[IC] Bleach: Ghosts

[Everblight]

Bleach: Ghosts

---

Gorou Nobunaga, the lost Shinigami

Almost a millennium ago Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni was to be placed at the head of Squad one, to become the Captain Commander of the thirteen court guard squads. The appointment was to the surprise of no one and it was predicted by many that he would become one of the most powerful men to ever sit atop the Seireitei. Become. It was only said because he was not yet the most powerful, because there was another. Gorou Nobunaga. The man was infamous, his power had become legend as would the captain commanders. Nobunaga however powerful he might have been, was not approached for the position of Captain commander for he was deemed an 'unstable entity'. The members of central 46 did not trust him from the beginning but the reason they did not act was due to his volatile nature, and a man with that much power and such short a fuse would not take kindly to the sanctions central 46 would have placed upon him.
Their worries were about to be put to rest however. The ceremony was complete and the newly christened captain commander Yamamoto was to give his first edict as the head of the Gotei squads. To strip the rank and status of the Shinigami Gorou Nobunaga, to imprison him. Stares of surprise and concern were seen on almost every face in the crowd, but once face was still, calm. Nobunaga himself took his sword from his side, he stepped towards the Captain commander as the surrounding Captains prepared to draw in anticipation of the fight that would ensue Yamamoto's order. Nobunaga did not draw however, he fell to one knee and raised his sheathed sword to Yamamoto, "So be it" he said before he was escorted from Sokyoko hill.

The news spread in moments and whilst the majority were in favor of the mans imprisonment a particular minority was not. Nobunaga's squad. After fighting tooth and nail with the central 46 they were brought to their knees in reluctance, they could not do a thing, they could not save their beloved Captain. Soon after several members of Nobunaga's squad disappeared from the Seireitei, and after searches were unsuccessful it was clear they were not even in soul society.

Jakakumei (邪革命 – wordplay meaning ‘revolution of vengeful ghosts’) are a group of rogue Shinigami who are called “The Jacks” by locals. They are known for their stealthy demeanor and wearing masks. Although their members are not regulated strictly in regards to uniform, they are all required to wear a blue robe and carry a personal mask.

The Jakakumei were formed after the imprisonment of Gorou Nobunaga, a former captain of the Gotei 13, by captain Yamamoto himself. His squad put up resistance to the act, but eventually had to flee from Seireitei. These Shinigami and their descendants are the members of Jakakumei, and now call the Rukon-district their home.

Yesterday - Karakura Town

"Ahhh this sucks, why are we always the ones who have to check out any and all weird readings in the human world?! Nothing ever actually turns up..." The Shinigami turned to view his compatriot arms crossed,
"Oh be quiet you fool! your distracting me! Captain Kurosutchi wants this abnormality documented and checked" He turned back to his work mumbling under his breath the curses of squad eleven attention spans. "Hmm. That's peculiar." The Shinigami took to his feet as he inspected the readings he was given. Pointing his device to the sky and turning in a circle as if trying to get signal his brow lowered as he began to pinpoint the readings location. "It's...It's right about..." his expression turned from confusion to curiosity as he looked to a rooftop not far from the pair atop which a silhouetted man stood, his robes waving in the thin breeze.
"Hey, Kouta." pointing towards the figure he gained the attention of the squad eleven member. "It's him, these readings are coming off him."

"Finally! something interesting, stand back Iro." The Shinigami whipped his Zanpakuto from it's sheath holding it out to his side. "Come and get..." he roared in the typical fashion of squad eleven, but before he finished his taunt the man atop the building blurred and dissipated, and in a split second a blade crossed his neck and split his skin apart.
The scientist tasked with gathering information on the strange readings was faced with the terrifying answer. Time slowed as fear crept into his psyche, a man stood before him, a white mask not dissimilar to a Hollow covered his face, Blue robes still fluttering in the wind as the decapitated head of his guard fell from his neck.

"What squad are you." Asked the masked man as he rested his sword on his shoulder. The underling of Captain Kurosutchi could hardly draw breath let alone answer the killers question. "I suppose it doesn't really matter, run back to your captain Shinigami! And tell him the Jakakumei are knocking at the door of Seireitei." and with his order several other people flashed into view behind him, all wearing the distinct blue robes and masks.
Iro turn tailed and ran as quickly as he could from the unknown assailants, he would tell his captain who would in turn tell the Captain commander and although he was too frightened to realize it just yet, Iro was about to deliver the message to start a war.

Present Day - Seireitei

"And so begins the Captains emergency meeting!" Head Captain Yamamoto stamped his staff and his authority over the nine other figures in the room. "Captain Kurosutchi. Please tell the other Captains of the events that took place yesterday." The slight, bony and strange character that was Mayuri stepped out from the rank of Captains to address the room. "Yesterday I sent one of my squad members in an attempt to collect data on some strange fluctuations I have noticed in the human world. He was issued with a barbarian of squad eleven as protection" his eyes darted to the man-mountain Kenpachi Zaraki whose expression did not change. "During this task the two men happened upon an assailant. He decapitated the squad eleven braggart and sent my subject back to soul society with intention the news would reach us."

"Pff, let me go find him, guy sounds like he has balls" exclaimed Kenpachi.
"They call themselves the Jakakumei, and they are not to be taken lightly judging by the readings we received." continued Mayuri. Captain Hitsugaya was next to step forward to question the research and development captain. "How many were they?" The young Captain asked.
"We do not know, but my Shinigami believes he saw four maybe five more once his guard was killed.

The Captain commander stamped his staff on the wooden floor once more. "Captain Byakuya and captain Hitsugaya, you will send your lieutenants to the human world in an attempt to make contact with this group and to find their intentions. We will not stand by as Shinigami of the Gotei thirteen are slain!"

[Red Fox]

" It seems it begun, Tsukuyomi. We should go. "

The sudden disappearance of a Spiritual Pressure could not be ignored by Akira who was in a state of deep meditation. and was thus more attuned to sensing it. It was not one he was familiar with, so that could only mean that the Soul Society had located them. Placing his mask on his face as he stood up, gripping his Zanpakuto and attaching it to the scabbard holder on his right knee. The unique way in which he wore his robe allowed him to quickly draw his sword in any situation, though he was sure there would be no need for it this time. Though, it may be one of the last times when it will not be necessary. Looking towards where the Spiritual Pressure just disappeared, he felt several others appear - and all of them familiar ones. Nodding to himself, he made the leap as well.

He arrived to the scene a second later. He saw one decapitated Shinigami and one on the verge of fleeing the scene with a message from the Jakakumei. He intercepted only the last words, but it was clean even to him that this mean war. If not outright war, it would certainly lead to an escalation of tensions between their group that was able to hide until now and Soul Society. The fleeing Shinigami disappeared from their sights and silence fell over their rather small group. Everybody was watching the horizon or they appeared to do so. Akira got quickly lost on his thoughts - from the day their beloved Captain was imprisoned, he was sure it was the wrong thing to be done. His strong conviction in his belief was the only thing that prevented him from losing contact with his Zanpakuto, and the exact opposite actually happened - he advanced even deeper into its mastery. He believed Gorou should be freed, and he dedicated himself to this cause. Seeing nobody wanted to speak, Akira decided to break the silence.

" My, my. You certainly have a knack for doing things in a way they will start even bigger things, Hideyoshi. Your way of delivering this message is just ... so ... headless." He spoke in a calm, kind tone that was in a harsh contrast with the scene before them. " Well, never mind. I think your message was clear. Soul Society is sure to investigate this matter, so all of you will rather be prepared." Another slight pause during which he took a slow look at the other ones present.

" What will we do now, Hideyoshi?"

[Derren Krenshaw]

One of the figures stepped forward as the shinigami fled, poking the headless corpse before them with a sandaled foot. Like the rest, a blue robe adorned her form, her mask white save for a line of deep blue that split it down the middle, ending in a pair of painted lips. An unfinished sword hung loosely in the white sash about her waist, bearing no handle, wrapping, or decoration, only a silver tassel that wound up to her shoulder, joining the metallic wrappings that bound her entire left arm.

"Soul society will investigate sure, but Hideyoshi didn't even let him finish his sentence. What if he had something important to say?"

She looked back towards her squadmates as she spoke, left hand pointing absently towards the body. With a quiet breath of power, her wrappings briefly glowed a soft, silver-white, flames igniting the body's robe as the light faded.

"Though I guess if he was that weak, he probably didn't, did he?"

Shrugging, Yui Togame looked back down at the now-burning body, idly watching the flames through her mask. She whispered a silent prayer for the shinigami there on the roof, apologizing that he was unlucky enough to have been the one to come here. He likely knew nothing of why Jakakumei were moving, likely hadn't even known they existed. Wrong place, wrong time, and it had cost him his life.

Of course, if he had been stronger, he might have survived. She tried to leave that part out of the prayer, though.

Respects paid, she looked to the sky, dark eyes scanning the air for... anything at all. Her left arm itched under its wrappings, eager to wield her sword, as her gaze was eager to find someone to wield it against. She waited there, watching above for the shinigami they let live to come back with an army and challenge them. She waited, and after roughly seven seconds, she was bored.

"So," She turned back to her squadmates, grin unseen, but very much there. "Anyone up for some fun while we wait? Quick race around the town, brief spar..." She looked down at the burning figure nearby. "...S'mores?"

[Dizzmcd]

Another of the group stepped into the fray. "You didn't have to do that!" A quivering young man stood at the back of the group, his arms crossed in a subconscious attempt to protect himself from the vile people around him. His blue robe swirled in the wind, swallowing his scrawny build of a body. In his crossed arms he tightly clutched Kessho, his bastard sword zanpaku-to, the only thing he trusted in after finding out about his family's history. He wore a white raccoon face mask with a black band over the eyes. Through those black eye holes he saw an innocent man go up in flames. Sin looked down at the ground and caught a glimpse of his mother's Haori under his blue robe.
"I mean, you could have just left him alone...H-.....He was already dead!"
Sin Nguyen uncrossed his arms, held Kessho horizontally in front of him, and gave a quick strike to the sharp side of the blade with his hand. "Be Broken!" His blade cracked and crumbled, leaving only the hilt while, at the tip, a black liquid seemed to form. Sin gave his wrist a twist and a drop was sent to the burning body. There formed a cone of black glass. "You shouldn't mess with someone's body like that. Its disrespectful." he softly spoke as the glass smothered out the flames. His demeanor was calmer now, more focused.

[Hansa]

The air was warm and compact under the mask. In fact, he hated his mask. Don’t get it wrong, Akio understood why the Jakakumei used them. It would be troublesome if their former comrades recognized them, even if it was over twenty years since they last met. The problem was that masks were so cramped and uncompliant. Like putting a wooden plate on your face. As the Shinigami before them disappeared though, Akio at once took the damn mask off. A quick gasp for air, and he was fine.

Akira started teasing Hideyoshi-san, something which Ubauchi Akio wanted no part in. Such a fearsome man, he wouldn’t want to get on his bad side. Not before, not now, not ever. The way Yui joked about the situation, though, put a smile on his face. She was certainly the type to pay the dead some respect, even though this was the enemy. A cremation was probably the best in this case anyway, so he nodded at her gesture. Not that Akio was the kind to care for the faith of the dead, but it was reassuring that they had someone like that in the group. A member of the group that was not so reassuring, though, was about to make a statement.

A gust of reiatsu hit Akio in the back, and as he turned, he saw Sin – the little protégé that was picked up some years ago – with a frustrated expression. He had released his Zanpakuto and was about to challenge Yui on the grounds of her… what exactly? Akio had no idea, but this was just too idiotic to let it go.

“Fucking idiot, seal your sword and stop being a moron” Akio said and gave him a nudge in the shoulder. “If you stop now, maybe people will forget it” he whispered. Sin Nguyen was a lot greener than the rest of the gang, and had obviously misunderstood this whole thing. Why he was mad at Yui for burning a body, but had come to terms with Hideyoshi decapitating a man unprovoked, was probably a complete mystery to anyone.

Finally, Akio turned to Yui with a slight smile. “I could eat some s’mores…”

[Everblight]

"Though I guess if he was that weak, he probably didn't, did he?" mused Yui. "I doubt he was even seated" replied Hideyoshi as he turned from the decapitated body and began to walk away.
"What will we do now, Hideyoshi?" inquired Akira before he could take more than four steps. "Soul society won't ignore this. They will soon send someone to investigate." His words slightly echoed inside the mask that covered his face giving him a ghostly tinge to his voice. Crouching down Hideyoshi closed his eyes and privately regretted killing a man he knew was purely collateral damage. It was not his intention to reek retribution on all members of the Gotei thirteen. No, Hideyoshi only had one man in his sights and he would not stop until he regretted his actions.

“Fucking idiot, seal your sword and stop being a moron” Hideyoshi turned back to the arguing Jakakumei, Sin always had an innocent look on the world. Wanting to treat everyone with respect, even his enemies. It was times like these that Hideyoshi reluctantly questioned sin's capability of seeing this chapter of their lives through, Yui, Ubauchi, both were the kind of characters that could deal with death and all the feelings war provoked. It would be interesting to watch the Utopian dream drain from Sin as he was exposed to the tasks ahead.

“I could eat some s’mores…” Jested Ubauchi in response to Yui and her joke, but Hideyoshi was eager to leave. He didn't want to stay by the slain Shinigami, only to be constantly reminded of what laid ahead.
"Don't joke Yui" In truth Hideyoshi was always happy to have someone around that could relieve the tension, but he didn't want the death of a man to become a joke. We should leave." Hideyoshi was envious seeing Ubauchi unmasked and free from the stuffy air, but he did not want to show his face to the others for now, he didn't want to seem weak or in any way reluctant to do what had to be done.

"We need to prepare. When they arrive we will strike again, and again until they send someone note worthy." Hideyoshi first needed to gain access to the Seireitei. They were capable of getting into soul society, often visiting and sometimes living in the Rukon district was the norm for the Jakakumei. Currently residing in the human world however they needed a way of getting through the barrier. Hideyoshi had a plan, but first they needed a note-worthy Shinigami to appear. With reluctance of a repeat of today's events he wished said Shinigami would appear soon.

[MMGiru]

From his perch on a nearby parked car, Ishimatsu Noburo observed his allies' bickering. While he would ordinarily be in the midst of this, Hideyoshi had just killed a man who'd quite obviously had no chance rankled Ishimatsu, and all subsequent arguments seemed to justify the action. Noburo had no problem with killing an opponent if necessary, but couldn't stand unfair fights. The shinigami's decapitation had been far from 'fair'.

Idly, Noburo's attention drifted back to the copy of Hume in his hand. His mask had been removed at the earliest opportunity, and dangled from his neck, allowing him a better view of his current book. He didn't make it particularly far before Hideyoshi had annoyed him sufficiently to provoke a comment.

"Well yeah," he called, to the more compressed knot of the group. "Kill stronger n' stronger ones, and eventually it won't even be murder. How long before they send someone we can pit the kid against?" He indicated Nguyen with a wave of his book, declaring the young man more of a 'kid' than Shiotani, despite appearances.

Ishimatsu didn't have any moral qualms with killing, beyond the unfairness and lack of consent. After all, everyone he'd associated with in his life was a killer of some sort or another. Still, provoking Hideyoshi might yield a spar, eventually. He was also genuinely curious about when decent opponents would present themselves. Most likely, Sereitei would send members of the top twenty of any given squad to investigate this, if not lieutenants. That skill level would be a good fight for the weaker Jacks, but Noburo himself would have to wait until they were also defeated before anyone genuinely interesting showed up. The inefficiency of this plan as regarded his own ends bothered him.

[Derren Krenshaw]

"Understood!"

Yui Togame straightened, pout hidden behind her mask as she answered Hideyoshi's request. They needed to leave, which meant they wouldn't get to test themselves against anyone right now, possibly not against anyone soon. And he was full-serious today, no joking aloud. Probably no sparring either, even when Sin seemed almost eager to take up her offer. The bands of her sword writhed in irritation that mirrored her own disappointment, forcing Yui to take a moment and calm them down.

Easy, Musume. Everything is moving now, we will get to dance soon enough.

She felt her sword ease at the thought, the itch on her arm growing easier to ignore. She turned back to her squadmates right away, offering Akio a simple shrug before 'stepping' over to him and Sin. She crossed the distance in a blur, smile returning behind the mask.

"First our fire gets put out, then Hideyoshi chooses to get serious. Guess the s'mores will have to wait, Akio." She lifted her mask just enough to flash her grin, speaking the words quietly in an attempt to not upset their leader any further.

"And I just didn't think we should leave a body there, lying alone on the roof." Turning, she reached out to pat Sin gently on the shoulder, voice growing more sympathetic as she spoke. "It was my way of paying respect. So no hard feelings?"

She could appreciate Sin's eagerness to release his sword, even if it was over a misunderstanding. Yui herself hated to fully seal her blade, didn't see the point of it really. Though she probably had a stronger grasp at keeping her reiatsu subdued, especially considering the properties of her weapon.

And a sparing session probably wouldn't be the brightest plan right now, even if it would be fun. S'mores was out, as were jokes, which left racing.

"Alright, back to the old dojo it is, then?" Clapping her hands, Yui bounced lightly on the balls of her feet, eyeing her squadmates. "How about... last one there has to try and get that old generator running? Any takers?"

[Dizzmcd]

Sin gave another twist of his wrist, sending Kessho back to sleep. Yui's words made sense, but SIn's pride over powered his feelings of guilt. For now he turned his attention to Noburo. "I'm not a kid, Noburo.

"...last one there has to try and get that old generator running? Any takers?"

The boy's chance to make ammends with Yui. Sin was a thief before the Jakukumei, and a damn good one. That required quick, light fingers as well as light feet. Yui had enticed him into a game that couldn't be won. Not with his trusted friend in hand.

"As long as you don't burn the losers, I'm game."

The young man's innocence shined brightly in his words. Sin's smile still hid under his mask, but his tone of voice had definitely changed. He felt hopeful he finally found a place he belonged with this group of misfits.With his sword back in its sheath between his shoulders, Nguyen leapt into the air towards a far away rooftop, his blue robe blowing in the wind.

The rush of the chase was coming back, like the first time he got caught pick-pocketing. He was so young, and had just been sent to spy on the higher class for easy targets. But he wanted to prove his worth. Without warning to the rest of his group of theives, Sin sprinted towards a man, his ragged sandals clapping against the ground with every step, giving his position away instantly. He caused such a spectacle, most just assumed an attacker was in pursuit of the young boy, a few people tried to stop and help him. He had no chance of stealing anything unnoticed, but he couldn't leave now. So he ran straight into a man in front of him, knocking him down. Sin grabbed at a small pouch hanging on the man's side before taking off again at top speed.

Even at that age, he was a hard one to catch. He made it back to the group after losing his assailants that witnessed his feat, and presented the small back of money in his hand. He was scolded for his carelessness, but it was the start of a successful life of crime.

Now Sin was ready to show off what he had learned through the years. Hoping someone else might join the mix.

'Clack' His feet land hard against the rooftop, and again he's back in the air, leaping toward a street light, his blue robe fluttering in the wind.

[Hansa]

Well, at least that whole confrontation from Sin blew over pretty quickly. The whole group knew quite well that he was a greenhorn, and pretty nervous. So Akio guessed that it would blow over pretty quickly. Besides, the Jakakumei needed as many people as they could. That was something they all knew. And though Sin was fresh and lacked experience, his potential was substantial. His shikai was very interesting, Akio had crossed swords with him before. That’s why he knew every detail about Kessho, his Zanpakuto. The nature of Akio’s own release made for that.

The situation was not evolving the way the light-blond man had expected. Suddenly, not only was the group on their way home, it was some kind of race. It was expected of Yui, admittedly, to pull something like that while Master Hideyoshi was trying his best to keep a serious mood. What really surprised Akio, was the fact that Sin seemed calm and was in on the challenge. Akira and Ishimatsu were on the sidelines thus far, especially Ishimatsu. He seemed to be more comfortable that way.

The race was admittedly not something Akio was interested in. Shunpo wasn’t his best asset, not really any sort of speed and agility, so he would rather prefer starting up the generator back at the dojo. “Have fun kids” he said with a light laugh, teasing the two who had already run off racing. Either way, new soldiers from Seireitei could be here any moment, and Akio was hungry for some information. A short confrontation with Kaiganukyo released would be more than enough to quench that thirst.

Akio started walking towards the dojo, not slowly, but surely not very quickly either. With a sigh he looked to the others who hadn't joined the race to see if they would indeed join in on the "fun". "Well, I'm actually really comfortable with starting up the generator. Don't know about you guys" he spoke, gave a twitch of a smile, and resumed the walk towards home.