Toshiro Hitsugaya, the newly appointed captain of the 10th division of Soul Society, was leaving the Head Captain's office when he was accosted by his new colleagues, fellow captains Jushiro Ukitake and Shunsui Kyoraku. After the past few hectic days following his promotion, Toshiro had been looking forward to a quiet evening in his quarters, and so he couldn't suppress a slight sigh at what appeared to be another obstacle between him and his rest.
"Toshiro! Just the fellow we were looking for!" exclaimed Kyoraku.
"Hello, Toshiro," said Ukitake with a smile.
"What can I do for you?" Toshiro asked the older men, trying hard to keep the impatience out of his voice.
"Well, we just wanted to invite you to join our club, since you're one of us now!" said Kyoraku.
"A club?"
"A games club, to be precise," said Ukitake. "The Shinigami Captains' Gaming Association. We play card games, board games, dice games –"
"Drinking games," interjected Kyoraku. "But not for you, you're too young." He winked. Toshiro frowned back. He didn't drink, but he also didn't like be reminded of how young he was.
"We meet once a month, and try a new game from the World of the Living every time. If we like a game, we play it again," said Ukitake, "Most of the captains are members. Except for the Head Captain, he's too busy."
"Don't forget Kurotsuchi," said Kyoraku, "we kicked him out for cheating at cards one too many times. And Kenpachi got bored and quit two minutes into a game of Chinese Checkers."
Ukitake gave a small laugh, "As I recall, he flipped the table, declared it was no fun when nobody was getting injured, and stormed out looking for someone to fight. That left us with an odd number of players for a while. Quite inconvenient for most games." He looked at Toshiro, "So if you come, that means we'll have 10 members. An even number again."
Toshiro looked from one to the other. A games club, huh? It didn't really seem like his style. He needed to maintain his dignity as a newly appointed captain and earn the respect of his peers and subordinates. Playing games didn't really seem like the best way to go about doing that. But then again, he could prove himself in the field of duty. Surely it wouldn't hurt to unwind just a little bit, and get to know his fellow captains. Besides, what damage could a few harmless card games do to his reputation?
"Very well," he finally said with a sigh. And then, remembering his manners gave a short bow and said, "I am honored by the invitation."
"Excellent!" Kyoraku clapped him on the back.
"We're meeting next Friday after supper," said Ukitake. "Just a word of advice- watch out for Byakuya Kuchiki. He's very good at winning when you're not looking, especially at chess."
"You're going to have a lot of fun, I promise!" said Kyoraku. "Just wait 'til you see Soi Fon trying to play charades, it's hilarious!"
With that, Toshiro and the senior captains parted ways. It wasn't until they were out of sight that Toshiro finally realized what Kyoraku had said in his parting comment.
"Wait! Nobody said anything about charades!"