Well, it's way past lunch. XD Mum and I both ended up spending most of the day sleeping so I'm just now getting this up. Probably gonna postpone the new stories till friday unless the writing bug hits me, but the next chapter of this story will be up and out by tomorrow night.
Hope you all enjoy this chapter. It's un-beta'd (oh dear what atrocious contraction have I just tried and failed to make?) and I rewrote the entire first half after the chapter was finished so, if you see any sentences that seem out of place, they're probably left overs and I'd appreciate a shout out to know that they're there.
As allways, Bleach is not mine but So and Do are. Ko too but she doesn't show up here.
And, adding to the list of people who favorite, watch, or comment on my story, let's welcome Goldensaurus! Thanks for the fave. And of course, thanks to everyone else. Sushii-Kun, gnarly, lisamariem, Kira Carmen, Chocoholics Unite, Insanity-Red, Sou desu ka. Meh. Kami korosu, Inspired Kid, eternalwings15, LuCkY-StAr69, and ISgrl15. You're all amazing! Hope you enjoy.
Chapter 9- Apologies
The sun was low in the sky now, evening slowly washing over the Seireitei, things slowly winding down.
With a yawn and a tired stretch, So made her way to her office, physically and emotionally drained.
She'd made all of her apologies earlier that day, every single one… well except a few.
She'd started, at breakfast, with her own squad. It was a short speech aided by Shuhei and had been met with responses very similar too, but more restrained than, the ones she received from her lieutenant, cheerfulness, pride, and general acceptance of her little mess up.
It had been very encouraging and uplifting, too bad it hadn't lasted.
There was a captains meeting just after breakfast and she rushed there so as to not be the last one in. She made it near the middle of the pack and was rather happy to find that Kenpachi didn't have the chance to antagonize her.
Sadly, that was where her good fortune ended.
Yamamoto wanted to open with her apology, and so she was forced to do as he said.
Stepping forward, she glanced around, her confidence crashing at their disapproving glances.
She stuttered out something to the effect of "I'm sorry I made such a mess" and then, still exhausted and a little out of her mind from all the bodily trauma, tried to step back and caught on the leg of her pants.
She squealed a teetered back, flailing, and managed to right herself momentarily. Another step though, trying to correct her posture, and she was falling forward, and right onto her face.
She could hear a soft muttering among them, and then Kenpachi's roaring laughter, mocking her. She felt her face heat up in embarrassment, anger, and pain and forced herself up off the floor and onto her feet slowly and silently.
She stepped back into line, head bowed, hair over her eyes, mouth quivering out of sight in a disheartened frown.
Yamamoto called for order; he looked rather un-amused and glared hard at Kenpachi, ordering his own apology.
"Why should I?" the beast of a man asked in reply. "All I did was tear up my own shit."
"Zaraki" Yamamoto said in an authoritative, warning tone. He was in no mood for this foolishness.
"Che" Kenpachi clucked his tongue and shrugged, leaning against the wall just behind him. "Fine, fine, 'M sorry for disturbin' the peace or whatever."
Yamamoto repressed a sigh and left it at that, continuing on with what he thought were the more pressing matters of the meeting.
So had stood there, seething silently, just barely keeping hold on her rage and power.
There was nothing she would've liked more than to knock that smug bastard right back to the slums where he came from, but she couldn't. She'd already caused so much trouble, already made so much trouble for Yama-Gen.
But really! How was it that he got off so easy? There was no sincerity in his apology, no remorse or shame, and yet, the Captain General still accepted it.
She clenched her hands tight and tried not to shake, hoping the meeting would be over soon.
When it ended she was out the door so fast almost no one saw her leave.
Instead of running off to her bath though, she went to the fourth and, upon finding one very startled Do with an arm full of papers, nearly tackled her to the ground in a tight hug.
Though confused, she'd gotten used to So seeking in her comfort and could easily tell when her services were needed.
Passing off her work to Hanataro, he was such a sweet young man Do thought, she took her little friend back to her room and let her fuss and rant in private about how much she hated Kenpachi and how much she needed fitting clothes.
Afterwards, Do made her a cup of tea, broke out her secret candy stash, and let her nap for half an hour.
It had been relaxing and refreshing but it didn't make her next task any easier.
Since she was already in the fourth, Do had Unohana point her in the direction of the injured parties still in her care.
Only the ones with minor injuries were out of the clinic and back to work, and there'd only been a few of them.
At best, the division eleven members grunted out their acceptance of her stuttered apology. At worst, they shouted for her to leave and made it very hard for her to resist the urge to finish what she had started.
The members of the other divisions had been kind enough to just smile and nod, but after being yelled at by about forty some angry, injured men, that little show of kindness just didn't make a difference anymore.
She refused to go to the eleventh for the remainder of her apologies and figured that if anyone should be apologizing, it should be Zaraki. He'd brought it upon them by provoking her. If he'd just left her alone, none of it would have ever happened.
This was all his fault.
With a groan, she trudged into her office and dropped heavily into the still too large chair that she'd come to love.
It was such a lovely chair for curling up in, napping, relaxing, working. It was a good chair, a very good chair.
In her tired delirium she began to lovingly stroke the upholstery. Her chair wouldn't yell at her, it wouldn't make her go apologize to people she didn't know or like for something that wasn't entirely her fault, it wouldn't laugh when she tripped or stuttered, nope. Her chair was a good chair, a chair that did its job and dutifully, quietly, held her at her desk, providing comfort and support.
She'd always felt more support from things than people…
Her pets, her toys, even her clothing knew more about her than most people, heard her complaints more than most people, her fears and worries.
In inanimate objects she could always confide for they had nothing to say to discourage or discredit her.
Family was good and all, friends as well, but they spoke too much, judged too much, and she had the faintest feeling that, though her parents undoubtedly loved her and she them, they sometimes wished she'd been different, less awkward, perhaps even a change in gender would have been preferable to how she was now.
They loved her, she loved them, but there was so much to judge…
She thought back to all of the day's activities and almost wanted to cry. A warrior she was yes, but also, if she were to be truthful with herself as she often was, a recluse, socially awkward, emotionally sensitive, and wholly self-conscious in this new world of rank and interaction.
She stopped rubbing the dark fabric and turned to her side, curling up tightly, her eyes closed, meaning to nap where she sat. For most people it would probably be uncomfortable, sleeping in an office chair like that, but for her it was fine. Her small size was convenient sometimes.
Breath slowing, she was nearly out, drifting, when three harsh knocks on the door startled her awake.
She sat up with a jolt, nearly falling out of her chair, and had gathered herself just enough to realize that whoever it was trying to knock her door down wasn't waiting for an invitation in.
The door swung open and she found herself staring unbelievingly at Kenpachi Zaraki, his broad frame taking up all the space in the door way.
His usual grin was gone, replaced with a sort of uncomfortable, grudging frown and he had one arm securely behind his back.
She expected the worst right away and jumped to her feet, pointing an accusatory finger at him.
"Out!" she demanded harshly, wondering in the back of her mind just who in the hell thought it was a good idea to let him through the gates. She then remembered exactly who he was and realized that, if he'd met any opposition, they were probably a blood heap by now. She made a mental note to go check for injured men or women after she'd disposed of him.
He stared at her, un-amused, his frown deepening at her outburst. "Calm the fuck down shrimp" he growled, yes, growled, and stepped father into the room. "I ain't here ta fight."
She flushed at being called 'shrimp' and nearly blasted him just for that but dropped her hand at his continued statement. "What then?" she demanded, arms crossed over her chest, still painfully weary of the arm behind his back.
He shrugged his shoulders uncomfortably and took another step. She teetered back, resisting the urge to step away. There was maybe, three feet between them now, and she didn't like it. A mile was too close as far as she was concerned.
He muttered something under his breath that she didn't quite catch, annoying her further because really, she didn't want to deal with this.
"What?" she demanded again, her speech impediment gone as an effect of her anger.
"'M sorry" he said, louder this time, her face going from annoyed to shocked as he finally pulled his arm into view, a little clutch of colorful spring wildflowers in his hand.
She blinked at him, confused as he shoved them towards her.
"Here, take 'em" he grunted out, looking away.
She reached out timidly, unsure. "Why?"
Their hands touched and he glared down at her. Sure was a far way down.
"Yachiru made me. Don't get ta thinkin' I like ya or anything."
She snorted out something that sounded like a laugh, humorless and dry though it was, and it was her turn to look away while she drew the flowers from his hands and to her chest. "Ah wouldn't dream it."
He nodded and stood there for a moment longer, eyes drifting from her to the wall she wasn't gazing at, arms crossed over his chest now.
Their gazes snapped back to each other at the same time and both glared, another silence stretching between them.
"Yer fuckin' insane ya know" his grin was back and she didn't like it.
"Ah could say the same for you…"
Something wicked gleamed in his eye and she frowned, her glare hardening.
"Never did finish our fight" he began, stepping forward. That time she did step back. "How 'bout it? Wanna finish up?"
Her brows knitted together and she huffed, letting one hand free so she could charge up and push him back and out the door.
"No" she stated firmly, slamming said door in his face, locking it for emphasis, though it'd be useless if he decided he really wanted in.
Outside, she could hear his booming laughter fade as he stalked away and sighed.
Leaning heavily against her door, she slipped down to the floor and pulled her knees up to her chest, arms wrapped around them so that she could see the flowers, still clutched in hand.
He was awful, horrible, terrible…
But the flowers were pretty.
She examined them closely, some large some small, all obviously wild, probably plucked from some remote field out in the Rukongai.
The bulk of them were pink, blue, or white, very feminine colors that made her giggle when she thought of how the burly man must've felt, walking around with them for however many hours it took him to find her squad.
The one in the middle though, the centerpiece, made her smile. A real smile that she grudgingly accepted onto her face even though he'd caused it.
The rose, bright red, and only a third open, was lovely surrounded by all the littler flowers and she wondered where he'd found it.
The thought and mental image of Kenpachi picking flowers in a vast field of colors with Yachiru beside swarmed her mind and she giggled, mood lifting despite the tension in the air only moments ago.
She didn't like him, but Yachiru was right, she did like the flowers.
Smiling bright, she stood slowly, hugging the flowers close, and began looking for something to put them.
Hope you liked it! I quite enjoy the end, just about where So starts realizing that her chair is awesome... Not even gonna lie, I've had those thoughts before. XD It was about my bed though, and how kind it was for letting me sleep on it and all. Yeah, I'm weird.
Comments, questions, concerns, or maybe you just wanna chat? Go ahead, drop a review or a pm. I'll get to you when I can. ^^ And if not, thanks for reading anyway. You're amazing!
