Chapter 6 - Invasion

[WarJack]

Captain Sabo felt troubled, as he flash-stepped his way through the Seireitei towards the barracks of the Captain-Commander, Mikaru. It was time for the bi-monthly Captain’s meeting, and he was late.

Saying he wasn’t the most well-liked Captain would be under-exaggerating, but he and the rest of Squad 7 pulled their weight like any other Squad, when it came to overseeing and policing the citizens of Rukongai, as well as the Hollow population outside of Hueco Mundo.

No, Captain Sabo was troubled for a different reason. His most recent promising student from the Shinōreijutsuin had been KIA (killed-in-action), as had some of the team that had gone to track down the Hollow that had killed him. 3 dead and 2 critically injured (they took a full week under the tender care of the Medical Squad to fully recover). It was a disaster and a huge embarrassment for Captain Sabo.

An embarrassment which only increased as he walked stoney-faced into the hall in the Captain Commander Mikaru’s barracks, to see the rest of the 13 Court Guard Squads around a table, alongside the Captain Commander, at the head of the table.

“You’re late” Mikaru’s cold voice echoed throughout the room. Nodding stiffly, Sabo took his seat near the middle of the table, without explanation.

Mikaru sighed, deflating slightly, before inhaling and speaking again, “As I was saying, Squad 1 Captain, Yamato, has decided to take a leave of absence. Normally, his post would be filled by his Lieutenant, Zinis, but in this situation we’ve decided that Squad 10 Lieutenant, Atrax, will be more suited to fill the role. This has been agreed by all parties involved.” Mikaru finished, raising his eyebrow as he made eye-contact with each person in the room.

The former Squad 1 Captain, Yamato, seemed content with the announcement, as if the right choice had been made.

“Also on the topic of office seat changes, Enjiuu has been promoted to Squad 12 Lieutenant, after the untimely death of the previous Lieutenant, Aamir, during the most recent Hollow invasion” Mikaru said, nodding once in the direction of the Squad 12 Captain, Hayate, at the end of the table. Said Captain merely leaned forward from his resting position, sighing slightly at the mention of his former Lieutenant.

“Onto other matters then. Captain Konan, how go the repairs to Kyoto City?” asked the Captain-Commander, aiming a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes at the diminutive Squad 3 Captain.

“W-well, the repairs are going gr-uh, smoothly, uh, s-sir.” Konan replied hastily, as her eyes worriedly glanced around the room, before falling upon the Squad 4 Captain, Mavis, who smiled back reassuringly.

“Excellent. Those blasted Hollows managed to tear half the city apart during their most recent massacre. Captains Law, Agni and Cloud. I expect they’ll attack again soon enough. Make sure you station more of your squad members around the city over the next couple of weeks,” replied Mikaru, who looked to his left and nodded at each respective Captain when mentioned. The first two smiled back politely, while the latter smirked back cockily.

“That’s the main announcement for the latter half of this month. Does anyone have anything to report before we move on?” asked Mikaru, raising an eyebrow as he half-heartedly glanced around the room.

Captain Sabo slowly stood, knowing he’d have to report on the dual failures of his squad. He began his report, ignoring the snickers from Seijuro, the Squad 5 Captain, to his left. “2 days ago, one of my most promising new recruits, Bartholomew Kuma, was killed during his first mission into the World of the Living.” Sabo began, ignoring the gasps from his left.

“He was deposited by way of a Senkaimon 10 miles east of Kyoto City. A newly born Hollow somehow managed to best him in a one-on-one fight and subsequently killed him. Even after Bartholomew released his Shi-Kai.” Sabo breathed out quickly, frowning as he glanced around the table to look at the faces of his fellow Captains.

As expected, the looks he received back were a mixture of derision, disdain and surprisingly horrified - from the two female Captains near the head of the table.

From his right, Squad 11 Captain, Kenpachi, was unable to contain his outburst. “Bah, I thought this Bartholomew was some kind of hotshot. What kind of **** is the academy teaching students these days if they can’t beat a baby Hollow, with Shi-Kai?” he spat, finishing with a muttered, “Pathetic” under his breath.

Mikaru frowned in Kenpachi’s direction, but seemed unable to silence the large man with a mere glare. Instead he turned back to Captain Sabo, and followed up with a “Anything else?”

Captain Sabo’s frown deepened and he nodded, before continuing, “Unfortunately yes, the clean-up crew I tasked with responding to the Hollow consisted of 11 members of Squad 7; including my Lieutenant, Takio. Not only were they unable to kill the Hollow, but they lost two members of the team to an unexpectedly powerful Cero, and two more were critically injured.”

Unable to stand any longer, Captain Sabo sat abruptly, folding his arms and glaring at each of the Captains around the table, as if daring them to comment.

One such Captain was unable to resist. “So, your Lieutenant, Takio, was unable to kill the Hollow or keep his men alive?”
The question came from a man down the table that positively oozed arrogance in every way. His posture, his tone, his attitude, his facial expression. Everything about the Squad 10 Captain, Cloud, seemed to portray his apparent superiority over Sabo.

Gritting his teeth, Sabo replied, “It was as I said in my report.” A short, barking laugh echoed from his right.

“Drag the gutless worm in here. We’ll see if he really deserves to call himself a Lieutenant” Kenpachi growled out, grinning a bloodthirsty grin in Sabo’s direction.

Annoyed, Sabo made to reply, “Lieutenant Takio is a-” “Coward!” interrupted Kenpachi, who pointed his jibe with another short, barking laugh.

“Enough” the stern-faced Captain of Squad 6 spoke, “Your senseless bickering is getting us nowhere. Let us return to the matter at hand.”

“Thank you, Law” came Mikaru’s cool and clipped tone, as it wafted down the table. “Indeed, let us return to other matters.” Mikaru said, before droning on about the reallocation of supplies towards Kyoto City and the impending Hollow invasion.

Ignoring the Captain-Commander for the moment, Sabo let his eyes wander. From Mikaru, the laid-back - almost lazy - Captain Commander, Sabo looked across to the shy, but powerful Squad 4 Captain, Mavis. He let his eyes drift down to her chest, before quickly flicking back up to her face - which fortunately she didn’t seem to notice, it wouldn’t do for him to be caught after all!

To Mikaru’s immediate left was an empty chair. This wasn't the first Captain’s meeting that the Squad 2 Captain, Koyomi, had missed and Sabo doubted it would be the last. The man was prone to avoiding these meetings like the plague, preferring instead to do lord-knows-what in his barracks.

To the Captain-Commander’s right sat the soon to be retired Squad 1 Captain, Yamato, although his expression had gone from content to blank. Most likely thinking about what he was going to spend all his free time doing, once this meeting was over.

To Yamato’s right and across from Mavis, sat the diminutive Squad 3 Captain, Konan. The small Asian woman seemed remarkably timid at first glance, but Sabo had seen her on the battlefield - She was terrifying. Another little known fact; she was one of the oldest and most experienced Shinigami alive.

From there, Sabo looked to Mavis’s right, at the stern-faced, frowning face of the Squad 6 Captain, Law. Sure, the man knew to how to have a laugh and a joke - not that Sabo had seen him smile personally - but Law was all business when it came to the Captain’s meetings.

Across from Law and to Sabo’s left, sat the goofy visage of the Squad 5 Captain, Seijuro. Sitting low in his seat, with his arms folded across his chest, the Squad 5 Captain oozed boredom. Seijuro was always laid back and ready to crack a joke, no matter how crude, although admittedly he was one of the weaker Captains of the 13 Court Guard Squads.

Immediately across from Sabo, sat the Squad 8 Captain, Agni, a Captain noted for his fiery and passionate personality, accentuated by his bright red hair! When Agni wasn’t out chasing Hollows across Kyoto City and the surrounding areas, he was out chasing women instead. Sabo remembered something about the man having a preference for blondes.

To Sabo’s right sat the Squad 9 Captain, Kraken. Despite the man’s name he was not in-fact, a giant tentacle monster, but a tall, powerful Shinigami Captain in his own right. Leaning over the table, he hid his slight smile behind his hands at the proceedings going on around him. The man was perceptive though, and he caught Sabo’s wandering eye, so Sabo quickly moved on.

To the right of Agni, sat the arrogant Squad 10 Captain, Cloud, who sat with his hands clasped together behind his head, leaning back into his chair. His eyes were closed and some of his blonde hair stuck out at odd angles, partially covering his face. Cloud’s posture was set to show off his bulging biceps as he periodically turned his head to look in the direction of the two female Captains near the head of the table.

Sabo shook his head. Cloud was attractive, he supposed, but thought too highly of himself and that was a major turn off according to most of the female Shinigami he’d heard on drinking nights out.

To Sabo’s right and across from Cloud sat the large form of the Squad 11 Captain, Kenpachi. The tall man was known for his slow burning, yet explosive temper, as well as his love for battle. He and his brother, Squad 11 Lieutenant, Ichigo, could often be seen engaging in fights with multiple powerful Hollows, as win or lose, they loved to fight.

Across from Kenpachi and to the right of Cloud, sat the Squad 12 Captain, Hayate. Similar to Cloud, Hayate was also leaning back into his chair, but he lacked the arrogant smirk his fellow Captain often wore. Instead he settled for a small smile, as he occasionally ran his hands through his mid-length orange spiked hair.

Finally, Sabo glanced to the end of the table, where a large, bear-like man sat. Captain Inazuma’s large presence could be felt from all the way at the end of the table, yet surprisingly, he was one of the newer and weaker Captains. That didn't put him off though, as the man had no qualms about stating his opinions, yet remaining civil and keeping the peace whenever possible.

-

The sound of the doors to the Captain’s meeting slamming open cut short Sabo’s internal musings. The Squad 9 Lieutenant, Delta, came racing into the room, pausing only to take a large lungful of air before shouting: “The Hollows are invading Kyoto City!”

The stunned silence lasted only mere moments, but enough time for the same thought to pass through nearly everyone present: “Again?! So soon?!”

A grim-faced Mikaru quickly rose from his chair at the head of the table. “Captains, rise. You know your roles, engage the Hollows and protect the citizens of Kyoto City!”

Quickly but determinedly, the Captains filed out of the room, rushing off to find their Lieutenants and gather any available squad members to counter the Hollow siege.

Captain Sabo noticed a few worried looks on the faces of Captains Konan and Law, while Kenpachi was grinning with excitement, obviously hurrying off to meet with his Lieutenant, Ichigo, so they could rush off and do battle.

Sabo also noticed a quiet exchange between Captain Kraken and his, admittedly childish looking Lieutenant, Delta. “How did you know they were invading?” Kraken asked Delta, as they quickly sped out of the meeting room.

“I saw the black and gold Cero…” Delta trailed off, a worried frown on his face.

“Dormammu.” Kraken growled under his breath, his hand involuntarily reaching for his Zanpakutō.

“Ah” thought Sabo, “that explains the worry.” The Hollow raids had been occurring more frequently over the last couple of months, and the main reason why was Dormammu.

“The King of Hueco Mundo. Bah.” Sabo thought, spitefully. “King of the bloody wasteland is more like it.”

The Hollows had become far more united than ever before under the leadership of their King, Dormammu. One of the most powerful Hollows to have ever existed, the King had slain countless Shinigami and had even gone toe-to-toe with multiple Captains, who had barely escaped with their lives. If he was leading this invasion...

“Seems like it's going to be a big one. Let's hope we all make it out in one piece.” Sabo thought, flash-stepping towards the Squad 7 barracks.

-

Upon reaching his barracks, he noticed his squad members racing about in a flurry of activity. Raising an eyebrow at his Lieutenant, Sabo waited for Takio to give him an explanation.

“Captain Sabo! I heard from Lieutenants Castor and Pollux that the Hollows were invading Kyoto City again, so I made sure the squad was ready to move!” Takio reported, standing to attention with his hand firmly gripping the hilt of his Zanpakutō.

Sabo nodded, glad that the Terror Twins of Squads 3 and 4 respectively had given Takio the heads up. Hopefully they would prove to be a headache for the Hollows to deal with, rather than their respective Captains.

“Excellent. We leave in 3 minutes, all squad members are to report to the Senkaimon located near the Kido Corps.” Captain Sabo shouted at his men, who all saluted and roared an “Aye, sir” back at him.

Nodding in acceptance, Captain Sabo turned and flash-stepped in the direction of the Kido Corps, hoping he wouldn't be too late to be of assistance.

-

A large crowd of Shinigami had gathered only a few moments later, surrounding the Senkaimon outside of the Kido Corp’s barracks.

Sabo noticed the Captains and their respective Lieutenants had lined up at the front of the procession, with Mikaru, the Captain-Commander at centre-stage, so-to-speak.

Sabo flash-stepped into the space next to the Squad 6 Captain, Law, as he noticed Takio appear slightly behind him and to his left, mirroring the formation the other Captains and their Lieutenants had formed.

Sabo’s earlier prediction had been accurate - This was going to be a big battle. Even Koyomi had turned up for this one.

In a semi-circle, facing away from the Senkaimon and towards the crowd, the newly instated Squad 1 Captain Atrax stood on the far left, with his Lieutenant Zinis beside him.

Next to Atrax stood Squad 2 Captain Koyomi, with his flowery looking Lieutenant, Mitsu. Followed by the diminutive Squad 3 Captain Konan and her Lieutenant, Pollux. Then came Squad 4 Captain Mavis and her Lieutenant Castor.

Next came Squad 5 Captain Seijuro, and his Lieutenant Kenchu. The stern-faced Squad 6 Captain Law was next, followed by the slightly taller Lieutenant Sinon.

After Sabo came a break in the formation where the Captain-Commander, Mikaru, stood wearily, like he didn’t want to be there.

On the other side of the semi-circle stood the red-headed Squad 8 Captain, Agni, currently without Lieutenant. On his right stood Squad 9 Captain Kraken, with his slightly childish looking Lieutenant, Delta.

Then came the arrogant Squad 10 Captain, Cloud, who was currently without Lieutenant, as Atrax had taken the position of Squad 1 Captain.

Next to Cloud stood the tall form of the Squad 11 Captain, Kenpachi. By his side stood his Lieutenant Ichigo. Both Shinigami looked ready and itching to get into a fight, or three.

Next to them stood Squad 12 Captain Hayate, with his new Lieutenant, Enjiuu. Rounding out the Gotei 13 stood the bear-like Squad 13 Captain Inazuma and his Lieutenant, Gabriel.

Finishing his assessment of the leadership of the 13 Court Guard Squads, Captain Sabo turned to look at Captain-Commander Mikaru, who appeared to have just begun his speech.

“I apologise for calling you all here on such short notice, but we have little time for talk. The King of Hueco Mundo, Dormammu, has once again launched an assault on Kyoto City and we need the help of each and every one of you to repel their invasion.” Mikaru’s voice carried out to the Shinigami gathered before him.

“I will not be activating the Gentei Reīn (Spirit Restriction Seal), so please be mindful of your surroundings when engaging any Hollows. Your priority is the protection of the innocent civilians of Kyoto City. Remember that.” Mikaru’s voice was full of conviction, betraying none of the earlier weariness that Sabo had seen.

“Onwards now! Protect Kyoto City! For the innocent! For the Soul Society!” Mikaru shouted, signalling for the members of the Kido Corps to activate the Senkaimon and release the Jigokuchō. The Hell Butterflies would allow them to bypass the Dangai - also known as the Precipice World - the gateway dimension between the Soul Society and the World of the Living.

As commanded, the members of the Kido Corps activated the World Penetration Gate and the Shinigami Captains stepped forwards, their squad members following closely behind, entering the gate with the intentions of preventing the Hollows from wreaking anymore devastation upon the lives of the innocent people of Kyoto City.

-