Waterfall Eclipse

Umeko's Determination

Chapter Eighty:

Umeko's Determination

Umeko swiftly left the Squad Four barracks and made her way to Squad Ten not caring who she saw. She stormed into the office building and up to the captain's office and knocked on the door. There was no answer so she knocked again. Not receiving an answer again she chose to open it enough that she could see if he was in there. When she realized he wasn't there, she opted to head to his house.

Umeko didn't care who in her squad saw her approach his dwelling. She rapped on his door as well receiving no answer. And again.

"Screw this!" She said as she started to draw a circle in the ground and divided it into the four sections. "I never thought I would have to use this on my captain, but screw this!" She angrily stated and then took a deep breath. "Heart of the South, Eye of the North, Fingertip of the West, Heel of the East, Carry the Wind and Gather, Banish the Rain and Disband!"

The diagram glowed revealing the necessary coordinates for her to find her captain and she shunpoed off.

"This can't be right." She stated approaching a cave.

"If you're looking for the captain, he is in there." A voice said from behind startling Umeko.

"Lieutenant!" Umeko screeched as she turned around.

Lieutenant Matsumoto had propped herself up against the wall of the cave.

"Sorry for scaring you. I wouldn't go in there if I were you."

"But Rani – he needs to know."

"Needs to know what?"

Umeko bit her lip but then took a deep breath.

"She and Chiharu were seriously injured two days ago. Chiharu has regained consciousness, but Rani...she's...it doesn't look good." Umeko explained forming tears.

Lieutenant Matsumoto's eyes became wide with astonishment.

"What the heck do you mean? We were told they were in their room."

"What? No!" Umeko replied and then thought. "Shit! Those are their Gigais. They probably never got a chance to put them away properly."

"Gigais? That means that she hasn't been ignoring him?"

Umeko brought her hand to her head and face-palmed loud enough that the lieutenant winced at the sound of the smack.

"No. She hasn't been ignoring him. Shouldn't he have realized that it wasn't her? There was no Reiatsu."

Lieutentant Matsumoto started to grin.

"Then, I guess, I would go in there if I were you. You need to stop him."

Umeko looked up at the lieutenant and nodded.

"Any tips for walking on his ice?"

"Yes, don't fall. It hurts." She joked. "I'll stay outside here."

Umeko nodded and then carefully made her way inside the ice-encrusted cave carefully. She walked along the right wall holding onto it. She could hear her captain making attacks and lighting up the cave with Hyorinmaru.

"Captain?" She called unsure whether or not he would hear her. "Captain, it's Sasaki!" She continued as she carefully walked.

"Go away!"

"Please, captain, hear me out!" She said as she slipped. "Ah!" She landed on her tailbone. "Ow." She said calmly as she tried to stand up.

Once she did she realized how far into the cave she had ventured and the mass beauty of Hyorinmaru's attacks covered the walls.

"Wow." She said in awe as she gazed looking all around her.

"What do you want, Sasaki?" He asked curtly snapping her out of her daze.

"Captain, I think you've misunderstood."

"Leave me alone Sasaki." He ordered as she continued to walk towards him.

"According to Lieutenant Matsumoto you think that Rani is ignoring you." She said as she disregarded his command.

"She is. I went to her place yesterday and I saw her shadow inside. I kept knocking on the door and there was no answer. I tried again this morning and nothing. She hates me."

"No, you're wrong! She doesn't hate you. She loves you."

"You can't expect me to believe that."

Umeko growled. Usually her captain had a better grasp on things.

"How can she be in two places at once?" He gave her a puzzled expression causing her to grin. "Captain, Rani was attacked by one of the Sternritter two days ago. She's been in the intensive care section of Squad Four in a coma since Kiyomi and I brought her and Chiharu there. She's not ignoring you. That shadow you saw is her Gigai from the trip."

"Gigai?" He asked in disbelief. He then saw her expression. "You're serious."

"Yes. We never got a chance to return them to Urahara." Umeko answered and then changed her expression.

"What is it?"

"Well, it's just that, now Rani's not doing so well. In fact we were just told she's not improving at all. The opposite actually." She said as her eyes became glassy. She looked down at the ground before speaking again. "Captain, we were told to start saying our goodbyes. I ran out the door to come and find you."

His eyes became wide at the thought. He couldn't bare it.

"Come on." He said as he started to leave the cave.

"I know you may be used to walking on ice, but I most definitely am not." She stated as she struggled.

He stopped walking enough for her to catch up with him. He helped her out of the cave the two and headed to Squad Four. She showed him to where Rani was roomed. After receiving permission from the Squad Four member in charge to go in, Umeko made her way to Rani's bedside, whispered something in Rani's ear, and then looked up at her captain.

"Captain Hitsugaya?" She questioned as she walked back to the doorway.

"I don't know if I can see her like this."

"She needs you captain. Come in and sit next to her. I'll leave you two in peace and make sure no one else bothers you."

He grabbed her arm as she started to walk past him.

"Don't go too far." He said slowly and quietly. She nodded as he walked slowly inside.

Captain Hitsugaya made his way over to the bed and sat down in the chair. He grabbed her right hand held it in his. He gazed up at all of the tubes that were connected to her and bags. He decided to look at her sleeping instead.

Umeko carefully disappeared from the doorway leaving her captain in peace. She went to the Squad Four member in charge and requested that no one bother them, which they graciously agreed to. She then made her way back to Chiharu's bed and sat with Kiyomi and her.

Meanwhile, Captain Hitsugaya was thinking of the right words to say to the sleeping Rani.

"I need you to come back Rani. We have so much ahead of us. You can't leave me yet. I want to spend the rest of my life with you so you can't leave yet." He said as he squeezed her hand. "I can't lose you. You mean the world to me and..." He started to say but then broke down and leaned over onto her lying on her stomach. "I love you."

He reached over her body and grabbed her other hand before crying some more.

He didn't know when it happened, but he had fallen asleep on her and was there for a while. When he woke up, he looked outside the window to see that night had fallen in the Seireitei. He then looked over at Rani who was still unconscious and sighed.