Adult-FanFiction.org : Bleach

For The Love of a Friend	By : orionshadow Category: Bleach > Het - Male/Female Views: 32416 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 14
- 15
- 16
Tite Kubo owns Bleach and the characters
depicted therein.�� The characters in
this story are not mine.

Friendship�s
Mercy

After the meeting with Yamamoto, Soi walked
unwillingly back to her quarters.� The
news had come as a shock on top of the other setbacks she had received
recently.� Revulsion beset her as she
accepted that the Commander had guessed that Ichimaru would remain after the
unsuccessful abduction and had not mentioned it to any of them.� He�d known much more than he�d told anyone
and Soi believed he knew even more which he wouldn�t disclose.� Lives had been foolishly destroyed on the
whim of two unscrupulous men.�
Manipulating Kenpachi and the rest of them to complete the gate more
quickly had been clever, but the reasons were suspect.�

To add to the mix there was the question of
her pregnancy and her irrepressible reaction to Toshiro�s kiss.� Now she knew the situation and admitted that
she needed to make a decision, it became less important that she decide
quickly.� Instead of her usual rash
judgments, she would take care and examine how either decision would affect
her.� This time she would use logic
rather than allow emotion to shape her decision.

Arriving at her office, she was met at the
door by her lieutenant who seemed unusually agitated.� �Sir, I mean Commander, I mean Ma�am, she
insists on seeing you,� he complained, nervously.� �I told her you were busy, but she said she
had to talk to you immediately.�

Soi arched her left eyebrow.� It seemed to take little to upset this man
and she wondered which female had brought him to this pass.� �Get out of my way.� I think I may recommend you return to the
Academy as you seem unable to follow even the simplest orders; for example
keeping people out of my office,� was her disgusted reply.� The man was useless.�

Entering her office, the culprit was
revealed sitting disconsolately in the visitor�s chair.� Her shoulders were hunched and she dabbed at
her face with her sleeve, drying the tears that were falling from her half shut
eyes.� She then wiped her gloved hand
over her skin again, as if to blot her face dry.� The visitor�s face was pale, her eyes rimmed
red, the skin on her cheeks and forehead blotchy with emotion and her bottom
lip was trembling; but she jumped to her feet as Soi entered the office and
bowed slightly.

�I�m sorry to bother you, Captain
Fong.� My Captain asked me to bring some
matters to your attention and gave me this note,� she blubbed waving a
bedraggled note.

�Compose yourself.� You are a Shinigami, not a waterfall.� Presenting yourself in this manner to a
superior is a sign of extreme disrespect,� Soi felt the hard won peace desert her
as she surveyed the soggy female fiasco in front of her and her voice was
correspondingly harsh.

Her visitor, pulled out of her emotional
introspection by the callous tone, wavered and then straightened her shoulders,
trying to stand straight.� The attempt
lasted seconds before Kiyone burst into loud sobs and mopped at her eyes with
her already drenched sleeve.� Her gloves
were saturated also.

�Oh, sit down.� Here, take this and dry your eyes,� Soi
handed her some cloth as she tried to make her tone insensitive, fearing that
if she showed any compassion, the sobs would redouble.� �For Heaven�s sake, cease the weeping.� It sounds like the sobbing I heard...�� Soi stopped.�
The sobbing was familiar; she had heard it that night, after her doomed
encounter with Toshiro.� �It was you,�
the words were little more than a whisper.

Kiyone, after sitting down, had wiped her
face and blown her nose; she seemed slightly calmer.� Her wet eyes looked at Soi for a moment in
confusion.� �What was me?�

�You were sobbing, near 3^rd
Division a few nights ago.� Soi explained as she watched the girl thoughtfully.

She watched as Kiyone�s face turned white,
then red and then it paled again as her eyes darted away from Soi�s looking
furtively around the room.� �I don�t know
what you mean.� I wasn�t anywhere near
the place you describe, nor was anyone else.�
It wasn�t me.�

She didn�t want to force the issue, but
felt impelled to ask, yet if she asked she was certain that Kiyone would start
bawling again.� Instead she decided to
find out the reason Captain Ukitake had sent his 3^rd seat to see
her.� �What is it your Captain wishes to
know?�

�He wants me to say, I hope I get this
right, �I�m sorry for the loss of your men in protecting my friend.�� He said he�s very grateful that you tried.� Kiyone
said interspersed with a few sobs.� �He
gave me this note,� she repeated, but this time she handed over the piece of
paper.� Soi took it reluctantly as it had
been soaking up the moisture in the girl�s glove.

The explanation did not make a lot of sense
but Kiyone�s words reminded her of the recent revelation and she again felt a
surge or rage at Yamamoto at the needless loss of life.� It was better to feel that, than deal with
her other disquieting ideas.

Calming herself she wondered why Ukitake had
ordered the girl to visit her.� He could
have sent a note by ordinary messenger, or just mentioned at the end of a
Captain�s meeting, he didn�t need to send his 3^rd seat unless� She
opened the soggy envelope, took out the note and read it quickly.� It contained one word: �Help!!�� That gave her at least a hint of the issue he
wanted her to address. �Have you been crying long?�

Kiyone nodded and began to sob again.� �On and off for a few days.� The Captain suggested that some fresh air
would do me good and might take my mind off whatever was bothering me.�

�But why send her to me?� Why not her sis�.. Oh.� Because sympathy makes her worse.� He could have sent her to Nanao, but Captain
Kyoraku would be sympathetic,� Soi figured it out while staring at her visitor.� �Terrific.�
Typical man.� Can�t solve the
problem so sends the problem elsewhere; to me.�

Raising her voice she commanded, �Stop
crying, damn you!�

Kiyone gasped and then began to cough and
then sneeze.� Sneeze after sneeze
exploded from her mouth and Soi tried to get out of range.�

�Stop sneezing, Koutestu!� Get a grip on yourself.� You�re out of order and disruptive.� Blow your nose, take a deep breath and stop
weeping,� she made her voice as strident as she could to be heard over the
noise of the sneezing.

Shocked, Kiyone did as ordered.� She blew her nose and tried to stop the
sneezing.� Her eyes watered slightly from
the strength of the sneezes, but she took a few deep breaths.

�Now, relax your shoulders,� Soi said as
she poured some water.� �Drink this
completely and then we will talk.� You
have got yourself into some kind of trouble and your Captain sent you to me for
advice.� He�s a fool, but you�re a bigger
one.�

Not even debating the point, Kiyone
nodded.� �Yes, Captain.� I�ve done something stupid.�

�Can�t you tell your sister?� Soi asked
with faint hope.

�She�ll be so angry with me.� She�s always told me I shouldn�t drink so
much and if I hadn�t then this wouldn�t have happened.� She�s going to be humiliated by me, I know
she is, and there�s nothing I can do.�
I�ve been such an idiot,� Kiyone said sadly.

Believing she knew what Kiyone was going to
say, but reluctant to ask, Soi shook her head.�
This could not be happening.� It
was verging on ridiculous.� �What did you
do?�

Kiyone took a deep breath and opened her
mouth to speak, but started crying again, the words blurred as she uttered
them, making it hard to understand.� �I
didn�t really mean it�, (indistinguishable phrase) �and he was so� (another
word Soi couldn�t understand).� It only
got worse with the words, �black; Captain; you; cold; threat; sorry,� emerging
clearly while the rest was lost in the sobs, gurgles and sighs emerging from
the girl.�

The garbled explanation only served to
infuriate Soi and she slammed her hand down on the desk causing Kiyone to jump
and look at her through tear drenched eyes.�
�I have no idea of half of what you�ve said.� If you want me to listen you have to be coherent.� Did your Captain send you to me for a
particular reason?�

The girl nodded and looked very
uneasy.� �Yes.�

�Why?� The word shot out of Soi�s mouth.

There was a pause before she received a
reply and she watched a play of different expressions cross her visitors
face.� �Because of what
I did.� I asked him to send me to
you,� Kiyone�s mumble was almost unintelligible.

�Does he know what you did?� the anger was
increasing at the difficulty in holding this conversation and it made Soi feel
edgy.

�No.�
I couldn�t tell him, but Captain Hitsugaya will.� Can you ask Captain Hitsugaya not to tell
him, please Captain Fong?� Please?� was
the heartrending wail that came from her visitor.

Trying to cover the rush of sensation that
was aroused by hearing the girl utter Toshiro�s name, Soi spoke quickly hoping
her voice was steady.� �Why is he
involved?� What makes you think Captain
Hitsugaya will listen to me?�

There was a pause as she waited for a
reply.� �I know, you know,� was all
Kiyone retorted, her eyes looking anywhere but at Soi.

The ambiguity of the comment did not assist
Soi�s tenuous hold on her temper and she had a bad feeling what might be
revealed.� �I know, you know, what?� Am I meant to understand what you are saying?� Explain now, or feel pain.��

She could see that Kiyone wanted to tell
her, but feared her reaction.� Finally,
sitting in a hunched position she said very quietly, as she plucked at the
collar of her shirt, �You�ve had sex with Captain Hitsugaya.�

With much effort Soi did not say a word or
allow a frown to form, while her thoughts ran riot.� �She knows or suspects?� Did she tell Toshiro she knew?� were the
first ideas to flash through her mind and more questions and fears raged
through her as she tried to remain impassive, fixing her hard stare on this
person who threatened her privacy.� It
seemed so wrong that this should happen today after all the other crises.� The main problem was she did not want to
think about Toshiro.� Not now.

�You�re not trying to deny it,� Kiyone
sounded surprised.� Her forehead wrinkled
and her mouth drooped in disappointment at the lack of reaction.

�Why should I deny or confirm anything to
you?� I am your superior and my private
life is none of your concern.� If you
mention this to anyone else you might find that angering me is a dangerous and
stupid past time.� Soi forced the words from her mouth, not bothering to hide
the anger she was feeling at this person who dared to state the truth.

The girl cringed and began to cry
again.� �I know you don�t care about
him.�

That statement made Soi recoil.� How could the girl know anything, or even
guess and why was this occurring today when all she really wanted to do was
find oblivion?� Too much had happened and
this was another unwelcome complication.�
�Explain!�

�I saw you enter that place and he arrived
afterwards.� You stayed together for a
time and then he left, looking annoyed, but satisfied.� I guessed you�d done �it� with him and you
didn�t care about him.� Why would you
meet there away from everyone else if it wasn�t for sex?� You don�t care about anyone except Yo��
thinking better of saying the name the girl paused and then continued.� �You didn�t try to reassure him when his
lieutenant was abducted.� That�s how I
know you don�t care.� You talked to Retsu
but not Captain Hitsugaya.� When I was
having a little drinkie this morning, I found a letter in my pocket, telling me
that Captain Hitsugaya liked me and I thought I�d check.� It seemed like a good idea, or maybe it was
the alcohol that made it seem like a good idea.�

�Where is this letter?� Did it mention me?� Was it signed?� Soi asked urgently.� Too many unexplained events were occurring
together.� If she could see the note
maybe she would have an idea who was behind this.

Kiyone shrugged indifferently.� �I can�t remember if it mentioned you and I
don�t know where the letter is and it wasn�t signed.� That�s not important?� I wanted to find out if it was right, so I
talked to Captain Hitsugaya.� I told him
I knew about you and said I�d tell people if he kept seeing you.� I tried to kiss him, but he wouldn�t let me
and now I�m in a bigger mess and I can�t tell my sister about either problem
and I don�t know what to do.�� The last
sentence finished in a wail that jarred on Soi�s ears.

�Spending some time rocking back and forth in
the chair hugging herself, Kiyone sobbed quietly.� Soi didn�t feel like saying anything, except
asking her to leave and never return.� As
she was about to do so Kiyone, after glancing at her angry face, continued.

�He won�t talk to me and I�m scared.� I don�t want to go through this by myself and
I thought Captain Hitsugaya might protect me the way he always protects Momo,
if he liked me.� I�m scared of being
alone.� The letter seemed so convincing.� He told me it was all over, but it can�t be
because of what�s happened.� Then he said
I was an embarrassment and he should not have lowered himself to consort with
me and�.� Kiyone stopped talking and buried her face in her hands.

Soi tried to sort out what she said in her
mind.� It seemed muddled and very
confusing.� �What is she talking
about?� Over, with Toshiro?� Did she fuck Toshiro?�� Without really considering the consequences
she asked, �Have you slept with Captain Hitsugaya?�

�I offered, but he said no.� I told him I loved him, but I was lying
because I love someone else.� I thought I
might believe it if I said it aloud, but it didn�t work.� It was a silly idea, but I�m so scared and
thought because of the letter and he�s younger than the other Captains he
might�.. I don�t know what I was thinking.�
It started as one thing and then I kept saying dumb things and he got
angry with me and then he said he�d tell my Captain.�

The relief she felt when she heard that
Kiyone has not slept with Toshiro she suppressed immediately.� Now was not the time to think of him and the
explanation did not help much.� Soi tried
to clarify the situation.� �You told
Captain Hitsugaya you loved him, but you don�t.�
You want his protection for some reason and he told you it was over and
won�t talk to you.� Is that correct?�

Her visitor nodded and then shook her
head.� �He never told me it was
over.� How can it be over?� Nothing happened.� He rejected me.�

�Did you even think about this before you
acted?� Soi was certain she knew the answer even before Kiyone shook her head.

Slowly it was becoming clear and her level
of relief increased again.� Toshiro had
rejected Kiyone for whatever reason.�
�Someone else told you it was over and won�t talk to you and because of
him you�re in a mess.�� The last part was
beginning to sound too familiar.� Kiyone
was in a mess because of a man.� A man
had caused the tangle and Soi could only think of one thing that might cause
this amount of distress.� �You�re
pregnant,� she said bluntly, looking at the girl and watched her face flush
violently as she reacted to the accusation.

�How; how did you know?� It�s not showing or anything is it?� I�m not really sure.� I can�t go to 4^th Division because
my Isane would find out but I think I am and I can�t tell the father because he
made it clear that he wants nothing more to do with me,� the words dribbled out
of Kiyone�s mouth as she tried not to cry again.

Rolling her eyes upwards, Soi wondered
about the men of the Seireitei.� Their
brains seem to have slipped from their skulls to an area much lower down, not
that they had ever hovered much above their waistlines.� The women weren�t any better, sleeping with
the first convenient male they saw after Aizen left.� She had to accept she had sunk down to the
low levels of the others, allowing her desires to dictate her actions.� It would be easy to blame only the males, but
they had willing accomplices in the women.

Had the Seireitei always been so sexually
active?� Until recently she had preferred
to remain ignorant of the relationships between people and she had formed one, except
it was destroyed, wasn�t it?� Had some of
the liaisons formed beforehand remained, or had people formed new ones since
the departure of the traitors?� What was
the catalyst?

Retsu had mentioned how strange it was that
both of them had fallen pregnant so close to each other and remarked how it
seemed to coincide with Aizen�s departure.�
She had to talk to Retsu as soon as possible.� This increase in the number of pregnancies
wasn�t natural.� So far Retsu, this soggy
female and Soi had formed unusual alliances and it was possible there might be
more.� Maybe Kenpachi had been truthful
when he claimed that the 10^th Division lieutenant was pregnant with
his child.

She froze for a moment.� If Lieutenant Matsumoto was pregnant, what
would happen to her when Ichimaru found out?�
The woman was in peril and she fervently hoped that she would be saved
before anyone caused her harm.� The
problems faced by the inane female in front of her seemed minor in comparison
and she wanted her out of her office.�

Reluctantly she asked �Have you talked to
whoever the father is?��

�I asked him to meet me, but he
refused.� I followed him that night,
trying to talk to him, but he made an effort to ignore me.� He was so cold and aloof.�� He told me to leave him alone, that I meant
nothing to him and it was a mistake.� I
didn�t get the chance to tell him anything and I cried� Kiyone divulged, more
confident now that someone had guessed her secret.�

Mindful of her earlier conversation with
Captain Ukitake, Soi probed further.�
�The �he� you mention is not Captain Hitsugaya?� The way the girl spoke,
it was hard to keep track of which person she meant.� Kiyone nodded in response.� �Your Captain is not the father,� Soi stated,
certain of this.

In response, Kiyone shook her head.� �No.�
Captain Ukitake would never look at me like that.� He always treats me with respect and care.�

�Then who is the father?� She may as well
find out the worst now.� Once she knew, a
solution might present itself, or complicate matters further.

�I can�t tell you!� I can�t tell anyone.� He�ll hate me if he found out anyone knew
about that night.� I don�t want him to
hate me, or hate me more than he already does,� the tears tumbled down Kiyone�s
face as the words trickled from her mouth.�
Her hands went to her mouth and she began to chew on the fingers of her
gloves.

Running through a list of the possibilities
Soi wondered aloud who could possibly be the father, while trying to ignore
Kiyone�s busy mouth.� That glove had to
be insanitary.� �Obviously not Captain
Zaraki, he wouldn�t have time and I wouldn�t like to be the focus of Lieutenant
Matsumoto�s anger; nor would it be Lieutenant Shuhei.� He doesn�t have a death wish, nor does
Lieutenant Abarai.� Captain?� Lieutenant?�
Obviously someone ranked higher than you.�� The gasp from the person opposite her showed
that she had guessed correctly, so she continued.� �Not one of the traitors.� That leave 8 possibilities, no make that 7 as
I am sure it is not my subordinate.�

�Please, don�t go any further.� Please, I�m sorry about what I said about
Captain Hitsugaya.� You must care about
him otherwise you would have denied any feeling for him.� It was obvious she
was trying to distract Soi who ignored her words and the swell of feeling it
brought to her.� Her mouth moved faster
as she continued to chew on the glove, a small hole appearing under her gnawing
teeth.

Implacably Soi continued to winnow down the
list.� �I don�t think your taste is too
peculiar so I will omit Captain Kurotsuchi,� the girl nodded slightly and
unwillingly.�

Some phrases that the 13^th
Division joint 3^rd seat had uttered earlier suddenly made
sense.� �Embarrassment; lowered himself
to consort; cold and aloof�.� Neither
Captain Komamura or Kyoraku spoke that way and there was one Captain very
careful of his honour, and his position.

�I wonder how Captain Kuchiki will feel to
hear that you�re carrying the heir to the Kuchiki clan,� Soi said casually,
watching for the reaction to her suggestion.

Kiyone fainted.

Soi managed to move fast enough to support
her as she slid to the floor.� This would
not be easy to resolve.� �Thanks very
much, Captain Ukitake.� We will have our
reckoning later, once this is finished,� she said aloud.� Once she was certain that Kiyone was settled
on the floor, she made her comfortable and went to sit on her chair as she
thought things through.� It would have
been pleasant to discuss this with Retsu, but she was assisting in the rescue
mission.� She sat bolt upright as
something else struck her.� How many
female Shinigami were pregnant?� How many
of them were lying and denying their condition?�
Could pregnancy become an epidemic?�
What would be the purpose?

Pushing that thought aside, Soi decided to
concentrate on the challenge lying unconscious on the floor.� Captain Kuchiki had married previously, a
woman very different to the one carrying his child, but she had been a
commoner.� If he knew Kiyone was
pregnant, would honour demand that he marry her, or would he deny that the
child was his?� It was difficult to
predict how the man would react, but he should be told.� It was only fair�..

Screw this.�
Why was she thinking this way?� If
every man had the right to know he�d impregnated a woman, then they should send
a message to Aizen about Momo.� Her
personal situation she refused to consider.�
She was the exception and Toshiro didn�t need to know.� No one else would know until she had
decided.� Retsu hadn�t told the father of
her child.� The only reason she thought
Captain Kuchiki should be told was because Kiyone obviously wanted him to
know.� All her reactions seemed to
indicate a deep infatuation with the man, difficult though it was to
believe.�

She�d also have to talk to Toshiro about
the girl and ask him to forget their conversation. �That made her pause, trying to work out if she
was pleased or unhappy about the idea.�
They had spent so much time together this day and she had almost felt a
connection grow between them when they had argued with Yamamoto.� The tension that she normally experienced
near him had begun to fade a little and a slight feeling of admiration had
begun to creep into her assessment of him when he had challenged the
Captain-General about his inaction.�

Thinking about the Captain-General made her
again feel the outrage that had consumed her when she had realised the way he
had used all of them.� It was better to
think about her anger at that man instead of her increasingly alarming
reactions to the mention of Toshiro�s name.�
As she thought, some idea or memory moved at the back of her mind, a way
of reminding the Captain-General that he was not the only power within the
Seireitei or the hierarchy.� Before she
could recapture the thought, and follow it through to the memory that had been
roused, she spotted movement on the floor.

Kiyone stirred slightly and Soi watched,
but she still seemed to be unconscious.�
She would talk to Toshiro.� The
situation was not entirely of Kiyone�s making, just mostly, and it seemed
unfair and very stupid of the girl to allow an anonymous letter to cause these
problems.� But then, could the girl be
lying about the letter?� Lying about the
whole situation, trying to find out if she did have an affair with Toshiro?� Did she want to�.

At this point, Kiyone sat up and began to
retch violently.� Soi grabbed her and
assisted her to the sink as the girl displayed the classic symptoms of morning
sickness, even though it was well into the afternoon, nearing evening.� After the girl had emptied her stomach of the
water, Soi made her sit down and began to question her carefully.

�Captain Kuchiki is the father?�

Kiyone nodded reluctantly, as she examined
the hem of her sleeve and pulled at a loose thread.

�How do I know that you�re not lying?� That this isn�t some scheme you�ve come up
with?� No matter what, Soi could not lose focus that she did not trust this
person.

�Why would I lie about being pregnant?� There�s so point in lying anymore because
you�ve guessed and I need your help.� I�m
not lying to you, I promise,� the heartfelt sincerity almost convinced
Soi.� Almost, but she wanted more
information.

�When did it happen?�

�The night before the mission left for the
human world.� I�d had a few drinks,�
Kiyone said and then pressed her lips tightly together as if she had decided to
say nothing further.

�You�ve come to me for help and you should
tell me what I need to know.� What
happened?� Soi demanded, her frustration increasing.

Kiyone gulped and her eyes welled with
tears again.� Seeing this made Soi heave
a deep sigh.� Where was all this liquid
coming from?� Did the girl have an
inexhaustible supply of tears?� Before
she could demand that she stop crying, Kiyone began to explain.

�I was supposed to meet up with some
friends, but none of them showed.� I had
a few drinks while I waited and after an hour decided that I may as well go
home because I don�t like drinking alone and I was drinking too fast,� she
paused and drank some water that Soi had poured, choking slightly as she drank.

�Then what?�

Kiyone�s voice sank further.� �I was walking home and I passed Captain
Kuchiki.� He was alone and I�ve always
been drawn by his aloofness.� He�s so
handsome and manly and noble and perfect�.�

�Enough about Captain Kuchiki.� He�s a man and thus imperfect like all men,�
Soi didn�t want to hear a half hour description of the glories of the 6^th
Division�s Captain.� The man was a cold
fish who acted like he wouldn�t know what to do with a woman even if she had an
instruction manual printed on her skin, complete with diagrams.

�I greeted him and asked how he was, if he
needed anything, because he was looking slightly annoyed.� The Captain actually replied to me.� I was amazed because he�s rarely spoken to me.� I asked what was wrong as he was frowning and
he said it was nothing.� He nodded and
continued walking and I followed him.� It
was stupid, but I was worried about him.�
He noticed and told me I should return to my Division,� Kiyone said, her
voice steady.

�Good advice.� Why didn�t you go along with it?� He might have thought you were stalking him,�
Soi observed.� In the same position she
would feel threatened if a person followed her after she indicated she did not
want their company.

As if she had not heard the question, the 3^rd
seat continued to talk, her eyes shut as she relived the memories.� �I told him I wanted to talk to him about his
sister, privately, and he finally asked me back to his quarters.�

That still did not clarify why the man
asked Kiyone back to the Kuchiki mansion.�
Soi wondered at that.�

�Did you really wish to talk about
Rukia?�� Soi asked.

�No.�
I wanted to spend time with him; I just wished to look at him.� We didn�t go to his family home, just the
accommodation he has in 6^th Division,� Kiyone continued.

That at least explained one question Soi
wanted to ask.� But then it seemed very
peculiar that Captain Kuchiki would even notice Kiyone, or wish to talk to
her.�

�When we got there he poured some sake for
himself.� He didn�t offer me any and I
asked what has disturbed him; was it because of the rumour about Captain
Zaraki?� I�d wondered if he liked Ran,
because he seemed so upset, but it wasn�t that.�
He told me he had visited Captain Zaraki to advise him against having a
relationship with Ran.� He was smarting
from the way Captain Zaraki had treated him and threatened him with
violence.� I knew his concern had been
for the dignity of all Captains.��

Soi fought to suppress a smirk.� The man had such a narrow idea of correct
behaviour.� Yoruichi had always been
amused by Byakuya and mocked him constantly, commenting that he was a
humourless kid who�d become an even more humourless adult.� This had influenced Soi�s view of the man.

�Then he began to ask all these questions
about Rukia: how she was progressing, had she made any friends, was she
settling back in after everything that had happened.� He wanted to know if she was seeing any males
within the Division or had been receiving any visits from other people.� There were lots of questions about Renji and
Ichigo, some of them personal.� I was a
little shocked, so I told him he�d have to drink with me before I�d answer,�
she must have noticed Soi�s raised eyebrows.�
�I was thirsty,� she said defensively.

Soi�s lips twitched.� �You were thirsty?�

Kiyone nodded.� �Byakuya, I mean Captain Kuchiki agreed and
we drank plum wine.� It was really nice.�

Soi didn�t want to hear any more.� �You got drunk, had sex and fell pregnant,�
she said shortly.

�He kissed me first,� Kiyone said
defensively.�

Shaking her head, Soi moved her hand in a
motion indicating she didn�t wish to hear any more.� �Further details do not interest me.� From your earlier comments you tried to
blackmail Captain Hitsugaya.� He would
react badly to that.�

Kiyone nodded emphatically.

�You acted on the information provided in
an anonymous letter which you have since lost and tried to manoeuvre Captain
Hitsugaya into forming a liaison with you.�
When this didn�t work you came to me to ask me to persuade him not to
tell your Captain.� And this occurred
because you lost your reason and slept with Captain Kuchiki.�

�I didn�t lose my mind.� I�ve always been attracted to him.� He�s the most wonderful man I�ve ever met,�
Kiyone offered in protest.

This female really had very little
understanding of reality.� Byakuya
wonderful?� Next she would be spouting
some drivel about that annoying orange haired ryoka, or the irritating
cockroach, Mayuri.� She had no
understanding of the nature of the men who dwelt in the Seireitei.� �That�s not important.�� Soi sat there and thought a little more.� She owed nothing to this woman; in fact she
felt a strong impulse to hurt her for approaching Toshiro.� �It not because I want him�, she assured herself,
�it�s because he was going to ask Momo to marry him.�� And she didn�t give a damn about that pain
Momo either.� Sighing she shut her eyes.

�Come back tomorrow.� I�ll decide tonight if I�ll help you, though
I don�t see why I should.� If I do decide
to help you, I will expect something in return.�
Possibly a promise that you will not involve me in any of your sordid
problems in the future.�

Kiyone looked at her, her eyes wide in
amazement.� �You might help?�

�Maybe.�
I will tell you this: if you try to use another captain after today, you
might experience a hornet�s sting.� Now
get out, go home and sleep.�

�Can�t you talk to him tonight?� Kiyone
urged, her eyes hopeful.� Her hands were
clenched together and she raised them slightly in appeal.

Her mouth forming a thin line, Soi didn�t
bother to answer, and just stared at the girl sitting opposite her.� Requesting a favour was one thing, but she
was overstepping the line.

�Um. Sorry.�
Tomorrow would be great.� My
Captain wanted an early night anyway so I�ll suggest he goes to bed early and
doesn�t accept any more visitors.�� Kiyone
scrambled inelegantly to her feet and bowing low with gratitude, she left the
room.�

�That�s it.�
I refuse to talk to anyone else today,� Soi thought.� �People only cause problems.�

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A.N.

Did you think Kiyone really liked
Toshiro?� Hehehehe.� Poor Toshiro.�
How many other females will declare their love for him?�

Review.�
I like reviews. �Thanks to No Name
Eva Fan, kryadda, sweetsatincocoa,
Elora, Cybill and TheColeTrain for the reviews.�

Soundtrack

�Get Misunderstood� Troublemakers

�Open Heart Zoo� Martin Grench

�Blame� Soul Coughing

�Watching Shadows� Endorphin
- 14
- 15
- 16
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

For The Love of a Friend