Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ For The Love of a Friend ❯ No Love, No Friend ( Chapter 8 )

Tite Kubo owns Bleach and the characters depicted therein. The characters in this story are not mine.

 

No Love, No Friend

 

“He's gone. He left,” Soi thought disbelievingly. “We could have had the night together and he went away because I insulted his friends. Why was he so angry? What I said was true, but maybe I should not have said it to him tonight.” Feeling at a loss, she rose from the bed and wandered to the door, opening it to make certain that Toshiro was not outside, thinking about returning, but the street outside was empty.

 

She sat at the table and idly began pick at the fare she had brought to share with Toshiro. In her spare moments she had planned the evening, commencing with the food and then lots of sex, but his words, his intended insult in front of her Division had made her plan less palatable. The food was here because she was hungry, not intentionally to share. As she ate she reflected on the recent argument.

 

“I've never seen him that angry before. He's been so compliant until now, but I suppose that changed when he didn't need me to protect Momo anymore. Why does he want to marry her? He told me he loved her when this started, but is that why he wants to marry her? Does he really love her?” She gazed at the door wondering about Toshiro's feelings. “Why do I care? He means nothing to me. He was just a plaything, something I used to pass the time when I was bored and frustrated.” For some reason the words did not comfort her.

 

It reminded her of the last time someone had left her and the impending night seemed lonely while future nights seemed bleak. “Yoruichi, why did you leave me? Wasn't my love enough for you? I want you back in my life. I don't want a cute boy who has finished with me because of some words I said. He could have ignored them and stayed with me for the night and then got angry with me tomorrow. Why is he such a fool? We could have had more sex, enjoyed each other. That's why he was here. I only spoke the truth. Why can't he see how stupid Momo is, how obsessed she is with Aizen. She'd betray him in a moment if her darling Captain asked her to. And Toshiro's Lieutenant! Matsumoto Rangiku. Randy would be a better nickname rather than Ran. I wonder if she told him about the night I asked her for dinner. He would have mentioned it, wouldn't he? I don't trust her. She's always hanging around those men and I'm sure it's not just because they like each other. I wonder if they use her in turns or at the same time. I wonder how Kenpachi will like sharing her, or if he will kill her and whoever he finds her with. It won't be long before she's unfaithful. I know what he sees in her, that's obvious, but what does she see in him?”

 

She sat there, eating and staring at the wall, not thinking, just trying to sort out her emotions. Time passed. Then more time as Soi continued to mechanically eat the food. Getting up she filled a cup with water and drank, the liquid washing down the food she had consumed. Looking at the table she was slightly embarrassed to realise she had eaten it all. If Toshiro had stayed would she wouldn't have consumed so much. Toshiro was not there. That was because…

 

“It's over.” She spoke aloud so she could hear the words and believe them. Hearing them forced her to accept the truth and she did not want to remain in that room any longer. There was no point; Toshiro would not return and he was the only reason she was there. Not that he was a good reason, but he'd amused her for a time.

 

It was growing dark. Her distraction had screened the passing of time. Dressing she made her way back to her quarters, washed thoroughly and went to bed as she did not know what else to do. Lying under the sheets, the pillow settled firmly beneath her head, she tried to sleep. Restlessly she turned onto her side, then her stomach, then her other side, but her mind kept churning. She was wondering why he had left so fast after such little provocation. It had been his idea to have the final night and yet he'd been the one to end it.

 

“And tomorrow he'll ask Momo to marry him and she'll accept and then he'll tell her about the baby. Toshiro will be stuck with the moron and the traitor's bastard. Will they ever have sex? I bet he'll be noble and not try until after she's had the brat. That's his problem, not mine. I don't even know why I'm thinking about him. It's over and he means nothing to me.” Eyes open, staring into the darkness, Soi thought about Toshiro. “He was just a pair of lips, a tongue and a hard thing. That's all. A means to an orgasm. It was only ever to be limited. I didn't want anything more than sex from him and I don't need him anymore. I've been celibate before, I can do it again. If I decide to take a lover again I'll make sure that the hold I have over her will be complete but I can't think of any females that tempt me. I suppose I could try another man, but I can't think of any. None of the Captains. Aside from Toshiro they revolt me. None of the Assistant Captain's either. It would be better if I could choose just a simple person; someone not even seated who might be honoured to be my toy. What am I thinking? I don't need anyone. It's a sign of weakness to want anyone in my life. If I want the pleasure I can buy something. I don't have to be physical with another person and it means I won't have to put up with another's sweat, or their body clamped against mine, or his tongue licking me so deliciously as he gets excited. Toshiro looking into my eyes as he pushes his thing into me.” Sitting upright Soi shook her head violently, angry at her mind. “I am not thinking about him again. It's only because I want sex that I'm thinking of him in the first place. I will go to sleep and tomorrow I will undertake vigorous exercise. I've not exercised enough recently, that's what my problem is. If I were exhausted from fighting or running or developing new battle techniques I'd be tired and sleep and I wouldn't feel hunger for his body. That's what I'll do. I'm feeling so tired because I've been lazy and preferred to snooze rather than keep fit. That will change.”

 

Turning once more she considered other possible reasons why she was having difficulty trying to sleep. When she'd met Toshiro at lunch she had been planning to have a nap in her office after eating. She was often tired recently, frequently needing to sleep for a short while during the day. It was this unexpected fatigue which had made her fall asleep the previous night when she was with Toshiro, otherwise she would have been alert and awake. When she left the briefing Toshiro was giving, the excuse she made was she had to attend to urgent business. It had been urgent: she had to sleep. If she had remained she feared she would have been unable to keep her eyes open and that would have been embarrassing. Fortunately 20 minutes sleep had refreshed her enough to be able to concentrate. Sleep should be easy, she was tired, her eyes were sore and her body felt listless.

 

She shut her eyes again, determined to sleep. Clearing her thoughts she attempted to think of nothing. A void, space, no thought. Darkness outside, darkness behind her closed lids, darkness within. Within darkness was sleep and peace without complications. As she searched in her mind she found darkness: a cool emerald darkness that reflected her dark eyes; her passion and desire.

 

 

Minutes later

 

Sitting outside her room, on the veranda that sheltered one side of her dwelling, she felt the cold night air stir against her face and hands as she huddled in a robe, with a blanket over her shoulders. Bed was the wrong place for her tonight. Her bed was no longer a haven; it was now a rack on which she was forced to recall recent events and feel emotions or feelings or whatever the hell they were that made her feel confused and threatened her stability. Her thoughts were too disorganised. If she sat here in the silent darkness, watching the moon occasionally encountering a cloud which filtered the moon light as it travelled through the heavens, she would find a measure of peace. The moon was cool and aloof, changing through the month, but always serenely travelling forwards. Soi wished to be like the moon, untouched by the events occurring around her. Advancing ever forward.

 

She had never watched the moon with Toshiro, so it held no memories of the short time they spent together. Watching it calmed her as she charted its smooth progress through the sky toward the horizon. Before Yoruichi had departed to the human world they had spent evenings lying here together, gazing at the stars but those memories no longer seemed as real or as recent.

 

Her face heated and she rested it against the cool wooden pillar, pressing the hard and smooth surface against her burning cheek. Why she blamed the bed she did not know as the bed was guiltless. No time had been spent in the bed with Toshiro, though she had spent days, weeks while he was in the human world thinking about him when she tried to sleep. Later as the days turned into weeks, exhaustion overtook her quickly and she would often wake from deep slumber where her dreams of swimming naked, in warm salty water both soothed and confused her. Why dream of water or swimming?

 

Gazing at the moon she tried to believe that it was better that it was over. It was necessary that she was again alone. She should never have sought sexual pleasure with a man; that had been her first mistake. Men were base and prone to give into their primitive desires. Toshiro hadn't done so, but given time that might have changed. The male of the species could not be trusted. She only had to look at the example of Aizen, Tosen and Ichimaru. Living all the time in the Seireitei, hiding their actual characters; perverting the members of their Divisions and plotting against the Gotei 13. That was how men acted. None of the females in the Seireitei had been involved, even that slut, Matsumoto, seemed nonplussed at the sudden revelation. For a few nanoseconds Soi indulged in a tiny fantasy that Aizen had taken Momo with him, but then perceived that this action would have changed everything. Without the desire to protect his friend, Toshiro would never have approached her, or entered into the agreement.

 

The stars shone down on the small, sad form of Soi who now lay down, ignoring the hard shelter she had found, as she watched the night sky, not seeing the stars or the moon, but instead reluctantly viewing the empty space that was now in her life.

 

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Arriving back at his quarters, he realised it was still early. Sleep would be nice but the call of duty was strong. Sighing he returned to his office to do some paperwork that had been neglected. Instead of working through it with his normal industry, he found he would often notice that his eyes were unfocused, looking at the words, but not reading them. As the sun set, he gave up and went home seeking rest.

 

Finding sleep was easy. He was tired from the sex and the other exertions of the day so he cleared his mind and quickly succumbed to the embrace of Morpheus. The only problem, the only thing that prevented him from remaining asleep: dreams.

 

Dreams of Soi beset him as soon as he slept. Not only dreams of passionate sex, but strange dreams where they talked to each other as if they were friends and they liked each other. Each time he dreamt he tried to wake up, not wishing to be forced to think about that woman while he slept. She had taken up so many of his waking thoughts; she should not be permitted to take over his unconscious mind.

 

Finally he gave up and sitting up, turned on a light. Sleep was necessary, but how could he sleep without dreams? Reluctantly he rose from his bed and went to the cabinet where he kept a present from Matsumoto. She had been adamant that he accept the bottle of sake for his birthday, insisting that she could always have some when she visited him. As yet that had not happened and the bottle was still sealed. With a quick twist he broke the seal and opened the bottle pouring some into a glass. Gulping down the liquid he ignored the taste and the path of heat it left in his throat. It reached his empty stomach and the warmth permeated through his body. Putting the bottle away, he realised the alcohol would affect him quickly as it had been some time since he had eaten. It didn't matter, he wasn't hungry.

 

Unused to the affects of alcohol, he soon found his head nodding and settled back in bed, finding sleep. He was unsure if he dreamed, his brain fuddled by the alcohol he had consumed made it difficult for him to recall or to rouse quickly.

 

The next morning dawned bright. Distracted by his thoughts he had not closed the curtains or shut the window before he went to bed. The sun shone directly onto his face, birds sang outside his window, crickets chirruped amongst the blossoming flowers. Squinting against the sunlight, Toshiro waited for some chorus of people to walk past singing about the beautiful weather, or the marvellous day or some other hymn of worthless verbiage. Too many times he'd seen that on the television in the human world. If anyone tried that here, he would kill them, painfully. The act of slaying might soothe him. It wasn't that he had a hangover; it was because his head ached a little, the sunlight was too bright, the flowers were too highly coloured, the birds were too noisy and he desperately wanted some water. Sliding out of the sheets he stood on his feet waiting for the slight motion he felt in the floor to cease. Washing his face helped. Drinking glass after glass of water and then consuming some peppermint tea soothed his roiling stomach quenched his thirst and made the floor motionless.

 

“Why does Matsumoto drink if this is how she feels the next day? If she felt worse than this yesterday she would have been no help to me. I'm relieved I gave her the day off because I'm sure she would have complained, or cried, or both. At least I don't have to worry about Zaraki anymore.”

 

He felt better. The birds ceased being as annoying as he dressed for the day. He would go and collect Matsumoto from her quarters to make certain she was not late. There were many things that needed to be done, due to their absence, and he knew that there would be more tasks for his Division as Momo was still unwell and no one person seemed fit or willing to take over her responsibilities. It was past time three new Captains were selected. There must be candidates, but trying to push the old man to action was problematic.

 

Arriving at his lieutenant's home he found the door was locked, but using the key he kept he opened the door. Entering the room, he saw a pair of very large sandals near the entry. Matsumoto's feet were not that big. With a sense of dread he approached the bedroom, quickly glanced in and groaned quietly. Zaraki was in the bed with Matsumoto, holding her tightly, almost as if he would never release her. Both of them were naked and Toshiro shut his eye as he turned away. He really didn't want to see Zaraki without clothes, that was too disturbing, and he didn't want to talk to Matsumoto while she was naked or with Zaraki, but he had to ascertain what was going on.

 

He called out to her from the doorway, his head averted, “Matsumoto. Matsumoto. Cover yourself, lieutenant.”

 

A rustle of sheets indicated that he had roused her slightly and her sleepy voice replied, “Later, Toshiro. Come back in the next dream.”

 

Sighing he persisted. Zaraki would be awake; would have awoken when he heard Toshiro's voice and he was probably lying there grinning widely.

 

When she finally listened and obeyed he had the conversation he had been dreading since their return from the human world. Zaraki wanted to marry Matsumoto. Toshiro felt marriage was a little extreme but there was no point in trying to persuade them to wait, or even that it was a bad idea. Neither appeared ready to listen to reason, but he knew that if they asked the Captain-General, he might veto the match. Toshiro didn't want this marriage to take place. It was another unwelcome change in his all too frequently shifting world.

 

Leaving them to dress, he quickly located a Hell Butterfly and sent a message to the Captain-General providing a very brief outline of what was happening. Despite his preference he found that he was thinking about recent events. His sex life was now non-existent and he would shortly ask Momo to marry him. The thought of asking her that question appealed less than the first time he had thought of it. Duty and friendship. Was that a reason for marriage? He could not imagine holding Momo the way Zaraki had held Matsumoto while they slept. In some ways he found the idea slightly repugnant. Then he remembered the pleasure he'd experienced waking, cuddled close to Soi and his face reddened. That had been a mistake. Now he had the chance to think about it, the argument last night was providential. Waking up next to her when it was the final morning might have made him again request an extension, or worse he might have told her he liked her or some other such garbage. Not that he would have meant it. He liked fucking her, he liked her body, but he did not like her all. It would only have been a tactic to make her extend the liaison.

 

“Who could like Soi? She was cold, demanding, selfish, a great fuck, cruel, passionate, a lesbian…”

 

He was relieved when his thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Ikkaku looking for his Captain. “Hey, Captain Hitsugaya. I take it my Captain is still here.”

 

“Yes,” Toshiro was feeling very terse and it showed in his tone.

 

“Why are you here?” Ikkaku seemed frankly curious. “Is Ran late or something?”

 

“She was very upset yesterday after your Captain… After they broke up. I thought I would see how she felt,” Toshiro did not feel like going into details, yet.

 

“Then why are you waiting here? Is Ran unwell, or the Captain? Is there a problem?” Ikkaku was being remarkable persistent. He glanced toward the door as if he was thinking about viewing the situation.

 

“They are asking the Captain-General for permission to marry today. Your Captain has just asked for my consent to marry my Lieutenant, while they were still in bed, naked” Toshiro decided he may as well tell this curious man. He'd be surprised if everyone in the Seireitei didn't know within the hour.

 

Ikkaku broke into a short impromptu dance. Toshiro looked on in astonishment. Why was the man dancing? Had ants invaded his footwear and were biting him or had he lost it?

 

“At last, now he won't watch me so carefully and I can spend my nights where I want, with whom I want. My Captain will be happy with Ran. They suit each other. Yumichika and I tried to hint at him last night that he should ask her to marry him. Ran must have got it. She's quick when she has to be.” Ikkaku seemed happy at the news.

 

Without meaning to Toshiro smiled. The dance had been funny and it might be good for Matsumoto to settle with someone, but he would have preferred nearly anyone else, nearly. Remembering the 12th Captain's clutch on his arm and intense questioning unnerved him. He would have incarcerated Ran before he allowed her to get involved with that creep. Zaraki was almost acceptable in comparison.

 

Ikkaku started pounding on the door. “I want to see what happens,” he explained to Toshiro, but stopped, as he received a cool stare. “It shouldn't take them this long to get dressed.”

 

When they finally emerged he noted that Matsumoto seemed overjoyed, excited and so obviously in love it was painful to look at her. Zaraki bared his teeth in a ferocious smile and could hardly keep his hands off the woman. The effect this obvious sexual satisfaction and romance had on Toshiro made him speculate as to whether he would make it to their destination without vomiting. Love sickened him.

 

Aside from giving Zaraki a reproving glance and comment when it appeared he was going to carry Matsumoto to the meeting, Toshiro did not pay much attention the events that were unfolding around him. He tried not to look at the couple as they walked to the 1st Division office, all the time endeavouring not to think about Soi or Momo. This new complication made it even more unlikely that he'd have a chance to talk to his Lieutenant about his problems anytime soon.

 

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The Hell Butterfly awoke her and she sat up, confused as to where she was. Waking in the middle of the night she had realised she had fallen asleep while watching the moon. Grumbling gently, she returned to her bed and fell asleep without really waking. Opening her eyes she expected to see the world outside only to view her bedroom walls. On hearing the message summoning her to 1st Division her lips thinned. A Captain's meeting. Another damned meeting that would only serve to advance the position of the males in the Seireitei.

 

As she checked her appearance she stopped, realising that if it was a full Captain's meeting, Toshiro; no, Captain Hitsugaya; no, that man would be there. Soi felt a slight surge of nausea. She did not wish to see Toshiro soon, or ever. There was no choice.

 

Bolstering her resolution she walked to the meeting, her footsteps firm with her adjunct in attendance burbling on about gossip. Soi did not listen. He always seemed to be full of unimportant information that he imparted between mouthfuls of food.

 

Suddenly hungry she grabbed a handful of the nuts he was eating, cramming them into her mouth. Still hungry she took the bag from his shocked grasp and ate the rest of the contents ignoring his exclamation. “Don't try to tell me it's your last snack. You always carry more of these and I'm hungry. Give me another bag of snacks, chocolate this time. You never share and now it's time to learn.” Her demand brought forth complaints, but also chocolate which she consumed ravenously.

 

Arriving at 1st Division, Soi entered the office, looking around intently to see if Toshiro was already in attendance. Ignoring her sinking spirits she saw he was not yet there and took her normal space in the room. Not for the first time she wondered why they had to stand during these meetings. Each time she left a meeting she needed to stretch for some time to warm up the muscles that were cramped or abused by standing in the one position for so long. Every time she wished to raise the matter at a meeting, it always got bogged down on some stupid point that seemed irrelevant to Soi and she lost interest.

 

The door opened and looking toward it she saw Kenpachi, Ran, Toshiro and Ikkaku enter the room. Seeing Toshiro made her feel strange, and she quickly looked away wondering at the purpose of the meeting.

 

When Kenpachi announced his desire to marry the woman, Soi found her mouth had fallen open. “He can't be serious. Marriage? These two? Toshiro is going to ask Momo to marry him. Why do people want to marry?”

 

When Kuchiki objected she almost laughed at Kenpachi's retort. That would really disrupt his household and Division. How do you treat a subordinate who is in love with your sister when you are the head of a noble house? Especially such a sister who had already brought him so much embarrassment.

 

More words were exchanged and she asked the Captain the question she felt she should be asking Toshiro. “Captain Zaraki, are you sure you want this? You don't have to marry” her lip curled in disgust as she asked the question. A quick glance at Toshiro saw an answering flare in his gaze and then she took her eyes from him, making a silent promise that she would not look at him again today.

 

Soi tried to listen to the discussion and the questions, but she wasn't really interested. Her main wish was to leave this meeting as soon as possible. Solitude was what she desired and all this discussion about something like marriage seemed ridiculous. The harlot and the homicidal maniac, married. It was nearly enough to make her smile and then the harlot bleated about being in love with the man. As if that could be the reason! It was a relief when she was told to leave. The real debate started after her departure.

 

“You are letting this interfere with your duties,” Yamamoto told the stolid Captain. “You should have attended the meeting when you returned.”

 

“Yeah, so? If you don't let us marry I'll let it interfere a whole lot more,” Zaraki sniped back.

 

“We discussed tactics and the Arrancar attacks. You would have learnt something useful, unless you have obtained this information from the Lieutenant,” Yamamoto responded. “You are again challenging my authority.”

 

A lascivious smirk crossed Zaraki's face. “I've been too busy with the Lieutenant to talk about Arrancar. Ikkaku and Yumichika explained about them to me. I know what I need to know.”

 

Yamamoto grunted and glared at Zaraki.

 

“I think she's a bad choice,” Mayuri said smoothly. “She's not the most stable of women.”

 

“Fuck you, Kurotsuchi. Your opinion means nothing. Why don't you go and screw a cadaver like you normally do. It might pay more notice to you than me,” Zaraki dismissed the comment with the usual disdain he used when addressing that Captain. Mayuri glared at Kenpachi, but a small growl from the man persuaded him not to say anything further.

 

A snort of laughter was heard from Captain Unohana, but Soi expected that. She knew that she had been Kenpachi's mistress in the past.

 

“Enough Zaraki,” Yamamoto interjected.

 

“Let them marry. Ran needs to be settled and she seems to love the Captain,” Captain Kyoraku commented idly. He smiled lazily and said, “They can always divorce if it doesn't work out. Why all this fuss?”

 

Soi felt the bitterness she had welling inside her toward Toshiro burst out, “You would say that. That woman prostitutes herself for you and your friends. We all know that you're screwing each other regularly; you probably all have her at the same time. Why you want to marry something like that Kenpachi, I don't know.”

 

There was a short silence after her outburst and she saw Toshiro look at her unbelievingly. The next minute Kenpachi had grabbed the front of her coat and hauled her off her feet. “Don't talk about Matsumoto like that. You know nothing about her you callous bitch and someone like you could never understand her. You're about as warm and caring as a sodding glacier. A fucking tiny glacier,” As if realising that this was not helping his case, the Captain suddenly replaced her on her feet and walked away from her, not looking at her.

 

Soi was shaken by the contact and the intense rage she had seen in Kenpachi's eyes. For a moment she had thought he would throw her against the wall and skewer her on his zanpaku-to if he could. Unthinkingly her eyes sought Toshiro and found he was watching Kenpachi, not looking in her direction.

 

Why was she getting involved? It didn't matter to her if they got married. The presence of Toshiro was upsetting her and causing her to act like this.

 

“I'm sorry to disappoint your salacious imagination, Captain Fong, but Ran is a friend, a good friend, but a friend who was faithful to Captain Ichimaru far too long. None of us have had the pleasure of having sex with her and I think you should apologise to Captain Zaraki for insulting his future wife,” the smooth and cool words from Captain Ukitake were unexpected. What was worse, she almost believed him.

 

“Of course you'd say that. You're one of them, one of her lovers,” Soi began, trying to convince her brain that the man was telling untruths. It was improbable that they were just friends.

 

“That's enough, Captain Fong,” Toshiro's voice cut in quickly, contempt in his voice. She quailed a little at the coldness of his gaze as the shock of hearing his voice caused her to look at him.

 

“It's not enough. We have to believe these men because of their words. You're just protecting her Captain Hitsugaya, because she's your adjunct. You're too easily manipulated,” Angry at his words Soi decided to attack Toshiro again.

 

“You judge so quickly and incorrectly,” Captain Unohana murmured quietly into the silence. “What you suggest about Lieutenant Matsumoto is quite impossible.”

 

“It is the wrong time for marriage. Wait until the war is over then you can marry later,” was the voice of reason. Yamamoto looked keenly at Zaraki. “Wait.”

 

“I can't wait. She's pregnant and if you don't agree she'll move in with me anyway,” Kenpachi announced.

 

The Captain's looked at each other. Pregnant? That did make a difference.

 

“Have you considered that the child may not be yours, Captain Zaraki? It is possible that the Lieutenant encountered Ichimaru in the human world while on the mission,” Captain Kuchiki asked sleekly, reminding Soi of a man attempting to enrage a bull.

 

“I had someone watching her the whole time she was in the human world. She didn't meet that bastard,” the reply was uttered without the expected anger. “Stop trying to needle me Kuchiki. I know her better than you think.”

 

“Are you sure she's pregnant, Captain Zaraki? Can you confirm the pregnancy Captain Unohana?” Yamanto did not bother listening to the other questions.

 

“I cannot confirm or deny the claim, Captain-General and I believe the Lieutenant would have consulted me. If you wish I will examine her now,” Captain Unohana was poised as she made the suggestion.

 

Captain Yamamoto screwed up his face as he thought. “I don't think you're telling the truth about the pregnancy, or you would have mentioned it earlier. However, I believe that the Lieutenant will move in with you as she has already expressed her desire to marry you. I think it's a mistake.”

 

Why was this an important issue? They should make a decision so she could leave. She didn't want to be here any more and all the talk of marriage made her remember that soon Toshiro would be married to Momo.

 

“I think it's a mistake, but they should marry,” Toshiro agreed.

 

Hearing his voice utter those words made Soi turn cold and she lost interest in the rest of the meeting. The voices burbled, arguments ranged around the room, tempers got heated and eventually folly prevailed. Her thoughts were relaxing as she pretended she was again watching the moon travel through the sky.

 

After the marriage took place and the meeting was over, Soi walked from the room. Toshiro was waiting outside and she stopped, half hoping for an apology.

 

“There is no need for you to concern yourself with the protection of Lieutenant Hinamori further,' he announced. “Thank you for your assistance, but it is no longer required. Good bye, Captain Fong.” His face was blank and his rigid stance indicated his distaste at being in her company.

 

She nodded in response not sure that she would be able to address him with any civility if she spoke. Turning on her heel she left, returning to her Division, intent on reclaiming her life.

 

A.N.

 

Ichigo has not been paired with anyone in this or Different Circumstances, yet, and if he does appear he will not be paired with Orihime. That combination does not interest me.

 

A lot of the Zaraki/Matsumoto story. Yeah, I'm trying to establish background for the next few chapters.

 

Review. I like reviews.