Disclaimer: Once again, Bleach character belong entirely to Tite Kubo... If I wrote bleach don't you think I would be writing this?

Ok... this chapter took A LOT of rewriting and updating but please review and tell me what you think!

WELCOME TO THE RUKON DISTRICT

Xepher awoke in a house that she did not recognize as her own. So, in a fit of fear of what recently happened, she sat up almost panicking. Looking around, she noticed she was in a wooden house. She lay on top of what seemed to be a futon and covered in blankets she did not own. She stood and walked forward stepping onto the rough floor beneath her and slid open the thin wooden door that closed the room off from the rest of the house.

Behind it revealed a tall, thin, muscular guy with feathered jet black hair carrying a tray of food. He wore a white kimono that stood out in contrast to his tan skin. He blinked at her with ocean blue eyes and gave a relieved sigh.

"Sai! She's awake!"

"Great!" Came another voice and with it the arrival of another new face. She was as tan as the guy in front of her, with short caramel brown hair and darker blue eyes. She also wore a white kimono and she held a mixing bowl in her hand, "Nice to meet you newcomer. Welcome to the Rukongai!"

"I'm sorry?" Xepher shook her head. Now that she remembered it, that so called "captain" was to supposedly send her into a place called the Soul Society, "The Rukongai? This isn't the Soul Society?"

"It is…" The guy coughed into his fist, "The Rukongai help make up part of it… right now you're in the Junrinan District."

"Jun… rinan?" She blinked.

"Yes." Sai nodded, "and you are now part of our family here. I'm Sai Konomi. The guy here holding your lunch is Nick Magnum."

"Oh!" Xepher blinked and as if that were to trigger anything, her stomach growled at that moment, "H-how long have I been asleep?" she asked, taking a seat at the table in the main room.

"Well… we found you unconscious two days ago…" Nick answered setting the tray down before her.

"Two days?!"

"What's your name, sweetheart?" Sai interrupted.

She blinked, "I'm Xepher… Xepher Ryokutsuki…"

"Xepher, huh? What an odd name…"

"Don't be rude, Nick!" Sai scowled. Nick sighed, more of a huff really, but nonetheless kept the rest of his comments to himself, "I'm going to apologize for him. He's not good with meeting new people."

That statement stirred him up and the two began bickering almost immediately. So far, no matter how long they've known each other, they don't look like two that would get along easy. Nick already seemed like a total asshole and Sai, from what she's seen, tries to be the person in charge even if they all look around the same age.

'I've been here for two days already…' Xepher thought to herself. That scared her a little but these people seem to be friendly enough. They said they were to be her new….. Family?

"Umm… I'm sorry…" Xepher interrupted the two of them and they both stopped immediately, "What did you mean earlier when you said that you guys were my new family?"

They looked at each other apologetically and sighed simultaneously. They sat down across from her at the table and Sai coughed into her fist, "We are indeed… you see… you have been separated from your real family back in the world of the living. There isn't a way for you to return to them. While you are here, you are put into… makeshift families as I like to call it… You happen to be chosen to stay with us simply because Nick is the one who found you."

Xepher turned towards the raven haired boy, "You found me?"

Nick nodded, "You were passed out by the lake not too far from here. I managed to carry you over here to take care of you until you wake up…. Luckily, most of the people in the Junrinan district didn't oppose to us keeping you here…"

Sai stood up and motioned Xepher to do the same. She did so as the caramel haired woman made her way toward her new "family" member and pulled her into a gentle hug. A little shocked by this, Xepher hesitantly returned the action and wrapped her arms around her.

"Welcome home…" she whispered and let her go.

A few weeks have passed since she arrived in the Rukongai district. Sai eventually became a mother figure to Xepher but was never too much in her business or personal matters. Nick, however, was becoming more of a big brother to her and has barely let her leave his sight now that he acknowledged her as his "little sister". It was becoming rather annoying really. The very fact that he wants to be where she was at all hours of the day was becoming really old really fast. She was quite surprised that he hasn't tried to sleep with her yet.

It was not too long later that she caught sight of strange people walking up and down the streets. Xepher recognized that they wore black shihakusho, the same uniform the people who had rescued her wore. Sai had told her that they were known as shinigami, the soldiers and protectors of the Soul Society. They we're doing their weekly check up of the district to make sure if there wasn't anything out of the ordinary. They began doing this several years after the war against Aizen, whom she had heard had almost destroyed the Soul Society and the world of the living.

She really got a good view of the action as she watched them fight and carry off the thieves that have been causing trouble here in the Junrinan District. Xepher was awed by their skill and strength and it wasn't long before she wished that she would become a Shinigami herself. Anytime she asked about it to Nick however, he'd dodge the question and continued on like everything was perfectly okay.

But, Xepher knew something was up, and she was determined to find out what.

"Hey… Nick?" Xepher spoke up one day while they were picking up firewood.

"Hmm?" He looked at her with his now carefree look and gave her a slight smile, "What's up?"

"I-I'm not meaning to sound rude… but why are you always so close to me? I mean I noticed you've been very protective of me… I'm sorry if I-"

"No. You're okay…" Nick's smile disappeared and he turned his back to her and continued picking up wood, "It's okay to ask…"

"Did you have a sister before me?" She blurted out the question without being able to stop herself.

He turned back to look at her abruptly with wide eyes clearly shocked. "H-how did you know?"

"Just the way you act around me… The way you baby me and won't let me do anything too stressful… like cooking…"

He gave a low growl of annoyance at that and scratched his head in frustration, "I told you it was because we have limited resources and we can't waste them teaching you how we cook…"

That was understandable. She hadn't been here long and the ways they do thing around here were a lot different and a bit old fashioned. She was so used to having electricity and having an oven and such that she didn't think she would not be able to use whatever is necessary to prepare simple meals.

"So are you going to answer my question or not?"

He paused a bit before speaking again, "There was another before you, yes… But she disappeared several years back and no one has seen her since…"

After that conversation, he stepped back a little bit from Xepher's personal space. He even let her cook! However, he was keen on keeping her away from the sight of the shinigami for some odd reason.

In attempt to get away from him, she snuck out while he left to use the bathroom and made her way towards the place she was found. The lake had become her secret getaway spot to meditate and dwell in her thoughts. Not too long ago, she learned about the Shinigami that come and check up on the people of the Rukongai. She noticed these were the people that had sent her here in the first place. These people had saved her spirit self from being left alone to perish after she had died. She become moved and wanted to train to become a Shinigami herself. She tried to begin by meditating near the star reflecting lake.

She sat down, crisscrossed as usual and sighed. Before she could begin, however, she heard the snap of a twig nearby and turned abruptly towards the noise, "Who's there? Nick?!"

"Well… No…" the figure stepped out to reveal, not her older brother, but who she recognized to be a Shinigami. His grey eyes almost reflected the moonlight, while his dark hair hung out wildly in different directions. He had a couple of tattoos on the left side of his face and a scar ran down across the right, "What are you doing here this late at night?"

"Umm…" She stood immediately, brushing herself off a bit before answering his question, "Is there a reason why I can't be here?"

He sighs and takes a few steps toward her as she takes a few steps back, "Hollows are known to show up here every now and then… It's not safe especially at night."

"I've been coming here for the past week and no one… or no THING else has shown until now…"

"Is that so…" He sighed,"Alright then… but I still want my first question answered. What are you doing here in the first place?'"

"I'm…" Xepher hesitated before answering," Meditating…"

He almost laughed. He let out a subtle chuckle before standing before her, "So… You want to become a Shinigami?"

"How did you figure?"

"Why else would you?"

She stopped not knowing how to answer that and gave in, "Yes… I want to become a Shinigami..."

"Congratulations then… You found yourself a tutor…"

"Huh?"

She looked up at his grey eyes as he smiled, "I am willing to help you get in contact with your Zanpactou spirit before I send you off to the academy."

"Are you serious?! You'd do that?!"

"Well… Usually, they'd help you do that at the academy but I will help if I can give it… I'm Shuihei Hisagi, lieutenant of Squad Nine."

"I'm… Xepher… Xepher Ryokutsuki." She responded and blinked, surprised that a lieutenant out of all people would want to help her, "I'm sorry! I didn't realize your rank!" She bowed

"Don't worry about it… anyways let's get started… It not too hard to get in contact with your Zanpactou Spirit… You should know its name before the end of tonight!"

END

Tada! Finally Some progress!

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