Bleach, I always liked stories with Isshin's past in it. So, I decided to try my hand in it. This is be AU because I play to jump off from the point we find out Isshin as a shinigami.
Disclaimer, I do not own Bleach.
Warnings: OC, the use of the eff-word
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He stumbled into his bedroom, he still thought of is as his and Masaki's, he found her sitting in a lotus position braiding her hair. Her eyes seemed transfixed on the long black strands that threaded through her fingers, but he was merely confused as to why she appeared after so long. She glanced up as if realizing he was there, but he already knew she was aware of his presence since he entered the house.
"Hello, Captain," she greeted with a cheeky smile. Years ago before this gigai, before Masaki, before all this he had seen that very cheeky smile greeting him when he woke up from a hang over.
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Groggily Isshin opened his eyes, this would be the last time he went drinking with Kaien. His mouth felt dry but what was worse was waking up to his lieutenant's disapproving arctic eyes as she slammed his paperwork down by his head. Her hair already had five braids in it telling him how long he had been out since the required start of day.
"Hello, Captain," she greeted with a cheeky smile her eyes glittering dangerously. "Did you have fun last night while I finished up all of our reports?"
"Ah, Hotaru," he smiled right back knowing it would only further her irritation with him, "I had a great night with the boys thanks for asking." Her hiss in reply was all he needed to know he had succeeded.
"I don't know why I put up with you," her tone was soft but the meaning behind those words would make a lesser man shudder in fear.
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"I didn't expect to see you ever again," he greeted in much the same way a cheeky smile. The corners of her mouth turned up a little more and she stopped braiding her hair.
"I didn't expect to feel your presence ever again. Did you kill him?" she looked at him dead in the eye.
"Yes," he nodded.
"Add that one to the millions you have already slain or does this one get a special grouping?" she asked. The memory of where a variation of that conversation made Isshin smile with a tinge of sadness.
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"So what does that total to?" Hotaru wrinkled her nose as she stood above the human world along with her captain. This was one of their few escapades out in the human world, while their tiny group was rarely without something to do there was rarely anything in the human world that would warrant their presence. He didn't answer, she didn't expect him to. "If I'm counting correctly I believe this makes you about a thousand above any of your buddies." Lighten the mood, just lighten the mood, she chanted mentally.
"Ah," he nodded. His silence wasn't what bothered her, but the longing look he sent towards the mortals did. Hotaru didn't comment on that she just looked down at the little dots that were suppose to be people.
"We, uh, should be heading back," she didn't mean to stutter it just happened, but Captain Kurosaki didn't seem to notice.
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"I never counted my kills that was you, but I will count this one," Isshin replied.
"So, this is a special one. How's the great Kurosaki been, or has that title moved to your son?" she asked her dark brows raising.
"I believe more people will be seeing him as a great hero," Isshin smiled once more and this time it was of pride. "Did you meet him?"
"No, I haven't been part of that world since you left. They offered me your job after you died. You remember how sometimes even you had to struggle to finish our orders there would be no way I could even get them half way done before being maimed. I think they thought I killed you," she rubbed her hand through her hair and shifted in her seat.
"Why we only had each other and you went crazy when I left on long periods of time," Isshin frowned. Hotaru's head jerked up but she refrained from telling him that was the exact reasoning she tried to give him before he left for the mortal world.
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"What the hell?" she demanded stomping her sandal clad foot on the ground. "You can't just leave me here all by myself! We're not even part of the Gotei Thirteen. It's just you an me, and we're isolated! Isolated damn it! If you leave I swear I will go crazy and hunt your ass!" It was the first time he had seen her lose it so badly.
From the decades he had been working with Abe Hotaru, she had never once raised her voice, thrown a tantrum, or stomped around. But now her eyes were leaking tears her once carefully braided hair was a mess of strands and of chunks. It didn't help that she was practically spitting as well.
"Lieutenant."
"Don't you fucking lieutenant me! You are leaving me to solitude and for what? A passing fancy of some mortal woman? You are a shinigami you live so much longer than those mortals, and you want to throw it all away! What are you going to do become a traitor and leave this world much like Captain Urahara?" she jabbed her finger against his chest.
"No, I am going to fake my death," Isshin answered truthfully.
"Fake your death? Fake you fucking life. You selfish son of a bitch," Hotaru snarled.
"You can come too if you want I am sure that there are areas where you can excel as well," he offered.
"No, I am not cut out for human life. I am a shinigami and I am proud of it!"
"I am not proud, not any more."
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"Still you could have made your death a little less vague. I had run away from it all."
"No, you didn't. That isn't you, Lieutenant. You wanted to be a shinigami until your last dying breath," Isshin leaned against the wall, watching her.
"Fine you caught my lie. I got myself transferred as some nameless underling. Luckily for me no one knew who the hell I was so no one has asked me to fill in the empty captain spots," she admitted. With another hesitant glance Hotaru snagged her bottom lip and finally asked the question, "What are you going to do now, Captain?"
"Protect my family, at least my girls. Ichigo can handle himself well and he has his friends. They will help him through this," he answered.
"I though that'd be your answer. Do you mind if I help protect your family? I never got use to taking anyone's orders but yours," the smile was tentative and Isshin just had to grin at her.
"I don't know my kids are coming into their sight retalively well it'll be hard to explain why their daddy is taking to a woman he shouldn't be able to see," Isshin rubbed the hair on his chin. "Oh, what the hell, sure you can hang around but make sure Ichigo and Karin don't see you. Especially Ichigo." She grinned at his order.
"Will do. I'll go spend sometime on the roof unless you want to share stories of the old times."
"Oh, do you mean like the time Kaien and I dragged you to that bar and you got shit face drunk and decided to try and strip?" Isshin gave a teasing laughed.
"Oh, do not even get me started on your drunk accomplishments!" Hotaru warned.
They ended up spending most of the night reminiscing about old friends who were long gone, (or reincarnated into someone's son in Kaien's case), of old missions, and of course old inside jokes.
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The End.
A/N: So, yeah I know Isshin is somewhat OOC, and I never specified what the duo actually did, but this has been running around in my head for a while. Like for instance if Isshin is so powerful and probably had been a captain why didn't anyone put two and two together? My theory is that Isshin was part of a super secret squad or something like that.
So, please review. Tell me how you like it, if I should continue, if you liked Hotaru or even if you didn't like her.
P.S. Hotaru was not created to be Isshin's romantic interest, when I created her I thought of them having more of an odd friendship. So, if I do continue this then the relationship between Isshin and Hotaru will be nothing more than platonic.
-LoveKiba