The sun set over Seireitei, the festivities of the day began to wind down. The residents of Rukongai returned back to their homes, as all that was left was the Captain's dinner. All were in attendance, trying their best to forget what had transpired only a year earlier. People try their best to forget the battles they've fought, people they've killed. But, forgetting what Kayasaki brought to Soul Society would be no easy feat. Several members from varying squads acted as servants, bringing more food and drink to those in attendance. Mugen Otogami entered late, walking to his seat and apologizing for the delay. "Sorry, Commander. A member from my Squad had something important to relay to me." The Commander nodded, not wanting to make a scene on such a 'happy' day. "Oh yeah? I bet you just fell asleep again." Mika Yuushi responded, laughing heavily and patting Yuri Hitsuki on the back as he did so. Mugen just ignored the comment and began eating, taking small bites from what remained of the food. While not all were celebrating, it was still good to see a sense of unity amongst the highest ranking members in the Gotei 13. Usually they bicker and thrust their arrogance into any given conversation, but for once none of it mattered.

Gensaiken stood up, making the room go silent as they prepared for one of his famous, drawn out speeches. "The last year has been rough to say the least. But, I am proud of each and everyone of you for overcoming it all. Today is not a day for celebration, but instead a day to look forward. I thank you all for making an old man happy." He sat back down, choosing to cut the speech short for once as if a gift to his Captains. the conversations began again, Mika ordered one more round of drinks. It was really a 'what do you expect?' situation. Tomorrow they all return to their duties and the cogs keep turning in the machine as always. Tonight they had one chance to cut loose and enjoy themselves.

During the feast, Squad Lieutenants Mikoto and Quen were ordered to keep watch over Seireitei. No one expected anything to go wrong, but they need to make the Squads think they were being at least a bit responsible. "They sound like their having fun in there... I think." Mikoto turned to Quen who was just staring off into the city. "Yeah, okay... no talking." Mikoto stretched out yawning from the boredom. "Okay, I can't stay awake if you don't say something ba-" He was cut short by the blunt end of a scarab hitting him in the back of the head. Quen had already been taken care off while Mikoto rambled on. The figure was draped in black, a hood covering their face. The person proceeded down into Muken, the lowest level of the prison.

The Captains were still at the feast which was beginning to wind down. Mugen was talking to Nana Ryuukami, asking her about her latest experiments if only to make small talk. Hibari Hyuugamine was patiently waiting til the end, so he could get back to his duties. Ryu kept asking him if was time to leave, but Hibari did not respond once. He was content with staying til the end, if only to fulfill his duties as a Captain.

Not a day for celebration, hmm? I'll second that. What a nuisance. The white haired young captain sighed, taking a slight sip of her wine from where she sat in the corner, the thought of all the paperwork she had to do once she returned to the barracks weighing heavily on her mind. She still needed to fill out at least five long files for various pet projects of hers, and had been hoping to make a personal request to the captains as a whole at some point during the dinner. But with at least half of them drunk and the other half enjoying themselves, business would be the last thing on anyone's mind. Swirling her red wine around in her glass, she sighed once again, her amber gaze being turned back on her by the blurred reflection in the small cup. She was going to have to pull an all-nighter again, wasn't she? Her lieutenant wouldn't - and, indeed, couldn't be asked - to fill out any of the diverse and complicated forms and applications.

Her plan had been formed in many parts. Quite simply, she wanted to make a name for Squad 10 as an organization of benevolence, to make its members a force to be reckoned with, and to fill in the gaps left in her ranks by the recent war. Through careful planning, Captain Nura had found a method by which she could outdo the other squads and recover the glory of the Tenth Division.

Firstly, she would make a request - she had planned to make it at the current gathering, but due to the drunkenness of the captains and the informality of the event, that was out of the question - for first pick of the soon-to-graduate sixth years of the Shinigami Academy, under the pretense of needing additional skilled members to manage her squad's normal duties. This would allow her to fill her squad's ranks with the best and brightest young minds not already consigned to the Research Division, the Stealth Force, or the Healers. Once this had been completed, she would put into action several plans she had already set up. Firstly, she would petition for a drastic increase in Shinigami patrols to the deep Rukongai. The levels of crime in those frontier sectors - not to mention the number of Hollows that crept into the wilds beyond the borders of colonized territory - could not go ignored. Using the Tenth as a police force, she planned to bring order to the chaotic regions of the Soul Society. This would allow her men to gain practical experience to apply in combat, and would be good for PR. At the same time, she would propose using the 12th Division's monitoring equipment to catalog the arrival of new souls into the Soul Society. This would allow them to run a missing person search network, and to reunite former families after their deaths. Few people ever found those they once new on the other side, and that was a fact that had to be changed. Doing so would be another boost to Rin's reputation as a Captain, and would also aid in her plans to do away with crime, chaos and disorder in the Rukongai. This would simultaneously allow for individuals with high spiritual pressure to be picked out easily, giving her more potential candidates for her squad. If she put all these plans into motion at once, the Tenth would have its infamy as a "Traitor Squad" soon forgotten, and its slate wiped clean once more. Moreover, Rin would be helping the entire Soul Society through her new measures, and what was a Captain's purpose if not to protect the spirit world? Yes, if all things went according to plan, she had a feeling that she might just be able to fit easily into her new role as a Captain after all.

But it was never that easy, was it? No, she had a feeling that at least something would go wrong with her plans for order and reconstruction. What worried her was that she couldn't have a contingency plan in place for everything. And if something happened that was completely unexpected, it could overturn everything she'd worked for in the past year of management.

Well, she supposed. There was no sense worrying over things like that right now when this night might simply reveal them for her. This was a gathering of the most powerful individuals in the Soul Society. She had a feeling that if anything interesting - or threatening to her plans - would happen, it would probably happen here, during the latter half of the feast. The only option now was to wait and see. Adjusting her haori and zanpakuto as she stood up, she skirted around the corner of the feasting hall, watching the others as she was accustomed to. Even though she had been a captain for almost a year, she was somewhat of a black sheep amongst the other, more experienced officers. She rarely spoke in meetings, and although her opinion, when voiced, was usually considered, she had always been rather low key amongst her peers. She had to face reality. Most of them were grizzled veterans of countless wars. She was, comparatively speaking, a child who happened to have some skills they needed at the time. If she hadn't had experience managing Squad 10 after Jin's defection, she knew that another one of the more capable officers would have been chosen in her place. It was a humbling thought to know that the Lieutenant of Squad 3 - a comparative prodigy who had attained not only Bankai, but a compression-type Bankai, the rarest of all Zanpakuto abilities - was probably a more capable Shinigami than her, Captain of the once-glorious Squad 10. She couldn't help but curse her predecessor for the mess he'd left her to manage. Now that the war was over, if she were to show the slightest sign of incompetence in managing the reconstruction of her division, she knew full well that there were plenty of skilled, nay, preferable replacements in stock. In short, she was nothing special until she could make a name for herself. And if her plans went wrong... Well, then she would probably make a record as the shortest-serving Captain in Soul Society history, unless something came up at the same time that required all divisions to keep their current officer staff. Little did she know that such a calamity - one that would render her various machinations and plots futile, but would strike all squads equally - was just about to occur.

A coughing fit wracked Yuri as Mika's strong hand clapped him on the back. In no way was he expecting the Squad Thirteen Captain to pat him on the back that roughly, and was therefore unprepared as he took a drink of the sake. A full minute of Yuri choking on the liquid as it went down the wrong pipe finally abated and followed up with a glare at the perpetrator. The glare didn't last long, as Yuri allowed himself a belated laugh at the joke and held up his cup to toast with Mika to show that there were no hard feelings harbored. After the toast, the Squad Seven Captain downed the entire glass in one swallow, and held it up for an attendant to come and top him off.

"Ya know Cap'n Hitsuki, if you keep this pace up you'll be useless tomorrow," The attendant said, one Lieutenant Ayami Keifune. Yuri chuckled and added, "Wasn't planning on being useful tomorrow anyway. Besides, it's not everyday where I'm actually allowed to drink on the job," He responded. Amy rolled her eyes and topped his cup off as wished. Like it mattered if he was on the job or not, it didn't stop him, nor her own Captain, from doing what they wanted. Amy was present at the Captain's dinner of her own accord, having volunteered herself to serve the drinks for the captains. Unlike her own captain, Amy was dutiful and jumped at the chance to be useful, and mingle with the captains. She had aspirations of course. As she flitted between the captains, distributing their drinks of choice, she hummed a warm little ditty as they conversed. A absent-minded habit of hers.

As Gensaiken stood, Yuri prepared for one of his long speeches the only way he knew how. He tried to get Amy's attention by frantically gesturing at his cup and holding up two fingers. Before the drinks could even be delivered, his speech was over, surprising Yuri. Instead, Yuri clapped for his Captain-commander's speech and doing another toast with Mika and his newly delivered drinks. Amy herself managed a chuckle. It felt like a warm night, with celebration and thanks all around. There was always the underlying feeling of melancholy, but tonight was for celebration (or looking-forwardness as Gensaiken put it. Watching Yuri and Mika told a different story though), they could all reflect tomorrow.

As the feast winded down, Yuri had finally reached a level of inebriation not often seen from the captain. It seems the change of heart he had experienced all those years ago affected him right down to the core, as he was a happy drunk. He chatted to everyone who would talk back, and always managed to drop a joke or a smarmy remark here and there. No amount of liquor or alcohol could seem to release the monster that was the old Yuri once was. That is not say that there wasn't a possibility for the demon to be released again, though Yuri wished he could just seal that part of him away for ever. But as the Captain-commander had said, it's not a time to look back, but forward!

Amy had relegated herself back a distance from the Captains and was content to just watch and listen. Still, she hummed which gave the feast a joyful air. She watched with curious interest as the Squad Ten Captain- Relatively young compared to the others- skirt away from the table. She didn't quite blame the girl for being somewhat skittish, she was surrounded by accomplished Captains while being quite green herself. It had to be intimidating. Alas, that was none of her business and resumed her careful watch of the captains. It was up to her that they didn't drown themselves in their drink.

(OOC: Just a note for how my characters talk; Whenever I use bold, it is my characters actually talking... and when I use italics, it's their thoughts. Whenever there is something that is neither bold nor italics, it's someone else talking. :D I hope that's clear!)


The night was quaint; it was the one year anniversary of Captain Kayasaki's capture. For Ashido, this night that was supposedly full of celebration and cheer sat wrong in his eyes. What was the point of celebrating the failure of the Gotei 13 in apprehending one of their own. They weren't even able to defeat Captain Kayasaki, two substitute soul reapers did. 'How stupid; celebrating failure...' Ashido was usually one to enjoy drinking, but not tonight, something didn't feel right to him. Ashido looked up to notice the late arrival of Captain Mugen, "Sorry, Commander. A member from my Squad had something important to relay to me." Ashido wasn't impressed with this captain; so relaxed, so calm on this night. "Oh yeah? I bet you just fell asleep again." Captain Mika responded to Captain Mugen's apology with a sneer remark, that was something Ashido knew all too well. 'That's something I would've said...' Ashido couldn't help but chuckle slightly, maybe Captain Mika wasn't so bad. Either way, Ashido couldn't shake his unease at the situation, he honestly just wanted to get away from the Captains and such; maybe take a brief trip around the Seireitei.

He left his thoughts just as the Head Captain began one of his never-ending speeches, yet this one was significantly cut short. 'All the better for me.' After the brief speech from the Head Captain, Ashido noticed that Captain Yuri appeared to be having a relative good time, as were most of the captains. As he looked around at each attendee, most everyone was here. The only officers that weren't attending this party were Lieutenants Quen and Mikoto, an interesting pair to say the least. As Ashido kept to himself, his ear began to itch ever-so slightly. His eyes beamed around the table, ensuring that nobody was talking about him. 'Must've been my imagination...' He watched as Captain Nura rose from her seat and began taking a brief stroll, he sneered quietly at the 'new' Captain's self removal from the uneasy situation. 'She's so... awkward. It's like she doesn't fit in.' He couldn't help but feel she wasn't exactly the best (wo)man for the captain position, either way, it wasn't his decision to make. On top of that, Ashido was becoming slightly irritated at Lieutenant Ayami for offering her services as a server for the feast. He didn't feel like it was necessary, nor appropriate for a Lieutenant to do the work of a lower class officer.


For once in a great while, Mikado wasn't the late attendee. He was relatively surprised since he felt that tonight would be too upbeat for him and figured he should just stay in the barracks and sleep. That was until Enjeru heard about this celebration and practically forced Mikado to attend. He sighed as Mugen took his seat, completely ignoring the quick exchange Mugen shared with Mika. The entire concept of celebrating the anniversary of the capture of a traitor was just a little odd in Mikado's eyes. 'Why couldn't we have just taken the day off instead?' He figured sleeping all day would've been of greater benefit than a party. It took a moment for Mikado to realize that the Head Captain had risen from his seat in order to present a speech. 'The Head Captain's going to speak.' Mikado hunched over slightly so that his elbows rested on the table before him and his hands could support his head, "Nap time" he spoke softly as he quickly dosed off, assuming that the Head Captain's speech would take up a considerable amount of time. To Mikado's despair, the speech was nowhere near the usual length and he didn't have but a moment to close his eyes. 'Fufufufu, serves you right, Mikado!' Enjeru cackled abruptly in the brief silence that followed. 'Oh shut up...' Mikado was nowhere near pleased with Enjeru, always making him work when he could sleep, she was such a pain.

It took some time for Mikado to actively liven up a bit. He drank a little, giving him a light buzz which was accompanied by a nice full stomach. "This isn't so bad." He commented within the vast table-talk conversations that were transpiring. Now, if only he could find himself a lovely lady for the night, that just might top it off nicely. He looked around rather aimlessly, taking mental notes on the nearby women. The only two within short distance were his Lieutenant, Ayami and the new-er Captain Nura. It was rather easy to assume Ayami would refuse his offer, like always, plus she was one of the little server-girls. She couldn't ditch this joint, she had a 'duty' to serve at the feast. "Always helping, so typical of you, Ayami." He sang in a soft, charming voice just within earshot of his Lieutenant; who was serving Captain Yuri some more beverage. Within one moment, the new-er Captain, Nura had risen and taken a few steps away from the table. Mikado immediately laid on his back as he called out the fleeing captain, "Captaaaiiin Nura! Please come back, I want to talk to yooouuu." He slurred a few words in a slightly 'lovey dovey' way, just so Nura would be inclined to join him.

The white haired young captain was drawn back into the real world by a rather annoyingly loud exclamation coming from directly behind her. It seemed that her hopes of moving further off so she could hear herself think over the revelry had been dashed, for she had been noticed on her way away from the table, specifically by another Captain who she knew enough through reputation to make up for her relative lack of personal interaction with him.

Captain Gaidosu was everything that Captain Nura was not. Unlike Rin, he was lazy, seeming to completely lack any sort of drive to do his job. He took things easy, letting his subordinates handle his issues whilst he relaxed. Him doing any sort of fighting was almost entirely unheard of, and on top of that, he was the antithesis of the dignity and order Captain Nura strove for as a commander in the Gotei 13. But the most bizarre streak of his character in comparison to her own orthodox personality was, without a doubt, his flirtatious attitude. Either he thought he was a gift to women everywhere, or he just didn't care. Nura was rather inclined to believe the latter, given that he seemed to be apathetic about everything else, so why not about what people thought of him as well?

It was fairly obvious he had been drinking, given the slur in his voice, although she had a feeling that was more intentional than not. The meaning behind his words was equally obvious, given his reputation. She sighed. It looked like she wouldn't be getting any peace and quiet for a bit longer. Composing herself, she turned her stoic amber gaze upon the lounging captain behind her, leisurely turning to face him with a calm, if ever-so-slightly forced smile.

"Is there something I can help you with, Captain Gaidosu?" Rin said as placidly as she could, not wanting to seem egotistical by jumping to conclusions, even if they were obvious ones. No, it would be much more prudent and dignified to deal with this in a calm, composed manner, as befitted a captain of the Gotei 13. Besides, if she shot him down right off the bat, he could still rope her into a conversation by joking about how that hadn't been what he meant at all, and that would be a pain to deal with. Although she would doubtless be forced to talk to him anyway, the least she could do was to maintain a level of politeness and formality that suited her rank. Acting rashly would help nothing.

[OOC: Sorry if the post sounds short to you, I'm having trouble of thinking what I should type. Stupid writer's block!]

Katsuro was one of the first to show up to the Captain's dinner, he didn't really care to go to the dinner but he thought it wouldn't be good if he where to skip it. Katsuro didn't really care for the company of the other Captain and lieutenant because they all where far to serious. He got alone with them all but all ways felt like a child force to sit at the side of there parent as they talk to another adult. Once the other started to show up Katsuro began to think about the day he had. Most of the people from the Rukongai remember what happen one year ago, so he felt like that weighted heavily in the back of there mind. but the children of course, he spend a better part of the day playing with them they where the only ones who seem to truly enjoy them self's. Katsuro honestly only remeber's bits and pieces from that day he had to "lose himself", to fight at full strength so it all just seem like a bad dream to him. Although at times new memories from that day would come back to him at random it seem. As he sat and thought about the games him and the children played Mugen and Ibara had arrived to the dinner late, Katsuro was much to busy in his day dream to noticed. But the sound of Ashido voice snaped him out of his day dream. He looked over at him and seem the same heavy look that everyone had today. He was a little disappointed that Ashido hasn't dunk enough from him to become "fun"[i/]. Gensaiken stoop up Katsuro didn't even take notice of it he tends to tune him out most of the time. After Gensaiken sat back down Katsuro thought this was a good time to leave. he patted Ashido on the back, "I think im going to barracks if any thing happens you can fill me in later." As Katsuro left he began to whistle the song that some of the children where singing.

Azumi Takeda

Azumi sat unpatiently for mugen to show up. She began's to scold herself for not checking to make sure he wasn't off sleeping some where. as he walked in and apologize for being late he wanted to yell at him, for not being here on time like she was. but she knew that would only be wasting here time and breath. she just sits there with a angry look on her face even as Gensaiken begins to speak she only thought how nice her bed would feel right now, but she couldn't very well go until this[i] "thing" was over.

The room was cluttered with laughter and the chatter of everyday noise. Nero peered around the room at his fellow captains, lieutenants, and soul reapers. “Who holds a celebration for capturing a traitor. This is a waste of time. We should be interrogating Kayasaki and strengthening our defenses.” There were so many unanswered questions regarding Jin Kayasaki’s betrayal, ability to obtain power and tactics no one new he could gain and his methods for gaining such a large force to challenge us in such a small amount of time. One thing Nero hated most of all is unanswered questions. This is the time to experiment and find out why we were so easily thwarted at every turn. “All the most powerful warriors in the soul society together and we needed a substitute shinigami to save us. Pfft pathetic, and the old man wants us to eat, drink, and be merry.” Nero’s train of though was interrupted by Mugen’s late arrival. Mugen apologized to the commander for arriving late and came up with some story about one of his subordinates to which Mika berated him stating he prolly just overslept. Nero began to contemplate scenarios which he could escape this prison of party and return back to his experiments when a deep clutching, overwhelming fear came over him. He turned to look towards the Captain Commander as he arose to begin one of his speeches. Nero hated the Captain Commander's speeches with a passion. Nero's face turned pale. His heart began to beat at a rapid pace. His mouth became dry, eyes widened, and his whole body began to shake with fear. Nero thought to himself, “oh God no, anything but that. Please do not let him give one of his ten hour long boring speeches. If he does I’m going to grab Ashido’s zanpakuto and cut off my ears.” Much to his surprise the head captain’s speech was rather short. A brief feeling of calmness and relaxation rushed through Nero’s entire body as he began to breathe easily knowing he did not have to hear one of the death speeches. Nero gazed around the room one final time to see the effects of alcohol beginning to take effect for many of his fellow captains and his mind began to slip away in a dream.

The scene was loosening up quite abit. Ashido cool feel the tension in the air fading away. That was all abruptly interrupted by a pat on the back. Ashido never took direct contact lightly, but he didn't react since he could hear his Captains voice follow. "I think im going to barracks if any thing happens you can fill me in later." Ashido didn't even bother to turn around. "Aye Captain, I'll let you know if I hear anything." He knew this was coming, Captain Katsuro would leave every celebration, every party, every scenario he didn't care for as soon as he could. It was simply what his Captain chose to do. It didn't bother him now, but before, when Ashido was just promoted to Lieutenant, it angered him. 'Why is he even a Captain when he can't take the time to stay for the proper ceremonies?' That single thought always nestled itself in Ashido's mind, taxing his innermost thoughts. In any case, it wouldn't matter what Ashido thought, the Head Captain positioned Captain Katsuro and most likely go back on his decision without proper reasoning.

Ashido noticed Captain Mikado laying on the ground as he called out to his new victim; Captain Nura. A wise-ass smirk crept upon Ashido's face as he saw the victim spin around and pull an obviously fake smile on the perverted Captain. 'Serves you right, black sheep.' Although he detested Captain Mikado for his laziness and overall terrible attitude as a captain, he almost could admit he disliked the new Captain Nura even more. She was promoted to Captain over himself, who was obviously a better candidate. It wouldn't matter what Ashido thought since his own captain obviously needed him. Without Ashido, Captain Katsuro would be one terrible captain, or at least that's how Ashido saw it.



Her gaze was rather apathetic, something Mikado was all to familiar with. It was only convenient that her somewhat radiant smile broke through her apathetic expression. 'This is going wells so far.' From here, the conversation could go one of two paths, but Mikado was familiar with only one; rejection. How he hated that word so much scorn; it plagued his life constantly. "Welllll... you Could stop being formal with me." He snickered a little, deciding to sit up and spin around so their conversation would be more proper. "And my name isn't 'Captain Gaidosu' little one, it's Mikado." He was being quite serious despite the devilish smirk that crossed his face. He figured Ayami, or any other woman in the Gotei 13, warned her of his antics. These antics weren't meant to harm anyone though, so why did they treat him so? That was a question that he never could answer himself, and Enjeru obviously wouldn't aid him with such a trivial matter.

The room was still rather lively despite the loathing of the situation. It was something rather obvious to Mikado, everyone didn't care for this celebration, they honestly wanted to finish their respective work or sleep. Either way, Nura wasn't the only person trying to leave. In fact, Captain Katsuro left rather abruptly, leaving Lieutenant Ashido like always. "So, I was gonna ask if you wanted to take a nice, quiet stroll with me. But, I can see from your expression that you'd rather spend your time returning to your Squad work." The guild card, a Mikado favorite; such a good trick to getting someone to cooperate with you. "Either way is fine with me, it's your decision." He clasped his mouth as he yawned rather quietly. The night was still quite young, how could he be tired already.

"Even if this is a celebratory revel, it is still a ceremony. Therefore, a certain level of respect and decorum is to be maintained, is it not?" The young captain said calmly, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. Her smile faltered a bit when he referred to her as "little one," a nickname she rather despised. She was of average height, damnit! Why did it have to be that she was surrounded by people taller than her despite that?! People treating her like an inexperienced and foolish child just because she was new on the job and younger than most was one of the most irritating things in the world to the young captain. She had worked her hardest to stand on equal footing with her fellow captains, and yet they still treated her like some sort of insignificant, placeholder brat! She was going to have to prove her worth soon, or one of these times, she'd just snap when she heard someone speak those two accursed words in that condescending, sly, no, downright mocking tone.

"I was planning on taking a nice, quiet stroll myself," Rin said, doing her best to sound unfazed by Mikado's jab at her. Of course, any activity involving you wouldn't be nice, or quiet, now would it? She refrained from speaking the second sentiment out loud, thankfully, but she couldn't resist making a little jab of her own. After all, Captain Gaidosu had left himself wide open.

"But," she added, a slightly cold undertone to her voice, although her placid smile stayed in place as though it was the only expression she'd ever had. "If you don't mind me saying so, I was under the impression you preferred taking such strolls with women your own age. Aren't I a little on the young side for your tastes, Mikado?" Dropping her formality for just one moment, she smiled cheerfully, belying the ominous tone with which she spoke. This was a perfect turnabout. Now he would know that if he was rejected outright, it would be wholly his own fault. That'd make him think twice about teasing her and trying to test his infamously bad charisma at the same time.

The sound a large explosion could be heard from the direction of the Squad 2 section, where Muken was located. At this moment, a massive reiatsu could be felt throughout Seireitei, dropping many Lieutenants and non-Captain Class Shinigami to their knees. Gensaiken rose to his feet, quickly opening the main passage way to the dining room. His eyes widened at the sight of a near-blinding Purple light shooting into the sky. His fears had been realized. It took the Strength of Gotei 13 to stop Kayasaki last time, and that was when he had few followers to his name. Now someone strong enough to defeat the forces of Muken and the Detention Squad was giving him support. It was no longer an isolated incident, Jin did have help from somewhere the Commander couldn't see, and that help had reached them. He spun around, telling the room all he needed to with his eyes. "Round up what men you can and stop him! I will get my sword. No longer will I stand on the sidelines. Go, now!" Gensaiken started making his way toward his quarters. There his sword and the one belonging to Kayasaki sat. He was determined to not let anyone see that sword in combat, even if it meant leaving his Captains for a time to seal it.

Mugen Otogami

Mugen rose to his feet, acting indifferent as he normally does, regardless of the situation. He took a polite bow toward the Commander, "Azumi, tell our men to ready themselves and report to the prison immediately. I will meet you there once I recover my sword and check on Rukongai's defenses." He patted her on the shoulder as he walked past. "Do not approach him alone..." Mugen quickly made his way out of the room and disappeared, obviously choosing a quicker option to get to his weapon. He didn't leave his Lieutenant with much, but desperate times...

Hibari Hyuugamine

Hibari stood up, signaling to Ryu to follow him. He did not acknowledge anyone left in the room as he made his way out, disappearing into the night sky. Ryu noticed they were not traveling toward the prison, questioning his Captain as to what they were doing. "We need to find where the intruder entered. If we go from there, it shouldn't be difficult to determine their origin. Besides, despite how the Commander acted, no one was in a state of panic or despair. I think most are just waiting." Ryu cocked an eyebrow and asked his Captain what they were waiting for. "To see if Kayasaki and his new ally are as strong as Gensaiken makes them out to be. Try to keep up."

Jin Kayasaki

Jin emerged from the rubble of what once was the prison. Many inmates tried to escape, but fell under the weight of his uncontrollable reiatsu. Without his sword to feed it into, he had no way of hiding his presence. The cloaked figure approached Jin, handing him a simple wooden sword. "Is it time?" Jin asked, gripping the sword and lowering it to his side. The figure nodded, looking to see several members of Squad 2 struggling to approach them. The figure was about to draw its weapon when Jin held up his sword and brought it down with little effort put into it. A blast of reiatsu surged from the sword, decimating the Shinigami and carving a noticeable scar in Seireitei's paved ground. "Without my sword, I can't control how it flows. We must get it." The figure nodded, flinching at the feeling of several immense level reiatsu' approaching them.

To say that Midori destested ceremonial gatherings would be an understatement. The tall woman with long white hair and peircing yellow eyes sat almost rigid, her Zanpzkuto propped against the table. She had not said a word to anyone since she'd arrived save for the Head Captian. Her eyes flitted back and forth, the conversations and bickering going on around her, ignored, but not unnoticed.

There were two reasons behind her nickname amoung the Soul Reapers. They called her the Black Angel not only for her appearance during Bankai, but also for her beautiful appearance yet cold demeanor.

To be honest, Midori felt somewhat out of place. She was no captian. She wasn't even one of the Gotei 13. All she was was a substitue. But she was present due to the part she had played and her determination. She was respected among the Captians, and she respected them, even if she wasn't completely accepted by all. She could live with that.

Midori would admit later on to anyone that the abrupt presence of Reiatsu, even His, was a reliefe to the stuffy atmosphere. At least it meant that she didn't have to remain in discomfort. Grabbing her Zanpakuto and feeling a thrill at its vibration at her touch, she raced off to the scene of the upcoming battle, an almost wicked smile upon her lips and a gleam in her yellow eyes. "Rend and tear, Kuroi Watarigarasu." The blade formed into a spear at her calling, and as a result of its abilities, heighted the speed of her Shunpo. Therefore, she was one of the first to reach the scene.

"Shall we start off this dance? I suppose I should thank you for livening up the party. It's a shame I despise you too much for that, Kayashi."

Roxann Tsukimonochi

Roxann was drinking and partying heavily all night long as was drunk as to to pass out and then it happened and as if a flip was switched she completely sobered up and seemed to turn dead serious. "Captain Nura we need to move out now..." in a dead serious tone going as far as to even call her Captain Nura in a formal manner which she never did. Roxann stood up and placed her hand on the handle of her sword which was settled at the back of her waist with the handle on the right side. Roxann was actually offered the position of Captain of the 10th Squad a year ago back when she was Lieutenant of Squad 12, but she turned it down, though she recommended Nura who was currently her Captain and requested to be transferred to the 10th Squad for unknown reasons. Roxann's recommendation that remained unknown to all but a select few helped push forward Nura's promotion. and with those thoughts of the last year ran through her head, she disappeared with a flash step of black lightning.

Zane Onitacchi

Zane never seemed to get dfrunk no matter how much he drank, but he always kept wondering if this was all there was to the party tonight as he was bored, and that's is when it happened and he stood up and started to run in the direction of Jin Kayasaki as fast as he could to fight them as he so loved to do. He was quickly making his way there, but a problem kept hitting him in the face, as he ran into many dead-ends and just ran through the walls leaving big holes if he didn't jump over them or find a short way around.

The unease was growing within, something was bothering Ashido. He couldn't sense anything odd, no fluctuations in anyone's reiatsu, nothing. 'What's wrong with me today...' This went on until a massive outburst of an all too familiar reiatsu overwhelmed the air. Head Captain Gensaiken had risen from his seat, giving all attendees a look signaling that they should get moving. Ashido immediately hopped up and fled the hall, he was part of the first few to dart off. "Captain... Katasaki..." He didn't care for the man in any way, shape or form, but something about the man made his blood boil. He was moving fast, almost as if he was flying towards the Squad 2 Holding Cells. "Captain Katsuro!" In the heat of the moment, Ashido didn't even consider finding his captain and getting his help. It probably wouldn't matter, Katsuro wasn't an idiot, he would be able to notice the vast pit of spiritual pressure that was basically engulfed the atmosphere.

Despite the immense spiritual pressure radiating from what was obviously Ex-Captain Kayasaki, Ashido was ready to fight whoever stood in his way. He was rather glad to he avoided drinking since it would've thrown him considerably off his game, that was something he couldn't afford at the time. Now was the time Ashido would exhibit his combat prowess and use his bankai for the third time. 'I hope you're ready Hageshii Rakurai...' Ashido knew that comment was unnecessary, Hageshii Rakurai was the embodiment of a storm, he of all people knew when something bad was about to happen. 'Maybe you were trying to keep me on my toes, huh Rakurai?' He continued the rather long trek to the Squad 2 Holding Cells, almost excited to get a crack at that traitor.



The rather obvious expression from Captain Nura was of annoyance when Mikado mentioned "little one", he found it funny how she took such a comment so seriously. He couldn't help but crack a slight smile. "No, I agree... Respect, decorum, all that jazz is important at ceremonies, but even the Head Captain is relaxing here. I take that as a sign to relax and drop the formalities. Don't you agree, little one?" He just couldn't help but to entice the new Captain further. 'Man, it's so easy to get her started.' Again, Mikado was brought to just a small smile with a little chuckle to match. "A nice, quiet stroll by yourself? That doesn't sound nearly as entertaining as a walk with someone else..."

It was at that point that she continued. "But" Captain Nura then proceeded to crack a little smile. "If you don't mind me saying so, I was under the impression you preferred taking such strolls with women your own age. Aren't I a little on the young side for your tastes, Mikado?" Mikado laughed quite vigorously, although it wasn't too loud as to avoid too much attention. "You're a funny one, I'll give you that." He patted the girl on the head lightly. "Who all said I wanted to do that with the likes of you?" He laughed just abit more, feeling that his usual antics were finally catching up with him. All that ran through his head was Ayami, or honestly any woman of the Seireitei, going up to the new Captain Nura and warning her. Blast, it was all too funny for Mikado. "Sorry, but, honestly! Me and you?!?" He kept laughing eventually placing his hand over his face to help calm down. "Sorry again, but yea, honestly you believed I was aiming for that? Come on, I'm no idiot, and you are right; I only chase after girls of my age, or at least those who have a more adult appearance."

It was after Mikado's last comment that the unfortunate occurred; Kayasaki's spiritual pressure flooded the air. "Shit..." Mikado couldn't refrain from uttering such language, in front of a lady mind you, as the Head Captain stood to open the hall doors. "I sure hope you're up for a brief walk now. It looks like serious business." Mikado was still a tad bit drunk, although it hadn't been long from his last drink, albeit he hadn't had much. He rose to his feet while keeping a slight slouch. He snatched Enjeru from the floor beside his seat. 'I hope you're ready for some action Enjeru, cuz I ain't' He looked down at Nura with dreary mist in his eyes. "I hope you're ready for this." He offered his hand to the girl. "I'm stickin' with you, whenever you're ready, I'll follow." Mikado wasn't doubtful that Captain Nura was loyal to the Gotei 13, but she must've had a connection with Kayasaki; he was her former Captain. Most lieutenants form some sort of bond with their captains, it's only natural. Either way, someone needed to keep an eye on Nura and considering the circumstances, Mikado was the lucky dog.

"I was under the impression you were more of the 'everything that moved' persuasion, actually. I'm glad to see I was wrong," The young captain said, controlling her irritation at being spoken to so condescendingly as best she could, and failing. Fortunately for her, something happened at just that moment to take her mind away from her anger: an explosion of reiatsu that came out of nowhere.

"That's... Kayasaki?!" Rin exclaimed, turning her head toward the second division. Well, it seemed someone had a very ironic sense of humor. What better time to break Jin out of prison than when they were busy celebrating putting him there in the first place? "Damnit! I knew something was wrong with this feast! There's no time to talk! Let's go!" Brushing aside the drunk Captain's hand - he would only slow her down as she flash stepped to the scene, considering he'd probably be more than a little tipsy - she gestured to her lieutenant, then took off. Fortunately, she had her sword on her, which meant she could respond quickly. As she leaped into the air on a small jet of her own spiritual pressure, she concentrated, then accelerated, vanishing in the blink of an eye as she shot toward the prisons like a rocket.

"Bathe the tumultuous heavens in your azure light, Raikogaeshi Himorogi," She muttered, drawing her zanpakuto. It was already transforming by the time the blade was visible, and by the time it was drawn, it was already in shikai. Raiko, I'm going to need you to focus entirely on reiatsu absorption. We're going to need a lot of power just to scratch Jin, and you know it. I'll prepare him a nice welcome on my own, so don't worry about focusing on offense. You already know what the plan is.

As the young captain tore through the night, her long white hair trailing out behind her, she began to murmur, her reiatsu beginning to build up. The prisons would be in sight any minute now. Once they were, she'd just need to wait for an opening, and then dive in. Her time in the stealth force before she had transferred to Division 10 had taught her this much.

"Seeping crest of turbidity. Arrogant vessel of lunacy. Boil forth and deny. Grow numb and flicker. Disrupt sleep," Rin chanted as she flew, preparing the first step in her attack plan...

(OOC: I'm gonna wait until someone else attacks, then make my move. Dex, if you'd be willing to do a co-op post with the little attack combo I asked about, that'd be great. Then I'd be out of the way for other people to do all their awesome stuff.)

"Please tell me it's just the booze," Yuri said. Yet, the immense pressure he felt and the burning purple light couldn't have been. The calm but quick actions of the Commander and the stone serious faces told him, no, he wasn't just that drink. Marvelous. He was in no state for this, going drink for drink with Mika managed to do that to him, and unlike the rest of the captains, he didn't have an off switch the turn his drunkenness off. Yuri shakily made his way to his feet, making heavy use of Mika's shoulder. Alas, this was the job of a Captain, and inebriated or not, he needed to do it. He rolled his shoulders once, feeling the familiar weight of Hououtenku on his back. He could feel her cold glare in his mind, but knowing Hoen, she'd want nothing else than to be on the front line fighting. A far cry from what he wanted to do, but still. It was his job.

"Tsukishima," He called to his Lieutenant, a dutiful boy who may might make a fine captain some day. The boy stood and saluted, awaiting his orders. "Round up Squad Seven. Form up a distance away though, don't want you to get caught in his spiritual pressure," it was all he could do without getting in the way. A man like Jin could easily crush his entire squad if he just threw them at him, "Do whatever you can to support the Captains from a distance," He added. He then rubbed his face, obviously not enjoying the turn the night made. "Good luck," he added before turning to the door and vanishing.

The way wasn't too hard to find. Just follow the big ass spear of light in the distance. He stepped along the roofs of the Seireitei and then came upon the scene. Of course, he wasn't the first one there, that honor went to the substitute soul reaper, and the Captains of squads Ten and Five. Yuri caught himself wondering where Onitacchi was. It was odd for a man so in love with battle to be late like this. Or perhaps that was the booze still talking. Either way, it would still be a dangerous fight and Yuri tried his best to focus himself. He could feel Hoen scolding in his mind for being a drunk. A real warrior is always ready for battle. A real warrior loves battle. Such a feisty one, that Hoen.

In order to pacify her just for a bit, Yuri allowed himself to draw Hououtenku over his shoulder, though he did not unleash his Shikai. That was for real warriors. He held his blade in both hands. "Hey! Substitute!" He called Midori, "Don't get killed," He added.

---

Amy Keifune

A pitcher shattered on the floor, alcohol soaking into the tiles below. Amy didn't expect such a awesome display of Reiatsu so suddenly, and the pitcher suffered for it. She watched in mute shock as the Commander checked out the door and as the other Captains began to bark orders. All except her Captain, who seemed to focused on Captain Nura to give her any orders. Though somewhere in the lazy ass's mind, she thought he knew what he was doing. At least, she hoped he did. Nura was the Captain of Squad Ten after all, the previous position held by Jin. Someone did need to keep an eye on her.

She appeared at Mikado's side with Tsubaki hanging from the small of her back. "Really Captain. Flirting with colleagues. That's how things become awkward," She teased. "I'll have to come along and make sure you don't do anything stupid," She added, poking his shoulder. "If that's okay with you Captain Nura," addressed the Squad Ten Captain. She leaned close to Captain Mikado and whispered, "What do you know, looks like you are getting to walk with two pretty ladies," Though it was less of a walk and more of a sprint into the mouth of danger. But Amy was far too cheerful a girl to let a little thing like death dampen her mood.

But before she was answered, Nura was off, leaving both her and her Captain in the dust. "A wily one that," She added looking at Mikado. "I suppose we follow her Captain? Right behind you," She said.

Amy swore she could feel Tsubaki yawn...

The air was tense for the few moments, Mikado's hand stiff and idle. His own Lieutenant, Ayami, had joined the conversation only to utter a few words in vain. By the time she finished her brief joke, Captain Nura was hot on the trail of her former Captain. It happened in a blink of the eye, Mikado shrugged since that was his first inclination. "Aye, I doubt this will turn out good." He scratched his head attentively still slouching abit with a slight tipsy feeling about him. 'There goes my plan...' He wasn't overly bewildered at the immediate reaction of Nura, she probably had questions, or something. "Oh, yea, good luck on your own Captain Nura." Mikado wasn't overly impressed with the sudden display of valor. "Uh, sorry Ayami... I zoned out there for a sec." He wore a guilty face, placing his hand on his Lieutenant's shoulder. "Yea, right. A walk with two pretty ladies?" He chuckled while rubbing the smirk of his face. "It would've been a walk full of lectures..." He could tell by Nura's expression that she had some sort of plan in mind. "We're gonna have to get a move on, you ready?" It was a little fishy, Nura's reaction was too quick for someone who was unprepared, or at least for someone with the lack of experience she suffered. Nobody that young, nor that inexperienced would be willing to hop into combat without some strategy, or at least that's what Mikado always noticed.

The situation was terrible. Roughly half of the Gotei 13 wasn't prepared for such a battle, his own squad included. Mikado's mind was quite foggy from the combination of alcohol and the rapid sight reading. He looked down at his young, rather naive Lieutenant. "Stay close to me, and in the worst case scenario. I need you to leave immediately, understand?" Although Ayami had earned Mikado's deepest trust and his highest respect; she wouldn't be able to handle this kind of spiritual pressure for too long. "Oh, and one more note." Mikado placed his index finger on her forehead, squatting as to be eye level. "Don't mess up your pretty little face, alright?" A huge grin was plastered all over Mikado's face, it was simply something he couldn't help but mention. At that moment he spun around, waving his hand lightly as to gesture Ayami to follow, and vanished.

Nero was suddenly awoken by a large explosion in the distance. A few moments later a massive reiatsu shook the seireitei to its core. Nero's eyes slowly opened and a small grin came over his face. "Tsk finally the enemy decided to show themselves, so predictable. I warned that ignorant old man having a party and getting all the captains drunk was a bad idea." Nero looked around and saw his fellow captains spring into action one after another. He saw Gensaiken leave in the direction of his room. "Hmph I bet the old man is rushing to get Kayasaki's sword. If he had let us experiment on it when I requested then that sword nor Kayasaki wouldn't be a threat." Nero rolled over in his chair to see captains and lieutenants racing off one after another. Captain Mugen was first to rush off, followed by Lieutenant Ashido, then Captain Nura and Mikado. Nero slowly sat up in his chair and look toward his lieutenant Nana Ryuukami.

Nana, go to the Research Institute and begin recording all the information you can at once. Also scan the area for enemies other than Jin Kayasaki. Someone managed to sneak into the seireitei undetected, defeat all the muken guards, and free Jin from his seal without revealing his spiritual pressure to any of the captains here. I'm positive that Jin is not the greatest threat or most powerful foe within the seireitei right now. Order all of squad 12 to assist you and send hell butterflies to notify any soul reaper less than 5rd seat to stay away. They'll be nothing more than a hindrance. Nana nodded and dashed off to the Research Headquarters.

Nero leisurely arose out of his chair and let out a lethargic yawn. "Hmm I wonder what the best vantage point would be for this battle. I doubt I'm needed for this fight so where can I keep an eye on things." Nero moved with a quick flash step in the direction of Sokyoku Hill. It was located in the center of the Soul Society. Nero surmised that there, he would be able to keep an eye out for the real threat. I'm sure the enemy planned an escape route.

Katsuro was about 10 feet from the barracks still whistling his toon then he heard the large explosion. Katsuro would let out a sigh, "first the dinner is boring now it looks like we are begin attacked. What a poor way to end a day that started off soooo good." He looked over to where he heard the explosion he seen the Purple light shooting into the sky.A bad feeling came over Katsuro at this point he knew that was around where the prison. He dug his feet the ground and shoot off, begin the farthest from the prison he knew he would be one of the last Captain there. As he flash stepped across the roof tops he could feel it a reiatsu so strong it could only belong to one man. At this point he stops looking in the direction of the prison he knew even if jin didn't have his zanpakuto he wouldn't go down easy. He reached he hands around a pulled up the hood on his shihakushō, a smile came over Katsuro face "it's been a while." He then shoots off flash stepping across the roofs at twice the speed as before.




Azumi ran out the door with the other Captain and Lieutenants as she flash stepped to the prison. Then the reiatsu became to much for her. She stop in Mid stride and drop to one knee. It was as if he couldn't breath, she knew this feeling all to well. Someone was breaking him out she thought it best that she stay where she was. In her condition she would only be a iability to the others.

Jin Kayasaki

Jin raised his wooden blade, faint waves of his reiatsu still visibly surrounding him. The cloaked figure turned to face behind them, the sight of a burly man standing behind him. "My boy, how you do like to create messes." Jin didn't bother turning around. "Yuushi. I figured you would be the first one. The two oldest Captain's save for the Commander. Begone." Mika sighed lifting his lagged sword into the air and pointing it at Kayasaki. "You know, we were never really friends. you and me have watched countless fighters come and go, none having the ability to last. I always thought we shared that at least. The knowledge that surviving as a shinigami was far more simple than most think. Never enter into a fight you know you can't win. Be Immovable, Kenbon. Bankai!"

The ground shook one more time as the tip of the massive shield destroyed the ground beneath it. It was 10ft in height with intricate designs of Mika's greatest battles engraved on it. Mika chuckled as he lifted the shield, reveal no engravings at the bottom. "I saved this spot just for you." from the tip a large red orb formed, firing at Kayasaki and the cloaked figure. the force was nearly immeasurable, likely able to level most things that stood in its path. The cloaked figure moved out of the way, dodging the blast. Kayasaki turned around, holding his hand up and the blast made contact. Like lightning, the blast sparked in all directions from Kayasaki's hand, but none went past. When it was over, Kayasaki's hand was slightly burned, but one couldn't tell without looking that he was inured at all. Mika stood wide-eyed at what had happened. He spiked his shield into the ground and waited for Jin to attack. "Your shield has earned its name. I can't go past it, not with this thing anyway." Mika kept his gave solely on Jin, knowing that he was going to attack soon. "But, there was one fatal flaw I noticed the first time I saw it..." At that moment, the cloaked figure appeared behind Mike, who spun his shield around just in time to deflect the attack. He heaved the shield at his new opponent, cutting straight through them. Mika's eyes widened at where once his adversary was, was now but a puddle of water on the ground.

Gensaiken
The old Commander made it to his quarters, grabbing his sword off the desk. He turned toward the far wall, cutting it down so quick the blade didn't even appear to move. The wall collapsed, revealing a secret room behind it. Many trinkets and items were behind the wall, likely trophies from the Commanders past battles. His eyes-widened at the disappearance of the sword he was looking for. "How could someone get in there without me knowing?" He looked around for any signs of entry, unable to find anything to indicate someone had even stepped in. "I must hurry!"

Mugen Otogami
Kayasaki spun his wood sword in the palm of his hand, the face of a long-time friend standing to the side of him. Yuushi's eyes widened, as the puddle shot straight up and threw Mika, creating a small whole in his right shoulder. The water dissolved into Mugen's blade. "M-... why?" Mugen walked over to the old Captain, lifting his blade high in the air. "Sorry, but you don't have the time left for my answer. Enjoy your eternal dream." With that, Mugen brought his blade down, cutting deep into Mika. After whipping the blood off, he sheathed his Zanpakuto and turned to Jin, who didn't move during the course of events. "Jin, we need to leave. It won't be long before they found out no one broke into Seireitei." Jin nodded turning toward the several immense levels of reiatsu approaching them. "I still need my sword." Mugen nodded. "She should be returning with it soon. Creating a Captain-level specter was no easy task and I will need a minute. You will need to hold off them off until the door opens." Jin gripped the wooden sword in his hand, turning to Mugen. "You really couldn't of found me anything better?" Mugen shrugged. "The boss is waiting beyond the gate. Once its opened we will leave. I can't tell you how hard it was to plan all this. Leave it to the Commander to provide me with a time when the defenses were lackluster to say the least."

At that moment, a woman shrouded in a white hood arrived. Her face wasn't visible, but her long locks of blonde hair flowed out of the cover. She held out Kayasaki's sword. The sight of a bone bracelet could be seen as the wind flapped her sleeve back, indicating she was likely of hollow origin. She gripped a purple wakizashi in her left hand. Jin grabbed the sword and flipped her hood back, revealing a young woman with a large black hole on the left side of her neck. "Kalo. It's been awhile." The Arrancar nodded. She was not treating the two Captains as leaders, but more of allies or comrades. Mugen took a heavy yawn. "Now, all we have to do is wait for the gate to open."

(Compilation post between me and Dex. =D)

As Rin finished chanting the first lines of her spell, she reached the scene of the fight. Staying back, she cloaked her reiatsu and watched things unfold from cover. Former-Captain Kayasaki was powerful, she knew that much from experience, having sparred him a great deal during her time as his lieutenant. In fact, he'd taught her quite a bit about how to fight during those old days. Despite this, it shocked her to see his comrade - who she recognized as the Captain of the Fifth Squad himself - cut down one of the Soul Society's oldest Captains while he was using his Bankai. Captain Nura, inexperienced as she was, couldn't hope to match either of these opponents for very long. On the other hand, she had a plan that would allow her to at least do some damage.

As Jin watched his adversary fall, Nura saw her chance. Flinging herself from the rooftop where she stood, she revealed her reiatsu only a second before she struck, slashing her blade powerfully at the back of his neck. Jin grabbed the blade with his hand, pinching it between his fingers. He looked at Rin, the typical uninterested expression she had known for years.

"Nice to see you again, Captain Kayasaki," Rin said with a friendliness that belied the killing intent in her eyes and the reiatsu concentrated around her in a veritable electrical storm. "While I'd love to chat about old times - maybe even ask for some advice on how to rebuild the Tenth after that stunt you pulled last year - I'm afraid that I can't let you leave your cell."

Jin stared blankly at Rin, holding his sword down by his side with it still in its scarab (I think Dex means "Scabbard," here, but I'm not sure, so I'll just leave it like this.). “You have gotten faster, but I could sense your intent since you entered this area. Didn’t I tell you? Always hide your true intentions, lest you fall victim to them." Jin gave a heavy pull to her sword, forcing it out of her hands and landing point first on the ground a few feet away.

The young captain's eyes widened in surprise as her sword flew from her hands, batted away so easily by her former teacher and comrade. Expecting a follow-up attack now that she was exposed, Rin regained her footing as fast as she could, and then bounded off to the side in the instant her blade was knocked away. Flash stepping, she launched herself to a spot near her sword, then moved away again, as though she realized she couldn't reach her sword before Jin could counterattack, and instead had decided to try confusing her target. In short, it seemed she was panicking. Unseen by the traitor captain, however, she moved with a much clearer purpose. As her sword had landed, she had appeared near it, placing her foot on the ornamental ribbon hanging from the hilt, hammering it into the ground with a pulse of reiatsu. This energy shot up the cloth, into her zanpakuto, and from there into the ground as Raikogaeshi Himorogi began assimilating spirit particles making up the earth, unnoticed by the others. As she flash stepped again, she strung out the ribbon along a line during her movement, obscuring the cloth from view with the cloud of dust she kicked up with her movements.

Suddenly, with a flare of reiatsu, Rin raised her hands, an azure tempest flashing into being around her form, bathing her in such radiant light so quickly that it was as though a pillar of lightning had descended from the heavens, engulfing the young captain's body. Then, concentrating this power forward, she poured it into her hands, and channeled it in a devastating stream directly at Kayasaki's exposed back as he recovered from the slight imbalance of his counterattack.

"Hadou 88, Hiryu Gekizoku Shinten Raihou!" Rin roared, a tremendous roar resounding through the air, the shock of the massive blast of power kicking up a titanic cloud of dust and debris as a torrent of raw energy split the battlefield, tearing toward the traitor captain with the force of a divine judgement. The recoil of the attack had been enough to push Rin sideways despite how she had braced herself - just as she had planned, for now, the ribbon was strung out to its full length, forming three sides of a square, with her standing directly across from her sword.

Jin turned and brought his hand up, the blast hitting it like a brick wall and scattering around him. Little did the traitor captain know, however, this had been just what Rin had expected - no, planned for. Her voice, drowned out by the sound of the explosion, had finished the chant she had started as she rushed to the prison.

"Crawling queen of iron! Eternally self-destructing doll of mud! Unite! Repulse! Fill with soil and know your own powerlessness!" The young captain smirked, watching as her reiatsu scattered harmlessly away from her target, leaving him standing unharmed at the dead center of the square she had so carefully created. That storm of azure light now fell like rain around him, for due to his actions, the beam of power had passed him, and struck its true target: the brilliantly gleaming blade of Raikogaeshi Himorogi. As power flared through the ribbon, all Rin had to do to complete her spell was create one final wall, an action she had been preparing for that entire time.

"Hadou 90, Kurohitsugi!" She finished, leaping backward, her triumphant smirk only visible for an instant as the skies darkened, a pillar of darkness shooting up in a fraction of a second, forming nigh spontaneously thanks to her careful preparations. Engulfing Jin, the looming void was suddenly pierced from all sides by a multitude of spears, its immense gravity crushing down on the traitor captain's body. A fully inchanted Black Coffin, cast by a captain-level combatant, was nothing to be trifled with. However, neither was the traitor captain trapped at its center a man to be trifled with, and Rin knew she had little time. She had purposefully erected the coffin between her and Mugen, which would give her time to act through her next plan before he could come to his ally's aid. Spreading the reiatsu she had gathered around herself, she drew it inward. Then, she gathered herself, and flash stepped.

"Bakudou 26, Kyokko."

Jin stood at the center of the black cell, deflecting the spears with the scarab of his zanpakuto and dodging others. He broke through the fourth wall with little effort , looking at his former Lieutenant with a sense of boredom emanating from him. He flash stepped to behind Rin, bringing the blunt end of the scarab down on her back. In that instant Rin shattered, Jin finding himself caught in a kido net, watching as her haori fell down to the ground. “Molting Cicada, huh?”

Rin smirked. It had worked just as she had planned. Using Kyokko to hide her reiatsu signature and visible presence, she had quickly picked up her sword from the corner of the breaking coffin as Jin burst forth. The amount of raw power she had put into that kido net would make it seem like she was still there - that is, until it was too late. Placing her foot down, she tapped the very end of the kido net, releasing a surge of power through it.

"Hadou 12, Fushibi," She chanted, beginning to twirl her zanpakuto in front of her as a red gleam shot down the net's length, guiding it directly to its target. Channeling more of her reiatsu, she released it through her blade in the same instant.

"And now, Hikari e!" She cried, releasing a tunnel of kido that enveloped her target, closing inward and entrapping him just as the first attack reached its target. A flash of orange light and flames shone through the azure shield, then rebounded off of it as the Fushibi absorbed some of the power she had put into her sword's ability, redirecting itself back upon Jin's helpless form with doubled strength. The flash shone forth again, then was once again bounced inward, continually growing in power as the explosion's force was focused entirely by the barrier directly onto Jin's body. Continuing to twirl her zanpakuto, Captain Nura kept her barrier up as long as she could, reinforcing it any time it cracked and pouring more and more energy into the attack. Her former captain was powerful - she knew that from experience - but if she could just wear him down like this, he would be easy pickings for the other captains, even if she couldn't match him herself.

However, she could not maintain the traitor's kido prison forever. The azure ball cracked, then shattered, releasing the force of the now exponentially larger attack outward in a towering pillar of flames, sparks and ashes raining down upon the ruined prison in equal numbers. Rin took a moment to steel herself, concentrating the reiatsu she had left. The sky-blue light surrounding her had dimmed somewhat, but that brilliant light had not yet died. So long as she had power, she could fight! Gazing into the inferno, she waited to see if Jin would emerge from it, and for what condition he would be in. With Kyokko still up, she was invisible to his eyes and senses, as well as those of his rescuers, meaning she had a brief respite for a moment to prepare her next move.

This respite was short lived, however, for a lone form rose from the flames, and, with a sweep of its sword and a flash of light, batted the blaze aside, blowing it like it was a candle. There, charred but almost entirely unharmed, stood Jin Kayasaki.

Jin closed his eyes as the attack approach. With one quick motion, he let out a burst of reiatsu, breaking out of the kido net and forcing the inferno to swirl around him violently, but unable to penetrate the barrier of pure spiritual energy he had released, save for a few spurts that burned his left arm. He lifted his scarab and forced the flames away. His left arm was visibly burned, adding on top to the attack from Yuushi earlier. Hmm. Had to get serious for a second. Not ba-.

However, the traitor captain had no time to stop to think, for in that instant, the young captain appeared from thin air in front of him, slashing downward with both hands on her blade. As Jin parried this strike, she twisted her blade to the side, and let go of her sword with her left hand, making a slashing motion with two fingers, causing a red flash of light shooting without warning from within the folds of her long sleeves.

"Bakudo 9, Horin!" She chanted, the scarlet light taking form as a long tendril of flames and wrapping itself around their blades, tying them together inexorably. Nura smirked. "Even with your Zanpakuto, you can't effectively channel your reiatsu to break this chain without giving me power. Remember my shikai's special property, Captain? If I recall correctly, you were the one who helped me master it. The harder you try to free your weapon, the more powerful your bonds will become! Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanin! Look upon yourself with horror and tear out your own throat!" Chanting the incantation after casting the spell, Rin strengthened the power of the chain as Jin quietly struggled to free his sword, his reiatsu being drained off by her sword as Raikogaeshi Himorogi absorbed all that it could, delaying Jin by preventing him from breaking Horin quickly, as he should have been able to.

"I'm not letting you escape," Rin said, executing several more hand motions. "Bakudo 73: Tozansho." In an instant, blue lines formed in the air around them, converging on the ground between them as walls rose to seal them off from everyone else. "It doesn't matter what you do. I'm ending this, Captain."

Jin looked at Rin, the glazed over look in his eyes telling all he was thinking. “I grow tired of these games, Rin. I have entertained you long enough.”

As Jin spoke, Rin had already begun working to create her final attack. Focusing all of her available reiatsu around her, the azure lightning surrounding her turned a madder red, ten spears of light coalescing into existence behind the young captain.

"Limit of the thousand hands, respectful hands, unable to touch the darkness. Shooting hands unable to reflect the blue sky!" She chanted. Her plan was now clear. She had trapped both herself and Jin inside a high level kido barrier, and had ensured that he would be unable to escape from her trap. Now, she intended to use Hadou 91, and blow the both of them up together. It was suicidal, but such a high level spell in such close quarters just might work.

Jin smirked, an expression many were not accustomed to seeing him use. “So this is your plan. I must say Rin, it’s not one I would use.” Jin let out a small burst of reiatsu, freeing himself from Horin.

"The road that basks in light, the wind that ignited the embers, time that gathers when both are together, there is no need to be hesitant, obey my orders!" Rin chanted, watching as her barrier sealing the two swords together cracked and finally shattered. Smirking, she suddenly altered her reiatsu slightly, using the power absorbed by her sword to once more channel energy into the scattering spirit particles. The broken flames of Horin suddenly turned to radiant gold, and, forming six large rods, shot inward once more from all sides, colliding at Jin's midsection.

"Bakudo 61, Rikujokoro!" She called before once more turning to her incantation now that Jin was safely paralyzed once more. Jin raised an eyebrow, realizing he may have not taken his former Lieutenant as seriously as he should have. He began destroying the rods one by one, letting out a small surge of reiatsu each time.

"Light bullets, eight bodies, nine items, book of heaven, diseased treasure, great wheel, grey fortress tower!" Rin chanted, her voice growing faster as the barrier began to break. With a final surge of power, the six rods shattered, and Jin's scarab swinging fiercely, continuing its swing straight toward the young captain's head with enough blunt force to take it off. Seemingly panicking, Rin frantically raised her now freed sword. However, in shikai, with all its reiatsu being poured into a powerful spell, there was no way it could withstand the force of the attack. Using what spare energy she had left, she hastily erected a tiny barrier.

"Bakudo 8, Seki!" As Jin's scarab struck the tiny orb of blue light, a massive backlash tore from the spell as it copied reflected the entire force of his blow, scattering dust even outside of the barrier. However, such a weak spell could not withstand the might of the blow, and the orb shattered, the force also being directed through Rin's sword and into her body, launching her backward as though fired from a cannon. Bursting through the wall of the bakudo spell in a shower of blood as the energy of the barrier lacerated her skin, Rin smiled, none the panic she had displayed before remaining on her countenance. After all, this had been exactly what she had planned, hadn't it? Even if her barrier was broken, it would take a moment to collapse, and a moment was all she needed now that Jin had so kindly knocked her out of the blast radius!

"Aim far away, scatter brightly and cleanly when fired! Hadou 91, Senju Koten Taihou!" At once, the madder light surrounding her flared outward in an enormous wave, ten gigantic lances raging forward with the force of an unstoppable gale, tearing through the hole her own exit had punctured in the barrier's surface. Converging on Jin, they collided, and exploded in a terrific flash of light, rending the heavens with a titanic pillar of energy visible from across the Seireitei. But, the young captain knew, this would not be nearly enough to stop him.

But it didn't have to. That attack was only the beginning, meant to preoccupy Jin while she played the trump card she'd been saving this entire time, one she had been preparing to use since the very beginning. Flaring the last of her reiatsu as she flew backward through the air, she spoke three words, the power behind which was unmistakable.

"Bankai. Gaki Kamiraikou." In an instant, her sword changed, becoming larger, its energy flaring up in a tremendous light. She was putting everything she had into this final attack!

When she had been disarmed at the beginning of the fight, she had placed reiatsu into the blade of her sword, concealing this with an overwhelming amount of power in the form of two high level Hadou spells: Hiryu Gekizoku Shinten Raihou and Kurohitsugi. The real intent behind those attacks was not to harm Jin, or to weaken him, but rather to keep him busy so he didn't notice the power building up beneath them that whole time. Her sword's assimilation ability had converted almost the entire area beneath their feet into power, unnoticed that whole time due to the attacks Rin had rained down to distract her opponent. And now, it was finally ready. Her massive stockpile of reiatsu had concentrated itself directly beneath Jin's feet, and, contained by the collapsing barrier and the storm of destructive power, there was no chance for him to escape. Pouring her Bankai's entire power into that one attack, she used the finishing stroke with which she intended to end the battle.

"Ike, Daitsukiakari no Yari." With those four words, a tremendous quake shook the earth, and then, for an instant, all noise was drowned out. In that moment, a towering blast of azure light tore forth from directly beneath Kayasaki's feet, joining with the madder energy of the previous attack to form a brilliant white explosion that dwarfed the battlefield, rising even higher than Sokyoku Hill as it extended seemingly forever into the far heavens. And then, with a terrible sound, like the noise of final judgement and the end of the world itself, light, power, and an ear-splitting roar rent through that horrible, still silence, scattering everything like chaff before a hurricane as the entire force of a captain's bankai and reiatsu exploded from below the traitor, devastating everything indiscriminately. For several long moments, this light shone forth, a beacon of power both seen and felt across the entire Soul Society, the night sky turned to day by the second sun created through the young captain's uncontrollable power.

And then, slowly, it died out, fading to a single thread of silver luminescence, like the last beam of light falling from a dying star, and winked out. Rin, even though she had done her best to escape the blast radius, had still been caught in the shockwave, and carried backward until she struck a towering stone building almost half a mile away. Breaking through it, she fell, ripping across several rooftops before falling to the street below. Finally, after a period of hellish agony as her body literally ripped through the stone, leaving a long, shallow trench of destruction in her wake, her movement stopped, and she lay paralyzed by the pain, her vision blurring and fading as she passed out from the exertion and injuries she had sustained. The last sight she saw that night was her zanpakuto lying broken beside her, unable to handle the reiatsu she had surged through it. Sighing, she let her heavy eyelids fall, unable to keep them up any longer.

Sorry, Raiko. I'll bet that hurt you more than it did me. But we did it... Let's just... rest for now, okay?

Mugen looked on at the blast, breathing a sigh of relief as Jin stood there, unmoving with his eyes on his former Lieutenant. There were small cuts on his arms, legs and neck, but nothing that would weaken the former Captain of the 10th Squad to be unable to handle the others should the need arise. Mugen flashed stepped to stand beside Kayasaki, whose gaze was still fixed on his fallen opponent. “In the end, she wore herself out, huh?” Kayasaki nodded, lifting his sword from the ground and inspecting the scarab. “A year ago, I wouldn’t of even needed to use this. She’s come a long way.” Mugen nodded, taking his sword from his scarab and pointing it at her. “Should I finish the job.” Kayasaki shook his head, looking at Kalo who stood in silence. “How long until the gate is open?” Kalo held up her hand, signaling five minutes. Kayasaki nodded, and sat down. “Then we just need to last five minutes.” He looked up to a nearby building, one half-destroyed by Rin’s bankai. The sight of Hibari Hyuugamine, perched at the top. He was staring down at his former comrades, his sword drawn, but knowing that to approach alone would be unwise...