Graduation [Hanako]

"Any time Hanako", Tento smiled and returned Hanako's gaze while he said this. The words he spoke, about him being willing to help her with any challenges that came her way, was true and sincere. However, Tento wondered how much he could really do if it came to that at any situation or time. It had been five years since they had last see each other, and they were in the world doing different things during that time. While Tento spent time learning the same things that Hanako had already gained proficiency in, had extensive knowledge on, and experience in. Hanako was out in the field, gaining hands on experience. Growing stronger in a harsher exposure of events he would have as a student, and gained wisdom, confidence, and knowledge in leading people. She had five years on him, and was Vice Captain. In power and in support, what could he really given?

That was something that was a blank for him, but, as a member of the same division and the Gotei as a whole. He could only try his best and do what he could.

Thee thoughts and feelings would not be shown nor talked about today. Today was a celebration after all, a good day. Tento let out a chuckle, "If you can't reach I can always life you up or kneel". Well this a new amusing thing. Was that, Hanako saying a joke? She really did change if she became slightly more of a jester and could get jokes. Soul King knows the few times he tried to tell Hanako a joke in the past just for it to fall onto deaf ears. Maybe that would happen less now, maybe he could even do a miracle and get a giggle out of her one time.

The tour continued, reaching the Fourth Division Compound. He had thought about many times, but the divisions, this division, looked a lot bigger and different than what he could have tried to imagine. As Hanako went about pointing to the various buildings his eyes and head shifted to follow her. Taking in the sight and the words given to him as he let himself just follow her guide.

Then the conversation shifted. Changed in a way that Tento had not expected. The senstive topic of the Captain Kobayashi's death. A...duel? A duel against someone named Elyss Kishimoto. He wished this helped him but it only opened about fifty doors of more questions. This was an intense and crazy thing to get coming into a division for the first time. Why were the two of them fighting? How and why did it go to that level of an extreme, that lives were on the line. Did some type of mistake happen? Was it malicious? The fate that Hanako herself had no answers just made this even more of a blur. Combined with the fact that this, Kishimoto, was involved but couldn't give the 4th division an answer was concerning.

Tento had made sure to get somewhat familiar with laws of the Gotei. One rule he had taken attention to were the typical course to becoming a Vice Captain and eventually a Captain. Vice Captain was simple enough. Experience, leadership skills, power, and being good enough or standing out to a Captain to be asked to be their second in command. Simple enough. Becoming a Captain though. Well that was a lot more of a messy thing. Thinking of the details, he spoke of them inside of his head. To achieve the position of Captain, a Shinigami must display great expertise with Shinigami abilities and battle tactics, and must be approved by either their fellow captains or the members of their own squad. Usually there are three ways to do this action...

1. Take the captain proficiency test, which requires the ability to perform bankai. Presumably, most Soul Reapers become captains using this method. At least three existing captains, including Head Captain, have to witness the test. Only the most deserving in power and skill can get the chance to become a Captain without a Bankai. But, mostly it is a requirement.
2. Have personal recommendations from at least six captains and approval from at least three of the remaining seven Captains.
3. ...to... defeat a captain in a one-on-one with at least 200 witnesses from the captain's division. From Tento's memory there had only been two Captains that had done this in the history of the Gotei; Kenpachi Zaraki and Kenpachi Kiganjō.

Could that had been it? Was it a battle over one's Captain position? But...would Kobayashi fight to the death to maintain it? If he loved his division and position enough...or didn't feel the person he was against was a worthy Successor...maybe? But...that left holes. If that was the case, there shouldn't have been that much confusion about what happened, 200 people would have saw what happened minimly. It did not make sense. The situation was missing so many pieces. Tento thought the Gotei was well beyond this. The internal issue of one losing a Captain this way was easily a blow to morale and not a healthy tool. Replacing one Captain with another with death instead of losing its position? It removed power...experience....structure from teams. It was just toxic

Tento's eyes widened when Hanako continued. Hanako...fought Kishimoto....to a draw? Wait...would that mean, that she was as strong as the late Captain? If not stronger? This was a lot, and a bit concerning. If Elyss Kishimoto came back to fight it wasn't exactly the best thing for the division's mental wellness. And if things reached a breaking point and got violent, there was no telling of the consequences. Even more so, it was scary of the unknown mind of this person. What was causing them to do this? Were they mad? Crazy? Bloodthirsty? Or something else that was determinant? Either way, if Hanako had a hard time as the Vice Captain...could anyone currently in the Division contain Kishimoto if it came to it???

An uneasy and serious voice came from Tento at this information. "Uh...yea. I got you Hanako. I'll be careful around her, I hope you will continue to do the same. Is your, spinal cord fine?". A hint of worry was in his voice and face.

This was....a lot. A lot lot. Just what had been going on in the 4th recently, and how the hell did Hanako managing all of it??

The Big Woman

Hanako Yamada

Hanako waved Tento’s concern about her injury off.

“Don’t worry, it’s okay.” she said. “By the time the fight ended we already had medics standing by on site. The Division is very well trained, they know what to do in a combat situation. Huh, well, you’re now one of us.”

She shrugged and ironically that was the only moment when she felt a little soreness in her back. It was minor. So minor she wasn’t even sure if it was really there or just a bad memory.

“Well, Elyss’ sword missed my spinal cord by a few millimetres, so I guess I got lucky.”

She didn’t say out loud how lucky she actually thought she had been. Elyss had been a monster, equally in behaviour and strength. She had been out for blood.
Hanako, on the other hand, was hell bent on defending her division and had gone all out. And yet, even after she had hit Elyss with Bakumusha’s strongest ability the red-haired monster had still walked away. Hell, Elyss had been standing in the very centre of it and still…
It wasn’t as if Hanako didn’t trust Tento to keep it to him. It was more that she herself didn’t want to speak it out aloud. Say that she feared she would have been defeated. She didn’t want to say it. Things always seemed more real then.

“What really bothers me is that I can’t even be sure that Elyss’s motives were evil. It seemed more…chaotic. She seemed chaotic. I just…have no idea what happened.”

She paused for a moment and then repeated: “It really bothers me.”

She again waved it off. It was probably better to change the subject. After all it was Tento’s first day, no, not even his first day, and there was enough for all the stories later.

“Enough of that. What about you? What news is there? And I guess you have some questions.”

Tento's concern was waved off by Hanako. He relaxed, a tad bit. But the nasty kind of injury that Hanako took was still not something to turn nose up to. "I'm glad to know that. If the division did not move like they needed to and the medics didn't come, I could imagine how dicey it could have looked".

Hmmm. He was one of them now. But he wouldn't haven't know what to do. He didn't have the drills, the experience, and heaven forbid he was ask to do healing. He could do something but he doubt he had the skills to handle the required task in that situation. Tento supposed that was the good thing about being a team. A unit. He did not have to. He had others that could. He just needed to move when the time came and make the best decisions. In time he could be the one to help situations, maybe not. But, as long as it got resolved, that was really all that mattered.

As Tento continued to listen to Hanako, he found himself becoming more and more weary of Elyss. Hanako wasn't sure her motives were evil, they weren't good by the sounds but somehow not evil? Them being a lawful thing could be easy, but the morality of this was easier for Tento. But, the fact that this person was a perhaps a chaotic loose cannon was not...comforting. He had to potentially work with them, or at least deal with them. "That...is concerning to hear".

Anyway.

"News from me? Well...I'm in a division!" He shouted and shot out his arms in an excited pose. "With an old friend no less. On a more serious note, I suppose not much? Eating, training, laughing. Pushing my skills to get better at kido and healing as well as the general other skills I should know. I haven't been able to hear my swords name tho. Let alone speak to it".

"Question wise, I have a few. Where am I staying? Is there a schedule or routine I am going to expect or is it just depends on what needs to happen day by day?".

The Big Woman

Hanako Yamada

Hanako grinned when Tento’s first response to her what-was-new-question was “I’m in a division”. Even though he had requested entrance to the Fourth himself it was a great relief to see that he was happy that his request had been granted. Sure, if he wished to serve in another division, that would be okay, too, but in a rather selfish thought hanako was more than pleased to have the only friend from her academy days in her division.

Of course Tento also had questions and Hanako was happy to answer them.

“You’ll be staying in the barracks. The rooms aren’t too big, but comfortable enough. Ask the quarter master when you get there, he’ll know your room number and can tell you where you can get everything you’ll need.”

Hanako thought back to the days when she also lived in a standard room in the barracks, back then those of the First Division. To her it was quite comfortable, but even if not, she usually had been in her room for sleeping and washing up only. Sometimes not even latter if she had chosen to go to a public bathhouse. Funnily enough now that she was Vice Captain and thus Second Seat, she had moved to much larger accomodations close to her office, but she still spent very little time there. Increased privileges were meant to compensate for increased responsibilities but somehow whoever had thought this out had forgotten that more responsibilities also meant less free time. Whatever, there was enough down time for Hanako’s taste, so in this case it was not a problem.

"There are day-to-day duties, yes. I like everyone to be somewhat versed in every basic function of the division so the duties rotate on a regular basis. If we get the order to move out in force we may have to leave behind the compound with only a skeleton crew. I want everyone to know everything that is necessary to keep order. No worries, though, it is the smaller part. The bigger part is training and everything needed to keep us in top shape. We are the combat division, after all."

She threw Tento a side eye. Staying in top shape certainly was no issue for the newest member of the division. Yet there was more to it. Individual fitness was nice, but there was more to it. When the combat division was called upon there was a good chance it was because the Gotei was going to war. And that meant they had to be able to rely on each other, which in turn meant they also had to train together. Something Hanako felt she should look at again in the near future.

Tento's response could be seen as a goofy one. But he was a light hearted type of man that wanted enjoy things in life. After working so hard and so long. He felt like he had a right to be happy that he was finally here. On the surface level, this joy may have been seen that it was from being in a division. That being accepted into anyone within the Gotei was good enough. And...well that was true. But on a deeper level, he missed Hanako. An old friend and...a crush that had not gone away. He wanted to see her again, talk to her, train with her. It was a strange puppy type of love that he had not felt before besides one person. And he had grown unable to handle thinking about them now that he was bound in the spirit realm. It was unbearable. But with Hanako, it went away a little. It felt...okay. He wanted to see who she had become in the years out in duty. Her power, skills, determination, and will. And....to see if there was something more. In time at least.

So if he had to ask, would he had been any happier in any other division? No...not one bit.

"Okay, makes sense. I don't need a massive room. Just enough for my stuff, some comfort, and space to do my job. Wait... Hanako who is the quarter master, where would I normally find him through the day?". It was a simple thing but one he should be straight about. Get all the information so it could be easy. He would hate to run around asking people for help. Especially Hanako of all people about getting a room and finding someone. It would be embarrassing....

He followed along with the rest of her words, paying attention to the care she took in answering his questions. It made a great deal to have her explain how she ran things. And it was efficient at least with the sound of it. Instead of having nothing but specialization, there was a general high level of aptitude towards the work with the ability to specialize in things as well. It made sense to him. If the person who specialized left, or worse died. Then the division and Gotei would lose a lot. However, with multiple people with some background in it, the gap space to absorb such a blow was greatly increase. Add in the factor of the increased number of people with time in it, knowledge, and the opportunity to communicate and improve each other. Well, you got a well powered machine that had a lot of potential. But also pressure. Ineptitude could be something members feared. "Understood. But...may I know the small parts? They are a important piece that build and smooth the works of the bigger parts. What such things are considered small??".

The Big Woman

Hanako Yamada

With a crooked smile Habako commented on the size of the room in the division's barracks.

"You know, the funny thing is, since I have become a Vice Captain I have slightly bigger quarters than before, but way less time to use them."

She shrugged. Not that it made any difference for her. She had never used her rooms much at all, except for sleeping, washing and changing.

Hana described the way to the quartermaster, who had his office in the first barrack, on the ground floor. He was an honored member of the division and he and his aides provided the members with everything one needed for their daily life.

When Tento asked for more details on the daily duties she thought for a moment before she answered. In fact the main duty of their division was to be combat ready, so whatever was there to do on an average day, it had to be shaped in a way that it either didn't bind too much forces or could be dropped at a moments notice.

"There's guard and maintenance duty. We have to take care of our compound, like every other division, too. Of course the training areas need a lot of attention. There's the usual administrational work, which is mainly my responsibility. And, of course, we help out other divisions who need some muscle on missions or take some ourselves."

Hanako laused for a moment before she continued. Her tone became quite serious, her "lieutenant voice".

"As I said, though, our main duty is to be combat ready. If the Soul Society goes to war we are the standing army that has to move out. If we come under attack, we stand side by side with Realm Enforcement. This is why we always have to take care that our main force is always ready. Also, honing our skills is one of our primary duties."

After the few words her voice became normal and warmer again and although she was still talking about the division, she was talking as a friend again.

"But don't worry, we usually don't stand alone. It is our main duty and we may make up the bulk of Soul Society's forces, but the Gotei stands together. The other divisions may send specialist units, for example, like healers."

Which reminded her of something.

"Hey that brings something to mind: How's your kido? Specifically: how are your barriers? We have a few Shinigami who surround the training courts with barriers for big fights, to contain the destruction. You wouldn't believe how much we pay for damage repairs. Anyway, we can always use an additional set of hands there. See it as a side job."

Ah the fact that the higher ups had bigger rooms did not surprise him. That was always the case with hierarchy things. Bigger offices, sleeping quarters, restrooms. Perks. It came with the pay and the expectation of responsibility. And...well the power. Side effect and all of being a bigger shark in the water. One thing he found funny was that Hanako had less time to use them. If anything he expected people wanting to be in nicer rooms more often. However, when it came to Hanako, with her always being the go go go type, it made sense since she was not in the room.

"Oh so where can I find you then? I know I can just sense out your spiritual pressure but for the sake to ask the question. I, would rather not have a hard time finding my Vice Captain if I need her....or want to just hangout or check in on a friend", he said the last parts slower. Albeit the same tone of his voice but, there were still subtle signs of what he was feeling. He had to try to keep it professional and respectful, they were official members now, But, he still felt ugh he didn't know what. "Or you know save you from boredom if the small amount of free time you have or do some training".

If this was left alone he would go back to listening to Hanako as she gave out even more details. It was located in the first barrack on the ground floor. Tento needed to take the time later to introduce himself. Maybe even stay and chat with the fellow for a while. It sounded like he wasn't exactly a combat member, Tento doubted he had no fighting skills though. Anyway, the man was respected and did a lot for the division providing everyone with what they needed during the day to day life cycle of the busy minutes of the division.

Now was the next question he asked about. Duties. Mostly the stuff he had to expect and take care of everyday. The small things. It was pretty much one would expect. Guard duty. Some maintenance and physical labor. Taking care of one's living environment. Common sense stuff. There was a higher note of training though, which made sense since they were the combat division after all. Then there were behind the scene things that the higher up had to do. Paper work and such. There was always paper work...for anything. Assistance on missons was something he also expected...heck he thought that was a requirement. It did not make sense to hi to not aid the other parts of their Gotei team if they needed it out on the field. He nodded , hearing it all and pleased.

That was ntill Hanako paused for a moment and her tone changed. AHHHHH I SCREWED UP AND MADE HER MAD. Was what he thought as he heard her pleasant...albeit somewhat distance voice change. I shouldn't have asked about hanging out.

He blinked at the next part, finding himself reacting that way internally for no reason.

"Ah...yea of course. We are the combat division after all. We have to be ready to move out and defend no matter what. Also a sword and shield". Internally he would sigh a sigh of relief and hoped Hanako did not notice his momentary unusual tension.

"Oh my kido? A bit better I guess. Lot more experience and known spells. I got offensive of course but supplementary stuff with some healing and defense. So...sure, I can do that as a side job. Saves me time in doing the clean up in that type of situation", he scratched his chin. Just how often would he be put in that type of situation though?? "How about you Hanako? It has been a long time since we talked about Kido. How have you been at it since gradating? I know it was not never your style but you had skill with it too. Just nothing compared to your legs, uh, footwork. And sword".

The Big Woman

Hanako Yamada

Again hanako grinned her typical half-grin, that despite everything never seemed to cover her whole face. It was not as if some unfriendly vibes would emanate from Hanako. Quite the opposite, she was relaxed in the presence of a friend she knew almost as long as she knew herself. Literally.
It was more like there was a part of her that never learned to be happy enough to smile.

“You’ll find me over there.”

She pointed at one of the buildings. The administrative building.

“My office is there. My living quarters, too, but as I said, I’m not usually there.”

She shrugged. It was what it was. Maybe she complained from time to time about the workload, but in truth she liked her job, loved it even. Her time in the First Division, when it was still Realm Enforcement, gave her a sense of purpose, a sense of belonging in the Gotei. The Fourth Division, however, gave her a home.

When the conversation veered back to duties Hanako remembered seeing the substantial portion of budget the division spent on the repair of training equipment and courtyards. Amon’s efforts did help a lot in cutting unnecessary expenses, but not breaking anything in the first place would probably help a lot, too.

“It really helps a lot. But it’s actually not only to minimise repair cost.”

She looked at him and cocked her head.

“Imagine, if we can get enough people with strong barrier spells together, we could actually try to hold spars at full power, but without the risk to lives and material.”

When Tento asked about her progress in kido she had to think about it for a moment.

“Well, I guess there wasn’t much progress.” she said and it almost sounded apologetic.
“I can use the lower third of the spells okay, but for them to really work reliably I almost always have to use the full incantation. I concentrated on my Zanpakuto mostly. Actually…I was able to finally communicate with him.”

She patted the plain katana in her obi in a surprising affectionate gesture and turned a bit so that Tento got a good look at it.

“May I introduce…Bakumusha.”

A small wave of delight came onto Tento at Hanako's smile. A visual change of his face as his face became softer, warmer, and more tranquil. To some Hanako's half grin would seem aloof or distant, but for someone that knew the Vice Captain prior to her time as an official Shinigami, he had quickly learned that that half grin was practically a genuine smile of friendliness and joy from her. Not once had he gotten a full smile lip to lip across her face from her, nor had he seen anyone. So, that half grin was as good as it could get. Unless someone did something magical and gave her such a good news, joy, or moment of happiness that a full grin or smile could squeak through.

Or do the miracle of teaching her to smile. But...he felt that had to be natural. It had to be her. From her. At least.....any smile she would give him. Anyway, with a smile or not, Tento would have liked to think he had gotten good enough at reading and feeling Hanako out. The different shifts in her body language and aura, subtle things that could tell what she was feeling or what she was thinking. It could never be spot on, she was a complex person after all and his insights or assumptions could never read her mind. But, it gave him enough to go on, and right now, he felt she was relaxed and very happy to have him around.

Her passed words throughout the day between them only made that more present in his mind. She did say she was happy for the 4th to have him after all.

He moved his neck, cranking it to the side to follow her finger, she was pointing to one of many buildings in the area, it was where she would be most often than not. Office and living quarters would be located there. He, thought to himself he would have to make sure to not pester her. Going over there to just be over there. She was a Vice Captain, and had probably a lot of duties to do. Even more so with no Captain currently for their squad. That, was ignoring the fact that he would have stuff to do as well. Day to day duties and random tasks he expected to come out throughout the day.

As they continued to speak the conversation went back to their cost of protection to the compound area during possible spar matches between fellows 4th division members or events in which other members of the gotei sparred against 4th division members. "I am glad to help you, er, and our division of course. I am not a master in healing or barriers but I hope to do my part when needed. It does sound exciting too though. Being able to to fight harder betters the skill of our fighters, and I would imagine their bonds and certainty that they can watch each other's backs. It would be a major boon to also have a better chance of recovering after battles and preventing accidental deaths". Tento spoke his words carefully, smoothly. Trying to be sentient on the last part. With the recent events that had befallen the 4th division.

Tento cocked his head as he looked at Hanako, did...she sound apologetic? There was no need for that. Tento near it was a sore hard spot for her, and one that she did not use really at all. He knew of old respected soul reapers who barely used kido, even some that had no kido at all. She had her own specialty, and although it could be potentially dangerous for her to not have a real kido move set, she had her skills and knowledge of what world for her to use in her duty. He did not hold any grudge in hearing she did not improve much after his time tutoring her. He was about to give her a compliment on her kido progress but that was thrown to the waist side as she gave him more news.

"OH ho!? so this is your sword?", he looked down a big grin on his face as he looked at Hanako's Zanptako. "Hello there Bakumusha, thank you for taking care of my friend. I know she can be a bit...stubborn. But, she's not bad as I'm sure you know". Tento sat up and rubbed the back of his head. "Geez...you are so far head of me. I do not my sword's name...I have not even gotten able to see them, let alone hear their voice".

The Big Woman

Hanako Yamada

Hanako waved Tento's comment aside.

"I'm only ahead because I had more time. Remember, when we met I was almost done with the academy and you had just started."

She shrugged and mage a vague gesture that wanted to encompass the years between then and now.

"The difference is still there. You just graduated, I have already served several years. It's nothing that is because of the aptitude or inability of someone. If you compare yourself with someone who just had more time to develop skills and powers you are unfair to yourself, I think. You'll get there eventually."

There had been a time when Hanako would have never even thought these words herself. When she was fresh out of the academy she was even worse to herself than Tento was. She became frustrated easily and was never able to give any credit to herself. Anger and self doubt were where confidence and determination should be. Gladly there had also been stubbornness or she would have given up before her first year of academy had been over.
But things had changed, meaning that especially Hanako had changed. She had learned.

"Speaking of which: I'd be happy to, as a first action of your new Lieutenant, wipe the floor with you again."

She gave Tento her half grin again. Of course she knew full well that she had never by any means 'wiped the floor' with Tento. All their spars had been actually quite balanced, with Tento having a natural talent and memories from before and Hanako with her relentless and untiring hard work. Tento knew that as well. Hanako hoped that he would take it as it was meant: as a friendly challenge.

"Well, maybe not as a first…or second…" Hanako immediately cut back on her challenge again when she remembered that there were some duties waiting.
"I have to go on a mission and need to tie some things up and prepare. So I'm afraid it will have to wait a bit. If you accept."

These things used to be a lot easier in the past.