Hey readers, good to see ya again. Nothing to really put out as far as author's notes goes, but I will say that the end of the semester is in sight; about another 6 weeks to go. Grades are still up there, and as long as I don't screw something up, I will hopefully be ending the semester with all A's. Crossed fingers.
Had a single review, so I'll answer that real quick.
Deadzior: Thanks for the review my friend, and I gotta say that there is something wrong with you if you managed to read all 500K words in a matter of 3-4 hours. I mean…it takes me roughly 3-5 'days' to finish a good 200K word story, yet you did it in a few hours? Geez, talk about speed reading, lol. You remind me of Johnny from 'Short Circuit', flipping through a whole encyclopedia in a matter of minutes. A quick answer to your remark about Hichigo meeting Gamuza: that would be hilarious, but sadly, won't be possible. Or maybe…
Okay, reviews are over, but sadly I didn't get a review from Spades, so no Banter this time. But again, sometimes real life gets too busy just like it did for me. Hopefully things will look up for him. So I guess we'll move on to the next chapter.
(I DO NOT OWN BLEACH; ITS CHARACTERS, NAMES, LOCATIONS, OR STORY! THAT HONOR BELONGS SOLELY TO TITE KUBO AND HIS TEAM! ONLY THE OC, AND RANDOM NAMES NOT MENTIONED IN THE BOOKS OR ANIME ARE MY OWN!)
Chapter 36
(Discriminations)
Urahara Shop, 4 Days Later
Over the past few days, Renji and Rukia trained almost endlessly, really only stopping to eat and sleep, to prepare themselves for their mission to Hueco Mundo. Toshiro had himself, and any of the others not on patrol, assisting with their training by giving the pair someone to spar against.
Thankfully, Yoruichi had returned from the soul society the day following their little meeting and was a great help with the training; although there had been a few times where she slightly overdid it and knocked one of them out, notably Renji.
As suspected, she discovered that there had been another squad member working in the Squad 12 communication department that was loyal to Aizen, and had purposely disabled the scanners that were observing Karakura Town during the specific time that Orihime was captured.
As a result, the Head Captain personally shut down the entire division on a temporary basis until each and every squad member could be checked. The only part of the division that was still running was the communication department that was now manned by trusted officers and watched by the stealth force; although standard communications with Hitsugaya's team were still on hold.
Per Timothy's demand, and with the help of one of Tessai's barriers, he was out at the far edge of the training area doing his own 'special' training and had asked to not be disturbed. Something that annoyed Toshiro heavily.
He needed to be training 'with' Renji and Rukia so that they could get used to fighting together; but with a thorough 'explanation' from Kisuke, the Captain ended up agreeing and letting the matter go.
Nel was proving to be a great help to Kisuke in building the garganta, giving him just about every specific detail regarding them. Because of this, he was more than happy to inform the group that he would have the device finished by the next afternoon.
But that pleasure turned into a big problem when Ryūken Ishida called from the hospital to inform him that Orihime's aunt had finally been reached, and that she was on her way to claim the teen's body.
And now everyone, including Ichigo, was sitting around the table to begin discussing options. Kisuke had just finished telling everyone the situation, when Ichigo gave the shop keeper a fallen look.
"So, what do we do now?" Ichigo asked in a depressed voice. "Orihime's aunt lives somewhere in China, so it won't take long for her to get here." He added.
Kisuke sighed lowly as he lowered his fan. "I was hoping we would have more time to plan this out…but I guess four days was pushing it. I'll have to make a gigai that looks exactly like miss Inoue and switch it out with her real body in the hospital. Fortunately, Ryūken will be able to help us with that. The real problem is what to do once we've rescued her and returned her to her body. She quite obviously can't stay here, as everyone in the area would quickly recognize her; and seeing someone who 'should' be dead, but obviously still alive, would be a bad thing. Which reminds me…" he paused to look at the teen. "How did miss Arisawa take the news of her death, Ichigo?"
Ichigo closed his eyes and shook his head. "To be honest, I couldn't tell if she was more furious, or sad. She ended up punching a hole in her wall when I told her, and almost did the same to me. After that, she told me to leave. I asked Chad and Uryū to keep an eye on her, but she hasn't been in school the past couple of days." He informed sadly.
The shop owner nodded slightly. "I see. Once we've rescued miss Inoue, we can inform her of what's going on. She seems to be fairly aware of the situation surrounding soul reapers, and I'm sure she may even prove to be of some help in the future with miss Inoue. But, back to the topic on hand, once we 'have' rescued miss Inoue, we will have to find a new life for her; possibly even with a new alias."
The substitute widened his eyes. "Wait…you mean she will have to leave?!" he asked in shock.
Timothy sighed heavily and nodded. "He's right, Ichigo." He confirmed, gaining the teen's attention. "Like he said, everyone knows Orihime Inoue is 'dead', so we can't have Orihime Inoue walking around, freaking everyone out and causing a scene. I mean, a bubbly, teen girl with bright-orange hair is kinda hard to miss, Ichigo. Kisuke, do you think she would be able to stay in the soul society, at least until we can figure out where she can go?" he asked.
Kisuke turned to Toshiro with a raised brow. "Captain Hitsugaya?" he redirected.
The Captain sighed and rubbed his temples. "I don't see why they would decline, but I can't say for certain that they will allow her to stay."
Rangiku raised a finger to her cheek. "What if we gave her a little makeover? You know; change her hair, little makeup, the way she dresses…" she offered.
Most everyone gave her weird looks. "You are joking…right?" Renji asked in stupor.
The woman rolled her eyes. "Of course not. You'd be surprised what a little makeup can do, Renji." She defended.
"Will you two shut up?" Toshiro snapped, then turned back to Kisuke. "We can consider the possibility of miss Inoue staying in the soul society for a while, but the question is whether or not she will want to." He pointed.
"At this point, I don't think she really has much of a choice." Timothy stated. "She can't stay here in the shop, that would only make her feel like a prisoner; seeing as how she won't be able to leave it. At least in the soul society she would still have some freedom. But right now, I think we should focus on just switching her body and 'getting' her here." He furthered.
Kisuke nodded. "I agree. I'll have the garganta up by noon tomorrow, so I would advise the team going to come up with a plan.
Renji turned to Toshiro. "So, what's the plan for when we get to Hueco Mundo?" he asked.
Nel took a breath and answered for him. "Kisuke is setting the garganta up to open at the edge of the menos forest. Las Noches is a two-day walk from there, so we should be able to get there in a day. I know of a few secret entrances that the Espada use, we can use one of them to get inside. Once we do, it's only a matter of finding out where Orihime is being kept, then rescuing her. Once we have, I can open a garganta for us to return here. I would advise, Captain, that you and the others be waiting here for us in case we are followed."
Toshiro nodded firmly. "And you're sure you can get inside without being detected?"
The woman shook her head. "No. As soon as we use one of the secret entrances, they will know. Aizen has cameras all over Las Noches, so once we are inside, we will need to move very quickly. If we run into any Arrancar, we will have to either finish the fight quickly, or flee."
Rukia shook her head solemnly. "This is going to be very difficult. Would it be wise to split up, cover twice the area?" she wondered aloud.
"I would recommend against that, but we may be left with no choice in the end. We will just have to make sure we regroup before I open the garganta." Nel warned.
Timothy rose a brow at her. "Can you open the garganta and allow Orihime to go through without you?"
She shook her head. "No, I have to be there to make the exit. Kisuke's is different, as his opens both the entrance 'and' the exit at the same time; where mine opens the exit when I arrive at the end. Also, someone has to make the path for her using spirit energy. Orihime is unable to do that, and she would simply fall into the abyss. So it is best if we stay together as long as we can." She advised.
Kisuke grinned. "Well, it seems that we have our plan. Continue training if you wish, but be sure you all get plenty of rest. How is your training coming, Tim?"
The Lieutenant moaned. "Like hell. 'Johnny' is running me through the ringer." He whined.
"Just what kind of training you doing, Tim?" Renji inquired.
Timothy waved him off. "Just helping me with my core abilities, let's leave it at that. Hopefully I'll be done by tonight." He said dismissively.
The redhead nodded and stood up. "Well, let's get back to it, Rukia. Yoruichi's probably gonna kill us for taking so long." He moaned.
Kitsune tilted her head. "Why didn't she come up here to hear everything?" she wondered.
Rukia glanced at the spirit. "She said she wanted to take care of something and stayed downstairs."
"Probably to set up our burial sites." Renji whined, causing Kitsune to snicker.
"Well, have fun then." She teased.
Renji glared at her. "I hate you."
Timothy and Nel deadpanned. "Join the club." They moaned in unison.
"Hey!" the spirit yelled as she pushed Timothy over by the shoulder.
Toshiro sighed heavily, rubbing his temples. "I'm surrounded by idiots."
Rangiku's face dropped as she pointed at herself. "What?! You couldn't mean me, Captain!" she whined.
The Captain glared at her. "Especially you!" he returned.
Ikkaku, Timothy and Renji all snickered, making her death-glare them. "You got something to say, boys?" she hissed.
They all quickly froze up and shook their heads. "Nope! Nothing at all!" Timothy answered, earning nods from the other two.
Toshiro had had enough, so he swiftly stood up and turned to leave. "We will meet back up downstairs an hour before the team leaves for final planning. Ikkaku and Rangiku, you two stay here and help with training; Yumichika, you are on patrol." He instructed, then started to leave.
The mentioned personnel nodded as Yumichika stood to follow the Captain. Kisuke looked back at Nel as he stood as well.
"Well miss Nel, shall we finish preparing the garganta?" he asked, earning a nod from her.
She moved to stand up, but Timothy's hand on her own stopped her. She looked to see a concerned look on his face as he waited for everyone to leave. Once they were alone, he turned to her.
"You okay?" he asked in a quiet voice.
Nel lowered her head and nodded. "I'm fine…just worried about Orihime. I just…I just hope that Aizen hasn't done anything to her."
Timothy gripped her hand a bit tighter in a soothing gesture. "We'll get her back, Nel. Did Gamuza have anything to say about all this?"
The woman sighed before raising her head back to him. "Not really, I don't think she cares about it."
"Really Nel? Please, I may be a hollow, but I am not cold. Even I will admit that that girl doesn't really deserve to be experimented on by Aizen. So I'm not 'against' helping to save her, but it doesn't mean that I like the idea. You just remember what I told you; your powers have gotten weaker in your base form. But considering that that stupid midget Captain has our zanpakutō, there's really not much else you can do, is there?" Gamuza stated.
Nel closed her eyes and sighed. "Actually…I guess she does. Even she said Orihime doesn't deserve all this. So I guess she is with us on this." She offered.
Timothy nodded. "Thanks, Gamuza. I just wanted to make sure you're doing alright, Nel. I care about you a lot, you know." He said in a sad voice.
"We both do, Nel." Kitsune added with a smile, resting a hand on the woman's knee.
Nel smiled back at her and nodded. "Thank you, I care about you two as well. I should get back to helping Kisuke. See you two later." She said, then stood up to join the shop owner in his lab.
Kitsune stretched her arms above her head with a relaxed breath. "Well, you should get back to your training, Tim."
Her partner glanced at her. "And what about you?" he asked.
The spirit grinned. "I'm gonna sit right here and watch some tv while 'Johnny' has his fun with you." She teased.
Timothy's face fell with a moan. "I really have no idea how I've put up with you all these years." He whined.
Kitsune snickered. "Cause you love me." She offered before laughing.
The Lieutenant shook his head and stood up. "I hate you." He mumbled as we walked away.
The spirit waited until he was out of sight before standing up and walking into the kitchen. Reaching into the freezer, she grabbed the small bucket of ice cream, that Timothy was adamant that she left alone, and a spoon before returning to the dining room and turning the television on.
Propping herself into the corner, and resting her feet on top of the table with one leg over the other, she got herself into a relaxed position as she placed the first spoonful of the delicious treat in her mouth; closing her eyes and lightly moaning in pure bliss.
'Mmmm…heaven!' she reveled internally. 'If only it was cookie dough instead of strawberry.'
She pulled the spoon from her mouth and swiftly scooped some more from the container before placing it back inside her mouth. She continued the process at a steady pace; watching the television as she enjoyed her 'forbidden' treat.
Squad 5 Headquarters, That Afternoon
Hinata placed her teacup down before picking her brush back up and running the back end of it down the form in front of her as she read. Her hand stopped when she noticed a wrong entry, where she wrote down a quick correction and placed the form to the side to be rewritten.
The woman sighed heavily while rubbing her temples, gaining Tetsuzaemon's attention. "Everything alright, Ogawa?" he inquired.
Hinata moaned as she let her hand fall down onto the desk. "Yet another screwed up form, Lieutenant. Seriously…it's like they're not even paying attention to what the hell they're doing. That, or they just don't give a fuck." She cursed.
The man sighed with a low growl. "How many today?" he asked in a low tone.
She picked the form back up and waved it in the air. "This makes the third one today, Lieutenant; and it's only an hour past noon." She answered, then set the paper back down. "I feel like I'm spending more time fixing errors on the forms than 'signing' them. It's bullshit." She whined.
The Lieutenant gave her a firm, but not angry glare. "And what do you want me to do about it, Ogawa?"
Hinata threw a hand in the air. "Find 'someone' who gives a shit to start the damn paperwork. I mean, come on…as boring and tedious that paperwork can be, there's a whole lot of worse things they could be doing. Is it really that hard to put some care and effort into your work?" she said, then started rubbing her face.
Tetsuzaemon set his own brush down and rested his hands in his lap. "I get what you're saying Ogawa, and I definitely agree with you. But, there's really nothing I can do except give them a talking to; and we both know that's not going to fix the problem." He stated, earning a scoff from her.
"Nope." She affirmed, then took a calming breath. "Sorry Lieutenant. All of this is just a lot more stress than I thought it was going to be." She admitted.
The man nodded, then a moment later reached down inside his desk. Hinata raised a brow as he shifted things around inside before raising himself and producing a large flask. She had to respond quickly when the man suddenly tossed it at her.
"Drink up, Ogawa." He instructed.
The woman looked at the flask, then back to him with a shocked expression. "In the middle of the day?!" she asked.
Tetsuzaemon furrowed his brows. "Just shut up and drink, you idiot." He demanded.
Hinata shrugged her shoulders before opening the jug and taking a long swig. She gave out a pained breath as she scrunched her forehead in distaste.
"Damn! Where the hell did you get this?" she asked, then took another drink.
The man scoffed at her. "A place I know over in the 42nd district of West Rukongai. It ain't all filtered out like that regular stuff you're used to. Now quit hogging it all and toss it back." He answered.
She placed the cork back in the top and tossed it back to the man, who reopened it and took a drink himself. "It's got a bite, but it is pretty good. I'll have to get some." She commented.
The Lieutenant corked the jug and threw it back to her. "Nah, it's a secret that me and only a few others know about. I ain't telling ya." He said with a wry smile.
"Greedy bastard." She mumbled to herself as she took a drink.
This made him chuckle. "Feel better now, princess?" he mocked.
Hinata finished drinking and gave the same, scrunched face before glaring at him. "Don't make me jump over these desks to beat you senseless, Lieutenant." She threatened, tossing the jug back.
Although she would never show such blatant disrespect to her superior officer, except when her temper overrode her judgement, over the past week the two of them had actually got fairly close to each other and found reprieve from their daily stresses by tossing insults and threats at each other.
It started the second day that she was assigned there, and after nearly losing her temper again with the endless paperwork, Tetsuzaemon decided to use his and Ikkaku's 'coping mechanism' on her; calling her pathetic and slow.
Needless to say, she lost it at that point; yelling at him and threatening to strangle him if he didn't 'shut up'. But instead of yelling back at her, or threatening to punish her for insubordination like she thought he would, he simply smiled and asked if she felt better.
Once she took a calming breath and nodded, his smiled grew into a toothy grin where he told her 'good', and that if she was going threaten and insult, do it the 'right way'. And since then, whenever either of them got too stressed out, the other would start tossing the insults and threats.
Tetsuzaemon caught the jug and gently swished the liquid inside around. "Geez Ogawa, ya ain't gotta drink it all. Damn pig."
The woman lightly slammed a fist on her desk with a red face. "Oh shut up! It was already half empty, you drunk bastard! And don't act like you don't have another one that was sitting right next to that one!" she shot back.
"That doesn't mean you should drink it all, fool." He stated and took a drink.
She snarled at him. "I didn't, you drunk. I took three sips, and that's all. Now quit your crying and toss it back over." She demanded.
The man rose a brow. "You ain't my mother, Ogawa, so stop acting like it." He pointed, then tossed the jug.
Hinata caught it and pulled the cork. "Heh, thank god for that. I'd kill myself if you were 'my' son. You're 'way' too much for 'any' mother to handle." She said, then started drinking.
"Ha! Like you're one to talk. I feel bad for any kid that calls you 'mom'." He returned.
She finished and glared at him. "Screw you, you bastard." She shot, then looked inside the jug. "…Oops."
His brows shot up. "You drank it all?! Damn it, Ogawa! That shit ain't cheap! I told you not to hog it!" he said, now standing.
The woman rolled her eyes with a scoff. "Oh, be quiet and open the other one, stupid." She said nonchalantly as she tossed the empty jug to him.
He caught it in one hand while balling his fist at her with the other. "Why?! So you can drink all of that one too?!"
She glared daggers at him. "Quit acting like a damn baby and just open it already!"
Their banter was interrupted by a knock on the door, where Tetsuzaemon swiftly stuck the empty jug back into the desk and sat back down. "Come in." he answered in his gruff voice.
The door opened to reveal Sajin, who looked between the two skeptically. "I hope that I have not come at a bad time." He stated, telling the two officers that he had overheard their 'arguing'.
"Not at all, Captain. Would you like some tea?" Tetsuzaemon asked.
Sajin held a declining hand up, then turned to Hinata. "No thank you, I've only come to see how things are working out for miss Ogawa and her friends." He responded.
Hinata let out a pitiful sigh. "For the most part…I'd say tolerable would be the best answer, Captain. On my end, the paperwork is an absolute joke, and on the other end, Kenta, Issei, and Yuka are trying to keep their spirits up. What about back home, Captain?" she inquired.
The furry Captain gave a knowing nod. "Things have been proceeding at a bearable level; although I admit that the usual paperwork has been a bit slow since you left. Thankfully, our 8th and 9th seats return from the world of the living the day after tomorrow, so they will be there to assist." He informed.
Tetsuzaemon nodded. "I wish the Head Captain would find us new Captains for the 3rd, 5th, and 9th Squads. That way I can get back to helping you, Captain." He commented.
"As do I, Tetsuzaemon. But it is unlikely that those divisions will see replacement Captains for quite some time. Until that time, we will just have to make do with what we have. I see that you have made miss Ogawa your new 4th seat; so how is working for you, miss Ogawa?" he asked, now looking at her.
The woman gave a fallen face. "You tricked me, Captain." She whined a bit playfully.
The man chuckled warmly. "Fear not, miss Ogawa; things will get better as time moves on, and I have faith that you will persevere. You just need to believe in yourself and know that you can always come to me if you find yourself in need of help." He offered kindly.
Hinata offered him a kind smile with a nod. "Thank you, Captain. If it's not too much, can I ask if you've heard anything from Tim lately?" she inquired.
Sajin's face fell just a bit, causing the woman to begin worrying. "Frankly, I am not supposed to inform you of this; but seeing as how you are one of his very few friends, and the fact that I know I can trust you, I suppose it will not hurt. An incident has occurred in the world of the living. What that incident is, I cannot tell you; but Captain Hitsugaya has been instructed to establish a small team to infiltrate Hueco Mundo with a very important objective. Who the others on the team are, I cannot tell you, but I will tell you that Tim is one of those team members." He informed in a low voice.
Her and Tetsuzaemon's eyes widened. "You mean that their sending Durn to Hueco Mundo?! Please forgive my bluntness Captain, but are they insane?!" the Lieutenant asked in shock.
Hinata held a hand over her mouth. "He's going to be killed, Captain! Didn't they just barely survive when the Arrancars invaded just a week ago?! How do they expect him to live in their own home?!" she demanded, tears of worry coming to her eyes.
Sajin closed his eyes and sighed. "I understand your concern, for I share that concern as well. But this mission is of extreme importance, and the Head Captain was left with no choice but to send a team to complete it. I cannot tell you any more than I already have, all I can offer is that we must have faith that his team will succeed and return safely. We all know how determined Tim can be, so we must not doubt him. I ask that you do not say anything to anyone, miss Ogawa; not even to your friends."
She lowered her head and slightly nodded. "I won't say anything, Captain. I promise. Thank you for telling us." She offered in a weak voice.
The Captain nodded back and turned to the Lieutenant. "Tetsuzaemon, if you two find yourselves falling behind, please do not hesitate to ask for my help. I will see if I can find more members to assist you."
Tetsuzaemon sighed heavily. "Frankly Captain, you and I both know that's very unlikely." He pointed out.
"That may be so, but we cannot allow ourselves to fall into despair. Keep your heads raised high, and do not falter. I must take my leave now." The furry Captain said, then turned to leave.
"Thank you, Captain. I'll let you know if Ogawa gets out of hand." Tetsuzaemon teased.
The woman glared at him. "Kiss my ass!" she shot back, causing Sajin to stop at the door and glance at her.
"Be careful what you ask for, miss Ogawa; Tetsuzaemon just may respond to your demand, and not in a friendly manner." He 'cautioned', then left the office.
Hinata rose a brow in confusion as the door closed behind him, then she turned to see a sly grin on the Lieutenant's face. It took only a moment for the Captain's words and her own to come together, where she turned a bit red with wide eyes.
"You wouldn't dare!" she defended.
The man gave her a dark chuckle. "Is that a challenge, miss Ogawa?"
Her face grew even redder, before she quickly turned away from him and back to her forms. "Just shut up and get that other jug out, asshole." She mumbled in anger and embarrassment.
Tetsuzaemon reached down and withdrew the jug before tossing it over. "Just make sure not to guzzle it all, you pig."
She caught it skillfully and pulled the cork before holding the opening to her lips. "Don't tempt me, Lieutenant." She returned, then started drinking.
Squad 5 Training Area, 5 Minutes Later
Kenta, Issei, and Yuka sat down in the shade against the side of the barracks, taking a quick break that the squad's 8th seat instructed them to take. Kenta was drinking from a flask of water, while Issei had his eyes closed and head tilted back, and Yuka had her knees pulled to her chest.
Kenta finished his drink with a relaxed breath before turning to his female friend. "So, how have you been recovering, Yuka? You doing alright?" he asked with a kind voice.
The woman took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah…for the most part. I just…miss him. I guess I should feel happy that he at least died fighting. I'm still very upset about it all, but I'm starting to accept it. Thank you for asking, Kenta."
Issei opened an eye to her. "You know we're both here for ya, along with Hinata, right?" he questioned.
Yuka turned to him and smiled. "I know, and I can't thank you guys enough for being there for me. I honestly have no clue what I would have done without you guys. But you don't have to worry, I'll be fine." She returned warmly.
"Heh, look what we've got here." A voice spoke out, drawing their attention to a group of three men. "Three idiots wanting to learn how to be traitors." The man followed.
Yuka narrowed her gaze with a growl. "Is there something you three need?" she questioned in the calmest voice she could manage.
The second man shrugged his shoulders. "Not really, just making sure that the Seireitei ain't gotta worry about the traitor elite getting outta hand."
Yuka gritted her teeth as she fought to keep her temper in check as Kenta and Issei stood up. "Do you guys really have nothing better to do than acting like childhood bullies?" Issei asked skeptically.
"Yeah. To be honest, it really makes you look pathetic. I mean, come on…as long as you guys have been here, you should know not to judge others by the actions of another. Just because Aizen, Tōsen, and Ichimaru turned traitor, doesn't mean their entire squads are the same." Kenta added.
The first man rolled his eyes. "Tsk, yeah right. I'd expect that from three weaklings who came from a squad that actually knows what loyalty means."
Kenta raised a brow. "And you do?" he challenged.
The third member chuckled at him. "Obviously more than you, seeing how you left your squad to join a bunch of traitors. Tell me something, do you even feel the slightest bit of remorse for turning your back on your squad?" he mocked.
Yuka stood up and rested a hand on Kenta's shoulder. "Just ignore the idiot, Kenta. You can't really get mad at someone because they lack honor." She soothed.
The leader scoffed at her. "Us? Lack honor? That's rich coming from someone who's own brother died at the hands of a weak-ass hollow." He mocked.
Kenta and Issei's eyes widened, where they quickly turned to see fury building up in their friend's eyes. "I would strongly advise you stop while you're ahead. All three of you know that those were not some 'weak-ass hollows'. Those were Adjuchas, and my brother died while trying to defeat them; which is more than you have ever done, seeing as how you have never even 'seen' an Adjuchas. Hell, you've probably never even seen a real hollow before." She sent back.
This caused all three of the men to laugh before the second one waved her off. "Woman, I've killed more hollows than all three of you combined. Hell, if 'I' was there during that fight, that pathetic excuse you called a 'brother' wouldn't have had a scratch on him. He would have been able to come back home and go cuddle with his teddy bear."
Issei and Kenta had to react fast and grab Yuka's arms as she tried to draw her zanpakutō, the three men laughing their asses off at her. "What's wrong, woman? Was I right?" he mocked further.
Yuka yelled out in anger before she pointed her index fingers at her friends. "Hadō #1 Shō!" she yelled. The kidō hit her two friends' in their sides and forced them away from her, allowing her to draw her sword and hold it to the side. "Slumber…" she began.
A large, gloved hand grabbed onto her blade, causing her to stop her release and turned to the person who interfered. Everyone's eyes widened when they saw Captain Komamura standing there and looking down on Yuka with a calm face.
"That will not be necessary, miss Sano. Please return your zanpakutō." He instructed in a kind voice. She furrowed her brows at him as tears began falling down her cheeks, causing the furry Captain to soften his stare even more. "Please calm yourself, miss Sano, and sheath your zanpakutō." He asked again in a lower voice.
She continued to stare at him for a moment longer, but finally turned away and nodded. "Yes Captain…please forgive my actions." She offered in a quiet voice.
"There is nothing to forgive, miss Sano." He returned, then release her blade. He watched as she sheathed her zanpakutō, then turned to her friends. "Please take miss Sano to her quarters to rest, and the three of you are released for the day" he instructed.
Kenta and Issei nodded quickly and gently ushered Yuka away in tears. Sajin waited until they were a fair distance away before turning to the three men and giving all three of them a very harsh glare.
"You three are very fortunate that I had arrived when I did. Had I not, all of you would have likely been slain by miss Sano's hands, and I would have had to regretfully punish her for her actions. I can see that all three of you are from Squad 13, and I 'will' be having a very in-depth conversation with your Captain regarding this incident. I had honestly never expected members of Captain Ukitake's own squad to be a part of these horrendous discriminations. Now hand over your zanpakutōs, immediately." He finished in a low growl, telling the three men that there was no room for 'any' argument.
All three of them reluctantly handed there assigned weapons over to the large man, who was able to hold all three of them in his large hand. Sajin continued to glare down at them with a beastly snarl.
"I am thoroughly disappointed in all three of you. All of you have shown to have no honor or respect towards your fellow members; and frankly, it displeases me to consider you comrades. Now return to your squad, and do not let me see you come near this squad, or mine again. Is that clear?" he asked in his firmest tone, earning bows from all three of them.
"You are dismissed." He concluded, watching as the three of them vanished in shunpo.
Sajin took a slow, and steady breath with closed eyes as he tried to calm himself down. He had seen and heard the entire confrontation from afar, and was watching to see how his squad members would respond to the discrimination; choosing the moment when Yuka was about to release to interfere.
The Captain had finally calmed down enough to begin thinking his next action more clearly, and was instantly gone through a flash step.
Squad 13 Headquarters, 10 Minutes Later
Sajin continued through the halls of the headquarters as he made his way to Jūshirō's office. He knew he was getting close when two familiar yelling voices came to his ears; the furry Captain shaking his head with a grin at it.
He came around the corner to see the large double doors with the symbol for '13' on them, stopping in front of it and listening at the two voices bickering inside.
"No, 'I'll' go deliver the morning forms, Sentarō!" a female voice yelled out.
"Like hell, I told the Captain that 'I' would do it, Kotetsu! Quit trying to take all of the glory, you idiot!" a male voice shot back.
"Me?! You're the one always sucking up to the Captain!" she fought back.
Sajin shook his head again with a chuckle before knocking on the large door. The arguing immediately stopped, where a quiet voice answered. "Yes, please come in." the voice strained out.
The Captain pushed the door open to see Sentarō Kotsubaki, and Kiyone Kotetsu, the squad's two 3rd seats, standing near the empty Lieutenant's desk looking like they were about to get into a scuffle.
As Sajin looked forward, he saw Jūshirō sitting behind his desk and looking rather 'strained', likely from having to sit there and listen to his two officers bicker amongst each other like they usually did.
Jūshirō smiled warmly at the man. "Ah, Sajin…good afternoon. Is there something I can help you with?" he asked kindly.
Sajin came to a stop in front of his desk. "I see your morning has been…entertaining as always." He offered.
The white-haired Captain's face fell just a slight bit. "Yes, I guess that would be a fair assumption. How are you today?" he asked.
The furry man nodded. "I am well. I was hoping you and I could discuss something in private."
Jūshirō smiled even more. "Of course. Sentarō, please deliver those reports to Squad 1. And Kiyone, please take these to Squad 8." He instructed.
The two officers bowed quickly. "Yes Captain!" they replied in unison, before Sentarō turned to his peer. "Hey! Quit stealing my thunder, dummy!" he yelled.
The woman glared dangerously at him. "I didn't steal anything. If anything, you stole it from me!" she shot back.
Jūshirō sighed heavily while rubbing his temples. "Please, go about your duties, you two." He pleaded.
Both of them quickly bowed again. "Please, forgive us, Captain!" they yelled out, then grabbed their appropriate forms and left the office.
Ukitake sighed again and shook his head. "What am I going to do with them?" he mumbled to himself as Sajin sat down.
"My condolences, Captain Ukitake; and I must apologize that I have come to bring you even more troubles." He offered.
Jūshirō rose a brow at him. "Is that so? Might I ask what happened?"
Sajin raised his hand and set the three zanpakutōs down on the man's desk, causing him to raise his brow even further. Sajin sighed heavily as he crossed his arms.
"I'm afraid I must inform you that three members from your division have been caught saying discriminating things against Squad 5." He informed.
Jūshirō's eyes went wide. "What?!"
Sajin nodded solemnly. "They were harassing my members that I had assigned to Squad 5 to assist them. Sadly, their words had caused one of my members to become furious enough that she had almost released her zanpakutō to attack them, had I not interfered."
Ukitake's shoulders fell as a saddened expression formed on his face. "This is indeed regretful. May I ask what was said?" he inquired.
The Squad 7 Captain closed his eyes and told him everything that was said, including how his own members responded to the words. Jūshirō's saddened expression only grew worse as Sajin continued.
When Sajin was finished, Jūshirō swiftly stood and bowed to the man. "Please, forgive my men for this atrocity, Captain Komamura. I assure you that they with be punished for their actions." He assured.
Sajin sighed heavily. "Please sit down, Captain Ukitake; their actions where not yours, so you have no need to bow to me. I did not come to seek retribution, but to simply inform you of what has happened. I am just as disheartened by this as you are." He reassured.
Jūshirō rose and sat back down with a heavy breath. "Thank you, Sajin. Please, rest assured that they will be dealt with accordingly. Aside from this, how is Squad 5 fairing?" he inquired.
"They are doing what they can, and I can honestly say that they are doing a very fine job at keeping the squad together." Sajin responded.
"Have you heard anything from your Lieutenant?" Jūshirō furthered.
Sajin shook his head. "I have not heard from him in some time; only bits of information from Captain Hitsugaya's reports. The Head Captain has informed me that Tim has managed to solve his problem with his…zanpakutō, but he did not elaborate."
Jūshirō nodded. "I see. It still troubles me knowing about what happened to him and his wife, and I hope they can figure something out." He offered.
Komamura nodded back. "As do I. Please forgive the short, and distressing visit, but I must return to my Squad. Now that Tetsuzaemon is helping Squad 5, and Tim is in the world of the living, I'm afraid my shortage of personnel is not that far from Squad 5's at the moment."
"Of course. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Sajin. If you do happen to speak with Tim, please give him my regards." Jūshirō offered as Sajin stood.
"I will be sure to do that. Thank you for your time, Captain Ukitake." Sajin finished, then turned and left the office.
Once he left, Jūshirō looked down at the three zanpakutōs on his desk. "So sad that Aizen has caused so much damage. I fear some of us may never recover." He said to himself.
Now outside the Squad's headquarters, Sajin began his slow trek back to his own squad as his thoughts began moving towards Timothy. The man had expected to receive at least and occasional message via hell butterfly from the Lieutenant, but ever since his last message to request to stay a few days after his fight with the Adjuchas, he had received nothing further.
Of course, it wasn't really required since Captain Hitsugaya posted team reports on a regular basis, but it would have been nice to at least receive something to let the Captain know he was doing alright.
Over the past few days he had been starting to wonder if everything was alright with him. But at the same time, he was also getting a bit suspicious with all of the purchases he had made lately with the squad's mission funds.
Not really at the amount that Timothy was spending, even though he had spent a bit more than would be normal, but rather at 'what' he was using the funds for. In addition to the one time before, he had used the mission funds twice more for women's clothes, some of them in a very…erotic taste.
As far as Sajin knew, Timothy didn't have anyone that he thought of in that manner, and the amount of clothes he bought so far suggested against a simple gift for his two female friends. He was obviously buying enough for someone to have a small wardrobe.
Sajin trusted Timothy, but with everything that has been going on since Aizen's betrayal, he simply couldn't afford to ignore certain things; and a certain Lieutenant buying large amounts of women's clothes for no reason was one of those things.
'Something just doesn't seem right with this.' Sajin concluded after coming to a stop. 'I believe it might be best to look into this matter more directly.' He thought further as he changed direction, now heading towards the 1st Squad.
Urahara Shop, That Evening
"Why did you have to eat it all?!" Nel yelled out in fury.
Kitsune was currently backed into a corner behind the dining room table and scrunched up in a ball, holding up a pillow seat as a shield towards the angry Arrancar; all while Timothy stood to the side rubbing his temples in agitation.
"I can't help it, Nel! It's an addiction! If you wanted it so bad, then you should have eaten it!" the spirit tossed in as a pathetic excuse.
Nel growled as she stomped her foot, pointing down at the cowering spirit. "Don't give me that, Kit! I wanted to save that for tonight! Unlike you, if you had 'asked', I would have shared! But no, you 'had' to sneak behind my back like the weasel you are and take all of it for yourself! You're so damn greedy!" the woman accused.
Seeing that things were only getting worse, Kitsune quickly turned to her partner. "Tim, are you just gonna stand there and let her kill me?!" she questioned in worry.
Timothy pulled his hand down enough to roll his eyes to her skeptically. "Don't come crying to me, Kit; you're the one who brought this upon yourself. The only thing in this matter I 'will' say is that Nel really should have known better." He stated.
The Arrancar swiftly glared at him. "What?! How is 'any' of this my fault?!" she demanded.
He gave her the same expression he used on Kitsune. "You know how Kit is by now, Nel. You 'should' have known that if you leave you ice cream in the freezer when she's out and about that she would eat it. Sorry, but I can't feel that much sympathy for you this time. If anything, you were kinda asking for it." He pointed out, earning nods of agreeance from Rukia and Renji who were sitting on the opposite side of the table.
"He's got a point, Nel. This isn't the first time she's done that, and it's likely not going to be the last." Renji stated.
"I still can't believe you two are willing to kill each other over ice cream. It's a good thing the Captain isn't here right now, or he'd kill 'both' of you." Rukia commented.
Timothy rolled his eyes. "Please don't jinx it, Rukia. That's the last thing I need right now." He whined.
Nel growled lowly and returned to a still cowering Kitsune. "It doesn't matter! It's not fair that she gets all the ice cream! I was saving that for before we leave tomorrow! Now what am I supposed to do?!" she questioned the spirit.
Rukia rose a brow at this. "Why don't you ask Tim to take you out for dinner? In my opinion, that sounds a whole lot better than sitting around eating ice cream." She offered.
The teal-haired woman's eyes lit up, where she turned to the man. "Would you?" she inquired.
Timothy glared at the short woman. "You did that on purpose, Rukia. But still, I can't really argue that that's a good idea. So sure, we can go out for something, Nel." He accepted, then turned his glare to his partner. "And I know a certain someone who had better keep their mouth shut the entire time if they know what's good for em." He threatened.
Kitsune quickly nodded, not willing to ruin her only chance at staying alive. "Got it! Not a peep! I swear it!" she quickly responded.
Her partner nodded firmly at her. "Good."
Everyone turned when Kisuke entered the room fanning himself; who stopped when he saw the current situation. "Am I…interrupting something?" he inquired.
Timothy glared at Kitsune. "Not really, just a cancelled execution." He stated, causing the spirit to cower more.
Kisuke looked between the two of them. "I see. Well, if you are not too busy at the moment miss Nel, could you leave your gigai here and come with me to the lab. I have a few more things I would like to confirm for the garganta."
Nel tilted her head at him. "Get out here? But…won't my spiritual pressure be detected?" she questioned.
The shop owner waved her off with his fan. "Not to worry, miss Nel. I had Tessai reconfigure the barrier to also hide your spiritual pressure as well. It won't be but a minute." He stated.
She shrugged her shoulder and allowed the man to push her out from her faux body; Rukia grabbing it and setting it down in the corner next to her. The two of them left to the lab as Renji stood up.
"Well, I'm gonna call it a night and relax. See you all in the morning." He said.
Rukia turned back to them and sighed. "I guess I'm gonna go check in with Ichigo. I haven't heard a word or anything from him since he left after…you know." She said with a dropped head.
Timothy nodded at both of them. "Yeah, I know. Tell the idiot I said hi, and be sure he knows that we 'will' get Orihime back."
"I will. See you tomorrow, Tim." she finished, then left the shop with Renji.
Timothy crossed his arms and leaned against the wall with a huff, where Kitsune slowly relaxed and sat with her knees to her chest. The pair sat and stood in silence for a few moments before the spirit looked up at him.
"Tim." she called.
He took a deep, calming breath. "What?"
She lowered her head to her knees and sighed. "Are you scared…about tomorrow?" she asked.
Timothy opened his eyes to her, now calmer. "Honestly…not really. I'm more scared about Orihime at the moment."
Kitsune nodded. "Me too. I'm worried that we might be too late, or not even succeed at all."
The Lieutenant watched her for a minute, then sighed before sitting down next to her and resting a hand on her shoulder. "Well…we won't if we start doubting ourselves." He pointed.
The spirit snorted at his remark. "This coming from you? That's surprising. Usually you're sulking." She mocked.
He scoffed right back. "Kinda hard to do that when my life's at stake for it. Yoruichi will definitely kill me if I started sulking again."
Kitsune chuckled at the memory. "Ain't that the truth. I'm glad she managed to break you out of your self-pity. I honestly got tired of seeing you in that state. Sorry for doubting, I just…" she chocked up.
Timothy gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze and a nod. "I know Kit, we're all worried. We'll get her back."
She sighed heavily as she leaned into him, resting her head on his chest. "We will. You should probably go get ready to take Nel out. Hopefully somewhere nice."
He rolled his eyes at her. "Really? Did you think I wouldn't and just go somewhere simple?"
Kitsune chuckled lowly. "No, but she would definitely appreciate it. I know I did. Try that fancy Italian place near the arcade. I don't think she's had Italian yet." She offered.
Timothy smiled and nodded. "Sounds like a good plan to me. Thanks for the input, vixen." He teased.
The spirit snorted again. "You love me, and you know it, stupid. But once you get back, you should probably get a little bit more training in with 'Johnny'. How is that going anyway?"
"Nearly there he said. I surprised you're not in on it." He stated.
She shook her head on his chest. "No, this is his training, not mine. I can't get involved in it. It's best to just stay out of the way."
They were interrupted when the front door slid open. Both of them turned and immediately froze and sweat began pouring from their faces when they saw who walked in.
"Oh fuck!" Timothy whispered.
"Tim…" Kitsune followed in worry.
The visitor closed the door behind him and strode up to the pair, stopping in front of them and looking down on them.
"Good evening, Tim." the man spoke.
Timothy swallowed the lump in his throat. "C…Captain Komamura?!" he choked out.
The Captain raised a brow. "You seem upset to see me." He said calmly.
The Lieutenant slowly shook his head as he tried to regain his composure. "No…not really, Captain. I'm just…very surprised to see you here." He offered.
Sajin nodded. "That's understandable. I apologize for showing up without warning, but I wanted to make sure you were ready for your mission and see you off." He informed, then looked at Kitsune. "It is nice to see you again, Susan." He greeted.
"Kit." She corrected, making him raise a brow. "Moeru Kitsune is my name now, not Susan. That person is gone. So please, just call me Kit." She said with a smile.
The Captain's face fell a bit before nodding. "I see. I am sorry that things have worked out this way." He offered.
The spirit shook her head. "We're not. We've come to accept it and have moved on. So please, you don't have to worry about us, Captain." She assured.
Sajin smiled back. "In that case, I am happy that things have worked out for you."
Kitsune chuckled at him. "Thank you, Captain."
Sajin then noticed Nel's gigai in the corner. "Might I ask who that is?" he inquired, now starting to get a picture as to why Timothy had purchased so many clothes.
Timothy was now sweating bullets as he tried to come up with something to tell the man. "That's no one, Captain. Just some new gigai that Kisuke's working on." He lied.
The Captain stared at the body for a moment. "I see. Is that the reason you were buying so many women's clothes?" he asked calmly. Timothy flinched slightly, but Sajin noticed and looked at him. "I take it that's the case. Might I ask why Kisuke Urahara is having you buy clothes for his new gigai?"
The man was backing them into a corner, and Timothy was constantly finding himself with less and less options to take to get out of it. Finally, Kitsune raised her hand with an embarrassed look on her face.
"Uh…that's my fault, Captain. Kisuke asked him to pick out some clothes for the gigai, and when we went shopping…I kinda…begged him to get more than was necessary." She said while rubbing the back of her head. "Sorry, after being away for over twelve years, my old shopping habits kinda got the better of me. And Tim was never really one to tell me no. I guess old habits die hard, huh?" she offered.
Timothy inwardly let out a relieved breath and praised Kitsune for her quick thinking. "Yeah…sorry about that, Captain. I'll be putting all my pay towards paying it off." He assured while scratching his cheek.
Sajin narrowed his gaze at them but held a hand up. "It is fine, Tim. I simply found all of the purchases a bit odd, and I only wanted to inquire as to why. I only ask that you keep in mind that it's the squad's mission budget that you are using at the moment." He reminded, then lowered his hand.
The Lieutenant nodded. "Got it. So…if you don't mind me asking Captain…how the hell did you get here without me or Kit detecting you? I mean, you're standing right in front of me and I can't really sense you."
The Captain chuckled at him. "I am quite adept at hiding my spiritual pressure, Tim. To be honest, I am not really supposed to be here. I only came to give you my best wishes on your mission, then return; which I'm afraid I must do now. But before I do, allow me to offer you some advice." He started, getting a nod back. "As you should know, do not take any opponents you come across lightly. You must fight as if your life depends on it. Do not become discouraged and know that there is no shame in running. If you find that you cannot defeat your opponent, flee, and live to fight the next battle." He advised.
Timothy gave him a stern look and nodded. "Thank you, Captain. I will."
Sajin nodded back. "Please be sure to send me a personal message once you have returned. I must take my leave now. Good luck, Tim."
The Lieutenant was relieved that the man was finally going to leave, but fate, as it was, turned out to be rather cruel to him that night.
The door to the lab then opened and Sajin immediately felt a strange, and very powerful spiritual pressure. Timothy and Kitsune both froze in horror and turned to see Nel walking into the room with her head down, not noticing the stranger in the room.
Sajin turned to face her, and his eyes widened when the first thing he saw was the woman's ram-skull mask on the top of her head. Nel came to a stop just outside the kitchen and raised her head, her eyes going wide as well when she saw the strange, large, furry man wearing a Captain's haori.
"Oh my God!" Kitsune mumbled under her breath as the Captain and Arrancar stared each other down.
Sajin was quick to react by reaching across and preparing to draw his zanpakutō. Thankfully, Timothy was just as quick; flashing into place right in front of the large Captain and grabbing the man's zanpakutō by the hilt and preventing him from drawing it.
"Captain, wait! Hear us out first!" he yelled out.
Kitsune swiftly jumped in front of Nel and was slowly pushing her back away from Sajin as he glared at the teal-haired woman. He fought against Timothy as he tried to draw his zanpakutō, but the Lieutenant was placing all his weight into it and was just barely keeping the Captain at bay.
"Please Captain! Let Tim explain everything!" Kitsune pleaded as she protected her friend.
Sajin glared down at his Lieutenant with anger. "What is the meaning of this, Tim?!" he demanded.
Timothy raised his head to him with pleading eyes. "Captain, I'll tell you everything, but I'm begging you to please not attack Nel!"
The Captain's eyes widened a bit at him calling her by name. "You know her?!" he questioned angerly.
The man nodded quickly. "And like I said, I will tell you everything if you don't attack her!"
Sajin raised his head to the woman and watched her carefully to see that, instead of the aggression and hatred that he was expecting from her, he was seeing fear. The woman was actually slightly cowering behind Kitsune and only peeking over the spirit's shoulder to see what was going to happen.
The sound of the front door slamming open drew their attention to see Renji, Rukia, Rangiku, and Toshiro barging in with their hands on their zanpakutōs. All four of them came to an immediate stop when they noticed Sajin standing there and struggling against Timothy.
"Captain Komamura!" Renji spoke out in shock.
Sajin glared at the short Captain. "So, I assume you knew about this, Captain Hitsugaya?" he demanded.
Toshiro looked at Nel to see fear in her eyes, and for the first time, was actually feeling a bit sorry for the woman. Although the Captain part of him was yelling for him to deny it, his conscience got the better of him as he sighed.
"Yes…I was aware, Captain Komamura." He admitted, surprising most everyone around.
Sajin turned back to Nel and growled lowly before releasing the tension on his blade. "Very well." He said at last, causing Timothy to look up at him. The man then looked down on his subordinate. "I will listen to what you have to say, Tim. And I honestly hope, for your sake, that you have a 'very' good reason as to why she is here." He relented.
Timothy let out a heavy breath of relaxation as he released the man's zanpakutō. "Thank you, Captain." He said in a low voice.
The man nodded and crossed his arms firmly. "You may begin, Tim." he 'demanded'.
"Well, before we start…" a chipper voice spoke out, making the Captain look up. "…perhaps we should all sit down with some tea." Kisuke said, now walking out from his lab.
Sajin rose a brow at him. "Kisuke Urahara I presume?" he asked.
The shop owner nodded. "And you must be Tim's Captain, Sajin Komamura, correct?" earning a nod from the man. "Well then, please have a seat and Tessai will prepare us some tea. I'll let Tim tell you everything, and I'll fill in the missing bits. Sound good?" he offered.
The Captain nodded and turned to Toshiro. "You will join us, Captain Hitsugaya. The rest of you will wait outside. That is an order." He instructed.
The group nodded and did as they were told as Timothy turned back to Nel. "Go ahead and get back into your gigai, Nel."
The woman nodded and very slowly walked past him to return to the faux body as Sajin watched her every move. Once she was back inside, Timothy walked past the Captain and sat down in his usual spot; while Nel sat down on his left and Kitsune on his right.
Sajin chose to sit down next to the spirit with Toshiro to his right and Kisuke to 'his' right. The shop owner opened his fan and started waving it slowly.
"So then…I believe the best place to start would be at the beginning, Tim." the man offered.
Timothy closed his eyes with a fallen expression and began telling Sajin everything. Sajin nodded multiple times in understanding as the Lieutenant relayed his story to him, stopping every few minutes for a sip of tea to calm himself.
When he had finally reached the end, Sajin was cupping his chin and staring at Nel intently. The Arrancar sunk her head in a bit under the man's firm gaze and had to turn her head away from him in an effort to hide her fear of him.
Sajin took a long drink of his tea before setting it back down closing his eyes. "I understand." He finally said, causing Nel to look back at him.
"I…I really don't mean you all any harm…Captain." She admitted in a timid voice.
The Captain opened his eyes to her. "Is that so?" he asked, getting a nod from her. "If that is the case, then what are your true intentions?" he questioned.
Nel took a deep, calming breath before answering. "I only want to help Tim defeat Aizen. He is a cruel, and evil man, and he should not be allowed to remain as he is." She answered.
Sajin nodded. "I agree, however, that still does not answer my question. Why do you wish to defeat Aizen? Is it revenge for your friends?" he clarified.
The woman sighed. "I guess I would be lying if I said that revenge was not part of it, but that is not the main reason I wish to see him defeated. I am a warrior, one with honor and respect, Captain. And what Aizen has done, to me as well as the soul reapers, is dishonorable and outright cruel. I may be an Arrancar, but even Arrancars have a sense of honor and respect towards our enemies. But I swear to you, that as a warrior, I have no intention to fight, or cause harm to you or your allies. I wish to fight with you, and defeat Aizen." She said in a firm tone.
The Captain nodded again. "I see. Tell me, Captain Hitsugaya, what made you believe you could trust her?" he asked, not looking away from the woman.
Toshiro took a quick breath. "I must admit that at first I didn't, and to a point, I still don't. However, she has not done anything to our knowledge to bring harm to the soul society, and it was pointed out to me, disrespectfully I might add, that the soul society does not currently hold any laws against 'Arrancars'. With all this in mind, I decided to postpone my judgement of miss Nel and see for myself if her words were true." He informed.
Sajin glanced at him. "And how do you mean 'disrespectfully'?"
The short Captain glared at Timothy, who glared back. "Let's just say I got to experience firsthand Lieutenant Durn's 'unique' personality."
The Squad 8 Captain couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of Timothy and Captain Hitsugaya facing each other down. He then turned to his Lieutenant with a knowing smirk.
"So, I suppose this means you issued a threat towards Captain Hitsugaya's life?" he questioned knowingly.
Timothy closed his eyes with a huff. "I already apologized for it, Captain. You know how I am. I promised Nel I would protect her if she could get us to Aizen, and Captain Hitsugaya threatened that promise."
Sajin had to chuckled again and Nel was starting to become a little less worried at seeing the large man laugh. She decided to take a shot in the dark at lessening the tension.
"If it helps you feel better Captain, I do not currently possess my zanpakutō. Captain Hitsugaya is in possession of it at the moment." She offered.
Komamura looked at the short Captain, getting a nod of confirmation. "I see. That was a smart move on Captain Hitsugaya's part, but I am still concerned for the safety of him and his team. So, I assume you know about the upcoming mission to Hueco Mundo in a few days, correct?"
Kisuke lowered his fan a bit. "Actually, the team leaves tomorrow, Captain Komamura." He corrected.
Sajin quickly turned to the man. "The last I was informed, you had said that it would take at least a week for you to open a garganta." He said in surprise.
The shop keeper nodded. "Had it not been for the help of miss Nel, that would have been true. However, miss Nel has been a great help, and besides a few last-minute adjustments, the garganta is ready to be opened. The team was going to leave at noon tomorrow."
The Captain looked down to Toshiro. "And why haven't you reported this to the Head Captain?" he questioned.
"Considering all the recent problems with communication security, I thought it best not to say anything to improve our chances of success." He pointed out.
Sajin hummed in thought. "That was a good idea, Captain Hitsugaya. I assume you have already made your plans for the mission?" he asked.
Toshiro nodded firmly. "We have, miss Nel will be guiding us and showing us a way into Las Noches through a secret entrance."
The larger Captain's eyes widened. "She is going with you?" he asked in shock.
Timothy nodded. "Yes sir. Renji, Rukia and I all trust her, and she can guarantee us a way back here in case something happens. Don't forget that she can open a garganta as well." He stated.
Sajin had to sighed heavily at that as he rubbed his temples. "I am sure that you wish to ask me not to report anything regarding her, correct?" he moaned.
The Lieutenant nodded firmly. "Captain, all she wants is just to start a new life. Like I said before, it's not her fault she ended up what she is."
The Captain lowered his hand and looked at him. "I am not judging her by what she is, Tim. I was judging her by what her previous alliance was. Aizen is a very smart man and is an expert at manipulation. We cannot afford to take her lightly. Considering the recent events regarding Squad 12, I am sure you can understand." He said calmly.
Timothy sighed and nodded. "I do, Captain. That's why I'm asking, begging you, to give her a chance. Captain Hitsugaya said he would, so will you?" he pleaded.
Sajin gave a last glance at the woman and nodded. "As unusual that this situation is, I must admit that you are correct, Tim. The soul society does not have any laws regarding Arrancars, and if what you say is true, she has not committed any hostile acts against the soul society. Therefor…I cannot label her as an enemy of the soul society, personally. I will not say anything regarding her for now, Tim. But I would strongly advise you that you find a way to make the others see this the same way."
Nel slowly raised her hand, gaining the man's attention. "Forgive me for asking, Captain, but…you seem a bit eager to keep my secret. Um…may I ask why?"
The Captain closed his eyes and nodded. "Because I know what it feels like to be viewed as an outcast. As you can plainly see, I am not like all of the other soul reapers. My appearance is quite unique, and because of that I was discriminated against. It was only because the Head Captain had chosen to see past my bestial appearance and offer me to join the 13 Court Guard Squads, that I have become who I am today. He saw me as a person when others would not. And I would be no different than those who chose to see me as nothing more than a beast if I did not do the same as he did. I am choosing to see you as the person you are, miss Nel, so I ask that you do not give me a reason to see this as a mistake."
The woman nodded and lowered her head with a small smile. "Thank you…Captain." She responded in a quiet voice.
Sajin nodded, then stood up. "I must take my leave. I have already been gone long enough, and I must return to my squad. Rest assured Tim, that your secret is safe. I wish you all good luck on your mission, and I expect a report from you as soon as you return, Tim." he instructed.
Timothy bowed to the man. "You will have it the moment we come back, Captain. Thank you so much for everything. I honestly can't thank you enough."
"It is fine, Tim. At least now I fully understand why you had bought so many clothes." He half-teased, causing Nel to blush a bit.
Timothy rubbed the back of his head. "Yeeeaahh…I'll be sure to cut back on that, Captain." He moaned, earning a snicker from Kitsune.
Sajin chuckled at him. "As I had said, it is fine. In fact, your first month's pay was two days ago, and from the last report I saw, your pay was higher than what you have spent so far. I take my leave now. Good night." He said, then bowed before leaving the shop.
It wasn't but few seconds after he left that Rukia and Renji rushed in and up to the table with worry in their faces. Timothy sighed heavily and waved them off.
"It's fine guys, he said he wouldn't say anything." He informed.
The two friends breathed sighed of relief. "So…what now?" Rukia asked.
"Nothing has changed." Toshiro jumped in, getting their attention. "You four are still leaving at the same time as before. I hope you realize how much more serious your situation is, Tim." he warned.
Timothy nodded. "I do, but right now I'm trying to recover from the near heart attack the Captain just gave me. Thank you for sticking up for me, Captain. I know you didn't have to defend Nel back there." He offered.
Nel nodded as well. "Yes, thank you so much, Captain Hitsugaya." She added.
Toshiro turned his head away. "I told you, don't thank me yet. You still have plenty of work ahead of you if you want the soul society to see her as something other than a monster, Tim. So I suggest you take your Captain's advice and start figuring out a plan for that. I am going back to the apartment, and I suggest the four of you get some rest for tomorrow." He said as he stood up, followed by Rukia and Renji.
"Yeah, I was almost back to Chad's place when your spiritual pressure went all crazy, Tim. See ya later." He said with a wave.
"I still have to get with Ichigo about this, but I guess I can talk to him tomorrow. I'm a bit tired to think straight at the moment." Rukia added, following the group out of the shop.
"See ya guys tomorrow then." Timothy yelled out, seeing them wave over their shoulders. He then turned back to Nel. "Well, I guess we'll get changed real quick and head out for something to eat."
Nel smiled at him. "Where are we going this time?" she inquired.
The man grinned. "I think I'll leave that as a surprise." He taunted, causing her to frown.
"Fine." She whined.
Kisuke chuckled as the two stood up. "Hope you two have fun." He teased, earning a glare from Timothy.
"Shut it, smartass. I'm obviously not in the mood for your jokes." He hissed.
Kitsune snickered again. "When are you 'ever' in the mood for his jokes?"
He rolled his eyes to her. "Never, now be quiet." He ordered, then left for his room.
A couple hours later, the pair returned to the shop from their dinner, and Nel was thoroughly pleased. It turned out that she had actually never had Italian before, and she quickly found that she liked it a lot.
The only thing she didn't like, was the wine. She had seen a couple next to them drinking it, and her curiosity got the better of her. Once the waiter had brought her the filled glass, she looked at it for a minute before taking a sip.
At least Timothy got a laugh out of it when her face scrunched up from the taste. But a quick sip of sake cleared it right up for her and they enjoyed the rest of their meal in peace.
Once they had returned to the shop, they swiftly changed into night clothes and met back out on the porch for their usual shot or two of spirits. Oddly, neither Yoruichi or Kisuke were there with them, so they were allowed the rare moment to sit and enjoy their drinks without torture.
Not that it mattered much, seeing as how both of them had a lot on their minds about the mission then next day. They hadn't even said a word to each other since they sat down and stared at the dimming sky.
"I think I like your Captain, Tim." Nel finally spoke out.
Timothy smiled and nodded. "Yeah, he's a great guy. Him and Tetsuzaemon both." He admitted.
Nel turned to him. "Who is that?" she wondered.
"The squad's Lieutenant. He's currently assigned as the acting Captain for Squad 5 until things get better." He answered.
She rose a brow in confusion. "I thought you were the Lieutenant?"
He nodded. "I am, it's just that the squad will have two of them when he comes back. I think you'd like him as well. He's gruff as hell, firm, and I swear he drinks a shit-ton of coffee with how uptight he is, but he's fair and he knows what he's doing."
Nel smiled and looked back at the sky. "I think I'd like to meet him." She admitted.
Timothy shrugged a shoulder. "Hopefully everything works out and you can. I think the two of you would get along. He's likely to challenge you to a duel or two."
The woman chuckled at that. "I wouldn't mind. I don't like fighting, but I'm not against friendly spars every now and then."
"I would like to introduce you to Hinata, Kenta, Issei and Yuka…especially Hinata." He said with a warm smile.
Nel turned to him with narrowed brows, suddenly getting a strange feeling in her chest. "And who is that?" she asked, somehow managing to hide the venom in her words.
"A friend of mine…one of the first ones I made when I became a soul reaper. She's as kind as they come, caring, always looking out for others…and a temper from the devil." He said with a shiver.
She rose a brow. "Like yours?" she challenged.
"Worse! I swear that woman is evil when she wants to be! Just make sure you don't piss her off. The last time I did that, I ended up on the floor, out cold." He warned.
Her gaze narrowed further. "Do you like her?" she questioned. 'Why am I asking this? What is this feeling I'm having…' she mentally fretted.
Timothy shrugged a shoulder. "Well, yeah. She is my friend, afterall." He answered, but then it clicked, and he looked at her. "Wait…are you…jealous, Nel?" he asked in surprise.
Nel turned away from him and rubbed her temples. "I…I don't know. I feel something…like anger, but not really anger." She admitted.
He sighed with closed eyes. "Yeah…that sounds a bit like jealousy to me, Nel. Well, I can assure you that I don't have those kinds of feelings for Hinata, or Yuka. They're simply friends that I care a lot for, nothing more. Promise." He assured.
Upon hearing his words, the weird feeling inside her suddenly washed away and she felt much better. She turned to him and sighed.
"Sorry Tim, I didn't mean to be like that." She offered.
He rested a hand on her shoulder and smiled. "It's okay, Nel. I guess it's normal to feel that way when someone you have feelings for suddenly starts talking about another person. Actually, in your situation, it actually helps you."
Nel tilted her head a bit. "How so?" he inquired.
Timothy smiled even more. "Because it shows that you're learning more emotions, and it shows me that you really care for me; enough that you're highly cautious about other women being around me. But again, there is nothing between Hinata and I, so you can rest easy, Nel. I promise. Besides, I'd personally be more worried about Gamuza killing me than you." He joked.
She had to laugh at that, knowing that it was entirely true. "Yes, she would probably take over again and kill you before I had the chance."
"Not necessarily…as long as you would 'actually' kill him for it, I would be just fine sitting back and watching." Gamuza assured, causing Nel's face to fall.
"Not helping Gamuza." She mumbled.
Timothy rose a brow. "Do I want to know?"
Nel sighed heavily. "She said that as long as I went forward with killing you, she wouldn't interfere." She informed.
He chuckled at that. "Well, I said it twice, I'll say it again; you are the only one I have feelings for, Nel." He affirmed before leaning over and kissing her cheek.
She smiled warmly and returned the gesture. "And you are the only one I care for, Tim. Now that I think about it…where's Kit?"
Timothy finished his drink and chuckled. "Keeping quiet inside my head. I told her if she ever wanted to see ice cream again, she was to keep quiet until morning. That way I could enjoy a peaceful dinner with you without her perverted comments." He said triumphantly.
Nel shook her head at him. "Well, tell her thank you for that. It was nice to sit and enjoy the quiet for once."
"Not like I had a choice…but she's welcome…bastard." Kitsune mocked in his head.
Timothy snickered at her. "She said no problem. Well, I'm heading in for the night." He said, then stood up along with Nel.
"I'm a bit tired as well." She returned.
He turned to walk inside, and her face suddenly fell. 'I should ask him…As much as I don't want to admit it…there is always that chance he may not live through this. And if what Rangiku said was true…I would give anything just to stay at least one night with him. I have to know what it feels like to be with him…' she concluded.
She swiftly followed him inside and caught back up to him as he was opening his bedroom door. "Uh…Tim?" she called.
The man stopped and looked at her. "What's up?" he answered.
Nel turned her head away as her nerves got to her yet again. She closed her eyes as she fought to try and get her words out, but her mouth remained sealed as she turned a bit red.
"Nel, are you okay?" Timothy asked, resting a hand on her shoulder.
The action only served to bottle her up even more, and now she was worrying that she would fail to ask him, again.
"Uh…" was the only thing she could get out.
Timothy gripped her shoulder a bit tighter. "Did you forget what it was?" he inquired gently.
She at least managed to shake her head, but was still unable to form words. Her head fell low and she began to tremble a bit, worrying Timothy.
"Can I guess that this is something…embarrassing?" he tried.
Nel flinched at his question and was now unable to even make a head gesture to answer. Fortunately, her silence answered the man's question for her where he sighed and released her shoulder to grab her hand in his.
"Nel, whatever it is, you should know I wouldn't judge you. I'll ask that you tell me what it is that's bothering you, but I won't force you. So please, what is it?" he pleaded calmly.
The woman nodded slowly before finally finding her voice again. "C…Can I…stay with you?" she finally asked in a whisper.
Timothy rose a brow at her. "Stay with me? Do you mean…in bed together?" he asked back, his cheeks turning a bit red in return.
Nel nodded in affirmation. "Yes." She returned quietly.
He turned his head from her a bit, his face even redder. "Um…s…sure. But…are you…sure about this?"
Now her cheeks turned a bright red as she stared at him. "N…not like t…that! I…I mean…"
He held a hand up to stop her. "I know what you meant, Nel. I just…wanted to make sure that you were sure about it." He corrected.
She looked down at her hand that he held and surround his hand with her other one. "The thing is Tim…neither of us can deny the fact that there's a chance one of us may not come back from this. We'll just have to accept it. But I would…at least like to spend just one night next to you, and this may possibly be my last chance to do that. I…I understand if you don't…want to."
His shoulders slumped a bit before he raised his free hand to her cheek. "Nel, what have I told you about our relationship?" she questioned.
Nel took a deep breath before answering. "That…we would move at my pace."
Timothy smiled and nodded. "If you truly feel that you're ready for this, then I guess I am as well, Nel. Now I'm going to bed. If you wanna join me, then feel free to do so." He offered, then dropped his hand.
She released his other hand as he turned to enter his room. She stalled for only an instant before she followed right behind him; closing the door to the room and turning around to see him pulling the covers down to climb into bed.
The woman took a long, deep, and calming breath as she fought to keep her heart from beating itself out of her chest before moving forward. Timothy settled himself down comfortably in the bed and held the edge of the covers up, allowing Nel to climb and settle in next to him.
After he pulled the covers over them, she turned onto her side and facing away from him, suddenly feeling a little out of place. The longer she laid there, the more she began to think that she may have pushed too far, asking to join him.
Timothy opened his eyes and rolled his head to her, sensing that something was wrong and that she was obviously worried about something. He had a feeling as to what it was, but he was hesitant to say anything and cause her to think she did something wrong.
After staring at the back of her head for nearly five minutes, he finally sighed. "Nel?"
She flinched at his voice. "Yes?" she answered in a timid whisper.
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Would you mind turning around for a moment?" he asked.
She waited for a moment, before she finally nodding and twisting her body around to face him, seeing that he was lying on his back. She didn't notice his hand moving under the covers until he grabbed her hand.
The woman slightly gasped as he gently pulled her to him and rested her arm across his stomach, her head now resting on his chest. She remained motionless in shock as he slipped his other arm under her neck and behind her back to rest on her shoulder.
"Is that better?" he asked in a warm voice.
Nel had to take a second to calm down enough and relax into his hold. She moved her head a bit and nuzzled into his chest a bit better, moving the arm over his stomach to rest next to her head with her hand in the middle of his chest.
She took a deep, relaxing breath as her body slowly melted into his; a warm and happy smile spreading across her face as she closed her eyes.
"Yes…much better." She finally answered.
The man chuckled a bit, causing Nel to begin dozing from the deep sound as it left his lungs. Her smile grew ever wider when he leaned his head down and kissed the top of her head, resting his free hand on top of hers.
Flipping her own hand around in his grip, she intertwined their fingers and brought his hand to her mouth, kissing the back of it in return before resting them back into place on top of his chest.
"Love you, Nel." He said in a sleepy voice.
Tears began forming in her eyes and a few of them fell when she closed them. "I…love you too…Tim." she returned; his grip tightening on her hand telling her that he heard.
All of her doubt and worry immediately disappeared, replaced by happiness. She readjusted herself once more even deeper into his chest before taking a deep, calming breath and allowing sleep to claim her.
Yay! She finally made the jump and asked to join him! I'm sure a lot of you are thinking 'it's about damn time', right? I'm sure Spades is doing back flips right now after reading that, lol. I'm also sure some of you, if not all, are now wondering when the two of them will finally 'hit it off'. Well, I can assure you that that is a ways away for now.
Moving on, it seems Sajin is now aware of Nel, and is actually not as hostile, once he got past his initial reflexes, towards her. And of course Kit's stomach got the better of her again, taking Nel's ice cream. I swear, the Arrancar is going to kill her one of these days, lol.
Finally, as you have seen, not too much happened this chapter in regards to plot development. A bit of humor here and there, but this chapter was mainly just to give the readers a view as to what life is currently like back in the Seireitei. As you can see, it's not all butterflies and rainbows there at the moment, and I wanted to show it a bit.
That's all for this chapter, but next time we'll see the group leave for Hueco Mundo to save Orihime. And speaking of Orihime, I wonder what will become of her if they do manage to save here; seeing that her life in Karakura Town is basically over. Only time will tell.
Till next time, laters.
