Hello sweeties! I realized that I made a stupid and posted an older version of Chapter 9! This is the version of the previous update's last chapter should have been!

Plot-wise, it's similar but it wouldn't hurt to read (To all you Renji and Byakuya lovers, they talk a lot more in this version!)

I'll see you guys again this Sunday for our regular updates :)

Enjoy reading~


Chapter 9 (Shizuko)

Laughter erupted throughout the room, and I wore my well-practiced smile. Some part of the smile was true—I loved to be the source of the happiness among my guests. Most of them were men, though there were quite a number of noblewomen in attendance.

"Chinatsu, you are hysterical," The man I was serving grinned widely at me. I bowed my head to him in thanks, a soft smile gracing my red lips. His cheeks were bright pink from the alcohol, but they were notably pinker now.

"Dear Chinatsu, come fill my cup too."

I rose to my feet and glided towards the man who asked for me. He was a Shinigami, like half of the others in this room, but his zanpakuto was marked with a silver thread wrapped around the hilt. My mother had explained to me the meaning behind it—fifth, fourth, and third-seated officers all had a colored thread to mark their zanpakuto. It was similar to the lieutenant badges but far less visible. Unless you knew about them, you wouldn't notice.

Moving my eyes to his cup, I poured him more sake like he requested, and bowed to him.

"You're a pretty one," He smirked. I noticed him trying to get a better look at my face so I tilted my head and peered at him. "Your eyes are a stunning color."

"Thank you, sir," I bowed my head.

"Third-Seat Abarai," He was smiling now and I was taken aback by the flutters in my stomach. He took my hand and shook it, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Chinatsu."

I could not hide the surprise that overcame me. He was ruggedly gorgeous, far better-looking than most of the men at the party. His hair was tied back into a messy ponytail, and he had tattoos along his brows. I peered down at his arms and noticed that they too were covered in tattoos.

But it was his smile that filled me with a warmth I had never felt around a man. I knew what it felt like to be attracted to a boy, since there had been quite a few I had fancied when I was younger. But Mister Abarai's smile made me feel weightless—like a balloon or a small bird.

He began to blush and turned away, "You can call me Renji."

"Renji," I made sure that my whisper was only carried to him, and quite pleased me when he glanced back at me. His dark-colored eyes were wide, and his cheeks only grew redder.

"That's it," He smiled softly and turned his body towards mine, "So, Miss Chinatsu, what do you do when you're not pouring sake for morons like us?"

"I practice pouring sake for morons like you," I had a hard time biting back the crooked grin that began to take shape. He laughed and I smiled down at my hands, "I like to garden and practice my shamisen."

I also enjoyed practicing my Kido and Zanjutsu with my mother and her colleagues, but I would never tell him that.

He nodded, "Well you're far more interesting than I am. All I do is fill out paperwork."

This had me laughing quite loudly, which surprised me and the others in the room. I wasn't a loud person but I couldn't help but recall all the times my mother would come home ranting about doing her superiors' paperwork. It seemed to be a common complaint among the seated officers.

"I think that's the only time someone's found you funny, Renji," One of the Shinigami chirped.

Renji shrugged, "That's because she has refined taste, unlike all of you."

"That or Chinatsu fancies you, Mister Abarai," My old mentor, Chiyotsuru, teased both him and I.

"I wouldn't complain if I were you," One of the girls chuckled, "Chinatsu has two men bidding to become her patron. So you should steal her now while the two of them are butting heads."

"She won't mind."

I was incredibly grateful for the white face makeup that covered how incredibly flushed my face was. It felt quite close to the color of Renji's hair. Perhaps that was one of the reasons we covered our faces—to hide the results of relentless teasing from fellow geisha.

I noticed that a hand was raised and none of the geisha had noticed yet. Bowing my head quickly to Renji, I stood up and made my way to who I realized was Byakuya. He only nodded his head as I knelt beside him and bowed.

My eyes cast upwards to his face but he made no move to converse as I poured his tea. Turning back to the table, I did my best to look as perfect as possible. Out of all the guests we were tending to, it was paramount that I impressed Byakuya the most. I would never hear the end of it from the Elders of the Kuchiki Clan if I was anything less than graceful, composed, and their idea of perfection.

"Is there anything else I can do for you, sir?" I asked softly, sitting back on my heels. He said nothing but gave me a stern look as I moved to return to Renji.

"You mentioned that you play the shamisen."

I nodded, casting my eyes to where his hands lay on his cup, "Yes, sir. Shall I play for you?"

He nodded and I retrieved it from the back room. I knelt beside him and picked away at the strings. He watched me the corner of his eyes, just as everyone else did. I was not at all talented and the shamisen had not come naturally to me as a young girl, but I had been a geisha for many years now and played it proficiently. Practice was the only reason why my fingers danced across the strings like a bird in the sky.

While I played, my gaze floated up to Renij's. He watched me with a smile, as if he recognized the song I played. It was one I had learnt from a geisha from the outer districts. Even as I finished playing, our eyes didn't part until another, louder conversation caught our attention.

"How long have you been a geisha?" The question was not directed toward me, but one of my companion geisha.

She, too, smiled just as I did as she answered. Just enough to be look friendly and welcoming, but not enough to crinkle the features of our face. "Why, a geisha never reveals such intimate details. You know this—you're just waiting for me to slip up!"

They chuckled and the man she was serving held his hands up, "You're the only woman I've met whose age I cannot guess!"

"Oh? Then how old is Chiyotsuru?" She nodded towards my mentor and then me, "How old is Chinatsu?"

"A thousand," He said with a sideways grin. He considered me a long while before, "A hundred and…eight."

I gave him a mock-offended gasp, "Mister Atsushi! You offend me!"

"Sixty-seven."

It was Byakuya who had spoken and everyone was quiet now. No one ever spoke when he did. Byakuya set his cup down and glanced at me briefly. I resisted the urge to shuffle in my spot. His presence nowadays always felt like a storm cloud, and his gaze was always so disapproving when he pointed it my way.

"So young! Is it true, Chinatsu?" One of the woman remarked.

I recovered quickly from Byakuya's intrusion, and giggled behind my palm, "Why, yes. Of course Lieutenant Kuchiki would out me."

"You are related to our precious rising star, are you not?"

I looked at him to answer. He said nothing as he sipped at his tea. The question was left hanging in the air. I spoke before the situation grew awkward.

"There are some relations—but Lieutenant Kuchiki respects that I wish to be independent of any family politics. I want to serve all my patrons without them worrying about favoritism."

I felt a pair of hands on my shoulders and found one of the elder geisha there to save me, "Isn't she just so sweet."

"Enough about Chinatsu!" Another geisha playfully whined, "I want to hear about Captain Aizen's mission to…"

I gratefully snuck into the background of the room again, leaving the room under the excuse to make more tea. When I had returned, Byakuya had left.

"Miss Chinatsu," I turned to Renji smiling at me, "Come sit by me. I could use the company after my lieutenant abandoned me."

I blushed as I sat next him. He grinned widely as I poured into his cup and began to speak. I could scarcely remember what we spoke about—but I will always remember how the feeling slowly building inside me the longer we spoke. Searing hot passion, like a freshly forged sword or playing with an unstable Kido spell. He was unpredictable and wildly refreshing, and I lapped up his attention like a dog who hadn't drunk in days.


Later that night, I was returned to my apartment. The moon was hidden behind clouds and the alleys were dark in the Rukongai. Lanterns dimly lit the way but it was only truly light when the moon shone through the occassional break in the clouds.

I was crossing over the little bridge that led to the apartment cluster where my home lay, when my eye caught the reflection of the water. I stared at it, quietly and thoughtfully.

I had seen my geisha regalia many times before in my reflections, but tonight it hit me in the oddest of ways. Maybe it was the lighting or the run-in with Byakuya, but my mind had pulled out a memory I had long archived. It was the night that I had snuck into my mother's room and found my father's uniform.

Back then, my hair was hang loose at my side in bright, sandy curls. I wore no makeup, and I had looked quite a lot like the man that went by Kisuke—Captain of one of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.

Now my hair was dyed black and geled up into a traditional geisha hairdo, ornamented with beautiful jewels and ribbons. In the place of a white haori and Shihakusho was a pale blue kimono with wispy, gold cranes stitched into the fabric. The sleeves were long and the weight of my attire reminded me of the same kind of weight that was in a zanpakuto. The weight of greatness, beauty, and potential.

Perhaps it had been the awkward encounter with Byakuya or that I had too much to drink, but tears built up in my eyes. They thankfully didn't slip from my grasps and ruin my white face makeup, and I blinked them away before they had another chance.

I picked up my head and continued down to the other side of the bridge. My little apartment was one of the first and closest by the water, surrounded by a garden I had started growing a year ago. Sachiko had helped me and she often came to check on it, and me.

It was a small apartment, quite cramped and nothing like the house I grew up in. The entire thing could have fit in my childhood bedroom, and perhaps with room leftover. But it was mine and I had worked very hard for it. Much to my mother's approval, and Sachiko's disappointment, I had insisted on paying off my own debts that I had accumulated to become a geisha, and buy this apartment.

This was a great source of my pride, and I was reminded of this every time I stepped inside. But as I slid off my shoes, I couldn't help but wonder when my life had become so quiet or if it had always been this way.

I started towards my room to change but froze. My fingers felt hot. Looking around. I saw no one—but my mother had taught me better.

"I may not see you," I removed one of my hair pins and unsheathed it, revealing a small blade, "But I know you're here."

A chuckle and then two Shinigami appeared. I recognized them from the times I accompanied my mother or grandfather to work—Lieutenant Ise and Captain Kyakoru.

"Nicely done—you really are your mother's daughter," Captain Kyakoru tipped the brim of his hat to me.

"I'm sure you're aware of who we are," Lieutenant Ise spoke so quietly that it was nearly drowned out by her captain's laughter. She bowed her head, "What would you like for us to call you?"

She was referring to my name. Being a geisha, I went by a different name to my patrons and to the general public. Most geisha permanently changed their names and never used to the name they were born with. I was part of a small group of geisha that still had connections to a large number family and friends. We often went by our given names around them when we were visiting as ourselves and not as geisha.

"It depends," I was still wary of their presence. My mother had taught me to never trust Shinigami, despite being one herself, "What is your business with me?"

"We are here with a request from the Head-Captain."

"Then Chinatsu will do just fine," I bowed lowly to them, as if I had only entered the room now, "What may I do for you, Captain?"

"You are a geisha."

"I am."

"For how long now?"

I had to think for a moment, "About eleven years now."

"You've made quite a name for yourself in the Rukon and the higher classes as one of the most coveted geisha, Chinatsu," Captain Kyakoru spoke this time, and took a seat on my futon much to my annoyance.

"Thank you—"

"You're welcome—though I didn't say it to compliment you. Simply pointing it out," He took off his hat and stared at the inside of it for awhile, "You see, the Seireitei could use someone with your experience and connections. You have the Kuchiki blood but not the restraint of the Kuchiki Elders. Along with being the daughter of two accomplished Shinigami—well let's just say that the Head-Captain and Stealth Force think you would make quite an asset to us."

It took me a while to speak. Not because I was still piecing together the reason why they were here, but because of what they were asking me to do, "You want me to be your spy?"

"Spy is a strong word…but yeah."

"You would only keep an ear open to anything suspicious—or if we ask you to relay anything a specific client of yours has asked," Lieutenant Ise added. She glanced at her captain though I wasn't sure why. He continued to fiddle with his hat.

"I suppose you already have someone in mind?" My heartbeat thumped louder than a stampede of horses. My reputation would be ruined if anyone found out that I was even asked to spy—these Shinigami may very well have destroyed the career I worked so hard for. The smart thing would have been to refuse and ask them to leave.

But as I took to kneeling beside Captain Kyakoru, I realized that perhaps I wasn't smart like my father had been. Perhaps I wasn't cautious like my mother. I realized, as I folded my hands neatly in my lap and discussed the details with these Shinigami, that perhaps I was a lot more different from my parents than I had ever allowed myself to believe.

"So—what do you say?" Captain Kyakoru grinned, leaning towards me as if I were a flower whose scent he wanted to breathe in, "You in?"

Lieutenant Ise pushed him away and looked at me, "If you agree then you must know that your mother may not be privy to this—it depends on how sensitive the information is."

I understood that. In fact, I understood that what I was agreeing to was entirely stupid. Any geisha would have turned tail, and rightfully so. But I wasn't any geisha. Being a Shinigami ran in my blood. I thought about the times I found myself staring at myself in the mirror and wondering who the stranger was that stared back at me.

I had chosen to become a geisha because it was something I wanted to do, but also because my mother and grandmother hated the idea of me becoming a Shinigami. If this was the closest I could become one then I would take it.

"I'll do it."