Sorry for the long Haitus on this story. School is being a total B**** but well life is life. Hope you enjoy the story so far. More will be coming hopefully soon because by May, exams are going to EAT ME ALIVE!! *runs away and hides under a rock*

Inumaru Higurashi

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Chapter 24

"UNOHANA-TAICHO!!" Isane yelled down the hall. The fourth division captain was already on her feet and running, zanpakuto in hand before the explanation could even be heard. They all felt the burst of wild reiatsu and they all knew who the source of it was. The only thing that shook everyone to their bones was the hoarse scream that had echoed through the halls of sixth division captain's name. The entire squad was now on their feet, following after the captain and her rapid steps to the warded room. Inside, the seen left everyone in a wide eyed state of shock.

Senbonzakura consumed the entirety of the room. A desperate Ichigo was pounding against the bladed petals, his hands now shredded, trying to get inside of the barrier. No one could yet see what was inside but they had a likely guess.

"Isane." Unohana gave her vice captain a nod and placed her hands out in front of her. The vice captain nodded and mimicked the gesture. A series of chants followed and their energy burst into the pink, blasting it away as everyone watching all while the petals disappeared, sealing themselves into a unsheathed blade that was quickly warded and handed off to subordinates to place in a cell while the sheath is located.

"UNOHANA TAICHO!!" Isane gagged and pointed to the sight in the middle of the room.

Blood was painted against the floor as two figures, one completely unrecognizable and the other, drenched in the liquid while cradling the other to him sat still.

Unohana made cautious steps forwards, backing up on when she felt a blast of defense coming from the soaked figure.

"Byakuya."

Wild grey eyes looked at her but right though her, shocking her for just a slight moment before she regained her calm and stood her ground.

"Is that Abarai-taicho you are holding?"

A feral growl was the response as she felt the other reiatsu climb from defensive to offensive levels.

"You need to give him over to us." She felt the rest of the group cringe at the spike when that statement hit. Unohana narrowed her eyes and glowered down at the recently found ex-captain.

"If you do not allow us to treat his wounds, he will die." That got a decline and a whimper as grey eyes reverted back to the decapitated form in his arms and then back to the patient but angry fourth division captain. The squad took that as their cue to move in and grappled Byakuya to the ground, eliciting a yelp of pain before a spell rendered him unconscious. Gently, the fourth squad members lifted the blood soaked Abarai onto a stretcher and carried him out of the room. Unohana gave a few curt words to Isane before leaving the room, hurrying after the rest of her squad issuing orders and demands for equipment. Isane was left standing in the middle of a blood soaked room with the task given to her by Unohana.

"Please step aside." Three pairs of hands left the former noble as the subordinates stepped aside and averted their gaze. Isane bit her lips as she reached for the too thin wrists of the pale captain who she knew, moments before, had witnessed more brutality than she had ever seen on the battle field.

"I'm sorry Kuchiki-san."

The instant she placed her hands on the skin, the reaction was enough to rip out the heart strings of everyone in the room. The noble began to tremble excessively, gasping in tiny whimpers for breath but still, the body held perfectly still due to the unconscious state and yet there was the underlying hint that this had happened so many times that he had merely given up. The spell flared. Isane closed her eyes and wished the image was never to be there again but it would be burned into her eyelids for an eternity. Kuchiki Byakuya went limp and proceeded to whimper apologies even with tightly closed eyes. The instant Isane let go, the proud noble she had known and grown up with, turned onto his side, clutched her wrists to his chest and curled into a ball. The silver haired woman gestured for the rest of the squad to load him onto a stretcher.

"Put him together with Abarai-Taicho."

"HAI!!"

The crew of subordinates left the room leaving suffocating silence and walls splattered with blood behind. The tall woman looked down at her trembling hands and collapsed onto her knees.

"What have I done…" sobs echoed into the eerie silence.

Unohana Taicho stood outside the room, the gloom of her hair covering her eyes as she listened to her trusted fukutaicho break down.

"I'm sorry Isane…I'm sorry, Byakuya."

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"RUKIA!!" Hanataro ran towards the petite thirteenth division captain who turned around just in time to be collided into as the other tripped.

"Hanataro?! What are you doing here?"

"Renji-san told me to send you a message." The small boy panted, smiling despite his clumsy accident, while rubbing the back of his head sheepishly in apology.

"Well, after that greeting I think it's time I heard the message."

"Renji says you should visit soon." Both of them picked up on the lack of a specific name in the message. Rukia visibly flinched, balling her small hands in fists behind her back as she fought to keep her calm.

"So that would explain the burst of familiar reiatsu in those barracks."

"I'm sure you've heard already—"

"I heard from Ichigo."

"Then you should have gone already to—"

"WHY?!" Rukia spun on her heels.

"Because the first time you are going to see him is going to be when they try him in 2 days."

"What?" Hanataro was solemn now, causing Rukia to gulp at such a serious expression on the usual happy boy's face,

"They are putting him on trial in 2 days and even though you technically are his sister, you two had a good relationship. I would never wish for even a former captain to maintain the disgrace of encountering the one family member they ever had a bond with to see them for the first time on trial."

Rukia didn't reply, her big blue eyes pleading with Hanataro to smile and joke again and pretend this matter wasn't pressing the air out of her chest like 2000 hollow blows.

"It's your decision. Right now may not be the best time but before the trial, or even on the morning of the trial, I agree with Renji-san. You need to go see him." With that, the fourth division boy stumbled off towards the barracks again, leaving a stunned thirteenth division captain in his wake.

But what he didn't see, was the small slip of visitation permits dated for this afternoon, crinkled in the small fist of Kuchiki Rukia behind her back.