Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ For The Love of a Friend ❯ Friend Recovered ( Chapter 27 )

Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. I am not Tite Kubo. I do not own Bleach or the characters. I do not own the Seireitei.

 

Friend Recovered

 

 

“Damn, now someone else knows. But Kenpachi won't say anything. He'll forget because if Matsumoto recovers he'll be too intent on her to think about other people. Hell, I'd be surprised if he can think of anything but getting her into bed,” realising the way his mind was running he felt his face go red. The man's apparent insatiable need for sex must be making him think that way.

 

But why had he confided in the man he'd been fighting rather than Shunsui or anyone else? He'd been completely overcome by the endorphins kicking into his bloodstream. That was a possible explanation. At least it made it impossible to back out. Now Zaraki knew he'd have to talk to Soi and try to mend things between them. He'd give her the black cat and chocolates. Maybe some fruit as well. Women liked fruit. Bananas were a novelty here….

 

Then he stopped, standing still. Remembering what he'd last said to her in the fit of fury, maybe he shouldn't even try. Fruit was definitely not a present to offer to Soi, especially bananas. She'd probably return it, personally, and that could prove embarrassing especially if she followed any of his suggestions. Or worse, she'd take it as a further insult and swear revenge or send an execution squad to end his life. And black cats would remind her of Yoruichi. To send that statuette would only provoke her further.

 

When would he stop making mistakes? Or when would he do something in the vicinity of Soi that wasn't a mistake? It had been a shock to see her, especially in the company of Izuru. Seeing her after the angry words and hot, furious sex made him aroused and discomfited at his reaction. Even though they had both been enraged, the sex had been good; great even. Neither of them had even considered being gentle and it had made the experience uninhibited and full of passion. He wanted sex like that, with the passion but without the pain and hate.

 

Why had Izuru been with Soi? How long had they known each other? Why did she let him embrace her? Was it meant to taunt him? Was she bringing her new lover to show that she didn't care? But Izuru hadn't acted much like a lover. If Toshiro had been in the same situation he would have held onto Soi and not let her go, as he had let her go all the other times. He would have nuzzled his face into the back of her neck, grazing the soft skin with his lips as his arms tightened around her, holding her tightly so he could imprint the shape of her body on his.

 

The shock had made it difficult to talk. The shock of admitting his plans to Zaraki and seeing Soi with Izuru in addition with the hope, the dreadful, shattering hope that Matsumoto would survive had caused the problems with communication. That hope hurt more than all the despair he'd been experiencing because it was as fragile as a snowflake; delicate radiating crystals that could be shattered by the heat of a breath. That was how he viewed the life of his lieutenant at present. Anything, a sudden increase of temperature could have devastating effects.

 

He had to face the fact that he'd lost it. Not only did he want to marry Soi, he wanted to have children with her. Children that would combine their strengths and play with Matsumoto's and Zaraki's children. A frown passed over his face at the thought. What would that combination of genes produce? Even though he loved Matsumoto he knew she was lazy, hedonistic, with occasionally questionable morals and a lax attitude to work. As for her husband. Without warning he was presented with a vision of their child. A lazy, bloodthirsty killer who smiled sleepily, holding a jug of sake in one hand while casually destroying opponents with the other. Constantly in trouble for doing or not doing something, whilst pushing the boundaries. Would he really want his children playing with that progeny? The bad habits they might learn!

 

Those children would be so different to any he and Soi would have, physically as well. Zaraki was huge and Matsumoto dwarfed Soi, so their children would be much bigger than his and Soi's. The poor things would be bullied, constantly. He'd have to watch them carefully to make sure that his son didn't end up doing things because Zaraki's thug of a son insisted he do so. Or his thug of a daughter. What if his son married Zaraki's daughter? It could be worse. His daughter marrying Zaraki's son. The girl wouldn't have a chance. She'd never be allowed out of the house. No, he'd prevent any marriage between the families, if he could.

 

This was speculation. It didn't mean anything. He tried to drag his mind to a more sensible route but wondering about the training roster didn't inspire him as he walked toward 4th Division. If he let his mind free it began to worry at the thought of Matsumoto dying, because while it seemed her reiatsu was a little more stable, it still dipped and soared.

 

Inevitably his mind slipped back into the strange contemplation of children.

 

Did he want children if they had Matsumoto and Zaraki's brats as companions? But even if he managed to make Soi fall in love with him and marry him, there was no guarantee she'd want to have children and it might take time before they began to produce a family. Otherwise his children might be playing with Momo and Aizen's offspring. He suppressed a shudder at the thought the inherited abilities of that child. Or there was the child of Kuchiki and Kiyone. Both were extremely competitive and his cool intelligence coupled with her sense of fun might prove to be interesting. But Kiyone could be extremely childish and the Captain was often unyielding and impervious to new ideas. What if it inherited the worst traits of each parent? An unyielding, practical joker? A child whose sense of honour was only outweighed by a sense of competition. Constantly trying to prove he, or she, was more honourable. Perfect to head the noble Kuchiki clan, but not much of a companion for a child to befriend.

 

Again he cursed his mind for drawing him down this path. It wouldn't happen, or at least not for a considerable period of time. If he managed to convince Soi that she loved him and then persuaded her to marry him, he'd suggest that they delay having children. Until he felt ready; which might be never. But he'd promised Zaraki. Knowing that man, he'd keep his wife pregnant as proof of his potency.

 

Toshiro felt the blood drain from his face at the thought of an unlimited number of children sired by the 11th Division Captain and his lieutenant. Surely they would show some moderation. They wouldn't just breed, would they?

 

Feeling very uncomfortable, he decided not to think about that again. He wanted his lieutenant to recover before anything else and he was mapping out a future that might never happen. His major problem was how to make Soi fall in love with him. He loved her; he was through with lying about that. She infuriated, frustrated, intrigued, fascinated and scared him and that was part of her allure. Momo was predictable. She would always get her crazes and new loyalties that would blind her to reason and sense. While he thought he'd loved her, he found her obsessions tedious. The girl had never grown out of needing to rely upon others, but she was his friend. And her inexplicable crushes were annoying.

 

When he was with Soi, it was never certain whether she was preparing to kiss or kill him. And he liked her sharp intelligence, the way she normally negotiated the difficult obstacles of being a captain. Recently her interaction with Zaraki had indicated that she would make tactical errors, but then recover from her mistakes and almost return the relationship back to a cool and even distance.

 

Momo would blunder on, oblivious to how she might offend other people with her words and actions, as long as she managed to get her own way. Soi had an inner strength, Momo possessed an internal weakness and she was selfish in a way that made Soi look generous. As long as Momo managed to obtain her outcome, she was satisfied, even if it cost others dearly. In addition, her inability to accept Aizen's betrayal worried him. It didn't seem normal.

 

Clenching his teeth he remembered the promise he'd made to himself. He was still not free of it. If Matsumoto survived he would ask her if she thought he should ask Momo to marry him. Honour demanded he obtain her agreement if he was to make the offer or not and while he only wanted to marry Soi, his pride demanded that he keep to the original plan. Matsumoto was friends with Momo and understood her. If she died he would take it as an indication that he had to make the suggestion to Momo. After having experienced wild sex with Soi, he knew that wouldn't happen with Momo. He didn't see Momo participating with such abandon with him. Nor would he want her to.

 

The thought of sex with Momo made his cock shrink. All those half born fantasies of pleasuring her had died in the hot reality of fucking Soi. It would be like he was fucking his sister and the thought of breaking that taboo didn't attract him, especially with a former bed wetter. As soon a Zaraki had become involved with his lieutenant he'd happily discarded any fantasies he'd had about Matsumoto, knowing that the 11th Division Captain would probably rip his head off if he knew about them. He'd been told it was normal for men to fantasise about attractive women and before he'd formed the liaison with Soi, he'd mentally pleasured most of the female population of the Seireitei. Strangely, at that time, he hadn't included Soi and he never planned to act on any of his fantasies. The number of women in the Seireitei that he included in his fantasies had decreased, only to be replaced by images of women he'd seen in the human world, but the reality was better than the made up imaginings.

 

The story about the drunken seated officer who had offered to kiss Matsumoto in front of his Captain had gone the rounds. The consensus was that if Zaraki hadn't been holding his wife and had probably just fucked her, the man would have been reduced to a messy red streak on the ground. Marriage had gentled the man, somewhat, or maybe he didn't want to let go of what he was holding. It was general knowledge how long they had spent in the bathhouse together, the hours they'd spent alone before the ill fated party. No one believed they'd spent the time sleeping, or talking. They'd probably bathed. Possibly.

 

Toshiro jerked his mind away from those thoughts. It was bad enough fantasising about anonymous women without contemplating what Zaraki and Matsumoto did together. Sex had corrupted his judgement. Before he'd gotten involved with Soi he was certain he hadn't thought about other people having sex.

 

Nearing 4th Division, his steps had instinctively slowed. Matsumoto's reiatsu had stabilised, but he didn't trust his observation. He felt Zaraki's reiatsu tugging at it, trying to make it increase and it did, but while it was considerably stronger, it was still weak. It would be stupid to gain hope that she was recovering when it was only a brief respite before she succumbed to the wounds she had suffered. Gritting his teeth he quickly gained contact with his lieutenant and noticed, with astonishment, that her heart was stronger, the spleen was recovering…. Many of the organs he thought were damaged beyond repair were healing, healing extraordinarily fast. His earlier assessment of her injuries must have been wrong because there was no possibility she could be healing this fast. Her reiatsu was suppressed because most of it was being directed, (how? By an outside agency?) to self healing. It was drawing on the strength of Zaraki's reiatsu which was forcing the healing process to speed up and he was allowing her to take it freely, without any consideration of his own needs.

 

It hit him then; the man really loved her. He was barely keeping his anger and sadness in check, but concentrated on giving her the assistance she needed.

 

Isane was waiting for him at the door, a small smile on her face. “She's out of danger. She'll recover!”

 

He nodded in agreement, her words confirming what he'd expected. It was enough. The tension drained out of him all at once.

 

Suddenly he felt his jaws gape as a large yawn made his acknowledge how tired he was. The day had lasted too long, with too many events. “If you need me, I'll be in my quarters, sleeping,” he told the lieutenant and then made his words true.

 

His sleep was unaffected by dreams. No visions of a naked Soi or remembrance of the events of the day. When he woke he noticed that he was in the same position he thought he'd taken when he'd fallen into sleep. Rolling onto his back he stretched and felt his arms flex above his head touch the wall.

 

He was still tired and it was still dark outside, very dark.

 

“Why'd I wake up,” he wondered only to hear a loud, rhythmic thumping on his door. “What is it now?” he muttered as he struggled to get up and put his clothes on at the same time. As he attempted to put on a sandal and his hakama, at the same time, to make the process faster, he felt his balance slip and landing on the floor, banged his right thigh heavily into a small table. “Damn, whoever you are. Go away and leave me alone.” He yelled.

 

`Don't try to get out of this, short arse. I need you to help me talk to Yamamoto. We've got to work this out soon and we're having a meeting,” Zaraki's harsh voice thundered through the door.

 

“I thought you were with your wife,” Toshiro said as he opened the door, while rubbing the sore places on his body.

 

Zaraki looked at him and quirked an eyebrow. “What, or should I say, who the fuck were you doing?” he looked past Toshiro and seemed surprised that there was no one else in sight.

 

“I was sleeping; you know that thing you do at night instead of running around trying to have meetings, or annoying other captains. I don't want to go to a meeting. I want to sleep,” Toshiro complained. He sounded peeved, but he wanted the day to be over. “How's Matsumoto?”

 

“Alive. Sleeping. She's getting better and I want this to be fast so I'm there when she wakes up. I don't want to have a fucking meeting either, but this has to be sorted, now. Come on,” and then a sly smile slid over his -face. “Come on brother-in-law.”

 

“Ugh,” Toshiro said making a face. “We're not related.”

 

Zaraki laughed loudly. “I bet my wife will insist we are.”

 

Grumbling Toshiro followed Zaraki as they moved swiftly to 1st Division. Thinking about the comment, he realised the man was probably correct. Matsumoto had always seemingly craved a family, forming close relationships with friends, treating him like a loved younger brother. That might explain a few of her eccentricities, the need to claim people as her own and befriend as many people as she could.

 

As they ran, he noticed the streets were not as quiet or deserted as he expected. He saw other Captains converging on 1st Division. A questioning look at Zaraki provided no information, so he asked.

 

“I got the lazy sods in my Division to go to the Captains and persuade them it was a good idea to attend,” Zaraki explained briefly.

 

Knowing that most captains were very reluctant to give up their sleep for a meeting, Toshiro wondered what inducements had been made. If it hadn't been Zaraki bashing on his door, he would have returned to bed and ignored the request to attend a meeting.

 

“Yeah, being volunteered to go to Las Noches if they didn't attend, seemed a good inducement,” the man continued with a smile on his face.

 

That made sense. Toshiro didn't want to go. There were too many things happening that he wanted to follow in the Seireitei, like his `relationship' with Soi. Before he decided it was a bad idea, or talked himself out of it, he wanted to try to establish some understanding with her. Understanding of what, he wasn't sure, but if they could at least agree on being civil to each other at all times, it would be a start.

 

Within the quarter hour, all the Captains were assembled, many directing angry glares at the 11th Division Captain, but Captain Unohana just nodded briefly as she caught his eye. No one seemed pleased to be roused from their beds, but it was too late to worry about that. Soi seemed to be unaware of her surrounding, appearing slightly dazed. Toshiro found that no matter what he did, he kept glancing toward her, hoping she would at least acknowledge his presence by one look, but she didn't.

 

Being let into the room by a very grumpy 1st Division lieutenant Toshiro noticed the old man already there, seated, and wearing his most forbidding expression. The hard glance he shot at Zaraki indicated he knew who was responsible for the interruption to his sleep.

 

“So, Captain Zaraki. I am at your beck and call, am I?” he started.

 

“That's not what we're here to talk about,” was the quick response.

 

The quiet in the room was louder than any words that could be said. Zaraki was acting like he was in charge. This should be interesting, very interesting, but dangerous. Toshiro's eyes slid to Soi who appeared to be yawning. At least her hand covered her mouth.

 

The anger in Yamamoto seemed to radiate outwards. “Remember who you are.”

 

“Before you begin that rant let's sort out who's going on this rescue mission. We've got limited time and the sooner we get it moving the better.” Zaraki said. His voice was firm and commanding and Toshiro noticed Yamamoto sat up straighter in his chair, his hands clenched on his stick.

 

“While that is true…” the 1st Division Captain began.

 

“I wish to go. There are people there I can assist,” Captain Unohana said. “It may be possible to heal the natures of some of the people as well as their bodies,” she continued her sweet smile containing a layer of steely intensity.

 

Yamamoto coughed. “I don't think it's appropriate that you…”

 

“I need her and you agreed before. Any other objections?” Zaraki said speaking over his commanding officer.

 

Feeling a prickle of apprehension run up his back, Toshiro couldn't remove his gaze from the Captain-General. He'd never seen the man stunned before, but that was how he looked.

 

No one else spoke. It was highly probable they were waiting for the old man to cut Zaraki into two for his insubordination.

 

Shrugging, Zaraki spoke to Yamamoto, “You can take it out of my hide later. Who else? Do you want to go, Captain Fon?” Zaraki nodded toward Soi and Toshiro feared for a moment that she would agree.

 

“No. My forces are needed here to guard the perimeters and continue surveillance,” Soi answered shortly, but firmly. Her shoulders were squared and once more Toshiro's eyes were focused on her. This time she was more aware but stubbornly continued to keep her attention elsewhere.

 

“I will go,” a deep voice informed them.

 

`No you won't, Komamura. You might think Tosen doesn't know what he's doing, but he has less excuse than Ichimaru. The man you imagined was your friend no longer exists, even if he did exist once,” Zaraki said firmly. “You'd be vulnerable to him and we don't need that.”

 

“But…” Captain Komamura began to protest.

 

“The 11th Division Captain is correct,” Yamamoto said, his voice harsh, with an edge to it. The glare he directed at Zaraki was unrestrained in its fury, and even though he seemed to notice, he only shrugged peevishly.

 

Toshiro almost felt the ground shift underneath him. This meeting bore no resemblance to any other meeting he'd attended and he wondered if he was dreaming. Why was the Captain-General supporting Zaraki who had usurped his authority? He'd heard that edge on the old man's voice on a few occasions, for example during the argument with Soi. He knew that after this meeting there would be a reckoning between the two men. Or had this been pre-arranged?

 

The large 7th Division Captain seemed disappointed but said nothing more, dropping his head briefly before recovering his poise and assuming his customary stalwart stance.

 

“I will go,” demanded another voice, with determination. “I wish to examine these Arrancar and Espada. As no one has procured one for me to experiment upon I will go an obtain one for myself. That way I can identify the best specimens.”

 

Remembering the recent altercations between the 12th Division Captain and Zaraki, Toshiro expected an indignant rebuttal of the offer. He glanced at the man, and once again was clearly reminded how the paint he insisted on wearing obscured his features, making it difficult to discern his expression. His stare appeared to challenge everyone to deny his right to be part of the mission.

 

“As you are in charge of communications, I though you'd want to stay,” demurred Shunsui, an agreeable smile on his face. He blinked slowly and Toshiro wondered if he had recovered from his earlier drinking binge.

 

The fanatical look thrown at him by the other captain made him step back.

 

“Others can be trusted with that simple task. After my wishes were ignored by the last mission it became clear that only I can undertake the task. All the Hollows that have been collected for me have been weak, poor examples at best. A scientist of my stature should be provided with the best materials and if no one else will see to…”

 

“Shut the fuck up, you frenzied windbag. You can come, provided you stop your noise, now,” Zaraki said abruptly interrupting the man. He didn't acknowledge the man except for his words, but Toshiro had been watching Zaraki. Had his mouth twitched as though he was smiling, or grimacing? It'd have to be a grimace, but Toshiro was relieved that the man was going.

 

“I will allow one more Captain to join this group, Kenpachi,” Yamamoto had lowered his voice. “And I will point out….”

 

Zaraki turned a ferocious look on his superior officer. “Later. After Aizen is defeated. This is more important than whatever problems you have with me.”

 

“I will go,” Captain Kuchiki said before anyone else could interrupt. “Both my sister and lieutenant have journeyed, without permission, to Las Noches. I will retrieve them.”

 

Sighing loudly, Yamamoto rose to his feet. “Are you satisfied now, Kenpachi? You will leave tomorrow. I'm sure you want to get back to your wife now. You are all dismissed, but this is not over. After Aizen is defeated we will have a reckoning,” he said meaningfully before he stormed out of the room.

 

“Whatever,” said Zaraki and ran out of the room closely followed by Captain Unohana.

 

“Why did he make a show of getting me to come?” Toshiro wondered as he searched the room looking for Soi.

 

This time their glances met and he noticed she was observing him with narrowed, suspicious eyes. He couldn't read hate into the look, but it served to make him feel uncomfortable. Despite his determination not to talk to her, he found he was standing in front of her, trying to think of something to say that wouldn't be inflammatory.

 

“You didn't want to go?” was all he could think of to say.

 

“No.”

 

The other Captains, amid a hubbub of speculation had left the room, each unhappy about the interrupted sleep.

 

“If anyone decides to call another meeting like this, they better supply plenty of sake,” Shunsui grumbled. “Though I almost felt like I was drunk during this last one.” He wavered unsteadily on his feet and Captain Ukitake caught his arm.

 

“You are,” he said as he wrinkled his nose. “Go home and go to bed. Sleep it off,” he told his friend as he ushered him out the door.

 

Soi moved to follow them and Toshiro caught her by her sleeve. “It won't go away,” he said.

 

Her face paled and she shot him a look of combined loathing and fear. “It is none of your business,” she said as she pulled her sleeve away with obvious revulsion.

 

“It is my business,” he insisted, knowing that he was making yet another mistake. “I want to be involved…”

 

A hard slap to the side of his face jerked his head to one side. Soi moved swiftly and the punch to his solar plexus which landed seconds later came out of nowhere. Before he could react, Toshiro was kneeling, winded and Soi had left the room.

 

When he finally caught his breath, he left, the scene playing through his mind. If he followed her now…. No. He was tired and might suddenly spout on about love. If trying to even mention his emotions caused this reaction, a declaration might be really painful. Though she did appear to be over reacting. All he was doing was hinting that they had to talk about what was happening between them. Even if they could agree on having regular sex, or …

 

Each time she told him it was over, she started it again. There had to be a reason. Maybe after Yoruichi she found it hard to accept that she could feel anything for another person.

 

“And I taunted her about Yoruichi,” he recalled with a groan. Grinding his teeth with impatience he returned to his quarters with a short stop at his headquarters. There he left a message that he was to be undisturbed until further notice. After the events of the day he didn't want any unwanted females seeking solace or sex. From her attitude it was extremely unlikely that Soi would be seeking either from him in the foreseeable future; if ever. He deserved to sleep in, if on only one occasion, and he roused his third seat to remain on duty outside his quarters. His subordinate seemed reluctant to accept his demand, but he simply raised his eyebrow questioningly and the opposition melted as he was shaken by a chill.

 

“Sir, anything. No one will interrupt you tonight, but can I have the day off tomorrow?” he bargained.

 

Toshiro considered the matter. With someone on guard he could sleep without interruption and he would take advantage of it. “When I wake up and dismiss you, you may have the rest of the day as leave, providing the situation hasn't changed,” he offered and shut his door before the man could agree.

 

Sliding into bed he shut his eyes, preparing to block out any thoughts. His mind wasn't being cooperative and throwing all his mistakes at him. If he could argue with it he would, pointing out that it had been actively complicit in making the errors, but there was no point. Arguing with his mind was bad. No, the light in his eyes was bad. Rubbing his face he knew he'd slept. The light outside his window indicated that it was full day. The oppressive feeling he'd experienced since Matsumoto was abducted was gone. A curious lightness affected him almost causing him to smile while the memory of his recent interaction with Soi made him want to hurt someone.

 

He decided that he was going to take control of the situation and his life. Today was going to be an improvement. A niggling feeling at the back of his mind alerted him that he'd forgotten something. He'd agreed to be somewhere, but the events of the previous day had driven it from his mind. In time he'd recall whatever it was and with any luck he wouldn't have to follow it up. It'd be forgotten and he could concentrate on working with his Division and catching up with some of the never ending paperwork.

 

Rising from the bed he made some tea and rice porridge and read a message from 4th Division and a general announcement from 1st Division while the tea was brewing. Faltering he stopped mid pour and re-read the message from Captain Unohana. Matsumoto had been permitted to leave the 4th Division with her husband. That could only mean she was completely recovered. The joy he felt seemed distant, shielded from him due to fear that the news might change for the worse.

 

The other note caused his eyebrows to rise slightly and he could see the connection between the two pieces of information. The note from the 1st Division informed all Captains that the mission had been delayed by one day. Matsumoto recovering and returning to her quarters with her husband might delay things considerably.

 

How long had he slept? Glancing at the time he was stunned to see that it was already early afternoon. Why had no one woken him? Sipping the tea, he inhaled the steam which cleared his head slightly of the slight fustiness he felt from the interrupted sleep. He still felt slightly stale so collecting fresh clothes he went to the bathhouse and emerged after a bath feeling somewhat more able to take charge. Instead of being prepared to hurt everyone, he'd only hurt anyone who annoyed him.

 

A kneeling messenger appeared in front of him, holding a folded paper. Instinctively, Toshiro felt he was going to want to hurt someone, very soon.

 

 

A.N.

 

Soundtrack

`

You Gonna Want Me (Jesper Dahlback Remix)' Tiga

`Voodoo Child' Rogue Traders

`Meet Your Master' Nine Inch Nails

`Waltz for koop (bacon and gumby remix' Koop

 

For now, no comment on how far behind this story is from `Different Circumstances'. You'll see why in the next chapter, where certain events have been causing me much amusement. Heheheh. Yes, it will be from Soi's perspective.

 

Thanks to Bastion, Mors' and ldymoon for reviewing. Yeah, the Omaeda speech! Was that interesting to write? Hell, yeah.

 

Review. I like reviews.