"Ahh well it appears we will have to go to plan B to retrieve my little wolf cub." the first voice stated suddenly calm at the prospect of reclaiming his property stolen by the shinigami before the end of the winter war many years ago "We'll let her recover from her wounds and make sure she's back to full health before we claim her…after all it wouldn't to lose her to injury or illness. It truly saddens me that Lord Aizen will never get to see what wonderful things our little cub will achieve."
After what seemed like an eternity floating in the black abyss Kasumi woke to see through weary half lidded eyes Renji, Ikkaku, Yumichika, Rangiku, Toshiro, Yoru, and many others. The only ones awake were Toshiro and Yoru who sat at Kasumi's bed side Yoru alert to the rise and fall of her chest Toshiro reading her facial expressions looking for any sign she was in pain.
"You don't have to say it…" Kasumi said her voice barely audible.
"Say what?" Toshiro asked with a faint smile dancing around the edges of his mouth.
"That I was an idiot to keep fighting as badly wounded as I was…" she replied her voice growing fainter with each word "I needed to finish that fight I couldn't allow that damned Adjuchas to live after its subordinates had hurt my friends not while I still had breath in my body to fight…"
"While it was foolish to continue fighting as badly wounded as you were after back up had arrived I would not call you an idiot for refusing to abandon your post and finishing your fight with honor. In fact it made me rather proud." Toshiro said the smile dangerously close to breaking loose continued to dance around the edges of his mouth "When you are released from the 4th squad you will be given your choice of all of the squads and be given the highest ranked position open in that squad including captaincy if you so desire on the provision that you pass the captain's exam since you have achieved bankai."
Kasumi closed her eyes for a moment to think and said softly "I think the 10th squad will suit me just fine…the captain may be a bit grumpy but he's really a good guy once you get to know him not to mention he is in possession of the only ice Zanpakuto that rivals my own."
That drew the smile and a laugh from him as he said "So you think your Hokkixyokuyoruken rivals my Hyōrinmaru do you? We'll have to test that theory out later."
At the sound of his laugh several people shot bolt upright since hearing the 10th squad captain laugh was a rarity. Upon seeing that Kasumi had finally woken up Renji left to find Captain Unohana while Matsumoto and Karin roused the other sleeping visitors letting them know Kasumi was awake. With Yoru and Toshiro's help she sat up leaning tiredly against the headboard of her bed from the minute exertion Kasumi gave a weak smile to those in the room. Karin was the first to break the silence.
"You're lucky you look like hell…" she said "or I'd kill you myself for pushing yourself that far you damned idiot!"
Kasumi's weak smile grew wider and she gave a soft chuckle wincing slightly from her broken ribs saying "You'd kill me? That's rich I could have beaten you in our first match if Captain Hitsugaya hadn't intervened…as I recall that was the first time I had ever wielded a Zanpakuto and the first time I had ever left my body."
Everyone in the room sweat dropped and looked on in fear as a vein popped out on Karin's forehead before she roared with laughter.
"Fine you win this round but I want a rematch first chance we get…you got it." She said as Captain Unohana entered the room.
"I'm afraid that won't be for some time Kurosaki-san, Reitoushin-san will have to stay for at least three weeks preferably a month before she will be fit to return to light duty." Unohana said quietly with her usual sweet smile "Now off with all of you Reitoushin-san needs her rest and I'm quite sure you all have things to do the Seireitei still has quite a bit of damage to be repaired."
Everyone let out a collective groan at the thought of how much damage had to be repaired but one by one they came up to Kasumi and said their goodbyes. Once everyone but Toshiro and Captain Unohana had left Kasumi was informed that after she had one more visit she was to rest for a while to which she easily agreed since just sitting up for a few minutes had worn her out. When Kasumi's visitors came in she was instantly more alert.
"Takara, Tamotsu, Haru, Tetsuo, Ai!" Kasumi said happily "I'm glad you're ok…I was terrified that those damned arrancars had killed you guys."
"Tamotsu was in a pretty bad way when we arrived at the aid station but they patched us up fairly quickly." Takara stated "in fact we've been released to return to the academy however our course loads will be lightened for about a week or so. We'll let you get some rest now Kasumi you look like you need it."
"You'll come back to visit right?" Kasumi asked trying to mask her weariness.
"You know it!" Ai said brightly "We'll come as often as we can…we can't let Captain Hitsugaya visit more than your best friends now can we!"
"No we can't have that…" Kasumi laughed Toshiro made a face that made her laugh even harder until she started to cough violently causing Toshiro and Captain Unohana rushed to her side. "I'm fine…" she said panting after the coughing fit subsided.
"I think you should rest now Kasumi." Toshiro stated.
"No arguments here…" Kasumi responded still a little short of breath. With Captain Unohana's help Kasumi lay back with a loud groan after her friends and Toshiro left.
"Rest now…" Unohana said gently "I'll send someone in with some food later."
Kasumi nodded slowly too tired to do anything more than that. After a few weeks Kasumi was released to report to Squad 10 as their new 4th seat however she was placed on restricted duty for a little while to ensure she was completely healed meaning Kasumi got stuck with more paperwork. She sat at her desk working late finishing the latest batch of reports on the repairs from the arrancar attack when Kasumi heard an unexpected knock at her office door.
"Come…" she said not bothering to look up from her work figuring it was a messenger with more paperwork from Matsumoto.
"Is that what I look like when I'm working late?" Kasumi heard a familiar voice say.
She looked up to see the only two people in the entire division who knew her pain when it came to paperwork.
"Captain Hitsugaya, Karin…what are you doing here? I thought you two left hours ago…" Kasumi stated surprised to see them there she knew they had wanted to visit Toshiro's grandmother in the Rukongai this evening.
"We wanted to invite the squad's hero out for a drink… a human defeating six Gillian and one Adjuchas and achieving bankai before fully graduating the academy is definitely the makings of a legend to be told for years to come…" Karin said "Though I'm still waiting on that rematch you promised."
"Captain Unohana said I should be cleared to return to full duty after next week. So after my match with the captain I'm all yours…" Kasumi said laughing at the face Karin made "We are going to settle the fact that my Hokkixyokuyoruken rivals Hyōrinmaru if not in terms of raw power then flexibility and he asked before you did."
"Whatever…so how about it you going to come out of this little office and have some fun?" Karin asked.
"Sure my work was done hours ago all of this is Lieutenant Matsumoto's paperwork that I got stuck with since I'm on restricted duty." Kasumi said rising from her desk and fastening her Zanpakuto to her back with a chuckle for the face Toshiro was making.
"I am going to CHAIN HER TO HER DESK!" Toshiro growled stomping off to find his errant lieutenant Karin and Kasumi followed since this promised to be good.
They found Matsumoto in one of her favorite bars in the Rukongai as soon as Toshiro entered and saw her the temperature dropped twenty degrees Kasumi loaned Karin the scarf she habitually wore that was a Christmas gift from her friends since she was unaffected by the sudden drop in temperature unlike Karin. The two of them sat down at a table and ordered tea in deference to the fact that Kasumi was still convalescing Karin using her fiery reiatsu to keep the tea from freezing over and their little area warm as she could with the ice king on full blast. Matsumoto froze as she felt the full sting of Toshiro's signature icy glare turning around from the bar.
"Matsumoto you've been dumping your paperwork on my 4th seat telling me that it was done…and if that wasn't bad enough I go to invite my 4th seat to join me and my girlfriend for a drink only to find her slaving away on reports YOU were supposed to have done days ago." Toshiro stated "Get your ass back to the 10th and finish those reports or I'll remind you of why Hyōrinmaru is considered the most powerful ice Zanpakuto in the soul society furthermore you will do all of 4th seat Kasumi Reitoushin's paperwork for the next month effective immediately."
"…but captain!" she started.
"Shall I make it two months Lieutenant Matsumoto?" he asked gleefully.
Before anyone knew it she had dropped enough money on the bar to cover her tab and had flash stepped out of there. Karin used her fiery reiatsu to warm the place up and once Toshiro had calmed down enough she returned Kasumi's scarf to her. Kasumi poured Toshiro some tea all three of them looked at each other and just roared with laughter while the poor waitress stood there unsure of what had just happened. As promised a week later Kasumi was deemed fit to take on her full duties and after a clash of the titans between Kasumi and Toshiro bankai to bankai proving her Hokkixyokuyoruken was Hyōrinmaru's equal Karin got her rematch.
"Is that all you've got?" Kasumi laughed as she dodged another fiery attack from Karin's Tenen.
"Not even close to it…" she roared.
Out of nowhere a high pitched whistle brought Kasumi to her knees holding her head while she whimpered in agony. The sound changed and the pain began to drive her insane Kasumi only knew she had to get away from the sound she began flash stepping away one hand still holding her head.
"Kasumi wait! What's wrong?!" Karin said matching Kasumi's speed.
There was one problem at that moment she wasn't the Kasumi Karin knew she was an animal in extreme pain. Kasumi stopped suddenly baring her fangs and growling fiercely before speeding off in another direction with a speed that would have made Yoruichi proud.
"I've got to find Toshiro something's very wrong here…" Karin said rushing to find her captain.
Kasumi was in the woods on the outer edge of the 80th district in the Rukongai when the accursed whistle fell silent letting her collapse in exhaustion. She was slipping in and out of consciousness when she felt arrancar appear on one side and her captain, lieutenant, and 3rd seat on the other. Kasumi tried to rise and fight alongside her squad mates but could do nothing but watch helplessly as her captain and the others were attacked while she was taken through a garganta to Hueco Mundo. Kasumi was tossed roughly into a room after her zanpakuto was taken away she lay on the cold white floor drained of any strength she had left. An emergency meeting of the captains was called to discuss the situation and decide what action if any would be taken.