~FIREFLY KNIGHTS~
Bleach Copyright Tite Kubo
Firefly Knights Copyright Illand Girl
'For those that need a Guardian.'
Chapter 18: So Called Friends
Orihime and I ran from the storage shed we had been hiding in to distance ourselves from Ishida's battle with the captain. His spiritual pressure was rising to match the sour scent of that captain's, so it was my hope that it would be a quick match. Ideally Ishida would win, but I didn't want to get too far away if that ended up being incorrect. We climbed some stairs, gaining a better view of the area behind us.
"We should be out of reach here." I said, sitting down on the steps as explosions and spiritual attacks shot off from the center of the battleground. Orihime sat next to me, looking dejected. She was having a hard time with not partaking in the battle. However, from what I knew of Orihime, she wasn't the type to do battle. She was always so kind and gentle. I just couldn't see her ever dirtying her hands like that.
More blasts echoed in the distance. Orihime flinched at each one. After a moment, I patted her shoulder.
"I just wish I could've helped more." Orihime said, sounding sad. I frowned at those words. What more could she have done besides being a human shield for him? Besides, Ishida wanted this fight, and I wasn't about to deny him it.
"What are you talking about?" I asked, glancing at her. "You're the medic. You think Ichigo can heal his wounds like you can?"
"Um, well-" I cut her off.
"Your job is to keep us strong so we can keep fighting. Our job is to be strong and protect you. Okay?" Orihime looked up at me, a shy smile on her face. Gosh she was so pretty with big doe eyes. It was a wonder more people in class didn't have a crush on her. She was such a kind person too. "Besides, when Ishida is finished, he'll need you to heal him, just like I needed you."
"R-Right!" Orihime said, looking more confident, my words seemed to have some positive effect on her. However, there was a lingering look of longing in her eyes. I wanted to ease her worries, if only to keep her spirits up-
"Awe that's super cute!"
I froze after a moment, realizing neither of us had said those words. Slowly, both Orihime and I turned to see someone standing at the top of the steps. She was small, but what stunned me the most was the fact that I didn't even sense someone coming near us. The badge on her arm was that of a lieutenant... and yet...
She gave off no smell whatsoever.
"You guys must be Ryoka! No way anybody else would be sitting around here for funsies!" She said this, but never drew her sword. A big grin came onto her face then. "You should come see Kenny! I'll bet he'll be thrilled to meet friends of Ichi!"
Ichi? As in Ichigo?
I frowned, not taking my eyes off her as I turned abruptly to stand and grabbed my zanpakuto.
"Thanks but we'll pass." I said flatly, preparing for a fight-
"Oh come on! I bet you'll have lots of fun together!" I snapped my neck to see her crouching at eye level with Orihime. My eyes were wide as I stared.
When did she move? I hadn't taken my eyes off her, and yet-
It was like she teleported.
"U-Um I don't know about that." Orihime looked nervous as she looked at me. She looked less confused than I did, but no less startled. Realizing I was probably scaring Orihime by showing my surprise, I schooled my features. It felt uncomfortable. The only advantage I had over these people had been completely erased. Just like that, I no longer stood on equal ground. Should I fight her? She wasn't attacking us per se, but I had a feeling the story might change if we said no to her demands.
"Oh don't worry Ryoka! Kenny made friends with Ichi and now he's going to be friends with you guys too! We can all be friends!" She was laughing like it was an inside joke as she stared at Orihime's nervous face. The orange haired bombshell looked between us, eyes settling on me for help.
I really didn't know what to make of the soul reaper. She seemed like she didn't want to attack us, and considering the lack of aura, perhaps she was like me? Only showed it when it was an immense amount of spiritual pressure released? I wasn't sure. I wasn't sure if I should disrupt the peace, or risk not attacking.
I glanced at the fight still going on, then looked back to the girl with pink hair. She was jabbering to Orihime, who looked so confused with it all.
"What's your name?" I asked. She looked up at me, eyes suddenly somber and wide. "And why the hell don't you give off any spiritual pressure?"
The girl blinked once, twice, then her eyes changed. Like she knew something I didn't. I didn't like that shift. It reminded me too much of a fox eying a mouse. I sniffed the air, trying to confirm that she didn't just have very low spiritual pressure. She either had ridiculously low spiritual pressure, was a master at hiding it, or didn't have a scent at all. I wasn't sure which one since every single being I had come across had a scent, even if it was extremely faint.
While I failed to smell her, I did pick up two more scents coming toward us.
"Oh great." I muttered. My gaze shifted to the top of the stairs, gaining the attention of the other girls as two men appeared. They had lower spiritual pressure; I hadn't noticed them approaching thanks to the smells from the fight in the other direction. Closer to the lieutenant I had fought before. Izuru, was it?
"Lieutenant! Where'd you run off to?" One of them called, then looked surprised as the second man raised a brow. They spotted us, which wasn't hard considering we were a lot taller than their lieutenant.
"Oh? Who are these two lovely ladies?" The second man asked while sizing us up. I hadn't taken my hand off my zanpakuto since the Lieutenant moved towards Orihime, which didn't go unnoticed by the two men. The lieutenant cackled.
"I found two ryoka! Look see? I think Kenny would love to meet them!" She said as she appeared beside the bald one. Her movement was incredibly eerie to me, but the two men seemed at ease. Obviously, this was normal for them. They stared down at us, and I could smell the bald one's spiritual pressure rise.
"Oh? Ryoka you say?" He gave a grin that was more up my alley as I stepped in front of Orihime. She stood and put a hand on my back, so I knew where she was. When his eyes locked with mine, he paused, sizing me up. After a moment he smirked.
"Those eyes have seen battle already." He commented. I didn't react and he laughed once. "So, you two friends with Ichigo?"
Well that caught me off guard. I raised a brow while Orihime looked over my shoulder. It was a bit comical considering I was the same height as her, but she stood on the step below mine.
"You know Ichigo?" she asked, sounding as surprised as I felt. The bald man chuckled, pride in his voice.
"I'm the one who fought the novice when he first landed in the Seireitei." He looked like he was reminiscing. "He was impressive, for a Greenhorn."
I snorted.
"Don't let him hear you say it though, his head's big enough as it is." I muttered, gaining both men's attention. The prettier of the two raised a brow.
"Ah so you are familiar with this Ichigo fellow." He mused. Slowly, I nodded, while Orihime nodded vigorously.
"Oh yes, Naomi and Ichigo go way back! Oh, I've known both of them for a little while too. My name's Orihime." She said, sounding like a nervous ramble. The bald man looked at me then.
"So you're Naomi Sakurai huh?" He sized me up as I tensed my shoulders. It wasn't exactly a good thing to be known around here, it seemed. The man noticed my hesitations and frowned. "Relax, Ichigo mentioned you during our battle is all. I have no interest in fighting you."
Why did that feel like an insult?
Still, I decided to slowly take my hand off my blade, albeit unwillingly. The display had its intended effect as both men's spiritual pressure eased slightly.
"Name's Ikkaku Madarame, and this is Yumichika Ayasegawa from Squad 11," he jabbed a thumb at himself and then pretty boy, who flipped his hair at the attention. "Your pal there took on our captain and won yesterday."
My eyes widened, surprised. The man with the scent of blood was their captain? My lips quirked up at the idea of my Ichigo taking down the behemoth.
"Heh, that's my man," I said proudly. Ikkaku snorted but didn't say anything else.
"Hey~!" The lieutenant cried out. Orihime squeaked when the girl swung from her shoulder. "Let's get going 'kay? I want you two to meet Kenny!"
"Once was enough." I said immediately, remembering his looming presence.
My attention returned to the battle behind us as Ishida's spiritual pressure skyrocketed. The scent of salt and fresh water engulfing us. I turned around, watching a massive blast go off and the captain's sour scent dissipating. The ground shook, the light so bright it was blinding for a split second as I closed my eyes.
Ugh, no, the captain's still alive, barely.
"Uryu!" Orihime cried, her eyes wide as she tried to run to him. I grabbed her shoulder as she attempted to bolt, hauling her back. I took a breath to double check that the area was safe to enter. From the smell, the captain was leaving, while Ishida was slowly approaching us. His spiritual pressure was miniscule compared to what it had been a moment ago, but it was still there.
"It's alright Orihime, Ishida's still alive." I assured.
"You sure about that?" Yumichika hummed. "That blast looked pretty intense."
"I can smell him, he's alive." I assured, then looked to Orihime. "We should help him though. God knows what condition he's in."
"No no no! We go find Kenny!" The lieutenant cried as she attempted to yank Orihime back. I frowned, stepping in between them. The lieutenant looked up at me, her eyes going wider. Then she giggled.
"Wow you have scary eyes!"
Orihime took the chance and ran in the direction of the fight. I looked to the two men, who were watching her leave. They seemed to decide something amongst themselves as they looked at each other, then they turned to me.
"Well, we might as well escort you two ladies." Yumichika mused. I frowned but nodded hesitantly. What choice did we have really? Aside from outright attacking them there wasn't much to do. I turned around and followed Orihime back to Ishida. The lieutenant whined, but soon she landed on my shoulder, surprising me.
"Piggyback!" She called, but at least she wasn't trying to stop me. I huffed.
"Fine."
She was pretty light, and small. Practically nonexistent on my shoulder. I managed to find my footing and ran with her on my back cheering away. I felt more like a pony than anything else as she yipped for me to go faster. It wasn't long before I came up to Ishida being healed by Orihime. He'd walked towards us from the battle, leaving the chaos behind him, so at least Orihime didn't see the state of things. She would've been horrified knowing what kinds of battles the rest of us had been up to. Ishida looked pleased, but also like he'd had it as he leaned against the wall with trembling legs.
"I'm fine Orihime." He insisted weakly, but Orihime ignored him.
"I-I'm the medic. I need to keep you strong, so you'll be able to fight, okay?" She said softly. A tiny smile broke across my lips at her words, and Ishida's stony mask melted as he nodded to her.
"Alright, thank you." Slowly, Ishida's legs gave out, and he slid down the side of the wall until he met the ground.
"Jeez, you Ryoka really like making a mess of things." Ikkaku said as he strolled up behind us with Yumichika. Ishida looked behind me, then to the lieutenant hanging off my back, then to me. I could practically hear the gears working overtime and bit the inside of my cheek to keep from saying anything snarky about it.
"I don't really get it either." I finally said, not entirely sure what was happening anymore.
It ended up being the best option to just go with the lieutenant and her squad members to meet Kenpachi Zaraki.
Against my better judgement I'll admit, but after Yumichika explained "we're loyal to Zaraki, and Zaraki is friends with Ichigo" I kinda understood why they were being so calm about it. In the morning sunlight, I watched Orihime's hair shine in a brilliant array of colours in front of me while we all settled in.
The moment was broken though. The massive captain, who was somehow bigger than I remembered him to be, leaned over top of me and blocked out the sun from the windows. My fingers twitched to my sword, then hesitated several times. He was just staring at me, as if trying to size me up and decide if I was worth the act of cold-blooded murder or not.
I did not feel the least bit safe despite Orihime and Ishida settling right in. If anything, I felt like a gazelle being circled by a hungry lion. No, lion would be too small. A bear. This man was a bear.
We laid Ishida down on a bed in the room we'd set up shop in, where the lieutenant named Yachiru- so I'm told- was busy poking him and stacking things on his forehead as he rested. I couldn't tell if he was just pretending to sleep or not, but he'd hardly moved since we settled him in. Orihime sat in a chair facing Kenpachi, and I leaned against the wall looking in between them.
"So, have you become stronger at all since we last met?" Zaraki asked as he continued to tower above me. I felt a nervous twitch again and fought against grabbing my zanpakuto once more. Odds were this man would either cut me in half or enjoy being sliced by my sword and I wasn't sure which option terrified me more.
"Nope, still a defenseless woman." I said quickly, eying the wrapped blade resting on his shoulder. He scoffed, looking between Orihime and myself.
"So tell me, do either of you know where Ichigo is?" He asked. Orihime looked at me immediately. I maintained eye contact with the captain, feeling very small yet adamant.
"Depends why you wanna know." I said slowly. Zaraki eyed me, his right eye covered by an eye patch while half of his face was covered in bandages. Ichigo did a number on him, but hopefully Zaraki hadn't done a number on Ichigo.
"I just wanna know if he survived. He did win the fight, so I'll be wanting a rematch." Zaraki's scratchy voice said with a lilt of joy. I was right, this man would love it if I cut into him.
"As if he could have beaten our captain and lived." Yumichika flipped his hair in airy defiance. Orihime looked back at him and Ikkaku, then to me again. I broke my stare with the captain and looked at her as well.
"Naomi, can you smell him still?" She asked, looking worried again. I bit my cheek, noticing the attention on me as Zaraki stared holes into the side of my head.
"Smell? What's she talking about?" Ikkaku asked. I grimaced.
"It's how I sense spiritual pressure. Everybody has a distinct smell." I explained, then closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Zaraki was overwhelming with spiritual pressure so close by, so much so that I couldn't smell anything else in the vicinity. With a huff I moved to the window and stuck my head out. Within a few moments Ichigo's summery scent drifted to my nose.
"Yup, still alive," I said, looking back at them. Ikkaku and Yumichika looked skeptical while Zaraki grinned.
"Well look at that. A bloodhound." He cackled, I frowned and crossed my arms.
"Considering your scent is the scent of blood I dunno if we should be calling me a bloodhound." I mumbled, but it seemed to go unheard.
"So what now captain? What do you wanna do?" Ikkaku asked. Zaraki chuckled.
"I think we're going to help these Ryoka." Zaraki said, a devilish grin on his face. I wasn't sure if his version of help and my version were the same at all...
"Why would you do that?" I asked, suspicious. Zaraki's grin vanished as he looked at me, even sitting he loomed above me like a menace.
"Don't get it twisted. I have no interest in fighting those that are injured or unfit for battle. Besides, the situation has changed since a captain's been murdered." Zaraki said. My eyes widened; since when had a captain died? I didn't kill Kaname, did I?
"Yeah, Captain Aizen of squad 5 has been murdered. They don't know if it was a ryoka or an inside job so until it's resolved you're not on the chopping block kid." Ikkaku said, eyeing me. I frowned, digesting his words.
"But Aizen..." I stared at the ground, frowning.
Aizen was dead? Then why was I smelling his scent everywhere? Like he's right next to me sometimes? And why did he show me his zanpakuto in the prison?
"Naomi?" Orihime looked at me with her doe eyes. I tried to think hard on the last time I spoke with Aizen, and if any of us could've even done it.
"Ichigo hadn't faced a captain last I saw him, and shortly after he fought Zaraki. Since then, he's been in one location mostly. Ishida was with you, and the only captain's I've crossed since escaping the squad 5 cells are Tousen and Byakuya." I said, biting the inside of my cheek. "And no offense to Chad, but I can't see him taking on a captain if the three of us barely survived."
"Hang on a second. You're the one that took on captain Tousen?" Ikkaku asked, then his grin turned manic. "Well that changes things. We should definitely fight soon!"
"A weak defenseless woman took out Kaname Tousen?" Zaraki asked, then chuckled. "Always knew he was a light weight."
I snorted, looking up at him as he grinned down at me. A hint of pride puffed in my chest at the look he gave me. Then I refocused as I looked at Orihime. Kisuke's words rung clear in my head.
"You will find that the captains of the Gotei 13 are not as unified as you might initially think. Someone is working behind the shadows to bring them down."
The longer I was here the clearer this became.
Kisuke, what sort of grudge-match did you drop us into?
I looked at the floor, then up to Orihime, then to Zaraki.
"So you're really willing to help us?" I asked tentatively. Zaraki raised a brow, looking like a god damn menace as he grinned.
"Is this you asking for my help?" He taunted. I nodded, surprising him. He recovered quickly as he chuckled. "Well then, that's settled."
I turned to Orihime.
"I think you and Ishida should stay with these guys." I explained, surprising both her and the squad members at the back of the room.
"What? Why?" she asked, looking hesitant. I took a deep breath.
"Truth is, we don't have much choice. I can do my best at dodging the captains, but eventually we will run into an enemy, so might as well extend a little trust. Besides, with a captain I'm sure you won't have much trouble breaking into the prison cells to retrieve Chad and Ganju. Odds are they're being kept together if they're still alive... I hope."I said, noticing Orihime looked a bit happier at the idea of finding our friends.
"I can't help but notice you left yourself out of the equation." Ikkaku said. I nodded.
"There's something I want to find out, and well, it's easier if I'm on my own." I said, noticing the way Ikkaku looked suspiciously at me.
"You? On your own? How's that going to work?" I scoffed, crossing my arms.
"I'm better at hiding on my own, harder to catch." I defended.
"No, it makes sense." Ishida piped up from his spot on the bed. He looked groggy as he flicked the stack of rocks off his forehead, much to the dismay of Yachiru. He sat up tentatively before continuing. "Naomi's the only one that can go completely undetected. That, coupled with the fact that you can sense spiritual pressure so easily will make you hard to catch."
He rubbed his sore shoulder, eyes intense.
"But the one thing I don't understand is what you're looking for?" He asked. I paused, looking at the floor.
"Kisuke said that there was something happening here, something causing discourse," I looked up to Ishida then. "I'm curious if it has anything to do with Aizen's supposed murder."
"That would mean he sent us in blind knowing about what's actually going on. If anything." Ishida said, frowning and mumbling about soul reapers under his breath.
"Hang on, you're talking about Kisuke Urahara?" Ikkaku asked. I nodded. "Well I'll be damned."
I raised a brow at him, tilting my head to the side.
"You know him?" I asked. Ikkaku shrugged.
"He was the previous captain of Squad 12." Ikkaku explained. I wasn't entirely surprised. In fact, I was almost pissed off.
"He definitely sent us in blind." I growled, eyes hardening.
I swear to God almighty Kisuke, nothing is going to protect you if any of us die because you never said anything!
"What's that second part you were going on about? Aizen's supposed murder?" Zaraki asked. I looked up, frowning.
"Well, I could be wrong, but spiritual pressure should disappear when someone dies, right?" I asked the room, gaining a nod from Ikkaku and Yumichika. I took a breath.
"But I can still smell Aizen in the Seireitei."
It went quiet for a minute.
"Beg pardon?" Yumichika asked. Ishida looked suspicious, but I had a feeling it wasn't directed at me.
"I can smell Aizen. Sometimes it's like he's standing right next to me, other times off in the distance. Sometimes it's gone, but not for very long. And I'd remember that smell, it's the strongest scent in the Seireitei right next to the head captain's." I explained to the silent room.
"I've never known Aizen to be a strong fighter. He was always too soft and meek for my liking," Zaraki said, staring straight into my soul. "But if you really can smell him and he really is still alive, how are you going to prove it?"
I appreciated that he wasn't blowing me off completely like the others. So I took myself a bit more seriously and thought for a moment.
"The only other person whose actions don't make much sense would be Gin Ichimaru's." I said, looking around the room. "He was lying the entire time during the meeting, he knew exactly what my strengths and weaknesses were, and I'll bet he knew I could escape the prison cells."
"I'd be careful going anywhere near Ichimaru," Ikkaku said, leaning forward in his chair. "That's a snake you don't really mess with. He's always playing some kind of game."
"I'm not scared of snakes." I countered, frowning. Zaraki chuckled.
"Then how are you going to make him answer your questions little girl?" Zaraki asked. After a moment of thought, I shrugged, losing a bit of confidence.
"Well, I'd like to say I can speak to his sarcasm but- I- I really don't know." What could I do in this situation? Maybe I could use my hiding abilities to my advantage? Perhaps I could try and follow him and find out what's been happening? "I mean, worst case scenario I can escape like I did with Byakuya?"
"You ran away from a challenge?" Zaraki frowned, looking disappointed. I nodded, then looked down. I hadn't wanted to leave, but at the time it was either I stayed and fought or escaped without Ganju.
"It was probably for the best," Yumichika said, playing with his hair. "Captain Kuchiki isn't known for his kindness, regardless of the opponent."
The comment only made me feel even worse for leaving Ganju behind.
"I didn't want to." I said quietly. Zaraki scoffed above me.
"Doesn't matter. You ran away from a fight. Perhaps you are as defenseless as you claim to be." He said as I looked back at him. A hard frown pulled at the corners of my mouth, the rage from my hollow rising at the insult.
"I didn't want to run away." I said it with my chest. He looked away from me.
"Doesn't matter, you still did." He said immediately to shoot me down. I frowned, refusing to be deterred, and turned back to my two friends. We needed to get back on topic.
"Regardless, my guess is Ichigo will intercept Rukia at the time of her execution." I continued. Ishida nodded.
"I guess that would make sense. It'd be the only time she's out of the cells." Ishida said. Ikkaku chuckled.
"And the only time you'll find so many captains all in one place. You'll be sitting ducks." He said bluntly. I looked at him, noticed his eyes on me like he was studying prey, then looked back to Ishida. We both had the same thought cross our heads then.
"Guess we better prepare then." I said, feeling more confident than I probably should've. "I still want to find Gin and ask him what's going on. More specifically, if there's a reason he let us all go so easily."
"He did capture you though." Yumichika piped in. I glowered at the comment and the following memory of the event.
"That was because Ichigo was an absolute dumbass and I got separated." I paused, fingering the hilt of my zanpakuto as I recalled my socalled fight with Gin. I lowered my gaze, thinking back to every detail of the fight. Had he ever even really tried to strike me? After the initial hit I got on him I had expected some sort of retaliation. But he didn't. Nothing had changed the entire battle, and the man had a lot of spiritual pressure if I could smell him distinctly on the other side of teh wall.
"He had every reason to kill me then, but he didn't. He barely tried against me even after I stabbed him. So why didn't he do it?" I voiced, trying to figure it out.
It was quiet for another moment until Zaraki spoke.
"Enough talking. You," he looked down at me as I looked up at him. "I may not be the voice of reason here. In fact, I have no interest in stopping you from going to an early grave if that's what you choose. But you should know by now what you're up against. Are you certain that you want to go hunting down Ichimaru?"
Was it worth it? No, probably not. And yet my gut told me to go and find him. Something told me to go to Gin and I wasn't sure if it was a suicidal thought or not. If the man truly was part of whatever was going on, would he kill me for it? I was at a loss.
But still...
The only way is forward.
"Yes." I said firmly, mouth a hard line. Zaraki snorted.
"Then what are you waiting for?" He asked. I stood up from my spot on the wall and looked at my friends. Ishida nodded, understanding that I knew what I was about to get into. Or at least I knew well enough and could govern my own choices. Orihime, however, looked nervous again as she reached out to grab my arm.
"Wait, Naomi. I-" She held my forearm tightly, looking down. "Please be careful, okay? Ichigo would be devastated if anything happened to you." She said while not making eye contact. Something stirred in my chest at her words. An ache that made my heart clench. It felt odd, like it hurt her to say...
Could she...?
I gripped her forearm back. Orihime's gaze snapped up to mine. Her eyes were always so expressive and vibrant. I gave her a reassuring smile.
"You saying you wouldn't miss me Orihime?" I teased. Orihime panicked, then started rambling about how that wasn't what she meant. A few moments into her rambling I laughed lightly, and she quieted down. I sobered up a bit and steeled my gaze, trying to sound as confident as possible to leave her assured.
"We're making it out of here together."
She swallowed, her face firming as she nodded. We let each other go and I turned to the door. In the frame, I paused with my hand on the wood.
"Oh yeah," I looked at Orihime as she turned to watch me.
"If you see Ichigo before I do. Just remind him that 'Nao is always right'." I chuckled to myself. "Heh, that should get his ass in gear."
Ishida hid a snort while Orihime made a fist and looked at me with more pep than before. If she was faking it, then she did a good job of it. It even fooled me as she locked eyes with me.
"Alright! I will!" she declared.
I left shortly after, easily leaving the main building of the division since I was seen walking in with Zaraki. Seems being next to a captain in a friendly manner made people's trust in you skyrocket.
Once I was a bit of a ways away, I stopped walking and decided to try and use my scenting abilities. Combing through all the intense smells was a lot, but I imagined it like the spirit ribbons that Ishida had mentioned some time ago. If each person had a ribbon, could I find their scent trail? And if so, would I be able to follow it and track them more clearly?
I froze, a horrible realization crossing my mind.
I really am a bloodhound.
Godammit focus!
Roses and sake... Roses and vanilla... Apricots and mint... Roses and apricots...
There.
I opened my eyes, staring in the direction of the smell. It had taken a while, but I figured out which direction Gin was. He wasn't as far as I expected, seemingly by squad 10's barracks. It would be a little awkward going back there, since the little captain would likely recognize me, but by the time I got there hopefully he would still be busy elsewhere.
Instead of running like a madwoman, I decided to walk. Walking's good for you, especially considering the sheer amount of running I had done in the past few days was more than I'd ever done in my lifetime.
Sometime later, the sun was beginning to set, and my stomach was gurgling again. I was amazed I hadn't died of dehydration yet, but perhaps that was a perk of being a spirit without a body? Did I even need the bathroom? Why was I always so hungry then? What happened to the food?
These questions kept me company on my long walk across the Seireitei. By the time I got to a vaguely familiar part of the Seireitei, close to where I had initially been caught by Gin, it was getting dark outside.
At this point I had had a lot of extra time to think, and part of me was second guessing going after Gin. Was it really as bad of a decision as Zaraki and Ikkaku made it out to be? Part of me really wanted to dig my heels into whatever was going on though. Call me a nosey neighbour but I really wanted to know why Kisuke didn't tell us anything. If he was going to feed us to the wolves I at least wanted to know why.
A soft scent of vanilla and almonds flitted across my nose, but considering the sheer number of people I had passed and none of them had cottoned on to who I was I decided to ignore it. Perhaps it was a lieutenant passing through? I would just say I was sent by Zaraki or something, I guess. At least now I had a better idea for a coverup story and wasn't leaning on random bullshit I half-heard in another conversation.
"You," a soft voice called. I turned and was utterly disappointed to find the lieutenant of squad 5.
Momo Hinamori.
Damn, she was the vanilla and almonds scent. I hadn't traced her scent because Aizen was with us and over-powering my senses. I hadn't considered running into her at all. Why was she even here? Wasn't her division on the other side of the Seireitei?
She stood not far from me, eyes half glazed over as they narrowed in hatred. I froze, watching her carefully, especially when she pulled her zanpakuto from it's sheath. Something felt off from the first time we met. She didn't look right. Her eyes seemed dull and lifeless.
"Why would you kill the captain?" she asked, surprising me. Did she think I was the one to kill Aizen?
"I didn't." I said calmly, noticing the glazed over look sharpening at my words. She took a step, but something made me hesitate to draw my blade. The woman looked like she had been crying for days now. Her bright pink complexion looked pale, and her hair was falling out in places from her bun.
Her eyes were watering, she looked half blind as she lunged at me. I pulled out my sword and met her strike. She wasn't nearly as strong as any of my previous opponents, but she was giving it her all as she swung wildly at me. There was no tact or style to her swings. Just left and right, back and forth. Methodical and predictable.
"Captain Aizen's letter details that you conspired with another captain to kill him!" She shouted, clashing with me again.
"Well he's lying!" I snapped, using the rebound to push her away on contact. It stunned her as she flew backwards before righting herself.
"You killed my captain." Her tears flowed freely. She looked devastated. Then her resolve took over. The smell of vanilla and almonds amplified.
"Snap Tobiume!" She shouted, swinging her zanpakuto. A ball of pink light came flying at me. I swapped my sword into my right hand and opened my palm. The ball vanished; Momo came flying at me immediately after. I kept my sword in my right hand and met her strike. This one felt sloppier than the last, less focused.
Her hands...
I noticed the grip of her zanpakuto, her hands were bleeding. Was she really serious about this? Gripping so hard her hands bled, she genuinely was devastated over her captain's death.
Momo was so unaware of herself that I took a lunging step and kicked her in the gut. She didn't see it and folded, crashing in on herself and stepping back a few steps as she held her sore stomach. Her eyes were wide, tears streaking down her cheeks.
"Listen!" I shouted, hurriedly continuing lest I lose her attention from the stun. "I'm sorry your captain died, but I didn't do it!"
"Stop lying!" She begged as she attacked me again with a ball of pink light. I absorbed that one as well. Momo's eyes were void as she stared at me. Her sword arm lowered, trembling as she stood there.
I had to think of something, anything, and fast if I was going to have half a chance of getting her to listen to me. This didn't feel like a fight, this felt like-
"Do you really think so little of your captain?" I asked, surprising her. "You think I could take him down?"
She wiped her tears, but fresh ones fell as she sniffled meekly. Momo said nothing but shook her head.
The scent of apricots and roses was in the air. Gin was nearby.
"And what kind of captain leaves a letter telling you who killed him before it happened?" I asked, lowering my zanpakuto. Momo's eyes firmed at those words as if I had stung her. Evidently insulting Aizen was not the way to go about this.
"'Naomi Sakurai conspired with Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya to kill me for the information that I have obtained'." She said as if quoting the letter. My brow furrowed. "That is the line that shows me you were involved. You were the one to kill my captain."
"With little captain? I haven't seen him since I was taken prisoner. That was before I even met Aizen, and that was the last time I saw him!" I snapped.
"Liar!" She screamed, choking on a sob. Momo looked ready to crack. "It's not lies... it's... it's all I have left of him..."
"Then someone set you up." I said firmly. Momo looked stunned. "Listen to me, please. I'm trying to figure out what's going on, and I think Aizen's death has something to do with it. Who gave you this letter?"
"Stop! Stop trying to persuade me! I won't- you can't..." She whispered. "He said you would, but I- I can't-"
I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It reminded me of my mother the night I left. The indecisiveness, the confusion, the loss. Momo looked at me the same way my mother did, with fear and anger and sorrow. After a second of staring at me, she lunged. Her form was gone as she all but threw herself at me, and in a matter of seconds I was behind her and able to stab my hilt into the back of her head.
Momo Hinamori folded like a stack of cards, collapsing on the ground in a heap. I didn't move right away from where I stood, feeling spooked as my mother resurfaced for the second time since coming to this place.
Stop...
I hissed to myself, then sheathed my blade. It was then that I noticed something. Tucked into the front of her uniform was a folded paper. I opened it, finding the letter she mentioned. What was more interesting was the other bit she never mentioned. That little captain and I were planning to use the Sokyoku to take over the Seireitei.
Considering this was the first time I had ever heard of this Sokyoku I think I could brush that one off, but it was still a bizarre thing to say if there wasn't a little bit of truth to it.
"Someone is working behind the shadows to bring them down."
Was this what Kisuke meant?
What if this letter had some truth? Then that would explain the execution being so important, right? If that's the reason, then whatever is going to happen will happen on the day of Rukia's execution.
This really could be something bigger than us.
I readjusted Momo to be closer to the wall, and laid her zanpakuto across her lap. Her fingers had indeed been bloody from how hard she was gripping her zanpakuto. I remembered the look in her eyes when she looked up at her captain. She definitely idolized him, and his death was devastating to her.
I stared at her for a moment longer before ripping a piece of her sleeve off and using it to gently wrap her bloody hands. It would do her no good to have them exposed like that.
Moments later, a cold frost and a winter wood scent came to my nose. It was moving closer. Fast. In the time it took me to stand up he was there not twenty feet from us. Cold fury was in his eyes when they landed on me, a glint of fear rippled through them when he looked down to Momo. Despite the situation, I couldn't help the weak lopsided grin that split my lips as I greeted him.
"Hey there little captain. It's been a while."
Ah, don't you just love Nao being terrified of Zaraki? LMAO I cannot picture her being comfortable with a guy like that. He terrifies me too so I guess I'm bias.
Wow this thing was like 3k words before i sat down to edit it thinking I needed to add in another scene, but then I edited and added 3.5k words somehow with little tidbits.
So Nao is trying to do something but doesn't really know what she's doing. Everybody but Ganju and Chad have been accounted for. And little captain is about to have his world rocked in the next chapter. Oh and Gin, my lovely Gin returns.
I'm super curious, considering all the things you know now about her scenting, does anybody have an idea of why everybody smells the way they do? And what do you think Nao smells like? We'll never know what Nao smells like since she's the only one with this ability, but one can imagine. The real answer gives away a lot to the story though.
Reviews:
MesmerizingMermaid: Bless for the two reviews! I literally couldn't hold off on these two. If I'm completely honest this story was never going to be a slowburn. I love a good slowburn but sometimes I just wanna write two people falling in love slowly y'know? Oh and Nao and Shunsui are going to have a ball when they finally meet! As for the soft spot? Gosh golly, you'll have to read and see!
Laur-machine: Thank you for the review lol! I appreciate the thoughtful and long reviews you leave, and in no way feel offended by them. I legit was just unsure what the heck a Kansai accent sounded like since all my sources said "um, it doesn't translate to english duh" and your review was very helpful. Thank you. I try to be as authentic to the source material as possible and pride myself in hopefully keeping people in character. That includes their accents lol. Does anybody else have an accent in the sub? I swapped back and forth a lot and never noticed. Also, I really just love Nao calling Byakuya a 'aristocratic lowlife' because gosh golly she's weirdly polite and mean sometimes with her words haha. Yes yes Aizen and Gin banter is so much fun because every word has a double meaning, even their thoughts.
I'm happy people like Nao, I know drastically strong characters are not everybody's cup of tea, but Nao has a special place in my heart already and I hope y'all are ready to buckle up. Because Bleach is the perfect manga, and Ichigo is the perfect love interest for a strong female character. It only gets wilder from here haha.
Cheers y'all,
Iland Girl