Welcome Warring Warlords

Sound Of The Alarm
"ALERT! ALERT! INTRUDERS IN THE CITY!"

The alarm was now vocal, blasting it's words through the Seireitei, stirring the Shinigami from their slumber.

"ALERT! ALERT! INTRUDERS IN THE CITY! CAPTAINS AND LIEUTENANTS REPORT TO THE FIRST DIVISION BARRACKS!"

The Shinigami were quickly roused, all of them grabbing their Zanpakutō and running outside of their barracks, casting look into the sky to see streaks of light firing off in every direction.

"ALERT! ALERT! INTRUDERS IN THE CITY! CAPTAINS AND LIEUTENANTS REPORT TO THE FIRST DIVISION BARRACKS! ALL OTHER SHINIGAMI REPORT TO YOUR APPOINTED STATIONS!"

"It appears the Yomonisō has been activated." A blonde and bespectacled Shinigami. The man let out a small sigh. "And all this so soon after the conviction of a prisoner...this can't be a coincidence."

Figures were rushing by, all of them clad in black, however, several figures, twelve in all, stood out clad in their white garb worn over the black as they made their way through the droves of Shinigami, followed by twelve other individuals clad in the normal black clothing of Shinigami, albeit wearing badges on their left shoulders.

"The Captains and the Lieutenants!" One of the Shinigami who was watching the procession was quick to make a comment. "Can it be so serious that they have to be summoned?"

"Of course, idiot!" Another Shinigami's voice was reprimanding. "Didn't you hear the alarm? It's waking everyone up, you can't have missed it."

The Captain and Lieutenants made their way towards a solitary building, it can be assumed this was the First Division Barracks the alarm had spoken of. As they stepped into the open space of the building, they divided, splitting into two groups of six to stand at opposing ends. At the far side of the roof, an elderly man sat in a large chair, looking over all of this.

The Captains, Chiyome Mochizuki, Attōmai Kōkawa, Tamashi Hiroka, Dyan Arashi, Shizuka Kuchiki, Kokurō Kakyoin, Seishima Tsumaki, Hajime Ryūmonki, Kaori Fuchibachi, Amajin Temukai, Kaito Kurui, and Asuka Tenraiseki, were finally all in attendance, with the Captain-Commander Kenshin Iaiseiei presiding over this gathering in it's entirety.

Dissent Among The Gathered
Kenshin Iaiseiei sternly gazed upon his subordinate with a kind yet sharp look that wouldn't be out of place on your grandfather. "I have gathered you all here today to discuss an important matter. It seems that a group of Ryoka are attempting to invade our Soul Society. Now, the spiritual pressure I feel from this group is completely irrelevant; like they're flies. I would suggest, we shall send a seated officer from each of our divisions to tackle the threat."

It was made clear that the Shinigami present understood the orders given; however, curiosity was part of human nature and could not be easily satiated with a simple order.

"Ryoka in the Seireitei...." Seishima was the first to speak. "I suppose I would be skeptical, had the streaks of light earlier in the sky not indicated the Yomonisō protective Kidō had been activated."

Kenshin mulled over such words. "There is but one question. Who in the devil are they, and what are they here for?" He was actually going to be resonable to an extent.

Kaori waved her fan in front of her face, her eyes leering over the other Captains. "Naturally, they're intruders. Obviously, the answer to this solution is to erase them and leave them as naught but a mark on the pavement. Any type of intruder in our Soul Society is a bad one, am I right?"

"Kaori, you're a bit too violent." A man with spiky raven hair, wearing an ominous scythe on his back decided it was his turn to speak, casting his bright blue eye on this woman, whose dual-toned eyes met his. "We've only just entered this time of peace, it's been holding strong for two centuries. Do we really need to jump into what could cause a war so soon?"

"Arashi, aren't you being a bit hypocritical to your own roots?" Chiyome jabbed a finger in his direction, but far from reprimanding, she seemed to be more chiding him. "I have to agree with Kaori. A swift and lethal extermination is best."

Kaori smugly waved her fan towards Dyan. "I guess we should take a vote on this. What do you think, oh mighty Captain Commander, grand wizard of the soul society?"

Kenshin sighed. Kaori really was a professional asskisser. "...I do suppose that such a thing wouldn't hurt. However, at any time, I can overrule this decision as there is no higher authority than I."

"I cast a vote for killing them." Kaito Kurui raised a gloved hand. "Ryoka could make fantastic research subjects, depending on what they are. Just managing to get into the Soul Society itself is quite the feat. I will be interested in retrieving their corpses when we've finished." What was this man.

"Um....I think we should kill them." The childish voice of Tamashi Hiroki, the youngest Captain present spoke out. "I wouldn't want to...but I don't want any harm to come to all of my friends in the Soul Society."

"You already know my opinion on this." Dyan said irritably. His peers were far too eager to cause a conflict.

Hajime said "Then I'll go with Dyan's vote."

Kaori naturally replied "I wanna wipe 'em off the map."

Kokurou was with Kaori. "Same."

Shizuka too, was actually interested in slaughtering them all like an inferior race. "That does indeed sound like a plan."

Kaori immediately stood up and took on a 'you got served' pose as she laughed in Dyan's face. "Yes! We have defeated you for all time! You will never rise from the ashes of your shame and humiliation!"

"Killing them is the easiest solution to this problem." Amajin, the head of the Eleventh Division, eye glinted as he spoke. "I cast my vote for erasing the problem.

"Kill them." Asuka's answer was short and to the point.

"It seems like a bit much to put our efforts into....but, we're going to have to kill them." Attōmai Kōkawa flashed Dyan a sympathetic look. "Sorry Dyan, but this really isn't a matter up for debate."

Seishima let out a sigh. "While I am against it....we need to eradicate the issue as soon as possible. We're on the eve of an execution, a verdict which has confused many to begin with. Toying around with the simple problem of Ryoka will only cause further confusion within the Gotei 13."

Kenshin clapped his hands together. "Then, there you have it. Eight versus a measely two votes. Then Captain Fushibashi's plan shall proceed, and if it turns out to be a case of red herring, then you all shall stand down."

With this order obviously being one of dismissal, the Captains departed, making their way out of the barracks and toward their own defence positions. Dyan, however, was surprised to find himself confronted by Haijime.

Hajime sighed as he scratched his head. "Well...that didn't go too well." Such an understatement. "I swear that Kaori chick has something stuck in her brain that prevents, you know, not over-the-top thoughts or sheer maniacal glee."

"I agree." Dyan frowned, still slightly put out by his peers eagerness to rush into a conflict. "I suppose it's only natural, we are soldiers after all. Some of us are bound to become unhinged."

Dyan's Lieutenant, Kirei Usuikikan, twitched at this, but she didn't say anything.

"Thank you, however, for expressing a more reasonable opinion earlier." Dyan nodded his head to Haijime. "But I suppose orders are orders."

Hajime stretched his arms out, yawning. "Yeah. I suppose that's what happens when you fill the spots of Captaincy with a blood-thirsty maniac; don't you think it's wierd, though? She's acting like an actual Kenpachi...and you're the true Kenpachi. Normally she wasn't like that until a few years ago. Hmm..." His mind began to work.

"You know, this couldn't be Kaori's fault in the first place. She's always had questionable mental stability. Perhaps something happened? I mean she seemed perfectly fine until a few years ago. What do you think we should do about this? I know orders are orders, but something's just so fishy about the whole thing."

"There's nothing we can do for now." Dyan sighed, pulling his hood over his head. "We simply have to follow orders for now. I'll be returning to my own defence station. I pray this is nothing big, Hajime." He turned and walked away, Kirei bobbing along after him.

"Captain..." Kyūzō Hashidojin, the Lieutenant of Hajime's division, the 9th, frowned. This was unusual for him, as he was the type who was always outgoing. "I suppose we simply have to follow orders for now?"

Hajime sighed; his sword resting in its sheath by his side, he felt a faint glow. Yeah, something was definitely up. "...I guess so. I hate it when crap likes this happens. But don't worry, I have a plan. I'm gonna look into this."

As they walked off, Kirei looked up at Dyan.

"Captain, why are you so against killing these Ryoka?" Her childish face looked very confused. "I know how much you love a good fight, so, why?"

Dyan let out a reluctant sigh. "Even the most insane grow soft in times of peace, Kirei. I suppose that's happened to me ever since I returned." His hood fell a little further over his face, obscuring his eyes. "However, as orders are orders, let's go find these Ryoka."

--- "Captain!?" A blonde haired girl, Miyuki Yūakubi, was following the footsteps of Amajin Temukai. It appeared the raven-haired Captains had young women as their attendants. "Are you heading out??"

"Of course." The man was already walking in a direction very far away from his own barracks. "The Ryoka won't just sit still. To have conquered Danzōmaru so easily and shattered the Black Ridge Gate...I can feel my own blood bubbling up at the idea of a possible challenge!"

Miyuki smiled. "When was the last time I saw you get so excited?"

Amajin thought for a moment. "I'd say about twenty years ago, when Moony made a return to the Soul Society."

"That's right! She grinned. "He was more wild...I think you wound up destroying most of the training grounds in that scuffle."

---

Kaori, meanwhile, held a smirk upon her smug face as she walked past the other captains, deviously plotting something...probably. She said absolutely nothing as she kept a feminine, yet terrifying air about her.

Shizuka herself hobbled back to her division like an old lady- amusingly, she was about in her 20s if one looked at her with the logic of the living world. "...Ah well. Nothing can be done."

As Hajime walked back to his own division, Attōmai Kōkawa walked past him, placing his hand on the young man's shoulder. "Look, I know that we thrashed you and Dyan in that vote, but there's no hard feelings. Personally I'd love to just laze off but work is work. If they get in nobody knows how they'd mess it up something fierce." Hajimere merely sighed as the man continued back to his division.

A blonde-haired Shinigami woman was running after Tamashi, panting as she caught up to the child. "C-Captain....please slow down..." Such a statement was actually a bit funny, this woman was obviously Tamashi's Lieutenant, and yet was several heads taller than her.

Tamashi looked up at the girl, smiling. "Ise, it's no fun if I have to be slow! Now, come on, let's head home!"

"W-what!?" Ise looked flabbergastered. "C-Captain!?"

However, Tamashi seemed go ignore her subordinate, instead scrambling up the girl's back, clinging to her shoulders, giving her a better view of everything. "Alright!" She grinned. "Let's go, Ise!"

"C-Captain!" Ise cried in astonishment. "Wh-what are you doing?" It was clear this child was giving her subordinate a heart attack.

"I need a high view..." The child huffed. "You all are so tall and I don't get to see anything. Now! Let's home!"

"B-but, aren't we heading to our own defence stations?"

"Of course not." Tamashi said it was if it was obvious. "We're the Relief Division, after all. We need to make preparation, to heal our comrades."

Whatever Ise thought of her Captain, it was at moments like this the girl earned her respect.

Despite the short notice, every Shinigami in the Soul Society was mobilising.

War was on the horizon.

END