[IC] Squad 14

[RyuHll]

The young boy let out a sigh as he stood in the center of a large group of people. The other Shinigami had formed a circle around the small section of the training area, watching anxiously as the Captain stepped in to join the boy. He stood a full head shorter than the other, but he was already well proven. What he lacked in size, he made up for tenfold in renown.

Sasami Kazuho simply watched Captain Hitsugaya enter the stage set for them, dull eyes keeping track of his every move. He glanced up at Kyouraku, his mentor from the early days within the Gotei 13, and sighed again. He didn't really feel like fighting this Captain. The only reason he was was because the Captain Commander thought it was time already for him to have his own squad. What more, he wanted to make a squad for him? It was unheard of in recent times. He supposed he couldn't be that surprised, though. Given what had happened only a few centuries previously, this might have been longer than they should have waited.

Captain Hitsugaya gave a small nod to the boy. “I'm sorry for this, but you are still too young to become a Captain. Too inexperienced. I will show your inexperience here,” he stated.

Kazuho didn't answer. He simply bowed before drawing his blade. “Absolve, Kuroi Karite.” The only response that was given as the blade seemed to grow, turning into a large scythe, a black blade adorning the end. He slowly shifted into a stance, waiting for the match to begin.

As Kyouraku announced the start of the match, Kazuho shot forward. Hitsugaya drew his blade, blocking the first strike. But the boy had moved behind him already, twisting the blade away with his scythe. Hitsugaya followed him easily enough, turning his body with him, keeping him engaged. Kazuho had stepped back, swinging wide, but Hitsugaya swayed his head to the side, dodging it and moving in. The blow that followed was blocked just as easily by the scythe's hilt. The younger Shinigami was on the retreat now, blocking moves here and there.

However, after a few exchanges with no hits given, both backed off. Hitsugaya slid into his stance a little more deeply and smiled. “You're skilled. But I'll end this now,” he said. “Sit upon the frozen heavens, Hyorinmaru!”

Kazuho's mouth moved but no words came out as he watched Hitsugaya begin to swing. “Vanquish.” He swiped the scythe quickly and...Hitsugaya froze. There didn't seem to be any effect to his attack until...

Several cuts opened up along Hitsugaya's body. He cried out in pain as dozens of slashes tore open, rendering him motionless as he fell to the ground. The scythe slowly returned back to its former state, Kazuho sheathing the blade and turning to head back into the crowd, the Shinigami gathered having been shocked into silence by the quick and brutal victory. Kazuho had been spoken about from time to time as a new prodigy...but he had defeated Hitsugaya, a rather powerful Captain from as far back as the battle against the infamous traitor, Sosuke Aizen. Even among Captains, Toshiro Hitsugaya was a name to be respected.

Sasami Kazuho, however, had just defeated him with little more than a few scratches after their few exchanges.

[KiltmanBagz]

Among the crowd gathered to observe the shinigami slated to be Sasami's Assistant. Which only made sense given that they'd soon be an assistant Captain of a brand new squad. That this was being considered at all was an astonishing thing. Though many would say that it should have came much sooner given the some of the past events in their history. So here the third seat of the 14th squad sat, eagerly awaiting the fight to conclude and to get their promotion.

Assuming Sasami made captain. Which, while knowing next to nothing about the young man, Inari Abe figured he had about a 50/50 chance at getting it. It was hard to picture anyone defeating a captain, other than another captain; but since this Sasami person was being considered he was surely in that general power range. And from there, combat was a bit of a crap shoot really. Especially with the abilities each Zampakuto could have. Then again, the skill to outfight a strong ability was just a likely outcome at this level of power.

So like was mentioned earlier, the outcome was really a crap shoot. Though Inari was really crossing his figures. He rather liked he position as 3rd seat, but Inari rarely likely settle for anything less than being himself. And he knew that he had the power and skill to be a 2nd seat. Problem is, unless there is unexpected death, retirement, or betrayal; the likely hood of a seat opening up in the next couple centuries was highly unlikely. Death was rare among the Captain and their assistant class, traditionally speak. Recent history has shown them to be less than invincible as once thought, but even then all the captains (besides the vile betrayers) had lived. The same goes for the Assistants. They were second to the powerful captains for a reason after all. And most of them had at least as centuries worth of experience working beneath their captain. So unless someone retired or died it was always unlikely for an equally qualified person to be given a position. It had to be taken in most cases. As Kyoraku did now.

Inari wasn't really they type to take anyways. If he was to take a squad seat he'd want it to be in the 11th, as he loved fighting just about as much as anyone else in that squad did, though perhaps was a little more refined on a general level. Their were two big problems there though, 1) his Shinkai was in NO WAY physical, and 2) He wasn't sure he could manage to take the seat from the girl who had been under Kenpachi Zaraki's wing since she was a baby.

So this was his best shot in getting a 2nd seat in the next couple of centuries. Prodigy verses prodigy. Such claims were often over rated, which is why Hitsugaya clearly didn't go all out from the beginning and underestimated his foe. Which, while totally shocked by the swiftness and decisiveness of the victory, was perfectly all right with Inari. A 2nd seat he would be then. In the new 14th squad; The 'Hollow Guard' as the rumor mill had been calling them. After all, they would be stationed within Hecu Mundo itself.

[RyuHll]

Kazuho had stepped away from the battle, moving on past the gathered Shinigami, heading towards where the Captain Commander was positioned. Even as he moved, he heard the man's voice boom over the crowd. “As it has been witnessed, the victory goes to Sasami Kazuho. The new Captain of Squad 14.”

There were murmurs from around him. He knew the doubts. Squad 14, the “Hollow Guard,” was to be stationed in Hueco Mundo. It was a huge risk to the Shinigami involved. If there were ever an uprising, they would be alone against a horde of Hollows within their own domain. With the tentative peace they had with the Arrancar, though, there were hopes that Squad 14 would be little more than a diplomatic tool.

Either way, the danger was exactly why Kazuho had taken command of choosing his own squad. Kyouraku had offered one of his seated officers to become his vice captain originally. The boy, on the other hand, set out to investigate rumors instead. What he stumbled across was a lowly third seat, like himself, but one with the power to challenge a Vice Captain. He could tell from the few training drills and spars he had seen.

With that decision made, Kazuho had sent notice to Abe Inari with instructions to be present for the match against Hitsugaya. With this done, Inari had instructions to meet with him and the Captain Commander to discuss the new future the two of them had in store.

As Kazuho made it to Kyouraku's meeting chamber, he bowed to the man slightly before moving to take a seat at the table. It was a large table, six seats on either side with one at the head for the Captain Commander. He knew this set up would change with the fourteenth squad being introduced. “You did well today, Kazuho-kun,” Kyouraku commended him.

Kazuho gave a simple nod. “Thank you, sir. Hitsugaya-sama went easy on me, though,” he mentioned. “It may have gone differently otherwise. He didn't realize how powerful I really was.”

“Well, regardless, you are now Captain of Squad 14,” the Commander continued kindly with a big grin on his face. “Now, where is that Vice Captain of your's? I look forward to seeing the one you chose for such an honor.”

“He should be here shortly,” the boy responded. “I requested his presence here once the match had concluded.”

[KiltmanBagz]

Inari took a moment to compose himself before entering the meeting chamber. He had ran back to his living quarters at the 10th squad barracks. He was taking a moment to change and compose himself. Even if he had been talented, he was but a mere third seat. His family may have blue blood, but it was still on the cheap side compared to some of those who made the ranks of the shinigami. So getting an audience with the captain commander was something he'd like to look presentable for. He may never have liked all that kind of stuff when he was doing it for his family but that was just the thing Inari was the type to do something for himself. And he did understand how important first impressions would be.

As a second seater, there may be times where he would have to stand in for his captain at meetings. Either way, he was part of the inner most circle of elite shinigami. On paper he was a equal to half of them. Plus, he figured better to try to make a good impression on the boy that was to be his captain. He didn't know how he felt about having a captain that was younger than him...At least he was fairly sure he was younger, in many ways he still looked like a boy to Inari...

Regardless, he would likely be working under him for a while. A captain and their second could work together for many centuries, if not their entire shinigami career. And while Inari didn't know if he had aspirations to become a captain, this was partly because He was a one step at a time kind of person. Perhaps now that he had taken this next step up the ladder he'd like the view enough to stay. Perhaps he would be tempted to climb higher still. Only time would tell.

Now, dressed in a more fresh shinigami uniform, and slightly more put together than he sometimes bothered to do, the slender young shinigami entered the meeting room. He bowed respectfully to the pair. "I apologies for my tardiness. Abe Inari reporting for duty."

[RyuHll]

Kazuho gave a small nod to his new Vice Captain. “At ease, Inari-san,” the boy said, sliding his chair out to stand. “It's a pleasure to finally meet you formally.” He held his hand out to the chair across from him, offering the other man a seat.

Kyouraku smiled a bit at seeing the new Shinigami. “Inari-kun, I have heard great things about your work,” he stated. The two had never met, but it was clear that Kazuho had at least known about him. “It's rare for a Captain to handpick his Vice Captain. It seems Kazuho-kun has great hopes for you.”

For his part, the boy just shook his head. “We'll see how things go once our squad begins our duty.” Returning to his seat, he tapped the table lightly, looking to his Vice Captain. “Getting right to the point, though, this meeting is to establish our squad. As things stand, I was chosen as Captain and you are chosen as Vice Captain. We have no other members. I have been given permission to select a group of elites evenly from the Gotei 13, with the exception of other Vice Captains and Captains themselves. Along with that, we should get to know each other better since we will be running this group together.”

He leaned back in his seat, placing down a folder, full of papers. “To begin, I want our group to be small, but elite. We have no need for a lot of Shinigami. Just enough to keep the peace within Hueco Mundo. We will pick three from each squad of the Gotei 13. That gives us 39 Shinigami to assist us in our mission. After that, we will recruit normally as each of the other squads do.” It was a fair number. No squad would miss three members. However, for a squad to be made up of only 41 Shinigami was almost suicide, especially with the mission they were given.

It seemed the new Captain had no concern for that, though.

“I have files on several Shinigami that I've had an eye on, enough to give us a selection in each squad. I want your input, though. As my Vice Captain, I will take your recommendation into consideration and give it priority in my choices. You're a strong warriors who deserves the rank of Vice Captain even if you never had a chance to attain it. I trust your ability to spot others in that same position. Do you have any recommendations?”

[KiltmanBagz]

Inari took the seat and as gestured. Kazuho seemed okay enough as it was. Personally Inari still found it weird that someone he had never met chose him as an assistant, but why challenge his good fortune to get the promotion he was aiming for, regardless of where it came from. While seated, Inari gave Kyouraku a polite bow as the compliment was paid to him.

"You are to kind Captain Commander. I'll do my best to live up to the expectations set for me." Though Inari did note that the person that actually choose him as the vice captain was seemed more apprehensive. While he found this a bit annoying, for the most part it seemed understandable. Forming a new squad had never been done, much less one with so dangerous a duty.

Inari wasn't sure how he felt about the captains plan, working out his feelings aloud. "So small a squad. Though...I guess a tight concentration of wolves will keep opportunistic hollows away better than a dense pen of sheep." Though, he thought, there was the chances so small a group would be seen vulnerable regardless of power level. But their job, more than anything, was a first response unit. Keep things stable in Heco Mundo and deal with the seeds of threats before they blossomed into something more deadly. A more mobile, evenly skilled squad would be better than the bulky masses and filler units among the traditional 13. "Still, doesn't give us much back up if things go to hell..." Inari pointed out, not that he really believed minds would change. He just wasn't the sort to keep thoughts like that to himself.

The new vice captain gave a pleased smile to the question given to him. An insightful thing to ask and take into consideration. Perhaps the Captain knew what he was doing after all. "I may have a couple. There are several in my sparing circle that I'd think would be valuable assets." His pleased smile going form pleased to wry as he added "Though, I'm not sure all of them would quite qualify as vice captain seats, they are all mostly in that general range."

"Kiso Nanasei; I'd perhaps recommend her for 3rd seat, unless you have someone suitable more powerful in mind for that. A fellow elemental zanpakto user and probable my closest rivel among the circle I play with. You could say she is the Fujin to my Raijin." Inari laughed a little "Plus, it would just make her so mad that I made Vice Captain first ontop of being placed under me."

"Taki Kusamori is grizzly bear of a shinigami. His shinkai isn't anything to special but it packs a great deal of brute force. Has great discipline, and is good at enforcing it on others. Probable a good tool for bringing along to keep out unseated grunts in line. Especially since they'll be thrown together from various squads. He should be enough of a drill sergeant to keep old rivalries from getting in the way."

Inari wrinkled his nose in a decidedly un-manly way "Sai Setsuna....I find the young man to be rather distasteful. But he's rather wicked with a blade. Given another half a centuries or so and he could prove to be among the top swords men in the whole 13....well...14 I guess now. There are maybe a hand full of others, but I'll leave it to those three for now and submit the rest for your review in writing so I don't bore you and Captain Commander to death with the details. They are the three I would most want at my side when the road gets rough."

[RyuHll]

Kazuho listened quietly for a few moments before nodding. “Then those three will be considered first,” he stated, reaching into his robes to produce another stack of folders. He pulled out three folders and sifted through for a single piece of paper each. It seemed he had been considering those three before Inari had even mentioned it. “First off, Kiso Nanasei.” He slid one of the papers to Inari. “Fifth seat of the Ninth Division. She could easily be a candidate for Vice Captain if not for the same unlucky streak you've had. Though, from what I understand, it'd be a fight between you two for who is better. Of course, I've done my research. You've got the better mind for Vice Captain. She's a smart fighter, but that's not what I was looking for in a Vice Captain.”

The boy stopped at that, looking down at the sheet before him. Tapping the paper, he looked to Inari. “I believe you will be a better choice to unite our ragtag group. Third seat is a good position for her role in this organization.” He offered a small smile, the first Inari had seen since starting this meeting. “Besides, rivalry could prove good for you. Don't want you to get comfortable just because you made it to Vice Captain.”

Sliding the paper to the side, he pushed the next one forth. “Taki Kusamori. Eighth seat of the Eleventh Division. A powerful fighter, indeed,” he commented. “Some of the selections I've made are less like fighters and more like supporters. I can't have a group of supporters, though. If they get separated from the fighters, we will need them to hold their own. He would do well to help further their training. He will also doubtlessly be a man we can rely on to hold the front if need be. He truly lives up to Kenpachi-sama's legacy. Fifth seat.”

Kazuho slid the paper to the side. “Lastly, Sai Setsuna. Sixth seat of the Sixth Division. I believe their division is known for being the 'model' Shinigami. Before I go on to rate him, tell me. What about him is so undesirable? I can only gauge his power and usefulness. I would like to know how he will interact with our team.”

[KiltmanBagz]

"Don't let Kiso hear you say it'd be that close between us, or she'll bug you every day for my seat." Inari warned in a pleased tone. Raising an eyebrow at his comment about how he didn't want him to get stale in the new seat. "Oh? Be careful how much you motivate me captain, or you may be losing me as an assistant for my own captain seat one day." Inari nodded his head at the statement about how Taki would be good at rounding out their unsteadied forces and keeping them in shape. "Yes, I think that's a fair seat for him. If 11th had more appreciation for the kind of discipline he could bring he'd likely have been made a higher seat long ago.

Inari folded his arms and closed his eyes when asked about Sai. Humming a bit in thought, the young shinigami began tapping his foot as if restless. Seemed thinking to deeply about Sai managed to agitate him a little. "I don't think he'd be a problem, or disruptive. As I said before Captain, I would have absolute faith in him where he at my back in battle. He just..." Inari gestured frustrated with a hand as if swatting a fly no one could see, trying desperately to put the feeling into words. "He just has this look about him that gets under my skin. I think he realizes how good he is, but he isn't exactly vocal or anything about it. Not so much arrogant, but...Smug. I guess you'd say. I think that's the best word for it. I don't care for that in a man. It's a most annoying trait."

"Little jerk gets a little closer to besting me each time we spar. Going to get to the point where I can't beat him in pure sword play in a few more years. If he had more spirit power, or more refined control of what he already had, he'd probable cut that time in half. I think he knows it, and just...the look he gets on his face after I pound him into the dirt is just too darn pleased with himself." Once more Inari wrinkled his nose "No one should look that pleased to have lost. Just isn't proper. How is the winner supposed to feel good about winning?"

[RyuHll]

The boy bowed his head, thinking over what he had heard. Then he gave a nod. “Fourth seat,” Kazuho stated. “He gets better with each bout, it'll give you both something to stay ahead of.” Sliding the papers to the side, he left them in three separate piles, separating them by division. “Our first five seats are filled. I trust these three will be allowed?” He glanced towards the Captain Commander at the question.

Kyouraku, who had stayed quiet during the discussion, offered a nod. “Yes. Anything below the second seat is fair game to you two. A Captain and Vice Captain have a special bond, I like to think. It'd do poorly to separate them for this new squad,” he explained. “I'll make sure the ones chosen are accepted in the transfer.”

“Thank you, sir,” Kazuho responded, bowing his head to the man before turning back to Inari. “Then we continue. My suggestions come from the Second and Fourth Division. First is Masaru Saido of the Second Division. I believe he is part of the special ops under the direct command of the Captain of the Second Division. His skills could be invaluable, though. Fourth Division, I request both Shinosuke Aya and Sanaru Sei. Both have exceptional abilities when it comes to the healing arts. With where we are stationed, I believe they would be extraordinarily useful.”

The Captain Commander could only raise an eyebrow at this, looking concerned now. “An Onmitsukido specialist and two high ranking Fourth Division Shinigami? Kazuho-kun, I know I give you free reign past the Vice Captain seat, but even you must realize what you're doing here.”

“We will be in enemy territory, for all intensive purposes, sir,” Kazuho responded respectfully. “A specialist who can gather information and has the ruthless resolve to finish the mission at whatever cost will be helpful to our cause. Along with that, the abilities of Aya and Sei are well known. Aya is one of the only Fourth Division members who is both gifted in the healing arts as well as lethal with those same arts. Sei has a special control to him that makes him invaluable on our healing squad. We will only have three healers, going with the format we set for Division 14. If we're only to have three for 41 people, I want them to be exceptionally talented.”

At that logic, the Captain Commander could only sigh and offered a brief nod. He'd have to try and figure a way to explain this to the Captains, but Kazuho raised good points. Despite his youth and some of the odd ways he was going about it, he seemed to have a handle on what was needed for them to work efficiently. “Inari-san, any input on these three?”

[KiltmanBagz]

Inari blinked at names and skills associated with those shinigami. He was starting to comprehend what his captain planed on doing. He was, for lack of a better descriptor, trying to make squad 14 as self-sustainable as possible. Which made sense. Travel between Heco Mundo and the Soul Society was perfectly possible, but wasn't exactly the fastest or easiest thing to achieve. In any job as a shinigami there would be moments were time was of the essence. They would need to be able to handle as many of their issues on their own as possible, as the satellite squad, having to send a wounded shinigami all the way back to the main headquarters for a non-threatening but debilitating wound would put a serious drag on their time and resources. Still, it was a radical idea and one that had never been attempted before as far as he knew. But if it worked out, if squad 14 managed to survive and grow, it become a mirror of the other 13 squads...if one a smaller scale.

"I have no objections to those choices captain." Inari replied after some thought "Though for your third member of the fourth division, I suggest picking up a 'work horse' type. Someone that can do a lot of work and do it fast, even if it isn't exactly clean or pretty. Having someone to close up those life threatening, but simple gashes front liners tend to get while the others do more delicate, complicated, or time consuming work is a good way to keep our men from bleeding to death."

"The rest of my picks would mostly make good squad members, but not really seated people. Hard workers and fare in combat...if not exactly destined for greatness, they will be dependable. Though I would suggest Raki Sopaku from 12th as...perhaps our 10th seat. She is unseated among them as of the moment, mostly because while she has a sharp mind she isn't exactly the most diligent worker when it comes to research. But I suspect that wouldn't be a problem with what our squad will be up to. Her kido is almost good enough for her to be seated among the Kido Corps. Her stamina is perhaps a bit low for the seat, She can't do many big spells back to back, but she is still young and has room to grow." Inari gave a little shiver "Her shinkai is a bit...creepy in nature, but formidable in its own way. I think it's a fair spot for her and a great insitive for her to try harder and grow."

[RyuHll]

Kazuho offered a nod, smiling a bit. He was starting to figure things out. He could tell. If this group went as well as it was supposed to, they might just be able to survive in what is most commonly known as the most treacherous areas in the realm. “Very good. Tenth seat it is. As for the three...Saido will be placed at ninth seat, tenuously. As the only specialist on our team, he'll be working closely with me for special missions. So, he's ninth seat, but he'll be working closely with us as our very own Onmitsukido. His skill ranks him higher, but his purpose keeps him lower on the scale.”

He tapped the other two forms. “Sei is an impressive healer. I want him at eighth seat. He's definitely one of the best healers we can ask for in terms of quick wounds. He can also gather the reiatsu for larger wounds. A very special Shinigami in terms of reiatsu and his abilities.” He and the Captain Commander shared a look, seeming to know more about it than they were letting on. However, he immediately went back to his task. “Aya will be sixth seat. She is an exceptional fighter, even with her healing arts. In fact, she's one of the first to use these healing arts to enhance her fighting. She is worth at least sixth seat. Acceptable?”

Once that was done, he slid a few of the packets towards Inari. “The seventh seat will be left open. I have a spot saved, but I need to...arrange it. Other than that, let's keep going with our recruits. None of these will really be seated. We can order them, but the top ten is going to be the real backbone for this division. Sound fair?”

[KiltmanBagz]

Inari nodded in response. Taking a moment to weigh and test the dynamic of the top 10 seats in her head. Normal, in most squads at least, their were 20 seated members, though with a squad their size that would result in half of their numbers being seated. It would definitely be a case of to many generals, not enough soldiers. So only 10 seated members, each with a heavy burden to bare in terms of responsibility and goals. This would be a definite stress test on those in the seats. But, as far as he could tell, they were all chosen and place wisely. And if not, they'd all die anyways. They had no room for weakness or indecision if they were to survive this. "Sounds fair over all Captain Kazuho."

With a crack of his wrist, a bad habit of his he rose from his seat. "While part of me wishes we had time to really test the structure of this group before we establish our selves in Hecu Mundo, I do understand if we don't have that kind of time. If you and captain commander would excuse me, I have things to start packing and matters to arrange. I trust you to pick wisely for the rest of our squad. You clearly had a lot more time to think on this than I." Inari bowed to the two of them and adding before leaving "I'm sure you know how to find me should you need me captain."

With that, Abe Inari went to start packing up his barracks quarters. He would also have to send word to his family, let them know what was going on. They'd want to know so they could use the information to rise up the social ladder another peg. Oh, he was sure his brother and sister would be happy for him in a more genuine sense, but his parents would be a bit more interested in that a vice captain came from the Abe family blood line.

[RyuHll]

Kazuho offered a brief smile and a small nod. “Of course. We will leave at dawn tomorrow,” the boy stated, standing with Inari. “Though, I would like you to know, I did not have the time you think I did. We finalized these plans just yesterday when the fight was announced. Quite suddenly as well, as is the Captain Commander's style. However, I am glad to be thrown into this situation with a capable Vice Captain such as yourself.” He offered his hand to his new partner, waiting for him to take it in turn. “I will see you tomorrow unless other matters cause me to call on you.”

Once it was done and his Inari left, he turned his attention back to the Captain Commander who just smiled up at him. “I understand what you're doing now. Is it a wise choice, though? While they are alike in one way, it doesn't mean they are compatible as a team,” he advised.

“If they are alike in that one way, they'll know the important on teamwork here. More importantly, they'll learn to fight without a team,” Kazuho explained in response. “It'll be needed where we'll be stationed. You know that as well as I do.”

The Captain Commander only gave a nod, standing to follow the new Captain out. They still had a few matters to attend to before they could call it a day.