CHAPTER 69: FAREWELL!
"Alright, that's the last of it!"
Tayomi beamed, giving a huge sigh of relief and wiping off the small beads of sweat that were trickling down the side of her face. She was finally done with the packing, taking with her all the things she would need for her long stay at the Squad Zero headquarters. Even though she knew she might be able to come back for a brief visit, she wasn't counting on it. After all, she was there to learn and develop kidou techniques for future generations of Shinigami, and there was so much work to be done during her learning process. She wanted to gain as much experience as she could before she returned to Soul Society for good and utilise it to help her comrades and her division.
"Yomi-chan!" Hinamori entered the room. "Come out for a while!"
"Ok!" Tayomi nodded. "I just finished packing anyway!"
To her surprise, she was greeted by the sight of her entire division standing before her, smiling and cheering for her. They all looked at Hinamori, waiting for her to give them the cue.
"Thank you for your hard work, Tayomi Taicho!" They shouted in unison. "We await your return to our division!"
"We'll work hard while you're away, so don't worry about us!" Hinamori smiled. "We'll make sure that whenever you call back to check on us, we won't give you any trouble, so you can focus on your task at Squad Zero and you won't have to be too stressed over your duties as our Captain!"
Tayomi could feel tears spilling out from her eyes, and the edges of her mouth slowly curved upwards to form a smile. She remembered how nervous she was when she first met them and was introduced as their Captain, and how afraid she was that they would be apprehensive about being led by someone much younger than them, who had been absent from Soul Society for a period of time. Knowing that she had the support of her colleagues, Tayomi bowed her head towards them in gratitude.
"Thank you so much everyone! I won't let you down… Let's keep the Fifth Division as vibrant as ever!"
She raised her head, wiping her tears and giving a slight giggle.
"I can't wait to come back and be physically around all of you as your Captain and your friend!"
Tayomi instinctively walked up to the Tenth Division barracks, making her way inside and heading straight for Hitsugaya's office. She ran into Matsumoto on the way, giving her a hug.
"Tayomi-chan! Have you packed everything you needed?" Matsumoto asked. "Are you looking for my Taicho?"
"Yup, I have!" Tayomi smiled. "I'm leaving early tomorrow morning, so I thought it would be better to be ready quickly so I can spend more time with people before I leave…"
"Haha Tayomi-chan, you ARE looking for my Taicho!"
"How many times must I tell you to address her properly, Matsumoto?"
Matsumoto turned around slowly, upon hearing a familiar grumble coming from behind her.
"Aww, lighten up, Taicho!" Matsumoto sighed.
"She's still a Captain, so you have to address her properly!" Hitsugaya snapped.
"It's alright, Susu-chan!" Tayomi laughed. "It'll be a long time before I hear her call me again you know!"
Hitsugaya remained silent for a moment once she said those words. She truly was leaving tomorrow. Once the morning had passed, he would no longer be able to see her everyday. He wouldn't be able to keep his eye on her, and they would both be busy with their respective trainings and tasks at hand. He didn't want to admit it openly… But he would miss her. He would miss her so much.
"Well…" Matsumoto gave a slight smile, noticing how her Captain's face had fallen, instantly knowing how he felt inside. "I'll leave you two alone. See you tonight at the party, Tayomi-chan!"
Once Matsumoto left, Hitsugaya immediately turned around and headed back to his office, with Tayomi following closely behind him. She closed the doors gently as he sat down on his chair, closing his eyes and giving a deep sigh. Awkwardly, Tayomi made her way in front of his desk, waiting for him to say something.
"Susu-chan… Are you okay?"
Hitsugaya opened his eyes and looked at her for a moment, before getting up and holding her in his arms, leaving her slightly taken aback.
"I'm proud of you, Sakuri… But I hate how you always have to leave my side somehow."
"You know I never want to leave your side, don't you?" Tayomi muttered.
"And you know I wouldn't ask you to put your opportunities on hold for me."
"Yeah."
"Well… Um…" He could feel his cheeks burning up. "After the party, can I follow you back to your division barracks?"
"Of course," Tayomi giggled. "You're always welcome to follow me anywhere!"
That night, everyone had gathered at the Thirteenth Division barracks for Tayomi's farewell party. Tayomi had told Ukitake that it wasn't necessary, but he had insisted on giving her a proper party to send her off. All of the Captains and Vice-Captains of the Gotei 13 had turned up, with the exception of Captain-Commander Yamamoto and Vice-Captain Sasakibe. They decided to have a barbecue that night and the atmosphere was lively, with everyone chatting with one another. It was rare to see so many seated Shinigami gathered in a single spot. Shunsui had brought out his best wine for the occasion and everyone was having fun. Tayomi looked around, looking at the faces she had known for so long, and knowing how strange it would feel to not see their faces everyday for a long time. Hitsugaya noticed the hint of sadness in her eyes and squeezed her hand tightly.
"It just means you'd better call back more often to talk to them."
Tayomi laughed and ran her fingers through her long black hair.
"Well… That's been the plan all along, hasn't it?"
As the night came along, Ukitake asked everyone to raise their glasses and give Tayomi their well wishes for her future.
"Well, Tayomi-chan… You're finally going to Squad Zero tomorrow." Ukitake smiled, his eyes beaming with pride. "I found you in Rukongai when you were still a child and I'm so proud of how far you've come today… I'm so happy and excited for you and I'll miss having you around. I've always viewed you as my own daughter so... All the best and come home safe!"
The moment Ukitake finished his short speech, Tayomi ran up to him and gave him a hug, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Thank you Ukitake-san…" She sobbed. "Thank you for saving me that day… And thank you for giving me a new lease of life…"
Ukitake nodded and stroked her hair.
"You've really grown up now, Tayomi-chan."
After going an entire round, with each Captain and Vice-Captain from each Division giving their well-wishes to Tayomi, it was finally the Tenth Division's turn.
"Tayomi-chan, I-" Matsumoto began to speak as she was interrupted by Hitsugaya.
"Matsumoto…" He grumbled.
"Oh, right!" Matsumoto grinned sheepishly. "Uh, Tayomi Taicho! I specially requested for our Division to go last, because we all know Taicho would have the most to say to you!"
"MATSUMOTO!"
"Oh come on, Taicho!" She grumbled. "EVERYONE knows it's true! I'm just giving confirmation of the fact that you'd have to most to tell her!"
Hitsugaya stared at Tayomi, who stared back at him awkwardly, wondering what he had to say to her.
"Umm well… All the best at Squad Zero and… Come back soon."
After a few moments, Tayomi finally processed what he had said and burst out laughing. She was about to run forward to hug him when Matsumoto stopped Tayomi.
"What Taicho really wanted to say was…"
"MATSUMOTO! DON'T-"
"That he'll do his best to grow taller as soon as possible, and that you need to work hard on growing too, so that you both can get married once you're back!"
"MATSUMOTO!"
"Huh? Growing taller?" Hinamori looked confused. "I thought it was after you two grew older, since Tayomi-chan won't be back for a long while?"
"Well uh…" Tayomi smiled. "Growing up and growing taller comes in a package?"
"Still, there's no need to be shy about it, Taicho!" Matsumoto hugged her Captain tightly around the neck. "Nothing wrong with wanting puberty to come quicker for you!"
"MATSUMOTO!"
The next day, it was finally time for Tayomi to leave. She stood before the Tenchuren* with her belongings in her hand, taking in a deep breath. The seated officers of the Gotei 13 and the Fifth Division stood behind her to send her off , including Captain-Commander Yamamoto. Hitsugaya stood there, still unable to come to terms with the fact that she truly was going to leave for a long time.
"You'll keep your promise, won't you?" Tayomi asked.
"Huh?" Hitsugaya looked genuinely bewildered.
"About growing taller!"
Hitsugaya blushed, instantly getting flustered.
"I'll try, alright?"
"Haha okay then!" Tayomi giggled, before giving him a hug. "I'm going now then! Work hard, Susu-chan!"
Hitsugaya tightened his grip around her waist and kissed her on the forehead.
"Call me once you've settled down."
Tayomi nodded, before forcing herself to let him go.
"I have to let go now, if not I'll never bring myself to leave."
She headed up the steps and turned back for a brief moment, to look at her friends one last time. The members of the Fifth Division bowed their heads down, wishing her a safe journey and moving her to tears. The Captains and Vice-Captains all nodded at her, and Tayomi knew that this was their way of showing their support for her. She took one last look at Hitsugaya and smiled, before she finally stepped into the Tenchuren and looked forward, towards the future. Hitsugaya sighed as he watched her leave, knowing that though their separation would be long, it was going to be temporary.
"And come back soon."
*Tenchuren: Heavenly Pillar-Palanquin, the main transportation used by Squad Zero to get to the Soul King's Palace
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Next chapter will be the very last chapter of this series!
Tayomi will finally settle down at Squad Zero and begin her work, and we'll have a timeskip to end off this whole series.
I hope you all have enjoyed reading this chapter! I honestly had a bit of a writer's block for this particular chapter because I couldn't decide on how to properly round up things before her departure.
Thank you so much for reading! Do leave any feedback if you'd like to and do stay tuned for the final chapter! Hopefully I can deliver the ending well, and thank you for sticking by this story :)