Waterfall Eclipse

Honesty

Chapter Thirty-Seven:

Honesty

While Rani was wherever she went to, Chiharu started to clear out their room of all the roses. About ten minutes into it, the captain stopped by.

"Nakano, what is all this?"

"Oh, hello Captain Kuchiki. This is...uh..well, Rani has an obsessive admirer." She nervously stammered. "We just arrived back to our room filled with these roses. I think she went to confront him."

"Do you know who it is?"

"I do, but I don't know if I should tell you." She boldly answered causing him to raise an eyebrow at her.

"Never mind. I don't want to know. Just put them nicely around the barracks, if you don't mind. Have her help you when she gets back." He said and then turned around and left.

Chiharu was relieved when he left.

"Where are you Rani?" She asked herself out loud.

~~Meanwhile, With Rani~~

When she left her barracks, Rani had one thing on her mind, or rather, one person. And that's who she went to see. She walked into the barracks, marched to the captain's office, and knocked on the door loudly.

"Come in!" She heard Lieutenant Matsumoto call.

Rani opened the door to find that he wasn't in the room.

"Tómasu! What brings you here?"

"What do you think? Where is he?" She asked angrily forgetting all manners regarding officers.

"Oh no. What did he do?" She asked worried. Rani glared at her. "I don't know where he went to, honestly. I was passed out and woke up when you knocked on the door."

"Thanks anyway Lieutenant Matsumoto." She said and then left.

Rani then had an idea to check the Squad Ten practice grounds, and that is where she found him sparring with one of the seated officers. She made her way down, interrupting the battle.

"Tómasu! How are you?"

"I am fine. Would you mind leaving me and your captain alone?" She asked as she narrowed her eyes at the captain not caring what rumors were about to fly.

"No, not at all." He said scared and quickly left.

"Whoa! You are scary when you're pissed." Captain Hitsugaya observed.

"And do you, captain, have any idea why I am pissed?"

"Yes, at least I think so." He said then paused. "It's because of the flowers."

"Why? Why would you put all of those roses in there? I already told you that I couldn't return your admitted affection towards me. That it wasn't me that was worthy - "

"I know. I wanted to prove you wrong." He said cutting her off. "What makes you think you aren't worthy of being my girlfriend? Can you at least tell me that?"

Rani was quiet. She didn't have a clue really on why she thought that. She sat down on a rock that she had been standing next to.

"Answer my question first." She said quietly as she pulled her knees into her chest.

"It's because I love you."

Rani's eyes became wide.

"It was too many. There wasn't an empty space in the room."

"I am not sorry about that. Not at all."

"Would you have wanted to come home to that, though, after a vacation? Would you have wanted to deal with that?"

"No, I guess not." He eventually replied. "Lieutenant Matsumoto gave me the idea. I guess I overdid it." He said as he leaned onto the same rock next to her.

"Just a little, captain. Next time, ask Lieutenant Hinamori."

"Now that I've answered your questions, answer mine. Why do you think you aren't worthy of being my girlfriend? Put that entire 'prodigy' labeling aside and forget we're Shinigami."

"I guess I don't really have a reason." Rani eventually answered. "I'm just personally not ready to be anyone's girlfriend, let alone a captain's. I had just started to be able to talk to you comfortably, and then you kissed me and it all went to hell. And then that letter you wrote. I was pissed at all of that."

"I still don't regret it – the kiss."

"I think you are the worst kind of stalker imaginable."

"Stalker?"

"Four years of having your lieutenant watch me at the academy without anyone knowing."

"Right. That." He finally realized feeling guilty. "I had come clean about it, and apologized."

"And I forgave you, but it still didn't make it right. You could have come up with a story and had her be a guest on the school grounds. It would have been less creepy. And I wouldn't have been so paranoid."

"I guess you're right. I am still sorry about that."

"I came here so pissed I wanted to scream and yell at you – really give you a piece of my mind. Or fight you, but that would have ended badly for me. I just can't stay mad at you it seems."

Rani let out a deep breath. She wanted to change the subject.

"Oh, hey in other news, while meditating with my zanpakuto, she told me she wants to spar with Hyorinmaru."

"Really?" He asked puzzled.

"Yeah, but not yet. I'm not ready for it, especially since she wants to battle your Bankai."

He raised his eyebrow at her.

"What exactly is your Shikai?"

"A water whip that when wrapped around an opponent emits an electrical charge." She said as she stood up and brushed herself off. "I know, if you want to see it in action and you have an hour to spare, my training session tomorrow is with Captain Kuchiki in our practice grounds. Come and watch. I don't think he'll mind, although the last time we had an audience of Squad Six members he sent a Hado to the wall they were on."

"His way of telling them to get back to work?"

"Yeah. I'll run it by him and send you a message of his decision."

"Okay." Captain Hitsugaya replied.

"I have to go. I need to help Chiharu with those flowers. And stop by the captain's office first."

She said a quick goodbye and then left to return to her barracks. She made her way to the captain's office.

"Hello, Miss Tómasu. How can I help you?" Captain Kuchiki asked.

"Captain, I was wondering if you would mind a spectator tomorrow during my training session."

"Who were you thinking?" He asked as he filled out a piece of paper.

"Captain Hitsugaya." Rani said nervously. She noticed his eyebrow was raised. "I was talking to him and kind of told him my zanpakuto wanted to eventually spar with his and I invited him."

He looked up at her and then quickly looked down. His smirk did not go unnoticed by her.

"It is fine with me." He eventually answered causing her to smile.