Disclaimer: Bleach is the work of the maestro Kubo Tite.

Mirror Mask

Chapter One: Riddle me, Rukia

Kuchiki Byakuya happened to be standing in the karesansui garden when he observed a very odd thing indeed.

Through the shoji doors left open to the evening breeze, he saw his sister, Rukia step into her room. As she passed the dressing table, her hand reached out and slapped the looking-glass facedown.

It wasn't as if she had actually taken a look at her own reflection and decided to see no more. She had gone through the motion without once turning her head in the direction of the mirror.

The following day, he didn't see a repeat performance of yesterday's strange behavior. But, as he passed Rukia's room, he noticed that the mirror once again lay prostrate to the rosewood table. It was the same the day after that, and the day after that.

Kuchiki Byakuya stared at the fallen mirror –wandering off the garden path in the process. When the gardener arrived the next morning, he dropped his rake, clutched his head and screamed in horror. Some complete idiot had walked right across the carefully raked gravel, utterly disrupting the zen! If he had any hair to speak of, the poor man would have been ripping chunks off in despair.

Then, one morning, the head of the Kuchiki household discovered that somebody had taken down the looking-glass in the bathroom. Kuchiki Byakuya suspected he knew who the culprit was.

He didn't say anything about it to Rukia. Although he thought it was a hassle –since donning the kenseikan headpiece was an exasperating process without the help of a mirror. The reflection in the bath water, he discovered, did not make a good substitute at all.

That evening, as he strolled along the same pathway, he wondered if his sister's aversion to mirrors was something he should worry about. The nobleman was so lost in thought that he rather ungracefully tripped over a rock aspiring to be an island in the karesansui garden. He recovered his poise and gave the offending boulder/island an icy glare.

Byakuya shuffled off the path, coldly ignoring the throbbing coming from his stubbed toe. Tomorrow he would see to it that the gardener put a good layer of soil over those hazards and actually grow some grass and shrubs on that barren land.

Stupid rocks.

oooOooo

The Sixth Division Captain, leader of the Four Great Noble Houses sat at his desk in the office. Byakuya silently considered the many ailments among the young ladies of the noble families that involved mirrors.

There were those that could not be pried away from their reflection –displaying extravagant narcissism in the process. But, that was opposite to the case in hand. And there were those who stood in front of a mirror and deemed themselves too fat and not skinny enough. Then, they proceeded to starve themselves inches from death, throwing the household into chaos.

After a moment, he sent a silent prayer of thanks to Kami-sama above that this wasn't the case in hand either.

Rukia was already painfully skinny from her term in penance before the execution fiasco. A bout of anorexia now would be disastrous.

The harder Byakuya pondered upon the matter, the more he failed to comprehend the situation. It was a riddle to him.

Perhaps it was a… feminine issue?

Yes, that must be the answer. Then, the next sensible course of action would be to request assistance from one of the seireitei women in the Shinigami ranks.

Although, Byakuya was well aware that the person most accomplished in all matters regarding mirrors was certainly not a woman. In all of Soul Society, the individual most well acquainted with a mirror had to be the 11th Division's Fifth Seat officer –Ayasegawa Yumichika.

But, he found it so distressful to be in the other Shinigami's presence. He didn't think he could suffer another round of facing the 11th Div. officer. For some unknown reason, the Shinigami had a tendency to stare at the nobleman, and say, "Utsukushii! Utsukushii!" –under his breath while chewing on his nails.

Byakuya made a personal, unvoiced diagnosis that it had to be a psychological problem.

And not Matsumoto Rangiku either. The 10th Division Vice-Captain was notorious for indulging in loud, bawdy sake drinking parties. He didn't want his sister getting ideas from that quarter.

Then, it occurred to him that bringing the matter to Unohana-taichou would be the sensible thing to do. He held the 4th Division healer in high esteem. The lady could perform medical miracles –staying within religious boundaries, of course. Religion had certain unbreachable codes about bringing the dead back to life –exceptions made to the one Son of God however.

Yes, Unohana-taichou would be most suitable. Byakuya was well pleased with that decision.

oooOooo

Abarai Renji peeked at his captain over the mind-numbing report he had in his hands.

The captain wasn't one to fidget or show restlessness. Movement only when necessary and even then, each action completely calculated. It was in Renji's opinion that the captain was a control-freak and perfectionist. The man himself had even coolly said, " –And what is so wrong with that?" when accused of being so.

But, honestly, surely such a long duration of stasis was going beyond normal.

The taichou had been staring motionless at the same scroll for an hour now. It wouldn't have been so bad if he hadn't also raised his right hand, holding the 6th Division seal hanging in mid-air.

It was like someone had hit the pause button before taichou could approve the damned document. (Renji knew all about pause, rewind and even fast-forward buttons because sometimes, Renji, Ikkaku and the boys would sneak into the 12 Division and make use of the wide-screens to watch videos from the material world. Of course, these little illegal trips were made only when it was confirmed that Captain Kurotsuchi Mayuri would be playing mad scientist at the labs for the night.)

If taichou didn't blink from time to time, Renji would have gotten up to tentatively prod the 'mannequin' pretending at the captain's desk.

Abruptly, Kuchiki Byakuya stirred –not noticing that he gave the vice-captain a start as he did so. (Renji hadn't jumped that badly in his seat.)

The camellia seal of the 6th Division descended with an officious thump on the document. When, Byakuya lifted it, there wasn't a mark on the parchment. He made an annoyed sound.

The ink had dried up on the stamp.

Author's Note: Karesansui (Dry-Mountain-Water) –Japanese rock gardens.

Further chapters and a side-story to Mirror Mask (involving Renji's escapades to the 12th Division HQ mentioned in this chapter..) after completing Rukia: My Life As A Rabbit. Have a good weekend!