"Here,"
Hitsugaya took my obi thinking that I was ready for it when I most certainly was not. He began loosening the knot as I looked away blushing and clenching the yukata his Fukutaichou had given me to sleep in. I stared at the window he'd cloaked with the sheer white curtain trying to keep it together. I knew he wasn't going to do anything more than that since I'd already known he was the Prince Charming type, but that didn't stop me from wanting him to keep undressing me further.
Just saying that was weird in itself. Sex had been the thing I'd had to do for half a decade, but there hasn't been a single time where it was something that I even wanted to do. It was all fake, and devoid of any type of pleasurable feeling for me. But for some reason any type of touch from Hitsugaya specifically had me quivering something fierce; I just didn't understand why.
He took off the obi entirely, and folded it so it was easier to hold before stepping back—I put my hand over my stomach to make sure the fabric wouldn't reveal anything.
"There," he said upon completion. "I'll let you change and be back with some clean sheets for you."
I wanted to tell him otherwise, but favored my better judgement. "Thanks," I forced myself to say.
He turned and left the room, and I began to change into the borrowed sleeping attire. It was a simple white yukata with burgundy silhouetted flowers decorated throughout it; a thick burgundy haori to match and provided as well to chase off the winter's cold. His Fukutaichou must've had a huge rack; the front of the attire on my slightly-above-average chest looked ridiculous. I fixed it to the point where it didn't look too revealing—a difficult feat mind you—then tied the obi loosely yet snug enough to provide the support needed for concealment before putting the soft haori on. It had been snowing here earlier in the day according to his Fukutaichou, and so the night was cold to match.
Now that I changed, I reached into my old outfit to take out the one thing I was allowed to bring to the Seireitei. Urahara had given it to me as a token, but Hitsugaya really only allowed it since it was possible evidence. I looked at the small dull key in silence; internally baffled at the fact that one little key controlled so much. I looked at the tag attached to it, reading my name before flipping it over to view the foreign language written on it. I hadn't the slightest clue what language it was, but I couldn't help but feel like it was written for a reason. Then again, with all the other confusing oddities; I wouldn't be surprised if it was something completely meaningless. I set it down on the dresser, and looked up at myself in the dresser mirror.
My hair was held together by a wooden comb in that style I'd only wore when I was by myself. The picture on my record showed a different hair accessory, but this one was literally 10 times better. The comb itself was unique, and I immediately thanked Kami that my prior self had the same sense of style that I currently had. I took out the comb to properly inspect it; seeing that it was moreover a hair fork rather than a comb due to the fact that it only had two prongs. It was a dark wood; a rectangular frame for the top visible design with two slender pieces of the wood running horizontally in an evened space through the empty vertical rectangle. It was edgy yet regal at the same time, and I absolutely loved it.
He knocked on the door, so I quit fiddling with my hair and went to open it for him since I figured his hands might've been full. He nodded thanks as he walked past me and to the mattress against the wall in the middle of the room.
"The sheets on the bed are already clean, but I haven't had anyone actually use this bed before so they might be a bit dusty. Aside from that, the sheets are meant for summer weather rather than winter. If I'd have known ahead of time, I would've arranged for better accommodations," He set the sheets on the desk facing the window, and began to peel the bed of its sheets as he talked. I went to the other side of the bed and helped with the covers.
"You don't have to apologize—it's fine. I can do this so that you can relax; I know that the past week must have you tired." I offered.
"It isn't any trouble; it would be rather rude of me not to assist."
"Well aren't you a formal host," I teased as I took the blanket from him to fold it. "Whatever would I have done if you hadn't been willing to help me with this miniscule task."
He took the new sheet and whipped it open before letting it float down over the mattress. "Stayed up later doing it yourself," he answered the obvious in his own form of sarcasm.
"True, but it doesn't really matter since I'm probably not going to be able to sleep anyway." I admitted.
With everything that's happened this past week, I haven't gotten any good sleep that I've actually gained anything from. It's either been a half-asleep paranoid-rest, or a knocked out-cold and practically in a coma situation. Don't get me wrong, I was exhausted, but given the situation, sleep didn't seem like it was going to happen.
He lifted the mattress to tuck in the new sheet before smoothing out the top of it. "You never know until you try,"
I let out a short chuckle. "There's that optimism of yours,"
"Here to battle that heavy pessimism of yours when the opportunity arises," he countered.
Once the sheets and pillow cases were finished, I sat down at the edge and looked up at him as he set the old sheets on the desk. "Tomorrow morning we'll meet with the Soutaichou and Abarai-Taichou to come up with a plan to handle this entire situation. Abarai-Taichou is the current Taichou of Squad 13, and will most likely take you back into her squad when everything is settled. She needs to be aware of the situation before we can continue to move forward. With any luck, hopefully we can get you back on track at a normal life rather than dealing with this situation longer than necessary—you're going to have to be patient with us for a short while."
"Don't worry about that; the fact that you guys are helping me is enough—the fact that you have helped me this much is enough. I'll do whatever you guys want—you know I don't like to owe things to anyone." My hand covered my mouth to yawn after I finished speaking, and I gently rubbed the corner of my eye to rid myself of the tear the yawn produced.
"You don't owe me—or anyone for that matter—anything; we've been over this."
"Yeah well tough luck. Trust me, one day when you have something you really don't want to do, you're gonna need someone to cover for ya. And when that day comes, this poor schmuck will be there—count on it." I pointed at myself with a quick wink and a playful half-smile.
"Whatever you say," he pushed himself off the desk he leaned against, and took the old shihakushou before he made his way to the door. "I'll wake you up when your new shihakushou arrives in the morning. If you need anything, or can't sleep; let me know."
"You got it." I leaned back and propped myself on my elbows. "Goodnight, Romeo," I saluted.
He stopped mid-step at the door, and turned back to look at me. "You keep calling me that, but what exactly does it mean?"
I laughed aloud. "You're serious? Shakespeare? The story of Romeo and Juliet? Really?"
"Really." He leaned against the doorframe, waiting for me to continue.
"Fine, fine; I'll tell you. So Romeo and Juliet was a play written ages ago by some guy named Shakespeare, and it's still referenced in today's day and age. Basically, two families hated each other with a passion, but the two children from each of the head families had a thing for each other. So basically, Romeo would sneak out to see her at night and was all obsessive and romantic about it, and so they decided to elope in secrecy one night. They get hitched, but before they runaway, Romeo leaves to go do something, and in the meantime Juliet is put in a position where she has to fake her own death before he gets back—or something along those lines. So, she gets some lovely serum from the local apothecary that makes herself appear completely dead, and so the town has a funeral for her because they actually believe it. So, some trusted fellow wad supposed to tell Romeo what happened and to not freak out, but failed in delivering the message. Romeo sees her, indeed freaks out, and ends up killing himself because he 'can't bear to live a life without her,'" I air-quoted. "So then, once he dies, Juliet wakes up from her self-induced coma situation and sees her man's dead. In a quite typical overdramatic fashion, she also freaks out and kills herself because she also 'can't bear to be without him.' I probably missed some important chunks of information, but all in all, it's a pretty ridiculous story. Even so, everyone and their mother thinks the story is the most romantic thing in existence." I paused to take a breath.
"Typically, people refer to it when something romantic happens; labor of love and giving up everything for someone you love, and all that fairytale bullshit. Personally, I don't agree with the story one bit. No one cares about each other so much that they can't do without them; also, killing yourself because you can't take it? Please; I'm gonna need you to get over it and move on with your life—thanks." I scoffed.
Hitsugaya chuckled—actually chuckled—and I looked up at him with an unwanted blush on my face. "What?" I shot at him.
"They way you told me that story completely mirrored your straight-forward personality; no sugar-coating, just blunt honesty with sarcasm intricately weaved throughout." He had a small smile on his lips, making a proud smirk emerge on my own amidst my blush as he continued. "So then, you believe that it's impossible to care about someone so much to where you couldn't live without them?"
"Yup; that's right."
"Hmm, and giving up everything for someone else is out of the question as well?"
Thoughts of Miyuki popped into my head without my consent. Remembering how I felt toward her, how I felt when she died...because I couldn't—
"Love is for the weak; I don't have time to let such an easily persuasive emotion dominate my actions." I crossed my arms.
While I currently struggled against the said emotion, and was close to just delving right into it and letting it consume every last bit of me—it didn't make my statement any less true. What good did letting love in ever do for me? It sure as Hell didn't save Miyuki; fuck, she tried to leave me in the end. The stupid emotion made me throw no caution to the wind to go save her—even through her betrayal—only to get sliced up like a fucking lab experiment later. And guess what else? Even this very day I still choose to not let her betrayal dim my overall perspective of her. I still choose to let the warm feelings outweigh the bad. And for what? Look at me now—a twisted, border-line mentally insane female. Thanks but no thanks; I didn't need that any more of that.
"I see," he broke my train of thought. "So you're referring to me as Romeo because all this is considered romantic to you?"
Well fuck. When it's put that way—shit. Leave it to this bozo to cause the emotion I was trying to push away to come back and smother me.
"Well when I first met you, I thought all you were trying to do was 'woo' me; you gotta remember I haven't had a male ever treat me like anything other than trash. I thought you were trying to pull the whole: 'let's run away together—I'll save you,' card. You've been kind to me, so I associated it under the romance category. I didn't know about any of this Shinigami business—do you blame me?" I shrugged.
"I suppose it could've come off that way—my apologies."
"It's more of my dry humor that makes me say it more than anything else—no need to be sorry." I waved it off. "However, I can't promise that I'm going to cease calling you that—the fact that you didn't know only makes it funnier."
"Hmm, if you say so," he stood back upright, and turned to the door; I stared at his back in confusion.
I thought I was pretty convincing—wasn't I? Where was the rebuttal? He moved so abruptly—did he take offense over something so miniscule?
He took the shouji handle and looked at me as he shut it. "Goodnight, Kiteyama,"
"N-Night!" I tried to sound out smoothly; only embarrassing myself further.
I waited until I didn't hear his footsteps anymore before I let out a sigh at my own awkward behavior. What was that all about? Was he mad at me or something? Did I say something wrong? Great. One more thing to keep me up for the rest of the night.
"And the award for the biggest walking contradicting asshole goes to…"
-x-x-
This place was quite the site to see, let me tell you. It was so much different than the modern world I was used to, but that didn't make it bad or anything; I just would have to adapt to the old-fashioned way they all lived. I hadn't seen very much of the Seireitei since we went straight to Hitsugaya's residence when we walked out of the sci-fi shouji door portal thing last night. His home was as I thought it'd be; old-fashioned and simplistic, yet comfortable enough for easy living. Just based on his living room and spare room I stayed in, my prediction that Hitsugaya was the cleanly, uncluttered type was correct. It was nice above all, and I actually envied his home more than I did my own apartment back in the World of the Living. I kept up my old apartment, but I hardly had any belongings to set a particular style to it. Since my home was used by the organization for other purposes, it made no sense to make it homey and comfortable. I'd settled on the basic necessities and that was it; it didn't matter what color or style things were, as long as the efficiency was met.
It was hard for me to leave last night honestly; Hitsugaya said I couldn't bring any of my belongings—which included my corset and cigarettes by the way—and I am so on edge now that it hurts. I had to tough it out last night in front of him and play it cool, but now that the night had gone by I was too close to losing it. But it wasn't like I could tell him that; we had to go straight to the 'Taichou's Chamber' or whatever the fuck and I'd have to wait to get any form of tobacco to steel myself. Please Kami, I need a solid; please let them have cigarettes. I don't care if I have to smoke it like fucking Gandalf—nicotine enriched tobacco is all I ask for.
Upon exiting the residential part of the barracks, I was reminded that Hitsugaya happened to be a Taichou. The lower-rankers all welcomed us and politely bowed as we passed; some asking if they could be of any assistance to which Hitsugaya declined. I'd tossed sarcasm back and forth at him so often that I'd forgotten about rank, and considered him somewhat equal. But Hell, although all these lower-rankers practically worshipped the ground he walked on, I was still going to treat him the same way regardless if it was inappropriate or not.
We walked down the street and walked by lots of buildings that ranged in sizes but all similarly built. Each of them had the same kanji symbol for the number 10 painted on them at least once, and I figured that the rest of the Seireitei must have similar buildings if they had to be marked like this. I took in the scenery like a tourist as Hitsugaya kept a good pace in front of me; he had to slow down a few times since I'd stray from time to time—walking around with a zanpakutou on my back felt weird and caused me to stumble often. I'm sure that with a day or two I'll be used to walking around with it, but at the moment I felt like I needed a yellow sign above me warning that a 'wide-load' was coming through. I accidently chortled aloud from my own internal childish thoughts, making Hitsugaya turn to cock a brow at me.
"What's so funny?" he prompted.
"Nothing; I just thought of something obnoxious." I stifled myself.
As he was about to make his unconvinced reply, a woman with strawberry-blonde hair caught us both off guard.
"Taichou!" She called as she approached.
"Matsumoto," he responded.
She caught her breath for a moment before continuing. "Sorry, I didn't know you were going to come back last night; I would've stayed longer but I promised I'd help out over at Squad 11. You could've picked a better time than late at night to come back," she paused to huff—Hitsugaya looked unconvinced. "I'm glad the two of you arrived safely," she looked over at me. "You're Kiteyama Akinoyo, right? I'm Matsumoto Rangiku, but feel free to just call me Rangiku; nice to meet you! I hope the yukata fit all right?" She outstretched a hand.
I took it and shook with a nod. "Nice to meet ya; feel free to call me either of the names. Yes, it fit fine; thanks for letting me borrow it." I graced the woman with a small smile.
She smiled back as we let go, and nodded with her reply. "It's a pleasure! I hope my Taichou hasn't been too much trouble," she elbowed him with a giggle before covering his view of her mouth with her hand, "he can be a bit of a stick in the mud!" she whispered.
I couldn't help the smirk or the snicker; she seemed like the joking-type, which was way better than her being completely fake as her appearance's stereotype would normally imply.
"Matsumoto," He growled.
"Nah; he hasn't been too much trouble…yet. I'll let you know as soon as he is though," I winked at her.
"Sounds good!" she grinned while Hitsugaya shook his head. "If ya ever need anything other than that, don't hesitate to let me know!" she winked back.
"Ditto."
She turned, and we all continued forward in unison. As Hitsugaya filled her in on the situation, I took in the features of the woman he deemed worthy enough of being his Fukutaichou. She was a little taller than I was, and with proper curves that matched the height. Her rack was literally the hugest one I'd seen by far, and it seemed to suit her in general whether they were real or not. Her glistening orange-tinged hair was layered and mid-shoulder in length; flowing in soft waves that looked like fairly easy maintenance—I couldn't say I wasn't jealous; my own hair was a pain in the ass most of the time. She wore a pink shawl over her shoulders that looked like it looped comfortably through her outfit, and the obi she wore was different from Hitsugaya and I's; it was thicker and tied in a fashionable front bow around almost her entire torso. All in all this woman was a 10/10 on my scales, and I wondered just what she was really like underneath that beauty of hers.
We arrived at our destination building, and proceeded inside and through the corridors until we reached a particular room.
"This is my office," Hitsugaya announced.
I entered before him and Rangiku since he held the door open for me, and I looked around to take in the simplistic décor as the two of them followed in after me.
"After I get a few things straightened here, we'll head over to the meeting." Hitsugaya explained.
"Got it, got it. Take your time; it isn't like I have any other appointments." I sat on the couch. "However, the one thing I am concerned about getting done today however, is getting some tobacco. I am literally dying more than I'm already apparently dead. Do either of you know of a place where I can buy some? I obviously don't have any money right now, but if I don't die a second death with this whole ordeal, then I promise to pay back double when I start making money." I offered with a shrug.
Hitsugaya looked over at Rangiku who settled next to me on the couch in a comfortable sprawled formation. "I know where to buy some; if you can hold off until a little later this morning I can get you some." She offered.
I turned my whole body to her and leaned forward with unnecessary yet necessary eye contact. "I'll be eternally in your debt." I pursed my lips—she laughed.
"You're too funny! Don't worry about it; just pay me later." She winked—I nodded enthusiastically. "I'll get you some basic necessities while I'm at it; is there anything else you need specifically?"
Well, since she was offering.
"Just a few things actually—if you wouldn't mind. Let me write it down for you just so that it's easier for you. Hitsugaya, do you have a pen and paper I could use?" I got up and walked toward him.
"Sure," He took out the paper and pen for me from his top drawer, and I went back to the small table by the couch to write it all down so he wouldn't see me.
Rangiku began shooting questions at me as I scribbled away, and in the meantime I could hear Hitsugaya fumbling some paperwork on his desk. I heard him open a drawer before hearing his chair subtly creak as he leaned back into it.
"What's the deal with all this paperwork, Matsumoto?" he interrupted before I could even answer her.
I quickly folded the paper and gave it to Rangiku as she answered. "I was able to get some of the paperwork done, but it's been a hard few weeks without you Taichou; a lot of it appeared out of nowhere and I couldn't just do it all on my own."
She sounded out her sentences in a whine, and so I looked to Hitsugaya to see if he would have the reaction I pictured. Yup. He didn't believe her one bit—I wondered just how he acted with her on a daily basis.
"Really?"
"Really." She affirmed.
"So tell me—how much have you been drinking since I've been gone?"
Damn. This is getting interesting.
Rangiku sat back up and turned to face him with a forced appalled expression that made me have to hold back a laugh.
"That's so mean, Taichou! I've been really good lately! I haven't had a single drop during work hours since before you left!"
"Not a single drop?" Hitsugaya reached down into what I assumed was an open drawer. "Then where did this come from?" He set a huge ceramic jug of what I assumed was liquor onto his desk.
Damn, shots fired. Where the Hell was my popcorn?
"That's where I left it? Geez, no wonder I couldn't find it!"
"Matsumoto,"
She stiffened at the way he said her name and I couldn't hold back the chuckle dwelling in my throat any longer.
"Well, I've got some things to tend to; our Akinoyo-chan needs provisions you know? I'll be back after your meeting! Have fun you two!" The woman vanished so quick you'd think something was on fire.
Trying to hold back my laughter any longer was useless; I gave in entirely while Hitsugaya sighed loudly. I'd only known her for a few minutes, but already she seemed like she'd be a laugh to be around. She's a drinker too—what luck. The thought of possible drinks later sounded amazing.
Once I collected myself, I approached his desk to inspect the jug that caused the outburst. "So, I take it this is a usual occurrence?" I smirked as I picked it up.
"Unfortunately." He stood up and looked at me.
"Well, she seems like she'd be fun to have around; I'm sure that even though paperwork clearly isn't her strong-suit, she must deliver with everything else she does." I set the heavier-than-I-expected jug back down on the desk.
"For everything that doesn't involve basic office and day-to-day work, yes—I couldn't ask for a better Fukutaichou. But I'm not going to lie and say that her alcoholism doesn't annoy me."
I chuckled. "No way; I couldn't tell at all." I smirked.
Ignoring my comment; he refrained from an eye roll as he made his way over to the front door. I followed suit, and exited down the hallway with him.
-x-x-
"Well, that certainly poses a problem," the eye-patched Soutaichou assessed.
The five of us stood there quietly as the three I'd just met processed all the information. They all seemed nice enough, but something about the room we were in made me feel really uncomfortable. They weren't scolding me or anything, yet I felt like I was in detention or something with the given atmosphere. All four of them seemed like they'd been to Hell and back, and seen some pretty intense shit in their day. It was because of that aura I felt completely out of place.
I felt like Hitsugaya—even though he was one of them—could sense how uncomfortable I was under my forced façade; I felt like he was trying to treat the situation as delicately as possible in front of me. Then again though, what the Hell was the point? I'd seen some shit myself; at this point did it really matter if I were treated delicately?
"I want to think about this before we jump in to make a move. If those other women he abducted are still alive and in that underground base, we're going to have to proceed cautiously. I also want the results from the Bureau of Research and Development as well to see if there's anything they've uncovered. For now, I'll have the Stealth Force monitor the base and report back to me with any movement." The Soutaichou looked at me, and cracked a small smile as he handed his Fukutaichou the key from my bracelet; I stifled the flinch I wanted to give as he continued. "For now, Kiteyama-san is to be safe-guarded and is off-duty until further notice. Kiteyama-san, please utilize this time to better familiarize yourself with how the Seireitei operates; I wouldn't want you to be thrown back in without understanding anything that's going on."
The way he said it seemed almost warm—this guy was really the leader of everyone?
"I'll look into your files with Abarai-Taichou for any and all information; we more than likely froze your assets on the chance of your return. For the time being, go ahead and use Squad 10's funding to cover her expenses, Hitsugaya-Taichou." Ise-Fukutaichou paused and looked back to me. "We more than likely gathered all of your belongings as well and kept them in Squad 13's storage; perhaps amongst your belongings there might be something to help jog your memory."
"Kiteyama-san, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to speak to Hitsugaya-Taichou for a moment—would you mind waiting outside the door?" The Soutaichou asked.
What did he want to ask Hitsugaya that I couldn't be present for? Did he not believe what we told him? I'd been silent almost the entire time aside from aiding Hitsugaya in the initial explanation—maybe the calm façade I tried to pull off caused him to become unconvinced somehow?
"Sure, no problem. Thanks for all the help and patience; if there's a way I can repay you all, please let me know," I bowed formally.
"You needn't worry about that Kiteyama-san; all of us just want to get a hold of this situation to make everything right again—no payment required." Abarai-Taichou smiled. She seemed nice, yet firm at the same time—maybe I might just get along with my future Taichou.
"Thank you for trusting in us, Kiteyama-san; we'll make sure to get to the bottom of this, and to do our best for you." The Soutaichou smiled. In his smile, I caught the impression that not only was this guy powerful—he was a lady's man. I sucked back delving into that thought further.
I nodded before bowing again, then exited the room promptly. I shut the huge double doors behind me, and slithered a few steps down the wall so that it wouldn't look like I was eavesdropping.
As several minutes rolled by, question upon question raced in my head about what they were talking about; resulting in my anxiety bubbling up. They had to believe what was going on—there's photographic evidence that I used to be a Shinigami. Hell, I even came out of that gigai with battle-torn clothing and a zanpakutou. Wasn't that a signifier?
Maybe they weren't questioning whether the situation was real or not. Would it be possible…that they suspect me as the intel? I shook my head at the thought. They couldn't be thinking that…Hitsugaya would stick up for me if they did—right?
A sound broke me out of my anxious trance. I looked down both ends of the hallway and didn't see anyone. It sounded like someone's vocal chords in action; there couldn't be anything in this building that would be able to make a human-like sound unless there was more sci-fi creatures I didn't know about.
It started up again—humming? It was definitely humming—there's no way that it could be anything else. Which way was it coming from though? It wasn't like there was an upper level. I listened; quieting my own breathing to zero in on the sound—it was coming from my left.
I turned to look; waiting to see the person appear. Maybe it was boredom, but having anything distract me out of my panicked thought-process was probably for the best. I counted the seconds for the person to appear, and when I finally hit the 30 mark I'd just about had it. It wasn't like I'd be going far—it was just to the end of the hallway and back. They wouldn't even know I was gone. The humming became louder with each step I took—I was definitely going the right way. It sounded familiar, as if I'd heard the rhythm somewhere before.
"Kiteyama," Hitsugaya stopped me and in turn the humming with his call.
I'd made it halfway down the hallway and turned back around to face him. "Are we going this way, or that way?" I asked in hopes of completing my trek to the already ceased noise. Hell, just seeing the person would satisfy me.
He pointed behind him, and I scowled in defeat. I walked back over to him, and fell into his flank as we walked.
"What were you doing?" he asked.
"I heard a noise and wanted to go check it out. You guys were taking forever in there." I answered, throwing my hands up and resting them behind my head in the most unfeminine fashion.
"I see," he answered.
There was silence for a few paces, and I finally gave into my curiosity. "So, everything okay?"
"Yes." He answered. "Why do you ask?"
"It seemed like they wanted to talk to you about something serious; I hope it wasn't anything I did."
"What makes you think that?"
"I tend to think about everything within the realm of possibility, so maybe it could've been something I did. If it was; sorry I guess." I shrugged.
"It isn't anything like that, Kiteyama—you haven't done anything wrong. Don't be so hasty to jump to conclusions." He opened the door for me, and thr brisk air hit us as we emerged outside.
"Yeah, yeah, well it can't be helped. Deal with it." I looked up into the cloudy sky as Hitsugaya took his spot next to me. He should've known better—really. "Well, whatever it was, I hope whatever it is that couldn't be said in front of me is okay."
"Curiosity seems to have a good hold on you today, doesn't it?"
"And here I thought you couldn't tell." I shook my head.
"Hmm, to tell you, or to leave you guessing?"
"Don't tease me if you can't please me." I turned to scowl at him.
He smirked at my action he caught through his periphery. "They offered me the option of passing over my involvement in this case fully to Abarai-Taichou."
His statement mentally halted me. I put my arms back down and looked at him in seriousness as we walked.
"Taichou!"
My eyes flickered in front of us to see Rangiku in the distance; closing in on the two of us as she waved.
"I declined the offer."
I turned back to look at him; he looked right back at me.
"It makes more sense for me to safeguard you than anyone else; aside from that, a promise is a promise."
Rangiku was closing in. It was only a matter of seconds before she was in earshot. A blush rose on my face at his words; the soft gaze he had on me crumbling any and all resolve to resist the feelings beginning to surface.
"Isn't that right, Juliet?"