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Prize of Victory 2
By : NovaAlexandria
Category: Bleach > General
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Chapter List
- 27
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Tempest Tossed

Maybe coming here hadn�t been the best idea she�d ever had.

Once she reached the edge of the Seireitei, she found she couldn�t recall if the Espada or her fraccion would be home tonight, though she knew her Taichou had the evening off. In fact, she hadn�t had much more on her mind that simply getting here, giving her superior her notice and then asking Harribel why everyone she knew seemed to have withheld some very important information from her.

She hadn�t considered much beyond that and trying not to look like a snivelling child while she sought some answers. Unfortunately, she seemed to be doing a terrible job of the second.

The gate and the door had been unlocked and she could tell both of the people that she needed to talk to were home from briefly scanning for their reiatsu. So she�d called out and tried to wipe away the tears that kept leaking from the corners of her eyes, and tried to quell the urge to fall down and weep uncontrollably on someone else�s front rug. She knew the tremors going through her body were from the adrenaline rush and could think of no way to stop them.

Finally, she heard two pairs of feet walking towards her; the sound was muffled enough to know that the feet weren�t shod in the usual house slippers as they approached. The reason soon became apparent. Hitsugaya-Taichou looked a bit flushed and more than a little flustered and her mistress, while calmer, seemed equally concerned. Hana took in their slightly dishevelled appearances and damp hair, the informal, usually-reserved-for-after-a-bath yukata they wore, and to her horror, she realized what her arrival might have interrupted. If her face weren�t already red, it would have turned scarlet.

�Hana-chan?�

The blonde Espada had her hand out, as if to ascertain that she was physically all right, while her Taichou seemed outright alarmed, his eyes looking her up and down to see if she had any injuries.

The officer part of her psyche, the one currently holding her together, kicked her into getting the formalities out of the way before she did anything else. Hana sniffled and straightened as much as she could, then forced her explanation for abandoning her patrol past shivering lips.

�Taichou, I�m here to officially report that I cannot complete my assigned patrol route tonight. I� there was��

Hana thought she�d be able to give a quick, business-like recounting of the entire run-in with the intruders, but suddenly her throat wouldn�t work and the words in her head became jumbled. The only sounds she could make seemed to involve sobs, one following another and soon she was bawling into her hands.

Two sets of hands fell on her.

�Kami� did someone Claim her?� she heard her Taichou hesitantly ask, his tone ghastly. On her other side, Harribel gave what sounded like a heavy sigh and she took Hana gently by the elbow.

�If they had, she wouldn�t be here. She�d be under her Claimer, and probably would be until I came to kill whoever was stupid enough to do it. This is something else. I�ll take her to the study. Would you please bring tea for the three of us?�

�I�ll go heat the water with Kido. I don�t think we�ve the time to bother with the stove,� she heard him say.

Harribel�s smooth voice addressed her and what came out was a thinly veiled order.

�Come with me, Hana-chan.�

�Taichou� my patrol�� she tried to say and the masculine voice over her other shoulder growled.

�Hang the patrol. Go on,� he snapped and seemed to put that particular topic to rest as he left for the kitchen.

She nodded, hiccupping and crying as Harribel hustled her down the hallway, around the corner and into the study. The taller woman planted Hana on the couch and closed the door behind them. She proceeded to drape the warm lap blanket, the one that usually sat folded on the arm of the sofa, around her shoulders. Something white swam into her peripheral view: a cloth handkerchief held by long, tan fingers.

�Here, Hana-chan. Use this and then begin at the beginning.�

The girl took it and tried to clean up the mess her face had become, dabbing at her swollen eyes and runny nose in an attempt to put herself back together. It didn�t help that the minute she managed to get her eyes or her nose clear, a fresh round of sobs would work its way out of her and she�d have to start all over again.

Five minutes later, she heard the door open and her Taichou entered with not only the requested teapot, but also an unopened bottle of sake, a lone sake cup and an unopened bag of marbles. He placed the tray on the low table that sat before the couch and poured three cups of tea. Then he opened the sake battle, poured a cup and placed it in front of Hana.

Pulling the chair closer, he sat forward in it, elbows on his knees and gave her an intent look while he took a sip from his teacup.

�If we�re to help you, we need to know what happened. Let�s start from the moment you left here this afternoon and work our way forward.�

�Yes, sir,� came the meek reply. Hitsugaya-Taichou made a motion towards the sake cup and she picked up the small, shallow vessel.

�Drink that. It will calm you down.�

Hana rubbed her eyes with the now-sodden handkerchief. She took a sniff of the stuff and made a face.

�I� I don�t really drink. Mother and Karin-san�.�

��aren�t here at present. You get one, two cups at most. I have it on good authority this will help.�

She gave the cup a dubious look, as if it might bite her.

�Why aren�t you having any, Taichou?�

�I never touch the stuff, but then, I�m not the one crying.�

She was too busy looking down into the clear liquid to notice Harribel�s eyebrow go up, but she did catch his shoulder shrug in response. Tossing it back, she sputtered and gasped, coughing instead of crying. Her Taichou�s eyes narrowed a bit.

�I said drink it, not inhale it!�

�Ugh! It burns!�

He gave her what might have been a ghost of a smile as he took the cup from her.

�You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that�and it�s supposed to warm you as it goes down. The second cup will be easier, just take it a bit slower.�

�It tastes terrible.�

�Glad to hear that too.�

�Sir, if you don�t drink sake, why do you have a sake bottle?�

Hitsugaya rubbed the back of his neck and winced, then picked up the small bag, which turned out to have candied azuki beans instead of marbles in it. He poured some into her other hand.

�Nostalgia, mostly, and the occasional medicinal purpose. Use those to kill the taste when you�re finished with your second cup and then have some more candy. I�m willing to bet that you didn�t have much in the way of an evening meal, did you?�

Her guilty look earned her a little grumbling on his part, but he poured her another and nudged it forward. As usual, her Taichou�s cool, business-like manner helped Hana harness her turbulent emotions, enough so that she could choke down the encore cup of courage and launch into a broken accounting of Starrk and Lilinette�s run-in with Shihoin Yoruichi and Sarugaki Hiyori. She wasn�t much of a �sweets� person anymore, but the amanatto did serve to cut the nasty taste of sake and once the candies hit her stomach, the slightly unsettled feeling in her gut subsided.

She expected him to ask why she hadn�t sounded the alarm when she became aware of the intruders, or why she�d strayed from her designated patrol route in the first place. Instead, the two sat back and listened. It wasn�t until she got around to what Hiyori had screeched at her that she saw a real reaction from either of them.

Her Taichou�s face went even paler than usual.

Harribel�s eyes hardened and her mouth thinned into an unhappy line.

Their eyes, so similar in color, met and Hana could almost taste the amount of dismay that passed between them. Looking back and forth at them, the girl suddenly understood what they weren�t saying and a sick, bleak feeling crept over her. They�d both fought in the Winter War as well. Of course, they�d known about Starrk and her father.

The handkerchief was soaked at this point, but the two cups of sake her Taichou had pressed on her had done their job and she simply felt too tired to keep crying. Hana clutched the blanket a little closer to her.

�I guess everyone knew but me, huh?� she spat out bitterly. �Everyone knew that Starrk murdered my father and no one saw fit to say anything to me about it. Not my mother, not �take-ji, not Starrk� no one.�

Harribel poured another cup of tea for herself. Picking it up, she swirled the liquid and leaves idly, and gave her newest fraccion a regretful look.

�I would not use the word �murdered.� Those who enter willingly onto a battlefield are not �murdered.� They can die in the line of duty, sacrificing their lives in combat for their comrades, for a greater cause, for their leaders or for those that they wish to protect. To call it �murder� is a misnomer.�

The white-haired young man pinched the bridge of his nose before trying to put a better spin on his mistress�s words.

�No one in this house thought that at your age, you remained ignorant of what happened during the Battle of False Karakura. We assumed, wrongly, that you knew of the First�s role in Kyoraku Shunsui�s death. That�s why��

Hana groaned and scrubbed at her eyes again, hunching over, cutting him off.

�Mila Rose and Sung Sun� that�s what they meant! I� didn�t know what they were talking about.�

She pressed the heels of her hands against her eye sockets, trying to keep the sudden headache she felt looming at bay. Her face felt hot and the flush wasn�t just from the sake.

Hitsugaya-Taichou ran his fingers through his hair and murmured something that sounded suspiciously like cursing.

�I�d intended to speak with your mother tomorrow about this, to inquire why you hadn�t been told and why she�d left that information out when Harribel-sama made you her fraccion. It would seem that we were a day late in addressing the issue,� he acknowledged ruefully.

�Why?� she whispered. �Why did they hide the fact that Starrk killed my father?�

This time it Harribel spoke, sipping on her tea.

�That, I�m afraid, I don�t know. Tell me, Hana-chan, are you upset about the fact that the First was the one to defeat your father in battle, or are you upset that they chose not to share the information with you?�

Hana stared down into her empty sake cup. Harribel�s question hung there in the air between the three of them while the girl tried to figure out how to answer it.

�I� I don�t�� she began and then fell silent. Instead, she set down the smaller cup and picked up her teacup, draining it. Her Taichou filled it the moment she set it down and gazed at her expectantly, as if waiting for a definitive response. She wasn�t sure she had one to give.

�Maybe both,� she finally said. Hana knew it was a cop-out of an answer, but the overwhelming shock of finding out she�d been sharing a house and a life with the one who had slaughtered her father in battle had been the first thing to hit her. How could they have lied to her for all of these years?

�How old are you, Hana-chan? Nearly fifteen?�

Her Taichou gave her a critical look as he said this and she found herself nodding, a habit ingrained due to her position. His expression went from critical to speculative.

�Knowing what you know now, would you have burdened the younger you with this knowledge?�

The question took her completely off-guard and her eyes went wide.

�I��

The young man in the chair opposite her sat back, cradling his teacup against his chest while she sat stock-still. Harribel cast a sharp glance at him.

�Toshiro�� she said, lips curving downward, ��that�s not entirely fair.�

�Perhaps not, and I�m not a parent, but my gut would tell me to wait until a child in such a situation was old enough to fully comprehend what had happened.�

It was the sort of logical thing she expected her superior to say and he wasn�t exactly looking at her while he said it. Instead, he looked at Harribel.

�But, I would have had a right to know anyway,� she whispered, shaking her head. It wasn�t that she didn�t understand what her Taichou was try to get at, but that she didn�t necessarily agree with it. �He said he made a promise to protect mother and �take-ji�. I can�t tell if he was lying or not. I wasn�t there during the� battle and I don�t know exactly what did or didn�t happen so I can�t tell if he� they� were just saying what they said��

Suddenly, she sat up a little straighter as an idea came to her and she looked back at Hitsugaya-Taichou.

�You� you were there too! You fought in that battle too, right? Please, tell me what happened!� Hana pleaded.

The young man obviously did not expect the conversation to go skittering off in this direction, because he cast a quick look at Harribel, who looked equally nonplussed. They engaged in one of those exasperating, wordless conversations, conducted entirely by eye contact, before Harribel sighed.

�If you�re asking if the two of us saw the battle between your father and the First Espada in his released state, the answer is �not really.� To the best of my understanding, however, the fight was four-on-two, in favour of the Yamamoto�s forces.�

Four against two?

She knew about Ukitake-san, and her father but the announcement that two others had taken on the First as well surprised her. Starrk and Lilinette had faced down four opponents and won? Hana gaped for a few seconds and then turned to the Espada seated next to her. The blonde�s lips pursed her lips and her eyes were on the sake bottle.

�You didn�t see what happened, Harribel-sama?�

�No, I�m afraid I was� preoccupied at the time.�

Hana frowned at that, until she remembered that Yamamoto�s forces would have engaged the Third and her fraccion as well.

�If I recall, that fight was three-on-one. Myself and those two Vizards.�

This time, the corner of her Taichou�s mouth twitched up and Harribel gave him a very measured look, as if weighing whether or not to continue letting him speak.

�Yes, yes it was. Had it not been for Wonderweiss, I would have succumbed to Toshiro�s Hyōten Hyakkasō. It was a near thing too.�

Hana�s fingers tightened around her teacup and her mouth hung open as what her mistress said stunned her. Did that mean�? Her brown eyes darted back and forth between the two.

�You fought one another!� she gasped, putting the teacup down and outright staring now. �How?�

�We threw everything we had at one another, to be honest. If Aizen hadn�t kept that small monstrosity in reserve, in order to take out our Soutaichou, engineered specifically to overcome Ryūjin Jakka, things might have taken a different turn.�

He gave Hana a significant look while he said this, but she had the feeling that she wasn�t the one that he was addressing.

�Indeed. I�ve often looked back on that day and wondered if Aizen-Kami had not planned as well as he had to exploit the weaknesses within the Gotei 13, what the outcome might have been. Much was lost on the part of those conquered and yet, I think there were some gains as well.�

Harribel certainly wasn�t looking at Hana as she said this, and now she got the feeling she�d definitely intruded on something when she�d knocked on the door. Embarrassed, she tried to hide behind her teacup, only to have her Taichou drag her back into the conversation.

�My question still stands, Hana-chan: would you have told the younger you about what had happened?�

When he put it that way, some of the white-hot anger she�d felt towards her mother, Starrk and �take-ji�, as well as the other adults in the house faded. Her practical side, fortified by two cups of sake, candy, tea and a question that needed an answer, finally found enough traction to overcome the tempest going on in her head.

Unfortunately, it dragged a few things into the light of day for her to examine that forced her to think about the situation in a slightly different light.

Hadn�t she just had this kind of conversation with Diaemus about Ajuga�s Royal blood? As unhappy as she was about lying to her friend and keeping things from her, both she and the hybrid boy were in total agreement that telling her the truth would only lead to trouble. Still, would Ajuga be upset with the both of them when, or if, she discovered that they�d withheld what was undoubtedly important information?

Suddenly, things seemed a lot murkier than they had before.

�It� would depend, I think. On the person,� she replied slowly. Her Taichou snorted faintly and looked at the ceiling of the study with a sour expression.

�That�s true. There are a few idiots in my own Division I wouldn�t trust with a burned-out match, let alone important information� like the accounts, for instance. Thankfully, you aren�t one of them.�

Hana coloured at her superior�s somewhat backhanded compliment, unsure if she ought to be pleased or offended for her fellow Division members. The books had been a mess when she�d started in on them and Hitsugaya-Taichou didn�t hand out praise often.

Another possibility occurred to Hana and she bit her lip, nearly bruising it.

�Do you think they were waiting, to tell me?�

The two others in the room shared another glance, Harribel turning her cup around in her long, elegant fingers.

�I don�t know that either,� the Espada replied. �That would be between you, Ise-Taichou, Ukitake-Taichou and the First. It�s unfortunate that you had to learn about it in this manner, and from such a source.�

�Ugh. Sarugaki Hiyori. That one was all mouth and spent more time trying to argue with me than doing anything useful!�

Her Taichou rubbed his forehead and sounded as if he didn�t particularly like the pig-tailed Vizard, but Harribel�s throaty chuckle cut into his irritation. Her next words brought a faint stain to the young man�s cheeks, and then Hana�s once she deciphered what her mistress meant by them.

�Hmm, perhaps I should be grateful to her. But for her incompetence, I would never have had such a lovely time this evening.�

Harribel gave her Taichou a sultry, enigmatic smile and her Taichou, in turn, silently mouthed what might have been the word �Tia� as a warning back to her while his cheeks coloured. Hana�s ever-helpful practical side, bolstered by the handful of candy she�d shovelled into her mouth to hide how flustered she became, kicked her brain back on track as she thought about the bitchy little...

The intruders! She�d nearly forgotten about the fact that Starrk and Lilinette had caught them sneaking into the Soul Society, or out of it. Putting aside everything she�d learned, by telling her Taichou and her mistress about the whole encounter, she�d lost the ability to keep things a secret. Hitsugaya-Taichou would have to put down something, if only to explain why she�d fled instead of completing her patrol. Worse, she had no idea what Harribel would be required to say to Aizen, as one of his elites. She swallowed the candy quickly and took a drink of tea to wash it all down.

�Taichou, the two Escapees that� Starrk� ran into, they got away. The dark-haired one knocked Hiyori unconscious and took off with her. Starrk didn�t chase them down. He� he was busy trying to talk to me. What should I do or put in the report, Sir?�

Now there really did seem to be a silent, almost tense argument going on between the two others in the study, their turquoise gazes taken up with one another in a different sort of match of wills. Harribel certainly didn�t look happy and neither did Hitsugaya-Taichou. Hana suspected that they might be angry about different things, however. Her mistress looked a little troubled, while her Taichou seemed to have a �ball�s in your court now� expression on his face when he looked at the blonde. If she didn�t know any better, she would have said that he was leaving the decision as to what to do about reporting the intruders to Harribel.

Eventually, the Espada finished her tea and tiredly set her cup down.

�Starrk and Lilinette are haphazard at best about reporting things, but I don�t know what they�ll do about something that would affect them personally. It would be best to say nothing at the moment.�

�Considering our earlier talk, we could choose to take the lead.�

Both women looked at the pale-haired man as he said this, Hana with alarm at the thought that her superior officer would actually tell her to lie and Harribel with some unreadable emotion that Hana was sure had a few more layers to it than covering for her fraccion�s error. Hitsugaya-Taichou steepled his fingers in front of him and graced them with an explanation.

�If The First says nothing about the incident, and he doesn�t make a full report, there�s no reason to involve you at all. As far as we are concerned, you stuck to your patrol route and that is that.�

�Yes, I mean, no sir. I have to check in at the end of my patrol. If I�m seen coming from the 1st District��

�With whom,� her Taichou asked pointedly, �do you have to check in?�

Harribel�s eyes widened a little, and then they narrowed as she gave Hitsugaya-Taichou a crafty smile, apparently catching on to the rest of his unspoken plan.

�Not if I require you to report in to me first. Your duty to me supersedes your duties to your Division.�

Harribel said this offhandedly, and then put her fingers on the handle of the teapot.

�Would you like another cup, Hana-chan?�

�Ah, I� no, no thank you, Mistress Harribel.�

�Very well,� the other woman said and poured the remainder of the tea between her cup and that of her �pet�. Hana reached back and stuck a stray strand of brown hair behind her ear, considering the deceptive logistics the two had managed to set up between them in the space of less than a minute.

It reminded her a little too much of the way that �take-ji and Starrk played shoji together, at ease with one another, to the point where conversation wasn�t actually necessary. Her Taichou and her mistress had gone from trying to kill one another in the heat of battle to giving one another meaningful looks across a dining table. The circumstances weren�t quite the same as what had happened with the First, �take-ji and her mother, but she simply couldn�t reconcile what she�d found out with the environment in which she�d grown up. She�d been so used to the idea of Starrk and Lilinette as members of the family that the image of them as conquering warriors, taking her mother and �take-ji as prizes handed out by Aizen after the dust settled made her gut wrench a little.

That view of them meant that they might have considered Hana as part of the loot.

�Mistress, would it be alright if I stayed here for the night. I won�t be any bother, I promise. I�ve already� I�ve taken up enough of your evening as it is, but I just don�t think I really want to go home right now. I need some time away, to think.�

The blonde Espada nodded, unsurprised by the request.

�Of course you may stay. We�ve a spare room if you need and I�m sure the girls won�t mind if you borrow a yukata while you�re here,� she said graciously. The relief on Hana�s face must have showed, because her Taichou let out a long breath and added his two-yen�s worth.

�You�re on patrol for the next few nights. If you choose, you can stay in the 3rd Division barracks. You�re a seated officer and right now, the only thing you�re using the space allotted to you for is file storage. It might not be the quietest place to try to get some shut-eye, but you can sleep anywhere if you�re tired enough. I still plan on meeting with your mother tomorrow, if only to let her know you�re fine and that you�re working things through,� her commanding officer pointed out.

�Of course sir!�

The idea of getting away from the Estate held some real appeal. She�d opened her mouth to thank them both and instead, a massive yawn worked its way out of her. With the adrenaline gone and the two cups of sake working in tandem, she felt wrung out. Rubbing at her eyes, she took another look at the two and saw similar signs of fatigue in both her mistress and her superior and despite how tired she was, she had more than enough energy left to feel a little ashamed.

�I�ll pull out the spare futon and bedding. I�ve a few older uniforms tucked away that will probably fit you if you need a spare change of clothing for tomorrow. As an officer, you�re also allowed to ask the Quartermaster for a spare in your size if you require one, as well as any requisite accessories.�

Hana�s Taichou downed the last of his tea and got up, gathering up the teapot and cups once Harribel placed her empty cup on the tray, as well as the sake bottle and the shallow sake cup. When Hana moved to put the half-eaten bag of candied beans on the tray, he shook his head and closed her fingers around it.

�Keep it. You can snack on them tomorrow if you need, while you clear out your room in the barracks.�

With that order, he was gone. Harribel�s eyes watched him go with a slight smile playing about her lips, as if she was privately pleased or amused by something about him. Hana was sure that whatever it was, it most definitely wasn�t any of her business.

�Can� I ask you a question, Harribel-sama?�

Those turquoise eyes turned back to her and the Espada folded her hands in her lap, running the pads of her fingers over the pattern of blue waves and white crests printed onto the cotton.

�Of course. What do you want to know, Hana-chan?�

�Will Aizen-Kami� find out that Starrk let two of the Escapees get away? What if he finds out that it was because of me?�

Harribel reached over and tucked a strand of hair that Hana had missed behind her ear, giving her an understanding look.

�The First took over Barragan�s territory this evening, on short notice, because Kami-sama changed the schedule. As much as I loathe the Second, had Kami-sama not swapped their territories around, the two intruders would have encountered Barragan and Respira, rather than the head of your household. They might not have fared as well if that had happened. The ultimate responsibility, in my mind, for their escape lies in the one that deployed his warriors in a less-than-efficient manner.�

Hana sat in stunned silence, listening to what amounted to someone, finally, holding Aizen accountable for a decision. The fact that the two women had eluded capture didn�t seem to bother Harribel very much and Hana guessed that her earlier dismay had more to do with Hana�s involvement than whether or not a couple of rogue Shinigami snuck into or out of Soul Society. She didn�t exactly know what to think, since all indications prior to this pointed towards Harribel as one of Aizen�s more devoted followers. Only Ulquiorra�s loyalty seemed more devout and unshakeable.

Then again, her mistress was a lot like the water of the pond in which she seemed to enjoy spending so much time: serene and reflective, but hard to read as far as what lay beneath its surface.

Maybe Harribel�s attitude towards Aizen wasn�t quite the black-and-white case it appeared to be, and according to what she�d witnessed this evening, her Taichou wasn�t the dutiful hound that everyone, including his own subordinates, thought he was, at least behind closed doors. Both gave her something to ponder, especially as she�d accepted a place within Harribel�s household. Knowing where the people within it stood suddenly seemed like a very good idea.

�I think it might be wise, however, to keep this observation between the two of us.�

The girl nodded briskly at her mistress�s warning, even if the Espada delivered it gently.

�I would take the time that you need to sort things out. You�re welcome here any time. I will let the girls know that you�re staying the night, so that there aren�t any surprises in the morning. Leave off worrying about the First for tonight and sleep,� Harribel suggested and then rose, indicating that she should follow.

�I would give you a bit of advice, however.�

�Yes, Harribel-sama?�

The Third opened the door to her study and ushered Hana through, closing it behind her carefully. Then she turned to the girl and gave Hana a grave look as they walked down the darkened hallway towards the room that her superior had set up for the night.

�It seems to be part of the Shinigami and human mentality to ponder possibilities that might exist, or might not exist, to wish things had taken a different turn. We Arrancar, in most cases, live in the here and now and those of us who consider other outcomes are few and far between. For every event that takes place, there are a thousand might-have-beens. In order for one outcome to exist, we must sacrifice all others. Sometimes the choice is ours. Sometimes another makes it for us and we must go with the tide.�

Harribel stopped before a door and slid it open, revealing a small room with a heavy futon and blankets already laid out on it, as well as a small bundle of clothing. She recognized the folded, black cloth of an outer kosode and hakama on top. The Espada reached out and tipped Hana�s chin up, looking down into her newest fraccion�s eyes.

�Do not linger too long on thoughts of what might have been, Hana, lest they drag you into despair and keep you from taking what the here and now offers. I�ve had a recent reminder of that as well. Goodnight.�

Hana bowed her head as Harribel turned on her heel and walked back down the way she�d come, and she knew the woman had quietly dismissed her. Ducking into the room and sliding the door closed, she wasted no time in setting aside the clothing in favour of falling on to the futon and closing her eyes.

Her sleep was fitful at best and while she felt far more in control when she woke to the sound of a pair of knuckles tapping against the doorframe, she was far from �put together�. The knocking turned out to be her Taichou, letting her know he was leaving for the office early and that she could take some time coming in, thanks to the concocted excuse her two superiors came up with last night. She considered staying and greeting the other girls in the house, but if she was going to spend more than a night at the 3rd Division barracks, Hitsugaya Taichou was right. She would have to clear the tiny room normally set aside for each seated officer of boxes of records. The remnants of her purge and reorganization of the Division�s accounts were stacked in row upon row of boxes. Living at Jushiro�s Estate meant that she�d used the room as overflow storage in lieu of sleeping there. Now, she realized, unless she wanted to sleep on the boxes themselves, she�d have to clear enough room to lie down.
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Prize of Victory 2	By : NovaAlexandria Category: Bleach > General Views: 56251 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 5
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach nor make a profit from this story

Prize of Victory 2