She awoke to icy rain falling. She was inside a dilapidated building with boarded shutters and the sound of a leak somewhere hitting wood. She was laid out against a wooden board over the earthen floor with a thin, patchy sheet draped on her naked shoulders, she noticed a blood stain on the blanket where Aizen had forced his way inside of her and she felt large, hot tears fall from her eyes.

She coughed and heaved from the anxiety. She was powerless: a piece of her soul had been ripped out, and no one, least of all her own sister, remembered her existence. She thought of her friends and what they would be doing now that she was no longer there to spend time with them. She thought of her captain and how much easier his life would be without her causing problems. She thought of her sister's captain and if he would still be working on a cure or slowly letting the poison seep his life out. She thought of Renji, mostly about how he lied to her and slept with her sister, but she also tried to focus on the good times they had together.

In fact, Renji's betrayal wasn't nearly as stinging as it should've been. She would've allowed him to sleep with Rukia over and over again if she could only have escaped what fate had reduced her to. Hisana didn't even feel sorry for thinking so. She burned with hatred for a man who now kept her under lock in key like some sort of artifact.

Hisana attempted to sit up but a throbbing ache from between her legs kept her on her back. The effort and the audible pain that it caused her brought the creaking of ladder rungs as an old woman teetered to the first floor. The home was tiny. Barely four tatami mats could've fit the total dimensions, if such a luxury was fathomable to people in the later districts. Hisana wouldn't have been fully aware of them if not for living in the Seireitei.

She nervously glanced at the old woman, who despite her own misfortune, looked at Hisana with great sympathy and tenderness.

"How are you feeling?"

"Hungry," Hisana's stomach growled after she spoke as though to affirm her hunger.

"You're hungry?" The old woman seemed very confused but climbed her ladder, rustled through some things up in the small loft, causing dirt to fall from the ceiling, before she came back down and held out a cloth pouch. Hisana reached up and opened it. She saw a few miserable pieces of salted meat. But she gratefully began to eat it.

"What's your name?" Hisana asked between mouthfuls.

"Chie. And you're Hisana, correct?" She affirmed it with a nod. "I suppose if you get hungry than I should find work-"

"No! You mustn't do something like that for me, a stranger. I can find work. I'm sure."

"You have no connections around these parts. If a girl like you went out looking for work, people would get the wrong idea."

"But-"

"I'm old, it's true. My husband was murdered, that's also true. But I've been granted a chance at having a child again and I will be taking care of you. You were officially charged to my care by a soul reaper."

"Still, I will go and try to find work." Chie only nodded and helped Hisana stand before they both exited the hovel and went in separate directions.

Hisana walked the streets in her scratchy and short robe. The cold ground froze her bare feet with every step. Winter was a deadly time in the Rukon districts. Disease was rampant. Water supplies were always running short. Finding work that wasn't prostitution, for boys and women, was nearly impossible during the season. And even prostitution was not a guaranteed salary.

Yet the rows of leaning, sagging shacks were teeming with life. Haggard souls stood in bundled groups; most likely gangs that robbed anyone who looked like they didn't belong. Sparse food vendors that sold watered down stews and soon-to-be expired fresh goods allowed their smells to waft through the air, tempting all the poor souls, who didn't know that the food was bad quality, for a meal.

Having returned to the slums was worse the second time around. Now that she had been spoiled with two square meals per day, quality drinks, sweets, everything, these smells put her off more than she remembered.

Hisana watched orphaned children scour the streets, sifting through garbage for the scrap meat on a bone or even a bone to suck marrow from. She saw prostitutes of all kinds keeping to the shadows of the alleys, or hanging out beneath the rickety, wooden portcullises of their brothels. Their heavily painted white faces watched her with suspicion and disdain. It was clear women weren't exactly welcomed to pass by brothels lest they draw attention away from the main attraction.

Small legs pattered past her, pushing against her own legs in a rush.

Hisana saw an apple tumble from one of the robes of the children that passed her. She scooped it up into her palm and extended it to the child who looked shocked at the kindness. The child's face turned to fear as her wrist was snatched by a large brute of a thug. He smirked down at her.

"So you're the one who stole my apple?"

"What? No!"

"Then it was the kids!" He accused and they gasped and flinched away in fear. Their little noses and mouths panted and huffed out clouds of white air in the frost. Hisana put herself between them.

"Don't touch them," The man picked her up by the collar so that her feet were dangling in the air.

"How dare you tell me what to do? Wench!" He bellowed, and the people in their nearby shanties ran inside for cover from the violence. The whores watched in amusement seeming they weren't the ones being called derogatory names for once.

"Get out of here!" Hisana choked and the kids took the apple and scurried away like field mice, darting in all different directions.

"You let them get away with my food!" He accused, setting her on the ground, his hand still clinging to the front of her kimono. She used his off-kilter center of gravity against him. She waited until he leaned forward before she ducked, the front of her robe tearing open as his body flew over hers. He still had the ripped robe in his fist as he stared at her in stunned silence. "How do you know how to fight like that?"

"Men, the boss is in trouble!" His cronies poured out of the alleys and surrounded her.

"She stole our food, beat her to a pulp," He snarled. He was taking his embarrassment out on her at being grounded by a girl. She couldn't do much more than take the beating. It didn't exactly frighten her. Nothing could be as frightening as Aizen.

It had been so long since she last lived in the Rukon districts that she forgot to never meddle in other people's business. Even something as small as an apple could get you killed. She was lucky she remembered to stay low while they beat her so she could at least keep her life. That afternoon she hobbled to Chie's home, jobless and sore, collapsing outside the door so as not to worry the old woman with her injuries, and because she couldn't take another step. She spat out some blood and coughed up something thicker than the usual mucus from her throat. She saw that the phlegm was speckled with blood, but seeming her nose was still dripping with it, she thought nothing more of the matter.

Byakuya woke up on a cool, mid-spring morning, groggy and exhausted. He was dressed by his servants in full court regalia, layers of silk all color-coded for the season. His hair had been ceremoniously pulled back. He was presented to his grandfather, ready to do his duty for the first time with full hesitation.

"I am pleased," Ginrei began thoughtfully, wringing the cane in his lap. Byakuya stared at his grandfather's age-spotted hands mindlessly. "To announce your engagement to the Hirohata clan. They aren't one of the four great noble families, but…" Watching his grandfather struggle for the words he took the liberty to finish for him.

"The pickings were slim." Byakuya added and his grandfather nodded gruffly.

"They have a daughter, about ten years your senior, but I've been told she is a beauty." His grandfather added as if this news would cheer him. The Hirohata's had a great spiritual power that ran in their family line but they were always too proud to send their descendants into the Soul Reaper Academy. They also possessed a lot of property, not to mention the women had reputation for being rabbits of breeding- always popping out children every spring, it seemed.

Byakuya could see the decision from every angle, and every angle of the choice had been advantageous. They promised the next generation of the Kuchiki family in offering a daughter of their clan, as well as spiritual power, and fiscal security. But he could not rejoice in any of it.

His grandfather seemed proud of himself and Byakuya. "The wedding date is still being deliberated. But we will have an answer within the week." Byakuya nodded and bowed. As Byakuya rose to leave, his grandfather spoke up. "I apologize a meeting couldn't have taken place before all this, but it was either Lady Hirohata, Mi, or an extremely young, Lady Takashi, Kotone. And seeming there is an unbelievable amount of male suitors and a lack of suitable women, I had to make an offer quickly. They were very eager at accepting our proposal." His eyes beamed with admiration at his tall-standing grandson.

"I assume they will be visiting here tonight," Ginrei nodded, struggling to get to his feet. Byakuya went to help him. Ginrei leaned and shook on his cane, gripping Byakuya's arm tightly. He could feel every muscle in his grandfather's body tremble as he struggled to stand. It had become increasingly harder for him to stand and do other simple tasks, such as eating.

"They will be our guests for a while. Miss Hirohata must get a…familiarity with the estate. It would be overwhelming otherwise. Her room will be in the same hall as your own."

The practice was common among noble families. To ensure a woman's fertility before the wedding, it wasn't frowned upon to impregnate one's intended. In fact, it happened more often than not and was actually encouraged to uncomplaining noblemen. Most "honeymoon" babies born to these married couples came at a suspiciously early rate, usually being born "premature" at seven or eight months. Incisions were usually made on the backs of ladies on the wedding night to feign the appearance of lost virginity.

A member from his squad slid back the partition to the room and bowed lowly.

"Captain Kuchiki, sir! A file has come in with the information you were searching for. We believe it holds the whereabouts of the assailant we are looking for."

"Return to the division."

"Sir!" The squad member bowed in compliance.

Dressed back into his uniform, with the exception of his captain's robe, Byakuya had received the go-ahead to personally patrol the Rukon districts under his squad's control. But at the same time he received a message from his grandfather that their guests had arrived and his presence was needed, sorely.

Normally, he would've taken his precious time getting to his estate but the squad patrol that was expected of him needed to happen sooner than later. He used his shunko mercilessly until he was through the northern gates of the estate that were directly accessible from the Seireitei.

Still slightly out of sorts and trying to regain his regular breathing, Byakuya was shown to a room. The doors slid back for him by two maids.

Sitting beside an elderly nursemaid and a go-between, a young woman sat in elaborate silks and ornamentation. She was curvaceous and plump, but her face was pretty and her neck was long. She blushed at the sight of her intended, dressed in the full shinigami uniform and panting lightly. She quickly bowed respectfully.

Ginrei smiled at the lady's perfect manners and display of womanly virtue. He looked at his grandson proudly.

"May I introduce to his lordship, my lady, Mi of the Hirohata clan." The go-between spoke smoothly.

Byakuya sat himself restlessly in front of her and gave a jerky nod of his head. Everyone in the room was put off by his rude behavior. But Mi forced a smile anyway. Why should she complain about his lack of manners? She was to marry the head of the Kuchiki family. He could have two heads and she would still be thrilled.

"Lady Mi is a very accomplished musician. She can play the koto, shamisen, and biwa." His grandfather filled the stunned silence apologetically. The go-between perked up, recognizing his cue.

"Lord Kuchiki is adept at the flute. Perhaps you'll be able to accompany one another." Every nobleman was adept at the flute. It was ingrained in every single boy, along with how to hold a sword and how to tie a sash.

"I prefer training over everything." Byakuya corrected, speaking out of term. Lady Mi smiled genuinely at this and giggled.

"I prefer painting." She responded, smiling directly at him. They were breaking all protocol by speaking and looking directly at each other. "Nurse, uncle," She said addressing those beside her. "Perhaps Lord Kuchiki has other pressing matters to attend to rather than to sit here listening to my accomplishments like a resume?"

Retsu laid beside Jushiro calmly.

"Have you decided if you are going to replace your lieutenants?" She asked quietly as though talking too loud might disturb the cool spring breeze that fluttered in through the cracked doors. A sliver of sunlight illuminated their otherwise gray room.

"No. I want to leave it open, in case Rukia changes her mind."

"It may be too painful for her to ever take up her old position again."

"I wouldn't doubt it. But Kaien himself was a difficult person to persuade to take the second seat. I think she'll come around and I'm prepared to give her that time."

"But you don't have that much time." Retsu argued carefully. Jushiro placed an austere kiss on her forehead and sat up slowly. "Is that why you want her to be lieutenant so badly?"

"She's the only one who has worked closely enough with me to know how the squad should be run in the case of…my absence. I need her." Retsu sat and leaned her chin atop his shoulder.

"Then tell her that."

"I have. She told me that in the chance that I should die, she would take the open position swiftly. But she seemed very doubtful that I would be pushing daises anytime soon." He laughed bitterly at himself.

"Have you tried to have someone else persuade her in the matter?"

"The only person I know she is close with is Lieutenant Abarai. She hasn't let him near her since the winter. And he's been busy with helping run the sixth division whenever Byakuya is attending to personal matters."

"It's too bad she doesn't have some sibling somewhere that could knock some sense into her."

"Yes…like a sister, perhaps," Jushiro hinted.

Rukia enjoyed the solitude and tiny workload that accompanied an unseated officer's position. She hardly talked with anyone except her captain and that was only when he came to pester her into taking up her old lieutenant's position.

The plum blossoms were on their way out and the peach blossoms where prepared to take the spotlight around the thirteenth division grounds and the light scent created a romantic atmosphere. But it only made her miserable. Any thought of love did. She was completely alone. Renji refused to talk to her or acknowledge her existence after she ignored him when he got released from the fourth division. She never went drinking anymore, so those friends grew much more distant. And the man she loved was a pile of ash sitting in a funeral urn somewhere on the Shiba estate. She might as well have been the person to set his body aflame. Not only did stabbing the hollow inside Kaien kill him, it killed, in a sense, his family.

The Shiba house quickly lost its staying power as one of the five great noble families of the Soul Society. Their clan's leaders both dropped off the map around the same time and left the remaining members to struggle to keep themselves alive. Without an active, and preferably shinigami, leader to the family there could be no representative from the Shiba house to take up a rotational seat in the central forty six.

She buried herself in her shame because it was the only thing that could take her mind and pain away. She sold her tiny, old house that she, for some incomprehensible reason, owned in the joint-housing area of the Seireitei for low ranking family members or married couples who wanted to have a more private lodging than what their barracks offered. She put away the money that the house earned her for a rainy day.

She found herself desperate for Renji's company. He knew how to make her laugh- and how to make her unbearably frustrated. She wanted to feel something the way she usually did when she was around him. So she decided to make another attempt at getting through to him and so left her squad grounds to pay him a visit- if he'd have her.

"Did everything go alright?" Mi asked curiously as she walked beside her betrothed in the private, breathtaking gardens of the Kuchiki estate.

"Hm?"

"You seemed in a hurry to go somewhere early this morning."

"No."

"Can you tell me what it was?"

"No."

"I do know a thing or two about Soul Reapers, you know," She hinted.

"Do you?"

"As I said, yes. My father was a soul reaper once. Before he retired to his position at the Central forty six."

"I see."

Mi bit her lip. She was warned that Lord Kuchiki was not one for conversation. Not if he could help it. What she hadn't been informed of was how handsome he was. Everyone always spoke of his apathy, his strictness that was borderline cruelty. Never was she told how tall and strong he was, or how gray his eyes shone in the light. As they walked in silence, she admired him quietly and from her respective distance. She anticipated a hopeful night spent with him like most noble lords took advantage of before the official wedding ceremony.

Being jostled from her thoughts, Mi was startled to see a tall, auburn-haired, tattoo-decorated man running towards them. Her fiancé seem to immediately put up a guard for danger.

"Captain!" The tall man called. "We've tracked it. It stopped moving and we were able to track its exact location." The soul reaper stopped when he noticed Mi standing beside Lord Kuchiki. He gave a confused bow before shooting a look toward his captain.

"Did I get the extended permission from the Chambers to reconnoiter another squad's district?"

"Yes sir. The approval came through in your brief absence." Byakuya nodded, excused himself with a mere look, and disappeared with the strange soul reaper. So much for their early night together, Mi observed. At this rate, she'd have to wait for their wedding night for any such thing to happen. She didn't realize a Captain had so many responsibilities.

As Renji followed Captain Kuchiki, now dressed in his uniform, he had to refrain from showing his lopsided smile. But his captain passed him an apercu as he noticed his lieutenant's struggle.

"What is so comical?"

"Was that woman your-"

"This is not your place, lieutenant."

"Yes, sir. My apologies." Renji offered weakly. He had never expected his captain to go for such a homely woman. Renji never expected anything from his captain. His captain's every move was an astonishment to Renji. He learned to just never anticipate any of Captain Kuchiki's decisions. "She seems-"

"Not your place, lieutenant." Byakuya silenced finally and Renji bit his tongue in an effort to push the thoughts and questions from his mind.

His captain had him give the full report on the suspected hollow they were tracking. It had come through the sixth division in the late winter and destroyed an entire side of the lodgings where the even-numbered officers had their rooms. For some reason, this had garnered his captain's steadfast attention ever since. They had run around like mad people in the sixth, trying to track down its unreadable spirit energy for the past few months. Only recently had they started to get reads on its whereabouts, though Renji still didn't understand why finding the creature had become his captain's top priority.

His captain never showed interest in anything that didn't regard matters of law, business, and his squad. And while this mysterious hollow did attack the squad lodgings, it never attacked a squad member outright. It had simply swept through one morning and tore down the third-floor bedrooms.

His captain turned to him as a lithe, pretty girl stood at the division gates awaiting him.

"Rukia?"

"Lieutenant Abarai, Captain Kuchiki," Rukia bowed courteously before turning to Renji. "Do you have a spare moment, lieutenant?"

"No. I have to help my captain in an urgent matter."

"Maybe later then-?" She tried to call out after him but he had already disappeared behind the tall, sixth division walls. She pouted in dismay. He had blown her off in front of his captain. She must've looked like a desperate groupie- stalking him around like that!

Renji had seemed to grow very popular with the ladies overnight. She heard other women throughout the Seireitei gush and giggle about him on her morning rounds and when she was running errands. It made her uncomfortable. She used to bathe in the South Rukon River with him as children. Not to mention she had been his friend while he went through his maladroit puberty stage; his voice would reach a million different tones in one sentence and his limbs sprouted taller and faster than his maturity level. There was also the small matter of a certain night before they entered the soul reaper academy together. Rukia shuddered with the humiliation.

He really must think her to be desperate. She just wanted their friendship back. He was the only one she could bare her soul to, at least, he used to be. They'd both made some dumbass mistakes over the years and she wanted them corrected. But ever since the night Kaien died and she had given up her chance to be with Renji at a very critical time, he avoided her like death. Rukia knew he felt betrayed but didn't he know she was trying to save a comrade and he wound up being felled by her sword instead? Couldn't the unfeeling ginger give a little sympathy?

Rukia was still standing outside the sixth division gate when it opened up and the Captain came back out. He looked directly at her and she froze. His gaze was brutally scrutinizing.

What shocked her more was that he addressed her directly.

"Do you have any family?"

"Who m-me?" His burning stare and lack of other people around made her quickly feel idiotic. "I mean I grew up with Renji and a few oth-"

"Blood relatives." He corrected himself.

"No, sir." She didn't know what prompted him to ask such a question but it made her head hurt and her hands sweat.

That was that. Captain Kuchiki was gone before she had the time to stand up from her bow. Which means Renji had lied in front of her and his captain to avoid her. She groaned and dragged her feet back to her division.

Author's Note: Guess who managed to swing a change in their working hours? This author!

That's right, I managed to obtain a different schedule through my chronic lying. I blame my childhood and acting exposure. Yeah, I'm a horrible example of a human being. But the nighttime is sacred to me people, I don't want it to be treaded on by a job I don't even like and nothing is technically set in stone yet… Long story short, here is the beginning of part II! A little boring, a little slow, and HEY- filled with mystery and angst, what are you going to do? I mean, it is the genre.

Also, I ask you to forgive my terrible season transition. I realized that this chapter started off being spring, but then I realized that you all needed to see what kind of life Hisana has been placed back into, hence la transition rugueuse.

Final word, I'd like to think Unohana isn't a bloodthirsty monster. At least not a bloodthirsty monster with a hinted romantic history with Kenpachi freakin' Zaraki. Kubo-where the hell did that even come from?

I have yet to explore how her personality will pan out in this story, so she could still be a bloodthirsty monster with gooey eyes for Ukitake- we'll see. There's just something about a man who needs healing being "tended to" by a healer *snickers and scampers away*