A/N: This an idea my friend and I got when we were playing Sims 2 on her computer. I wanted this to be pointless crack, but it didn't turn out the way I wanted, though it can still be seen as such if you look at it from a far distance and from a particular angle. So, expect major OOCness on Byakuya's part and some from the other characters, too. It's written in Byakuya's point of view and set just after the Soul Society arc.

Prologue – A Fresh Start

Something once lost will never return.

"Captain, get up!"

"Brother, are you okay?"

"That won't resuscitate him, Rukia. Watch, I'll do it my way."

"Renji, wait! Don't…"

A fist lands in my face – hard.

"What the hell…" I sit up and rub my sore nose. "Who… are you?"

"Oh, Brother, thank goodness, you're awake," says the dark-haired girl kneeling to my left, smiling in relief.

"Hey, Captain, glad to see you're okay," the red-haired boy to my right states casually. He's wearing a black kimono, one that's identical to his companion's.

I don't recognize these two at all. In fact, I have no any idea who or where I am.

I examine my surroundings for the first time.

Several plain white buildings reach high into the bright blue sky, but apart from that, there is nothing to see.

"Where am I?" I rub my head with my palm, hoping that, at any second, realization will hit and everything will be clear.

"You didn't show up at work today, so I knew something serious must have happened. That's why we were wandering around Seireitei for a while until we found you here, but you were already collapsed and unconscious on the ground," he explains.

"And who are you?" I continue to rub my aching head – that might have something to do with the sudden memory loss.

"Captain, it's me, Renji, your lieutenant. And this is Rukia. You don't remember?"

Nope. "Who am I?"

"You're Kuchiki Byakuya, Captain of Squad Six from the Thirteen Court Guard Squads."

I'm getting more and more confused by each passing second. "Huh?"

"Renji," Rukia says to the redhead. "Report this to Captain Unohana. We need her help."

"I got it." Without delay, Renji leaps high over the buildings and disappears from sight.

"Wow."

"What is it, Brother?" Rukia asks curiously.

"Can a normal human jump that far?"

"No, a normal human can't." For some reason, she smiles as if I'm missing some inside joke.

"What does that mean?"

"Well, how do I put this…?" Rukia struggles for words until she hesitantly says, "You've kind of been dead for a few hundred years."

"Dead…?" Failing to grasp this fact soon enough, I collapse for the second time in one morning.

I wake up on what feels like a stretcher bed. That must mean I'm in the hospital.

"Welcome to the Squad Four Station, Captain Kuchiki," greets a young woman with a thick single plait braided beneath her chin. "I'm Captain Unohana. These two here say you're having trouble remembering some things, is that correct?"

I look to my left to see Rukia and Renji sitting beside me, looking quite worried indeed.

"Yes, that's right. I don't remember anything about… anything really. My name, my identity… they're all gone."

"Well then, I guess we have quite a predicament on our hands."

The next several hours are spent with Captain Unohana explaining to me the basics of Soul Society. None of it rings a bell. All this Soul Reaper and spirit energy talk sounds like something out of a fantasy novel. Every so often throughout the discussion, Renji would make a stupid joke to try and lighten the mood, and every time, Rukia would hit him across the head.

Many hours after that, following countless physical and psychological tests, Lieutenant Kotetsu gives me a diagnosis of amnesia and loss of spiritual energy.

Well, I didn't really need to go to a hospital to find out I've lost my memories.

I'm told that the lost spirit energy thing means I am completely and utterly powerless. But since I can't remember having any of it in the first place, it's not such a big loss.

"Will I ever get my memories back?"

"It's hard to say at this point in time. We can't seem to find the cause, so finding the cure doesn't seem likely for at least a few weeks…" Lieutenant Kotetsu trails off and looks down as if she's trying to hide just how bad this is. She finally turns back at me and puts on the best fake smile she can muster. "Don't worry though, we'll study these results further and contact you immediately if anything comes up."

And then, out of nowhere, a large black butterfly flies in through the window.

"So he sent a hell butterfly…" Captain Unohana let the creature land on her finger and then listens intently to silence for a whole minute before nodding and sending the butterfly away. She then turns to me, seeing the puzzled expression on my face, and explains, "I told the Head Captain about your situation, and it seems he's come up with a solution."

"And you got this information from a butterfly…" I vaguely remember they mentioned something about a 'hell butterfly' towards the end of that long explanation of this afterlife, but I had long since stopped paying attention.

"Don't worry, they're very reliable sources." And so, she starts to repeat what she just heard, "Captain Kuchiki, you shall be sent to the world of the living to wait for your powers to return to you. Whilst there, you will be given an artificial body and live as a normal human. We shall assign someone to prepare a suitable house for you, which you will share with your little sister." She turns to Rukia and says, "You have been given the task of taking care of your brother and ensuring that no harm comes his way."

"Understood," says Rukia.

"I guess it's time for you two to be on your way then." Captain Unohana gestures towards the door. "I wish you luck, Captain Kuchiki. Make it back to us in one piece."

Leaving the Squad Four quarters, Renji goes back to his office to finish off his paperwork while Rukia leads me to the gate that connects together Soul Society and the human world.

I look directly at the open door. What lies beyond it is a complete mystery to me. But whether I am ready or not, I am moments away from stepping into my new life.

I try to comprehend my current circumstances, before quickly stopping myself. I know if I think too much about the fact that I am technically dead, I will not be able to hold off the mental breakdown I can feel coming.

Rukia obviously notices my tense stance. She takes my hand and asks, "Ready to go, Brother?"

I nod my head and murmur, "Sure, bring it on."