Disclaimer: Bleach is Kubo Tite's work. Borrowing.
The sky is blue
September 27 / Chasing the metaphysical express
092705 0825
It was early morning and already shinigami were scrambling about in the 6th division, striving to reach the pace they were expected to put out work. After slacking off for a few days, it was startlingly hard to get back to the old rhythm. Byakuya-sama was back, with capitals 'S,' 'A,''M,' and 'A.'
Renji watched his subordinates scurry about, not at all planning to lift a single finger. They weren't very good at subtlety, but they had their good side. Their postures were a little stiff, as if they have trouble moving their bowels, but at least they weren't running around screaming their heads off in panic.
Actually, Kuchiki-taichou was relatively laid back ever since he got back to work. Renji returned to those memories cautiously. It wasn't easy to see the man you've treated as the ultimate graduation, the unreachable goal that had to be met at all costs, be injured and weakened. Byakuya was human somewhere inside that icy exterior of his, so shockingly very human in his fragility. And to realize that about a man so powerful, so intractable, so invincible... required such a shift in perspective.
Renji bent over and casually picked up the 5th seat shinigami of his division by the scruff and kicked him out the office unceremoniously.
"Private meeting," he said. "See ya." And he shut the door at the gibbering man's face.
Renji did things like that once in a while. The fifth seater was being ridiculous, anyway. Taichou wasn't going to eat people for late paper work. He might unwittingly suck your soul dry with his mere presence, but eating subordinates alive tended to make people unpopular—even Kuchikis.
"I'm ready to go, taichou," Renji respectfully announced as he knocked and poked his head into the office.
He entered when the serious-faced man gestured for him to come.
"That is an... unorthodox mode of dress," Byakuya remarked.
"Yeah?" Renji picked at his white polo shirt. "Costume, taichou. We're posing as humans."
"Yes."
"It's Ichigo's school uniform."
"That makes sense. No wonder the boy is always restless."
Renji didn't follow that.
"Such restrictive clothing would harry the most placid bovine."
"Oh. Yeah, I get what you mean."
They lapsed to silence.
"Ah, taichou? Did you have anything in particular to say?"
"No."
"Oh, okay. Are you sure, taichou? No last minute instructions? Not even a thousand-year-old family saying?" Renji might be pushing his luck just a bit too much, but he was a little irritated. "Taichou, you called me here. Are you sure you don't have anything important to tell me?"
Byakuya nodded solemnly. "The sky is blue outside."
"..."
The man rose then, tying his soul cutter to his belt with measured, regal movements.
"...That's it?"
"Punctuality," the captain warned as he glided past the redhead and out the room. "Don't embarrass the 6th division, fukutaichou."
"Wait," Renji called after him. "I don't get it. I mean, I get it but so what? The sky is blue."
"Yes, it is," the quiet voice came floating to him from the end of the hall. "Very perceptive of you."
Renji stared at his captain's disappearing back for a few moments, then finally he shrugged and tugged at the black slacks that was in place of the much more comfortable hakama.
The sky was blue. Well, he couldn't complain about that.
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