It kept getting darker and darker, the only light was the blue screens of computer monitors. There was a black schematic on one, showing a simplistic design of a girl.
"Why do you keep putting needles in me?"
"You'll understand one day. Do you hate it?"
"Of course I do."

Kuromi shot up from her bed again, sweating once more from a nightmare she couldn't understand. Why was she having these nightmares in the first place? She couldn't understand them. She panted as she stared down at the blanket. Why was this happening to her? It wasn't fair. She grabbed another shirt and dried her forehead off. Unlike the last time, it completely drenched the fabric. She calmed herself down and got up. She exited her room and walked down the halls, going to go get a cool drink. "What are you doing up?" She flinched and looked back, seeing Suiren rubbing her eyes tiredly. She sighed in relief and smiled a bit. "It's nothing...I just got thirsty." The girl nodded but looked more closer. "You're drenched..." "A-Ah...well, it's hot in my room." She nodded as she gave the excuse and continued walking. The silver haired female followed after, deciding to accompany her in her quest for a drink. Kuromi didn't mind it. Maybe she'd forget about these damn nightmares if she was around.

She poured them a couple of glasses of water and sat down. "Thank you." Suiren yawned but drank the water regardless. The fox eared girl nodded and drank her water down, occasionally looking outside. The moon was still up. It was probably midnight by that time. She sighed, finding that to be rather troublesome. She woke up her comrade just because she had a nightmare, she felt terrible about that. "Now what are you staring at?" She asked, making her look back. "Ah? Oh...nothing, just thinking." She smiled at her and finished the water. Suiren didn't seem satisfied with that answer, but drank her water, anyway. "I'm gonna go take a jog. You go on ahead to sleep." "Didn't you sweat enough?" Kuromi giggled. "I don't sweat that easily." Now that just fueled more flame to Suiren's curiosity. If she didn't sweat that easily, then how come she was drenched? Before she could ask anything, Kuromi already walked out. She sighed and shook it off before heading back to her room to sleep for the rest of the night.

Night went by quickly and soon dawn broke out across the sky. Everyone in the Squad 10 barracks were awake by now and seemed to be going off to do their own work. However, there was an absence of one troublesome little fox girl. "Where's Kuromi now?" Toshiro didn't sound at all that happy knowing his 12th seat was again nowhere to be found. "She isn't back?" Suiren asked as she and Rangiku looked up from the paperwork. "What do you mean?" He looked at her with interest. "She went out on a jog last night. I'm not sure why." She tilted her head and played with a strand of her hair. Rangiku thought a bit and smiled wide. "Maybe she's with Gin again~?" "Again!?" Rangiku nodded with an innocent smile as Toshiro didn't seem all that happy with that statement. He rubbed his forehead and sighed heavily. "Well, go out and find her! I don't care where she is, just bring her back. She has work to do." The woman sighed and shook her head. He couldn't just let the girl have her fun now could he? What a shame. She got up, though, and did as her captain asked.

Kuromi had fallen asleep, funny as it is, up in one of the trees last night. She had ran herself tired just from running around the entire Seireitei twice. Trees were very comfy, anyway. "Now what's she doing up there?" A bespectacled woman looked up at one of the plum blossom trees to see the white haired girl sleeping on a branch. "Kuromi! Wake up!" She yelled at her, sounding like a scornful mother. Her ears twitched before perking up at the sound. "Hm?" She yawned and stretched before looking down at the woman. "Oh, Ise-fukutaichou! Good morning." She waved before yawning again. She rotated herself so she was hanging upside down before she let go altogether and fell to the ground. She landed on her feet, but yawned again. "What were you doing up there?" She asked as she looked at the girl. "Huh? Oh...I took a jog last night and I got tired...so I fell asleep up there~ It was very comfy." She nodded with a wide smile on her face. This girl could be so weird sometimes. She sighed and nodded before escorting her off towards her own barracks. Her captain, Shunsui, didn't need any more distractions from his work.

The girl stretched again as she walked down the open hallways that the entire Seireitei was mostly made up of. Everything here was connected. Be it the courtyards or the mess halls, they had a path leading to them. If you were unfamiliar with these places, you'd definitely get lost. But not everything was completely connected. There were the streets that could be accessed for quiet strolls away from other captains and shinigami and then there was the path leading straight up to the execution grounds. It was all paved and very elegant looking. However, Kuromi never ventured that far. It was off-limits up there and she didn't want to get in trouble. She looked around and sighed a little. There was one person she would have liked to spend a nice relaxing day with other than Gin. Her name was Rukia Kuchiki, a seat for Squad 13. She was so nice and her drawings were absolutely adorable. She liked spending time with her and just enjoyed having fun with her. But she hasn't been back in quite some time ever since she was given a mission to scout out this strange 'Karakura' town. Everyone suspected she was either dead or continuing her mission there. Kuromi hoped for the latter.

Rukia, aside from Rangiku, Gin, Toshiro, and now Suiren, seemed to not mind her ears at all. In fact, she often drew her in those cute little bunny or bear form she often does. It was so nice and refreshing to have someone not be scared or freaked out by them. She could barely remember when only kids found them cool. But that was in the Rokungai, not the Seireitei. As she kept thinking of her, she looked back at the sky, hoping that she would come back soon. She wanted to talk with her again and see more of her drawings.

As if to give her hope, she saw a door to the world of the living open, then close. Three specs stood there, but they quickly went on their way. She blinked as her ears perked up. Could that be...? Before she had a chance to follow, she felt a hand touch her shoulder. "Hm?" She blinked and looked up, seeing Rangiku with her wide smile. "There you are. I was beginning to think you went off somewhere you weren't supposed to." Kuromi smiled and turned to her. "I was just sleeping, that's all. But, someone came back from the human realm! Do you think Rukia came back?" She asked rather eagerly of her comrade. The orange haired woman blinked but sighed with a small smile. "We can only hope. I doubt it was anything. Now come on, Toshiro's throwing a fit because you aren't there helping." She put a hand on her shoulder and started walking her back. Kuromi glanced back at the sky before sighing a little and looking ahead. As they walked, Kuromi couldn't help but notice that they were taking a rather long path back to the barracks. Rangiku smiled at her, noticing how she spotted the different easily. "So, Suiren tells me you're seeing someone~?" She blinked as her ears perked before they folded back and she looked away. "I'm not. Honest." She lied, but knew that she would be able to tell. "A tall, silver haired man?" Her chesire smile grew wider every time she swore she saw a tinge of pink on the smaller's cheeks. "I-It's nothing. I just hang out with him, that's all." She nodded and tried to get rid of the blush. The woman laughed, though, and smiled widely. "Just admit it, you like him~" "I-I don't." She denied and continued to look away as the woman laughed.

Meanwhile, at the tenth barracks, Toshiro was waiting for Rangiku and Kuromi to get back. He had no doubt that they would take the longest time needed to get back. They were such flakes, he swore it. At least Suiren was still here giving him a hand. Which was a bit surprising since he heard about the prank she played on Izuru the other day. He expected her to go off to try another one. But she just stayed there and wrote down what she needed to. He looked back down at his work and filled in another form. "I don't always play pranks." She suddenly said as she filled the pen again. He looked up at her, rather confused by her statement. "You were thinking it, right? Why I'm not going off to find some victim to pull a prank on. I don't always do it. I like sitting down and working, too." She nodded as she looked back at him. He blinked before sighing a bit. "So you can read minds now?" "Well, no. You just had that look." She smiled at him with a small giggle. He rose a brow at her. He looked like he was thinking that? He wasn't sure if he even had an expression on his face. She continued laughing before finishing up her work. "By the way, you're really short. Did you not drink your milk?" She asked as she stood up and went over to him. "What? Of course I did! And I am not that short." He didn't seem pleased by her teasing. He had enough of that from Gin.

"Really? Stand up, let's compare heights." She nodded and stood up straight. He sighed but decided to amuse her. He couldn't tell her to get back to work when she finished it all. "Fine." He stood up and walked over to her. He stood back to back with her before feeling her hand on his head. "Whoa...you're shorter than me." He flinched before growling. "So what!? Not like it matters." He huffed and frowned at her. She giggled as he faced her. "But it's cute! You're so short." She tried to pinch his cheeks, but he slapped her hands away. "Don't touch me." He handed her a stack of papers and huffed again. "Take these, do them." She blinked and titled her head. "But...they're your paperwork." He growled and shoved them in her hands. "Just take them!" He seemed really embarrassed now. He was shorter than a girl not even 5 feet! And she was laughing at him and calling him 'cute'! Not something a proud captain ever wanted to hear. He hated it a lot.

Suiren was going to tease him a bit more, but eventually, Rangiku and Kuromi made their ways back to the barracks and into his office. "We're back~~" Rangiku announced loudly, making the silver haired woman yelp and trip over herself. The papers fluttered to the ground in different spots all over. Kuromi blinked before laughing at the mishap. "I'm sorry..." She gulped but the fox eared girl knelt down and began to pick up the papers. "It's okay. I did the same thing when I was new here." She nodded with a grin in her face. "Really? What happened." Kuromi's ears drooped as she remembered. "Rangiku...scared me...she kinda...uhm...well..." Rangiku laughed at the memory. "I went like this." She reached under the girl's arms and grabbed her breast. Kuromi yelped and dropped the papers she was holding. "YOU PROMISED NEVER TO DO THAT AGAIN!" She yelled and held her chest. Suiren laughed at this, not feeling so bad anymore. Toshiro sighed and watched them goof around instead of pick up the papers. It was amusing to an extent, but he decided to go ahead and finish up with his work while they picked up papers. "You're the one that brought it up~ I couldn't help if I wanted to demonstrate~" She winked and giggled at the white haired girl, who only hissed and blushed in embarrassment.