7th Division

Taicho: Saijin Komamura

Fukutaicho: Tetsuzaemon Iba

'Iba!'

The burly manned jumped and quickly spun around, stuffing something up his sleeve as he did so. I raised an eyebrow. Then I realized he couldn't see it because of my helmet. I cleared my throat loudly.

'What is it?'

'Er…what's what, taicho?'

'Up your sleeve.'

'There is nothing there.'

'I just saw you put something there.'

'When?'

My patience was thinning. 'Just now, Iba. So what was it?'

I could see sweat beading across his forehead. He was hiding something. And for some reason he was reluctant to share it with me. Just what-

'Iba! There you are!'

I looked behind me. It was that puny Shinigami from the 4th Division. What was his name again? Something Flower, I think.

'Hanatarou!' Iba exclaimed, looking relieved.

'I've been looking all over for you! I just wanted to tell you that no need to worry because they're perfectly healthy and that-mmphh!'

I watched in bewilderment as my fukutaicho clamped a hand over the babbling Shinigami's mouth and began to drag him away.

'Sorry, taicho! Real busy! Maybe next time! Later!' Iba said hastily, taking a quick bow before shunpo-ing away.

It took me a couple of minutes to get over what just happened and also realizing that Iba had escaped my questioning without giving me the slightest clue of where he went.

'Damn it!' I cursed under my breath. My nose twitched in irritation. Just what was he hiding? Was it so secretive that he couldn't even share it with his own taicho?

Even though said taicho hid his face from his own subordinates…

People assumed Iba knew what was under my mask. But the truth was, I never had the courage to show him and he never asked. So we let it be and never broached the subject for all these years. He never stared like everyone else which I was used to. When I would patrol through Seireitei I could feel people's eyes on me. Oh, if they only knew what was underneath. How would they react then? Would they scream and run away? Or would they call me a monster and throw stones instead?

My childhood hadn't been my best days. When I was a child I had been naïve, an innocent. I thought people wouldn't judge me based on my looks. That it all mattered what was on the inside and what not. I wanted to prove my family wrong and joined the Academy to show them that people would not shun us. Oh, how wrong had I been.

On my first day at Shino Academy, back when I didn't have my protection, my helmet, parents and students alike had screamed and called me an abomination. I had convinced myself they were just shocked and everything would be better the next day. Well, they didn't scream and point when they me the following day. But they did throw rocks and call me a "mad dog" until I ran away, my waraji soaked in blood.

I never understood why my family had been cursed. Why it had to be such a visible and cruel punishment for the sins of our ancestors. I had done nothing wrong and yet I was being beaten for something I couldn't help. It was unfair. But the world had always been unfair. And you couldn't wallow in self-pity forever. That was what Yamamoto-soutaicho told me when he found me that day.

He asked me to come back and I refused. I was ashamed of myself, of what I was. I told him he didn't understand. He rebuked saying I was pathetic and weak for being so close-minded.

'How?!' I cried out. 'How am I the close-minded one when THEY are the ones calling me names and hurting me without even knowing who I am? How can you say that I am the one who needs to be more understanding when the world rejects me for being different?!'

The old man regarded me calmly, listening to my little tantrum without even flinching. When I was done, breathing heavily and my fur soaked in tears and blood, he just sighed in aggravation.

'You are close-minded,' he grunted, as if telling me the most matter-of-fact thing in the world. 'Because how can you expect them to accept who you are when you haven't even accepted yourself?'

At that moment, I felt like such a spoilt child, expecting the world to understand me and have pity on me because of how I looked. I had acted like a brat in front of the soutaicho and disgraced myself. I knew that he had every right to kick out a weakling like me at that moment. But he didn't. Instead, he handed me a cloth head covering.

'Until you have learned to accept yourself, do not lose focus of becoming a Shinigami the Gotei can be proud of.'

I ran a hand across the tightly threaded bamboo basket on my head. I was a taicho now. I had people who respected me and obeyed my commands. And yet, even though my status and skills had improved over the years, the mask had stayed. Yamamoto-soutaicho never said it but he knew. I was still afraid. Afraid of what people would think once the mask came off. Would they still respect me? Or would they turn their back and call me a monster again?

I shook my head, clearing it of morbid thoughts. How did I even start on that dark road? Ah yes, because Iba was hiding something from me and I realized I was being a hypocrite for not showing him what I looked like under my mask. Well, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. We all had our secrets.

I gazed out at the sun from the slit in my helmet. It was almost midday. I needed to prepare the division for training. And for that I needed…

'Iba,' I growled and began to march back to my barracks. He could keep all the secrets he wanted from me but he better be doing his duties or that application for a new fukutaicho was starting to look real friendly to me.

I stopped dead in my tracks in front of my office. There was someone in there. Or to be more specific, two someones.

'Don't try to get too close to them. And be sure to bring food once in a while,' said a soft voice. Sounded like that flower boy earlier.

'Yeah, yeah. Thanks for all your help, Hanatarou. Really appreciate it,' a gruff voice replied which I immediately recognized as none other than my own fukutaicho.

I growled low in my throat. 'Ibaaaaa…'

The two Shinigamis crouched near my desk suddenly jumped apart and fell to their knees, foreheads touching the ground in a deep bow.

'Hai, Komamura taicho!' they yelled in unison.

'What are you doing in my office? It is time for training and I do not see the division out in the grounds yet.'

'Well, er, you see, taicho…'

My ears pricked. What was that sound? Was it…snoring?

'What's that behind you?' I asked slowly, sauntering forward. The two Shinigamis looked at each other uncertainly.

Well, um, I was…meaning to tell you, taicho, but…ah…' Iba stuttered.

I looked behind him. And froze.

It was my husky, Goro, snoring away. And surrounding him were…

'Puppies?' I murmured. They were tiny, furry things, some yawning and pawing the air as if they were dreaming. 'Is this…what you were hiding from me?'

Iba rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. 'I had borrowed Rangiku's shawl so they could have something warm to sleep on. I just…didn't want you to see me holding a lady's shawl in my hand is all…taicho.'

I stared at him. Then back at the puppies. I struggled for words. 'How…long?'

'The puppies? Oh, I think it was just two days ago. I asked Hanatarou for help when I saw Goro acting rather weirdly. He said she was pregnant and even helped deliver the babies.'

'It was nothing!' the little runt squeaked.

'I didn't want to trouble you with it because you were so focused on the division,' Iba continued. 'So I decided to take care of them until they were big enough. I was going to tell you but I…didn't want to be a bother about it.'

'Why would it be a bother?'

'Well, taicho, you do so much for us. And we just wish we could do the same for you. Don't ever think we wouldn't because we would! I would die for you, taicho!' Iba said fiercely, puffing his chest out and nodding.

I tilted my head at this curious man who was my taicho. 'Would you really…Iba?'

'Hai, taicho! And, pardon me if I say this but I will gladly accept any punishment afterwards, I don't care what you are hiding under that helmet! What you have done for the division, for the Gotei, you shouldn't be ashamed to show people the man behind the success! Because you should be proud of who you are as we are proud to call Saijin Komamura our taicho!'

My heart swelled in my chest. Then, as if possessed by something, I grabbed the edge of my helmet, undid the clasps, and yanked it off. My fur bristled as it met the air, finally able to breath. My muzzle twitched, ears flicking as they could finally hear everything without an obstruction.

There was a moment of silence where I stood, waiting for Iba to say something, anything. His expression never changed. Or maybe I couldn't see because his sunglasses were blocking his eyes. Now I was the one who was starting to perspire. I was beginning to regret my decision and wanted nothing more than to put my mask back on and-

'You should do that more often, taicho,' Iba remarked and cracked a grin. 'You look better that way.'

I clutched my helmet to my chest, heart beating wildly. 'Thank you. But perhaps…one step at a time.'

Iba nodded. 'Hai, taicho.' He glanced at the puppies. 'Would you, um, like me to…'

I shook my head. 'Leave them here. I think I'd like the company right now.'

Bowing low, Iba turned to leave.

'Ummmm…' the flower boy fidgeted in place. 'Should I stay or should I-oof!'

Iba grabbed him around the middle and shunpo-ed away, yelling something about a joint practice with the 4th Division just for kicks. I chuckled. My fukutaicho was quite the character.

I gazed down at Goro, who was still sleeping after everything. Guess raising kids was a hard job, huh? Raising them right and teaching them about the world. Preparing them that it was a cruel place sometimes, where you might be rejected for who you were.

Ah, but then there are those gems that not only accepted you but liberated you to be who you are. Like my fukutaicho.

I suddenly frowned.

Wait…Goro was a girl?!