1st Division

Taicho: Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto

Fukutaicho: Chōjirō Sasakibe

I opened an eye and glared at the screen door. Someone was about to knock and disturb me. I grunted.

'Come in, Sasakibe.'

With the hint of a smile on his lips, my fukutaicho slid the door open, already on his knees, and bowed. 'Soutaicho,' he said politely. 'It is almost time for the Eastern tea ceremony.'

I grunted again. 'I hope you mean well by that statement, Sasakibe. For your own sake.'

'Hai, soutaicho, I mean that with the utmost respect.'

A likely story. 'Very well. I will be there shortly.'

With another bow, he pulled the screen door to a close. I snorted derisively. "Eastern tea ceremony". No doubt taking a jab at me with that comment. Him with his Western ways and me with my Eastern.

Eastern. How uncouth and childish of the West. Trying to name something older and wiser than itself. That's the West for you. Trying to fish before even obtaining a fishing pole. So eager to learn but also so quick to fail.

I chuckled. It fit Sasakibe well though. Him with his unbridled energy to impress me. Why it felt like it was only yesterday he had scampered up to my office and declared he would be my next right-hand man. Naturally I told him to stuff it and find someone else to badger his pride with.

But then he had gone on to learn bankai (foolishness, I tell you) and then insisted on fighting me. And kept insisting until I said yes. And when I battled him, I realized it wasn't pride. It was loyalty.

With a grunt, I got to my feet and shuffled to my cane that was leaning next to the only mirror in the room. A square piece of glass stuck randomly on the plain walls, a crack running down the center. I had no time to decorate my meditation room. The mirror was courtesy of Sasakibe. Apparently I needed to check my beard more often because he was tired of chasing squirrels around the meeting room that had somehow burrowed into my hair when I meditated.

Bah, I just needed emptiness and my thoughts. And possibly a nice cup of tea to calm me after dealing with all my aggravating subordinates.

As I closed a hand around the top of my cane, my eyes wandered to the mirror and glued to the scars on my face. Or one scar in particular. The one I had obtained by accident when I had battled Sasakibe many, many years ago. Or was it only yesterday?

I always kept my scars. I could've had them healed but scars are a reminder. It can be of pain or pride or loneliness but nonetheless, it is a mark of something significant that changed you. And this scar, the one running across my forehead, had a special place with me. It was a mark of loyalty from Sasakibe. And a mark of my respect for him.

He had changed me that day. He was immensely powerful, no doubt about that. It was still raw and needed some work, which I was more than happy to help him with. But that wasn't what had changed me. It was his fierce desire to be my right arm. To do the things that I could not do for myself. Loyalty like that was rare. And I would be a fool to turn him away.

Over the years I trained him so that one day, he would rise up the ranks and become a taicho himself. But he had only one goal in mind: to become my fukutaicho. I tried to deter him, tried to explain he was of more use to me as a taicho. He had mastered the bankai faster than Ukitake and Kyoraku. He was more than capable of leading a division. But he had simply shaken his head and filed an application as my fukutaicho. I told him he was a fool. He told me he would gladly be my foolish fukutaicho. Like I said, childish.

But there was a reason he became my fukutaicho and remained so all this time. He was loyal. He was focused. And he was a damn good fighter. In the end, I realized I had been the fool to undermine his loyalty. And so, the scar stayed. As long as he stayed by my side, my scar would forever remind me that warriors come and go but loyalty was the real treasure.

I scowled in the mirror. What was this soft-headedness? When did I simmer over feelings and sympathy? Soutaicho Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto had better things to do with his life. Like drink his "Eastern" tea and criticize his subordinates.

'Welcome, soutaicho,' Sasakibe remarked and stood tall as I entered the room. I surveyed the area. All the preparations were in order. The other division taichos were slowly milling in.

I noted the bandage across the bridge of Kyoraku's nose. Quite possibly Nanao beating him for not working. And a distinct handprint on his cheek. He probably tried to kiss her on top of that. He was still such a child.

'Is everyone here yet?' I grunted, leaning on my cane as I eyed the tea set. He had taken out the teal set with gold leaves imprinted on them. My favorite ones.

'Almo-'

'I'm positively serious, Ukitake! Rangiku told me herself! That's who Byakuya is in love with!'

'Really now, Gin, no need to be such a gossipmonger!'

'It isn't gossip if it's the truth.'

Gin bounced in, jabbering away. That man never learned to keep his mouth shut. Following him was a grinning Ukitake. The man looked a little peaky but otherwise he wasn't too bad. Unohana's treatments must be working well on him.

Unohana walked in soon enough. She looked my way, smiled demurely and bowed. I acknowledged it with a nod. Polite as always. Though I remember a very different woman when we first met…

'Aw, come on, Kenny, quit being such a grumpy lumpy! You found me, ne? Oh, oh, I want candy after this, just sayin'!'

Kenpachi simply grunted. He locked eyes with Unohana. The two nodded stiffly. The air stilled between them. They had learned long ago to control their reiatsu around each other but I could still sense the tension between them. As long as they didn't tear Seireitei apart I could care less how they greeted each other.

Slowly, I found myself observing my subordinates rather than making sure that everything was set for the ceremony. Watched how Soifon brooded in a corner and muttered something about a birthday. How Saijin talked with uncontrolled excitement about how Goro had pups (Goro was a female? Interesting). How Mayuri stood alone and poked at a bottle of some concoction. How Aizen chatted amiably with Tosen about duties and dreams. How Toshiro and Byakuya conversed about their fukutaicho's incompetence but never failed to mention their good points with a hint of pride.

As I watched my subordinates, I realized how young they really were. Ukitake and Kyoraku might be older than all of them but they were still children. My children. All who had joined the Gotei and followed me because they trusted me to protect their world. And I, in turn, had a duty to protect and guide them.

My hands tightened on my cane. Had I been doing my duty?

'Eijisai-dono?'

I glared down at the youth before me, all bright-eyed with hair slicked back and a toothy grin.

'Eijisai-dono,' Sasakibe piped again enthusiastically. 'Are you-!'

'-feeling alright?' my fukutaicho queried, positioning himself at my right side. I gazed at him from the corner of my eye.

'Never thought I would hear that name again,' I grunted.

He smiled. 'You were wandering. Just thought I would bring you back.'

'By taking me to the past?'

'To remind you of what you are to us, soutaicho.'

'Oh?' I quirked an eyebrow. 'And what's that?'

He flicked his eyes to me before looking back at the other taichos. 'I don't think there is one word that can describe you, soutaicho. But you've just always been there. So I do not think we care to label who you are to us. Which I mean with the utmost respect.'

He had been a lover of wordplays. I let him have that one. I was tired and wanted my tea.

'Let us begin.'

'The Eastern tea ceremony?'

'Do you mean that with the utmost respect?'

'Of course. And perhaps to tease just a little.'

'Oh, shut it already.'