Descent [Various locations, backstory]

[Suigintou]

A breeze passed through the third district of West Rukongai, toying with the grass and the leaves and sending ripples across the lake set into the otherwise green landscape. Tsukijou Hara shifted in his place at the water's edge, liking the weather. The duties of Kyuubantai's taichou were numerous, and gave little pause in their demands, but Hara found it important to get away from them once in a while. No one, he maintained, could function with nothing but the burden of work on them.

So he left that behind occasionally and came here, enjoying what relaxation the calm landscape could provide. Let certain other taichou complain - as long as Yamamoto-soutaichou didn't say anything to him about it, their words held no weight.

Of course, he wasn't entirely certain Yamamoto-soutaichou knew about it...but it seemed pointless to bother him just to inform him of it.

A soft rustling sounded in the trees behind him, and Hara glanced back as a tall, willowy man emerged, pushing a branch aside with one hand. He smiled at the new arrival. "Suzuran-kun. What is it?"

The man took a few steps closer before he replied, and when he did so, he gazed out over the water rather than looking at his taichou. "Nothing, really. I just felt like coming out here."

"Well then, come on. Sit." Hara motioned to the grass next to him, and Suzuran complied. His violet hair, tied into a high ponytail, came just short of brushing the ground when he did so, and he settled down comfortably, smiling.

"Every time you do this, I have to make up a new excuse about where you are, you know," he stated teasingly, glancing sidelong at the taichou. "And then I'm expected to act as taichou in your place."

"Which is why you should join me more often," Hara returned, unaffected by the light reprimand. "Vacation time should be required for everyone of fukutaichou rank and above, don't you think? It's no wonder the Soutaichou's so harsh. Can you imagine, not a single break in all his hundreds of years?"

Hara shook his head in disbelief, and Suzuran laughed, a high, musical sound. "And if you had a little less vacation time, perhaps you'd be more responsible."

"Ahh, I get it, I get it." The taichou rubbed the back of his head with a heavy sigh, defeated. "I'll go back. But you stay out here a while. You've earned it. Ah, no, it's an order," he added a little more sternly as he stood, seeing his fukutaichou open his mouth to decline. "Just be back sometime before nightfall. Not too soon, got it?"

Suzuran laughed again as the man left, shaking his head. It seemed he had no choice. A forced break was hardly the worst thing the man could require of him, he supposed, laying back and placing his hands behind his head.

May as well be a little more comfortable, if he was going to be stuck here for a while.

[Suigintou]

Another morning without a mission, without paperwork or meetings or nagging taichou duties of any sort: the exact sort of morning Hara enjoyed the most. He smiled to himself as he walked through the streets of Kyuubantai's district, exchanging greetings with those from his division and trying to hide his amusement at the newbies who weren't used to seeing their taichou on one of his walks. He was wandering with no destination in mind, as he was apt to do when he had free time, and though he knew the familiar area that had been his home for so long down to the street, he never knew where his legs would carry him.

Today, it seemed, they carried him to his fukutaichou. He could hear Suzuran's voice, laughing and talking, though he couldn't make out the words spoken. Smiling, he turned a corner, spotting the violet of his hair right away - the easiest indication that he'd found the man he was looking for.

But Suzuran seemed to be alone, though amusement lit his eyes as he turned around. "Ah, Taichou. Good morning."
"Who were you talking to?" Distracted, Hara continued to look around, as though he was somehow overlooking an obvious third person.
"You won't find him," the fukutaichou returned, laughter in his voice. "Seems like Kurui Tsukimisou is shy."
"Oh?" Hara's expression changed, his eyebrows raising. He was clearly impressed. "You can materialize your zanpakutou now?"
"For a little while now." He seemed almost shy himself as he admitted it. "I didn't want to tell anyone. If they all start asking to see, I'll just have to disappoint them."
"I see, I see...but couldn't you have told your taichou!? It's good news! Good news!" His voice went from distracted to irritated, and Suzuran drew back slightly, apparently embarrassed.
"Well...I thought you'd be at the top of the list of people who would ask me to show them."
"Aaah..." The taichou rubbed at the back of his head, the gesture that indicated he'd been caught by something. "So what's it look like?"
"Taichou..."
"Alright, alright." He sighed, though he was smiling. "Well, congratulations. Not everyone can do that, y'know? It's the biggest step toward bankai."
"I know. Thank you."

Hara couldn't help grinning. He remembered achieving that step himself, and the pride and excitement he had felt. Suzuran could become a taichou as well, someday - he had always had the potential, but now he was growing closer and closer to achieving it. As good of a fukutaichou as he was and always had been, Hara truly wanted to see him go farther, to stand side by side with him in rank.

"So~" his characteristically light tone had returned, and he turned away, glancing over his shoulder to look at the fukutaichou. "I'm going for a walk. Want to come, or are you going to talk to that sword of yours all day?"

Suzuran smiled. "I'll come."

Kurui Tsukimisou was always with him, after all.