wowee it's another update! I haven't abandoned the story yet!
Ch 25
~Naoko~
Naoko never thought about how much she missed grunt work. It had been weeks since Kensei gave her clerical assignments, and she had never been happier. The monotony of the work made her feel in control, for once. She rifled through the neatly organized stacks that towered around her, threatening to tumble and scatter. There was much to do, even months after Seireitei went to war with Hueco Mundo. "Naoko, deliver these to the 1st division," Kensei ordered, handing her thick file.
"These too," Shuuhei followed, placing a small stack of reports on top of the file. They were neatly bound into slim books, their firm covers adding more weight to her load.
"Anything else while I'm out?" Naoko asked wryly as she shifted her pile to rest against her body.
"No," Kensei said dismissively. "Just don't drag your feet." His face was buried in his own stack of paperwork, not noticing the shocked look Shuuhei made between his captain and 3rd seat. Naoko shrugged nonchalantly and sauntered off to her errands.
Outside, Naoko inhaled deeply, taking in the scents of Seireitei. Ever since Mimihagi merged her soul and her hollow's, her senses had taken on a more "animalistic" quality. She could detect the faintest of scents in the air now, sorting through the subtle mix of food, sweat, and foliage that entered her nose. Her connection to Ukitake-taichou, she also found out, was reciprocal. Just as Mimihagi reminded the older captain of the price of hosting a god, every month, Naoko experienced bouts of excruciating menstural cramps that could not be soothed by any method she knew of.
She shuddered at the memory of the her first bleeding since accepting the fallen god. As she lay on her futon curled up in the fetal position, a hell butterfly came to her. "Sakahone-san," Ukitake-taichou's voice resounded in her head. He sounded strained and in terrible pain. "Never again will I doubt the severity of a woman's monthly cycle." Naoko had immediately sent an apologetic reply, remorseful that such a kind captain had to experience such a pain. They were both fortunate that the cramps lasted only for the day, however, they both still suffered Ukitake's bouts of coughing. She often felt like she was suffocating during those episodes, but as the older captain had promised, the feeling passed eventually. Naoko breathed easily today, meaning Ukitake-taichou was in good shape as well.
Naoko used shunpo to reach the first division, taking care not to lose any papers on the way. Upon reaching the first division, she shuddered lightly. The building housed the best Shinigami in Seireitei, notorious for their leadership qualities and ability to take action quickly. She entered, met by suspicious glances as she passed down the hall to the Lieutenant Sasakibe's office. Her hand uconsciously went to her eyepatch. Naoko had replaced the white, medical patch with a sturdier, leather eyepatch that resembled Zaraki Kenpachi's. Her bangs covered the black strap that crossed over her forehead, while the strap that crossed her cheekbone and wrapped around her head provided a stark contrast against her golden-tan complexion.
She delivered the reports without incident, only earning a strange look and a delayed thank you from Sasakibe-fukutaichou. Naoko left quickly, taking a detour that passed the 13th division so that she could check on Ukitake-taichou. The older captain was pleased to see her, offering her sweets and tea. "It's a good day, today," he said, alluding to both the weather and their shared health.
Naoko nodded in agreement, but shook her head politely, rejecting the desserts. "Apologies, taichou, but Kensei needs all the help he can get today."
"Mm, then take a few for the road!" Ukitake said brightly, handing her a box of wagashi. "Send my regards to your captain."
"You're very kind, taichou," Naoko replied, bowing from the waist and tucking the treats close to her body. She disappeared in a flash, using shunpo once again to return to her division. Kensei had prohibited her from training with the rest of the members of the 9th until she felt comfortable around her colleagues again. However, that didn't mean she was completely off the hook. Naoko still kept herself in top form, challenging her sensing abilities and agility whenever she had the chance.
Naoko entered the 9th division's office, placing the wagashi onto the table. She picked one out of the box and chewed it daintly. The flavor of red bean paste spread throughout her mouth and tongue in a pleasing manner, the taste not too cloyingly sweet and the texture smooth. The raven haired woman looked around the office and noticed the rest paperwork for today was completed, thanks to Shuuhei's diligence. She left the office to wander the woods around the division barracks, looking for a private spot to train on her own.
She had come across a small clearing, ringed by pine trees. A sharp, evergreen scent filled her nostrils as Naoko inhaled deeply. She gazed up at the blue sky above her, the open space seemingly unending and ambient noise of birds and small animals going about their business. A stack of logs at the edge of the trees was the only unnatural structure in this peaceful, natural setting. Naoko grabbed a few, hefting them under her arms, and set them down upright in the middle of the field. She drew her zanpakutou while summoning her shikai, "kakushi azamuku, kuro kitsune!" Gleaming metal turned pitch black as it exited the sheath, nine tassels hanging off the silver hilt.
The Shinigami walked a good distance away from her targets. Facing the first log, Naoko flash stepped and struck the dense wood. Just as Kurokitsune's midnight blade connected, Naoko yelled, "kitsunebi!" She sent a surge of reiatsu down the blade and into her target, but as she turned to observe her handiwork, she was dismayed. The blue fire that should have reduced the log to ash within seconds sputtered out pathetically after barely charring the bark.
"What?!" she exclaimed, confused. "Kuro, what the hell!?"
"It's not me," the fox replied. A mental image of a beautiful woman in colorful robes, shrugging her shoulders appeared.
Naoko grumbled. "Kitsunebi!" she yelled again, striking the log. She exuded more reiatsu than the last time, but ended up with the same result. The blue fire flickered mockingly before dying out. Enraged, Naoko struck again and again, each fire dying out as quickly as the last. Sweat beaded down her face and made its way under the neck line of her robes. Naoko felt drained. She was sure the amount of effort she put into her attacks was about the same as if she were in battle. So why wasn't it working? Naoko needed to talk to Kuro and see. Naoko settled at the base of a pine tree, the fallen needles providing a slight cushion from the hard ground. Leaning against the trunk, the black haired Shinigami closed her eyes and allowed herself to enter jinzen.
When Naoko opened her eyes, she found herself in an elegant tea room. The wooden floor was polished to a mirror like quality, while the shoji doors were flung wide open to view the field. Kurokitusne was lounging at the doorway in her fox form, her large body stretched out and tails lazily twitching and swaying. In another corner of the room sat a lone figure, a mirror image of Naoko.
The fox perked up and trotted over to her mistress, her image shimmering and wavering until the animal was replaced by a pale, dark haired woman. Green and blue robes flowed out over the floor as Kurokitsune settled across from Naoko. "To what do we owe this visit?" she asked, emphasizing the 'we' while turning her head towards the other figure in the room.
"There's something wrong with our power," Naoko answered. "It's not the same as before."
"Before what?" Niban spat spitefully. Naoko looked at her hollow. The binding had transformed Niban, just as it had transformed her. Niban's left eye now held Naoko's amber eye on a white sclera, while her right eye was the typical Hollow yellow iris on black sclera. Her pure white hair was streaked with black. "I don't feel anything wrong."
"We are weaker," Naoko answered patiently. She noticed Niban's eyebrow twitched in anger, her sitting position becoming stiff.
"YOU'RE weaker!" Niban spoke, acid dripping from her voice. "There is no 'we', so stop using it!"
Naoko turned away from the hollow for a moment to address her Zanpakutou. "Kuro, you're not limiting our power, are you? I am healed enough to handle it."
"I'm well aware of your physical state, Naoko," Kurokitsune replied. "I am not holding back any of my powers from you."
A light went off in Naoko's head. If she was physically stronger, cleared for duty by the 4th division, and given assurance by her zanpakutou that she was not limiting her power, then there was only one answer. Naoko turned to her hollow again.
"Niban," Naoko said. "I need to talk to you."
The hollow counterpart sniffed and looked away with an aloof look on her face.
"Niban," Naoko repeated. "I know you've been holding back our power."
"It's MY power, not yours" the doppleganger bit back angrily. "We could've been stronger, but you lost that chance with Mimihagi."
"You mean when YOU tried to take over? Work with me here, I can't do my job if I'm not at full capacity!"
"I don't care."
"If I'm in danger then we'll die."
"I don't care."
Naoko's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. It was like talking to a petulant child. Niban pouted and made a point of shifting her body so she didn't have to face Naoko. Naoko sighed, resigned. "If you aren't going to talk to me now, then I'll come back later when you're in a better mood."
"Good luck with that," the hollow sneered.
Kurokitsune shrugged again and shook her head at Niban. "No good will come out of this," she advised.
"Shut up, Kuro," Niban commanded. Kurokitsune obediently fell silent. While Naoko was the dominant half, Niban was still a part of Naoko, and technically her mistress as well.
Naoko and Kurokitsune shared a look before Naoko opened her eyes to the real world. The sun started to set, casting an orange glow over the leaves and grass. A rhythmic thumping drew her attention to a few trees down, spotting her captain using a trunk for a punching bag. He had discarded his haori and wrapped his knuckles in layers of cloth to protect the joints from unnecessary damage. With each strike, he let out a quick exhalation of breath, sweat just beginning to form on his furrowed brow. Naoko watched in quiet admiration, the intensity of Kensei's eyes, the twitching of exposed muscle, paired with his even and organized breathing, made Naoko forget about her own inner turmoil just for a moment.
Kensei seemed to have felt her gaze, and paused to look behind him. "So you're back, huh?" he asked.
"How long have I been out?" Naoko returned. She started to stand, but felt her legs tremble and give out under her. Clearly long enough for her to lose circulation in her legs. Naoko felt Kensei's hands under her arms and lift her up. Once she felt the ground under her feet, Naoko rested her head against his chest while Kensei's arms wrapped around her midsection for support.
"I came about an hour ago," he spoke, his deep voice resonating in his chest like a drum. "You were meditating when I found you." Kensei drew back slightly to meet Naoko's eyes. "I haven't seen you all day," he said huskily. Lifting her up, Kensei placed a searing kiss on Naoko's lips. She melted into his touch, eagerly allowing him full access to her mouth and whatever exposed skin he could reach. "Red bean?" he muttered questioningly as his lips traced her jaw to the space behind her ear.
"Ukitake-taichou sends his regards," she gasped. Kensei licked the sensitive spot and elicited a small moan from her. "Kensei!" Naoko exclaimed as her captain placed gently bites from the underside of her jaw down her neck. Her breaths ran ragged in her pleasure, fingers grasping at the fabric of Kensei's shihakusho for support.
"That explains the wagashi on my desk," he rumbled. His warm breath fanned out over her skin. Naoko shivered in anticipation. "You snuck one, didn't you?" His lips returned to hers just as she was about to confirm his accusation. A small "mmph!" escaped her throat before it turned into another pleasured mewl. His tongue entered her mouth again, tasting the sweet dessert again. A throaty mix of a sigh and a moan left Kensei's mouth as he continued to devour her. Sweat and musk filled her nose with an additional scent that she could crudely identify as arousal. Her highly attuned senses could consciously detect pheromones now, making her more sensitive to other's emotions, particularly Kensei's.
After a while, Kensei set her down back on the grass. Her hair was disheveled from their make out, but the eyepatch was miraculously still in place. Naoko combed her fingers through her locks, taming any stray hairs that escaped. Kensei reached a hand out to caress her cheek gently. She could feel his fingers trace the leather bonds of the eyepatch. "You don't need this with me," he mused. Naoko understood the implicit order, not that she minded it at all.
She pulled the leather patch from her face, rubbing at the faint marks that indented her tanned skin. Her left eye squinted briefly to adjust to the change in lighting. Kensei placed a small kiss on her eyelid. "Look at me," he whispered.
Naoko's gaze settled on Kensei sitting in front of her. She saw his Shinigami form just fine now, but could now see the Hollow as well. It just depended on what she decided to focus on at the time. Kensei had decided to train her to use her new vision. He said it would be problematic if she couldn't tell who was a Shinigami and who was a Hollow if they were all one and the same to her. Naoko agreed.
Every night, her "training" involved staring at Kensei, trying to discern the Shinigami from the Hollow. She remembered when they first started. Naoko would use her other senses to help her distinguish her reality and what she was seeing. To Kensei's delight, it involved her touching him, and sometimes smelling him, which led to him ravishing her by the end. Kensei always pleasured her by the end of the session, either with his fingers or his mouth, but always by her permission and instruction. Maybe it was a reward for her, or because her methods were so intimate, but she would be the one to allow him to touch her in return.
This time was different. Kensei carried two bokken, one of katana length and another of tanto length. "Here," he said, offering the longer of the two practice swords. "We're starting from the ground up, zanjutsu first."
"Yes sir," Naoko said, smiling as she took the smooth wood into her hand.
Kensei walked onto the field, the orange-red sunset reflecting off his silver hair. He stood on guard, the tanto held up like he would Tachikaze. "Come at me when you're ready," he ordered, face serious and ready to fight.
"Please take care of me," Naoko replied, and lunged fiercely.