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Ichimaru Gin runs through vice-captains like some people run through uniforms.
And it isn't until Kira is inducted into the third division that he begins to understand why.
Ichimaru sits at his desk, a pinwheel in his hand. He folds it carefully, carefully, one shining, sparkling edge of colored foil at a time.
Closer to the door sits Ochazuki, this month's vice-captain. Ochazuki barely looks up when Kira hands in his mission report; he just says reflexively, "Thank you for your hard work."
And in the middle of Kira's bow, he hears Ichimaru sigh noisily.
"I'm so bored," he says, and Kira can see Ochazuki flinch.
Kira looks at the mountain of work in front of Ochazuki, tottering piles of reports, and then looks back at Ichimaru's desk.
It's devoid of any paperwork whatsoever.
Maybe he makes some small sound -- Kira doesn't remember, but he does remember Ichimaru cocking his head in Kira's direction.
"Something the matter, little tenth seat?" he drawls, that strange smile never wavering. "Ah, I know. You want to see this, do you?" He waves the pinwheel in Kira's direction.
Kira darts one glance at Ochazuki, but Ochazuki's head remains firmly cast down at his work.
"I wouldn't want to disturb you, Captain," Kira demurs.
"Not at all," Ichimaru says. "Come here."
Izuru licks his lips once, then approaches Ichimaru's desk cautiously.
"See?" Ichimaru says, sounding proud. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" He offers it to Kira, and Kira takes it.
The pinwheel isn't much of a pinwheel anymore -- the separate pieces of foil have been folded, folded, folded in. It looks like some strange, metallic blossom.
"It's pretty," Izuru agrees after a moment. "But I don't think it will catch the wind anymore."
Ichimaru's smile grows just a bit wider. "It moves when I make it move," he says, demonstrating with a flick of his finger.
Kira watches the folded-in blades rotate. "It won't reflect the light the same way, either," he says after a moment.
"No," Ichimaru says, like he's sharing a great joke. "But I'll remember how it used to shine, and now that I've hidden it, it won't shine like that for anyone but me."
Kira licks his lips again, because he doesn't know what to say to that. He's unprepared for Ichimaru's long, thin fingers to wrap solidly around his wrist and pull his hand forward just so.
"Look," Ichimaru says.
The light breaks off the mutilated pinwheel in jagged patterns, so that shards of light reflect off the office walls.
Kira doesn't know why, but he begins to tremble, the light diffraction shifting with the shaking of his hand.
Ichimaru's grip tightens painfully around his wrist, but Kira doesn't fight him, doesn't try to escape, not even when Ichimaru pulls Kira sharply forward, so that Kira is bent over Ichimaru's desk. The pinwheel in Kira's hand is drawn up in front of Ichimaru's nose, as if it were a real flower with a scent other than Kira's fear.
When Kira dares to look up, he sees just the barest sliver of Ichimaru's eyes. "Tell me, little tenth seat," Ichimaru croons. "Would you like to have this?" He flicks the pinwheel into motion again.
Kira shakes his head once. "It belongs to you, Captain."
"It belongs to me," Ichimaru agrees, pressing his thumb hard against a bone in Kira's wrist. "You know what I think?"
Kira stares at him, trying not to pull away when Ichimaru brings up his other hand and draws his fingertips down the side of Kira's face.
"I think," Ichimaru whispers, "that you could be interesting. You don't want me to be bored, do you?"
Kira shakes his head again, and for the first, and nearly last time, Ichimaru Gin opens his eyes just for Kira.
And something in Kira falls, falls, falls.
What's more, he can see that Ichimaru is plainly fascinated, is looking at Kira as intently as he'd looked at the pinwheel still dangling from Kira's nearly nerveless fingers.
Suddenly, Ichimaru closes his eyes again, and he turns his head slightly. "Get out," he says, menacingly pleasant. "Kira Izuru will be the new vice-captain as of today."
Kira starts a little, because he hadn't been sure that Ichimaru knew his name, and also because he'd all but forgotten that Ochazuki was even in the room. He doesn't look, just hears a chair scrape back, the sounds of papers and cloth rustling before the door opens and shuts again.
And then Ichimaru lets him go, and says, "Your badge is over there, Vice-Captain. Why don't you go put it on?"
Kira knows an order when he hears one. So he walks over to the vice-captain's desk -- his desk -- and picks up the symbol that will tell everyone he passes that Ichimaru Gin chose him.
He struggles to get it wrapped and pinned to his sleeve, and Ichimaru says, "Tricky, is it? Then come here, Izuru."
Kira obeys.
And though Ichimaru Gin has a dismal track record with vice-captains, Kira Izuru is the only one to stay.
And for years and years, people wonder what that says about him.