Walking Along Memory Lane [OPEN]

Rukia Kuchiki , RAIDEN SAITOU

Hibiki smiled wide at Rukia, a little proud that she managed to surprise the older shinigami after all. It was the child part of Hibiki that always made her want to surprise others like this, so she enjoyed it whenever it happened. But then, Hibiki was the one surprised, when an older man suddenly appeared, prompting Hibiki to jump a little. That was really surprising! The silverette gaped at the older man but immediately relaxed when the man introduced himself. A representative? That meant...what again? Hibiki couldn't remember.

Ah well. Rukia seemed okay with him, so that meant it was okay with Hibiki, too! After all, Rukia could be trusted.

"Oh, you're a shinigami, too, mister? It's nice to meet ya! My name's Hibiki Matsuda! I'm from the 11th Squad!" the silverette piped, giggling all the while. She was meeting lots of people today, it seemed. Would this man be her friend, too? Hibiki blinked when Rukia turned back to her and asked what the child was doing here. Wasn't it obvious?

"I wanted to talk to you, Kuchiki-san!" the shinigami replied, eyes all aglow. "I hear a lot of stories about you! So, I wanted to be your friend! Is that okay?" Hibiki tilted her head to the side, wondering if she had made a mistake by following Rukia like this. She wouldn't want the vice-captain to hate her...

Notes: bleh

When Rukia heard Hibiki introduce herself, she was, admittedly, rather surprised to hear that Hibiki was a member of the 11th Squad. After all, the squad was known for specializing in combat, and it was incredibly rare to see such a young child be a member. That meant the child had a lot of combat potential... It was even more saddening to realize that. The child was too young to be learning how to battle.

"My...friend?" Rukia parroted when she heard Hibiki's response. Well... That was certainly surprising. Not that Rukia wasn't flattered, of course. Most people kept their distance from her. "Oh, well, I'm flattered... I would gladly be your friend." The ravenette supposed it wouldn't be too bad. Not to mention the child would be better protected with Rukia by her side. 11th Squad or not, Rukia didn't want the child to have to defend herself alone. At Raiden's question, the ravenette shook her head.

"Not at all. You're welcome to accompany us, if you'd like," Rukia responded. She blinked when Raiden remarked that it was nearly lunchtime. She hummed, thoughtful for a moment, before turning towards Hibiki.

"Are you at all hungry? It's a good time as any to eat," she asked.

Notes: bleh

Hibiki's face immediately broke out into a wide smile when Raiden responded that he would indeed be her friend. She hopped up and down excitedly, just as she had done when Rukia had told her she would also be her friend. Two new friends in one day...! That was a new record! But then, Raiden's face suddenly turned very scary when he asked her how and why she became a shinigami. Did she make a mistake to become one? Was that why her new friend looked so angry? And Rukia was suddenly quiet... Should Hibiki tell them?

"O-Oh... Did I make a mistake?" she muttered, awkwardly fiddling with a lock of her hair. "I'm sorry..." Hibiki frowned, looking somewhat dejected. Already her new friend seemed to hate her... Well, the silvery-blonde might as well answer his questions, right? She didn't want him to get angry... But then, thinking about it always made her cry...

"I don't remember a lot of what happened, but it happened when I was with my second daddy," Hibiki answered, looking a little like she might cry. "I remember my second daddy and I were running from something, then we were surrounded by a bunch of these men. They kept hurting my daddy." The child continued on with her story, though it was rather vague and parts of the story seemed to be missing, as she couldn't quite remember it all. But once she got to the point about her father no longer moving, she couldn't seem to hold herself back and began to bawl. And once Hibiki started to cry, her own reiatsu reacted accordingly, her feelings of anguish and despair causing her reiatsu to lash out. Of course, she didn't quite mean to do so... The reiatsu, while typically welcoming and warm, was now sharp and harsh, like a million needles digging into the skin. Unstable wing-like energies furled around the child protectively.

Notes: and there she blows! feel free to get a little rough with her; she can take hits like a champ

To say Rukia hadn't expected Hibiki to begin crying was an understatement. She was even more shocked at how strong Hibiki's reiatsu was. The instant Hibiki's reiatsu had gone out of control, it was like a rush of power suddenly spread throughout the area, blowing back Rukia's shihakushou. Sure, the reiatsu wasn't enough to really harm Rukia; the child was strong, but Rukia was still stronger. Even so, it was surprising to see the child have such raw power and potential... She glanced at Raiden, a little unsure what to do. The man was staring at her, as well, though he soon seemed to turn back towards Hibiki. Right... Rukia needed to comfort the child right away! She moved to get closer to Hibiki, only to find that Raiden had already beaten her to the punch. The ravenette blinked, not having expected the substitute shinigami to have gone so far as to slip out of his human body to comfort the girl...

Another look at Raiden seemed to make him even more familiar to Rukia. The sight of the substitute shinigami was rather breathtaking. The man seemed like a natural-born leader from the way he carried himself. Rukia likely would have mistaken him for a squad captain had she not already known he was a substitute shinigami... But that was besides the point...! The ravenette turned back to Hibiki, gently putting a hand on the girl's head to soothe her.

"He's right, you know. You haven't made a mistake at all," Rukia said softly. She hoped this would be enough to calm Hibiki down, as, admittedly, Raiden was beginning to catch her interest. Why was he so familiar? Searching through Rukia's memories, she vaguely remembered something about a rogue shinigami... Addressing Raiden, Rukia asked if he was alright, seeing as how he'd also gotten the full brunt of Hibiki's reiatsu, though seeing as how he was still standing upright and could even move, Rukia supposed he was fine.

Notes: sorry for the long wait again orz i'm terrible at replying quick kek