Shuuhei walked through the ninth division halls, making his way towards the front doors and greeting other squad members as they bid him good morning. There was an air of uncertainty and nervousness going through the barracks today, but also a buzz of excitement. Shuuhei himself was more relieved than anything. Today marked a historic day in Seireitei history, a day that had been long awaited. He had received orders to report to the first division on this very morning for an important meeting. When he found out why, he was positively giddy. He even took a break from his everlasting hectic schedule to go get piss drunk. For far too long there had been vacancies in the thirteen court guard squads, and today they would finally get filled once again. Three new Captains would be accepted into the abandoned divisions, and Shuuhei could only hope this Captain wouldn't betray everyone like Tosen. He hoped this Captain would be easy to get along with and would be a hard worker like Shuuhei. He was tired of doing so much work, it was really taking a toll on his health. But dammit, he really wanted to know who it was. Nobody seemed to know who these people were, and the orders he received didn't give away any hints. Shuuhei was dying of curiosity.
He took his time walking to the first division, knowing even if he was slow he would still be on time. He had always been good with punctuality. Especially now since he rarely slept, it gave him plenty of time to be early. Between handling all of the divisions paperwork, training and managing new recruits, and making sure the Seireitei Communications continued running smoothly, he rarely had time to even eat, let alone sleep. But that would all change today. He only hoped he didn't get a Captain like Kyoraku, who made his lieutenant do all of the work. He would probably keel over from exhaustion. But then again he didn't want someone who did all of the work either, Shuuhei liked keeping busy. He wondered what his Captain would be like. Would he be relaxed and easy going, or uptight and strict? Would he have things in common with Shuuhei? What if it was a woman? Not that it mattered, but if she was anything like Rangiku there might be some problems. Shuuhei would never be able to focus.
As the first division came into view Shuuhei felt himself getting nervous. The moment of truth was upon him, and he wasn't sure if he could handle it. He couldn't handle another Tosen. He had trusted that man and looked up to him for decades, only to get betrayed in the end. He couldn't handle anymore heart break. But Yamamoto wouldn't let anymore traitors into the Soul Society. He knew this, so then why was he so damn nervous? Were Izuru and Momo this nervous too? Probably, Izuru did have to deal with two Captains betraying him thanks to that Amagai person. And Momo had kind of been obsessed with Aizen so this was probably hard for her. But neither of them had killed their Captains. This was different for him. He was ready for it, sure, but he had every right to be weary.
He got in line immediately, glancing over at Izuru and giving his friend a reassuring smile. The blonde looked just as nervous as Shuuhei probably did. Looking over he saw Renji giving him a thumbs up, grinning like an idiot. Captain Kuchiki merely shook his head at his Lieutenant, causing Shuuhei to smile. Renji was an idiot. But, it made him feel a little better. The sound of Yamamoto's cane pounding against the floor made him jump slightly and stand up straight. This was it.
"As you all know we have had vacancies in three divisions for too long now, and now that the war against Aizen has ended, it is time to fill these voids. I am sure you are all concerned with any more betrayals, which is why I chose certain individuals who I am very familiar with, as are some of you. These individuals will never betray us like Aizen did. Open the doors, Chojiro." The aged Captain said, watching the others reactions as the large doors slowly opened and three figures emerged from the dark, each wearing their new- or not so new- haoris. There was a collective gasp from the Captains, even a few Lieutenants looked surprised. But Shuuhei looked like he would pass out any second. His entire face had gone white and his eyes were wide open, and he could feel himself shaking. His unbelieving eyes were locked onto the one person he thought he would never seen again.
"Captains, please step forward and give your name, and go join your new Lieutenants who have anxiously awaited your arrival." Yamamoto said, watching with the others as a blonde haired man wearing a white tie stepped forward.
"Shinji Hirako, Captain of squad five. Nice ta meet ya." He said with a bored expression, walking over and standing by Momo who looked a bit shell shocked. Another blonde man stepped forward, looking a bit more effeminate than the others.
"Rojuro Otoribashi, Captain of squad three. Please, just call me Rose." He stated, walking over to Izuru who looked at the man suspiciously, as if not believing this was his Captain. Then, finally, the last one stepped forward, his arms crossed. As soon as he spoke, Shuuhei visibly shook, His skin prickling at the familiar sound.
"Kensei Muguruma, Captain of squad nine. Pleasures mine." He grumbled the last part, before making his way towards the frozen Shuuhei. The closer he got, the faster Shuuhei's heart raced. It was him, it was really him! The very man who saved his life over a century ago, the same Captain who inspired him to become a Soul Reaper, and to get his first tattoo. His hero was right there, saying he was his Captain now. It was too good to be true and yet, it was true.
"Well.. There's a familiar face." Kensei's gruff voice started Shuuhei out of his thoughts. His mouth went dry as he realized Kensei was directly in front of him now, his eyes focused on Shuuhei's tattoo. The very same one he had. "So, the little kid from Rukon became a lieutenant of my division, eh? Ya even got my tattoo on your face. How cute." He remarked, causing Shuuhei to blush for some unknown reason. His hero had just called him cute, of all things. Shuuhei felt himself at a loss for words, what was he supposed to say? Oh, yeah, I kind of copied you since you saved my life. And yeah, I chose my face. I've also been thinking about you for over a century, not to be creepy or anything. Did I mention you're my hero? Yeah, that would blow over really well.
"Did ya become a mute or something? Speak up, dammit!" He barked out, flicking Shuuhei in the forehead.
"Y-you... You're.." Shuuhei managed to croak out, mentally punching himself in the face. That was the best he could come up with?!
"I'm what? Tch, you haven't changed at all, have ya? Even back then ya had a speech problem. At least you're not crying. Are you that surprised to see me or something?" Kensei asked, finding the kids face rather priceless. He wasn't expecting this either but you didn't see him panicking.
"Well... Yes, I am. I mean... I knew you were alive but... S-sorry. It's just a surprise." He replied, finally finding his damn voice. He had thought Kensei was dead up until he saw him fighting in Fake Karakura Town. It had been a huge relief knowing his hero was alive, but this was completely unexpected.
"Yeah well, get used to it. I'm your Captain now and that's all there is to it. And there's gonna be some changes in the division." He stated with an authoritative tone, leaving no room for arguments, not that Shuuhei would argue anyways. The division was in need of a lot of changes.
"What did you have in mind?"
"You're telling me you've been doing all the paperwork? All of it?" Kensei asked in disbelief as he observed the spotless office. When he was a Captain he didn't even do all of his work, he couldn't believe Shuuhei had been doing not only Captains work but a lieutenants too.
"Well... Yes, sir, someone had to do it." Shuuhei replied nervously. Kensei had been questioning him nonstop since they left the first division.
"That's why you have a third seat, idiot!" Kensei yelled, making Shuuhei jump at the sudden mood change. He was aware of the man's temper but it would definitely take some getting used to. Kensei was completely opposite from Tosen, that's for sure.
"You've been in charge of the Seireitei Communications too, right? How the hell are you alive kid?" Kensei continued his questioning, his temper gone in a flash and replaced with disbelief. Shuuhei asked himself the same question every day. Being a Captain, Lieutenant and Chief Editor had almost killed him multiple times. He couldn't remember the last time he felt relaxed.
"I did what I had to do, Captain. This division would have fallen apart and I couldn't allow that." Shuuhei replied, repeating the mantra he had chosen not long after Tosen left. Do what you must, or the division will crumble.
"Well, you're a damned good Lieutenant. But it's way past time for you to start acting like one again. From now on you just worry about your paperwork and helping me train the recruits. It's the Captains job to manage the Communications, so I'll handle that too."
"Um.. Actually, sir, if it isn't too much to ask, I'd like to continue being the editor. It's really become a passion of mine and I don't want to leave it." Shuuhei said somewhat timidly, feeling scrutinized under the man's intense gaze.
"Knock yourself out. I never did get into that anyways. Now, I told you there would be some changes, so besides the obvious shit we're also going to start working on training you." Kensei continued, making Shuuhei widen his eyes. Him? Train? He hadn't done that for a long time.
"Well.. If you insist, sir." He said somewhat reluctantly, flinching as Kensei glared at him.
"What, you don't want to get stronger? You can't stay a lieutenant forever ya know! I won't have a weak subordinate, got it? Training starts after lunch, I expect you to be there early." He barked out, and Shuuhei found that he couldn't say no even if he wanted to. He knew he needed to work on his skills, and would gladly do it, but he was a bit skeptical about working with Kazeshini. Even after the whole zanpakuto rebellion he didn't have the best relationship with his sword.
"Yes, sir, I will be there."
"Good. For now I want you to see if there's any paperwork to be done and then go make sure the recruits aren't fucking around. I'm gonna get settled in here." Kensei said, watching as Shuuhei nodded and left his office. It would be interesting having the kid as a lieutenant, but he had a good feeling about it. Shuuhei was obviously diligent, and much more mature than Mashiro which was great, but he could tell he was exhausted. Hopefully he didn't collapse during training today.
But, with the kind of training he usually did, it wouldn't be surprising.
Shuuhei walked into the training room a little wobbly, His vision wasn't so good right now so he couldn't really tell where he was going. There had been some paperwork that needed filing which had made him more tired than usual, and then he had to break up a fight with some of the new recruits which had drained him even more. Energy was a rare thing to have nowadays and Shuuhei often found himself feeling dizzy and faint. He knew it was from not eating and sleeping, but he just didn't have an appetite. He did get tired but for some reason he could never fall asleep. Not only that, but sometimes he would get the worst headaches and feel like puking, or his stomach would start hurting. Yes, Shuuhei was a walking disaster, but he couldn't worry about that right now. He had to focus all of the energy he had left on training.
Kensei was waiting for him as expected, but someone else was there with him. A woman with lime green hair was talking with him and had a squad uniform on, and she even had a lieutenants badge on her arm. Who's lieutenant could she possibly be? Shuuhei had never seen her before and knew they didn't replace any lieutenants. They stopped talking when they noticed Shuuhei enter the room, and the girl gave him a curious look while Kensei frowned at him. He could tell right away Shuuhei wasn't feeling too well. But this needed to be done, he needed to see how strong his new lieutenant was so he could judge how much training they would need to do.
"Is that him, Kensei?" The girl asked, giving Shuuhei another once over. He raised an eyebrow at this, wondering how close these two were since she had used his first name. Looking at her closely, he realized she did look kind of familiar.
"Yeah, it's him alright. Hisagi, meet Mashiro, my old lieutenant. Mashiro, this is Shuuhei, the little brat from the Rukon we saved." Kensei introduced them and Shuuhei's eyes widened in recognition. Of course she was his old lieutenant, how could he forget?
"Really? He's so grown up now!" She said in amazement, going so far as to poke his cheek and inspect him like he was some foreign object. "He's got your tattoo!"
"A-Ah, it's nice to meet you." He said as she continued invading his personal space, and it was then that Shuuhei noticed her lieutenants badge, which had the ninth division insignia on it. "Erm, if you don't mind me asking, why do you have that badge?"
" Eh? Oh, right! I'm the new Super Lieutenant of the ninth division! That makes me your boss, mister brat!" She exclaimed enthusiastically, causing Shuuhei's eye to twitch at the name.
"S-super lieutenant? But why?" He asked in confusion, turning towards an irritated Kensei for answers.
"I brought her with me to help train squad members, since she's got a certain ability I don't. Plus she wouldn't leave me alone until I agreed." He grumbled, and Shuuhei once again wondered what their relationship was like, since he seemed to not like her so much. "So, you're gonna fight her while I observe you."
"F-fight? I'm sorry, Captain, but I don't fight women." Shuuhei said, eyes widening when Mashiro suddenly disappeared. Kensei smirked as his old lieutenants spiritual pressure spiked, shaking his head at his naive lieutenant. "She ain't no ordinary woman kid, I suggest you take her seriously." He said, watching as a blur hit Shuuhei and sent him crashing into a wall. When the dust cleared, Shuuhei had an unreleased Kazeshini in his hands, wiping some blood off his forehead. He glared at the girl standing before him, gasping as he saw her mask covered face.
"A hollow mask?" He said, remembering when he saw Kensei in the Fake Karakura Town. He had been with a group of people who also used masks, like Ichigo.
That's right, they call themselves visoreds. Their masks make them stronger. He's right, I do need to take her seriously.
He moved into a defensive stance as she vanished again, focusing on where her spiritual pressure was so he could dodge any attacks. He quickly spun around and blocked her kick with his sword, flash stepping away as she aimed a punch at him. He found it strange that she didn't use a sword and instead focused on her arms and legs. But then again, he would rather she didn't use a sword, as it would probably make her even stronger and more deadly. It was hard enough fighting her right now. He was already tired before so going against someone like this couldn't end well. But he couldn't disappoint Kensei.
Kensei watched his lieutenants spar, eyes trained on Shuuhei. He noticed several things about the raven almost immediately. He refused to go on the offense, he refused to use shikai, and he also refused to give up. As admirable as that was, Kensei knew it wouldn't end well.
Why won't he use his shikai? Was he trained to not rely on it or something?
Shuuhei did a back flip as Mashiro attempted to drop kick him, leaving a crater where he once stood. She fired rapid punches and kicks which he expertly dodged. She had only hit him once, which was good, but he knew in order to win he would have to hit her back. But hitting a woman just wasn't something he did, even if she was half hollow.
He sure is flexible. Quick, too. Good qualities. Seems to have a good head on his shoulders, but he's obviously got issues. I get why he doesn't want to hit her, I guess. But he needs to do something. Mashiro never was too patient and she's gonna get bored soon. In his state, he won't make it.
Mashiro advanced on Shuuhei, not letting up on her attacks, and when she disappeared and then landed right behind him he didn't have time to block. He grunted as her heel connected with his spine and once again sent him flying into another wall. Kensei watched as Mashiro went to finish him off, eyes narrowing as a small black object flew out of the dust towards her. There was a high pitched whistle as it glowed orange and then suddenly exploded, throwing the girl to the floor. When Shuuhei emerged from the dust Kensei noticed the choker around his neck was gone.
An explosive? Che, sneaky little bastard. I thought he just had a weird fashion sense. Still, I can tell he's hurt now, Mashiro's got a hard kick. I should call this off, but I want to see what he does.
Mashiro seemed confused at the sudden blast, but if anything it made her attack even more. Shuuhei knew dodging wouldn't get him anywhere, he would have to fight back. He just wished she had a sword so he wouldn't have to physically hit her. He could hear Kazeshini screaming at him, calling him weak, telling him to use him, but he didn't want to do that. He still wasn't completely comfortable with his sword. If only he wasn't so damn tired, this wouldn't be as hard.
"Kenseeeiii, he's no fun! He won't fight back!" Mashiro complained, her voice distorted. Kensei sighed and looked over at Shuuhei who was panting heavily. "Make him." Was all he said, knowing Mashiro would end it now. Shuuhei grit his teeth as he felt her spirit energy rise and a red sphere began forming at the mouth of her mask. At this range he wouldn't be able to dodge an attack that size, so he could either take the hit or grant Kazeshini his wish. If he let her cero hit him, he would end up in the fourth division. But if he used Kazeshini, he would only be able to fight back for so long, and then he would probably pass out. He would have to take out Mashiro in that short amount of time.
He's thinking about it. But will he actually use that sword of his, or will he really let Mashiro hit him?
The sphere grew until it was twice the size of Mashiro's head, and in the blink of an eye it was coming towards Shuuhei at a blinding speed. His vision blurred as the brightness burned his eyes, and he took a deep breath before holding out Kazeshini. Kensei watched as Shuuhei was engulfed by what looked like wind, waiting to see what would happen.
"Reap, Kazeshini." Shuuhei said, sending one of his scythes flying towards Mashiro as he flash stepped away. The cero just barely missed him but it did leave a good sized hole in the wall. He winced as his blade cut into Mashiro's shoulder and she cried out, lunging at him with another cero ready. Before she could launch it he wrapped his chains around her stomach and threw her into the wall, creating yet another hole.
So that's his shikai. Looks pretty intense, not what I was expecting. Took him long enough.
Shuuhei felt himself sway to one side as his vision blurred, His exhaustion catching up to him again. He was getting too tired for this. But he didn't want to look weak in front of Kensei, especially on the first day. Mashiro was just too strong though, her mask must really enhance her powers. He wondered how long it lasted, since he remembered hearing Ichigo's had a limit. But didn't Kensei say something about her having a certain ability? Was it maybe... That her mask didn't have a time limit?
He gasped as he was suddenly kicked hard in the back, realizing he must have spaced out, and grunted as Mashiro punched him in the face. He blacked out from the impact and felt himself falling, his hearing fading out, but before he passed out completely he could have sworn somebody caught him.
"Hei.. Uhei... Shuuhei!" He was jostled awake by a familiar voice, and when his vision cleared he realized he was in his bedroom and it was nighttime. The worried blue eyes that belonged to his best friend stared back at him and he wondered how long he had been here.
"Izuru? How did I get here?" He asked, blearily remembering blacking out and someone catching him.
"Your Captain brought you here some time ago. I came looking for you in your office, but he said you were here. Then he told me that girl knocked you out." Kira said with a smirk, causing Shuuhei to glare at him.
"Hey, she's not just a girl, she's part hollow." He defended, leaving out the part where he was too exhausted to fight properly.
"Yeah, well, it's time for you to get up. We're going out to celebrate tonight."
"Eh? Since when?" Shuuhei asked in confusion. He didn't recall making any plans, which meant this was a spur of the moment thing, which also meant it was either Renji or Rangiku's idea.
"Since now, come on!" Izuru said, dragging Shuuhei out of bed and towards the door. He knew he should rest, but since the odds of him actually going to sleep were slim, he figured he might as well go have a few dozen drinks.
What's the worst that could happen?
Oh, Shuuhei... Naive little Shuuhei... You have no idea what you're doing to yourself. Things are going to escalate from here on out!