Title: Kaleidoscope
Pairings: This chapter contains Hisagi x Hinamori, Kira x Hinamori, and Renji x Rukia
Rating: M
Warnings: There is also slight OOC (sorry), language, and minor sexual material
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach Tite Kubo does.
It was all over. All of the pain had closed on the day when those two men walked into the distance to return to Hueco Mundo. At that moment, Ukitake Juushirou was breathing easy. They had changed since that day. They had become one nation instead of thirteen divisions split apart from one another. Every captain position was filled and every division was prospering. The transition was complete.
Still, his heart broke every time that he looked around the office, he remembered Yamamoto. He was with him the night that he died, his last words ringing through his head. All he could remember was where the key was located. He thought to himself that this still wasn't real, that it was still a dream that was being repeated again and again in his head. But everyday he was shown that it was no dream.
He looked out the window at his kingdom; the smiling faces of the shinigami walking down the street made him realize that in the past months that he had done something right. He had pieced them all together.
"I did what you wanted me to, sensei," he breathed. "I did everything that you wanted me to…"
At that moment there was a knock on the door. "Soutaichou?"
Ukitake turned to the door as he recognized that voice, a sigh passing his lips. "What is it, Izuru?"
The door opened as Kira Izuru walked through the door. Kira had done wonders for the 3rd Division. What was once considered the laughing stock of all of the Soul Society was now one of the strongest factions of his army. Kira showed them that they had to stick together and showed them the strength that Ukitake had taught him. The formerly meek lieutenant was gone and only Captain Kira was left in his wake. Nothing was left but a hard working, distant man.
"I was wondering what we are to do about our lieutenant situation," Kira breathed as he walked forward. "A lot of our divisions don't have adjutants. And you know that these are difficult times for the Soul Society. Since the passing of Yamamoto…"
Ukitake closed his eyes as Kira kept talking. He remembered what Ichimaru Gin had told him, Aizen might not be dead. He looked over at Kira and took a deep breath. Ever since Yamamoto died, Ukitake had feared that if Aizen ever came back, he would be helpless. Aizen was the one who threw the society into what it was in today, and although they had new captains to control the divisions, he couldn't help but remember the captains that he had broken. Both Kuchiki and Kyouraku had become the height of all of the gossip in all of the Soul Society, the word rape coming up for both of them. Ukitake closed his eyes as he thought about that, his stomach churning as he knew that could have happened.
"Ukitake-sama?" Kira asked, breaking the captain commander out of his stupor. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Ukitake answered. "I know very well the situation that we're in. And I can assure you that we'll be out of it very soon. Lieutenants will be assigned. We already have one for the 13th Division and it's only a matter of time until everyone follows suit."
"I am worried for the 5th Division. Hinamori doesn't have a lieutenant and I fear that her training is not going right on schedule…" Kira closed his eyes as he thought of the progress that Hinamori was making with Tobiume.
"She's going at a wondrous pace. I have trained her well," Ukitake breathed. "But I know that's not why you came to me. Have there been problems? You just got together…"
Kira closed his eyes and sighed as he was readying himself to answer that question. "It's Hisagi-taichou. She spends most of her time with him praying that he'll get better. I don't like all of the attention that she's giving him."
"He needs it," Ukitake answered as he looked down at the paperwork, remembering what Tousen and Ichimaru had told him.
The said that it was the only way to save his life, that he only lived because the will that Aizen's power held. It didn't want to fade away and it ate at Hisagi like a disease. Ukitake recalled all of the visits to Hisagi, feeling that reiatsu, he was a demon. Aizen was alive within him, and it started a spark in the Soul Society. Half of them lived in fear that Aizen would take over Hisagi's body and with that power, he would become more powerful than even Ukitake Juushirou himself. The other half knew that Hisagi was too strong that something of that caliber would never happen no matter what. Still Ukitake knew that everyone had a right to be concerned.
Kira was not one of those captains. He didn't even think of the resurrection of Aizen's power. He was more concerned with Hinamori's infatuation with the 9th Division captain. Day in and day out all he would do was watch as she went to see him in the 4th Division, fearing that she wasn't going to come back to him. It had driven him crazy to the point where all he did was work, forging his 3rd Division into something that he found was far stronger than that of the 9th Division.
"Hisagi-kun is lucky to be breathing. He should have died that day," Ukitake sighed. "Not even Unohana-taichou's zanpakutou could save his life."
"He was…" Kira breathed. "And I thank the heavens that he is. I would be lost without him, as would Hinamori…"
"What are you implying?" Ukitake asked as he looked at the 3rd Division captain.
Kira closed his eyes. "I don't know," he took a deep breath. "I guess I'm tired. I should get back to the division…"
As Kira walked away, Ukitake knew what Kira was thinking. He was thinking that Hinamori was no longer happy with him. Ukitake could tell as he watched her, there was nothing in her eyes as she looked at Kira. He knew that the relationship that she and he had for the past months was nothing. And then he knew… the enemy was no longer Aizen. In these months that they were trying to rebuild peace, the only enemies that they had to watch out for were each other.
He closed his eyes as he thought about all that had been occurring, the Soul Society was in for more than he perceived that it was. He closed his eyes deeper as he remembered the look on those two men's faces as they walked into the distance. They were going to get out of this.
"When will he come back, Ichimaru?" Ukitake asked as he ran a hand through his ivory ponytail, thinking back to that moment, thinking of Hisagi as he went deeper into his thoughts. He closed his eyes as he tried to get back to the paperwork that was left behind; he was not to fall astray.
0o0o0o0o0o0
Renji woke up, looking around his living quarters. It had become so different since he gained captain status. He no longer had to rush to where his captain was and be as prompt as possible. He had the freedom to so as he wished for so long. He closed his eyes as he took in the glory. He was a captain.
He looked next to him and saw Rukia slumbering on his shoulder. The last few months were like heaven. Together they had made the 13th Division a force to be reckoned with, thanks to his determination and her experience in the division. The 13th Division soon became a force to be reckoned with as they had more military drive than they did when they were underneath Ukitake.
He rose from bed, yawning slightly as he ran a hand through her hair. They had become more passionate than they should have in the short time that they had together. Every night when they had the chance, they would make love. The feeling of Rukia's body close to his, the sound of her voice as he moved deeper within her, it made him realize that all of this was worth something.
"Rukia," he breathed as he looked down at her.
She opened her eyes and looked up at him, her gaze empty as it had been for the past few weeks. Rukia had grown ill since her promotion, nerves taking its toll everyday that passed. She would become aggressive, she would become nauseous. But through all of her pain she refused to see the 4th Division.
"Feeling better?" he asked.
She nodded as she got out of bed. "Yeah," she started to gather her clothes, not looking at him, her breathing hard as he ran a hand through her black hair. "It feels like today may be a better day."
"Glad to hear it," Renji breathed as he looked into her eyes. "Why haven't you seen a doctor yet?"
"Not that serious," she breathed as she looked into his eyes. "I don't want you to worry about this; you have the whole division to deal with."
"I think I have a right to know what keeps my fiancée and lieutenant up at night," he breathed as he watched her get dressed.
Every time that they tried to discuss it, she would always yell at him and then leave the room. There were even some nights where she would deny love from him so that she could rest. It was driving him insane to watch her suffer and not be able to do anything to help her. The last week had been the worst up until last night when they were able to make love again, but the other nights were horrible. He would hold her as she cried, the pain in her abdomen driving her deeper into the pit of pain.
"Rukia, what's going on?" he asked again.
"I'll see what it is after we get the division in complete order. You and I both know that we cannot be bothered with this," she grabbed her zanpakutou. "I have to go help organize the squads. I'll be back in the office momentarily."
As she walked through the door, he could feel all of the pain that she was in. He couldn't help but think that it was his fault. Yet at the same time, he knew what had caused it. The Aizen scare. Everyone who heard the Hisagi had the heart of the Devil within him started to become antsy as they looked at him. She was no doubt a victim. He closed his eyes and fell back on the bed hoping that was the case.
"I guess we'll see later," he breathed as he turned to his side to fall back asleep.
0o0o0o0o0o0
"Are you feeling better?" Iba asked as he looked at the 9th Division captain.
Hisagi glanced at the lieutenant as he went through the paperwork that he was going through. "Never better."
He thought back to the meetings that had been occurring, knowing that he was the start of the hubbub that was going through the Soul Society like a drug. He closed his eyes as he felt his own heartbeat in his chest, realizing that day was the day that had changed the way that everything had ever functioned in the Soul Society. Everyday, Iba would come to him and let him in on who was an enemy and who was an ally, to the point where he knew just how insecure everyone in the Soul Society was.
"Seen Hinamori lately?" Iba asked.
Hisagi sighed. "Why?"
"I know how you feel about her," Iba breathed. "I hear you when you sleep in here, all you say is her name. You're thinking about that kiss between her and Kira again."
The captain closed his eyes as he remembered that day; he let her go that moment. He thought that he was doing them a favor. In the end it lead him to do exactly what he had promised he wouldn't. He gave everything up for her, if he was unable to live with her; he wasn't going to live at all. He had fallen for her, and he still cared. It broke his heart every time that he remembered that day between them. He closed his eyes as remembered what he had said to her. He was going to wait, and it wasn't the time. He looked down at the paperwork and engrossed himself in his as he tried to block out Iba's presence.
Hisagi then looked up from his paperwork as he heard footsteps come to the doorway. His heart raced as he felt the reiatsu, knowing that Hinamori had come to see him once again. She was teasing him for the past weeks, tempting him with her greatest weapon, the fact that she knew that he had fallen in love with her. He kept trying to tell himself that she and Kira were going to be happy. But now as he felt her he knew otherwise, he knew he still was in love with her.
"I had some free time," she breathed as she walked through the door. "So I wanted to see you."
He put down the paperwork. "What does Kira think of this?" he asked, his voice cold.
Hinamori didn't have a thought of retaliation in her mind. "He was too busy to notice…"
Looking into her eyes, Hisagi knew that this was more serious that he ever thought it would be. "Iba-san, will you leave us?" he asked, not looking at the lieutenant.
Iba nodded. "Alright," he stood up. "I'll talk to you later about all of this."
As Iba left, Hinamori walked to the side of Hisagi's bed, her eyes looknig directly into his melting him into nothingness every second that passed. "Are you better today?"
He closed his eyes and took a breath as he smiled at her as she came closer to him, her reiatsu intoxicating her. "I've been on so many drugs lately, I don't really feel pain anymore," he took a deep breath as he fought the urge to kiss her as he sat on his bed. "It's good to see you back."
"I was worried about you; I worry about you everyday that goes by, fearing the day when you're going to reject the heart," she watched as he took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling stiffly, his eyes closing tightly, he body moving closer, speaking to him in a whisper. "I still feel that you made the wrong choice. You know that I love you more than anything and still you choose to live without. Why?"
"Drop it!" he said quickly, opening his eyes, not wanting to hear her beg, he loved her more than anything, and she knew that. "You can't think to the past. You can only stay situated on the future. That future is with Kira."
"This is insane!" she yelled, a single tear starting to form in her eye as she looked at him, not wanting to hear the words that he was saying. "Why are you denying yourself what you want?"
Hisagi then took a deep breath, trying to wipe her tears away with his words. "All he wants is for her to be happy, and that means you must stay with Kira, so be it."
"I wants to be with you," she then kissed his lips passionately, holding his body close to hers as he closed his eyes, his body shuddering as she deepened the kiss, her tongue passing his lips. Tears rolled down his face as his hand moved to the side of her face, caressing it slowly, relishing in the moment that he had with her. For this moment, she was his.
"I would go with you if I could," he breathed as he backed away from her lips, coming back to his senses. "But you have a promise to Kira. I can't."
Hinamori then closed her eyes, her voice soft and cold as she backed away from his body in silence, still trembling, walking out of the room, her heart breaking as he continued to go through his paperwork. "We'll see about that."
0o0o0o0o0o0
"I can't help but feel that there's something wrong with Rukia," Renji breathed as he walked forward. "Do you ever get the feeling that this Aizen scare may be more severe than we thought?"
"What makes you think that?" Kira asked as he looked at Renji, the two of them walking down the street side by side.
It was odd to see Kira out and about from the office since he was appointed to the position of captain, the only time anyone saw him was when he was walking down the street from Ukitake to the 3rd Division. To see him and Renji together was something that was unheard of, all of the people walking down the street staring as they looked at the two captains. Something was wrong.
"I think it's getting to Rukia," the 13th Division captain breathed as he looked at his friend. "I think that she's grown ill from it."
"I think that she'll feel between once we all get lieutenants, Kira answered. And for once in his captaincy, he felt as though he would be able to breathe easy with that thought.
They continued to walk down the street as they realized that the war had only begun. A dawn of a new evil was about to begin.
I'm not too happy with the way that it turned out, so I may edit it tomorrow. This is the new story, there is no real villian in this as much as it is an inner struggle to those who are already in the Soul Society. I hope that you all enjoy this installment. New fans are welcome.
I recommend reading Falling Petals first.