Welcome!

List of OCs appearing in the chapter:

Kobashigawa Hinagiku (11th Division)

Tsutsui Tomoka (10th Division)

This story was inspired by a short poem by Julie Martinez:

and if you don't
like me, as i do you;
i understand.

because who would
really choose
a daisy, in a field
of roses?
-Julie Martinez

Chapter 2: Every day's work

It is dark. Here, where I reside. Dark and large. In this void I've made my home. I can't leave. There is no way out. No exit. No door. No light at the end of the tunnel. No silver lining.

I love paper. I love everything about it. Its smell. Its scent is like home. Like me. Like everything I know. I love the feel of paper. The different kinds of textures. The thin, the thick, the homemade, the recycled, the crinkled, the embedded. I adore the sound of paper. When it flutters. When it crinkles. When it gently folds. But the sound I love the most is the soft sigh of a page of a book as it is turned, gently, with care.

There is only one sound which I really hate. The sound of a paper being ripped apart. Violently damaged.

The walk to the 8th Division barracks took longer than expected. Well, of course it did, since she had planned of using Shunpo to get there. But, Hinagiku didn't dare try it again. Maybe it's no use, after all? She wondered. I never did have much talent for it, anyways. She sighed as she finally spotted the gate of the 8th Division, her solemn steps hurrying. Then again, she thought, if Captain Zaraki can fight without Shunpo, so can I.

Hinagiku stared intensely at the gate of the 8th Division. Should I? She was in a long, straight street made of barrack walls. She could barely see the end of it, the grey stone looking orange in the evening sunlight. Why shouldn't I? The Shinigami wondered again, her steps not slowing down, but not speeding up. Should I? She asked herself, clutching the files closer to her chest as she looked at the entrance of the barracks getting closer. Why shouldn't I? Her reiatsu flared a tad, focusing on her feet kept taking her closer and closer to the gate. Hinagiku focused her gaze down, looking at her white clad toes as they moved forward. Surely, this time… She stopped.

I should.

Her dark eyes looked up, determined, her reiatsu pooling to her feet steadily. But, as soon as she became aware of her surroundings, the young Shinigami relaxed, controlling her energy once more. She was standing in front of the 8th Division gates. With a silent sigh, Hinagiku entered the wide courtyard of the Squad.

The scenery was much fancier here than at the 11th. After all, Shunsui Kyōraku, the rather extravagant Captain of the Division had been in his position for over a hundred years. He had had the time and the resources to make his barracks into ones to be envied. And truly, Hinagiku sometimes did. She missed living in the luxury of her Grandmother's home when she visited either the 8th or the 13th Division barracks. They resembled the Kobashigawa household in a manner that Hinagiku couldn't deny.

There were carefully potted plants decorating every possible unused surface on the walls, beside the fact that the pale, grey stone already had ornamental stones inside it. That single improvement had made the Division barracks all the more welcoming. Then, there was the giant sakura tree, no doubt planted ages ago, which showered the whole front of the barracks in soft, pink petals. It was quite endearing to watch, which made Hinagiku all the more sure that the Captain had made sure that it was positioned right there. He did have a rather well-spread reputation of being a womanizer and a laid-back man.

Hinagiku switched her hold on the files to one hand, taking of her waraji with the other and neatly placing them among the numerous others by the front step. They were one of the smallest. Then, she padded quietly across the polished, wooden patio, noting the numerous sakura petals on it. Her Captain would've probably gotten annoyed with the mess, asking them to chop down the tree. He liked his space, and his barracks, clean and battle-ready, thus, making them a rather plain to the eye Division.

The Shinigami allowed her reiatsu to completely soak into her body, as if she were hiding her presence, so that she could better sense another, quite large, energy source. Her senses were rather average, but she had a problem that she never seemed to be able to overcome. You see, Hinagiku didn't have very high reiatsu. Not in the least. But, since her days at the Academy, it had grown, with her progress. This had, unfortunately, impaired her reiatsu sensing abilities, as she wasn't used to the change in herself yet. Her own reiatsu would block off any trace of another's, causing Hinagiku to become confused and frustrated.

As soon as she pulled her energy back, a strong wave hit her square in the head, making it pound and her knees tremble. Kyōraku-taicho. She'd found the Captain's office easily enough. Hinagiku allowed for her reiatsu to leak out once more, protecting her from the massive pressure of Kyōraku Shunsui's mere presence. You are probably wondering why she needed to feel for the location of the offices? Very simple. Even though Hinagiku had visited the 8th Division barracks numerous times, she had also gone to all the other Squads as well. This lead to the seemingly identical layout of the compounds mixing up in her head, causing her to often get lost. Her sense of direction wasn't the best, but it wasn't as bad as her Captain's, which comforted her. If he could get around without it, so could she. Well, it was mostly Kusajishi-fukutaicho's fault, rather than the Captain's (in)ability, she mused.

"Kobashigawa Hinagiku from the 11th Division, requesting entry!" The Shinigami spoke a little loudly after knocking on the wooden door gently.

"Come in, Kobashigawa-kun." The Captain's voice came from inside, sounding a bit too relaxed for this time of the day. Hinagiku pushed the sliding door open, revealing the lavish office of Captain Kyōraku.

"Excuse me." She offered a bow, while her eyes darted left and right, taking in the familiar sight. The Captain had redecorated since she had been here last. Or had Nanao Ise, his loyal and stern Lieutenant, made the adjustments? The soft mat which had been in the middle of the room was now gone, undoubtedly because the Captain had used it for drinking sake and laying down, instead of doing his work. In its stead, there was a small, low sofa, fitting in nicely with the dark brown wooden furniture of the office, along with a modest coffee table and a couple of colorful cushions. "I hope that you've had a good day, Kyōraku-dono." Hinagiku spoke to the Captain, who was sitting behind his desk, quite surprisingly.

"Yes, yes, it's been a very fine, slow day, Kobashigawa-kun." Captain Kyōraku answered in a lazy, but not bored, tone. He had always been amused by her politeness, remembering her almost instantly, which Hinagiku couldn't really say for other Captains. The only thing that they recalled about her was her last name, and only for a couple of minutes after she mentioned it. The next time they met, she would once again become a nameless Shinigami officer to them.

"Nanao-dono." Hinagiku didn't move from her polite bow of a perfect thirty degrees until the Lieutenant acknowledged her presence. "I hope that you've been well."

"Kobashigawa-san, thank you for your concern." Nanao Ise was a polite woman, one with proper manners and etiquette drilled into her core, just like Hinagiku. Perhaps that was one of the reasons why the young Shinigami didn't mind being around the strict Lieutenant, unlike many of the other unseated officers, who rather feared the woman? But, it wasn't like she had much of a chance to be around Nanao Ise, or any other Lieutenants for that matter.

The hierarchy was quite simple and easy in Seireitei. Out of the two hundred officers in a Division, there were twenty seated officers. And, out of those twenty, only two were practically considered to be Gods. It wasn't only the position or the giant reiatsu that separated the Captains and Lieutenants from the rest of the Squad. No, it was also their skill with the blade, their Shikai and Bankai power and their overall intelligence and management abilities. All in all, they truly did acquire their status of fame, power and respect through their own strength. There was not a single 1st or 2nd Seat who was unworthy of their position.

But, to some of them, the position hit them in the head more than the others, leaving them to consider their Division members not worthy of much attention, as if they hadn't been green once. Luckily, Kyōraku Shunsui was anything but the stereotype.

"Kobashigawa-kun, you have something for us?" Captain Kyōraku was looking intently at the couple of folders which Hinagiku was clutching to her chest with great care. The small Shinigami nodded, quickly approaching the Captain's desk. She chose the two files which were for the 8th Division and separated them from the other eight and then placed the small notebooks on the wooden surface in front of the Captain.

"These are the files of the joint missions and patrols that the 11th and the 8th Division have had in the last month, along with the other paperwork which needs your approval and our Captain's as well." Hinagiku pushed the files over to the Captain. "Please look them over and return them to us as soon as possible, so that we can file them in our records. They are due next Monday."

"Alright, Kobashigawa-kun." The Captain pulled the documents towards him, but didn't look them over immediately. Rather, he turned around and put them on top of one of the tall piles behind his chair, taking a minute to consider which stack was the proper one. Hinagiku managed to read a small sticky note on the mountain of papers, which said 'before next week'. "Well, then, I'm sure someone will look it over by Monday." The Captain turned around with a lazy, albeit a bit sheepish, smile.

"You will, Kyōraku-taicho!" Nanao Ise piped up from her desk, her tone angry. Hinagiku chanced a look at the woman, noticing that she had pushed her glasses up in frustration, making her eyes vanish behind the glare of the light on the glass.

"Of course, of course, lovely Nanao-chan." Captain Kyōraku said, standing. "It's exactly as you say." Hinagiku got nervous as soon as she felt the reiatsu of the Lieutenant spike at the easily-spoken words. "Now, I think that I'll go see Kobashigawa-kun off?" It was spoken like a question which caused Hinagiku to gasp. Clearly, it also made Nanao quite angry, but, the Captain was a bit too quick for her. "Shall we?" He had wrapped his arm around Hinagiku's shoulders, taking the small Shinigami out of the office and onto the barracks' patio.

"I hope you have a great evening, Nanao-dono!" Hinagiku managed to say over her shoulder, praying that the Lieutenant wasn't angry at her for not being properly polite. But, the Captain wasn't letting her stop. He slowly led her away from the office, completely ignoring the cracking sound that followed their leave, probably Nanao's pen, and the shout of rage that came afterwards, 'Kyōraku-taicho!'.

"Now, Kobashigawa-kun, how has the 11th Division been treating you? Aiming for any seated positions anytime soon?" The Captain began a friendly conversation as they two Shinigami walked through the maze of the 8th Division barracks. He must've noticed the tenseness of the young officer's shoulders and posture, as she wasn't used to having a Captain talk to her so familiarly, much less see her off.

"The Division is great, thank you for asking, Kyōraku -dono." Hinagiku spoke. "There aren't many women in the 11th Squad, but the men are just as rowdy and loud. It is quite lively every day. I enjoy my work, even though I am an unseated officer and Zaraki-taicho takes great care of me, along with everyone else." The young woman spoke with a smile, thinking about the various shenanigans that the battle-loving Division members got into while they were off-duty.

Captain Kyōraku laughed. "I'm sure that you're embellishing some details, Kobashigawa-kun, but I'm glad that you are." They had almost reached the giant sakura tree in the front of the barracks. "It's very important for one to love their Division."

"I wholeheartedly agree, Kyōraku-taicho." Hinagiku bowed politely to him and then hopped into her waraji, strapping them on securely. This time, she would try and Shunpo her way to the 10th barracks. After all, the sun was setting quite quickly and it was almost dark. She was probably going to have to leave going to the dōjō for the next day.

"Kobashigawa-kun." The extravagant Captain caught her attention once more. "I hope that you are aiming to improve your skills sometime soon. I would like to see you on a seated position in the next ten years, and so would your grandmother, I'm certain."

Hinagiku looked down, her eyes narrowing and a nauseating feeling forming in her stomach. She wasn't good enough to be a Seat. She knew that. Her skills were average at best. Her reiatsu was mediocre. She had no special talents, nothing. Even her intellect was just ordinary. She was the definition of average. And, average Shinigami simply did not become Seated officers. At least not in the 11th Division.

"Thank you very much for your wishes, Kyōraku-taicho." The young Shinigami bowed once more, respectfully. She received a nod from the Captain, but nothing more. "I'll take my leave, then." And Hinagiku walked away from the easy-going man. Once she reached the gate, she chanced one more look at him, seeing that he had settled on the dark wood of the patio and already had a sake cup and bottle next to him. The Captain raised his drink at her, as if greeting her, and then drank.

Hinagiku didn't look behind herself after that.

Captain Kyōraku's words stayed with her during her walk to the 10th Division. In fact, they bugged her so much that she had even forgotten the option of Shunpo, to shorten her journey. After all, it was not every day that someone as distinguished as Kyōraku Shunsui paid attention to a no-seat officer like herself. The mere fact that he had bothered to remember her name and placement was flattering enough, but to encourage her to practice further, to dare to aspire to achieve a Seat in her Division. It way beyond mind-boggling to the painfully average Shinigami.

Hinagiku briefly recalled her graduation from the Shinōreijutsuin. It had been ages ago. Almost forty years, if she recalled correctly. But, years had never been much of a bother to her. After all, she was a soul. She aged slowly and time was of no importance. She looked to be around thirteen, maybe fourteen winters old, yet she was well over a hundred. Life in the Spirit World was a slow, troublesome thing. Sometimes, when she had the free time to allow her mind to wander, Hinagiku wondered why humans called this 'Heaven'? It wasn't an afterlife that she would choose, despite the fact that she was, on a certain level, happy with her existence. Her heaven would include a much more peaceful, quieter place, with perhaps a lot more sweets and a lot less rules.

But, her current thinking revolved around the time when she had finished her Academy years. You see, in the Shin'ō, there are six years of studying, each devoted to a certain level of development. They prepare the Shinigami for their service in the Gotei 13 and teach them the basics of being an officer. There, they learn Zanjutsu, the art of the sword, Hakuda, the unarmed fighting style, Hohō, the high-speed movement based on Shunpo, and Kidō, the use of reiatsu in demon magic of offense, healing and binding.

It had taken her the appropriate six years to finish the Academy, and she was by no means an expert in any of the Zankensoki. By now, she was the most confident in her Zanjutsu, which she had trained every day since her enrolment in the Shinōreijutsuin. Her Kidō wasn't too bad either, but she wouldn't bet her life on it. And, as you had previously seen, her Shunpo was still a work in progress.

Hinagiku still remembered her graduation vividly. After all, how could she forget? She'd met Zaraki Kenpachi back then. But, beside the 11th Division, another had been on her list of possibilities. She could still recall the day her first Division invitation letter arrived. It had been pink, with flowers and perfume on it, and she had thought it a practical joke of one of her friends from the Academy. But, it had simply been Captain Kyōraku's style.

He had set a date for a small interview, so that they could chat about his Squad. Hinagiku still remembered how she had washed her red Academy uniform twice and spent an extra half an hour on her hair and makeup. Her grandmother had drilled it into her. Your appearance says who you are. But, Captain Kyōraku had been nothing which she had expected. At the end of the interview, he had told her that he wouldn't be offended if she didn't choose his Division. He had told her that his offer was from then, to until she became a Captain. She always had a spot in his Division.

And, for someone as infamous as Kyōraku Shunsui to recognize her, a failed attempt at a noble, a girl who gave up on being a member of Central 46, it had been rather flattering. Hell, who was she kidding, it was still beyond flattering. But, she had disappointed the Captain. She had been in the service of Gotei 13 for almost half a century now, and she was still an unseated officer, one who didn't even know the name of her Zanpakutō.

Hinagiku gripped the hilt of her Asauchi, her mood worsening. She truly wished that she could connect with the sword better. After all, most of her classmates had already learned the names of their swords, using them as best as possible. Some had even become highly ranked Seated officers. But, she was a failure, just like her Grandmother had predicted. Her fingers tightened their hold on the pure white wrapping of her hilt, and the Shinigami grit her teeth.

Breathe.

And she took a step, flying forwards.

It was a strange feeling, using Shunpo, even a half-baked one like Hinagiku's. You could compare it to one of those swirly roller coasters. You know, when you get to the top, all slow and steady, and everything is fine and then suddenly, the car surges forwards at an incredible speed, making your teeth clatter and your head feel like it has entered a blender. It was that kind of a sensation. One's body became light, so light like it was flying, but it was still moving, as if they were falling from a great height. And, there was that single thing that told Hinagiku that she had done a good job with her Flash Step. A pit opened in her stomach, almost hurting with the force of its uneasiness. It was the basic instinct of fright, as soon as one lost their solid footing.

Hinagiku tightened her hold on the files in her hand as she flew even further, her next step taking her to the end of the wide space before her. From there on, she pushed her reiatsu to her feet, bursting it out towards the floor and allowing her to jump onto the roof of the building. Her next Shunpo step took her to the edge of that roof. Hinagiku reached the 10th Squad in no time, alternating between Shunpo in wide spaces and running where she couldn't use her skill safely.

However, when Hinagiku arrived at the gates, she was panting. The small Shinigami took a break, pulling at her colorful scarf a bit, to allow herself to breathe easier.

"Of course I'm winded." She whispered to herself. "Shunpo is just as difficult as the first time I tried it." Hinagiku wiped the sweat off her brow and touched the material under her armpit. It was wet. "Great." She sighed out, exasperated. Visiting a Captain's office while looking disheveled and smelling like a pig. Well, there was nothing she could do now.

"Hina-chan!" A familiar, high and overly sugar-coated voice called out to her. Hinagiku straightened, suppressing her frown. "Ah!~ I didn't know that you were coming to our offices today! You should've told me!~ Meanie!~"

"Tsutsui-dono." Hinagiku offered a small nod, smiling. "It's been a while. I hope that you've been well?" Tsutsui Tomoka. Now, that was a familiar face. Tomoka was a girl that one would most definitely describe as cute. She had everything, even her status as the heiress of one of the most prominent noble families. She was of average height, not too short or too tall, and she had the perfect hourglass figure, which looked absolutely amazing in her Shinigami uniform. And, that was quite a feat to accomplish. Tomoka's long, black hair was always perfectly styled and it fluttered around her like it was enchanted to do so with magic. She was someone that you never saw without makeup on, her lips always red and shiny and her light eyes always framed with a thin layer of crayon, making them quite striking compared to her peers'.

"Mou!~ Hina-chan! I've told you to call me Tomoka." The newcomer complained with her hands on her hips, pouting in a cute way. "I've been great. I'm rearing up for the 7th Seat now! Soon, I'll be even closer to Hitsugaya-taicho!~" But, as great as Tsutsui Tomoka was to the eye, there was one thing that had always annoyed Hinagiku about the noblewoman. Her personality. Tomoka was one of those overly familiar, too cute to be true, kind of girls, with whom Hinagiku didn't know how to deal.

"I wish you luck, then." The shorter Shinigami said, smiling politely. In a second, Tomoka appeared at her side, tossing an arm around Hinagiku's shoulders, pulling her into the barracks.

"Hina-chan, when are you going to get a Seat already?" The cute Shinigami complained in a whiny voice. "You've been in the 11th Division for ages! I was right when I told you to choose Kyōraku-taicho's Squad over that pack of brutes. But, you just wouldn't listen! Mou!~ Hina-chan is so stubborn!~" Then, Tomoka finally stopped dragging her and looked about. "Something stinks." She bluntly commented, holding her nose.

Hinagiku gave a small sigh. "That would be me." Tomoka froze in the middle of taking off her waraji, turning to the shorter girl with a shocked face.

"Eeeeeeh?" She exclaimed.

"I was working on my Shunpo." Hinagiku began, but Tomoka had already grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her to sit on the wooden patio in front of the barracks. Then, the cute noble took out a box from somewhere in her uniform and opened it. Hinagiku had never seen so many beauty products in one place. "Tsutsui-dono…"

"I'll have you all fixed to see my Captain in a bit, Hina-chan!~" Tomoka was already choosing things from the case, opening them and beginning to apply them onto Hinagiku's face. "After all, Hitsugaya-taicho is rather cute, don't you think?~" Hinagiku had no time to defend herself as her friend from the Academy attacked her with both makeup and matchmaking ideas. If there was one thing that Tomoka loved, it was romance. "There we go!~ All done!~" The Shinigami noble finished, spraying perfume all over Hinagiku and leaving her to cough and sneeze in a cloud of fragrance. "This way, Hina-chan!~"

The short Shinigami hurried to take off her waraji and follow Tomoka to her Captain's office. She coughed a bit, tapping her chest lightly. The only thing that she could smell was cherries. Tomoka had gone a bit overboard, as usual. Hinagiku sighed as she tuned out her friend's ramblings about her Captain and how amazing he was. She had heard about Tomoka's infatuation with Hitsugaya-taicho enough times. The girl was obsessed.

"So, I was thinking of going to see Aizen-taicho later?" Tomoka said, stopping for a second so that she and Hinagiku were walking side by side. The cute girl looped her arm through her friend's giggling. "I heard that he is working at the Academy today. And you know where he always goes after lessons! It would be a good time to go see him, don't you think?~"

"S-sure." Hinagiku wasn't really a fan of Captain Aizen. Well, it wasn't that she didn't like the man or anything. She just simply didn't know him. Captains were all busy with one thing or another, and she had only seen Captain Aizen a handful of times and from far away. He looked like a kind man, though. But, Hinagiku still didn't feel comfortable with going to 'see' him. With Tomoka, that usually meant going to stalk the poor man. And no one wanted to be stalked by Tsutsui Tomoka.

"Great! I'll meet you at eight then, outside of the 10th Division gates?" Tomoka was already on board, though, deciding things on her own. "You should probably wear a proper kimono, not this stinky old uniform." Tomoka complained, pulling on the sleeve of Hinagiku's kosode. "Well, here we are." They stopped in front of a sliding door and the 10th Division Shinigami let go, skipping away. "Oh, and," She turned her head to add over her shoulder. "Some of my other friends will be coming with us as well! Bye, Hina-chan!~"

Tomoka skipped away, humming a happy tune, leaving Hinagiku to sulk in front of the 10th Division Captain's office. Tomoka's friends had always been a rather peculiar crowd. Well, she'd deal with that later.

"Kobashigawa Hinagiku of the 11th Division, requesting permission to enter!"

That's all folks!

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Until next time!