Post by Shinpei Minamoto on Nov 24, 2016 5:11:01 GMT -5
A long, winding road. That was the kind of path that led to the Second: it was dirt, not cobblestone or the odd kind of pavement the Seireitei favored, which he supposed fit into the general look of the place. The Second Division facilities were spartan but undeniably Japanese, even more out of place in a city that by hook or by crook made itself look very modern. Nowhere else had the rolling hill it stood on, nor the nicely-kept grass: the Fifth had the latter, but it was ragged and patchy. The first had a lawn, but it wasn't much to talk about. The Second on the other hand looked like an oasis, really, in an otherwise urban city. A getaway.
Of course, Shinpei didn't really need a getaway. What did he need to run from? Back at home he had a bevy of sympathetic women who'd wash away his troubles with their tears and wipe them away with their soft hands. If he needed a shoulder to cry on, there were many. If he needed a chest to bury his face in (and maybe make engine noises) then there was no lack.
But for the last month he'd been holed up in the hospital, longer by far than he needed to be, and for a while it had looked like he might have just disappeared. Things get caught up in the cracks like that: a Captain switches Divisions and most follow, some stay, and the remainder just sort of slip into the open space between the two. Maybe some got disenfranchised, maybe some felt they'd lived out their usefulness. Whatever the reasons, they disappeared.
Shinpei could have been like that. Had been, before. Every single time he'd been involved with a Division it had been a short-lived affair. They'd had different expectations for the relationship: she wanted a committment and he wanted a fling. She wanted him to settle down and he wanted to be free. She wanted him not to sleep with his subordinates, his bosses, the other Divisions' members...
during meetings...
in plain view of the Captain Commander if he happened to look up at his Lieutenant's window...
suffice to say, things just hadn't worked out quite right. Shinpei and responsibility had needed to take some time apart, and though he came back once or twice he never stayed for long. He was sorry for breaking the hearts of a few venerable Divisions, but this was just the way he was. They should have known better.
This time, however, he wasn't running and he wasn't getting bored half as fast either. The reason? Well, with Shinpei it was always a woman. Remember? He had a one-track mind. He only ever could focus on one thing at a time. He found it difficult, impossible, to change direction.
And this isn't an extended metaphor either. I'll drop the characterization of the Divisions* and be clear: he had one heck of a Captain to come home to. He'd really began to grow fond of her, in a way that he rarely did (in a semi-platonic, mostly-admiring way) and he was genuinely looking forward to coming "home."
Of course, he was still trying to get in her pants, but that's a given.
Shinpei got to the final ascent of the hill and walked up the stone steps, his back twisting this way and that but hardly giving him a single twinge of pain. The skin stretched freely, as it should after one week in the capable hands of the Third let alone one whole month. Shinpei stopped at the top and eyed the gardens that surrounded the compound: frankly, he was jealous. Even his sister's garden that he kept so faithfully was a far cry from the sophistication and the beauty shown here.
For a bunch of assassins, the Second had nice taste. He wondered where that hailed from. Not from Nagisa: she was well-meaning but didn't have a whole lot of feminine power, if that made sense.
He slid open the outside door and took off his shoes, then walked further inside. A few of the paper screens were open here and there, and where they opened to the outside there was a gorgeous vista of a small pond and the rolling, grassy hill. He could even see bits of a Japanese garden.
He bumbled around a bit before finding the right door. He knocked on it and stood at attention, even though no one could see him. As far as he knew.
"Shinpei Minamoto, ma'am, reporting for duty!"
He opened the door without waiting for Nagisa to answer, and poked his head in. As always he was wearing a flowery robe that hung so loosely over him it was practically falling off. As always, he had that careless grin on and those clever eyes. As always, his hair was a mess and he looked about as casual as anything.
For once, he was wearing the badge that said "Second Division Lieutenant."
"Miss me?"
*The First is the reliable businesswoman, the Second is the girl who checks your phone and attacks you for talking with other women, the Third is the loving mother-type that soothes you, the Fourth is the crazy girl who wants to experiment, the Fifth is the wild child tomboy, and the Sixth is the stuck-up librarian who won't let you do dick
Of course, Shinpei didn't really need a getaway. What did he need to run from? Back at home he had a bevy of sympathetic women who'd wash away his troubles with their tears and wipe them away with their soft hands. If he needed a shoulder to cry on, there were many. If he needed a chest to bury his face in (and maybe make engine noises) then there was no lack.
But for the last month he'd been holed up in the hospital, longer by far than he needed to be, and for a while it had looked like he might have just disappeared. Things get caught up in the cracks like that: a Captain switches Divisions and most follow, some stay, and the remainder just sort of slip into the open space between the two. Maybe some got disenfranchised, maybe some felt they'd lived out their usefulness. Whatever the reasons, they disappeared.
Shinpei could have been like that. Had been, before. Every single time he'd been involved with a Division it had been a short-lived affair. They'd had different expectations for the relationship: she wanted a committment and he wanted a fling. She wanted him to settle down and he wanted to be free. She wanted him not to sleep with his subordinates, his bosses, the other Divisions' members...
during meetings...
in plain view of the Captain Commander if he happened to look up at his Lieutenant's window...
suffice to say, things just hadn't worked out quite right. Shinpei and responsibility had needed to take some time apart, and though he came back once or twice he never stayed for long. He was sorry for breaking the hearts of a few venerable Divisions, but this was just the way he was. They should have known better.
This time, however, he wasn't running and he wasn't getting bored half as fast either. The reason? Well, with Shinpei it was always a woman. Remember? He had a one-track mind. He only ever could focus on one thing at a time. He found it difficult, impossible, to change direction.
And this isn't an extended metaphor either. I'll drop the characterization of the Divisions* and be clear: he had one heck of a Captain to come home to. He'd really began to grow fond of her, in a way that he rarely did (in a semi-platonic, mostly-admiring way) and he was genuinely looking forward to coming "home."
Of course, he was still trying to get in her pants, but that's a given.
Shinpei got to the final ascent of the hill and walked up the stone steps, his back twisting this way and that but hardly giving him a single twinge of pain. The skin stretched freely, as it should after one week in the capable hands of the Third let alone one whole month. Shinpei stopped at the top and eyed the gardens that surrounded the compound: frankly, he was jealous. Even his sister's garden that he kept so faithfully was a far cry from the sophistication and the beauty shown here.
For a bunch of assassins, the Second had nice taste. He wondered where that hailed from. Not from Nagisa: she was well-meaning but didn't have a whole lot of feminine power, if that made sense.
He slid open the outside door and took off his shoes, then walked further inside. A few of the paper screens were open here and there, and where they opened to the outside there was a gorgeous vista of a small pond and the rolling, grassy hill. He could even see bits of a Japanese garden.
He bumbled around a bit before finding the right door. He knocked on it and stood at attention, even though no one could see him. As far as he knew.
"Shinpei Minamoto, ma'am, reporting for duty!"
He opened the door without waiting for Nagisa to answer, and poked his head in. As always he was wearing a flowery robe that hung so loosely over him it was practically falling off. As always, he had that careless grin on and those clever eyes. As always, his hair was a mess and he looked about as casual as anything.
For once, he was wearing the badge that said "Second Division Lieutenant."
"Miss me?"
*The First is the reliable businesswoman, the Second is the girl who checks your phone and attacks you for talking with other women, the Third is the loving mother-type that soothes you, the Fourth is the crazy girl who wants to experiment, the Fifth is the wild child tomboy, and the Sixth is the stuck-up librarian who won't let you do dick
