"Achoo!" Sui-Feng sneezed in front of towering wooden gates with number eleven on them. It was dawn. The wooden slats wept with morning dew. Her memories stirred.
Last night she had to eventually dry herself and change, but by that time it was too late, the cold had taken hold. She coughed while bandaging her bleeding feet, and once done she realized she'd worn another set of workwear instead of nightwear. She stayed up all night staring at the window until the rain ended and then hobbled to the barracks of the eleventh division. In retrospect, she should have gone to the fourth division first. Any semi-competent healer would have eased if not cured her headache.
A mechanical click sent vibration through the slats. It sent dew crashing on the ground, some droplets landing on her hakama. It also sent a pulse of searing pain through the inside of her skull. The long wooden creek added to it. The gates were opening at a snail pace. The slit in-between slowly grew bigger, and once it was big enough, she slipped through.
She entered a vast stone-paved courtyard. It was so big that the three-story pagoda far in front of her looked hazy. Or maybe she was just seeing things because of recent rain. Little one-story barracks extended left and right of pagoda and followed the perimeter wall all the way to where she stood. A huge space at the center to fight and a small space on the outskirts to sleep. It was quite like the eleventh division she'd imagined. But where is everyone?
She turned around. To the side of the gates a scrawny boy in the Shinigami uniform kept pulling at the rope. He was hell-bent on opening those gates completely. Sui-Feng approached him from the back and waited until he finished.
"Hey," she said.
The boy jumped. His hands jerked and hit his sword. It slipped from his sash, half-unsheathed, and clattered steel on stone, under his feet.
The sound made Sui-Feng wince; her headache amplified. She saw the boy picking up the sword and hugging it awkwardly, "S-s-sorry," he apologized for some reason.
"Where's your captain?"
"The captain?" He looked as if she asked him to punch Commander Yamamoto in the face. She was about to ask again, but he managed to point at the pagoda. "T-t-the tower, top floor."
"Thanks."
"Uhm…" apparently, he wanted to add something but ultimately decided against it. "Nothing," he said and walked away struggling with his sash.
Sui-Feng shrugged and went where he'd pointed.
The ground was uneven and full of cracks, creating countless brooding pits for last night's rainwater. Sui-Feng limped nimbly among them. When she neared the tower, she saw white smoke coming up from behind it. Were they cooking something? She tried to smell it, but realized her nose was stuffy. She sneezed and stumbled into a puddle, soaking one of her tabi. The icy water needled at her hurt foot. She entered the tower cursing under her breath.
The inside was as deserted as the outside. She ascended the stairwell, leaving a wet footprint behind every other step. The silence made the place feel submerged, and the stairs pressured her to remember the shrine.
It doesn't matter now, she cut herself off and knocked at the door of the captain's office. What if he's also absent, came the afterthought.
"Enter," came the voice from beyond the door.
She obeyed, sliding open the shoji doors, "Captain—," the greeting stuck in her throat.
The man inside did not look like a captain. He wore the standard black kosode and hakama tied by a golden sash. It paired well with an ornate hairband tying his black hair into a ponytail. Two strands of hair framed his elegant face. If he told her he was a high standing noble, she'd believe him.
The man was sitting on a wooden crate. There were three of them on the floor at the center. One of them was open, a heap of documents inside. Behind him was a writing desk with towers of paper, some of them knocked over. To her left was another desk, this one completely empty. It must have been put here recently, maybe even today. To her right was a lavish pillowy sofa. It was covered by cylinders of scrolls, some of them opened and tangled, some of them completely unwrapped and reaching the floor.
What a mess.
"What is it?" the man called out to her.
"I'd like to see the captain," Sui-Feng looked him in the eye. Her ordinary brown found a match.
"Why?" He barely paid attention to her, choosing to focus on the parchment in his hands.
"I am to assume the position of the second officer," she said. "Would you call the captain here, please?"
"What's your name?".
Sui-Feng frowned. The man did not look at her and was ignoring her request. Her headache intensified, but she was too tired to argue. She'd indulge him just once. "It's Sui-Feng," she introduced herself.
The man in front of her raised an eyebrow, his eyes did not leave the parchment, "A fake name?" he let out a chuckle. "Really?"
His words made the searing pain in her head spill into her chest. Her voice bit, "Look at me." He looked. "I earned that name, and I will not tolerate the disrespect, especially not from a snotty paper-pusher."
That made him put the parchment away. He leaned forward, elbows on his thighs.
"Are you saying that you're the personal bodyguard of the Shihoin clan head?"
"Precisely," she said. "Now go get—"
"That makes no sense," he cut her off. "Or will you have me believe that Yoruichi Shihoin have decided to join the eleventh division?"
Sui-Feng clenched her fists. Her frown deepened, "Why I'm here has nothing to do with you."
"I disagree, it has everything to do with me, I am after all—"
"Listen," she cut him off, "I don't care who you are, but when I'm a lieutenant here, I'll order you to spar with me and I promise I'll thoroughly beat you up for insubordination. Now, if you don't want that, go fetch the captain."
"The eleventh division has no vacancy for temporary lieutenant," he said, unperturbed. "Your application has been hereby rejected. You're free to leave." He picked the parchment back, seemingly losing all interest in her.
"When your superior orders you, you obey!" Sui-Feng stomped. It hurt, but the pain only empowered her. "I'll personally carve it into—"
"I'M BACK!" A shout from behind interrupted her.
A woman in a lavender blue robe walked past her carrying a folded white cloth. Twisted golden dragons formed two hairpins, holding her black hair high, and making it fan out.
"Did you wake them up?" the man asked.
"Naturally. People sleep at night, you know," the woman replied, "but once I've told them it's for you, they've woken up the whole district to make it." She thrusted the cloth into the man's hands, "Try it on, try it on, I want to see how it looks on you."
He stood up from the crate, unfolded the cloth, and donned it in one swift motion.
It was a garb fitting a noble. The sleeves were long enough to cover his hands and trimmed with golden thread, there were cuts above the elbows, and the collar boasted golden patterns similar to the ones on his belt. He turned around and she saw an all too familiar insignia of the eleventh division, patterns of captain's haori surrounded it. Her heart sank.
"It looks good on you," the woman said to him.
"Thank you," he replied. "Let's go deal with the Council." He moved to leave and the woman in the lavender robe followed him.
"Stop." Sui-Feng obstructed his way. Up-close she could gauge he was a head taller than her. "D-do you know the punishment for impersonating a superior?" As she said it, her voice shook. It sounded pathetic.
"Girl," he turned to look through the huge window opposite the entrance, "the pyre is still burning. You should go join them, say your last goodbye to Kuruyashiki, and then return to where you came from."
Sui-Feng limped past him and peered through the window.
The fire was tall and the white smoke even taller. That's where they all were, hundreds of Shinigami solemnly crowding the backyard. Her breaths grew sharper.
"Let me take care of her," she heard a woman's voice somewhere behind her.
She heard only a mumble in response.
What now? The new captain had dismissed her. She couldn't possibly go back to the second division. The memory of her captain whipped at her heart. She thought about a letter from her mother. An arranged marriage. She heard herself breathing fast and deep. There was wetness under her nose. She touched it and saw blood on her fingers. The room spun, and then she saw no more.
"Let me take care of her," Urozakuro said.
"By all means."
Soya exited the room and the door closed behind him. He passed through the walls straight into the air at the height of the three-story building. A moment later the world around him turned into a blur. Another moment later he stopped abruptly. Below, was a walled-up crossing like any other in Seireitei.
Perhaps I should arrive last. If he did so, he would have to introduce himself only once. He nodded and descended to the ground, deciding to walk the rest of the way.
Looking at the tall empty walls, he wondered why an architect would use up so much space for something so hollow. Speaking of Hollows, Gillians in particular, with their tall and empty bodies, perhaps they served as an inspiration. At least their bony masks served as a disruptor of monotony.
Soya turned a corner and heard a startled gasp. A boy in a cream-colored robe clutched a red ribbon in his hands. His long raven hair looked damp. There was a hexagon of the Kuchiki clan embroidered on his garb. Soya was about to speak but the boy beat him to it.
"Please don't tell her I'm here," he pleaded.
Tell who? He looked around. There was no one in sight. He then turned to his spiritual vision and saw it immediately. A familiar strong spiritual signature was approaching him rapidly.
"Stay still," Soya raised his hand, index finger pointing at the Kuchiki child. A translucent silvery box descended and then disappeared, along with the child. He knew the boy was still right in front of him, but there was no sound or visual distortion. The space looked empty.
He felt the child banging against the walls of the box, but the sound wouldn't get out. It could only get in. He was about to say it aloud when he heard a familiar voice calling out to him.
"Hey there, mister new Kenpachi," Yoruichi Shihoin appeared a short distance away from him wearing her captain's haori. "Have you seen a little shrimp passing by? He wears a Kuchiki crest and turns around when you call out 'Byakuya'."
"I have." He pointed at the invisible box. "He went that way." Coincidentally, it was the same direction Yoruichi had just come from.
"Very funny," she said.
"It's the truth," he shrugged.
"It's not very polite to stick your nose in other people's business."
"It's ok if they're the ones asking you to."
"Aha!" Yoruichi pointed at him triumphantly. "You helped him!"
"I've never claimed otherwise."
"It's okay. I happen to need something from you. You can have the shrimp if you race me to the Council Hall, but if I win, you'll owe me a favor."
Soya raised an eyebrow at her. Why would he go to such great lengths for a stranger child? Perhaps his visual memory played a trick on him, because in that barrier now was a younger version of himself.
"What? You scared?" she taunted.
"What if you lose?"
"I'll owe you one," she shrugged.
"How do we determine the winner?"
"The first one to greet the Commander."
"Alright." It was as good a finish line as any.
"See you there," she said and vanished leaving only a gust of dust behind.
He turned to his spiritual vision to observe her, but otherwise didn't move a step. She increased the distance between them at an astonishingly fast rate. If she'd raced against anyone who used Shunpo, she would have easily won. Unfortunately for Yoruichi, he had never used Shunpo in his entire life.
Soya moved and the invisible box shattered. The boy was fine if only a little disoriented. If the child said anything Soya didn't hear it nor did he stay to listen. He had a race to win.
Soya took a step, and the wind lifted him high in the air. He took another step and the streets underneath him blurred again. It took him moments to appear in the middle of the spacious hall, a lone statue of a harmless old man stared him down.
"Azashiro Kenpachi greets Commander Yamamoto," he bowed respectfully.
The Commander was hunched, leaning on a crudely cut wooden staff. His long white mustache intertwined with his braided beard all the way down, almost reaching the floor.
"Formal meeting requires formal attire…" Commander Yamamoto said. Soya took it as a praise and was about to thank him, when "…it also requires formal entrance." The words struck him.
"I apologize," Soya said. "Next time I'll use the door."
"Do so." The Commander nodded slightly to his right.
Soya walked up to the right-hand side of Yamamoto and straightened up. The sunlight was hitting the ceiling-supporting columns, striping the floor and warming Soya's back. They waited in silence.
Soya turned to his spiritual vision. He looked for a fast-moving spiritual signature, and he found her almost immediately. Yoruichi was already at the bottom of the cliff which hosted the Council Hall. It took her moments to ascend it. A single passageway separated her and the door to the room where he was. But then she stopped.
Why did she stop? Was she waiting for him? Trying to create a fake tension, saying look you almost beat me, but in the end I'm still victorious. Thinking how she'd react when she sees him inside made him chuckle. It sounded way too loud in the silent hall. The Commander raised his bushy eyebrow at him. Fortunately, the creak at the entrance saved him from making excuses.
A familiar flowery kimono walked in. This time he also wore a wide straw hat. Trailing him were three other people of which Soya knew only one, a pale whitehaired smiling man, Captain Ukitake of the thirteenth division. The other two were a short woman in red oval glasses and a tall, taller than either of the captains, darkhaired man.
"Formal meeting requires formal attire," boomed the Commander.
"Apologies," said captain Kyoraku. He bared his haori, taking off pink kimono and the straw hat and giving it to the woman in glasses next to him. Soya noticed a badge on her shoulder. Wasn't the meeting supposed to be for captains only?
"When a new captain takes charge, the junior officers have to attend too," said Captain Ukitake.
Soya nodded at Ukitake. Apparently, he mumbled his question aloud.
The lieutenants moved to the outskirts of the hall. The captains took their positions at the center. They all stood in line to the right hand-side of the Commander. Captain Kyoraku was an armlength away from Soya.
"Say," Kyoraku leaned to him slightly, "I didn't catch your name yesterday."
"Azashiro," Soya said, "It's Azashiro Kenpachi now."
"Azashiro, huh," he stayed silent for a moment and then continued. "You might not believe me, but my lieutenant, Liza," he nodded in the direction of the woman in the glasses, "has recently picked up history. She told me about all kinds of ancient families. There was even one who had a string of clan heads leading the Kido Corps. Though, I can't seem to recall what happened to them."
"A misfortune has stricken them," Soya said. "Their last patriarch had only stories to tell of the glorious days long gone. It was not enough to spare the clan, but it was enough to inspire his children. His son would go on to become the eighth Kenpachi."
"This son," said Kyoraku, "Does he resent the misfortune?"
Soya was suddenly aware that both captains were looking at him, the lieutenants beside the windowed wall were listening intently, even the Commander turned slightly to him.
"There's nothing to resent," Soya said, "not anymore."
Their history discussion had to be stopped as the door to the Hall creaked. A dazed man with a mess of pale light-blond hair walked in, he was not a captain, Yoruichi entered right after.
Soya caught her gaze and waved. She gawked at him but didn't say anything. Instead, she whispered something to her lieutenant extensively, then let him go to the other junior officers while she took her place at the center, directly opposite to Soya.
The Council Hall started to fill in. The captains entered in quick succession. They kept nodding at him, recognizing a new face, but not all of them. Captain Hikifune entered nose deep into her notebook, she did not raise her head once. Captain Unohana contrasted her, and Soya had to try really hard to ignore it. Her gaze locked onto him and didn't leave ever since she'd entered.
Commander Yamamoto knocked the ground with his staff.
"Let us begin," he said.
The meeting began with the Commander introducing Soya to the other captains. After acknowledging him, they moved on. Starting from captain Ukitake, everyone reported events that happened and events yet to happen within their divisions.
Some of them were quite lengthy and took a while to tell. Others elicited a response from other captains and evolved into a back-and-forth discussion. Captain Kyoraku's report was the shortest, he said that he'd dispatched a unit to the fourth district following a commotion last night, but it turned out to be a drunk party. He expressed his regret for not going himself, and then vowed to do better in the future.
The briefness of his report was only rivaled by Captain Hikifune, who said that she'd picked a place for disposal of a failed experiment. To which the Commander said that he'd notify the Academy. Soya didn't understand why they needed to notify the Academy, but such was the nature of every other report he'd heard.
By the time it was Yoruichi's turn to speak, it was already afternoon. She went on about Onmitsukido, but at some point, she mentioned eleventh division.
"Eleventh division currently doesn't have a lieutenant," she said, "and my third officer has expressed a desire to fill-in temporarily. She is qualified, and the previous captain was open to it. She'd be a great asset to a new captain. At least, until a permanent fill is found." Yoruichi looked at him, "What do you say?"
"I would say it's the most inappropriate thing I've heard today, but here again you come second." Soya saw her brow twitch. "The very same suggestion was brought to me this morning, and my answer hadn't changed since. The eleventh division has no temporary vacancies. And, besides, what asset can the deaf be to a musician?"
Commander Yamamoto hummed in his mustache. "Are you finished, captain Shihoin?"
"Yes," Yoruichi did not sound happy, "yes, I'm done."
Commander Yamamoto then turned to Soya. "Captain Azashiro," he said, "at the next meeting you must contribute. Have the captains show you what their divisions do, internally. Consider it an order."
Soya bowed respectfully. From the corner of his eye, he saw Yoruichi gesturing something to her lieutenant. He heard the Commander strike the floor again with his staff.
"You may return to your duties," he said.
The captains and the lieutenants started to trickle out of the Council Hall. Soya followed them into the wide passageway flanked by tall empty pillars that supported nothing. Again, it reminded him of Gillians.
"Captain Azashiro," a man who looked very uncomfortable walked up to him. "I'm lieutenant Urahara of the second division."
Is it now your turn to peddle your junior officer? Outwardly, he said, "I saw you yesterday at the Shihoin compound."
"Ah… that's right." He scratched the back of his head.
Apparently, it didn't go both ways. "What is it?"
"Ah…if you have time, we can go through the barracks of twelfth division. I'll guide you." There was a sound of slap behind the closest pillar. It seemed to invigorate Urahara, "Our divisions currently cooperate on a joint project, and I personally communicate with Kirio a lot."
"I can just contact captain Hikifune on my own."
"You won't be able to," Urahara said with conviction. "Kirio is impossible to get a hold of, she's never at the captain's office, and she's not doing her own correspondence. She'll ignore you." Perhaps he saw that Soya was still hesitating, because he added, "We'll be done before evening at the latest."
Soya wondered when he'll bring up the transfer, but the offer seemed reasonable. Also, he was curious what the twelfth division, the brain of Gotei-13, was up to, so he accepted and followed Urahara. It did not take long for them to enter the barracks of the twelfth division.
The place was unlike anything Soya had seen before. On the outside it was densely packed with buildings that seemed all interconnected. There was no inner courtyard to speak of, so wherever the members of twelfth division trained it was not outside.
On the inside it was also unique. The floors were mostly made of white ceramic tiles and a lot of rooms were separated from hallways by large glass panes. Kisuke led Soya from pane to pane chattering about the purposes of the rooms, the ongoing projects, the successes, and the failures that occurred over the past few months. He was a very competent guide and seemed completely in his element. Even so, it took them quite a while to go through most of the complex.
Eventually, they entered a chilly room that, like all others, was tiled in white ceramics. The sidewall was filled with iron rectangles, each had a handle on it.
"You plan to murder me?" Soya asked.
Urahara chuckled. "My predecessor had an exceedingly high mortality rate while working on this project, so he renovated this place to save time," he explained. "He was eventually imprisoned, but no one bothered to turn it back to normal. And before you ask, there were no casualties since I took over."
"What's the project?"
"An interrogation technique. The theory is derived from research conducted by Kirio. We take a source Reiryoku and inject it into the core of subject's soul, creating a resonance."
"How do you keep them alive?"
Kisuke only patted the handle of his sword.
A Zanpakuto ability. Makes sense they put him in charge here. "So how exactly does that help with an interrogation?"
"When the resonance happens, you can see into the subject's mind."
"Mind reading? Really?"
"Not quite," Urahara shook his head, "more like reading a tail end of one thought. If we're lucky we get a couple of continuous mental images. Unfortunately, every time we succeeded the images turned out to be fake. They were something the subject wanted to happen rather than something that actually happened."
"Sounds like a failed project to me," Soya said.
"I'm on the verge of declaring as much," Urahara shrugged. "My only hope is that Kirio succeeds, and I'll be able to salvage it somehow. She works on something called 'artificial soul'." He opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a little glass cylinder the size of a thumb. "These little guys," he handed the cylinder to Soya.
On the inside there were three thumbnail-size spheres. Curious, he let out a whisp of his own Reiryoku, merging with one of the spheres. It felt like a human body without a body, a self-sustaining core of the soul, albeit waiting for the initial push. His spirit seemed to have done it. The middle sphere glowed a barely perceptible yellow light.
"Fascinating," Soya said. He gave them back but was eager to know more.
"Unfortunately, none of them work yet." Urahara put the cylinder back in the drawer without a second look. "We've been making them by the hundreds and then disposing of them. At least the Academy benefits from it. Since destroying it attracts the Hollows, we've started using it to give fresh graduates real battle experience." He paused and when he continued, he sounded anxious. "Azashiro-san, I think it's as good place as any to end our tour."
"You did well," Soya said. "I'm guessing you're about to bring up third officer Feng."
"Ah…was I that obvious?" Urahara scratched the back of his head and smiled awkwardly. "I heard you rejected the temporary offer, but I assure you, in the whole of Soul Society you won't find a more competent second-in-command. She is extremely fair to her colleagues regardless of their standing, and her track record is spotless."
Soya nodded along and when Kisuke finished, he said, "Third officer Feng was the one who came to me with this suggestion first. She came at dawn, before the council. She looked disheveled and talked as if her acceptance was a far-gone conclusion. She was extremely rude, in fact, she insulted and then threatened me. I think that's a sufficient reason to reject someone. Don't you think?"
With each sentence Kisuke's eyebrows rose higher and higher, by the end of it he stared at Soya open-mouthed. When Soya finished, Kisuke said, "Are you sure we're talking about the same person?"
"She's about this tall," Soya lifted his palm at a level of his chin. "Black long hair with bangs covering brown eyes." He then thought about a Shinigami-specific feature. "Her sword has short blade with yellow hilt. She keeps it horizontally attached at the back of her sash. Is she the one?"
"I…I don't know what to say."
"When you report back to your captain you should say that you did your best," Soya said. "You don't need to see me out."
He left the lieutenant's office and then the territory of twelfth division. Outside, the sun was painting stony streets in orange hues. Unfortunately, he could not enjoy the view. There was way too much work yet to do.
Sui-Feng slept. She slept and dreamt a dreamless dream. A hand gently brushed her hair, massaging her scalp. Another one caressed the space between her collar bones. The fingertips tickled in circular motions going lower and lower with each pass.
Sui-Feng reached to grasp the teasing hand, but it escaped, traveling up over her neck, and gently settling on her cheek. She hummed approvingly and did not pursue it. The dream felt warm and comforting.
A rolling sound came in, followed by a thump of wood, and then a distant voice. "Why is she still here?"
Sui-Feng froze, she felt the shape of her pillow with the side of her face. It was oblong, squishy and there was a dip in the middle. She kept her eyes shut, realizing her head rested on someone's lap. "I'm taking care of her," a female voice sounded from above.
"Urozakuro…" the man let out a tired sigh. Sui-Feng heard the steps passing her, then a rustle of cloth and a creak of chair.
"You know," the woman, Urozakuro, said, "she had a fever when she came in. She feinted shortly after you left, but I healed her. She's good now."
"That's great. She's good to leave then."
"Oh, don't be like that. She came despite being sick, that's some dedication… or desperation."
"You want me to pity her?"
"No, I'll do the pitying. You give her a reward."
The man chuckled. "I keep repeating this all day long," he said, "the eleventh division doesn't need—"
"You meant to say you keep lying all day long," the woman interrupted him. "We both know that you struck her down the moment you heard her name."
Silence lingered. Did her clan slight him? If so, then her disastrous introduction was just a final nail in the coffin. Her hands felt cold. She must have moved somehow because the caressing fingers left her cheek and intertwined with her cold hand, squeezing it a little. Instinctively, she squeezed back. Yeah, she was not fooling anyone with her 'sleep'. Still, she kept her eyes shut.
"I'm being fair," the man said.
"You're being petty," Urozakuro retorted. "Just give her a chance. If she's as bad at being a lieutenant as she is at pretending to be asleep, then no one will tell you off for dismissing her."
Sui-Feng took it as an invitation to speak up for herself. She opened her eyes, and closed them immediately, blinded by orange light. She forced them open, blinking through tears. She saw an ornate fabric and, glancing up, a sizable bust. The hand brushing her hair had long since left, she saw that she was covered by a lavender robe. She moved it aside and stood up facing the man who sat behind the desk, surrounded by a familiar mess of documents.
Her kosode slid off her shoulder. She caught it and realized that her sash was nowhere to be found and her underclothes were loose, leaving her chest binding out. Immediately, she wrapped herself in all the fabric she could reach and bowed down deeply, her face heating up. How humiliating.
"I'm sorry," she blurted out. "My conduct earlier was inexcusable, captain…captain…"
"Azashiro," came helpfully from a woman beside.
"Captain Azashiro," Sui-Feng continued, "if you find it in yourself to forgive my transgressions, I promise you I'll be the best second-in-command you'll ever find. And…" She racked her brain in search of something else she could promise. The Shihoin mansion from last night came to mind. "And I'm fine with it being a permanent transfer. Uh, if you allow it, of course."
She heard him hum. He didn't say anything otherwise. She kept her back parallel to the ground and looked at her feet. They were bare and completely healed. She had to thank the woman who kept helping her.
"Well?" Urozakuro spoke. "How long does she need to bend her back?"
"Do you even need my response?" captain Azashiro asked.
"Of course! I am but a humble servant of—"
"Stop." Captain Azashiro let out a tired sigh. "Go find the lieutenant's badge somewhere in this mess."
"A wise decision worthy of true visionary," Urozakuro sounded grandiose. "Your most devout servant has expected as much. That is to say, I have already tied it around her sleeve."
Sui-Feng looked at her shoulder. There was a badge with number two on it and a smaller number eleven underneath, though it was tied upside down.
"Of course you have," captain Azashiro sighed again. "Lieutenant Feng, please stand upright."
A sense of relief washed over her, she obeyed. Years of military service took hold of her body straightening her back and fixing her arms to the sides. Her kosode came undone again.
"Lieutenant Feng," captain Azashiro pinched the bridge of his nose, "I appreciate female form like the next man, but let's not make this place into a den of indecency, least when there's so much work to do."
"I'm sorry." She curled the cloth back together and held it with her hand. She started firing off, "When I woke up, I was like this, I don't know how it happened, I assure you it's a misunderstanding, I did not mean…" she trailed off seeing the captain raising his hand slightly.
"The reason why you're in this state sits right there." He pointed at Urozakuro.
Sui-Feng looked. The woman leaned back on the lavish couch, her slender figure wrapped in an ornate dress fastened by a sash of red and gold. She played with what Sui-Feng recognized was Suzumebachi, her Zanpakuto. The missing sash was tied in a bow around the handle.
Urozakuro held the sword to Sui-Feng. She accepted instinctively. Her kosode came undone again. Urozakuro giggled. She pulled it back together, blushing.
"Lieutenant Feng," Captain Azashiro called her, "Fix your clothes and you can go home for today. I expect you here tomorrow morning." He picked up a parchment from the closest pile. A familiar scene for Sui-Feng.
"Sir, you could use my help now."
He looked up at her and motioned with paper in his hand at the second desk in the room. "Suit yourself." He then went back to reading.
Sui-Feng fumbled with the knot on her sword as she approached the desk opposite the couch. It was filled with tangled scrolls. She took a deep breath, preparing for a plunge. I will not mess this up.
