So much excitement! I'm really happy to be back :) I've never attempted anything like this fic but I'm looking forward to working on it and getting your feedback. I'm thinking 15-20 chapters, and we'll probably reach a T rating in a few chapters. Enjoy!

Chapter 1

Rukia,

I have had the house cleaned in preparation of your arrival. You are free to come and go as you please. I trust you know better than to arouse suspicion.

I am still traveling through Russia. The wolves are almost unbearable but some of them are beginning to see reason. I am planning to visit some friends in China but then I will try to join you briefly in Karakura.

My hopes are that you will at least try the wildlife, but keep in mind that you cannot be reprimanded for eating outside the town limits. Let me know if you have any trouble.

All my love,

Byakuya

Rukia re-read the note before folding it up and tucking it away in her bag. She sighed and looked out the window of the slow moving train.

Her brother had been right; she should have just rented a car for the journey. But, then, the employees always gave her a hard time about her height and, only after running her license and insurance five times, did they reluctantly hand over the keys.

Really, this way was simpler.

Rukia shifted in her seat uncomfortably. If she weren't so hungry, the ride might even have been relaxing.

Instead, her stomach was painfully empty and every single passenger on the train was an irritation. Of course, Rukia had better self-control to snap at the serving boys who came by every other hour to offer refreshments, but still, it was a nuisance.

The next stop was in 30 minutes. Rukia decided she'd get off there and eat, and then just buy another ticket to her final destination instead of trying to wait another 3 hours on an empty stomach.

"Beverage, ma'am?" A young man knocked of the outside of her compartment.

Rukia rolled her eyes. "No, thank you."

The serving boy continued on his way and Rukia focused on repacking her bag so that she did not leave anything when she got off the train.

Fortunately, she still had a large wardrobe at their house in Karakura so she had been able to travel light. Her bag was filled mostly with notebooks, a laptop, a map, and money.

She thought about Karakura, her old home. It had been years since her last visit and she wondered if it had changed much.

Probably not... She thought to herself. The small town had an odd way of always staying the same, even though old people died and new people were born so frequently.

Except for Elisade, of course. Rukia smirked at the thought of her old acquaintance. Perhaps it was a wise decision to eat before my arrival, after all.

The train was finally slowing down and Rukia stood, ready to get off the cursed machine.

She shouldered her bag and quickly made her exit, eager to find food.

.

"Hey, Ichigo!"

The orange-haired teen turned to look behind him. He suppressed a groan before forcing a pleasant look on his face.

"Orihime, how are you?"

Orihime Inoue smiled brightly as she caught up to the boy. "I'm doing quite well. I was just on my way to the store to get some groceries."

Ichigo nodded, trying to appear interested. The redhead was certainly a beauty, with her long, flowing hair, and autumn-hued eyes, but she had always felt more like another sister than anything else to Ichigo.

"Would you like to come over for dinner tonight? Yuzu and Karin are more than welcome as well." Orihime chirped cheerfully.

"Umm..." Ichigo looked around awkwardly. That was another thing that bothered him. She was obviously interested in him, but she always brought up his two younger sisters as well, like she thought using them would make him warm up to her.

"I think Yuzu's making something special tonight but thanks anyway. Maybe another time," he said quickly. He knew it was rude not to invite her home for dinner in return but he just wasn't in the mood to hear all the inappropriate jokes his dad would make if he let himself be guilted into bringing his pretty classmate home again.

"Oh, ok, Ichigo. Say hi to Yuzu and Karin for me!" Orihime called after him.

Ichigo lifted his hand in a wave, but did not look back as he walked home.

A delicious smell reached his nose as soon as he came through the door.

"Ichigo! You're home later than usual," Yuzu, the younger of the twins, called from the kitchen.

"I hung out with Chad and the guys after school." Ichigo shrugged, entering the kitchen to wash his hands before dinner. "I thought you had sewing club anyway."

"We ended early today. I walked home with Karin after her soccer practice." Yuzu explained, pouring the delicious smelling soup into bowls. "Take these to the table, will you?" She handed him two bowls.

"You know, Karin's still mad you won't let her play soccer with your friends." She commented from behind him, carrying the last two bowls to the table.

"Yeah, well, she doesn't need to be hanging out with senior boys anyway. You guys are only freshmen." Ichigo said as he took his seat.

"Daddy! Karin! Dinner's ready!" Yuzu shouted up the stairwell before joining her brother at the table. "You think you're so cool now that you're a senior. You know Karin just wants a chance to hang out with Chad. I think you should invite him over more."

Ichigo scowled. "Karin's too young to date anyone. Especially Chad. Both of you are."

The strawberry-blonde smiled. "You always say that."

"That's because it's true." Ichigo grumped, starting in on the soup in front of him. And it was true, his sisters were too precious to him. He wasn't about to let some guy break either of their hearts. They could date when they were 30 and married to a respectable man.

"What's true?" Karin asked, taking her seat at the table.

"Oh, I was just telling Ichigo he should start going out with Orihime." Yuzu fibbed casually. She knew Karin would be embarrassed by their discussing her little crush.

The dark-haired twin looked thoughtful for a moment. While Karin certainly had their father's looks, she had none of his boisterous attitude. "She's all right," she finally decided. "She's always really nice to me and Yuzu."

Ichigo frowned again. "I'm not dating Orihime. She and I are just friends."

Yuzu giggled. "Whatever you say."

Ichigo watched Yuzu's delicate features lift with her smile. For a moment, she looked just like their mother. Ichigo and Yuzu both got the red in their hair from their mother, but while Ichigo just resembled her slightly, Yuzu was her spitting image.

"Where's Dad?" Karin asked, breaking the lull in conversation.

Yuzu looked perplexed for a moment. "I think he's working in the basement. You know how he gets when he's working on his treatments."

The other Kurosaki children nodded. Isshin Kurosaki was a great doctor, one of the best in all of Japan, and, on occasion, he was known to spend hours developing new medicines in the small lab they had in their basement.

"I'll just put his in the fridge, then." Yuzu decided, taking the dish back into the kitchen. When she returned, she cleared the empty dishes from the table and began washing them.

"Any plans tonight?" She asked from the kitchen.

"Biology report," Karin said sullenly.

"Homework," Ichigo agreed. He followed his sister up the stairs and entered his room. It wasn't exactly what one would call 'clean' but it certainly wasn't cluttered.

He lay down on his bed and looked up at the ceiling. Karin is most definitely too young to date, he confirmed.

And since when did Yuzu become so fond of Orihime? Ichigo wondered. He knew his sister had always admired the older girl. Especially after their mother died, it seemed like Orihime had always been around, like a mentor for her and Karin.

Ichigo scowled. He was grateful to her for helping them in ways he and his father could not, but it still bothered him that she was only doing it because of her feelings for him. ...Right?

Was it possible that she just genuinely cared for Yuzu and Karin?

Ichigo shook his head. Orihime was one of the kindest people he knew, but there was no reason for Orihime to take to his sisters like she did. Everyone knew she had feelings for him, this was just another way for her to show them.

Ichigo sighed. He didn't really have that much homework. There was just nothing else to do in Karakura. His friends were all busy and, in such a small town, nothing exciting ever happened anyway.

Deciding he was done moping, Ichigo rolled over and grabbed a book out of his backpack. He was supposed to have the first chapter read for class next week. Might as well start now...

He opened to the first page and settled in for a quiet night.

.

"Hey, little girl. You looking for work around here?" A middle-aged man gave her a big smile, minus a few teeth.

Rukia tried not to grimace in disgust. She couldn't imagine having to sink so low as to work in that kind of business. "No, thank you. Just passing by."

He ran his eyes up and down her body as she walked by but he didn't try anything inappropriate. Rukia's stomach twisted in hunger but this man wasn't really that bad. He provided young women with work when they might not otherwise have jobs. And he didn't harm any of them, Rukia could tell.

Surely, there were worse people in this city.

Unfortunately, it was barely evening. Usually Rukia preferred to walk around at night, but that was not an option today.

A bottle broke in an apartment just above her head. She listened carefully. A baby was crying and a woman was trying to muffle it. She dialed numbers on a phone but it never rang.

A door was forced open and Rukia grinned. This would do perfectly.

After scanning the street and seeing no one else, she reached the balcony of the apartment and set her bag down in the corner. She took the sliding door off its hinge, breaking the lock, and entered the dimly lit apartment.

A man was standing in the doorway of the bedroom. He was shirtless and clearly drunk. The woman and baby were still huddled in the opposite corner.

"Excuse me," Rukia cleared her throat politely.

The man turned around and looked at her in confusion. "Who're you?" He slurred.

He was stumbling towards her now and Rukia felt her mouth water in anticipation. Light left the entire apartment, leaving the four occupants in pitch black.

She heard the man trip over his own feet in the dark, but he never hit the floor.

It only took a few minutes and, much to Rukia's relief, the mother and child never moved. Finally, she was finished.

She licked the red liquid from her lips and looked around the room. Noticing a glass table in the center, she dropped the body on top of it.

Now, the cause of death was an accident and the woman could collect any insurance money.

Rukia let the light back into the apartment and silently left the way she had come. She waited a moment, until she heard the women dial again and the dispatcher answered.

Then, she made her way back to the train station, stomach comfortably full. She purchased a new ticket for Karakura town and boarded the train again, eager to reach the place of her birth.

Thanks for reading! The next chapter will be up in a few days :)

What do you think so far? Please review!