A/N: Enter Shinji Hirako. That's what the title is referring to, in case you hadn't noticed.

8: Taichou

"Morning, Aizen-sensei," Sakura said cheerfully, walking into Sousuke's office. "I came a little early today, I hope that's okay."

The chestnut-haired lieutenant looked up with an amiable smile, gesturing for the young noble to sit down on the futon in the corner of his office. "Absolutely. You may come whenever you wish to." He shuffled a few papers around before stacking them in a corner and picking up a pen. "I'll be done momentarily, could you perhaps wait a few minutes while I finish up here?"

Sakura nodded. "Sure. No problem." She swung her legs idly, looking around the clean office. It was tastefully decorated and everything was in warm, rich hues of yellow and brown, with splashes of the occasional deep green or red. Her attention turned back to the lieutenant sitting behind the desk, glasses slipping down his nose as he wrote, chestnut hair falling across his forehead. Noticing the smooth, flowing way his pen drifted across the page, she found herself wondering how good his calligraphy was. She had heard that he taught a calligraphy class at the Academy; that meant he had to be pretty amazing, right? The noble teenager opened her mouth to ask when another voice interrupted her.

"Hey, Sousuke," a drawling voice said from the doorway.

Sousuke and Sakura looked up simultaneously at the speaker. "Oh! Good morning, Hirako-taichou. Do you need something?" Sousuke smiled at his captain, setting his pen down gently.

"I have a few more papers for ya when you're finished with those." Shinji strolled over, dropping the paperwork casually on Sousuke's desk. Glancing over, his eyes widened slightly in surprise as he noticed the young teen sitting on the futon. "Hey, didn't see ya sitting there. You're Sakura Kuchiki, right?"

Sakura nodded. "Yes. And you must be Hirako-taichou."

"That's me!" Shinji agreed, nodding. "So how's Sousuke been treating ya?"

"Oh, just fine, thanks, Taichou." Sakura smiled, immediately liking this captain.

"Well, that's good," Shinji said, sauntering back toward the door. "I hear you're pretty good at Kido. Hakuda and Hohou too. You'll have to show me sometime." He paused. "Actually, ya got a minute now?"

Sakura nodded, then remembered about Sousuke. She looked over at him, seeking his permission to leave with the blond captain. He smiled warmly and nodded. "As long as you come back within the hour, I don't see a problem with it."

"Thanks, Sensei!" The dark-haired noble girl grinned. "I'll be back soon!" She skipped out after Shinji, humming cheerfully. "So where are we going, Hirako-taichou?"

Shinji strolled down the hallway, his haori billowing behind him. "Come on, I'll show ya." He stopped in front of a door, looked around, and quickly ushered her in. "This should be fine." He glanced back in the direction of Sousuke's office again before closing the door.

Sakura tilted her head to the side in confusion, looking around at the cramped, stuffy supply closet they were currently standing in. "Hirako-taichou?"

The blond captain turned toward her, a serious expression on his face. "Kuchiki-san, watch out for Sousuke. He's up to something, I'm telling ya."

The noble girl's slate-gray eyes widened in confusion and surprise. "Aizen-sensei?" She thought back to the young man she had gotten to know over the past couple of days. "I don't think so, Hirako-taichou. I'm sorry." She shook her head, and then walked out of the room.