Disclaimer: Before anything else, I would like to tell you, as i have said before, that I do not own Bleach. Now that's clear, let's move on! :D
Not Just A Mother Figure
Chapter One
Another normal day in Soul Society. Another normal, paperwork-filled day for the Gotei 13. Everything was peaceful and everything was boring. At least, that's what Kotetsu Isane thought as she walked along the corridor of the 4th division. She was headed for Unohana-taichou's office when Hanatarou Yamada suddenly burst out of a nearby door looking the worse for wear with a frightened look on his face.
"Ah! Good morning, Isane," he said cheerfully as if the bruises all over him were not there at all.
"Waa! Hanatarou, what happened to you?" Isane asked, concerned for her fellow shinigami. "Wait, don't tell me. 11th division?"
Hanatarou looked sheepish and nodded. Isane sighed and said "Well then, go heal yourself up right away. Where are those nasty brutes anyway?"
"Um… They're all outside the hospital."
"What?! What are they doing out there? Hmm… Probably waiting for the next helpless 4th division member to come out alone and attack!" yelled the lieutenant who had an obvious dislike for the 11th division.
'Maybe she has bad memories from the past with the 11th division. Maybe she was bullied,' thought Hanatarou. But the more he looked at his lieutenant, the more he couldn't believe that she was bullied. 'Isane was too tall to be bullied,' thought Hanatarou. 'Besides, they wouldn't want to feel the wrath of Lieutenant Hisagi Shuuhei, a close friend of Isane.' Hanatarou chuckled to himself, despite the pain he felt at the side of his ribs.
Isane sighed. "Never mind. I will deal with those later."
"Deal with what?"
Isane and Hanatarou immediately turned to the voice of the captain. Now both of them looked sheepish. "Um… Nothing, taichou, I just wanted to give you these papers," she said while handing over the pile in her hand.
"Thank you, Isane. Now, what about these 11th division shinigami you were talking about?" Unohana smiled her creepy smile that gave nightmares to the said division's members. She went inside her office to put the papers on her desk and got out again. She proceeded towards the main entrance of the 4th division center. Naturally, the two others followed their captain and hoped for the best (in this case, the worst for the unfortunate 11th division guys).
They got out of the building and saw the bullies right away. The meanies would have run for the hills the second they saw Unohana-taichou with the two other shinigami but they were too busy coming up with new ways to torture and beat up and other things that bullies do to weak guys like Hanatarou. How unfortunate for them.
"Good morning, fellow shinigami," greeted Unohana-taichou. The creepy smile was still on her face. Immediately, the bullies froze and slowly turned to the captain. Isane and Hanatarou almost laughed out loud at their shocked, scared, pale faces.
"G-go-good m-morning! Unoha-hana-t-taichou!" they mumbled. This time, Isane actually did laugh when she saw the proud, mean, violent shinigami get reduced to stuttering idiots.
"Now, I believe you have been bothering my squad members. Please, apologize to him and please remember that when any of you get injured, he will be the one taking care of you. And you don't want him to make any mistakes, do you now?" Unohana smiled pleasantly/creepily.
"N-No… NO! Of course not, t-taichou!" shouted the bullies.
"Well then, go on. Apologize to him, and any other shinigami you have bullied."
"Yes, ma'am!" They abruptly turned to Hanatarou who got freaked out by their sudden movements and hid behind Isane. "Sorry, little shinigami."
"Good boys," said Unohana-taichou like an expert dog-trainer. The bullies bowed stiffly, turned, and ran as fast as they could back to 11th division's headquarters. Unohana then turned to her subordinates who saw a twinkle in her eyes. "Let's get back to work, shall we?"
"Yes, ma'am!" Then the two walked into the building. Unohana stayed for a bit when she suddenly saw Kuchiki-taichou walking along the corridors. She guessed that he was probably headed towards the gate that Rukia was using to go to the real world. She remembered that today was the day that his sister was leaving for a while.
'How nice of him to stop by and say goodbye,' she thought. Unohana would have gone and seen Rukia off to but she already said her goodbyes the day before.
"Good morning, Kuchiki-taichou."
"Good morning," he replied with a small nod of his head.
"Where are you going today? Are you going to the gate to the real world?"
"No. I am going to meet the soutaichou," he said.
Unohana paused, surprised by what he said. "Is there a meeting?"
"No. I am going to meet my new fukutaichou."
'Oh. I wonder what happened to his last one,' she mused. "Who is it then? Do you have an idea?"
"Yes. Abarai Renji, sixth seat of the 11th division."
Unohana blinked. '11th division? Kuchiki-taichou and an 11th division member? I don't think that's a perfect combination…'
"What's wrong?" Byakuya suddenly asked, looking at the now silent and blinking healer.
Unohana looked up and smiled. "Nothing. I hope that you get along well and that no problem occurs and that he adjusts to his new position." Unohana didn't really dislike the 11th division. Well, definitely not as much as Isane does, but she thinks that members of that squad would get less nightmares from her if they weren't always sending injured people to her squad or beating up members of her squad.
"Do you know him, then?" Byakuya asked, still wondering why the other captain got silent and in deep thought all of a sudden.
Unohana searched her memory for an Abarai Renji. She had this vague idea of deep red hair and shocking tattoos. "Not well. I've only seen him once in the infirmary."
Byakuya the closed his eyes and nodded ever so slightly—the two actions that he was always seen doing.
"Well, I do not want to delay you from your meeting," Unohana said, waving her hand goodbye. Byakuya then continued to walk on, past the 4th division and disappeared around a corner.
Unohana stared at the empty spot that he had been just a moment ago. A look of contemplation was etched on the pretty features of the captain's face. After a moment or two, she went back inside her division. She headed towards her office but was stopped when Isane popped from behind a door. "Unohana-taichou?"
"Yes, Isane?"
"Who was that I heard you were talking to?" she asked boldly. Unohana-taichou had been her superior for as long as she had been in the Gotei 13 and she had somehow regarded her as her substitute mother. Isane and her sister had come into Soul Society without a home and without someone to protect them from danger except for themselves. But sometimes, Isane forgets that Unohana, while kind and gracious and motherly in more ways than one can count, was still her taichou.
However Unohana didn't seem to mind in any way. "It was Kuchiki-taichou."
"Oh. Is he going to see Rukia off?"
"Unfortunately, no, he is not. He is headed towards the 1st division to meet with the soutaichou and his new fukutaichou."
"Really? Who is it? I hope he's not from 11th division," Isane said, thinking that Kuchiki-taichou's personality would clash with an 11th division member's.
"Well, I'm sorry to say, Isane, but he is. But Abarai Renji seems to be a good enough lad since the General deems him worthy enough to be Kuchiki-taichou's lieutenant," Unohana said with that ever-present smile. "Now, if you excuse me, Isane, I have to go and finish up the paperwork."
"Yes, Unohana-taichou," suddenly feeling a little bit guilty for keeping her captain from doing her work and being the one who gave her more paperwork.
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The sun was red as it slowly went down from the dimming sky. The people living in Sereitei were finishing up the last of the things they had to do as shinigami. The same was being done in the 4th division as they prepared to leave and call it a day. Isane was practically skipping as she made her way to Unohana-taichou's office. She hopped to the door, knocked, and opened it right away.
"Yes, Isane? Are you going now?" asked Unohana from behind her desk. The Captain was also just about finished with her work.
"Yes, taichou. I am leaving now. Are you going, too?"
"Not yet, there are some things I have to do first. Good bye and sleep well, Isane."
Isane waved and closed the door. Unohana sighed as she signed the rest of the papers and put them into their respective folders. Paperwork can be so tiring. Matsumoto Rangiku came here once and complained about the headache she got from doing all the things Hitsugaya-taichou was making her do. She chuckled as she remembered the look on Toushiro's face when she told him that she gave permission for Rangiku to stay in the infirmary until her headache passed away.
She then got up and went to the open window to watch the setting sun and the shinigami who were heading back to their homes. She was reminded of Rukia and what happened today. 'Rukia must be a little upset that her brother did not get a chance to see her off. What a pity that today must be the day that he had to meet his lieutenant,' she thought. 'They wouldn't get a chance to see each other for a long time.' She frowned slightly as she remembered what Rukia had said to her when they passed each other in the 13th Division when she was visiting Ukitake-taichou for his weekly check-up.
"Rukia dear, how are you doing? Have you told your brother about your departure to the real world?" Unohana asked the smaller shinigami in front of her with wide eyes and hair as dark as hers.
"No, Unohana-taichou. I was afraid of bothering nii-sama so I asked Ukitake-taichou to do it for me," she replied looking down at her feet.
"Oh?" Unohana said, not really surprised that Rukia would do that. "Well, Rukia, farewell and take care and I hope you come back soon."
"Goodbye, Unohana-taichou." Rukia turned and went to do her business as Unohana went off in the direction of Ukitake's office.
Unohana didn't like the way Rukia was afraid of her brother. Instead of feeling comfort from a family member, Rukia felt uneasy and insignificant beside Kuchiki-taichou. 'Well, it doesn't help that Kuchiki-taichou has a personality similar to that of a rock.' But even though Byakuya never showed his feelings and never seemed to care about Rukia, Unohana knew that he cared about his sister very much. 'If only Rukia knew just how much he is fond of her… but I fear that when he is ready to show concern for his sister, it would already be too late.'
Unohana looked up at the already dark sky and shook her head slowly and berated herself for sounding so ominous. She was about to turn away from the window when something caught her eye. Or should she say someone. It was Kuchiki-taichou. Unohana could see the last slivers of sunlight flashing on his kenseikan and his scarf billowing in the wind. But he was not alone. A tall redhead was following behind him and true enough, he had crazy tattoos on his forehead. "Well, they seem to be getting along fine.' She smiled to herself as she closed the window and headed to the Captain's quarters in the 4th division.
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The 4th Division's lodges were located near the border where a forest grew. It looked almost like the common Gotei 13's wooden apartments except it was cleaner, a bit smaller and even though it was apart from the infirmary, there was still a trace of hospital smell. The captain's suite was built intentionally facing toward the forest and to the horizon beyond. The construction workers had also attached a balcony outside the captain's quarters as a special gift for her. It was a thanksgiving present for preserving the lives of so many shinigami. Retsu spent most of her time there whenever she's not on duty or sleeping. That night was no different. Retsu was seated in the middle of the wooden terrace, looking serenely at the night sky. There was a steaming pot of a special kind of tea that she knew her weekly visitor preferred.
Unohana Retsu was drinking the tea when she heard a knock on her door. She got up and opened it to see Kuchiki Byakuya standing outside. This was not unusual, apparently, because Unohana smiled as if to say that a man standing outside your door during the time when most people were preparing to sleep or going out to party was something that happened everyday. She led Byakuya to the balcony and poured another cup of tea for the silent man.
They drank and sat in silence for a couple of minutes until Retsu broke the silence. "I saw you with your vice-captain earlier today. He looks like a…passionate young man," she said, finally coming up with another word for fiery.
"Hmm…" was the only reply she got.
"It's too bad that you didn't get to see Rukia off when she left for the human world," she said softly, trying to win a reaction from the man.
"I will see her when she gets back, if she does not manage to get herself killed before she needs to return."
Ouch. Unohana inwardly winced at the cold statement. But she could see there was concern beneath his words so she paid no mind to it.
On special days, Unohana and Kuchiki-taichou would meet together to have some tea. It was their custom to do so for the last fifty years, since the year that Byakuya lost his wife. Byakuya had always regarded her as his friend and Retsu had always regarded him as her little brother or child. They had been on good terms with each other since the start of Byakuya's role as a shinigami because of her good nature and his peaceful and nonviolent ways. People have always regarded their relationship as something more than friendship. While both of them never seemed to contradict or deny the rumors, they have not made any thoughts or moves that would prove that their relationship was something more than that of just friends.
"There is no shame in showing that you care for her, Kuchiki-taichou," she teased lightly. She was one of the few people, and I mean, very, very few people, who could tease him and actually get away with it.
Byakuya just gazed at her with his usual look of indifference and turned back to look at the view. The moon was out and the stars were just beginning to show up. Retsu followed suit and named a few stars that she knew of. She has always been captivated by their majesty and brilliance. Unfortunately, in all the centuries of her very long life, starting from the time when she decided to become a shinigami, she had never found the time to memorize the names of all the well-known constellations. Her study in the healing arts took up her time when she was just a young shinigami and her time in the infirmary, evidently being the captain of the 4th Division, took up her time now. She took a brief glance towards her companion and guessed that he probably knew all the constellations and could name them with his eyes closed. It made sense because he was like a star, beautiful, cold and distant with a noble aura.
"You are silent tonight, more silent than usual. There is something you want to say," he stated without a trace of uncertainty.
Retsu was just about to drink from her cup when he said this and she paused with her cup halfway to her mouth. 'Ah, Byakuya and his perceptive mind,' she mused with a wry smile.
"You are also silent. Is there something you want to say?" she countered with her head slightly tilted to the side and eyes filled with good-natured humor.
"I am not silent. I merely have nothing to say that I find others worthy to hear," he answered and Retsu could almost feel the frost forming around her. His cool, grey eyes dared her to continue and if Retsu were anyone else, she would have peed in her pants. But that would be ungraceful and she was anything but that.
After a moment of nothing but staring at each other, glaring in Byakuya's part, Retsu decided to give him a break and she gave out a small chuckle. "Very well, I will tell you what is on my mind."
She then faced towards him, away from the horizon, so that she could meet his eyes directly.
"You know of my lieutenant, Isane Kotetsu?"
He nodded.
"She has been my student for a long time now and she still has much to learn but she is skilled and gifted. She is actually more of a daughter to me than a student," Retsu's eyes were tender as she thought about her slightly awkward lieutenant. "But let us start with my past. You see, I had no recollection about my former life. I'm not so sure I even had one. But I was born into a family. We were not as rich as you are, of course, but we had plenty of food on the table. My mother always made sure of it." She frowned and paused for just a moment and continued. "I was very different back then than I am now. Let's just say that I did not appreciate the blessings that I had. But then I met Isane. I met her when I was a captain for almost 2 centuries, just before the time I met you when you were still a young boy aspiring to be the best shinigami that ever lived. She and I became close and she told about her life out there in Rukongai. She and her sister were always in constant danger of being killed by criminals, by loneliness or by their own hunger. She vaguely remembers her life back when she was human but she is certain of one thing; that she and her sister had loving parents. And that was the one thing that kept them alive, even during starvation, that they were loved and that they loved their parents enough to continue on living to make them proud."
Byakuya's eyes were closed but she knew he was listening to every word she said.
"Byakuya, dear, you see, a lot of people right now do not have one. A family, I mean. And the sad thing is…"
Byakuya opened his eyes to see what made her stop and he was surprised to see a pair of eyes with the grief of someone who had suffered much.
She continued, her voice soft and low, "Those that did have one did not realize the gift they had until it was already too late."
The elegant male captain sighed knowing exactly where this was all heading, though a bit curious about Retsu's sudden change of mood. He did not know much about Retsu's past except that her close relatives were now all gone. None, save maybe for a few, really knew why. Maybe that was due to the fact that Retsu refused to talk about it and would always change the subject if someone was brave enough to ask her about it. Byakuya knew better than to ask her himself. Retsu was his closest friend, actually, you could say that she was his only close friend, and he would not risk their friendship for something that he knew was not his right to know. Besides, if Retsu wanted to tell him, she would in her own time...eventually…maybe…
"I know that it is not within my jurisdiction to tell you what you should do or should not do but as a close personal friend, I feel compelled to tell you anyway. Rukia may not be your sister by blood, but she is your sister by law and by your promise. I know that you do care for her deeply but you must learn that caring for her is actually different than showing her that you do." Retsu stopped, unsure of whether she must reveal to him what Rukia truly felt about her brother. 'I think that that is Rukia's decision, to tell or not to tell her brother that she feels like a disgrace to his name,' she thought.
Byakuya sighed faintly once again, turned his head to glare at the silver half-moon. He had heard this message before from her. That was when Rukia first joined the 13th Division. He knew that Unohana-taichou meant well every time she told him this but he couldn't possibly show Rukia that he actually had feelings, much less tell her that he loved her. It would ruin his image of being the Quintessence of Apathy.
"I know what you're thinking," Retsu said, breaking the silence that enveloped them once again. "I know that you think that feelings are beneath you but think about what I said and really grasp the fact that even shinigami cannot control fate." Retsu suddenly remembered Kaien Shiba, Rukia's former lieutenant, and what tragedy happened to him and his wife. "I am not implying that I have little faith in you and Rukia's abilities, in fact, you two are undeniably capable of protecting and defending yourselves but you can never be too careful."
Byakuya remained silent and Retsu let him be and got back to drinking her tea. Several minutes have passed when Byakuya placed his cup beside him and started to get up.
"Thank you, Unohana-taichou for your suggestions. I cannot promise you that I will follow them but I will certainly consider everything you said. Thank you for your tea. Next time, we shall meet in my manor. Good night," he said with a polite nod. Retsu barely managed to say goodbye when Byakuya swiftly yet very gracefully left the room.
Now it was Retsu's turn to sigh. She took Byakuya's word that he would actually reflect upon what she had said but she doubted that he would do anything to alleviate the problem that was evident between the two Kuchiki's.
Authors note: I do not really know what Unohana's or Isane's past is. I just sort of made it up haha I'd also like to thank you to -The-Emo-Alchemist- and P.E.R.S.O.N.A. EXPERT for your kind reviews :D i really appreciate it coz it made me continue writing this story. And yes! i love Byakuya! My friends tell me i'm insane maybe bcoz of how much i keep on talking about how gorgeous he is hahaha I'm glad you found my story worthy to be reviewed :D
Thanks for reading! :D