Chapter 10:

I was slowly brought back to consciousness by faint whispers. I wanted to just yell at whoever it was to shut the hell up, then go back to sleep against whatever was so warm around me. However, the familiar voices peaked my curiosity and made me open my eyes slightly, although I still felt mostly asleep.

"Byakuya, look at her! She's injured badly, Orihime can heal her easily. Why are you refusing?"

I heard a sigh from above me, the breath tickling my forehead. I was tempted to look up to see what the Captains expression was, but I feigned being asleep instead.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, we have our own very competent people who can heal her back at Soul Society."

After a grunt of frustration from Kurosaki, I heard Urahara Kisukes voice, "Now, now, Ichigo, calm down. I've known Yuuko for a long time now. She wouldn't like it if Inoue healed her." Urahara paused to sigh softly before continuing, his voice taking on a sadder tone. "She much prefers to suffer in silence. She would rather do that than ask anyone for their help; although, with everything that happened in her past, I can't blame her for feeling that way."

Hearing that, it took a lot of effort to keep my breath even. Urahara is one of the extremely few people who did know almost every detail about my past. I trusted him not to say anything more, but I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable as he mentioned it.

Captain Kuchiki cleared his throat before speaking. "We need to return to Seireitei now, if there are any signs of arrancar activity in Karakura town, you are expected to notify us right away." With that, I felt him shift my body to support it with one hand. I heard his zanpakutō being drawn, and I could tell a moment later he opened a Senkaimon.

"Wish Yuuko my best when she awakes, Captain Kuchiki." Uraharas voice seemed a bit muffled to me, but I assumed he just pulled out his ever-present fan.

Without another word, the Kuchiki sheathed his zanpakutō and walked through the doors. As soon as we were inside the dangai, Kuchiki once again supported my weight with both his arms.

I continued to pretend to be asleep. Even if I wasn't, I didn't know what I could say or do. My legs felt numb, my ribs were a constant pain, and my arm still felt like it was on fire. It was a miracle I could even fall asleep in the first place. The only thing I could really think of doing was keeping my head against the Kuchikis shoulder, even if the ends of his hair would tickle my face at times, it was simply... the most comfort I have felt in a long, long time.

Although I tried to keep that thought away from my mind, it simply kept coming. This Captain, who I believed not too long ago, was simply an aristocratic man who seemed apathetic towards almost everything, and didn't think highly of me: his lieutenants friend. He has now become someone who I can barely keep out of my thoughts... in just the span of a few short days, ever since Captain-Commander Yamamoto suggested I ask him for his help, it has become this way. Why? It's not as though the Kuchiki has really acted any differently towards me. I mean, he might've talked to me a couple times rather than just ignore me... he might've seemed more curious about me than normal... and he might've suggested that he does care about the way I feel.

But honestly, he's probably only doing that because he has to train me now and needs to learn more about me. I couldn't even stop myself from thinking bitterly that the only reason he's doing it is because my Captain asked it of him... either that or because he thinks of me as a needy, and all shinigami are trained to help those in need. It's foolish of me to think into it so much. Then why the hell can't I stop myself? I admit, the Captain is truly very attractive. He's caring, brave, and he knows that I dislike the Kuchiki clan, and yet he still agreed to train me, which is one of the reasons why I feel compelled to know more about this man. But... I can't let myself. The situation is far too like the past... I won't let my feelings get the better of me. I have to prepare myself. If I don't... it's very likely I won't be able to recover mentally again.

Before I could finish my own internal struggle, I heard the Captain speak.

"I take it you're awake, Shinobu?"

My eyes opened slowly. I was wondering what gave me away, and it took me only a moment before I figured it out. My heart was beating erratically; I assume because of where my thoughts were. It wouldn't be surprising if the other Captain heard, if not felt, it. I sighed softly. "Yes, sir." Feeling awkward leaving my head on the others shoulder now that the Captain knew I was awake, I straightened up and looked ahead of us, attempting to hide the blush I felt.

An awkward silence fell over us for a few minutes. I wasn't sure what to say, and whether or not he felt the same way, I had no clue.

After a few minutes though, I decided to just say whatever came to my mind; I just hoped it wouldn't be something stupid. "Sir, I... I'm sorry for falling asleep earlier. I know it was probably extremely uncomfortable for you, so I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

In the corner of my eye, I saw the Captain shake his head. "I didn't mind at all, don't worry about it."

After a moment, I thought we'd continue on in yet another awkward silence, but as soon as that thought crossed my mind, Captain Kuchiki spoke again. "How's your arm?"

It was a short question, but it held the promise of a conversation rather than awkward silence... if I answer correctly, anyways. "The area of the broken bone turned numb a while ago, but my shoulder is still sore. Even if the 4th division doesn't do anything with it, it'll probably be completely healed within a couple months."

The Captain nodded. "I'll make sure they heal it. Especially if you'd like to start the training you asked me about."

I nodded quickly, focusing my gaze on the Captain now. "Of course!" Even if I tried, I doubt I could have hidden the enthusiasm in my voice.

Captain Kuchiki's eyes widened at my reply, and just barely, his lips curved very slightly in the smallest of smiles. "Good, we can probably start within the week, if you'd like?"

Once again, I nodded, not wasting a moment and immediately answered: "Absolutely, sir!"

"Jeez, Yuuko, want to make it any more obvious that you're hanging onto his every word?" I heard my Zanpakutō say. He said it in an obviously teasing voice, but I couldn't deny that I was still upset with him, so I didn't bother to reply to him.

The Captain nodded, seeming satisfied with my reply.

This time when the silence descended on us again, it wasn't at all awkward. Actually, if I had to name it, it'd be a pretty comfortable one. However, my Zanpakutō simply couldn't stay quiet.

"Are you going to ignore me now, Yuu-chan?"

I rolled my eyes as he used that nickname on me. Normally Renji's the only one who calls me that; my Zanpakutō only does it to tease me. But, I really did hate ignoring him as well, even if I was upset with him. "What do you want?" I replied to him in my mind, definitely not wanting the Captain to hear any half of this conversation.

"A favor, actually."

My eyebrows pulled together in confusion at this. I cast my Zanpakutō a glance; it was currently hanging next to the Captains own katana in his obi sash. "What favor?" It was odd for him to ask for any favors, so obviously it had peaked my curiosity.

"Everything I helped you with in Hueco Mundo, keep it a secret. Whether it be me communicating with you from so far away, to me helping you fight the poison. Don't let anyone in seireitei know about it."

By now, I could see the faint far-off glow that signaled we were almost to our destination. However, instead of being excited that I was almost back home, I couldn't focus on anything other than my Zanpakutō's words. "W-why not?"

I heard the voice in my head sigh. "Don't worry about all that right now, just promise me you won't tell. Not yet."

"I just don't underst-"

Cutting me off, my Zanpakutōs voice grew more serious, his tone insisting that I don't refuse. "Dammit, just promise me, Yuuko!"

I was definitely shocked at hearing him yell at me, but I was more upset than anything at the moment. Once again, my zanpakutō refused to tell me something important. "Fine."

My Zanpakutō went silent after that, but I felt his gratitude. It didn't make me feel any better though, and I couldn't stop the sigh from escaping my lips, catching the Captains attention.

"Are you alright?"

I looked back up at the Captain when I heard the concern in his voice. I tried to steady my voice so it wouldn't show my anger. "Y-yes, everything's fine, thank you." I quickly tried to come up with an excuse for my sigh, "I'm just not looking forward to all the reports I'll have to do for this assignment is all."

Captain Kuchiki nodded, seeming deep in thought for a few moments before replying, "I see. Well, I'm not sure if you need it, but the 6th division is generally quiet. So, if you happen to need the silence in order to concentrate, feel free to help yourself."

We were just about to reach the end of the dangai when he finished speaking. I was a bit shocked by the offer, but I couldn't hold back the joy I felt at it either. "Thank you, sir." As soon as I finished speaking, we were walking out of the Soul Soceity main Senkaimon.

The guards seemed a bit surprised to find the condition I was in, especially being carried by the 6th division Captain, but they all bowed to us, chanting in unison. "Welcome back!"

Lieutenant Abarai Renji was standing in the middle of the pathway in front of the Senkaimon, he gave a half-bow before welcoming us as well. "Captain Kuchiki, Shinobu, welcome back." He walked up to us, although the Captain never stopped walking so the Lieutenant had no choice but to simply fall in step beside us. My face was completely red with the embarrassment of being carried this way. "Yuu-chan, damn! What happened to you?" I could see him eying the dried blood marking most of my right arm.

"I'll be alright, Renji. The arrancars we faced seemed to be quite a bit stronger than what you described to me." The Lieutenant once told me everything about his many fights with the arrancars in the past, so I felt confident saying the ones I faced must've been stronger than the ones he did.

"Whoa, really?! I didn't think there were many arrancar left after Aizen." The Lieutenant almost had to jog to keep up with the brisk pace of the Captain. I was simply trying not to pay attention to the many shinigami we passed, all of who seemed shocked at what they saw.

"There were only a few, as far as I could tell."

The Captain spoke up as soon as I finished speaking, "You can hear all the details later. Go ahead of us and tell the 4th division to be ready for our arrival."

"Of course, right away, sir!" Renji patted me softly on the top of my head before running off.

We actually weren't very far away from the 4th division now, but it was always good for the division to have a heads-up about what they were about to be dealing with, so I understood him sending Renji off.

The rest of the walk to the 4th division took nearly half an hour. The walk itself was filled with complete silence, although it wasn't uncomfortable, I still would have preferred to have Renji walking with us. The only thing I could think about the entire walk was how heavenly the Captain smelled; It was a rich scent of just blooming flowers, along with something else that I couldn't quite place my finger on, it was very familiar though... I took another deep breath of him, but no name would come to mind. When I saw the Captain cast me a glance, I quickly turned away, which only made my blush deepen. I definitely didn't like having the Kuchiki invading my thoughts every moment, but no matter how much I told myself to quit, it never lasted longer than a few moments before he was on my mind yet again.

I decided to simply quit pushing the thoughts away. Within moments everything that made me attracted to the Captain filled my mind. Of course, no where in sight were the thoughts about why I disliked him, I would never be that lucky.

My mind didn't take a single break from thinking about Captain Kuchiki the entire walk.

When we reached the division, there were three unseated shinigami, and Lieutenant Kotetsu Isane waiting for us.

"Captain Kuchiki, if you could please carry 3rd seat Shinobu Yuuko inside, we'll begin her treatment right away." The Lieutenants voice was soft, yet very confident. I haven't had any situations where I've had to work with Lieutenant Kotetsu, so how completely different her voice was from her appearance surprised me.

The Captain didn't say a word, he just followed the Lieutenant when the former began walking inside the building.

We didn't go very deep into the quarters, but there were more shinigami than I expected to see, all bowing down as we passed. Although, whether they bowed to the Lieutenant or the Captain, I had no clue.

When our group came around a corner, I saw Renji leaning next to a door. He stood up straight when he saw us approaching.

The 4th division Lieutenant walked into the room Renji was next to. Captain Kuchiki and I, along with the other unseated officers, followed right behind her. Renji simply stood in the doorway, silently observing.

The room itself wasn't too large, but I thought it was too bright for my liking. Although, I just spent many hours in a dark, underground area, so everything was too bright for me at the moment. The Captain set me down in one of the chairs in the corner of the room.

Lieutenant Kotetsu immediately sat down in the chair next to me, already working on my arm. A light green light emitted out of her hand as she began healing my wounds. It felt soothing, cool against my fever-like skin; it took all the pain away almost instantly.

Captain Kuchiki walked out of the room, although I still saw the edges of his Shihakusho just barely visible in the doorway. I couldn't suppress the quiet relieved sigh that came out when I saw he hadn't left completely.

When the Lieutenant finished healing the fractured bone and began working on the cuts and bruises covering my arm, she asked me to tell her everything that happened.

I started from the beginning, when the arrancar first snuck up on me and Kurosaki. I mentioned how, when one arrancar touched me, I felt really weak, as if I were poisoned. This made her turn around and whisper to an unseated officer to get a vial and something else that I didn't quite catch, but the shinigami ran out of the room as soon as she finished.

I continued with the story, leaving out everything that my Zanpakutō told and helped me with; which wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be. I told her absolutely everything else though, not leaving out any detail. As she was healing my broken ribs, I told her my legs still didn't have any strength in them.

She only nodded her head though, and motioned for the shinigami that just came back to come forth. He carried all the materials needed to take a vial of blood from me, which she quickly did with perfected ease, even with me shifting away from the needle every second. The shinigami next handed the Lieutenant another vial, filled with a light green liquid.

"This should clear anything out from your system. I won't know until I run some tests on your blood, but I can only suspect that the arrancar injected his reiastu into your system. I could feel it as I healed your wounds. I'll let you know more as soon as I do, but first: drink." She held up the opened vial toward me.

I took the vial from her hands, but I hesitated. The green liquid didn't look the least bit appealing. However, I knew I wouldn't be able to walk out of the division without drinking it, so I held my breath and quickly downed it in one large mouthful. Well... that just might've been one of the most disgusting things that have ever gone past my lips. I coughed lightly before speaking. "Th-thank you, Lieutenant Kotetsu."

She nodded her head again, writing a couple notes in a journal on the desk before turning back to me. "How do your legs feel? The treatment should work within moments of taking it."

I attempted to move my legs. They still felt heavy, but every second that heaviness was fading, and I was able to move them as far as I could while seated. I looked up at the woman next to me and smiled. "They feel great, thank you!"

The shinigami smiled back at me before turning around, picking up her things. "You're free to go then, if you feel like the effects are coming back, come back right away. I'll let you know as soon as I find anything out about what the arrancar did."

I stood up quickly, having to balance myself on the nearby desk, but I still forced myself to bow. "Thank you again, Lieutenant Kotetsu."

She, along with the other shinigami from the 4th division, left the room then.

Renji quickly came inside, offering me an arm to help walk me out. "Thanks, Renji."

After giving me one of his enormous trademark smiles, he spoke. "Do you need me to walk you back to your quarters?"

We walked out of the room and began down the hall, I saw Captain Kuchiki following closely behind us, although I was so distracted by Renji that I completely forgot about the Captain not even a moment later.

"No, I'm sure I can walk myself, it's not even a ten minute walk from here anyways." Even though I was able to keep myself standing and walking perfectly well by now, I didn't let go of Renjis arm. It was a nice comfort.

When we walked out of the division though, I thought the time for us to part come too quickly. We'd go in separate directions now, and I didn't think I spent enough time with Renji yet. Although, I knew if he followed me back, he'd want to hang out for a while, which normally I wouldn't mind, especially after just learning that his crush felt the same way about him... but, normally I didn't just come back from a long and tiring mission, I was definitely too tired to do anything other than walk home and sleep at the moment.

"Renji, are you free tomorrow night?"

He raised an eyebrow, thinking hard for a moment before answering. "Yep, as far as I'm aware anyways. What's up?"

"I just missed you is all, let's go out then." The Captain silently walking behind us raised an eyebrow at this, but I was still so focused on Renji, I didn't know he was there.

The Lieutenant quickly nodded his head. "Sounds good, Yuu-chan." He patted me softly on the head before taking off in the direction of the 6th division.

I was just about to walk off myself when I heard someone clearing their throat behind me. I jumped slightly at being startled, and willed my heartbeat to slow down as I turned around. I shouldn't have been surprised to see Captain Kuchiki there, yet I was.

"Shinobu, I just wanted to say goodnight. Also, don't forget about my offer." Without even waiting for a reply from me, he walked off in the same direction as Renji.

My heartbeat still didn't slow down when I reached my own quarters a few minutes later.

I was already in bed before I knew it, my body running through the normal motions while my mind was completely elsewhere.

The thought that came into my head just as I fell asleep: Sanity has completely left me... I'm way too excited for a simple offer that has to do with work.

-End of Chapter 10-

Authors Note: Sorry for the delay with this chapter, as I said before: My birthday was on Thursday, so I was very busy and had no time to write/post this. But, anywho, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!

Thank you to my new beta ( /u/1605072/my-forgotten-rose ), you've made this chapter 40 times better than it ever would've been, you're amazing! :)

Updates will now be on (or around) Sunday!

So, look forward to Chapter 11 in one week! :)

If you could do me the honor of leaving a review, I'd really appreciate it.

Thank you!

-The Neko Lover