FicWad

It was another hour after Michiru and I got back up the stairs until anyone gave us any word. The courtyard had been silent until then. Ikkaku stayed by Michiru, as did Yumichika, who was playing with her hair and flipping it every which way. She eventually swatted him away, which was about the time the doors parted.
One of the guards motioned for us to come back in, and we took our original places.
Yamamoto's Assistant Captain had something behind his back. He asked Michiru to come stand by him, so she took a spot next to him and turned to Yamamoto. She was anxious. Tired, even. She wanted out of the spotlight.
"It was a controversial decision," Yamamoto sighed, shuffling down to the front of the podium. "But we have come to a conclusion that we feel is in the best interest of the Soul Society." He turned to Michiru, then motioned for his Assistant Captain to show what he had in his hands.
The man unrolled a white robe, sleeveless, branded with the Ninth Company's insignia and lined with their color. It didn't sink in at first. Michiru stared at it for a moment, confused, until Yamamoto began to announce her placement.
"Michiru Kobe, will you accept your position as Captain of the Ninth Company?" he asked, his voice booming over the gasps in the room.
I wasn't so much surprised as I was proud. I wanted everyone else to be just as proud, but there were undoubtedly some that were jealous. Some that had been assistant captains for far too long, and felt that it should have been them holding the robe.
She sputtered out an affirmative, taking the robe gingerly. She was in shock. Complete and utter shock. But I could understand. It wasn't every day that a fresh Academy recruit got to even be accepted as a non-ranked officer in the Gotei, but she had totally skipped the whole process of testing and being placed. She had been elected by Captain General herself to be a captain.
"Then it's settled. You will meet with me this afternoon to be sworn in and go over your expectations and goals. I expect nothing less than perfection from you, Kobe," he said to her. He turned to the rest of us. "I know that these aren't the typical circumstances, and that this whole election was unorthodox, but I feel as though we have made the right choice. It's up to the rest of you to help her adjust in any way you can. Also, someone take her to 7th Company barracks so she can move in to her new captains quarters. I...have something to attend to."

*

Later that afternoon, I got word that Michiru was free from her meetings. She had been busy since the end of the meeting and I hadn't seen nor heard from her in hours. It was expected, though, so I busied myself with paperwork that was long overdue.
I guessed that she would still meet me at the south gate like I asked her, so right before sundown, I started out. I took towels and a bento for both of us, which were easy to carry and the bento was pretty tasty. Ikkaku had mentioned once that she liked snow peas, so I put together a salad (the extent of my cooking skills) and white rice. Not much, but a snack.
She was already waiting on me at the gate, peering around corners nervously. Her white robe was still new to her, and she straightened it constantly. "You're worrying again," I reminded her.
She laughed nervously. "Of course I am..." she said quietly. "I don't want to ruin it right after I got it."
I handed her the bento, leaving me an empty arm to wrap around her small waist. I had waited on the opportunity all day to do that, and waiting had made it even more satisfying. She stepped close as we began to walk, hugging the bento to her chest tightly. "Do you know where we're going?" I asked her.
"I have no clue."
"Good. Then you don't need to know until we get there," I said, and she sighed happily. But again, she straightened her robe. "And don't worry about that. There'll be plenty of places to put it."
She finally quit fidgeting as we walked farther from the gate. I could feel her relax beneath my hand, and it made me comfortable. "Will I have to get a tattoo?" she asked, squirming again. "Like you guys have. For Gentei-"
"Yeah. You kind of have to," I finished for her. She sighed. "It's not terrible. The man who does them is no where near as terrible as some of the guys in the Rukongai."
"I know. I'm scared that they'll move me again, though. But now that I have a company, I don't want to move. I like this company already."
I squeezed her gently. "That's a silly reason to be scared of a tattoo. Having that tattoo is...I don't know. Like a trophy. And to have multiple company tattoos is like having a resume, I guess. So it's not that big of a deal."
"I'll look at it that way," she said, breaking into a grin. "I've had Rukongai tattoos, and they hurt. Terribly. They were traditionalists. With the whale bone needle and the little mallet..."
"So that's where you got the tattoos on your legs?" I blurted.
She freaked. "I didn't want you to see those. I'm not proud of them," she spilled. "I hate them."
"Don't. There's no reason to. It's just part of your story. We all have one." I felt like an idiot at this point. She was embarrassed about them when I saw them in the hospital, so what made me think I could just spit out stupid questions like that?
"Just...I don't know. I don't want them to change your opinion of me. What they stood for wasn't good. In the least."
"They won't. It's something in the past. So don't, I SAY AGAIN, worry," I told her, squeezing her again. "Besides. I like women with tattoos."
She giggled, settling back against me as we walked. We were close now, I knew, so I let her go to start unrolling the towels.
"You see that big cluster of rocks over there?" I asked, pointing to the nearby grove.
"That? Is that where we're going?"
"Yep. Go look."
She looked at me questioningly. "But it's just a bunch of rocks."
"And that's where you're wrong. Go look on the other side, and then follow it."
"Follow what?"
"Just go look, silly," I told her, pushing her shoulders gently.
She obeyed, climbing up and over the nearest cluster of rocks. I just hoped Yoruichi wasn't taking a catbath upstream from us.