I swam out of consciousness to find myself alone, much to my liking. Not that I like being alone, though; I actually hated being alone. But it's for the fact that when I sat up to observe my surroundings, I screamed in pain. Before, when my wounds leaked endless blood, my body was pretty much numb. Now that they were starting to scab over, they hurt like hell. It was as if the flames with which I had befriended and used to transform had turned on me and began to burn the flesh on my legs and fore torso.
When my screaming fest was over, I remained motionless, sitting upright. I did not want to cause myself anymore pain. I hated pain more than most anything. With that, I began remembering what happened before I fell unconscious and study where I was. I fell from the sky, a guy found me, and he handed me over to a woman, and I passed out. Now I was in a room lined with many beds, which were all empty of course, and I was in the bed closest to the window on the far side of the room from the door. It looked a lot like a hospital from the old days, when modern equipment was not yet invented.
I turned my head slowly to look out of the window. Beyond the blue cotton drapes was a vast white city surrounded by a large white wall, and beyond the wall a more colorful, yet more shabby city, going on for miles on end. I was still inside the Soul Society, then. Not only was I inside of the Soul Society, but so was I in the Seireitei, which was supposed to have a barrier around it. Had I broken through it?
A sudden shuffling of hurried footsteps made me whip my head around to the door on the other end of the room, and I stifled a cry of pain. The door slid open and gave a loud crack as it hit its limit, and in the doorway was a panting young lady. I hadn't seen her before, but she had short, messy silver hair. On one side of her face, a strand of her hair was fed through a string of beads, and on her left arm was an armband. She was a lieutenant.
She hurried in through the door, shutting it harshly behind her, and slid to a stop next to my bed. She checked all around me, lifting my arms gently to check my sides, and I was perplexed by her actions. Not only that, but my eyes locked on her neck, which slenderly curved between her jaw and torso. My own loss of blood had made me incredibly thirsty, and the pulsing vein in her neck made my mouth dampen in expectancy for a meal, even though I was sure I had one the day before.
Just a mouthful of blood would sustain me for well over a week. But I was a vampire that did not like drinking. I hated it. I was always told hurting another person was bad. Making them bleed was bad. But my survival depended on it, and I HAD to do it. Not only did I not like it because I knew it was a bad thing, but BECAUSE I thought that way, I had to be lured into drinking when I was thirsty. Which meant that it had to be a guy, and we had to get slightly intimate. But as soon as I got my fill, I would heal the marks I made and, if I chose, I would use my venom to erase their memory of me completely. Of course, if you're bitten by a vampire, you don't turn into one yourself. That only happens if the vampire you're bitten by decides to use a special type of venom, different from the memory erasing one. Then you're shit out of luck.
But such severe blood loss had made me so extremely thirsty, and her flawless neck was just calling for me to bite it, but I looked away immediately in distaste. Never would I be so easily baited into drinking, and never would I drink from a fellow woman, anyway. In my mind's eye, it looked slightly odd.
After checking me over, the woman straightened herself and looked at me, and I turned my head to her, sensing she wanted me to look back. She smiled when she knew my attention was all for her. "My name is Isane. I'm the lieutenant of Squad four of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. Can you tell me your name?"
"Shironeko," I replied horsely.
"Would you like something to drink? I understand you would need something in your condition."
My eyes dropped momentarily to her neck, then back to her face. "You wouldn't have what I need."
The expression on her face was genuinely perplexed. "We have a lot at our disposal. I'm sure whatever it is you need, we have."
I'd give it a shot, anyway. "Do you have any blood?" I asked quietly.
Isane gave me an odd look and hurried out of the room. I wasn't sure if she was running away or going to see if she really did have any blood. Either way, I didn't expect her to come back with the woman that the man from before handed me to, the woman with the long braid out in front of her.
With her entrance, Isane on her heals, the first thing she did was flash me the biggest, warmest, friendliest smile I had ever seen in my life. Right when I looked at her, all of my apprehension and enmity was ridden from me, and I relaxed unnaturally. Anyone could tell how kind and caring she was just from the feeling that emanated from her and the shy but dutiful way she carried herself.
"I'm sorry to be so rude," she said very softly, "but did you ask for blood as nourishment?"
And I believe she really did think she was being rude, even though she asked the question in the nicest possible way. "Yeah."
"May I ask why?"
I had to make a face at her. I thought that as soon as someone said they wanted blood, people assume you're a vampire, especially someone from the Soul Society. "Because I'm a vampire."
By the look on the woman's face, I supposed that my thoughts about what people assume were wrong. She took a step away from me. "Is blood in a vacuum sealed pack alight?"
I nodded. "I don't like drinking from people. I would actually prefer it if it were in a bag."
The woman flashed another big smile at me. I could tell she was somewhat relieved with that statement. She pulled out two packets of blood, like what you see at a hospital, from her kosode. Smiling back at her, but much weaker, I took the packets from her. I used my nail to poke a small hole in the bottom of the plastic bag, and I pressed it to my lips to where the curved end of it fit perfectly to the curve of my mouth. Surprisingly, the blood was warm and rich as it filled my mouth. It tasted delicious. It was not as nutritious as fresh blood was, and I would not be able to survive solely off of it, but it would help me recover as quickly and efficiently as vampires are supposed to.
The woman watched as I filled my mouth with the liquid, some escaping my lips and steaming down to my chin. I was glad she had given me two packets, as I would need it because of my blood loss. One mouthful would not do. But both packets provided me with four mouthfuls altogether, and I was quite full by then, and my mood and temperament would be a lot harder to beat down now that I had a full stomach and was no longer thirsty.
"What's your name, anyway?" I asked, addressing the kind woman.
"I'm sorry," she said quickly. "That must have been so rude of me not introducing myself. My name is Retsu Unohana."
"Not at all," I said, returning the apologizing smile she gave me with my blood-ridden one. I quickly wiped my mouth off with my arm.
"It's just..." Retsu began. "We haven't seen a vampire in well over seven hundred years. We personally thought they were extinct."
I looked at her questioningly. "Really? Well, I'm obviously right here. I might not be in the best of shape, but by golly, I'm alive."
Retsu and Isane both stifled a laugh. "Why is it you don't like drinking from people?" Isane asked. "Vampires are supposed to love it."
"Well, I don't," I said with sudden acid. "I hate it. I was taught hurting people, making them bleed, weakening them, was bad. I don't like to be bad. I want to be good. But I can't. I'm forever an evil creature the depends on the evil acts for survival. I'd just stop and whither away, but my instinct for blood is too strong..."
Both Retsu and Isane took another step back at this point, and I couldn't help but laugh. "Don't worry. I've never drank from a girl. I take to much pride in the female existence to ever harm one of my own. Besides, there's a certain way I have to drink blood because of my beliefs, and I need a guy to do it."
"So I take it that if you stay here, you'll want the packages of blood for your meals?" Retsu asked.
I nodded. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble. I only need blood once a week. From now on, only one package, too. A half a package, to be more specific. But, for the next week or two, I'll probably need half a packet every other day, maybe up to once a day."
Retsu and Isane looked at each other. "We'll let your guardian know that."
Her words stumped me. "Wait, what?"
"While your under recovery," Retsu explained, "you'll have a guardian, and you will stay with that guardian. Your guardian will monitor everything you do and eat, be responsible for regulating your meals, giving you exercise, helping you bathe, and the like."
"Normally the guardian would be a member of squad four, since squad four members are used to the needs of the ill and such," Isane added. "But since you're...different, you'll need a stronger and more responsible guardian."
"I'm not going to go around killing everyone, if that's what you're thinking," I said, hurt.
"We know," Retsu said, chancing to sit on the edge of my bed. "But it's a precaution. Plus, there are still vampire hunters, and who better to protect you?"
I snorted. "I've never seen a vampire hunter, never will."
"There's still a chance," Retsu said, a little harder than I knew she meant to. "And he volunteered, anyway."
"Who volunteered?"
"Byakuya Kuchiki. If you can remember, he's the man who brought you here. He's the Captain of Squad six."
I hid a smile. So I got the sexy one, then? "That's fine, I guess," I said with fake disappointment. "I actually would have preferred a girl, because there's a risk I might bite him when I'm thirsty." I thought of that at the last second.
Isane and Retsu exchanged looks again. "We've realized that," Isane admitted. "But he'll be able to handle himself. He's fairly strong."
Yay!
And I don't know how he knew to come in right then. He might have been listening to us, or he might have been somehow signaled by Retsu or Isane through awesome mind powers of some sort. I don't know, but his timing was amazing. He slid open the door with grace, closing it with equal as much. "And here he is."
Byakuya strode over to my beside rather quickly, standing next to Isane to examine me. I had no clothes on, but I was bandaged from my collar to my feet, so there wasn't much to look at other than those and the blood stains on them.
"How is she doing?" he asked Retsu in a silky voice. Like he couldn't ask me that.
"She's recovering faster than normal," Retsu answered him. "But, um, there are a lot of things you need to know about her."
She pulled Byakuya out of the room and briefed him, while Isane stayed in the room to keep me company. She seemed a little fidgety.
"I'm not going to eat you," I said, breaking the awkward silence that had formed. My voice made her jump.
"I know," she said quietly, keeping her eyes off of me.
"So...if I'm ill, shouldn't I stay here?"
"Well, normal patients would," Isane explained. "But since your injuries were so...advanced, you have to have normal exercise to keep your blood flowing and constant care. Squad four is too busy to have a patient in need of constant care."
I looked around and gave her a look. There was no one else in this room.
"I mean on the battlefield," Isane clarified. "It may not be full now, but it could be in just a second. We need to keep the beds open for injured squad members and special cases."
I snorted. "Gee, thanks."
Isane cracked a small smile, and I smiled in return, and somehow we ended up laughing until Retsu reentered with Byakuya trailing her. Byakuya seemed much more interested in me than he was before. Through his eyes, anyway. His face remained emotionless, but his eyes looked me over with delight. So...he knew I was a vampire and liked it...? I was getting the impression that everyone was afraid of vampires.
"So your name is Shironeko?" he asked, interest lightly sprinkling his voice. "It fits you; 'white cat'."
"Thanks, I guess," I said with uncertainty.
"So, let's go."
Retsu looked at him, amazed.
"W-what?" I said, just as awed. "Now?"
Byakuya nodded. "Come on, then."
"But it hurts when I move!"
He held out his hand. "I'll help you."
Retsu intervened, putting out her arm. "I told you if you wanted to take her now, you'd have to be careful and understanding of her needs. That means you'll have to carry her."
He moved her arm out of the way and in one motion scooped me up into his arms and cradled me to his chest. I let out a small cry as he grabbed my legs, and it felt like a scab had torn itself under the bandages. I didn't like pain.
I quickly wrapped my arms around Byakuya's neck, nuzzling into his scarf. "I'm sorry if that hurt," he said quietly, then looked over at Retsu and said, "Once a week, right?"
She made a face. "I'll supply you with the material. For the next two weeks, half a packet a day. After that, once a week."
Byakuya said no more. He did not say thank you. He did not say good bye. He just left with me in his arms. Which I thought was rude. I, however, managed a small wave over his shoulder. Though painful, I still did it. At least I took the time.
He carried me through many hallways, down stairs, through doors, until we came to an outdoor hallway that lined a garden. It looked similar to the place I had landed. In fact, it WAS the place I had landed. The hole in the ground was sloppily filled in with replacement dirt, but grass was already starting to grow over it. Soon it would be a distant memory to everyone, but to the ground, it would always be scarred under its green sleek fur. Almost like when a cat has surgery, and it has to be shaved, and when the fur grows back, there's still a scar under the fur. Looking down at myself, I'd figure I'd be the same way.
He slid open one of the rice-paper doors, and behind the door was what I had expected when I first saw them; an intricately and expensively decorated room. There was a bed already made in the middle of the room. It was a futon, but the blankets looked hand made and really expensive. They reminded me somewhat of my yukata, as they were gold and purple and had similar designs on them. I wanted that yukata back, speaking of which.
"Where are my former clothes?" I asked.
Byakuya set me down onto the clean and freshly made bed. "They have been sent to be refurbished."
"To whom?" I asked quickly. That yukata was special to me. My absolute -idol- gave me that yukata, hand made by her from my two favorite colors. I loved it more than I loved myself.
"You'll see in a week or two when it's done."
I frowned. I wanted my yukata.
"But I have something else for you to wear," he said, walking over to a pair of sliding doors that I deducted were a closet. He slid them open, and hung, spread out like you see in those Japanese movies, was the most beautiful kimono I had ever seen. And they were even my favorite colors, like the blankets—purple and gold. I think he knew those were my favorite colors. But the kimono had four layers, all made out of the finest silk.
"I can't accept that," I said in awe. And there was no way I could. This kimono had to be REALLY expensive.
"As long as you are staying with me, you will dress like a noble, as I."
"You're a noble?"
He didn't answer me. But how was I supposed to know he was a noble? I was never taught anything about nobles, so of course there was no way I would have known he was one. So, noble meant 'rich', right? Well, even so, I was also taught never to accept anything I couldn't repay if I ruined it.
"Do you have something less...expensive?"
"You will wear this kimono. The thickness of it will keep away outside infection from your wounds, and the inner layers of it may act as extra bandages if something happens and it can not be treated right away."
Smart AND handsome. Not too often you find those. A little on the non-sentimental side, though. His voice was silky, but it had the same face as his expression.
He slid the doors closed. "I want you to rest for now. When you have strength enough to move around on your own, I want you to put on the kimono." He walked over to the door to the room. "I have to inspect the perimeter I am assigned—a few hours after that I have a meeting, so I will not be back for awhile. Rest." He left.
So, I was alone in his room then. Fun, right? No. Not fun. The only thing I had to do was rest, so that's what I did. And it was on and off rest, too. I must have fallen asleep and woken up a dozen times in just one hour. After a while of that, you can imagine how boring that is. Which is why, even though I was stiff, and even though it hurt to move even and inch, I stood up. Yeah, my legs hurt badly when my weight was put on them. But hey! That's what my cat for was for! I had four legs in that form, two of which were semi-okay. So guess what I did? Kitten form! Yay! Guess what else I did? Let's just say I wasn't going to stay in that room and do nothing.
I was Dora the Explorer!
It was a slow go, though. I wondered what Byakuya would think when he saw I was gone with my bandages on the floor of his room as I crept through the hallways and corridors and peeked into rooms. When I got used to the pain, I was able to move more quickly and efficiently.
At one point, I was spotted by a happy-looking girl that had brown hair tied into a bun. She was a lieutenant, from the band around her left arm, and she seemed really sweet. I remember how her face lit up when she saw me.
"Oh, a kitty! Here, Kitty kitty!" she said sweetly, bending down and holding a hand out for me to come and sniff. Which I did out of courtesy. She actually smelled nice. Like peaches. I let her pet me, and I played around with her as she got a long weed to dangle in front of me. I don't know why cats like it, and I don't even know why -I- like it, but it's somewhat mesmerizing. Of course she was gentle with me, because she saw all of the bloody, crusty scars on my belly and back legs. But my short time with her was enjoyable. And then mister 'noble' came marching along the corridor.
I jumped, VERY PAINFULLY, behind another door into a room of darkness, as he walked by, and the girl ended up calling for me, which made Byakuya stop and inquire to what she was doing.
"There was a little kitten I was playing with. The poor thing was all scarred, but I think you scared it off..." She was intimidated by him.
He looked at her strangely. "Momo, you're a lieutenant. Don't you think lieutenants have more important work to do?"
"Y-yes sir."
She hurried off, and Byakuya stood there a moment longer to see if he could spot the little kitten the Momo had mentioned. Of course he couldn't see me, so he marched on.
And I trailed Byakuya as silently and efficiently as I could. The stiffness was starting to leave me, and I was once again becoming used to the pain that came with each step.
When Byakuya finally got to his destination, he walked into a long room. A lot of people were already in there, all of them captains. Counting, there were thirteen, including Byakuya. At the far end of the room, sitting on a pillow, was a really old bald man with a cross-shaped scar on his head. I saw Retsu close to him, second on the left. Byakuya took his place right next to her, third on the left.
The heavy doors, which had been wide open, now began to slowly swing closed. I rushed in, wanting to know what was going on, though I knew this had to be the meeting which Byakuya had mentioned.
I don't think anyone saw me hop in there, because it was dark. But it didn't really matter anyway. I could probably maybe outrun them if I was caught.
I rested in the corner of the room, where it was dark and my white fur might not be seen, and the old man started the meeting or whatever it was they were doing.
"As you now may know, there are ryouka within the Seireitei. I want all squads on alert, and zanpaku-to are now allowed to be carried wherever. Any questions?"
I wanted to say something, but if I did, a talking two-tailed cat would bring too many unwanted eyes. Yes, I could talk as a cat.
But I kept my mouth shut and hugged the left wall and made my way into Byakuya's lap. He looked down at me, and when he realized it was me, gave me a furious look. "What are you doing?" he whispered harshly as a man, directly across from us, with a bucket on his head asked a question.
"I got bored," I said back. I don't think he expected me to answer. His face was a little surprised.
"I told you to stay until you felt like you could move!"
I don't know what my face looked like, but it was supposed to have an expression that led to believe he was either blind or mentally retarded. "Well, since I'm here, it looks like I can move now," I said with a snotty tone.
"And I meant that I wanted you to stay close to the room, WITH your clothes."
"I didn't ever hear you say that. You should be more clear with your words."
He looked back up to the meeting in disgust, ending the conversation. Looks like he has a little attitude problem. Well, fine! I didn't need to talk to anyone, as long as I simply had someone to be with. He held his hand over me, shielding me from the eyes of man sitting next us, who wore a flamboyantly gaudy kosode over his uniform and had long hair and needed a shave. He knew I was there, though. But he didn't say anything.
I couldn't sleep in my cat form. If I fell asleep, I would immediately turn back into my human form. I hadn't quite got that down. But I pretended to take a cat nap as Byakuya absently stroked my fur. I purred for him, though he didn't deserve it, until the meeting was finally over Byakuya stood, holding me in his hand, to exit the room. He held me out to Retsu for her to examine me and make sure I hadn't torn anything, and we began the march back to his room.
When we were safely inside of it, he set me on the bed and I transformed back into my human self. I always forgot I wasn't wearing any clothes. Byakuya wasn't looking, though. He had gone to the closet and began to take down the kimono. He tossed it over me to hide my body, which was already healing nicely. "Put it on and don't take it off."
And he didn't re-bandage me, either. He would let the kimono layers be my bandages from then on. It was fine with me, because the bandages made me feel like I was being constricted. As I tied the obi firmly around my stomach, Byakuya opened the door to the room and looked out into the garden. I was surprised to see that the sky was already orange with the setting sun.
I hurried over behind him and looked past him. The garden outside was cast in a shadow from the wall surrounding it, the darkness not long enough to reach onto the hallway floor. The sky was pastel orange, thick clouds adding to the tranquility the expanse brought on. I loved the colors of the fading sky, as it went from orange to pink to purple to darkness.
"I want you to sleep now," Byakuya said softly.
"But the sun isn't even all the way gone yet," I argued.
"You need the rest. Please."
I huffed. "Only because you said 'please', okay?"
I don't understand why he cared whether I rested or not. He didn't know me that well. There couldn't be any connection through that. If I were him, I'd let me do whatever I wanted and hoped that whatever I did, it would get me out of my hair all the sooner. Like straining myself so hard that I died. Then again, I suppose he thought the sooner I got better, the sooner I'd leave. That was also acceptable, I supposed. But then he volunteered for it, anyway. That meant he cared what happened to me. Why?
I hugged him from behind, letting the side of my face rest on his back. He was taller than me by about a head. "Thanks for taking care of me. You know you don't have to."
"I have my reasons," he said, still in the same soft manner. "Two, to be exact."
"What are they?"
"The only one I'll tell you is that I know someone who would want you to be okay."
"Well, what's the other one?"
"I told you that I wouldn't say. Now sleep."
"Fine, be that way," I said in defeat. "Who's the person?"
"You'll see in a week or two when your clothes come back."
I growled. "You're no fun."
I let go of him and hobbled back over to the bed and lay down on it. I guess I didn't know how tired I really was after my small adventure. I fell asleep not long after my head hit the pillow.
