Author's Note: Here's another chapter! It's delayed; I know. I'm sorry, okay?
Ne, minna-san, why don't you read this chapter and review the story? It'll really boost my confidence, 'coz I think this story is lousy. Forgive me for mistakes , for I am merely an amateur.
Anyways, on to the disclaimer!
Miyuki Matsumoto-Ichimaru: The story of Bleach nor its characters DO NOT belong to Cassa-chan! Mou... If she did, then Byakkun would have fallen in love with Rika-baa-chan at once and never hesitated to show a little 'playful' side to her. (c) to Tite Kubo-sama [Cassa-chan told me to address him as such]. I belong to cassandrajillenchantress along with Rika-baa-chan and Rui-chan. Read... Review... And TOODLES! *giggles*
Chapter Four: Gin's Daughter
"How are you feeling, Ichimaru-taicho?" Unohana asked the young lady. Rika cringed.
"Pretty awful. My body's in full pain," Rika replied, grunting a little for trying to sit up. Unohana placed a gentle hand on Rika's shoulder.
"Ichimaru-taicho, please do not try to sit up right now. Rest until tomorrow," Unohana said gently. Rika sighed and sunk back to her hospital bed.
"Kuchiki-taicho, I am gratified that you brought me here when I fainted. My third zanpakuto told me," Rika said, bowing a little to Byakuya. He, in turn, gave her a curt nod.
"Do not burden yourself. It was nothing," Byakuya replied. Raikou spoke up. "You're on speaking terms with Ikazuchi again?" he said and smirked. Rika rolled her eyes and scoffed.
"Yeah right," Rika started and she smirked. "But with a little persuasion, at least." And sure enough, with the mention of his name, Ikazuchi materialized from everyone's eye.
"She's cruel, like Gin!" Ikazuchi accused, pointing a finger to Rika.
"No she's not," Raikou and Ayame said together. The two of them, with Rika, loved to tease and torment Ikazuchi because he was so vain.
"I must take my leave, Ichimaru-taicho, Unohana-taicho. Get well, Ichimaru-taicho," Byakuya said out of the blue. Rika turned to him and smiled.
"I am very grateful to you, Kuchiki-taicho. Thank you and good night," Rika said softly. Unohana nodded to Byakuya and he went out of the room.
"I'd be going then. Good night," Unohana said and she closed the door behind her back.
The next day, Rika was lucky enough that Unohana let her off that morning. She insisted that she really did not want to burden her lieutenant Hisagi to fill in for her when she is well enough to work. Rika strolled quietly and reached her division's barracks with no difficulty at all. All her tattoos were gone already, except for the two ones on the back of her hands.
"Are you all right now, Taicho?" Mizuki asked. She checked Rika up and down. Rika gave her a reassuring smile and went straight to her office. She found a boy with blue hair and blue eyes there, standing still at the corner. He wore a suit from the human world. Catching sight of Rika, he rushed to her and checked her forehead and neck.
"Ojou-sama! Are you all right? Is there anything you want? Are you feeling dizzy? Feverish? Tell me please," he stated, checking Rika's face. Rika just chuckled.
"Rui, I'm perfectly fine. Unohana-taicho took care of me and Raikou, Ayame and Ikazuchi watched over me for the whole time I slept," Rika explained. Hisagi and Mizuki stood at the doorway, smiling at the scene of servant and master.
"When I found out that you were hospitalized, I sought Kasumioji-sama's permission to escort you while you are here," Rui explained. He still looked a bit frantic.
"I'm fine here, Rui. I'm enjoying myself and I find Gotei 13 as an interesting organization," Rika said. Rui nodded a bit. "Well then, since you're here, why don't you go and prepare vanilla tea for Shuhei, Mizuki and me? It would help a lot with these papers to sign and write on," Rika said.
Rui bowed to his master and went to the kitchen for a while.
Later that afternoon, while Rui dutifully stood beside his master, a knock could be heard again. Rika gave her permission and Hisagi entered. "Taicho, Hitsugaya-taicho and Matsumoto-fukutaicho are here to see you," he said. Rika gave him a nod, signaling him that they could enter.
"I just started here and many people are visiting me already," Rika commented as she stood up. She saw Toshirou enter, and so did Rangiku. Rangiku squealed and hugged Rika, almost crushing her.
"Can't—breathe—Ran—chan," Rika managed to choke out. Rangiku broke free.
"Oh right. Hi Rika-chan! I'm here with Taicho!" Rangiku said, giggling. Rika smiled at the small captain.
"Good afternoon, Toshirou-kun. It's a pleasure to see you again," Rika greeted.
"The pleasure is mine, Rika-chan. I heard you were brought to the 4th Squad last night. Are you feeling well now?" Toshirou asked.
Rika nodded happily. "I'm all right now. Unohana-taicho took care of me well. And hey, is that Miyu-chan I'm sensing?" Rika said happily, trying to see if her niece was there. She saw the little girl's head bob from the door and giggle.
Ichimaru Miyuki's pale skin contrasted very much with her bright tawny eyes but not to hair silky white hair. Her wavy hair was tied into two pigtails tied with blue ribbons that paired with her light blue kimono with pink lotus designs on it.
"Rika-baa-chan!" Miyuki greeted her aunt. Rika welcomed her niece's warm hug and embraced her tightly.
"Kami knows how much Obaa-chan missed you!" Rika said, kissing Miyuki's forehead.
"I missed you too, Rika-baa-chan! All those work you had kept you busy, didn't it?" Miyuki said, pouting slightly. Rika laughed while Rangiku smiled lovingly to her friend and daughter.
"Rika-chan, Taicho and I are going to the real world for a while. And I can't leave her alone at home. So I brought her here and maybe you can take care of her while I'm gone? I'd really appreciate your help, you know," Rangiku said, a little embarrassed. Rangiku rubbed the back of her neck and chuckled nervously.
"It's all right. I can take care of Miyu-chan while you're gone. Besides, Rui's here to assist me anyway. Leave this to the Obaa-chan!" Rika said cheerfully, pointing a thumb to her. Miyuki broke into an excited grin.
"Yay! I get to stay with Rika-baa-chan! Miyuki's going to behave herself, really!" Miyuki said cheerfully, glomping her aunt.
"Ah. I knew I could count on you, Rika. Take care of Miyuki for me, okay?" Rangiku said, giving her daughter a kiss on the cheek. Miyuki hugged her.
"Do take care of my mother, Shiro-kun. She tends to be really reckless," Miyuki said, kissing her mother's cheeks. Rika, Toshirou and Rangiku laughed with Hisagi. Miyuki giggled.
"I will, Miyuki. I will. Besides, you're right. Your mother IS reckless," Toshirou said, gaining him a smack on the head.
"So it's you who influences my daughter with those thoughts, ne Taicho?" Rangiku said sternly. Toshirou glared at her.
"We better go now, Matsumoto. Let's go there earlier, so we can arrange our things in Urahara's shop," Toshirou said, pulling his lieutenant.
"Right, right, Captain. Bye Miyuki, darling! Behave yourself and follow your aunt's orders, okay?" Rangiku kissed Miyuki's forehead one last time and was gone with Toshirou.
"Miyuki, this is Hisagi Shuhei. He's my lieutenant. You can call him Shuhei, if you want," Rika introduced. Miyuki bowed a little to Hisagi and said, "I'll call him Shu-chan! I'm pleased to meet you, Shu-chan! I'm Miyuki! Call me Miyuki!"
Hisagi smiled at the little girl. "Hello Miyuki. I'm pleased to meet you too. So, you're staying here at the barracks for a while then?" he said.
"Yep. I'm staying with Obaa-chan. Mommy's away for a mission and Daddy's not here. He's gone, I think," Miyuki said a little sadly.
Hisagi patted Miyuki's hair. "That's all right. You're going to have many fathers here in Gotei 13," he assured her. Miyuki smiled brightly.
"I don't really mind not having a father. I mean, I've got Mommy, and Obaa-chan. There's Shiro-kun. Rurichiyo-sama, Rui-chan, and many others! I've got lots of friends," Miyuki said cheerfully.
"You're a really positive girl, aren't you?" Hisagi commented. Rika had gone back to her work and smiled when she heard Miyuki.
"Yeah, I guess. Besides, Mommy and Obaa-chan said that Daddy's always smiling. I guess I got that from him," Miyuki said, her smile growing wider.
"Yeah. He does that a lot," Hisagi said, catching Rika's eye. Rika smirked and shook her head, slightly amused.
"Hey, it's already dark. You think we should all go home now?" Rika asked her lieutenant. Hisagi shrugged.
"Maybe we can. But you still have an emergency nighttime meeting, right?" Hisagi said. Rika slapped her forehead. Rui came into the room, carrying a tray with a mug of ice-cold milk on it.
"Crap. I totally forgot about that," Rika said, shuffling through her documents. Rui put the mug down on her desk and said, "Ojou-sama, don't say 'crap'. It's improper."
Rika stood up and put the piles of paperwork aside. She waved her hand to Rui and got the mug, chugging down the milk in one drinking. Hisagi almost laughed out loud when Rika finished. She sighed and went to get her white and black scarf from her drawers.
"Ojou-sama, you should not drink that way. It is highly inappropriate for a lady like you," Rui chided. Rika ignored his warning.
"Ne, Rui, go home early today and prepare dinner. I'm going to the meeting. Hisagi, you're dismissed," Rika instructed. She wrapped the scarf around her neck carefully to not cover up the choker on her neck. Hisagi left.
"Obaa-chan, can I go with you to the meeting?" Miyuki asked, plopping down on Rika's seat. Rika glanced at her. "You sure? It would be totally boring there," Rika said, getting another scarf from her drawer.
"Yes. I wanna go and meet some captains. I usually see them in Mommy's office, but not all. Usually, it's their lieutenants I see," Miyuki explained. Rika knelt down in front of the little girl and tied the pink scarf around her neck.
"Okay. But promise me, you won't do anything, all right?" Rika said gently, adjusting the scarf on her niece's neck.
"All right, Obaa-chan. I promised Mommy I won't do anything mischievous while she's gone," Miyuki said simply, skipping off the chair. Rika smirked.
"Oh you could do that. WE can do that. Pranks? I'll go with ya," Rika said, giggling.
Miyuki giggled. "Really? Mommy said you and Daddy were good pranksters!" Miyuki exclaimed, hugging her aunt's waist.
"Yes and no. We'll talk about mischief later at dinner, okay? For now, let's meet up with the other captains," Rika said, clutching Miyuki's hand with hers.
"Okay Obaa-chan!" Miyuki said cheerfully, raising her fist up into the air like some sort of victory.
Rika and Miyuki walked down Gotei 13's halls, chatting about random things like the weather and flowers. Miyuki LOVED flowers. She always enjoys herself when Rika visits her and gives her pots of flowers to plant.
Rika knew about the events in Gin's life and was always there to watch him. She was there when Rangiku was pregnant and that was the first time she met Rangiku. She was there when Miyuki was born, and made friends with Toshirou as he often visited his lieutenant in the infirmary. Rika was there in every birthday and Christmas that Miyuki had. It was all what she could do to make up for Gin's absence in his daughter's life.
Nearing the 1st Squad's barracks, Rika felt Byakuya's familiar reiatsu and slowed down to meet the captain. Seeing him, she smiled and greeted.
"Good evening, Kuchiki-taicho." Byakuya gazed down at her and then to Miyuki, who was playing with a butterfly.
"Good evening, Ichimaru-taicho. Is she your daughter?" Byakuya asked, eyeing Miyuki with interest. Miyuki gave up on the butterfly and looked up to Byakuya with slight interest.
Rika smiled and shook her head. "She's my niece. Miyu-chan, why don't you introduce yourself to Kuchiki-taicho?" Rika said, beckoning her niece to Byakuya. Miyuki smiled at Byakuya and bowed.
"Good evening, sir. I am Ichimaru Miyuki. I am very much honored to meet yet another powerful captain," Miyuki introduced. Byakuya still eyed her curiously.
"She's Rangiku's daughter, if you're wondering. And of course, my brother's," Rika said softly, her voice barely audible when she mentioned her brother. Byakuya nodded.
"I see." And with that, Byakuya entered the hall. Rika sighed. "Don't mind him, Miyu-chan. He's just like that. Don't be discouraged," she said, patting Miyuki's head. Miyuki smiled at her brightly. For a moment, Rika thought she saw the Cheshire grin of Gin on her niece. Or did she really see it?
"I'm not discouraged at all! He seems so…interesting and fun to bug!" Miyuki said happily. Rika smirked. Miyuki grew up with her mother, and of course, Rika supported her mischievous ways and even joined her.
"Yes he is. You know, I had that same impression on him. Come on, kid. Let's go meet the other captains," Rika said, leading her niece to the hall.
There was a slight buzz as captains talked to each other. Shunsui was talking to Jushiro and Unohana. Rika spotted him and joined them.
"Good evening," Rika said. She earned three more greetings from the three legendary captains. Unohana noticed Miyuki at once and her special reiatsu.
"Hello there, little one. What's your name?" Unohana asked Miyuki. Miyuki bowed again and said, "Good evening. I am Ichimaru Miyuki."
"Is she your daughter?" Jushiro asked. Rika smiled at him.
"No. Actually, she's Rangiku's daughter. And Gin's, of course," she replied, holding Miyuki's shoulder. Shunsui beamed.
"Oh really now! I didn't know that Gin was the father of Matsumoto's child," Shunsui said. Miyuki gazed at the elders, talking about her father. She was quiet and listened to them carefully.
"Like you really don't know, Kyoraku-taicho. Gin and Ran-chan hit it off even while they were still in the academy," Rika said, rolling her eyes playfully. Shunsui laughed while Unohana and Jushiro chuckled.
"She's right. Gin and Matsumoto seemed really close, even before they became shinigamis," Unohana commented.
"I could agree on that," Jushiro said. He turned to Miyuki. "Hey there. Is it okay if I call you Miyuki-chan?" he asked gently. Miyuki smiled softly and nodded.
"Well, hello Miyuki-chan. I'm Ukitake-taicho," he introduced himself. Miyuki bowed. Jushiro smiled. Shunsui knelt down in front of Miyuki.
"You can call me whatever you want! I'm Kyoraku Shunsui!" he said, smiling like a kid. Miyuki giggled. "All right. I'll call you Sui-chan! If I'll call you Shun-chan, I might get you confused with Shu-chan," Miyuki said, smiling cutely.
"Oh Kami! You're so cute. Why can't I have a daughter like you?" Shunsui said, laughing. Rika and the others laughed too.
"Well, if you weren't fooling around with Nanao-chan for a long time, you could have kids by now," Rika commented slightly. Shunsui stood up, a little pink tint on his cheeks.
"Nah. I wouldn't bug Nanao-chan about that," he said, chuckling. Right at that moment, Yamamoto arrived. Captains lined up properly and Rika held Miyuki's hand carefully.
Next Chapter: Rika bonds with Yachiru and Miyuki for the whole day---along with the ever-stoic Byakuya! The world must have reached its end... *faints*