Just Cause [Murasaki, Makoto]

Murasaki was, at this point, pretty much finished with anything she needed to do as far as settling into her position. She was confident that anything left was just a matter of picking up the few pieces left behind by her predecessor, getting those loose ends tied up, that sort of thing. Of course, when she thought about those loose ends, one particular figure came to mind that she realized she didn’t know all that much about.

Vice Captain Arima was, by every metric, an exceptional shinigami. Professional, very driven, and talented in every shinigami art. Murasaki had to hand that much to her, even she wasn’t so competent. Then again, Erika had told her she ought to be, and she’d have to take her up on her suggestion to train in kido eventually. But one thing at a time. In a lot of ways, Murasaki knew perfectly well that Arima was the exact sort of person she normally would have seen as a model shinigami, and probably spoken to by now. That, however, would have been relying on two factors not being present.

The first, and perhaps more immediate, was the fact that Arima had been exceptionally close to Abalia, if the notes left behind were to be believed. There wasn’t anything wrong with that in a vacuum, admittedly. Elyss had been too, and that didn’t mean Murasaki trusted her any less. But she had a history with Elyss that she simply didn’t have with the 6th Division’s vice captain, and that made things hazier here. The second factor, and one that was entirely personal, was the matter of her relationship with Murasaki’s aunt. She wasn’t exactly the sort to pry into other people’s personal lives if she wasn’t close to them, and she could hardly say that she and Shishiyuki were close, even if they’d made at least some headway. But that strained relationship did make the idea of reaching out to Arima in a more casual capacity feel…well, a little bit awkward.

So, she did what made the most sense. A formal summons, though not one that suggested anything was actually wrong. Murasaki wanted to learn more about her subordinate, but she didn’t want the woman to feel like she was in trouble.

A summons, by the captain commander no less. It was frankly quite annoying but the reality of the situation as to why was simple. It interrupted her routine and schedule to which could be forgiven if it was important but she hadn't the slightest idea as to what Murasaki would want to assign her which couldn't have been given to her own vice-captain. It lead to the other possibility as to why which was drew her attention towards the relationship she had with Shishiyuki.

At the end of the day though Makoto wasn't going to ignore it and so she showed up in a timely manner. A cool smile on her expression which was friendly but not too friendly that you could mistake her for a happy-go-lucky kind of person. Just the kind of smile that made her look less hostile, irritated or unimpressed about things.

"Captain Kagayaku. Sixth Division Vice-Captain Arima to see you."

Makoto called while waiting at the entrance to the office, her hand resting on the end of her tanto at her waist out of habit to give it somewhere to idle and not hang down lazily by her side. It was also conveniently placed to keep the habit of always having her hand on her sword to draw it at a moment's notice should a situation arise.

"Come in!"

Murasaki waited for Makoto to enter, her expression genuinely cheerful in contrast to the vice captain's reserved, pleasant demeanor. Despite her misgivings about this situation, she didn't want to get off on the wrong foot, and she wanted to have full trust in the people beneath her.

"Do you want a cup of tea? I just put it on a little bit ago."

Admittedly, Murasaki realized it might have been a better choice if she'd used the tea that Shishiyuki had given her as a gift recently. Then again, that might've also come across as insincere, so maybe not.

"I'm sorry for asking you here so suddenly, I know Realm Enforcement has a lot going on and I don't want to keep you longer than necessary. But you're the only vice captain I don't really know anything about, so I wanted to get to know you professionally. The previous captain commander's files were pretty detailed, but I'm not interested in just an impersonal dossier. What you consider your strengths, your weaknesses, what your specialties are in the zankensoki. Your zanpakuto, any really standout hakuda techniques or kido you happen to specialize in. The kind of things that might slip past a formal, organized report."

Naturally, being captain commander meant knowing when and wear to apply any given member of the Gotei most effectively. If the paperwork said someone was skilled in hakuda, for example, but that person wasn't confident in their own skill, then the official record wouldn't tell the whole story. Murasaki wanted to know her subordinates as people, and that was just her nature as both a woman and as a leader.

It gave her pause to hear Murasaki so cheerful and maybe if she were less composed she might've gave pause to stand there for a moment dazed but that wasn't the kind of person Makoto was. The demeanour was so reminscient of Saki which she wondered if she'd have found charming if she wasn't so unenthusiastic about being summoned to the captain commander for an overdue meet and greet.

She decided no, Saki was an exception and if those specific circumstances hadn't happened then Makoto doubted they'd even be friends at all.

"No thank you ma'am."

There was no follow-up to why she declined. Even though she did like tea the fact she kept to herself was that there was just no interest to share it over the context of a summons like this. This was work to her, that's all. She just gave another smile and an understanding nod when she was asked for these details.

"Very well. I believe that all of the zankensoki are important and so I aim to do my best to master them all, as any good shinigami should aspire to. I suppose you might say I'm rather balanced and rounded that regard though I do believe since being taught by Shishiyuki my ability to fight without my zanpakuto has improved quite well. My zanpakuto is called Shimensoka which manifests four additional hands for me to make use of in battle and compliments my expanded repetoire of hakuda quite well."

Makoto gave a rather lengthy explanation there but she had felt she'd given Murasaki what she'd asked for. That wasn't the thing on Makoto's mind though, it not about what Murasaki is asking her but what she could or did want to ask her about that nagged at the back of her mind.

"That's a good outlook to have. My vice captain says the same thing, and it's definitely a weakness of mine that I spent so much time away. Made my kido a little rusty."

That was a colossal understatement, but Murasaki wasn't really trying to lay out her own skills by any stretch. This wasn't supposed to be an interrogation, it was just a conversation, and she had every intention of keeping it that casual. Even if Makoto had declined a cup of tea, Murasaki poured one for herself as she continued speaking.

"That's good to hear. The zanpakuto is obviously an important part of being a shinigami, but relying on it too much is dangerous. I think a lot of shinigami would benefit from learning more about hakuda, but I'm getting a little off topic. What about bankai? Any headway there?"

Murasaki, naturally, made zero indication that the mention of her aunt had even particularly fazed her. In truth, it certainly had raised a few more questions, considering she knew better than most people that the Koizumi were pretty insular. But that wasn't the topic of conversation, and really, it didn't matter at all. This was about Makoto as a shinigami, nothing else.

"I would be surprised should I achieve bankai within the next few years ma'am. I am by no means a prodigy or talented and it is only through perseverance that I am where I am now. I achieved my shikai a few years ago and they say that shinigami can take upwards of a decade to achieve bankai."

Makoto answered, maybe it was too humble or she was just trying to downplay herself here but she truly didn't view herself as anything particularly amazing. She was not from a prestigous line of nobles or a prodigy, all she really had was hard work and whatever guts she could muster to improve herself.

If someone thought she had low esteem by the realistic expectations she held for herself then Makoto would be a little sleighted when she viewed hard work as worth far more than people that were just given the product because they were "special".

Murasaki certainly had a few ideas of what could in theory be holding the vice captain back in that regard, but she didn't know Makoto even remotely well enough for any of them to be more valid than any other. But it was just in her nature to inquire when it came to zanpakuto-related matters, and there was a reason she still taught advanced courses at the academy for it. She considered it something important to cultivate for every shinigami.

"Not everyone is a prodigy, you're right about that. Bankai is a long process, but I think part of that reputation comes from how secretive people used to be about it. They weren't helping to unlock it, training and sharing their knowledge as well as they could have been. Bankai isn't easy, but I think someone with your drive could probably get there faster than most people would imagine. Definitely faster than how long it used to take."

After all, Murasaki hadn't unlocked her own bankai for decades. Centuries, in the case of her father's bankai. She didn't personally believe talent or natural inclination really mattered all that much, or she would have had hers far quicker than that.

"A good teacher goes a long way when it comes to these things, you know? If you ever want any help, I'd be happy to. It's the least I can do as Captain Commander to make sure one of my vice captains is getting the best possible results from her training, right?"

"Right... Though forgive me ma'am, for zanjutsu and the other zankensoki I do appreciate learning from others but when it comes to my zanpakuto I would prefer to do it myself."

Makoto had said it before when people offered but the reality was that she had heard about Murasaki's unique ability and she wanted no part of the woman in front of her poking around her zanpakuto and inner-world though that sounded like it was specifically Murasaki when it was just the discomfort that came with picturing someone in her head.

There was only one person in the world she'd maybe let do that and even that made her second guess herself. Being honest and open was one thing but maybe that was just a little uncomfortable for her.

"Oh, I totally understand! No need to apologize. I'd be happy to offer you other advice besides just talking with your zanpakuto, but honestly I feel like you've got that part down pretty well already. Whenever I get students in my class who've been in your zanjutsu lessons, they've got a great base."

Murasaki wasn't the type of person who just complimented people for no reason, and while her voice had the same youthful exuberance it always carried, there was a more subdued sort of maturity to it as she praised Makoto's teaching. Even if Murasaki was a fundamentally cheerful woman, she took things seriously when they deserved to be taken seriously, and this conversation fit the bill without a doubt.

"I mean what I said, though, even outside of just zanjutsu. If there's anything you think would help you get more out of your practice, or anything you think your division needs to do their job more effectively, don't be afraid to tell me. It's my job as Captain Commander to be a leader everyone can rely on if they need."

That was really what she considered the greatest difference between herself and her predecessor. Murasaki had always viewed Abalia's approach as one that relied on the rest of the Gotei, used them to build each other up, but she didn't think that was right. Murasaki didn't simply expect the best from the shinigami below her, she'd help them become their best.

"Of course, I'll be sure that Captain Shiba is well aware of the ongoings of the division to ensure the most effecient use of time and resources. As for myself I have all the resources I need in my position to grow myself. Thank you though, Captain Kagayaku."

Makoto answered and acknowledged to herself that she had taken the more impersonal route of indicating to Murasaki that she would achieve those results indirectly. She believed in the chain of command after all, something she thought was honestly more desireable for her captain either way.

He was a stern man and as rigid as she was. Going under his nose just sounded like asking for trouble in what was perfect synergy they had since becoming the commanding officers. She would not risk that trust to be more personal with Murasaki.