A/N: Here it is. The revised version of Lost and Found, which has been discontinued. Hope you enjoy!
By the way, I have changed many things in this from Lost and Found, so do not think this is just like Lost and Found. It is very different, but the same plot, if you know what I mean. I also originally had this as Ninja. I have dropped that idea.
Summary: Both Toushirou and Ami have secretly waited for this day for a long time. But no one ever realized that it came with a price this big. So what now?
Disclaimer: Tite Kubo owns Bleach. I own only the side of Soul Society you know nothing about, nothing else.
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Chapter 1: Birthday Blues
"Apart from your promotion to Junior Elite, Hitsugaya Ami, I would like to wish you a happy birthday today," Kyoutou Amarante, of the Intelligence Division, declared to the young white-haired angel kneeling in front of her.
Ami's turquoise eyes blinked and then closed as the young angel bowed to her two commanding officers. "Domo arigatou gozaimasu, Amarante-sama. I can't believe you actually remembered."
She was calm on the outside, but she was having what her friend Naru called a "fidgeting attack". Ami got these all the time.
"I would never forget something as important as a birthday." Something in the woman's voice informed Ami that her commanding officer was smiling. "Here." Amarante held out a very small package. "My gift to you. It may be a little personal, but you have done well as a Hogosha Tenshi for the past two years."
Ami nodded, accepting the gift, and bowed once more before standing and turning to face the door. Her bare feet made barely a sound against the wooden floor. As the young tenshi put her boots back on, she thought of nothing else except what just went down between her and her commanding officer.
Ami smiled. She opened the shouji door and was about to step when her Kyoutou said, "Oh, and Hitsugaya-san?"
Ami turned to the woman. "Yes, Amarante-sama? What is it?"
"Thirteen in human years today, am I correct?" Ami nodded. "And official age is seventy-eight?"
Ami nodded again. "Yes, Amarante-sama. Again, thank you for remembering."
The woman simply smiled.
As soon as Ami closed the shouji door behind her, she was attacked and being suffocated by someone in red and way heavier than herself.
"Ami-chan, congratulations! I'm so glad you made it to two years! I can't believe it's only been two years since you were a Rookie! Most people usually have to wait five years to be considered Advanced," Hino Reika, raven-black hair in a ponytail and violet eyes, from the Artistic Division, Ami's best friend, said, while squeezing the life slowly out of her friend.
"R-Reika-chan! Can't...breathe..." Ami managed to utter, causing her friend to let go and allow oxygen back into the blue-and-white-clothed angel girl again.
"Gomenasai! But I can't believe it's only been two years."
"It was two years for you too, Reika-chan," Ami reminded her as the two walked down to the Intelligence Division Mess Hall.
"I know, but I'm nowhere near your level. Man, when Third Year Sensei Hachi told us both that we were actually going to go somewhere great, he wasn't kidding," Reika said, violet eyes filled with excitement. "And when he told you that you were a child prodigy, he wasn't kidding about that either."
"Look, Reika-chan, I know what you're thinking," Ami said slowly. "You're thinking that I'll probably be Shousei one day, but I'm perfectly happy with where I am already. Moreover, sometimes, it's a pain to be a child prodigy. I know I'm considered one, but I'm only a child." Ami stresses those last five words to Reika on purpose. "And I–"
"–Don't want special treatment for it," Reika finished. "I know, Ami-chan. I've memorized that line ever since your second year in the Academy and me in third."
"Where's Sasuke-kun and Naru-kun?" Ami asked out of the blue, no pun intended for her favorite color was blue.
"Last time I checked, they were in their dorms," Reika said.
"You sure?" Ami asked suspiciously.
"Quite positive, Ami-chan. Would I lie to you?" Reika asked, seriously.
"Only when you're teasing me," Ami said. Reika was a brilliant actor, after all, one of the best in the Artistic Division.
"Good point," Reika said. She then saw two figures a ways off. "Oh, speak of the devils, there they are."
The two girls ran up to the two boys, who were next to the Mess Hall.
"Meioh Naru," Reika motioned to a blonde in orange and red, also from the Artistic Division, "Tomoe Sasuke," and then motioned to a black-haired boy in brown and black, from the Lawful Division, "what on earth are you two doing here?"
"Yeah, what's up? No good food in your Mess Halls?" Ami teased.
"Shut up, Ami-chan," Naru said. "My chef is serving sushi with wasabi sauce as the main course. You know I don't like that."
"Yeah, you're point being?" Ami asked.
"Can we just eat lunch with you two?" Sasuke asked, getting to the point before Ami's temper nasty temper got out of hand. He could visibly see a tick mark on the white-haired girl's forehead now.
"You never have to ask, you two," Reika said, as all four friends entered the Intelligence Division's Mess Hall.
For lunch, the chef was serving Ami's personal favorite: chicken-flavored ramen. He said to Ami, "Hope you enjoy it!" Here, he gave her a wink. "Made it just for you."
Ami merely blushed and managed to barely whisper a "Thank you", while Sasuke's temper was the one flaring this time. How Ami had managed to keep naive about Sasuke's crush on her was beyond Naru, Reika, and even Sasuke himself.
The four sat at Ami's usual table, which was by the AC unit. Naru never understood why Ami liked the cold and winter so much. He could barely gather the courage to go outside during the wintertime whenever it snowed. Whenever Naru asked her about this, she always said, "I guess it's in my blood or something, because I don't really understand it either."
In addition, whenever she finished her lunch, Ami always told Reika or whoever was with her at the time to get her a slice of watermelon. Today was no exception. But this time, Reika also came back with the daily newsletter, called "Shutoken Daily".
It was actually a magazine, but it pretty much acted like a newspaper. The Artistic Division printed it daily, of course. It was always printed the night before and passed out the next morning. Needless to say, Reika and Naru's Division was nearly always very busy because of it.
Reika was in the extras section, on the horoscope page. She sat down and read "'Aries: Stick with what you know. Discussing matters that are based on assumptions will lead to mistakes that will be difficult to fix. Don't be quick to jump into something that may be filled with empty promises.'"
"Today's not your birthday, Reika-chan. It's April 17th," Naru reminded her.
"I know. I'm just reading the horoscopes today. You know I always read the horoscopes on one of our birthdays, and in case you forgot, today is Ami's birthday. Sasuke, October 29...Ah ha! Here it is. 'Scorpio: Don't be fooled by an emotional plea to keep you from experiencing something new. You need to get out and participate. Follow through with whatever you feel passionate about, and you will make progress. It's time to make a clean break.'"
"Nice," Sasuke said. "Sounds about right."
"Read mine," Naru said.
"Ok, Naru, December 5th...Found it! 'Sagittarius: Rethink your strategy, and you will realize you may have had ulterior motives. Before you make a huge mistake that will affect your personal relationships, it is best to take a moment to hash over the good and the bad that you've experienced.'"
"I agree with Sasuke. It sounds pretty much the same as us," Naru said.
"But, what about mine?" Ami asked.
"I was just about to read it, Ami-chan. Here is yours. 'Happy Birthday: A change of plans will lead you in an interesting new direction. Be open to new experiences and acquaintances. Let your creative dreams take over; you will realize that you have something to offer that others will pay for. This can be an engaging year for you personally and professionally. Love is highlighted, and promises can be made.' And you're a Virgo, right?"
Ami nodded. "But that which you just read, Hino-chan...I can't help but feel like it's really dead on. I don't know what the feeling is, but I just can't shake it."
It was silent for a moment, before Reika, Sasuke, and Naru all dragged Ami outside and sat her down on a bench in Shutoken's watermelon patch.
"You know what it's time for, right?" Reika asked Ami, with a knowing smile.
"Yeah..."
Before Ami could go any further, Reika set her wrapped birthday present in Ami's lap.
"You didn't have to, you know," Ami said shyly.
"We wanted to, Ami-chan," Naru said, "Now open it."
Ami did so. Amarante-sama had given her a beautifully-designed snowflake locket. What she got from Reika was the next volume of the popular manga she loved so much. What she got from Naru was a beautiful, blue kimono in her exact size. When she asked how he knew, he managed to stutter out, "The Fireworks Festival is coming up soon, and I noticed that you didn't have a kimono for it, so I made you one." Ami's ears perked up when she heard this. She loved it when people made clothes for her. She had an entire wardrobe full of hand-made clothes, given to her by others. What she got from Sasuke was two encyclopedias of all the known techniques of ice, that being one of them, and healing, which was the second.
"I still don't understand how you have two elements," Sasuke said, as Ami looked through the Ice volume. "An angel normally only has one. For example, mine is time, related to the Daichinozoku, Reika's is fire, and Naru's is wind, both related to the Tenkuunozoku."
"I told you before, I don't understand either," Ami said, closing the ice volume. "There are a lot of things about myself that I don't understand, but one day, I will. So don't worry about it."
Just then Tsukino Mamoru, the Shousei's right-hand man, interrupted them. He bowed slightly to them and said, "Hitsugaya Ami, the Shousei would like to speak with you in his office. Come quickly, please. He said it's urgent."
Ami nodded and waved to her three friends, giving her presents to Reika and telling her to put them in Ami's room. The two activated their wings*, and she followed Tsukino-san all the way to the Shousei's office.
"Shousei Hoshimoto-sama, you wanted to see me?" She asked, bowing to the old angel. He may have been old, but he was actually really wise. That and he was a great leader. Well, he should've been. He was the head of the Leadership Division.
"Yes, I did," He said. He turned to Tsukino, "Leave us." The man did so and closed the shouji doors.
"Sir?" Ami was confused.
"Have you heard of the Sereitei?"
"Yes, Sir. But only the name and the fact that it's different from Shutoken, our city."
"You are correct. It is different. In addition, that is the way I had wanted people to know about Sereitei for many years. However, I cannot avoid it forever. In the Sereitei, there is a group of Soul Warriors known as the Goteijuusantai, or the Shinigami."
"Are they much like the Hogosha Tenshi, Sir?" Ami asked. The old man nodded.
"To be honest, Hitsugaya-san, they were once our allies, but something tore us apart many years ago. In that respect, I have a mission for you, Hitsugaya-san. That is why you are here."
Ami blinked in surprise. A mission directly from the Shousei himself was very rare. If you managed to get one, you and others would consider yourself lucky.
"A mission for me, Sir?" Ami repeated.
"Yes," Hoshimoto said. "For some reason, you are the only one who can get inside the Sereitei without much fuss and renew the Ally Contract, or Covenant, between the Tenshi and the Shinigami."
"Whom do I renew it with?" Ami asked, mysteriously dreading the answer.
"The Soutaichou of the Goteijuusantai."
Ami was silent for a minute. "Sir, why are you making me do this and no one else?"
"You're not going to renew the Contract all on your own. I am."
"Huh? Please elaborate, Sir."
"I am coming to the Sereitei with you. Allow me to explain. You see, in this case, I am one of the two Pens, but you are the Key to the Chest, which holds the Contract."
Ami got to bed late that night. She had stayed the rest of the day with the Shousei, making the plans for the mission that would commence the very next day. When they were done, he told her to go and get plenty of rest and that they would leave at exactly 9:30 AM sharp tomorrow morning.
Ami pulled to covers to her chin and fell into the world of sleep.
She dreamed of, however, a boy around her height, maybe taller, with spiky white hair like her own and teal eyes, just a shade darker than her own eyes. He wore a black shihakusho, with a white haori over it. On the back of the haori was the symbol for ten. He also had a tall sword that was strapped to his back by a green sash with a golden brooch.
She heard him say 'Imoto-chan...' before she woke up the next morning in a cold sweat.
~Chapter 2 Preview~
Ami: I just had this crazy dream! Help me, someone, what does it mean? And don't you think the horoscope thing was a little crazy too? (gets kicked in the face by Kon)
Kon: You're stealing my screen time! And who the hell are you?!
Ami: What screen time?!
Kon: Shut up!
Reika: (sweatdrop) Next time on Bleach – Winter Rose: Unforeseen Reunion. Please tune in next time!
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*I keep explaining them as angels, so yes, they do have wings they can activate at will. It's their equivalent to Shunpo and Sonido.
Let me put your minds at ease. The following terms are what you may not be familiar with:
Kyoutou = Deputy/Vice / In the Tenshi case, equivalent to a Shinigami Captain/Vice-Captain
"Domo arigatou gozaimasu" = Thank you very much.
Hogosha Tenshi = Guardian Angel(s)
Shouji door = Japanese style sliding door
Intelligence Division, Artistic Division, Lawful Division, Leadership Division = Four of the Seven Divisions of the Hogosha Tenshi
Wasabi sauce = a very spicy Japanese sauce
Shutoken = Literally translates to "capital city area". In the Tenshi case, this is the place they reside.
Daichinozoku = Land Tribe
Tenkuunozoku = Sky Tribe / There are three tribes: Sky, Land, and Sea.
Shousei = Japanese for Commander / In the Tenshi case, equivalent to the Shinigami Head Captain.
"Imoto-chan" = Japanese for Little Sister
A/N: Review please! Even a favorite is strongly encouraged!