Thank you so soo much to everyone who reviewed! A MILLION SUNSHINE CUPCAKES! I really appreciate it, thank youu!

Notes: I love Rukia! I have nothing against her! (You'll see) I know she wouldn't be dumb enough to go into a dark alley when there is a murderer around... but her reincarnation is different. I'm sorry, it was needed to make the plot work :D

Also... Byakuya x Hisana will be the MAIN pairing. Yup, I still don't own Bleach and its characters and places.

Now for some...ACTION :D I hope you guys will continue reading this! Thanks again!

"You do know how to work a stove, right…?

"Um… Well…"

Hanabi really didn't know how she got into this. Then again, she desperately needed the money…

"Put the pot on the stove."

"No, that's the counter!" Byakkuya sighed in frustration, giving the ceiling his signature whydoIhavetodealwiththisidiot look. Although, whenever they were side by side, Hanabi felt herself leaning closer, with strange visions of cherry blossoms and warmth. She couldn't help blushing whenever their hands brushed. Byakkuya's eyes softened whenever he looked at her, if ever so slightly. Like maybe rock instead of steel.

Ichijo had suggested this. He had persuaded Byakkuya to let Hanabi pay off the meal by working, and then proceeded to run off somewhere. Before she had a chance to remind him that he was the one who dragged both of them into this, he had disappeared. You never knew with that guy…

This job wasn't so bad. Anything to escape the loud angry screaming of her bickering parents, the overwhelming smell of cigarettes and whiskey hanging heavily in the air in the house. They'd argue all the time- at meals, every minute, hour, day…the nights were the worst, and Hanabi sometimes wondered why Ichijo had stopped her from jumping. After all, she never even had a chance to say thank you. Each day she left early in the morning and waited around until Byakkuya came, blowing into the cool air to create puffs of fog, hanging around the tiny restaurant which had become much more of a home than that house ever could. It turned out Byakkuya had lost his parents not long ago, and had opened the restaurant by himself and found Reika begging on the streets, and had taken her in. That was something to be admired for, and Hanabi often wondered what went on behind those calm grey eyes.

Her life had at least a purpose in it, a small purpose, but seeing Byakkuya obsess over tomatoes always brought a little smile to her face… she hadn't smiled for such a long time that it felt foreign, a language long forgotten; but each day curving the corners of her mouth upwards became easier, and soon she had recognized the shapes and the colours of the language once again.

Still, Hanabi couldn't place her finger on where she had met Byakkuya before. He seemed so familiar—why couldn't she remember?

"Um, Byakkuya…" she began. "Have we met before?"

"No, I—" He stopped himself. "Put the chopped carrots in the stew," He hurriedly said, turning away.

Kuchiki Manor, 500 years after the fall of Aizen

"Hey, where does that door lead to?"

"It's Byakuya Kuchiki's wife's room," answered a squat, balding man with robes the colour of mold.

"THE Byakuya Kuchiki?"

"Well, duh. Who else?"

"Whoa, the ice cube had a wife? Can I go into her room?" The man asked excitedly.

"No. We moved her shrines there. He ordered for it to be left untouched. We have to respect his wishes. No one is allowed to go in there."

"But… no one will know! And besides, aren't you curious?"

"Not especially." The man turned, his arms full of boxes, and walked briskly away. The younger man glanced at the locked door, his eyes roaming back and forth. He made sure no one was looking, and, producing a hairpin out of his pocket, he ran to the door and proceeded to pick the lock.

Click.

The door swung open with a dusty creak. He walked carefully inside, the floorboards squeaking.

She smiled serenely at him, the portrait faded and long forgotten. No one had visited this shrine for quite a long time. Her violet-blue eyes gazed sadly at him, as she smiled the smallest smile he had ever seen and yet strangely mesmerizing. He walked closer, and wiped some of the dust off the portrait. In doing so, his hands ran over a bump that interrupted the smoothness of the picture. Strange. He glanced around quickly, uneasily. There was no one there.

He couldn't help being curious.

He took the portrait off its stand carefully, stirring up dust, and took the back of the frame off. Inside was a small, folded note with yellowed paper.

Karakura Town

Reika walked down the street, a basket in her hand, as the street vendors cried out at her. She stopped at a particular one, and picked up a shiny red tomato the size of her fist. "Freshest in the market," said a young boy, nodding at her with bright eyes. "Cool! I wonder what the police are doing here!" He exclaimed, looking past her. "Police..?" Reika repeated. She turned around, dropping the tomato, which landed with a soft thump on the pile.

A young woman with reddish-orange hair tied in a bun, wearing the strict navy blue of a police uniform was posting WANTED posters on buildings and sign posts.

WANTED

Reward: $100 000

Reika was too far away to make out the rest. She walked towards the officer, her basket dangling from her arm. "You! Girl!" The police officer barked at her. "My name is Takahime Inoue! You probably got this in school, but be careful of this man, he tends to target young girls like yourself. He is a murderer! If you encounter him, run away immediately and call the police! Here is his picture-"

"JESUS, MARY, AND JOSEPH!" The woman screamed shrilly, startling Reika.

She lowered her voice to a hoarse whisper. "That's him! I just saw him!" Takahime Inoue hastily pulled out a phone-like device. "This is 1204! Reinforcements needed immediately! Case number 15 spotted!"

A girl screamed.

Takahime Inoue ran off, pulling a shiny revolver from the pocket on her hip. Police sirens began to flare up, and a squad of navy-blue clad officers streamed out of cars. The same girl who had screamed began to panic, and flail around wildly. She ran to the vendor with the fresh tomatoes and began destroying the pile, rolling the tomatoes into the alleys of buildings. "Hey!" the boy yelled. "Calm down!" Reika, without thinking, walked quickly to retrieve a tomato that had rolled into the alley. Once in the alley, she spotted something strange.

A shadow among shadows- something that shouldn't be there. A freezing sensation, like she could feel death already creeping up on her.

Reika had no time to react. The icy metal of a cold blade was pressed hard against her bare neck. "Bye, Reika," a chilling voice whispered. "Nothing personal. At night, on the streets, not too long ago, you said you wanted to die. I'm granting that wish for you." Her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. She recognized that voice.

"You…!" she managed to choke out, struggling to escape, struggling to breathe, struggling to live…

The shock of seeing him rendered her body useless. Move! She screamed inside her head.

"You're welcome…" the voice sent shivers down her back, her mind refusing this fate and yet her heart already knowing.

The mysterious murderer of Karakura Town had struck again.

Kuchiki Manor

The Kuchiki servant unfolded the note, slowly, delicately. The paper was so old, crinkling loudly when unfolded and smoothed out. Only two words were there, with black ink hastily scribbled in a shaky hand.

Help me.