She felt the cool, refreshing autumn breeze of the morning hit her face as she walked. It smelled like dew and she closed her eyes and welcomed the air. She felt an electric shock of excitement jolt her near exhausted body. She didn't know where she was going to sleep that night, or more accurately, the middle of the day since she'd been traveling all night to get a good head start. She was moving from Seireitei to West Rukongai toward one of the lower ranking Northern Districts by the edge of the Soul Society farthest from Seireitei. Here, her father lived in a small machiya in a notoriously dangerous area. Hey, it wasn't an adventure without the possibility of danger.
She'd gotten about 35 miles flash stepping and walking, about a quarter of the way to her father's and still close enough to Seireitei that the neighborhoods weren't dangerous and were reasonably well kept.
In the late morning the streets started to fill with people, friendly chatter and the smell of food from houses and a local ryokan serving breakfast. She went to the ryokan, pushed aside theshōji and was surprised to see a few Shinigami who she recognized but didn't know the names of scarfing down rice, veggies, fish and miso soup with their morning tea. She ordered the least expensive room available, ate breakfast and promptly crashed until late afternoon.
She heard a knock on her door and someone saying something about dinner. She felt excitement prickle inside her, and she got up and pulled open the shōji, eyes lit up. Standing outside her door she saw familiar pale skin and light silver hair, and that smile that could make Mother Theresa look like the devil.
"Need some company?" Oh, fuck. Her heart dropped into her stomach. She'd been caught. She wouldn't be able to step foot anywhere without some weirdo following her around reporting every move she made back to Seireitei. She wished she could be one of those people who could hide her emotions and seem cordial in the midst of feeling her soul wither inside her, but from the look on Jūshirō's face, she'd just revealed every ounce of inner turmoil that his presence had set inside her.
"Is everything all right? It's perfectly fine if you'd rather eat alone! Kaien said he thought he saw you check in this morning, I thought I'd just stop by and say hello." She felt a rush of relief. Almost. How soon would news get back to base on her whereabouts?
"Yeah, sorry, yeah, come in, no problem." She threw her pillows on the floor and plunked herself down, crossed legged, on one and patted the tatami floor between the two pillows for Jūshirō to put the tray of food down. He carefully sat himself down on his knees and started pouring saké out into two small cups while she picked clumps of steamed rice up with her fingers and, while she tilted her head back, dropped them in her mouth.
"You're on your own, I see. Planning on meeting up with anyone while you're here?" There was no one she could possibly think of that she'd want to see in particular. But she didn't want to draw attention to the fact that she was alone.
"Nah. Sometimes you just need a break from all the bullshit people bring to the table, you know what I'm saying?" She got up, slid open the door to a deck connected to all the rooms on north side of the building to bring in a little light and fresh air and sat back down. Outside, pale orange light from the tsuri-dōrō lamps contrasted with a twilit blue sky. They were half covered in shadow and the sky outside tinted their other halves cerulean blue.
"Yes. I understand perfectly well." He gave her a sympathetic smile. She mistook the smile as being a hint that he knew, with some kind of psychic ability, that she was up to no good.
"Look," she began, almost without her own consent, as last minute panic pushed her to proceed "don't let anyone know you saw me out here. I'm doing this by myself, for myself. I don't need anyone up my ass trying to find out where I am or what I'm doing. I'm doing, that's all that matters right now," she pleaded. If it was anyone else she'd be threatening their lives if they ever told anyone what they saw, but it was Jūshirō. You'd have to be some kind of sick fuck to be able to look this man in the eye and direct any kind of derogatory speech at him.
The sympathy in his expression gave way to that of concern, and she felt his changing expression fall in her stomach. The panic in her gave way to a sulk.
"Please," she whined, "I need this."
For the first time all night he realized that she was, in fact, up to no good. He looked away from her and sighed.
"What are you doing out here, Mina?" he asked, flatly. He gazed at her with the weary disappointment of a parent. She was really sick of seeing that look on people's faces.
"I was gonna go see dad," she said her whine sharper and higher pitched accompanied by the most pitiful, despairing pout.
He sighed. He didn't like the sound of any of it. Her father was an ex-Shinigami, a skilled swordsman with questionable judgement. After he left the Gotei 13, preaching to all who would listen that the Court Guard Squad thrived on the poverty of the majority of Rukongai, he moved into a violent neighborhood near a slum where he fought anyone who bullied weaker souls in return for their unquestioning loyalty to him. In other words, he had his ego stroked by weaklings he defended while he satisfied his Eleventh Division blood thirst.
He clenched his jaw. He had no business trying to stop her from seeing her father, but at least he could do everything in his power to make sure she was able to keep herself safe.
"Excuse me," he lifted himself off the floor, "I'll be back in just a moment." He gave her the most reassuring smile. She panicked again. She felt the dread wash down her body and sulked. It was already over and she'd only just begun. She wanted to sob and whine and yell and stomp, 'Just let me do what I want!'
After a few moments of seriously considering gathering her belongings and bolting before Jūshirō could return, Jūshirō pulled the shōji open with caution and shut it quietly behind him. He was holding a square of something black in the crook of his elbow. He sat down and set it gingerly on his lap and donned a very grave expression, which she returned, alarmed.
"Here," he said, handing her the square. "This is a Shihakushō and a squad thirteen badge. You should be a deal more safe wearing these." The punishments for a commoner even touching a Shinigami the wrong way were well known throughout districts, so people generally did little more than resent them. Plus, if anything did happen to her, he would be the first to know.
She felt joy swell through her, she got up and squished Jūshirō into a hug, pecking his cheek and pressing it against her own while he rolled his eyes and smiled and blushed. She ruffled his hair up and sat back down across from him.
"So you're not gonna try and stop me?" She was glowing.
"No, I'm afraid you're too old for that now." He got up and placed his hand on her head. "I have to retire for the night. You take care, Mina." He gave her hair a little ruffle and stepped out of the room. She followed him out with her eyes until he was gone and then looked down at the uniform resting on her legs. Was she really going to pretend she was a Shinigami after all this?
Author note: Criticism welcome!