CHAPTER 2c:

The 12th Division: Gotei Science and Technology (Department of Shinigami Research and Development)

"Sir…"

The middle aged 12th Division Lt., Rinshan Tachibana, stood a few feet behind his Captain who sat on a high wheeled metal stool in front of her drafting table. Silent, turned off computer screens and hastily scribbled on dry-erase boards littered the walls of the Captain's office where she sat. Multiple other drafting desks and tables were scattered haphazardly elsewhere throughout the room. On one cluttered desk sat at least 20 Hell Butterflies flapping silently, awaiting to be heard, seeming almost 'impatient' in the way they flapped their wings as they sat at rest awaiting to deliver their news. Odd, half-completed metal contraptions cluttered the rest of the large office, along with many rolled and unrolled blueprints and hand-crumpled papers stuck in whatever corner and nook they could be stuffed in. The Captain's long bright green hair flipped around her head in two pigtails tied with red ribbons as she leaned over the high table very close to its blueprint covered surface. Her yellow pencil clutching hand flew over the top of it quickly, sketching something out like mad. Her over sized white Captain's coat hung down over the edge of the high stool, only showing the smallest glimpse of her dangling little legs and white socked feet on the other side.

"Sir!"

The young captain of the 12th Division, Aya Omata, spun around on her stool a quarter turn, her long pigtailed green hair whipped around revealing only one of her icy staring eyes to Rinshan. After a short moment of her steely gaze, and after a very audible swallow and 'GULP' from Rinshan, she spun back in place and back to her work, drawing feverishly, as if trying to get just one more thing done.

Pulling out his antique timepiece from his lab coat pocket, Rinshan looked quickly at it after which he began to tap his foot. Then, straightening up and slicking back the two remaining tufts of hair brownish at the sides of his bald head, he summoned some courage to his voice and loudly, though still with a somewhat questioning tone, he said:

"Captain Omata, M'am! It's time to go…"

He paused briefly to take a breath in before continuing and hoping not to anger her with his next statement.

"…Y..you don't want to arrive later than your brother, do you?"

Her little hand then stopped abruptly, dropping the little yellow pencil on the table, the tiny sound of which sound seemed to echo like a thunderclap in Rinshan's ears.

Rinshan's eyes widened as he adjusted his glasses uncomfortably. Then slowly the high metal stool turned all the way around in place spinning the Captain to face her Lieutenant.

Rinshan's eyes squinted close as he awaited her raised voice and scolding.

After an agonizing few seconds, the Lt.'s eyes un-closed themselves slowly, one at a time, which revealed to him the peppy, kind, and wide grinning smile of his youthful Captain. In her hand she had a blueprint of something, extending it in her hand towards him so he could see it.

Then she spoke, her voice was high and childlike, it's tone bereft of malice or contempt.

"LOOK Rinshan-kun!…it's a robot puppy!"

She paused to let Rinshan see and take it from her, her wide smile beaming.

Rinshan's eyes widened and his head shook back and forth as his mouth agape in utter amazement.

"THIS is what she was working on?...WHIS is what she was making me wait for her for?... and instead of her preparing for the Captains meeting?... and…and ROBOT PUPPIES!.. Really?...Puppies?.. ugh… and not to even mention that the cost to put these into production would be exorbitant… "

He thought quite loud to himself.

As the Lieutenant looked over the blueprint, the Captain continued.

"…I thought we could make a bunch of these and let 'em loose all over the Rukongai and the Seretei… they'll have special sensors and cameras 'n stuff inside 'em…might be better than sending the 6th 'n 10th out all the time, right?...plus THEY'RE SOOOO CUTE!"

Then in an instant, and with a happy smile, she spun all the way around on her metal wheeled stool and pushed off the drafting table with her hands, sliding backwards on her wheeled stool across the office towards her Lieutenant, the metal wheels whizzing loudly as she went.

"I will get the other guys and start looking into it right away, sir…"

Rinshan was in the middle of responding softly to her when he had to then quickly jump out of the way as she and her wheeled stool zoomed past him towards the door. A few feet from the door she flicked a tiny little red button on the side of the stool, causing the stool to noisily skid to a sudden screeching halt after which it began to click and crank loudly...transforming.

With a youthful grin Aya held tight to the stool seat as it clicked and cranked up and down making her little body flop and jerk around in its black shinigami robes, awkwardly transforming from a high metal drafting table stool into a much shorter metal wheeled wheelchair.

CLIIICK! CLACK! CRINK! CROOOOOKKKK! CRIANK! CLANK!

"WOOOHOOO!"

The Captain playfully yelled as she bounced up and down and side to side like she was on a ride.

"EVERY time…really?...ugh...it's fun EVERY time?"

Rinshan thought to himself with a sigh.

As the clicking and clanking buzzed to a stop, the Captain maneuvered herself spinning one wheel, which slowly turned her to face her Lieutenant. There, she saw Rinshan folding and placing the new blueprint on top of his clipboard which had his wooden 12th Division Lt. badge attached to the back of.

Her childish smile then faded slightly as she slowly wheeled herself closer to Rinshan, looking specifically to his hip, trying to see under his long white lab coat.

"You locked up your zanpaktuo, right Rinshan-san?...You remember the rules."

Rinshan's eyes and shoulders slumped a bit. He knew very well the heavy and serious rules regarding his zanpaktuo being taken outside of the 12th Division's premises. He opened his arms and opened his lab coat and spun around in place, so she could see he did not have it on him.

"Of course, sir… see?"

Rinshan's tone was slightly sarcastic. He did not like being treated like a child, especially not BY one, even if she was his Captain.

"Good!"

She said with an upward inflection to her words as she spun in her wheelchair in place with a wide smile, obviously not catching any of Rinshan's sarcasm.

"Now let's get going Rinshan-kun!...I don't want my big brother to beat me to the show!"

She said as she boisterously pointed forward towards the door, staying in place waiting.

"Sigh"

Rinshan exhaled, and after tucking his clipboard inside his belt, he approached his Captain and placed his hands on her wheelchair's hand grips and pushed her forward out the door and down the darkened corridor.