"Your cuts are deep, Lieutenant Hinamori. This may or may not hurt, it depends on you entirely."
Uncertainty.
Before the young girl could say anything – or even question – Unohana Retsu, Captain of the fourth division, started her treatment. At first she didn't know if she should be screaming in pain or not. Then pain grew inside her chest as a balloon blown by a child in one breath would.
Her throat emitted no sound because it was too dry. It was the result of tears being shed constantly with no signs of stopping. When something did make its way out, Hinamori had a fit of coughs. Every time she coughed, the girl felt as though her lung would burst.
Soft.
She felt soft but skilled hands rubbing her shoulders. Her ache was instantly gone and she took a deep breath. Her insides felt cooler and she relaxed somewhat.
"Please relax a bit more. It will help the wound."
Hinamori looked up at the smiling face of the captain who stood at her side. Every time she thought of the woman, the word 'soft' came to mind. A healer needed to be soft…they used their hands a lot…but one needed to have more than one skill to become a captain, right? She averted her gaze back to the ground.
"Lieutenant Hinamori. I will take my leave now and do not fret, I will have someone come and take a look at you and…"
The older woman's pause made her look up,
"Please try not to think too much this time." Unohana grinned and a swish of her robe later, she was gone.
Emotions.
Without the Captain to distract her, Hinamori started to lose control of her emotions. Memories of her Captain came rushing back. The good and bad. She brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Swirls of images ran through her mind and she then brought both hands to the side of her head. She shut her eyes tightly.
Happiness. Admiration. Courage. Pride. Honour. Grief. Betrayal. Shock. Fear. Anger.
How…how could he do this? How could he have done this to himself? How could he have done this to her? She looked up to him and yet…was she lacking in an area? Was it her fault that he left? What did Gin tell him about her?
It must have been…why else would he fake his own death? It was all because of her…all because of her…she wasn't strong enough…she was weak. That was why he attacked Shiro-chan…it was because he associated with someone like her and Kira-kun too…all her fault…
Tears.
The liquid she thought was spent came pouring down her cheeks like rain wanting to reach the Earth. The room began to spin slowly and she tried to stand up. Images ran around the semi-dark room and then it all turned black.
Rare.
Visits to the second division made by Unohana Retsu of the fourth division were rare. But when the occasional time did come by, Soi Fong kept her ears alert because the other woman spoke in riddles from time to time.
"Why do you think I would do something like that?"
Soi Fong asked Unohana, hands crossed against her chest. Looking across the desk at the other, Soi Fong concluded she wasn't there for a check-up.
"Soi Fong captain, I believe you would suit the job well. Do these young shinigami not remind you of someone?"
A knowing grin was spread across Unohana's face. Soi Fond stood up from her cushion and walked over to her bookshelf.
Small.
Her office wasn't something she used too often thus the small size. She didn't use the furniture as much as the others. Instead of having a grand desk, she had a low one with cushions as chairs. They weren't just ordinary and stiff ones but large and fluffy. All three of them - two were on one side and one on the other - came in dark blue and black in colour. The only other noticeable thing in there was the tall bookshelf and a picture of her family on the walls.
The office did belong to her previous captain and Soi Fong kept the design.
The determined captain of the second division fingered a thick but small white book that lay underneath a heap of scrolls. When she looked back to Unohana, she found her head tipped back to drink from the tea cup. Her eyes were closed and she showed no indication of knowing about Yoruichi. But Soi Fong knew better.
"I'll think about it."
"That's all I ask." Unohana looked over to her, "I believe we have a meeting to attend to."
Memory.
A memory passed through Hitsugaya Toushiro's mind as he observed Hinamori. He ran a hand through his silver hair; he found her on the floor when he came to visit and had picked her up, placing her on the bed.
'Call out to her. She needs to hear the voice of the one that needs her.'
Unohana had told him. But it couldn't be done because…he had let her down. The tenth division Captain told her the day they first met he would protect her.
Hinamori was a naïve child, always thinking everything had a good side. She thought every bad thing out there had its reasons for doing what they did. It was true to an extent but she went too far with that reasoning. To sum it up, Hinamori could be an idiot. It showed when they had met up with a band of bandits when picking berries for their adopted mother.
That was the day he realized he housed spiritual energy.
But Hitsugaya failed to stand by his oath and she was jeopardized. He didn't know if he could exchange words with her anymore. All which could be done now was watch from afar…
Taking one last look at her sleeping and fatigued form, the silver haired boy walked out of the fourth division quarters; there was a meeting to attend.
Boring.
Paperwork was losing its hold on Hisagi Shuuhei. Back to when Tousen was around, he had made the dreaded task interesting. But that was the past and now was the present. The Captain had betrayed him as well as the other two Lieutenants. The Lieutenant leaned back in his wooden chair and placed his hands on the top of his head.
Formality.
Hisagi sighed and stood up to walk across the vast space separating the four walls. Out of respect for his captain, Hisagi made it so the office held the minimum amount of furniture. A desk, rug and a couch were the only items one would find when they walked into the ninth division's vice-captain's office.
The male walked to the sliding door dividing his office from his superior. Hisagi always referred to him as Tousen-sama because 'Captain' didn't seem to display all the respect Tousen was thought to deserve. Now Hisagi pondered if his former captain deserved this respect.
Forbidden.
His fingertips brushed against the paper door. The Captain had told him, when Hisagi joined the division, that he was free to do what he liked. Except enter his office.
Never with his time in the division did Hisagi see anyone enter the office. Instantly, he withdrew his hand to his side and walked out the door. He needed some clarification on matters with the fifth division's Lieutenant.