I opened my eyes, staring into the mirror that sat in my bedroom in the Second Division quarters. Lieutenants quarters non-the-less. I grinned, winking at myself. I ran my hand through my long hair once, checked to see in dress was pulled down properly. I stepped over to my door, slipping on my boots. I reached on my bed, grabbing my gloves and shoving them on my hands. I looked down to see the necklace I wore dangling freely. “It’s just another day of reason, Mei-mei.I whispered, shoving the necklace in my dress.

I threw open my door, stepping out, feeling the breeze. Wait! I stopped in mid step, looking around. Where…is it? I narrowed my eyes, feeling my dress. Not there. I quickly threw my boots off, dumping them. I watched various items fall from my boots; sand, rocks, knife, money. But not it. I panicked a little. “Where is it?!” I screamed, having several seats stare at me in worry.

I ran back inside, tripping over myself, facing planting into the ground. “Where is it?!” I screamed more, belly crawling on my floor, searching under my bed, under my mirror, even lifting my dresser to have it fall on me. As the dresser fell on my body I noticed something red fall. “Found it!” I jumped up, throwing the dresser across my room and seeing a strand of tie on the ground. Happily I grabbed it and tied it around my wrist. “Now…why would you run away from me like that? Really, I was scared.”

“Uhm…Fukataicho?” I looked over to see one of the seats at the door, a crowd around them.

“Yes?”

“Are you ok?”

“Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I?” I giggled a little as I walked out of my room past the seat. That…was a mess I’d clean up…later.

I walked around, kicking some rocks on the ground. I held my hands behind my back and just as I looked up…I saw a little shop, sparking my interest.


Two hours later I finally approached the door of my beloved Taicho. I was slightly panting, hands still behind my back. I threw it open hard. “Sorry I’m late!” I yelled, walking into the room. I grinned ‘Nice wakeup call…man is probably buried in paper work.’

“I have a reason for being two hours late though!” I said sticking my tongue out at Taisho.

“I didn’t know what kind of cake you liked…” I put on his desk a stake of five cakes. “So I bought my favorites!” I closed my eyes and tilted my head innocently. “Eat up, Taisho-san! A growing boy must have food in his belly.” I laughed a little, poking my head around to look at him past the pile of cakes.

“Good morning, Taicho.”

It was a very slow morning, Taisho had gotten up pretty early and got into his office early as well. He was dressed in his normal shinigami wear with his jacket over top. his hair was back in a small pony tail keeping his hair out of his face today.

There he sat looking over some reports for his Fukutaicho, she was getting better at writing funny little comments what shot towards Taisho. He smirked slightly as he heard people talking out side his office he then watched as his fukutaicho opened his door and didn't even address her self or Taisho in the right manner. He didn't truly mind it was just custom really.

"Good morning Stephine-Fukutaicho"

A smirk covered his face but then his emotion went back to blank, as she placed the cakes down on his desk he looked at them all. The smell was sweet and well they looked damn good, He was hungry but not for cake...it was to early for such sweets. He let out a light breath as he heard her speak to him.

"I'm three times older then you. I do think I know how to look after my self. Second..thank you."

His eyes looked at the cakes and smirked. What one to try first.

My eyebrow twitched a little when he called me Stephine but I merely grinned and bent over, placing my elbows on his desk and my chin on my hands. As he made his little comment about age I stuck out my tongue once more and let my eyes narrow a little. “Age doesn’t mean anything, Taisho-sempai. Just because you’re an old man, doesn’t mean you are a smart old man.” I grinned widely and stood up straight.

“Now about your cake ordeal here.” I grinned and grabbed the one on top. “Let’s start this! We have five yummy cakes here! Which will Taisho Techimaru, captain of second division, choose?” I yelled, grabbing the first box and opening it for him to see.

“First we have a Bacon and pineapple cake with chocolate covered bacon strips that line the edge of the cake! On the inside we have a creamy Vanilla ice cream center! Be quick about your choice. We’d hate to have vanilla ice cream with pineapple and bacon chunks all over your paper work.” I winked at him, looking at the cake…obviously it was no joke. It was…bacon, chocolate, pineapple, and vanilla…

“Next we have a scrumptious three layered, bacon, egg, and cheese cake with strawberry icing between every layer and topped with seven whole jalapenos.” I reached over and grabbed a jalapeno from the top and shoved it in Taisho’s face. “Hmm, jalapeno.” Setting the jalapeno back in the box, I grabbed the third one.

“Here we have a mustard potato salad cake with chocolate icing and a cherry covered in mustard sauce.” I leaned in and inhaled. “Yummy.”

“Fourth we have…a slightly aged four layered vanilla, blueberry cake fried in pig fat and in between each layer is laid medium rare steaks.” I grabbed the final box.

“The last one, I had them specially make for you.” I smiled lovingly at my captain. “Three layered German Chocolate cake with a small, small hint of cherry in the dough of the cake.” I sat the cake on the edge of his desk. “If I were you…that mustard potato cake sounds magnificent.”

He blinked slightly as he listened to his fukutaicho talk to him. He would bite his bottom lip slightly hearing they were going to enjoy these cakes together he smirked slightly. But then she started to explain the first cake. His stomach flipped hearing it. The thought of it may make him throw up if she kept it up. Then the second one..and third and fourth where all out right wrong. Who ever she made cook these he would have to kill them or have the put away for making such things.

It all changed when she got to the last one. Ah he smiled softly, she was talking about his out right fav cake. He chuckled slightly he leaned back in his chair, bringing a hand up to his chin he rubbed it lightly wondering what one he was going to choose he would then point to the German chocolate.

"Hard choice..they all seem..interesting in flavor..but i'll have to choose..i'll take the german chocolate one though...And age has nothing to do with it."

He chuckled lightly looking over a single paper, grabbing a single paper looking over it slowly. He let out a breath waiting for his fukutaicho to serve him.

I smiled and walked over to the door to his office. I stepped out quickly and returned with a knife, plate, and fork. I stepped up to his desk and cut up the cake, being very gentle not to hurt the cake, placing it on the plate and neatly placing the fork next to it. Grabbed the four other boxes, blinking a little then running out of his office.

“Free cake!” I yelled, some heads raised to look at me. I carefully put the cakes on a table and ran back into Taisho’s office. “Like animals out there.” Suddenly, a grin came to my face.

“Taisho wait! Don’t touch that cake!!!” I ran towards him, wide eyed then stepped behind him, taking a napkin out and tucking it into his uniform, making a sort of…tacky baby bib. “We don’t want you ruining your uniform now, do we?” I laughed at him and sat on the corner of his desk, noticing his sigh.

I looked across his office, folding my arms slightly, daydreaming…thinking. “Anything going on?” I finally asked, turning my head slightly to look at him. Lately, I hadn’t been hearing much news about anything. I wondered if things were getting hidden from me or if things really weren’t happening but with my life…something almost always was happening.

My eyes landed on his as I stared carefully at him then turned away. “Silly question.” I whispered.

A few moments passed before I jumped off his desk getting an irritated sigh. “I know nobody!” I growled turning to my captain. “I mean, why do you think I’m always pestering you? Of course! That’s why I never hear anything…I…I need to meet people, Taisho.” I laid my hands on his desk and looked at him with a completely serious face. “Taisho, you are going to help me get a Social Life.”

Taisho blinked a few times trying soak everything in, He would bite his bottom lip softly looking at his cake, and then she made a out right fool out of him, He would pull the napkin out of his uniform and place it on the desk. His eyes looked at her softly, Smiling softly, thinking of her when he first laid eyes on her.

He would lean back in his chair crossing his arms, still holding the fork. His eyes narrowed. "So you blame me for this?" He would spin the fork around in his hand before speaking with a low tone "Shouldn't you be close to your family i gave ya?" He would spin the fork around and throw it at the wall the fork would stab into the wood beam beside her.

"Then should we go out for some drinks then later?" His voice returned soft and calm much like how he talked to her normally. "Of course after we spar a little"

When his voice got stern I frowned a little, staring at him. I didn’t blame him for it at all, it was my fault and I knew it. I had terrible ways of meeting people. I sighed lightly and stepped towards him as his kept talking. I just wanted his help was all.

I looked down, thinking of that family. I tightened and released my hands a few times, staring at my gloves. “I am close to them Taisho, I owe them and you everything I have now. Of course…” I smiled softly and looked at Taisho. “The three kids of the head still aren’t very happy with you that you bring along this little girl and she out ranks them in just a few years.” I laughed softly before stepping closer to Taisho and kneeling beside his chair, not fazed by the fork that just flew past me. I leaned my head against his shoulder; I smiled up at him, batting my lashes a few times. “But Taisho, I don’t know anyone here beside you and my students…and well, they don’t fancy being my friends.” I fell back on my butt and pouted a little. Grinning when he said we would go out for drinks but the grin got wider when he mentioned the spar.

I jumped up and hugged him. “Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you.”

It’s obvious that Taisho and I aren’t…normal people, shinigami, or…anything. I still have my serious face and all, but when you’ve known your captain for such a long time, been so close for so long and even hated each other once upon a time, you don’t become normal. Most would frown upon my actions towards my captain, tell me I was disrespectful. But…as Taisho told me when I first became his lieutenant “I was your friend long before I was your captain.” I’m not saying I’m going to go disobey his orders because he is my friend but…that wavy jacket of authority is being worn by my best friend. Nothing, not even the ranking of Taicho, will ever change the closeness I have with that man.

After letting go of him I smiled down at him, sitting there and laughed. “Um, Taisho?” I whispered. “You have…a little…um…" I scratched the corner of my mouth, trying to indicate to him he had missed his mouth.

Taisho let out a slight low sigh hearing his Lt talk about the past, it was true really, He must of meant a lot to her, Since well he gave her a reason to do what she does. He smiled softly but then she started to attack him in a manner of speaking he let out a soft growl trying to get her to stop he moved back in his chair a little to much and feel right off of it. With a loud tud he landed on his back, his chair was know in millions of pieces. He looked at the fine wood, This chair meant a lot to him. His eyes widened with anger.

"My chair...."

His voice was soft all most like a 3 year old breaking a cookie. He started to pout very slightly. His eyes then turned to his fukutaicho. IT WAS HER FAULT. Of course this was all just a play on words really, The seat meant really nothing to Taisho but he wanted a reason to spar or fight for that matter.

He quickly stood up, grabbed his sword what was placed beside his desk. He quickly turned to his door and began to walk towards it. Justa s he got to it he stopped. "Kirei!!! Come"

He opened the door quickly and began to march down the halls of his division with pride, he turned down three different hall ways until they got outside in a large 200 feet all around training ground what he had built him self, He quickly hoped up onto the training grounds, the very center there was a white stone ring of sorts. He finally stopped in the center turning around to face his foe.

Kirei literally fell backwards on the ground holding her ribs, tears falling out of her eyes and she saw the look on Taisho’s face as he looked at his chair. Abruptly her laughter stopped as she turned to see Taisho staring at her, sucking her soul away. Her eyes widened and she scooted back a little.

Suddenly he stood up. Kirei gulped, watching him stomp away. “Kirei!!!Come!” She slowly grinned and jumped up, landing with a bounce, her dress and her hair slowly sinking down.”Hai!”

She took a step forward then slowly allowed her eyes to roll over to the German Chocolate cake. With a cat like smirk she inched over to the remaining cake, took her finger and ran it over the top of the icing and stuck the icing build up on her finger, in her mouth. “Ruined.” She mumbled with her finger in her mouth. Then she quickly stomped out of the office, trying to play as angry as Taisho. Many people gave her death glares; obviously they really wanted actual cake.

She followed the turns perfectly; it was obvious that that took this route often. Hell, if you looked at the floor you might see little smudges of their trail, like how deer leave trails in the woods. Suddenly, this feeling overcame her. It’d be a long time since she had spared with her Captain. A wide grin spread across her face. Her steps got faster, and faster, and faster until finally she was in a sprint. She burst through the doors and took a wide jump, landing and sliding to a stop, in front of Taisho Techimaru.

She grinned and placed her hand on the butt of her sword. She usually didn’t use her shikai against him but he was much stronger than her and when she ran out of options she resorted in that but today, she didn’t think she’d have to. She grinned wider as a few people collected at the windows surrounding the training grounds. Their spars were something, they didn’t hold back…well much. Most every time…something got destroyed.

She slid her eyes to look, seeing some of her student collect at the window, wide eyed. “Hmm, seems they’ll finally get to see what their old teacher is made of.” She purred to turn back to her captain. “Ready whenever you are…Techimaru Taicho.”

As the people started to gather at the windows to see the scene a wide smirk came across the face of the second division captain. His eyes then narrowed as he seen his most priced student rest her hand on the butt of her sword. A growl left his lips as he slowly bent his legs, Bringing his left leg back he bent his body forward. His arms bent as well as his body arched in a odd fighting pose, His left hand was back and opened palmed as his right hand was stuck out forward moving his finger towards her. His body was twisted slightly as he took the pose a smirk came over his face. His sword was sheathed on his side, he did not need it today. He would show the second division what he was truly made of.

"I'm glad you accepted my duel Kirei-fukutaicho!"

His voice was low but loud enough for only her to hear, this was also a down talking to the young woman, it was proper to call her by her last name not her first, he was hoping she would lunge at him, or even do a common move she did. He didn't want to hurt her of course, he looked at her as his own daughter for god sakes would never mean to truly hurt her...that much anyway.

"As the young one here. I give you the first move. Batter is up?"

He smiled softly as he moved his left foot across the stone floor, He new this ground well, and he had a bunch of tricks up his sleeve today. To truly show the arts of there division.