Trouble is anew
Conspiracies are whispered
Feelings aren't enough
Epic Twelve: Knowing Isn't Enough
Most were quiet as the captains and lieutenants exited the First Division chamber. While some weren't usually loud anyway, Nanao knew that the new tension added to them was what caused this silence.
Last night there had been a security breach, and the content that had been accessed had everyone in a sour mood.
Nanao flinched slightly as she came out into the bright hall. By doing so, the yelling became clearly audible, and the volume was agitating her ears. It wasn't uncommon to see Captain Kurotsuchi yelling at his vice, but Nanao was never comfortable seeing it. She wondered how Nemu handled it, but then she remembered that Nemu hadn't learned emotions like the rest of them.
There were two databases that held information in the Seireitei, barring the library. Various other systems were on the network also, but those had less security surrounding them. The Central database held information that was not for public viewing. Most of the topics located there were forbidden, or things most people didn't care for or needed to know about.
Therefore, all of the rest of the information that was used regularly was located in the Twelfth, left to the research department. Occasionally, some topics were unclear on which database they were supposed to be stored in. As a safety measure, the Twelfth database was given just as much security as the Central one.
Naturally, because the break-in occurred in the Twelfth, it was automatically blamed on Nemu, whether or not she had a part in it. Nanao knew that Nemu wouldn't be careless with a responsibility unless ordered to be. There was no telling that to her captain though, so no matter whose fault it was, she was still going to be blamed. Even if it was, it would never be the elder Kurotsuchi's fault. It was a little sad.
Nanao didn't like watching it, and without her knowing, she had started to glare in his direction. Normally she wouldn't let things like this bother her because it was outside of her control. Today, she was tired, and if she was acting a little outside her usual, it wasn't really her fault.
She hadn't noticed she stopped moving until she felt a weight on her shoulder. Looking to her left, she saw her captain standing beside her with a slight downcast look. He shook his head slowly, and she sighed in response. She knew what he meant.
It really wasn't any of their business what went on in other divisions, even if sometimes she wished it was. She knew her captain hated to see it as well, but if either of them said anything, it would probably just make it worse for the silent vice captain.
She nodded at him, a silent promise not to do anything, even if she was tired, and he continued on to the office.
What made the situation even more worse, was the fact that those who had broken in seemed to know exactly what they were doing. The information was scattered and broken, and some of it was even missing. There wasn't really a way to tell what they had been looking at. On pure luck, Nemu, who was given none of the credit, was able to access the last thing that had been looked at.
Nanao didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing that the last visible page was about the Ouken, the King's Key.
Because the break-in was yesterday, it was linked to the three intruders they had encountered. Now that everyone had been informed, there was a silent agreement that everyone suspected Aizen was behind everything. Still, despite evidence clearly marking it so, Nanao didn't think that Aizen was the conspirator behind the trouble this time. It just didn't feel right. She couldn't explain it other than she just knew.
Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do about it now. The Corps had been out all night, but they found nothing. Captain Yamamoto was not pleased by this, and in response, Captain Soi Fon wasn't in the best of moods either. The Second was having trouble with most of their assignments lately, and it was beginning to tell. Nanao didn't blame the woman though. It wasn't her fault if she was being overwhelmed with everything. What needed to happen was the involvement of other Divisions. She knew some of them wanted to help figure out what was going on, herself included. Even if that generated more work for her and others during this hectic time, at least it would quell the churning feeling of not knowing.
Nanao sighed as she stood there and rubbed at her temples. She was tired, and everything going on lately was not helping.
Her and the rest of the Division had been slaving away over paperwork for this last week. Even with her captain helping, as surprising as it was, there was still much to be done yet. She only had today to finish all of it, not to mention prepare for the inspection itself. The proctors were known to be horribly prompt.
She was feeling drained, but she knew she had to keep going. She could rest when everything was over.
She had even dragged her captain around Rukongai on top of not getting much rest. While it should have been a simple task to use a bit of reiatsu to support him, she had avoided that route. With the hollows showing up in Rukongai as of late, she hadn't wanted to attract more attention to the area. That was part of the reason they installed the curfew for the gates. They had enough things to worry about.
She wasn't the only one that was tired though, she knew. Both Rangiku and Captain Hitsugaya looked worn today, and it didn't take a genius to know that Soi Fon had just about had it with everything. Her scowl seemed permanent these days, even if she wore it often, and Nanao could see the weariness in her eyes. She supposed even steel warped and rusted after a time, and no matter how strong Soi Fon forged herself, she was still human.
Deciding to walk away from all the negativity congregated in this area, she headed off in the direction of the office to join her captain. She was knocked out of her thoughts quite literally, however, when something nicked her arm and caused her to pitch forward slightly.
She felt a weight on that same arm holding her upright in the next second. Looking over, she saw Momo with an apologetic look on her face.
"I'm so sorry, Nanao!" Nanao's eyes drifted from the tattered look on her face to the dark circles under her eyes. It was yet another reminder of how everyone was a ghost of their former selves. "I was just in a hurry and-"
"It's fine." For emphasis, Nanao smiled slightly at the bun wearing girl as she cut her off. It may have looked a little tiresome, but she didn't know for sure. The girl seemed distressed already. There was no use in placing further pressure on her for something that wasn't a big deal. She had a brief sense of déjà vu as she recalled their last clash like this. Was it really only a few days ago?
Momo heaved a sigh of relief before smiling a little in turn. It didn't meet her eyes. "Thanks. Good luck on your paperwork." She darted off next, in the direction of her division, before Nanao could wish her the same.
Shaking her head slightly, she continued on her way, fully intent to get some work done.
-
-
Momo put her pen down as she stopped to rub her eyes. She didn't even want to look in the mirror to see the black rings she knew must be there.
After returning to her room last night, she hadn't been able to sleep at all. She hadn't caved into taking the sleeping aid after all, and right now she almost wished she would have. The meeting on the roof just gave her more things to think about. Even if her one nightmare lay forgotten, she was still haunted by echoing words and past mistakes. She was beginning to think that she would never escape from it.
She groaned as she dug the heels of her palms into her eyes. She didn't want to think about that right now.
She hadn't gotten much sleep at all, drifting in and out of consciousness between spans of dark rooms and whispers, and when the hell butterfly drifted in, she had all but bolted out the door. She had kept to herself at the meeting, and with each word she heard, she sunk even deeper into her dark mood.
With what had just happened, it seemed that all the clues pointed to Aizen being behind what was going on. She sighed. It wasn't that she was trying to defend him. It was just something that didn't feel right. She knew it had to be something else, but she also knew that nobody was going to believe her on it now. What was worse, now she looked even more foolish for previously voicing her opinion.
She didn't even want to know what Captain Hitsugaya thought of her now. Everything had just taken one gigantic metaphorical leap backwards, and there was little she could do about it.
She removed her hands from her face and set them back to the desk, intent on resuming the paperwork she needed to finish today. She didn't have that much left, and if she worked hard at it, she was sure she could get it done. If she had nothing else, she was determined to at least keep her position. She could still help others, even if she couldn't really help herself.
Inches away from her pen, she glanced down at her hands to see them shaking a bit. Her mind went blank as memories flashed before her eyes again, and she found herself breathing faster. Knowing the beginning of a panic attack when she saw it, she clenched her eyes shut and tried to will the memories away. She couldn't afford to stop now. She had to keep going.
When that didn't work and it seemed she couldn't get enough air, she pushed her chair away and stood. Trying to forcefully slow her breathing, she kept her right hand braced against the desk as she traveled around it. Tea. She could get that. Maybe she just needed a few minutes to calm herself.
Green tea. She was sure there was some in the service room a couple rooms down the hall. Nanao herself didn't like it, but she remembered the other woman telling her that it helped calm people. Perhaps that would work. A flash of white appeared before her eyes and she shook her head to get rid of it. Anything would help right now.
With a purpose in mind, she pushed herself off the desk with her right appendage and made for the door. She didn't have time to call out as she felt the strength leave her legs and her vision go black as gravity took its hold on her.
-
-
Nanao had only gotten a quarter of an inch through one of her stacks when a resounding knock came from the wooden frame of the office door. She stopped as she looked over to the door, briefly looking at her captain. She got up and went to answer it, the reiatsu behind it not one she easily recognized.
She was slightly surprised to find one of the lower seats from the Fifth when she slid the door back. She was a timid girl with mousy brown hair, but as far as Nanao remembered, she had been very polite. She wondered why the girl was here.
"I'm s-sorry to interrupt, Lieutenant Ise, but I didn't k-know who to go to. Everything happened in a rush, and I thought I remembered that you got along w-with the Lieutenant fairy well and-"
"Calm down." Nanao hoped she sounded soothing. "Take a deep breath. Has something happened to Lieutenant Hinamori?"
The girl was extremely nervous. If the rushed words and stutters didn't give it away, one could tell by the way she was twisting her hands and shaking slightly. The messenger had looked down, and Nanao felt her captain come up behind her. She hoped the girl told her story before she noticed he was there. She was already flustered enough. If something happened to Momo, she wanted to know.
The girl looked up and nodded. She did as Nanao instructed, and took a deep breath. She didn't seem to notice Captain Kyouraku at all, her eyes staying trained upon her face instead.
"We found the Lieutenant on the office floor a short time ago. She didn't wake up, but she was breathing. A few others transported her to the Fourth. We…didn't know who to tell. Someone went to find Lieutenant Matsumoto. I…thought you should know as well."
The messenger had forced herself to speak slower. Nanao nodded. "Thank you. You may return to your duties."
Nanao watched the girl bow deeply before turning and heading towards the Fifth. Nanao remained still as she disappeared and frowned as she continued to think.
She and Momo hadn't always been as close as they seemed now. In fact, they weren't really that close at all. They did share a joy of reading, and Nanao remembered the days when she brought books to read and discuss with the younger girl while she was still recovering. She hadn't had much to do with her before the whole Aizen fiasco started. She briefly wondered when they had moved to friend status.
She supposed it could be more of a lieutenant thing, or even because they were fellow Kido users. They might be acquainted because they had a mutual friend in Rangiku. Maybe the times were just changing. Whatever the reason, Nanao was concerned about the other's safety.
She didn't have many friends. It seemed as of late, things were reminding her of that rather clearly. She'd rather keep the ones she had intact for as long as she could. She would pay more attention to them this time around.
It seemed that Momo had just passed out. She had obviously not stayed in the Fourth. From what Nanao saw of her, she didn't look injured from the fight with the intruders, so she was sure it wasn't from that unless there was a complication that snuck up on her. She had looked as okay as was expected this morning, if a little on the tired side.
Something must have happened in that short time span then. It hadn't been that long. She felt the urge to leave her office.
She had heard from Rangiku that her and Captain Hitsugaya were having troubles. She didn't know how that could tie in to this, but maybe it had some influence. If it was something simple, then there wasn't a need to worry, but if it was something else…
A hand on her shoulder brought her out of her thoughts, and she almost couldn't believe the relief the silent support brought to her. She looked over again, like this morning, and met the amber eyes of her captain. She couldn't read his expression, but he must have saw something in hers because his eyes crinkled softly.
"I can handle things here for a bit."
There it was, the unspoken opportunity. It didn't matter that they still had a heavy load of work to do. He would still let her go. She smiled softly in gratitude, a rare gesture on her part. It never seemed to matter what the issue was. He always understood. It was just like this morning and seeing the Twelfth heads. He seemed to know what she was thinking.
She nodded to him, and he removed his hand. The warm feeling didn't dissipate though, and she was surprised to find that she was glad for it. She whispered a 'Thank you', and was gone on the next breeze that wove through the hall.
-
-
The Fourth Division was quiet like usual, the only sound being Nanao's light footfalls as she made her way towards the room Momo was in. The receptionist had seemed a little flustered, but she supposed that was to be expected with everything that was going on. The Fourth had other problems other than what was affecting them. Rangiku was right about the viral breakout. Almost all the rooms were occupied.
Stopping in front of the door she was directed to, she paused a moment and heard a low hum of voices from the other side. Knocking softly, the door was opened to the kind face of Captain Unohana. At the sight of her, the doctor's face formed a smile, and the older woman stepped aside to let Nanao in.
Rangiku was already here, she noted, and they shared a look. She briefly glanced at the form laying in the only bed in the room. The dark circles were a lot easier to see on Momo's face now that she couldn't try to hide them. It made her wonder just how much more pressure she was under than the rest of them.
Captain Unohana coughed lightly before she made to speak, and Nanao turned her attention back towards her. She looked grateful.
"I'm so glad the two of you are here. I feared that nobody would come." Nanao and Rangiku both nodded. A similar thought had gone through the both of them. That brought another thought to Nanao's mind. Where was Captain Hitsugaya?
The older woman sighed before continuing. "Thankfully, it wasn't anything serious. Lieutenant Hinamori has just passed out. Her collapse is most likely from many things, such as stress and exhaustion. I believe it was the combination of these things that allowed her weariness to catch up to her. As you can see, it appears she hasn't been resting."
Nanao was reminded that Momo was supposed to be resting after the attack as well. She hadn't come out of the skirmish as bad as Rangiku did, but she knew that even fighting for a brief time like they had still wore on the muscles.
"She may be out for a day or two. At the very least, I would like her to get a few hours of rest. When she wakes up, she will be discharged as long as she's feeling well enough."
They were silent for a moment, until Nanao heard Rangiku speak. "When you say stress, Captain Unohana, do you think it was anything specific?"
The older woman sighed again, and for a moment, her face looked weary. Everyone was being affected by what was going on.
"As of late, Lieutenant Hinamori has had frequent panic attacks. Prior to the defection of our three former captains, she had no record of them. She could be feeling overwhelmed by the work in her division, or maybe it was something personal. The only way to be sure will be to ask her. I suggest, however," Nanao shivered slightly at the new tone her last words had taken. It was the type that nobody wanted to disobey. "Do not bombard her with questions upon her wakening. We would not want a repeat of this. In fact, perhaps it is best that you do not ask at all."
They both nodded, and the calm look was back on the doctor's face once again. "That is all I have on her condition. You may stay as long as you like, as long as you are quiet. Lieutenant Ise, Lieutenant Matsumoto." The two of them bowed as the captain left the room. The door clicked, and Nanao edged closer to the bed, hearing Rangiku following.
"She looks so fragile, doesn't she?" Nanao looked at Rangiku as she spoke, agreeing with a nod of her head. Somehow this girl here didn't seem like the soldier who stood up against two intruders at once just the night before. The dark circles gave away her hidden weariness, and pieces of hair were falling out of her bun and escaping the cloth to hang by her face.
"She doesn't need this now. She's been working so hard, Rangiku. Maybe too hard."
Rangiku moved to pull the blanket over the sleeping girl a little farther. In a way, they were like sisters, Nanao realized. Captain Hitsugaya, Momo, and Rangiku made up a strange triangle of family. Rangiku was like an older sister to them both, despite being equals for the most part. She knew that they came to her for advice sometimes, as she herself would also do. It was nice to see that Rangiku cared.
"The division paperwork is due tonight."
Nanao was broken out of her thoughts by Rangiku, and she was slightly puzzled about the topic.
"I…I want to take care of her work, as strange as it sounds."
Nanao was slightly surprised at Rangiku's suggestion, but she could already hear her mind working, shifting and arranging things, wondering if she had enough time to fit in Momo's work as well.
"It's still a mess, but we're working on it. I don't want to lose my position just because I can't keep up."
Nanao remembered the determination in Momo's voice when they ran into each other a few mornings ago. She was trying, and Nanao respected that. She couldn't fail now, not after she had come so far. They would make sure of it.
"I agree completely. If we split it, we should have time to get it done before the deadline."
Rangiku looked concerned for a moment. "What about all the work you have left to do? We're almost done with ours, but I know you still have a lot to do. You don't have to-"
"I want to." She cut the strawberry blonde off with a small upturn of her lips. "Momo is a friend of mine too. We have time." As soon as she thought it, she believed it fully, and Nanao was surprised at the confidence that filled her. It felt like there was no need to rush. "If we don't help each other, then who will?" She had already seen enough non-cooperation in the Gotei.
Rangiku smiled a little, sealing the deal, and they sat in silence for a bit, just observing the girl both of them had become close to. It was nice to have people that supported you, Nanao thought. She knew her friends would have done the same for her. It just strengthened what they were going to do. If everything was done in the division, it was one less thing for them to hassle Momo about.
"What do you think it was?"
Rangiku sighed before answering, running a hand through her hair. "I don't know for sure, but I could guess. She seemed to be handling all her work pretty well. If I had to guess, I would place bets on my Captain."
"Where is Captain Hitsugaya? I thought they were childhood friends." Nanao was still wondering why he wasn't here as well.
Rangiku shrugged, not having much of an answer. "I was in the Ninth when they found me, dropping off some paperwork. I'm not sure if someone relayed the message to him or not. If they didn't, then that explains everything, and if they did…" She trailed off, a slight frown appearing on her face.
"He stepped out last night, saying he needed some air. I'm pretty sure he went to talk to her." The strawberry blonde sighed heavily. "Things seemed to be going so well. They must've had a fallout. I thought things were fixed between them, or at least getting there. I guess not."
Nanao listened quietly. It was only right that her friends problems should become hers as well. That was part of looking out for each other. She was slightly disappointed in Captain Hitsugaya. Didn't he see how far she had come already? She was changing for the better, and he seemed blind to it.
"So something may have happened that caused her enough stress to make her pass out. I thought he felt a little bad from what he said yesterday. He seemed guilty from what he said to her yesterday. They didn't talk this morning at all, did they?"
Nanao shook her head. "No, Momo went straight back to her office." She remembered the younger girl running into her, wanting to be far away from there.
Rangiku heaved another sigh, heavier than all the rest. Nanao was tempted to do the same. "Why is it always one step forward and three steps back?"
Nanao stayed silent. She didn't have an answer for that.
-
-
The first thing that Momo noticed as she tried to open her eyes was that it was eerily quiet. It was the same type of silence found in classrooms where everyone was taking a test, or as one waited for a jury to come to a decision. Momo didn't like that type of silence. It was the type of silence that raged in her ears every time she heard someone abruptly stop a conversation when she came near. It was the same sound as when she didn't know what to say, and everyone looked at her strangely.
This type of quiet meant that she was probably in the Fourth.
She sighed as she made to move. At least someone had found her in her office. She had felt the blackness just as it was too late to do anything about it. She didn't even remember hitting the ground. She must have worried her squads though, if they brought her here.
Her eye lids felt heavy, and it took a lot longer to open her eyes than it should have. The light was off, thankfully, and the shade had been pulled over the window. At least she hadn't been blasted with sunlight first thing.
She sat up slowly, her muscles protesting movement as they finally got to rest. Her hair brushed her shoulders softly, and she realized that someone must have taken her hair out for her. The blanket fell down as she got up, and with it, she saw something bright white standing out from the light blue hospital covers.
Picking it up, she let her eyes adjust before she realized it was an origami flower, just like the ones she used to make as a child. It was perfect. There were no creases other than where it needed to be folded, and there were no smudges on the clean sheet. It was better than any of the ones she used to be able to do.
Setting it down next to her, she smiled softly. She didn't know any of her friends did origami, but at least she knew that at least one person had been here to visit her.
She yawned as she stretched, grateful for the rest. She hadn't dreamt of anything, and that was the best news she had all day. It was nothing like before, sitting at her desk doing paperwork and letting her thoughts consume her. She stopped suddenly, her sleepy mind catching up to what was going on.
She had been doing paperwork. The inspections were today. She was not in her division. She gasped as she flew over to the window, pulling back the shades. The late day sun burned fire orange and gave a glow to the surrounding buildings. She had slept all day.
Cursing softly, she hurried over to the table beside the bed where she spotted her hair ties and cloth. She threw the covers back over the bed, not one to leave a mess where she went, knocking the paper flower to the floor. It clattered softly against the tile, and she took a second to consider it. Picking it up, she put it in her hair for lack of another place and bolted out of the room in order to find the nearest medic. She needed to get back to work.
-
-
Momo was confused. She was glad that Captain Unohana had been the first person she ran into, and with a promise to take it easy, she had been released. The healer had been a little disappointed that she hadn't slept for longer, but as it was, she understood Momo's need to finish her work. She was now standing in her office, but what she couldn't understand was why there wasn't any paperwork sitting on her desk. In fact, there was no work anywhere.
She knew there had to be some left. She had delegated as much of it as she could to the lower seats, but there was some she had to do herself, things that lower seats wouldn't understand. Where was it?
She was starting to freak out by now, not knowing if the inspectors had been by yet. There wasn't time to be sitting around. She spun towards the open door, determined to find some answers. She was stopped however, as someone in a white coat stepped in the door.
"Ah, there you are Lieutenant Hinamori."
Momo gulped silently as she recognized the woman as someone from the division checks. She tried not so stutter as she answered, knowing it was all over now. She couldn't tell anything from the other woman's voice, but if things were how she thought they were, then she was going to be demoted for sure.
"Nice work this year. I'm impressed. Your division was very neat, and the paperwork was turned in. All I need from you now is your signature that I stopped by."
Momo was in a daze as the woman came over to her desk, not believing what was going on. They did a good job? The paperwork checked out? What?
She gave a thanks and a shaky nod as the inspector left, and she sunk down in her chair, propping her head in her hands. Now she was really confused. Taking a minute to breathe and to think, she looked around her office again, looking for anything out of place. A piece of white caught her eye on the corner of her desk, a paper she had looked over before. Pulling it towards her, she smiled as she read its contents.
You should go home and rest. -Nanao
Momo's smile got brighter as she realized what happened. Making up her mind, she got up and pushed her chair in. She couldn't believe how lucky she was. With a livelier mood, she exited her office on her way to the Eighth.
-
-
Momo rounded the corner at the hall junction leading to the Eighth offices. She slowed to a stop and chuckled softly at the sight she found in front of the main office. She backed up a few steps and peered around the edge. She tried to make as little noise as possible, even though they probably couldn't hear her from here anyway.
She didn't want to mess it up. It was better safe then sorry. She didn't like to interrupt, and these two probably needed as much help as they could get. Out of sight, out of mind.
She saw Nanao and Captain Kyouraku exchange some words. That wasn't what had her laughing this time, though she knew the Captain of Division Eight could be very quick witted.
Even from this far away, she could see the tinge of red streaked on Nanao's face. She then watched the annoyed woman retrieve her fan from her inside sleeve and smack the man on the head almost faster then she could follow. It was like lightning, like she had slowed down time to do it. The captain sat stunned for a second before he broke out into a grin, and Momo had to wonder if he said things on purpose just to get her to interact with him.
Momo sighed as they fell back into easy conversation, slightly envious. It made sense though, that they could be that relaxed around each other. Even from over here, despite just being annoyed a second ago, she could tell that Nanao had relaxed her shoulders, and her scowl had disappeared. The fan was nowhere in sight.
They had worked together for more years than Momo had been around, she thought. At least more years than she had been in the Gotei. It was so obvious that they would be a wonderful pair outside of battle as well, and she wondered why the two of them didn't see it yet.
Captain Kyouraku turned to go, waving as he walked down the hall, thankfully the opposite direction she was standing. She watched Nanao shake her head and turn to return to the office. Momo didn't miss the way that Nanao turned her head to watch her retreating captain before heading into the office. It was too bad that she couldn't see the older woman's face. Momo had no way to tell what she was thinking.
Momo came out from behind the wall and thought while she neared the office. Maybe they already knew. Maybe they were just too stubborn to do anything about it. Momo sighed again.
There were many times that she thought Nanao looked lonely. She imagined that that was probably the look on her face as she watched her captain retreat. At times she looked worn, like she was thousands of years older and wiser than she should be, like she carried the weight of several lifetimes on her shoulders.
It was different when Nanao was with her captain though. She could see it, just as she saw it a few moments ago. The weariness melted away and disappeared when she was with him, and Momo wondered if Nanao realized it. When they were together, they seemed to slip into a familiarity, something that no one could disrupt. If she asked and the older woman answered truthfully, Momo bet that she would say those were the times she was truly at peace.
What she wouldn't give to have it as easy as them. True, there were still obstacles in the way for them. She was pretty sure of that. Still, they were leaps and bounds ahead of a lot of people. She could've been too. She has a long time friendship already. Had, at least. She frowned slightly at the thought that maybe she could've had it that easy too, if she hadn't messed everything up. Now, she probably didn't have a chance in the world.
She stopped as she felt the familiar pangs return. She had to stop this. She wasn't going to think about that right now. Those types of thoughts could wait until she got home, until nobody was there to see her. She still had things to do, and she wasn't interested in a repeat of what had happened this morning.
Steeling herself, she built a wall around the thoughts and ignored them as they struggled against it. By the time she made it to the office door, she had almost successfully blocked everything out completely, and as she knocked, she allowed a smile to come to her face. It was easier if she thought about the reason she was here in the first place.
She was getting better, and that thought alone brought her a little happiness.
The office door was left ajar, and Momo realized that Nanao was probably getting ready to leave. She didn't know how long she had been out for exactly, but if Inspections were over, there shouldn't be anything else that needed to be done for the day. She hoped Nanao wasn't going to be annoyed with her. She could make it quick.
She frowned slightly, then shook both the frown and the thought away. This was Nanao. She was never unnecessarily mean or disdainful. She was one of the closest things to friends she had. She wondered where the thought came from, and silently scolded herself. Not everyone was out to scorn her. She shouldn't still be shaken up like that.
Nanao was facing away from the door, looking at her desk. Momo coughed quietly, and tapped on the door frame in order to get her attention. Nanao turned, not looking as surprised as she maybe could have. Then Momo remembered that the woman was brilliant, able to strategize for a thousand, able to run the division practically alone, and still had time to look out for her friends. She probably already knew that she would come.
The bespectacled woman looked at her, standing in the doorway, and Momo found herself forgetting whatever she had come here to say. She suddenly felt moisture gather at her eyes, and she tried to stay as still as possible, as if any movement would release the floodgates. She didn't even know why she felt that way all of a sudden. She was just overwhelmed.
Nanao smiled at her then, and gestured that she should come inside. Momo returned it, and willed the tears away, so grateful that people still cared enough to look out for her. She didn't have to, but she took her paperwork anyway. Momo could keep her job now, thanks to people that cared.
"Everything alright now?" Nanao seemed to understand without words, and Momo was grateful again. She needed a second to compose herself a little better.
Momo nodded. "As well as it can be, yeah. Thank you." She bowed low then, something Lieutenants rarely did to each other when not in others' company, due to similar rank. She hoped it showed her appreciation as well as she felt it.
"Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. Now, because of you, I can keep my position and-"
"It wasn't all my doing." Nanao cut her off, and Momo straightened, feeling better. "It was Rangiku's idea really. But you're welcome. I hope you take the next few days easy. You should rest."
Momo smiled and nodded, a look of understanding passing between the two. She didn't know when this newer friendship had started, but she was glad for it. She brushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear from when she stood. Her fingers hit something smooth, and she remembered the origami she had found on her covers. She made to turn and leave, but she stopped, a question on her mind.
"Um, Nanao?" She was slightly quiet, and Nanao paused in turning around.
"Yes?"
"Do…you do origami?"
It didn't hurt to ask. She had been curious since she found the piece of art. She hadn't made one in so many years now. It reminded her of better days, when she used to be a clean slate, just like the pristine paper it was made with. It gave her a few moments of peace, and she felt slightly better when she thought of it. Just because those easier days were gone didn't mean she had to forget them. She was glad to be reminded.
She watched Nanao glance at the object in her hair for a minute, her face giving away nothing that she was thinking. Momo's shoulders sagged a little as Nanao shook her head. She would like to thank whoever made it for letting her remember something important to her. Well, trying not to be too disappointed, she knew she still had one more stop to make before going home.
Maybe Rangiku knew origami?
-To Be Continued
A bit of a lull in the action, but I had to catch things up to speed a little. I plan these sections out as not being so long, and then I have no idea how they get to be the length they are. I had a few other things planned for this chapter, but as you can see, I didn't get to them.
Let's not talk about my lame updating skills. What we can talk about, however, is the fact that I finally know where I'm going with this. I have this ending planned out, and I think it sounds really fun. I just need to get there. I hope it's not just one of those things thats sounds good in my head. It's good news that I think I can salvage this fic though. I think it's in need of rescuing. What it really needs is just better updating D: I'll work on that. I just started a new quarter, so there's quite a bit of work to do for my classes.
On another note, I have a question. I know I've probably asked this before (but am too lazy to go back and check, go figure) but what kinds of chapter lengths do you guys prefer? That is, if anyone is still reading at this point x.x I fail, I know. I've been trying to keep them in the 5-7 thousand range. Some of them get away from me and are longer. Would you like something shorter than that? Like 3 or 4? Or would you like even longer? I can never judge that well.
And on a last and final note, there is still a poll up on my profile. If anyone feels like putting in some feedback, I appreciate it. Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed.