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Kumori Raizen had only just been deemed Captain of the 10th Division when he made the decision to find the Kidou Corps' designated leader. On his way to the Kidoushuu Headquarters, he'd sent a messenger to spread the word around the Seireitei that a Trial by Combat would ensue for control of the corps. With his message sent, Raizen stood before the building that housed the Kidou Corps, waiting for only two things: the appearance of the Kidou Corps Commander, and the arrival of what he knew would be far more than the necessary 200 witnesses from the Kidou Corps and many other Divisions.
The messenger Raizen had sent out, would rather quickly do the duty of spreading about the information that the young supposed Vice-Captain would be attempting a Trial by Combat to take control of the Kidoushuu. With this in mind, it seemed that there started the arrival of many including the Captain of the 2nd Division as she got the news with much speed. Several other lesser and seated Division members would also end up at the venue of choice. And soon enough from the Headquarters of the Kidoushuu would emerge a man dressed in a dark blue high collared haori with two large spikes up the back. He was the leader of the Kidoushuu and had been since the fall of the Kumori Clan. To hear of a challenge wasn't something he expected at all, but as he made his way outside he couldn't help but be stunned by the appearance, of the only remaining Kumori after all this time. Personally, he'd hoped the lad would have been executed, or that upon his actual return to the Seireitei he'd simply fall into obscurity. "Overstepping your bounds a bit aren't ya', boy," he mentioned seemingly amused by the idea that any thought they could challenge him to a trial by combat. This man had sickly blue and thick brows with a head of dusty brown hair, his name was Kimura Yuji.
Raizen stood before the Commander of the Kidou Corps with a gentle grin upon his face, which showed more clearly when he dropped the hood of the haori he now wore. He had personally never seen this particular Kidou specialist before, but that didn't much matter now. "Iie. Like I told the ones you sent for me... I can develop Kidou just fine by myself. I've actually come up with a nifty trick; I'll show you here today," he said. Raizen's senses told him there were more than enough witnesses present at this location for the trial to begin properly, but there was a certain stipulation he wished to make known. "Kimura Soushi! I declare myself the strongest Kidou user in the Soul Society! Wager your organization in a contest of spells against me, Juubantai Taichou, Kumori Raizen!" he exclaimed loudly enough for his voice to carry through the audience.
The two hundred members of the Kidou squad were soon making up a large number of the crowd, but with the messages being sent out, many more than that showed up. The Captain of the 5th Division became curious as well and found herself watching the goings on, as did the Sixth Division's Captain as keeping up with things such as this were necessary for posterity. The Captain of the 12th Division showed up as well standing with her hands on her hip a lollipop in her mouth. "Really, they made him Captain already? Good for him. Oi Beni-chan... you're here right?" she asked knowing that she and the young woman had left at the same time. "Of course, I had to see something like this, want a chair?" she asked the woman which made her nod yes. She then produced two capsules which created high tier chairs side by side, at least a full two meters taller than most of the people gathered around. The Captain of the 12th grinned from ear to ear as she climbed up and had a seat atop a small cushion. "Alright, I was a bit cross with you for being in a bad mood earlier. But this... makes up for it." said the cat woman as she grinned. Benihime herself seemed to take on an extremely relaxed state as several shorter members of division occupied the bottoms of these chairs climbing upwards to gain better views as well, all of which no one seemed to mind. "Joushi, you change your mind too quickly. He was only just made Captain though, I hope you don't regret your decision to get him out of jail," mentioned the Captain Commander who was among those who'd climbed up the high chairs the two short women sat upon. The words of the Captain of the Tenth Division made the crowd gasp. But...
Kimura Yuji seemed to be fine with this. He didn't much care one way or another, there hadn't been a stronger Kidou user than him born in quite a while, and even with this young man here, there would likely be way too much time before he'd be able to properly take this Squadron from him. "Alright, I'll wager the control of the Kidoushuu, a stronger Kidou user than me doesn't exist here." said Kimura, who was also a strong sensor, as such he could say his statement with a certainty. It'd taken everything he had not to scoff at the idea of this young man becoming Captain, and more than that not to laugh at the assertion that he could take this from him. "After you..."
"Well, you're technically right. There isn't a stronger Kidou user than you there. Over here is a different story," Raizen said cheekily. He'd been offered the first attack; something he considered to be a mistake on the other man's part. "I'll even crush you without moving from here." Suddenly, Raizen's Reiatsu unleashed itself in massive quantities, which made it easy to believe he'd been a Captain for far longer than his present lifespan. While showcasing his power in this simple way, Raizen held his right hand toward Yuji. "If you think yourself a greater Kidou master than myself, I'll humor you. I'm going to put on a show for these people. You cannot defend against any of my higher spells, so I'll tell you what I am going to do, and you can try to do something about it. I'm going to use the third Secret Hadou spell without moving from where I stand now."
As they watched this standoff take place, suddenly Raizen's Reiatsu became a massive presence which could be felt by all. Yuji's eyes widened as he'd not felt this sort of power from any but the absolute strongest of Captains. "Ba...kana." he managed seeming to not understand how one would even be able to hide so much power. Even so, there was much which could be done, and raw power alone didn't make this an unwinnable match up. Beyond this even, the young boy's cockiness seemed to eat away at the brown haired man. "Don't get ahead of yourself kid, you're not the only really powerful young person around," said the man but Raizen's next words, which went on to tell this man about an ability that none outside of the Kidoushuu should know about made his eyes widen.
The mention of some secret technique in Kidou made the crowd begin to whisper. Foremost among these, was Benihime, "Ayatsuki-taichou, what Kidou is that... I don't remember reading about anything like that in my textbooks, and Kidou was listed as my specialty in the Academy." she asked of her Captain who for the first time in a very long time looked just as confused as the redhead. "What are you talking about I don't know either..." she said turning her attention to the Captain Commander who wore the most serene expression. "Don't even look my way Joushi, I knew I didn't like the secrecy of the Kidoushuu, I know nothing of a hidden technique," said the Captain Commander, which only seemed to surprise Benihime even more. 'Soutaichou is over 5000 years old, how the fuck is there something he doesn't know......' a pause came in Benihime's thoughts as she looked to the Captain Commander, 'She?' she had the thought but couldn't determine it. "Why don't I know if the Captain Commander is a guy or a girl?' she mentally questioned.
"You think you're clever don't you? Heard about that once... from where I can't even figure it out. No matter, I'll crush you now, to save you the shame of your lies..." the man said, seeming to have taken some sort of offense to the words spoken by Raizen. In fact so many that he would no longer be allowing this lad to simply do as he pleased. He'd crush this child where he stood with a combination of spells he'd found to be more useful than hidden ones on most occasions. He held up his left hand flat palmed to Raizen and braced it with is left hand, and spoke the name of a spell which didn't make much sense. But this was because he was in the process of weaving the two spells into a single entity. "Senju Koten Taiho Hyapporankan" This would create ten balls of scattering light which would immediately leave the area around him and aim to engulf Raizen in the burning fire which was the first of those kidou spells. Beyond this they'd break into several long pieces extending into rods which would aim to shower the area in these binding spells. His hope was to engulf Raizen in an overwhelming spell which would aim to pin the young man in place and then cause a devastating explosion.
"I agree wholeheartedly. I've seen a few strong, skilled individuals in my own age bracket. I won't argue that sort of thing." It seemed the Commander of the Kidou Corps thought Raizen to be a liar, despite his obvious knowledge of this alleged secret spell. Whatever the case, he and everyone else would soon know whether Raizen spoke truth or not. Yuji claimed he would crush the lad to stop these lies, and aimed to do so by creating an admittedly interesting and powerful spell combination. Sadly, the spell would never see its second phase...
"Ura Hadou: Sannodou - Teppuusatsu!" At Raizen's command, his Reiryoku produced a large aura around him in the form of a dragon's head. This intimidating force alone was more than enough to disintegrate the light spheres before they reached Raizen, and before they took the shape of their binding rods. The dragon's mouth would then begin its offensive by breathing a powerful wind from its mouth toward Yuji. The force of this wind alone was enough to mar the land it touched and shatter barriers within the standard list of spells available to Gotei 13 members. With this, though, Raizen only intended to prevent any movements by Yuji to show his power while allowing a spell of his own creation some freedom to strike. To do this, he switched from holding out an open palm to pointing forward with his forefinger. "Juugeki Byakurai," he spoke, marking his production of a thin, red beam of energy capable of piercing even some of the most durable foes as well. This spell, cast during the winds of his Ura Hadou, aimed to pierce the heart of Kimura Yuji from afar.
It seemed that Raizen wouldn't be arguing against the assertion of the leader of the Kidoushuu, instead it seemed that he would showcase his own abilities plain and simple. The use of the spell which Raizen claimed was unknown was immediate and used to counter the spell combination used by Kimura. The crowd went hushed as they all recognized before them a spell they'd never seen with a power they didn't know it possible for such a thing to possess. Beyond this, the spell cast immediately afterward would cover the distance between Raizen and his challenger. The man in defense of himself had thrown up a Kidou barrier, with a single hand, but it shattered on impact with his modified spell, piercing him directly through his heart. He looked down at a bleeding wound in his chest, opening his mouth to speak. "It's... not..." blood dripped over his lips as his body collapsed.
Even the Captain Commander stood slack jawed at the sight of this power they'd never seen before. "That's..." started that individual but they seemed to lose the words. "That's..." this also came from the cat eared woman who seemed not to know what to say either, but Benihime was right at the edge of her seat. Her day up to this point had been something a bit sad, beyond this she simply had no idea what to say to anyone, but in this moment seeing this combination of old and new spells she actually had something to say. "That's so fucking cool!~~ How'd he even do that... made up a new spell too, Sugei!~" this made both of the Captains in the girl's immediate vicinity stare at the young woman blankly. It seemed most of the crowd was simply stunned by this instance, but Benihime's mind was buzzing and for the first time in several hours, she felt kind of happy. This girl's reaction made the Captain Commander speak, though not directly to her. "Joushi, you're a bad influence on your members. And this new generation is frightening..." mentioned the Captain Commander. "I didn't do anything, she was like that when she came to me... And I totally agree, he's scary. But I thought that when I met him the first time," mentioned the young woman who still took issue. "And really, Beni-chan, just fine with this... he literally just two shot killed a man..." said the woman, this made Benihime turn to her as if confused. "But... that guy was trying to do the same thing... no use combining a level 90s spell with a binding spell unless you're trying to kill someone... self defense. Extravagant, fabulous, I am definitely trying that shit later, self defense, but definitely self-defense."
Following the use of his two spells, Raizen placed his hands against his hips and watched the fall of the former Kidou Corps Commander. He would go on to approach the dead male and claim the haori he wore. Draping the article over his left shoulder, he addressed the members of the Kidou Corps. "Kidoushuu! You are all hereby members of the 10th Division. Spread the word to the others among your ranks; I am now the Dai Kidouchou and Soushi!" Now that Raizen had realized one of his goals, there was nothing else for him to do here. He left the Kidou Corps to their work, until such a time as they would report to him fully prepared to assimilate with the 10th Division. For now, he made his way back to the 10th itself. He had a Vice-Captain to assign now, after all.
A few days after the fall of Nijo Kenpachi and the rise of at least 2 new Captains, one redhead wrapped in bandages found herself walking around outside of the Kidoushuu Headquarters. She'd come here after being told by her Captain to leave some particularly taxing research alone for a bit. On her forced free time the girl had found it in herself to stretch a bit and spend some time walking about. Knowing that someone she knew was now in a bit freer of a position she thought she might stop by for a chat. Upon reaching the entrance there were two guards outside this made the girl stop with her hands on her hips. "Can I go in? I just wanna visit someone." she said offering a smile while her left elbow rested on the hilt of her Zanpakuto.
Two members of the Kidou Corps present at the gate were members of the Chuuton Heidan faction; they were among the most commonly seen individuals belonging to this organization. This specific pair had only recently been given the information of their new leadership, but they had enough knowledge now that when the red-haired lass approached, they each stepped toward their respective side. No words were spoken by either of them, but the door of the building seemed to open itself when they parted ways. Interestingly enough, Benihime would be liable to find exactly who she sought mere moments after entry. Nomura Daiki, one of three Generals in the corps, stood several meters from the entrance, in plain sight.
"Really?" she found it strange that the doors simply opened, but perhaps the level of secrecy around this place had drastically decreased since the Captain of the 10th Division took it over. Regardless the girl strolled through with mild amusement in her face and tone. "Arigatou gozaimasu~" she said as she finished each of her steps. She thought she'd get a chance to look around a bit while seeking a particular raven haired male, but much to her surprise, he was simply standing several meters from the entrance. "Well, that's no fun. I fully expected to get to run around a little bit and find out what all the secrets were about," she said seemingly disappointed by the immediate finding of this individual. "Ohayou Gozaimasu, Dai-kun." she said as she approached him directly.
Daiki had very much expected the arrival of Benihime, as he'd been able to sense her from within the building prior to her entry. As such, he had prepared himself to meet her face-to-face when she stepped through the door. "Ohayou," he greeted. It seemed this one had been keen on fishing for secrets upon entering the Kidoushuu HQ, but Daiki knew she would not have found them so easily regardless. "You wouldn't have found any. Even with the door now being open, Kidou research is still a delicate, and therefore secret, operation. I'm sure you understand. So... why are you here now?"
Upon her entrance and acknowledgement of Daiki he poked at her statement, making it clear that even if he hadn't been waiting to find her, that she wouldn't have easily found out anything. She supposed that was likely true, but that wouldn't have stopped her from trying regardless. But that wasn't really the point, when he moved on to the point of her visit something in the way he spoke changed her outlook a bit. Even so, it didn't change the look on her face which seemed to be one of mild amusement. "I wanted to talk to you. You know, no emergencies, no fatalistic bad days, just a chat..." she said seemingly light. "I feel like I owe you an explanation..." she said. In truth the girl's own habits of secret keeping were likely eating away at her. She didn't actually know if it had any effect on Daiki as well, but she didn't want to keep him from anything either. "Unless you're busy, if so I get it," she said more than prepared to leave again if the lad didn't actually want to talk with her. Of course, she'd understand if he didn't considering she knew she was hard to read in the first place.
As Benihime spoke, Daiki stood with his arms held akimbo. She seemed to think he was owed a bit of an explanation, which he had been going for the moment she left him behind in the streets of the Seireitei, during the Ouin incident. At that time, he received a very disturbing parting statement from the lass, but nothing to give him some amount of closure or general understanding of the situation. "If you feel like you want to explain something, I'll listen. I won't lie and say I wasn't incredibly confused when you left me alone in a swarm of Menos days ago."
After a few seconds, Benihime took note of Daiki's stance, and waited for words. She couldn't predict exactly where this conversation was going, but she knew it would probably be for the best if they both weren't in a constant state of dazed and confused by their partings. When he went on to speak, and say he'd listen to her, her body lost a tiny bit of the tension she'd not known she'd been holding, beyond this he claimed that he was incredibly confused when she'd rather suddenly disappeared during the swarming of Menos. "Gomen, admittedly... I just didn't want to start crying when there was a huge battle going on," she said her right hand finding a home against the back of her head while her left hand came to rest on the hilt of her Zanpakuto. This wasn't particularly a threatening move, it was instead something she did to comfort herself and something she found herself doing more and more often without realizing it.
"So, this is going to sound really strange," she said knowing the words about to leave her mouth wouldn't make any sense, but somehow she hoped the boy would simply take the things she was about to say at face value. "But my family was cursed, as a member of it, I am likely fated to die really young," she said seemingly calm about it now. "Sometimes, I don't feel like that is true, but other times I feel like it's the only truth I can know in life. That day, among the Menos was one of the days I believed," she said thinking about it from a scientific perspective it was almost preposterous. "And at the times when I don't think I am going die really young and not accomplish anything, I think I might be responsible for a lot of deaths, and I just... didn't want to be responsible for yours too." she said as her palm rested against the hilt of her Zanpakuto. Her statement hinted that she might have felt personally responsible some deaths. And she did, mainly the death of her immediate family. "I didn't want to lie to you, and tell you I'd wait for you, when half the time I'm not even sure my own mortality is within my control," the girl said and after she was finished she exhaled. Having said all of that she couldn't necessarily say she felt better, but she also felt more like she hadn't simply left the boy she'd called hers dazed and confused in the wake of who she was as a person.
"Understandable, I guess," was Daiki's reply to her initial statement. He went on to hear out the story involving Benihime's "cursed" clan and the situation involving her supposed untimely demise. Daiki was obviously not privy to such information, but whatever the case, it was obviously something which had an effect on the redhead. Still, he sighed. Daiki had once settled into the mindset of a death by any cause, if it meant this individuals continued existence and general happiness. Since the Ouin incident, though, he began to feel as if there was nothing he could do. This was still the case after her story. "Sou ka. It's kind of weird, but I'll take it over no explanation at all."
It seemed at the very least, her companion of several months understood her desire not to burst into tears in the middle of a battle. Beyond this he as he always did listened very attentively while she spoke, even if he didn't fully understand everything he took it all in and was exceedingly understanding. At the point where he finally spoke up he claimed that though her explanation was weird he'd take it over her saying nothing about anything. A smile stretched over this girl's face in this moment, not because the moment deserved a smile, but because Daiki did. "You know, Dai-kun, you're way too nice," she mentioned as the rest of the tension fell away from her shoulders, and she took a single step forward. "Would I be pushing my luck to ask for a hug?"
"Hai. I've heard it's a fatal flaw," he said. He didn't really know what else to say about the situation between himself and the redhead, nor about her own personal situation with the supposed fated deaths in her family. He'd been there following the murder of her closest relatives, but this was an extreme he couldn't even properly address, and that alone was bothersome in its own right. Regardless, Benihime thought to step closer to the male when she felt relieved of tension. At that time, Daiki took a single step back. "... Sumimasen. I don't think I should let myself do that. Even I can tell this isn't going to work. Back then, I was settled... but I feel like you should fill the hole in your life with something other than me. Honestly, even doing my best, I can't begin to make up for whatever's missing, or even understand it. You're clever enough to think of something that'll work for you, and make you happy."
Daiki acknowledged his niceness as a fatal flaw, but moved on to show that it wasn't something he was altogether stuck with. He went on to explain to Benihime after stepping away from the hug she'd asked about, that he knew for certain now that they wouldn't work. And that though he was settled into the idea that they could have before, that she should try to fill the hole within herself with something else. In this moment she couldn't keep the look of shock off her face because he was quite right. When she was all alone with her thoughts, she knew for certain that she'd simply let this boy fill the void in her life. She'd known this at every instance of their meetings, and even in one which didn't involve the lad at all. When Raizen had mentioned her not knowing what to do to fill the void within herself, she knew this to be true and sighed. She was almost certain Daiki was the only boy to ever see her tears, but even so, she couldn't bring herself to cry in this moment. Her face returned to the blankness she generally showed the world, the one that hid her inner selfs lack of light, behind that empty smile. "Hai, you're right..." the girl said as she turned on her heels lifting her left hand above her head to wave before allowing it fall back into resting position on the hilt of her Zanpakuto. She'd go on to do something she hadn't done since childhood, wandering the streets like a lost child, but before she did, she had a parting phrase for the lad. "Sayonara, Daiki."
In spite of her flat outward appearance, it seemed Benihime well understood the gravity of the situation. Daiki himself accepted this loss for the lass' potential betterment in ways he would only be preventing otherwise. This may not have been anything foreseeable immediately, but Daiki strongly believed this would have a positive outcome down the line. As such, when Benihime turned and waved, and offered a farewell that seemed all too final, Daiki shook his head. "Iie. Ki wo tsukete, Benihime."