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Chapter 1: Change
It was past dark when Jushiro Ukitake finally returned to the Seireitei. After meeting with his father at the family estate in the country earlier that morning, Jushiro had spent most of the day sparring with two of his nephews who were home for the weekend. They were both in their third year of training at the shinigami academy and Jushiro was surprised by how much his nephews had improved since the last time he had sparred with them. They were both strong and intelligent and they were on their way to becoming great shinigamis one day. Exhausted and deciding that he needed a drink, Jushiro searched the Seireitei for his best friend Kyoraku Shunsui's reitsau. He was surprised to find that his best friend was at the 8th division office for two reasons: it was seven in the evening and it was a Saturday night. Ukitake quickly shunpoed over to the 8th division office. He stopped outside and let his reitsau flare slightly to announce his arrival before he reached up and pushed open the heavy wooden door to the main office.
As soon as he crossed the threshold into the office, Jushiro was nearly knocked over a blur of blue that ran into his legs. He let out a low umph and staggered back a step before looking down. He was greeted by a scared little face.
"Uncle Ukitake, uncle Ukitake! Save me!" Yuki Kyoraku looked a lot like her father with her large honey brown eyes and wavy dark brown hair that reached down to the middle of the back of her royal blue kimono. She began tugging frantically on the front of his captain's haori.
"Save you?" he asked, confused. "Whatever from?"
"We're playing Shinigami and Hollows and Suzu and Amaya are after me!" When she twisted her head around to look behind her Jushiro noticed that she was wearing a white Mardi Gras mask on the top of her head as a hollow mask.
"Get her!" he heard a voice yell and looked up to see the second Kyoraku girl Amaya running towards her sister in a flowing yellow kimono, her short black curls bouncing as she ran. She was clutching a Barbie doll by the head and holding it away from her body as if it were a zanpakuto. She was followed closely by her oldest sister Suzu also clutching a Barbie doll zanpakuto.
"Eeeeek!" let out a startled Yuki as she quickly let go of Ukitake's legs and continued running to escape her sisters. Ukitake couldn't help but smile. Things sure had changed in the 8th Division office over the past few years. Where shake bottles used to stand piled in the back corner of the office there was now a pile of associated stuffed animals and dolls. The cupboards that used to be filled with new shake bottles were now filled with gummy snacks and bright yellow goldfish shaped crackers. The once bare white walls of the office was now covered with brightly colored finger paintings and drawing of happy zanpakuto holding stick figures and fuzzy animals. The large Kido books that used to sit stacked in the window seat were nowhere to be found. In their place lay a copy of Grimm's Fairy Tales. The couch that Shunsui used to sleep on instead of doing work whenever he was in the office was now occupied by a different Kyoraku. Sleeping on the faded red cloth of the couch was the littlest Kyoraku, Hana. But out of all the changes, the most shocking had to be the fact that there, sitting behind a large wooden desk, sat Kyoraku Shunsui, almost completely done going through a large mountain of paperwork.
"Jushiro!" Shunsui exclaimed looking up from his paper work for the first time since he had entered the room. "It's nice to see you my friend."
"It's nice to see you too," replied Jushiro.
"Please, have a seat," Shunsui said as he motioned towards the empty spot next to Hana on the couch.
"Thanks," he replied. Jushiro proceeded to side step a disarticulated Mr. Potato Head that lay on the ground headed to the couch. Careful not to wake Hana up, he gently sat down next to her small sleeping frame. "You know, no matter how many times I see it, I still can't believe that you've actually taken to doing your share of the paperwork."
"I know," Shunsui replied. He set down his pen and linked his fingers together before lifting his arms high over his head. He yawned while stretching. "I still can't believe it myself sometimes. I'm actually doing all of the paperwork right now. The new baby will be here in a few weeks. I managed to bribe captain Unohana into convincing Nanao that she really needs to take the last month before the baby comes off and just rest."
"How'd you manage to bribe her?"Jushiro asked, surprised that incorruptible captain of the Fourth Division could be bribed.
"I promised her that I would babysit those hell twins of hers." Jushiro cringed. "I know, I know. How two docile people like Unohana and Amagai could possibly produced two of the most evil and mischievous children the Soul society has ever seen is beyond me. If they weren't dead ringers of their father, I would swear that they were Zaraki's love children." Jushiro laughed.
"Good luck when she comes to collect. I hear that no one has made it more than an hour with those two. One of their baby sitters actually ended up in the 4th after just being with them for ten minutes!"
"I know," Shunsui groaned. "It'll be worth it though. I really don't want another repeat of what happened when Nanao was pregnant last time. When Nanao was pregnant with Hana she refused to stay at home the week before she was due and little Hana there was almost born in this office!"
"I remember that," Jushiro said chuckling. "I was on my way to the first division office when I saw you shunpoing to the forth as if you had a whole Arrancar army on your heels. I've never seen you move so fast in your life! And while carrying Nanao no less! I bet you broke the sound barrier! "
"I wouldn't be surprised if I did." Jushiro looked down at the little girl sleeping silently on the couch next to him. Out of all of all four of Shunsui and Nanao's daughters, Hana was the one that most resembled her mother. Her short straight black hair barley reached the top of her silk pink kimono collar and was pulled out of her face by a pink cherry blossom clip. Her skin was extremely pale just like her mother's and below her closed eyelids was a pair of bright violet eyes.
At that moment, there was a small reitsau flare followed by a loud crash in the corner of the room. "Amaya, no using kido on your sister! If you burn Suza's eyebrows off again your mother is not going to be furious!" Shunsui warned. There was an eruption of giggles from where the crash had come from. Shunsui looked over apprehensively at Hana afraid that she had been awaken by the noise. She stirred a little, bringing her small fisted hand to rub her cheek, took a deep breath, and then continued to sleep peacefully as if nothing had happened. Shunsui let out a relived sigh and leaned back in his chair. "So where were you all day?"
"I got summoned by my family in the middle of the night. I don't know if you've heard, but there has been a string of robberies taking place in the western woods. So far several of the noble families have lost several thousands of dollars worth of food and supplies."
"Oh yeah," replied Shunsui as he began to stroke the dark stubble on his chin. "I think I did hear my brother and father mention something like that a few weeks ago when we went to visit. I didn't get to listen to the whole story though, I had to get up and stop Suzu and Yuki fishing in my father's goldfish pond." Jushiro smiled and then continued.
"Out of the ten robberies that have occurred, six of those have involved my family. My father tried upping the security on the supply caravan after the first attack occurred. It was at first assumed that non-reitsau possessing individuals were committing the crimes and that they would be no match for a few reitsau possessing guards. But that wasn't the case. Even with the reitsau possessing guards, the thieves were still able to make off with everything. The reitsau possessing guards didn't even have a chance to fight the thieves. They appeared and were gone again before they could even try to fight them off. Although they're pretty sure that the thieves aren't shinigami, they do now suspected that the thieves themselves possess relatively high reitsau levels, at least high enough levels to be able to shunpo and are somehow able to completely mask their reitsau until right before they attack. So, my father has asked me to escort the next supply caravan tomorrow night so that I can help determine exactly what kind of people are committing these robberies."
"Humm, that does sound strange. It's a good thing that you're going to check it out. These individuals could possibly pose a threat to the Soul Society if they do in fact possess relatively large reitsau levels that they have managed to keep suppressed. Large amounts of power in the untrained hand can be a very dangerous thing and place us all at risk."
"I agree. It's better to get to the bottom of this before it's not just food and supplies that they go after." Jushiro felt something move besides him and looked down to find Hana sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
"Daddy, I hungry," she said in her sleep heavy musical voice. Shunsui glanced behind him at the clock on the wall and sighed.
"I suppose it is time for dinner after all. Jushiro would you like to come over and join us? Nanao said that she would have some rise and miso soup ready when we got back."
"I'd love to." Shunsui called out to his daughters and Jushiro helped them gather up the toys and books that they had scattered around the floor of the office and return them to a basket in the corner of the room.
"Come on my precious little flowers, it's time to go home," Shunsui said as he adjusted the straw hat on his head. He opened the front office door and the girls quickly filed out. "One, two, three, fo—" Shunsui glanced back on the couch on the couch only to see that it was empty. His eyes quickly scanned the office. "Girls, where's your sister?" he asked, voice slightly panicked. The three little girls popped their heads back in the doorway one by one.
"I don't know," said Suzu.
"She's not out here," stated Amaya.
"Last time I saw her she was sleeping on the couch," said Yuki pointing to the now empty couch near the door with her small index finger. Jushiro helped Shunsui search his office for the littlest Kyoraku girl. After searching under the couch, behind the front door, and in the bottom cupboards, Jushiro heard soft giggling.
"Shunsui," Jushiro whispered and pointed towards Shunsui's large wooden desk. Shunsui looked over towards the desk and saw a piece of shiny pink silk fabric sticking out from underneath it. Slowly, he began to tiptoe towards the desk.
"I found you!" he exclaimed as he bent his head down to look under the desk. There was an eruption of giggles from under the desk. Shunsui gently reached down below the desk and pulled out the little girl still giggling. He gave her a soft hug before shifting her weight so that she sat on his right hip. She hugged his neck tightly and he smiled. "Now we can go home and see mama."
Jushiro, Shunsui, and the four little girls slowly walked to the Kyoraku house. The night wind blew gently shaking the cherry blossoms on the trees that lined the streets filling the air with their fragrance. Jushiro took a deep breath, enjoying the sweet smell of the flowers.
"You better enjoy it while you still can. Fall starts soon and then winter will be here before you know it." Jushiro looked up and was amazed by the beauty of the flower petals drifting down from the trees in the light of the moon. "You know, I used to hate it."
"Hate what?" Jushiro asked turning to look at his best friend. Hana's little face was buried in his neck and her soft steady breathing confirmed that she was sleeping.
"Winter. I used to hate all of the snow, the cold, the way everything seemed to die. I would miss being able to sit outside for hours under the cherry trees while the world was covered in snow." Shunsui paused.
"What changed that?" Jushiro asked when his friend hadn't continued.
"I guess," Shunsui said "I found something I loved infinitely more than the sun and the flowers. I found my own source of warmth." He looked ahead and nodded towards the three little girls that ran jumping and skipping ahead of them. "Now, no matter how cold it gets now, I'm always warm." He smiled gently and looked down at the sleeping girl in his arms. "And plus, my little flowers love to play in the snow. I can't hate something that makes them so happy." A few minutes passed before Jushiro said anything.
"Shunsui," Jushiro said, "do you ever miss it?"
"Miss what?" Shunsui responded, turning his head to look at his friend.
"The old life, you know, the way things used to be. Before Aizen, before the battle in Hueco Mundo, before everything changed." Shunsui contemplated the question for a while before answering.
"I do miss some things I guess. I miss how time use to seem to stand still and how there always seem to be enough of it. Before, I used to be able to march into battle without worry, without fear. But that's no longer the case. Now whenever I march into battle, I'm afraid. Not afraid of facing my enemy, but afraid of running out of time. I'm afraid that my time will be cut short and that I won't have enough time to grow old with my little Nanao. I'm afraid that I won't have time to watch my little flowers grow up and become beautiful women. I'm afraid that I might miss the opportunity to hold grandchildren in my arms. Time has become my greatest wish and my worst enemy.
"But, as far as the freedom and liberties of being a bachelor goes, I don't miss that at all. Now that I have my Nanao and my little girls in my life, I finally feel complete. I can't even believe that there was ever a time that they weren't in my life. Now that I have them, I can't ever imagine living without them." Jushiro smiled at his friend and then turned his head to face forward again.
"I guess they have you wrapped."
"Completely. Each one, around her pinky finger."
"It's not like you ever even stood a change. You are severely outnumbered."
"Five, possibly soon six women against one. Definitely not fair." They continued to walk for a while in silence before Shunsui finally spoke.
"Jushiro, has something been bothering you?" Shunsui asked.
"Why would you say that?"
"Well, it's just that, you seem to be quieter than usual. And, especially in the past few months, you seem to be more distant."
"Have I?" Jushiro asked faking ignorance. He know exactly what his friend was talking about.
"Jushiro," Shunsui said rolling his eyes, "I've known you longer than anyone else. You're practically my brother. You can't lie to me and pretend that nothing is wrong. I know that you've had something weighing heavily on your mind. What's wrong?" Jushiro was silent and looked away. Hoping to make some progress, Shunsui ventured a guess. "Is it about her?"
"No, no, it's not about her," Jushiro said in a rushed voice while quickly waving his hands back and forth and cracking a fake smile. "There's nothing wrong. I'm just been feeling a little unwell that's all. It must just be my illness preparing to act up. But trust me I'm fine." Shunsui scrutinized Jushiro's face, hoping to find some hint, some shred of evidence that would indicate what was really bothering him. He clearly hadn't bought his response. But, after a few more moments of searching, Shunsui let out a long sigh and looked forward again.
"Okay, whatever you say Jushiro." Jushiro was glad that his friend had dropped the subject. They continued to walk in silence. A few moments later, Jushiro felt something hit the top of his right shoulder. He reached up and pulled away an intact pink cherry blossom flower. He sighed and slowly began turning the small flower over and over in his hand. He could feel it now. There was an edge in the evening air that hadn't been there a moment before. There was a sharpness to the sound of the wind as it blew all around. Yes, it was undeniable now—the seasons were changing.
Change. A lot had changed in the Soul Society since the war against Aizen had ended. Jushiro knew as well as everyone else that war changes people. It is impossible to be surrounded by so much death and destruction and not change in some form or another. The war in Hueco Mundo had made everyone take a good look at what they had, at what was really important to them—at what they could bear to lose and at what they couldn't live without. For people like Shunsui and Nanao, the war had driven them together. After nearly losing her during the war, Shunsui had finally become serious in his pursuit of Nanao. He had loved her for decades, but it took almost losing her for him to realize that he didn't want to live another day without her. They were married a few years after the war ended.
The war hadn't just brought Shunsui and Nanao together. Since the war ended, many of the other soul reaper captains and lieutenants had mustered the courage to finally say how they felt about each other. Captain Soi Fon and Captain Zaraki were married shortly after Shunsui and Nanao and Isane Kotetsu and Shuhei Hisagi followed shortly after. It seemed the war had finally brought everyone together.
Then there were people like him. People like him and Unohana who the war had driven apart. He had been having a love affair with the gentle captain of the Fourth Division for the better part of the past century. But, it was only after the war that they were finally able to realize that their relationship was based more on friendship than anything else. They had finally decided to go their separate ways and give the each other a shot at possibly finding true love and happiness.
Shunsui had been wrong to assume that the change that he had noticed in his friend had been due him still having romantic feelings towards the now married woman. Jushiro wasn't going to lie to himself, though. It had hurt when he had received the news about a year after they had ended things for good that she was to be married to the new captain of the Third Division Shusuke Amagai. But the pain he had felt wasn't formed out of jealousy. He was gland that his good friend had finally found what she was looking for, what he couldn't provide—she had found true happiness. No, what hurt was the fact that he hadn't been able to find the same happiness with someone else—he was alone. And he was lonely. He still hadn't found his other half, his soul mate and as the years went on, he finally quit hoping to.
The wind suddenly picked up blowing the small flower out of his hand. Jushiro sighed. Maybe some people were meant to be alone.
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