The thirteen Captains and Lieutenants stood in their lines, waiting for the purpose of their meeting. It had been some time since they had all been called upon, the last time had been a year ago to discuss who would be the first to go to Gaia.
"A threat in Soul Society has just been reported by Captain Hitsugaya." A few eyes turned to look at the white haired Captain. "The Nightmare Sephiroth, a man who attempted to destroy Gaia, has found his way here."
"The alarms should have gone off, then." Soi Fon, the onyx haired assassin commented.
"The portal between Gaia and Soul Society is a different make then the Senkaimon." Mayuri, the face-painted scientist, replied with scorn. "We never anticipated Sephiroth reviving himself and never saw any reason for someone from Gaia to come here, so there is nothing attached to watch for Ryoka passing through."
"And now Sephiroth has somehow managed to get through a portal and into the Soul Society. And since he is from Gaia and uses Lifeforce, the barrier around the Court of Pure Souls does not affect him." Toshiro added. "Aerith noticed it immediately and sent a warning ahead."
"We best prepare then." Squad Thirteen Captain, Jushiro Ukitake, said gravely. "From the reports about him, that man is very good at manipulation. And not just the mind but the body as well."
"Only to those with Jenova Cells in them." Toshiro corrected. "I'm pretty sure none of us have those."
"There is still a possibility he could attempt to create a Hollow army." The Head Captain cut in. "We all agreed that Sephiroth was very similar to Aizen in more ways than one, so we can assume he'll try to do that. We must find him before he manages it."
"There is something else, Head Captain." Toshiro stepped out of line. "A few minutes ago, my Ninth Seat reported that Aerith had revived the Remnant Kadaj to assist the Jenova War Heroes in finding Sephiroth's weaknesses. She also shared a concern that Sephiroth might try to find a way to gain Soul Reaper or Hollow powers, perhaps even both."
"Kadaj, you say?" Yamamoto mused. "If she was the one to revive him, then perhaps she changed him in some way. As for her concern, it is a very real possibility. We best be on the lookout for any foreign rises in Spiritual Pressure of any kind and investigate immediately."
Multiple nods told him they would all be watching.
"If Aerith sees fit to bring the Remnant Kadaj back to life, perhaps she wishes for the Jenova War Heroes to help us fight the Nightmare." Squad Six Captain, Byakuya Kuchiki, offered calmly.
"A wish I agree with." Yamamoto nodded to the noble. "The Central 46 has already made wartime exemptions when I sent word of Sephiroth's arrival. Remain armed and prepared to fight at any time. Barrier or no, the walls will be put around the Court of Pure Souls to attempt to keep him out for as long as possible. Captain Hitsugaya, either you or a member of your squad are to head to Gaia and bring the Jenova War Heroes here to assist with preparations."
Toshiro turned and looked back at his Lieutenant and she nodded at the silent order. She hadn't been working anyway, so at least this way she could do something useful.
"That will be all." Yamamoto stood and left to return to his work, as did many of the others.
"No distractions, Matsumoto." Toshiro warned as they stepped outside. "Find Vincent Valentine and Cloud Strife, they know Sephiroth best. The others can come if they want."
"What do I do about Kadaj?" Rangiku asked.
"Hm…bring him too. As his Remnant, Kadaj will be our best asset in learning Sephiroth's abilities and weaknesses."
"Understood."
"It's best you leave as quickly as possible and bring them here. The sooner you leave the better prepared we are. Make sure Wakaba and the others are doing well or if they need to switch with someone."
Nodding, Rangiku Flash Stepped away to where the portal between the worlds was set up; the courtyard in front of their Squad Barracks, since Gaia was under their jurisdiction. How Sephiroth got through there and out of the Court of Pure Souls without being noticed was beyond them, unless he changed the location of the portal or made his own. Both of the latter were possibilities and concerned the Soul Reapers greatly.
The strawberry blonde made sure to grab her zanpaktou, Haineko, before going back into the courtyard where two Soul Reapers were setting it up. A Hell Butterfly had been sent ahead to Natsuko, the team leader of the three away on Gaia, to let her know the Lieutenant was coming.
Between two stone pillars, an anti-Spirit Energy barrier crackled to life, creating an aqua blue glow between them. With the pressuring energy pushed back, the twisting emerald tendrils of Lifestream were able to rise once more and complete the circuit between its home world and the world of spirits. The light shifted and showed an image of the back alley behind Seventh Heaven, an area made so the Soul Reapers could be in an ally territory owned by the Jenova War Hero Tifa Lockhart. With quick access to one of the heroes, urgent matters, like the one they now faced, could be quickly handled.
The portal complete, Rangiku told the Soul Reaper to keep it open until she returned and leaped through.
At her destination, inside the bar, several people sat in silence. Kadaj sat sheepishly in a corner booth away from the others, knowing his presence was unwelcomed. Tifa had her head in her hands, trying to calm down. Cloud stood with her for support. Marlene and Denzel were upstairs with Cait Sith, Reeve himself talking to Natsuko. The final member of their group was young Shelke, the Ex-Tsviet, looking at Kadaj with a thoughtful expression.
"By the way, Lieutenant Matsumoto is on her way." Natsuko turned from the Commissioner to address the others.
"Rangiku?" Tifa picked her head up.
"Yes. Captain Hitsugaya told her to come and bring Mr. Strife, Mr. Valentine and some of the others to Soul Society." The Ninth Seat turned to Kadaj. "You're to come as well."
"Me?" Kadaj seemed surprised by this.
"Yes. She'll be here shortly."
"Guess we need to call in the others." Cloud left Tifa's side, albeit reluctantly, and went outside to make the calls.
Silence returned and the sole Soul Reaper felt rather awkward. She tried to occupy herself with fixing her uniform, but that quickly become mundane.
Instead, she sighed and decided to go wait outside for her superior. At least she'd be out of the tense situation. Then again, leaving the heroes alone with their arch enemy probably wasn't a good idea. She was at odds with what to do and so began to pace, bringing attention to her.
The sound of rushing air was heard out back and attention shifted to the door. Silence for a few seconds…
The door slammed open, startling all in the room, even Shelke.
"I'm here!" Rangiku announced proudly. "I'm sure you know why I'm here."
"Yes, Rangiku, we know." Tifa replied, smiling at the Lieutenant's showy entrance.
"Well then, get everyone who wants to go and let's get moving! The Captain will have my head if I'm not back quick."
"No offense, Lieutenant Matsumoto, but when did that bother you?" Natsuko sighed, knowing full well the woman could care less what Toshiro thought most of the time. "And we have to wait for them to get here."
"Phooey, I was hoping to get here and back quick." Rangiku pouted and plopped into a seat next to Shelke, turning to the startled girl. "So how have you and your sister been?"
"Oh, Shalua and I have been able to catch up on a lot of things." Shelke replied with a small smile. "It finally feels like being in a family."
"Excellent!" Embracing her tightly, Rangiku acquainted Shelke with the same breathless situation that Toshiro sometimes found himself in when the woman was excited and hugged him, only this time Rangiku let go quick. "But I think you should work on your sense of style."
Shelke, confused, observed her pink sweater and maroon skirt and white shoes, wondering what was wrong with it. The Lieutenant next to her quickly began explaining various fashion decisions while the others either looked at her incredulously or laughed quietly.
"Is she always like that?" Kadaj questioned the Soul Reaper next to him.
"Sadly." Natsuko nodded. "It drives Captain Hitsugaya crazy. It's common to hear him yelling at her since she won't do her work. He ends up doing it while she recovers from hangovers just so it gets done."
"Lovely."
Managing to catch his last word, Rangiku turned to look at Kadaj in the corner. She took in his features and several waited with baited breaths. Squad Ten were guardians of Gaia too, and they knew all about what Kadaj had done. The Remnant shrunk under her gaze, especially when she stood and walked closer to him, examining him closer. There was an intense moment of silence.
He gaped when the Lieutenant smiled widely and hugged him.
"You really do look like my Captain! How cute!" Not even noticing the many shocked expressions, and a partially suffocating Kadaj, Rangiku continued on. "I should call you two brothers or something, I wonder if he'd let me."
"L-Lieutenant, you're suffocating him." Natsuko warned.
"Hm? Oh, whoops! Sorry Kadaj."
The Remnant took a moment to get his breath back and recover from the suddenness with which Rangiku had 'attacked' him. Tifa had a small thought that she was glad Cloud hadn't been here, as he'd probably go brain dead for a good amount of time. His worst enemy, cute?
Rangiku left Kadaj alone, to his relief, and chatted with Tifa about business instead. The barkeeper politely refused the Soul Reaper any alcohol since Toshiro would no doubt get angry.
Stepping back inside, Cloud was surprised to see the atmosphere of the room being a little happier. Noticing Rangiku, he quickly understood and shook his head.
"Vincent is on his way, and Cid is coming with Yuffie and Red. They want to come too."
"The more the merrier." Rangiku grinned. "How long?"
"Vincent was close by but he's on foot, so about ten minutes for him. Cid should be here by airship in about the same time."
"Alright then." Rangiku stood and latched onto Shelke. "How about we go shopping while we wait?"
"I'm going to the Soul Society as well." Shelke argued.
"We still have ten minutes before we go, that's enough time to snoop around." Rangiku wasn't taking no for an answer and was quickly shoving the young ex-Tsviet out the door.
Soon they were gone and there were several amused sighs let out around the room. Kadaj was glad they were gone and he didn't think he'd ever feel safe around Rangiku again.
Time passed in general silence among the remaining occupants of the bar. Kadaj waited outside so that Tifa could talk to the kids without them feeling uncomfortable in his presence. Denzel still refused to speak and he'd gone as white as a ghost when he'd been told Kadaj was coming. The barkeeper told them that she was going to leave for a little while and that Reeve and Barrett would take care of them, as well as the Soul Reapers.
Yuffie arrived, a large red beast in tow which Natsuko learned was Red XIII. The black-maned, wolf-like creature greeted the Soul Reaper kindly and surprised her with the ability to speak. He swished his fire tipped tail behind him like a lion. Cid came in last after making sure his airship was secured down. Not long after, Vincent arrived, greeting those inside with a silent nod as per usual. They each knew about Kadaj, who was still hiding out back, but mentioned nothing of it.
They ended up having to call Shelke to drag Rangiku back, which the young girl quickly did. She was still getting used to normal daily activities, but she was beginning to dislike shopping. At least with Rangiku anyway.
Setting aside her silly self, Rangiku cleared her throat, bringing Kadaj back in to make sure he heard too.
"The Soul Society is going to put a lot of pressure on you both physically and mentally. The Spirit Energy we're used to and live off of will reject your power, and unlike your friend Aerith, we can't control its flow around you."
"We know." Cloud nodded.
"Good! Follow me then!" Rangiku led the eight Gaians out back and through the portal for their first trip to the World of Soul Reapers.
So, Captain and Lieutenant meeting along with Rangiku grabbing the Gaians. Rangiku is going to be making comments here and there baout the similarities between Kadaj and Shiro but you'll see that Shiro will pointedly ignore them ^^ Just a humor thing. Enjoy!
