Summary: A dance is held to try and smooth things over between sides after the war, but... it's not really anybodies thing. Of course, there are also misconceptions as well.
Warning: This contains mentions of past non-con/rape.
Twelve Days of Siblings
Dance Around
"Men."
Bambietta's eyes rolled into the back of her head, the thought of interacting with any of the young Quincy let alone the young Shinigami at the dance orchestrated by the new head taicho of the Gotei Thirteen in an attempt to solidify the supposed new forged alliance between the two groups; in reality, the Quincy lost and they lost badly and the so-called dance felt like an attempt at adding to the humiliation felt by their defeat at the hands of their enemy.
Nobody was allowed to dress in uniform, part of the attempt to make things seem somewhat normal. "Men are pigs."
Bambietta's head turned so she might look right at Candice who spoke similar words to what she just spoke, yet didn't response given the fact – there was a time when she did speak freely with the other Quincy females, not bothering to check her dislike for the opposite sex and how they eyed her body which was mature for her young age, sometimes quipping about how she wouldn't mind cutting any male in half with abandon.
Except, they weren't on speaking terms anymore.
In the back of Bambietta's mind, she wanted desperately to believe it was all her – that she was the one avoiding the other girls, yet – none made an attempt to speak with her, almost as if they found her disgusting; they likely saw her a spoiled brat who used to always get her way under the old regime, not in an alliance with the Shinigami, found her failure in the war am abomination if not outright the reason they failed or because of what happened between her and Gigi specifically.
No, as much as she wanted to believe the lack of conversation between her and the other girls stemmed from the fact they betrayed her. Letting Gigi have their way with her, yet…
Her lips pushed together, remember what she went through regarding Gigi wasn't anywhere near as traumatic as what he went through. Her eyes quickly alighted upon the small figure around her height, his locks of snow-white hair cascading around his head while he avoided interacting with anybody, including the other Shinigami, but her breath sucked in quickly, remembering how Bazz-B hauled the young Shinigami in.
"Oh. It's that Shinigami."
Bambietta's eyes blinked, her eyes focusing on Candice, her lips pressing together, wondering if Candice was speaking with her. She said nothing, her eyes focused on the lack of dancing at the dance let alone interaction between the two sides. In the back of her mind, she didn't know how to respond, particularly when the voice in the back of her head at times kept telling her she shouldn't even be alive.
"You aren't going to speak to me? I thought you were given…"
She found herself looking up at the girl, her mouth pushed together. The other two – Meninas and Lillotto – Bambietta couldn't help but notice how they moved away, giving her looks she really didn't want to try and decipher right now, not with everything else rattling around in that brain of hers. Her mouth opened, almost unsure of how she should respond to the other girl, her mind wondering if Candice was sizing up the males in the room deciding which one to have sex with.
The fact she approached, made sense, although… "I guess you're…"
"I'm surprised any of you are even talking to me."
Candice paused, glancing away nervously. "You know that…" A pause came. "I was about to say that."
"Were you?"
"You know full well we're not – weren't…"
Bambietta looked the other girl up, taking in how she still wore rather revealing clothing, her stomach churning wondering how Candice could stand males ogling at her, let alone seeing her as simply a sex object, not to mention her letting them use her like one. She took a deep breath, her eyes focusing on the small Shinigami with white hair who seemed to move further away from everyone.
"I'm sorry. I should have apologized sooner." Candice turned her attention towards the same Shinigami who Bambietta focused on. "If you like him, go for it. Just don't kill the guy. Sex isn't…"
"Stop. It's not what you think."
"Oh, come on. He looked rather cute in our uniform."
"Which someone else dressed him in as if he were a doll."
"Bambi," Candice sighed. "Look. I can see why you've taken an interest in him sexually."
"You really want to have sex…"
"Woah. Even I'm not that perverted, though I can admit that I wouldn't mind tapping that once he got older – old enough."
Bambietta glared at her, pondering what she should say. "Biologically…"
"I don't want to talk about what Gigi biologically is. I don't want to talk about Gigi, but you shouldn't talk about her, given the fact she's out of our hair. The Shinigami weren't fond of her either you know, but they actually were willing to take her to task for – certain things." Candice hummed, her attention still on the younger Shinigami.
"My mother."
"Her?" Candice's smile faded, not at all, please. "I really don't…"
"Biologically though…"
"She's mine and that Bazz-B's sister." Candice nodded her head as the young Shinigami slipped from the room, her voice filled with disdain for the two. Her elbow nudged Bambietta. "Now's your chance."
"It's really not what you're thinking."
"Then why are…"
Bambietta's vivid violet eyes glared at the older girl, before slipping from the room to follow after the Shinigami. She walked slowly, wondering how she should approach him. "I mean. Hey, I can't really walk up to him and say, oh – Gigi turned us both into zombies, or hey, I was there when they dragged you in and dressed you up like a doll, because…"
Her eyes blinked, stopping as he turned so he leaned up against the wall, his eyes closing as a sigh of relief escaping from his lips, his hands gripping his arms so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He slowly sunk down, sliding to the ground from a height around her own to a position where his knees pulled up to his chest protectively. His entire body trembled, but he also looked small.
She stepped over, her mouth clamping tightly shut.
For most of her life, she thought of men as sexist pigs – sexist pigs of course Candice didn't mind calling out yet in the same vein didn't mind having sex with, something she would never understand. Her stomach churned thinking about men ogling her, but her stomach also churned remembering the look on his face. "Gigi went farther. She went farther than me, but…"
"Hitsugaya…"
Bambietta startled, her head turning towards another male Shinigami while the Shinigami she attempted following, fully intending to speak with looked up, stiffening upon seeing her. Her eyes blinked, recognizing another male in front of her. Her mouth opened and closed.
"Oh." The young Shinigami standing in front of her let his eyes blink, not at all bothered by what was going on. "You're the young Quincy who was brought into the fourth division and couldn't move for days. How are you feeling?"
"You're the weird one." Bambietta's tongue clicked at the roof of her tongue, attempting to remember the name of the young Shinigami, something she normally didn't care to do regarding the opposite sex, yet her mind clearly remembered how he treated her back in the fourth division, helping see to her care and treating her – well, like a person.
"Ah, thanks I guess?" The young Shinigami blinked, "I…"
She noticed his eyes focused on the Shinigami she followed out, who now went back to burying his head in his knees. She found her tongue tight, unsure of what she should say when the other young Shinigami. The Shinigami who asked how she felt stepped forward, kneeling down beside him, his hand reaching out.
Only, the other Shinigami slapped it away.
The one who followed them out turned towards her. "Apologies. Hitsugaya Taicho normally isn't like this."
Bambietta's eyes opened and closed. "He's a taicho?"
"Yes? You didn't know that?"
"I, uh…"
"Don't talk about me as if I'm not here Hanataro."
Hanataro's attention turned back to the young taicho, the corner of his mouth turning up. "You must really not be feeling that great, what if you're referring to me by my first name and not my last."
"I'm fine." The small taicho's arms tightened around his small body. "So leave me alone."
The other young Shinigami took a deep breath. "Look. Just promise me you'll talk to someone if you need to about whatever is bothering you? It doesn't have to be me. It could be Ichigo."
"Him?" The small taicho let out a deep breath, almost as if seeming unsure about doing so.
"Please?"
"Fine."
"Anyways, I'll check in on you in a bit. Rangiku-san wouldn't be pleased if I didn't right?"
The small taicho let out a deep breath. "Fine. Now go away."
"I'm leaving. I'm leaving." The other Shinigami stood up, leaving. He gave her a look indicating she might want to leave, almost begging her not to do anything, the worry all too obvious. She of course couldn't leave.
Then, he looked up at her with his bright teal eyes. "What?"
"I'm sorry." The words blurted out, but she regretted how she opened up a conversation with him the moment the words did.
He took a deep breath. "Look. You don't owe me any kind of apology. I mean…"
"I didn't protect you though, did I?"
One of his light eyebrows shot up, his eyes focusing on her. "Excuse me?"
"Well, I, uh…" She found herself twiddling her fingers.
His body started to relax slightly; his eyes focused on her. "I really don't get why you're apologizing for something as dumb as that."
"It's not dumb!"
"Do you have some kind of hero complex like Kurosaki does?"
"This has nothing to do with that stupid Quincy-Shinigami hybrid."
"Quincy-Shinigami…" His head turned, almost as if his thoughts wandering. He shook his head. "Despite the fact…" His bright teal eyes closed, his head leaning back. "Look. You shouldn't be apologizing for not protecting me. You're a Quincy and I'm a Shinigami."
"But Gigi…"
"You're not at fault for what she did, but if I recollect you were just as much not in control as I was at the time." He let out a sigh, one thin boney hand reaching up to ruffle the top of his head. "I mean, we're enemies – were, so…"
"But you're my brother." Bambietta's lips pushed together. "Come on Basterbine. This could so have gone so much better than it did."
He looked at her, obviously contemplating her outburst, yet she couldn't blame him for not believing her. After all, she didn't have any proof of the matter. However, he then said, "But you don't look like him."
Her eyes blinked. "Wow. I was half expecting you to say something like, 'no, I died and came to soul society', or something like that."
"If I hadn't…" His mouth tightened and for a few moments, his head rested on his knees. He then lifted his head, looking at her. "You do though look like her."
"I. You seem to know something I don't."
"Perhaps." He looked so tired, his eyes indicating a person-way beyond his years. "So, um…"
"I'm really…"
"You can't tell Rangiku. What happened to us."
"Who?"
"She's my fukutaicho." Her mouth wrinkled slightly, not liking the idea that his attention in this conversation focused on some women she didn't know. "Our mother."
"What?" Her violet eyes blinked. "Why do you…"
"Because she would never forgive herself just like you're not forgiving yourself right now." His words made her swallow sharply. "Which of them has the Quincy blood?"
"What?" Her mind knew exactly what he was indicating, something nobody ever discussed as it was an off-limits topic. "I'm a Quincy! I am not a Shinigami!"
"Says the person talking to her brother who is obviously a Shinigami. Seems Kurosaki does have something to do with this, given that he's like us, right?"
"That…" Her mind mused over the idea, her head tilting ever so slightly. "He's like us? I guess…" She glanced away. "Both of them. Both of them are. It's not something we talk about." Her mind though wondered back to something she said and what he'd not. "Hold on. You didn't argue you died and came to soul society. I would have thought…"
She bit her lip slightly, her hands clenching together. He let out a sigh, looking away. "That's what happens when you end up mastering your abilities to the point that your adult self ends up unlocked so you can use said power to it's fullest ability."
"I don't understand."
"I look like him. I couldn't continue lying to myself after that. It stinks because I already hated the way I look enough as it is."
"You don't…"
"He…" His mouth clamped shut. "Could we possibly not talk about him? At least not…"
"Basterbine." The sound of Candice's voice made Bambietta freeze, her eyes darting over. The girl hissed at her. "What's taking you so long?" The girl – her biological aunt, stepped out. "I get the fact you're not used to actually…"
"Shut up! I told you that you were misunderstanding the whole thing!"
"Miss…" Candice took a deep breath, placing her hands on the hip. "What could I…"
"You're also related to her, aren't you?"
"What?" Candice flinched, looking him in the eye. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"My fukutaicho."
"What…" Her eyes closed while Bambeitta felt her heart pound in her chest, the corners of her mouth twisting into a grimace. Candice turned and glared at Bambietta. "Okay. What kind of stuff have you been feeling his head with?"
"Nothing. I…"
"That's not how you get a boyfriend."
Bambietta felt like honestly blowing something up, her hands clenching as well as her teeth. "I told you…"
"We were both zombified. That's it."
Bambietta's eyes blinked, unsure if she should feel hurt by the fact he said that was it. Candice's eyes narrowed. "That's not just it. Bambietta isn't the type of person to approach a guy for a reason like that."
"His mother's – I mean his fukutaicho…" Bambietta bit her tongue. "His fukutaicho is my mother, you're sister."
"That's why you wanted to approach him?"
"Yes."
"That hussy…"
"She is not a hussy!" His hands clenched. "And don't you dare go after her."
"Yeah. Don't you dare!"
"Bambi, you hate your mother as much…" Her eyes narrowed, then widened, a hand covering her mouth. She then lowered it. "Why didn't I see it before. You're…"
"Her twin."
"In other words, you weren't avoiding saying it?" Bambietta felt relieved.
"What the hell!"
Bamietta felt her entire body tense up. Her brother let out a sigh. "That's actually what I was trying to avoid. I wish I hadn't…"
"No. No!" Candice lifted up her hands, closing her eyes. "You look too much like that bastard to…"
"Hey!"
"Hey what? Both of your parents are stinkers, Bambi. It's why I don't like them, and I don't like Bazz-B because he's an ass hole."
"Wait? That person's also related to me?" His words choked out.
"Well, it does explain why he hauled you back."
"He let me be touched by that person."
"By…" Candice paused. "Gigi." The color drained from her face. "You're talking about Gigi?" Her hand reached out for his chin, only to be slapped away.
"Don't touch me!"
"What the…"
"You're not the only one he's reacted that way to."
"Still…"
"This is Gigi we're talking about. You know how Gigi is."
"Are you trying to get on my case for not doing something back then? You know as well as I that if we turned on Juha…" She stopped speaking, both her and Bambietta hearing Toshiro slide back to the ground, his hands covering his ears and his head burring into his knees. "Oh, god." Candice then did something unexpected, going and sitting down a foot away from him against the wall. "Gigi really did a number on you, didn't she?"
"She?" He muttered.
"Oh – yeah, that. I'm not sure how to put that one."
"I'm not into guys. I'm not."
Bambietta decided to do what Candice did, but on the other side, unsure of what to say or do; so far, she felt as if she'd put her foot into it.
"Yeah. I definitely am. Like, big time. I like sex a lot."
"Candice." Bambietta hissed. "I don't think…"
"Let him hear me out." Candice took a deep breath. "I have a lot of experience with sex, so when it is actually consensual between the two people it's a pretty awesome thing. Don't let something like this ruin the possibility of having a relationship with a girl you like, but more important – if she can't look past this, she's not worth your time. It's not your fault, any of it." Candice looked Bambietta in the eye. "You're either Bambi. Gigi didn't…"
"Gigi wouldn't want to risk getting someone pregnant."
"But still…"
Bambietta tilted her head towards her brother, who she didn't yet know the name of.
"Right."
"Don't tell Rangiku. Please."
"Rangiku."
"My fukutaicho."
"My sister." Candice of course took quite a bit of venom in her voice.
"She'd…" Toshiro unburied his head. "Look. I get the fact you don't like her for some reason, but… she doesn't know."
"Know?"
"That I'm her child. That she and he – that they even had that kind of relationship, I think. I mean, I think there are missing pieces."
"What does this have anything to do with anything kiddo."
"I'm not…" His tongue clicked, obviously not liking being called a child, yet he pushed it aside. "She didn't know what our relationship is, yet she still ended up finding me and if she hadn't I'd be dead a long time ago. She's also taken care of me, almost like it's an instinct for her. I've gotten on her case – not recently since I realized, but…"
"Okay. Okay. I promise not to go after her despite the fact I absolutely loath her. Okay."
He of course didn't say anything.
"So, what's your name?"
"Hitsugaya Taicho."
Bambietta's mouth pushed together, unsure of how Candice would react. "Wait? You're a taicho? Also, that's not your name." He didn't look Candice in the eye. "Hey, look at me."
Her hand reached out for his chin, only to be slapped away. "Don't touch me!"
Bambietta felt her stomach lurch, seeing the look in her eyes. "I – you're not the only one he reacted that way to." She didn't like how he trembled, almost as if fearing she would hurt him. "He did the same to Hana-chan."
"Hana-chan? Whose this Hana-chan? When did she make friends with…"
"He, and we're not friends."
Candice's eyes blinked. "Oh. You like him?"
"He's nice." Her brother muttered.
"He is his friend."
"Yeah, but…"
"He took care of me after I got hurt."
"That's the job of the fourth," her brother muttered.
"He didn't care I was a Quincy."
A laugh suddenly escaped his lips, but it felt as if he were going mad. Candice let out a sigh. "What's so funny?"
"I just…" The corners of his mouth twisted up. "Yamada is one of the few members outside of the fukutaicho and third seat who will actually go and heal up members of the eleventh division."
"And?"
"A lot of people are scared of them."
"I'm not."
"You…" He of course seemed to find this amusing, but his laughing slowed.
"You're really a taicho?" One of Candice's eyebrows shot up.
"That's a joke." He let out a scoff. "I mean, I should have been able to protect her."
"Who? Bambi-chan?"
"No. Matsumoto. My fukutaicho. I couldn't do anything."
"You're her twin though."
"What…"
"It actually makes sense that you would be a taicho, given how powerful she is."
Bambietta watched him look at her. She didn't know what to say.
"How about we walk with you back to your division? Pass if off as making friends between the two groups?"
"Why…"
"Well, I think Bambi might want to see what her mother's like."
"Yeah. No." He shook his head as if amused by something.
"And I want to see how she's changed."
"She's…" He titled his head. "She's kind of a – despite the fact she did save me back then and does take care of me – she's lazy, a flirt, and a lot of trouble."
"That…" Candice pondered it over. "You know. That just makes me want to see her even more." Her hand reached out to ruffle his hair, only to stop, remembering how he'd batted his hand away. "Things will get better. I mean, I've not been in a similar situation, but – you shouldn't let it define you. So, let's decide how all of this is going to define us." She stood up. "Well, are you two coming?"
Bambietta looked at her twin, but he didn't seem to have an argument why they shouldn't either.