AN: I wrote this after an English test since I finished early and had a lot of time, so I'm sorry if it sucks. This is my failed attempt at writing something with a little bit of romance, but it's hard for me since I've never really experienced this type of thing... So, tell me if there are things you think I should improve on. I tried to make the ending clear, but if it doesn't make sense, I'll be happy to email you or whatever to explain. This is just a one-shot.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. End of story.
Realize On Your Own
One-shot
"Ukitake-taicho!" I called worriedly, my long black hair flowing as I ran to his side.
He was crouched on the floor, coughing up blood while trying to hold himself up against the wall of the Tenth Division. Drops of blood landed on his haori, his white hair shielding his face from view. I knelt down beside him, tilting my head to get a better look at him. I laid my hand on his back in a comforting fashion, knowing the best thing I could do was wait it out until he stopped then take him to the Forth Division.
"I-" he got cut off by more violent coughs. After a few minutes, he was well enough to let out an, "I'm fine."
"No you're not. We need to get you to Unohana-taicho." I urged, standing him straight and attempting to pull him by the hand towards the Forth Division.
"I'll be fine, Tanaka-san." he said, pulling his hand out of my grasp, a light pink dusting his face.
Why would he- oh, I get it.
"Now Taicho, no need to be embarrassed! Just because I'm an unseated officer, doesn't mean it's degrading if you need my help! I'm just as capable as Kiyone-san or Sentaro-san! Well…maybe not as capable, but I can guarantee I won't get you killed!" my smile faltered as I added, "I hope."
He looked down at me in surprise as we walked to the Forth Division, although I haven't the slightest clue why- the surprise, not the walking. I know why we're doing that. He couldn't have been surprised by my comment, there was nothing else he could've been thinking, right? Unless…
Nope. I got nothing.
"Tanaka-san, I am well aware of your capabilities, I have been your captain for quite some time now." he said, a slight warmness in his tone.
"Then why were you blushing? I assumed it was because you were embarrassed that I was ordering you around… What were you blushing for then?" I asked innocently.
He flushed slightly, turning his head away from me. Maybe I hit a nerve… Ugh. I've never been any good with reading people. We continued walking in an awkward silence until I couldn't take it anymore and cleared my throat.
"Uh… So why were you at the Tenth Division?" I asked, genuinely curious.
"Huh?" he said, as if I had just interrupted his thoughts.
"I said, why were you at the Tenth Division?" I repeated.
"Oh. I was visiting little Shiro-kun. I had some candy I thought he might like, since the last ones I gave him were gone rather quickly." he said cheerily, oblivious to my sweat drop.
If only he knew that Hitsugaya-taicho gave me the candy Taicho always gives him… Well, I guess what he doesn't know won't hurt him.
"Right…"
"Well, what were you doing there, Tanaka-san?"
"I was looking for Rangiku-san. I told her how some friends of mine invited me for some "shots", but I declined, not knowing what those were. So, she said that she would explain, but she had to demonstrate it for me! I wanted to see if she was free so that she could show me now." I answered, smiling widely. It was his turn to sweat drop.
"Uh… Tanaka-san?" he asked cautiously.
"Yes?"
"I suggest you don't accept Matsumoto-san's invitation." he said simply.
"Why not?" I didn't see anything wrong with finding out what people were inviting me out for. I hadn't had much free time in the academy and didn't talk much, so I never really learned much of things that had nothing to do with being shinigami.
"Eh… I just think it best you don't." he said after a short moment of silence.
"Oh… Okay then, Ukitake-taicho. Now, come on, we still need to see Unohana-taicho to make sure you'll be alright."
"Alright then." he said, letting out a sigh of defeat and allowing me to drag him to the Forth Division.
"You'll be fine for now, but I suggest you take it easy, Ukitake-taicho." Unohana-taicho said softly, a small smile gracing her young features.
"See, there was nothing to worry about, Tanaka-san." Ukitake-taicho said, smiling down at me.
"Well, you know what they say Taicho, better safe than sorry." I said defiantly.
"I suppose you're right… Well, I'll be seeing you later, Unohana-taicho. Lets go, Tanaka-san." he said, walking swiftly out of the room we had been put in for his check-up.
"Taicho! I'm bored!" I whined, sitting on the couch of his office, braiding my hair in a sloppy manner.
He sighed, looking up from his paperwork. I felt his gaze on me for a few seconds before he finally spoke up.
"I'm sorry, Tanaka-san, but what do you suggest I do?"
"Make me not bored?"
"And how do you suppose I do that?"
"Uh… Do something entertaining?"
"Like what?"
"Something that will make me not bored, we've been over this!" I groaned, turning over to lie on my stomach and look him in the eyes.
"Why don't you go walk around for a bit? It may clear your mind so that you can think of something to do on your own." he stated kindly, chuckling a bit at my antics.
"Walk around? Oh, can I go over to Rukongai? I'd like to find a good book to read and I saw an interesting one the last time I was there!" I asked excitedly.
"Of course. Just be careful, okay?" he smiled a genuinely warm smile.
Random observation time! For some reason I may never comprehend, Taicho is always so nice to me. I mean, I'm still an unseated officer and have been an official shinigami for less than two years. Of course, I guess that's just his personality… Although, I could swear he treats me better than most…
Oh, well. I'm probably just over analyzing things.
"Okay." I chirped, jumping up.
Apparently, I jumped up a little too quickly, because I ended up tripping. I expected myself to hit the ground, but instead felt a pair of strong arms wrap around my middle. Ukitake-taicho steadied me and let go, the pink dust adorning his features once again. For once, I was sure the same thing was tinting my face as well.
"Are you okay?" he asked in concern.
"Y-yeah. I'm just f-fine." I stammered out. I never stammer.
What was happening to me?
"Hey, Airi-chan!" a familiar voice called from behind. I spun, only to be crushed in a pair of gigantic…assets…
"Mmmf fme mumf!" I can't breathe! The "attacker" let go of me quickly allowing me to catch my breath. I looked up to see Rangiku-san smiling sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck.
"Hehehe… Sorry about that, Airi-chan." she said apologetically.
"That's alright, Rangiku-san. It's not like I'm dead. Wait- technically, I am- but it's not because of you- Ah- I mean-" I was cut off when my face was buried once again in her assets.
"You're so cute when you're flustered!" she squealed.
"Rangiku-san!" I managed out. She immediately dropped me again, causing me to fall on my butt.
"I'm sorry! I couldn't help it! Anyway, where're you going?" she asked, pulling me up by the arm.
"Oh, Ukitake-taicho gave me permission to go over to Rukongai." I stated, shrugging my shoulders.
She grinned suggestively.
"So, how are things with you and Ukitake-taicho going?" she asked as if she were hoping something to gossip about.
"Um…the way things have always been?" I said- no, more like asked. The look she was giving me scared me a bit.
She sighed in frustration. She gave me a look that said, "you still haven't figured it out?", which really confused me.
"Why do I always feel like everyone knows something I don't?"
"Oh, come on. Not everyone knows. We're still waiting for Ukitake-taicho to realize it." she replied, giggling like a schoolgirl.
"What! Then what happens when he finds out?"
"Well, then everyone will know something you don't." she shrugged nonchalantly.
"That's not fair! Can you at least tell me? I don't like being left out of the loop!"
"Airi-chan, this is something you'll have to realize on your own." and with that, she turned and left in the opposite direction of her division.
Now that I think about it, she was walking rather quickly…
"MATSUMOTO!" the familiar voice of Hitsugaya-taicho called from his office.
I guess that's why.
I skipped through Junrinan (District One) happily, whistling softly while looking at the different buildings. Taicho was right, all I really needed was some fresh air to clear my mind. The new book I had just bought was now in a bag that hung on my forearm, bumping into my right leg each time I took a step. After some thinking, I came to the conclusion that the reason I was blushing when I almost fell back there was because I've never been that physically close to anyone, and Taicho just so happened to be one of my closest friends.
Makes sense, right? Right? Fine, be that way.
When I noticed that the crowd of people had thinned a bit, I also noticed an unfamiliar man following me not-so-inconspicuously. I quickened my pace, not liking the hostile aura I could feel even all the way here. Before I knew it, I was shoved to the ground from the side, making it unlikely that it was the man that was following me. I winced when my arm bled from a sharp rock I happened to fall upon.
"Ow…" I groaned, trying to sit up, only to be pushed back down rather roughly.
"Stay down you damn shinigami." the man that had been following me growled. I noticed that behind him there was another man that looked just as angry as this one.
"What did I ever do to you?" I asked angrily, noting the hate that seeped into his voice when he had spoken.
"It's not you specifically, but shinigami in general. You are all just a bunch of stuck-up bastards who only care about yourself. Your kind killed my little brother a couple years ago without hesitation, and I thought maybe I'd return the favor." he said, smacking me harshly.
"Kenta, hurry up! You don't want to get caught, do you? She's weak, she won't last long." the friend hissed, looking around cautiously.
"I never did anything to you! Let me go!" I screamed, attempting to scramble up to my feet.
"God dammit! Stay still! You people deserve this!" he yelled, grabbing me by the hair. I let out a cry of pain.
Even with me being a shinigami, I knew that I wasn't strong enough to take them. I even made the mistake of leaving my zanpakuto in my room.
Suddenly, the man was yanked away from me, causing me to stumble to the ground. I looked up to see the men fleeing, a strong (but still suppressed) reiatsu emanating from the white-haired figure that stood protectively in front of me.
"Ukitake-taicho?" I asked, my voice rough.
He didn't answer, looking in the direction the two men disappeared to. His gaze was unnerving and full of anger.
"Taicho?" I asked worriedly, standing up and unsteadily walking over to him.
He stiffened when I laid a hand on his shoulder, finally looking away from the distance in favor of looking at me. His gaze immediately softened.
"Are you alright?" he asked, turning to me fully.
"Yes. I'm fine." I replied, surprised by the sudden change in expression. One minute, he looked like he wanted to kill someone, and the next, he's like a kid on Christmas who knows exactly what he'll be getting.
"Thank goodness. I guess it's my turn to take you to the Forth Division, Tanaka-san." he smiles at me with so much warmth that I'm afraid I may choke under it.
"…Okay…" I don't know what possessed me to do what I did next.
My body moved on its own, wrapping my arms around his middle, placing my head on his shoulder, silent tears running down my cheeks. He responded immediately, albeit a little shocked. He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me to him.
"Thank you, Ukitake-taicho…" I muttered before I blacked out.
I awoke in my bed, fully clothed and under the sheets. I sat up slowly, recalling the events of the previous night. I checked my arm, finding a bandage wrapped around it and slightly red. I sighed. That won't work right for a while…
I stood, took a shower, got dressed, and headed to Taicho's office. That was pretty much my daily schedule since none of my division-mates trusted me enough to do any much else. Besides, I wanted to say thanks and apologize for my actions.
I turned red at that last thought.
"I can't believe I hugged Taicho like that…" I murmured, walking faster.
I am such an idiot.
When I reached his office, I knocked quietly, fiddling with the hem of my sleeves. Man, this'll be embarrassing.
"Come in."
I stepped in hesitantly, hoping he wouldn't be too made at me.
"Good morning, Tanaka-san. Did you sleep well?" he asked, as if nothing had happened. As if I hadn't done something completely idiotic yesterday.
"So, um… about yesterday… I'm sorry I just hugged you out of the blue… I was just really thankful- I still am- and I just… well, yeah…" I said awkwardly, my face beet-red, suddenly finding the floor very interesting.
Since when did I feel so nervous around Taicho? I heard him get up and walk toward me, but I kept looking down, afraid to meet his eyes.
I don't know what was wrong with me, but I'm afraid I'll breakdown if I look into those kind eyes of his.
"Tanaka-san?" he asked, now right in front of me.
I stayed silent, not trusting myself at the moment. I may get one of those strange urges again and say something stupid and/or humiliating. I squeaked when I felt him lift my chin so that I was looking him in the eyes.
"Y-yes?" I asked, looking into his soft eyes, both of our faces red.
Red-faced, he tentatively wraps his arms around my waist and lets go quickly as if he had been burned.
"There. Now we're even, Tanaka-san." he states, smiling, the blush slowly fading.
My heart was beating at an alarming rate, I was sure that even he could hear it. My face was probably even more red than before, the rest of me felt incredibly warm too. I looked at Ukitake-taicho again and found that my heart beat started racing even more.
Why is this happening? Wait- there's only one reason for this!
"Am I having a heart attack?" I yell, my hand over the spot where my heart should be.
Ukitake-taicho looks up from the paperwork he had been doing, then at my still burning form, seems to realize something, then shakes his head, chuckling.
"It's not funny! This could be extremely fatal!" I yell worriedly.
Ukitake-taicho just laughs it off, a smile pulling at his lips again. A knock comes from the door, and Rangiku-san walks into the room. She takes one look at me and Ukitake-taicho, and smiles happily.
"You're the only one." she says to me simply, then turning and walking off again. I turn to Ukitake-taicho as soon as Rangiku-san is out of hearing range.
"What is it that everyone knows something that I don't?" I ask, hoping that maybe he'll tell me.
"It's something you have to realize on your own, Tanaka-san." he replies, fighting back an amused smile.
"Why does everyone keep telling me that?"
AN: And that is the end of my crappy attempt at romance. Please REVIEW!
Please?