The time has come. Each of the great Captains of the Gotei Thirteen now congregate before he who commands them. The great Captain Commander, Shobatsu Murasaki, sits upon his throne. The shadow of his hulking figure looms forebodingly across the great expanse of the Captains Hall, eclipsing the light of the doorway. Each of the Captains arrives in their own time, each enters in their own way. Well experienced, trained, and prepared for the ceremonies of a Captaincy Meeting, they take no time to arrive at each of their posts, standing in two rows facing one another appropriate to the Division they carry upon their backs.
Heavy thoughts clouded in emotion weigh upon each of their souls. The presence of the Commander would only become more dominant to each of them, the heat of the room seeming to rise as their thoughts turn to doubt. Questions race within their imbalanced minds. What does the Commander seek? What was to be expected of them? Were they on trial now for their very lives? Yet not a single one of them would wonder why they are here. The answer to all of them is clear.
Kyomu Mukuro. The first to enter the hall. An assassin groomed from birth to kill his way to the top, the proud Lord of his clan and the first Mukuro to ever don a Haori. Some would question the logic in allowing a trained assassin to be second only to the Commander himself. To hand this man army of Shinigami under his command, that would be a folly. Yet still, he wore a Haori. All of these doubts, all of these fears, had come to fruition. The Phantom fulfilled his role, and led an army of Shinigami in a coup against the one who had granted him such a power. In doing so, he cost the lives of his men, earned the scorn of the Soul Society, halved his being, and sentenced his own family to death. The results of his actions can still be felt today, as an untold number of prisoners remain free from the maggots nest, with no warden in sight. Yet still, he dons the haori. He is here now, to answer why.
Higen Kagayaki. The next Captain to follow. The former First Lieutenant, a warrior of experience and renown, now known as the Shining Knight and Hero of the Seireitei. Yet his own spark has dulled. He enters, plagued in doubt, burdened by hatred and prejudice, the shining beacon, the example of virtue, tainted by an unknown rage. To him, the Commander’s reiatsu feels hotter than it ever has. A living martyr, having sacrificed his body, his life, to save the Soul Society, the ultimate honor for a Shinigami. However Higen did not die his warriors death, but lives now with the burden of knowledge. Knowledge of the future, of an unknown omen to come. Though his body has healed, the Pillar of Hope still stands fractured and broken. He wishes to forget, but knows that he cannot. He is here to share what he saw.
Maho Kojima. First to arrive, third to enter. A rough and unrefined soul ripped from the Rukongai. Once a wisp of smoke, he now stands a roaring flame, the towering Dragon of Kojima. Another Shinigmai first thought to be a lost cause, Maho wears the Haori today because he refuses to accept hate as truth. His will remains unfiltered and ironclad, yet even iron has its rust, with every flame there is soot. Maho was there with Higen on the day of the Coup, and yet while Higen rallied a divided and occupied Seireitei, Maho was nowhere to be found. His division, tasked with defending the Seireitei from invasion, took no action against a coup and attempted assasination of his very own Commander. Maho was the first to arrive at the Rukongai, the first to combat the Kōtotsu, his rallying message may have very well saved the day. However it is also through the course of his actions that countless souls were lost. It is to correct
his decisions that Higen was forced to sacrifice his mind, body, and soul. He may not understand it, but he knows, he is here to explain himself.
Tenzen Oda. The penultimate. Another man groomed by his clan to don a Haori. This time raised by a proud clan of ferocious warriors. The peace loving and calm minded Tenzen can hardly be considered the perfect example of his clan. A warrior mage, Tenzen has made himself known not through brutality and violence, but knowledge and talent. Still, the Golden Captain is new to the title, new to his responsibility, his peers, and his Commander. Within the same day, he obtained Captaincy, rescued the Seireitei from an evil plot, and was cursed for this to live eternity as a Vizard. He is the third current Captain now to have directly engaged the Commander in deadly combat and survived. Was he spared as a mercy, or for a greater a purpose? He stands now perceived as friend and foe by those who would call him equal. It is clear what is expected of him. He is here to justify his existence.
Yū Nakamoto. The second fastest Shinigami alive, and yet last to arrive. A pacifist and pushover, the fairy Nakamoto was never going to make it as a Shinigami. Yet time and again, he has proven that kindness and good intention will always overcome adversity. Through diligence alone, he has risen from obscurity to don the haori as the Seireitei’s Caretaker. It is Yū alone, who has felt the repercussions of every single Captain’s actions. The smile on his face, the calmness of his presence, serve in defiance against what he has seen. His year has been filled with agony and blood. How many lives were lost on the day of the Kōtotsu event, because the Fourth Division was confined to their barracks by Kyomu’s coup? The hospitals of the Fourth Division were filled for months treating the victims of the Kōtotsu. How many rooms were filled due to the impulsive actions of Maho? Higen’s state was such that Yū had stayed directly by his side for two months straight, unable to treat any other patients. Was this too avoidable? How many people could Yū have saved that his subordinates could not? The injured members of the First, Fifth, and Sixth Divisions, as well as the subordinates of the Kuchiki family all required treatment following Tenzen’s battle. Would the lives lost on that day, would the injuries that occurred, have been prevented if Tenzen had been clever enough to see through Shirogane’s treachery? Would the Kuchiki clan still be here? It is Yū that has seen the uncertainty and terror that now plagues the Seireitei due to the other Captains actions. He witnessed the Lieutenant of the Eleventh Division sacrifice himself to his inner demons to obtain strength, and now that man's successor sits with a broken body having tried to do the same. His very own Lieutenant now fights,
fights in the world of the living, to obtain the one thing she is meant to hate, in order to have even a fraction of a hope to save him. A psychopath, freed from his prison as a social experiment, now runs Yū’s division while he stands here, before the very causes of the crisis he faces. He is here to represent those who aren’t.
The Commander does not acknowledge their arrival, does not care to observe who comes first and who enters last. He only sits, with closed eyes, his hands around his zanpakuto, as they enter. He does not breath. Not a single hair moves, he remains perfectly still, his hulking figure like a statue, a monument rather than a man. Then suddenly, a wave of force, enough to crack the ribs of lesser men, shakes throughout the Captain’s Hall. A pulsating wave of purple miasma erupts from the hall's windows, banging against its doors, engulfing its pillars. The Commander’s eyes are no longer closed.
“Report.”
