I was following him as he walked to his office. I heard him mutter and complain. He had his lieutenant following close behind and they were both carrying piles of paper. It was morning.
"Hard work, Naru? You know, you are getting old for this," I smirked at him.
He turned around to look at me, raising an eyebrow. "So nice of you to drop by, Tsuki-san. We just got some new recruits and they brought a lot of paperwork with them. So, if you don't mind, leave me alone." He continued to walk.
"Aww, Mr. Grumpy-pants. I just came to say 'hello'. Hell, I'll even help if you want me to," I said, following him.
He looked back at me without stopping. "I am not in the mood for your games, Suzy. Leave. You're not even supposed to be here."
I cringed at the last part and stopped walking. "So what?" I snapped bitterly. "The Soul Society can't have their way all the time! I am a Visored. I can't change that! I am not sure I would even want to!" I stared hard at him.
That made him stop. He turned to look at me. "So, you're trying to tell me that you are glad to be who you are? Even after you killed so many innocent people? After you killed my family and friends?"
"That wasn't me! I would have never done that! It isn't my fault that she took control! It isn't my fault she killed them!"
He dropped his stack of papers and came to stand in front of my face. "Yes it is. It is your fault because you are too weak to control it!"
That left me speechless. I gave him a blank stare as his face changed from anger to almost neutral. After a few moments of silence, I spoke. "I will admit that I was weaker when that incident occurred than I am now. She was a lot stronger than I was. In fact, she is probably still stronger than I am now; however, I am also stronger than I used to be and my attitude has changed. I try to be more composed to prevent her from escaping through an emotional hole. I'm sorry that I won't ever be strong enough to keep it from happening ever again, but I can make it less likely that she'll have a hole to escape through."
"Whatever. If you want to come help, then do. If not, get out and leave me alone for a while." He went back to his papers and picked them up. He continued walking with his lieutenant.
"Of course I'll help. That is what I offered to do for you." I smiled small.
"Good. I will take you down to the barracks to meet the new recruits after this paperwork." He walked into his office and set the papers down at his desk while his lieutenant took her pile to her desk and got to work. "As for right now, you can help Rin with the papers. All you have to do is stamp them," he said as he sat down and got to work.
"Alright. I can do that." I took a seat beside her and took a hold of the spare stamp she held out to me. I tried to start some small conversation with her while we worked, so I said, "Hi. What's your name?"
She looked at me with a funny look before speaking. "I am Rin Kurama. Why does Captain Tsukiyomi call you 'Tsuki-san'? Are you of higher rank?"
I didn't know exactly how to respond, so I said, "When we were younger, your captain and I were pretty close. I didn't really have a family. He was the closest thing I had to a family. Over the years, he has insisted that he use formalities. My name was Suzy Tsuki because of my zanpakuto's name. My name now is Akane Suzy Cifer." I said the last part with a bit of hesitation. The Soul Society had its stories about those events that many of the residents will never forget.
Rin stopped and looked at me, almost scared. "Did you say 'Cifer'? As in one of the arrancars we went up against?"
I nodded. "Yes. Ulquiorra is my husband. I love him. I saved him with my zanpakuto when Ichigo Kurosaki fought him."
She looked at me with disbelief, then looked back to her work when I stared back. Naru came over to us and put his hand on her head. "Rin, you can handle the rest of the work, right? I am going to take Akane somewhere. I'll be back when I can." With that said, he grabbed me sternly by my arm and picked me up. He took me out of his office and out of the alley to an open area next to a building. He then pushed me up against the wall. "Why did you come here, Suzy? What other reason do you have to be here and bothering me? If they know about your affiliations, they will come sniffing to me for more information and I don't need that. I am a captain, after all."
I sighed and swallowed, trying to stay composed after the impact. "Truth is, I didn't come just to see you and help you. Even after all these years, I wasn't sure you would still accept me as a friend. I am here for work. Later this afternoon, I will be moving here. In fact, my home is probably being set up now. I start working tomorrow. Now, let go of me before I lose control."
"You're working here? How are you getting a home? You are a visored; you don't belong here." He eased up and took a step back.
"I am going to be squad 10's third seat and they don't know about my other self," I said, kind of hurt by his statement. "I came to find a place here because I am trying to be a friend to you again. We haven't been in contact in such a long time."
"Well, I'm busy. Go where you are meant to be and leave me alone. I'll talk to you again when I feel like it." He turned around and walked back to his office.
"Fine," I muttered. I was no longer in the mood to deal with him. I turned the opposite direction and started walking to the barracks would I would find my home.
