by Otaku X
Chapter 10: Meanwhile V
"Where the hell is everyone?!"
The mild warm easterly breeze sweeping across the Seireitei was nearly reversed for several seconds at Zaraki's bellow.
The Fourth Seat of Eleventh Division had withstood his captain's verbal onslaught for five whole minutes, and his courage was flagging. He didn't have any answers.
"I know where Yachiru is," he said as the Fourth Seat opened his mouth with a feeble answer. "Where's everyone else?"
The mountain of a captain stared at the quivering officer until the man nearly melted, and then stormed out of the Eleventh Division office and across the compound to where he knew answers lay.
Isane heard the large captain's approach, and felt the rumble in the floor as she sat at her Fourth Division office desk. A moment later, the front door swung open and Zaraki filled the doorway as she hurried to it.
"Captain," she stammered as he stepped in, seeming to grow larger by the second.
"Where's Captain Unohana?" he boomed, glancing around the empty entryway.
"She's not here, Captain," Isane said as boldly as she could, clutching her papers closer to her chest, but not quickly enough. "She's -"
"What are those?"
Not wanting to answer didn't outweigh wanting to not answer, so Isane carefully eased the eight-by-ten glossy photos away from herself. "Uh, well, they're...they're ..."
Catching a glimpse of leg, he snapped them away from her. "Who's this?" He glanced at the top photo.
Isane gave him a sour look. "Captain Unohana."
"What?" His narrow eyes opened wider, focusing on the photo of Retsu as Country Lolita before moving on to the next picture of the Sailor Scout shoot. "Skirt's too short," he mumbled, flicking to the next photo. "Stripes?"
"She's supposed to represent a zebra," Isane said helpfully, almost timidly as he towered over her.
"Why?"
"Uh, it's what the photo shoot was about that day."
"Now, this one is good." He held the photo of Retsu in the violet-blue cheongsam closer to her, crowding her until she stepped back.
"Yes, it's very good."
Zaraki flipped through the photos again, alternately nodding and grunting approvingly. "Handsome woman."
"Uh, yes, sir..."
His eyes lingered on the Sailor Scout photo. "Nice legs." He frowned at the skimpy black Sailor Star outfit. "You're sure this is a beauty pageant?"
"It's not all about beauty," Isane clarified, frowning. "There's more."
He nodded. "Better with her hair back." He mumbled something. "Long legs. Didn't know she was hiding all that under..." He looked sharply to Isane.
She shook her head vehemently, blinking quickly. "I didn't hear anything."
He nodded, looking back to the photos.
"Good-morning, Isane, Captain Zaraki," Retsu said suddenly from the doorway, smiling at both of them as she stepped in.
"Good-morning, Captain Unohana," Isane said hastily, guiltily, relieved, wishing she had the nerve to try pulling the photos away from the hulk of a man standing before her.
Zaraki glanced from the photos to Retsu, who now wore her long dark hair in a single thick braid, falling to one side of her shoulder in a graceful drape.
He looked her over slowly from head to toe, nodding at the shihakusho that covered much of her. He cleared his throat.
"What are you doing for lunch?"