Chapter 4:
Since the first few visits with Aizen were uneventful, Momo convinced Toshiro not to try to dissolve the contract. Momo continued to train to activate her bankai, so her captain took Emiko to visit her father, accompanied either by Rangiku or Toshiro. She also had no desire to see Aizen. Fear that he would worm himself back into her heart kept her from him too. Sleepless nights, tears that wouldn't stop, and depression did not appeal to her. She had built a life separate from him, and it would stay that way. She had worked too hard to become independent and a mother that Emiko could rely on.
Occasionally, she toyed with the idea of going with Emiko, but Shinji convinced her otherwise. He and others vouched that she would be fine without Momo. They also promised to report any unusual happenings, but there hadn't been any.
Emiko had become quite the chatterbox. She talked about everything - the cookies she and her mother baked, learning to swim, her favorite books, which foods she liked and disliked, etc. Her father listened with rapt attention, questioning and commenting when appropriate.
She also showed him her progress with calligraphy and drawing, her two favorite activities outside of reading. Other times, she would sit on his lap and read to him.
At the end of the visit, she would pout, sad she had to leave so soon. However, she never cried. She also never asked why her mother never visited nor why her father was in prison. Even at her young age, she could tell that her mother became sad and sometimes nervous whenever she brought up her father, so she hardly did. Others reacted awkwardly, like there was some big secret about her father that they couldn't tell her. Then, there was Shinji.
Whenever she had questions about her father, she would ask him. He acted the way he always did - silly and nonchalant. He was completely different from Uncle Toshiro. He hardly smiled or laughed, and he often teased her Auntie Ran and kaa-chan. She loved them both though. Uncle Toshiro took her to the library to read, and Shinji taught her about all different types of music.
Today, she was staying in her mother's office. Even though she had been in daycare the past few years, she went to the squad five barracks with her mother so often that she had her own desk and set of toys at the office. Today was also a holiday, so her school was closed. It was the end of the month, so her mother was busy reviewing her squad's mission reports to submit another report to the captain-commander, updating him on any standout successes or failures. It all sounded very boring to Emiko, so she busied herself with her drawing.
"Emi-chan, I'm going to Sota-san's office for a little while," her mother announced. From the large stack of files tucked under her arm, Emiko assumed she would be gone for a while.
Momo bent down to kiss her temple. "Kaa-chan that tickles!" she chirped, feeling pieces of her mother's black hair caress her cheek.
"Sorry sweetheart." The lieutenant gave her a half smile. "Be good for Hirako-san please."
She crossed her arms, offended at the suggestion that she wasn't always well behaved. Manners were ingrained in her as soon as she could speak. She prided herself on being well-mannered and mature. She loved when adults like Uncle Shiro or Captain Rukia complimented her politeness. "I'm always good though."
Momo tried to stifle a laugh with her black sleeve. She was too cute when she got angry with her button nose turned up and chubby cheeks puffed. "I know, baby."
Then, she was gone, leaving Emiko to her own devices. Tapping her colored pencil on the desk, she stared at the half drawn piece of parchment.
"Whatcha workin on?" a figure behind her spoke.
"Hirako-san?" She looked over her shoulder, unperturbed by his sudden appearance. She could feel his spiritual pressure close by. It reminded her of the jazz music he loved so much, calm and mellow.
"Come on Emi-chan," he whined. "I told you to call me Shinji. You make me sound so old," he moaned.
She laughed at his antics. He always acted this way when she used an honorific for him. "Kaa-chan says that ladies must speak properly," she defended proudly. "Besides, you are old! Uncle Shiro said you're almost 500 years old."
"You're worse than Hiyori!" He mockingly cried as he put a hand over his chest, pretending to be wounded.
"What's wrong with being old? You can do whatever you want, eat what you want, and say what you want," she argued, resting her head in her small palm.
Shinji gave her a knowing smile. "Don't be in such a rush to grow up." He ruffled her hair affectionately. "You'll have plenty of time to be an adult."
"I guess," she responded quietly.
"What's the matter with Emi-chan?" he asked, concerned with her suddenly sullen expression. He bent down and rested a hand on her frame.
She looked down and began fidgeting her hands, a nervous tick she had developed. Several moments of silence passed.
"You can tell me anything. I won't tell anyone, even your mom," he assured her gently.
"Well," she began hesitantly, "if you promise."
"Cross my heart and hope to die." He drew an x on his chest dramatically.
She smiled a bit, feeling more at ease. "When I'm grown up, won't tou-san be out of prison?" she asked carefully. "I could see him whenever I want, right?" Her brown eyes peered into his, full of hope.
Shinji sighed. He wasn't exactly sure how to answer without lying or breaking her fragile heart. No one had explicitly told her why her father was in prison. Momo told her that he did some bad things and was in time-out. She never specified his innumerable crimes, including almost killing Momo twice.
People didn't stay in time out forever, so Emiko reasoned that her father would be free eventually. Her father was always so nice to her; she didn't understand why he had to be in time out anyways.
"I don't know Emi-chan. Your father is going to be there for a long time. It's very complicated," he tried to explain vaguely.
"Why can't he be with us? It's not fair," she lamented. "I wish he could go to my birthday party, but I know he can't." She buried her head in her hands on the desk and started to sniffle. The blond started to panic, unsure of how to prevent the inevitable meltdown.
"It's not fair. I know," he said as he rubbed her back. He saw her small form shaking. "Please don't cry. You'll mess up your drawing," he tried to convince her. Her head moved up enough for her to speak.
"It's no good anyways," came her sad retort. He frowned trying to think of a way to cheer her up, especially before her mother returned.
"You know, there's a new shop a few blocks from here. It's an ice cream shop," he started. Her quiet crying lessened. Jackbot, he had her. "But I don't think they serve crying customers," he mused.
Her head shot up. "I wasn't crying!" Ice cream was one of Emi's favorite desserts. He had brought it back for her a few times from the World of the Living since they didn't have any in Sertei.
"Then we can get ice cream," he replied with a grin. He stood up and offered her a hand. She took it, and they went to the shop. She ordered a hot fudge sundae and was instantly in a better mood. Afterwards, they went to a nearby park to relax.
"That was delicious," Shinji said, patting his belly. He had a salted caramel milkshake.
Emi's short legs dangled over the seat as she moved her legs back and forth. "Mhm! I love ice cream. It always makes me happy."
"We'll take your mom next time, but don't tell her I took you today. It'll be our little secret." He had made the mistake of giving Emiko sugar in the middle of the day before, and he had to endure the maternal wrath of his lieutenant. No sweets before dinner she complained. It would ruin Emiko's appetite for dinner, so she would skip the meal. Then, she'd wake up hungry in the middle of the night and attempt to fix herself something in the kitchen, waking up Momo and making a mess.
The small brunette mimicked turning a key on her lips and threw it behind her. "I promise," she said with a sly expression. She felt grown up, keeping a secret from her mom.
Hearing chatter behind her, Emiko turned around and peered over the top of the bench. From the distance, she could see a playground filled with kids and parents. What caught her gaze was a blond girl about her age in the swing being pushed by a man, presumably her father since he had the same shade of blond hair and blue eyes as the girl.
Shinji looked over his shoulder to see what she was staring at. His eyes flitted between her and the swingset and mentally kicked himself. It was a holiday, so of course there would be families in the park.
Emiko sunk back down on the bench, frowning. She was upset by the reminder of her lack of father.
"Hey kid, wanna go on the swing set?" he asked.
She looked reluctant to say yes, but she liked swings. Finally, she agreed. Shinji pushed her high into the air, and soon she was grinning ear to ear. She felt like she was flying, and she never wanted to come down.
A week later.
Today Emiko was six. One year closer to adulthood. In celebration, her mother planned a birthday party with all of her friends and loved ones. In attendance was her Uncle Toshiro, Auntie Ran, Captain Hirako, Izuru, Renji and his family, and her best friends Nemuri and Yona. Her biological Aunt Hana, as Momo called her, wasn't able to make it since she had fallen ill recently. Momo promised to take her to Junriran for a visit next week.
Shishio was working today, so he said he might stop by the house later for cake. Emiko wasn't too upset that he wouldn't be there. It wasn't that he was mean or impolite. In fact, he was always kind to Emiko, asking her about school and what latest book she was reading. It bothered her how much he was around.
It was always him who fixed the leaky faucet or broken lock in their house. It was him who trained her mom the past few years. It was him who brought her mother flowers just because he happened to pass the florist's shop on the way home. Most of all, it bothered her how much her mother enjoyed his company. She always laughed and smiled when he was around. It made her worry that this man she didn't really know would replace her father and intrude on their family. While she would prefer that her father live with them, she was content for it to be the two of them - she and her mother.
Her biggest fear was that she would be replaced. What if her mother married Shishio and they had their own child? Why would anyone want her or need her anymore? She tried not to worry, and she'd never share this fear with her mother. She'd say that she had nothing to worry about. Shishio was only a family friend she claimed, and she'd never forget about Emiko. However, Emiko saw the way he looked at her. When her mother was around, he always stared at her as if he was studying a beautiful painting. Mumurrings about Shishio's crush on her mother from Auntie Ran and Captain Hirako further cemented her belief that he was interested in her mother.
For today, she'd push aside her fears and worries to focus on her friends and family.
"Emi-chan, come outside, there's a bunny rabbit," Nemuri yelled. Her black hair swished in the wind when she turned around.
"Shh, Nemari-chan, you'll scare it away," Yona admonished in a soft tone. Yona was one of the neighborhood kids. She had long straight blond hair that turned golden when sunlight hit it and deep violet eyes. She was the girliest one of their trio and very shy.
On the other hand, the mad scientist's daughter, Nemari, had a penchant for yelling and joking around. Each of the girls were very different from one another, but they always had fun together.
Emi-chan tiptoed to the porch to join her friends. There was a small white blob darting among the blades of grass.
The girls watched, entranced by the hopping creature.
"It's so cute," the birthday girl whispered. The other girls nodded.
"We should catch it and take it to my dad's lab," Nemuri suggested. Her father had been doing some research on animals lately, so he would be pleased to have another test subject.
"No! Look, it has a family. You can't separate them," Yona pointed out, her purple eyes moving to the dense area of trees in the back of the green field. Nemari shrugged. It was only a suggestion.
Three white rabbits of various sizes bounded towards the stray bunny in the middle of the field. Compared to the rest of the family, the lost bunny looked much smaller.
"Awww. That must be the baby of the family," Yona cooed.
"Their family came back to find her," Nemuri observed as the white animals were reunited and disappeared into the forested area.
"Girls," an older female voice called, "food is ready. You better get some before Renji eats it all." At the mention of food, they hurried back inside and were greeted with the delicious scent of takoyaki. While they were outside, more guests arrived including Toshiro, Renji, Rukia, their daughter Ichiga, and Shinji. The adults were situated at the side of the table closest to the wall. At the head of the table, there was a pink balloon that said 'Happy Birthday' which denoted Emiko's seat.
Upon spotting the ice bankai user, Yona gasped and pulled Emiko aside.
"You didn't mention that Captain Hitsugya would be here!" she exclaimed softly.
"Of course he'd be here. He's one of kaa-chan's best friends," she replied. She looked at her friend whose pale skin had turned a healthy shade of pink.
"I can introduce you to him if you want," she offered. Yona gladly accepted and went to get something from her bag. She reappeared with a pen and magazine titled 'Winter Prince'. There was a picture of Toshiro on the cover with his fully activated bankai. Ice wings sprouted from his back while a massive icy dragon stood behind him.
"Come on." Emiko pulled her friend by the wrist to where her uncle was seated drinking a cup of tea.
"Oji-chan, I want you to meet my friend," Emiko said. His teal eyes flitted upward to the pair.
The blond girl colored and bowed low, trying to hide her blush. "I-i-i-ttt's an honor to meet you Captain Hitsugya. My name is Yona Tsukino," she managed to get out.
"Nice to meet you too. I've heard alot about you from Emi-chan," he replied. She stood back up and tried to breathe. Her idol knew her!
"O-ooh. Um, would you - would you sign this please?" she asked, thrusting the magazine and pen in front of him.
"Sure." He signed the cover and handed it back to her. She looked up and saw the autograph and clutched the magazine to her chest, scared to lose it.
"Thank you so much!" With a curt bow, she and Emiko found their seats on the other side of the table next to Nemari. The girls whispered amongst themselves, oblivious to the other guests.
There was a snicker to Toshiro's left. "Looks like Toshiro finally has someone his age that's interested in him."
His normally blank expression turned murderous. "What was that Abarai?"
Renji continued to snicker while Shinji's face remained unchanged. Rukia reached over the toddler on her lap and slapped her husband's arm, eliciting an ow.
"Last time I checked, I'm as tall as you," the white haired man retorted with a twitch in his eye. While he had hit a growth spurt a few years ago, people still relentlessly teased him for being young. The jokes were never funny, but now they were down right irritating.
Before Renji could respond, Rangiku burst into the room, followed by Izuru who was carrying a large wooden crate.
"Helloooo! Where's the birthday girl?" the strawberry blond asked. Emiko got up from her seat to hug her. "I can't believe you're six! You're growing up too fast!" she lamented with a pout. They found their seats while Izuru lugged the mysterious crate to the kitchen.
"Well, well, well, look who finally decided to show up," Toshiro teased. Rangiku slid into the seat to the right of him, her large bosom getting monetarily stuck between the table and her seat. She managed to squeeze in but not without pressing her chest into her captain's forearm. He frowned at the unwanted contact.
"Izuru and I had to run a special errand. I think it'll be well worth the wait," she replied with a wink. He rolled his eyes and went back to eating his meal.
Izuru and Momo returned from the kitchen with more food and plates for the expanded party. They sat across from the other adults.
Momo cleared her throat which silenced the chatter around the table. "I just want to say thank you to everyone for coming to celebrate Emiko's birthday. We're very happy to have everyone all together," she raised her cup and others followed suit to toast to Emiko.
Silently, Emiko thought to herself that not everyone was there. She was happy to be around her loved ones, but it didn't feel complete. Before she got too lost in her thoughts, Nemari nudged her side.
"You ok?" While a bit uncouth at times, Nemari was very perceptive.
"Mhm." Emiko gave her best smile and started eating her takoyaki.
"Hinamori-san, this is delicious," Yona remarked. A chorus of compliments followed causing Momo to blush.
"Even I have to admit it's pretty good," Toshiro confessed.
"Hey! I bet you can't even fry an egg," came Momo's response to the backhanded compliment.
A peal of laughter erupted from Rangiku's plump lips. "I can confirm that he can't." All eyes turned to her for an explanation. Her captain sent her a menacing glare, hoping she'd be too scared to reveal anything. Unaffected by his glares, she continued. "Last year, our squad had a cooking competition, and the captain ruined the frying pan and almost burned the kitchen down trying to cook an egg."
Momo became smug, pleased to confirm her suspicions. "And if I remember correctly, you almost burned down our entire division a week later because you fell asleep and left one of your silly scented candles burning which lit the curtains on fire," her captain reminded haughtily.
Rangiku laughed nervously. "Oh yeah, I forgot about that." The rest of the party sweat dropped and resumed their prior conversations.
Meanwhile, Yona told her friends how starstruck she was. She had never been around so many important shinigami since she grew up in a civilian household.
"Rangiku-san and Rukia-san are so pretty," she clasped her hands and sighed.
"And Renji-san is super cool. He has an awesome bankai," the black haired girl added.
"Everyone here has cool zanpakuto," Emiko remarked. She had a decent knowledge of each adult's skills. She wondered what her zanpakuto would be. Her mother had a fire type zanpakuto, but she didn't know what her father's was. Then again, it was possible that she could have something completely different from both of them.
"Momo, I forgot to ask, but how is your bankai training going?" Izuru inquired.
"It's going well. I think I'm close to obtaining it."
His interest piqued, Renji perked up. "Are you still training with Shishio?"
The squad five lieutenant nodded. "You and Izuru should come by our house sometime and train," the spiky haired man said.
"It'd be just like old times," Izuru said with a wistful smile.
"Yes it would," Momo affirmed with a smile. Her fondest memories of the academy were with Izuru and Renji.
"We should have Ichika and Emiko watch," Rukia suggested.
"How does that sound Emi-chan?" her mother asked.
"Sure!" She was curious to see how Izuru and Renji fought. It was decided that next Saturday morning the former trio would train while Rukia, Ichiga, and Emiko watched. Since everyone had finished their food, it was time for cake and gifts.
Rangiku disappeared to the kitchen and returned with various bottles.
"You brought sake to a child's birthday party?" Toshiro asked with a distrubed expression.
"Don't worry, I brought sparkling grape juice, non-alcoholic, for the children," she replied as she poured him a drink.
"No thanks," he said.
"Come on captain! Lighten up and enjoy yourself. Even Momo is having some," she argued, pushing the cup to him. To her left, Momo had poured herself a drink. It was a special occasion, so she decided to indulge. Not to be outdone by his childhood friend, Toshiro reluctantly took the cup.
Rangiku served the kids the non-alcoholic drink, while Shinji and Momo went back to the kitchen to get extra plates for dessert and the cake. Momo returned with a circular light purple cake with six candles lit. Shinji started off the birthday song, and everyone joined in. Momo placed the cake in front of Emiko, and she blew out the candles.
Her mom cut slices and plated them. Then, Shinji passed around the plates. Emiko examined her cake. While the icing was normal, it wasn't a typical cake with a spongy texture.
"That's my gift to you kid, a chocolate vanilla ice cream cake," Shinji explained. Emiko lit up and thanked him. Cake was great, but an ice cream cake was even better.
When she finished her dessert, she opened her presents. Toshiro and Rangiku got her a beautiful jade pendant necklace. The Abarai - Kukchi family gifted her a box of extremely fancy dango, which she promised to share with her mom. Izuru gave her a poetry book. Yona, with help from her seamstress mother, made her a cherry blossom apron since she liked helping her mom in the kitchen. Her mother gave her a set of paints and paintbrushes. Lastly, her most interesting gift came from Nemari.
"It's a hologram GPS," she started as she demonstrated to the group how to use it. "Press this blue button," she instructed. Emiko pressed it and a three dimensional hologram of Seretei popped up. Everyone ooed and awed at the digitized city.
"Press the red button and say a place in town," she continued.
"Squad five barracks," Emiko commanded in a clear voice.
"Starting route to squad five barracks. Take a left onto Mai street and continue for 100 meters," the device responded in a computerized voice. "That's so cool! Thank you Nemari!" She embraced her friend who hugged her back.
"Let me know what you think of it. It's a prototype, so I'm sure there's ways it can be improved." Emiko nodded, eager to use her unusual gift.
After gifts, people started trickling out. Renji, Rukia, and their toddler daughter Ichika were the first to leave since Ichika had an early bedtime. Yona's mother picked her and Nemari up shortly thereafter. Rangiku challenged Izuru to a drinking competition, so both of them passed out at the table. Toshiro and Shinji helped Momo clean up and returned to their respective homes.
"If you wait ten minutes, I'll come tuck you in and we can read from your new book" Momo said to her daughter as she washed some dishes.
"I'm really tired. Can we tomorrow?" She yawned and rubbed her eyes.
"Of course. Good night, I love you," Momo replied.
"Love you too kaa-chan." Emiko left the kitchen.
She stopped in the dining room and saw Izuru and Rangiku laying on the floor, passed out. She cautiously approached her aunt and experimentally released some reitsu into her chest. The woman didn't move. Emiko sucked in her breath and relaxed. She had seen people do this a million times, so she could do it too. With a burst of reitsu, she reached into Rangiku's chest and pulled out a gold skeleton key. From the faint sounds of dishes clanging and faucet running, she deduced that her mother was still in the kitchen. She crept out the front door, sliding it slowly, as not to alert her mother.
She exited her neighborhood and headed for the main road into town, stopping to test out her new gift. She turned it on and gave it a command, "Muken."
Even though she had help, it took her another hour to get her home back in order. Giving the dining area one last check, she noticed that Emiko had left her jade pendant out. Momo took it and went to put it in her room.
She found an empty bed. Maybe Emiko had gone to the bathroom or her room, but both rooms were also empty. Panic set in. Momo closed her eyes and focused her mind, searching for Emiko's potent reitsu. She felt nothing in the nearby vicinity.
Her breath became labored, and her chest became unbearably tight.
Just breathe. Call Toshiro. He'll know what to do, she thought to herself.
Her fingers fumbled as she found his contact.
"This better be an emergency" a gruff voice answered.
"I can't find her, Toshiro. I can't find Emiko," she revealed before dissolving into tears.
"I'll be right over. Don't do anything until I get there," he ordered, all of his tiredness suddenly gone.
She collapsed on the floor, the moment he hung up. Sobs wracked her petite body. It was a nightmare come to life. Emiko was missing, and her spiritual pressure had completely disappeared. Where had she gone? Did someone take her? Was she even alive?