[center][b]Arc 1 – Resurgence[/b][/center] --- „O reader, do not ask of me how I grew faint and frozen then - I cannot write it; all words would fall far short of what it was. I did not die, and I alive remained not; Think for thyself now, hast thou aught of wit - What I became, being of both deprived.” Sakura trees rustled in the wind, blossoming in full glory. An endless ocean above was clear, with only an occasional cloud seeking out his companions. The masculine figure gazed out of the open window, his deep voice echoing through the office that belonged to the First Squad. Belonged to the Captain Commander of Gotei 13; Goken Kuribayashi. The sound of wind accompanied his recitation as an old, leather-bound book, rested in his left hand. A small smile rested on his face as he turned the page. He basked in the few rays of sun that made their way to his face. Truly a wonderful day to breathe in the air of Soul Society. „Quite artistic – and very beautiful.” It [i]was[/i] a wonderful day. A red-headed boy spoke as he entered the room, opening the double doors with enough elan as if to send a message that Goken’s peaceful day was over. He literally danced towards the Captain Commander, doing a little jig as he bowed down. An older Shinigami entered the room soon after, putting his hand on the boy's shoulder and addressing the Captain Commander. „My deepest apologies, Captain Commander Kuribayashi,” the Shinigami glared at the boy before continuing to speak, “He caught me off guard. Moved past me before I was able to do anything. May I have your orders?“ Goken turned around, inspecting both his subordinate and the boy. It took him a few moments to consider his response, before finally opening his mouth. “Thank you, Takama, but you can step outside. I will handle it from here.” With a polite, ninety degrees bow, Takama left the room – closing the door behind him. The boy managed to turn towards him before he left, sticking his tongue out. „Koki, Shota.” Goken nodded, gesturing towards the chair in front of his desk. „Please, have a seat.” Shaking his head, Shota took a step forward. “Been sitting all day. Especially the last two hours I’ve been waiting to see you.” The statement piqued Goken’s interest, especially since he had returned to his office just recently. He closed the book, tossing in on the table. “Very interesting you should say that. Except for Takama, there was no one else standing in front when I came back and he did not mention anything about you." The reply made Shota scratch the back of his head, grinning at the Captain Commander. “About that…” Shota started rambling about his day as Goken approached a cage containing a few black butterflies. “That aside,” Goken said as he unlocked the small lock, “What did you need to see me for?” One Jigokucho flew out of the cage, circling around the room freely, yet not leaving it. In those few moments that Goken turned his back on Shota, the latter approached the desk and was already flipping through pages of the book. „You do realize that if this was someone else’s office, you would have probably gotten yourself kicked out of the room by now?” he said, his gaze meeting the one of the red-headed boy. „I know,” Shota replied with a grin still resting on his face, „That is exactly why you’re the best Captain Commander ever.” Not arguing with the statement, the best Captain Commander ever allowed the boy speak further. “I am here to make sure that, at the end of the day; you will uphold your end of the deal. Will you?” A small smile appeared on Goken’s face as he put his index finger up, waiting for the Jigokucho to land on it. “I see. That really means a lot to you, does it not?” Shota nodded in response. “I never back down on my words. Should you win first place in today’s tournament, I will grant you your wish. Anything else I can reassure you off?” – “I’d say ‘my victory’, but that one is a guarantee.” “I guess I’ll be leaving now, Cap'tn.” Shota smiled as he bowed down, not trying too hard at that, and turned around to exit the room. “Cap’, tell me - what was he then?” his reddish eyes looked directly at the Captain Commander, „If he was neither alive nor dead?” It was not an easy question and it even took someone like Goken a few moments before he managed to find the right words. „A memory with a beating heart.” Obviously pleased with the reply, Shota shot him thumbs up. “I may use that in my next song.” He said with his never-ending amount of enthusiasm, leaving the room in order to complete his final preparations for the day ahead of him. Even a veteran such as Goken was able to do little but sigh. He did not dislike the boy; if anything he liked him, but his personality was just a [i]tad bit[/i] overbearing at times. “Why in the world would he request that?” He pondered, before noticing the Jigokucho finally landed. Emitting some of his spiritual pressure, Goken closed his eyes. It was time. „Gotei 13 - my brothers and sisters,” he begun relaying his message to the Jigokucho in front of him. “In an hour time, the annual Hakuda tournament - courtesy of our own Captain Masumata and his Seventh Division, is going to take place. I, Goken Kuribayashi, invite you to register if you haven’t already. All entries are open until five minutes before the first match, which means you have enough time to reach their barracks and enter the competition. It is a great honor for your Squad, but even more so, for you - should you win such a prestigious contest. Last year, Second Squad took the trophy to their barracks. This year, it is again, up for grabs. And remember, Hakuda is not about how hard you hit – it is about how hard you can get hit and keep pushing on.” “I except to see a great number of you there – your Captain Commander is cheering you all on.” Finishing the sentence, Goken opened his eyes, sending the Jigokucho on his way. With his spiritual pressure emitted, the message should be relayed to all Jigokuchos in the vicinity. The tournament should be a good opportunity to clear his head from thoughts of daily tasks befitting a Captain Commander. He never thought, when taking the position, that so many trivial tasks would actually fall upon him. But, today was a new day and he might even enjoy himself for the first time in a while.