Chapter 7

"So wait I was a Captain?"

She smiled "the one and only Captain Sora."

I raise an eyebrow "go on." She nods "well shortly after you became captain people started nagging for you to get a vice captain. You said that Ukitake, your mother's captain, went one hundred years maybe more without a vice-captain, and you could too. People left you alone after that but the paper work Zaraki never did had begun to pile up and all the stress was finally taking a toll on your mind."

"How so?" I ask my curiosity peaked.

She gets up and grabs a tissue "do you see this?" I nod, beyond confused. "You would go up and do this to random people." She wrapped the tissue around her finger and jabbed me in the nose, the arm, the eye and anywhere else. "Ow! Okay that hurts after a while."

She smiled "and this one time you grabbed an expired request sheet, tore it into tiny pieces and threw it into the air and kept shouting it's snowing! While running around your office, speaking of snow! Your sister came into your office during one of your "episodes" and" I stop her right there "what do you mean "speaking of snow?"

"Your sisters zanpakto is a snow type. Her zanpakto is named Yuki Fure Ku, it's an ice zanpakto that turns blue when summoned." Cool.

"Don't do that without warning please." She begs "why?"

"Because I'm easily distracted as you have probably noticed by now."

I think back on our conversation, there were some times when she slipped up.

"Sorry, go on." She pauses to remember where she was before she turns back to me "so your sister finished the days paperwork, filed everything, and signed off all the vice captain paperwork. When you finally snapped back into reality she was done and passed out at your desk. The next thing anyone knew she was your vice captain, and as far as we're concerned you've never had another episode."

I smirk at her before grabbing the tissue off of her finger and shredding it into a million pieces and throwing them up into the air "look it's snowing!"

She groaned "don't do that! I had huge headaches after you did that the first hundred times."

I smile at her "just trying to lighten the mood."

She sighs "anyway, shortly after you became captain there was a fire in rukongai. Squad 11 and Squad 4 were sent to deal with it. You rushed in to save someone and you." She looked away "you never came back out. Hebi, Kage and I could feel ourselves slipping from the world and in that moment we knew you were dead."

My mind freezes at that, I knew I had died, so this shouldn't have been a surprise, but it's just. The way I died. Suddenly I was struck by another thought "what about the little girl? Did she get out alright?"

Kuroi nodded "yes the little girl is fine. You would be happy to know that she is now a proud member of squad 13." I smiled at that "then I'm satisfied. As long as the person I tried to save got out okay."

She smiled at me "that is so like you. Always putting others before you."

I smiled at her "always has been. So what happened after I. Died."

It sounded so awkward rolling off my tongue, Kuroi took a deep breath and continued "well first let me tell you from my point of view. When you died I thought I would die too and I don't know pop back into reality when you were hopefully reincarnated, but that's not what happened."

"What did happen?"

She sighs "well believe it or not I don't know, I was frozen to your death spot for a few years, I could still hear and see everyone but they couldn't hear me. So I found out that your sister had to take your place and to this day hasn't taken a lieutenant." There she goes, getting off track again "I stayed in that spot for about 35 years before I began to get sick."

My mind suddenly floods with worry, she holds up a hand "don't worry I felt well enough to make it, but my stomach! It was on fire day in and day out, finally one night I think nine months later?" She seems to be doing the calculations in her head "yes nine months later, the pain felt so unbearable that I thought I would die!"

My arms lash out and I wrap her hands into mine "don't talk about you dying!" I could barely register in pain how could I register her being in pain how the heck could I even think about her dying? "I may have no memory but I love you. I don't want to think about you dead!"

She smiles and kisses me softly "I didn't die prince. The pain suddenly went away and I was in the human world, I was a tiny ghost child." I giggle at the thought. "I was in this white room and there was a beautiful woman lying on a white bed and she looked really tired. Then I saw a small baby in her arms, he had big purple eyes and jet black hair."

Her eyes glistened with tears "Prince the baby was you! At first I thought it was just a look a like, but as you grew up I realized that it was you! But you couldn't see ghosts. At first I was worried until one night, long after you had fallen asleep. A hollow showed up, he was obviously drawn to my spirit energy, reiatsu, and it aimed straight for you. I tried fighting it but I couldn't even touch it! My swords phased right through it! I couldn't fight it off, I couldn't protect you, so in a desperate act I rushed to your side and stabbed you with my sword."

I nearly fell off the bed when she said that "why?" I ask shocked beyond compare, if she wanted to keep me alive why would she stab me? "No wait! When a shinigami or in my case a vizard stabs a human with reiatsu, they become a shinigami for a short while and the shinigami is left with half of his/her power. When the human reseals his/her sword their powers fade and they forget everything." She bit her lip "you woke up and finished off the hollow, but after he was beaten you fainted and I faded into nothing. I don't know why but I was suddenly cut off from your life, and for a few years I was locked in your inner world."

"15 years later here I am!"

Well I guess that does explain allot, and it also explains why I can see ghosts. I still have a million questions but Kuroi appears to be in a world of her own, she's staring out the window at the moon "the moon is nearly over the mountains. It is late, sleep now." She says seriously in a tone of voice I've never heard her use before.

"You're a strange one Kuroi."

She smiles strangely "I know."

Her strange smile is the last thing I see before falling asleep.

The first thing I'm aware of is that someone, or something, is shaking me gently. I groan lightly before turning over to see the same woman from yesterday. What did Kuroi say her name was again?

Unohana! Her name is Unohana-taicho!

"Unohana-taicho." I greet politely.

She grins at me and tells me that Captain Kurosaki is waiting for me outside and that I'm free to go. Without another word she disappears out the door, probably going to treat another patient. I carefully get out of my bed and walk outside looking around. I turn to look for this "Captain Kurosaki" only to bump into something.

I mutter angrily to myself for being so stupid before looking up to see a man with orange hair staring back at me. It's the same Captain that Nel and Kokoro introduced me to!

"Kurosaki-taicho…" I saw unsure of what to say.

Suddenly he opens his arms and I'm hesitant to run into them.

Be nice to your Otou-san! He's suffered for a long time without you!

I smile, my other father never suffered about me, her probably doesn't even care about me. "Otou-san?" I ask lightly. The Captain laughs loudly and pulls me into a hug. Something wet drips into my hair and I know he's crying. I am too.

My other father never hugged me, and frankly I never wanted him to. He always reeked of alcohol, but this father… My father. He doesn't reek of alcohol and cigarettes, he doesn't spit at me when I talk to him. He smells like cinnamon and brown sugar. Strange yet familiar.

"Oh Sora I've missed you so much!" He said unable to hide the sobs in his voice.

Before I can stop myself I say 6 words that I know will break the flood gates "I've missed you too Otou-san."

Another pair of arms wrap around me and I open my tightly shut eyes to see my Okaa-san. Not the one that died protecting me, but the one who went 50 long years with the loss of her oldest child dead.

"You guys are really making a big fuss over me." They pull away and look at me strangely "well you still had two children to keep your hearts full. I may not have spent allot of time with them but I know they're the best siblings anyone could ask for."

"Aww Arigato Nii-sama!"

Before I know what was going on two pairs of arms find their way around me and tackle me to the ground "thank you Nii-sama you're the best!" Kokoro and Nel shout still hugging me.

"Okay I love hugs but I can't breath!"

They laugh and get off of me, then extend their hands to help get me off the ground.

"Oh Nii-sama. We're just happy to have you back."

My smile suddenly falls "I can't stay…" I say sadly. My sister pulls away from me "why?"

I sigh "Onee-san. I have to go back. Just to say goodbye."

Kuroi materialized next to me "goodbye to what? That drunken idiot you call father?" She suddenly turns to Otou-san "not you Kurosaki-taicho! His other father." She spits out the word father as if it's poison.

I force a laugh before pulling her to the side "we'll be right back!"

Once we're out of ear shot I shoot her a desperate look "please Kuroi you gotta help me, I have to say goodbye to one person. Please. I don't want her running around worrying about her only friend."

She looks at me with a glare of death "she?"

I gulp, oh crap "she's just a friend Kuroi! I don't like her! I never have I promise!"

"You didn't tell me your one friend was a girl…" She said darkly.

Run! Kage shouted.

"Why does it matter! You're the only one I could ever care about that way."

She glares at me but doesn't say anything.

"Kuroi what do you want me to do? I don't like her that way!"

She doesn't say anything, she just glares at me. "Kuroi please I don't need you playing psycho, jealous girlfriend right now!"

Nothing….

I groan looking around, thinking of something I could do or say that would make her stop glaring. My family looks over at us before turning around quickly.

I've got it!

With super quick reflex's I grab her around the waist and pull her into a deep kiss. She sighs happily when I pull away "believe me now?"

She groans before turning away from me "you win."

Yes!

"Please Kuroi I just want to say goodbye, and besides we still have one problem."

She looks at me strangely "and what might that be Prince?"

"I'm not dead."