A/N I thank anyone who has read this, very much appreciated. X3
StarTime101 – Oh, thank god. :D I'm getting really lazy with writing. XD Though I'm just reading other fanfics. :D
whitefyrefoxxy – Oh, yes. They'll realize soon enough that the pay raise wasn't their intention. XD
ShiningStar KiraKira – Thank you~! :D Your kind words make me grin like an idiot. XD
Chibi-Onee-chan – Writer's block got me a few times, but I kicked his ass. XD
Luafua – Ha hah! :D I was pronouncing it correctly. X3
Dina Sana – Thank you~! :D
Black Cat Angel – Yes, it would. XD It'd be very sad, too. XD
xXStarBurstNinjaXx – Kenpachi's amazing. X3 And yes, yes they are. XD I just wanted to write him so OOC I just couldn't help it. XD
Guest – They seem to be the crowd favorite. :D
dbzbnfan202 – Really, you thought that would hurt me? XD If you were swearing and said this story sucked, then yes, it would hurt me. XD But your review pushed me to try and write this chapter out. And it worked. :D So, I thank you dear reviewer. X3
O's and A's – I loved their time together. XD
...To be honest, I didn't think people actually took be seriously when I complained about not getting enough reviews. XD But ahem! Back to business.
ATTENTION ATTENTION! This concerns the next chapter! Next chapter will be short! And—oh, it pains me to do so—it will be... *drumroll* it will be done in first person! DX I can't write in first person worth shit, but I'm gonna attempt it! It will be the women's reactions and how they feel about the whole thing! Though it will be ending in third person.
I'm used to writing in third person, so don't blame me if it's crap. XD
But if I'm lazy I'll just write it in third person. XD
And just so you know I've decided to speed up the progress, which I'm hoping will get me to writing and getting the chapters out faster. :D
Drama... you gotta love it. ( -.-)
Disclaimer – I don't own Bleach.
Warning – Swearing and most likely OOCness. XD
-:-
A growl rang out.
"You made me give that woman a raise...!"
"Put. Me. Down."
Hitsugaya scowled, trying to let Kenpachi let go of his robes. Byakuya, standing in the office, slowly looked to the side with a flat look on his face. Ichigo, who was actually trying to do something, was trying to pull Kenpachi back and yelling at him to let go of the prodigy. Once he finally managed to separate the two he let out a groan and rolled his eyes, turning to glare at the two to make sure they stayed where he put them. Kenpachi scoffed before he sat down on the couch and glared ahead while Hitsugaya walked over to his desk and sat down.
"So, you didn't tell them," Ichigo said, crossing his arms and glaring at all three Taichos, in a way that almost looked like he was disciplining children. "Why in the hell didn't you tell them yet?"
"It ain't as easy as it sounds!" Kenpachi growled, glaring at the substitute shinigami.
"Really?" Ichigo asked, crossing his arms with a frown. "But you're... y'know... Kenpachi, Byakuya, and Toshiro. You guys don't care about people's feelings." He said as he stared at all three people. "Unless..."
A wide grin suddenly stretched across his face, which caused the Taichos in the room to frown.
"You love them!"
Their eyes shot open, spluttering at the man, with the exception of Byakuya, who only nodded as he closed his eyes to keep his composure. Kenpachi growled before he looked away while Hitsugaya stared at his desk, both refusing to stare at the substitute shinigami. They didn't deny it~!
"So, you're trying to figure out a way to tell them," Ichigo stated, pausing when the moods of the other three soured as they nodded curtly.
Kenpachi was pissed. The reason—he couldn't go to the Rukon. The others were pissed, as well, all complaining when he had to tell them. The old fart had ordered him not to leave until he told the woman. And telling the woman is something he did not want to do! Wait a sec! Maybe he can tell her discreetly, subtle like. Staying silent he quickly dismissed the idea. Subtlety wasn't his forte. Standing up, he sighed loudly.
Ah, who gives a flying fuck?
He had to find some idiot to let her join their division. And he'd much rather do that than tell her now.
"Where're you going?" Ichigo asked, sending him a suspicious stare as he stood in front of the door to refuse him to leave.
"The ninth division," Kenpachi grunted, crossing his arms with a scowl. "Gonna ask if the woman can be transferred there."
Hitsugaya and Byakuya stared at him, making him glare at them. What they hell were they looking at? Hitsugaya rubbed his face. It'd be best to try and find a division for Kayo first, though telling her first should be his top priority, but... he just couldn't do it! It pained him to even admit it!
"You gotta be kidding me," Ichigo said, crossing his arms and glaring at the three. "You can't seriously be telling me you're going to hold it off!"
"You tell 'em!" Kenpachi growled, glaring down at the substitute shinigami. "Then I'll confirm it when the woman comes ta me."
"I'm not going to do that," Ichigo said, staring flatly at the man. "You? Kenpachi? Scared?" He scoffed. "Now I've seen everything."
"I'm not scared," Kenpachi said, glaring down at the man. "I just refuse to tell her."
"Her?" Ichigo asked, frowning in confusion. He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. "What's her name?"
Frowning in confusion, Kenpachi answered. "Hisako Riko."
"You know," Ichigo placed his hands on his hips, still giving the man that scrutinizing look. "I haven't heard you call her by her name yet."
"I just did," Kenpachi said, rolling his eyes with a scoff.
Hitsugaya stared flatly, letting out a small sigh. He supposed he should go see Ukitake, since the man was kind. Pausing, he turned in his seat, seeing a hell butterfly heading into the room. Frowning, he held out his hand, watching as it landed on his finger. Raising an eyebrow he turned his head...
Only to see Ichigo's arms around Kenpachi's neck as he hung off his back, with his foot pressing against the wall.
So he was trying to prevent him from leaving.
Rolling his eyes, Hitsugaya cleared his throat, gaining everyone's attention.
"We have a meeting," Hitsugaya said, seeing his fellow Taichos frown. He ignored Zaraki's growl about having another meeting so soon. Narrowing his eyes he raised his head. "About one of the manors in the Rukongai."
Ichigo only frowned in confusion, finally releasing the tall Taicho.
"Manors?"
"C'mon!"
Kaori grinned widely, seeing both Riko and Kayo hold up their arms, both swinging their arms towards each other. Riko smirked widely, kicking her leg out, seeing the short woman quickly move to the side before she grabbed her leg and threw her over her head. Landing on her feet the taller woman didn't waste any time before launching herself at the blonde, bringing her fist forward. Quicker than the violent woman, using her short stature to her adventure, she quickly punched her side and up her arm.
Riko grunted before her arm fell uselessly to her side, turning to send the small blonde a glare before she grinned.
"Not bad, Kayo! You're getting faster!" Riko growled, spinning and swinging her leg out.
Kayo held up her forearm, blocking the attack, letting out a gasp when she saw Riko's fist. Turning her head in time, she let out a pained yell when Riko's fist made contact with her face, flying back and hitting the ground. Pushing herself up she turned, sending the woman a glare, seeing her standing still with a smirk on her face.
Kaori watched, her eyes wide with amazement. If she could move as fast as them, well shit, that'd make up for not knowing how to fight with a zanpakuto.
Damn Zanjutsu.
"'Kay, that's it!" Riko yelled, holding up a hand when she saw the small blonde quickly get up. "I'll lose this next hand and I'd rather have the ability to move than... y'know, just laying here paralysed." She said as she gestured to her immobile arm.
Kayo blinked. "So... I win?"
"Yeah," Riko said, shrugging her free shoulder. She scowled when the small blonde jumped and started cheering. "Yeah, yeah... great." She muttered, grabbing her immobile arm and shaking it.
The action caused Kaori to start snickering.
Riko sent her a flat stare, motioning for her and Kayo. The redhead widened her eyes at the action. She wanted her to fight against Kayo, the one that got top scores in hand to hand combat? Gawking at her friend, she watched as she leaned against the wall in the empty courtyard, staring at her expectantly. Gulping lightly she stood up and walked across the courtyard until she was a few meters from the small blonde.
Kayo sent her a reassuring smile, receiving a shaky one in return.
Holding up her fists, Kaori gulped once more. She let out a squawk when Kayo jumped towards her, moving to the side when she kicked towards her head. Reacting quickly she grabbed her ankle and flipped her. Landing on her feet, Kayo spun around and kicked her leg out, knocking Kaori's feet over.
The redhead let out a surprised yelp, landing on the ground, widening her eyes when Kayo stood in front of her, her fist right in front of her face.
"...I'll never beat you," Kaori said, pouting as she stared at the fist.
Kayo let a shy smile cross her face, stepping back and holding her hand out. Kaori hesitated before grabbing her hand, letting out a surprised yell when she was flipped, laying on the ground in stunned silence.
Riko threw her head back and started laughing, pointing at the redhead.
"Holy shit, I wasn't expecting that," Riko said, walking towards them with a wide, toothy grin. "Nice one." She commented, seeing the small blonde blush and smile.
"Yeah, well... watch out," Kaori said, standing up and dusting herself off with a scowl. "I'll get better than the two of you and beat your ass." She warned, pointing at the two, as if the act was intimidating.
It only caused the two to grin.
Riko frowned, grabbing her arm and moving it again. It caused the other two to start snickering, yelping when she hit their heads.
"Shuddap!" Riko pointed at the small blonde. "For doing that to my arm... you're buying lunch."
"What...?!" Kayo whined, furrowing her eyebrows and pouting.
Kaori grinned widely and nodded, for once not bothered that Kayo was paying. It was usually her or Riko that paid. But since she got her ass handed to her she didn't mind.
"Why the hell're we having another meeting, and for those damn manors?" Kenpachi grunted, trailing after the two Taichos that knew the way to the first division.
"We shall see," Byakuya answered, receiving a stunned look from the eleventh division Taicho that he actually responded to him.
"Aw, you starting to see me as a friend, Kuchiki?" Kenpachi asked, smirking at the noble.
"Hardly."
Hitsugaya rolled his eyes, ignoring the stunned looks from the subordinates as the three walked down the streets. It was rare to see two of them together, but three of them, it must be very strange. Especially when two hated each other and tried fighting at every chance they got. Surprising for the stuck up noble. He paused, stopping when he heard a surprised yell. The three Taichos turned, watching as Ukitake and Kyoraku walked towards them with smiles on their faces.
"Well, it's not everyday you three are together," Kyoraku commented, raising his hat with a smile. "What's the occasion?"
"Kyoraku," Byakuya said, turning his head to stare at the man. "I was meaning to speak to you."
"And I've been meaning to talk to you, as well, Ukitake," Hitsugaya said, seeing the two men blink and glance at each other with curious looks in their eyes. "It's concerning my subordinate, Shigeko Kayo." He said regretfully.
"Ah, she's your girlfriend, hm?" Ukitake asked, smiling brightly when he saw the short Taicho blush and frown.
"My business is also my subordinate," Byakuya said, seeing the laid back man tilt his head. "Chiharu Kaori."
Kenpachi rolled his eyes. The guy he wanted to talk to wasn't there, so... He turned, heading down the street, pausing when he heard Hitsugaya call him. Turning, he stared at the small Taicho, seeing him point in another direction with a flat look in his eyes. Snorting, Kenpachi turned and walked down the other street, receiving amused looks.
"Let's walk," Kyoraku said, following the tall man with a lazy smirk on his face. "Now, what is your business?"
"I need to transfer my subordinate," Byakuya said, seeing the two friends stop and turn to stare wide-eyed at him.
"The same goes for me," Hitsugaya said, frowning when the two dropped their jaws.
"W-What about you, Kenpachi?" Ukitake asked, gawking when he saw the man look back and nod. "Why?!"
"The old bastard," Kenpachi growled, stomping ahead of the group.
Ukitake and Kyoraku blinked and glanced at one another, furrowing their eyebrows and furrowing their eyebrows. Unknown to them, the woman walking by paused and widened her eyes slightly before a sly smile crossed her face. Is that so? She could use this to her advantage.
"So, you have no choice in the matter," Kyoraku stated, seeing all three of the Taichos nod. "Are you doing this willingly?" Two shook their heads while one stayed silent.
Ukitake shook his head lightly, frowning to himself. Well, this was... sad. Kyoraku sighed before nodding, motioning for Byakuya to continue. They spoke quietly, Kyoraku nodding every few seconds to show he was listening. While they spoke, Ukitake listened to Hitsugaya, smiling when he heard him say he was worried about his subordinate with how shy she was.
They made it to the first division, meeting some of the other Taichos on the way.
Shinji grinned and raised his arm when he saw the group, heading over towards them.
"Hello~!" Shinji greeted, seeing them glance at him and nod or greet him back. "So? Any of ya'll know what happened?"
"Nope," Kenpachi grunted, staring ahead lazily. "You seen Muguruma?" He asked, staring down at the man with a frown.
Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow. So he was thinking of sending his subordinate to the ninth division? Oh, yeah, he mentioned it before... Shinji quirked a brow in confusion before turning his head, smirking when he saw the man they were talking about heading towards them. Pointing past the man, Shinji saw the tall man turn to stare at the grey haired man.
"Muguruma, I need ya to take Hisako," Kenpachi said, some of the other Taichos that were walking by staring at him in confusion.
"Hisako?" Kensei asked, frowning in confusion. "That's your ninth seat, eh?"
"Yeah... I wanna know if I can transfer her to your division," Kenpachi grumbled, rolling his eyes with a snort.
Shinji tripped, quickly pushing himself up and gawking at the man before he started snickering. Kensei rolled his eyes before shrugging lightly and said Kenpachi just needed to send the forms to his division and he will approve it.
"Though I won't be able to give her the ninth seat," Kensei said, staring ahead flatly. "She'll have to work her way up again."
Kenpachi frowned. Shit.
All the Taichos walked into the meeting room, all taking their respectful places and waiting for the Soutaicho. Turning their heads, they saw both the Soutaicho and Taicho of the twelfth division walking in. Taking his place, Kurotsuchi waited until the old man took his place. Some Taichos sighed when they realized it was Kurotsuchi's fault they were there, for yet another meeting.
They had one just a week before!
Pouting, Shinji rolled his eyes.
"As you all know, this meeting is involved with the manors set all around the Rukongai," Kurotsuchi said, frowning when some people rolled their eyes, since they already knew that. "During one of the patrols two of my subordinates stumbled upon an... interesting sight." He said as he raised his hand and lifted a finger.
Everyone stared at the hologram, watching as it rose and opened. Some widened their eyes when they saw the blackened ground and trees, all staring at the building that was burned to the ground. Ashes and charred wood laid where the building once was.
"The main manor," Kurotsuchi explained, seeing everyone stare at him in shock.
"What happened?" Hitsugaya asked, his eyes narrowed slightly. "A fire?"
"Ah, that's the interesting part," Kurotsuchi said, grinning to himself. "We found small traces of reiatsu around the area. This wasn't an accident."
"It was on purpose?" Ukitake asked, frowning slightly. "Did everyone get out alright?"
Shaking his head, Kurotsuchi shook his head. "When my subordinates stumbled upon the sight, they found some people from nearby villages in the middle of burying the dead." Some of the Taichos frowned at the news. "Over fifty fatalities."
"Do we know who did it?" Komamura asked, staring at the scene.
"No, the previous residents of the manor, that got away alive, cannot be found. They ran from the sight so we have no witnesses at the moment." Kurotsuchi said, letting out a frustrated sigh. "It seems that some of the souls, interestingly, know the names of their zanpakuto." He said, letting a frightening grin cross his face.
Kyoraku raised his head, his eyes wide. "Really? They would need to go through Shino to learn something like that." Shaking his head he smiled. "Seems we have some prodigies in the Rukon."
"So what?" Kenpachi grunted, staring with a bored look on his face. "We're gonna try and find these guys that did this?" He asked with a snort. "That's like trying to find a needle in a haystack."
Some of the Taichos nodded in agreement.
"As you said," Kurotsuchi said dully, sending the man a glare. "We set up a few camps nearby the other manors."
"How many were there again?" Shinji asked, quirking a brow in confusion. "T-Thirty? Thirty-one manors?"
"Over a hundred."
Shinji's eyes snapped wide open, gawking at the man. Seriously? After they spoke about the manors they started talking about other business, concerning the Seireitei. Two years before, after they had debated amongst one another, it was decided that they would watch over the manors, a request from that one that had hid away in the Rukongai two hundred years ago. Though some of the Taichos did not care about watching the manors, some did not mind.
Some Taichos had to shoot Kurotusuchi confused stares after another announcement.
"Security system?" Kensei asked, quirking a brow. "What for?"
Kurotsuchi rolled his eyes. "One of my subordinates requested to install a security system. It may not be visible now, but situated all around the Seireitei are screens." Most of the people in the room shot him stunned looks. "Fukazawa built hundreds of little cameras, in case someone broke it those cameras would show the enemy's position and broadcast it on those screens, including the televisions I had put in each and every division."
"Sounds good to me," Shinji said, shrugging lightly with a grin. "It'd be faster than looking blindly all around the Seireitei."
"Nobody's stupid enough to break in," Kensei said, crossing his arms with a sigh. "Is that it for this meeting?"
Yamamoto looked up and nodded. "Meeting dismissed."
All the Taichos turned to head towards the exit, three tensing and stopping when they heard the Soutaicho call them back into the room. Kenpachi rolled his eyes with a groan before walking back in. Dammit. Hitsugaya frowned, standing in front of one of the oldest people in the room, feeling very uneasy. Byakuya stood still and closed his eyes, keeping his composure.
"Have you informed your subordinates?" Yamamoto asked, opening his eyes to stare at the three. He frowned when they shook their heads. "You have one day."
Kenpachi frowned. "What the hell happened to the last four days?"
"You are holding it off, which is very unusual, considering who you three are," Yamamoto said, making the three frown. Well, they were always blunt with whatever they said. Didn't mean they wanted to tell them. "You will not hold it off any longer."
"And if we do not tell them?" Hitsugaya asked, narrowing his eyes with a frown.
"Your subordinates will be transferred, regardless if you tell them," The three widened their eyes slightly. "And if that happens..."
"They'll be beyond pissed," Kenpachi said, frowning and staring at the floor.
Shit...
Kaori was panting heavily, her eyes wide as she leaned forward with her hands resting on her knees. Riko laid on the ground, staring at the sky with narrowed eyes. Kayo sipped at the bottle of water with an exhausted look in her eyes. It was one of those days where they trained like crazy. They stood up, Kaori leaning against Riko, all staring ahead with dark circles under their eyes.
"...We should eat before we attempt to do stuff like this again," Kaori said, letting out a sigh.
The other two nodded, all groaning before turning to head down a street. Their destination... a restaurant. They were exhausted, but after they've eaten they'll feel as good a new! Walking down the street, and finally getting feelings in their limbs, they started to relax.
"Ugh..." Kaori rolled her shoulder with a grimace. "Never going against Kayo again."
"Sorry," Kayo said, furrowing her eyebrows and smiling at the woman. "But Riko said-"
"I know," Kaori said, turning her head to send the taller woman a glare. "Don't hold back." She mocked, trying to imitate the woman's voice.
"I don't sound like that," Riko said, rolling her eyes with a smirk.
After they finished training Kayo finally brought the feeling back to their limbs. It pissed them off to no end when they dropped. She wasn't top student in Hakuda for no reason. But still, low, low move to make their limbs useless during a fight. But, ah, Riko said anything could go, so... it was Riko's fault.
She frowned in confusion when Kaori sent her a pout.
They walked through the crowd, looking for a place to eat. Kayo blinked when she heard someone clear their throat, turning her head to see someone trying to sell her something. Smiling unnervingly, she shook her head politely and quickly latched onto Kaori's arm. That was the reason she was scared to go to the shopping district alone. Sure, it was their job, but it scared her nonetheless.
"Kayo!"
They all stopped and turned, blinking when they saw the male third seat from the tenth division running towards them. He panted heavily when he reached them, bending over and resting his hands on his knees. He was being dramatic... Riko and Kaori glanced at one another with flat look on their faces.
"Did you guys... hear the news?" Renta asked, standing up with a breath of air.
"Hear what?" Riko asked, frowning at the man.
He frowned slightly. "The twelfth division was making their monthly rounds around the Rukon, to those manors your family built," Riko frowned when he looked at her as he said this. "and they found... Well," Renta rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "they found that the main manor was burned down."
"What?!" Kaori yelled, widening her eyes and gawking.
"Hold on, what do you mean the main manor was burned down? What happened?" Riko asked, frowning at the third seat. "No one could..." She trailed off, furrowing her brows slightly.
Renta shrugged lightly. "I don't know all the details, but I heard it from Kenshin," He said, frowning when he saw the troubled stares. "They found out just two days ago, and I just found out earlier, so I was looking for you guys." He said as he stared pointedly at the tall woman.
"But who would do that?" Kaori asked, looking at the ground in confusion. "Unless... it was an accident?"
"No, someone burned that building down on purpose," Renta said, crossing his arms and closing his eyes. Kayo stared at him, stunned, having never seen him look serious. "I heard the Taichos were having a meeting about it earlier, so... we should know what's gonna happen later on this week."
Riko slowly nodded, turning and walking away with a troubled frown on her face. Kaori and Kayo stared at her with furrowed eyebrows while Renta stared after her with pity on his face. Pity he couldn't help but feel. Heading after her, Kayo quickly thanked Renta, both her and Kaori reaching their friend.
"Riko...?" Kayo murmured, staring up at the woman worriedly.
She frowned before shrugging lightly. "Nothing I could do anyway..." Riko murmured.
"Not... getting all moody on us, are you?" Kaori questioned lightly, elbowing the tall woman in a joking way with a smile that look forced.
Riko smirked lightly. "Nah..."
When they found a restaurant to eat in they all sat down in silence, waiting until someone came to take their order. They were exhausted before, but hearing the news made them all extremely worn out. Riko rested her cheek on her hand, leaning on the table as she stared at nothing in particular. She wasn't as smart as... well, a scientist, so she couldn't exactly make a guess as to why someone would burn down the manor she grew up in.
She tensed and widened her eyes slightly in shock at the realization.
The place where she grew up in – the place she abandoned – had been burned down...
Her shoulder's slumped. As if she didn't feel like crap before. Kaori and Kayo stared at her in worry, glancing at one another. Well, this was... so sad. Sighing loudly they waited for their food, trying to avoid staring at their friend with pity.
For some reason, whenever Riko was sad—which was rare—they would get extremely uncomfortable, not knowing what to say to try and cheer her up. That made them feel so... sad to know that they couldn't even try to cheer her up.
During their funk they didn't notice the three peering in and smirking when they saw them. Kumiko stepped in with a bright smile, both Tomomi and Yumi trailing in behind her. They sat in the booth behind the women, smiling politely at the person taking their orders.
Time to test their acting.
"You know, I heard something strange before," Tomomi said, raising her eyebrows curiously.
Riko groaned and rolled her eyes. Ugh, gossips. They could shut their friggin' mouths and move somewhere else where they wouldn't bother people. Turning their heads, Kaori and Kayo smiled when they saw their food, thanking the woman before they started getting everything ready to eat. Though they had to stop and make disgusted looks when Riko pigged out, as usual.
"Yeah, what is it?" Yumi asked, smiling widely at the woman.
"I heard that Kuchiki Taicho was going to transfer his eleventh seat, you know, his girlfriend." Tomomi said, and since her back was facing the women she let a smirk cross her face.
Kaori stopped eating and widened her eyes, hearing Riko start coughing and hitting her chest while Kayo dropped her utensils. Wait... What? She stopped eating and lowered her head, continuing to listen to the women with a small frown on her face.
"No, really?" Kumiko gasped, widening her eyes shaking her head lightly. "That's so strange."
"Why?"
"I heard Zaraki Taicho was going to transfer his ninth seat, too." Kumiko said, looking upwards in thought, or appeared to be. "Do you think they're tiring of their girlfriends? They must really get on their nerves if they're going to so far as to transfer them."
Riko stopped eating completely, her eyes trained onto the table. Kaori swallowed when her mouth felt dry.
"That's so weird! I heard Hitsugaya Taicho was transferring his twelfth seat, you know, that little blondy," Yumi said, holding her hand out as if saying the small blonde was that tall. "Poor girls. They might be getting dumped." She said as she 'tsked.'
"That's such a shame." Kumiko said, letting out a sigh and shaking her head lightly. "But, what can you do? Eventually every relationship ends."
"Yeah."
"That's for true."
"I heard Zaraki Taicho was transferring his ninth seat because she," Kumiko smiled widely. "doesn't give out."
Riko curled her fingers into fists, her expression slowly growing livid. Kayo stared at her food with wide, unblinking eyes, breathing a little faster than normal. What...? Kaori furrowed her eyebrows and stared at her hands that clenched around her utensils.
"I heard that Kuchiki Taicho's eleventh is too annoying, since she teases him too much."
"Yeah, and I heard Hitsugaya Taicho was getting sick and tired of the way his twelfth seat was too insecure."
"I heard—"
All three women stood up and threw money onto the table, all turning and heading for the exit. Kumiko paused and stared after them, glancing at the other two and nodding. Slowly, all three of them furrowed their eyes and stared at the table, swallowing lightly. It had to be done. Though they didn't know if their words worked.
Outside, Riko stormed down the street, breathing heavily. Doesn't give out? Doesn't give out?! Fuck, she was gonna—she had been thinking about—for fuck sakes! She snarled and kicked the wall of the store, clenching her hands into fists as she glared at the ground. Kaori and Kayo ran after her, their expressions very troubled, stopping when they reached her. Kayo hesitated before trying to place a hand on her arm, crying out when her hand was slapped away.
Riko gasped when she realized what she did, quickly holding a hand out towards the small blonde with an apologetic look in her eyes. Kayo nodded hesitantly to show she forgave her, holding her hand while biting her lip.
"Do... Do you think they were telling the truth?" Kayo asked, staring up at the woman worriedly.
"I don't know," Riko said, shaking her head lightly. "I... Well..." She looked up slowly. "I remember... Zaraki Taicho kept trying to tell me something, but..."
"Ye-Yeah!" Kaori exclaimed, snapping her fingers and looking up. "I remember Kuchiki Taicho kept trying to tell me something, too, but it seemed he couldn't say it! Every time he said he needed to tell me something he would just stop and tell me to go somewhere else!"
"The same with Hitsugaya Taicho," Kayo murmured quietly, furrowing her eyebrows. They stayed silent. "Do... you think they really got tired of us?" She asked quietly in a timid voice.
Riko snarled and kicked the wall again. She was going to tell him! She was going... Shit! She gripped her head and curled her upper lip. Kaori stared at the ground with wide eyes. She knew she teased the man a little too much, but that was only because she wanted to get a reaction out of him. If he didn't like it he could have said something... Kayo gripped the front of her robes, staring at the ground with wide eyes. She knew her insecurity angered the Taicho, but she didn't know she angered him that much.
They all paused and turned their heads, blinking when they saw a hell butterfly heading their way.
Pausing, Kayo held out her hand, letting the hell butterfly rest on her finger. Her friends stared at her, waiting for her to tell them what the message was, frowning when she gasped lightly.
"...Zaraki Taicho, Kuchiki Taicho..." She swallowed lightly. "and Hitsugaya Taicho want us to go to the tenth division." At the questioning stares she furrowed her eyebrows. "For something important."
Kaori widened her eyes. "You think...?!"
"...Together?" Riko questioned lightly, her eyes slightly wide.
They stayed silent, staying where they stood while people sent them questioning stares.
Kenpachi tapped his foot before walking across the room, letting out a small growl as he paced around the room. Hitsugaya took a deep breath, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart, trying to stop himself from doing the same thing Zaraki was doing. Pacing around the room from frustration. Byakuya stared at the forms they filled out together(they helped Zaraki fill out his since he said his fifth seat usually filled out forms). They were really doing this.
Hopefully the women wouldn't be too upset after they would explain this.
"Where are they?" Kenpachi grumbled lowly, continuing to pace the room.
"We sent them the message a short while ago, they should be here soon," Hitsugaya said, crossing his arms with a sigh. "We just need... to gather our wits and tell them. We can't..." He frowned uncomfortably. "puss out this time."
Byakuya sent him a surprised stare for his language. "It sounds strange to hear you say such words."
"I'm frustrated!" Hitsugaya snapped, glaring ahead with a scowl. "Why can't the Soutaicho just ignore this and just let them stay in our divisions?! I mean, I know none of the other Taichos have gone so far as to court one of their subordinates, but what... W-What about Kyoraku and Ise?! They're..."
"They did not act on their feelings," Byakuya said, seeing the prodigy frown.
"Well, they should!" Kenpachi snapped, continuing his pacing, which was starting to irk the other two. "Fuck each other and get it over with. Then maybe the old bastard will fixate on them instead of us!" He snarled, kicking over the couch.
"Pick that up," Hitsugaya said, seeing the man snort before he amazingly did as he was told.
"Strange," Byakuya murmured, staring at the scarred man. "Are you telling me you are actually worried about us, as well?" He asked, motioning to him and the prodigy with brow raised in question.
Kenpachi looked at him sharply. "What and you...?! Ah...! Shuddap!" He snapped, looking away with a snarl.
"Do you see us as friends?" Byakuya taunted lightly, wanting to get his mind off of the situation at hand.
"I said shuddap!"
"If you see us as friends then maybe you should—"
"I swear, Kuchiki, I won't hesitate to go over there and bitch-slap you!"
"You wouldn't dare."
"Wanna try me?"
"Attempt it and see what happens."
"Fine! Get over here...!"
"Stop!" Hitsugaya yelled, stepping in between the two and holding his hands out with a scowl. "I'm the youngest in this room and yet I'm the one acting like an adult! I expected better from you, Kuchiki. And you Zaraki... well, I expected this from you." He said with a frustrated sigh. "Just go back to pacing and bitching, Zaraki."
Kenpachi mocked his words and went back to doing just that, walking around the room as he grumbled. He didn't even comment on the fact that Hitsugaya cursed at him.
Byakuya looked up sharply. "They are here."
Kenpachi and Hitsugaya stopped, staring at him with wide eyes before the tallest of the three walked over to them, crossing his arms and taking a deep breath to calm his nerves. They stood near the desk, next to the forms, staring at anything but the door. Though they tensed when they heard a knock. They were transferring seated officers, who would need to climb their way back up... How could this go wrong?, they thought humorlessly.
The door slid open, the three women walking into the room. They stood in a line, standing across from the three Taichos. They stared at the Taichos for a moment before their eyes slowly trailed towards the desk and stared at the forms. Their eyes slowly grew wide with realization, which made the men go rigid and question how they knew. They couldn't possibly know... could they?
Each group stayed quiet.
Nobody spoke a word.
It was... tense in the room.
Silent.
January 30, 2013