Come Back Soon By Justjoy

DISCLAIMER: Me is not Tite Kubo. Tite Kubo is not me. Therefore, me not own Bleach. Savvy?

1.
Hikifune-taichō… I miss you.

The new taichō is really stupid. He's even worse than that idiot Shinji. Do you know how much stuff he brought with him? He practically turned the taichō's quarters into a research lab!

I feel like strangling him. I don't want him as my taichō – he's so horrible, and nothing at all like you.

I really miss you, Hikifune-taichō… please come back soon.

2.

The cherry blossoms are in full bloom again. I wish you were here to see them with me. It's very lonely out here without you, Hisana.

My search for your sister continues – I think I saw her once in the Academy, just a fleeting glimpse of her face, but she was gone again in a flash.

For that brief moment, it was almost like you were here with me again.

Maybe that's why I look for her so desperately; in the vain hope that I will see her in you, and we can be together, again...

I miss you, Hisana. Come back soon.

3.

You left again… where are you? Where did you go?

You always say you don't want to see me cry, but I can't help it, not when all I can do is stand here and watch you go, wondering when you'll be back again…

Why?

Why do you do this, again and again?

Why, Gin?

I don't want to cry again. I don't want to lose you again, Gin.

Please come back… soon…

4.

Time passes so quickly.

It's been a year, Kaien. One whole year.

I wonder what you would think if you were still here. Things are going on as usual: Shunsui is still annoying the living daylights out of Yamamoto-sensei, and lusting after his fukutaichō when he gets tired of that. The new recruits to the division are doing fine, although none of them are anywhere as talented as you, of course.

We still talk about you a lot – you wouldn't believe how many fond memories the division members have of you – but most of the division has finally recovered, and are starting to move on.

But she's still really affected by it. Oh, Kaien… you left your heart with her, but hers is broken…

I know you, Kaien, and I know that you would never want to live, not after Miyako died. Sometimes, I can imagine both of you living happily together, even in the next life. Other time, though – call me selfish, but other times, I just wish that you could come back soon.

5.

Please don't kill me for this, but I put up a poster of you in our house.

Yes, yes, I know – you always said I was stupid, and this is probably taking it too far, but at least we're getting on quite well. As well as we can be, considering the circumstances.

Yuzu even smiled for the first time yesterday. Karin has resorted to ignoring me and my antics – I think she agrees with you, but anything that makes them happy is worth it.

We're still trying to persuade Ichigo come back with us. It really breaks my heart to see him so sad.

You always told me to care for the living, not the dead. But I can't stop missing you every second of the day. I guess I will have to settle for wishing the same thing that you would want. That, I think, all of us want.

Masaki, Ichigo… come back soon.

6.

I went back today.

Do you remember the river we used to play in? We had so much fun building campfires by it, and you always liked the flowers that floated on the water.

Those were the great times. You laughed so freely back then, and you smile alone was enough to brighten our days.

Do you still remember, Rukia?

Or have you forgotten, left all of it behind you, just like you left me, left us…

Maybe I don't deserve having you by my side. After all, I didn't even stop you from leaving – so it was my fault, wasn't it?

To be honest, I don't know any longer. If it's truly my fault, I'm sorry. I never should have let you go. I should have stopped you. I should have yelled at you to come back, to stay. I should have done something, anything.

I didn't.

I'm sorry, Rukia. It's not my place to ask, but… will you come back soon?

7.

I didn't die. I'm still alive, even though it still hurts like mad where that git Byakuya stabbed me.

Just so you know, I haven't forgiven your lousy excuse of a brother. I'm not going to let him practically kidnap you, try to kill me, and get away with it without even a stain on that idiotic scarf of his.

No way in hell.

I'm going to train, Rukia. I'm going to get stronger, much stronger. Then I will storm the damned Soul Society, and get you out of there. Heaven help your brother if he tries to stand in my way.

I don't care if you kill me for it later. "I'll never forgive you if you try to follow me" – lemons it, you stupid midget, did you honestly think that was going to stop me?

You might want to tell Soul Society to get ready. Or probably not.

Either way, I'm coming.

And I'm going to make sure that you come back soon.

8.

I really miss having you around, Lisa. It just isn't the same without you around.

Besides, Nanao-chan's no fun to tease, and she completely refuses to eavesdrop on the taicho's meeting. How annoying.

Anyway, our dear Nanao-chan has grown into a beautiful young lady. I think I liked her better when she was a little girl – my ears are still ringing from the last time she yelled at me for falling asleep on the roof.

You really should stop corrupting your subordinates, Lisa.

But she admires you greatly, even to this day. I think both of us would really like it if you could drop by for a visit, Lisa. Come back soon.

9.

I feel so lost without you, Aizen-taicho… the division is still in a mess, and I'm still too weak to do much work.

Everyone says that you are a traitor to us, to Soul Society. But I don't believe them. It can't be true, I know. I keep telling them that you wouldn't have the heart to do that to me, to us, but they just won't listen.

They just won't believe me.

I don't know what to do without you around, Aizen-taicho. I'm so alone here…

Every day, when I slide open the door to your office, I still think that I'll see you in there, ready to greet me with your warm smile, and caring words.

Is it really foolish of me to hope that you'll come back soon?

10.

I wanted to visit you today. But I couldn't bear the sight of you lying in the bed, so still, so pale, those tears running down your cheeks.

I don't know what I can do to help you any more, Hinamori. Nothing I try seems to work; I tried to warn you about Ichimaru, but it turned out that Aizen was the real traitor; I tried to keep you safe, but you managed to find a way out; I tried not to fight you, but ended up almost killing you…

I failed, Hinamori. I failed to protect you, time and again.

And even now, I can only stand by and watch as you sink deeper into your grief, as the light fades from your eyes.

It breaks my heart to see you like this – it feels like you're lost, and you can't find your way back again.

We were supposed to protect each other. How did it ever become like this?

I can't help you any more, Hinamori. I can't do anything else but stand here and wait, hoping – no matter how impossible it seems, or how long it takes – to see you come back soon.

11.

Ichigo, you baka.

Running off just like that… do you know how much you made everyone worry? Especially your family – Yuzu can't stop crying. She thinks that you're not going to come back. Karin keeps telling her that you will, but I can see that even she's starting to doubt herself.

I know you're somewhere out there, Ichigo. If I know you – and I think I do – you're training to get stronger, so that you can protect us. All of us.

While it is rather nice to see you following my advice for a change, that doesn't mean you're entitled to just vanish and make everyone so upset.

Listen closely, Ichigo. If you know what's good for you… then you had better make sure that you come back safe, and you come back soon.

12.

You're crying. I can see the tears falling from your eyes, like a thousand broken necklaces.

Stop crying, Rangiku. Please… don't cry.

I never wanted to see you cry. That's what I swore to myself when I first found you. When I became a shinigami. When I joined the Gotei 13. When I joined Aizen. It was all so that I could become more powerful, and change things, so that they would end without you having to cry.

But you're still crying.

Rangiku… I'm sorry. I failed you.

Please don't shed tears for me, Ran-chan. I'm not worth it.

I remember, back when we were still in Rukongai… every time I left, you would always ask me where I was going, and when I would be back.

I never answered, not once.

Now, though – now, I would give anything to be able to raise my hand, and wipe away those tears on your cheeks.

Anything, to see your smile, your beautiful smile, one more time.

And anything, anything at all, to talk to you, and tell you that I will be coming back…

Soon.

END