First of all, thanks so much to all of you who have commented and followed this story since its first submission ten years ago. Now that its been ten years, I've decided to give it a little refresh.
There won't be too many massive changes to the plot (except some backstories and the addition of the final arc). I've also tried to change up some of the canon retelling too to make things a little simpler (though there were some scenes I couldn't avoid. Sorry)
I'm not sure I'll be submitting this anywhere else but if you have any ideas I'll definitely consider them.
Lastly, Bleach and its characters belong to Tite Kubo. All other characters belong to me.
And without further ado, I hope you enjoy I'm but a Bindweed in a Garden of Morning Glories, formerly known as Bleach: Strong Love.
It's a sunny day, so I decide to go to my garden of morning glories to tend to it.
Once there, I discover that two more out of four total have withered and died.
I have taken the absolute best care of these flowers! How did this…happen?!
I become upset and then lightheaded when trying to remember so I push the thought out of my mind.
Finally something occurred to me…
There must be a bindweed in this patch somewhere, but I-I can't find it!
…Unless…
I am the bindweed…
"Vice Captain Omaeda? It's me, Tsukine Hinode." She announced as she stood at the door to his office.
Tsukine Hinode stands about five feet and four inches tall and has long brown silver streaked hair tied up in a ponytail with two wider silver strands that were braided. She also has pale aqua colored eyes and was currently wearing the main attire for Squad Two members with the addition of a dark grey hood and dark blue turtleneck.
"Ah! Um…" he responded, sounding surprised at her being there. "What is it you needed then?"
Tsuki sighed softly before saying, "I'm not sure sir, because you called for me."
"Oh, right! Come on in."
She did as he ordered and took a seat in front of him.
'Marechiyo Omaeda…not the best of Vice Captains, on the account of the fact that all he does is nonchalantly snack and laze about, fulfilling the bare minimum of his duties.' Tsuki thought in the moment of silence that fell between them. 'But who am I to talk? No doubt I've been called here because I haven't been doing mine lately…'
Meanwhile the Vice Captain looked deep in thought while munching on a rice cracker before asking, "Er…Would you mind reminding me why I called you here again?"
"I…believe you called me here to address the fact that I have issues with fulfilling my duties lately, sir." The brunette answered simply.
"Oh, right. Sorry." Omaeda awkwardly smiled, scratching the back of his head for a moment before getting a little serious. "You probably know the Captain doesn't take kindly to those who fail in their daily duties. Since you've been doing just that, she's deemed you no longer useful and has decided to have you transferred."
Tsuki's eyes widened with shock in response. "Transferred? Where to?"
"Squad Six." The Vice Captain replied while withdrawing an envelope - which she assumed were the official papers - and passed it to her. "I went ahead and told them to be expecting you tomorrow, so you should spend the rest of the day packing and clearing out."
"Right…" the brunette uttered before excusing herself to leave and do just that.
…
'…And now I'm here…' Tsuki thought, standing in front of the entrance to Squad Six. 'We haven't spoken in decades, so what possessed the Captain of Squad Six to recruit me of all people? I guess…I'll find out…'
She then took a deep breath before walking in and as she did, she heard a man ask from nearby, "Hey, you the new transfer?"
She jumped a little from hearing the sudden question and turned to where the voice came from to see a man over six feet tall with his red hair tied up in a ponytail. Also from what she could see he had angular tribal type tattoos on his forehead and collarbone.
"Y-Yes. I'm Tsukine Hinode." She introduced herself hesitantly, trying to sound as polite as she could to make a good first impression.
"Renji Abarai. I'm the Vice Captain of this Squad." The male stated in response as he noticed her looking a little uptight. "Hey, you can relax a little. I may look it but I don't bite. I've actually been transferred before so I know what you're going through." - she did so before he gestured down the hall behind him - "Anyway the Captain wants a word with you before I'm supposed to show you the ropes so let's head over there now."
Tsuki merely nodded in agreement and followed the Vice Captain silently. Once there, Renji knocked first and then announced that he had brought the 'new transfer' as asked. A rather monotone and authoritative voice responded from within instantly, giving them permission to enter. Tsuki immediately went stiff in response to hearing his voice and held her breath when the door was opened.
She saw him standing on the far side of the room facing the window and froze. She was unsure of what to do because the two of them hadn't interacted at all since their mutual friend passed away but found a little comfort in seeing that he'd hardly changed in appearance at all. That is, except the fact that he was now wearing the same kenseikan his predecessors wore as well as the silver white scarf and sixth Captain's haori.
"Are you…going in?" The red haired male asked hesitantly with concern, startling her a little.
She then regained her composure and entered just as Byakuya turned to face them. When looking upon her he noticed her attire and asked a little curiously, "How come you are still wearing Squad Two's uniform?"
"It's the style of uniform I've always worn, and the one I'm most comfortable in." Tsuki answered in her own defense. "I did customize it a little more though."
She did indeed keep the turtleneck but ditched the shihakusho sleeves in favor of fishnet style ones as well as dark blue arm bands and armored tekkou. Her sash was now white and tied with a small bow on the front right side of her waist and changed out black tabi shoes for a dark grey version with armored knees.
She then aimed a worried gaze at him. "Is this kind of attire not acceptable in your squad…?"
"No, it is fine." The Captain stated after a moment of silence. "I have requested that you come here first so that I may inform you of the position you'll have in my squad,"
'Position…?' She thought, feeling that something was a bit off but decided to wait and hear the rest.
"And after some consideration I'll be appointing you as my third seated officer." He finished, taking her by surprise.
"Third seat…? Captain, were you not informed of my failures before transferring here?" Tsuki asked in response, making it apparent how little she thought of herself currently. "With all due respect I should be given one of the lowest ranks."
"I have indeed considered as such but I also remembered attending a showcase of your abilities and have seen what you are capable of. When it comes down to it, you can remain calm under pressure and are ultimately able to face any challenge given to you with an open mind." Byakuya explained. "Taking those facts into account I have deemed you worthy of the position. Whatever 'slump' you are going through I know you'll overcome. So cast aside the memory of your past mistakes and focus on what will make you useful to Squad Six from now on."
Tsuki felt a little inspired by her new Captain's speech but was still a little unsure about his decision. Even so he seemed like he wasn't budging on the matter so she just accepted the position appointed to her in the end.
Byakuya then dismissed the two and once they had gotten a ways away from the captain's office, Tsuki finally took a deep breath and relaxed.
Renji noticed this and commented with, "I know the Captain can be uptight at times but you'll get used to it."
"Oh, Captain Soi Fon is really uptight too so I'm pretty used to it by now." The brunette stated in response. "My main concern is that I hadn't seen Bya-er Captain Kuchiki in a long time, that's all."
Despite the somewhat sloppy cover-up the red head still caught the familiar way she referred to the captain and adopted a mildly surprised expression. "Wait, you were gonna say 'Byakuya'. Do you know the Captain personally then?"
Tsuki paused for a minute and then gave in. "Yes, we…kind of grew up together more or less." She admitted hesitantly.
"So then you're noble born too?" He guessed and she nodded in reply. "Huh. I never pegged you for being one."
"Well, the Hinode clan was never really as prominent as any of the other clans, so we've been a bit more 'down to earth' you could say. Still through our connection to the Shihouin clan we gained a good relation with the Kuchiki clan which is why I have known him for so long." Tsuki explained. "Are you…from the Rukongai then?"
"Born and raised," Renji replied simply before noticing the intense gaze his subordinate was giving him. "Is…there something wrong with that?"
She was startled by his question but immediately gave him her response."No, of course not! On the contrary, I admire the fact that there are so many living in the Rukon that have such untapped potential. It's amazing."
The red head blushed in response and uttered a bashful, "Thanks but it's not a big deal…' before realizing that he should be doing his job.
He then ushered Tsuki onwards to give her a tour of the station and barracks, as well as a run down of what her duties will be. She understood everything pretty quickly and before the two of them knew it, the evening was fast approaching.
"I don't think there's much that you need to do right now, so I suppose you can head over to the barracks and settle in." Renji concluded once he had finished.
"Okay, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then," Tsuki stated in response and he nodded before turning away. "Hey, Renji?" - she paused, waiting for him to turn back around - "Thank you."
The Vice Captain smiled and nodded, then walked away while waving. She turned the opposite direction and walked for a minute before someone familiar up ahead caught her eye.
"Good evening, Captain Kuchiki." The brunette greeted once he was within earshot.
He turned towards her and acknowledged her by responding with, "Good evening, Hinode-san." He continued walking on and Tsuki caught up to him before falling into pace beside him since she was headed in the same direction.
"I know…that we haven't really seen each other in a long time, but you can still address me by my first name…"
Byakuya did not respond, so the two of them walked in silence for a few minutes. Finally he asked, "Where did Renji run off to?"
"After finishing the tour he suggested I settle into my place in the barracks," she answered. "Then I assume he went back to his office because we both went in opposite directions."
Silence fell between them once more and Tsuki felt out of place beside him but he showed no signs of wanting to part from her so she continued to keep pace with him.
"How is your family doing?" He suddenly asked, taking her by surprise.
"Well, Takeo is doing okay - or at least from what I could tell from the last time we saw each other. We're both working in different squads of course so it's hard to meet up. Grandpa is fine too, but not as fired up as he used to be." Tsuki replied with a soft happines before her expression became bittersweet. "Now he's mostly…reminiscent. He's been reverting mentally, going so far as to call Takeo and I by our parents' names by accident. It's a bit hard and we don't know what to do but we all try to get by…"
"And your parents? You haven't mentioned them. Are they doing well?" Byakuya asked further, striking a nerve with her.
"O-Oh…I guess the news never reached you then…Though you must have been still going through…your own loss…" Tsuki trailed off, having a little trouble finding the right words to continue without having to traumatize herself again. "My parents died…in an accident. If it's okay with you I'd rather not talk about it much." She finished her explanation quickly, looking away solemnly while twisting one of her braids between her fingers anxiously.
"My apologies for asking in the first place, but you had the right to not give me an answer."
"I…felt like I owed it to you. Our families are well acquainted after all."
Byakuya softly hummed in response, watching her continue to fiddle with her uniquely colored hair. "I couldn't help but notice that your hair color is a bit different from the last time I saw you." He suddenly stated.
"Oh, I just woke up one day and it was like this. I found it a bit weird but since then I've grown to like it…"
"Intriguing," he commented simply.
"Yes, it is."
The awkward silence continued once more until the two came upon an intersection in the path they were taking. Noticing that Byakuya was headed down one way and she herself was going in the other, Tsuki was the first to say farewell.
"Well, I guess this is good night then, Captain." She said with a small respectful bow.
"Yes," her captain replied. "Goodnight Tsukine."
His usage of her first name startled Tsuki but he didn't seem to notice as he had already started walking away.
'This…is going to be way rougher than I imagined.' She concluded in thought before retiring to the barracks.