Overcoming the Odds [Closed]

Hanae Jukodo had a secret in her past and this secret often led her to the grounds of the Second and Sixth Divisions. Today, she was at the Sixth Division, hoping to catch a glimpse of someone important to her. Her eldest brother, J Saionji, sometimes wandered through his Division's area and she was able to check on him in a way. There wasn't much else she could do since she didn't feel worthy of telling them who she was. It had been an hour since she entered the area and she hadn't found him. She talked to a few of the members, but no one had seen him. He must have been busy with his family today. Hanae was on her way out of the Sixth when something strange caught her eye.

Hanae reacted as quickly as she could. Some recent training with her own Captain allowed her to shunpo a bit more accurately and so she vanished from sight. She reappeared about a foot away from Ryuusei and Hiro. She continued her charge and pushed Ryuusei away from Hiro as hard as she could, the momentum sending her own body to the ground. She rolled and quickly moved back to her feet. "What are you doing!" she shouted concerned, "Attacking your own squad-mate?" It was then that she saw Hiro had actually been cut. Hanae's eyes widened. "Are you okay?" "Y-Yea." "You need to get out of here. Go!" Hiro nodded at her and rushed off, holding his side. "Don't try and follow! You're fighting me now!" Hanae unsheathed her Zanpakutō and entered her stance, "I won't let you hurt him."

This man wasn't even hearing her. He was moving so weirdly. Hanae took a step back, her eyes wide in fear and disgust at what this man's movements were. He was freaking her out. His first charge was one that Hanae could step back from, but then a flurry of blows came her way. She had a hard time keeping up with it. Left, right, up, down. It didn't matter which way this man was swinging his blade, Hanae was barely able to block. With each strike, she was forced back step by step.

"Wh- Sto-!" A strike came through. Hanae's side was cut open. Another strike came through and her cheek was cut. Hanae finally lost her balance and tripped over her own two feet. Her body went tumbling backwards and the man stepped over her, his sword once again connecting with hers over and over again until her Zanpakutō was hit from her hand. Hanae watched her blade slide across the ground in horror, looking back up to her attacker with wide eyes. He was going to kill her, wasn't he?

Hanae thought she was done for, but even when that sword stabbed through through her body she knew it was okay. There was a strange shift in that man's aim. He didn't strike her like she expected and because of that she was going to live. Was this mercy? Was he playing a game? Hanae clenched her jaw shut tightly, her teeth showing as she tried to deal with the immense amount of pain. She gasped heavily as the sword left her body and took in a few deep breaths as she watched this strange scene before her. His own body was fighting him. That was it. Okay. Hanae understood what was going on.

"It's okay, Ryuusei." she strained to speak through her pain, but she still smiled at him. She reached over and pat his shoulder lightly. "I know. It wasn't your fault. Give me... y-your hand." Hanae waited a moment, but nothing happened. "I'm trying to move my hand. It's not moving is it?" Hanae shook her head and smiled weakly at him. She felt a little bad and scooted over to him, pulling his hand into her own and holding onto it. "There... Hopefully that'll show them... you're not bad. I'll... s-stick up... for you. I promise." Within a second of her promise, five Shinigami and Hiro came to see Hanae pass out.

It's been four to five hours since Hanae Jukodo and Ryuusei Saionji were brought in. Even though evidence suggested Ryuusei's innocence, until things were confirmed he would have to be restrained and guarded at all times. Hanae was free to do as she wished, though her condition wouldn't allow her to do much. Normally, the Saionji would have been called in on this much quicker, but Midori was hesitating quite a bit. She had discovered something that she didn't know how to explain. She checked it again and again, and each time it ended up the same way. Hanae Jukodo was the younger sibling of her boyfriend and the Captain of the Sixth Division. After deliberating for a while, Midori gave in and called Kazuo in about it. She gave little detail about the situation, but asked for him to come quickly.

When Kazuo arrived, Midori was sitting in her office chair with her hair sprawled everywhere. It looked like she had been messing with her hair a lot. "Oh, hello Kazuo. Thanks for coming so quickly, um..." Midori hopped up from her chair and looked around quickly. She grabbed a glass of iced tea and put it on her desk in front of where he would sit. "Please sit down. I need to talk to you about something... important." Midori said. She was obviously nervous. Ever heard that phrase of not shooting the messenger? Well, she was afraid of that kind of backlash here. "I-I-I... don't really kn-know how to tell you this, um..." Midori walked around to her side of the desk and sat down, grabbed a folder, and held to him. The folder contained a sheet of his, J's, and Hanae's DNA sample. "I checked it six times."

Midori watched anxiously as he read the file. When he accused her of joking, Midori's eyes widened and she looked sadly offended. "I wouldn't joke about this!" she said and he told her to check it again. Again? Again!? Was he serious? Midori stood up angrily, slamming her hand on the desk before walking over to a bookshelf that had a small blood drawing kit on it. "Again? A seventh time, Kazuo? Because I'm obviously too stupid to understand the results the first six times? Fine. Blood, now!" Midori demanded and tossed the kit on the desk. She had spent the last few hours scared to death of what his reaction was going to be. Her own anxiety was through the roof. Being called a liar and a failure within five seconds of each other by the first man she ever let claim her was not making Midori happy.

Mission accomplished. Midori watched him intently. She listened to his words carefully, paying attention to how he said them, which words he chose. She needed to understand his true feelings on this matter and she got it. Once he finally calmed down, well... sat down, she walked up in front of him and bent over. She placed her hand under his chin and smiled lovingly at him as she made him look up to her. "Honey, you have no reason to panic and you do not need anything stronger than tea." she assured him as sweetly as she could, leaned in and kissed his cheek before brushing his hair behind his ears. She loved the feeling of his hair and snuck in a reason to touch it when she could. "Now think..."

Midori lightly pushed him back and slid herself into his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck, and laying her head on his shoulder. "The first thing you said... If she were exiled, you have no obligations. There was a reason for it and that's fine. If your Mother or Father were unfaithful to each other, then who cares? Yes, it would be a scandal if it got out, but that's something someone with your skill and resources can take care of easily. Maybe you don't even want to go about it that way. If you did not know about her, you could simply invite her home. Yes, home. As in, let her be with her family..." Midori raised her head from his shoulder and smiled at him, "You don't even know if she knows anything. She might have no idea and if that's the case, just take care of your little sister."

"She is younger than both of you, by the way." Midori told him with a light nod, "What to do with a sister? Nothing special. Treat her like you would a close friend and slowly a relationship will develop. You have to get to know each other. You didn't grow up with her like you did J. Everything takes time, and in a case like this I think being friends comes first. You're both adults, so it's not like you have to teach her; maybe train because from what I can tell she's no way near you or your brother's skill level... Oh, and don't be afraid of some scandal. The Saionji are a bit deeper in the Gotei Thirteen than any other Noble family. We've got your back." Midori winked playfully and kissed his cheek. "Okay?"

"Nuh'uh. That's the easiest part. Your brother will take the news well... Well, better than you think." Midori kissed his cheek after she got her forehead kissed and then squeaked as her ass was smacked. She blushed a little, giggling as she got up. "Alright, let's get going then." Midori grabbed her Captain haori and threw it over her shoulders, trying a string across to keep the sides together. She rarely wore the haori normally; she thought it was cuter this way. The two arrived at the Saionji Manor and Midori nodded to Kazuo when he asked her to wait outside, but not without playfully pouting at him.

Kazuo's announcement was acknowledged with a deep "Mhm." J was at his desk, reading through paperwork, and leaning back in his chair. Once Kazuo stepped in, he set the papers down and looked to his brother. Out of the corner of his eye, right before the door shut, J saw Midori waving at him with an oddly dorky smile. J blinked at her and then raised an eyebrow at Kazuo. "Explain." J said coldly, his voice hard. Kazuo's claim was almost unbelievable, but a few things flashed through J's mind very quickly. He couldn't entirely deny it. J took the file and read through it, his expression never changing.

"She's young, inexperienced, and conveniently was attacked by Ryuusei." J spoke as if he had been offended by this. His brow furrowed for a moment as she set the file down and pinched the bridge of his nose. "And you're sure that this is correct?" J asked and Kazuo probably felt a tingle in the back of his neck because of Midori. Once J got confirmation, he took a deep breath and sighed. "Then we have a younger sister. Has she been made aware of the situation? And how serious are her injuries?"

"Accepting it? I asked you if you were sure this was correct, you said you were. I hope you would not lie to me, Kazuo." J's eyes narrowed almost threateningly toward Kazuo. He trusted his brother's opinion and valued Kazuo's advice and knowledge above anyone else within the Seireitei, so his brother's question came on as offensive to him. Once that was settled, he began asking about their apparent sister. "If it were to happen? If we have family, I prefer them under our roof. We will be going to see her soon." Within moments, Midori entered the room cautiously. She knew J would handle Kazuo talking to him well, but her? She was a different story. "Hello, Big Saionji!" she squeaked cheerfully.

"Hanae's injuries are not fatal. She's bruised in a few places, bumped her head when she fell so there is a pretty big knot, a cut on her cheek, and the worst injury is a stab wound through the chest that quite surprisingly missed every vital organ and went between the muscles. My examination said he ripped something out of him during the fight; I'm not sure what it was yet, but that is being dealt with. I do know that the two were also holding hands?" Midori raised a curious eyebrow at that, wondering what exactly that was supposed to mean, "Did you know her before hand?" "No. I did not. I've never met a Hanae Juk-..." J stopped mid-sentence and sighed, "Kazuo... There's something I need to tell you. Captain Hayashi, please leave me and my brother to speak with one another."

Midori nodded and hurried back out of the room. J stood up and looked directly at his brother. "Please forgive me for keeping this from you for so long. It was our grandfather's wish." J explained, sighing as he walked around his desk to stand near his brother, "Our Father had an affair with a woman from the Rukongai when you were very young. I over heard the conversation, which is the only reason I am aware of it. It is because of that event that he was executed..." J kept out a rather important detail of this for his own personal reasons, "... and I became the Head of our Family. Again, I am sorry. Mother, Grandfather, and I agreed that it would be the best if you did not have to carry that burden."

J said nothing. There was a lot Kazuo had said and much more he didn't understand. Part of it, J had no ability to admit. It was a secret he would keep to himself forever, at least he hoped so. As Kazuo mentioned Midori, slight surprise showed in J's eyes, but everything else stayed stoic. Kazuo walked off and J stood still. It took a few moments for J to move. He stared at the spot Kazuo had been for a while. When he finally moved he grabbed the is sisters file, his Captains haori, and swung the cloak over his shoulders before walking out. He passed both Midori and Kazuo without looking at either of them and continued his journey without a word. Midori noticed this and looked worriedly at Kazuo.

Midori followed the two to Hanae's room in the Fourth Division. She was the first who went into the room and when she got this look at Hanae, she could see the resemblance quite well. Hanae was still asleep, but her vitals were all looking good. "She's not sedated anymore. You can wake her." Midori smiled to them both and went to step out of the room. Before she did, she snuck a quick kiss onto Kazuo's cheek. "Just smile at her." she whispered, "You'll do fine." Midori left them in the room and J stepped up to one side of the girl, sitting down on the one chair on that side. There were two others on the opposite side of Hanae's bed. As if on queue, Hanae began to wake up and J stood back up.

Hanae woke when she felt a strange presence. She moved in her bed a bit, whimpered from the pain, and then opened her eyes. She was shocked as all hell to see J standing over her. She sat up quickly, only to feel a sharp pain in her stomach. She winced and laid right back down. "Ow, ow..." she whimpered and looked to see Kazuo as well. Hanae's heart began to race, and the machine let both of the brothers know it. The beeping from the machine just kept speeding up as she looked back and forth between the two in a panic. "U-U-Um... H-H-Hell-Hello? A-Am I in trouble? I-Is Ryuusei okay?" J was actually stuck. He stared a little too intensely at her, his mind everywhere and none of it calm.

J did not smile or attempt to comfort the girl while she panicked. His mind was elsewhere and his brother's tone toward him did not help in the end. J did not look to Kazuo and kept his attention on his little sister. She was so small, completely opposite to Kazuo and himself. She had the black hair and their Father's eyes. This young girl really was their sister. J did not know how to handle that now that he was here. He was confused, nervous, and even a little scared. His expression showed that for a while, even after Kazuo had told him to speak up. He truly was stuck. Hanae stared at him for a few moments, looking to Kazuo as if she wanted to ask his help, but turned back to J again when she realized. Hanae lowered her head in shame and put her hands over her face as she held back tears.

"Momma said not to tell. She said it was better for both of you if you didn't know I existed. I can tell you know!" Hanae said slightly muffled, but clear enough to be understood. She lowered her hands and looked at them, crying as she explained herself. "I wanted to come see you so many times. She said I couldn't and then when she died, I was alone. I tried talking to you, but you were so scary. I thought you'd hate me. I thought you'd want nothing to do with me, so I wanted to make sure I was worthy of your name first! I know what happened. I know how I was born, so... I understand if you do hate me." Hanae kept talking through her sobs the entire time. J stayed stuck, his mouth open to speak, but nothing ever came out. He just stared at her, unsure of what to say or even feel. Finally, he reached out and placed his hand on Hanae's head making her stiffen and look to him. "No tears."

"It has taken me some time to understand something m-... our grandfather told me years ago." J moved his hand from her head and then wiped her tears away before brushing her hair back, "Like pristine glass, we all absorb the prints of our handlers, but those prints can be washed away." J let that sink in for a moment. His expression softened as he watched Hanae wipe the rest of her tears away. "I do not hate you Hanae. You have done nothing wrong. What our parents did does not have to effect where we go from here. The fact is, you are our little sister. How you came into this world does not change that fact. No matter the situation, I would like you to be part of our lives and I'm sure Kazuo feels the same way." J left that there for Kazuo to speak up. Hanae glanced shyly to him too.

Hanae was surprised by both of them. She had only heard about J's strictness and how he is unapproachable. She had witnessed it multiple times, but he was almost warm here. Kazuo was also the opposite. He was supposed to be the outgoing one that was easy to talk to, but right now he was making Hanae feel insecure. She said nothing to either of them. She looked back and forth between them again and then picked up her blanket. She wiped her face a bit and then pushed up the best smile she could conjure. "O-Okay." Hanae said softly and moved her blankets so she could stand up. However, she was quickly met with a finger to the forehead and was pushed back down into the bed. "No. Rest. We'll take you home when Captain Hayashi gives you the clear." J explained and sat down in his chair after scooting it closer to the bed, "Now, if you don't mind... Explain to me what occurred between you and Ryuusei. Every detail that you can remember, while it's fresh in your mind."

As Kazuo left, J said nothing and Hanae waved to him with a kind smile across her features. "I hope so too." she said sweetly before he left and then turned to J to explain. Outside, Midori was dealing with a few bits of paperwork and organization issues while waiting on the Saionji Family to finish their business. She hadn't expected Kazuo so early and turned to him concerned. "Yes? Are you okay?" she asked worriedly. She turned her ear to him as he leaned in and was surprised by his request. She blushed immediately, but the concern on her face didn't fade.

"I feel like something bad happened between you two..." Midori sighed and rubbed the back of her head, "The answer is obviously of course, but are you sure it's what you should do? You did find out a lot today," Midori motioned toward his sister's room, "And you doing that may send a wrong message. As I said, the answer is yes, without a doubt, but I want you to be sure about this, okay?"