Chapter 10: Cut from the same cloth

A/N: It's been a while since I've update this story so I decided to add another chapter! We're going to step away from Haine's perspective for a tiny bit and focus more on her sister, Shaiya. Just what's so special about this blue mage and why does she always have a chip on her shoulder?

You'll find out in this exciting chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or Final Fantasy X; I just own my oc's.

Enjoy!

/

Shaiya wiped the sweat from her forehead. She finished up her daily routine of practicing her blue magic and weapons for the day and decided it was time to call it quits.

While Haine was off exploring the Soul Society, she was busy honing her skills as a guardian. The guardian's duty was to always protect the summoner and be at full strength. She didn't want to slack off while they were stranded on this foreign world.

Haine could have fun but she couldn't.

Putting her whip away, she walked away from the gardens to head for the bathhouse. Unlike her sister, she mesmerized the layout of the Kuchiki manor. That was the perks of being a blue mage; she didn't just master copying abilities but she was able to remember certain locations. It was helpful for when they had to travel down dangerous roads through Spira and the Cloister of Trials. A blue mage was the perfect type of guardian.

Turning down numerous hallways, Shaiya's mind wondered to her sister. Haine was off traveling the Soul Society with Renji. She didn't like that her sister was getting close to the redhead. She didn't like that she was getting close to this world period.

She was on a mission to protect Spira; that was her duty to Yevon.

She stopped in her tracks.

"Did I really just think that?" she thought.

She bowed her head. There was one secret that the blue mage held that not even her family knew.

She despised Yevon. She hated everything that dealt with that name. She hated the religion, she hated the beliefs, she hated the commitment people put themselves to it.

She even hated the pilgrimage. To her, it was a march to death rather than the path towards saving Spira. Every summoner who went on the pilgrimage and defeated Sin always ended up dying. Even her beloved uncle Braska wasn't spared of such a fate.

"A world without Sin is nothing more than a fickle dream" she thought.

The teachings of Yevon always said that if people could atone for their sins then Sin itself would disappear. It was such a childish belief that it made her sick. It didn't matter if people worked hard to atone for their crimes, there would still be others who would commit them.

When one person managed to fix something, the other would mess it up and start the cycle all over again. They foolishly believe that there would be a day that Spira would be Sin free and they would all live in eternal peace. In Utopia.

She shook her head in disgust.

The people of Yevon were fools. They believe in such old useless beliefs thinking that they were true when they weren't.

She preferred the Al Bhed beliefs over Yevon.

That's right, she agreed more with the 'traitorous' Al Bhed over her family's beliefs. The ways of the Al Bhed made much more sense to her than Yevon did. They believed in life and the future of Spira rather than the past. True, they created Machina way before their time, but at least they were trying to build a better future instead of living in the past.

If her father wasn't a Master of Yevon then she would have lived among the Al Bhed in a heartbeat.

But alas, that could never be. As long as Yevon was still around, her family would forever be tied to it.

At least here in the Soul Society was she able to be free.

She walked further in the estate in search of the bathhouses. Her mind was frazzled just thinking about Yevon that all she wanted now was to relax.

She turned down another hallway and passed a shrine like room. Pictures filled up an entire wall while the smell of burning incense wafted through the air.

"This must be where they keep loves ones here" she thought.

"Like a mini farplane"

She was mildly impressed but her attention was drawn towards a certain picture. It was young woman who smiled softly back at her and looked just like Rukia.

Growing curious she stepped into the room to get a better look. Why would the Kuchiki family have a picture of a Rukia look-alike?

She studied the picture better and saw that while the woman appeared similar to Rukia, she didn't look like her at all. She had the same hairstyle and facial features as Rukia but her aura held a more gentle vibe then that of the Soul Reaper.

"What are you doing here?"

Shaiya turned around to see Byakuya standing near the entrance of the room. This man was a mystery to her but she could relate to him. He kept his emotions behind a mask and hardly said anything about himself.

She simply looked back at the woman's portrait.

"My apologies" she said.

"I was on my way to the bathhouses when I stumbled upon this room. I was curious as to why there was a picture of someone who looks like your sister"

Byakuya walked over to the mural and looked at the picture.

"That is not Rukia, that is my wife" he said.

Shaiya closed her eyes.

"You have my condolences" she said.

Byakuya just made a noise to show his thanks. The two of them didn't speak since it was not needed. Shaiya was the kind of person who didn't need to be told to understand a situation. She had a sharp eye and was able to pick things apart to get to the heart of the matter.

She could tell that Rukia really wasn't Byakuya's brother but was rather his sister-in-law. The two of them didn't share any similar traits. They were the polar opposite from each other like night and day.

"So I take it that Rukia is really your in-law rather than your real sister?" she summarized.

Byakuya looked at her while the blue mage gave him a cold smirk.

"I must always understand everything that I see, Sir Kuchiki" she said.

"Such is the way of a guardian"

Byakuya looked away from her.

"Correct" he replied.

Shaiya nodded, knowing that she was always right.

"It's fortunate that she has such a caring in-law like you in her life" she said.

"I wouldn't say that" Byakuya said.

Shaiya closed her eyes.

"You may think differently but the truth is always present" she said.

She spun on her heel having her back towards him.

"I don't need you to share your past. It's none of my business" she said.

"But just remember that even if you don't agree with what I say, there are others who think differently than you"

She left the room and headed for the bathhouse.

It was time to relax.

/

The baths were calm and relaxing to Shaiya. They washed away the stress she had during the day and made room for her joints to relax. It made her wish they had bathhouses like these in Spira, but at least they had natural hot springs here and there.

The doors to the bathhouse opened to reveal Rukia and Haine entering.

"Sister!" Haine cried.

Shaiya gave her a small smile.

"Hello, Haine. Did you have a nice day?"

The summoner nodded and stepped into the water.

"Oh yes I did" she said.

"Renji showed me around the market area in Soul Society and Rukia invited me to attend one of the female soul reapers association club meetings!"

Rukia smiled and shrugged.

"All of the other female soul reapers want to meet Haine so I thought going to one of the meetings would work" she said.

"Can I please go to it, Shaiya?" Haine pleaded.

Shaiya always had the final say what Haine could and couldn't do while here. She was the head guardian which meant she had to monitor what was safe and what wasn't for her younger sister.

She shrugged and washed her arms.

"I suppose you can" she said.

"Although I will be attending in case something comes up"

Haine smiled brightly.

"Thank you!" she said.

Rukia smiled at the sisterly bond Haine and Shaiya shared.

"So how was your day, Shaiya?" she asked.

The blue mage shrugged and washed her hair out.

"It was alright" she said.

"Although I did learn that you had an older sister"

Rukia's smiled turned strained at the mention of Hisana.

"Oh" she said.

The blue mage wrung her hair out and looked at the young soul reaper.

"I didn't know that you weren't related to Sir Kuchiki. But then again, you look nothing alike"

"Shaiya" Haine warned.

The problem about Shaiya was she always stated the truth rather bluntly when she shouldn't. When her mind was on it, she would speak what she thought on certain things. It tended to get her into a lot of trouble with Lord Mika and the Masters.

Rukia laughed weakly.

"Yes, that's true" she said.

"Byakuya ni-sama is really my brother in-law. But he's the only family that I know and have"

Haine looked at her friend, curious at her statement.

"What about your sister?" she asked.

Rukia shook her head.

"I never knew her"

She told them the story about how when she was a baby, her sister Hisana left her in one of the districts in Hanging Dog since she couldn't take care of her and that after she got married to Byakuya she would search for her every day.

"After she died Ni-sama searched for me in her place because that was her final wish" she said.

"He found me when I was in the Soul Reaper academy and adopted me into the family. A lot of people in the Kuchiki family weren't happy about it, but he didn't care"

Haine sniffled a little at the story.

"That's so sad" she said.

Rukia gave her a gentle smile.

"It's ok, it's nothing to worry about" she said.

"It's sickening" Shaiya said.

Haine looked horrified at her sister's statement.

"Shaiya, how could you say that?" she cried.

Shaiya shook her head.

"Not about Rukia's story, I meant about the Kuchiki elders" she said.

"It's sickening to think that they could boss the head of the household as if they have power over him. They can't accept the fact that they're below someone much younger than them and have to follow his orders"

Her hand curled into a fist under the water.

"They think it's shameful that a nobleman marries a commoner simply because they think it'll ruin their status" she spat.

"They're blind by the fact that love does exist and that status is not always important. They care more about their own image than they care about their leader's happiness"

Rukia looked at the blue mage in wonder.

"Shaiya"

The blue mage gave her a serious look.

"Just because you aren't of noble blood doesn't mean you're lower than them" she said.

"You're the sister of the leader in this household so that means you have more power over everyone else. Don't you dare let them trample over you because of their past. Show them wrong and prove to them that you have just as much of a right to be here as they do"

Rukia blinked for a second before she broke out into a grin. No one had ever said such positive things about her being a commoner.

It was hard to believe that she would gain to support from people who were not from this world while everyone in Soul Society was against her.

"Thank you" she said.

Shaiya shook her head.

"There's no need to thank me for simply stating the truth" she said.

"It's just common sense"

Rukia smiled.

"Well, regardless thank you" she said.

Haine smiled.

"My sister may be reserved but she'll always speak her mind when the moment is right" she said.

"That's just the kind of person she is"

Shaiya nodded her head slowly.

"And that's the person he used to be" she thought.

/

Dinner was already started by the time they entered the dining room. The three of them got caught up talking about girl stuff that they didn't realize the time.

Rukia bowed respectfully to Byakuya when they came into the room.

"I'm so sorry we're late, Ni-sama" she said.

"We were in the bathhouse"

Haine bowed as well.

"It's mostly my fault" she said.

"So please don't blame her"

Byakuya simply closed his eyes and continued to eat.

"We just started so you're not late" he merely said.

Rukia smiled with relief and took her spot at the table. Haine and Shaiya sat next to her and started eating their meal in silence.

Throughout the meal, Shaiya noticed that some of the elders at the table were scowling and muttering under their breath. She also picked up that they would look at Rukia from time to time with such distain.

She didn't like what she was seeing and was going to put an end to it.

"Is there something you would like to say?" she spat.

The everyone looked at her giving nasty looks to the elders.

"Whatever could you mean?" one of them asked.

Shaiya scoffed and shook her head.

"hyeja amtanc" ( foolish elders) she scoffed.

She placed her chopsticks down and crossed her arms.

"You've been muttering and glaring at this side of the table since dinner started" she said.

"Clearly you have something to say if you can't stay quiet about it"

Haine gulped and grabbed her sister's arm.

"Sister" she warned.

The elders glared at her with distain. How dare a guest speak so rudely?

The main elder cleared his throat and gave Shaiya a cold stare.

"Very well, fine" he said.

"Since you've brought it up, I'll just say that in this household when it's time for dinner, that means you be here on time"

Rukia bowed her head, knowing that they were talking about her being late.

Shaiya sneered.

Stupid elders, they didn't realize they had no power compared to Byakuya.

"I'm sorry, I must have misheard then" she said.

"I could have sworn that Sir Kuchiki said that it was alright that we were a little late to dinner and that you all just started. I also seem to recall that Sir Kuchiki is the head of this house and whatever he says is final"

She propped her chin in her hands.

"I didn't know that on this world the head of the house was ruled by the weak underlings of the family" she taunted.

"Where we're from it's the exact opposite and if someone were to speak against the head of the family it would end badly"

Haine tugged on her arm some more, silently telling her to stop.

"Shaiya, please" she pleaded.

The elders glared daggers at the blue mage.

"How dare you speak to us like that?" one spat.

"You have no say in this household"

"I don't" Shaiya agreed.

"But then again, neither do you. Rukia is above you all so that means she deserves your respect rather than being scolded. You wouldn't want to be kicked out of your own home now do you?"

That was it for Haine as she pulled her sister away from the table.

"Please excuse us!" she cried.

She dragged her away from the dining room and outside. The summoner looked at her sister with horror.

"Have you lost your mind?" she asked.

"We're guests here, you can't speak out like that"

Shaiya scoffed and looked away.

"And they shouldn't be talking to their family like that" she said.

"It unnerves me that just because one person is different in the family that means they're the black chocobo in the herd"

Haine looked at her sister sadly. She understood why she lashed out at the elders for being rude to Rukia. She too had shared a similar experience with the Masters in Bevelle for something she had did against Yevon.

"Rukia isn't Nukka, Shaiya" Haine said.

"You and I both know that"

Shaiya closed her eyes tightly at the mention of the name. Even after all this time it still tore her heart in two.

"Haine! Shaiya!"

Rukia ran over to them with a worried look on her face.

"I'm so sorry this happened" she said.

"This is all my fault"

Haine gave her friend a weak, reassuring smile.

"It wasn't your fault. You did nothing wrong" she said.

"It's those foolish elders that you call family" Shaiya spat.

Her hands turned into fists at her side.

"They think they know better than you and your brother. They think that they know what is best for your family. They think that marrying a commoner is a sin and will make them look bad. Well they're wrong! Marrying someone of lower status is nothing to be ashamed of. Just because the person you love isn't on the same level as you doesn't mean they're not better. The fact that your brother loved a commoner showed that he didn't need to follow his family's orders to make himself happy. He listened to his heart and found someone who made his life so much better. They think they know a better way of being happy? I highly doubt it. All they care about is their image and there selves"

She bowed her head sadly.

"They're no better than the Masters in Spira" she said.

Haine looked at her sister sadly.

"It wasn't your fault for what happened, sister" she said.

"They were just oblivious to what you truly felt"

Rukia looked between the sisters in confusion.

"What happened?" she asked.

Haine looked at her sister then at her friend.

"It really isn't my place to say" she said.

"Shaiya is the one who would have to answer. Although…I don't think it's right to bring up the past"

Shaiya shook her head.

"It's fine" she said.

"It's not like I'll be punished for what I did in the past"

The blue mage looked at the young Soul Reaper with her emotionless mask on.

"I share a similar past with your brother in a way" she said.

"I used to be engaged to an Al Bhed man"

Rukia gasped a little. Haine had explained to her about the Al Bhed and how they were considered 'heathens' in Spira. They used forbidden Machina and refused to follow the teachings. They were the enemies of Spira.

Shaiya smiled weakly as she looked at the moon.

"Everyone in Bevelle thought I was a traitor for thinking about marrying the enemy" she said.

"They thought I turned my back to Yevon and condemned myself to Sin. I didn't care what they said. I was happy being with him and he opened my eyes to the world. He showed me that there was more to life than atoning for my sins. He showed me that sometimes you need to commit sins in order to atone. I loved Nukka with all my heart and being with him were the happiest moments of my life"

Her lip twitched at a painful memory.

"Yet my happiness was taken away from me when he died" she said.

"He joined the Crusades in hopes of defeating Sin, but he ended up dying due to his Machina malfunctioning and exploding around him. The Masters thought that he deserved it for using forbidden machinery but I thought him dying was my punishment for going against my beliefs"

She shook her head sadly.

"What is so wrong with loving someone so different?" she asked.

"What is the crime of loving a different race? Aren't we all human? Don't we all have blood flowing through our veins? Aren't we all capable of looking past our differences? Is it wrong to be with the person you love?"

Haine placed her hand on her shoulder.

"Sister"

"No it isn't"

The three of them turned to see Byakuya approaching them. The Captain of Squad 6 wore his usual stoic expression on his face.

Haine quickly bowed before him.

"Sir Kuchiki, please forgive my sister" she pleaded.

"She meant no ill will by speaking to your family, she was just looking out for Rukia. It was wrong for her to speak out like that"

Byakuya shook his head.

"No, what she said was true" he said.

"I'm the head of this household and what I say is final. They have no say in the matter of whatever I choose"

Rukia looked shocked.

"Ni-sama" she breathed.

Byakuya looked at Shaiya.

"I agree that they shouldn't have spoken out of turn. It brings shame to the Kuchiki name" he said.

"However if you wish to remain as a guest in my home you will refrain from speaking out like that again. Do I make myself clear?"

Shaiya blinked before giving him a cold smirk.

"Only a summoner tells their guardian what to do and no one else" she said.

"But since you're allowing us to stay I shall heed to your request. I have my reputation as a blue mage to uphold"

Byakuya nodded solemnly.

"Do not repeat this event again" he said.

"I cannot have you shame the Kuchiki name"

Haine nodded.

"Of course! I'll make sure it never happens again" she said.

"You have my oath as a summoner"

"Then let us return to dinner. I won't let food go to waste"

Rukia smiled and nodded.

"Of course, Ni-sama" she said.

She grabbed Haine's hand and lead her back to the house.

Shaiya slowly followed them with Byakuya at her side.

Neither said anything as they walked.

When they reached the house, the blue mage could have sworn that she heard the stoic captain whisper.

'Thank you'

Shaiya looked up at him but saw his face impassive.

The blue mage smirked slightly and shook her head.

It seemed despite their slight differences, she had managed to form a friendship with the stoic captain.

After all, they were cut from the same cloth.

/

A/N: So there you have it. We got to glimpse into Shaiya's past and learn a lot about her. She's rather complicated if you think about it. She went against her faith and planned to marry an Al Bhed man and went against Yevon but at the same time she's Haine's guardian.

She's a little like Braska but only has a Lulu attitude. And it seems that she's formed a friendship with Byakuya.

Do I detect romance in the air?

Please review and tell me what you think! And if you have ideas of how the female association meeting should be, let me know!

Ja ne!