It was a nice bright and shiny day in Soul Society. All was in order; Each shinigami was working diligently as they passed by the man carrying a small stack of files tucked between his left arm. His white Haroi of his office swayed in the gentle breeze that encompassed the 1st Division Headquarters. The man squinted at the bright sun above as he walked, somewhat quickly, towards his destination. He wasn't accustomed to the light as much as he was used too. As many would expect from the Captain of Division 12, he had been submerged in research for the past couple of days now, if not weeks. This man was none other than Kyroku Kokujin.

Kyroku smiled and greeted those he passed on his way to the Captain Commanders office, but if one looked closely, they could see the frustration in his face. This frustration was caused by his latest assignment, the investigation of the Dimensional Tear across Africa's skyline. The entire situation had kyroku in a heated disposition, never before had he meet such resistance with such a simple thing as a seal. As the Seireitei's leading Expert on Reshi, he had a reputation to uphold.

He tried to push his frustration to the back of his mind however as he entered the halls of the Headquarters finally. He slowed his pace as he felt his feet hit the wooden floor of the barracks, mostly in a sign of respect. He also straightened his posture from the slumped and tired rigidness he had carried himself here in. He walked past only a few other shinigami now, nodding his head at each but not bothering to address them. He knew they had tasks to preform so he didn't want to distract them.

He finally reached the door he had come all this way to enter. A small sign to the right of its frame simple stated "Commander Miyamoto's Office". Not many were granted permission to enter this room, but Kyroku was an exception. The Captain Commander and Kyroku were fairly good friends, as both came from nobility. Although Xion was much older than Kyroku, the two got along fairly well. They both understood a great deal about the world and had established ground on that premise.

Under normal conditions, He would wait before entering. But today, he had sent a messenger over ahead of time to inform Xion of him coming. So as an act of respect he knocked on the wooden door twice at a reasonable level, waited a few seconds, and then entered the room. As he approached the Captain Commander he remained formal for the moment, stood tall, and bowed once he was within a few feet of him.

"Its an Honor to see you again Commander, You look well." Kyroku said as he raised from the bow. The latter half of the sentence was said fully raised as he looked towards the man.

Xion had been relaxing that morning as he went over the reports and doings of the Shinigami alongside his morning coffee. His office was elegant in design however, it had many papers spread across the large desk in the back of room he was seated behind. The weather was indeed nice outside, as the Captain Commander would lose focus for a few moments, before returning back to his work. As he worked, he would hum, and the humming would in turn also act as a minor distraction from his duties. All of this was occurring, until Xion heard a tap on on his chamber doors, and the 12th Division Captain appeared before him.

"Kyroku Taichou....as always it is a pleasure to see you" The two had known each other for many years and their two families were of the most prosperous status in all of Soul Society. He eyed the boy's bowing for a moment before he smiled at the boy and motioned for him to take a seat at the Futansu, located in the middle of the room. Xion would walked from around his desk and he took his place at one side, then placing his coffee mug on the right side of the table. " So, what brings you here?....Thirsty?"

At the Captain Commanders gesture, Kyroku made his way to the Futansu in the middle of the office. He gladly took a seat and sat the flies of documents to his side.He then threw his head back and gave a long sigh before he looked toward the Commander. "This assignment is killing me Xion. And I don't say that lightly." He said as he looked at the man. He then looked at the mans coffee and them back at him. " No thank you. I find the taste too bitter." He said while raising a hand in a "no thank you" kind of way.  Now Kyroku picked up the files beside him and handed them to Xion, speaking as he did so.

" This is all the findings that I have found on the Dimensional Tear in Africa. Its not much to be honest. From several investigations, it seems to have been a rather large Seal of sorts. I'm not entirely positive because it neither emits Reiatsu or reacts to it. Not even in a negative manner, it simply doesn't even phase it. Its like running water over a stone. Its old too, too old for even a Kido standpoint. No amount of shinigami could have constructed it. As for whats causing it to Tear, is unknown to me. A seal like that shouldn't even Tear in the first place. Its a miracle it hasn't broken yet."

He then sat back into the plush cushions of the Futansu with an exhausted look on his face. "All the information is in the file of course." He paused a moment then. As if considering his next words carefully. "There is one clue though. But clearance would be an issue. I can't believe I'm even suggesting it to be honest." He said as he looked at Xion again. His face had become serious now. What he had come here to really ask was for permission. That much was now clear. But what it was exactly, he wasn't even sure if Xion could even grant. But it was the only link he could find to the Tear.

Xion had known the captain for many years. He was a brilliant scientist whose findings and work had helped to shape the scientific methods and theories that any self respecting Shinigami scientist would use when faced with the need to solve a problem. The captain's words were slightly alarming to the Captain Commander as he took in a deep breathe, then mulling over what their next course of action should be. As he listened to the words Kyroku said, he knew this tear was bad and he couldn't seem to shake the bad feeling he had.

" You have my approval in anything you want to do my old friend..." Kyroku was the scientist after all, and therefore, Xion would trust anything that he thought was necessary. Xion placed his coffee down as he stood up, he would tap the sides of his Captain's hoari, before walking towards the door. " Our resources are at your disposal, what do you think you will need?"

Kyroku watched as Xion mulled over what he had said not moments ago. The mans solemn response was to be  expected. Due to his families position,  it wasn't often that Kyroku asked for assistance from the gotei in his research. Most projects were funded by his families wealth,  as with the majority of shinigami affairs. But this was a different matter entirely; Kyroku needed only something Xion could possibly provide.

The man leaned back a little now and exhaled a large breath. " thats the problem, its not our resources that I need. Its the Kings. I want permission to study the
Akaibu." Kyroku said gravely.

From what Kyroku had read, the Akaibu was an artifact of great importance. It was said to contain be the Soul Kings very knowledge of reishi and its full nature. Those who possessed said knowledge could learn to harness reishi in a way impossible to even shinigami.  Naturally such an item is very coveted and remains one of the 12 treasures of the king. Being a treasure of the King, it had not been seen for thousands of years. The archives Kyroku had read about it were just as old.

Kyroku learned of its nature and knew that it would be the key to uncovering just what this seal was that he was dealing with.  If he studied the Akaibu,  he could figure it out in no time and dealing with it would be without any problems at all.  The trouble was getting it to him. A Kings Treasure hadn't seen shinigami hands in nearly 3,000 years. Asking permission was unheard of and frankly uncalled for. But Kyroku knew that the situation was a dire one and it might be their only hope of what was to come and how to stop it.

He waited for Xion to no doubt change his stance, if even abit.  Such a request was unheard of, even for him. But he hoped Xion would realize the gravity of the situation at hand and consider the request.  After all, he was the only shinigami to have access to the Kings Realm.

The request struck Xion like a hard fist to the face. He was expecting the captain to request extra funds or forces but this time, he was requesting something far greater. The Akaibu was an artifact under the direct jurisdiction and and protection of squad 0. Every member of squad 0 would know of not only its very existence but its location. Xion took a deep breathe as he made his way to a large closer in the back of the room. He would open the closet door then pulling forth from it's contents, a large white puffer jacket with the symbol of squad 0 along the back. Xion had made his decision yet, he did not know if he would learn to regret his decision. Only time would tell and unfortunately, this tear would require immediate investigation.

" If we are to get you access to the Akaibu, I will need to go with you...." Xion's tone would be one of uncertainty, as he knew his former squad mates and former mentor would indeed have a problem with a Shinigami having access to the Akaibu. " Amongst the members of squad 0....I was one of the strongest. Should they not agree with you observing the Akaibu, I want you to make it back to my palace and look for an emergency exit located in my workshop. It should be a small hatch underneath the desk....It would take you a few hours to get back, however, it would be your only means of escape "

Xion would remove his current captain's robe, as he put on his former squad 0 garb. The moment he placed the jacket upon his shoulders, the air within the room had grown thick and heavy. Xion would raise his arm forward pointed toward where the traditional door would be. His right arm had begun to glow as the Oken within his bones responded to his will. A golden keyboard would appear as if out of the ether, to which Xion would begin typing on. As his typing had come to an end, a special golden senkaimon would open up just a few feet in front of where the traditional door was. " Ensure you bring your zanpakutou and your iron will..you will need them old friend....Shall we?" Xion would then motion for them to walk forward before walking through the open doors of the Senkaimon and into the King's dimension.

The Captain Commanders words struck Kyroku rather surprising. He hadn't expected to be taken directly to the Akaibu. He figured it would be transported by the royal guard like all the other treasure. That was no matter however, Although he was not entirely prepared. He checked himself quickly for all that he needed; pens, paper, his notes on the Dimensional Tear, and anything else he could think of. He also made sure his blade was secure. Why Xion thought he would need his Zanpakuto, he didn't know. Surely the Members of Division 0 would be more than understanding of their blight.

Then their was Xion's hint of a backdoor, A way out of the Kings Realm should things go badly. This puzzled him the most. Why on earth would they draw blades on the two of them for a simple request? Kyroku knew of the Akaibu's power, but was asking to see it really that terrible of a thing?

He watched Xion as he put on his robe and the room got heavier than normal. It must have been centuries since the man had worn the haori. Kyroku had never seen it before and seeing it now was quite interesting. What was even more interesting was the Oken being activated, something else he had never seen done before. In one single afternoon he had been shown several things almost ever soul in Soul Society would never see in their entire lifetime. Then he thought of the gravity of the situation at hand. There was something Xion wasn't telling him. He hadn't looked at the paperwork before saying yes to his request. Yes the two were good friends and Kyroku knew the most about reishi as far as shinigami went but the answer was given too quickly and without question. Xion knew something about the Tear. Something he would rather give access to the Legendary Akaibu than share with Kyroku.

The questions troubled him, yet his face remained the same. He finally sat up from where he had been sitting and made his way to follow the Captain Commander. He examined the Golden archway of the Senkaimon before responding to Xion.

"I suppose now would be just a good a time as any, old friend. Please, lead the way." He said with a smile, as the two walked forward into the Kings Dimension.

[EXIT]