As a reference point, and so you can know what all of these foreign words mean, I've listed Kataku's name and the name of the six kingdoms, their translations (at least, the translation I intended on using in this fiction), and their lord. Hope it's a bit helpful.

Kataku: This world of suffering

Choukaku: The sense of hearing (Ukitake)

Shikaku: The sense of sight (Hitsugaya)

Mikaku: The sense of taste (Byakuya)

Kyuukaku: The sense of smell (Zaraki)

Shokkaku: The sense of touch (Aizen)

Kan: The sixth sense (Ichimaru)


Kataku

Chapter Three: Kataku


"Such a peaceful day again," Ukitake thought, smiling softly at the fluttering breeze. It was the middle of summer, but the constant breezes in the Kingdom of Choukaku kept it cool through the summer months. The fragile leader was sitting on his front porch, surveying the world as if it were a play-- every rustle of leaves was a secret dance and each sound of nature was a hidden melody that could only be seen and heard by those who took the time to look for it.

Close by was the trusted and respected second-in-command, Hisagi Shuuhei. The punk-looking young man had been quiet ever since he joined his lord in the back yard of the Choukaku's castle. He found these silences nearly as calming and enjoyable as talking with the long-haired man, so he always waited for Ukitake to speak first. Eventually, he always did, and today was no exception.

"It will be Ichimaru-san's birthday again soon," Ukitake whispered, his voice as gentle and soft as the wind that carried it to Hisagi's ears.

"He'll be twenty this year, right?" Hisagi couldn't manage to keep his voice from sounding rough compared to his lord's, but he didn't try to mask it, either-- he needed to hide nothing in this peaceful land.

Ukitake nodded and kept his serene smile on, "It's remarkable how he's managed to cope with all that's happened in five short years."

"I heard he won a battle against the Kyuukaku," Hisagi remarked, "He's done well to come so far in such a short time."

"Well," another voice said, completely ruining the content mood of the two, "he had an excellent teacher."

"Urahara-san," Ukitake greeted, looking up to see the sandy-haired man approach them.

Said man bowed to his lord and took a seat on his left, as Hisagi had already claimed the right, "How are you today, Ukitake-sama?"

"I'm well," he assured the older one, then fell into another silence, this time a less-peaceful expression on his face.

"Ukitake-dono?" Hisagi asked immediately, concerned about his ill lord.

"I was only thinking," the white-haired man chided, "about where Yoruichi-san could be."

Hisagi knew, at the mention of the name, to let his lord and Urahara discuss the topic on their own. As such, he fell silent and returned to watching the secret play in the wind Ukitake had told him about many years ago.

"I wonder where she is," the palest of the three repeated.

Urahara became solemn as well and looked towards the surrounding forest, "I honestly don't know."


Waves crashed against a tall cliff, spraying their salty droplets of water up several feet and nearly tickling a pair of feet dangled over the side of the cliff. Hitsugaya watched the ocean's waves collide with each other, fold upon themselves, and burst up once again with renewed effort.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Matsumoto asked, approaching the young ruler from behind.

"Yeah," he agreed, not turning to look as she sat next to him.

"Even though it's the only ocean in Kataku, it's still very pretty."

Kataku was the name their world had been given by those that first inhabited it. It contained not much water at all, and the single ocean that graced the otherwise barren world with its presence belonged solely to the Kingdom of Shikaku that Hitsugaya Toushirou ruled over. Of the six kingdoms, the Kingdom of Shikaku was by far the smallest in land mass, but they made great prosperity due to their valuable source of the clear liquid.

"It's even more so because of that fact," he corrected her, his teal-green eyes never wavering from the ever-changing ocean.

Sensing that the conversation was getting too heavy (as it often did when she spoke with her lord), Matsumoto shoved a plate in front of his face. She only grinned as the white-haired boy glanced questioningly at the slices of watermelon set before him, then to her.

"Eat up," she suggested. Hitsugaya didn't need to be told twice as he snatched a slice off the plate and began eating it. Matsumoto watched him, smiling slightly to herself as he devoured piece after piece.

Noticing the grin, Hitsugaya paused, "What's that look for?"

"Nothing, nothing," she assured him, waving a hand, "I was only thinking how lucky I am to have such a cute leader."

The miniature boy glared and began chomping down on his meal again, "I am," chomp, "not," chomp, chomp, "cute!" The grind was discarded and another slice was attacked.

Matsumoto smiled wider and stifled a laugh as she turned her attention to the ocean, sparkling in the rising sun.


"Damn, how long is this hall?" Renji wondered to himself. Then again, he wondered that every time he had to go see his leader. He swore the hallway that led to the throne room was at least half the length of the castle itself, but he had been told repeatedly that it was no longer than any other hall in the place. "Like hell," he thought.

Finally, he reached the door and knocked briefly before entering. Automatically, he folded himself into a bow, "Kuchiki-sama."

Byakuya glanced at the redhead from behind his desk, his cold eyes surveying the boy's disheveled appearance. His hair was let down, as it was when he slept, and his eyes were still blurry from sleep. Perhaps he should have waited until morning, after all.

"Why am I here?" Renji asked after several moments of tense silence. He was sure he had done something wrong for his ruler to call him at such an hour.

"I saw you with Rukia yesterday," he told the boy, coldly. As expected, he watched as Renji tensed under his condescending look.

"Kuchiki-sama, that was an accident!" the green-eyed second-in-command said, desperately.

The previous day, Renji and Rukia had been taking a walk through the Kingdom of Mikaku's countryside. As she always did, Rukia led Renji to one of the few lakes that their land had. The two got to talking and, as usual, Renji said something that annoyed Rukia. The heir to the throne shoved her childhood friend into the lake, but not before being pulled in with him. The result was two drowned rats wringing out their hair and glaring at each other.

"I don't care if it was an accident or not," Byakuya informed him, closing his eyes, "However, I must warn you..."

Renji tensed even more, "Really, I can explain-!"

The noble's eyes snapped open and froze Renji to the spot, "If you have any intentions with my sister, be sure you are prepared to be married."

Renji's eyes grew wide as he let the meaning of the words sink in. He stammered for a few minutes before bowing again, "If you will, excuse me, Kuchiki-sama." Without waiting for a real response, the redhead turned on his heel and dashed out of the dangerous room and back down the hall.


The soft sound of pen scratching across paper was the only sound that filled the library-esque room. Books were piled up on shelves all around and the only real furniture in the elaborate study was an oak table that sat next to a large window overlooking the castle courtyard. Aizen paused in his writing to look out the window, pondering which words to use next.

His train of thought was interrupted by a soft knock at his door. A quiet 'come in' revealed Hinamori poking her head through the small space. Upon seeing Aizen, she smiled and pushed the door open fully, bowing to her leader.

"Aizen-sama, I was hoping-" she stopped herself when she caught a glimpse of his letter, "Oh, I didn't mean to interrupt, should I come back later?"

"Don't worry about it," Aizen told her, a soft smile gracing his face. He motioned next to him and the young girl obediently sat on the floor by his side. They continued that way for a while, until Aizen's curiosity got the best of him. "Was there some reason you came here?"

Hinamori kept her eyes trained on the floor space in front of her and slowly she shook her head with an apologetic smile. "Not really," she confessed, "I'm not sure why I came. I just felt like I wanted to be near you." She paused for a moment and lost the cheer in her voice, "I feel like something bad is going to happen soon."

"Something bad?" Aizen repeated before placing a hand on her head. He smiled again at her startled reaction, "It's just your imagination. Nothing has changed here and nothing will. Our paradise is one that will never end."

A small blush rose to Hinamori's cheeks as she nodded and smiled again, "Thank you, Aizen-sama."


So, just a quick little chapter on the rest of the lords of Kataku and some of their subordinates and relationships. I personally enjoy Ukitake's little group, but that's just me XD. Also, I changed the summary a little bit, though I'm not sure how that affects any of you who are already reading the fic o.o. Next chapter we'll get back into the plot and finally get some action going on! Hope you enjoyed, and as always, feedback is appreciated!