Dear Readers:

This story starts WAY before the original storyline, in this story, Kiyone and Sentaro are already part of the 13th squad but Kaien hasn't even entered the Shinigami Academy yet. Please make sure to keep that in mind throughout this story. It is a JushiroxOc story, though you might not see such that much "action" until later chapters.

***Note that it is rated T until further notice and that the romance will NOT start until later chapters when my OC grows up.

Ch. 1: A present much too stressful

It was a pleasant day in Soul Society, however Kiyone was much too stressed to bother to enjoy it. Today was her captain's birthday, and there was still much to prepare for. A bath, a change of clothes, and not to mention setting up the surprise party… However a certain young girl just happened to be set on interfering with today's plans.

"LET GO!!!" Kiyone screamed at the girl.

"NO!!! You let go!" The girl screamed back, her eyes stubborn as they glared back at her. Her tiny arms just refused to part with their captain's gift, a cute white fox that a man in the 2nd district had guaranteed would be a wonderful present for the captain.

The present itself let out a mournful moan, the girl's insolent tugging that she had inflicted on its tail was already too much.

"SEE? It doesn't like you!!" The girl holding the fox yelled hoarsely.

Kiyone let out a huff of annoyance, she had no idea why the fox would prefer this less than 4 ft. girl over her.

Maybe if she could distract the girl for a while and then snatch the fox out of her hands! She would be free to prepare for the party then. "How old are you?"

"My onii-san says I'm about physically 12 now..." The girl's clear sterling eyes narrowed at her as if she had already detected the plan that Kiyone had just thought of.

Maybe I should try a different approach.

"What's your name?"

"... You can call me Aru..."

Kiyone's brow furrowed, what type of name was Aru?

"Well... Aru-san, you see... That fox you're holding on to is for one of my friend's birthday. And I really need to get ready for it so I don't have time to be arguing with you."

"Who's your friend?"

"... My friend, he's one of my superior officers, have you heard of him? Ukitake-taichou of the Gotei 13?" Maybe the little girl would realize who she was dealing with, or she would be awed of the fact that she was in the Gotei 13 and give the fox back, Kiyone hoped.

"So you're one of those shinigami people? You know I heard my neighbor calling you guys good-for-nothings."

"Is that so?" Kiyone managed to stutter out as she struggled to keep the fake smile that she had plastered onto her face. That had been the total opposite of the reaction she had been aiming for.

"Hmm.... I've always wanted to see what Seireitei was like, how about this? I'll give you the fox if you let me see your division and your captain, also you have to give me a tour of the entire place! Not just your division, but every division's barracks and everything!"

"WHAT!" Kiyone shouted, fire seemed to pour out of her ears as she glared furiously at the girl. Who did she think she was? She didn't have time for this, an entire tour would take at least a couple of hours. The party was only 5 hours away and she still had to get ready!

"Fine..." The girl looked at her as if acknowledging her refusal to comply to her wishes. "I'll just take the fox for myself, my little brother always wanted to have a pet." She began walking away as Kiyone stared after her, contemplating whether or not to agree to the girl's whims.

"Wait..." Kiyone took a deep breath, what other choice did she have? "Fine...."

And just like that, the deal was sealed.

That's the first chapter, tell me what you think. Don't hesitate to tell me if there are any grammar errors. I know that sometimes such errors can really annoy people. Also, I'll keep editing this chapter. After all, nothing's perfect so there's bound to be mistakes.

Reviews and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated, no flames though...

-Kazu