A Falling Star's Last Wish
C H A P T E R F O U R
Flirting is the art of making a man feel pleased with himself.
Tale walked with a bag slung over her right shoulder. Beside her were Jinsu and Asa. Today would be the first day of Tale as a shinigami. In just a few minutes she would meet her captain and follow Division. But the question was...
"What Division do you decide on, Tale-san?" Jinsu asked, readjusting her lieutenants' badge on her left bicep. Asa continued to pick at her nails, but was obviously paying some attention so she could hear the answer. Tale smiled.
"The Eighth Division, I sent in my papers last night, so they should have them by the time I get there." The trio was only half way to the division, with still a ways to go. The two friends both stopped walking, Tale staking a few steps before stopping also and turning around to look at them. Asa and Jinsu were giving each other a look like they knew something that she didn't. Tale tilted her head. "Is something wrong?"
They kept quiet for a few moments. "Do you think we should tell her, Jin?" Tale just continued to stand there, confused as ever, and switched her bag from her right shoulder to her left, it bounced against her hip causing her zanpakutou to momentarily dig into her hip. Tale muttered a small complaint of pain and rubbed at the spot. Jinsu seemed hesitate.
"Let's just let her find out for herself..." Tale's brow furrowed in slight frustration. Why wouldn't they tell what was wrong?
"What? Is the captain some kind of merciless bastard?" Jinsu's eyebrow twitched, but Tale didn't notice. Asa shook her head, a knowing grin spreading over her lips.
"Nah, he's not that bad. But I can't say the same for his lieutenant... She's a very strict person. Loyal to her squad, but tends to give 'follow it by the book' the title of understatement of the century." Asa started walking again, placing her arms behind her head. Jinsu rolled her eyes, as if to say 'very mature', and followed her friend. "Did I mention you know him?"
Tale's brow furrowed even more. She was missing something, she was missing something big and she knew it. The only people she knew that were in the Seireitei were her classmates, Jinsu and Asa. Had she forgotten of someone? That would be bad, then, for she would look like a fool once the man saw her. He couldn't have forgotten her. Maybe once she saw him she would remember?
"Here we are, the Eighth Division." Tale looked up, surprised that she had arrived so quickly. Weren't they farther away just a few minutes ago? Oh well, there was no telling, she was already here so she might as well go ahead and get it over with. Asa pushed open the door, Jinsu followed behind her, and then Tale brought up the back. There were a few shinigami walking around, waiting for any missions or farther instructions from their superiors. Some were sparring in the courtyard, but stopped once the gate opened. Tale instantly knew she was going to like some of these people.
"Asa!" Almost all of them yelled, although a few did mention Jinsu with a bow or a nod. Asa grinned. Tale knew she was going to become a heavyweight with all these men around and Asa's little flaw of loving sake. Jinsu rolled her eyes and pulled Tale through the crowd.
"Asa is going to take awhile with all of those. She knew most of them would love to take her out..." Jinsu grumbled the last part under her breath. The hime raised a brow, was she jealous? "So I'll just take you to your captain and Kazūme-san's office." Tale was pulled corner after corner. Deep down, she was very excited, no matter how nervous she looked.
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Shiba Kazūme was quick on her toes as she went back and forth, office to office, with a tray of tea cups and a kettle balanced nicely on top. She could hear the loud snores of her captain coming from his office. He had obviously fallen asleep, again, this morning while doing paperwork and signing reports from those that had gone on missions to the Human World. Balanced in her other hand was a stack of more papers that had just arrived.
"Kyouraku-taichou, please wake up!" Kazūme shouted as she dropped the papers beside her captain's head. The man groaned, his nice doze being interrupted. Shunsui lifted his head, a lopsided grin on his face.
"I dozed off again? My, my, it must be lunch time by now." Kazūme glared at her captain and placed the tray of tea on top of a stack of papers that littered his desk. She couldn't even see a sliver of the wooden desk... Shunsui's grin faltered. "It's still morning, isn't it." It wasn't question. Kazūme smoothed out her Shihakushou.
"No, captain, I'm afraid not." She replied with a very commanding voice, obviously not happy with her captain of two years. Shunsui sighed, a lopsided grin back on his lips, and took one of the hot cups of tea. "Also, I must inform you that we are having a new recruit from the academy coming today. Shunsui raised a brow, sipping at his tea.
"Oh? Is that so?" He leaned back in his chair, his grin widening. "Do tell me about this new recruit." Kazūme rolled her eyes and took a file off the top of Shunsui's desk. He had been sleeping on it the whole time. The lieutenant flipped it open.
"Shihouin Okitetsu, hime and heir to the Tenshiheisōban, graduated from the academy in her sixth and final year with high marks in Hohō and Zanjetsu. Her zanpakutou's name is not recorded and she is exceptionally well in kidō." Kazūme flipped a page. "Shihouin-hime has been offered spots in other divisions, such as the fourth seat of the Tenth Division and sixth seat of the Twelfth Division." Kazūme flipped a few more pages before shutting the folder completely, "And then it goes on to telling her discipline record at the academy, a clean record other than being tardy for class in the morning, and teacher recommendations." She dropped the file back into the spot in front of her captain.
Shunsui leaned against the palm of his head and opened the file himself, this time. On the front was her latest picture taken at the academy and one snapped of her zanpakutou. The light colored hilt was a bit of a surprise. Most tsukaito were either dark or in the medium for color range. Interesting… Although the hime did look awfully familiar, and Shunsui never forgot a pretty face, especially one like that...
A knock on the door at their office's sliding door alerted Kazūme. She hurried over to answer it. "Oh, Hiworti-fukutaichou, what a surprise to see you. How may I help you?" Shunsui looked up and grinned. If Jinsu was here that meant Asa wasn't far behind - Asa was such a good drinking buddy. Even though those two were from separate divisions and had two completely different jobs, they were never apart, it seemed.
"Good morning, Shiba-san. I'm just here to drop off my friend, Tale. She's your newest member." Shunsui couldn't see anything but a head of deep purple hair and tan skin. Kazūme was being so mean to her captain, not letting him see the little hime... Well, she wasn't 'little', instead very tall since he could see her over his Kazūme-chan.
The Eighth Division's lieutenant turned her eyes to the tall shinigami behind Jinsu. 'Tale', as Jinsu had called her (most likely just a nickname), stood almost as tall as her captain and his closest friend, Ukitake-taichou.
Shunsui was quick on his toes, and a quick step of shunpo later, he was standing behind his lieutenant with a wide grin. Kazūme was startled a little, but only showed it for a moment before standing tall again like nothing happened. She farther slid open the door to let both Jinsu and Tale in. Jinsu gave a small bow to the taichou, knowing his ways, and turned to her friend. Of course, Jinsu didn't see her anywhere went she looked down. Tale had bowed. Had she forgotten over the past two years who this man was?
"I will be a great honor working under you, Shiba-fukutaichou, and taichou!" Jinsu shook her head lightly and flicker Tale in the shoulder blade. Tale popped back up, muttered an "ow" as she tried to rub at the spot and finally faced her superiors.
Kazūme look quite happy, finally not being one of the only women on the squad, and also glad that someone knew manners. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Shihouin-san. I hope we can see many great things from you here in the Eighth Division." Shunsui stepped away from Kazūme and then in front of her, getting a good look at the fourth year he had been introduced during his early first hour of being a captain. She hadn't changed much other than the extra inches that now made her taller than Jinsu, when she had barely come to the lieutenant's elbow during her second year.
"Hello, Tale-hime~ how have the last two years been without me?" Shunsui asked, trying to see if this was the girl that would finally be putty in his hand. He tried his charm. She didn't seem very fazed by it.
Tale tilted her head, trying to figure out where she had seen him before. He obviously knew her, but she didn't remember him. "I'm sorry, taichou, but I don't seem to remember us ever meeting." Shunsui's grin faltered before widening even larger than before. Since Asa wasn't around to stop him, and Jinsu was now busy chattering away with his lieutenant, this gave Shunsui the perfect time to flirt! This was his chance!
"Well, that just breaks my heart into pieces!" He was joking, flirting as it was, but Tale didn't seem to be falling for it. Tale gave another bow, but this one not as low as the first.
"I'm so sorry, taichou! Please, forgive me for my ignorance in forgetting of you!" Shunsui blinked. This girl really knew how to make someone feel superior, and she was a hime, no less! Shunsui chuckled.
"Please Tale-chan; don't be so formal with me. I'm perfectly fine with you calling my Shunsui." Tale stood back up straight, a gasp coming from her opened dusty-rose lips.
"But that would be improper for someone of my status! I would only do that if I were of the same rank." Shunsui continued to chuckle at Tale's words. She really did go by the book. Such an innocent little mind that had yet to be corrupted, fully, by Asa.
"I would think being a beautiful hime, like you, is enough of being of the same status."
Tale bit her lip, both at him catching her with that fact, and the fact that he called her "beautiful". No one had called her that before... although she had been asked to be courted by many men, so that must mean something, right?
"Kyouraku-taichou! Stop antagonizing the poor girl!" Kazūme smacked her captain on the top of his head with the end of the sheath of her zanpakutou. The male cringed, having yet another bruise adore his head the third time this week - and it was only Tuesday!
"Zuzu-chan is so mean to me~" Shunsui whined, rubbing at the growing bump. Kazūme rolled her eyes and popped him on the head again, in the same spot.
"Taichou, either you may show Shihouin-san around the Division, or I will do so myself - without you." Shunsui didn't have much a choice before Kazūme had pulled the new shinigami out of the office and away. Shunsui sighed, a sudden thought coming to his head. "My sneaky little Zuzu-chan... leaving me with all the paperwork..."
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"And this is your room, Shihouin-san." Kazūme slid open a door, showing an empty room for other than a desk, futon, and small opened closet. Tale nodded and stepped inside looking around. She would have to customize it to fit her style. She wouldn't be able to stand all the plain white. "You will stay here until we arrange for your position on the squad. We have a few positions open, fifth seat and tenth seat, due to some accidents in the human world dealing with hollows." The thought of a hollow made Tale cringe, quite noticeably too.
Ever since the first time she was allowed to go to the human world and fight off a few hollows as practice, she would never look at them the same. One of her classmates had been attacked and not able to continue with the rest of their fourth year, or anymore of the academy for that matter.
There had been blood... so much blood...
"Are you alright, Shihouin-san?" Tale snapped from her thoughts and turned around, almost instinctively reaching for the hilt of her zanpakutou with her left hand. Kazūme's eyes flashed down just to see as she did, but Tale stopped before she touched the pale yellow wrapped fabric. "I never fully introduced myself. I am Shiba Kazūme. The lazy oaf you met back there, as you met him right after a nap, is our taichou, Kyouraku Shunsui."
That's when the light bulb went off in her head. She remembered the surname Kyouraku.
"Tomorrow morning we will start with seeing how well your abilities are, and then we will move onto placing you into a seat sometime in the afternoon. For right now, just settle in and meet some of the other division members. I'm quite sure they are excited to have another member. Not many shinigami come to the eighth squad willingly." Tale nodded and sat her bag down on the desk. She took another look around the room.
"Also, Shihouin-san?" Tale turned around, yet again, and nodded for Kazūme to continue. "Do you know your shikai?"
Kazūme was almost sure that Tale would say yes, after skimming her file, but after the bit of hesitant look on her face and the slow nod of her head, Kazūme knew she didn't. Tale was actually lying to her lieutenant, and Kazūme knew it. Tale knew she knew it. "Alright, I was just wondering. We have to update the file then."
When Kazūme left, Tale bit her lip. Oh she hoped her zanpakutou would cooperate with her, if only just a little. Tale didn't know now what her shikai even looked like.
Author's Note:
Okay… I know there are some mistakes, I can feel them, but I don't feel like fixing anything tonight seeing as it is 2:30 am and I have to get up early. Enjoy!
I don't think there are any words that need definitions… if there are, you have Google. /grin.
Review please? It would really make my week, and my week has been pretty sucky.
Also, before you freak out and go "Hey! It's a Shiba! Must Be Kaien's mom," no, it's not. It's his aunt by marriage. /bigger grin.
Oh, and we get to see Tale's powers and abilities next chapter! Oh I wonder what I'm going to do… yes, even I don't know what I'm going to do. /shot.