The First Mission [Closed]

The last couple of days left Lilith curious about a decision that had been made. Like a few others, she watched the outcome of Captain Arishima's Lieutenant competition test thing, but did not expect the actual conclusion. The one that was chosen was some weak, tiny little rule breaker. That power, however, was something Lilith was interested in. She sensed something very off, but none of the actual onlookers were allowed to get close enough without disturbing the test. It had to have been the power that tiny mouse of a girl had to make her be his Lieutenant of choice... Right?

Lilith found herself waiting on the edge of the Eighth Division barracks for Genpaku to finally come and see her. She was a patient one and she knew he'd sense her hovering about his territory sooner or later. It's not like she had anything else to do, besides Captain her Division, but she had Tsubine for that sort of stuff. This was much more important than guiding them... at least in her mind. Who would argue?

"I'MA WAIT OUT HERE AS LONG AS I NEED TO, YA KNOW! AIN'T GOIN' NOWHERE." Lilith shouted toward the door to Genpaku's residence. She wasn't very good at sensing energy, but she was getting better! However, for all she knew he was asleep or off doing something else. It was early enough in the morning that either was possible, but she had not seen him leave and so he must be there ignoring her.

While Lilith was someone that could easily make dumb mistakes like this, she wasn't one to get startled easily. So, when his voice suddenly sounded from an unexpected direction, Lilith didn't jump. She merely turned her head toward him and blinked, feeling silly about yelling at an empty room. "I guess I am." she replied and hopped down from the wall to stand by him, "I might have, but that would only mean I'd open the door anyway and sleep on your couch until you returned." Just because she said she'd wait out here, doesn't mean she would. Going inside would have been more comfortable, even if a lock would need replacing after the fact.

Lilith followed him along and leaned against one of the walls in his kitchen. "Oh, come on. You know I'm curious." Lilith raised an eyebrow at him, "Why the small one? You had a few other more tough lookin' guys tryin' out at the time, so why you pick the one who broke the rules and is tiny." Lilith was a larger woman herself, standing about 5'11" and athletically built, so most women were smaller than her. However, Kaminari was a midget in comparison. While Genpaku himself wasn't built like a football player, Lilith had more trust in his ability and skill. She trusted his judgement as well, but that's why she was here to figure out why. "Could a girl that small even be of use?"

"I doubt that." Lilith raised an eyebrow and scoffed at the idea. That little thing shutting down his Division wasn't something that she could believe easily, but as he went on and explained more, even Lilith felt uneasy at the implications that held. "Don't like that." Lilith said, following him out of the kitchen while in thought, "What all can she do that to? Can she shut down a senkaimon? Is she limited to souls or does it also mess with technology that we've created? How does that impact the zanpakuto? Kido? Hakuda? Zanjutsu?" It's obvious when Lilith becomes interested in something.

"Now... you and I both know how hard people work to get their positions and you already told her that she's got it... I'm not sure you've got the heart to tell her 'no' if she isn't as qualified as you think since you pretty much said yes already. Feel like you'd more train her into the ground... May be wrong. You are one of the few in this world that can still surprise me. You think you can take that away from her?"

Genpaku's speech was met with silence and a raised eyebrow. Lilith smirked and nodded, impressed with what he said. She only hoped that he could hold himself to that. Though she'd never admit it, once a little thing like that began to cry or beg... even Lilith had problems staying strict. It's why to fight those more "kind" urges, some people often got punched. They'd appeal to her more gentle nature and suddenly get sent into a wall. It was an "out of sight, out of mind" situation. If she couldn't see those teary eyes and the disappointment, she didn't feel bad about doing it. The punch also often gave the message that tears won't work on her, even though they actually did.

"Well, good." was all Lilith said before standing up and stretching her back till it popped, "I'll get goin' then. Just wanted to check in on ya in the first place, figure out you thoughts on all that... Just don't break the tiny little thing." Lilith stepped up behind where he sat and gave him a one-armed hug and ruffled his hair. "Have fun today. Later." Lilith gave a two finger salute as she left, closing the door behind her. A little ways off, she crossed a silent path with the very girl that she and Genpaku had been talking about. Kaminari smiled up at her, not recognizing the Captain of the Eleventh, and continued on her way. Lilith chuckled at that and glanced back, "Midget."

Kaminari didn't hear such an insult, otherwise she'd of picked a fight with the wrong person. At least, that is what people would wish to have happened. Kaminari had decent hearing and Lilith was trying to pick a fight! Kaminari stopped in her tracks and looked back to the large red-headed woman with her eyes narrowed. "Got a problem with me?" Kaminari asked, venom in her tone. "I have a problem with most tiny little things like you," Lilith said with a cocky wide smile, "I end up squashing y'all a bit to easily, can't control it." Kaminari turned fully toward Lilith and her expression dulled, "So you're picking on me because I'm not a giant like you? Oi... What a waste of time."

"You're calling me a waste of time?" Lilith asked with an honest curiosity, almost amused by the idea of it. "No, no. Not at all." Kaminari calmly waved that off, a lot more civilly than Lilith expected, "I'm just in a very good mood. I got a perfect nights sleep, ate a delicious breakfast, and have a mission I am going on today. All of this happened after I made Lieutenant of the Eighth. So, I don't think this is worth either of our time. If you're actually wanting to fight, we can do it another time." "Must be proud of that badge, hm?" "Yeah. Who wouldn't be?" Kaminari smiled happily and wide, "And now I get to go on my first mission, carry out my first orders! I'm super excited for today. And that is why I don't even feel like picking a fight with anyone today. Catch me another time, alright? Maybe then you'll get something out of it."

Kaminari walked off, leaving an intrigued Lilith watching her tiny back as she turned a corner off toward Genpaku's place. After a moment of thought, Lilith turned and walked off, heading back to the Eleventh Division barracks for some training. Kaminari soon found herself at Genpaku's door and knocked, waiting for an answer for a brief moment. "I'm here! May be a little early, but I'm here!" she called out at the door, truly not giving him enough time to answer before knocking again and again...

"Are you sure? I'm not so sure that you're sure that you heard me the first time, because I had to keep knocking. It needed to happen." Kaminari crossed her arms and nodded seriously. Soon, she had her hands clasped behind her back and a bigger smile on her face. She nodded with excitement and did a few quick hops. "Yep! I can't wait to get things started. It's gonna be so muc-..." Kaminari stopped and hurried to walk at her Captain's side. "What sort of stop are we making?"

It seemed Kaminari was going to see her Captains zanpakuto. Well, okay then! Kaminari's excitement hit the roof in that moment. How cool was that?! She went off day dreaming about what it possibly was. Offensive, defensive? Long or short ranged? Was it an area of effect like hers or did it boost his abilities? There were so many possibilities! Kaminari giggled like a giddy school girl before flailing her arms. "This is gonna be the best day ever! Nothing can make it go bad!" Kaminari playfully punched at the air as they walked along, "Not even stupid red-headed giants with size complexes! She tried to put me in a bad mood; not happening!"

"Oh, I should tell you!" Kaminari sped up a bit and walked in front of Genpaku, but backwards so she could face him, "When I was on my way to your place, this woman with red hair and an eye-patch tried to pick a fight. I didn't even say anything to her, didn't even look her way, and she tossed an insult my way. She was obviously trying to pick a fight, maybe get me in trouble, but I didn't fall for it. Told her she could fight me another day if she had a problem with me... Oh, and her only problem was apparently she didn't like my height." Kaminari's cheer faded and she looked off, her eyes narrowed as she thought of pummeling her new rival.

"Nuh'uh." Kaminari replied casually, unaware of the calm in her tone about to be chased away with five words. "Captain of the Eleventh Division." Kaminari felt her stomach sink and everything went off balance. She stumbled forward, tripping over her own two feet and was a couple inches off from her own face plant before a hand hit the ground to prevent her face from doing the same thing. With her heart racing, she went back to the memory of how she even talked to that woman, how she told the Captain of the Eleventh Division to fight her another time. She felt sick. The one Captain that Kaminari truly feared even meeting... Kaminari had pretty much invited that same Captain to kill her. "I... am gonna die."

Kaminari broke out into a sweat, the fear showing abundantly clear on her face. In that moment, nothing else but her own dark world an inevitable incoming death existed. Her heart was pounding so hard in her chest that she could feel it on the surface of her cheeks. The warm air felt cold on her skin due to the amount of sweat that seeped from her pores. "But why..." she muttered fearfully, her voice shaking from the fear, "Why me? What did I do? What's wrong with me? I just signed my own death certificate." This wasn't something that Kaminari had the mind to hide from either. She was extremely serious when speaking to the Eleventh Division Captain, so she took it much more seriously than her own Captain did.

Kaminari flinched when something put pressure on her shoulder. She looked back wide eyed. For a brief moment, it was like she was looking at Lilith herself, the red demon glaring angrily down at her. When it spoke though, it was the voice of her Captain and so her mind came back to a reality it greatly preferred. She was silent, contemplating his words and attempts to comfort her. She brought her hand to the badge on her arm and squeezed it tight. She stumbled a moment, but got to her feet.

"No, I worked to hard for this." she said in whispered tones, but he should have been able to hear her, "It isn't her name, but the hundreds of stories those of the Shojin tell about her. Even the woman who trained me fears her... She spoke of Captain Blake as nothing more than a nightmare, a beast without control and a woman with no regard for the well-being of others. How are you not scared of her? And why does she walk around picking on people she knows she can destroy? I should have been able to tell, but sometimes I wonder if Hana prevents it..."

Kaminari grasped her zanpakuto and there was a moment of silence as she conversed with Hana. About ten seconds later, Kaminari would come back to focus and looked to her Captain. "She won't ever admit it, but sometimes I think she prevents me from sensing the power of other Shinigami. It's like she can put a block on my senses, the same way she can put a block on other people's spiritual powers. It's frustrating... I couldn't tell that Lilith had any power at all. I thought she was new, but no... She may also be damn good at hiding her energy."

Kaminari was proud of where she had gotten to. She was the Lieutenant of the Eighth Division. She always kept her word and proved it by completing Shino Academy in one year since she already had years worth of training behind that. She had no intention of letting anyone down, especially her Captain. Showing him that moment of weakness was something she regretted, but at least he understood her fear. He just explained that his view came from a very different point. All he had to say came closer to the end of his explanation. The surprise showed clearly.

"Adopted Mother?" she repeated once he finished. Though it may have seemed like she did not hear the rest of what he said, she did. She wasn't one to ignore what her Captain was telling her (at least not yet). There was a moment of thought as she considered what he said. "The scary Captain of the Eleventh Division was adopted as a Mother by the youngest Captain in the Gotei Thirteen. That's... impressive."

Needless to say, Kaminari was left a little dumbfounded by that. She stared at Genpaku for a moment and had to fight a laugh. She looked away and covered her mouth, giggling to herself. "You don't look right with red hair." she said, wiping a tear of joy from her eye before motioning down their path, "I'm sorry for that little display of mine. I shouldn't have reacted so cowardly, though you seem to understand why I did. It's nice to hear about the Demon Captain of the Gotei from another view... Either way, shall we get going? Don't want to lose daylight."

Once they got moving again, Kaminari walked with the same confidence and good mood she had at the beginning of all this. She put her hands behind her back and giggled again. "Though you definitely could not rock the red hair, I can see her rocking the silver hair." she brought up after a bit of silence, "You should get your Mother to bleach her hair. She would definitely look amazing with your color."

"Well, the easiest answer is that I suck, but I honestly don't know. How do I gauge my own skill when I don't know how any of the Captain's move. For all I know, my skill is mediocre for a Lieutenants. I know you asked for my opinion, but I really don't know." Kaminari shrugged, her smile never fading as she thought on his question, "I mean... The people at the Academy passed me without a second look, so I'm doing something right. I even tutored a few of the other students... I was also told that my skill was better than a seated officer, so I might be better than I think."

"Why don't you tell me how skilled you are in it, or your own opinion of your skill?" she asked and then ended up giggling over her own imagination again, "It's gonna be so cool to see you in action. Though, it might be scary at the same time... From what I learned at the Academy, Captain's don't usually hop into battle, except Captain Blake, but there aren't many who'd argue with her, are there?" Kaminari brought her hands up behind her head and stared up at the sky as the two walked along. "Must be cool to be a Captain, to do whatever you want and be able to protect everyone you care for... Maybe one day, I'll be a Captain too."

When Captain Arishima was the one talking about his own skills, it felt more educational. Learning about what her Captain could do helped her understand more of what he meant when he asked her the same question. Once he finished, she nodded and thought for a brief moment. "I see... Well, I am pretty quick on my feet, so shunpo does sometimes feel like it comes natural to me. At times, I can perform it easily, almost like it is second nature, but when I dare think about performing it, I end up tripping over my own two feet every now and then. I know I over think it... As for the rest, I practiced my swordsmanship more than anything up until I found what my shikai does. After that kido became my focus... I think I am decent with all three, but kido is definitely my number one skill without a doubt in my mind."

Hearing the comparison between Captain Blake and Captain Arishima was interesting as well. She may have let the stuff about the "Crimson Edge Captain" slip out of her mind, more focused on his description of Captain Blake. She may end up fighting her, ya know... Was that red-headed demon that impressive? Her own Captain described her battling as "an event." What the hell was that woman? "That... only terrifies me more. I'd really prefer not to be beaten by her that publicly." Kaminari explained a bit worried about what may come of this "challenge" she put out. "Maybe those extra rules will keep me alive..." she muttered under her breath, unaware of whether Captain Arishima could hear her.

Kaminari came out of her own thoughts when Captain Arishima made it clear that it was time to get moving. She hurried along, shunpo'ing forward trying to keep up with him at first. The level of shunpo she showed the first three-to-four times was a bit more advanced, as if it did come naturally, but then it did end up like she was over thinking it. She slowed down, covered less distance, and even almost fell from a roof at one point. She did catch herself, but a Captain would easily see the fumble. After some travel, the two made it to a large canyon that impressed Kaminari. "Just, wow..." she said as she looked out over it, "This is impressive."

Finding out what your Captain's zanpakuto actually does was an event in itself. What can someone do beyond sit back and watch in awe at the sheer power and what that power meant to you, the wielder, and the Gotei Thirteen all together. Upon the release of his shikai, a few questions came to Kaminari's mind. Why an elemental zanpakuto? Why lightning of all the elements? Did it just speak to his speed or was there something deeper to his soul? Zanpakuto mirrored their owners in some way, so what exactly did the lightning reveal when it came to Captain Arishima?  These were questions that she'd ask later if she remembered them.

With what came next, the chance of her recalling those questions decreased. As his bankai was released, Kaminari became entranced by it. It wasn't a beauty or the immense power that she was entranced by, but the memories of a time in her past. She looked up to the darkening sky as clouds formed above, tensing at the explosive echo of thunder and sharp crack of lightning. "I see." Kaminari distractedly muttered before her eyes snapped over to the spot of the lightning strike. The instant caused her heart to race and it wasn't obvious that she was at least slightly uncomfortable. She hid it pretty well, not wanting to seem weak or scared. The look could also be attributed to the large spiritual pressure that the close release of bankai put on her. She wasn't exactly used to such a feeling.

"You've got an impressive bankai. I can't say I'm curious about seeing it in action..." Kaminari rubbed the back of her head, a second hidden meaning beneath what she actually said. A lot of Shinigami became excited about the idea of witnessing their Captain fight at one hundred percent, but Kaminari was not. "It may sound odd, but the release of a Captain's bankai means something big is happening, and I'd prefer nothing like that occuring. The calmer things are, the easier it is to do our jobs." Kaminari put her hands behind her back and closed her eyes to think clearer. She went to speak, but stopped when she realized something extra was laying at Genpaku's hip. "I've thought of having an extra sword at my side to not deal with my shikai auto-releasing. Why do you have yours?"

Kaminari flailed like a child for the brief moment of explanation she gave. She probably should have looked up more, but it wasn't exactly on her lists of to-do's or within her normal interests. She didn't care about the other Divisions, only the one she was aiming for. To be honest, she didn't really look up much about the young man that is now her own Captain, so maybe she should have done a bit more research? Oh well! What's done is done and there's nothing she could do about it.

The display that Captain Arishima gave with Fujin threw her for a loop. It wasn't the blades power or anything that Genpaku did with it. Fujin's existence was what was odd. No, actually it was Raiden's existence. To Kaminari, two zanpakuto sounded terrifying in concept. She knew how rough her own zanpakuto was on her when using it. Yet, Captain Arishima could handle two at once? Well, not at once, but along side each other? Wait... Could he? So many questions came to mind. However, there was one question that came to mind that she had to ask now.

"I'm curious, Captain Arishima... Why Raiden, then?" Kaminari tilted her head. Out of everything she could have asked, Kaminari chose to ask that. "And what I mean by that is..." she continued, realizing the original question was too vague, "If Fujin is of your own power, why show Raiden first? Is what was handed down from your family more important than what your own power has granted you?"

So wait a minute... Not only did he have two zanpakutos, but also had bankai for them both? Holy shit. When those wings popped up, Kaminari's childish nature came forward. Needless to say, they were beautiful. "I wanna touch 'em." she said with a little too much excitement and went out to run her fingers through the wings similarly to the way one would brush back someone's hair. However, her fingers were met with a more glassy texture, something that surprised her. "Hehehe." she giggled like a giddy school girl. During this, she hadn't noticed the lighter feeling that her body suddenly had, but she was too distracted until he said something.

"Hm?" Kaminari looked down to her feet, as if anything had changed, and then went to jog real quick. She felt the feeling instantly and understood what he was talking about. The excitement increased that stars could be seen in her eyes. She hopped around practically squee'ing. She looked to a random direction and was ready to dart off. For a brief moment, she was running in place like a cartoon and then shot off like a bullet with this new found speed of hers. Unfortunately, her body wasn't used to such a thing and her reaction time did not allow her to not slip on the first bit of wet grass she ran over. Like an old comedy banana peel skit, her feet came out from under her and she went flying forward face first.

When the face-plant didn't come, Kaminari realized that she had been caught. She looked up to her Captain and his shiny emerald armor, only to show a massive toothy smile before she was brought to her feet. "That is so fun." Kaminari said while fighting the urge to run again, even though she did have a target in her mind, "Thanks for catching me. I have a feeling that one would have hurt." When Kaminari went to say something else, she stopped and stared quite oddly at Captain Arishima. A moment later, she put her hand on her zanpakuto and with a flick of her thumb, pushed the blade from the sheath, allowing her shikai to release.

"OHHHH NO. Holy god of thunder. I mean, I don't feel like a helium balloon and the pressure on my chest and head are gone, but WHAT!?" Kaminari was stunned at what happened. The release of her shikai called for the seal of his bankai and that was almost too much for her to handle. Kaminari dropped to her knees, holding the sides of her head as if she were having some sort of panic attack. "Are you kidding me!? I can turn that off? What is wrong with me?! Holy mother of cats."