Disclaimer:
I don't own Bleach or any ideas/characters. I only own references and images for my OC.
Chapter 7
Toshiro POV
It was four days after the attack in the Rukon district. I was standing on the rooftop of the building where the intruder attacked Kimura. I narrowed my eyes trying to find any piece of information. I heard the rustling behind me and felt Captain Shinji Hirako walk next to me.
"Thank you for coming Captain Hirako." I said as I glanced to my right.
"No problem, Toshiro. Any luck finding a clue?" He asked me as he inspected the area also. The repairs still have not been started in this area, so the scene was still intact.
"Nothing – it is as if he was never here to begin with." I turned my head to look at him. "Could he have been a Visored?" I asked trying to decipher what this man was. I watched as Shinji shook his head in the negative.
"No, not a Visored. I would have been able to tell that right away." I turned my attention back to the area and stayed silent but felt him continue to look at me. "Has Kimura mentioned anything else about this attacker?" he asked me.
"No, nothing additional. He used acid to burn her. He was not expecting me to show up during their fight. What's odd is that I watched her fight with Rangiku and knew she was holding everything back, but this man seemed to be out pacing her. He wants something from her, he was adamant about that fact before he disappeared." I turned my head to Shinji and saw the conflict in his eyes.
"Have you spoke to the Head Captain yet?" He asked me before turning around to return to the seireitei.
"No, why?" I questioned turning fully to face him.
"I suggest you speak to the Head Captain before you continue down this path Toshiro." Shinji stated as he moved to vanish but paused before continuing. "Toshiro…. Its good to see you care about something, you're always so cold, distant, and withdrawn even from your squad I've noticed. Seeing you interested in Kimura's situation like this, it's good to see." He finished before finally vanishing back to the seireitei. I stared at the space that he was just occupying before stealing myself and heading towards the head captain's office.
Kimura POV
I had been released from the medical wing 3 days ago. I had avoided Captain Hitsugaya like the plague and finally took the opportunity to head towards my father's office since Rangiku said that the captain went back to where I was attacked trying to find any information.
My father was right, someone is hunting me but how did they get into the soul society without anyone noticing. This was not good, and who the hell was this guy. I had been in the Royal Guard for 100 years, no one should know anything about me anymore. I waited this long to return to ensure that anyone who knew was gone or no longer a threat.
I finally took a normal step when I arrived in front of squad one's barracks. I went to open the door when I felt Captain Hitsugaya appear next me.
"Captain Hitsugaya! What are you doing here?" I asked quickly. He looked at my face than down at my bandaged right arm. I watched as he took a step forward and lightly passed his fingers over my arm.
"How are you feeling?" He asked still looking at my arm and passing his fingers over my wrappings. When I didn't reply right away, he stopped moving his hand and looked down into my eyes.
"I'm fine sir, thank you for asking." I replied, blushing for some reason. 'Snap out of it Kimura, he's your captain.' I stayed silent until I heard him move to open the doors to the barrack and walk inside. 'Great…. He's going to see my father also.' I said to myself as I heard Tianma and Shenron snicker in my head.
We both reached the main office and before either of us could knock the doors fly open to reveal a very angry Nanao. I took a slight step back, knowing from experience that I did not want to be in close proximity of her and that damn clipboard.
"Took your time coming here!" She shouted at the both of us before clearing her throat and composing herself while adjusting her glasses. "Come inside – he's been waiting." She said as she gave me her death glare which is usually reserved for my father when he's drunk.
I gulped and proceeded behind Captain Hitsugaya deeper into the office. I looked around my captain and saw my father leaning against the front of his desk with his arms crossed and his usual hat tipped to cover his eyes. Stealing myself for this I stood taller, and stepped next to Captain Hitsugaya, who glanced at me from the corner of his eyes.
We both knelt in front of my father and bowed our heads out of respect.
"Three days…. Three days…. I have been waiting for someone…. Anyone… and by anyone, I mean one of you two to come here and explain to me what the hell happened." Shunsui said in a very calm and deadly voice. I didn't bother looking up but did close my eyes tighter. I heard Captain Hitsugaya shift next to me, but he also refrained from speaking yet.
"Ugh! Would you two stand up I can't yell at people when they're kneeling! It seems wrong!" My father exclaimed while throwing his hands up in the air and walking around his desk and sitting in his chair. "Get up! And start talking."
I stood as my father commanded feeling Captain Hitsugaya stand along side with me. "Head Captain…." I started to say but the look I was given made me pause. I sighed "Father…. He came out of nowhere. He blocked his spiritual pressure…."
"Even from you?" Shunsui asked me I heard him sigh as I nodded my head. "I tried to tell you… something was coming." I watched my father as he cast his gaze towards Captain Hitsugaya who has stayed silent this whole time with his usual stoic expression. "It's time Captain that you were told Kimura's history." My father turned back towards me, his worry and care for me shining in his eyes. "Take your captain Kimura and tell him everything."
Shunsui got up and walked out of his office with Nanao in tow. I turned to look at Captain Hitsugaya and took this opportunity to truly examine his features. I reach my hand out and place it on his arm, keeping my eyes on his face as he turned to look at me.
"Captain, please I'd like to tell you about myself now. "I whispered to him watching him nod, I turned and started to walk out of my father's office. I knew he would follow so I flash stepped to a place I knew we could speak privately.
Kimora POV
I finally stopped and took a normal step when I reach the cherry blossom tree that my father had our family compound. I took one more step before feeling Captain Hitsugaya appear behind me and stepping closer to me. His proximity to me made me gasp silently, I glanced behind my right shoulder and looked into his eyes. His face was still stoic, but his eyes had a teasing glint in them, as if he heard my gasp.
I turned to sit on my favorite boulder beneath my tree and Captain Hitsugaya leaned against the trunk waiting for me to begin.
"I was always told that on the day that my father found me there was a large spike in spiritual pressure from the West Rukon district forest. Old Head Captain Yamamoto had instructed my father to find the disturbance and handle whatever it was." I looked at Captain Hitsugaya and saw that he was watching me intently and taking in every word.
"My father said that when he arrived in the clearing of the forest, he felt the large pressure continue to spike but felt no evidence of hollows or any large presence. He approached the pressure slowly and there beneath a large tree he found me as a baby in a basket crying." I paused to take a deep breath closing my eyes and lifting my head to the cherry blossom tree.
"He said he say my natural spiritual pressure but mingled in it there was a deep dark blue that was causing everything to spike. He moved towards me slowly and reached for my basket. He likes to tell me that as soon as I felt him near me I stopped crying and the pressure started to fade into me." I lowered my head and looked to my captain before continuing. "He said he looked around for any other person in the area but found no one. He made a decision that day that forever changed my fate. He brought me back to the seireitei and presented me to Yamamoto and Uncle Ukitake." I watched as a smirk graced his lips at the mention of calling Jushiro Ukitake 'uncle'.
"Not being ones to kill a child, my father decided to adopt me as his own daughter. I grew up in his home with him and Nanao. He trained me and Uncle Ukitake also contributed to my raising, helping me with my studies, and encouraging me in my interests."
I stopped speaking closing my eyes remembering how much my uncle had contributed to who I had become. A tear escaped my eye to run down my cheek. My eyes flew open when I felt a thumb gently caress the tear away and I looked into bright aquamarine eyes.
"Keep going, please." I heard him whisper to me, his eyes holding a sense of care in them that I only saw fleeting bits of previously.
"Everything was wonderful, I had a family. I had Nanao, and shortly after I met Rangiku and Gin. I become closer to Rangiku, Gin made me nervous, but he always helped protect Rangiku and I when we would go exploring." I narrowed my eyes as I started to remember what happened next.
"It was a bright sunny day so Rangiku and I decided to explore the Rukon District without telling anyone. We were playing in one of the streets when a group of kids came up to use and started picking on me. Rangiku tried to make them stop but they started throwing rocks at her. She ran away thinking I was going to follow her, but I didn't. they continued to throw things at me, call me names, pull my hair because it was such a bright red." Taking a deep breath again, knowing this part of the story was usually when people started to pull away from me and look at me with distaste.
"I started to cry, I remember, and kept crying so hard that I didn't notice that my spiritual pressure started to manifest and show. I vaguely remember hearing the children gasp then start to scream and cry as the second spiritual pressure in me started to leak out also as I cried harder. I felt my hands start to tingle and my fingers turn into claws. I knelt on the ground with my hands in the dirt hearing myself growl, not caring that the screams were getting louder and louder. I knew deep inside that I was getting ready to attack them, but the last thing I remember is my father appearing in front of me and hearing him say Hakufuku."
Captain Hitsugaya was still kneeling front of me only his hand had moved from my face to rest on top of my hands which had started to wring together in my recalling of the story.
Toshiro POV
I listened to Kimura recant her tale, taking in every word. When I saw the tear escape her eye, I couldn't help myself but to kneel in front of her and wipe it away. I watched as she continued to speak and saw her hands come together and wring around themselves. I moved my hand that was resting on her face to over her own hands slightly. She was so focused on her tale that she didn't notice my movement.
As she finished speaking I looked into her eyes and saw fear, and the anticipation of rejection there.
'She must have told this story to others and felt their rejection of her at its completion.' I chose not to saw anything yet, but squeezed her hands I had had covered.
I moved from my kneeling position to sit in front of her while keeping my hold on her hands.
"What happened next?" I asked her after a moment, starting to rub my thumb over her fingers.
"I woke up at our family home with my father and Nanao on either side of me and Uncle Ukitake standing at the foot of my bed. I asked them what happened, and that's when they told me what happened. I was out for a whole week Uncle Ukitake said. Apparently in that time frame he had done some research and after speaking to the children that were present hearing what they described, he knew what it was." Kimura said quietly. I squeezed her hands again urging her to continue.
"The children said that my spiritual pressure started to take form and manifest as a five tailed wolf with red eyes. Using this description Ukitake found information and history of this happening before." She looked at our joined hands and then moved her gaze to look me in the eyes.
"Apparently, my body is the steward for a wolf demon." I felt my eyes widen slightly at the words but didn't remove myself from holding her hands. Looking at her face harden after saying that, I could tell that was what she was expecting me to do.
"Wolf Demon?" I questioned her, showing her that I was not going anywhere.
"Yes, her name is Okami. Her and I share my body and soul. It is similar to our zanpakutos, she is me and I am her." She chuckled slightly at the mention of the wolf. "It's actually like having three zanpakutos, though sometimes it gets a bit crowded in my head." I watched the small smile she had on her lips start to fade as she sighed.
"So, it's okay if you want to leave and never look at me again. Not many people want to be around a creature like me. "She started to stand but I pulled on her hands making her come down to the ground and kneel in front of me. Kimura refused to look at me so I took my left hand and lifted her face so I could see her eyes.
"I am not going anywhere. You are mine to protect, and I will do just that." I said to her with all the strength that I though she needed to hear to understand.