Out With The Old [Captain's Meeting | Closed]

Queen always had to be flanked by pawns.  In Tokiyo’s experience that was most likely not because of some desire to actually have them protecting her, and shoring up her vulnerabilities.  No, it was likely so they could die for her or pay the price for her Pride in lieu of addressing those consequences herself.

And there they were, grinning like idiots on the inside, even though their demeanor denied what their faces longed to tell.  Tokiyo had to wonder if they knew?  Had to wonder just what percentage of their guts told them what their eyes and their heart were genuinely doing their best to suppress and to deny.  It wasn’t strictly relevant, as the number was no doubt small.  If it weren’t, Captain Commander Kiriko Chinda would not have let them so close.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he said with the expected formality as he pushed the doors open to the meeting hall.  Seryu was in tow, behind him on his right, and this would be her first formal introduction to a Captain’s meeting.  These were a rare sight, all things considered.  It was an honor to be afforded the trust to attend one so quickly after a promotion like hers, but, privately Tokiyo was well aware of the risks associated with introducing her temperament to a situation like this - risks he was very much interested in.

The agenda seemed obvious; Introduce herself to the others who did not assist Kenshou in his...vainglorious efforts, name her successor in the Second, and make any other adjustments to the appointments at her disposal.  And probably a word or two about the anomalies being reported throughout the Rukongai and the Seireitei directly linked to the massive beacon of spiritual potential unleashed by their spell.  Yeah, that little thing…

Kiriko’s signature as a Commander would be forged, at least in part, on this day.  How would she respond to a challenge she had time to consider?  Would she reveal her cruelty, her curiosity, her compassion, or worse?  As well as he thought he once knew the woman (or what was left of the woman), Tokiyo was without an instinct on the matter.

All he knew was that today, he had awoken as a servant of the Gotei under the leadership of Kenshou Ine.  And tonight he was going to bed under the leadership of Kiriko Chinda.  But would she let him wake up again tomorrow?

Word count // 405 = 8 || 8

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538 W O R D S
10 P O S T GP
10 T O T A L GP

The waiting grew tedious almost immediately. Knowing what she did, finally being the one in charge of everything, it made it all the harder to keep silent. To watch the fumbling of each chess piece as it traversed the board she had inherited. Was this what Ine felt all those lonely nights? Such restless irritation? A sort of pent up disappointment?

Half the Captains hadn't even deigned to appear to her summons, perhaps believing that there was no reason if it was not Ine calling for a meeting. That was fine, she would simply mark the missing and never forget this first slight. It said a lot about a man and his duty when you accounted for who he listened to.

She felt the steady breathing of her two Lieutenants at her back, a creeping warmth that banked against her shoulderblades and helped her pulse flow calmly as the waiting drew on. Fujikagi's arrival was as lackluster as always, the woman at his side an irritating anomaly. But Akamine Seryu had no reason to remember Chinda Kiriko. so she released the innate tension that coiled in her fingers at the sight of that pretty face.

Finally it became apparent that no one else was coming quite yet, and they had little time to pander and wait for those who were too important or too slow to grasp the importance of this moment. Stepping forward, a half pace that did not so much as break line with her Lieutenants but instead place her at the center of all those who had come, Kiriko let her gaze meet each man and woman in turn before starting. Never one for elaborate theatrics, she went into it simply, her voice blandly reaching all corners of the room.

“We have little time, so let us begin now. I will not waste words. Kenshou Ine is no longer leading the Gotei. I, as his heir, am now Captain Commander. I've called you here because the method of his departure has potentially created weaknesses in our barriers and defenses and we must react swiftly if we are to protect our home. And, also, because there are issues that must be addressed before the Gotei can move forward.” Her lips curled over the somber words, a sliver-thin bladed smile that did not reach her eyes.

She paused, just for a second, allowing those gathered to take in her abrupt statement. Allowing them to imagine exactly what they believed it meant. To craft the nightmares and dreams many harbored about her “reign” as leader of the Shinigami. Then she pulled free a knife and shattered all those assumptions with one sentence, “I will not be taking over the First Division as was done by my predecessor. Much that is tradition in Soul Society has not brought about the effect intended and it is time to pare away that which weakens us and focus on our strengths. We are a military force, we do not need a division that's soul purpose is to oversee the other divisions. Not when this is already done best through the delegation of Captains and Lieutenants reporting to the Captain Commander. From now on the First will be considered an empty division. All members will be asked to transfer within two weeks, taking up posts in the other divisions. We have not the population to sustain a useless idea and many of their jobs are the same as what are being done elsewhere. It is time to admit the truth and consolidate.”

“The divisions themselves will focus on what they do well, and begin to do it better. That is our task. We have lost sight of the true heritage of Soul Society. We are not shepherds, to guide humans through their lives and to protect the world from Hollows. We are soldiers. We exist as the shield and sword of the Soul King. And above all we stand for the balance of the souls. This is not a kind profession, and it is high time that law be marshaled for both Shinigami and humans alike. We cannot forget why we exist. To ensure that souls continue in their natural cycle. To do this we need must purify hollows and pluses and many other tasks. It is time to recall that those are our only goals. To return to our military roots. Each division has a purpose and a function that enables us to do our jobs. I say now, in front of you all, that there will be no room for apathy from here on out.”

She hadn't really constructed this speech, any yet it fell into place nonetheless. Long hours spent imagining and pinpointing exactly what the most blatant ailments of the Gotei were, stretched minutes imagining solutions no one else had ever enforced.

“There will no longer be room for negligence either. If you fail at your tasks, if you give sustenance to the enemy, if you cannot successfully complete what is asked of you, you do not deserve the title of Shinigami. Starting now there will be no forgiveness. We are not mere civilians, we do not serve our own happiness. This idea of prioritizing greed in all its forms has poisoned the Gotei and it will not be allowed to continue. There are rules, they are clear, and I will make them clearer as the days go forward. If anyone breaks them, there will be forthright consequences. That is how a military structure works, and we must return to the discipline that was imagined in our creation.” She let her tone rise, castigating at the same time as she allowed her voice to fill with the idea of change.

“To that end the divisions need direction. Since it seems many of you cannot derive this on your own, I will create it. We must be driven to improve, to innovate, to succeed, and to start there are immediate needs that must be met within our system.” Kiriko lifted one hand, counting off on her fingers as she spoke. Holding up two fingers, she began with her own division, the home of her heart.

“The Second will continue with the task of surveillance and covert operations. We are focusing now on cataloging threats in all their forms, Hollow, human, or Shinigami. The Second is tasked with understanding the enemy and predicting them, but also with cleaning up messes as they come about. That includes removing individual threats that cannot be handled normally, and policing internal threats such as rogue Shinigami or traitors amongst our own kind. That work will continue as planned, the world has become even more dangerous of late, the powers at play more subtle. It is high time we incorporate our informational network into the larger scale of the Gotei.” She disguised the natural tension such ideas provoked internally, pushing it aside in light of the larger need. Holding up her third and fourth finger simultaneously, Kiriko went on with the list.

“The Third and the Fourth will continue their researches into advanced Kido and technologies. The Third in particular should begin to create plans for medical care in the event of wartime or invasion as well as forming an offensive cohort amongst their ranks. The Fourth must increase work and surveillance of the Senkaimon. We cannot allow these unauthorized accesses to continue as they have in the past. Anyone who uses a Senkaimon must be logged and reported.”

“That should come as no surprise. However, your real task is much more complex. As we are all aware, the threat of Hollow-taint has crept closer to home than ever before. Vaizards are not some made-up nightmare. They exist, and they are among us. Ine had the right idea when he discussed containment and cures, however he gave too little direction where this was concerned. I will not be so lax,” Kiriko shifted, her gaze boring straight into Tokiyo's as she unleashed her demands.

“The Third and the Fourth will work together to create a method of determining who is and who is not a Vaizard, from the earliest stages of those who only have the beginnings of taint all the way to whose soul has fully split into a formed Inner Hollow. Everyone who joins the Gotei will be subject to periodic tests once this method has been created. We will not allow secret agents to spoil our ranks.”

“Secondly, you will create a method of subjugation. I don't care if it's a kido, some sort of technology, or both. But you will find a way to control and subdue an Inner Hollow as well as Hollow-like abilities that might manifest in any Vaizards. As a cure has been made to look far off, if it even is possible, we will focus now on containment. Any tainted Shinigami will be thusly bound, the threat of their losing control minimized in such a manner as to retain the use of the solider in question without risking those of their cohorts.”

“I will speak with the Third and the Fourth about this in more detail later for it bears deep thought and planning beyond the scope of this a meeting.”

Her sweeping gaze took in the empty spot that should have housed Aizawa Jasper, jaw clenching in distaste. In all honesty the room was missing more than just the Fifth's Captain, and it would be useless to explain his new task without his presence. She hated skipping away from protocol, but the absence of the rest gave her a moment of flexibility. Turning her gaze back to the room, she finished up, her voice going low and soft as velvet, forcing others to strain to hear the malice and determination in those murmured words.

“Vaizards are a threat to the sanctity of the Gotei. They threaten the balance of our world. They subvert the order and nature of our forces. They can hide amongst perfectly good soldiers. This is a problem we cannot allow to fester any deeper. For whatever reason the creation of Vaizards is on the rise. We have no time to waste. I will be expecting reports on your progress on these matters weekly. First we will root out the tainted, then we will dominate them, and only when we have collected all these broken links will we be able to truly assess the purpose behind such a creation. And exactly how we can go about terminating them.”

Pulling back, she met each gaze coolly, fully prepared to deal with the questions and concerns that were bound to arise. 

WC: 1762 | GP: 35 | Total GP: 44

She sensed the simmering anger far before she realized who it was. It took her until the man had bodily thrown open the doors to the chamber for her to place that irritatingly familiar reiatsu. Minamoto Shun, in all his arrogant glory, shot through her meeting like a sword through bone. He did not err, did not stall, and reached her position in only the length of time it took for her blank face to transition to a deep frown. She watched him as he spun on one heel, darting back around the room, hands thrown out like an overdramatic actor while blood dripped from a scratch in his arm. The steady drip was the only real thing holding her attention captive, the splatter of crimson painting her floors like errant rain.

As he began to yell, extolling to the whole world just what he'd seen, she let her senses flick outward into the swelling space that was Soul Society. She hadn't been searching that far away, her attention honed to a narrow point within this room, but now that she was looking she could feel what the Captain was so worried about. The Shakonmaku had finally fizzled out after a long fight with whatever Miyazawa and Fujikagi had done. Maybe by now Ine would truly be gone, off to his merry little jaunt in the sky. But in the meantime a few visitors had come to play. She could feel the men mobilizing, sense the determination and neat little orderly lines of their thoughts. Seireitei was prepared like it never had been before for invasion. They were not some clam with their shell pried open, not like last time.

Drawing her thoughts back into the room, her gaze flicked towards the Minamoto with all the weight of her heavy disdain. It was only his relation to his son that stilled her hand in that moment, she had little wish to give Itsuki leave from his position so that he could grieve the loss of his father. He was too important with the work he did now. But that did not mean that she would let this man throw a temper tantrum in front of her, not after the speech she had just delivered.

Power rolled off her body, a thickly plush blanket that smothered all the space in the room as the very air began to shimmer like dancing flame. Heat radiated outward, all of those tons of pressure searing to consume the target of her ire as shards of amethyst light refracted off the wall behind her.

When she moved it was like pouring silk, her hands suddenly appearing around the Minamoto's throat and clenching tightly enough to prevent oxygen from passing through. All of the anger in her aura was folding down on one person, one target, saturating his very soul with Penance's dismissive requirements. She needed silence. She needed him to cease that pointless yelling and gesticulating, as if he had any reason to be outraged right now. Most of all, she needed to feel the play of his throat muscles beneath her hands, knowing that in that second she held his life between only a few ounces of pressure.

Her aura billowing around him, tendrils of reiatsu forming like invisible bakudo clasps to hold him frozen in place as she stared into that face with eyes like a frozen tundra. “Do not interrupt me, Minamoto-taichou. I don't expect much from someone like you, but at the very least a modicum of protocol would be appreciated. And as your Captain Commander, that is not a request.” Her voice, when it finally escaped the tightly clamped pressure of her lungs, was as cold and dry as a mountaintop.

Her attention, that razor-blade focus on her enemy, shifting only slightly as the woman slid her gaze down to his pulse for a brief second. “Fujikagi-taichou is better equipped to offer an explanation on the state of our barriers, since it was he and Miyazawa-san who cast the spell. As Miyazawa-san is conspicuously absent, and I, unfortunately do not understand the level of kido-work involved, you will have to settle for his account, Minamoto-taichou.” She spoke almost conversationally, the only sign of her wrath her preternatural stillness and those piercing eyes that never once left the Minamoto's own as she cataloged the million and one ways to dispose of him.

It would be so easy to kill him right now. Just letting her aura wash over him might even constrict his lungs. Suffocation wasn't the most painful way to go, but it was good enough. Given the time and the tools she was certain she could do better, but the idea of the Minamoto finally dying was also appealing in its own ways. Almost as an afterthought she tossed over her shoulder, “You may speak freely of what happened, Fujikagi-taichou. There is nothing to hide from the other Captains.”

WC: 820 | GP: 16 | Total GP: 60

Her fingers spasmed, spiritual grip squeezing every last ounce of air out of her target's chest such that only his status as a soul prevented the lungs from collapsing under the outpouring of her aura. Slowly her gaze danced to the left-center, pinning the interloper with eyes filled with fractals spun from the silk of despair. For a moment the very world ceased to make sense, the perfect control of the moment spiraling out below her before her breath came back with a staggering flicker. Minamoto slid from her hands, a forgotten entity as Kiriko pivoted to face the man who dared show his face in her hall after leaving like he had.

The man who dared critique her when he hadn't the spine to stick around and do anything for this world he apparently still cared for. There was a sharp scrapping each time her heart beat, a catch to the oxygen that needed to flow through her veins. She felt entirely hollowed and empty while simultaneously being filled to the brim with some sort of burning pressure. Her gaze was wide and full of terrible and awful judgment but the words that were echoing in her head made no connection to the wrath that bubbled like bloody froth against the back of her teeth.

Tsukimiya-taichou.

She wanted to whisper his name. To croon it in celebration. To let it slip from between her lips with all of the devotion and love that they had shared in the past. She wanted him to freeze in place, those ungodly eyes piercing through the gauze she had wrapped around her soul. She wanted this moment to stretch on and on, but more importantly she wanted him to actually look at her. Not through her, but at her, the way he had in the past when she needed to be saved. If only he would... If only he could... maybe then she could let this all go.

But the traitor didn't once meet her eyes person to person, he didn't seem to even truly recognize her for who she was and her anger warred with a stumbling confusion until she was filled with weeping scars.

She let the heat rise, pressure building as the agony of being ignored once again gave kindling to the flames of her hatred. It surged and flowed like true fire through her veins, curling protectively around her charred bones and dancing between the synapses of her nerves until the world was awash with the glory of true rage.

Thrust into a frozen stream the moment of perfect clarity hit her and Kiriko watched the man walk away without ever once uttering a word. He was what he was. And she was what she was. And Penance needed no one. Certainly not anyone that Chinda Kiriko had ever revered, nor anyone who Chinda Kiriko had honored. That man was nothing but an empty space in a historical tapestry, gone with the same ease with which he had abandoned the Seireitei in the past. He was a joke without a punchline, and she felt a distinct lack of threat from someone with such little dedication as to stick around and see things done.

The door closed with loud finality and she spun to face the gathered Shinigami, her face a veneer of iron as the lights flickered under the weight of her decisions. The vastness in her eyes seemed to look at the entire room at once before a corner of her lip curled upward, a skewed smile, as she took back control of the congregation. “Well then, I suppose that is one indication of just how porous the barriers have become. Fujikagi-taichou, explain what you can and then we will send the Lieutenants to marshal the men while we conclude this meeting.”

WC: 634 | GP: 12 | Total GP: 72

It was like suddenly finding yourself one hundred feet below the waves, crushed by the dominion of thousand million gallons of water above you...constricting you, crushing you, forcing you down into the blackness as you swam against the inexorable pressure.  Despite your strength, despite everything you possessed, who could possibly endure against an ocean?

Searching for the words to describe it was about all that Tokiyo Fujikagi could do as his newly minted Captain Commander unfurled her soul before them all and wrapped her hands around Shun’s neck.  The Eldest Minamoto was a powerful man, strong and well built, but he looked like some mewling kitten hanging in her hands.  His life, and probably all of their lives, could be toyed with in equal measure by the Soutaichou.  

What bluster and bravado Captain Minamoto had displayed only moments earlier!  It was almost enough to confuse Tokiyo about whom, exactly, was in charge in this instance.  Maybe it was the decades of First Response management that Shun had executed with a rather expert track record.  Or maybe it was the hot embers of whatever fuel had recently ignited within him still driving him onward with energy and purpose to confront the only person in the entirety of creation who technically outranked him.

He admired the fire in Shun’s eyes, but he was glad that it was not him.

Tokiyo was bowed.  Not out of fear, although a healthy dose of that clung to the back of his mind, but out of necessity.  Eyes to the ground, one knee bent in a losing attempt to stay on his feet against the full expression of Kiriko’s might, he couldn’t help but wonder what it felt like to be right next to her in that moment; how terrible and wondrous it must feel to be so close to something so awful.  Morbid curiosity, and a question he never wanted answered; The last time he was close to that fiend, she tried to put a sword through his heart.  Lost in the hopelessness of the moment, he nearly missed Kiriko’s permission to spill the proverbial beans.

The ocean on top of him receded, slightly.  Enough for him to stand, enough for him to breathe...enough for him to think.  “As you wish, Soutaichou.” The resignation in his voice was likely not unnoticed.

Except it was not receding back into the Captain Commander.

It was like Tokiyo had found himself watching a movie, distant and surreal before him, as a man he considered to be a very literal ghost walked out of the wall and split through the crowd.  The on-looking Captain wasn’t frozen in place, but rather not a single fiber of his being was interested in interfering with this moment being created before him, this cinematic portrayal of something.

As thoughts began to move again, no longer pinned by the incomprehensible weight of Kiriko’s fury, the idea registered in his head with an unexpected subtlety.  

First; The haori, with no division inside the rhombus, even though Tokiyo distinctly recalled that day Kyousuke took off the one he wore and let it flutter harmlessly to the ground as he left the shocked and confused crowd behind him.

Second; That...bizarre look in the man’s eye when he turned and offered a moment’s acknowledgment - there was far too much there behind his gaze.  Infinity, if such a word could be used in any practical context.  It was like looking up at the stars of a night’s sky with a wandering mind and a heart full of curiosity, and somehow knowing that they were looking back at you with that same sentiment.

And Third; The eerily recent conversation with the hopefully not dead Captain Minamoto.  The face of The Swordbreaker.  The power of a literal god.  What the hell was this man, if he could even be rightly grouped as such?  Was this one of that special breed both Shun and Takua had ‘warned’ him about?

But, lost in his role in this movie he was unable to turn away from, Tokiyo patiently waited for the floor to clear and his Captain Commander to speak again.  The only question that ran through his mind, which he immediately reserved to ask himself again later, was ‘What the fuck was that?’

He cleared his throat and blinked several times, as if it would jump-start the engine that was in his head.

“What she says about Kenshou, about me, it’s true, Shun.”  He began, almost happy to confess his involvement although not because he was proud, but because it helped to know that Captain Minamoto might learn the truth of things while his life still hung by a thread.  If Shun still wanted to die for his bravado after hearing a full recounting, and if Kiriko still wanted to kill him, that was their business.

“Former Captain Commander Kenshou Ine called myself, Miyazawa-san, and Chinda-san to a private meeting.  It was there, he bid that today was his last day as Commander, and Kiriko was rightfully promoted.  But the ‘why’, is what you are interested in.”

His eyes darted back and forth between Shun and Kiriko, Tokiyo almost uncertain if she truthfully wanted this all outed.  But the tone, the sheer arrogance of her language, took away any of the lingering doubts in his mind.  This was a woman who no longer had even the slightest regret about anything she might ask or decide.  “Miyazawa-san is aware, through her previous access to information as a Captain Commander, of a spell that is capable of creating an Ouken.  It is one of many methods capable of doing the same but this is by far the least overtly messy method.  Provided everyone involved has the strength to handle it….”

“Ai knew the kanji and the runes and the orders, but simply put, she lacked the power on her own to activate all components in a timely enough manner to prevent Kenshou from exploding into particulate matter.  Simply put, together we were able to borrow some of the essence which connects each facet of our tangible realities, and imbue portions of Kenshou’s being with their purpose.”

His voice now lowered from an academic impartiality, to a more personal note.  “And provided he survives the next few hours, his ability should be rather permanently attached to his being.”

The point, then, arrived as almost an afterthought to the Captain.  It wasn’t terribly unexpected that someone of his nature might be so interested in the ‘what, how, and why’ as to exclude the concerns of the others, but, it was rather seriously inappropriate in view of his colleagues.  “Unfortunately, borrowing from this connecting fabric has caused a great instability in the barriers between our tangible realities.  Our peace will return, once Kenshou’s arm is finished being imbued.  Again, provided he lives to see the end of it.”

He could offer a weak smile and nothing else.  He stepped back into his place in line.

Wait…

Did he…

Did he just say he had an appointment in the Forbidden Library?