Welcome to another chapter of Daisy!

First and foremost: We have a blog now! Check it out at kobahitsu dot tumblr dot com. There will be a lot of aesthetics, info about the story and historical references which I use when writing there :) Also, I welcome you guys to ask anything you're interested in! Questions to OCs are an option, as well :D

I would like to thank everyone who's followed, favorited and reviewed the story in the meantime. Also, huuuuuuuuge thanks to my new beta amazonannielove, who is a Godsent. Thank you for your wonderful work on the story, as well as all the work on the blog which you're put in :D

Here's some food for thought:

Cowards falter, but danger is often overcome by those who nobly dare. - Queen Elizabeth II

Chapter 23: Love, Duty, and Shogi

A paper fell to the floor, making Hinagiku curse under her breath. She didn't leave her seat, though. Instead, she kept writing. Her fingers hurt like hell at that point and her head was pounding. But she felt blissfully at peace, with her mind only filled with information about the different missions inside of her own Division. There was a reason why Hinagiku loved paperwork, after all. As soon as she placed her glasses over her eyes her vision would clear up, just a little bit, but enough to set her in a certain kind of mood. It was a safe space, without any bothersome thoughts, intrusions, or memories from her past. There were no flashbacks, no sentences repeating in her head annoyingly, or people coming after her with swords, traditions, or troubles. She was free. Paperwork was her door to bliss.

So, as Hinagiku worked through the large pile of reports, summaries, and dailies that Rini had piled on her desk she smiled a little, not even noticing the obvious discomfort her small body felt from sitting there for hours. She was in another dimension. People came into the office and left it. Some even spoke to her, but she didn't care. She didn't hear and didn't mind while she had that kind of clear vision of the letters. She was on another plane of existence and there was only her, the mission, and the pen and paper. She was completely free.

"Damn, girl! You're still at it?" Rini entered the shared office with a small awkward swagger to her step. Her red hair was slick with sweat and stuck to her neck in a way Hinagiku knew annoyed her, cheeks slightly flushed. She'd spent the afternoon in the Division's dojo, defending her Seat from eager challengers and teaching the new recruits some fresh moves. "She out of it again?"

"She's been out of it for the last ten hours," confirmed the 17th Seat, Sakamoto Katsuo. He was a tall man, with dark hair always slicked back with copious amounts of gel and dangerous looking black eyes. Rini was pretty certain that his Shikai had something to do with poison, but she wasn't certain. All that she knew about Katsuo was that he came into the dōjō each day to rush at their 3rd Seat with a bloodthirsty first strike, only to get knocked onto his ass.

"Katsuo," the woman greeted. "You swimming in those?" Rini grinned at him. There were papers all around the 17th Seat's desk, messily organized in piles which seemed to endlessly multiply with each of her visits. He was by far the messiest of the four officers sharing the space, and Hinagiku never stopped talking about that.

"Barely have my nose above them," he returned with a shrug and a small laugh. "That one's a beast when it comes to paperwork, though." Katsuo pointed at Hinagiku with his chin. "She hasn't gone for a pee break in the last six or so hours, you know?"

"Oh, I know how she gets," Rini laughed. Then, the woman walked over to her friend's desk and placed her Zanpakutō over the papers, successfully breaking Hinagiku's concentration. "Well, hello there."

"Good afternoon, Rini-dono."

"Evening."

"Good evening, Rini-dono," Hinagiku repeated, a small smile playing at her lips. "Was the training to your satisfaction?"

"Everything hurts. In the best way," Rini shot back. She tilted her head to the side. "Do you want to head out for a roll in the dirt before you need to get to your evening appointment?"

"Please stop making it sound like some kind of promiscuous thing, if you would," Hinagiku sighed. Though, she slid off her glasses, rubbed her eyes, and packed everything up. The petite Shinigami was ready in a few moments, grabbing her own Zanpakutō and tossing Rini hers. "Let's give it a go."

"Oh, man, I want to see this." Katsuo was up on his feet, too. He followed the two girls into the inside of their barracks. He soon found a nice spot on a pillow on the edge of the walkway from where he could see the whole traditional garden easily. The two female Shinigami slipped on their waraji and entered the area, instantly clearing the couple of new recruits who had been running drills.

"I'll give you the lead, if you want?" Rini cockily remarked.

"My pleasure," Hinagiku grinned right back, walking a few more steps into the space, before she deemed it satisfactory. Then, she turned, fixing her friend with a hungry gaze. It wasn't too often that a double-digit Seat got a chance to challenge a single-digit to a friendly spar. After all, most fights within the 11th Division were for their positions. So this was an anomaly that everyone would definitely gather to watch.

"Whenever you're ready," Rini nodded. Hinagiku didn't bother voicing the start of their spar. She simply rushed forward. Her katana slice, straight from the sheath, was stopped by Rini's bare hand. The 9th Seat had caught the hilt, slamming the Zanpakutō back into its sheath with a grin, enjoying the irritation on Hinagiku's face. "You do know that you need to draw to have a swordfight, right?" Sneered the redhead.

"I will take your advice to heart." Hinagiku kept her voice even, despite the telltale rush of blood in her veins. She moved, pulling back, which had Rini stumbling forward. With a switch of her weight between legs Hinagiku turned, unsheathing on the side where Rini wasn't expecting. While it did leave her back to her opponent, it had been the right choice of moves. The 9th Seat was forced to duck down and avoid the sharp slice, rolling onto the ground and ending up in a crouch, hand at her own katana hilt. "You do know that you need to draw to have a swordfight, right?" Hinagiku offered with a straight face, making her friend laugh.

Their next clash rang throughout the garden with a sound of metal meeting metal. Hinagiku was shorter and lighter, being at a clear disadvantage in the struggle of strength. Soon enough, she was being pushed backwards by both Rini's Zanpakutō and her grin that spelled trouble.

"C'mon, Hina. You can do better than that," sneered the redhead as she won the struggle, pushing her opponent away. She followed through with a few quick strikes that Hinagiku awkwardly blocked. The short Shinigami flared her reiatsu in response, focusing on a well-aimed strike as soon as she got her footing. Then, the two were clashing it out, moving from one side of the garden to the other with a few easy Shunpo.

"Are they fighting for the Seat?" Nakajima Shin asked one of the spectators, coming to the front to be able to see the two women easier.

"Not that I know," replied a Shinigami from the front.

"A formal challenge wasn't issued. It's just a spar," Katsuo piped up from his seat, eyes wide to catch each of the quick slices between the two Shinigami. "Come sit here, newbie," he waved the young Shinigami over. "Make sure to see everything, alright?"

"Thank you very much," replied Shin, squeezing into the small space that the 17th Seat had opened for him. He looked back up at the two, taking everything in. The two women were flying around the garden, no clear victor in sight. While Rini was definitely the physically stronger and more battle experienced one, Hinagiku was quick and smart when it came to using her surroundings. She had managed to win their scuffle on the bridge, pushing Rini into the water below with a swift sweep of the 9th Seat's legs. Though, the 19th Seat lost the struggle on the other side of the garden soon enough, not expecting Rini to fling water into her eyes and then knock the Zanpakutō out of her hands.

"Ouch," Katsuo commented, hissing.

"What's wrong?" Shin asked.

"Kobashigawa let go of her katana," the 17th Seat replied. "You never do that. It's over." He nodded, brushing off his hakama and getting up. But, a collective gasp of the crowd made him turn around. Now, Hinagiku's kosode was off, and she was heading for her katana with a quick Shunpo.

"That's dirty, Hina!" Rini gave chase as soon as she got disentangled from the black garment, Zanpakutō at the ready. But, by the time she reached the petite officer, she was faced with a blade and a grin. "Alright, then." Rini stopped short in her tracks and rolled her shoulders. A wave of reiatsu washed across the spectators, making some of them gasp for breath and fall to their knees. Something crashed into the wall behind Shin, a whoosh of air making him close his eyes. When he looked again, there was only the 9th Seat Rini in the garden, Zanpakutō back in its sheath with a wide grin. "Bye bye!" she waved in his direction cheekily. Shin looked behind him to see his superior officer picking herself up from the debris.

"No!" Hinagiku shouted and he was certain that she would fly back with a Shunpo to continue the fight. But instead the short woman turned to the obvious hole in the wall of one of the offices which had exposed the mountain of papers on each of the four desks inside. "The bills!" Half of the spectators groaned and the rest laughed.

Clearly, the scuffle was over. Victor: Kida Rini.

"Seriously, I didn't mean to," Rini apologized for the fifth time to her grumbling friend who was filling out a report. "I thought you'd brace it better," the 9th Seat sighed.

"Sign." Hinagiku didn't react, instead pushing the billing report over to her friend.

"Here." Rini scrawled her name. "I'm serious, though, Hina." She tentatively looked over at the small girl. Hinagiku took a second to place the billing report into one of her folders and then she stood, waving the apology off.

"I know," said the girl. "It's alright, I promise. I'm just in a bit of a hurry." A glance to the clock on the wall of her office sent panic running through Hinagiku's eyes. "Not anymore, apparently," she sighed.

"Late for your date?" Rini asked.

"Very much so," Hinagiku confirmed with a slight frown at her friend's wording.

"Let's hit the showers, then." Rini hurried out.

Tōshirō glanced at the clock on the wall of his office before cursing under his breath. He quickly scrawled his name on the last few reports and jumped up, making certain to lock the drawers of his desk behind him. He was late. Knowing Hinagiku, she definitely wouldn't be and he couldn't have her getting there before him. So he simply shrugged off his haori and tossed it over his chair. Smoothing down his shihakushō he decided that that would have to do.

As soon as his feet were in his waraji he broke into a Shunpo. It took him ten steps to get where he wanted, right in front of the restaurant just outside the Seireitei limits. Tōshirō stopped, looking around. There was no telltale messy head of short dark curls. Perhaps she was already inside. The young Captain ducked into the restaurant, looking around. He couldn't see the girl.

"Welcome back, Hitsugaya-taicho. Table for one?" the serving girl at the entrance greeted him. He didn't look up, eyes still going over the patrons of the restaurant.

"Two," he replied when he didn't find Hinagiku on his second sweep of the place. "My companion should be coming shortly."

"Oh, you're dining with Momo-san tonight?" the server seemed eager for the gossip. "I'll be sure to send her right over. If you would follow me." She was moving into the restaurant before he could correct her. When they arrived at the table, Tōshirō sat down and spoke up, making the server stop before she could walk away.

"My companion is a short girl with black wavy hair," he said. Now this got the server's complete attention. Tōshirō was well aware of her glee and only slightly uncomfortable under her focused gaze and happy grin. "If you could send her over, that would be perfect." After receiving a nod, he added, "and if asking for a shogi board isn't too much trouble?"

"Not at all, we will have one over in a second." And she was gone.

Tōshirō looked around, making himself comfortable. The seat he'd gotten was a different one from his usual spot. While it was still near the window it didn't give him a clear view of the main street. Instead, he was looking out into the back garden filled with lanterns and colorful flowers. A romantic spot, he supposed.

Wait, was this a date?

He was fairly certain that it wasn't. When he'd asked Hinagiku to visit the restaurant with him it had been a spur of the moment decision. He simply wanted her to get a chance to try the Western food that they offered. They'd offhandedly set a time and date and he hadn't really thought much about it since. But now, sitting at the table for two with a view of the lit-up garden behind him, Tōshirō was having doubts.

His hand flew to his hair in a nervous motion, fingers raking through. If this was a date, he was horribly underdressed. At least it was formal, he told himself. But, it was the get-up which Hinagiku saw him in every day. Matsumoto had explained to him after his first failed blind date, which she had set up, how wearing non-work clothes was a must. So on the next 'arranged outing', where Tōshirō was mysteriously left behind with a lone woman from the 5th Division at the bar, he made certain to wear a semi-formal kimono. His lieutenant had been beside herself with joy, despite the failed date.

Now, she would definitely be ashamed and positively freaking out. More importantly, he was freaking out. Tōshirō looked at the entrance, seeing that Hinagiku still wasn't there. She was late. Not just a bit late, but seriously tardy. And Hinagiku wasn't the type of person to be late. Tōshirō forced his mind not to imagine the obvious possibility- Zaraki yelling 'come on, come on, come on' and rushing at the tiny Hinagiku with his jagged blade. Instead, he focused on making himself as date-presentable as he best could under the circumstances. He checked that his shihakushō was properly tied, no creases or leftovers of his hurried lunch on the kosode. He even allowed his hands to slip under his armpits to make certain that he hadn't sweated during the day.

"Hitsugaya-do- taicho." Damn all the Gods that weren't on his side that evening. Tōshirō hurriedly set his hands into his lap, face flushing at being caught with his hands under his armpits. "Forgive my tardiness." Tōshirō looked up and all air left his lungs, like he'd been punched.

This was definitely a date.

Kobashigawa Hinagiku was wearing a traditional formal kimono that went from black at the bottom, to dark purple in the middle, and finally lavender at the top of her collar, accenting the odd color of her eyes beautifully. There was a pattern of white flowers across it, broken in half by a dark purple obi, which he recognized as gardenias. Fitting, as he also smelled the scent of those blossoms as she got closer to the table. Her hair was still wet at the ends, the wavy locks a little limp. Though, with the single white bow which pulled her longer bangs to the side of her head, it looked perfect. There was a plain black scarf around her neck, circling it once before falling to the side in a thin line. It made his eyes focus on the slim line which went up from the subtle cleavage her kimono showed off to the delicate edge of her face. He apparently had a thing for feminine necks.

Tōshirō couldn't breathe.

"My associate, Rini, had me spar with her and we ended up causing a bit of damage to the wall of one of the offices," the girl explained in a nervous tone. "The incident and billing report unfortunately took more time than I anticipated it would. My deepest apologies for my tardiness. It's inexcusable." Tōshirō's brain finally caught up with her nervous apology and he put one hand up.

"It's perfectly fine, Kobashigawa," he assured her, hurriedly putting his hand back down when he remembered his earlier embarrassment. "I wasn't waiting for long. Please, sit." When she moved Tōshirō jumped up, hurrying to pull out her chair and help her get settled.

"Thank you," was the timid reply he got. The blush on Hinagiku's cheeks slightly eased his discomfort. She was feeling awkward, too. He could do this.

"Good evening." As soon as he was back in his seat, there was a waiter next to their table. Tōshirō slightly glared at him for interrupting. "If I may take your order?" The young man didn't seem to notice the obvious displeasure of the Captain in front of him. It took a moment for Tōshirō to gain some air back into his lungs and get his mouth functioning properly. Luckily, that happened while Hinagiku was inquiring about different meals and their ingredients. He quickly added his own input, receiving a smile from the woman on the other side of the table.

Judging by the way she'd done it, not moving anything except her eyes towards him and tilting her lips upwards, she'd done it unconsciously. The soft blush that spread across her face seconds later confirmed it. But it was after the waiter had gone away that Tōshirō's real trouble began. His mind went blank and his mouth became completely dry. He was certain that this was a date now. And he had arrived in his shihakushō. And Hinagiku looked positively breathtaking. And his mind had gone blank.

Those purple eyes were looking at him, analyzing.

"Your haori," Hinagiku remarked, like a light bulb had turned on in her head. Then she looked down immediately, blushing. "Forgive my rudeness." Ah, that was familiar. That he knew how to deal with.

"Kobashigawa." Her eyes flew up again, fixing on him from underneath her eyelashes. "It's fine," Tōshirō managed to give her a small smile, which she returned. "What were you saying?"

"I thought that something was odd," she hesitantly started, making him furrow his eyebrows. "It was your haori, Hitsugaya-taicho. I'm not used to seeing you wear your shihakushō without it." At this, Tōshirō chuckled. Perhaps he'd done something right, after all.

"I try to have it on at all times." What are you saying, his mind screamed. "I get mistaken for a new recruit otherwise." His mouth was only partially connected to his brain, apparently.

"Impossible," Hinagiku's eyes were wide. Apparently, it was alright if his brain took a quick break. "I mean, Hitsugaya-dono, you wield the most powerful Ice-Water type Zanpakutō and are the youngest Captain in… certainly over the last thirty years!"

"Ever, actually," Tōshirō helpfully supplied.

"Exactly." He loved the fact that she'd become so upset over his case of mistaken identity that she'd let go of her usual politeness. "They should know your face even without seeing a haori. I knew it long before I was put in charge of external paperwork, after all. It's a matter of respect," the woman huffed, irritated.

"That's quite new," Tōshirō commented, giving a small nod. "I don't believe I've ever seen you annoyed with something before." Hinagiku bit her bottom lip for a second, as if debating whether to answer or not.

"I'm a Kobashigawa," she told him, as if that explained everything. "I'm not meant to get irritated." Tōshirō felt his fingers clench at the way she said that. Not meant to. Tsutsui Tomoka had been in his service long enough for him to know exactly what Hinagiku wanted to say. Tomoka was a promising Shinigami whose talents kept being stifled by the rules of the aristocracy. While she may not have the same pressure that Hinagiku had had laid down on her, Tōshirō had noticed some things. Her tea making skills, her social skills, the way she positioned herself when speaking, and the way she prettied herself up. Tsutsui Tomoka had been groomed to be the perfect wife for a nobleman. Her Shinigami status was a mere high-value attribute, to show that her children would likely inherit her reiatsu strength.

"Not here." Hinagiku looked at him again, eyes wide in shock. "When you're with me, I don't care about your last name, Koba-Hinagiku." Her face took on an interesting shade of red at his blatant switch to her first name. Heck, Tōshirō was pretty certain that his own face was rather warm. "So feel free to get irritated all you want. You can't be worse than Matsumoto and I already handle her with expert skill." At this, the girl in front of him finally laughed.

"Was that supposed to be a compliment?" she asked through an onset of uncontrollable giggles. Tōshirō sheepishly shrugged.

"I'd like to think so." He was certain that he wouldn't be forgetting her expression just then any time soon. Hinagiku had a small smile playing on her lips still, and one of her hands had gone up to wipe a small tear from laughing too much at the corner of her eye. And at that moment, she'd made his mouth go dry again with a single look.

But before Hinagiku could reply, the waiter came back. He placed their meals in front of them, along with a shogi board on the side, and wished them a good meal. Hinagiku lit up when she saw the board and gave him an appreciative look from underneath her eyelashes.

The rest of their dinner was filled with easy conversation and shogi.

"Suzuki-san, Tanaka-san, we're supposed to gather for a meeting," Shin called out to the two brawlers in the middle of the dōjō. They were too busy to reply, however, as Ikkaku was rushing at them with his Zanpakutō at the ready. Shin winced when the 3rd Seat finally sent all six of his opponents flying, one by one. Then the bald warrior stood tall, twirling his katana and sheathing it.

"Suzuki, Tanaka, get lost," he told them in a bored tone. "You're not doing anything new, so you might as well have Paper berate you about late reports."

"But, Ikkaku-san!" Tanaka struggled to his feet.

"Out! Before I get serious about giving you a butt whipping!" Ikkaku turned to the two brawlers, eyes wide. Soon enough, they were running out the dōjō, slipping their waraji on. Shin hurried to catch up to them. From there, he directed them towards the meeting space in the nearby dōjō. The three were the last ones to enter, settling down on a few random pillows close to the door.

"Thank you for gathering so quickly," Hinagiku began from her spot at the front of the group. "I promise not to take too much time for talking, as we will be running a few drills." There was an anxious silence in the room. "From our last mission I gathered which skills could be improved, for the sake of raising your combat abilities." She told them.

"You gonna train us, boss?" Tanaka piped up with a wide grin. Hinagiku's eyes focused on him.

"Yes." When he opened his mouth again, she didn't hold back. Reiatsu flared in the room, making a few of them gasp. Shin gripped the pillow under him by the edges, forcing himself to stay alert and conscious. "Is there a problem?" their superior asked in an icy tone. It was familiar somehow, like they'd heard it before. But, not from her.

"What can you teach us that we don't already know?" Tanaka's reiatsu rose as well, meeting Hinagiku's head on. It was a bold challenge to someone of her rank, obvious to every Shinigami in the room. But the 19th Seat didn't back down or reply meekly by pulling away as she usually did. Instead, a small smile appeared on her face and she stood up from her seat.

"Why don't you try and find out?"

That's all for now folks!

I hope that you all enjoyed the new content :D I have to thank my reviewers once more, because you guys keep me writing :D
So, without further ado:

Reviews!

NeoFireKitten: Hello again! Thanks so much for the lovely review :D
I'm glad that I didn't keep you waiting for too long :D Here is another update which I hope didn't disappoint :P
I try to keep some kind of action moving at all times to keep you guys hooked :P Sometimes it's the criminal plot and at other times it's the romance :D
How are you enjoying the fics? They are long, as far as I remember :D I suck at keeping my updates regular, sorry xD Quality over quantity :D
Oh my! Praise xD So much praise! Thank you :D It keeps me writing :D I'm very happy that you're enjoying the story :D
Cheers!

Momochan77: Thank you so much for the wonderful review!
Stuffy noble stuff is always trying to interfere with stuff hahahaha Tōshirō… Well… Stay tuned! I give no promises xD
Rini is a badass :) I'm certain that she'll be of use on this criminal investigation :D
Thanks once more and I hope you enjoyed the update!

Most Mouse: Oh my! Another long review! I'm squealing hahahaha I think that you've enjoyed this chapter hehehe~
Well well, we'll see how Tōshirō deals with the eligibility party yet… The nobles aren't going to stay silent when our favorite Rukongai Captain crashes hahahaha Hina is definitely a hot mess... Most of the time xD We will see what she does to embarrass herself at the genpuku, though xD Wait, what incident? There was no incident… :P Hina's definitely trying to forget that one hahahhaha
Rini is… observant… and badass xD What can I say, there was no other way the sneakiness could've gone down hahahaha Hina is awkward :P I agree! She managed to keep her investigation under wraps for a rather long time, in my opinion :D Now that she's got some more firepower on her side, things are bound to develop quickly :) Stay tuned for more on that subject :D I'm not giving any hints hahahaha
Rangiku is the Queen of Gossip in my book. She just loves catching up on it and Shō is the perfect loose-lipped noble to ask about the inner workings of the 11th xD We will see just how she will mess up, or spice up?, the romance between KobaHitsu yet :D I just love her, damnit!
Grandma is going to blow a fuse, for sure, when she sees who exactly is crashing Hina's party… Might even speed up the matchmaking :P I'm drawing from Diamond Dust Rebellion on their relationship, so, yeah :D She isn't going to be a happy camper at all… But, considering the circumstances, Grandma will probably keep a poker face during the genpuku… Can't have all the nobles thinking bad of her, no? And tossing out a Captain? Tsk tsk…Never a good idea!
Glad to have you eager to read :P I can't ration updates, either, if it's any consolation xD When my favorite stories are updated I go wild and read immediately hahahaha I promise a few more quick updates soon enough :D
Kenpachi is completely an 'mmmmm nope' kind of person xD I see it I see it! Oh my gosh, Brother Bear is such a good movie… I wasn't a fan of the sequel, but the first oneeee! I loved the clash of human vs bear and the moral of the story… Just breathtaking…
Hope you enjoyed and hope to hear from you again soon!

Irissiell: I'm glad to see you again in the reviews! Welcome back :D Happy that you're still enjoying the story :D
A criminal plot is something I just can't resist hahahaha I blame it on too many crime shows I've seen xD
Hope to hear from you soon!

Hybrid301: Thanks so much for the feedback :D
I'm glad that you enjoyed the last chapter and I hope that you like this one, too :D
Hinagiku definitely has a bit of a PTSD, still. But, she's coping one step at a time :) She has no idea how much she's improved, either hahahaha She'll get there, I promise :D But, keep in mind that she's been a Shinigami for almost thirty years now in the 11th and hasn't progressed much. It's only natural that she's got a few doubts here and there. Humble is in her blood, though :) I just can't see her getting arrogant… Can you?
Rini is going to be a safety net, for sure. She knows the ins and outs of the major stuff, as she's been Seated for a while now :D Stay tuned for more drama, both criminal and romantic :D
Cheers!

GreyMoon . Huntress: Thank you so much for the wonderful review :D I hope that you enjoyed the chapter :)
Hahahaha HA HA HA! Got you wondering nooooow! Good :D Hehehehe~ I'm evil, I'm sorry xD I promise that all will be revealed soon enough :D
Hope to hear from you again soon! Cheers!

Omake:

Hinagiku stood in front of the huge gates of her childhood home. They were dark green with black details on the sides, spreading from an iron frame. At least four meters high, they were quite daunting to look at. In the middle of the two sides of the gates there was a familiar insignia. A sky-blue river running under a red bridge. The whole picture together looked like a circle, with the bridge and the bottom of the river being its edges. As Hinagiku was musing about the seal and where it had come from, it cracked in the middle, before splitting perfectly in half. The giant doors opened towards the compound, showing her the entrance to the Kobashigawa estate.

"Welcome back, Hinagiku-sama!" three women greeted her from her left, but Hinagiku didn't acknowledge them. She knew the game. They were spies her Grandmother had sent to record every single one of her steps inside the compound. Her flock of tattletale birds.

The doors slammed closed behind the small woman, making the hair at the nape of her neck stand up. The first courtyard looked fairly familiar, with large green areas and busy servants rushing about. There was a patch of flowers here and there which hadn't been there before. Also, it appeared that her Grandmother had dug up the koi pond and added a small veranda in its place. Pity, Hinagiku had liked that koi pond. At least a tiny stream still wound its way around the garden.

"This way, Hinagiku-sama," the first of the three women said, stepping closer and bowing low. Now Hinagiku looked at them. She needed to remember their faces quickly, in order to defend herself easily later. So, like her mother taught her when she'd been young, she gave them nicknames. Kitty, for her yellowish, feline eyes, Owl, for those shocked wide blue eyes and that small mouth in a constant 'o', and Bunny, with her scared eyes that kept going to the floor.

Hinagiku followed after Kitty, tuning out her monologue as she went.

It was time for a battle without her Zanpakutō.

Now, I'm really done :D Remember, reviews keep me writing and I will be looking forward to hearing from you guys on the new KobaHitsu blog :D

On the other hand, if any of you guys are Fullmetal Achemist fans, check out: L'alchimiste et l'Apothicaire by Gloria Patri :D Lovely work :)