A Falling Star's Last Wish
C H A P T E R S E V E N
There are more people who wish to be loved than there are who are willing to love.
"Do be more careful next time, Okitetsu-san."
"I shall try my best, Ume-taichou."
The young woman bowed at the waist in thanks before standing straight again and giving a small smile. The medic-Captain nodded with her own smile before playfully shooing the newest Sixth Seat of the Eighth Division out of the recovery room. Tale waved to a few slightly-familiar faces prior to leaving the sterile, yet fresh, scented building and taking her time to walk back to her barracks. Within a few seconds, Asa and Jinsu were at the girl's sides and firing off questions.
"What did she say?"
"Are you okay?"
"Is the asshole gonna get punished?"
"Are you okay?"
"Can I go beat him up for you?"
"Are you okay?"
"Of course she's okay, Jin! Don't insult Ume-chan with your ignorant questions!"
"I'm not insulting her, I'm just making sure Tale is alright, mentally!"
"Then one's mentality that we need to worry about is your own."
"Why I outta—"
Tale chuckled to herself, looking at the two fellow shinigami that she had come to call her family. Being almost a full head taller than the two higher-ranked seated officers, she wrapped her arms around their shoulders easily. This caused Jin to let a ghost of a smile grace her lips and Asa to calm down from the rampage she was about to go on. With a simple smile and a squeeze in a one-armed hug, Tale told them that she was perfectly fine. No more words needed to be spoken.
And so, the trio continued their slow trek to wherever they randomly decided to do. Jinsu's Sato-taichou had given her the rest of the afternoon off once learning of his lieutenant's friend's injury. Of course, she would have to make up for it with taking the morning while he slept in. Jinsu found that he deserved it and had no hesitation in agreeing to the terms.
With a sudden thought, Tale grinned mischievously and looked over at Jinsu.
"So, what's this I learn of your crush on Kyouraku-taichou?" Jinsu stopped short and turned the bright shade of crimson. Asa laughed whole-heartedly, grinning at her best friend when she sent a flushed glare in her direction.
"You have no place to laugh, Asa! I see the way you glance at Kuchiki-fukutaichou when passing by him."
A full out battle went between the two after that. Tale quickly interceded the two as they started to reveal a few needed-to-be-kept secrets to the rest of the Seireitei as the fight continued. The hime chuckled softly before grabbing their shoulders again and continued to walk.
"Alright, alright, I get it! I shouldn't have brought any of your crushes up. I shall remember that for future reference when I need a topic to speak with you two on."
As soon as Tale finished speaking, the trio bubbled out into a fit of hysterics. Asa and Jinsu apologized silently to one another, trying to believe that they had just gotten into a fight over the revelation of a simple infatuation. And then Tale stopped short, dropping her arms and reaching for the sheath on her right hip… only to find her kodachi not there.
Groaning to herself, Tale dropped her head with a sigh. "I can't believe I forgot my own zanpakuto…"
Asa and Jinsu frowned, but nodded and told her they would meet up later that night for small gathering for celebration of her making the sixth seated officer's position. Tale quickly waved to her friends before blurring into disappearance from a few quick steps of shunpo. It was only a matter of moments before she found herself stepping back through the entrance of the medical-based Division's doors. At the front desk, a young fresh-out the academy student looked up from a log book.
"Shihouin-san?" the receptionist's spoke questioningly, not understanding why she was back so soon.
Tale smiled sheepishly. "I forgot Sutanegai," she said, motioning to her bare side. The girl nodded, motioning for her to continue on. Tale bobbed her head once in acknowledgement before going off to the recovery room that she had just left. Subconsciously, Tale scratched at the white bandages wrapped around her arms – from her wrist to mid-forearm. She had been healed, but the scars that were going to be there had a weird feeling.
Stepping into the recovery room, she found the bed that she had been using not made yet and her zanpakuto resting against the headboard of the bed. Hoshi's thoughts bombarded her mind.
You forgot me, Oki-chan! How could you do such a thing?
Tale chuckled, swiping the spirit blade up and pushing the sheath into her just-loose-enough obi sash wrapped around her waist. She had not found the time to personalize her shihakushō in any way, as of yet. When she had enough time on her hands, Tale made a mental note to spend her time in the small market located near the Tenth Division and buy some material.
Tuning her attention away from the bumbling words of her zanpakuto's spirit, Tale moved out of the empty recovery room and back down the hall. She moved past other Fourth Division members, recovering shinigami and made her way out to the front entrance of the division's headquarters once again. Looking away for just a moment at hearing the crash of a metal tray on the wood floor, Tale felt her body ram into another.
Stumbling back, she looked up, ready to apologize immediately before her amber eyes locked with soft green.
Beautiful, gorgeous, alive green.
She had never seen another so alive.
"Shihouin-san!" exclaimed the timid but deep voice; he gripped her shoulders to keep them both balanced and on their feet. Tale blinked a few times, rearing back to see the full features of the man's face.
"Ukitake-taichou!" she exclaimed back. Now most of the attention was on them. She dropped her head to her chest, her back now the only thing he saw as she bowed. "Please forgive me for paying no attention to where I step! I apologize deeply for my ignorance!" The lobby was dead silent as Juushiro tried to find a way to not cause any more embarrassment from the scene that had been formed.
Tale barely noticed the soft grip on her shoulders pulling her up from the bowing position and her hair whipping behind her head like a whip as the familiar speed of a flash step was made. She found herself taking in a new scent of cherry blossoms instead of the sterile smell of the Fourth Division. She looked up in surprise, staring at the captain that was slightly flushed in the face and still holding her by the bicep.
Hoshi was silent.
The two shinigami looked at one another before a fit of laughter overcame the two. Tale leaned against Juushiro as she staggered from her second attack of hysteria in the past hour. Juushiro himself couldn't help the warm embrace he brought the women into before he stopped from a small coughing fit. Tale straightened up immediately, holding the sickly man into a standing position. The fit lasted only a few moments, but the outcome was still just as bad as any other attack.
"Ukitake-taichou?" she spoke softly, being extremely careful with everything she did. Her hand rubbed gentle circles between his shoulder blades as she tried to lessen the pain of the coughing fit. He lasted only a few moments, but Juushiro was still very weary like after every attack. He breathed deeply, wincing at the burning sensation in his lungs.
"Shall I walk you back to Ume-taichou?" Tale asked softly, cautious of all his senses. Juushiro shook his head hurriedly, trying his best to stand back up to his full height, but Tale could not allow him to do such a thing. Slowly, she moved him from behind a tall wall to a lone crate and sat him down. Juushiro gave a small look of appreciation before trying to catch his breath again. Tale listened to the wheezing that he did.
Tale was just about to shunpo over to the Fourth Division and grab Ume-taichou before Juushiro's breathing evened out and the harsh wheezes and winces ceased. Tale was kneeled in front of him, one hand on his knee and the other on his shoulder, holding him up. The worried look was back.
"Ukitake-taichou?" Tale said to grab the captain's attention. Juushiro looked down at her, his facial expression telling he was listening. "I do believe I should get you to—"
"Juu!" came the laced-with worry voice of a certain Kyouraku Shunsui as he stepped around the corner. He knew the sickly man so well, that he could tell by just the release of reiatsu, when Juushiro was having an attack. Even though he had sensed Tale in the vicinity, Shunsui hadn't expected to find her there. With Juushiro. Holding him up. Trying to get him to let her go get Ume or Retsu.
"Hime-chan?" Shunsui tilted his head, brows furrowed into a confused expression before his infamous grin graced his lips and his strong arms crossed his chest. "I do apologize if I interrupted something…"
The look Tale and Juushiro shared was a pure horror, and slight disappointment for the falsity of the suggestion made by Shunsui; the two went into a fit of corrections on the situation, Tale jumping up and stepping back, but closer to her captain.
"Do not think such things, Shunsui-dono! Ukitake-taichou had bumped into my back at the Fourth Division and we were distracted in a conversation when we started to laugh on a subject and he had a coughing fit."
Shunsui almost believed the girl before he saw her glance to the left. A sure sign of lying, but, he would allow the lie this time, knowing nothing was going on between his sixth seat and best friend. (He knew all the juicy gossip around the Seireitei anyways.) Shunsui waved off the disaccusations, but the grin never left his lips. He stepped over to Juushiro's side and helped his friend up before turning his attention briefly in Tale's direction.
"Zuzu-chan is looking for you, hime-chan~ I'll take Juu-kun to see Retsu," Shunsui stated before starting the small trek to the Fourth Division with Juushiro leaning against his side. Tale watched, before taking her time on the journey back to the Eighth Division, her thoughts crowded with multiply things.
She scratched at the scars on her wrists.
-starlightstarbright-
"WHAT happened?" Asa asked as she stood from her chair at the table in the back corner of the small bar that the trio had decided they would go to for the celebration of Tale's feat of making sixth seat. Even though she would have been just fine with tenth or no position at all, Tale was very proud of herself.
She nodded, silently sipping at her alcohol, not daring to say another word. A few eyes landed on the three women before going back to the front of the bar or to their own companions. Jinsu ushered Asa back into her seat, scolding her for making such a scene. Asa only continued to pester Tale for an answer.
"Seriously? You forgot Hoshi-chan? How can you do that? I would die if I didn't have Narakukanki with me at all times! Jin, you'd be the same if it were with Rosutodoriko."
Jin gave a slow hesitant nod in agreement before pulling her attention to Tale.
Tale was silently drinking her sake and cherry blossom mixed-drink, taking in the rich yet sweet taste of it. Her eyes were focused on the rough texture of the wooden table under them, but her mind was elsewhere.
Okitetsu-san.
"Yes, Hoshi?"
…why did you forget me?
"I don't understand what you're saying, Hoshi."
Why did you forget me?
"I didn't forget you on purpose! How could you think such a thing?"
I can see into your mind, Okitetsu-san.
Silence was all that met the zanpakuto.
Author's Note:
OMG. COULD IT BE? IS IT REALLY?
Yup! I've finally updated. It's been over a year . . . but someone reviewed the other day and inspiration was set in my mind. I already have an idea for the next chapter, so hopefully I can get it out before my three-day holiday is taken away. (Today is my little brother's birthday. He's eight! And then Monday is Labor Day and I'm doing homework…)
Here's a few translations!
(Gekijou no) Sutanegai – Fury of a Star's Wish
Narakukanki – Hell's Frost
Rosutodoriko – Lost Dancer
Hoshi – star
Review and subscribe please! They all make me a happy writer!
Also! I've been asked where I get my translations from - it's a mixture of different things but I mainly get all my Zanpakuto translations from Freedict . com. :)