Yesterday I took several of my fellow shinigami of the 8th on a mission. It still feels strange to call them my subordinates. I would feel as if I'm looking down on them which is the last thing I want to do. It was a tough mission. We encountered several menos grande. I can take one down without much difficulty, but my comrades cannot. They are not as strong, but they've had more experience leading to strong opinions that varied from my own. Which worked against me horribly.

I decided we should split, the three of them working as a team to work on the closest menos grande while I went to defeat the second and hopefully distract the third. If I got to the last one first, no problem. But if they finished before me, they could have either lent me support or gone ahead. Logically it made a considerable amount of sense, but they felt as if I was looking down upon them. I was just allocating strengths appropriately. The biggest of the men, Yuu-san, acted as their spokesperson and refused my orders. He told the other two to go on ahead. The other two ran off to take on a menos grande on their own. He just shrugged and ran off to the last hollow calling back to me "You may be the vice captain of the 8th, but I'm not going to let a little girl boss me around."

I wasn't sure what to feel at first. Anger for his insubordination? Frustration at my inability to lead effectively? Fear that I may never gain the respect of the shinigami I'm supposed to lead? I didn't have enough time to figure what to feel before the first two fell and couldn't defend themselves. I yelled at the stupid man to take care of them and get them back home. He paused. So I yelled again. I never yelled like that before. I guess my subconscious decided to be angry then. He complied and he better have or else I wouldn't know what I would have done.

As Yuu-san was taking our two comrades back to Soul Society, I finished the menos grande as quickly as I could. Once I finished, I returned to the 4th to check on my comrades. I was surpised that Yuu-san wasn't there. They were no worse for wear, they should be back either later tonight or tomorrow. That didn't help my anger like I had hoped. I guess once I get angry I will stay angry for some time. Maybe that's why I try not to get angry at anyone. I needed to do something. I went back to the office and got ahead on next week's paperwork hoping to cool down. I was still flustered. I'm glad Taicho didn't come in. I didn't want him to see me like this.

I only turned in for the night when I was totally exhausted. When I woke up I was still incensed at the man. I summoned Yuu-san to my office. He swaggered in. It didn't help his situation. I glared and quietly asked why he was so hesitant to follow my orders. He scoffed and told me that he doesn't think that little girls should be leading divisions. He felt that my orders didn't make sense and disobeyed because he felt that I wouldn't be able to handle a hollow that size. I was a fukutaicho only for paperwork.

I lost it. I raised my voice and whipped off my glasses. "You think I'm not capable of my job? My duty to my division, including you? You think I'm just… a paper pusher?! I am more than a secretary! I am a vice captain of the 8th division of the Gotei 13! I directly serve one of the strongest captains in soul society! You think Kyouraku taicho would permit a helpless little girl skip in and do his paperwork?! How you belittle our captain! Not to mention the superior that gave you a direct order! You dirty the title of shinigami, the 8th division and your own honor! Two of your comrades were sent to the 4th and you didn't even stay to see how they would fair! And they were lucky! They could have died and you didn't care!" At this point my reiatsu was almost suffocating the man. "And since I'm only a paper pusher, I guess I'll push the papers of your transfer orders right on through to the 1st division if you can't handle taking orders from this little girl." My chest was heaving as I finished and glared. "I expect your answer tomorrow morning." I turned and left him as the puddle he had become in front of my desk. I was swift leaving the office, I wanted to go someplace to collect my thoughts. I passed Kyouraku taicho right as I left the office and he looked curiously at me and called my name. I ignored him and stared straight ahead. I heard him go into my office and ask the puddle what happened. I was satisfied at his gasping answer filled with awe and maybe a bit of fear:

"…She took off her glasses."

A/N: woot! So I have a long commute to work this summer, so be looking for song inspired fics. There will be a Relient K song featured soon. Kudos to whoever can guess which one it is!