A Shinigami Valentine

Akina sat up in bed, trying to brush the tangles from her long, red hair. Her hair was a mess. Laying in bed for several days had knotted her naturally wavy hair badly. But she was still hoping to go to the dance. She wanted to look her best.

A sharp knock sounded at the door. Akina turned to see Commander Yamamoto enter her room, followed closely by his lieutenant, Chojiro Sasakibe and Captain Byakuya Kuchiki. Akina set her hairbrush aside, sitting up a little straighter in bed.

"Commander Yamamoto." she said quietly, surprised by his sudden appearance. Lt. Sasakibe exited the room then returned a moment later, carrying a second chair. He sat it near the window. Yamamoto sat down slowly, smiling at her.

"Akina, you are looking much better than the last time I saw you." he said in his familiar low, calm voice. She arched an eyebrow as she asked,

"The last time? When was that?"

"I was here when Retsu returned to the Sereitei with you and the other injured shinigami. I am pleased that you've recovered so quickly. I did not believe you would survive." he said frankly.

Captain Kuchiki sat down in the other chair as they spoke. Lt. Sasakibe stepped outside, closing the door behind him. Akina could sense him waiting just outside the door. He was there to prevent any unwanted interruptions, Akina thought, wondering what exactly was going on.

"I'm happy to be able to prove you wrong, Commander." Akina replied with a smile. She noticed Kuchiki staring at her flowers.

"Lovely, aren't they?" she said, smiling as she remembered Zaraki's playful grin when he presented her with them.

"They are quite lovely and most unusual. It's good to see that your relationship with Captain Zaraki is on the mend." the reserved shinigami noted quietly.

"Why do you say that?" she asked curiously. He smiled faintly as he replied,

"Only Captain Zaraki would be bold enough to steal flowers from the Kuchiki greenhouses. And yet reckless enough to leave them where he knew I would be sure to see them."

"He stole them from..." Akina started but couldn't complete her accusation due to the sudden arrival of Zaraki.

"Get the fuck outta my way, Sasakibe. I know he's in there." his loud voice preceded his explosive entrance into the room. He glared at Akina first then Kuchiki and finally Yamamoto as he demanded,

"Why the hell was I told to meet you in Akina's hospital room for a damned meeting?"

"Captain Zaraki, I'm pleased that you received my message." Commander Yamamoto said patiently. "If you would join us...quietly...I will explain."

"Fine!" Zaraki growled, walking across the room to lean against the windowsill. He crossed his arms, looking angry. He glanced over at Akina and winked. She saw amusement shining in his eye as he said,

"Nice flowers, eh, Kuchiki?"

"Yes, they are all my favorites. That would be why I selected each of them originally." Byakuya commented politely. A sharp, shark-like grin split Zaraki's scarred face.

"Had you merely asked, Captain Zaraki, I would have happily offered you your pick from the gardens of the Kuchiki estate." he added.

"Yeah, but what fun would that be?" Zaraki chuckled.

"Gentlemen, please." Commander Yamamoto snapped impatiently. "We are here for a reason. Akina, it is my understanding that Captain Kuchiki spoke with you regarding Chizu Abe?"

"Yes, sir. He did." she said softly.

"And he explained the power of her zanpakuto?" he continued. Akina nodded, glancing at Zaraki. His grin was gone. His expression had gone grim, his arms crossed as he leaned back.

"Akina, Captain Kuchiki has been observing Chizu for some time now. He perceives her to be a potential threat to the security of the Sereitei but we have no real proof as of yet." Yamamoto explained, leaning forward on his staff.

"What kinda threat?" Zaraki snapped.

"We believe she may be in league with Aizen." Byakuya replied calmly. Akina couldn't suppress her gasp of surprise.

"No!" she cried out. "Chizu wouldn't..." then she stopped short. How could she say that? She really didn't know Chizu at all. She thought she did but recent events had proven to her that she knew nothing about the woman.

"Why the hell would she be working with Aizen?" Zaraki snapped.

"At this point, it's only suspicions. We haven't been able to verify anything." Yamamoto commented gravely. "But recently, she's become more careless. We believe it's because of you, Akina."

"Me?" she squeaked. He smiled patiently at her as he said,

"Yes, based on what Captain Kuchiki's told me...Chizu first targeted you at the Academy around the time of the fire."

"The fire?" Akina whispered. "Chizu was the one who told me about Takeshita. She showed me the dolls. She knew..."

"Yes, I believe that might be where her animosity towards you began, Akina." Byakuya spoke quietly.

"What do you mean?" she asked sharply, staring at him.

"I have spoken with Isamu Takeshita. Did you know that he and Chizu were lovers immediately prior to your relationship?" he asked her. Akina felt like the floor had opened up beneath her. Chizu and Takeshita? No, Chizu would have told her. Byakuya held her eyes in his cool, calm gaze.

"Takeshita-san explained to me that he abandoned Chizu in favor of you. He wasn't proud of his actions but I have no reason to doubt him." he explained.

"Chizu and Isamu...I didn't know..." she whispered, stunned.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Zaraki growled. She looked up sharply. She had forgotten that he was standing there. He stared at her, questions in his eyes.

"Captain Zaraki, I explained to you that the rumors regarding the Academy fire and Akina were in fact true." Yamamoto snapped.

"Yeah, but who the hell is Isamu Takeshita?" Zaraki yelled.

"Please, Kenpachi..." she whispered, pressing a hand to her head. It had begun to throb.

"What? Kuchiki's saying that he was your fucking lover." he growled jealously. She dropped her hand, glaring at him.

"He was! Okay? If you have to know so bad, I'll tell you..." she insisted.

"Enough! This isn't the time, Captain." Yamamoto growled, banging his staff loudly on the floor for emphasis. "We are here to discuss Chizu Abe and Captain Kuchiki's plan to reveal her treachery. Akina, for whatever reasons, Chizu has focused a great deal of time and attention on keeping you isolated. I believe her plan is use you as a scapegoat should she come under suspicion."

"You think she's planning to blame everything on me? Yeah, that sounds like Chizu." Akina said bitterly. Renewed anger and hatred for her once-friend boiled up inside her.

"Akina, Chizu has become more reckless recently and I believe it is a result of her on-going conflict with you. She's lost control of you, as it were." Byakuya said, leaning forward as he spoke. "I am also aware of the misplaced feelings she carries for me. I think that if she were to believe that you and I were involved romantically...that if she had lost both..."

"Hold it right there, Kuchiki." Zaraki growled, straightening up to his full height. "That ain't happenin'."

"Kenpachi, let him finish...please." Akina said softly. She was anxious to hear what he had to say.

"The White Day Dance would be a perfect opportunity to lead Abe-san to the conclusion that you and I have become involved romantically. Most of the Sereitei continues to believe that you and Captain Zaraki are no more as a couple. I realize that is far from the truth, Captain Zaraki." Byakuya added quickly. "But for my purposes, the impression of things is sufficient. I have arranged for Renji to leave out a document that would appear, to most people, to be important information regarding the Gotei 13's planned attack of Hueco Mundo. The information is false. And Renji has been ordered to let Chizu see it just before the dance. This would limit her time to pass on the information to Aizen. She would be forced to wait until after the Dance. If she were to lose control at the Dance, she could possibly expose herself for the traitor I believe her to be. I am asking you to assist me, Akina. You are the only one who has such a strong affect on Abe-san."

Akina looked over at Zaraki. He was staring at the floor, apparently listening to Byakuya. As if sensing her stare, he looked up. She could tell that he wasn't happy about any of this. And she didn't want to upset him further.

"Commander Yamamoto...Byakuya...I have already made plans to attend the White Day Dance with Captain Zaraki." she said quietly.

"Captain Zaraki, you were included in this discussion because I did not want there to be any misunderstandings. I am well aware of your feelings towards Akina. I also know of the detrimental effect Chizu's rampant gossip has caused your relationship. We will not go forward without your permission." Commander Yamamoto stated. Zaraki looked away from her to Kuchiki. Then to Yamamoto.

"It's just a fuckin' dance. I don't give a shit." he said coldly.

"Kenpachi..." Akina whispered, longing to touch him, to reassure him.

"You can wear that pink yukata. It'll look good on you." he said quietly, without looking up at her.

"For the record, Captain Unohana has forbidden me to go." Akina reminded him.

"That's right." Zaraki snapped. "She can't make it across the room without fallin' down. How's she gonna hold up at the dance?"

"I'll assist Akina. She can lean on me physically. It will only serve to reinforce the impression that we are intimate." Byakuya offered. Zaraki's eyes narrowed.

"Oh, you're loving this, ain't you, Kuchiki." he growled angrily.

"Captain Zaraki, I assure you that I have no desire to undermine your relationship with Akina. I want only to apprehend the traitor who has been leaking vital information to Aizen. If Abe-san is the culprit, her actions have led to the deaths of many shinigami. I want her stopped." Byakuya said coldly.

"It's not like you won't be there, Kenpachi." Akina reasoned. "I'll stay close to you. You'll see everything."

"Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of." he snorted.

"It may be a good thing that you're angry, Captain Zaraki." Yamamoto noted, standing. "It will be more realistic if you appear jealous. Akina, leave Retsu to me. I believe I can convince her to release you for the dance. In the meantime, try and rest. You'll need all your strength for this evening."

Byakuya stood, smoothing out his robes. He glanced at Zaraki.

"Thank you, Captain Zaraki. I know how difficult this must be for you. I give you my word that I will treat Akina with the utmost respect."

"Whatever." Zaraki snapped, walking in front of him. He stepped over to the side of the bed and leaned in, kissing Akina hard. He took her completely off guard with the deep, passionate kiss. His tongue ravished her mouth before he lifted his head and looked at Byakuya.

"She's mine. She knows it. I know it. And now, you damn well know it. You can dance with her. Pretend you love her but if you kiss her, I'll fuckin' cut you." he warned the other captain. Byakuya nodded politely as he quietly replied,

"I understand completely, Captain Zaraki. Akina, if you'll excuse me. I have several things to arrange before this evening's festivities. I will return at six to accompany you to the dance."

"Okay." Akina replied, still stunned by Zaraki's kiss and words. Byakuya walked out of the room. Yamamoto followed, shaking his head and smiling. Zaraki remained, waiting for them to leave. He looked down at Akina.

"I ain't happy about this." he snapped. She sighed. It seemed like life kept conspiring to keep them apart.

"I'm not either but I hate Chizu. And I hate her even more if she's responsible for the death of my squad members. If she's the traitor, she told the arrancar where to find us. She sent them to kill us. To try and kill Yachiru. I wanna take her down." Akina said in a low, dark tone. He watched her as she spoke. He surprised her when he bent down to kiss her again. This time the kiss was sweet and gentle.

"Just remember to save the last dance for me, sugar." he whispered against her lips. "'Cause I'll be waiting."


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Okay, it's the beginning of the end. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. As always, I'd love to hear what you think so leave a review and let me know. For Jason - my muse, collaborator and proof-reader (a torturous job!) I must add that Byakuya says, "Oh no! They be stealing my bucket!"