Author's note:

Outline:

Powerful female original character, eventual pairing with Byakuya, cuz he's so sexy.

Set shortly after Aizen's defeat in Soul Society, AU after that (I'm not following the manga/ anime timeskip).

Ichigo's at home, and won't be featuring in my story. Much. Probably.

Read the author's note at the end of this chapter for more info :)

Rebirth

My eyes opened slowly, because the daylight was harsh and bright.

What happened? A lingering ache that may have been fully-fledged pain at some point in the near past dwindled and then disappeared, leaving my body unmarked and intact. Whatever had been the cause of the phantom pain, and why it had suddenly vanished, I could not tell. I seemed to have no memory at all of how I'd come to this place.

The second thing I noticed was that I was clothed in white robe-like outfit, crossing over at the chest and bound loosely around my waist with a plain white tie. I sat up slowly, shading my eyes to get my first look at where I had landed up.

It was then that I noticed the wreckage of the house I was sitting in, as if I'd been a meteor that had been spat out of the clear blue sky. I also saw the sizable group of ragged-looking people who were crowded around me in curious circle.

"Um." this seemed to sum up my entire train of thought perfectly, so I left it at that. I scratched my head, bemused, and noticed that I had long hair to elbow-length, a little too dark to be truly described as blonde, though it was close. The ends fell into loose curls. I wondered briefly what my face looked like.

A tall man with an authoritative bearing despite the ragged clothes he wore pushed through the crowd towards me. People moved to make way, bobbing their heads respectfully as he passed. I blinked at him curiously as he crouched down in front of me with a thoughtful expression.

"Unusual." he remarked, cocking his head.

I am... unusual? At least that was something. I didn't seem to remember my name, but now I had one adjective to go on, and I seized onto it like a lifeline. Things were looking up already.

"Souls don't usually arrive with quite so much-" he glanced at the devastation of the wooden structure I had demolished, "er, force."

There was an angry-looking woman standing a little forward from the crowd, and I figured it was likely that she'd owned the building. My mind was buzzing with questions, like Who am I? Am I a soul, then? Does that mean I'm dead? A ghost? Where is this? What's my name? What's your name? What do I do now...? But because I couldn't decide which question was more pertinent, I simply said sheepishly, "Sorry."

The man - and the woman, because I had looked at her when I said it - seemed somewhat taken aback by my politeness, but they rallied quickly. The woman huffed and turned away. The man gingerly patted my shoulder - I could tell he wasn't used to making sympathetic gestures - and said reassuringly, "It's not your fault. You have no memory, right?"

I nodded.

"That's because you're a soul. You were human - you died in the human world - and came here." He gestured vaguely at their surroundings, which, as I glanced about, seemed to be consist of many plain-looking, rickety wooden buildings. It was all very rustic. "This is East Rukongai, the 465th quadrant of Soul Society."

"East Rukongai," I repeated carefully. "Soul Society." One question down, but many had sprung up in it's place. I wondered if I should feel more taken aback by the fact that I'd died and come back as a soul... in some kind of afterlife, it seemed. How strange. However, I found that without any recollection of what my life had been Before, I didn't feel any sense of loss, or panic.

"My name is Han." He straightened and offered me a hand.

Taking it, I got slowly to my feet, dusting wood splinters off my already-dirty white robe. My feet were bare. The top of my head came to Han's shoulder, and that meant I was reasonably tall for a woman. My quick glance downwards also told me my chest was rather flat, which was a little disappointing. As a woman, I would have preferred being a little curvier. But at least everything felt right - I was pretty sure I'd looked like this when I was alive, too, though I had no memory of it.

"Alright, everyone," Han addressed the crowd loudly, "Show's over! Be about your business!"

With reluctant muttering, the crowd dispersed, disappearing down the narrow dirt streets or into their dilapidated homes. A small group of wide-eyed urchins remained, staring at me.

I smiled absently at them and stretched my arms above my head, feeling the kinks in my spine straightening out. I enjoyed the simple feeling of warm sun on my face, and realized something else.

I felt... strong.

Like I weighed very little, as if in one jump I could leap meters. My body didn't feel particularly muscular, but there was all this... potential energy just buzzing, waiting to be released.

It didn't take long for the sensation to start annoying me.

"What are you going to do about my shop?" hissed the woman, careful to keep her voice low so the soul basking peacefully in the sun nearby couldn't overhear. The newly arrived soul seemed strangely at peace even after her abrupt rebirth, standing quiet and calm with a dreamy expression on her face.

Han sighed as the woman who used to be the proud owner of a wooden shack glared at him. "I'll help you rebuild," he promised wearily, wondering for the hundredth time why he'd ended up the leader of this squalid sector of the Rukon.

"She's dangerous!" she spat, shooting a suspicious look at the white-robed soul, "I can feel her reiatsu from here. What if-"

"I've already notified the Shinigamis," Han interrupted, speaking in a soothing undertone. He turned his eyes back to the new soul, who was now staring at her hands with a faint frown, for some reason. "Whatever she is, they'll take care of it."

The sensation was annoying. It felt like the drone of an annoying bug, or like watching static on a television screen, and yet it wasn't audible or visible - it was just there, barely contained beneath my skin. The more I tried to ignore it, the worse it seemed to get.

I considered trying to push it out, but then my eyes caught the building I'd already destroyed, and I looked away guiltily. There had to be another way to control it. I wondered if this was normal for newly arrived souls, but somehow I thought not. Unusual, he'd called me. I pushed the questions of Why me? out of my head. Why wasn't important - I had to figure out what to do.

I looked down at my hands and decided to see if I had any control over this mysterious sensation.

Left hand, I thought, and concentrated. I imagined the buzzing there going away, but it fought my control. It wanted to be part of me, fizzing like pins-and-needles. If anything, the feeling intensified as soon as I tried altering it. Sweat broke out on my brow as I felt the energy shift, swelling inside me like the surge of an ocean swell.

I staggered slightly as the feeling doubled, then tripled, and I distantly heard Han's worried, "Are you oka-?" but the rest of his words were drowned out by the roaring in my ears. I felt a wild rush of energy, with the strength of a lightning storm, threaten to break free, and I had a sudden notion that if that happened, I'd level the whole block for sure. For a moment I panicked, not knowing what to do-

Then I locked gazes with the small group of urchins, standing close by. Too close. The nearest little boy looked about seven, with large, inquisitive brown eyes that stared at me as I trembled from the effort of holding back whatever-it-was.

His innocent gaze ripped me out of my panic and into action. This was no place for spontaneous combustion! I straightened my back, spreading my feet so I stood firm, braced.

Oi, I ordered myself furiously, Get a grip! Whatever's happening, stop it! Right this second! Do you hear me!?

To my shock, I felt the energy falter, as if it hesitated.

Did that mean... was it... Conscious?

Um... hello? I addressed myself cautiously, feeling foolish.

What?

The instant, slightly exasperated reply caught me completely off guard.

Who are you? I asked, bemused. He - I instantly knew it was a he - sounded achingly familiar, but I couldn't place him. Of course, I had no memories, but I knew instinctively that he was important. An important part of me.

Never you mind, the voice retorted, sounding resentful. Perhaps he disliked being yelled at.

The energy was still fighting to break free of my skin, jagged tendrils tearing from my body. I barely noticed it, but all the moisture in the ground and air around me had evaporated, forming thick white clouds of steam. Han could be heard distantly getting the last bystanders to clear the area, but I could no longer see him through the dense swirling fog, centered on me and my own personal drama, unfolding in my head.

Seriously, can't you stop that? I said sternly. There are people around here - I don't want them to get hurt!

Are you sure? questioned the voice, sounding irritated. You may need me later.

Don't- don't go, I said hastily, unsure of why the thought of being separated from the voice was wrong, but equally sure that it was, Can't you just... Control it?

It's your lack of control that is causing this, he retorted irritably. You were the one that woke me up, just now.

Oh. I said stupidly. Oops. Well, then... can't you go back to sleep?

There was a short silence. Then the voice sighed. Ugh... Fine. But I'm leaving you a gift before I go. You will NOT embarrass me, okay? He sounded really bad-tempered. If you do, I'll come out again and kick your ass!

Uh, okay... I understand. I thought it best to agree meekly.

Good. He seemed satisfied. Don't bother me again unless it's important... And you're ready to deal with the consequences, he threatened.

I gulped.

Then, 'til next time... The awareness of his consciousness faded slowly, along with the frightening energy that had accompanied it.

As my focus returned to the present, I looked around at the thick fog which had enveloped me. My gaze fell on the object which had just materialized on the ground at my feet.

It was a long, thin, double-sided sword about a meter in length, complete with an ornate basket hilt curved around the molded grip. A rapier, I somehow just knew it was called. (AN: google image "rapier" fyi).

I picked it up, admiring the fine shadows of folded steel along the thin, gleaming edge. It felt right in my hand. Was this the 'present' the voice had left me? Why he thought I needed a sword, I couldn't say.

"Thanks," I murmured. There was no reply.

The fog was dissipating quickly, and I looked up, suddenly aware even before I saw them of five figures, humming with their own suppressed energy, which had just appeared in a ring around me.

"Stay where you are!" commanded a harsh-sounding woman. "Don't move!"

I only had seconds before I would be visible.

I don't even know why I did it, but it seemed like a good idea.

Taking my beautiful new sword, I unceremoniously shoved it into the rubble, and kicked it out of sight underneath the broken wooden planks.

As soon as I straightened again, I found myself staring into the eyes of a short, yet extremely fierce-looking woman wearing a white coat over a black outfit, with her razor-sharp blade gently pressed to my throat.

Ah, I realised, Swords are useful here.

"Captain Soifon," reported one of the others, a man wearing a black mask over his lower face, "She's alone."

Shows how much you know, I thought smugly, thinking of the mysterious voice. He was with me, curled up somewhere deep inside. I could feel it.

The Captain acknowledged the man's words with the barest nod, not taking her stern gaze away from me. I blinked innocently.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

That was an interesting question, and one I didn't have an answer for yet. I wondered how to respond. I'm unusual, I thought to myself. I'm strong. I thought of the voice, too. But not alone.

I smiled. She looked even more suspicious. "I don't have a name." I answered truthfully. A sudden pang made my eyes widen - I was hungry. Like, ravenously hungry. "Do you have any food?" I asked eagerly, mouth watering at the mere thought of sustenance.

Slowly, she lowered her sword.

I didn't even see her other hand flying out to strike the side of my neck, before I dropped like a stone into unconsciousness.

Author's note:

My OC is kinda... eccentric. I want this story to be light-hearted, so I'm writing it as comedy, interspersed with some action and romance.

Why Byakuya? - because I know I wouldn't be able to exist in Soul Society without at least trying to get into Captain Kuchiki's pants.

But I'm writing him as canon as possible, so I think my poor OC is going to get rejected a lot... at least at first ;D

Basically, I'm using Tite Kubo's characters and setting, with my own plot. No rewrites of manga/ anime here. I've had a decent portion written out as a doodle for a long time, so I decided to start posting it. But consistency is not exactly my strong point, so... sorry in advance.