CHAPTER 68: OUR FUTURE
"Good morning, Captain-Commander Yamamoto."
Tayomi entered Yamamoto's office early that day, as instructed by him. She wondered what he could possibly want to tell her in private, away from the other Captains. She recalled how she was here the previous time, she agreed to seal Aizen and had almost lost her life in the process. Now that she had narrowly survived the ordeal, she wondered what the Captain-Commander needed to tell her so urgently.
"Well, Captain Tayomi, I'll get straight to the point here."
Tayomi took a deep breath, wondering what he was about to say next.
"As you know by now, Captain Hitsugaya is being trained to take over my position in future. Initially, Captain Kyoraku, Captain Ukitake and myself were debating between the both of you, but we were unsure of what your status was."
Tayomi's eyes widened at that instant. Hitsugaya had never mentioned such a thing to her. Even though she had only regained consciousness for a short while, surely something as big as this should have came up in their conversation?
"Both of you are the most talented of our young Shinigamis, which is why we've selected you as Captains despite your young ages. And because of that, we've also decided to train both of you to be the future leaders of Soul Society."
"Thank you for your words, Captain-Commander Yamamoto…" Tayomi bowed her head. "But if you don't mind… May I ask what your plan is for me? Since the plan for Captain Hitsugaya has already been laid out…"
"We would like you to train with Squad Zero and liase with the Shino Academy, where you studied, to create a new Kido syllabus for both the students and Shinigami of the Gotei 13 and Kido Corps to learn. We have always recognised your outstanding gifts as a Shinigami and we fully intend to continue nurturing you to allow you to enhance your potential."
"Umm… But my duties as Captain of the Fifth Division…"
"Huh? It's going to be like a long business trip?" Hinamori asked.
Tayomi spoke with Hinamori privately in her office, telling her everything that Captain-Commander Yamamoto had told her that morning. Hinamori gasped in awe, feeling nothing but joy for her Captain. Having the opportunity to even be in contact with members of Squad Zero was such a high honour, and Hinamori couldn't believe that she would actually be a friend of someone who would receive that rare chance.
"Yeah but don't worry! He said that I can still continue my duties as Captain of the Fifth Division. I'll be handling things in our division from afar, but I'll still be relying on you to keep an eye on the members!" Tayomi smiled. "And I should be able to visit from time to time, just to make sure things are alright around here."
"Well then, okay!" Hinamori gave her a hug. "Have you told Shiro-chan?"
Tayomi remained silent from a moment.
"I don't know how I'm going to tell him. I feel like… This is going to hurt him. Because the previous time I left Soul Society for work, he thought I had died. And having to be apart for so long, it's going to hurt him so much."
"You're hurting too, aren't you, Yomi-chan?" Hinamori sighed.
"Yeah…" Tayomi felt a tear escape the base of her eye. "Being apart again hurts."
Hitsugaya and Tayomi sat side by side on the rooftop of the Tenth Division Barracks, admiring the moon. It was full and glowing pearl white that night, illuminating the rest of Sereitei and making everything appear serene on the surface. However, internally, Tayomi could feel a slight tension in the air as she looked at Hitsugaya.
"Are you sure you don't need to rest more? You only just woke up, you know," he grumbled, feeling slightly awkward around her.
"Nope… I'm okay," she chuckled lightly, noticing the hesitation in his voice. Usually they sat much closer to each other, but for some reason, he kept a slight distance from her today.
"Okay."
"Well… I heard about something from Captain-Commander Yamamoto. Congrats, Susu-chan."
Hitsugaya turned to her immediately, realising that he had completely forgotten to tell her about it.
"Shit, I forgot to tell you… But thanks…" He muttered. "I don't know why they asked me though."
"Well, because you're capable of doing it!" She tapped his cheek lightly, causing him to blush.
"Actually… I have something to tell you too." Tayomi took a deep breath in before saying the two words that could hurt him the most.
"I'm leaving."
Once he heard her words, Hitsugaya's eyes widened and he slowly turned to face her. Tayomi was looking away from him, and all he saw was the back of her head and the moon glowing in the distance in the background. He could've only imagined how hard it was for her to say it, since she was unable to even look at him properly when she told him.
"How long?" He asked, mentally preparing himself for the worst.
"A really, really long time."
With her back still facing him, Tayomi explained everything that had happened this morning, quoting whatever Captain-Commander Yamamoto had told her, word for word. Part of him was happy for her, because being able to even be in contact with Squad Zero was something that most Shinigami could only dream of, and her being able to train with them was an amazing opportunity. On top of that, being chosen to pass her kido spells down to the subsequent generations of Shinigami just showed how highly regarded she was as a Shinigami. However, he just could not shake the sadness inside.
"So… You want to break off the engagement?" He muttered.
"HUH?"
Tayomi suddenly shouted and stared at him, straight in the eye.
"I DIDN'T SAY I WANTED TO! OR DO YOU WANT TO BREAK IT OFF?"
"WHAT? I DIDN'T SAY I WANTED TO!"
"I DIDN'T EITHER!"
"THEN?"
"I'M JUST TELING YOU, I'M GOING TO BE AWAY FOR A LONG TIME!" Tayomi slapped her forehead in exasperation. "IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE ENGAGEMENT!"
"Oh…" Hitsugaya mumbled. "Sorry."
Tayomi sighed and gave him a hug.
"I'll still be back from time to time to check on the Fifth Division and visit the Shino Academy… I just won't be around as much as I used to… And we're going to be apart for some time… Is it okay with you?"
"It isn't okay with me," Hitsugaya shook his head. "But work is work, right? I don't have a choice."
He kissed her forehead gently and held her tightly in his arms.
"You'd better make sure you return safely when you come back for good."
"Yeah, I will!"
"Okay, then before you leave, let's try to settle as much as we can."
Tayomi raised her eyebrows.
"Settle what?"
Tayomi and Hitsugaya stood outside Ukitake's office in the Thirteenth Division's barracks. Tayomi glanced at Hitsugaya, wondering what he had to do here. She knew that she had not visited Ukitake in a long time, but she couldn't come to a solid conclusion about Hitsugaya's intentions.
"Ah, Tayomi-chan, Hitsugaya Taicho! Come in!"
Ukitake motioned for the both of them to enter and they followed after him, sitting on the tatami mat in front of him.
"So, what brings you two here today? Are you feeling better now, Tayomi-chan?"
"Yes, I'm better now!" Tayomi smiled.
"Uhm, Ukitake…" Hitsugaya spoke, his eyes directed towards Tayomi.
"Yes, Hitsugaya-kun?"
All of a sudden, Hitsugaya bowed his head towards Ukitake, shocking Tayomi.
"I'd like to ask you for permission…" He said. "For Tayomi's hand in marriage once she returns from her training with Squad Zero and her task at Shino Academy."
Ukitake gasped and looked at Hitsugaya for a moment. He had never seen Hitsugaya so serious about a personal matter before, and this was the first time he had seen him bow his head for reasons besides work.
"I know that you were the one who saved Tayomi when she was young and brought her here… And I know how much she respects you and sees you as a father figure, so I thought it'd be important for me to ask this of you."
"Well…" Ukitake pondered for a moment before smiling. "I'm more than happy to entrust her to you, Hitsugaya-kun."
Ukitake walked over to give Tayomi a hug, and she gladly hugged him back, feeling tears well up in her eyes.
"You've really grown up now, Tayomi-chan… I wish you all the best with Hitsugaya-kun."
"Thank you, Ukitake," Hitsugaya looked up and gave a slight smile.
"Please keep her safe and happy always, Hitsugaya-kun."
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Yay my two kids are growing up :') And this story is about to end really soon, in 2 chapters!
Next chapter, Tayomi prepares to leave again and she spends one last day with all her friends before heading off to Squad Zero.
It feels bittersweet knowing it's going to end soon, it hasn't been easy completing this story but I can't believe the end is so near already!
A HUGE THANK YOU to all those who have read and supported this story ever since it started a few years back :) I hope you all will like the ending of the story and you've been enjoying the chapters as the story comes to a close :)
Do leave any feedback if you'd like, in regards to the chapter or any wishes you have before the final chapters! Thank you so much for all your support 3