Disclaimer; I don't own Bleach. Nuff said.
The captains desk had been cleared, lain empty for many weeks now, a hollow contrast to the vice captains desk across from it. A neat stack of paper, all filled in correctly and precisely. Slender hands placed one more sheet on top of the rest and the seat was pulled forward slightly. Another stack, smaller, and a sheet was pulled free from it, pen selected from the neat row as it was tacked in turn. Two vases occupied a corner - peach blossoms, lily of the valley, all in full bloom, fresh that morning. Next to them lay a vice captain's badge, cloth neatly folded underneath the wooden tablet, a zanpakuto leaning against the desk and untouched for many hours.
Everything was neat, every movement slow and careful and drawn out in the quiet room as the papers were moved from pile to pile. Various reports, medical passes, hollow sightings, projected costs of training needs for the next three months. All were filled out with an air of quiet grace, of gradual weariness. But the silence was welcome, the emptiness of the room a change from the hustle and bustle of the place the person had last been. A smile slipped then as another paper was filed, fingers already sliding the next sheet into a central position to begin writing.
A boom outside caused the pen to halt, attention turned to the window to watch the fireworks. Pretty, was the unbidden thought, surfacing through a mix of memories and even though the smile remained a tear followed it, splashing onto the desk and narrowly avoiding the paper.
"Oi."
The doorway now held a short captain, and it was clear there were others - less patient others at that - waiting outside. A questioning "yes?" filled the brief silence before he continued on anyway.
"You were meant to have gone home already and changed. Matsumoto and Kusajishi are going to murder you if you aren't ready soon." A gruff "hurry up" from outside, clearly Renji, was followed by the sound of something hitting something hollow - no doubt a fist and his head, or something to that effect - and both in the room smiled slightly, though the captain's was smaller, tighter, harder. He didn't gain much joy from the little things anymore.
When Kira was pushed through the door, followed by the previously mentioned Renji and a disheveled looking Hisagi it was all Hitsugaya could do not to just kick them out again. "You are still here! Geez, get on with you! Your senpai demands it!"
"How the hell are you doing paperwork?! Get a move on!"
"Um, you know... We'll be late."
"Would you three shut up?"
"Shorty's getting scary! This is why you should have been changed alre-" Renji was cut off, this time by a foot to his stomach, and Kira and Hisagi slowly backed away from their friend and Hitsugaya, laughing nervously.
The whole scene was rewarded with a shy smile, the slim figure claiming the vice captains badge in hand as the choice in apparel was noted calmly. "It will only take a few minutes for me to change, don't worry. I'll be back before you know it."
Waiting was something they'd gotten used to by now and they let her go, Abarai instantly claiming the seat she'd just vacated. Hitsugaya merely rolled his eyes, leaning back against the wall. "She says that, but we'll be here for half an hour."
"Yeah well." Sneaking a look at the papers still on the desk, Abarai shrugged. "She looks better?" The form on top didn't escape his attention and he set about finishing it for her while he sat. "And there's no need for her to be doing all of this already." Hisagi's less than sneaky attempt to see what he was doing was followed by him getting handed a few sheets of his own, some of which mysteriously found their way into Kira's hands. With the three vice captains working, it took them no amount of time and Abarai cheerfully placed the last sheet on top of the out pile. "Done!"
The wind-chime laughter that followed his assertion was both surprising and welcome, and four jaws almost dropped at the sight. "I could have dealt with those in the morning, but thank you." A dumbfounded nod was Abarai's response, the initial shock of seeing a kimono where they'd only ever seen black robes for many years wearing off and general appreciation settling in. It was beautiful, reds and golds offset by greens and pinks, a literal field of colour and flowers as the trim, sky blue as the base. It could have been tailor-made just for her for all they knew, and as far as their zanpakuto knew, it had been. It reminded them of a place only the short captain had seen, even if he couldn't recognise it as such. "...Is it that bad? Matsumoto said-"
Four very hasty "no!"'s cut her off, Hisagi leaping forward and claiming her arm with a small flourish of a bow. "It looks perfect, Hinamori." He ignored the small twitch of a frown from Hitsugaya with a small chuckle, "we'd better get going, yes?"
The smile they were graced with caused blushes all round the office as she tugged on Hisagi's arm, pulling him out the door with her and Tobiume was rescued by Kira as Abarai followed, pulling the blonde with him and a smirk in Hitsugaya's direction. "Yeah shorty, we'll be late." A growl met him and they all fell into pace with the dark haired girl, Kira returning the blade. It was tied to her side like it had been so many times before, contentment and skilled fingers tapping the hilt. "You all cleaned up nicely too, you know."
Laughter. Smiles.
It had been nerve-racking to say the least, the other three vice captains storming into the room to see Hitsugaya covered in blood - his own blood - a deep gash in his hand, and then have Isane throw them out of the room as Hinamori stopped breathing completely. Somehow, though, the slim girl had held on, and the small grin they'd seen when she finally opened her eyes, finally looked at them, had been enough. No matter the worry, the pain, the anxiety, that small smile was all they needed.
It had been all she needed too, surprised at seeing her friends gathered around the hospital bed, being visited constantly by seated officers she barely knew, being told how glad everyone was she was better. Returning to the fifth division had been hard, her expecting to see faces questioning her, wondering what she was doing, why they hadn't appointed a new vice captain. But they had cheered for her, smiled, congratulated, accepted. And she had smiled in response to that, too, promising that as soon as she was allowed to get back to the more strenuous activities, that she would make sure that the fifth division had a good, strong captain to lead it. The third and fourth seat had muttered loudly that they didn't want a new captain if it wasn't going to be her, to which her very flushed face had been enough, her promise to try her hardest and gain bankai when she could more than enough.
Hinamori was suddenly enough. Wanted, loved, needed, her division welcoming her back with open arms, her friends waiting patiently and always beside her. Especially now, with an impromptu festival the SWA had decided to spring on the other shinigami. Her smile was infectious, even when it clearly showed how tired she was, how easily worn out she could still be. That smile just made them smile all the more in response, made them care even more.
The small vice captain finally managed to excuse herself, sneaking away to a quiet corner to sit and watch everyone, appreciate the fireworks that still carried some sad memories, to simply be. Tobiume hummed in the back of her mind, reminded her she should leave soon, get some more rest, but she remained where she was for the time being. Hinamori was happy, surrounded by her friends, officers, subordinates. People glad that she could still smile, that she hadn't turned back on herself, wallowing in self pity, depressed. Hinamori had come back to them, stronger than before, and they would hold on to that.
So she watched them move around her, smiling back when she needed to before closing her eyes for a second and sighing softly. Her hands rested against the once again healed stomach. It would take time to fully heal, to get her physical strength back but she didn't mind. She'd take as long as she had to, with friends like that, a division waiting, and Tobiume. The sprite, now just a few inches shorter than Hinamori, smiled gently, softly as she remained beside her wielder. Satisfied. They'd managed, she would heal, grow, learn. And when the time came to take up the blade against the traitors, when it came time to choose sides, to stand strong, Tobiume knew what her little one would do with every breath in her body.
Tobiume was a blade to fight disguised behind a girl with the will to protect, and she would never have chosen anyone else to hold her.