Hey guys! I'm here to bring you the 11th chapter or Momoiro no Hana!
I don't own bleach but I do own my Oc's.
Please Enjoy!
A month later...
Isane had spent the past few nights in the relief center. She'd mainly offered to stay to monitor Kuuri Hitsugaya's present condition. As it stood, she hadn't woken up yet and some feared she might never do so again. True, it had been a few weeks since then but she'd made much progress.
Her breathing had regulated and she'd been taken off of the ventilator but it wasn't enough for her brother. Captain Hitsugaya came to visit her every day when he had the chance and would sit and talk to her.
The lieutenant of the 4th could only sigh as she left her office and went on her way to do her rounds. She went to the front desk to grab any charts she needed before continuing on her way. Her first stops were some training injury patients, courtesy of that damned squad 11.
All she could do was roll her eyes and finish her work to which they left quickly without a word of thanks. The nerve of those people! As soon as they were out of her hair, Isane looked to see which charts she had left but only one remained: Kuuri Hitsugaya.
Normally, Unohana would see her to check how her wounds were healing but, she had important business elsewhere. It honestly didn't bother Isane as much as it did everyone else. Some thought that if they were to tend to her care, they would be scolded by Captain Hitsugaya if they did anything wrong. Their thoughts were ignorant and blatantly stupid. To be truthful, she enjoyed tending to Kuuri because, she was someone she could talk to and knew she was listening although she wasn't conscious.
"Good Morning Kuuri." greeted Isane as she opened the curtains.
Isane welcomed the following silence as she always did. She then went on to change the wound dressings and to check the vitals. The abrasions on her arms were taking longer to start healing but it was to be expected since whatever constrictive force used almost crushed her arms to begin with. She could only imagine the pain she must've been In when these injuries were sustained.
5th Division
Ayane and Eiji watched with curiosity as a strange woman and their beloved captain conversed about some complicated stuff. It might have sounded complicated but it was probably something between captain's. Hinamori looked over the finished roster, adding a few touches of her own and smiled at it in approval.
"I think we're finally finished." announced Momo.
Sayaka sighed in relief, thankful that her idea was accepted by her superior. "I will begin assembling these groups at once so that they may take action in the security protocol."
Hinamori nodded. "Of course." said, "And once that is taken care of, we will have a short briefing before dispersing."
"Understood." Sayaka said, turning to the two others occupying the room, "Would you mind coming with me?"
Eiji and Ayane looked to each other before looking up at Sayaka. Each nodded as they followed her out of the room. Hinamori sighed as she sat back in her chair. "Well, at least that's taken care of."
Ikkaku & Yumichika
"I can't believe this!" shouted a very irate bald shinigami.
Yumichika could only chuckle at his friend. Here they were waiting at the 11th's training grounds. It was already an hour past the meeting time for the training session he was supposed to have with that so-called lieutenant of the 10th.
"I'm sure something must've happened." Said Yumichika, "Why would this person not show up?"
Angry as he was, Ikkaku wasn't even listening as he stormed around the courtyard. The fourth seat could only sigh. Yachiru ran into the courtyard.
"Ika-Kun!" yelled the small lieutenant, "Ran-chan is here to see you!"
Ikkaku stopped his complaining to look up at the approaching pair of Yachiru and Rangiku. What could they want at a time like this? Rangiku stopped before him, catching her breath from being pulled along by Yachiru.
"Ikkaku, I've come to tell you that your lesson will have to be delayed." She announced, " Due to a training accident, you will resume your training as soon as your student has recovered."
That only fumed Ikkaku even further. Not only would no one reveal the identity of this so-called lieutenant, now they were injured and the training would be delayed.
"What kind of crap is this?" he raged.
Rangiku sighed. "I know you're frustrated but give it time." She said softly, her blue eyes somewhat downcast. "I was not allowed to tell you until the head captain gave me permission."
Ikkaku could only nod, seeing as how something else was bothering her and didn't want to trouble her further. Rangiku gave a nod of agreement before disappearing using Shunpo.
Fourth Division
Unohana went about, checking up on her patients. She'd only just returned from the1st division moments ago. Isane had given her updates from earlier that morning.
"How have things been?" she questioned.
Her lieutenant nodded, looking over some reports that her subordinates had given to her. "Other than some disturbances from the 11th Division, everything has been fine and many of our patients are ready to be released."
Retsu nodded, scribbling something on some of the charts in her hands before placing them in a nearby drop- basket. She then picked up a few more as she walked the halls, Isane at her side.
"How is Kuuri this morning?" questioned Unohana.
Isane smiled softly, but it was downcast. "She's doing a lot better." she answered, "She gets many visitors and they talk with her. I'm pretty sure that she'll wake up soon."
-Sanji- [4th Division]
The young woman slept soundly, her breathing even. Sanji had come to visit her for what seemed like the fifth time today. For some reason, he couldn't help but believe that he was somehow responsible for this. And as many times as he told himself it was not, something refused to listen.
Kuuri's Mind
Inside Kuuri's mind, she was floating in a dark void. As hard as she tried, she could not wake up.
'What's going on?' she whispered.
Then two figures appeared before her and she recognized them as the spirits of her zanpakuto.
"Fuyo No Tsuki." she whispered.
The two nodded. "We will help you master." they said in unison.
End
The 4th seat of Division 8 looked up as he heard Kuuri mumble something. Sanji went to her side, hoping nothing was wrong. Then all of a sudden, she opened her eyes. It caught Sanji by surprise and he went to call for a nurse but she reached up and grabbed his sleeve.
"S-sanji." She whispered, "Where am I? What happened?"
The young man nodded, sitting at her bedside. "You're in the hospital Kuuri." He said, "You were injured very badly and you've been here for almost a month."
Kuuri nodded. "I-I see."
The door opened to reveal Isane and Toushiro, who were shocked to see her awake. Sanji moved aside, making way for the lieutenant of the 4th. The two men left to give Isane room so that she could give her a complete examination.
Toshirou looked over to Sanji. He'd seen him around with Shunsui and Nanao on many occasions.
"How was she?" he questioned.
Sanji turned to him, grey eyes staring into his emerald ones. "S-she was fine." He said, "A little confused but otherwise, fine."
As he listened to his words, Toshirou couldn't help but be relieved. She had not been fatally wounded. He couldn't lose her after just reuniting with her. Isane and Unohana exited the room.
"As soon as she signs the release forms, Kuuri is free to go." She explained, " Of course, I'll be around to monitor her progress as her training continues just in case something like this happens again."
1st Division
Shunsui nodded to himself as a messenger had just relayed a message to the captain-commander whom sat before him.
"Well." he said, "It seems that she just won't give up."
Yamamoto nodded, stroking his white beard in thought. His thoughts went to the message that had been delivered to him.
"It would seem that way." he said, "But this is only the beginning for her. She will many difficult tasks ahead of her."
Kyoraku smirked. "Ms. Hitsugaya was the prodigy before her brother and If I remember correctly, she was an excellent officer even then." he replied.
Sanji, who was sitting just behind him and beside Nanao became interested in the topic at hand. He leaned over to Nanao. "So, she's that strong?"
The lieutenant adjusted her glasses. "According to the shinigami records, the strength she held was on par with some of the oldest captains in Seireitei but it would have to be measured again due to the fact that her power had almost diminshed in her absence from Seireitei."
Kidou Corp
"Again!" yelled Sayaka.
Ayane concentrated, gathering her power and erected the barrier again. Sayaka tapped on it, assuring its strength and was impressed as its aura repelled her.
"If you just have a focused concentration, your barriers will become very strong." she said, "It means I've made the right choice."
The young red head looked up at her. " What choice?"
"I chose the both of you to take a leading position within the Kidou corp because I felt that you were qualified." she explained, " When I analyzed all of those whom serve in the 5th Division, I found that the two of you had high marks in your Kidou. To add to that, you are both high ranking within your diviion so you had top priority in achieving such feats."
Ayane and Eiji looked at one another but quickly looked away from each other in jealousy. The vice-captain of the fifth looked up at Sayaka. "So what exactly are we?" he questioned, "To the Kidou Corp of course?"
"The commander and I decided that you will become leader of the 3rd Division, Retainment unit where you will use your Kido to subdue or restrain an enemy." she began, "And Ayane will be the captain of the 4th Division Security Unit where you will use your Kidou to secure any weak points of any of our barriers as well as erect them. "
Ayane grew excited but bowed to her superior, following Eiji's actions. "Thank you very much for this opportunity.
Rangiku & Kuuri
Kuuri was happy to be out of that hospital robe and back home. It felt like an eternity since she'd had something to eat and she was more than grateful for Rangiku who'd taken her to a small cafe. Her brother had been called away for a meeting so Rangiku took it upon herself to keep her company.
"How are you feeling?" Asked the strawberry blonde.
The winter princess nodded as she savored a bit of her parfait. " I feel much better." She said as she rubbed her still bandaged arms, " My wounds don't hurt too much anymore and I'm ready to start training again."
Rangiku smiled, happy to see her upbeat and cheerful self. Although she was hiding the fact that those arm wounds bothered her greatly, not in pain but in trust of her zanpakuto. Her own zanpakuto injured its master. And when that happened, they were usually detained and experimented on by division 12. But in this case, she was a special exception.
"Who is my next instructor?" Questioned kuuri.
Rangiku looked away from the window and settled onto kuuri's face. "Your next instructor is Ikkaku Madarame." she answered, "He's a close friend of mine and one of my drinking buddies."
The younger woman looked up at her as she munched on another treat. "He sounds tough." she mumbled to herself.
Rangiku took a sip of her smoothie before looking over at her. She giggled. "Ikakku may be tough and a bit on the rude side but he's more than loyal and is dedicated to his Captain, Division, and the Gotei 13."
"Though he's rude, he sounds like he's a good person and would do everything he could to protect what was important to him."
The strawberry blonde nodded as she looked over at the clock on the wall. It was about time that they left. "We should get going." she said, "You don't want to be late."
10th Division
Toshirou returned to his office, Unohana's words ringing in his head.
*Flashback*
"Remember this." she said, "Kuuri 's greatest injuries are in the process of healing very slowly even with some of my Reiatsu at the core of those same wounds."
The captain of the 10th nodded, ready to hear more. "I will have Isane check on her after her training sessions to ensure that her wounds do not re-open." she continued, "I advise that you and Rangiku have a talk with her so that she won't push herself so hard after having just been released from the hospital. If she goes beyond her limits, she will die."
It was obvious that those words had chilled even Toshirou. "So her injuries are that critical?" he whispered to himself, "I'll make sure to watch her closely."
End Flashback
Once he turned to enter the administrative office, he ran into Kuuri who was settling her swords into her sash. Rangiku was also in her company. Rangiku noticed the odd look on her captain's face.
"Kuuri, I'll meet you there." she said with a smile, "Why don't you go ahead without me?"
Kuuri nodded, bowed to them both before going on her way. Once she was out of earshot, Rangiku turned to her captain. "Something wrong?"
Toshiro's green eyes answered her question as he face her and looked up at her. "Please watch over Kuuri."
11th Division
Ikkaku and Yumichika had gone to the training grounds since they were bored with nothing to do. Yumichika knew that his friend was somewhat disappointed in not being able to meet a worthy opponent. Seireitei had been quiet except for the sudden meeting earlier about the security protocol.
"Its almost too peaceful, isn't it Ikkaku?" asked Yumichika as he moved a few loose hairs from his face.
Ikkaku sighed. "It's almost sickening."
It was then that Yachiru skipped up to them, her wondrous and curious eyes upon the two of them. She then pointed to Ikkaku.
"A really pretty lady is here to see you, Ika-Kun!" she announced before making kissy faces.
The duo staired at the lieutenant like she grew a second annoying head before looking to each other. Yumichika was more than intrigued. What would a woman want with the ever rude Ikkaku? He just had to find out.
Their pink-haired lieutenant then led them back to the barracks and into the administrative office. Standing by the window, was indeed a young woman with long and beautiful silver-white hair. Hearing them enter the room, she turned to face them. Ikkaku had to admit she was very attractive, more so than any of the women he'd met.
"Here's Ika-kun!" announced Yachiru.
The young woman smiled before bowing. "Thank you lieutenant Kusajishi."
It was then that Yumichika dragged the young girl outside. The two were left to speak although there were sure to be some unwanted listeners. Ikkaku turned to her. Arms folded.
"So what do you want?" he questioned, "And who are you?"
The young woman looked up at him, bright eyes upon him. "My name is Kuuri Hitsugaya." she said, "And i've come here to begin my training."
Hitsugaya? Was this girl related to the 10th Division Captain? And she also had on a lieutenant's badge. It was then that it hit him.
"Don't tell me..." he said, "You're the 2nd lieutenant of the 10th!"
The young woman nodded, much to his aggravation. There was no way in hell that he'd train a woman. "I'm sorry but you must be joking!" he said bluntly, "I don't train women."
Kuuri stared for a few moments, tilting her head with an awestruck look as she listened to him. "Excuse me?"
The bald shinigami rolled his eyes. "It would go against my pride as the 3rd seat of the 11th Division." he said, "And I'm not obligated to die at the hand of my captain for such disrespect to my entire Squad."
Kuuri was more than insulted. "How dare you!" she argued, "There are many strong women here in the Gotei 13, so I don't understand your reasoning. Besides, I'm not even in your Division so it shouldn't matter!
Then all of a sudden, the door opened to reveal Zaraki himself. The tall, ragged man was very intimidating to Kuuri but she refused to show it.
"So you're the woman i've been hearing about." he said, "Hitsugaya's older sister right?"
Kuuri nodded. "Yes sir."
Ikkaku listened to their conversation and he couldn't believe his captain was just speaking with her so casually. How could that be? Kenpachi then turned to Ikkaku, who straightened under his gaze.
"Well Ikkaku.." said Kenpachi, "If you agreed to train her, stop being a bitch about it and do it. Doesn't matter whether she's male or female, you made an agreement."
Hearing his superior's words, ikkaku rolled his eyes and gritted his teeth in annoyance. "I understand sir."
Elsewhere...
It would seem that things only continued to get better and more enjoyable as the days pawns were moving across the board of his plan perfectly. Though he'd done a lot of it already, he'd have to wait a while longer until these pawns had reached the climax of this game.
"Just a little longer." he said as he licked his lips.
11th Division Training Grounds
Ikkaku was more than agitated as he watched Kuuri get up from the ground. She was one tough chick though. Every time he knocked her down, she got up. Even now, her sappphire eyes were dark with determination and she refused to lose to him. If he thought women were inferior to men, she'd prove him wrong. She'd make him respect her, both as a woman and as a female officer of the Gotei 13.
"You tired yet?" he teased, taking a stance.
Kuuri wiped some sweat from her forehead and shook her head. "What, need to take a break?"
Ikkaku couldn't help but chuckle. This girl had spunk and drive which was more than enough in his book. It didn't make him regret in choosing to train her. Yumichika looked on as they exchanged blow after blow with Ikkau's specific instruction. The 5th seat had to admit that Ikkaku must've felt she was worthy of his training. Something like that happened rarely. Isane , who was not far away, had been watching their session. It was going well so far.
"Extend, Houzukimaru!"
Kuuri watched in awe as his zanpakuto extended into a kind of pole. It only made the fight more interesting as Ikkaku came at her with speed. She gripped her blade and was about to move forward but a sharp pain ran through her body. Yumichika then turned his full attention to the fight and saw something.
"Ikkaku!" he shouted, "Stop!"
The bald shinigami stopped only to see Kuuri fall to her knees. She'd dropped her blade and her arms were bleeding heavily. Yumichika had reached them and Ikkaku caught her before she fell.
"We need to get her to a room so I can tend to her."said Isane.
Yumichika directed her to the spare rooms in the barracks and Isane took it from there once Ikkaku had set her down. The two men excused themselves so she could have some privacy.
"You knew." said Yumichika, "That's why you were going easy on her."
Ikkaku folded his arms. "I wasn't going easy on anyone." he said, "But it is quite impressive for someone like her to be able to match me blow for blow with those wounds."
Kuuri & Isane
Isane finished cleaning Kuuri's wounds and was now re-wrapping her arms. Kuuri opened her eyes to see Isane who frowned a bit.
"You should be more careful." she scolded, "You're going to kill yourself if you push yourself too hard since your wounds are still healing."
Kuuri sat up slowly once Isane finished. "I understand." she said softly, a bit disappointed.
"I know your training will be hard and you won't be able to avoid being injured but please be careful." explained Isane, "I'm going to check on you in the morning and make sure you're cleared to withstand another training will come to check on you later this evening to perform a healing session."
Kuuri nodded. Isane packed up her first aid kit and after giving her the proper instructions for later, she was on her way. Kuuri stared at her bandaged arms before putting her head in her hands.
"I can't believe how reckless I am." she said to herself.
Yumichika had peeked into the room due to it being cracked and returned to Ikkaku who was leaning against the wall just down the hall. With a flip to his braid, he folded his arms as he too leaned against the wall beside his best friend.
"The poor girl is beating herself up." he said, "Shouldn't you say something to her?"
Ikkaku rolled his eyes. "I'm not saying anything." he said, "Ain't my fault."
The door opened and Kuuri walked out of the room, Zanpkuto blades in her hand. She seemed a bit downcast as she bowed her head to the two of them.
"Thank you for everything." she said softly, "I will be taking my leave."
The two men didn't say anything as she passed them but Ikkaku looked on as she walked down the hallway. He could see how badly she was injured and wondered how she was even able to stand, let train with him. It was insane.
9th Division
Ichigo was working on some paperwork when the door to his office opened to reveal Shuhei. Since it was late, he expected him to have gone home already. And yet here he was, standing at his desk with more reports in his hands.
"Here you are Captain." he said, "I've finished those reports."
The orange-haired captain thanked him as he took said documents and put them away in a neat pile. "Isn't is about time you go home?" he questioned, "You don't have a date or something?"
Shuhei blushed. "W-why would I?" He stuttered, a certain strawberry blond coming to mind.
"I've been aware of your feelings since the end of the Winter War." he said, "You should just tell her."
The lieutenant seemed to blush even more if possible. Just what was his captain thinking, saying something like that? He was saying it flippantly as if it were so easy to express his feelings.
'I wish I could.' he said to himself.
5th Division
Momo yawned as she gathered the reports to be submitted to the first division. She was preparing to leave for the night and had already sent her lieutenant and third seat home. Grabbing her reports, she locked up and was on her way to the captain's quarters. A wintry chill swirled around her and a familiar presence of reiryoku wash over her.
"Leaving for the night?" he questioned.
Momo nodded, her hair falling to her shoulders as a result of him pulling her ribbon. She turned to him and saw those mint green eyes she loved so much as they stared down into her own mahogany ones. She was thankful for the somewhat dark hallway so he couldn't see her blush.
"What are you doing here?" she questioned, resuming her walk back to her quarters.
Toshiro had moved to walk at her side, his hand intertwined with hers. "I had to clear my head." he said, "I've got all of my paperwork memorized."
Hinamori giggled. "I'm no stranger to that." she said, "I've just about memorized the Kido corp rosters by rank. "
The captain of the tenth division laughed to himself. Just hearing her melodic voice was enough to calm his nerves. Sometimes, he wished she were a part of his own division so that he could hear it all the time.
10th Division Barracks
Kuuri had returned to the barracks, exhausted from today's training session. It had really take a lot out of her. On her way back, she'd met up with Rangiku who had suggested they use the barracks hot spring. And now, here she was doing just that.
"It doesn't get better than this." Rangiku said with a relieving sigh.
The silver-haired young woman nodded, submerging her body even deeper into the steamy water. It stung a bit once the water hit her wounds but it still helped to relieve the ache and soreness. Even Rangiku snuck a look at her. The abrasions on her arms seemed worse now from her perspective and bruises had reformed. It was evident that she was in tremendous pain but she never voiced it or showed it.
Flashback
Rangiku had gone to the 11th Division to get Kuuri so she could watch out for her on her way back to the barracks. Her captain had told her to keep an eye on her so she wouldn't overwork herself. When she'd arrived, she had been informed that Kuuri had already left which Yachiru had done for her.
"The pretty lady left not too long ago." she said, "Ika-Kun even seemed to enjoy his fight with her."
The strawberry blonde nodded. " Where is Ikkaku?"
The pink-haired girl didn't hesitate to take Rangiku to the training field where the famous duo were sure to be. Yumichika went over to her, having been watching Ikkaku who was sparring with another division member.
"Oh her." said Yumichika, "She left a little while ago. It was quite strange that she could withstand all that with the condition she was in."
End Flashback
Kuuri stood from the water, rivulets cascading down her skin. She grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her body as she stepped out of the spring. There was a kanji symbol for Royal family on the upper right side of her back. It was an interesting symbol.
"I'm going back to my room." she said softly, seeming a bit troubled.
Rangiku stood up as well, wrapping her body with a towel before grabbing one for her hair. Kuuri had already left to go back to her room so that she could settle in for the night.
Kuuri
Shortly, after returning to her room and changing into her pajamas, there was a knock on Kuuri's door.
"Come in."
The door opened, revealing a young woman with dark orange hair and curious dark gray eyes. She wore the normal shihakusho robes but two beautiful floral hairpins set her apart.
"Good Evening." she said, "I've come to check on your healing progress. My name is Orihime Inoue."
Orihime smiled as she sat across from Kuuri on the bed since she had recognized her as Toshiro's older sister whom she'd met at the party. She unraveled the bandages on her arms so the could better view her wounds. The dark abrasions on her arms were just as Unohana had informed her and she could feel her captain's reiryoku as well. She could see the pain on her features and she kind of felt sorry for her. Orihime raided her wrist which was decorated two hair clips from within her shihakusho, kissing the flowers lightly.
"Soten Kisshun." she whispered, "I reject."
Two beams of light shot from the hairpin and formed an oval of light around her arms. Kuuri watched in awe as the marks began to disappear and the pain ebbed away into a mild ache.
"W-what just happened?" Kuuri questioned.
Orihime gave her a reassuring smile. "I have the power to reverse any form of matter to the point in time before the injury took place." she said, "It's a bit difficult to explain."
Kuuri experimented with her arms by moving them and twisting them to see if she could feel anything. Surprisingly, she felt much better than ever. "If something like this was possible, then..."
"You had heavily damaged tissues and a lot of internal hemorrhaging ." she explained, "So if I were to heal those wounds too quickly, there would've been no guarantee upon your survival since those natural tissues needed time to repair themselves."
Kuuri nodded. It was a decision that had been made in saving her life and she was more than grateful. "Thank you Orihime."
Orihime smiled. "Would you like me to heal your other injuries?" she asked, "I don't mind and I have some free time."
The young woman thought for a moment before looking down at herself. She didn't want to burden Orihime any further . "I have no intention of bothering you any further." she said, "So I.."
She was cut off when she saw Orihime's healing light as it engulfed her. "W-what are you doing?"
"I want to make sure you're in top form." she said, "You can't regain your powers in this shape."
Kuuri nodded, stopping her protests. Once she was finished, Orihime bid her a goodnight. It had been nice of her to completely heal her and she was feeling better than ever.
'I'll be able to fight for what I want with nothing slowing me down.'
And there we go! I know its been a year but I've had so much going on that I have been barely able to tend to my stories so I do apologize. I also plan on trying to update a little more quickly.
Hope this pleased you,
EmikoSakura27