Yo! ...do I really have to tell you that I don't own bleach? :\

The Puppet Girl

(Frosted Heart.)

"What do you mean she's not human?" I asked. Saiko shuffled under my gaze. She opened her mouth several times but said nothing, like she'd lost all her words. I waited impatiently while glaring at her.

"She's a puppet," she said finally and slowly.

"What?" I asked angrily.

Is this some kind of joke?

"It's true!" Saiko cried. "And it's all my fault!"

"It's impossible," I growled.

"No! It's true. Her soul was enclosed within a wooden body, like a gigai, and her reiryoku is connected to several points in her 'body'…like strings…that's why I said that the yon-bantai wouldn't be able to help her…she's been going to Kurotsuchi-taicho for a while now…he wanted to try and transfer her into a body like Ayako's but-"

My eyes widened. "What do you mean like Ayako's?" I growled.

Her eyes widened when she realized what she'd said. Her head bowed. "That's not Ayako's original body either…" she said softly and my eyes narrowed.

"Tell me," I ordered.

"Please, I think Kami would rather tell you the story herself," she begged and I hesitated, "it's all my fault. Kami almost killed Ayako because of me but even still…" she buried her face in her hands and began to cry softly. "E-even still, she still cares about me. S-she still protects me a-and I-I'm never strong enough to protect her! Ayako should be mad at me! Not Kami!"

I looked towards the door that Kurotsuchi had taken Kami—Kuro—oh forget it— into. I folded my arms and looked back to Saiko. "What's your name?" I asked quietly.

She glanced up and I saw tears staining her cheeks. "A-awashita Saiko."

I nodded. I studied Awashita's trembling form. "You should sit down," I said. She nodded but didn't make a move to sit. "I'm going to go back to the office and sort things out with Hozumi. I'll be back," I explained firmly. She nodded without looking at me and I sighed. I stole one last glance towards the doors before I left.


"W-why does she always choose S-saiko over me?!" I heard Hozumi shriek from my office.

"Maybe you just never give her a chance," I heard Matsumoto murmur gently.

"I always give her a choice! Me or Saiko and it's always Saiko!" Hozumi growled angrily. I sighed and walked into my office.

"She knows you'll fight but Awashita won't. She knows you're capable of hurting Awashita but Awashita would rather run before fighting. You're not giving her the choice. You're forcing her to make a choice," I said shortly. Her eyes widened when she saw me. As she listened to my words, tears filled her eyes.

"T-taicho," she whispered, almost pleadingly.

"Matsumoto, help her move her stuff to the yonseki room," I said.

"H-hai," Matsumoto said and helped Hozumi off the couch.

"T-taicho, please! Let me have another chance!" she begged and attempted to move to me but Matsumoto wrapped her arms around Hozumi gently.

"There'll be many more chances to fight Kami, simply because she didn't want to kill you," I said, hoping that my words would have the impact I was looking for. They had impact, all right, just not the type I wanted. Her eyes widened.

"Nan…dato?" she whispered. I looked to her irritably I opened my mouth to repeat what I said but I noticed that Matsumoto's eyes had widened as well.

"What?" I growled.

"You…just…-"

"Called Kami-chan by her first name," Matsumoto finished and my eyes widened slightly.

"No I didn't. Now leave immediately, I needed to make sure things were in order here. I have to go back before Kami gets out of her surgery," I said and closed my eyes. I heard a choked sob.

"You said it again," Hozumi wailed, "you never call me by my first name! I haven't even heard you call Matsumoto-chan by her first name!"

I cursed under my breath. I hadn't meant to say it.

"I thought you were on my side, Taicho!" Hozumi sobbed and strained against Matsumoto's grip.

"THERE AREN'T ANY SIDES!" I roared. I was thoroughly tired of this entire issue. Hozumi flinched. "When will you figure it out, that your friends haven't actually turned against you?" I growled, "and that the only reason they're fighting you is because you're the only one who thinks there's sides! They're both on your side and you're choosing to ignore it."

Hozumi fell silent and became limp in Matsumoto's arms.

"Now get out," I growled.

"Hai, Taicho," Matsumoto whispered and carried Hozumi out of the room. I rubbed my temples. This was more than I'd ever asked for.

(Marionette.)

My eyes fluttered open when I heard Kurotsuchi muttering to himself.

"Oh, you're awake?" He asked and leaned over me. I blinked and my eyes bugged as I felt an odd contraption covering the majority of his face.

"WHAT. THE. HELL?!"

He lifted it and stared at me oddly. "What?"

I breathed a sigh of relief. "What the heck is that thing?" I asked. He frowned, offended by my lack of enthusiasm.

"It allows me to see reiryoku in a person. I was making sure you were connected properly," he explained briefly.

"…connected?" I sat up, suddenly remembering what'd happened. I focused all my reiatsu on myself, going through a scan of body. "So close…" I mumbled. I really would've been so much happier dead. I sighed wearily.

Life goes on, I suppose, even when you don't want it to.

"Stupid child," he muttered and leaned back in his chair and swiveled to face the large machine behind the table I'd been lying on. "Even thinking about letting yourself die is preposterous. And extremely rude," he chastised and I bowed my head.

"Gomen nasai," I mumbled.

"Urusei," he snapped, "it doesn't matter. I've gained another piece of his location from his assault anyways."

"But I-"

"I will have none of your insolence. I will find him sooner or later and recover your real body," Kurotsuchi said firmly.

"Why?" I asked meekly. I'd asked this question before. There were a thousand reasons I could think of for him wanting me to stay in my current condition but I could think of no reasons as to why he wanted to transfer me into my old body.

He huffed but said nothing. "You're free to leave," he mumbled and became engrossed in whatever was happening with the machine. He called it a computer but I had no idea what he was always watching. I could feel things moving inside the computer but there was nothing to be felt on the 'screen' except for intangible moving energy. I sighed and walked over to his side and bowed deeply.

"Arigatou gozaimasu," I murmured. I felt him ruffle my hair distractedly and I smiled weakly. When I felt his hand withdraw I straightened and walked towards the doors. The light change was instantaneous and I squinted.

"You're awake?" The voice surprised me and I jumped. I stretched my reiatsu out and confirmed the voice as Hitsugaya. I frowned.

"You're still here?" I asked hotly.

"Awashita told me what you are," he said bluntly and I tensed. She'd what?!

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said hastily. I could feel Saiko slumped in a corner where she'd fallen asleep.

"You're a puppet?" he persisted and I sighed.

"It's not something I like to talk about," I growled, hoping he'd get the idea.

"She also told me that Ayako's not in her original body either," he said softly and I froze. Slowly I regained my composure and took a deep breath. I turned to face him, I knew my eyes weren't on him but neither of us cared.

"Then that's all you need to know. How it happened is none of your concern," I said sharply and crouched beside Saiko's unmoving form.

"When you're in my squad, I need to be able to protect you, as your captain. If you're getting wounds without getting hit, then I need to know why," he said irritably and I sighed.

"If you just leave me alone then everything will be fine. Give Ayako her spot as sanseki, leave me in yonseki and everything will be fine," I said wearily.

"That's not a good enough answer, Kami," he said sternly and I felt a look of confusion take over my face as I turned back to his direction slowly.

Wait…did he just…?

Yup, he did! Hakuryuu giggled.

"What?" he asked hotly.

"Did you…just call me by my first name?" I asked incredulously. I felt his reiatsu tighten with embarrassment and through my reiatsu I felt him turn his face away from me and his cheeks had a warm feeling.

"No," he mumbled. A grin spread across my face and I straightened with my hand on my hip.

"You did!"

"No."

"Hakuryuu heard it too! And your reiatsu's all embarrassed!"

"Urusei," he snapped and I couldn't help it as a giggle slipped past my lips. I felt his eyes widen and he looked at me surprised. I gasped when I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder and I slid to the ground beside Saiko.

"Kuso," I growled under my breath, "I just can't catch a break with you, can I?"

"What's wrong?" Hitsugaya asked and his voice tensed with worry.

"Nan…demonai," I murmured and rose shakily to my feet. It felt like someone had shoved a dagger into my shoulder, just by my collarbone and was twisting it slowly. I bit back the pain and felt something warm trickle down my chin.

"Baka! You bit your lip," Hitsugaya scolded and he appeared in front of me. Using his sleeve he wiped it away. I stared at him in shock before I smiled sadly.

"I just keep getting blood on you, don't I?" I asked dryly and he grunted. Slowly I relaxed as the pain faded and I managed to regulate my breathing.

"Awashita," Hitsugaya muttered when he was certain I was fine. She didn't respond and he crouched down beside her to shake her shoulder. She didn't even budge. He shook her shoulder again but there was no response. I smiled when his brow furrowed in confusion.

"You're doing it wrong," I said gently and crouched in front of her. Gently I blew air into her face. She twitched and her face scrunched up. She didn't like the feeling and she opened her eyes angrily. But as soon as she saw me her eyes brimmed with tears and she threw her arms around my neck. I sighed and rubbed her back soothingly.

"I'm sorry," she repeated over and over..and over..and over…

"Okay, shut up now," I grumbled and she managed a broken giggle. "Go back before Kuchiki-taicho attacks you and throws you out of roku-bantai."

"I'll send a notice that she was doing some work for me," I heard Hitsugaya mutter and I looked at him, my mouth agape.

"Seriously?" I asked and I knew that Saiko's mouth was open just as much as mine was.

"No, I'm lying…baka," he said sarcastically.

I frowned and made a face. In one unseen movement I was suddenly hoisted up in the air. I yelped and wrapped my arms around the first sturdy thing…which happened to be his neck. He grunted and I felt embarrassment fill his reiatsu. "Get back to your Division, Awashita-san," he said firmly and I felt him use shunpo. I wasn't prepared and suddenly I couldn't see anything. Instinctively my grip on him tightened and I heard him chuckle hoarsely. "I'm not going to drop you," he sighed.

"I can walk," I protested.

"You need to rest," he argued.

"You shouldn't have left Saiko like that," I muttered feeling guilty that she'd waited for me that entire time just to be swept off by Hitsugaya.

"Are you trying to pick a fight with everything?" He grumbled and I softened, realizing he was only trying to help.

"Warui…arigatou, Toushirou," I whispered.

"Toushirou ja nai. Hitsugaya-taicho da," he growled and I chuckled weakly. (It's not Toushirou. It's Hitsugaya-taicho)

"You call me by my first name, I call you by your first name," I said and yawned. I didn't want to admit it, especially after I'd just made a fuss, but I was tired. I couldn't stop my eyes from fluttering and eventually sleep began to take over. Hitsugaya…no…Toushirou's words were the last thing I heard before I fell asleep.

"I won't let you be hurt anymore…Kami."


Dictionary:

warui- m'bad