Title: A Bleached Halloween

Author: Cheza-chan

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. If I was married to Tite Kubo… I would never leave him. I would be his second shadow. In public, I'd worship the ground he walked on… (sobs silently)

Author Note: We did it again—Bomb-O-Maniac and I! I experience writer's block quite frequently when thinking of what to do next with my multi-chaptered fanfics, so that's how this little nonsense drabbles are formed. It's a little late—it should have been out by Halloween—but I've been busy. (whispers) I went Trick or treating. There's a little more characters in this one. Bomb-chan, I hope you enjoy this as you did the other one!


A Bleached Halloween

Kuchiki Byakuya remained levelheaded when Yamamoto Genryuusai Shigekuni—the First Division Captain—had instructed him to head to Earth to keep an eye on his Vice Captain and little sister. He was levelheaded while learning he was to spend time in whatever place Renji had acquired. But now, on Halloween night, his patience was being severely tested.

The noble Shinigami walked from black to block amongst a sea of noise. Behind him, Renji and Ikkaku were engaged in a pointless argument and ahead of him, Rukia and Ichigo were engaged in another lover's spat. Byakuya found himself smiling inside as he thought of how different the two sisters had been.

"Makes you want to scream, doesn't it?" Rangiku commented from the left of the Sixth Division's Captain. She blatantly ignored the stares she felt upon her and silently dared anyone to approach. Rukia had insisted they "dress up" to trick or treat and every Shinigami wore their rightful uniform—the Vice-Captains had their patches—with their zapaku-tos at their sides, or in Ichigo's case, on his back.

Rukia held up her hand suddenly and turned Ichigo's head so he was glaring forward instead of at her. His eyes widened and both he and the woman turned with identical evil expressions. Byakuya wrote off the chills running down his spine as being due to the weather. "Vice Captain Abarai-kun," Rukia called out in a teasing voice, causing everyone to draw to a halt.

The redhead glared at his friend over the tops of his shades and allowed his eyes to wander to where she pointed. Immediately after spotting the long braid amidst the group in front of them, Renji recalled every painful moment of that horrible day he'd tried t place behind him.

The quiet noble turned to Hitsugaya, knowing better than to question the others; he wanted answers, not a nonsensical story.

Hitsugaya tucked his arms behind him head. "He got his ass whooped by some bomb-toting chick a few days ago. It was really quite funny. All she wanted was his picture." He smirked, chuckling softly.

Abarai Renji bit down on the back of his hand to silence the acidic retort burning the tip of his tongue. One: Toushirou Hitsugaya was a Captain; two: his own Captain shot him a warning stare. Rukia turned back around, laughing, and cupped her hands before her mouth.

"Duo-chan!" Renji's heart sank into his feet as the ground of five turned.

§§§

"I'm dead broke," the young girl groaned as she fingered the hilt of her sword. "This costume cost a fortune to make."

"At least you had money in the first place," her companion mumbled, sifting through the bucket of candy she held. In the distance, the faint shout of "Duo-chan" caused her to raise her head. "Did you hear that?"

"Hmm?" The brown-eyes girl beside her was tinkering with her cell phone.

Duo-chan sighed and scanned the area. Her gaze fell on one particularly large group gathering attention and her lips quirked upwards in a smirk. "Cheza, let's go." She grabbed her friend's hand and took off running in that direction.

"What's wrong?" Cheza yelled, stumbling along in the mock Soul Society uniform she was still unused to wearing.

"Christmas just came early this year," Duo-chan panted as they came to a halt. "For both of us. Look." She pointed with her free hand and Cheza's brown eyes grew wider by the second. Shinigamis and Gundam pilots blocked the sidewalk.

"Ichigo… Ichigo… Duo-chan, it's Ichigo!"

Duo-chan nodded approvingly as her friend began sobbing. "Sweetie, don't hyperventilate, I see him. What about the figure next to my twin?"

"Twin? Hmm? Oh… Heero." Cheza patted herself down frantically until she finally produced her camera.

A bright flash went off, drawing everyone's attention to the pair. Renji turned as pale as a ghost as Duo-chan waved at him, a wide grin on her face. "Boom" she mouthed, reaching into her jacket. The redhead stumbled back a few paces, a trembling hand on the hilt of Zabimaru.

Duo gaped at the young girl currently attached to the arm of Wing Zero's pilot. She didn't stay for long and Ichigo found himself yanked closer. Cheza stood between him and Rukia, an arm around the couple's waist. "You're Soul Society's one true pairing, and also mine. I accepted you right away."

"What the hell are you talking about?" the Kurosaki boy snarled, trying to pry her arm away. Rukia's dark blue eyes were impossibly wide.

Cheza moved on from there and pulled a Yachiru, latching herself onto the terrified Renji's back. She purred against his ear and he turned beet red. "Rukia-san and Ichi-bo—Ichigo showed me those pictures of you."

"You wanted those?" the Vice Captain shouted, staring over his shoulder.

"Her friend…" Ichigo and Rukia murmured in unison, nodding sagely.

Duo and the others were at a lost. "Maxwell," Wufei spoke. "Have you ever thought you might still have family out there somewhere?" Deathscythe's owner looked through his raised arms to where Wufei pointed and almost choked on the lollipop he held in his mouth. Duo-chan glanced at the five young boys and smiled, waving.

Rukia's yell drew everyone's attention and Duo-chan covered her face, groaning. Cheza had gone and gotten herself held at bay by Byakuya's zanpaku-to. "One hug?" she pleaded. "A condolence hug?"

"Scatter—"

"Byakuya-niisama, she's an innocent!" Rukia grabbed her brother's arm and Cheza felt her heart settle back into place. She hiked up the legs of her hakama and hurried back to her friend's side. Hitsugaya and Rangiku silently watched the pair run away.

§§§

"You got the pictures, right?" Cheza leveled out her latest candy acquisition.

"Yup," Duo-chan said enthusiastically. "The flash was off but I'm sure that's going to be no problem we can't fix." She patted her jacket where the camera lay and smiled. "Though I was a little distracted by a few… other things."

"Not the bulges again," the other girl snorted. They both laughed.

"This is the best Halloween ever," Cheza squealed after they left another house. She threw her hands in the hair, her pumpkin bucket dangling. "God still loves us."

Duo-chan twirled the ends of her braid between her fingers, smiling. "How long can that last though?"

"Hopefully, until the real Christmas gets here."


Author Note: A few things, if anyone else is reading, might seem to kinna… whoosh right over your head, like the end bit with "bulges"—personal, constant running joke. (snickers) Regardless of if you understand or not, it's supposed to be funny. (bows) Hope whomever's reading will stick around and see if I bring out anymore Bleach drabbles/full-story chapters.