"NAZEKA! WAKE THE HELL UP!"
I jumped in my sleep and sat up with a headache and a horrible stomachache. It was horrible, and I was almost completely confused about what had happened the night before.
"You're an idiot."
"Uh… I'm not… I'm gonna…"
"Oh man, you better not do it here."
I held my hand over my mouth and ran to the bathroom, feeling my stomach do a back flip.
"Aw, disgusting. Well, we now know your limit. Fifteen cups and you're drunk."
"Sh-Shut up. What time is it?" I asked, still shaky. I wiped my mouth and looked down. I was still in my shihakushou, but I changed into a different one anyway.
"It's 9:48."
"S-So, I didn't sleep in?"
"No."
"Then, I'm not going to be late?"
"If you leave now, then no. But you are so lucky. So, get going already, damn it!"
I hopped out of the room, still trying to get my sandals on, and running a hand through my hair. I ran as fast as I could to the first squad barracks so I wouldn't be late. I tried to calm my breathing and look as confident and calm as I could. The doors opened and I kneeled in respect to all the captains present in the room.
The doors closed behind me and Yamamoto-soutaicho spoke, "Mamori Nazeka, fourth seat of the Thirteenth Squad, you have been summoned here by me."
"Yes sir."
"The reason I have summoned you, is to promote you to lieutenant of the Thirteenth Squad. Congratulations. You are one step closer to becoming captain..."
I looked up at him, still kneeling. W-What… did he just say? I-I'm a lieutenant? I brought myself back and said quietly, "T-Thank you sir."
"You may leave. The rest of the meeting is classified to anyone lower than captain class."
"Y-Yes sir," I bowed my head, rose, and left through the huge doors. I sat outside against the wall, waiting for my captain to come out of the meeting. I can't believe it… I'm a lieutenant? But… I didn't even want the position, and this was Kaien's position. I feel like I'm taking his place…
I waited for about thirty minutes, when the doors finally opened again. The first captain that walked out was Komamura-taicho, wearing his huge helmet again. (I still really want to know what he looks like…) After that was Soifon-taicho, then Kuchiki-taicho, and then Ukitake-taicho. I stood up, bowed in respect and joined up with my captain, who smiled when he saw me.
"Congratulations, Nazeka. Looks like our lieutenant problem is solved."
I narrowed my eyes, "But Ukitake-taicho, you sound like you don't even care that this was Kaien's seat. It's like we're trying to erase him from this position."
"Nazeka, you need to understand that this is how the Gotei 13 works. Once a lieutenant is gone, then they must be replaced. Same with captains, third seats, and so on. You've been selected as the best candidate for the position of lieutenant, so you were assigned there. It has nothing to do with the past lieutenants."
"But that doesn't change the fact that Kaien was a lieutenant. I feel like I'm taking his place."
"You can't change Yamamoto-soutaicho's mind. You've become a lieutenant, he promoted you, and it's now official. I have your badge in my office, and all the paperwork was filled out last night."
I froze, "Y-You knew?"
He held up his hands, "No, no, I found out late last night, after dinner. I got the paperwork then."
I sighed and shook my head, "It's alright… I'm just not exactly ecstatic for this position…"
"You never were too excited to be a shinigami in the first place." He waved for me to walk with him back to the barracks and asked, "So, you were nearly late this morning… that's not like you."
"Right well…"
"She got drunk thanks to the two people you want as third seats. Rethink it ol' man!"
Don't call him an old man!
"I overslept unfortunately. I guess I'm staying up too late."
"Liar."
Shut up! Make like a real zanpakutou and go to sleep, damn it!
"Well, it's just a good thing you made it on time. The Captain-Commander would not have liked it at all had you been late."
"Thank Syugoryuu. He's the one who woke me up."
"Yeah! Score for the zanpakutou!"
Aren't you supposed to be asleep?
"Maybe…"
Then go to sleep! Why don't you do what I tell you?
"Because until you master Bankai, you're not fully my master."
That's next on my list then. Maybe then I can get you to shut up in my head!
Ukitake-taicho and I continued talking until we reached his office and he went into his office, "I have your badge in here, just give me a second." He came out with Kaien's badge and I tied it around my arm, where most lieutenants keep it. "You can wear it wherever you like, you know, but you can keep it there."
"Okay, I'll keep that in mind."
"I'm surprised that you're not leaving already."
"Leaving? For what?"
"Don't tell me you've forgotten about Toushirou! His summons with the Central 46! It should be over already."
"Oh man, I completely forgot! Thanks, taicho! I'll be back when I can!"
"I think I can hold down the fort while you're gone. Now go on!" He waved me away, and I smiled, running off in the direction of the Central 46's building. The guards there nearly sent me flying when I tried to run into the building, so I confronted them immediately, still out of breath, "What the hell! Are Toushirou Hitsugaya and Kusaka Soujirou still in there! I need to be in there!"
"Their meeting is over. Kusaka Soujirou has been eliminated and Toushirou Hitsugaya was sent back to the dorms."
"K-Kusaka is dead? Why? How did he die?"
"That is classified. Leave. Now. Before we call for the main guards."
"Great, so you're just the small fry. Fine, don't tell me, see if I care," I spun around and headed for the dorms, manned by even more guards. Just. Perfect.
"Is Toushirou Hitsugaya in there?"
"He never returned from the summons. Sorry, fukutaicho."
I stammered when I heard him use that suffix, "O-Okay, thanks." I walked over to the gate and collapsed against the wall next to it. Where the hell is he? I heard the slight ring of a small bell and looked up to see a Hell Butterfly passing by, heading over in the direction to the 11th Squad's Barracks, repeating this same message, "Attention, this is an update in immediate ranks. Mamori Nazeka of the 13th Squad has been promoted to Lieutenant. I repeat:—" It repeated; I sighed, "I sound like a celebrity. Jeez, I really don't like this…"
I regained my breath and pondered where Toushirou could be. Not the dorms, not Central 46… Oh! Maybe he went home! I stood up and ran out the gate and towards Junrin'an. It took me a little while longer than usual to get to the district because I went out the wrong gate, but I managed to get there around lunch time at least… which happened to be about an hour later. I immediately burst through the gate, took off my sandals, and ran into the house. Granny Hitsugaya was sitting on a cushion reading an old book, and I bowed slightly and greeted her, "Hi there. Did Toushirou come back here?"
"Oh, Nazeka. I'm glad you came. Toushirou did come back, but he went out to the backyard and onto the hill. He was extremely angry. Maybe you could do something about it."
"Thanks so much!" I ran out the door, grabbed my sandals and sprinted to the backyard, "Toushirou! Toushirou!" I called out when I saw him sitting, hunched over. He looked up and I could see tears on his cheeks.
"T-Toushirou, what's wrong? What happened?"
"Kusaka… Kusaka's dead! They made us fight; they made us kill each other… I didn't want too but… but he…"
"Slow down Toushirou. I heard about Kusaka's death. I've been looking everywhere for you. I'm sorry that I couldn't see you yesterday or earlier, but some things happened and I was really busy this morning. Now, tell me what happened… slower this time." I sat next to him and put my sandals back on as he spoke.
"Central 46 called us in about our zanpakutou. They said that there couldn't be two of them and I offered to give Hyourinmaru up. I never wanted to be a shinigami in the first place, so I giving up Hyourinmaru wouldn't have been hard; but they still wanted us to fight. They said that we were going to have to fight to the death, and the winner would keep Hyourinmaru. Kusaka was all for it, but I pleaded with them to let me just abandon Hyourinmaru."
"They still wouldn't hear of it, would they?"
"No, so we fought. I was winning, but then the Onmitsukido came and killed Kusaka on orders of Central 46. I can't believe it… They made us fight! They made me kill Kusaka."
"Kusaka's death wasn't your fault. It was Central 46's fault. There's no need to beat yourself up for that."
"But one of my closest friends died! I-I miss him… And I just can't believe that he wanted Hyourinmaru for himself…"
I hugged him and rested his head on my shoulder, "It's okay you know. I know what it feels like to loose someone you care about. And to think that it was merely weeks ago… I promise that it'll be okay in the end." I could feel my sleeve getting wetter and wetter as he kept crying; his body was shaking, so I thought of some way to calm him down.
I sang the lullaby that I remembered from my childhood. It was my last memory of my past life, and I was grateful that I remembered it.
*"If you'll be my star, I'll be your sky.
You can hide underneath me and come out at night
When I turn jet black, and you show off your light,
I live to let you shine, I live to let you shine.
But you can sky rocket away from me
And never come back if you find another galaxy
Far from here, with more room to fly
Just leave me your stardust to remember you by.
If you'll be my boat, I'll be your sea
A depth of pure blue just to probe curiosity
Ebbing and flowing and pushed by a breeze
I live to make you free, I live to make you free
But you can set sail to the west if you want to
And pass the horizon 'til I can't even see you
Far from here where the beaches are wide
Just leave me your wake to remember you by.
If you'll be my star, I'll be your sky
You can hide underneath me and come out at night
When I turn jet black, and you show off your light
I live to let you shine, I live to let you shine
But you can sky rocket away from me
And never come back if you find another galaxy
Far from here, with more room to fly
Just leave me your stardust to remember you by
Stardust to remember you by."
By the time I finished singing, his shuddering had stopped, and he was looking at me sadly. He wiped his eyes and said quietly, "Where'd you hear that song?"
"It was a lullaby that someone used to sing to me when I was little. It's the only thing I remember from when I was alive."
"I'm glad you remembered it," He leaned in closer and whispered, "Nazeka?"
"Hm?" I asked, and I felt his lips touch mine softly before he whispered, "Thank you."
Seireitei
April 2nd, 1957
I ran through the maze of buildings as fast as I could. I was so excited that I could hardly control it. The tenth squad's barracks had to be around here somewhere, but in my rush, I had gotten lost. I went down a few more roads only to come up short again. I looked around, backtracked, and then went down another road. This time, I was right, and the gates to the barracks were around the corner. I burst through and immediately asked the lieutenant there where I could find Toushirou Hitsugaya.
"The new third seat? He's over in the main barracks, where his room is. Down the hall, take a right at the next hallway, and it's the fifth room to the right."
"Thanks Matsumoto-san!" I called out, following her directions. I opened the door and sang, "Congrats, Toushirou!"
He turned around and was immediately glomped by me, struggling to say, "Get off me! That hurts, damn it!"
I let go and ruffled his hair instead, "I can't believe it; you graduate and you're immediately placed as a third seat. But watch, I bet you'll become lieutenant in no time!"
"I don't wanna be a lieutenant! I hate this. I wish I could just go home. I have Hyourinmaru under control, so now I won't hurt Granny. I don't want to be part of a squad."
"I know; but you know, you won't truly have him under control until you master bankai."
"Whatever. I can control my reiatsu enough so it won't leak everywhere."
"True."
He threw his shihakushou in the closet and slammed it shut. I laughed, "I think you're mad at something other than becoming part of a squad. What is it?"
"It's her. I can't believe it! How could they have put me in the same squad as that stupid red-head!"
"Are you talking about Matsumoto-san?"
"Don't even say her name! She's a total pain in the ass and it's her fault that I became a shinigami in the first place!"
"Without her, your grandma could be dead. You should be at least a little grateful to her."
"I don't give a damn! It's her fault that I'm here! In other words, it's her fault that Kusaka's dead!" He kicked the stack of transfer papers and crumpled the floor. I kneeled next to him and tried to smile, "Hey now, don't blame Matsumoto-san. She had both your grandmother's and your best interests when she said that you should go to the Academy. And you're the one who decided to go; she didn't force you."
"He's just still upset about Kusaka that he's pushing the guilt and sadness he feels onto someone else. It's natural."
I didn't do that when Kaien died…
"Yeah, but Kaien's death had nothing to do with you."
True…
He put his head in his hands and groaned, "What am I gonna do?"
"You could just deal with it and learn to be friends with her."
"You seriously think I could do that? You're an idiot."
I narrowed my eyes and smacked him in the head, "Jerk, watch it. That was mean." I stood up and headed for the door. If he was going to call me an idiot, then I was gonna leave. Toushirou immediately jumped up and grabbed my hand, "Wait, Nazeka, I didn't mean that… I'm just so frustrated right now. I-I'm…" He muttered something that I couldn't understand.
"What?"
He sighed, "I'm sorry."
"Well… I need to go anyway. I wish I could do something about your frustration, but I can't. You're just going to have to deal with Matsumoto-san and get over it. Now I really oughta get going."
"Fine… but where are you going?"
"It's a surprise. See ya later!" I ran out the door and left the barracks, waving good-bye to Matsumoto-san and heading for the shopping district in Junrin'an.
"I think it's time for a little change…" I muttered to myself, stepping into one of the shops there.
I left the shop and scratched my head, feeling my hair down to its new length. I had gotten it cut to just below my chin. It was nice having it that short, and it would especially be beneficial in battle. ran a hand through it one last time before heading back into the Seireitei. It would take me awhile to get back to barracks, but I thought about taking especially long since Ukitake-taicho was sick and I would have to do all the paperwork by myself... But since it was bound to happen, I was gonna have to force myself to do it. Yippee...
I meandered around the streets fighting with myself whether or not to go over to the barracks immediately, when I bumped into a familiar face.
"Uh... Mamori-fukutaicho?"
"Hey there Renji. How's it going?" I smiled.
"Nothing much... but you got your hair cut..."
"Yep. Like it?"
"You do know it'll never grow back, right? Since you died before you came here and you don't change at all..."
"Did you seriously think that I would do something like this without thinking about that? Eh, I prefer it short, honestly. Anyway, I need to get going. Ukitake-taicho's sick, so I have to take care of the paperwork. See ya later." I waved good-bye with a simple sway of my hand and used shunpo to get to the barracks faster.
Okay, so I completely ruled out the fact that I could do that earlier... but still... who wants to do paperwork?
I entered the office and immediately picked up the stack of papers at the captain's desk. I carried them over to mine, located in another corner of the room, and sat down, ready to start on the huge stack. So I had let it pile up for a few days... I had made sure that there wasn't anything urgent in them!
I picked up the brush and picked up the first piece of paper when the door opened. I looked up to see Rukia, head bowed in respect.
"Mamori-fukutaicho..."
"Hey, Rukia! New mission?"
"Y-Yeah..."
"Oh, and Rukia?"
"Yes, ma'am?"
I stood up and crossed the room until I was standing right in front of her, eye to eye. I took a deep breath and shouted, "How many times do I have to tell you not to call me 'fukutaicho'? Jeez..." I went back to my desk and quickly went through the papers, scanning them for the title 'mission log'.
"Sorry..."
"You know how much I hate it that you call me that. We're friends, aren't we?"
"Yeah."
"Then call me like you would call a friend. Jeez, no formality involved, okay?"
"Sure..."
"This better be the last time I tell you that."
"Yes, ma'am-"
I raised an eyebrow, and she quickly fixed her sentence, "No problem, Nazeka. I'll remember."
"Thanks. Damn it all, where is that mission log! It should be in this stack!"
"Um, Nazeka, you do know that they stopped giving those out last week and you were supposed to go pick them up at the first squad's barracks, right?"
I froze, "Er... what?"
"They made that announcement last week."
I dropped the papers back onto my desk and felt a vein in my temple pop, "...Damn it all!"
*These are the lyrics to a song called Boats & Birds by Gregory and the Hawk. I do not own these lyrics, and they belong to all those who own the copyright.