Bleach 1. Dispute

The loud clap of heels meeting pavement filled the empty street as a blonde wove in and out of view, highlighted by the sickly yellow shine of the street lamps. Half of her hair bounced as she ran, the ponytail tie barely holding it up at the movement. Swearing under her breath, the girl's blue eyes scanned over the surroundings, holding something tightly.

Her clothes spoke of a night filled with partying, though she had only been hanging out at a friend's house. A small tube top barely covered her chest, laying over top a long-sleeved fishnet shirt. Tight leather pants hung low on her hips, gripping all the proper curves in just the right places as her tall boots completed the look.

She spun on her heel, taking off down a tight alley way, her bag brushing the aged bricks occasionally. Sighing some as her pants reached sleeping ears the girl spun again, gripping the bottom rungs of a fire escape dangling above the ground. Hoisting up onto it, the silver object slipped from grasp, heading towards the ground. The f-word was muttered as quick movements took place; a leg hooked over a higher metal rung and hands released their tight grasp, letting the girl and her golden locks hang upside down arms outstretched. Catching the object she grunted, abs working to pull her torso back up.

"Stupid thing, un." She said aloud, to no one really, as she resumed climbing. Lifting open a window on the third level she crept in silently, closing it behind her just as soundlessly. Crossing the small room she checked the time on the clock, it was indeed late.

Dropping the wrapped box into her book bag she took a deep breath, and ruffled her hair up some, looking as if she had just woken up.

The latch slid out of its cradle under her touch, letting the handle-less door swing open at the slightest push of her finger tips. Sighing she called out to her foster family, the bustle of the main street before the apartment beginning to pick up and filter it's racket through the thin walls. "Hey, did I miss dinner, un?" she asked meekly. All she got in response was a grunt and disapproving glare as she made her way into the living room. "Sumimasen, Mr. and Ms. Graidosa, un." She murmured with a deep bow. She still got a wooden spoon across the back.

The man in the chair snickered at the crack as he shifted the sake jug in his hand. He had skipped the cup again tonight. "Good 'un!" he applauded his wife, who was just as large as he was.

"You stupid girl! How dare you sleep through dinner! We go out of our way to put you up, and you can't even grace our table! We are the only family with enough money to feed a third mouth and you don't even put the food we buy for you in it!" she scolded, bringing the utensil down a few more times across the blonde's back, leaving her gasping for air by the time the seventh blow came. "See if we spend any money on your food for a WEEK!" she shouted, her shrill voice piercing through the din of the street and the small record player.

Deidei said nothing; she simply nodded and touched a hand to her ribs. They were definitely bruised, one might have been cracked. She would survive though, but her academy performance would be hindered again, just like it had been last week. The Captains… they would never notice her hard work if she didn't amount to something special, even if she was still in school! Gritting her teeth she straightened, keeping her blue eyes to the ground to keep from being hit again.

Turning sharply on her heel, she bolted up to her room. Throwing the latch into place, she turned the desk so that its widest part was against the door and the corner, the chair finding its way under the handle as she crouched in the corner, trying to ignore the bangs and shouts of her keepers. They hated when she ran off, but tomorrow was the last day of school for that week. Then she had a day off, she couldn't afford to risk tomorrow's attendance.

Her lips parted as she attempted to sooth her mind, enough that she might be able to drift off to sleep and be ready for the next day. The captain's were coming to her excel classes; she would be able to show how much she had grown in the ways of a shinigami! "_Boku wa morote wo higare subete wo yurushi taito negaeba…(1)"_ she whispered, her quiet tone a song so sad that it almost brought tears to her itching eyes. "_Kimi wa sora kara oritatsu… shinjitsu nante mono wa boku no naka niwa nanimonakatta…. Ikiru imi sae shiranai…(2)" _she continued, fighting the urge to yawn and break the trance she was pulling herself into, feeling her back burning and the twinge of pain she felt at every inhale.

Soon… she was asleep.

Morning broke early that day, the birds trilling happily as Deidei cracked her eye open. Wincing at the orange light of the sun she groaned and pushed herself to a sitting position. "…" She needed to get ready; thankfully she had sparring as her first class that day, so she would get a shower at school. Grabbing her wide brush she began to drag it through her thick blonde locks, sighing as she felt the weight of the tangles disappear beneath the pull of the bristles.

Her ribbon tied tightly around the top half of her hair, keeping it in a tight bun, she smiled into her compact mirror and grabbed for her lipstick, applying just enough to redden her plump lips. "It's time…un…" she stated to herself, packing what little she had into a duffle bag. Just enough money to buy food for a month, one other change of clothes besides her outfit from the night before and her school uniform, as well as her small odds and ends, that was all she had really. And it was escaping with her today, she wasn't coming back. She couldn't.

Pushing her window open she slipped out onto the fire escape and jumped from the fire escape, letting the wind billow her clothes. Landing easily, she didn't wait to recover before she was sprinting; joined by another academy student she didn't know. They always went to school together… simply because it was lonely not too.

The small silver gift still resided in Deidei's bag, and she remembered it suddenly. Grabbing it as she continued running she tore off the paper. Letting the wind grab at the now useless material she looked in the box and smiled softly. So… she had gotten a good omen after all.

The box held a charm for the hilt of a Zanpakuto, with a small eleven hidden inside the thin swirls and engravings.

Her lucky number.

Once the two reached the academy, they spilt ways. The blonde headed straight to class and set her things against the wall on the far end. There was a man talking to the teacher when she spotted him.

Her blue eyes swept up through her bangs to locate the patch on his arm, it certainly confirmed who he was… Captain of the Eleventh Squad?! Perhaps that had been a good omen.

A silver haired man soon entered the room as well, joining the Captain with the corn-rowed spikes. His uniform was similar, Captain of the Third Squad.

Deciding to ignore the men, she retrieved her wooden practice sword from the wall and gripped it tightly; white knuckles the only indication of her nerves. She was on edge around these men.

The Captain of the Third Squad looked over at her, smiling widely and strangely. "Oh? A student here at this hour?" he cooed, suddenly not too far away from the blonde. "You must be a rather special student to arrive two hours before the first bell. Are you top of your class? Is that why you come so early? How noble of you, Academy-chan~!"

The blonde didn't beam in the recognition, instead she felt sick to her stomach. This man's words seemed laced with poison; dripped with sugary sweet addiction and false-hearted cheeriness that seeped into her veins, leaving her temporarily speech-less and uneasy, but oh so hooked to him. _Like a… story tale fox almost. The clever trickster who always managed to get his way through words. _She mused to herself with a slight gulp.

"I'm not the most exceptional of student, Ichimaru-taicho, un. I'm simply a girl who knows a few good tricks, nothing more, un." She said defiantly, lifting her chin some, and snapping her gaze to the man's closed eyes. Oh how she longed to see past though lids of his, to gaze into his eyes and see what his soul had to offer… but he obviously didn't allow that pleasure.

The silver-haired man practically giggled, rubbing his hands together happily as he straightened. "Feisty, you'll make a fine shinigami, Academy-chan." He cooed.

"Stop calling me chan, un!" she snapped, eyes narrowing in annoyance. "I'm not a child, nor am I your friend, un." She said coldly, before spinning on her heel, grabbing her heavy bags and stalking off to the girl's locker room where neither male could follow her.

Gin and Kenpachi traded looks. "I like her guts." The darker man said. Gin simply smiled.

What neither man knew however was that Deidei was banging her forehead off the lockers and scolding herself for being so rash and speaking so freely to the Captain.

When the only other female excel student came into the locker room, she was flustered. "Aboto-san! Did you see yet? All thirteen captains are out there, how pressuring!" she whined, waving a hand at herself, a vain attempt to calm down.

Deidei gulped, "When I got here, only two captains were out there, un." _And oh how infuriating one was. _She added silently.

"You really do get here early don't you?" the girl said with a slightly furrowed brow, "Ryuu said that they were all here when he got here, and that was half an hour ago!"

The blonde shrugged, "That was half an hour ago, un. An hour and a half ago there were only two, un." She retorted with a hint of disinterest, choosing instead to smooth out her bun and readjust her clothes, making sure her appearance was perfect. Rolling her shoulders she grabbed her assigned practice Kantana, its dark polished wood fitting snuggly into the tie on her hip as she spun on her heel.

The girl frowned a bit, "You're going to show us up like always Aboto-san, you're the only one of us who seems so calm right now!" she whined, her own hair tie pulling her long black hair back. Deidei giggled.

"I'm not calm at all, un. I'm wicked nervous, but those men can probably smell fear, you just have to put on the fearless act and view them as nothing more than new teachers, un!" she advised before waving and heading out, completely used to the weight of the sword on her hip, her charm temporarily attached to it.

As she entered the large room she took a deep breath and let her blue eyes scan over the area, spotting thirteen adults standing against the wall, shoulders back and heads held high. _I hate this… why did they decide to come down to MY year? _She thought, but quickly pushed the feelings away, instead crossing over to her teacher and taking her traditional spot next to three other boys who were gossiping like young girls. Turning she glared at them. "Just like always, you're acting like a gaggle of first year girls, un. Shut it, will you, un." She said to them, softly and just loud enough for them to hear.

One of the boys blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Aha, caught us Aboto-san! Gossiping isn't just a girl thing though, you know that! Personally you act like an old man in school, always proper and boring!" he said with a slight laugh. Deidei felt her eye twitch.

"Ryuu… watch your mouth before I shut it for you, un." Deidei growled.

Ryuu let his eyes narrow and a small smirk come to his features. "I'd like to see you try, you're such a sore sport and a girl, and I bet that you couldn't land more than three hits on me!" he challenged loudly.

Deidei looked stunned for a moment, before she threw all dignity to the wind and tackled him, her fist connecting with his jaw.

Ryuu grunted; his head snapping to the side as the teacher jumped out of the way of Deidei's body, which had been sent flying back. Twisting mid-air, Deidei kicked off the wall and sent herself back at the teen, evading a punch and pushing him back against the wall. Her fist was brought back again, and was about to connect when it was grabbed. Twisting out of Ryuu's grasp she brought her foot up and spun some, letting her heel connect with the top of his head. Jumping out of the way of his practice sword she drew her own, the charm shining in the light as she parried and skidded back. "Resorting to weapons already, huh, un?! Can't hit me in hand to hand, un?!" she instigated, drawing a war cry and a charge from the other boy.

High block countered a wild swing and Deidei gritted her teeth against the force of the blow, bending her elbows to soak the impact. Pushing her arms forward she crouched down, using the same move she had used in an earlier match. Her leg swept out at the boy's feet, knocking him down and towards the wooden sword that had been thrust upwards towards his stomach.

Twisting, Ryuu managed to barely hit the outstretched weapon, instead taking a heavy blow to the ribs. Succeeding in knocking the wind out of him, he fell to the floor where Deidei kicked him, pushing him away from her. He skidded along the floor some, to land at a man's feet. Captain Kuchiki raised a brow and took a small step back, letting the boy recover himself instead of offering assistance to a student who didn't know when to back down from someone with more skill. A lesson everyone needed to learn their own.

"Seems like I didn't have to hit you more than three times, DOBE, un!" she shouted at him, slipping her sword into the tie on her hip and stalking back to the wall, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning against the wall in a huff as the boys broke out laughing at their friend.

Umino-sensei sweat dropped and scratched the back of his head. "Uh… it seems like nothing changes here, even with the Squad Captain's present…" he said with a nervous laugh. Deidei felt a sweat drop of her own formed as she looked up through her bangs at the thirteen tall, and one rather short, people standing against the wall.

_Shit… _she thought to herself, now thoroughly embarrassed at her actions. _I NEED TO LEARN TO CONTROL MY ANGER! _She scolded herself mentally, even though she got a clap on the shoulder by another teen in the class, congratulating her on teaching Ryuu a lesson.

The blonde was still embarrassed. "It… was nothing, un. I really shouldn't have done that, un." And she was serious, not because she felt bad, but because that last move had strained her bandaged ribs, leaving a painful ache that would no doubt be affecting her concentration and performance in not only this class, but for the rest of the day as well.

Inhaling weakly, she felt her eyes water in pain and she touched Umino on the shoulder, "Sensei, please excuse me to the locker room for a moment, un?" she asked quietly, trying not to let the pain filter into her voice. As soon as she got the nod she took off, sprinting across the fighting hall and skidding into the room. Grabbing her bag, she pulled her shirt down over her shoulders. Wincing as she pulled the metal butterfly clip from her bandage she let the white gauze fall loose around her as she slowly pulled it off. Taking hold of its end, she placed it firmly against her side, stretching it tightly around her rib cage and binding it tight enough to keep down the swelling.

There was no doubt in her mind that the rib was cracked, which was just her luck of course. Sighing, and instantaneously regretting the action, she reached for an ace bandage, to secure over the white fabric. A tan hand blocked her path as she looked up at the other girl in her class. "Tsuna-san, un?" she asked, with a small frown. "Don't tell anyone, un."

"Of course not, Aboto-san." The girl said with a smile, "You're managing it, you never want people to know when you're hurt. Just let me help, ok?" The blonde gulped, before slowly nodding and lifting her arms out of the way.

The tan elastic wrapping was quickly wound around her, tight enough to stop the pain, but loose enough to allow breathing, and secured in place. "A-arigato, un." Deidei murmured with a slight blush, pulling the top of her outfit up and tying it in place.

A smile met her thanks, "It's was nothing Aboto-san! Just being a friend." Was her reply before the tall girl spun on her heel and headed out of the room with a wave.

"…" Deidei was silenced. The girl had said she was just being a friend… but to the blonde, a friend was a foreign term. She didn't know what it meant or what it was like, only that it was a normal thing she had yet to obtain…

Once her kimono was secured and proper she made sure her hair was smooth, and returned to the class. "Sorry about that Umino-sensei, my kimono had slipped some, un." She said in a soft voice to the teacher, receiving a knowing nod and a command to stand back in place until her name was called for the sparring.

She would be the last name, it was always like that. Umino-sensei kept her until the only other best student was left. She had the same partner every time too, Kisho. He was an annoying know it all, who knew his own limits but chose to ignore them to show off instead.

Sighing she leaned back against the wall, crossing her arms over her chest and looking cross. There was no use trying to put on a mask of proper actions to try and fool the captains, they had already seen two out bursts of her true nature, and if they were still interested in her skills after that she was certainly blessed by the Gods.

She jerked some as her name was called, walking forward to the center of the room, and bowing to the captains as the teacher had instructed them to do, Kisho following suit with a sly grin. He was going to try something stupid, Deidei could tell.

Sighing she bowed to Kisho some, a sign of respect between warriors as they took their stances, deciding to start hand to hand, rather than jumping to swords right away. A decision that was wise in close combat one on one fighting, but not against a hollow.

The silver haired Captain chuckled some, rubbing his hands together as he shared words with the tall brunette beside him, who shifted the glasses that sat on the bridge of his nose.

Deidei gulped, only imagining the poison that slid of the man's unheard words as the whistle sounded and she began to circle, Kisho following suit silently.

"You're going to lose, wench." Kisho said softly, a sly smirk across his face. Deidei grinned in a rather violent looking manner.

"Only if you've finally grown a pair of balls and gained some actual talent Kisho." She said, not bothering to try and lower her voice, making the teen gain a slight pink tint to his cheeks.

After a moment of silent circling and eying the other up, the two leapt together. Kisho threw a high punch, which Deidei deflected and countered with a right hook, her fist loose as it soared towards him. She gritted her teeth as he grabbed the fist, bringing a knee into her side instead. Twisting some, she grabbed a hold of his ankle before it dropped, twisting it as she ducked underneath, sending him cart wheeling over himself.

She giggled and broke off, keeping her hands in loose holds, fingers straight instead of balled. She fought like a woman, using his momentum against him with twists, instead of brute force and shows of muscular strength.

Kisho recovered quickly, sweeping Deidei's legs from beneath her, creating a loud smack as her back hit the floor, wind rushing from her. Coughing from pain that caused tears to well up in her eyes, she pushed up off the floor, swinging her legs around in a windmill as she did so, clearing him away from striking range. She placed a hand on her ribs unconsciously and ground her teeth together to stop thinking of the pain.

Lunging forward, she unsheathed the wooden sword, deciding the time for silly games was over as she met his sword. She gave a slight cry as she twisted to avoid a foot to the gut, twirling her sword down then up, and breaking them apart. Skidding back, she ground her feet into the floor, finger tips brushing the polished bamboo.

A woman with a thick braid that came to the front of her neck shifted uncomfortably, her calm eyes staring straight at the blonde with a set jaw.

Gulping, Deidei averted her eyes, twisting in midair as she pushed off the ground to meet blade with blade. That was when Kisho turned dirty; pulling his sheath from his side he swung it into Deidei's ribs with a sickening crack as it hit her already damaged bones.

White sparked in her vision and she pulled back, wheezing some as she stumbled. Kisho smiled triumphantly as he sheathed his sword again, and turned away, heading to the line of boys standing awed.

Deidei swayed some, fighting the urge to drop as she steadied herself with her sword. Her blue eyes snapped up, full of fury as she screamed out to the receding man. "HEY YOU PILE OF HOLLOW SHIT! NEVER TURN YOUR BACK WHEN YOUR OPPONENT CAN STILL FIGHT YOU PANSY PUSSIED ASSHOLE WHO LEARNED TO FIGHT FROM THEIVES!" she smirked insanely as her cry left the chattering boys silent and paused halfway through patting Kisho's back.

The Captain's were stunned, but not nearly half as much as Umino-sensei. All thirteen sets of eyes widened, and Ichimaru's smile grew, as some of the shifted some, unsure of how to respond to that.

Turning slowly, the boy looked at her sternly. "What did you just say to me?" he asked with a hint of disbelief.

Deidei chuckled darkly, resisting the urge to spit out the blood that was coming to her mouth. Damn ribs, she had definitely shattered one if she was coughing up blood now. "If you didn't hear it the first time, listen to the fucking echo." She said with a smile.

Kisho growled at her, enraged as he pulled his sword and charged. Deidei wasted no time dropping to her knee and holding her sword to the side, point angled to the floor. Swinging it out suddenly, she wielded it almost like a fan, bringing it down and over in complicated loops and curves. Kisho grunted as it connected with first his shin, then the back of his knee, his stomach and finally his shoulders.

Falling to all fours he coughed, kicking out and hitting Deidei's ankle from beneath her, sending her flying sideways to the floor again.

A strangled cry escaped her lips as she landed, blood splattering the floor before her as she coughed, holding her side tightly. "Damn…. Fucking… ribs…" she muttered, black starting to cloud her vision as she rolled over, bringing the handle of her sword into the back of Kisho's head, leaving him out cold. "And fuck you…" she finished, her vision giving out as the woman that had been watching her before rushed forward to her side.

The last thing she remembered was someone shouting for a medical kit, which was probably the only thing about to save her life, now that the small sliver of bone had forced its way towards her lung, resting hazardously against its thin membrane.

The teetering edge of life or death.


	2. Disinclined

It was dark… and weightless. No pain, nope, none at all. She was most likely dead. Damn Kisho. Deidei shifted, and then gasped with pain as her side burst with a flare of heat, searing her nerves as tears welled beneath the blonde's eyelids. Cracking her eyes open, she wiped away the salty liquid with the back of her hand as she struggled to sit up, looking down at the bandage that served as the only covering for her bruised and swollen chest.

"Damn… I'm not dead, un." She said with a slight pout.

Her head snapped up to bring the door into her line of vision as a woman chuckled some. "Were you hoping to be?" she asked, her arms crossed over her rather well developed chest as she watched the blonde with a small smile. She seemed caring, but Deidei never did take chances with people, whether they had a Lieutenant badge on their left bicep or not.

Noting she was in the school's infirmary she pushed herself to a sitting position finally, ignoring the burning in her ribs and the nurses begging for her to lay back down and take it easy. Her legs swung over the side of the bed as she pulled on her tunic top, tying it tightly as she coughed some, checking the napkin briefly for any sign of blood or white mucus. She was alright then, in fact it felt as if someone as reconnected her bone fragments and temporarily bound them into place long enough for them to affix themselves normally.

"You're lucky to be alive Aboto." The woman said after a moment, standing firmly in the doorway.

Deidei scowled, "That's a wonderful thought, un. Now if you don't mind I need to go, un." She said, taking in the time on the clock and realizing she had missed all her classes. Grabbing her bag she slid open the window, deciding she wasn't going to bother with trying to force her way past, and jumped.

She heard Rangiku's startled gasp and hurried footsteps to the open exit, as the blonde landed easily and rolled her shoulders, working out the kinks in her stiff neck. Shoving her hands in her sleeves to stave off the bitter cold breeze that spelled the beginnings of winter, she walked off the school grounds, her teeth ground together as she thought over places she could spend the night.

The dock shed was the only safe place if there was weather, she decided finally, changing her course towards the eightieth district, her normal district. It had been where she grew up and lived since she arrived, and she knew the streets as well as, if not better than, anyone else there.

Her sandaled feet slapped the dirt roads as she hustled, ducking under a bamboo arch and into a small rundown shack. Setting her things down as she huddled into a corner, she pulled her kimono tight around her and leaned her head back. The pain in her chest was still there, throbbing with scorn as she attempted to get ready to sleep, using her winter coat as a blanket that she pulled over her torso and most of her legs that were up against her chest.

Sighing, she curled up and fell into herself, ignoring the steady rumble of the sky as a storm began to roll in. Her back tensed as a loud clap of thunder made her jump, tears coming to her eyes as she realized that this wasn't a normal storm… this was the very source of her fear, a thunder storm.

Gulping, she attempted to keep a scream in as another clap of thunder rolled through the shack, making it shudder as the slow patter of rain drops began to fall against the metal roof with a sharp tack. Lightning flashed, highlighting the silhouette of three boys standing outside the shed, and Deidei cursed mentally, curling back as the door was thrown open.

"So, this is where you're hiding Deidei!" Kisho said as he reached forward, gripping her forearm and throwing her out of her shelter. The blonde gasped as a rock dug into her side and she twisted, her stomach soaked from the moist ground. Scrabbling across the slick surface of the hill, the girl tried to reach the shack again but was pulled back by the other two teens as they laughed.

Thunder tore through the sky and she screamed, her thrashing subduing for a moment as fear took hold of her body, keeping all of her commands from taking place. A frantic blue gaze shifted over the face of the three menacing boys as she realized there was no chance of fighting back while this storm was going on, and her injury kept her from running.

Gin Ichimaru walked slowly, humming to himself as he clutched his new polishing cloth in its small bag, the wooden umbrella above him keeping the down pour of rain from reaching his white over coat.

Light lit up the sky and his eyes shifted up some, the smile not faltering in the least as he noted a group of boys hitting something on the ground with practice kendo sticks. Cocking his head to the side he observed the scene for a moment, getting ready to move on when a scream ripped through the night's silence. There was a crack that came to his ears as another scream erupted from the group of boys and a flash of blonde hair shown in the gap between a boy's legs.

"Shut up whore!" a familiar voice shouted, over the terrified screech of the girl on the ground, Ichimaru recognizing it as the boy from the Academy earlier that day. Kisho if he remembered right, he hadn't bothered to hear his last name, and only knew his first because that remarkable girl had shouted it along with several interesting insults.

A face came into view, twisted with pain and Gin let the umbrella fall to the ground as he stepped quickly, catching one of the wooden sword with his hand. "Really now boys? Hitting a girl, and while she's down none the less? How… admirable of you." He said menacingly.

Kisho's eyes widened and he dropped the practice stick, backing away a step or two. Turning on his heel he shouted the command to retreat and the two other teens followed the sprinting thug.

The silver haired Captain turned his smiling face to the muddy girl curled in pain and fright on the ground. "Academy-chan, I never would have figured you to be the type frightened by storms." He said cheerfully as he knelt down beside her, brushing a lock of hair from her face and scooping her limp body into his arms. "Now now, let's get you somewhere warm, no?"

Deidei shifted; one eye swollen shut as the other swerved to catch sight of her savior. "Nnnn… thought I…. told you…. Not to… call me –chan…." She whispered, trying to take breaths through the immeasurable pain in her chest.

Gin chuckled some, supporting her easily as he walked back up the hill and whistled, strolling cheerfully towards the Seireitei, his smile only widening. "Well… I'm your friend now, aren't I?" he said after a moment.

Wheezing, which was supposed to be a laugh, the teen rolled her eyes behind shut lids. "If you… say so…" she said, tensing as thunder boomed in the sky, drawing a tear from the corner of her eye as the rain came down on her face, washing away the blood and mud that stained her flawless skin.

The Taicho felt his smile grow wider, reaching his ears as he nodded to the guard, slipping under the opening gate.

Eyes followed the drenched man and girl as a woman rushed forward, offering to take hold of the girl instead. Gin shook his head, "No, the little one is fine with me. Why don't you be a good child and go to the metal shack beside the river, and fetch Academy-chan's things?" he said, the tone of an order underlying in his voice.

The Third Squad underling nodded and ran off, her hand on the hilt of her Zanpakuto as she disappeared from sight. Ichimaru shrugged, resuming his whistling as he headed into the Infirmary and laid her down on a cot. "Nyah~ It seems I found a stray cat Unohana-san." He practically sang. The woman's gaze swept from her other patient over to the girl with concern, setting the chart back and grabbing her supplies.

"This is that girl from before is it not?" the other Captain said, barely a whisper.

Deidei stirred, "Nnn… yeah… I am, un." She muttered before the pain forced her into a dreamless slumber. She had passed out. Gin simply smiled on.

Sunlight awoke the girl as she turned her face from it, the smell of crisp linen wafting to her as she scrunched her nose up. "Well, that's certainly an attractive facial expression, Academy-chan." A sing song voice teased, bringing Deidei to as close to her senses as she would be managing for a while. Cracking the eye she could open she cursed loudly and rudely, spying who it was that was near her cot.

Gin raised an eyebrow. "Not very happy to see me I see? I just came by with your things. I was expecting a thank you at least."

The blue eye rolled and Deidei turned her face away from him. "I don't thank people I don't know, nor do I thank people I have no reason to like, un." She said simply, fighting back as yawn as she put a hand to her ribs, probing at the damage as she forced herself into a sitting position. It wasn't bad at all, in fact it seemed as if she had been almost fully healed, but there was nothing proving that theory since she hadn't been able to assess the damage before she had passed out before.

The yawn she had been trying to keep away broke free, gathering tears in the corners of her eyes as her mouth opened widely. Her stomach grumbled almost immediately afterwards and she looked down at it, drawing up her shirt just enough to poke at the tanned skin beneath. "Well fuck, un." She muttered to herself, looking out the window. It was well past noon, and she could smell just the slightest scent of cold food, somewhere nearby. She frowned some, going over if she had enough money to buy anything at the market when a tray of steaming rice and fish was pushed in front of her.

The blonde blinked twice, as if trying to convince herself the food was real. Looking back to Gin she cocked her head to the side. "Does it taste as good as it smells or would I be better off starving, un?" the man simply smiled and waved a hand to the chopsticks beside the bowl.

The silence grew as she ate, until finally he spoke. "You're living in that shed aren't you? How quant, the best student in your year, and you live by yourself with nothing. Is that why you're so good at what you do Academy-chan?" he asked, a hint of teasing to his tone. Deidei glared at him.

"First off, it's not Academy-chan, un. If you insist on calling me –chan, then use my name, un. Aboto Deidei, un. Second off, it's not like I have much of a choice living there, ok, un? So if you have some snide stuck up remark to say about it, keep it to yourself, un." She snapped, slamming her chopsticks down with a loud clack that made one of the nurses jump. Gin chuckled.

Shrugging some he continued smiling, "I just find it interesting, Deidei-chan, that the best fighter in the junior year could be so easily dragged out of a dinky shack, beaten half way to death and back, and not feel ashamed. Is this the biggest house you've had? Just wondering of course." Deidei growled, her eyes narrowing some. Gin opened his mouth to continue in that damned sing song way of his, as if this line of insults was somehow part of a nursery rhyme, but was cut off as there was a loud smack, his head whipping to the side some. He brought his hand up, rubbing the red spot on his cheek as Deidei lowered her hand. _Well now, that's some… courage. And here I thought she was going to pause before ever making contact like most do… hmmm._

"Kuso wa, un." She stated defiantly, gritting her teeth together. She knew she could get in a severe amount of trouble for slapping the man, even though he had watched the hand come and chose not to catch it, let alone saying something so vulgar to him afterwards, but she was too angry to give a rat's ass. Gin chuckled some as he looked over her face, searching for something he apparently found.

"Such a feisty stray cat you are, Deidei-chan. You were excused from classes today, and those boys were dealt with. I really came here to tell you that you're welcome to stay until you're healed, though at your skill level, I won't be surprised if a change in life style is coming to you soon. Hnnn hnnn hnnn." He stood, waving as he strutted off, whistling happily as the nearest shinigami pulled open the doors for him to pass.

The blonde watched him go looking as if something had left an especially bad taste in her mouth. Spitting on the floor she grabbed at her bags, pulling them under her cot as watched around her with a slightest bit of paranoia. She wanted out here as soon as possible, but her injuries were keeping her from escape.

It wasn't long until she was up and walking around, the nurses protesting her every step. She grunted with frustration as she slung her pack over her shoulder, the belt keeping her kimono shut loose around her waist. She shook off a nurse easily, ducking under another's arm as she wove her way through the infirmary, dodging their attempts to keep her easily. She yawned some, her stomach still full from her lunch not too long ago, so she wasn't worried about finding food any time soon.

Pulling open the infirmary door, she collided with a tall man's chest. Grunting she pulled back, looking over her shoulder, then up at the red head she had run into. "Sumimasen…un." She muttered, twirling as she slipped past the bewildered guy, her blue eyes sweeping over his badge with a small smirk. She was almost home free when a hand caught her and pulled her back in. Kicking she craned her neck to see who it was. "Gah! Let go you, un!" she said loudly, pulling to try and get away, but held firmly by the man.

Raising a thick brow, the Lieutenant smirked, pulling her into the infirmary. "Well, you don't look in any state to be running away, Deidei-chan." The man said warmly, Deidei froze at the voice. Spinning suddenly, she grabbed his wrist and yanked, freeing herself of his grasp. Her mouth was slightly ajar as she looked over his appearance closely.

"Why you, un!" she started, playfully punching her former Senpai's bicep lightly. "It's been forever Renji-senpai, un!" The boy had been two years ahead of her, meaning that he had graduated last year, and already was the second seat in a squad? She knew he had had it in him; after all she had sought him out specifically to be her tutor in swords fighting. A strong hand ruffled the blonde's downed hair in a friendly gesture.

Nodding some as he took his hand away, Renji herded the feisty teen back into the wing, where the nurses were standing with stern looks. "Yeah it has been! How're your studies going? Better then Kisho by now surely?" Deidei nodded with enthusiasm.

"You bet your ass I am, un!" she said proudly, smiling happily. Her smile dropped some as she crossed her arms over her chest, "Though he a some friends tried beating the shit out of me last night, un. 'S why I ended up here, un. Creepy Smile-kun brought me here after chasing them off, un…. Not that I needed his help o' course, un!" she said with a bit of agitation to her voice. He chuckled.

There was something in his gaze as he tried to place the man she was talking about. His fist connected with him pal lightly as his brain clicked. "Oh! You're talking about Ichimaru-taicho aren't you?!" he said with a slightly shocked face. "To think he'd actually get his hands dirty to rescue a runt like you…" he pondered aloud, getting a sharp kick to the shin. Hopping some, he felt his eye close in pain as he glared at her. "What was that for?!"

Deidei stuck her tongue out, "Calling me a runt, you jerk, un." She said with a smile, shrugging some. "I don't even know why he "saved" me, but he calls me -Chan, so I'm calling him –Kun, un." She reasoned. Renji rolled his eyes.

"Baka, if you ever plan on getting into a squad you shouldn't call captain's anything less than Taicho!" he lectured. Deidei cocked a brow.

"Well, with the show I gave them during school yesterday, I don't think I'll ever get in, un." She said as if it didn't bother her. Renji felt his eyes narrow.

"Don't tell me you're the girl that…"

"Used strong language, fought until she dropped, spat blood onto the floor and was too stubborn to run away from a fist fight with another student, un? Yup that's me, un!" she said. Renji shook his head. She could just see the smirk on his face as he most likely recalled memories of her short temper.

After a while, Renji looked to the clock. "I'll see you later then; I really came here on an errand for Kuchiki-Taicho. Be here at dinner or I'll drag you back, got it?" he said, Deidei rolled her eyes but agreed none the less, "Oh, and don't worry about getting into the Squads. A few of these Captain's are strange, they'll surprise you no doubt."

The blonde doubted it, waving as he disappeared down the hall. Slumping back onto her cot gracelessly she glared at a nurse who was waiting with a cup of pills and a pen which was being clicked non-stop. A glass of water was thrust into her hand and she looked down at it, then to the pills. "No. Fucking. Way. Un." She resisted, her hate for medication coming into play as they tried coaxing her into the medication.


	3. Drafted

Dinner smells wafted through the door as a cart of food was pushed in by a young looking boy, his hair long and black, covering the sides of his face and curtaining downward. A medical pack was attached to his back in place of a Zanpakuto and the small frown that graced his face seemed happier then it looked.

Deidei cocked her head to the side, sitting up and placing her arms by her side, having just finished her set of sit ups, crunches being out of the question due to the state of her body. "Nyah, dinner time, un!" she chirped happily, smiling brightly at the man. He mustered a small smile back as he passed out the trays and steam cleaned chop sticks. "Arigato gozaimus, un!" she said cheerfully as she took hers out of his arms and plopped onto the bed with it.

The nurses sighed, one of them tugging on a lock of her chestnut hair as she attempted to keep sane. This patient was horrid, always pushing herself and never listening to them. It had been so bad, her protests often made with a raised voice, that they had been asked to section her cot off from the others with a series of whit curtains. Having just finished watching her hundred sit ups with worried expressions, they continued begging her to stop, almost giving up by the time tears came to her blue eyes. Shrugging off the pain, she pulled apart the chopsticks, yawning before chanting the normal phrase and digging in.

The chestnut haired nurse nodded to the man, "Thank you Hana." She said with a blank face, turning back to the charts and shifting through them. "If you wouldn't mind, the bathrooms down the hall need a bit of cleaning; it looks as if the patrol squad stopped in there not too long ago."

Deidei narrowed her eyes some, chewing on a tough bite of meat as she watched the interaction. The man seemed delighted to be asked to clean something, as if it was a treat to take care of other's messes. Assuming the man liked cleaning, it probably was. Shrugging away the train of thoughts she dug into her meal with renewed gusto, frowning as she reached the end of her bowl.

Setting the china aside with a soft clink, she perked up, hearing the chatter from a familiar man, unfortunately the voice that followed it was Mr. Creepy Smiles. God damn.

She nestled back into her cot, pulling a wooden dagger from her bag and adjusting the lead weights on it, flipping it over and twirling it around the way they had been taught in melee class. She sighed, tossing it into the air and catching it as Renji and Ichimaru walked in.

Renji waved, making his way over right away, while Gin chatted with a woman who had been residing near the back of the infirmary since Hana had dropped off dinner. Her long over robe was white, showing she was a Captain as well.

Not even bothering to crane to hear, Deidei leaned back farther, the whistle of air through a nearby vent bringing the voices to her ears. She shook her head in disgust, nothing interesting was being conversed, simply business. She yawned, pulling away and turning her face to the red head entering her curtained off area. "Hiya, un." She said with a smile.

Renji waved, "Ichimaru-Taicho came to see you, I told him you'd be glad to see him." He said mischievously, Deidei groaned, rolling over so she could bury her face in the pillow.

"You're an ass, un. An evil, sword-wielding ass, un." She moaned, hearing the silver haired man's foot steps approaching.

"Deidei-chaaaaaan~!" Gin called, poking his head past the curtain with a smile. A sweat drop formed on Renji's head as he stepped to the side, allowing the man's skipping entry. "I heard you tried running away todaaaaay~."

The blonde didn't respond, she simply looked up from her pillows and stared at the man with a blank expression. He twiddled his fingers at her, sweeping in with a flourish of robes and stricking a "natural" pose, his hands on his hips. "Even your aura annoys me, un." Deidei whispered to herself, blue eyes narrowing.

The Taicho chuckled, shrugging some. "I've heard I have that effect on people. Now, Academy-chan, how're you feeling, hnnn?"

Deidei cocked a brow, "Well enough to _leave,_ un." She said with emphasis, trying to drop her not so subtle hint. The man didn't seem to catch it.

Snapping his fingers he waggled an index flange at her. "No, no, no~! Deidei-chan, you must simply stay! After all, you might not have a choice in the matter!" he chirped happily, the blonde raised the other brow. "But! Before you take that wrong… I want you to meet someone~!" he said happily, swaying some to the side.

Crossing her arms, Deidei glared. "If he's anything like you, I'll pass thank you, un." Renji smirked, looking to the side as he leaned against the wall, always impressed with the girl's raw nerve.

"I'm nothing like him. If I was, I'd let you stab me." Said a juvenile voice. Deidei's eyes swept over to the curtain that had been closed behind Gin. A tanned hand reached in, pulling it open slowly and revealing a young teen male, his sleeveless Captain's robe matching his long hair.

Blue locked with blue for a moment, the silence seeming to stretch on forever as Renji shifted nervously, wondering just what had brought this boy here. Their stern faces stayed with each other's gaze, as if sizing the other up purely through the strength and intensity of the other's glare. Sighing, Deidei looked away, turning her gaze to a stray thread in her pillow case that had been bugging her since that morning, tugging at it absently.

Gin chuckled, "Well don't you two seem to like one another~!" he cooed, clapping his hands together. "We could arrange a play date!" he suggested.

The boy felt his eye twitch, his glare turning to the other light haired man. "Shut it, Ichimaru." He warned, folding his arms crossly. He turned his attention back to the girl on the bed and held out a paper. "I need you to fill this out."

"What is it, un?"

"You're personal information. I'll need it if you're going to be working under me."

Deidei clenched her jaw to keep it from gapping open. Taking a deep breath to calm her racing mind she tilted her head to the side, long blonde hair sweeping across her arms that lay folded neatly in her lap. "Hnnn? Working, un?" she asked for clarification.

"Yes, working. My name is Hitsugaya Toshiro. Captain of the Tenth Division, and I am formally welcoming you to it." He said. The blonde didn't react at all like Gin had been expecting. She yawned impolitely, took the paper and smirked.

"Alright then, un. My name is Aboto Deidei, it's a pleasure to meet you." Grabbing the pen that was nearby Renji, she looked through the paper.

_Name: __Aboto Deidei_

_Age: __Who Knows?_

_Academy Year: __Junior_

_Most Recent Address: __None_

_Any Family Members: __None_

_Side Jobs: __None_

_Invited By Captain: __Hitsugaya Toshiro_

_Any Medical Problems?: __Beside my current injury, no. I have several healed bones though, I could list them if you would like._

_Other: __I'm still in the Infirmary… And I have a speech tick, I say "un" after every sentence. Have fun getting used to it._

Handing it back she hummed softly under her breath, twirling the brush slowly, the ink stained bristles capturing her attention. Toshiro looked over it and coughed, offering it back to her. "We need that information, Aboto." He said. Deidei looked up to meet his gaze.

"I gave you everything I know, Hitsugaya-Taicho, un. I've had no home for several weeks, and the one I had before that I only listed so I could attend the Academy, un. I don't know my age, though I'd guess fourteen to seventeen human years physically, un, and I've no medical conditions, un. I don't know how I could possibly fill it out better, un." She retorted. He huffed some, the paper disappearing into his sleeve as he glowered, his bottom lip turning out as he looked to the side.

With a curt nod he accepted the paper, "Fine. Your uniform will be sent up tomorrow. The nurses will inform me when you are healthy enough to undergo the graduation ceremony to receive your Zanpakuto." He said simply, a breeze rolling in through the cracked window, ruffling his hair and adding a level of serenity to his stern figure.

Deidei kicked her feet lightly, her heel tapping against the metal base of the cot. "Alright… un." She said, not happy that she would perform the ceremony when the nurses deemed her ready instead of when she knew she was ready. Taking a deep breath the slumped back, holding her torso up with her strong arms, elbows bent a touch to keep them from locking. Hitsugaya observed her for a moment, taking in everything from the playful smirk on her lips to the challenging glint in her eyes. His light blue gaze caught the way the tips of her hair rustled in the wind, that her kimono top was slipping open, revealing a touch of cleavage, and that she was wriggling her toes against the top of her other foot. Tearing his eyes away he nodded again, turning and leaving silently, wondering just how this girl was going to fit into the squad. Gin had manipulated him into bringing her into his squad, claiming that her attitude and skills would bring a breath of fresh air to the familiar barracks, but he wasn't convinced. The girl was housing an injury that could keep her out of the field for some time, unless she pushed herself to heal quicker; however, that could result in a permanent damage to the intercostals muscles that could take her out all together.

Sighing, the boy slid open the infirmary doors, stepping out into the hall and glancing over at the sentry making his rounds near the end of the hall.

Deidei looked over at Gin and Renji, who were both watching her with interest. She began humming under her breath, smiling as she waited for one of them to break the silence. Renji took the opportunity. "So, Deidei-chan… what was that about never getting a spot in the Gotei 13?" he joked some, smiling widely.

The blonde giggled, pushing her hair back as she smiled at him, "Well, Mr. Creepy Smiles did say something about a Taicho surprising me, un." She said, her gaze settling on the silver haired man with renewed interest, so apparently this man wasn't just an annoying tease. He had something to him that was refreshing in an addictive way. The poison that dripped from his words and smiled only made her want to draw closer, to see if being in his presence would kill her… or kill her sorrow.

"Mr. Creepy Smiles?" Ichimaru said, his smirk slowly widening into a wide grin, making Deidei shiver as a chill crept its way down her back. She batted her eyes innocently.

Chuckling some, the silver haired man leaned against the wall, his arms folding over his chest loosely. Though they mimicked a similar pose, Renji and Gin looked completely different from each other. The red head eluded a sense of power and sternness, coupled with mind numbing, block head related ruthlessness and rebel tendencies. All the same time, Gin gave off the joker impression, his very aura seeming to wreath with a joke unspoken, a happy smile on his happy face as if trying to be friendly and ending up too friendly. Deidei idly compared Gin's aura to a pedophile's, then cast aside the idea, deciding instead that he seemed more of an insane rapist.

She pulled her charm out of nowhere and tossed it into the air, catching it triumphantly and smiling happily, her lips stretching in a way similar to Gin's as the two looked at each other with eyes narrowed out of nothing by their normal personalities. Renji gulped, shifting back farther against the wall as he shuddered at the energy, _these two fit together. Both of them give off the impression of being a friendly cat and housing a sly fox beneath… god help us if they become friends._

Giggling, Deidei tossed the charm to Gin, who tossed it back without looking at it, initiating a small game of catch. "Neh, Ichimaru-kun, un. You were there during the whole thing at the Academy, tell my how come my out bursts didn't rule me out right away, un." She asked.

The man shrugged, catching an off target throw with an outstretched hand. "That's an easy one… you showed who you really were. Shiro-chan is going to have a tough time fighting against Kenpachi for you, Academy-chan…. They both liiiiiiiiiiiiiiked you~!" he said with a giggle, similar to that of a clown's.

Cocking her head to the side as she laid back, catching the charm with a bit of a stretch, she sat back up. "Hmmm? Kenpachi…… oh! The Taicho of the Eleventh Squad, I've heard a lot about him at the market place, un. He was that man you were talking to at the beginning of the day wasn't he, un? Nyah, with the bells in his hair, un!" she said.

Gin nodded, tossing the silver charm through the air with a flourish of his wrist. His smile grew as he watched the girl catch it, her view out the window instead of one the prize. Chuckling some, he noted she had spotted a trio of Captain's walking through the garden on the way to a meeting.

Deidei cocked her head to the side, taking in the pink flowered kimono, the bells that tinkled with every step, and the light that glinted off a pair of glasses. She squealed as someone poked her love handles, diving away from the touch and whipping her head around to glare at Gin. "You… un!" she said, wrinkling her nose and sticking her tongue out at him. The silver haired man chuckled.

Catching the charm that was hurled straight at his face, he lowered his hand, tossing it into the air and catching it a few times. "Well, I must be going Deidei-chan. Keeping other captains waiting is not a very nice thing to do~" he said, keeping a nursery rhyme rhythm to his words. The blonde nodded and slid back onto the bed, yawning widely and grabbing her ankles. Tilting her head to the side some, she put up a hand for the charm to be aimed at, her fingers snapping shut at the very moment of impact.

Renji finally spoke up as Gin skipped out of the infirmary, a small frown on his lips. "God, I always shut up around Captains like that." He muttered to himself, Deidei giggled. "Well, you two seemed to go from bullying each other to best friends, what the fuck happened with you two?" he asked, the red head turning his gaze to the girl.

She shrugged, flopping down on the bed and sprawling out eagle style. "Uh… I dun know, un. I'd guess it's because… we get along just fine, even when I wanna tear his throat out and he's trying to push me farther…. Un. Tell anyone I don't hate him… and you will die, un." She said after a moments thought, the teasing comment tacked on with her trade mark smirk, just the slightest upturn to the right corner of her lip, and a part that showed her canine tooth.

Rolling his eyes, Renji poked the side of her head, laughing as she hissed at him. "You haven't changed a bit have you Dei-chan?"

The girl punched the air vertically from her laying position. "NOPE, UN!"


End file.
