New orders? Closed [Zenji]

Yuudai did his best to hide his discomfort as he marched through the main office areas of the First division. It was never good news for him whenever he was summoned here. Even though it was Zenji who had summoned him, it did little to soothe him as his cousin wouldn’t go easy on him just because of their relationship. He wouldn’t even be so anxious if he knew the reason for his summons, but even after constantly wracking his brain he couldn’t think of anything in the last few days that would warrant a visit to the first division.

The shinigami paused at a junction in the corridors, was Zenji’s office straight ahead or left? Yuudai’s grip on the hilt of his sword tightened, ‘Which way, which way? Left. It’s definitely left.’ He turned and had barely taken two steps down the corridor when a chuckle echoed through his mind. He recognised it as the annoyingly smug sound of someone who always knew better, ‘If you know the way, why let me panic my way through this maze of a building?’ His question was met with silence as he turned back and headed down the correct path.

Yuudai’s anxiety was lessened by his annoyance at Yogan and his usual know it all chuckles. He could picture the stupid grin plastered across his face, sipping tea and watching Yuudai freak out over nothing. The shinigami muttered small curses and grumblings under his breath the rest of the way to his cousin’s office.

The door to the office was slightly ajar when he arrived. Yuudai stood outside, took a deep breath to steady himself and knocked on the door. With his final knock he pushed the door open proper and took a small step into the office, “Yuudai Oshiro of the Hatayama clan, third division reporting as ordered.”

"Yes - Enter." came the voice of the room's occupant as the door swung open to reveal the large spacious office of the Third Division's Chief Archivist was half-packed when the other man arrived, as if it's current occupant was preparing to move on.

The more administrative part of the room was practically empty with just a few sheets of paper scattered across the desk. Even the man's ever present tea set had been packed away.

Off to one side was the small library belonging to the Chief Archivist which held some of the most forbidden Demon Arts texts protected by the Third Seat himself.

Hearing Yuudai enter Zenji came out from one of those rooms carrying a stack of leather bound tomes.

"Ah Yuudai, please shut the door and take a seat, I'll be with you shortly." he said with a nod towards the armchairs and couch that made up the small sitting area he had setup for guests.

Putting the Tomes onto his desk he turned and smiled at the new arrival. "Well Cousin, how does the day find you?"

Yuudai did as he was told, closing the door behind him before untying his zanpakuto from his waist but keeping hold of it in his hand and taking a seat in front of Zenji’s desk. He let out a sigh of relief and relaxed a little when Zenji called him cousin instead of using his name, perhaps this was an informal visit after all. Yogan’s chuckle ran through him again, ‘Oh don’t pretend like you knew we weren’t in trouble you smug git.’

The shinigami straightened up in his seat, “The day hasn’t been bad so far. Other than the anxiety of being summoned to the offices. Not my favourite place if I’m honest, cousin.” Yuudai furrowed his brow as he looked around, “What’s with all the boxes? You finally get bored of the desk and want to go back to keeping the peace the good old fashioned way?” He grinned at Zenji, “Or did you get fired for something? Office romance? Punch your boss? One too many Irish coffees?”

Chuckling the Lord of the Hatayama Clan took his own seat behind his desk as he held his hands up in a display of innocence. "How else am I meant to get a hold of you? You never drop by the manor and I'm almost always working." he replied reasonably.

Turning his attention to the mess of papers on the desk top Zenji began to tidy them up before glancing up at Yuudai with an expression of confusion. "Irish coffee?" he asked sounding confused.

Going back to reorganizing the documents he carried on. "As for the packing, we'll I'm expecting some changes around here soon."

Finishing with his busywork the officer turned his gaze, not more serious, to the larger man before adding. "How is your training going? I haven't heard much from you in the reports lately. Have you progressed with the Demon Arts or made any improvements to your fighting prowess?"

Yuudai shrugged slightly, “You know I never entirely felt welcomed at the manor, always sitting on the edge of things. Besides, I’m not allowed to train in the manor anymore, I broke one too many things in my time there. And the clearing I’ve found seems to…” He waved his free hand around as he searched for the word, “Resonate with Yogan quite well too.”

He let out a small smile, “I suppose that answers your question. I have progressed quite well in my zanjutsu. As for my Kido… My hado is going okay I guess. Though my kaido and bakudo are lacking by comparison but still progressing. I could probably hold my own against a few hollow or troublemakers. Why?” Yuudai leaned forward, “Is there something I should know about?”

Zenji raised an eyebrow while wearing a faint smile "It's your home as much as it is mine. After all the branch family is vast and many are in the same role as yourself among the Court Guard Squads. Our land is also vast enough to find you somewhere to privately study if you wish, not to mention that we hold some of the most spiritually rich territory in the Sei-" he cut off and shook his head.

"Well whatever works for you, I'm glad to hear you're training regardless. Don't feel disheartened when it comes to Kido, many talented Shinigami struggle to become proficient in even the basics. Even among Masters it's rare to be skilled in more than one path." he assured his cousin with a smile. "Focus on Hado and I'm sure you'll go far."

At the question Zenji chuckled. "Impatient as ever Cousin." he said standing up and moving to a cabinet at one side. With a gesture the seal locking the doors came undone and he retrieved a scroll from within before shutting it and, with a simple wave, the barrier returned.

Setting the scroll in front of Yuudai he nodded. "Well go ahead and read it." he suggested.

Remaining standing he would wait until Yuudai had finished reading before bowing slightly to his subordinate. "Congratulations 7th Seat Yuudai Oshiro."

The shinigami smiled at his cousin’s words about their clan’s home. It was true the pace had plenty of rooms and grounds for training, the constant supervision and silent judgement made him uneasy and distracted. The forest he currently trained in was a much better fit for him. And he wasn’t lying when he said it resonated with Yogan too, his ability to interact with his zanpakuto had increased rapidly after leaving the manor.

Yuudai gave Zenji a puzzled look as he took the scroll and opened it, his brow only furrowing further when he was done. “Seventh seat? Are you sure? But why? Did everyone else in the squad retire while I wasn’t looking?” The mans frown quickly turned to a wide smile as he looked back to his cousin, “But seriously Zenji, thanks. I’m not entirely sure what the seventh seat does, but I will do it the best I can.”

Chuckling Zenji leant against his table, seemingly reluctant to sit again, he was beginning to feel energised. Excited. The time was approaching. The next step in what had to be done.

Calm. Yuudai would need to be brought up to speed if he was to become a useful blade for Zenji to better defend the Balance.

"Well you are named as Leader of the 2nd Rukongai Response Team. It's a combat focused team dispatched to deal with security threats in the Districts. You'll report to Fifth Seat Rukongai Response Commander Reika Suzumei."

He paused and glanced at the closed door before raising a finger to his lips before pressing his hands together as though in prayer. “Silence, black dog of Rondaniini, Listen to your words and slit your own throat.” he recited calmly “Bakudō #28. Oudanmari.

The Third Seat's Spiritual Energy fluttered outwards, gently and softly, to encompass the room around them. As it flowed unnatural silence followed until the only sound was the breathing of the two men.

"Apologies but one never knows who is listening." Zenji said with a sad smile "I'm afraid affairs in the Soul Society are much worst than you know cousin. There are... dangers out there that I must tell you off but everything I say you must treat with care, the wrong word to the wrong person and everything could be destroyed."

He paused before adding. "I will force nothing on you, neither as your superior nor as your Clan Patriarch, if you wish to simply take your new rank and go about as usual then do so now. However if you're willing to listen, to know, and to help me protect everything we've sworn to defend. Then I will tell you everything I know."

Yuudai let out an amused chuckle, ‘Leader of a team he says, this should be interesting.’ The man’s merriment quickly diminished when Zenji cast a spell to seal the room however. The atmosphere took a severe dark turn when his cousin spoke his worries about the state of things.

The shinigami stood from his seat and began to re-attach his Zanpakuto to his waist, “It is my job to maintain order, keep the peace and protect the balance of things, if you have knowledge that I need to be able to do that I would have you share it with me cousin.” Yuudai stepped forward to the desk before turning and leaning against it, practically shoulder to shoulder with Zenji. He lowered his voice, not sure how well the seal would hold the pair’s words, “If it requires this level of secrecy it must be dire.” He waved his hand aimlessly gesturing to the spell, “Share your thoughts with me cousin and I’ll lighten the load on those tiny shoulders of yours.”

For a moment Zenji was silent, he tilted his head back and stared at the ceiling in silence before closing his eyes. “Very well.”

But where to start? There was so much to tell, so much he needed to know. The cliff notes would have to do for now, the most urgent information.

“For months I have been building the power of their Division as well as securing the political position of our Clan. It is in response to a newly identified threat I uncovered… you may recall I a while ago that I lost my hand - we give a vague reason about it happening during a patrol. Well this was true but it was no Hollow that give me such an injury…” he paused and glanced at his Cousin “It was a Quincy.”

He let that sink in for a moment before continuing. “I don’t know how much you know about the misbegotten race of mortals but to say their title of “Destroyers” is one well earned. They are spiritualist mortals cursed with quite deadly powers and Reiatsu on par with a lower ranked member of the Gotei such as yourself. However amongst them are a rare few who grow even further, further than any Human was ever naturally meant to go.”

“Can this one be trusted? So many others have failed you.” the ever familiar voice whispered. She could speak to him easily now regardless of the physical proximity of her sealed form. That had to mean something but he had little time to ponder it.

’He must.’

“The worst curse of the Destroyers is the one that earned them such an epitaph. Their powers don’t simply kill their targets - they destroy them. Completely. No matter how their power is applied it leads to upsetting the balance which is why the pogrom was carried out by the Gotei all those years ago.”

Sighing the 3rd Seat folded his arms, almost hugging himself “I have uncovered far more of their number than I thought could possibly exist. They’ve been breeding unchecked for generations. I have tried to find… alternative solutions but beyond killing them - letting them pass on into the cycle and be reborn as proper Humans nothing else can be sure to work.”

“This is why I need your help, cousin. I have tried building secretive Cabals to deal with the issue silently but the others have either failed or betrayed me. I have tried to convince other Soul Reapers of the need but they would rather attempt co-existence as the ever delicate balance tilts further and further into oblivion. It will not be long until drastic action is required to simply re-address the Balance itself which can only be done at the cost of innocent souls.”

Stopping again he straightened up and walked a little away, staying within the binding of his silence spell, and poured himself some water from the jug… water that happened to be just within reach of Binbōgami.

He would not allow another subordinate to betray him.

Yuudai waited patiently as Zenji collected himself before speaking, the topic must be a dire one to throw even his stoic cousin off balance. When he spoke the word ‘Quincy’ hung in the air for a moment, the shinigami remembered the tales told to him of the destroyers, disturbers of the balance. Those who’s reckless use of power threatened the very existence of the worlds. “I have heard of the group, but I thought they were all wiped out long ago.”

The man turned his head and watched his cousin as he spoke and went for water, speaking of past failures and betrayals. He understood why Zenji seemed reluctant to share the information, this could cause a panic if it reached the masses and then there would truly be a loss of order.

‘They must be destroyed. Or all will be annihilated.’
‘That’s a rather aggressive stance for you, Yogan.’
‘I enjoy peace and tranquillity. I can have neither if the Quincy destroy the world.’
‘A drop of blood to cleanse the poison?’
‘You’re learning. Good.’

Yuudai shrugged his shoulders when his cousin finished speaking, “While their numbers are greater than we thought, we can always correct that. Finish what our predecessors failed to. Destroy the destroyers to save the world. I don’t see a big issue here cousin, isn’t that literally our job as shinigami? To protect the balance and destroy anything that threatens it.” He continued to look over at Zenji, his face only faintly showing his anger. His anger that these creatures existed at all, let alone the failure of the previous shinigami to do their duties.

Zenji relaxed slightly, a sigh escaping his lips, as Yuudai reacted favourably to the news. Perhaps there was a chance.

“They shouldn’t exist at all, an aberration arisen by an unnatural reaction to a specific Human tribe's interactions with Hollow. We don’t know how they came to be exactly, perhaps a bloodline of Spiritualists who evolved to better defend themselves from the hungering beasts. Regardless we thought them extinct but it seems the Shinigami of the time failed to properly eradicate the totality of the Destroyers Clan.”

Folding his arms he continued. “As I have said I’ve tried to recruit others to varying success. At first I had Third Seats Nao and Watari on my side but Nao has become more withdrawn and Watari…” he trailed off and grimaced. “I’m sure you heard that a while ago, a few months prior to my leaving the First Division, that there was a… tragic accident which took the lives of many of the nobility. Our Clan was unharmed only due to our status being too low to attend the event where the deaths occured.”

Returning with two glasses of water he put one down on the table in front of his cousin.

“Well it was no accident. Watari - the Head of Clan Suzumei had them killed, sparing those he wished to ascend as the new major families.” he stated. “He met with me not long after and provided some… threats to ensure my cooperation but, in time, I outgrew him. I no longer feared him but, despite his dangerous nature, I sought his assistance with the Quincy. The danger of the threat was at least something we agreed upon.” he added with a shake of his head before dropping into his seat.

“Unfortunately that alliance is not stable. I tried to offer him personal friendship, support, as he was emotionally and mentally… unwell. I believe he has turned that aside too. He schemes for little reason other than scheming… oh he claims it’s all in pursuit of a grand purpose but when you really look at it the man is jumping from plan to plan leaving chaos in his wake and lying to himself that it’s all part of his plan.” Zenji said with a shake of his head with a tinge of disgust in his voice. “And yet the most 'purpose’ he has is trying to hurt others. Perhaps it’s simply because he’s so pathetically miserable himself that he feels the need to drag others down to his level. Or… he’s just mad.”

Zenji stopped talking again and looked at his cousin, feeling the two centuries of his existence weighing on him. Sometimes he just felt so tired. Perhaps at last he’d found someone to share the load with. “I seem to have become a target of choice lately. Reika, the Fifth Seat of our Division… she is a young Shinigami with little experience. I thought to give her a chance to see her potential, a path to let her achieve greatness and become a true blade of the Gotei… I even warned her about Watari as they’d run into each other previously.”

The man shook his head. “Not long after I gave her a seated position she ran straight into the arms of the Suzumei Lord - adopted straight into his House. I have no doubt that this only happened because Watari thought to turn my newest Officer against me.” he stated “So she has gone from being a warrior of the Seitei to being nothing more than a tool of a madman. As such…” he stopped and met his cousin’s eyes “This is why I’m making you a Rukongai Team Leader, specifically a leader of a Combat Squad, because I can’t trust her with the defence of the Rukongai. It would not be beyond the realms of possibility that as a servant of the Suzumei that she’d delay defending the innocent souls of the Soul Society from Hollow Attacks simply because Watari wished for more Chaos.”

Sipping at his drink he stared at the surface of the clear liquid before adding. “Officially you’ll report to her but in reality you’ll be working directly for me.”

Another sigh slipped from Zenji but this one was harsher as he tried to suppress his anger. “Then there is the Old Guard. The Captains and Lieutenants who have passively held their positions for at least a Century - who have failed to lead the Gotei 6 properly. Who’ve let the military might falter, our purity of purpose shrivel away and have made us all stumble in our duty to defend the Balance. They too must be replaced by a newer generation, an active generation… a driven and true generation of Shinigami.”

The Lord of the Hatayama gave a sad smile. “So you see, Yuudai, things are much worse than they first appear. But what are we to do? We are the Hatayama, the Monks of Balance, even if everyone else were to turn their backs we, at least, must serve the edicts of our most Divine Soul King.”

Faith. Even as his friends and comrades failed him. Even as the Soul Society buckled under its own inadequacy. Even as the poisoned souls turned against him Zenji knew he had to stand. He knew there had to be a path to salvation. Faith above all else.

“May he protect us all.”

Zenji frowned and glanced at the shakujō leaning against the wall. Well now that was new.

Yuudai listened to the woes of the soul society as his cousin seemed to relax bit by bit as he shared his burden of knowledge. The troubles with the other shinigami did not sit right with Yuudai, “Tell me Zenji, how many others have you told of this? And how many are on the wrong path?” The man practically spat venom as he ended his sentence. The thought that shinigami would be neglecting their duty angered the man greatly.

“And what of the houses other than Suzumei? How are they responding to this threat, if at all? Both the destroyers and even the crazy Watari. Threats to the peace and balance should be removed.” The man took a breath, “I understand that dealing with the treacherous houses will take tact and a bit of time, but eradicating the non-humans shouldn’t take that much convincing surely? Our predecessors tried before, why would we not finish what they started?”

Zenji pinched the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes and thought about it. “I’ve told Watari, as mentioned, I also told 3rd Seat Nao who was on board with my plans although she wished to find a way to disable their powers rather than killing them all. I tried to tell another Noble, a Shinigami of the Fifth called Yuki, but she refused, wishing to make alliances instead. So I wiped her memory.”

He said it so easily, once it had been a source of shame but now the man accepted his actions as necessary. He had no choice but to change. The times demanded it.

“While I believe the Suzumei accept the threat as real they’re too busy with their scheming. Their attention is turned inwards, scheming within the Soul Society, instead of focusing on the outward threats.”

“They have the other families in line. They’ve killed their rivals and they’re more than willing to kill more nobles, as many as needed, to secure their position as the main power of the Seireitei. They’re also more than capable of doing it.”

Giving a sad smile. “I’ve tried Yuudai, even endangering our Clan by angering those nobles, to get them to listen. People are either to selfish or stupid to realise how dangerous this threat really is. Then there’s the Gotei leadership… it is nearly impossible to believe that so many Quincy could go unnoticed in the Living World. The Captains had to know, likely their Lieutenants too, so why did they not act?”

Yuudai smiled lightly with the mention of the houses being brought to heel. “Well at least that proves that the other houses can be brought under control, even if it’s not under the Hatayama. Yet.” He gently pushed himself up off the desk and stood upright. "It just means we need to become powerful enough in our own right to knock Watari and his ilk out of our way, then the other will fall in behind us instead.”

For a moment Yuudai couldn’t believe what he was saying, he had never really cared about their Clan’s standing or power before. Nor had he ever had any ambition to improve them, but here he was advocating just that. A means to an end, he supposed. If the Hatayama ruled, the other had to listen to them and actually deal with threats. He also noticed the lack of opposition from Yogan. Usually the giant was against this sort of thing, but it seemed he had decided to remain silent for now.

The man rolled his shoulders slightly, resetting his clothing position, “As for the Gotei leadership, well, the captains and lieutenants change all the time. We just need to make sure the next ones are up to the task and arrive promptly.”

Zenji smiled tightly, the topic was one that had inflicted too much stress and misery in his life for him to take lightheartedly but he didn’t want to be a complete buzzkill. “Indeed - we just need to move with caution and quietly build our own strength. Just don’t be reckless, any one of the families that were extinguished could have snuffed out our entire Clan without a second thought. Nevermind Watari’s accursed Family now.”

The Family Head folded his hands on the desk and frowned slightly. “You know as well as I, cousin, that I have never sought power for power sake. Indeed our Clan has sat out Politics for most of the Soul Society’s history, it simply is not our way. However if things must change then let them change - we are the Demon Arts Masters of the Seiretei and should we be forced to, we will bring our power to bear.”

It had already begun. Forbidden Kido experimentation, training of the Shrine Priests and Maidens in higher levels of battle Kido. Consolidating the Hatayama Shinigami back to the Manor. He would turn the peaceful Shrine Estate into a Fortress and woe to even the Suzumei if they believed their underhanded plotting would avail them against the most holy and devout servants of the Divine Soul King.

Zenji raised an eyebrow at the comment about the Captains and Lieutenants. “If only that were true.” he replied with a smirk. “The current Captains have held their titles so long that no one recalls a time before the current leadership. Hell I’m half convinced that the Commander had a stroke on that chair of his, the old man never seems to move a finger.” the 3rd Seat said with annoyance. “Their Lieutenants are nearly as bad. Do you know who runs this Division? I do. Even on request I’ve never received a solid bloody order from our glorious leaders.”

Disgust tinged the man’s voice. He despised Satarou Sasaki and his cronie Ryōma Ukita. A somewhat cold smile touched his lips.  “However that does rather gracefully lead straight into my next point and the reason why I promoted you today rather than later in the week.”

“Yes!” hissed Binbōgami, as hungry as ever for her master/partner/servant to grasp for more power.

Ignoring her, Zenji tilted his head slightly. “If you are willing I would have you accompany me as my second for an upcoming duel. I plan to tear the Lieutenancy from Ryōma’s feeble grasp.” he said without his usual calm, his eyes alight with rare ambition. What say you, cousin?”

Yuudai hummed slightly at the comments about the captain beijing in place longer than memory. He had never put any thought into it but Zenji was right, no one has served under different captains and the point was really driven home when he didn;t actually remember their captains name. “Errr… Captain… Sa.Sa.Mi?” He took a long pause between each syllable as his brain scrambled for the next one.

The shinigami was a little surprised by his cousin’s request for support but smiled nonetheless, “Of course I will support you, cousin. Though I do hope it is simply a formality. You know as well as I that I am yet to gain strength enough to stand against a lieutenant. Perhaps by the time you take the captain seat I could.” Yuudai’s smile widened to a slightly uncanny degree, “Perhaps by then we will have the other Captains with us too. Or the strength to bypass them.”

Yuudai caught himself and was taken aback by how far forward he was thinking. He was usually such an impulsive person, especially where fights were concerned. It seemed Yogan really was having an effect on the way he thought. A chuckle rang through his head. ‘Still a smug git though.’

Zenji couldn’t help but smirk at his cousin’s faulty memory as he struggled to mentally retrieve the name of their Divisional Leader. “Captain Satoru of the fallen Clan Sasaki.” he said mockingly. “Nevermind leading the Third Division of the Gotei 6, the man couldn’t even keep his own family from collapsing.”

With a slight shake of his head the man chuckled. “Don’t worry I am not expecting you to get into a duel with the Captain but I wouldn’t put it past him or the Lieutenant to pull some underhanded shit. Mostly I just want you to call out any nonsense you see if they do try anything. I’ve made certain… changes to the Division over my few months as Third Seat. I’ve made sure that we’re a number of allies amongst the Seated officers, other Shinigami who’ve also grown tired of Satoru and his cronies. So if you call something out they’ll step forward. It’s mostly just to make sure the Captain can’t do something blatantly unfair and expect everyone to just look the other way.”

Pausing his smile widened. “As for the fight itself. I don’t expect it to be much trouble. I’m only even making the challenge at all to give the Captain a little… warning. He may be incompetent, corrupt and a failure but he is due some respect. For all their failings the Captains have kept some level of stability within the Soul Society. So I’ll let him see I have already almost become his match and give him some time to decide if he’ll step down willingly or not.”

Sipping his drink the man added. “If Watari doesn’t do anything too stupid I suspect he’ll be a Captain before too long. Nao may seize the Captain-Commander role eventually but I haven’t heard from her in a while. Then there’s Yuki… knowing the girl she’ll not bother with the proper way of doing things and just go from unseated to Captain but such rough advancement is in line with the Combat Vanguards way of doing things.”

That left the Fourth and Seconds up to grabs. If their cousin put in the effort she could possibly climb up the Fourth’s ranks, maybe even grab the Captaincy but he didn’t really know anyone in the Second at all. Then again they were a far less crucial part of running the Soul Society from Zenji’s point of view.

The First was needed because it ran things and handled most of the essential bureaucracy which others underestimated.

The Fifth handled the majority of the Combat activities outside of the Soul Society and made up the bulk of the patrols and dealing with Hollow threats. In the coming days he’d hope they would help with the Quincy Cleansing.

The Sixth provided stability both amongst the Shinigami and the wider Soul Society itself. As well as running most of the prisons. Law and Order was essential.

The Third… well the Third ran the hospitals oversaw relief and defence of the Rukongai as well as having the most powerful Kido Masters within the Seiretei. However most importantly they had complete control over the Senkaimon.

The Fourth not only provided technological advancements but also coordinated communications which made them important. They also had the capability to keep an eye on the Balance itself through their scientific mastery. Admittedly Zenji didn’t really understand how they did half of that.

The Second though? Covert Operations. Useful for sure but they weren’t essential.

Turning his attention back to the discussion he shook his head slightly. “Focus on your own growth cousin. I would not say it’s unfair to say that you could one day become a Lieutenant of our Division.” Zenji smiled “You are a Hatayama afterall.”

And he was. Yuudai, like all the adoptive members of the Clan, had undergone the ancient ritual of purification and transformation. Such a ritual may not make the blood the same as those born into the Clan but it transformed something far more important. The Soul. Purified and changed. Yuudai was in every way that mattered a Hatayama, the truth could be seen lurking in his Reiatsu itself.

“Duty, Gravity, and Piety.” Zenji said softly with his gaze going to a small shrine he had set up in the corner of his office. “Fulfil our duty as ordered by the Soul King’s edicts. Deal with these matters with the proper severity it is due. Remember our pious obligations to our Divine King.”

Looking back to Yuudai he felt a sense of peace fulfil him as the certainty that he was right in his actions was reaffirmed by his Faith. “If we can do that then all else will follow as it should, cousin. How can we fail when we are his loyal servants?”

Yuudai nodded along as Zenji spoke his thoughts on the current state of the divisions and how he thought the pieces within them would move. He really had put a lot of thought into all of this, something Yuudai himself could never do. Too impulsive, short-sighted even. Flaws that, when pointed out by others, often caused him to take offence and lash out. Only proving them right.

The man let out a sigh of relief, “I’m glad I don’t have to fight. I’m not exactly on your level yet, cousin.” He chuckled lightly, “But yes, of course I will call out any shenanigans I see and step in should it be necessary. However, even though the leadership has been sat doing nothing for a long time, I doubt they’ll exactly be push overs. Make sure you are well prepared Zenji. Failure could be… detrimental to us.”

The shinigami’s worried look quickly gave way to a smile when there was mention of him becoming a lieutenant, “Thanks, I’m honoured you think so much of me. Though if you aim to claim beyond Captain of the third, perhaps I will take it in your stead.” He let out a laugh, as if he’d ever get to that kind of level.

Yuudai bowed his head slightly as Zenji directed their attention towards it, “Our duty is as important as it is old. We must keep Soul Society together, failure would be… unfortunate for everyone. Everywhere.” His mind flashed back to the Quincy for a moment. If their disruptions were left alone for too long the balance would be knocked out permanently and all would be lost.

Zenji smiled at this cousin's caution, wise in these circumstances but unfounded considering the groundwork he’d been laying. “Fear not Yuudai, I have taken our dear Lieutenant’s measure and found him wanting. The Captain is another factor, his Bankai puts him beyond my reach.”

“For now.”

Zeni chuckled at the man’s suggestion. He had no wish to sit in the Captain-Commander’s seat, of course a year ago he’d no interest in being seated at all. So perhaps it wasn’t so impossible after all.

“Excellent. And on that note we should probably best get moving. I have an assignment for you, something of the utmost secrecy that I can only trust my family with, but we’ll discuss it after my challenge duel.” he told his friend. “It will not be an easy assignment so make sure you’re in top form for the end of the week.”

Snapping his fingers the ward of silence collapsed around them as the ambient sound of the Third Division complex flooded back into their senses.

“Congratulations on your new appointment Yuudai Oshiro Hatayama.” Zenji said in a serious tone and a slight nod. “Please make an appointment to meet with Fifth Seat Reika, your new superior, to discuss matters.”

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