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The final battle looms...! A flashback mini-arc to celebrate the the final moments of the Final War of Revenge arc!
Beginnings[]
"I remember those days... so long ago. All of this turmoil seemed as but a whisper to us then. We were young captains at the beginning of our Gotei 13 careers. I guess that is all gone now... Still, it would be nice, if only for a moment, to remember..."
"Captaiiiiiiiiiiin!"
Raian was awoken from his mid-afternoon nap, his head firmly planted in the paperwork he was supposed to have finished hours ago, with a foot firmly holding it in place. He could only grunt his annoyance at the predicament, squirming from his prison until his assailant finally released him. Looking up, and rubbing his now bruised nose, Raian recognized the thin frame of his third seat, Isshin Shiba. The young Shinigami was holding a new stack of folders, crammed to the brim with forms, newsletters, and other forms of paperwork that Raian so dreaded.
"Here!" Isshin spat, slamming down the enormous mound of files on his desk. "Straight from Old Man Firestorm himself!"
Shaking himself from his sleepy daze, Raian gazed down annoyed at the new stack of paperwork, "Sheesh, with all these to fill out, I'll barely have time to train today..." he sulked.
Looking up from over the mountain of paperwork, he noticed his lieutenant, who was also his brother, Mashū Getsueikirite, asleep in his own pile of paperwork, though Mashū's was significantly smaller. Raian's eyebrow twitched at the sight of his lieutenant having made the same lazy decision as himself.
"Guess I'll be doing that as well..." he moped to himself.
"Maybe they should make me captain." Isshin teased. "Since you never seem to want to do your homework."
"They'd never make you captain!" Raian snapped, jamming his pointer finger in Isshin's face. "You're lazier than both myself and the lieutenant combined!"
Just then, the door to the Tenth Division's headquarters swung open, and several Shinigami stepped in; the first being Eighth Division captain Seireitou Kawahiru, the second being Ninth Division captain Hibiki Asakura (later known as "Echo"), and the third being Seventh Division captain Hikaru Kurosaki. Isshin looked even more annoyed at this development.
"Excellent, the Lazy Platoon itself has arrived!" he announced as the captains each took a seat around Raian's messy desk.
Raian, however, didn't have much time for jokes. He caught the look of severity on Seireitou's face the moment he took a seat. The silver-haired man, who was both his best friend, and his greatest rival, had his arms folded and his eyes shut tightly, as if in deep thought. Finally, he opened his eyes, glaring right into the eyes of Raian.
"What brings you three here?" Raian finally asked. "We don't go out for sake until tomorrow evening."
"Afraid we won't be." Seireitou replied solemnly, retrieving a small package from the inside of his haori.
Raian eyed the parcel, but made no motion to comment on it, "Well that's a damper." Raian said in a serious tone.
"Raian, you know the Captain-Commander's been on edge ever since we exterminated the Quincy in the last war. Well, it turns out it was justified." Seireitou replied, tossing the package to Raian.
Catching the parcel with little issue, Raian merely turned it around in his palm to observe it. His eyes immediately widened upon seeing what it was Seireitou had spoken of — the emblem of the Royal Guard was emblazoned upon it. Without asking if he should, Raian undid the small strings keeping the wrapping on the package, unfolding the note which was hidden within. The writing was plain and simple, and it was obviously an order from the Spirit King himself;
"Raian Getsueikirite is hereby dismissed from the position of Tenth Division captain, and is to report to Captain-Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto at once." Raian read aloud. "The same directive is given to lieutenant Mashū Getsueikirite. Third Seat, Isshin Shiba, is hereby promoted to be his replacement."
Raian looked up from the note, sweat forming on his forehead. Seireitou's eyes narrowed, and briefly glanced out the window of the setting sun.
"The Central 46 is in an uproar. They received the orders this morning. I don't know what is about to happen, but Yama-jii has ordered an emergency Captain's meeting. We're going there now. You too Isshin. I'll wake Mashū." Seireitou ordered.
And with this, Raian marched out of the barracks...
"Promotion Ceremony"[]
The First Division's barracks was dimly lit upon the arrival of Raian's entourage. Upon reaching the main hall, Raian instantly took note of the solemn look on the faces of the other captains. Even the usually stone-faced Yamamoto looked sullen. The members of the Royal Guard were all standing, arms crossed, as the group entered the room. Seireitou, who had already been tense earlier, narrowed his eyes and gazed around the room.
"Where's Senka?" he mumbled, just loud enough for the others to faintly here him.
"She won't be joining us anymore." Jinsuke Kuchiki noted.
"Welcome, Raian." Gamma Akutabi spoke up, preventing Seireitou from rebuffing. "I assume you've read our directive?"
"I have." Raian replied, staring up at Gamma. "So, is that the reason for this meeting?"
"It is." Gamma nodded. "As well as to promote your third seat and give you your first mission."
"Sheesh." Raian replied, somewhat comically. "You guys don't give a guy much time to get settled, do you?"
"Aren't you curious?" Gamma asked, a somewhat sarcastic tone in his voice.
"Sure, sure. What's this objective of yours?" Raian asked, amusing him.
"Very well. Your first mission is to kill the four standing behind you." Gamma replied, gesturing to Seireitou, Hibiki, Hikaru, and Mashū.
Raian's eyes widened and his head slowly swiveled to view his comrades, whose own facial expressions were a mixture of shock and outrage. Then the realization dawned on him; "She won't be joining us anymore". Raian's teeth clamped together, his hair standing on end.
"You... you bastards..." Raian grunted. "You killed Senka?!"
On this mention, it was Seireitou's turn to enter a daze. Senka, the Second Division captain, had been his fiance. A brilliant captain in the wake of the last war. His shock, however, quickly turned to blind, consuming, rage.
"We had no choice. It was the King's orders." Gamma replied. "You see, rumor has it that you Shinigami were beginning to make pacts with the Arrancar. True or not, the King had to act. The one you call Senka, was merely an example."
"Now, just as we did, you have no choice." Jinsuke chimed in. "The King has ordered that you be promoted, Raian. You must kill your comrades."
"Captain!" Isshin blurted out suddenly, rushing to the front of the group, "Don't listen to them! You don't have to—"
"Shut up!" Raian interjected, "I'm not killing anyone here... Except them!"
Fall From Grace[]
"Oh, ho!" Gamma piped up, "Kill us, eh? Such threats are an act of treason. Not even your Gotei 13 buddies will back you up if you attempt it."
As if not to heed their warnings, Raian placed his hand on his Zanpakutō's hilt and begun to draw the blade for combat. However, his act of valor was stopped short, when a soft hand reached across and prevented him from retrieving the sword any further from its sheathe. Raian snapped around to see Seireitou, a serious glare on his face, leaning over his shoulder.
"Enough." Seireitou commanded. "There is no need for anymore blood to be spilled. I appreciate you trying to protect me Raian, but you know me; from a young age, I wasn't the type to be protected."
Seireitou released his hold on his friend, stepping forward to place himself between his friends and the Royal Guard. The angry face, which had just seconds ago lashed out in anguish at Senka's death, was calm and serene. Raian, however, could see it, and was probably the only one who could — the look of hopelessness in Seireitou's crystal-clear eyes. Senka's death had broken his will.
"In exchange for my survival, I will abandon my post as a Shinigami and impose exile on myself in the Human World." Seireitou declared, rousing a shocked look from Raian and Isshin.
"You know the Royal Guard cannot just allow a former captain to run around freely in the Human World. Especially a criminal, such as yourself." Gamma replied, eyes narrowing.
"Then your best option is to kill me here and now." Seireitou retorted, closing his eyes. "But hope that you do it in the first blow, otherwise I will not be able to stop the bloodshed that ensues."
Taira Geshunin, who had to this moment been silent, finally spoke up, "And what of the other accused? Hikaru, Echo?" she inquired. "What shall you do?"
Hikaru stepped forward, standing just behind Seireitou's left shoulder, "I too choose exile." he replied.
"I'll be the same with me." Echo replied, folding his arms rather than joining them. "I will not submit to death like a coward. I'd rather live the rest of my days in simplicity on Earth."
"Then it is settled." Gamma almost shouted, regaining the floor. "The traitors Hikaru, Echo, and Seireitou are hereby banished from the Seireitei and Soul Society. If you ever again enter this realm, you will be considered enemies and killed without mercy."
Just then, a Senkaimon began to open, revealing the cold air of the Dangai Precipice World. Not even safe passage would be granted to these new exiles, even though it was not likely that they would succumb to the dangers of the Dangai. Seireitou began to step forward toward the portal, only to be stopped by a tight grip on his haori. He already knew it was Raian, trying one more desperate time to prevent him from going. To somehow undo the King's decision. With a swipe of his hand, Seireitou broke his friend's grip.
"You cannot change this, Raian." Seireitou said cryptically. "Stay here. Get stronger. After this, we are enemies. Do come and honor me with an epic battle to the death someday..."
With that, Seireitou led Hikaru and Echo into the darkness of the Dangai, and within seconds, the three former captains were out of sight. The Senkaimon shut behind them, closing them forever out of the world they once called home. Gamma then turned his sight to Raian, tossing him a white haori which was neatly sitting on a nearby podium.
"The King's orders are absolute." he explained. "Even if you hate us for it, we have to carry them out. If you want to get back at us, then become one of us. Become strong enough. Then do something about it."
Raian's glare shot up, his eyes sparkling with heated tears of righteous fury. He unfolded the haori, tossed his old one to Isshin, and quickly threw the new coat on; now bearing the insignia of the Royal Guard.
"Isshin," Raian commanded. "Keep the division safe with your life. I'm taking Mashū with me, so the choice for how to run it is all yours."
With those parting words, Raian and Mashū, who had been watching quietly from the back of the room, stepped forward, joining the Guard on the terrace above the Gotei 13's remaining members.
"Let's go." he declared.
End