Criminal Minds [Social]

[Celes Shindazu]

The Tenth Division had truly felt a long-lasting sting from the latest invasion by Las Noches. While the threat had been routed, the Tenth Divisions' barracks lay in shambles. Had it not been for Kimiko's intervention, many of Celes' soldiers would've found themselves without a place to call home. With the dust settled, wounds licked and the dead laid to rest, the time had come to rebuild. Together with the Sixth Divisions' efforts, the construction of the new barracks was coming along nicely.

In a weird way, this had been the most amount of Officers that Celes had seen around here in a long while. Foundations were being laid and walls were slowly rebuilt. Numerous voices intermingled as they helped each other with lifting and transportation. Only one question remained. Where was their Captain at a time like this? Celes sat in the distance, atop the treeline that surrounded the large training grounds of the Tenth Divison. She was staring out into the horizon, at the expansive streets and corridors of the Seireitei.

So why was Celes so distant from her Division's operations at the moment? She was awaiting a very special guest. In her hand, written in fine ink, was a report sheet. This was rather standard procedure for when she was receiving more Officers fresh out of the Academy. Under the circumstances, Celes would not have bothered with a formal introduction as well as her typical introductory meeting with this newcomer. However, this case was entirely unique and demanded her full attention.

---

She still remembered it like it was yesterday. Celes had been officially summoned to the Shin'ōchikadaikangoku, or Central Great Underground Prison. She rarely, if ever, had a reason to visit, and as such the summons caught her by complete surprise. In fact, it had been signed by... the Central 46?! This meant it was fairly urgent and simply couldn't be ignored. After all, the C46 was the foremost governing body in Soul Society, superseding even the Head Captain himself. As she eventually entered the large holding facility, the Captain approached the front desk. Her haori made her instantly recognizable as a Captain, but Celes didn't care for standing on ceremony and was pretty quick to state her business, "Celes Shindazu. I'm here on official business."

The woman who manned the front desk nodded gently. "Of course, Captain Shindazu." Celes couldn't help, but still cringe ever so slightly. "You are expected on Level 1, Room 1679." The Captain simply nodded her head in response and headed deeper into the Prison. As she continued onward, she'd begin to see steel bars in the distance, separated from her current corridor by a thick piece of 1-way glass. Even from here, Celes could feel traces of their dark nature. Many of these men and women, once Shinigami, had been stripped of their rights and status after committing serious crimes. However, this was only Level 1. The others hosted criminals that committed unspeakable evils. The very thought was enough to make Celes shudder.

Soon, Celes found herself nearing her destination. "76... 77...", she counted softly. "Ah. 1679." As she slid open the door, rather unceremoniously, Celes found herself entering a smaller room. Stone walls, bright fluorescent lights, and a wide metal table told her that this room was built for purpose. On one side of the table, Celes could see two people sitting. A man and a woman, they wore shihakusho, but theirs were white. The shoulder of the kosode bore two black octagons. Celes, of course, recognized them immediately for who they were. They were part of Central 46's guard, chosen Shinigami called upon to defend Central 46 exclusively.

Both of them briefly smiled as the man perked up, "Captain Shindazu, thank you for coming. It's an h-" Celes raised her hand, cutting him off quickly, "Thank you, but no formalities are necessary. You may, however, do me a courtesy by explaining what I am here for." The past few weeks had bore nothing but tragedy for the Captain. The loss of Yunorashi... the deaths of those she called family... the destruction of her home. Simply put, Celes was not in the mood and wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible. The man nodded and spoke briefly, "As you wish. Please. Sit."

Celes obliged and took her seat. As she did, the woman across from her pulled out a folder and slid it towards her. The Captain, naturally, simply raised an eyebrow. "What's this?", she inquired as she picked up the folder. "Put simply? The Central 46 have sent us as representatives to discuss integrating this new recruit into the Tenth Division. You'll find all relevant information and details included." Already, Celes was leery. Why was the intervention of the C46 necessary? Celes had freely elected to take recruits before without all this showmanship. For now, she simply opened up the folder and skimmed over it.

This man, Aoshi Kuzan a.k.a Prisoner #24735... Celes almost immediately set down the folder, but she composed herself. Instead, she kept reading. It was a typical report. Personality, Academy grades, biographical information... however, this also included an arrest report. Carefully reading through the charges, she clicked her tongue and proceeded to finally set the folder down. She let out a large sigh and looked up. "Yeah, no. I'm turning this down." Both of the Shinigami opposing Celes looked at each other and sighed. This time, the woman would speak up, "Captain Shindazu. The Central 46 has already assigned him to your Squad. This is about properly integrating him."

Celes' eyebrow furrowed and she rose to her feet, hands planted against the table. "Let me be clear. I don't care if this fucking order came from the Soul King himself.", her face flushed with a gently rising anger. "You're asking me to take on a man with seven charges of brutal murder. I have a Squad of battered people to look after. I'm not going to let anyone tell me who deserves to be in my Division. You can tell Central 46 that the answer is no.", there was clear conviction in her voice.

"I see. Well then, Captain Shindazu, the only alternative is execution." Celes narrowed her eyes for a moment. It wasn't a big secret that Celes was in opposition to executions. The amount people that Celes felt deserved death, even now, were few and far between. "Why not just keep him locked up?" "As you yourself said, he has seven charges of brutal murder. You and I both know that Soul Society law dictates, I'm sure." Celes simply bit her tongue. "Either he's under your supervision and responsibility... or his life is forfeit. It's your choice, Captain Shindazu." If looks could kill... this woman would've been eviscerated a dozen times over. Alas, Celes pondered on it for a minute. She rose to her feet and muttered under her breath, "Damn it..." She looked back at the two Shinigami and closed her eyes, "When would he start...?"

---

Looking out upon the horizon, Celes stopped reminiscing about her meeting at the Central Great Underground Prison. After all, today was the day that Aoshi would officially be brought to the Tenth. She had read over his report more and more the past few days to get a better idea of who she was dealing with. Ultimately, Celes knew one thing for sure. Each of the Officers who served under her had sworn themselves to protect every single life in Soul Society. Aoshi had committed the ultimate betrayal by committing murder. It would be difficult for him to integrate, but Celes had to try. After all, Aoshi was now under her care and she wasn't about to let one of her own burn to ash.

[Deleted]

Freedom had never tasted so good. Right after getting out of prison and having been given his very own Shihakusho, Aoshi felt as if he was a respectful citizen of the Rukongai and the Seireitei. It might seem dumb, but after years of being told he was a murderer--which, in truth, he really was--, he had started to consider that he would never again have a place in Soul Society. But now, the Tenth had taken him in, when nobody else would. Oblivious to the begrudging circumstances under which Celes Shindazu, Captain of the Tenth, had taken him in, Aoshi could be nothing if not grateful. He had nothing left to look back upon: his father had been killed by those damned bastards who entered his home, his mother had--understandably--gone crazy after that night, having witnessed him commit an act so heinous that even self defense and revenge could not justify it. All the family he ever had was gone, and there were no material possessions that tethered him to the Rukongai either.

Aoshi dared to be optimistic as he advanced toward the barracks, always following the steps of 'Maury', the parole officer that even now still refused to reveal his name. While he couldn't blame him for it, he wondered whether it meant that the officer did not consider him worthy of knowing his name, or if it was protocol. Regardless, after he'd uttered words he should never have, Aoshi had lost all semblance of interest in the man. It may have been fun to tease him or force some conversation out of him before, but after he had mentioned his turbulent history, the Kenpachi didn't feel like it anymore. Instead, he contented himself with asinine comments on the weather and some teasing on the still nameless Shinigami, until they reached the gates of the Tenth's barracks.

Well, calling it 'gates' may have been an overstatement. Aoshi's heart sunk to the ground for a moment as he witnessed the unquestionable results of the invasion. The 'Tenth' was nothing if not in shambles, with people going around here and there to aid with repair efforts. Things were broken, torn down, destroyed, whatever you wanted to name it. Being locked up as he was, everything pertaining the invasion had gone completely unnoticed for Aoshi, saved for a few tremors and the inquestionable heat that resulted from a certain, legendary fire Zanpakuto's release. Only now did he understand what he had been lucky enough to miss, when so many of his would've-been-peers had not. Just how many of them had perished under the despicable bastards who trampled on the Seireitei? His blood boiled just by thinking about it. Maury's words got him out of his mind and back to the present, however.

"See this? You better get this engraved in your brain. This is not the academy, this is not a game or a simulation. It's the real world. It's what you'll be facing day in, day out", the Shinigami gravely stated, with a decorum and seriousness that didn't really mix well with Aoshi. As such, he cracked his typical half grin, and raised his eyebrows at the officer.

"Aw, Maury, so you're worried about me! I knew our short relationship meant the world to you~." Aoshi immediately retorted with a smirk, never missing the chance to mess with the parole officer. He knew very well they most likely would never see each other again, so there was no reason why he should keep any decorum or sense of respect when it was clear that it didn't go both ways.

"For the love of the Soul King... Look, you have been given a chance, so you better step up." The only thing that sentence was lacking was a 'you murderer', but by Maury's tone, it was clear that it would have followed. Well, whatever. Aoshi didn't have anything to prove to him. If anything, he had to prove himself to his future Captain, and that was about it.

"Of course. I know we've only known each other for thirty minutes, but I'll make you proud until the day I die. Know that you're always in my heart, Maury, always. Right alongside parole officers 1, 2 and 3."

'Maury' gave a disgruntled sigh, but having wisened up to Aoshi's antics, he shook his head and stopped right on his tracks. By that time, they had reached the very middle of the construction grounds. 'Maury' had no reason to believe that Celes might be watching other than the fact that they had just reached the intended drop-off point. From there, Aoshi Kuzan was someone else's problem instead of his own.

"This is as far as I'm taking you. They really don't pay me nearly enough for this...", the officer stated, giving him the side-eye. Of course, Aoshi couldn't care less.

"Oh, and here I thought you liked me! So this is what heartbreak feels like! How am I gonna sleep tonight?"

The officer squinted at him, frowning gravely. The Kenpachi thought he had 'won' the encounter, if anything by sheer annoyance. But this 'Maury' was a sore loser among sore losers, so he would not just let that stand. As if with a vendetta, the parole officer spoke out loud, knowing himself to be surrounded by members of squads 6 and 10.

"Captain Celes Shindazu! Prisoner #24735 is here to join the Tenth, as promised! I know he may be a serial murderer, but please, do take him under your wing!

Having said that, the parole officer used Shunpo to immediately get away from the scene, leaving Aoshi to face the myriad gazes from his future squadmates, as well as those from the Sixth. None of them were particularly friendly: they ranged from confusion, to disgust, to sheer lack of trust. All of a sudden, he was surrounded by people that were analyzing his every move, when a few moments before nobody could've cared less if he dropped dead right then and there.

Aoshi looked at 'Maury', knowing full well the implications of his words. "You damned bastard...", he thought, knowing that he couldn't do anything else but steer into the skid. At the very least, Maury had called for Captain Celes Shindazu. Aoshi was eager to get to know the woman that had had the guts--or the piety--to take a convict ready for death row and turn him into a member of the Tenth. He could not forget to begin their interaction with his most sincere gratitude... once she arrived, that was.

[Celes Shindazu]

It seemed that the time had finally come for Celes to greet the new member to the Tenth Division. Unfortunately, the Captain was waiting atop one of the trees by the remodeled training grounds. After all, she had a number of activities to supervise so she had arranged for Nadia to alert her. After all, she had expected a subtle entrance by the newly released convict. Unfortunately, it'd be anything but subtle as Celes heard a single voice suddenly echo through the air.

"Captain Celes Shindazu! Prisoner #24735 is here to join the Tenth, as promised! I know he may be a serial murderer, but please, do take him under your wing!" Suddenly, all manner of work stopped and the grounds were still quiet as a grave. Celes couldn't help but sigh as she facepalmed. "Oh you have got to be fucking kidding me! So much to being discreet about it!", Celes thought to herself. Just like that, Celes had a rising fire to put out lest her Officers pounce on the newcomer. With that in mind, Celes jumped off the tree and made way to properly receive Aoshi.

As she stepped onto the courtyard which led to the Barracks which were slowly being constructed, Celes witnessed a crowd begin to form along the far edge. Several dozen of her own officers and of the Sixth stared at Aoshi venomously. He clearly wasn't welcome there and they'd make it known as a tall man, roughly 6'3" stepped forward. His almost amber-colored eyes peered at Aoshi as he let out a snort. "Well, well. Seems like we have a criminal in our midst, ey boys?", he spoke in a deep voice. Shortly after, a few of the officers behind him chuckled and let out sounds of approval.

He turned his head towards his growing posse, clearly getting everyone a little riled up. "One thing is for damn sure. You're not passing this point unscathed.", he'd claim confidently, cracking his knuckles. If nothing else, it seemed that Aoshi was about to get jumped by an angry mob of several dozen Shinigami. Fortunately, before it could escalate further, a wave of spiritual pressure surged across the courtyard. For a moment, the air would grow increasingly thick for everyone around. "Seated Officer Tanaka, will you please explain yourself?"

Among her several rules that governed conduct within the Tenth Division, everyone knew not to lay their hands on someone else. It was behavior that Celes did not tolerate in any capacity. These officers, in their anger, however were escalating the situation. After a few more moments of getting her point across with gravitational pressure, Celes allowed her pressure to recede as the angry mob practically gasped with labored breath. "Seijuro, I'm waiting."

Composing himself, the much taller Seated Officer stood and looked at Celes. "Captain Celes. Forgive me, but were just about to show this... man the door. After all, this must all be a mistake." Celes sighed and shook her head, hanging it a little low. "Not quite.", Celes said softly as she walked between Seijuro and Aoshi. She'd give the 6' a good look from head to toe before turning back to the other members of her Division and addressing Aoshi. "Walk with me." With that, Celes began to walk towards the mob who quickly split down the middle to make room for Celes. If Aoshi followed, he'd be granted safe passage into the grounds of the Tenth but the vicious glares would continue to follow him. "What the hell is she thinking...?", Seijuro muttered to himself as he returned to his duties.

Celes quietly led Aoshi to one of the training grounds. Surrounded by several other dirt fields, this one was empty and would give the two Shinigami an opportunity to talk without prying eyes or, at least, none that Celes was aware of. She turned to the new recruit and sighed, "So, Aoshi Kuzan, is it? Stirring up quite an eventful morning." The comment was less joke and more criticism as Celes stood with her arms crossed behind her back.

The Captain of the Tenth was not usually so visibly tense, but Aoshi was quite the unique officer. He'd need a certain approach, given his status as a tried criminal on what effectively amounted to probation. "I'm Captain Celes Shindazu, but you may call me Captain Celes. Not Captain Shindazu. Not Ma'am. None of that.", she spoke sternly. "This is a sort of introductory meeting I do with all my officers. As you can guess, however, you're no ordinary Academy graduate and so this will be quite different. Nevertheless, I just wanted to give you an idea of what this is." Celes' expression remained relatively neutral as she spoke. She didn't really have the time, energy, or reason to show Aoshi the same warmth that she offered her subordinates in the past.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Seijuro Tanaka - 13th Seat}

[Deleted]

Aoshi was immediately met with some of the most hostile gazes he had been on the receiving end of, and that was saying something, considering his own mother seemed to regard him as a monster now. Everyone who had previously been busy with whatever tasks they had to do for the rebuilding of the Tenth's barracks immediately came to a complete halt. A mob quickly gathered around him, but the parole officer was long gone, leaving him as the sole person inside that circle. While cursing internally, the Kenpachi remained calm for the time being. It didn't take long for one of them, a Shinigami taller than Aoshi, who was already 6'0'', to take a vocal role for the seething mob that, again, were far from happy about having him there.

"Well, well. Seems like we have a criminal in our midst, ey boys?"

If he let himself get overrun by them, then he could forget about surviving there. It was imperative that, at the very least, Aoshi talked back. Not to mention that it would be unbelievably fun to tear a new hole on those idiots' asses. Thus, Aoshi rubbed his chin, his gaze slowly going around the entire circle before settling on Seijuro Tanaka, who he didn't know was his superior--a seated officer. Not that it mattered that much to him, to be honest. He would've retorted even if it was the Captain Commander himself. When he spoke, he did so loud, ensuring everyone around him could hear. "Aaaah, I see. So the so-called shield of Soul Society, protectors of all lives in the Seireitei and the Rukongai, are really just a boyband that'd rather follow macho-man here than actually work on rebuilding their own barracks. You really gotta work on that first impression, guys."

He should get a pretty good read from the crowd after that, but he remained with a bored expression on his lips despite his amusement. If he was gonna get hazed to half-death, at least he wouldn't let them enjoy it. In fact, he'd be sure to enjoy it himself.

"One thing is for damn sure. You're not passing this point unscathed."

Well, that might be true. The last thing Aoshi wanted was to break into a fight, which only left him with the possibility of pacifist self-defense: blocking, dodging, avoiding. Worst case scenario, should that mob jump him, he'd just Shunpo away, or turtle and try to tank the hits as best as he could. While most of the unseated guys around him were about as strong as the common cold, Aoshi knew that this big, burly one was probably capable of handling him, even if he was going all out. That made it a little easier for him to relax, as nobody would get hurt if he lost control. But he still, needed to make sure he kept tabs on his own battle hunger.

"In that case, hold on a minute, I need to think about this through." Once again, Aoshi would speak to himself, but really loud, obviously taunting the rest of the squad. They met him with zero sympathy, so they couldn't really expect him to turn the other cheek, could they? "Hmmm. Join the Tenth regardless of what chest-hair and his flunkies think, or painful death via giant fire chicken? Hmmmm, what an incredibly difficult choice, whatever will I?--nah, it's a no brainer. I'll take my chances with you guys."

The circle closed around him. He was gonna get jumped, and many were hurling insults and other mean-spirited comments that, of course, he paid absolutely no heed to. His only focus was Seijuro Tanaka, who'd be the man to beat when running away or protecting himself. But before any of that could happen, someone incredibly powerful arrived into the scene.

Their Captain.

Aoshi could barely stand straight under the sudden wave of spiritual pressure. Immediately, he knew this woman was far, far stronger than any of his teachers could ever hope to be. Something within him stirred with excitement, with the prospect of having the fight of his life. Again, he pushed that part of himself down, as he needed to assess the situation. With Celes in the scene, Aoshi was no longer paying any attention to Tanaka, not even as he got literally scolded in front of the entire squadron. Only when addressed directly by her did he react at all.

"Walk with me."

The entire mob opened a path for Celes--and, much to their dismay, Aoshi--to move out of there.

Was her comment was intended more as a criticism? Yes. Would Aoshi take it as a way to mess around? Damn straight. "What can I say? I guess I must look awesome in this uniform to draw so much attention. No matter how difficult to move in it may be", he joked, showing off the black Shihakusho. Yep, he definitely needed to make some modifications.

When Celes spoke to him to introduce herself, she did so sternly. It was clear she did not really want him to be there, either.

"Guess we're cut from the same cloth. I was never really into all that pomp and formality. You know this already, but I'm Aoshi. Aoshi Kuzan. Thanks for the save", he said with a wide grin. When she mentioned the nature of their meeting, he simply shrugged. "It's been a long while since anything was ordinary for me, so I'm okay with that."

"Before we start though, I told myself I'd thank whoever had been either graceful enough to take me under their wing..." he began, knowing full well the reason why she was so tense. If she had willingly chosen to have Aoshi join the Tenth, then she wouldn't have been as angry. She most likely would've informed at least her seated officers, too. "...or whoever got this mess dumped on their plate by those assholes at C46. Taking a wild guess here, but based on how you and your squad have all been looking at me, I'm gonna guess the latter?"


The smile never left his lips. It was clear he didn't harbor any resentment toward any of them.

"Still... I'm truly thankful, no matter how I ended up here. Not just because I got saved from being cooked alive in what must be vengeance for all the chicken I ate on my past life, but because if you took me in just so I wouldn't get killed, then you're definitely the kind of Captain I want to be working under", he said. "I may not be good for much other than being strong and fast, but at the very least, that will help with the repairs."

With that said, he was more than ready to begin that meeting. "So, how do you usually do this? What was it like when you first talked to chest-hair back there?"