I remember the first time I saw him. He was smiling, his happiness shining so brightly I couldn't believe he was dead. He was a mass of gold and light, whirling about the meeting room that first day. He seemed excited to see everything about here, unlike the usual shinigami behaviour.
Usually we shinigami are devastated at the news of our deaths, I remember my own quite clearly. I was not happy to be in Meifu, at all, I deserved to die in my opinion. This, this particular man showed no regrets, no self-hatred. The first time I saw him, he made an impression so strongly on me that I knew I'd never forget him. He introduced himself as Watari Yutaka, resident mad-scientist. With a wink and a smile, our Watari had everyone as a best friend. He would blow up his lab countless times, use us for countless experiments and set 003 on us in many occasions, but no one ever truly got mad at him.
It was really impossible to dislike him. From that first meeting where Konoe-kachou gave us the brief layout of our new sectors, with Watari taking 6, he was an integral part of Meifu life. Tsuzuki's day was not complete if Watari didn't chase him around, laughing and trying to get our purple-eyed friend to take his latest potion. Something was missing in Kurosaki's week if he wasn't constantly distracted from work by cries of 'Bon! Bon, come over here for a second, please?'
I know I'd miss him. I may appear to be constantly frustrated with his lab explosions, but in reality, it gives me a chance to walk about the office with an excuse. I'm not good a social interactions, I know, but with Watari you don't have to be. He does the interacting for you, understands any issues you may have, and has proven to be a better friend than I thought possible.
Meifu is a perpetual spring, which means that most of us never have to wear a jacket over our suits, it's a nice warm atmosphere. Watari always wears layers. It took me a good many years to understand how much that reflects his personality. He warms everyone's life, heedless of his own cold issues. He layers himself so deeply that it's impossible to get to the core. I've tried to have serious conversations with him before, it's not as difficult as one would think, but he always side-steps any questions about him. Watari not only side-steps the questions, but twists them over and sends them back as inquiries about the asker, himself.
It took a long time for me to uncover what had really happened that day I first saw him. He'd been transferred off his Mother case, that's why he was so used to life as a dead man. I never got the full details of that case, never managed to pull them from him.
I remember the first time I talked with him. He was approachable, easy-going, unjudging. He didn't ask what happened in my life, didn't ask why I was here in regret. He just understood, and that was something so amazing it brought tears to my eyes. No one was quite like him, anyone could vouch for that. Try having a conversation with Tsuzuki. He either has his persona on so tightly it's impossible to talk about anything but sweets, or he's so blue it hurts to speak.
Watari can make him smile when he's down like that, I know. I was walking down to the lab one day when I saw Tsuzuki crying on his shoulder, weeping about how he really shouldn't exist, and how he wished someone would just kill him. I hid, and watched, as Watari rubbed his back soothingly, whispering in his ear. I could not hear what was said, but Tsuzuki looked up, truly amazed, and hugged the blonde Shinigami. I saw him leave the room with a smile.
Kurosaki is no better to talk to, he either has his barriers up far too high to really discuss any subject, or he's too vulnerable to the sensitive topics we Shinigami carry about us. Watari was the one who taught him how to let his barriers down a little, interact with the fear of getting hurt, because in the end it would all be okay. Kurosaki and Tsuzuki have never been better partners since then, and I know Kurosaki is very grateful, even if he doesn't show it.
Watari is truly Meifu, for everyone. I remember every moment of my time spent with him, and with our friends. It seems that in death, I met the one who was the most alive of anyone I've ever known. However, there was one moment where I saw that light falter, flicker dangerously low. It was a warm night at Meifu, neither Watari nor I had left the office yet. I went for a walk to clear my mind, and I found him lying on the roof of an old storage shack, looking up at the sky. On a whim, I joined him. He said nothing, made no move to stop me when I found the envelope beside him. That was permission to open it, unsaid but clear.
The note was shocking. It asked whether or not he wanted to move on. 30 years of service in Meifu, thank you Mr. Watari, and are you ready to pass on? It didn't take much searching to see what was written in his features. He looked almost... frail. I knew then, that he wasn't moving on. He closed his eyes before I could speak, cue enough to leave it be. I was... glad, that he'd let me read the letter, it was the closest to his heart I'd ever seen, that one vulnerable look in his eyes before he shut them and moved on, as is his nature.
I remember the first time I saw him, and I do believe it was the moment my eyes opened.