Chapter 10: Captain Kuchiki

Tsuin found himself at the foot of a very tall staircase. He sighed. Well this is going to be tiring¸ he thought. He began to run up the steps. It must have been a few minutes before he reached the top, and when he did, he bent over and put his hands on his knees panting. He looked up and sighed in relief. In front of him about two hundred yards away was one of the towers which loomed above him. To the right of it was a windings staircase set against the cliff's side winding its way up to the top. He stood in a courtyard that looked to be just as wide as it was long. About one hundred yards to both his right and his left were stone pillars that continued in a column, alternating twenty yards between each pillar, all the way down to the tower. He started to run for the tower when a man appeared before him. The man had not landed there from above, he had flash-stepped. Tsuin put his hand on the hilt of Tengokuōkami, but he didn't draw it.

The man was just a little taller than Tsuin but not nearly as tall as Kenpachi. He had long black hair and a few off-white hairpieces were stuck in it, one on top and two on the right side. He had grey eyes. He wore fingerless gloves that only covered the back of his hands. He wore a white scarf and a white jacket. The same kind of jacket Kenpachi wore except that this one had a 6 on it. He looked at Tsuin with a calm demeanor which, for some unknown reason, scared Tsuin more than Kenpachi's crazed manner did. At his side hung his Zanpakutō. This was the first Soul Reaper Tsuin had come across who didn't already have his blade drawn. That meant he was confident.

"Who are you?" Tsuin asked.

"I should be asking you that, invader," the man said.

"My name is Tsuin," Tsuin answered.

"I am Byakuya Kuchiki, Captain of 6th Squad," the man responded.

"Wait, 6th squad?" Tsuin made the connection. "Renji's your Lieutenant?"

"That is correct," Byakuya answered. "I'm glad you didn't kill him even though you could've. Why didn't you? You had won, after all."

"I'm not here to kill people," Tsuin answered. "I'm just here to fight someone to complete my training, and I don't plan on killing that person either."

Byakuya's eyes narrowed, "Who sent you? Who are you planning on fighting? And why don't you want to kill anyone? Isn't that what an invader is?"

"Kisuke Urahara sent me to finish my training. I don't want to kill people because you people have done nothing wrong and I've only fought who I've fought because they didn't move. I gave them a choice to step aside, and they didn't take it. And I offer you the same thing."

"First answer my other question. Who are you here to fight?"

"Apparently he's a human Soul Reaper like me. His name is Ichigo Kurosaki."

Byakuya's eyes widened just a little. He was silent for a few second. "Fine, I'll give you one chance to pass me."

"What?" Tsuin said a little confused. "What do you mean?"

"You have one chance to pass me," Byakuya answered. "If you pass me, then you can go on ahead. If you can't then I will be forced to kill you. And to make it easier for you, I won't even go for my sword."

Tsuin was completely confused not. He'd just let me pass? Just like that? I just have to get past him. Seems easy enough. I could just flash-step. It's about time I came across a Soul Reaper who had some sort of sense. After all, I don't want to fight him. Especially if, in the fight, I have to use my Bonkai.

Tsuin intended to flash-step right behind Byakuya. Suddenly he felt a hand on the front of his robes and he found himself next to Byakuya, not behind him. He looked down to see Byakuya's hand grabbing on his robes and realized, He stopped me in the middle of a flash-step. And that was all he thought as Byakuya suddenly threw him into one of the pillars. Tsuin hit the pillar and sat there dazed as it began to crumble around him. He blinked a few times and shook his head. Tsuin looked up and saw Byakuya standing in the same spot he had before. But now Byakuya had his sword drawn.

"Don't presume that you're faster than me," he said calmly. Then he flash-stepped in front of Tsuin and drove his sword through Tsuin's chest. Tsuin gasped in pain and his eyes got much wider than they were before. Tsuin weakly began to reach for his sword but Byakuya swatted his hand down.

"You were foolish to come here," Byakuya said. "I might slightly respect you if had actually hit me, and maybe I wouldn't think you as foolish as you are. But the fact of the matter is, you couldn't touch me. What makes you think you can defeat Ichigo Kurosaki in combat if you can't even touch me? I'll let you in on a little secret I hardly ever admit." He leaned down next to Tsuin and whispered. "Ichigo Kurosaki beat me in combat."

Tsuin's eyes got even wider. What? He thought. Ichigo beat this guy. But he's so fast. I didn't even have time to use my Shikai. But then what? He would've used his, and then I would've used my Bonkai and he would've too. He would've been faster than me no matter what I did. I wouldn't have been able to defeat him, I wouldn't have…darkness overwhelmed his sight.

"It's over," Jūshirō said to Shunsui.

"I'm not so sure," Shunsui said. "Weren't you the one who said to be patient?"

"Byakuya defeated him just like Head Captain Yamamoto said he would," Jūshirō said.

"Sometimes the Head Captain's wrong," Shunsui responded with a smile and a slight lowering of the brim of his straw hat.