Author's Note: I do not own nor claim to own any rights to Bleach or the characters found therein.

Chapter 1: Friends

Kaien sat casually on a large knotted branch. His muscles eased. One by one, the tension in his neck and back diminished, a sweet gentle release. He inhaled a deep breath and settled against the wood. In one hand, he held a freshly plucked apple; its sticky juices ran down his arm in small rivulets. In the other, he balanced a sheet of parchment between his index and middle fingers. The paper was slick and thin, easily catching on a sudden breeze.

He reached for it as it caught wind. His fingers stretched into the cool breeze. It was too late. The paper escaped him.

It was of little consequence, he sighed. Just a gentle reminder to attend the next captain's meeting.

Watching the memo fly away, he leaned against the trunk of the old apple tree. Even under his layers of clothing, he could still feel the scratchiness of the bark against his skin, and, for some strange reason, it calmed his mind. Fiber by fiber, he relaxed.

No worries assailed him. The hour was far too early. The weather was far too agreeable. The world was far too serene.

It was going to be a good day. Or, so Kaien assured himself. With only his thoughts to keep him company, he sat and contemplated the changing of seasons. Autumn had conquered the violent heat of summer, ushering in temperate weather, vibrant colors, and apples.

Kaien took another bite. Pain. Horrible shrill shooting pain.

"How errant of you."

Kaien startled.

He knew that voice well: smooth, low, but unmistakably captious. He loathed that voice. Briefly, he wondered if the pain emanated from his tooth or from the sound of that horrible voice.

He glanced down to confirm his suspicions. "Good morning to you, too, Byakuya," he greeted. He was rather proud of himself when he heard his voice ring in his ears. He hid his displeasure well this time. It was noticeable, true, but it was not as coarse as the feeling surging through him would have liked.

Byakuya glanced up at Kaien. A slight frown tugged the corners of his lips downward. His expression soured, and he turned on his heel. Kaien's indulgence disgusted Byakuya, and the young lord never missed an opportunity to express his contempt.

Adroitly, Kaien kicked his leg over the branch and landed soundlessly on a dewy patch of grass. "What brings you to these parts?" he asked, trying his best to hide his own discontentment for being disturbed. Absently, he rubbed the dirt and wrinkles from his Shihakushō, and he watched the Kuchiki lord continue down a winding path.

"I have business with your captain," Byakuya stated matter-of-factly, refusing to acknowledge Kaien properly. His gaze was stubbornly set on the edifice housing the central offices. He did not miss a step.

"What kind of business?" Kaien asked conversationally, standing cross-armed beside the tree. He took another bite of his apple. 'It's the tooth,' he thought ruefully to himself.

Byakuya halted abruptly, and, for an instant, Kaien thought Byakuya was going to address him properly. That was not the case. Instead, the young lord's attention turned to the side. Something had pierced his concentration.

'What now?' Kaien growled to himself mid-sigh. Absently, he followed the direction of Byakuya's head. A small detail of Shinigami crossed the catwalk a few meters in front of them. Leading the retinue was a young woman, clad in a plain white kimono. She spoke with a few of the men. An empathetic look creased her forehead, and she managed a conciliatory smile. 'Bad news?' Kaien wondered as he examined the body language of his men circling the poor female.

Kaien's eyes darted from Byakuya to the woman. His brow furrowed as his gaze made another sweep. 'Is that even possible?' His mind immediately rejected his initial conclusion—a conclusion that would have made all the sense in the world if it had not been Byakuya. Byakuya was different. He was cold and full of hubris. The only person Byakuya was capable of admiring was himself.

'It can't be.'

The opportunity to harass the young noble, however, proved too tempting for Kaien to ignore. A grin slit his lips, and he neared Byakuya. "She's cute, eh?" he teased, elbowing Byakuya in the side.

The sudden force sent Byakuya off kilter. The young noble quickly stepped forward to regain his balancing, and, seamlessly converting one direction to another, he whipped around to face Kaien. His eyes widened, and the muscles in his face tightened. "How impudent of you to assume—"

Kaien shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Impudence—the luxury of being the second-born son," he quipped, preparing for Byakuya's oft repeated refrain of how impertinent Kaien's behavior was for a lord of one of the Five Noble Families.

"Your existence is pointless. I agree," Byakuya stated coolly. With a quick yank on his robes, Byakuya smoothed the wrinkles from the silk.

Kaien restrained himself from rolling his eyes again. With Byakuya, one eye roll was expected, but two was flagrant. If he did not restrain himself, it was a very real possibility that his eyes would become stuck mid-eye roll. Such a fate would not do. Not only would it be unbecoming, but Kaien relied on his eyes to function properly.

"What is she doing here?" Byakuya demanded. His piercing slate grey gaze returned to the woman.

Kaien's brows furrowed at Byakuya's tone. He could almost feel his neurons spark in agitation, bringing his mild annoyance to a constant simmer. He did not like being commanded by an entitled brat. Unlike the others, even those who knew better, he refused to indulge the young lord. He found Byakuya's behavior disgraceful. "Why? Do you know her?" For a flash, Kaien felt a pang of sympathy for the girl if she had to speak to Byakuya for any length over the course of her duties. She was a kind, gentle soul. She shouldn't have to bear such disagreeable company.

"She treats my father's consumption," Byakuya stated indifferently as he watched her.

She paused, deepening her conversation with a male Shinigami. He seemed worried, speaking quickly. His words, however, did not reach Kaien and Byakuya. He was too far away, and his voice was too hushed.

Kaien's gaze lifted to the clear blue sky. No, he did not roll them. Yes, he would have if he were a lesser man. "She has a name," he muttered, shaking his head.

"She is only a peasant," Byakuya stated plainly.

Kaien blinked at the response. 'She is a peasant; therefore, she is undeserving of a name? Did he just say that? Really?' The reasoning was breathtaking. It was a rare event, indeed, for Byakuya's brand of conceit to be so complete. That took skill.

"Her name is Hisana, and she is here to conduct morning rounds of the sick and wounded officers, including Captain Ukitake." Kaien's gaze trailed to Byakuya, who watched her with an uneasy expression. "And, I doubt your father views her as only a peasant," Kaien chastised when his astonishment subsided.

Byakuya stirred at Kaien's harsh observation. He turned to Kaien, refining his next insult, but he stopped short.

"Good morning, Vice Captain!" Hisana called sweetly. She gave a long wave before taking a few eager strides in his direction.

"Good morning, Vice Captain," Kaien replied in kind.

At first, she only saw Kaien. Her attention was laser-focused. When she was within arm's length of the pair, however, she quickly realized her error. "Good morning, Lord Kuchiki," she said apolitically, "I did not see you standing there. Please, excuse my insolence," she added, bowing deeply.

"Miss Hisana," Byakuya murmured. He lowered his head slightly. It was a rare sign of respect from the noble.

Shocked, Kaien turned to Byakuya. 'What the hell just happened?' he wondered to himself. His mind was pulled in such disparate directions. For a moment, he tried to blink his confusion away. What was happening did not comport with what Byakuya had said just moments before. The young lord was clearly familiar with Hisana. Humble, even, which was new look for Byakuya. For a moment, Kaien took stock of his conversation with Byakuya. While Byakuya had not referred to Hisana by her name, he never indicated that he did not know her name.

"May I inquire after your father?" Hisana asked softly. Diffidently, her eyes flitted up to meet his. Her brows pulled together, and she tilted her head to the left. She wore concern with the same effortlessness that Byakuya wore his bitter indifference.

"Yes, you may."

"How is he feeling?"

"His color returns."

"But not his vitality?" she noted astutely. Worry lines creased her delicate features.

Byakuya lifted his head, and his lips twitched as if he was about to respond to her question. He stopped himself, and his eyes trailed to Kaien. The source of his reticence was clear.

"Understandable," she said quickly reading his look. "How is your arm, if I may ask?" Without waiting for a response, she gently took his wrist in her hands. Her fingers were light and nimble, peeling back his sleeve and tekkou with surgical precision.

Kaien looked on in amusement. A wolfish grin curved the corners of his mouth up, and he cocked a brow. 'Unbelievable,' he thought to himself in an endless loop. He truly relished how uncomfortable Byakuya looked. The noble's disquiet only amplified as Hisana examined the burn wound with a caressing touch. Byakuya's cheeks turned a dark shade of pink, and his eyes fell to the ground where they remained for the rest of her examination.

Kaien wanted to laugh.

He did not. He smothered the familiar fluttering that crawled up from his chest and toward his throat. He did so for Hisana's sake, not for Byakuya's.

"It appears to be healing quite well, Lord Kuchiki," she said, glancing up at him as she smoothly tied the laces of his tekkou. "You are very strong. A wound like that would normally take weeks to heal."

Byakuya responded with a cautious gaze.

"I will be at the manor later today with more medicine for your father and an unguent for your arm. It will keep the wound free of infection."

Byakuya nodded. "Very well," he said in a strained voice. "I must be leaving," he murmured quietly. He gave her a slight bow as he dismissed himself.

A wide amused smile lengthened Kaien's face before spreading across his face. Laugh lines formed around his eyes. Once Byakuya stepped into the Captain's office, Kaien gave a small chuckle.

Hisana looked up at the Vice Captain. Confusion darkened her blue eyes. Quietly, she searched his face for the answer to his sudden fit. "Vice Captain Shiba?" she asked, giving up. "Are you well?"

Composing himself, he shook his head. "C'mon, you didn't see it?"

Her brows bent, and she cocked her head. "I don't understand." She clearly had no idea.

"Have you actually met Byakuya Kuchiki?"

Hisana's eyes widened and her brow furrowed. "I have tea with Lord Byakuya every week, after I visit with his father."

"Excuse me. What?" Kaien blinked at her, uncomprehending. Her having tea with Byakuya simply did not compute. At all.

"Yes. I am supposed to be tutoring him in healing kido, but he has not taken to it."

Kaien stared at her in wide-eyed confusion.

"Oh, Vice Captain, you have no place to judge the young lord. You never had love in your heart for healing."

Kaien shook his head. "No," he said, "I had no idea that you took tea with Byakuya," he said to himself. "Every week?" he asked incredulously. How unimaginable. Kaien could barely keep his composure with the noble when they crossed paths every month or so. Weekly meetings with Byakuya would have been enough to induce him to resign.

"When the infirmary is not busy. Yes. After I administer treatments to Lord Sōjun, I take tea with Lord Byakuya."

"Why?" Yes, why would anyone willingly do such a thing? he wondered.

"To discuss his training and kido, mostly."

That explanation seemed entirely too reasonable. The Kuchikis enlisted masters of certain disciplines to serve as tutors to Byakuya in lieu of him attending the Academy. However, there was something missing. Something was awry with her account. "He was blushing at you," Kaien observed candidly.

Pensively, she glanced up and to the left. "When I touched him?" she asked as if she was trying to recall the event.

"Yes. I believe so."

"Oh," she chuckled, "Many men blush when I touch them," she quipped, glancing up at Kaien shyly. "I don't think the soldiers know how to respond to tenderness." She smiled demurely before adding, "Or anything that isn't violence, I suppose."

Kaien shot her a knowing grin. "Don't be so quick when you dismiss his affections."

The color of her face drained at the implication. "Vice Captain Shiba!" she exclaimed, "That is a rash judgment."

"Byakuya is a lot of hot air. A lot. Hot air probably comprises ninety percent of his entire soul," Kaien said, jokingly.

Hisana gave a shy but disapproving shake of her head. "You are too much."

"But, seriously, Byakuya is hotheaded."

Hisana concurred with a small nod. "He is young." She reframed Kaien's critique in terms that were more diplomatic.

"Undeniably young and hotheaded. But, I imagine his hotheadness masks his true feelings."

Hisana's eyes flicked up, and she inhaled a small breath. Kaien could tell that she agreed with his assessment, but that she felt guilty for it. "I suppose," she said, exhaling, "his bluster stems from a lack of confidence."

"Oh, I think he has plenty of confidence."

Hisana shook her head. "He lacks true confidence—the kind that comes from deeds. He has not earned his pride."

"May the gods help us when he does," Kaien muttered to himself.