Tower of Night: Course of Action

This article, , is the first story depicting Kenji Hiroshi. This particular chapter features Kenji as the POV character with Maya Zhijun and Shiro Natsume as support.

Two Shnigami – one male and the other female – walked through the barracks of the 10th Division. Night had already descended and a heavy downpour of rain feel in straight sheets. They injected more pace into their steps but they may as well not have bothered. By the time they reached a pergoda outside they had been thoroughly soaked through.

“Explain to me why I'm being dragged into this mess again?” The male asked.

“Because we are the ones with the most experience dealing with it.” The woman replied.

“There's that 'we' again.”

The man ran his calloused hands through his silvery-black hair and dried his fingertips on the inside of his kosode. Sometimes he wondered why he bothered with the hood. He then shook his body as if he where a big dog before once more setting off at a quick pace. The pace he set soon left his companion lagging behind but the man didn't seem to notice, and if he did he certainly didn't care. He quickened his step and all the while the bells on his lapel chimed with every movement.

“Kenji, wait up!”

“I'll wait up when this rain lets up or I find some shelter!” He called back.

He was as true as his word. He never lessened his stride a hair and only when he ducked inside the Division's main gathering hall did he slow. A number of heads turned to look at the newcomer but when they saw who it was they all to a man looked away in disgust. Kenji grinned. It didn't bothter him; quite the opposite in fact. The more they hated him the more breadth they gave him which suited him just fine.

“You could have waited!” The woman cried as the door slammed shut behind her.

“So sorry, Maya.”

“Liar.”

“What gave me away?” He answered, smiling.

“Your lips moved!”

“Eh, you're just angry. It must be your time of the month.”

She hit him! For such a little thing she packed a surprising wallop for Kenji ended up on the floor holding his jaw. He even tasted blood and when he spat on the Division floor he noticed a tooth had come loose as well. It bounced along the floor.

“You're paying for that.” Kenji said seriously.

The duo stepped out of the darkened doorway into the light. Kenji wore a patched kosode, a pair of hakama with dirt on the knees, a set of waraji on his feet and no tabi or shitagi. He now wished he hadn't spent the last of his wages on Vodka. Thankfully though he hadn't taken a shave. His beard, moustache and goatee where coming in thick and it helped guard against some of the cold on this wintry night. Maya struck a prominent clash. Aside from her blonde hair, which was soaked through completely and blown every-which-way-but-loose by the wind, she was turned out like a new pin. It really sickened him. Her kosode was fresh without a patch in sight, her hakama where in much the same state and a light haori was draped over her shoulders. She hung that on a nearby peg before then tying her sodden hair up in a ponytail via a band she procured from around her wrist.

“Thank you all for coming.”

Kenji rolled his eyes as Maya took a seat amongst her fellow squad-mates. Kenji though drifted away from the main group and instead leaned into the darkened doorway. He and Maya already knew he jist of this meeting but their messenger had been remiss in his explanations. The floor at his feet was wet from when he had kept the door open for Maya, but he didn't move away. His feet where cold sure but he was more comfortable at this distance than he would have been had he been seated amongst them. He directed his attention towards the man who had spoken.

“I apologize for the lateness and suddenness of this meeting, but I have just received some troubling information.”

The speaker was young and soft-spoken. Kenji had to lean forward just so he could hear his words and to top it all off had the others been standing he wouldn't even have seen him, never-mind hear him. This was because the speaker, who was actually the 10th Division Captain and leader of the entire Division, was nothing but a child. He may have been a prodigious talent saw once a generation who had already achieved Bankai but he was nevertheless a child. He was baby-faced and lean and his clothes seemed too big for his small frame, but somehow he possessed an aura of command. Kenji couldn't understand it. All he saw was a short-ass who was quite frankly unfit to lead anyone anywhere, let alone a Division of the Gotei 13. In Kenji's eyes he was still too young to be off his mother's apron strings. Captain Shiro Natsume had a lot of growing up to do.

“As officers Maya and Kenji discovered the city of London, situated in the World of the Living, is situated on a plot of spiritually enriched land. This phenomenon attracts Hollow in greater numbers than anywhere else, and in addition to the increased danger this possess the Human inhabitants maybe themselves spiritually aware. But that is the least of our worries.”

Kenji shook his head. It didn't take a genius to see that. He had already met one of these spiritually aware Humans and she had accused him of stalking her. Like he had nothing better to do with his time. But then spiritually aware Humans alone wasn't that dire. Not on their own at least. Something else was up. Kenji leaned forward.

“We have received reports that a strange tower has appeared only at night between the hours of 10:00 and 12:00 on the surface of the River Thames. Non-spiritually aware individuals don't seem to see this structure, but we Shinigami do. An emergency Captain's Meeting was held to ascertain our course of action regarding this occurrence. It has been decided that Maya and Kenji, as the original investigators, will lead a team into this tower to discover its secrets.”

“I accept this assignment.” Maya declared, standing up.

“Of course you do.” Kenji whispered beneath his breathe.

“Do you have something to add Kenji?” Captain Shiro asked.

“... No, sir. Nothing to add.”

“Very good.” Shiro declared, clapping his hands togther. “Maya, we believe a six-person cell is sufficient for this task. I bow to your good judgement on who the remaining four will be.”

“Thank you, sir.”

It was amazing. This night hadn't started off too badly but then all of a sudden he was being sent off to the World of the Living – again – with Maya and four others! If he thought his first mission outside the Soul Society with Maya was his personal Hell-on-Earth then he was about to be proven very wrong. This latest mission would rank up there with the worst experiences of his life to date.

“... This is bullshit.” Kenji whispered, sighing heavily.