Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Seer ❯ She Who Belongs ( Chapter 10 )

It was dark out when I woke to the soft slide of a closing door. I blinked up into the darkness of the room, my head still turned towards where I remembered Toshiro sitting as he held my hand. My hand was now tucked under the comforter, but as I reached out to lay my palm on the floor I realized it was still warm with his body heat. That had been him closing the door…

Slowly I sat up, testing my head as I reached vertical. I felt fine, well rested in fact. I didn't wait to see how the rest of my body felt as I slipped out of the futon and stood. I could feel his spiritual pressure moving away as I thought about him. He must have been on his way back to his house. I pushed the door to my room open and made my way down the porch that wrapped around the building. As I rounded the corner of Rangiku's house I spotted his white hair and haori in the darkness as he moved, the black Squad 10 insignia printed across his back. He was walking through the grass towards his own home at a slow pace.

I stepped down off the porch and moved across the grass at a brisk walk, trying to catch up to him without tripping over my yukata. Dew clung to the grass under my bare feet, slicking my steps as I moved. I did my best to ignore it as I called out, "Toshiro." He stopped and turned to me, but at the distance I couldn't make out his expression in the darkness.

"Ria," he breathed out my name. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"You didn't," I quickly responded as I stopped before him. "I mean, you did. Well, I heard the door." I looked away, embarrassed by how badly I was fumbling my words.

"How are you feeling?" He asked. This close to him I could see his eyes were soft with concern as he looked down at me.

"I feel fine now," I said as I clasped my hands together in front of me nervously. "I suppose that I shouldn't have ran out here like I did, but I felt you moving away and I just had the urge to follow."

"It's alright Ria," he murmured. "Are you sure that you are fine though?"

"Yes," I responded automatically. I shook my head though and continued, "I don't know. I think so." I knew I was talking to fast and on the verge of rambling. I stared down at my hands as my fingers knotted themselves together.

"Hey," he cooed as his hands cupped my cheeks and lifted my face so I was looking up to him. He seemed to be watching my eyes rather than looking into them. "I can't tell if you're still being effected by Amagi's shikai or not."

"It's not that," I said with a small shake of my head. "Yesterday I didn't have a chance to talk to you. Everything happened so fast and I spent most of the day trying to sleep off that hallucinogen."

He studied my face for a moment before he let his face relax away from the concerned look that had been there. "What on earth could be bothering you so much?"

I opened my mouth to answer and hesitated. How could I summarize everything that my sister and I had spoken of yesterday? Was it even something I should bring up? I hadn't really thought it through before now. I bit my lip as I puzzled over my thoughts before finally I came up with a word.

"Marriage."

His eyes widened and his brows lifted, his mouth forming a silent 'oh' in surprise.

"I'm sorry," I quickly apologized as I stepped back from him. "I'm being too blunt. My brain to mouth filter hasn't kicked in yet." I turned away, giving him my back as I covered my mouth in horror. "I didn't mean it like that. I meant just me, and then there was you, and my sister and my obligations and the elders. I-I-" I clamped my own hand down on my mouth to shut myself up. I was just digging a giant hole.

Choked back laughter drew me out of my fit of panic. Slowly I turned back around, gazing in horror at Toshiro as he pursed his lips together in a terrible attempt to silence the laughter that he clearly couldn't stop from bubbling up. I had never seen his eyes twinkle with humor before. It was a completely foreign expression on his face as he watched me.

"W-what are you laughing about?" I demanded.

"You were clearly raised by nobles," he said between chuckles.

"You know that I was. What does that have to do with this?" I said waving a hand to gesture at all of him.

He captured my flapping hand in his own and pulled me to him. I slipped on the wet grass with the sudden movement and ended up falling into him. He caught me with his arm around my waist and pulled me into his body. I could only stare up at him in awe as he smiled down at me, the laughter he had been expressing still reflecting in his eyes.

"Explain to me why marriage is bothering you, and I will explain why I find you so inevitably amusing," he teased me.

I tried to form words, but all I could think about was the way he held me to him. How his hand spread across my lower back; his fingers curling firmly into my hip; the way his other hand held mine; the feel of his body pressed to mine; his eyes as they gazed down at me. It was like sensory overload. I was so unbelievably attracted to him that I couldn't think about anything else when he was this close to me. I nodded slowly to respond to him. I couldn't seem to come up with words as my brain struggled to process my own thoughts.

"Let's get inside where we can actually have some privacy," he said as his chest shook with suppressed laughter. He pulled back from me and shifted to my side, his hand never leaving the small of my back as he guided us towards the back porch of his house.

"I doubt anyone is out at this hour," I commented as we reached the back porch.

"With the way you've been attracting attention?" He made it a question as he looked down at me with a quirked eyebrow.

"You've got a point," I replied in a small voice.

He stepped up onto the porch before me, leaving me to follow him. I quickly shook my bare feet before I stepped up, kicking off the wet blades of grass that had clung to my skin. He slid one of the doors leading inside open, flooding the porch with light as he walked through it. I followed his path inside, blinking as my eyes adjusted to the brightness of the interior lights. I closed the door behind me before I followed the sound of another door down the hallway. I ended up in the living room I had been in before. Not seeing Toshiro, I assumed he had gone into his room so I found a spot on one of the couches and sat to wait for him.

He emerged from his room a moment later without his captain's haori. I had seen him several times lately without it, but between his entrance to the house and now he had pulled loose the fabric of his shihakusho, allowing a long line of skin from his chest down to his abdomen to be exposed. My mouth went dry at the sight of him. Oh geeze… I had to look away from him to avoid the heat that had started to tint my cheeks. This was going to be a difficult conversation to not blush during. Maybe if I just looked at the floor the whole time…

He sat across from me on the other couch, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his thighs. I could feel his eyes on me as I pointedly avoided meeting his while I tried to control my hyperactive blushing. Why did he have to loosen his shirt like that? It was like he was trying to tease me… After a long moment, I finally had my cheeks under control and I met his gaze, forcing myself to not blush. His expression was back to his usual serious face, but the intensity of his gaze was anything but intimidating. He was waiting for me to start this conversation.

I took a deep breath and steeled myself. "Before I chose to become a soul reaper, I was groomed by my sister to be placed in an advantageous marriage to another family. An arranged marriage, if you will." I said as I used my hands to illustrate what I was saying. "When I graduated from the Spiritual Arts Academy my sister chose to release me from my obligations to marry for advantage. Despite knowing this, I had maintained the mentality that it was my duty to my name and my family to remain..." I struggled for a word to use for a moment, my eyes searching the air for what I was grasping at. "To remain unattached, or at the very least to search for a match that would satisfy the elders."

I grimaced as I tried to think of a better way to explain my situation. "This is kinda coming out wrong, but I'm not sure how to make it sound like I wasn't an idiot."

"Just say what is on your mind," he suggested. He made it sound so easy…

"This," I said gesturing between the two of us. "This was taboo for me, but I couldn't- can't -help myself. I am so attracted to you that it drives me crazy every moment of the day. When you're near me I can't focus on anything or anyone else. I just-" I had to cut myself off before I got completely off topic. I closed my eyes, drawing myself out of my feelings and putting myself back on track.

"Up until I spoke with my sister yesterday, I was convinced that no matter who I found for myself, that they wouldn't be good enough for the elders or for the clan. I was convinced that until someone was chosen for me, I would never be allowed to marry someone of my choice." I opened my eyes and met his gaze with my own focused stare. "Up until yesterday I didn't want to want someone. I didn't want to fall so hard that my heart would be torn out when I was told no, so I had been trying to be reserved."

Silence hung in the air for a moment as I tried to say what I had been leading up to. Planning to explain how I felt about things had always been difficult. Whenever I managed to admit something, it was usually in an outburst where everything just came pouring out of my mouth in some messed up form of word vomit.

"This was yesterday that your opinion changed?" he prompted me.

I let out a huff of a laugh and shook my head. "I've been in trouble with you since that day in the forest."

He stood from the couch in a slow, languid movement and moved around the coffee table towards me. He sat down on the edge of the table in front of me, his knees parted on either side of mine so he could be closer to me while still directly in front of me. He rested his hands on the coffee table at his sides as he leaned towards me just enough for me to really feel his full attention on me. His aquamarine gaze had me trapped and unable to look away. He was so close to me, yet only his knees were touching me. It was maddening.

"What changed?" He crooned, his voice rumbling in his chest.

I swallowed a sudden lump in my throat but finally found my voice. "My understanding of my situation. Everything I had allowed myself to feel was conditional on what was expected of me. But, there are no expectations. I don't have to marry for any purpose other than my own happiness." I slid to the edge of the couch, sliding my knees down to rest on the floor as I balanced myself so most of my weight was still on the cushions. Our noses were only a few inches apart like this, the difference in our height barely noticed. "I want to be selfish. I want to see where whatever this is between us goes and for once, I don't have to worry about what anyone else thinks."

His cool eyes watched me for a long moment. I couldn't tell what he was thinking with his unchanging expression. Part of me wanted to keep talking, to justify my words with rambling non-sense while the other half of me was begging for him to say something. Anything…

His hand lifted from the table and traced up my sleeve as he reached for my hair. I felt his fingers ghost over my hair to my chignon, so I turned my head to allow him to see whatever he was doing. I felt him pull on my kanzashi, which I was surprised was still in my hair. I must have fallen asleep with it still in place. He pulled gently on it and I felt it pull free from my hair, taking several strands with it that tickled my neck as they dangled. The familiar jingle of the silver ribbons chimed as he placed my kanzashi on the coffee table behind him.

"It looked like it was going to fall," he said in a hushed tone. I smiled as my gaze trailed down to linger on his exposed chest.

"Thank you," I mumbled. "So, are you going to tell me why you find me so amusing?"

"You've never been in a relationship with someone else," he mused.

A blush lit my cheeks. "Is it that obvious?"

"To me, yes," he said as he rested his palm against my jaw, the pad of his thumb drawing across my reddened cheek. "You try to keep your feelings to yourself, but you end up saying exactly how you feel. Most people wouldn't say anything until they had been together for some time."

"Why?" I asked, surprised.

"Most people will not open themselves up to the pain of rejection." Like a cloud passing over the sun, his expression was suddenly filled with regret that filled his eyes with emotion. I just knew he wasn't thinking of me, but something in his past that had hurt. It was the first time I had ever seen such an expression from him and I felt the urge to make it go away.

I pushed away from the couch and pressed my body closer to his. His attention seemed to slip away from whatever he had been thinking about to me as I slipped my hand over his shoulder and pulled him the short distance down to me so I could kiss him. He seemed frozen with surprise when my lips pressed to his, but he quickly snapped out of it. His arms surrounded me, pulling my body gently closer to his as his mouth moved against mine. The kiss was gentler than our previous heated exchanges, but the feel of him still had butterflies tickling my stomach.

I tilted my head forward, parting our lips as my forehead rested against his. I didn't really know what to say, so I kept silent as I enjoyed the feeling of being in his arms. I hadn't realized it until just now, but that had been the first time that I had actually been the one to kiss him. Whenever we had kissed before, it had been him initiating the interaction. The realization had those pesky butterflies running rampant and my heart pounding high in my chest.

"I want to chase away whatever that was in your eyes," I whispered when I finally found my words.

He nuzzled his nose against mine with a subtle shake of his head. "You can't change the past."

"I suppose not, but maybe" I started to say as I pulled back just enough so I could focus on his eyes. "Maybe I can make the pain of it go away."

A tension I hadn't noticed that he was holding in his eyes seemed to relax away as I stared up at him. He let out a small sigh and leaned his head down, pressing his forehead against mine again. "You really are going to be a handful…"

We spent the rest of the night snuggled together, sitting between the couch and the coffee table. I wasn't sure what I had expected when I had decided to chase after him, but snuggled together was something I could have never predicted. We shared stories of our lives with each other, the time alone one serving to ease my nerves as he held me. It was so easy to talk to him like this. Sitting between his legs with my back pressed to his chest I didn't have the urge to try and hide my face when I started blushing or had to hide a laugh. It felt so right, like I belonged here with him in this moment. I wasn't sure how he felt about it, but the way his arms tightened around me when he leaned forward to say something into my ear… I was going to have to buy a cage for those damn butterflies.

Light began to filter through the windows as dawn approached. I hadn't realized just how long we had been talking until then. The realization just made a happy smile turn my lips. I rested my head back into the crook of his shoulder so I could see his face. "Did I really keep you up all night?"

"No," he replied. "But you did keep me up all morning."

I laughed quietly to myself. "I would apologize, but I'm not exactly sorry," I teased.

"Then don't," he said as he brushed a stray strand of my hair away from my face and tucked it behind my ear. His gaze shifted to the window as he took in a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. "I've been avoiding bringing up yesterday, but I need to fill you in on what happened after I left you at Rangiku's."

"Amagi?" I asked hesitantly.

"Between the time that we were gone and when I arrived, he had fallen unconscious inside your glass box," he explained. His eyes flicked down to me as he continued, "Whatever you made that out of, I had to use Danku to break it."

"A bakudo?" I asked in confusion.

"I placed it inside of your box so it would split the walls open."

"Oh," I murmured as I drew my gaze down, my hand moving to rest over where Amagi's blade had pierced me. It still hurt like the deep wound that it was, but even through the fabric of my yukata I could feel the reishi I had woven over my skin. "That would explain why my zanpakuto told me to maintain my shikai yesterday."

"Why is that?" He asked, his hand trailing over my own as I held the injured spot.

"I made those walls out of the same composition that my shikai armor is made of, just thicker. If I had been wearing it when Amagi had wounded me, I doubt his blade would have penetrated the armor." I shook my head and looked back up to him. "What else happened?"

"Kyrouni was taken to Squad 12's detention unit for study," he said as his gaze trailed back up to watch the window. "When he regained consciousness, he had no recollection of the events that had occurred after he had been attacked in the offices."

"Do they know why?" I asked slowly as my brain tried to fit details together in my head.

"They believe his mind was somehow tampered with," his voice seemed to darken as he spoke. "You are the only one who interacted with him closely. Did you notice anything besides the obvious?"

"His eyes," I started to say but hesitated. "They were all the same."

"Who?"

"The man from the night of the festival, the stealth force guy and Amagi. They all had the same grey eyes," I paused for a moment, thinking back to the day before. "That same sadistic looking grin." I closed my eyes and pursed my lips as I tried to recall just how similar they had all been.

"Ria," he cooed my name as he turned my head up with his hand cupping my jaw. I didn't object when his mouth covered mine, instead turning my body into him. "You don't have to think about it right now," he said against my lips.

"I'm fine," I breathed out. "I'd rather think about it now than later when I can psych myself out."

"Alright," he said as he pulled back just enough to look at me clearly. "What did you mean by they all were the same?"

"Did you look at Amagi before you took me to Rangiku's?" I asked.

"Briefly," he said.

"Amagi's eyes are naturally yellow, like the flowers that bloom from his shikai," I explained. "But yesterday when he attacked me, his eyes were grey. The same grey that the stealth force guy's eyes and the man that assaulted me in my room."

"You're thinking that they are all connected?" He suggested.

"Well, it wasn't just their eyes. It was their expressions, the way they spoke, how Amagi knew exactly what to say to trigger memories that he had no part in." I pressed my fingers to the spot where the hollow had ran me through as I thought. I didn't have a scar to show for the injury, but the new skin was paler than the rest of my body leaving a white line on my back and chest. "He even knew what that hollow had said to me, like he had been there."

"I didn't feel anyone else's spiritual pressure that night," he said quietly.

I nodded and looked down to where my hand rested over my chest. Someone had been trying to kill me for almost two weeks, and I didn't even know why. I hadn't even been given me an ultimatum or anything. Someone just wanted me dead…

I let out a small sigh and hung my head. "I just don't understand why. I am a nobody. What's the point in targeting me?"

"There was something else that came up yesterday," Toshiro started to say. "The Head Captain wants to see you."

I perked up at his words and raised my head abruptly with surprise. "Uncle Shunsui?" The amused expression on Toshiro's face had me stumbling to cover myself. "Sorry, Head Captain Kyoraku."

"Uncle?" He prompted.

"He's Lady Nanao's uncle. Growing up, I was the only child in the Ise Clan and I spent a lot of time at the Kyoraku Estate learning etiquette and proper mannerisms from the ladies there. Sometimes between lessons I would go out to see the blossoms with him and he'd tell me stories. I started calling him uncle after a little while, even though I really have no relation to him at all." I shifted, turning until I was sitting on my knees and fully facing him. "I haven't spoken to him outside of formal occasions since I became a soul reaper though. Why does he want to see me?"

"It isn't my place to say," he replied as he adjusted his position so he was sitting straight instead of leaning back against the couch. "It was implied to be a family matter."

I gave him a puzzled look but nodded in understanding. It must have been something to do with the Ise Clan. I had spoken to my sister yesterday, but our conversation hadn't led me to believe that something would be said about it. Had my sister said something to Lady Nanao? Even if she had, there was no reason for me to have to talk to the Head Captain about what was going on. Most soldier affairs were handled within their respective squads.

"I guess I should go get ready then," I said reluctantly.

"Alright," he replied. I started to move to stand, but Toshiro's hand caught my wrist before I could really go anywhere. His gaze had reverted to his normal expression, cold and intimidating, as he gazed up at me.

"Is something wrong?" I asked hesitantly.

"What or whoever is behind the attacks, I will find and kill them Ria," he said, his voice deep and menacing. "I promise."

I smiled down at him, understanding that the emotions he was expressing weren't towards me, but for me. "I trust you, Toshiro."

"Come find me when you are ready," he said as he let my wrist slip from his grasp.

"I will," I replied as I finished getting to my feet. I left him still sitting on the floor of his living room, watching me as I vanished through the doors to the hallway and outside. I moved quickly over the grassy expanse that separated his house and Rangiku's, trying to be quiet as I shook off my wet feet and darted into my room.

I made quick work of getting cleaned up. I was used to getting ready, but with the wound on my abdomen it had taken a bit longer so I could clean the area as best as I could. I spent a little extra time wrapping my chest as well, just in case I had to take my shihakusho top off later to check my wound. Despite the extra time I took getting dressed I was still done in thirty minutes or so. I had thrown my hair up in my usual chignon, fully intending on retrieving my kanzashi from where I had forgotten it on Toshiro's coffee table.

Securing my zanpakuto in my sash I paused with my hand on her hilt. I thought about calling out to her, asking for my name today, but for some reason I felt like I didn't need to. I… I wasn't worried about myself. It was a sensation I had never experienced before. I wanted to ask my zanpakuto what the feeling was, but someone's presence at the door to my room drew my attention.

"Ria," Rangiku's voice loomed ominously into the room.

Oh boy…

"Where have you been?" she asked deviously as she slowly slid the door to my room open. She was still dressed in her sleeping yukata with her blonde waves of hair still mussed around her from sleep.

"I, uh," I hesitated as I tried to think of what to say. 'Spent the night over at the Captain's,' didn't sound like a very good answer to give Rangiku. She would assume that we did a lot more than we actually did… "I went to talk to Captain Hitsugaya about yesterday."

"What else did you do when you were over there?" She asked, but her words sounded more like she already knew what had happened. She knew there was something going on between us, but the smug look she was giving me reminded me so much of my sister's that I knew she must have known more.

"Did you… follow us?" I asked suspiciously.

"I might have seen you two, together, when I came to bring you your zanpakuto. You were very distracted with one another." The devilish glint in her blue eyes told me everything that she didn't have to say. I could just imagine her peeking around the corner of the window at any point in the night to see us together. I should have thought to close the blinds… "You two go well together."

"What?" I asked her, surprised by her words.

"You two are cute together," she rephrased.

Fighting the blush that consumed my cheeks was like trying to put out a grease fire with water. "Thanks," I mumbled.

Her face hardened into an unusually serious expression. "I'm sure it isn't my place to say this, but I don't really care. He's used to be a different person from the cold and irritable guy that he is now." She moved over to the desk that rested against the wall and leaned her hip against it. "That same guy is still in there, but even I only see him on rare occasions. Whenever he has been with you, it like the old him pokes through for a while. And earlier, when I saw you two together it was like seeing the old captain back."

"That's how… he used to be?" I asked hesitantly.

"Don't get me wrong, he had his scary moments. But the softer expressions I saw on his face earlier this morning, those belonged to a much younger Toshiro."

"What happened?" I blurted out.

Rangiku's gaze flicked to the floor as she ran a hand through her hair. "Let's just say that he got left behind by someone that meant a lot to him, but he couldn't do anything about it for her sake. His way of dealing with it was to shut himself in, resulting in the captain that you know now."

"You're worried for him," I stated. I knew that Rangiku had been the Lieutenant of Squad 10 longer than Captain Hitsugaya had even been a soul reaper but, in that moment, I realized how much she cared for him.

"Ria, if whatever is going on between you two is more than just a passing fancy, please, pull him out of that shell." Her gaze focused on me, the churning emotions of her request flashing in her eyes.

"I wouldn't even know how to," I started to say, but Rangiku interrupted me.

"Just be you. If whatever you two have doesn't work out, then so be it. But, if it does, please bring back that softer side of him." She pushed off the desk and walked over to me, her hands clamping down on my shoulders. "Save him from himself. Thirty years ago, we both suffered from terrible injuries that resulted in the loss of a significant part of our life span. I don't want him to spend the rest of his life, however short or long it may be, wallowing in his past."

I stared at her in surprise. "Thirty years ago? That was when the Quincy attacked the Soul King's palace?"

"Yes," she confirmed. "We were both-"

"That doesn't matter to me," I interrupted to her. "I mean, it matters in the aspect that it was something that happened has affected the both of you. But, when it comes to how I feel towards him, it doesn't matter." I bit my lip as I cast my gaze to the side.

"But something does matter," she prompted as she leaned her head to the side to watch my face.

"Whoever she is, are they still around?" I asked quietly.

"Yes, but they don't see each other much anymore," she replied.

I nodded. "I had no idea. He was always so intimidating. I spent the last five years tip toeing around him because he was so darn scary. I thought that was just how he was." I said as I pulled away from her.

"No, it's not him." She replied. "Though, he may think it is now."

I started walking towards the door, pausing as I slid it open to smile back at her. "You are a really good person, Rangiku. I can't promise that whatever is between us will work out, or that I'll live through it, but I can promise that I won't hurt him. I… I couldn't bear it if I did."

I left her then, closing the door behind me as I walked around the porch to the other side of the house. I stopped just as Toshiro's house came into view and thought back on what Rangiku had said. She left him behind… Who was she? Perhaps it wasn't my place to be wondering because it really didn't matter who, but… If they had really meant that much to him, maybe one day he would tell me on his own.

Shaking my head I flash stepped across the grass to avoid getting my sandals wet and stopped at his front door. I raised my hand to knock on the door, but stopped and smiled as I felt his spiritual pressure moving towards me. I spun away from the door and gazed out on the barracks that the front of his house faced. I was only waiting for a moment before I heard the door slide open and closed.

"You forgot your-"

"Kanzashi?" I interrupted him as I turned around.

"Yes," he replied softly as he looked down at me.

"Do you mind?" I asked as I turned my head to show him my chignon. He stepped into me and slid my kanzashi into its place on the first try. The silver ribbons jingled as I lifted my head to gaze up at him.

"Thank you," I murmured as I shook my head a little to make the ribbons jingle even more. His fingers trailed from the corner of my jaw to my chin affectionately before he dropped his hand to his side.

"This early, Head Captain Kyoraku is probably still at the Ugendo Quarters." He said as he moved around me.

"The Ugendo Quarters?" I asked as I followed him.

"It was where the former captain of Squad 13 resided. The Head Captain tends to spend his mornings there," he replied as he flash stepped away. I quickly followed him, trying to match his speed as he made his way across the rooftops toward Squad 13's area. The wound in my gut hurt trying to maintain his speed, but I ignored it as best I could and put most of my power into the other side of my body to compensate.

After a few minutes, we stopped beside a large clear lake that was surrounded by lush grass and paved walk ways. It took me a moment to realize that this wasn't Squad 13's area, but somewhere completely different. The buildings that were a little ways off belonged to one of the noble families instead of being part of the squad barracks, and outside of Squad 10's area that I typically maintained, I had never seen so much vegetation in the barracks area…

"This is an estate?" I asked as I observed the area. A long wooden dock lead out into the lake where a building resided on pillars in the water.

"The Ukitake compound," Toshiro replied as he started walking towards the dock. I followed closely behind him, my hand ghosting across the railing that lined one side as we moved. I couldn't help but to be a little nervous. Family business was something I would have expected to come from Lady Nanao or the elders, not Shunsui Kyoraku. I really had no relation to him at all, so what on earth could he have to say?

Rounding the corner of the building we were greeted by a pair of open shoji doors that revealed a large room. The room was sparsely furnished with an elegant chabudai table and cushions in the center, but the room was hardly noticed when my gaze caught Head Captain Kyoraku sitting on the other side of the room at another set of open shoji doors. He was sitting in the sun with his back to us as he looked out across the lake. The pink kimono that he always wore was draped across his shoulders like it always seemed to be, his straw hat resting beside him on the porch.

"I wasn't expecting you two so early," he said as he glanced over his shoulder towards us. His expression was light and amused as his cobalt grey eyes drifted from Toshiro to myself. Remembering proper mannerisms, I softly dropped to one knee and bowed my head. If I had been meeting him as a lady of the Ise Clan, I would have dropped to both of my knees and given him a more formal bow. But as it was, I was just another member of a squad, so I had to show the proper respect.

"Yes, well, I thought it best," Toshiro responded as he left me where I was kneeling and walked over to the Head Captain.

"You're probably right," he responded with a nod. "Come over here Ria, unless you intend to make me talk to you from all the way over there."

"Of course not, Head Captain," I responded as I rose and walked over to him. As I approached, Lady Nanao became visible from where she stood in the porch just around the corner. I quickly gave her a small bow upon meeting her violet gaze before continuing into the sun. I stopped when I was in front of him but still off to one side and knelt, bowing my head respectfully.

"Relax, would you?" He said with a huff. "You're making me feel old, acting all stiff like that."

I glanced cautiously up to Lady Nanao before I let my body slide to the side, allowing me to sit with my legs folded to one side of my body. "I'm sorry Head Captain, I am just unsure of how to interact with you in such a format."

He gave me a look that clearly said 'really?'

"Uncle Shunsui," I corrected myself as I looked down out of embarrassment.

He let out an exasperated sigh and looked up to Toshiro. "Can you two give us a moment."

Nerves bubbled up in my gut as I watched Lady Nanao and Toshiro nod and start walking away. I couldn't see the dock that led out to this building, but I could hear their footsteps as they stopped a little distance away from us, giving us the illusion of privacy. I tried my best to not show the nervous tension that was seeping into me as I let my gaze rest on Shunsui. His own cobalt grey eyes were focused out on the water, his face relaxed and mouth set in a slight smile.

"It's been a while since we were alone, hasn't it?" He asked quietly.

"About 18 years," I replied.

His gaze shifted across the water until he was looking at me from the corner of his eye. "You have no idea why you're here, do you?"

"N-no," I replied hesitantly. "Captain Hitsugaya said it was a family matter, but I am unsure of why I'm talking to you instead of Lady Nanao."

He rocked his head to the side and turned his gaze back out to the water. "This doesn't exactly have something to do with the Ise Clan. This has to do with you and your sister."

"Mio? Has something happened to her?" I couldn't stop the concern from leaking into my voice.

"No, she's fine. But we suspect that something will be happening soon, just like someone has been after you."

"Why?" I asked abruptly. "Why would someone be after her?"

"The same reason they are after you, Ria. Your name."

I blinked at him for a moment. "My name?"

"Yes," he said. His hands moved from where they had been resting in his lap and he placed them on the ground, using his arms to turn his entire body towards me. He leaned forward until his arms could rest on his folded legs and watched me with his relaxed expression. "You're from North Rukon, district 4, correct?"

I nodded slowly. "Yes, I moved into the Ise Clan with my sister when I was four."

"At the time, there were several other families with the name Yamamoto in the district, also correct?"

I nodded again. "Yes, Yamamoto is a common name there."

"As of earlier this year, there is no other family within either the Seireitei or the Rukon Districts with the name Yamamoto."

I stared at him in disbelief for a long moment, unable to comprehend what he had said. After a moment, I smiled and pointed a finger at him. "That's funny. There's no way that's possible. Yamamoto is such a common name where I'm from. I mean, there's probably more Yamamoto's in District 4 than there are stray dogs." I waved a hand to dismiss the thought. "That's a good joke though. You had me going for a second there, Uncle Shunsui."

"I wish I was joking Ria," he said as his expression became serious.

"But you must be," I denied. "There's no way that many people could just up and disappear."

"They didn't disappear. Within the last thirty years every one of them has died."

I watched his face in silence, waiting for him to smile and start teasing me. When a minute went by and then another, my own expression slowly dropped. He was serious… "How?"

"Various reasons. Records of death in the Rukon districts are somewhat vague. But, the last family passed in a house fire just over a month ago. Even the people who married into other families have passed on in one way or another."

I looked away from him then, casting my gaze out onto the water. "How did someone not notice that something was happening? I know it's not uncommon for people to pass on, and it's even encouraged in some events to prevent overcrowding in the Soul Society. But for so many people in one area to pass away…"

"It wasn't noticed because it happened over a span of thirty years," He replied. "If 126 people had died in one day, someone would have noticed, but over a span that long it wasn't even an abnormality."

"Why did such an occurrence make it to your attention now?" I asked as I watch several colorful coy playing just beneath the surface of the water. My eyes followed their glimmering scales as they flitted in and out of the shade of the porch.

"Well," he started to say. I heard him shift so I glanced over to see that he was leaning back, his eyes looking up at the sky. "That's where the family matters come into play."

"Did my sister say something?" I asked him.

"No, Rukia and Toshiro did," he replied easily. "They were concerned about you after you were attacked by that hollow two weeks ago, so I had Nanao do some digging." He paused as if he were thinking about his next words. He stayed silent for a long moment though, his gaze wandering across the sky.

"And?" I prompted him.

"You never met the old Head Captain," he began. "Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto."

"No, I was only ten years old when he died," I replied. "What does he have to do with this?"

He pulled his head down from looking at the sky and gave me a lazy smile. "Somewhere in your lineage, Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto was your ancestor."

I slowly quirked an eyebrow at him. "He passed away 30 years ago. I'm positive I was born well before that. Saying ancestor implies that he was at least my grandfather's father. I don't see how that's possible."

"Old man Yama was well over 2000 years old when he passed."

I blinked dumbly at him.

"Do you know how your sister met Nanao's cousin?" He asked, completely changing topics.

I shook my head, failing to come up with words.

"I was on my way to see a friend in the Rukon District when I passed her. I remember feeling her spiritual pressure and being reminded of Old man Yama, so the next day I asked him about it. He of course had no idea what I was talking about, or so he said. So, the next day I offered your sister a job in the Kyoraku Estate where she met Nanao's cousin. I don't think it was six months later before she was married to Daichi."

"I don't remember that," I said as I tried to think back to the time. I had been so young though, only small memories remained. Entering the Seireitei for the first time, getting dressed in my first fancy kimono…

"That was when I met you," he said as he shifted forward, focusing his attention on me. "If your sister had a spark of Old man Yama's spiritual pressure, you had an ocean of it. Even if he wouldn't admit that you were his descendant, there was no question in my mind."

"There's no way," I denied. "The previous Head Captain had a fiery spiritual pressure that would burn people that were nearby," I quoted from a lesson we had back in the academy. "My spiritual pressure is nothing like that. Even my zanpakuto is a completely different type."

"Have you ever met Rukia's daughter, Ichika Abarai?" He asked abruptly.

"Yes, of course. She's sometimes with Rukia when I go over to practice." I replied.

"Have you ever questioned that they are related?"

I had to think about that. Ichika looked almost nothing like her mother other than her violet eyes. She had red hair just like Renji's and she was several inches taller than Rukia. Everything about her was more like her dad, even her personality and abilities. "Well, no. Not really. They…" I had to hesitate as I realized what I was about to say. "They feel the same."

"And their zanpakuto's are completely different as well," he said, filling in what my brain had yet to think. "Just like you and Old man Yama."

"Why… Why didn't you say something?" I asked.

"I thought you knew," he replied with a shrug. "Everyone else who was around when Old man Yama was alive knows. You feel too much like him for people to not know. It's even the reason that after he died I had you start taking lessons at my estate. The old man treated Jushiro and I as if we were his sons. I only saw it fit that after he died, there was someone to look out for you too."

I opened my mouth to object, but stopped myself. Everyone always assumed that I was related to the former head captain. I always denied it and corrected them, but… I was wrong the whole time? Even Toshiro had known but never corrected me… My zanpakuto was right, I really was dense.

"Is that why my sister was allowed to marry Daichi?" I asked.

"You'd have to ask Nanao about that, but knowing her it wasn't. She too much of a closet romantic."

"I heard that sir!" Nanao's shout came from a little distance away.

He chuckled to himself at her words.

"But wait, why was someone killing off everyone with our last name?" I asked, dragging us back on topic.

"Well, we suspect that someone is targeting Old man Yama's descendants. There have been a lot of people over the years who had held a grudge against the old man. He was simply too powerful for just anyone to seek revenge though. People with the name Yamamoto only starting dying after he had passed on, so it makes the most sense. Now you and your sister are the only two left as far as we can tell."

"Why us though?" I asked. "Why were we saved for last?"

"You both are the only ones within places of security. Your sister being a member of the Ise Clan has protected her, and you being a Soul Reaper probably kept you last on their list as well. Now that there is no one else for them to target, they are coming after you."

"Is my sister really going to be safe though? I can at least defend myself, well, not really, but she has no ability what so ever," I said quickly, unable to stop myself from rambling.

"The wards that protect the Ise Clan Manor are nothing to shake a stick at. She is perfectly safe," He assured me.

"You don't understand," I said quickly. "She's pregnant and-"

"She's what?" I heard Lady Nanao shout as footsteps pounded towards us. She rounded the corner leading from the dock, her violet eyes fixed on me.

"She's pregnant," I repeated. "She was going to tell Daichi yesterday when he got back from the Kyoraku Estate."

"She'll be fine, Ria," Shunsui assured me. "Nanao already told her not to leave the estate. The wards will keep anyone who doesn't belong out."

"How far along is she?" Lady Nanao interrupted as she stepped around her captain and knelt in front of me.

Suddenly realizing that I had told her something that my sister probably wanted to keep private for a while, I shook my head. "I don't know, she didn't say."

"When did she find out? When is the baby shower?" She asked as she leaned in closer to me.

"Nanao," Shunsui said, trying to get her attention.

"Why didn't she tell me?" She continued.

"Nanao," he tried again. When she ignored him, he let out a sigh and hung his head.

"I don't know, you should ask her," I tried to deflect. "She should have told Daichi all that stuff yesterday, so he would know too."

"Head Captain," Nanao said as she turned to him and pushed her glassed up on her nose. "I need the rest of the day off."

"Now, now. I'm sure it can wait-"

"No, it can't!" she objected. "They have been trying to get pregnant for years. I must find out the details, now."

Silence fell between the two for a moment and his face dropped. Whatever sort of devastating look she had given him worked, because he said, "Go ahead." She vanished as soon as the words left his mouth, leaving us staring at each other in understanding. I had fallen prey to several of her 'looks' over the years. She could be darn scary when she wanted to be.

"Toshiro," he called out as his face went back to his typically relaxed expression. On command, Toshiro emerged from around the same corner that Nanao had ran in from. His gaze was shifted down to look at Shunsui as he stopped behind him. Shunsui didn't bother looking to see if he was there before he continued, "I had been planning to transfer Ria into my squad, but from what Nanao has told me, you two have grown rather close. In this regard, I'm trusting you to protect her in my stead, Captain."

I silently groaned at his words. Did everyone know that we were 'growing close'?

"Understood," Toshiro replied.

"That's all I have for you two," Shunsui said as he turned back to the lake and leaned back on his hands, basking in the sun. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes as I stood and followed Toshiro as he made his way down the dock back to shore. "Oh," I heard Shunsui called out. "Don't let her flash step back."

"Yes, I noticed," Toshiro responded as his gaze flicked down to me.

"What?" I asked as I met his gaze.

"You're favoring your left side when you walk," He responded. "Your injury is bothering you, isn't it?"

"I'm fine," I quickly said as my hand went to my abdomen. "It's just sore."

"This particular injury aside, the last time you said that you were fine you were about ready to pass out from using your shikai. The words 'I'm fine' have absolute no meaning when they come from you." He said as he stopped and walked around me.

"Hey now, I really was okay. I was just tired." I defended as I turned to keep myself facing him.

Abruptly he bent down, his arm swooping down to catch the back of my legs. If I had expected it, I wouldn't have been standing with my legs so close together, but I wasn't and his arm took out both of my knees. I fell backwards with a squeak of surprise as he caught me and pulled me into his body. I silently swore at him as he took off in a flash step, forcing me to hide my face in his haori or let my eyes water.

It was only a moment or two later that I felt him transition into a normal walking gait. Unburying my face from his chest I glanced around so see that he had stopped at the medical wing our squad maintained. He slid the shoji door open with his foot and walked into the darkened room. We didn't staff the medical wing like some other squads did. It was just here for use and restocked as needed since we didn't need to use it often. Since he had come here, I could only assume that it was so he could look at my wound better than he had last night.

Toshiro set me on my feet before turning to close the door to the room. Reluctantly I started pulling my shihakusho top off so I could see the wound. I was extremely happy with myself for having wrapped my chest this morning so I could take my top off without exposing myself. I moved over to one of the medical beds as I slipped the top from my shoulders. I laid it across the bed and looked down at myself, leaning back so I could see the wound around the swell of my breasts. It looked much like any other stab wound, the seam in my body red and swollen with the skin around it turning a nice shade of blue and purple. The golden threads of reishi that held it together seemed to be frayed ever so slightly, like the strain of holding my body together had been wearing away at it.

"Ria…"

I half turned to glance at Toshiro where he stood behind me. I had been looking at taking my top off as a clinical thing. I had to do it to see my wound, so it was of little concern. But, the heated gaze that met my own had me suddenly very aware of how little clothing I had covering my top half. Because of the way that the shihakusho was worn, without the fabric of my top underneath my pant, I had a line of skin exposed all the way down to my mid-thigh. When I had been planning this morning, I hadn't really thought about how I would look to someone else. I just wanted the important stuff covered…

A blush reddened my cheeks as I tried to think of something to say. I had literally just stripped myself without thinking about it. There was only one reason to be here in the medical wing, so I had assumed… I looked away from him to hide my face.

"I-I figured that you'd want to see my wound. It didn't really occur to me that I was, er, am exposing myself." I said, stumbling over my words.

I felt his hand brush across my side and jumped with surprise. His chest pressed into my back as he reached around me to grab my top from where it lay across the bed. His hand on my waist slid across my body until it hovered over the wound in my abdomen while his other pressed my top over my chest, covering me from his gaze. His lips were against my ear as he said, "You really are a handful."

The blush that had been across my cheeks exploded until I felt heat radiating from my face and neck. Was he referring to my breasts? Or was he referring to how much of a pain I was? I couldn't tell! I hesitantly moved to hold my top where he had placed it, though his hand remained where it was over my sternum. In the dimness of the room I could see the glow green light of kaido radiating from his other hand underneath the fabric of my top, healing the wound in my gut.

"I forgot you could do this," I mumbled.

"Make you turn as red as a tomato?" he quipped.

"No," I said sharply.

"Make you strip without asking?" He teased.

"No! Use Kaido!" I half shouted.

"Oh, that," he said with a chuckle.

"I thought you just wanted to look at the wound or something," I mumbled.

"I learned kaido a few years ago, since there hasn't been much else to train with," he said softly, his mouth still close to my ear.

"If you had said what you were going to do, I wouldn't have taken my top off."

"Just because you don't have to strip for me to heal you, doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it."

If I had thought I was red before, it was nothing compared to now. My whole body heated with a blush that had me going stiff with embarrassment.

"Relax," he murmured.

"I can't relax with you relentlessly teasing me," I objected. His hand on my sternum trailed up my neck to my chin. He turned my head with a light touch until I was looking up at him. His mouth covered mine, pausing any thoughts I had in favor of focusing on him. His kiss was soft and teasing, distracting me so much that I almost dropped my top on more than one occasion.

"There," He said against my lips after several long and very enjoyable moments.

"There what?" I asked, my voice slow and dreamy.

"You wound should be healed," he said as he pulled back from me, his hand ghosting across my skin as he moved away. It took me a moment to realize what he was talking about before my brain snapped back into reality.

"Oh," I mumbled as I stepped forward and pulled my top on. Leaving it open, I turned around and leaned back so I could see where the wound had been. The golden threads of reishi were still there, but instead of holding an angry red line of flesh together only a pink line of new skin remained. I ran my hand over it, feeling the roughness of the fraying golden reishi over the smooth skin. "It doesn't even feel tender," I commented.

"Good," he said. I watched as his eyes traveled up from my wound, trailing up my body until they met my own gaze. Trying my best to keep my blush as minimal as possible I pulled my shihakusho around me how it was supposed to be and held it together with my hands. I twirled my index finger at him, silently telling him to turn around. The corner of his lips turned up in a smile and he turned, giving me his back as he walked over to the door. He glanced back at me as he exited, that teasing grin still turning his lips. Quickly I fixed my shihakusho, tucking the top into my sash and situating it under my pants until it laid smoothly against my skin like it was supposed to. There was no mirror in here, so I did my best to guess that I looked okay.

'Someone was having a good time,' I heard my zanpakuto's voice in my head as I adjusted her at my hip.

'You choose now of all times to pipe up?' I responded.

'Did you honestly expect me to stay silent?' she chided back.

'Yes,' I thought firmly back at her as I checked my hair and kanzashi, making sure that they were still sitting correctly. I heard her chiming laughter ring through my head and I resisted the urge to slap her hilt.

I exited the room as soon as I was certain I didn't look any worse for wear. Toshiro was talking to Rangiku a little distance away, his back facing me as they spoke. Trying to act normal I moved over to them.

"That's good," Toshiro said as he turned to gaze across the court yard.

"Lieutenant Omaeda said that Captain Sui Feng should be back today from the human world. I would imagine that she will be looking for you shortly after she returns," Rangiku continued, following his gaze.

"In the meantime, I need to fill you in on what's going on."

Rangiku's gaze shifted to me as I approached. Her eyes lit up with interest as she turned to me and said, "Hello Ms. Yamamoto. I hear that you finally know who you are!"

"Yeah, you could say that," I said with a small laugh as I stopped beside her. "I had no idea."

'Dense,' my zanpakuto whispered in my head.

'Noisy,' I shot back at her.

"I don't know why you didn't know. Having the same name was kind of obvious." She said with a shrug.

"It was a common name where I came from." I replied, trying not to think about what Shunsui had told me. Turning my gaze to the courtyard I watched as several squad members were working to clear the debris from the fight yesterday. Taking care of messes like this was my job in the squad, so clearing the debris was just a temporary measure to make the area useable. Normally I wasn't the one making the mess though…

I moved towards the debris from yesterday, drawing my zanpakuto as I walked.

"Are you sure you're okay to do that?" Rangiku called after me.

"I'm good," I replied as my gaze swept over the area. The hole in the office building was still there, the wall blocked off by tape that stretched the expanse. The glass box I had sealed Amagi in was still standing, one way sheered away and lying beside it. A large crater dented the ground from where Hyorinmaru's ice had impacted the ground. The damage was fairly minimal for a fight, but then again, the fight had been relatively short.

"Tankyu no Unmei, Maebure no Shukufuku," I said as I stopped at the edge of the grass. In a pulse of power my eye sight cleared and my extra sense for reishi spread through the area. My armor started forming on my body starting with the shoulder pauldron that covered my sword arm. I closed my eyes and focused on forming the rest of my armor, pulling the golden bits of it from the air and placing them on my body. It was easier compared to yesterday, the armor taking shape with only my guidance instead of force. I kept a strong note in my mind to contain my spiritual pressure as best as I could.

When I felt the armor finish forming, I opened my eyes and gazed around, taking in everything in the area. My gaze crossed the other squad members who were standing nearby. They had stopped moving some of the rubble from the hole in the office building to face me, their expressions wide with surprise. I felt my zanpakuto push at my power, coaxing me to do something with it. I listened to her will and pulled the chunks of concrete and plaster from around them, turning it all into reishi and moving it away from them in golden wisps of light. I let my senses spread out to cover the area, but I only let myself focus on one type of material at a time.

Concrete.

I pulled the stray concrete that wasn't attached to anything away from its scattered positions on the ground and turned them into silver streams of reishi. I returned them to their original place at the building's wall, mending the broken bonds and reforming the wall.

Plaster.

Bits and pieces of plaster melted into white reishi as my power pushed into them. They too returned to their place on the newly formed wall, covering the concrete with easy and melding perfectly into the rest of the wall.

Wood.

I pulled the broken wood that made up the doors, door frame and flooring and worked to piece them back together. They moved easily with the push of my power, glowing bronze in the light of the sun as I worked. Sensing the fibers and where they had belonged, I mended the pieces until they resumed their original shape and finally placed them where they belonged.

I continued down the list of stray materials in the court yard until all that remained was my glass box of reishi, but even that dissolved back into the ground like water absorbing into the ground and filling the crater left by the wall of ice. Metallic colored flecks of reishi danced in the air around me, remnants of the materials I had been manipulating. It had all been so easy compared to before I had known my zanpakuto's name. I looked down to her blade, turning it so I could see her reflection as my own. Her teal eyes watched me, a relaxed smile making the expression in her eyes shine.

'Look around Herald,' she said in my head.

I glanced up from her blade and let my eyes scan the area. Dozens of squad members had emerged from the buildings surrounding the court yard. Everyone's eyes were on me, watching in awe. I turned around slowly, my eyes running over all the people who had been watching me work. While I had been working, I hadn't thought about how it had looked. It had all just been information in my head, working to finish a job without pushing too much power to distress the weaker soul reapers nearby.

Having turned all the way around I looked back down to my zanpakuto. 'What did I do?' I asked her.

'You've proven yourself,' she said softly.

'I don't understand,' I thought back.

'She who finally belongs to more than just herself,' she replied. 'You've realized that you aren't just Ria Yamamoto. You belong to so many more people now. You belong to a people, 3rd seat of Squad 10. You belong to a family, descendant of Genryusai Yamamoto. You belong to someone, lover of Toshiro Hitsugaya. You belong to me, Herald of Fate.'

I watched her eyes for a long, silent moment as I thought over her words. 'She who belongs,' I thought slowly.

'Yes, Herald. She who belongs.'