The Vice Captain of the Fifth Division had been training particularly hard as of late, spending tireless hours in the barracks dojo challenging just about anyone. Fortunately, the Fifth weren’t the smartest bunch and took him up on these offers, with most learning that they simply couldn’t match him. He was in the middle of introducing his latest opponent right into the ground when an unexpected call was sent his way.

One of the other Fifth division members approached as Hayate stepped back from the bout. With a temporary reprieve, his sparring partner picked himself up and managed to escape. “Bit busy here you know.” Hayate stowed his zanpakuto away in his belt and approached the messenger to take the sealed envelope. He took a moment to examine the letter “Who sent this?”

“No idea, someone told me to bring this to you so I did.” The Shinigami shrugged.

Hayate shook his head, couldn’t expect any of these people to actually pay attention, apparently. He opened the message which had little more than an address scrawled across it. The location gave away who it was in an instant. “Alright, well you lot keep practicing.” With his order sent, Hayate wandered out of the barracks and into Rukongai.

--

He pushed open the doors to a specific bar, further out than most reputable establishments around but the perfect location for an impromptu meeting where privacy was at all important. The barkeep offered little more than a nod, and the others opted to avoid Hayate’s gaze as he stepped through to the usual booth to take a seat and wait on his contact. Taking the chance to get himself a midday drink to get started with.

Bars in the Rukongai were good for two things, keeping secrets and forgetting them. In this case, Ika was hoping to do the former and had no real need to do the latter. He'd made peace with the vast majority of his actions, and those he hadn't weren't so easily forgotten. The nature of this meeting would seem peculiar to all but those most intimately involved with it, and that list was limited to a resounding three people. "How's the training been coming old friend?"

Ika's presence would be announced first by his voice, and then by the smoke pouring forth from his person. His physical body arrived seemingly minutes later, though in reality it was a few short seconds behind the rest of him. "I hear you've been burying anyone in the Barracks dumb enough to let you, though I do have to wonder how much you can really improve by monstering every fresh faced peasant that makes the mistake of looking your way. Has there been anyone worthy of stretching your legs against over there, or just biding your time for the big moment?"

As Ika got comfortable in his seat, he'd quietly request a bottle of whiskey and two glasses. It was getting close to the end of the week, and he was hoping for something strong to wash it down with. Sure, it had never really worked out that way before but..

Here's to trying.

“Slow, Moriyama has been slacking. There’s a whole army of hollows down there and we’re barely mustering a force to combat it.” Hayate grumbled over his now empty glassware, peering to Ika as he placed it to the side. “It’s not that bad” he scoffed, “None of ‘em have quit... it’s good for them to toughen up now. No second chances in a real fight.” He had always been a bit of a nightmare when it came to leading training, but this unwavering drive seemed to work for the Fifth Division. Had to have a few screws knocked loose to consider joining Shinigami Fight Club in the first place.

“Lycus can put up a good fight… Dependable that one.” Hayate pondered, the only other Shinigami of note was Kumo really, though he was far too early in his career to make a proper judgement. “Waiting for the go ahead, I figured we’d want to clear it with the old lady before making my move.” He shrugged.

He sounded as confident as ever, maybe cocky even. It would be hard to blame him if his opponent wasn’t Shinsuke Moriyama. “Even she must be getting impatient by now.” Hayate pondered as the bottle arrived, which he was quick to crack open and pour out. He pushed the first across the table to his old Captain and took his own. “Sooner the better as far as I’m concerned.”

Ika took a drag off the cigarette he'd been working on for the better part of the last 15 minutes, and then washed down the smoke with some whiskey as he listened to Hayate tell tales of dysfunction and misfortune within Squad 5. It wasn't surprising to those in the know, the current crop of Moriyama were by far the least impressive the clan had produced and squad five, once the primary combat squadron of the Gotei had become a pain-point because of it. "I'm sorry to hear that things have been so messy on your end, though I suppose you'll be able to correct these transgressions soon enough right?"

As Ika finished, he listened to Hayate run the squad down and nodded along. "I've heard nothing but good things about Lycus, a dependable old soldier. I'm glad you two formed a kinship in your time together in 5th squad, it'll make your inevitable promotion a lot easier for everyone. As for clearing it with Bashira.. I don't see the need to do it, but I'll trust your judgement, however you want to do it I'll be right here with you."

ika smirked, smiling a bit as he downed the new glass that had been slid across the table to him. "If she wanted it done quickly she could've asked me or did it herself. Waiting till you were certain was the correct move, and it seems like now just might be the time Hayate.."

“With a prideful idiot like Shinsuke running things it’s inevitable.” Hayate responded with a shrug, beyond caring about the possible consequences at this point, the Moriyama and their ilk had been a burden upon the Gotei for as long as he could remember and in all that time, he’d come across maybe two that were reasonable. “It’ll be good to see the end of him.” There was no sense of hesitation in the statement, Hayate was just as sure of himself as ever.

Going ahead without clearance sounded risky, though it made sense. Hayate wasn’t sure how much longer he could deal with the fool of a Kenpachi. “Even sooner than I thought then.” He went on to down another glass “Make sure you’re near the Squad Five barracks in the next few days. Might miss it.” He chuckled darkly, Hayate held no qualms with the job but it seemed particularly morbid to talk so openly about it.

“Suppose you’re right.” He poured out another couple drinks as he pondered the potential aftermath of this scheme of theirs. “How do you think his old man is gonna take it? They aren’t exactly known for forgiveness.” It was quite the target Hayate intended to paint on his back, but life was boring without a bit of risk here and there.

Well it was nice that Hayate and Shinsuke had developed such a loving relationship with one another. The contempt was thick in the air, so thick Ika was half inclined to see if he could do that scooby doo gimmick and cut it with a knife like a sandwich but, he suspected that was probably fake and so he opted to not make a fool of himself in public. "I've never been much of a fan of his so I can't exactly say I'm surprised to hear you feel roughly the same way. Still, even I wouldn't have assumed he was this incompetent at his job. Maybe Bashira should have asked you to do this sooner eh?"

Ika smirked, looking into his drink for a moment before downing the cup as if he were speedrunning a drunken stupor. "She's definitely wanting it done sooner rather than later, but to be honest I don't think she would have cared if we did it the day she asked so long as the job got done. Don't worry about me making it though, I wouldn't miss watching his head roll for the world if it were offered to me. It's rare I get an opportunity to be a part of a pseudo-assassination, let alone watch it from the cheap seats."

Ika would chuckle to himself, pouring another shot before whimsically twirling it around in front of him, seemingly elated in his mood before Hayate decided to take things down a much darker and more depressing road. "Well.. I bluntly don't think they'll have much of a choice but to accept it. This is the role Shinsuke wanted and it's the only Captain role he could possibly acquire. His dad won't be happy about it, but it's not like you have low-level backers in the Gotei yourself. You'll have Bashira's gratitude and my kinship. You're not exactly an easy target, even if they did go the more.. unfortunate route with this."

Hayate could hardly wonder what was going through Ika’s head, but he figured it would have to be something stupid. “Maybe, too late to worry about that now.” He mused after downing another hastily poured glass. It was some good stuff for once, which was surprising from this place. Barkeep must have been hiding it away.

“Wouldn’t want to keep the commander waiting.” Hayate shrugged, setting aside the glass for the moment to really think things through. All the background issues could eventually be resolved, he really just needed to focus on the main goal. All this talking wasn’t going to mean anything if he didn’t succeed.

“If you say so. He’ll probably be more embarrassed than upset. The way he treats his family makes me think he hates them more than I do.” Hayate was certain that his human origin and relatively low status in comparison to his intended foe would make any defeat humiliating to say the least. “Sounds like I’ll have backup either way, huh?” He was certainly more at east with the possibility of winning. “Nothing to worry about then. They’ll be too busy eating each other alive for that stupid sword of theirs… ‘Onimaru’” he chuckled, knowing what he did about it.

Maybe too late indeed. Ika would nod along, a small but noticable smirk etched across his face as he continued to babysit his glass as though it contained untold treasure as opposed to future intoxication. "I personally would love to keep the commander waiting, but that says more for my feelings towards her than the actual merit of that plan. She means well, I'm sure. But I'm not convinced she's the best fit for the position even if daddy dearest thought so. Hell, I'm not sure she could stop me from taking the position now if I wanted it. What a pity that is."

Ika would chuckle to himself a bit, pouring himself another shot eagerly as his fingers danced along the countertop with a clear drunken tune stuck in his head. He let Hayate run down his thoughts on the Moriyama, listening carefully as he slowly swished his glass around, throwing this next shot back as though it were far stronger than the last as the last grasps of sobriety fled his body. "He loves his children, but only as extensions of his own legacy. They're just weaponized extensions of his own time in the Gotei, time that would be best left forgotten if it weren't for that sword you've mentioned and that old name they've got.  Moriyama.. The best thing my father ever did was take the reins from their grandfather, it's just a shame he did nothing to set himself apart from them afterwards."

Ika frowned, disappointed that he'd have to spend more energy to fetch another shot at this point. "But I suspect you're right, Jinno will be the most vulnerable member to hold that sword since it's inception. Poor boy has no shot if he's not carefully watched over."

“Can’t say I think about the commander all too much, doesn’t usually involve me.” Hayate had never really shared the general irritation and dislike Ika had with the Captain Commander. Though that could all change if their plan came to fruition. After all, he did have things to say about the current situation on the human world.

“Like the nobles back on Earth then, children were just there to extend the line. Guess some things just never change.” Hayate rejoined the drinking at this point, he rarely thought back to his time as a human. By now he had been a Shinigami many times longer than he had ever been alive. It was hard to recall exactly what he did during that blink of time in his memory. “So, the Mazi clan can do good? How interesting.” He chuckled.

The topic moved to young Jinnosuke, “He does seem to have fallen a bit further from the tree than the others.” Hayate wasn’t exactly familiar with the Moriyama scion, but out of that lot there was few that seemed to have a hint of conscious. “Interfering in that clan’s politics doesn’t sound particularly smart.” He mused, pondering what might be done there. There could be a need to lean on the Eighth division a bit to act as a bulwark. All things considered. it wasn't the biggest issue on Hayate's mind.

Ika smiled at Hayate's indifference, a small part of him feeling envious to the mans disposition towards the Gotei and it's politics. "I wish I could say the same, I'd rather occupy my brain with more pleasant thoughts than she can give me but alas, my position of privilege within this fine institution demands that I give her the reverence and thought she so wishfully demands. I don't think she's a bad person, I just find her to be uniquely average and because of that ill-suited for her role. Maybe that's unfair of me, gods know I'm biased but that's never stopped me from having an opinion before.. I don't reckon it will now."

Ika would lazily reach forward, shakily pouring more alcohol in his cup whilst ignoring the minor spillage he'd caused on the counter in front of him. "Legacy is probably evolutionary programming right? Give an old man a concept of extending his life through his name ringing in the ears of future generations and he'll do anything to make it happen. You'd think that'd stop with us given we know how this whole soul cycle works, yet the wisest men i've ever met still carry on with it. As for what good Mazi's can do.. well, there's usually one of us in any generation that can do some good, and one that decidedly does not. I got the good fortune of my brother deciding that particular allocation for me years ago. I should go see him someday probably. Maybe. See if I can piss on his prison garbs through the bars, get pulled out of Maggots Nest with my cock out. What a scene that'd be."

Once Ika finished his somewhat distasteful speech about his brother, he'd move to a life more worthy of conversation. "Everything I've heard about Jinno is that he's got a good head on his shoulder relative to the usual dreck that comes from that particular clan, and it's because of that I'll see that he keeps it on his shoulders. If ol' emps has to watch his legacy be passed to a good man instead of a powerful one, I think that alone might be enough to send the old fuck to the next life."

Ika would chuckle out loud to himself, throwing back his most recently retrieved shot with a somewhat reddened look on his face. "You know, often when I'm making a.. morally questionable decision I drink until it becomes less questionable, I drink until the alochol can justify it to me. Shinsuke is a bastard, he's ill-fit for his post but this still doesn't sit right with me. We're putting a lot on poor Jinno's shoulders and ending a mans life for little more than incompetence and disobedience, a plight that would see plenty of others point to me needing taken out in a similar manner."

Ika frowned a bit, pondering his musing before contining on. "I'm really only in this for your promotion, I'll be candid."