Chapter 1: Chapter 1


Heyy darlings, here it is! Finally, I finally sat down and wrote the first chapter to my promised sequel ;) So let's recap quickly:

1. Kumiko Sakurai (Kuna) : Aristocrat shinigami, fourth-seat of the Eleventh Division -under the command of Kenpachi Kiganjo. She is the main protagonist and an OC of mine that I made up in a second of twisted madness. She falls in love with Kisuke Urahara, and goes through a huge confusing roller coaster of emotions haha wow that was...I can't even...

2. Kumiko, at the end of the story, finds out she is pregnant with Kisuke's child. She never gets a chance to tell him, because they are both arrested (Y'know that whole Aizen vs. Kisuke, and the creation of the Vizards kinda thing...well yah).

3. Kumiko now hates Kisuke's guts...again...

So I have a few ideas for this story, and I can't wait to write more! Please enjoy this new story, my first sequel, and remember sweeties~ don't forget to review ;) Or y'know, pressing the follow story button works as well haha xx Thank you!

DISCLAIMERS: Once again, I do not, unfortunately, own Bleach or Kisuke Urahara or any of its other characters; all credit goes to Tite Kubo. Kumiko is the only one I own *sadness* but whatever ;) I also do not own the incredible poems, lyrics, or quotes that appear at the beginning and end of the chapters. I will do my best to cite them correctly.

WARNINGS: Spoilers for the Turning Back the Pendulum :D

Enjoy~


"Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul."

- William Ernest Henley, Invictus


Chapter 1

Emptiness. It was all she could feel. Her heart was torn; her mind, a complete and utter mess. She felt broken. She couldn't imagine her life in the future.

Alone. Alone in a cruel world where her only company was her unborn child. It wriggled inside of her, reminding her of the grudge she held against its father. The infant only renewed her undying hate. So why did she keep it? Ridding herself of it would be the easiest choice, and was definitely the decision that made more sense. But she couldn't bring herself to kill the child. It was hers. It was his. It was theirs.

In this wretched world, her baby was the only reminder that she had of him. It was living proof that he had actually existed, and hopefully still did. The Gotei Thirteen had sent out a search for him and his partner, but came back empty-handed. They had questioned her, trying to get information out of her, who had no clue what had even happened. But she, feeling that she would be betraying Kisuke by denying everything, remained silent, ignoring their empty and meaningless threats. Nothing could possibly be worse than losing the one you loved, not even Death itself.

And she would have welcomed her end with open arms if it hadn't been the obligation her lover had left behind. At the end of the day, this baby was the only thing that kept her going. It would have been cowardly enough to kill herself, let alone murdering an innocent child.

Besides that, she felt indebted towards Captain Kurostuchi; the man who had taken over the new roll of Squad Twelve and the person who had saved her from that vile prison. He had come a week after Kisuke's disappearance, and explained to her about his escape. To say that she was devastated was an understatement; she had been completely mortified. But still, she had to hold her head high or otherwise people would believe that she was guilty.

"Kumiko, stop daydreaming and listen to me!" a shrill complaint shattered her train of thought. God, not him.

She snapped her head back towards the annoying pretty boy standing in front of her, shifting her gaze over to his bald friend. Over the five months that she had spent in that wretched prison, Captain Kiganjō had been killed in battle by some lunatic that called himself "The Kenpachi from Zaraki". He, by tradition, had become the new captain. Rika and Maki, the cowards and loyal friends they turned out to be, fled from the squad as soon as Maki was replaced by Lieutenant Kusajishi.

That child was terrifyingly irritating. Her bright pink hair was enough to piss Kumiko off, let alone the fact that she was such a nuisance. And what was up with those ridiculous nicknames she made up? Even Zaraki got impatient with them, and she often wondered why he hadn't put the annoying cretin out of its misery yet.

"Are you still ignoring me?" The man –if you could even classify him as one –got in her face and screamed at the top of his lung, catching her off guard.

"Shut the hell up Yumichika!" Kumiko dug her fist into his face, sending him flying for the fifth time that day.

"You dare ruin my beautiful face!" he shrieked when he was back on his feet.

"What beautiful face; all I see is a pile of shit!" She shot back, closing her eyes in annoyance.

"You little cow," he muttered, flicking his bangs out of his eyes, "You're simply jealous of my–" Yumichika cut off as her foot got stuck in his mouth –a small miscalculation on her side. His eyes widened in realization and he began squealing, spitting her waraji out and frantically wiping his tongue.

"I dare you say it, Pretty Boy," Kumiko challenged, flames igniting in her eyes.

"It's good to see that you guys are getting along just fine today," Ikkaku sighed. He was leaning against one of the buildings, his sheathed sword resting against his shoulder, "So when are you going to stop quarrelling with Yumichika and actually fight me, Kumiko?"

She looked up at Ikkaku skeptically while she Noogied Yumichika, ignoring his yelping as she screwed her knuckles into his temples, "There's no point; I'll beat you anyway."

That really pissed him off.

"What did you say, you little runt?" His eyes grew ten times larger along with his mouth.

"You heard me," Kumiko trilled, flicking Yumichika away with a simple twist of the wrist, "You. Can't. Beat. Me."

"I can beat any Kido Master," Ikkaku joined the jeering, his mouth twisting into a demented-looking smirk that sent shivers down her spine. Who in their right mind would want to face someone like that anyway?

Still, she couldn't forgive him for his insult. She shot an unpleasant snarl his way; "You really wanna fight that badly?"

"You really want me to answer that?" Ikkaku smirked, unsheathing his sword and crouching down.

"Ikkaku you can't fight a pregnant woman!" Yumichika shrieked in disbelief.

"Why not?"

"Because she's pregnant!"

She laughed, "Are you getting soft on us, Pretty Boy?" She sobered and looked Yumichika squarely in the face, trying to make herself as threatening as possible, "Or are you saying that I'm weak now that I'm pregnant?"

Her low growling seemed to be a success, because he went blue in the face and began backing away, spouting out random shit that she could care less about. Shaking her head at his insolence, Kumiko turned back to Ikkaku, preparing to make him regret his grave mistake. No one was going to insult something he taught her!

"This is so stupid! Why I am doing this?"

"It's training, Kumi-kun."

She glared down at Kisuke, screaming back at him so loudly that her voice rattled the underground training grounds they were using, "How the hell is me standing on a wooden pole training?!"

He shook his head, a scolding tsk escaping his lips, "Kumiko, Kumiko, you're so impatient. This is a vital point of the training."

"You said that when you made me piss off Captain Unohana," Kumiko replied flatly, inwardly flinching at the memory.

He nodded, that adorable smartass expression written all over his face, "I know. But this time I'm being serious; this is a very vital step in Kido training."

"But it's going to be embarrassing!" She pouted, hoping that her whining would let him cut her some slack. But it came to no avail, and all she received was an air kiss.

"Do it, Kumiko."

"Fine," She sighed, scanning the training grounds, one last time, for anyone. When she found no one, she closed her eyes, took in a deep breath and shouted at the top of her lungs, "O' holy pillar of timber! Grant me your power and lend me our strength! As I stand on yonder…wood, I beg you to–"

Kumiko looked down at Kisuke rolling in the sand, holding his sides as he laughed he guts out. Next to him, Yoruichi, in her wondrous glory, smirked up at Kumiko. Realizing that she had been tricked, the ill-tempered girl jumped down and didn't hold back, immediately attacking Kisuke; biting and clawing at anything she could grab ahold of.

"Idiot, why are you walking away?" Ikkaku asked, lowering his sword as Kumiko turned away.

She shook her head, stubbornly choosing not to answer his question. She didn't want to fight anymore, not while she was so distracted about him. Bloody man! Even after he had left he still caused her trouble!

Kumiko shut the door to her office, slumping down into her chair. One look at paperwork made her queasy, so she decided not to do it. Screw what the new captain thought; screw what anyone thought. Nothing mattered, not anymore.

"Asshole!" Kumiko screamed, her thundering voice catching the attention of the officers in the surrounding buildings. She didn't care. All she wanted was to shout and curse him until her throat was hoarse.

"Whatcha screaming about, Kumi-Kumi?"

Kumiko slammed her fist against her desk, scowling at the pink-haired brat sitting on the corner of it. Why couldn't she just bother someone else today? Why was it always Kumiko whom Yachiru was always choosing to bug? She was nearly as ridiculous as Kisuke!

"Nothing that concerns you Lieutenant Kusajishi, so just go fu–" the woman stuttered to a stop, laying her hands on her belly.

She was moving. Kumiko smiled, closing her eyes and trying to picture what her child would look like. Would it be a girl or a boy? Kumiko was feeling like the infant was a girl; it was guesswork but Kumiko was almost certain of it. Kumiko also wandered if she would have her mother's eyes, or her father's. She hoped it was the latter, since these eyes of hers only caused revolted stares and trouble.

"Kumiko, what the hell are you doing?" The captain waltzed in, tilting his head to the side as he watched the strange woman.

Yachiru leapt from the wooden desk to her friend's shoulder, jumping up and down and giggling, "Kumi-Kumi's baby is kicking her, Kenny!"

"Huh?" he glanced at Yachiru, "That sounds painful. Why on earth would you let a baby beat you up?"

"It is not painful at all, Captain Zaraki," Everyone turned to the entrance again, warily staring at their new company. Captain Unohana glided towards Kumiko with the grace of an angel, smiling with the innocence of one, "A mother feeling her child kicking her is one of the most precious things in life. Truly magic, don't you think…Captain Kenpachi Zaraki?"

"Uh, yeah," he scratched his head, attempting to turn away from her grueling smile, "I've had enough of this bullshit. Kumiko, don't forget to go on your rounds with Yumichika."

"Yes, Zaraki-taicho," Kumiko finally dropped her hands away from her belly and bowed to her captain. She faced the next captain, briefly wandered about Captain Unohana's tense grin, and asked, "Why have you come, Unohana-taicho?"

"I came here to bring you to the Fourth Division since you didn't come to your appointment today, Sakurai-san," she explained, "I hope you didn't…forget?"

"N-nope!" Kumiko squeaked, inwardly cringing at the dark presence suddenly coiling around her throat, "I…I just got carried away –yeah, that's it! I got busy and couldn't come –my deepest apologies, Unohana-taicho."

Kumiko flinched as Unohana giggled, "You act just like Urahara-san sometimes, Sakurai-san."

"…I'm nothing like him," she responded, turning away angrily.

She felt the studious stares of the Fourth Division Captain before she felt another obnoxious kick from the wretched little beast inside her. Damn Kisuke! How could he do this to her? It was bad enough to leave her to rot in that bloody cell, but to abandon his fucking child? The man truly had been maniacal.

He didn't know anything. That stupid voice known as her conscience began to rear its ugly head. You were too chicken to tell him that you were pregnant remember?

Kumiko: Shut it.

Conscience: You've got no one to blame but yourself.

Kumiko: You're me moron!

Conscience: Then you just called yourself a moron.

Kumiko: You piece of shit, I–

"Sakurai-san, are you well?" Captain Unohana asked with great caution, looking at the woman amusedly, "You seem to be having an inner battle with yourself."

Kumiko and Conscience: How the hell did she know that?

"It's nothing to be concerned about," Kumiko replied stiffly, marching towards her office door and thrusting it open to welcome the bleached sunlight. The soft chimes of clanging battle swords reached both pairs of ears, and seemed to erase the room of tension with every strike. Kumiko closed her eyes and took a deep breath of her division. The smell of sweat and blood would have scared any outsider away, but not Kumiko. It was soothing; a reminder of what her life had been like a year and a half prior, before she even knew of Kisuke's existence, a time where the only thing that mattered was the bloody sword in her hands, and the thought of thwacking off the head of any enemy to the Seireitei.

Those days were over. For now.

She glanced down at her belly, the bulging mound that held the only tie that connected her to her old self. The self that wouldn't be waiting for these nine months of torture to end so that she could go hunt the bastard that damaged her pride, as well as the people she had come to love and cherish.

"Do you know why I hate him so much Unohana-sama…" whispered Kumiko, staring outside of the walls of the Eleventh, where Squad Twelve were. It had grown very quiet after Kisuke left, even with all the renovations that Captain Kurotsuchi had ordered.

Unohana didn't say anything for a long while, but finally addressed the girl, "Why, Kumiko?"

She leaned against the doorway, and smiled tiredly, "That man…I loved him. I trusted him." Her voice thickened with the heartbroken tears, "For the first time in a long time, I was reminded of what it was like to be wanted, to have someone who would hold me and tell me that it would be alright. And I was stupid…so…stupid. For a second, I thought that maybe this time would be different. That he would stay…unlike Haku…but I was wrong."

"Haku didn't leave you by choice, Sakurai-san. Kisuke did, however."

"I hate him. I hate the part of him that infests my child." Her eyes squinted, a faint mist of green outlining her body, "I'll find him, and I'll crush his skull with my bare hands. I'll kill that son of a bitch, even if it means I have to destroy this body in order to do so."

She startled at the comforting touch of Unohana's hand. It was a rare gesture of genuine empathy from the old witch, and Kumiko was lulled into her previous state of dormant anger again, realizing how inappropriate it was of her to lose composure in front of a captain of the Court Guard Squads. She may have disgraced herself by letting a traitor touch her body, but she had a family name to protect, and a rank that required a higher level of maturity and grace.

"Forgive me, Unohana-taicho," Kumiko bowed her head respectfully, "I have kept you waiting for quite some time now."

The two set out to the Fourth Division. Although there was an infirmary inside the Squad Ten Barracks, ironically three rooms from Kumiko's office, but Unohana-taicho refused to use it. Her reasons were still to be announced; all Kumiko could gather was that the old woman felt uncomfortable in the Tenth Division. Not that she could blame her; Kumiko herself found herself trembling when face-to-face with the new captain and his creepy little lieutenant.

And in some ways, Unohana not wanting to use the Squad Ten infirmary was a blessing for Kumiko. She had been forced to drive a desk ever since she had been released by Central Forty-Six, and the discovery of her pregnancy was made known. The cruel bastards insisted that she had the child, which just happened to mean that she was unable to do any physical activity –such as going to the World of the Living, or even lifting her zanpakuto –to prevent any harm to the infant growing inside her. Coming hand in hand with that, Kumiko was placed under heavy surveillance constantly; having to sign in and out every time she left the barracks. It had gotten so bad that there were now three Shinigami standing guard outside her bedroom, in case she "tried to escape like her partner".

Not that she had anywhere to go.