Hello, my sweets! Sorry for the delay on the update! I'm a tad sick and stacked with finals so I completely spaced out yesterday on updating! But here are your awaited chapters :)


Chapter 16 (Shizuko)

It was on the second day that Renji and I had been sent out to follow Rukia. I wasn't sure of the exact reasons why—it seemed as though the Seireitei had enough evidence against her to make an arrest.

When I queried it with Renji, he only shrugged, "We have a warrant to arrest her for not returning to her post in the Soul Society. But we don't know why she hasn't."

I nodded and turned my gaze back to Rukia. She had been walking through the town to high school with a group of young humans. With every action came more questions. I was puzzled by the young girl's actions but persisted after her. There had to be a real reason she would disobey not only the Soul Society but Byakuya too.

"So…you must have known Rukia," Renji was chewing on the side of his cheek when I looked at him.

I nodded, "Yes. I met her shortly before Captain Kuchiki made the announcement of her adoption. I was a geisha then but we've seen each other briefly over the years."

It was strange to think the frightened girl I had met in that dark office was now the one I was in charge of hunting down. Yet another puzzling piece of the case. Apparently, I had been brought on board because I was one of the best trackers in the Seireitei, save for my mother. When the Seireitei didn't want to cause a scandal—say if a prominent noble family had to arrest one of their clansmen—they would ask Kumiko or I to track them instead of making it an official request with Squad Two.

What was unusual about the situation was that there should have been no need to send a tracker for someone like Rukia. Her spiritual pressure was remarkable and she was an individual with great potential, but she also had no knowledge of obscuring her spiritual presence. And yet none of the gadgets in Squad Twelve could pinpoint her location. She had managed to disappear—something alarming because, again, she didn't know how to hide her spiritual pressure.

"I'm surprised she didn't mention you," He stumbled when I raised an eyebrow at him, "I—no offense."

"None taken," I laughed, "To be frank, she was beyond shocked when I had stumbled into where she was hiding. Likely, her biggest problem at the time was meeting the Kuchiki Elders and not meeting a famous geisha."

"Hiding?"

I was sure that Byakuya wouldn't want me to divulging our family scandals to his lieutenant, so I only shrugged, "Perhaps too strong a word. But she certainly made herself as invisible as possible that night—compared to the many other times I had seen her."

The way his hands flexed in anger weren't missed, but I chose not to query him on it.

By this time, Rukia and the group of teens had entered the town's high school. Nothing too out of the ordinary had happened but I wasn't holding my breath.

"They're going to be there for a while," Renji sighed, "Any ideas on what leads to follow?"

"The humans she's with…there's something off about a couple of them."

"Lead the way," He grinned. It soon disappeared as I took us through the town to each of the residencies of the humans I had marked. When we reached the final one, where Rukia's presence was strongest and freshest, he stared at me with wide eyes, "Fuck—you're a weapon."

I blew him a kiss as I hopped through the house's window, "You flatter me, Lieutenant Abarai."

We both stood in a bedroom. From the looks of it, a teenage boy's, but Rukia's spiritual pressure was ingrained into every surface of it. I also felt a strong pressure that distracted me greatly from Rukia's, but I couldn't pinpoint whose it was. I didn't recognize it from the group of friends she had walked with to school.

"Do you recognize this presence?" I asked as we began to comb through the room.

Renji shook his head, "No…which concerns me."

I searched the desk and found a strange lion doll just as Renji opened the closet door. He swore loudly and I turned to gasp.

"Was she…" I walked up and lay my hand over the makeshift bed, snatching my hand back quickly. What the hell was she doing sleeping in a human's house?

"We need to call this in," He said through gritted teeth. He turned to the window with his hand on the hilt of his zanpakuto, "Let's go get her—"

"What? No!" I grabbed his sleeve and hauled him back in, "Not in front of all those friends of hers—they're not normal, Lieutenant. Who knows what we'll be up against if—"

"Dad, shut up—I'm feeling sick. That's why I stayed at home." The door handle turned.

I took a hold of Renji's collar and pushed him up against the wall. My whole body heated up briefly as I summoned my spiritual pressure, "Bakudo Twenty-Six, Kyokko."

He opened his mouth just as a young boy walked into the room. The spell thankfully hid us from him just in time, but I remained pressed against Renji. My heart raced loudly and I watched in horror as the orange-haired boy picked up the lion doll. Had he sensed my presence by me touching it?

No. I watched curiously as he fished a green ball from his pocket and shoved it into the mouth of the doll. It sprung to life and yawned loudly.

"I tell you, Ichigo, this Hollow hunting has got me beat," It jumped onto his bed and made itself comfy on the pillow, "When is Rukia gonna get her powers back?"

The boy, Ichigo, slumped on the bed beside the doll, "I don't know what you're talking—I'm the one who's beat because I'm the one who in hunting down all the Hollows."

The doll began to talk but was cut off as Ichigo threw him off the bed.

"Hey…Kon. Was Rukia's door open this morning when she left?"

"How would I know? I was shoved into your pocket so you could go take out the Hollow!"

Ichigo paused before he stood up with a sigh, "I should go to school. She's been acting weird lately."

I looked away as he began to change into his uniform. It was then that I noticed that my hand was still clamped over Renji's mouth. His cheeks were dusted in a pale pink because I had pressed myself right up against him. There was little left to the imagination and it made my cheeks just as red as his.

My stomach did mini flips. I drew my hand back, resting it against his chest. The doll was walking beside me, looking up and around as if he could sense that something wasn't quite right with the room. But soon my eyes were flickering back to his lips. He seemed a lot closer now, and I was sure that he had leaned towards me.

Was it possible to still feel this warm, uplifting feeling even after decades of seeing a person? It must have been because I had the overwhelming urge to kiss him just as I had years ago.

My mind was so distracted that I nearly let my Kido spell slip. It faltered just as the door clicked closed and Ichigo had left. Renji promptly kicked the doll into the closet and we made a hasty escape out of the window.

"We should report to the Captain," Renji cleared his throat. I nodded and pointed the way.

I could barely meet Renji's fleeting glances as we raced towards Byakuya. I needed to focus, especially if I wanted to perform my duties properly. It was also quite clear that Renji had some harboured feelings for Rukia, even if he seemed to be in denial.

My insides clenched so tightly with shame that I pressed my hand against my chest to check if I was still breathing. There had been plenty of men over the years that had flirted with me, and plenty that I had harboured an intimacy for. And while flirting with the occasional man did me no harm, I had never acted on their advances—I had never let myself lose composure like I just had with Renji. It would be too embarrassing for Jirou and I couldn't do that to him.

Byakuya was in sight just as I heard the strangest sound. A chill passed through me and I stepped out of the way just as an arrow whizzed past me. Squinting my eyes, I realized that it was created by Reishi.

"What the hell?" Renji, who had also narrowly dodged the arrow, looked around, "Was that a Quincy arrow?"

I nodded but felt another rush of icy chills pass through me. I dodged the next arrow but got caught by the third. It exploded as soon as it made contact, leaving a gaping hole in my shoulder. I hit the ground hard, like a rock thrown into a pond.

"Put your sword away, Renji. The Quincy isn't worth it."

I groaned just as Byakuya landed before me. Renji knelt next to me as I pushed myself up.

"I'm fine," Was the first thing that came from my mouth but I felt anything but. My uniform was in tatters and the mangled flesh of my shoulder spoke for me.

I was glad that they let me stand. I was beyond embarrassed about getting blown out of the sky—especially by a stupid Quincy. I had read the mission briefing that had mentioned there was at least one of them in this area, but I hadn't thought they would actively engage with us. Apparently, I was wrong.

"Renji, look away."

I was confused until I realized that my shoulder and a large portion of my torso was completely exposed. Renji had been purposefully avoiding looking at me but still followed his Captain's orders and now pointedly stared at the road.

Byakuya walked up to me and slid off his scarf, "You're going to need a change."

"Yes," I couldn't quite look at him as he draped the scarf over my shoulders. I didn't have much of choice as his fingers grasped my chin. "I'm fine."

He wiped away what must have been dirt on my cheek before stepping away, "I expect nothing less."

He led the way to a place I was beginning to recognize from when I first tracked the town upon arrival. This was a place housing a number of souls with highly concentrated spiritual pressure. I hadn't seen it until now and all I felt was the blood leave my head.

"The Urahara Shoten…"


"Yeah, he has an extra room for you to change," A young boy with red hair rolled his eyes, "Which means you'll have to come inside."

"Thank you…" I whispered, bowing deeply before I followed Byakuya and Renji into the back of the shop.

My heart was thunderous in my chest. A thousand mustangs were stampeded inside of me. Every sound, every room we went through had me on edge. Was he here?

Was this where my father had been all along?

"Are you sure you're okay?" Renji fell back to walk beside me, "You took a nasty hit."

I smiled tightly at him but didn't speak. I was focusing all my energy on hiding my spiritual pressure, just as my mother had taught me. She had once told me after she had drunk a little too much that she had snuck into Kisuke's office without him sensing her using this technique. My only hope was that it worked.

Truth be told, I was dying to see him. I wanted to finally meet the man I had wondered about all these years and ask him—why? But I had lived long enough now to know the answers to my childhood questions would most likely leave me more scars than not knowing.

We stepped into the kitchen where a small girl and an older man with glasses were cooking. They turned and Renji had explained to them what he had to the boy, Jinta, outside.

"Yes, yes, she can freshen up," The man said, walking up to me, "You must be in a lot of pain. I can look at that for you if you want."

"I can heal it, thank you," I hid behind my curtain of hair and Byakuya's scarf.

"Nonsense," He made me sit down in a chair, "Ururu, take Captain Kuchiki and Lieutenant Abarai to the tea room. Mister Urahara had me brew a fresh pot of tea a couple minutes ago."

I hissed as he peeled the scarf away from my wound. Soon, his hands were hovering over the mangled mess of flesh and had knitted it together.

"What is your name, dear?" He had given up trying to get a peek at my face, "I'm Tessai Tsukabishi."

I recognized the name. It had been one that always appeared besides my father's when people talked about his exile. No one knew exactly what they had done—though I had a strong suspicion that my mother did—but Tessai had been one of his accomplices. Which meant that he would most likely recognize my last name, or at least pass it on to Kisuke. He would definitely know.

"Chinatsu…my name is Chinatsu Nakamura."

"A lovely name to suit a lovely girl," He handed me Byakuya's scarf, "A lovely, mysterious girl. You're quite good at hiding in plain sight, aren't you?"

I didn't say anything and he didn't press on. Shortly after, he was showing me where I could wash up and change. I made a quick job of it all, not wanting to stay here a second longer than I had to.

I was now cleaning the last of the stains in Byakuya's scarf when I felt the muscles in my fingers spasm for the umpteenth time. He was in this house, somewhere. Did he know that his mirror image was in just the other room? Would he care? I tried to imagine what would happen if I walked out and found him but couldn't think of how he would react.

I didn't know the man.

The tips of my fingers twitched and the door behind me opened seconds later. I turned my head to the side and pulled my robe up my waist and onto my shoulders.

"Captain," I didn't want to look at him, so I only angled my face over my shoulder.

"You've been quite sullen since we've arrived."

I felt him behind me and turned to him as I finished tying my robes. He came towards me and fixed my hair. I pointedly stared at our feet. Finally, his hand drew away but he remained where he was.

"You say this as if you're surprised," I finally looked up at him. His gaze was impassive, as if the amount of pain he brought to me was insignificant to him.

"I've been thinking about what you said to my lieutenant the other night."

"Save your sermon for someone who wants to listen to them blindly, Byakuya."

He spoke as if I hadn't, "You were free to become a Shinigami even before you were married. I recall offering to help you—"

He trailed off as I held out his scarf. Without a word, he took it from my hands and wrapped it around his neck again. I stepped forward and reached up to his neck, pulling his hair out from the grasps of the scarf. He only followed the movement of my eyes as I fixed the scarf and the way it fell.

"I never wanted to get married," I met his gaze briefly, "Geisha don't marry, Byakuya."

"Your reputation was already destroyed before they arranged the marriage. There was no going back to what you had before." I stepped away from him with a shaking head but he persisted, "You seem to think that you and your family are above the law. Above the rules."

"The Elders were the ones who spread the rumour! They didn't like that I was yet another Kuchiki woman who had found a way to slip their grasps!" I bared my teeth at him and hissed, "I was helping the Seireitei! Out of everyone, I thought you would have understood that! But you stood by as the Elders ruined me—"

"You broke the rules nonetheless. Geishas are trusted with sensitive information about their clients and you tarnished that trust," His tone was too bland and too stoic that I wondered if he really believed in what he said, "And as a noblewoman, you did not follow the decorum expected of you. You were not supposed to slip from their grasps, as you put it. You are theirs to marry off to whomever they like."

I stared at him incredulously, "Have you lost yourself in your grief that you can't see past the blindfold they've placed over your eyes?"

"I could ask you the same—between finding yourself and the shameful state of your parents, you've been raised ignorant to any structure or rules. Your mother knew what she was doing when she re-associated herself and you to the Kuchiki Clan—"

"If you say another word against my mother, I will show you how much decorum means to me," My words were followed by a tense silence. We only glared at one another.

He was so infuriating! His self-righteousness had surmounted to a new level—he was right and no one else was. I couldn't believe that the sweet, gregarious boy who used to babysit me was now this arrogant snob before me. The level of contempt he held for me showed in his eyes too. To him, I was ending up just like my mother—a misfit who brought shame to the family.

"I thought we had moved past this all those years ago…but it seems that our contempt for each other is far more lasting." I felt tired suddenly and turned away from him. Being around him was beyond exhausting now. "Tell me, Byakuya—when was it that you decided I was nothing more than chattle?"

"I never did. But you have a duty to your family. You should be thankful that your marriage will be as brief as I hear it will be."

Those words hurt to hear because deep down, I was grateful to only have a marriage as brief as Jirou's and mine will be. It hurt because somewhere else within me, I refused to face the truth that my dear companion would leave me eventually. He had been a prison to me just as much as he was the wings that set me free.

"You're hurt. I see that," His voice was soothing but his words felt like powdered glass being rubbed against my skin, "But you need to trust that what I do is in your best interests, Shizuko."

I couldn't trust him—not anymore. There was so many problems and grievances we had with one another that I feared the wall segregating us would never fall.

"You have a duty to the family. To protect us—that's why you're Head Clansman and not the Elders. So why…why did you let them do to me what they did," I whispered. Tears pricked my eyes, "My life had meaning then—value and purpose."

"It still does," He said it like it made everything alright again. I felt his hand on my shoulder.

"I had status. I was coveted by men. Yes, because I was pretty, but it was because I had their respect. I helped build connections for the family which seemed to be enough for the longest time," I hissed, "And now I'm a lowly Shinigami. Now, I'm just a nameless face among a sea of nameless faces. You let them take away my identity."

"I thought you wanted to become a Shinigami—it was something you spoke of—"

"I did, but I wanted it to be on my terms!" My head was bowed. I was so furious but I was also so confused. I was so utterly confused—it seemed as though I had never recovered from the whiplash of the past, "I…wanted it to be my choice."

"Don't cry." I had never known someone who could say anything without any emotion like Byakuya did. Deciphering whether he actually felt remorse or not was enough to make my head spin.

"I'm not," I murmured, lifting my head. Our eyes met through the mirror. He only nodded.

I glanced over my shoulder and realized that he was much closer than I had originally thought. His palm felt hot against the thin material of my robe. My eyes were wide as he stared down at me, waiting for me to say something.

"Byakuya," I swallowed my trepidation and forced to ask the question that had been on my mind since we had arrived to the World of the Living, "Why are we not trying to help Ru—"

A laugh from the other side of the house cut me off. A man's whose voice I hadn't heard before. My fingers tingled and I could feel his presence draw closer. The hairs on my neck stood on end as he stopped outside the door—the screen thin enough for me to see his silhouette.

The door began to open—

"Kisuke, sir, one of the female Shinigami is changing in there," Ururu's voice caused the door to stop in its track.

"Oh, my bad. I was looking for Captain Kuchiki."

My heart had stopped. That voice. That was his voice. I looked up at Byakuya and felt my hands shake.

"Someone's looking for you," I brushed his hand off, and avoided his eyes again, "I need to finish changing. I'm sorry for keeping us here this long, Byakuya."

"…You know who that is."

It was my knowing that had me wanting to get away from this place as quickly as humanly possible. I shut my eyes and took a deep breath, burying my spiritual presence deeper than it had been before.

I untied the sash and slid off my robe, "I'm taking this off regardless of you watching or not."

There was a pause before he left the room.