The Interview (Kensei Mitsurugi meeting with the Captain of Squad 2)

Kiriko shuffled through the files that her fourth seat had just presented to her, flicking the tabs of each manila file with her thumb as she maneuvered through them. There were only four names today, a slow recruitment schedule by all accounts. If it weren't for the timing, this being an odd month for Academy graduations, she would have been more perturbed by the low numbers. But as it was Kiriko had been keeping her eye out for a few of these names and she was pleased to see that they had all decided to apply. The Second needed new blood, now more than ever after the betrayal of her Lieutenant. No one had dared bring up his transfer within her hearing, but Kiriko just knew that the men had to be whispering about it behind closed doors. Wondering, probing, curious and watchful. She above every other Captain had to maintain her image of power and control in order to command respect around here, and it was for that reason that Kiriko had decided to take on some of the lesser duties these past few days in order to force her underlings to see her moving around and doing her duty.

Pressing her thumb under the top of the first folder she slid the short missive inside free and scanned it as she walked back towards her office. The Command Annex seemed so very empty these days, but Kiriko refused to dwell on the rooms that had been cleaned and decluttered so that everything of Tokiyo's was now removed, leaving not a speck to remember him by. As was fitting for a traitor.

Holding the folder open in her hands, she read as she walked, noting a few interesting achievements in the first recruit's history. She had just gotten to his final scores in the Academy when she turned the corner to her office and spotted a simulacra of the man in the picture clipped to the report in her hands. Snapping the folder shut, Kiriko swept by the Shinigami, sliding her door open with a heavy clack as she called back over her shoulder, “Come in, Mitsurugi-san.”

Seating herself behind her desk, she gestured blandly to a space a few feet in front of her. There was no extra chair in the mostly empty room, the only real obstructions being several filing cabinets and her hardwood desk itself. The wide open bay window at her back allowed natural light to filter in, casting a long shadow across the smooth floorboards and illuminating an ink painting above her head. The only sign of adornment in the whole sparse office space.

Perhaps he expected her to be surprised by his early arrival, but Kiriko was rarely if ever shocked and she had known probably before he did that he would be here several minutes ahead of schedule. Her information network was thick, especially in the streets surrounding the Nibantai's compound, and their speed at relaying messages was rivaled by only the Fourth's machines. Instead of pausing to gather her bearings, or to allow him to do so in turn, Kiriko snapped open the file atop her desk and started right in. Time and preparation were luxury that were never guaranteed. Maybe he would learn next time to loiter somewhere else to give himself the proper amount of preparation before approaching her office – it could be just as detrimental to do something earlier than asked in the field than to be late.

“Can you tell me who it was that recommended you to the Second? I see here, in your file, that you only applied to join the Nibantai under the endorsement of an adviser, was it?” There were plenty of discrepancies in Katsuragi's file, enough to raise an eyebrow normally but more than enough to pique Kiriko's interest when her own men failed to find the name of this adviser on their own. His history was littered with tragedy and he had not completed a psyche evaluation during his time at the Academy, a good sign since those were only required when someone noticed something off. Still, she wasn't willing to overlook the fact that he apparently was gunning for the Second for some reason. A reason that might not be all of his own making. 

WC: 715 | GP: 14 | Total GP: 14

Kiriko shuffled through the files that her fourth seat had just presented to her, flicking the tabs of each manila file with her thumb as she maneuvered through them. There were only four names today, a slow recruitment schedule by all accounts. If it weren't for the timing, this being an odd month for Academy graduations, she would have been more perturbed by the low numbers. But as it was Kiriko had been keeping her eye out for a few of these names and she was pleased to see that they had all decided to apply. The Second needed new blood, now more than ever after the betrayal of her Lieutenant. No one had dared bring up his transfer within her hearing, but Kiriko just knew that the men had to be whispering about it behind closed doors. Wondering, probing, curious and watchful. She above every other Captain had to maintain her image of power and control in order to command respect around here, and it was for that reason that Kiriko had decided to take on some of the lesser duties these past few days in order to force her underlings to see her moving around and doing her duty.

 

Pressing her thumb under the top of the first folder she slid the short missive inside free and scanned it as she walked back towards her office. The Command Annex seemed so very empty these days, but Kiriko refused to dwell on the rooms that had been cleaned and decluttered so that everything of Tokiyo's was now removed, leaving not a speck to remember him by. As was fitting for a traitor.

 

Holding the folder open in her hands, she read as she walked, noting a few interesting achievements in the first recruit's history. She had just gotten to his final scores in the Academy when she turned the corner to her office and spotted a simulacra of the man in the picture clipped to the report in her hands. Snapping the folder shut, Kiriko swept by the Shinigami, sliding her door open with a heavy clack as she called back over her shoulder, “Come in, Mitsurugi-san.”

 

Seating herself behind her desk, she gestured blandly to a space a few feet in front of her. There was no extra chair in the mostly empty room, the only real obstructions being several filing cabinets and her hardwood desk itself. The wide open bay window at her back allowed natural light to filter in, casting a long shadow across the smooth floorboards and illuminating an ink painting above her head. The only sign of adornment in the whole sparse office space.

 

Perhaps he expected her to be surprised by his early arrival, but Kiriko was rarely if ever shocked and she had known probably before he did that he would be here several minutes ahead of schedule. Her information network was thick, especially in the streets surrounding the Nibantai's compound, and their speed at relaying messages was rivaled by only the Fourth's machines. Instead of pausing to gather her bearings, or to allow him to do so in turn, Kiriko snapped open the file atop her desk and started right in. Time and preparation were luxury that were never guaranteed. Maybe he would learn next time to loiter somewhere else to give himself the proper amount of preparation before approaching her office – it could be just as detrimental to do something earlier than asked in the field than to be late.

 

“Can you tell me who it was that recommended you to the Second? I see here, in your file, that you only applied to join the Nibantai under the endorsement of an adviser, was it?” There were plenty of discrepancies in Katsuragi's file, enough to raise an eyebrow normally but more than enough to pique Kiriko's interest when her own men failed to find the name of this adviser on their own. His history was littered with tragedy and he had not completed a psyche evaluation during his time at the Academy, a good sign since those were only required when someone noticed something off. Still, she wasn't willing to overlook the fact that he apparently was gunning for the Second for some reason. A reason that might not be all of his own making. 

 

WC: 715 | GP: 14 | Total GP: 14 

 

 

Kensein nodded politely and entered behind the captain. His eyes kept forward as he noticed there wasn't another seat for him to take. Which was fine by him. He preferred to stand. He placed his hands behind his back as he normally does when addressing his superior officers. He only knew a few things about what had been going on around here. How they had been weakened by traitors and how it would be very prudent of him to not bring it up. Ever.

Kensei's eyebrow slightly raised and then returned to its lowered position on Kensei's face. She was probably curious about the fact that his benefactor's identity was a secret either because her own sources couldn't find out or she already suspects him of something. Not that he would blame her, the Second is hands down the most paranoid group of soul reapers in the Sereitei. Frankly, he was curious as to the identity of his advisor and what he wanted from him long-term. Was he being used as a pawn in grand chest game? Who is to say? He is sure that the true motifs of his benefactor will come to the surface sooner or later. He began to speak in a calm manner, after all, it's not like he had anything to hide from this woman. 

''My benefactor wished to remain anonymous due to the clandestine nature of our operations. During our 'conversations' he always hid his face and his real name from me; however, he called himself Mr. Fox. Which, I assume is a clever alias.''

 Kensei decided to steer the conversation towards another reason he wished to fight for the Second Division. He knows the underworld better than most. How they operate, how they use fear to get what they want, how many of them seem to go unpunished for what they've done. Granted, many of Soul Society's efforts are to push back the horde of hollows. The real fight is in the shadows and in the darkest parts of humanity where no glory is won and nobody comes out the other end clean.

However, I considered Second Division for a very simple reason. War is no longer waged on massive battlefields, there is no face to many of our enemies like in the old days. War is waged in the dark with cloak and dagger tactics that save millions without anyone realizing it. With my skill set, I feel that this is the best way to ensure peace for Soul Society and the World of the Living.'' 

WC: 424 GP: 8 Total: 18  

Kiriko listened, her focus drifting away from the man himself as she tapped out a little tune with her fingertips atop the folder. A mysterious benefactor, hm? The name itself wasn't familiar as any alias that was used by the Second. That made this all the more concerning. Someone had clearly gone through a lot of effort to groom Mitsurugi for a position in the Second and there were only a few reasons why anyone would do that. The foremost being that they intended on capitalizing on the kid's loyalty in order to spy on the Second's operations. But if that was their true goal, they'd been rather idiotic about it, letting Mitsurugi speak openly enough on the issue that it had been recorded and passed along as information pertinent to his file. He wasn't going to be a double agent if she already knew that he had another Master.

The other reasons were stranger still, she could at least understand spying. Kiriko had long cultivated her own information network in the other divisions, the best and brightest still being Kohara with the Sixth. She had eyes and ears at every juncture, and it would make sense that other Captains would want the same. Though still stupid of them to think it was possible to penetrate the secrecy around the Nibantai. Still, that was logic she could follow. All the other conclusions she could make seemed unbelievable. Who, after all, would use their own money and time to send a poor child with no arguable talent to the Academy just to enroll them in the Second. It wasn't as if Mitsurugi offered something tangible to her ranks. He wasn't particularly skilled or gifted in a highly sought after area, and while his personality seemed to fit she had plenty of people who looked okay on the outside lining up at her door. So why...? And how...?

Those were interesting questions. Important enough that she refused to let the recruit change the subject. His words were nice to hear though, providing lip service to just the sort of mindset she was looking for amongst her subordinates. Waving one hand, to cut him off, Kiriko sighed as she turned her sharp gaze back on the boy. He hadn't been fazed earlier, but that was before the real questioning began. “You must understand, Mitsurugi-san, what type of precarious position this puts me in? An unknown person of some import and power has encouraged you to join the Second, involving himself in your education and life, but not revealing his own nature or intent. You owe him some sort of debt, that you can't deny, so what am I supposed to do with a recruit who cannot give his full loyalty to his commanding officer? Should I trust you to join my ranks? Should I trust you with secrets? I am sure you understand now why this Mr. Fox is an issue. So what would you have me do?” she trailed off, raising an eyebrow as if expecting him to answer her, to show that he grasped what was going on.

The boy might talk like he wanted to work in the shadows, but if he had even an inkling of a brain in there he should have understood what was wrong with this picture. The Second dealt with things that could never reach the sight of day. Things that could never be reported or talked about. Even at the best of times she required absolute silence and loyalty. Most of what her men did nowadays wasn't like it had been before. Chinda Kiriko had been a new Captain for the Second, taking them towards a future focused on information rather than clandestine killings. She held both in each hand, weighing the two, but the same qualities were required for their missions even if her agents murdered less now than they had before. She could not have any sort of subversive entity amongst her soldiers. Not even if Mitsurugi was the most promising recruit in all the world. It just wasn't worth the security risk.

She waited, letting the silence pool between them. He had been ever ready thus far with a response, but it was rote, as if he had memorized these types of answers beforehand and wasn't giving them much thought. She wanted someone who could think. Who could solve problems. And this was a rather large problem. Giving him the lead, Kiriko waited to see what sort of mind ticked beneath that quiet exterior. Would he have a solution? Was he going to try and kid her by saying he owed no allegiance to this Mr. Fox? Did he even understand what she was getting at? This was why she liked interviews, they were hands on enough to get a true feel for the candidates.

WC: 804 | GP: 16 | Total GP: 30

Kensei leaned his upper body forward keeping eye contact with Kiriko his icy steel gaze trying to pierce the veil behind the other shinigami's stare. She was right after all. What reason did he give her to trust him with the secrets of this place? To the best of his knowledge, his benefactor has never asked him to spy for him. Nor has he ever asked to do anything that would harm Second Division. He saw what this clever captain was up to though.  

She is testing him to see how he would respond to these questions and who his loyalties belonged to. She wants to see if she can get inside Kensei's head and to make him sweat a little. She is correct about one thing, It was a complex situation and one that could not be answered easily due to the fact that the man pulling his strings could be using him for political purposes or if this was some sort of plot to get classified intel from the captain or worse. All these factors were under his consideration long before the captain thought to ask him. Perhaps she is even looking at this the wrong way. For instance, what reason would he have to do all these things for the young man without ulterior motives or...it was the mysterious Mr. Fox who owed him a debt. How this would come to be, if it were at all true, would prove to be an even greater mystery. 

He let the silence sink in for a moment and his response broke the few second that felt like an eternity. He managed to maintain his professional demeanor while getting the third degree from Captain Kiriko and his voice didn't shake even for an instant.

''Ma'am, If it is all the same to you, let's cut to the chase shall we? You clearly have doubts about my capabilities as an agent and where my loyalties fall. Allow me to lay any doubts to rest and to demonstrate my natural affinity for this division. Well...For starters...'' 

He reached slowly over to Kiriko's desk to place a kunai knife in front of her that he had up his sleeve that he managed to get past the security. He hoped this would serve as a token if his trust in her and that he has no ill will towards the woman.

''I did manage to get that little beauty past your security, which should make it quite obvious that discretion and resourcefulness are both in my nature. Speaking of your security detail, I've noticed you have four guards posted around the main building and two more inside. In reality, you have at least three more in hiding inside the building. One in the ceiling and two in the office next to yours. If you ask me, they are a little too fit to be pencil pushers and the scars on their hands and wrist are very consistent with those who frequently engage in swordplay. Things of this nature rarely get by me.'' 

He then paused for a moment to let everything he just said sink in with her and then continued after clearing his throat.  

''Let me make something very clear ma'am. Mr. Fox is my benefactor not my master. I am very aware that his motives, whatever they may be, raise suspicions that he may compromise The Second's operations. I will not allow it should this ever become a leak risk later on. For months I've been following a paper trail to him and I am getting very close to finding out who he is. When I learn his identity I will be happy to give you that information and whatever else I find out. Or...would you rather me take a more 'direct' approach?'' 

Kensei didn't even blink when he offered the notion to kill Mr. Fox if he ever became a liability to The Second. His previous statement wasn't to impress Kiriko, only to point out that he was as capable as his benefactor believes him to be. He knows that he belongs here. The main question is, will Captain Kiriko see it that way. Who knows? Maybe she'll take the kunai knife that he placed on her desk and plunge it into his heart. Wouldn't that be an anti-climax?

WC: 718 GP: 14. Total: 32

The brat had the gall to stare back at her as if she'd brought up the weather outside instead of his own past indiscretions. Well, she had always appreciated a backbone, even if this particular man was showing a bit too much of it – arrogance was more like it. She could read it in his eyes, in his perfectly clipped words, and in his straight posture. He thought he had things all figured out, textbook style scenarios. Too bad for him life didn't cooperate like Mitsurugi seemed to think. He didn't appear to consider himself arrogant, she could see that too, in the way that he talked and his formal diction. No, he probably thought this was all some test he could “helpfully” point out the answer to.

Glancing down at the blade he had placed on the table, she studied it quietly, trying to place its make and style. It was certainly an odd weapon to bring to a meeting with the Captain of the Second, and an odder weapon for a Shinigami to have an affinity for. She wouldn't insult his intelligence by thinking he'd brought something he wasn't skilled with. Still, there were so many assumptions in his calculated little story, and at some point she would have to disillusion the man. She let him talk first, allowing the full story to spill out. Silence was a useful tool in these situations and even when it didn't unnerve her targets it often made the more confident ones rather talkative.

“Hmm... I'd congratulate you on your senses but your logic is rather faulty. Anyone you see within the Second, this building included, is a Nibantai agent. Those “paper-pushers” are just as much soldiers as you or I or my secretary and no one here can claim to be uneducated in the art of combat. So do not assume that such traits make someone out to be something they are not. Though I am certain Saitou-san and Fujimori-san would be flattered that you think they are guards of some sort...” She glanced at the wall beside her own, eyes trailing upward towards the ceiling as well. Interesting that he'd perceived even that presence. It was a note in his defense, though Mitsurugi was misplaced in thinking all these people were here for her. They had their duties and jobs, and everyone performed them regardless of their other natural skills. She made a point of rotating out the “office” workers so that everyone had a sense for the Nibantai's particular filing system and other bureaucratic inner-workings. That didn't make them any less of a paper-pusher though when she gave the order. There were skills to be learned everywhere, and the Second appreciated a great many things. The most important had never really been your ability with your sword.

He had a lot to learn, but that was the nature of all recruits. At least this one had some promise. She'd have to beat that attitude out of him though, show him real work and see if he could keep that sort of bland obedience and surety in the darkness of Hell or if he'd learn better, and well, maybe then it would work out.

Whatever, it wasn't like the men she'd put in charge of the recruits hadn't dealt with a know-it-all before. Sometimes she liked to send them interesting projects just to keep them on their toes, this was more along the lines of sending them some entertainment. If only Fujikagi was still around she would have gladly foisted the man off on her Lieutenant and let his own particular brand of leadership flay the undesirable traits from the recruit. Shaking her head at the thought, and Mitsurugi's latest epitaph as he spoke about killing without any sense of understanding, Kiriko nudged the blade back towards him, “Take it. We do not have a policy of disarmament in the Second.”

“You will have the resources of the Second at your disposal to find out the identity of this man. Once you do so I expect a full report on my desk. Report to the barracks tomorrow at first light to receive your assigned bunk and begin your processing,” she droned through the speech without really looking at him, her focus already returned to the paperwork on her desk. He'd shape up, she could see it in him. Until then, this was likely the last he would see of her until he formally became a recruit. He would have to pass through the Nibantai's own personal training regime and learn the protocol that applied here, but she could already tell that if he could understand the mental lessons he would do well.

“That is all that I require from you, Mitsurugi-san. You are dismissed.” She had already made her decision, but she liked to see how long it took for the applicants to realize what she had just said. He seemed quick on the uptake and Kiriko wouldn't be surprised to see him bow and retreat without further prompting.

“Aa-h, before I forget, there's one last thing Mitsurugi-san. Those guards aren't here to protect me,” she smiled sweetly, eyes flashing, before waving him out of her office. 

WC: 867 | GP: 17 | Total GP: 47