A Lost Satellite (Private: PM for invite)

Naomi began to feel relieved as the male shinigami began to speak again. It was clear he was just trying to help her and she knew it would be stupid to refuse any assistance. From what he said it seemed as though he was aware of her situation like the nurse, though that was only to be expected considering she had been at the hospital for quite a long time.

The blue haired shinigami kept on talking, but Naomi didn’t mind. It was quite nice hearing somebody else speak after being isolated in her coma for so long. Although she didn’t remember much (or anything really) of the last three years of unconsciousness, she definitely felt as though it had been an age since she last had a conversation with anyone, aside from her brief exchange with the nurse. He had also offered his hand towards Naomi, and whilst being very grateful of his kindness, she felt a bit foolish for getting herself in her current predicament. She had been so determined since graduating from the academy to be as independent as she could; not relying on the protection and support of others. Naomi winced slightly, not from a twinge of pain but from the thought that her injuries and coma were the result of her stubbornness.

“I suppose there is a lot I want to ask, and, thank you, I would like to sit over on that bench,” Naomi said as she shifted uncomfortably to get herself up. She took the male shinigami’s outstretched hand, appreciative of the assistance he was offering her. Naomi hoped to try to largely use her own limited reserves of strength, but undoubtedly would rely much on the other shinigami. She would then look to move slowly over to the bench, again trying to do so as independently as possible. As they made their way towards the bench Naomi would finally say; “At least there are a lot of things I should ask. I imagine a lot has happened over the last three years…,” Naomi would stop suddenly aware she didn’t know the name of the shinigami who had come to her aid. “S-sorry, I don’t think I know your name, unless you’ve said it and I’ve forgotten or didn’t hear you. I do that sometimes…,” she would trail off, blushing.

As Naomi was carefully helped down onto the bench by the male shinigami she began to seriously consider what she wanted to ask and what she wanted to know. She was someone who prided herself on being very aware of current events regarding the workings of Seireitei and the state of the World of the Living. She continued to think about what she wanted to know as the blue haired shinigami introduced himself.

“Don’t worry, I’m no good at formalities either,” Naomi said smiling, relating to Hayato’s statement. She could remember many moments during her time in the academy where she was mocked by her fellow students for her social awkwardness. The same was true for when she joined her division, the Sanbantai. Naomi now began to think about her division, and the state it was in before she was found in a coma.

“One of the last things I remember before my coma was speaking with Toppa, my sister, about my taicho’s betrayal,” Naomi said. “Has Ichimaru Gin been brought to justice yet, and is Soul Society safe?”

Naomi did her best to stop herself from shaking as she asked the question. Since learning about the events that led to three captains (including her own) abandoning their duties and making it clear they were enemies of Seireitei, she had made it her mission to do anything and everything she could to play a part in defending Soul Society and the World of the Living. Whilst this had pushed Naomi to better herself, spending hours of her time training and performing extra duties, it had also made her reckless.

Naomi’s shoulders slumped forward and her head dropped down slightly. She feared she wouldn’t like the answer she was about to hear, thinking the worst. But whatever Hayato had to tell her she knew that she must return to her division and her training, ready to play her part in any way she could.

So Gin had died. And he wasn’t a traitor; he had left with Aizen so he could foil his plot. Somewhere deep in Naomi’s heart she felt relief. It had been painful living with the thought and stigma that she had joined a division whose captain had betrayed those he had sworn to protect. Almost instantly she began to feel a little bit stronger. She felt sorry for her captain, but she could now be proud to be a member of the Sanbantai, and she would do her best to represent it with honour.

Naomi continued to listen to what Hayato had to tell her, keeping her head down and processing what he had to say. She couldn’t help but be gladdened at hearing that Soul Society was safe, at least for the time being. Hayato didn’t say it outright, but Naomi guessed that Aizen must have been defeated. There was no way Seireitei could be considered safe if he was still at large. Again this improved Naomi’s mood, though she felt a little chagrined that she had not be conscious for the event.

“Thank you,” Naomi said as she lifted her body up and straightened her back. “I feel a lot better for hearing what you’ve told me. You’re right though, there are a hundred questions that I want to ask you, but as you say, many of them you couldn’t answer. A lot of them are trivial little questions, or ones that are personal and revolve around my sister.” Naomi smiled at the thought of Toppa, and the thought of surprising her with the fact she had awoken for her coma. That would have to wait though, there were still a few more things she wanted to ask Hayato.

“Does my division, the Sanbantai, have another captain?” It was an obvious question, but one she knew she had to ask. “And have there been any major changes to the Gotei 13…?” she interjected quickly, before even giving Hayato a chance to answer her first question. Naomi went to add another query, but held back, realising she was getting a little ahead of herself.

Naomi listened intently as Hayato explained the changes to the Gotei 13. She was pleased that all the captaincy roles had been filled as the various vacancies had created some issues in both Seireitei’s administration and defence. Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi…, she had heard of his name somewhere before. Naomi scanned her mind, trying to locate something in her memory that related to him. Quickly she realised that she had not heard his name before, but in fact seen it written in a brief history on the Sanbantai. Many years ago, whilst still in the academy, Naomi had been reading up on the background of several of the divisions she had been interested in joining after graduating. She had come across Rōjūrō’s name one day and been perplexed by the lack of information on him; he had been promoted to captain and then after about a decade seemingly disappeared! Naomi had at the time put it down to an error on the author’s part, and paid it no further attention.

As Hayato continued, it became clear that there was more to Rōjūrō’s disappearance. The description of him and his companions having both shinigami and hollow nature’s unsettled her a little, but she swiftly began to change her mind. From the way Hayato spoke about them, and the fact that they were trusted and thought highly enough of that they were given high ranking position must make them trustworthy people. Naomi decided she would look forward to one day meeting her new captain as well as the other Vizard; then she could find out what they were like for herself and thank them for their aid in defending Seireitei.

As Hayato summed up what he had told her, Naomi began to reflect on how she had been feeling since awakening from her coma. It was apparent that a lot had taken place in the past few years, but also a lot remained the same. In truth she would have to take things as they came, and continue to endeavour, making whatever difference she could. Naomi began to feel buoyant in her mood and eager to answer Hayato’s query about how she now felt.

“Much better, thank you,” she said, swinging her feet a little as she sat. “Not just for knowing more about what has happened over the past few years, but also for feeling like I still have a place in the world. It may sound a little silly, but just hearing my division has a new captain makes me want to get up and show what I can do!” As Naomi said the final statement she pushed herself up from the bench. She was a little shaky, but managed to do so without wobbling too much. She turned to face Hayato, again moving without too much difficulty, a ridiculously proud smile plastered across her face.

“Looks like I’ve also got some of my strength back,” Naomi said giddily. “Call me crazy, but I feel like hitting the training field!” The over-enthusiastic shinigami froze for a second as she realised the foolishness of her announcement. “Oh, right. It’s still the middle of the night. And I should probably check into my division first. But, I mean, maybe in a couple of days once I’ve sorted a few things out, we could maybe train together or something if you wanted to, you don’t have to after all…,” Naomi tailed off sheepishly, realising she was rambling.

Within the couple of hours or so that she had been awake, Naomi had already managed to hold a conversation with someone that contained more than a few sentences and made a tentative agreement to meet up at a later date to train with said person. As far as she could remember, this was the first time she had been able to do this (without the other person being her sister) since entering Seireitei. This was quite a watershed moment for her. She had always struggled with social interactions, even with people she was somewhat familiar with. But for some reason (it couldn’t have something to do with the coma surely) she felt at ease talking to Hayato.

“Great,” Naomi said, “sounds like both of us could sharpen up our battle technique.” Naomi had always found it difficult to find someone willing to train with her. She didn’t really have any friends, and those she was acquainted with tended to be a little too competitive for her liking. Hayato seemed like someone that wouldn’t take things too seriously and go easy on her if she needed a break. The fact that he was trained in the medical arts came as an added bonus as well.

“Do you think I’d be ok to make my way back to my barracks then, Takeda-san? I know I’ve only just woken up from a considerably long coma, but I’m feeling ok at the moment, honestly,” Naomi finished, trying to sound as sure of herself as she could. She had noticed the way he got to his feet when she had jumped to hers, clearly worried she might not stay upright for long. Perhaps she was being a little hasty. She could afford to take things easy for a while; no one would blame her after all, would they?

Naomi sighed considering this option. “Unless, of course, you think I should stay in the hospital for a few more days?” She resigned herself to following Hayato’s advice. Although she had only just met him she felt as though she could really trust him to have her best interests at heart.