[It's not unusual to find Ukitake enjoying a drink or two. He's a grown man, after all, and some days call for a swallow of sake. It is, however, unusual to find Ukitake drinking in public, in large quantities, alone.

The Soul Reaper captain is wrapped in the black and white of his uniform as he leans forward to address the fish in the koi pond in front of him. His long hair sweeps over his shoulders until the tips of the white locks dip into the water. He addresses the fish below in a drunken slur.]

Do you know ... your cousins in Soul Society seem to multiply by division. One morning I'm out in the garden, and there are only ten of you with tancho markings. The next day, I could swear there are twenty! Sometimes I wonder if Unohana-senpai makes my medicine too strong. Not that I want to argue with her. [Here, he levels a finger at the indifferent fish.] Never argue with your physician. I think she even intimidates Kyouraku. I miss him, you know. Over two thousand years as friends, and suddenly, he's gone, only not the way I would have expected, and my replacement is probably trying to convince him to give up sake and women.