COLOURS
Chapter One: Coming of Age
—1890 A.D., 11 years before the Hollowfication Incident—
—Kuchiki Manor, Sereitei—
Today was the most important day in Kuchiki Byakuya's life. He'd been looking forward to this for years now, and as such it was nigh impossible for him to sleep the night before. Nonetheless, he felt sprightly as he dressed at dawn, putting on a royal purple kimono before going to eat breakfast. He ate some, but he mostly toyed with the food before him as he waited for one of the servants to give him the summons he was expecting. While he was taking a sip of his tea, one of the family's retainers arrived in the dining room.
"Byakuya-dono? Your grandfather has requested your presence in the central courtyard," the servant said with a bow.
"Very well. That will be all," Byakuya replied.
He set down his teacup, got up quickly and tried his best to refrain from running to the courtyard to meet his grandfather. An ordinary visit from his grandfather, the head of the Kuchiki house and the 6th Squad captain, was enough to excite Byakuya, but this was no ordinary visit. As Byakuya had just turned sixteen, he had come to an important milestone according to the traditional familial system of the Four Noble Houses. At this age, the young nobles became apprenticed to a sensei from one of the other three houses of Soul Society's upper echelon in order to learn the ways of the shinigami. Essentially every child born into a noble family eventually became a shinigami in the Gotei 13, and more often than not, they were exceptionally talented and rose to positions of authority within the Court Guard. This was especially true of the Four Noble Houses, whose spiritual powers were far above the levels of all other shinigami.
Byakuya's pulse quickened as he rushed through the expansive Kuchiki manor. He had an enormous legacy to live up to, but he had been eagerly anticipating this for as long as he could remember. Finally, he reached the impeccably manicured courtyard, where his grandfather and father were standing in front of the large innermost pond.
"Ah, Byakuya. You're here at last," said Kuchiki Ginrei.
"Hai, Jii-sama!" Byakuya strode up to his grandfather and father before bowing to each of them. "Jii-sama, otō-sama, I am most honored by your summons."
"Seiza, Byakuya. Your father and I have very important news for you," said Ginrei in his ever-dignified tone.
Byakuya, his father, and his grandfather all knelt and sat upright in unison. "Before we move on to the matter at hand, we would be amiss not to clear our minds and souls of any outside distractions that may be lying within. Meiso."
The three nobles closed their eyes and began to breathe calmly in meditative fashion. Despite the outward appearances, Byakuya had never been good at this, and his mind was still racing when his grandfather ended the exercise. "Yame."
Ginrei continued on. "Now, Byakuya, as you are aware, the children of the Four Noble Houses come of age at sixteen years. Upon reaching this age, they are presented to a sensei from one of the other Four Houses to be instructed and molded into exceptional representatives of the families as shinigami. This tradition has been passed down for centuries between our houses to provide the best training for our children, to strengthen the bonds of our houses, and to contribute to the greater good of Soul Society," he said.
Byakuya tried hard not to sigh in boredom at the history lesson, which he had heard a thousand times already. Finally, Ginrei got to the point, sending Byaukya's excitable nerves into overdrive.
"Your father Sōjun and I have conferred with the other Houses of the Four, and an arrangement has been mutually agreed upon to apprentice you to a sensei," said Ginrei solemnly. "Today is the day that your apprenticeship will begin. Tate." The three Kuchiki rose to their feet.
"I, Kuchiki Ginrei, on behalf of the Kuchiki House, present you, Kuchiki Byakuya, to your sensei," he said as he gestured behind Byakuya. The Kuchiki heir turned eagerly to see the nobleman who would change his life forever.
There was no one there.
Byakuya walked forward a few steps, craning his neck to see if there was anyone at the gate to the courtyard; it was very large, after all. He could see no one. Just then, a sudden presence and a burst of wind arrived directly behind him. Byakuya whirled around anxiously, and—
His face ran into an ample pair of breasts.
"So! I finally get to see the great Kuchiki Byakuya in person! Nice to meet ya, Byakuya-bō!"
Byakuya jumped backwards, and his head snapped upward to see a beaming face with a skin tone like cocoa, short purple hair, and yellow eyes so bright they appeared to glow, even in daylight. He stepped backwards hastily to see the lithe woman before him, wearing some kind of sleeveless, backless uniform.
"Jii-sama, who in Seireitei is this woman?! She's interrupted our family business, she has no propriety, and she's not even close to being properly dressed!" he exclaimed.
Ginrei inclined his head toward the lovely young woman. "Byakuya, meet your sensei, Shihōin Yoruichi."
Byakuya stared at his grandfather, completely incredulous. "Forgive me, jii-sama, but it sounded like you said this…discourteous woman is to be my sensei."
The woman put her hands on her hips, grinning widely. "That's right, Byakuya-bō. I'm Shihōin Yoruichi, the current head of the Shihōin House. You can just call me Yoruichi, though. I hate formal honorifics and stuff," the woman said nonchalantly. Byakuya looked pleadingly at Ginrei, who simply nodded.
Byakuya looked angrily at Yoruichi, clenching his fists. "Outrageous! I will not be taught by some classless wench who clearly does not know her place!" he spat.
"Quiet, Byakuya! The Shihōin and Kuchiki families have been tightly bonded for centuries, and you should be deeply honored and grateful that the head of the Shihōin has consented to train you personally! Moreover, as you should already know from your lessons on the civics of Soul Society, Yoruichi is the commander of the Onmitsukidō, who traditionally wears the uniform you see her wearing!"
Byakuya stood, left aghast at the realization of what was happening.
They can't be serious. Can they? he thought.
Ginrei lowered his voice. "Now, henceforth you are under the tutelage of your new sensei Shihōin Yoruichi, and as such you are subject to her instruction. I trust you will be an exemplary representative of the Kuchiki household—the house that you shall inherit one day. I am sure you will bring great honor and renown to your sensei and to us, and you shall not disappoint," he said solemnly, looking Byakuya directly in the eyes.
Byakuya let his face soften in reverence before bowing to his grandfather and father, each of whom returned the bow. "…Of course, jii-sama. I shall not fail you…nor shall I fail my sensei," he said before frowning ever so slightly.
"He's just as high-strung as you said, Ginrei. This is gonna be very interesting, I'm sure," Yoruichi said playfully. Byakuya could hardly conceal his irritation at Yoruichi's informal addresses toward his grandfather. "Right, then! C'mon, Kuchiki Byakuya. Time to get started," Yoruichi said as she walked confidently toward the gate. "Get changed into something to train in. I'll be waiting out front."
Byakuya balled up his fists as he watched the Shihōin princess leave the garden. He looked back at his father and grandfather, nonplussed.
"Go on, Byakuya. Obey your sensei's instructions," Ginrei said, nodding.
The Kuchiki heir sighed, and trudged off to his quarters. After changing into his training garb, he met Yoruichi just inside the entrance to the family compound. One of the gatekeepers broke out of his normally stiff posture to step across and open the gate for the two of them. Yoruichi beckoned for Byakuya to follow her, and they proceeded into the bustling maze of the Seireitei.
"…Shihōin-sensei, where are we going?" Byakuya asked.
"Climb onto my back, Byakuya-bō. You'll see where we're going soon enough," Yoruichi replied.
Byakuya smirked dismissively. "That's completely absurd. Are you trying to make me look like a fool?"
Yoruichi was completely straight-faced. "Do I look like I'm kidding? Get. On."
Byakuya growled as he climbed onto Yoruichi's back, wrapping his arms around the front of her shoulders. He thought, This woman is insane. I thought she was the head of one of the Four Noble Houses? How can she not understand that this is—
His mental grievances were abruptly cut off as they launched away from the Kuchiki compound in an instant. Within moments they were hurtling at inhuman speeds across the rooftops of the Seireitei. With Byakuya clinging on for dear life, Yoruichi bounded effortlessly from building to building, changing direction with extraordinary grace and skill, covering spans of miles in minutes. Before Byakuya could begin to get his bearings on where they were, Yoruichi had touched down with catlike silence in front of a massive, ornate gate emblazoned with the Shihōin family crest. Byakuya edged off of her back nervously, trying to regain his breath and his senses. Yoruichi whirled around, hands on her hips, and cocked an eyebrow.
"Now then, what were you complaining about? They don't call me "Flash Goddess" for nothing, Byakuya-bō. Quit wasting time doubled over like that; your training has already started!" she said, smiling as she needled the young Kuchiki.
For the first time that morning, Byakuya decided against making a comeback remark as the double doors opened to the Shihōin manor, and he silently followed his new sensei inside.
—District 64, North Rukongai—
The solitary boy wandered along past the small row of stands that passed for a market in this poor Rukongai district. As he looked at the selection of goods from each of the vendors, he became more wistful at the sights. Their offerings were meager and their supplies were not great, but the boy could feel his stomach growling nonetheless. He'd gone a few days now without eating much of anything, save for the stale crusts of bread that one of the sellers had rejected the other day. This wasn't the first time he'd gone hungry for long spells.
He wasn't sure if he could remember exactly—his senses and memory had gone a bit fuzzy in his lack of food—but he thought his "record" had been about a week without food. When this happened, he would collapse from fatigue, but he had never really come close to death by starvation. For a long time, he couldn't understand why; but on one occasion when he was briefly sheltered and fed by one of the few kindly residents in the slums, he overheard a few brief whispers about "spiritual power."
The boy stopped in front of a fruit stand and eyed the items up for sale. He could see apples, bananas, a few grapes and cherries, and some oranges. Only about half of them actually looked like they were at a healthy stage of ripeness. He was very young and small in stature, but this boy was a cunning one. He'd quickly deduced that the "spiritual power" being referenced was something that resided within him. The same sharp mind was currently weighing up whether to attempt some fruit thievery, as the fruit vendor was out of sight for a moment. His thin, ever-present smile widened a little as his machinations came together amidst his visions of some sweet sustenance. He approached the front of the stand; he could just barely see over the top edge.
As he was about to reach for an orange, the vendor emerged from the back of the shop. Quickly, the little rogue ducked and crawled under the counter, which had been covered in a large linen cloth. The vendor didn't react, so the boy assumed that he hadn't been seen. Silently, he crouched as he waited for another opportunity to "smash-and-grab." After a few minutes of being undetected, the vendor shuffled his feet as he moved about to help a customer, kicking up some dust which snuck underneath the cloth.
The boy tried to cover his nose and mouth to pre-empt a sneeze…but to no avail.
"Haaahh…..aaaaaaahCHOO!"
Quickly, the vendor bent down to find the source of the loud sneeze. He lifted the cloth and discovered a widely grinning boy who waved at him.
"What the—HEY! Get out of there, you—"
"Whoops! I'm busted!" said the boy. Within a split-second, he whipped a sharp kick at the vendor's legs, sweeping them out from under him. The man hit the ground hard, and his head whipped back onto the ground. The boy leapt out from under the counter and skipped over the stunned vendor, who was clutching his head as he groaned in pain. The boy dashed into the back of the store, scanning the space quickly and grabbing the first thing he could find—a modest, crumpled paper bag. Scampering through the opening at the back of the shop, he quickly realized that he was at a dead end, surrounded by slum-dwellers' shacks. Suddenly, he heard some grunting noises as the vendor got to his feet.
"YOU! STOP, YOU LITTLE BASTARD!" he bellowed.
"Hm…this ain't good," he said as he thoughtfully touched his index finger to his chin.
Checking his surroundings, he saw a small pile of open-top boxes behind one of the other shops. He grinned and sprinted over to them, taking one and flipping it over him so that he was completely concealed. He was hidden away just before he could glimpse the oafish shop owner through a small hole in the box.
"Damn that kid…but there's no place to hide back here except those boxes over there." He stomped menacingly over towards the boxes. "Yer not gettin' away, kid. I'm gonna give you a sound beating when I get my hands on you," he growled.
C'mon, just a little closer, the boy thought.
The shop owner got to the pile of boxes and began throwing them aside hastily, breathing bloody murder. Finally he got to the one where the boy lay in wait. He seized the box, threw it aside—
And the boy jumped out before kicking the man hard in the groin.
The young thief sped around the stricken vendor, who doubled over and whipped his head around to see the boy making his escape.
"Bye-bye," said the boy with a wave.
Dashing back out front, the boy sprung up and over the counter before he was home free. As he ran, the air felt good as it moved through his silver hair. He could hear the shop owner shouting and cursing in vain.
"THAT LITTLE SILVER-PISS! I'LL GET YOU, MARK MY WORDS…AUGH!"
Clearly, the man was still in great discomfort, which added to the satisfaction of the boy's triumph. He wound through small paths and alleyways in the slums to cover his tracks before slowing down, tightly holding the paper bag all the while. He exhaled deeply.
"Poor guy. It's such a nice day out, too!" he said to no one in particular.
He walked along towards the outskirts of town, where he could enjoy his treasure in peace. Looking at the bag, he noticed something scribbled on it.
"Persimmons…what a name that is," he said with curiosity. He reached in a plucked out a red-orange, lantern-shaped fruit about the size of his fist. He looked it over for a moment before realizing he wasn't sure how to eat one. He shrugged and bit into one. It was unlike anything he'd ever tasted before.
The delicate sweetness and the soft flesh of the fruit were a delightful combination of flavor and texture. He ravenously gobbled two of the fruits before slowing down, taking a little time to savor a third. This fruit was the best thing he'd ever eaten before, and he could feel the tingling of spiritual energy rekindling within him, bit by bit. His smile was wider than it had been all day.
Ichimaru Gin decided today was a very good day.
*Author's Note: Finally, I've gotten around to publishing the first actual chapter in this fic. I hope you all enjoy it! Thanks very much for viewing, visiting, reading, and especially reviewing my work. View are nice; visits are good; faves/follows are great; reviews are awesome. Thanks again for taking the time to read my story!