Chapter III: Female Opinions
The idea of having the selected women work together in perfect synchrony seemed like too much to ask for when involving Kurogane Akiye. Sure, Shuuhei recognized why she was often the outcast, considering her cold exterior and snappy retorts, but she made their brainstorming agreement a battlefield between herself and Matsumoto. If there weren't enough reasonable people around to calm them down nothing would have been finished during their first brainstorm. They had plenty of work to settle and only a measly month to have it done.
Akiye could easily read the lieutenant's expression, he seemed distraught as the altercations rose among the group, and if he hadn't been caught in between the final one, it might have still been going. She kept to herself for the most part of the brainstorm, unless Matsumoto said anything, or she wanted a bathroom break—which she announced to everyone before slipping out of the room.
Tokiwa kept her under some control, but the soft-spoken woman could only do so much, especially while keeping up with her angelic reputation.
Hibino raised her clenched hand up over her mouth, clearing her throat and catching everyone's attention. They had been asked to discuss amongst themselves something interesting women or men could do for Valentine's Day that year—beauty tips for women and men (of course, looking their best was essential), restaurant recommendations, romantic hotspots, and simple dates.
"Excuse me for interrupting everyone, but, I have another idea," began Hibino, grinning like a mad fool. "Why don't we add a question and have as many people as possible answer it?"
"What kind of question?" asked Matsumoto, quirking an eyebrow.
"Something pertaining to the holiday, of course, so we'd best put it under discussion," she said looking around the room, "any suggestions?"
Akiye's hand shot up instantly.
Hibino looked at her awkwardly before taking her offer. "What is it?"
She propped herself up on the ledge. "Let's say there's a serious outbreak of hollows launching an attack during this holiday, and everyone is presented with an ultimatum where you can basically choose who they want to die with…and that's the gist of it."
There was a very brief silence, until Matsumoto clapped her hands with a snort. "To think, she could turn a perfectly good day into something morbid," she said, laughing sardonically. "I commend you, Kurogane."
Akiye scoffed. "The day isn't always enthusiastic to start and the theme of the question wasn't specified," she said, turning her attention to Hibino, "would you rather stipulate, or are you willing to consider my contribution?"
Hibino rolled her eyes.
The ambience was intensified, turning the others away from speaking up or making their own suggestions known, thus leaving the conference to three irritable women.
"Allow me to rephrase myself, suggest a question with a theme tying to romance," complied Hibino sourly.
"See, now that's a narrowed search, so carry on." With that, Akiye went back to spacing out once again, showing her lack of enthusiasm among the others.
"What about an ideal partner?"
She didn't have the chance to catch who said that and turned her attention back to the others, who eagerly agreed. She looked at Shuuhei, who was busy reading over something on the other side of the room in some lonesome corner, far from accidentally getting involved in another argument. He had nothing.
Tokiwa seemed equally excited with the idea and her sister's joy could not be expressed to the public eye. Finding nothing better to do, Akiye interrupted the clamor. "Why not just ask everyone who they'd like to date?" she asked. "That's a hell 'lot easier than beating around the bush, aint it?"
Everyone shut up and turned to face her. The exact reaction she had expected.
Hibino placed both hands on her sides with hints of confidence on her pretty face. "Where in that lies the sense of privacy for people's lives?"
"Privacy?" She laughed lightly. "What does Valentine's Day have to do with one's privacy? As it is, women and men are going to throw themselves at one another. I'm merely trying to justify their actions."
Matsumoto looked as if she was going to counter before Hibino had a chance to, but Tokiwa interrupted them in a snap. "Akiye, asking someone to publicize their affections isn't justifying their actions, if they would rather avoid speaking up, it's best to leave it as it is," she said. "There's a time and place for everything."
"Isn't the idea of having billions of confessions in the next issue an ideal theme?" she asked genuinely curious.
"Do you have any consideration of people's feelings?" asked Matsumoto bitterly. "You know how many heartbreaks something like that could cause?"
"Better late than ever." She shrugged her shoulders.
Unconvinced by Akiye's decision, Hibino turned to her lieutenant, who had been paying attention, but tried escaping any form of confrontation. "What do you think, Lieutenant Hisagi?"
Shuuhei looked up from his work, seeming rather tense by the glare Akiye directed his way. He kept himself composed beneath her defiant stare and spoke up. "Everyone is entitled to keep their opinions, but forcing someone to confess when they would rather keep the secret it's—"
"Fine, then I'll rescind my comment, I was only trying to make the world a better place," Akiye interrupted, gesturing halfheartedly. "Please, carry on with this ideal partner nonsense."
"Akiye…" Tokiwa sounded her name once more, pressuring her to at least be collaborative in their conversation, but knew that she would ultimately fail.
Akiye ignored the odd looks cast her way before Hibino drew back all the attention to herself to continue their interrupted discussion.
It went on to the point that they agreed to ask others that particular question and made the inquiry amongst themselves. Hibino, thinking herself the Queen Bee, answered first and Akiye considered herself the luckiest person alive. "I think my ideal would be someone tall, handsome, who's calm and mature," she began, thinking it wasn't obvious to her audience how her eyes flickered to Shuuhei before fumbling for words and changing the subject. "What about you Lieutenant Hinamori?"
So Hibino likes Hisagi Shuuhei…interesting sight to behold…
Hinamori looked taken aback by the inquiry, but managed to answer fretfully. "I suppose someone kind, I presume," she said, "and patient as well…"
Hinamori went on with the descriptions and Akiye was quick to put a face to them.
Ah, Captain Aizen…well, that was…expected.
After Hinamori, came Isane's response, which consisted of determination, but she got nothing out of it.
Next was Matsumoto and god did she immediately block out her words when she started, but ultimately noticed Shuuhei's attention had been drawn to it followed by a look of disappointment. That's gross…
Tokiwa spoke after and her description clearly read Abarai Renji. Akiye merely rolled her eyes.
There was a brief silence and soon all eyes were on her.
"What?"
"Wouldn't you like to share…?" Hibino questioned curiously.
"Ideal man?" she asked.
Hibino gave a curt nod.
Tokiwa leaned close in anticipation and Akiye could have easily said her ideal man ran away as quickly as he had arrived, but that would be a stupid answer…
Akiye planted both hands over the ledge, curling her fingers beneath it. "Possibly someone languid, silent, but frightening all the same, sharp teeth, with a savage disposition and a carnal need to hunt, gills, blue skin, lives under—"
Everyone raised an eyebrow. Looking at her as if she had just done something completely stupid—she had not and would never in front of such unworthy audience. She felt her sister grab her by the arm and pull her slightly in her direction, leaning forward to interrupt her before she had a chance to finish.
"Did you just describe a…shark?"
She turned to her sister. "Well, I'd much rather date a shark than a man."
Matsumoto scoffed.
Tokiwa pinched her, causing her to yelp. "Oi, what's yer problem?"
There was another silence as everyone's eyes fell upon the dark-haired lieutenant busily working in his lonely corner. Everyone was curious about the man's ideal woman, but nobody present was too confident about asking not knowing if it would be proper. Matsumoto was pressuring Hibino to do it, but the brown-haired woman shook her head.
"So, who's your ideal woman, Hisagi Shuuhei?" asked Akiye, getting everyone's attention.
Shuuhei dropped the papers on his lap, eyes meeting with hers and everyone else's, tentative about responding. "E-excuse me?"
"Everyone poured their hearts out, don't tell me you thought you were getting away with just sitting there without contribution?" she added, earning some inward praise from Hibino.
"Uhh, n-no, of course not," he said, straightening out.
"So, what's your type Shuuhei?" asked Matsumoto.
I bet he'll just end up describing her…
"Type?" He fumbled for words, but looked as though he was thinking it seriously. "Someone honest, I suppose." He looked at their unsatisfied expressions.
"Tall girls, short girls, big boobs, small boobs, curvy, not curvy," described Akiye aloud, digging deep. "We went as far as describing body types—"
"You described a shark, Kurogane," muttered Matsumoto.
"Well, if Hisagi Shuuhei specifies, maybe I might as well," she proposed.
Shuuhei blanched. "I-I like short girls," he blurted stupidly.
"How short?" asked Hibino.
"Uhh…"
He might die of a heart attack if the conversation continued. "I don't know…"
"Hinamori's height, Kurogane's height, or Hibino's height?" questioned Matsumoto after being pressured by Hibino to ask before she died asphyxiated. Isane, Tokiwa, and she were too tall to be considered short, thus not making the cut.
Why am I even in that list…? I'm not that short…
Shuuhei hesitantly looked around the room, embarrassed. "Kurogane-san's height."
Hibino was so stunned she nearly fainted and Akiye felt a little more humiliated than she had the first time. She merely turned away, whispering beneath her breath, and taking in a good horde of odd looks, though it was similar to what Shuuhei was receiving from Hibino and Matsumoto.
Tokiwa questioned Akiye's reasons for having to stay in Ninth Division longer than the rest of them after they were dismissed. Akiye never gave her a straight answer and Tokiwa ended up leaving the division in a bitter mood, threatening her about returning home. Shuuhei had been standing outside in the hallway, waiting to give her further instruction on her ghostwriting when Tokiwa stormed out, muttering obscenities, followed by Akiye who shook her head in disapproval.
"Quite a mouth she's got on 'er," she said, regarding the lieutenant. "So, what else is keepin' me here?"
He looked at her and led the way towards the main office, asking her to follow him. She did and received a workload, bulging file folders and a sheet with deadlines and writing guidelines for her to follow.
"All you have to do is review previous works and come up with a few ideas before submitting an article," he instructed.
"Do I need to consult anyone in particular with what ideas I settle?"
"No, just follow up to what was already spoken for," he said. "Whenever you are finished, leave it with me."
"Then, I'll have it ready by tomorrow," she said, stepping towards the door.
"You can take as long as you like," he stated quickly. "Well, until a week before the deadline."
"Actually, having it done by tomorrow is convenient for me," she said. "Please expect it tomorrow, and if revisions are necessary, you can consult me before meetings."
He shut his mouth. "Well, if that's what you'd prefer."
"Excuse me." She reached for the door.
"Kurogane-san," he called quietly.
She looked at him. "What?"
"You never specified."
She laughed. "I like the honest-type too."
With that, Akiye left the division.
Even if she had been banned from entering the Science Department—stupid captain—she had plenty of work to keep her mind from all her minor indiscretions. Ghostwriting articles, a collaboration for Valentine's Day, and her other jobs were piling up. First things first, getting the article out of the way before slithering towards the Screaming Lotus Place to ask Lala to make her a schedule of appointments for the month. She would willingly take any job, so long as it unwound all the stress she had bottled up.
Akiye ended up in the library, a very public place to avoid nuisances while she did her research. She picked the farthest table inside the building and set her work down before walking down towards a different section. She recalled reading previous articles written by her captain and recently he had taken to presenting plants to wear off certain poisons. It was obvious he would have taken a liking to tutoring others on poisons—it was his forte after all.
Seeing no need to jump into a different type of medicine, she stuck with plants. They were easiest for her to research, considering she had acquired enough knowledge while working under her captain.
Returning to her table with a good stack of books, she began working.
Halfway through reading the first textbook, she reconsidered her topic, "cures for poisons", knowing it wasn't going to make her captain regret her punishment.
She shifted her attention elsewhere, with a smirk tugging at her lips as she set the first book and picked up another, skimming through it until she found the page she wanted.
Simple cures for simple nuisances, she thought while jotting down a few notes. That would be like stomachaches, migraines for women, there are teas for morning sickness –
She crossed out the last bit and went on to writing a few other notes before looking for the plants that came to mind, taking note of their uses and writing them out.
It had been over five hours since her arrival and her wrist was cramping up from consistently writing, but she had a lot to do before finishing the article. It was the third draft she had written, its predecessors cried Akiye, and now she felt it seemed more like Captain Kurotsuchi's work. She still wanted to get back at him somehow and knew talking about female problems in the entries would be enough to irk him for the while. Maybe he would take back his sentence and shove it up his—
"Kurogane-san, I figured I'd find you here."
Who the hell—
Akiye looked up, watching Shuuhei approach her with another file folder under his arm. The older male at the front desk asked him to keep his voice down as he approached her. He bowed apologetically to the man, muttering an apology.
He walked to her side, putting down the folder on the table.
"I accidentally gave you a wrong folder," he said, "and brought the right one."
She rummaged through the stack, having found a folder that should have never met her gaze that contained confidential information, and handed it to the lieutenant. "Didn't read past the titles," she said, "and only inspected the rest to make sure it was wrongly placed."
He took it from her hands. "Thank you."
She was still working under his gaze, though it felt uncomfortable with the silence. The article was coming along well, in her opinion, and there wasn't much to add except the final remedies for migraines.
"If you have time to spare, I'm almost finished with the article," she said, catching him as he surveyed her work, "that way you won't have to look over my shoulder."
"I'm sorry," he said quickly. "I was curious."
"Never had a ghostwriter before?"
"Not that I remember."
"And from what you've read…?"
"I think it's great." He smiled.
Regardless of the smile, there was still awkwardness between them. Who could deny it? It was so obvious a blind man could tell just by walking past them. As for the compliment, she avoided reacting, turning her attention back to work.
There was a brief silence before he moved over to the other side of the table, pulling a chair and sitting down in front of her.
"How soon?" he asked, breaking the silence.
Akiye dropped her pen and leaned back against the table, stretching her tired limbs before regarding him with a smirk. "How soon is now?"
He looked at her strangely, arching an eyebrow.
She dropped her head, trying not to laugh. "I just need a final remedy and that's all."
"I see," he said. "Captain Kurotsuchi was right, you are an able worker."
Akiye pushed her glasses up, looking at him. "He said that?" she asked, concerned for her captain's sanity. He always rewarded her with insults, not praises.
He shrugged. "Something like that."
"Figures." She sighed and went back to writing.
Another awkward silence swept past them and she felt the need of bring everything up. The recklessness she wanted to forget in order to overcome it somehow. She was used to being frank and the fact that she couldn't even bring up the subject at random meant the happenings were getting under her skin.
She knew why, but delving too far into the past was something she unconsciously circumvented.
Shuuhei was looking through the documents in the folder he retrieved from her. She heard him shuffling through the sheets of paper before a voice chimed in, causing the man at the desk to shout at the woman talking loudly. The woman didn't shut up and Akiye recognized her voice.
It was Hibino and she was probably making sure Shuuhei stayed within her field of vision. Hibino showed up at the table, breathing heavily.
Shuuhei snapped the folder shut and set in on the table, watching the woman approach him. "Hibino-san, what's wrong?"
"We just received news from Fourth Division about that body," she said, catching her breath after smashing the words together.
Akiye felt his gaze on her before he stood up and led Hibino towards the other end of the table where she wouldn't be able to hear. She hoped she could avoid their morbid conversation, but she had good ears and that slipped past them.
Hibino continued from where she left off, mentioning a dead carcass Matsumoto Rangiku had found a day ago, recognizing the shinigami as one of the members of eleventh division. Shuuhei questioned the situation and she revealed the body had been removed from Fourth Division sometime that evening.
"There still isn't enough evidence to go on," Shuuhei said, whispering while casting another glance at her. "Captain Tōsen already consulted Second Division about the guards that disappeared three days prior to the…"
Akiye set her pen down, finishing her work as they exchanged a final bit of information and she was dismissed before she had the time to ask what he was doing accompanying Kurogane.
She let out a yawn. All that work was taking a toll on her.
Shuuhei went back to the table, gathering his things.
"Something came up," he said.
"It's fine. I already finished." She grabbed her work and handed it to him. "I can return the other articles tomorrow during the next meeting, or something, 'less you'd rather carry 'em now?"
"I'll take them, it's not a problem."
He began pulling the files and stacking them up on the table to make it easier to carry.
"Oi, don't mind me bringin' it up," she began as casually as possible. The look on his face was enough to show he knew what she meant. "Do you by any chance remember what happened?"
"N-no, I don't."
He did. He stuttered.
"I remember a good portion of it and I thought you may have as well, but maybe it was just my imagination," she answered seriously. "I was only wondering who initiated it."
He looked mortified and didn't speak.
She continued. "Let's leave it at that and never mention it again."
"Very well."
"Good, now I can stop looking at you like a piece of meat," she said with a relieved sigh.
He blushed.
She pulled herself out of her seat. Yes, there was nothing for her to worry about now. After getting that confession out of her system, everything should run smoothly.
"Excuse me?" he said suddenly.
"What?" She noticed his embarrassment, mistaking the reason for another. "Don't worry; I won't dare ruin your reputation." She waved her hand. "It'd be bad for mine too." For Iko's reputation, not hers—she did a good job causing herself ruin and enjoyed it to a certain extent.
His awkwardness was still evident, but she brushed it aside, turning away, and heading back to gather more books to read into for the next article. When she returned to her place, the lieutenant was halfway out the entrance, his face still a little red.
After she got a few ideas out of her system, she swore she would rush towards the Screaming Lotus Place. She took notes as she read in order to remember the content better.
Definitely, I'll totally show up and surprise everyone and then…then I can stop thinking about this.
She showed definite signs of exhaustion, but she never questioned them and continued reading. Even though the content of each textbook was interesting, her eyelids continued dropping, drawing her vision to black. She brought her hand up over her mouth, shielding a yawn. She moved her palm over her forehead, checking her temperature.
Normal temperature, no notable nuisances—it's not my bedtime either…
She felt consumed by the drowsiness and had resisted a while longer, but eventually her face collided hard against the table. It should have jolted her awake, but instead, the impact managed to lull her to sleep.
Kaito stirred in bed, growing tired of the constant muttering he heard within his home. He was sleeping, couldn't they be considerate and shut the fuck up! Naoto was talking the most—what a shock, you'd think he be out making more money—and Tokiwa mentioned the word "worried" repeatedly, at least once in each sentence. The only time she wasn't worried was when everyone in that household wasn't under their roof. And, if Tokiwa was present and Naoto was as well, that meant…
His eyes snapped open before he could process the thought and he pulled himself out of his futon, the grogginess weighing him down as he made his way out of his room. He tripped over his two feet, unable to get out of his sleepy daze and collided with the wall in front of his room.
"What was that?" asked Naoto, alert.
"Geez, it's probably Kai-chan sleepwalking or something, no need for you to freak."
Kaito managed to hold his body up, rubbing his eyes for a bit of clarity. No matter how many times he rubbed them, his vision remained blurry. He blinked and it was worse.
"What about Aki-chan, I'm worried that she hasn't come home this late," continued Tokiwa.
"Yeah, I'll—"
Kaito walked out the hallway with a yawn, surprising his siblings. "I'll look for her," he stated, receiving a death glare from Naoto for interrupting him.
He stumbled slightly as he made it out the door.
"You can barely walk, go back to—"
He turned his head to glare at Naoto, gritting his teeth in apprehension. "I said I'll go find her."
Naoto merely frowned, watching as his younger brother overlooked his authority and went on slipping his sandals. The idiot was obviously half-asleep, but talking him out of such stubbornness would prove difficult. Naoto turned to Tokiwa for backup and she bit her lower lip in response.
"Be careful out there, I hear some lunatic's been killing shinigami left and right," advised Tokiwa.
Kaito reached for his zanpakutō, which was lying where he threw it when he arrived, and opened the front door. "Yeah."
"Where'd you hear that story?" asked Naoto.
Kaito sighed, stepping out of their home and tripping off the verandah, hitting the cemented floor hard.
"Shit," he cursed, lifting himself off the ground before the other two noticed.
"Are you all right, Kai?"
"Yeah," he said, making his way towards the street. He waved his hand and heard the door shut behind him.
He took a minute to think about what her sister said and laughed, a lunatic killing shinigami…that's a classic.
Without much trouble, he tracked down Akiye's reiatsu, pinpointed her location, and shunpo'd towards her. He reached the library, unimpressed with her position. A loser like her only frequented a few spots and after being banned from her own division for being an idiot—the library was the only place she could go to for information.
He pushed back his messy blond hair, trying to keep it out of his face as he entered the building. He followed her reiatsu carefully and when he found her, he stopped. She was slumped over one of the tables; probably drooling over everything sleeping, and standing behind her, acting like a pervert was that wallflower—Captain Aizen.
He arched an eyebrow, watching the captain place his hand on her shoulder attempting to wake her. Aizen looked up at Kaito and removed his hand. "Ah, Kurogane-san, it's a good thing you—"
Kaito stopped beside his sister, pushing the chair back abruptly with his foot and pulling her body over his shoulder. How much weight has she gained…? He mentally cursed, trying not to seem lopsided as he stood before the captain.
"Thanks for trying to wake her, she's a bit slow," he said, interrupting the captain.
Aizen smiled. "Not a problem," he said, "but I noticed she was a bit dehydrated, you should have her examined."
"Thanks for worrying," he said evenly, taking a step back. "I would bow, but she's really heavy."
He dismissed his statement with a wave of his hand. "Quite all right."
The smile never left his face, even as Kaito made his way out of the area, he could still feel the captain's eyes on them. Maybe he likes men, he thought, shrugging indifferently, Well, I am cute…
He paused once outside.
That's disgusting…
"Would you like to have a conversation, Kurogane Akiye?" A voice echoed in her mind as she sat inside a lush garden.
Akiye turned her head upward, facing the still sky. Her eyes wandered over her cloudless overhead, glinting with a tinge of delight.
There were no noises besides the sound of her breathing and the rustling of the flowers. The garden was never ending, full of dozens of yellow flowers, Narcissus. She had walked through it, looking for a change, but the yellow flowers only continued in abundance. The sky had been unmoving since she had first entered that world and it was deadly quiet.
"Yes, I'd enjoy a conversation," she responded.
A gust of wind rustled the flowers, pushing them back and forth. Akiye's black hair brushed against her cheeks. "Then next time you want to be a nasty bitch, don't leave me in your demented captain's laboratory."
Akiye's eyes snapped open and she jolted to a seat in cold sweat. What an eerily accurate dream. She heard a light murmur near her and once she came to all four of five of her senses, something heavy on her lap. She took in her surroundings, expecting to be in the library the entire time, but recognized her messy room. She looked down, Kaito's face was on her lap, and she assumed he brought her home last night.
She dropped her body back over her futon, feeling comfortable alas.
What should I do today? She asked herself, before paying attention to her situation. Kaito was sleeping in her room, using her as a pillow, rather than putting his own home space to proper use. She lifted her head up, eyes locked on her brother's sleeping face.
"Idiot," she murmured. "You have a room, don't you?"
She was talking to herself.
She shook her leg, shifting her position and dropping his face on the futon. He twitched in his sleep, opening his mouth slightly before shutting it and scrunching his face up in disdain.
"Oi, idiot, this aint yer room," she said, louder than the first time, hoping he would wake up.
He grumbled in response.
"Kaito!" she called, bothered.
"…Go to hell," he mumbled.
"Yea, condemn me all ya want when yer in your room," she said, pulling herself back up to a seat. "At least go sleep on Tokiwa 'r somethin'!"
Kaito's eyes opened a bit and he moved his face up to look at her. "Toki-nee-chan went to that stupid meeting in Ninth Division," he said groggily, dropping his head on her lap again. "Besides, your lap is better."
"Why didn't she wake me up?"
"Because I told her Aizen said you were dehydrated."
Akiye arched an eyebrow. "The man's not a specialist, y'know."
Kaito rolled onto his stomach, yawning. "Yeah, but people kiss the fucking ground he walks on, and he is an intellectual, you see," he said sardonically. "Don't think Toki-nee any different. His words were like—"
"—magic," finished Akiye, huffing. "I get it, so this gives me the day off." She looked back down at Kaito, who was just staring up at her like an idiot. "Oi, why aren't you at work?"
"Sprained ankle, dislocated shoulder, and broken arm," he said, shrugging it off.
She frowned. Even if all those things were wrong with him, why would he act as if nothing was hurting him? His arm and ankle weren't even bandaged and judging by the flesh exposure of his shoulders, he wasn't wearing any gauze there either.
"I don't believe you."
"I never asked you to," he replied.
"You're skipping, aren't you?"
"No, I'm seriously wounded," he stated. "I had Fourth Division tell me and everything."
"Liar," she said. "You hate going to Forth."
He frowned. "They said so before I ran away."
"I don't believe you."
"Whatever." He turned away.
"I'm gonna go visit Lala and Kishi," she said, pushing him off her lap and getting up.
Kaito lifted his gaze once more, staring at her with a hopeful expression and she knew what he would ask.
"Can I go?"
She looked at him, serious.
"I can drop you off at the Love Shack," she said saccharinely.
His eyes narrowed dangerously. "I thought I made myself—"
"I heard they're having a special today, vanilla lattes 'r' half-priced," she said, lying of course.
Her gullible brother would just eat that stuff up, being addicted to caffeine and all. Though, he denied it, it was true and everyone knew.
He headed for the door, sliding it open. "I'll go get ready," he stated. "Tell me when you leave; I want to leave with you, okay?"
"Fine," she said, sighing.
Akiye went to her closet and began rummaging for something normal to wear. She settled for brushing her hair—for once—and discarding her glasses for the day, it would make moving around easier. Her mind was uneasily quiet for once, no snotty comments, no flying saucers, or talking plants. There wasn't anything going on in her head.
Did I hit my head or something? She wondered as she pulled off her sleeping robe and slipped into a red yukata. She smoothed it out before tying her obi over her waist. I did own an overactive imagination, didn't I?
She stood their pensively, avoiding internal arguments with herself, and drew a conclusion.
I probably did hit my head…
"Aki-chan, where's your zanpakutō?" Kaito asked, curious as he examined his weaponless sister. He had notice a long time ago that she had stopped carrying her sword, but maybe that was weeks ago.
Akiye shrugged her shoulders in response, sensing his worry. She could practically read him without looking. He was notably simpleminded and was probably worried about her safety around the Seireitei. It's not like there was much danger inside, there was hardly any need for her to carry a sword. If she ran into any type of danger, she'd book it. She had legs and wouldn't waste their running capabilities by standing around while danger ensues—bravery wasn't something she was interested in, or fighting for that matter. She left all the dirty work to her brothers.
He frowned. "That little shrug doesn't answer my question."
"I lost it," she said, too carelessly.
"You lost your zanpakutō?" he asked slowly, trying to make sure he heard right.
She turned to him and nodded.
"Lost it," she repeated nonchalantly. "I find my mind a lot peaceful nowadays without that bastard's debauchery."
"It's not like you can sue your zanpakutō for sexual harassment…maybe, you're supposed to learn from it," he said. "When you do, you might get a shikai."
She scoffed, turning her attention from her brother, only acknowledging the first half of his speech. "Had we such right, I would have already taken care of it."
Kaito rolled his eyes. "Whatever."
Akiye found their walk to be comfortable and nice. Their conversations never went past prying, and whenever he wasn't being a lazy bum, Kaito was the smartest link in their family, making casual interactions exhilarating for her. He was never judgmental of her secret affairs—those she shared—and he kept to himself, focusing on listening about her troubles. It was his best attribute. Unlike Naoto, who would probably cry a river if he knew about her being Iko, or Tokiwa, who would be gravely disappointed in her hobby, Kaito had called her desperate and laughed. She justified it as further research to the function of men where only an intimate relationship would allow her to delve into such personal knowledge.
Truthfully, she liked the money and for the most part never learned any valuable lesson from all her escapades or meetings. The only fact acquired was her unfathomable love for money; she treasured it more than the next person.
"What were you doing in the library?"
Something he could do without was his curiosity.
"Research for an article I was writing about," she answered, hiding the cynicism from her brother.
"What about?"
"Sharks," she answered.
"That's boring."
"Tell me about it." She sighed, looking upright as the sign for the Love Shack came to view. It was a small sign; it only held the name of the shop and a heart at the end of 'Shack', giving some quirkiness to the café. "Looks like we're here, I'll see you at home, then?"
"Yeah," he said, making his way towards the shop as she turned down the street towards the Screaming Lotus Place.
The bar was only another block away and it would be empty, since it was Friday. For higher sales, Kishi and Lala opened later on Fridays and sold most of their expensive drinks half price. During those times, shinigami would flock inside and have small gatherings or parties. It was lively and rowdy, too raucous for her tastes, but sometimes she just sat there until something interesting happened. If she stayed sober long enough, without the need of Naoto or Kaito dropping by to pick her up, she had front row seats whenever something scandalous happened—bar fights, hookups, and other interesting events.
She fiddled with the hem of her sleeve as she walked, thinking about how wonderful a day it was. She would have to take advantage of such delight and drink herself stupid to celebrate or go shopping for that kimono she had been dreaming about these past nights.
Akiye slid the door open to the Screaming Lotus Place. "Lala-chan, let's go—"
She stopped short as her eyes met with a dark-haired man sitting in front of the counter. Although he was sitting, slouched over the counter, he was taller than the average person. His dark brown hair fell over half his face messily, shielding his handsome features, high cheekbones, a straight nose, and thin lips. He was dressed in the finest silk seen in the Seireitei, symbolizing his noble rank.
Akiye gulped, firmly believing her day would have been beyond great. Until that piece of meat showed up…
She glanced over to the counter, meeting with Lala's business smile, attempting to conceal her obvious fear for the nobleman, and immediately turned her attention back to him. "Atsuya-sama, what brings you to this side of Seireitei?"
He slammed his cup down, turning his face to give her an icy stare. "Akiye, are you free?"
Akiye's eyes were on Lala who was nodding her head in approval, asking her to take the man from her bar before she opened.
"Yes, of course," she answered, smiling.
He got out of his seat and smoothed out his robes.
"Let's go," he ordered, walking towards the exit.
"Thank you for the visit, Hosokawa-sama," called Lala behind him.
Akiye stepped back, allowing him to pass before she shut the door, glaring at Lala.
The man looked over his shoulder at her, who kept her gaze on the ground and grunted in disapproval.
"You look horrible."
She looked up at him and smiled cynically. "Thank you, so do you."
He rolled his eyes, turning away from her. "Where the hell have you been this past month?"
"I've had a few tragedies to take care of and work piled on me while working with them," she replied offhandedly.
His frown deepened at her choice of words. "Then, I'll be sure to send you double next month for said tragedies."
Akiye smirked in response.
When Akiye arrived home at late hours of the night, or early morning, she encountered Tokiwa, who was sitting by the entrance waiting for her. Unhappy to see her sister for once, Akiye tried to brush aside the encounter by walking past her, but Tokiwa was quick to block the hallway. There was a reason she wanted to get out of her sister's vigilant gaze and it had to do with the light bruising on her neck, arms, and legs, along with the obvious marks beneath her robes and her reddened lips from the hard kissing. She had plenty to hide and not a lot of angles available to do so.
"Where have you been, it's four in the morning!" demanded Tokiwa. Her eyes looked tired, but her eyebrows were knitted in frustration, drawing more attention to her wrath rather than the all-nighter she pulled.
For a lack of better words and excuses, Akiye's response was the first statement her brain could process in her state of mind. "In…your pants…?"
She lifted both hands and shoulders in a crude gesture, turning her head lightly to accentuate her own uncertainty.
Her sister narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Had you been in my pants, I would have noticed," she said, unfaltering. "You were in no condition to leave this house, now you will tell me where you were or—"
"I was with an old friend…"
Tokiwa arched an eyebrow. "Doing what?" She changed her tone, to inform her if she gave her the wrong answer, she'd be slapped until the truth spilled.
"Getting drunk in an old pub in Rukongai, met up—"
"You're drunk?"
She usually avoided drinking when she was with Atsuya, but still had a few cups of sake while they tried holding a conversation for longer than two minutes.
Akiye moved languidly, a bit sloppier than before and nodded with a face of guilt.
"Go throw up."
She blinked. "Excuse me?"
"I expect all of that out of your system by the time I finish making tea," she stated, ignoring her query and going straight to the excruciating details. "I better hear you, or else I'll kick your ass."
Tokiwa turned away and headed towards the kitchen without turning back.
Throw up, she says.
Akiye stuck her tongue out at her sister and headed down the hall towards the toilet to follow her sister's orders. She'll find some way to fake it…it's not the first time she asks me to do something stupid.
Regardless of what bitter thoughts ran wildly through her head, she walked into a smaller room where the toilet awaited her. She leaned against the doorway, trying to find the right way to fake regurgitation as she heard Tokiwa moving pans and dishes in the kitchen. She heard her sister speaking to herself, grunting about how everyone in that household was irresponsible.
"I don't hear you!"
She bit back a curse and sighed, shutting her eyes to prepare herself. She was just about to bend over the toilet and stick her finger in her mouth, finding no way out of that situation when the door slid open noisily and someone stumbled inside.
Tokiwa dropped something and stormed out of the kitchen. She heard the thumping of her feet against the wooden floors and managed to follow her movements from the kitchen to the small hall where their door was located.
Akiye leaned back to listen, pressing her ear against the door.
"And, where have you been?" asked Tokiwa, irritated.
"Don't harass me; I've been making extra money." It was Naoto and judging by his voice, he was both inebriated and exhausted.
"I'll harass you as much as I please, it's past four, and you have a mission this morning!" she said, raising her voice to accentuate her admonishment.
"Here's the money—"
"I don't want your dirty money!"
Naoto let out a growl. "I'm doing you all a favor, get over it!"
"You left the house alone! Kaito left while you were out."
"Well that's his problem."
"He's got a broken arm and a sprained ankle!" she stated. "I had to pull him out of the Love Shack by the ear and he still had the audacity to start crying!"
"He's old enough to do—"
"And Akiye, don't get—"
Akiye shuddered inside the bathroom, giving herself enough time to go through sufficient mental preparations for the upcoming storm Tokiwa unconsciously started.
"What about Akiye?"
He didn't slur. His words were deathly serious and she could imagine his face scrunch up in frustration.
"She just came home a few minutes ago," Tokiwa replied, again unaware of the drama she managed to stir among them.
"Where is she?"
Akiye turned away, noticing the window—the one she forgot all about when she entered—and walked over to it quietly. She propped the small rectangle open and hoped she could fit through there without much strain.
"Bathroom."
She heard her brother's footsteps and panicked, scrambling on top of the bowl as she attempted to climb out. She barely managed to get both arms out the window when the door slammed open. She didn't bother turning around, feeling her brother's hand curl over her ankle, pulling her back down.
"Running away, what a horrible way to greet your brother," he said in a playful tone.
Akiye shook her leg and turned to face him, acting brave. He was drunk, which meant he wasn't the brightest bulb in the room now.
"Not at all, I was admiring the scenery." She coughed, watching his expression change slightly.
His lower lip twitched as he confided his anger. "Why were you late?"
"I don't ask you what you were doing late, don't bother with me either."
He looked taken aback, but crossed his arms to play off the emotion. She could see Tokiwa standing by the hallway, prepared to interrupt at any given moment when another door slammed open and Kaito joined the group, pushing Naoto's face out of the way.
Kaito glared at Akiye. "You lied to me," he said with a grunt, tightening his hold against Naoto and eventually pushing him against the wall to avoid any interruptions from of him.
"Let go of me, you—"
"Lied?" she asked, interrupting Naoto.
"Vanilla lattes weren't half priced," he stated, genuinely angry.
Akiye opened her mouth, cracking a smile in the process. It took all the strength she possessed to hold in the laughter. "Maybe I read the sign wrong."
Kaito frowned. "I—"
Tokiwa peered inside, concerned and troubled about being left in the dark, noticing the lack of bandages on the youngest man. "Why aren't you wearing your bandages?" she demanded, calling all attention back to her.
Kaito did a double take, reluctant to give her his full attention before finishing his demand on Akiye. "What? They hurt."
"Your bones are broken you idiot, what do you expect?" Naoto grumbled from against the wall, finding an odd sense of solace with the proximity.
"We'll we can't expect brains out of everyone now, can we?" muttered Akiye, contributing to the conversation in attempt to stray it from her issue. Abusing Kaito's scapegoat attributes wasn't and wouldn't be the first time for her.
Naoto shrugged his shoulders. "You're right, we can't."
Tokiwa stared in horror.
Kaito turned back to Akiye, who had a pleased smirk on her face. "I'm not stupid."
"All you're good at is fighting, that's why yer in Eleventh—" Kaito rancorously smashed his brother's face harder against the wall, fed up with being called an idiot even in his own household.
"No one asked for your opinion, faggot," he said, letting out a feral growl.
Tokiwa closed her mouth and glared at Akiye who was thoroughly enjoying the scene unfolding before her. She grabbed a hold of Kaito. "Let go of him," she ordered, giving his arm a light tug. She wanted to avoid the growing tension in the room and thought of putting both men on separate sides of the house until everything smoothed over.
Kaito let go of Naoto, on his sister's orders, and quickly the eldest no longer suppress his accumulating anger. He balled his hand into a fist and swung at Kaito, hitting him square in the jaw.
Tokiwa's eyes widened, shocked. Her grip on Kaito had been lost when he stumbled back with the force of the hit.
"You need to learn how to respect your elders, stupid brat."
Akiye stood there, equally surprised by the turn of events, but did nothing to stop them from happening.
Kaito composed himself, spit out a bit of blood, and turned to face Naoto, returning his brother's aggression tenfold. He made it seem as though he was about to speak, drawing his brother's attention elsewhere before he uppercut him, causing him to fall back.
Akiye moved out of the way before his body collided with hers, inching closer to the wall.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Tokiwa asked, panicking as she tried to grab a hold of Kaito.
The brothers had begun a brawl and Akiye was stuck in the middle, adamantly expressing her disdain as she watched them swing at each other in different angles. They didn't bother using other skills they may have acquired throughout their years as shinigami, settling for a very normal, but aggressive, fistfight.
Tokiwa's clamor continued and at some point Akiye spaced out enough to envision her sister as a chicken, making all sort of outrageous noises.
Her hand shot upward toward her mouth to cover it and she managed to stifle a giggle.
"Why are you just standing there?" cried Tokiwa. "Tell him to stop!"
By him, she meant Kaito.
Akiye moved out of the way, casting a small glance at the men rolling around on the ground, neither had an upper hand over the other, which meant they weren't fighting with all their strength. But, they were both bruising and bleeding all over the polished floor.
She stood in front of her sister, looking up at the taller woman. "Although I do disapprove of such restraint methods—"
Tokiwa's hands landed on her shoulders, eyes bloodshot with tears at the rims. "I don't care what kind of methods you're into, make him to stop!"
"In my defense, your animal started this," she said, giving her a look.
The eldest turned away, feeling a bit dizzy at the amount of blood on the floor as the two continued the punishment, grunting and shouting obscenities at one another. Kaito's were all one-liners, questioning Naoto's sexuality, which had been established decades ago. Naoto's were a bit rough on the stupid child, calling him all sorts of names, and retelling bits of the past he may have wanted obscured.
"Naoto, stop hitting your brother!" Tokiwa settled for finishing the fight herself by ordering the eldest around.
Naoto showed signs of restraint. "Go to hell!"
"How dare you?"
"Kai-chan, let's go play a game." Akiye whistled, moving away from the rancorous scene.
Kaito's ears perked up at the sound of Akiye's voice and he caught Naoto's fist before he could hit him in the nose.
"Okay, what game?" he asked, getting off his brother and sprinting towards the youngest.
Akiye turned around to face him, staring at his bruised and bloodied face.
"Consider cleaning up before we play any game," she said, gesturing for him to get to it.
He merely nodded and took a turn towards the kitchen to leave out the back door.
Her eyes landed back on Naoto, who had just pushed his nose back in place, bleeding profusely over his decorative kimono. "Fuck, that idiot hits hard."
Tokiwa slapped him over the head.
"We built this house over friendship, bringing such animosity into this home is shameful!" she stated valiantly. "You all need to respect that!"
Naoto and Akiye glanced at each other before turning their heads as they attempted to contain the laughter.
"What are you laughing at?" she demanded.
Akiye sputtered, being the first to break into hysterics. "You're such a granny, Toki-nee!"
Naoto burst out laughing after watching Tokiwa's face twist in horror.
"I'm not," she said, stuttering.
"She's right, you are!"
"You're in no condition to talk!"
Tokiwa ignored their vivacious laughter and headed towards the kitchen, looking over the sullied floors she would have to clean before attending her division duties.
"All of you are idiots!" She walked inside the kitchen, glancing out the back door and placed both hands on her hips. "Kai! What are you doing? That's salted water, you idiot!"
Kaito cried out in pain as the salted water splashed over his head.
Naoto and Akiye continued laughing, finding hilarity in Kaito's pain.
Tokiwa continued reprimanding Kaito for his actions, saying there was no use in attacking back when he had all the blame. To her, a mere apology would suffice; to them it would never be enough. After Kaito, she turned to yelling at Naoto, who had started the fight between them and asked him to clean up before she made him bleed more. And, before Akiye could make a sardonic comment, Tokiwa silenced her with a frightening glare.
After three hours of senseless lectures and bickering, everyone had dressed up in their shihakusho, except Kaito who was currently being bandaged by Tokiwa once more. He only cleaned off the blood on his split lip and changed into his sleeping robes.
Akiye was watching Naoto patch himself up wondering what kind of events would take place for her that day.
Naoto's nose was broken, but it would heal. His face was bruised, which meant he would take time out of his other job in order to let them fade. After all, he was selling his looks and no one would consult him with ugly bruises. Akiye thought he was being stupid when he made that statement; she had often caught him complaining to himself about being too exhausted to work. He finally had a reason good enough to justify his leave, even if it was stupid. There was bound to be someone who enjoyed looking at a bruised man as he did them, she thought without being curious enough to find reason in her own deduction.
"Is everyone feeling better now?" Tokiwa broke the silence, looking around the room, staring into each of her sibling's eyes. They seemed so innocent sitting in front of her in silence, but they were each terrible in their own ways.
"I want to play that game, is it a board game?" asked Kaito, looking at Akiye's back expectantly.
Akiye felt his gaze burning in her back as she let out a yawn. "Sure, we'll play that game as soon as I come home from work," she said, standing up. She looked back at Tokiwa. "There's another one of those dumb meetings at Ninth, right?"
Tokiwa nodded.
"I'll see you there then."
Akiye surveyed the room with little enthusiasm. She had been enjoying the silence before everyone else clamored in groups of two. That was the magic number, or so she assumed. First, it was the rooster and the stalker hen—Hisagi Shuuhei and Hibino Naru, who had asked Akiye to go on ahead when she arrived at the Editorial Department. Afterward, the quiet, composed hens graced everyone with their presence, Momo and Isane, greeting everyone with happy smiles—showing off what a great day they had been having thus far. Lastly, it was the sister hen and the enemy hen, who greeted everyone—even her, much to everyone surprise. It was such amazing development that she was speechless.
At least, that lie justified her actions better than the real reason to keep her silence. She made a mental note of speaking to her sister in private, explain how fraternizing with the enemy could knock the balance of the world into utter chaos. But, there was a time and place for everything.
The brainstorming went on without any interruptions, which was something everyone had expected at certain intervals. Akiye cooperated without sarcastic comments or insincere confessions. She only spoke when spoken to and did not bother raising her hand once, though the habit of doing so bothered her for a large portion of the two hours spent there.
Topic for that day, ask her and she wouldn't know what to answer. She showed a bit of enthusiasm and when the meeting ended, everyone was assigned a job. Hers consisted of finding ideal restaurants, places—preferably areas covered in flowers or other romantic elements, love hotels, and other locations couples could spend their Valentine's Day at. A list of said areas would be due next week, but the brainstorming meetings would continue for another two weeks. There were many areas they needed to cover and still had to have enough time to meet deadlines.
Hibino and Shuuhei seemed to be the ones taking care of all the writing—even though neither looked to be any more romantic than she was, it was a good decision on their captain's behalf. (Though, rethinking said conclusion would be admirable by her standards.)
The meeting was adjourned and everyone made their way out of the room, except Akiye. The idea of having her thoughts stifled halfway through was irritating. She turned around to face the Ninth Division's lieutenant, who held a folder in his hands. Tokiwa was standing in the hallway, by the door, waiting for her to come through when she noticed Shuuhei had stopped her. Curiosity held her in place and she watched from afar, no harm done.
"You were awfully quiet," he said suddenly, breaking the silence.
Akiye arched an eyebrow, surprised to hear such commentary from him and only stared at him.
"Right," he said, retracting. He opened the folder in front of him. "Oh, there was an accident earlier concerning your work." He tilted the folder forward for her to see large blotches of ink sprawled over the paper messily, making it seem like an accident. "Someone accidentally spilled ink over it while I was—"
"I'll rewrite it, if that's what you want," she said, reaching for the folder.
He moved it from her grasp. "Your sister informed me of your health problems; I'll rewrite it, but if you can contribute some time to make a few things clear to me…I'd appreciate it."
"You really don't have to feel guilty about it," she said, looking at him through her spectacles, watching his expression change. "I mean accidents do happen, we're only human."
He looked at her, opening his mouth to respond, when she interrupted.
"I was only joking," she said seriously, taking a step back. "Actually, mistakes are so unhealthy; people who make them shame humanity."
She turned away and began walking down the hall. "Have fun deciphering that paper, you can thank whoever ruined it."