A/N: cioro: well you have your answer here! hebi-san: Did I thank you for reviewing? Lol. Here's the new chapter as promised...with many more to come. Jenovajuice97: My most loyal reviewer. Thank you so much for staying with it even through the period of radiosilence.
Cheru left quickly, heading towards her building. What could have caused her to be called away with such gravity? Was it that she had bypassed a level of power, or that Hinamori Momo was probably bringing down half of Sereitei with her yells? Upon entrance of her office, she was greeted by a small host of guests. Sasakibe stood with a hand firmly on Hinamori's shoulder. His pale-colored eyes glinted in the light as she stood before them. Commander-General Genryusai was beside him, leaning on his cane. Cheru noticed that behind them cowered the healer she had forced earlier.
Genryusai began the exchange by clearing his throat.
"Captain Tsuikyuu, you seem to be exercising your privileges as of late"
Cheru bowed her head slightly. What little she had learned about "office-politics" would have to be put to use now.
"I was unaware that it was not in my jurisdiction," she caught a glance of the healer's face blanching, "I'm very sorry if I've caused any trouble"
The Commander-General and his Vice-Captain scrutinized her.
"Hinamori Momo has not been in good condition since Aizen's...leaving. She is not to be reinstated to any form of duty until further notice," said Sasakibe.
Cheru noted his choice of wording and the way his hand tensed on Hinamori's shoulder. So there was something between Aizen and her. Hinamori looked at her with hateful eyes, and Cheru returned the gaze with some icy breeze of her own. She looked pathetic, still in that white outfit of hers. Cheru didn't want this girl for anything else than to do her duty as she was supposed to. Maybe it was that nagging sensation that had suddenly appeared. She had identified it as the desire to fix her, she had really been around Ukitake too long.
"If I may suggest something Commander-General?" she asked.
He made no motion to stop her and so she continued.
"I feel very strongly that the Fifth Division requires some more assistance. I understand Hinamori's sitation, but if I were to have her for a short period of time and then if the Commander-General were to evaluate this time spent..."
The subjunctive tense really was a wonderful one to use. Cheru let her voice trail off as she watched the Commander-General think over what she said. Sasakibe's eyes were still trained on her and she felt the vaguest sensation of pins and needles all over. She wondered if that was how she appeared to others.
"An interesting proposition," mused the Commander-General.
There was a beat of silence and anticipation.
"We shall see how it goes," he said, and Sasakibe released Hinamori from his hold.
"Thank you very much," said Cheru as the First Division Commander and Vice-Captain left the room.
All that was left now was her and Hinamori. The younger girl couldn't seem to believe what had just happened, and stood in the room stockstill. Cheru saw that her uniform was placed on her desk as the men had left and walked over to it, feeling the softness of the material. She handed the bundle to Hinamori who took it without a word and left.
Cheru watched her leave, then checked the messages on her desk. A red stamp on one of them indicated that it was sent by a Captain and thus, high-priority. She opened it carefully and her brow creased. So Hitsugaya Toshiro wanted to talk as well. She considered briefly, just ignoring the message and going off to a secluded place to train. Imouto and her both needed a bit more discipline as of late. But the brightness of the red stamp glared at her. To the Tenth Division it was.
Captain Toshiro was waiting for her. She found a stark contrast between him and Hinamori. While she had left a scared and scarred person behind, here was a young but stern face staring back at her.
"Captain Tsuikyuu," he said as a greeting.
"Captain Toshiro"
"Let's take a walk"
Hitsugaya led her away from the Division headquarters and along the winding ways of Sereitei. It was silent for a while before Hitsugaya opened his mouth to speak.
"I'm not going to hide anything. I care deeply for Hinamori. So when I heard of what you did, I couldn't believe it. What made you think you had the authority to pull her back out like that? Do you have any idea of what she's been through?"
He was angry, and barely keeping himself in check. So the young progidy of the Gotei 13 had a temper as well. His reasons, though stated, still seemed like a mystery to Cheru. The obvious concern he had for Hinamori was a foreign concept to her, one who had never been cared for at all. In this case, she couldn't think of anything to say, for any purpose. It was a humbling experience.
"Hinamori may never be well again. So why are you trying to interfere? Let her be in peace! She doesn't need to know that you've taken Aizen's place!"
The clarity of his voice was astounding. He was on a level Cheru would never be able to reach, with any amount of training. His mind, his body, his zanpaktou, were all focused on what he was saying and feeling: Don't touch Hinamori. Cheru felt fragmented into tiny pieces, each having a neglible amount of power, while this mere child was a fully formed crystal. She had come to quietly confront him, and see him bubble over. The problem, she was convinced, would resolve itself in a matter of minutes. But she was wrong. Hitsugaya Toshiro was so much more...that she was. If ever there was a living example of what she was aspiring to, she realized it was him. Training all those years, physically and mentally, were to prepare herself to become consolidated and focused. She wanted everything to be so compact that nothing could squeeze through and threaten to destroy the defenses she had so carefully set up. Yet here was the signs of her downfall as she knew it. Ukitake. Hinamori. And now Hitsugaya. She was a mere nothing. He was a true shinigami, a true Captain.
"Well, are you going to say anything?" he snapped, fed up with the silence and the lone echo of his voice.
Weakness was not to be tolerated.
Cheru closed her eyes.
"You haven't come far at all Ane"
"But you won't understand. Not yet anyhow. It's not my place to tell you."
"Answer me!" Histugaya shouted at her, his clear blue eyes blazing.
Even the phoenix rises from its ashes.
"You won't attain anything higher than this Bankai"
She had stared straight at Imouto and said something she regretted now.
"I don't care"
Cheru opened her eyes, and left.
Hitsugaya Toshiro remained rooted to his spot in shock. His eye twitched as it caught sight of Cheru Tsuikyuu's ponytail whipping about in the breeze. How dare she. He wanted to call out Hyourinmaru at this very instant and smite her. Regretfully however, he brought his anger down to a managable level. No doubt the Commander-General already knew of Cheru's actions, and if she were acting in this arrogant manner, it could only mean she had somehow gained permission to do whatever it was she had in mind. This meant that he had no power over this matter anymore. His eyes narrowed. So be it.
Cheru returned to her private quarters, not wanting to see anyone else. She watched the sun set over the walls of Sereitei and held her zanpaktou close to her, at the same time wanting to cast it away. What a waste it had all been.
Imouto: You've seen me use this a few times. It's Japanese for "little sister," obviously the name of her zanpaktou.
Ane: "Big sister"
