First, I want to apologize for how long this took to upload. I had finals the last two weeks and so it was crazy. But I get out of school next Wednesday and should be able to update soon. Thank you for reading! And thank you for reviewing!

The air grew uncomfortably cold in the quiet that followed. Only an occasional sob from Hinamori broke the silence. Hitsugaya moved to place an arm around her, keeping one eye on the man at the door. He scanned the room pausing on Hinamori's rumpled figure and meeting Hitsugaya's fierce glare. He nodded as if something had occurred to him and turned to face Sora.

"Why haven't you answered any of my letters?" he demanded. "I've written you nearly every week since the beginning of the term. You missed Midwinter with us - your uncle actually showed up – where were you?" Sora looked taken aback. She stood up so quickly she stumbled and marched up to her father. She was easily a head shorter, but she seemed to shudder with rage.

"What do you mean I haven't answered any of your letters? There weren't any letters to answer! I wrote you several times, but when you didn't respond I figured you were away on a mission!" Sora's father seemed unsure of what to make of his daughter and hesitated. Sora didn't waste a moment. "And then I get letters from mother saying you were displeased with my conduct and that you didn't want me home for Midwinter. So I didn't come home. I stayed with my friends who needed me. Did you know one of my closest friends died this Midwinter? Central 46 decided he was unnecessary."

Sora's father seemed to flinch at the mention of the Central 46. He glanced back at Hinamori and Hitsugaya and then embraced Sora, sweeping her up in an enormous hug. She fought his hold. Tears of anger streamed down her face.

"What are you doing to me? Stop! Let me go!" her voice was muffled because her face was pressed into her father's cloak. The man's hood had fallen down and Hitsugaya and Hinamori could see his face. Shoulder length black hair was tucked behind his ears. A few strands hung around his face framing his angular visage. His eyes were the same deep blue as Sora's.

"Sora, I never said that I was displeased with you or that I didn't want you to come home. I love you. Please, I think this is all just a big misunderstanding," his voice sounded strangely boyish. Sora stopped struggling and looked up at the man.

"Then why didn't we get each other's letters?"

"I don't know… but I think I know who's to blame." They shared a vindictive look. "And I'm sorry about your friend. The one who was executed by Central 46," he glanced at Hitsugaya again. "Do…?"

"No, and please don't. I can't…" Sora sighed. "Their grandmother just died. I brought them here. Please…"

"Very well, I'll leave it to you," Sora's father pulled Sora close one more time and then walked out the doorway. Sora watched him go, listening to his footsteps slowly draw farther and farther away. Then she turned around. Hitsugaya was watching her silently. She feigned a smile and sat back down.

"I'm sorry about that, I didn't mean for you to see that," Sora scratched her head awkwardly.

"What aren't you telling us?" Hitsugaya asked bluntly.

"Nothing," Sora's smile was less forced that time. "Tea?" The servant from earlier came in and set a small table on the ground. Atop it he laid a tray with three tea cups and a pot and exited the room.

Sora got onto her knees and poured hot water, carefully mixing green tea powder into each cup. Hitsugaya accepted cups for himself and Hinamori silently. They sat for awhile sipping the scalding liquid until Hinamori spoke.

"Sora, please tell us. I want to know too," Color had returned to Hinamori's face and while she spoke quietly, her voice was firm.

"Know what?" Sora stalled staring at the ripples in her tea.

"I think you know perfectly well," Hitsugaya finished his drink and slammed it down on the table with a slightly more force than necessary. "Why haven't you told us anything about you? Who is your father – and you mother? Why can't we know? What is your connection with Central 46? Who are you Sora?" Sora winced at the mention of Central 46. She hadn't been sure if Hitsugaya had picked up on that but she supposed she should have expected it. He hadn't skipped four years at the Academy for anything.

"I'd rather not talk about that now," Sora hedged, trying once more to get her friends to drop the subject. "It's kind of an uncomfortable subject." She met Hitsugaya's eyes pleadingly but he looked away. The only sound was the gentle whistling of the teapot. The sun had shifted and no longer shone directly through Sora's windows. Hitsugaya stood up and brushed off his uniform.

"If that's how things are going to be, I'm leaving. Come on Hinamori."

Hinamori shakily stood up and followed Hitsugaya out of the room shooting Sora an apologetic look. Sora cradled her head in her hands. She could feel Hitsugaya's gaze from the doorway penetrating the deepest recesses of her mind. Finally after what seemed like an eternity, she whispered something.

"Sorry?" Hitsugaya said coldly from the doorway.

"I said, fine," Sora said softly. "But don't interrupt me."

Hitsugaya and Hinamori sat back down and watched Sora. She stood up from her perch and crouched on the ground reaching under the mat that served as her bed. She pulled out a sheaf of parchment and searched through it until she found what she was looking for. She dumped the rest of the papers on the ground. They scattered before her friends. Hitsugaya picked one up. It was a document deeding the House of Mizuchi to the lord's eldest child, a daughter. It had been nullified. Hinamori picked up more of the papers. Each was a similar certificate and each and every one had been denied or canceled.

"Never mind those," Sora waved her hand. "They're nothing important. You said you wanted to know who I was. Here." She handed her birth certificate to Hinamori and Hitsugaya.

"It says Mizuchi Sora," Hitsugaya seemed surprised. Sora snorted.

"What did you expect?" she rolled her eyes. "I haven't lied about anything."

"But you're not telling the whole truth," Hitsugaya stated.

"No."

"…"

"What do you want to know first?"

"Your family and their connections to Central 46."

"This is the long part," Sora sighed. "I guess I should start with my father. His name is Mizuchi Kekaiyu. I really…" Sora blushed. "It's not like I'm in love with him, but I really admire him, you know? He's really smart and he knows what he's doing. He can be strict, but I can never take him seriously, if you know what I mean. He takes care of this family. He was previously the Vice Captain of the tenth squad. He served under Captain Isshin until he died. He would have taken the captaincy if the Royal Guard hadn't snatched him up. I have one older sibling. He's technically only a half sibling. Raion, that's my brother, is from my mother's first marriage."

Hitsugaya had always wondered what had happened to Isshin's Vice Captain. He wondered if Sora's father knew that Isshin was still alive. Sora obviously didn't.

"What about your mother?" Hinamori interjected.

"She and I… don't really get along," Sora seemed content to close the subject there, but Hinamori wouldn't let the subject drop.

"Why not?"

Sora hesitated then sighed in defeat.

"She wants Raion to inherit leadership of our family. And technically he can because he's older than me and a boy. But my father wants me to inherit. He's been trying to get it finalized for a decade now, but my mother keeps using her power to impede him."

"You don't like your mother." Hitsugaya acknowledged.

"No," Sora leaned back on her bedroll and stared at the ceiling. "She's always trying to get my father to kick me out of the house. She didn't want me to become a shinigami because then I would have a higher status than my brother. It's ridiculous."

"Why does it matter so much who inherits? Couldn't your father just split the property and the money?" Hitsugaya asked. He had an idea why this wouldn't work, but he wanted to hear it from Sora's own lips.

"My family is very old," was all Sora would say. Hitsugaya gave up. He had pushed her enough for today.

"What about Central 46?"

"My father knows a member very well and…" Sora shrugged. "He's annoyed that they keep flaunting their power." She stood up. "We've been here all afternoon. We should get back to the academy." Sora walked out of her room leaving Hitsugaya and Hinamori alone.

Hitsugaya was frustrated. Sora was clever. She had given them just enough information to make them happy without actually revealing anything. He would have to find out the rest on his own. He had a feeling that if Sora would actually come out and just tell him her secrets, he would be a step closer to understanding and destroying Central 46. If Sora had connections to Central 46, then perhaps he could learn more about the council he wanted so desperately to destroy.

They spent the rest of the weekend doing quiet tasks. Ukitake was having some troubles in his squad so he was away. Sora, Hinamori, and Hitsugaya sparred a bit Sunday afternoon, but nothing happened until Monday at lunch. Hitsugaya had gone back to the dorms to drop off his books when he found a letter on his bed. He picked it up slowly slitting the envelope. It was thicker than the last two letters. His heart twisted with hope, he pulled out the letter.

He had gotten into the thirteenth division.

That was no surprise, but still it made him happy. Happiness was in short order for him these days with the death of his grandmother. He opened his door to go tell his friends when he was slammed to the ground. His head spun and he rubbed his temples, trying to clear his vision. A pair of deep blue eyes stared at him. He jerked and pushed Sora away.

"Are you ok Toshiro?" she asked. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." he shook his head once more, and then held up his acceptance letter. "I got into the thirteenth!"

"Awesome, congratulations," Sora hugged him.

"How 'bout you?" Hitsugaya inquired. Sora blinked then gasped.

"Oh, yeah, I got into tenth! Matsumoto wrote me a letter personally, saying she'd love to have me."

"Have you decided which squad you'll join?" Hitsugaya inquired.

"No, I'm still waiting to see about my shikai and the eleventh…" Sora sighed.

"Hey in a couple do you want to meet and spar a bit? Practical is canceled for today, but I have to do some research," Hitsugaya gave Sora a rare smile. She nodded.

"I'll meet you at three on the seventh practice field," she said and left the room.

Hitsugaya waited for a couple minutes before setting off towards the library. He didn't want Sora to see what he was going to do. When he arrived, he immediately went to the section that housed books on the history of Soul Society. He poured through scores of books. The only place he saw mention of the Mizuchi Clan was in the section that chronicled the massacre of the Quincies. Apparently the reason Seireitei even chose to take action was because of the Great Upheaval. Many of the noble houses had completely reorganized themselves and were too busy to talk the Central 46 out of the massacre. Apparently Mizuchi was one such house. The heir of Mizuchi had abdicated, leaving the family to his younger brother. At the same time the Shihoin clan had named their newly born daughter, Yoruichi, the heir - the first female heir of one of the four noble houses.

All Hitsugaya had figured out from that was that Mizuchi was a noble house of some sort. The whole event had been mentioned in the passing. He looked in the bibliography; the author of the book said he got the information from the ninth squad newspaper.

When Hitsugaya inquired about old newspapers, the librarian told him he would have to go to either the ninth squad or the thirteenth squad archives. She warned him that he would need a pass from a seated officer in either of those squads to enter the archives as a student. After he assured her that that wouldn't be a problem, Hitsugaya set off for the thirteenth division.

There, he had to wade through a dozen shinigami who seemed to be chasing Kiyone and Sentaro. He nearly barreled into a boy not much taller than himself. Finally Hitsugaya was able to shove through the throng to Ukitake's office which the boy had so kindly directed him to. He pushed open the door to find Ukitake talking to a girl with shoulder length black hair. She looked around startled and he recognized her. Kuchiki Rukia.

"I'm sorry," Hitsugaya bowed. "I should have knocked."

"It's ok," Ukitake smiled. "We were just finishing up. Rukia, this is one of my students from the Academy, Hitsugaya Toshiro."

"We've met," Rukia nodded in his direction.

"Oh? When?" Ukitake stood up and led them out of his office.

"At the dinner you invited me to," Hitsugaya said. "Look, Captain Ukitake, I really need your help."

"With what?" Ukitake had one hand on Rukia's shoulder.

"I need a pass to get into the archives. I need to look at some old newspaper articles from about 200 years ago," Hitsugaya spoke quickly.

"Why?" Ukitake asked.

"Please, it's for my project," Hitsugaya cocked his head and Ukitake realized what he meant.

"Ok then… actually, I'll take you myself. Rukia you can come if you want."

Rukia shook her head. She had seen how Hitsugaya had stiffened. He obviously didn't want her there. She walked off wondering what was so important, that Hitsugaya didn't want anyone to know.

The thirteenth squad archives were in one of the numerous towers in the middle of Seireitei. Ukitake placed his hand on a plate at the door and the machine beeped and the door slid open. Hitsugaya stared at the technology which Ukitake used with such ease.

"Twelfth squad." Ukitake said as if it would answer all of Hitsugaya's unspoken questions. Inside the dark tower, they walked up to the podium. Ukitake showed Hitsugaya how to work the screen so he would get access to whatever he needed. Hitsugaya thanked Ukitake and then tapped out one word.

Mizuchi.

The amount of material that came up was astounding. The thousands of references in books and articles and papers boggled Hitsugaya. He refined his search this time cross referencing Mizuchi and Central 46.

What he saw gave him a start. The headline of an article read, Newly Appointed Vice Captain's Wife is Accepted into the Central 46. It went on to describe how Mizuchi Brinni had remarried after her first husband had died in the Quincy War to the heir of the Mizuchi Clan, one of the four noble houses.

Things began to fall into place. Why they couldn't just split the inheritance, why Sora was on such familiar terms with all the shinigami who came to teach their class, why sometimes it seemed as if she had two different personalities…

Even though it made sense, it still shocked him. Why hadn't Sora told him? She had never seemed secretive before. And she certainly didn't act like she was the daughter of one of the most influential nobles in Soul Society. But then he realized that she must have assumed that he knew. Maybe that was why she was the Teaching Assistant. Hitsugaya shook his head. No, that was wrong. She was simply the best.

And then there was Sora's mother, Mizuchi Brinni.

Sora's mother was on the Central 46. Pushing down his deep disgust of the council, Hitsugaya searched Sora's mother's name. Once again, the names of documents and books flooded the screen. He scrolled down the screen glancing at the titles. Then he froze. Hitsugaya selected a newspaper article just a few months old with a vicious poke. The document was delivered down to the platform he was on with a system of pulleys and levers. He flipped to the third page and glanced over it. The words jumped out at him and seemed to scald his hands. He dropped the newspaper.

Did Sora know? There was no way she could have known; otherwise she would have been furious. Hitsugaya raced out of the thirteenth squad archives past a bewildered Kiyone. He had to tell Sora.

When he got to the seventh practice field, he found Sora in deep meditation. She was clutching her zanpaktou. Then her sword flashed and she flung it away.

"Sora?" Hitsugaya inquired.

"I'm ok," Sora grumbled. "I'm just not getting it."

Hitsugaya was about reply when the sound of air being displaced after a shunpo filled the air. A tall man with square glasses and a white captain's haori stood before them. Hinamori peeked out from behind him.

"Hi Sora! Hitsugaya!" Hinamori greeted with a smile. "This is my captain, the captain of the fifth squad, Aizen Sosuke!"

Sorry for the horrible cliffhanger. I didn't really like this chapter. I know how I want to write the next few chapters, but I had no idea how to get there. If you're still reading thank you, because I know this one was kind of boring. The next one will be much more interesting.

Just to clearify things. In both the Manga and the Anime the only two of the Four Noble Houses or whatever they are called are identified. They are Kuchiki and Shihoin. Therefore, I am using my imagination to make this story more interesting.

Also, in the end when Hitsugaya freaks out and races out of the archives, he has discovered something important and wants to tell Sora. I wasn't sure if that was clear.

And if you are still reading and you are wondering, what was with the technology? then check out the Bount Arc. I don't like the Bount Arc, but in it Ukitake and Kyoraku are researching the Bount in the room I described in this chapter. So yeah...

Thanks for reading.

And please, please, drop me a line and review. I just want to know what you think!