The following information changes over time! However, do not expect the second chapter's update the match the eleventh's, for example.

Rumination

Summary: [SEQUEL CONCEPT, NOT A REAL STORY] Suddenly thrust back into the past, Jaune and Raven attempt to influence the new World of the Living from right underneath the Gotei's noses before they discover it.

Character(s): Jaune A., Raven B., Summer R., Shihōin Y.

Genre(s): Angst, Romance

Ratings: M, to be safe.

Warning(s): To be determined.

Language(s): English : English ; Japanese (written in English), Spanish.

Crossover(s): Bleach: Good!Aizen AU, Temporal Displacement AU, Time-Travel AU, Arrancar Members of the Gotei 13 AU, Worlds of the Living (Soft Multi-X-Overs) AU. ; RWBY: Heart (another Fanfiction idea) AU, Good!Raven AU, Limitless (previous Fanfiction) AU.

Beta(s): N/A.

End Notes: Came across the idea. Refused to leave me.

Season #1: "Saving Summer" Act #1: "Ten"

Disclaimer:

I do not own Bleach, that belongs to Tite Kubo.

I do not own RWBY, that belongs to Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth, extensively..

I do, however, own any and all OCs, AUs, and twisted plot/Canon.

Please support the official releases.

Now, for the love of God, let this Fanfiction begin!

Chapter #: "Callous"

Location: Soul Reaper Academy

Date: Monday, 6 September, 1875

Time: 3:37 PM

Point of View: First, Jaune Arc, aged 93 years (appearance: 23)

Marking my way through the desks and finalizing multiple papers, I eventually slid my way through all of the bureaucracy. I successfully transferred myself from being set in stone in the third division - I was chosen for both my skills in Kidō and my display of a cold heart in battle - and placed myself to be drafted into the second division. While stealth wasn't one of my most enjoyable aspects, I was well versed in Hakuda and needed to join it for the sake of my single goal.

Last time it was easy - I'd simply broken my way through the Court of Pure Souls with Ruby - and eventually her step mother Raven joined the fray - and together we rescued her biological mother, Summer. This time, since my awakening here nearly twenty years ago. Many wondered how I'd actually managed to snag multiple Asauchi and developed them into two separate Zanpakutōs, and I'd answered,

"What's an Asauchi?" At their bewildered and disbelieving looks, I continued. "I just forged my own katanas using slag from rusted metals I melted down with a homemade clay kiln."

The younger ones bought it immediately, and while the adults initially remained slightly suspicious with the answer, they eventually simply dealt with the fact that I was already a primed student in multiple areas. It made things easier for them, and as a plus, I wasn't particularly lying. I just wasn't the one to originally forge the weapons.

Shinjitsu [Truth], the name of my true Zanpakutō, is normally a long ōdachi, but has been reduced to a short wakizashi in order to fit into the small sheathe at my lower back, handle fitted to the right side for easy access. She is an Illusion-type blade. When unsheathed, she will regain her original form. Shinjitsu was manifested from my great great grandfather's weapon during the Great War, Crocea Mors. Perhaps her name changed when I began to influence her with my own Aura on top of his.

Bara [Rose] is my second Zanpakutō, handed down by my recently deceased wife. He is a mixture of melee and a Kidō type blade for both his mainly melee techniques mixed in with long ranged attacks (requiring close range attacks and defense to activate long range abilities). Bara is a natural meter long wakizashi that has also been shortened to match the size his sheathe, but has been fitted to the left side since Ruby was a left hander - and on top of that, Bara himself also emphasizes that the blade was meant to be wielded via left hand. Even sealed, he has his own calls, like Extend your Thorn, which allows him to extend its handle and form a short bladed spear, about a meter and a half long.

I stepped through the exit of the building with the appearance of pure diligence - the same mask I'd used to build up my reputation in the academy, though with a slightly conflicting cold hearted artifice - with a full Soul Reaper shihakushō and a beaten red scarf (the remnants of Pyrrha's sash) around my neck on my way to the second division. To maintain appearances, I quietly asked for directions from one of my instructors and they repeated it to me in monotone. With only the one inquiry, I stepped along my natural path.

When I arrived, I presented my transference papers to the masked guard before the gate to the compound, and after reading for just under a minute, he nodded at me and opened the gate for me. I made my way to the main meeting room and stepped inside.

Across a small, thin table sat the Shihōin princess herself, Yoruichi-sama, or just Yoruichi as she prefers, and she sat boredly, elbow resting at the armrest beside her. When she looked into my eyes, after I idly noted I was late compared to the others, her eyes began to sparkle with interest, behind a thinly veiled mask of indifference. She studied me, though with what I noticed, when she looked into my eyes, she noted the pure annoyance I had been attempting to hide. With that, I think I accidentally attained her full attention.

"Who might you be?" she wondered curiously. Answering honestly, I stepped forward and bowed.

I was well acquaintanced with the Japanese habit of providing their surname before their given name, and answered accordingly. "Arc Jaune, Academy Graduate."

I also figured that if I had her attention, the better. I would be promoted faster, what with my 'genius-level intellect' from graduating in under two years along with my 'high level spiritual energy' that I'd used. Even then I had seals placed around my body.

She lazily stuck an arm out and made a gesture for me to approach and pass the paper to her, but with what I knew about her personality - and keeping in character, imagine that, with what I'd heard about her in the academy - I knew she'd find that formality rather dull. I suddenly tossed it with full speed at her, with a quick Hadō #1: Shō [Thrust] I knew she'd perceive, and she caught it out of the air like a stereotypical ninja would a fly. She smiled at me for the courtesy, though her bodyguard, Shaolin Soifon, was less than amused - but, with the same speed Yoruichi had utilized to obtain my little joke, she used her other arm to nonchalantly hold her young bodyguard back. She glared daggers at me.

"Let's see here..." she mumbled to herself turning her gaze down to the page. A majority of those gathered turned to look at me in their Omnitsukidō uniforms, face masks dominantly covering their heads, though their eyes were all open. A few looked at me with sneers (I immediately believed them to be nobles, picked out their high Spiritual Pressure, and then moved that information to the back of my mind), some with indifference, and some weren't even paying attention to my presence. The room was deathly quiet as she perused the manuscript I'd just handed to - or threw at, whichever your prefer - her.

Two Omnitsukidō either had gall or permission to modify parts of their uniform. A woman with shocking red hair done up in a ponytail cascaded behind her, the top having been removed. I almost thought her Pyrrha if it wasn't for the yellowish, catlike eyes that stared back at me. I was perturbed a small amount and turned to the other figure. A male, I presumed, looked straight ahead of himself and ignored my gaze if he even knew it was there. He had forgone to include the proper lower mask, only using a red cloth that wrapped around his head like a World of the Living Earthern Sector Western cowboy would.

Another cloth beneath that deftly covered his neck. I assumed that, much like mine, it served a purpose.

"Recommended for first, second, third, fourth, eighth, and thirteenth divisions," she noted with a hint of interest in her voice, though mostly laced with boredom being sated. "Slated for third, but pushed for second." She placed the paper on the table face down with a bit of force and looked at me. "Any reason why?"

"Yeah, sure," I internally drawled, "I'm here to join your division with 15 years to get to the position I need to break out my mother-in-law from the Maggot's Nest and then abruptly desert the Gotei 13. Yeah, that'll go over well," I thought sarcastically.

I spun a line of stupidity as quickly as I could. "Assassin's my trade - killed a lot of criminals in the upper districts while making my way to the Court of Pure Souls." Not really a lie - I don't exactly like assassins at all - in fact I despise 'em. But, they do have a job and they can get it done with the right hand. That would be Yoruichi's.

She took a second to analyze me, in disbelief, before giving out a disarming smile and nodded at me. "Alrighty, then!" she shouted enthusiastically, and I internally sighed in slight relief, since being accosted wasn't particularly something I enjoyed, "Since you missed the big speech, here's a brief: you're the new 13th seat. Now, just head out and enjoy the party. That goes for everyone else! Dismissed!"

The two lines of seven each, minus one on the right where I assume I was meant to sit, stood up abruptly, and even I slightly jumped to attention, but luckily Yoruichi had her eyes elsewhere, otherwise I may never've lived it down. All of them began to disperse, walking to different areas of the room. To the left, a greater area was set up for the center for what appeared to be a dancers' stage, in which they began to file up to begin. Other members of the Omnitsukidō and what I assumed were nobles mingled in this area. To the right, there was a small bar setup to receive patrons. A bartender stood unerringly behind the bar, idly cleaning a cup with a white cloth. I wasn't aware that Yoruichi had a thing for the Western ideas.

I approached the bar, one of the other newer members also sidling up to it. It was the Pyrrha hair-alike who sat down a barstool from me, and despite the obvious separation, she leaned over to me. "Name's Akai. What's yours?"

"Red," I translated internally superfluously. I regarded her for a second before turning to the bartender and requesting a shot of the strongest they had. Akai blew out a sharp breath of slight surprise and leaned back simultaneously to add to it, she awaited for my answer. "Jaune," I answered. "Arc Jaune. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue." I leaned over to her with a mischievous smile. "Ladies love it."

She raised a brow - and in such a Pyrrha fashion (slight head tilt and everything!) my heart began to throb in despair - and slowly asked, "Do they now?"

I nodded my head, sharply locking away the memories of her corpse before me, now that I had true results with the pickup line in my younger years. It worked about fifty percent of the time, and with the way the girl was smiling at me I could tell that she could appreciate at least a little attention. Maybe the other new academy graduates had been colder than me. Then again, being a sixth year graduate, she had some information on me - at least the information I allowed others to know - and called me out on my out of character actions.

"Now that I'm out of the damn Academy," I started, "I want to be more like me. Teachers are sticklers, y'know?"

She nodded in agreement. She didn't have to say she knew what I meant, it was obvious.

"So, your name's Akai," I stated more than asked, and she nodded, "any given names in your world?" I wondered. I was honest, I'd never heard of her before. She was probably dead by the time I showed up last time.

"Akai is my given name."

At the deadpan answer, I tilted my head. "Any surnames in your world?"

"None," she said. "Got one for me?"

"Nikos," I responded before I could stop myself. I idly wanted to stab myself with Bara.

"I am not meant for ceremonial suicides!"

"Noted," I cut him off and involuntarily tilted my inner self towards Shinjitsu.

"Don't you go leaning towards her - we die if you do."

"Don't worry, Bara, I refuse to aid in it, too."

"Quiet, the both of you."

"I like it...Nikos Akai...sort of jittery, but Red Victory sounds like a good name to me."

She was seriously considering it...I thought, "I'm going to die for sure," acutely aware of my new weakness before me. Sharing hair color and style was one thing, but the name was sure to drive me to do as my former overprotective self would. Being around her may have been just slightly unbearable due to my memories concerning Pyrrha just by her hair, but having to constantly remember her new surname was Nikos - by my own tongue no less - was a whole other leve-

"Also, I'm 12th seat," she interrupted by train of thought. "That makes me your direct superior," she added smugly, grinning at me.

I returned an amused smile, but I was dying internally. "Great, now I'm chiefly recalling Pyrrha now that I have to refer to her as Nikos-san," I thought glumly.

"Talk or she's going to become concerned with your gaping."

Heeding Shinjitsu's timely advice, I leaned forward towards her with a wide smile, made a fist beside my head in a paw-like manner, and mischievously said, "Hai, Neko-sa!"

She swatted my arm and laughed - shockingly just a few notes deeper than Pyrrha's laugh was and eerily similar - at me, "Ar-kun, you brat!"

I chuckled with her for what it was worth - a genuine one, too. We bumped cups - apparently she had obtained a cup of red wine - and drank together. A pair of footsteps greeted us and we turned towards our captain and her personal bodyguard, Soifon, who was still glaring at me. I kept the cup to my face in order to prevent my grin from becoming to obvious, but my barely contained guffaw showed in my form, and her gaze narrowed even further.

"Like Gin," I added.

"Hotter, though."

"Ugh."

"He's not wrong."

"Oh, God, just shut up."

Ironically cutting her off after that comment, I tuned into the conversation after Yoruichi informally greeted us, waving. Akai nodded at her and said, "Captain," while I was busy hiding in my cup from Soifon.

"Enjoying the party already, I see?" Shihōin-taicho asked, and I nodded.

"This drink," I said, raising the glass up in gesture, "it's kind of light, but it's good."

At that, Akai suddenly began to cough, beat in her chest in surprise. Even the captain was surprised.

"Light?" the captain asked.

I nodded dumbly, but then Akai grabbed my shirt and pulled me a little ways towards her, though not too close for comfort. "What do you mean it's light, that's the strongest stuff in the Soul Society!"

I made a face of disgust, then. "That's horrible," I said honestly. "Why would such a light, diluted drink be the strongest in Soul Society? This is a terrible afterlife!"

At the horrified look on Akai's face, Yoruichi began to laugh extremely hard, and Soifon, who had no history of alcohol of which I could recall, remained passive. Akai, however, said what was on her mind. "Just what kind of stuff did you drink to call this," she pointed at my cup, which I drank from in teasing emphasis, "light?!"

Thinking it over, I rolled my head over over-dramatically. "Anything that crazy man brewed for me - I swear he added motor oil to that damned concoction."

"Added what?"

"Nothing," I answered Yoruichi. I didn't feel like explaining automobiles to people who had no concept of them whatsoever. And that wasn't for insult. "How long's the party supposed to last?" I deflected the moment I saw her not exactly being appreciative of my earlier answer.

She took a brief second to study me before answering. "About an hour, though today we aren't really doing much."

"Is that every day?" I just had to ask.

Yoruichi, rather than being censuring, shrugged. "Mostly," she answered.

"Nothing really gets done in this squad, does it?"

While Yoruichi held back her blustering companion who continually reached for my neck with her Zanpakutō Suzumebachi, Akai swatted my shoulder. "Ar-kun, that's rude!"

"I know," I laughed, and she hit me again for my trouble.

End of Chapter #1: "Callous"

And that's that!