The Grey Marigold

The Marigold: symbol of despair, and the insignia of Squad 3, to which I belong. Here in the Soul Society, we are the subject of much pity. Ever since Gin betrayed us, we have been known the gloominess of our stand-in leader, Lieutenant Izuru Kira. He was affected the most, and his previously grim demeanor has grown even more-so. He tries his best, but there is only so much a man can do.

Personally, I find the whole ordeal to be little more than an annoyance. However, if I were to ever see Gin again, I believe I would lose control and attack, regardless of the difference in skill. He has caused so much damage to the Soul Society, and destroyed the morale of our squad.

For now, however, I shall stay where I am, hidden among the masses of unseated officers. But one day, I hope to see Gin brought to justice. Perhaps I will be the one to do it. Only time will tell.

Squad 3 Captains Quarters

Izuru sat in his chair listening to yet another report about Hollow attacks in East Rukon. There have been more than 16 attacks, and the number was rising by the day. The 3-man team led by the 5th seat had been unsuccessful in their attempt to destroy the enemy, and 2 members of the team had regrettably perished, including the 5th seat.

The woman giving the report was the survivor. She had a deep laceration on the side of her neck that was not fully healed and she was missing her right arm up to an inch past the elbow. She would not be able to fight again unless she switched her sword arm, and Izuru was saddened by the loss. She may not have been strong, but everyone in Squad 3 is a valuable member.

She must have known that she could likely never be a warrior now but was determined to preform what may be her last action in Squad 3 with honor. "There were between 8 and 12 Hollows attacking District 76 in East Rukon. We should have been able to stop them, but for some reason, there attacks were incredibly coordinated and we could not defend ourselves adequately. It was like there was something telling them what to do. The 5th seat... sacrificed himself so that I could get away." She looked as though she was ready to cry.

"Thank you, you are dismissed." Izuru replied. He must have seemed indifferent to her pain, but in reality it hit him hard. His greatest loyalty is to his squad, and it pains him to see them suffer so much. He would have to do something about her losses so that she could stay.

But for now, he would have to decide how to deal with this situation. Usually that is no easy task. Due to his indecisive nature and constant introspection, he takes a long period of time to come to a decision. However, this decision was obvious even to him- he would take care of it himself.

"Man, you're such a depressing loser! Why don't you just die?"
Squad 11 was full of such barbaric simpletons, Takeshi Mukanshin thought to himself as he ignored their jeering. Besides, he had some place to be. Lieutenant Kira had called a meeting of Squad 3, and he wanted to be on time. Not that he thought that he really needed to be there, since everyone thought that he was just another lowly unseated officer. If only they knew...

"I see how it is. This piece of shit 3rd squader thinks he's better than us." He turned to his buddies. "Let's teach this guy a lesson." But by the time he had drawn his sword and turned around, Takeshi had already ducked into an alleyway. The act had left his pride in shambles, but it is better than having his body mangled. He was actually surprised it had worked. Could they actually fall for such trickery? It seemed impossible.

A few minutes later he arrived at the Squad 3 Barracks and joined the crowd of people anxiously awaiting the Lieutenant's announcement. He looked quite inconspicuous in the front with his nearly shoulder length dirty-blonde hair with bangs just long enough to cover the top half of both his lime green eyes. One of his more poetic squadmates had once described his eyes as being bright enough to be seen on a new moon's night. He had always felt short, being 5'6", but he had made his peace with it during the 47 years he had been with Squad 3. He had always been made fun of because he didn't seem to be getting any stronger as the years passed. He didn't care. He had always felt that when every knew you were strong, you received a lot of attention from people. He had always liked the idea of being powerful, but... just didn't want the attention.

Lieutenant Kira left the barracks to stand in front of the crowd. When he spoke everyone got the same uneasy feeling that they heard him speak. "Um... Is everyone here?" No one answered, so he assumed that everyone was indeed present. "Okay. As you may know, there have been many Hollow attacks in the East Rukon District. When the attacks first began, I volunteered Squad 3 to help take care of it so that we could show the other squads that we may be down, but we are not out. So I sent a three man formation made up of our 5th seat and 2 others of his choosing. Today, the sole survivor of that campaign returned and informed we that the mission was unsuccessful and gave us intel on our current target which I will now relay to you."

"Our enemy is made up of around 10 Hollows, and they are extremely organized. They used well coordinated attacks to easily overwhelm the 3-man team. We believe a high level Hollow has gathered them together and is commanding them from elsewhere. If this is the case, then the Rukon District is in real danger. If enough Hollows are gathered together, they might even be able to force their way into the Seireitei. While I am confident that the captains could defend the place easily, it would certainly cost the lives of many citizens of the Rukon district."

"That is why I am going to lead a 10-man expedition consisting of the 4th and 7th seats, and 7 non seated officers. This is not a training exercise. I will now select the 7 non seated officers. You, you, and you as well." He pointed to indicate who it was he was adressing. "You, you, you, and...

"You." Takeshi was surprised to see Izuru pointing at him. He certainly did not expect that. Izuru must have seen Takeshi's confused look because he began walking towards him. "Unless I am mistaken, you have been here longer than I have. You may not be strong, but you must have quite a bit of experience, having survived in such a dangerous environment for so long."

This could be difficult. The Lieutenant has very watchful eyes. A combat situation with him could let my secret out. I will have to be very cautious with how I proceed with this.

"I suppose you are right. I will try my best."

"Good. We will leave first thing in the morning. While I am gone, the 3rd seat will be in charge. I also asked Squad 10 Lieutenant Matsumoto to check in occasionally. Speaking of which, if she asks you to 'let loose' or anything along those lines, do not go along with it. If I get word of mass debauchery in the Squad 3 area of the Seireitei, I will not be pleased, and I will take disciplinary measures. Dismissed."

Squad 3 Training Grounds

Takeshi walked to his usual isolated corner of the training grounds. The area had 2 large target dummies in the shape of soul reapers with vital spots marked with bulls eyes, and 3 targets. He was permitted such a large area to himself because, even though he was thought of as weak, his skill was respected by most. That was the only thing about his abilities he didn't hide from others. He was carrying several large bundles, and he pretended to strain with carrying them.

He placed the bundles on the ground and rolled them open. They were full of weapons. 2 were reserved for carrying a broadsword each, of differing varieties. The rest were full of katanas, wakizashi, tanto, sai, a bow staff that split into two pieces that screw together, and various projectiles including a metal boomerang, blowdart gun, throwing knives, chakram, and shuriken. He was known as the weapons master of Squad 3.

He was proficient with every weapon he owned, but he still trained for several hours every day, practicing his form and occasionally asked one of the more skilled fighters for a sparring match. Even though he pretended to be weak, he refuses to pretend to be bad with weapons. They are his passion, one of his few passions. If he could be surrounded by weapons, he would, and he tries.
During this particular training session, Izuru Kira walked up to him. "Takeshi, how is the training going today?"

This was odd, Takeshi thought to himself. He never seemed very interested in my doings. What is it that has made him take time out of his day for me? The mission? I have a bad feeling.

"The same as every other day, I suppose," Takeshi replied dryly.
"You seemed tense when I asked you to join in the attack. Is something the matter." Izuru asked, not allowing the suspicion to slither into his tone. This man was an expert in almost every weapon that he had ever heard of, and he was this low in the ranks. To Izuru, it simply did not sit right.
Izuru is very talkative today, which is quite unlike him, Takeshi thought, just as suspicious as Izuru was. "I was just a little unsettled. I have not been on such a dangerous mission in quite some time."

"I find that hard to believe. You are a 47 year veteran of the Soul Reapers, and you don't seem very jumpy outside of combat, so I don't think that is right. What is really going on."

That's a shame, thought Takeshi. My usual lie isn't effective anymore. As simple as it is, it took him a long time to perfect it. He is one of the worst liars that will ever be met.

When Takeshi did not respond, Izuru became even more suspicious. "If you are hiding something, I ask that you tell me."

Oh dear, I need to think of something quick. "Everyone has secrets. Mine will remain as such, a secret. However, I assure you that it will not affect this mission." That is the best that I have, so I hope that it works.

If Izuru didn't buy it, he didn't show it. Takeshi's assurance that it wouldn't affect the mission must have been enough. However, Izuru was positive that whatever his secret was, he needed to know about it. But for now, he needed to rest for what was to come.