Diclaimer: I don't own Bleach, unless you mean the stuff I use to clean the shower with.

Credit goes to SoftRogue for the Story Idea, and the first half of this prologue. Do note, this is not going to get updated as frequently as "Forsaken"…I took this one on to freshen up my mind for the future chapters.

And no, "Legendary Four" isn't abandoned, its just on a prolonged hiatus. I'm reworking some major plot points in that story.

Blood and Sweat

Summary: Is it alright to hold someone back just because you want to protect them? If you won't help them to grow, then who will? And if you can't grow under Zaraki Kenpachi…

Prologue: What's best…

Shiba Kaien sighed as he ran a hand through his unruly hair. As Fukutaichō of the 13th division (well, he essentially ran the 13th; but no way was he going challenge Ukitake) he always had to watch out for his subordinates and do what was best for them.

Even if they wouldn't agree with him.

Part of him wanted to talk to Miyako about this; she always had a way of putting things into perspective for him. On the other hand, he was the Fukutaichō and in the end, it was his decision to make.

"Oi! Ikkaku! How's it hanging!" Kaien greeted as he found the bald man nursing a jug of…something.

"Kaien? What do you want?" Madarame Ikkaku; the 3rd seat of the 11th division asked his old schoolmate.

"What do you think I want? I need a favor." Kaien said as he dropped down in the seat across the table from Ikkaku.

Ikkaku eyed the fukutaichoō with suspicion for a moment. It wasn't that he didn't like his old schoolmate; hell, he normally ranked in the top three of the popularity polls along with his own fukutaichoō, Yachiru (who, even while angry, was too cute for wards) and Rangiku (who even his Taichō admitted had an impressive set of weapons). The fact was that Kaien was from the 13th while Ikkaku was from the 11th and; frankly, the 11th had a reputation from not liking anyone.

Finally, Ikkaku just shrugged his shoulders and thrust his jug into Kaien's hands; after all, the 11th had a reputation for not giving a shit about what others thought about them anyway.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Drink up and tell me what you want."

Taking a whiff of the jug, Kaien's eyes watered. "Miyako will kill me if she found out I was drinking." He said before taking a sip.

"Ha! I always wondered why her shikai was a whip; now I know!" the bald man snickered as he grabbed the jug and took a long pull.

"Oh, har-de-har-har. Very funny." Kaien said, before he sighed. "Look, Ikkaku. I've got a problem, and I need your help. It's about one of my new subordinates; you may of heard of her, Kuchiki Rukia."

Frowning in thought, Ikkaku snapped his fingers after a moment. "Wait, are talking about that slip of a girl that Kuchiki-Taichō adopted and pulled out of the academy and threw into your division? I remember a lot of gossip going around about that."

"Yep. And then that smug bastard when and tied my hands." Kaien said, grabbing the jug and taking a long drink.

"Watcha mean?"

"Kuchiki-sama wants us to treat her with kid gloves; hell, we can't even seat her!" the Fukutaichō grumbled as he handed the jug back to Ikkaku.

"Hold on, you're already thinking about seating her? If I remember right, wasn't she in the lower ranked class and only in the middle of rankings?" the bald man asked in confusion.

"She had old-man Kamiya as her initial tester and Hatoru-baka as her instructor. You remember how they treated people from the lower districts of Rukongai." Ikkaku nodded, remembering their own days at the academy. "As it stands; Rukia's better at kidō than shinigami with three times her experience and while her skills with her Zanpakutō stll need polishing, she's already managed shikai."

Ikkaku whistled before taking another swig from the jug and handing it back to Kaien. "Sound's pretty impressive for someone so green. But to get back to the point, what do you want with me?"

Sighing again, Kaien placed the jug on the table between them. "It's my job to look out for my subordinates and help them become the best Shinigami they can. With Kuchiki-sama and his 'suggestions' for Rukia; there's not much I can do. I could take this to Ukitake-Taichō; but he isn't one to rock the boat. Personally, I think that the only the 2nd of the 11th have what it takes to really takes to bring out her full potential. And there's only one Taichō that I know of that won't go with the flow or fold like a house of cards against the Kuchiki clan."

Ikkaku nodded in agreement. "Kenpachi-Taichō."

"Why should I care?" A gravely voice interrupted the private conversation.

"Kenpachi-Taichō!" Ikkaku exclaimed, sitting up straight. "What are you doing here?"

A pink-haired girl suddenly popped up from Kenpachi's left shoulder. "Ken-chan's trying to find the potty!"

Wisely, nobody said anything about Yachiru's comment.

"Well, I'm waiting." The Taichō said, directing his gaze at Kaien.

"Like I said," Kaien said, ignoring the shiver of fear that ran down his spine. "Rukia has a lot of potential that's going to waist. She just needs practice and experience with her zanjutsu and her kidō is quite advanced for her age."

"Kidō…?" Kenpachi drawled out with distaste.

"She can make things go boom." The fukutaichoō said quickly, only to be met with three flat stares. "Hey…work with me here. Besides," Kaien face took on a small smile. "It would piss Kuchiki-sama off."

Kenpachi stared down Kaien for a moment before his lips pulled back in a shark-like grin before directing his eye at Ikkaku "Have Yumichika visit the 13th division compound tomorrow and see if this Rukia is worth our time."

With that, Kenpachi turned and left the room and, on the advice of Yachiru, turned to the right.

Neither Kaien nor Ikkaku wanted to point out that the bathroom was two doors down to the left.

oOoOoOo

"Tsume no Mai: Hakuren!" (1) a voice cried out as a wave of cold energy shot forward, encasing a row of practice targets in a sleeve of ice.

The caster of the attack, a small girl whose black hair carried a subtle blue sheen to it, lowered her blade while panting slightly. The blade, which looked like it was white for a moment, seemed to shift to the normal grey color of steel.

The girl stood, and sheathed the weapon, before turning to look at the results of her attack.

"Eh, not bad, not bad," came a rough male voice. The girl turned to see her fukutaichio, Shiba Kaien, walking forward. "You got some more power into it this time, that's for sure. The control is still off though. You still need more practice, Kuchiki."

The girl, Kuchiki Rukia, nodded as she looked over the row of frozen dummies. She had managed to freeze 6 of the 10 she had arranged, a marked improvement from the 4 she had frozen yesterday. However, the width of the attack was still to great. She was certain that Kiyone-san was not going to be happy that the Wind-lily bulbs she had planted were little more than ice sculptures now…

"I'll try it again in a few minutes," she muttered, "I know I can get this technique right…once I do, Shirayuki promised to start teaching me the third dance!"

"Eh, hold up on that," Kaien interrupted, causing the girl to glance back at him. "I need to talk to you, Kuchiki. Come with me, lets walk for a bit."

On any other day, Rukia would have been thrilled to go on a walk with her fukutaicho. She knew her 'crush' could never amount to anything, but Kaien was also the first person since Renji to see her for who she was, rather than what her new family name was.

Today, however, she saw a look in Kaien's eyes that did not seem to bode well for her.

As the two walked along the training grounds of the 13th, it seemed like Kaien didn't actually want to talk. Rukia enjoyed quiet as much as the next person, but this kind of quiet - this oppressive quiet - was making her nervous.

"Ano, Kaien-dono," she began.

"Rukia-san," he spoke up, shocking her. For him to use her given name was highly unusual; they hadn't even known each other for a full year yet. "Listen to me for a few moments."

"Hai!" she replied, nodding her head.

"When you first came to the 13th, there was a lot of...dissension in the ranks," he continued, "None of it was your fault. I guess it was mostly because most of the people in the 10th, 11th, and the 13th are from commoner families…heck, even the Shiba clan is considered to be 'less than proper nobility' by most. AND WE'RE DARN PROUD OF IT!" He shouted the last part, startling the small girl.

"Anyway, most people thought that you, having been pulled from the academy before even properly graduating, would be a major burden," he went on. Rukia nodded, looking at the ground. "Well, you've proved those people wrong several times already. Heck, most of the rank and file are wondering why we haven't seated you yet."

Rukia frowned. "But, I'm too new to be seated," she replied, "I've only been a full shinigami for a couple of years now…"

"And in that time, you've not only achieved shikai, you've also achieved a level of kido mastery that it took Ise Nanao almost 10 years to achieve," he responded. Rukia was shocked at this assessment…Ise-san was being hailed as the next great kido mistress of the Gotei 13.

"The problem, Rukia-san, is mostly your own physical skills, and your zanjutsu," he went on, "The only thing that can improve those is the physical training any seated officer must go through…and your brother is making that difficult."

"Byakuya-niisama?" she asked.

"Yeah," he replied, stopping and leaning against a tree, "He's gone and pulled some strings with Ukitaki-taicho and Yamamoto-ji. If it were up to the division, you'd have been 6th seat, maybe even 4th already."

"But, if that's what my brother wants," she replied, "Then, why is there a problem?"

"The problem is that its holding you back," he answered.

"Wha…" she gaped.

"Listen, Rukia-san," he continued, "Part of my job as a fukutaicho is to look out for the best interests of the shinigami in my care. Its my duty to help you become the best you can be, but with your brother 'tying my hands', so to speak, I can't do anything. That hurts you in the long run."

Rukia blinked. She could understand what Kaien was saying, but she still didn't get where he was going with this. "Sir, what do you think will fix this?" she asked.

"There's only one option, and it all depends on how you deal with it," he replied, "Come to the sparing area in two hours, and bring your zanpakuto. It'll all be explained when you get there." With that, the fukutaicho of the 13th walked off.

Rukia stared for a few moments at the spot where he had stood, frowning in thought. Kaien-dono…what are you planning?

oOoOoOo

Yumichika Ayasegawa would be the first in line to praise things considered to be beautiful. A spectacular sunset over the Sokyoku, a perfect cha-no-you ceremony, that first sakura blossom in spring, he loved them all.

Almost as much as he loved himself.

He could always be counted on to have a hand mirror ready to check his stylish (to him anyway) hair, and to be constantly straightening the creases in his immaculate robes. If someone were to see him, they would never assume he was a member of the often called 'Brute Squad'.

Which is why Rukia gaped at him when he introduced himself.

"I am Yumichika Ayasegawa," he said, even as he drew his zanpakuto, "5th seat of the Zaraki corps, or the 11th division if you prefer. I'm here to see what you're made of…little girl."

Rukia bristled at that. She'd never let it be known publicly, but her height had always been a sore point with her…especially since Renji was almost two feet taller than she was now, and she never liked taking second next to him.

"Kaien-dono, just what is the purpose of this match?" she asked.

"To see if you've got what it takes, Kuchiki," her fukutaicho responded, "Draw your blade…this is no game. Your life could very well be on the line."

"Oh, I promise not to kill her, Kaien-san," Yumichika interrupted, "She's got a pretty face…in a few years she'll be a real sight. You know how I hate to ruin beauty."

"Don't hold back on her, Yumichika-san," Kaien replied, "If she's gonna grow, kid gloves can't be used."

Rukia frowned. What is going on here? she wondered, even as she prepared to draw her blade. "I agree with Kaien-dono," she spoke up, "I do not wish to be 'coddled'…face me with your true strength!"

Yumichika smirked. Well, if that's her attitude, then she's already half-way into Zaraki-taicho's good graces, he thought. "Are you sure you want that, little one?" he replied, deliberately making his voice sound as patronizing as possible, "If I go all out, you probably won't survive…"

Rukia shot forward, pulling her blade from its sheath in a classic battoujutsu (2) maneuver. Yumichika almost laughed at the absurdity of the move, swinging his sheath into place even as he called out to his zanpakuto.

"Bloom for me, Fuji Kujaku!" he shouted, his blade reshaping itself into its sickle like form, then spreading out as he thumbed the release catch.

Rukia's eyes widened in surprise, even as she dodged back and sideways, just barely avoiding her opponents downswing. The lower portion of her haori was caught by the blades, missing her left leg by millimeters.

"Nice move!" Yumichika shouted, even as he spun around, swinging his weapon around with a back handed stroke, forcing the girl to swing her blade up and intercept it. The impact sent the girl tumbling.

Yumichika kept on her, forcing her to dodge and block constantly. She attempted several times to use her kido techniques, but he was on her in a flash each time she thought she had enough distance.

"What…do I…have…to…do…?" she panted, even as she struggled to stay standing. Her opponent, in contrast, didn't even seem to be winded. "How…can he…still…"

"You're wondering why I'm not even breathing hard?" the pretty-boy called over, "Come on girl, you should have figured it out by now. I'm a fully seated officer of the most physical and combat intensive unit in the Gotei 13!"

"Yumichika-san's in much better shape than you are, Kuchiki," Kaien called over, "Are you going to submit? I'd say your next rush will probably put you in the 4th divisions care for a good couple of days…you wouldn't lose any face by…"

"I…will…NOT!" Rukia growled out, her reiatsu flaring. The pressure of her power caused the two men to stumble slightly.

Geeze, who'da thought the pipsqueak had it in her, Kaien thought. His eyes widened as he saw the girl lift her blade. Uh-oh…

"You've…shown me yours," Rukia growled at the narcissistic man before her, "So…its only fair I show you mine."

Yumichika's eyes widened. Wha…Ikkaku didn't mention anything like this!?! he barely had time to think.

"Dance," Rukia said, a circle of blue-white light forming around her.

"SODE NO SHIRAYUKI!" (3)

Yumichika's eyes widened as the girls zanpakuto began to change. A long white ribbon extended from the hilt, as it also changed color to white. The tsuba, which he saw now resembled a snowflake, also turned white, as did the blade.

It was…"Beautiful," he whispered.

It truly was the most beautiful blade he'd ever seen.

"Some no mai: Tsuki Shiro!" (4) the girl intoned, suddenly appearing behind him. He frowned as he noticed how cold it had gotten suddenly.

"YUMICHIKA! GET OUT OF THE CIRCLE!" Kaien shouted, rushing forward and tackling the surprised man, sending them both out of the circular field.

"Kaien-san, what…" Yumichika fretted, then gaped as a pillar of ice formed where he had been standing, continuing upward even through the roof of the building.

"Rukia's zanpakuto is an ice type," Kaien panted, "The Sode no Shirayuki…and that was her first dance, the Tsuki Shiro. If your within the boundaries of the circle, you get frozen solid. Even if you go airborne, if you're still within the circle, you get caught."

"A powerful move," Yumichika nodded, "And you said that's…her first dance?"

The pair looked over to the panting girl. She was kneeling, and sweat could be seen dripping from her brow.

"She knows one other, and her zanpakuto says there's a third still to learn," Kaien replied, "As you can see, its her endurance that needs work."

Yumichika nodded. "Are you sure about this, Kaien-san?" he asked, "Aside from the flak you're going to catch from Kuchiki-taicho, the eleventh is not exactly a place for some proper young girl…"

Kaien nodded. "If I let her stay here, she'll wallow," he replied, "I can't let that happen…you saw the fire in her eyes, right?" At the other man's nod, he continued. "Byakuya can complain all he wants, Ukitaki-taicho will back me on this, and its out of that pompous jerk's purview once it goes through."

Yumichika nodded. "Fine," he said, "I'll tell Zaraki-taicho that we've got a new member. You do know he's gonna give her flak about her zanpakuto right?"

"It'll just inspire her," Kaien replied, "She wants people to not treat her any different than an ordinary shinigami…this is the best choice."

The pair walked over to the prone girl, whose blade had reverted to its sealed form. "Well," the preening man spoke up, getting the girl's attention, "You've proven your worth to me, little one." He smiled at her scowl. "Congratulations…welcome to the 11th."

1)Tsume no Mai: Hakuren - The Second Dance, White Ripple. Rukia's second technique with Sode no Shirayuki.
2)Battoujutsu - Sword Skill. A sweeping attack, pulling the sword from the sheath while pressing down as it slides out. Once released, the force increases speed. (Yes, its pretty much the Ruroni Kenshin definition, but it's the best one I know).
3)Sode no Shirayuki: Sleeve of White Wind - Rukia's zanpakuto, considered (according to Chappy grin) to be the most beautiful of the ice type zanpakuto in all of Soul Society.
4)Some no Mai: Tsuki Shiro - The First Dance, White Moon. A circle of frozen ground appears beneath Rukia's opponent, which then shoots into the air, creating a cylinder of ice, trapping and killing the opponent (Bleach 117, Rukia vs. D-Roy).