Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters. However I do have all rights to my own character, Atsuko Ukitake.


When I woke the covers were over me, keeping my body warm, and the bed beside me was completely empty. It took me a moment to come around and realize what that meant. "Dad!" I gasped, sitting up swiftly and scanning the room. It was empty apart from myself and the bookcases that lined the far wall. I waited for a second, hoping he would hear me and call back since he had good hearing, but he didn't. I rolled the blanket back and placed it back on the futon before getting up and walking over to the door. "Otosan?" I called as I pushed it open, sticking my head out as I examined the corridor. Nobody was about and I couldn't hear anyone, though I had no clue what time it was so I guessed people were still asleep. I took a deep breath and looked at the small garden which sat on the other side of the corridor in the middle of the house.

Jushiro kept the plants beautifully and even when winter broke and the plants died it still looked pretty. I could see the frost which cupped the rocks surrounding the small pond in the middle of the grassy patch. The tree in the corner looked over the garden as the morning broke and sheltered it from danger while also providing a nice place for one to sit and read. My father had often sat in the shady patch at the trunk on a sunny day while I played in the garden. The majority of the Ukitake family disliked that I'd been brought into the family so this section of the house was where I was kept, Jushiro disliked me crossing into the other parts without him because he feared his siblings might begin throwing their harsh words at me, though they weren't like that all of the time, it still made me wonder how they could be related to such a gentle man.

But I knew why they hated me. I was a child from the streets who'd been taken in by their brother, when I was small they'd loved me and even cooed over my cuteness; however the bad atmosphere and hateful glares started when I was officially adopted. I guessed that meant I would get the estate when Jushiro died and that was why they had a sudden dislike for me, but I didn't care. I told myself I would give them whatever title they wanted if such a thing were to happen, as long as I was able to keep the place where I grew up and spent my time with Jushiro, I didn't care if that meant giving up the rest of the house and the title or even if I was hated in my own home, none of that mattered to me. I just didn't want to think of a time where Jushiro wouldn't be around. He'd become my whole world and I didn't want that to change.

As I released my lungful of air it came out looking like smoke. "Must be cold," I said to myself despite not feeling the chill. Even though I'd grown accustomed to the nice life at the Ukitake estate I hadn't forgotten my days on the street, in those days I'd known the cold very well and come accustomed to fighting again low temperatures with little clothing. Something that actually helped when visiting the world of the living since I rarely bothered to find accommodation. It was also rather useful when around Toshiro since it allowed me to hug him as tightly as I wanted without getting frost bite.

Without any further delay I stepped out of the room and shut the sliding door behind me before walking out to find Jushiro. I had a bad feeling swarming around inside my gut which told me I had to check on him, even if he turned out to be okay, I just needed to check. The bare wood under my feet was cool against the sensitive skin and sent little chills up my spine, however I rather enjoyed the sensation as I walked.

I checked each room as I passed it, the kitchen, the small closet where we kept our towels and bedding, the bathroom; while I was there I popped in and used the toilet quickly before continuing on. I then inspected the kitchen, Family Library and a room that was mostly dedicated to my youth. I'd used it as a play room through the winter when I was small but it had slowly turned into a place where all my old clothes, toys and drawings had ended up. However I wasn't able to find Jushiro anywhere. The last room I checked on was his study, when I thought about it I should have started there since it was just like him to wake up early and return to the work he'd left the night before. I quickly rushed over and pulled the door open, smiling brightly as I expected to see him at his desk writing away as he sorted through paperwork, but he wasn't there either.

I sighed as the hope slowly faded. I didn't think he would've left that section of the house without telling me since he usually informed me when he was either going to speak to the other family members or to the barracks. He liked to keep me informed so it was odd for me not to know where he was. I shook my head as I attempted to throw away any mal feelings of worry. "I need to change and get something to eat, and then I'll go and find Otosan. He's probably off with Shunsui! No need to worry..." Even though they were my words I didn't believe them, it was a rather pathetic attempt to ease my worries.

I exited the study and slowly closed the door behind me, unable to take my eyes from the desk which stood empty. It felt as if I'd just opened a beautifully wrapped present to find that it was empty on the inside, the build-up of hope and then the sudden disappointment was almost unbearable. "Stop it!" I hissed at myself as I slammed the door the rest of the way. I stomped back to my room which was adjacent to my dad's and began changing.

Once I'd gotten out of my day old uniform and into some fresh clothing I felt a little better. I'd decided to skip a bath since I'd had one only twelve hours before and tied my shaggy hair up into a pony tail which was slightly to the right of my head. An untidy look for untidy hair. Once I was finished I went straight to the kitchen so that I could get my breakfast. I stood in the door way and looked at the immaculate sides, washed and tidied. I wondered if Jushiro or the cleaner had done it, either way they'd done a good job. But observing the utensils and the equipment I realized that I really wasn't hungry. With a sigh I turned away, I could see no point in forcing myself to eat and feeling sick the rest of the day. So onward I went, off to find my father.

I decided to brave the rest of the house hold and headed into the other side of the Ukitake estate. I was only glad that the first relative for me to run into was the youngest sister. She'd never bothered much about my adoption and only stayed away because Jushiro threatened the whole family in my defence. "Auntie Ukitake-san!" I called to her as I picked up the pace, getting further along the corridor in order to catch up to her. She turned to me with a smile, not as warm as the likes I was used to from Jushiro or even the people I considered my family but I was glad she made the effort to appear happy.

"What's wrong, Atsuko?" She asked. I looked her up and down, noting that she was still in her nightgown and had no make-up on her face. Since she wasn't the eldest she always made an effort to appear beautiful in the hopes of finding a husband, though I saw no need for such a thing.

"I can't find Otosan," I answered, trying my best to appear calm. Considering my age I could only imagine how strange it was for me to be so worried of my dad, but I couldn't help it, especially not with his ill health.

It struck me that she didn't make any small talk and simply jumped straight to the point. Most people would have probably put it down to the early time or her having just woken up but I knew the woman, I knew the whole family very well. They were all ones for small talk and making a conversation drag on, even more so when they were trying to butter someone up, it didn't matter the time of day. Which lead me to believe the family had been bad mouthing me behind my back yet again and she was starting to agree with them.

"I saw him go out earlier," she said as she ran her hand through her hair, turning her body away from me as she looked over her shoulder, a typical thing to do in the hopes of signalling the end of a conversation.

"Do you know where he went?" I took a step closer, prepared to reach out and grab her in order to stop her walking away if I had to.

"Of course not, he never speaks to us at all anymore!" She snapped, her voice sharp like a knife as she cut into my emotional cake. Unlucky for her I really didn't care. I loved my father and I loved his attention. I only thought bad things about the rest of the Ukitake family anyway so I was happy to keep him away from such people. "He's far too concerned with his precious Atsuko! He probably went to get you more presents or something to spoil you with."

"Presents?" I raised an eyebrow and looked at the woman. I'd liked her, more so than the others, for a large portion of my life and had once trusted her as a friend. However in that instant I was beginning to hate her, just as much as the other cow who dared to call me her niece. To me family was the bond shared not a slip of paper with a couple of signatures on it. The sudden feeling washed over me, the same nervous and unsteady feeling I got around strangers that I didn't know and were only just beginning to figure out. I disliked not knowing and being unable to predict things.

"Otosan doesn't get me presents, apart from on my birthday and Christmas, but even then I make sure it's a small thing. Hell, even last year he only got me an art set!" I snapped. I knew my anger wasn't directed at her, it was simply my worry mixed with irritation but it felt good to give her a piece of her own medicine. I'd sat and taken their abuse for long enough, at least my dad wasn't there to see me acting in such an ugly manner. "All of you complain that I take Jushiro-san's time and attention, yet what about you? You make desperate cries for his attention, getting into trouble with bad men and begging your big brother to come and save you because you're afraid of getting hit again. So, quit being a hypocrite and grow up! You can tell your other stupid siblings the same thing." I pushed past her and turned the corner, heading for the door. I quickly stepped into the socks and sandals I had stationed at the door and ran out of the house.

As soon as I'd exited the house I was surprised by how proud I was of myself. I'd always ignored their glares and comments because I didn't wish to upset Jushiro, despite him having told me to speak up if I wanted him to get them to be quiet. But that was just it, I didn't want him to deal with it. I knew it was something I had to do but I didn't want to do it in front of him and he was always with me when we were at the estate. Despite it not being the best of times to do it, I was glad that I'd gotten the confrontation out of the way, at least I thought I had.

I took a deep breath before pushing forward into a run, heading towards the Squad Eight barracks.

The sun was only a soft glow in the sky, lighting everything up but not bright enough to heat the earth just yet. There was a fine layer of frost over the grass and stones that I passed but the concrete thankfully wasn't slippy. I took in the faces of everyone I passed by, double checking that Jushiro's wasn't one of them. As I went from the slight outskirts and into the busier streets I noticed the shift in guards that were stationed around the place. Their numbers increased the closer I got to the large building where Yamamoto lived.

I turned off and cut through a back lane so that I came to the barracks quicker, jumping on top of the tiled roof to get a better view of where I was heading. I ended up having to run for another couple of minutes before I came to the back of the barracks where Uncle Shunsui stayed. Unfortunately going that route meant I effectively had to break in since there was no entrance.

As soon as I jumped over the wall and entered the barracks several of the lower class shinigami were swarming around me and yelling at me to identify myself. I was well aware that it was a part of their job but I was a little insulted that they didn't know who I was, especially since that was like my second home. "I'm Atsuko Ukitake, third seat in Squad thirteen! I'm here to see Uncle... I mean, Captain Kyoraku!" I announced, stiffening as I realized just how many of them there was. It was like they were bees swarming around a pot of honey.

"Oh yes, Ukitake-san! Please go in." A short guy said as he bowed his head. The others copied him and lowered their heads in respect, an action that I'd never been fond of.

"Ur, r-right. Thanks," I stuttered as I dashed past them and headed straight towards the Captain's quarters. I'd always loved the Eighth squad, their grounds were always beautifully kept and covered in the lush green of grass with pink flowers decorating the edges. It suited Shunsui rather well in that retrospect. I'd always made the time to admire the budding plants with him however I knew I didn't have time for such a luxurious thing. "Uncle Shunsui!" I called as I rounded the large building and came to the Captain's area. "Hey, Uncle Shunsui!"

"Quit yelling, kid." He grumbled from the front step. He was laid out with his hat covering his face, I guessed he'd either woken up and come outside, too lazy to go any further, or he'd been there all night. "What's the matter?"

I gasped for breath as I slowed to a stop in front of him. I'd surprised myself by being able to run so far without taken a stop, I wasn't known for my stamina but I guess that just proved how concerned I was. "Have you seen... Otosan?" I asked.

"Can't say I have," he sat up and pushed his hat back onto the crown of his head as he gave me a look over. "Is he pushing himself when he's sick, again?" I was too busy bent over double trying to catch my breath to look at his face but his voice told me all I needed to know. He didn't belittle my anxiety, he knew there was a good reason for me to become so panicked about Jushiro which made him uneasy as well.

"He was really bad last night," I explained as I straightened up, taking long, deep breaths. "Coughing up blood and everything, he couldn't even get to his bed on his own two feet, I had to help him. But when I woke up this morning he was gone. I checked the whole house and I couldn't find him, I was hoping he was here with you."

"No such luck," he opened his arms and motioned for me to come closer. "He's probably at the barracks so don't worry. Come here and give your old Uncle Shunsui a hug!" I smiled weakly and nodded before launching forward into a tight hug. "That's my girl." I felt his breath against the back of my neck which, along his beard brushing against my skin, tickled. "Hmm, see? A hug always makes things better." His voice seemed so relaxed that it made me wonder if he was returning to his land of dreams, but his sudden tightening in grip told me otherwise. I inhaled through my nose and enjoyed his familiar scent, unlike my father, my Uncle had a strong scent which was impossible to miss. If it were a thing I'd say it smelt like heat and laziness, the perfect smell to match the perfect person.

"Thanks, Uncle Shunsui." I smiled slightly as I relaxed against him and began to think through things clearly. I'd gotten worked up over Jushiro's whereabouts too easily, even though the desire to check on his wellbeing was over whelming I knew I had to control myself. It made me laugh lightly as I realized I was acting like an overbearing mother.

"No problem, Kiddo." He loosened his hold and went to pull back however I did not. "Oh, okay!" He laughed as he gave me another tight squeeze. "Look at you being all loving, aren't you usually happy with minimum contact?"

"No," I laughed as I pulled away. "I've always loved hugs, especially from you and Otosan."

"That's true I suppose. You always used to cling to us, you'd pick one person a day to be extra loving to, giving us hugs and kisses! Aww, you don't do that anymore." He pouted. "Why don't you give your Uncle kisses anymore!?"

"I'm not a kid, it would be weird." I gave him a quizzical look though I wondered what it was that I was questioning, perhaps his sanity. "Anyway, I'm going to try and find Otosan. But why don't we have lunch together?"

"Hmm, I'll have to ask Nanao-chan..." He pondered it for a moment before grinning. "Sounds fun! Bring your daddy too and we'll make him pay since he made you so worried."

"Deal!" I laughed before turning and heading to the wall. I'd decided that heading around to the formal exit would take too much time and effort so it was both efficient and convenient to simply jump over the surrounding walls. "See you later!" In thanks for his help I kissed the palm of my hand and blew it towards him. With a chuckle he pretended to catch it and slap it against his cheek before he waved. I was careful not to harm any of his flowers as I jumped on top of the wall, waving my hand slightly before dropping down the other side.

I wondered for a moment what he would do after my disturbing him but I instantly knew the answer once I'd been foolish enough to ponder the question. He would have probably returned to his usual routine of being lazy, sleeping and avoiding work.

I headed towards the squad thirteen barracks, being a little more leisurely in my pace than I had been when heading towards the eighth division barracks. However I wasn't slow, I walked at a brisk march as I made my way out of the narrow back lane and into the wider street.

I watched as the wives waved goodbye to their husbands as they went off to work in their shinigami uniforms, most of them had a child or two either in their arms or running around their feet. There was also some female shinigami heading off to work but far fewer than the number of males. There were some elderly souls out to take in the morning air as they waved politely to everyone that passed, I wondered if they were lonely or just friendly. Either way I didn't return the gesture, too shy and uncomfortable to do so. I also noticed a lot of the women had bags under their eyes, it made me wonder if the children had kept them awake through the night, Jushiro had never let me live down the fact that as a child I disliked sleep. He would always complain that I never let him get more than three hours sleep before I was up and prancing around with energy.

I smirked as I imagined a tired Jushiro with dark bags under his eyes, yawning as he gave his sleepy, lob-sided smile, running around after a hyper six-year-old me. It was an interesting sight since I could remember such times. He'd never complained at the time, only in my later life did he point out how troublesome I'd been as a child.

It only took me ten or so minutes to get to the squad's barracks, I headed inside without delay and walked straight to the Captain's office. Several Soul Reapers passed by me and nodded their respects however I brushed past them stiffly, I had no clue why I was like that around un-familiar people, it had grown worse the older I got. Yet I was so open with my beloved ones... I sighed and tried to ignore it, I figured it didn't matter. I was their superior, I doubted they expected anything much in the way of interaction with me.

When I got to the office I pulled the door open to see Rukia rushing about with a large stack of documents. "Oh, Rukia-nee. Have you seen Otosan?" I asked, trying my best not to sound disappointed to see her, I guessed it would be insulting.

"The Captain? No, I haven't." She grumbled as she placed the papers down on the desk. Despite the early time she was already covered in sweat and appeared to have been working for a couple of hours judging by the drastic change in paperwork which was covering the desk compared to the previous day. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing!" I tried my best to smile and appear untroubled but her suspicious glare told me I failed at lying. "Anyway, I'm off to try and find him! Please take care of the squad, I'll make it up to you later, okay?" I turned on my heals, knowing that she would pick up on the slightest twitch and the longer I allowed her to peer at me the easier it would be for her to read or break me. I began to run down the long corridor so that she couldn't protest, though I doubted she would have. I listened to the soft thuds of my feet hitting against the wooden floor as I made my way towards the exit. Since it was my own division I didn't bother being sneaky, I simply headed back towards the gates where I dashed out into the busy streets. Usually I would've felt self-conscious and slowed to a walk so the bustling people which passed wouldn't find me odd, but it was an emergency and I had a bad feeling which told me I had to hurry.

In the couple of months that we'd had our positions Rukia had been effectively running the squad, thanks to my dad's ill health he'd had to spend a long time recuperating after the fight against the Espada, especially after his injuries, Unohana had instructed that he not overdo it so he only pottered on with the paperwork when I was unable to stop him. I was no help either, the times that I wasn't with my Otosan I'd spent training with other Captains and Lieutenants. Despite being new to it, she was doing a very good job.

I was getting nowhere in the horde of people since I couldn't see any of the landmarks that surrounded us so I instinctively headed to the closest wall, pushing and shoving past people to climb it, standing for a moment as I contemplated my next move. I knew I only really had two options, first I could start asking around to see if anybody had spotted him, my other was to check a few more places. I decided upon the latter since I didn't wish to worry people by suddenly asking the whereabouts of my father. So I thought to visit the garden where he went to tend to the plants and fed some carp at times. The uneasy feeling began to swirl around within my body, like a baby typhoon which was slowly getting stronger and harsher as it upset my stomach, just making me glad that I'd skipped breakfast.

I wasn't very familiar with the garden but I knew where it was so I didn't hesitate as I headed off towards the south. I didn't bother returning to ground level where I was sure to get swept up in the flow of traffic, instead I ran along the roof tops, heading out towards the lake.

When I arrived I was horrified by what I saw. It was like a nightmare unfolding in front of me. Jushiro was down on his hands and knees, coughing like there was no tomorrow as he forced his body to flashstep in order to dodge on coming attacks by a large hollow. I studied the scene carefully, his hands were trembling around the hilt of his zanpakuto as he struggled to control his limbs as he heaved up blood which stained his lips and covered his chin. I wondered how long he'd been pushing himself to simply avoid getting crushed by the creature, how long he'd struggled to remain conscious while his body fought to control the shaking which was probably thanks to his coughing.

Without hesitating I ran into help him, despite that face that I was without my sword. I flashstepped to my father's side, glaring up at the opponent as it took a swing at us. The hollow resembled a feline with large fangs on its mask and claws which could easily slice through flesh, its body had the physic of a lion except for the large club it wielded at the end of its tail. As it turned and flung its weapon at us I grabbed onto my Otosan's arm and flashstepped again, taking us a safe distance away.

"Atsuko-chan, what are... doing here?" He asked weakly. I looked down at him and felt saddened at his appearance. His hair feel loosely around his face while his eyes had dark bags under them and his skin was covered in a cold sweat. He was in no state to be taking on a hollow or being anywhere near a fight for that matter.

I ignored his question and continued with my own. "Did you come here to fight this hollow!?" He looked at me in surprise and slowly shook his head. "Why didn't you tell me where you were going!? Never mind, that doesn't matter now. Tell me when I'm done." I turned away from him and took a couple of steps forward so that I was blocking the hollows path to him. "Just stay back," despite saying that I knew I wasn't in the best position to be saying such a thing. I'd just entered a fight without my weapon. Talk about a stupid move. But I refused to back down or take my dad's zanpakuto.

My dad's eyes scanned over my, I didn't know exactly what he was thinking but I hoped they were happy thoughts, perhaps some of pride. But his gaze fell on my left his where he saw the lack of a sword. "Atsuko-chan!" He gasped. I shook my head, the uneasy feeling was gone so I felt some confidence that I could win especially since it was to protect my father who I owed so much to. I closed my eyes and centred my thoughts.

My main priority was to protect the sick man behind me. I turned swiftly on my heals and held out my right arm, extending my fingers as I clasped my forearm with my left hand. "Bakudo number seventy two, Tozansho!" A large, blue box of light formed around him and I hoped it would protect him from harm. The hollow which was behind me let out a loud screech, so I stepped around so that I could see it out of the corner of my eye and watch its every move.

I knew Jushiro should've easily defeated such a thing if he weren't sick but it made me wonder if it was stronger than it appeared because even when ill my father wasn't weak. It didn't seem to have anything special going for it, no mind and no thought in its actions as he began to charge at me... Maybe it was just dumb luck that it had stumbled across a sick man and pushed him to his limits. Unfortunately for it, that man was my Otosan.

"Hado number one, Sho!" I extended my right arm as I fully faced the monster and fired the blue shot. It was aiming for the hollow's mask but it pulled its tail around to block it, however the force of the shot threw him off course slightly and seemed to confuse its delicate mind. "Hado number thirty one!" I yelled as I returned to the stance I'd held just moments before to cast the Bakudo, a small ball of red began to burn at my palm as I focused my reiatsu. "Shakkaho!" As I finished the ball expanded into a nice, round sphere and fired at the hollow. As the creature was hit a large cloud of dust rose from the blast however I didn't underestimate my foe. Using flashstep I jumped above it, holding my hand out towards it once again. "Hado number fifty four, Haien!" A burst of purple light shot from my hand and propelled towards my enemy and with a loud crack, it hit the mark. I fashstepped out of the way as it burst into flames, releasing loud shrieks and screams as it slowly vanished from in front of me.

I let out a small sigh, glad that I'd been able to finish the job without myself or my father getting hurt and had done so relatively quickly. Though, I was rather nervous about turning around and looking at him. It had been the first time that I'd stood in front of him and protected him rather than him pushing me back and saving me. I contemplated the kind of expression he might have. I hoped he'd be happy and proud but a part of me feared that he'd be angry or upset, not that he ever got mad at me but I'd been scolded many times for getting myself in over my head in the attempts to impress my family.

Imagine what he'd say about me jumping into battle without my zanpakuto. With that thought I gulped and slowly turned to face him.


A/N: Right, chapter two done! I know it's a little shorter than the last one but... That was like a mega long intro because I wanted to cover a lot of stuff!

Please leave a review and tell me what you thought.