(Private) The Meeting

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Genpaku let out a deep sigh, and slumped down into a chair. He hadn’t been anticipating this, though he probably should have been, and it was only now in solitude that he let those two facts show. Genpaku looked tired; it wasn’t so much physical exhaustion as mental though. It had been three weeks since he had taken those that were interested and separated from the Gotei 13, and formed his own organization now named Vanguard. It hadn’t been a problematic departure luckily; Vanguard remained allied with the Gotei, as well as the Vizard Corps and Yayjuu. In fact, Vanguard was allied with anyone who’s goals were the preservation of Earth in general; it had been an exhausting three weeks because of the number of people who had sought to join, and the logistics of structuring an organization. While he had a basic outline of how to do that, Genpaku had not expected so much logistical work, diplomatic problems, and papers when he had separated.

Apparently, some on Earth questioned his motives for the separation. He didn’t doubt that more than a few simply thought him greedy and using the mission of the former Special Human Task Force as a convenient excuse for the departure. That could scarcely be farther from the truth though; Genpaku had founded the SHTF of his own volition, and had separated it from the Gotei in the same manner. His reasoning was simple; under the rule of the Gotei his actions were limited. He had to play by its rules. Additionally, being a subdivision of the Gotei carried with it certain baggage that had proven to be troublesome more than once. He felt that he could accomplish his self-appointed mission of protecting Earth better if he had no strings attached to him. So he had cut those strings and set out on his own.

He was lucky that so many of his members had gone with him, namely his former Vice-Captain now Second in Command Solas Foiche. Having someone he knew he could trust in the position cut a lot of the strain. The worst had been dealing with several of the diplomats who had been sent with concerns of the new organization being “Too weak to fend off the dangers that threaten the world” and how exactly Vanguard would act as a political entity. How far into human affairs would the organization step? Would they take sides in wars between nations? Would they be lending aid to other countries or only to Japan?(That one had pissed him off to a degree.) Would the organization only operate within domed cities or everywhere?

He had dealt with most of them by this point, and had been afforded a moment of rest finally. He was also lucky in that he had laid down a lot of the ground work before he had started all of this. Some of this had been in place from his previous work as SHTF head as well, which had made some of the diplomatic ventures easier all things considered. It seemed that the first wave of opposition was out the way, and considering that he had separated from the Gotei with no bloodshed it was significantly easier on his people than it could have been. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to simply sit and relax for a short bit. His nerves and motivation only let him rest for about 10 minutes though.

Since he was now running the newest organization on the block, he was in the middle of attempting to build alliances with several of the major organizations that held similar goals to his own. He had kept good terms with the Gotei for the most part from what he could tell, and in a sense that gave him a tentative alliance with the Gotei’s allies, but he wanted more than that. The Yayjuu and Vizard Corps were two big groups that were centered nearby and he shared goals with, so he was in the middle of making sure his alliance with them was still intact after his separation from the Gotei proper.

Beyond organizations like them though, he was reaching out to some of the stranger organizations that might have been brought onto the “good” side of the fight for Earth. Force Feedback was a group he had some interest in since it was a Human Organization with the specific aim of protecting the world. Their outlook on spiritual beings, however, was an issue he had to work around. The fact that they had no leadership at this point was another issue. Negotiations had been tentative at best and a downright disaster at worst. Force Feedback was important to Genpaku in a sense though; it symbolized a portion of society that was nervous, angry, and resentful of the interference of spiritual kind.

It wasn’t as if they didn’t have a reason for this feeling though; London and Madrid showed the destructive potential of spiritual kind when they weren’t focused as Aizen had been four hundred years prior. And in a sense, the groups that were allied with Earth had been powerless to stop those events from happening. That being said though Earth didn’t have the strength to push back the armies of Hueco Mundo, Demon World, K-World, and so forth. Telling them that though had little effect he had realized through the years of negotiations. There were those on Earth who seemed to think that they could just point their weapons at the demons and they’d either run or die. If it was that simple, the whole situation would have been settled long ago.

He stretched in his seat and rose. He needed something to focus on for a while other than this shit he decided. He’d go put some work into his training again he supposed; he had been slacking somewhat the past few days with everything else that was going on. He grabbed his two Zanpaku-tous and headed out of his office. Genpaku was dressed in simple modern clothes instead of the Shinigami Uniform that he had been seen in so often up until now. He was still working on the idea of a ‘uniform’ for Vanguard, and for now just wore whatever he wanted and allowed his members to do the same as long as it wasn’t distracting.

He was halfway through the base when the pressure hit. Even this far away, the disturbance that Zefonse and gone and caused could be felt. He stopped mid step, gauging the power he was feeling; it was no weakling that much was clear. After a few moments though, he could tell that the energy signature wasn’t heading this way; it didn’t feel close enough to even be within Sukai Karakura. He wasted no more time standing there; Genpaku vanished, using a series of Shunpo steps to carry himself to the Dimir center as it was now called. This was the information center for Vanguard currently; this was where their major connection with the Yuudeshi Network was located, along with several other systems they were hooked up too including the Karakura security systems and the like.

”What was that?” he asked, and received a jump from one of the tech specialists that was monitoring the computer. The tech looked back at him a moment before recomposing himself.
”There was a disturbance down in the Slums. It seems that someone just blasted there way underground, most likely headed for the Force Feedback base.”
Genpaku gave a small frown.
”Energy signature was that of an Arrancar, and no weak one. Easily an Espada level. Should we mobilize the Initiative or the Boros Guard?”
“No. Alert them and have them prepare for mobilization in case we have an invasion on our hands. Double check that everything is clear within Sukai Karakura just to be safe. Await my order to mobilize anyone beyond Sukai Karakura though. I’m going to check this out on my own,” he said, and didn’t bother to wait for a response. He had always been a more ‘hands on’ kind of commander as it was, no reason to change that now.

To Genpaku, Shunpo was akin to walking, albeit really, really, REALLY fast walking. He left the Vanguard base in short order, and made his way out of Sukai Karakura and down through one of the tunnels into the Slums. He took a moment to locate the area he was looking for. Though Force Feedback had been secretive with its operations and its base location so as not to attract that attention Spiritual Organizations, it was not hard to detect the movement of arms, men, and so forth. Having a spy or two didn’t hinder matters, and access to the Yuudeshi Network was more or less overkill. At this point, the giant smoking crater that led down to the base was just icing on the cake.

”Kyokkou” he muttered, and literally vanished from sight. While the Kidou technically hid his spiritual pressure in addition to his physical form, he made sure to pull his pressure in just to be on the safe side. Then he descended into the base, landing lightly on the ground level. Considering how deep the blast went the assessment of what exactly had blasted its way down here seemed accurate. Genpaku started down the hallways, silently walking and listening as he went. He stumbled across the meeting room, and took stock of the situation he found. He didn’t have time to count all of the humans that were tied up here, but he did note that none of them seemed to have been injured beyond whatever rendered them unconscious.

He then took stock of the guards in the room; they appeared to be armed with some sort of non-lethal weaponry which made him stop a moment. What organization would have broken its way in here and knocked everyone unconscious? That wasn’t the style of the Nuevo Espada, so the Arrancar was allied with someone else? This also wasn’t how Sin Fall operated, or most other Demon organizations. It could possibly have been K-World, but that was a small possibility considering where it was striking. There were other organizations that were less ‘main stage’ as it were, so it may well have been one of them. Regardless of who it was, Genpaku could tell that the guards here he could take out in little time, since they weren’t expecting it. He didn’t bother though. His reasoning was simple; the humans had been left alive, therefore the objective of whoever had come in here had been something other than the destruction of Force Feedback.

That was what interested Genpaku, and he didn’t exactly have to hunt for where the leader of this little expedition was. The Arrancar was still releasing enough of his reiatsu to overwhelm the humans and keep them unconscious. It had the unmistakable feel of a hollow about it, an aura that Genpaku never forgot. He left the meeting room and headed towards the source of the power, and consequently deeper into the base. Whoever was releasing that power was not weak, as the techy had said. He would have to be on his guard in case he was wrong about the hostility level of whoever he was now on a course to meet. While he had been interested in finding something to take his mind off the stresses of creating an organization and such, this hadn’t quite been what he had in mind.

He turned a corner into a long white hallway, and at the far end he saw a figure walking towards him. The man did not make it exactly hard to determine that he was the one releasing the spiritual pressure. Genpaku chose this time to release the Kidou, appearing in the middle of the hallway still a good distance from the Arrancar. One hand rested idly on the hilt of Raiden as he stood there. He had a relaxed stance for the time being, though he was ready to switch if it should come to a fight. He took the opportunity to look over the man walking towards him. He had never seen the man, but something about him seemed familiar. He’d probably be able to bring up the man on the Yuudeshi Network if he had one of those cyberbrains and was connected to it, but he had never been concerned or interested with that route.

The man was tall, and carried himself well. He had dark hair, and a peculiar mask fragment on the left side of his face. He had his sword at his side, and seemed somewhat lost in thought. Genpaku remained quiet as he studied the man until he was within hearing range.
”Quite the flashy entrance you made there. I have to say, I’m a little bit interested in who you are and what you’re doing here,” Genpaku called out, his tone surprisingly lax and warm all things considered. There were many that expected him to hold a grudge against Hollow kind in general considering how he came to have Shinigami powers and all. To a degree he did in actuality, but he had learned to control his personal feelings on the matter and judge each being separate of its race.

”I assume there is a reason you didn’t just kill those humans over there, and a reason you’re working to keep them unconscious instead of being rid of them all together. Any way you can divulge that?” he asked his tone polite. He was never one to just make threats and expect other to listen because he did. Threats were rare from Genpaku in general. For now, he was trying to puzzle out both who this man was and what he was after. Everyone always seemed to be after something. Considering the fact that the man was coming out of the deeper parts of the Force Feedback base, he may well have acquired what he was after, meaning the humans were nothing more than hostages or something else. He’d have to keep that in mind and react accordingly. All this time he kept his eye on the man; he had no guarantee that he wouldn’t be attacked, and he would have to react quickly if that was the case.

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Genpaku watched the Arrancar calmly as it continued towards him, holding his ground his lax demeanor still intact. The Arrancar answered his first question without further prompting; Genpaku raises his right eyebrow slightly at the answer though. That was only slightly strange behavior for an Arrancar after all, to downplay it. He spoke of how Force Feedback killed members of his organization, as well as others, which is what provoked the action. That being said, it was the decision to leave the Human’s judgment to an organization based on Earth that made Genpaku reassess the situation slightly. Technically, that meant he had just inherited an organization’s worth of prisoners. That fact did not bode well for the stack of paperwork that was already sitting on his desk, or the desks and workspaces of the organization in general.

The Arrancar moved past him, and he did not flinch as he did, though he did turn slightly so he could see him as he walked and eventually started to speak again; he seemed to be heading back to the meeting room where the rest of his members were stationed. However, he stopped and turned back to speak, and finally gave his name. Genpaku was blessed with a keen memory and mind, and he remembered the name from the archives of both Soul Society’s library and the Yuudeshi Network’s database of enemies. Zefonse Kaizme was supposedly an incredibly dangerous individual who had caused a great deal of destruction on multiple occasions in assaults against both Soul Society and other organizations in general. He listed his previous positions, but it was his current one that caught Genpaku’s attention the most.

The Rinyaru was a secretive organization, little of his being known at this point. It was only through informants that its existence was known at all, and its alliegences were constantly in question. However, last he had checked the leader had been someone else, a different man by the name of Nagato something or other. Nothing was known about that man much like his organization, yet it seemed that the leadership had changed. Genpaku turned fully to face Zefonse at that point; what exactly had happened in the ranks of that organization that had caused this shift in power? Had this man cut ties with the Kokuryuteishi? There were a lot of questions, most of which made little to no sense for him to ask since technically the two men now in the hallway found themselves on opposite sides of the war between the spiritual races.

Many who found themselves in Genpaku’s place would at this point probably had gone for their weapons, prepared a spell, or launched straight into “fight or flight” responses. He did not; he remained calm instead, and assessed the situation. Based on the information he had read, he knew that Zefonse was incredibly skilled in Zanjutsu and speed based techniques, though of course the true extent to that was a matter in question. There was limited information present on the Yuudeshi Network after all, and only so much he could remember at a time. He had more or less memorized what he could about the “high priority” individuals that threatened Earth and summed them up in generalities unless there was something specific that needed to be known. How exactly did he stack up in terms of speed to this Arrancar before him? While a part of him, the Shinigami part that held a grudge against Hollows, wanted to strike out and get the answer to that question, he did not. Thus far, he had been given no provocation of his own to act.

Genpaku had separated Vanguard from the Gotei 13, therefore Zefonse’s transgressions against it held little relevance to him at this point. His transgressions against the Earth however, were a different story. However, based on what he was saying about the path he now walked, he was not looking for more bloodshed and such. Peace? Was that not what all of the organizations were seeking in the end, in one sense or another. That was a matter of debate he supposed, something best left to another time.

Genpaku finally gave verbal response, beginning with a low whistle.
“That is quite an accomplishment, to place an entire organization under arrest like that with no bloodshed. I suppose I’ll have to make a call or two to get them transported,” he said with a small smile and a chuckle. He wanted to keep a positive, almost friendly, demeanor towards the man for now. However, only a fool would assume that a sign of weakness. If what Zefonse said was true, then in many ways the Rinyaru and Vanguard had found a common goal with the former’s change in leadership. He was interested in keeping that to a degree, since any allies in protecting this world would be of great help in the long run.

“Well, I can safely say that I did not expect such a name to be dropped when I strolled down here,” he said with genuine honesty.
“I’ve heard a tale or two of you, though the news of you taking over the Rinyaru is news to me. For what it is worth, I agree with the outlook you posited,” he said with a humble tone of his own. A younger, more impulsive him would have been shaken by the name, may well have drawn his blade and gone for the attack upon finding out the man’s identity. Instead, all it did now was to make him more aware of his surroundings. If this somehow turned sour, he would certainly have one hell of a fight on his hands, and he would be ready if that was the case. His guard was up at this point.

He turned to fully face the Arrancar.
“A pleasure to meet you, Kaizme-san. I am Arishima Genpaku, former Leader and Founder of the Special Human Task Force of the Gotei 13, Founder and Current Commander of Vanguard,” he said simply and gave a small bow, the two zanpaku-tou sheaths clinking woodenly with the movement as though Raiden and Fujin were giving an introduction of their own. Genpaku was…unsure just how well he was known in the enemy camps, and frankly didn’t care unlike some others. There were precious few who had seen the full extent of his power, and even if they had it would not change how he fought until it proved to be an issue.

“Be on your guard Genpaku. You’re making dangerous assumptions about your enemy.” one voice spoke in Genpaku’s head.
“And you do not know the extent of this enemy’s abilities.” the other chimed in. He shrugged them to the side for now; they had valid points, and he was on his guard, but he had no intention of making the first aggressive move in this when there was a chance of no blood hitting the floor. Besides, he had questions that he may well be able to get answered from this meeting. He’d have to tread cautiously at this point, however. By this point the check of Sukai Karakura should be well underway; not that it seemed to be needed at this point though.

The most obvious weak point in Sukai Karakura were the engines that kept the city aloft; this was also one of the most heavily guarded places within Sukai Karakura both by police and by Vanguard itself. It was one of the Boros Guard’s highest priority jobs. Other crucial locations should also be well underway with their checks. Initiative would be awaiting his orders for mobilization should it come to that, but it didn’t seem like it would, which was comforting in a way. A battle on home turf this early in Vanguard’s creation would not be kind. Luckily, Zefonse seemed more interested in a peaceful solution, at least from what he had said so far and what his actions spoke of. Granted, actions could be used to mask true designs, and it was something Genpaku was keeping in mind as he proceeded.

“You spoke of more peaceful methods; color me interested. If I may pry, what did you have in mind?” No sense in wasting time and beating around the bush; it was time to see what this man was suggesting, get a gauge on his reaction to Genpaku’s own introduction, and so on. This was certainly not what he had been expecting to do when he had left his office.

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"It's not a sense of justice. Protecting my friends, and finding my own path is how I live life. If you measured good and evil deeds by current laws, I would be responsible for many crimes. The same way you like to hone your skills and live your own lives, for me too it's simply prolonging something I enjoy doing. That's why I only fight those that pique my interest; it's not justice at all. And if it means being able to protect a friend or becoming stronger, I don't and will not play unjust. I'm a honest soul who hates losing."

Zefonse was rather forthcoming and clear with his statement about himself, and Genpaku could appreciate much of it. His own Shinigami powers, symbolized by Fujin, had been awakened and tempered for the purpose of protecting his friends. When Zefonse stepped closer, Genpaku did not flinch or back away. If anything, the closer proximity made him feel slightly more at ease; he thrived at close range where he could make full use of his natural speed and agility. That was an unconscious feeling in the young Shinigami, however. His conscious mind was focused on Zefonse’s words, and his organization’s goals and creed. He faced the arrancar’s gaze with his own calm and collected gaze.

"Though each member may have some separate, personal goals, the main objective that unites them is quite simple really: Destruction and Renewal. They believe that by destroying the worlds old order of things, including all other organizations warfare with it, as well as other worlds like Hueco Mundo being more controled, they will then be able to recreate them from the ashes and create the perfect world. Thus the Destruction and Renewal. They want to stop Good and Evil, and make everything peaceful, which means that they arent inherently evil, though evil people have been known to join as they might also want to work with this goal. So I ask Genpaku what is your reasoning, do you agree with my method or not, why, the more we learn about one another method goals, how we shall reach them, the more likely we can try to find some common ground to build on."

The basic concept of the Rinyūaru’s purpose made sense to Genpaku. However, he had a few issues with where some of the extreme’s the philosophy lead to. Zefonse pressured for a response, for Genpaku’s views on the philosophy. He remained quiet for a few moments as he collected his thoughts.
”I like some of the ideals. I like the prospective destination the ideals lead one to. However, I have to question what kinds of methods that would be used to reach that destination, and the kinds of results. The idea of peace is great, the idea of the other spiritual worlds being more controlled and contained is great. Which orders would be destroyed here on Earth though, I must ask?”

Zefonse was interested in finding a common ground on which to build, and peaceful prospects otherwise, at least if his words were true. Genpaku had learned to take the words of others with a grain of salt; maybe working with dignitaries and diplomats for so long had colored his view of words on subjects much like this one, but it had taught him a great many lessons on the way. For now he could only wait for a response from the Arrancar and work it out from there. It seemed as though there would be no need for blows as long as this encounter continued along its current path. That was good; a battle in the middle of the slums between 2 organizations leaders would have more than a few negative effects on the surroundings.

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Zefonse seemed to consider the question posed to him for a short while, leaving the hallway in a tense silence; not tense because the two parties were at odds, but tense because it did not know if it should be or not. Or maybe that was just how the relatively young leader of the Vanguard felt it; only a few feet away from him stood a man who had enough crimes documented to warrant a warning in the Yuudeshi Network, an Arrancar of immense strength that had put down an entire organization. Yet he had done so without spilling a drop of blood, and he was acting in a cooperative manner. Hence Genpaku’s dilemma; should he be tense and on edge around this man, or should he be more relaxed like when he dealt with a non-hostile/accusing foreign dignitary(something that was becoming notably less frequent). For the time being, he would keep to the middle of the two; on guard but polite.

Finally the man came up with an answer to his question, and yet he sounded more like he was thinking out-loud more than answering. What he said though was grounded, and it was not lost on the Shinigami. There was no war coming; it was already here, and the Earth could use all the friendly parties that existed. He could use more alliances in the very least to try and keep the Earth and its citizens safe. He shifted on his feet, and thought about the words; he had to be careful about this. If he jumped into an alliance too quickly he may well jump right into a trap and do more damage than good. The silence rose up between them again as he thought, and as a familiar hesitation rose up in Genpaku. Many of his decisions as of late were being plagued by such hesitations. He forced that feeling away.

The silence didn’t hang too long.
“I think you’ve got about the gist of it. Granted, the war is already here the way I see it; it started months ago. We’re simply in the early stages. That said, you’re dead right about the alliances idea. The Earth is in need of alliances anymore if it is to continue its survival. The way I see it, if the Earth goes the other realms aren’t far behind it.” he said, thinking out loud a little himself.
“You say that the Rinyaru’s ultimate goal is peace. I can sympathize with that goal. However, I highly doubt that the likes of Demon World, Hueco Mundo, or even K-World will sit down to talks of peace if their track records show anything.”

Genpaku let that hang in the air for a little bit. A peaceful resolution to these conflicts; there was almost nothing he would not have given to ensure that kind of outcome. To spare those of Earth the pain of the war between titanic forces he would have given his own life in a heartbeat, but unfortunately it was not that simple. While Genpaku liked a fight and competition, conflict that dragged those that had nothing to do with it was appalling to him. He was no Zaraki Kenpachi. What he did, he did to try and protect the world he had been born and died in. He suddenly shook away the thoughts, and came back to the situation at hand.

There were many ways he could have approached the next subject. He went for a more direct route.
“The Vanguard’s goal is the preservation of Earth through these and other trying times. We share a common goal in that aspect, and neither of us want to see events like London come to pass again I assume. What say you, Kaizame-san, to potentially forming an alliance between the Vanguard and Rinyaru?”

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