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Post by Yumiko Ryouma on Aug 10, 2014 0:37:01 GMT -6
Yumiko blushed and smiled. "Kyoraku-san, you know I'm not a princess." She slid the cloth bookmark in its place and set her Kido book aside. "Thank you for taking the time to come here."
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Post by Captain Juushiro Ukitake on Aug 10, 2014 0:41:18 GMT -6
Juushiro chuckled as his friend frowned. "He's pouting now, Yumi. He can't stand not being able to use his pet name for you." He moved past his friend and pressed his lips to Yumiko's forehead affectionately. "It's a beautiful day outside," he greeted quietly. "The sky is an endless blue and there are more clouds drifting on the breeze today."
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Post by Commander Shunsui Kyoraku on Aug 10, 2014 0:49:33 GMT -6
Shunsui rubbed the back of his head. "What Juushiro isn't telling you," he paused dramatically, "is that you're prettier than the sky outside," he finished and swirled into a large bow.
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Post by Yumiko Ryouma on Aug 10, 2014 0:51:44 GMT -6
Listening to both his words and his kimono rustling, Yumiko blushed again and covered her face with her wide sleeve. "Kyoraku-san..." she protested weakly. She couldn't stop smiling though.
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Post by Captain Juushiro Ukitake on Aug 10, 2014 0:54:01 GMT -6
Juushiro smiled as her pale cheeks filled with color at Shunsui's silly antics and sat down on one side of her. "The clown over there also has a gift for you," he said gently.
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Post by Commander Shunsui Kyoraku on Aug 10, 2014 0:57:39 GMT -6
"Juushiro," Shunsui whined, sitting on her other side, "did you have to tell her my secret?"
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Post by Captain Juushiro Ukitake on Aug 10, 2014 0:59:05 GMT -6
"Was it a secret?" Juushiro asked in turn.
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Post by Yumiko Ryouma on Aug 10, 2014 1:02:02 GMT -6
Yumiko frowned slightly, her hand automatically rubbing at the cuffs on her wrists. "But I haven't finished the latest book yet," she whispered, and lowered her head. "I'm not ready to progress to the next level," she admitted in an even lower tone.
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Post by Commander Shunsui Kyoraku on Aug 10, 2014 1:07:45 GMT -6
The Captain Commander in pink frowned. It was true that the rate at which she was learning had slowed over the past decade or so. And there were many reasons to that. Setting the new book aside, he took her hands in his large ones. "There is no reason to apologize or feel embarrassed, Yumiko," he murmured gently. "Each book is a new level in difficulty."
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Post by Captain Juushiro Ukitake on Aug 10, 2014 1:36:52 GMT -6
"You have made great progress, Yumi," Juushiro continued, voice reassuring. He reached out and laid her current reading on her lap. "What number are you at again?"
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Post by Yumiko Ryouma on Aug 10, 2014 1:48:57 GMT -6
She set her hand on the book cover. "55, 56 in Hado, 50 in Bakudo," she stated hesitantly. "There are some gaps," she confessed a moment later.
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Post by Commander Shunsui Kyoraku on Aug 10, 2014 1:56:29 GMT -6
Shunsui nodded and set the new book on top of the first. "You are already much farther than most of your peers, Yumiko, and you're an excellent student," he said firmly. He hesitated, reading the slight trembling in her hands. He closed his eyes. "You have no need to worry," he declared in a low confiding tone.
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Post by Yumiko Ryouma on Aug 10, 2014 1:59:27 GMT -6
"That's something he would say..." Yumi lisped, hands shaking, eyes itching without the tears. Then, Yumiko Ryouma took a slow deep breath and her hands were still again. "I miss Yama-jii," she said quietly, voice cleared of all negative emotion.
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Post by Captain Juushiro Ukitake on Aug 10, 2014 2:07:03 GMT -6
Juushiro closed his own eyes. It was yet another great injustice that the binding had robbed her of the ability to cry. It made the shell around her feelings even tighter. She hated to show the fact that the cuffs bothered her, and trembling from strong feelings was attached to that. "We all do," he said slowly, voice low with his own grief.
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Post by Commander Shunsui Kyoraku on Aug 10, 2014 2:21:09 GMT -6
Shunsui made to reply when the door opened again, revealing her silent attendant and a tray of refreshments. After setting it down, she bowed and offered him something he did not want to see, the token to beckon him back to his office. He raised an eyebrow at his friend who had likewise seen the unfortunate piece of wood. Juushiro gave a slight shake of his head. Shunsui turned back to Yumiko, who had returned to maintaining a serene image. "I must depart, Yumi-hime," he called out. "Unfortunately, I don't have as much time on my hands as I used to."
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