A Shinigami Valentine

A persistent knocking sound slowly penetrated the fog of sleep surrounding Akina. She stirred, slowly becoming aware that the knocking was coming from her door. She tried to move but something hard held her firmly in place. She looked down to find an arm wrapped tightly around her waist. A lean, muscular arm that was attached to Kenpachi Zaraki's body.

"Kenpachi..." she sighed, dropping back against him with a contented smile.

"Who the fuck's at the door?" he growled into her hair without moving.

"You gotta let me go so I can go see." she laughed softly. He grunted, tightening his hold on her rather than releasing her.

"Feels good." he said simply. She agreed. It felt amazing to wake up in his arms.

"Captain Zaraki? Are you in there? I was told by Madarame-san that you were here. Captain Zaraki, it's urgent." Toshiro Hitsugaya's voice called out. Akina thought the man sounded odd. There was an edge of panic to his voice that was out of character.

"What the hell does he want?" Zaraki groaned, rolling over onto his back.

"Ken-chan! Ken-chan! Shiro-chan wants to talk to you." Yachiru called out in her high-pitched voice.

"Oh fuck..." Zaraki moaned, dropping his arm over his eyes. Akina smiled.

"You want me to answer it?" she asked.

"Hell no!" he growled, moving his arm to glare at her.

"Ken-chan! Wake up." Yachiru cried out loudly.

"I don't think she's going away." Akina said as she sat up. She reached for her robe as Zaraki sat up slowly.

"I can't even get one fuckin' night to myself..." he grumbled, pulling on his hakama. He walked to the door, shaking his head. He paused at the door, looking back to make sure she was dressed. With a snort of frustration, he jerked the door open,

"Captain Zaraki...thank god." Hitsugaya exploded, grabbing onto the frame of the door. Yachiru was swinging from his captain's coat. The young captain looked terrible. His white hair was wild, flying in every direction. His uniform was disheveled. His face shadowed and his eyes had a haunted look.

"Please, Captain Zaraki..." he pleaded. "Get her away from me!"

"What the hell you doing with him, brat?" Zaraki growled, glaring at Yachiru. She smiled sweetly up at him, dropping to the ground.

"We watched the sunrise together." she announced happily. Zaraki's dark gaze shifted to Hitsugaya, who blanched.

"Don't misunderstand, Captain Zaraki. She insisted that we watch the sunrise together from Mt. Koifushi. She can be quite...persistent." he explained quickly. Zaraki reared back slightly, raising an eyebrow.

"How the hell'd you get to Mt. Koifushi? That's a days walk from here."

"Oh...that..." Hitsugaya faltered, lowering his gaze from Zaraki's intense stare.

"We flew." Yachiru laughed. "Shiro-chan grew giant ice wings and we flew all the way there and all the way back."

"That's your bankai, right?" Akina spoke for the first time. Hitsugaya looked over at her in surprise as if seeing her for the first time.

"You released your bankai and flew through the air with Yachiru? What the hell were you thinkin', boy?" Zaraki roared. Hitsugaya flinched slightly.

"It was fun. Even better than riding on Ken-chan's back." Yachiru laughed happily. Her words seemed to irritate Zaraki further.

"As I said, Captain Zaraki. She can be quite persistent...incredibly persistent. But now that you and your lieutenant have been reunited...I shall take my leave." Hitsugaya said stiffly as he backed away.

"No!" Yachiru cried out, grabbing for him but the white-haired man dodged her.

"Leave him alone, Yachiru." Zaraki snapped.

"But he's my boyfriend!" she whined loudly. Hitsugaya stopped short, a nervous twitch visible over his left eye throbbed as she said the B-word. Zaraki coldly assessed the younger man.

"I don't know what she's talking about, Captain Zaraki. I really must go." he insisted, turning and flash-stepping out of sight before Yachiru could say more. Akina tried not to laugh.

"Did ya have fun?" Zaraki asked Yachiru with a grin, ruffling her pink hair affectionately. She nodded her head happily.

"Good...and for the record...he ain't your boyfriend." Zaraki snapped. Yachiru opened her mouth as if to argue but yawned instead. Wearily she rubbed her eyes as he turned back to face Akina.

"I gotta go, sugar. I need to get her in bed or things are gonna get ugly real quick." he said. Yachiru had begun to list slightly to the right, leaning heavily against Zaraki's legs. Akina walked over to them.

"I understand." she murmured drowsily, leaning her cheek against his broad chest, her arms encircling his waist. Zaraki kissed the top of her head, stroking her hair.

"You need to go back to bed too. I don't know when I'll see you. I gotta clean up and I got a Captain's meeting a little later." he said softly. Akina yawned and nodded as she raised her head.

"Okay..." she replied easily, shuffling back to bed. She was so tired still. She could barely think straight.

"You even care?" she heard him snap as she crawled back under the covers.

"About what?" she asked, feeling confused.

"Come on, Ken-chan. I'm tired. And I'm hungry. I wanna go home." Yachiru whined, her voice gradually inching higher with each word. Akina heard him snort unhappily. She raised up on her elbows in time to see him pulling on his kimono and captain's coat.

"Is something wrong?" she asked softly. He glanced back at her, his expression grim.

"Nah!" he growled, anger rumbling in his voice. "No promises, right?"

"What are you talking about?" she asked, her face in hands. She didn't understand. Her need for sleep was making it impossible to think rationally.

"Go to sleep, Akina. Maybe we'll talk later. Come on, brat!" he hissed, lifting Yachiru
into his arms.

"Okay." Akina whispered as she crashed back on her pillow. They would talk later, she thought. The thought warmed her as she drifted back to sleep.


xxxxxx


A loud banging woke Akina with a start. She looked around drowsily, wondering what time it was. She snuggled back into her pillow and caught a familiar scent. Zaraki. Akina's eyes shot open as memories of her night replayed like a movie behind her eyes. She smiled, snuggling closer to the pillow that carried his scent. The banging sounded again. This time hard enough to rattle her windows.

"Son of a bitch..." she muttered, rousing again. someone was determined to bring her to her door. Akina stumbled out of bed, surprised to discover she was already wearing her robe. She pulled it tightly around her as she walked to the door. As the door swung open, bright mid-day sunlight assaulted her unprepared eyes. She cried out in pain, turning away from the door.

"Do you know what time it is?" a deep, male voice asked coldly. Akina turned back. Standing in her doorway was Tetsuzaemon Iba. Her vice-captain and immediate superior. Akina rolled her eyes, turning away from the tall, muscular man in dark glasses.

"Don't know...don't care." she moaned, heading back to bed.

"Okay, let's try this one. Do you have any idea how many people have been to the office looking for you already today?" he snapped impatiently. She waved his words away, pulling back the sheet.

"Go away, Tetsuzaemon." she said dismissively.

"Are you aware that you missed your assigned duty on the South Gate, Akina?" a deep, rich cultured voice that stopped her in her tracks then asked. Akina looked back. The sunlight had completely disappeared. The doorway was completely filled by the large form of her captain, Sajin Komamura.

"Captain Komamura." she cried out, immediately alert. The towering man walked into her small house. He stood well over nine feet tall. His enormous height causing him to hunch beneath the low ceiling.

"Please...have a seat, sir." Akina said quickly, offering him the wingback chair near her bed.

"Thank you, Akina." he replied politely, settling in the wide chair. Akina stared at the fox-like head of her captain. His expression was difficult to read. She watched as he tipped his head back, sniffing the air.

"Ah." he said quietly. "I see the rumors are true."

"Rumors?" she snapped, crossing her arms tightly.

"Akina, there is no need to try and deny the allegations regarding yourself and Captain Zaraki. His scent is quite unique. And it's all over this room, particularly your bed." he said quietly.

"I'm not denying it." she said firmly. "But what difference does it make? Who I choose to see on my own time is my personal business, sir."

"Yes, it should be. Unfortunately, there have been several allegations of misconduct lodged against you. Your relationship with Captain Zaraki lies at the heart of most of them. I'm also concerned for your emotional well-being. I have known Captain Zaraki for quite some time. He has a long history of romantic conquests. I do not wish to see your name added to that list, Akina."

Akina sighed and sat down on the edge of her bed, facing Captain Komamura. She listened closely to his words, her brow furrowed.

"What sort of allegations, Captain?" she asked finally.

"This is neither the time nor the place to discuss them. I came here only out of concern for you. It's not like you to fail to report to duty without a reason. I expected to see you in the office or at the Gate. When you failed to appear, Lt. Iba and myself became concerned."

"I'm sorry. I must have overslept. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night." she said. The words were out of her mouth before she realized. She glanced up at Iba. He was shaking his head with a deep frown on his face.

"What the hell did you do last night, Akina?" he snapped. Captain Komamura glanced over at him.

"Please, Tetsuzaemon. There is no need for such language." he spoke quietly. Tetsuzaemon nodded tersely.

"I...I went to the restaurant. Just like the two of you." Akina said, holding her head up proudly.

"There have allegations made that you somehow tampered with the results of the Valentine's Day matchmaking, resulting in some unfortunate mismatches. Is this true, Akina?" Captain Komamura asked her.

"It's true." she said softly. Tetsuzaemon grunted unhappily but held his tongue.

"What?" she snapped, glaring at him. "I'm not going to lie to the captain."

"Thank you, Akina. That means a great deal to me." Komamura noted. The expression crossed his face that Akina had come to associate with a smile.

"You need to get your ass outta bed and clean up. We've all been called before Commander Yamamoto over all this shit." Tetsuzaemon snapped. Akina looked back at him.

"Over what?" she asked.

"The allegations, Akina. And the Valentine's fiasco. There were numerous complaints over the final results of the computer matching. I, myself, had a pleasant evening in the company of Kiyone Kotetsu. She's lead a fascinating life." Captain Komamura commented.

"Yes, sir. But I believe you were in the minority." Tetsuzaemon noted. Akina closed her eyes. Chizu and her threats rang through her head. It was all hitting the fan.

"You and Rukia Kuchiki seemed to be having a good time." Komamura said, looking at the other man. Tetsuzaemon shrugged.

"We mostly just talked about how screwed up the whole thing was." he grunted, looking down.

"What happened?" Akina asked.

"Some people got pissed about who they ended up with. The rumor started spreading that you changed the results and messed up other peoples matches. Basically, they're all blaming you for a fucked up night." Tetsuzaemon snapped. Komamura frowned at his officer's language but said nothing to dispute his statement.

"Hell, Lt. Hisagi ended up in the hospital after he called Soifon a bitchy lesbi..."

"That's enough, Tetsuzaemon." Captain Komamura snapped, interrupting him.

"Damn!" Akina cursed.

"I heard they weren't the only ones...the worst, but not the only ones pissed." the dark-haired man added.

"But I didn't alter anyone's results except for mine, Captain Zaraki, Captain Kurotsuchi and Chizu Abe." Akina argued.

"Oh yeah. We know. Chizu's the main reason all this came out." Tetsuzaemon snorted.

"And I've already spoke with Captain Kurotsuchi at length this morning. He is requesting you be reprimanded and forced to assist in his department for several weeks as punishment." Captain Komamura said as he stood. Akina's eyes widened fearfully.

"Please Captain, don't make me work with him." she begged, staring up at him.

"Don't worry, Akina. Even I am aware of Captain Kurotsuchi's motives. I will not be a party to that. Though I do feel that you have forced my hand on the matter. I must show publicly that actions have been taken to reprimand you." he added with a sigh. She nodded, lowering her eyes. Nothing he could do her could compare to working closely with Mayuri Kurotsuchi. She would accept whatever punishment her captain saw fit without complaint.

"I have decided that you will join Lt. Iba and the patrol unit leaving tomorrow afternoon. You will be patrolling the Rukongai Districts 1-40 East to West." he said quietly, moving towards the door. Akina stared at him, shocked.

"Captain Komamura!" she cried out. "Districts 1-40? That'll take weeks."

"Yes, two weeks precisely. It's a joint effort with Division 3, 5, and 10." he agreed.

"But Captain...it's such short notice." she argued, following him closely.

"I...I..." she stammered. She wanted to tell him that she couldn't leave. Not now. She'd only just met Zaraki. To separate so soon, it would surely mean the end to the fragile bond they'd formed. She wanted to scream at him. She wanted to refuse the assignment.

"Akina, my mind is made up." Komamura spoke quietly. "I feel it is the best solution to several potential problems. This way, I can explain to Commander Yamamoto and the other shinigami that actions have been taken already. That will prevent any further punishment being meted upon you. This should placate the more vocal shinigami, particularly Captain Soifon. It also addresses the Captain Zaraki situation."

"What do you mean?" she snapped, her harsh words prompting a dark look of warning from Tetsuzaemon.

"Akina, I do not know the details of what has transpired between you and Captain Zaraki but as your Captain, I feel it is my responsibility to look after you. As a father might oversee the well-being of a child," he offered.

"I don't need you to protect me from Captain Zaraki." she hissed.

"Akina!" Tetsuzaemon growled. She glanced at him, her cheeks flushing hotly but her anger spurred her on.

"We are both adults and as you said yourself, you don't know the details."

"Akina, please trust me when I say that I have seen a large number of Captain Zaraki's liaisons end badly...well...all of them." he admitted.

"He's telling you that Zaraki ain't looking for a relationship." Tetsuzaemon snapped. "He's just in it for the sex."

"Thank you...both." she said quietly. "But I think I can make these sorts of decisions for myself."

"Perhaps," Komamura spoke, "Let us look at the situation this way, Akina. If there is any merit to your relationship with Captain Zaraki, then the separation from two weeks on patrol will have little or no effect. He will patiently wait for your return."

Akina frowned. She didn't think Zaraki did anything patiently, especially waiting.

"If the relationship crumbles, then it was for the best. I have saved you from greater heartache. And if I can, I would prefer to do that. I have known the pain of heartbreak before. I would you spare it, if possible." he continued quietly.

"Captain Komamura," she started. He raised one large, glove covered hand.

"I have made my decision. The patrol will leave from the East Gate tomorrow at noon. If you fail to appear, I will consider it desertion." he said coldly. Akina watched as he walked from her quarters. Tetsuzaemon started after him. He paused to add,

"Don't take it so hard. He's trying to protect you, Akina. Besides, it's only two weeks."

"Right..." she whispered, tears in her eyes. Two weeks. There was no way Zaraki would wait. Could she even ask him to? It was all so new.

"Get cleaned up and over to Division 1. Old Man Yama's called that meeting for half an hour from now. He specifically ordered you there." he added before closed the door loudly behind him.

"Fuck!" Akina screamed. It was all unraveling. A knock sounded at the door. What now, Akina thought, stalking over. She jerked it open. Nemu Kurotsuchi jumped in surprise at the sudden opening of the door.

"Ito-san, may I speak with you a moment?" she said quietly, quickly regaining her calm composure.

"I'd like to speak to you as well...before this meeting." Lt. Nanao Ise said, walking up behind Nemu.

"Why the hell not?" Akina hissed, flinging the door open widely.

"I apologize if I have disturbed you, Ito-san." Nemu said quietly. She looked around Akina quarters curiously. Akina wondered if she'd ever been in another shinigami's private quarters before.

"It's not a problem, Nemu. Feel free to drop by anytime." Akina said softly, forgetting her own problems for a moment as she considered the rigidly controlled life the other woman led.

"I suppose you've heard all about the Valentine's dinner problems?" Nanao asked her curtly.

"I've heard a little bit about it." Akina said with a sigh.

"Then you know about the meeting?" she asked sharply. Akina nodded.

"Commander Yamamoto is quite upset." Nanao explained, shaking her head.

"Why?" Akina asked.

"He was matched with Hatsu Morita from Division 9. Apparently the girl spent the entire evening droning on and on about her hair, her family, her girl friends and Renji Abarai. She has quite the crush on him, you know."

"No, I didn't know." Akina replied, feeling sick to her stomach. This was getting worse and worse.

"And of course, you know all about Chizu Abe. I heard about her little meltdown in front of your quarters last night. She's complained to everyone. Captain Kyoraku said that she woke Commander Yamamoto up in the middle of the night to report you and your improprieties." Nanao continued. "And Soifon...she's livid. She and Shuuhei Hisagi got into a physical altercation at the restaurant. Poor Hisagi. He's still in the hospital from what I understand."

"Oh man." Akina whispered, sitting down on the side of her bed. This was all falling directly on her shoulders, whether it belonged there or not.

"Captain Kurotsuchi has lodged a complaint as well. He is...most unhappy today." Nemu admitted quietly.

"Anyone else?" Akina asked Nanao. She shrugged.

"I've heard that Lt. Marechiyo Omaeda also complained. He and Isane Kotetsu did not get along well. Omaeda was very rude to her at the restaurant. Then he became involved with the fight between Soifon and Lt. Hisagi. Isane attempted to help Hisagi which aggravated the situation..." her voice faded into a sigh of resignation.

"I get the picture." Akina whispered.

"I have overheard other comments but no one else has formally complained that I am aware of." Nemu offered. Akina gave her a weak smile.

"Chizu is demanding formal charges be brought against you. Soifon is supporting her request." Nanao said softly.

"Great." Akina murmured. "Soifon and I have never gotten along. It doesn't surprise me."

"Ito-san, I can not allow you to bear the sole responsibility for this." Nemu blurted out. Akina looked at her in surprise.

"It's okay, Nemu. I cheated. I reversed the last two pairs when I was reading the results. I didn't want to go out with your father. And I wanted a chance to get to know Captain Zaraki." she admitted.

"I don't believe that you were the only one who may have altered the results, Akina." Nanao said sharply, her cheeks bright pink. Akina looked her over slowly. Guilt was written all over her face. Nervously, she pushed her eye glasses up on her nose, avoiding Akina's questioning look.

"Lt. Ise is correct." Nemu said softly. "I attempted to change the results when I was keying in the questionnaire information."

"What?" both Akina and Nanao cried out simultaneously. The girl shifted nervously from foot to foot, her hands tightly clenched in front of her.

"I...I...wanted to spend the evening...with..." she stammered.

"With who?" demanded Nanao sharply. She glanced up quickly at them then looked away as she replied in a barely audible voice,

"Ikkaku Madarame."

Akina stared at her in surprise. She had no idea that Nemu carried a torch for the bald Division 11 shinigami. She grinned suddenly. Ikkaku would be good for Nemu, she thought happily.

"Who did you get matched with?" she asked Nemu.

"Lt. Kira. He was...kind. We didn't speak much. It was a quiet evening." Nemu whispered.

"I tried to change the results too." Nanao declared loudly. Akina's head spun around.

"You did what?" she laughed, surprised by her confession.

"I thought it would be good to share Valentine's Day with...my captain." she hissed, her face turning bright red. She jabbed at her glasses viciously.

"Nanao..." Akina whispered. She knew that she had feelings for Shunsui Kyoraku but never expected her to admit it.

"I had an enjoyable evening with Captain Ukitake. We...we chatted about Captain Kyoraku at length." she said softly. "Captain Kyoraku appeared very happy with his companion for the evening. He and Lt. Matsumoto drank themselves into a stupor. I found them passed out in front of the Division 8 administrative office."

"I'm sorry, Nanao." Akina said as she walked over to slip a comforting arm around the other woman.

"It's fine." Nanao insisted but she made no move to push Akina away.

"Shunsui's an idiot." Akina whispered.

"He really is." Nanao hissed, blinking back the tears. Nemu walked over. Timidly, she hugged Nanao.

"I apologize if my actions led to you not sharing the evening with your captain." she said to her.

"No, Nemu. It wasn't your fault. I think that all the tampering just led to chaos."

"Ito-san, when Captain Kurotsuchi prepared the program, he set it up so that you and he would be paired together, regardless of the questions or other more compatible matches. It was a default in the program. There was no way to counter it." Nemu admitted. Akina shrugged.

"I managed." she laughed softly. A faint smile appeared on Nemu's pretty face.

"Well, I'm not going to allow you to deal with this alone, Akina." Nanao said, taking a deep, cleansing breath and wiping away her tears. She stepped away from the other two, composing herself.

"Thank you both but Captain Komamura has already been here. He's sending me out on patrol for two weeks as punishment. It's already decided." Akina said softly.

"But that's not fair." Nanao cried out.

"What about you and Captain Zaraki. You looked very happy together last night." Nemu asked quietly. Akina flashed a quick smile.

"We'll just have to see. I didn't really expect it to become anything but..." she started
then stopped.

"Don't worry about it, Nemu. Things will work out or not. I wasn't looking for a relationship or anything." she said after a moment.

"Captain Zaraki is the subject of many false rumors, Ito-san. I believe that he is actually a very lonely man despite the rumors to the contrary." Nemu spoke softly. Akina could feel tears building behind her eyes. Why did her words affect her so?

"Oh no. Look at the time. We need to hurry." Nanao cried out suddenly.

"I have to clean up." Akina insisted, walking to the bathroom.

"I'll wait for you." Nanao offered.

"As will I." Nemu added. Akina smiled at the women. They had come here for her. They were willing to expose themselves publicly for her. Maybe she had more friends than she realized.

"I'll hurry." she assured them, disappearing into the bathroom.

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