"They give their lives to vanquish a great evil. That is the nature of the Gotei 13." — Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto.
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It was always in rare fashion anytime all 13 Squad Guard Captains were gathered in one room, which was usually in the Head Captain's office, and it was always about something of utmost importance – the type that put everything else as second priority.
He had been prepared to meet the Head Captain for whatever he had to say that involved Byakuya but that was quickly put to the side after the Captain summons.
He was the first to arrive but he didn't have to wait for long as he was quickly joined by Byakuya and Shinji. At their arrival, he closed his eyes and waited patiently in the silent room, and opened his eyes after some time to see the presence of every Shinigami Captain.
As if waiting for the exact moment Itachi opened his eyes, the Head Captain finally began the meeting by opening his mouth.
"Enough time has passed and the time for it is finally here." He said as his fingers gripped his walking stick before relaxing. "Get ready, in a week's time we'll begin the ceremony."
A few faces turned somber at Yamamoto's words while a few others remained confused.
"What ceremony are we preparing for, Head Captain?" Komamura asked, not even entertaining a second in ignorance.
Yamamoto's eyes slid in their sockets towards Komamura and in them was a look of disappointment and also of understanding.
"Konsō Reisai." Yamamoto's words brought down the mood of every individual in the room, even Itachi's. "The Soul Burial Ceremony Ritual," Yamamoto's eyes still remained on Komamura who unflinchingly held up the gaze.
"One that is held 12 years after a Captain has passed. The procession is held so that the denseness of their soul can be eased back into the Spiritual Cycle."
Love Aikawa and Kensei Mugurama. Two Captains who fell to Aizen.
The reminder settled like a stone in water, sitting there in the bottom of their minds no matter what their thoughts may be.
It was understandable for Captains like Komamura and Rōjūrō not to know of the ceremony given how short their tenure as Captains were, more so for the former than the latter. Itachi was also clearly in this category but he had known for decades now about the burial ceremony – not the specifics – due to his earlier curiosity about how reincarnation worked for Captains.
Kyōraku had nonchalantly glossed over it but it was Jūshirō who had told him about it.
He briefly wondered about Aizen, if anyone would even care to wish him a peaceful passing.
"Is there any special reason why it took this long?" Rōjūrō asked.
Itachi saw the urge not to answer in Yamamoto's silence but he also saw the understanding in the old man's eyes. Even for an old monster like Yamamoto centuries counted, and other than the 11th Division's succession process, this was likely the first time in 300 – 500 years that Yamamoto lost a Captain in active duty, Visored or not.
"Yes." Yamamoto finally answered, making a few Captains breathe out in relief. "The 12-years period is necessary to ensure that their soul has settled enough to be filtered back into the cycle. The natural density of a Captain's Reishi prevents them from naturally flowing into the circle which is why the preparation time and the ceremony is essential. If they linger too much after their death, the reincarnation circle that flows between the three realms becomes at risk, the same happens if the preparation period is ignored."
It wasn't a deep exposition into the intricacies of the burial but it didn't need to be. The important thing was the understanding of what the burial ceremony meant.
"That is the first thing," Yamamoto started, and then looked exhausted as he sighed. "The second thing, which is just as important as the first due to the likelihood of it disrupting the burial ceremony is that a rogue element, Koga Kuchiki, has escaped from where he was sealed."
The faces of almost every Captain shifted upon hearing the news, especially the name.
"Sealed?" Itachi asked. The Seireitei did deep imprisonment and death, rarely did they ever do sealing.
"Yes." Yamamoto answered. "He was sealed in a spirit zone in the World of the Living almost two hundred years ago by myself and the former Captain of 6th Division, Ginrei Kuchiki. It stands, without a shadow of a doubt, that he will soon start a rampage across the Living World and the Soul Society, just like he did before we stopped him."
So that was the reason why there had been a growing activity of the Kidō Corps in the World of the Living, Itachi realized.
"Koga…" Jūshirō in an ever rare fashion, had a deep frown on his face. "Nothing good will come of his actions as long as he is free."
"Who is he, and what did he do?" Komamura asked, once again showing his unwillingness to germinate ignorance. It was a trait Itachi respected in his fellow Captain.
"He is Ginrei's son-in-law by marriage to Sojun's late sister, Byakuya's aunt, before even Byakuya was born. He was once falsely accused and imprisoned, something Ginrei was aware of and aimed to prove during Koga's trial, but he never got the chance to as Koga escaped his restraint and killed the guards and his conspirators. Not long after he started a massacre through the Rukongai and the World of the Living as his way of changing the world." Isshin looked as if he swallowed a particularly sour lemon with how his face was twisted sharply in loathsome disgust. "He ran mad in his power."
"How tasteless." Kyōraku spoke in a very dull voice.
"Anyone specific he will be going after?" Itachi asked. Given the history, it wasn't out of possibility that he would want to permanently end things with Ginrei.
"Other than his animalistic rampage, he might come after me and my grandfather." Byakuya made it known just how much, or how little, he cared about this Koga Kuchiki. He did not look or feel targeted, only caring about the man in his duty as Clan Head to wipe out an old shameful stain.
Itachi looked at Byakuya who also happened to meet his eyes. "He might also target Rukia and the Lady Hisana."
Neither Byakuya's stance or expression shifted at Itachi's words. His words were calm as steel and flat as polished marble.
"It would be his folly and his final undoing." That was the only reply he saw fit to give to that threat.
"I don't think you understand what is really at stake here, Byakuya." Kyōraku's eyes were trained to the ground even as he addressed Byakuya who was standing beside him. "Koga Kuchiki is not just some mad rogue Shinigami. He is a threat to the very structure of the Seireitei and Soul Society as a whole."
Another type of silence briefly entered the hall. It was the type of silence that came in that short moment when everyone started processing what they just heard. It was a premature silence, which meant that it was broken as soon as the process ended.
"Hohoho, this must be interesting." Mayuri snickered delightfully as his interest was fully piqued.
Komamura on the other hand radiated uncertainty. "Surely, no single Shinigami can threat–"
"Aizen." Itachi's interjection stole what was left of Komamura's words. The realization settled instantly. The Seireitei didn't throw threat levels around recklessly.
"What made him so dangerous?" Itachi asked no one in particular, even as he already knew the answer.
"His Zanpakutō." The very thing that made all Shinigami dangerous.
This time it was the Head Captain that spoke. "His Shikai can forcefully warp the minds of other Zanpakutō and make them rebel against their Shinigami. It is an ability that the Gotei 13 deemed as a 'lethal event' should it ever be used against our Shinigami."
Confusion, disbelief, and comprehension settled like a bad decision. They all knew of dangerous Zanpakutō abilities in the form of their fellow Captains; Captain Yamamoto and the annihilation of his Zanpakutō Bankai release was a prime example. Aizen, Shinji and Itachi with their nigh-inescapable control-type abilities were another most recent reminder – even with just a Shikai in the case of the former.
Even the outlandish abilities of these Zanpakutō could be comprehended, understood and accepted because of what it was – A Zanpakutō ability.
But a Zanpakutō ability that controls other Zanpakutō. An ability that turns your own inner soul against you.
"No matter how frightening the Zanpakutō ability is, the fact remains that he was stopped before. He is in no way infallible." Byakuya's words broke the silence, making Yamamoto nod.
He lightly tapped the ground with his staff. "You are absolutely right. No Zanpakutō ability is infallible, not even mine, but do not deny yourself to its capabilities and the damage it can cause."
Itachi and the others remained silent as Yamamoto started speaking, clearly in a lecturing mood, Itachi noticed.
"The damage he could do was largely prevented, not by me and Ginrei putting a stop to it, but because he lost the ability to release his Zanpakutō. The reasons why rests fully on him, but just because he couldn't do it then doesn't mean you all should assume he can't use it now."
The Kidō Corps was already on this, Itachi noted and decided to speak with Tessai if the grizzled man had figured out how he escaped the seal. If Tessai couldn't then he doubted anyone else could.
Koga Kuchiki. Amagai and the Kasumioji. A Soul Burial. He really did pick the best time to get drunk, he belatedly realized just as the last trickles of his humor fizzled away.
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