Before you say anything, I know. I'm sorry about being slow. Life sucks when it gets busy. I'll try to not take so long next time. It's been like...more than two weeks. It makes me feel bad. I used to be known for updating like every day or every other. Granted those were shorter and I had more time on my hands, but still. Anyway, I'm not sure about this chapter. It might be an epic fail. I kinda just wanted to get it out before class which is in like...fifteen minutes. Not really sure what to make of it.
Good, not good? Let me know.
--KG--
Epic Three: A Glimpse Back
It had been two hours since Captain Kyouraku had come into the office, and Nanao had just about had enough. In that whole time, he hadn't done a single thing but sleep over there in the corner. The neat stack of papers she placed on her desk still sat untouched, a seemingly simple thing that had woes rolling off of it in heaps, or at least that's the feeling Nanao got from it. She didn't want to think about doing the extra work across the room, even though she knew that she would probably end up completing it anyway. Even now, though her captain was awake, he was laying there watching her. She wasn't looking up, but she could feel the amber gaze that was upon her.
She was half tempted to throw her inkwell at him, just to see if he would bother using up energy to move out of the way.
She sighed as she finished filling out another white plane of agony, pondering if she should even bother saying anything as she reached for another one. She mechanically began filling this one out and didn't look up as she spoke.
"Captain, you really need to get started on that paperwork now."
As expected, she was only met with silence. If he thought he could get away with feigning sleep, he had another thing coming.
"Sir, I know you're awake. You're not getting out of this today. It is highly important that everything is completed on time, especially since inspections are this month."
There was still nothing. Her right eyebrow began to twitch. Sometimes she really wished that she could overpower him into doing his work. She knew that most of the time when she badgered him into the grueling task, it was only because he let her. For now, she would just have to use her natural talents to her advantage.
Her tact. And if that happened to involve a little bit of blackmailing, well, that was just fine.
"Captain Kyouraku…" She trailed off, hoping that she would catch his attention. "Don't make me rework the funding schedules for the next few years." She put on a partly innocent face, feigning thinking. She even had her pointer finger on her chin, mimicking like she was pondering on it. "I'm sure we don't really need to include sake in the budget."
She ducked her eyes back to the work in front of her, not really looking at it. She mentally counted seconds in her mind…Three...two
"You wouldn't!" Well that certainly didn't take long.
He flew upwards instantly, mocking shock and much too fast for anyone who had been asleep just moments prior. She thought that he probably didn't care that he got caught at this point. Now that she thought about it for a minute though, maybe she really did shock him.
He knew that she could rework the budget if she wanted to. As long as she didn't make any extravagant changes, the First wouldn't look too much into it. Maybe they'd even praise her for attempting to help him actually get work done. It's not like he took care of any of the complex bookkeeping anyway, if he even bothered to do any work at all. She could have him sign his permission for it and he wouldn't even know.
They locked gazes for a moment, and she hoped the unspoken message made itself clear.
"I think it goes without saying that I most certainly would."
She lifted her brow, glancing over to the untouched tower on his desk. Maybe now he would get the point? She really had other things she needed to do today to prepare for the inspection. They didn't just check the office, they checked the whole Division. That means she had to brief all of their subordinates, knowing that it would be a cold day in hell before he would take the whole afternoon to talk to almost every officer and unseated member. She needed him to do the rest of the paperwork so she could accomplish that, as hopeless as it sounded.
"My Nanao-chan is so unloving to her Shunsui!" He made a sad attempt at woeful interpretations, and she had to fight to not roll her eyes at him. Knowing their current situation, it would only encourage him more.
"Your Nanao-chan is going to severely burn something." It was a strained, hushed mumble, one that she barely made out herself. She didn't even really comprehend what she was saying, just spouted an aggravated response to his ridiculous ramblings. She went back to working, hoping that the boring task would cool her mind off.
"Ah, what was that? Does my Nanao-chan wish to tie me up and have her wicked way with me?"
Her hand stilled in its motion for a moment, wondering what she was thinking when she responded. Since when had she endorsed her ridiculous nickname? And what to make of his comment, as ridiculous at is sounded?
Perhaps it was better to dismiss it.
Dismissing or not though, her cheeks began to flare to a nice cherry color without her permission. She felt her skin warm substantially, and she couldn't find an explanation for it at all. She usually had a tight rein on her reactions.
She began to scowl, thinking that this was no different from any other way he acted. She turned towards him and fixed the scariest glare she could muster on him, hoping that the sight would block out the wonderful shade of her skin. She hadn't taken her glasses off yet, but she hoped that this would do the trick.
To her disdain, it didn't faze him one bit. She wanted to sigh. She supposed this is what she got for working with him for so long. She doubted even the removal of her eyewear would help now.
So he had become immune. Huh.
"Yare, yare, Nanao-chan. Everyone knows that glaring is just undressing someone with their eyes."
Before she could stop herself, she began to gape. She caught it soon after, but for those few moments, she couldn't believe her ears. She watched his face crinkle into a smile that made his eyes close and that goofy grin come upon his face. Alright, if she thought about it for a minute, maybe she could believe that's just what came out of his mouth. It was Shunsui Kyouraku.
That explained many things.
Still, she found the need to quickly retort. There was a line that she refused to cross, and he was flirting with it.
"I was not glaring, sir, I was mentally willing you to do your work."
Apparently this was the wrong thing to say though, as she would soon find out. She had momentarily forgotten that this was her captain she was dealing with, and one could never hope to win by conventional means.
"Ah, so you were willing me and undressing me all in one. How very efficient of you, Nanao-chan."
She desperately wanted to hit herself in the forehead. She condemned her fast response. Why did she not think her answer through? It would figure that he would catch that she never refuted the second part to his statement, even if she really had meant to.
As delightful as she was sure it would be, those types of things were not appropriate for the office or between two people with their current status, as a matter of fact.
If possible, her temperature raised another few degrees. She didn't have a mirror, but if she did, she would be sure that the image staring back at her would closely resemble a ripe tomato. Why did she feel so tense all of a sudden? On a normal day his flirtatious remarks wouldn't faze her a bit. Maybe it was the weather. It had to be.
"I do not believe that thought has ever crossed my mind, sir." She rose from her seat, wanting to put distance between them. Her brow twitched as she noticed that certain look he had never left his face. "Now if you'll excuse me, I am going to make rounds."
She disappeared soon after, leaving a still smiling Shunsui in the office. Nanao didn't normally do rounds herself, he knew, so it amused him a little that he had affected her so. He stared longingly at the office door, as if he could will her to throw it open and come crashing into his arms.
He shook his head slowly, the smile fading. As much as he'd like for it to happen, he knew it was highly unlikely. Still, seeing her today had raised his spirits a bit. He wouldn't mind in the slightest if he could get closer to her. The only problem was that she wouldn't let him. He supposed that she might still think him joking, but after a few decades you'd think she would get the hint. The only thing he could do was keep trying, even though it was a challenge. His Nanao-chan was definitely not easy to convince.
Still, maybe he could get through to her yet.
--Secrets Of The Scorned--
She wasn't sure why she always hid her dejection behind her happy façade. Surely some people must have noticed how fake she was, but they never commented on it. Maybe they were just trying to keep her spirits up or something. They knew that she'd probably get upset if they called her out on her bluff.
Rangiku sighed. This was why sake was so wonderful. It allowed her to be carefree and forget all of the things she dwelled on. Even if she had to remember all her woes the following day, those few hours of obliviousness was worth it. Sure, she was normally a cheery person under normal circumstances, but lately everything had just been so tiring. Something that a nice round of sake could fix.
Unfortunately for her, sake was out of the question at the moment.
Her head was pounding something terrible, and she really had to struggle to keep the room from spinning on her. She probably went a little overboard last night, but she really didn't care. Now that she thought about it, that was probably the reason for the outrageous dream that plagued her morning. And to think, she could still be peacefully sleeping right now if that hadn't interrupted her.
Instead, she was sitting here in the mess hall, with a plate of sushi and a cup of tea, trying to combat the massive hangover she was finally feeling and looking like a disaster while doing so.
At least when she was upset earlier, she wasn't focused on the after effects. She sighed again. Luck just wasn't on her side. First, she has messed up dreams that didn't amount to anything, now she can't even enjoy her favorite pastime. What was next, a mountain of paperwork coming to bury her?
Her chopsticks poked around the rolls of sushi decorating her plate. She wasn't really all that hungry, either that or she didn't want to throw anything up, but she thought that she probably needed something in her system. It might help with the headache at any rate. She rubbed her temples with her other hand as she stewed.
Would Isane fix this for her if she asked? She laughed a little in her mind because laughing out loud would hurt too much. Maybe if she got it through normal means, but if Isane knew she had it because she had a long night of drinking again, she was sure that the healer would refuse.
The inner laughter stopped abruptly though, when she realized the pattern she absently made with her sushi. She looked down at an all too similar grinning face, and in retaliation, she scattered them about her plate. The sly smile faded back to the plain blue-green of its contents, much like the dimming face in her memory. Putting her chopsticks down, she vouched that she wasn't all that hungry after all.
She thought that she really shouldn't be bothered by it anymore, but she couldn't help that sickening feeling that boiled in the pit of her stomach. Someone else would pass it off as the side effects of the sake she had the previous evening, but she knew better. It was almost as if Haineko's ash had made it's way inside her, burning with a vengeance. It wasn't even close to the first time that he disappeared without telling her where he was going. She still couldn't follow though. At least that hadn't changed. She should be used to it.
Or at least that's what she told herself.
She sat both of her elbows on the table, leaning her head into the crooks of her arms. Her fingers trailed softly through her strawberry locks like a mother would, trying to comfort herself the best she knew how. It wasn't like growing up in Rukongai provided such nourishment. If she willed her thoughts long enough, maybe she could fool herself into thinking it was someone else doing it for her. She could almost hear whispers against her ear, nothings that meant exactly that to anyone else, but meant the world to the receiver.
She could always hope. At least she had that.
But she would not cry. She had already shed enough tears. At first it was massive, like the monsoon season had swept over her, when he first disappeared. Then he came back, and it was nothing more than a painful distant memory.
The second time she had cried less. The next time she barely cried at all.
This continued until it was nothing more than a dull ache in her chest. The slate of sadness that adorned her face had replaced the tears, but that was also replaced by another mask of her making.
She was layered, each guise covering up the previous emotion. Maybe if she tried, she would eventually feel nothing at all. It was a hopeful thought.
Her fingers halted in their trailing when she felt a presence come before her. Looking up through the hair over her face, she was met with the small bun-wearing girl known as Momo Hinamori. Rangiku straightened up further, taking time to brush the unruly locks behind so they were out of her face. She was surprised at the other girls appearance, but she didn't show it.
Looking at her, she saw that Momo had one arm over herself, clutching her other. Her eyes were downcast, and it looked like she was slightly biting her lip. Rangiku cleared her throat a little to get her attention.
Upon hearing the noise, Momo looked up. She only halfway knew why she was here, but she thought that as she was here already, there was no use going back now. Now she just needed to figure out what to say to the older woman.
"Momo, did you need something?"
Rangiku was aware that her tone might have come across as a little harsh, but right now she really couldn't come to care much. Besides the pounding headache that was making her day worse than it already was, she just didn't have much patience for the girl. After everything that happened, it was hard to tell where she stood. She had crossed blades and betrayed her captain, even if it was accidental. That wasn't acceptable.
The bun-wearing girl nodded, being shaken out of her musings by the question. She now had an idea of what she was going to say. She would start with the basics for now.
"Rangiku, are you okay?"
It wasn't a question to explain her tone, but more of an overall worry for her health. The strawberry-blonde had looked severely disheveled when she first entered the mess hall.
Rangiku thought she would humor the girl for now. It looked like she had something to say, so she could sit here and wait for her to get to it. "Well, this pounding in my skull isn't so great, but I can't expect much less when I'm up half the night."
"I didn't mean about that." Rangiku frowned a little. This was a conversation whose headed direction she didn't like. Before she could respond to that, however, Momo spoke again. "You have this look on your face. It makes you seem so sad."
The sitting woman's foot began tapping underneath the table, thinking on how she would respond to the solemn girl. She really didn't want to go there. Especially not today.
"Well, it's not like I don't have a reason to be, don't you think?" That was a little harsh, and she could almost see the standing girl flinch in response. She just wasn't in the mood. The recent happenings didn't help either.
Momo wouldn't lie and say that response didn't sting, but she knew that it was probably deserving for her to say it. Now she just had to fix things, and she would do it the only way she knew how.
"I'm sorry…for everything." Rangiku's eyes widened a little bit, wondering where she was going with this. Momo had never came outright and apologized before. "I know that the things I did were wrong, and I really am sorry for all of it." She was shifting from one foot to the next, feeling that her nerves were going to burst at any second. She was on a roll now, however, so she might as well keep going.
"I wish I could take a lot of the things that happened back, but I can't. I'm trying my best to understand, but it's not easy. I'm still not totally okay, but I'm getting there." She paused again, wondering if any of this was even making a difference. "I just wanted to let you know. There was more than just one reason that I became a soul reaper, after all."
She had drifted her gaze towards the floor, finding it more interesting than whatever look Rangiku must be giving her. Still, she wanted to let the older woman know that if she ever needed someone to talk to, regardless of their somewhat rocky past, she would be there.
"Even the strongest need someone to fall back on in hard times. Sometimes dealing with it yourself isn't enough. If…if you ever want to talk or something…despite what happened, I'll be here."
She realized that she was probably the last person Rangiku would ever want to talk to about any of this, but she had to try and mend the broken bridge somehow. She still kept her eyes downcast during this, but looked up when Rangiku responded to her.
"You know, I'm probably not the person you should be saying this to."
"I know." Momo's gaze saddened, thinking of the one she really wanted to be okay with. "But I have to start somewhere."
Rangiku's look softened a bit as she let out a loose laugh. It was small and quiet, but it wasn't as tense as their previous conversation. It was almost like a weight had been lifted. Momo had come a long way since the last time she took the time to converse with her. "Yes, I suppose you do."
She thought a minute on Momo's words. It was true that it was nice to have someone to talk to. Now that she thought about it, it occurred to her that nobody was there for Momo during this. It was always those who ignored her or tried to make her see their way. She, herself, wasn't much different. It was sad to think it. Rangiku had connected a little with Izuru, both betrayed by the same person, but Momo didn't relate to anyone. Izuru would've been the best match, but unfortunately, the lieutenant of the former captain she despised probably wasn't the best idea.
Still, she was a little proud that Momo made it this far on her own. There might be hope for her yet.
She smiled a little at the bun-clad girl and motioned to the seat across from her. Since she had known the girl for a long while, she knew that she could probably come to forgive her actions in time. "Why don't you sit down, Momo. Have lunch with me?"
Their was a look of surprise over the smaller girl's face, but she smiled back slightly all the same. Things had worked out better than she thought they would. She knew that Toshiro wouldn't be so accepting, but she was now one step closer. Being on good terms with Rangiku once again put her in an uplifting mood. It felt good to be able to talk to her again.
The strawberry-blonde smiled wider as Momo accepted the invitation. She wouldn't just drop everything all in one go, but she would make an effort if Momo was willing to.
"Great! Now we can focus on how you can capture dear Shiro-chan's heart!"
"Rangiku!"
Her cheeks burned a slight rosy color. Oh, how did she ever forget that Rangiku liked to tease?
--Secrets Of The Scorned--
Nanao had traveled around Seireitei twice, trying to calm the burning on her cheeks and the fuming of her thoughts. She was so embarrassed it wasn't even funny. What made her frown even further was that she shouldn't feel that way at all. She had remedied the situation hadn't she? Her exit might not have been as graceful and planned as she would have liked, but she hoped that she got the point across.
She really had to rein in her loose tongue. One of these days it would get her into trouble.
She couldn't figure out why she had started acting not like herself either. Had she gotten so used to his presence that she was starting to relax more around him? She was relaxed before, but this was a new extreme. She didn't know if she was totally comfortable around him enough to drop her guard completely. If she did, the next thing she knew she might be actually accepting his date invitations and gushing at his sappy poetry.
She halted mid-step, jerking to a halt. What was she thinking? She felt her forehead with one of her free hands while smoothing her hair with the other one. In her previous haste, she had forgotten her heavy tome that she always carried. She felt off without it.
At any rate, there had to be something wrong with her. Maybe she was ill? She frowned when her temperature seemed as normal as it always was. Maybe it was not a physical sickness then. If she ever caught up with her work in the next few days maybe she would take a few moments to ask Captain Unohana or Isane.
She found herself paused at a railing of an overhanging walkway. Looking out, she could see a few streets over, as well as a small courtyard below. There was a small group of dying trees there, the wind ruffling and loosening the browning leaves. It was peaceful, and she didn't think taking a little longer time to observe it before going back to the Eighth would really make a difference.
She was leaning against the railing slightly, just thinking while observing. She tensed for a minute, thinking that she felt something unfamiliar. She closed her eyes and sent her reiatsu out around her, trying to feel. It didn't seem like anything was out of place. Maybe it was just because she was so jumpy lately.
While she had her eyes closed, she failed to notice the presence that made it's way in front of her. As a result, the first thing to greet her eyes when she decided to gaze back on the courtyard was a massive blob of pink.
"Nana-chan!"
The addressed woman stumbled back and began to reach her right hand towards her left sleeve when she realized just who had startled her. There could only be one with such vibrant hair color.
"Yachiru, what are you doing?"
The said girl was smiling happily, moving about on the rail at a very rapid pace. She then started speaking almost as fast as she was moving.
"Oh, Nana-chan! I just saw you and I was gonna tell you that in two days there's an Association meeting and-"
She continued on, but Nanao stopped following after that. What did she call me?
"Nana-chan!"
"Do you wanna play, Nana-chan?"
"When we grow up, lets be soul reapers together, Nana-chan!"
"…and that a lot of people think that Shu-Shu should be in the next calendar and that since you live by him maybe you could-"
Upon seeing that Nanao wasn't paying attention to her, she thought to remedy the situation. She bounced over to the spaced woman and began waving her hand in front of her face.
"Nana-chan? Are you iiiiiin there?"
Immediately, Nanao snapped back to attention. Her response wasn't very tactful, however.
"What?" So much for paying attention.
"So will you, will you?" The small bundle of sugar-charged energy jumped up and down, awaiting an answer.
"Will I what?" She was beyond confused now. What was Yachiru saying before, something about a Women's Association meeting?
"Take pictures of Shu-Shu for us, of course!" The smile never left her face, and Nanao wondered if she was this happy when she didn't have piles of sugar stuffed into her.
In her current state, Nanao had to think to remember who 'Shu-Shu' was. Realizing now what the situation was, she declined right away. There was no way she was asking her captain to take pictures of him, especially when they would be posted. There was no doubt that he would share all the details about his 'lovely photographer' while he was at it too. He might even get creative and add things. She could see the horror now.
"I do not think that will be a task I'm going to do."
She hoped that she didn't dampen the Association's president too much. She was relieved then when her comment didn't seem to faze the smiling lieutenant at all.
"Aww, well maybe Braid-Lady wants to. I'm gonna get candy from Bya-kun now. Bye-bye, Nana-chan!"
As quickly as she came, she was gone. Nanao was left in the dust of her former presence, wondering what just happened.
She looked back out into the courtyard to find that the wind had picked up slightly. She turned the way that Yachiru disappeared in, wondering how those certain memories had just been so easily stirred up. If she recalled correctly, that wasn't the first time Yachiru had called her 'Nana-chan'. Then why was she only remembering it now?
The breeze chilled her slightly, so she clutched her uniform a little closer to herself. She should really start minding the weather. Deciding that she really shouldn't put off paperwork any longer than she already had, she turned in the direction towards the office. Perhaps Captain Kyouraku had already left the office for the day. Then she wouldn't have to deal with what happened earlier. If she was lucky, he would start on his sake and forget about it all together.
She could hope.
"Nana-chan, let's be friends."
--Secrets Of The Scorned--
The frosty captain of the Tenth Division inhaled deeply once he exited the cramped office. He could tell that the weather was getting colder, putting him in a slightly better mood from earlier. The days were dwindling down to his favorite season, and he fully welcomed this shift in temperature.
Normally, it would be rare that he venture out of the office in the middle of the day. He noted this as well but decided that maybe his lightened mood had something to do with the changing seasons.
Besides, this brighter outlook was much better than worrying over both Rangiku and Momo.
Toshiro took a moment to wonder where they were. It wasn't noon yet, but it was close. He didn't know if Rangiku was coming back to the office at all though. He wouldn't really be surprised if she didn't. She was shaken up this morning more that usual. Her normal creamy skin was even white as death.
He shook his head, trying to clear the thoughts. Perhaps she would be fine once she got it out of her system. He hoped so. As Captain of the Tenth Division, it was his job to look out for her. More than that though, she was a close friend, someone who understood him better than most. He'd be a fool to waste such a gift.
Deciding that a stroll for some air would be nice, he set off down the wooden path. He really needed to clear his own head.
Other soul reapers usually left him alone when he traveled places, but they seemed to catch on to the uplifting of his usual fowl mood. Today they greeted him like they would other captains, like Jushiro. He found himself answering back politely. Judging from the looks appearing on their profiles, it was safe to say that some were shocked.
He continued onward, not really having a set destination in mind. A light breeze picked up, drawing his attention to the rustling leaves of the trees in the courtyard. They reminded him of his dulled childhood friend, although he could never really point out why.
He sighed again, running a hand through his snowy locks.
He wasn't stupid, although he had an inkling that most people knew that. The fact the Momo probably knew this too made him frown, wiping the previous contented look totally off his features. He knew there was something wrong with her this morning. He didn't know what made him frown more, the fact that something was indeed wrong, or the fact that she was trying her best to cover it up.
Thinking on that just brought on a bunch of negative thoughts though, as it seemed that there was always something wrong when she was around him. It didn't take a genius to figure out the reason either. He tried to just brush it off for a while and act like nothing was wrong. Eventually it wore on him though because it was hard to deny the fact that something was wrong. Ever since Aizen's betrayal had been revealed, things had been too strained between them. Whoever said time healed old wounds lied.
Time had changed nothing.
It may not have been very long since the incident, but it still left a bitter taste in his mouth no matter which way he looked at it. It was like lemonade when all the powder settled on the bottom. He didn't know what to do. He wanted to help her, feeling that he owed her at least that much, but he didn't know how. He didn't want to damage the already frail relationship they managed to salvage. It felt like one wrong move and the strings would snap.
As much as he wanted her to see eye-to-eye with everyone, he would rather have her there.
He hated to think of the rage that coursed through him when he thought Aizen really had killed her. It was an indescribable sense of helplessness and grief. Losing one of his oldest friends was not something he enjoyed thinking about. Still, it felt that he was losing her now, just in a less noticeable way. He hated to see the way her eyes dulled over and how her face fell when she thought of her previous captain. It put a crack in his heart to see her suffering like she did. No, as much as he wanted her to get over her sorrow, he would rather just have her, so long as he was allowed to see and talk to her.
It might seem rather selfish of him, but he wouldn't deny that she was important to him. Every day he wondered if it would be the day she went off the deep end. For a while, he feared that she was going to try to go into Hueco Mundo herself. He tried to rationalize with himself that it was impossible for her to do so by herself, but he always found himself fidgety (a very un-captain like thing) until he checked to make sure she was sleeping in her room at night.
He liked to imagine that one day she would come to her senses, but he could deal with her new behavior if the road to recovery did more harm than good. Still, he missed the old Momo, as much as he disliked to dwell on the past. He missed the cheeriness in her voice, even if she was calling him that dreaded nickname. He missed the radiant smiles she would give off to everyone, him especially. He missed how she would visit, just because she could. He even missed how she would get riled up over little things, like lapsing back into her old nickname.
He sighed for what seemed the millionth time today, running a hand down his face. What was wrong with him? This wasn't how he normally acted. He could faintly hear the deep rumble of Hyourinmaru in the far corner of his mind. Well, at least someone was entertained by all this. Shrugging it off, he continued forward, trusting his feet to lead him somewhere.
Eventually the crowds thinned out to where he was the only one traveling in the corridors. It was the middle of the day, but perhaps most were congregating together on their breaks. A slight shuffle made his ears perk up, and he stopped in his tracks. Listening carefully for a minute in case it was someone sneaking up on him, he didn't move. It didn't hurt to be too wary when they were currently preparing for war. Hearing nothing but the whispering of the wind, he peered around, scanning the rooftops and any dark crevices.
He found nothing, so he decided that his mind must be playing tricks on him in light of recent thoughts. Nothing moved or flickered in warning, so he proceeded to look forward and carry on. He was met with a sight at the end of the hall though, as the lithe form of Soi Fon was before him, drawing nearer. He didn't catch when she appeared, but he supposed that it was part of her job to be undetectable.
He nodded to her as he was about to pass, which she returned. As they drew closer and he was going to dismiss the encounter, her authoritative voice stopped him.
"Captain Hitsugaya."
He paused, standing shoulder to shoulder with her, facing opposite directions. He turned his head slightly to glance at her, finding that she had a slight scowl. That seemed to be the normal for her lately though, and he concluded that it was probably from all the strange things going on in the last few months.
He wanted to compare her to a bristling cat, but he alarmingly realized how wrong that comparison was, and for obvious reasons, had never spoken it out loud.
She met his gaze for a moment, taking that as a cue to continue. "You've heard about recent circumstances, correct?"
He nodded. This must be the main reason for her discomfort then. One of her squads were still missing.
"They are two weeks late from reporting in from the world of the living." He watched her displeased look deepen further. Being in charge of the stealth force, he knew that she appreciated promptness and success. Glancing down slightly, he noticed that her fists were clenched tightly at her sides. "It is not your Division's week for patrol, but if you happen to go out…"
"I'll keep my eyes open."
They had sent other squads out in search of them, but all their efforts had come up fruitless. Squads had turned up late for report before, but none had been missing for so long. When they were delayed, a message was usually relayed back to headquarters. Members of this elite group didn't just go missing, especially when there wasn't a trace of any of the four that went out. Another squad had been turned out in the same area the four were last seen, but it was like they were never there. There was no evidence (not like they ever left much anyway, being the stealth force) that they were ever in the area.
She bowed slightly and quickly in thanks, not being one to say such things out loud. "Have a good day, Captain."
With a flash she was gone, leaving no room for him to wish her the same. He didn't dwell long on it, that kind of behavior being the normal for Second Division members. They were always in and out, making them excellent for the type of work they accomplished.
Hearing a compound of voices from what he assumed was the mess hall, he thought that maybe he could grab something to bring back to the office. He was unsure about how long he had been out, but he did know that paperwork wasn't going to get done by itself. At least the encounter with Soi Fon had shifted his mind onto other things. For a while the gears in his mind would be turning in order to figure out a plan to deal with the missing squad. It was a brief break, but he welcomed it.
He turned to the left at the end of the hall, the noise getting louder as he drew nearer to the group of loud people on break. Deciding that he didn't really want to go back to the office so soon, he thought that he could perhaps observe the others for a while. They always provided some entertainment, even though it more often than not annoyed him.
And if he came upon Momo or Rangiku while he was at it, well, there'd be nothing wrong with that.
-Part Three Complete