It was almost surreal.

He was actually getting a shot at captain.

It was Division Eight: Defensive Operations.

That was something Kaitou could do. He could easily see himself being the captain of a Division dedicated to protecting the whole of Soul Society, especially the Seireitei. They tend to spend a lot of their time protecting the World of the Living, but that was also something that Kaitou was okay with doing. He had no qualms about keeping Hollows from killing more souls, even if he had one inside him.

[ɪ ʜᴇᴀʀᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ.]

Yeah, I know you did. Anyway...

He was actually getting a shot.

This wasn't something he could afford to screw up.

Kaitou Eta-Naru, the relatively young Shinigami, had spent the entire night before studying defense tactics and strategy, trying to plan for his test which would occur today. The proctor was another newly appointed captain, Luke Yasenha, of Division 3. Since they were all about information and investigation, it made sense that someone from their Division would be appointed to watch over Kaitou and see how he would fare as the Captain of Division Eight.

Captain of Division Eight.

Kaitou was wrong.

It was completely surreal.

Making his way through Seireitei, Kaitou smiled at the other Shinigami who cheered for him; there weren't many, most of them were of Division Eight themselves. They had been without a Captain for a few months now, and the opportunity to get a captain who was formerly a member of Division Eleven but broke the stereotype, that was an interest they definitely seemed to have. He would still be without a lieutenant, but that could be arranged later. The fact that he was getting his shot at Captain was all Kaitou Eta-Naru cared about right now.

Entering the Division Eight barracks, the ambience changed drastically, as everyone who was waiting in the barracks seemed... nervous? That wasn't good. Was Luke already here, was Kaitou making him wait? That wouldn't look good, and would explain the rest of the division's nervousness. Quickly moving through the barracks to the meeting room, Kaitou stepped in to see who he could only assume was Luke sitting at the table, looking at him. He was wearing an inverse haori, similar to the one Kaitou wore on certain occasions, but Luke's was properly inversed, with the diamonds and the Division symbol in white, as opposed to Kaitou's who was just plain black.

"My apologies for making you wait, Captain." He spoke calmly before setting his six foot blade next to him leaning against the table, and then sitting down in the chair with a smile on his face.

He was going to do this correctly.

0445#words
0000#embers

#tier2-3
#challenge
#seireitei
#kaitou
#luke
#bgm

©2013 caliburn

Kaitou listened patiently as Luke Yasenha introduced himself and explained the mission. A bunker outside of Rukongai was going to be protected by himself and six other members of Division Eight, with something inside which was his primary objective to protect. He knew even before Luke said anything that he would also have to keep the rest of the Division safe, as the chances were high he would have unseated officers, or worse brand new alumni from the academy. He wasn't looking forward to dealing with incompetence, but as a captain, it was all part of the job.

Luke himself would be dealing with the enemy. That likely meant he would be dealing with other Shinigami, which was a bit risky. If the Captain Commander was cruel and really wanted to test Kaitou, he could give him nothing but new alumni while Luke had his choice, up to and including every other captain on his side. These of course were unlikely scenarios, but they were possible and he needed to be mindful of them.

The possibility of life-threatening injuries was made clear as a matter of safety. Once this mission began properly, it wasn't going to end until it ended.

Speaking of which, when would it end?

"How long will this mission last, Captain?" He spoke softly, eyeing the file in front of him as he flipped through it to get a better overview of the mission. Surprisingly, Luke had covered most of the information available in it; there wasn't much that he didn't say that was in the file. Kaitou was impressed, normally the proctor of the exam would leave out something to make sure that Kaitou had read the file correctly, but that didn't seem to be the case with Luke Yasenha.

Was he different from others, or just new?

Either way, Kaitou graciously accepted the cup he was given, filled with a particularly expensive brand of saké, with only seven bottles ever made. Kaitou was amazed, having not yet seen it with his own eyes; it must have been a gift for becoming captain. Why would he give it up, only to drink tea himself? Bringing it up to his lips, Kaitou's eyes widened at the beautiful taste. It was... amazing.

"Where did you manage to get a hold of this?" Sipping it again, he continued. "As for when I'm ready... I am whenever you are, once I know how long I'll be gone."

0407#words
0000#embers

#tier2-3
#challenge
#seireitei
#kaitou
#luke
#bgm

©2013 caliburn

847#words

#tier2-2
#Luke


©2013 caliburn

0645#words
0000#embers
#tier2-2
#kaitou



#bgm
©2013 caliburn

Kaitou listened carefully as Luke spoke. He was going to be gone for an undetermined amount of time, though admittedly he felt as though both of them being gone for years was unlikely. A month or two at the most, a few nights at best. Not terrible, he figured. Could be worse.

Luke had a point though. At the end of the day, you represent your division. You're the pillar of light to your entire division, and you're a pillar which supports the whole of the Gotei Thirteen.

Kaitou was going to be that pillar. One of thirteen, but one of them. He was going to do this.

Luke seemingly had no qualms about admitting he had gotten the saké from... unconventional sources. He was curious what his proctor considered 'quickly regretting' the decision of getting him drunk would mean, but that was for another time. Rather, not right now. Maybe he could ask that while they were on the road to their destination. As Luke stood up and brushed off his uniform, Kaitou complied as well, also making sure to strap his Zanpakuto to his back as well. The six foot long blade was not an overcompensation, despite what some of the people in the Gotei Thirteen might think. He nodded when Luke finished speaking, and left behind Luke, going to gather a few supplies first.

Some bread, dry rations, a water skin... simple stuff, but stuff that he needed to make sure he had. It wasn't much, but it was better than having nothing; based on his rations alone, he could likely survive a week without any issues. More than that... well, let's hope they have rations there, or there's animals he can kill for meat and/or a river he can replenish himself with. All he really needed was water to survive, but his spirit energy was not the same without food.

Heading to Kokuryōmon to follow Luke, Kaitou ran a few things through his head. Namely, what was the mission really going to be comprised of? He trusted Luke, but he also knew that there were going to be curveballs thrown at him. Something he wasn't one hundred percent sure of was which curveballs would be thrown, but there would definitely be something that wasn't in the file, and bringing it up to Luke's face had no point, as he would simply deny it.

Like any good proctor.

He had a trick up his sleeve, something which would really test what Kaitou could handle.

As Captain of the Division in charge of Defense of Soul Society and the Human World, it was good to be prepared, but Kaitou knew he needed to be stress-tested, which was what this mission would most likely be.

Oh well, here goes.

Meeting Luke at the gate, Kaitou shifted his sword in the sheath on his back, adjusting it so he could use Shunpo properly. He wasn't going to show the extent of his speed; not yet, anyway. He would just keep up with Luke, and as the two of them began to head north, Kaitou decided now was as good a time as any to begin questioning him; or rather, conversing.

"You said earlier that people who had managed to get you drunk quickly regretted that decision. What did you mean?" Pausing to allow Luke to answer, Kaitou spoke his next question. "When you became Captain of Division Three, what did your test consist of? Were you surprised at your proctor, or did you expect what was thrown at you? What do you hope to accomplish in Division Three; what drove you to become a Captain in the first place, Yasenha-Taichō? I'm curious mostly because of how it compares to my own answers."

As the two progressed, they would likely continue communicating and conversing if for no other reason than to pass the time.

771#words


#tier2-2
#Luke


©2013 caliburn

Luke watched as Kaitou walked up to him, adjusting the massive blade on his back. Luke wondered if the mass of the blade affected his ability to perform high speed movement, although it was a known fact that no matter what size a zanpakuto was, it was always weightless in the way that it was easy for the wielder to wield, no matter how long or how cumbersome, but at the same time, its size would give him some difficulty with his speed, but he was going to withhold judgement till he could observe his abilities in the field.

Leaving the seireitei for the rukongai districts of the north, it was to be a long journey and the only thing to do on this journey was to discuss with this would-be captain and he appeared to have plenty of questions for Luke. He took a deep breath, observing the pleasent aesthetic of the primary district of the north, the most pleasent one to stay in any of the districts before returning his bloody gaze to Kaitou and spoke.

"What I meant was that I don't drink alcohol, but it hasn't stopped people from trying to get me drunk and if I'm honest, I have a laughable alcohol tolerance and I can do, from what I've been told, some embarrassing things, which is why the people who tried that quickly regretted it," Luke said, chuckling a little at the end before thinking about the barrage of questions the young pup barked out at him. He considered his answers carefully and found that giving him the honest truth would be better then a fabrication.

"Truthfully, my test was possibly simpler in terms of what it involved, but it was still difficult and complex as I was to fight the former captain on a one on one fight, but as squad three goes, it was more then just a battle of power, but a test of the mind as well as the body as well as a test of my resolve to be the captain. With what I intend to do for squad three; My main objective is to be their captain, first and foremost because for the longest time, we were without a captain for a long time and for a time, the former lieutenant ran things until her unfortunate demise, something I'm still wish I understood as to what happened to her and at that point, I was the highest ranking officer in squad three and so, it fell to me to run my squad and make sure they still had to the will to look themselves in the mirror and still see a glimmer of hope in their eyes. As for why I wanted that position; its simply really, my reason was that my squad deserves something more then a skeleton captain running the squad and a captain who was there for them and do what a captain should do; let me put it like this; what use is a pillar if a pillar is never there, keeping the building stable and safe?" Luke explained in brief, what his exam was, who he fought and his motivations for becoming a captain as they travelled through the first couple of districts. If Kaitou was looking, he would notice some of the people within the rukongai districts staring at Luke, someone known better in the rukongai district as the demon of district sixty-six, a name he had been given after he destroyed said district a long time ago, but no matter how much time passes, some wounds don't heal and Luke knew that most of all, having metal scars that didn't heal.

"So, Kaitou-san, since you asked, let me ask you the same question; why would someone who just came out the academy be seeking such a high position so soon? I understand that your young and eager to impress, but at the same time, your putting a hard burden on yourself, right at the start of your career, wouldn't you want a lower position to gain some experience first, then go for captaincy once you've gain some real life experience?" Luke asked, wondering why such a newbie shinigami would aim so highly, so soon instead of going lower and gaining some much needed experience, so what reasons he had to become a captain so soon had Luke's interest. Luke was also working out where to spend the night on the journey and decided to try and get to the 40th district before finding a inn or something akin to that to sleep in before getting to the 80th district and beyond to the exam site.

0866#words
0000#embers
#tier2-2
#kaitou



#bgm
©2013 caliburn

There were four ways to become a Gotei 13 Captain: The Captain proficiency test, which requires performing Bankai with three Captains (one of which being the Captain Commander) witnessing; a Personal Recommendation from at least six different Captains, and approval from at least three of the remaining seven; Trial by Combat, defeating the former Captain in a one-on-one battle with at least two hundred witnesses from that Captain's division (generally used only in Division Eleven), and finally a proctored exam with something relating to the nature of that Division's duties.

Apparently, Luke Yasenha had been promoted to Captain within his Division by utilizing the Trial by Combat method; however, it wasn't simply a combat of swords and kido, but rather a battle of wits simultaneously. Kaitou hadn't witnessed this fight, and was forced to fill in the holes where he could, but he still respected Luke for being able to simultaneously beat a Captain in combat and wits during a test. He envied him a little, because at least with one-on-one combat you know what you're up against and can study their moves and fighting style. With a proctored exam, like Kaitou had been given and which Luke was proctoring, you only had a vague idea of what was to come in due time.

Hearing Luke talk about his trial to become Captain was interesting, to say the least, though. A test of his resolve to become a Captain in addition to the battle of mind and body would certainly be interesting to watch, and Kaitou Eta-Naru somewhat regretted not being able to watch it.

Luke did have a point though: having a Captain at all is certainly something every division deserves, and having one who was never around to do anything is arguably worse than not having one at all. Division Eight didn't currently have one at all, nor a lieutenant, but both of those would soon change. Once Kaitou became captain, he had his eye on a few people to become the lieutenant for him, even if he did end up pawning most of the paperwork on them; they wouldn't mind. Probably.

"So, Kaitou-san, since you asked, let me ask you the same question; why would someone who just came out the academy be seeking such a high position so soon? I understand that your young and eager to impress, but at the same time, your putting a hard burden on yourself, right at the start of your career, wouldn't you want a lower position to gain some experience first, then go for captaincy once you've gain some real life experience?"

As the two shinigami walked through Rukongai, Kaitou took note of how certain people would stare at them; or more specifically, they were staring at Luke. Had he come from this region, and if so did he do something that made them remember him? Was it good or bad? It was impossible to really read anyone as they passed by, but Kaitou was idly curious while gathering himself for an answer to his ally Luke.

"I graduated from the Academy quite a while ago... more than a century, as a matter of fact. I left the Seireitei for a large duration due to an... incident which resulted in the death of my mother." Kaitou paused for a moment to remember her, then returned to answering. "As for why I'm so eager to become a Captain... it's simply the only thing that seems interesting. As a Captain of the Gotei 13, I am important enough to matter to people, I'm important enough to be a friend and leader to people, and I'm important enough to be missed when I'm gone. That's the primary reason, but it's also much like you said: Division Eight doesn't currently have a Captain, so someone has to step up to fill that role, and I believe myself qualified to do it. If I'm not... I'm sure this exam will let me know it."

The two continued in silence for a short time before Kaitou spoke once again.

"Admittedly, I am worried." He smiled. "But, I know the limit of my abilities and I know that I'm a quick learner, so anything I'm confronted with at first I'll be able to put into its' place soon enough and figure everything out as I go. Plus, I have the friendship of others, including other Captains," Kaitou winked at Luke to indicate himself, "to rely on during my Captaincy and I'll be perfectly fine, if not better."

The two continued in silence, again, for awhile. They were nearing District Thirty by now, and people were still staring at Luke as they went by. What was going on? Whenever they were to stop, since they most likely would at some point, Kaitou would have to remember to ask Luke about it. It was something he couldn't tell just by watching people, and there had to be an interesting story behind it.

"How long have you been a Shinigami, Yasenha-Taichō? Do you regret becoming a captain this soon, or waiting as long as you did? Would you change anything about it?"

782#words


#tier2-2
#Luke


©2013 caliburn

Luke listened carefully to what Kaitou spoke as he explained that he had completed his academy training over a century ago before leaving to either the rukongai, which seemed most likely or the outskirts, which was less likely, but not impossible and seemed to involve the death of his mother, which he paused to reflect on. Luke took note that he seemed to have cared a lot for his mother and whatever happened that killed his mother, he seemed to regret not being able to save her. He then explained the reason he wanted to be captain was that it was simply the only rank that interested him and meant that he would have a relationship with his squad to the point that he would be missed if he left and loved when he returned. Luke nodded, but also found the first reason to be somewhat arrogant, although it might be just because of Kaitou's young age in shinigami terms at least was showing.

"I see, I'm sure you had your reasons, but we can't change the past, only make the future brighter for those to come, but to say the captain's position is the only one that is important is a understatement; there are documentation of lieutenants being able to run squads, even without a captain, including the late Yuki Akies, the former lieutenant of my squad who ran the squad by herself until the day she disappeared, leaving the lieutenant's badge behind and nothing to let me know where she was, but as the lieutenant of squad three, she knows how to disappear so I don't know how to follow from that point. Look, the point is that captains isn't the only thing in a squad that can be of interest and each member of a squad has their own duties and responsibilities. I'm not trying to say your not qualified for the job, I'm just saying I would have preferred a test captain to have had some real shinigami experience before doing this, but that's only my personal opinion," Luke explained to Kaitou as they passed through district after district, the stares not stopping as they walked from the civilians that knew of Luke's unspeakable murders and destruction of district sixty-six, hence his moniker, "The Demon of District 66". Luke was also not shy to telling Kaitou that he would of preferred a would-be captain to have at least some years of shinigami experience before going for the role of captain of any division, but Luke knew he had his orders to carry out the test, despite his concerns.

Kaitou then explained after a period of silence that he did have worries about the test, but also noting that he understood that he had limits and that he was a quick study as well as having friends in the captains, winking at Luke as he said he could rely on the captains to help him in the test, even though the truth of the matter was there were going to be no other captains besides Luke engaging in the test; of course, since this was a captain's exam, at least the head captain and two other captains, which were to be the captain's of squad two and seven to oversee the events of the exam. Although he turned his head at the wink, not wanting Kaitou to see the very effeminate blush on his cheeks before walking briskly away.

Once he had recovered, Luke thought about how to answer Kaitou's questions and went ahead and answered them in turn.

"Currently, I've been in active service for over a hundred years, starting out as a tenth seat and rising to captain, fighting hard opponents and facing hardships and coming out stronger then before; I always wanted to replace our non-existent captain, my only regret I was not strong enough to defeat him sooner, but that's in the past now and no, I wouldn't have had it any other way," Luke explained to Kaitou as they came up rukongai district number 40th, the midway district where it was neither good or bad. Luke headed to the nearest inn and walked in, the place was quiet and there was a woman who gave Luke a angry glare.

"So, the Demon of District 66 is back; we don't serve people like you here, murderer so I suggest you keep on walking," She snapped at them, but more at Luke then anything else. Luke felt angry at this woman for judging him as his hand balled into a fist, trying to keep his dark impulses of beating the woman into a bloody pulp at bay, hoping that Kaitou would come in and attempt to rectify the situation.