Chapter Fifteen: "It Awakens" By: Midorigrove
Five years had passed since Midori learned two new techniques from Yumichika and Kenny. She had continued to hone those abilities, and her time spent with the 11th division comrades had become an even more regular routine for her. Ikkaku was still pestering Midori to fight him like she did Kenny, but she would just ignore him. She did not want that happening, again. She promised herself that the Hollow inside of her would never see the light of day, again. She would keep it at bay, always.
She had decided a long time ago to go and meet the new 7th division captain, Sajin Komamura. She really wanted to know what he was like. During her first meeting with him, she noticed the horrible helmet that he kept his face covered in. She, also, noticed his enormous size and wondered why he was so big. He talked with Midori and got to know her. He knew that she was someone that a lot of people did not trust because of her past, but he saw through that.
He eventually confided in Midori about his appearance, mainly because she had pestered him about it. When she saw his true self, the only thing she would think about was touching his ears. He obliged her request, but only because he knew she would pester him. He was a werewolf. He had short brown fur that covered his entire body. He towered over Midori, but it did not make her feel any different toward him. She was thankful for his trust in her.
She felt that her bond to Komamura would continue to grow from that day forward. Every year after she met him, she would send him a gift of jerky. His favorite. He really enjoyed it. She also got to meet with Tetsuzaemon Iba, his lieutenant. She would ask about his mother, and he would talk to her about how Chikane was doing. When she would send her gifts to Komamura, she would send a pair of sunglasses just for Tetsuzaemon.
Midori was in the 4th division when she heard the news from members passing by that Captain Kuchiki's wife, Hisana, had passed. Midori did not waste time. She ran from her room and over to the 6th division. She pushed past some members of the 6th division who was trying to hassle her, and she pushed open the door to the office of the captain. He was sitting there everything was messed up around him. Midori closed the door and reached out to him. She embraced him, and he crumbled into her arms.
He squeezed her letting out small sobs of pain. She never met Hisana, but she knew that he had done what she wanted him to, and that was love her with all of his heart.
She patted his head, "Byakuya?"
He did not move. He did not want Midori to see his miserable face. She pulled his head up, so she could look into his eyes. His gray eyes were red and puffy.
She wiped the tears from his eyes, "I am here for you."
She leaned her forehead against his. There was nothing she could do. She couldn't bring her back. She couldn't stop his pain. She knew that all he had heard was condolences from people, but she wanted him to know that she was there for him.
Byakuya's mind was so blank all he could hear was his and Midori's heart beating in perfect rhythm. It caused his eyes to get heavy. He had been up over the past several days trying to figure out how to help Hisana. She had fell ill so suddenly, and there was no time before she passed on. All he could remember was her asking him to take care of her sister, Rukia. He had promised her that he would. He had to. The woman who Midori had told him to give his whole heart to had taken it with her, and all he could feel right now was a sense of duty to respect her last wishes.
He fell asleep, resting his head on Midori's thigh. She ran her fingers through his uncombed hair, trying to stop knots from appearing. It soothed him further. The door to his room opened once and when the member checking in on Byakuya saw them together, they quietly excused themselves and left them alone. Midori did not hear anything from anyone for the rest of the day. She sat there letting Byakuya find some kind of comfort in her being there for him.
Midori had fallen asleep propped against his desk. When she had awoken, she saw that he was no longer there, and his captain's coat was draped over her like a blanket. She got up and slid the back door open to the deck. She saw him sitting there in the moonlight. She laid his jacket around his shoulders and sat beside of him. She wanted to talk, but there was this awkward aura around him. She did not know if she could encourage herself to give him some words of inspiration like he did her all those years ago.
He peered over at her without moving his head. He was happy she was there. He reached for her hand that was on the deck between them and held it. Midori looked down seeing his fingers laced in hers.
His gesture of needing her caused all her words to fall out of her like water, "Byakuya, I know how hard it is to lose someone. I won't tell you that you will be fine, and I won't tell you that time will heal your wounds because she will always be there in your heart and your mind. All I can suggest is to cherish every memory you had with her and find something that will keep you moving forward."
She was looking at him, and noticed he turned his head to see her better. Her face was illuminated by the glow of the moon, and her eyes looked at him with sadness, but also sympathy. She laid her head on his shoulder, and he laid his on top of hers. He knew her words had a lot of truth in them. Midori had lost a lot over the years he had known her. The passing of his grandfather and father were not as hard as losing Hisana. It made him think back to when he realized he had lost Midori to Kisuke. He felt a lonely void inside of him, and even though, his first love was sitting beside of him, he could feel that void deepening.
"I wish I could be magic and erase your pain, Byakuya."
Her words stuck in his mind and heart. Midori always placed others before herself, and the fact she wished she was a way to erase his pain was something that caused a smile to pop up on his face. Midori could feel it through her scalp. She had said something that was completely ridiculous to make him smile, and it kind of worked. She placed her other hand on top of the one he had laced in her left fingers and squeezed it. She knew that time would pass, and his mind would heal, but his heart would never heal because his other half was gone.
When the sun began to hit the roofs of the 6th division, Midori rose from her spot next to Byakuya. She dusted off the back of her pants and got back up on the deck. Byakuya grabbed her hand to stop her from leaving. He looked up at her. There was desperation in his face. The look she gave him questioned his actions.
"Thank you for being here for me, Midori. I don't know where I would be if I had not heard your words." She turned to him and placed her hand on his head.
She leaned down and kissed the side of his head, "I will always be here for you. I just hope that they helped you in some way."
He nodded his head in agreement and watched her as she crossed through his office and exited through the office door. His heart was broken, but somehow her being there helped his heart begin to mend. He didn't know if it was her words or just her being there, but something about their time together made his heart feel lighter.
Midori was walking back to the 4th division when a member of the 11th division came rushing toward her, "Midori Kyoraku, you have been summoned by Captain Zaraki."
She did not hesitate but followed the member to Kenny's office. There the member opened the door, and everyone was staring at her. She noticed that there was Ikkaku, Yumichika, Kenny and Yachiru waiting for her.
"Captain Zaraki, I have brought Midori Kyoraku as requested."
"Good!" They waited till the squad member left.
Kenny then rose from his chair and Yachiru jumped on his back, "Let's get going, then."
"Wait? What is going on?" Midori was confused.
"Oh, right. Midori, we have been given a mission to search around the 80th District of the North Rukon. This was where Captain Zaraki first came from," Yumichika explained. Kenny did not look back at them but kept walking.
Midori did not have anything with her, "Captain Zaraki, I am sorry, but I did not come prepared. May I meet you all at the gate to the North Rukon?"
"Go."
Midori flashed stepped off toward the 4th division. She grabbed her Zanpakuto, medical device and ointments that she hid in a pouch on her sash. She stopped by Captain Unohana's office to tell her, but she had already known.
"Please be safe, Midori."
Midori shook her head, and in a few flash steps, she was at the gate to the North Rukon Districts. Kenny opened the gate when he saw her and all five of them set off toward the 80th district.
Midori had not been in the North Rukon Districts. She noticed that a lot of things seemed to change the farther out they went. Things began to look dire and not well taken care of. She pushed on with the group until they entered the 80th district known as Zaraki. She started noticing that a lot of people around her had the same last name as the districts. Two people were here in front of her, Kenpachi Zaraki and Yachiru Kusajishi. She wondered if they were coincidental, but then again, nothing seemed to be just by chance with those two.
The reasons for a mission in the 80th district was because there were some rumors going around about a rogue group that was terrifying the residents of the district, and they were spouting some dangerous nonsense about gathering souls to get power to defeat the Soul Reapers.
Midori looked around as the residents began to hide in their homes. It seemed that Soul Reapers were not welcomed in districts that were on the outside of the Rukon Districts. She felt bad about how they were causing people fear as they walked down the street. When they reached the outskirts where many said the group would be hulled up, Kenny decided that they all should split up to look for them. He sent Yachiru with Midori to the left of the main path, Ikkaku and Yumichika were sent to right of the main path, and Kenny decided to go alone down the middle. Midori felt weird having Yachiru with her. It was not that she did not believe that Yachiru could take care of herself, but she knew the bond between her and Kenny, and did not want to separate them. They walked away from the guys on their path.
The forest was quiet, and it gave Midori the creeps. It was like a thick darkness had crept in and encircled them. Suddenly, five men surrounded them. They all had outfits on that looked similar to a Soul Reaper's. Midori placed her hand on her Zanpakuto, and Yachiru was already charging at them. They began to fight against Yachiru, but Midori did not feel right about the situation.
"What is going on?" Midori thoughts were interrupted by two of the guys running toward her with swords. She flashed stepped behind both of them and knocked them unconscious.
She then looked at Yachiru who was still fighting the other three guys. Midori flashed stepped behind each one of them and knocked them out.
Yachiru was not happy about this, "Why did you do that?"
"Yachiru there is something not right here. I will stay here and examine these guys. You go and get Kenny." Yachiru saw the look in Midori's eyes, and without a word, she disappeared.
Midori walked up to the guy on the ground and checked his pulse. He was fine. Midori pulled her medical device out and scanned him. The device beeped three times, and then it showed that there was something inside of this guy. It was black. She could not make out what it was exactly, but she scanned the other four guys, and they were all the same. She could not understand what was going on here.
"I wonder if the others have come across the same thing?"
Suddenly, a laugh came from the shadows of the trees. Midori turned to see Sosuke Aizen standing there with Gin Ichimaru. He had a smile on his face. She knew her years of him not being around was too good to be true. He flashed stepped closer to Midori and grasped her hand. She pulled away, but she couldn't get herself free.
"My sweet little girl." His words were like venom. He pulled her closer to him and smelled her hair. "You are very sweet, today. I have come to give you another chance. Be mine and join me."
Midori punched him in the stomach which caused him to cough and loosen his grip on her. She jumped away from him.
"Why would I ever accept a deal like that with the likes of you?"
Aizen stood back up and questioned her, "I can assume that you still have what is mine, then? The Hogyoku that you took the last time we were together." His words made her feel disgusting. It was like there was an undertone in his voice.
Yachiru reached Kenny and told him that Midori needed him. He was just knocking out a group of guys with his fists. He nodded, and they both ran off toward Midori. Ikkaku and Yumichika finished with their bunch of guys and went walking off toward Kenny. When they found him gone, they continued in the same direction to find Midori. It was even strange to them that the guys they all fought were acting strange and without a purpose. They had to reach the others as soon as possible.
Midori placed her hand on her Zanpakuto and pulled it out of its sheath. She had been training for this moment. The moment she would kill Sosuke Aizen and stop him from hurting anyone else. She lunged toward him and Gin got in the way. His Zanpakuto clashes with hers.
"Get out of my way, Gin Ichimaru!"
"I don't think this is wise of you to do." He smirked at her and pushed her away.
Midori pushed out her spiritual pressure, "Protect and Make Bleed, Seigi no Nai Seitoshi!"
Her axes appeared and with a flash step, she kicked Gin out of the way. She lunged toward Aizen who used Kido to protect himself.
"Coward! Fight me, Aizen!"
His face produced a look of sympathy that made Midori angrier. She used consecutive slashes at his shield until it began to crack. It surprised her and, in that moment, she felt his hand around her neck.
He laughed at her, "How I wish we didn't have to fight, Midori. You are only going to make this harder on yourself. Give in and join me."
"I will never join you. A man who would use these innocent people to hurt others. What do you want with them, anyway?"
"You're a smart girl, Midori. You know exactly why I am using them. Just think about it. What do I want?"
He got closer to her face and pushed his lips on hers. She cringed up her face.
Her mind then exploded with information, "Aizen is still collecting souls for the Hogyoku that he doesn't have, anymore. Why?"
When they parted, he smiled as he placed his empty hand on top of the seal on her left arm. She could feel it burning underneath.
"I see we have some people who are going to break up our party. It's too bad. I will have you, Midori, or I will use you to get closer to my goal." A black aura appeared around her seal, and she could feel it in one instance, the seal was breaking. "Let's see how you get out of this one."
Aizen and Gin disappeared as Midori tried to summon enough spiritual pressure to reseal the seal. It was like a darkness flooded into her mind, and then she pushed out a spiritual pressure that was dark and evil. The spiritual pressure hit Kenny and Yachiru, and they picked up the pace to get to Midori.
When they arrived at the trees where Yachiru left Midori, they saw her hunched over on the ground holding her seal. A large black mass of energy was encircling her as her skin began to turn white. Her hair broke free from her hair band and her hands up to her forearms were black while the rest was white. Her feet broken free of her sandals and began to resemble her hands with talons gripping the ground. Midori covered her face as she could feel it burning. A crackling scream came from her as she looked to the sky. Her mind was becoming cloudy. It was like she was standing in the own mind, watching the outside world without being able to do anything.
Her body rose. She could sense the presence of others and faced Kenny and Yachiru who were staring at her. Her face had changed. She had large blacked out spaces around her eyes and teeth appeared outside of her mouth. They were as wide as her jawline. Her body had changed almost resembling bones. When the Hollow focused on Kenny and Yachiru, it let out a crackling scream that sent waves of energy at them. Yachiru held onto Kenny's shoulder. Kenny stood his ground.
He had finally seen Midori's complete Hollow form, and it caused his body to tremble. Whether it was from fear or anticipation for a fight, no one knew because Hollowfied Midori lunged forward with her claws and swiped at Kenny, but he jumped back, knocking Yachiru off of him.
"Kenny, we cannot hurt Mi-Mi!" He knew that, but what could he do, she was not Midori, anymore.
"Come on, girl. Get back your senses. I don't want to kill you." He held his Zanpakuto out at her, but only used it for defense.
Yachiru turned to get Ikkaku and Yumichika, but there they were standing beside of her. They did not know who Kenny was fighting, but they knew it was an advanced Hollow.
"It's Mi-Mi." They both were surprised at Yachiru's words.
"How?" Ikkaku asked.
"Mi-Mi wanted me to go and get Kenny because she felt something was not right. When we got back here, she was transforming into that Hollow. Make sure to watch your ears, her screams can cause damage."
Just as Yachiru said this, the Hollowfied Midori let out another wave of screams at Kenny. It caused his ears to bleed as it pushed down on the others.
She lunged at him again, he could see the blood lust in her eyes.
A voice came from it, "You're going to die!"
Kenny dodged the Hollow swiping at him, but it caught him in the side. It's claws dug deep into him and then sent him flying toward Ikkaku. He transformed his Zanpakuto and came after the Hollow. Hollowfied Midori shrilled out a wave of screams at him, and they pushed into him, but Ikkaku covered his ears. The eyes of the Hollowfied Midori worried him.
"How much of Midori is still left in there?" Ikkaku wondered.
Kenny grabbed his side and tried to get to his feet, but his side was stinging.
He looked down to see bubbling green goo pouring out of his injury, "Poison?"
"We cannot kill her! Midori is still in there!"
His words hit Ikkaku who hesitated to swing his staff. The Hollowfied Midori swatted him across the forest. She crouched down staring at where Kenny and the others were. It was like a beast appeared inside of her. It began to frighten Yachiru. They could not tell if Midori was still in there or not because the only thing they could sense was its need to kill.
Hollowfied Midori ignored them and jumped up into a tree. She could sense Aizen. She wanted him dead. She rushed through the woods until she caught Gin and threw him through the trees catching Aizen's attention.
"My turn to play with you!"
The sound of her voice caused the hairs on his body to stick up like electricity was shooting through him. She swung at him, and he dodged it. She chased him all over the forest until they had made their way back to where Kenny and the others were.
She stood in front of Aizen and cracked her neck, "I love to play with my prey, and her hatred for you makes it even sweeter for me!"
She pushed out another wave of screams that caused Aizen's ears to start to bleed. He covered his ears and stared at her mesmerized by her appearance. She turned her head sideways and lunged at him, but Gin called forth his shikai and caught her in the side. The burning from his blade caused her to turn sharply and hit him, sending him through a tree. She turned her attacks at Gin. She walked toward him as blood ran down her side. Aizen took the time to flash step away. She did not bother with him. Gin was laying on the ground, and she wanted him to hurt.
"You're dead!"
Inside of Midori's mind, Seigi was trying to wake Midori. The sudden onset of the Hollow inside of her caused her to fall unconscious.
"Midori! You have to wake up! Please!" he shook her, but she did not budge, "If you don't get up now, your friends are going to die! Listen to me and wake up!"
He slapped her face. She did not move. He leaned toward her face and noticed that blood was coming out the side of her mouth. He did not know what to do. He then noticed her skin was turning black.
"Her soul was being taken over by the Hollow."
Seigi knew that he needed to give her his spiritual energy to help her fight off the Hollow. He pulled her body to his. He closed his eyes to transfer the spiritual pressure to her, but nothing happened. He then kissed her, and his body began to glow as his spiritual energy was being transferred into her.
Hollowfied Midori got within inches of Gin before she fell to the ground grabbing at her head. She screamed out toward the sky causing an ear-piercing scream to fill the forest. Her body began to glow green as the Hollow began to recede. Her skin began to turn back to normal, and the Hollow's face began to fall off like a mask and crumble away as she changed back into Midori. Gin took the time to flash step away before Midori completely transformed back.
The green glow got brighter. Yumichika and Ikkaku looked on as Hollowfied Midori changed back. She sat on the ground with blood on her hands and splatter on her face. Her eyes had already changed from golden slits to her normal violet eyes before she got up walking to Kenny.
Yachiru stood in her way, "Don't hurt, Kenny!"
Midori ignored Yachiru and went to him, moving his hand from his side. She grabbed the ointment from her uniform and applied it to him before beginning Kaido. The places on his body disappeared, and the poison was cured. She walked away from them, going deeper into the forest. They all watched her.
Yumichika went to walk toward her, "Don't. She is in a bad place, right now." They all waited with Kenny.
Midori began to cry as she walked. She had transformed and hurt people. Aizen had gotten his way. She could see the fight play over in her head. She remembered what happened when the Hollow came out, and then she remembered waking up in Seigi's arms. He was almost depleted of his spiritual energy. It was like she was paralyzed by the Hollow that held her captive in her mind. She was out cold, but it was like watching someone else control her body as the Hollow took control.
She remembered the Hollow track Aizen and force him back to where Kenny and the others were.
"Was she trying to show Kenny the deception of Aizen?" she questioned the Hollow's motive.
Midori used her Kaido to heal the wound inflicted on her side by Gin. It still pained her. It was then that Midori could hear footsteps behind her. Kenny and the others had decided to come and find her. They were not upset with her, but fear took over her mind.
She could only think of one thing, "Please. If you are thinking about taking me to Commander Yamamoto, please, just kill me. I cannot go back to that place. Please." Her tears caused her words to be mumbled.
They all looked at her confused. She had not told any of them about her time in the underground prison. She had not told them about her connections with Aizen.
Kenny looked down at her, "You cannot help what happened. Let's go back."
"Wait a minute, Captain Zaraki," Ikkaku called out, "I think we all need to figure out why Captain Aizen was here with his lieutenant, and why Midori suddenly changed into a Hollow."
Kenny could care less. He knew it was something to do with Midori. He peered sideways at her. Midori had answers, but would they believe her. It seemed not many did when she spoke about Aizen. She looked down at the ground.
"Go ahead, Midori. No matter what you say, we will believe you."
She looked up at Kenny who was now staring at her intensely. She cleared her throat, which was hoarse from the Hollow screaming.
"The Hollowfication Incident from ten years ago was because of Sosuke Aizen. He was the one doing Hollowfication experiments on people. He framed Kisuke Urahara. He has been coming after me ever since. I thought for so long when I had not seen him that he had stopped coming after me, but it seems I was just being drawn into a false sense of safety," she coughed, "He came out here and used the people of the 80th district to lure me here. He wanted to see my Hollow form in action, and he wanted to make sure that if I did not join him that I would be sentenced to death for killing you all." She stopped for a moment to let it all sink in for them.
Midori hugged herself. She did not feel safe at all. Kenny had heard about Midori from Captain Unohana. He had heard about her days in the underground prison, and how she had taken the blame for something a man she loved had done. He did not know the complete truth of the matter, and in some instances before he did not care, but after Midori had gained his respect during their battle, he considered her important to him.
He placed his hand on her head, "Aizen will get what is coming to him, just give it enough time. We will keep our eyes on him in the meantime."
Kenny hated this side of Midori. He hated it the first day he met her, but this time he could see why she held so much inside of her. It was because if she unleashed her pain on the people who had hurt her, they would see the monster she hid inside of her figuratively and literally.
Yumichika squatted down to look at Midori. He reached out to her, but she pulled back from him. The blood on her face and hands were now dried and caked on her. She hated seeing Kenny's blood on her.
"Midori, if you don't want to talk about it you don't have to, but what did you mean about 'that place'?" Yumichika asked her.
Midori could not look at him. It was a terrible part of her life, but she trusted them. They were like her family.
She finally looked up into Yumichika's eyes, "I was talking about the underground prison below the 1st division."
Yumichika was surprised at her saying that and so was Ikkaku. They had never imagined that Midori had been in prison before. He reached for her, and she welcomed his touch.
She grabbed his hand and placed it on her face while tears fell from her eyes, "I am so sorry, Midori."
At that time, Kenny had gotten tired of waiting. He reached down and picked Midori up into his arms.
"Let's go. I am tired of being here."
Midori did not fuss. Her body and mind were weak, and she did not know how to make the trip back to the Seireitei. She was glad that Kenny made the decision for her.
Gin made his way back to Aizen. He had blood coming down his face from where he went through the tree.
"Well, you made it."
Aizen's voice caused a rush of emotions to go through Gin. His own impulse was to kill him right then and there, but he was not strong enough, yet.
He wiped his head so the blood would not get in his eye, "What do we do now?"
"Was she still a Hollow when you left her?"
"No, she was turning back."
"I see."
Aizen was quiet the rest of the way back to the Seireitei. His mind raced with how much of his plan had been exposed by being drawn back to the others that were with Midori, "They saw me. They will get suspicious, but I am sure they will not make a fuss about it besides who will trust their word, especially the word of a traitor."
A crooked smiled crept on his face. He was pleased with himself, but he was far from pleased with Gin. He had let Midori catch him off guard. It would have put a kink in his plans if Gin were to have died in that forest.
"Midori, I will let you go for now. That power of yours is still growing, I cannot wait to see you at your peak," he smirked at his eager thoughts to see her become even more powerful because of his experiment.
Kenny dropped Midori off at the 4th division before heading back to the 11th division. There were a lot of things that weighed on his mind. He wanted to help Midori, but there was nothing he could personally do to help her. He needed to figure out who could help her.
"She will eventually be swallowed by that thing if she doesn't get it under control," he pondered.
He went to his office and left Ikkaku, Yumichika, and Yachiru outside. He sat deep in thought, and then he remembered a man he had met many years ago. He was well versed in fighting, and perhaps, he could help her. When Kenny had met him, he was young, and this man had said he had lived for over 500 years at that time. It seemed that perhaps this man may have knowledge that would help her.
He rushed from his office and hurried to the 1st division. He knocked heavily on the gate, and it opened. He rushed in and stood in the hall where the captains met.
Commander Yamamoto walked in, "What is troubling you, Kenpachi Zaraki?"
"I have the name of a man who can help Midori Kyoraku. I just need your permission to let her go and train with him."
"Has something happened with Midori that has prompted you to suggest such a thing?"
Kenny paused for a moment. He remembered Midori's words, "If you are thinking of take me to Commander Yamamoto, please just kill me."
Her words echoed in his ears, but he trusted Commander Yamamoto, "There was an incident in the 80th District of the North Rukon involving Sosuke Aizen and Gin Ichimaru."
"Is there anyone else who knows about this other than the ones you took with you?"
"No, but I did not come to tell you about Midori transforming. I don't want that girl back in the underground prison when she had no control over turning into that Hollow. I believe that it was Sosuke Aizen who caused her to turn."
Commander Yamamoto raised his eyebrow to look at Kenny. He noticed that Kenny was serious, and he was angry.
"Who are you suggesting can help her? I have looked and thought of so many for a long time now and none have come to my mind."
"There is a man named Danr. He trained me a little when I was younger. He is said to be over 500 years old. If anyone can help her, it is him."
"But this Danr you speak of has not been in the Soul Society for a long time. Do you expect her to travel through portals to get to him?" Kenny thought about it for a while. He did not know how to get to him.
Commander Yamamoto was also thinking of a way. He had heard about a man named Danr that had went missing in the past hundred years. He had not shown his face to many, but his spiritual pressure just vanished one day. The only explanation that Commander Yamamoto could think of was that he had opened a portal to another world and was there, now.
He remembered that hell butterflies could transcend portals and that would possible be a way to find him. He called for a hell butterfly and it appeared. He called Danr's name and told him of Midori and her dilemma. The hell butterfly disappeared and reappeared shortly after bringing with it a large blue orb of magic. When Commander Yamamoto reached for it, it began to transform into a large tonged key made of bone.
It had one round end that had embedded into it a gem of spiritual energy, "A lykill?"
It was something that Commander Yamamoto had seen many years ago as he was creating the Seireitei. He had only seen it in books, but now he was seeing it in person.
Suddenly, the hell butterfly began to emit a deep gruffy voice, "Send the girl to me. I will train her. Use the lykill to swipe the air in front of you and send her here with it." The voice disappeared.
Kenny looked at Commander Yamamoto. They did not know what in the world had just happened, but apparently Commander Yamamoto's idea to use a hell butterfly was correct. Commander Yamamoto called for a 1st division member, "Send word to Midori Kyoraku to come her immediately! She must come alone."
"Yes, Commander!"
The division member rushed off toward the 4th division. Midori was in her room. Her body was still weak from her transformation, and she had finally scrubbed off the blood from the fight. Her hand and her face had red splotches on them.
She heard a very rushed knock on her door and called to it, "Come in."
The 1st division member stood at attention while Midori stood up from the basin of bloody water.
"Midori Kyoraku, you have been summoned to the 1st division. Commander Yamamoto has asked that you come, immediately." Midori's heart stopped.
"It's happening again," she thought.
She dropped to her knees, the division member was shocked and stepped toward her but remained calm. She could feel the coldness of that cell embrace her again.
"Did Kenny tell Commander Yamamoto? Am I going to be imprisoned again?" her mind raced with everything that could possible warrant her summon to the 1st division. Tears fell from her eyes as her body leaked her spiritual energy.
Captain Unohana noticed the change in Midori's spiritual pressure and ran from her office to Midori's room.
On the way, she saw Midori in a hunched over manner walking with a member of the 1st division, "Midori!" She turned around to see Captain Unohana. She ran toward her and grabbed her around the waist. "What is going on, division member?"
"Midori Kyoraku has been summoned to Commander Yamamoto's office, immediately."
"Why?" Midori was trembling. Captain Unohana knew that she was scared. "I will go with you, Midori."
"Unfortunately, 4th division Captain Unohana, Commander Yamamoto said that Midori must come alone."
Midori looked up at Captain Unohana. She had never seen a face like Midori's. Misery, despair, and utter fear made up her weary face.
Captain Unohana placed a hand on her face to calm her.
Midori's eyes came into focus as she looked at her, "Everything will be alright, Midori. Commander Yamamoto trusts you," she patted her head and turned her around, "Go ahead and come back, quickly."
Midori started walking with the 1st division member. Her aura was dreadful and everyone they passed stopped and stared, "Miss Kyoraku, if you could, would you please stop leaking that kind of spiritual pressure? You are drawing attention to yourself."
She looked over at him, "Oh, okay."
It only made it worse. The depression that she felt when she was in that prison was coming back to her. She had let Aizen win, again. She was going to be forever confined in that hell of a prison.
When the door to Commander Yamamoto's office opened. Kenny and Commander Yamamoto were surprised to see Midori in such a horrible state. Kenny stepped forward as the 1st division member bowed to Commander Yamamoto and was dismissed.
"Midori? Are you…"?
She looked up at him. Her eyes bore holes into his. He could feel a void appearing in her that he had never seen.
"Is she that scared to be here?" Kenny asked himself.
Commander Yamamoto spoke, "Midori, my child there is nothing to fear. You will not be going to that place." She fell to the ground and tears began to fall like a waterfall. She was relieved that her assumptions were the only thing that plagued her mind, "But you will be leaving here. We have found someone to train you. So, please get up and clean your face."
She rose from her position and used the sleeve of her Soul Reaper uniform to wipe her face, "I don't understand."
Her words were almost silent. Kenny watched her out of the corner of his eye. He did not know what to make of Midori. Her spiritual pressure disappeared when Commander Yamamoto had told her she would not be going to that place, "What happened in that place that broke you?" he pondered.
Commander Yamamoto brought forth the lykill.
"I will give you enough time to get things in order. This lykill will send you to the place where you will receive training from a man named Danr. He will help you control the Hollow from within you. You will be gone for ten years. There will be limited communication between you and anyone in the Soul Society, so I will give you three days to spend the time you need with people who are important to you and to get your things in order to make the trip. This will be a one-way trip. Danr will make sure you get back, safely."
His words soaked into Midori's mind. She would be gone for ten years. That was a long time to be away from the people she loved, but if it meant she would be able to control the Hollow inside of her, and Aizen could not use it against her. The misery she once felt was replaced with happiness and anxiety.
"How is Jushiro, Shunsui, and Captain Unohana going to take this? What about Ikkaku, Yumichika, Yachiru, and Byakuya?" she wondered in silence about the people she would leave behind.
There were so many people she had to tell, but who would she choose to spend time with. Her thoughts were interrupted by Commander Yamamoto dismissing her. He did not give her a choice. He ordered her to go train with Danr.
Midori and Kenny walked together out of the 1st division, "I am sorry, Midori, for going to Commander Yamamoto, but I had to help you."
"It's okay, Kenny. I appreciate you worrying about me. I guess I owe you even more now." She turned to smile at him.
He was glad that she was feeling better, but his mind still wondered about her time in the Central Underground Prison. Maybe one day, she would find a way to tell him, or he would find a way to ask her, but today was not such a day. He left her at the 4th division, waving to her as he walked off.
She entered the barracks to Captain Unohana embracing her, "I told you everything was going to be alright."
She was just like a mother worrying about a daughter. Midori smiled and embraced her back.
Captain Unohana followed Midori to her room, "What was so urgent that you had to go see Commander Yamamoto?"
"He has found someone I can train with."
"That is a good thing, right. I guess it will be your new routine from now on."
"No, Retsu, you don't understand. I'm leaving."
"Leaving?"
She looked at Midori's expression. It was such a confused expression. She couldn't tell if Midori was happy, sad, wanted to laugh or cry, but then she saw the tears fall.
"I will be gone for ten years, so I won't get to see you."
Captain Unohana began to straighten some already straightened papers on Midori's desk. She could feel her own feelings swimming in her head. It would feel weird to not have Midori around, "But, she will come back, right?" she wondered to herself.
Midori walked over to her and hugged her, "Retsu, I will leave in three days. I will miss you terribly. You have been a rock for me for so long. Without you I don't know what I would do. You are like a mother to me. I am so blessed to have you next to me every day you have been. Thank you." Captain Unohana could not stop the tears falling down her face.
She hugged Midori back, patting her head, "Midori, you have been like a daughter to me. Do your training and come back with that same smile on your face."
Captain Unohana excused herself after that. Midori could feel that she was not taking this well. She walked out on her balcony thinking of all the people she had to tell and spend time with.
She knew that Byakuya was still hurting from his wife's death. She would feel horrible telling him more bad news. She knew that Ikkaku and Yumichika would be alright with her decision. She thought about her uncle. Shunsui was like her father. He had been for so many years.
"He will be alright, right?" She thought about Lisa. She hadn't thought about her in so long, "What would Lisa have said?"
Her thoughts did not tell her anything about Lisa, after that, but they found themselves reminding Midori of someone else she needed to tell, Jushiro.
He had been the one who helped her love, again. She could feel her heart-breaking thinking about leaving him. She looked up at the sky as the wind blew the leaves on the nearby tree. It was just turning dusk. She had really fallen in love with him over the past ten years. She had given him all of her. Her heart that she thought was gone with Kisuke was still there inside of her all along. She touched her heart and closed her eyes.
She thought of Kisuke. She did not hate him. She did not resent him, but she did feel that if he was still out there that he probably had moved on, too.
"Who would wait for someone that long?"
That thought had her mind in turmoil. If Kisuke had forgotten her in ten years, Jushiro would also forget her in ten years. She slid down onto the floor of the balcony. She placed her left hand on the floor in a hunched over state and covered her mouth with her others. Tears fell onto the floor and disappeared into dark circles.
She had to stop herself from saying it, but it just came out, "He will forget me."
Midori did not sleep well that night. She woke the next morning and made her way to the 11th division. She decided to spend the day with Ikkaku and Yumichika. She tried to hide her fears of losing Jushiro behind a fake smile.
"Hey guys."
They looked at her, "Midori? Are you doing okay?" Yumichika was the first to ask her. He was worried about her since what had happened yesterday.
"Captain Zaraki returned yesterday after rushing off and didn't say another word. Do you know what happened?" Ikkaku questioned her.
"Well, I am here to spend the day with you guys, so what do you want to do?" She was avoiding telling them yet.
"Spend the day? Midori are you not going to answer his question?"
"I would rather not. I just want a fun filled day with you two, okay."
They were worried about it all, but they obliged. They spent the day reminiscing about training and watching other members of the 11th division train. Midori tried the best she could to hide her sadness because she was leaving them. It wasn't forever, but it would feel that way.
When dusk settled on the grounds, Midori posed them a question, "If someone was not around for ten years, would you two forget them?"
Ikkaku dropped his cup of sake, and Yumichika raised his eyebrow while taking a sip of his. They could see how nervous Midori was with talking about this.
Ikkaku started, "Forgetting someone after ten years of not seeing them is not uncommon, but if that person has left an impression on them, it would not be so easily something they could forget."
Midori wanted to take his answer as it was, but she had to know if she had left an impression on them, "Have I…left an impression on you?"
Yumichika did not hesitate, "Of course, you have, but Midori, you aren't going anywhere." He could see her look away fast. A sadness was on her face, "Are you?" Yumichika grabbed her by the shoulders.
"I am." She looked at him with that fake smile. It burnt into him as he fell back on his backside. Ikkaku did not know what to say, so Midori continued, "Yesterday, Kenny went to talk to Commander Yamamoto, and then I was summoned to his office in the 1st division. I was ordered to leave for ten years to train myself, so that I could control the Hollow inside of me. I will miss you both, terribly." She was still smiling.
Ikkaku was not happy, "You are so dumb." He stood up. She looked up at him, the smile was gone from her face. "It is okay for you to cry when you want to so badly. We know that it is hard on you to leave people. Midori, we know more about you than you think we do, so stop sitting there acting like you aren't hurting inside."
He looked away from her. Midori was happy at what he said, but the tears began to fall. Yumichika watched as Midori stood and hugged Ikkaku.
"Thank you for being my friend, Ikkaku."
Yumichika felt left out. He stood and hugged both of them. Ikkaku did not know what to do, but just rolled his eyes and let them do it.
"We will miss you, Midori, but you will be back," Ikkaku finished.
"We won't forget you. Any man is a fool to forget you," Yumichika reassured her.
Midori left Yumichika and Ikkaku sitting in the training grounds. They sat in silence. Ikkaku was rubbing his forehead around his eyes, and Yumichika was hiding his face with his hair.
"We are going to miss her, Ikkaku, but I think Captain knew what he was doing when he went to see Commander Yamamoto."
"Of course, he did, but she didn't have to act so dumb all day. She didn't even think we would remember her. It just sucks."
Yumichika peered at him and noted a stream of tears fall down his right cheek. He rubbed his eyes to see better, but it was too blurred.
"There seems to be more things we have to learn about her, I guess."
The next day, Midori paid Shunsui a visit. He was sitting at his desk. He had not heard from anyone about her leaving.
She walked in and sat behind him placing her back against his, "Feeling anxious, kiddo?"
She did not say anything. She just sat there taking in the smell of sake and linen. He was someone that would tell her to go. He would actually be like Commander Yamamoto and order her to go because it would benefit her. She sometimes hated the fact that he was too much like a father.
She closed her eyes and waited while she collected her emotions. He just went back to looking at documents knowing that she was just wanting to be near him. His mind began to think about the first time she used his back to seek some kind of comfort. She was only eight years old. She had been bullied by a few boys from the Academy. He was working at his desk while she ran in with tears in her eyes. She did not want him to see her face and worry, so she hid herself behind him. He smiled at remembering how naïve she thought he was.
He was worried about her even when she placed that fake smile on her face. It was true that Shunsui had become a doting uncle, but he would have never imagined that he would take on the characteristics of a father.
"Okay, kiddo. What has got you upset, today?"
"Uncle Shunsui?"
"Yea."
He looked around his shoulder to see her, "Do you want to do something fun, today? Just the two of us." He raised his eyebrow.
"I'm sure we can. Is there a special occasion?"
She couldn't think about this time being special. She just wanted to do something with him to spend time with him, "No, I just want to spend time with you."
He smiled and nudge her, "Come on, tell me the truth. You know you cannot hide anything from me."
She couldn't tell him, not yet. It would ruin the day. She retreated from his back to stand beside of him.
She held out her hand to him, "Let's go drinking."
It was the first time she had ever agreed to drink with him. She always hated him drinking, which caused him to pause. He knew something was going on. He took her hand and got up from his seat. They went out of the 8th division to drink together.
He watched Midori as she sat across him. She was taking sips of her sake as he stared at her. She noticed him out of the corner of her eye.
She turned toward him and smiled, "So, how has things been going in the 8th division?"
"Good, I suppose."
His answers to her questions were short and to the point. That was something that bothered him because he was normally the one you had to walk away from when he started talking, or you would be caught all day in his ramblings. She knew he had a feeling about what she was doing, but she continued trying to enjoy the day.
She pulled out of her uniform a pack of cards. She shuffled them and dealt him ten cards, "Rummy?"
He laughed at her and picked up the cards, "So, are you going to tell me the truth, or are we going to let this carry on?"
"Carry on. It's your turn, remember you have to get two sets of three."
He pulled a card from the deck and looked at it. It did not match what he had in his hand, so he laid it down for her. She looked at her hand and noticed that the three he placed would fit perfectly with her hand. She grabbed the card and placed it in her hand and laid down an eight. The game went on until they both were on the seventh set, they had to complete a set of seven of the same suit.
When Midori reached for the diamond on the table, Shunsui placed his hand on hers. She had not looked at him in the eyes since she had come to see him.
He could read that she was unhappy, "Tell me what is going on, already."
She pulled the diamond out from under his hand with a little bit of a struggle and laid her set on the table.
"I got my set. It's your turn." She gave him a fake smile.
Soon after the bartender brought them more sake, a local guy with a suave hairdo and an 'all that' personality walked over to them and placed a hand on the back of Midori's chair.
"Why don't you leave this old guy and come sit with us, beautiful?"
"No, thank you."
He reached for her arm, but Shunsui interjected, "I wouldn't do that if I were you."
The local turned hostile at Shunsui, "And what are you going to do, old man?"
Midori was getting angry. She was trying to spend time with her uncle. She got up from her seat, gently placing her cards on the table. She grabbed the guy by the arm and pushed him back where he came from.
"I don't want to sit with you. I don't want to drink with you. I am trying to spend time with my uncle, so stop pestering us." The guy and his friends were scared at the look on Midori's face.
Shunsui sat smiling at their table, "I told him not to." Midori returned to her hand. She still had the scary look on her face way after those jerks had left. "You know if you sit around with that kind of face, you'll scare everyone away."
He was smiling at her. She looked up and adjusted her face, "I guess, I can tell you now, since the day is already ruined."
The lonesome sound of her voice caused Shunsui to encourage her, "This day has not been ruined, come on let's go."
He grabbed the cards, placing them back in the box. He gave money to the bartender and held his hand out to Midori. She looked up into his eyes. They were the eyes that would always tell her that everything was going to be alright. She took his hand, and they left the bar.
They did not talk on their way back to his office. When they entered, he sat back down at his desk, and Midori came to sit next to him.
She breathed in deep and began, "I am leaving the day after tomorrow."
"You are? Where are you going?" He sat with his chin propped up on his hand staring at her.
"Commander Yamamoto has found someone to help me control the Hollow inside of me. He said that I would have to travel through a portal to get to this man named Danr."
"I see. Things aren't that bad. This will benefit you in many ways."
"I know, but I will be gone from here for ten years."
Shunsui bit the inside of his jaw when she said this. He didn't realize that he would have to go without seeing her for that long.
"It'll be over before you know it, kiddo. Just make the best of it and come back with a smile on your face."
Midori had heard that twice. Captain Unohana had said the same thing.
"Was there something about my smile they found some kind of resolve in? Why does he always have to act like nothing bothers him?" she pondered.
"Why do you have to act like that?" she asked him.
He lifted his head in surprise at her words, "Like what?"
She stood up. Her body was fueled by the anger rising in it, "Like you feel nothing about it! I feel horrible about leaving! I don't want to go, but if I don't things will get worse! I have no choice, but it would be nice to hear someone care about me leaving! No one has shown any emotion! For all I know, you all will forget me in ten years!"
"Forget you. You think we will forget you. Well, young lady, I hate to be the barer of bad news, but that is completely out of the question. No one will forget you. We all just want you to be happy about your decision. Just because we don't show you any emotion does not mean we do not feel anything. We are just like you, Midori. I know deep inside of your heart you want to hide and cry. You have never been away from people you care about for so long, but I won't give you what you want. I want you to go and train. I want you to have control over yourself, again. Midori, I am happy that Commander Yamamoto found someone for you. I want you to leave here happy, and I want you to return a different woman. I want you to be truly happy when you return, and that will not happen unless you know for sure that you alone can protect yourself. It is horrible that you have had to go through so much over the years. Your emotions have been all over the place, and the feeling of safety that you have wanted so bad is something that I think you will find in training yourself. Go and train. Find your true self and return here with all the confidence and happiness you can pluck from the world to make yourself feel safe."
Midori could not say anything, but she fell down into his arms. He hugged her as she cried.
"I will miss you, kiddo. I will miss you, so terribly, but I know deep down that you need this more than anything I can give you."
He rubbed her back as she kept crying into his arms. She wanted to tell him her feelings, but she couldn't get the words out between her tears. Everything that he had said was right. She had been drowning trying to find the safety that would heal her. She wanted to be a confident and happy woman. She wanted to be able to protect herself instead of relying on others.
"I love you, Uncle Shunsui," was all she could manage through her sobbing.
"I love you, too, kiddo." He kissed the top of her head.
Midori stayed in her old room that night. She didn't want to budge from his side, but when she fell asleep, Shunsui picked her up in his arms and moved her to her bedroom. He placed her under the covers and pushed hair from her face before kissing her head and leaving. He had been holding it in for so long that when he got back to his office he went out to his balcony and cried. He did not want her to leave.
"What if she doesn't return? Could I handle losing her?" his mind raced with all the possibilities. He did not know. The tears came so much that exhaustion came soon after, and he fell asleep as the air outside dried the tears to his face.
The next day was Midori's last day for a while in the Seireitei. She noticed her necklace that her mother left her when she passed on her desk. She picked it up, opened it to look at her parents, and stored it in her uniform. This was something that she needed to take with her. It would be something that would help her stay motivated to do her best. She left the 8th division, giving her uncle one last hug. He kissed her head before she left and watched her disappear from the barracks.
She went to the 6th division to tell Byakuya, but he was not there. Many of the 6th division members did not know where he was, and one member told her that he had been gone since the day she left him. She was worried.
"He probably went to the Kuchiki mansion," she reasoned with herself.
She took the time to go to the mansion, and there he was walking out in the courtyard.
"Hey, Byakuya," he looked up at her words, and welcomed her to walk with him, "How are you doing, today?"
"I am alright. How are you, Midori?"
She stopped, causing him to stop, "I needed to come and tell you that I will be leaving for ten years to train. It was an order from Commander Yamamoto."
"I see. I will miss you."
She could feel him being distant. She grabbed his arm, "Please, don't be so distant."
She looked into his gray eyes that were beginning to water, "If I would have taken you from Kisuke Urahara, you would have never had to go through the things you did, and I would have not lost a wife. Midori, if this is the path you have chosen, I cannot stand in the way of that path. I love you, and I will miss you, but I will be here when you get back. Just be happy and find that confident Midori that I saw when I was thirteen, so beautiful and free."
She hugged his neck. He hesitated to touch her, but he squeezed her. He wanted to rewind time and love her before Kisuke. He wanted to erase all the pain they both had endured over the past years. He placed his hands in her hair pulling her further into him.
"Byakuya, thank you. I will return a woman you can be proud to stand beside. I want you to be able to rely on me like I rely on you."
She walked away from him. He watched her lovely figure disappear from his sight.
"If it was not for you, Midori. I would still be breaking inside. You have done more for me than I have ever done for you. To be proud of you, who says that I am not already. You are someone I want to be able to stand beside because your smile radiants hope inside of me," he thought about her as he kept staring in the direction she disappeared from.
Midori had one last person to see before she had to leave, Jushiro. She made her way to the 13th division.
She walked down the hall to his office and was stopped by Kiyone, "He is not in there, Midori."
She did not need to be told where Jushiro was. She knew. She made her way down to the usual spot, and there he was laying against the oak tree.
"You know how to make a girls heartbeat so fast."
He looked up to see Midori standing there smiling at him. He reached his hands up to her to have her sit with him. He pulled her into his lap, and she placed her head on his chest.
He had been doing well, lately. There were no signs of his lung cancer acting up, but it did not stop her from worrying.
"You know how to make a man's heartbeat fast, too. Don't you hear it?"
She listened, and sure enough, it was strong and fast.
It made a blush rush across her face, "Shiro."
He was running his fingers through her hair, "Yes, gorgeous."
His words always made her heart race. She was truly falling deeper in love with this man. She didn't feel foolish. She didn't feel anxious around him. She felt safe and sound. She felt like she was home, but her mind still pondered if he would forget her.
"Will you forget me if I were to disappear?"
"I would never forget you. You see, Midori, I have given my heart to you, and inside of you, it lives to only love you. When you are not with me, I still feel you, here."
He grabbed her hand and placed it on his chest where his heart was. His words caused Midori to cry. She wanted to hold them back, but she couldn't help it. She had never thought he would say something like that to her. He placed his arms around her and held her tightly against his chest.
"You are stuck with me, Ri. I will not let you go, no matter what."
She did not say anything after that. She lifted her head and kissed his chin. He looked down at her and kissed her lips, and the two of them were entangled in each other for some time.
Midori pulled from his kisses to tell him her reason for visiting, "Jushiro, I am leaving the Seireitei."
He was surprised, "Where are you going? Is it some place I can visit you?"
"I am afraid not. I am going to train with a man named Danr. He will help me control the Hollow inside of me."
"That is a wonderful thing, right? I wish for safe return."
Jushiro's mind was swimming with thoughts of her being away. He would miss her. He would be lonely without her. He wanted to feel the touch of her skin again before it was too late, and he wouldn't be able to.
He began kissing her lips. Her mind was wondering about what he was thinking. Those words were like it was a week trip or a month at best.
She had to tell him all of it, "Shiro, I will be gone for ten years." He stopped what he was doing. He moved her from his lap and stood up. He picked her up in his arms and carried her back to his room, "Will you say something, please."
When he sat her down and shut the door, he walked over to her and placed her face in his hands, "It does not please me to be away from you for that long, but if it will help you from the struggle in your heart, please go without a second thought. I know you don't want to leave me, but Ri this is a wonderful opportunity for you. I love you. I love you with every inch of my body. I want you to be happy." He kissed her lips and she kissed him back. He kissed her down onto his futon, "But if you are going to be gone for that long, I want to be able to remember the feeling of your bare skin against mine."
He kissed her neck and opened her uniform to reveal her breasts to him. He made love to Midori in a way that they both had never experience before. He left kiss marks all over her body, and she left one on his chest right where his heart was. She wanted to stay like this for the rest of her life. It was true that he completed her and that she completed him. They both made each other happy, and as much as she didn't want to admit it, this training really was the best thing for her do.
Jushiro and Midori made love well into the afternoon. She loved being with him. She kissed his head as he laid beside of her with his eyes closed. He wasn't asleep because as she sat up, he opened his eyes to stare at her. He could perfectly memorize all the curves of her body, and it caused a smile to creep up on his face.
He reached for her and pulled her over to him, "If you stay like that, I will make you mine again."
She smiled and turned and kissed his lips, "I never said that I was against that," they cuddled in his futon, "Shiro, I will miss you, horribly."
"I will miss you too, Ri," he kissed her head, "I will think of you daily and try to hold on to your smile."
"What is it about my smile? Everyone says they love to see me smile." She looked up at him. He just smiled.
He didn't want to tell her what her smile meant to a lot of people. Midori saw that he didn't want to tell her, so she rubbed her fingers softly along his stomach and his sides.
Jushiro noticed that Midori was going to tickle him and grabbed her hands, "Please don't."
She lifted herself on top of him, "Tell me or I will." He sat up and pushed himself into her opening.
She let out a moan, "I told you, I would." He made love to her, again.
While Midori was hugging his neck, he whispered into her ear, "Your smile gives so many of us hope because it brightens our day. It makes me happy to see you smile. To me, it is like an aphrodisiac." He placed her ear lobe between his lips and sucked on it. It caused Midori so much pleasure.
Sometime later, they collapsed in his futon exhausted.
"I love you, Ri." He pulled her over to him to cuddle, again.
"I love you too, Shiro."
There was still a lot for Midori to do before she had to leave in the morning. She didn't really want to leave Jushiro, but she had to.
"I have to get ready for tomorrow, love."
She got up, letting the evening sun trace the outline of her naked body. Jushiro was staring at her again.
"Will I see you before you leave, tomorrow?" She looked back to him as she placed her pants back on.
She bent down and kissed his lips, "Of course, I have some instructions to give Kaien, and I will definitely see you before I leave."
He thought about what kind of instructions she would have for Kaien, but his mind was still memorizing how beautiful Midori was as she lifted her hair out of her kimono.
He got up and walked to her. His pale body caused Midori to blush as he pulled her close to him, "Don't forget me either, Ri. I am the only man who will love you enough to make you happy."
He kissed her lips as she placed her arms around him. He pulled her kimono closed and tied it around her. He dressed as she straightened the futon placing it in the corner. He loved to watch her work.
"Midori?"
"Yes."
She looked back at him, "Our lives as Soul Reapers cause us to live a long time. Have you ever considered staying with me, forever?"
She smiled at him and walked to him, helping him put on his kimono. She pulled it around him and tied it for him.
She placed her hands on his chest and looked up at him, "I would stay with you for longer than forever," she reached up and hugged him, "My heart has never been as happy as it has been when I am encompassed by your love."
He hugged her and didn't want to let her go. She placed her head on his heart again and there was nothing but a strong heartbeat.
"I will see you, tomorrow."
"Okay."
He kissed her head and she left his room. He walked to his door, opening it. He watched her walk down the hall.
Kaien happened to see her leave, "Is everything alright?"
"Everything is fine, Kaien. I will just miss her is all."
He walked back into his room as Midori disappeared from sight. Kaien did not know what he meant, but he could feel a sadness in his captain.
"Did they break up?" Kaien wondered.
Midori rushed to the 4th division to begin preparations for her journey. She had to finishing making 600 bags of tea, 600 bags of medication, and 520 small bags of the chiyu jeru she used to treat Jushiro. She had been working a little along over the past three days to make them, and she had to make sure that he had everything he would need for the next ten years they were not together.
She worked fast so that she could make it in time for Mei to help her with cooking some ohagi and mochi to leave with Jushiro when she left. She made it back to her room at midnight. She got ready for bed, laying down on her futon, she could not sleep. She would miss all of her friends in the Seireitei. She hoped that her traveling through a portal and gaining help trying to control the Hollow inside of her would keep everyone safe. Her eyes got heavy and her mind began to go blank. She fell asleep from pure exhaustion.
The next morning, Midori walked to Captain Unohana's office. She opened the door with a box in her hand, "Captain Unohana."
"Midori?" Captain Unohana was talking with Lieutenant Kotetsu, a girl with light gray short hair with a few strands that were longer than the rest and brown eyes but paused when she saw her coming in with a box.
Midori set the box down in the supply corner, "This is the chiyu jeru for the fast healing Kaido for when you go to check up on Captain Ukitake. I have made sure to individually wrap them so that they are easier to use."
Lieutenant Kotetsu looked inside, "Midori, that is a lot of chiyu jeru."
"Yes, one for each week I will be gone. I don't want to burden you all, and I think this will help." Captain Unohana smirked at how thoughtful Midori was being.
She got up from her desk and walked to her. She pulled Midori into a hug, "You will be back before we know it."
Midori hugged her back, "Yes, and when I get back, I will be someone you can be proud of."
These words shocked Captain Unohana, "Midori, I am already proud of you."
Midori squeezed Captain Unohana, "I love you, mom."
Captain Unohana began to cry softly so no one would see or hear her, "I love you too, my daughter."
Lieutenant Kotetsu had tears in her eyes, too. She knew how close Midori was to Captain Unohana, and it broke her heart to see them so heartbroken.
Midori left the 4th division with two large boxes and a small box and headed toward the 13th division.
When she got through the gate, she was offered help by Kaien, "Yo, Midori. Would you like help?"
"Please. You are one of the people I came to see, today." He took the two large boxes while Midori carried the small box.
"What did you need to see me for?"
"In those boxes are enough medicine and tea to help Captain Ukitake. I would like for you to make sure that he gets everything he needs."
She paused which gave Kaien a moment to ask her, "It is really nice that you are making sure he is taken care of since you guys broke up and all. I saw the loneliness in his eyes yesterday when you left."
Midori did not know what Kaien meant, but her mind was too worried about Jushiro being lonely. She didn't want him to be sad while she was away.
"We are not broken up. I am just going away for ten years to train. I wanted to make sure that you had everything I bring for him weekly so that he doesn't run out. Also, I know that me being away from him is going to be a strain on him, so please keep an eye on that as well. I don't want him being in dire straits while I am gone."
Kaien was listening to her. He was happy that they were still together, but he wondered how his captain felt about her leaving for that long.
Midori was still going over stuff as they got closer to Jushiro's room. He heard them and opened the door to welcome Midori, but he found her giving orders to Kaien like she was his captain.
"Make sure that he gets tea and medicine, daily, and if his condition worsens, make sure to give it to him twice a day. I have made enough to give extra in case something goes wrong."
Seeing her so concerned about him and acting like his wife made him happy.
He walked over to her, "Midori give Kaien a break, or you are going to break him."
She turned to him, "I have to make sure you are taken care of while I am gone."
He kissed her cheek in front of everyone. It stopped Midori's assault on Kaien. He took the moment to carry the boxes to their medical bay, leaving them alone.
"So, you will be leaving soon?"
"Yes, but I wanted to see you before then." Jushiro walked Midori into his room.
She had to be back in the 1st division by noon. In her mind, that was not a lot of time to spend with him. She watched him as he went back to his desk.
"Are you going to have a seat with me, or stand at the door?"
She answered his question by sitting next to him, "Jushiro, please don't be sad when I am gone. It will only make things worse for your condition."
He peered over at her. He could see her biting her lip. He turned and kissed her lips, "Don't bit your lip like that, or you will make it bleed, Ri."
His nickname for her caused butterflies to appear in her stomach. She loved how he said it. It was like he was placing a spell on her every time.
"I made these for you, Shiro." She held out the small box. He took it.
"What did you make this time?" he opened it and noticed something similar to ohagi was sitting beside of his favorite food, "Why mochi?" He looked over at her pulling one up to his lips.
"Mochi is my favorite food. I want you to have something I love while I am gone." He took a bite from it. It was very similar to ohagi, but where rice should be, it was filled with red bean paste.
He loved the taste of it, "Perhaps, I should change my favorite food to your favorite. It is so delicious." Midori noticed a little bit of red bean paste beside his lip. She leaned forward and licked it off. Jushiro's face flushed red. Her actions were so innocent, yet so sexual that it drove him crazy. He placed the half eaten mochi back in the box and pulled Midori into his lap.
"I want you, Ri."
"I want you, too, Shiro."
They kissed deeply and then held each other. She would be gone after noon today, and he did not know how he was going to handle her not being there. He tightened his embrace. He took her scent in, hoping it would stay with him till she returned. Midori reached in the sleeve of her kimono and pulled out a letter.
She handed it to him, "Shiro, I want you to read this letter when you feel lonely. I want you to have something to remember me by, but don't read it, now. Read it when you miss me the most."
"I will."
He kissed the letter and placed it in the drawer of his desk. He went back to holding Midori. They were happy just being within each other's embrace.
When it was time to leave, Midori got up from his arms with much resistance.
"Shiro, I have to go."
He stood up with her and pulled her into a kiss. He ran his fingers through her hair to cup her head and pulled her into him more. His kiss filled her with ecstasy. When they pulled a part, Midori could still fill his lips on hers.
"I love you, Ri. I will be thinking of you, always."
"I love you, too, Shiro. My thoughts will be forever filled with nothing but you."
They embraced each other and then Midori had to leave. Jushiro watched her walk back down the same path she did before.
His eyes still showing the signs of loneliness, "It's okay, Captain. Midori will be back, just be patient until she returns."
He looked at Kaien, "That is easy for you to say, but I guess I will have to."
"Midori be safe. I will never forget you, and I will always love you. This is a promise I make to you and to myself," he thought to himself, hoping they would reach her somehow.
Midori's mind filled with everyone she would miss. When she got to the 1st division, she saw Kenny and Yachiru there waiting for her, "Time to go."
"Yes."
She walked with them to Commander Yamamoto's office. She had her Zanpakuto on her hips, her medical device in her kimono, and medicines and ointments in a pouch on her hip. When they opened the door, Commander Yamamoto came to greet Midori. She had a resolve on her face that made him proud.
He had thought she was going to be a mess, but she had a determination in her eyes that made him smirk.
"Midori, are you ready to go?"
"Yes, Commander Yamamoto."
"Good," he got closer to her, "The thing with Aizen will be investigated, so don't worry about it." She was happy that someone believed her.
"Just be safe in doing it, Grandfather Yamamoto."
He smiled at her and gave her the lykill, "Just swipe at the air in front of you and think of the man Danr."
Midori turned to Kenny, "Thank you, Kenny. I will see you in ten years. Don't forget me."
"Never, girl. I will wait for your return. Don't get into too much trouble." She smiled at him.
Yachiru peered over his shoulder, "Mi-Mi, be safe. We will miss you."
"I will miss you guys, too, Yachiru."
Midori turned and distanced herself from Commander Yamamoto, Kenny, and Yachiru. She did not know Danr, but she thought about his name. She could feel the lykill come alive in her hand. She saw a white glow appear from it, and she struck the air in front of her making a vertical cut, a void appeared in front of her. It was a swirl of blue and green clouds.
Suddenly, Seigi appeared beside of her, "Midori, this is the void to Vuaruhara called Landhluta, I can feel it."
"What kind of place is that?"
"It is the place where warriors go to rest."
Midori's eyes widen. She felt scared to step forward, but she remembered her resolve. She had said goodbye to her friends, and she was willing to do anything to control the Hollow that raged inside of her. She called Seigi back to her Zanpakuto and stepped forward.
She turned around to look at Commander Yamamoto, "Thank you."
She walked backwards until the Landhluta path of blue and green swirling clouds disappeared, and so did Midori.
The End of the Desolation Arc