Now that it is finished I feel I now need to go back an edit, don't expect miracles over night though. Any way, here is my REDO. BTW Tito Kubo owns Bleach I am just an interloper in his world. I am not sure he wants me there cause I lust after all his hawt guys. Editing background noise was a Crazy mix on Pandora and "La Femme Nikita," the first American TV series.
Part 1 "Fun and Games"
"You wouldn't dare? Not him. He is a captain and the head of a noble family?" Yarinju had a look of disdain on his face. "If he catches you it will most certainly mean imprisonment."
The white haired aging man looked over at the woman next to him crouched behind a short wall. Mischievous yellow eyes glistened back at him. Inwardly groaning he rolled his own eyes, his final warning made the captain a challenge she would not refuse.
Golden streaked auburn hair blew around her as she assessed the dark haired lord that was walking through the streets with a small unit of Shinigami. A soft wry smile touched her rounded lips. Turing to him she said. "You should know me better than that by now, Yarinju. I have no intention of getting caught." The late day sun made her soft ivory skin glow with merriment and it was hard not to share a smile with the playful woman. Lady Kurirayna, called Rayna had an infectious spirit despite her inclination for trouble.
Yarinju watched as she knelt down to further behind the wall scrutinizing her prey. Turning back to him she had that tell tale look that always meant trouble. Rayna had come up no-fail plan and she was about to execute it. Offering him a full-blown face splitting smile she said, "besides, it wouldn't be any fun if he just gave it to us. I need someone challenging to play with."
Swiftly Rayna turned away from her target and sat down hunching beneath the short wall they were using as a barrier. Smiling at the small crowd of children that had joined them on this adventure she said. "Remember don't get greedy. Take it all, and they will come looking for us, and I mean you Runi."
A small golden haired boy with deep purple eyes huffed and crossed his arms at Rayna. "As if they could catch me…"
"Maybe not, but they could catch the rest of us," Rayna warned with a gentle voice. Looking at the faces of the children she brought with her, she smiled at them confidently and continued, "just do what I told you and fallow my lead."
Before she could turn back around a small dark haired boy with stone blue eyes rubbed his hands in worry as he spoke. "Rayna are you really going to take on the Captain? He scares me."
Reaching out, Rayna gently tapped on the end of his nose and said, "No self righteous captain of Gotei 13 will ever catch me." Stretching her head up she peeked over the wall once again before turning back to the still worried child, "I think you should take the one in back, Nonu. He looks like he is not even paying attention." The boy set his jaw and nodded.
The three children that she had brought with her were exceptional at the slight-of-hand craft that she had taught them. They were all expert pick pockets. As much as Rayna disliked steeling, she would do it the feed the house full of children that she had rescued from the worst parts of the soul society. Turning to a beautiful young teenage girl with pig-tailed brown hair she advised, "get ready Duchira."
Peering over the wall again Rayna watched as her intended target walked right into their ambush. The feeling of her hood sliding over her head brought her attention back to her constant companion. Yarinju looked at her with concern before he said, "you should have warn your hair up. You're going to have a hard time convincing them you're a teenage boy if they catch you."
A coy grin touched Rayna's lips as she replied, "I think they would be more concerned with the old man that leads our band of rabble." Grabbing the cloth of his tattered cloak she pulled the dark hood over graying blond hair. Scooting in closer to Yarinju, she whispered, "trust me, Captain Kuchiki will not be the one to catch me."
"If you say so, than it must be, Lady Rayna," Yarinju whispered finally giving up his protests. The annoyance that flashed in her eyes was all the reply he got before she turned away from him.
Nodding at Duchira, Rayna stretched out a leg and kicked the soccer ball that was lightly tossed at her. With precise accuracy the dirty ball flew over the wall and into the center of the approaching Shinigami. The conniving group behind the barrier sprang into action and fallowed it.
To everyone it looked like a good game of soccer that had gone awry. The children kicked the ball in and out of the squad expertly causing the Shinigami to lose their formation. No one noticed the quick hands of the players as the group of children robbed the black suited solders of their sake money. Brushes and bumps were attributed to the rudeness of the poorer class.
The children dexterously dodged kicks and slaps as they made their way through the forest of dark uniforms. When they broke through to the empty street on the other side they kept going. Curses and shaking fists were ignored as they continued to play their game.
All had been deceived, except for one. Byakuya Kuchiki had not missed how close the players got to him and his men. Nor did he miss the tall boy that had brushed past him with a speed that could easily match the Shunpo of a new recruit. Reaching up he noticed the small pocket inside his Kosode had been relieved of some of its money. The urge to follow them was great. However, orders were orders, and his squad was on a mission. They could not stop for such trivialities as being pick-pocketed. Street urchins were too foolish and wretched to respect his title and rank. And, if the rest of his squad was too stupid to realize what had just taken place then they deserved to be cheated of their money. Glancing backward he watched the crowd of gutter thieves disappear behind a dilapidated building.
Rayna was the last to return to the over-crowded house that she called home. The night had begun to settle in and the warm glow of lamps welcomed her to a happy hearth. When she had first found the house it was a falling down wreck. But her and her children were scavengers of the ingenious sort and the broken down building was soon transformed. Despite the obvious poverty, the house they all shared was clean and a safe environment for all that lived there.
Odds and ends made up sparse furniture. Books sat in piles on the floor along the walls and shabby rags covered the windows. Tucked in the back of an overly long room was an old door that had been turned into a dining room table. That is where she found the children she shared her home with. Sitting and eagerly awaiting her return, their faces lit with joy as she walked in with Yarinju fallowing closely behind her.
"It is all right little ones, I am safe," she announced with a reassuring grin.
Runi was the first to jump up and wrap her in a tight hug. Quickly releasing her he looked up at her with a petulant look before asking, "what took you so long?"
Smiling down at him Rayna gently cupped his obstinate chin and said, "I had to make sure we were not followed." Looking around the barren but clean room she continued to smile at them. "Why such sour faces we have enough to by meat and sweet cakes."
"I believe they were more worried for you than their bellies." Yarinju offered from behind her. Looking down on the eager faces he continued, "I would not let Gotei 13 take your lady from you."
Laughing out loud, Rayna said, "and certainly not the great sour Captain Kuchiki. He is a commoner amongst the nobility of thieves." The children laughed at her joke as she sat down in the middle of the table and asked, "Lets see how generous the court guard was today?"
Nonu, Runi, and Duchira all placed handfuls of money on the center of the table and the children sitting at it began to whisper to one another. When Rayna added her own pilfered coin there was a collective gasp before the children started talking excitedly about the food they would get to eat.
Smiling at no less than fifteen faces, Rayna said, "I told you that the Captain would be worth playing with."
Carefully closing the door behind her, Rayna left the children with full bellies and peacefully sleeping. Silently she headed for her own room at the top of house. It was small, and cold in the winter, but she would not let any of her makeshift family sleep in the drafty attic. She loved the tiny chamber because it offered an overly large window. The view was amazing, the free access to the night outside that was offered made the room priceless. Only pausing long enough to grab her shabby brown cloak the restless redhead opened the window and disappeared into the night.
Sitting on a nearby rooftop, Yarinju quietly cut off pieces of an apple as he ate it. A figure in a brown cloak streaked across the rooftops of the soul society and he stood up ready to fallow. Fortunately, he was prepared for Rayna's wonder lust. The encounter with the captain had unsettled her whether she would admit it or not, and he had already known she would foray into the darkness. It would be impossible to catch her, so he did the next best thing. Pulling a cell phone from his waist band he dialed a very familiar number. When a silky voice answered he asked, "feeling, like a prowl?". A moment later he hung up the phone and fallowed the path of his mistress's Reiatsu across the rooftops.
"I suppose you have come to berate me about my latest conquest," Rayna said when she felt a familiar presence. Leaning on a high ledge of an old stone bridge, she stared into the silvery water as it glistened with moonlight. Warm wind had a hint of autumn as it blew against her cheeks and hair. The night had done its job and she felt rejuvenated and happy.
"Control your Reiatsu," Lady Yoruichi barked in her male voice as she approached in cat form. "And, I do not berate. It is my job to point out the foolishness of your actions. But, I think you know that already so, no, that is not why I am here." She said jumping from the ground to the ledge of the bridge with ease. "I just thought you might need some company."
"Mmmm or my guardian called you to tell you I had wondered off again. Really, it is unnecessary for you to drag yourself to the slums." Rayna said looking down at the cat next to her.
"Then you should not take unnecessary risks. What would you have done if he had caught you?" the dark cat asked swishing his tail.
"You are the second one today to give me so little confidence," Rayna smiled openly. "That prideful fool will not be the one to catch me."
"You didn't answer my question? What if he had realized what you were doing?" Yoruichi asked.
"Oh, he did realize," Rayna smiled down at the cat. "But, the court guard doesn't go to the slums for no reason. Whatever his reasons, he was there for something important and was not about to stop for something so trivial as being pick-pocketed."
A cloud of smoke was her only warning before she felt a sharp smack in the back of the head. "Heeeey," she started.
"That was an unnecessary gamble. You fool, for all your training you are not prepared to take on a captain of the court guard. Perhaps a lesson is what is needed to convince you," Yoruichi said before releasing a large amount of Kido aimed directly at Rayna. With ungodly speed Rayna drew her sword and defended against the attack. Fortifying the blade with her power she sliced the stream of energy in half and dispelled it safely on either side of her.
Yarinju suddenly appeared between her and the powerful lady. "Control your Reiatsu," he barked before turning to Yoruichi. "Court guard coming this way," he informed. Grabbing Rayna's arm he dragged her toward their home, "they may have felt that, considering its Captain Kuchiki's division and he accompanies them."
Rayna allowed herself to be dragged away and started laughing as she dug her heals in. "Maybe the captain wants to have an..."
"Don't even finish that thought," he growled shoving her forward.
Turning to the still naked Yoruichi he said, "They are looking for..."
"I know," she replied turning back into a cat. "Maybe it's time to consider a different strategy. I will see what I can find out," she said over her shoulder as surveyed the area. "Get going, I know that pressure and it is not far off."
A short distance away Byakuya continued his hunt for the Arrancar that had been reported to have entered the soul society. A strange wave of pure energy caught his attention. It was very slight, like the scent of a flower on the wind, but strong enough to fallow. Ordering the unit that was with him to continue their search he traced a path to the power. By the time he reached the old stone Bridge where Rayna had been it was gone, but he could feel the presence of a very powerful former Shinigami captain. Turning back the way he came he cursed to himself silently. It was never good when the 'demon cat' was involved.