The New Mission (Private)

The day was cool, much cooler than it had been recently. The lush green leaves had turned a beautiful red and gold, and they fell silently to the ground. The air smelled crisp and clean. It was just the kind of day Byakuya Kuchiki liked. Not too hot, yet not too cold. Byakuya couldn't stand the heat. Heat meant sweat, and Byakuya hated getting dirty. Today was a day much like any other, but it was very different, too. Today was the day Byakuya and one of the third Division shinigami, Ryuunosuke, got their new mission.

Byakuya arived at the Head Captains office early and waited until the Head Captain was ready to talk. He stood silently, ignoring the people around him.

"You can come in now, Captain Kuchiki, Ryuunosuke." The Head Captain told them, and Byakuya walked in quickly, glad that he didn't have to wait long.

"You are to go to Hueco Mundo and find out if Aizen is planning to attack the Soul Society again," the Head Captain told them. "Be careful and don't get too close to Aizen. Try not to be seen and only fight if absolutely necessary. This is a dangerous mission, but I know I can trust you, Captin Kuchiki."

Byakuya nodded. "Yes sir. We will complete this mission quickly and without any mishap." He bowed, and walked out of the room, not waiting for Ryuunosuke to follow him.

Ryuunosuke was not the quiet type. No he was more the silent type. He listened to the orders silently and nodded silently in agreement before following Byakuya. Though he was not usually the type to notice or if he did he did not care, he had to note that Byakuya was attractive. He knew of Byakuya's skill and the nature of his shikai and bankai. They would be useful assets on this mission if it went badly. However, the actual mission itself was more Onmitsukido style. He wondered why the second squad captain had not been sent or why he had not been sent alone despite his skill. He did not wonder for long however. The Captain-Commander obviously had there reasons and Ryuunosuke was not the type to question orders. They were heading to the research bureau as to enter Hueco Mundo a garganta would be needed and the research bureau were the only ones other then Urahara and maybe the kido corps who knew how to do this.

When they reached the bureau there was already a representative waiting. He lead them to a room. It was large and perfectly square made of a kind of metal. He spoke some words and then the dimensional rift that was the garganta opened. Ryuunosuke nodded in gratitude and walked through it not waiting for Byakuya. He quickly progressed through it, not creating a path, but a sort of mobile device similar to the one used by Ishida when he used the garganta.

When he eventually arrived in Hueco Mundo he waited for Byakuya. He was ordered to complete this mission with Byakuya and he would obey that order to the letter. He observed the desert. It was dark, which he favoured, but it was empty which would make it difficult for him to hide. In the distance he could see Las Noches, but it would take time to reach it even using shunpo and he suspected there would be all kinds of traps along the way.

Byakuya was never one to rush. Not even in the most dire situations. And so he took his time going to Hueco Mundo. There was no rush, even though he had told the head captain he would complete the mission quickly. He still would complete it quickly, he knew that. If he didn't think he could have, he wouldn't have told the head captain that. Byakuya always kept his promises. Or at least did everything he could to. And nothing, not even being attacked, would stop him from completing this mission on time. Nothing would make him anger or disapoint the head captain. Byakuya Kuchiki was a responsable shinigami who didn't go back on his word. He never had, and he never would. Everyone respected him and he would keep it that way. He would do nothing to make someone look down on him. There was one time... he had made it look like he had betrayed the Soul Society in order to kill a dangourous enemy. That had been one of the worst times of his life. They thought he was a traitor. His tried to put him in prison. Never again. He swore that he would tell someone if something like that happened again. He wouldn't let anyone believe he was doing anything wrong. He couldn't stand it when he was treated like a criminal.

Byakuya arrived in Hueco Mundo about half an hour after Ryuunosuke, after taking the time to go home, tell Rukia where he was going, make sure his division was in order and Renji knew what he was doing (oh, how he hated leaving Renji in charge. He was sure the division would be a mess when he came back.), walked along the streets of the Soul Society feeling the cool air, smelling the beautiful scents. After all that he finally arrived in Hueco Mundo. He looked around, making sure to take note of his surroundings, then walked over to Ryuunosuke. "Let's go," he said, his voice as cold as ice. "We have a lot to do." Byakuya walked toward Las Noches, keeping his eyes out for hollows. Do they know we're here? Maybe not. But they will soon enough. We have to get this over with quickly before they sense us.

Ryuunosuke was not worried about the wait. He had not wasted the time either. He had scouted the surrounding area in a 10ft radius to make sure the area was secure. He had a device hidden in his left breast pocket. When activated it would re-open the garganta to take them home. Byakuya would of been given a similar device incase the first was destroyed or Ryuunosuke captured or killed. The most likely was the destruction of the device. Ryuunosuke was not the type to get captured or killed easily. Ryuunosuke nodded to Byakuya at the order to get going and walked in silence masking his reiatsu as much as possible. Due to being easily vice-captain if not captain-class this was difficult as it would also be for Byakuya. This time period walking allowed Ryuunosuke to reflect on his earlier thoughts of Byakuya's attractiveness. He shook his head irritably. Such thoughts would cloud his judgement. They were getting closer to the walls of Los Noches with each step and with each step the reiatsu of hollow, which soaked the atmosphere, became more potent. The walls were said to be heavily guarded.

OOC: Shouldn't you now take this thread to HM? You after all went through a gate hence an exit or of some sort into the hollow realm?

Byakuya looked around, carefully scoping out the area, making sure no one was there. He felt no energy but his and Ryuunosuke's. He walked toward Las Noches carefully, keeping his eyes peeled for Arrancar, Espada, hollows, or anything else. Suprisingly, he saw nothing. "It seems they have let their guard down," Byakuya stated, whispering just in case someone could hear. But, Byakuya realized, we can't figure out their plans if no one's around. Byakuya had hoped to catch some Arrancar outside Las Noches, since it would be easier to listen without being caught. And there was more room in case they needed to run. Of course, Byakuya didn't intend to run. But just in case....

Now, if they didn't encounter someone soon, they would have to enter Las Noches, a highly dangerous place. Byakuya had been there once before when he rescued Rukia from an Espada. He knew just how powerful the Espada can be, it was true that he had won, but now all Espada would be that weak. He had gotten lucky. There were Espada that were highly powerful, possibly higher than captain level. And of course, there were Aizen, Gin, and Tousen.... Byakuya wasn't really convinced Tousen was all that powerful, but he didn't know about the other two. Aizen especially had to have extreme power. Power Byakuya didn't have.

"According to records there should be at least a dozen obstacles before we reach the main citadel." Ryuunosuke stated calmly and almost emotionessly. "For example the Tres Cifras." He had been thinking about the thought of entering the main citadel. He was not scared of dying, but he was afraid of failure and if they encountered Aizen or even an espada higher then about six they would have difficulty in succeeding. "We should not need to enter the main citadel."

Ryuunosuke was planning out his strategy from maps and other details he had memorised during his training incase he ever had to come to Hueco mundo. Vast desert, usually inhabited with weak hollow, surrounding a white building as big if not bigger then Seireitei, Las Noches. Las Noches was usually only inhabited by about thirty individuals maximum at one time despite its size. "Finding someone inside Las Noches will be....challenging." He did not use the word difficult. If it was difficult then it just became more of a test, more of a challenge.

Obstacles? Where are they? Byakuya hadn't seen any obstacles around, but then again, they could be hidden. He didn't know much about Hueco Mundo. He hadn't even bothered to think much about what they were going to do before hand. He just assumed it would be quick and easy. Now thinking about it and listening to Ryuunosauke, he realized it would be much, much harder. Maybe impossible.

Byakuya felt ashamed. He hadn't planned at all for this trip, hadn't looked at maps or anything, and yet Ryuunosauke seemed to have it all figured out. He was the one in the lead, the one who knew what he was doing, not Byakuya. What kind of captain am I? I should have found out more before we came. I'm supposed to be leading this mission. The head captain is counting on me.... Byakuya sighed and glanced at Ryuunosauke. Maybe I've failed so far, but I won't when we get in there. I won't let him be in the lead.

It was unusual that Byakuya went anywhere without planning. He figured he'd be able to navigate everything when he got there. Now he knew he was wrong. A good captain never just acted on impulse. They planned.

As they walked closer towards Los Noches Ryuunosuke noticed something. This something was something Kurosaki Ichigo and his friends had noticed on their journey to Las Noches. No matter how much they walked the citadel never seemed to get any closer. He focused trying to remember things from records. He was also worried that they hadn't come across a single obstacle, even a hollow would of reassured him slightly. It was as if Las Noches had let their guard down and were letting them get close. Thats if they were getting closer. It seemed like one of those illusions where no matter how much you tried you never got any closer. Then he remembered something from the records. It was said that from any point in Hueco Mundo it would take three days to get to Las Noches no matter how fast you went. "This is really not my style." Ryuunosuke said half to himself. "It is taking far too long." This was truthful for almost all members of the Onmitsukido. Afterall, their missions were focused on speed and precision. The spying bit was there style, but the getting there was not. However, complaining was also not in their nature and especially not in Ryuunosuke's. Something was affecting him and he had a feeling it was Byakuya. He spoke quietly to the captain.

"The lack of obstacles is worrying." Though his voice did not show any sign of fear or worry. "Its almost as if they are expecting us." He was getting quite annoyed at the lack of obstacles. Here they were a captain and someone who was pretty much captain-class walking through Hueco Mundo and not even a weak hollow had attacked them. Sure they were surpressing their reiatsu to the lowest level they could, but they should still be senseable as a threat. Even the Onmitsukido couldn't hide their presence entirely without the aid of kido. However, what was annoying him and worrying him the most was that he was being affected at all by the presence of Byakuya and he didn't know what to do about it. It is a bad feeling to be unsure of yourself, but when you are always sure of yourself and suddenly you are uncertain the feeling is almost crippling.

It keeps getting farther away, Byakuya realized, frowning. How can we get in if everytime we move toward it it moves away? Or are we not moving? Byakuya was confused. He had never seen anything like this. He glanced at Ryuunosuke as he spoke. Almost as if they were expecting us... that may be so... if it is then they've probably set up an army further in. Byakuya sighed. This was much harder than he had expected. He looked at Ryuunosuke again and couldn't help but think he looked worried. "Is something wrong?" he asked him. Why do I even care? Byakuya wondered, shaking his head. Byakuya hardly ever cared about anyone, especially someone he hardly knew.

"Its just the situation." he replied quietly though this was only partly true. The situation only bothered him because the presence of Byakuya was throwing him off. "Records from Kurosaki Ichigo's visit to Hueco Mundo state that from any point it takes three days to get to Las Noches." he said trying to turn the conversation away from his feelings and onto the mission. "If that is true then we will be journying for quite a while. That bothers me." He was worried that if the journey took too long his rising feelings concerning Byakuya would effect his judgement even more and he would be incapable of completing the mission. Failure was not an option to Ryuunouske.

Ryuunosuke thought about better ways. He could only come up with two options and neither were very good. "The only way I can think of would be to force an arrancar to open a portal directly to Las Noches and then eliminate them before they can do anything." he said quietly. "Or follow one through a garganta before it closes." Both of these seemed like impossible options, but the current one also seemed impossible. They would be spotted before they reached Las Noches and not by some common arrancar, but likely by a high level espada. Between the two of them with bankai they could probabaly take them, but what if Gin or Aizen attacked. Even Ryuunouske did not want to fight Aizen. "Even if we run or Shunpo...its going to be three days walking....together." The last word was what bothered him. Alone it would be a pain, but at least his judgement wouldn't be affected so much by the presence of the handsome captain. Wait did he just think handsome? What was wrong with him?

Force the Arrancar to open a portal for us? How are we going to do that? There aren't any Arrancar around. Byakuya just nodded, not saying anything. It will take three days.... Byakuya frowned. He wanted the mission to be over. Fast. This wasn't the kind of thing you took your time on. Byakuya wanted to spend as little time as he could in Hueco Mundo. Together. They'd be walking together. Byakuya shook his head, wondering why he couldn't forget that. He'd gone with lots of people on missions and he'd never felt like this, so he knew it wasn't the fact that he wouldn't be alone that was bothering him. It's Ryuunosuke... but why? Why am I so bothered by his presence? He makes me kind of.... nervous. Byakuya sighed, trying to failing to sort out his thoughts. Whatever. He couldn't worry about this now. He had to think about the fastest way to get to Las Noches so he could complete the mission. And get away from the other shinigami. "Let's hurry," he told Ryuunosuke briskly. "Perhaps we'll meet an Arrancar somewhere along the way." He started to walk faster, not looking at the other.

"Perhaps if we use shunpo." he suggested. He too wanted this over and done with swiftly. Byakuya's presence was begginning to effect him more heavily with each passing second. He did not wait for a response and began to use his shunpo skill to head towards Las Noches. It might not make much different, but surely, or so he thought, it must cut the journey time down a bit. The fact that they had not come across any life was also bothering him. He half expected to be ambushed by every espada.

Byakuya glanced around, once again annoyed by the lack of life. "Fine," he told Ryuunosuke coldly. "Let's go."

The shunpoing did appear to speed their journey time up, but only slightly. He estimated that it would perhaps take about a day at this rate. Obviously, when Ichigo had come here he hadn't been able to shunpo due to Chad and even if he had been able to his shunpo speed would not be as fast as his or Byakuya's. This mission would be over a lot quicker now.

Good. This won't take so long after all... we can finish the mission soon. I won't have to be alone with him for too much longer.... Byakuya was relieved that the shunpoing made everything go faster, but he was still confused over why he didn't want to be alone with Ryuunosuke. Byakuya wasn't the most social shinigami, in fact, he preferred silence to talk. But he had never felt this was around anyone before.... he had never felt this nervous. It wasn't as if he was afraid of Ryuunosuke, not really. He knew he was stronger than the other, and if a fight broke out he would have the upper hand. But there was something about the shinigami... Byakuya just couldn't place it. He glanced over at Ryuunosuke, then quickly looked away. Forget it. Concentrate on the mission. The more you focus, the sooner it will be over and the faster you can get away from him. "We'll be there soon."

It was a simple enough task. Go spy out on the enemy with this other shinigami, this handsome captain. Wait, Handsome? Did he really just think that? Now he was getting more confused then ever. He realised what was happening. He had feelings for Byakuya. He shook his head. He didn't want to have feelings for him. Feelings like that got in the way and they would do on this mission. The longer they were together the stronger the feelings would grow. He knew it.

[OOC: Before this continues, I've asked around, and seeing as regular shinigami can't open gargantua.... how are you getting to HM? As its a special thing, Urahara needed a gate, Tousen was hollowified.... so in reality we have seen no actual normal shinigami captains make it... so, again how?]

(12th squad. During the manga Mayuri opens a garganta to get Ichigo back to earth. Therefore he knows how to open them)

( No, Mayuri already said Urahara is the only one to open them.... and it took him to Earth... not HM)

(Bleach wiki states that: Garganta: The technique used by Hollows to move to and from Hueco Mundo. It literally tears open the dimensional fabric separating the worlds, revealing a tunnel of whirling, torrential energy that must be focused and solidified to create a discernible pathway. Mayuri recently learned how to use this ability after researching within Las Noches. Furthermore, it also states Garganta: This is how Hollows move to, and from, Hueco Mundo. Tōsen has demonstrated the ability to use the technique. Therefore it is possible for others to use the ability. )

Should we just go back and say someone opened it for us?