Yay! I finally had time to put this up, and wasn't lazy! I've actually had this finished for almost a week (finished it on Monday, Nov. 28) but when I finished it I only had, like, fifteen minutes before I had to go to bed and I wanted to work on some other stories, so I decided to wait; on Tuesday, I was lazy (won't even try to make an excuse), on Wednesday I didn't have time; I was working on a project until about 11:30, and I go to bed at twelve, so I didn't have time to get on my laptop; on Thursday, I think I was too lazy (pretty sure I was); and then on Friday, I only got on my laptop so I wouldn't fall asleep. It's going on so late today because I just managed to stop being lazy and put it up. :) So, please enjoy this chapter- even witht the rushed figh scene.
Reviews:
Emerald Tsukino: Yeah, you reviewed on it- chapter 9, to be specific. I was just too lazy to look at the review list on Return of the Missing then, and I just now looked. Yeah, I'm working on this again- I found the motivation. :) And the reason that the chapters are the length they are is because I can't find a good length for the chapters- they either end up really long, or really short. I just can't help it. :) But thank you for reviewing! It makes me happy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters, only my OCs. I won't make any money off this.
Friends of the Missing
Chapter 6 Four O'clock Battle
"I'm betting on June winning." Lena said as she watched everyone. The battle was going to take place at the eighth division indoor training grounds, which had been Nisa's decision.
"So am I." Mina said, though no one had actually bet money. Actually, there was only seven people there; Nisa, June, Shunsui, Lena, Mina, and two of Nisa's friends who they had never met.
"Hmph; I doubt it." One of Nisa's friends said in a snotty voice. She had long pink hair, it going midway down her back, with pink eyes that matched it, making Lena bet that her hair was dyed.
"Yeah; Nisa is really strong and deserves the lieutenant's seat." The other girl said. This one had short blond hair, spiking everywhere, giving contrast to her washed out blue eyes.
"You don't know June's strength, so how can you knock her out of the battle already? Bit narrow minded, isn't it?" Mina said, an extreme bite in her voice showing just how annoyed she was.
"Narrow minded, hunh?" The blond said, glaring.
"Come on, Staylin, let's go somewhere else." The pink haired girl said, starting to drag the blond, now known as Staylin, off.
"Of course Mimi." Staylin said, going off with 'Mimi'.
"That was rude." Mina said after the two girls had walked off.
"Yeah; it was." Shunsui said, talking for the first time in a while. "So you think that June will win?" He asked, watching as the two girls nodded and looked out to the field. June was sitting and waiting for Nisa to be ready. The third seat was 'mentally preparing herself', what June had told them, which was what she had been told.
"Of course; we don't know how strong she is, but she trained both of us, and I always noticed that she was holding back a lot, and that was without a formal training. Now that she has gone through the academy she had a formal training and will be even stronger." Lena said, Mina nodding in agreement.
"Well, don't let those three find this out, but I'm really hoping that June will win; I've seen how annoying Miss Mooringorrow is, and I would rather not have her as my lieutenant." He said, making the two girls with him laugh.
"Okay; we won't tell anyone." Lena said, glancing over and seeing June walk over.
"Anything happening that we weren't aware of?" Mina asked, June just sighing and shaking her head.
"She's still 'preparing' herself." She muttered, glancing over to assess the situation.
"How long does she need to do that? We've been here for twenty minutes!" Mina complained, glancing at her watch to see that it was twenty after. June muttered something, so quiet that only Mina and Lena could catch it, and barely, but whatever she said made them burst out laughing.
"Nice, June." Lena said, laughing.
"Never thought of that." Mina said, making Shunsui curious. What did June say? But he decided not to pester her about it, as she did whisper it to them. It became evident that Nisa was ready now, making June sigh and go over there.
"Let's see how this turns out." Lena muttered, watching the two on the battle field. Nisa declared the battle started, getting into a battle stance. June looked relaxed, almost as if she didn't care.
"You're gonna get it; you're wide open!" Nisa exclaimed, running forward to attack. Her sword was aimed at June's abdomen, obviously aiming to try to stop the battle right from the start. Her aim was perfect; she would have- should have- hit June, but it was the strangest thing. Her sword hit air, exactly where June had been just a second ago, but June was just a couple of inches to the right.
"Hey! When did you move?" Nisa exclaimed, aiming to hit June again. But every time she went to hit June, she found she was hitting air, despite the fact that it didn't look like June was moving at all.
"What do you mean? You just have terrible aim." June said, making Nisa growl in her throat, almost like an animal.
"I'm going to get you!" She said, going to attack June again. But this time June easily caught her wrist, directing the sword away from her as if she was a teacher teaching her pupil.
"Very sloppy there; you won't get anywhere attacking like that." June lectured, making Nisa growl in anger. Over on the side lines, Lena and Mina both giggled, recognizing that stance and being amused. Shunsui was surprised that June could do that, along with Mimi and Staylin, though those two were angrier than surprised.
"Remember whenever she did that to us while she was training us?" Mina asked, laughing a little to herself.
"Yeah; it was so annoying then." Lena said, laughter in her voice.
"Wow; so she is pretty strong. No wonder she wasn't too worried." Shunsui said, Lena and Mina nodding. "She hasn't even gotten her sword out or attacked once, but she is winning." He said, both of them laughing.
"Yeah; she has had to get used to seeing flaws in attacks, so that simple fact will put her at an advantage." Lena said, watching the fight closely to see every part of it, like how June had always made her.
"Let go of me!" Nisa said, yanking her wrist away and jumping back. "How dare you talk to me as though you were better than me!" She exclaimed, changing her stance so that it was evident that she was about to release the shikai of her sword.
"Already releasing her sword this early into the fight?" June muttered to herself, though that was the only note that outwardly showed she cared about this at all.
"Go forth, Kurnan!" Nisa exclaimed, air gathering around her sword, showing that it was being released. When it vanished, both the sword and handle had turned white, gray swirls covering the blade of the sword. "I bet you won't win now." She growled, June sighing in response.
Nisa ran forward, bringing her sword down, a gust of wind gathering around her sword, flying towards June. "Try dodging that!" Nisa said, thinking that June, in her 'overconfidence', would not move until the last possible second and therefore fall into her loop hole.
"Idiot." June muttered, vanishing before the gust was close.
"Where the hell did she go?" Nisa exclaimed, stopping and looking around. She looked at the gust of wind, still going to the wall she was facing, when it suddenly split. The reason was explained right away; June had- finally, in Nisa's mind- gotten her sword out, and had split the gust of wind, stopping the small sword at the back, destroying it. "How did you move that fast?" Nisa asked, glaring at June.
"Is it necessary of me to explain?" June asked, boredom showing in her eyes.
"Yes; I, as your opponent, asked for an explanation, so an opponent with good manners would brag about it!" She said, making June sigh again.
"Well, unfortunately for you I am from the 80th district, so I don't know too much about 'good manners'." June said, a slight amount of sarcasm in her voice.
"That does not mean you don't have manners!" Nisa exclaimed, preparing to attack again.
"Well, do you think that I care about what you think?" June asked, Nisa glaring, starting to rush forward, attacking. June sighed a little, going forward into the attack and lifting her sword. Their swords hit each other, each being held differently; Nisa was holding her sword with both hands, trying to get as much force into it as she could, while June was using only one hand, though she added a second hand after a couple of seconds.
"You know, I was hoping that you would give a better fight, but I am quite bored, so I think I'm going to end this." June said, making Nisa glare at her.
"And what makes you think you will accomplish that?" She asked, still very confident in her abilities.
"Because." June said, confusing Nisa. Suddenly June exerted more force in her attack, making Nisa's sword fly out of her hands, landing as far as it possibly could. It was at this point that Shunsui stepped in, declaring that the battle was over.
"June wins this battle." He said, making June glance at her.
"So now you cannot question my position as lieutenant." June said, making Nisa gulp and nod, having agreed to those terms.
"Yeah, you're right." She said, going over and getting her sword, releasing shikai and sheathing her sword. Staylin and Mimi walked over to her, the three of them walking out in the matter of seconds, being out of the room maybe one minute after Nisa's sword had landed on the ground. Lena and Mina ran over to where June was, who was sheathing her sword.
"I knew you could do it!" Lena said, Mina jump-hugging June.
"I'm so proud of my little sister!" Mina said, laughing. She turned to Shunsui, explaining why she said 'little' sister. "She is actually about three years younger than me!" She said, tapping June's head a couple of times.
"She is?" Shunsui asked, surprised.
"Yep; she is about two years younger than me, and I am about one year younger than Mina." Lena said, nodding.
"If you look, she is also the shortest of us." Mina said, making them notice the difference of height between them. Mina was a couple of hairs taller than Lena, the top of June's head reaching Mina's nose.
"Yeah, she is." Shunsui said, having noticed that June was definitely on the shorter side. June made no notice to show she acknowledged that they were talking about her.
"So, we should probably all go back to what we were doing before, as June isn't the type to want to celebrate over much of anything, and this is still during the work day for three of us." Lena said, Mina sighing slightly at that out of sadness- she had been hoping she wouldn't say that- but she agreed.
"Yeah, you have a point, Lena." She said, June nodding.
"See you two some other time." June said, the four of them dispersing, Shunsui following June back to the office, and Mina and Lena going back to their own divisions.
"I guess you weren't overconfident." Shunsui said, just trying to make conversation.
"Told you so." June said, Shunsui looking at her surprised. He hadn't expected her to say that, obviously, but he had a feeling that he shouldn't say anything, just feeling honored that she said that.
Because that meant she had a little trust in him, right? Well, he hoped so.
Hope you liked it; the rule is still up, so review if you want the next chapter! So, please, review! :)