Chapter 1: Third Seat, Division Five

"Confusion never stops,
Closing walls and ticking clocks
Gonna come back and take you home
I could not stop that you now know."
-Coldplay "Clocks"

Summer

She held the slip of paper in front of her as she made her way through Division Five. The slip of paper was a summons that Captain Aizen had sent her requesting her presence in the office at eight A.M. sharp, and that time was drawing dangerously near. The young woman, a longtime member of the Fifth Division, adjusted her bag and hastened her steps. She had never been late to any duties or meetings in all the decades she had been with Fifth Division. She was not about to change that now.

Finally, the Division Five offices came into view, and Nina Seito checked the time. 7:55. She would be right on time. Early, in fact.

She approached the door, but no knock was needed for the kind voice of her captain spoke to her from within. "Please come in. You are punctual, as usual."

A tall, scholarly man wearing thick, brown-framed glasses rose from his desk and approached her with a welcoming smile. "Please, have a seat. I imagine you must be dreadfully curious as to why I have summoned you here."

"Yes, I must admit I am a bit curious." Nina sat in the chair to which he gestured. She had been summoned here, and she was unsure why he wished to see her. She did not believe she was in any sort of trouble.

"May I offer you something to drink? Some tea perhaps?" Aizen told her as he began taking down a kettle and a box of tea.

"Er...yes. That would be fine. Thank you, sir."

He gave a light chuckle. "You seem nervous. Relax." Sousuke filled the kettle with water and put it on heat.

The captain was reputed to be a gentle sort of man who rarely flustered over anything. He watched over his division with impartiality, and those under him considered their captain to be a generous and understanding man as well as a great teacher. The haori he wore over his black shinigamiuniform was a mere article of clothing to him that only indicated his rank and allowed him to run things a little more smoothly.

The kettle began to whistle a short while later, and Sousuke removed it from the heat for the sake of silencing its annoying sound. He prepared tea for the both of them and handed Nina her cup before sitting down behind his desk. "So. I observed your performance in the dōjō last week, and I must say you were most impressive." He took out a manila folder and skimmed over it. "I reviewed your previous evaluations, and your achievements and improvements are commendable. Always punctual, always helpful, and I understand that you have achieved your shikai."

Nina blew on the hot tea. "Yes, that is correct, Captain. I finally earned it about..." She thought for a moment. "...a year ago."

He closed the file and placed it on the desk as Nina sipped her tea. He stole a moment to have a good look at the young lady sitting before him. She was lovely with hair as black as a crow's feather and eyes as clear and blue as the sky above them. Her skin was fair, but not sickly, and she was petite, much like Hinamori, though slightly taller. Her mannerisms told him that she was either shy or just naturally quiet natured, as some people tended to be - people like him. This one would be tricky to get to know indeed, but looks did deceive: he had seen what she could do as well as her promising potential as his Third Seat.

"Well, I know all about you as one under my command, but I know little about your personally. Tell me about yourself, if you would."

Nina looked up, somewhat take off guard. She had mentally prepared for the review well in advance, but no one told her that her captain would ask her to talk about herself. "What would you like to know?"

He smiled a little. "Well, I suppose interests, hobbies...things like that. I try to make it a point to know at least a few things about those who serve under me."

"Oh." She thought for a moment. "I enjoy reading. I read quite a lot in my free time. I like being outdoors with my sketchbook."

"Ah, so you're an artist, Seito-san?" he inquired curiously.

"Yes. I mostly draw and paint."

"Perhaps at another time you can show me your drawings, if you wouldn't be bothered. I understand things like that can also be a private matter, so you don't have to show them to me if you don't want to."

He could sense that she did not want to be too open about herself at the moment. She was likely nervous, so it was understandable.

He simply smiled. "I suppose I should reveal the real reason for our meeting today. Based on your talents, I have chosen you to be my Third Seat replacement as the former has transferred to another division due to promotion."

Nina's eyes widened. She put down her now-empty tea cup, contemplating how it could be that she actually earned a high position like that, especially as an unseated officer. True, she had seniority over some of the newer recruits, but she also knew that there were those who were far more capable than she and more deserving. She had expected to eventually be offered a much lower position, somewhere around the Tenth Seat or so. But the Third Seat? That was one step below Lieutenant Hinamori.

Still, Nina composed herself. "Captain Aizen, I am very honored by this. I will do my best."

"I have every reason to believe that you will." He glanced up at the clock in his office. "If you will pardon me, I must get to a captain's meeting in Division One. You are to have a change in quarters. You will no longer have to share a dorm with unseated officers. Lieutenant Hinamori will show you to your new quarters and brief you on your responsibilities."

She nodded and offered a sage smile. "I understand."

Aizen smiled and turned toward the filing room. "Hinamori-san, could you come out here, please?"

The young lieutenant appeared in the doorway. Lieutenant Hinamori was a young, small thing with black hair tied back in a bun that was neatly kept in a little pale blue cap. She had a sweet face and big blue eyes as well as a cheerful disposition. She was smiling sweetly at Nina as she waited for her to collect her things.

"Yes, Captain?" she said cheerfully.

"Please show Seito-san to her new quarters. I must leave for the captain's meeting now, but I trust you will look after her."

"Of course, Captain!"

Aizen left for his meeting, and Nina was left alone with Hinamori-san.

"Seito-san," she said bowing. "I've been looking forward to working with you. Come with me, and I'll show you to your new place. I think you'll really like it."

Nina followed her lieutenant out of the office and out into the division compound. She wondered just what her quarters would be like. She had grown accustomed to sharing a room with Tsubaki-san, though Nina didn't much like having a roommate. It wasn't that she had an issue with Tsubaki; it was just that she preferred to have her own space where she could spread out more.

"I knew Captain Aizen was going to promote you," Hinamori remarked happily. "I wanted to tell you, but he swore me to secrecy. You really have come a long way, and I'm glad we will be working together."

"As am I, although I am still a little stunned I earned such a high promotion. I do not feel as though it should be mine."

"Nonsense, Seito-san! You worked hard for this. Captain Aizen is fair in his evaluations. He believes you have promise." They came to a door, and Hinamori slid it aside. "Here is where you will be living. I know it doesn't look like much, but these rooms are really quite comfortable. Your things should be arriving soon."

Nina glanced around inside. These quarters were certainly much nicer than the one she had grown accustomed to, and Nina liked that she didn't have to share. She valued her alone time so she could paint, read, or draw. She had art supplies that she often had to keep in her closet, but now it looked as though she could allow them to lay in profusion anywhere she wanted.

"Part of your duty as the Third Seat is upholding the rules of our division and judging when to refer infractions to myself or Captain Aizen." She held a hand outside the door. "Why don't we take a walk and further explain your duties."

Nina followed Momo out of her new quarters and into the compound.

"Most of the time, you'll help me in the office, and you'll get to help lead training sessions. You will likely be assigned a unit that will report to you, and then you will report to me or Captain Aizen."

"I hardly think I have any leadership skills that would qualify me for this promotion."

"You would be surprised," Hinamori replied, smiling. "You can set an example for the other officers by your personal example. Most of the time, that is all it takes. We – Captain Aizen and I – only expect you to do your best. Do you have any questions?"

"No, Lieutenant." She turned to Hinamori. "I am still honored by Captain Aizen's faith in me. I hope I will do well."

"Oh, you will. I promise! I'll help you any way I can!" She clasped her hands in front of her and smiled. "How about we get something to eat? Since we will work together closely, I think we should get to know one another better."

"That sounds fine. Thank you, Lieutenant."