XxChapter 2: Rukongai DaysxX

Orihime stood at the window of the local inn. She was in East Rukongai, District 64: Sabitsura. It was very lower class, but not crime-ridden like districts in the seventies. The people were poor, but happy. Orihime looked at the group of shinigami walking through down the main street. The black shihakusho were noticeable by all but the greenest souls. The man in the middle though, was what caught Orihime's eye.

The tall figure, well-kept hair, and disarming glasses were all in place. Had she not known better, she'd have assumed the man a well-loved superior. But sadly, she most definitely DID know better. That man was Aizen Sosuke, the new Captain of Squad 5. VERY new. This was actually his first trip to Sabitsura as a Captain, thus the shopkeeper's earlier statement that he was a Lieutenant.

He talked with the locals as if they were the best of friends, and everybody seemed to know him. His smile was shockingly genuine, actually. He was happy that the people loved him, because it made them easier to manipulate. Orihime had no doubt that the "shinigami hopefuls" taken by Aizen were either made his direct subordinates or experimented on.

That led her to her next decision. She had considerable reiatsu. In fact, in her current condition she would call herself somewhere on the middle ground between Lieutenant and Captain. She'd gotten pretty damn good as she got older, but she never COULD match up with Yasutora-kun and Uryu-kun. She had always been the weakest of the "Ryoka" group. But that never bothered her.

Now she had to choose whether or not to confront Aizen and convince him to take her into the Seireitei. That would allow her to take a place in the Gotei 13 and figure out what the hell to do next. It gave her an escort and free entry.

Adversely, it would also put her under Aizen's gaze from the start. She might not be chosen to be one of his subordinates, and instead put in the labs. It was a tough decision to make, but she had chosen to avoid the man entirely. Her looking out the window right now was nothing but a morbid curiosity at seeing the source of so much of her past pain alive and well again.

Then he turned and looked at her.

Their eyes met, and while she was surprised, his look didn't change at all. She same disarming stare he gave everybody he was fooling. He gave her a kind smile and turned back to his conversation with a young woman at a shop.

Orihime's heart was beating 240. She hadn't hidden the surprise and fear on her face in the least. Aizen may not have made a gesture otherwise, but he would definitely remember the encounter. But why did he even look at her in the first place?

It could have been a coincidence, but he looked her in the eyes immediately, as if he knew what he was going to see before he even turned to see it. He had noticed her, and found her intriguing enough to observe directly. Perhaps she hadn't hid her reiatsu well enough? She was never any good at that.

Well, going with him was DEFINITELY out of the question now. What a great start so far.

XxBreakxX

Orihime stood behind the counter at the local bar. Getting a job serving food or drink was easy when you had boobs as big as hers. During the day she tended the tables, and as night fell she hit the kegs. It had only been a few days, but she was making some cash. She wanted to buy a carriage to Hokutan. That way, she could see about meeting a standard shinigami patrol unit instead of relying on Aizen's trips to the slums.

She wasn't going to lie to herself though. It was BORING. Pay for a night at the inn. Wake up. Eat breakfast. Go to work. Eat dinner. Figure something else out. Pay for a night at the inn. She sighed at the cycle's dullness.

"Orihime-chan! Good evening!" A middle-aged man said, walking towards the bar.

Her mood dropped considerable at the man's presence. "Good evening, Kato-san. The usual?"

He laughed uproariously. "Four days and you can tell something like that?! You got it!"

"Coming right up…" She drawled. The man was just so… loud. She couldn't hate anyone, that just wasn't Orihime. She just really didn't enjoy this man's company is all.

She couldn't help having her thoughts drift off every so often. Not the fantasies she was famous for, but just contemplating what the hell happened. She was in the past. Not her past, but Soul Society's past. She didn't exist in this world, and wouldn't for decades. So then, what should she do?

Normally, when somebody dies, they live their lives in the Soul Society. Upon dying there, they then reincarnate. Maybe she should just chill in the Rukongai for the rest of her days? No, that wasn't an option. Her reiatsu would bring the Seireitei to HER eventually. You can't be as spiritually advanced as Orihime and not be scouted for the Gotei 13. They'd want her in the academy right away, and in a squad soon after.

She laughed at the idea. She would probably be labeled a prodigy and whatnot because everything they would try to teach her she could get down VERY quickly. But it made Orihime think. She knew she had to enter the Gotei 13. She knew she would be a shinigami, and thus be exposed to people SHE knew but didn't know her.

She knew that another Inoue Orihime would be coming to visit eventually. And THAT, was an inevitable paradox she didn't want to face…

XxBreakxX

Orihime looked out the window of her carriage. She was heading from District 64 all the way to District 3. That was a LONG way, and thus cost a LOT of money. Two months sleeping in the same room, and serving Kato the same drink over and over again. Working a restaurant in the living world was much more eventful than a rundown bar in the slums of the Rukongai. But, like all work, it was never what you really wanted, but had to do anyways. She got it done.

And now she was in a carriage, having traveled for close to three days now. The carriage driver didn't want to pay for his customers to have inn rooms while they took breaks, so we all had to camp in the woods each night. It wasn't that bad, but the others complaining was pretty annoying at times. Some of the rich people in the lower districts on business, were the primary complainants. At least there was food.

What stood out to Orihime though, was the shinigami they picked up in District 14. He was a middle-aged man that managed to retain a youthful look. His shoulder length black hair perfectly framed his pale face. It was obvious he garnered female attention, Orihime deduced. The thing that stood out most about the man was what was on his shoulder.

It was the Lieutenant's Badge for Squad 6.

XxBreakxX

As the group set up camp for a final night, Orihime found her gaze drifting to the shinigami once more. He gave her a kind look and moved to sit next to her at the campfire.

"Hello there, miss…"

"Inoue." She responded. "Inoue Orihime."

He smiled again. "I'm Kuchiki Sojun. A pleasure to meet you."

She smiled back. "For me as well."

"So…" Sojun started while throwing a stray twig into the fire pit. "I heard you've been on this carriage since Sabitsura. What takes you this far?" He asked kindly.

"I was actually hoping to enter the academy to become a shinigami." She answered, deciding to be truthful. This man could be he ticket in, as well as a start for close ties with the Kuchiki clan.

Sojun gave her a slightly disbelieving look. "The closest district to the Seireitei is Koten. Why come to Hokutan?"

Orihime sighed and leaned back. "Well, I figured that any sort of civilian patrols you guys do would happen in high class areas, not in the slums. I wanted to see if I could get a recommendation before attempting to sign up. I didn't think there would be so many shinigami all over the Soul Society. My plan might have backfired…" She said with a small laugh.

"I see. Well, contrary to popular belief, we do keep a good eye on most of the Rukongai. Sometimes hollows follow us through the Dangai, so it's good to be able to respond no matter where the attack starts. Squad 5 in particular has an extensive patrol program for the slums."

"Yeah, I gathered as much." Orihime quipped internally. "So what brings you to this part of the Rukongai then?" She asked as innocently as possible.

"My clan house is in Junrinan, but the closest stop is in Hokutan. If I want to visit, I need to walk a bit. I was on my way back from a mission, so I decided to see my son before heading back to the barracks."

"It must be nice to have blood family here. When you die, it's usually friendly ties you have to build at first. It takes a long time to get a good thing going. I hope you treasure your family." Orihime told him.

Sojun chuckled bitterly. "I do, and that's why I've been trying to visit the estate as often as possible. My boy's been having some tough times lately."

Orihime frowned. "That's sad to hear."

"I know. About thirty years ago, his… sister figure disappeared from the Seireitei, charged with treason. That hit him hard, and so he started to take training more seriously. He also holds the law in scarily high regard because of it. Then, about five years ago, my wife Runa passed away. That hit him even harder. He's been getting really distant as of late, and it worries me. My father visits the estate far more often than I, but there's only so much he can do. My father has more work than I do, being the captain of Squad 6 and all."

That's when Orihime realized who she was actually talking to.

This was Kuchiki Byakuya's father.

XxChapter EndxX

Well, I'm trying to start setting up some story points that will matter quite a bit later on. Orihime's relationship with the Kuchiki family will be of great importance to the plot, and will also feature Orihime's first true test as a member of the future.

I haven't gotten any feedback yet, but still wanted to keep writing so I didn't lose the spark. Hopefully I'll get some advice soon, but for now I'm just going with the flow.

Review please! Xeno out, peace.