FORGOTTEN BEING

**Date Started:** 3 December 2021
**Date Completed:** Ongoing
**Users Involved:** User:EmperorSigma,
**Setting:** Soul Society
**Characters Involved**:
* **Present**: Haruto Yamakage, Tsunayoshi Nishikawa, Kamui Shihōin, Aoki Mifune, Xiǎng-Fēng, Yuichi Yamakage, Soichiro Tenma, Togashi Hiramochi, Hati, Kujo, Kurome Kuchiki, Akaoni Ouga, Minamoto Kuchiki, Kenpachi Kiokushi
* **Mentioned**: Tsuyuri Yamakage,

## ORDERS

*Beings exist to live and serve a purpose*
*You can not rid a being without disturbing the balance of souls*.

*When a being is ignored or ridiculed for simply existing*.

*That being can become your enemy*.

Chaos had far from fallen over Soul Society. Though the tides of war seemed to have had a delayed effect. The sudden disappearance of the strong souls threw not the world, but the Gotei 13 into chaos as the panicked to try and figure out what had happened. Yeent by without an ansswer and even now they still had no idea. Soles don't suddenly vanish without a word. Not souls belonging to those who were the most loyal to the Soul Society at least.

Theories were thrown into the air, but nothing could be confirmed without having those people back. Central 46 and those who were closely tied to the deepest political secrets were aware of this strange phenom but each trail led absolutely nowhere. Day and night the superiors searched for answer, but their inability to come to a reasonable conclusion made the efforts all the more stressful. Even then, they still had other problems to deal with regarding not just the lost souls, but the Seireitei, the Human World, and the Rukongai.

Within the office of the First Division Captain's barracks stood two souls. One was a member of the division himself, Haruto Yamakage and the other was Aoki Mifune of the Second Division. Tsunayoshi slid his finger across the stack of papers on his desk, pulling a vanilla envelope from it and holding it up to his face. He opened the envelope and removed what were a few pieces of papers and quickly read over them with his index finger. Once he was done he gracefully placed the papers back on the table and looked to the faces of Haruto and Aoki.

Haruto knew that Tsunayoshi was a man of dramatization. If there was ever a time Soul Society would host a reality casting, Tsunayoshi would without a doubt be the leading role. Still, he was a wonderful leader. One he had grown to respect well before he joined the Gotei 13 and was largely the reason he decided to remain a member after the whole fiasco.

The seated officer's gaze drifted to the corner of his eye where he looked to Aoki with a concern. He didn't think too much opting to contain his thoughts for the time being so that he could get through whatever it was Tsunayoshi had summoned him for, but he did have a few concerns regarding her and the Second Division as a whole. They'd been assigned quite a few missions recently, some with outcomes that even he questioned, but now wasn't the time for that.

"Haruto-san, Aoki-chan, I apologize for calling you on such short notice." Tsunayoshi started, his elbow sliding onto the table as he pulled his hand up to his face. "But there are urgent matters within one of the Rukongai districts. Appearantly there's been creatures, it is unclear if they are Hollows or not, running around causing quite the ruckus. I need you two to investigate for me."

The black-haired Shinigami quickly placed it attention back to Tsunayoshi once he began to speak. "Creatures running around and causing a ruckus? Yeah, there's no way they aren't Hollows. Which district is it?" Haruto asked.

"Rukongai District #98, Mokuyuri." Answered Tsunayoshi.

Haruto took a brief pause before responding, "Wait, isn't that District in ties with Central 46? Shouldn't there be someone there within that district?"

Tsunayoshi nodded. "However, as you know our current situation, Haruto-san, we've been forced to pull those mens from those poisitions in favor for positions that moreso require their attention a bit more. We thought that we would be able to skimp by doing this, but it has undoubtly bitten us in the rear end."

Placing her weight onto the side, Aoki placed one hand on her hip and stared down at the papers, "It's not everyday you call for me captain commander. The mission shall be done as you ask."

Aoki did not wear the traditional garb of shinigami, it wasn't like she fully belonged to the corps. She was a close member of the task force who serve central 46. That was most likely why she was summoned. She was more than qualified for this mission. Information missions are where her specialty.

"You don't look to happy about me though, something on your mind?" Aoki asked now turning her head to Haruto. His emotions where clear to read for her and they told her he had doubts.

Haruto's vision did not leave Tsunayoshi this time. How could she have deduced such a thing? He never said nor looked at her any different than how he looked at Tsunayoshi. Perhaps she had the special ability to read minds. Regardless, he responded to her as a form of respect. "Questions like that aren't ones that should be asked when being tasked with a mission." Haruto said, "Starting off with bad blood won't lead to a successful conclusion.

The red-haired Shinigami laughed as he bat his eyes, "Well, well, while I'd love to hear the animosity the two of you possess, it'll have to wait." Tsunayoshi tapped his desk, "You two have a mission that I want completeled, analyzed, and reported back, yeah?" He quickly brought the topic back to the reason they were even summoned here. "Haruto, Aoki, I *need* you to do this. That goes without saying that failure is not an option, correct?"

Without giving a gap between Tsunayoshi's ending sentence, Haruto quickly responded. "Yes sir!"

*"The people of the Thirteen Court Guards Squads have already begun to pester among each other early on. The cruel methods of Kamui Shihōin have brought a lot of hatred towards the entire division. He's even being considered Central 46's dog or the "Shadow Hunter". This'll prove quite difficult in the future."* Tsunayoshi thought to himself, *"I'd do best to get this under control before it gets out of hand. I'll need to conduct a meeting with the rest of the Captains."*

Following the resound Haruto. Aoki quickly snapped into a more formal pose. "Yes commander" She chose not to speak on her captains methods, after all He was just following orders same as anyone else in her mind.

An hour had passed since Tsunayoshi had given orders to Aoki and Haruto regarding the contents of their mission. It was a short journey and had taken only two minutes for them to reach the Mokuyuri district through a portal. Had it not been for Tsuyuri who was an exceptional scientist in her own right for her ability to create rifts within the different areas of Soul Society, this journey would have taken well over two hours. The Captain-Commander had pled for her to join the Gotei 13 ever since its reconstruction had fallen into his hands, but she had declined him even more times than Kamui did. Well, it was less of her declining his offer and more of her ignoring his request.

Haruto stepped foot out of the rift, his wrist rested on the hilt of his blade and his face immediately looked over the area. He scanned the district in its entirety, his sensory skills had been honed over the years due to the training he picked up from learning under Tsunayoshi. His sensory relayed something he had never felt before, but was more concerning was the state that the district was in and the report he had recieved from Tsunayoshi not adding up.

"Hey, Aoki." Haruto called out, his eyes not leaving the scene before him. He had been under the impression that the district would be absolutely void of life, but there seemed to have still been a large number of Souls that trooped it. His eyebrow raised, "The report, while it didn't say otherwise, appeared that these people would have been missing in action." He brought his hand up to his chin, "I'm quite confused."

Swiftly Taking in the District. Aoki too stepped out of the rift. " I glimpsed at the reports. At first, glance missing would be a reasonable conclusion. As well as a good cover-up." Aoki said, Clearly having suspicions already. She locked onto a man going down an alley. Even from a Glance, she gained a picture of him.

Underneath his clothes, The man hid a dagger. While the imprint was not clear to the average eye it was noticeable. Not to mention the fact that he watched every passing person from the corners of his eyes.

"You said you were confused. Why not find some answers shall we?" She said nodding in the direction of the alley. Aoki knew how to pick certain things apart. This was one of the reasons why she went on so many intel operations. Even though she didn't want to send others into alarm and give away their goal. a man like that Would surely be useful.

A lot had been going through Haruto's mind, but he chose to keep his thoughts to himself. After all, everything had just hypothesises and he didn't want to raise any alarms or concerns so early on. He needed a few more facts and details so that he could drawn a feasible conclusion on what he had been thinking, because without that he had nothing more than aimless thoughts for a case he couldn't provide anything to.

Without confirming to Aoki, Haruto took a step forward and his figure vanished before it reappeared a distance away, right next to the man who had been hiding in the alley. Haruto's frame friengtened him for a moment, causing the man to jump back where he then immediately drew his knife and pointed it at Haruto. Instinctively, Haruto swatted the man's hand away with enough force to extensively drop the knife as well.

"Who the hell are you?" The man asked. He was much like the rest of the people of the district, dressed in rich garbs and beautiful clothing, yet he seemed a bit tense.

Dropping his hand, Haruto looked to the man directly. "My name is Haruto Yamakage, Fifth Seat of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads' First Squad." He quickly responded, "I'd like to ask you a few questions."

The man grit his teeth and swiped his arm. "The Court Guard? Those bastards who are supposed to protect this division?!" The man exclaimed, reached underneath his kimono once again and drawing out yet another knife, swinging it at Haruto in a wild, unorthodox manner. It was quite cleear that this man had no combative training whatsoever, he had simply been wildly swinging.

Through a series of head movements and body sways, Haruto dodge before lifting the backside of his wrist up once again and swatting it away. "Hey, what's your problem?"

"My problem?!" The man shouted, "You want to know my problem? It's that you useless soul reapers haven't been doing what you're supposed to do and protect us!"

He would not have seen the woman approaching behind him given the fixation to attacking Haruto. But Aoki appeared out of shunpo. Bringing her hand up to attack one of the man's pressure points. Causing his arms to drop and immobilize the attacker in the process.

" Your claims don't match your actions. Attacking someone that doesn't protect is rather dumb. not to mention you shove them in the opposite direction." she said to the man who attacked her comrade. There was no need to injure a man like this.

"Haruto, you should watch for knives. They tend to damage a face like yours. Putting that aside though, This pattern has shown up much more recently. What do you think?" Aoki said to Haruto after grabbing the man so that he could not escape from the pair.

Haruto looked to the opposite direction of the alley, the people of the town continued to go about their every day lives, but the structure of their reiatsu gave him a feeling of unease. He grit his teeth under his lips, keeping his expression hidden from both the man and Aoki. *"Damn, and here I thought this would be much easier."*

Then his attention shifted upon the man. "We've got a few questions don't we?" Haruto tossed his hand up into the air, spinning it in the clockwise direction. As he did, a luminescent followed behind it as a type of drag, following closely along his hand as he made the movement. "Eyes become the greatest trick against you and mask only what you can see, not what you can feel." Everything around Haruto began to fade away before it was only just the three of them standing in what appeared to a new place in space.

"Wait, no!" The man shouted, scared for his life under the assumption that Haruto and Aoki intended to do anything harmful to begin with.

The Shinigami sighed, "Calm down, no one is gonna' do anything to you. We're just trying to get some answers of what's been going on around here. That there was a kido spell, **Taimen**, which masks you from the outside world." Haruto then pointed back to the direction of the town and there everything could be seen. "You can still see them, they just can't see you." A swift but precise explanation.

"So please, if you don't mind, I'd like to know everything that's been happening here." From his shihakusho he drew out a small notepad and pen, flipping it open and preparing to write down everything it was the man was going to tell him.

"Tch," he said with an attitude, "The names Mayuo, by the way!" He turned his head up, "You Shinigami are useless and rude, that's a damn shame." Mayuo teased Haruto for his negligence in asking his name.

Eyes widened, he was caught by surprise. "Oh, excuse me for that!" Haruto said bowing his head, "My humblest apologies for not even thinking to ask your name. Now that was truly rude of me. Again, I apologize Mr. Mayuo." He lifted back up, "But please, would you mind sharing with us exactly *what* has been going on around here? We've recieved reports of attacks and even some of your people going missing."

"You damn right!" Mayuo cursed, "We've bee fighting for our lives over the past three months! Kids, women, even the elderly, these *things* have no limits to who they see as their prey."

Haruto's eyebrows lifted as he began to write down everything Mayuo said. He quickly backtracked over the written words and stopped before looking back up to the man, "You said *thing* and *prey*, what do you mean by that exactly?"

He gave an upnod in the direction opposite of the rest of the town. "See down there there I was going? Keep on and you'll see *exactly* what I mean."

Haruto quickly drew his gaze down the alley and upon doing so his heart began to beat. His body began to shake, but not in fear, just at the sudden urge of unease. *"Wait, why the hell hadn't I sensed this before? The amount of spiritual pressure coming from there is crazy."*

Aoki also looked around to the alley. she could tell that Mayou was telling the truth. for this, she moved the man behind her. taking up a defensive stance.

" I apologize for earlier Mayou-sir. But what the hell is down that alley. It would help us protect you, unlike the shinigami you have a vendetta against. Haruto what are your orders." As she spoke the presence only seemed to get stronger.

it all seemed to build up, even so, something was off. The spiritual pressure leaking towards them is different, somehow. Aoki didn't know exactly what to make of it. Still, she focused on the mission. Protecting this man and finding out just what went on in this district.

Deactiving the spell, Haruto swiftly began making his way towards the end of the alley with Aoki follinwg directly behind. The signature of spiritual pressure he had been following was unknown. An unsatisfying feeling of unease. It was strong, he hadn't felt something so potent since the people of his own clan or the Captains of the Gotei 13. He wanted to turn his expression upside down, but he couldn't show a face like that to what he was more than certain would be an enemy. His thoughts wandered and wandered until finally he reached the end of the alley and found himself in what seemed to be an all new World.

Stepping within the new found area, Haruto stopped right in his tracks and swallowed a chunk of air. He looked to the ground, "I knew when I stepped out of that alley that I seemed to have dropped a layer." The Shinigami said, eyes flat square as he stood within what was clearly some sort of gigantic foot print. "But, I didn't think this was what I would find."

He lifted his head up and there sat a giant beast. It rested on its front paws, landing his head between as a pillow as steam poured from its snout. Its spiritual pressure expelled off of its being in the form of a violent explosion, removing the trees, buildsing, and other powerfully rooted structures right off of the ground as it yawned and lifted its head to bring it down to an eyes level of Haruto.

"What the hell?!" Haruto asked frantically, looking dead into one of the beast's eyes. That eye alone was the same size, if not bigger, than Haruto. That uneasy sensation he felt earlier began to show itself to the outside world.

"Fear?" The creature asked, eye looking left and right switching between Haruto and Aoki. "No, it is not fear. Not yet." The beast said, ruffling his nose in the air as he took a whiff of Aoki and Haruto. "Soul Reapers," he had gone quiet.

Haruto extended his arm out and placed it in front of Aoki. He then put his index and middle fingers together to point towards the ground. Blue energy extended upward to four points and formed an inverted pyramid around Haruto and Aoki in the state of a barrier. "**Bakudō #73. Tozanshō**. I can sense his spiritual pressure shifting."

"Soul Reapers!!" He then shouted, standing up on all fours letting out a mighty roar which woke the many sleeping eyes around. "I've been waiting for you, Soul Reapers!!" With a mighty swipe of his hand, the canine creature shattered the barrier as if it were a glass water. The sparkles of blue energy appeared as glitter falling over the two Shinigami.

Aoki and Haruto were both pushed back, feet sliding across the dirt as it collected underneath their sandals. Haruto slapped his back foot against the ground, halting himself from going any further. "What do you mean you've been waiting for us?!" Haruto asked, an attempt to handle matters in a social manner, but he had already begun preparing his next spell. He may have not been sent there to cause unneccesary blood shed, but he was a member of the First Division and do whatever was neccessary to protect himself.

## DIVISIONAL FUED

Sandals slapped against the soft dirt of the ground as a being made his way swiftly through towards a gigantic estate with the kanji spelling "Second Division" at the main entrance. Two men dressed in black shihakusho's guarded the gate, but the black-haired, crimson-eyed Shinigami sought to pass right through them as if they didn't even exist.

"You shall not pass!" One of the guardsmen said, holding their arms up to their face, taking up a battle stance. "Captain Kamui has given us strict orders to not allow anyone to pass through here until authorized.

The young man said nothing and simply lifted a small piece of paper into the air with the kanji "Kurome" written on it, verifying that it was a letter from her. With this, he was given access to speak with the Captain of the Second Division directly, but it was the fact that it was within his hands rather than Kurome that seemed rather odd. Had this man been here to slay Kamui? Not dressed in the garbs of a Shinigami he wasn't, in fact, he was a member of the Gotei 13 without a doubt--a high ranking member even.

Nodding, the two men stepped aside and allowed him to pass through and thus he did so without saying anything. It was a long travel to reach the Captain's quarters, but he movement with absolute swiftness. He was on a mission, an urgent one and he wouldn't stop until he reached his destination.

Meanwhile, within the office of the Captain, Kamui stood with a member of his division. His gaze was firm and it peered into the very soul of his division member as if he wanted to pierce through him like the enemies he did on the battlefield. "And your assignments, how have they gone so far?" Kamui asked, arms folded across his chest as he continued to stand up.

"I think they're goin' pretty well, Captain." The subordinate answered with a smile. Despite the pressure from his Captain, he was fairly non-chalant, as if he were used to this sort of drilling before. The subordinate in question was Xiǎng-Fēng, a member of the lower-ranked Noble Fēng clan. He was the sole successful heir to this branch of the Fēng clan that sought membership in the Onmitsukidō, and compared to his predecessor, far more laid-back.

"I heard some whispers complainin' about some collateral. But I just flew past 'em. As long as the mission's finished, eh?"

Kamui remained unphased in both his expression and stance. His stare only got colder as Xiǎng-Fēng continued to talk. It was true that Xiǎng-Fēng was like this all the time, but that didn't mean Kamui accepted it. In fact, he didn't. He never did and as far as he was concerned, he never will. There was nothing wrong with Xiǎng-Fēng's non-chalant personality, it was moreso his inability to remove his happy-go-luck emotion. This trait was the young man's flaw, one that Kamui felt would have easily been exploited for the line of work that was assigned.

Unimpressed, the Captain spoke. "I am pleased to hear the mission was completed. Above all else, the mission comes first." An honest man he was. "I have looked over your assignments and each have been a success. This is not a moment of praise, simply a moment of reaching higher levels." His words traveled like thunder over an island, "It has been talk recently of you seeking to join the Stealth Force, I think it is time that offer gets looked at offcially. Would you be interested in taking a Stealth Force Course that will, is passed, garuntee you access into the Stealth Force?"

Mentally, the Shihoin closed his eyes. Xiǎng-Fēng, while his personality may have not been up to par with his expectations, possessed tremendous skill. Yet, it was much deeper than that. Over the few years the relationship between the Shihoin Family and the Fēng family had lost its bond due to the Fēng Family's extremely methods of acceptance. Yet, his father had pushed him to the edge in an attempt to rekindle that relationship. Sadly for Kamui, he had to do this with a kid, the last option he would have chosen. Though, orders were orders.

"Aw, I'm not good enough already?" Xiǎng-Fēng was a little disappointed. All of those missions, all of that blood, for what? Another test?

"Well, if ya' say so Captain." Xiǎng-Fēng responded. "All of my siblings have died trying reaching to the Stealth Force, so time to see if it was worth all of that bloodshed, no?" Xiǎng-Fēng, despite the gravity of his words, simply spoke non-chalantly. It was unusual. Xiǎng-Fēng was a boy who appeared to flutter about with his words, never anchoring himself to any particular emotion nor any sincerity. Yet somehow his words always reached the right spot, as if he were a butterfly landing on a flower.

Kamui gave himself a mental sigh, "Being good enough skillwise is not enough. Being a member of the Stealth Force goes well beyond your ability to physically preform tasks. Your mind set has to be different, you will be forced to embark on missions that will be far beyond what you have done as a Shinigami. I have seen even the toughest men fold, when their targets have become the people who shares the same blood as them." What Kamui had said was absolutely correct. To be an assassin--no--a member of the Stealth Force was well beyond being able to preform the tasks, it was about how one would react after they had preformed the task that mattered the most.

Among his thoughts, Kamui's body twitched. He had sensed the reitasu of someone getting close and rather than turn his body in order to meet it face to face, he kept his sighs on Xiǎng-Fēng, but been prepared for whatever was to come.

"Captain Shihoin!" The young man exclaimed, pushing the door of the officer off of its hindges with his raw strength alone.

His eyes closed once the young man made his appearance known to the duo. He took a brief pause before responding and though he couldn't see, he just knew he had an angered expression on his face from the tone he had chosen to use. "Lieutenant Yamakage of the Sixth Division. How did you gain access, was it by force?"

Yuichi's face definately sported the expression of anger, but it wasn't as aggressive as most of those who were known to be mad. He was normally a collected individual so for him have even been raising his voice to the small level that he did gave Kamui everything he needed to know about his current state of thinking.

"This," he said, slapping the white sheet of paper onto the desk that he had used to get past the guards. "Or maybe you forgot that this was given to her."

"Oh right, I forget you are the underling of Kurome." Said Kamui. "So, you took it from her without her noticing. I commend you for being able to do such a thing. Sneaking past a woman of her skill is impressive." It was rare for Kamui to compliment anyone in the way that he did with Yuichi. The first time he had ever given Xiǎng-Fēng any type of recognition was just five minutes ago.

He opened his eyes and then placed his gaze onto Yuichi, "Then again, I should not be as surprised as I seem. A Kido expert, Zanjutsu expert, the only lieutenant to not attend the Shin'o Academy. I have studied you and everyone else of that devision."

"I have no interest in what you have studied, Captain Shihoin." Yuichi started, his body turned to the side as he gave Kamui a stare out the corner of his eye. "I've simply come here to tell you the imprisonment of Lieutenants Ryujin and fourth seat Yagami were not justifiable sentences."

"The lieutenant was released already." Kamui retorted immediately after.

Yuichi sighed, "I've been informed. I believe that the fourth seat should also be released. The current state of the Thirteen Court Guard squads is not in a position to have our own numbers imprisoned for petty crimes." The lieutenant said, "A few years from now, sure, but right now can not afford to take such actions."

The room went silent after Yuichi spoke. "I see you do not have much to say different from everyone else. And here I thought you were truly one of Kurome's. You may leave now."

"I will do no such thing." Yuichi responded firmly.

Xiǎng-Fēng's eyes darted across both people in the room. This discussion definitely didn't *involve* him. However, since he was here, there was no harm in saying his two cents...or maybe there was. A Shihōin and Yamakage. Two of the elite Noble clans, and yet here Xiǎng-Fēng was, a lower-ranked Noble, a vassal clan even, daring to observe this whole situation.

"Say..." Xiǎng-Fēng opened his mouth, and he felt all eyes land on him. There was a palpable sense of danger, but Xiǎng-Fēng chose to simply fly past it. "Crimes should always be punished. As nobility and Shinigami we are taught that twofold. So, Captain here isn't particularly *wrong* in arresting whoever that is. But..."

Xiǎng-Fēng paused briefly, wondering if he should his complete his sentence. He was fluttering over the options. On one hand, if they liked the option, this feud might cease. On the other hand, the target of their feud might just change to him. Though...if Xiǎng-Fēng stopped talking now, the third hand would be getting completely blacklisted by both Shinigami before him. Probably the worst option.

"Instead of acquitting the punishment, why not just change it? Ultimately, he still needs to be useful to Soul Society. We're all going through the thick of it now, so why not find a punishment that still allows us to exploit his value as a soldier?"

The words Xiǎng-Fēng said were controversial. They treated the prisoner's life as if he had no value to begin with. Unfortunately...Xiǎng-Fēng couldn't think of the prisoner as much else.

Xiǎng-Fēng spoke and he spoke clearly. His words traveled through the both of their ears, marinated in their thoughts process, and then traveled right out of the other. Where Yuichi was normally level-headed, in this case, he seemed to have all of his focus placed onto Kamui. Meanwhile Kamui on the other hand, had his attention on the fact that Yuichi had even come in the first place.

"It's best that you remain silent," Yuichi said, speaking before Kamui could even say anything but his words were quite clearly directly at Xiǎng-Fēng. "Affairs discussed among nobility should stay among the nobles. There will be no using of any soul reaper so long as they are members of these Court Gaurds. Everyone is to be treated equally as brothers-in-arms, not as some sort of tools nor fodder on the battlefield."

A stream of air blew from Kamui's nose, "To use him for the benefit of the Soul Society sounds suitable." He said, agreeing with Xiǎng-Fēng in a sense. "I would love to have him thrown onto the battlefield and die like the traitor he is." Yuichi's gaze lifted up a bit as Kamui seemed to have agreed with his division member.

He snapped, "Is that how the Second Division operates, Captain Shihoin? If you feel as though someone has broken a rule, you'll throw them into a cell until your heart is content with the outcome? Noble, yes, but you have no right to make that decision without the authorization of the Head Captain."

"If you are under the impression that Nishikawa has any say so over this situation, you are to be in for a rude awakening." Kamui was getting at something that Yuichi had yet to understand, "Consider this, lieutenant, why has the Head-Captain not taken him out of prison himself? Because the hierarchy will not allow him to do so. Nishikawa has absolutely no jurisdiction over Central 46."

"!!" Yuichi's eyes widened, "Central 46?!"

"My." Xiǎng-Fēng said with a modicum of surprise. "I'm surprised *they* got involved in such an affair. Was the offense truly that serious?" Xiǎng-Fēng scratched his head. "It is said that the Central 46 cannot refuse a high-ranking member of the Four Noble Clans...makes ya' wonder if that played a part in it."

"When an offense is considered, they look into the case thoroughly." Kamui said to both Xiǎng-Fēng and Yuichi. "It may be on paper that he saved a Hollow and a young boy. Though, you looked far into the future and you see the true depths of the crime he had committed. By allowing that Hollow to live, he has now placed us in a position where that Hollow could rebel against us and return as a potential threat to not only the Soul Society, but the Seireitei as well."

Kamui closed his eyes once again. He was already at ease but his shoulders buckled up. "This is why I tell those who have no information regarding something to remain silent. I was not ordered to accompany the Tenth Division on that mission by the Head Captain. Those orders came directly from Central 46, due to the potential they saw within the Hollow."

## FORGOTTEN BEINGS

 **Hell is that thing, a wolf** Aoki said while halting herself from falling back any further. She practically had to shout for her voice to be heard by haruto, "Haru how do want to move forward." Aoki said however due to the sheer volume of the *thing* in front of them it drowned out some of her words.

She asked only due to the man only putting up defenses. Now would be the worst time to cause tension. Besides she knew how to take orders and if the 1st member wanted to simply defend she would defend.

In all of this commotion while the shinigami had stood their ground. Their company was completely whisked away, or rather was it that he was annihilated by the sheer power the beast exalted.

Haruto showed his fangs at the beast, "We'll defend ourselves how we've been taught." He claimed, placing his hand around the hilt of his sword as if he prepared to draw it. Everything he had been thinking before left from his mind as the only thing he truly ended up trying to deduce in the end was what the dog before him meant by he had been waiting for Soul Reapers to appear.

"We were well aware that this district was under the direct care of Central 46, but we didn't notice that you all were so low on manpower you couldn't send anyone here. They call me Hati," he said, finally introducing himself. "Today marks the demise of the Soul Reapers who have shunned us for so long." Hati went silent as he dropped his gaze down to the ground and closed his eyes for a moment of silence. Just like Haruto's own mind which had been filled with thoughts, so was Hati, but his included much more bledshed.

He lifted his head and repeated Haruto's own actions, showing his much more deadly fangs to the Shinigami. "Get them!" His voice rang across the entirety of the forest nearly causing an earthquake with his shout alone.

The foot steps of many creatures could be heard all around the area. Their heavy beings leaving their prints in the dirt as they solidified their appearance. Each looked different from one another, but they were all the same in both spirit and the outcome of their life. "HOWWWWWWLLLLL!" They all syncronized together to let out a howling cry. Then, upon their leader's command, they rushed towards him on all four paws, trampling over the grass in an attempt to kill both Aoki and Haruto.

"!!" Widened eyes and a beating chest couldn't expression the sensation that travel down. Though the creatures had a distance to travel before they actually reached him, the pace at which their paws moved gave him the educated assumption that they would catch him far before he would be able to let off a kido spell. Still, he swallowed that fact and tried to to defy the laws. Was it for his pride? Or to genuinely protect himself? Being a Shinigami was much deeper than just exterminating Hollows and protecting the peace within the Soul Society. It was much more.

Sliding his hand along the hilt of his sword, he stopped it once he reached the rifle that was lodge between his shihakusho and his white waistband. Placing his finger into the trugger weld of the rifle, he pulled it out and aimed it at the group of incoming beasts.

"I won't kill you, but I do intend to put you do-" His words stopped as his body jerked forward slightly. His eyes drifted to the corner of his eye as he looked to Aoki. He then looked down to his stomach and lodged right in the middle was a large nail with blood sliding down it dripping to the ground.

Like his abdomen, blood also came from his mouth, rolling down his bottom lip before gathering at his chin. *"When the hell did he get behind me? I couldn't even sense his presence or anything."*

Unlike the rest of the creatures that had been running towards him, this one was bipedaled using its hind legs to stand. With his other paw, he placed it on the shoulder of Haruto and pulled his nail from his stomach pushing the Shinigami to the ground. He bore similiarities to Hati. The only difference was the fact that this one was much smaller and standing on two feet with all green fur. It was still a dog, but just from that small exchange one could tell that he was much more intelligent.

He threw his hand to the side, removing the blood on his nail before making it compress in size comparable to that of a normal canine's nail. Haruto dropped to the ground and his vision began to blur before they completely colored themselves out. *"W-Whaaaaat happeeeeened...."*

His attention then turned to Aoki, the only one standing.

If the attacker had hoped to attack her ally and expect Aoki to just stand there. It would have made a fatal mistake. By the time the beast had turned around she was gone.

**Shroud. Kemuri** the words belonged to Aoki who had employed her zanpakuto's shikai. Following this a blanket of smoke seemed to form around the beast. Completely enveloping the body of Haruto seeming to make it vanish upon fully covering the shinigamis form. This was not all for within the smoke stalked the assassin Aoki.

Silently she struck. Aiming to bring the Kama that was her zanpakuto right onto the neck of the hait lookalike. If she was successful the Kama would tug at the neck of the beast drawing blood as aoki stabbed into its throughout killing the beast in one quick motion that would not hinder her from attacking the rest.

If there was something clear about hte different between the beast and the Shinigami, it was the spritual pressure they possessed and its ability to erase its presence. In the same way the Shinigami would have moved, the beast using its instincts that were beyond normal human or soul capabilities, moved as well. With a kicking foot, the beast tossed Haruto across the land where his body would fling across the ground before it stopped underneath the shadow of Hati. He achieved all of this before Aoki's shikai command could finish and his figure didn't even appear as a flash or after image, he just disappeared.

"Those fast movement techniques you Shinigami pride yourself on are nothing compared to the warriors of the Beast Realm." Hati said, backing his comrades speed by the fact he was able to obviously outmaneuver Aoki. After all, he was able to sneak behind Haruto and take him out before he even had the chance to react.

The bipedaled canine turnt his attention back to Aoki once again. Not that he needed to, but simply because he wanted to. Slowly he reached into his fur and dug his finger into his skin. "Chief Hati," The dog said, "Permission to release myself. I would not like to waste time and handle this situation as swiftly as possible. Our time here has already been drained as it is-woof."

"Hm," Hati paused to take a moment to think, "I suppose I can grant you the ability to do so. But know this, Kujo, failure will not be tolerated."

Kujo nodded, "WOOF WOOF! **Inumaru**!" He shouted, his spiritual pressure burst off of his body and hailed over the entire forest almost in the same way that Hati's did. Stretching his lips as far apart as he could, he pointed his snout at Aoki. "***ROAR***!" He shouted, releasing a shockwave that sent ripples towards Aoki. Everything within the path of these ripples would find itself shattered into tiny pieces. These ripples were in actuality vibrations, seeking to soak through the flesh of a being and send and cause drastic changes to the bone structure.

There was nowhere to go, nowhere to hide, nowhere to run. Aoki couldn't even advance with her zanpakuto. The smoke that was under her command came crashing. It's layers fading away as the sounds of the roar reached aoki's ears. The sound alone was overwhelming. The previous stealth moves the female had been hoping for where shit down as now her cover was gone.

More than this aoki felt the waves of the roar deep down into her. The pain was agonizing, for it wasn't some minor discomfort. The woman's skeletal structure seemed like it was being altered,. Letting out a scream of pain aoki fell onto her knees then onto the ground. She writhed along the ground clawing at an invisible force.

Even if she could see ways to fight against a beast the shinigami wouldn't be able to do them. The beast's moves where quicker than her own. It's strength more than her own. It was no wonder the shinigami had been going missing and not helping here where too high ranking members of their respective divisions and they had quickly been reduced to an unconscious one and now another who was on the grown in agony.

"Great job, Kujo." Hati praised, "Now, collect their bodies. Our next stop.." He said pasuing and turning down the walkway, "The Seireitei."

The sky was as bright as rays of light. The sun shined over the entirety of the Seireitei giving light to all that was underneath it. Shinigami, young children, and adults frolic around and carried on with their day to day duties. In a sense, this was the peice that the people of the Gotei 13 had fought for over the past century. They protected these people with their sword, upholding the status of the Nobles above the rest of Soul Society doing tyhe bidding of Central 46 who acted as the government.

Alas, the setting at the barracks of the First Division was no different. Tsunayoshi made an enviornment around his squad that kept every comfortable. They felt as ease not only when he was around, but when he had left as well. If there was one person within the Gotei 13--no--the entire Soul Society that they trusted, it was the man who wore his red hair like a lion wore its mane.

***BOOM***

The core of the Seireitei shook as an earthquake hit the land. Houses and other strutures tilted over under the immense force that caused the area to shake down to its basis. Head thumps could be felt throughout the inner city and even the closer districts of the Rukongai caught a glimpse of this thumping. A shadow took over a large area of the city bringing instant night fall over what it shrouded. It was in the middle of the day, how the hell could it have been night time all of a sudden? Plus, the Seireitei didn't get earthquakes, it's land was much different from what encompassed the World of the Living.

All that were around stood in awe as they looked up to what had been causing these unnatural events to happen. Their mouths drop and their beings shuddered and had no one known any better, one would have assumed that they were looking up in amazement. There, covering a large portion of their town, was Hati, the giant silver wolf.

Through the immediate barracks of the First Division the people scurried through their living quarters. The higher ups of the division rushed their way into the office of Tsunayoshi kicking the door down completely neglecting to knock on it as he always instructured. "Head-Captain Nishikawa, t-there's something big out there! I've never seen anything like it before!" The First Division member claimed, stuttering as he spoke.

Tsunayoshi stood to his feet and nodded his head. He looked down at his desk and slammed his palm onto his hand. "Why didn't I pick up on a spiritual pressure signature? I thought it was simply another division training. I sould have been more weary when I felt the mood change and the sun suddenly fell down. Could you possibly indentify it?" He asked.

The man swallowed his own spit, "Sir, it's like a.. it's like a giant Wolf, sir! It's without a doubt not a Hollow, it's a being we have never seen before sir!"

"What? What do you mean?" The situation was serious, yet somehow, someway, Tsunayoshi managed to remain calm and keep his cool. "I see, contact Captain Hiramochi, Captain Tenma, and Captain Shihōin and tell them to get here. Give them authorization to utilize the "All Portal."

The Divisional member stopped Tsunayoshi, "Sorry, Head-Captain, Captain Shihōin has recently gone out on a mission."

"Oh?" He asked, quickly carrying on. "I hadn't gotten that information. Then gather the other two and have them meet me here immediately." He gave his final orders.

Fifteen minutes has passed and there was nothing yet. Tsunayoshi remained within his room after recieving reports that the creature hadn't moved since he reached the Seireitei. Through a rift in space, the appearances of Tenma and Togashi materialized at his side.

"It seems we may have a probl-" Before he could even get into a deeper conversation with either of them, the main area of the First Division came crashing down followed by a number of loud screams. The infrastructure of the building collided on the immense force causing a whirlwind of dust and debris to fly around.

Tsunayoshi, at the last minute, formed a protective barrier around himself and the others within the First Division's barracks. Lookng to his left and right he immediately found the culprit behind the attack--a giant paw belonging to the creature that was described by his division member. Removing the barrier from protection, Tsunayoshi ensured that all of his people including Togashi and Tenma were safe.

The wolf lowered his head to the ground, his nose stood face to face with the beings of the three Gotei 13 Captains as his own canine men followed behind him. There, at the side of Hati's face appeared Kujo, one of the elite amongst his men. He released a stream of hot air threw his nose. The force of the puff was enough to blow the debris, dust, and rubble aside leaving a clear view of Tsunayoshi, Togashi, and Tenma in his sight.

"And to who do I owe this fine occassion to?" Tsunayoshi asked with a smiling expression on his face.

Hati blew air from his nose once again, "I did not come here for worthless chit-chat, Soul Reaper." He cornered his eye sight to Kujo who possessed a body over his shoulder. Grabbing the body, he tossed it to the ground in front of Tsunayoshi revealing it to be the mass of Aoki Mifune.

"Wait-!" Exclaimed the Head Captain, "That's Aoki-san. Then, I see, you were responsible for the disappearing and attacks in that Rukongai district then. But, you seem to be missing someone, where is Haruto-kun?"

"Oh, you mean the fellow that was sent along side her? He suffered quite the fatal wound. I'm not sure if he'll survive through it or not, so we decided to send him back with the rest of my men. But, that's not what we are here to discuss right now."

Tsunayoshi's smile widened, "You've come to my front lawn with one of my own in a near death state, say you have one of my others, and claim that is not what you've come here to discuss. Sounds to me you've got quite the one-sided meeting you wanted to have he-"

"SILENCE!" Hati shouted, his words roared and vibrated over the rest of the First Division's barracks. "I thought I told you I'm not interested in any of the useless chit-chat!"

"He's right, Captain-Commander, there's nothing more to say, it's pointless at this point." Snapping his fingers, the air around them began to shift and churn to various degrees, as if a veil was pulled right along the space around them, unveiling several Shinigami that had been hiding from a distance. Tenma had come through the portal accompanied by some of his own officers with him, consisting of Shinigami from the Kidō Corps, undoing a Kyokkō spell and unveiling over a dozen or so senior officers at his beck and call. But their purpose here was for anything but battle, it wasn’t the best use of their abilities in this specific time. If anything, they would only get in the way between him, Togashi, and the Captain Commander. Lining up in a straight line behind them, they stood motionless, awaiting orders from the Kidō Corps Commander.

“What are your orders sir?” a member of his squad asked, his attention going off to the other two Captains before snapping back to his own, caught in awe that this was the first time so many Shinigami of this calibur had all gathered in one place, the pressure alone was overwhelming.

“The enemy’s abilities are beyond traditional parameters, I’ll need a freeze with a radius of 6,000 meters around us and a barrier. I don’t want that THING going anywhere. Tend to the wounded and get as far away from here as possible.”

Using Shunpo to vanish from their initial location, the officers scattered around, quickly displacing the wounded and helping evacuate the area, the bulk of his forces grouping up to form a large square, forming hand signs that they began to weave into the air, the space around them lighting up as a large orange barrier grew around them, effectively caging them together inside. Tenma wasn’t very familiar with this enemy, it didn’t feel like any traditional Hollow he’d seen, and only grew more annoyed by the fact it resembled very much of his own kind. But that didn’t matter now, he was destroying the 1st Division barracks, and that was all he needed to know that he had anything but ill intentions for them. Drawing one of his two Zanpakutōs, entering a readied stance as he began to elevate his Reiatsu, sharply rising in preparation of its next attack.

“What exactly is that thing, it feels ‘off’ for lack of a better word sir,” he questioned. Glancing down, he noticed a female Shinigami caught in the middle, severely injured and strewn about what remained of the building.

Tsunayoshi held his hand up, "Stand down, Tenma." He order, his smile still wide as ever. "I don't think you understood his request." With the simple snapping of his fingers, Tsunayoshi's orders were sent throughout all who were within the boundaries of the First Division's barracks. There wasn't much more he needed to say nor do for the people around to bend to his orders. That was the superior command he had over the entirety of the Gotei 13.

"Tsunayoshi Nishikawa, Captain of the First Division and Head-Captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads." Finally, Tsunayoshi respectfully introduced himself to Hati. "To whom do I owe this meeting too?" His questoin was much different from the last time he asked. Though he didn't exert his spiritual pressure from his soul, his presence was silent and could be felt throughout the area. It was a strong form of intimidation through just his words and his smile, a skill that was blessed into the soul of only a select few and honed only by those who were the most skilled.

Sighing, Hati immediately placed his attention onto Tsunayoshi. "Hati, Hati Hroovitnisson." He said, now revealing his first and last name to the Shinigami. "To show my gratitude for calling your men off, I shall humbly heed to your request."

*"Humbly heed?"* Tsunayoshi thought to himself, *"There's no doubt that he could have attacked all of us and taken us out with a surprise attack if he truly wanted to. So, what is he getting at?"* Taking a deep breath, green energy began to form around Kujo, Tsunayoshi, Tenma, Togashi, and the head of Hati in the shape of a dome. "**Bakudo #72**,".

"I hope you don't mind the barrier. It's to keep this conversation, you know, between us. You've got quite the voice, I'd hate for the rest of the Seireitei to hear this valuable information you have to share with us. The barrier keeps all sound and all techniques within it. Nothing can past the borders of this barrier unless the caster takes it down or he dies. It's somewhat like a ring to keep strong people from hurting those on the outside." Tsunayoshi explained.

Hati blew hot air yet again. "For years, we have been ridiculed, oppressed, and viewed as even less than the peasants of Soul Society. Our sins have gotten us banished into the Beast Realm, which is simply a path in the cycle of reincarnation. We had no choice in the decision of either going to the Soul Society nor hell. To put it more simply so that you understand, we were shunned out of the cycle of reincarnation as punishment for our ancestors."

"!!" Tsunayoshi was caught off guard by the statements by Hati. His former smile dropped from their upward curve to a blank expression. "The Beast Realm, wait you don't mea-."

"Indeed, the former Captain of the Seventh Division, Komamura was also a member of our realm."

"But," The Head Captain interrupted, "The Beast Realm isn't an actual realm is it? There's no way, just as you mentioned, it is simply the place you have all been sent for whatever sins it is you have committed."

The giant wolf turned up his nose. "Oh, but, over the years it has become one. It is now, that we have decided to be moving to that realm and deem overselves our own place of existence." Hati blew through his nose once again, "I'm sure you understand what I am getting at, Head Captain." The beast grew silent for a few seconds, allowing his words to settle into the beings of the Shinigami.

"I don't think that's a wise decision. If you were to do that, then the balance among the Worlds would definately begin to tip in a particular direction." Tsunayoshi attempted to pitch.

Hati nodded his snout. "Yes, this would be true... If those large spiritual powers didn't up and vanish."

"!!"

Tsunayoshi wanted to jerk himself forward, he was more surprised that Hati knew about what had occured than one would have known. "The Vanishing? Just how the hell would you happen to know about that whole thing."

"Because... it didn't just happen in Soul Society. The same has happened in each of the locations, Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, and even the World of the Living." Hati explained.

The information he recieved from Hati just now was all new to him. His blank expression broke as he was stricken with the look of surprise. "What do you mean it happened in Hueco Mundo and the World of the Living?! There's absolutely no way I wouldn't have been informed of that."

"Tch," Hati showed his fangs, "Woof-woof," he then laughed. "Truly you didn't think the Worlds would remain in their current state if those of the Soul Society only disappeared? There must be a perfect balance amongst the Worlds, even you should know that, *Head Captain*. Those strong Hollows within Hueco Mundo--gone. Those strong high-spec Humans in the World of the Living--gone. Don't tell me you allowed those facts to get past you."

"Just ho-," He bit his own tongue. "Okay, okay, and out of all of this. You've come here to destroy our towns, hurt our men, and bring this information just to say that?" It was a logical question considering the circumstances. Tsunayoshi had a ton of other questions he wanted to ask, but this one seemed the most logical to ask about.

"We've been treated as nothing within Soul Society. Been food to the Hollows in Hueco Mundo. Demonized and hunted in the World of the Living. One by one, we plan to make you all pay. We don't care about the balance destroying your realm, you never cared about us so why should we. We're here to declare ourselves as the enemies of the Shinigami."

As much as he hated seeing someone like him acting the way he was, a part of Tenma could sympathize with Hati, if he and Hati were truly from the Beast Realm, regardless of whether or not he actually believed him, it would more or less make them kin, having gone through similar experiences given his appearance and circumstance. But what separated them was something much more fundamental than that: he gave up. Nothing more than a beast, mindlessly seeking revenge, it was a stark contrast to the other beasts that had joined the Gotei 13 in defending the Soul Society, Sajin Komamura was one such example. This violent display was deplorable, for not just him but for everyone in the Soul Society that was just like them, never did he feel so much shame to be associated with another being that was remotely close to him like this. But he held himself back, out of consideration of the Captain-commander. He had to consider his actions carefully, as he didn’t just have himself to worry about, but his comrades at the forefront of this conflict too. The only thing he couldn’t surmise was the reason he even bothered to entertain their presence in the first place if his only purpose was to kill them at the end of the day.

“Regardless of your circumstances, don’t think you can push that empty platitude around like it means something.” Sheathing his sword, Tenma wasn’t going to move until the Captain required it, simply keeping his hands to his side while his tail flicked side-to-side.

“If what you say is true, what then? How does this help your people in any way? All you’re doing is guaranteeing the mutual destruction of the both of us. Are you that desperate to stoop so low as to drag your opponent down with you?” If what Hati promised did come to pass, the sheer level of displaced souls would jeopardize the stability of all three worlds, and the loss of life would be immeasurable, if they even survived past that point.

Hati outright ignored Tenma. His gaze and attention remained parked onto Tsunayoshi, who had clearly been deemed as the superior of the Shinigami and everyone around as a whole. "I don't answer the question of those who would drape themselves in the same garbs of those who have ridiculed us. You look more disgusting than they do." Though he was clearly an enemy to everyone present, this was probably the calmest statement he made since appearing before the Seireitei. That didn't mean he sympathized nor had respect for Tenma as a fellow beast. Calm anger was much more dangerous than the outburst kind.

"You know, the Captain has a point." Tsunayoshi pitched, "This does seem to bring unneccessary bloodshed among your people, are you sure what you are doing is even remotely just? Think about it, the balancing of souls doesn't only affect the Soul Society, it effects everyone.. As you've already stated."

"You feel!" Hati barked at Tsunayoshi. What angered him more than Tsunayoshi speaking, was the fact that he piggy backed off of Tenma's words. "By rebuilding what you all have lost, it's already tipping the scales." He explained, revealing that he was aware that the Gotei 13 had been lacking significantly in power. "People, not just us, but a lot of people are willing to fight for more than *just* bloodshed. It's something else that a lot are willing to get to extreme for and the fact that you, Tsunayoshi Nishikawa, can only see us as meanless bloodshed let's me know that you'-"

Hati and Kujo's bodies began to emit lights. "Ah, it seems our time is up, Chief Hati." Kujo said, arm waving and summoning forth the body of Haruto which landed right over his shoulder. "We must be going."

While still glowing, their physical forms' opacity lowered until the point that they appeared as ghosts of themselves. "Winter is the upcoming season, is it not? Beasts are known to be able to survive in all forms of nature..." His voice lowered as their bodies continued to wither away.

"Fifth Seat Yamakage!" a feminine voice shouted, rushing over to the barrier, he hands placed flat against it as if it were a wall. Her golden hair bounced over her brown skin as she looked to the two beast that were slowly dissolving. Her eyes looked over the surrounding area but she couldn't find where Haruto's spiritual pressure had been coming from. She squinted her eyes, honing her sensors and finally pinpointed his immediate location.

"Captain Nishikawa! What're you doing?!" She asked, shouting out at the Captain Commander. "Aren't you going to do soemthing! That's Haruto they have! It is an enemy, is it not?!"

Tsunayoshi ignored her for the time being, his eyes didn't leave Hati, Kujo, nor Haruto until their beings were finally no more. The barrier surrounding the Shinigami fell down due to his commanding of it. He stood still for a moment, there was so much that had happened in such a short amount of time, that he needed to register everything within his own mind.

"Why didn't you stop them?!" The woman asked, trampling over the dust and debris as she rushed over to Tsunayoshi and pushed against his figure. She too was a member of the Gotei 13's First Division which was clear by her clothing.

Tsunayoshi didn't nudge, budge, or flinch. He simply turned his back and cuffed his hands underneath his Shihakusho and Captain's cloak before heading back inside of what little of the barracks was left. "Shizuka-chan, we were better off allowing them to take Haruto-san than we would have been attempting to fight them here." His smile didn't leave for a second, "You *do* trust me, correct?" Shizuka couldn't do anything but stand in silence.

"If you do, I need you to do a few things for me." He went on, "I need you to gather both Kurome-chan and her lieutenant Yuichi Yamakage-san immediately." Then the Captain stopped dead in his tracks, "Tenma, I want you to oversee the wounded, but please, refrain from using anything that would expell your spiritual energy over the area within a twenty mile radius. I want the injured to be carried away to the Fourth Division's medical centers through manual labor."

Shizuka bat her eyes at Tsunayoshi as he walked along. She placed her hand against her chest, pushing it in. She and Haruto were long time friends, something they would consider in the World of the Living a "best friend". Her emotional ties to him were way to thick. "Yes sir." She responded, her sights set on executing the orders she had been given.

## NOBLE

"I figured that since you didn't know that information, it would have came to some sort of value." Tsunayoshi said, standing in the middle of a dark platform inside of a room that was in the middle of nearly nowhere.

After everything had unfolded and Tsunayoshi got everything he needed done, he wasted no time in calling a meeting with Central 46. He gave them a thorough run down of everything that had happened and more than he was, they were shocked. They had no knowledge that the other realms had also suffered great spiritual entity lost as well, but there reaction was much different than Tsunayoshi's. Where he felt that this was a concerning topic, they were relieved to know that not one dimension had beings more powerful than another.

Tsunayoshi pulled his hair behind his ear, "And now that I've finished sharing everything with you, I want to get on with the second reason I've asked a sudden meeting out of all of you." His usual smile was no more. His face bore a rather blank expression and his eyes went thin as he squint them. "Within the next ten days, I would like to employ the aid of my current Captains to draft in the remaining captaincy slots as well as lieutenants with people whom **I** wish to fullfil these roles." He took a brief pause, "Before you agree in what I am requesting, I want you to fully think out your responses and consider what I mean by my question."

One of Central 46's members slammed their hands onto the table, "Of course not! We will allow you to do no such thing!" He quickly declined as if he knew what Tsunayoshi had been intending to do. "The Nest of Maggots will not become a place where you will recruit literal thugs and criminals to become the protectors of our Soul Society!"

"Oh," Tsunayoshi said, "I have absolutely no intention of drafting anyone from the Nest of Maggots. I think we are all aware that Kamui Shihōin will not allow a single prisoner to be released from his jail." Again, the Head-Captain paused. "I have plans on visiting the Central Great Underground Prison and re-"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" All 46 members of the board said in unison.

Then, one spoke out on her own. "You didn't honestly think you would be allowed to free *him*. Those keys, blessed upon you, aren't even to be in your possession. Had it not been for the great reccommendations of the Noble Clan's, they wouldn't even be with yo-"

In the same fashion that they had cut him off, Tsunayoshi did the same. "If you were to allow me to finish speaking, you would know that is far from what I meant. There are other levels above that one, specifically on Shugō that I need to go to. The one I seek has about seven years left on his sentence and has had flawless behaviour as far as my records are concerned. Surely you'd be willing to give him a shortened sentence if he's willing to work alongside us." The members of Central 46 rested back in their chairs and quieted down to allow Tsunayoshi to continue with his request.

"Additionally, I have three candidates I would like to promote currently. The first is one of the Noble's very own, Minamoto Kuchiki. I'd like to place him over the Third Division. It is our division which focuses primarily on intelligence and information, this would be a fine member considering the role that the Kuchiki Clan plays as nobles. The other is Kiokushi Hotsuka. As you know, the Eleventh Division is a traditional division that must be led only by one who possesses the title of Kenpachi. She's a far cry from those who have held that title before her, but she has potential and has led the division as its lieutenant. If I am granted assistance from the Yamakage Clan to aid in teaching her Zanjutsu to reach that level, I'll allow her to show her abilities in front of the rest of the Gotei 13 and prove that she is worthy."

There was chatter among the members of Central 46. Everyone had their own opinion regarding Tsunayoshi's request, but no one said anything as of yet because he was finished. The Gotei 13 was a seperate unit from Central 46. Normally, the Head Captain had the authority to elect whoever they wanted at various positions, but with everything that had happened over the few years Central 46 took up that role instead.

"Finally, Akaoni Ouga. I would like to have him promoted. His tactics, mindset, and everything else he possesses makes him the perfect candidate for the Ninth Division's captaincy. That only leaves a few more. There was disccussion among myself and Ishihara where he relayed that Lady Tsuyuri would be willing to join as the Captain of the Twelfth Division."

Each of the Central 46 members gasped. "We didn't think that any of the Great Noble Houses would be willing to join the Gotei 13 aside from the Kuchiki Clan. We hate that you have to speak with such an outcast to hear that, but it does bring light. We approve each of the decisisions."

"Well, I would like to stop you for just a moment. There's a problem with Lady Tsuyuri and her *head*. The way she operates is much different than the way that the previous division captain's operate. Mayuri-san was rather extreme I could say, but he was tameable. The two before her didn't pose much of a problem at all. I feel, as not only a scientist but a Noble Clanswoman as well, she'll use that to her advantage to allow her brain to truly be open to her content. I'm sure that is why she became suddenly willing. After thinking it over more thoroughly, I believe that she would be best left where she is. I won't recommend anyone for the Twelfth Division as of now, scientist can't be made--they are born. Besides, there's a lieutenant there, let's see what her mind evolves into."

Head nods could be seen through the shadows. "Very well, our response still stands. Those terms will be agreed to. But I want you to remember, Tsunayoshi Nishikawa, you ***only*** have ten days to accomplish all of this. However," the man paused, his head turned to the rest of the table and another member of the board picked up where he left off.

"As Captain-Commander, shouldn't you have resolved the conflict between us and the beast sinners more peacefully. At the state the Thirteen Court Guard Squads is currently in, don't you think it was unwise for you to ready for war rather than come to peaceful terms?"

He couldn't help but to let out a small chuckle, "Ah, I forgot this! They wounded two of our men to near death. One was a member of the Scond Division and the other was my fifth seat, a noble, Haruto Yamakage." Yet again, they gasped. "Calm down, I have already developed counter measures. I've arranged a meeting with the current head of the Yamakage Clan. Though, if you want to know the *real* reason I decided against peaceful manners, then heed this."

Tsunayoshi's gaze tucked and so did his head. The single dim light that shined over his platform giving sight to his figure, was now being absued by the angle to hide his face. Even if they couldn't see him, the members of the board would still be able to sense the menacing sensation he gave off. Even the scent within the room changed to bloodlust and hate. Death soaked the very walls the gave structure to it all from his sensation alone. "They are already content with forever being outcast and shunned by the people of Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, and treated as mere fairy tales in the World of the Living. They even found a new realm to exist in seperate away from everyone else. Our society is set up that way and is that way because it helps maintain the balance among the various beings. One or two may be able to slip, but if we were to even ally ourselves with them as a whole, that whole balance thing wouldn't be thrown off literally, but it'd be thrown off figuratively as a culture goes. If we truly wish to handle them the best way possible, it is to kill them off as much as we can and maintain the culture of the Seireitei. That is my *job* as the Head Captain of Soul Society's main military force."

On their way to the First Division barracks were none other than Kurome Kuchiki and Yuichi Yamakage, Captain and Lieutenant of the Sixth Division. It was funny to Kurome. The man that she had been leading now, just a few days ago, was her superior. While she would have liked to discuss that more in detail, it seemed there wasn't any time for small talk. According to the messenger that had just appeared in her barracks, the Captain Commander had urgently called upon Kurome and Yuichi to his barracks.

"*What could have happened...?*" Kurome wondered, clenching her fist as she pushed into her next shunpo, once more disappearing from plain sight. She was confident Yuichi could catch up with her max speed, so she kept moving as swiftly as she could, hoping to reach the barracks as soon as possible.

Only minutes later, Kurome had finally reached the entrance of the First Division. Out of breath, Kurome sought to compose herself and wait as Yuichi would catch up with her soon, before finally entering the barracks.

Right behind his Captain, Yuichi followed. He may have not been an expert like the many above him, but he did possess expertise on the art which he employed in order to keep up with Kurome. Much like his Captain, he too found himself exhausted, though rather than allow his exhaustion be seen, Yuichi kept his chin high and followed behind her as they entered the barracks. Or at least what was left of it.

As they entered what was clearly the office of Tsunayoshi they stood promptly. Tsunayoshi leaned back in his chair and looked to the duo in relief. "I'm excited to you two understood the urgency in my request." The Head Captain stated, spinning around in his chair. "I would love to offer you two a seat, but as you can see, we're rather lacking in furniture as of right now." His smile stretched across his face, causing his smooth cheekbones to lift upward as he continued to look upon the carved figures of Yuichi and Kurome.

"I hope all is well within the Sixth Division, Kurome-chan and Yuichi-kun." Tsunayoshi had basically been giving the duo a type of protective prayer. "But, I don't think either of you will mind if I get right into the nit and grit of things, right?"

It had been quite some time since Yuichi was able to meet face to face with Tsunayoshi. Even still, he could feel the pressure of being under his presence and if he had something to say about it, he'd describe it as uneasy. He nodded his head at the question asked by Tsunayoshi, waiting for his Captain to either agree or disagree.

Kurome bowed to the Head Captain with respect. "Yes sir, we are doing well. But I agree, let us get into the matter of hand." Despite Kurome's previous exhaustion, she seemed to recover fairly quickly.

"A few things have transpired recently, I plan to get you and the rest of the Captains up to speed, but there is something I need from the both of you before I can get to that." Still he smiled, but he had already picked up on the altered breathing patterns of Kurome and Yuichi. He hadn't known what lead to their accelerated heart beats and tried his best to switch his tone and ensure it was casual for the both of them.

He pulled two sheets of paper in front of himself on the desk and tapped on each of them. Both of the papers had insignias belonging to both the Yamakage and Kuchiki Clans. "The Kuchiki Clan is tasked with protecting and compiling the history of Soul Society, while the Yamakage Clan is tasked with the handling of the Asauchi and the methods utilized to train Shinigami." Tsunayoshi took a brief pause before looking up to Kurome. "Kurome-chan, I would like to request you dig up everything you have regarding the cycle which banished those with unforgiveable sins to the beast realm. It's history, Kurome-chan, so I have absolutely no doubts that its there."

"The Beast Realm..?" Kurome wondered what could have possibly happened for the Captain Commander to ask this information. She was aware it was a tumultuous time for Soul Society. Did he perhaps wish to recruit those from the Beast Realm? It was difficult for her to assess, so she looked into her Captain Commander's eyes for clarification. Being a Kidō Master, Kurome was very sensitive to changes in a person's spiritual energy. Even if someone had looked completely composed, deceptions could be seen through by the wavering of their spiritual energy. As she looked carefully at the Captain Commander, she did not find any abnormal flow of spiritual power. Clearly, something wasn't being told to them, but Kurome did not perceive malicious intent from his spirit.

Closing her eyes briefly in thought, Kurome opened them once more.

"Yes, sir. I will immediately excavate all records I can."

He couldn't help but smile at Kurome's diligence. It was a warm feeling he couldn't shake and he knew that Kurome would offer little resistance when it came to carrying out her orders. "As for you, Yuichi-kun.." His gaze fell off of Kurome and was placed onto Yuichi. "It wasn't told to me, but I need to know which of your clan's relics does Haruto-san currently have in his possession."

The lietuenant nodded again. He straightened his stance and held his chin high, he refused to have Kurome look bad as a Captain and wanted Tsunayoshi to know that the members of the Sixth Division were well discipline. "If I'm not mistaken, Haruto possessed two of them. One is his main, the Reijuu and the other was the Shihou. That is all as far as I'm aware of."

Tsunayoshi nodded, "Hm, I see. That's good, so the other items remain within the care of the Yamakage Clan or are they too spread out among various members?"

"Each member has their own item, though the others that are accounted for remain within the protection of the clan's head." Yuichi responded.

Again, the Captain Commander nodded. "So, those items remain under your care then?" He asked.

"Yes, Head-Captain." Yuchi responded.

"Very well then. I would like for you to send me full details of each of them. I need you to give me information of how each of them function and how each of them are countered. Their limitations, their creators, whatever can be given I need it. If that is fine with you."

His expressions and answers remained the same, nodding. "Right away, I'll have those written up and given to Captain Kuchiki-sama."

"Hold on, one second." Tsunayoshi said before immediately merging with his thoughts, *"He is young, yet so mature. I wonder how the he carries being the head of the Yamakage Clan on his shoulders without collapsing."*

Tsunayoshi then continued on out loud, "Would you be able to contact your most skilled in the art of Zanjutsu in order to train someone for me?"

Yuichi's expression dropped for a moment before slightly turning his head away. The action may have been small, but Tsunayoshi caught it the moment he did it and tucked his own gaze at Yuichi. "Our most skilled in Zanjutsu is he who has been banished from the Yamakage Clan. He is not allowed to step foot back into the Seireitei without being hunted down." Yuichi paused and looked back to Tsunayoshi with the face he looked to him with before.

"Therefore I can not contact our most skilled in the art of Zanjutsu in order to train who it is you deem worthy. I would like to apologize for the inconvenience, not for being unable to contact him." The young lieutenant had finally answered Tsunayoshi's question. Just the discussion of that man brought mental flashes of his past.

In the most comedic way possible, Tsunayoshi waved his hand at Yuichi and blushed. "Oh, that's no problem, Yuichi-kun!" He waved waving his hand up and down and used the other to cover his red face. "However," he turned to a more serious expression. "If you can not do that, then I will need you to gather those who are experts in the art to create a training regiment that focuses primarily on Kendō. I'll also need it done within the next twenty four hours. I'm aware of your exclusive Zanjutsu regiment that is only used by members of the Yamakage Clan, but I wouldn't dare ask for those."

As much as Yuichi wanted to quetion why the sudden urgency from himself and his Captain, Yuichi simply nodded his head. "Understood, Head-Captain." He said, eyes drifting over to Kurome. She was his leader and acted all according to her orders.

"If either of you have any questions, aside from the things could possibly be attached to the reason these barracks are destroyed, feel free to ask them now."

"..." Kurome looked around the barracks now that she had more time to. Clearly something major was happening. There was a reason she needed all these records, and why Yuichi had to acquire those artifacts and Zanjutsu instructors. The Soul Society had been lingering on a false peace for a few years as they tried to rebuild from the disappearances, but it seemed it was time to fight.

"I only have one question, Captain Commander."

Kurome's voice was tense, and her spiritual energy seemed to permeate the room. It wasn't malicious intent, rather, it was her resolve pouring through. She had to affirm something with the Captain Commander, even if it appeared as an afront to his authority.

"Will you allow us...to do *anything* to protect the Soul Society?"

"Oh?" His eyebrows lifted, "If the case of the Captains of these Division's as it currently stands, I would like to sway away from *those* manners of thinking." Tsunayoshi retorted, leaning up in his chair. "But, Captain Kurome, I'd still like you to hold whatever it is you have to say until a few days from now. I do plan on gathering all of the Captains together in a few days. Save all heavy questions and suggestions for that moment."

"..." Kurome stood down. She was getting overly anxious, it seemed. Even if the barracks had been destroyed, Tsunayoshi had kept things under control so far. Things were urgent, but things had to be done one step at a time. She breathed, before bowing once more. "Understood, sir. We will work on your requests immediately."

She turned around promptly, her haori with the insignia of the Sixth Division briefly floating in the air. "Yuichi. Let's go." She commanded, as she began to walk out of the barracks. Kurome understood that she carried the Sixth Division, the Kuchiki Clan, and the Gotei 13, all on the weight of her back...And she knew, she couldn't die, not to a threat like this.