Author's Note: I do not own Bleach or its characters. This is AU.
Still Very Young
Her hands were shaking. Retsu noted it almost absently. She was quite aware that she was in shock, but she couldn't really bring herself to care. In her hands she held another note from her stalker. Apparently, he had discovered that she was no longer living in her house and hadn't taken that very well. The police had warned her that it wouldn't be surprising if her stalker's notes started getting more threatening towards her, but reading it was something else. It didn't help that when she had picked up the envelope, she hadn't had any idea what was inside. Retsu had thought it was from an insurance company; the envelope had been official letterhead.
She did her best to mask her reaction. There had been pictures with this note too. They were several weeks old, but they were of her in her own home in her pajamas and with her hair down. The picture also bore a sharp slash though her face, probably with a knife of some sort. Retsu shook her head when Isane questioned her about. There was no need to alarm her student. As calmly as she could manage, Retsu slipped the note and picture into one of the envelopes the police had left for her. Then she went back to dealing with her mail and the other paperwork of the day.
Retsu managed to keep it together for the rest of the day, though she knew she was distracted. Thankfully, she only had three hours left to her shift by the time she had gotten to her mail. Retsu managed to get home all right as well. She toed off her shoes in the entryway. The sounds of Jyuushiro puttering around the kitchen welcomed her home. Moments later her appeared in the door way.
"Hey," he smiled. "Welcome home."
And Retsu couldn't help herself. She burst into tears.
