Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, or any of the Bleach characters used in this fic. They all belong to Tite Kubo: the genius behind the captivating manga that started it all. I only own any of my original characters that I choose to include, as well as any of my own original plot ideas.
Goddess Of The Dawn
Prompt: Land of the midnight star...
A/N: For LJ.
"Here." The tiny girl placed a book on his lap. "I want you to read this to me."
He inspected the cover thoroughly, somewhat surprised that she wanted to read this book tonight. Frankly, it looked like it was a collection of poetry. It wasn't that he minded watching her while the captain was away, but she always asked for things like Grimm's Fairy Tales. Why was she suddenly so interested in all these new things? The night before, she'd asked him to read to her about Roman mythology. Now she wanted this?
"Are you sure this is the one, Lieutenant?" he asked hesitantly. "If you like, we could just read something like..."
She stomped her foot, putting on the angriest face she could muster. "No!" she whined, bouncing up and down. "I wanna read this one! Re-chan said it was a good one, and that I could use it. 'Sides, I promised to give it back before Kenny came home." Yachiru hung her head a little. "Kenny doesn't like to read this kinda stuff, so that means you're the only one, Yun-Yun."
So that was why...
Yumichika nodded, lifting the girl into her bed before folding the blankets around her. "You'll listen, won't you?" he said, giving her a funny look. "If not, I'll have to go and take care of the paperwork that the captain forgot to finish. All right?"
"Yes! I promise!" Yachiru said, biting her lower lip in anticipation. "But I wanna pick which one we read, 'kay?"
"Of course," he said with a smile, opening the book. "It's your bedtime story, after all."
The Fifth Seat flipped through the contents, reading off the titles of the poems for a few minutes. Suddenly, Yachiru's eyes grew wide.
"I want that one!" she shouted, slapping her hand against one of the pages, extending her finger. "That one!"
Yumichika raised an eyebrow as the lieuetenant sat back in her bed. He pointed to the page, surprised. "This one? 'Goddess Of The Dawn?'"
She nodded. "Kenny says that he likes it early in the mornings, 'cause everything looks real nice and it's not too hot. So, I like that, too!"
Now that made sense. She was always waking up just before dawn, darting around the barracks at the hellish hour, bouncing on beds, bringing peanut butter sandwiches to people, and insisting that they get up to see the "super-pretty colors" that would stream out from behind the mouhtain range. It seemed that she'd picked up far more from the captain than just her love of fighting.
She snuggled down beneath the blankets, and he began to read:
"'As fascinating as the northern lights, To which many are drawn, Luminous in the nights, The Goddes of the dawn. It took some years For me to understand The many spears I've had to withstand. I am like the borealis: A beautiful arch of light. While my address is not a palace, I am rich in delight. I am like the sunlit sky, Upon my face a bright smile. Radiant, without a try Unique, savvy and not hostile. Like a clothing brand name...'"
There was a soft smile on her face when he glanced at her. The lieutenant was a fiesty girl, but her little heart was in the right place. To her, nothing was ever wrong. Regardless of what was said, of what she didn't understand, she sought and found the sun in it all. A peculiar thing, given the way she'd been found in the Rukon. Still, she seemed to have turned out just fine.
"'...You try to give me a tag, To lower my head in shame With gossip and gag. But I am like a twinkling star. When you raise your eyes above, You'll see me dazzling from afar. Sparkling and overflowing with love.'"
For those of you who don't know, "Re-chan" is Unohana. As for the poetry, it comes from a book called Behind The Line by Aurora Threats.