Author's Note
I finally have time to post this chapter! My trip back to the US was soooo long! But I did get the chance to write this while flying over the Pacific Ocean. This may mean that there are typos though and I tried my best to weed them out. I also wanted to get into the start of the drama. Writing tension is oddly hard. I must be the only person to never get into drama or fights.
I had our pair move forward a little. Hopefully, this is natural feeling? This is the hardest part to write, so I'm not completely satisfied with this chapter and might edit it later.
Keep sending in reviews. I love getting notifications about favorites, follows, and reviews! I'd like to thank Squalo King, Nasha Rei-kun, and Lord Nighthammer for their feedback. There might be some competition for someone's heart, you'll have to keep reading!
"Tsubaki, don't even try to hide it. I saw you with someone from he Fourth. You were on your date. You have to tell me who it is. And it's not for fun now. Do you understand what being involved with someone from the Fourth will cause?" Yumichika was serious for the first time since Tsubaki met him. He was worried for her.
"It is that important?" She was still reluctant about revealing Hanataro's identity.
"Of course it is! Have you forgotten that the Eleventh hates the Fourth on principle?" He shouted at her. They were standing in a deserted area of the offices. Yumichika drugged her there when she arrived back from her date.
"Okay, fine! It's Hanataro, the seventh seat." Tsubaki was upset that Yumichika would judge for her choice.
"Him? Of all the men in seireitei you chose him? Sure he's seated but not in a division that knows how to fight. The fourth is the worst opition of them all! Tsubaki stop pouting. I'm trying to get you to realize that this is a problem."
"It's not anyone's business but mine. I'll knock sense into anyone who bothers us."
"You know that can't work. The second word gets out here, the men are going to go berserk. You're not particularly liked around here." His words rang true but fell on deaf ears. Tsubaki had just been assured by Hanataro. There was no reasoning with her.
"I'll keep it quiet then. He won't mind. He likes me," she held onto that knowledge like a rope.
"Fine, don't come crying to me when you get hurt."
The two friends parted in a huff, angry at the stubbornness of the other. Tsubaki was confident that she could handle herself, forgetting that Yumichika was the one who helped her most.
A few weeks passed, marked only by the few letters Tsubaki and Hanataro managed to write in their spare time. A rash of hollow activity had sprung up in both the human and soul realms. Most of the lower ranking shinigami were sent on missions, including Tsubaki.
Personally, she liked the human realm. It was so interesting and advanced compared to the slums of her youth. She wandered around when not hunting Hollow since she was alone this time.
The mission went without hitch. She was good at hunting when there were no cute healers being distracting or enclosed spaces.
Before she returned to Seireitei, she had managed to "acquire" some gifts. There was a necklace for her sister, a new mirror for Yumichika since she was feeling apologetic, and a package of stationary for Hanataro. She had noticed that all his letters were written on different kinds. He would find it useful and enjoy them she thought. She was proud of her thoughtfulness.
So in a better mood than she left, Tsubaki returned to Seireitei.
The first thing she did after washing up at the barracks was to head off to deliver her gift to Hanataro.
She would hang around until he was done with his tasks and surprise him.
How she found herself in a hallway surrounded by group of female Fourth division members was beyond her. One moment she was strolling along then, bam, she was pushed into another hall.
They looked pretty meek, smaller than her and soft. But they had an aggressive aura. Only one had the guts to make eye contact with her. She must be the leader of this little group.
Tsubaki was no stranger to the meanness among girls. Usually she was the outsider to it, her height and strength paired with her disinterest kept her safe. But as a child, the other girls had picked at her gangly limbs and the stigma of her sister's then profession.
Her hackles rose. But she was confused as to why a group of Fourth division members had a bone to pick with her.
"You need to leave Hanataro alone," well that answered her question, "go mess around with some grunt from the Eleventh." Leader girl had some balls. The posse nodded in agreement and made similar comments.
"What's it to you? You have to hits for him, little girl?" Tsubaki acted as if she was disinterested with her, crossing her arms and cocking out a hip. This made her womanly figure more noticeable and the smaller healer flushed at the insult.
"You're going to get him hurt! Beside Hanataro deserves better than some slut from the Eleventh!"
Okay, now Tsubaki was starting to get mad. "Hey, watch you you're calling a slut. Be serious, all you want is to have him for yourselves. Don't get mad that Hanataro chose me." Tsubaki put her best glare on.
"T-that's not true! If you don't leave him alone, we'll-"
"Do what?" Surprised that her voice wasn't alone, Tsubaki turned to look behind her where the voice came from.
Behind her stood the Captain and Lieutenant of the Fourth Division. She hadn't even felt them approach!
"Captain!" Oh, so now the little girl was gonna play nice. "We were just-"
"Returning to your stations? Isane why don't you escort the ladies back to the ward?" Unohana's smile didn't look quite as motherly as usual. Tsubaki shivered a little. And she thought her captain was scary.
When Isane had herded the spiteful girls off, Unohana turned to Tsubaki. Even though Tsubaki wa far taller she felt small under the weight of the older woman's gaze.
"I hope the girls didn't bother you too much. Hanataro has somehow managed to acquire a fan club of sorts in the Fourth. You'll have to forgive them," the scary aura had left Unohana.
"It's fine. I don't take instruction from those who can't fight me honorably. But I hadn't expected to hear the Hanataro's so popular."
"Funny, isn't? He is very shy. But you're the same aren't you? Tsubaki was it?"
"Uh, yes." How on earth did the captain know her name?
"Hanataro has a tendency to recite his letters to you outloud when he's working in the herb room," Unohana smiled gently at this and Tsubaki's blush. "I hope you appreciate them."
Tsubaki nodded vigorously, "Of course! He means a lot to me." It was easy to tell the gentle eyed woman this.
"Good, I'd hate to hear that he was broken hearted due to some girl playing with him. He's a very important member of my division. I'm sure you understand."
Damn, underhanded threat from the supposedly sweet Fourth division captain. Tsubaki knew she was serious. "Yes, ma'am!" She'd give a hard time to anyone but this woman.
"That's relieving to hear. Now why don't you go find Hanataro he should be somewhere around here." With one more smile, the Captain walked off.
Promising to never cross Captain Unohana, Tsubaki went to follow the faint trace of Hanataro's reiatsu.
She followed the trail to a screen door in a far off hall. The barracks for the seated officers must be a part of the medical ward. And if the faint smell was anything to off of, his room was fairly close to the herb room.
Tsubaki raised a hand to tap on the frame of the screen when it slid open. Hanataro's face peered out at her in surprise.
"Tsubaki san! What are you doing here?" Surprised but not unhappy with her uninvited appearance.
"Just wanted to stop by. Got you something," she drew out the package from her robe, where it had been tucked. "From my trip to the human realm."
"So your mission went well? Oh, come in!" Realizing Tsubaki was standing awkwardly in the hall, Hanataro drew her into his room.
It was more spartan than Tsubaki had imagined. There was a plain black desk against the far wall and a dresser on the near one with a futon laid out between the furniture. No photos or collections lined the walls or surface of the dresser.
Tsubaki was drawn from her inspection when Hanataro lead her over to the sitting cushions place side by side next to a low table that she hadn't noticed.
"Um, it was easy. Just some Hollows." Being in his room felt odd. Almost no one had been in her room. "You've been busy?"
"Same old, same old," he was opening the plain white package now, "New papers! Thank you Tsubaki san. I was running low." He stood to place them on his desk.
She looked down with a pleased smirk. The earlier trouble with the girls and Yumichika's worries no longer in her mind.
When Hanataro returned to his seat, he fidgeted around enough to make Tsubaki wonder what was wrong with him.
"So do you want to, um, want to..." He flushed.
"Want to what?" Tsubaki had feeling that she knew what he meant but teasing would be fun. He looked so damned cute like that!
"You know! Tsubaki are you teasing me? That's not nice!" He huffed at her.
Still cute. She drew him close like she had at the tree. He was so light. This time she brought him onto her lap, only to enjoy his embarrassed face of course. Tsubaki was feeling bold now, more aggressive. Once she accepted her reactions to Hanataro and how she wanted to respond, her earlier shyness disappeared. She was the dominate one in this relationship, time to own it.
Even though he was sitting on her lap, he was bashfully avoiding her now heated gaze. Determined to make him respond, Tsubaki tilted his head so she could kiss the underside of his neck. It was a decidedly feline action, maybe Shisa was a bigger part of her personality than she admitted. That made him squirm.
Moving up to kissed on the side of his face. "Did you miss me?" Teasing was fun. That was defiantly Shisa's influence. Tsubaki was usually too busy being intimidating to be playful.
Hanataro was focused on her now. "Y-yes." He was still blushing.
She answered him with a kiss. This time it wasn't that chaste or simple. Women's magazines were pretty helpful in this department.
Eventually, Tsubaki cut off the kiss or kisses by then. She knew she should go back to the Eleventh. Hanataro seemed dazed by all the action.
"I should head back..." She trailed off.
Hanataro's gentlemanly nature started back up. "O-oh, is it that late? I'll walk you to the gate!"
Before they left, Tsubaki straightened up their clothes which had gotten a little rumpled. It was oddly satisfying to see Hanataro like that.
When they arrived at the front gate, Tsubaki spotted the presence of those girls from earlier. Throwing restraint to the wind, she turned to plant one last kiss on Hanataro. That would show them girls who was boss.
Leaving a stuttering Hanataro behind her, she made her way back to the Eleventh unaware of the future problems that action would bring.