Castle Toppler Chapter 5, a bleach fanfic

"The new captain is going to start today. I hope he does okay." JuushiroJushiro sat to my right and Shunsui across from me.

"I'm sure he'll do just fine. He passed the test, didn't he?" Shunsui answered rhetorically.

At this point, I could sense that Shunsui knew JuushiroJushiro and I had talked.

Damn that shrewd man!

"Shunsui?" I started while JuushiroJushiro enjoyed the cut greens.

"Hi!" he chirped back cheekily, making JuushiroJushiro and I smirk.

"Did you two start being captains at the same time, or did someone get there first and gloat?" I asked. The intricacies of their relationship had always ensnared me.

JuushiroJushiro chuckled under his breath.

"Well"—Shunsui started thoughtfully—"I remember that we took the captain's test one right over the other. I know that for sure." He paused. "I think I technically started a few days before JuushiroJushiro?" He started counting on his fingers.

"I think I had a few things to wrap up as a lieutenant before I started." I could hear JuushiroJushiro starting to daydream.

"Were you a lieutenant, Shunsui?" I asked around a green leaf. My time with them was starting to relax me.

"I was!" he answered happily. "I remember it fondly…" Another laugh.

"Probably because you didn't work, Captain." Lisa's disembodied voice floated through the door, effectively killing breakfast.

"Is the new captain here?" I asked the guard who shifted uncomfortably, looking at my suggestive black kimono and done-up hair.

I had wanted to make a solid impact on my welcoming visit. I had requested a new kimono, my ornate hair stick in place, and I had painted my face with the traditional bold colors. The geisha makeup wasn't really my style, but Shiro was enamored with it.

"Yes, but he has not notified us of any visitors," he decided to tell me, looking unsure of himself.

"I'm a surprise," I told him, thumbing my parasol with low-level anxiety. Maybe we shouldn't have come on the first day? I worried Shiro.

The guard looked over at the other man that was posted before they exchanged a shrug.

"This way." He allowed me in the open gate.

No, we need to make an impact! And I like Kisuke. I want to see him during day one, she insisted, hammering it into my skull somewhat unpleasantly as we were led forward.

I surveyed as I was led farther into the compound. It was nothing like the Twelfth Division in my time. It looked, really, like any other division. There weren't any monitors, no cords underfoot, no spy cameras or mics anywhere. This really is a whole other world, I marveled, feeling out of place yet again.

I frowned slightly as the sun snapped at my neck as we came to a small courtyard. Had I been shunpoing by, I could have easily mistaken this for Shunsui or Hirako's—"Call me Shinji!"—quarters. Maybe the Seireitei does have a rhyme or reason? I puzzled over the architecture.

"Captain." The guard stopped in front of the open rice paper doors to our left and held up a hand, stopping me short from showing myself.

"Yes?" I could hear a distracted Kisuke present.

"You have a visitor. Would you like for her to wait here or somewhere else?" the guard asked, eyes flicking once more over my incendiary look.

"Here?" he asked, confused. "Who is it? Captain Shihoin?" he half-asked himself.

"It's…" The guard nervously looked at me from the corner of his eye, realizing he didn't grab my name.

"Lady Keisei," I whispered, holding up my hand and trying to keep my voice as quiet as possible.

"Lady Keisei," the man answered, drawing his shoulders back and looking as if he was pretending I didn't just obviously help him.

"Lady Keisei?" Kisuke asked, sounding befuddled. "Well, she can wait for me here, if she'd like…" He trailed off again, and I heard a bang. "Although it might not be the best." A nervous laugh. He must be nervous around everyone, then.

Generalized social anxiety? Shiro guessed.

The guard nodded as we thought it over, politely bowing to Kisuke and then me before quietly leaving. I thanked him lowly.

Taking my cue, I stepped into view. I blinked in surprise. Before me stood Kisuke positively drowning in boxes. There were dressers pushed haphazardly against the wall, tall…cylindrical inventions leaning against another. In between there were wooden crates, boxes, and sacks.

He's a hoarder, Shiro and I realized simultaneously with a sinking feeling. Oh, no. It sunk a little deeper as I noticed a forgotten breakfast nearby. It's just past noon!

Seeing my look of surprise, Kisuke laughed from where he was standing. He had, essentially, trapped himself with possessions. "Yeah, it's a lot." He anxiously rubbed the back of his head, looking around. "I didn't think that you were going to come this early. I'm afraid I don't really have time to train today…" He smiled nervously at me, and I felt my jaw start to ache just by looking at him. He smiles nervously so often. That's gotta be painful. I winced.

He seemed to notice this. "Uh, I'm sure I'll have time soon. I just need to get a few things sorted first," he told me sheepishly, lifting the hammer in his hand that I hadn't noticed.

"That's not why I'm here," I interjected, his starting to turn away pulling me more into recovery from my shock. He blinked in surprise at this. "I actually just wanted to welcome you since you're a new captain. I wanted to reintroduce myself as a courtesan and…see if you need any help, I suppose." I faltered slightly as I referred to the boxes, weighing internally whether I wanted to get involved with his mess.

That would be a commitment. And we already did our makeup. I could feel Shiro nod to herself. I think that we've seen enough here. He's too dirty! And just like that, her serious interest in him flickered out.

That didn't take long, I noted.

Hey! she grumbled.

"Oh, thank you, but I don't think you want to help me unpack, and you can't really help me with captain duties, so…"

I hovered slightly, mulling it over. "Actually, I would love to help you unpack." I surprised him, pulling my hair stick out and using it to put my hair up again somewhat sloppily. What kind of secrets does the great Urahara Kisuke keep?

It turned out to be a lot of machinery, little things he had invented, an overabundance of shihakushos ("Why do you have all of these?" "Ah, a lot of them get ruined during my experiments.") and other odds and ends. Nothing great, and nothing magical.

I stewed on that while he and I sat on the floor with a lower crate in front of us acting like a table. We munched quietly on the staple Soul Reaper diet, Kisuke having retrieved it himself from the kitchens. It seems he didn't want to make any of his new subordinates go out of their way for us.

The shadows seemed to drag the boxes and machines crooked, making them into strange, futuristic villains that only danced at night.

I felt my mind wander as we ate silently to when Kisuke had escorted me to Rukongai. I felt something mischievous in me twist suddenly, raising its head up and running free. I recalled the time that I had shunpoed from Kisuke. I want to make him curious, I decided.

Putting my hand on the center of the crate, I allowed the slightest amount of reiatsu to gather in my hand.

Rikujokoro. I twisted, bent, and then straightened my reiatsu as a small, lantern-sized beam of light emerged from my hand.

The golden light reflected off of Kisuke's shocked face.

I took my hand away, letting the kido hang there as I went to finish my meal.

"Lady Keisei…" He cleared his throat. This is where he used to hide his surprise before, in the future. It clicked in me. "You are quite adept at kido from what I observed previously." Ever the scientist. I couldn't keep my growing fondness hidden. "Are you a kido master?"

His voice lowered at this, and I could see his eyes grow serious. I could see hints of what he would become if I were to fail. "And if so"—he continued, always the question asker—"why do you want me to teach you?"

I couldn't help the wistful smile on my face, the soft kindness in my eyes. I felt like I was, for a moment, talking to my old friend again. "I'm not a master." I knew that he thought this was dubious. "I just happened to have a first-year kido book from the academy. I've also seen many strong people perform kido in unique ways. I've had time to grow, but I need more than the basic 38 beginner spells," I reassured him, and my thumb traced circles on his hand from where they had linked unknowingly to me.

He looked down at our hands. Should I…? Kisuke was an asset. I need him, I tried to justify it to myself. I looked deep inside myself, using my old trick to help.

I had developed the idea myself when I had started to get singled out by the Arrancar. It had been the only thing that worked to help me manage my enormous power reserve and to escape from their talons.

I imagined my body as a yarn holder with a lid. If I opened the lid, then all of my power would come out. Instead, I allowed a single thread of the normally multi-threaded yarn to come out the small hole in the front, of which there was not much space. Just enough space to get by for now, I thought.

I wrapped this small, iridescent thread around Kisuke's wrist as he stared miraculously at where we were still joined.

"Your reiatsu control is…" He faltered, and I could see his mind racing. It felt good, to be the focus of his obvious curiosity. This Kisuke wasn't nearly as guarded. He's still so innocent.

I toyed with his hand, lightly tickling the back of it before I withdrew my powers once more. He looked up at me now, ideas constructing faster than light within him.

I held up a finger to my lips. "Don't tell anyone," I whispered.

He nodded. "I understand. I will keep your secret."

The kido pensively lit the area.

"Kisuke," I grumbled, face down on the floorboards. My hand was in something wet and sticky. Forcing my head up, my back cracked as I blearily looked around.

Did I pass out again?

There was a huge wine spill to my side, red wine most likely staining the floor.

I heard a muffled grunt from somewhere in the room. Reaching my not-quite-as-dirty hand up, I swiped at my eyes and cautiously touched my hair. Oh, I'm a complete wreck.

Cursing to myself quietly, I jumped badly when a foot nearly missed my sticky hand and the edge of the puddle. "Good morning," Kisuke's surprisingly chipped voice greeted me. "You looked so peaceful, and I didn't want to disturb you."

I squinted up at him suspiciously. He looked normal, shihakusho wrinkle free, hair in its normal state, and his captain haori unstained. "You look fine," is all I could come up with.

He laughed and reached down, offering me a hand. Not quite as nervous as before, then.

"I know some healing kido that helps. Plus I have a high tolerance." Making sure I was up, he went to walk away. My crummy vision swam slightly as my confusion grew. Healing kido would be nice right about now.

"Where's all the boxes?" I coughed, trying to clear my throat. My brain was chugging to try and figure out why the room looked so…empty.

"Oh, I put them away while you were asleep. I think I'm almost done now," he told me, kneeling before one of the cylindrical inventions and starting to lightly pound something into it.

I stared at him, dumbfounded.

"How?" No, actually, how? I was completely stupefied.

He looked back at me and blushed quietly. "Well, it all fit in my old room, which was smaller than this," he informed me before going back to his duties.

Shaking my loose head in disbelief, I looked at the wine spill at my feet and then to the front sliding doors. I think I spilled this…Guilt gnawed at me. I felt frustrated from already ruining his floor.

"I'll clean this up," I told him, touching my hair and trying to tame it before moving to leave.

Putting my hand on the door, I looked back at him. He was still toiling away. Did he even hear me? I brushed it off as I made my way to the kitchen.

"Have you seen my hair stick?" I inquired as I returned. I felt nervous without its familiar weight somewhere on me.

Kisuke thought for a second. "I don't recall you wearing one. Why don't we look for it?" he offered.

"No, it's fine. I'm sure it'll turn up somewhere else." I gave an awkward forced smile.

This seemed to be an emotion that the awkward man could read. "Is it important to you?" he asked tentatively.

I shrugged. "I'm probably better off without it," I confessed. Stooping down, I swiped at the stain. I huffed as I realized it had already set somewhat.

"Oh, you don't have to clean that up, Lady Keisei. I'm the one that spilled it." Kisuke knelt before me, and I jumped again.

He took the rag without asking, dunking it in the small bucket I'd retrieved, and started rubbing.

"I don't mind cleaning it." I floundered, unsure if I should stay and watch. I could tell from his focused gaze that he was intent on stopping the new stain from bleeding down more.

He looked up at me curiously. "Really?" he asked, incredulous.

This made me draw back slightly. "Is that an issue?" I tried to dip my voice towards the end to make it seem like less of a threat.

"A-Ah, no, not an issue," he stuttered, nervous again. "I just assumed since your status," he continued, going quiet.

I stayed sitting on my knees, frowning at the top of his head while he put some elbow grease into the floor.

"The Seireitei has made me soft, hasn't it?" I quietly asked myself. Status…that was so important to me before.

Dropping the sullied rag into the bucket, Kisuke looked at me curiously. "What do you mean?" he asked, tipping his head.

I mean that even after all of these years of being on my own, I still dream of the war and what it did to the World of the Living and the Soul Society. I mean that these buildings were hardly standing by the time I left, my final stand, and that seeing them alive and well, the occupants alive and well, has made my heart soothe.

A small down curl of my lips. "It's nothing," I told him lightly, standing up.

I stretched dramatically, starting to think over what I should do with my day. Feeling Shiro twist in me, a pleasant weight as she also stretched in my inner world, I knew what I should do and what I wanted to do were two different things.

My sense of responsibility led me to ask the right question. "I know you just started yesterday, but I was wondering if you might be able to find some time to train me?"

Swiping at the dirt that clung to his knees, Kisuke stood. "I wanted to talk to the seated officers today, then I was going to get a head start on some of the paperwork…" He trailed off before looking at the clock on the wall. When did he put that up? And how is that running? I stared at the obediently ticking clock hands.

A sudden thirst within me, a small shiver down my spine. Does this man…have batteries? The very thought was enough to make me feel struck by lightning, a newfound intensity racing inside me.

As if sensing my intense stare, Kisuke looked back over. "Why don't we train after dinner?" he asked with an awkward smile, completely misinterpreting it.

"All right. I'll meet you in your office after that then," I agreed, turning around.

This man has batteries, I decided, shivering again in pure excitement. Electricity.

My feet traced the stones to the Thirteenth, the bricks of the road slowly guiding me along.

My thoughts, wanting to spend today loafing around in one of the small forests in the Seireitei, instead turned to JuushiroJushiro in an effort to do something productive.

I can't believe he said that…His confession still hung low in my ears. His imaginary breath against my shoulder made me shiver. Why would he go and do that? It's complicated now. I allowed myself to frown deeply, not another Soul Reaper in sight.

It was true that I felt strong feelings for JuushiroJushiro. But the way he talked, the way he said those words, I understood how he felt.

Love…

I just couldn't be sure that we felt the same way.

JuushiroJushiro, Shunsui, and I sat in the back of the restaurant. Waiters and other patrons brushed us when they sat nearby. A sizzling plate of meat was placed on the table, and I swallowed reflexively.

I could never get my hands on this if I stayed in the outer districts!

"If we're talking about meat that I could love forever, Shunsui, we'd be talking about this." I wagged my finger at the plate as JuushiroJushiro blushed deeply, much to my enjoyment. I all but cackled at him.

Shunsui howled with laughter. "You're funny!" he laughed. "But I love this meat too, so I hope you're willing to share," he teased, serving himself.

"Uh…if I have to." I shrugged with a fake despondent look. Shunsui chuckled at this as he bit in.

"Seriously," JuushiroJushiro started, drawing himself up. He was always so serious when we talked about my work. "What would you do if you did find someone that you loved?"

I tipped my head back and forth, thinking it over as I politely served myself. I hummed. "Well, I suppose if they had enough money and all to keep us both happy, I wouldn't work anymore."

He nodded at this, his face showing that the interest had completely drawn him in. "But!"—I started—"if they didn't, I can't exactly leave us all to starve, could I?" I asked.

JuushiroJushiro crossed his arms, eyes focused and face thoughtful. "I guess that makes sense…"

"They?" Shunsui asked, poking at my unexpected slip.

I tried to laugh him off.

Stopping as the gate to the Thirteenth came into sight, my long, brown hair bounced as I turned around. I can't face him.

"I want to train somewhere more private."

Kisuke looked up at me curiously. I stood before his desk, the black onmitsukido uniform peeking out from under my kimono. It was just the two of us. Doesn't he have a lieutenant? The thought teased my brain as I waited. Who was that supposed to be again…?

"Private?" he echoed, looking down at the accounting audits that littered his desk.

I stayed silent as he flipped one page over to make sure it wasn't double-sided.

"This has to wait until tomorrow. The accountant is out sick today anyway," he told me, standing. "As for something private…I think I have an idea."

The rocky terrain bit into my slippered feet as the false-blue, cloudy sky perched overhead. Boulders were littered here and there, and a large crater in the center of the room took precedence.

He had brought me to his secret underground training facility. Hideout?

I fluttered my hand fan as I made an oh! sound. "You've been keeping secrets, Kisuke."

He blushed, rubbing the back of his head at this. I watched as he seemed to sober somewhat, dropping his hand. "I made this with the help of my two friends, Yoruichi and Tessai," he told me. "Please don't tell anyone about it," he asked.

I furrowed my brows. "I won't. But why let me use it if it's such a secret?" I asked.

His face drew in, turning somewhat grim. "After what you told me last night, how could I not?" he asked me, sounding vulnerable as his voice lowered towards the end.

Last night? I froze. I didn't remember last night. I felt a sinkhole open up in my chest as a newfound anxiety I'll call Kisuke Urahara flew overhead.

"R-Right…" I stuttered out.

Nodding at this and seeming satisfied, I watched Kisuke's back as he went towards the crater.

He's already got practice dummies set up…My eyes narrowed. What's going on here? I slowly followed after him.

This training session went much like the first. I would hold up my hands, remember the kido chant usually, and then fire it off successfully. When I couldn't remember the chant, I simply said the spell out loud. Kisuke hovered nearby just outside of the likely blast radius.

It felt easier to relax here, knowing that Aizen's watchful eyes had never and would never find this place. It had been a saving grace towards the end of the future.

My shoulders were lower, and I allowed my usually contained breath to flow more naturally.

I allowed my powers to leak out, relieved. At first the small spider-like strands became apparent in my hair. Then they seemed to grow from my clothes, attaching to the ground before slowly spreading outwards.

I turned towards Kisuke as he crouched down to examine them as they came closer, slowly growing faster. "I'm sorry. I can bring them back in, if you would like?" I offered. I had been told of multiple occasions that it was unusual to have reiatsu display in such a manner.

"No, it's fine," he told me, producing a pencil from an inner pocket and lifting up a few of the threads. "They aren't sticky," he observed, mumbling.

"They're kind of like friendly spider webs," I agreed, grabbing some off my clothes and throwing them to the side. "They'll appear whenever I get too relaxed and let my reiatsu come out naturally. I haven't seen anyone else's do it, so I try to hide them. They don't actually do anything," I insisted.

Kisuke let the strands fall back down as he stood. "No, it's normal," he corrected me, making my eyebrows shoot up.

"Really?" I asked in complete shock. He nodded. "Then why haven't I seen it before?" I asked, still incredulous.

"Well, this would happen if a Soul Reaper were to let their reiatsu out all the time and never hide it. But they'd have to be captain level or above."

Captain level or above? I twitched as that registered in me.

I looked down and tried to think. "What's yours?" I asked suddenly, curiosity getting the better of me. I looked up expectantly.

"O-Oh, it's not important…" He suddenly looked nervous, rubbing his hands together as he looked away.

I looked him up and down before aiming at the dummy and turning back to business. "All right." I let him off the hook.

Soul Reapers are so weird about some things…

Kisuke was silent as he watched me perform the last few kido.

"That's it," I told him, staring at the charred remains of the dummy. I had held myself back, but aimed for accuracy instead. It had been a quick death, then a mutilation. "That's all the kido I know."

Yesterday, he had at first tried to begin the painful process of walking me through Kido No. 1 before I had stopped him and shown him that I had a good grasp of it. After that, he decided that I should show him exactly what I know, and then we'd figure out a plan and move forward.

Kisuke flash stepped to the dummy, looking more closely at the damage. I watched as he nudged it slightly before he shunpoed to me. He's fast. I'll give him that. Although I could follow along, I knew that if he were to get more serious that I'd struggle.

Did my skills degrade during that time I spent alone? I wondered with a shock.

"You seem to have mastered the first 38 or so spells," he told me, looking thoughtful. "Do you have any experience with the next set of 25, the intermediary spells?" he asked me tactfully.

I shook my head no. "I've been on the lookout and keeping my eyes peeled for a second-year spellbook, but I haven't been able to find one," I told him, feeling a small amount of frustration with myself.

He nodded judgment-free. "That's okay. Why don't we—actually, do you have any kido foundation?" He managed to interrupt himself.

"Foundation?" I asked ignorantly. He looked at me expectantly. "I'm going to say no," I decided.

He looked back toward the dummy. I could see through his genial expression. He's shocked I've gotten this far.

"I've always been one for surprises," I told him, holding my hands behind my back and shrugging.

"I-I see…" he trailed off, looking down again. "Tessai has excellent kido experience, and he's a great teacher…" he mumbled to himself. He looked back up at me a second later. "Why don't we sit down? I think learning the basics will help us move forward."

I immediately plopped onto my butt in front of him and looked up. "Here is good!" I told him impatiently.

Kisuke laughed and then joined me. "You know, Lady Keisei, you really are impatient," he teased. I smiled back at him.

Drawing in the crusty dirt beneath us, Kisuke began to outline the very basics of kido. I tried to follow along when I could, asking questions as they came to me, which occasionally derailed us completely, and traced the diagrams with my own fingers.

"Tessai taught you all this?" I asked when he had paused.

"Yes. He's the leader of the kido corps now." He looked off into the distance.

"I don't think I know where that is," I admitted. "Do they dress like normal Soul Reapers?" I asked.

He shook his head. "No, they wear white. You really don't see them outside of the Squad 1 barracks or Central 46," he explained.

I nodded. "I definitely haven't gone near either of those places." It was my turn to laugh nervously now.

"Oh? Why's that?" Kisuke asked conversationally, producing an apple from his pocket and rubbing it on his shihakusho.

He bit into it as I tried to explain. "Well, you see, JuushiroJushiro and Shunsui kind of smuggled me into the Seireitei. So I don't think that the Head Captain or Central 46 knows that I'm here." I twiddled my thumbs anxiously at the thought. Aizen had taken out Central 46 as soon as he could. Since he had been the one fudging the execution date, I doubted I had dealt with them at all before.

Kisuke nodded along. "I see," he responded simply.

"I'm kind of a secret," I told him, face scrunching up.

He chuckled. "Well, I'm good at keeping secrets," he murmured, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

My mouth popped open, ready with a quick retort, when he stood and threw the fruit a bit away. "All right. Why don't we start with the next few kido? They get more complex from this point on, and it wouldn't be good to stay here all night," he gently prodded me verbally.

I followed suit, stretching one last time to help myself relax. I walked in front of the next dummy and held my arms out.

"Okay. This one is a barrier-type kido, not an attack type. Think of this as similar to seki, but instead of curving in, it curves outwards and more square." Kisuke detailed the spell while walking, circling around behind me.

I couldn't help but tense up when he stopped directly behind me, easily looking over the top of my head as he adjusted my arms. "Step a little more this way," he directed me.

I obeyed and found myself slightly too close to him. I could practically feel the threads of my reiatsu appearing slowly, linking us the more he hovered still.

"Now, repeat after me…" He crouched down slightly to get a better view at where the barrier would appear.

I sat naked in the spring, Kisuke having left some hours ago. He had graciously allowed me to stay and soak and had even told me that I could swing by and train in the future.

"That was so nice of him…" I murmured, sinking lower until everything below my nose was under the water.

Hey, can I come out? I felt Shiro gently prod within me. Allowing my power to go even more free, there was a rippling in the air on the other side of the hot spring as my hollow manifested herself.

I picked at some of the reiatsu webs in my hair as she got comfy, seeming satisfied by only having her legs in the water. Her legs, paler than even mine, looked milky in the water.

"Hey." I rested my head back against the edge of the hot spring and closed my eyes. The kido training had been challenging, even if we only did a few of them.

"What do you think is going to happen now?" Shiro asked quietly.

I lifted my head and looked at her with concern. "What do you mean?"

"We couldn't even master those few spells that Kisuke showed us. And you saw his shunpo too. We wouldn't be able to keep our breath if we had to seriously fight him," she worried.

"We've never been able to beat Kisuke," I reminded her.

"Aizen beat Kisuke." She frowned at me, adjusting her grip on the edge before slowly sliding in.

I frowned at her. "Yes, he did," I agreed with her.

We sat in silence. I could feel the unsurety, nervousness, the fear radiating off my hollow.

"If our bankai hadn't messed up, do you think we would have won?" I asked her honestly. It was a thought that haunted me. If we hadn't taken that accidental step back out of fear, if we hadn't fallen in…would we have beaten him?

I heard the water play as she shrugged weakly. "I don't know."

The answer was simple. It made me worried for myself. "Shiro."

"Yeah?"

"I believe in you," I affirmed her, trying to meet her lowered yellow eyes. "I know you're the more reasonable one between the two of us, but you need to trust me too," I tried to remind her gently.

"I do trust you." She frowned at this. Damn, I said the wrong thing, I thought. "But we couldn't master those spells tonight," she brought up again.

I did acknowledge this. The spells tonight had been more difficult than the ones we first learned. But Kisuke's lecture…

"Kisuke was kind enough to show us the ropes. It took us a month to get our first kido spell down, remember? Tonight we were able to produce two new kido spells weakly, but properly. And he even said that we'll probably get that third one by tomorrow. He was shocked at our progress." I tried to encourage her. I found myself slinking through the water, paddling slightly in the middle, the deepest part, before taking ahold of her knees. I gently held her chin and directed her to look at me.

Her sorrowful eyes met mine. "I love you, Shiro. If someone else was acting like you are, I'd tell them to be kinder to themselves." Her eyes seemed to glisten somewhat, but that could be the rising steam from the water. "Be kind to yourself, Shiro."

Her eyes rippled as the air shifted. She was gone.

I rested where she had been, looking up. "Oh, Muramasa, you've made my life so interesting." I thanked my long-gone enemy.

It was true that tonight hadn't gone perfect. But Kisuke had trained me—would hopefully keep training me—and I now had access to a place that Aizen couldn't get.

Tension soaked even further out of my shoulders.

I decided to train all the next day despite my thoughts continuing to circle around JuushiroJushiro. He doesn't need or want me around constantly anyway, right? I didn't even know how to respond to him yet.

Producing my small, sealed zanpakutou from the folds of my clothes, I rubbed its hilt.

The guard looked shabby. It had been cut through like butter when I had trained my latent powers and had never quite recovered. However, the sharp edges were dulling out as it seemed to slowly grow back.

Holding it out away from me, I examined the blade in the light. This had also been sliced through, resulting in a somewhat…stumpy dagger. But I still loved it. I thought it gave the blade character. It also made it easier to hide. No one thought my blade was a zanpakutou when I produced its five-inch steel.

Seeing that the material that protected my hands from the hilt was falling off again, I retied it sloppily. I flicked my wrist.

"Ikiryo." My blade remained unchanged.

I tasted the air, felt the soil, skimmed under the rocks surrounding me.

Shadows curled up my body and around my hands.

With a soft mental push, I annihilated the boulder in front of me.

My hands rubbed his shoulders, pressing down into the knots that I felt. Legs on either side of him, I sat on the curve of his lower back and enjoyed his perkiness behind me as I worked.

Shinji sighed happily as I started to knead a particularly stressed spot, turning his head to the side to relax with his eyes closed.

"Keisei…" he sighed wantonly. My hands paused. "You're the best…" he wistfully complimented me. My hands resumed their efforts as he relaxed even more below me.

After being worked on for several moments, the sensation faded and I ran my hands along his thin back appreciatively.

"That's enough," he ordered, and I was quick to remove myself to sit by his side. He rolled over to look at me, head in his hand, his eyes narrowed. "You ever been a masseuse before?"

I shook my head. "No," I denied.

He shrugged before getting up to stand on his knees. I could see the dent in his pants where my ministrations had centered. There was a small smile on his face while he maneuvered me to my knees in front of him.

I let him grip my hips, his hands not as tight and painful as they usually could be as he bid me to lean back onto him, working him through our clothes. He sighed appreciatively, relaxed, as he grinded onto me.

His hand came up to sneak a grab at my chest, rubbing and squeezing me in a way that made me think I'd be sore later. I sighed happily as he played with me, fingers centering around each nub.

Shinji chuckled in my ear, and I heard the shift of his clothing before he pulled on mine. Getting the message, I stripped off my kimono and threw my hair over my shoulder to get it out of the way.

"Good girl." He appreciated me, and I groaned. His hand snaked under me from behind, making me jump in a startle, and he chuckled. His curious fingers were already at my folds, rubbing and testing to see how wet I was.

Withdrawing, I made a sad noise as I missed the contact. Shinji squeezed my hip in response as I heard the tatami mats shift under us.

Something blunt was pressed against me at the highest point between my thighs. I made to move back and bend forward so that he could slide in, but instead Shinji held me still in front of him while he slid in between my legs below my hot core.

He groaned at the sensation I found unusual, enjoying the friction loudly as he caught here and there. I shuddered when his head brushed my lips, a vivid tease of what was to come.

Shinji's pace was slow, an almost painful, dry slow tug out and an equally slow thrust in. I could feel a hot mess beginning to build up in me the longer he took his pleasure out on me like this.

His fingers tightened around my hips as he slowly sped up, his head catching in my lips and beginning to spread the wet I was making. He leaned down to my ear. "Is this what you want?" I broke out in a shiver, moaning against his words. His other hand came up to grip my neck and jaw, forcing me into willing submission.

"You're a nasty woman," he insulted me, tongue laving over my outer ear as small, wet noises started to come from below. "Were you naughty, Keisei?" His hand tightened in threat as I made a desperate noise.

"Yes," I whispered desperately. "Yes…!"

His smile was punctuatel on my shoulder as he raked in my desperation. I longed to thrust backwards into him as his head kept catching on me more and more, my soft sighs building into moans.

His hands shoved at my back, making me fall forwards onto my hands. Taking himself in hand, Shinji lined himself up before squeezing my cheek almost painfully as he slowly slid in.

"You're a naughty woman. Taking it like this, from behind, and enjoying it." His mouth ran as he sank in deeper. I could only moan in agreement as I pulsated around his head.

"I've been naughty," I agreed desperately as he bottomed out, both of us groaning from the sensation. I bit out a sharp breath as he began to hammer into me, not yet used to his size.

Hands on my back to steady himself, Shinji focused his reiatsu into mine. Rubbing our souls rawly, I shuddered from the sensation and collapsed halfway. He chuckled brokenly at my reaction, wet noises building up between us deliciously.

"You like that?" he asked, making me whimper. "You like it when I mix our reiatsu like this?" His hands tightened on me, revealing that he was equally as affected.

His emotions flooded into me, raw passion, ecstasy, and a fast-paced heart. I shook below him, never having shared myself in such a way before. His pants turned harsher above me, a sweet song to my ears.

I was completely overwhelmed, the dual sensations building up between us like two bonfires merging.

Desperate noises left my lips as I squeezed around him, orgasming prematurely. Shinji's hips stuttered at the sensation, and he hissed as he released involuntarily.

"Shinji?" I flipped up the duvet on the American-style bed and playfully bent underneath.

"Lady Keisei?" My happy face faltered as his voice questioned me.

"I didn't realize anyone was here," I muttered under my breath, righting myself as Shinji appeared out of his guest bedroom.

"Sosuke! This is way too early. Come back later." Shinji tried to wave him off as he combed his locks out.

"No can do, Captain. There's another meeting today," Aizen told him, a deliberately soft kind of mischievousness coming through.

"Crikey!" Shinji threw his hands up.

"Rain?" Shinji asked, looking debauched in his yukata, hair braided and flyaways pinned back with decorative clips for the night.

I nodded, sitting next to him. I sipped my tea as Shinji looked up contemplatively.

"It doesn't rain in the Seireitei," he told me.

"What? Why not?"

He shrugged. "No idea," he said, deadpan. He looked down and picked at his nails. "The last time I saw rain…it was about 50 years ago, I think."

The courtyard before us swayed in what could only be perceived as a heavier wind. No rain water smell swam in my nose despite what could only be called a building atmosphere. It felt like it was going to rain.

"Did you go to the World of the Living?" I inquired, thinking of all the human items he had collected behind us in his room. Shinji seemed to get there more often than other Soul Reapers despite, or perhaps especially, given his rank.

He shook his head. "No, it was the craziest thing," he told me, looking up. I followed his gaze as he pointed. "About 500 kilometers that way"—he gestured broadly—"there was a great, big, black thing that opened up in the sky. It rained after that." His shoulders fell as he drank his tea, pinky out.

If I followed Shinji's vague directions, I would find myself at home in the valley. I swallowed nervously.

"Did you see it yourself?" I asked.

"The rain? Yeah. It was nice," he told me fondly.

"The black hole," I corrected.

"No, I didn't." Rock wren eyes watched me lazily, something growing to cloud their depths. "It'd be nice if it rained again." He sipped his tea, looking out into the courtyard.

I hummed in agreement.

I wandered the Seireitei shamelessly that night, fresh bite marks and scrapes decorating my legs as I allowed my kimono to go slack.

It had been raining, that final battle.

That final step back.

"Juushiro?" I knocked on the door to his rooms. I waited patiently as I heard some quiet shuffling before the doors slid open. My nerves were somewhat rattled after my disturbing night. I was seeking the comfort he always held for me.

Selfish, Shiro accused. You don't return his feelings. I tried to shrug her off.

Juushiro greeted me yawning. "Good morning. I didn't expect you back so early," he told me, rubbing at his head tiredly. With the doors open, I could hear Shunsui's quiet snoring behind him.

"My apologies." I flitted my skirts somewhat in a casual dip. He waved me off before ushering me inside.

I sat on the floor before the table. Juushiro yawned again as he put tea on. "You've been gone for a few days. I—we were worried about you." He sat to join me.

I nodded, wincing. "I'm sorry about that. I've been taking private lessons from Captain Urahara." Juushiro folded his hands into his sleeves, fighting the early morning chill. Concern melted into his face. "Kido," I tacked on without grace as I listened to Shunsui slowly wake up behind me. "He's been teaching me kido."

Juushiro pursed his lips as I jumped from the whisps of Shunsui's fingers on my back. He came up behind me, wrapping me in his arms as he nuzzled my hair. I couldn't help but hiss quietly as he accidentally put his chin onto one of the worse marks in the hollow of my neck.

"Oh, sorry," he said, adjusting himself and then pulling me into his lap. He yawned, and I couldn't help but sink into his warmth.

"So you're taking kido lessons from Captain Urahara," Juushiro stated, bringing Shunsui up to speed.

I nodded.

Shunsui sighed behind me and into my hair. "This is going to be hard to explain to the old man." His tone was light, but I recognized the shrewd undertones.

"The Head Captain?" I tried to crane around to look at him but quickly gave up.

Juushiro solemnly nodded before me. "Yes. He inquired about you privately after the last captains' meeting," he told me.

I flinched slightly as the tea pot began to whistle. Juushiro stood and attended to it while Shunsui spoke. "We were hoping to keep this quiet for a little longer," he told me.

My heart started to beat out of whack as their tension grew into me, knotting like an old, wood tree. I had always been intimidated by the Head Captain. I still recalled his death like acid down my throat.

"It's not the first time there's been courtesans here, but it's the first time that one has been so favored," Juushiro told me delicately as he poured.

"So the old man was just asking some questions to learn about you," Shunsui told me as Juushiro finished. I felt myself go rigid in shock. It must have shown clear as day on my face.

"If you're uncomfortable, we can probably distract him…" Juushiro told me, looking even more concerned now.

I felt myself swallow, suddenly feeling as if I was drifting away in a dream. I stuttered slightly, trying to form words, before I fell silent.

Shunsui and Juushiro watched as I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself.

"I didn't realize that I was a secret still," I started, making Juushiro wince.

"It's not like that," he insisted.

I looked up at him with a frown. "Not anymore," I agreed.

"No, I mean—" Juushiro started.

"We knew that he was going to find out," Shunsui cut up from where Juushiro had started to falter. "But we assumed he'd force you to leave. We didn't think he'd be interested."

Interested? I swallowed nervously. "I'm not interested in him," I answered with robotic shock.

Juushiro held up his hands. "No, not like that." My audible sigh of relief. "We told him that we see your great potential as a Soul Reaper. He just had some questions about you," he explained, lowering my crashing anxiety with his cool waves.

"I told you I don't want to be a Soul Reaper." I frowned lighter at this. "It's the rules and the not being able to wander off that I don't like." We had talked about this quite extensively in Rukongai. I didn't understand what they weren't getting.

"We noticed your zanpakutou," Shunsui said from behind me. I was suddenly aware of his arms around my waist. I jolted and tried to push myself up and off of him, but his arms suddenly turned heavy and secure. I gave up with an oof!, not wanting to strain myself or fight. I started to quake minutely. My hands ached to hold my missing hair stick, to stroke it soothingly.

"Are you a Soul Reaper, Lady Keisei?" Juushiro asked before me.

I felt my eyes start to water. These idiots! I cursed them.

Tears sliced down my cheeks. Juushiro stared at me, his eyes having gone from rough and craggy to empathetic. The tea had gone cold. The shadows of the early morning were starting to extend to midday around my exposed heels.

I squeezed my eyes shut. I was doing…so good too!

I nodded.

Shunsui sighed behind me.

"Why hide it?" Juushiro prodded.

Silence.

"What squad are you from?" he pressed delicately.

I started to sniffle pathetically as my nose began to run. My face felt like it was burning.

"I'm not from a squad!" I bit out, covering my face in a pathetic attempt to hide. Shunsui didn't attempt to restrain my hands. If anything, his hold had become gentler instead of hard steel.

"What do you mean?" he asked above me, voice unreadable yet gentle.

My vocal cords let out an uncontrollable squeak as I tried to form words. My tears came heavier as my breathing started to pick up. "I'm—" Am I really going to say it? In front of them? Shiro's hand pressed into my back, a pale comfort.

"I'm a substitute Soul Reaper," I sniffled out.

Juushiro gasped almost inaudibly. "What?"

"How is that possible?" Shunsui asked. His grip slowly tightened again.

I hyperventilated as I forced the words out brokenly. "I-I have a transportation-based zanpakutou," I confessed. "I was fighting a really strong guy, and-and I messed up and somehow got thrown here." I rubbed my eyes harshly as I sniffled.

Juushiro and Shunsui were silent as I started to break down.

Something soft pressed against my face through my agitated wiping, making me pause and crack an eye open. A white handkerchief was pressing into my face.

I hiccupped, my intense crying causing the strange reaction in my throat. I allowed Shunsui to wipe my face like a child as I tried to hold in my sobs. This was my first time confessing the barest truth to anyone. My hands and arms went ramrod straight at my sides.

"Please don't hurt me." I sniffled, shaking as I tried to contain myself.

"We would never hurt you." Juushiro leaned forward earnestly. I could practically hear the warmness he was exuding. "We care for you, Lady Keisei. We promise we won't tell anyone," he continued, making my heart pulsate painfully.

Shunsui brought his arms up and held me delicately. "We'll make sure the Head Captain leaves you alone," he promised, and I gave one last shudder.

I was exhausted. Spent. We sat in silence. I stared at the cold, green tea.

"Why don't I draw you a bath?" Juushiro asked suddenly.

I nodded dumbly.

Accepting this, I watched as he stood and went to the bathroom. As he rounded the corner, I felt Shunsui lean in closer to my ear and speak. "Hey, this isn't some act, is it?" he asked blatantly, making my eyes go wide. I was too shocked to speak. "I guess it's not, then." He rubbed his chin against the side of my head, trying to bring some of the warmth back that had been between us previously. "Don't worry," he told me simply.

That warmth would not return so easily.

I heard the unspoken words.

They can't protect me.

I let my zanpakutou rest on the pile of clothes I left behind as I tipped my head back in the bath.

I'm in it deep now.

A single bead of water dripped down the back of my neck slowly. It felt like the years were passing faster the farther it fell.

Captains Ukitake and Kyoraku sat across from each other. A silencing kido muted the outside world around them. More importantly, it muted the bathroom.

"What do we do?" Captain Ukitake asked his dear friend.

Captain Kyoraku sighed, taking off his straw hat. He toyed with it as he frowned. "She certainly hasn't made it easy on us," Kyoraku agreed.

"Yeah…" Ukitake stared at the now-aged tea. "I don't think she has any ill intent," he insisted.

"Something would have happened when we brought her into the Seireitei if she had any," Kyoraku agreed, taking a sidelong glance at the door.

"Something might still happen," Ukitake started, surprising Kyoraku. "But I think this is a risk that we should take," he told Kyoraku firmly.

Kyoraku sighed. "You're not making this any easier on me either, you know…" he admonished without any real heat or scorn.

"Sorry…" Ukitake's apology echoed regretfully on Kyoraku's ears.

"It's okay." Kyoraku put his hat back on. "We need to find out what she's been doing when there's been no one else around. I'll talk to Captain Shihoin. She'll be able to put some men on her to observe her movements."

Ukitake frowned. "That's the most that we can do," he agreed. "As for the Head Captain…"

"I'll take care of him," Shunsui said, rising. "He and I are meeting later today." He went to leave.

"Oh? What about?" Ukitake asked.

"That storm. The one that the kido unit has been tracking." He tipped his hat.

"That's right…I fear it'll be here soon." Ukitake's gaze turned pensive.

Kyoraku could only hum in agreement, his own shoulders so lightly tensed that only his life partner could see it.

"Tsuriboshi." I tried to invoke the spell by name only as I used my shikai to heft a large boulder well into the air. I shielded my eyes from the illusionary sun as I watched the kido form six weak arms and grab on to whatever was closest.

I winced as the boulder sank into the spell, one of the arms snapping immediately while the others held on, protecting the boulder from the ground.

The kido dispersed after I finished analyzing what I had done wrong.

Clapping to the side made me look over with surprise. Kisuke stood there, smiling lightly at me. "Good job!" he reassured me.

I blushed slightly at this. After the incident with Shunsui and Juushiro, I had started to avoid them and instead spent a large amount of my time tucked away here studying.

"T-Thank you." It was my turn to stutter.

"I got you something." Kisuke surprised me.

"O-Oh?" I wasn't sure how to respond. While my other lovers frequently gave me gifts, my relationship with Kisuke had not gotten to that nature yet.

I watched as he produced a shabby-looking book from his haori. The lettering on the cover stood faded, the deep-set ink discolored as if it had been personally kissed by the sun. The binding looked well bent. The lettering read The Soul Reaper Academy: Kido Edition II.

"That's the second edition!" I realized, stepping forward and well into his space as I ran my hands over it. "This is what I've been looking for. Thank you, Kisuke." I looked up at him, my eyes warm with my sudden cheer.

He blushed, holding the book with one hand. "I'm not sure it'll be much help since I pretty much already told you what you needed, but it might help." I followed his gaze down as he flipped open the book.

The pages were equally worn, the text having gone illegible in some spots from too much love. He scrubbed through a few pages and pointed at various diagrams and sections. "Like this and this, and this here, I've already covered that with you. But there might be something in there that I forgot," he explained to me.

I eagerly nodded. "Thank you so much," I told him again, not sure how to express my gratitude to him.

Give him a kissth. Shiro puckered her lips at me obnoxiously, not letting me live down helping him unpack.

Don't you hate hoarders? I teased back. She pouted.

"You're welcome." He laughed awkwardly. We both hovered there for a second before he scratched the back of his head and looked over at my kido. "Is that Tsuriboshi?" he asked with clear surprise.

"Yes, it is. I seem to be having some trouble with getting all of its arms to appear, though." I tried to downplay the fact that I had raced through a good number of the prior kido that he showed me without issue.

The prior anxiety of Shiro had inspired me to double down on my efforts. One of the best cures for my own anxiety was to take my mind off of it, and there was little better than trying to exercise my powers.

"Are you using the full spell chant?" he asked, crossing his arms and looking thoughtful.

"No, but it will conjure fully if I do," I told him. "The other kido I know, I don't have to use the chants or say anything really to conjure them completely. I want to be able to do that with these spells."

He nodded. "I see. Why don't you cast the kido with the full chant? I'd like to see." He smiled at me quietly, the shadows around his eyes somewhat abated by it.

"O-Oh." I swallowed reflexively, cat somewhat catching my line of thought as I found myself thrown back in time to my younger, more awkward self. "Sure." I turned back to my practice ground. I flipped open the book and read a passage. While I already had it memorized, I wanted to assure myself that I was correct. My eyes squinted as I read the chant, the passage itself looking worn down by pressing fingers. I resisted the urge to sneeze as dust flew up when I turned the page to complete the chant.

"Tsuriboshi," I finished, flexing my powers this way and that. Allowing the power to build up in me slightly, I then pointed high in the air above where the previous one had formed.

It formed beautifully, unfurling like a soft, fresh clay flower would on a turntable. The kido was a soft, proper powder blue as per the book. I couldn't help but whistle lightly in satisfaction as I watched six arms connect with nearby boulders. It boing!ed pleasantly as it shook back and forth.

The previous spell lay below it, sad, forgotten, and shriveling as I cut off its energy flow.

"Oh, wow. You're really good at this," Kisuke said, suddenly closer to me. I flinched slightly, startled at the proximity, but he didn't seem to notice. "And you're saying you want to do this all mentally?" he asked me, sounding much closer to the previous Kisuke that I had known, curiosity wrapping around him like a firm blanket.

"Yes. It's faster," I admitted, looking at my hands. For someone that used to know zero kido and, in fact, struggled with it until recently…I'm doing pretty good. I smiled at myself as I squeezed my hand and made a fist.

"I see. Well, don't be too harsh on yourself. But I'm sure that you could do it if you put your mind to it, Lady Keisei." He looked down at me warmly again.

My heart stuttered once more as I began to blush. Am I developing a heart condition? I worried inwardly.

"Thank you. And thank you for the book," I told him again. That was so thoughtful of him.

I decided to emerge a few days later.

The sunlight bit my eyes, giving a surprising heat to my skin as I looked around cautiously. While the entrance was naturally hidden, I didn't want to be the one that led to it being discovered.

Today I had a special plan. But that special plan would require some set up, if it even worked. Raking my hand through my disaster-level hair, I gave a small pained ouch! as it snagged majorly.

Well, maybe I already had step one in mind anyway, without the plan.

Untangling my poor fingers from my extended rat's nest, I closed my eyes and breathed deeply.

Now, let's see…Where is Shunsui? Quieting my power, I let it covertly reach out and taste the air around me. Probing this way and that, I settled on him and Juushiro alike both in Juushiro's office.

"Perfect." Tucking my zanpakutou back into the folds of my clothes, I flash stepped delicately above the tree line that disguised the entrance.

Breathing deeply, I enjoyed the distinct smell of the pines mixed with the bamboo and tightened my powers inside of me. I flash stepped away.

The reason I preferred Shunsui's bath was obvious.

Stripping off my now revolting and sweat-clogged clothes, I sighed as I stepped into the inground bath.

Juushiro's bath was a simple aboveground wooden tub. While nice and spacious for two, there was something I enjoyed more when it came to fine brickwork and relaxing in what was essentially a pool for two.

Running my hands over my body, the soap lathered and caught on my marks. I sighed from the quiet sting, almost enjoying it somewhat.

I'm a courtesan for the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. It had been a reality that I had mulled over in my head quite frequently since this all began.

I trailed my hands up and around my shoulders, following the gentle slope up my neck.

I only chose to do this originally because it was easy money. And because I knew I wouldn't get pregnant. One of the older women I had first encountered had taught me a little unofficial kido. She had thought that I was a new soul and had looked pitifully sad as she informed me that it was critical knowledge for any woman with spiritual power. Consider yourself lucky for having enough power to do this, she had told me when I had learned it completely.

That's around when I got my first kido book, I remembered distinctly.

I hadn't intended to pursue this profession with…them. The thought was honest. When I had met these people in the future, I had just become a woman. I was too preoccupied with thoughts of Aizen to even pursue anything more than heated looks with someone despite how my body had burned.

But now I was in the thick of things, getting to know these longtime friends and comrades of mine more intimately than I had ever thought possible.

I sighed, scrubbing my hair.

"I think this might be the best way things could have gone." I looked down at my naked form before dunking my head and scrubbing.

Well, time to get dressed.

I frowned, wondering where my hair stick could have gone. It hadn't turned up here either.

"Excuse me, miss…are you lost?" A young, trembling man stood before me, hands squeezing the life out of a broom. The way his striking black hair framed his face was familiar, but his strong jawline and the large birthmark on his chest showed his uniqueness. He has to be Hanatarou's dad, I decided.

"Hmm-mm," I answered gently, spinning my parasol slowly. "I'm actually here to introduce myself to Captain Unohana."

"O-Oh, the captain?" he asked. I nodded. "She's a bit busy today. She might be free tomorrow…" he trailed off, shrinking back as if expecting a strike.

"I understand. Thank you." As I politely responded, I felt the quiet, somewhat familiar reiatsu come into the courtyard.

Adjusting my kimono and making sure it covered the worst of my love marks, I met her eyes as she approached.

"I didn't realize we were having a visitor, Seventh Seat Hanatarou," she began, folding her hands as she spoke.

"Captain!" He seemed to relax as he turned to her presence. "My apologies. I was just explaining that you are preoccupied today." He bowed politely as he spoke.

"I have time for this visitor. In fact, I'm surprised she didn't come sooner." She clinically looked me up and down, pausing to note that my kimono was more reserved than the rumors she had heard.

"Shall I prepare tea, Captain?" Hanatarou's father asked, looking at me with slight unease.

"No. Please have the lieutenant do so," she directed. She turned to me next. "Follow me, please."

We sat in a luxurious tea room, a small table in between us. Art hung on the walls depicting various scenes across the Soul Society. The tatami mats under us clicked as we subtly shifted as we spoke.

"I am Lady Keisei," I spoke.

She sipped her tea, remaining silent. She has always been the quieter type, I remembered. Feeling an urge to fill the air with useless chatter, I forced it down as I tried to be patient and wait.

"I am Captain Unohana. I have served as a captain and alongside Captain Ukitake and Captain Kyoraku for over 100 years," she began. "They seem to have both taken a liking to you. You must be quite special," she prompted, and I felt the bite mark higher up on my neck burn under her nonjudgmental eyes.

"I'm not sure I'd say special," I tried to downplay it. "I think we may just be suited for each other," I tried to reason, shifting my legs.

"That may be so," she answered.

"Um…" I started somewhat awkwardly, rubbing my thumb on my tea cup.

"What is it?" she asked, suddenly seeming like some kind of merciful angel delivering me from myself.

"I was hoping I might be able to learn healing kido from you." Putting my cup down, I put my hands on my legs in an attempt to still my body.

"Oh?" she asked, completely unfazed and not sounding surprised. "Why would that be?" she continued, ever polite.

Not speaking, I placed a hand over the somewhat bad-for-me-even bite she had eyed earlier. I winced at the action automatically.

"I see," she answered, observing me. "Have you asked Captain Shunsui or Captain Ukitake about this?"

The question surprised me. "Why would I ask them?" The question fell out of me. I guess they did say I should have told them about training with Kisuke…

"I see. I assumed since you are their charge…" She drifted off, letting me pull my own conclusions out of the hat.

"I don't believe I'm anyone's charge," I told her firmly. I'm not anyone's charge. I'm not becoming a Soul Reaper.

Unohana sat, seemingly observing my internal struggle. Her calm poker face gave nothing away.

"I will teach you healing kido."

I sagged slightly in relief before remembering myself.

"On one condition," she continued, making my ears twitch.

"What is that condition?" I asked quickly, slightly apprehensive.

"I would like you to remain in the Fourth Division while I train you," she informed me.

My mouth twitched at this. "I need to continue my work," I told her automatically.

Maybe this won't work after all…Shiro worried.

"I'll clarify." A pause. "I would like you to remain here at night when you are not working." Her tone remained professional, judgment-free.

I re-relaxed. "I understand." I have been borderline homeless since I came here…It'd be nice to relax on my own without someone else right there.

She nodded. "I will have quarters prepared for you. Let's begin our training tomorrow." Standing, she called to her lieutenant who was waiting on the other side of the doors that led out to the garden.

I watched as he came in and began to clear the table and she left.

Sighing to myself as the sleepiness of the sun heat got to me, I stood and subtly stretched my ankles, which had fallen asleep.

"Lady Keisei"—the long, dark-haired man began, making me look over at him as he balanced the tea set with one hand—"please wait here while I take care of setting up your quarters," he instructed me.

"Thank you." I nodded, making his eyes widen subtly.

"Captain Unohana! How's it going?" Shunsui waved from where he leaned against the railing. The two had agreed to meet alone in the First Division where prying ears were unlikely to be.

"Good, thank you. How are you?" Hands folded, she stood next to him and looked over the Seireitei as well.

"Good, thanks!" he answered good-naturedly. The two enjoyed the quiet away from their respective divisions for a moment. "How'd it go?" Shunsui asked, voice quieter and more serious.

"It went well," Unohana answered. "She will be under my watchful eye tomorrow." She paused. "How did you know she would come to me next?" she asked, curiously watching Shunsui.

Shunsui hummed in response, trying to put the feeling into words. "I suppose it made sense," he answered evenly. "She seems to be lacking fundamental Soul Reaper skills. She already has a kido teacher. She's either going to try and learn how to heal or zanjutsu next. If it were me, I'd learn to heal first."

Unohana admired the intellect of her companion yet again. While he was much younger than her, it seems that he was able to connect things in ways no one else could see. "Who is her kido teacher?" she asked curiously. This child kept her reiatsu tightly bound. In the short amount of time they had spent together, Unohana had been able to see that she was gifted in that way, if not others as well.

"The new captain, Captain Urahara," Shunsui answered.

"I see." Remembering Captain Ukitake's attachment to her, her voice was delicate with her next question. "Are you sure this is the proper course of action?"

He hummed. "Juushiro thinks it is," he answered after some time.

"But you don't." It was non-accusatory.

"I'm not sure," he answered after thinking it over.

Unohana turned towards the Seireitei again, taking in the view as she thought this over.

"I went to his division to greet him a few days after his appointment. I was unable to locate him. His squad members did not know where he was either," she spoke, eyes connecting with Shunsui's.

He hummed. "There's nothing wrong with taking a breather. I was overwhelmed when I became captain too," he pointed out.

A quiet silence encased the two as they considered their own first days.

"But!" Shunsui complained. "We noticed that the storm built up again last night. And when I sent someone to notify him so he could take readings, he was nowhere to be found."

Yellowed, sulfur-dirtied hands held the metal reverently up.

The metal hair stick clicked against the barrier, the glowing orb not giving a reaction.