"Captain Komamura!" Verona screamed as Aizen pointed his finger at the Seventh Squad Captain. She ran towards her Captain, pumping her legs as fast as she could. She wasn't going to make it. "Absorb!" she yelled, pulling out her zanpakuto.
"Kudo-!" Komamura yelled at the same time as Aizen spoke calmly,
"Way of Destruction, Number 90."
"Get out of here!"
"Kurohitsugi."
"Ka-Cam!" Verona yelled as a ball of green light shot towards Sajin. A large black and purple box consumed the Captain and the ball of light, making them disappear. Spikes appeared from the outside of the box before slamming into it, penetrating whatever was inside.
Verona's body grew ridged before blood flew from the woman's mouth and multiple wounds appeared all over her body. The Captains' turned to face her as the box disappeared, revealing Sajin. His wounds were fewer then what was to be anticipated and not life threatening. Verona stumbled forward before dropping to one knee, a hand placed on the ground for support.
"A very interesting zanpakuto you have there, Verona Kudo, Third Seat of Squad Seven," Aizen said, walking towards her. The Third Seat panted and gasped for breath trying to push away the pain from her wounds. "You're zanpakuto allows you to absorb attacks and release them tenfold on your opponent, though this is surprising as well. I had no idea that you could absorb the attack into your body and lessen the wounds of those who are in danger. You're quite an amazing woman."
"You," Verona growled, eyes turning green from her rising spiritual pressure. She lunged forward, sword above her head. "I'll kill you!"
"Verona, no!" Sajin yelled.
Just then something pierced the Soul Reaper's chest beside her heart having come from over the traitor's shoulder. Verona pushed through the blade, growing closer to Aizen, who watched dumbfounded. She threw the weapon around as it extended in length, much like the one that was embedded in her body, and sliced Aizen across the chest.
"She's absorbing my zanpakuto's power and directing it into her own with Shikai!" Gin relayed, clearly not expecting this to happen.
The blade was pulled back, taking Verona with it. She flew off the metal, and came crashing to the ground. Her body rolled and bounced a few feet before coming to a halt. Sajin looked over at his Third Seat with wide eyes. Hers were barely open; gaze foggy.
"VERONA!" Sajin yelled and her world went black.
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The Squad Four barracks were still busy days after the three former Captains' left for Hueco Mundo. Soul Reapers were still injured and members from Fourth were rushing around, trying to heal everyone. There was one room though that was silent. Sajin sat next to his Third Seat's bed, the woman's chest wrapped from hip to collarbone.
Unohana had seen to Verona right away closing the wound as best she could. However, Gin's blade had inflicted a lot of damage. That and the fact that Verona pushed into it, making the blade come out the back. When she was thrown the sharp edge cut into more vital veins and bone structures. A few times her heart had stopped beating, but for now she was stable. A monitor was hooked to monitor the beats and an oxygen mask was placed over her face.
Verona groaned and Sajin's eyes snapped towards the body. The woman's eyes fluttered open slowly, adjusting to the light. Seeing the struggle, Sajin placed a hand over her eyes to help block the light. "Verona?"
"Cap... tain..." Verona choked out through the mask, throat dry.
"It's okay," Sajin spoke softly. "You're in the Fourth Division."
"Are... you... all... right...?"
"I'm fine, thanks to you." The Captain was silent for a few minutes. "Why did you come? I told you not too."
"Kaname... you... Aizen... pressure," she managed out, helping him understand.
"It was dangerous. Ichimaru almost killed you."
Verona's mouth twitched as if to smile. "I'm... stubborn..."
Sajin couldn't help but smile at the comment. He was happy she still had her sense of humor. "You're going to get better, I promise."
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"Lieutenant!" Verona's voice called out over the training field. Iba stopped his spar with Ikkaku and turned to look at the Third Seat. "The Captain wishes to see you!"
"Okay, Kudo, thank you," Iba said, rushing off.
"So?" Ikkaku asked. His attention turned towards the woman. "Wanna fight?"
"I'm still healing," Verona answered. "I'd like to keep my heart from bursting please."
"Aw, come on."
"I'm serious, Ikkaku, I can't afford another injury for a while. If I do sustain one I could die."
"Feh, fine. Just tell Iba to catch me later."
"Okay!" Verona waved goodbye to the Soul Reaper as he walked away.
Verona moved through her Division towards the Captain's office seeing Iba was leaving. She gave him Ikkaku's message before entering. "How are you feeling today?" Sajin asked when he noticed her walk in.
"Better today, Captain. It doesn't hurt so much to walk around anymore."
"That's good."
"I can do paperwork if you'd like, that way you can have the day off."
"It's fine, why don't you go home and rest."
"Captain, I told you I'm fine." Sajin sighed, handing her some paperwork. The Third Seat smiled, taking the stack and sitting at Iba's desk.
Halfway through the work Verona had to take her medicine, which made her fall asleep a short time later. Sajin looked over at his Third Seat and sighed, getting up. He took off his Captain haori before laying it over the woman's shoulders. Picking Verona up carefully, the Soul Reaper walked into his room and laid her on his large bed before returning to work.
When Verona woke up she looked around, finding herself not sitting at the desk anymore, but lying on a bed. One look around and she realized it was Sajin's. Slowly she sat up, grunting from the soreness. She pulled the white jacket tightly around her before seeing it was dark outside.
Verona got up and walked back towards the office. There she found Sajin finishing up his work. "Verona! You're up!"
"Sorry about falling asleep," the woman apologized. "Did I finish my work?"
"Yes, you did. Thank you."
"No problem Captain." She twitched from a sharp pain in her chest.
"Are you alright?" Sajin asked, worried.
"Yeah, the pain comes from time to time."
Sajin stood up. "Come on, I'll take you home."
"Captain, that really isn't-"
"I insist."
They walked through the Division in silence. No one was out, so it was quiet, peaceful. When they reached Verona's door she turned to the Captain. "Thank you for walking me home." Sajin nodded. "You know, Captain, I forgot to tell you this before: I think you should refrain from wearing that helmet of yours. You don't need it."
"Why is that?" Sajin asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Because you're perfect the way you are," Verona answered with a smile. It made Sajin's eyes widen. Verona shifted the Captain's hoari off her shoulders and handed it over.
"Goodnight, Captain."
Sajin stayed there, staring at her door for a few seconds before walking away. However, a few seconds later there was a loud thud. The Soul Reaper whirled around and ran back towards Verona's room and threw open the doors. His eyes looked down at the young woman lying in the middle of the floor, a pool of blood below her.
"Verona!" Sajin exclaimed, rushing to her side. Her chest was bleeding. "Hold on!" Sajin lifted his Third Seat and ran off to the Fourth Division.
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"She's gotten worse," Unohana said to the Captain. He growled in anger.
"Is there anything you can do?" Sajin asked. The woman looked away. "Captain Unohana, please!"
"We can extract her soul." The wolf was taken back. "We can remove her soul and heal it and her body separately. It's a risk, but our only option if we want her to live." Sajin had hope. "However... it is possible she will lose her memories in the process. This is a tricky procedure."
"Lose..." Unohana nodded. Sajin hands clenched into fists. "I don't care, do it."
"As you wish."
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"Oi! She's waking up!" a seated member exclaimed as Unohana came into the room. She looked over the woman carefully before meeting her dazed eyes.
"Do you remember your name?" Unohana asked.
"Verona... Kudo..."
"Do you know who you are, Verona?" The woman did not answer. "What Squad are you from?"
"Fifth... Sixth... no... Seventh!" she finally managed to get right.
"Do you remember anything about your past, Verona? How you became a Soul Reaper?"
"I... Rukongai... I trained..."
Unohana nodded. It was something, even if she didn't remember everything. "Do you remember who your Captain is?"
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"She's stable," Unohana relayed to Sajin and Iba. "The procedure was a success." The men breathed a sigh of relief. "However, she is very confused."
"What does she remember?" Sajin asked.
"Her name, her Squad, what Rukongai is, and that she trained... she can't remember her friends' names." Sajin's stomach dropped. "Over time she may remember."
"What should we do?" Iba asked.
"Try and help her remember. Sometimes just words or hearing people's voices helps trigger a memory." Unohana turned to Sajin. "Would you like to see her now?"
Sajin stood in the doorway of Verona's room and watched as the last monitor was removed from her. "Verona," Unohana spoke and the woman turned her head to look at the Captains. "This is your Captain Sajin Kumamura."
"Hello, Captain," Verona greeted, getting off the bed. She then held out her hand and smiled. "It's nice to meet you."
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Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months. Verona's memories were slowly returning. A few times she would remember her friends just by looking at them or repeating a past memory. It would trigger something. She wasn't sent on any missions. At the moment her top priority was to remember as much as she could and to remain unharmed. All of the Soul Reapers that knew Verona tried their best to help the Third Seat.
It was fall in the Seireitei, the air chilly. Verona sat in her Captain's office, helping him fill out paperwork once again. The silence was broken when the woman asked, "Captain, why can't I remember?"
The question was so sudden it threw the Captain off guard for the moment. He looked over at his Third Seat, sitting at Iba's desk. She was still signing her name on the papers in front of her. Finally, he answered, "Because you had an accident."
"Was it terrible?"
"Yes, it was very terrible."
"How bad?"
"You nearly got yourself killed."
"Was it for a good cause?"
"In my opinion it wasn't, but in yours... maybe at the time."
Verona paused and looked up at her Captain. "Who did I save?"
"How do you know you saved someone?"
"I don't know, I just have this feeling..." Sajin sighed, looking back at his work. "Captain... Were we friends?"
"Yes."
"I mean before I joined."
"Yes. We met in Rukongai. We both joined the Academy and studied together as well. Before that we traveled."
"I knew you looked familiar."
"Do you remember?" Sajin asked, looking up from his work.
"A little..." Verona answered, looking away and rubbing her head. "The memories come in a fog so it's hard to recall. Even if I remember it's not all there." Verona sighed, leaning her forehead against the desk. "This is so frustrating."
"You saved me," Sajin said.
Verona's head whipped up. "You, Captain?"
"Yes. I told you not to follow me, but you did and nearly killed yourself."
She smiled. "I don't think my intentions were too bad then. If I would've died it would've been for a good cause, no?"
"I'm stronger than you think."
"Right back at'cha."
Sajin's eyes widened. That line was something the old Verona used to say. It gave him hope that she would continue to gain her memories and return to normal.
The Captain stood up. "Come with me."
Verona stood and walked out of the office behind Sajin.
The wolf stopped on a hill over looking the Seventh Division. There was a light breeze in the air and the sun was setting in the distance. "Do you remember this place, Verona?" Sajin asked, looking over at her.
The woman's eyes were wide as she looked at the view. Tears filled them before silently falling down both cheeks. "H-Huh?" Verona asked out loud. She tried desperately to wipe them away. "Why am I crying?"
"This was your favorite spot to watch the sunrise and sunset. You also came up here to star graze. You're crying because it's beautiful." Sajin bent down, wiping away her tears with his gloved hands. Verona caught his palm before he could pull away.
"Captain, how do you know so much about me?"
"Because you're my best friend, Verona." The wolf Captain then proceeded in bending down more and scooping the woman up in his arms. "And it's because I love you, very much."
Verona's her heart beat wildly. She didn't understand why she was having such a reaction to it, but it was happening. The Third Seat reached up, lightly stroking his fur. Sajin closed his eyes, loving the feeling of her hands in his fur. He pressed his nose to her forehead, and breathed in the Soul Reaper's scent.
"You have no idea how much you worried me," he whispered. "I thought for sure I had lost you."
"I'm sorry," she whispered back, wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug. The Captain returned it. "But if I saved you then that means I must have the same feelings for you."
Sajin smiled, pulling away the woman to meet her gaze. She lightly kissed his nose before asking, "Would you like to star gaze with me, Captain?"
Sajin sat down, leaning against a tree with Verona in his lap. The two sat on the hill all night, tracing patterns and shapes in the sky before they fell asleep.
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After that night the two were always seen together walking around the Division. Verona continued to regain her memories one by one, enjoying her time with Sajin as he helped her. He told her all sorts of stories of what happened in the years she had forgotten. Every night they retreated to the hill and watch the sunset before gazing at the stars overhead, Verona in Sajin's arms, and him in hers.
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