4 Chapter 4: Healing and the Academy (Edited)
--
"Ah! Takashi!" Matsuri moving closer to him and trying to use her hands to cover the wound on his back. "Come on. Come on." She repeats to herself trying to stop the bleeding, but her hands can't stop the strange wound.
The Shinigami rush off towards the corpse of a hollow and cut it in half.
"How did that Hollow get past us?" Urahara whispers looking towards the corpse.
I look at the Shinigami and shake my head. "Please help him! Please!"
"Captain he isn't going to survive that unless he gets immediate attention." The mop-headed Shinigami speaks out.
"Mmm. Urahara carry the girl. I'll get the boy." The red-haired man starts to lift my brother.
"Please save him!" Bowing my head as tears fall from my face. The man nods his head and dashes off.
--
(Inner world)
A throne room with massive pillars supporting the roof. A red carpet leading towards a throne containing a slumbering woman. Her hair blond hair, covered by a laurel crown, flowing down and covering her western armor. Her head resting on her fist. A black-coated tiger wrapped around the throne along with a white-coated lion.
In the throne room, a white cocoon appears in the middle of the room in front of the throne.
The three figures shift slightly but return to their slumber.
--
(One Day Later)
"Look how cute they are sleeping like that!" A woman's voice exclaims.
An exasperated reply comes from a male voice. "So, he's going to be all right now?"
'So loud…'
Opening my eyes and sitting up the first thing I look for is my little sister who I see sleeping beside me.
Moving my hand through her hair I turn back to the two figures that were speaking earlier.
"Thank you for saving me and keeping her safe." I nod towards the two red-haired individuals.
The first being a captain Shinigami I don't recognize and the other being his family member that I also don't recall.
My sister wakes up from her slumber hearing my voice.
"You idiot! Don't do anything that stupid again!" She says as she tightens her arms around me.
I return the hug but she retains her hold on me.
"Thank you Lord Seigen and Lady Konoka for saving him!" My sister says in gratitude to the two nobles.
I nod at her words. Turning towards Matsuri I look over her for wounds and let out a sigh of relief over not seeing a single scratch on her.
"What are you sighing for?" She looks at me confused.
"I'm just relieved you're fine and it all worked out." I say with a smile but receive an even tighter hug.
"I was so worried. I thought you died! You can't leave me alone!" She replies and I hug her back.
"I won't abandon you. Sorry for worrying you lil sis."
"Mmm." She replies with her face in my side.
I turn back to the two watching us with gentle smiles on their faces.
"Sorry. You are Lord Seigen and Lady Konoka?"
"That's correct, of the Suzunami noble family." Seigen replies.
"I am Takashi Kudo and this little girl is my sister, Matsuri Kudo." Giving them a smile.
They return the smiles. "How are you feeling? Do you have any pain or discomfort anywhere?" Lady Konoka asks while maintaining her smile.
"I don't feel a thing." I reach a hand for my back to feel for scar tissue, but don't feel any. "There's no scarring either… Did you heal me?" I say back to her.
"That's right!" She replies her smile growing more angelic as I look at it.
'She can heal and not leave any traces behind of the scarring. She isn't even a Shinigami…' I look at her with a smile of my own. "Thank you!"
"that must have been such a frightening experience for you! But you can relax now. You're safe here!" She replies with a hand messing with my hair. "The only thing you have to think about now is getting better. You've only been out of it for a day."
I nod at her and look around the room. 'I'm in a noble house in Seireitei… It'll be easy entering the academy with these conditions.'
I look towards the remaining person in the room I haven't spoken to. The captain that I don't recognize. "Lord Seigen? You're a captain of the Gotei 13?"
He looks surprised for a moment and then nods. "That's right. Captain Seigen Suzunami of the 5th division." He regards me for a second before asking, "You know of the Seireitei, nobles, and the structure here?"
"I've pretty good at picking up information here and there. It's the only way to find out where and when to find work back in the districts."
He nods at that.
"If you don't mind me asking what attacked me? I only sensed an attack and didn't see where it came from." I ask him.
"It was a frog head Hollow that we missed. It managed to spit some acid on your back and damaged you quite a bit. I apologize for not managing to keep you safe."
I shake my head. "It's not your fault. It feels there might be a little more at play here..." I say the beginning to him and whispering the last part.
'If it was a frog head hollow I would've sensed it easily. That attack didn't feel like acid either... So the traitor is already active? That marks off a couple of them then...' Shaking my head and returning from my thoughts I give the two nobles a smile.
'Looks like I owe these two quite a bit. They saved my life and Matsuri. Letting us stay here for a while. I'm surprised she managed to heal me within a day. An injury like that in the anime would've put out a fighter for a couple of weeks.'
--
(Later that night)
"Matsuri slow down with the apples." I look at her as she stuffs her face with the apples, I'm peeling for her.
"Mno!" She replies while continuing shoving the apples away into the abyss she calls a stomach. I grab an apple in retaliation and start matching her speed.
"I can't believe it."
I look towards the sound of the voice with my face stuffed with apples. At the doorway walking in is Urahara in a Shinigami outfit as well as Shinji trailing behind him.
"What do you think? Good as new, right?" Lady Konoka speaks up from the side after placing another set of apples down.
"I'll say! The picture of health. Only after one day! How did you do it?"
"Urahara." Lord Seigen speaks up from the side.
"Oh. Well, some things are better off left unexplored." Urahara grumbles and walks back a bit.
"Well, that's not the only reason we're both here. What do you think about taking these two in, Captain?" Shinji looks towards Seigen.
"Here?" He replies as Konoka speaks up. "Of course! That was my intention from the beginning."
"Really? You're sure it's all right?" Urahara says regaining his energy.
"You don't mind do you, Seigen?"
"Well, allowing Rukon District residents to live in the Seireitei is technically prohibited…" He looks at his sister with a smile. "But if that's what you want, I'm more than willing to go along with it."
"Hey, that's great! You kids, you like Seigen and Konoka, don't you?" Urahara says looking to the two of us.
"Of course." Matsuri replies with joy. I nod at the question.
"Good. Then, it's settled. You can live right here with us." Konoka says with an angelic smile.
Urahara looks over with a smile. 'Good I guess that cares of that. For now, anyway.'
"Matsuri you ate all the apples again!" I exclaim in shock at my little sister.
"You ate as much as I did! Don't blame me!"
"You wolfed down all of those apples already? Between the two of you?!" Urahara and Shinji both look surprised at that statement.
"Still hungry though…" I look towards Matsuri who nodding smugly.
"A good appetite… They both must have strong spiritual power." Shinji whispers to Urahara.
Urahara nods and then looks towards the two of us with a smirk.
"Hey, kids. I've got a proposal for you two. How about you two become Shinigami's." Urahara says walking over towards us.
I look over to Matsuri who stops eating. "It's the only way we can remain in Seireitei without causing trouble for Lord Seigen and Lady Konoka?" I look towards Urahara with my question.
He nods at that.
"Well, there's only one option then." I say with a nod. "What do you think Matsuri?"
"We fight those monsters that you fought? If I let you do that by yourself, I won't be able to sleep knowing how reckless you are. I'm in!" She says forming her resolve. 'You protected me… but I'll get strong enough to stand by your side!' A fire forming in her eyes.
A smile forming on my face as I turn to Lord Seigen.
"Please help us enroll in the academy!" I say standing up and bowing towards him.
