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Past Melodies	By : shadoesong Category: Bleach > General Views: 1026 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and its characters, nor do I profit from this story.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
This is the sequel to Never Let Me Fall. Please read that first. http://bleach.adult-fanfiction.org/story.php?no=600012719
Chapter 1
Izuru Kira, Lieutenant of the Third Division, stood in front of the door to the Captain's office. He had already knocked, but received no reply. He knew the Captain was within, he could sense her reiatsu, but he also heard soft snoring. He now knew why she wasn't answering the door. Quietly, he slid open the door and peered inside.
The small dark skinned woman was face down on her desk, her head cradled in her arms. Her curly, black purple hair had begun to loosen from her French braid. He could see the dark circles under her eyes from his spot at the door. She'd been falling asleep while working a lot lately. He walked further into the office.
“Captain?” he said, almost a little hesitantly. He got an immediate reaction.
“I wasn't sleeping!” Aika yelped as she bolted awake, a piece of paper stuck to her cheek. Quickly swiping the offending object from her face, she sighed. She couldn't believe she had fallen asleep at her desk again. Looking up at her Lieutenant she found no judgement on his features.
The date was December 1^st and Kira still wasn't used to having a Captain again. The division had been without one for a few months since Ichimaru Gin turned against the Gotei 13 along with Aizen Sosuke and Tosen Kaname. It had only been four weeks since Aika took over as Captain. She had been recommended by the Captains who had seen her Bankai during the battle, even Zaraki had put in a good, albeit grudging, word for her.
And since her promotion, things had been different in the squad. Captain Ichimaru had the talent of getting out of any form of work. The blonde man was grateful that Captain Kawasuzu was the opposite. The division was almost running as smoothly as the short woman wanted after a lot of hard work. He could definitely forgive her napping at her desk.
Her friends, Asaje Rin and Esaki Daisuke, had been tapped for Squad 5 and Squad 9, respectively. The former was still under watch after losing her memories and defecting to the other side. Central 46 wanted to be sure she was trustworthy before they officially gave her the position of Captain. Daisuke had requested time to perfect his Bankai before he was tested for the position.
“What time is it?” she mumbled, still a little flustered. The clock wasn't in the usual place, further confusing her. Probably because she was now in her new office. The blonde Lieutenant let a small smile escape when her stomach growled. She looked down at her stomach before looking up again.
“It's noon, Captain,” he answered.
“Well, then, what the hell are you doing here instead of having lunch?” she asked incredulously. She smirked at the serious man. “Go. Shoo. There isn't anything important enough that can't wait 'til after we eat. Unless, of course, there is?”
“Uh, well...” came the hesitant response. Aika sighed in defeat.
“I had to ask, didn't I?” the small woman mumbled, sighing. She raised her hand, and beckoned with her fingers. “All right, hit me with it.”
“There is another report from Kawadera-son.” Izuru placed the report on her desk in front of her. Aika took a deep breath, rubbing her forehead.
“Send 4^th Seat Shidehara Hei and her unit in. Contact 12^th Division, again, to request that scan. You can do it before or after lunch. I'm not going to be in the office for the rest of the afternoon. Call me with a hell butterfly if it's urgent.” Her time as an officer in the 10^th Division had allowed her to grow used to listing off commands with the ease in which she did now.
“Hai, Captain.”
The dark skinned woman watched as her Lieutenant bowed and left. She was sure he would get his orders done before he went to lunch. She smiled, shaking her head. She, on the other hand, was meeting friends for lunch. She had about an hour before she needed to be at the restaurant. After that, she was sparring with the Captain of 10^th Division and former superior, Hitsugaya Toshiro.
She got up to grab a snack and some tea from the side board before settling on the couch with her zanpakuto. First, though, she was going to enter Jinzen to commune with her sword. Jinsoku Koshi had been quiet lately. Also, she wanted to know if she needed to be concerned about the fatigue that had been plaguing her.
Getting into a comfortable position, she unsheathed her sword and settled it in her lap. Aika cleared her mind, easily slipping into her inner world. The small woman opened her eyes to find herself standing in front of a forest path. It was always night time in her inner world. A full moon shone in the sky. A light summer breeze lifted the tendrils that had escaped her French braid. Fireflies lit up the path as she walked along it. Aika soon came upon a clearing in the forest.
Walking through the knee high grass stirred up more fireflies. If she looked up, the woman would have found the moon shining through the opening of the tree canopy. A small spring welled up from the ground, reflecting the moon. Beside it was the creature she was looking for.
Jinsoku Koshi, her zanpakuto spirit, was a kirin. Two jagged horns swept back away from his forehead. His mane was white, and it sparked with electricity. Iridescent blue scales ran down his back, ending at the tip of his white tufted tail. It crackled with energy, too. The hair covering his split hooves also snapped with lightning. The rest of his body, his chest and stomach, was covered in the same white fur.
He lifted his head from the water as his Mistress approached. His tail was in constant motion, whipping back and forth. Jinsoku stepped forward delicately over the stream to meet the dark skinned woman. When they met, he butted his head into her chest. She wrapped her arms around him before pulling back to scratch between his horns. The kirin sounded like he was purring.
“Beloved, it is good to see you,” he rumbled.
“It's good to see you too, Ossan. I have some questions,” the small woman murmured.
“As I suspected you would. I was waiting to speak to you face to face,” came the warm response.
“Then why not just say so? I hate it when you go all mysterious and enigmatic. It's annoying. I am no longer a child. You don't need to play these games with me,” she said in exasperation.
“I apologize, but I have an ulterior motive. It was to get you to sit down and relax for more than five minutes. Plus,” he added, perhaps a little sheepishly, “I'm being selfish. I wanted to spend some time with you.”
Aika chuckled, relieved that that was the reason he'd been silent. He lifted his head to look in her in the eye. She became serious.
“Should I be concerned about this fatigue that has been haunting me? Also, my appetite has been rivalling Rin's.”
“Yes, well... It isn't your illness relapsing. You need not worry about that.” She sighed in relief to hear that news. “As to the reason you are feeling hunger and fatigue...” One ear twisted back nervously as he broke eye contact.
“If it's bad news, just be out with it. You know I'd rather have the truth,” she said when he hesitated.
“It is a combination of a few things,” he began to explain. The creature gave her a quelling look when she huffed in impatience. “The battle took a lot more energy than you are used to, you have been working non-stop since you became Captain, plus, you are pregnant.”
That last was said in a murmur. It took a few seconds for her to process it. When it did she sank to her knees in shock. Suddenly, her eyes flashed in anger.
“You couldn't have told me this earlier! Damn it, you could have at least sent me a message to meet you here!” His ears flattened against his head indignantly.
“Do not be angry with me, Beloved. You have been putting your health in danger by setting the pace that you have. You have not resolved your relationship with Hitsugaya Toshiro. I was hoping...” The kirin stopped, ears drooping and hanging his head in apology.
The small woman sighed. She couldn't stay mad at him. Jinsoku Koshi was right. The white haired Captain had told her that she should move on, find someone better, and that a Captain should not fraternize with subordinates. In fact, she had only seen him at the Captain meetings. Today would be the first time they had sparred since she became a Captain. The kirin's beard tickled her neck as he nuzzled it to comfort her.
Checking with her inner clock, Aika realized she should go. She would be late for lunch. She was starving, her rumbling stomach plaguing her even in Jinzen. Well, now she knew why. She was pregnant. The small woman couldn't help but smile.
“I promise to slow down. I have been neglecting both you and my health. I'll go back to visiting you at least once a week,” she promised. Jinsoku Koshi's eyes lit up with happiness and his tail start swishing back and forth a little faster.
“Farewell, Beloved. Remember to take care of yourself.”
Her inner world dissolved around her as her consciousness swam up from Jinzen. Aika took a few deep breaths to gather her wits before she stood. She left the office and went to meet her friends for lunch.
It had been over a month since Byakuya had proposed to Rin. The elders, as expected, had not been impressed that he had refused to choose from the women offered. They had tried to chastise him for taking another Rukon wife, as well, but he had informed them that Asaje Hana, Rin's mother, had allowed her daughter back into the family.
And he wasn't wrong. The sickly woman had made the decision the moment she saw that Rin was home safely from Hueco Mundo. She'd been adamant that Hatori would be unable to change her mind. At first, Rin had been reluctant, but she accepted it due to the fact that it would make Hana happy. And, possibly, to lessen the trouble they would get from the Kuchiki elders.
Without any real argument to prevent Byakuya from going through with it, the elders had been forced to agree. At least they hadn't all been opposed to it, some were glad that the famous, or infamous, former heir of the Asaje clan would be married to the head and, hopefully in the future, bring good blood into the family. The news had spread quickly among the nobles. The impending marriage had quickly become the centre of most gossip, something that neither appreciated. Rin, wanting to tell them herself, had barely gotten to Aika and Daisuke in time before the rumours hit them.
Despite the fact that she would soon be his wife, though, the noble Captain had given Rin a month's worth of punishment for her actions during the Ryoka Invasion. He had decided that she would take over the janitorial duties of Squad 4 in his division for that amount of time. Naturally, Rin had not been impressed. However, she entertained herself with spraying him with the water bottle whenever she had it. He had tried to give her more punishment until she had thrown his words right back at him.
'You will clean this division and everything within it.'
She had pointed out that he was within the division and, by her standards, needed to be cleaned. He had been amused when she had informed him that Renji was at least getting the same treatment whenever he was around.
The noble Captain was walking down the hallway of his division, on his way out for lunch. When he came to an intersection, he heard voices. He stopped just before turning the corner when he realized what they were talking about.
“So you're the one Captain Kuchiki's marrying?”
His mind conjured the image of his fourth seat, Takirin Haruna, and her two friends. He knew they were talking to Rin, who was probably busy sweeping. He imagined her looking up at them with an annoyed scowl, wondering why they dared speak to her while she was working. The imagined look of irritation on her face nearly enough to make him smirk alone.
“So what? Why do you care?” Rin said. He was a little off, she sounded more bored than irritated.
“Huh. Well, he definitely could have done better. I'm surprised a Rukon dog like you could ever appeal to someone like him,” Haruna said scornfully.
“Well, he could've done worse. He could have chosen some noble bitch like you. And, technically, I'm a member of the Asaje clan, baka,” she sniped back. He heard a swishing of robes as she turned away and resumed her sweeping, assuming the conversation was done.
Byakuya heard the amusement in her tone as she taunted the other women rather than anger. He was tempted to step in and end the argument before she did get angry, but he was also interested to see where this conversation would go. Curiosity won over and he ended up staying put as the women continued.
“You're nothing but a runaway,” Haruna scoffed. “A fallen noble. I just don't get it. No matter how much I look at it, I can not see what Byakuya-sama would gain by marrying you!”
“Ever thought he wasn't doing it for gain?” Rin said in exasperation.
“What...? Oh.” The noble woman started laughing. Her friends did as well. “Oh ho... You... You actually think he loves you or something? You poor, disillusioned thing. What type of man would put a woman he loved to work like some servant? For the past week, all I've seen you do is clean the division. Surely you don't choose to do that?”
“God, you're a fucking idiot,” Rin hissed. The others stopped laughing abruptly, clearly confused.
“What did you just say?”
“I said: 'God, you're a fucking idiot',” she enunciated each word as if she were talking to a young child. “If he didn't punish me after all I did, I'd respect him less as a Captain. Obviously I don't like being put to work like a fucking servant, but I fucking deserved it. If you think that he should let me get away with shit that the other division members can't just because we're getting fucking married, then you'll clearly never be viable for a position as Captain. In fact, you shouldn't even be a seated officer, for fuck's sake. No person of rank should be biased when they're punishing their subordinates. Everybody gets the same fucking treatment.
“Now leave me the fuck alone. If you keep hanging around here, I'll tattle and tell Byakuya that you're distracting me from my work. And as much as I'd like some help with this, I'd rather do it alone than with a chatty bitch like you. Go on, shoo. Fuck off,” Rin snarled.
The noble Captain let a small smile slip. He hadn't realized that, even though she complained about her punishment out loud, she secretly respected his actions. Should Central 46 ever choose to trust her with the role of Captain, she would be a good one indeed. She clearly understood the line between duty and personal relations.
He waited until he heard Haruna and her followers stalk away and Rin return to her sweeping before he stepped around the corner. She looked up, scowling as if she thought more people had come to annoy her, but it melted away when she saw who it was. She stopped cleaning and leaned against the broom.
“Yo,” she greeted him, completely unaware that he had been eavesdropping. “What's up?” She then scowled. “Don't tell me I somehow did something wrong again. Don't you think I've gotten enough punishment?”
“Would you like to go for lunch?” he offered. She blinked in surprise.
“You told me to clean the division until it was spotless,” she said, scowl returning. “It's not going to get very spotless if I'm out frolicking with you.”
“You are permitted breaks,” he replied. “And I would rather you leave long enough to eat than complain to me later that you did not get the chance to have lunch.” She smiled at him.
“So that's how it's gonna be?” she said. “Does this mean you'll start collecting me for lunch every day? Because I'm almost completely broke, you know,” she said hopefully. He smiled.
“Very well, Rin.” He held out his arm for her. “I will let you choose the place.”
The restaurant was the same one Aika had taken Daisuke to over a century before. It was her favourite place to eat. The food was delicious and the quality had remained unchanged over the years, but that didn't mean that the chef wasn't afraid to try new recipes and ideas. The small woman was the first to arrive, which was usually the case. She sat at a table big enough to accommodate everyone. Aika placed her order, not bothering to wait for the others.
“Don't tell me Rin got here before I did!” Daisuke laughed, referring to the size of her meal. He had arrived just as Aika's food did.
“No, it's just me, smart ass.” Aika smirked, digging into her food.
The tall man noticed she was distracted. He scrutinized the new Captain while he took a seat beside her. He was alarmed to see that she still had dark circles under her eyes. She should be back to full strength by now. He was concerned his friend was working herself too hard.
“Aika, you look ready to fall over. Are you all right?” he asked. He knit his eyebrows when the dark skinned woman quickly looked up then back down to her plate without meeting his gaze.
“I'm fine,” she mumbled. “Nobody else is showing up?” He sighed at the obvious deflection. He wasn't going to make it that easy for her, though. This had been going on for weeks now.
“Rin's having lunch with Byakuya-sama and Rangiku-san is in the World of the Living. It'll just be the two of us. Come on, Aika. What's going on?” He reached across the table and rested a gentle hand on hers.
“I've already promised Jinsoku Koshi I would take better care of myself.” A look of relief crossed the dark man's features. “I have to because...”
“What's wrong? Are you ill?” His relief was quickly replaced by fear and alarm. He knew about her childhood illness. That she would never be free of it. Her zanpakuto only kept it in check.
“Nooo... I'm pregnant,” she whispered. Daisuke inhaled sharply, his only eye going wide. A huge grin lit his face. He grabbed her in a hug.
“Congratulations! That's great news!” The one eyed man pulled back. “Wait. It is good news, right? You didn't say anything about being in a relationship!”
“Babies are always good news, Daisuke,” she said quietly, putting her finger to her lips, but with a smile on her face. He took the hint by lowering his voice.
“Don't leave me in suspense. Tell me everything,” he breathed, literally bouncing in his seat. But he stopped and said, “Unless, you don't want to. I'm fine with that.”
She smiled, again, at his excitement. She knew her child was going to have the best uncle in Sereitei, hell, the whole of Soul Society. They paused their conversation when a waiter came to take Daisuke's order.
“I just found out myself less than an hour ago. I want to speak with him first before I make a formal announcement. Please don't say anything.” Daisuke knew she was speaking about the father when she said 'him'. “Before you ask, we weren't really together in the first place. It was...spontaneous.”
“Ah, I see.”
The tall man could hear the uncertainty in her voice. He knew that this 'spontaneous' incident was something she wasn't used to doing. Aika had trust issues. It took a long time for her to become close to someone. Once she did, though, she was the best friend anyone could ask for.
“He's pushed me away. With the war... Well, he's had a hard time dealing with what happened,” she continued. Daisuke could hear the sorrow in her tone. He put his arm around her shoulders.
“Everybody has been dealing with the aftermath of the Winter War. I'm sure he's going to be very happy with the news.”
Aika looked up at him with such hope that he was right, it left him breathless. Even though the small woman had said that it was a 'spontaneous' event, he knew she had fallen hard for the man. She took a deep breath to steady herself.
“I'm going to speak with him after we finish lunch,” the small woman announced. Her determination renewed, she went back to her meal. The waiter soon brought Daisuke's, as well.
“I'm going to go train after this. If you need to talk just come by the training grounds, later,” he assured her.
“I'll definitely need that if things don't go well,” she said, giving him a grateful smile that was off-set by the fear of rejection in her eyes.
“Don't worry. I'm sure there is nothing to be concerned about,” came the expected optimistic reply. Aika could always rely on his optimism. She desperately hoped he was right.
There were others things to worry about, as well. She didn't know if the Head-Captain would let her keep her position. The precedence had been set in the past for female Captains becoming pregnant. Some retired while others had kept their positions. It was her illness that may be the deciding factor. She was determined to fight tooth and nail to keep her Captaincy. Aika had worked hard to get to where she was. The small woman knew, without a doubt, that she was good at her job.
There was also the health of the child. There was a possibility that her illness would be passed on. Aika firmly put those thoughts away for the time being. She needed to deal with more pressing matters, first.
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Past Melodies