Welcome to a very late chapter of Daisy!

OCs appearing in this chapter:

Kobashigawa Hinagiku (11th)

Kida Rini (11th)

Matsushita Koichi (11th)

Mifune (5th)

Nakajima Hideki (10th former)

Nakajima Shin (Shin'ō Academy)

This story was inspired by a short poem by Julie Martinez:

and if you don't
like me, as i do you;
i understand.

because who would
really choose
a daisy, in a field
of roses?
-Julie Martinez

Chapter 7: Friendship, a mysterious thing

It is dark. Nothing. No reply. Silence. There is only silence. My every plea is met by silence.

Where did it go? The brilliant light that I saw? It sparked for a second. For a millisecond. I need that light. I want that light. I hate the darkness. I hate the loneliness. I hate this cage built only for me to dwell in.

I'm ready.

I can fight.

I will fight for you.

Forever.

Just.

Give me light.

The Academy grounds were filled with feelings of nostalgia. Hinagiku couldn't help but look around as she walked, smiling when she saw different, familiar things. Like the Kidō Hall where she had snuck in during the night to practice numerous times. Or, the tall and old sakura tree where she had gone in the afternoon with Tomoka to study or laze about. And then there was the large pond where she had enjoyed reading next to. Yes, Hinagiku missed the Academy days as much as the next Shinigami.

"Pretty nostalgic, isn't it?" Koichi asked, looking around as well. His eyes darted about, and he wasn't moving his head at all, yet the girl knew that he could see everything around him.

"You could say that I miss my time as student here sometimes." Agreed Hinagiku.

"Ah, but it's been longer for you, Kobashigawa-kun, hasn't it?" Asked the Seated officer. "I know it's not polite to inquire a lady's age, but I do remember you when I had just joined the Division." The amber-eyed brawled smiled. "You were the one who scolded me when I was just a greenhorn about my paperwork being late. You even went so far as to come to my barracks and demand I hand it over, don't you remember?"

Hinagiku couldn't help the red blush that colored her cheeks. "I remember." She agreed. How could one forget finding him in a compromising position, after all? She could still remember his bare back, the sheet slipping further down as he turned to her in shock to this day. They hadn't spoken of the incident after his clumsy apology ages ago. "I had practice in acquiring the necessary papers, even back then." She offered him a small grin. "I thought that you were quite surprised, if not frightened, by my tenacity?"

"Oh, I was scared alright." Agreed Koichi. "My previous Division was the 5th. 5th Seat Hinamori had been in charge of me. I'd never had a woman barge into my room and keep me awake just so that she would get the necessary reports." He laughed, probably at the double meaning of his words.

"Hinamori?" Wondered Hinagiku, blatantly ignoring his suggestion, her brow furrowing. "That name sounds familiar."

"Oh, she rose in rank. She's a Lieutenant now." Koichi told her. "Hinamori Momo, 5th Division." When he saw no recognition in the girl's eyes he gestured with his hands, making her let go of his elbow. "She keeps her hair like this-" The man gathered his longish ash colored hair. "And a cloth over the bun." He gestured with his hand in a circular motion.

"Ah! I know her!" Recalled Hinagiku. "She was already in the Gotei before I joined." Explained the girl. "But, I've never talked to her. Their 3rd Seat is the only one that I usually have contact with."

"Mifune?" Asked Koichi, a frown on his face. "He's an ass." The 7th Seat exclaimed, ignoring the couple of Academy students who noticed them and bowed respectfully. Hinagiku offered a nod to the group, making them whisper to each other happily and run off. She had almost forgotten just how amazing it was to be a full-fledged Shinigami and walk through the Academy grounds. Here, any officer was widely respected, no matter their placement in the Division.

"I find him to be quite polite and well-read." Hinagiku told Koichi before turning towards the Main Hall. There, she could find the teachers' lounge and the Headmaster. "If you don't mind, I would like to be excused now. I must acquire the papers needed for student profiling."

"Have a blast." Koichi encouraged her, breaking off towards the left. "I'll be at the Kenjutsu arena. Come find me when you're done." And the two split up.

Hinagiku walked from the Headmaster's office towards the Kenjutsu arena, flipping through the folders in her arms. She was reading the names along with their grades in different subjects. She mostly focused on Zanjutsu and Hakuda, because those were the two things which her Captain valued most. Her eyes stopped at an eerily familiar picture, her blood freezing in her veins.

Hideki.

She blinked, looking at the picture once more. No. The kid just looks like him. True enough, the graduate on the paper had a certain likeness to the deceased officer from the 10th Division, with his messy, dark hair, spiking up against the laws of nature and the kind smile which shone from the page. They could be brothers. Hinagiku mused, her feet moving once more, as she read the information underneath.

Name: Nakajima Shin.

Height: 170cm

Weight: 60kg

Hair color: Black

Eye color: Black

Blood type: 0

Zankensoki:

Zanjutsu: 5/10

Hakuda: 4/10

Hohō: 1/10

Kidō: 2/10

Hinagiku frowned. She had found out from Captain Hitsugaya that Hideki had been one of the top of his class. He had finished the six years of Shin'ō Academy in just four, rivaling many talented Seated officers and even Lieutenants. The reason why he still hadn't been offered a respectable position in the Division himself had been because of his inexperience and general laziness. The young Captain had shared his honest hopes for Hideki with Hinagiku. He had prayed that the Shinigami would find his motivation and rise in ranks quickly, rather than sit in the unseated section. After all, he had the number of missions needed to advance. But, Captain Hitsugaya hadn't been right.

Hideki had died too quickly. If only I had had a better sense of reiatsu. I could've felt that Hollow earlier. If I had practiced more, I could've saved him. Hinagiku shook her head, banishing those thoughts from her head. She knew how that ended. She couldn't have done anything different. She had done everything by protocol. That Hollow wasn't supposed to be there. A Huge Hollow should have been registered on the sensors. If those had worked properly, that accident wouldn't've happened.

Sensors? The girl stopped once more, her mind reeling. Why hadn't the Huge Hollow registered? They have the certain amount of reiatsu which goes over the normal amount. They should've raised the alarm. Something was wrong with that mission. Starting with the Seated officer from the 10th. And Hinagiku made a mental note to look into it afterwards. Instead, she bent the edge of Nakajima Shin's painfully average information sheet and tucked the papers under her arm. It was time to find Koichi.

All the way back to their barracks, Koichi had talked and talked about all the potential candidates for their Division that he had scouted. He talked about their Zanjutsu skills, mistakes and possible improvements. Frankly, Hinagiku had been rather surprised. She had seen their 7th Seat battling it out with Ikkaku numerous times and he had always done it with his bare fists. True, she had read his records from the Academy, and knew that he had had 8/10 on his Zanjutsu. But based on how little he used the skill, it was surprising that he was that well-versed in it.

The two officers had spent the rest of their day in the office, sitting at the same table in the 4th Seat's office and choosing who to invite to their Division. Hinagiku had been surprised with just how much she had pushed Koichi to accept her idea of inviting Nakajima Shin to their Squad. He hadn't been too keen on it and had read the boy's sheet with a raised eyebrow. But, after shrugging, he had agreed without mentioning Hideki. Hinagiku was sure that the Seated Shinigami doubted that the young man would accept their invitation.

The night fell rather quickly and Hinagiku was just finishing her work at Seireishokairō when she was stopped by Takagawa Yuuko, the appointed librarian from the 9th Division.

"Hina-chan!" The brunette pushed her golden-rimmed glasses up her nose and handed over Hinagiku's Asauchi with a smile. "I heard that you had a bit of an accident on a mission. How are you?"

"I am well, thank you very much for asking, Takagawa-dono." Hinagiku knew that Yuuko couldn't help herself. She simply loved to pry in other people's lives. Not that the Shinigami meant anything bad with her nosiness. No, she was simply generally curious.

"That's good." Concluded the librarian, trailing off. A short, mildly awkward silence ensued, making Hinagiku offer a polite bow to the woman and head for the door.

"I bid you goodnight." The short Shinigami said.

"Send my best to your Grandmother, Hina-chan!" Yuuko's words followed her outside, into the warm night. She forced herself not to dwell on the topic of her family, better said her Grandmother's family, but rather to let her mind drift. She couldn't help feeling a bit guilty, though. As much as she blamed her Grandmother for the sheltered and controlled life which she had lived, she also understood the woman on a certain level. Being a judge for the Central 46 was an amazing, prestigious position. And Hinagiku had had the succession of her Grandmother being handed to her on a silver platter. All she had needed to do was marry well and follow the rigorous studies.

She could understand why Setsuko wasn't happy with her choice to become a Shinigami. Her only granddaughter was off fighting life and death battles in the old Soul's eyes. If Hinagiku were in her Grandmother's position, she wouldn't approve either. But, that didn't stop the young girl from living her dream.

You see, for one such as our small Shinigami here, entering the Shin'ō Academy had been an act of rebellion against her perfect grandmother, the judge. It was a way for her to completely break the mold which her caretaker was attempting to force her into. Being a Shinigami wasn't forbidden by the Kobashigawa rules, but it was frowned upon. It was a low position in the society, and definitely something that a woman should not be. Kobashigawa were quite traditional, after all. Women were supposed to be wives. Good wives. Perfect. To fit the mold.

Her mother had never fit into that. She had been a beautiful, soft-spoken woman, polite and proper. She was the dream bride to any noble, due to her own, prestigious birth. She had been brought up with all of the proper classes and private tutelage that one could get. Yet, she had the infamous Kobashigawa rebellious streak just like everyone in their family. She had fallen in love with her father, a simple man from Rukongai, instead of the noble which she had been engaged to.

"Deep thoughts?" A familiar voice asked from behind her and Hinagiku jumped, spinning around. The piercing eyes of Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya stared at her from the shadows of the alley. He looked quite eerie there, with almost no reiatsu leaking from him, the silver hair gleaming in the moonlight. However, his arms were full of a familiar sight. Paperwork.

Hinagiku couldn't suppress her smile. "One could say so." The petite Shinigami said, her voice almost loud in the evening silence of the peaceful Gotei 13.

"I'm glad that you're doing fine." The young Captain gave her a quick onceover, as if assessing her nonexistent injuries. "Everything healed well, I see." He commented. A short silence ensued between them, a little on the awkward side.

Hinagiku wasn't sure what to say to the Captain. She was somewhere between embarrassment, as he had seen her in a truly vulnerable state, and fear, as he was her superior officer, no matter the friendly moments which they had shared during her time at the 4th Division Healing Houses. If she were being honest, Hinagiku would tell you that she missed her talks with the handsome, and yes, she did think that he was rather good-looking, Captain. But, she wasn't sure if she was allowed to contact him after her release. He certainly hadn't made that effort until now.

"I'm grateful for your concern, Hitsugaya-taicho." The girl finally settled for. Polite and not overstepping my boundaries. She figured. The ball is in his side of the court now. If he wants more communication, he can ask for it.

"I'll be on my way, then." He gave a brief nod towards the tall pile which was still in his arms. I should offer to help. Hinagiku thought, looking at the size of it. I could repay him for his kindness this way. Even with two people, it would take a couple of hours to finish. "Matsumoto ran away from work again." He gave a tired sigh, already accustomed to his Lieutenant's dislike for work of any sort. Hinagiku felt her previous nervousness vanish.

In her eyes, Tōshirō Hitsugaya became like a different person when he spoke of his subordinates. His posture relaxed, shoulders slouching slightly and his back wasn't as straight as when he addressed uncomfortable or official matters. His eyes also softened. And, what Hinagiku was pretty sure was an involuntary action, his mouth quirked a tad on the side, into a tiny smile. Even when he was scolding Matsumoto-fukutaicho, he seemed comically irritated, almost amused. He enjoyed her antics.

"I wish you a good night, then, and hope that your work will be quick to finish." Hinagiku offered a formal bow, and when she rose, the Captain's posture was tense once more, his eyes distant. He had expressive eyes, the girl noted.

"Good night, Kobashigawa." The young Captain told her. "Be careful on your way to the barracks." And he vanished, the slight breeze from his Shunpo rustling Hinagiku's hair.

For the whole next week, Hinagiku wondered about her brief meeting with Captain Hitsugaya. It wasn't a romantic notion or anything. No, she had a purely platonic interest in him, despite the fact that she thought that he was rather handsome. You see, for someone with the rank of a Captain to pay attention to a lowly unseated officer in the Gotei 13 was quite rare. And, as level-headed as Hinagiku was, she was not exempt from that.

But, after she had gotten over her childish wonder at the fact that she had received some attention from the young Captain, the girl had a chance to realize something more about him. He was a good person. Someone she would even go as far as considering them friends, if the circumstances were different, that is. Unfortunately, her extensive schooling in proper manners of a lady prevented her from acting rashly and speaking out. As rebellious as Hinagiku was, she couldn't forget the years of learning. She didn't know how to speak out anymore. She was tame.

Hinagiku let out a sigh, resting her pen on the table surface and taking her glasses off. She took a sip off her tea, now cold, and rubbed her eyes. It was already evening and she had barely managed to get through half of her work. With the new assignment from her Captain, she was busy planning the tournament on top of the usual paperwork. Not to mention that Ikkaku and Yumichika were seen by some humans on their last mission and caused trouble. She needed to file their information as well, along with the information of the team which was sent to erase the humans' memories.

Her Division was troublesome, but she loved it there. She remembered the time when she had decided that she would join the 11th. They had been assigned a training exercise in the last year of Academy and her group had been sent to a secluded village plagued by Hollow. The creatures, once threatened, called their kind for help, and a Menos appeared. Hinagiku had never been so terrified in her entire life.

The giant creature, seeping with evil energy had opened the skies, screaming in a deep, tortured voice and headed for the small group of Shinigami. Hinagiku had never seen one before that. She had learnt about them in school, yes, but this was a whole different level. The pure pressure from its existence had brought her to her knees, the sickening reiatsu which was undoubtedly wrong in so many ways making her late breakfast jump into her throat.

That was when he appeared. A tall man, garbed in white with the number eleven on his back. He had smiled at the creature in pure joy, as if he was a madman and rushed at it, holding nothing back. That was when she had felt it the first time. The reiatsu of her soon-to-be Captain. It was a force which pushed you to your knees, making you bow to him and his might. It made the energy of the Menos seem insignificant. He was the ultimate warrior. He was strong. Too strong. Hinagiku couldn't imagine him losing to something like a Menos back then. Even now, she couldn't imagine him losing. Not to another Captain, not to anyone. He was the strongest. Zaraki Kenpachi.

She had worked until her blood and sweat mixed just to be a part of his Division. And yet, she had barely made it. Hinagiku had never switched Squads. Tomoka, her friend from the Academy, had told her numerous times to go somewhere else. Invited her to the 6th with her. Invited her to join her in the 9th. Begged her to come to the 10th. But, Hinagiku wouldn't. She only had one Captain. And she had vowed to serve him until she died.

"Hinagiku!" A familiar female voice called out, its owner's head popping into the room through the door. Kida Rini, the 15th Seat of their Division offered a blinding, white-toothed smile. "There you are!" And she entered the 4th Seat's office.

"Rini-dono." Greeted Hinagiku with a small smile. "Welcome back. How was your mission?" The two girls had become roommates, on Rini's request. Usually, Seated officers had their own quarters, but the fierce Shinigami had decided to give those up, instead rooming with her subordinate. It was the first time that Hinagiku had called someone a friend and used their first name in conversation. It had been awkward, in the beginning. She wasn't used to being overly familiar with people, unlike Rini. The Seated officer didn't really care about formalities. After a small amount of time, Hinagiku wasn't sure if she could go back to the time when she hadn't had the cheerful woman as her friend.

"Thank you." Nodded the 15th Seat, moving some charts of tournament placings and options to sit down. "It was pretty good, but a little boring, since I went solo." She shrugged. "I didn't even get the chance to release my Shikai." She was frowning a tad, obviously disappointed. Hinagiku had learnt quickly that her new and only friend valued a small number of things more than a good fight. "You should put a rule here forbidding Zanpakutō abilities." The woman pointed at the bottom of the chart which was full of names.

"Thank you, I shall take your advice." Nodded the petite Shinigami, jabbing down the new rule on the paper on her left, where the others were. "I'm glad that you weren't hurt, Rini-dono." She looked at the 15th Seat whose tired eyes were flying across the chart. She had a couple of scratches and bruises, and there was a band-aid on her cheek, obviously stopping the bleeding. Hinagiku could sense the slight presence of Captain Unohana's reiatsu leaking from in. It was infused with Kaidō. But, none of those injuries were serious. Hinagiku knew, after all, she had treated the cut from her recent spar with Ikkaku herself. It was still snugly bandaged and stung if she bent her torso too far towards the left.

"Oh, that reminds me." Rini released the chart which she had been examining and reached into her backpack, taking out a small package, professionally wrapped. Hinagiku could tell. She had studied the art herself, due to her Grandmother's insistence. One must always pack her own gifts, the stern woman would say. "Here you go. A souvenir from Gense." Hinagiku's hands accepted in automatically, schooled into taking everything that was offered to her. Her Grandmother had scolded her if she refused a gift from their guests just because she didn't like it. "Open it, silly!" Demanded Rini, breaking Hinagiku from her thoughts and reminding the petite girl of their Lieutenant.

"Thank you very much." The polite Shinigami said on reflex before carefully unwrapping the present. Her slim fingers skillfully found the seams of the packaging, undoing them, so that the decorative paper could be preserved. As soon as it could, the fabric inside slipped out, falling into her lap. Hinagiku reached for the silky, water-like material which flowed and pulled it up so that she could see it better. It was a combination of plum purple, light violet, sky blue and hot pink, showing a complicated flower design. Hinagiku couldn't tell the type of the bud, but she knew that she liked it.

"So?" Rini asked, breaking her from her wordless staring into the object. The woman was smiling lightly, as if she knew that a quiet Hinagiku was a happy Hinagiku. Well, she probably did. "Do you like it?"

"T-thank you very much." The petite Shinigami managed to squeak out, almost like a robot, her mind completely blank. But, it sounded much more sincere than the first time she'd said those words. She allowed the fabric to further unfold and noticed that it was quite long, almost a whole meter. "I- what is this for, Rini-dono?" She wondered, sure that it had some purpose. Like a Division requirement or new trend? Their 5th Seat had tried to start one recently, after all, making all Seated officers wear a couple of decorative feathers similar to his.

"It's quite popular in Gense." Explained the woman and stood, going around the 4th Seat's desk. She took the fabric from the shocked girl and folded it expertly. Once into a triangle and then once more to tuck in the corner from the middle. Then, she wrapped it around Hinagiku's neck, letting it rest there in a loose circle. "I noticed that you weren't wearing that rainbow scarf of yours anymore, so I figured that you needed some encouragement. I'll be offended if you don't like it and won't wear it, you know."

"Thank you very much…" Hinagiku whispered, her throat closing in on itself. She was aware of the fact that her eyes were annoyingly itchy, slowly filling up with tears. Her belly felt like she had a rabid zoo of animals in there causing a ruckus and her chest felt warm. She couldn't suppress the sob which left her throat, but managed to choke it slightly, causing it to sound even worse. "D-dank y-ou v-very m-much…" She sobbed, her tears finally overflowing.

"Anytime." Rini replied, hugging the small, crying girl from her spot behind her. Hinagiku could smell the skilled Shinigami's pleasant, sweet scent. She focused on the perfume, which she had noticed lingering in their room when she got up in the morning. It smelled of honeysuckle and warm vanilla and strangely of home. She couldn't help her tears, they simply kept coming. Rini's arms were warm and gentle, holding her close and she was breaking down.

It took Hinagiku a while to calm down. At some point, the taller woman let go of her and made her sit in her previous spot. Rini handed her tissues in silence for a while and Hinagiku wiped at her nose and face. Just when she thought that her tears were done, her nose would tingle in that sad and uncomfortable way and she would feel the water running down her cheeks once more. When her dry heaves slowed down and became occasional sniffles Rini offered another smile.

"Do you feel better now?" She asked. Neither of them needed to specify about what. Hinagiku had been plagued daily by her nightmares, awake or asleep, and Rini was the person who she spent a lot of time with. Besides, the Seated officer was no newbie to the business. She'd had her own share of traumatic battles and seen a number of fellow Shinigami die.

"No one's eva' given me somethin' like this." Hinagiku managed to whisper, her fingers touching the soft scarf in fascination. "Thank ye very much."

Rini's grin grew to an unimaginable size and she tilted her chair back, looking quite satisfied with herself. She tossed a glance outside of the office window and raised her eyebrow in a distinct motion, showing a certain amount of discomfort. "You do know just how much more work on this silly tournament we still have to do, right?"

"Quite a bit." Snickered Hinagiku with her red nose and wet eyelashes. Rini nodded pointedly.

"A whole damn lot." And the two girls left the office for the day, heading for the popular restaurant near their Division, deciding to listen to their Captain and 'play first and work when they die'.

That's all folks!

I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up, but I hope that it will be by the end of the week xD My exams are coming soon, so I'm busy xD

Anyways, anyone here who's a fan of Nanatsu no Taizai? I just read that they are releasing a new OVA in August this year! I can't wait! :D

Reviews:

Reaper2908:

Thank you very much! I hope that I'm doing alright with Tōshirō… I tend to re-write his lines a lot xD Believe me, one can never get tired of hearing that their new chapter was good xD

Girl-luvs-manga:

You bet that she is! But, Hinagiku loves working (unlike me xD), and she's very meticulous when she's at her job :) That's why Kenpachi keeps her around!

MoonBeams 17:

Thank you once again for the wonderful reviews :)

Yeah, I giggled so much when I read the last chapters xD Byakuya was so shocked! Hahahaha Tōshirō's even cuter when he's making lame jokes… Kind of reminds me of Zuko from ATLA xD Hopefully, I'll keep Tōshirō in character… I always doubt myself while writing him xD

Yeah, I was having quite a bit of a dilemma as to what to do with my OC… In the end, I went with a less powerful Shinigami… Though, Hina will prove herself in time :) Power isn't everything :P

I don't really mind the story not getting a lot of attention, this is already a lot for me! I'm a lazy author, so I'm always worrying about disappointing my readers with slow updates :(

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

icecold1039:

Hello and thank you very much for telling me that you thought that Tōshirō was OOC. Can you tell me where and I'll try to explain why I wrote it like that?

I hope that you guys enjoyed reading!