[BSD-RP] Soul Society: Central Seireitei

[BSD]

[From Northwest Seireitei----> Arriving at 5th Division Barracks]
A few unseated Shinigami were sweeping the courtyard of the Fifth Division Barracks and talking amongst themselves, gossiping about small nuances that happened in their own personal lives. Their conversation finished up and they began sweeping again when a gust of wind kicked up around them, aggravated groans were heard all around as leaves and dust would need to be swept again. When they turned to voice their displeasure about the gust they were met with the sight of their Captain, Tenzen Oda. They collectively dropped their brooms while one rushed off to tell the others while the remaining few rushed over to their Captain.
"Oda! You're back!"
One young man exclaimed only to be hit in the back of the head by another. He was angered by the strike but quickly realized his error.
"I-I mean Captain Oda! Sorry!"
So he was still Captain, good news to hear. He watches as members of his Division gather to greet him and ask him what happened on that day two months ago. Everyone quickly remembered they were talking to the awkward and quiet Tenzen and it seems even though he's their captain he is still awkward as ever. They stop crowding him and give him space awaiting his response to any one of the questions thrown at him.
"I'm happy to see everyone energetic and welcoming me back but please return to your proper duties. Just because I've returned doesn't mean you should slack off."
The crowd was "bummed out" to say the least, they didn't get an answer to a single one of their questions but at least Tenzen hadn't changed. They all returned to their duties by either vanishing with Shunpo or a light jog back to their post. Once they scattered Tenzen exhaled heavily, being surrounded like that with all the questioning was intense for him, it took everything he had just to tell them to get back to work without stuttering. With that settled he made his way back to his personal quarters, deciding to walk to take in the sight of his home that he hadn't seen in quite some time. Everyone was hard at work, well hard at work getting things organized now that their Captain had returned, this didn't go unnoticed by him but he is grateful they are taking the time to get themselves in order. His leisurely stroll came to a halt at the shōji of his personal quarters, he hesitates for a moment before opening it but when he does he finds everything was as he left it, save for his two Haori folded neatly on a table with his Zanpakuto resting on top of them. He enters his room and slides the shōji shut behind him, he approaches his possessions and finds a note with them from the Kido Corps. It told him that his previous Haori were destroyed during his transformation and that these were new ones to replace them. At the bottom, the note expressed that he takes great care of these garments from now on. He chuckles as he, probably more than anyone, respects and understands just how important a Haori is and the importance it holds.
He sits the note down and inhales slowly then quickly exhales as he begins to groom himself, shaving his facial hair and cutting his hair back to the way they were. He hadn't settled on a new haircut quite yet so, for now, it shall remain the same as it always was. He neatly folds the grey grabs he was wrapped in during his stay at Division 12 after getting changed into his Shihakusho. Making sure everything was to his liking he approached his Zanpakuto, sliding them into his sash on his left side followed by donning both Haori as he had done so the first time he got them. Properly groomed and clothed he decides to it is time to start rounding up his Division and discussing his plans for them. He slides open the door and is met with none other than members of the Kido Corps.

He stands silently, their formation all too familiar and at the moment his anxiety starts to act up. "Not again..." he thinks to himself not wanting to hear anything related to bad news or anything about overseeing an artifact. The group is silent still and the guards part ways, forming a half-circle with their bodies to dissuade anyone passing by from getting too close. In the center of the group was a Kido Corps Priestess, if this was the same one who greeted him the first time or not remains unknown and unimportant to the Captain as she steps forward, invading Oda's personal space.

"It is good to see you alive and well Chief, however, there is something I wish to bring to your attention, something we discovered during your absence."
Tenzen's nerves settle, he is glad that whatever was about to be told to him is nothing similar to the events of two months ago. He nods to the Priestess and in return, she hands him a small stack of papers. He starts to read them over as she continues to talk, explaining what it is he is looking at.
"Going through the Dangai records, 5th Division uncovered information about the Kotetsu event 5 months ago. The records for the date of the event, show that all Kotetsu traffic was rerouted by the 5th division for one Kiniro Yorugao of 8th. Kiniro was meant to be trafficking some souls through the Dangai for emergency transport. As such, the Kōryū (拘流, Wresting Flow) was rerouted to allow traffic. This means that a Kotetsu should not have appeared, and its appearance was unnatural. Something within the Dangai redirected the Kotetsu back."
He remains silent going over the papers in his hands still and pondering the information he was just told. After cycling through all the pages and returning to the first he fixes them back into a neat stack. This was heavy information and information that needed to be told to the other Captains and the Commander himself. Tenzen had no real idea where any of the Captains were, let alone how to get an audience with the Commander, he didn't want to go on a wild goose chase nor did he want this sort of information on the wind. He decides he shall bide his time until he and the other Captains are all in the same place.
"Good job as always. Keep this information secret if possible. The last thing I want is something like this getting out to the public. I'll let be the one to pass it on from here. The documents have a master copy I assume, right?"
The Priestess nods and with that nod, Tenzen incinerates the stack of papers in his hands with Kido to ensure no one finds them and leaks the information.
"Keep that master copy locked within Kido Corps, treat it as you would any artifact under your guard. Once I have told the Captains and Commander this information well shall release the documents for their viewing. That is all, dismissed."
The Priestess responds with another nod and steps back far enough for her guard to surround her once again. They flicker away from his sight and he lets out a heavy sigh shaking his head. Could someone from within the Gotei have rerouted the Kotetsu or was it someone from the outside? Theories and possibilities race through his mind along with this Kiniro Yorugao person, could he have something to do with it? He is no investigator or interrogator this is something that will have to be divided up so that each Division can use their specialties to figure this out. This is a major breakthrough in that mystery, perhaps one that can solve who was behind it. His paranoia kicks in as he walks away from his personal quarters, perhaps someone is purposely leaving breadcrumbs for them to follow. A distraction? The majority of the Gotei 13's forces deployed themselves outside those walls during that time, the castle that is the Seireitei was empty for the most part. Was that their opportunity to slip in uncontested and take something? Or are they still amongst them now? While lost in thought he happened upon Himari Shimizu who seemed to be loitering around. He knew her to be a rather rude person, one of the few who openly told Tenzen about his hair.
"Ah, Shimizu-san... I uhh... Didn't e-expect to run into you..."
His stutters and stammers as he tries to socialize with the girl, sparking up some form of small talk. In the mix of papers, he received from the Priestess they were sneaky enough to slip in a report on what happened two months ago along with what has been going on since then. Himari's name was mentioned as one of the many who tried to strengthen the barrier. He scratches his head for a moment, the freshly shaved sides feeling a bit irritated from being cut and then an idea pops into his head. He could sense the girl was lonely and didn't have much to do and see how he was going to be going around Division 5 for a bit he thought he'd bring her along with him.
"Shimizu-san, come with me for a while. I have some errands to run around here and after that, we'll probably head on over to the Kido Corps HQ. Once that is done we'll discuss a promotion for you, being unseated doesn't suit you in the slightest. Plus, if I happen to go missing again or am away for a while you can at least yell at the lower ranks to get them working, heh."
Pushing past his social awkwardness he is able to invite her along for his errands while also trying his hand at a bit of humor. He awkwardly smiles at her and nods before walking off with Himari, hopefully, following close behind him as his first order of business is to secure a messenger.

 

[BSD]

In one of the training rooms sat Himari, sitting comfortably on a cushion. Her head was bowed down, and her legs were placed in a pretzel style while her hands rested on both of her knees. She was focusing on her breathing. She had been practicing meditation for weeks now. It was one way she was able to focus her spiritual pressure in one sitting, and it also helped her learn how to focus in general.
This was interrupted as one someone stormed into the training room, slamming the door open and out of breath. Himari which looked up, her red and gray eyes glaring at the intruder.
“Whatever it is you want to say could wait till I’m done meditating,” Was all she said as she was about to bow her head again.
“But it can’t, Himari-san. Captain Oda is back.” The young girl said, making Himari look up once again. She quickly shot up to her feet. She looked at the girl in disbelief.
She hasn’t seen him in a long while, so she didn’t even know how to react to such news of his return. Should she be happy? Excited? She didn’t really know. But, she knew she now couldn’t do what she was doing at the moment. Of course not. It was only respectful to make her face be shown to the captain after all.
But.
Himari sighed in frustration as she quickly went to grab her Zan from the floor and pushed passed the girl who had given her this information. As she walked down the corridor she instantly stops in her tracks.
She wasn’t expecting to run into the Captain this fast. She was hoping she wasn’t gonna run into at all for the matter. Maybe make her face be shown and then quickly be able to step away. She didn’t understand why she was so angry at him. But, before she could speak he spoke before her.
“Ah, Shimizu-San….I ahhh…. didn’t expect to run into you…..”
She raised an eyebrow. That makes two of them. What she didn’t expect was the stuttering. She had this image in her head of what the captain of her squad would be like. Mainly because she can count on her hands how many times she ran into Tenzen. This was….different than she expected to see him as. Still, she wondered if he heard of what she did with the barrier. And if she was going to be punished for it. She could have hurt herself and others if she had done something wrong. But. She couldn’t just stand there and not help.
What she wasn’t expecting was him asking for her to tag along with him. This caused her to raise an eyebrow again. And a promotion. Those were words she wasn’t expecting in the slightest. She was used to standing in the background. Not being noticed by people. Or was it because she was used to being lonely and not knowing anyone. Maybe that was it.
She allowed him to walk a few paces ahead of her before she sighed, folding her arms across her chest and followed after him. But she didn’t say a word.

 

[BSD]

The two walked on with random members of their Division passing by to offer them greetings and to welcome Tenzen back. He gave them a small smile and nodded as they pressed onward to their destination. Tenzen would have his hands hidden in the sleeves of his Shihakusho, each hand lightly grasping on to the forearm of the other. He shuffles along with Himari in tow, his bare feet hovering over the ground with each step just enough not to make them slide and no sound is made as they press back down against the wooden flooring. He purposely adds a bit of weight into each step to make certain boards of the wood creak to alert people to his presence, this was his way of making sure he didn't startle anyone accidentally. He glances over his shoulder at Himari, her arms crossed not saying a word she was a very distant girl indeed. This made it difficult for Tenzen to approach her for any sort of conversation even if it were related to the duties of their Division. He then decides to resort to the one tactic he is terrible in, the only thing he can think of that can break this awkward tension, small talk. He glances back again trying to suppress his stuttering the best he can.
"So, Shimizu-san, how have things been for you since my absence? A-anything you'd like to report?"
Both questions could easily be answered with a single word but it was the best he could think of. During his time as the third seat he didn't have to worry about such petty things as he simply had to give out daily orders and move on with his business. Being a Captain he feels as if he has form some link of communication with those in his Division, especially for those he plans on promoting as they will be the ones he speaks to the most. The two continue to walk and talk until they happen upon a messenger who was speaking to a member of Fifth. Tenzen waits for them to finish before approaching the man with a message of his own.
"Hello, I don't mean to be a bother but I have a message I'd like for you to deliver to the Oda Manor in the Northen Rukongai district. That message is, 'I'm overturning the old man's decision. I want you to train Katsuo properly and please don't kill him.' Leave that message with one of the guards and tell them to pass it on to Yurui Oda, and that's all. Thank you."
The man bows and so does the Captain in return and in a flash the messenger is gone, off to continue his rounds. Tenzen's first bit of business is now concluded and he turns his attention to Himari once again, a neutral expression is written over his face as he gazes down at her. This moment lasts for a brief second but with the serious air building up around the Captain it may feel like minutes have passed. The brief silence is broken by a question from Tenzen to Himari.
"Tell me, Shimizu-san, if Quincy or even Arrancar were to invade right now would you be ready to confront them? If they invaded in the dead of night while we slept if it happened while we were out eating with friends and family, on our break, our days off... Basically at any point in time if an invasion happened, would you be ready? You may want to say yes but think about it for a moment before answering, would you truly be ready to leap into combat while you are at your most unguarded state? This will be a question posed to the rest of the Division as well but I'd very much so like to hear your response first."
This question is but a prelude to the organization Tenzen has in mind for the Division, to make them into a force that is never taken off guard no matter what the situation may be. They would be the first Division to respond to an invasion, be the first to put their blades to the throats of any and all who would challenge the might of the Gotei 13. Fifth Division would become a landmine that would blow off the leg of an invading force. Once Himari gives her answer to this question he asks a second question, pointing off towards the south.
"If you launched a Hado from this spot do you think you'd be able to hit the other side of the Seireitei? If so that is good as a skill like that will also play a part in what I just asked you."
Spontaneous artillery is the end result of Tenzen's reorganization efforts. Should an enemy invade to the south the moment they appear Hado will already be raining down upon their location. Tenzen doesn't enjoy being taken off guard, especially after these recent events he's taken part in, so he wants to extend this to his Division by having them ready for anything and responding with violent force immediately. He stands quietly, waiting for Himari to respond to both of these questions and he is hopeful that her answers will be the ones he is looking for.

 

[BSD]

A blinding white light erupted from the gates of the opening Senkaimon. From the bright white light emerged a black silhouette massive in height and stature. As the white light dimmed and the gates closed, a wounded Shinigami could be found lost in thought as he slowly walked through the colossal Senkaimon. His eyes were closed and his wounded arms were crossed, masking the small scars that were trailing down his abdomen. The wounds that were inflicted on him by the massive swarm of Togabitos in Hell caused him to reflect on the last time he had accumulated such scars.
The massive courtyard began to rumble with the first step taken out of the gate and into the realm of Soul Society. However, the rumble had ceased just as quickly as it had arrived. It was nothing more than the result of the veteran's Reiatsu momentarily leaking out. Instantly bringing his energy under control and preventing it from seeping out any further, Yami let out a heavy sigh with the second step taken out of the Senkaimon. Feeling the light breeze of Soul Society's air, Yami opened his eyes and snapped back to reality. He had finally arrived.
The formation of Kido Corps members that oversaw the Senkaimon remained motionless, as it was simply another day for them. It seemed that the members of the Kido Corps had not changed at all. It was as if they were nothing more than statues or machines, forever vigilant. Yami simply gave the soldiers a small salute as he walked past them towards the edge of the hill that the massive courtyard sat on top of. After taking a few moments to observe the view of the Soul Society, he disappeared from the edge of the hill with a flicker of movement. A few seconds passed before the veteran reappeared at the opened gates of the First Division. It had been two years since he had left, and though his body language and facial expressions would not yet openly convey his emotions, he was happy to be returning to his barracks. Now, it was time for him to report to his superior, the Captain-Commander and leader of the Gotei 13.
Seeing the plethora of First Division Shinigami rush throughout the barracks to carry out their duties was a welcoming sight to him. The overall feeling had not changed at all. Swiftly, Yami began walking through the barracks towards the Commander's throne room, passing by his fellow peers. None of them held any doubt in Yami and his ability to complete a mission and return without any issues. However, many of them were caught off guard by seeing the massive Shinigami covered in scars and tattered clothes. He was in the worst shape of his Shinigami career, and the fact that he was even still alive let alone moving was a testament to his strength. It did not take him long to reach the entrance of the Commander's throne room.
In the presence of the Captain-Commander, authority and respect was demanded along with undying loyalty. It did not truly matter when Yami began to speak and begin his report to the Captain-Commander, for it seemed to him that Commander was omniscient to a certain degree. Allowing a light cough to escape his lungs so that he could clear his throat, Yami began walking forwards the throne until he stood merely a few yards from it. Reaching the optimal distance, the elite Shinigami slowly dropped to one knee, giving the giant of a man a bow before he began his report.
"Commander Murasaki. I regret to inform you that I did not obtain any leads on information about the Shinigami that traveled into Hell and went missing three hundred years ago. However, from the two years I spent in Hell, I heard a plethora of rumors that an immensely powerful Hollow from the Shattered Dimensions event was trapped there. Upon further investigation, I found that the Togabitos were referring to this particular Hollow as the former God King, and that he has recently escaped hours ago. A Hollow escaping from Hell was thought to be impossible, but at the revelation that it could possibly be the former God King, I rushed back here to report as swiftly as I could."

 

[BSD]

Himari kept silent as they walked, her head held high and her arms still crossed over her chest. She wasn’t much of a talker, mainly if she didn’t know you. She would glance at Tenzen from time to time before she would level her eyes to something else. Like the wall, or she would connect eyes with someone who passed by them. She saw the curious looks as they would bow their heads to Tenzen and then look at her. She knew what they were all thinking. Why was she following the captain? Was she in trouble? Himari mainly kept to herself so she wasn’t surprised by the curiosity.
But it did annoy her.
“So, Shimizu-San, how have things been since my absence? A-anything you’d like to report?”
At the question, her eyes would look at him again just in time to connect eyes with his before he would turn away. She would think. She hadn’t really done much. All she saw were people trying to keep the barracks at bay while the Captain was gone. And she tried to keep away from all of it. She wasn’t one that liked things a mess. And that’s was what it was, a mess. But, she was sure he knew that.
“Nothing of importance, Captain.” Was all she said. A little bit of bite at the words captain as they left her mouth. It was weird to say. Because she hasn’t said them to Tenzen much.
She would closely watch as the Captain would make his ways to the messenger. She would turn away to make it seem like she wasn’t paying attention, but she listened close enough. At the name of Katsuo her eyebrows would rise with interest. That was the boy she had tagged along with when the barrier issue happened. She felt a little relieved that he was alright since she hasn’t seen him since. As Tenzen finished his message, she would finally look over at him again as he made his way towards her. She kept her expression impassive.
At the question, Himari would raise an eyebrow. That wasn’t what she was expecting him to ask. But, it was a question that has been aching at her since she got here. Would she be able to go into combat and actually help out and not get herself killed? She was good at Kido, almost very good. But she hasn’t even used it outside of her pieces of training she did in the academy and some of the training she did now. She would look up at him.
“It’s sort of hard to answer that question Captain because I know my skills are lacking in certain ways needed to be able to be in combat effectively. So, it could be a no.”She says this with a straight face. She quickly balls her hands into fists.
“But, I am good at what I can do. And I do know that my Hado’s were one of the best of my the class, but do I know if it will hit the other side of the Seiteitei? Gotta be honest with you there and say no. But that doesn’t mean I won’t comfort them if we were invaded. I will stand my ground and fight if we ever were to be invaded. That’s my duty, Captain"
She would think about her rushing in to help hold up the barrier. At the time, she was lost and confused. But when she finally did it, she felt pleased. And she liked the rush that came with being able to help. And she promised herself if that time did come she would do it again. No matter what it took