A/N: So this is my first attempt at a multichapter Bleach fanfic, in fact this is the first multichapter story that I intend to finish. That means that this is going to suck at some points and that it won't be that good. I have written a few stories before (and posted under two other pennames) but I never finished them (my husband constantly teases me about that too).
ANYWAY, I will stick with this story, but I have to warn you now, I'm not sure where I intend to have this story go, I only have a few things planned out so far, so bear with me. Also, I know my profile says that fics with OCs have to be well written for me to read it, but I'm not sure if I will fall into that category, although I will try my best to not make my OC a Mary Sue.
Also, I have used several Japanese words, translations for which can be found at the bottom. And the characters use the Japanese way of referring to others. Hope this doesn't confuse anyone. Sorry if it does.
Disclaimer:I do NOT own Bleach, or any of the characters, if I did I wouldn't be writing fanfics would I? I am a poor college student who writes for fun, not profit. Thank you.
Never Say Never
By: Disturbed00Psycho
Chapter One
I stared at the door nervously. I was about to meet the captain of the squad I had been placed in upon graduating from the Shinigami Academy. Captain Toshiro Histugaya, the prodigy. I'd heard all about him while I was in the academy and I must say that I admired him-a lot. Which is why I was so nervous; I didn't think I would ever be placed in the 10th division.
(Might as well get it over with) Ryougetsu, my zanpakuto, told me. (I'm sure it'll be fine.)
If you think so, I replied. Then I knocked softly.
"Enter," a male called. He sounded a little annoyed.
'Crap,' I thought. 'I haven't even met him and I've already annoyed him.'
I slide the door opened and stepped over the threshold, bowing deeply to the male behind the desk.
"O-Ohayo gozaimas, Hitsugaya-taicho-sama," I squeaked. "I'm Tsukino Sayuri, the new squad member."
"Close the door," he said.
I straightened up and did as I was told. Then I turned back to the room. Hitsugaya-taicho sat at his desk, paperwork in front of him. His lieutenant, Matsumoto Rangiku, was standing next to the desk. I quickly walked over to stand in front of the desk, careful not to trip.
"I apologize for interrupting," I said, bowing again. "I was told to come early in the morning."
"You didn't interrupt," Hitsugaya told me as I stood up again, keeping my eyes low.
"So you're Tsukino-chan," Matsumoto said.
"Hai, oai dekite ureshii des, Matsumoto-fukutaicho-sama."
"No need to be so formal," the woman laughed.
"Welcome to the 10th Division, Tsukino-san," Hitsugaya said. "You will be reporting directly to Matsumoto, understood?"
"Gomennasai," I shook my head, looking at them. "Wakarimashta…"
Why did he want me to report to Matsumoto, the lieutenant? Where my grades not satisfactory? Did they think I was a trouble maker?
"Don't worry," Matsumoto told me. "You're not in trouble or anything like that."
"You have an unusually high amount of reiatsu, so I want to keep an eye on you," Hitsugaya added.
Oh.
I knew that would be a problem one day. I just didn't think it would affect my placement in the division.
"Uh…I won't cause any trouble," I assured them.
"Of course not," Hitsugaya replied, before looking at Matsumoto. "Will you show her where her room is?"
"Hai, taicho," Matsumoto said. "Come with me, Tsukino-chan."
I bowed to Hitsugaya then followed Matsumoto out of the room. She led me down a few hallways and then stopped. She opened a door on the left side of the hallway.
"Here you are," she said, gesturing to the room. "The officers' rooms are near the office. Let me know if you need anything."
I turned to her and bowed, saying, "Domo agigatou gozaimas, Matsumoto-fukutaicho-san."
"You're still being too formal," Matsumoto informed me when I straightened up. "Matsumoto-fukutaicho is good enough if you have to be formal, otherwise just call me Matsumoto."
With that the orange haired woman walked off. I went into my room and closed the door. Looking around I saw that the room wasn't very big; it had a bed on the wall opposite the door, underneath a large window. There was a nightstand beside the bed and a wardrobe on the same wall as the door.
Sighing I walked over to the bed and collapsed onto it.
(The taicho and fukutaicho seem nice enough.) Ryougetsu said.
Yeah…I was really worried. I replied.
(He's right though, you do have a really high level of reiatsu.)
But I can't control it. My swordsmanship is good, my Kido, however, needs improvement.
(Don't worry, Yuri, we'll practice and get better.)
I smiled and then drifted off to sleep.
~~~OOOoooOOO~~~
"So what do you think, Taicho?" Rangiku asked when she returned to the office.
I looked up and shrugged. The girl was very powerful, but her files from the academy said that she didn't know how to control her powers.
"We'll just have to watch her," I replied. "See if anything happens; that's why I placed her under you."
"Do you think something will happen?"
Rangiku raised an eyebrow, her hands on her hips. I shrugged again, and then went back to my paperwork.
~~~OOOoooOOO~~~
I woke to the sound of knocking. I sat up, confused, before remembering where I was. I stood and walked to the door, rubbing my eyes.
"Can I help you?" I asked when I opened the door.
A male with brown hair stood outside my door, along with a blond female. They looked about ten years older than I did, like they were in their twenties, which meant they were at least 100 years older than me.
"Konnichiwa, I'm Hinako, Sato Hinako," the blond replied cheerfully. She wore her long hair in a ponytail and had sparkling green eyes.
"And I'm Tanaka Kaoru," the boy said. He had his brown hair cut short and brown eyes.
"Oh, konnichiwa," I said. "I'm Tsukino Sayuri; I just joined the division today."
"We know," Sato replied. "We came to see how you were doing and invite you to lunch with us."
"Sure," I smiled, stepping out of my room.
As we walked towards the dining hall, Sato and Tanaka asked about me and told me about themselves. I found out that they had graduated a few years ago.
"So who are you reporting to?" Sato wondered.
"Matsumoto-fukutaicho," I told them.
"Honto? Naze?"
"Are you a trouble maker?" Tanaka laughed.
"Iie," I replied quickly. "….I have an unusually high level of reiatsu…I suppose they want to keep an eye on me…"
"Heh, Hina-chan, I think Matsumoto-fukutaicho specifically requested to have Sayu-chan report to her."
"Huh?" I questioned, confused.
"Sayuri-chan, the fukutaicho is infamous for her laziness when it comes to her paperwork," Sato explained.
"But why would she an unseated shinigami to do her paperwork?" I wondered. "I shouldn't even be allowed near the paperwork; I just graduated."
"But you are a newbie, eager to impress your superiors," Sato replied as we reached the dining hall.
Tanaka opened the door and allowed Sato and myself to enter first. The room was full of hungry 10th division shinigami; the only ones not present were Hitsugaya and Matsumoto.
Just as we were about to walk further into the room, the doors burst open, nearly hitting my new friends and myself. Hitsugaya stood in the doorway, glaring as he looked around the room. Then his eyes landed on us.
"Have you seen Matsumoto?" he demanded in an icy tone.
"I-Iie," I squeaked, while Sato and Tanaka shook their heads.
I swear he growled, but before I could confirm it he had turned away and asked the room, "Has anyone seen Matsumoto?"
The shinigami in the room shook their heads and gave the same negative response. Hitsugaya turned and stormed out of the room, the door slamming shut behind him. I stared at the door, confused, a blank look on my face. Tanaka was laughing.
"Matsumoto-fukutaicho is also known to disappear for several hours and reappear drunk," the boy told me.
"N-nani?" I looked at him, shocked.
Tanaka laughed so hard that he collapsed against the wall. Sato was smiling and shaking her head.
(Well…) Ryougetsu murmured before she too laughed.
What had I gotten myself into?
~~~OOOoooOOO~~~
That afternoon I was wondering around the division compound with Hinako and Kaoru. They were showing me around and we were getting to know each other better. Then out of nowhere a random shinigami ran up to us.
"Are you-Tsukino Sayuri-san?" he panted.
"Hai."
"Hitsugay-taicho requested that you come to the office immediately."
As he left I looked at my new friends. Was I in trouble?
"We'll go with you," Hinako-san told me, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder.
While we walked to the office, I could tell that Kaoru-san was having a hard time keeping a straight face. He probably didn't want to hurt my feelings by laughing-but I didn't know why he thought this was funny.
When we reached the office, the door was open. We walked in and bowed, I lower than my friends.
"Summimasen, Hitsugaya-taicho-sama," I said, before straightening up. "You needed to see me?"
"Hai," Hitsugaya replied, glancing at my friends. "I know this is your first day, but I need a favor. Since you haven't been given a training schedule, could you possibly help me organize these papers?"
"H-hai, taicho-sama," I answered.
"Arigato, Tsukino-san," then he looked at Hinako and Kaoru. "Did you two need something?"
"Iie, taicho," Kaoru said, a small smile on his face.
They bowed and left the room, probably laughing at me. I looked around at the piles of papers and folders on the two desks and coffee table.
"W-what do you want me to do?" I wondered.
"All these files are out of order," he explained. "They're the personnel files of the division members. They need to be alphabetized and placed on those shelves over there."
He pointed at the empty shelves on the other side of the room from his desk. That didn't sound too bad. I moved to the stacks of folders on the coffee table and began to sort through them as Hitsugaya returned to his paperwork. Since I was rather good at alphabetizing, I easily sorted the folders into smaller stacks, one for each letter of the alphabet.
Then I moved onto Matsumoto's desk and organized those folders according to letter. I would combine the folders of the same letter later and then alphabetize those. As I started to move the files around, I felt like I was being watched.
As I walked back to the coffee table with some folders I paused and turned around. Hitsugaya was seated at his desk, his pen paused on his paper, looking at me. He had a funny look on his face; I'm not sure how to describe it.
"Is something wrong, taicho-sama?" I asked, my head leaning to one side.
Hitsugaya blinked, then said, "Iie, just watching you work…you're very…efficient."
I swear he was slightly red in the face, but I ignored it and replied, "Nani?"
My own face was heating up and probably very red.
"Nanimo nai," Hitsugaya mumbled before looking back at his work. I was confused but I went back to work, trying to ignore it.
~~~OOOoooOOO~~~
That baka fukutaicho of mine had disappeared an hour before lunch. And she hadn't even started on the personnel files like she was suppose to. I went to look for her but she wasn't in the 10th division compound. She really pissed me off sometimes.
Since I had my own paperwork that had to be completed I sent someone to find the new girl, Tsukino Sayuri. She didn't have training schedule yet so asking her to help wouldn't interfere with any of her duties.
When she arrived I explained what I needed her to do. She went right to work while I returned to my reports.
But I was distracted before I could do anything. I don't think she realized it but as she worked, Tsukino was quietly reciting the alphabet to herself, repeatedly. I looked up and watched as she sorted the stacks of folders into smaller stacks, probably by letter. I continued to watch her as she moved onto Rangiku's desk. As she was carrying a stack back to the coffee table, she paused and turned to look at me, her head leaning to one side and her turquoise hair following.
"Is something wrong, taicho-sama?"
I blinked, caught, and then said, "Iie, just watching you work…you're very…efficient…"
I wasn't sure if that was the word to describe her, but it would have to work. I could feel my face heating up slightly. Why?
"N-nani?" Tsukino was blushing.
"Nanima nai," I told her, looking back at the report on my desk, smiling slightly.
In my peripheral vision I saw her pause for a moment longer before continuing her work, still reciting the alphabet. I had to suppress a laugh.
(Are you amused, master?) Hyourinmaru asked.
I think so… I replied.
(Why?)
I…don't know…
Hyourinmaru chuckled to himself and then fell silent. I tried to continue with my work but I kept glancing up at Tsukino.
After several minutes, Tsukino sat next the coffee table and began to look through a stack of folders, shifting them around. It was then that the door opened and Rangiku stumbled in.
"Konnichiwa, taicho," Rangiku squealed, stumbling around.
Tsukino jumped at the noise and stood quickly.
"Matsumoto," I said as I stood. "Where have you been?"
"In Roukigon," she replied.
"You didn't even start on the files. And then you show up drunk; you should know better!"
Both Rangiku and Tsukino flinched when I raised my voice.
"Sorry taicho," Rangiku said. "I'll get started right awa—"
She wobbled around for a second before collapsing to the floor.
"Matsumoto-fukutaicho!" Tsukino cried, rushing over to kneel next to the orange haired woman.
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. Then I walked over to Rangiku and picked her up. I placed her on the couch so that she could rest comfortably.
"…were right…"
"Nani?" I asked, turning to Tsukino, who now stood near me.
She blushed slightly then said, "Sato-san and Tanaka-san were right about Matsumoto-fukutaicho."
"They told you about her?"
"Hai," she nodded. "Tanaka-san suggested that the fukutaicho had requested for me to report to her so that she wouldn't have to do her paperwork as often."
I raised an eyebrow. Tanaka had said that? Well he was almost right; Rangiku had suggested that I let Tsukino do her paperwork but I had told her no.
"I-is Tanaka-san in trouble?" Tsukino asked when I didn't say anything.
"Iie."
I walked back to my desk and sat down, ending the conversation. Instead of doing my report though, I watched as Tsukino continued hers. Rangiku slept for a few hours; in that time Tsukino managed to get the files for 'A's and 'B's on the shelves. When Rangiku stirred I looked out the window and noticed that it had gotten dark.
"Ow…my head…" Rangiku mumbled, sitting up. "Where am I?"
"You're in the office," I told her. "Baka."
"Oh hello taicho…" she looked around the room and saw Tsukino at the shelves. "Tsukino-chan, you're here too?"
"Hai, fukutaicho," Tsukino replied, bowing. "Ogenki des ka?"
"I've been better…did taicho make you do my work?"
"Hai."
"Taicho," Rangiku whined. "That's mean, making Tsuki-chan work. You're a mean taicho; it's only her first day."
"Well, if someone hadn't neglected their duties, Tsukino-san wouldn't be here," I told her.
"It was no problem, really," Tsukino mumbled, lowering her eyes to the floor.
"You're so sweet!" Rangiku cried, jumping up to embrace the girl.
"Gah!!"
Tsukino stumbled and had a look of total surprise on her face. I couldn't help smirking.
"Domo agigatou, Tsuki-chan."
"D-d-dou itashimashte, Matsumoto-fukutaicho-san," Tsukino replied, her face bright red and her eyes wide.
"I really have to insist that you stop that," Rangiku told her pulling away. "Seriously. Matsumoto is fine. You can even call me Rangiku- in fact I insist that you call me Rangiku."
"Um….I can't do that. It would be completely disrespectful."
"Matsumoto, you're making her uncomfortable," I said. Rangiku still had her arms around the girl. "Let her go."
Rangiku sighed and sat back down on the couch. She patted the seat next to her, indicating for Tsukino to join her. The turquoise-haired girl did so, reluctantly, I think. She looked nervous. I found myself wondering why.
"You're too kind for you own good," Rangiku said, smiling sadly.
"H-honto?"
"Hai. Were you raised that way?"
Tsukino nodded.
"Well, manners are good to have and you should show respect to those who deserve it but in some situations, it's okay to be informal. Like when I ask that you call me by my given name."
"Demo-"
"How 'bout this: call me Rangiku when we're in the office away from others and Matsumoto-fukutaicho when we are around other division members. Can you do that?"
"I-I think so…Rangiku…san…" Tsukino just had to add the 'san'.
"Well it's a start," Rangiku sighed, looking defeated.
Then she looked at me.
"Eh, taicho, what about you?" my fukutaicho asked. "Can she call you 'Toshiro'?"
Tsukino's eyes widened in alarm.
"I can't do that!" she cried her cheeks red.
"Why not?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. For some reason the suggestion didn't bother me, even though I hate when people are so familiar.
"You're the taicho," she explained. "I could never show you disrespect by addressing you so familiarly. I should always address you as Hitsugaya-taicho-sama."
"The 'sama' is a bit much," I told her. "Just Hitsugaya-taicho."
"Gomennasai…" she mumbled, looking at her hands in her lap. "Hitsugaya-taicho."
I smiled and nodded before standing up. "Come on, let's go get some dinner."
Without waiting for them to reply I walked to the door. I heard them follow as I started down the hall. We walked in silence to the dining hall. When we got there, Tsukino was dragged away by Sato Hinako and Tanaka Kaoru. As I watched them go, I found myself thinking that life in the 10th division was going to be very interesting now.
~~~OOOoooOOO~~~
"So…what happened?" Hinako asked when we sat down at a table, our food in front of us.
"Remember all the folders and papers scattered around the room?" I asked, then continued when my friends nodded. "Well, I had to sort them alphabetically. Matsumoto came in a few hours ago, drunk and passed out on the floor. She woke up a few minutes ago."
"I knew it," Kaoru smirked. "You owe me, Hina-chan."
Hinako stuck her tongue out at Kaoru and I giggled. I wondered if my friends like each other. The thought slipped from my mind as I began to eat.
As we were finishing up, Hitsugaya and Matsumoto paused at our table on their way out.
"Tsukino, you did a good job today," Hitsugaya told me. "Do you mind coming by tomorrow to finish up?"
Even though he had asked I had a feeling it was an order, so I nodded, replying, "Hai. I will be there."
"Good, arigatou," he said before leaving.
My friends were gawking at me when I looked back at them.
"Nani?" I demanded.
"Hitsugaya-taicho complemented your work," Kaoru told me. "He never does that."
I raised an eyebrow, curious.
~~~OOOoooOOO~~~
So, what did you think? I'm sorry if Hitsugaya and Matsumoto seem a bit out of character, I tried to keep them in character. As you noticed I switched between Sayu's POV and Shiro's. Since they are the main characters, all the chapters will have a bit from each POV.
AND Sayu is very polite, so she always uses the most polite form of address. But as the story progresses she will begin to refer to everyone differently as she becomes closer to them.
NOW I have some translations for those of you who don't know any Japanese, and these are all taken mostly from a phrase book I bought, so if it's wrong, don't blame me.
Translations:
Ohayo gozaimas – good morning
Taicho/fukutaicho – captain/vice captain
Sama/san/chan- sir/mr,miss/honorfic
Hai- yes
Oai dekite urashii des- I'm pleased to meet you
Gomennasai-sorry
Wakarimasen-I don't understand.
Domo agrigatou gozaimas- thank you very much.
Honto-really
Naze-why
Iie-no
Reiatsu- spirit pressure
Nani-what
Summimasen-excuse me
Nanimo nai- nothing
Baka-idiot/stupid
Konnichiwa-good afternoon
Ogenki des ka-How are you?
Dou itashimashte-You're welcome.
Demo-but