A/N: I would like to thank SpiritedRanger, who reviewed the first chapter of this story on another fanfic site, for the insightful review that was left on the last chapter. I've actually written close to sixty chapters for this story, but it never occurred to me to put in a flashback till now - that was a big brain fart on my part - but I guess that's what comments are for right? Also, as for the zanpakutos and how they're in human form . . . you'll just have to read below to find out a little more on the matter. Enjoy!


Chapter 2 - Worry for a Friend


New Character Introduced

Kurai Sekkai - The zanpakuto of Satsuki Fukudome, Minata's mother. His name means 'dark incision' (kurai - dark. sekkai - incision). His classification is known by only his master, and those who have the unfortunate opportunity of facing her in battle.


Many years ago . . .

The Soul Society was quiet, almost serene even, as the moon disappeared to allow the sun to usher in a new dawn. Shinigami that had been on night patrol retreated to their barracks to get some much-needed shut eye, walking into divisions that were just coming alive with activity.

In the more opulent districts of the Seireitei, many of the lavish homes that dominated the landscape remained silent, with many of its residents - save a few servants - still sleeping soundly in their beds and futons.

The only home that showed any large signs of life at the moment was the large manor located in one of the few districts that could say it had one of the Four Great Noble families living within its borders. The Kuchiki Manor was abuzz with activity, as servants started to prepare for the festivities that would happen later in the day, while a few unlucky elders were tasked with waking up early to oversee their work. They needed to make sure nothing went off without a hitch.

It's not every day you get to celebrate an heir's birthday.

Speaking of said heir, the boy in question was still snoozing in his futon when the sounds of a rather loud servant running down the hallway disturbed him from his slumber. His eyelids fluttered open, slate grey eyes staring in the direction of the door, a scowl forming on his lips.

"I should have known I wouldn't be able to sleep in on my birthday," he mumbled as he heard another set of footsteps coming his way, softer than the previous set that passed by. Recognizing the spiritual pressure to be that of his grandfather's, Byakuya quickly got out of bed and managed to make his hair look somewhat decent before a familiar knock came from the door. "Yes?"

The door slid open, revealing the tall, stoic form of Ginrei Kuchiki standing on the other side. The current head of the Kuchiki Clan, dressed in his full shinigami uniform, stepped into the room, his face unreadable as he faced his beloved grandson. Byakuya was starting to think that something was wrong until his grandfather broke out one of his rare smiles, a sight he only allowed a certain few to see. "Good morning grandfather."

"Good morning Byakuya," said the man as the boy lifted his head up from his bow. "I hope I haven't interrupted anything."

"You haven't. I just woke up actually." Byakuya quietly admitted as he realized that his grandfather was the only one at the door. "Is father coming with you to work today?"

"No, he will not. Your father's illness came back overnight," said Ginrei, his words putting a damper on his grandson's mood. "He's not coughing like the last time, but the doctor does recommend that he stay in bed, at least for today."

"I see . . ." Byakuya mumbled, disappointed at the news. "Then he likely will not be there for the party."

"Unfortunately, no. He may not be there in person, but he will be with you in spirit," said Ginrei as he looked around his grandson's room. "He does expect you to pay a visit before the day is up though."

"I'll visit him before the party begins . . . It's best I get ready for training then."

"Oh no you don't," said Ginrei, clamping down on Byakuya's shoulder to prevent him from moving any further. "I am impressed at the enthusiasm you show towards your training Byakuya, but it won't hurt you to skip a day, especially on a special one such as this."

"Hmm, I guess you're right Grandfather," Byakuya mumbled as he brought a hand to his chin. "But that leaves me with a lot less to do from now until the party I'm sure the rest of the family is preparing for."

"True; outside of training, you always seemed to struggle keeping yourself busy when you are left to your own devices," Ginrei couldn't help but tease, his rare grin getting bigger at the sight of Byakuya's scowl. "Don't worry. I have just the remedy for it. . . After you get ready, you'll find that remedy in the main foyer."

Byakuya was about to ask him what it could possibly be, but Ginrei flash stepped out of the room before he could even get a syllable out. It was a common thing for the clan leader to do that when he didn't want to explain himself to his grandson, mainly because he thought it was better for Byakuya to figure things out on his own rather than ask him to explain.

Being used to his grandfather's behavior, Byakuya simply shook his head before getting ready for the day. Remembering Ginrei's instructions, he made his way to the foyer, sensing that two figures were in there waiting patiently for him. Both figures felt quite familiar to him, one more so than the other, and when he turned the corner to enter the room, he couldn't help but let a small smirk show on his face at who he saw.

"Hm, so you're supposed to be helping me get through the day before my party begins huh?" Byakuya asked, leaning against the doorframe as the girl approached. She was around his age, dressed in a light green yukata, her amethyst-colored eyes staring holes at him as she crossed her arms. "I thought you didn't wake up this early Mina?"

"I try not to, but you know, even a highborn noble can't get everything they want, not when they have their attentive elders looking out for them," said Minata Fukudome as she let out a rather unladylike yawn. Byakuya knew if any of his own elders saw her doing that, they would have reprimanded her easily. The long-standing familiarity between their two families allowed them that much. "And why did you sound so disappointed about me accompanying you throughout your big day hm? Would you rather have Yoruichi join you instead?"

"As if I want that damned were-cat in my presence!" Byakuya practically blew up as he cursed the purple-haired woman's existence. "As for your earlier question, I just found out from my grandfather that my father is ill again. The doctor wants him to stay in bed all day."

"Which means he won't be there for your party later . . . Are you going to see him still?"

"I plan to before the party is supposed to start. You are free to come along Minata, as well as your guard over there." mumbled the Kuchiki scion as he looked over her shoulder to stare at the other individual in the foyer.

The man was very tall - past 6'5 easily - and dressed in a long-sleeved black robe that stopped just above his ankles, revealing the pitch-black sandals he wore. The black robe was simple in design, buttoned in the front and patterned with red and silver leaves towards the end. The robe's collar was large enough to cover most of his face, leaving his bright red eyes the only notable feature to be seen on his face. Completing his look was the matching black hat that was slightly pointed at the top with a wide brim wrapped around it, giving him quite a mysterious air that frightened some who were unlucky enough to meet him.

"That's okay. Kurai Sekkai has to return to my mother's side anyway. Isn't that right Kurai?" Minata asked the man, who simply nodded once in admission. "You're dismissed Kurai. I'll be fine here."

"Yes milady," said the man, his voice a deep, raspy whisper that slightly chilled Byakuya's skin. With a quick use of flash step, the man was gone, not making a sound as he left.

"Byakuya, why do you always look unsettled whenever my mom's zanpakuto spirit is around?"

"Because he honestly gives me the creeps," was Byakuya's blunt reply as he glared at Minata's smirking face. "Like, how does your sweet, sarcastic mother have a dark and creepy guy in a robe for a zanpakuto spirit?"

"Considering that zanpakuto are supposed to be our unique reflections of our very own souls, I guess you can say my mother has a much darker soul than you think," was Mina's simple reply. "And you are so lucky Kurai did not hear you say that. Trust me, he can get a whole lot worse if he gets pissed . . . And p.s., not everyone thinks he's creepy. Only you do. Most just think he's an aloof loner that's hard to speak with."

"Still won't change my mind."

"Of course, it won't. You are the one that said that it's spirits like Kurai Sekkai that make you wish that zanpakuto spirits only came out when you're trying to manifest your bankai like they used to, and not when they want to like they do these days."

"I'm still trying to figure out how this trend with the zanpakutos first started."

"Your family is in charge of collecting and compiling the Soul Society's historical archives. I'm sure one of those dusty old tomes hold the answer," said Mina, her tone flippant as she walked past Byakuya. Before he could say anything though, his stomach growled loudly, the sound echoing through the foyer, reminding him that he still hadn't eaten any breakfast. "How about we look AFTER we get some food in you?"

"I'm not spending my birthday in the archives, but breakfast doesn't sound like a bad idea," Byakuya conceded as he followed Mina deeper into his home. "Anyway, what did you get me for my birthday?"

"Wouldn't you like to know . . . You'll just have to wait till after the party starts. Don't worry it's not cat themed."

"Good . . . I wouldn't like it if it was."

"Still mad about Yoruichi beating you in that race three days ago huh?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"Yep . . ."

"I was hoping you wouldn't say that."


Minata's POV

After a whole day's worth of errands and paperwork, I was happy to finally be flash stepping toward the Kuchiki Manor, the place I've considered my home away from home ever since I was a young girl mourning the untimely death of my parents. The full moon was already up high in the night sky, but I couldn't enjoy the mesmerizing sight like I usually did.

My thoughts couldn't help but be somewhere else. Today has simply been that eventful.

"Master . . . Mina, are you all right?"

"I'm fine Mizukiri. I'm just concerned about Byakuya, that's all." I say as we reached the manor's front gate, the Kuchiki seal shining bright in the moonlight.

"Captain Kuchiki is a wise nobleman and a good captain. I'm sure he'll pull through this. With ease, I don't think so, but he will pull through this." I hear her say as the guards greet us with nods before proceeding to open the doors.

"You may be right Kiri, but something about this whole situation doesn't sit well with me." I mumble as we walk toward the main building. "Maybe a good night's rest will help me clear my thoughts."

"Which is something you can get at your own family's manor, yet here we are at Byakuya's place. Tell me again: Why do you continue to live here with him instead of returning to the Fukudome mansion to live with the rest of your family? You're certainly old enough to return."

I mull over her words as we step into the foyer, where I switch my heeled sandals out for a pair of comfy indoor slippers. I never liked the slippers that was standard for the uniform, so I decided that the heeled sandals would serve as a nice alternative. Nobody minded, not even the Captain Commander, and he's always been a stickler when it comes to the propriety of one's uniform.

"As if you didn't know already Kiri." I mumble. "Both mine and Byakuya's parents died within the same year, and mine's were through much more violent means. Grief is not the easiest emotion to overcome, let alone handle, and - of course - we had our own ways of showing it."

"For Byakuya, it was like the life went out of him. He became a living statue, mechanical in his movements, not really showing that much emotion in general . . . It was like he became the perfect little lord, but without a hint of emotion. He was just a shell of himself."

"Me, on the other hand, rebelled whenever I could. I didn't care what others thought of me. I cared about my family's standing even less. I was just sinking in a sea of sadness and depression, hidden under all the unruly acts I did. I was ready to combust, but I could never really pull the trigger."

"Yes, I remember that . . ." Kiri mumbles, her tone getting somber at the memory. "Your Inner World was not the easiest place to live in during that time. Typhoons, hurricanes, I even remember living through a couple of blizzards that could have killed a normal person if they had to experience it. Of course, as I am a part of you, I ended up turning out fine, but you really made my heart race whenever you were in one of your really bad swings."

"I'm sorry I put you through all that Mizukiri, but when grief overtakes you, it can keep you in its clutches for a very long while," I mumble as we started moving down the hallway. "The elders thought that after our period of mourning, we would get back to our normal routines, but unfortunately for them, that's not how grief works. My self-destructive rut became depressive, and Byakuya wasn't doing much better. . . My grandmother and Byakuya's grandfather, of course, didn't want us to wallow in our grief forever, so they came together to figure out a solution."

"And thus, you became a ward of the Kuchiki family," Mizukiri sagely admits, her eyes looking distant. "I'm sure you were quite happy to find out you and Byakuya were becoming roommates, right?"

"You and I both know how exactly I reacted when I found out grandmother was sending me here to stay," I say, embarrassed at the memory. "I cursed her out for crying out loud! I said so many rude things to her I thought she was going to disown me then and there."

"But she didn't. She took your outburst in stride, calmly explained to you her reasoning behind such a decision, and then sent you on your merry way," Kiri cheekily adds, her amusement bordering on irritating. "And look at the two of you now. You helped each other out of your funks and now you're functional members of society once again!"

"The close contact did help, I guess . . ." I concede as we turned the corner. "All I know for sure is that my nana had me moved here a week after my parents' funeral to 'aid me' in my grief. I became a ward under Ginrei's supervision, and in time, we both managed to get back to our regular selves, mostly, I think. Byakuya isn't as emotional as he used to be after all . . . As for why I still live here, I guess everyone was so comfortable with me being here that no one bothered to even suggest I move back home."

"Hmm . . . I wonder why," suspicion was laced within my zanpakuto's voice, and I could easily guess why. Considering the Kuchiki elders are eager to see Byakuya remarry again, it wouldn't be hard to think that I was a prime candidate for him to marry, especially since I know him so well already.

"It's not hard to think of why Mizukiri."

"Well, you got me there. A union between members of two of the most prosperous families in the entire land would certainly make headlines, produce very powerful babies, and incite the envy of some of the more power-hungry families."

"That's all very likely . . ."

When we reached my room, Mizukiri instantly makes a beeline for the bookcase to switch out her poetry while I walked over to the vanity, taking off my headpiece along the way.

Every member of my clan wore a headpiece, a long-standing tradition similar to that of the Kuchiki's tradition for wearing kenseikans. The thing is, we weren't that restrictive in headwear creativitylike the Kuchikis were. Everyone had a choice in what kind of headpiece they wanted to wear to signify their status within the clan, and it has led to some crazy pieces hitting our ranks over the centuries.

However: two rules had to be followed. The first was that all the headpieces must be black, and the second was that the headpieces must incorporate a jewel that was the same color as the wearer's eyes. Everything else was free game.

When it was my time to pick out my headpiece, I was inspired by the hair caps worn by the nobility of medieval Europe after reading an interesting book about that era that somehow managed to make it into the family library.

I made an excellent choice, in my honest opinion. It was useful in keeping my hair out of my face, especially in times of a fight.

After unpinning the cap from my tresses, I picked up my brush and started brushing it through my long, black curly hair, a rarity in my family.

"Someone's coming."

The sentence is barely out of Mizukiri's mouth when I look up to see a shadowy figure standing in front of our door. The silhouette was so familiar I couldn't mistake it for anyone else.

"You can come in Ginrei. You don't need to knock." I say as I put down my brush.

"You, my dear, have a great sense of perception." he tells me as he slides the door open. He had been retired for years now, but he still looked like he could still serve as the Captain of the Sixth if he was needed to.

"You can blame Mizukiri for giving you away this time."

"Technically, since she's a part of your soul, you are actually the one I should have the blame pinned on." he says, giving me a knowing look.

"Touché"

"Minata, where is my grandson?" he suddenly asks. "We're supposed to have our weekly tea tonight."

"I guess the servants failed to alert you about the latest development then . . . He's off on a mission to the Living World with his lieutenant. He won't be back for a while."

"It's about Rukia, isn't it?" he asks, concern showing in his eyes.

"Yes, unfortunately . . . Let's just say he received some unfortunate news that may come into conflict with his morals in the coming days."

"I see." he says as he brushes his moustache with his fingers. "Would you mind joining me for tea in his place? I would like the company."

"Sure." I say as I stand up.

"How difficult do you think this 'conflict' will be for my grandson Mina?"

"I don't know, to be honest. I know that he made certain promises in the past, and now I think those promises will make him question who he truly keeps his word to. He may feel trapped, with no way of getting out of his predicament."

"I was afraid you were going to say that," he says with a smirk as he turns to walk out the door. "You know how Byakuya can get when he's in those situations. Situations where he can't come to a firm decision has never been his forte. The stress will be there, but knowing him, he won't let it show on his face."

"Well isn't that the truth." I tell him as I sense no movement coming from my zanpakuto. "Aren't you coming Mizukiri?

"I'll sit this one out. You go on ahead without me." she says without lifting her head from her book. It must have been a damn interesting one if she was going to refuse one of her favorite past times to continue it uninterrupted.

"Suit yourself." I say as I follow Ginrei to the tea room, just as an unsettling thought creeps into my brain.

"Byakuya, how exactly are you going to deal with this?"


Byakuya's POV

Karakura Town

So, this is the town that is home to that ignoramus Ichigo Kurosaki, the one who calls himself a substitute shinigami.

As if I would ever acknowledge that.

"How far are we from their location?" I ask my lieutenant as we flash stepped over the rooftops. The redhead looks down at the device connecting us with the Soul Society, a little machine made to resemble a human cell phone. An ingenious idea by the 12th Division, and one of the better ones that somehow managed to find its way out of the sea of convoluted ideas that flood those barracks every day.

"We're only five minutes away captain." he says as he looks up at me. I can see the slight remorse in his eyes, but it fell away as resolve showed on his face. He was hiding his emotions, but I already knew the more we continued with this mission, the more he was dreading its completion.

I knew that Renji and Rukia had been close friends since they were very young. They survived the Rukongai and attended the Shinigami Academy together, well, until I pulled Rukia out when I finally found her that is. As her oldest and closest friend, of course it was going to be a hard mission for him. His situation made me wonder how things would be if Minata and I were in his and Rukia's positions instead, and every time I thought about it, I didn't like the results one bit.

The fact that he has kept his composure so far is commendable.

"Abarai, are you going to have your emotions cloud your judgment during this mission?" I bluntly ask as we near the clinic.

"No sir!" he tells me immediately, a hint of defiance in his voice. I'm sure he was offended by my question, but it had to be asked.

I may not have liked his tone, but I accepted his answer easily enough.

As we flash step with our zanpakuto at our sides, a sudden pinging noise fills the quiet atmosphere. It was coming from the device in Abarai's hands, his brows furrowing as he looked at the screen.

"Abarai?"

"Rukia's signal is moving," he says, surprise evident in his voice. "Why would she move now. She's just making herself more of a target . . . Eh, easier to catch and arrest her I guess."

"I guess the family reunion is going to happen sooner than I thought."

I ignore Senbonzakura's words as we come to a stop on the rooftop of an office building. After a few more jumps, we stopped on the roof of a small residence on the side of a wide, empty road, but my sister was still nowhere to be seen.

"Abarai?"

"She should be making her way here any moment now." he says, just as we hear the sound of feet running along the pavement. With a quick turn of my head, I finally see my sister for the first time in months. She was dressed casually, a long, short-sleeved dress covering her small frame as she ran down the street, a backpack draped across her back.

"LONG TIME NO SEE RUKIA!"

My lieutenant's yell has the desired effect. She immediately stops dead in her tracks, looking up with startled eyes to see us standing above her.

Before she could even react, Renji leaps down from his perch, followed quickly by his zanpakuto. Senbonzakura and I follow right after him, landing right behind her, cornering her like the prisoner she's soon to become.

"Renji? Brother?" she greets us, her body tense and ready to spring if the opening showed itself.

It wasn't.

"Rukia." I say, all the emotion I could have mustered in this situation, gone from my voice.

"What? No hello?" asks the snake half of Renji's Zabimaru. "We came down here for you after all!"

"We're not here for casual chit chat, Snakey. We've got a job to do." says the other half, her tone dismissive as she knocks the boy on the head with a closed fist.

"I know why you are here." says Rukia as she changes her stance, effectively going on the defensive.

"Then you know you're not going to win this fight. How can you? Last time I checked, you gave all your powers to a human!" returns Renji as he places his hand on the hilt of his sword. "I thought you had better sense than that! Like really? A freaking HUMAN!"

"Renji I-" she says, but quickly stops once she looks to our right. Renji looks too and barely steps out of the way of a blue arrow coming in his direction.

Well that's not a sight you see every day.

"What the hell was that?" he asks, the surprise showing on his face as he glared at the street from the rooftop we were previously standing on.

"That would be me, shinigami."

The voice came from a scrawny looking teenage boy with glasses standing across the street, dressed in white clothes while holding a blue bow emanating spiritual energy.

"Uryu!" yells Rukia. "Get away!"

"A Quincy?" I hear my Chimpette mumble, voicing my thoughts for me. "I thought they all died out."

"A few still remain here in the Living World." I answer her without turning my head away from the teenage Quincy. "And it seems one of them has decided to reveal himself to us."

"Let me handle him Captain!" I hear Renji yell from his elevated perch. He turns to his zanpakuto. "Let's go!"

"Right!" his spirits answer before returning back to their sword form, becoming their master's blade once again.

"Howl, Zabimaru!" he yells as he leaps, his sword transforming into its whip-like state that was his shikai.

"Run Uryu! You can't fight him! You won't win!" Rukia yells at the raven-haired teen, but to no avail. The teen does not run, instead choosing to raise his bow to fire what looked to be a hundred arrows at my lieutenant, which Renji only narrowly dodges.

"Shit!" yells Renji as he lands on the ground.

The Quincy boy fires another round, but Abarai seems to have figured out what he was planning. He flash steps out of the way and soon appears behind the teenager's back.

"Oh no!" the boy yells as he turns around, but he is already too late to block the attack; Renji dealing him a devastating blow across his torso. Blood erupts from the boys mouth, the crimson substance splattering across the pavement as he falls to his knees, and then to the ground.

"One down and-"

"RUKIA! URYU!" yells a new voice, cutting into Renji's sentence before he had a chance to, likely, gloat.

"Damn! Now who the hell could that be?!" Abarai groans as he turns to the direction Rukia ran from to see a new form appears from the shadows. He was wearing the standard shinigami attire, but there were three things about him that struck me as surprising.

The first was the obnoxiously large zanpakuto strapped to his back.

The second was his obscenely bright orange hair.

And the third was the striking resemblance to a man who has been long dead for years.

"Ichigo!" yells Rukia, and I instantly realize who he was.

"Ichigo?" asks my lieutenant as he continues to watch the orange-haired teen.

"Yeah, the name is Ichigo, Ichigo Kurosaki. You've got a problem with that?!" he asks in a stubborn tone, one fitting for someone of his age.

So, this was the boy Rukia willingly gave her powers to.

The boy who has been running around this city destroying Hollows at every turn.

The boy who calls himself a substitute shinigami.

"Of course I have a problem with that."


A/N: For the sake of the story, Ginrei Kuchiki is ALIVE! Do you hear me? ALIVEEEEE! It was never confirmed if he was deceased or not in canon, so for the sake of this story, he's alive!