I start my morning in the usual way: early, quiet, and alone.
Reports stacked on my desk, ink barely dry. The sun's not high yet, but already the barracks hum with the kind of business that keeps Soul Society turnin'. Ain't much changed since I took this haori. Just the view.
The knock comes right on time.
"Come in."
The door slides open, and there he is.
Blonde hair, neat uniform, blue eyes that still carry too much weight for someone that young. Izuru Kira stands like he's facin' judgment itself.
"Ichimaru-taichou! Reporting as ordered!"
I grin, lazy and sharp.
"Well, if it ain't lil' Kira. Been a while, eh?"
He stiffens a little at that. Boy probably didn't expect me to remember him. Cute.
"Yes, sir. It's an honor to serve under you."
"Mm, that right? Sit down, boy."
He hesitates, then moves to the seat in front of my desk. Back straight, shoulders tense. Typical.
I lean my cheek into my palm, watchin' him for a spell. He's grown since our 5th Division days. Not much. Still got those soft hands, too clean for what's comin'. But those eyes… they've seen some dark already.
"Been keepin' busy?"
He blinks. "I… yes, sir. I've been assisting 5th Division operations and overseeing communication patrols."
I hum.
"Chikane Iba retired last week. Left her seat open. Now, Central 46 thinks you're up for wearin' the badge."
I pull open a drawer, set the Vice-Captain insignia on the desk between us. The light catches the engraved number on it — a plain thing, but it holds weight.
Kira stares at it like it might be a trap.
"I… I don't know if I deserve this, Taichou."
"Course ya don't," I laugh. "Ain't about what folks deserve. It's about what they'll do. An' you? You'll do just fine."
He swallows, straightenin' up.
"I won't let you down."
"I know ya won't. Been watchin' ya since the Academy, kid. You've always been good at keepin' records straight, catchin' what others miss. That's what Division 3's all about. We handle information — collectin' it, movin' it, protectin' it. We keep the Jigokuchō net hummin'. The whole damn Gotei 13 leans on us, even if they don't realize it."
He nods slowly. The badge's still sittin' there.
"Go on," I say, wavin' a hand. "It's yours."
He picks it up like it's made of glass. Careful hands, careful heart.
"I'll serve with everything I have."
I give him another of my crooked grins.
"That's all I ask."
He starts to rise, but I stop him with a lazy wave.
"Listen, Kira. We're not like the other squads. You'll see things here, hear things, that don't sit right. Your job's to keep your eyes open and yer mouth shut, unless it's to me. Understood?"
His brows knit, but he nods.
"Understood."
I lean back, studyin' him a moment longer. He's a good kid. Too good. But that's what makes him useful.
"Report to me at dawn tomorrow. I'll walk ya through the networks, show ya how this squad runs. Today, take it easy. Meet the lads. Let 'em know you're one of us now."
"Yes, sir."
He turns, steps out the door, and I watch him go. Once the door slides shut, I let out a slow breath.
Izuru Kira.
Been watchin' him a long time. He ain't a fighter like Zaraki, ain't a schemer like Aizen. He's a survivor. Loyal to a fault. And in this game, that's more valuable than most realize.
Not to mention, his hands are steady. When the time comes, and things start bleedin' in earnest, I'll need people like him holdin' the line.
I glance down at the patrol logs. New routes, updated protocols. The world's shiftin'. I can feel it in my bones.
Aizen's movin'. The King's Key, the Hōgyoku, the hollowfication experiments… all inchin' toward the edge of the cliff.
And me?
I'm stackin' my pieces.
One by one.
I smirk.
"Good boy."