Sat in a familiar chair, in a familiar room, the Ivory haired Lieutenant uses his arms as pillows atop his table. Locked under the unwavering obsidian gaze of the Lieutenant, an almost bare Bonsai tree rests in a dutifully maintained and delicately detailed pot. Adorning two small twigs are two equally as small leaves, both of a crimson hue. One of the twin leaves falls away without warning, landing with a soft tap against the tabletop. A sigh escapes the lips of the Lieutenant. If any could see him, it seemed that his focus was entirely dedicated to his withering pet plant. The truth is, his mind instead focused on the happenings of not but a week and a bit ago.
In the free time he had found for himself, only a couple of days following his reinstatement as Lieutenant of the Eleventh Division, Nibui landed himself at the sliding door of a very specific room in the Shin'ō Academy. It had been centuries since he attended the facility but here he stood once more.
Following a soft couple of knocks against the wooden frame, he slid the door aside, giving himself permission to at least peek his head into the room. Only one person remained inside, where a somber air hangs over them, nearly pushing Nibui to abandon his efforts. Still, he pushes through the tense air and steps into the room. With quiet steps he reaches the desk where the Shinigami turned teacher is seated, busy or simply distracted by burdening thoughts. Quietly but audibly he speaks out his greetings.
“Oki-Saaan, I thought I’d stop by and leave you a gift.”
His initial trailing greeting reveals a sudden realisation of his error but he does not abandon and instead continues on, hoping that it isn’t as obvious as it otherwise might seem. As he utters out his greetings, mixed with hesitation and an awkward tone, he places atop the table oval shaped pot that stands on four little feet. Potted within are three small but juvenile stalks of bamboo, two stood upright and another coiling loosely up along one of those two, each sprouting a couple of leaves at their very tops. For the most part they look healthy, for now and hopefully for much longer in the hands of someone other than himself.
With his entrance, Honoka’s attention drifts up towards the Lieutenant, a near listless smile forced briefly along her lips. She follows his movements over towards her direction and eventually lands her eyes upon the potted plant he has left for her.
"Please, call me Honoka."
She glances over at the plant, giving it a once over as the fingertip of her middle finger lightly runs along the center of a leaf. In most cases, Nibui’s face remains nearly blank but now he wears a strange concoction of emotions and expressions, a soft smile curls to the edges of his lips, but his eyes share a glint of distress. It’d been so long since he’d properly spoken to this matronly figure in his life and now he had shown himself to her once more, after she’d suffered and still suffers greatly from what is likely the worst event to ever occur in her life. Again she speaks, her thanks being given.
"Thank you Nibui-kun, I'll be sure to take good care of it."
For a moment, he struggles to reply, no words reach his tongue as he thoroughly thinks through the possibilities, something he usually did not even commit to mind. Generally, the Ueki barely ever thought of what he was to say, he simply spoke his mind and continued on from there, the truth never being hidden from others when he speaks. Finally he comes to a conclusion.
“Of course. I wanted to say sorry, for not speaking to you in such a long time, and also wanted to check on how you’re doing.”
For a moment, there is silence and then it is broken by Honoka as she speaks her mind, the heavy air that clings to her still very much present and unlikely to go anywhere for a while.
“Please, no need to apologize, I made many choices which built walls between myself and everyone. I-“
She releases a soft sigh, the melancholy in her tone prevalent as she briefly struggles to accurately word her emotions after the events that had transpired as a consequence to her decisions. Every word that reaches Nibui is heard clearly, his attention solely upon the Oki as her emotions are given form.
“I appreciate you taking some time to visit. In truth, I’ve not had much time to properly grieve the fallen, but I know they are always with me.”
She glances towards the sky past the glass window before continuing. Nibui’s eyes follow her gaze for a moment before returning to her face once more.
“The best I can do to honor them is to support the remaining Oki, even if they wish to have nothing to do with me…”
Her tone falters towards the end of her sentence, thoughts of her only begotten son rushing in.
“… In time, I will be okay. But tell me, how does it feel being back?”
She gestures at the man’s Lieutenant badge, a faint smile appearing on her face. Again his eyes follow hers and the gesture. His stare lingers on the badge that once again adornes his arm, as it had a century ago. Again a wave of silence hits the room as his thoughts compile and he formulates as a proper response. He certainly enjoys having the title he previously awarded Jinnosuke with, it allows him to make differences he would otherwise be unable to.
”It’s strange...“
He thought he had everything thought out, his words were going to be positive, affirming his joy with the return of his badge and position. Instead he leaves those words in the air. Then he continues with a returned smile as his eyes return to Honoka.
”I once gave this title away to someone I felt deserved it more than I, but here I am, replacing the man myself. We’ll see how it goes. Of course, it’s always an honor to wear the badge.”
The two continue on for a while, an occasional warmth of joy finding Nibui as they catch up on what they can, avoiding what might sour the mood. In a way, the reunion feels almost like a family gathering for the Ivory haired Shinigami, but that would not leave his lips, nor a hint of that thought. The fear of upsetting his dear friend kept him from saying things would otherwise fly off his tongue. He hoped that he could at least bring a semblance of real happiness to the grieving woman, a distraction even, anything that could make a difference, no matter how brief.
Intrusive and thundering, the hefty beating of a fist against the door of his office breaches the silence he treasured as he reminisced. As rough and aggressive as the impacts, a voice shouts out for the Lieutenant. His head perks up as he listens for what the disembodied voice needed from him at this moment.
”Lieutenant Ueki, Captain Hageshi has called for a division meeting, everyone is ‘pposed to be there.”
An exaggerated sigh escapes Nibui’s lips, the man outside would not hear it but it was more for himself. Both hands plant themselves to the tabletop and hoist with that, he hoists himself upright before bringing himself to his feet. His eyes close as he steadies himself and takes in deep breath. As of late, the barracks had been hectic, or perhaps it was just the fact that he was used to the craft focused regiment that is the Eighth Division, he was tired, tired of the rabble and pointless conflicts that fueled the Eleventh. Pushing himself away from his desk, a hand slides onto the over-sized Zanpakuto that sits nearby, clasping it tightly beneath the guard, he makes his way towards the door and out of it. The soft footfalls inaudible to the man outside, if he was still there. Finally his hand latches onto the side of the hefty sliding door and he pries it open. From below, the unseated member catches the coal eyes that stare up at him, wordless, the Lieutenant stares up towards the taller Shinigami. A thankful nod and a single word finally breaks the silence.
”Dismissed.”
With that, the man steps away from the door and makes his way towards the unsettled conglomerate of the division’s members. A grunt coming from him in disapproval. A great many members of the division had not been around during Nibui’s original tenure as Lieutenant, the more assertive and imposing Jinnosuke had been all any of them had known until recently, as far as a leader goes. Now they answered to a man who is barely a physical presence in comparison to Jinnosuke. In addition, except for the brief exchange between their new Captain and their returning Lieutenant, there is very little that has been shown to earn their respect for him.
Stepping out past the open door of his office, he gazes back at the withering bonsai. Shifting the door closed, he turns to focus on the crowd and awaits the arrival of the Captain. Beyond his sight, the final crimson leaf begins to droop, threatening to fall away.
In the courtyard, where a majority of the division members had gathered, Nibui sits atop one of the roofs, his attention focused on the door of the Captain’s quarters and awaiting her arrival, the intrigue of what exactly made her call everyone to attention also keeping his attention. Finally, it was time. The Captain burst forth through the doors of her office, moving into her speech with a passionate fervor.
”Listen up! I ain’t too good at speeches but here it goes! I’m sure all a’ ya’ know that the Kenpachi games are just around the corner! It’s the time n’ place to decide who the strongest of the strongest are n’ I know most a’ ya’ are gonna jump right in! That’s fine with me, I wish ya’ all the best n’ may the best fighter win! If ya’ wanna sign up then do so with the forms ya’ been provided.”
In all honesty, this wasn’t exactly what he’d expected. He had received the news not too long ago, a constant buzz of activity and excitement sounding away from his Denreishinki X. That very same buzz of activity and excitement is reflected clearly among the raucous bunch that is the Eleventh Barracks. Though that is not nearly a surprise.
”Havin’ said that...It’s important that ya’ know that there’s gonna be some changes ‘round here. Dark times are comin’, times that are gonna be needin’ a complete one eighty on all a’ our parts. This day marks the day that we stop bein’ the dumb savage brutes everyone thinks we are! There ain't’ room for that any more! Here on out there’s gonna be order! There’s gonna’ be tact! We’re the best weapons the Soul Societies got to face what’s gonna be some of the most heinous threats to have ever reared their ugly mugs our way!”
These goals, they were goals that he had spoken to himself in his previous time as Lieutenant. Now the Captain had chosen to follow this fate of the Eleventh as well. The mention of such order and structure, the already rowdy crowd seemed to grow more and more unsettled, almost as though a riot were about to break out right here and now. This soon was quelled as the Captain once again roars out, her speech unfinished and not to be interrupted either. Soon, the screams of disapproval and grunts of aggression are to be replaced by hums of questioning voices.
”Startin’ now, Jinnosuke Ueku’s been reinstated as Lieutenant of the eleventh division ta’ serve alongside with Nibui Ueki. They’ll both be my right n’ left hand n’ I ain’t hearin’ another thing about it!”
Still sat above the rest of the crowd,, with a direct view of the Captain, he does not question the decision, nor does he make a sound, in fact, his reaction is almost entirely non-existent. He had been made aware of this fact prior to the meeting and even given his opinion in previous private meetings with the captain. Even so, he hides a puzzled contemplation within. It is not the demotion that leaves him with a lingering confusion, although that did confuse him initially. It is the ease at which she reinstated Jinnosuke, in comparison to his own promotion to a previous title. Nibui was put through a beating before being reinstated, but this man simply gained the title by word. It didn’t infuriate Nibui, simply it left him awestruck at the chaotic Captain’s manner of conducting business..
“We ain’t gonna be hapless fools clashin’ swords together to get our rocks off anymore! This day forward, each n’ every single one a’ ya’ are soldiers! Ya’ gonna fall in when you’re told, ya’ gonna train together n’ help each other grow! If one a’ ya’ dies then another takes ya’ place and so on’ n’ so forth! We gotta’ higher callin’ now. There ain’t room for squabblin’ between us! Everythin’ we do is for one another so that the only thing ya’ truly fight to destroy is everyone a’ our Soul King forsaken’ ENEMIES!”
Everything that had been spoken of until this point was nothing new for the Lieutenant, this might explain why he so nonchalantly sat atop a roof, watching and waiting for something he was perhaps unaware of. Someone as naturally chaotic as Omoni was likely to pull some surprise out of the back that would catch him completely off guard. Still, the one thing that was unexpected was the uproar, however it was not in retaliation. The Captain had taken to her role perfectly. Her words riled up and seemed to change the opinion of the brutish members of the Eleventh Division. Now they cheered and rallied behind the Captain’s words with eager intent.
”I need ta’ speak ta’ Hiroka Ikari, Shoumetsu Takahiro n’ Lieutenant Ueku. Get over here.”
Eventually they would disperse however, the cheer could not last forever. As the sea did part, the Hageshi calls out to a number of individuals, wishing to chat with them directly, Nibui was not among them but he remained atop his perch, watching and listening curiously. This is something that he was not so ready for.
