Here we go! I haven't done this story in a long time, wow!
So, quick translations.
Sutāraito : Starlight
Nenshō ha : Burning Blade
Kōsen : Light Beam
Kussetsu : Refraction
Kusari : Chain
And now, reviews!
Zane Guardian : I ran that through google translate, but I still have no clue what you said dude
LaserLightCanon: Yeeeeah probably.
Sue: I freaking love Avatar.
Wicked Neko: Yeah, Hotaru is certainly something isn't she? Gin is indeed a devious boy, who can tell what he's thinking? I need to write this story more often.
Izumikii: Thank you!
moon so bright: who's to say?
Zerdas999: Thank you! To be honest I've never actually read a lot of Bleach OC stories, so I don't know what they're generally like, I just had this idea and thought it would be cool.
"Take it easy," Kaien scolded, elbowing the girl lightly. Her black bob bouncing buoyantly around her head. Hotaru made a face at him. The feather in her headband fluttered in the breeze. It was a little worse for wear nowadays, decades after Ganju had made it for her.
"It is not my fault that I am nervous," she retorted, rubbing the arm that was definitely not hurt. "This is my first meeting with the rest of a Lieutenants."
"I know it is. That's why I'm telling you, cut that formality crap. You already know everyone, you're on equal footing with them now, and you acted like you were before. Whatever impression you were going to make, you made years ago. That's not going to change just because you got an armband and a shiny new captain."
"Gin is hardly shiny. He could kick Kaien's a- "
Please, Hotaru interrupted her zanpakuto mentally, You're going to get into a fight with Nejibana, and I'm going to get a headache.
Sutāraito huffed inside of Hotaru's mind, the sound a rustle of leaves through branches. "We could take her. "
We're not going to fight -
"Are you listening?" Kaien, bopped the top of her head and Hotaru yelped. This was going to be a day of interruptions, it seemed.
Hotaru rubbed the back of her head, pouting up at Kaien. "I hear you, I hear you! I was thinking is all," she mumbled. They came to a halt outside the meeting room and Hotaru reached to touch her new badge. It's weight was unfamiliar on her arm. Her new position weighed heavily on her. She and Gin had a lot to learn, and they were both being thrown into their positions. They both had a little experience with paperwork, but as far as leading…
Gin took time to get used to, and after what had happened to Rose is was hard to say how the squad would take it. She really thought he should have kept Chikane around for a couple more decades, but the strict old woman would not like Gin and his playful ways. They were probably a better match. Though, neither one was very serious about much of anything, so that might be a problem.
The doors swung open and the scent of pineapples floated through. Hotaru's brows furrowed. What in the King's name were pineapples doing in the Lieutenant's meeting room?
Kaien took the first few steps in, with Hotaru on his heels. She looked around curiously. The others were all sitting around the table. Hotaru knew all of them.
Kaien, of course, was her own lieutenant for almost a hundred years.. He was kind, and would do anything to protect his friends and encouraged others do the same. His loyalty was infallible, his heart was true, and while he was rough and informal he viewed everyone as equal.
Sojun Kuchiki had been the lieutenant of the 6th, under his father, but he had died not a full year before and now instead of the kind hearted noble that Hotaru liked, Ginjiro Shirogane sat at the table. He was friendly and outspoken, and loyal to the Kuchika captain. NOt too bad, all things considered.
Seinosuke Yamata was an asshole, and so was his zanpakuto. Hotaru had no care for him at all.
Jin'emon was nice enough, a very tough man with a soft spot for his son. Sentaro was a sweet boy, who would do anything for Hotaru's uncle. She liked the both of them.
And Rangiku…
"Hotaru-chan!"
Her air supply was cut off by the other girls chest. Rangiku was a wonderful girl, and Hotaru loved her. Haruto hugged her around her middle, smiling against her chest while she was embraced. Rangiku pulled back to grin at her.
"Hi, Ran-Ran," Hotaru smiled sweetly at her. Rangiku was Gin's best friend, and one of Hotaru's old classmates. It was the surprise of noone that the redhead dragged Hotaru to sit next to her at the table. She was grateful that Kaien took the seat beside her, effectively boxing her in with comfort. They were kind.
Chōjirō stood at the head of the table and looked over them before he set a stack of papers out in front of him.
"Let us begin," he announced. "The first order of business, is to welcome our newest lieutenant," Chōjirō gestured towards her and Hotaru stood and bowed to them all politely.
"I um, look forward to learning from you all?" that didn't sound quite like her, but it would do. Rangiku snickered from her side and pulled her back down.
"All you really need to know is how to keep your captain from slacking on his paperwork. Keep him reined in and you won't have any problems. You don't have to worry about Gin anyway. Not like mine," Rangiku made a face.
Kaien snorted at her.
Ginjiro rolled his eyes. "Like you're any better. That little third seat of yours does all of the work in your squad, you and Shiba - taicho don't do anything."
Hotaru snickered along with her Zanpakuto. Haineko stretched herself out across the table, the feline toying with a piece of paper that fluttered lightly in what seemed to be a breeze. The effect the spirits had on the world was minimal, if it was even there at all. And no one else ever noticed that the spirits weren't in the world they were supposed to reside within.
Haineko caught her eye and winked dramatically.
Hotaru hid a laugh behind a cough. Nejibana swatted the cat away, scolding her. Sutāraito's long cape brushed against Hotaru's arm and she smiled, turning it to Kaien over something he'd said about them being near a time of peace.
Those were far between. Human's had their wars, which kept getting bigger, and Hollow's never stopped attacking. Peace was something that everyone except for Himawari, the 11th Lieutenant, wished for. And so it was her that scoffed and promptly departed to find her captain, when it became obvious nothing else of interest was going to happen.
Before she was gone though, her hand slammed onto the table in front of Hotaru, startling her into lashing out.
Her fist was caught in inch from Himawari's face. The woman grinned, the expression twisting the three scars than ran across half of her face.
"Good reflexes," she praised. "What Zanpakuto type do you have?"
Oh. "Elemental," she said quickly, "Light."
Himawari made a face. "What's it do?"
"Um. It get's hot?" this was strange questioning. "Why?"
Himawari scratched her cheek, along her scars. They made her no less pretty. Just a lot more scary.
"Now that you're a lieutenant you might be worth fighting. But if you have a such a sucky Zanpakuto type.."
"I have the best Zanpakuto!" Hotaru leapt to her swords defense, and out of her chair. Kaien grabbed the back of her shikakusho and yanked her back down into her seat while Himawari laughed. The woman was joined by her zanpakuto spirit, a tall, broad woman in a flower patterned Kimono. Chains clinked whenever she moved.
"Care to prove that?" Himawari challenged, leaning down until she was only inches from Hotaru's face.
Hotaru, forgetting her declaration that they weren't going to fight, leaned in.
"Bring it o- ow! Ran-Ran!" she whined when she was elbowed in the side.
"You just became a lieutenant. Do you really want to start a fight with one that specializes in fighting?" the red head demanded, crossing her arms and frowning at her friend.
"She insulted Sutāraito, I can't let that stand," Hotaru insisted, "If someone said Haineko sucked, would you just take it?"
Rangiku's mouth twisted downwards. "Don't say I didn't warn you."
Hotaru made a face at her. "Hey, I learned my Zanpakuto's name way before you did," in fact, she still held the record. Not that it was really fair, but she still took pride in it. No one had gotten a name before her that had ever attended their school.
"That doesn't mean you're better with it," Rangiku retorted.
Kaien grabbed both of them by their heads and shook. Hotaru whined and Rangiku shouted her 'hey!' in offense. It was about his favorite 'listen to me' move. Hotaru supposed she would need one too, now that she was a lieutenant.
"Geez, it sounds like you're going to challenge her to a fight too. Cut it out, both of you!" he demanded. Hotaru yielded instinctively.
"Yes, sir," she said dutifully.
"Things are getting more lively now," Himawari grinned boldly down, crossing her arms over her chest. The chain that kept her sword attached to her back clinked with the movement.
"When this meeting is over, show me what your light can do, little lightning bug!"
I may have bitten off more than I can chew.
"We can take them," Sutāraito declared with confidence. Across the field from them, Kusari snorted in disbelief.
"You wish! We'll snuff out that little nightlight you've got no problem!" she declared, baring her grin.
Hotaru pulled Sutāraito free of her sheath, holding her one handed. She stood, sword tip pointed down and towards Himawari. The much larger lieutenant shrugged her sword off her shoulder, sheath, chain and all. Her teeth were bared wildly and Hotaru could feel her desire to fight rolling off of the woman in waves. The bloodlust was palpable.
She shifted, putting one hand behind her. The scarf around her wrist caught in the breeze that ruffled her hair. If she had never gone on that mission, if she had never looked that cat in the eyes and felt his teeth on her flesh, she wouldn't be able to stand under the force. But, she had fought before. She had faced death and had the scars to prove it.
So she waited.
And barely caught the chain that swung at her face. Her blade stopped one link but the sword attached swung around, nearly smacking her in the cheek. She pulled back, slipping out quick as she could. She hadn't thought Himawari was that fast.
Hotaru bounced away and adjusted her grip, squeezing the white rappings on her zanpakuto.
"Shine, Sutāraito!" she shouted. Light poured across the blade and changed it until she was pointing a new tip at Himawari. The other woman grinned and swung at her again, trying to wrap her chains around Hotaru's blade again.
She knew better, and tried to dodge, but she wasn't as fast as Himawari. She had to block again, and this time she wasn't allowed to just pull her sword out of the chain. Himawari pulled it taught and started leading Hotaru around, into rocks and trees that she stumbled to jump over. Her grip on her zanpakuto was frantic and steel.
The silver light grew and the chain links around it started to turn red. Himawari's eyes widened a fraction.
"Nenshō ha!" Hotaru pulled and the chain melted, freeing her to launch forwards and swing at Himawari, who blocked. The sheath of her zanpakuto held for only a second before it started to give, smoke rising between them.
Himawari's laugh echoed around them.
"Bind them, Kusari!" the sword, sheath, and chain all melted together into a long chain. Hotaru barely had the time to see the shackles form and attach themselves to the Himawari's wrists before she was scrambling to dodge or melt through the zanpakuto, which fixed itself as soon as it was injured.
Or, no. It wasn't fixing itself, she realized when something on the ground caught her eye. A mangled piece of metal. A melted link. The chain was getting rid of the weaknesses and linking the remaining pieces together.
So it was steadily getting shorter. Then all Hotaru had to do was outlast Himawari.
With her hopes soaring the Hozuki heir lunged, slicing through one link after the other, leaving chunks of molten metal on the ground. As her confidence grew so too did the glow of Sutāraito, who shone brilliantly between them.
Then, a chain wrapped around her ankle. Hotaru sucked in, her eyes widening a fraction before she was ripped off of her feet and slammed into the earth. She had enough time to register the dirt between her teeth before she was being swung through the air.
She crested, and for just a moment she felt weightless, like she was flying, before her ankle was ripped to the ground and she along with it. Hotaru cried out, barely getting it out before she was swung around again. The girl scrambled, trying to slice through the chains but she couldn't bend far enough down. She couldn't even bend her leg to get closer. The pull was too great.
Damn it.
She could only think of one option between being smashed into ground and trees.
The next time she was in the air she pulled on the chain. Himawari had to be on the other end, about a straight line from her, so she forced her sword down, pointing and gathered energy. A hole of darkness appeared around the concave rhombus.
"Kōsen!"
The light shot out of her hilt, exploding somewhere beneath her feet. The chain loosened and she went flying into a tree.
"Ow," she picked her way out of the tree, reaching to touch the feather in her headband idly. Her head hurt. Everything hurt. She didn't know if she was tasting blood or mud. Probably both.
She was looking into the dust, trying to find Himawari in the cloud, when her arms were snapped to her sides and the chain tightened around her chest and throat.
She grew very, very, still.
"I wasn't expecting you to actually draw blood," Himawari confessed, stepping where Hotaru could see her. 'Draw blood'. There was a scratch on her right hand that looked reddish. The girl groaned loudly. How was the distance between them so great?
"That doesn't count," she said flatly, glowering at her hand.
"What, my hand? Shit, no! I was talking about my head," she tilted her head and Hotaru saw the blood wetting her dark hair, seeping into her bun. Hotaru's eyes widened.
"Shoot! I'm so sorry," she said quickly. The chains tightened and she choked.
"Sorry? That was fun, don't start being some sorry pansy!"
"We're merigold's, actually," Hotaru corrected, offering a wry smile. Himawari let her sword melt into its sealed state and Hotaru rubbed her shoulders. Everything hurt. Everything, everything hurt. But, Seinosuke wasn't going to help her. He was an asshole. Why he was a healer in the first place she didn't think she would ever understand, or what Unohana saw in him that she would make him her lieutenant.
"And smarmy smart asses," Himawari added. "With that new captain of yours…"
"I know you just beat me into the ground, but I will fight you for Gi- Ichimaru - taicho," now that was weird to say. Himawari's eyes sparkled.
"On a first name basis with your captain, huh?" she teased, giving the smaller girl a shove that practically knocked her off her feet. Hotaru was small and light and now she was bruised and battered.
"Him, Ran-Ran and I went to the Academy together," she said by way of explanation. "I'm not used to having to be formal about him yet."
"He was one of us before he was promoted. Are you saying you never called him 'fukitaicho' before that?" Himawari inquired.
"Ah, definitely not. He doesn't care that much about titles. If I did, it was just to tease them."
"How do you know I just never told you I cared about titles?"
Hotaru spun around, surprised to see Gin strolling towards them with her uncle, Sosuke, and their zanpakuto in toe. Shinso had put the little boys in between himself and Kyōka Suigetsu, and they were in the process of trying to get him to play a game.
"It looks like you had quite the fight" her uncle said, looking her over. There were scrapes, dirt, and grass stains all over her. Not to mention she was missing skin in a couple of places.
"She won," Hotaru nodded to Himawari, who offered a half bow at them.
"You look like shit," Gin said bluntly, picking a twig out of her hair. There was blood on it. Hotaru stuck her tongue out at him before she remembered his new status and sucked it back in.
"Gi- Ichimaru-taicho, be nice to her," Rangiku scolded, stumbling over the formality too. She had known Gin even longer than Hotaru had. They were practically siblings.
"I'm always nice," he lied through his teeth. " 's go, we've got a squad to lead, ya know."
"Ah, right!" Hotaru shoved her sword back into its sheath and spun to dip herself towards Himawari. "Thanks for the fight."
"Sure, sure. Make sure you get better, or next time I won't hold back as much," she waved her hand flippantly. A shiver went down Hotaru's spine. That was holding back?
Hotaru fell into step beside her captain, smiling up at him. He had gotten way too tall. The asshole.
"So," she spun to walk backwards a little bit in front of him, "Where do we start?"
"This paperwork is going to kill me," she declared, glowering at the pile in front of her. It was half her height. After the last captain had left, the squad had fallen far behind, and now she and Gin were struggling to make up for all of that lost time.
Hotaru made a silent vow that she would never let them get this far behind again. It was horrific. The door slid open.
"It's not like you never helped me when Ukitake - taicho was sick," Kaien scolded, looking down at her.
"Juu-ji wasn't sick that often," she argued. "And we kept up on it! Look at this! It's almost as tall as me!"
"That's not saying a lot," Kaien said drly. Hotaru flicked ink at him. It passed over his shoulder and struck the face of a girl behind him.
"Um," she said, awkwardly, touching her cheek. She was cute. Wide eyes and dark hair that barely brushed her shoulders. A stray lock fell in front of her face.
"Oh!" Hotaru left her desk and moved to the door. A shadow shimmered behind the girl, and she felt very cold. Less of a shadow, more of a swirl of snow. A zanpakuto not yet properly met.
"Hello! Who're you?" it was blunt and abrupt. Her parents would be mortified if they knew how she now spoke.
"Oh, um, Rukia- Kuchiki, hello," she stumbled over her words and bowed deeply. "It's an honor to meet you, Hozuki - fukitaicho."
"Ah, you don't have to use my last name," she corrected. "Since you're a Kuchiki, it's fine for you to call me 'Hotaru'."
A strange look passed Rukia's face before she nodded, slowly.
"Yes, of course, Hotaru - fukitaicho."
"Kuchiki here just graduated. She's been training with me," Kaien explained, jerking his thumb to the small girl. She was even shorter than Hotaru was. A delight.
"And how is that? Has he tied you to a tree with lunch on your head yet?" she asked, turning her attention to the younger shinigami. Rukia's eyes grew wide with horror.
"I- no, not yet," she stumbled over her words. The poor girl looked so overwhelmed. Hotaru took pity on her. She poked her cheek.
"I'm only teasing you, little miss Kuchiki," she said. She did wonder why she hadn't met Rukia before. She knew the Kuchiki's fairly well, she had even been to Byakukya's wedding some decades passed. But, she had never known a Rukia.
"Oh! I see…"
"Squad 5 has a wicked captain and a lieutenant with too much humor," Kaien said dryly.
Hotaru swatted at him. "Talk shit about my captain and I'll fight you, I swear."
"Haven't you learned your lesson about fighting Lieutenants?" Kaien poked very sharply at the bruise under her eye, prodding a yelp out of the girl.
"That was mean!" she accused, rubbing her cheek. She looked at Rukia, "Freeze him for me, would you?"
Rukia startled. "Freeze? I don't think I understand, what you mean."
Oh, yeah. She didn't know her Zanpakuto yet. Whoops.
Hotaru waved off her rare mistake. "It's just an expression. Listen, I know the Shiba as a whole can get overwhelming, this one including," she jerked her thumb at Kaien, who sqwaked his offense. "If you ever need anything, or you just want to talk, come find me, yeah?"
"I will," Rukia smiled at her, a little hesitantly. It was cute.
Who knew the little shinigami would cause such a stir, forty years in the future?
"I heard you met our newest recruit last week," Juushiro said idly. He passed Hotaru a cup of tea. The girl accepted it, drawing it back to her person. Her lieutenants badge sat proudly on her left arm.
"Yeah, Kaien brought her to me. I don't really know why," she admitted. Juushiro was a bit surprised. Hotaru was well known for being a perceptive girl. Her spiritual senses were well renowned, and she was an excellent judge of character. Did she not know about her own reputation?
"What did you think of her?" he asked, instead of telling her what other people thought of her.
Hotaru considered this. "
"I think she's shy. I like her, but she's also real serious. She expects things to be worse than they are.. I joked about Kaien making her do some ridiculous training, and she thought I was serious. She has real potential, I think she's close to meeting her Zanpakuto."
"Why do you say that?" he believed her to be right, but he wanted to know her reasoning.
Instead of explaining herself Hotaru shrugged. "I don't know. Just, a feeling. I guess."
There was something she wasn't telling him. Sometimes he thought that there always was, some secret she held off to the side, even when she didn't have to. Where she disappeared, why she always spent so much time alone but was never lonely. Why she was so friendly but only had a few friends.
Juushiro considered asking her, finally. Pressing for an answer.
In the end, he just offered up the teapot and mentioned Shunsui's new lieutenant.
Perhaps one day, she would tell him. Until then he was a patient man.