Hey!
It was strangely quiet in the large, brightly lit storeroom. Unohana had said she didn't need to repeat the words for the Kido spells today. They had gone over them enough recently. Instead they had made remarks on things they had seen recently. The patients they had healed.
The Second Division had gone on a mission in the Human World and it seemed that they had managed to find a patch of poison oak. Getting it in… uncomfortable places. They all piled in as soon as they were done, complaining about issues down there. That day the medical ward had quickly thrown up dividers to give them some sense of privacy before they stripped down to nothing.
Hezza had stumbled through that day. A permanent blush on her face. Never had she seen so many. And they all looked horrible. Blistered and red. The Shinigami gave a sigh of relief once they were able to apply the ointment. Although it was awkward as hell. The veteran nurses chuckled at her as she stuttered her findings. At the time she had only been allowed to observe but they were getting swamped. Retsu decided that she should take a few cases to get used to things.
"You're a people-pleaser. Is that correct?"
"Eh?" The brunette set down the box of medical she was carrying, taking a second to process what she said. "Ah. Yeah. I guess I am."
Retsu nodded, pointing at another box to be moved. The girl grabbed it, stacking it on top of the one she just moved. Dropping her hands to the cold, metal table. Curling them around the lip. Holding onto it for strength.
"It's a destructive personality trait." Retsu grabbed the steaming cup of tea, watching the thin white mist curl up. "You don't have to push yourself to make everyone like you. My Lieutenant has a similar issue." Again, she paused, taking a small sip as Hezza slowly let go of the table, turning around. "You can be your own person. No one will punish you for expressing your feelings. For the most part."
Retsu shot her a small, teasing smile. She better know her position with the Captain or else it could spell death if she wasn't careful. Even with the thinly veiled threat, Hezza could feel her eyes start to water. Feeling a few pieces of the wall she kept around her come down.
"I will do my best, Captain Retsu."
Be her own person? Had she even remembered what that was like? What did she even like? How would she respond to situations? The high walls and sweet personality she created were the barriers she needed to not slip into something dark. Something dangerous. It had been her default for the longest time.
Retsu hummed a short tune. Placing her cup down on the metal table she had leaned against. The clack of porcelain against metal broke Hezza's concentration. Drawing her out of her thoughts.
"I believe that's enough for today. We should have an adequate amount of supplies sorted for the week."
Retsu had allowed her to take the rest of the day off. So, she had taken the initiative and wandered off on her own. She wanted to get out of the Fourth Division and be as far away as she possibly could.
'Not that they're bad people.' Hezza mused as she sidestepped a few Shinigami. Keeping an eye on them. 'They are actually really nice.'
But the weight of learning over a thousand years of Soul Society history and all the small nuances of this world was mind numbing. Not to mention Zanpakutōs, Division histories and specialties. The secret squad. And the Soul King.
It was amazing to think about this whole other world. She had always thought there was more out there. The dark figures at the edge of her vision and the random bruising seemed to make sense. The occasional freakish looking monsters that would flicker in and out of her sight. Now that she had gotten a few lessons from different Shinigami officers things had started to make sense. And that had been one of her strong suits in the Human World. Gathering information and creating a large network of friends and allies.
In some ways this world was like the Human side. She pondered on the similarities as she walked around, eyes roaming the buildings. No set destination in mind other than trying to find a quiet place to sit down for a while. She saw what looked like maids run around on their errands when she reached the inner compounds. She kept to the side, hugging the walls as a particularly large group went by. They giggled to themselves, hiding behind their hands.
It seemed like there was a party or something going on. There was an excited buzz that was infectious. Hezza enjoyed it for a while, gazing from face to face. Although it was becoming a little too much for her. Too many people had come close. And some of them had thrown her glances like they knew she didn't belong. She sighed, about to turn around when a small shout drew her attention to a boy sitting down on the ground.
A group of taller boys surrounded him, jeering and taunting him. His fists were rubbing his eyes, tears streaming freely out of them. Dirt had ruined his pristine blue top and white pants. She had no idea what the symbol was on his shoulder patch but could tell that they were from different manors. She could see the older maids and house hands skirt around them, not wanting to be swept up into the differing clans.
She blinked. Taking a large breath. And then blew it out through her mouth. This might get her into trouble. She threw back her shoulders, taking only two steps forward. By this time they had started to throw rocks at him.
"Yeah! How's that? Your clan is so low that you should be in the 70's districts." The tallest boy, probably around 12, had his hand raised with a particularly large stone. "Why don't you-"
Hezza's hand flashed forward, grabbing his wrist. The boy turned back, eyes narrowing. Hezza gave him a polite smile. Unleashing a minuscule amount of Reiatsu. Those that were closest flinched, scurrying out of her range.
"Why don't you all run along now. Hm?"
She could feel the boy shake in her grasp. If she let go, she was sure he would collapse to the ground just like the little boy still crying. The other bullies stepped back. Unsure if she was going to turn her frustration on them. They all disappeared as soon as she dropped the boy's hand. The stone coming to rest just between her feet.
The small boy hiccupped a few times, rubbed his eyes once more, and looked up to the brunette. The dark blue eyes watered again as Hezza crouched down. There was a cut on his cheek. Her lips twitched down, it probably hurt. She slowly reached out, saying calming words to the boy as she did so he wouldn't run away before she could heal it.
"Just give me a few seconds, okay? Can you stay still for me?" She gently laid two fingers on the cut, fingers glowing dark blue. "There you go. You're doing great… Just a few more seconds."
She leaned back, using her arms to stay on the balls of her feet.
"Th-thank you miss!" He hiccupped once more and then stood. The boy came to her head when she was crouched. Now to just her knees as she stood.
"Why don't you get going? I'm sure your house is looking for you." She patted his head twice, ruffling his hair.
He nodded, turning around and then sprinting off into the crowds. Hezza watched for as long as she could, sighing. Left hand resting on hip, while her right scratching the back of her head.
She just wanted to enjoy the day off. Away from people. How did she get into pulled into that? Now she probably has two clans going to want her dead. Lovely. She sighed, dropping both hands to her sides before she walked out of the inner circle of the Seireitei. Better to go hide for a while before they can report back.
"Man! I just wanted a quiet day." Hezza stuffed her arms into the large sleeves on the kimono. Lips pushing together into a tight line. "How annoying."
Thankfully she slipped into a wooded area a few minutes later. She followed the soft babble of what sounded like a river. She managed to find the source of the sounds, proud of her excellent hearing. Hezza allowed herself a gloating smirk before removing her sandals and socks. Rolling up the bottom skirt of her kimono and carefully perched on a flat rock near the bank of the river. It was freezing. It flowed quickly past her calves, up to her knees. The pebbled floor was strangely soft against the bottoms of her feet. They most have been there forever. Their surfaces were eroded smooth by the running water.
Her brown eyes watched the few tiny fish swim by. Heading down the stream with the flow of the river. She hunched over, bundling up the extra cloth of her kimono to make sure it didn't get wet. While dipping her free hand into the chilled waters. If she would have thought about it, she would have brought a rope to tie back the sleeves, but she only shrugged. Using her other hand to pull the fabric away from the splashes of water.
The sounds of birds chirping lulled the girl into a trance. Her eyes zeroed in on a particularly rounded stone. They were locked on, unmoving. She could feel her Reiatsu swirl around but did nothing to tamper it down. The water around her legs was pushed away, swirling in a large whirlpool. The stony floor breathed air for the first time in a while. Tiny fish got caught up in the swirl for a few spins before managing to swim out of it.
She brought her hand out of the water, curling most of her fingers so the pointer was the only one left straight. It lowered, dipping into the river. The water curled around it for only a few seconds before the liquid pushed itself away from the appendage. She could see the coating of dark blue Spiritual Energy expand away from her body. Expelling more and more water away from herself.
"I wonder what my Zanpakutō spirit will be like." From the brief lesson she got from Isane, she learned that each one was different.
She looked up into the small break of foliage in the trees. Craning her neck back. The leaves were still green. Dark green, bright light green. All different shades. She sighed. Eyes squinting. Trying to see beyond them. Seeing the blue sky and white clouds. A bird or two flew past while she was staring up into the sky but nothing more.
"Hopefully it's something cool. And I hope... I can get used to this world."
She sighed again, head hanging down to her chest. She slowly pulled her Reiatsu back into her body. The water retuned to touch her skin in a whoosh. Biting the slightly warmed flesh. She flinched. Relaxing her fingers to be completely under the water now. Toes drumming against the river floor just twice.
There was still a dark cloud hanging over her. Weighing down on her shoulders. Would she be able to shake these feelings? Her ex had taken the life out of her over the years they had been together. Slowly at first. Making her dependent on him so she was weak when they were separated. Maybe she did that to herself. She tilted her head, shivering. Alienating her from friends and family. She felt a single tear roll down her cheek, hearing it plop into the water below her.
She had wanted to get out. But she was afraid. Afraid to fail. Worried that she would not be able to make it on her own. But things had trended up for a while when they had separated. It fluctuated for a while after that. And then she decided to go on the trip. She felt it was a bad idea. Those figments of her imagination had appeared with more frequency a few weeks before her trip. But she needed to do something for herself.
Of course, there was no way to know that they would spell out her eventual death. She had just thought that they were the normal supernatural things she saw all her life. One had come uncomfortably close a few days before her trip. She blinked before it had landed five blocks down the road. Not one to stay in a confrontation, she turned tail and ran away. Nearly sprinting to her car. Locking the doors after accidentally opening her window.
"Hallows." The whispered word barely rose over the gurgle of the water. "That's what I saw. And that's what killed me." She paused, left palm slapping the water's surface. "Probably."
Hope you all had a great day! Be safe out there.