Power To The People [O]

[Takuya]

Chapter 20 – Power To The People

I wasn’t ready to go back to Seireitei. It wasn’t that I was going to get into trouble; the official report was, again, that I had managed to drive away a powerful Hollow, though I was unable to dispatch it. The policy of the Seventh Division is exactly that; if a hollow is too powerful, drive it away rather than attempt to kill it, until you can get appropriate back up. There was no shame in that. All in all, I’d had a successful patrol, and I’d probably be moving on my way to a promotion if I kept it up.

The truth was I wasn’t ready yet to jump back into the life of a Shinigami after the mental mindfuck the Hollow had just offered me. It never occurred to me as odd that I was the only Shinigami I knew who could remember my pre-death life. It just seemed unimportant, something to be shunted aside. I had to look into it in the Seireitei Library, to see what it could possibly mean. But first, I needed to clear my head.

So I strolled through the Karakura Market, feeling agitated. I good spar with Shun would probably help as well. Or anyone else on the sparring field. All I really needed was a good, solid spar, a lot of research, and some damn answers. I wasn’t going to find all the answers I wanted in any one place, however. I needed some time to think, maybe someone to talk to. I needed to finish my patrol, too, so there I was, in Karakura Market. Hopefully nothing else highly coincidental and dangerous would happen that day…

[Mitsuhiro]

Where’s the action?

The wind blew through my teeth, and my shoulders drooped. I’d expected excitement once I became a member of the 1st division - instead, all I’d received was a steady stream of boredom. I’d even ventured to the quartz desert of Hueco Mundo - encountered Hollows - and still the oppressing haze of monotony suffocated me.

Searching for something to occupy my time, I ventured into the human realm, coalescing in Karakura Town in the market sector. Invisible to nearly all the inhabitants of the quaint city, I was free to wonder the streets without a care.

But what was this? Spiritual Pressure - controlled, familiar… it was a shinigami. Had I interrupted a patrol? Perhaps the entity was as bored as I? I carried along for a few moments in contemplation...

And there he was - a shaggy haired cretin draped in the standard garb. I couldn’t see his face - it faced the opposing direction - but I was close enough to garner his attention.

“Oy!”

[Takuya]

Chapter 21 - Read My Hips

I felt his spiritual pressure immediately, even if I didn’t recognize it consciously at first. He had the ordered, organized structure of a Shinigami in my mind, and I filed his spirit away into a compartment of my mind, subconsciously affirming it to be an ally and not an enemy. I didn’t turn at first, but continued to walk down through the Market, casting my eyes about for another Hollow or beast. The cost was clear. I sighed and relaxed slightly, taking my hand off the hilt of my wakazashi.

“Yes?” I said quietly, in response to the exclamation the other made. I turned just as silently, regarding the Shinigami who had called to me. He had the tanned skin of Asian descent and angular, dark green eyes. His entire face seemed hawkish and ascetic. He reminded me a bit of the Samurai I had seen in Maebashi during my life. He carried his zanpaktou along his back; something rare among Shinigami.

“What is it?” I asked. He seemed young; his reiatsu even felt young. The spiritual pressure was significant, but it was underdeveloped, as though his soul was still attempting to acclimate itself to being dead, let alone taking on the powers of a Shinigami. He moved with a stance that belied pride and a sense of accomplishment; an early graduate, if I had to guess. I waited for him to speak and confirm or destroy my predictions; it was amazing what you could learn about someone by the way they look…

[Mitsuhiro]

“Oh, I wanted nothing,” I said in response, ambling closer, “only for you to turn around. I need get familiar with the men who may be under my command in about…,” I tilted my head, squinting as if seriously in thought, “mmmm, maybe 100 years. It might take longer to reach that level of strength, but eh…,” I trailed off, shrugging - it was an action I found myself doing often; remnants of my past life. “I shoot high.”

I eyed the man across from me - he was roughly my height, with a similar build inclined to agility. He was older than me - much older. If I had to describe the nature of his Reiatsu, I would call it… peppery. It had a distinct feel - pungent, like pepper, but that description didn’t suffice. I supposed he seemed formidable enough - not yet even lieutenant material, but he certainly had the potential; perhaps for more than that.

“I am Miyamoto Mitsuhiro.” I said by way of introduction. “The 1st Division is my home.” I let my voice die, folding my arms over my chess with a loose, languorous motions “There’ve been reports of a lot of spiritual activity in these parts - have you seen anything?”

[Takuya]

Chapter 22 – The Pride Of Youth

“It’s unwise to assume anything about the future, most of all any sort of position or rank we can expect for ourselves.” I said simply. “None of us know what it holds, and to assume that we can become Captains and Lieutenants in a hundred years in both underestimating our superiors and overestimating ourselves.” I paused, looking at him with a bit of sharpness in my eyes. “Both are things that get us killed on the battlefield.”

“My name is Takuya Rika,” I said in response. “7th Division Dispatch. You’ve actually chosen to interrupt me around the final pass of my patrol. I’ve seen only a single Hollow today, which I was only able to drive back, and not defeat. His power was quite impressive. There’s also Quincy around the world today, and even a few empowered humans, I’m told. This is, after all, the Soul City of our century. ”

“So what duties does the First Division normally fill, then?” I asked him with a touch of amusement. “Interrupting patrols and generally asking important-sounding questions?” It was, perhaps, not the nicest kind of humor, but it was my kind of humor, and meant with only the slightest amount of ill intent to it. I let my hand sit lightly on the handle of my wakazashi, alert for any threats. Conversation was no reason to abandon security…

[Mitsuhiro]

The ardor of his gaze was lost on me - his spiel was nothing I hadn’t heard before, and nothing I wouldn’t hear again. Me? Underestimate? Ha! I knew my limitations and what it would take to overcome them - I‘d seen what to took to command an army. If anything, I was selling myself short. Of course, that only applied if I had, in fact, been serious about my claims. Everyone was a project - an experiment to be dissected. The operation had begun, and the initial incision revealed only one boon -

The man was pragmatic. Very pragmatic, if his answer to my question was any indication. What else could I discern about this character?

“So what duties does the First Division normally fill, then? Interrupting patrols and generally asking important-sounding questions?” He voiced with amusement, and… not quite disdain - more like mild sarcasm.

“Yes.” I replied brusquely, my face the picture of seriousness. “That is my job description, ver batim.” It was my turn to release a spatter of amusement through a brief chuckle. “I kid. My division dabbles in tactics - we administrate, we strategize - we are the ‘leaders‘ of Seireitei. Or rather, the captain is the leader - I am but his subordinate.” I noticed his minute movement through my peripherals. “You can continue your patrol… duty comes first, and I can walk and bother you all at once.”

[Takuya]

Chapter 23 – Great Minds Think Differently

My lips peeled back slightly in a somewhat savage grin. I couldn’t help it. I had been cursed with slightly sharper and longer canines than most people had, and it created a smile that was incredibly predatory. I liked this child, though. He seemed sure of himself, confident, though he couldn’t have been a Shinigami for more than twenty years. Closer to ten, or even five, if I had to guess. He still moved like a human. He moved like a human who found himself suddenly blessed and took the dedication to train rigorously, but still a human nonetheless.

“Indeed,” I answered to his suggestion, and continued to move, assuming he would follow. I was nearly one hundred percent sure by now that I outranked him, but I thought it was a good idea to be courteous to everyone, not just one’s superiors. He seemed like an intelligent individual in the first place, which was rare enough in both the Living and Dead Worlds. He seemed to have grasped the concept of the divisions and their sub-groups, at least.

“Yes, of course, the Captain-General,” I said, nodding as my eyes flicked back and forth, scanning the street calmly. “Did you know that the Captain-General is often selected from a division other than the First?” I passed my gaze over him before returning to patrol mode. “There was once a Captain-General, it is said, from even the Eleventh Division. I can only wonder how effective of a leader he was. Still, I’m happy to see a member of the First Division out in the Living World. Too often those who join the First Division aspire only to take command of the Gotei 13 and lose touch with our duties to the living.”

[Mitsuhiro]

Ah… he’s photogenic. That smile of his could intimidate some species of canine.

I strolled along behind him as he walked, absorbing his words with the readiness of a sponge. He regaled me with a brief tale of the past; I remembered something of the tale from my time at the academy, but not enough to claim familiarity. To his question I gave a short shake of my head, and to the following statements, a thoughtful tilt of the head - a subtle inclination to display the commencement of my thoughts.

“A man can not lead those who do what he has not done.” I intoned in response to his quip about my division. I wasn’t sure where I’d snatched the quote from - it could have swam from the depths of my brain, or perhaps I’d gleaned it from an instructor at the academy, or even the captain himself - I’d had to meet him to be accepted into the division. Either way, the truth of the statement was undeniable.

“I sought to 'get my feet wet', so to speak.” I started, regaling him with a tale of my own - I wanted someone to know of my stupidity; yes, I was brilliant, a genius even, but with an older much more cynical compatriot to analyze my faults and errors, I would be all the more wiser for it. “I crept into Hueco Mundo - I only went as far as the quartz desert. I encountered a pair of Hollow’s there, but…

They didn’t do anything. Excuse me if I'm wrong but... aren't they supposed to be mindless beasts? That of the "kill on sight" variety?”

[Takuya]

Chapter 24 – Kill ‘Em Dead

“Hmmm,” Was my first answer to his tale, which displayed astonishing arrogance. “It’s never wise to wander into Hueco Mundo unattended, even if you had the power of, say, a fifth seat. It is a dangerous place. You’re lucky that you weren’t found by Hollows of an incredibly powerful variety out in the sands.” I continued to stride forward, scanning the streets. It seemed that Karakura was going to be quiet this night. Then again, that’s how most raids started out.

“Well, yes,” I answered to his query. “Our general standing order is to kill all hollows on sight. However, you’ll find that certain Hollows, possessing minds of their own, exist. They have personalities, desires, dreams, and most importantly, the hunger. They’re strong, much stronger than their mindless brethren. In those cases, it’s best to either drive it back or retreat tactically if you don’t have the strength to handle it.”

“I’ve actually encountered a few of those recently,” I didn’t go so far as to say that I had encountered one such Hollow today. It wasn’t the sort of thing that anyone needed to know, aside from me. I glanced at a flicker of motion to the left, but it was only a man on a bicycle. I turned my gaze forward again. “Those are not the sorts of things you want to be a hero with and jump in alone. Back-up is the key to survival.”

[Mitsuhiro]

"Ah yes... back-up."

Soldiers. Men and woman to operate as my hands and feet - to act as my blade in my absence. I wanted to reach the platuea of strength when back-up was unneeded - just a superfluous luxury afforded those to weak to monitor themselves. But still, I could not ignore the usefulness of possessing my own brigade of soldiers... and therein lay the truth of my induction into the first division - I had the capacity and the desire to lead; the captain hoped that with age that desire would fade, and only then would I even have a semblance of a chance at the top position. Hmph. Maybe I would never gain that chance.

I was certain of Takuya's age now - he was fairly insightful, and knew much of the cretin's I'd been enlisted to slaughter. I admired his knowledge; he spoke with experience. Perhaps I coulf glean something from his acquired knowledge.

"Care to elaborate on your experiences with Hollow's? That is, of course... if you don't mind..." I spoke with the utmost respect, even as the green of my eyes darkened under the calculating pool of intellect that commandeered my every effort.

[Takuya]

Chapter 25 – Teacher, Teacher

“Don’t say it like it’s a dirty word,” I admonished, feeling myself falling into good humor. It wasn’t often that I had people to talk to during patrols, save for when the captain would send us out on two-person patrols. He was a very strong believer in teamwork and cooperation. “It’s a very important thing you should learn now, while you’re still young; the strength of the Gotei 13 isn’t in the men and women below you. Rather, it’s in those who stand beside you.”

I crossed my arms before me, slipping my hands into my sleeves and calmly rounding the corner. More often than not, potential threats could be avoided merely by appearing calm. If a weaker Hollow detected a Shinigami simply oozing with confidence and composure, they’ll tend to back off rather than lose their necks, assuming they had some semblance of intelligence. Unfortunately, not a lot of them had intelligence.

“Well, the most important lesion I can impart to you is to be wary of every word they say,” I said, glancing at him. “You’ll encounter Hollows that are incredibly intelligent, if you stay alive long enough. You’ll encounter Hollows that disguise themselves in human form, and Hollows that try to convince you that they’re not the enemy. Don’t listen to them. If you can negotiate with them to turn back, do so. But don’t allow them to continue. The only options are repelling them or killing them.”

[Mitsuhiro]

Those who stand beside me… Only the best then - I would settle for nothing less.

I listened intently as he spoke, pondering his words as they entered my brain. He’d spoken only what I’d heard in the academy, but he said it with fervor that leant credence to his speech. Repel or kill… no in between. It was a merciless stance, but from the truth that reverberated throughout his spiel, it was necessary.

“I’ve been taught that the hunger of a Hollow is insatiable, and maddening - you’d think that those with any semblance of intelligence would rather be purified than continue such a baseless existence…”

Takuya’s patrol was turning out to be a walk in the park - no Hollow’s at all; not even a stitch of spiritual activity. I was… disappointed, to say the least. “Quite an uneventful day, don‘t ya think?”

[Takuya]

Chapter 26 – Slave The Soul

“Who can say what power can do to a person?” I said simply, shrugging my shoulders. “For most Hollows, the hunger consumes them and they become slaves to it, beasts slavering for more souls, unable to think rationally. But those Hollows who are strong and willful will resist the hunger, and they will think. And that’s the most dangerous of all, for beneath the hunger, they sense a promise of something else; power.”

“The hunger for power can consume anyone,” I said, glancing at him. “We see the best example of it in Hollows, but it is present in all of us, humans and Shinigami alike.” I continued walking, my eyes following a boy who seemed a little out of the ordinary. A few moments of observation confirmed him to simply be an awkward adolescent male, apparently following a girl in secret. Deplorable, but unrelated to my duties.

“The day has most certainly not been quiet,” I grumbled in response to his queries. “I’ve exterminated no less than four lesser Hollows today, and I had to repel a much stronger one. I’ll be glad when this patrol is over, believe me. I don’t have the patience for yet another Hollow attack.”

[Mitsuhiro]

In my eyes, hunting for power was only a display of ambition - and boy, did I have ambition. I wanted to be the greatest of my kind; perhaps Takuya had sensed this? The conclusion made perfect sense, given the mans uttered words. We ambled along - well, I ambled while he purposefully strode through the streets of the Market. The older shinobi seemingly eyeballed every being we saw, extremely thorough with his patrol duties.

I admired his tenacity.

“So five in all?” I questioned rhetorically. “Impressive.” I could only chuckle at his confession - he spoke as if I wouldn’t assist in the event of an attack. Hell… I’d probably be first up to bat.

“I assume your patrol is coming to an end?” I questioned aimlessly. Sure, I had gained a great wealth of knowledge from my excursion to the mortal plane, but I’d gathered no practical experience. In my eyes, that amounted to a failed trip.

[Takuya]

Chapter 27 – Limit’s End

“It’s no great feat,” I murmured graciously in response to his praise. In truth, it probably was, but I was never one to allow pride to interfere with my day-to-day interactions with others. Deadliest of sins, as they say. It was a sin that stained heavily on the soul of my young comrade, but I didn’t think much of it. Most Shinigami grew out of it by the time they became veterans of the Gotei 13. Even some of the most rash children became calm and collected.

“It is indeed drawing to a close. I have roughly a block left to travel before my shift is over,” I confirmed to him. “At which point Tsuki Dispatch takes over for Taiyou Dispatch. Normally I work in Tsuki Dispatch rather than Taiyou Dispatch, but the captain asked me to do so today, so it was done.” I strolled forward purposely, eyes watching for the last minute beasts that turned up from time to time. We always changed our rotation period, lest the hollows catch on.

“At which point, I think, I’ll be returning to Seireitei.” I rolled my neck slightly, keeping my hand on the hilt of my wakazashi. “I think I’ve had enough for today. A good rest is the most important thing you can get after all the excitement.” I nodded to myself. “Gotta know when it’s time to stop for the day. That’s the most important thing.”

[Mitsuhiro]

“Hm.” I hummed pleasantly - certainly an informative day, though lacking in action. I wasn’t quite disappointed… just underwhelmed. “I suppose I will bid you farewell then Takuya-san.”

My ambling paused, and I executed and abrupt about face. The scholar in me demanded a proverbial Gordian knot - a riddle to muddle his perception. “I no naka no kawazu taikai wo shirazu₁.” A wave punctuated the proverb, gifting his last sight of me with a touch of blasé flair that accented my every notion.

There was still a chance I could come upon a hollow - just because none had been present previously didn’t mean that one wouldn’t surface now. To that end, I simply wondered the ample streets of Karakura; I needed something to measure myself by…

[ Exit ]

[/right]


_________________
1 = A frog in a well does not know the great sea.

[Takuya]

Chapter 28 – Parable War

I nodded in response to him, crossing my arms as I came to the end of my patrol zone. In a few moments, the next person in line would appear at this spot and continue the patrol for the coming night. I found myself wanting to go with them. I disliked working with the Taiyou Dispatch. They tended to be lax. It wasn’t a common time for Hollows. Most of the true threats appeared after the sun disappears; during the time of the Tsuki Dispatch. I needed the rest, though.”

“Shinko.¹” I answered him. He spoke in the traditional language of the Seireitei. I, myself, favored communicating in the western language of French. A surprising number of Hollows came from France. I waved a hand to him, using the motion to also key my butterfly to open the gate to Seireitei. I waited as the circular door slid open. “But the frog who swims in the sea often recalls that there were no sharks in the well.” I didn’t turn to see his reaction, instead strolling into the Seireitei.

[Exit-]

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1:True.