Chapter 37: Secrets and Scars Resurface Part I
*Naoko and Naomi holding each other in fear in the corner*
Me: Kubo, my threat about going to Japan and beating you with a stuffed weasel still stands! Don't you dare kill off Ikkaku or Yumichika.
In other warnings, this is an intense chapter with dark themes and possible triggers. Please proceed with caution.
Please review.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, just a lot of OCs.*
"There are no secrets that time does not reveal. " ~Jean Racine
Arriving at her home with Ikkaku at her side felt different then it had the last time they arrived together. There was a sense of foreboding and oppressiveness in the chilly air. The sun was shining and some of the snow had melted away thought Naomi saw this smattering of snow as nothing but a preview of what was to come later.
Naomi felt a little less anxious then she thought she'd feel. She still didn't like the chill or the memories it brought but they felt slightly more bearable. The lieutenant was quite certain that had something to do with her telling Ikkaku everything about her scars and what Takehiko did.
She had never told anyone what had happened. There was never any need and whenever someone saw or asked about her scars she lied and said they were from a Hollow or a sparring match gone awry. Not even her grandfather knew, or at least she had never told him. She held a childish belief that if people knew they would be disgusted by her or horrified and pity her. But when she told Ikkaku he didn't look at her like that at all. It made her feel relieved and stronger even.
Finally they reached the house. Ikkaku rested his hand on her shoulder, "Are you going to be alright?"
Naomi took a slow draw of breath, letting the chilly air nip at the inside of her nose and lungs. She may have suffered at the hands of Takehiko but she knew her mother must have suffered worse. That woman needed help and support and Naomi was going to give it to her. She nodded and they approached the door together.
Kazue opened it and her face lit up at seeing Naomi. She hugged the young blonde, "Lady Naomi, what brings you here today? Are you here to visit Lord Ryouji?"
Naomi smiled sadly, "No, not right now. I want to see my mother now though."
The maid blinked her heterochromic eyes owlishly before complying. She led them to Lady Haruka's apartments and finally to her bedchamber.
Once at the door Naomi turned to her friend, "I'll be out in a minute."
"Take your time," he reassured her.
Once Naomi left the room Ikkaku said firmly to Kazue, "We need to talk."
The last time Naomi had seen her mother it had been a month ago but it felt like much longer like years or decades. The room hadn't changed and neither had her mother. Haruka still sat upright, ramrod straight actually. She wore a dark gold kimono with a white pattern that looked like either flowers or snowflakes, Naomi couldn't tell.
She sat beside her mother, "Hi Mom, it's me Naomi again. How have you been?"
Naomi had expected no response so she was greatly shocked when she saw her mother's lips quiver and move. Her eyes widened and her voice momentarily froze in her throat in shock. Haruka moved her lips a little more as if trying to speak. Her daughter wondered how long it had been since she had last spoken.
She crept closer, "Mom?"
Haruka blinked her normally dead gray eyes and turned her head ever so slightly in her direction. Her lips moved and her voice came out as a cracking whisper. Naomi listened carefully. First she was confused but then something clicked in her mind and a horrific possible thought came to her.
She shot up to her feet in repulsion and fear. That couldn't be… He wouldn't be that depraved… Naomi dashed out of the room leaving her stoic and traumatized mother behind.
The maid blinked at him, "About what?"
"You told me you helped raise Naomi since she was born and that you would do anything to protect her."
The servant nodded, "Yes, I did. What is your point?"
"My point is where the hell were you when Takehiko cut Naomi with his own zanpakutou?" The Soul Reaper growled.
Her green and blue mismatched eyes widened, "You know about that? How?"
"Naomi told me. Now can you tell me how you let that happen?"
The maid sighed and pressed her fist to her heart. It had been over a century ago but the feelings of horror, panic, and the smell of blood were still fresh in her mind. She could still recall how small and fragile Naomi felt in her arms.
Her eyes became like steel, "You want to hear the whole story? Very well…"
The night air was still not only in the hall but Kazue was sure it was still throughout the whole house. The maid hadn't known that silence could be deafening.
She just wished that that sharp shrill scream wasn't the last thing she heard before everything went still and silent.
She opened the door to the room she had been summoned to by the lord and master of the house. A horrific sight greeted her eyes. Takehiko stood over his daughter's still form holding his zanpakutou. The blood on the blade glinted in the candlelight. His daughter, dear little Naomi, lay still on her stomach with a large red, almost black, stain on her back.
The head of the household looked up at the maid, "There you are. Clean this mess up."
He flicked the blood off his sword before slipping it back into its sheath and leaving. The maid was frozen with horror and fear. That man had just murdered his own daughter! How could she not be dead from all the blood that had and still was oozing out of her?
But a sudden empowering feeling of hope flickered in her heart when she saw the tiny girl move. She then gave a soft breathy moan. Naomi was alive!
Quick to act Kazue gently rolled the girl over. The little princess's skin was an unnatural shade of white and felt cold to the touch. She gathered the girl up in her arms, ignoring the weak protests and the feeling of blood soaking her uniform. She had to get her to Lady Haruka. The lady had been a Soul Reaper long ago but she might still know how to use healing kido.
Lady Haruka Yamamoto sat in her chambers trying to read. She was plagued with worry and fear and that was amplified when Kazue was summoned. Haruka thought it was ironic that just when she thought of the maid said maid appeared in her chambers cradling her daughter.
"Milady, the young lady is wounded and she is quite cold," Kazue fought to keep her voice steady and not let it be overridden with the panic and fear she was feeling. She adjusted Naomi to show Haruka the damage that had been done to her back.
Haruka's gray eyes widened before a long buried sense of leadership took over, "Give her to me Kazue and go prepare a warm bath and get towels and plenty of dressing."
The maid did as she was ordered. Haruka cradled her daughter close to her. She didn't give a damn about her daughter's blood staining her expensive outfit like a normal noblewoman probably would. Her daughter was far more precious than any piece of clothing.
The little girl briefly regained consciousness, "Mama…?"
Haruka smiled softly for her daughter, "Yes, Naomi I'm right here."
That seemed to comfort the child for she relaxed slightly and fell back asleep. The mother stood and brought her daughter to the bath that had been drawn up in her personal bathroom. Together she and Kazue stripped the bloody clothes off Naomi and gently lowered her into the tub. The child moaned and wriggled, trying to get away from whatever it was that was causing her pain.
Kazue held on and Haruka gently stroked her hair and murmured soothing reassurances that everything would be alright. Finally Naomi settled down and her mother began washing the wounds. There were only three cuts that were long and thin but deep and steadily bled. Haruka recalled half-forgotten healing kidō and applied to the wounds until they stopped bleeding.
Once that was done she and Kazue bathed Naomi, carefully dried her, and wrapped clean, soft bandages around her back. Naomi remained unconscious through the whole process and Haruka supposed she should be grateful for that.
She did not think her heart could take the sounds of her daughter crying out in pain.
Haruka dressed her in a thick yukata while Kazue prepared the bed. There was no chance that Naomi was going to sleep alone in her room, not after this. She would sleep with her mother and Kazue would keep watch. The noble lady carried her daughter and gently laid her on her side so as not to put pressure on her wounded back. Kazue tucked the blankets under her chin and Haruka laid beside her daughter, protectively curling herself around her.
Knowing her mistress as well as she did Kazue retrieved her mistress's zanpauktou. She placed it on the other side of Naomi and within Haruka's reach. If anyone, even Takehiko himself, tried to come and finish what he started then Haruka would finish them first.
Neither maid nor lady spoke through the whole process of cleaning Naomi and putting her to bed. The two women knew each other well enough that words weren't needed. Kazue sat beside the bed where she could see the two ladies and the door. Haruka was gently stroking her daughter's hair and cheek while said daughter slept on.
"Kazue?"
The maid straightened, "Yes, milady?"
Haruka didn't take her eyes off her daughter or stop her stroking, "In the morning I would like to pen a letter to my father-in-law. I believe Naomi would be much safer in Seireitei with him and she always does like to visit him."
"Milady, forgive me if what I say sounds unpleasant but you could use the Young Lady's wounds as evidence against your husband and have him arrested or disowned. Lord Yamamoto, your father-in-law, has always seemed to favor you and the Young Lady. He would surely support you and—"
"No."
The harsh, abrupt refutation stopped her. "I will not put Naomi through a trial for her to be questioned and intimidated." Haruka pulled Naomi a little closer to her, "Besides, you and I remember what happened the last time either of us tried to stop him."
Oh yes, she remembered that quite well.
Haruka kissed her daughter's head, "We will send Naomi somewhere where she'll be safe."
"Once Naomi was strong enough we packed her things and sent her to live with her grandfather. We told her she would be living with him for a while and we didn't know how long. Eventually her stay in Seireitei became permanent and then she joined the Shin'o Academy and became a Soul Reaper," Kazue finished.
"What in the hell happened to you two that was so bad it kept you from trying to nail that bastard for what he did?" Ikkaku bit out slowly. He was trying to keep his rising temper in check.
Instead of answering verbally Kazue silently stood. She turned around and undid the belt holding her uniform together. The maid let the back part of her uniform fall away and Ikkaku's eyes widened in horror and astonishment.
Scars in varying lengths, thickness, color and depth covered her back. In fact, her entire back looked to be made of scar tissue. He also spotted some on her shoulders and traveling down her arms. The scar pattern might look chaotic and messy but the longer Ikkaku looked at it the more he could see a pattern. This had been done by a professional, someone who knew exactly what they were doing.
"This is what happened the last time we tried to report Takehiko. He had hit milady and I tried to go to his father but I was kidnapped and… well you see what happened. I survived but barely. After coming so close to death I knew that if I died then there would be no one to protect milady, however little. I resolved to live no matter what and protect her from him."
Kazue spoke with a chilly bitterness. When she finished she redressed and looked back at Ikkaku, daring him to say something to demean or belittle her choice. It may not have been the best choice at the time, or the smartest but it was the one that felt the most right.
Ikkaku didn't know what to say. He looked away and clenched his jaw. The level of disgust he was feeling at Takehiko was slowly rising and matching the level of anger and loathing he had towards him already.
"We can't undo what he's already done. But we can make him pay for it," he looked up at Kazue. "You're not alone anymore. You don't have to fight him alone anymore or protect Naomi's mom or Ryouji by yourself. You'll have Naomi and me and even the Head Captain."
While he did generally abide by his Division's belief that every member should fight their own battles on their own with no help there was the possibility of exceptions. Some people were thrown into fights without a choice and needed help.
"What did Naomi even do to piss him off that badly?" he asked.
A strange nostalgic smile tugged at the corner of her lips, "She refused to marry some young lord. I can't recall the name but Naomi stoutly refused and was quite vocal about it."
Even as a kid Naomi hated marriage. Ikkaku could easily picture a young Naomi literally putting her foot down and telling her father exactly what she thought of the marriage arrangement. She was a stubborn little spitfire even back then it seems.
Suddenly the door flew open and Naomi bolted out of there. Kazue and Ikkaku blinked in shock at her sudden and hasty departure.
"Naomi?" Ikkaku got up and ran after her while Kazue stayed and looked back at her mistress.
There was something different about those gray eyes. They seemed to shine and glimmer and then Kazue realized what it was when she saw a lone tear slip down her cheek.
OMAKE: Kodak Moment
How he ended up in this position Ikkaku didn't know. Secretly he wasn't really regretting it but he knew he would if anyone saw him like this. He sighed and adjusted himself a little to get more comfortable.
He sat propped up against a tree with Ryouji curled up on his chest and Yachiru snuggling his side. He had one arm wrapped around her and the other loosely draped over the boy.
The two kids had been playing and eventually then had tired themselves out. They took a moment to rest and fell asleep on him. Ikkaku was tempted to move them off of him but when he tried Yachiru stirred and for a fearful moment he was afraid she would awake. Yachiru needed the occasional nap, the last time she didn't half of the Eleventh had almost been demolished.
So he sighed and resigned himself to staying put which was turning out to not be that bad. I'm becoming such a sap… he sighed while closing his eyes.
Unbeknownst to him a certain blonde lieutenant with a camera hanging around her neck suddenly appeared. Naomi stopped and blinked in disbelief at what she truly was seeing and then started thanking the Heavens above that she brought her camera.
The young photographer stealthily moved around the sleeping trio and snapped pictures at every possible angle. Naomi grinned widely as she reviewed each picture on the screen of her camera. She had to bit her lip to keep herself from laughing and cooing at each snapshot.
She looked at the trio and smiled. It would be a crime if she kept such adorableness to herself. But she would only show Naoko… and maybe Yumichika too… Kazue would surely want to see as well…
*I haven't done an omake since chapter 21 and that was way back in December. I hope you liked the little cute fluff to break up the angst and dark drama. This chapter is in two parts because if I made it into one chapter it would be too long for my liking and I don't think it would have the same effect.
I'll post part two on August 22nd.*