Wind's Calling

Welcome Back

(Y/n) couldn't breath when she heard what was going on, her body moving on its own. The arrancar were attacking the world of the living again but there was a ranking system that was revealed to the soul reapers. No matter what kind of hollow, there wasn't normally organization among them. They were all individuals who wanted power and to devour anything with enough spiritual pressure. Soi Feng grabbed her arm, keeping her in place.
(Y/n) had agreed to spend time with her in the Captain's office while she was doing paperwork but the space had been filled with silence before now. "You can't act," Soi Feng stated.
"Like hell I can't," (Y/n) growled out. "If it's a stronger arrancar-"
"What makes you think you'd make a difference," Soi Feng asked. (Y/n) blinked as the other woman sat her down, a long sigh leaving the smaller one. "Why would you head there right now anyways? It'll only put you in a worse light if you just went to fight." Soi Feng sat back down in her seat and stared at the papers on the desk, tapping her fingers slowly. She wasn't wrong; there was no reason for (Y/n) to go other than to fight and that was the opposite of what she was supposed to do.
(Y/n) rubbed her head before burying it in Her hands, hunched over to lean on her knees. It had become such a normal thing for her to be in combat, even her body wanted to throw itself into the fray. It hadn't been like her and it was just another part of her ruined by Hueco Mundo.
"I know," she finally muttered. "I just can't leave the mentality."
"And it's understandable," Soi Feng nodded. "That's why you're on leave and not in the world of the living. Your grandfather wants you back to normal, as do a few other people."
"You didn't really know me before," (Y/n) sniffed.
"No, but I heard Captain Kyōraku and Captain Ukutake talking about it," Soi Feng threw a pen at (Y/n) who moved away from the make shift projectile. "I also saw your normal clothes and they didn't fit what I knew of you."
"They were a bit bright, weren't they," (Y/n) sighed. She grabbed the pen and rolled it in her fingers before tossing it back. "You think I should try to go back to that?"
"Back to what?"
"The nice, goody-two-shoe girl fresh from the academy," (Y/n) waved her hand in the air.
"Not completely," Soi Feng shrugged. "But if that was you than it wouldn't hurt to try and renew that mindset a bit. You're a different person now but you still have your roots." (Y/n) scowled and stretched herself out, staring at the jeans she had put back on. It felt fake to wear a kimono now, like it wasn't her anymore but the colors didn't help any of that. Yellows and pinks with flowered patterns just didn't make her feel good about herself like they used to.
"Come shopping with me," (Y/n) was hesitant to ask the question, the scribbling from Soi Feng's desk stopping abruptly.
"I'm sorry. What," the Captain snorted softly.
"You're right," (Y/n) said quickly. "I should at least try but do I look like someone who's going to wear something I wore a fifty years ago?" Soi Feng was on her feet, a large grin in her face that made her look even younger than she already had.
"What colors are you thinking," she asked.

Something that was supposed to be small at (Y/n)'s request ended up growing into a whole new wardrobe as she tried to get the boxes and bags through the doorway. The allowance from her grandfather hadn't stopped while she was gone and the reserves that were set aside because of it were barely scratched at with the outing. The load grew lighter as a familiar voice chuckled past the boxes in her arms, "Careful there, you could run someone over."
"Jushiro," (Y/n) turned a bit to the side, staring at the white haired man and smiling a bit. "Sorry, I didn't realize you'd be coming by."
"I needed to drop off an urgent report," he nodded. "Need any help?"
"If you could? Soi Feng went a bit overboard when we went out," (Y/n) chuckled nervously. Jushiro followed her to her room with what he could safely hold, (Y/n) using her feet to open her bedroom door and try to move whatever was on the floor out of the way. There came a pop and something sprinkled down on (Y/n)'s head but her body lunged. The boxes were dropped as she flew through them and pinned a body to the newly cleaned floors. Nanao stared in shock as the cheering died down, the women from the little club blinking in shock at (Y/n).
"I told you those were a bad idea," Shunsui's voice laughed as he lifted (Y/n) from his lieutenant. (Y/n) took a deep breath before looking around her room at the faces and lack of mess. She quietly started picking up the boxes, keeping her eyes on the floor as her heart raced.
"Oh! Yama, look," Yachiru landed on (Y/n)'s back and hugged her neck, holding out a present. "Kenny helped pick it out!"
"I-you didn't have to," (Y/n) muttered as she adjusted the small girl to be on her side. She continued to at least move the boxes to the side as she single handedly opened the small box that the girl had handed her.
"We wanted to welcome you back," Isane chuckled nervously. (Y/n) stopped moving and stared at them as they avoided making eye contact, awkward smiles on their faces. "We know you don't really talk to a lot of us and it was Captain Soi Feng's idea but we agreed it's a bit overdue."
"Is your throat okay, Nanao," (Y/n) asked. The woman fixed her glasses, staring at (Y/n)'s face before smiling a bit.
"Don't worry about it," she nodded. Yachiru picked at (Y/n)'s hair while she bounced excitedly.
"Look at it, look at it," she cried. (Y/n) stared at the bell in the box, the woven strings it dangled from the same color as her jacket. "Now people can hear you!"
"Hear me," (Y/n) turned red as a few of the women covered their mouths to stop from laughing, including Shunsui. "I'm not quiet."
"You're actually very quiet," Nanao sniffed. "Not presence wise, just vocally."
"Oh," (Y/n) let the girl hug her tightly before she was put down. "Thank you? I didn't get anything for-"
"Oh hush," Isane grabbed (Y/n)'s hand and started leading her down the hall. "We got permission to have a little party thanks to Captain Kyoraku so let's go eat and drink, yeah?"