Would You Love me if You Knew What I was?
Chapter Four: Haunting Memories in the Rain
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. All I own are the OC and slightly altered parts.
Updated: 12/22/09
HOLY CRAP 7000+ WORDS!? JEEZ LOUISE! ONLY READ IF YOU HAVE A LOT OF TIME ON YOUR HANDS AT THE MOMENT!!!
Whew. This is a more…erm. Detailed and more appropriate chapter. Now that I read back on it I was seriously brain dead. I had soooo many errors with both grammar, the way the characters act, and how fast it was progressing. Although, since it's been up for a while, I couldn't take the kiss out… So I toned it down quite a bit while still keeping that 'aww' factor…I think it worked… if not then I'm sorry!
There's a MASSIVE change in dialogue in some parts. Like the end and such. So it wouldn't hurt for a re-read. I also changed the riddles… since if I kept them it would be overkill. I'll put the old ones at the end near the omake.
I feel like I got Ichimaru's dialect here. I forgot when I wrote it. So this is more of the way I intended this chapter. Now, I think it sounds more natural for the characters. I may have changed some stuff…but that's alright
"I believe that would be me," a new voice spoke behind her as Yumi turned slowly. A tall male towered over her petite form. His hair was like silver and his face resembled that of a sneaky fox.
"Y-You're my partner…?" she asked hesitantly, staring at the flowing Haori he wore.
"You must be Miyamoto Yumiko, right?"
"Y-yes, I am…" Yumi answered. Her gut twisted as she felt his reiatsu roll off him slowly in small waves seemingly directed at her. It felt like something was slithering around her neck, tightening its grip to the point of near suffocation. As quickly as it had come, the feeling had disappeared and she focused on the now.
"I'm Ichimaru Gin, captain of the Third Division. Pleased t'meet ya," he spoke easily and took her hand to bring it to his lips. He had an Osaka kind of dialect that she didn't mind too much but she still had a nagging feeling in her gut.
"You're so kind, Ichimaru-Taicho." The younger Shinigami tried to keep her voice from cracking from being so nervous. Every nerve in her body told her to get back, fast. There had to be some excuse, anything—
"Excuse me, Ichimaru…but you are not her partner. I am." Yumi couldn't tell if this was a gift or a curse but as she turned her head to the source of the voice, she met with the sharp turquoise eyes of her captain. His arms were crossed in the sleeves of his Shihakushou as he sent a glare in Ichimaru's direction. "I don't know what you're up to Ichimaru, but leave my subordinate out of it."
The Third Division captain seemed to sigh in defeat but that smirk was still on his lips, "'looks like ya got me there. Well, I guess this is where I say g'bye Hitsugaya-Taicho. Yu-chan."
After he had flash-stepped away, Yumi looked at her captain with a frustrated pout. "Alright tell me straight. Is this another joke or am I just doomed to a life of isolation?"
He sighed, "I'm your partner, Miyamoto. Deal with it."
'Out of the whole freaking Gotei Thirteen, I get matched up with one of the most infuriating brats of them all. Just my luck, Kami.' She thought bitterly and cursed whoever was controlling her life at the moment (Me: …).
"Alright now, listen up and listen good 'cause I'm only gonna say this once!" Kenpachi called out and everyone looked around for the fight crazed captain to come out of nowhere with his sword drawn. "You all have three days to get to at least three checkpoints and haul your asses back here. Just so we know you're not cheatin', you gotta bring something back from the checkpoint. Now, it shouldn't be too hard since the lot of ya is hardheaded."
"Oi, Taicho!" complained a voice as a bald man stepped up with his hands behind his head. "Why do we need to do this crap kind of thing?"
"Urusai na," another person replied, "Just do it so we can get it over with. Alright Ikkaku?"
"Alright ya idiots. C'ya, if you can make it to the finish!" Kenpachi grinned as he snapped his fingers. Beneath everyone's feet a gate opened and everyone began to fall through.
The sensation of falling made her gut begin to flip as she began to scream. "You have got to be kidding me!"
The laws of gravity took its toll on Yumi and everyone else as her body continued to plummet from the sky towards the large forested area below. She began to think of what would be better: to get skewered by a rock or get crushed in a hard landing. Either way seemed like a horrible way to go. As the ground got closer, she shut her eyes tightly and braced for impact.
That very moment, she felt time begin to slow. A warm pair of arms caught her in midair and she only managed to catch a glimpse of white hair before she felt the world turn upside down.
"Do you really think this is going to work, Yama-ji?" asked Kyoraku as they overlooked the progress of the event. The only captains taking part in the actual test were Ichimaru Gin, Soi Fong, Hitsugaya Toshiro, Kenpachi Zaraki, and Komamura Saijin. The rest were required to report to their divisions. Well, all but two.
"This woman has a rather strange reiatsu pattern, does she not?" asked Yamamoto as Ukitake frowned at the surveillance screen showing the progress in the test. "At first, this was the only reason she was accepted into the court guards without going into the academies."
"Is that true?" asked Ukitake as he pondered what kind of girl she would be like. "But, isn't that a little risky, Sensei?"
"Which is why I enlisted the aid of Hitsugaya Toshiro," he explained and sighed deeply. "At first, I was impressed by his own emissions of reiryouku… But at the time it seemed far more of a risk to Soul Society than this one."
"The Heavenly Guardian finally gets someone to watch over, huh?" Kyouraku grinned and pulled his hat over his eyes. "To be honest, I'm a little jealous!"
"Oh, come on!" Ukitake began to joke lightly. "You already have Nanao-Fukutaicho don't you?"
"True, true…" he pondered in serious thought, "Now that I think about it…"
The white haired captain raised a brow in curiosity. "What?"
Yamamoto cracked on eye open in interest and listened in.
"Her boobs just got bigger!"
A deep sigh escaped the elder's lips as he tapped his staff on the hardwood floors.
"Have you both forgotten that I am still in the room?"
"Ngh… What the—"Yumi groaned and opened her eyes to the bright light that managed to slip through the thick forest canopy. Signs of life surrounded her, ranging from vibrant colored birds to the omens of growling and faint hissing that sounded like it belonged to a far larger species all together. Her whole body felt sore but surprisingly that was all. She was pretty sure that she didn't have any broken bones and she felt surprisingly comfortable on the warm earthen floor. Temptation was telling her to simply sleep in the comfortable sunlight while a groan told her otherwise.
Blinking at the sudden noise beneath her, she slowly turned her gaze and yelped at the rather winded captain beneath her whose arm was around her weakly. Out of reflex, she jumped and quickly scrambled off of him and flushed a deep shade of red.
"Gah! What the heck!? How'd you—"started Yumi as violent curses threatened to escape her lips. Just as she was about to call him out for waking up in such a strange position, she recalled the warmth of his arm around her. It felt just like the sensation that wrapped itself around her. A movement from him snapped her out of it.
"You should be more observant, Miyamoto," Hitsugaya cracked one eye open and winced when he tried to get back up. She studied him, seeing the dirtied Haori that once shone pristine white and a bleeding cut on his cheek stained his tanned skin.
"Are you alright?" she asked. Genuine concern was written in her violet eyes. He saw this and shrugged passively. At the gesture he winced and mentally cursed himself.
"I've seen better days, but I'll manage. Now c'mon. Let's get this over with," he dusted himself off and then began to walk off in a direction. Frowning slightly, Yumi followed her captain with hesitation in her stride. Creepy forests of death weren't noted in the job description of a Shinigami. Well, at least to Yumi's knowledge. Maybe there was a clause she forgot to read? She would definitely have to ask Hitsugaya after this was all over.
All of a sudden, a cold shiver overtook her body and she hugged her arms on reflex. Her senses sharpened and only then did she notice that she had zoned out during her hike. Now, they were deeper in and less sunlight poured though. Loose vines hung themselves all over in loops and braids that got thicker and thicker until they formed a large tunnel leading into a large cave. An eerie mist seemed to escape from inside and made Yumi swallow a large lump in her throat.
"We're going in aren't we?"
"You prefer to stay out here?"
"You prefer to go in there?"
"Miyamoto…" Hitsugaya sighed in annoyance and quickly took her by the wrist. "You're going in there whether you like it or not."
"O-Oi!" she pouted and tried to release herself from his grip. As soon as contact was made, the feelings of uncertainty of the unknown were washed away. It comforted her…which confused her even more.
Giving up, she allowed him to lead her into the dark tunnel. It was hard to tell what was forward and what was the wall.
"This is ridiculous…" she muttered as she tripped for nearly the umpteenth time. Unconsciously, she tried to reach out for something in front of her to catch her fall and only managed to grab air. "Gah!"
"Sakes alive… You're hopeless." Hitsugaya began and then muttered quietly to himself. Within seconds, a ball of blue reiatsu appeared in his hand. The small source surprisingly managed to light a good amount of space within the darkness.
Yumi studied to small orb of compressed energy with curiosity. "Kido…"
"What?" he asked. "Can't you do Kido?"
Slowly, she shook her head. "No… I was never taught."
"Never taught…?" Hitsugaya began but began to remember some of background information on her. There wasn't much, but it did mention something about her inability to make her reiryouku malleable enough to form Kido. Instead of pondering further, he shook the feeling off and continued down the cave. Eventually, they stopped at a dead end with a circular platform with a raised alter in the center.
"This it?" asked Yumi as she saw that all the cool misty air was coming from this one place.
"I guess. So…" he shuffled inside a bag they were given with supplies and took out a clear glass orb. Walking up, he placed the sphere on the alter as it seemed to click into place. At that exact moment, a voice echoed through both their minds.
'Three lives have I
Gentle enough to soothe the skin,
Light enough to caress the sky,
Hard enough to crack rocks'
'No legs have I to dance,
No lungs have I to breath,
No life have I to live or die
And yet I do all three.'
"What's this supposed to mean?" Hitsugaya thought aloud as Yumi put her finger to her lips in thought.
'Three lives… no life to live…or die…!' a small gasp escaped her lips as realization caused her eyes to brighten. Her fist hit her palm as she smiled wide. "Water and fire!"
At that moment, a sound of a chime echoed through the tunnels and the orb began to fill with a faint purple swirl of mist. No sooner than that, a hell butterfly appeared and landed on Hitsugaya's finger.
'I congratulate you, young Shinigami,' an unknown voice relayed its message; 'You have successfully answered the first two riddles. Now, accept this next one and proceed.' The two of them nodded as the voice continued.
'Mountains will crumble,
Temples will fall.
And no man can survive
Its endless call.'
At this, she immediately blanked out, unable to even think a coherent thought for it. "Eh?" Meanwhile, Hitsugaya walked up to the alter and took the sphere.
"We should get going before it gets too dark."
"But the riddle!"
"We can figure it out on the way, Miyamoto." He explained and was slightly pleased to see that the tunnel was now nicely lit with some creeper vines. When they got out, Yumi looked up to check the time only to meet with a graying sky. Silent dread began to build up but she took those feelings off when she saw her captain going on ahead of her. There was a long silence between them… A rather long and uncomfortable one too, but he had surprisingly broke it.
"How did you figure the riddle out?"
She smiled sheepishly. "I really don't know. I guess I just had an epiphany. Anyway, any ideas for the next one?"
"I think I might have an idea," he answered as they continued.
"What, the prodigy is having trouble?"
"Urusai na!"
The clouds overhead continued to darken and the low rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance. Just their luck, they had found the alter in question. While Hitsugaya went to put it up her brows furrowed in thought, and her lips formed a neat line. She didn't notice a presence coming closer until he nudged her in the ribs.
"Hey!" she began but then froze when she heard the cruel hiss of not one snake, but two. An eerie white mask covered its entire face, leaving empty eyes to bear deeply into their prey. Large hollow holes could be seen just below its head area.
Both Shinigami quickly unsheathed their swords and got into a ready stance. "Damn, this is why I hate snakes…" she muttered. No more words were exchanged between the two as the tension became thick. There was a flicker of movement from the snake causing the two of them to leap into action.
Hitsugaya immediately went for the larger of the hollows. Hyourinmaru's white blade sunk into the scales and penetrated into the flesh in its neck. The cut was deep enough that blood streamed out of the wound quickly, but it did not stop the beast. Instead, it furthered its anger. Its lifeblood saturated the ground as it let out an unearthly roar to the heavens.
Meanwhile, Yumi was having her own bout with the smaller hollow. Being less experienced, her charges were ineffective. Although weaker, this snake was quicker and far smarter than its older brethren. Dodging another lunge from the hollow, Yumi huffed in annoyance and leapt up to land on its masked head, placing her left hand on the cold surface while the white still held her sword.
"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sear barrier surges, March on to the South! Hado no. 31: Shakkaho!" the chant escaped her lips as a fiery ball of compressed reiatsu formed and exploded at point-blank range. The impact caused the hollow to scream in burning pain as it writhed, eventually falling to the floor. Yumi had jumped off just in time to avoid getting hit by a tree as she turned her back with a victorious grin to her captain after sheathing her sword.
"Ne, ne, see that?" she asked excitedly as Hitsugaya had to avoid rolling his eyes at his subordinate. Instead, anxious thoughts raced through his mind. She wasn't supposed to be able to do kido. At the very best she should know the incantation, but all her files state that she completely skipped that section of the exams. Not only that: the form, the precision, and even the surprising timing was perfect in battle. And yet…
In his thinking, he failed to sense a sudden pulse from the area around them. It was only when he heard a sudden scream that he broke out of his thoughts as he saw his subordinate bound in burning scales. Nearly a quarter of its mask was gone and the rest cracked and charred. Its eyes, now alit with a bright yellow glow, seemed to dare the captain to come closer as the life of its captive was slowly leaving. The sound of her sword dropping to the floor was almost as deafening as the notable crack the resounded in the air. Another scream escaped her lips as her eyes shut tight from the pain.
The captain took a step forward to shunpo but the previous snake he supposedly dealt with cut him off, thrusting its large fangs towards him. Hyourinmaru was brought up to stop the blow but the momentum caused him to be pushed back.
"Get out of my way!" he demanded and then took on the offensive. Hitsugaya jumped back and then pushed forward, letting his sword slice through the reptile with expert ease. He rushed towards the other snake and he caught the pleading gaze of the hostage.
"Hitsugaya…" she whimpered. Her violet eyes were trembling, looking into his with a fearful gaze. In that one moment, Hitsugaya was struck. It was the first time anyone had looked at him like that. Nevertheless, the feelings that clashed inside of him lost to the years of training as a Shinigami as he jumped up, sword slashing down on the hollow's tail and thus freeing her.
As the snake began to dissipate, Yumi was on all fours panting and trembling from the rusty stench of blood in the air, on the ground, and on her petite form.
Hitsugaya was about to go over to her but she quickly silenced him by saying, "P-put the sphere on the a-alter…" Her voice cracked even as she tried so hard to control her emotions.
The captain quickly stepped up to the alter and placed it down.
'No man can survive its endless call…' he thought. Endless. What could be endless? And surviving?
A hoarse cough escaped Yumi's throat and he immediately began to break under pressure. She needed to be checked out now.
Now…?
His eyes widened. "Time!" The sphere suddenly came alive with color and lit with a pale red. He grabbed it and ran to Yumi, concern written in his eyes. "Miyamoto?"
"I'm fine," she answered, albeit a little harsher than she had originally intended. The hand that offered her help was pushed away. He glared at her, taken back by her rude response. Wordlessly she got up as well as Hitsugaya.
The sound of thunder rumbled through the humid air. Grey clouds circled and lightening ripped through the heavens. Her body seemed to flinch. Almost as if the sound had wounded her in some way. Her brown hair shadowed over her eyes.
"What's wrong—"he began but she quickly turned away from him and began running. "H-Hey!" Hitsugaya began to give chase. In response, the rain came down harder, beating down and making it hard to see into the darkness. Just when he was about to grab her arm, her form vanished into thin air.
He hesitated. "Shunpo?"
Run. Just keep running. Keep going. It was the mantra she kept repeating to herself over and over again. Nothing else mattered.
The rain pounded down against her, soaking her to the bone and washing some of the crimson substance off her being. Even then, she felt disgusted. Thunder clapped overhead and lightning illuminated the pained features on her face.
'Stop…' she pleaded silently, for her throat seemed to stop working. 'Please stop!'
Images projected through her head, racing and racing further.
Blood soaked the carpeted floor as lightning illuminated the room for a few seconds. A woman lay, motionless on the floor. Even while defenseless, an older man walked up to her and kicked under her ribs, earning a pained cry from her. Yelling was exchanged only to be muted by the deafening roar of the thunder and rain.
Huddled in a corner of the room was a young girl, hands clutching the hair at the top of her head and her eyes were wide with fear. Knees were pressed up against her chest in an attempt to defend herself from the pain about to come. Blood stained her clothes, body, and hair.
"Stop… Please stop it!" she cried, shutting her brown eyes tight as if to escape the horrifying nightmare. The man grinned wickedly and walked slowly up to the little girl. He knelt down in front of her, smile never leaving his gaze. No warmth was ever present.
"And why should I when this is so much fun?" The girl gasped and was suddenly thrust upward. His hand gripped the collar of her school uniform. A small hand gripped his wrist in a futile effort to stop him.
The man's smile vanished and morphed into anger as he then threw her into the nearby wall, creating a dent at the area of impact. A pained yelp escaped her lips and she whimpered while trying to crawl away. Tears cascaded down her bruised cheeks and blood trickled down her cracked lips. The stench was almost as bad as the taste of metal in her mouth. Bile threatened to escape her stomach but her vision swam when her head was roughly turned to face him.
"You're nothing. You can just rot in here for all I care now." He hissed and backhanded her. She spat out more blood and lay on the floor, body aching.
Thinking his work was done, he smirked and got up. He wiped his bloody hands on his pants and went out the door, not even bothering to lock it. The little girl blinked weakly and cast her gaze to the unmoving body on the other side of the room. Slowly, she crawled to it and examined the damage. Small hands tried turning the body over. The woman's chest no longer rose and her two eyes were openly blank. No life even flickered in them. The girl's eyes widened as she shuffled back quickly, distancing herself from the cold body.
"No… No…!" she whimpered and slowly began to put her trembling bloody hands to her cheeks. The blood that wasn't hers. It was then she began to scream, only to be silenced by the pounding rain.
Tears mixed with the rain streamed down her cheeks, blurring her vision. She didn't know why she ran or why she saw those images. There was no way it could have been real. She was a Shinigami, not a human! If so…they why?
Yumi continued to run deeper and deeper into the forest until she tripped over a large root unearthed by the instable ground. A groan escaped her lips but she simple got back up again and ran once more. The mud didn't faze her at all, nor did the heavy uniform on her body. Her brown hair, caked with mud and crimson, clung to her face and neck and her eyes shone with mixed emotions that she hated. Her arm quickly wiped the salty tears from her eyes. All this time, she had held them in check. So, why couldn't she now?
A flash of white caused her to blink as she crashed into a body. Her vision swam for a moment but when she regained focus, she gasped. Before her was the last person she ever wanted to see her like this. And yet something inside was racing.
"Hitsugaya…kun," she whispered, out of breath from running non-stop.
His emerald eyes widened but then narrowed as he grabbed her wrist tightly. "What the hell has gotten into you, you idiot!"
"Let go of me!" she yelled, twisting her body to escape his strong grip but he held tight. A sharp pain jarred her wrist and now both of them could tell it was sprained.
"Not until you tell me what's wrong!" he retorted, trying to get her to stay still. He needed to check if there was anything else out of the ordinary.
"Let go…I said let go!!!" In a blind rage, her free hand came soaring towards his face, using the momentum of her turn to add force to it. The attack was halted when he caught it just before it hit its intended target.
There was a bitter silence between the two Shinigami. Nothing was exchanged except hard breathing and the symphony of the storm. Hitsugaya studied her eyes that kept avoiding his. They were so full of fear; an emotion so unfamiliar to him for her to express. When she noticed that he was eyeing her, Yumi shut her eyes tight and then tore herself away from him at the opportunity.
Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes again. There was no way he could let her run away after seeing all that. Before she could run further he flash-stepped and grabbed her uninjured arm, pulling her into him. It took only a few seconds, but the time following felt like an eternity. The captain didn't know what brought him to do it, but he knew that if he let her go now she'd break.
Alarmed at the sudden close contact, she responded by pushing her hands against his torso. He held strong and she eventually let her head bury itself into his chest.
"Make it stop… Make it go away!" she pleaded, her voice cracking. He could hear her effort to push the sobs down.
"Shh," he hushed her, "Do you want another snake to hear you?" his voice was soft and calming. It was so different from their first encounter and the ones following.
A clap of thunder made her jump and she hit him again. This time, he flinched a little. "I don't care! Just make it all go away!" Yumi's voice rose and Hitsugaya was really worrying that something else would come. At that point, he wasn't sure he would be able to protect the both of them from harm. More importantly, he needed to figure out why his subordinate was acting this way.
His body, becoming impatient, overrode his mind and pulled her back a little by the shoulders. Her eyes, flowing with rain and tears, looked into his questioningly. Slowly, his hand released her shoulder and cupped her cheek. He leaned down and she felt his hot breath against her cheek whispering, "Shut up."
Before she could even comprehend what was going on, his lips descended onto hers.
The effect was electrifying. Shivers shot through her body as she blindly rode the waves of euphoria. The hands that beat him simply eased and rested on his chest. Her knees shook for reasons unknown as she began to feel lightheaded. Noticing this, Hitsugaya's arms snaked around her waist for support while still keeping the lip lock.
If in another situation she would have slapped him and possibly worse, but the only thing that registered was the numbing warmth that seeped into her very marrow. There were no titles, no ranks or codes. Just two people that weren't fated to meet but did. That was all that mattered.
Tentatively, her arms slid behind his neck, pulling him closer. In shock, the kiss was broken by the captain. Their foreheads touched, catching a breath that wouldn't return for a while. Hitsugaya studied her momentarily. Her eyes were closed, cheeks flushed even in the cold rain that soaked the both of them. In those few precious moments, he forgot everything. Their rocky start, his mission, his captaincy, and even Hinamori. His last thought shocked him the most, but it was expelled from thought as he felt her forehead burning.
The Tenth division captain pulled back as her eyes snapped open, as if she woke up from a dream. In an attempt to recover, she blinked a few times and began to blush.
"O-Oh…" she covered her lips with her hand as realization dawned on her. "I'm so sorry…!"
"Don't worry about it," he dismissed her and turned to the side with a straight face. He was lucky it was dark, or else she would have seen his own reddening features. "Let's get out of this rain first and ask questions later."
Yumi nodded in agreement as she took a step toward him only to stumble horribly. Refraining from rolling his eyes, he caught her by her good arm and steadied her. His hand went to her forehead to double check for the fever that still remained.
"You have a fever…" he stated and then took notice of her shivering form. Without hesitation, he took his Haori off and placed it around her shoulders.
Yumi quickly denied, "W-wait, then you'll get sick! A-and it's your Haori!"
He simply shrugged. "It's better than you dying of a fever anyway. Besides, I could lose my captaincy if I let you die because I let you freeze to death." Hitsugaya stated pointedly as she gave up. Suddenly, she felt herself being picked up bridal style.
"E-Eh!?" she began to protest but he cut her off.
"Just shut up and go to sleep." His strong arms slowly gave her strength and the warmth from both him and his Haori made it too hard to resist.
"Don't tell me what to do, baka…" Yumi whispered as her eyes closed, head resting against his chest to fall asleep to the rhythmic sounds of his heartbeat.
The snaps and crackle of a fire slowly roused her from sleep. Warm encased her as she regained consciousness, furthering her will to open her eyes. A cave ceiling was the first thing she saw and she blinked the sleep from her eyes. Her head turned slowly towards the warm bonfire beside her, close enough to feel and far enough so that the bouncing embers would not burn her. Eliciting a small groan, she sat up only to feel a cold breeze drift by her torso.
"Gah!" Yumi jumped and quickly lifted the blanket to cover the upper half of her exposed body. The only thing she wore was her undergarments. Looking around, two uniforms were hanging on a hastily made clothing pole near the fire to dry. Her bag served as a pillow and another blanket kept her from being on the dirt floor.
"Oh, woke up finally?" a low voice said as Yumi turned to its source. There by the cave entrance, she saw her captain freshly soaked with water carrying some extra firewood and a canteen. He set the wood down by the fire to dry and sat down on the opposite side of the fire from her. Some of his silver hair stuck to the sides of his face, losing its spiky form. But that wasn't what she was staring at. No, it was his bare chest.
"Y-You…I…err…what!?" Multiple thoughts races through her head. Suddenly she wakes up in some cave with nothing but her underwear and bra on. Then her captain comes in all his shirtless glory. Sure, his black hakama pants were still on, but that didn't stop her eyes from wandering unconsciously across the tanned expanse of flesh. Inwardly, she cursed at her inner pervert. But it was true. Her captain wasn't ripped by all means. He was lithe and his muscles were toned. Secretly, she rather like that better than the wild eleventh division.
It was his turn to turn a slight shade of red as he turned awkwardly. "Well, you were running a fever… and your clothes were wet so…"
"You undressed me," she stated it as a fact instead of a question. He said nothing as the silence was followed by the pounding rain outside.
Without him noticing, she stood up with the blanket around her and went next to him. The blanket that was used as the bedding, his blanket, was draped across his shoulders as he jumped at the warm contact. He turned to her surprised but she simply smiled.
"You'll get sick if you stay like that, baka."
"Thanks," he replied and turned his head to the cave entrance. There was still a fair amount of time before morning and there was no chance in hell they were going to go back out in this weather. Hitsugaya thought of the possibilities of scouting ahead alone, but thought against it when a flash of thunder caused his subordinate to let out a small whimper. Sighing deeply, he began, "You know…" her amethyst eyes locked into his emeralds as he continued. "Talking about it helps, Miyamoto. Well, unless you don't want to. I'm not going to force you."
Yumi looked down into her lap for a minute before shaking her head slowly. Taking in a deep breath, she spoke quietly. "Alright. I'll spill." There was a small pause but he was patient with her. Whatever she went through must have been bad. "I…have Hemophobia. Well, at least I think I do. Whenever I see blood I just freeze." She took a shuddering breath and calmed down. "It's like…my body remembers something my head can't."
"Remembering?" Hitsugaya questioned. This was something interesting.
"It's hazy, but I remember a dark room…" she went into deep thought. Her voice was reluctant, but she knew the best remedy for these kinds of things is to let it out. "I hear breathing…and the room is only lit by a lightning storm outside. There's a woman on the floor, too." Her voice began to crack, as if saying it was physically painful. "Screaming for a girl to run. The worst part is that I'm just watching it… I can't do anything but watch."
"Watch what?"
"…there's a man, I know it. He would turn to the little girl and… and…" Yumi stopped completely and brought her knees to her chest, resting her head there. "It's scary."
Hitsugaya frowned, contemplating how he would approach the situation. Sure, he was a genius when it came to battle and tactics. He knew his kido well and was also gifted with the strongest ice zanpakto today. However, even Hinamori said that he was clueless when it came to understanding someone else's feelings.
Hesitantly, his hand was about to rest upon her shoulder for comfort. But then a cold wind entered the cave, making the two Shinigami inside shiver. Yumi shifted closer to her captain on instinct and then burned red when she noticed what she was doing.
"Ah, gomen!"
"It's okay," he said and tried avoiding eye contact. The silence appeared once more and this time Yumi just wanted to break it. Summing up her courage, she finally let it escape her lips.
"Body heat…usually works… right?"
Hitsugaya stared at her for the longest time as she then looked away with her face burning to its core. "N-Nevermind!"
"Fine. As long as you don't get worse," he said, cutting her off. She was about to question him she noticed his own cheeks were tinted pink. Deciding that saying he was blushing would seal her doom, she smiled and scooted close to the captain. In response, his arm went across her shoulders, pulling her closer to his chest.
Although clichéd, she rather enjoyed today. Okay, that would be lying. Her day had honestly been the worst day she could remember. But truth be told, it was moments like these, where she could see just how her captain could be like anyone else. He wasn't just ice. He had a heart. He was capable of getting embarrassed, of getting annoyed, of smiling. Maybe one day, she could hear him laugh.
'One day…' Yumi thought distantly as her eyes slowly began to close. His arm brought her closer to the warmth that was too inviting to deny. Her head nuzzled his neck as she tried to get comfy, not noticing the drastic effect it had on the icy captain.
He swallowed, knowing it was the closest he had ever come to a girl. Even his childhood friend Hinamori never came this close. And those times were more childish. More sibling like. Years passed as well as those memories that felt like a distant dream.
A deep sigh escaped his subordinate and her breathing was slow and even, signaling her slumber. Now noticing it, he cracked a small smirk.
Reminiscing could wait. Maybe just a bit.
Omake Theatre (Same)
Ichigo: Wow, Toshiro. Didn't think you had it in you
Toshiro: Urusai!! And it's Hitsugaya-Taicho to you, Kurosaki!
Yumi: Uh, you do know that you don't show up til later, right Ichigo?
Ichigo: Yeah, but Mana got sick with a cold so i'm filling in
Yumi: -glares at a certain captain-
Toshiro: ...
Ichigo: O-kay...Anyway. This is what's on the note she gave me
Dear baka,
I thank you for reading this letter. Now, before I depart for good and say my final goodbyes, I would like to admit that--
Ichigo: Whoops! Wrong letter!!
Mana: -Jumps out of no where and snatches the letter while beating the strawberry up- BAKA! You took the wrong note damn it!
Ichigo: Oww, I thought you weren't feeling well!
Mana: I just feel stressed and all since I got state testing. And NO I don't have a cold! It's the damn allergies...
Yumi: Anyway, I'll ignore what just happened while I wipe out my memory of what just happened.
Toshiro: -cough- but you know you liked it -cough cough-
Yumi: -anime vain- I think it's time we get that cough checked out, ne, Shiro-Chan??
Toshiro: Don't even dare...
Mana: Damn this is a long Omake...
This is one of the older riddles from the original. I'm not putting the answer b/c it's pretty straightforward. Hehe
'Glittering points
that downward thrust,
Sparkling spears
that never rust.'
