Hey readers, welcome back. Missed you all. Getting in to the last week of classes here, and about to take my finals; looking like they might be all A's again, so fingers crossed. Besides that, very much to my dismay, I've got a bit of bad news to go with the good. With the holiday season coming up, and a busy one at that, my writing will be close to non-existent for a few weeks till everything calms down again.
That being said, once again, my posting times will have to be lengthened to compensate, as my 'chapter savings' is nearly empty from school work. I hope you all will accept my apologies for this, and I swear I'll try to get out as much as I can.
With that taken care of, we'll head into 'Spade's' Banter. It's no problem my friend, I figured you were either working or doing some of your own writing during that time. I'm glad you liked those couple of chapters and thank you for the '9' on your rating. As far as the Hueco Mundo Arc, I'm sure you'll like all the changes I've made to that part of the story. So, questions…
1: Can't tell ya, but I will say at least two. Will they be defeated, only time will tell.
2: At this point, not even I know the answer. I considering it, with perhaps a few changes, but I may have Tim fight him, or even Nel.
3: Honestly, I've been trying to figure out a way to include a second Kenpachi fight for some time, but have yet to find a good spot in the story for it so far. Still trying though.
4: I think I'm pretty good at them, better than the rest of my family at least.
5: He's not a dumb person, seeing that he had gone to college in his past, but he's honestly not all that good with puzzles and encryptions.
6: …Cabbage? Yeah, this is one of those face-slap questions, my friend.
7: It's not covered in the story yet, but there will be a time where Nel tells a story about the hollow-dog that Yammy 'owns', and it's in a positive look. So yeah, she seems to like dogs for the most part.
8: Like I said, Tim is not dumb, so he knows not to do that.
Ok, that's over with. Quick shout out to SoulessSora, this chapter is in part dedicated to you. I saw how you seemed to like Tetsuzaemon a lot, so a good portion of this chapter features him in it, plus a little present for ya, he he. See you all at the end.
(I DO NOT OWN BLEACH; ITS CHARACTORS, 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 38
(A Rough Night Out)
Hueco Mundo, Day 1, Late Evening
The team finally came to a stop for the third time to take a much-needed break. Even with their decent amounts of spirit energy, the near endless running at speed was still taking a considerable toll on their bodies.
They had stopped next to the ruins of what seemed to have been, at one time, a dwelling of some kind. All that really remained of the structure were the lower foundations that outlined where the walls had been, rising from the ground only a couple of feet.
As Rukia ran her hand along the top of the remains, the stone crumbled easily and told her that the building had been like that for a number of years.
Renji walked through where, he guessed, the door used to be at one point and briefly looked around. "What did this used to be?" he inquired.
Nel came to a stop right behind him and looked around as well. "I believe it was once a shelter to a Vasto Lorde. There are a number of these buildings scattered throughout Hueco Mundo. Most of them were here even before Las Noches was built; or at least that was what I was told."
Rukia rubbed some of the worn stone between her fingers, watching it crumble to dust in her fingers before falling to the ground. "Wonder what happened here. You think the previous owner died or something?" she inquired.
"From what I've read in a book in Las Noches, after Las Noches was build a very long time ago, all of the nearby Adjuchas and Vasto Lorde, basically anyone with power, was taken to Las Noches to stay. And anyone who refused was killed. But as I said, this is only something I had read about at one time, and I can't say for certain that is actually what happened. Anyway, we can't stay here for long. We still have a long way to go before we get to the tunnels." Nel cautioned.
"How far would you say we are, Nel?" Timothy asked from his spot on the ground next to the doorway.
The woman turned and sat down next to him while Renji walked further into the abode. "Nearly a third of the way there. If we keep this pace, we should be there in about ten to twelve hours." She answered.
Timothy took a sip of water from his canteen before handing it to her. "Wish we could have came here at least a little closer." He mumbled before looking out to the southwest.
Nel finished her drink and nodded. "I agree, but it couldn't be helped. I tried to have Kisuke get us as close as possible without having to worry about the garganta being detected by Aizen." She returned as she gave the container back.
The man placed it back into his robes without turning away from where he was looking. "I might be overreacting a bit, but I swear I'm getting the feeling like we're being followed." He commented.
The woman sighed before nodding. "That's because we are; by two Adjuchas. Judging by their distance from each other, It would seem they are working together. They are likely waiting for us to rest before moving in to attack while we are asleep." She confirmed.
The Lieutenant snorted a bit. "Well, should we walk over there and tell em that we don't intend to sleep?" he joked.
"I doubt it would matter, they are both fairly weak. If I had to guess, they both became Adjuchas very recently and had not yet learned that just because you are now an Adjuchas and have greater power, it doesn't mean you are invincible. They haven't even learned to conceal their much stronger spiritual pressures effectively. I seriously doubt either of them would be able to cut through my Hierro. We have nothing to fear from those two; it's the attention that they might attract that slightly worries me." She clarified.
Timothy turned his head to her a bit. "You mean a stronger Adjuchas, or a Vasto Lorde?" he asked, earning a nod.
"Yes, a stronger hollow may be tempted to pick them off, and then choose to follow us afterwards; just like they are." She answered.
The man sighed and looked back to the distance. "Should we go deal with them?"
Nel thought about it for a moment, but finally shook her head. "No, it is best to avoid drawing attention to ourselves. They are of no threat to us, and we should leave them be; but that does not mean we shouldn't be careful in the meantime. We'll have to keep an eye on them as we continue."
"Agreed. So what…ten more minutes and we'll get started again?" he offered.
The woman nodded and leaned back against the wall as she laid one leg over the other in front of her. "Yes, that should work. As long as something doesn't hold us back, we should be able to stop for a few minutes every couple of hours." She informed.
Timothy took a relaxing breath and leaned his head against the wall. "Sounds good to me. So, out of curiosity, what does it feel like to be back here, Nel?" he inquired while looking up at the moon.
Nel closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "How should I explain this…relaxing, yet depressing at the same time. I feel like I come back home, and it sort of gives me this feeling of safety and comfort. But then, it also gives me the feeling like I am trapped here; like I am a prisoner almost." She admitted.
He turned his head to her with a raised brow. "Is it normal for hollows to dislike Hueco Mundo?"
The woman shrugged her shoulders. "I can't really say as I've never asked anyone whether they liked it here or not. All I can offer is that 'I' hated it. Not necessarily Hueco Mundo itself, but the lifestyle you are forced to adapt to in order to survive. I was an Adjuchas for a very long time before evolving in a Vasto Lorde. The reason being is that I always avoided conflict, choosing only to fight to prevent myself from regressing back into a Gillion. I steadily built myself up over time, and finally became a Vasto Lorde. After that, there was no need to feed. Once you have become a Vasto Lorde, your evolution stops, and you cannot regress. So life essentially became very dull afterwards, until I met Pesche and Dondochakka."
Timothy's face fell a bit. "They gave you company?"
Nel nodded with a weak smile. "I came upon them while they were being attacked by a much stronger Adjuchas. Needless to say, I quickly defeated it, and I was about to leave when they asked if they could join me. I instantly accepted, and ever since then the three of us looked out for each other. They said they have sworn themselves to me, to serve me, but I insisted that I was more than happy just to be considered friends. And that's how it was for a long time."
The Lieutenant turned back to the desert and hummed in understanding. "I'm guess that was until Aizen came around?" he asked, getting a nod in return.
"Yes. It was about…fourteen years ago by now. We had gotten surrounded by a group of Adjuchas, and Pesche and Dondochakka had already been defeated. I was nearing the end myself, but before I knew what had happened, they were all suddenly lying down on the ground; dead. When I looked at the one who was responsible, I saw that it was a soul reaper, Aizen. I thought he was going to finish us off, but he sheathed his zanpakutō and introduced himself. He then offered for us to join him and his army; me become an Espada, with Pesche and Dondochakka as my fracción. He said, that as long as I swore myself to him, he would grant me the power to protect my friends, and that he would give me a purpose."
Timothy rose a brow at her. "So that's how you came to work for the bastard. So, I guess that's when he used the Hōgyoku to make you an Arrancar?"
Nel nodded before standing up pulling him up as well when he took her offered hand. "Yes, and gave Gamuza her individuality. I will admit, it was odd hearing another voice inside my head, and things didn't work out that well between us at first; but as time went by, we came to understand each other, and trust each other. After a while, her and I became very close. I'm not sure how the relationship is with the other Arrancars and their hollow powers, but I would guess that it's not like me and Gamuza." She informed, then looked out towards where she felt the two Adjuchas in the distance.
"We should get going, we still have a long way to go." she pressed, getting a nod from Timothy.
"Yeah, I guess we should. So we're just going to ignore those two?" he asked as he gestured with his thumb.
"For now. Hopefully they won't be foolish enough to try attacking us. We may have to try and lose them before we enter the tunnels though. I would rather not have them following us inside." She cautioned.
"Agreed. If they're still following us by the time we get there, we'll hit em hard and fast and make them run." He advised.
The woman nodded. "Alright. Let's grab Rukia and Renji and move on." She concluded, walking 'inside' the ruined building.
She saw Rukia sitting on top of a low part of the wall, and Renji standing next to her leaning against it, talking to each other quietly. She came to a stop in front of them and offered a kind smile.
"Ready to go?" she inquired.
The pair nodded as Timothy came up next to her. "We've got company keeping eyes on us to the southwest, two of them."
They both nodded back. "Yeah, I thought I sensed something earlier." Renji confirmed.
"Yeah. Well, we're just going to ignore them for now, as long as they don't try anything; but we may have to chase them off when we get to the tunnels, so be ready for that." Timothy advised.
The pair nodded before Rukia pushed herself from her seat and down to her feet. "I'm ready to go when you two are." She confirmed.
Nel nodded firmly. "Alright, let's get going then."
The small group exited the ruins and continued their run towards the slightly larger dome of Las Noches; Nel leading the way while Timothy kept his senses open towards their pursuers.
Squad 5 Headquarters, Present
"Done!" Hinata blurted out as she slapped the last form from the morning's paperwork on the completed pile.
"You alright over there, Ogawa?" Tetsuzaemon asked as he looked up at her.
The woman supported her head with her elbows as she rubbed her face vigorously. "All of the morning shit is done, so at least I'm caught back up to 'today'. But now I've gotta get going on the afternoon stuff." She commented in a relieved voice.
The Lieutenant chuckled as he set a form aside. "Yeah, I've still got a few bits to look over from last night before I get into those. How ya holding up?" he inquired.
Hinata let her arms fall down onto the desk as she leaned back in her chair with a sigh. "Tired, depressed, pissed, take your pick. At least I can breathe a bit easier now." She mocked.
Tetsuzaemon stared at her for a moment before setting his brush down and standing up to stretch his arms out. "Let's go, Ogawa." He instructed.
The woman looked at him and rose a brow. "Go where?"
The man dropped his arms to his side before grabbing his zanpakutō and tucking it into his sash. "Where do you think? To go get some drinks, you idiot."
Hinata scoffed with a roll of the eyes. "Shouldn't you get to know me better before asking me out on a date, Lieutenant?" she teased with a grin.
The Lieutenant snorted at her joke. "You're the last person I'd ever consider to ask out, Ogawa." He shot back.
The woman glared dangerously at him. "And just what the hell is that supposed to mean? What, am I not good enough for you?" she challenged.
Tetsuzaemon came to a stop in front of her desk, turning his head to give her a skeptical look. "You're not my type, Ogawa; you're too much of a crybaby." He informed.
Hinata shot to her feet and slammed her hands back on the desk with a furious stare. "I am not, you asshole!" she returned.
"Not to mention your nasty temper." He furthered.
She growled lowly before avoiding his gaze. "I guess I can't fight you on that one. But you're no saint yourself, Lieutenant." She mumbled.
The man chuckled. "Never said I was, Ogawa. Now shut up and grab your zanpakutō. The place I have in mind tends to fill up pretty quickly, and they've got some damned good sake." He informed.
Hinata scoffed as she grabbed her sword. "Whatever, idiot. But I ain't carrying your drunk ass back. If you can't handle yourself, I'll leave you behind." She warned.
He rose a brow in surprise. "You talk like you can handle more than me, Ogawa."
She walked up to him and flicked him on the forehead before continuing on. "You said it, not me." She returned as she left the office.
A grin fell on the Lieutenant's face before he followed behind her. "That's more like it." He commented aloud.
Closing and locking up the office, the man continued on until he came out front to see her with her arms crossed and tapping her foot in impatience.
"Well, lead on, Lieutenant." She said with a gesture of her hand.
Tetsuzaemon gave her a toothy grin. "In a hurry to end up on the floor, Ogawa?" he mocked.
"Pft…please. Just because I'm a woman, doesn't mean I can't outdrink your ass." She returned.
He crossed his arms as well. "Care to wager on that, Ogawa?" he challenged.
She rose a brow in interest. "That depends on what you're willing to wager, Lieutenant."
The man chuckled. "How bout this: if you win, I'll buy ya a flask of the sake from upstairs." He offered.
This got her attention. "And if I lose?" she pressed.
"Then you gotta pay to have both of the flasks from upstairs filled; seeing as you're the one who drank it all." He stated.
"I did not, asshole! You drake just as much as I did! You can't pin that on me!" she defended firmly.
"I can, and I did. So how bout it, Ogawa? You ready to get your ass handed to ya?" he taunted.
She narrowed her stare. "Deal, but I'm still not carrying your ass back here. You're on your own in that regard."
"Likewise. I doubt I'd be able to make it back to the gate with ya." He returned.
Hinata immediately shook a fist at him. "Are you calling me fat, you bastard?!" she demanded.
Tetsuzaemon laughed loudly before shaking his head. "Not at all, just saying your ego might be to much for me to carry back here."
The woman snorted and shook her head with a smile. "You're one to talk, you asshole. Let's get going then." She relented.
The Lieutenant smiled back and nodded. "Follow me." He instructed, then vanished with her right behind.
West Rukongai, 8th District, 30 Minutes Later
Tetsuzaemon and Hinata flashed into place in front of what appeared to be a semi-fancy bar. It was still a bit early in the night, but they could easily hear numerous voices inside as the place began filling up.
Hinata took a few minutes to look the place over, giving an approving nod. "Not bad. Never been here before." She admitted.
The Lieutenant shrugged his shoulders dismissively. "Not that many soul reapers come here, as this is where most of the middle-class nobles like to go. But the people around here actually aren't that bad, once you get used to em. This is where I go when I'm not drinking with Ikkaku and the others." He informed.
The woman rested a hand on her hip and gave him an evil grin. "Well, you ready to get your ass handed to you by a woman, Lieutenant?" she taunted.
Tetsuzaemon scoffed heavily. "The only woman who's ever beaten me, and will 'ever' beat me is Rangiku. That woman is a freak, drinking as much as she does and still able to say her own name, let alone stand."
Hinata then held up two fingers as her grin grew wider. "Well, this woman here is gonna be number two."
"Ha! Dream on, Ogawa. Now quit stalling and find us a table while I get the sake." He concluded and began walking inside with her right behind him.
She was able to find an empty table towards the back of the building, and swiftly took a seat to wait for the Lieutenant to come back with their drinks. She didn't have to wait long though as she turned to see him weaving around different tables before setting down two saucers and two flasks of sake.
The woman pulled the cork from the first flask and pour each of them a drink as he sat down across from her. Setting the flask down, she then passed a saucer over to him, which he accepted before they held their drinks up.
"First to fall?" He opened.
"Until the men fall down." She countered with a sneer.
The man snorted. "As if." He said before tapping their cups and downing their drinks.
They continued their drinking at a steady pace as the minutes ticked by; really only stopping for restroom breaks, or when the two got into another session of trading insults. But almost an hour later, both of them were still going strong and nearly through their second flask, with neither of them showing signs of falling out anytime soon.
Tetsuzaemon had to admit that he was a bit surprised that the woman was actually keeping up with him, even being a little pushy at times to speed things up. He couldn't help but respect the woman a little more in that regard.
It was nearly two hours after they had started their little competition when they both agreed to take a little breather and let their stomachs rest a bit from the sudden inflow of alcohol. Tetsuzaemon was leaning back in his chair with crossed arms, while Hinata had her chin resting in her hand and propped up by her elbow.
Both of them were watching as the 'sissy-ass noble kids', as Tetsuzaemon called them, began leaving the establishment in twos and threes. Hinata sighed as her eyes followed a pair of men, clearly waisted, making their way towards the door.
"Lieutenant…" she began in an even voice.
"We're not in the office Ogawa, so you can ditch the Lieutenant and address me by my name." he corrected.
She rolled her eyes to him, giving him an odd look. "If that's the case, you mind using my first name then?" she pressed.
The man turned to her with a raised brow. "What's wrong with your surname?" he questioned.
Hinata shrugged a shoulder. "Nothing, but like most everyone else, I prefer to be called by my given name rather than my family name." she clarified, then returned to looking at the groups leaving.
The Lieutenant intensified his stare at the woman. "Somehow, I'm convinced that's not the real reason, 'Hinata'. I'm no fool, and I can tell that you've got something on your mind, so spill it."
She rose a brow right back. "You can, huh? Well, sorry to disappoint you, 'Tetsuzaemon', but I honestly 'don't' have anything on my mind right now." She defended.
Tetsuzaemon scoffed and turned away from her. "That's a load of crap. I know you've been pissed as hell with all the paperwork we've had in front of us, but I can also see that's not entirely the problem. There's something else bothering you, and I can't have a right hand that's always distracted by something."
Hinata lifted her head and leaned back in her chair as she crossed her arms. "Your right hand? Oh please, all I'm doing is looking at endless paperwork almost nonstop. This is the first time that either of us have left the office before midnight." She pointed out.
"Yeah, and in a matter of a few days we've managed to almost get caught back up. And instead of just ignoring paperwork errors, like a lot of other seated officers, you've been trying to actually fix em. You've saved my ass from I don't know how many headaches because of that. So yeah, I consider you my right hand 'woman'." He confirmed.
The woman sighed and shook her head. "I'm only trying to do the right thing, Tetsuzaemon. And again, I don't have anything bothering me, so you can rest easy." She assured.
"And 'I'll' say it again, that's a load of crap. I know something's been on your mind Hinata, and I'm just doing my job as your Lieutenant to make sure everything's fine with ya." He stated firmly.
A soft growl rolled in her throat as her patience got tested. "Can we please just talk about something else, Tetsuzaemon?" she pleaded.
He swiftly downed his filled saucer and shook his head. "No, so spill." He pressed.
She sighed heavily and glared at him. "Fine, you wanna know what's been 'bothering me'? It's my name." she finally admitted.
The man turned to her in confusion. "Your name?"
The woman sighed again with a growl. "Yes Lieutenant, my name. It took me almost eight years to pass the academy, and those were the worst years of my life, just because of my name."
Tetsuzaemon was now even more confused. "Why would your name have anything to do with it?" he pressed.
She furrowed her brows and growled louder before placing her hands over her chest. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly 'built' very well in particular areas, Lieutenant." She started; giving her, somewhat small, chest a quick push-up before crossing her arms again. "During my first year in the academy, a few of the 'noble girls' pushed me into the creek on the academy grounds. Ever since then, and throughout the last seven years I was there, everyone called me 'Kogawa', meaning 'small river'; making fun of my small size and being pushed into the creek at the same time. Needless to say, life was a bitch during those years." She informed in distaste.
The man had to growl a bit at her story. "And why didn't you go to one of the academy's masters? They would have put a stop to it, or at least punished those girls for pushing you in the first place."
Hinata rolled her eyes with a scoff. "Hello genius, they were 'nobility'; they basically get whatever they want, and no one, beside their parents, can stop them. And do you really think their parents would go out of their way for common 'trash' like me? Yeah right."
Tetsuzaemon sighed with a shake of his head. "So, what 'did' you do about it?" he questioned.
The woman grabbed her saucer and shrugged her shoulders. "The only thing I 'could' do, ignore them. But even that didn't stop them from coming up with newer insults. Like: no man is ever gonna want anything to do with a tramp with a flat chest, or how I look more like a man than I do a woman. And every insult always ended with that stupid name, 'Kogawa'. It's because of that that I came to hate my name. To be honest, I don't even know why I kept it, seeing that I don't have any family that share the name." she admitted, then downed her drink.
"Is any of it true?" the man inquired.
"Is what true?" she asked in return as she refilled her cup.
"The things those brats said to you? Like you look like a man instead of a woman." He clarified.
She glared hatefully at him. "Of course not, stupid! Why? Do 'you' think I look like a man?" she challenged.
He furrowed his brows at her. "That is not what I said, you idiot. If none of it is true, then why do you care what they say? Last time I checked, 'you're' the one sitting in an officer's position, not them. So in the end, you got the better end of the deal. I don't call you by your surname to make fun of you, I call you by that name because it's a show of respect. If you didn't have my respect, I wouldn't have addressed you by 'any' name; I would have just told you what to do and been done with it. Your days at the academy are gone, 'Ogawa', and you are now an officer of the 13 Court Guard Squads. So quit worrying about childhood bullies and act like the woman you are." He reassured.
The man then grabbed his own saucer and held it up to her. "Now, if you're done crying about the past, let's get back to putting you on the floor, Hinata." He said with a grin.
The woman rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Yeah right, like you could ever put me on the floor, lightweight." She returned as she grabbed her drink.
Tetsuzaemon raised a brow in interest. "You still think you can do better than me? Well then, wanna up the stakes, since you're so convinced you can win?"
Hinata smirked. "I'm listening." She pressed.
"What do you want?" he returned.
She raised her head with a hum in thought for a moment, then grinned even more when she looked back at him. "If I win, me and my friends get the day off tomorrow." She proposed.
Tetsuzaemon nodded. "Alright, but if 'I' win…" The man paused and returned her grin with a toothy one, making her raise a brow. "…you have to work in the office tomorrow without your kosode."
Her face didn't change as his words went through her mind. "…What?" she chocked in a low voice.
"Did I stutter, Hinata? I said, if I win, you can't wear the top part of your uniform for the whole day." He repeated.
Hinata's face slowly grew a tinge of red to it as the thought played out in her head. "…I never took you for a pervert, Tetsuzaemon." She commented.
He simply shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, go big, or go home." He returned.
The woman's face fell as she turned redder. "You just want to see me without my top on…don't you." She questioned dangerously.
The man began scratching his sideburns. "Well, it would be a bonus, but it's mainly to teach you not to mess with me when it comes to drinking." He clarified; laughing a bit inside because he knew that the woman would never agree to something like that.
"Fine." Hinata answered in a low and firm voice, shocking the man and making him raise a brow.
"Huh?" he breathed out.
Although she was still red in the face, she was still grinning at him with a raised finger. "But if that's the case, I'd like to change my prize. If I win, you have to work in the office without your hakama." She counter-proposed.
He stared at her in shock, not believing that she was willing to go with it. The only other woman he could think of that 'might' go along with the wager was Rangiku; and even then, it was no guarantee that she would live up to her end of the deal.
But here was Hinata, and even though she was clearly a bit embarrassed about the proposal, she was obviously willing to go along with it.
"Are you sure about that, Ogawa?" he questioned.
The woman put her drink down and crossed her arms while giving him an angry stare. "What? Did you think I was some kind of 'pure princess'? Oh please. You should go talk with Kenta and Issei and have them tell you about the kind of wagers I 'normally' make. Unlike most women, I'm not afraid to live a little. Just so long as you don't try anything funny, pervert." She mocked.
Tetsuzaemon growled in annoyance. "I ain't no pervert, you damn woman. I was actually just messing with ya, but if you really want to play dirty, I'm game."
They both raised their drinks and grinned. "Enjoy your day without pants, Lieutenant." She taunted.
"Ha! I'm gonna enjoy having a half-naked tomboy working for me in the morning." He returned.
She rolled her eyes. "As if, you pervert. Now shut up and drink." She demanded.
They touched saucers and quickly downed their drinks before Hinata poured more for them both. "This is gonna be a long night, Hinata."
She set the flask down and passed him his drink. "I've got nothing but time, Tetsuzaemon. So bring it." She challenged.
"Gladly." He returned as they both downed another set of drinks.
3 Hours Later
"Iiiii…won't lose…Tezaemun…" a very intoxicated Hinata droned out.
The Lieutenant turned his head to her and grinned. "Eat…table…Gawa." He returned, just as drunk.
Izuru sighed heavily and shook his head at the two. "I wish you would have informed us that you were planning on going out, Tetsuzaemon. That way at least one of us could have kept an eye on you two." He said in a slight whine.
The blonde, Squad 3 Lieutenant currently had Hinata slumped over on his back, holding her up by her legs while her arms limply drooped over his shoulders; all while Shūhei had Tetsuzaemon limping next to him, supported by his arm around the Squad 9's Lieutenant.
Seeing that Tetsuzaemon and Ikkaku were somewhat like regulars at the place he and Hinata were just at, the owner knew him quite well; at least enough to know to call for either Izuru or Shūhei if he and Ikkaku ever got too incapacitated to make it back to the barracks.
He and Hinata had gotten into one of their bickering sessions, and when Hinata slapped him across the face, and therefor knocking him to the floor, for one of his comments, the owner knew it was time for the two of them to call it a night.
Per previous instructions that Tetsuzaemon had given the man a long time ago, the owner had used the Lieutenant's soul pager to contact Izuru. Although it wasn't the first time the blonde man had to bail his friend out, it still got on his nerves every time he received a 'rescue call' in the middle of the night.
And now he and Shūhei were dragging the two fools back to their temporary barracks at Squad 5 to sleep off their drunken states.
"Look on the bright side, at least it's this girl you're carrying instead of Rangiku again." Shūhei pointed out.
Izuru sighed heavily again. "I guess you've got a point. Though, I do wonder just what it was Tetsuzaemon said to her to make her slap him hard enough to leave that on his face." He commented while looking at the drunken Lieutenant's face.
Tetsuzaemon had a perfect, reddish imprint of the woman's hand on his cheek, and it only made Shūhei shake his head. "Beats me. Tetsuzaemon's never been one to disrespect women, so your guess is as good as mine. Whatever it was, she must have forgotten all about it; seeing as how the two of them were acting like best friends by the time we got there." He returned.
"Hey Shūhei! Who…won?!" Tetsuzaemon demanded in a drunken stupor.
Hinata rolled her head to him, hitting Izuru in his head in the process. "Iiii diiid…assssshollle!" she asserted.
The man growled at her. "Liikke hellll…Gawa! I haad…more…than yooou!" he defended.
Izuru moaned in pain and annoyance. "Sadly, both of you lost." He offered, hoping it would stop the argument there.
"We caan't…bottthh looosse, Izzuru!" the man pointed out.
Shuhei rolled his eyes to him. "We found both of you on the floor, so you both lost." He lied in a firm voice.
Hinata looked at him with watery eyes. "Whaaa?! We caan't…both lose! Noo…fffair! I want…r…rematch!" she demanded in a whine.
"Not tonight you're not. You both need to get some rest and sleep this off. You two can argue about it tomorrow if you want." Shūhei insisted as they finally came to the front of the 5th Squad's barracks.
"This aiiinn't ovvver…Gawa!" Tetsuzaemon yelled as Shūhei released the man's arm and helped him stand up straight.
The woman's head flopped around as she tried her hardest to look at him. "Oooh…bite me…asssshole!" she fought back and Izuru knelt down to let her off his back.
He took a firm hold of her upper arm and stood straight as he pulled her up to her feet, ensuring that she was balanced enough to stand on her own before releasing her arm. He then turned to his sober friend with a raised brow.
"Do you think we should help them inside?" he inquired.
Tetsuzaemon drunkenly waved him off. "Doon't be…an iidiiot, Izuru. I'm not…thaaat druunk." He insisted.
"Yeeeaah! Ii'm a…big giirrrll! I've got thiss." She added.
Izuru and Shūhei turned to each other with skeptical faces for a moment before sweat dropping at the two. "I can't say I really agree with you on that, but if you insist." Shūhei mumbled aloud.
Hinata trudged over to her drunken partner and threw an arm over his shoulders with a wide grin. "We got…this. Thaanksss…for j…joiiiningg…us, guysss." She concluded.
The two sober Lieutenants shrugged their shoulders before waving at the two and turning to leave. The two officers watched until they were out of sight before Hinata yawned loudly.
"I'mmm beat…I'm goinggg to beeeed." She moaned lowly.
Forgetting that she had her arm around the Lieutenant's shoulders, she ended up pulling him around with her and dragging him along. When she noticed the man 'walking' beside her, she leaned a bit into him.
"Hellp me b…baaack to…my rooomm…Tezaemun." She pleaded in a whine.
They both wobbled a bit as they fought to stay on their feet, really only managing to fight each other in that regard. "Whatsss wrong…Gawa? Afffraid of…getting lossst?" he half-taunted.
She gave him a pouty face. "It's daaarrrk! I dooon't thiiink…I can fffind…my rooomm!" she whined even further.
He glared at her and waited a second for his eyes to focus. "I doon't…know wherrree yourr…room iss…Gawa!" he almost yelled.
The woman raised her head and thought for a moment; it was nearly a whole minute later when she whined again. "I doon't knnnow eitherrr!" she almost cried. "I tiiirred!" she furthered.
Tetsuzaemon growled at her drunken antics, but in his just as inebriated state, he could help but feel bad for her sudden predicament. The pair stood in front of the barracks door for a few moments, until he opened the door and pulled them both inside.
"Comme onnn…Gawa." He instructed poorly.
Not really having any other choice, nor being in a state of mind to even understand what was going around them, the woman allowed him to escort her through the quiet halls towards the officer's area.
Normally, Hinata's room would have been somewhere in this area, but seeing how she didn't want her friend to be all alone while they were assigned to the squad, she chose to stay with Yuka on the second floor with the rest of the squad members.
When they came to the first door of the officer's area, Tetsuzaemon fiddled with the key for what seemed, to Hinata at least, eternity. After quite a while, the woman had had enough, snatching the key from his hand and expertly sticking it into the slot and unlocking the door.
She pocketed the key as he slid the door open very slowly, her face lighting up in a smile when she saw what she wanted most at the moment, a bed. She snatched her arm from his shoulders and almost ran towards the bed, plopping down on it with a very relaxed sigh.
"Beeeeeed!" she moaned out in glee.
Tetsuzaemon tilted his head at her as he closed the door behind him. "What…dooo you think…you'rre doing…Gawa?!" he demanded.
His only answer came in the form of the woman's loud, drunken snores as she quickly passed out with only half of her body on the bed. The man deadpanned as he watched the knocked-out woman doze away without a care.
"Damn…woomman." He mumbled.
The Lieutenant stumbled over to the side of the bed before grabbing her ankles and gently pulling them on top of the bed. Shifting over a bit, he then rolled the slumbering woman onto her back, and further to rest back down on her front, now in the center of the bed.
Since Ikkaku had spent the night over a couple of times in his own drunken stupor, Tetsuzaemon kept a spare futon kept under his bed; a habit he transitioned over to this new room upon transfer. Kneeling down, he pulled the spare sleeping arrangement out and set it next to his own bed before plopping down on it.
The both of them were still fully clothed in their shihakushōs, so neither of them had to worry about covers; not like it mattered anyway, seeing that he was too drunk to even care at the moment.
The man took a deep, relaxing breath and let it out slowly as sleep very quickly took a hold of him; just like it had done to Hinata only a minute before.
Hueco Mundo, Present
"Alright…" Renji began, panting heavily. "…take ten."
Rukia came to a stop next to him and plopped down on her butt with her legs at her sides, her upper body supported by her hands on her knees and breathing just as hard. Renji then took a seat next to her before pulling out his canteen, passing it to his friend.
Timothy however just fell back and landed on the sand completely spread out on his back with a very heavy breath of relaxation.
"I wanna die." He complained in a moan.
Nel gave a breathy chuckle as she took a seat next to him, resting her hand on the top of his head and giving his hair a ruffle. The Lieutenant weakly raised his own hand a tried to swat hers away, but it fell back down to the ground before he could make contact.
"Stooop." He moaned out in annoyance.
The woman chuckled once more in humor. "I'm sorry we couldn't arrive closer than where we did Tim, but that was honestly as close as I thought was safe for us." She comforted.
Rukia raised her head to the woman and smiled. "Don't worry about it, Nel. I guess we should consider ourselves lucky that we were even able to get here in the first place. So how much father?"
Nel looked out towards the vast dome of Las Noches with a hum. "I'd say about a little past halfway now. If you want…I guess we can spare about an hour to rest up a bit more." She offered.
Timothy lifted his forearm up without raising his upper arms and waved her off. "Just leave me…I'm done for." He joked in a whine.
Renji grinned at him. "What's the matter Tim, 'getting tired already'?" he mocked, returning the man's earlier taunt.
The blonde man rolled his head to him. "I would tell you to shut your face Renji, but the truth is, is that I'm too tired to argue with you right now." He shot back.
Nel sighed as she shook her head. "Must you two always bicker with each other?" she wondered aloud.
"You might as well get used to it, Nel. Tim is too much like Ichigo, and he and Renji are always going at it." Rukia informed with gesturing towards the man with her thumb.
"Hey!" Renji returned with a glare.
Timothy gave a quick huff. "If that's the case, we should have the idiot with us. Send those two into Las Noches and start bickering with each other to cause a distraction while we save Orihime. Hell, they'd probably give her back to us just to make those two shut up." He mocked.
Renji shook a fist at the man. "You wanna die here, you bastard?!" he threatened.
The younger Lieutenant rolled his eyes. "Too late, I'm pretty much already dead at the moment. That bullshit comparison of my spirit energy and spiritual pressure to a marathon that Kisuke used during my training seems a bit to ironic now."
Rukia casually glanced over her shoulder to the south while reaching out with her senses. "It seems like our two friends are still with us." She commented.
Nel nodded before giving her a worried look. "And they're not the only ones now; there are three more following 'them' even further back." She cautioned.
Timothy shot a stern look to her. "I didn't sense them!" he said in concern.
The Arrancar glanced down at him. "They are beyond the range where you can detect them, but they are still within range of my pesquisa. These three are a bit stronger that the first two; and to make it worse, I believe that they may be working together. That is the only reason why I am hesitant to suggest resting for an hour. Otherwise, I would be demanding it."
Renji furrowed his brows. "Do you think they picked us up yet?" he inquired with crossed arms.
Nel shook her head. "They are at the limit of my pesquisa, and mine was among the top in the Espada; so I highly doubt they are aware of us yet. But once they move on the first two, I am almost positive they will pick us up then."
"How long have they been there?" Rukia asked.
The Arrancar looked out to the south. "I first picked them up about a little over an hour ago. I wanted to make sure they were following either us or the first two before I said anything."
Timothy shrugged a shoulder. "Maybe once they take care of the first two they'll ignore us." He offered.
Nel shook her head again and gave him a firm stare. "If they were not operating in a group, that may be the case. But because they are, they are likely not looking to simply feed, they are hunting for more power. Once they have dealt with those first two, they will very likely come after us next."
Her 'unofficial boyfriend' then sat up and rotated his body around to face that direction. "Hey Nel…those tunnels…can we be detected once we're inside them?" he inquired.
"No, the foundations of the tunnels are made from some form of stone very similar to your sekkiseki. The only notable difference is that instead of repelling spirit energy, it dispels it. It also affects the ambient energy in the air around it; and in tight quarters like the tunnels, it disrupts the spirit energy a person radiates, making them basically impossible to detect. So once we are inside, as long as they don't physically 'see' us, they won't know where inside the tunnels we are. That is why it is easy to get lost inside them." She informed.
Timothy narrowed his eyes at the horizon, causing Rukia to raise a brow. "You got a plan?" she questioned calmly.
"Maybe…I'm thinking that…if we keep at a pace where the first two are still at a distance from us, but also at a distance from the other three, we can use those two as a distraction to enter the tunnels without being followed. Once we get to the entrance, we wait for a bit for those back three to catch up to the first two and let them fight it out. While they're busy, we take off into the tunnels; and by the time those three are done with the first two, we won't be around for them to pick up. They'll likely be too busy trying to catch them to even notice us at first." He put out.
Nel tilted her head in thought for a moment before nodding. "That does sound like a good plan, Tim. But at the rate those three are moving, they'll catch up to them before long." She warned.
Renji then stood up and pulled Rukia to her feet. "Well, if that's the plan, we'd better get moving. If worrying about just two of them was bad enough, five of them is going to be a big problem; especially now that we're much closer to Las Noches." He stated, getting a nod in agreement from Rukia.
The Arrancar woman held her hand out to Timothy, and quickly pulled him up after he accepted it. The Lieutenant brushed the sand of his shihakushō before sighing heavily.
"Well, let's get going then." He said in defeat.
The group immediately continued their run towards Las Noches, all of them now keeping their senses wide open for any other possible 'fans'.
Squad 5 Barracks, Early the Next Morning
Pain…pulsing, and excruciating pain.
That was what the current 4th seat of Squad 5, Hinata Ogawa, felt as she slowly, and very reluctantly came back from her temporary 'vacation' in slumberland. Even though the sun had not yet risen high enough to peek through the drawn curtains, there was still just enough light shining through her eyelids to make her headache all the much worse.
Another pulse of pain in her head made the woman scrunch her face in an attempt to reduce the light her eyes were registering, but it did very little in the end except increase the amount of pain she was feeling.
The woman let out a quiet, and agonizing moan in discomfort as she brought a hand up to her face to try and cover her eyes better, but even that made it worse. She was starting to think that just 'existing' would bring her more pain.
"Ffffuuuuck." She moaned out under her breath, starting to gently rub her temples with her hand to try and sooth the headache.
After a few seconds of rubbing, with no effect, she let her hand fall back down to the bed. It took only a moment before it clicked in her head that something wasn't right. Her hand had landed on the mattress of the bed, but it somehow seemed like it fell a little too far; as if it had landed 'below' her.
'…whaaat…?' she thought as she started to try and piece it together.
Slightly wincing in pain, she slowly peeled one of her eyes open to get a look at her surroundings. The sudden increase in light forced her to quickly shut it back again, before retrying her luck at it but reopening the same eye even slower, and not as far.
Her vision was exceedingly blurry, as she could just barely make out the color and shape of the far wall and door. Blinking twice to try and clear her vision, with no success, she noticed that everything was sideways, as they should be since she was lying down.
But it didn't take long for her to notice that something wasn't right, that everything was 'more' sideways than they should be; almost upside-down even. It was only when the rest of her body began to catch up in wakefulness that she fell a dull pain in her neck, like her head was hanging off of something.
Putting two and two together, she realized the reason her hand fell too far; she was likely hanging off the side of the bed, and when she let her hand drop, it fell off the edge to the floor below.
But then, that didn't make sense either. Her hand didn't hit something hard like the floor, it hit something soft. And it didn't fall far enough to hit the floor in the first place.
'…The hell?...' she wondered.
To make things even more confusing, if she concentrated hard enough, she could swear that the room was…moving? Albeit just barely noticeable, but still moving; and in only two directions, and at a steady, timed pace.
'…Where the…hell…am I?'
Opening her other eye just as slowly as the first, a wave of throbbing pain hit her skull as her eyes fought to register even more light in the room. Ignoring the pain with a low moan, she carefully raised her head up level to stare towards the far wall.
Now that her vision was a bit clearer, she finally noticed that something wasn't right about her surroundings. The room was quite a bit bigger than she remembered, and the matching sets of furniture on either side of the room for two occupants were missing; replaced by much larger versions of it, and only singles pieces too.
'…This…isn't my room.' She concluded in her head.
She didn't get more time to mull the thought over, as a very quiet, but still disturbing, lull of deep, reverberating noise hit her ears from the side. It only became worse for her, because she knew what that sound was.
She wasn't alone…Someone was snoring 'next' to her.
Her eyes widened a bit in shock and fear, before she swallowed and very hesitantly started to turn her head to the origin of the sound. Seconds…minutes ticked by in her mind as she ever so slowly came to look at the intruder of her personal space.
When her head came to a stop and her eyes fell upon the source of the sound, the woman very nearly gasped in horror with saucer-wide eyes. For the owner of the disturbing sound, was none other than Lieutenant Tetsuzaemon Iba.
'Oh…my…fucking…' she began, but couldn't finish in her head.
Hinata was finally able to see the predicament she was currently in. Somehow…someway…she found herself lying 'on top' of the shaded Lieutenant, who was lying on, from what she could tell at the moment, a spare futon on the floor.
Not only that, the top of the man's shihakushō was pushed open slightly; being held open by her hand that was currently splayed out on the man's bare chest. And to make it even worse, she could fell that her right thigh was resting over top of the man's crotch with her shin pinned down by his right leg.
As much as she wanted, desperately, to move away from the man before he woke up, she realized that with their current position there was just no way that such a dream was going to happen for her.
But nevertheless, she also knew she couldn't just sit there in such a compromising position. Slowly, and with as much tact as she could manage in her current state of mind, she tried to pull her leg free from under his.
But that proved to be a challenge of its own. With the way she was lying, she couldn't get the man's leg up enough to pull hers free; and with her thigh resting on the man's crotch, there was no way she could simply pull it out without rubbing up against his…sensitive area.
'Fuck!' she hissed to herself.
She then tried shifting her body just an inch to get a better position to free her leg, but her movement slightly disturbed the man, causing him to snort a bit and flex his fingers…the fingers of the hand that she just now realized was resting on her left butt cheek.
Her whole body tensed up at the touch, and she could feel his fingers very slightly digging into her skin; causing her eyes to widen to great proportions. She had no chance now; there really was no way she could get loose without waking him.
It didn't matter anyway, because her last attempt at movement was just enough to coax the man to start waking. His snoring came to a stop and drew her attention to his face to see the man just now starting to open his eyes.
That was when she finally noticed something that she couldn't believe took so long for her to see. The Lieutenant, for the first time she had ever seen, was 'not' wearing his usual dark shades; his eyelids slowly opening to reveal emerald-green eyes.
Luckily, her current position over top of him placed her head over top of his chest; leaving her, at least for the moment, out of the man's sight. But even so, she was still able to get a clear view of the man's eyes as he woke, and as much as she wanted to berate herself for it, she couldn't help but adore them inside.
It was only made worst when she also realized that, because of her hand, she had a good view of the man's very toned chest. Because of the way the Lieutenant normally wore his shihakushō, she had caught glimpses of his chest before, not really paying that much attention to him. But now that she had a 'very' closeup view, she found herself wanting to explore a bit.
'Not…the fucking…time!' she mentally seethed, catching herself before her hand had a chance to move on its own.
She knew it only a matter of seconds until the Lieutenant realized that something wasn't right and decided to look down at her; and when his hand, that was so graciously resting on her rump, gave her another quick squeeze, her temper flared a bit and left her pleading he would just hurry and wake up so they could get this embarrassing event over with.
Thankfully, his observation skills were better than hers when waking up. Within seconds of him opening his eyes, they quickly looked down and locked with hers; both sets of them wide as saucers.
No words were spoken for quite a long time as they continued to stare at each other; him trying to figure out if he was still dreaming, and her as she waited for him to get over his initial shock and allow her to move.
He must have finally realized where his right hand was resting, as he gave the 'object' a gentle, testing squeeze that caused Hinata to flinch and turn very red with embarrassment and seething anger, and thus proving the man's fear.
"Get…your fucking…hand…off…me!" she demanded in a calm, and very firm tone.
Tetsuzaemon froze a bit under her furious stare, but still managed to allow his 'grip' to loosen a bit and let his hand fall from its perch. This earned him a very angry, but approving nod.
"Now…please tell me…that we did 'not'…do 'anything'…last night." She furthered, keeping the anger in her eyes, but adding a bit of begging to the stare.
The man gave a quick glance at their mashed bodies, his brow raising a bit and causing her to start worrying, before returning to her eyes.
"Considering that we still have our uniforms on, I highly doubt it, Ogawa." He informed.
Hinata took this time to look down as well and turn a bit redder. Even though the top of her shihakushō opened up a bit and allowed one of her breasts to fall out onto the man's stomach, they did indeed, thank God, still had their respective uniforms on.
This caused her to almost breathe a sigh of relief; considering that with horrible state the two of them were in the night before, there was no way that they would have been able to put their, already difficult, uniforms back on if they had stripped.
Not to mention that it would have been very likely neither of them would have bothered in the first place with how intoxicated they were.
She finally closed her eyes and let her head drop on the man's chest with a low thump as she let out the breath she had been holding for the past five minutes. Tetsuzaemon rose a brow again before raising his left finger and lightly giving the woman a tap on the top of her head.
"You alright, Ogawa?" he inquired carefully.
The woman opened her eyes with furrowed brows before glaring at him for his obviously stupid question. "You will 'never' speak of this to 'anyone'. This 'never' fucking happened. Got it?" she challenged.
Tetsuzaemon scoffed lightly. "You can relax, Ogawa. I ain't gonna say anything." He confirmed.
Hinata gave a firm, yet approving nod. "Good. Now, if you don't mind, how about you move your leg so I can get the hell up? That is…unless you want a knee in the balls?" she questioned, giving her right thigh a quick and gentle thrust towards his crotch to emphasize her point.
The Lieutenant flinched at the sudden, and uncomfortable feeling between his legs before moving his head to the side to just barely see the current position they had their legs in. Slowly lifting the confining limb, he moved it over to the side and let it back down to free the woman's own leg.
She nodded again before swiftly removing her leg from his crotch, rolling herself off of him, and picking herself up to a knelling position next to him while holding her head in pain with one hand and swiftly fixing her top to cover herself with the other. The man braced himself up by his arms and started rubbing his head as well.
"Alright…" she began in a much calmer tone, then dropped her hand to her lap. "…what the hell happened? Why exactly am I in 'your' room, Lieutenant? Or more importantly, why the fuck was I in bed 'with' you?" she demanded in as calm a voice as she could manage.
Tetsuzaemon moaned as a rush of pain hit his head. "I'm guessing you don't remember shit from last night, do you Ogawa?" he questioned.
The woman growled, but shook her head slowly. "No, the last thing I remember was those two other Lieutenants coming to take us home. After we left the place, not a damn thing." She informed.
He sighed as he laid back down. "Fortunately for you Ogawa, my memory usually doesn't black out on me when I drink. You were screwed up beyond recognition; hell, we both were. After Izuru and Shūhei brought us back to the barracks, you started bitching about how tired you were and how you couldn't remember where you damn room was."
Hinata dropped her head with a pitiful moan. "Yeah…I have no sense of direction when I get drunk. It doesn't surprise me that I forgot where my own room was." She admitted.
Tetsuzaemon scoffed with a roll of the eyes. "Ha! That was obvious. But anyway, I had no idea where your room was either, and I wasn't exactly going to just leave you in the common area all fucked up like that. So I brought you back here. And I 'was' going to pull out this spare bed for ya, but the second I opened the door, you were already passed out halfway off the bed. So I decided to hell with it and moved ya to where you were fully on top of it and passed out on the spare myself. But as far as how you ended up down here on top of me, that's all on you, Ogawa."
Her eyes widened a bit in horror before she turned away with her face red in embarrassment. "S…Sorry." She mumbled. "T…Thank you…for looking out for me, and not…well…you know…taking advantage of me like most men would." She furthered.
The Lieutenant snorted at her. "Yeah…you're welcome. I guess I'll take that as a complement. But yeah, that's what happened."
Hinata let out a depressing sigh as her shoulders fell. "I need to figure out how the hell I'm gonna get ready for work. It's still early, but I know there's people in the common area around this time, and the last thing I want is for them to see me like this and get the wrong idea." She moaned.
Tetsuzaemon slowly picked himself up, rubbing his head when he came to max height, and strode over to his dresser. Pulling a drawer out and shifting around for a moment, he pulled out a spare uniform and tossed it over to the woman.
"Here. Go ahead and use the shower here in the room; then when your all done, you can sneak out the window and head to the office." He instructed.
She looked at the uniform for a moment, then back to him. "What makes you think I'll fit this, Lieutenant?" she questioned.
The man huffed as he sat down on the bed. "The kosode might be a bit tight for ya with your 'not so built' chest, but we're roughly the same size in regards to the rest. Just hurry up so I can get mine, or we'll never get our work done."
Hinata sighed in defeat, then stood and walked over to the door that led to the private bathroom. She stopped just before entering and spare him a quick glance.
"Thank you for looking out for me Lieutenant, and I guess I can forgive this one time for getting all…touchy. But just so you understand, this does not mean that there's anything going on between us. This was nothing more than…a very embarrassing accident." She assured.
Tetsuzaemon glared at her in annoyance. "Just shut up and get cleaned up, Ogawa. I ain't got all day to wait on ya." He returned.
The woman furrowed her brows with a growl. "Ass." She hissed, then entered the bathroom.
Closing and locking the door behind her, Hinata gave the room a brief lookover to see that, contrary to what most others believed, the private bathrooms that only the squad's Lieutenant and Captain were privy to were quite plain.
Besides a small washing area and a just-as-small tub for soaking, there was nothing else. But then again, considering that the rest of the squad had to share two bathrooms, one for males and one for females, having your own personal bathroom without having to share was one hell of a luxury.
As much as she hated her current situation, she couldn't help but admit to herself that she owed Tetsuzaemon for allowing her to use his restroom to freshen up without having to worry about confronting the other squad members.
Hinata took a calming breath, letting it out very slowly, before setting the change of clothes on the small table beside the door and walking up to the mirror to get the first look at herself. But when she finally did, she almost wanted to slap herself.
Her shoulder blade-length hair was a complete mess, looking like she hadn't brushed it in months. She had bags under her eyes, and her pale complexion from the night before stuck with her well into the morning.
The woman moaned as she dropped her head. "I look like absolute shit." She complained to herself.
Giving herself one last glance in the mirror, she began shrugging the soiled clothes off her body; a shiver running up and down her spine as parts of them clung to her body.
"I 'feel' like absolute shit, too." She mumbled as she dropped the top part of her uniform.
Once she was fully unclothed, she sat down on the small stool to begin scrubbing her whole body vigorously. She could feel all of the grime falling off her body, and it only made her relax more and more as she steadily became more comfortable.
A knock on the door froze her in place as she suddenly remembered that she was not in the squad bathroom, but instead in the 'Lieutenant's' personal room.
"Hey, Ogawa, go ahead and take your time. I'm gonna hit up the squad showers and head to the office. Just lock the door from the inside and bring the key with ya to the office when you're done." He instructed.
She took a deep breath and nodded. "Y…Yeah…thanks. I guess I'll…see ya there." She returned.
She heard him grunt in response and listened intently as he left the room and closed the door behind him. Letting out the breath she was holding, she rinsed herself off and hopped into the filled tub to soak for a few minutes.
After relaxing and sighing contently, Hinata closed her eyes and tried to think back on last night's events. But no matter how hard she tried, her memory didn't go past the moment Izuru and Shūhei picked them up from the bar.
Her thoughts suddenly shifted to the way her body was plastered over top of the Lieutenant's, and now that her head was much clearer than it was before, her face immediately turned a deep shade of red.
'Oh my…fucking God…I 'cannot' believe that I did that! I have never been the type of person who moves around in their sleep, so why…now of all the flipping times…did I decide to do it out of the blue!? And with, of all people, my Lieutenant?! Seriously?!' she mentally berated.
Dropping her head back, she released an agitated moan. 'I mean…yeah…he looks hot as hell…but he's my fucking Lieutenant!'
She then closed her eyes and growled lowly. Oh my God…I am sooo messed up in the head…I just thought of my Lieutenant as 'hot'. It's 'gotta' be the left-over sake in my system…it's just 'gotta' be. There is just 'no way' I look at him like that. He's my superior, and nothing more.'
Hinata took a deep breath again and let it out with a small smile. 'That's right…it was just an accident, and I'm just freaking out about what my drunk ass did while sleeping it off. I'm just suffering from the hangover, and that's all. Just calm down, Hinata."
Reaching forward and pulling the plug from the drain, the woman raised herself from the tub and began toweling herself off. Once her body was dry and most of the water was removed from her hair, she wrapped it around her chest and began brushing her hair out with her fingers; seeing that she was a guest and Tetsuzaemon didn't have a brush.
She flinched in pain as her fingers hit the few snarls her semi-short hair had left over from her disheveled state earlier. The more she stared at herself as she ran her fingers through her hair, the worse she began to feel about last night.
Finishing her 'brushing', she dropped her hands to her lap with a heavy sigh. 'I really do owe him way more than a 'thank you' for looking out for me last night. It's been several years since I've been that screwed up, and last time my friends said I acted like a complete idiot. If I was that bad last night…'sigh'…I'm just glad neither of us 'tried anything' when we got back. I'll have to find a way to thank him the right way.' She concluded.
Pulling the towel from her body, she began putting on the borrowed uniform piece-by-piece. "I'll worry about that later. Right now…I've got a mountain of paperwork I've gotta get done before it buries me." She mumbled.
Once she was done putting her clothes on, she thought it best to bundle her dirty ones up and set them so they wouldn't be in his way until she could retrieve them later in the day, once everyone else was in their rooms for the night.
As she picked them up, something fell out from the pocket on her hakama and fell to the floor with a small clink. Reaching down to pick the item up, she noticed that it looked like a key of some sort.
Upon closer inspection, she saw that it was the key to the Lieutenant's room, and her eyes went wide. "I' unlocked the door for us…everything he said was completely true. I knowingly walked into his room last night without a second thought. Oh my God…I am such a stupid idiot. He did his best to look out for me, and all I could do in the beginning was get mad at him for something 'I' did. Fuck me…Yeah…I owe the guy 'way' more than a simple apology and thanks. I swear…I am never drinking like that again.'
Stuffing the key into her pocket with a depressing sigh, she left the bathroom and set her soiled clothes down next to his dresser, and way out of sight. Locking the door to the room, she walked over and opened the window.
Quickly giving the area a check to see if anyone was around, she leapt out through the window, shutting it behind her, and just as quickly darted off towards the back entrance to the squad's headquarters.
Hueco Mundo, Day 2, Present
"Damn…these guys are…persistent…as hell!" Rukia said through short pants of breath.
The group continued their run at a very rapid pace as Renji turned to Timothy. "So much…for your plan…Tim…I…blame you…for this." He growled.
The man swiftly glared back. "T…The fuck!...How the…the hell…was I supposed t…to know they…were all wor…working together…you moron?! How in…the hell is…'any'…of this…my fault?!" he yelled in between breaths.
"We 'should'…have killed those…first two…and maybe…we wouldn't have to…to worry about…the other three…But no…you wanted…to hold off…and let them attack…each other." The redhead returned.
Timothy shook a fist at him. "You bastard!...That 'still'…doesn't make it…'my' fault!"
Nel shook her head disapprovingly. "Please…Now is…not the time…to ar…argue…about who's…fault it is…Besides f…fighting them…our on…only chance…is to…to lose them…in the tunnels." She pointed out.
"Agreed." Rukia jumped in. "Our…only option…is to…fight smarter…than them."
Timothy turned back around to Nel. "How…much further?" he questioned.
The woman shook her head again. "Not much…Another hour…may…maybe a bit…more."
"And…is the…entrance…hard t…to find?" he continued.
She nodded this time. "Unless you…know what to…to look for…you won't…see it…right away." She confirmed.
Timothy glanced over his shoulder towards their pursuers. "In tha…that case…we might not…have to fi…fight them…If we c…can get inside…without…them seeing us…we may…just loose them."
Rukia rolled his eyes to him. "Lets…hope so…or we'll…be in a…world of…trouble." she warned.
Renji looked down at her with skepticism. "We…We could…probably…take em…Ruks."
Timothy rolled his eyes in disbelief. "Without…telling all…of Hue…Hueco Mundo…that we're here?...Yeah…good…luck with that." He mocked.
Nel shook her head. "He's…He's right…Renji…We have…no chance at…fighting them…without…alerting Aizen…We need…to lose them." She affirmed.
The man scoffed a bit. "Damn…I guess…we've got no…no choice…huh?"
The Arrancar gave him a warm smile. "No…not really."
Timothy growled as he turned back to the front. "It'd help if…if we could u…use shunpo." He grumbled.
Renji turned to Nel with a raised brow. "Speaking of…why aren't…they using…sonído…to catch up?" he inquired.
"They're try…trying to tire…tire us out…And it…it's working." She answered.
Rukia nodded in agreeance. "Well…let's hope that…that we can…make it to…the tunnels…before we…pass out." She commented.
"It's not…much further…I promise." Nel assured.
Timothy again glanced behind him in worry. "For…our sakes…let's hope so." He said, then turned back front as they continued their journey.
Squad 5 Headquarters, Present
Walking out from the small kitchenette in the office, a cup of tea in her hand, Hinata sat down and took a sip before setting her cup on top of the desk. Crossing an arm across her chest, she started rubbing her temples as the tea began soothing her throbbing headache.
Luckily, Tetsuzaemon hadn't come in yet, and she was thankful for every second she was spared before she had to face him again. She wasn't exactly trying to avoid him, but then she also wasn't ready to speak to him just yet.
The woman flinched in slight pain at the sound of someone knocking on the office door; and with how wide open the office was, the slight echo the sound had in the room made her headache all that much worse.
She let out a long sigh and shook her head slowly. "Yeeah." She moaned out.
The door slowly opened where Yuka entered the office. She looked at Tetsuzaemon's desk for a split second before turning to her friend. Closing the door behind her, Yuka strode up to Hinata with a gentle smile.
"Morning Hinata. Is…everything alright?" she greeted.
Hinata gently brushed her off with a wave of the hand and a moan. "Yeah…just swell." She returned in a low voice.
The office door then opened and both women turned to see Tetsuzaemon walking in, passing them with a quick wave of the hand before taking a seat at his desk with a relaxed huff. Hinata leaned back in her chair and looked at the man.
"There's tea in the kitchen, Lieutenant." She informed.
The man waved her off and sighed heavily, causing Yuka to raise a brow and turn back to her friend. "You went drinking and took it too far again…didn't you?" she asked in a condescending tone.
Hinata glared at her with a low growl. "Not. A. Word. Yuka." She warned.
Yuka sighed and shook her head in disappointment. "I was wondering why you didn't come back to the room last night. So…where exactly 'did' you end up crashing for the night?" she questioned.
The woman froze and began to sweat as her mind instantly went back to her…very unexpected awakening. She began thinking of any possible lie she could give her, but both of them were still new to the squad and really didn't know anyone well enough yet.
Fortunately, Tetsuzaemon quick with an answer for her. "The fool somehow forgot where her own room was, and I had no idea where you two stay either; so I put her ass in one of the unused officers' quarters for the night. Idiot." He mocked.
Hinata breathed an internal sigh of mass relief and mentally jotted down yet another item that she owed the man for. Acting the part, Hinata rubbed the back of her head sheepishly and gave Yuka a low chuckle.
"Yeah…I got…pretty messed up last night. I kinda thought that I could beat the Lieutenant in a drinking match, and got a little carried away. And you know how my sense of direction pretty much goes out the window when I'm drunk." She said, playing along.
Yuka narrowed her gaze at the woman. "You never learn, Hinata. But at least the Lieutenant was there to keep you out of trouble." She mumbled, then turned to the man and bowed. "Thank you for watching out for her, Lieutenant. If I had known you two were going to be going out, I would have warned you about her tendency to get into trouble."
Tetsuzaemon waved her off again. "Don't worry about it, Sano. She behaved herself for the most part, it was only when we got back that she became a problem. How you and the others holding up?" he inquired.
The woman raised herself and sighed heavily. "Honestly Lieutenant…not so well. Kenta, Issei, and myself learned the hard way yesterday that all the rumors of discrimination against the squad were not exaggerated in the least. Thankfully…the Captain was there before it…got out of hand." She admitted.
The Lieutenant furrowed his brows. "And what did they say?" he demanded.
Yuka sighed again. "I guess the usual stuff…along with a few remarks about…Junya."
Hinata's eye shot wide open in shock. "Oh…Yuka…" she breathed out.
The woman shook her head. "It's fine, Hinata. Like I said, the Captain managed to put a stop to it before I…acted harshly. I'm fine, promise." She assured, then took a deep breath. "I just came to make sure you were alright Hinata, so if you don't mind, I'll go ahead and go about my duties. Lieutenant." She concluded, earning a firm nod from the man before Hinata rose to give her a quick hug.
"You know you can 'always' talk to me and the other two idiots if you 'ever' need to, Yuka. I'll always listen." She reassured before releasing her.
Yuka smiled and nodded. "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. And please, stay off the booze, Hinata. It's bad enough that I have to keep an eye on Kenta and Issei, and I'd rather not have to extend that to you as well when you're drunk." She teased.
Hinata's face fell to a scowl. "Shut up. You know damn well it's been a few years since that last happened, so stop talking like it's a daily occurrence."
Yuka chuckled and shook her head. "If it wasn't for me watching out for you, it would be."
Her friend gave her a gentle shove towards the door. "Go do your damn duties Yuka, and that's an order."
The woman stopped and gave her a low bow. "Yes, 4th seat!" she mocked.
Hinata swiftly grabbed a small paperweight and threw it at the rapidly retreating woman, the object hitting the door with a dull thud right as it closed shut. She growled for a moment, then smiled and shook her head.
"Witch." She mocked in a low, but joking tone as she walked up to retrieve her 'weapon'.
"You two are pretty close, aren't you Ogawa?" Tetsuzaemon inquired.
Hinata froze in front of her 'acting' desk and sighed before setting the paperweight back down. "Yeah, I've always been there to help her and Junya out with their problems, and she always kept an eye on me whenever I went out drinking; making sure I didn't go too far. I would have told her we were going out for drinks last night, but I honestly didn't think you would have been 'that' much of a challenge. Which reminds me…" She paused to look at the man firmly. "…you didn't have to lie to her like that, Lieutenant. You could have very easily just told her what really happened." she pointed out.
Tetsuzaemon crossed his arms with a grin. "What kind of a man do you take me for, Ogawa? I'm not against embarrassing the hell outta ya, but even I'll admit that something like that is a little too far. So don't worry about it. But on a side note, you do realize that I won last night, right?"
Her eyes widened for a second before narrowing dangerously. "Oh really? I may not remember anything after we left the place, but I 'do' remember that you were just as fucked up as I was, Lieutenant. So please, enlighten me how the hell you figure that you won."
He rose a brow at her in skepticism. "Are you seriously asking me that, Ogawa? I managed to find my way back to my room and plant your ass on 'my' bed, where you couldn't even remember where your 'own' room was. I may have been just as 'fucked up' as you Ogawa, but I was clearly the more conscious one. So that means I won." He pointed out.
Hinata growled lowly with closed eyes. "Fine. I guess you've got a point on that one. And…I…I do owe you plenty for looking out for me. So I'll pay for those two jugs, plus a few more as my thanks."
Tetsuzaemon snorted before picking up his first form. "I told you not to worry about it, Ogawa. The truth is, you're nowhere near as bad as Rangiku when she goes over the edge. That woman flirts with anyone; whether they got something hanging between their legs or not." He informed.
Her eyes widened. "You don't mean 'Lieutenant' Rangiku…from Squad 10…right?" she asked in shock.
The man nodded. "The same. But the only thing I saw you flirting with last night was your sake saucer. And while we're on the subject, let me ask you something…was what happened last night the worst that's ever happened to ya?" he asked, looking at her intently.
Hinata blushed at what he was implying, but shook her head. "N…Not in the way you're thinking, Lieutenant. I mean…I'll…I'll admit that it's come a bit close…maybe a little too close…but that was a long time ago; long before I became a soul reaper, and even before I met Yuka and the guys. I'd…rather not talk about it. Those were…not exactly the best years of my life, and let's just leave it at that." She dodged, and moved around to sit down.
Tetsuzaemon raised a brow. "But you were never actually…taken advantage of…right?" he pressed.
The woman shook her head and grabbed her first form. "As I said, it came close once or twice, but nothing actually happened. Now please…just drop it." She pleaded.
The man nodded and returned to his work. "At least now I know how you tend to act when you've had a few, Ogawa. And on that note, don't be afraid ask for my help if ya ever need it. You may have a temper, but you ain't a bad kid." He offered.
She rolled her eyes to him in anger. "I'm not a 'kid', Lieutenant. I may not have been a soul reaper as long as you have, but I've been in the soul society for a good while, thank you very much."
Tetsuzaemon scoffed lightly. "Coulda fooled me, Ogawa." He mocked.
Her brows narrowed dangerously. "Remember Lieutenant, just because you're my superior, doesn't mean I won't slap the dogshit out of you." She threatened.
The man started rubbing his, still sore, cheek that fell victim to her hearty slap, allowing her to see the dull reddened imprint. "You already did, Ogawa." He pointed out.
She flinched and squeezed her eyes shut in horror. "Yeah, uh…sorry about that. To be honest, I don't even remember what it was you said to me to make me slap you like that."
He dropped his hand and grabbed his first form. "We were trading insults again and I called you a matchstick; cause of your thin size and fiery temper."
Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Yeah, you did deserve that one, then." She corrected.
Tetsuzaemon gave her a friendly chuckle. "There's the Ogawa I know. Now, let's see how much more we can get caught up on before this paperwork buries us again." He proposed.
She sighed defeatedly, shaking her head with a smile. "Ass." She returned with no bite to it as she continued her work.
Hueco Mundo, 1 Hour Later
The lungs in Timothy's chest felt like they were about to explode with the rapid, shallow breaths he was taking while continuing his fast pace. Nel, Renji, and Rukia were definitely in no better shape than him.
Over the last hour, the three Adjuchas had gained a considerable amount of ground on the group; and if any of them had looked over their shoulders, they could just barely made out the pinhead-sized silhouettes of their pursuers.
"H…How much…f…farther…Nel?!" Renji demanded, completely out of breath and on the verge of falling out.
The woman barely shook her head in response. "Not…much…farther…J…Just be…beyond that…dune." She answered.
Timothy was about to glance over his shoulder towards the hollows, but decided against that avoid tripping. "We…We've got no…no choice…now…They're…t…too close now…to enter…the tunnels…with…without th…them seeing us." He advised.
Nel gave a quick nod, throwing the sweat from her brow. "I…agree…There's…a place…to hide…near…nearby…to get the…drop on…them…We wa…wait until…they are…close…then sur…surprise them." She offered.
Renji turned his head to her a bit. "We'll…have to…to make it…quick." He warned.
"Yeah…Each…Each of us…takes…takes one…and the…fourth person…double…teams one…of them." Rukia added.
Timothy nodded, the action causing him to stumble a bit, but not lose his balance. "N…Nel's the…best at hand…to-hand…combat…So she…she'll be the…the one to…double-team…Just…make it…it fast…Nel." He instructed, earning a brief nod from everyone.
"Agreed." Rukia said in a weak voice.
The group continued their run until they came to the top of the dune, seeing what looked like a small shed of sorts standing next to some ruins; ones that were similar to the ones they had stopped at previously.
"The…The entrance…to the…the tunnels…is in that…shed…We can…hide in…the ruins and…and wait…for them…there." Nel informed.
Renji nodded. "Then tha…that's the…plan." He confirmed.
They continued on passed the small 'shed' and quickly ducked in behind the ruins. Everyone now had their hands planted firmly on their chests as they struggled to get their breathing back under control before the enemy arrived.
"We've got…maybe ten min…minutes until…they get here." Nel warned.
Renji nodded and turned to her. "Tim…no off…offence, but…your sword skills…are a bit…low c…compared to…Rukia…and I…So Nel sho…should help…you out…first."
Timothy waved him off. "None…taken…Nel, you should…stay hidden…until…I get the guy's…full attention. Then kill him…as quick as…possible…from behind."
She nodded firmly as her breath began to calm down. "I don't like…fighting in that manner…but…I fear we have…no choice." She fretted.
Rukia shook her head. "Sadly, we don't. We should all…try to su…suppress our…spiritual pressures…as much as…we can."
"Agreed." Renji confirmed.
The four of them immediately started focusing on limiting the spiritual pressure each of them emanated. By the time that they finally had their breathing almost under control, they could faintly hear the rapid footsteps in the sands as their pursuers came within hearing distance.
Each of them rested their hands on their zanpakutōs, where Renji spoke in a whisper. "Wait till they get close." He instructed, earning nods from everyone.
They waited for what seemed like hours as the footsteps slowly got louder and louder; now sounding like they were less than a few hundred yards away from the ruins.
They all got ready to jump out within seconds, but froze when the footsteps suddenly stopped. Timothy narrowed his brows in wonder before turning to Renji in confusion; but the man only shrugged a shoulder in response to the blonde's unspoken question.
The group was beginning to fear that the attackers knew exactly where they were, and were positioning themselves to better attack them. Timothy gave Renji a worried look, where he nodded and slowly drew his zanpakutō.
Timothy followed suit, pulling Kitsune from her sheath in preparation to attack; but his arm froze in place when one of the attackers spoke.
"Where the…hell…did they…go…damnit?!" the attacker spoke out, clearly out of breath.
Everyone's eyes went wide as saucers as they looked at each other in shock. "…No fucking way…" Timothy mumbled out.
Alright everyone, so not too much in plot development this time, but a bit of side-development instead. Hope you all liked the little 'incident' between Tetsuzaemon and his acting 4th seat.
I'm sure some of you, 'cough…SoulessSora…', will be wondering if anything will result from their accident, but I'm not gonna tell, lol. Just gotta wait and see, fellas.
Heading off for now, gotta get ready for finals. Sao, I'll see you all next time. And just so you know, going back to what I said about longer posting times, there will still be a chapter in two weeks; after that is when it might slow down. Again, I'll be trying as hard as I can to get as much writing done as I can. Laters.
