"What are you doing in my room?" the girl shouted, her voice most likely more high pitched than she had intended.
Hisagi stared at the girl who had awoken him, wincing slightly from her obviously upset tone. He didn't stare often, but on this occassion, he chose to do so blatantly. The brunette probably noticed Hisagi's stare, causing her eyebrows to creep together in frustration.
Hisagi sat up, moving his arms up to stop her from yelling any more. "I can explain. Really."
"Well, please do," the girl commented, crossing her arms and shifting her weight to her left leg.
Hisagi was almost surprised that she wasn't more upset. Sneaking into someone's room was a serious invasion of privacy, yet she seemed to be taking this better than most other teenage girls would. Not to say that she was taking the situation well, but it could have been worse.
"See," Hisagi began, his tone calm, "I'm not from... around here, so I thought-"
"That you could break into the home of the only person you've seen?" the girl interrupted. She was beginning to get on his nerves...
"Look, I'm not-" Hisagi stated once more, only to be interrupted by a different source.
A homely looking woman with dark brown hair and large blue eyes opened the door to the bedroom. Hisagi could almost feel the fatigue coming from the woman's expression, as the wrinkles and lines beneath her eyes seemed to speak volumes.
"Honey, is everything all right?" the woman asked. Her voice was kind and heartfelt, and reminded Hisagi of the girl's voice from their first encounter during the hollow attack. "I thought I heard you shout."
The girl turned around sharply towards her mother. "No, everything's not all right. Mom, why'd you let this guy into our house?"
The woman, identified as the mother of the household, looked puzzled. "What guy? I didn't let anyone inside."
The brunette gestured towards Hisagi. "The guy on my bed. He's right there!" she exclaimed taking a step closer to Hisagi.
Hisagi shook his head as the girl's mother replied, "...Sweetie, there's no one there."
He almost pitied the brunette as she looked more perplexed than when she discovered Hisagi sleeping on her bedspread. So, being the kind and suave guy he is, Hisagi chose to clarify the situation.
"She can't see me," Hisagi spoke, his voice rugged. "Most humans can't."
The girl's eyebrows scrunched together even more. "What?"
"Sweetie?" the girl's mother interrupted. "Are you feeling okay? Do you want some tea?"
The girl shook her head and smiled sweetly at her mother. "No, I'm fine. Sorry, I must be tired..." she replied, her tone returning to its normal volume.
Her mother nodded and smiled, then left the room. Hisagi could tell that a long explanation was in order; however, whether or not he was at liberty to divulge information about Soul Society remained undisclosed, but the fact that this human girl could see and touch a shinigami meant that she would more than likely become involved with the Seireitei at some point.
The brunette sighed and sat down in a chair by a desk, kicking her shoes off upon sitting down.
"I'm Tanaka Shiomi," the girl introduced, making eye contact with Hisagi. "I'm almost an above average student, and I play soccer pretty much all the time, even though my dad's been trying to make me quit since I turned thirteen."
Shiomi looked at the floor after she said this, making her discomfort with her father tangible. Hisagi almost felt sorry for her, until she resumed her introduction.
"About three months after I started attending Karakura High School, I was able to see ghosts. And when I tried to tell my mom about it, she thought I was sick," Shiomi spoke, the volume of her voice decreasing as her melancholy seemed to intensify. "The only reason I'm saying this is because... I have a feeling you can tell me what's going on with me and how I can fix it. My mom can't see ghosts and she can't see you, so... I think you have a connection to them somehow."
Hisagi stared at Shiomi as she concluded. He had no idea what had compelled her to give such a strange introduction, but he had a feeling that she was expecting his next. Yet upon staring at this supposedly human girl, Hisagi couldn't help but be captivated by her once again. She had such round brown eyes, and he wanted to melt in them. Her long, thin fingers curled around themselves, indicating her discomfort with the situation. It was quite obvious that confessions were not common in this household. Therefore, he admired the courage it must have taken for Shiomi to confess such a significant secret.
In spite of Shiomi's assets, Hisagi constantly reminded himself of the fact that she was human, and would remain so for the time being. That being said, Hisagi made it his personal mission not to interfere too much with this girl's life. He could feel her pulling him in, and he feared becoming addicted.
Hisagi sighed, reaching one muscled arm behind his head to roughly scratch his scalp. He didn't like introductions, and he could tell that this would be a long one.
"My name's Hisagi Shuuhei," he began, staring into Shiomi's eyes, "and I'm a shinigami."
Shiomi was surprised, to say the least. The very notion that hollows and the Seireitei and the Gotei 13 could even exist eluded her, and the fact that they were all connected to the "plus" spirits she visualized was even more astounding. After Hisagi's very detailed explanation, Shiomi felt as though she had to say something, even if just to indicate that she was still alive. Unfortunately, she couldn't think of anything to say. So, she sat on her desk chair, mouth slightly agape, staring at her hardwood floor. She could tell Hisagi was staring at her, most likely for any indication that she was still concious.
"Are you okay?" Hisagi cautiously asked, snapping Shiomi out of her reverie. She shook her head as if to wake up, then looked at Hisagi with a smile.
"Yeah, I'm..." Shiomi began, but seemed to lose the words as she stared at her wall, then turned back to Hisagi, "...surprised..."
Hisagi raised one eyebrow, and Shiomi continued. "I mean, if there are these shinigamis and hollows and all that stuff, they why haven't I seen more of them around?"
Hisagi rubbed his forehead in an effort to alleviate the ache this girl was causing. To Hisagi's dismay, the girl continued to rant.
"And if these shinigami exist to help spirits cross over, then why are there so many pluses left? I mean, you made it sound like there are a lot of these shinigami people, and- sorry, are they even people? Like human? Or are they... ghosts? It's just..." Shiomi began to say, yet seemed to lose the urge to. She looked at the ground and shook her head. "It's a lot to take in at once."
Hisagi looked at Shiomi in understanding, then nodded in agreement.
"But," Shiomi continued, "I think I believe you."
Hisagi looked up at Shiomi and smirked. She was rather interesting for a human.
It was also rather evident that Shiomi preferred a lack of silence, as she continued the conversation by asking Hisagi, "Do you tell people this information often?"
Shiomi stared into Hisagi's eyes, awaiting his reply. He simply shook his head and answered, "I never have."
Her eyes narrowed in mild curiosity. "Why?"
Hisagi looked up and away from Shiomi. He stared out the window and chuckled quietly. "It takes too long. And humans keep asking questions about things they really don't understand."
Hisagi's eyes narrowed as he uttered his final statement, staring into Shiomi's eyes. She could feel his piercing gaze intensify, and almost felt his pain and fear. Shiomi tilted her head in contemplation as the gears began to turn inside her head. Hisagi spent his time saving lives, and she spent hers playing soccer and doing homework. He practiced and taught others to protect in his free time, and Shiomi would study in hers. He had killed others with little difficulty, and Shiomi could hardly squash a bug without cringing. Her respect for the man sitting before her was invaluable, yet worthless. She was just a human who happened to have an unusual ability, and Hisagi was a shinigami who could turn her into dust in a matter of seconds. She was nothing to him-and she knew it.
"I'm..." Shiomi began, her eyes turning sympathetic, "...sorry."
Hisagi looked confused as he questioned, "For what?"
Shiomi frowned as she looked at him. "For being human."
Hisagi looked at the ground and smiled. "Yeah."
Shiomi looked at him as a smile developed on her face. She was conpletely in awe of this man as he stood, making her appear even more miniscule than she felt. Not only was he incredible as a shinigami, but Hisagi appeared amazing to her as well. Shiomi had never come across someone similar to him-someone who could render her completely breathless just by taking in his appearance. Hisagi was tall, muscular, and masculine-everything she loved in the opposite sex. But she knew better than to pursue him.
Shiomi stood up and looked at Hisagi. "Where are you going?"
He looked down at her, and let a small smirk spread across his lips. "Somewhere."
Shiomi looked down with a frown. She hardly knew this man, yet what she did know she liked. She couldn't stand the thought of having him leave without learning more.
"Do you... eat?" she asked, almost hitting herself for phrasing it so strangely.
Hisagi looked confused, but replied, "Yes..."
Shiomi looked at him once more, her eyes pleading for him to stay. "Do you want to eat... here? With me?"
Hisagi smiled and briefly looked away from Shiomi, as if thinking it over. He had no idea what had compelled him to say it, but Hisagi replied, "Sure."
"Do you always eat so quickly?" Shiomi asked, staring at Hisagi's clean plate. It had taken him all of five minutes to clear it.
Hisagi wiped his mouth with his napkin, casually replying, "Usually."
He sighed, stretching out on the floor by leaning back on his arms. He could tell that Shiomi wanted to ask him something else, as she had been unusually quiet for a full five seconds. "What?" Hisagi asked, his tone a bit harsher than he had intended.
Shiomi looked startled as she stood to gather her plate with Hisagi's. "Do you want any more?"
Hisagi closed his eyes and answered, "No, thanks."
Shiomi nodded and sat on the floor cross-legged across from Hisagi. She placed both plates on her desk before holding her chin in the palm of her hand and beginning to stare at Hisagi.
Hisagi didn't like to stare at people; so, justly, he didn't expect people to stare at him. Irked with the human girl's mock admiration, Hisagi abruptly demanded. "Stop staring. I've been around you like this for three hours now. I'm not going to change."
Shiomi seemed to awaken from whatever stupor she was in as she apologized, "Sorry..."
Hisagi almost felt remorseful after hearing Shiomi's pitiful tone. Instead of staring at him, she opted to stare at her hardwood floor, perhaps with the hope that it would do something worth watching. He had to admit, he was sort of surprised with Shiomi's behavior. Aside from Kurosaki's group, which included said shinigami, Inoue, Ishida, and Sado, Hisagi had heard that most humans were selfish and fearful, yet neither of these would characterize Shiomi. In fact, after she heard about the Seireitei and shinigami, she needed very little proof to take Hisagi's words truthfully. Perhaps she wasn't quite as human as he had initially believed...
Or so he thought, until she began another series of questions.
After briefly answering Shiomi's inquiries, Hisagi chose to ask her a question. "Why are you so curious about this?"
Shiomi looked somewhat shocked to hear Hisagi ask her a question, as opposed to the other way around. As she answered, a gentle smile spread across her rosy lips. "Probably because I've never met someone like you. And if I never see you again, I want to know that..." Shiomi paused, trying to find the proper words, "...I won't regret not knowing something that I could have."
Hisagi wasn't an incredibly deep person. Although he had moments showing emotional maturity, this did not prove to be one of them, as he scoffed at her reply. "That's strange."
Shiomi blushed and flusteredly responded, "Why?"
Hisagi stood up to look down at the girl's confused countenance. "Why do you think I would tell you all of this if I didn't think we would meet again?"
Shiomi's expression quickly transitioned to one of mild happiness. "You mean-"
Unfortunately, Shiomi could not finish her answer, as her bedroom door loudly opened. Standing in the doorway was a gruff middle-aged man unfamiliar to Hisagi, yet the aura he emitted seemed to make him feel glad that they were not acquaintances.
"Shiomi, did you finish your homework?" the man inquired, the volume and timbre of his voice proving hardy enough to spread visible goosebumps on Shiomi's arms. Luckily for Hisagi, humans like this were relatively unalarming.
"No, dad, I had stuff to do after school," Shiomi answered, standing up. The added height did nothing to decrease the man's ability to intimidate.
"You can't play soccer all the time," the man began. "You're going to waste your life away."
Shiomi's small fingers gripped together, transforming hands into fists. It was rather obvious that she was upset with this man. "I didn't have practice today," Shiomi answered, her tone one of feigned calmness. "I came home after school."
Her father's expression changed to one of frustration. "Then you should have started studying." The man walked over to her desk and picked up the plates. "How many times do I have to tell you not to eat in your room?"
Shiomi looked down and muttered a quiet apology. Her father scoffed in acknowledgment, then seemed to notice the unusual quantity of plates for one person to eat dinner.
"Why did you take two plates?" the man asked.
Shiomi looked nervous, fiddling with her fingers to think of an answer. "I was... hungry...?"
Her father looked confused, but chose not to inquire further. Before leaving, her father reminded her of what he believed to be of utmost importance. "You need to start studying."
Shiomi tried to smile, but only managed to look slightly less upset. "I will."
Shiomi's dad sent her one last look over his shoulder before closing the door behind him. Shiomi stared at the door with a downcast expression for almost five minutes before turning around to sit down at her desk. Hisagi could almost feel her emotions emanating from the area surrounding her, yet he was unaware of what he could do to placate her sentiments. Therefore, he decided that it would be best for him to leave.
"Good luck studying," Hisagi said casually before preparing to leave through her opened window.
Shiomi turned toward Hisagi, gesturing for him to wait. "Um..." she whispered, withdrawing her hand.
Hisagi stared at Shiomi, almost pitying her distaught expression. "What?"
Shiomi looked up at Hisagi, her sweet, chocolate eyes pleading for him to do something, and he wasn't quite sure he could refuse her. Although he had just met this girl, Hisagi felt that he knew enough about her to enjoy spending time with her, even if she was an inquisitive, slightly annoying human.
Ah, that was right. She was human. And would remain so for now. So, Hisagi killed whatever emotions he felt for this girl.
Unfortunately, they seemed to resurface as her pleasant voice asked, "Will I ever see you again?'
Hisagi couldn't help but smirk. She was so naive. "We'll see."
He sent her one last smoldering look over her shoulder before leaping out of her window. He didn't even have to look behind himself to know that she was watching him through her window, waiting for him to come back.
"Hisagi!" she shouted, gripping the window pane.
Hisagi turned around to acknowledge her.
Shiomi looked at Hisagi, then shouted, "Be careful."
Hisagi was surprised to see her express such concern for someone who was practically a stranger, but smiled and waved nonetheless. Internally, he looked forward to their next encounter...