True Beauty
Yumichika leaned against one of the support pillars that held up the roof of the wrap around deck that surrounded the Eleventh Company's barracks.
He held a lily in one hand, and was absently stroking the soft petals. His face was bland, emotionless, and yet somehow tender. Cupping the lily in his hands, he lifted it to his nose and inhaled the sweet scent. Sighing, he let his hands drop and resumed staring out at the well-tended garden that was surprising scenery in the Eleventh Divisions smaller courtyard. Kenpachi insisted that they keep a garden, because it taught them discipline. The lives of the plants depended on them, and, while they would never admit it, they all had found a love of gardening.
"Hey." Ikkaku dropped down next to him, shirtless and coated in sweat from a sparring session. "What'cha thinking about?"
"Ikkaku, what is inner beauty?" Yumichika asked softly, twirling the lily in his hand.
Ikkaku stared at him. "What?" Taking a swig from his water bottle, he eyed his friend, wondering what was going on in his head.
"Inner beauty. What is it?" Yumichika asked, turning to him.
"Ummm…" Ikkaku thought for a moment, trying to think of an explanation, and then said, "You know Hisagi?"
"Yes… What does he-"
"You know how he's got all those scars? Well, think about how it doesn't matter what happens, he's always there to raise people up," Ikkaku said.
"Yes, he always stops to tell people they're doing a good job, or just asks about their day. He makes a point of it," Yumichika said, confused. "But what does that have to do with anything?"
Ikkaku sighed and rubbed his head. Explaining "true beauty" to a man whose life revolved around outer beauty was not exactly how he'd planned to spend his day. "It doesn't matter if you're ugly on the outside, but if you have a wonderful personality, you have inner beauty. Those people…they just sorta glow all the time. Like they're really happy, not just pretending."
Yumichika's eye's widened. "Ohhh."
He looked back at the garden, and a smile slowly inched up his face. "So, it doesn't matter what you look like, it's inside that counts."
"Exactly." Ikkaku grinned, pleased that Yumichika had got it.
"Does that make Kurotsuchi-taichou beautiful?"
"NO! NO IT DOES NOT!"
/
In the next-door division, Mayuri Kurotsuchi sneezed. Akon glanced up. "Someone talking about you?"
"I suppose so…"
AN:/ Well, that was a pleasant little jaunt down memory lane. I wrote this, what, 4 years ago, and so it's just barely returned to the land of the living. Don't own Bleach, never will, wish I did.