as years pass | kyoraku shunsui

sixteen - 'hostility'

For as long as Shuriken had been a member of the First Division, monthly tea ceremonies had been a staple of their routine. At the beginning of her tenure, the ceremony had merely consisted of preparing and consuming a variety of teas from both Eastern and Western cultures; however, once Shuriken had ascended the ranks, Yamamoto recruited her to provide food for the event. In typical Japanese tea ceremony fashion, each month Shuriken prepared a complete multi-course kaiseki ryori meal for her colleagues.

Of course, this particular month's ceremony was no different.

Shuriken always looked forward to these days in her division. They provided a bit of serenity in the ever chaotic life of the Soul Reaper and always succeeded in bringing the members of the First closer together. It also gave everyone the opportunity to see a side of the Captain-Commander that rarely came to light, a side that was easy to forget when faced with his wrath.

After the tea consumption, Yamamoto always insisted that the members of his squad sat around and enjoyed the presence of one another. To Shuriken, this was the perfect moment to speak to her protege and share some good news with him. Earlier in the day, Sasakibe had informed Shuriken that Taro would be taking his seat placement exam in two weeks time.

"Steely? Walk out here with me for a few minutes," Shuriken spoke as she rose to her feet, her oceanic eyes locked on Taro's rugged face. The subtle look of surprise that he wore was amusing. Taro followed Shuriken outside and to the gorgeous garden that surrounded the large tatami room in which the tea ceremonies were held; the Captain-Commander took great pride in the scenery of his division, his garden especially.

The two approached the railing and as Shuriken turned to lean her back against it, Taro moved to stand in front of her. Shuriken's arms moved to cross over her chest while Taro's remained by his side.

"I'm going to ask you something Steely and I want you to be honest with me. How much do you like it here in the First?"

"How much do I-? That's an odd question," Taro was obviously a bit taken aback by his mentor's inquiry. "I should hope that it's apparent that I very much enjoy being here alongside you and the Head Captain. I've learned more in our time together than I did during my entire tenure in the Tenth and I admit that part of that is due to my previous lack of aspiration."

"So you agree that our lieutenant is a pain in the ass? Good to hear," The grin that came to Shuriken's face was the polar opposite of the grimace Taro now wore.

"Now Shuriken, that's not what I--"

"I'm just giving you a hard time, don't get all bent out of shape. I didn't ask you to join me out here to talk about Chojiro. I was just interested in hearing how you felt about the First before I shared some good news with you, that's all."

Taro's curiosity had reached a new level as he stared down at Shuriken. "What is it?"

For a moment, Shuriken simply stared up at Taro in order to make him sweat it out. The longer he waited, the better he'd feel when he finally heard what it was that she had to say. Just as Shuriken had hoped, when she spoke, a look of excitement came to Taro's face that she hadn't ever seen before.

"Two weeks from now, you'll join the lieutenant and I in the training grounds east of the barracks for a placement exam. If everything goes well, you'll be given a promotion to a seated position in the squad. If not... It just means that there's a lot more work that we'll have to do."

Initially, Taro was quiet as the news sank in. Had he heard her right? Had his opportunity finally arrived?

The look on her face said it all. Taro didn't believe that Shuriken would joke about such a serious topic anyway, but the sincerity that graced her beautiful features was heartwarming.