Bleach: The Captain, Toshiro Hitsugaya x OC

Chapter 15: An Exercise in High Fashion

Rangiku

The hollow was barreling towards me at a break neck speed. It threw punches at an alarming rate. I managed to catch the hollows fist when it made for another swing and sliced it off with my free hand. It threw back its head and howled in agony, spinning out of control into a blinding rage. I cut at its body left and right as it continued its onslaught. Kensei looked tense standing on the opposite side, he sword drawn at the ready.

"Rangiku! Say the word and I'll finish it off." He gritted his teeth.

"Honey, the day I need a man to do my fighting for me is the day I lay down my sword as a soul reaper." I gave him a wink. "Roar, Hinako!" The blade dissolved into a deadly sand that consumed the hollow like a swarm of angry wasps. The hollow clawed at the air, trying to escape the choking dust. I made my move. Running into the melee, I pulled a dagger from my belt and cleaved the hollows head from its shoulders. With a blinding burst of light, it dispersed.

"Nicely done." Kensei remarked, sheathing his sword.

I clicked my tongue. "You do realize this is standard work for a lieutenant, right?" I walked over to the body that lay on the ground and rolled it over. A burn mark was etched into its forehead. "Just as Captain Hitsugaya said." I frowned. "We'll have to report this immediately."

Kensei looked puzzled. "Why hasn't the espada come out and attacked us directly yet?"

I dusted my pant legs and shook my head. "I don't know but it seems like he's either hiding or waiting for something." I pulled my phone out, twelve-thirty it read. "Shift was over thirty minutes ago, lets head back."

***

Kensei went into his bedroom and shut the door. I chose to plop myself down on the couch next to Yoruichi, who was curled up on the cushion beside me. She stirred as I scratched her ears.

I pulled her into my lap. "Must be nice to sleep all day, huh? We should swap jobs."

"What can I say? Being a cat is difficult work you know." She yawned.

I stroked her silky fur. "I doubt that. What did you manage to accomplish today?"

She looked around the room. "Where's Akira at the moment?" She asked quietly.

I nodded in the direction of the bathroom. "I think she's the one in the shower right now, why?"

Yoruichi hopped off my lap and pulled an envelope from the folds of the couch. She dropped it in my lap. "This envelope is addressed to Kisuke, I found it in amongst her things. It's a pardon allowing him to return to the Soul Society. It also requests him to assist the Seireitei with the elimination of Aizen."

I picked up the envelope and looked it over. "Kisuke Urahara? You mean the shop owner who delivered the gigais to us? I had no idea he was an exile from the Soul Society. I thought he just provided aid to soul reapers when they came to the world of the living."

She shook her head. "He was supposed to be executed a century ago for the deaths of several captains and their subordinates. I aided him in his escape from the Soul Society and we were subsequently both banished."

I was shocked. "Did he kill them? And how come I didn't ever hear about this?"

She clawed the couch aggressively. "No he didn't kill them, Aizen did. We just couldn't prove it until after Aizen defected from the Soul Society. You wouldn't have known about it because the files were destroyed."

I looked the envelope over curiously. "So why does Akira have this letter?"

"I have a feeling I know why she does; I'd just like to know why she hasn't done it yet."