Brooklyn sighed as she walked through the Seireitei; it was so beautiful. She had missed it. She found herself near the squad 13 barracks, next to a pond. She peered down into the water; there were koi fish swimming around.
Across the pond, a white-haired man was feeding the koi. She looked around, spotting a dispenser nearby. She grinned, retrieved a handful of fish food, and started tossing pieces into the water. As she fed the fish, she looked back at the man.
She couldn't see him in detail, because of the distance, but she could see that he was tall and thin. He was rather young, too—not extremely young, but unusually young for having such snow-white hair. Then again, Shiro had been born with hair that shade, so perhaps it wasn't as peculiar as it seemed. It was certainly uncommon, though, and piqued her curiosity.
She gasped as a sharp pain shot through her head. Her hands flew to her head, sending the remainder of the fish food flying into the pond. She fell to her knees, clutching her head and squeezing her eyes shut. It felt like her head was being split open, like knives being plunged through her skull. The darkness offered some relief-it was minimal, but she would take what she could get.
"Are you ok?"
She looked up, squinting her eyes open just enough to see who was talking to her; it was the white-haired man. She nodded weakly, despite knowing that her lie was completely transparent.
"Let's get you to the fourth division. They'll fix you up."
He gently scooped her into his arms and shunpoed in the direction of Fourth Division. She whimpered softly, burying her face into his chest. There was something comforting about this man—something beyond the comfort of receiving help, of not being alone. He was warm, and gentle. His very essence, his aura, radiated kindness and caring. She didn't even know who this man was—she didn't even know his name!—but she felt perfectly safe in his arms.
"Captain Ukitake—! What happened?" a feminine voice asked. She heard the click of a door closing.
Captain? She hadn't seen that one coming. At least she knew his name now—well, his last name. It was a start.
"I saw her collapse. She was clutching her head."
"Who is she? I've never seen her before."
"I don't—" he stopped mid-sentence when Brook tugged on his shirt.
"Brook," she whispered. "I'm… Brooklyn Atchison."
"Brooklyn Atchison," he repeated.
"Ok, well, let's bring her in here."
She felt herself being lowered down onto a bed. A soft whimper escaped her lips at the sudden loss of warmth. She felt a soft hand on her forehead.
"Don't worry, Brooklyn," the girl said. "You're in good hands."
"Brookie—! Oh, Brookie, I thought it was you!" a familiar voice exclaimed—Capri. "I saw you get carried in here and I was so worried!"
Brooklyn peeked through her lashes at her little sister, standing by the bed. Her bubblegum pink hair was pulled into a side pony; the bangs were straightened, framing her face, while the rest of her hair remained in loose curls. Her candy-apple green eyes were bright and lively, as always, but worried.
"I'm fine," she whispered.
"Is it your head?" Capri asked, taking Brook's hand. She turned to the nurse to explain. "She suffers from migraines. It runs in our family—oh, I'm her sister—but hers are the worst. She just needs some painkillers and a nap."
"Ah, that's so good to know! I'll get those right to you," the nurse smiled and hurried out of the room.
"So, who's your knight in shining armor, Brookie?" Capri asked, looking at the captain with a grin.
"I'm Jushiro Ukitake, captain of the 13th Division."
"Capri Atchison. Thank you for taking care of my sister. She's always taking care of everyone else, so it's nice to see her get the same treatment."
"It was my pleasure," he said, smiling softly. He sounded sincere.
"All right, Brooklyn, here you go," the nurse walked back in with pills and a glass of water. She helped Brook take the pills and smiled. "You'll be better in no time. Get some rest."
She left the room.
"Brookie, I've gotta go meet Avalon—we're doing some final practicing before our exams tomorrow. I'll be back in a few hours," Capri kissed Brook's cheek and turned to leave. "Have a nice nap!"
"Omigosh—Rangiku!"
"Huh? Ah—Jaedelyn! Hey!"
Jaedelyn threw her arms around her childhood friend, squealing excitedly.
"What are you doing hanging around Third Division?" Rangiku asked.
"Oh, I'm just waiting for Gin. What about you?"
"Kidnapping Izuru—Gin's lieutenant," she grinned.
Jaedelyn laughed.
"What for?" she asked.
"I need someone to go drinking with me and Hayden. My usual drinking buddies are out on missions, and Izuru doesn't really do much, so I figured he'd be the most likely to be free. I've dragged him along a few times. He's not very social, but he's not bad company."
"I see," Jaedelyn laughed again. "So you met up with Hayden today?"
"Yep! Hunter was in the 10th Division office looking for Toshiro—I'm his lieutenant—and Hayden wandered in pretty soon after. I didn't even realize who they were at first! Oh, hey, looks like Gin's coming out—"
Gin walked out the door and immediately pulled Jaedelyn into a short but passionate kiss. When he pulled away, Jaedelyn was blushing intensely. He smirked; she glared at him and pushed him away. He chuckled and put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her back to him. She relented, smiling softly.
"Well, that was quite the show."
"Hello, Rangiku," Gin said, unfazed.
"It does explain the little black dress, though," Rangiku laughed, amused. "Is Izuru still here?"
"Yea', he should still be at 'is desk."
"Great. Thanks, Gin. Have fun, you two!" she grinned as she ran inside.
"Whadda ya think of that idea?" he whispered seductively in Jaedelyn's ear.
"Gin…."
"I'm jus' teasin' ya, Jaed," he chuckled. "Dinner?"
"Dinner sounds great." She smiled up at him, visibly relieved.
"Oh… Still asleep…." Capri leaned against the doorframe, watching Brook sleep. "Have you been here the entire time?"
"I have," Ukitake smiled kindly up at her from his seat.
"I wish I had your patience," Capri laughed. "Since I don't, I'm gonna bounce outta here. If it's not too much trouble, could you tell her I came back and make sure she gets home ok?"
"Of course."
"Thank you so much. I'll see ya later, Captain!" she waved goodbye and skipped out of the room.
Brook groaned and stretched, rubbing an eye sleepily.
"You just missed Capri."
She gasped and whipped her head around.
"C-Captain!"
"Did I startle you? I apologize."
"O-oh, no, it's fine! I just didn't expect you to be here," she blushed, smiling sheepishly.
"I see," he chuckled. "Well, I didn't want to leave you alone. Are you feeling better?"
"Yes, much, thank you."
"Good, good. Would you like to get some tea with me?"
"Oh—um, ok, that sounds nice," she smiled shyly and followed him out of the room.
He informed the nurse that she was leaving with him and led her to a small café a few streets away. They sat at a small table in a corner. A waitress hurried over to take their orders, then bustled away.
"You seem a bit familiar to me, but I don't recall actually seeing you around here," he said curiously.
"Well, I'm from here initially, but I've been in the world of the living for quite awhile. There aren't many people here that I know," she explained.
"Ah, that explains it. If you don't mind me asking, what made you decide to come back?"
"My little sister. Her best friend wrote her, asking her to come back. She missed him a lot, so it didn't take much to convince her."
"And you just followed her?"
"Yes. Most of us did—we have a rather large family. There are seventeen girls and five boys."
"That's certainly a large family."
"Yep. It's crazy sometimes, but it wouldn't be right if there were any less of us. We're all really close. Two of my sisters stayed. They've been in the world of the living since Kisuke Urahara was banished there, though, so it was no surprise."
"You must miss them."
"Of course," she nodded. "But Kirstin is capable of taking care of herself and Elora. My mother was very sick when I was young, so we older siblings had to help take care of the younger ones. Even though none of them are particularly young now, I still feel like it's my responsibility to care for them."
"I see," he smiled.
"Well, what about you?" she asked. "Tell me about yourself."
"I'm afraid there's not much to tell," he chuckled. "I'm the captain of the 13th division. My favorite food is ohagi. I enjoy feeding the koi fish in the garden and trimming the bonsai. I have five younger brothers and two younger sisters."
"That's not a particularly small family, either," she smiled.
"No, I suppose not," he chuckled.
"How long have you been a captain?"
"Oh, a bit over 200 years—" he broke off suddenly, coughing into a handkerchief.
He quickly slipped it back into his pocket, but Brooklyn caught a glimpse of red staining it.
"And you cough up blood," she arched an eyebrow at him.
"Occasionally, yes," he said lightly.
"How serious is it?"
"It's not life-threatening, merely an inconvenience."
"That's good," she smiled. "I was worried."
"There's no need," he assured her. "Well, I told you what I like to do—now it's your turn."
"What I like to do? Hmm…. Well, I also like trimming bonsai. And arranging flowers. I like to cook and bake—I particularly like to see people enjoy what I make. I also enjoy drawing and writing-mostly poetry and fiction. And I love to go for walks when the weather is nice."
They spent a few hours in the café, sipping tea and chatting. He was easy to talk to; she enjoyed his company immensely.