Gone with the wind [Division 4, open]

The Big Woman

There had been a lot of strange days since she joined the Gotei. A lot of strange days since she (re-)joined the Fighting Fourth. But this day surely took the crown.

It had started fairly normal. She woke up, got ready and went to her office. Checking for messages that came in during her off-hours, reviewing schedules for the day, brewing a pot of tea. So far so normal.

The strange began to creep in later, when the morning slowly passed and turned into midday and she hadn't seen her Captain yet. That per se wasn't so unusual. Only that the Captain normally sent word when he wasn't coming in.

With furrowed brows Hanako left her office and walked down the few paces to the next door, opened it and walked in. It was Captain Kobayashi's office. The place was dark and empty, no one there.

With her hands on her hips she stood there a few minutes. Finally she turned around and left the office again with a dissatisfied grunt. At that moment her main concern was that most of the exasperating administration work would be hers to do now. She went back to her own desk, sent a message to the Captain and dove back into the day's work.

A few hours later her message was still unanswered, unread even, and the Captain's office was still empty. Strange...this time for real. This had never happened before.
For a moment Hanako closed her eyes and tried to sense him. He wasn't anywhere close by.

Okay, this was definitely unusual. And something in Hanako's guts told her this wasn't just a short hiatus.

She turned to her terminal again and sent messages to the Kobayashi estate, asking for information on the Captain's whereabouts, as well as to the Gotei Command, meaning the command of First Division, informing them of the situation. After only a moment's hesitation she sent messages to a few division members, asking them to see her in her office. No reason given, she wanted to avoid any gossiping among the ranks as long as she could. But something was amiss here.

Through the halls of the Fourth Division, the clicking of heeled boots quietly echoed, and despite the unremarkable stature of the woman wearing them, her presence was thoroughly unmistakeable. The Captain Commander, Abalia Kyoraku-Hayden had come to discuss a matter that, frankly, could not be avoided. She might have normally assembled any paperwork for it, or sent out official memos. But, as it stood, she had brought only a single small file that lay closed in one hand.

Though she had the authority to simply enter without warning, Abalia nevertheless knocked on the door to the Fourth Division Vice Captain's office first. It was simply polite, after all. As she entered, her gaze, which was no less cold and emotionless as it always was, moved over the current occupants, before she spoke in her ordered, professional tone.

"Vice Captain Yamada. Good morning, though I do wish that my visit came with better tidings. I quite appreciate your having taken the time to inform Command of your Captain's disappearance as quickly as you have. The matter is something of a sudden one, and as such we have not yet had the time to formally make any announcements, but I will do my best to make it brief."

Opening the file she'd brought to the office with her, she laid out the full dossier on the late Captain Kobayashi, or rather, the late Jaeden Crow. It was quite detailed, at least in regard to his life. On the matter of his death, it was rather lacking.

"Captain Kobayashi has been slain in a duel for the position of his captaincy. At this time, his responsibilities will lay on you, until the First Division has finished its full inquiry into the matter of the duel itself. Seeing as this is the traditional method of succession in the Combat division, we will uphold the validity of the challenge should it prove to be legitimate. I understand this is quite sudden, and I will naturally do what I may to assist you until this is resolved."

The Big Woman

When Amon entered her office Hanakon was sitting behind her desk. She stood up and gave her usual, reduced smile. She couldn't recite the whole duty roster from the top of her head but it was kind of obvious that Amon had been off duty when her message reached him. Hanako felt a little bit guilty, but was pleased that he came anyway.

"I wish it was something that simple." She said in response to his question.

"It is something more...delicate. I just want to wait a bit before I talk about that. There are more coming. Anyway, if you're interested in budget calculations, I might have a job for you later."

Despite the circumstances there was a flicker of hope someone who actually liked the job might help out with the budget.

But her thoughts were interrupted when one person entered who Hanako would have never expected to see here. Instantly the presence of the woman filled the room.
With a few quick steps Hanako came out from behind her desk and bowed deep, to show respect for the leader of the Gotei.

"Captain Commander. It is an honour that you come personally."

It kind of shocked her. She had no idea if other Shinigami, especially women, felt as she did. But Abalia Kyoraku-Hayden was who she wanted to be someday. Not in a literal sense, of course, that would be...strange. but it was said that the Captain Commander wielded no actual spiritual power, in the sense her second in command did. Yet despite it she was highly respected, even feared, and held the highest seat in all of the Gotei, commanding all it's might.

Hanako was pleased that the Captain Commander complimented her actions in this manner. But the news she brought were like a hammer blow.

"The Captain? Dead?"

It took Hanako a second to compose herself again. A storm of emotions bore down on her in an instant. She owed Captain Kobayashi much. And she had at least some idea of his powers. Him being slain in a duel…

When Saera came in it was obvious that she had heard most of the important parts of the conversation but it took her a while to realise who the bearer of the news was.

"Saera." Hanako said in a quiet tone, meant to calm down the woman.

Then she looked at the Captain Commander again. Her face was without much expression. Inside, however, she wanted to smash something. Or somebody. Even if it might have been against protocol to address the Captain Commander the way she did, Hanako felt like Saera. How could it be that duels to the death were still tolerated. Yes, they were part of the Combat Divisions history and law for centuries. Hanako knew that, she had to in her function as Lieutenant. Yet what Saera had said remained true: Killing off one of the Gotei's strongest fighters to get to his captaincy was just plain stupid. However, she couldn't show any of it in the presence of Abalia. She had to show that she was worth the Gotei's, and especially that woman's, trust in her.

"Of course I will perform all duties to the best of my abilities, Captain Commander. I have insight into most of the workings of our division since the Captain and I worked closely together to bring the Fourth back to working order. But if there is anything only a Captain would know…"

Then, turned towards her division members, she said:
"When I called you all here, all I knew was that Captain Kobayashi hadn't come in all day, wasn't at his family's estate and had sent no message. It was unusual and I informed Command of my concerns. In fact...why I called you specifically here was to help me look for the Captain discreetly, without causing rumors among the ranks. I wanted to act fast, when it became apparent that something was amiss. Still too slow, it seems."

A thought came to Hanako's mind. She hesitated a moment before she addressed the Captain Commander again.

"Kyoraku-Hayden-sama…"

For the first time Hanako used Abalia's name.

"Can you tell us at least who it was? Who might be our new Captain? Or where it was? I think a battle between Captain-level fighters should have been felt all over Seireitei. I have not felt even a trace of Captain Kobayashi's spiritual pressure all day."

"It is quite alright, Miss Kirin. Your candid outlook on the matter is appreciated."

Abalia had no particular personal investment in the death of Captain Kobayashi, but his death was admittedly inconvenient for her. He had been a source of at least some degree of information regarding the noble families, and she certainly did not maintain a stable of other options for that role. It was unfortunate, but there was only so much that she could do on the matter, particularly while Elyss was still involved in her current assignment.

"Assuming the investigation deems that the matter was legitimate, the duel was held between your Captain and the 7th Division's Elyss Kishimoto. Even we are not currently aware of the purpose of the duel, nor who initiated it. There are a small handful of witnesses, and we are currently examining statements from them all."

The tension in the room was nearly palpable, and that did not surprise her in the slightest. This was a serious matter, and she had not had to deal with a matter of succession like this in her tenure as Captain Commander thus far. Still, it was not as if it was an impossible topic. If anything, for Abalia it was simply one more thing that needed to be handled for the Gotei's efficiency.

"At this time, it would seem that the duel was initiated by your Captain. It seems to have been preceded by a relatively typical bout between Miss Kishimoto and Koyo Kuchiki, and at some point your Captain stepped in to challenge her. The reasoning is still being discerned."

The Big Woman

"Koyo?" Hanako asked, doubt in her voice.
"I know him. Last time I saw him he was still an academy student. What was he doing dueling with Elyss?"

She turned away from the Captain Commander and slowly started pacing in front of her desk. It maybe wasn't the most polite way to behave in front of the most powerful woman in the Gotei, but in fact Hanako was feeling pretty much the same inside as Saera. She really wanted to smash someone or something. Preferably Elyss' face for killing a man that had helped and supported Hanako a lot. On the other hand, if Elyss was able to defeat a Captain…
Something didn't feel right here.

Hanako's gaze fell on a pot of tea she had brewed recently. That per se was nothing unusual. When she was present there was also always fresh and hot tea. It was jasmine tea, her favourite. She had made it to calm her nerves when she realised that something definitely was amiss. She took two steps and was at the table with the tea. She couldn't lose her temper in front of her squadmates or Abalia, so this had to be the next best thing.

With quick movements, forged by countless repetitions, she poured cups for everyone.

"Tea?" She asked in a muted tone, directed at the whole room. She hoped it would calm minds down a bit, especially her own.

After a few moments Hanako had calmed down a bit again. It would be showing on the outside, except for maybe a hint of red on her cheeks and neck. In her mind Hanako could feel Bakumusha's amusement. Not too long ago the anger inside her was so strong and loud that she couldn't even hear his voice. Now she had enough self control to not only keep her temper in check, but even feel her soul companion at any given time, even if her Zanpakuto wasn't at her hip.

"Sir…" she said, addressing the Captain Commander again.

"I am not completely sure about it, since I never intended to challenge Captain Kobayashi...but doesn't the rule about the trial by combat say that it has to be witnessed by more than just a handful...and fron the division of the Captain that has been challenged? To my knowledge no one of the Fourth has been present."

At least Hanako hoped so. Because if anyone had been present without alerting her at once, so help her…

"Also...if not even the purpose of the duel is currently known and with Captain Kobayashi stepping in and challenging Elyss...it doesn't seem to conform to any of the rules of trial by combat, as far as I remember."

Hanako hoped she wasn't assuming too much. She had to brush up on these rules as soon as she could. It was maybe barbaric, stupid and antiquated, but the trial by combat was a traditional part of any combat division the Gotei ever had. That much she knew for certain. Everything else was a bit hazy, but it still just didn't sit right with her. Maybe there was also a personal aversion to her former friend becoming her new Captain.

Despite the wholesome effect of the tea, she still wanted to smash something. However, while she still sought to control the rising anger, she also began to think about the Division. Her Division. Together with the Captain she had put countless hours into rebuilding it. She had changed so much so fast, learned so much so fast, that the person she now was felt such a deep connection with her Fighting Fourth that she couldn't imagine letting it fall into disarray again. But would she be able to do her work under a Captain Kishimoto, if that were to happen? For that matter, would Elyss even want to keep her as Lieutenant?

Thoughts roared through her mind and she was looking forward as well as dreading hearing her colleagues honest and unfiltered opinion, as soon as the Captain Commander had left.