A Change in the Tides (Solo)

The pounding in his head was like a caged elephant, his ivory tusks steely against the tenderness of his skull. Everything ached. The light was too harsh, shapes too blurry, and every sound was magnified tenfold. He blinked his eyes shut tightly, trying to focus enough on the pain that it would dissipate to a degree that his body could manage itself into at least a crawling position, but every time he tried, his muscles screamed in agony, fire coursed through his veins, and the blood that rushed to his head carried millions of microscopic daggers that brought on fresh pain and nausea. After several attempts, he managed to stead himself on shaky hands and knees, sweat drenching his body as the effort and pain collided in a battle of sheer will. It took almost an hour for the frosty haired captain to stand, and another ten minutes to manage a decent step. When he finally was capable of walking with minimal effort, the sun had risen and almost completed its decent on the opposite horizon. Still, the captain was drained, empty, as if something were missing, but he could feel it slowly coming back. Only when he listened did he note the absence of his twin Zanpakutou, their familiar clanking and weight missing from his sides. He felt naked, cold, and alone without their presence, though a voice in the back of his head was telling him they weren't gone. With a heavy heart and a weightless mind, the groggy Captain of the Seventh Squad began to Flash Step off in the direction of the Seireitei.

What Kaoseu came back to was a mess. As soon as he was within Seireitei, alarms began to blare, and half the 2nd and 11th squads had him surrounded. After an interrogation, and then a confirmation of his own identity, he was released back to his squad. When he returned, he gathered as much information as he could, and by the sound of it, things weren't good. Kaoseu had been out for months. There was an assassination attempt by Kurama, which resulted in the lock-down of the 10th squad and the relinquishment of every Zanpakutou from every member. Kurama had escaped to the world of the living, and was hiding out somewhere, and many forces were stirring. The Senkaimon were being monitored every second of every day, and were on the verge of being shut down completely. Marshal Law was in effect, and everyone was expected to obey. Seireitei had gone to Hell in a Hand-basket. There were whispers of war, disagreeableness between squads and beliefs, and a relative questioning of all the events going on. Kaoseu put together his own hypothesis based on the information, and he only hoped he was at least half right. Kurama had been either framed, or baited. The Kurama he knew wouldn't have made such a move, lest he was ordered to, or had good reason. Either way, this one action had caused the undoing of Seireitei now.

The battle scarred captain was at a loss. He was out his Zanpakutou, diminished in Spirit Power, and his Reiatsu was as weak as a fresh Academy Student, but slowly on the rise. All he had to do was wait it out. So, he did what he'd apparently been doing for the past months- slept. Days passed by, and there Kaoseu lost count. His amber eyes were ringed in dark circles, sleep seemingly exhausting him more than it was helping replenish. His routine was monotonous. Without any combat capabilities, he was restricted to guard duty and training. Not that he was complaining about training. He could feel his abilities coming back, and he was growing stronger again by the day. He could hear the phantom whispers of his Zanpakutou in the back of his mind, calling to him, as well as the voice of Heiwa, egging him on, pressing him to return to power.

His wishes were granted in the worst possible way, in the worst situation imaginable, under the most heinous circumstances. A mass meeting had been called, of every individual throughout the Seireitei. Kaoseu had regained all his power, though his Zanpakutou still alluded him. He stood before the crowd, along with the other captains, ready to deliver his portion of news and updates when things began to go wrong. His mind started to twinge and ache, and the stirring whispers became ceaseless as he began to speak, and his thoughts became frayed.

"We're currently investigating- ah, quiet down!" he began, startling a few people and drawing murmurs from the crowd and anxious looks from the captains, who probably felt his Reiatsu shifting and fluctuating. He spoke a little louder, afraid he wouldn't be heard over the whispers. "Currently, the investigation of Kurama's whereabouts is- DAMMIT, BE QUIET!" His shouts drew gasps, or maybe it was his outburst. He dropped to his knees, realizing there'd been three other voices when he spoke. A silvery aura was coming off of him in wisps as his Reiatsu began to become erratic. His skull was splitting again, but this time, it was like a force pushing its way through. Heiwa became a dominant force, and Kaoseu's spine arched violently backwards as he rose to his toes straight from his knees, Reiatsu exploding around him as his Vizard mask erupted onto his face. Strangled cries and garbled words were drowned in the horrendous howls he was issuing. Alarms rang, an the captains all moved as one, towards Kaoseu, Zanpakutou drawn. Before any of them drew close, a Garganta of his own fashioning opened, swallowed him, and closed it's gaping entry all in one motion. Kaoseu's secret was blown. He was now a fugitive of Soul Society, and had no weapons, or means of defense, and, once more, as if out of spite, was unconscious, save to the sound of voices around him. No longer could he call himself a captain, or even try to stay on the side he would have. Things were going to be different, on both sides of this. There was most definitely a Change in the Tides.