Here is part 2, and part 3 ('Third Knell') will be up very soon! I hope you enjoy!

Leave a little review to let me know what you think :)


"A little more to the left. A little more. There! Wait, no, you went too far, Renji. Move it back a little. More. More. More! Ok, stop! You went too far again, idiot!" Rangiku shouted.

Renji growled. "Rangiku, this is the tenth time I've moved the couch and each time it's the same thing! I'm always too left or too right. Which is it, damn it?!" He kicked the couch aggressively.

"Wait! That's perfect!"

Renji exhaled. "Finally!"

Rangiku squinted. "Actually… I think I liked it better where it was before."

He growled. "You're kidding! Rangiku, you-"

Renji's rampage suddenly stopped. He had gotten distracted by Rukia, who was laughing uncontrollably. His anger diminished and he found himself laughing too. He supposed it was kind of funny.

Suddenly, they all stopped laughing. The sudden sound of the floor creaking had caught their attention. They turned to look at the closed door, where they had heard the sound coming from.

Rangiku turned to look at Rukia with furrowed brows.

Rukia was just as concerned. "Who's there?" she called.

No answer.

Rukia frowned. She made her way to the door. When she went to open it, Renji stopped her.

"Let me check, Rukia."

Before she could tell him that she didn't need his help, Renji stepped in front of her and opened the door. To their surprise, no one was there.

Renji stepped into the hallway and looked to the left and then to the right. He turned to look at his two friends. "No one's out here."

"What do you mean?" Rangiku gasped. She was very, very creeped out.

Rukia smiled. "It's an old building. I guess some creaky floorboards are normal."

Renji breathed out in relief as he stepped back inside and closed the door. "You're right."

Rangiku sighed before turning back to the task at hand. "Renji, now that I'm really looking at it, I really do think it was better the other way."

He stared glaring at his friend. "You move it, then!"

"Fine, I will!" she huffed. "At least I'll be able to get it in the right spot!"

"Listen here-"

"No, Renji, you listen!"

Rukia watched as her two friends yelled back and forth. She scratched her head. Should she do something?

"Why are you yelling?" Rangiku shouted.

"Me yelling? You're the one yelling!"

"Well, you started it!"

"Ok, you two! That's enough," Rukia laughed. "If we keep this up, we'll never finish."

Renji and Rangiku glared at each other and huffed.

All of a sudden, a Hell Butterfly flew into the office, grabbing the three's attention. The butterfly went to Rangiku and gave her its message. Her brows furrowed.

"What's wrong, Rangiku?" Rukia asked.

She shook her head. "No, nothing's wrong. It's my captain. He wants to see me right away. I just thought it was a little strange that he'd call me into the office so late in the afternoon."

Renji snorted. "You probably messed up some paperwork and now he wants to yell at you!" he blurted.

Renji's laughter was interrupted when another Hell Butterfly came into the room. This time, the message was for him.

Now his brows were furrowed. "My captain wants to see me, too."

Rangiku laughed. "Hm! Maybe you messed up some paperwork."

Before those two could begin fighting again, Rukia said, "You two should go. You shouldn't keep your captains waiting."

They nodded.

"We'll be right back, Rukia-chan!" Rangiku called.

Rukia watched the two continue fighting as they walked out. She smiled. There was never a dull moment with those two.

She turned back to the bookshelf that she had been dusting off. As soon as she got onto the step stool, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in!" she called. Rukia climbed down from her step stool and turned to greet whoever it was that was visiting her. She stopped dead in her tracks, frozen.

"Ikue?"

The older woman smiled. It was a smile that sent chills down Rukia's spine. It reminded her of the smile worn by Gin Ichimaru.

"You really should ask who it is before just letting anyone into your office, Kuchiki," the blond woman scolded.

"I'll keep that in mind," she said warily.

"I love what you've done with the place. It really did need some redecorating. I just never had the time to get around to it." The woman laughed coldly. "Funny. Now I have more time than I know what to do with."

Rukia watched the older woman as she crept around her former office. Rukia had forgotten that, up until a few weeks ago, this office had belonged to Ikue. For decades, this had been the place where Ikue fulfilled most of her duties as the 13th Division's Fourth Seat. And now it was Rukia's. Now, Rukia would be the one fulfilling those duties.

"I'm sure you didn't come here just to see what I've done with the place. What do you want, Ikue?"

The woman plopped down onto the newly moved couch. She fiddled with her watch for a moment before saying, "I believe that you and I are in a bit of a predicament, Kuchiki."

Rukia had to stop herself from gulping. A predicament? What did she mean? Was Ikue here to try once again to have her demoted? Was this woman truly that relentless? "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb. I think you know exactly what I'm talking about."

Rukia felt her heart stop and her stomach drop to her knees. Had this woman somehow found out about her PTSD? Had she somehow found out about the medication, the doctors, the therapy, all of it? Rukia's eyes looked over to her desk where she kept her meds stored in the very back of one of the drawers. Just about a week had passed since Ikue had tried to get Rukia demoted by claiming that Rukia was unfit to lead the shinigami of the 13th. If Ikue had found out that Rukia was struggling with mental illness, then it was over. Ikue could twist and turn Rukia's current state of mind in so many ways that could make her seem "unfit."

"I can't say that I do," was all Rukia said. It was taking everything she had to keep a passive expression and a straight voice.

"So nothing interesting - out of the ordinary even - has come up?" Ikue's words were drenched in doubt.

Rukia could have laughed had she not been so anxious. The greater portion of this year had been, to say the least, interesting. "You're going to have to be more specific. The past few months have been quite 'interesting.' The past few weeks have been all the more eventful."

Rukia didn't miss the way her words had irked the older woman. She clearly understood that Rukia was referring to her own promotion.

Rukia didn't know where all of this confidence was coming from all of a sudden. But she liked it. It was about time she got under Ikue's skin for once, instead of the other way around.

Ikue, on the other hand, was confused. In all the years of interacting with her former subordinate, Rukia had never had the nerve to fight back. "So no one has come up to you recently asking...strange questions?"

Aiko, Rukia thought. She's talking about Aiko.

For a moment, Rukia was relieved. She had no idea what she would have done if Ikue had actually known about Rukia's personal information. The thought of someone so evil and untrustworthy knowing such things about Rukia made the hairs on her arm stand on edge.

"You really need to get to the point, Ikue. I don't know what you're talking about."

The blond eyed Rukia. After a few moments, Ikue realized that Rukia really didn't know what she was talking about.

Rukia had succeeded in deceiving her.

"Has a trainee come up to you recently?"

"Like I said, you have to be more specific. Many trainees have been coming to me, especially recently."

"Her name is Aiko Takeda."

"I know her, yes. But she hasn't come to me with any 'strange questions.' What kind of questions are you talking about?"

Ikue looked around the room. She glanced at her watch before leaning in towards Rukia and whispering, "Questions about Miyako and Kaien."

Rukia's teeth gritted together. "A trainee? What is she asking about them?" A pause. "Why is she asking about them?"

Ikue eyed the girl before her. Then, her passive-aggressive demeanor quickly shifted to a much more aggressive one. "What I'm about to tell you stays between us. Just like the rest of your dirty little secrets," she warned. "Got it?"

Rukia nodded.

"That girl came to me saying that Miyako and Kaien had had a child. And she is claiming that she is that child."

Rukia took a second before asking her next question. It was a question that she didn't have the answer to this time. Did she really want to know? "Is...Is that true?"

"Miyako and Kaien had been having some issues in their marriage. You knew this well, correct? That's why Kaien started sleeping around with you."

Rukia kept a straight face. She wouldn't let this woman get to her.

"Their issues started because Miyako wanted to start a family, but Kaien said that he wasn't ready."

Rukia didn't miss the way Ikue had rolled her eyes.

"They argued back and forth about when they should start a family and how they should raise their kids. They eventually both agreed to wait. But when they finally decided to start a family, they couldn't. Miyako eventually found out that her body couldn't support a pregnancy. This is when their real problems started. Despite knowing they couldn't get pregnant, they tried and tried to no avail. I told Miyako that what she was doing wasn't healthy. I knew she was in denial, and I tried helping her. But she wouldn't listen to me! She kept forcing them to try for a baby. It was just making things worse for them. It was as if the more they tried, the more they ended up fighting.

"But somehow, Miyako actually got pregnant. At this point though, you and Kaien had already been seeing each other. And, you see, she knew all about you two. Miyako didn't know what she wanted to do. She wanted a baby so badly. But the father was sleeping around with their subordinate!" she said dramatically. "Miyako thought it best that she went away to figure it all out-"

"So her disappearing had nothing to do with the fact that she was having her own affair? Or the fact that Kaien wanted a divorce?" Rukia snapped. How dare this woman lie straight to her face! How could she be surprised though? The last thing Rukia should ever expect from Ikue was transparency.

Ikue smirked. "So he told you all that?"

"Kaien told me a lot, Ikue. I know a lot more than you think, so lying really isn't going to help either of us out of this predicament you say we're in."

Ikue's smirk was gone.

"You know something else that Kaien told me? He told me that he wasn't sure if that baby was actually his. Seeing as how you know so much, Ikue, how about you tell me? Was that baby Kaien's? Or did it belong to the man Miyako had been having an affair with?"

Rukia could see Ikue squirming. She didn't realize that it was because Ikue didn't want to admit what she was about to say. "I...I'm not sure."

Rukia didn't believe her. Back then, Ikue and Miyako had been the best of friends. They were like Rukia and Renji. And people who were that close, knew just about everything there was to know about one another. Something like the paternity of Miyako's child seemed like something she would have confided to Ikue.

"You seriously don't know?"

"Miyako never told me!"

"You and Miyako were practically sisters. You went to the academy together, you trained together. You were her maid of honor for crying out loud! There's no way you expect me to believe that Miyako never told you who the father of her baby was."

"Well then join the party!" Ikue hissed bitterly. "After years of telling each other everything, this is the one thing that Miyako never told me. She barely even told me that she was pregnant!"

Rukia shook her head in frustration. "Well, why are you bringing all of this up? And after so many years?"

"Because!" Ikue was shouting now. "That trainee showed up at my door, saying that she thinks that she's Miyako's daughter! You think that I want to be here talking about the skeletons in our closets? That girl is going to go around asking questions about Miyako and Kaien. Then other people are going to start asking questions. When people start asking questions, skeletons get pulled out of closets! You think I want rumors going around about Miyako abandoning a baby in Rukongai or rumors that she had been sleeping around with other men behind everyone's beloved Lieutenant Shiba's back?"

Rukia was horrified. Had she heard Ikue correctly? "Men?"

Ikue was so worked up that she was almost flustered. She looked down at her watch and adjusted it. "What? What are you going on about?" she said a little too quickly.

"You said 'men.'" Rukia tried looking into Ikue's eyes and waited for an explanation. She watched Ikue sweat and nervously fidget with her watch. When Ikue said nothing, Rukia continued, "Miyako cheated on Kaien with more than one man?"

Ikue grunted and rolled her eyes. "Yes! Miyako cheated on Kaien with more than one man! So what? You betrayed Miyako by sleeping with her husband! What does all of that matter now, Kuchiki? They're both dead!"

Rukia's wide eyes stared at the woman in front of her in disbelief.

"Oh, don't look at me like that!"

Rukia felt boiling tears streaming down her face. She couldn't stop them.

Ikue grabbed Rukia by the shoulders and shook her. "Snap out of it! I need you to listen, and listen well! If that girl comes up to you asking questions, you do what you do best and lie! Got it? You deny everything. Everything! If she finds out the truth, there's no telling who she'll tell. If that happens, Miyako's reputation will be ruined! If that's not important enough for you, think about Kaien's reputation. Think about yours! Once one secret comes out, the rest follow. Do you understand me?"

Ikue waited for an answer. All she got, though, were watery eyes staring back at her.

"Kuchiki!"

Rukia wiped her eyes. Her demeanor changed to match Ikue's. "How dare you come in here and say such things! How can you speak of Miyako and Kaien that way? Did they really mean so little to you?

"Don't think that this situation puts us in the same boat. How could you possibly think to deny this girl the truth? She is Miyako's child! She was abandoned! That's a pain you'll never be able to imagine! And to deny her the truth!" Rukia shook her head. "You are despicable!"

"Don't come at me with that high and mighty attitude of yours! I'm here to protect my dearest friend's reputation. The last thing I want is people ruining her legacy. You're the one who has everything to lose. You think we're in the same boat? You think I care about saving your reputation? You think I care about Kaien's legacy? You're wrong! My sole motive is Miyako. But saving her means sparing you and Kaien."

The two stared one another down.

"I understand that," Rukia finally said. "But I can't do that to someone. I can't do that to this girl. She deserves to know the truth."

The older woman rolled her eyes. "Enough with this 'holier than thou' act, Kuchiki! It's getting old, and I don't have time for it today. You will not say a word to that girl!" Ikue commanded.

Rukia's eye twitched. Her trembling hands clenched in an attempt to control her anger. "You are no longer my superior, Ikue! You can no longer speak to me this way and you can no longer look down on me! I won't stand for it anymore! Get out of my office, right now! If you don't..."

"If I don't, what, Kuchiki?" she challenged.

"If you don't and continue this foolishness, I will go to Captain Ukitake. And he's in no mood to hear that you're continuing to act in such a way. Now, this is the last time I say it. Get out!"

With furrowed brows, Ikue stared back at the angry girl. For a moment, they just stayed that way, staring one another down. Then, Ikue suddenly sneered. "You're in no place to be the one making threats, Kuchiki."

The young girl shook her head in frustration. "Ikue!" she growled. She took a deep breath in and was about to yell at the woman to leave, but she interrupted her.

"If you tell that girl that she is, in fact, Miyako's child, then I will have to tell everyone about your child."

Rukia's eyes widened. "What?"