Author's Note: Well, well! It looks like I have returned from the world of darkness! If you have been waiting and searching for the new chapter of White Phoenix, then look no further! Welcome to chapter 9! I hope you all enjoy it, and please send a little review my way; it makes very happy and gives me encouragement.
Dedication: BlackBelt
White Phoenix
Chapter 9
A couple of days had passed since the awkward captain's meeting and Hitsugaya's explosion on Rukia. The white-haired captain still seemed shaken by the whole situation, but to Rukia he was still the same grumpy captain who only cared about paperwork. She sighed as another file shuffled into the oversized filing cabinet; the morning exercises were beginning to wear her down.
"When you are done with that, I have a few more files for you to alphabetize for me." Hitsugaya said sternly as he dropped the stack of papers in the chair next to his desk. Rukia rolled her eyes. "Yes, taichou."
The silence between them was beginning to eat away at their insides like a parasite, but neither would budge to say a word to the other. Rukia was always close to speaking up, but each time she would catch a shadow over his face and she held her tongue. Hitsugaya flipped through some papers and set them on the desk quietly. "Rukia."
Rukia set her papers down and swallowed. "Y-yes taichou?"
"We need to talk."
"About what?" Rukia tilted her head; Hitsugaya avoided her gaze like the plague.
"About what's going on around here."
Rukia shrugged her shoulders. "It seems pretty normal to me. Unless you are referring to my work…is it bad? Do I need to cut training? Or should I—"
"No. You are doing a good job. And that's exactly why we need to talk."
"I still do not follow Hitsugaya-taichou…" In an instant Rukia caught her captains' distant expression and suddenly felt embarrassed. "I apologize."
He waved his hand. "No need."
The silence crashed down on the room with such impact that Rukia felt slightly weakened as she sat under Hitsugaya's far-off gaze. His eyes, though they were looking right at her, seemed to be staring through her at something that she could not see. Not once did he blink. She fidgeted.
"T-taichou?"
"I'd like to start your bankai training soon."
Rukia caught her breath. "But I thought my morning training was essential the first few months—"
"It is essential," Hitsugaya emphasized with a point of the finger. "But so is combat training and focus training."
"Focus training?" Rukia raised an eyebrow.
Hitsugaya nodded. "Yes. You cannot fight properly without focus. A slip of the mind and…" Her captain made a motion across his neck like he was slicing his head off with his finger. "You fail."
Rukia swallowed hard. For some reason she could tell that this training was going to be more difficult than her daily exercise around Sereitei. It was definitely more difficult than filing papers in a comfy office. Her heart began to race at the thought of it. "So when do I start this training?"
"In about one week. I'd like you to focus on your morning training a little while longer. Your added workouts will not be easy." He seemed to smile at the thought of running her ragged and obeying every command without question. She sighed; he was so domineering. "Okay. I will be prepared."
Hitsugaya nodded stiffly and scribbled on a scrap of parchment hastily. "I need you to do these few things for me, if you would." Rukia was taken back; never did he make it sound like a request. She took the parchment warily and bowed. Hitsugaya caught her eye.
"If…if you sense anything strange…" Hitsugaya started, eyeing Rukia with a shimmer that caught her breath, "…do not hesitate to tell me."
"Of course taichou."
With a light bow she slid out of the room, leaving Hitsugaya all alone again. He looked to the door where she exited so quietly, then back at his horrendous stack of papers. The sun was so bright he could not even read the words clearly. It was best that he sent her off instead of completing her stack of files.
Shoving his papers away, Hitsugaya could feel the darkness settling in over his heart; the darkness that he felt when he saw Matsumoto's dying face that horrible night. He placed his forehead on the desk gently, squeezing his eyes shut so tight that he could feel his head pounding behind them.
Matsumoto…are you there?
"Hello, Hitsugaya Taichou."
"Matsumoto!?" Hitsugaya glanced around wildly but all he could see was darkness.
"Yes, it's me. Don't be so alarmed."
"Why wouldn't I be alarmed? I didn't think you would respond!"His head was pounding in his ears.
"That does not mean I can't communicate with you this one last time. I felt this to be important."
Hitsugaya's headache temporarily subsided as he stared into the dark. "…so that's it then."
"It was the only way I could come back and speak with you taichou! There was no other way!" She pleaded.
"It's fine, Rangiku." He breathed, just content to hear her voice. "Please, what do you have to say?"
"It's about Rukia."
"What about her?"
"Don't treat her the way you do, taichou."
Hitsugaya crossed his arms. "You came here to lecture me?"
"No no…not like that. Just…our relationship was different than yours is with her. We had our own way of communication. Make an effort to make HER your lieutenant. She is not me."
"I know that! No one can ever be you Matsumoto. Ever!"
He caught a faint giggle. "We both know that taichou. Calm down. It's just that…I am worried about her. She…she seems sad."
Silence.
"Anything else Matsumoto?"
"Yes. I have a favor to ask of you before my time with you ends. As your friend and former lieutenant."
"And that would be?"
'For you to move forward. That's what has kept me connected here Toshirou. Because you haven't let go, I cannot pass on. You have to move forward, for me. I will always be in your heart…"
"No…Matsumoto, I can't. Please!"
Her voice began to fade. "You have to go on Toshirou! Look at the happiness in front of you! There's more to your world than you know!"
"Please don't go!" He tried to run, but stood stock still.
"…go forward…"
"Matsumoto!" Hitsugaya cried out as he threw his head up and glanced around his office; the sun was beginning to reach the top of the wall, its orange and red colors splashing over the white surfaces like blood. He wiped beads of sweat from his brow.
"…taichou?...are you alright?"
Hitsugaya jumped at the sound of a soft voice and turned his head to see Rukia standing in the doorway. Her eyebrows were furrowed with worry and fear; he relaxed his shoulders, but only slightly.
"Taichou?"
"…I'm fine Kuchiki." He whispered hoarsely, raking his hands through his limp hair. Rukia shook her head and shut the door behind her. "You don't look fine."
"I said I'm fine!" Hitsugaya snapped.
Rukia took a few steps back and dropped her head. "Forgive me, I did not mean to intrude." He did not respond; her heart quivered. "Should I go for the night?"
Hitsugaya took a quick look at the setting sun, then back towards his new lieutenant. Her eyes were glazed over with the sadness that Matsumoto saw, and…did he catch a glimpse of loneliness? Suddenly he felt his heart ache for her. Maybe…maybe this was why Matsumoto was so concerned for the young Kuchiki.
"…Rukia."
The raven-haired girl looked up to her captain, the sadness and loneliness gone from her eyes. They were replaced with a loyalty that he had not yet seen before. Or was it always there, and he never took the time to notice?
"Yes, Hitsugaya-taichou?"
"Please, take a walk with me."
She looked taken back, but she nodded and smiled. "Of course Hitsugaya-taichou."
Was it his imagination, or did his heart skip a beat when she smiled?
"Oi, Ichigo!"
The orange-haired teen barely glanced up at the call of his name; his mind was flooded with the images of the past days' events. There had been so many confusing statements and accusations that he could barely keep his mind on one. After he offered a helping hand to Urahara, he had done nothing but fight off a constant headache. Rukia and Renji had been accused of entering the real world that much he knew. Hitsugaya let Rukia off the hook, but Ichigo had a feeling the young captain would not drop the issue so quickly. As for Renji…well, he was the reason Ichigo found himself at his desk day and night. He rubbed sleep out of his eyes and looked at the parchment he was writing for Urahara. He was having Ichigo write fake letters to Captain Kurotsuchi in attempts to make the twisted captain believe that Urahara was asking for information legally.
"ICHIGO!"
Ichigo fell out of his chair and looked up to see an impatient Renji standing over him, tapping his foot. He grunted and stood to face his comrade. "You know you could just tap me on the shoulder Renji."
"Yeah, and have my arm nearly taken off like last time? No thanks!" Renji waved his hands in front of him. Ichigo could only laugh. "Yeah, I guess you're right. So, what the hell do you want anyway?"
Renji's face contorted with frustration. "I just…wanted to see how far along you and Urahara were with this investigation."
"We're working on it the best we can Renji. I don't want you to be held back from captain's rank just as much as you do."
"Thanks Ichigo." Renji threw himself into a nearby chair. "It's driving me crazy knowing that no matter what I do, Byakuya-taichou will not listen to me."
Ichigo reached out and clasped his friend's shoulder. More than anyone, Ichigo was the one who probably understood Renji's frustration the best. Ichigo smirked at him.
"Don't let that bastard get the best of you okay? Me and Urahara will get down to the bottom of it." Renji smiled and nodded gratefully as he stood from the chair. "Thanks. I guess I better head back to the barracks. Byakuya won't be happy if he sees me around you."
Ichigo nodded and waved as his tattooed friend shuffled out of the room. The quiet engulfed the room once more; suddenly Ichigo felt his meager sleep time catching up to him as his eyes became heavy and dry.
"Yo! Ichigo!"
"Dammit! What is your problem Urahara!?"
Urahara stood over the tall teen with a triumphant smirk playing on his face. Ichigo had once again found himself on the floor, the chair fallen over next to him. He grunted at Urahara as he stood up and dusted himself off.
"I was just coming to check up on you. How is the letter going?" Urahara grabbed the parchment off of the table and began glancing at it.
"It's coming fine. What have you found out so far? Anything other than what we have already heard from Toshirou, Byakuya, Rukia and Renji?"
"The only thing I can seem to grab from the captains is that there's more to this radar reading than meets the eye."
"Like what, exactly? I don't follow."
Urahara opened his fan with the sound of a 'clack'. "Like, maybe there were more readings on the radar than just Rukia and Renji. I can't seem to get the captains to discuss matters with me. Their fingers begin to twitch at the mentioning of it."
"Who else, I wonder? If that is the case." Ichigo furrowed his eyebrows in concentration; the sleep from his eyes seemed to temporarily vanish.
"I am not sure. But one thing I do know: There was a reading on the radar that has every captain in Seireitei spooked beyond belief."
"And you are working on finding this information?"
Urahara smiled. "Of course I am. But I need this one last letter in order to ensure that Kurotsuchi does not suspect my snooping around. Forged letters will keep them off of my heels, even if just for a moment."
"Well, I'm glad that's the last one. I was tired of making up your bullshit." Ichigo replied with a growl.
Urahara read the letter over once, and then looked up at Ichigo with a glint of surprise in his shadowed eyes.
"I believe that this one may give us away, Ichigo."
Ichigo blinked. "And how's that?"
The former-captain flashed the letter in Ichigo's face. "Urethra? I highly doubt that's how you spell my name."
"It's not my fault I'm tired and can't focus! You're the one who has had me running for almost three days straight! Why didn't you ever consider writing your own damn fake letters?!"
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to make fun of me."
Ichigo's face turned red with anger. "Right! As if I would give you such a ridiculous name on purpose!"
"My question is: What the HELL were you thinking about? You couldn't have just randomly written that word for no apparent reason."
"How am I supposed to know what I'm thinking about when I'm half asleep?! Sheesh! You're a really annoying old man, you know that?"
Urahara laughed and shut his fan. "If I didn't know that then I wouldn't be pissing you off intentionally right now."
"GRAAAAH!"
Urahara laughed again.
The night was dead silent; she could only hear the sound of her heart pounding in her head as she walked next to the white-haired captain. His hair gave off an eerie glow in the rising moonlight. They had been walking for over an hour and neither said a word to the other, making Rukia feel more and more nervous by the minute. She tried to swallow.
"Rukia."
She almost hated when he started their conversations this way; it felt almost demeaning. Still, she shoved away her irritation and looked to her captain.
"Y-yes taichou?"
Hitsugaya did not look her in the eye. "Do I treat you right?" Rukia raised her eyebrow. "As a lieutenant, of course."
"Why do you ask that? You should know the answer." Suddenly Hitsugaya's eyes widened and he looked at the young Kuchiki fearfully.
"So, I don't treat you well?"
Rukia waved her hands rapidly. "No, you treat me fine taichou! Don't worry. I didn't mean it that way." His shoulders dropped and his eyes softened, catching Rukia off guard. "That's good."
The wind whipped past them, bringing with it a chill that Rukia could not seem to explain; it was not even fall yet. She glanced at Hitsugaya.
His features were softly outlined in the moonlight, but his expression became hard and concentrated. Rukia could never figure out what he was truly thinking, and it was beginning to crawl under her skin like an itch she could not scratch.
"Are…are you alright taichou?" She asked hesitantly. Hitsugaya turned and looked at her sharply.
"Yes. Why would you ask that?"
"Because you are acting strange."
Hitsugaya crossed his arms and huffed. Kuchiki was feeling bold. "I never act strange."
"That is a lie and you know it."
His face became red. "So now you want to call me a liar!?"
"Considering the fact that you are lying, yes! What am I supposed to call you? A truth-er?!"
"What the hell is a truth-er? Is that even a word!?"
Rukia came about one foot from the young captains' face, her ears hot with anger. "It is in my dictionary! What are you going to do about it!? That's one thing you can't rewrite!"
Suddenly Hitsugaya's demeanor changed, and his spiritual pressure dropped a considerable amount. Rukia stopped her heated rant and stared at him fearfully. "T-taichou? I…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"
"You're right."
"Huh?"
"I said: You're right. Do I need to spell it out for you?"
Rukia shook her head. "No. But I am still sorry. I was out of line."
"And so was I."
For the first time, the tone in Hitsugaya's voice was gentle; it was the same, gruff attitude, but there was a gentle edge to it that Rukia was not expecting. If it weren't for him standing there, she might have fallen over from shock. She smiled. "You are strange."
"And what is that supposed to mean?"
She sighed and walked ahead of him. "Nothing, taichou. Just know that it is not a bad thing." He caught up to her slowly and a faint sigh escaped his lips. "Fine."
"Y'know taichou? I quite enjoyed our walk."
"It's not over yet. We are still walking. And how was it enjoyable? We argued."
Rukia giggled. Hitsugaya could feel his cheeks grow warm. "I was just stating that I am enjoying the walk. And as for that argument…it really wasn't an argument. I saw more as a…a way to open up our communication."
He raised an eyebrow. "And you call me strange?" She merely smiled. "Yeah, yeah I do."
"Well, then I guess that makes you strange, too."
"Then we make a good team."
Hitsugaya stopped walking and could only turn back stare at the Kuchiki standing before him. The moon turned her hair a blackish-purple, and her eyes shimmered with silver. When Rukia noticed her captain staring at her, she could only smile and shrug her shoulders. Was this what Matsumoto meant by treating Rukia as a different person, and creating their own relationship?
"Whatever you say, Kuchiki."
"I know." She walked ahead of him. Hitsugaya could only sigh, but in his heart he felt a glimpse of warmth that he thought would never return.
Urahara could only stare at the report in front of him; his mouth was hanging open, leaving Ichigo to pace around waiting for an explanation.
"Come on Urahara! What is going on? What does that damn paper say?"
Urahara kept his hat down. "Ichigo? Do you believe that it is possible to die in Seireitei, then return to the real world?"
"No…Yes. What? I mean…maybe it's possible? Why are you asking me this?"
"Because," Urahara looked up at Ichigo with such a serious expression it nearly knocked him off of his feet, "If it is possible, Matsumoto Rangiku was spotted on that radar. Along with Hinamori Momo, who is supposed to be under surveillance."
"That can't be possible. Matsumoto was killed in battle."
"I know this, and you know this, and so does everyone else. That must be why the captains are so on edge."
"Yeah…wait, how did you get this information?"
The strange former captain could only smile. "I told you I would find a way to get it, didn't I? You are such a nosy brat."
"Who are you calling a nosy brat!? You are the one who is sneaking behind Kurotsuchi's back to get this confidential information!"
"Well, you're standing here with me listening to it. So you are partial to blame as well." There was a glint of humor in his eye. Ichigo growled. "You're lucky I don't want to fight with you, old man."
"If I recall, this 'old man' beat your ass last time." He patted his muscles.
Ichigo sighed in resignation. "You are impossible."
"Thank you!" Urahara smiled.
"It's all going according to plan taichou."
"Good. So now all of Seireitei is in an uproar. There is too much confusion and panic to see past their own noses. You have done well."
"What about Urahara and Ichigo?" There was a hint of fear in their voice. A deep chuckle came from their captain.
"Do you honestly think they will find out the truth in time? And even for the Kuchiki girl, do you think that she will make bankai in time to save the ones she cares about? The chances of either are very slim. Do you have any faith in me lieutenant? That I can exert revenge for us both?"
"Of course I do taichou. I will not question you again."
The captain passed a twisted smile. "Excellent."
Authors Note: I'm sorry to leave it on this, but it wouldn't be any fun if I simply gave it all away to you! I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and that you will be here for the next installment of White Phoenix! Thank you for reading! Please review, it makes me happy.
I will have the next chapter up before next year, I promise. But it will not be right away, as I have school to worry about. So give me a minimum of two months, okay?
Again, please review, and join me for the next update!
Evilmoose~
