Many years ago

The Kuchiki estate was blessed with a high, bright sun that beat down onto the neatly trimmed flowerbed. The carp in the river swam lazily beneath the decorative bridge, keen to escape the hot sun. Apart from a few attendants that patrolled and glared disapprovingly to the small white and blue shape that topped the bridge, the manor was silent.

Arashi rolled his shoulders over and over again, trying to get comfortable in the new kimono. He tried in vain to roll up his sleeves again, which instantly fell back down until they covered his hands. He grunted in frustration and contemplated ripping this stupid thing to shreds, but he remembered what the man had said; he mustn't misbehave or he'll be told off and wouldn't be allowed back, and that would disappoint Rukia. And he mustn't do that, no matter what, so he just went back to watching the river run past, trying to stroke the koi, who shied away from his finger tips. He started to get irritated from the lack of curiosity from the animals, so he lay down on the wood and reached down as far as he could. Even at his full arm's length, he could only manage to reach his wrist into the freezing water. He started to crawl forwards, getting closer and closer to the edge of the bridge and curling his arm into the water inch by inch. He stretched with all of his might and managed to grasp at the tail of a huge carp, which panicked and thrashed, shaking the small boy from the bridge with a cry and pulling him into the water. Just as he was about to plunge in head first, a strong grip latched onto his kimono and pulled him up with ease. As he slowly revolved in the grip, he gulped as Mr. Kuchiki stared at him.

"What were you doing to my fish?" he asked sternly, not letting go of Arashi.

"Uh, I was just playing with them, honest!" He tried to smile, but Mr. Kuchiki didn't want to smile. He just grunted and set the boy back down.

"Follow me. We're going to go see someone very important, so you need to be polite and respectful. Is that understood?" He glanced back to the small boy in tow, who just nodded as he slowly burned his arms with the friction of the sleeves he was so desperate to free his arms of. Byakuya snapped at him to stop, which the boy quickly did. Good, he thought, he does as he's told.

Arashi was led in total silence through the estate and barracks and finally out into the Seireitei, where the tall Soul Reapers looked at him with suspicion as he walked along in the shadow of the captain. Eventually, the first squad barracks loomed in the distance, making the young boy gawp at the massive structure.

"Mr. Kuchiki?" Arashi asked, tugging at the older man's kimono, "Does the old man Soul Reaper live there?" Arashi received a stern stare that made it clear that Mr. Kuchiki didn't like people touching his clothes, so Arashi just shied away and was about to apologise, but the man had already started walking again.

"You need to brush up on your manners, and fast. The person you just called 'old man' is Head Captain Yamamoto." He turned to Arashi, "Do you know what that means?" The boy shook his head slowly, making Byakuya give a little snort of irritation. Did this boy know nothing of class? Of respect and honour? "It means that he exceeds us all, and that means that you have to constantly show him the utmost respect at all times. Understand?" he asked, looking over his shoulder. The boy was still fidgeting around in his kimono and didn't look like he fully comprehended the gravity of the situation. But Byakuya was smart; he knew how the boy ticked. He stopped and lowered his eyes to little Arashi, who nearly tripped over his sleeves in surprise.

"If you don't speak very nicely to head Captain Yamamoto, Rukia will get told off because you're too young to be punished, understand?" At the mention of his beloved sister's name and with the consequence of her being punished on his behalf, the small boy straightened up and nodded solemnly, suddenly feeling that his clothes fit him perfectly. Byakuya grunted, not entirely convinced that he fully understood, but that was all he could teach him without taking days to have one of his stewards tutor the boy, and he doubted that a feat like that would be possible in the thirty seconds they had before they crossed the bridge and reached the head captain's office. Byakuya knocked softly and the silver-haired lieutenant let them in, the sight of his hair bringing a large smile to Arashi's face as they walked by. The lieutenant removed the captain's zanbakto and placed it on the table beside the door, staring curiously after the small boy. The hunch-backed form turned from its balcony view of the entire Seireitei and instead to the captain and his result.

"So, this is him, is it, Captain Kuchiki?" he asked, receiving a stiff nod from Byakuya, who pushed Arashi forwards. At the sight of the ancient man staring down at him, Arashi gulped and started to shake, but composed himself and remembered what Byakuya had said. He bowed low and didn't say a word.

"Captain Kuchiki, have you truly considered this... boy that you thought so important? You claim that he has immense spiritual energy and pressure, yet I can feel nothing!" he barked with irritation. Byakuya gawped for a moment at the boy, who was still folded into a bow. Now that he had threatened his sister, Arashi had made himself completely powerless. Byakuya was about to say something, anything, to make the boy release his spiritual pressure, which he clearly didn't know how to do, when an odd 'clunk' made the floor vibrate. Arashi visibly stiffed and curled his arms to his chest, but Byakuya could easily spot a small pendant hanging from his neck. He tried to swipe it back into his kimono, but Yamamoto was drawn to it.

"Young man, stand up." he ordered, frightening Arashi as part of the pendant still stuck out of his kimono. Yamamoto's face softened as he kneeled before the boy, leaning heavily on his cane as he looked into the pale face. "What's your name, young man?" Arashi gulped, but proclaimed his given name confidently and with a proud chin. Yamamoto actually chuckled a little.

"That's a mighty strong name you have there. Are you called that by your friends or is it something shorter?" Arashi looked at him unsurely, but answered nonetheless, remembering his promise to Byakuya.

"Well, uh, Head Captain, you can just call me 'Rai' for short."

"Alright Rai, what's that you've got there?" He extended a bony finger to Arashi's chest where the white stone was hidden against the pale skin but revealed by the blue trim of the trainee kimono. Arashi, drawn to the power of the head captain, slowly hooked his fingers around the pendant and pulled it into view. It was a Yin symbol that was carved out of a white pebble stone that had been buffered and shined by the waters of a river, but carved by shoddy tools so there were shallow groves all over it, the work of an amateur.

"Did you make this?" asked Yamamoto. The boy nodded, but didn't make a move to allow the head captain to touch it, so he just stayed where he was. "It's very good. Where is the other half?" Yamamoto's heart was thumping a little harder than usual, for there was something very odd about that little piece of stone. Something powerful was inside of it, possibly what had caught Kuchiki's attention. Just as the small boy opened his mouth to reply, the lieutenant picked up on the strange power the amulet was emanating and stepped forward.

"Hey, kid, that thing's doing something weird. For the protection of the Head Captain, you have to give that to me right now!" He held out his hand expectantly, but Arashi was lost, still holding the cord, he turned to Byakuya in panicked confusion. In much less visible panic, he shifted his gaze to Yamamoto, who shook his head seriously. The two captains shared a knowing nod and Byakuya said nothing to the small boy, who was looking more and more distressed with every second.

"I said give that to me!" barked the lieutenant, striding forwards with his hand outstretched. Arashi took a step back at the sight of the imposing man, who kneeled and tried to snatch it from the small boy.

"No!" he yelled, grabbing the wrist of the man with one hand and defending his possession with the other, "That's mine!" Out of pure reflex, Arashi threw the lieutenant's hand down. Straight through the solid wood and concrete floor. The man yelled as his cheek hit the wooden panels and the splintered wood sprayed into his face, his arm thrashing in the ceiling above the squad barracks below. Byakuya's eyes widened in surprise as the boy's pressure suddenly burst out, making his ears pop with the sudden rise in pressure. The boy scowled evilly at the lieutenant, backing away slowly with his hands clasped around the Yin, seemingly not noticing the force he was outputting all around him.

"Arashi! Enough!" Like the wind blows away unsettled dust, the mighty captain's voice scattered the wild spiritual pressure and the boy's eyes widened. As the buzzing roar was quelled nearly instantly, the small stone began to ring in his hand. In the silence that followed, a few squad members surgically cut away the floor and eased the shattered wristed lieutenant out of the door, glaring daggers at the boy who returned them with just as much venom.

Byakuya could almost hear the other nobles mocking him. He, the great head of the Kuchiki clan, the most powerful and most honourable family in all of the Soul Society, had found the means to have his name engraved into history. This boy was supposed to be the solution to all of their problems, and here he was, breaking the bones of a superior over a commoner's trinket. He looked emotionlessly at Yamamoto, who was giving the boy a strange look. Was the head captain smiling? Yes, the lips and eyelids on the ancient man had taken a slight curve at the edge. Byakuya's spirit lifted with them; could the head captain be so wise as to see past this and instead see the same value and potential as Byakuya did on the day he first laid eyes on the boy? Yes, that must be it. He had been preparing young Arashi for the meeting with the head captain for months. When he tried to make him go in the past, the boy was not only stubborn enough to not budge an inch, but was smart enough to have a reason to justify it, forcing Byakuya to talk him into the thought of entering the Seireitei and leaving Rukia unattended. Byakuya admired him, in a way; he knew what was important to him and could see how to best achieve his goals. Should he grow older and wiser, he may even make a true nobleman out of him! Yes, Byakuya's brilliance surprised himself. He could even-

"How did you do that?" the Head Captain asked, cutting off Byakuya's train of thought. He didn't say it angrily, more of a grandfather who had found his grandchild with his hand in a hidden cookie jar. Arashi loosened his defensive pose slightly and tucked away the amulet, watching the door cautiously.

"Ru said that I shouldn't talk about how I do it or we'll get in trouble." The ringing around his neck stopped and Arashi breathed a sigh of relief. "But he tried to take my Yin, so I hit him. And I won't say sorry!" He crossed his arms defiantly, expecting a scolding as Byakuya did when he didn't act in the proper manner. Yamamoto didn't say a word more to the boy but nodded to himself slowly.

"Well, Captain Kuchiki, it appears that this may work. You have done a good thing in bringing this young man to our attention. Now please, take him back home. I expect his family will be missing him." The boy and the man bowed out of the room, leaving Yamamoto to his thoughts.

Kuchiki had found the perfect candidate, a chance at stopping what had not yet begun. But the fact that a perfect candidate had been found made Yamamoto sick to his stomach at the same time. To think of what the candidate would have to do was sorrowful, for a candidate to carry out the task was sickening. But for Yamamoto to think back to that small, shining face that lit up as he was allowed to go home, the same face that would be turned into an instrument, made Yamamoto feel unclean and disgusted with himself. But as he looked back over the Seireitei and the Soul Society beyond, he remembered the cause; this. The existence of two worlds hung in the balance of the dedication and sacrifice the boy was willing to go through. His age, looks and relationships didn't matter anymore. They couldn't. The tests were already designed, the ones that were tailored to suit only him. He had to do it, one way or another.

Present Day

Urahara was losing steam fast. Arashi had left in the early hours of the afternoon, around 2:30pm. It had taken Urahara well over an hour to convince himself that it was the right thing to do and another hour to prepare himself physically and the area around the shop spiritually. It was now six in the evening and Urahara was still pacing with Benihime at his side. Tessai had taken Ururu and Jinta away for a few days on a 'company holiday trip.' They would never realise that the boy who they had nursed back to health was dead. As far as they were concerned, he had only stopped by as a passing fancy. Urahara stopped his pacing and adjusted his hat to better hear the familiar whoosh of air and flutter of cloth that was the tell-tale sign of a flying Soul Reaper. This was it. Arashi was here now. All he had to do was take him by surprise. That was what Benihime said and of course she was right; after all he had done to get here, he deserved not to know that it was in vain.

Footsteps on the roof. He was here. Urahara took his stance by the counter and gripped Benihime with both of his hands, raising the blade above his head.

"I'm sorry, Rai." he whispered, his voice wavering slightly, "Screech," his grip tightened as the footsteps neared the closed doors. As the fluttering of clothing sounded like a claxon in the quiet night and a figure dropped before the door, Urahara brought the sword down. "BENIHIME!" The red wave screamed like a bottle rocket and cleaved the store roof in two. In the mass of sound and dust, the doors fell forwards pathetically, leaving Urahara trembling amidst the wreckage of his shop.

"I'm so, so sorry."

"Sorry for what?" replied a voice. Urahara's head snapped back up with such force that his hat went twirling into the air. He missed? No, he couldn't have missed him, not at that range! He was supposed to be undercover; there was no way that his spiritual pressure could protect him from that! But the rising figure that was pushing broken wall and door aside like paper begged to differ.

"You know, I was just gonna ask you nicely where that little pipsqueak was, but if you're so intent on fighting me..." Urahara started to shake his head in shame; he had hit the wrong person, and the person that he did hit was something more than a problem. The figure kept on rising until the huge body towered in the air, bells ringing to their master's glee.

"You know you only gotta ask me." Kenpachi grinned his grin and drew his blade.

"Well Orihime, I think we've intruded too much already and it's getting dark, so I think we'll be heading home." Arashi sat up from the couch and gave a little bow to his hostess.

"But we're having fun!" she whined back to him, paintbrush in hand and tipped in black. Ichigo was still sitting on the stool that had been set up for the loser of each Blackjack match. On Arashi's wish, they had started to play the penalty game. Arashi was winning with only a thin, curly moustache painted on in black paint, Orihime was second was a butterfly on her cheek and a mono-brow. Rukia had got off lightly with a collection of winged hearts and zigzags flying across her nose, but the prize piece of art for the evening went to Orihime's masterpiece. Ichigo grinded his teeth with his losing cards still clutched in hand as another kitten with huge eyes was painted with expert precision. Ichigo raised his hands but daren't move his head.

"Yeah, I think we better head back now! Definitely late!" he agreed with gusto as a furry tail was gently painted onto his jaw bone. Orihime sighed sadly,

"But it's only six thirty and it's Friday! Just a little longer?" Arashi felt a little out of place, being the one spoiling the fun. He looked back outside at the dark sky and swept his hair.

"Well... I suppose you guys don't have to go back, but I really need to talk to Urahara. Well, see you guys tomorrow then!" he waved and raised his hood, stepping out into the bitter cold winter air. He landed beside a parked car and looked around the quiet night. He laughed to himself in the freezing wind as his breath turned to ice; he always hated the cold and quiet, but this cold felt good, almost nostalgic of when his old home let the winter winds sail in through the gaps between the metal sheets. A snowball whistled through the air and nearly clipped Arashi, who turned to see a pair of boys stumbled around a corner with an armful of snowballs each. Without thinking, Arashi gave in to the giddy feeling and scraped and handful of snow off of a car, packed it up into a ball and hurled it back at the boys. His aim was straight and the boy got an eyeful of snow as his friend turned to the car.

"Hey, who's there?" he called, peering at Arashi without reaction. Arashi was about to call back when he realised that humans couldn't ordinarily see snowball-hurling spirits that also destroyed and exorcised demons. Arashi kneeled beside the car and wrote an apology message for the boy who's lip was trembling and took off for the rooftops, getting back into the saddle of flashstep. He had never favoured going from solid ground to solid ground; he always preferred launching himself into the air and giving into the momentum of his speed and drifting through the air. As he sailed by a passing pigeon he brushed the wing, making the poor creature panic and fly straight into Arashi's face. He yelped and rolled in the air, losing his aerodynamic pose and turning into a thrashing ball of material which occasionally spouted a feather. He finally managed to free the bird from his hood and threw it out into open air, twisted in mid-flight and landed gently atop a telephone pole, twisting his head around. What was that? Urahara's spiritual pressure? No, there was another's, and that person's was contesting with Kisuke's! Kisuke was fighting! Forgetting the few meagre apologies he had prepared, he raced off to the fight and tried to ignore the sinking feeling that his stomach that hinted at exactly who was fighting Urahara.

Urahara grunted as sparks flew from Benihime colliding with Zaraki's zanbakto as the huge man loomed over him with his leer still on.

"Looks like you got off a lucky shot." He gestured to his bleeding shoulder that Benihime had cleaved open. "I'll ask you one more time; where's that little rat?" Urahara grunted and leaped away from him, giving him a good view of the damage; Kenpachi clearly wasn't expecting the shot as his left arm was hanging uselessly at his side with a long, thin object clutched in the unresponsive grip. Only by concentrating on the end of the object could Urahara see the street light illuminating the warn blue ribbon laced through the hilt of the too familiar zanbakto.

"Well well well, what's that? Have something we're not supposed to?" Zaraki glanced down at his arm and laughed,

"What, this little piece of junk? Just a little gift that I picked up for our mutual friend. You know, I get the impression that this thing doesn't like me; I've gotten a little shock off it a few times. But that hardly matters now." He prized his fingers from the scabbard and let it drop on the floor before launching forwards again. Urahara dodged and leaped away, diving to incapacitate the large man and never attacking the same way twice. Zaraki was easy to work out; he never used tact or even basic kendo techniques, he simply swung with force and seemed to think that he'd win. With every dive, Urahara put another cut in a limb, slowly weakening each limb, but his tactic failed as he slashed at Zaraki's ankle but lost his footing and fell. As Zaraki turned to find him flat on his back, Urahara scrabbled to throw away the object behind him and leaped after it. Now he'd be able to hit Zaraki again without having to worry about whatever he'd just tripped over.

"Sir, we've found him!" called the squad twelve member who was frantically scanning for Captain Zaraki's spiritual pressure. "He's in Karakura town, sir!" Kuroschuchi, Yamamoto, Hitsugaya and Soifon crowded closer to the monitor and got a bird's-eye view of Kenpachi standing amidst a pile of rubble in the poor light of the moon and a distant street light. "He's injured, sir! His body also carries traces of the outcast's zanbakto, but the hand that's emanating it is severely damaged!"

"Who has done this?" demanded Yamamoto, but the answer came screaming across the screen to be broken by a swing of Zaraki's sword.

"Ex-captain Kisuke Urahara, sir!" A screen flashed next to the squad member, who gasped and watched the data flash before him. "We've tracked the outcast's zanbakto! It's appearing on-screen now." As Kenpachi stood still amidst the rubble and deflected wave after wave of searing red energy, an ultra-violet blue strip began to glow at his feet.

"It... It appears that Captain Zaraki isn't moving as to defend the zanbakto from that damned Urahara!" Soifon burst out, surprising Yamamoto; how could he have been so blind? Of course, Zaraki had no incentive to steal the zanbakto, whilst Urahara had every reason to! Zaraki wasn't a traitor, Urahara was aiding the outcast! Urahara lunged forwards and his sword screamed at close range, allowing Urahara to knock the scabbard away from Zaraki and escape with it.

"Captain Soifon," Yamamoto began quickly, "I want you to go to Karakura Town immediately and extract that zanbakto! The outcast must not get it!" Soifon nodded and took off to fetch her blade and get to the battle as soon as possible. Thinking fast, Hitsugaya looked back to the screen and found his excuse.

"I'll go with her; Captain Zaraki is going to get himself killed if this caries on!" He took off out of the room, not waiting for what the head captain had to say. Soon, it wouldn't matter. He had no intention of going with Soifon, nor did he have any desire to help Kenpachi fight Urahara.

As the fight raged on, Soifon silently slipped out of the Senkaimon and dropped to the ground, glaring at the blonde who was still cutting up Zaraki, who was laughing like a maniac with his eye patch still on. Freaks, the both of them, as was the approaching spiritual pressure. He was coming to aid Urahara, she could feel it. After scanning the ground, she spotted the scabbard. She ran over to it, but a shadow blocked the moonlight and clouded it in darkness. For the second time in a matter of days, she looked into the unfathomable abyss of dark lavender that she had learned to hate. As Arashi reached the height of his jump, he spotted Soifon and bellowed down to her. He landed without effort on solid air, crouched then launched himself at Soifon. Having fought him many times before, she could instantly tell that he was not here to play. She dived back as his fist ploughed into the ground and nearly got a hold of the scabbard. She clutched his sword in her hand and laughed imperiously as he checked his feet to make sure he hadn't crushed it. From the depths of the hood, she could feel the eyes on her.

"Bee, we really need to stop meeting like this!" She could hear the omnipresent, unprofessional smile in his voice that made her grind her teeth to hear. "I believe you have something of mine and I'd really appreciate it if you would give it back as I have an urgent appointment with dear old Yamamoto!" He give a smile that reflected the moonlight and matched Ichimaru's, outright insulting Soifon.

"How dare you speak to me like that, you little swine?" Arashi was taken aback.

"But... I was being serious..." The silence lasted, Arashi really hoping that she would just hand over the sword without any violence. Soifon took a moment to breathe and planned her attack.

"Alright, pipsqueak, how about this; we decide who walks away with the zanbakto with a game?" Arashi chuckled and gave a little bow.

"Honoured that we are such close friends that you know I'm a sucker for fun, captain." Soifon forced herself to stay calm, for the look of humiliation that she would put him through would be well worth his childish ridicule.

"Here's the rules: I put the sword on the ground between us. The first person to grab it with their left hand, wins. Deal?" He gave an odd laugh and didn't respond, instead trying to win the game early by flash stepping straight to his prize. Soifon beat him to it with her superior skill and kicked him hard in the ribs, making him retreat.

"Ow! Bee!" he whined in the most annoying tone he could muster, "That hurt! That's not very nice! I'll tell on you! Yuroichi's gonna be so mad if we hurt each other!" She laughed and cracked her knuckles.

"You think I'm going to go easy on you just because you say that? Grow up, will you?" Arashi cocked his head.

"But I don't want to fight you. You really wanna hurt me that bad?" he asked in a hurt tone, frustrating Soifon even more.

"Just shut up and fight me-"

"If you insist." Soifon's eyes opened in horror as she realised her mistake. Arashi had flash stepped right beside her in her moment of frustration and grabbed her arm. Following his momentum without missing a beat, he rolled behind her and restrained her arm tightly. "Will this do?" She swung her arm out and elbowed him hard in the temple that he had been careless enough to leave open, making him recoil and letting her escape. She dived for the zanbakto, but tripped on the ankle that swept her legs beneath her.

"That wasn't nice, Bee, I was only kidding!" he didn't say it with humour, it was almost sincere. She then remembered all the reasons why she hated this child and decided that, now he had started to fight her, she would be allowed to kill on terms of self-defence. Skipping away from him, she drew her zanbakto and the fight began in earnest.

Arashi dived again, not about the caught again by that stinger. He looked down to his kimono and opened the chest, which was covered in butterflies, as were his arms and face.

"Hey, Soifon, check out my ink!" he laughed as she lunged again, moving faster than Arashi had expected and nearly hitting the mark on his heart. Arashi flash stepped away at the last second, his eyes glowing with panic. "That was a little too close for comfort, Bee. Would you mind not doing that again? It's just that I don't hit girls." He slowly walked backwards and Soifon realised that she had left the zanbakto wide open from him to grab, but as long as she kept the pressure on and he kept to his little games, she could strike again and again and not receive a thing in return. She put on a burst of speed and charged at him, but the sneaky little freak responded in kind and swung out his knee, hitting her in the side and knocking the wind from her.

"This game's getting old now, Bee. Now retreat before I have to hurt you." he said seriously, glaring down at her as the sword lay between them yet again as Benihime still screamed only feet away from them. Arashi watched her carefully before diving for the sword, but the slight moment hesitation gave Soifon all the time she needed to stand and flash step there first. Instead of slowing, Arashi put on speed and charged into Soifon, grabbing her wrist and swinging her zanbakto away. She coiled her legs around his and rolled them to the floor and sat on his waist. She sat atop him with her stinger ready, victorious. Then, he did something that Soifon wasn't expecting; he kissed his hand and leaned forward to stroke her face lovingly, letting his hood fall to reveal his dreamy eyes. As Soifon took a moment to comprehend what had happened, Arashi laughed and grinned again.

"Psych! Gotcha, Bee." he said with wink. Again, the little swine pulled a sneaky move, which had given him enough time to reach around Soifon with his free hand grab his zanbakto, laying it on the back of her neck. "Stalemate. How boring." He eyed the zanbakto that hovered inches away from his marked neck as he kept the pressure on Soifon's neck. He sighed into the snarling face and his face softened. "What are you doing here, Soifon? I don't want to hurt you; I just want to get by-"

"Talk one more time, I dare you!" she screamed into his face, wiping the look off his face again. "I don't care what you want to do and I don't care how you feel about me or anything else, I just want to kill for humiliating me!" Arashi narrowed his eyes and put on a slight smile,

"You can't be talking about-" Not wanting to hear his ridicule, she screamed and lunged, but instead of hitting skin, Soifon's zanbakto hit solid steel that had materialised between them suddenly. The sword shifted so it was parallel with Arashi's, trapping Soifon in a vice.

"Step away from him, Captain Soifon, or you'll regret it." The two rivals, who were still entwined in a tangle of limbs, gawked at the owner of the sword. Soifon was helpless, yet she knew that she would have other chances to kill the freak, so she glared at the traitor and disappeared, ready to report to the Society. Toshiro stared after her for a moment before shifting his gaze to Arashi and smiling slightly.

"Long time, no see, eh Rai?"