Bleach: A New Beginning

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"Remember what I have taught you, Hioshimi. Your hard work is essential; the Seireitei is a fledgling once more, and it all balances..."

"...On the edge of a blade."

Hioshimi's voice rung out clear in her office; She peered at the long metal zanpakuto in front of her, the polished edge shining softly in the diffused light of the bamboo floor and the ornate screens. It seemed to balance on its very tip, the sharp edge facing Hioshimi's steady jade gaze. This was a regular occurrence; Jinzen was, after all, the closest thing Hioshimi could muster as a cheap replacement for sleep, and she had a closer bond with her sword than most. The short girl stood up to her feet and instantly regretted it; dark shadowed fuzzed the corners of her vision and the weariness returned in force. The room tilted and pitched under her feet and, with a grunt, she lowered herself down to a crouching position, grabbing Fuminshiyou - her zanpakuto - for support.

Hioshimi's office was a rather depressing affair. It looked like someone gave a stab at trying to decorate the place and make it homely, but gave up halfway and lost the décor under the incessant tides of Hioshimi's cleaning obsession. She kept the screens, though; despite them holding no practical purpose, it helped to have them by the window when it got too bright for her. The floor was a simple bamboo mat, closely-packed and uncomfortable to sit or stand upon. A polished dark brown desk, the walls flanked with bookshelves, a stack of parchment so neatly arranged that one could get a paper-cut merely by running a finger down the corner, an ink-well, a bamboo pen. A large scroll hanging above the large, open window saying "LIEUTENANT'S OFFICE". Hioshimi often complained about the window, claiming that she could likely be assassinated since it was big enough for someone to climb through and she tended to have her back to it if she sat in the lieutenant's chair.

Hioshimi grunted as she hauled her protesting body to a standing position. she arched her back, fixed her hair, and stared out at the Seireitei from her window. It was so hard to believe...ten years ago, some other stood in a room very different from hers and looked down upon a different Seireitei, one with only Shinigami. They had the same thoughts, feelings and responsibilities as her - did they smile at the lovely view it provided, like she found herself doing now? Or did they, too, complain about getting killed-...well, she could hardly blame them. Hioshimi only heard of these forces through tell-tale lies in the Rukongai.

A dark force swept through the place and left rubble behind, an ungodly amount of deaths, piles of corpses and building detritus alike.

She was scooped up by the survivors, who needed to fatten out their ranks once more, and Hioshimi remembers the pale grimaces and looks of horror flashing through those eyes when she was assigned to the Academy. Ten years ago. She spent most of her time there rebuilding it, and once she had built it, she graduated from it. Thrown into the first squad that could get their grubby hands on her, spending the last few years glaring daggers at a shock of teal hair and a relaxed, dopey smirk, on her hands and knees scrubbing floors and kissing boots until she made it to the place where, ten years ago, someone looked out on a different Seireitei that was burning and dying.

Hioshimi looked away from the window. The Gotei 13 chose to use the day for celebration, but she knew that they knew there was nothing left to celebrate. "Congratulations, everyone, you managed to sweep the massacre under the rug..." her voice spoke of its own accord, spewing cynicism into the silence of the office and leaving a dark, hazy cloud over her head. She knew that it wasn't her fault, she knew she couldn't help it, and she knew it had been a couple of days since she last went to bed. She found herself pouting like a child, arms folded, sulking in the shade; whenever she became temperamental like this, she did what she felt was necessary;

Hioshimi went wandering down the barracks, looking for captain Hibiki.
 
Hibiki was where he tended to be if he wasn't out on a mission or dealing with affairs of leadership - his private office. The blinds were drawn over the windows, letting in the barest slivers of light across his face as he lay on the pallet behind his desk. Legs crossed and hands behind his head, he was the picture of relaxation and ease but as anyone who had had known him for several decades would know, this did not always mean his mind was as calm. His eyes were closed and his captain's haori lay on the back of his chair, neatly folded. Beside him was his zanpakuto, Kaiten Haji, a blade only a foot shorter than he was. He was hidden by his desk, but he had been very clearly seen entering his office from his quarters.

He was actually away in his inner world, a realm of serenity. Surrounded by floating islands and clouds, it was hard to not feel at peace. Here too, he was lying back, only his eyes were open as he watched the clouds pass by. Beside him was Kaiten Haji, the spirit's white hair blowing back and forth across his face.

That morning has started with another fugue state, the same as he had been dealing with ever since the vast majourity of the original Soul Society had been wiped out. Faces flashed before his eyes of soul reapers he had known, had worked with. He had been Kido Corps then and though he may not have known them personally, he had had a more intimate contact with their reiatsu. The loss of what could be called a comforting feeling had been something he had been dealing with for ten yeas, made even harder by the presence of arrancars and Quincies and whoever else happened to join up. Their reiatsu's were alien and odd, if not instinctually evil at first sense. He had stayed his hand though at the Captain-Commander's orders though.

Tae Wang had been right though - the force that had swept through the original Soul Society had been indiscriminate, destroying all being of spiritual energy without consideration. It was no wonder why they would want to ally themselves with the soul reapers; for the sake of survival, a concerted effort had to be made.

The captain sighed softy at the prospects that awaited him. Things were hellish in the human world with spirit mortality rates the highest yet. It was due more to the loss of capable fighters coupled with the increase of rogues that turned the bestial instincts of a hollow into a more controlled blast. They were weak, even with the bolstering that came from the other victims. He was one of the old guard, one of the few who had had a bankai before all of this had happened. He was a role model for that, and also for the knowledge in his head, knowledge lost to most from the death toll.

Wang wanted this to be the official opening day for the new Soul Society but Hibiki could see what it truly was - an attempt to vitalize moral among the forces against the odds they faced. For all their sakes, Hibiki wanted Wang to succeed.




Rivu had been doing what he had always done best:stalking. Prowling. Whatever anyone wanted to call it. He was moving around the assorted barracks of the Gotei 13 wanting to see what was going on. He was an arrancar and despite the fact that he and numerous others were part of the Soul Society now, old grudges died hard. It didn't help that he had an imposing presence that made others not want to be near him. As a result, if it didn't come from the Captain-Commander himself, it was probably as a result of listening in that Rivu discovered what he knew abotu what was going on.

This time something was different though. As the hell butterfly appoached him, he lashed out and caught it. Opening his hand to reveal an untouched butterfly, he listened to the message in it from the 13th squad captain, Rin Kamiya. They had apparently found a nest of hollows and rogue arrancars in Karakura Town and were attempting to muster the forces to deal with it. Definitely something for him to do. His recorded answer was little more than a rumbling growl of acceptance before he turned the butterfly loose. He actually wasn't too far away from the 13th squad barracks so a short jaunt there was easily done.

He did not knock at the door to Rin's office, rather he pushed it open with a light kick. Saying nothing, he entered the room and took a position against the wall, his presence alone sufficient enough of an answer. Following after him was the hell butterfly who alighted upon Rin's desk and delivered Rivu's growl.
 
Ouka gracefully chuckled as the young captain smashed against her with a hug of some sort. The hug was a little bit too intimate as Ouka found her cheek crashing against the girl's chubby ones. As Kamiya regained her composure, Ouka sat up once more-- fixing the snow-white hair that had flailed around due to the unexpected albeit friendly tackle. "I am glad that you have established such a deep bond with your members, Kamiya-taichou. Still, a captain needs to do her duties. That paperwork is not going to do itself, Kamiya-taichou. I believe you can do those horrible paperwork, a'right?" Ouka grinned. Suddenly, a presence made itself known to the three shinigamis in the room. No, it wasn't an unfamiliar presence. It was so familiar that Ouka needn't turn around to see who it was. Just the mere fact that the presence didn't bother to knock only showed a lack of etiquette, still, Ouka was in no place to judge.

"Ah! It is good to see you again, Aiasa-taichou." Ouka faced the arrancar captain with a bright smile-- not that the latter would be able to appreciate such a gesture-- at least, not from Ouka's perspective. "I feel confident already about the mission, Kamiya-taichou. See? I wasn't even needed in the first place. Still... I might be sending my lieutenant if you would still need her." Ouka offered, now grasping for her zanpakutou that often hung from her waist. "Oh, dear. It seems I left my zanpakutou once more in the lobby. Careless me. I suppose my lieutenant would bring it to me anyway." the captain chuckled, twirling her index finger in her white locks.

"Wouldn't you be accompanying your members in this mission, Kamiya-taichou? If so, I would be willing to bet that this mission would have a 101% chance of success. Kamiya-taichou, Tengmaru-fukutaichou, Aiasa-taichou, and maybe, just maybe, Lancaster and that young girl who always sticks to it like glue. A powerhouse you are." Ouka nodded her head as another jigokucho floated inside the room. "More good news. Wang-sotaichou has approved of the mission." the captain clasped her hands with glee. "Ah! When will you be deploying everyone for the mission, Kamiya-taichou?"
 
Hiruma, received a hell butterfly while he was on his way to the bar. "20 Adjuchas? What is this? A house party?", Tensa mumbled to himself. Having a mission to destroy some nest is needless to him. Even worse, that it's a group of, what, 2 dozens of opponents? As much as he hated the idea of of being deployed, he doesn't even need to ask Soutaichou for his thoughts on the matter. After all, pride was was destroyed Gotei 13 ten years ago, and even Hiruma of all people would rather evade the casualties. He supposed that the mission was elementary, but as they'd both likely be outnumbered, they have a tactical advantage over them, and at worse, one mistake could have them all slayed. It seemed he vehemently accepted on the account that if he could at least reduce the risk of failure by a chunk, then so be it. He sent back the hell butterfly back, with a message, which was read "Fine, I'll tag along".


Himika continues her target practicing as, to her, is seems like she needs to learn how to actually be a swordswoman, rather than some beast looking for meat. As things would stand out, she might be exactly like an Adjuchas, by her way of fighting. And because she's mainly specialized in one on one, she rejects the invitation, adding a note of contacting her in case of any emergencies. If she has to, she will end up fighting the lot with them, but now, it may be not the time to overexert effort for nothing. Not like she was happy either, but in bestial fighting, numbers can easily outweigh individual power. So, she resumed her little swordplay.
 
Krivats & Hiro:

"In coming," Were the words shouted by the captain of squad 11 when he made his impact landing in front of the barracks of squad 13. He dusted himself off a bit while stepping out of his brand new crater. Hiro simply sighed seeing that his prediction of Krivats coming turned out to be true, "Good morning Krivats-taicho glad to see that you could make it." Hearing another voice Krivats snapped his head over to see Hiro lying on his back now looking at him, "Of course i'd come how could i say no to such a promising battle," he replied smirking in the way that always reminded Hiro of a beast who only enjoys battle...kind like the last captain. "Well regardless having your strength added to our cause shall make this all the more simpler," he said outloud but thought another thing in his head, "Or make it even more complicated."

Yometsu:

After running about the Seireitei for a bit Yometsu had finally found the perfect spot to relax in the forest and watch the nature around him for a while to take his mind off work. A bit sooner than he liked he was disturbed from his rest hearing someone playing lumberjack in the forest. "Now who in the..oh its the captain," he noticed watching Himika chop away at the trees down on the ground which meant he should probably head down before his was next. Jumping down he watched his captain practice her sword play for a bit and remained silent unless she wanted to speak with him.
 
Shinobu skimmed by the 11th division with a hell butterfly in the distance. Blatantly pretending not to notice it, he sped through the division, weaving in and out of the buildings to try to shake it off. Chances were that the 11th was all but vacated as every hand that they had was probably rushing to go off and do what they called fun and he called work. The Soul Society could manage its affairs without him. If only the captain commander believed in the idea of "Stay and guard the base". Of course, Shinobu was well aware that he was the type to not allow something so convenient unless it served him and he had an idea that at the moment, it didn't. Poking his head inside one of the offices, he made a quick pit stop to pilfer one of their plentiful bottles of sake and swiped it before continuing on his way.

"Why couldn't they just pack Mountain Dew instead of this stuff?" Shinobu complained, taking a sip. It was better than nothing but the whole idea of getting drunk didn't sit well with him. Even buzzed, it was pretty hard to concentrate quite as well as he liked. In reality, the effects were minimal till he actually got plastered but his standards of perfection in certain meaningless pursuits were extremely high.
 
As Emilia and Krivats entered Rin's room Emilia immediately grew a large smile due to the large amount of people in the room, knowing immediately that this would be a great battle if so many people were participating. The smile turned a little sad once she noticed that out of all 6 of them gathered there were only 2 Arrancars. Emilia spotted Ouka and give a shy smile and a wave, while walking over next to the only other Arrancar in the room and lean on the wall next to him. "I'm ready to help out! Besides, i want to fight someone who will give me a challenge and not punch me in the face in order to win fights." Emilia said while directing the final comment towards Krivats with a sly smile.

~~~ Rin Kamiya ~~~
Rin watched as all of them started flooding into the room suddenly, and then watched as a couple of hell butterflies entered and gave her their respective messages, though she giggled at Rivu's little Growling answer, before she looked around her and spoke. "Alright everyone, looks like we got the OK, and i was informed to take more than needed, however we have 1 other person coming to join us, and i will also be going along on this mission. Just need to wait for Tensa-kun to arrive and we can all head out and finally start taking back Karakura town!" Rin said aloud with an excited grin as she went behind her desk and started back on the Paper work while she waited and the others interacted, after all, she still had more paperwork to do if she wanted to go to that place that let you create teddy bears!​
 
Hiruma went into the room, silently. His job is so distasteful, yet there is no other way, if order is to be re-established. But the excuse of cutting down 23 enemies divided by the whole team seemed reasonable enough to get out. And as he went in, he crossed him arms while waiting for the mission to start. And to be honest, it's surely going to be better than some morning warmup that others tend to do for the sake of maintenance. "Feel free to tell me when the whole group is all set.", Tensa said to Kamiya, while waiting for other possible invites.
 
The arrancar's response was only to sneer at Ouka's greeting. In his world, pleasantries extended as far as not immediately ripping someone's throat out upon determining their strength. That over 200 years of living as a Hollow didn't resurface in the blink of an eye and he rip out her throat was a testament to his restraint and to his commitment to keep what was a good thing going. The sneer turned into a harsh, sarcastic laugh at the idiocy of the captain leaving her weapon beyond her grasp.

Even with ten years working with these soul reapers and others, he never quite understood their lax behaviour, some more than others. HIs world was filled with fighting and death, hoping to become stronger each day. It might not be that way for him anymore, but old habits died hard.

The laugh died as another arrancar took up position next to Rivu. A quick glance told him that she was weaker than he was, only being a Lieutenant and yet she still saw herself as his equal. A low growl rumbled past his lips; a warning but no sign of incoming harm. The only other sign of his mood was the sound of his knuckles popping as he cracked them, ready to go for the mission.
 
@Yaoi Master Gavin

A hell butterfly drifted across the halls.

Hioshimi's mind crashed down in her head. If a hell butterfly was here, that means a mission. But why is it wandering aimlessly? Because it can't communicate to the Captain. Why can't it communicate to the captain? Because he's asleep, meditating, or dead. Please don't be dead. Please. Hioshimi walked just a little faster, carrying the black butterfly; since she was highest in command at the moment, she heard the message, and sent one back:

"Squad five would like to apologise for the lateness in response; the Captain is unreachable for reasons I have yet to discover. I will inform you of our situation shortly, but it is likely that the Captain and myself will accompany you in this task."

Please not dead. Hioshimi knocked on the Captain's door, hand trembling. "Captain? We have a mission." She called out - no response. Just asleep, right? Hioshimi knocked louder, and called out, "Captain Hibiki, this is your Lieutenant, I am about to enter your office!" Hioshimi gripped the handle, counted to three, and opened the door.

There he was- or, well, wasn't. The desk blocked Hioshimi's view but she could feel his familiar, strong spiritual pressure seeping out, able to control it with a flick of the wrist, able to lie under his desk and snooze whilst Hioshimi did paperwork and didn't sleep and was oh-so-terrified of slipping up and letting off blasts of uncontrolled spiritual pressure... Jealousy was always the base of Hioshimi's hatred for her Captain. Underneath the anger and the annoyance, she actually realised that she can't really blame him, that he was her best (albeit only) friend in the Soul Society, and liked him unconditionally - this never stopped her from nipping his heels though. Especially when it's gone three days - 72 hours - without more than a few scattered power naps.

"Captain, there are three rogue Arrancars, around 20 adhuchjas and many more smaller hollows to destroy. However, if you wish to rest instead of clearing out Karakura town, do not be alarmed; I shall go on my own and do it all for you. It will look brilliant on our record."

Hioshimi kept her voice calm, but she always had a knack for passive aggression. It was her favourite tool in her arsenal, but Hibiki would know better - he was smart enough. Hioshimi only got snarky when she was tired. Whilst this meant she was probably stronger than usual and it would be tactical to take her on a blast mission like this, it was also a risk factor to her well-being; pushing herself too hard can trigger another faint. If anything, Hioshimi sounded determined to go regardless.
 
~~~ Rin Kamiya ~~~
"Alright, looks like everyone is here, let us be off my friends!" Rin said with a large grin as she lead the people towards the back of her compound, though it seemed that they had garnered a little attention due to the size, and who was in it, of their group as they headed towards a large Senkaimon that was for Division 13's private use. There were 4 people standing on either side of it wearing robe like clothing. They weren't part of the Kido Corps, of which hadn't been reformed, but they were the one's who were taught to open the Senkaimon early on. She nodded to the 4 of them and they nodded back before moving into position and did a few hand gestures that Rin thought looked fairly funny. After they finished they placed their hands on the Senkaimon and it opened with a flourish that blew wind into her groups faces. "Alright, into the Senkaimon, let's go start taking back Karakura Town shall we?" Rin said as she stepped through the Senkaimon.​
 
Krivats:

"Hurry up lieutenant i want first crack at all our enemies!" Krivats yelled charging on ahead through the Senkaimon. As they traveled along he wondered what types of hollows would be there in the city and hoped that most of them provided him with a good challenge. "Just like always your only thinking of the next battle *Sigh* just try to not scratch me up too bad alright." His zanpakuto asked him, but was ignored completly since Krivats had no intentions of holding back after having to conserve his strength for so long.

Hiro:

He sighed mentally watching both of the captains charge off like children at an amusement park. "Well at the least i'll have some mature captains coming along with me so it won't be all bad," he thought stepping through the Senkaimon next going at a steady pace. He was hoping that like basic hollows they would be weak enough to be destroyed with ease and they could focus more upon this hollow nest instead. "Something tells me that my hopes are gonna be destroyed fairly soon..especially since we've got our own troublemaker along for the ride."
 
Silence. It was prevalent for but a single moment. Then, the silence gave way to the sound of slow breaths and steady heartbeats. The footsteps of employees, the dull clatter of finger strokes against keyboards. Pens scribbling and scratching against paper, writing down detailed notes and theories. In this type of place, people valued efficiency more than they valued their own souls. Standing atop this congregation of desperate hearts and minds, was a certain individual. The man was named Sun Shao, a "blind" man with an uncanny ability to see through the intents of others. In the companies that this man owned, he realized better than anyone, that people simply threw themselves into their work, in order to escape from the harshness of reality. It was the elephant in the room. Thousands were dying from "unknown" causes, but no one was saying or doing anything about it. Everyone simply thought that it could never happen to them. If only they all knew how wrong they were. That at any moment, the peaceful reality that they knew, loved and treasured, could be torn asunder before their very eyes. In order to protect that fragile reality of everyday people, Shao had devoted himself to serving Soul Society and acting as the intermediary between the world of the living and the dead. At times, the workload he suffered as a result of working in both the spirit and human world was overwhelming. But as the head of one of the most influential families in the modern era, Sun Shao felt that he had to use the influence and power he had for the good of others, rather than solely for the benefit of his family. Paperwork was one of the few things that Shao didn't mind. Mainly because he wasn't the one who had to deal with it. At times, it was nice not being able to see. No one could make you do paperwork without seeming like an ass.

The thought caused Sun Shao to chuckle a bit. While he didn't deal with paper work like the other captains of the Gotei 13, Shao still found that he had a sore lack of free time. If he wasn't investigating the cause of some sort of spiritual calamity, he was dealing with the Sun Conglomerate. Being able to manage both was not an easy task, but Shao had been entrusted with such responsibility by the new Captain Commander of Soul Society, Tae Wang. They didn't always see eye to eye, but Shao could certainly appreciate that his pragmatism produced real results. Above all else, Shao knew that in this time of crisis, they needed a despot more than they needed a saint. Quietly sighing to himself, Sun Shao decided that it was best if he went to consult with the Captain Commander about a certain issue. Just recently, the Captain of the thirteenth division had asked for assistance in subduing a Hollow threat. While the captain did wish for a chance to work alongside his comrades, Shao knew that he was most effective not on the front lines, but in delegating tasks and managing large scale operations. As commander of the Secret Tactics division, Shao had already prepared the Tenkai Ketchu in Karakura town to be activated at the sotaicho's discretion. Of course, Shao figured that there would be something else for him to do whilst his compatriots dealt with the imminent threat to the residents of the human world.

The commander walked through the halls of his division. Unlike the vibrantly colored souls of other divisions, the Secret Tactics division held people with souls of a more ambiguous nature. Such as a dark cloud, thinly stretched across the vast sky. Pockets of sun light piercing through the gray. Those were the kinds of things he "saw" as he looked into the eyes of another. As he greeted them, the pockets of light became a bit brighter, breaking through the dark cloud, to reveal a subtle warmth. Shao was glad that his influence was not completely lost upon his subordinates. Within a few minutes, Shao had gotten to the half way point between the Captain Commander's base of operations and his own. This should have been a casual stroll for any normal person, but as Shao reached a long flight of stairs, he felt as if he might as well have been looking at bloody Everest. Beginning his arduous trek up the stairs, the Commander started off strong, thinking that he might actually be able to pull it off. Three minutes later, he was comically collapsed not even half way up the stairs in a pool of sweat and despair. Luckily a kind soul (who pitied the rather pathetic looking captain) helped Shao the rest of the way. While he could have communicated through a hell butterfly, Sun Shao preferred to receive his orders face to face.

Having finally arrived at the Captain Commander's quarters, Sun Shao gently rapped upon the door. "Excuse me, Wang-daren, are you busy at the moment?" Shao cautiously asked before he would take the initiative to open the door. However, Shao was disappointed to find that the Captain Commander wasn't even there. He groaned in despair as he realized his effort was all for naught. He should have just sent a damned Jigokucho. But now, this was a matter of pride. He did not come all this way for nothing. Shao opened his eyes and stared intently into the distance. Very faintly, he could see the image of a powerful storm, pelting the dried earth with droplets of much needed moisture. The storm that gives birth to the rivers that support life. That was what Shao perceived the Captain Commander to be. Since the image wasn't very clear, The commander was a good distance away. He didn't like doing such, but he figured that he would use shunpo to get closer. The strain of moving at such speeds didn't do well for his heart, but Shao would manage somehow. He hadn't been promoted as the head of Secret Tactics if he didn't have some skill.

Faster than one could blink, Shao appeared a short distance away from the Captain Commander, though his hair and appearance was rather disheveled by the time he arrived. Panting heavily, Shao rested a moment before calling out to the Sotaicho. "W-w..." pants of exasperation broke the flow of his sentence intermittently, but he was slowly catching his breath. "Wang-daren? If I could have a moment of your time?" Shao asked politely, as he approached the de facto leader of Seireitei.
 
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"Of course," Wang replied, turning to face Shao as he released yet another of their extremely plentiful jigokuchou to go chase down Shinobu. He was a really troublesome one. Though he wouldn't disobey a direct order, he would sit there and claim to never have disobeyed any such thing if he never received the order in the first place, all while blatantly trying to avoid the messenger. They probably wouldn't need him but it was good to keep him on call if it became necessary. Meanwhile, someone much more reliable had made his way over, albeit someone with a lot less ability to do things in a long term sense. Shao, like himself, was capable at the front lines but most valuable in the background.

"If this is about damage control to the living world, this attack came without warning but the reports say that the arrancars, and by extension the hollows at their beck and call, are oddly not targeting the civilian population and are instead singling out the shinigami. I'm going to dispatch another jigokuchou shortly with orders for our advance team to draw them out of the city. Regardless of whether they are going after the shinigami or everyone, a full scale battle would wreck the town. As long as what they're interested in is us, that makes our job that much easier."

Truth be told, he intended to get Shinobu ready to get down there to lay support fire in case the arrancar for some reason decided to change their minds and start wrecking the scenery. He was one of their more adept "pest control" fighters by nature as a quincy and could act as a pinpoint executioner with much less damage to the town than if a shinigami fought just due to his skillset. If he kept evading, Wang was going to have to stop taking this easy and forcibly drag him to the gate if it came down to that. He didn't need to get down there. He just needed to be ready to move if it became necessary.
 
As the most important voice in Seireitei answered in response to his question, Shao felt a sense of relief. It was always good to be civil with others, even when dealing with differences of opinion. This is especially true if the person whom your opinion differs from, is your boss. "Xiexie." Shao said before clasping his right fist with his left hand, covering the top of the fist in a Bao Quan, a sort of salute to acknowledge his superior. It might have simply been a side effect of the aggregate souls within him, but Shao always made sure to be properly aware of his etiquette while in "court." Tae Wang had a presence akin to the great rulers of the past. A presence which commanded respect and inspired awe. Still, it wasn't as if everyone was clamoring to follow the instruction of Tae Wang. Shinobu had briefly come to mind. Like a summer breeze, Shinobu was there when you needed it, but never quite when you wanted it. His comings and goings were as the wind. You could give it a name if you pleased, but the wind goes where it will.

Sun Shao listened intently to the Commander's words. Thankfully, the situation had developed as his intelligence officers had said it would. While the fact that Hollows were targeting Shinigami was disconcerting, the Commander raised the point that at least damage to the mortal plane would be somewhat spared with their attention shifted. Still, the leader of the Onmitsukido did not feel comfortable unless he had fail-safes for his fail-safes. "Wang-daren, if you'd prefer, you can keep the area of confrontation within the town's limits. Over the past few weeks, I have ensured that the Tenkai Ketchu is operational. A full scale replica of Karakura-cho has been recreated and is ready to be deployed at your discretion. Of course, measures have also been prepared, in the event that the Tenkai Ketchu becomes compromised." Shao had the soul of a strategist and thus, always thought three moves ahead. Trying to look ahead any further, causes one to miss the stone in their path. Of course alerting Tae Wang of his security measures wasn't the only reason he had come to ask for the Commander's time. He came to be assigned a new task. While Shao wasn't usually much for words, he found it easy to speak if it was about the task at hand.

If anything is to be said about Shao, (aside from the fact that his stamina is pitiable) it is that he works efficiently. He only works with those he could trust, so he that he can delegate tasks to those who he finds capable. Even setting up the Tenkai Ketchu was a bit of work. Especially considering the Kidou corps had been dissolved. Still, Shao had his ways. "Aside from the immediate situation, is there anything else this lowly self can assist you with?" Even in Soul Society, Shao's way of speaking was a bit....dated.
 
"I think we'll withhold use of the Tenkai Kecchu till a later time. Seeing as the attack has already begun, it won't do us much good now. Also, I'd like to keep from erecting anything of ours in the battlefield. Since the arrancars have decided to target the shinigami, they may well target anything we put there as well. We will keep the Tenkai Kecchu ready to use but for another purpose as a backup plan just in case things go wrong," Wang replied. Seeing as the arrancars were in Karakura Town already, switching it with the one in Soul Society would be meaningless. The only thing that would change would be that they would be fighting inside the real Karakura Town inside Soul Society rather than in the living world. The other reason was given for the purpose of justifying the lack of its use despite Shao's efforts and the latter part something he doubted would be necessary but gave the task immediate purpose. The backup plan involved the worst case scenario where for some reason the forces he assumed to be more than adequate were not enough. He would position all their forces around the fake Karakura town, then initiate the Tenkai Kecchu to create an instant of confusion for a coordinated strike with more than twice the manpower, all without dropping Soul Society's security while simultaneously lifting the limiters by default. However, that was a close to worst case scenario plan since it would clearly cause a large amount of damage to the town and leave a large casualty count. While he cared little for the feelings of others, it was important to make sure that every move of his felt like it had purpose and it was especially so in the case of Shao who might as well have been his right hand. He was smart, could think on his feet, and carried out orders to the letter but not without retaining foresight and adaptability to accomplish even delicate and complicated things without his needing to micromanage and check over the results. While Shao was likely not so fragile as to need the attention, Wang found it well worth the effort. That brought him back to Shao's other question. There were indeed a small mountain of things to be done in Soul Society as they were just barely up and running.

"More important than dealing with this attack, I want to know why it happened. The arrancars went after the shinigami specifically, even targeting our patrols from the start. That is unlike normal arrancar behavior, especially when working in groups unless they are organized. Get in touch with our resident hollow captain and anyone else that you deem necessary. Have the remains of Las Noches scouted if you have to but do not let him go alone if it comes to that," Wang instructed, giving probably more information than Shao really needed. He was smart enough to know most of that without being told, especially that last part. It wasn't that Tensa wasn't capable. It was more that he had no semblance of stealth nor subtlety. If three arrancars were being sent, he could bet that if they were organized, there were quite a few of them. While Shao himself was ill-suited to go to Las Noches, if the operation was managed by him, he could be confident in the results.
 
The patriarch of the Sun, listened intently to the words of his superior. Considering the fact that the Tenkai Ketchu would simply be trading the places of Karakura town, with a place from Soul Society, Tae Wang was not wrong with his worries. But Sun Shao had learned well from the records of Aizen's plot. In the event that even the Karakura Town that had been transferred to Soul Society was compromised, Shao had gathered as many of the remaining Kido Corps members as he could and trained a few of his own subordinates, in order to prepare a temporal stasis spell. Anything that has its time frozen, would be unaffected by even the most powerful attack, as long as it remained outside of the flow of time. However, the Captain felt that he wouldn't need to explain his countermeasures. Shao had an inkling if the preparations had been left to Tae Wang, he might've come up with similar measures. In fact, he probably could have done it even more efficiently. "As you say, Wang-daren." Shao said with a curt bow, deferring to the wisdom of his superior.

Just a moment after Tae Wang had explained his thoughts about the preventative measures, the Captain Commander answered his second question and assigned to him his newest task. All things considered, Shao had a feeling that this would be his next assignment. The attack, though it might be callous to say, was not important. What was important, was the reason why this was happening. Currently, if Shao had to surmise, he would guess that Shinigami souls contain a stronger source of reiryoku, not to mention they were composed of reishi. If their goal was to gain power, Shinigami held greater quality, but in terms of quantity, it'd be easier to just ransack towns, wouldn't it? Tae Wang's words weighed heavily on his mind. The fact that three arrancar were working together certainly meant they had a common goal. But what? "Hao. I shall leave immediately. I will report back to you with our findings as soon as possible." Shao said simply as he formed his two hands into the Bao Quan salute and politely bowed. Shao, much like the Captain Commander already knew, was quite poorly suited to go gallivanting across the endless sands of Las Noches, but having Tensa or Rivu accompanying him would certainly make the task manageable. If it were possible he would like to have Rivu and Tensa accompany him. It would be hard trying to deal with both of them, but their combined knowledge would likely be invaluable.

The Commander of Secret Tactics bowed once more to the Captain Commander, before he disappeared before his very eyes. Shunpo was certainly not a skill that Shao could use for long. Forcibly accelerating his body to move at such speeds, caused his heart to start racing and he usually began to feel rather faint as the oxygen rich blood wasn't mixing properly with the oxygen poor blood. Still, Shao felt quite a sense of urgency. The presences of the two Captain's he wanted to take with him to Las Noches, were near the presences of a few other Captain's. This spatial distortion that he could sense, was likely the Senkaimon preparing to take them to Karakura. If he didn't hurry, Shao would have to follow them to the Ningenkai and he hated using the Senkaimon. It was not a natural feeling, passing through dimensions like that. Within a moment, Shao arrived at the 13th division HQ, like usual, out of breath and rather pathetic looking. The shoji door was open slightly and said, "Ojamashimasu." before removing his shoes and entering the division HQ. Sure, he might have been on an urgent mission, but one must never forget their manners when entering someone else's home.

He was looking for Rin so that he could greet her, but it seemed as though she had already left for Karakura-cho. Seeing the other Captains, Tensa, Rivu and Ouka, Shao bowed and smiled politely. "Ni Hao." Sun Shao said to his comrades. "Tensa-daren, Rivu-daren, May I have a moment of your time? Ouka-daren, I would also enjoy having the pleasure of your company, though I'd understand if you haven't a moment to spare." Shao wanted to at least greet everyone before getting down to brass tacks. As the dim light of his eyes drifted across the room, he took in the auras of his peers. Tensa was like the starry sky, clad in darkness, yet never far from light. Rivu was not unlike a finely sharpened blade, well honed and ready to strike. But for what purpose? Ouka was much like an unpolished mirror. Once beautiful and sparkling in the sun, but now, hatred has clouded her reflection in the glass. Shao contemplated a moment, hoping that Ouka would be able to join them as well. The three of them had to have an inkling that Shao would need their help with something, they were probably just waiting for him to tell them what that was.
 
"Now now.. where might you all be headed in such a hurry?" The tone was calm but curious. The woman to which it blonged to was seated casually in a tree on the outskirts of the soul society where there was far less stone and much more green and fresh air. Miko was comfortably curled up amongst the tree's branches with the bulk of her scarf pulled up to cover her mouth and legs crossed. She'd just been informed that a group of Captains and their Lieutenants were heading off to Division 13's barracks after recieving hell butterflies from Captain Kamiya. "And on this the first day of operation?"

"Lieutenant?" A messenger was knelt before the quincy with his head low and eyes shut but ears at full attention for any response.

The woman was young, and from her understanding, the youngest new member of the Gotei 13. This however did not deter her in the slightest. The older her companions, the stronger they may be. And everyone knew the stronger your forces, the stronger your enemies would become to try and fight back; it was a natural order of balance that gorverned all worlds. There would always be someone or something stronger.

Miko aimed to be that something.

"Nothing. Why didn't I recieve a butterfly?" She asked, folding her arms and tilting her head back against the trunk and glancing down at the messenger on the ground below.

"Captain Okatagi hasn't yet responded. As they were only sent to Captain's you were not informed, Lieutenant Haruzen." The messanger bowed his head in silent apology, but did not lift his head as Miko scoffed and spat on the wind.

"We finally get a chance to do something and my Captain is MIA? Just my luck.." Miko heaved a heavy sigh, then slumped back into her tree once more. Waving off the messenger. "Thanks for the heads up, you can leave now."

With that the messenger took off and Miko stared off into the mid-day sky. "My skills are gonna waste away if I have to keep waiting around like this."
 
Ouka smiled as the brave shinigamis marched off like soldiers being deployed to combat. The thought, that there were still people who are willing to lay down their lives for the greater good of the Soul Society, was something that comforted Ouka and brought a smile to her lips. However, there was still a pang of fear in her heart. Sure, there were almost four captains on the mission, but then again, there could be more hollows than the report had mentioned. A good army plays down its strength so that its enemy would only take the number of men needed to conquer such a small army-- until the true strength is displayed. Perhaps, it can also be said for the hollows: they might just be pretending that they're merely 20 or 30 in number, but what if... there was more than meets the eye? Would the force that they send be enough? Would it mean that... they would die?

Ouka shoved these grim thoughts to the back of her mind, trying to maintain her calm look once more. Suddenly, she sensed another presence that entered the room. Well, she didn't need to open her eyes to know that it was Shao-taichou. The man's polite demeanor as well as insightful thoughts were enough to make anyone admire him. Yes, the man had a visual handicap, but in front of all of his achievements, one could easily overlook it. Not only that, but Shao-taichou was, probably, the closest person to Wang-sotaichou. The former was the only one who could keep up with the latter on an intellectual level, and, furthermore, he was the only one who would dirty his hands when the Supreme Commander would require of it. As the captain of the Onmitsukido, Shao's gentle exterior was not to be taken too lightly.

Ouka turned to the entering captain, and bowed to him, smiling gently. "It's a pleasure to hear from you again, Shao-taichou. How fares the Onmitsukido?" Ouka spoke with a soft voice. However, even Shao's polite tone, Ouka knew that he was in a hurry to say something. Shao was always the person who never forgot manners even in the face of pure rush and urgency. "It seems that you have something important to relay to us, Shao-taichou. Well, we are the only ones remaining in this room. Pray tell, what is so urgent for the captain of the Onmitsukido to personally give us the message? I do hope it does not involve anything too dark." the captain continued, opening her eyes and looking at her fellow captain with a serious gaze. Suddenly, she pulled out a small, white cloth to which she tried to give to the sweating shinigami. "You might want to wipe your face first, Shao-taichou. You seem to be almost like a pierced water-balloon." Ouka chuckled, extending the cloth.
 
The Captain of Secret Tactics smiled slightly, wishing that he had a bit more time for small talk. It was nice to escape the hectic pace of his day-to-day life, with just simple conversation. "The feeling is mutual, Ouka-daren. As for the division, well...I certainly haven't had a shortage of work, that is for certain." The Captain said with a melancholic smile. His job sometimes made him do things that he was not proud of, but if he didn't take the responsibility, someone else would have to dirty their hands in his place. "And your division? Everyone is doing well I hope?" Shao asked in turn, not wanting to be rude and interrupt the flow of conversation. The gifted human certainly admired Ouka and the members of her division. Sun Shao had great respect for how they used their hands to save lives, while Shao used his hands to take them, saying it was for the sake of saving more. In a way, he was a little envious, but what was a tree without roots? The roots had to remain in the shadows, so that the leaves could enjoy the light. In the way that his division acted as the roots, Ouka's division was not unlike the rain that allows the tree to flourish.

Though he couldn't see her gaze, Shao certainly felt as though daggers were piercing through him. Ouka could be quite imposing when she was serious. Just as he was about to say something, Shao could hear the soft rustling of fabric and his dimly lit eyes drifted over to her. Listening to her words caused him to become slightly flustered. The red tinge in his cheeks easily noticeable amidst his pallid skin. How unseemly it was to be so exhausted in front of his peers. "Gan xie." The captain said with a kind smile, as he slowly extended his hands to take the cloth. Reaching out, the gentleman's hand lightly clasped Ouka's for just a moment as he gently guided the other hand to take the cloth from her slender fingers. Bowing his head in appreciation, Shao dabbed the cloth along the beads of sweat that formed across his forehead and brow, feeling a sense of relief as the sweat was wiped away. "I will be sure to wash this before I return it to you, Ouka-daren. I thank you for your kindness." The patriarch of the Sun clan hoped that he didn't seem too pathetic to his peers. Having such a weak constitution was frustrating, but it was his lot in life and he had to live it.

The Captain forcibly drew himself from his musings and returned to the matter at hand. Although he did wish he could spend some time chatting idly, he knew that he would need to move quickly if he wanted to try and pick up any clues in Las Noches. Still, it was hard for Shao to skip the pleasantries. One of the "traits" that had been instilled into him before birth was "manners." Trying to abandon them at a time like this felt like listening to nails on a chalkboard. Thankfully though, Ouka was kind enough to divert the flow of conversation to the direction he'd intended. He was grateful for her interjection. "As for the task I had in mind, you needn't sully your hands. They should be for saving lives, not taking them. Though I understand if you cannot join, if possible I still need a skilled healer with me. I need to do reconnaissance in Las Noches. Tensa-daren, Rivu-daren, your assistance would be most appreciated in this matter. This lowly self humbly requests for your cooperation." Shao said as he bowed deeply to his comrades, though he was still feeling a bit....faint. His complexion was noticeably paler than usual. Honestly, using shunpo to get here at top speed was reckless, but he needed the assistance of at least one the hollow captains and either Ouka-daren or a skilled member of her division to accompany them. Shao could certainly hold his own in a fight, just not for long. His condition was one that could not be healed through any means. It was a sort of karmic punishment. As a result, Shao needed a skilled healer to help prolong his time in combat. He would easily lose a war of attrition and the only people who could help him get past that weakness was either Ouka or her second seat. Shao also wanted Tensa and Rivu along, but he would understand if they had reservations about going back to Las Noches.
 
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