Preparations (at the Senkaimon) (closed)

[Suigintou]

Riku had arrived at the Senkaimon much earlier than necessary. It would take time for the rest of the shinigami to gather, but he was impatient, restless. If his suspicions had been correct, and the mission to Karakura was somehow connected to the arrancar attack...as far as he was concerned, they couldn't leave quickly enough.

As he paced in small steps in front of the wooden gate, he began to wonder who would be joining them. The details he had been given were sparse at best, though he couldn't help but wonder if, perhaps, even the taichou knew little.

He wouldn't have been surprised. An arrancar had managed to sneak into Rukongai nearly under their noses. He didn't fault them for it, but it worried him: what could the arrancar be planning, and how could they possibly have become so secretive with it? Regardless, it couldn't be good - not for Seireitei, and not for the human world.

Frowning, he laid a hand on Nakukari's hilt, fingers drumming restlessly across its fabric wrapping.

He hoped the others wouldn't take too long.

[Aki Sora]

Kagoko was the next to arrive at the gate for the missions to Karakura-cho. Her emerald orbs scanned the scene quickly searching for the other members of the party. Though, it was quite obvious that not many had come yet save for one pacing soul. The redhead tilted her head slightly as she watched him a moment before actually deciding to approach. Once she was close enough, she discovered that it was Kouyama Riku, one of the Shinigami who had been found in Rukongai after the Arrancar attack.

"Ara~? Kouyama-san?" she spoke as she neared him, stopping just a few meters away from him and giving a respectful bow. "I see that you're well now. Yokatta ne~?"

The young woman wanted to say more, but because of the personality differences, she didn't want to seem like a nuisance to him. It has happened before even though the other involved didn't actually say so.

[Aly]

Long blue-streaked ebony hair trailed behind him as the sixth seat of Hachibantai made his way to the senkaimon. Renjiro had recovered from his injuries before Riku had, and had been able to thank the Juubantai taichou for his rapid response. Still, he'd yet to give his thanks to Masaharu and his apologies to Riku despite being of the same bantai, and those stuck to him like painful barbs. Perhaps this would be the day he could finally say it.

Ever since he'd been released, Renjiro had spent every spare moment in training. The fight with the Arrancar had left a deep scar in his pride as a warrior, as a Minamoto, and as a Shinigami. What use was he as a seated officer if he couldn't even injure an Arrancar? He had to get stronger. So that's what he'd been doing.

Now, the Renjiro who was rapidly closing in on the senkaimon was stronger. Not exponentially stronger, but stronger nonetheless. He'd been preparing mind, body, and whatever soul a dead person had in the first place for a new mission. Now was his chance to see how much he'd improved.

One last Shunpo carried the man to his destination. There were people already there. A Yonbantai whose fiery head looked oddly familiar, and one of the two people he'd had his thoughts on: one Kouyama Riku. He gave the woman a nod of greeting, and strode towards Riku. But rather than stopping, he walked past, though he did say what had been nagging him the entire time as he did so.

". . . . Gomen nasai, Kouyama."

Stopping at a post nearby, the former yojinbo leaned against it, awaiting for the arrival of others so they could get going.

[Suigintou]

Riku stopped walking when he heard the approach of another, and he turned in the direction of the sound, curious who was joining him. The girl that neared was one he had only met briefly before, but thanks to Masa, he knew that she had been the one to attend to his injuries after the arrancar attack. Yoshikuni Kagoko, wasn't it...?

"Yes, thank you." He truly was grateful, but made no attempt at further conversation, preferring the formality and distance. It seemed he would be spared from seeming rude for it, however, as he had barely finished speaking before the third member of their mission team arrived by shunpo, someone that it took Riku no time to recognize.

Upon speaking, though, the sixth seat of his division caught him by surprise. For a moment he didn't respond, though his expression visibly darkened. He knew what the man was talking about, but the fact that he said it made Riku uncomfortable, troubled.

"You have nothing to apologize for," he replied, his voice low. "My weakness is my own. I won't let it happen again."

And he didn't intend to. The arrancar woman had defeated them utterly, and it had been a debilitating blow to his pride even more than to his body. He loathed his own weakness, and she had laid it bare for all to see, something he wouldn't easily let go. He had to be stronger now, and he would. Failure was something he wouldn't allow again.

"Is Kyouraku-taichou on his way yet?" Though it wasn't something Riku often felt, impatience was beginning to set in. Something about his taichou's choice of words upon informing him of the mission made him uneasy, and for such a normally relaxed man to cause it...it was troubling, to say the least.

He sincerely hoped the others wouldn't be long.

[Toboe]

"Kyouraku-taichou will be here soon, Riku-kun." Said a chipper voice from behind. Sure, Shihei had only briefly spoken to Riku on a couple of occasions, but that didn't stop him from treating the other like a long time friend. "He's talking to Ukitake Taichou about the current situation in Karakura. Seems like we may have our hands full. Good thing you're all healed up. I wouldn't want anyone too injured to fight to be tagging along, ya know?"

The fourth seat gave Riku a kind smile before throwing his arms up into the air. "It feels sooooo good to be getting out and doing something!!! Don't you agree?!" Shihei reached out and lightly smacked Riku on the arm, finally noticing his docile demeanor. "Hmm? What's the matter Sour Patch?"

Shihei tilted his head with a curious expression, almost wanting to reach out and poke at his fellow shinigami. He couldn't remember Riku being so quite, than again, he didn't remember much of Riku to begin with. Maybe he was always like this.

[Aki Sora]

Having been watching from a nearby rooftop for a short amount of time, the young, white-haired taichou finally decided to join the others while waiting for the rest of the party. He'd sent for his fukutaichou and eighth seat a while ago and there was no sight of either. However, knowing the protocol between Matsumoto and Isato, the latter had to retrieve her superior from something or convince her to come.

Approaching the small group, he gave a small nod as a greeting. So far, those who were already present were the two Shinigami from Hachibantai, a member of Juusanbantai, and the Yonbantai redhead who was with the Rukongai group not too long before. This was quite an unusual medley he had this time around, however, it was fortunate that he would not be the only taichou present.

"Ara~! Hitsugaya-taichou-san," Kagoko chipped as she bowed respectfully to the shorter man. "Nice to see you again."

The emerald-eyed girl felt weird that someone that looked so much younger than herself would be her superior. Nonetheless, she always showed respect for him since, judging by his personality, he was much more mature than he looked.

"Ah," the young man responded. "Thank you for your work back then. You were very reliable."

"Mm, arigatou, but I was only doing my job," the redhead smiled with a faint blush.

Only a light head bow was returned to the other girl before the Juubantai taichou turned toward to distance, still waiting for the rest of the party to show. He hoped they would come soon so that they could vanquish to disturbance before anything dire happened.

[Bishiglomper]

Masa arrived at the senkaimon, shunpoing right up to the small gathering of shinigami that already had arrived, before coming to a stop.

"Ah, sorry I'm late~" He waved at the people gathered around the senkaimon, putting on one of his pleasant smiles and walking up first to the only captain present. "Good afternoon, Hitsugaya-taichou," he said, not bothering to hide his surprise, "You're accompanying us? And all of them as well.." Masaharu scanned the odd bunch of teammates, letting out a low whistle. "It's like a party~"

He still smiled but he knew since there were a handful of highly seated shinigami, let alone what would be two captains.. Masaharu knew something was wrong. But he didn't ask, instead keeping a lighthearted manner.

He didn't want to make anyone anymore nervous than necessary; especially a certain friend, who he already knew was having anxieties about this mission. Masaharu figured they would be briefed about what to expect. He would be able to better understand the situation once he saw what they were dealing with.

[Suigintou]

The voice that answered Riku's question surprised him. Focused on the two already present, he hadn't noticed anyone else coming, and certainly hadn't expected a new arrival to answer his question. While he was glad for the reply, the news troubled him - the taichou were taking this quite seriously, much more than a regular hollow attack, and that couldn't have meant anything good.

"This is a mission," he replied in his characteristically soft voice, clearly discomforted by his thoughts. "It's important to stay focused."

The words referred to himself, though they seemed to contradict the other shinigami's behavior. Truthfully, Riku gave little thought to Shihei's relaxed demeanor, his questions about the situation in the living world weighing on his mind far more than the attitude of a fourth seat.

Before he could think too heavily on them, though, someone else unexpected jumped down from his apparent vantage point and joined them. Startled, Riku turned toward the child taichou, at a loss for words. Two taichou were going? That was an extremely rare occurrence, usually reserved for emergencies involving menos or arrancar. The realization heightened Riku's suspicions, and he started to open his mouth to ask for more information, but stopped himself. There would likely be a brief overview of their mission by one of the taichou before they left; it would be better to wait.

Waiting was extremely hard, however, when it seemed he was the only one who had no idea what they were up against. He stared at the ground, brows furrowed, running through everything he did know in his mind again and again in preparation, until a familiar voice broke his concentration. Relieved, he turned toward Masaharu, though he said nothing to his friend. Masa's evident surprise was understandable. Riku, too, wondered at the size of the group, and though it was already sizable, it seemed not all of them had joined them.

Frowning, he turned back to the Senkaimon. He had no idea what awaited them on the other side of it, but he was ready to find out.

This time, he was ready for a fight.

[Aly]

The Rokseki's hazel eyes locked onto Riku's for a moment, but for Renjiro it was enough. He'd seen everything he needed to in the gaze that came back to him. Both he and Riku had cursed themselves for their weakness, and they had done something about it. The older man's head inclined in the smallest and briefest of nods before a new arrival caught his attention. A member of Juusanbantai . . . Yonseki Higashiyama Shihei. The man kept his face purposefully neutral as he inclined his head to the other Shinigami. How . . . chipper of him. And of course, Riku only answered with that naturally quiet voice of his. Hmmm . . . he'd gotten more serious about this than before. Then again, Renjiro himself was feeling the same way at Shihei's words.

The feeling only got stronger at the arrival of the Juubantai child genius of a taichou. Without a word Renjiro bowed deeply to the white-haired boy before giving him a questioning look once he'd finished speaking with the Yonbantai girl. From the sound of it, she was one of the Yonbantai who'd been there that day with the Arrancar . . . Ah, that's right. Now he could remember the blur of fiery red. So that had been that girl . . . He'd have to thank her later . . .

And now, enter Masaharu. He, like Shihei, seemed quite . . . light-hearted. Was it a pretense? Then again, Renjiro had to admit to not really speaking with the Nanaseki much. The Minamoto was a rather reclusive and introverted man, even when he'd been alive. The only people he'd ever really opened up to were Shirotori and a few others he called mutual friends. Of course, those others were still missing . . . Hnnn, no. Back to the present. Right now, worrying about the past would do nothing but make him a hindrance. And if he hindered, they were at a disadvantage. He would not lose again. Renjiro gave Masaharu a slight nod in greeting, and turned at the sound of a new arrival.

"Hai~!" Rangiku warbled as she and Katsue appeared to join the group. "Sorry we're late~"

Frost blue eyes scanned the group. What a gathering! Three seated officers from Hachibantai, Kago-chan from Yonbantai . . . Her eyes lit up as she spotted a familiar face.

"Ara, Higashiyama~! I didn't know you were here!" she smiled as she strode closer. "What a party! And we have Kago-chan and- erk!"

The strawberry blond's face was plastered with an "Oh crap" look. A wobbly string of nervous laughter escaped her as she waved to her short white-haired superior.

"T-T-Taichou! I-I didn't know you were coming!"

[Bishiglomper]

Masaharu caught Riku's gaze, returning it with a smile and a wave. "Riku-kun~" he called at him, "Sorry I couldn't make it with you. Ah, and I bet you were the first one here~"

His attention was turned toward Renjirou, returning his nod of acknowledgment. "It's good to see you, Minamoto-san." Any more conversation directed toward the other shinigami was cut short due to the new arrivals. Juubantai's Fukutaichou and eighth seat came walking up to the group.

Masaharu could have laughed by the expression Matsumoto had for her captain when she realized he was here. But he kept it to himself. He wasn't close to either of them at all, but it was known that the woman could be a handful for the young taichou. Removing himself from getting caught in between their...exchange, Masaharu came up to the only other person he had yet to greet.

"Yoshikuni-san," he gave a short, respectful bow. "Thank you for taking care of Riku-chan. We're glad to have you accompany us."


Katsue trailed behind her fukutaichou, sweatdropping at her superior's greetings. When she noticed their captain was present, Cat gave a quick, low bow in respect.

She scanned the group, seeing who was present. So many people! Just what were they here for? Matsumoto didn't tell her anything other than she and Cat were called to the senkaimon. Very curious indeed. What was even more curious, was how diverse the group was. Shinigami from Hachibantai, Juubantai and.. Ah, Cat sweatdropped. Shihei-kun from Juusanbantai. A blush came to her face remembering what happened just a bit earlier at the baths.


She suddenly realized all these shinigami were seated. With one taichou and fukutaichou; so far. Katsue began to wonder if this mission should be making her nervous...

[Aki Sora]

Akina, curious as one could be when the jigoku cho came through, followed behind her two pals from Juubantai to see what the whole she-bang was about. When she arrived with the other two women, she looked around at the spectrum of of those waiting. It was a nice mixed medley of shinigami from various bantai all together. However, there were quite a few. Even... Yoshikuni Kagoko from Yonbantai?!

"Oi~!" the mocha called out to the redhead, making her presence loudly known. "Kago-chan! Long time, no see, nee~?! Uwuh-- Hitsugaya-taichou, konnichiwa."

Without waiting for a response from the redhead, the Rokubantai eighth seat turned her attention quickly, blushing and bowing respectfully to the young taichou . She admired him greatly to the point where Akina was pretty much a fangirl of the white-haired youth. After returning upright, light brown eyes scanned the rest of the group and she spotted Shihei, the one that she and her other well-endowed friend had cornered back at the bathhouse. With a little wave to him and a bow to the rest, her mind began to wander.

Why are all of these people here? What's going on? I wonder if Kuchiki-taichou would allow me to go along with them. Bur first...

"Hitsugaya-san," she began quietly. "May I be informed as to what this gathering is about?"

Teal eyes turned to the figure that was speaking. Somehow, Kuchiki-taichou's eighth seat had found her way over. Most likely with Matsumoto and Isato, seeing as they were all quiet chummy. Nonetheless, the youth spoke, obliging the mocha with only a small amount of information.

"There's a matter to attend to in the world of the living, we are awaiting the rest of the group," he told her simply, not giving out any more detail than necessary.

"Can I come along as well?" the woman asked, her expression nearly pouting.

Hitsugaya looked at Akina with indifferent eyes. It would mean that they had an extra sword with them in case they were met with an ungodly amount of hollow. Though, there were plenty going already. But, it was better to be safe than sorry.

"Alright, I will allow you to come along as well," he finally said. "Don't get in the way."

"Hai~!" the woman replied a little too excitedly as she bowed and rejoined Kat and Rangiku.

The young taichou looked at his own fukutaichou with an expression that stated loud and clear, 'I will deal with you later' before turning and extending a finger to which a black butterfly came to perch upon. With this cho, he sent word to the Rokubantai taichou that his eighth seat was added to a mission as backup as well as an apology for the spontaneity. In a swift motion, the insect took flight en route to its destination.

With a newly added member, there was only a matter of time until the other key member of the group arrived. Hitsugaya hoped that the older man wouldn't take much longer. Now was not the time to dawdle for it may reap serious consequence in the long run.

[Toboe]

Shihei stumbled back and away from Rangiku as she addressed him. She was quite lovely in his eyes, and very lively. Nevertheless, his nervousness kicked into high gear and caused the normally outgoing and happy shinigami to sputter away, face red, almost gasping for air.

"Why do they always sneak up on me?!" He asked himself in his head, even though she had done nothing even remotely sneaky about the way she greeted him. The fourth-seat gulped for air before turning away from here, only to walk face first into the man they've all been waiting for.

"Shihei kun..." The taichou said as he looked down towards the other. "Please watch where you step." There was a hint of uneasiness in the tone of his voice. He walked past Shihei and out before the crowd of shinigami to address them all. "You all are probably wondering why you all have been asked to gather here. I realize that the lack of information up until now has probably been quite the cause of concern." He paused for a brief second to give everyone a quick look over. "As we speak, there is a hollow attack taking place in Karakura."

The older shinigami let out a unsteady sigh, what he was about to tell wasn't easy. It certainly worried him a great deal. Shunsui glanced down towards the ground before speaking again, his eyes returning to those around him. "The attack is pretty substantial. They number in the thousands. Even more worrisome is that their reiatsu is quite unusual, and we suspect that there is meno's actively in the area. Other than this, we know nothing else. Because of this, I urge you ALL to proceed with extreme caution. If you find yourself overwhelmed, retreat. I'd really like for there to be no loses during this. Now, before we depart, does anyone have any questions?"

[Suigintou]

Kyouraku-taichou's sudden arrival startled Riku. He watched the man, and as he began to speak, the uneasiness the ninth seat already felt multiplied. Kyouraku Shunsui was not someone that normally took on such a serious demeanor.

It seemed that all of his apprehension was well-placed, he realized with a shock as the taichou began to explain the situation. Riku caught his breath, his eyes widening slightly. Thousands? At once? How was that even possible? Their group of shinigami, so unusually large and diverse moments ago, now seemed insubstantially tiny, and it took some effort for the boy to suppress his shock enough to listen to the rest of the briefing.

This was not the time for hesitation. Menos activity on top of the hollow numbers...he had to be completely focused. Kyouraku-taichou's words to him upon allowing him to accept the mission rang in his head again, and this time he understood. But he wouldn't run away. He would be strong enough to fight.

Riku glanced up, first to Renjiro, and then to Masaharu. Upon meeting eyes with his friend, his expression hardened, a wordless statement of his resolve. He knew Masa's nature - he would be worrying, especially with his concern over Riku's injuries still fresh, but now wasn't the time for it. He had to focus on himself, and though he didn't say anything to him, Riku needed to make that clear.

Drawing in a long breath, he clenched his hand around the fabric of Nakukari's hilt, turning to face forward. He was ready.

[Bishiglomper]

"Eh? Akina-chan?" Cat had failed to notice her seat sister had apparently trailed them to the senkaimon. She listened curiously as her outgoing friend asked Hitsugaya-taichou if she could join them on their mysterious mission. To her surprise, he actually agreed! He even made sure to send a jigoku chou to Kuchiki-taichou letting him know. Something told Cat that Rokubantai-taichou wouldn't miss his 8'th seat for a few hours or so. (Especially with Akina's entertainment gone...)

Honestly, she was happy her best friend was going to join them. Cat was confident in her abilities, but knew Akina made a reliable partner, having sparred with and against her so often. Cat was about to go over to Akina and share how great she thought it was she could go with them. But the newest arrival caught her attention, successfully distracting her. Kyourau-taichou? Is this who they were waiting for? Another captain? Cat glanced toward Akina, not saying a word but just generally confused...


Upon hearing his taichou's arrival, Masaharu turned toward the newest, and presumably the last member of their oddball squad. Yoshikuni-san momentarily forgotten, he came a bit closer to listen to what the captain had to say. Immediately Masaharu could tell Kyouraku-taichou was uneasy about something, the tone in his voice easily giving him away. He knew it would take something serious for the man's easy-going demeanor to change into a more serious one.

'Hollow? In the thousands?' Masaharu said nothing, though his expression clearly betrayed how disturbed he was by the new information. 'A strange reiatsu... and a chance there are menos. No wonder so many seated shinigami and two captains were called into this mission... this was going to be tough.'

Automatically, Masaharu thought of Riku. He was well aware he wasn't fully healed but in thinking about him, Masaharu caught his gaze. It startled him for a split second; Riku's expression said nothing else than that he had made his decision; his resolve.

His expression softened. Well that was it. Masaharu had no say in the matter, and he understood that. This was a matter of Riku's self worth, a chance to redeem himself for his past failure. He needed this to heal his pride; and Masaharu knew a thing or two about one's pride.

Riku had turned away by then, missing the content expression of his friend.

Masaharu said nothing to Riku, but came to stand beside him waiting for the order to pass through the senkaimon, his own hand on Benisuzume's hilt. He would just have to wait and see what the fates had in store for them.

[Aki Sora]

The white-haired taichou furrowed his brow at the news. He knew of the hollow attack in Karakura, but he didn't know that the numbers were in the thousands. It was no wonder they had such a large group but he still felt that, against that large amount of hollow, it wouldn't be enough. Great, as if the Arrancar sighting in Rukongai wasn't enough for one week. Once the older captain finished his explanation, Hitsugaya nodded without a word. He moved closer the the gate along with Riku and Masaharu, he was prepared for anything. He would be sure that they group didn't come back a failure.

After Kyouraku-taichou explained the situation, Akina began to get serious. So this was what the group was all about, interesting development. It was a good chance to get in on some action since the mocha shinigami rarely had a chance to go to the world of the living. Plus, Kat and Rangiku were there and she knew that if things got too tough, she'd definitely have them to count on. Not only the two from Juubantai, but the redhead from Yonbantai.

Kagoko felt her heart drop as she heard the news of why their group was so large. Emerald orbs widened at the mention of over one thousand hollow. She began to doubt that she alone would be able to take care of the casualties if there were any. Now she was wishing that Yamada-kun had come along as well. Silently, she whined, but she knew that she couldn't be that way. She had to stand firm and do her duty. Unohana-taichou always told her to be confident in her healing abilities. Unohana-taichou, lend me your strength, she thought as she turned and walked to the gate, joining Riku, Masaharu, and Hitsugaya.

"Don't worry," the redhead said quietly behind them. "I'll be sure to do my best on the mission. If you're injured, you can count on me."