Murasaki Rai was a young looking girl who was the cousin the mute female red-head soul reaper, Hoshiaki Eisei. The girl was short, standing an inch below Captain Hitsugaya. Rai and Toshiro shared many things in common–the problems with being teased for height was one, and many more to explain why they were dating. However, the Murasaki seemed to almost be enraptured by the white haired Captain, Ukitake Jushiro. She'd always been seen staring at him when he was around, she'd follow him sometimes, and she'd even accept the piles of treats Ukitake would give to Toshiro. At first, it was thought because she was afraid of him, then it was because she saw her nonexistent twin sister, Ran, by him. After that, nothing seemed to make more sense then her being in love with him.
Shunshi, being Junshiro's best friend, had pointed this out.
"Rai-chan is pretty close to you, Jushiro." He said, "She might be in love with you more then she is with Hitsugaya."
Jushiro didn't seem to mind the young girl. Her bright red eyes always had a young, yet serious look in them that led you to believe in anything. Rai's personally also seemed to be that of a Tsundare, only less aggressive.
"Rai-chan is probably being herself. You know how she is around other people, Shunshi." Ukitake answered.
He was right. The first time Rai had come with Eisei, Fushi–Eisei's older brother–and her older sister, Murasaki Kina, her eyes where everywhere. She was an observer, watching how everyone acted. This stopped when her eyes landed on both Toshiro and Junshiro. Sometimes, according to many other soul reapers, tears would flow out of Rai's eyes when Junshiro would pass. No one knew why. Whenever the subject was brought up, Rai would leave or not talk for the rest of the day. Kina, Eisei, and Fushi seemed to know—but they refused to speak, especially Kina. The older Murasaki seemed to be over protective of Rai's reasons and actions, acting like a mother, which everyone later found out about why. Their mother had been in a comma since Rai was about four, and Kina took upon herself to raise Rai. When asked about their father, Kina seemed to shut her mouth and Rai disappeared to go back to watching other soul reapers or whatever else she did.
"Probably, but that stopped. Jushiro, maybe you should talk with her." Shunshi sighed.
"I'd rather give Rai-chan her space. She doesn't seem like she's in the mood for questions. Did you not see how depressed she looked today?" Junshiro turned his head to the girl. She was sitting on the building roof not far from where they were walking. The hair pins she'd normally have in her hair, where in her hand and being tightly held. The newly cut light blue hair shone in the sun, blowing in the wind against the fading orange sky, making her hair pop out more. Rai wore a purple and white kimono today instead of her uniform, it's color matching the purple diamond on her head—the symbol of her clan. Her head turned to see them and she disappeared, reappearing in front of them.
"What are you both doing here?" She asked. The whites in her eyes where a pale red, her cheeks were wet, the normal cute eyes she had were puffy. "I don't remember Kina saying anything about there being some sort of meeting here at Squad 14's quarters."
The head Captain had allowed another squad to be formed, Squad 14, a squad that focused on hand-to-hand combat more then anything. Ironically, most of the members are from the Murasaki and Hoshiaki clans, including Eisei and Fushi. Since Kina had been the one to fix Ichigo's Zanpakuto when he had gotten trapped in Eden, she had taken on the role of fixing broken Zanpakuto. No tries to figure out how it is possible.
"Kina said she wanted to talk with us about something, Rai-chan." Junshiro said, "It seemed very important."
"Kina isn't here, right now. She's in Eden taking care of something..." Rai held her hair pins, which had a small purple spheres with small white beads hanging off of the right, close to her chest. From the Murasaki being here, the whole Soul Society learned not to mess with the hair pins. Apparently, it is a clan tradition for old family members to give their grandchildren hair pins when they see them achieving new heights. "You could come in if you want...Eisei and Fushi are inside with Delinda, Aya, and Utahime."
"I'll go inside and see if Eisei-chan or Fushi know anything. You keep Rai-chan company, Jushiro." Shunshi said, entering the house behind them. Rai returned to the roof she was sitting on, Jushiro joining her, and stared back out. Her eyes focused on the last minutes of the Sunset while hugging her knees close.
"Would you like some candy, Rai-chan?" Rai looked up to him and nodded her head. Sticking his hand in his sleeve, Junshiro pulled out three differently colored covered candies. Pale blue, pink, and orange where the color of the wrappers, the colors made Rai's heart fill with sorrow. Jushiro took Rai's hand and placed them in. Her red eyes looked up to the male.
"C-Captian Ukitake..."
"Thery're for you. You like sweet things, correct?" Jushiro smiled. Rai looked back down to her head. Tears forming in her eyes. A finger touched her cheek and softly whipped the tears away. Rai looked towards the white haired captain. He gave a gentle smile and kept wiping her tears away. "You shouldn't cry so much, Rai-chan. You'll give yourself scars from crying."
"I...I..."
"Shh. It's ok, let it out. I still know you're strong." More tears flowed from her eyes. Rai began sipping her eyes while saying 'I'm sorry' in a muffled voice. Jushiro placed a hand on her head and pet it. The girl froze, familiar with the gesture. Her eyes looked up and the familiar face of her father came into view. Her arms wrapped around Jushiro and hugged like it was the end of the world. "Rai?"
"..." She didn't answer. Eisei's voice called her name. The light blue haired female's arms disappeared and she rushed off.
Rai waited in her room for her older sister to return. As she did, her finger traced over a box with her name on it.
'Murasaki Kukiko Raina' she traced over and over again till the door to her room opened. The tall form of her older sister appeared. Dressed in her purple and white formal kimono, Kina made her way over to her. The two stood quiet. Rai continued to trace her name while Kina changed into a more comfortable sleep kimono, then sat down on the floor, returning to paper work left from earlier.
"Did you tell, Captain Ukitake?" Kina questioned, breaking the silence between them.
"I...I couldn't bring myself do to it. Kina, how easy do you think it is?" Rai said, "Just going up to someone and say 'Hey, you look like my dead father, and I was wondering if you could be my new fatherly figure for me', is enough to make someone avoid you for the rest of your life."
Since laying her eyes on Captain Ukitake Jushrio, her mind was nearly given mad. He looked like her father: the long hair, the face, the height, the personalty, the kindness in his eyes. Her father may have been an Arrancar, but he loved them to the ends of the earth. Losing him was what had made Rai feel endless pain. Her father, Murasaki Kaii, was a strange man who cared greatly for those he loved. Many of the reasons why he left to Eden before Aizen had went to Hueco Mundo to take over Las Noches, according to their mother.
"Just ask him if would be your fatherly figure. Don't go on about how...well, you get the point." Kina stumbled as she tried to bring up the problem. She wasn't as close to her father like Rai, but she did share a great deal of respect and love for him. He was her father. "It's better if you do, Rai Kukiko."
Rai closed her eyes. She remembered the warm summer days eating watermelon and listing to the wind chimes that shone in the light, laughing and having fun. She remembered the cold winter days spend inside and out; drinking hot chocolate, having snowball fights, listening to the same old stories their grandfather would tell. Spring and Falls where spent visiting the mountains for training with their cousins: Eisei, Fushi, Kasumi, and Ken'ichi. Those days were the most fun in her life, despite their mother entering the nearly life-treating comma, her father was making the best out of them. He knew they we're better then the other half of bad mixed blood they had.
"...Ukitake is better of not knowing. Like they are all better not knowing that we are—"
"Don't bring it up, Rai. Please just tell him."
"..." Rai stared at her. Unsure if she should or not. This wasn't like telling someone you love them, this was asking someone to be your parent. Love had something to do with it, but a different kind of love. She had love from family and the man she wants to spend the rest of her life with, this love was for a man who was like her father.
"She what?"
"She hugged me like a child who hug their parent." Jushiro said. He still felt the tight embrace Rai had given him, the wet stain of her tears still fresh on his clothes. Rai was a strong hugger and she hugged him like she probably would to her father. His hand touched his sleeve. "Huh..?"
Putting his hand in his sleeve, Jushiro took out a piece of the candy he had given to Rai. The wrapper was a pale blue, a lighter shade of Rai's hair. Shunshi had spoke, but Jushiro didn't hear anything. He was more concerned about how Rai had put this in his sleeve with out him feeling anything. Edenians seemed to be very skilled, more skilled then he had thought.
"Jushrio, you listening?" Shunshi waved his hand in front of the white haired male. His brown eyes turned towards the other male. "Are you listening, Jushiro?"
"Yes, Shunshi, I'm listening." He replied. "Continue."
"I was saying that Rai's getting attached you. The stalking, the watching, the hugs..." Shunshi said, "Don't you think somethings up?"
Jushiro gave a look to Shunshi. Rai was a girl, hugs should be normal, but his friend made a point about her watching and "stalking". What did it matter? Rai was an observer, she was suppose to watch people. She wasn't really bothering anybody, curiosity was a part of a person—soul or not. He didn't care, Rai was a kind girl who was strong like her sister. There was also a mysterious aura around her and her older sister that made him wonder who they were. There wasn't a person in the Seritei that had met someone with pure, bright, red eyes that shone like rubies. There was also no one who had pure light blue that blended in perfectly with the bright blue sky. The diamond shaped tattoo on their foreheads were also used for attacks. During training with Kina, that Jushiro had seen, it was a powerful serge they use for a last resort.
"It doesn't matter. Let Rai be."