Something Completely Different (KAITO! xP)

The Captain's had met several times for long conversations on the topic. The Captain Commander had died, not through combat, but simply old age. The old man had gone quietly in his sleep. Regardless of the large loss the Gotei 13 had suffered, the time had come to therefore name the man's predecessor. WIth no current Captains willing to take on the honorific title of Captain Commander; it had been left down to various compiled list's. Each squad captain brought forward three candidates for the position, cross checked with a list the Commander himself had been working on, the Captains felt they had found their match. A young, plucky shinigami with copious amounts of energy and talent, and when that guy hadn't worked out the Captains turned to their next best candidate; Kaito Saruwatari.

The room was large, with a desk at the far end of the room. Behind said desk lay the Captains, the Gotei's most dominating and scary task force that had joined together as a strict committee to test Saruwatari's skill and suitability for the title he could easily snatch from the midst of their minds. 'Send him in already, i've got better things to be wastin my time with' grunted the 11th Captain, a nod of confirmation from the fourth squad Captain gestured the royale guard to send the guy in...boy was he in for a treat.

Kaito walked into the room at the guard's beckoning, but he was groaning inwardly as he realized that the rumors must have been true; he was the candidate for the next Captain Commander. As he walked through the double doors a wave of immense reiatsu hit him causing his kimono to rustle slightly in the intense atmosphere, "So...this is really it" he quietly spoke to himself. With a stoic expression on his face he walked down the path to where the captains had gathered, waiting for him apparently. A small grin appeared upon his face as he realized that despite all the powerful people that were in the room, he still maintained the strongest reiatsu in the room. Knowing this made Kaito intrigued by what would take place in the coming moments, but he decided to move things along, "Hello, Taichous..." he began with a nod of greeting towards the solemn groop.

"Geez...these guys are definitely a somber group..." he observed. "What is the reason for my being called here?" he asked; he had a troubling thought as he awaited the answer from the captains. He had left the stove on in his third squad barracks and then he wished things would move along quickly.

'Kaito Saruwatari, as you probably know by now the Gotei 13 is in need of a new Captain Commander' The fourth squad captain paused, his eyes glancing side to side as he threw various glances towards the other present Captains, 'And we believe you to be our best Candidate to fill such a position'. The woman sitting next to the more 'mature' Captain rolled her eyes with sigh, silence falling as the stern 2nd squad captain's glare then turned onto Kaito, 'Listen, you have two choices, accept Captain Commander, or be permanently stricken from any future promotions, it's do or die Saruwatari' her voice was eloquent and deadly, with a underlying tone of sarcasm in there. The other captains nodded in agreement, a few grunts and noises came out as well, but none of specific value. Then the 12th Squad Captain took his turn to speak: he was a seedy man with suspicious eyes hidden behind his thin glasses and matted brown hair, 'Of course we have a few extra...boxes to tick before this application will become official'.

Kaito sighed at the threatening undertone that the meeting had taken, "So in other words what you're saying is that I have to accept this promotion or be damned throughout the Gotei 13..." he iterated while rubbing his sore neck. "Damn...these guys drive a really hard bargain...I need rank to be able to seek out the things that I desire in the world..." he thought behind furrowed brows. A sullen look crept into his eyes as he stared directly at the 2nd squad captain, who had so fashionably made the situation clear to him, "I will say this for you guys...you sure know how to make an impression on someone you want to be your leader..." he pointed out with an edge. Sighing once more followed by the dropping of his head momentarily Kaito declared, "Alright...I accept" he grudgingly stated to his decorated audience; he had no choice under the circumstances, but he simply wanted to get the entire process over with.

"So what troublesome monkey shines do I have to do now?" he bluntly asked, he knew that for a soul his age, an age at which normal humans were considered to be nothing more than youth he should have spoken with more reverence. It didn't matter to him though; these people had forced his hand so he wouldn't show them one shred of respect until he had to. He reconsidered starting a war with the captains and decided he would simply maintain an aloof attitude since insulting might mean that he would have to exert himself at some point; a prospect he didn't look forward to. Lifting his gaze to the captains once again he prepared himself for the next task, "Now..." was all that he said into the massive office that would soon be his.

The woman smirked, leaning back in her chair as she nodded at the guy. The reaction of each Captain differed, with many smiling with a polite nod to the guy, a few; more specifically the 11th squad captain grinned evilly at the guy, his clear question pertaining more to a 'friendly spar' than his new boss. The fourth squad Captain, the most humble and elderly among the Captains smiled, resting his head on his hands as she kept his elbows on the desk and spoke quite bluntly to the boy. 'Very well, firstly we must have confirmation of your Bankai' the man gestured flippantly with his wrist, 'If you please'. Any normal kind of room wouldn't be able to cope, but each Captain's office, particularly the Captain Commander's had been kitted out specially by the 12th squad and depending on if the guy wanted to show of with any techniques the room would be able to withstand that of 5 Captain's Bankai release at once...supposedly.

The second squad Captain held up her palm though, to make sure the kid didn't act yet, 'That'll just be the start though kid, then you've got a spar to make sure your skills are up to standard'. The 12th squad Captain jurked forwards in his seat, sweeping another hair from his glasses as he spoke, 'Yes, then some questions and minor personality evalutions will be needed'. 'Ending with...a little surprise for our new Captain Commander' snarled the second squad Captain, the woman apparanately not warming to her new boss. Each Captain shuffled in their seats, the next part of the interview would be key, sheer power alone would not get the guy through, tact, wit and control would all be needed.

Kaito knew that his bankai would have to be showcased, but he hadn't expected that he would have to actually use it against a fellow shinigami; he hesitated slightly when the aged captain explained to him what would happen next. "Kaito...don't hesitate...remember...grasp everything within your will...no regrets as you move forward" his zanpakutou beseeched him. Hearing his zanpakuto's words of wisdom gave Kaito the motivation he needed to continued, "Tch...troublesome, troublesome...you guys are a troublesome bunch..." he complained with a smile on his face. "You wanna see a bankai? For confirmation sakes of course..." he muttered as he quickly unsheathed his chokuto and spun it expertly around in his right hand; reiatsu began to gather around both him and the blade itself. "I really didn't want to have to show anybody this, but..." he said as he lowered his head making it impossible to see his eyes, "Bankai!" he called out with his voice thick with reiatsu, "Asura Á Bao A Qu!" he finished.

A torrent of purple reiatsu enveloped Kaito and caused the room to quake around him ; the resulting burst of power from his zanpakuto sent several pieces of the offices whirling into the air. Forcing the power under his control he condensed the reiatsu so that it would be focused close to his body rather than wildly lashing out at the surroundings. After several moments of reiatsu tinted air, Kaito stepped out from a cloud of debris; his body encased with a familiar black skeletal armor, "Alright now who wanted to fight me?" he asked as each of the eyes turned to face the captains' direction.

All but one of the Captains kept a solemn look upon their face, ignoring as best they could the torrent of spirutual energy that had made the very foundations of the office quake. The 11th squad Captain smiled a wide grin, his dark black hair had been whistled backwards as the air corrupted in a thick purple energy, to meet such high energy each Captain raised their own spiritual energy. The 11th squad Captain rose slowly from his seat, a small scar over his left eye widening as the man began to laugh slowly at Kaito. 'Well, well, well, looks like our new Captain Commander does have some power then'. The tall, stocky man placed his left hand on the table before quickly leaping over it, rushing towards Kaito as he unsheathed his own weapon, slicing it down fast and hard against the guy's shoulder. The man was taller than Kaito; his large stature had only ever served to add to his already domineering appearance. Still, the ground was rustling as a pour of red spiritual energy exploded from the man, his blade becoming heavier and heavier as he pushed down harder on his initial strike. Kenpachi began to laugh under the pressure, 'Come on!' he yelled excitedly, his Captains haori still flapping wildly under the energy that had made the air in the room so thick, easily suffocating anyone of even a vice captain rank.

Kaito watched impassively as the man rushed towards him with his weapon already drawn, "That's some crazy reiatsu you have there...11th squad taichou..." he murmured just before his image disappeared. The slash broke the ground causing the polished wood of the room to fly into the air only snap into pieces so small that they became invisible to the naked eye. Soundlessly appearing behind the man Kaito quickly began to analyze the combat abilities of the man, "Geez...this guy is...Kenpachi?" he thought to himself. Taking a fighting stance, the young shinigami brought his bladed hands in front of him as he prepared for his own initial strike, "I will see how well he can keep up with me" he planned. Gathering his spirit power into his right foot, Kaito sprung forward at the captain; the world blurred by him as his image shot across the room. When he had finally closed in on the captain whose back was still turned towards him, he raised his left bladed hand and slashed down; he fueled his strike with an exuberant amount of reiatsu that gleaned evilly upon the crimson surface of the blade as it cut through the air towards the captain.

Kenpachi snarled silently when the kid moved, he hated chasing people for a damn fight. The tall man turned as soon as the kid disappeared, by which time, an attack was already imminent. Kenpachi ignored the attack, the crimson covered blade slicing through his skin with ease as the man chose an attack instead. Turning in one fluid movement the tall Captain shot his own blade at what he figured would be a weak point in the armor; at the elbow joint. With his free left hand the man grabbed a hold of his captains Haori and threw it backwards, torn clothing was useless to him. A steady stream of warm blood trickled down his chest, the torn parts of his shinigami robes even shaking under the pressure. Kenpachi smirked, 'It's been a long time since someone of your power's come across' he spoke in almost a laugh, inhaling heavily in the power enriched air that he reviled in so much. The man shrugged, talking so much was becoming a distraction. Flash stepping to behind his opponent the captain sent a roundhouse kick to Kaito's hip, the man's covered practically burning with his dark red reiatsu.

As Kaito had expected the man wasn't able to avoid getting struck by the attack, but then he realized all too late that the man hadn't tried to avoid his attack instead choosing to create an opening with his own body. The counterstrike struck at the elbow joint of his armor; with quick maneuver the surprised Kaito managed to flick the sword enough with his right blade so that it skidded harmlessly against the inner arm of his armor. Sparks crackled as the blade made its course against his bankai, "This guy..." Kaito thought when he noticed that the blood thirsty shinigami flash stepped behind him. With narrowed eyes, Kaito calmly pointed his blades toward the ground while infusing both of them with reiatsu as the kick slammed into his hip and sent him reeling towards the left. By the time he had been struck, the trap had already been set, "Sorry...11th squad captain" he called out as the reiatsu he had poured into the ground began to form mirrors that encased the two fighters in a dome, "That's the last time you will be able to strike me" he quipped. Kaito had taken a page out of the captain's book and used an attack to create an opening in which he could take advantage of. Without dawdling any longer than he needed to, the confident young man flash stepped into the nearest mirror, "Now...this will mark the end of our little sparring session" he said as several voices echoed the same statement.

To the captains that looked on at the bout before them, "You would do well to stop this match...he's lost...and I don't really want to have to continue, but I will since this guy is really strong" he explained. Waiting to see what would happen next Kaito watched the 11th squad captain; there was almost nothing the man could do at that point, at least that's what Kaito thought. He knew that when fighting against a Kenpachi, there was no way to possibly account for everything that could happen.

Kenpachi nodded at the man, 'Your good' There was something in his voice though, a look in his eye of something he was holding back. The man clenched his fist for a moment before sheathing back up his weapon, he glanced over his shoulder, shouting through the mirrors to the other Captains, 'Oi! The kid passes, but next time..' he turned to Kaito, his eyes aflame with anticipation as his already amazing spiritual pressure spiked, 'I get to use my Bankai'. The Captain glanced down his wound for a moment, nothing more than a mere scratch in his eyes. The tall man walked towards kaito, stopping right in front of the guy as he looked down at him for a moment, 'It's good to know a Captain Commander can hold his own' he smiled, a smile that was probably intended to be sincere, despite how crazed it came across.

'We'll move on when your ready Kaito'

Heaving a sigh of relief, Kaito smiled back at the battle hungry squad captain, "You sure are a handful...I'm glad that you're on my side" he said with an unwavering voice despite the man's impressive reiatsu. Releasing his technique, the pink tinted glass shattered around them as soon as Kaito stepped out of the mirror had been waiting in; the fragment sparkled beautifully as the sun light struck them on the way to the ground. At his command, the armor that had been covering Kaito dissipated into an acrid black smoke as he sheathed his zanpakutou, "In any case...I'm ready for the next part of the exam" he directed at the 12th squad captain who to his understanding would be handling that portion. Although he was speaking to the other captains, Kaito kept his gaze fixated upon the warrior in front of him; it had been a friendly match, but it would have been troublesome for him to let his guard down around the man. Flexing his spiritual energy, the shinigami made it clear that he had plenty of fight left should there be any more trouble.

The 11th squad Captain laughed down at Kaito, the kid seemed so damn anxious. Nevertheless the man smirked and flash stepped back into his seat. The 12th squad Captain leant forwards to look along for any objections from other Captains, pushing his glasses back up his nose for a moment before standing. 'Alright then Kaito please remove your Bankai now you won't be needing that anymore'. The man walked tentatively around his chair and over to Kaito, sweeping a few extra strands of brown hair from his face before speaking in a smarmy manner. 'Alright so just a few easy questions, please answer truthfully, and just to make sure you'll be under the inspection of our lovely 2nd squad Captain.'. The woman appeared almost instantly in front of kaito, gently nudging him backwards onto a chair she'd placed down in her flash step, leaning back against the desk with her arms folded as she nodded to the 12th Captain, 'Keep eyes on me'she said coldly to Kaito.

The 12th squad Captain grinned and stood at Kaito's left shoulder, quickly collecting a clipboard and pen as he spoke.
'Answer as quickly as possible please....
- Do you wish to help people?
- Did you become a shinigami to gain more power?
- Do you believe yourself strong enough to lead the Gotei 13?
- Do you like my haircut?' The man giggled gently after asking that question, he honestly wanted to know what the guy thought?
'-Will you seek more power after becoming our new Captain Commander?
-Will you take on this role...actively?
- Do you believe in justice?
- would you kill another shinigami?' The man kept his pen poised as he awaited answer, the stone glare of the second squad Captain was fixated on Kaito's responses; the first round of questions was over. Naturally, the first questions had little significance, but instead were designed to create the right atmosphere, and built a certain rapport with the 12th squad Captain.

Kaito sat down in the chair that the second squad captain had nudged him forcefully into, but he maintained his calm demeanor as he locked eyes with the emotionless woman before him. The 12th squad captain moved somewhere just out of his view, but he didn't bother to look away from the head of the Omnitskido; he knew from his experience with Ryouta that assassins were no strangers to combat. Taking a deep breath the shinigami prepared himself as the suspicious looking 12th squad captain rattled off several questions at once after beckoning him to answer quickly and truthfully. "These two are amongst my least favorite of all the captains..." he reminded himself as he paid attention not only to the questions, but to the slight facial reactions that the 2nd squad captain was unwittingly giving off. When the questions stopped ringing through the stiff air of the office Kaito began his answers, "It's troublesome, but I wish to bring peace to Sereitei. I only became a shinigami to attain the power to look for the answer to a question. Power itself means nothing to me" he stated. His crimson gaze never shifted from the woman's cold-hearted eyes as she searched his soul looking for any signs of dishonesty or deceit.

It was as if the two were playing a game in which one must mentally overwhelm the other; sighing Kaito hated playing games, but he didn't have much of a choice in the matter. "I don't like your haircut...its infuriating to be honest and I don't care if I am strong enough to lead the Gotei 13. I am doing this because my path has led me down this path...if you mean I have the ability to remove necessary obstacles then yes I think I do" he retorted allowing the meaning of his statement to sink into the captains' minds. "As I said before I will attain as much power as needed for my inner desires...Commander or not" he said as he leaned towards the 2nd squad captain, "I plan on serving the Gotei 13 as much I can...Justice is trivial and should the need arise...I will kill shinigami" he finished. His last words rang distastefully upon his lips; the lazy shinigami hated the idea of having to spill blood, but he would do so if necessary until he reached his goals. "I hope they are finished with these troublesome tests...my house is probably on fire by now..." he cried to himself.

The woman shrugged complacently at the answers, at least the guy had been honest, even if they hadn't been ideal. The 12th squad Captain was tending to his hair after Kaito's hurtful answer, 'Hmm, well lets continue'. The female Captain yawned lazily, she found this a hassle, much like most of the Captain's present. 'Again, answer immediately,
Do you work best:
-With deadlines
-Without deadlines
Do you consider yourself more:
-Rational
-Compassionate
Do you are more interested in:
-Ideas
-Facts?'. Just as the man opened his mouth to speak again so did the lovable 2nd Captain, standing back up straight before flash-stepping to behind the desk. 'This is ridiculous, the guy's clearly strong enough for the job and a capable leader, this is a waste of time'. It was becoming quite clear taht without the Captain Commander friction between each squad was growing, the woman glared deeply at the fourth squad captain, in all honestly, everyone agreed with her. The elderly man turned his head to the scientist; the quick nod that followed was enough of an answer.

Clearing his throat he rose from his seat, 'Very well, congratulations Kaito Saruwatari, on becoming the new Captain Commander of the Gotei 13, your initiation ceremony will be held tomorrow with an audience consisting of the entire Gotei 13'. The other Captains rose from their seats, shaking the hand of their new leader with various pats of congratulations and kind words. Kenoachi rose, his wound already stopped bleeding as he knocked the guy jokingly on his back, 'Nice to have ya with us' he grinned, passing over Kaito, his new Captains Haori.

"Tch..." Kaito muttered as the 11th squad captain struck him with a little more force than was intended; the haori fell over the tall youth's shoulders as if it were tailored to Kaito own physique. At that moment, Kaito felt the immense responsibility that he had just undertaken and groaned audibly so that everyone in the room heard his plight. "It can't be helped I guess...these people are like bickering children and they've just promoted me to their caretaker..." he sighed as he massaged his forehead with this index finger and thumb. The small intricate circles that he deftly made with his two fingers put him slightly more at ease than he had initially been, but he still wasn't sure how he would enjoy the promotion. Deciding not to worry about the details any longer the newly promoted Captain Commander stood tall as he addressed his troops for the first time, "Now, then. What is this ceremony that I'm going to have to do? It better not be troublesome for your sakes.." he threatened while purple flames of reiatsu engulfed his figure. While he interrogated the captains with his new level of influence he suddenly remembered another promotion that he had shared with someone.

He wondered where that small girl that had dragged him out of the academy was and he decided he would stop by the 11th squad to surprise when all was said and done, "That Kaiyo-san...well she's my friend...maybe Kaiyo-chan is more appropriate..." he mused.

The Captain's stood tall and proud, each gaze assessing their new leader. 'Strictly formality, you are in effect a very important figure to the Gotei 13, and as such you must be publicly known as our new Captain Commander.'. The 11th Squad Captain scratched the back of his head lazily, slouching before rubbing his pinky in his ear, 'So, ya mind if we hop off then Commander?'. The 10th squad Captain, who had up until this time remained silent took a short step forwards. The man in question was of average height, had short blonde hair and a rather square jaw, along with his stubble that remained only as an indicator to his once full beard. 'The Ceremony will begin at 8am' he smiled in a humbling tone.

Kaito's face remained unenthusiastic about everything the captain's had said to him, but he knew that there wasn't anything that he could do about the current situation as it was. "Alright...8am it is then...Captains dismissed" he muttered as he sauntered over to his new seat and plopped down with grunt; the cushion seemed to be made of memory foam, a human invention that Kaito had always found fascinating. Before long, Kaito's head fell back against the seat and his breathing relaxed as he recovered from the excitement for the day. He had taken his first action as the Captain Commander; he had fallen asleep at his desk.

An alarm went off the next morning at 7:50am, it had been ringing for over 30 minutes for the new Captain Commander to awake, but it was only at this point that he groggily rose from his slumber. Looking at the clock, the shinigami slammed the snooze button to find that it didn't have one and he cursed the 12th squad captain, "They already know too much...knowing that my first reaction would be to hit snooze.." he muttered disdainfully. Straightening out the white haori that cloaked his physique, Kaito stepped out onto the first squad barracks so that he could admire the view. It was enjoyable since from where he was standing he had an excellent view of all the Courtyard Squads, but something caught his eye as he saw a thin line of smoke arising from somewhere in the 3rd squad. "I wonder what's going on over there...." he pondered as the feeling of serenity still oozed through his being. It was then that he realized that his apartment must have been where the smoke was coming from, "Shit..." he thought as he smacked his head into his hand.

Grumbling Kaito turned away from the depressing view and flash stepped from the veranda that he had been viewing everything from, "Those damn captains are gonna reimburse me for everything...one way or another..." he griped. He was late to the designated area, but he didn't care since having all his things burned away in a fire made it very hard for him to be amiable. Waiting for what he was supposed to do Kaito stared into the sky above him, admiring the white clouds that seemed to float gracefully free from any responsibility.

The sun was high, the birds were singing and there was slight chill to the sweeping breeze that just served to wake up the shinigami assembled in the Main Courtyard. The new Captain Commander had been announced. Each squad had been arranged,all standing to attention with the Captains seated upon a small stage that had been arranged; and the Vice Captain's standing front and centre of their squad section.

The Royal guard were lined up around the event, even a few of the noble families had been invited along. The fourth squad Captain rose slowly from his seat on stage, the chair next to him left empty for Kaito. The man had showed up late, not that anyone would grumble. The fourth squad Captain cleared his throat gently from behind the podium, 'Thank you all for waiting. Many of you will have heard the rumours spouting around of our decision regarding the new Captain Commander, and we would like to put such rumours to rest today, with the presentation of our new Captain Commander. It is a time of change, and a time of uncertainty that had stricken the Gotei 13. Nevertheless, the honourable soul reapers that fight in our ranks do so dutifully and with a clear certainty, that they will be lead through such times. After the recent passing of our previous Captain Commander, we have spent many hours deliberating the next course of action. A gap in authority leads to a weak link, and as such we have chosen a new Captain Commander for the Gotei 13.' the elderly man turned to Kaito, who seemed to be more interested in the clouds than anything else. After a discrete, sharp whistle from the 2nd squad Captain to get the damn guys attention, the man gestured for Kaito to enter the stage. 'Now, a few words from the man himself'. The Captain sat down slowly back into his seat, the large masses of fighters watching and whispering as they awaited kaito to make his speech.

Kaito was still angry that his possessions had been burnt in the fire, but he somberly stood up to address the crowd, "Uh...well, hello Everyone. I'm the new Sou-Taichou...how that happened is beyond me..." he began as he cut a piercing glance towards the 4th squad captain. Rubbing his neck he sighed and continued the forced speech that he had no interest in giving, "This is the point...power is never absolute and neither is peace. These things are ideals that are fought for on a daily basis" he said as he allowed his hands to limply fall to his sides. "In times of change, uncertainty and fear is bred. I ask you today to combat against such doubts and move forward to a new age with fire in your hearts. This is why we shinigami have existed for so long...by resisting chaos we separate ourselves as protectors...as warriors...and as the last line of defense against evil...whatever that means" he grumbled in an undertone. Heaving a breath the young man drew his monologue to a close, "Devote yourselves not only to the Soul Society, but also to the ideals that emphasize the greatest features in you as a shinigami; loyalty, honor, dignity, valor...these are all things should decide to be a part of you. As your Sou-taichou...I will ensure the right decisions are made for Soul Society...you ensure the right decisions are made for you...Thank you" he finished. He dropped into a the seat next to the old man and heaved as sigh while throwing his hands behind his head. Closing his eyes Kaito whispered to the 4th squad captain, "I think I could get into this job...but if you tell anyone that I may actually have to kill you..." he assured the man before dozing off.

The man nodded briefly at Kaito, leaning closer to him as he moved to get up from his chair, 'Rest assured, your secret is safe with me, Sou-Taichou and a very nice speech i might add'. The event dragged on for another two hours, with each squad Captain reading their own statement of luck towards the new Captain Commander. It appeared also that the Gotei 13 had taken the opportunity to read out the various notices that occurred weekly in Soul Society. A few shinigami fainted, sadly most that did were from the 4th squad. Nevertheless the event came to an eventual close, with Kaito still asleep a quick stamp on his foot from the charming female captain probably woke the guy up. The squads were sent back to their barracks, the crowd muttering as rumours were already sweeping through the ranks of the new leader, the guy who wrestled a hollow with his bear hands, and who nearly got expelled from the shinigami academy.

The long event had been dull to say the least, but even then, there was one more task at had. The review of each squad was needed from the new Captain Commander, and so each Captain and Vice Captain had been sent to a conference room to battle it out over which squad deserved a higher budget and better missions. The room was rattling with a hype of repressed energy, as the squad representative's awaited the arrival of the Captain Commander; who'd been given a moment to find the conference room.

Kaito waltzed into the conference room and was greeted by the faces of many faces with a competitive look to them, "This doesn't look good...maybe I should just act assertive and I will get this over with quickly" he strategically planned. Taking a seat at the head of the table Kaito folded his hands into the sleeves of his haori, "What have we come to discuss at a time like this?" he asked. He hated the fact that he was suddenly dragged into a new world, but he knew this was also a meeting in which he would start his new set up. As Kaito had been sleeping during the ceremony, he came to realize that if he set up an independent system then he wouldn't have to run Soul Society to such a deep extent. Waiting for the responses of the people sitting at the conference table, Kaito formulated his own plans in hopes that it would lead to many long days of rest.

The 11th Captain spoke first, obviously immune to the slightly rash tone Kaito had addressed each squad with, 'Listen, we need more funds for our squad training exercises and fewer crap patrol missions, ya give that kind of lame mission back to the fourth squad' he grunted. The 12th was the next to jump in, sliding across a small pack of graphs and statistics to kaito, 'See our missions have one of the lowest failure rates, and the technology department actually needs the funds' . Kaiyo, the young Lieutenant unable to shut her mouth jumped in, 'Yeah but you keep killing your squad members, and 11th squad hasn't failed a single mission this year!' 'Neither has the second squad, except our members don't spend their remaining time in the infirmary!' snapped the second squad captain. The mesh of yelling soon followed. With each squad arguing and disputing the success rate of others. All for the sake of more money. In truth, Soul Society handled their equity very well, with each squad operating with enough money and success to be kept, the money had and always would be the minor issue. Missions were dependant on such a meeting, and each squad despised having patrol, escort and messanger missions. The 12th squad had a high succes rate, but their squad members were usually being killed off by the Captain, the 11th squad had an equally grand succes rate, but their members spent most of the time in the fourth squad being healed. The fourth squad were usually left with such minor missions, but with more combatant healers joining, the need for more challenging missions had arisen. The 2nd squad coped well with their missions, a high success rate for the risk of death by their own Captain if they failed was enough motivation, but the squad was always training, never fully responding to more urgent calls due to prior engagements.

In short, each squad wanted better missions, and had valid reasons for wanting so. The anarchy of tension and annoyance continued as the spiritual energy of the room spiked, a few of the weaker Lieutenants feeling the strain as they yelled across the large table to their enemy equivalent.

Kaito listened to arguments as he sat with his head leaning back against the comfortable chair that he sat in; he had been counting the number of lines in the ceiling while all the captains were arguing. Finally he became tired of the fluctuating spiritual energy in the room and he could tell the lower ranked officers present were having trouble coping. The Captain Commander had perked his ears at the sound of Kaiyo's voice, but she too was deeply entrenched in the squabble for more funds and better missions. "Maybe I'm not cut out for this job...staying a low ranked officer sounds nice. Especially when its quiet in your own home" he reflected, but then his face twisted darkly, "Too bad I don't have one to go back to" he remembered. Returning his focus to the argument, Kaito let out a frustrated sigh before pouring his reiatsu out into the room in hopes of gaining everyone's attention, "Shut up...this is going to be an orderly meeting. Anyone who speaks out of turn is going to receive an insurmountable amount of paperwork along with a good flogging" he threatened. His voice seemed to resonate as the purple tinted reiatsu burned lightly around his body; he was aware of that the lower ranking officials wouldn't be able to handle his pressure for long so he capped it off once he had finished. Standing up Kaito walked turned his back towards the captains in order to come up with a strategy to all their problems; in truth the arguments were all valid, but there was no way he could award them all what they wanted.

His lips curled up into a smile as a thought came into his head; rubbing his chin he turned back towards the group, "How about I start by saying any captain...or vice captains that kill their own squad members are fined?" he said as he glanced at both the 2nd squad captain and the 12th squad captain. Continuing he addressed the 11th squad captain, "Also if you want tougher missions and more funding that means you pay for every member that goes into the infirmary with your personal funds. As a captain you should always be able to harbor the responsibility of your members being injured" he explained. Resting his left hand on the table, the young man tried to fathom how he would divide the freed assets, "For now let's say that all squads will receive equal increases in funding. That coupled with your new found responsibilities should leave you with quite a bit of freedom to spend how you want" he guessed. A small glint flickered in his eye, "Also..." he began slowly as he stood at full height once again, "The Bureau of Research and Development is to report directly to me...that means all your findings 12 squad-san...I have a particular experiment in mind, but I will explain to you later" he finished.

"For now, that's how the system will be in terms of payment. Mission-wise will be as followed. Recon missions and anything remotely resembling missions of that sort will be handled in collaboration by the 2nd, 4th, and 12th squads" he explained. "Missions dealing with combat and hollow subjugation will be left solely to the 11th squad. 10th squad members should be on call for back up should a situation arise...as for missions of domestic protection I will sanction that the 1st, 8th, 9th, and 13th squads will be in charge of such roles" he said while tapping his chin. This was more trouble than he had wanted to deal with, but he knew that it was his duty so he had no choice, "The 2nd, 3rd, and 10th squads will handle vanguard missions and missions of capture. I will utilize the 3rd and 10th squad for missions I deem particularly important" he added while glancing again at the 2nd squad captain. "That being said...the Omnitskido is still going to be used for assassinations as well as having the responsibility of being the Punishment squad. 3rd squad will take over the interrogation aspects though and the 10th will serve as my special tasks force. Lastly, the 11th squad will be used on missions in which will feed into the 12th squads research, but that is only under my sanctions...so I don't want any personal favors being done" he scowled as intimidatingly as he could. Heaving a deep breath, the tall new Captain Commander dropped into the seat he had began in causing his haori to flutter about him as fell, "Now, I will listen to anybody's concerns...in an orderly fashion...If it gets to be a nuisance I may have the 11th squad captain kill that person...and if it's him" he paused dramatically as he closed his eyes "...I'll kill him" he finished.

The 11th squad captain smirked at the last comment, his own insurmountable reiatsu spiking, and damn near choking the Lieutenents in the room to death. The mission system also appeared fairly stable with almost every squad. There were however, much like most meetings of this type...issues. The 12th squad Captain stood first, the room had been silenced by the Captain Commander; and for the majority of the Lieutenants at least, they were mostly focusing on breathing through the spiritual pressure built up inside the room. The man smiled, adjusting his thin framed glasses before he spoke in a somewhat eerily jolly tone, 'Well Captain Commander, i'm not sure the 12th squad would be able to continually personally inform you of all of our ventures' he laughed with a fake brovado of a weak man, 'You see even myself i forget sometimes a few of our long term experiments' The man smiled, a clear mask of anger shimmering behind his words as he slowly sat back down in his seat, leaning across the table to the sou-taichou as he grinned, 'But we do thank you for the services of our very own brawn with little brain squad' he chuckled lightly as he leant backwards in his chair.

The 11th Captain turned slowly to the man, snarling angirly as he opened his mouth to speak, his hands already on the desk to be ready to lunge at the nerdy twirp of a Captain. 'We ain't servin your pewny squad members anything' he grunted; clenching his fists as he leant back. 'Omnitskido and the entire second squad are the Gotei 13's protection squad' the woman began in a bluntly angry tone, 'I doubt so much the 3rd squad could beat my guys in interrogation...but if you wanna take it to the test, try it out' the woman raised her voice, opening her arms with a grande gesture. 'Tch, hell half the Vice Captain's in this room couldn't withhold information for 10 seconds against me or my squad, and if the job needs to be done we, the second squad are trained specifically for it' The woman glared towards the twitchy thrid squad Lieutenant, her eyes darting along to the Captain and then other squad representatives before she slumped back into her chair.

The ever polite 10th sqaud Captain rose from his chair, turning to the Captain Commander with a small bow of respect, 'With all due respect Sou-Taichou, perhaps the squads who have issues with your ruling should stay behind, i have unfortunately a rather busy day today and i feel with leaders away too long our squads could reduce productivity for today. The 10th squad i assure you will be obliged to any ruling, within our current framework of business of course' he smiled sincerely, still standing as he awaited a response.