Title: Behind Closed Doors
Pairing(s): Renji/OC, Hisagi/OC, other undecided pairings
Genre: Humor, Adventure, Drama, Romance
Rating: M for language and sexual themes. No lemons or serious yaoi.
So, hey all. Glad to see you're looking well…
This was a rather difficult decision for me, as a writer, to come to for the fate of this fiction, which was previously known as When We Stand Together. Now, obviously, I'm not going to up and delete everything that I've done and worked on for that fiction, considering that it took me so damn long, but it is now officially discontinued and will remain as such. However, it doesn't mean that it can't be rewritten. Which, as you can probably tell, I am doing. The potential that this story and the characters engineered have was a little too tempting for me just to put aside and forget, so this is now going to be my new project of 2013-2014. (When I'm not trying to finish up Lisemwalo Lipo, anyway.) But anywho, this is what I'm doing, and I hope you all enjoy my second try at rewriting a fic. (Speaking of which, I want to try and finish Behind the Mask…)
Please review!
-;-
Prologue
There were a great many things that could be done instead of lazing around in the sun on this fine summer day. Work, for example, was always an option, though the means behind which were less than appealing to anyone, really.
The clouds were dusted across the sky like faint replicas of paint spatter; the sunlight filtering through them with ease. The sounds of birds were muted, farther off in the wooded area that surrounded the large clear and grassy hill overlooking Karakura Town.
A woman sighed, nearly purring at the sensation of the sun warming her skin, and rolled over, nearly taking out her companion, another woman.
"The sun feels so nice…" the first woman sighed, looking like she was nothing more than a content housecat as she rolled around in the grass, limbs splayed in every which way and her dark brown hair closely resembling freshly dug earth falling over her face, her crimson bangs striking compared to her dark blue eyes that could just be seen poking out from underneath the mane. A dark red t-shirt matched her hair, while a pair of black denim shorts graced her legs, a pair of black and white converse decorated with lime green laces on her feet.
"I know…" her closest female companion sighed, wriggling happily on her back, stretching her arms out above her head as she did so. "Do we really have to head back and work later? I think we should just stay out here all day."
Her eyes were gold, though her hair was the same shade of earthen brown as the former woman's, and she had a streak of teal running through her bangs. She wore a plain black tank top over a pair of white denim shorts, and pale green flip flops adorned her slender feet.
"The both of you should know by now that we have to go to work in a couple of hours." The third person present- male- muttered, although he too was splayed out in the grass. His long limbs were tucked neatly under him, a pair of grey jeans and a white t-shirt clinging to his lean frame. A pair of gold eyes like one of the women's looked over the town laid out below them, his mottled brown hair falling in a straight sheet down the back of his neck, and he looked soothed at the fact that the sun was beating down on the back of his neck. "Unfortunately."
"Ah well. I've got double tattoos booked for this afternoon anyway." The first woman sighed, blowing her red bangs out of her face. "What about you, Sanura?"
'Sanura' bobbed her head in agreement, blue bangs nodding along with the motion. "Yep! I've got a beauty of a motorcycle coming in this afternoon for maintenance. I might even get to test it out once it's ready to go, too~!"
"So, oh wise and wonderful elder brother of ours, what's on your agenda this afternoon?" the first woman smirked, rolling onto her stomach and folding her arms in order to rest her chin on them. "I've got stuff to do, Sanura's going to go racing while no one's looking, and you…haven't said anything as to what you're up to at work."
The male grimaced. "Unfortunately, I actually have to do work. We're building a new apartment complex a couple miles out."
"In this weather? Ouch, I feel for you, Kizuro." The first woman flinched.
"Hey, I've done worse, Sayomi. Remember the storm a couple years back and we were out and got caught right in the middle of it? I'll be fine."
"Uh huh. We've heard that one before, brother dearest." Sayomi rolled her eyes, rolling back onto her back and closing her eyes. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I would love to get some sleep before my phone alarm goes off and destroys all happiness in my life."
Sanura and Kizuro both lifted brows at their sister as she rolled back over and almost immediately started snoring before turning and looking at one another again. This behavior wasn't exactly unusual, given the company they usually kept, so they weren't even going to bother being concerned. Sayomi wasn't dead; she just had the ability to conk out wherever she happened to be, in pretty much any condition. Hell, she'd even slept through a live concert once when she'd been dragged along by Sanura. She still wasn't entirely sure how her sister had managed to pull that one off, but who was she to question the way her sibling slept? Kizuro made a nest out of sheets and various other materials in his room, so there was another quirk that could be possibly considered as strange. Sanura…well, she was apparently the only 'normal' one when it came to sleeping. Although she did have a habit of falling out of bed, if that counted?
Silence fell over the trio, and the sun continued to move across the sky, leaving the inhabitants of the earth below in contentment.
-;-
Funnily enough, it was also a sunny day in Soul Society. The sun was shining, the sakura blossoms were blooming in full abundance, the birds were chirping…
And all of the Captains of the Gotei 13 were trapped indoors for yet another meeting.
Captain Kyoraku of the Eighth Division stared longingly out one of the many windows, wondering why on earth the Head Captain had called an emergency meeting on such a beautiful summer day. A few places down the line, Captain Ukitake glanced over in amusement, knowing exactly what his long-time friend was thinking and wondering the same thing. Why had the Head Captain called them for an emergency meeting?
The other Captains stood silent, waiting for the grizzled man to begin speaking.
"Captains of the Gotei 13." He finally spoke, his voice a low rumble. "I have called you together for an emergency meeting to discuss something of great importance to our future. As some of you may remember, many years ago during the Quincy extermination, a small group of Shinigami deserted and joined forces with the Quincy."
Kyoraku flicked his gaze lazily over to the Head Captain, as did the other senior Captains. He could recall quite easily what group the Head Captain spoke of. However, Byakuya, one of the junior Captains, raised a brow questioningly.
"I fail to see how this is relevant to why you have called us here, Head Captain. Unless these Shinigami have suddenly decided to attack Soul Society?"
The grizzled elder man sent the young Captain a sharp look and ignored the noble's comment, earning an amused smirk from Shinji Hirako, the newly reinstated Captain of the Fifth Division.
"As I was saying." Yamamoto growled out, "The group of Shinigami that had deserted were later apprehended and sentenced to permanent exile for their actions. They were then cast into the World of the Living to carry out their sentence."
A few people were nodding, having heard these things from other sources, but otherwise, there was nothing else said. There was a heavy silence; everyone was waiting to see what would be said next.
"Now, however, I have ended the exile of these ten former Shinigami to have them return to Soul Society because of something that is sending Soul Society into an emergency state as of now. Lieutenant Sasakibe."
"Hai, Captain. Two nights ago, Head Captain Yamamoto and I received reports stating that an Arrancar was seen in the Rukon Districts."
Captain Kurotsuchi snorted lightly, raising a painted brow. "Is this what you've called us together for? A single, lowly Arrancar?" the scientist asked delicately.
"Not just an Arrancar, Captain Kurotsuchi." Yamamoto corrected. "One of Aizen's original Espada from his personal army."