[MillietheWarrior]

Haru Hokkaido, Sulkuhna

“I’d like to thank all of you personally for helping me move into the new barracks yesterday.”

Haru slipped inside the meeting room just as Kisuke explained that he’d been able to fit all of his belonging into his captain’s quarters. Her hand froze on the screen, and she blinked in shock between the press of bodies in Kisuke’s direction. Really? How had he managed all that?

“Uh, well, uh…”

Haru quickly shut the screen door as quietly as she could and pressed herself against the wall to avoid the curious crowd as they milled about.

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(Here there be Bleach characters. this is a story I wrote like...way back, a loooooong time ago, and never got around to doing much with. But I'm adding onto it as I go. italics are flashbacks)

[MillietheWarrior]

“Don’t say ‘uh’ all the time! It’s so irritating when you do that!”

“Sorry.”

Hiyori was at it again, Haru observed, folding her arms across her chest with a small smile. Was there anything that didn’t bother that girl? Haru was certain that if Kisuke even breathed too loud, Hiyori would take the opportunity to jump down his throat about it. For the most part, the lieutenant had left her alone since Haru had explained to her that she wasn’t in any mood to be dragged around like a brainless idiot, and she and Hiyori had given each other a very wide berth since Kisuke had arrived. It didn’t mean much, of course; after a few days, she and Hiyori would be forced to interact in one way or another, and the uneasy truce between them would probably be broken when Haru did something the girl didn’t like.

Which could be anything, of course.

[MillietheWarrior]

Rolling her eyes, Haru re-focused her attention on the captain.

“I wanted to lay out what will be the objectives for squad twelve. I thought about it all night and about what the division should really stand for.”

Hiyori folded her arms, growling under her breath. “Go on. Keep talking. Let’s hear it. Come on,” she snapped.

[MillietheWarrior]

Kisuke smiled, rubbing the back of his head genially and leaning it to the side. “I…have to admit I’m still thinking,” he breathed, trying to hold back the nervous chuckle that threatened to escape his lips. He really wished Hiyori wouldn’t stare at him like that. It made him uncomfortable. “Well, anyway, I still have lots of things in boxes, so I should get back to unpacking. I thank you all for giving me a little more time. After all, while I unpack, I’ll have more time to think.”

The stunned silence following his statement was broken by Hiyori’s kick to his face. Kisuke flew backwards, landing hard against the wall. His hand instantly flew up to cup his now bleeding nose; this was beginning to become a trend with this girl, wasn’t it?

[MillietheWarrior]

“Are you a man or just a kid?!” Hiyori shouted, pointing an imperious finger at her captain. Haru moved forward slightly, ready to push her way through the crowd and stop the lieutenant if she got too out of hand. Hiyori needed to learn a bit of discipline…some anger management courses wouldn’t be a bad idea either. “‘I’m still thinking’?!” the lieutenant mocked angrily. “What the heck’s that supposed to mean?!”

Haru shook her head; it meant exactly what it meant. He was still thinking. Maybe Hiyori needed a lesson in understanding too.

[MillietheWarrior]

When the lieutenant took another step forward, Haru floundered about in the crowd until she was able to wiggle through the press of larger bodies. She nearly tripped over someone’s foot and bowled into Hiyori, but managed to right herself just as quickly and pretend as though it had never happened. “Lieutenant,” she said softly, placing a hand on Hiyori’s shoulder. The look Hiyori turned and fixed her with made Haru shiver internally; this girl might be small, but she could be scary when she wanted to be.

All right, two could play at that game.

[MillietheWarrior]

“Lieutenant,” Haru began again, her eyes closing with her smile. “Perhaps you should refrain from beating our captain into a bloody pulp tonight, hm? He still has a lot of unpacking to do, and I’m certain he’ll be able to think about his objectives much more clearly if he doesn’t have a concussion.” Her grip on Hiyori’s shoulder tightened imperceptibly, but the lieutenant felt it and her eyes narrowed in barely subdued fury.

Haru turned to Kisuke with the same unnerving smile and the former squad two member wondered if this girl was related to Retsu Unohana; the two looked uncannily similar when they smiled like that. Of course, he wouldn’t be the first to ponder that particular question. “Am I right, captain?”

[MillietheWarrior]

“R-right,” Kisuke mumbled around his hand, looking taken aback by this unforeseen rescue.

“There now, you see, lieutenant?” Haru said kindly, turning and focusing her smile back on Hiyori. “How about you go out and spar a bit with the other squad members who are up for it? Perhaps it will help ease your tension.”

“B-But third seat, we can‘t-” one of the men from the squad began in protest, stepping forward from the crowd, who appeared to take a step back.

[MillietheWarrior]

Haru turned her smile on him and he blanched. “I think you should go spar,” she said sweetly. The man gulped, rethinking his brave attempt to keep himself and his squad-mates from getting pummeled by an angry lieutenant. “Go on, lieutenant. Go and teach them how to fight properly.”

Hiyori opened her mouth to protest, but Haru’s hand squeezed again, and her mouth shut immediately, a furious scowl on her face as she folded her arms over her chest. “Fine!” she shouted, ripping her shoulder away from Haru and smacking the girl’s hand aside. “Whatever.” She pointed a finger at Kisuke. “Next time you call a meeting, you better have figured out what you’re doing, idiot!” she snapped, before she spun on her heel and angrily stomped out of the meeting room.

[MillietheWarrior]

The other squad members hesitated, glancing from Haru to the screen door Hiyori had left open. “Those of you who do not wish to spar may do as you like. I will tend to the captain’s injury,” she added, seeing the concerned look on more than a few faces as they glanced quickly at Kisuke. “Go on.”

The room immediately emptied as the squad members filed out, and Haru breathed a sigh of relief before she turned to Kisuke to find him sitting up and staring at her curiously.

“What?” she exclaimed, wondering why he was staring at her so oddly. “Something on my face?”

[MillietheWarrior]

“How’d dyou do dat?” Kisuke asked around his bloody nose, his voice sounded slightly ridiculous as he tried to talk with a plugged up nasal passage. Haru held back a snort of laughter as she stepped forward and kneeled at his side. She carefully pried his fingers away from his nose.

“Why does she always go for the face?” Haru wondered aloud, before her eyes glanced up to catch Kisuke’s. “Do what now, Captain? What was that?” She carefully examined his nose for signs of breakage, and pressed her fingers against either side, pinching it shut.

[MillietheWarrior]

“How do dyou keep Hiyordi from gettin’ mad at dyou?” Kisuke asked as his nose was pinched closed. He winced when Haru tweaked it to the side.

“It’s not broken,” Haru mumbled. She pulled a small cloth from her kosode, holding it up triumphantly. “I thought with your track record, something like this might happen. So I came prepared,” she explained at his incredulous look. “Anyways,” she continued, dabbing the blood away carefully. “Hiyori is just a kid with a few anger problems. She’ll learn to control her temper one day, but until then, you just have to show her who’s boss. Firm but kind, that’s what I always say.”

[MillietheWarrior]

“I see,” Kisuke murmured, looking thoughtful. He gently reached up and captured Haru’s hand in his, ignoring her startled look, and began to wipe the blood from his nose and mouth himself. He wasn’t sure how he felt about her tending his wounds; the close contact made it a bit difficult to think, and if he didn’t think, he might say something stupid. And if he said something stupid…well, it all kind of spiraled downward from there.

Kisuke was on the verge of giving up arguing with himself about how he felt about Haru. No doubt, she was a nice girl. Pretty to look at too, and he certainly had noticed her…assets. Who hadn’t? Kisuke even had to admit to himself that he envied Shinji getting to grope her every once in a while; it was a horrible thought, but it was true. He was certain that if he tried it, Haru wouldn’t be as nice as she was to Shinji. He’d get a lot worse than an involuntary trip headfirst into a wall, he was certain.

[MillietheWarrior]

But no doubt, ever since Haru had, essentially, become available, the unbidden feelings he’d been keeping locked up for longer than he cared to admit or analyze had suddenly resurfaced. Kisuke was sure that if he’d remained in squad two, nothing would have come of those feelings, and they would have, in fact, dissipated and been forgotten for good. But with her as his subordinate, in his own squad, and constantly forced into face to face contact (not to mention the up close and personal contact whenever he got kicked in the face) was making things…uncomfortable for him.

“Captain?”

Haru’s quiet voice startled him, and he blinked down at her as he realized he’d been staring off into space lost in his own thoughts. “Oh, sorry, Haru,” he said nervously, rubbing the back of his head. “I was just thinking…”

[MillietheWarrior]

“Oh, good!” Haru said brightly, clapping her hands. “Have you figured out what you want the squad’s objectives to be, then?”

Kisuke looked confused, his face falling. “Eh, uh, well, no, not really. I was thinking about other things…”

“Like unpacking?”

“Um…”