The Shinigami Child -13-
After the ranking test, Yuki had gone to the sixth division and was welcomed back by the shinigami that are working there. Some had congratulated her on graduating from the academy while some were voicing their surprise at how she was actually placed in the tenth division rather than the sixth with her uncle. Yuki smiled at the genuine care everyone was showing her and reassured them that she'll be fine and she'll try to visit the sixth division whenever she could. After she smiled at the whispering shinigami, some the nodded and proceeded to ask how the ranking test went and Yuki was about to open her mouth to tell, but then she felt her uncle reiatsu and there he is, right behind her and now staring at the gathering shinigami around her.
As Byakuya watch the shinigami that was surrounding his niece disperse and went back to their work, some of them were disappointed for not being able to hear the young girl's story about the ranking test. Byakuya then lowered his eyes and met with his niece's tired but sparkling ones, clearly anticipating Byakuya to say something to her. Byakuya gave his niece a small smile and uncharacteristically carried the small girl in his arms as Yuki happily wrap her arms around Byakuya's neck, giving him a loving hug. Byakuya stared coldly towards the working shinigami who had stopped their work to look at the pair of uncle and niece and those shinigami quickly went back to work, afraid of the wrath their captain had unleashed the day before that almost squished them to the ground.
"I did it, oji-chan! I didn't have any problem with the test, I did what Toushiro-taichou and Matsumoto-san told me to do and I did my shikai well. Then Toushiro-taichou told me to show him my bankai, I wasn't sure about doing bankai, but Kazeyomi told me to try it, since we don't have to show it for long. And I did it! I felt a bit tired after that though, did you know that I was the last one that was questioned? Matsumoto-san told me that Toushiro-taichou told her to put me last, I don't know if she was telling the truth or not…" Letting his niece talk, Byakuya told Renji to handle the rest as he is about to bring Yuki back to the manor so she could rest properly. Renji, who noticed Yuki kept on talking about her day nodded to Byakuya and watch as his captain shunpo-ed away, bringing his niece with him in his arms.
Renji then let out a big sigh and turn towards the busy sixth division; he isn't really surprised about his captain able to finish his paperwork. But what amazes him is that even though he's been going back to the manor earlier in order to put Yuki to rest, he's been able to finish it as if it's nothing. Perhaps it comes with practice… and age, he thought before yelling at some shinigami who were lazying around. Renji is curious about the result of Yuki's ranking test though, no doubt the girl would got a high rank as she is now, but the rank will only be decided by Hitsugaya, Matsumoto and some of the shinigami working there.
Renji had no doubt that Matsumoto would give Yuki a high rank, but he's still a bit unsure about the youngest captain's line of thoughts. Heck, he wasn't even sure if Matsumoto's theory about her captain liking his captain's niece is true or not. All he knew is that both of them are quite close even if Hitsugaya doesn't act like it at all. But knowing Yuki, she could be close to anyone who let her become his or her friends. Renji then let out a frustrated groan as he scratched the back of his head, thinking about his captain's niece is always giving him headaches. She could be a bundle or energy, and before he knew it, she can be a very sensitive person. He had a hunch it might be because of her natural ability to read people, and not to mention now since her zanpakuto's element is wind, she is able to read people by the air surrounding them, no doubt it made the girl even more sensitive than before, especially since she's still very young compared to all of them.
"Abarai-fukutaichou, about this paperwork…" Those thought could wait, right now he has work to do, Renji thought as he turned towards the shinigami who called him previously.
"Byaku ji-chan, why can't I stay up late today?" Yuki had become a bit uncharacteristically whiny somehow tonight, but Byakuya brushed that thought aside as he tucked his niece into her futon. He knew everyone would be surprised at how he is acting now, but this is his niece that might as well as his own daughter since her similarities with him in looks are very apparent.
"Taking proper rests are important. It would be useless to train without giving your body proper rest. Rest now, you have had a hard day today." Yuki then give Byakuya a pout before nodding and Yuki then smiled when Byakuya brushed his hand in her hair. Yuki's eyelids then slowly drop as the girl started to drift off into slumber with Byakuya's hand still brushing Yuki's hair. Byakuya then watch as Yuki's breath and reiatsu stabilized and pulled his hand back, now looking at Yuki's sleeping face, thinking once again about her similarities with her mother.
'Miyuki… what would you do if you were alive…'
The day after, Yuki woke up to find both Rukia and Byakuya already left to their divisions and quickly get dressed before shunpo-ing towards the tenth division. As she arrived at the division, she was confused about where to go before she felt someone behind her and jumped away, turning around to see that it was only Matsumoto, who was about to give her a hug from behind. Yuki silently felt glad she had dodged or else she would be squished to death on her first day, and that's not funny.
'It would be for me' Yuki then glared at her bracelet when she could clearly hear Kazeyomi's laughter ringing in her head. Yuki then turned back towards the smiling Matsumoto and took a step backward for precaution.
"Is something the matter, Matsumoto-san?" The woman in front of her kept on humming and smiling at her, which made Yuki took another step backward and bumped into someone. Yuki quickly turn around and apologized, only to find herself face to face with her new captain, Hitsugaya Toushiro. When Hitsugaya was about to open his mouth and ask about what happened Matsumoto quickly grab a hold onto the girl in front of him and squished the life out of her.
"Congratulations on getting the third seat, Yuki-chan! And welcome to the tenth division!" Yuki would be shocked about what Matsumoto had just said only if she were not being choked right now.
"Kazeyomi… I can't… lungs…"
'Hang in there, Yuki!' When the bracelet around Yuki's wrist startled to rattle, Hitsugaya noticed the small trinket's movement and quickly told Matsumoto to let go of the girl.
"Do you want to kill her before she even got to know anything?" Yuki then took big gasps of air when she was finally released from Matsumoto's killer hug and bowed gratefully to Hitsugaya.
"Thank you, Toushiro-taichou." Yuki wheezed as she gripped her chest while wincing at the pain, hoping something didn't happen to her lungs from the sudden hug. When the busty vice-captain noticed Yuki holding onto her chest and seemed to be in pain, she panicked.
"Yuki-chan, are you alright? I'm sorry, did it hurt?" Yuki then give Matsumoto a reassuring smile as she straightened herself up.
"I'll be fine, Matsumoto-san, it's nothing big." Yuki said, patting her chest to show the orange-haired vice-captain that there's nothing wrong with her. Even though Matsumoto weren't that convinced, but she let it go. And after remembering what she was so happy about when she saw the young girl, Matsumoto opted to grab Yuki's hand.
"You got the third seat, Yuki-chan! Isn't that great?" Yuki then blinked, having forgotten what Matsumoto had just said prior to her life and death experience. And when Hitsugaya nodded in confirmation after she had unconsciously turned to him, a big childish smile then blossomed on Yuki's face, making the young girl's face sparkle while the vice-captain in front of her cooed at the girl's happy smile.
"From now on, you'll work here with me and taichou! I hope you're good with paperwork." Matsumoto said as Yuki nodded.
"I've been helping Renji nii with his paperwork, I think I'll do just fine." Matsumoto then clapped her hand gleefully as Hitsugaya glared at Matsumoto, knowing that his vice-captain just wanted to give the girl excess paperwork.
"Matsumoto!"
"Aww, taichou, don't be such a party pooper. I won't give Yuki-chan that many of my paperwork, I know you'll want to talk to her often." Matsumoto teased, making some of the division's shinigami giggle while some stared amusedly at their fuming and red-faced captain.
"MATSUMOTO!"
"Oji-chan! Byaku ji-chan!" Yuki said as she ran inside the sixth division after she had been excused from the tenth division. Yuki ran and ran, avoiding some of the walking shinigami while apologizing to the shinigami she had bumped into. The shinigami that had seen the girl running were confused as to what had the girl running for her uncle in the first place while some just shake their heads with a smile before continuing their work. When Yuki entered the captain and vice-captain's office with a dash, two pair of eyes quickly went over to her before she leapt towards her uncle. Byakuya looked towards his arms where his niece is currently looking up at him with a pair of sparkling eyes.
"Oji-chan, I got third seat! I did it!" Byakuya's eyes widened for a second before he gave Yuki a pat on her head and the girl relished at the touch. Yuki then let go of Byakuya and jumped towards his vice-captain to give him a kick and sat on the groaning vice-captain's back.
"Renji nii, I got third seat! I did it!"
"Congratulations, Yuki… but can you get off? You're hurting my back…" Yuki then reluctantly stood up, letting Renji straighten his back out before she gave him a hug as the other sighed and returned her hug. Yuki skipped back to the now standing Byakuya and held onto his arm.
"So starting tomorrow I'll work in hard with Toushiro-taichou and Matsumoto-san." Renji's eyes then widened and he hid behind his desk, avoiding the sudden burst of Byakuya's reiatsu to the top of their division's roof.
"Oh man…"