Don't own Bleach. The long awaited sequel to Patience. There's going to be a few changes. One, Utsumi's Zanpakuto. The call and name will probably be different but the abilities and appearance will be the same. It will likely drift away from canon and there WILL be character deaths. I've not decided who yet but I have a vague idea of who.
He was in bed, back in the World of the Living. It was another troublesome night. The nightmares have gotten worse, they were more vivid, and everything was more intense. The lighting, the smells, the sounds were all amped up. Things had come to a head in the Soul Society, Aizen and his followers had been outed as the traitors they were and fled to Hueco Mundo. To Utsumi, that was not justice. That was not the way it was supposed to happen. After all was said and done, Aizen, Gin and Tousen were still free and were planning something against the Soul Society. Although he was reinstated as a Squad Eight member, Utsumi's time back in the Soul Society has been anything but smooth. Everyone treats him with either mistrust or contempt.
He always struggled to put into words what she meant to him. From the very beginning, Utsumi struggled to tell her how he felt. Even after they had been together a while, he still found it difficult to tell her what she meant to him. Yoruichi always said she knew what she meant to Utsumi. He wished he could tell her exactly what she is to him, what she means but he just can not find the words. He looked over at her peaceful, sleeping face. Her perfect dusky skin, a small smile on her lips. He knew hat he wanted to say to her, he just could never get the words out. Utsumi had told her he loved her a time or two but there was a lot more he wanted to say. Everything he had come up with had felt inadequate.
Looking at Yoruichi with her shorter, pixie style hair, he cannot help but reminded of when they met over a century ago. He had no idea back then, when he put himself in self imposed exile, that he would fall hard for the noblewoman. Everyday he would look at her and wonder would they have gotten together or even met if Aizen did not screw everything up. Of course he knew the answer to this, no. She would be promised to some preening nobleman with a good family name with status and power and he would have worked his way up the ranks in Squad Eight and with a stroke of luck become Captain. That was all in the past now. Another life for another person. After all, he has Yoruichi and that is more than he deserved.
Before he knew it, the sun was beginning to rise and beams of sunlight began to creep into the room. They were still staying with Urahara. It was just simpler that way. They could come and go as they please and there was a place to open a portal to the Seireitei safely.
"Did you get any sleep last night, Kaito?" a sleepy voice asked him and a weight came down on his chest.
Yoruichi had moved over and rested her head on his chest, her shorter purple hair tucked behind her ear. She was peering up at him with her big golden eyes filled with concern, he gave her a tired smile, "Some."
She sighed. It had become routine for Yoruichi to ask her companion how he slept. It had gotten worse the longer there was no sign of Aizen or what he was planning. There was not a day that went by without her feeling Utsumi tense up beside her or sneak out of bed or toss and turn until he woke up. Some nights she would wake up and stay awake with him but others she was just too tired to keep her eyes open.
The purple haired woman shifted so she was sat up right and was able to look directly at Utsumi, "Any more that yesterday? The day before?"
Utsumi shrugged, "I don't know. A few hours."
Yoruichi frowned slightly. She had no idea how he functioned on a few hours sleep. "It's better than last night at least." she got out of bed and pulled on a black tank top with yellow shorts. She told herself it would get better, but she knew that it would not get better until Aizen was dealt with once and for all. Her stomach rumbled letting her know that it was time to eat. "Let's get some breakfast."
Nodding his head, Utsumi got up and dressed. Always the optimist. It was one of his favourite things about Yoruichi. He followed her out to where the round wooden table was. It was cluttered with writings of theories about Aizen's potential plan. Utsumi sat down and waited for Yoruichi who had already made a lot of different foods; cereals, toasts and an assortment of fruits. Once they were both sat at the table, Utsumi watched as Yoruichi stuffed her face with a bit of everything and smiled a toothy grin, his blue eyes lit up.
"What?" she asked around a mouthful of food. "What are you staring at, Kaito?"
With a shake of his head, his messy, knotted brown hair bouncing with his head, "Nothing, I just can't believe you can stick all that food in your mouth at once."
Yoruichi swallowed before she scoffed, "So what? I enjoy my food. Is that a crime?" she said a teasing smile on her face.
Utsumi bit into a slice of toast, "Not at all. It's just you ate all the fruit." he pointed to the now empty bowl that sat on the table.
"You getting slow, Kaito. Maybe you should have kept up with your training instead of gallivanting around with those human girls."
He knew she was referring to Tatsuki and Ichigo's friends. Utsumi was very fond of Tatsuki, they were so similar in a lot of ways. She was like the sibling that he never had growing up in the Soul Society. He also knew that she was just joking, the tell-tale smirk. However, before he could reply, Urahara came bursting in.
"Utsumi, you need to go and back up Ichigo. He's hurt." the scientist had a large sack in his hands with who knows what inside.
He pulled out the little red pill from his pocket and swallowed. His Shinigami form materialised. Utsumi checked his Zanpakuto, "How bad is it?"
"It's Ichigo. If he's involved, I'm sure things are going to get complicated quickly."
"I meant his injuries." Utsumi moved toward the door.
"Orihime is there with him right now." Urahara answered, "We have to assume that Aizen is involved and he has made his move. Yoruichi and I will prepare something here while you go and help Ichigo. The Reiatsu is powerful and there are two of them. Be careful, Utsumi."
"Don't do anything stupid, Kaito." it sounded glib but Utsumi knew that it was just her way.
That was all that Utsumi needed to hear. He was out the door and one step closer to finding Aizen.
