Author's Note: Okay, here is the fourth chapter! Thank you for all of your kind reviews, they make me so happy! You have no idea. Anyway, for everyone's information, there will no longer be a lemon involved in this fic, and a few other things will be omitted. I'm sorry.
Sorry for those of you who looked forward to the lemon; you'll get one eventually. :3 Please read and review!
White Phoenix
Chapter 4
Rukia awoke to the first rays of the sun. They were a soft shade of yellow, stretching over the bedroom and onto her face. Stretching her arms, Rukia inhaled the fresh air that blew in through her window, which she always kept open during the warmer months.
Remembering the previous evening, she quickly got out of bed and dressed, leaving her room in shambles as she dashed out to Hitsugaya's office. She refused to be late; above all things, Rukia wanted to prove to him that she was worthy enough to be lieutenant.
"'Morning, Rukia-fukutaicho." Renji said groggily, yawning as he spoke.
She guessed he had heard about her new position through the Sereitei grapevine, otherwise he would not have known to address her lieutenant. His morning patrol seemed to leave him weary, and his wounds did not help; He walked with a limp.
"Good morning, Renji-fukutaicho." She responded hastily as she walked by him at a fast pace. Renji shook his head; Now that she was under Hitsugaya, Rukia had to live and breathe being on time.
--
Hitsugaya glanced outside of the window; the sun was beginning to rise above the horizon. Rukia should be there soon, and he hoped she would not give any more reason to regret his decision to allow her presence. Just as he looked at the door expectantly, it slid open to reveal an out of breath Rukia.
"So I see you made it on time. Good," He said, a glint of relief in his eyes. She inhaled deeply, now relieved herself.
She glanced around his office for the first time; it was rather large, and a good bit of space was not occupied by furniture. The couch where she sat the night before called her name, but she fought the urge to sit until she received orders from her new captain. He gave her an expectant look.
"Well?" He urged, eyeing the couch. She walked over and sat down.
"Sorry, taicho," She whispered, embarrassed.
He shook his head. "No need to be. I keep forgetting that you are only temporary."
She felt somewhat encouraged by this comment. For once she did not feel like a little girl, powerless and weak. Though it could have been taken a different way; that maybe he wanted to be alone, and had it in his mind he did not need a lieutenant. The air he gave off was intimidating.
"What do you know about being a lieutenant? Have you observed your own squad?" He asked abruptly. She raised her eyebrow in confusion.
"I do not understand…"
Rukia caught of flash of frustration and anger in his eyes. Apparently he did not want to teach her everything from scratch, but she knew he would have to. Glancing down at her hands, Rukia felt like a burden for even sitting in the room. "I'm sorry, taicho." She whispered sadly.
He sighed heavily and shifted some papers to one side of his desk, only to grab more and set them where the others had been.
"Do not be. I should not have expected that out of you." He mumbled, seemingly embarrassed himself. This time she felt angry.
"Expect what you wish. I will prove to you that I can be a good lieutenant." She stated, "I will strive to learn fast, and do my best to be invisible to you, unless I am needed. I refuse to fail."
"Rukia."
Rukia stopped, and found that she was standing, fists clenched and body rigid. A red streak appearing across her face, she sat down again and did not dare to catch his eyes. In hiding the shame, Rukia did not notice the look of admiration that shone on his face.
"I hope that you accomplish what you are setting out to do," He replied gently, the admiration gone. "But I would expect one who is striving to learn fast not to react so foolishly. Learning fast does not include being rash."
She quietly sunk further into the cushion, if that was at all possible. Rukia expected him to be proud of her determination; instead she only heightened his dislike for her. There was no way in all of hell he would ever see her as anything more than Byakuya's little sister, Ukitake-taicho's squad member, or Kurosaki's friend.
"Forgive me, Hitsugaya-taicho." She uttered.
"Do not dwell on it, Rukia. You have matters to attend to." He said. She looked up, and prayed he could not see the excitement in her eyes.
"O-okay."
"Once these tasks are complete, I was ordered to begin teaching you, both in the office and on the battlefield." He sounded unsure of himself, almost faltering over his words. Rukia wondered if he would be a better teacher or a better captain.
He handed her a slip of paper. "Deal with these first."
She reached out and took it hesitantly, glancing over the small white piece of paper which had a rather short list of assignments that she could indeed handle. She felt more like an errand-girl than a lieutenant, but she refused to let him down. With a brisk nod and a bow, Rukia left the room and shut the door behind her.
Hitsugaya caught himself staring at the door again and reluctantly pulled his eyes away. Why did he continually expect Matsumoto to walk through those doors, when he knew she would no longer walk through Sereitei? He swore to himself that he could hear the crunching of his heart as it was continually being battered.
"I…feel so lost…" He admitted quietly, biting back the flow of tears. Yesterday, he promised, was the last and only day he would cry for her, but it was harder than one would expect. He drew his fingers together in a fist; it was all he could do to fight.
--
Rukia dashed through the corridors, never losing step. There were tasks that needed to be done, and Rukia refused to be a failure; not only in her new captains' eyes, but in her brothers' eyes as well. She saw a flash of Hitsugaya's eyes in her mind; they were full of grief and bitterness. Silently she hoped to change that.
"Whoa, slow down there Rukia!"
In her flurry, Rukia never once realized exactly where she was running, and nearly bowled over her own squad captain. He gave her a humored smile as she skidded to a stop and turned to face him with wild eyes.
"I'm sorry, Ukitake-taicho. I was trying to—"
"Go on, Rukia-fukutaicho. You need to complete your itinerary." With a small grin he turned and walked on, leaving her to stare at him in wonder. He seemed to know everything.
Without looking back again, she turned heel and headed for her destination. She wanted to have the rest of the day set aside for her training. The sun now bore down on her back, her black suit absorbing the heat at an almost unbearable rate.
At least I'm running… She thought. As she sprinted along, she caught a glimpse of a figure standing amongst the shadows, then vanish. It looked human, but it might have just been a shadow playing tricks on her.
"Just my imagina—"Suddenly she crashed into what she thought was a body. Both fell to the ground. Rukia, rubbing her head, looked up to find who she had run into.
The person stood up and brushed themselves off, staring down at Rukia menacingly. She felt the being's eyes bore into hers, her very soul being ravaged with the fire that flowed from their body. Their shoulders' rose and fell with ferocity. Rukia attempted to make out who it was, but the sunlight hid their identity.
"Pardon me, Rukia-fukutaicho," The person spat, Rukia's name seething through their teeth. Rukia felt their reiatsu rise, and suddenly she recognized who it was.
"What do you want?" Rukia demanded, narrowing her eyes. There was no need to be friendly; there was hostility in their voice.
"Know that you should learn your place, Rukia." They warned.
"I am in my place," Rukia replied loftily, "It is you who needs to learn yours. There is no room for disrespect."
"There is no disrespect."
"Oh no?" Rukia raised her eyebrow. "Explain the attitude and lack of respect as you said my name."
"You are only temporary, Rukia. Remember that."
Rukia shrugged. "Temporary I may be, but until I am no longer needed I am lieutenant."
"That does not give you specific rights." They stated coldly, hands on their hips.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Rukia was obviously confused.
Without blinking, the figure turned and walked away. "I think you will figure it out on your own. Just know that I can make your job a living nightmare."
Rukia stared after her with confusion and anger. How dare she come up to her and treat her that way, when she hardly even knew her? It was no one's place to attack another Shinigami, even verbal threats. Rukia stood up and dusted herself off.
"Damn. I need to finish these."
--
The papers Hitsugaya stacked on his desk earlier still towered above him, nary a dent amongst them. With evident frustration he tapped his pen impatiently on the desk. He furrowed his brows and ran a hand through his hair, catching a few stray strands that fell into his face. Hours passed and there he still sat.
"Why can't I focus?" He grumbled. The paper mocked him as it lay unfinished before his eyes.
It had been so long, he remembered, since the last time he had lost the incentive to finish his work. Where was his fire? Did he honestly believe Rangiku stole it when she passed on, or was it just a mere rut? He closed his eyes softly and strained to hear her voice.
"Ice can be a burden…" He admitted quietly to himself. "But I cannot allow this obstacle to completely distract me."
There was a knock at the door. Without looking up he said, "Come in."
Unohana slipped through the office doors; her features gave away the apparent worry she had for the young captain. He turned his eyes towards her, but showed no surprise.
"Can I help you, Unohana-taicho?"
Unohana glanced at the floor for a moment, her hands weaved around the other and dangled down in front of her. The light from the window made her outfit strikingly bright. "Yes, actually you can."
He straitened himself up. "And how may I do that?" He sounded steady, but Unohana knew better than to believe his voice, or his eyes. They seemed empty; void of all emotion.
"You can help me by going to the infirmary to go through some therapy."
Hitsugaya passed her a stern glance, which startled her to the point she actually took a step back towards the open office door. If he was about to explode, Unohana could leave quickly. With a sigh he looked back down at his desk. Unohana relaxed her shoulders.
"I don't need any therapy, Unohana. I am fine." He said through gritted teeth.
She took a step forwards this time. "You don't need to lie to me, taicho—"
"I'm not lying, damnit!" He argued, slamming his fist next to the stack of papers on the desk; they rumbled gently before avalanching across the top and onto the floor on the other side. Hitsugaya just could not seem to get things in order.
"You aren't?" She asked, raising her eyebrows. "If you are fine, then why are you so defensive? The therapy is simply to help you relax; it will help you get back to normal." Well, at least as normal as Hitsugaya could be, she thought afterwards.
"I'm defensive because I'm tired of people worrying about me."
"It is normal." Unohana stated.
He looked at her with one eye, but still kept his head down. "What's normal?"
Unohana shrugged. "Worrying is. If they did not worry I would wonder about them."
"You mean you would worry." Hitsugaya corrected her briskly.
She nodded. "Yes, worry. I do not see why them worrying makes you so upset Hitsugaya."
Hitsugaya inhaled deeply; he knew she would not back down now, not until he talked and eased her nerves. There was no way out. "Because it is pointless. I do not see what good worrying will do them."
She gave him an understanding look, but said, "And I do not see what good lying will do for you."
He stared at her; Unohana had caught him there, though he would not admit it. Hitsugaya was at a loss for words, and knew anything he could say would be countered back at him with a witty reply. Unohana smiled at him sweetly, though he did not see it.
"We all know the pain you are experiencing, Hitsugaya, but lying about it will not help it get any better…just like you think your friends should not worry about you because it won't do any good." She touched his shoulder. "Although I think it will do a world of good."
"How the hell will their worry do any good?" He snapped angrily.
She patted his back softly and turned to leave. "If it irritates you that bad, then do something to stop their worry."
After the door clicked shut, and the footsteps retreated, Hitsugaya could not help but feel as though she trapped him. She knew that their worrying bothered him, and she also knew that he needed help, thus saying that would be killing two birds with one stone, so to speak. He growled with frustration.
Unohana was very wise.
Silently he stood from his desk and walked to the window, staring hard against the slowly setting sun. The muscles in his shoulders were tense; he needed to go and relieve some of the stress. "She'll find me. I will not conceal myself…this time."
Without glancing back at his office, he walked out and shut the door behind him.
--
Out of breath, Rukia found herself staring into the sky. From the position of the sun, it seemed to be a couple of hours past noon. Her errands took up more time than expected. Without any hesitation she scurried off to let Hitsugaya know that she completed what he had requested.
"Oi, Rukia!"
Rukia abruptly turned around to catch who called out her name; she hoped it was not another unwanted visitor ready to pommel her into the ground. When she caught a glimpse of orange hair, she sighed.
"Hey, Ichigo…I thought…"
He smiled. "Yeah I know, I'm not supposed to be back here for a while, but Renji wanted me to join him in some practice rounds under Soukyoku. He's training to become captain you know."
"Yeah, I know," She said, proud of her dearest friend. "I hope he turns out to be a great captain."
"You do not doubt his abilities to beat Kuchiki-taicho then?" Ichigo asked, raising a questioning eyebrow.
Rukia shrugged and did not think too much about it. "I'm not sure, but I cannot let Renji know of my doubts. It may unnerve him."
"Renji? Unnerved?" Ichigo chuckled. "I don't think he could be any farther from that right now. I met up with him at Urahara's shop, and he sat at the table shaking the whole time. I couldn't get him to calm down."
Rukia felt bad for Renji; he just had to be placed as Lieutenant underneath her brother. She loved Nii-sama very much, but she also cared for Renji and wished the best for him. If her brother was defeated, then she would feel ashamed, but at the same time proud.
"Well, it is best if we are not nervous for him, Ichigo." She suggested calmly, shaking off her own nervousness. "If we begin to feel nervous, who knows what Renji will do."
Ichigo smiled and nodded. "You're right. He'll be fine."
"Yes. Now, go on and help Renji. I need to get back to Hitsugaya-taicho."
Ichigo raised his eyebrow again. "Hitsugaya? Why?..."
"I'm his temporary lieutenant. I guess no one told you. Matsumoto…she…"
"It's okay, Rukia." Ichigo said softly. "I know what happened. I just did not realize that you were put in her position. Congratulations; you deserve it."
She smiled warmly and waved him away. "Thank you, Ichigo."
"No problem. Wish me luck!"
With that, he vanished among the white walls, leaving her to stare down at her own shadow. She guessed that there was more to worry about now than just Hitsugaya and the fact that somewhere a pair of menacing eyes were staring at her, watching her every move. Renji was now fighting to be Captain, and Ichigo was back in Sereitei.
Distractions would run high.
"Ugh. I need to hurry and get back to Hitsugaya before he pops a blood vessel."
Using her shunpo, she found her way back to the office in a matter of minutes as opposed to half an hour. Why hadn't she used it this morning to meet Hitsugaya on time? Curse it all. Rukia knew now why she was not useful in the morning.
Shaking her head, she threw the office door open. She smiled wide and was about to hand the paper back to her new captain with small checks next to each task, but noticed that his desk was empty. She dropped the paper and began to look around frantically.
Oh no.where did he go? I hope something did not happen. Did he go to Unohana-taicho for more rest?
She glanced at the stack of papers and guessed that his work was beginning to overwhelm him. It seemed that even now, when he looked okay, he was farthest from it. Rukia could scarcely understand what his heart was enduring.
"I hope you're okay…"
Then, she felt a pulse of his reiatsu somewhere in Sereitei.
Author's Note: A small but not so threatening cliff hanger. Heh. Dang guys..I'm sorry that I have not had any action or real interaction between Hitsugaya and Rukia…I just know that I have to move this slow if I'm going to make the chapters come out somewhat enjoyable to read.
Thank you all for the support, it is greatly appreciated!! The next chapter will be up…at some point. Hehe.
Evilmoose
