Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Kubo. I now own the second DVD box set.

Eleventh Glimpse: Tempting Fate

(Ginjo – Age thirteen)

He had been sitting on his heels for so long, he couldn't feel his legs anymore. More importantly, Ichigo had been sitting in the Kuchiki estate in the company of Kuchiki Byakuya for so long, he was becoming severely bored out of his mind. Not that he had anything against the man, but to Ichigo, coming here for a visit with Rukia had become the epitome of utmost boredom. He had long since ran out of things to talk about, resorting to counting the tatami mats in the excessively large room they were currently in to help him pass the time while Rukia and Byakuya continued to talk. If this went on any longer, he just might have to start counting the squares in the shoji screens.

Ichigo withheld a sigh as he glanced over at the Kuchiki siblings and mused for a bit. There was definitely an elegant rhythm to their conversation. They would take a sip of their tea and then set their cups down. Then Byakuya would speak…in typical Byakuya too-formal-to-be-comfortable fashion, of course…and Rukia would reply with a similar dignified stiffness. After that…a pause. Then they'd gracefully pick up their teacups, and the cycle would repeat itself. It was all fine and good, but what Ichigo would never understand was why it had to happen in such slooooooooooooow motion.

Silently, the orange-haired man wished that they had brought the kids with them. Better yet, he wished that he were home with the kids.

Ginjo and Himeko didn't come to Soul Society nearly as often as Rukia and Ichigo did for various reasons. First of all, the journey through the Dangai to get to Soul Society wasn't exactly the equivalent of a stroll in the park. Though with Ginjo being able to use shunpo now, this was namely just a concern for Himeko at this point.

Another reason was that, like father like son, Ginjo didn't enjoy being at the Kuchiki estate for an extended period of time either. However, unlike his father, the boy wouldn't just sit around and let his legs go numb. He would get antsy and simply take off, with or without permission. The last thing Ichigo needed was for the boy to accidentally run into Kenpachi while wandering around Seireitei. That man was crazy, and Ginjo was even crazier. Ichigo could think of a million things that could happen if those two were to cross paths, and none of them were particularly good.

Despite the fact that the children didn't come visit much, it didn't mean that they had little contact with their uncle. Himeko would often draw pictures for her parents to bring to Byakuya. And as of late, Ginjo had taken to writing the man letters.

While Rukia…being the doting mother that she was…would beam with pride and compliment the boy whenever he handed her a sealed letter to take to his uncle, the whole letter writing thing just made Ichigo nervous. Knowing Ginjo, his letters certainly wouldn't say, "Dear Uncle Byakuya, I love you and miss you very much. Your nephew, Ginjo"…or anything along those lines. The boy wasn't even the letter writing type to begin with. It all just seemed rather suspicious.

Just as Ichigo's train of thought reached this point, as if on cue, Rukia took out a folded piece of paper along with a sealed envelope from the folds of her robes and presented them to her brother. "Nii-sama, these are from the children," she said with a gentle smile.

Byakuya eyed the items with about as much enthusiasm as a dead bear before reaching out and taking them from his sister's hands. Wordlessly, he unfolded the piece of paper and began to look over his niece's latest masterpiece.

If Byakuya had to describe Himeko's artwork with one word it would have to be 'nonsensical'. To this day, he had yet to be able to make sense out of any of it, and this time was no different. It was a colored pencil drawing depicting a scene with metallic beings the girl called robots engaging in battle with various ambiguous looking furry animals wearing colorful tights in a field of rabbit-eared sunflowers while a group of winged cats sat on a rainbow above, holding fishing poles with carrots dangling from the hooks.

What compelled the girl to draw such things, Byakuya didn't know. Nevertheless, even though he didn't understand the drawings, it didn't necessarily mean that he didn't look forward to seeing what his niece might draw next time to amuse him with. Folding up the drawing, he set it aside to be carefully stored away later along with all the other artwork Himeko had made for him since the age of three.

Byakuya then turned his attention to the envelope, taking a moment to simply stare apathetically at his name that had been written in Ginjo's chicken scratch. Keeping his thoughts to himself, he opened the letter and began to read:

Yo, Byakuya-ji!

Mom told me you had a birthday not too long ago. Sorry, I missed it. I'm sure it must have been a riot since Kuchikis are such party animals and all.

Speaking of birthdays, how many centuries old are you now? You aren't getting any younger, you know. So, when are you gonna find yourself another woman so you can get married and have yourself a kid? We worry about you. Mostly, I worry about you. At this rate, if anything happens to you…not that I'm saying anything's gonna happen to you…then my mom will have to take over as head of the Kuchikis, which means suddenly I'm gonna be next in line. That's just gonna suck all the way around. I'm sure you'll agree, so…you really gotta get on this one.

Anyway, hope to hear back from ya. Until then…well, guess I'll just keep writing. You are, after all, my favorite uncle, and your zanpakutou kicks major ass…even if it is kinda girly.

Ginjo

Ichigo kept unblinking eyes on Byakuya to make sure he wouldn't miss any minute reactions the man might give. Unfortunately for him, Byakuya's expression was as impossible to read as ever. The muscles in his face were so still that Ichigo often wondered if they might be suffering from some sort of permanent paralysis. But even though Ichigo could never see any physical reactions, he always got the feeling that the temperature in the room would drop a few degrees whenever Byakuya read one of Ginjo's letters.

"So, what did he say?" Ichigo finally asked. He couldn't hold back anymore. He had to know.

"Ichigo!" Rukia turned to him with a disapproving frown. "You shouldn't ask something like that!"

"What? I was just asking."

"It's rude! Besides," she clasped her hands together, going into cloud nine mode again, "it's the bonding between uncle and nephew. You shouldn't interfere."

Ichigo looked away with a heavy sigh. Her perception of the situation had obviously been completely skewed by her feelings of love.

By now, Byakuya was already on his feet, tucking the folded letter into his robes. "If you could wait here for a while," he began, his voice filled with the usual calm dignity, "I would like you to deliver something to Ginjo for me."

Rukia could hardly contain her glee as her eyes widened and her expression practically glowed. "Of course, Nii-sama!"

Ichigo was left with shock as Byakuya walked out of the room. After getting a number of letters from Ginjo, this was the first time that Byakuya was actually responding. Instead of being in bliss like Rukia was, Ichigo thought it was probably more appropriate to be scared instead.

Ichigo slapped a sealed envelope onto the table in front of Ginjo.

The boy looked from the envelope up to his father. "What's this?" he asked dully.

"A letter from Byakuya," Ichigo said simply.

Ginjo perked up. "Seriously?" He tore open the envelope, his heart filled with anticipation as he wondered how his uncle would respond:

To my esteemed nephew,

Thank you for your thoughtful letters. Rest assured that your words of love, admiration, and concern have been taken to heart.

Your mother has informed me of your continually improving combat skills. Senbonzakura Kageyoshi eagerly awaits your next arrival.

Kuchiki Byakuya

Translation: 'You little twerp, I will definitely remember this. The next time you set foot on Seireitei, I will go bankai on your ass.'

Thanks to years of exposure to Ukita's, and later Ulquiorra's, way of speaking, it was no problem for Ginjo to read between the lines of all that formal jargon. He could do nothing but grin from ear to ear. He had been pestering his dear uncle for a while now, trying to get a rise out of him, and finally he was getting results.

"I'm coming with you the next time you go to Soul Society to see Byakuya-ji," the boy declared as he looked up at his father.

Ichigo scowled. This can't be good. "Why? You hate going to his place."

Ginjo shrugged lightly, still grinning. "He made an offer I can't turn down."

Ichigo's hand went to his forehead, commencing headache-relieving temples-massaging action. This really can't be good…

A/N: His name had been mentioned a few times here and there, but I guess this is the first time Byakuya-ji actually made an appearance…even if it is in the shortest chapter ever.

And Ginjo…picking fights with all the big guys. You kind of have to wonder what's going through his head. Definitely not consequences, that's for sure. LOL!

Thanks for reading! Reviews appreciated!