Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach in any way. I wrote this based in my imagination using the characters whose credit for their creation and corresponding profit belong to Tite Kubo and not me with the exception of the original characters.

I use '(…)' to state that character paused a while before resuming his/her thoughts.

The Girl with No Name

It was a peaceful day in Seireitei, which was going through a yet young spring. Birds were singing, the weather was getting nicer, and everyone was eagerly waiting for the cherry blossoms to bloom. Most people were happy in such a good day, yet there was someone with deep sadness, alone, living in memories.

Kuchiki Byakuya was on a dark room, absently staring at his late wife's picture and remembering how happy she used to make him when alive. He himself felt alive then as well while he tried every day to make her happy too.

Even though over 50 years had passed, he still could not get over Hisana, and nobody could blame him. As the Kuchiki clan is the most prestigious family in Seireitei, everyone always demanded a lot from him; he hadn't had many happy days when younger, neither as a child nor teenager. Because she was the only one who had ever shown him love and felicity unselfishly, she was the only being he had come to truly care for in his whole life.

It was in a day with such weather over 5 decades before that she had left his side. That time of the year was really not easy for him; he would quietly mourn her with more subtle and inconspicuous sadness than usual for several days.

A few days later, Rukia encouraged him to go to a walk in early in a cool morning. She tried to sound as natural as possibly. During days like those, since she had found out the truth behind her adoption into the clan and her sister, she wanted to go with him and comfort him, but she knew well it was best for him to be alone and for her to not get close to him, for her outward guise would only torture him further. She also knew his pride wouldn't let him show his sadness to her.

Byakuya entered the forest to get some really fresh air, and there he found a river with beautiful sparkles born of the morning sunshine's light reflection, making it look like a constellation at daylight.

He had thought about Hisana all day, so he hadn't realized how far he had taken his little walk until he reached that point. Only then he took notice of his weariness and decided to seat under a tree to rest a little and closed his eyes seemingly calmly to recall deep hurtful memories that he simply could not and did not want to let go of.

Then, out of nowhere, an unexpected something or someone screaming something that sounded like 'Kyaa!' fell right into his lap from above. That was guaranteed to scare anyone, but the Captain refused to show so. He just allowed himself to blink an eye and, with a composed but clearly mad and eerie face, he looked down and noticed it was a girl.

She looked like she was between 15 and 17 years old, measuring in human years. She was tall. Her brown hair was picked up with a jaw clip. She wore jeans, a black and notorious belt with a bunch of things he was unfamiliar with that looked like some metallic key accessories, a black jacket and a pair of those odd shoes with black and white that, he had noted during his last visits to the Human Realm, many youngsters were into wearing at the moment, Kurosaki Ichigo included. She also happened to be rather dirty, much to his annoyance.

-Ouch… - She expressed simply.

-Just what do you think you're doing? – Byakuya asked while trying his best to keep his composure and, at the same time, convey his discomfort and anger to the strange stranger.

-Sorry, I must've reclined to a side while asleep and fell off the tree branch. Silly me… Ha ha. – She offered with her tongue out to the side and an arm raised high so her hand could reach the back of her head and rub it in order to ease her pain there.

Her blush indicated she did feel apologetic, but such an unapologetic-sounding apology was unacceptable to him.

What's wrong with this girl? - Byakuya thought irritated further while still trying to remain tranquil.

As much as he might have wanted to ask her what she was doing sleeping in a tree branch, he was a man who always had his priority list in his mind before anything. The girl's clothes were nothing to be expected of an average ryoka; there was no proof that she was one to begin with.

-Just who exactly are you, and what is your business in Seireitei? – He asked her straight to business.

-Seireitei? Is that the name of this place? – She asked normally, blinking while looking noticeably pensive for reasons he did not care to fathom. - I see… I'm afraid I can't recall ever hearing of that place… In which continent is that? – She asked while getting up from his lap at last to wash her face with some water from the river flowing nearby.

While apparently waiting for his answer, she remained silent while observing the surroundings keenly. When she turned around and saw his face, she took better notice of him since her sleepy hooded eyes hadn't let her see the man clearly before. She quietly took in his stately quiet air and his good-looking features.

What a handsome man he is. – She thought and blushed as she realized she had been sitting on the lap of someone that looked so important.

Byakuya unsheathed Senbonzakura, losing his patience with her and displeased at being observed so blatantly by her curious brown eyes.

-I'll ask one more time, what is your business here in Seireitei?

-…I don't have any. – She replied after a long moment.

Byakuya didn't understand how that girl could possibly act so unworriedly… Was it possible that maybe she just was so ignorant she wouldn't recognize he was a captain with just looking at his haori? Couldn't she feel his reiatsu? Was she telling the truth, then, when saying she had no idea where she was?

Growing confused and about to question her further, he was just opening his mouth when she beat him at speed and got there first.

-Who are you? – She asked with an awkward look on her face, like she was trying to figure something out; her attitude was suspicious in an odd way. – Might be weird if I ask this, but… Have we met before? I don't know why your face looks somewhat familiar…

-No, we haven't… – He replied curtly and was about to continue.

-This is a beautiful place! – She interrupted again. – The trees in this part of the forest are bigger in this area. – She started as her eyes were finally done opening, looking suspiciously more abnormal. - I'm guessing we're in some unusual forest? I don't remember being in a forest before, so I wouldn't know, but I didn't know the trees could vary so much in different parts of them! Where I come from the weather is never this cold; most of the year, the weather is hot, a desert. You see, I come from the north of Mexico, from Chihuahua, a state whose borderline collides with America, and in winter…

-Shut up! – Byakuya commanded firmly like he had gotten some sort of headache from her talking; he had been louder than he had been in a while.

Byakuya's confusion continued increasing. As the head of a noble clan, most of those who ever got to be in his presence were generally fully respectful and polite, performing all the formalities expected of someone of his status. Then there were those arrogant and disrespectful like the Captain of Division 11 or the brash orange-haired brat that had saved his sister. Lastly, there were those he had opposed, enemies he had to deal with, and they ranged in personality, from the weakest Hollows to those who were a tad more powerful and far stupider, like the Zeroth Espada. That was the first time, however, that he came across one as chatty and strange like her. He didn't know her, but he could tell she was different. The first hint was her admiring the river and the forest trees and talking about her hometown with a complete stranger.

She must be a fool… Just what is her soul doing here? This part of the forest is inaccessible to ryoka; only shinigami can come here. However, could she talk of places from the Human Realm if she were a common ryoka? How did she get here? (…) Who is she? – Byakuya's head was for sure turning 360 degrees at breakneck speed, but what truly had made her most suspicious to him was the fact that he didn't detect anyone's presence around while sitting against the tree's trunk before. Missing a presence wasn't like him, so he concluded that there had to be something about her instead.

-If you won't tell me, I will force you to. – He warned coldly, turning his back on his own confusion, and decided he would make her see what her situation was.

That said, he approached her with an offensive stance using shunpo. He was too fast for her to follow his movements, and, when he was behind her, with the sword threatening to cut her throat, she finally showed a predictable reaction and looked shocked, or at least that's what Byakuya thought. Instead, it just so happened she sneezed, and he was the one surprised. He accidentally made a slight cut on her cheek with the edge of Senbonzakura when she jerked her head forward in the action. She made a small grimace, closing one eye.

Before he could blink, she again beat him in verbal speed.

-A sword! – She exclaimed with an odd tone, certainly different from what she sounded like a minute before. - It's been a while since I last saw someone use one… - She talked while looking at every detail of Senbonzakura in a keen way, and then she smirked.

Byakuya stood shocked after what he saw happening on her cheek as she talked. Her small wound quickly closed; it healed in less than two seconds. Afterwards, there was no trace of the small cut whatsoever.

Byakuya stared at her, shocked and wearily cautious. After she saw the way he stared at her, her eyelids half closed with what appeared to be resignation and confusion.

-Don't ask. – She spoke softly. - I have no idea about this either. It's just something with me; I don't even understand myself. I just know that's something I have, just like a person may know their hair or nails grow faster than other peoples', and that's just about it. – She paused. - You understand? – Her voice hastened as her eyes continued avoiding him.

There was definitely something she was hiding, and that was all Byakuya could think about at that moment… Rather, that was all he wanted to think about. Everything else made was too confusing, and he understood the answers were beyond him at that instant.

Then, out of the blue, he could feel three presences, and, not long after, three men using dark clothes with their faces hidden, showing only their malicious-seeming eyes, showed themselves openly. It didn't take much sense for anyone to realize they were of dangerous nature, though nothing a captain-level shinigami would care much about. He didn't miss how the girl's face darkened, and her hooded eyes turned wide open with notable worry and fear.

Nothing seemed to make sense suddenly.

Suddenly, one of the newcomers talked.

-Here you are, my dear! You had us all worried! – He exclaimed while looking straight at her, which visibly increased her discomfort.

The tone with which he called her with words that mistakenly could be interpreted as endearing was actually a mocking one, and the other two laughing at the remark cleared all doubts it was meant as anything but caring.

-You gave us plenty of trouble. – The same man continued, this time his gruff tone was true to his nature. - Now come with us, your destiny awaits you, and you better not run anymore. – He threatened.

That man tried to extend his arm to offer his hand to her, but she pushed it aside reflexively as if that hand had tried to choke her.

-Shut up! – She yelled with frustration. - I refuse to go! Leave me alone already!

Byakuya thought how, despite having come across her for the first time mere minutes before, he had already formed an image of her such that he did not think he'd see her so scared and upset, contrasting so sharply with her previous unworried self. There was no way anybody could think she was with them or that they meant no harm to her after seeing how afraid her eyes were, trembling even.

While Byakuya thought of that, another man surprised the girl behind her and locked his arms underneath her armpits. She screamed as her brown irises cried in horror.

-Why? – She cried as she struggled. - Why are you after me? Just what do you want from me? What is it that you want from me so terribly?

-Jeez… - The man holding her without much effort despite her struggling complained. - I know you don't have any memories, but with your head emptied, you really are annoying.

Deciding to interfere, Byakuya took an offensive stance.

-What do you intend to do to her? – He questioned the three masked men.

The man who had originally extended a hand to the girl turned to look at the Captain.

-Why would you care? – He replied brazenly. - Weren't you just holding a blade to her right now? If you were going to kill her anyway, why would you care?

-You are not shinigami. – He responded clearly. - Therefore, you do not have clearance to kill anyone, especially in this place, where you have intruded, and in my presence. Enforcing the law is the duty of a shinigami officer, and only we have the jurisdiction to decide if she either lives or dies.

All three men glared daggers at him, though he didn't mind as his cold stare was much heavier than theirs combined. The girl's brown eyes, however, looked at him with something he couldn't discern, and part of him wanted to know what it was. It looked mostly like confusion mixed with hope.

-I'll just say this once, give the girl back. – He finished.

-And if we refuse? – One man challenged.

Byakuya shunpoed to first offender, easily slaying him and, in a flash, cut the man who was holding her.

She fell to the ground. Blood had spilled on her. She froze as she contemplated her right arm and shoulder bathed in crimson, knowing the warm liquid was dripping from her face and neck too. The shock in her eyes reflecting fear yet caused a sensation of frightfulness to whoever looked at such eyes and felt their torture.

Byakuya easily and unhurriedly killed the last one. While doing so, the one who had been slain first crawled to her. Her frozen body wouldn't respond to her desperate orders to move as he glared at her with anger.

-No matter what… - He talked hoarsely while breathing heavily. - Don't you dare think you're safe! Nobody escapes fate! You won't escape what's coming to you!

Those menacing words were his last ones, and he finished with a final gasp, dying with his eyes open, still glaring at her.

Byakuya sheathed Senbonzakura. None of the trio stood a chance against him, as he had predicted since their appearance. Trespassing into Seireitei grounds without permission and threatening a Captain who also functioned as noble was a one way ticket to a death sentence; he just allowed them to skip a meaningless perfunctory trial.

Turning to the immobile girl, he kneeled to see her frightened face. She was barely moving. Her eyes looked through him instead of seeing him. It looked like she could cry. That was the last thing he needed. Then she fainted. That was also something he didn't need.

It began raining. Byakuya was so focused on her that he hadn't noticed that the sky had gotten cloudy and dark. Far from there, Rukia might have begun worrying about him a while ago.

He carried her in his arms and stood back up. She was heavier than he had imagined. Actually, her weight was the only coherent thing about her; she was taller than most women he knew after all. For some reason, his mind had failed to do logical math in that sense. He had never carried anyone other than Hisana's small frame in such a manner. Rukia's frame was just the same as Hisana's. This girl's, whose name he didn't ask, was far different, yet she looked too fragile that instant to carry like a potato sack. (Even he had more delicacy than the orange-haired brat who simply threw women from the Soukyoku like footballs.)

Byakuya hadn't felt thus confused in some time. He could've killed her just like he killed the other three, but the fact that he chose to save her instead was not only due to the unusual suspicion she arose but also to the curiosity she made him feel. There was something about her that made him feel unfamiliarly too… It was beyond him why he would feel like that about a stranger who was possibly a criminal, and he still didn't know her name.

That time, he thought he was just going to save her to then get some information from her. So, of course, chances of her sticking around to bemuse him even further were seemingly slim.

He made his way to the 4th Division, where he left her to be attended, explaining to Captain Unohana the circumstances. Then he headed to Division 1, where he reported the events of the evening to Captain Commander Yamamoto, and the fate of the girl without a name would be decided.