He unceremoniously hands her a plain looking box. Inside is a pair of flip flops. Normal looking, detailed with red and white. However he would explain further, of course. " They are reinforced. . . If you so choose to use them as a weapon-- more durable and effective. Hidden spikes in the front-- should you need to get your point across. "
It appears that he had not quite forgotten Hiyori’s little gatling mad-stomps that she would often dish out on poor, unsuspecting members of her division. And of course, how she would glower at Mayuri’s sniffy responses at being trained. She had told him that he should train his hakuda more, but he had claimed that he wasn’t a barbarian like her.
A flood of memories always seemed to be thrust upon her when Mayuri came into her line of sight. Everything about him was unrecognisable from his hands, lips, hair… right down to even the way he stood - -but those knowing yellow eyes of his… they were always the same. Once they had been gloomy and morose, behind prison bars and eventually Kisuke had offered him an environment to thrive in.
He was still a nutcase, wasn’t he?
Which guy gave a gift that promised pain?
And yet, she was undoubtedly touched by his thoughtful gesture. Hiyori, ever wary, glanced up at him… almost as if she had been catapulted back to a hundred years ago.
She took the slippers from him, trying them on with a strangely happy expression upon her face. “Perfect fit! Hah… trust ya to know my size even after all that time!”
If she were a nice girl, she would’ve hugged him. But she wasn’t. She was Hiyori and she had always scolded him for undermining her authority so she shoved her hands in her pockets.
“You’ve picked up a lotta new tricks, heh… good ‘ta know the division is doing well under yer care.”
He was not Hikifune, but that did not matter. Her division was still… it was still passionate in their own way. She cracked a wry, tired smile. If only things could have been different.
“Thanks, Mayuri. Ya can have some cake ‘ta… take. Share it with everyone.”
Just like it had always been.
@demens-ingenium
