Chapter 43 (Shizuko)
"I'm doing better," I smiled, despite the fact that Kisuke couldn't see it. He had been fussing over my health ever since I had returned to full duty several weeks ago.
It had been months since the war with Aizen. Many of us were like me and recovering in Squad Four the longest of times, performing mainly admin work because we weren't strong enough to do much else.
Slowly, we had rebuilt the Seireitei and the trust we had lost in this past year. All in all, everything was improving.
"Stop it, you moron," I heard my mother chide Kisuke from the other side of the line, "She's a tough one."
"Okay," he chuckled to her softly. There was a silence and I could imagine that they were just looking at one another with that warmth you saw in a couple's eyes.
"Kisuke," I said quietly, "Fix things with Mom."
"I will."
"She expects loyalty…and you haven't been clear on where yours lies."
I could imagine him nodding, "Wise girl. I'll get to that soon."
"What are you talking about?" My mother asked him.
"Shizuko," Renji poked his head inside my room, "Let's go!"
"I have to go—Renji and I are training the Shinigami," I waved at Renji, "Love you. Tell Mom that I love her too."
"Will do. I love you, kiddo."
I ran over to the Renji, grinning as he slipped his hand into mine. He smiled at me fondly, and I felt my heart skip.
"What did you want to do with them?" We put space between us as we approached our squad members.
"The basics. A lot of them aren't well-versed in fighting, and the others are scared of it since the battle with Aizen. I want to instil some confidence in them again."
"Okay," I nodded, "Well then, you take the lead, Lieutenant."
He smirked, "Are you sure? Soon-to-be third-seat?"
I gave him a soft shove and he chuckled. Since I had left Squad Four, we were doing better. Byakuya had gone back to being his cold self, and Renji seemed to have forgotten about Rukia these past few weeks. It was almost like everything that had happened didn't…
"Lieutenant Abarai. Fifth-seat Kuna," They bowed quickly.
The sun was making it fairly hot today. I rubbed my chest as we stood in front of the men and women. I leaned against my zanpakuto as Renji stepped forward and we started our training.
I would be fine.
I sheathed my zanpakuto and helped Renji instruct the squad members. They were doing well, though it was noticeable that they weren't as well-versed in fighting as Squad Eleven. They lacked creativity.
"You're too predictable," I told one of the girls as she dodged her opponent's attack, "It doesn't matter how fast you can move if your opponent knows exactly what you're going to do next."
The sun was beating down on us, and I wiped away the beads of sweat that ran down my forehead. Renji was on the other side of the field, showing a group of men how to block effectively.
"Shizuko," The ninth-seat came up to me, "The Captain needs you."
"Of…course," I blinked a couple times to clear my eyes. But my vision blurred, like someone had glazed my eyes over.
"Ma'am, are you okay?"
"Yeah, just tired," I began to walk in the direction of the main buildings. My men continued to practice and the ninth-seat walked beside me, "Did Byakuya say what he needed?"
She was quiet for a moment, "Uh, yeah, Captain Kuchiki had some questions on a report you had filled out."
I nodded stiffly. I needed to be careful to not call him Byakuya in front of the other squad members. It had been easy before but recently I found myself slipping far more.
"Very well. He's in his office, I presume—"
I stopped dead in my tracks. A jarring ringing sound pierced my ears and erupted throughout my skull. I pinched the bridge of my nose and keeled forward. My head felt like it was splitting wide open.
The ninth seat rushed toward me, "Miss Shizuko—are you sure you're alright?"
"I…" I tasted…smelt…copper. Blood. Touching my nose, I looked down and saw red coating my fingertips, "I…"
The ground came quickly. I barely caught myself in time, and the ninth-seat rushed to my side. I gasped—it felt like my head was being placed between a nail and a hammer.
"Get help!" She dragged me to my feet as I coughed up more blood, "Shizuko!"
