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Chapter Fifteen : In My Life

ts been years since Aizen's imprisonment.

For once Hinamori hasn't thought about Aizen, not one bit. It was better that way, but it certainly didn't bring her joy. The memories still linger and her soul was still crying. It didn't help her forget.

Hinamori ended up accepting Shuhei's marriage proposal. Many other captains and lieutenants congratulated them. Together they later had a daughter, Suzume.

Hinamori remained a lieutenant, but was reassigned a new captain name Shinji. He was Aizen's previous captain.

Both endured the suffering and betrayal under his manipulation.

Although, he was a flirt and definitely was a different character than Sosuke. Shinji did care about Hinamori's wellbeing and never intended to bring any harm the way Aizen did. He truly was eccentic.

Rangiku gave birth to a daughter, Mizuki. The father was Gin, but he died under Aizen's hand. She was struck with mourning for the rest of her pregnancy and the years to come.

Their daughter was beautiful. The spitting image of her mother facial features but had her father's eyes and hair color. Rangiku was a single mother for a while until she and Captain Kuichiki developed a relationship. He ended up adopting the child. Not long, he married her and she gave birth to their first child, a daughter name Hisana despite his clan's disapproval.

Rangiku and Byakuya both knew the feeling of losing somebody you love. Perhaps that grief is what rekindle the start of their relationship...

"Mother!" says a young boy. Hinamori finishes putting down Suzume to a nap. She looks over her shoulders and finds her son standing their with a book in his hand.

He looks exactly like his father. Momo heart ache a bit but forced a smile.

Takano was already 9 years old. Growing older by the day. He was already enrolled in school and top of his classes. His teachers have told Hinamori that he was an exceptional soul reaper and his pressure was very advance for a young boy.

The teachers praised him. The captains wanted him to join their squad. His classmates admired him. The girls adored him.

Hinamori was pleased that her son showed promising as a future leader. Although, she feared that his spiritual power will lead to another path.

The head captain already informed her about her son's capabilities. She feared for the worse, but Shuhei told her that she shouldn't dwell on the issue. Takano had asked questions regarding his father. Hinamori told him that Shuhei was her father. Perhaps he heard it from the other captains or his classmates.

Hinamori was careful enough not to tell him a lot about his father. She kept it vague, but Takano was no fool. He was smart just like his daddy.

"Mommy can you read me this story. Rukia got it for me. It's from the human world," he says.

Momo kneels down and glimpses down at the book. "The Little Prince." Despite being a major bookworm herself, Momo was not familiar with his book. It looked suitable enough for a child of his age.

She kneels up and grabs his hand. She leads him to the living room. Takano jumps onto her lap and rest his head on her shoulders. Momo grabs the book and kisses his forehead.

"Do you know this book?" he questions her. "No I don't but it looks interesting," Momo answers her.

Momo was baffle at her sons's book choice. He usually read more higher level books. He detested fairy tales and picture books. She wondered why this title suddenly caught his interested.

"Mommy have you been to the human world?" he questions her again. Momo hated when he asked questions especially about her past. He was just a curious child.

"Yes I have. Many times," she replies. Takano looks at her. Momo looks at his eyes. His father's eyes. She could sense his urgency.

Hungry for more details. Shuhei was very open about his life as a soul reaper and lieutenant. Momo hardly ever opened up. Takano was always curious about his mother's life and his father, even going pushing his mother's limit but often failed.

"But what happened? Have you killed anybody before? Is it true that my father stabbed you?" He kept asking.

Momo closes the book loudly and glares at him. "I thought you wanted me to read to you. Why do you ask me these cruel questions?" She scolds harshly.

Takano silenced himself. He went to far this time. "I'm sorry," he apologies in a low voice as he gets off from his mother's laps and snatches the book away from her hand.

Momo inhales and covers her face with her hands. She hears the door slide open.

"I'm home," Shuhei greets happily. Momo didn't say anything. She still kept her hands on her face.

Shuehi drops his things and rushes to his wife. "Something wrong? Are you hurt?"

Momo sighs, "He asked me questions again."

Shuhei inhales and sits next to her. He wraps his arms around her. "What did you tell him?"

"Nothing of course! He asked me why his father stabbed me! I swear he must've heard it from the other captains," Momo expresses with frustration.

"He's a curious child-"

"You don't understand. He knows we keep secrets from him. He's always going to be on asking. And if we continue to avoid his questions... he's going to get his answers somewhere," Momo interrupts him.

Shuehi crosses his arms and leans his head back looking up at the ceiling. "What do you want to do?"

"I don't know. I was thinking of tell him the truth," she hesitates.

"Momo don't. He's nine. How do you think he'll react if we told him that his actual father was a traitor and a bloody murderer who's currently serving in prison for his crimes. And that he wanted to kill you twice," he tells her.

"Better if he heard it from us than from other people! God's know what they're telling him out there!" she argues standing up from the couch. "Then you tell him yourself! He already knows that I'm not his real father anyways!" he yells at her back as he stood up from the couch.

Suzume begins to cry from the other room. Shuhei sighs. "Excuse me my daughter needs me," Shuhei excuses himself quietly.

Momo goes into the kitchen and pours herself a glass of red wine. She holds the glass in her right hand as she covers her tears with her left hand.

What she didn't notice was that Takano was hearing and watching from the other side of the room. He felt like a burden to his mother. All the pain and misery he caused her with his questions and spiritual power.

Takano was starting to feel that he's becoming like his father... no... he wasn't like his father. He wouldn't dare hurt his mother, stepfather or little sister... would he? He was afraid of the man he'll become.

Takano stifles and locks himself in his room. He didn't came down for dinner, instead just practiced his Kudo spells.

He was bored in his room and just farted around with spells he already knew. He was ahead in his classes both academically and spiritually. Takano often felt that his classmates only liked him because of his father while others feared or hated him because of his father.

Takano recognized their fake kindness from an instant. He was no idiot. His father was no idiot also...

Takano lies on his bed and looks up at the plain ceiling. "Takano..." He hears someone whisper his name. He stands up irruptly. He glances around his empty room.

It was cold and dreary outside. The full moon was out this night. Takano thought nothing of it. "Takano." He heard the voice again.

"Who's there?" Takano calls out. The room was dead silent. Takano grabs a sharp object near his bed. He quietly gets off and walks around his room.

"Mom? Dad?" he calls around again. He didn't hear the voice again. Takano stands still and puts the weapon down. Perhaps it was his head messing with him.

"Takano." Takano body stiffed up when he heard a voice whisper his name behind his ear. His hands begins to tremble.

Takano reluctantly turns around. He sees a tall shadow standing there in the corner. Dressed in black. One of his eyes were covered. A strand hair hanging over his handsome face. He holds out a hand.

Takano screams his whole lungs out. Momo and Shuhei comes rushing in to Takano's room. They find the child in the corner sobbing endlessly and in a fetal position.

Momo rushes to him quickly and comforts him. Takano holds on his mom and cries very hard. Shuhei stand there surprise as his wife tries to calm down his traumatized stepson.

He turns to the corner and finds nobody standing there.