, give command to your most trusted and send everyone but the three you have selected to stand wait with 11ths charge at the Senkaimon. Also these fine men and women from 1st Division will be accompanying our initial charge so work them into your plan.”
There were no arguments or concerns expressed about this fact and after several silent exchanges from Desmae the grand majority of the Deaths Hand began marching quickly in step down the stairs toward the senkaimon. The three who remained with Desmae included a young black girl in a vest who seemed to bear a tattoo mimicking her leader, another even larger man in the same armor as Desmae and an extremely thin, young and tall Japanese man in a long coat and a short top-hat with indiscriminate piercing gray eyes. Kazuma nodded approvingly and everyone on his side but Kuatura and Kaiba ran off down the steps after them as they broke into the crowd below. Yun understood his leaders meaning, he could not go and had to defend Soul Society so he at least wanted some of his people to make the bastards pay...Yun could respect that.
With no more exchanges among the leaders the Commander General motioned to Yun and so he took center stage in the middle of the stairs, directly to the left of the main podium. Kazuma could have delivered the speech but Yun was good with words and more so once on the other side they would have no contact so someone needed control. Kazuma couldn't tell the other captains to follow Yun but by initiating the strike he would become the unofficial face associated with command. Most of the other strict loyalist captains would understand the reasoning and likely obey, others that were not so much so wouldn't but there was a good chance the rest of their members preparing here would. There were two reasons for this and Yun knew that while some might think it was Kazuma playing favorites in truth it was his way of giving Yun a chance to have his indiscretions excused if he could make this succeed. The stage was silent and so after a long period, just for a little fun to draw things out he began. As he spoke he began pacing the stairway and at proper points raising his voice, gesturing with his hands or inserting proper inflection to play on trust and honor. His voice carried much farther than it should have, an obvious amplification device attached to the podium though its physical form was hidden as were the speakers to which it was connected.
“Hello brothers and sisters in arms, I come before you today with a choice, a choice that trust in your courage, your power and your strength of character!
Our fellow warriors have been taken by an enemy most cruel and we can not, WILL NOT, stand for it! I began by saying you had a choice, but to be honest in some respects that is not true. They are your as well as any one of our own responsibility to retrieve and we WILL take them back. The question is, when you step into the enemies home territory will you have the strength necessary to stand firm? Or will you shirk back and let others do the fighting? Many would say that was safer and smarter choice...
HA! That may be true, but what will you gain from that? Nothing.
Yes, thousands of years from now you might very well still be alive and coming to the end of your days in peace after a long elated life...but when you do, what will you have to show for it? You will have been nothing and then you will die as nothing!
So “what?” might you ask do I or this endeavor offer you?
Do I offer you the peace and joy that might otherwise be given you? No I do not.
Do I offer you a place in the chronicles of history? No, you will be forgotten within days of your death.
Do I offer you the strength to fight? No, I simply give you the opportunity and it is your right to turn it into something grander.
Do I offer you an epic death, fighting hundreds of enemies in a epic campaign? No, many of you will find your end against the deadliest of foes in the darkest corners of the black dimension of the great enemy.
So what then?
Honor, brothers and sisters all around, honor.
The honor of knowing you have been part of the grandest undertaking Soul Society has seen in a hundred or more years.
The honor of having crawled from the depths of nothingness all the way to being the best you might be.
The honor of having fought not just for yourself, not even for the rest of mankind, but instead the honor of having fought and protected the very thing we call life!
Tis true, you will be in much danger. Many of you will die but as you lay there, taking your last breath you will be able to say - “I lived a grand and honor filled life and died for what I believe in. And whether I am remembered or not it has no meaning, for I know I had life, and I know that I lived it to the fullest.”
So if you must be weak and hide from your duty this day then go and do so, we do not need such infirmity running our glory and strength of will into the ground.
But if you have a desire to be better. To stand above the rest with a soul of steel then come where you belong and fight the long war against those who would see us undone. Fight to protect and retrieve your fellow warriors. Fight here and die here, knowing your spirit will forever be carried forth on wings of fire!
I am Tenth Division Taichou, Saigotschuu Yun and united together in our grand cause we shall crush our enemies and you shall earn the right of being proud of your dignity!”
Yun pulled his hand into a fist and threw it into the air, Tenth Division immediately exploded into roars and it was obvious everyone had been listening from inside the Division as well as it swelled with noise to, even beyond the massive walls. It didn't take long for most of the other divisions to follow suit or at least certain individuals though there were clearly groups who either didn't care or didn't agree who remained silent. Still he had served the reasoning Kazuma had given him this chance and he would have the respect of those who would matter when it came to actually winning this. After a moment he raised his hands and called for silence using his hands to suggest a muted volume.
“Now then, you will each follow the orders of your immediate superior. You should all know what needs to be done by this point and so we shall begin.” He turned around and began to walk off but stopped short before turning around, “Also would everyone please remain calm? What follows is perfectly normal.”
Yun obviously grew up in a very odd neighborhood when he was little because whatever you might have called what happened next “normal” was not one many would be using for a few thousand years until the structure became a routine sight. He reached inside his interior pocket, touched something and then began watching 10th Divisions walls very closely. There was no time to worry what he might be up to though as the ground began shaking, it was immediately like standing in the middle of a heavy earthquake but grew in strength with every passing moment. Though no damage was caused to the reinforced buildings or concrete that made the road several people fell over and more than a few squealed. What at first sounded like some far off machine over the rumbling was quickly starting to sound like a couple hundred jet engines sitting next to each other and the rumbling ceased as it was instead replaced by a ferocious trembling as the ground began rippling at phenomenal speeds. All at once it became very clear what was happening...something was coming from under the earth. The white walls that surrounded the Crypt split at the corners as a bright green light ran up and down the creases and the ground near them began shooting out in small puffs of dust. The walls began sinking downward as if caught in quicksand as they exposed the Crypt beyond and finally disappeared beneath the ground. More than a few of 10th Divisions members inside were now looking out at them, completely clueless as to what was going on.
“You are completely psychotic, you know that right?!!!” Kazuma had to yell over the now unbelievable pitch of the “jet engines”, Yun spared Kazuma who was now standing next to him another huge grin, it was rare to hear the Commander General speak in such a manner. He turned around to Hikaru and winked at her, he seemed on the verge of giggling...he really had become a little to grandiose in nature lately.
Then the whining stopped and directly behind the Crypt the earth exploded skyward and while large chunks were sent flying it was obvious the angle had been planned to send them in the other direction. Six huge gears broke out of the ground, chains with links the size of a mans waste winding around them as they rapidly pulled something up, something very heavy...and then it appeared. The gears tore it out of the ground with so much force they almost seemed angry. One moment the Crypt and its four obelisk dominated the view and within moments they were made to look like little shards of nothing protruding from the ground as a black structure that eclipsed even the grandeur and size of the Shrine of Penitence was torn from the very earth.
It was thousands of feet tall as it rode toward the heavens along the grooves of the gears. It was pure black lethality stone much like the Crypt, despite this obvious arcs of green spiritual energy arced around the building as it rose up and pulsed down long Gothic “windows”. It was an octagon and was mostly flat except for a large protruding green arcing obelisk shooting from its roof, it had no visible entry points. The shadow from the structure grew longer and turned the land dark as it pulled higher into the air and then after what seemed like an eternity but what was really seconds it came to a stop, sunk a little bit and then a ear drum shattering boom of locks engaging echoed out. But as the earth directly in front of 10th Division where the white wall had just dropped began churning it was clear things were far from over. Another black structure began pulling out of the ground but this one looked to be a giant black senkaimon, it raised up in the same fashion though to a lesser extent as it blocked out their view of the Crypt. When it stopped moving it too arced with green energy and then exploded as a doorway of pure purple crossed its length, ready for someone to cross over.
Yun composed himself but turned around still grinning ear to ear as he spoke to those around him and not the large group as a whole, “The Black Tower...in case anybody was wondering.”
But it was at that point that Yuns near adolescent behavior ceased and he dropped back into his normal stance. He motioned to Nekomi, Minoru and the band of 11th Division members to follow and the 10th members of course followed without prompting, oddly enough shortly after so did Kuatura and Kaiba. Without a worry in the world Yun stepped right into the giant Senkaimon and disappeared within an arc of purple light, sooner or later the rest of them followed. Barely ten seconds passed after the last person disappeared when the purple light abruptly cut off and the senkaimon disappeared back into the ground leaving the Crypt full of amazed and frightened 10th Division members and the looming Black Tower as the only sights before the amassed crowd.
The view around them was a panoramic 360 degrees straight out over Seireitei. They could see the Crypt and beyond that the troops scurrying about as they prepared themselves, to the sides endless plains and out the opposite way the destroyed ruins of a portion of rukongai that had long ago succumbed to a hollow infestation and had never been repopulated since. Despite the fact that from the outside it had looked like sheer black stone you might as well have been looking straight out an opening that seemed to have no struts supporting the roof above their head, the very top of the Black Tower just forty or so feet above them...not counting the obelisk on top. The room they stood in was circular with a series of target patterns on the floor, the only signs of anything but themselves was a small black box on the far side of the room that seemed to have a door on it. Yun motioned to all of the group who had crossed through to wait and just a moment later the door opened and a figure pulled out, obviously feminine though she really looked more like an adolescent and had bright blue hair tied back with a large red bow and was cloaked in black but wearing a white lab coat over her inner outfit. As she approached all of the 10th Division members except the young man with the hate murmured in amazement before Desmae finally spoke.
“Kama-mina Fukutaichou?” he said a bit awed.
“Not anymore.” she chuckled a bit “I hear little Hikaru holds that position now.”
This woman, Kama-mina had been the Fukutaichou of 10th Division for as long as Yun had been taichou until one day, she simply disappeared. The official explanation had been that she had perished during an ill fated hollow hunting expedition, she had even received official funeral rights and was on the long list of honored dead. She had been a beloved member of 10th Division offering a unique and cheery attitude to Yuns stricter and more authoritarian leadership. It had even been rumored at one point that they were more than they seemed as Yun had never deigned to keep such an unfitting member in a leadership position before. Thinking back many people had found it odd how quickly he had selected Hikaru after Kama-mina had died seeing as how much respect he usually held it seemed odd that he would forget her so readily. With such a revelation it was impossible to tell what else Yun might be hiding, to think that he had hidden his vice captain for so long for an unknown purpose was an absolutely unheard of concept and escalated the importance of this place beyond anything the gathered 10th Division members had ever witnessed. It also showed the Black Tower was no spur of the moment creation with no thought, this had been planned for countless years.
“Now I am the head administrator of the Black Tower though. It's fine...I never was much of a fighter anyway was I?” she chuckled, it was clear from most of the surrounding faces though that the other 10th division members were to surprised to exchange pleasantries and the others didn't understand or just wanted to get going.
“Well then, it is time taichou?” she asked obviously picking up on the surrounding feelings.
“Of course...” Yun responded.
“Very well...all of you, the only thing you need to do is stand exactly where you are, we can take care of the rest.” she said calmly to the group before turning around and heading back toward the door she had exited.
Yun turned around to face his group and simply cocked his head and smiled, saying nothing. He happened to see Kuatura pull out a spirit detector as he tuned it only to register a black screen. Yun shook his head and closed one eye, making no contact with Minoru but the reasoning was obvious as it was meant to be.
“That won't work here, all signals are void...wouldn't want the enemy tracing our coordinates would we? They could do the same thing.” he clicked his tongue several times. “Even once we are there it will be useless, it either simply shows all red or stops working entirely...just the way of the enemies world.”
“Ready.” the calm voice of Kama-Mina echoed from a speaker system.
“Understood.”
The room began pulsing with green energy that grew strong and brighter as a twenty second count-down by Kama-mina began...and then everything melted away.
Outside the tower began pulsing with the same energy as the outside, firing off arcs of great green power. A few moments passed and the arcs began to take on a circulating form around the tower, speeding up and become straighter and thicker as energy was gained. Above a purple portal opened at the tip of the massive green obelisk and as the energy swirled around the tower it moved upward and collected in the portal which itself began to expand larger and larger. It swirled like a tumultuous storm of pure chaotic energy and while it didn't look like the normal portals to Hueco Mundo the aura it gave off could never be mistaken, this was a portal to the realm of death. Then with a single bolt of energy all the green circulating powers rushed up and shot through the purple portal, there was a massive bang and all at once everything was silent, everything was gone. The tower stood as it had been and no traces of energy or of the portal could be found. Inside the members of the strike force had simply...disappeared.
There was no pathway...there was no waiting...there was momentary darkness, and then everything was there.
White sand rushed over Yun's boots and he pushed his glasses high on his nose, any sort of kindness or even sarcastic joking completely drained from even his most rudimentary sentiments. He took a deep breath and turned around to face the group, several had bowled over into the sand at the speedy entry but were quickly arranging themselves while most of the others remained standing. He placed his hands into his pockets and a gust of wind kicked up the lower portions of his jacket as they flapped about and he stared through every one of them with eyes of liquid steel.
“Welcome...to Hueco Mundo. Minoru, please get started on sending our coordinates to the senkaimon, I imagine we have about thirty seconds before we have company coming for an instinctive meal and once they get us started it won't be long till we have worse greeting us.”
