2/20/16 - Chapter has been edited to look/read/overall feel better.

[Meow]

I shifted uncomfortably as Kaien stared deep into my eyes. After what seemed like an eternity, he grinned and spoke, "I suppose I could house you in my manor until you're ready to spill the beans."

My mouth dropped open. "Huh?"

The black-haired man laughed, his grin getting wider. He then turned around and started to walk away, waving his hand at me, signaling me to follow. "Come on now, we don't got all day. Oh and…" He stopped for a moment before speaking again, "close your mouth. You'll catch flies."

My eye twitched as I started to follow him, but I kept silent. Now was not the time, but he was eventually going to get an earful from me, that's for sure.

We walked back up to the Seireitei. I was prepared to walk onto the polished tile when he suddenly snagged my wrist and pulled me back to 'safety'.

His face was a mixture of worry and anger. Seriously, he gets protective over someone he just met? Sounds like someone easy to cross. Of course, I kept these thoughts to myself.

"What are you doing?" He hissed in my ear. "You don't have a pass. You could get squashed!"
I gave him my special you're-an-idiot expression and pulled out my soul pass, shoving it into his face. He looked at it with an unbelieving expression before huffing and releasing me. I took the hint and continued walking on through as if I owned the place, not even so much as glancing back or speaking to him.

Kaien just continued to stare after me, dumbfounded. After shaking his head, he jogged up to my side and cast me a sideways glance, but said nothing. His silence was welcome. After all, I don't like priers.

After about five minutes of silence, Kaien in the lead once more, we finally stopped at a high-walled enclosed area with buildings occupying half the space inside. This could only be the manor Kaien was speaking of before.
The raven-haired lieutenant turned around and grinned at me as we stopped in front of the giant wooden entrance to the manor. "Welcome, Ichigo, to my humble abode."

I just pretended to be interested in the wall to my left as I looked at him from the corner of my eye and responded with, "Uhuh."

Kaien released an exasperated sigh. "Seriously, Ichigo, you're no fun! How am I supposed to enjoy showing off all the stuff I'm proud of if you only respond with, "Uhuh", "Cool", and "That's nice"?" Seeing my obvious lack of a response, my twin just sighed once more before gesturing for me to follow. He rapped once on the hard oak wood and waited for a few seconds before the door slowly opened towards the inside seemingly on its own.

What I saw genuinely surprised me. Seeing as I've never known the life of a noble, it was surprising to see a long line of servants separated by gender on both sides of the pathway from the double doors. As Kaien walked forward, they all bowed respectfully and either chose to stay quiet or say something polite like, "Welcome back, Lord Shiba."
I secretly decided that I did not like the idea of being a noble, and was glad that my father had taken me from that life. I stopped in my tracks right after we passed by the two lines of servants. Why did my father choose to run from this lifestyle? Wouldn't he have liked it better? What had caused him to abandon such a comfortable life?

I was snapped out of my thoughts as a rough hand landed on my shoulder. I looked up and met the eyes of Kaien Shiba.

"Hey kid, are you alright? You've been standing here for a few minutes already."

I shrugged off his shoulder and walked a few feet away. It's not like I could really walk off. I didn't know my way around the manor.

"Of course I'm okay. I was just lost in thought, that's all." I told him as I turned back around to face him.
Kaien gave me a once-over before shrugging and continuing on in what looked to me like a random direction, but I knew better.

After a minute or two we arrived at simple wooden door on the side of one of the many halls on the left wing of the manor. "Okay!" Kaien started cheerfully. "This is one of the empty rooms on the guest wing. Enjoy it while we get you sorted out." He then opened the door and gestured for me to enter, which I did. It was genuinely nice and decently sized. A small dark oak tea table sat in the corner of one side of the room, complete with a blue tatami mat to sit on. A comfortable looking bed covered in what could only be extremely expensive angel white sheets sat at the other side of the room. Another white and recently dusted dresser sat next to the bed, most likely filled with only the finest clothes money could buy. Last but not least, three paintings of cherry trees in full bloom were hanging from the eggshell painted wall that faced the doorway.

I turned back around and raised an eyebrow in silent question for the man waiting outside, but he seemed to have already left. Seriously… He didn't have to give me such a nice and expensive looking room. Then again…this was probably the cheapest room that Kaien guy had. Dang nobles and their money.

I glanced around the room a few more seconds before deciding to head back out again. It's not like I had anything, so how could I unpack? I mean, it's not like that Hat-'n'-Clogs guy gave me a chance to get my stuff all ready for this trip. At the thought of that unnaturally happy blond man, I scowled.

Then again, I was pretty lucky to have stumbled across Kaien. Perhaps that was what that man had meant to do from the start? I rubbed my temples. Seriously, all this thinking was going to give me a headache.
I headed outside and glanced around. Directly in front of me was a stupendous garden. It was fully equipped with every flower you could dream of, a few cherry trees here and there, and a large koi pond in the center.
I glanced to my left and right; nothing but hallways and more rooms there. I opted for the garden. After all, what else was I suppose to do while I waited for the black-haired lieutenant to return?

Walking onto the bridge that went across the middle of the pond, I looked down into the shimmering water. An orange fin peeked just above the surface of the water, causing a ripple to disturb my reflection before settling down into a glass-like surface once more. I squinted harder, just able to make out the shapes of beautiful multi-colored koi fish swimming under the surface of the water and the lilies.

These fish had such wonderful and carefree lives. They got fed at least once per day, if their fat bodies were anything to go by, and they didn't have to worry about other predators going after their lives every day. The only action they had day-to-day was most likely nipping at each other because of whatever stupid fish reasons they had.
I sighed as I leaned against the cold, hard stone of the arched bridge. Why couldn't I just be like a fish? If I was, I could swim away from everything. After all, ever since mom died, I've never seen life as something to…enjoy. Life was just there. I live my life day-to-day by just…existing. There was no enjoyment or happiness.

I mean, I know that my dad was trying to make up for the loss of our prized sun, but he just wasn't her. No matter how hard he tried, he was just a side planet, no matter how cold it seemed to admit it. My family… Our universe… was…is…always going to be without a sun to warm it. It will always be cold and gloomy, no matter how it seemed to anyone outside of our household. Of course, we all care for one another. It's pretty obvious when you see us bicker and talk to each other, but…it just will never be the same.

I slowly lifted my head from the now warm stones. My, the sun was already setting. I took a moment to mesmerize the many glorious colors and hues of the sunset. After just a few minutes, the sunset was gone, and I was back to a dark, empty world. It seemed Soul Society had wonderful sunsets. I looked up at the starry night sky. It even seemed like the nights were pretty.

I turned my head as I heard the sound of approaching footsteps. For some reason, I seemed to barely feel the presence of the one approaching. "Kaien," I acknowledged.

"Ah, Ichigo! I was looking for you. Dinner is going to be ready soon, so I wanted to invite you to eat with me; maybe meet my family." Instead of his usual grin, Kaien had a soft smile spreading across his lips. His family...

I straightened and cracked my back. I was a little sore from slumping over the bridge for so long. "Yeah, whatever." I muttered as I followed the man who had already started to walk away.

After a few minutes of silence and many turns around corners, Kaien spoke, "Do you like the gardens?"

I looked up a little, catching the knowing glint in his eyes. "Yeah, they were…nice."

Kaien grinned and patted my back as we walked. "Glad to hear it! My wife Miyako loves those gardens. She had me plant all those flowers a few years back. Man was that a headache!" He rubbed the back of his neck as he said the last part. "I mean, she wouldn't even let the gardeners do it! What are they for if she won't even let them plant a single flower? Ugh!"

I tried so hard to keep the scowl on my face. Man, it didn't help that this guy was somehow able to almost make me smile. Perhaps it had something to do with him being my previous incarnation. I looked towards the ground again as we continued to walk. "You know, you don't have to try to cheer me up," I glanced up to look at his face, "Don't look so surprised. It's pretty obvious."

The lieutenant scratched the back of his neck sheepishly again. He seemed to do that a lot, I noted. "Really? Man…"
I just huffed and opted to watch a goose take off from the garden to my right. Once again, I was glad for his silence after saying those two words. There really was nothing else to say. At least he wasn't the type to pry.

"Welp," Kaien started after five minutes of walking, "we're here!"

I glanced up at the wooden door in front of me. There was nothing special about it. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought it to be another bedroom or something. Hmm…

"Say Kaien…" I said just as he was reaching for the doorknob.

The raven-haired man stopped and looked at me. "Hmm?"

"Just how long did it take you to memorize these halls?"

The older man chuckled before answering and opening the door at the same time, "Too long, my dear friend."
As he swung the door open, I was greeted by a sight I would have thought I would never see in a noble family's home. The room was loud, really loud, and all the commotion seemed to be settled around three individuals sitting on red tatami mats on the floor around a short circular table. There was food strewn everywhere, floor included, and a few servants ran to-and-fro bringing new plates of food and what looked like alcohol to the table while simultaneously cleaning up spilled food and drink from the floor.

It didn't surprise me much to see my father as one of the three people at the table, as he was a part of this family. I just have to be careful what I say around him, that's all. Now the other two people I have no idea who they are. Then a thought hit me. Those other two must be...Kukaku and Ganju, Kaien's siblings. After all, I expected them to be here, but…I didn't expect this…mess. Of course with Isshin involved, the rowdiness was to be expected.

Kaien gently pushed me farther into the room and closed the door behind him, gesturing for me to take one of the mats on the floor near the table. For the first time in a few weeks, I was genuinely disgusted with my father. The best term to describe him at this moment would have to be…pig. Now the other two Shibas were no different.
"Hey Ichigo, are you going to eat?" Kaien said when he noticed me staring at Isshin.

"Yeah," I said as I hesitantly asked one of the servants to give me a wooden bowl. After getting the bowl, I leaned over and scooped rice from a large bowl and chicken from another, placing them together in my own before then completing it with soy sauce over the top. "Thanks for the food man."

Kaien grinned. "No problem!"

After a few seconds of eating my meal and listening to what I believed to be Ganju and Kukaku bicker, I heard Isshin speak up, "Say Kaien, who's the brat with the large reiatsu?"

I immediately twitched my eye and was about to speak up if it wasn't for Kaien getting to it first.

"Huh? He doesn't have… Oh" He glanced at me for a second or two before shrugging. "Guess I didn't notice… Anyways, Uncle, this is Ichigo. He's a Shiba." He grinned after saying the last part. What's with Kaien and grinning?

Isshin spat out his food and the room grew deathly silent. Even the younger siblings had quieted down to listen in on the conversation."He's a what? That's not possible. I mean, he has orange hair!"

I twitched both eyes now. This was getting irritating.

Kaien leaned over and grabbed my shoulder, hugging me tightly to his body. "Why do you say that? Just look at the resemblance!"

Isshin blinked. "Well…I suppose he does look like you, minus the orange hair and brown eyes, that is."

The lieutenant smiled. "Exactly my point!"

The older man looked over in my direction. "Oi kid, how were you made?"

Well that was certainly not expected. I felt my face heat up as I sputtered, "W-what? Th-that's not-"

I stopped as I heard Kaien laughing off to my right. I scowled, face still a bright pink. "D-don't laugh, Kaien! It's not funny, I swear!"

Kaien wiped a tear from his eye after a few moments and grinned at me. "Not funny? You have to admit, that was hilarious! You should see how embarrassed you look!"

I grumbled and then scowled as I looked away, not wanting to meet Isshin or Kaien's eyes. After a few moments I relented and returned Isshin's stare. "How I came to be is none of your concern."

"Ouch…" Some unfamiliar voice said from the end of the room. It was quickly accompanied by another thump noise as the girl, who could only be Kukaku, hit him on the head with her fist.

"Shhh you idiot!"

I took another mouthful of my meal, chewed, and then swallowed when it seemed no one else was willing to speak. The conversation soon started up again after a few more minutes of silence.

I had only gotten about halfway through my bowl when someone addressed me again.

"Say…Ichigo…" Kaien said through a mouthful of food, "with your reiatsu level…" He stopped, but then started again after a few seconds, "Have you ever heard of the Soul Reaper Academy?"

I looked up from my bowl. Well that was definitely something new.

"Tell me more."

[Meow]

I hope you enjoyed! I had written a whole page worth of notes and had only gotten through about half of it when I decided to break away from pre-planned events and hold a dinner. Because why not, right? As always, please leave a review, favorite, and follow! :3
Turtle~~~