[BleachITP Reborn] Episode 3: Gotei Joint-Ops! What could ever go wrong?

[13th Division Grounds]

On a wide walkway leading from 13th Division towards the core of Seireitei, a varied bunch of Shinigami are gathering. In the shade of tall, marble obelisks surrounding the path, five Senkai gates stand waiting, with collapsible tables set near them. Leaning on one of them is Sato Hachirou.

The ever-so-enthusiastic 13th seat is going through a list of people assigned under him, with a decidedly displeased frown on his face. I wonder what's the reson behind this. Compared to last year, and the year before that as well, the amount of Shinigami attending is dismal. Hachirou had reviewed groups going to other locations as well, and they showed the same pattern. He doesn't need to look up from his paper to tell some Gotei divisions are utterly unrepresented among the reapers slowly forming themselves into neat rows one the pavement.

Maybe the recent loss of a high-ranking patrol had discouraged Captains from sending their people this time around? After all, rumours of increasing strenght of Hollows in the mortal realm are not completely without basis. Hachirou has also heard that the academy might have troubles finding enough students to fill the classes. Still, he certainly expected much more people to come by.

Oh well. Maybe next year'll be better. Lets get this over and done with. It's just routine - I'm sure it'll go just fine. Standing straight, the 13th seat detaches his eyes from his list long enough to catch a glimpse of people before him. "Okay, listen up. It's fifteen minutes before take off. Time for role call. If someone's not present and you know what's up with them, tell it immediatly after I say their name. Okay... Amagatsu Kazuma, 11th division, 8th seat?"

Hachirou shoots an inquisitive glare at the person in question. The superior officer is really out-of-place on a patrol meant to train people with lacking combet experience. Oh, come on! Cut the guy some slack! You know how frustrating boredom can be! Disregarding what his sword spirit might think of the matter, Hachirou resumes calling names.

"Hirako Yoshi, 20th seat of 12th Division?"

"Crossdale Allan, Unseated, 13th Division?"

"Fukui Kyou, Unseated, 6th Division?"

"Hidetsugu Iwaki, Kido Corps?"

"Sadanaka Hideuchi, Unseated, 2nd Division?"

"Shietka Alysha, Unseated, 4th Division?"

"Zaraki Nasumi, Unseated, 6th... excuse me, 3rd Division?"

Hidetsugu Iwaki

Iwaki is off to the side of the assembled group. The massive man is currently sitting, cross-legged, his Zanpakuto resting on the ground at his side. Thoughtful eyes wander around the group, taking everyone in and making a few determinations or estimates about them. He closes his eyes and breathes out quietly. He had no real desire to be here; the thought of live combat training had little interest to him, but it was important for him to participate in order to help foster connections between the Gotei Thirteen and the Kido Corps. His thoughts are interrupted as Hachirou calls out his name.

"I am here."

Sadanaga Hideuchi

Hideuchi is also on the fringe of the group, but on the opposite side as Iwaki. He is currently leaning against one of the obelisks, conspicuously running a whetstone over one of his Zanpakutos. This action is unnecessary, as they are always razor sharp, but he does it anyway. He looks over the other members of the group, smiling cockily.

Looks like a pathetic lot. I wonder if anyone other than me and maybe the team leader are actually competent.

He listens keenly for Hachirou to call his name, and when the moment finally comes he spins the dagger around in his fingers before causing it to vanish up one of his sleeves with one of the sleight of hand tricks he is so proud of.

"Here."

Allan Crossdale

Allan is playing with his cat's cradle. Finishing a rather complex design with it, he slips his fingers deftly out of the loop of string, causing it to collapse. Unraveling it back to its basic form, he twirls it around one finger, then puts it back in one of the pockets of his Shihakusho. With the same hand, he withdraws a small container of assorted candy, selects one, and pops it into his mouth before putting the container away. Chewing, he looks around at the other assembled Shinigami.

Finally, we get some action...I've been bored out of my skull with all the stuff I've had to do to keep Hachirou off my back...for all the good it's done for me. I can't believe I'm in his patrol, of all the people.

His head snaps up as he hears his name called. He smiles somewhat cheekily gives a thumbs up.

"Present and accounted for."

Hirako Yoshi

Yoshi had been standing near the middle of the crowd, leaning on his staff, occasionally chatting with those around himself. Overall, he was comparatively relaxed.

Having three rather powerful Kido guns on his person didn't hurt matters, mind.

When his name was called, he turned his attention fowards.

"Present."

"Present and ready, sir." Kazuma responds with a polite, if militarily efficient tone. He doesn't salute or anything of the sort, but he does seem to tense slightly as though standing at attention. His characteristic pipe is not on his lips, though his shades are still present in his face.

"Hai.", Kyou responds curtly.

Why am I doing this again...

Sietka Alysha

Here sir! Alysha thrusts her hand into the air when her name is called. The keychain hanging from the pommel of her zanpakuto jingles a little when she does. She definitely seems over excited. Which, she usually is.

She doesn't seem to notice that Hachirou added a letter to her last name. Really, it didn't bother her.

[Soul Society]

Nasumi stands next to Kyou, eyeing the slightly shorter woman with mild confusion. Why does she appear so grumpy?, she wonders, putting hands behind her back. We're going to see the mortal world! Shouldn't that be something to be excited about? Nasumi almost misses her own name called out due to her musings.

"Zaraki Nasumi, Unseated, 6th... excuse me, 3rd Division?"

"Ah! Present and ready, sir!", Nasumi chirps, snapping into attention and saluting at the last moment. Hachirou regards her enthusiasm with a dull look on his face, before adjusting his glasses and putting his list away.

"Everyone seems to be accounted for. Good. I'm Sato Hachirou, 13th seat of the 13th Division. I'll be responsible for you for the next eight hours or so." The officer examines the scattered bunch of people, his mouth twisting in a mild frown. "In the case you weren't told already, we're going over to Phoenix Town, Mid-Japan, to investigate increased Hollow activity. We'll be moving in groups of three. Never lose sight of those you're assigned to."

"Amagatsu-san, Sadanaka-kun, and Zaraki-kun will be Team One. Hirako-san, Hidestugu-kun and Fukui-kun will be Team Two. I will go with Sietka-Kun and Crossdale-kun, we'll be Team Three." Hachirou picks a pile of colourful papers from the table next to himself, and hands each patrol member one - a map of Phoenix Town and patrol routes they'll be using. "Team One will follow the blue path, Two will follow the red path, and Three will follow the yellow one. Red dots mark specified meeting spots - note the time marked next to each one. If you won't appear within five minutes of that time without noting me, I'll assume you're in trouble and call forth backup. Is this clear?" The red dots are placed upon cemetery, park, and a certain Furousha shop the higher ranking patrol members might well recognize.

After handing out the maps, Hachirou goes back to the table and picks up two Reiphones. As he showcases them to his patrol, the Senkai gate behind him begins opening, and a flock of Hell Butterflies blinks into existence, small black insects floating next to each patrol member. Nasumi immediatly catches her own to her hands, her mismatched eyes beaming from joy as she greets the little thing. "Oh, I haven't seen you in a while! How are you doing? You look so cuddly!" How she can distinquish a random black butterfly from all others fluttering about is beyond her perplexed superior.

"Ahem... unfortunately, we don't have enough phones for each of you. Each team will only have one. As such, I again stress that you should stay together", Hachirou apologizes. He hands the first one to Yoshi. "I trust you know how to use this", he says non-chalantly, then turns to give the other to Kazuma. "I hope you do as well. If you don't, I'll see what we can do while going through Dangai."

Taking a step back, Hachirou takes a look at his watch. "We'll be leaving in... two minutes. If you have any questions, please ask them after we reach the mortal realm." He beckons the group to begin moving towards the open gate. "It is estimated it will be afternoon, or early night, once we get through. Outside of emergency, please stay away from large groups of mortals. We're trying to be as inconspicuous as possible."

---

Meanwhile, in the Mortal World...

One currently known as Õta Yui looks over at the horizon from her office balcony. Though the sun hasn't set just yet, a bunch of heavy clouds are drifting over it, dimming its light and painting the late summer sky in a rather dull grey. Far in the distance, school bell is ringing, signing the end of first school day of autumn.

Yui's own work day is about to end soon as well, though it could be she still has more duties before rather than past her today. Beneath the calm exterior of the small Mid-Japan town, she can feel strange bustling, foreboding auras shuffling in the shadows, waiting for darkness to fall. Truly, there must be much more going on than meets the eye.

Sighing, Yui gets back in, sits behind her desk, and begins shuffling her papers around, in a weary effort to be a productive member of society. All this work is going to kill me!, she thinks desperately. Of course, whether she's alive in the first place depends highly on one's definition of the word.

Finally, she gets all her paperwork done, cleans up her desk, and after seeing that everything is neatly arranged, steps out of her office and locks the door behind her. Few of her colleagues bid her a good evening as she walks past them - tersely, as if it is some necessary evil. As far as they know Õta Yui has never hurt a fly and is a true model citizen, yet they still can't help regarding their sickly associate with an irrational fear and reservation. It's a sad state of affairs, but not one she can really blame on them. She politely tells them to have a good night as well before making her way out to the street.

Maybe hunting will make her mood better. It has been so long since she's had a truly challenging chase - it would be invigorating if, even for a moment, she could find someone not so inherently pathetic as most of the Hollows that graze the mortal realm. Maybe this town would offer that.

First she just has to make sure her body will be safe. Humming absent-mindedly, she begins strolling towards her hotel. It would be so much more practical to find an apartment of her own, but alas, housing prices are truly exorbitant these days. What happened to the days when you could just claim a spot of forest and build a house there, huh?, she muses as she skips down the street.

Kazuma nodded as he received the Reiphone. He was fairly well-acquainted with the thing - this wasn't his first patrol, after all, even though it was the first in which he was effectively the highest-ranking Shinigami in his particular group.

"Only one, sir. Are we permitted the use of shikai should a sufficiently troublesome Hollow appear? We probably won't need them, but you never know. That's the only restriction I could think of outside of staying away from large groups of mortals."

Yoshi smirked as he was asked if he knew how to handle the phone.

"I think I can manage."

He tucked it and his map into a handy pocket on the inside of his lab coat.

He turned and eyed his approaching team members, Iwaki and Kyou.

"Mm. Should be an interesting experience. Either of you have any preferences on how we go about this, beyond the already-stated rules?"

Hachirou frowns at Kazuma as he tries to hurry him through the gate, but replies nonetheless. "It's not like we are Captains or anything. If they'd be worried of collateral damage, they'd place limiters on single on of us. Move along, now."

"Understood, sir." Kazuma replied as he was practically shoved through the gate. He didn't want to break any rules, now. He looked back briefly towards his teammates, expecting them to follow.

Nasumi follows in Kazuma's wake, almost bumping onto him due to being so focused on her little butterfly. "You want to see mortal world too, right? I'm sure we'll have so much fun!", she whispers to the insect before letting it go from her hands, allowing it to do its job of guiding her through dangers of Dangai.

Kyou lets out a 'tch'.

"Just stay out of my way."

Alysha nods when she's told the directions. Seemed like it would be simple enough.

Her smiles grew a little when the Hell Butterfly came to her. She couldn't explain why, but having one around somehow made her feel better.

She goes to stand with her group, tucking the map inside of her robes.

Hidetsugu Iwaki

Iwaki stands after he announces his presence, making his massive size known as he towers above most of the rest of the patrol. He picks his Zanpakuto up and attaches it to his waist, then approaches the other members of his assigned team. He bows politely to both of them.

"I have never done anything like this before, so I will follow your lead."

Sadanaga Hideuchi

Hideuchi grits his teeth in annoyance as his team assignment is announced.

Great. I get stuck with the Eleventh Division knucklehead and the...

Hideuchi's rather unflattering line of thought is interrupted as Hideuchi notices what Nasumi is doing with the Hell Butterfly. His mind almost cannot process her behavior, until he eventually shakes his head to clear it.

This is gonna be a long day.

He Shunpos next to his teammates and walks behind them.

Allan Crossdale

Why...oh well.

He saunters over to Alysha, smiling pleasantly.

"It looks like we're working together. I'm Allan, nice to meet you."

He extends a hand to her to shake.

Alysha Sietka

Alysha grins and shakes the hand. Hi! I'm Alysha! Nice to meet you too! She seems awfully chipper.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by strawberryman

Kyou lets out a 'tch'.

"Just stay out of my way."

---

Yoshi sighs.

"You do know this isn't a competition, right? This isn't about looking cool, scoring the most kills, or any such thing. It's about protecting mortals from Hollows. We need to work together to accomplish that."

Yoshi gestures for the two unseated to follow him through the Senkai Gate, talking as he walks.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dorizzit

Hidetsugu Iwaki

Iwaki stands after he announces his presence, making his massive size known as he towers above most of the rest of the patrol. He picks his Zanpakuto up and attaches it to his waist, then approaches the other members of his assigned team. He bows politely to both of them.

"I have never done anything like this before, so I will follow your lead."

---

"I've done it a couple of times. Gives me a chance to sharpen my skills, earn some money..."

He suddenly slings his staff into an over-the-shoulder harness, letting it rest on his back as he extracts...something from an obviously-too-small pocket in his labcoat.

"...Test some gear. That sort of thing."

He spends several moments checking the firearm over before attaching it to a harness across his torso; it ends up somewhere near the small of his back, in easy to reach spot.

Next he pulls twin pistols, still encased in holsters. These he attaches to rigs on his pants that had not been obvious before now.

Clearly, Hirako Yoshi was taking no chances. He looked to the others with a smirk.

"Kido is all well and good, but backup is nice. Plus, this way I can multi-task."

His face grows more serious as they near the end of the tunnel.

"Right. Stick close. Kyou, if you want point, that's fine. Iwaki, stay alert. Hollows can be tricky if they have half a brain. Let's hope we only find dumb ones."

Quote:

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Originally Posted by KnightDisciple

Yoshi sighs.

"You do know this isn't a competition, right? This isn't about looking cool, scoring the most kills, or any such thing. It's about protecting mortals from Hollows. We need to work together to accomplish that."

Yoshi gestures for the two unseated to follow him through the Senkai Gate, talking as he walks.

---

Kyou eyes Yoshi, a vein popping above her head.

"I know. I'm telling you to stay out of my way so you don't get hurt. Stop acting high and mighty and think before you talk." Her red hand cracks as it clenches around the hilt of her zanpaktou. Kill'em kill'em kill'em

Quote:

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Originally Posted by strawberryman

Kyou eyes Yoshi, a vein popping above her head.

"I know. I'm telling you to stay out of my way so you don't get hurt. Stop acting high and mighty and think before you talk." Her red hand cracks as it clenches around the hilt of her zanpaktou. Kill'em kill'em kill'em

---

Yoshi opened his mouth, then closed it.

He had the good grace to blush, his expression showing embarrassment.

"Forgive me. That was unfair of me. As I said, you can take point. Let's try to stay in a roughly triangular formation; that way we can move around a bit as needed."

He tried to shift the conversation to practical items as quickly as possible.

After all, they'd just emerged from the gate.

Yoshi stopped a moment to pull out the map, checking it in comparison to their present location.

"Right then. We need to go 2 miles that direction before shifting course. Kyou, if you would?"

Yoshi pointed in the particular direction, before tucking his map away and gesturing for Kyou to take the lead.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by KerfuffleMach2

Spoiler

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Alysha Sietka

Alysha grins and shakes the hand. Hi! I'm Alysha! Nice to meet you too! She seems awfully chipper.

---

Allan Crossdale

Allan nods, then looks around, smile fading at the thought of being stuck with Hachirou for the next eight hours. He stretches languidly and looks around, then finds Hachirou and approaches him wordlessly.

Hidetsugu Iwaki

Iwaki follows along behind Yoshi, listening intently as he speaks. He does not speak, deciding not to intervene in the back and forth between Kyou and Yoshi, folding his arms. When Yoshi suggests a formation, he nods.

"Very well."

He falls into place and keeps up with the others.

Alysha Sietka

Alysha follows Allen, not really having anything else to do yet. She looks at the other groups, seeing who all is going.

She looks at her side, making sure she remembered to bring her zanpakuto. She's forgotten it before. That wasn't fun.

Had Kazuma heard that thought, he'd prove just how wrong his judgemental teammate could be.

By punching Hideuchi in the face. :smalltongue:

He didn't, though, so he simply got to thinking about how to organize things.

"Let's see. Sadanaka-kun, would you like to be in charge of communications? As a part of the 11th, my talents aren't specially suited for crying uncle. I'd offer it to Zaraki-kun, but she looks... preoccupied." He briefly considered tying a string to the Hell Butterfly and using it to guide Nasumi.

"I have to wonder the purpose of the meeting points, given that we DO have communications... Periodic reports would have sufficed for the same effect."

Kyou nods, speaking no more; with that, she hops to a roof and begins a light sprint for their destination. Time for a little pay-back...

Sadanaga Hideuchi

Hideuchi makes a low noise in his throat when Kazuma addresses him, his expression a mixture of barely-veiled contempt and severe annoyance. He closes his eyes and breathes out, regaining his composure and placing a mask of neutrality over his face.

"First of all, it's Sadanaga. Second, as a member of the Second, my talents aren't any more inclined towards communicating in the middle of a fight. Give it to the Sixth, that's just about all they're good for."

Quote:

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Originally Posted by strawberryman

Kyou nods, speaking no more; with that, she hops to a roof and begins a light sprint for their destination. Time for a little pay-back...

---

Yoshi frowns slightly at the pace, but does not speak up.

Instead, he sets himself off at a light sprint, not pushing himself too hard, letting his breathing quickly find a pattern.

His staff an larger kido gun occasionally bumping his torso are slightly uncomfortable, but he can endure. The padded armor he's wearing under his robes helps.

If Kyou looks back, she will see that his face is calm and focused, and that Yoshi is keeping roughly the same speed she is. He does not seem to be actively trying to overtake her, but neither is he falling behind.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dorizzit

Sadanaga Hideuchi

Hideuchi makes a low noise in his throat when Kazuma addresses him, his expression a mixture of barely-veiled contempt and severe annoyance. He closes his eyes and breathes out, regaining his composure and placing a mask of neutrality over his face.

"First of all, it's Sadanaga. Second, as a member of the Second, my talents aren't any more inclined towards communicating in the middle of a fight. Give it to the Sixth, that's just about all they're good for."

---

"I'm from 3rd", Nasumi corrects helpfully as they step out to the cool evening air. "My job is to decorate graves of deceased Shinigami. Oh, and clean the execution grounds." She says it likes it's the most normal, not-in-any-way morbid job in the world, and smiles cheerfully on top of it.

"I can take the phone, though", she chimes, but then hesitantly puts a finger on her lips. "Ummm... how does it work again?"

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dorizzit

Allan Crossdale

Allan nods, then looks around, smile fading at the thought of being stuck with Hachirou for the next eight hours. He stretches languidly and looks around, then finds Hachirou and approaches him wordlessly.

---

Quote:

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Originally Posted by KerfuffleMach2

Alysha Sietka

Alysha follows Allen, not really having anything else to do yet. She looks at the other groups, seeing who all is going.

She looks at her side, making sure she remembered to bring her zanpakuto. She's forgotten it before. That wasn't fun.

---

After seeing other patrollers vanish into Dangai, Hachirou checks Alysha and Allan are following after him, and steps into the precipipe world himself. He doesn't speak during the trip - he's busy checking the setting of his own Reiphone.

When they arrive in the world of living, he duly notes Team Two speeding off to the distance. "Well well. Seems like some are enthusiastic." He then gives another look at his phone's display. No new messages from surveillance. Good.

Glancing at his team members, Hachirou nods towards their planned direction, and begins walking towards it. He seems to be in no hurry. He also doesn't seem to consider rooftops superior to normal, established walkways. "We have long evening ahead of us. Stay alert, but no need to overdo it", he states serenely. "This thing here", he says, showing the phone to the two unseated again, "will make hell of a noise when surveillance picks up a new Hollow incursion. Before that, just focus on feeling the air and Reiatsu around you. Oh, and enjoy the scenery."

Switching his phone to radio setting as he strolls, Hachirou lifts the phone before his face and presses its tangent. "Teams One and Two, this is Team three. You copy?"

"...Yeah, I suppose I'll keep it, then. Apparently, hiding mid-combat isn't really good for communications for some reason." Kazuma offered with a perked brow. He was unsure why the 2nd divisioner was annoyed, but apparently it was because of his job description. He doesn't really seem all that shocked when Nasumi reveals what her own job is. I guess someone has to be in charge of honoring the fallen...

Despite this, he was starting to feel more kinship towards the girl with the hard-to-define division than he did towards Hideuchi.

"In that case then, Ganko*-kun, you'll act as our eyes." He offered, jabbing bluntly at Hideuchi.

Upon hearing the chiming from the Reiphone, Kazuma slipped it open and replied.

"Team one here. I can read you loud and clear."

Spoiler

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Ganko means hard-headed in Japanese.

Sadanaga Hideuchi

Hideuchi rolls his eyes and waves his hand in the air when Nasumi explains her position, turning away indifferently. Nasumi has already fallen into his "people I don't care about" category.

"Whatever."

He listens impatiently to Kazuma's job assignment for him, and although it was the position he wanted, his satisfaction does not stop him from getting angry at Kazuma's nickname for him.

"Fine. I'll take point."

He moves to the front of the group and begins leading the way, when he gets the go-ahead.

Why am I stuck with these idiots?
I believe there is an expression relating to glass houses that is appropriate here.
Shaddup.

Allan Crossdale

Allan laces his fingers behind his head as he walks, enjoying the leisurely pace set by Hachirou. He takes in the sights and sounds of the Mortal World contentedly; it's been a long time since he came here last, but it is still familiar to him. On Hachirou's advice, he stretches out his Reiatsu senses to the area around him, feeling the air. He sighs and smiles happily.

"Zaraki-kun, you're with me. Try not to let the pretty butterflies distract you." Kazuma began to pace once Hideuchi was cleared to go ahead with a simple nod.

Hachirou will soon hear a beep signaling a call from Soul Society. If and when he answers he will hear Akio on the line. Thirteenth seat Hachirou? This is Third seat Yama. I'm taking operational control from here. Please relay all information to myself. Tell the troops if they get into hot water that there's back-up at the gates. Remember, the clock is ticking. Take it slow, and if things get bad we're cutting the mission short." Akio Yama says into his own Reiphone before sitting cross legged on the floor in the middle of the Senkai gates. Immediately he is within his inner world, the dark graveyard surrounding him.