-48 -

Rising Dead


Nelliel tu Odelschwanck

Former Espada Très

Friend of Ichigo Kurosaki

Grimmjow Jeagerjack's mate?

Thanks to Kurosaki Ichigo, she had acquired a taste for good deeds.


It was a bad plan. It was above everything so grosser and obvious that she hadn't imagined for a second that it could work. First thing, Grimmjow had to be convinced, and that alone had not been a piece of cake. The most important thing is that she had no idea why she decided to get involved at all.

It simply didn't feel right when Toshiro told her the whole story, how Gin only allied himself with Aizen to take him down, because Aizen hurt someone close to Gin in the past, someone very close to him too, His lieutenant. Rangiku Matsumoto, who was currently hostage from the Primeros who, for some reason, had it out for Gin from the beginning; it was all vague from there. Toshiro came to rescue his lieutenant. He had no quarrels with the Espadas except those who blindly follow that madman Aizen. He was going to do just that with or without help.

Grimmjow fought indiscriminately. He wouldn't have thought twice if she let him fight Toshiro, she knew. But what purpose that would have served? Fighting was always last resort for her. She loved peace as much as her acolyte appreciated chaos. This war the Primeros had instigated were all around bad business for them. There wasn't anything to be gained freeing Aizen Sousuke, in her opinion. Now that Grimmjow and her were a team, it certainly means she had to make a few compromises, but it hadn't occurred to Grimmjow; it would be the same for him. He would also be compelled by their bond to help her.

Yet, she was seldom surprised when she managed to convince him without use of the bound. Why help the shinigami? She had a beginning of an answer. He was friends with Ichigo. He couldn't be that bad. But why help Ichimaru? She herself was only half convinced that this was the right thing to do.

"Are you lost, girl?"

Her hide-and-seek game had gone wrong. The tall "Shinshigami" leaned forward to lower to her height. He scared her to death, opening the cupboard in his desk, revealing her hiding place. Nel anxiously thrust her whole fist into her mouth so as not to cry. She was shaking so much that it tickled her gland, her throat penis. Liters and liters of saliva watered the ground like a fountain. Seeing his shoes get wet, Gin backed away with a grimace and grabbed her fist, the culprit, gently but firmly, to take it out of her mouth.

" Shin- Shigami."

Nel started, her teeth chattering loudly.

" Gin. I clearly prefer Gin." He simply said.

Gin Ichimaru lifted the little girl in the air like a contaminated sack of potatoes and dropped her on the floor closer to the door. She was a bunch of trouble disguised as an innocent kid. He could no longer pretend she was missing if Aizen found her here with him. She'd be a hindrance he'd get tasked with eliminating. Not his cup of tea!

Nel nodded. She felt better. Easy peasy to remember such a weird name.

"Shin ..."

"No, it's Gin ..."

"Shin ..."

" Giin ..."

"Shiin ..."

Gin raised an eyebrow comically at her persistence. Then he dropped into his chair again. He admitted he was defeated. There didn't seem to be much going on in that brain. Nel continued to stare at him with a candid look.

"If you want, Tres."

" Nel."

"Tres."

"No, Nel's name is Nel." The runt corrected firmly.

"Ok, Tres."

"You're little silly, Mr. Shin."

"You're a little slow, Tres-chan."

Nel crossed her arms against her chest. She didn't agree with him. He was weirdly mean. Gin smirked even more at this bug' s renewed audacity. Nel stared at him. He looked much less scary when he moved his eyebrows like that. He looked like a clown.

"What are you doing, Shin ?"

" I work as you see. And you? Daddy and Mommy did not warn you to avoid walking in the "castle with all the monsters."

"Hide-and-seek games are better in haunted castles."

"Granted. It's obvious that it's funnier. Only, imagine, and this is a simple hypothesis, that Aizen-Sama chopped Tres-chan's little head off clear from her little body in front of her two big "brothers," the two brothers whom he will have previously pinned to the walls of the palace like butterflies of hell, it's obvious that Tres-chan will find it much less fun. I would always find it funny. But I suspect that I would be the only one."

Nel laughed.

"You are funny!"

Gin opened his eyes again. That kid was a delight!

"It seems." Gin said, pushing his chair towards the video consoles.

The kid was too weird. She couldn't be his problem. Noinntra, come get your Kid and your comeuppance, man? Nel approached him with her chubby grubby hands. He pretended to not pay attention to her. He had too much on his plate to run into people even more bizarre than he was. Nel looked at the surveillance screens with curiosity. It seemed funny as a game. "Shin" seemed to be having fun. Maybe if she was wise and kind, he would let her play too. She pushed a button haphazardly, and it paused the video.

"You mind, Missy!"

"She is pretty? She's also a shinshigami, Shin."

"Shinigami. Yes."

Nel's eyes widened with admiration, her hands on her plump cheeks.

On the screen, Rangiku was fighting against Nakeem Grindina, one of Grimmjow's fraccions. At least, she was taking a beating against Nakeem Grindina.

"Woah, how beautiful she is!"

Gin opened his eye, the thin space between his eyelids hinted at mischievous turquoise irises. Nel looked at him with round eyes.

"It's not exactly rocket science, but you have good taste, kid."

"Who is it?"

Gin pressed the button to disconnect all surveillance screens. Anyway, he had seen enough. She hadn't progressed one iota. Of course, that would not be enough for Nakeem to win. She was mediocre. But the fraction was ineffective in comparison. Just crap in comparison ... At this rate, these two were going to make his eyes bleed with their mediocrity.

"Is she your lover?"

"What do you know about love, baby-chan?"

"You kiss her with your throat penis!" Nel chuckled, mimicking kissing.

Gin frowned. Then he couldn't keep a straight face any longer, he chuckled. That kid was hilarious.

"This sounds so bad. I'm tempted to just trademark what you just said. This could become a legendary pick-up line!"

"Dondochakka says that's what humans and shinshigami do ... I find that Yuck ... Me. I'd never do that. It's too yuck. Ne, do you know if arrancars and Espadas also do it?

" I don't know. I tried to greet the new Tres a little too casually once. She practically twisted my neck. I would say it is not completely in the customs. Which is a shame..."

" But it's gooey ... It's yuck!"

Gin frowned in amusement. She was one to talk.

"What is she doing here, Gin?"

Gin turned to Tōsen out of courtesy. He greeted his colleague with a nod.

"She's playing hide-and-seek."

"What?"

"I have it from the mouth of said person. It's funnier to play hide-and-seek with the monsters."

Gin punctuated his words with imaginary quotes and a blood-chilling smile. Tōsen's face darkened even more.

"Aizen-Sama ordered ..."

"Tōsen, preventing a brainless kid from having fun is not part of my job. I am evil embodied. But I put my limits to pushing old men from the top of the stairs, asks Barragan.

"Aizen-sama deemed that she was no longer of any use. You know very well what that means."

"I admire your sense of justice once again, Tōsen. Yet, I don't care."

"She no longer has a place among the Espadas."

Nel looked in turn at the two shinshigamis. She was back to be shaking like a leaf again because Tosen's reiatsu was vile, foul, and suffocating. She stepped back to her hiding place under the electronic console. Tōsen materialized in a shunpo in front of her. Nel only had time to close her eyes. The dreaded impact did not take place. She opened her eyes. Tōsen had been forced to back away. Gin casually placed one of his long legs between him and Nel, effectively cutting him off. Undaunted, Tōsen grabbed the child by the collar of her green dress.

He backed away immediately when Shinsō threatened to pierce his cheek, his eyes, and everything in his path. Nel fell back to the floor and crawled frightened into her hiding place in the closet.

"Sorry, it almost slipped. Bad handling. Shinsō is finicky today."

Tōsen brushed his cheek again. Shinsō had retracted long before he had pierced the flesh, but he could still feel Ichimaru's blade.

"Aizen-sama may have his trust in you but not me. Keep that in mind."

Gin chuckled.

"Maybe I won't sleep because of this."

"You're disgusting."

"Come on! Don't be so jealous, Tōsen? Aizen-Sama and I are a thing of the past. He is all yours. I am only the Help!"

Tōsen turned his back on him.

"You are like a tumor and one day…"

"What? What will you do about it, Kaname-chan?!"

Kaname greeted his teeth.

"If I meet this child again in the corridors of the palace, I will make her disappear once and for all ."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you…"

Tōsen turned toward him. Gin simply shrugged. Tōsen contemplated for a second his words.

"Is that a threat?"

"I don't think it is. I'm the head of security. I know very well accidents happen around here. It'd be a shame. You're obviously a champion of justice. To meet this kind of end would be unsightly. You have so much to give to the world."

Tōsen said nothing and simply left. That was entertaining. Gin finally turned to Nel.

"You heard that, Tres-chan."

Gin wheeled his chair away, encouraging her to come out again. He played with his zanpakutō for a minute or so before leaning forward.

" Listen, kiddo! The guy isn't wrong. He looks slow and stupid like that. But I can tell you that this is just a facade. He is indeed every bit as slow, stupid and cruel as he appeared. This castle is filled with monsters. I should know. I am one by right. I'm even the commander-in-chief of the army of monsters. A little girl really has nothing to do here. We're planning to take over the world, you know. Shit could happen to you. You could meet the wrong people. No one would care about a kid killed on a foreign battlefield somewhere, especially not Aizen-sama. I know it. It wouldn't make a difference to me."

Nel continued to watch him with the same naive gaze.

"Do you understand, Nel-chan?"

He ran a hand over her vacant gaze.

"Kid?"

With morbid fascination, Nel stared at Shinso's comings and goings in his hands. Gin sighed, put his weapon back in his sleeve and stood up. He put his bony hand on Nel's little skull.

"Well, let's go find your fraccion and tell them to keep a better eye on you. That's their job, isn't it?"

"My what?"

"Your ... No matter what you call them, little beastie. Your little family. Your little gang. Come on, kid, we're moving! I don't have all day!"

"Do you have candy, Shin?

"How do you know about candy?"

She shrugged.

"I may know where to find some, but if you tell anyone about this, I will have to slit your throat and wear it as a pendant for a week to restore my reputation. We don't want to do that."

"I love candy." She said, holding her plump cheek in delight.

"Obviously, I'm evil. I can always steal some for us. Stark, that lazy wanker, has a sweet tooth."

"Can I help?"

He crouched in front of her.

"Gosh, you're my type of girl! Don't tell anyone, sweetheart!"

He pushed her a little in front of him and closed the door of his sanctuary behind him.

Nel sighed in relief as she pushed open the door to Szayel Apporro's laboratory. She hoisted Gin onto the exam table and went to push the light switch. The room was suddenly flooded with light. It was the closest as an infirmary in Las Noches as you could get. She searched the office for an instruction manual or at least a couple of notes on how to use the equipment to no avail. Finally, she pushed all the buttons to start the device, hoping that the large particle accelerator remained in working order after the numerous incursions of the twelfth division.

She glanced over her shoulder. She thought she felt the air move behind her. Gin was still lying on the exam table. His veins and arteries were so apparent, his skin seemed almost transparent under the neon lights. There was nothing. She grabbed a rag that was laying there and started to clean all the blood on his face and neck.

Yes, she didn't know why she decided to help. She wasn't sure she even understood everything about the situation. Enzo Weavorpine had something against Gin Ichimaru to the point of wanting to inflict the worst suffering on his family. He was not the only one. Ichimaru had never been Mr. Congeniality. She admitted that when she sat at the Espada table, she couldn't stand him with his unsettling smirk.

But he defended her. It had to count for something. He protected her when she had been at her most vulnerable. He defended when she didn't even remember who she is. She was practically sure thinking about it that Gin made sure other Arrancars knew to stay clear of her. She had to repay him. Ichigo would do the same, she was sure. He would fight to do what was right. Watching Ichigo fight for his friend had helped restore her memory and her normal appearance the first time. His sense of sacrifice reminded her of who she was. Nel closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She moved the machines and connected the wires to her patient. Gin, unconscious on the table, did not make a single complaint when she buried the needles in his arm. Szayel hadn't done much medical research except for his own account. His experiments had been more focused on weapons of mass destruction. Nel searched the drawers, and she found a mask which she connected to the machine. She put it on Gin's face, opening the valve all she could.

"Okay… We must be done…" she whispered, checking all the connections.

She pressed all the buttons to turn on the second computer. The machine started with a sputter. It purred finally, and the reactors started up. What she was about to do, Nel had only seen done successfully once. She acted instinctively.

"It has to work."

It was during a test. Aizen had asked Apporro to demonstrate that he could revive any one of them with the combined technology of the Hōgyoku and a particle accelerator. She did not know the details. She had learned nothing from the demonstration except for its final results. That day, she only watched absentmindedly. Stark and Lylinette were absent because they refused to shorten their nap time. Barragan was chatting outside the door with his fraccions. Grimmjow was fuming because it had interrupted his training. Yammy was asking questions Ulquiorra refused to answer. Zommari was silent. Ichimaru had politely declined Aizen's offer to serve as a guinea pig. The other Shinigami, Tōsen, was more than happy to volunteer. And after being pierced by Shinsō, he lay down on the table with a gaping hole in his chest, and a relatively short life expectancy. She was standing back from everything else and Nnointra was standing right behind her to the point that she annoyingly felt his warm breath on the nape of her neck. A miracle happened, and a few years later, Tōsen was still breathing to terrorize her.

"It won't work."

Nel jumped and drew Gamuza in front of her. A silhouette emerged from the shadows. Nel's eyes widened, recognizing the silhouette. Slowly removing her hoodie, Harribel Tia greeted her curtly.

The two women stared at each other for a long time. As one might think, there was no love lost between these two Espadas who were unlucky enough to share the same number. On the other hand, there was mutual respect, a tacit understanding. There was no questioning of the other's status.

Nel put her zanpakutō back in its sheath. Harribel took a step towards her. With the same dreary look, she looked down at Gin Ichimaru's battered body.

"Why? Why help him? Aizen certainly didn't help me."

"Well, he is not Aizen for a start."

"You're dreaming if you think I will help a shinigami after what they did."

Nel shrugged.

"I don't care for your vengeance. I'm trying to save the world here. I know you're smarter than anyone gave you credit for. You know better than me what's at stake here. The Primeros wants to free Aizen and conquer the world. This guy is the only one who may be able to slow down the Primeros in their rise in power."

"I heard that he changed sides at the last moment and tried to kill Aizen during the battle. I thought it was just a fable."

"Well, it's not."

Tia stared at Gin coldly.

"Listen, I'm going to give helping him a try if you don't mind because brooding and being bitter is really not my cup of tea."

Tia glared in her direction before frowning. She sniffed the air.

"You smell different. You smell like an Old one. Truly enticing, Nelliel Tu Odelshwanck."

She brushed Nel's face softly. Nel blushed.

"I…"

Tia leaned closer, mesmerized.

"You mated with Sexta."

"No! Well! Yeah! But it was…his idea. It was a spur of the moment kind of thing. I don't really know what that was about."

Tia chuckled and circled the table to join her. She gave Nel a lustful once-over.

"Only Vasto Lorde feel the need to mate and breed. In my days, it was quite common." She said with a mix of wisdom and disdain. She kept admiring Nel's curves as if it was the first time she's ever seen curves.

"Oh!" Nel hiccupped, finding their sudden proximity very troubling. Tia brushed away the side of her face softly, smelling her.

"Were you one of them?" Nel asked nervously.

"A very long time ago… This place wasn't like this. It was burgeoning with life. We had a true king then. One who would sacrifice his life for his people."

Nel frowned.

"What happened?"

"The shinigamis happened. Just like cockroaches, they were everywhere, and they destroy everything in their paths. They destroyed Las Noches. They rewrote History."

"I didn't know about that."

"You're too young. You were a young breed when Aizen found you. Not even Ulquiorra remembered, and he was one of us. It was like the universe rewrote itself and we were all lost in the desert like wild animals."

"Why Barragan never talked about it?"

"Barragan was never the King. He was just a minion like Stark and Ulquiorra. He was not even the most regarded of us. Mammongi was. The best of us. Our leader."

"Mammongi…"

"He was killed… by a monster. Taken away from us and we were so lost… We thought we were going to disappear too… The loss was…so great. First, it was the first Lord. Then our beloved king. We were incomplete again. We needed to conceal the pain. Hide it behind our masks. I remembered the pain. For years in the desert, it was all I remembered." Tia moaned and sobbed.

Nel thought she was going to get sick. From where Tia and her connected, she was flooded by a flow of foreign memories and emotions. It's like she could relive those days of errands. She gasped at the rawness of it. The bond. Was that the bond?

"I'm sorry you had to endure this. Aizen said nothing… Why?" She was crying too.

Tia growled low.

"Aizen is the biggest fraud. A traitor. I remembered him from before… But I so wanted to believe his salesman speech that Las Noches needed a king. I wanted to believe we could build back what we lost. I was wrong about that."

Tia withdrew her hand and stared at the floor in shame. Nel swallowed hard. She could see clearly Tia's pain and could feel it just as acutely. She took a deep breath. After a short pause, she said.

"Everybody makes mistakes, Tia. I just know that like Ichigo I must try to save everybody. I have to try to make a difference."

"You feel Ichigo Kurosaki is different. He may be worse than any disease. He brings hope and disappear afterward."

"I know Ichigo is different. I'm sure he would be here if he could, helping his friends."

Tia remained silent, reminiscing. She turned to Gin's lifeless body. Tia sighed.

"The machine has been booby-trapped. It won't work."

Tia spread her coat with her left hand, revealing a shorter right arm, several shades too pale. The graft had left an unsightly scar from her shoulder to her bust.

"This captain ... Mayuri Kurotsuchi has a certain sense of humor. After I lost my arm, I had no choice but to improvise. I found an improbable source of energy and went from there. Yet, the result is a work in progress."

Nel replied with a grimace. Without changing her expression, Tia continued.

"He changed the programming of the machine. I have spent the last three months trying to fix it for my own benefit without success. It pains me a lot. But I fear that Ichimaru has no chance."

Nel let out a sigh of disappointment. She lowered her head to the ground. It was hopeless. There was really no way. Suddenly, a shiver ran through her neck. Through the telepathic link that she shared with Grimmjow and her fraccions, she had a flash. An explosion. Grimmjow was crawling on the ground, his mouth foaming. Toshiro was on the ground too. Dondo and Pesche ran to their aid, and they…

Tears in her eyes, she turned again to Tia, who confirmed her predictions.

"I no longer feel Sexta's reiatsu. I'd say my condolences if it was any other instances. But you are still standing before me, so it means you have a chance to save your mate. You go and leave Gin to die. There will be no judgments." Tia said.

Nel gasped, her face marred with tears. She gasped. She was suddenly so tired. It probably mirrored the pain Grimmjow was feeling. She felt like dropping everything and ran. She took a deep breath.

" No ! No! No! It's not happening. No! Ichigo ... Ichigo wouldn't give up. He simply wouldn't."

Tia stared at Nel curiously. Nel ignored her and walked around the table. She leaned into Gin's ear.

"Ichimaru, I know you can hear us. You want to get your girl back. I don't think you want to quit so soon. You owe it to her to try. So, I forbid you to die on us. I forbid you to quit now. You hear me?"

Tia turned to join the exit.

"Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, I have always admired your misplaced optimism. But we cannot fight the inevitability of a situation."

"I'm the third Espada. You are the third Espada. We're the same in every possible way. What was inevitable in that? What were the odds? Few can stand against us. We will maintain the fort. We are going to hold onto to this castle because this is our home now. We are going to repair the machine. We will repair the machine, take revenge, save our home, and save the world as a bonus. We're going to do all of this, Tia, to honor the sacrifice of those we lost ... The sacrifice of Ichigo."

Harribel opened her mouth to protest before sighing.

"The sacrifice of those we lost?"

Tia thought of her fraccions. She thought of Mammongi and all those who sat at the Vasto Lorde's table… All the Espadas… She frowned, conflicted. What was the point? Yet, she walked around the table to sit behind the controls. She grabbed a mysterious bookcase and opened it revealing its content, a bunch of precious gems.

"What is that?"

She grabbed a red stone between her two fingers.

"That, my dear, is a piece of fully charged reiasekki, the stone of kings. Some people said they were made with the tears of Menos Grande in the Forest of Menos. Our vaults used to be filled to the brim with these. For one who had lived in the castle, it is easy to find a couple of these lost and forgotten. Some are still charged with raw spiritual pressure and reishi like this one. I gathered a couple I was going to use."

"You're kidding me? Reiasekki, I vaguely heard about it. It can harness and store massive quantity of energy and amplify it tenfold. You're holding a bomb."

"Energy that can be used to enhance one's personal regeneration skills. But it is risky… It could be too much. I wouldn't advise it on a simple shinigami. They simply don't have the constitution for it. Simple spirits don't have a spiritual envelope thick enough to hold on that kind of energy. This one is red because it was filled with Kaijus energy."

"Kaiju? You mean… Old demons. Our forefathers. Spirits so old and ancient, their very existence is connected to the cycle they vowed to maintain. The father of all Hollows was said to be the strongest of them. At least that's what the legend said."

"Yet, you pretend to know nothing about Mammongi."

"Mammongi was the father of all hollows."

"He was the king's favorite creation. Well, someone's been reading at least."

"They really exist?!" Nel said in awe.

"Yes."

"You know all of this, and you never shared."

"Well, I was the youngest to ascend to the Vasto Lorde Council before its destruction. I had no time to know the king before the attack went down the morning after. I escaped barely. Many of our brethren died that day. I spent centuries trying to heal myself, thinking I was the only one who escaped and survived."

"Our brethren…"

"You and Sexta… I feel you as you feel me, don't you?"

"We ascended. How?"

Tia said nothing.

"One is missing. It's… Ulquiorra, I can feel him too." Nel realized.

"Our brother is trying to heal himself. They did a number on him. He doesn't know who he is anymore. I know the feeling. Do you still want to proceed with Ichimaru? It may very well kill him?"

Nelliel gasped again, her eyes distant.

"This guy is everything but simple. I say we give it a try. "

Tia caressed the side of her face softly.

"We will have to reconnect the wires one by one in the right order. I have an excellent visual memory. I remember perfectly the initial connection. However, I need a second hand."

The other Tres leaned in her soft caress with a smile.

"Where do we start?"

"We are going to restart the cryogenic tank. I can restore the water supply with my powers. Undress him. This is where it gets tricky."


Byakuya Kuchiki

Captain of the Sixth Division

Head of the Kuchiki Clan

Brother of Kuchiki Rukia

Husband of Hisana Kuchiki

Good things, things were finally as they should be, right?


Things were finally in their place. He had spent over an hour tidying up his desk. When he got home earlier, he was surprised to not find things as he left them. No doubt, the maids were at fault. Every time Manami added someone to the rotation, he had that kind of problem. For a while, Byakuya got distracted by the acrobatic ballet of the koi in the pool. Yes, everything was tidy. Except...

He resumed his research. He was sure he had left the family seal on his desk. It had been its place since the dawn of time. It was its place when the office belonged to his grandfather, and it will be its place when the office belonged to ...

A burst of laughter. Another distraction. One thought led to another, there was only one place he hadn't searched. Byakuya sighed. He left the room, walked along the corridor, crossed an empty living room, crossed a new endless hallway. He heard another burst of laughter. He touched the shoji door with his hand.

A new burst of laughter. He opened the door. In the vast dining room, Rukia and Hisana were having breakfast in formal kimono and flowers in their hair.

"Onee-chan, Nii-Sama, finally decides to join us," Rukia said.

Hisana only smiled.

In any other world – Mika

Byakuya stayed for a moment contemplating the lovely scenery. The women of his lives kneeled around the table with the bright garden in the background. They looked almost like twins in their pastel pink and blue kimonos. The lawn was a vibrant green where wilderness had been tamed by an expert gardener. In the pond, Koi fishes were lively as ever. He gazed across the fuchsias, dahlias in bloom, their white or magenta petals catching the breeze. He inhaled slowly. Heaven. Peace. It was all that at once. The sisters giggled together. It took his breath away.

"Dear?"

He blinked.

"I apologize for making you wait."

"Having breakfast without Nii-Sama isn't fun."

"It seemed from my point of view that you two were having quite an enjoyable time without me."

He said, taking his place. Hisana nudged Rukia teasingly.

"We longed for the presence of Byakuya-sama. It's never the same without you, dear."

"My office was really…"

He stopped. What was the world again?

"Untidy. It was untidy. I don't know who moved the family seal."

"Probably one of the servants, Rukia, and I didn't touch it. We were too busy talking about baby clothes."

Hisana straightened up to serve him; doing so, the shawl that covered her belly slipped on the floor. Rukia straightened up immediately to help her sister.

"Leave it, I'm going to help."

"No need, Rukia. I'm not really hungry."

Byakuya scanned the table with a grimace. Even though the table was decorated with the most appetizing dishes, he was neither hungry nor thirsty. The two young women didn't seem to care much. They quietly resumed their feast and their chat.

"With Rukia, we were discussing baby names. Rukia-chan seemed very amused by your proposals. "Nori" doesn't seem to be successful with her, either."

Rukia winced. An event rare enough it deserves to be highlighted, Byakuya's cheeks took on a pink tint.

"His lordship blushes," Hisana whispered.

"Nori is a great choice. It is a name that symbolizes nobility and respect for laws and traditions."

"If you want him to be teased about the origin of his first name all his life, I would also say that it is an excellent choice."

"His father, his lordship, will not allow such a thing, come on," Rukia added.

They exchanged another knowing look. He suppressed a mocking grunt, annoyed.

Women, he couldn't do anything against them. He couldn't do anything without them. He decided to change the subject.

"What do you all plan to do today?"

"I decided to visit my former captain. Ukitake-Taicho was ill last week. I intend to bring him some treats. Hisana-chan wanted to tag along."

"Is it very prudent? It's a long way..."

"I still have some shopping to do in East Rukongai. Since it's on the way to Ugendō, I thought…"

Byakuya frowned painfully.

"I know what Byakuya-sama is going to say. And that's why Rukia-chan will not leave my side."

He didn't seem more reassured but nodded.

"And you, dear? What have you planned?"

Byakuya frowned. It was on the tip of his tongue. Yet, he didn't remember at all. How odd! There was the seal and…

"I…will probably receive a visit of some elected official in the late afternoon. We will talk about politics… Will you be back by then?"

Byakuya stared at an imaginary point in the sepia-toned garden. The Koi were black and white.

"Byakuya-Sama?"

The Koi remained suspended in the air. He scanned the room to see the wooden panels change the texture, to be as hard and rough as the Sekkiseki walls of the Seireitei. The dining room had suddenly darkened. No doubt, a gray cloud full of rain came to announce a violent storm.

"Byakuya-Sama? Nii-Sama?"

They said in unison. Maybe it was something he ate… He turned towards the garden. The koi more numerous than ever swarmed and disturbed the surface of the pond. Hisana's black hair shone with the reflections of the sun. His mouth was dry.

" You will have to be very careful in the Rukon districts."

"Nothing can happen to me. I will be with Rukia."

"You know what I mean."

"Unohana-Sensei told you I am in perfect health. You don't need to worry."

He took his young wife's hand and laid the outline of a kiss on it, a tender gesture that made his sister-in-law smile and blush. Some things were definitely out of place. He didn't know exactly. But one thing was sure, he, Byakuya Kuchiki, felt entirely like he belongs. He belonged here.


Next chapter = Sleeping Beauty