[8th/8th/8th] Week 201: Complications

[Code of the Noble]

Anenokoji Senesati & Ayame - Moi
Takimoto Kago - Kaggorot
Rei Legends - Uholeh ​

~Complications~
(5312)

​

“Oh shoot!” panicked the secretary. Biting the nail of her index finger, Ayame turned a petrifying gaze toward the captain's schedule. I can't believe I did this. He's gonna kill me! she thought to herself, continuously biting her nails.

“Good day Ayame,” greeted a calm and pleasant voice. Seitaro waltzed right past the woman's desk without getting so much as a wince from the girl. That's odd, he thought. The inked man intercepted the woman's view and waved his arm, which was completely decorated with a tribal tattoo. “Ayame?”

“AHH!” yelled the woman as she snapped to. “Oh Seitaro.

“When did you get here?” she inquired.

“Moments ago,” he plainly answered.

“How long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough to realize you must have messed something up,” the pony-tailed vice captain added.

“Dear god Seitaro, I double booked an appointment,” she shrieked.

“O...k,” he paused, “It's not the end of the world you know. All you have to do is move one appointment to another...

“What’s this?” he inquired and surveyed a frightful expression which was painted on the young gal's face as she passed him the schedule.

“Oh boy,” he added. “Can I have the birds of paradise paper holder once the captain buries you?”

“Seitaro!” she angrily snapped.

“Kidding, kidding,” he remarked, motioning his hands toward the girl as if he was telling her to back away. “Ok so you booked two interviews for the same time. It's not the end of the world, you know?

“Just explain the situation to the captain. He'll eventually forgive you.” She has no idea how long of a punishment she's in for...

“I guess I will wait for them to arrive and then go see him. Hopefully I can make a fast escape and deal with scolding later.”

This is the most nervous that I’ve been in several years, Zabuden thought to himself.

I should be excited. I finally got into the Eighth Division, something I had been aspiring to since I first met Captain Anenokoji, pondered the blue-haired soul reaper.

He headed over to the Eighth Division barracks for his introductory appointment with the captain. The wind was wafting through his medium-cut light blue hair, and his shihakushō was flapping in the wind as he hurried to his meeting.

The nervous little shinigami arrived and made his way into the barracks. He walked inside and jostled up to the desk to introduce himself to the secretary.

The cute little brunette that worked there didn’t seem to notice him walk up. He stood there for a couple seconds before trying to get her attention.

“Uhm...excuse me,” said the little soul reaper, eager to meet his captain.

The secretary continued rummaging through her desk, looking very flustered.

“Excuse me!” repeated Zabu, a little louder.

Ayame looked up from her desk, a mixed expression befell her face. It was mixture between, irritation, impulse, and defeat.

“What is it?” she snarled. “I meant, can I help you?”

“Yes,” replied the blue-haired shinigami, “I have an appointment with the captain in ten minutes.”

She immediately changed her tune. Her expression was also reflecting her hesitant stare. “What is your name?” Please don’t say Rei or...

“Zabuden Marunhado,” they said in unison.

Ayame sighed. Of course you are.

“Please wait out here until the captain is ready,” she responded, “someone else should be arriving very shortly.”

Someone else, the nervous shinigami wondered, why would someone else be joining us for an introductory meeting. Oh well, the captain must have his reasons.

Zabu waited there patiently until his appointment was to start, wondering what would lie ahead.


It’s a good thing I remembered to shave before I went out.

Rei Legends had just exited his barrack in a fully rested mood. He surveyed his surroundings from the red tinted shades on his face and noted his friend Reblys coming inside. His knowing smile told him that Reblys knew it was his time. There was a strong handshake and a nod before they parted ways.

As the wind blew across his bare chest, he began to wonder and question what the captain was like. It wouldn’t be uncommon for any person to be worried about their meeting. Rei, however, wasn’t.

No point getting nervous over some guy that I don’t even know that well, the golden-haired soul reaper thought. He’d judge him for himself.

Rei Legends made his way to the where he was to meet with the captain. As he entered the area, he gave out a very loud greeting.

“Greetings folks! How you doing?”

Some people turned their heads while others jumped slightly. Rei payed no mind to it as there was other matters to attend to. He looked at everyone with a surveying glance. From the looks of it, not one of them had that “Captain” feel to it. It didn’t matter...the captain would come in time.

Getting straight to the point, Rei replied earnestly: “My name is Rei Legends and I’m supposed to be meeting with the Captain. Is he here yet?”

“Yea, yea, yea. I know who you are. Just have a seat over there with the other guy.”
If it was one thing Ayame hate was loud behavior.

“Can do, miss!” Rei said nodding. Rei stretched himself out and sat where the secretary was pointing. As he was moving towards a nearby seat, he smiled warmly at the fellow sitting down.

“Greetings to ya. The name’s Rei Legends...though you probably already heard me. What’s your name?”

The startled little shinigami turned to the golden-haired man sitting near him.

“Uh...hi, the name is Zabuden Marunhado,” he replied, “I just recently graduated from the academy, and was conscripted into the Eighth Division.”

“I have a meeting with the captain in a couple of minutes, I’m a bit nervous but really excited too,” he declared.

Rei looked at Zabuden and tilted his head curiously at his declaration.

“Well, I’m pleased to meet you Zabuden,” the golden-haired shinigami said as he cleaned his shades on his robes. As he put them back on, he sat neatly next to his future comrade.

“So tell me....what is our captain like, Mr Marunhado?”

“Oh,” replied the timid little guy, “I’m not exactly sure. I haven’t met him yet.”

“In fact,” he continued, “my appointment is just about to start, I figured that you just left your appointment.”

Zabu picked his head up to look at the secretary. She seemed to be really busy with her work and didn’t even notice him looking in her direction.

The blue-haired soul reaper turned back to Rei and asked, “What time is your appointment then?”

“I don’t really know to be honest,” Rei said shrugging. “This was they day of my appointment so I just came here.”

Rei noted the silence within the room that was only broken by the ruffling of papers.

“Considering the fact that nobody told me I was late and the secretary didn’t say anything, I figure I’m not late.”

Rei let out a loud yawn as he was beginning to get bored. Waiting for things was usually boring for the guy if he didn’t know when something was going to happen. That was just the way he was. He turned around at Zabu for a moment as he remembered what he said.

“If you never met the guy...why are you nervous?”

“Well, I guess I haven’t been entirely honest,” started Zabu, hesitantly.

“I met Captain Anenokoji long ago, before he was the Captain of the Eighth Division, before he was even a member of the Anenokoji clan” the blue-haired shinigami continued, “he once saved me from a hollow back when I lived in Rukon.”

Zabuden looked up to see if there was any stir from the captain’s quarters, there wasn’t. He turned his head back to the golden-haired shinigami sitting near him, and continued his story.

“Although he wasn’t a captain at the time, Captain Anenokoji and his brave actions were what inspired me to join the Soul Reaper Academy in the first place.”

The little soul reaper didn’t take his eyes off the other man as he continued his story.

“When I heard that Mr. Senesati became Captain of the Eighth Division, I knew I just had to join the Eighth. I’ve looked up to him all this time, and it is my desire to return the favor he did for me, all those years ago.”

Zabu finished his story, never taking his eyes off the man listening to his story. He hadn’t intended to tell people about this incident, but doing so made it feel like his nerves just evaporated. Sharing this story, made him feel relieved. He truly felt ready to meet his captain now.

“Say what you mean and mean what you say,” Rei said bluntly as Zabu finished the story. “I’d appreciate if you didn’t lie to me. If anything say that you don’t want to talk about it.”

Rei’s tone changed to a happy one once more. “I can see where you’re coming from though. The guy’s your hero so it’s its natural to want to go in his footsteps if you can.” The golden-haired soul repea’rs tone had changed again to from happy to sharp. “Just remember that you aren’t him.”

Rei cricked his neck a couple of times before speaking. “As for me...I’m here because this division seems to suit me best. I can find myself doing well here. Anyways since we’ve established that you actually seen the Captain I’ll ask you again: What’s he like? Feel free to explain whatever you can.”

“He can be stuck up at times, but what noble is not that way?” Kago answered, emerging from the entrance hallway. He was constantly hiding his reiatsu as he was accustomed to doing ever since his removal as captain of the twelfth.

The nobleman’s hair was slightly less disheveled but the rest of his body was properly groomed. He was without his usual Takimoto family cloak today and appeared to be just like any other unseated shinigami. A fresh start for a new division.

Eyeing up the two unknown members, the former assassin noted the one with boldly colored blue hair to be a fresh recruit from the academy; however, the other seemed to have some war experience. How much experience he had was uncertain, but it was comforting to see that Senesati’s new division was not full of fledgling shinigami.

Striding across the room, Kago stepped up to the secretary’s desk. Although she appeared to be in a panic, he knew that the noble captain would be irate by his tardiness so he decided to interrupt her. “Good Morning, Ayame,” he greeted her. “I am here for the meeting I scheduled with Anenokoji-taichou.”


Ayame shot up out of her chair.

Oh Shi- she panicked amongst herself, from behind a raised hand.

“I’m sorry but who are you?” asked the new recruit, eyeing up the newcomer curiously.

“I guess someone else is sharing the same appointment time with the both of us,” he said, motioning towards Rei, “not that it really does any harm, the more the marrier eh?”

“I apologize for lying to you, “ the blue-haired shinigami said facing the man he was just talking to, “I hope that I’ll gain confidence in my words, actions, and self with my experience as a shinigami.”

With that, the shy little man looked over towards the closed door of the captain’s office.

I wonder where you are sir, things are starting to get hectic out here.

With Ayame caught up in her own craze, the former captain peered back at Zabuden curiously. Before he could answer the youth’s question, he had already bounced past that and moved on to something else entirely.

“Do you have ADD or something, kid?” Kago asked as nicely as he could muster.

Rei was curious. After nodding at Zabu, he had looked at the newcomer. There was another guy? The golden-haired soul reaper had a feeling that this was a grand mistake. A quick glance showed that the secretary was in a high panic. The situation didn’t change though. He would meet the captain still. He was just doing it with more people than expected. There was nothing wrong with a few surprises every no and again.

He stared at the stranger for a moment and laughed out loudly. Nearby people jumped again and looked aggravated, but Rei paid no mind. He fixed his shades on his face and stood up.

“Well now....another one joins the fray!” he said with a grin. “My name is Rei Legends and this fella here is Zabuzen.” With a surly enthusiasm, he extended his arm to him..

“So like Zabu asked before...whats your name?”

“You can call me Kago,” the emerald eyed shinigami said with a polite smile as he turned to shake Rei’s hand. “It is a pleasure to meet you both.”

A quick glance over his shoulder at the secretary, followed by darting glancing at the pair facing him told the noble everything he needed to know.

It seems Ayame booked us all for the same time-slot for individual meetings with Senesati, Kago thought. Might as well use this mistake to its fullest extent.

“What kind of experience do each of you possess?”

Oh goodness. He is going to KILL me! she thought as she bit down on her bottom lip. Oh... what I am gonna do? Captain Anenokoji's gonna waltz right in here any minute and give me that look. I just know it! Ohhh I hate that look!

The secretary huffed, sighed and sat back down in her chair.

I cannot wait til this month is over...

“Well you certainly don’t beat around the bush do ya? I like it!” Rei said laughing. “I’m pretty skilled with the sword and my kidou isn’t that bad either.....I also have a bit of experience in hand-to-hand combat. It’s not worth mention yet though..”

“I see,” Kago responded with a slight pause. Based on his skills, he must have been focusing only on the division specialities: Zanjutsu and Kidou. He made a mental note of the man’s skills and continued the conversation.

“You are not much one for speed?” the former tactician inquired.

“If I didn’t know any better I would say that you were sizing me up for a spar,” Rei said raising his eyebrow questioningly. “But to answer your question...I guess you could call me slow.”

Kago laughed at the off-the-cuff remark from his new comrade. “I guess you could say something like that. I am sizing you up, but not for spar.”

The smile on the former captain’s face slowly faded and grew stern. “I am sizing you up because we are going to be fighting alongside one another one day. We cannot fight well together if we do not know each others strengths. More importantly, we should know each others failings.”

Zabuden looked at the two men thoughtfully.

I’m new to this game and I haven’t done very much training yet to improve my skills. I’m really going to have to train hard to catch up to these seasoned fighters

Zabuden knew that he would have to improve a great deal in order to fight alongside these comrades. In the heat of battle, one’s comrades will rely on their squad to be strong and hold their own. If one person is incapable of doing that, their presence on the battlefield serves only as a hindrance to everyone else.
Zabuden refused to be that hinderance and decided that he would do everything he can to hold up his own.

“Hmph....so you want to know whether we’ll be a blessing or a burden to ya...by the gist of it.” Rei said with a grunt. “Well I can understand that...still you seem pretty sure of yourself to not say what you’re good at...but I’ll leave it at that.

He turned his head to secretary and spoke with a warm but loud voice.

“Hey...has the captain been known for lateness before or is this a new thing? You know....scratch that and tell me something. Since you’ve worked under him tell me what he’s like to his subordinates. From how stressed you’re looking you could use a minor reprieve before he arrives.”

“Lateness!?” she inquired with attitude.

And just as Ayame opened her mouth to continue on, Senesati stepped foot in the lobby.

“Ayame, I need you to..,” he paused. His eyes widened as the documents he held fell from his hands and on to the woman's desk. The dignified captain was stunned, unknowing of what to say.

Ayame swallowed every ounce of saliva that built up in her mouth, looking at the shocked captain. Please don't blast me with kidou, please don't blast me...

Senesati turned his head toward the woman and calmly asked with a deathly expression on his face, “Are they all here to see me?”

“Ye-ye-yes, sir,” she remarked.

Ayame knew the nobleman had a hectic schedule for up until the end of the month and she knew it would not be possible to re-schedule any of the interviews as Senesati is very particular about when they are preformed.

The noble captain said not another word to Ayame, he stared at her for several seconds. It was like he was having a mental conversation with the terrified woman.

Sweat rolled down the woman's forehead as she gulped another mouthful of saliva. She was trying not to be heard or seen, but obviously the nobleman definitely heard and saw her. Without turning his attention away from Ayame, Senesati ordered, “You three..,

“Follow me.”

And he proceeded up the flight of stairs.

Kago immediately felt sorry for Ayame. He knew how stressful the role of a captain can be on a man and how much pressure he would shift onto those who support him. At the moment, all the anger she had been dreading was blooming up inside Senesati and it was only a matter of time before she received the brunt of it.

Striding past the other two shinigami, the Takimoto heir approached the secretary’s desk. He spoke in a compassionate tone to her. “I will try my best to calm the situation, Ayame; however, I make no promises for success.”

With that, the former captain fell back into step. He reached the first step moments later and did not wait for his fellow division members to follow before he ascended the stairs behind his new captain.

Cripes....the girl looks as if she’s going to cry or something, Rei thought as he stared at the girl. Can’t really blame the guy for being upset either. Oh well...life is full of bitch slaps that we have to deal with.

Rei passed the girl to follow the rest of his teammates. The girl would get over this eventually. It was himself that he should concern himself with now. Rei’s didn’t really get a good read on the captain yet, but he decided to wait until he had cooled down a bit. Dealing with a guy when he was already upset was not the way to start off a good relationship.

As the four men headed up the flight of stairs, Ayame's shiny orbs grew wider as she recognized something on the schedule. “Oh wait! Mr. Marunhado!” she waved frantically. Papers from her desk swarmed the air as she darted into shunpo and appeared at the bottom of the staircase.

“Your appointment is for next week, not this one,” she smiled, knowing her punishment would be lessened, even though the captain was still stuck with interviewing two members at the same time.

Senesati paused and turned around, looking back on all the members and the secretary as Zabuden shrugged his shoulders and walked back down the stairs.

“I guess today was my error,” the officer added, “Sorry Miss Sugiyama.”

The bookkeeper let out a sigh of relief as the man exited the building through the glass doors.

Kago watched the mistaken shinigami exit from their presence before turning back to face his new captain. Without speaking a word, the unseated shinigami made eye contact with Senesati and nodded. His motion conveyed both the simple message of his eagerness to begin the meeting as well as his patience to agreeing to have this meeting shared with another member of the eighth.

Huh...so it was a mix up was it? Rei thought as Zabuzen left. Bummer...I was kind of looking forward to all three of us joining in.

Still it wasn’t a bad thing that he had to share a meeting with another person. Hell, it was all fun to him. If there was any complaints that he had, it was that the captain arrived when he did. He had patience, but he was only human.

“I take it the two of you got acquainted while I was away,” pried the nobleman with his back to the two soldiers.

“Yeah...pretty much.”

Kago remained silent as he felt the question was rhetorical.

“You'll have to excuse my secretary for her absentmindedness. She usually does not make mistakes of this nature.” Although Senesati was irritated with the woman's failure with his bookkeeping, he did not allow the same emotion to transfer to the interviewees.

As the trio made it to the office door, the dignified captain turned to face the two men and gave one order. “Wait here.”

His royal robes whipped through the air as he spun around and walked into his office, shutting the door behind him.

Folding his arms across his chest, the former captain leaned against the wall next to the office door. Although he didn’t know exactly what Senesati was doing in there, he knew what it meant to introduce new shinigami to a divsion. Sometimes, things do exactly go to plan and require some “adjustments.”

Is this guy for real? Rei thought as he saw the doors shut. What the fuck was he doing before he got here? I know that an interview takes a bit of time to prepare for..but did having an extra man really sink the whole thing to hell?

Rei didn’t voice his protests vocally however. It didn’t seem like the other guy was making a fuss over it so why should he? Rei yawned and went into a corner, fondling his hilt as he thought about other things.

Noticing the golden-haired shinigami tossing his zanpakutou within his hands, Kago decided to make some small talk while waiting for Senesati. “Nerves or aggravation?” he asked pointedly.

After a moment of no response from his addressee, the former captain spoke up once again. “Are you nervous or aggravated?” he asked slightly louder as he motioned toward the fondling of the hilt.

Rei’s head nodded as he heard Kago speak. “Close to the latter....but I’ll get over it. I know one extra guy won’t fuck up the lead man’s plans that much.”

The man took of his shades and began to clean them before placing them back on his face. “It has to be something else that is holding his time. I don’t know much about what a Captain does so I’m just going to roll with it.”

Rei shrugged as he looked back at the door.

“What about you?” Rei asked looking back at Kago.

The stoic shinigami smirked. “More of boredom. I am just ready to move past the bureaucratic formality and dive into the heart of the matter.”

“What do you mean by that?” Rei asked curiously.

Shaking his head dismissively, Kago explained his previous comment. “More often than not, these ‘introductory’ meetings are more than just a pat on the back and a warm welcome to the division. If Sen- I mean, if Anenokoji-taichou is going out of his way to greet us unseated shinigami, there will be more to this conversation.”

Rei raised his eyebrow in a questioning manner, but then he smiled and nodded. If there were any suspicions he had he let them lie where they were. It wasn’t worth looking into. The golden-haired soul reaper was more anxious to get to the meeting now that he had heard that statement.

The auburn haired secretary wobbled past the two men in he hallway while carrying a chair. “Excuse me,” she said to the two men as she sat the chair down, pried the door open, and entered the office with the chair. Ayame nodded to the two upon closing the door in their faces again.

Receiving no invitation into the office, Kago remained in his position against the wall. He was growing impatient with his fellow noble. It was one thing for a secretary to double-book an appointment and force a captain to regroup, but it was another thing entirely for one noble to keep another waiting for this long.

The only thought that slowed his increasing irritation was his own demotion. The haori missing from his shoulders served as a constant reminder of his disgrace and his burning will to regain respect among the shinigami and noble communities.

Rei watched as the lady pulled the chair inside the office. He wondered whether that nodding was just a greeting to them or a signal that they could come inside. He chuckled to himself as he imagined that their delay was due to a chair not being there. He’d find that hilarious...but it wasn’t likely.

The door crept open and Ayame peaked from the small opening and snuck out of the office like a dog with its tail between its legs. “Kago,” she began with a cautious expression, not because of addressing the noble by first name, but because she knew she was in hot water with her captain, “Captain Anenokoji, only wants you to enter at this time.”

The brown-haired secretary brought the other chair out into the hallway, looked to Rei and said, “You may take a seat until he is ready to see you.

“You,” she said darting a finger to Kago, “go on in.”

The Takimoto heir nodded. Although it was uncommon for him to be addressed by his first name nowadays, he could not fault the secretary. He had been known as Kago Kazunari for quite some time in the Gotei before becoming a noble. Letting the lack of formality slide, he strode across the room towards the door.

“Thank you,” Kago said to Ayame before opening the door and proceeding inside.

The former captain did not focus on half the items he saw in Senesati’s office; instead, he peered directly at his new captain, sitting behind the desk. Noticing the single chair across from Senesati, Kago made his way over to the chair and waited for the invitation to sit.

His sapphire eyes met the other noble’s facade and then the chair across from him as if he were inviting the man to have a seat, without the use of words. Senesati continued to browse the man’s file as he approached his seat.

“Naturally I would arise a question regarding the emblem you see imprinted on the front of my desk, however, I’d like to get back to your... problem.

“Specifically Katsuo and Saruwatari Takumi.

“Have you had any luck or found any leads?”

Kago took the seat that the captain had indicated and shook his head from side to side. “Not yet,” he responded solemnly.

“I have not had the opportunity to truly investigate the matter. The Keigun left our home shortly before this meeting and I did not want to put the Gotei at risk by rushing to Earth without backup. The last time I acted rashly led to me being stripped of my rank as captain.”

“Rushing to Earth?” he inquired with a raised brow.

Senesati placed the file folder on top of his desk, closed it and provided his undivided attention to Kago. “So does that mean you have some indication as to where these... people maybe hiding out?”

“Well,” the unseated shinigami began, “I am assuming that they must be hiding in that realm, considering the level of knowledge they possessed surrounding the events of the war. Also, Katsuo’s mindset is that of a pure noble; he would not soil himself with hiding among hollows in Hueco Mundo. I’m sure hiding among humans is more than humiliating for him.”

Shifted his gaze to the haori upon Senesati’s shoulders, Kago was reminded of exactly how much honor he had lost to his new uncle. “In addition, there was one detail I left out in our previous discussion: aside from Takumi and Katsuo, a third figure was present while I was being held. The person remained hidden in the shadows, so I could not make out a face or even a gender.”

“What about a resiatsu signature?

“Would you recognize it if you came into contact with it again?” he inquired.

Shaking his head again, Kago responded. “No. By the time I realized a third enemy existed nearly all my reiatsu had been drained away. I lost consciousness shortly after spotting him or her and then woke up in the middle of nowhere on Earth.”

His eyes shut slowly as a low-toned sigh slipped past his lips. “About how certain are you that this... Katsuo could be in hiding with humans?” he posed.

Pausing for a moment, the Takimoto heir thought about the notion. “I’m fairly certain that he is hiding among the humans; however, I do not believe he would be hiding with humans. Katsuo is proud by his nature. He would not stoop so low to associate or work with humans.”

“Did you ever consider he might let humans work for him.”

Senesati thought about his question for a moment. “What I am posing is: what if the reason you could not identify a spiritual presence is because the third body was a lowly human?”

“The thought had crossed my mind; however, I don’t recall feeling Takumi’s or Katsuo’s spiritual pressure. So, it’s possible that the third person could have been a human, but it also could have been another being capable of suppressing its reiatsu,” Kago explained.

“Now, I hope you can see my reason for not immediately acting upon limited knowledge. I could be putting the Gotei at risk without thoroughly reviewing my options and obtaining support in this endeavor.”

“Of course I did,” he immediately replied.

“You do know that reiatsu suppression is a skill that is housed in the division you one ran? Your accusation of a fellow shinigami housed with in the Gotei, without proof can surely cause problems for you not only within our ranks, but also bring shame to your house as well.”

Senesati placed his armored index and thumb on his chin as he dove into a thought.

Hmm, he thought.

“I have an idea.

“Tomorrow I would like for you to meet with Vice-Captain Kinugasa. He will give you a tour of the division grounds and your first assignment.

“Do not be late.”

Although the sudden change in conversation confused and left him with more questions than answers, Kago accepted the assignment and nodded. “That will not be a problem. Where should I meet the vice-captain?”

“Meet him in front the Eighth’s Kidou Library.

“On your way out, please escort the other officer to Ayame and have him reschedule his appointment. Give him my apologies, I have spent quite a lot of time with you that I am nearly running late for my other appointment. You may now excuse yourself.”

Before the other noble could get out of his seat, Senesati added, “And Kago. Remember our conversation at your manor and keep your promise to me and your division.

“Good day to you.”