Welcome!

A little bit of info about the story:

Name: Daisy

Rating: T (for now)

Timeline location: Some time before the Rukia rescue arc, but after Ichigo's birth

Updates: When the inspiration strikes. Your reviews are what keeps me writing.

Main pairing: Hitsugaya Tōshirō x OC

Chapter length: 4k words

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or its characters, which you will recognize.

*Note: Some non-cannon side-characters will be used as side-characters.

List of OCs appearing in the chapter:

Takagawa Yuuko (9th Division)

Kobashigawa Hinagiku (11th Division)

Matsushita Koichi (11th Division)

This story was inspired by a short poem by Julie Martinez:

and if you don't
like me, as i do you;
i understand.

because who would
really choose
a daisy, in a field
of roses?
-Julie Martinez

Chapter 1: Special skills

It is dark. Dark and large. You can simply feel the space around you. The feeling that one gets while in here is that kind, as if you are a tiny speck in the middle of a gigantic world. A simple coin toss here, in the darkness, would be like a bell at a shrine, ringing its song as loudly as possible.

This is where I reside. This is my home.

I hate the darkness. It is as cold and as unforgiving as you can imagine. I like the sun and the smell of paper. I would do anything to light a small flame in this void. I would love to chase the black away. I would give everything I have. Just for one candle. One. Single. Candle.

Here, in the darkness, where I reside.

Paperwork. It was quite an infamous bane of the employed Shinigami. In fact, the higher your rank, the worse it got. Out of the two hundred officers that existed in each division, the twenty Seats had it the worst. All the detailed reports about missions, their subordinates, team management, coordination, training and other Division duties had to be written down. Then, some of them were carried to other Divisions, to be checked out and approved by different Seats from those. There were also some which needed to be typed out into one of the large virtual bases of Seireitei, which was supposed to be done by the 12th Division. Of course, that usually didn't happen, and one or two unlucky officers from the paperwork's home Division were required to fill in. In the end, there was a stack of paperwork that needed to be filed into its proper place at the Seireishokairō, the Spirit Library, from where it was sent to Daireishokairō, in other words, the Great Spirit Book Gallery.

Contrary to the popular belief of all Shinigami absolutely abhorring paperwork, there were few and far between who didn't mind it that much. And, here we have one such an officer. It is a small girl, rather plain looking and boring. If you had seen her on the street while walking, you would've probably simply skimmed over her figure, maybe noting her colorful scarf, and then forgetting her immediately afterwards. Her hair was wavy, short, giving it an impression that it hadn't been brushed in a while. Her dark eyes were focused, through her thin glasses, onto the paper in front of her as her fingers flew across the keyboard with practiced ease.

She entered the final sentence, saving the document and sending it through proper channels. She made sure to sign her own name in front of her 12th Division supervisor's, Tsubokura Rin's. He was her senpai, only in rank, and he had been charged with checking over her imputed data in the digital database. She liked the rather meek and clumsy person, who took good care of her, and always made sure to send her a note back, telling her about a good job that she had done or noting her mistakes. Of course, she knew about his little sweets infatuation and she made sure to have a treat or two ready for him whenever she could.

The small Shinigami stood, taking the large heap of papers and neatly stacking them into a pile which she could carry. She headed for the long lines of library rows and placed the proper folders where they should go. When she was done, about two hours later, she only had a couple of thin files in her hands. Those were going into their own Division records, so that they could find their hardcover reports if necessary later or to a different Division, to get confirmed first.

The petite girl headed for the exit, climbing the numerous stairs up towards the ground level. She was ready to leave the Seireishokairō for the day and finally see the sun. She liked the sun. It Seireitei, the weather was often good, suiting the current season. So, the bright and warm summer day outside had been calling to her for a while, tempting her with a cup of sake on the roof of their barracks, as she watched the sun go down in the evening.

"Kobashigawa Hinagiku from the 11th Division, checking out." She informed the middle aged woman behind the desk on the main floor. Now, if you have a mental picture of a librarian, you could perfectly apply it to Takagawa Yuuko. She was a slim woman, tall and a brunette, with a bosom to rival Matsumoto-fukutaicho's. Her shihakushō was modified, sporting a short skirt instead of the traditional hakama. The sleeves of her kosode were gone, showing her division, 9th, quite clearly. Yuuko wore a button-down dress shirt from the Human World under her uniform, instead of her shitagi, most of the time unbuttoned a tad, to show her distracting front.

"Here you go, Hina-chan." The cheerful woman said, passing a katana over the top of her counter which strangely resembled a receptionist's desk. As the smaller Shinigami accepted with a polite bow, Yuuko continued to watch the officer tie her weapon properly to her waist. "You've been down there for a while. Did you finish everything?" The woman asked.

"Yes, Takagawa-dono. Thank you very much for your concern." Hinagiku bowed slightly once more, smiling at the woman behind the desk. Truly, she had finished all of her work for the day, not just most.

"Alright then, off you go." Yuuko shooed her off, but then pointed at her own golden-rimmed glasses. "Don't forget about that now, Hina-chan."

Hinagiku's hand flew up to her face, scampering to quickly take off her reading glasses. It was a bad habit, and she knew it. Numerous times she had walked outside of the library with them still on her nose. It was only after her head would begin to hurt that she would realize her mistake.

"Thank you, Takagawa-dono. I am in your debt." Hinagiku offered a third bow to the older Shinigami, heading towards the door. She was ready to leave the library.

"Send my regards to Kobashigawa-sama!" The yell followed the small Shinigami out of the heavy doors. Hinagiku's mood, which had lifted considerably at the warmth of the cheerful rays of sun on her skin, fell once more at the parting words. She allowed the doors to close with a creak and headed towards her barracks, files under arm. Of course Yuuko needed to send her regards.

Now, we have reached a vital topic for our not so young but fairly inexperienced Shinigami. Hinagiku Kobashigawa was the granddaughter of the infamous Setsuko Kobashigawa. No, her Grandmother wasn't some overly powerful and amazing Shinigami that you are undoubtedly imagining right now. No. Setsuko Kobashigawa was something much, much worse. She was one of the six judges of the Central 46, the core of Seireitei government. Needless to say, it was more of a pain than an advantage for her talentless granddaughter.

Everyone had expected great things of Hinagiku. They had expected her to follow in her Grandmother's footsteps, not engaging in 'Shinigami nonsense' as Setsuko called it, and studying hard to become a member of 46 herself. But, Hinagiku had had different ambitions. She had quickly realized that law was not for her. She had too much passion, too much compassion. She couldn't deal out unjust sentences for the sake of Seireitei, she had found out that much after one of her numerous arguments with her Grandmother.

In the end, the petite, sheltered girl, had enlisted herself (with a faked signature of her caretaker) into the Shin'ō Academy. Of course, it had been an outrage, that judge Kobashigawa's granddaughter was to become a Shinigami. But, her Grandmother had managed to swallow that stone after a while. Though, Hinagiku had received no support during her years in Shinōreijutsuin. She had studied, suffered her wounds and trained her arts on her own. The only thing that she had received from her Grandmother was a stern, disproving look whenever the terminology from Shinōreijutsuin was used at the dinner table.

Hinagiku finally crossed the border into her Division territory, feeling the familiar giant reiatsu of her Captain on her back. It was a warm presence, like a welcome of sorts, waiting for you as soon as you crossed into the Division grounds. And, it was the amount that the fearsome man leaked unconsciously. Of course, we aren't talking about a very gentle or kind Captain here. We are talking about Zaraki Kenpachi, the Captain of the 11th squad and the wildest and most violent of all Captains. Yet, Hinagiku felt safe in his Division. She felt his reiatsu and she only thought of home. Maybe she was a bit wrong in the head.

"Oh, Paper-pusher! You're back!" Ikkaku Madarame, the bald 3rd Seat of the Division greeted from his spot. He was sitting next to Yumichika Ayasegawa, the 5th Seat, which wasn't an uncommon sight, at the porch of their offices. Hinagiku had often heard the Shinigami from other Divisions comment how the 11th only lazed about, doing nothing. And truly, when she came from work in the middle of the day, only to find these two cloud-gazing as they picked who to fight next, she could even begin to agree with the other Divisions. But, she knew that it wasn't so.

Ikkaku Madarame wasn't the best choice for a 3rd Seat based on his intellectual or office-management abilities. However, Hinagiku knew that there was no one who worked harder in their Division than the bald Shinigami. When she got up in the morning, just in the nick of time before the morning call, she could hear him practicing in the training grounds near her window, drenched in sweat already. She had seen the sempai hand out advice and instructions to numerous unseated and seated officers, both at and outside the 11th Division's dojo. Not to mention the almost daily tradition of unofficial training which he offered to the greenhorns on the lawn in front of their offices. Ikkaku Madarame was a rude, adrenaline driven, reckless man, but he was also caring and he protected his own.

Yumichika Ayasegawa probably spent an hour or two too much in front of his precious full-length mirror, which had been imported from the Living World through unearthly channels. He worried about his appearance about as much as his success in battle, which, as you can guess, needed to be beautiful as well. Hinagiku had been asked numerous times by the man himself in passing if his hair had been ruffled by the wind and if she could fix it. She supposed that it had something to do with her being female, as the fairer sex was rather scarce among the 11th Division. But, when push came to shove, Yumichika Ayasegawa would forsake even his appearance for the welfare of his comrades.

So, when Hinagiku heard the comments about her Division being lazy, she responded in an 11th Division manner, by pulling out her Zanpakutō, ready for a fight.

"Yes!" She bowed to the 3rd Seat politely. "I hope that you've had a good day, Ikkaku-dono." Hinagiku straightened, her smile fixed on her face as always.

"Great day, Paper-pusher!" The 3rd Seat replied, obviously in a good mood. "That bastard Enjōji from the 8th was looking for a fight again, so I gave it to him today!" A bloodthirsty grin split on the man's face as he thought about the fight.

"I'm glad for you, Ikkaku-dono." Hinagiku nodded again, politely pointing towards the vacant 4th Seat's office. "If you'd excuse me, Ikkaku-dono, Yumichika-dono. Please, have a good day."

"Wait, Paper-pusher, don't you want to hear about-"

"Let her go Ikkaku." Yumichika intervened, much to Hinagiku's relief. As much as she liked hearing about Ikkaku's battle endeavors, she preferred getting the rest of her work done. After all, she had planned to head for the dōjō later to brush up on her Zanjutsu. "We need her so that we wouldn't need to do the reports. It's not beautiful to be scolded by Yama-jii."

Hinagiku smiled at the reason, letting her giggle pass through her lips as soon as she was out of the men's earshot. She didn't mind the paperwork. She knew that her Division was absolutely disastrous with it, since their Captain had a 'play first, work when you die' kind of a mindset. She had become the favorite go-to person for every seated officer. But, in the end, the top four Seats had decided to monopolize her. It was strange, how her fame as a 'Paper-pusher' had begun with her quickly finishing her own work and then practicing at the dōjō. Then, one of her close colleagues had begged her to help him, as he had a date. And afterwards, her skill with paperwork had spread like wildfire. She had gotten money, make-up, clothes, sweets or weapons from various officers looking to be rid of their work. The Captain had, naturally, intervened, but not in a way that she had expected. Now, she had an official job description of working on reports. If it involved paper, any form of paper (yes, toilet paper as well), she was the one being called.

The petite Shinigami took off her straw shoes before stepping onto the clean wood of the office patio. The door of the 4th Seat's workspace was open, as usual. There was an unfortunate officer inside, scribbling furiously (and quite messily) on his report paper.

Matsushita Koichi was the 7th Seat of the 11th Division, known for his hand-to-hand style preference. He was a brawler, through and through, using his Zanpakutō only when necessary, despite having achieved his Shikai quite a while ago. He was a tall, broad shouldered man, with a defined jaw, always carrying his nodachi around with him. If you stared at him long enough, with his amber, attentive eyes and ash colored hair, he looked like a wolf, hunting his next prey. And, considering his home Division, the 11th, he probably was.

"Matsushita-dono." Hinagiku bowed politely, entering. "Excuse me." The 7th Seat's amber eyes quickly switched focus onto the girl in front of him, but she didn't doubt for a second that he had sensed her coming a mile away. Even before she had decided to enter his working space.

"Hinagiku-kun." The Shinigami greeted with a nod, his hand resuming its rapid movement across the paper, despite the fact that his eyes were still going over the young Shinigami's form. "You're already done with your stack?" The pen finally stopped moving and Koichi sighed, looking comically disappointed.

The smaller Shinigami offered an apologetic smile. "Filed and ready for the 12th Division inspection." She placed her remaining couple of folders onto one of the five desks and settled into the chair behind it.

"Why can't we go back to the days when Captain didn't know about your special ability and have you doing my work as well?" The 7th Seat complained, twirling his pen in his hand and looking like he was absolutely not planning on finishing the ominous stack of reports that was looming on his left.

"Because I would die of overwork then, Matsushita-dono!" Hinagiku answered, exasperated, causing her sempai to laugh.

"Hinagiku-kun, you'd definitely survive!" Koichi readily retorted, letting go of his pen to grab half of his undone stack. "Can't you save me? I should've reported for a mission in Gense hours ago!"

The female Shinigami contemplated for a moment. Then, she extended her hands, giving up. It would've taken him hours to finish that, anyways, Hinagiku thought. This way, she was simply helping the Division, since he needed to go on a mission. Yes, she was doing this for the sake of the Division. For the Captain's sake. Hinagiku would do anything for the Captain.

The small Shinigami took her reading glasses out of the folds of her kosode, putting them in their proper place. Immediately, her back straightened, her posture became proper and she took up her pen, focusing solely on the papers in front of her. You see, this girl hadn't had the usual childhood of a Shinigami. She hadn't been born into the business, nor had she managed to fight and apply her way to the Shin'ō Academy from the Rukongai districts. She had been born into the Kobashigawa family, one of the more prestigious ones. And, as a Kobashigawa, she was destined for greatness, thus, she had had her manners and proper upbringing pounded into her from her young age.

Hinagiku's eyes quickly scanned the information on the paper, filling out the necessary fields. There were often some optionals, which she never bothered with. If they were optional, they were unnecessary, thus didn't require an answer. It was one of the secrets of her paperwork speed, other than her good concentration. As you can guess, most members of the 11th Division were rather easily distracted by the quietest sound of a nearby fight.

District: 11th

Seat: 7th

Name: Matsushita Koichi

Report topic: Rukongai Patrol

Brief summary: A squadron of four Shinigami and a Seated leader were dispatched, as requested by the…

And Hinagiku turned off her brain for everything other than the reports that she was filling. Luckily, 7th Seat Matsushita was quite fond of her, often sitting with her in the evenings on the roof, drinking sake and complaining about his day. So, she already knew who the man had assigned the patrol to. Heck, she had even remembered the details of the incident that had occurred in one of the lawless areas. An Asauchi had almost been stolen, but in the end, it had all been well. The Shinigami in question had gotten an appropriate punishment for not tying his katana properly to his hakama-himo.

"Oi! Paper!" Kenpachi Zaraki's voice boomed as he threw open the door of the 4th Seat's office violently. His tiny lieutenant, Kusajishi Yachiru was swinging left and right from his abrupt stop on her usual perch, his large, strong shoulder. Her mad laughter was ringing around the wide backyard of the offices, making a couple of the passing seated officers bow at the Captain's arrival.

Hinagiku jumped a bit from the below of her Captain, but then lowered her upper body into a perfect, proper, forty-five degrees bow, addressing him and his Lieutenant with utmost respect.

"Zaraki-dono, Kusajishi-dono. I hope that your day has been pleasant thus far." Koichi snickered from his seat at his kōhai's choice of vocabulary. There was a moment of utter and complete silence, as the Captain and his Lieutenant glared at the overly formal bow in front of them. Well, the former glared as the latter stared in fascination.

"What the heck is that?" Kenpachi finally spoke, his baritone ringing out through the silent office. He entered, his feet tapping on the clean and polished wood. "My day was bad. There were no good fights to win!" It was quite difficult to say who was more surprised, Koichi, by the fact that the Captain had simply taken the politeness of his subordinate in stride or Hinagiku, by the fact that her boss had actually replied to her this time.

"If I may offer my assistance in any way possible, Zaraki-dono?" The small Shinigami asked, finally rising from her bow. Kenpachi looked from her tiny pile of unfinished paperwork to Koichi's much larger stack in silence, while Yachiru jumped down, landing softly in front of Hinagiku.

"Silly Parupiru! Of course you can help Ken-chan!" Yachiru grabbed Hinagiku's hand, dragging her down to the small Lieutenants eye level. "Just go get me some snacks!"

"Yachiru. She can do that later." Kenpachi interrupted, grabbing Koichi's shoulder and pulling him to his feet. "Go get the paperwork to the 8th and 10th first. Before we're late." He ordered, pointing towards the door. "And you, get to the 1st Division, you're late. The old geezer has already sent me two Jigokuchō. It's annoying."

"Understood." Hinagiku grabbed the folders that she had finished earlier, presenting them to the Captain with a bow. "I was going to deliver this to the 8th and 10th Division by the end of the day, Captain. It just needs your signature to confirm."

"Turn." Kenpachi ordered, causing Hinagiku to jump and comply. His large hand grabbed the folders from her and placed them against her straight, clad in black, back. "Pen." Hinagiku grabbed the one from her former desk and handed it over her shoulder to the tall man. The Captain signed the documents, one by one, opening them to quickly scan over the information before confirming them. "There. Now go." He told her in his usual monotone, ignoring the yells of pain coming from Koichi, as Yachiru forced him to carry her on his shoulders while she used his longish hair as reins.

"Go, Fish! Go!" The happy Lieutenant yelled out as Hinagiku bowed once again before taking the files and preparing to head out. "Mush!"

"Paper." Kenpachi spoke once more, stopping Hinagiku in her tracks. She gave him a questioning glance, waiting for the rest of his words. "Head to the dōjō after you're done. Playing is more important than work."

"Understood, Captain." She replied before taking off her glasses and stuffing them in her kosode. The 8th Division was, unfortunately, on the other side of Seireitei, so she wouldn't be able to get there too fast. Once there was no more polished wood to step on, Hinagiku slipped on her waraji and headed for her destination.

"Safe trip, Paper-pusher!" Ikkaku Madarame yelled from his spot next to a couple of officers who were training.

"I'll be taking my leave, Ikkaku-dono!" Hinagiku offered a hasty bow before rushing outside of the Division grounds.

As she decided which route of the confusing streets of Seireitei to take, Hinagiku wondered if Captains found it easy to navigate. They must, after all, they had been there the longest. Besides, most of the 1st and 2nd Seats were proficient at Shunpo, the greatest expression of the Hohō technique. Except her Captain, that is. He didn't care much for it, so he hadn't bothered learning it.

Hinagiku, herself, was just a beginner with Hohō. However, she thought that if she put enough hard work and patience into the technique, she could, maybe, be on pair with their Division's 11th or 12th Seat one day. Well, speaking of practice, Hinagiku smiled, bending down to tighten her waraji straps around her ankles. There's no time like the present, as her mother would say.

The small, unseated Shinigami flared her reiatsu slightly, focusing it on her feet. She remembered the text from the Hohō handbook which she had bought some time ago. Keep calm. Never lose focus of your reiatsu. Think of the place where you want to arrive before you take your step. Imagine yourself speeding up. Imagine your footsteps becoming long. Then, take your step.

Breathe.

And the young Shinigami took her first step, flying forwards. Unfortunately, she had calculated her reach, speed and focus rather badly. Instead of feeling the roof of the building down the street under her waraji, her toes brushed against the edge of it, causing her to tumble down and crash into the solid block in front of her with great speed.

"Ouch." She murmured, not moving. Everything hurt. A couple of tiny rocks broke off from the top of the hole which she had created, spraying her with dust from the rubble. "I-" Hinagiku whispered miserably. "I miscalculated."

Laughter came from behind her, causing Hinagiku to look at them, upside-down. Sure enough, the members of the 11th Division had peeked through their gate to see what the commotion was about, led by Ikkaku and Koichi, and now they were cracking up at the position that they had found their little Paper-pusher in. She was lying on her back, in the hole which she had made in the wall, the files which she had been carrying a little ways off, scattered.

"Paper-pusher, you're supposed to have a safe trip when someone wishes you one! Idiot!" Their 3rd Seat laughed it up, clutching at his stomach.

"Stop embarrassing the poor girl, Ikkaku." Ayasegawa Yumichika joined the talk, chuckling. "The hideous pose that she's making is enough embarrassment." The 5th Seat then pointed out something that Hinagiku wished that he hadn't. "Just look at her undergarments!"

The laughter doubled, if that was even possible. Hinagiku felt her face flaming up, and she was pretty sure that one could fry an egg on her forehead then. She could hear Ikkaku yelling out 'Grannie panties! Grannie panties!' as he rolled around the floor in tears. Sure enough, the rest of the spectators weren't in a better state. Hinagiku was pretty sure that she saw their 10th Seat, a cowardly man named Makizō Aramaki, more famously known as Maki-Maki among the Division.

She had never jumped up and straightened herself quicker. However, the men from the Division didn't stop laughing even after her hakama were pulled up into their place, leaving her underwear out of sight. The small Shinigami quickly gathered her files, cursing herself for not waiting until she was further from the barracks or had a broader space to practice her Shunpo. Her hand found the place where she had tucked in her glasses, checking their state. They were unbroken.

"The damages are coming out of your pay, Paper!" Her Captain's booming voice followed her shameful retreat towards the 8th Division, flanked by the laughter of their Division's men and Yachiru's cheers. She didn't even have the strength to bow to her Captain.

That's all folks!

Detailed explanation, for those whom it may concern:

Terminology used in the fic (mostly translated via Bleach Wikia):

Seireishokairō – Spirit Book Galley (Spirit Library), invented by yours truly as a source of books about Shinigami and their ways, along with their paperwork. Located in the 9th Division because they are in charge of arts and culture (says Bleach Wikia).

Daireishokairō-Great Spirit Book Galley, cannon, located in the Central 46. Access to it is restricted.

Seireitei-Court of Pure Souls, the capital of Soul Society

Shihakushō-Shinigami uniform

Hakama-the pants

Shitagi-the white under kimono

Kosode-the black top

Waraji-the straw sandals

Shinōreijutsuin or Shin'ō Academy-Academy of Spiritual Arts or Spiritual Arts Academy

Nodachi-long Japanese sword

Shunpo-Flash step

Hohō-Step Method

Zanjutsu-Swordsmanship

Hakuda-White Hits (hand-to-hand combat)

Kidō-Demon Way or Spirit Way

Bakudō-Way of Binding

Hadō-Way of Destruction

Kaidō-Turn Way or Healing Kidō

Thank you for reading :)