Jüshirö
I groaned, sliding my hands through my hair only to yank on another unsuspecting knot, but it was to be expected with the way I had been tugging on throughout the night and the bar fight hadn’t helped anything either. I made a stabbing glare with my eyes at the man responsible for all this and he just sheepishly shrugged his shoulders, wincing from the pain and gave me a tentative smile. I winced again, pressing the ice over my now likely black eye and I wondered how had this happened. Well I knew how it happened. The question was why my luck was horrible for it to happen.
Things had not turning out at all how I had wanted them to go. My task was simple or so I thought when I came up with the idea of asking Nomi, as she insists I call her, out for a quiet peaceful dinner and a few drinks. But looking around at the sleeping, soon to be hung-over bodies piled around my common room I thought to myself, why me?
~
In the three months it had taken me to muster the courage to invite Nomi out for a secluded dinner date our friendship had taken off with the furious tirade of a summer storm.
At first we really didn’t see much of each other, but to me that was to be expected. She was new to her position as fukutaicho and even with her fierce nature she wanted to be there much of the time to show her support to her squad who for the most part had been abandoned by Aizen.
As time went on Nomi started spending more and more time with Nanao, Shunsui and by default, me. The four of us were an inseparable pair and I teased that she should just become my fukutaicho and let Abarai deal with his wife at the office. She laughed and replied that unless we wanted to start looking for another Fifth Division Taicho that idea was out of the question, I agreed.
In the three months since joining the Gotei Thirteen Nomi had become a staple in my life and one that I could no longer deny, I couldn’t live without. She was everything jovial and good in my drab loneliness. Nomi was like a hurricane, she blew into my life and changed it, nothing would ever be the same.
We spent much of our time together being thoroughly entertained by the blossoming relationship between Nanao and Shun-kun, and entertaining it was. But other times when we were lucky enough for a few stolen moments we discussed much deeper things; our lives and the monotonous existence before us.
The woman I had become so fond of was as fiercely passionate about life and in all things living that sometimes she stole the air from my lungs. She was everything I was not, where I was quiet and reserved she held nothing back, if she had an opinion she stated it and the more I was around her the more I found it endearing. She was intelligent and graceful but also stubborn and bold. Poor Shunsui had a run for his money when she was around and nothing and I mean nothing made Nanao happier.
At first we really didn’t see much of each other, but to me that was to be expected. She was new to her position as fukutaicho and even with her fierce nature she wanted to be there much of the time to show her support to her squad who for the most part had been abandoned by Aizen.
As time went on Nomi started spending more and more time with Nanao, Shunsui and by default, me. The four of us were an inseparable pair and I teased that she should just become my fukutaicho and let Abarai deal with his wife at the office. She laughed and replied that unless we wanted to start looking for another Fifth Division Taicho that idea was out of the question, I agreed.
In the three months since joining the Gotei Thirteen Nomi had become a staple in my life and one that I could no longer deny, I couldn’t live without. She was everything jovial and good in my drab loneliness. Nomi was like a hurricane, she blew into my life and changed it, nothing would ever be the same.
We spent much of our time together being thoroughly entertained by the blossoming relationship between Nanao and Shun-kun, and entertaining it was. But other times when we were lucky enough for a few stolen moments we discussed much deeper things; our lives and the monotonous existence before us.
The woman I had become so fond of was as fiercely passionate about life and in all things living that sometimes she stole the air from my lungs. She was everything I was not, where I was quiet and reserved she held nothing back, if she had an opinion she stated it and the more I was around her the more I found it endearing. She was intelligent and graceful but also stubborn and bold. Poor Shunsui had a run for his money when she was around and nothing and I mean nothing made Nanao happier.
In those few months as I said I also watched the relationships around me blossom with the simmering burn of the new summer. Shunsui for once in his life had taken my advise regarding Ise-san to heart and the two of them couldn’t be happier. Of course, I think Ise-san would have liked to keep things a little more private but with her fukutaicho status and Shun-kun flamboyant nature she knew that the secret wouldn’t keep for very long. Now in their second week of public courtship the woman I watched rise from a small and meek little girl from the Rukongai was truly coming into her own. It was heartwarming and very humbling.
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| Renji and Rukia Abarai |
A distress call was made from the world of the living from the man who had replaced Rukia in Katakura town in regards to a delicate situation with our substitute Shinigami; Kurosaki Ichigo and the call was sent of course to my fukutaicho and the Taicho of the Fifth. With tears in her eyes Nomi offered to go in their stead claiming to her Taicho he had nothing to worry about as Yoruichi would be their to guide her. Nomi straightened his decorative haori, surly a Kuchiki family heirloom and told Abarai to “go get her”. I realized only then how strong of a kinship they had developed over the weeks and months they spent putting their division back together.
I didn’t see Nomi again for nearly five days and by day five Shun-kun assured me that I was wearing a hole through my tatami and that I needed to calm down. I tried to buy him off with sake and a fake smile which he saw through but I couldn’t help it, I just had a sinking feeling that something had gone wrong. Shunsui thought I was being paranoid and I started to wonder myself if I wasn’t going crazy. Not a half an our later my suspicions were confirmed as Renji appeared with Fujimara and asked me if I would mind watching him for a while.
“Why? Where’s Nozomi?” I asked, jumping from my seat at the low table Shunsui had finally convinced me to sit at, claiming I was making him dizzy. I knew I sounded like a crazed maniac but at the moment I would personally put Shun-kun in the hospital if he tried to stop me.
“Well,” Renji started, shifting from one foot to the other, a nervous habit I picked up on right away. “There’s been some interesting developments with the Kurosaki kid. Apparently the kids a Visored and went on some kind of a rampage through Katakura town.”
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| Kurosaki Ichigo |
“Get to the point!” I snapped letting my normally carefree and easy going nature drop and I could easily tell that Renji had been expecting it, hence his nervousness but it was clear that my actions where still somewhat of a shock.
“Nozomi is in the Forth suffering from a shoulder wound.” He told me in a rush and I could almost hear him suck in air when my knuckles popped and cracked from the force of my fist tightening.
“Jyuu?” Kyoraku called, his voice uneasy. It took me a moment to realize that Kiyone had entered the office with messenger surly sent to relay the same message Abarai had just delivered but neither my Third seat or the messenger were able to stand. Clamping down on my Reiatsu quickly I muttered out an apology and asked the next question on my mind.
“How was she injured?”
Abarai tensed even more and I had a feeling I already knew the answer. Rage boiled to the surface and I had to fight to keep a hold of the energy I felt sweltering beneath my skin.
I had to excuse myself after that and left Fujimaru in the care of Shunsui who looked a little nervous but resolved to do anything he could to help. It took quiet a bit cooling off before I could even think about going to the Fourth but as I arrived, I wished I hadn’t. Almost immediately I felt Ichigo’s spiritual pressure and I became outraged that he was even here. If I had been sane in that moment I would have realized that none of this was his fault, he no more wanted to be a Soul Reaper than I ever wanted to be sick. It was just one of those things in life you had to deal with, I just wished my Nomi hadn’t been hurt in the process.
As I was still simmering with anger I nearly startled to death when Restu gently pulled me aside and told me that if I wanted to see her I would need to calm myself. It took me all of a few moments to decide that seeing her was more important that misplaced revenge and with a smile Restu showed me in.
I sucked in a breath when I entered her healing room, even after Unohana’s warning to prepare myself for her appearance, even after I knew down to the last detail what to expect seeing her like that was a surprising and I found it hard to push back the sting of salty tears that gathered in my eyes. Every inch of her creamy pale skin was marred by some bruise or scrape and even through the white yukata she slept in I could plainly see the bandages used to hold the flesh of her shoulder together.
With a quiet swish of material the curtain to Nomi’s sectioned off bed parted an in stepped her Sixth seat looking for his Taicho. It took a little persuasion and the pulling of rank to get the younger member of squad five to recount exactly how she had gotten her injury, which Isane confirmed. I could tell right away she was nervous about giving me the details but as I had calmed somewhat I assured her no harm would come to the human boy sleeping not a hundred feet from where I stood. When Restu popped back in she smiled and told Isane it was alright to leave and that she would personally handle this. It seemed with Nomi’s unique blood Restu could not heal her with simple kido but before I could jump to conclusions she smiled and informed me that I was not to worry, that Nomi’s wounds were healing at an accelerated rate and that the kido was unnecessary.
I stayed there with her through most of the afternoon, doing my own squad work from a small table and chair Restu was good enough to let me use while watching over Nomi, truthfully paperwork be damned, I think Yamamoto would have had a hard time pulling me from that room. It wasn’t until dinnertime that Shunsui drug me out to eat, I protested of course but when he threatened to tell Nomi what a fool I had been acting like in the days of her absence, I went willingly. I had no desire to be on the receiving end of that woman’s wrath.
As I was still simmering with anger I nearly startled to death when Restu gently pulled me aside and told me that if I wanted to see her I would need to calm myself. It took me all of a few moments to decide that seeing her was more important that misplaced revenge and with a smile Restu showed me in.
I sucked in a breath when I entered her healing room, even after Unohana’s warning to prepare myself for her appearance, even after I knew down to the last detail what to expect seeing her like that was a surprising and I found it hard to push back the sting of salty tears that gathered in my eyes. Every inch of her creamy pale skin was marred by some bruise or scrape and even through the white yukata she slept in I could plainly see the bandages used to hold the flesh of her shoulder together.
With a quiet swish of material the curtain to Nomi’s sectioned off bed parted an in stepped her Sixth seat looking for his Taicho. It took a little persuasion and the pulling of rank to get the younger member of squad five to recount exactly how she had gotten her injury, which Isane confirmed. I could tell right away she was nervous about giving me the details but as I had calmed somewhat I assured her no harm would come to the human boy sleeping not a hundred feet from where I stood. When Restu popped back in she smiled and told Isane it was alright to leave and that she would personally handle this. It seemed with Nomi’s unique blood Restu could not heal her with simple kido but before I could jump to conclusions she smiled and informed me that I was not to worry, that Nomi’s wounds were healing at an accelerated rate and that the kido was unnecessary.
I stayed there with her through most of the afternoon, doing my own squad work from a small table and chair Restu was good enough to let me use while watching over Nomi, truthfully paperwork be damned, I think Yamamoto would have had a hard time pulling me from that room. It wasn’t until dinnertime that Shunsui drug me out to eat, I protested of course but when he threatened to tell Nomi what a fool I had been acting like in the days of her absence, I went willingly. I had no desire to be on the receiving end of that woman’s wrath.
I couldn't help but feel like a love sick fool when I returned, even battle worn and ragged, her hair in knots and her clothe blooded and torn she was still the embodiment of perfection. She was all smiles when I entered and didn’t shy away when I blatantly ogled the bandages that were pressed over her right shoulder and extended to her hips. She was in bad shape but she showed very little discomfort or pain. We shared a long discussion the rest of that day and well into the night and she finally told me about her life. It was a sad story to tell the truth and I never realized before that demons that were granted entrance to the Soul Society carried their memories from their past life or in Komamura’s case, lives.
She told me that unlike many of her race she was actually born human but befriended a demon Lord while she was a very small child. She had been orphaned sometime in the Warring States Era of Japan at an age she said couldn’t have been anymore than six. The village that took her in mostly shunned her for her muteness and strange behavior so she sought companionship among nature. It was there that she came across her demon Lord, a dog demon that she said somewhat reminded her of the Seventh Squad Taicho when he was in his true form. That confused me for the most part until she said she herself also could transform but it would expend upon her Reiatsu and explained to me like it was akin to a Shinigami bankai.
Her demon Lord who had been injured spared her hardly a glance but she said even as a child he never frightened her but comforted her in such a way that she found it hard to stay in the village after that. She brought him food and drink and tended his wounds but he never spoke. It wasn’t until after she was caught stealing rice from the grain stock and was beaten by some of the village men did he speak to her, asking where she had gotten the bruises that covered her small frame.
She was exiled from the village shortly after and was nearly killed by a wild boar when he came to her, saved her and in a sense adopted her. She said that her Lord was not an expressive man and then giggled saying how she found that endearing in certain men as she looked pointedly at me and I think I may have blushed. But she also made it a point to dote on how he cared for her and protected her from both the demon and human worlds. It wasn’t until she was nearly grown did a demon catch her off guard and this time her Lord was too late.
She said she remembered very little after that but she did say that it was the only time she had ever seen any emotion play on his face and it broke her heart that she had left him so sad. I don’t think she realized the situation between them, I think that even as a teenager she wouldn’t have noticed it, but I think her demon in question fell in love with her, as I could vouch how easy it was to do just that.
The next thing she new she was a child again, left to squat in the Zaraki and in a completely different form. I could only imagine waking up not knowing where you were and being completely different from the last time she looked and in a totally different time frame. She had lost nearly four hundred years worth of memories from the time she died to the time she awoke to the bustling streets of Rukongai and she was at a total loss to what happened to her. Thankfully it wasn’t long before Yoruichi found her while on a trial run of an experiment for Urahara, but I couldn’t help but think that maybe all demon’s allowed in the Soul Society were sent there, It was close to where Komamura was found and though it is not confirmed that the Taicho and fukutaicho of the Eleventh were demons, it has also been a home to Kenpachi and Yachiru.
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| Zaraki Kenpachi-Taicho & Kusajishi Yachiru-fukutaicho of the Eleventh |
It was at the end of the night, after she had already dozed into a peaceful slumber that I told myself I was done waiting. That no door would open without first turning the knob and if I wanted her, which I did, I need to accept my own advice and take things a little more seriously.
That’s how I ended up here, having planned for a relaxing, romantic dinner and all it took was a flamboyant pink haori and a lot of sake for the night to become a full blow disaster.
I arrived promptly at seven to reserve our table knowing Nomi as I did she would probably be running a little late as I’m sure she was going to shower and change after her shift. Thinking ahead I reserved us a place at the bar and ordered myself a congratulatory drink to celebrate the nights coming event. Our first outing together and I hoped the first of many things as I planned to take our friendship to a more intimate level. I should have just reserved a private table, I should have thought to inform my drunkard of a best friend that I had private plans for the evening but as I did neither I could really only blame myself for the way that things turned out.
“Jyuu,” he slurred slightly throwing his arms around my neck from behind and nearly strangling me with the force of his hug. “I didn’t know you’d be out tonight.”“Well, actually-” I started only to be cut off by that sweet voice I knew so well.
“Shun-kun, I didn’t know you’d be here.” She told him as he picked her up and swung her around. “Table for four please, under Ukitake.” She told the waiter once my idiot of a friend put her down and I shot him daggers with my eyes conveying to him in any way I could that he had better be on his best behavior.
“Nanao-san, how are you?” She said next giving Ise-san an awkward hug.
“Wonderful,” Ise replied dryly. Obviously she had already been at this awhile.
“Yare, yare, my delectable little Nanao-chan, no need to be hostile.” He cooed, wrapping his arm around her waist. If I hadn’t be looking straight at them I’d never have noticed the way her lips curved upwards ever so slightly before her face regained it neutral look.
“Move that hand or I’ll brake it and send you to the Fourth unconscious, understood?” She told him in that no nonsense tone and if I hadn’t seen her smile earlier I would have shuttered. I sighed, she really did love that big buffoon.
“Aw, my naughty, naughty Nanao, where would you suggest I put it.” He said loudly, gaining the attention of half the restaurant. I could practically see the flames dancing behind her eyes as her whole body radiated her deadly light blue aura.
I pulled Nomi back and away from the immanent danger that always surrounded this couple and gasped as my hand came into contact with her bare flesh. It wasn’t a shock, not the kind I have read about in romance novels anyway, but rather like a humming sensation which rapidly spread to other area’s of my body that had no business whatsoever other than to remain dormant. My eyes snapped to hers as a light rumbling sounded from where she stood and I noticed that her eyes had darkened and her face had flushed considerably.
“Jyuu,” she mewled with a purr nearly stopping my heart. “You need to let go of my arm.” She was nearly panting and there was no mistaking the dark look of desire that spread across her features only I didn't understand how I could invoke such a thing by merely touching her arm.
“I guess I’ll have to explain it later.” She told me sweetly with a smile as she griped my shoulder more firmly.
“Yes,” I relented with a sigh, I really wanted to hear her explanation for what just happened but as some of the staff grew restless I decided it would indeed have to wait. “I should probably break them up.”
She giggled just as a flustered waiter came rushing forward. “Four for Ukitake?” He asked breathless eyeing us with hope, probably praying that the four of us would settle once seated.
“Yes, that us.” Nomi replied, flashing him a fang sporting grin and I could swear the man turned pale before my eyes. I wanted to pat him on the back in reassurance but with Kyoraku here that might not be very comforting at all.
Dinner itself didn’t turn out all that bad as Nomi had made quiet the game of making Nanao laugh. Every time Shunsui reached for the sake she would rap him lightly with the tip of her tail which after a small discussion I found out that the silver band around it was a power-point distributor for kido and she brandished it as a weapon. Kyoraku would yowl like a dog being beaten every time she smacked him and Ise-san would laugh. It was probably the most I had ever heard her do so and by the end of dinner I had my suspicions that Nomi wasn’t even shocking him anymore and Kyoraku was simple doing it on purpose to see his lady love laugh.
As dinner had run so smoothly and Kyoraku had laid off the sake I didn’t think it would hurt to visit one of our weekly meets, a small establishment just a little off the beaten path from the Thirteenth. Things had even been going well after the spirits had started flowing that it looked like it would be smooth sailings till the end of the night. But a busty blonde and her tattooed face lover changed all that, and within the hour most of the Eleventh, Ninth and Fifth had shown up and the bar became so packed it was hard to move. At this point I hadn’t cared, not only was I on the way to being smashed but because there were so many sitting at our booth Nomi was practically sitting in my lap to prevent her from falling off the ledge.
Kyoraku and Matsumoto were singing, horribly and most of the guys from the Eleventh were engaged in drinking contests with members of squad Five including both Taicho’s and even Ise-san was tinged pink from inebriation. My girl was purring, quiet literally at my side, the soft black fur of her tail wound around my wrist like a serpent as unknowingly stuck her claim. I thought nothing of it when she rose, kissed me on the cheek and said that we were out of sake. I didn’t think to stop her, I thought that most everyone in the Seireitei knew or at least had their suspicions on my feelings for her, but I had not taken it into account that many from the Eleventh either wouldn’t care or were too drunk to realize who they were assaulting.
That first hand I saw grabbing her arm and the distressed look on her face was all it took, I was out of my chair and headed towards them before Shunsui could even call my name. It had turned out that it was actually one of the lower seated members of Squad Five that secretly had a crush on his fukutaicho and in his drunken foolishness thought little of the consequences. Sadly I didn’t receive this information until after I had him sprawled out on the floor with a broken nose and sadly it didn’t come until one of his friends tried to land a hit on me from behind and Shunsui got involved. Before I knew what was happening both Nomi and Nanao were pressed into a corner of the bar both lit with kido while the entire bar erupted around us.
That first hand I saw grabbing her arm and the distressed look on her face was all it took, I was out of my chair and headed towards them before Shunsui could even call my name. It had turned out that it was actually one of the lower seated members of Squad Five that secretly had a crush on his fukutaicho and in his drunken foolishness thought little of the consequences. Sadly I didn’t receive this information until after I had him sprawled out on the floor with a broken nose and sadly it didn’t come until one of his friends tried to land a hit on me from behind and Shunsui got involved. Before I knew what was happening both Nomi and Nanao were pressed into a corner of the bar both lit with kido while the entire bar erupted around us.
Even after our spoiled night Nanao and Nomi dutifully tended to our wounds and gushed about how we defended their honor and so we were proclaimed hero’s of the Seireitei. Personally I couldn’t wait till the sake wore off to see if Ise-san would still feel that way. I never did get my explanation and it wasn’t long after that the girls fell asleep that Shunsui and I killed off a bottle of my best stash figuring it couldn’t hurt anything.
~
“Jyuu, I’m really sorry.” Kyoraku grimaced as he used a wet cloth to dab at his split lip.
“Of all the restaurants in all of Seireitei why did you have to show up in mine?” I grumbled taking another swig straight from the bottle as I watched the slow and steady rise and fall of Nomi’s chest as she was curled up next to Nanao on her side.
“You know you love me.” He said happily, cracking a smile only for his face to scrunch up in pain.
My only reply was a disgruntled grump.
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