Journal 6, Entry 47
I just finished the longest shift of my life, and I just need to get my thoughts in order before I pass out for the night. (๑ᵕ⌓ᵕ̤)
In the last few weeks, ever since the start of Operation Hornet, the number of patients coming into the medical wing has increased ten-fold, and Squad 4 has hardly been able to keep up.
I don't think I've even seen Captain Kotetsu sleep, no matter how much me and Yamada-kun try to make her! ૮₍ ˃ ⤙ ˂ ₎ა
Anyway, the number of wounded has just been climbing and climbing, but according to some of the more recent patients, they've actually managed to secure a beachhead and create an FOB on the north coast for the first time since we were driven out at the start of the war! \(^ᵕ^ )/ Captain Kurotsuchi was able to get a garganta gate setup to directly connect the FOB to the Medical Wing here in Las Noches, which has been a boon to the men and women on the frontlines.
You're probably wondering about how I know all those big, smart military terms I just used! Well, I don't know if you've heard yet, but before Operation Hornet was launched, the divisions all got reorganized, so for the first time since the Second Invasion and the Battle of the Schatten Bereich, all 13 divisions have a Captain and a Lieutenant! And you'll never guess who got promoted to Lieutenant of the 4th Division… Of course, it's yours truly!
I've been working with the 4th for so long I never even considered I might end up in any kind of official position. At this point the Head Captain has stopped caring about whether someone is a shinigami or not when making them officers with how shorthanded we are. Human, hollow, even some Quincy defectors, if the Head Captain deems you worthy, and the others agree, that's that.
I was surprised when Captain Kotetsu nominated me, because ever since her sister was killed in the Battle of Torre Del Sol, she was… distant. Not that I can blame her, I know all to well the pain that losing a sibling can cause. It was why I was able to talk to her, and help her grieve, at least a little bit. After she lost her first captain, her sister was the one that she really relied on, so when that happened, she really needed someone else.
Unfortunately, we didn't really have time to do much grieving considering the state of the war, especially with the number of casualties that resulted from that battle. I think the work helped her work through that grief a bit.
Once things calmed down though, me and Kotets- Isane-chan (she was very insistent that I use her first name when we are off duty, but old habits die hard (-﹏-) ) have gotten to be very close friends. Like I said before, she really needed support, and I was glad to lend it to her. But I also made sure I wasn't the only one, she really needed a network of support to keep her going (heck we all needed that, if I'm being honest). We worked really hard together, every second that we got off from the Medical Wing we sparred and tried to get stronger.
I'm still not all that familiar with Gotei history (despite being a Lieutenant now ( ◡̀_◡́) ) but apparently Isane-chan being promoted to Captain without having a Bankai was a big deal, and not for a good reason. Both of us knew we wouldn't be able to stay huddled in the Las Noches Medical Wing for the rest of the war, and our skills would be needed in the field for future battles, so we committed to getting stronger. ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ
Isane-chan trained really hard with her Zanpakutō, and was able to successfully achieve Bankai after just a few months! I trained super hard with my Shun Shun Rikka, specifically with Tsubaki. Both my healing and defensive abilities were strong and well rounded, but I have never been good at attacking. But it was made very clear very early in the war that needing to fight back was vital.
The strength of Shun Shun Rikka is affected by my emotions, and some of the events in the war brought out some… negative emotions I'd rather not talk about. But they were what I needed to learn how to attack, how to… kill. Kurosaki-kun is a protector, and he (indirectly) taught me that sometimes to protect what you love, it is sometimes necessary to harden your heart.
I actually learned how to channel my negative emotions and truly use that side of my power from an unlikely source, one you'll probably not even be able to guess… The man that saved me at the very beginning of the war, Grimmjow-san. He acts all tough, but he's really a big softie, like any cat.
(I feel like I need to look over my shoulder just writing that down (⋟﹏⋞) ).
With Grimmjow-san's help, I learned how to use Tsubaki to fire a large beam similar to a Cero, but the beam rejected anything it touched. Not only that, but it turned out the Shun Shun Rikka could project into a staff/axe thing letting me fight in close combat too! Lieutenant Yadōmaru jokingly called it "Hard Light", apparently it's a thing from movies or anime. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Lieutenant Yadō- Lisa-chan also lent me some help when it came to using that axe, because she uses a polearm, so the fighting styles are kind of similar. I haven't made much progress on that though, but I'll keep trying.
While we were training yesterday Kurosaki-kun actually dropped by! It was the first time I'd seen him in weeks, he'd been sent on some secret mission by the Head Captain. He said he couldn't stay for long but it turns out he came by Las Noches just to wish me a Happy Birthday! I didn't even realize my birthday had passed but it was really sweet of him to do that. It really made my day. ⸜(。˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝
I can feel my eyes getting heavy, and I've got another full shift ahead of me tomorrow, so I better get to bed. Oh, and apparently I might actually get deployed to the FOB in the next week! Kurosaki-kun is going to flip when he hears, but I'm tired of hiding behind him.
Now I just need to work up the guts to confess to him
Orihime Inoue
September 7, 2007
Author's Notes:
Orihime is working hard and getting stronger. When the world ends up like this there isn't much more you can do. I thought the emojis would be a good way to add a little Hime personality to it, she seems like the type to doodle in her notebook.
If you want to see what Orihime's melee weapon looks like, Google "Fight For Our Love – Ichigo and Orihime" it should be the first image result.
Lastly, I, personally, like when an author gives some insight into their process of writing. Since this is my first fic, I may as well man up and do it myself. This will give you just a bit, and I may show an updated version down the line, but don't expect it for a while.
ibb . co / 9GthD1n
